Sunlight poured through Link's tiny window and splashed onto Pipit's sleeping face. As he roused slowly from his slumber, he could feel the tiny splash of heat the sun rays presented as they welcomed him to a new morning. Pipit lay there for a moment longer, enjoying the quiet of the morning, silently remarking on the amazing sleep he just encountered. It seemed that all of the past nights that stole sleep from him decided to return every lost hour and pack them into a single night. Pipit chuckled lightly to himself. It was wondrous what a single night with his dear friend could do! He felt rejuvenated, full of energy and, for the first time in a long time, happy. Yes, that remarkable sensation that he was feeling in his heart, the feeling that it was once again whole, that was happiness.

It was undeniable that he was currently sleeping through his morning class, but for once that didn't bother Pipit in the slightest. Keeping his eyes closed, a small smile crossed Pipit's lips as he allowed his thoughts to trail back to the surreal night he just experienced with Link. Simply recollecting the way Link kissed him, loved him, made him feel, it was enough to send a jolt of excitement down his spine. Pipit shuddered slightly as his thoughts progressed to the more intimate memories of the night. "Link…." Pipit whispered his friend's name lustfully as he placed his arm gently on Link's side of the bed.

The space where his hand fell was both empty and cold. Pipit's eyes shot open as he turned his head to peer at the empty bed. His wide eyes wandered around the bright room, hoping to see Link sitting at his desk eating breakfast, quietly getting dressed, anything that would weaken Pipit's increasing anxiety. Darting out of bed and shimmying into his wrinkled pants, Pipit opened the door and craned his neck into the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of his friend. The hallway was alive with bright lights and the sound of students hustling to their classes. But there was no sign of Link, nothing to defuse Pipit's unease. Pipit shook his head, willing himself to think clearly. 'This isn't happening. Link is somewhere else. He HAS to be somewhere else! He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, not after what happened last night.'

Disregarding the shocked stares of others as he stepped out of Link's room, Pipit hurried to the kitchen, the washroom, and the bathroom, the last three places that he could think of to look. Yet all he encountered were the questioning stares and light snickers of fellow classmates.

Finally, denying defeat, Pipit walked back to Link's room, closing the door quietly behind him. He came up with the idea of searching the town for him, but the idea dwindled into nothing as Pipit looked around the room more closely. There was no sign of him anywhere; Link's room was clean of his supplies, his clothes, as well as his shield and sword. Pipit's chest began to heave as he fought the panic attack that tried to break his concentration and his will to remain calm. As he looked around the room, Pipit's eyes began to well up with tears of sadness and betrayal. As they blurred his vision to nothing more but colors, Pipit unintentionally shuffled into his shirt that lay forgotten on the floor. Getting his legs tangled considerably and unable to regain his footing, Pipit landed with a heavy thud on Link's unmade bed. Deciding to not get back up, He lay on his back, allowing the information that he tried so hard to deny seep into his mind like a poison. 'He left…he's gone back to The Surface. He left without saying goodbye…again….'

Pipit could feel the tears that had caused him to trip begin to slide down the side of his face. A choked sob left his throat as Pipit allowed the panic attack to finally unleash itself. Draping an arm over his eyes, Pipit cried without shame, making his naked arm slick with tears. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he hyperventilated uncontrollably, but the only thing he could think to focus on was the fact that Link abandoned him again, and that their single night together had changed nothing. 'Did some part of you really think he'd stay here on Skyloft with you?' A tiny voice prodded in Pipit's head and, feeling submissive, he gave in to the negative thoughts that lurked dangerously in his mind.

The peace that he felt when Link first greeted him was gone completely, leaving the same gaping wound in his heart that Pipit had become so familiar to over the past few months. He gritted his teeth, suddenly becoming angry. "I told him that I LOVED him. I gave myself to him!" Pipit chuckled incredulously, becoming more angry at himself for allowing Link to see his vulnerable side. "I'm so, so stupid!"

