For those of you who don't know, a drabble is a story that is 500 words or less. I have trouble with them, so I decided to do a bunch of them to get better, and here we are. Some of these may be expanded into full-fledged oneshots later, but that's for future me to worry about. Now, just enjoy a bunch of very fluffy and very short TeLink drabbles for diabetes purposes.
Incidentally, I don't own Legend of Zelda. Go figure.
Pepper
"...chu!"
Blinking rapidly, Link looked up from the map he was poring over in an attempt to find a quicker route from Windfall to Outset. He almost hadn't heard the sound, but it was definitely there, even over the crashing of the waves against the hull of the ship, which was even louder now that he was below deck. The only person in the room other than him was Tetra, who had begrudgingly agreed to swap tasks with Link since he had a more complete Sea Chart. To his surprise, her nose was currently pressed into the crook of her elbow, her eyes screwed shut.
"Tet?" he called over the tide, eyebrows furrowing. "You okay over there?"
In response, she blinked her eyes open and lowered her arm back to her side. "Yeah," she muttered, glancing uneasily at the pot before her. "I just used a little too much—hachu!" She shoved her sleeve back against her face just in time.
Link stared.
It had been a quiet sneeze. Not even quiet, really—closer to silent than "quiet". Tetra had just let out a cute, quiet, dainty sneeze.
He stifled a snort.
Immediately, Tetra's head snapped up and she shot him a glare. "Oh, you think that's funny, hero boy?" she demanded, a grin stretching across her face far wider than any grin aught even as her eyebrows pulled low over her twitching blue eyes. "In that case, this'll be hilarious!" Without a word more of warning, she grabbed a handful of pepper, lurched toward Link as he scrambled away from her, and threw it.
"No, wait—!" he cried, but it was too late. A gray cloud of spice enveloped his face and he hissed, closing his eyes, which only forced him to inhale deeply afterward, sucking in a huge fistful of the stuff. "Gah!" Hands waving through the air to clear it, he felt his heart sink when it was no use. "Ha… h-ha…"
Tetra grinned, anger gone as she anticipated a similarly embarrassing sniffle.
Eyebrows meeting in the middle of his forehead, Link's entire body jumped with a deafening "Ha—CHOO!"
The sneeze was so powerful that the pepper, which had settled on Link's tunic and the ground around him, burst out, once again covering the air. The maps on the table in front of him went flying, as did the inkpot, and pots and pans clattered on the kitchen counters. "Ha-CHOOO!" The encore sent his chair skidding away from the desk he'd been working at, and the pot of soup Tetra had been stirring tipped, wobbled precariously, then flipped over the edge of the counter, clattering to the floor and spilling its contents everywhere.
Silence. Tetra stared at Link incredulously, disregarding the tepid soup pooling around her sandals. Link's jaw was hanging open in outrage as he gaped at the maps on the floor, most of which were now completely soaked in a mix of peppery broth and dark ink.
As they soon found out, neither of them laughed quietly.
Sleepy Little Hero
Creaaaaak…
Tetra didn't look up from her book when footsteps padded audibly along the stairs leading to her room. As far as she was aware, almost all the other pirates had already gone to bed except for whoever had their night shifts tonight, so there wasn't much to be worried about. Reaching up to brush some hair out of her face, she absentmindedly wondered if Gonzo still had those scissors they usually used to cut their hair, because she was long overdue.
Even though she was focused on the story she was reading (a story that she would never admit was actually about the hero of legend), she still caught a blur of green and yellow as it peered into her doorway from over the top of her book. After a moment of hesitation, the blur crept forward, trying its best not to make any more sounds so that it wouldn't disturb the other crew members. Tetra couldn't help but smirk a little at that. Sure, these walls were about as thick as paper, but pirates were used to noise during the night, and they probably wouldn't even twitch.
As she turned the page, the blur padded up to the side of her bed. Two clunks marked the removal of boots, and Tetra wordlessly raised her arm into the air. Immediately, he was beside her, head on the pillow, and she lowered her arm around his shoulders.
