Ruby scales flashed so brightly they blinded him, and Link reeled back in surprise as a familiar pair of serious topaz eyes appeared before him.
Half a second later massive hands grabbed his waist, and the two of them rocketed out of the water. He dropped his spear, half worried he'd stab the Zora and still too shocked to do much in the way of reactions.
He had come all the way out to the Rutala river thinking Sidon wouldn't be able to find him. Yet the Zora always found him, whenever he came anywhere near the Domain.
Sidon slowed as they approached the surface, and they breached with barely a ripple.
"What are you doing so far beneath the surface? Can you breathe, Link?"
He flailed, hands eventually finding Sidon's and pressing down hard on them. Sidon didn't budge—if anything he held tighter—and Link spent a moment focusing on his breathing, on calming his racing heart. Sidon bumped his forehead with his own anxiously, obviously concerned, and Link nodded towards the fish floating to their side. His catch, jarred free of the net he'd been stuffing them in thanks to the Zora. He'd dropped that too.
"…Fish? You were—oh! Dear Link, I am sorry—I thought you were—" Sidon let go of him so quickly Link dropped beneath the surface of the water, and judging by the Zora's high-pitched yelp, it only served to panic him further.
Sidon grabbed him again, and Link let himself be towed to the bank of the river. Not that there was much he could do about it.
Sidon's muscles tensed, but a second later he relaxed, much to Link's relief. Instead of launching himself out of the water as Zora were so prone to do, he stopped the minute Link could touch the sand beneath them. He took hold of him again, grip much gentler as he rested a hand on Link's back.
"Are you absolutely sure that you are alright? I didn't mean to scare you so badly—I thought you were drowning." Sidon took Link's hand in his other hand, and Link stared at that, Sidon's claws resting gently on his forearm.
He forced himself to smile, shaking his head when he looked up.
"Let me—I'll retrieve your things! Give me a moment!" Sidon squeezed his arm gently, and flung himself back into the water with a thunderous splash.
Link threw himself in the other direction, though he didn't miss the wave that soaked him, and headed for shore. Cliff, technically.
He'd set up camp on the edge of the cliff above him. The climb wasn't much a bother for him, after years of practice, and he'd wanted to strain himself. Exhaust himself fishing and swimming and climbing and drop into a sleep so deep a fucking Hinox could storm up to his campfire in the night and he wouldn't notice, with the help of the couple bottles of Noble Pursuit he had stashed away.
By the time Sidon made it up the cliff he'd started a fire, and was digging through what ingredients he had on him.
"That…is quite a climb. Why camp here, if you don't mind me asking?" Sidon huffed, and despite himself Link couldn't help but smile as the Zora flopped onto the ground beside him. It took a moment to dig out his slate, and the bag of chalk he kept so carefully wrapped.
Clear my head.
"…The work? Oh, dear, I'm sorry if I am intruding! If you want me to leave you alone I will, I—"
Link waved his hands frantically, cutting Sidon off. And wrote. Messy, clumsy letters.
Stay.
He'd come up here to avoid him. To pretend Sidon did not exist, that Mipha did not exist, that he did not exist. He wanted to tell Sidon to leave, to not come back. But that was his pain and his anger and his fear and his guilt talking. Beneath that, more than anything, he needed Sidon there. Needed to stay in the Domain, to be near what little he had left of her. Of himself. Of everything.
"Are you sure?" Sidon's tail began to wave, gently. Weakly. And then his eyes widened, concerned.
Link couldn't breathe.
"Link, are you alright? You're—you're crying."
Fine. What do you want for dinner?
"I don't—Link, please, if you need anything, please. I am here for you. You have done more for me, for more the Domain, more for my dear sister than anyone in existence, and if I can do anything to help, please. Let me know. I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you." He was so earnest, voice so serious and his hands were warm, if still damp, as they cradled Link's face.
Link looked away, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to focus on his breathing. As he continued to cry.
Sidon pulled him into an embrace, and Link let him. Couldn't say no, couldn't bring himself to resist.
"I worry, you know. This weight you bear drowns you." It was that, his worry and his sincerity that made Link pull himself together. Sidon didn't let go of him until the Zora was sure he was alright, and only moved a short distance away.
Link tapped his finger against his slate, again.
What do you want for dinner?
"Oh, anything you want! Please, Link, I've no wish to be a burden. I can cook! Only fish, I'm afraid—have you ever tried sushi?"
And, Hylia bless him, Sidon moved on as if nothing had happened.
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This'll be a series of oneshots, all connected to one another, surrounding the relationships between our favorite Zora siblings and their itty bitty Hylian. This will contain spoilers for BOTW. It'll cover stuff before the Calamity, after it, and during. It'll jump around, of course. Main romantic pairings are gonna be Mipha/Link and Sidon/Link (sidlink? Is that the unofficial official term now?), and Urbosa/Zelda (bc holy shit guys). Expect lots of non-romantic stuff in this though, and if you think this is going to be the fluff express get out while you still can lmao.
Hope you all have a great day, and lemme know what you think!