Overcome with anger, Pipit flung his arm back down and pounded the bed with his clenched fist. As his fist connected with the mattress, he could hear the sound of crinkling paper; it was faint, but Pipit was sure he heard it. Pipit refrained from hitting the bed again, and rose up onto his elbows, curious as to where the sound came from. Experimenting, Pipit applied pressure to the edge of the bed, listened for a second, and then tried again in a different area. It took two more tries before the crumpling of paper could be heard again. Pipit shuffled off the bed and glanced down at the side of the mattress. Wedged between the bed frame and mattress was a folded piece of wrinkled paper. It was small and Pipit nearly missed it. Lifting up the mattress, Pipit retrieved the note with care and sat back down. The note was made of thick textured paper that was dyed in a light blue. Pipit's name was written delicately in Hylian with Link's unmistakable handwriting. Pipit's heart began to roar in his chest, and he wiped his suddenly sweaty hands on his pants. The note that Link left for Pipit was messily written and crumpled several times, as though Link thought of throwing it out more than once. He thumbed the edges, feeling the texture of the paper; there were several areas that felt odd, somewhat stiff with the collection of tears that fell from Link's eyes as he wrote. Pipit held back tears himself as he made himself read the scrambled writing.

"My dear Pipit, I'm sure you've noticed my absence by now. Please don't be angry with me. I did what I had to do, which was, unfortunately, leaving you behind without another goodbye. I actually stood at the door for 10 minutes, contemplating whether I should just stay here for one more day...to stay with you. But I know that that one day would turn into many, and all hope of find Zelda would be lost. I just knew that as soon as I woke you up, I'd lose the motivation to leave. Trust me when I say that it took all of the will in my very being to not turn around and lay next to you once more, to feel the warmth of your body against mine. You looked so happy as you slept, so at peace, and I couldn't bring myself to be the one to shatter it...Last night, it was so incredible, Pipit. Ever since I left for The Surface, all those months ago, I've dreamt of being back at home with you, and what it would be like to finally capture your guarded heart. I should have told you this long ago, but you've had my heart ever since you spoke to me on my first day at the academy. So, you can imagine how long I've waited for this moment, this moment to finally have you; I've never been so happy. It pains me to have to leave after such a surreal night, so don't you dare think that last night didn't mean anything to me, because words simply can't describe just how amazing it was. And don't you dare think that I'm abandoning you, Pipit. I will come back for you… please, wait for me, Pipit. I promise I'll return. But please, in the meantime, guard and protect my heart, as I will guard and protect yours. Before you know it, I'll have you back in my arms, just as it should be. I love you, so much...Link."

The last part was nearly impossible to read due to the water markings from Link's tears, but Pipit could hardly blame it on that; the tears that clung to his eyes obstructed his vision, making the words on the note blend together. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and blinked several times, hoping that the action would clear both his eyes and his mind. Link still loved him, and after reading his note it was clear that the night that they shared meant just as much to him as it did to Pipit. This single thought calmed Pipit tremendously. And the idea of Link returning to him—even though it was uncertain when he would return—filled him with such hope that, amidst the pain, Pipit smiled with joy. Wordlessly, Pipit got up, clothed himself, and straightened out the room as best he could; there wasn't much to do, since it was apparent that Link did it all before he left. He gave one last look at the room, allowing images of the memorable night that he and Link shared to pass through his mind once more. Then, tucking Link's note into his shirt pocket with extraordinary care, he opened the door and walked down the hall, not looking back.

'I'll wait for you, Link. And I'll guard your heart as though it were my own. Link, my dear Link, come back to me soon, please. You promised me that you'd come back as soon as you could, and I'm holding you to your word.' Pipit silently prayed as he walked calmly into the classroom, hoping that wherever Link was, he'd somehow hear his prayer. Pipit could feel all eyes on him as he shut the door behind him and took his place among the senior students. He raised his eyebrows toward the brown-haired professional, who only shook his head in annoyance and continued with the lesson that was all but over.
He received a detention for being late for his first class, as well as a large lecture from the Academy Headmaster for not completing his nightly rounds around the school, but Pipit couldn't make himself feel bothered, or even guilty, for his actions. Instead, he couldn't help but feel elated and free. And though he could feel the sadness and loss that burdened his shoulders till they ached, Pipit couldn't help but smile, for the hole in his heart, the gaping wound that left him so vulnerable, slowly began to heal with the promise of Link's return and the feeling of being whole once more.