"We still heading north?" Tetra wondered aloud, unfazed by the fact that they were basically cuddling.
"Yeah," was Link's weary reply.
Those were the only words they exchanged. Tetra continued to read about the supposed exploits of the Hero of Time, scoffing a bit at points where common reasoning seemed to go out the window (why send the hero away in time if the land was going to need him?), until the lantern swinging overhead burned low. Sighing, she closed the book, tossed it onto the desk by her bed, and turned to look at Link.
He had fallen asleep and was now practically curled into a ball, his bright blonde hair sticking in just about every direction.
She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her mouth, nor could she help the grin. "Dork," she whispered fondly before tilting her head back and extinguishing the lantern with a single puff of air, plunging the two into darkness.
Shards
Well.
Wasn't this a predicament.
If anyone had been there to laugh at the moment, they would've ended up in a world of pain. Because they definitely would've laughed if they could, and it was better that no one ever laugh at Tetra.
Especially when she was this pissed.
Hissing with a flinch as a particularly large shard of glass dug into the exposed underside of her bare foot, Tetra tenderly lifted one leg into the air. That only put more of her weight onto the other foot, however, pushing shards deeper into that one, and she quickly put both feet on the ground. A wince escaped her as the jagged fragments jostled themselves further into her flesh. By this point, small rivulets of blood were beginning to drip from the balls of her feet, and she silently cursed her lack of shoes.
"Tet? Everything okay in there?"
This time, she cursed aloud. "Everything's fine!" she hastened to call. She was not going to get help for something this trivial, especially when it was her own clumsiness at fault. No, she would never stoop that low. "Get back to work!"
Confident that whoever was outside the door would heed her warning, she immediately returned to the predicament at hand. The fallen relic had shattered all across her quarters, and she let out one last obscenity in the name of the person who'd made that thing hollow. It might've just cracked if it had been solid, but nooooo. Huffing, she glanced around for something nearby to lean on so she could get some weight off of her feet. "Nudge is gonna kill me," she muttered under her breath once she could get a closer look at the damage. The idol was completely destroyed and had coated much of the floor in wannabe daggers.
"Fine, huh?"
Startled, she whirled around, her feet instinctively shifting against the rough wood. Bad idea. Glass tore through her skin like paper, tearing a gasp from her mouth against her will.
In an instant, her feet were off the ground and she found herself in the arms of a very familiar green-clad blonde. "Easy, there," he muttered placatingly, quickly shimmying through the glass with his boots.
Depositing her onto her bed, he pulled the glass out of her feet carefully but swiftly. For her part, she barely winced after the initial pain, drowning it out with thoughts of 'Just when did he get in here?' For the first time, she thanked his constant need to overpack, because he literally just whisked some bandages right out of nowhere and started to wrap her feet with them. "Can you spell 'crazy prepared'?" she snorted as he worked.
"In fact, I can't," was his curt reply. He glanced up and, despite his serious voice, he was smiling softly. "Next time, you know, you can just tell me what happened."
Tetra scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she wasn't really being sarcastic when she said, "Sure, I'll try to remember that."
A Perfect? Gift
"Tetraaaaa!"
The cry was so sudden and so loud that Tetra actually jumped with a startled yelp. Eyes wide, she whirled around, hand flashing to the cutlass dangling at her belt. It wasn't often that the holder of the Triforce of Courage was reduced to such a terrified state, and, for a heart-stopping moment, she entertained the notion that Ganondorf had returned.
That was when Link burst into her quarters in tears, flung himself into her arms, and wailed, "Quackdri is missing!"
For the first time since the revelation that she was, indeed, Princess Zelda, Tetra was shocked into silence. Although she was undoubtedly the tougher of the two, Link was not a crybaby by any means, and she couldn't recall even one time that he snivelled like this, even when leaving his family behind years ago that first fateful day on Outset.
