30- FF entry
Warnings: Has BL, and very light, almost nonexistent, mention of sex. Sheik is his own character and a male. Slightly AU as well, as Navi stays with Link AND Link stays in the future.
Disclaimer: OoT, well LoZ in general does not belong to me. If so, I wouldn't have let brawl boobify Sheik :P However, the plot and digital words do belong to me!
NOTE: I changed my normal template for .+++. it's not a timeskip for this fanfiction, but a change in perspective (or PoV in 3rd-person)
To watch the two in their tension, Navi thought, was too painful.
So… being the impish little fairy she was, she knew she had to intervene.
.+++.
Link sighed as his fairy twirled around him in a more annoying way than before. She was chuckling mischievously and flitted around as Link chased her.
"Navi!"
"Shh!" His fairy hushed him and he sighed again as she flew into the foliage,
Link followed after her, it wouldn't be good to have her shrieking for help in the woods. He could barely follow her light as she zipped through the branches easily, and he had to push, bend under, and step over every branch that was in his way. Whatever Navi was planning, Link was certain that he would make her pay in equal or greater torture.
…Well that was his plan until he pushed away the last branch.
Link froze mid-step, his hand unmoving as it held a single branch away from his face. All thoughts had vanished from his face as he saw Sheik standing in a pool of water, his entire upper back revealed to the setting sun.
Link always thought that Sheik's tight battle suit hid nothing, but he was proven wrong. He watched the water droplets slide down that luxurious back tantalizingly.
It was the first time Link saw any piece of Sheik's skin other than his hands and that single quarter of Sheik's uncovered face.
Then, Link realized he was invading the other's privacy. He flung his arm back to his side but the branch snapped back to hit him in the face. Of course, standing on one foot, Link didn't have even a single strand of hope to stay balanced, and he tiled backwards, his hovering foot tripping in reverse on the branch that he had overstepped, and fell to the ground with a loud heap. Leaves flew up and around him, notifying the other even more of his presence, though all that was needed was the whipping sound the branch made as it hit Link in the face.
Water was splashing and Link covered his face in pure embarrassment.
"Who's there!"
The voice was in front of him.
Link tried to keep his eyes closed, but couldn't. Link tried to keep his hands blocking his vision, but he failed.
The branches didn't though, so all Link saw was the bare, strong legs of the Sheikah warrior, and he couldn't stop staring.
"H-hello…" Link said, wincing at the break in his voice.
"…" Sheik was silent, or paused, or something.
"Sheik?"
The Sheikah turned around and swiftly returned to his discarded clothes.
Look away! Link told himself. Look away! What if I just insulted him? Goddesses! I'm so stupid! That last thought calmed his nerves and he managed to find a very interesting ant carrying food off to the side.
"…It's alright now Link."
Link's ears perked up. Did Sheik just call him by his name? "…Sorry." Link muttered and stood up and removed himself from the greenery. "I didn't mean to."
"No Hero, it was my fault. I did not detect you when I should have." Sheik was fully dressed now, even if the fabric clung even more tightly to Sheik's probably still-wet body.
Bad Link! Bad Link! Stop thinking that! Link had to keep his eyes adverted still, for fear of the suit revealing too much. "Umm… uh… Hello?" Link tried, an awkward smile on his face, his eyes closed at he looked at what was (presumably) Sheik's position.
"I believe you already said that Hero."
Link's face flushed.
"But, I have not. Hello Hero." Sheik pulled out his harp and began playing it idly. "What brings you to this part of the woods? Not many come here."
"I was just wandering." Link said softly and decided to sit on the rock off to the side. "However, I was following – Navi!" Link stood up and looked around and muttered, "That little schemer!"
Sheik chuckled softly but it was soon droned out as Sheik ran his fingers along the many strings of his harp at once. "Would you care to join me?"
Link finally looked over at Sheik and smiled. "Just as the old days."
.+++.
Navi was infuriated. With all of her effort the two were still waiting. They wouldn't move unless the other made a move first. It was as if they were playing a game of chess, but they both had black pieces, so neither knew who would move first. They were at a stalemate even if they hadn't even touched their pawns.
Why couldn't they stop this idiotic waiting game?
.+++.
The two musicians played well into the night and Sheik, once the moon was high in the sky, stood up and offered his hand to Link.