Epilogue:

Spring was just beginning to make its appearance on the island of Skyloft when word circulated of Link's return. It had been 5 months since Pipit had seen his dear friend, and when the rumor reached his ears, Pipit became dizzy with excitement. Waiting for 5 months had taken its toll on Pipit; he again wasn't able to have a good sleep since the day Link left him, and the times that he did manage to fall asleep were interrupted with nightmares of Link never returning on account of dying alone somewhere on The Surface. Pipit had both good and bad days, but, more often than not, they were bad. Some days he was filled with so much despair that he couldn't find any motivation to leave his bed until his mother made him. Pipit considered his day a good one if he was able to make it to class, let-alone concentrate during it, and if he was able to sleep longer than 2 hours before he encountered a nightmare.

It took all he had within him to not race up and greet Link as soon as he heard the wondrous news. After much thought and pacing around in his home, Pipit decided that the best thing to do was to visit him during his night rounds, as he had the last time they saw each other. Nostalgia struck Pipit with such a ferocity that he had a hard time convincing himself that yes, it was still a better idea to wait until nightfall.

He wasn't able to sleep in preparation for his night shift. Instead, Pipit simply sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the window at the sun as it made its painfully slow descent into the clouds below. He received a few odd looks from his mother, but after a few prodding questions that he left unanswered, she eventually gave up and left him alone. As soon as the blanket of night crept over Skyloft, Pipit was out the door and racing towards the Academy, tripping occasionally when he tried to make his feet to move even the slightest bit faster. It took mere minutes to reach the Academy, and though he was breathing hard and his heart was thundering painfully against his ribcage, Pipit couldn't wait any longer. "I've waited too long for this," he thought fiercely to himself as he jammed the tiny metal key into the lock and flung the door open, heading straight into the Academy hallway without a moment's hesitation.

The idea of things being different between him and Link didn't occur to Pipit until he stood inches away from Link's door with his hand raised in mid-knock. His body began to shake uncontrollably as his mind started to scramble, contemplating what to do. The thought of Link no longer having feelings for him caused Pipit to grow dizzy to the point where he felt sick. In a moment of panic, Pipit took several steps away from Link's door, getting ready to leave, when the briefest feeling swept over him, causing him to stop for a moment and try to make sense of the fleeting emotion. As he considered his feelings, Pipit's hand subconsciously rose to his shirt pocket and took out an incredibly wrinkled piece of blue paper. Looking down at the worn out paper, Pipit realized that he was reading the note that Link had left him. The folds on the paper had become extremely worn out and fragile from Pipit constantly unfolding it and reading it, but it was still readable.

Pipit read the note over once more, feeling a certain calmness return to him. Yes, whether or not Link felt the same, Pipit still had such tremendous feelings for his friend that he couldn't deny nor could he restrain any longer. Pipit put the note back into his pocket and, taking a deep breath, knocked on the door softly. One knock was all that was needed before sounds of life on the other side of the door could be heard. The crash of Link jumping off his bed and scrambling to his door filled Pipit's ears, and he once more had to steady his breathing and calm his nerves. The door separating Pipit from his friend opened up swiftly, revealing a wide-eyed and out of breath Link. Though he was in his sleeping clothes, it was obvious that he hadn't slept; he too, had been waiting for night to fall. Pipit could only stare at Link, the man that he had been waiting faithfully for all these months. Such joy filled his heart at the sight of Link being alive and in front of him that he didn't know what to say, so he said nothing and simply stared with captivated eyes at the man who stole his heart. But it wasn't long before Link's face lit up with excitement and he broke the momentary silence.

"Pipit!" Link cried out with such happiness that Pipit could feel his throat tighten with emotion.

He instantly relaxed at the sound of Link's voice, and a wave of calm entered his body and flowed in his veins, making him feel whole, finally complete. Pipit inhaled deeply, welcoming the feelings that flooded his body. Link had returned for him, just as he promised. Yes, the man he loved, and who loved him back, was finally here, standing in front of him. Pipit felt his mouth morph into a smile, and he looked into Link's eyes with deep affection. "Welcome home, my dear, dear friend."

~The End