After she regained her composure, she awkwardly squirmed in his iron grasp before reaching up to pat his head. "There, there," she offered uncertainly. "Er, what… wait, who's Quacky?"
"Quackdri," Link corrected between sniffles, finally beginning to compose himself. "I got him on Windfall."
"First of all," Tetra began, her sympathy quickly wearing thin, "what kind of name is Quackdri, and, second of all, did you let a stowaway onto our ship?!"
Quelling his sobs with some effort, Link shrunk back but didn't release his embrace. "I—I wanted to get you something for your birthday," he moaned, "and then I saw this vendor selling b-baby ducks, y-you know? So I g-got one… and I was gonna name 'im Quadri because, you know, Tetra means four and so does Quadri, until I decided on Quackdri because, you know, Quadri and Quack—b-but then he w-went missing and now I c-cant find 'im!"
For the second time since the revelation that she was, indeed, Princess Zelda, Tetra was shocked into silence. This time, it wore off faster. "Wait, wait. So let me get this straight." She pried Link's arms off of her shoulders with some difficulty and held him at arm's length. "You've been hiding a baby duck named Quackdri on this ship for a week now because you wanted to surprise me on my birthday. And then you lost it, so you started crying for the first time since I met you."
Eyes wettening again before screwing up, Link wailed, "Yeeessss!" before quickly burrowing back into Tetra's arms.
As the Hero of Winds and bearer of the Triforce of Courage wept into her vest, Tetra stared blankly over his shoulder, mind trying and failing to process this new information. "...I have no idea whether to be touched or amused," she finally said, although it was doubtful that he could hear her.
"Miss Tetra!"
Nudge rounded the doorway, both hands outstretched, and that was when a ball of downy yellow feathers entered Tetra's life.
"Quackdri!" Link shrieked, diving for the duckling and cradling it to his chest. "I was so worried!" As he fretted, Tetra slowly felt herself grin.
"...Dork."
Frostbite
Link would've never let it happen if he had known, but now all he could do was berate himself. Berate himself and fret over Tetra's unconscious body, dangerously pale and shivering.
Well, at least she was still shivering.
That idiot. That idiot had stayed out in the freezing cold. That idiot had stayed out in the freezing cold even though it was winter and they were currently running from the ice as the tops of the Great Sea froze up. And now her terracotta skin looked more like a waxy yellow tinged with blue.
She had volunteered to steer the ship tonight, what with Gonzo already having a bad case of frostbite. Faintly, he wondered if Zuko was alright, but she was his top priority right now. He'd check on the lookout later. Scooping her up in his arms, he hastily ran down to her room and, despite his mind's natural objections, began to strip off her clothing, wet with freezing dew and the light snow that was falling overhead.
After drying her off to the best of his ability and layering her in all of her dry spare clothing, he then added his own tunic and swaddled her in blankets. Then, rubbing his hands rapidly across her frigid forehead, he dragged her to the kitchen and lit up a fire in the stove. Bringing her as close to it as he could without risking setting the blankets on fire, he wrapped his arms around her for body heat and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.
Calm down, Link.
Calm down, Link.
Calm down, Link.
He calmed himself down and calmed himself down until, without meaning to, he fell asleep.
When Tetra's eyes fluttered open the next morning, her entire body ached, especially her fingers and face. Groaning, she attempted to sit up, only to be thwarted by the multiple blankets tangled around her body.
Wait, who was steering the ship?!
Cursing herself for falling asleep on the job, Tetra was suddenly wide awake. She wriggled out of the multiple blankets, and—wait, when did those get there? And, now that she looked at herself—wait, was she wearing Link's tunic? And weren't those Link's arms wrapped around her stomach?
She tried to stand, but her body was lethargic and it hurt to move. Sighing, she eventually gave up, instead glancing around at her surroundings.
