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Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.
The Sheikah
Chapter 29: The First Time
The City of Salayia was apparently the hot, exciting, happening place to be in Hyrule that week. Of course, neither Luca, Link, nor Davin had known that. All they had known was that it was dusk, they were all tired of sleeping on the road, and Link was rolling in the Rupees that Zelda had given Sheik.
It was taking a good long while to enter the city because of all the tents and people camped outside. The city was literally overflowing with whatever festivities were taking place within its walls. Davin was worried that there wouldn't be a room available in the city for them, but Luca insisted that he had pull with one of the innkeepers. Davin was suspicious about that. What kind of 'pull?' How had Luca achieved said 'pull?' But Luca hadn't said much about it, and Davin really didn't want to press. He knew what kind of past lay there, and he didn't want to know the details until the day Luca decided to tell him.
The group found themselves waiting nearly half an hour just to get into the flamboyantly-decorated metropolis, but they'd quickly found a stable to put Epona up in for the night. Brightly-colored lanterns hung from every rooftop; and variegated, brilliant streamers latticed over the buildings, creating a bright, cheery atmosphere. Everywhere people were laughing and drinking, and just having a good time. The vivacity of the city life was starting to affect Davin, but he kept his head about him as best he could. When he looked over at Link to see how he was, his younger brother looked somber; a stark contrast to the ebullient jamboree they were surrounded by.
Luca on the other hand, he was getting swept up in the festivities, whatever they were. He grabbed Davin's hand, dragging him over to a young man and woman standing on the side of the street, laughing and flirting; their faces painted with bright colors and designs. "Hi!" Luca greeted them cheerfully, pulling Davin right up next to him. "We've really no idea what's going on here!" He laughed charmingly, his curls bouncing as his head moved. "Would you mind telling us? This city is exploding!"
The couple laughed, the woman's heavy eyelashes batting in their direction. "New in this part of things, boys?"
"This is my first time back in Hyrule in years, and this guy," he squeezed Davin's waist. "Lived down south in the forest almost his entire life."
The woman grinned at them, her plump red lips sliding wide over her pearly white teeth. Davin was panicky for a moment that they would react badly to Luca's obvious intimacy with him, but neither the man, nor woman, nor anyone around them made any sort of fuss. Davin was pleasantly surprised.
"It's the Festival of Lights! People come from miles around! People from all the neighboring countries, of all races!" The woman beamed at them, her eyes sparkling. She was obviously very passionate about this 'Festival of Lights.' "It's a week-long festival, and it's wonderful. Every night, we release thousands and thousands of lanterns up into the sky! You should see it, it's breathtaking! My husband and I come every year. We're actually from Holodrum, far to the west of here." She poked out her rounded ear, using her painted finger. "See? Not Hylian!"
"Well great!" Luca grinned. "It sounds wonderful; we'll have a look around, thanks!" He and Davin turned back into the street. Luca still had him around the waist, and though Davin kept casting anxious looks at all the brightly-smiling and painted people around them, no one seemed to care. "Isn't this great, love?" Luca whispered into his ear. "Man, I wish we could stay. Everyone is great here!"
"It'd be nice," Davin admitted, smiling up at him. "But we have to remember that we're here for Link. We can't hold him up."
"Yeah, I know. I guess we could always come back next year, stay all week."
"All week?" Davin laughed. "That is a heck of a lot of festivities."
They'd just about gotten back to where Link was standing: set-apart, and looking cheerlessly out at everyone who passed him. "Maybe by that time, Link can be here with Sheik," Luca whispered, breaking apart from him and resting an arm around Link's shoulders instead. Davin didn't mind. Link looked like he was about to die.
They travelled the streets, taking in the all the sights they passed. The outdoor bars and restaurants, and the bazaars with all their beautiful, gaudy wares. Davin trailed behind the two, just looking. He couldn't believe that a country on the edge of war could have something like this going on in it. On one side of the spectrum, it was a wonderful distraction to all of the wrong taking place. On the other side, it was just wrong. Wrong considering all that had happened recently, both in Hyrule and in Termina.
Luca led them down a side street and into a small inn with significantly less people in front of it. He held the door open for Davin and his brother, closing it once they were inside. "Stay over here while I go talk to the owner, alright?" he whispered. "This guy owes me a favor, but I'm not sure he'll honor it, and I want us ready to leave if things go bad."
Davin's mood was dark and guarded as he nodded. The tight, closed-in, smoky presence of the inn was vastly different from the bright, airy, colorful world outside. It put Davin on edge, and the peculiar way Luca was handling the situation didn't help any either. Davin—feeling protective—pulled Link in close, keeping one hand on his shoulder as he kept his eyes and attention focused on Luca.
