K'ger: Welp, here we go, my second oneshot. This one is for Valentines day. Just letting everyone know before hand, it's fluffy, Semi-plot-less, drabble-y, and an AU. I really don't know where this takes place. I picture Link and Zelda as from Skyward Sword, but I don't know if its in Skyloft, or on the surface. I'll leave that up to your imagination.
With a sigh, he leaned on the fence, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He stared out across the emerald grasses, eyelids drooping and a goofy, half-witted smile plastering across his lips.
There she was. Standing in the field of flowers, the sunlight bathing her porcelain skin, and making her long blonde hair sparkle like gold. Her dress was a simple white color, but it fitted her perfectly, hugging low to her shoulders and flaring out around her knees, billowing around her ankles when a gentle spring breeze caught hold. She leaned low, crouching down and plucked a particular flower from the field. A blue flower, with vibrant purple stripes down the middles of its petals.
Another dreamy sigh escaped his lips as he watched her straighten herself, and then stroll gracefully toward the granite statue that towered over the Faron woods. The Statue of The Goddess. She was beautiful, and so far out of his league that he sometimes suspected that they didn't even live in the same universe.
"Hey Link! What'cha doin'?" A voice said behind him, making him jump. He whirled around, and rolled his eyes at his own reaction when found that it was only who Kukiel was standing there, a bright smile on her lips, the kind of smile that crinkled the comers of her green eyes. She clasped her hands behind her back and swung her weight back ans forth, making her dress sway with the motion.
"Hi Kukiel," he started, wiping his brow. For some reason, he was sweating. It wasn't that hot, was it? "Nothing much."
A playful look lit up in her eyes.
"You were staring at Zelda again." She deadpanned, giggling as his face turned dark crimson.
"O-oh, was I?"
"Yeah, you've been doin' that a lot lately. Have you talked to 'er?"
If it was even possible, his blush darkened.
"Well I-I just…No."
One of the little girl's eyebrows rose up in a curious arch.
"Well you should, if you don't talk to her soon, she'll think you don't like her!"
"Wha-? That can happen?" He asked quickly, color draining slightly from his face. Kukiel laughed at him, and danced around him a few times.
"Of course it can, silly! If you don't tell her soon, some other guy might come in and sweep her off her feet! Perhaps a guy with a certain big red pompadour? What was his name? Goose? Grouse? Groose! That's it, Groose! Yeah, he'll show up, they'll fall in love, get married, have about twelve children…and you…well, you'll lock yourself in your room, shut everyone out, become an alcoholic, stop eating…And then one day you'll be on your deathbed, and the only thing you'll be able to say is, 'why didn't I tell her? If only had had told her things could have been different'…and then you're dead!" She laughed, resting one arm on her forehead and flopping back onto the grass, both legs sticking straight up and her tongue sticking out.
By this point Link was frozen, his face stuck in a look a shock.
He turned suddenly on his heels, raising a hand and racing toward Zelda.
"Hey! Zelda!"
He flopped onto his bed, groaning. He had actually tried to tell her. He had started at small, just couple of failed attempts at flirting, and then he'd lost himself, and run off with a muffled goodbye. He was such an idiot. He was the hero for the Goddesses' sake, and yet he couldn't talk to Zelda without getting flustered. It hadn't always been like that. When they had been younger, they had barely ever left each other's sides. He had thought that once he saved her, things would go back to the way they had been before, but now, whenever he saw her, his heart felt like it would jump directly into his throat. His palms would get sweaty, and he could barely form sentences.
It was pointless. He'd never be able to confess to her.
Just as he was drifting off to sleep, a knock came at his bedroom door. He sat up, opening his eyes tiredly.
"Come in, its unlocked." He moaned, rubbing his eyes. The door swung open, and Kukiel trotted in, a smug look on her face.
"Kukiel? What are you doing here? Isn't it past your bedtime?"
"Yep, It is. You didn't tell her, did you?" She said, smiling almost sadistically. Scary for an eight-year-old girl. He swing his legs over the side of the bed, sighing as he stood up.
"No, I didn't. Now," he said in a low, sleepy voice. "Why are you here, Kukiel? You should be home, in bed."
She giggled, dancing across the room toward him, and flopped stomach first onto the bed. After a moment, she sat up, crossing her legs and grabbing his pillow, hugging it to her chest like a stuffed animal.
"You should try something different then."
"Huh?"
"You should try something different. Talking doesn't work, so try something else. A pastry in the shape of a heart, her favorite flowers, maybe a bracelet."
Link looked at her curiously.
"You know an awful lot about romance for an eight-year-old." He said suspiciously, narrowing an eye at her and rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. She laughed in response, hugging his pillow tighter.
"Mom's a big fan of romance. Kinda rubs off on you," she sighed, rolling her eyes and looking toward him. "Now down to business. Do you like her?"