They were laying on their sides in front of the stove in the pantry, which was lit despite their low supply of firewood. Gonzo was sitting across from them, fitfully reading a book but sending worried glances at them every few seconds. When he saw her staring back, he immediately clambered forward with a cry of "Miss Tetra, you're alright!" and then a tacked-on "Oh, don't move! You have frostbite real bad, but Link here staved off the worst of it."
As if responding to his name, Link shifted but did not wake.
Smirking, Tetra allowed Gonzo to throw the blankets back over them, uncharacteristically yielding. As much as she hated people fretting over her… she supposed it was a little sweet.
Just a little bit.
It's On
Link lay back in the grass with a content sigh. As much as he had grown accustomed to the life of the sea, both during his adventure and during his current stint with Tetra and her crew, it was more than a little refreshing to just lay back and soak in the sun sometimes. Especially since he hadn't even been on a boat until that first pirate ship ride a few years ago, so he was still definitely used to solid ground.
Tetra, on the other hand, tended to get antsy when she was out of the ocean for too long, beginning to yearn to return to the wide open sea where she belonged. He supposed part of it was the upbringing and part of it was the fact that, the last time she'd spent too long on land, she'd gotten abducted by Ganondorf.
That was when a handful of grass joined the grass already piled on his lap.
Speak of the devil…
"Tetra, could you not?" he muttered, faking irritation despite being slightly enamored by his official-unofficial girlfriend's quirks. This wasn't the first time she'd spent the entirety of their land time ripping up grass, and this marked the fourth time in a row she'd chosen to pile that grass onto him in an attempt to, in her own words, 'see if he could possibly get any greener'.
When another handful of stems made it onto his legs, his eyes snapped open with a devious grin. "That's it," he declared, suddenly shooting up and sending grass everywhere. Reaching out both hands, he tore up two massive bunches of grass and tossed it right over Tetra's head. It sprinkled itself on top of her head and shoulders, the pieces that couldn't balance falling down around her. One piece even stood perfectly on her nose.
Tetra smirked, eyes flashing dangerously.
"Oh, it's on."
And on it was. Soon, grass was flying through the air constantly, making it appear as if it was raining green blades. Tactics quickly shifted from "grab and throw" to much more complicated battle strategies, and the match culminated in Link using the Wind Waker to blow all of the torn-up grass right at Tetra's face. He couldn't help but snigger at the thought that King Daphnes must be rolling in his grave right now, what with the ancient baton being used for such a childish purpose.
When it was over, they were both sitting right next to each other on top of the suddenly grassless hill, grinning and breathing heavily. Link stretched out a hand. "Truce?" he offered.
Tetra nodded. "Truce."
She reached out and their hands linked. Both gripped and gave a firm shake. Then, in unison, they lurched forward and each shoved a handful of grass down the other's shirt.
When Gonzo finally came looking for them, they were both cracking up as they rolled around on the hill, blades of grass sticking out of their clothing.
They never did give him a proper explanation.
Petals
"Well, well, well. Someone has a secret admirer."
Blinking, Link looked up from the Sea Chart he had been scouring for their next excursion to search for the new Hyrule. "Huh?" he asked dumbly, staring at the large bouquet of daisies Tetra was holding. They were tied together with string and a note hanging from them read in a scrawl, "My hero". The back of the note had a hastily-drawn heart on it.
"I said—" Tetra leaned closer, shoving the daisies into his face with a teasing grin on her face, "—it looks like someone has a secret admirer. That Quill guy just dropped these off. Said they were from someone on Windfall who preferred to remain anonymous." She shoved them closer to his nose, and the petals tickled his cheeks.
"...Huh?" he repeated, flabbergasted.
Tetra laughed, long and loud. "Well, I guess you're as shocked by this development as I am. Why anyone would send flowers to a scrawny kid like you when there are plenty of more eligible bachelors on Windfall is beyond me." She failed to mention the fact that they were currently officially-unofficially dating, but it didn't matter anyway. If he was insulted by her words, he certainly didn't show it by casually taking the flowers without a second glance at her.