Luca approached the bar with a little smirk on his face. It completely changed his appearance. He didn't look like the Luca Davin knew when he did that. The man behind the counter at the front was maybe in his fifties; he was extremely tall, with dark hair that reached to his shoulders, salted with a few strands of gray and silver. All in all, he looked like a kind man, but there was something steely in his eyes that Davin didn't trust. But as Luca approached the bar, the old man's eyes lit up like a child's on their birthday.
The other man that had been standing at the counter backed off so Luca and the owner could talk. And as they talked, their heads ducked close together over the counter, and Davin could just see the curl of Luca's lips as he continued on with that little smirk of his. They'd talked like that for about a minute when the man's hand came up and stroked through a few of Luca's curls.
Davin bristled at that, and almost stormed over when Luca glanced back for a swift moment, shaking his head ever-so-slightly. Davin shook his head back, eyebrows pulling together on his forehead as he worried.
"What the hell is this?" Link whispered next to him. Davin met his baffled, almost disturbed expression with a shrug. He didn't know, though it gave him an uneasy feeling.
A minute more, and Luca turned back, waving them over. Davin hated this, he really did. What kind of a situation was Luca getting them into?
"Ah, hello!" The salt-and-pepper haired man boomed jovially, grinning at Link and Davin with bright white teeth. "You're very welcome here, all three of you." He had an odd accent. "Any friend of Luca's is a friend of mine!"
Davin wanted to ask just how it was that Luca and this man came to be 'friends,' but he was afraid to. This was the first time Luca's past had confronted him in the real world like this. He didn't know how to react.
Luca reached over and took Davin's hand, giving him an odd, almost apologetic look. "This is Vic, an old friend." Luca's eyes trailed over to Link for a split second before locking back onto Davin intently. "Vic," Luca said, not taking his eyes off of Davin. "This is Davin, and his brother, Link."
"Ah, yes. You are very welcome here, boys. Lucky, too! I did not have any rooms yesterday, but a pregnant woman was staying here with her husband, and last night she had to go have the baby, so the room's all clear now. I had agreed to give it to different people, but for Luca here, I say okay! He can have it! So you are all very lucky. You can go out, enjoy the festival, and then come back here and rest, okay?"
"Sounds wonderful, Vic, thanks," Luca smirked again, taking the key from the man, their hands keeping contact for a little too long during the exchange, and turned for the small staircase in the back.
There was silence on the staircase and in the hall, but once they were in the room, Davin was the first to break it.
He set down his pack, turning to Luca with a frown. "That was really weird, Luca."
"Actually, it was..." Link put in from the bed.
"Yeah, I bet it was," Luca agreed, shrugging. "I'm sorry for that, but hey, we got the room."
"How exactly do you know 'Vic' again?" Davin raised an eyebrow.
Luca sighed, looking extremely weary for a moment before he pulled himself together. "Let's get into it later. It's already dark out, and I want to get out in the city and look around before we get too tired."
Okay, so this apparently was one of those things that Luca would tell him in time. Davin reminded himself to breath, and just let it go. He had to keep reminding himself that yeah, whatever it was that happened, happened, but the point was that it hadn't happened in a while, and it wouldn't again. Ever again. Luca had assured him of that.
"Are you coming, Link?" Davin asked. His younger brother was curled up on the bed, staring at the opposite wall.
"I don't think I'm up to it, Dav," he answered quietly, not breaking his stare with the wall. "You two go out. I'm going to stay in here and probably just read something."
"You sure, kiddo?" Luca asked.
Link nodded, so Davin and Luca turned to go. Once they were in the hallway, Davin pulled Luca close and whispered to him. "Will he be okay in there by himself? Is it safe just leaving him here?"
Luca seemed to sense what Davin was getting at, and his eyes softened. He leaned down and pecked Davin on the lips, pulling back and smiling softly. "He'll be absolutely safe here, love."
Davin drew closer for a moment, closing his eyes and just breathing in the other man's scent. "Absolutely safe?"
"Absolutely."
Luca later explained that Salayia was the town he had first met Link in. That they'd run into each other while trying to buy bread. Davin thought that was interesting, but for some reason he just couldn't shake his feeling of unease. Luca took him this way and that, looking at all the colored lanterns hanging on the buildings, browsing the bazaar, even coaxing him into drinking a little.
One drink and Davin was feeling tipsy on his feet. Luca obviously had a greater tolerance, because Davin was pretty sure that he'd had two or three, and he was only starting to show the signs.
"So, Dav," Luca began as they walked down one of the streets of the overwhelmingly large bazaar. "This is our first night out together. Alone..." Luca's arm came out and snaked around Davin's waist, pulling him tighter against him.
"Not if you count my brother with his broken heart back at the inn."