Link had accepted his hand and Sheik smiled behind his mask, trying to ignore the tingles that the skin contact caused to trail up his arm. "I'd rather you not try to make yourself find your way out of this forest. Though, it seems quite in the morning, many animals and beasts alike roam when the sun has set."
"Sheik… I've been meaning to ask you, why do you seem so familiar with these woods?"
"Ah," Sheik broke to chuckle lightly. "It is because I live here Hero."
Sheik had trouble reading Link's expression, but it seemed to be one of disbelief. "You live here? I never thought that you would live in a forest…"
Sheik smiled once again, but forced back a laugh. He couldn't be seen laughing at every comment Link made – even if he amused Sheik to no end – he preferred to keep his emotions much to himself. Even if… he didn't mind sharing them with Link. "Why is that? You didn't see the forest in me?"
Sheik quite liked the pink tinge adorning Link's face. "Not really no."
"Well follow me, my house is just ahead."
Link made a noise of confirmation, and that was the end of the conversation.
Sheik never knew why Link stayed in the future, instead of going back to his past. He wondered what had made the Hylian give up seven years of his life. Was it the fact that Link had mentally grown too much? He was certain that even Zelda could help with that. It did perplex him, but… Sheik didn't mind. That meant that Link was here, walking with him, talking with him, melodically playing with him.
When Sheik arrived at his house, it had dawned upon him that he still held Link's hand. He couldn't help the blush that rose to his cheeks. He hadn't noticed after five minutes of walking that he was holding the other's hand! His mind was too distracted by… Sheik's face darkened further, but he couldn't just rip his hand from Link's. It would be too obvious. Instead, Sheik walked to his door, hoping that the movement was natural as he removed his hand from the other and reached for his key.
He missed the contact.
Sheik drove that thought from his mind and opened his door.
"There you are!" He heard a high-pitched, feminine voice say.
"I think I should be saying that Navi!"
Sheik sighed and rolled his eyes as the two continued to argue and gestured them into his house.
"You know Sheik, you shouldn't let her into your house! She's worse than a skull kid!"
"Why would that be?" He knew Navi was annoying, but mischievous? Well… actually that wasn't so hard to believe.
Link's cheeks tinged again.
Sheik raised an eyebrow in question at that. Now that was even more intriguing.
"Oh you exaggerate Link!" Nonetheless, the fairy entered his home and Sheik closed the door behind her.
"I'll go make something warm to drink. Make yourself comfortable."
.+++.
Navi wasn't too sure why the two had held hands… though she suspected that it had to do, once again, with their eternal waiting game. She had to sigh, couldn't those two see? Link… he wasn't the brightest cookie in the jar, yes, but he had his good points, and especially dealing with other people's emotions. He could tell fear from distraught, anger from sadness, and happiness from content, so why couldn't he see the plain truth laying out before him?
Speaking of truth, weren't the Sheikah blessed with the ability to see behind deceptions? The two were probably convinced that they were blinded by their own emotions.
Fools, the both of them.
.+++.
"You know Navi, I'd totally whollop you here and now, but that would lead to questions." Link said and sighed, leaning against the couch before the unlit fireplace.
Navi giggled. "Oh really? And why wouldn't you want to answer them?" She fluttered around Link in circles again.
Link swatted at her playfully. "You probably know the answer already, missy-know-it-all."
"Hey!" Navi said and stopped before quickly dodging Link's hand. "My 'know-it-all-ness saved your butt plenty of times before!" She crossed her arms, flying in front of his face.
Link sniggered. "Alright, I admit that it did, yes, but you didn't have to be so annoying about it all the time. You know you gave me nightmares with your 'hey's, your 'listen's, and especially your 'watch out!'s." Link then stuck out his tongue. "By the way, are you cold or something? Well... your bright light doesn't help hide your–"
"Link!" Navi exclaimed and hmphed, fluttering off.
Good riddance for that.
.+++.
Navi flew off to go see what Sheik was doing. Maybe he would appreciate her help more than Link. Man, sometimes Link was so annoying!
However, she did wonder why Link voluntarily played this waiting game. It's not like Link was the patient sort.
Neither seemed Sheik, but then again, he waited seven years for Link to awaken.
Great, that just made her job even harder.
.+++.
"Have another spat with Link, Navi?" Sheik said, pouring some steaming water into a mug.
"Hey!"