"Huh," he mused, untying the bundle and letting them cascade into his lap. "The only person to have ever given me flowers before is Aryll, so I'm just as confused as you are."
Tetra laughed at that, but her laughter ceased when she saw him picking up each individual flower and counting the petals. After each count, he'd either drop them to his right side with a smile or pile them on his left with a creased brow. "What are you doing?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow. "I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be selective about what flowers you accept."
Link looked up curiously. "What are you—" He then looked back down at the two growing piles. "—Oh! Sorry, force of habit." Cheeks turning a subtle shade of pink, he rubbed the back of his head and piled the daisies back together.
Now officially intrigued, Tetra hopped closer and lowered herself to the ground beside him, legs folding under her in a casual squat. "Force of habit?" she prompted.
Link sighed. "It's stupid."
"You're stupid. Now tell me."
His sigh was a little louder this time, and he rolled his eyes, but he couldn't fully suppress his smile at her blunt words. "Well, I guess you wouldn't have played it, but there's this game? You take a flower and start plucking off petals, cycling between 'she loves me' and 'she loves me not'." Blushing, he looked away. "I used to play it all the time, but I'd refuse to play unless I was gonna 'win', so I have a habit of only picking flowers with an odd amount of petals. ...Stupid, huh?"
"Yes."
"Shut up."
They laughed it off.
Imperfections
"...Tetra?"
She tried not to stare—she really did. But the sight of Link's bared back, his tan skin marred by many pale indents and swellings, wasn't easy to look away from.
"This is why I didn't want to show you," he muttered under his breath, reaching up to grip his shoulders. In his insecurity, he was almost tempted to turn and run away, but it was too late now. Besides, he would be leaving his tunic behind, and, although he had been forced to wear other clothing before, it would be a red flag to the rest of the ship if he started running around in his old blue and orange garb now.
"How'd you get 'em?"
When she finally spoke, he actually flinched, despite the relatively harmless words. Fidgeting under her gaze, he ducked his head, glad that she hadn't asked to see his chest yet. "Um… well, a lot of places…" he muttered, face and ears both going a bright red that she luckily couldn't see.
This was why he didn't play truth or dare.
This was especially why he didn't play truth or dare with pirates.
And, above all else, this was why he didn't play truth or dare with pirates and choose "dare".
Suddenly, her finger was on his back, and he almost arched away reflexively before he caught himself. "What about this one?" she asked, touching a large diagonal slash from his shoulder blade to his opposite side. Her voice was inordinately quiet and serious; not at all the teasing jibe he had expected.
His voice was even quieter; a near whisper. "Gohma."
"Gohma?" she repeated.
"The monster who was terrorizing Valoo on Dragon Roost," he clarified.
She hummed absently. "And… what about…" She paused for a moment, then placed her finger on a large burn that mottled a section of his lower back. "...this one? Also from this 'Gohma'?"
He swallowed thickly. "No. The Tower of the Gods."
Her eyebrows skyrocketed past her hairline, and he could feel her gaze bore into the back of his neck. "The Tower of the Gods?" she repeated, much more incredulously this time.
"The place where you could go down to Hyrule," he murmured, shifting uncomfortably. "To open the path to get the Master Sword, I had to climb the tower, and they challenged me to defeat the machine at the end." He paused, shivering slightly at the memory. "...he mainly attacked me with fire. A fairy healed most of it, but…"
He trailed off, plunging them both into science. When further interrogation wasn't forthcoming, he quickly added, "R-rude, right?" in a futile attempt to lighten the mood.
A flutter of fabric. Footsteps. When she stepped in front of him, her back was uncovered to reveal many scars of similar origin all along her own back. As Link stared, almost not believing his eyes, she launched into explanations, pointing to each scar as she went. She didn't have quite as many as he did, but it was certainly close, and she was completely unashamed of them.
And, for the first time, Link didn't feel like his scars were imperfections.