Luca frowned, his fingers gripping tightly at Davin's hipbone. "I really think we'll find Sheik, though. I do."
"What makes you so sure?" Davin asked, pulling him sharply to the side to avoid getting run over by two guys who were rambunctiously chasing after each other.
"Because I don't want to think otherwise, Dav... Here, let's have another drink," Luca yanked him out of the foot traffic and into the warm glow of one of the outdoor bars.
"Don't you think we've had enough?" Davin asked quietly, wondering if Luca was really more intoxicated than he was letting on.
"I absolutely do not think that," Luca chuckled. "Liquor is a social lubricant, and now, if ever, is the time to be social."
"Is it even worth it to try and convince you otherwise?" Davin asked while a small smile pulled at his lips.
"Afraid not, my love. I am what I am, and what I am is set in my ways."
"We want you to be still awake when they release the lanterns, goofball. That means you can't pass out from drinking too much."
"Alright, mother," Luca grumped, heading up to the bar counter to order anyways. Davin sighed, but he wasn't really upset. He knew nothing bad would seriously happen, and this night of respite was nice. He was excited to see the lanterns, and their technical 'first night out alone together' was proving exciting, even if they couldn't... end it in the way it deserved to be ended. Not with Link back in the inn, anyways.
Luca came back with their drinks, and they decided to sit at one of the small picnic tables scattered in front of the counter. Davin sipped whatever drink Luca had gotten for him and almost gagged. It was nauseatingly-sweet, but then the sweetness cut out the taste of the alcohol, so he was grateful for that. He looked up across the table to find Luca staring at him; chin propped up on his hand, and a stupid, sleepy grin on his face.
An infectious grin, apparently. Davin could feel himself growing one as well. "What?" He asked, wrinkling his nose.
Luca laughed. "You're so cute when you do that—scrunch up your nose."
Davin's brows knitted together on his forehead. "Well thank you," he said, chuckling lightly, blinking to hide his embarrassment.
"And when you blink slowly like that when you're in candlelight, I can see the shadows of your eyelashes on your cheeks, and it makes me want to put kisses on them. And the way your eyebrows pull together like that on your head after I've just said something romantic is beautiful—it's priceless."
"Okay stop," Davin teased, rolling his eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere tonight, because we have to share a room with my little brother, and I'm not subjecting him to that." Davin laughed to himself at his joke, the alcohol working through his system making him feel giddy.
"Dav, he's subjected himself to it. This one morning at the Stock Pot, he got up from the breakfast table to pee, I think, and you should have seen his limp! Dav, that limp was unmistakable!"
"I know he and Sheik were doing those... things. Link came down one morning and asked me how you and I do it, because apparently he and Sheik were having issues."
Lucas eyes burst open wide. "You told them how we do it? Is nothing sacred to you, Davin?!"
"I just told him how to do it properly, is all!" Davin cracked up laughing, leaning forward against the table as he struggled to breathe. "What, you think I walked him through step by step on how the two of us—."
Luca had stopped listening to him. His eyes were wide and focused on something in the street. He looked almost... afraid. A little angry, even.
"Luca, what—?" Davin started to turn to see what the matter was, but Luca sprang forward and caught his shoulder, forcing him to stay facing him.
"It's totally nothing," Luca said quietly; all the former life and happiness in his voice had gone out. It was like he was a different person. "Don't worry about it, let's just—." Luca abruptly stood up, keeping his head tucked down. He left his drink on the table as he came around to Davin's side, pulling him onto his feet. "Let's go, come on."
"Luca, what is it?" Davin asked loudly; honestly confused, and a little bit anxious as to what could have Luca so flustered like this.
Luca looked over Davin's shoulder at the street again after Davin had spoken, biting his lip before cursing under his breath. He pulled Davin the opposite way, away from the street. "Davin, please, let's just go!"
"Lucas!" An unfamiliar voice called from the street. Luca's face fell for a split second before he built it back up into a hardened mask.
"Who—?" Davin turned around, squinting to see in the lantern-light who it was that had called; who it was that could have such a strong, negative influence over Luca.
In the cobbled street were two men, perhaps a few years older than Luca, weaving their way through the foot traffic to get to them; one obviously following the other. They didn't look at all familiar. The one in the lead was tall and thin, with chestnut brown hair that was combed up out of his eyes. The other was short and muscular, with extremely short blonde hair. Davin had never seen them before in his life, but when he glanced back at Luca and saw the look of panic seeping through his hard exterior, he knew something was very wrong.
"Lucas—Luca—wow! Look at you!" The taller man smiled alluringly, raising his eyebrows high on his forehead. The shorter one just stood there with a curious, yet transparently suspicious look on his face. "You look great!"
