Summary:
Link has began his quest for Hyrule and he's losing steam fast. Everything already sucks and he's taken on some of his first injuries. He doesn't know if he can trust Sheik, and he's feeling pretty unmotivated. What's a Sheikah warrior to do? Maybe light a fire under his ass and show some tough love? Or maybe be a sounding board for the poor guy?
Disclaimer:
This story is mine, the head canon of Sheik being male is prevalent in this story. I think we can all be mature enough to accept that. Characters, places, dialogue used in the series does not belong to me but is © of Nintendo and it's rightful creators.
Warnings:
I have heavily edited this story, and with that there are some additional scenes and scene's I've chosen to remove. This story is going on almost 3 years old and it's an evolution. I can't stand not constantly going over it and finding errors as I re-read my stories often. And as I write other stories in this universe, I have to make updates to fit things together. This story does include violence, adult language and male x male sexual themes.
Chapter 1
Pep Talk
"Seven years later and I am doing this..." Link muttered lowly, he just had to stick around and get wagered into trying to beat Malon's score on her nearly impossible obstacle course. He had failed miserably and got charged into cleaning out the back cow house. He moved boxes and lifted them atop each other in a neat stack. Glad that even after seven years that he had some muscle. But that was magic for you.
He was brought down from his low pedestal as soon as his foot slid forward in something warm and he fell back with a milk crate resting on his sternum. After Navi had had her laughing fit, he started to yell in frustration because his clean white leggings were now shit stained. The warm substance on his back, that smelled just as foul was probably the same material that now caked his new boots. He got the crate off him slowly and stacked it, feeling the bruise of a cracked rib under his skin. Groaning loudly he took a seat on top of one box and fingered his chest, wincing when he hit the not so sweet spot. He figured that if he was going to risk killing himself, he was going to take some milk to help heal. He just wished it wasn't a temporary fix.
It was nearly nightfall when he had finished. Smelling like cow's unmentionables he snuck out and left a note for Malon saying that he would pulverize her record next time. He tried to mount his stolen horse (Malon had no real qualms about him returning Epona) but she resisted and sidestepped. He didn't blame her either, despite how irritated he was. He just saved the ranch as his first to do, and all he got was a horse that he technically stole, a bottle of milk, and his first real wound. Shouldn't heroes get at least a hot meal? He shook his head and just grabbed Epona's reigns and pulled her along to the small pond downstream from Zora's River. He needed to clean up and with no one out thanks to the monsters he could strip down in peace. He had yet to make it to Kakariko village under Sheik's order, before heading south towards the Kokiri forest. He didn't trust the last of the Sheikah just yet. Something had been odd about him. He felt eyes always on the back of his shoulder, watching him everywhere. He laughed, nothing, not even wolfos wanted be downwind of him right now.
He stripped down completely, nothing he wore \\\\=left untainted, he had even put his elbow in it a little. He tossed the gross garments into the water, hoping they'd not stain. He stepped in, the icy water wrapped around him and it was like walking into a pond filled with frozen knives. The shock of it numbed his feet. "Yep, that's new." he groaned, teeth chattering. He knew something was up with the Zora if the water was this cold. As a kid he'd swam in it a few times enjoying the depth and warmth of it. He was slowly coming to terms with all the problems, and even worried a little about the ever robust Goron.
Despite the icy, numb feeling he had in his feet and calves, he sat down and quickly started to scrub at his back and legs. He didn't want to be the savior of Hyrule, he didn't wanna go to five crazy temples and fight off more monsters. Those redeads take a lot of steam out of you. He was so excited about continuing his journey but facing the dangers he already had, it was hard to continue. So that's why he was delaying, going to see Malon who he talked to on more than one occasion. He didn't mind playing the hero for her, but did she see him as a hero? Nope, just her fairy boy. His mind went to his conversation with the ghost guard, explaining some of the facts of adulthood to him. Making weird comments about spreading his wild oats? He originally guessed the kind they fed horses, but received a smack on the head for it with the staff the creepy guy held. He pursed his lips and fingered the bump on his head and then whined because now he had to wash his hair.
Link wanted something a bit more personal out of this great endeavor. Fate, destiny, everything was a bust, and even he was second guessing this "chosen one" idea. From what the shady Sheikah had explained, he wasn't gonna get much.
He scrubbed his skin quickly so he could get out and start feeling his extremities again. He used some soap that he found in his pack, it was over seven years old and crumbled when he put pressure on it. After cleaning himself he used the remainder and started to scrub his clothes. A hero had to look and smell presentable right?
Link hadn't paid attention to what had gone on around him, since he had been out a couple nights with no problems. He knew Epona would make a sound if she was spooked right? He grabbed the small blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders and dried off, then secured it around his waist and got to work on the clothes.
Epona hadn't made a sound until she started crunching on some carrots someone, not Link, had given her. Even then, however, wasn't enough to stir Link's attention away from his smelly clothes. Cursing cows as he scrubbed.