Sheik twitched his eyebrow. Yes, Navi was definitely annoying. How could Link put up with this on a daily basis?
"You just called him by his first name!" Navi giggled.
"And you will not inform him of such Navi." Sheik's eyebrow twitched. Dammit, he slipped up.
"Aww… but why? You know Link hates that hero title you always give him."
Sheik sighed and poured the water into another mug. "It is as he deserves."
"Oh? But you called him that even before he defeated Ganondorf, and he wasn't a hero then was he? I'm sure you can drop the title, at least for one night."
Oh why did Navi have to phrase it that way? Sheik blushed at the connotations behind the words.
"Sheik, are you bl–"
"Another peep out of you and you're the next thing that this hot water is going to touch Navi." Sheik threatened, a glare coming out of his visible eye.
"Eep!" The fairy fluttered off.
Sheik sighed and calmed his face, sprinkling some flavour into the mugs, walking over to where Link sat.
.+++.
Navi sighed as she flew to the window and watched the stars outside. Both stubborn and idiotic! Too stubborn to make the first move, and apparently too stubborn to even admit it. Oh well… if she intervened any further, she knew she would get nowhere. Might as well watch to see what happens.
.+++.
Link gladly accepted the warm mug into his gauntleted hands and Sheik moved to start a modest flame in the fireplace. It wasn't too cold to really need one, but it was nice – especially in mid-autumn.
"Thank you."
"Pardon?" Sheik asked and looked back at him.
"For letting me come here, the mug… everything." Link had to blush again and looked off to the side. "And I don't mean just for today either."
With a final poke to the fire, Sheik sat next to Link and tilted his head ever-so-slightly. "L-Hero?"
"…I like it when you call me Link."
An awkward silence befell them, and Link cautiously took a sip of the hot liquid.
"Do," Sheik paused, "you prefer it?"
Link, afraid of his voice betraying him, nodded in the dim lighting.
"I'll try, H-Link."
"Thank you."
A quiet calm filled the room, only the crackling of the fire sounded in the room for awhile, broken once again by Sheik.
"What did you mean by not just for today?"
Link's blush returned. "Um, well, it's just that I appreciated your presence back then, when I had nobody to turn to. I couldn't stay too long in one place, for fear of endangering my friends. But, you were a constant in my life back then. It doesn't matter if you had no choice in the matter, but, it really helped me Sheik." It was embarrassing to admit it, that he, the holder of courage, found a simple pleasure in a cryptic stranger with a harp.
Sheik seemed to think on his words and took a moment or two longer than normal to respond. "It was my pleasure to help you then, as it is now to hear you appreciated it. You're… welcome Link."
Link inhaled slowly. It's now… or never. "Sheik… I…" Link felt the red eyes gazing at him in question and his cheeks burned. What happened to all that courage he mustered to challenge a Dark Lord? Why couldn't he form three simple words? "I think I…" No. He had to be definite. Wasn't this what he gave up his adolescence for? He looked Sheik in the eye. "No, I know." He took a deep breath. "Listen, Sheik. The reason why I refused Zelda's offer to return to my original time was," another breath, "because I've fallen for you."
Sheik's eye widened as the words were spoken, but Link couldn't gauge any further reaction. He couldn't read any rejection in the eye – only shock and that was to be expected. However, when that eye didn't narrow into a glare, but instead, remained wide, Link's had to widen as well.
Did that mean Sheik…
The eye crinkled, but not in a malicious way. "I'm glad to hear that as well Link. In fact, I think I'd be horrified if it were opposite."
"Sh-Sheik? Does that mean that –"
"Yes Hero, I return your sentiments."
Link laughed. "It's Link."
"Touché."
.+++.
As Navi fluttered over to the couple sleeping, covered by naught but a blanket, she smiled. It was over a year since Link had saved Hyrule, and the two knew each other well enough, they were in love with one another long enough. She was glad that finally somebody took the first step.
At the door she looked back with a smile. "Goodbye Link."
He would be in capable hands.
Man, this just wrote itself. Like... I wasn't planning the ending to be the end (With Link's perspective) but... when I was just writing Sheik's response, "Hero" just came from my fingers, so I went with it. I also believe that Navi leaving at the end is... fitting.
I really actually like this one, because I tend to actually forget Navi in my fanfictions, and even if she is annoying, she has her own charming character. It makes me feel guilty when I leave her out lol.
Critic is welcome!