Luca smiled tensely, nodding. "What are you doing here, Ayden?"
Davin's eyes stretched open wide as he turned back to look up at the brunette man with the styled hair. Ayden. Davin may not have ever seen the man, but he knew that name from Lucas's past; and without a doubt, he knew exactly who the man before him was. And more importantly: what he'd done to Luca. Davin narrowed his eyes, silently glowering up at him.
"We came to enjoy the festivities, of course! The Festival of Lights is talked about all over, and I've always wanted to go!" Ayden bubbled excitedly. "Man, I didn't ever think I'd be seeing you here, though."
"Lovely," Luca mumbled under his breath, so quietly that probably only Davin heard him.
Ayden's eyes dropped down to Davin, and his smiled widened. "And who's this, Luca? He's cute." The muscular blonde beside Ayden shot the man a look of betrayal.
Davin suddenly felt himself being yanked back, and then Luca's arm was wrapping its way tightly and possessively around his waist. "This," he said, squeezing him sharply, "Is Davin."
A look of recognition passed over Ayden's face. "Oh... The famous 'Davin.'"
Davin narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Ayden smirked down at him. "I don't suppose Lucas has ever told you about me?"
"Oh, he's told me plenty about you," Davin growled.
Ayden quirked an eyebrow. "Has he? Well, then you know that we were together for quite a long time; but I swear, he must have brought you up about a thousand times. Always telling me story after story about how you two grew up together. It was endearing at first, until I learned about all you two did. Now, I'm no expert, but I know for a fact that it's a little damaging to a relationship when one partner goes on raving about the little ex all the time. But we had a good long run, so whatever he's told you about me, just keep that in mind."
Luca's jaw hit the ground. "Before you slept with another man, you cheating slut—."
"Ah, ah," Ayden chided. "Look, we parted ways, alright? Besides, it never would have worked out between us, no matter how distraught you were over our split up. It's obvious you were still hung up on your precious past," Ayden scrapped. "So I'm honestly glad you found each other again." Huh, we'll, he sounded pretty far from being glad. In fact, his tone was almost mocking. "It's obvious no one else was near good enough for you, so—."
"He was struggling to forget his past, you ass!" Davin spat, pushing Luca's arm away and advancing on Ayden. "I wasn't sure if he'd told you about all that or not, but if you knew half of the stuff he's been through, you wouldn't be so quick to judge! When the two of you were together, all he probably wanted was just to love and be loved! He was looking to be accepted, and you went and cheated on him?! You threw something beautiful away! How can you even live with yourself?" Davin took a deep breath, stepping back a bit as he looked over at the shorter blonde man, who looked like he'd just gotten the shock of his life. Davin looked back at Luca. "Is this the same guy?"
Luca shook his head, lips pursed tight.
"Yeah, this is the first I'm hearing of this," the blonde man spoke up, shooting Ayden a quizzical look. "Looks like we have some serious talking to do, so if you'll excuse us, we'll be out of your way..." He started turning away, pulling on Ayden's arm.
"We'll, I can't say that this was pleasant," Ayden snarled as he turned around. "Enjoy your little catamite, Lucas!"
As soon as they were out of sight, Luca crumpled back down onto the bench, holding his head in his hands.
"Goddesses, he was horrible," Davin muttered, sitting down opposite Luca.
"He was wonderful when I first met him," Luca mumbled, words muffled into his hands.
"They always are, aren't they?" Davin rolled his eyes, reaching over and rubbing Luca's stray arm gently. "Come on, love, you don't look so good. Let's head back to the inn. We can watch the lanterns from the window."
That night, after they'd silently watched the thousands upon thousands of lanterns released up into the sky from their second-story window, they'd finally laid down to go to sleep. Link was curled up in a nest of blankets on the floor when they got back, so Luca and Davin took the bed.
It was silent for several minutes, and Luca thought Davin had fallen asleep when his quiet voice spilled into the silence. "Luca, are you alright? That can't have been easy to deal with, and you didn't seem to really want to talk about it earlier."
"I don't really want to let myself dwell on it, Dav. It shook me up a little, but I'm really all right. You're here, and I couldn't possibly ask for anything better."
"Geez, Luca..." Davin whispered sweetly. "I'm sorry, really, about what happened between you and him, but there's something I don't quite understand."
"What's that, love?"
"What did you ever see in him in the first place?"
Luca chuckled under his breath, pulling Davin tighter against his chest. "Well, love, he was very charming at first. I'd recently left Hyrule; I was lost, afraid... He was a few years older, established with his own apartment, and he was incredibly witty and kind. I was vulnerable, and I fell very hard. But he was right when he said I talked about you often."
"Oh?"