It wasn't until he felt a foot rest on his back and tip him forward, his arms flailing out as he crashed into the water, the blanket falling safely on the ground.
The figure sighed and their shoulder's dropped some, then with one fluid motion grabbed Link by his ankle and dragged him from the pond so he wouldn't drown.
"Wha.. wuh?!" he flailed again and searched for his sword and finally rubbed the water from his eyes. "Oh.. you." he said, glowering, his hair plastered to his face. He glared up at the silvery blue clothed guide and grabbed the blanket again.
The one visible red eye looked at Link in disdain. "Yes, me... haven't you gone to Kakariko yet?" Sheik asked, voice muffled from the coverings that hid all but his left eye and the bridge of his nose.
"Worse than Navi." Link made a face and turned his head away. "I am cleaning my clothes at the moment so I can make a good impression as hero." the sarcasm for the word showed how he really felt about this role.
The eye rolled up and his arms crossed over his chest. "People are dying every day, the sage of the forest is getting swallowed up by the monsters that live there."
"Yeah I understand that and I want to change it but..." he groaned and put his hands up. "Ok, fine..." he knew he didn't have a good argument when he was sounding selfish.
"But what?" And Sheik was hooked.
"Nothing, I will finish up here and go to Kakariko." He didn't intend to guilt the other but he did make him fidget a little in trying to keep a stoic appearance.
"I know its going to be hard, but I cannot help or take over for you. You will feel the sense of pride as a hero as you complete the tasks." He crossed his arms and stared down at Link, his tough love pep talk was sure not what Link wanted to hear.
Link sighed again and sat down and rinsed out the under clothes and wrung them out and started to pull them on. "Liked you better when you weren't stalking me." he muttered lowly.
Seeing as this was probably going to end up being the death of Link, Sheik nabbed them from the Hylian hero. "Putting on wet clothes will only bring your death faster... start a fire."
Link glowered and nodded. "Fine." he muttered and got up to pick up some firewood and proceeded to light it with magic. He looked over to find Sheik slowly pushing a boulder towards the fire with the clothes laying across it to dry them more effectively.
Then, without more than a word after. "Goodnight, good luck in the morning." he walked into the darkness and disappeared.
Link sat down next to the fire and held out his hands to heat them up. "Goodnight," he laid down and stared up at the nearly black sky. The light from the fire was enough to blank out some of the stars but most of them still stood out. He was getting sore again but the heat helped. It wasn't enough to keep sleep away, even after seven years of it.
He was tangled up in something, off white strips of material wrapped around his wrists and drapped loosely over his body. Everything was black, quiet and comfortable. Everything that wasn't black had a soft glow to it. Link turned over on his side, his eyes seeing a hand not his own. The skin color was different, darker and the material slowly wrapped itself around each digit and up the arm. The material tugged them closer together tightening like a web until he was suddenly pressed against another. He couldn't focus enough to see who it was, but he could smell something nice. Earthy, mellow that had a strong undertone. His arms wrapped around the other, pulled by the thin strips of material. He closed his eyes again and just allowed it to happen, but when he opened his eyes, the once off-white material was red, bright and almost daunting from the drastic change. Then the eyes that stared into his when he shifted his gaze. They were just as red as the material, for only a moment he felt fear. It didn't last, as it began to melt into a weird sensation, something he'd not expected.
Link jumped up from his sleep and batted at the curious horse that had wondered why her master had been rolling around the ground for a couple hours and tried to wake him from the dream. He quickly pushed off the blanket and looked around, no sign of Sheik so he could get up naked and jump into the water to get rid of... that. He went over the dream that seemed way too vivid, and the more that he thought of it, the more he thought of Sheik. He didn't like the other guy that much, he was interesting and mysterious. On the other hand he had as much charm as a ghoma larva and a constant nasty tone. He chalked the weird dream up to the creepy ghost guard at the old castle town who was filling his head with strange erotic ideas.
He chuckled at his rampant thoughts, more apparently at the idea that if Sheik wanted to really help but without having to fight, then he had a job for him. Link laughed and shook his head at the hopeless joke. The idea of homosexuality wasn't unknown or uncommon. He had heard stories that girls would tell in the castle town, not to mention there were way too many flamboyant characters in Hyrule.
Once he dressed and dusted off the soot from his clothes that stayed he let the pep talk motivate him a little. Besides, maybe Zelda would show up. Something about thinking about her in that situation seemed odd, kinda wrong. He turned his thoughts to Malon, he'd beat her record, and wager for something more than a peck on the cheek. Like that'd happen, Malon always had a trick up her sleeve, and she didn't seem the flirty type to him.
Next time:
"What are you doing?" There was a lot of irritation in Sheik's voice, as he fixed his muffler and head wrap the best he could.
"Oh wow you do have two eyes!" Link chuckled, still holding up the other.
(Thanks for reading! Let me know how I did!)