That was a strange question to ask. One minute she was giving him love advice, and then she was asking if he liked Zelda? He pulled a chair away from his desk, swing a leg over it and sitting backwards on it, resting his chin on the backrest.
"Uh…Yeah?"
"Does she like you?"
"Uh…I don't know?"
"Ok, well, do you think she likes you?"
He stared blankly at her for a moment, confusion wiping his mind bare.
"Um…Maybe? I don't know, she never acts like it."
"Well, first things first. Stop saying 'uh' all the time! Its very distracting, and makes you look like a little kid. Zelda wouldn't want a little kid, she wants a man!"
This had officially turned into the strangest conversation Link had ever had with an eight-year-old. Scratch that, the weirdest conversation he had ever had period.
"I think I know what you should do. Zelda likes poetry, doesn't she?"
He nodded.
"Do you have any paper?"
He nodded again, and swiveled around in his chair so that he was sitting properly at his desk.
"You should meet her tomorrow where you did today, and recite this poem,"
She was about to recite when he interrupted her.
"You really think this'll work? It won't make me look…stupid?"
"No! She likes poetry, and who doesn't want a love poem from their true love?"
He didn't know if he could do this. Here he was, standing under the Statue of The Goddess, waiting for Zelda. She came every day, only occasionally missing a day or two, so it was almost guaranteed that she'd show up soon. His stomach was in knots at what he was going to do.
In the back of his mind, he wasn't sure he could do it. The poem Kukiel had taught him sounded stupid, but he was desperate! A soft sound came from around the edge of the statue's base, and he turned slowly to see that Kukiel was peeping around the granite edge, smiling ear-to-ear.
She said nothing, but gave him a thumbs-up, and disappeared again.
"Link?" A voice said behind him, a feminine voice, that carried with a melodious tone. He whipped around, cheeks already burning. There she was, standing behind him with an adorably quizzical look, hands clasped behind her back.
"Oh! Zelda, I-well-I-was-uh-" He stammered, failing to look her in the eyes. He was blowing it already!
"Um…Link? You ok?" Zelda asked, looking at him with a glimmer of concern in her eyes.
"Oh y-yeah…I-I'm fine…But I've been meaning to…well…talk to you about something for a while." He said. He had to do it, if he didn't tell her now, he never would.
"Yeah? About what?
"Well-I…Actually, I think its better if I just say it to you with a poem I…Uh…Read somewhere." He was blushing like mad, it felt like his face was on fire. He must look like an idiot! Deep breath, deep breath. Just do it. Now or never! Why did it have to be so hard? Why did she have to be so perfect? And why did the first line of the poem have to say it all? He took a breath, and started.
"I love you more than applesauce,
Than peaches and a plum,
Than chocolate hearts,
And cherry tarts,
And berry bubble-gum."
He looked away from her, and could hardly bear what he was saying. He looked at the ground, looked at his boots, noticed how badly they needed to be washed. He looked everywhere but at Zelda. That was one thing he couldn't do.
"I love you more than lemonade,
And seven-layer cake,
Than lollipops,
And candy drops,
And thick vanilla shake."
This poem was ridiculous! Lollipops? Cake? Why had he agreed to this? Why had he taken love advice from an eight-year-old girl? He was in way too deep.
"I love you more than marzipan,
Than marmalade on toast;
For I love pies
Of any size,"
He finally found the courage to look up at Zelda, meeting her sapphire eyes. Her lips were parted slightly, eyes wide. Her look was that of utter shock. He had flubbed it. He just knew it. His fears were confirmed when her eyes began to water. She didn't feel the same way about him. But he was already this far, he was going to finish this stupid poem.
"But I love you the most."
He held her gaze a second more, and then looked away, utterly embarrassed. Zelda remained silent, standing there, frozen, as if his words had stunned her. She didn't love him. He had been an idiot to think that she might.
The next thing he knew, he was being tackled by some unknown force, pushed forcefully onto the soft grass. He yelped as Zelda landed on his chest, hugging him tightly. If it was even possible, his face was a darker shade of red.
"Uh…Zelda?" He asked softly, looking at her. He stiffened even more when she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"I take it you liked the poem, then? It wasn't too corny?"
She laughed at him for a moment before answering.
"Oh it was the corniest thing I've ever heard in my life, Link! But it was the thought that counts!" She leaned low, hovering over him. She pecked him on the lips, and then rolled off of him, laying next to him as he remained speechless. He was floating on air. Where Zelda's lips had touched, his skin felt like electricity was shooting through.
And neither of them noticed as Kukiel and her mother peered around the Statue of The Goddess, giggling at the new couple they had successfully set-up. Now, if only they could find someone for Groose…
"Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold." – Zelda Fitzgerald.