"Through the course of all that I did after I left my parents, you were always my secret, Davin. My special secret, and whenever everything got to be too much to bear, I would stop and go somewhere quiet and just think of you. You were my secret weapon to help get me through the bad times. I didn't want any of the people I was with to know about you. You were sacred—too good for them to even think about—and that was my rule for a couple of years. But then when Ayden came along, and I began to trust him more and more, I let him in on the secret. And once I opened up my mouth about you, I really couldn't stop."
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I know what you said before, but I still wish you had of just come home to me. We would have figured something out."
"Well, it's all over now, love," Luca pressed his lips deep into Davin's sweet-smelling hair. "I just try not to think about it anymore. You're what my life is all about now. And I'm so happy with you."
"I love you too, sweetheart. Why don't you try and get some rest? Goddesses know we have a lot of walking to do tomorrow."
Luca planted a kiss deep within Dav's head of soft brown hair and sighed, relaxing his body against the younger man as he slipped away into unconsciousness.
It was late afternoon. Six or seven, Luca thought, but he wasn't sure. He was in a bit of a rush, dashing across the village to get to Davin's house.
He hopped over the small crick running through the center of the village and ran up onto the familiar front porch with the old swing hanging from the filigree in the awning. He didn't have to knock, because the door was already wide open. It was a hot, summery evening, and most of all the doors and windows in the entire village were open; the inhabitants attempting to circulate some cool, fresh air into their cabins.
Just to be polite—because right now Luca wanted to be on Davin's parents' good side—he rapped his knuckles against the open door anyways, walking into the dark, shaded home.
"Luca! Well, this is a pleasant surprise!" Davin's mother smiled at him from where she stood near the big wash bucket, which sat on top of the counter. She was washing potatoes; Link was sitting on the counter next to the bucket, helping her scrub them. He smiled and waved, playfully splashing his mother with the cold potato water, laughing brightly.
"You little rascal!" She splashed him back, laughing as he shot off the counter and over to the table to escape the wet retaliation.
"Hi, Davin!" Luca called, grinning at him. His best friend was seated at the table, peeling the potatoes that were already washed with a short, silver knife.
"Hey, Luca," Davin called back with a smirk, glancing up at him only very briefly.
"Where's Haera? And Jasten?" Luca asked politely, though he really didn't care all that much. It was all about being polite so that he could get what he wanted when he asked for it.
"Well," their mother began, leaning back against the counter with a tired sigh. "Haera went into the woods, down to the deeper part of the crick to go swimming with some friends, and Jasten's out with his father, trying to catch us some fish for dinner."
"Haera's out skinny dipping with a group of boys and girls," Link called from the table, looking up at them with playful blue eyes. "I went down there and spied on them."
"She's what?" Their mother's jaw dropped to the floor. "Link, are you telling me the truth?" Her fists fell on her hips.
"Yeah, I saw them!" Link insisted. Davin looked up at Luca, laughing. "They were all in their underwear!"
Their mother shook her head tiredly, sighing as she picked up another potato and started scrubbing on it. "That girl better hope her father doesn't see her when he comes back up from the lake. She's too wild for her own good. I fear for her sometimes, I swear."
"Luca," Davin called from the table. "If you just came over to my house to stand there awkwardly like that, you might as well come over here and help me finish peeling these. I don't think my family eats this many potatoes in a year. I don't know why we're doing so many."
"Half of these are for Sable and her family, and you know it, little mister," their mother reprimanded him.
"Actually," Luca cut in, venturing further into their kitchen. "I did have a reason for coming here." Their mother glanced up at him expectantly. "My parents left the village this morning to go and visit my aunt, who lives east of here. She's real sick, and they think she might not last much longer."
"I was so sorry to hear about her, poor thing." Their mother gave him a sympathetic smile.
"Well, my parents left me behind to keep an eye on the house, so I could feed the chickens and everything, and they said that if it was alright with you, I could have Dav over for the night."
Davin's head snapped up from across the room, staring at Luca with wide, surprised eyes. He knew what that meant.
Their mother smiled slightly. "Two teenage boys alone, up at all hours of the night with no one to tell them when it's bedtime?" She turned back and fixed Davin with a stern, yet playful look. "Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me."
Luca pulled on the cheesiest smile he could muster, bowing deeply at the waist. "Well, if that's the way you feel, Ma'am, I surely do respect your decision." He batted his eyes at her. He loved Davin's mother, he really did. She wasn't like the other parents; she joked and played along with all of them like it was nothing, whereas a different adult might just tell them all to shut up and behave.
She laughed heartily, tossing a damp towel over Luca's head. Everybody joined in on the laughter, and their mother sauntered over, pulling the towel off his head. "All right, all right. You boys can sleep at your house for the night. I'm not trying to cut the fun or the festivities or anything, just make sure you two behave." She pointed a long, slender finger at Davin, who put his hands in the air in mock surrender.
