A/N: I'm sorry this is taking me so long to finish. I didn't expect to fall off a cliff of motivation, but I have been writing and here's the proof! And there's more coming too, I haven't hit the end yet, don't worry...
Paya stood at the foot of the shrine with her hands jammed into her pockets, flicking her gaze over to the structure's recessed entrance before she brought her eyes back down to look at her shoes, as if the force of her stare could keep her feet in place. She wondered how long it would take Link to receive his blessing, especially since the shrine had been locked away and unused for thousands of years. The orb and pedestal mechanism had worked flawlessly, so it stood to reason that the interior of the shrine was similarly functional. The ancient Sheikah had known exactly what they were doing, with reliability and patience stretching over millennia. She could prove her relation to her ancestors by waiting calmly until the hero emerged.
Stretching the muscles in her neck and arms, which had grown tight with anticipation, Paya decided to practice what she wanted to say to Master Link. She spoke out loud so her tongue wouldn't trip over any word longer than a single syllable, and her quiet voice blended smoothly with the songs of the nocturnal forest creatures that had resumed their usual noisemaking.
"...I wanted to make sure you were safe, and I—"
The mechanical chime rang again, this time from the shrine itself, and the light issuing from it changed, throwing the clearing into stark blue illumination. Paya stopped talking to herself and took a hesitant step back, blinking against the bright glow. As her eyes adjusted, she saw Link rise from the depths of the shrine like the answer to her prayers. He was still wearing the Sheikah stealth outfit he had donned for his investigation, and now that he was directly in front of her and much closer, she could admire him without worrying about his survival. The light from the shrine shone upon him from every angle, bathing him in a clear blue radiance that highlighted his physique to an astonishingly precise degree.
Oh goddesses, is his clothing painted on?
She watched him step calmly from the elevator tube, unaware of her presence, and all the emotions she had successfully put aside while she waited came crowding upon her. A shiver of fear ran down her spine as she remembered the Yiga's threat to chop the most important parts off the hero and force him to watch while he fed the pieces to a Lizalfos. A warming burst of pride for the hero's accomplishment followed in its wake, washing away her lingering traces of distress and self-consciousness.
Motivated by the need to tell him how wonderfully he'd done, and how he was the best and most heroic person she'd ever met, she ran forward, slowing down slightly when Link tugged the mask down from his nose and mouth and called out her name. Paya caught a glimpse of the surprise plastered over his uncovered face before he swept her up in his strong arms, drawing her into a tight embrace that steadied her from the top of her hair roll down to the tips of her toes. She hugged him back, sliding her hands over his shoulder blades, pleased to find he had removed the weapons that usually hung down his back.
"Are you alright? And Lady Impa? Did the Yiga attack the village?" Link's voice was low and urgent, prodding Paya's nerves into an anxious blaze.
"No, no, everything's fine," she reassured him, holding his tensed frame tighter against her. If she let him go, he might run to the village road and plunge back into his defensive duties. "We're all safe. I prayed for your protection… I have faith in the gods, but I had to be sure, I had to know you were okay." She tilted her head incrementally to whisper in his ear, "I watched you fight the Blademaster. It was terrifying, but. You—you were amazing." Warmth rose in her chest, and along with it, her ability to speak dwindled. Words seemed incapable of conveying the enormity of what she wanted to tell him. Rather than fight to keep talking, she brought her head down, trailing her nose across his cheekbone. Lifting his chin, Link brought his lips to hers and kissed her, shocking her with the immediate ferocity of his response.
When she managed to draw her next breath, she could sense the nose-wrinkling, lingering remnants of the air that had come from the interior of the shrine. Ancient-smelling and cold, it reminded her faintly of the heirloom after she had given it a thorough polishing. She quickly took another breath, filling her lungs with Link's more enticing aroma before kissing him back with renewed enthusiasm.
Paya wasn't prepared when Link leaned into her, his hand pressing against the small of her back not doing enough to keep her balanced. Her foot slid backward along the smooth, mysterious material of the shrine's base as she tried to steady herself. It was too much. She could no longer ignore their surroundings. Reluctantly parting from the kiss, with one hand on his chest to keep him close she said, "Wait, not here, not at the shrine. It feels sacreligious."
Link released Paya from his hold and stepped back, waiting like a soldier ready for his next order. Only his eyes, raking over her with palpable hunger, hinted at the truth under his facade of restraint.
Paya's thoughts floated firefly-bright, dreamlike yet distinct, in her mind. There wasn't anything more she had to do tonight. No chores, no praying, no studying. No curfew. Sleep, too, had been crossed off her list. The exhilaration thrumming under her skin had driven her exhaustion away as easily as washing the grime from a dirty plate. She and Link did not have to steal time away for themselves, it had been given to them, right here, right now. Morning and its duties were hours away, and wasn't spending time with the legendary hero a kind of devotion, anyway?
"You aren't tired, are you?" she asked, giving Link an opening to take his leave, just in case she had misread all the signs she thought he'd been sending her all day.
"No! The monk's blessing," he said, squinting thoughtfully in the light, "comes with a kind of… refreshment. They think of everything. I'm clean, healed of wounds —my stubbed toe doesn't hurt anymore— and I feel like I just woke up from a nap." He shook his head as if clearing it of spiritual cobwebs. "Takes a while to get used to, but it's really convenient."
Full of confidence for the moment, Paya held out her hand. "Then follow me."