"Thank you," Luca smiled, walking over to the table and picking up a knife to help. He and Davin shared a knowing look.
"Why are you guys looking at each other like that?" Link asked loudly.
Their mother turned back from the counter, watching them closely.
Luca watched as Davin reached out with his foot and kicked his younger brother's chair. "Because, Link, I told him a big secret about you that you'd never want anybody to know, and we both think it's hilarious."
Link's eyes narrowed comically. "What secret?!"
Davin shrugged, leaning back in his chair as he flicked a piece of potato peel off of his knife. "I can't say it out loud, it's too horrible."
"Alright, Davin, that's enough out of you. Quit picking on your little brother. And hey, why don't you two boys eat dinner here and head on up to Luca's house afterwards?"
"Thanks!" Luca turned, grinning up at her. "I would have been stuck eating old bread!"
"My pleasure, Mister Luca," their mother answered warmly, winking at him as she dunked her hands back into the potato water.
"Brock, dear, Davin's going up to Luca's house tonight to sleep there."
The meal was nearly at an end. An hour after Luca had come over, Brock and Jasten had returned with three greengills for dinner, and then Haera came home not long after that. They'd all talked about normal things—apart from a small fight between Haera and her father about what she'd been doing—and the meal had gone relatively peaceful.
Brock looked over and fixed Luca with one of his steely gazes. "I thought your folks were in another village for the next few days."
"They are, sir."
"They're allowing you to have Davin over while they're gone?"
Luca nodded, not once letting on through his expression or through his voice that that wasn't the case at all. "Yes, sir. He's the only one they'll allow. I think they trust him because he's always so well-behaved at our house."
Brock's chest swelled. "He better be behaving himself." His hawk-eye gaze turned onto Davin. "I mean it, son. I don't want you causing any trouble for those people while they're gone seeing their sick relative."
"I know, dad. I won't," Davin assured him with a small, timid smile.
"That's my boy. Chin up when you speak, son."
"Oh, Brock, love, quit nit-picking," their mother reached over and squeezed his hand. Brock allowed a tiny, warm smile to come over his lips as he gazed back at his wife.
Another half hour to help with the dishes, and then Luca and Davin were out of the house like two mice running from a cat.
They leapt over the crick by the side of Davin's house before slowing down to a walk, side by side.
"It was really nice of your parents to let me over while they're gone," Davin commented, glancing over at him with squinty eyes, trying to see through the sun's glare coming through the treetops.
A laugh bubbled its way out of Luca's mouth. He couldn't help it. It was just too perfect. "They didn't let you."
Davin cocked his head. "What?"
"They told me that if I even let anybody near the house, they'd hang me by my toes on the clothesline."
"So you just lied to my entire family?"
"Yup. We haven't had a sleepover since before your fourteenth birthday. We're a little overdue, don't you think?"
"I only turned fourteen three weeks ago!"
"That's a long time when you're seventeen and bored with nothing to do but hang out with the little kid who lives a few houses over."
Davin shoved him. "Shut up. You could have go gone swimming with Haera's little group. They would have loved to have you. And at least I'm not the one who entered into a taboo relationship with a 'little kid,' as you say. That was all you. You're gross."
Luca grabbed Dav's hand, pulling him up onto his porch, and pushing him up against the front door before casting a look all around. No one was in sight, so he leaned in and kissed him, flicking his tongue out along DAV's lower lip.
"Mmm-no!" Davin pushed him away, both hands flat on his chest. "What, are you crazy? We're out in the open!"
"I was getting impatient," Luca explained, flashing a grin as he pushed into his cool, dark house.
Davin followed, closing the door behind him and walking past Luca to sit on the small, straw-stuffed sofa against the back wall. "Your house feels empty without your parents in it." Davin wrinkled his nose, looking at the straight-backed chair in which Luca's father usually sat and smoked his pipe. "Like... I'm usually stuck right here, listening to your father lecture me about one thing or another while I wait for you to get done helping your mom with something."
"You always look like you're about to die when that happens," Luca laughed, crossing his arms and watching him from across the room.
"I am about to die! Every single time he sits down in that chair and goes, 'So, Davin, boy...'" Luca laughed at Davin's convincing impression of his father.
"What do you hate so much about it? Your dad does that to me, too. 'Now, Luca, are you good enough to be hanging around with my son: the holy and perfect fruit from my loins?'"
Davin fidgeted on the couch, eyes flicking to the vacant chair. "That is so gross, don't ever say that again. But seriously, he just looks at me like he... knows. About us." His demure emerald eyes moved across the room and up to him, gazing at him with a timid expression. Luca loved that about him; how he always managed to look shy and conflicted one moment, and then say something completely forward or bizarre the next.
"Well... he doesn't." Luca said quietly, crossing the room and sitting closely up against Davin, resting a hand on his thigh. "He absolutely doesn't, Davin. We're so careful. No one's ever going to tell us we can't be together because no one will ever know."
Davin blinked. "I know nobody knows. But like... what if? How do you think your parents would react? Would they be mad?"
Luca shrugged, putting an arm around the younger boy's shoulders. "Probably. No worse than your parents, anyways."
Davin's nose wrinkled up again. "I don't think my mom would care all that much, to be honest. She'd still love me. But my dad... I know he'd be mad."
"He'd still love you, Dav. He's your father," Luca murmured, staring at their feet on the ground.
"I know that," Davin whispered back, turning and pecking a kiss onto Luca's cheek before jumping up and turning around to look at him.
"What?" Luca laughed at the out-of-nowhere expectant expression on the younger boy's face.
Davin looked at him like he'd just said the stupidest thing in the entire world. "You dragged me over here for the night! So what're we going to do?"
Luca crossed his arms, smirking. "I promised your mom that I'd get you to bed at a decent time, remember?"
Davin rolled his eyes. "Hey, at least I don't have to sleep in a bed squished between my two brothers tonight, or with Link pushing me off the edge in his sleep. He kicks!"
Luca grinned, pursing his lips tightly to keep in a laugh. He didn't think the boy would appreciate him thinking that was funny.
Davin still caught on; it was evident, because his eyes slowly narrowed. "Shut up! You sleep next to him every night and then try and laugh about it!"
Luca let the laugh escape, snickering. "Come here." He held out his arms, and Davin slowly walked into them, letting Luca pull him down over his lap. They stared at each other, Luca's lips twitching.
"What?" Davin demanded.
Luca pulled Davin's hips closer against him; getting ready, and then rising up without warning, tipping him back onto the couch.
Davin gave an 'oof!' as he landed on his back. "This is weird," he admitted. "Your mom makes quilts on this couch."
"How is it any different than sneaking off to your family's barn? They're all in there a lot too."
"How can you even ask that? It's way different. The only times we've ever even kissed here before was in your room, when I sneak over at night."
"Do you want to go to my room instead?"
Davin laid his head back, looking around the room silently before turning his eyes back up to Luca. He nodded.
"Then hold on." Luca stood up off the couch, dragging Davin up with him. The younger boy's legs snapped around Luca's waist, clinging in shock as he was lifted into the air.
"Oh my goddesses," he whispered, locking his arms around Luca's neck.
"Relax, I've got three years on you. Carrying you around is nothing," Luca gloated, although what he said was only partly true. Davin had undergone a sort of a growth spurt over the early part of the summer. He'd sprouted maybe six inches, but Luca was still taller. He was still taller, and he was still bigger, which he liked.
He heard Davin snort quietly. "My little brother doesn't even get carried around like this anymore."
Luca's room was tiny. It was only four walls and a bed, really. A tiny bed, and a window; a window that Davin had been secretly pulled up through in the middle of the night more than a couple times.
Luca leaned over and dumped Davin onto the bed, jumping onto it after him. "Okay, you are getting a little heavy."
"It's all those potatoes my mom makes me eat," Davin grumped, leaning back and patting his stomach.
Luca lay down next to him, propping his head up on his elbow. "It's late," he commented, looking out his window. The entire room was dark, black like the summer night outside.
"So what if it's late?" Davin asked.
"Davin..." Luca frowned. He was afraid to broach this subject, but there was a special reason Luca had gone against what his parents had told him. Something that gnawed at him practically every time he looked at Davin.
"What?" Davin asked, reaching over and lacing their fingers together.
Luca rose up, climbing on top of the younger boy, dipping his head down and kissing him heavily, effectively shutting up any questions he'd been about to ask. Luca lived for this; for hearing the sharp intake of breath Davin made whenever their lips touched. Every time he did that—and he did do it every time—it brought Luca back to the boy's thirteenth birthday party, when he'd first let on to Davin what he really thought about him. When they'd kissed for the first time. And goddesses, but Luca had been having these feelings lately, and these desires, which were very hard to suppress and ignore, and goddesses, he loved kissing Davin. His body became hot without him even realizing it.
"Nnn—woah!" Davin shrieked, pulling out of the kiss and scooting out from under him with wide, frightened eyes. "What the heck was that? Was that what I think it was?"
Luca covered his face with his hands, sitting up and crossing his legs. He didn't answer. They... they hadn't come across this yet.
"...its okay, Luca, you don't need to be embarrassed. It just startled me."
"Davin, what if I said that I wanted to...?"
"Wanted to what?" came his voice.
Luca barked out a humorless laugh. "Goddesses, you're completely clueless."
"I am not clueless; it's just that you're being extremely... Oh. Oh! Oh..." Luca looked up. Davin was gazing down at him, kindness in his forest-green eyes. "Why the heck are you so embarrassed? I haven't said no."
Luca's eyebrows shot up his forehead.
"Luca, I really love you a lot. You being so much older than I am, I sort of know that you've probably given more thought to this sort of thing than I have. I'm just starting to wake up to this kind of thing. And… and I know that I'm kind of young, but who's there ever going to be in my life besides you? I think I'm ready to give it a try. And... we're all alone. No one is going to bother us. And... you do make me feel that way." He blushed, ducking his head. "Just... the fact that we're not very likely friends, and yet you still give me literally every bit of your time, it just... it means a lot."
"He smiled back. "Dav, you're my very best friend."
"And you," Davin crawled closer to him, ducking under his arm and leaning his head on his shoulder. "Are a great big sap."
Luca snaked his hand around Davin's waist and tickled him back underneath him. The younger boy squirmed and giggled, but things became more serious when their moving bodies created friction, and their lips met again. The situation was becoming a bit surreal to Luca. Were they really doing this? Were they really about to do this?
Davin's arms went around Luca's neck, pulling their bodies tighter together. It was dark, and Luca had nearly forgotten where he was. Everything was so warm, and getting hot. And then Davin went and had to let out a long, low moan, escalating everything.
Luca pulled his head back, blinking in surprise down at the boy beneath him, who had practically melted. His eyes were dark and half-lidded, and his pupils were blown wide.
"Luca, I—."
"Shh..." Luca reached down and pulled his shirt over his head. Davin whined, squeezing his eyes shut.
Goddesses, the summery night was so hot, and the feel of Davin's body shuddering beneath him was doing things to him that he'd never experienced. Hell, things he'd never even known he could experience.
And oh, how had he never known how this could be? Their clothes were shed now, and everything became a messy blur. Luca had to go out to the kitchen to find some sort of lubrication at one point, because the first time they'd actually tried it, Davin had screamed at him to get out of him. After a few minutes of calming down, and soothing whispers, he'd agreed to try it again, and they were both pleasantly surprised with the result. They were… Luca couldn't even think it without becoming embarrassed. They were having sex, right under the noses of everyone who would no doubt disapprove. They were making love!
This was Davin and him, and no one else. This was them, and their love, and their friendship, all being expressed through physical means. Luca had just never fathomed how potent that could be. How absolutely wonderful. He didn't think it would be like it was right then with anyone else, ever. He didn't ever want anyone else. The fear, the excitement, the sensations, all of them were overwhelming in each and every way, and—.
"Luca! Luca, wake up!" Something was shaking him, pulling him out of the fantastic dream he'd been having. He didn't want to wake up or open his eyes; he wanted to go back into the world of the past, when he'd first experienced true, unyielding love. "Luca, you're sweating! Come on, wake up."
Luca opened his eyes, blinking in the darkness.
"What in the name of the goddesses were you dreaming about?" Davin demanded in a tired whisper.
Luca sighed contentedly, ignoring Davin's words and pulling him tighter against him instead. He no longer wanted to go back into the past, now that he'd been reminded that the same boy was right there with him—a young man now. A beautiful, extraordinary young man.
"The night I took your virginity," he murmured, smiling without opening his eyes.
He heard soft laughter. "Technically you can't say that. I got yours as well that night."
"Nope... can still say it..." he murmured, eyelids fluttering as his body lulled him back into unconsciousness.
"Fine, but will you quit having sexy dreams? You murmur in your sleep, and you fidget, and I can't get any rest. Link even woke up and complained about it."
"I'm still awake, actually." Link's voice came from the floor, a tone of irritation to it. "Luca keeps moaning, and quite frankly, with the conversation you two just had, I don't think I'll be sleeping ever again, so thanks for that. Thanks a lot."
Well, this chapter came into fruition because of a request made by the lovely link-lover82, and I hope I crafted it well for her! It really was super fun to write, and a nice break from all the hard, gritty stuff that's been going on as of late. I don't want to sound audacious here by praising my own OC's—trying to keep it humble over here!—but since the moment I came up with Luca's character and paired him with Davin, I've found them very endearing, so writing this was a lot of fun! :)
Thanks for reading, everybody! Here's hoping you liked this bit of fluff! Next chapter is going to be very exciting! I hope to post it one week from today, so next Tuesday, be looking for an update! And don't be shy about leaving a review and giving me your opinion and/or reaction! I love talking it out with fellow shippers! ;)
