ONCE AGAIN, this exists because a couple weeks ago I had some mangoes that were SO GOOD I couldn't stop thinking about them. at first I was like I could either write something for kh or something for botw. but why limit yourself like that?
so I did both.
the title is literally because I was listening to the song sweettooth by riz la vie while writing parts of this and that song is very...hm :)
Link stumbled onto the fruit on accident.
He had gone to Lurelin for a few days and was making his way back home to Hateno; he had just meant to be gone for a day, only stopping into the town to grab some fish, but there was talk about monsters picking up in activity around the beaches – trying to hog the best fishing spots, of course. So one day in Lurelin accidentally turned into three, and Link made sure to buy plenty of fresh fish to make up for his unexpected absence.
Link made an early start of the day, leaving Lurelin behind and heading back on the road to Hateno. He used the slate to get here, but coming home, he wanted to take his time – mostly because he hoped that he would find something special to bring back home to Zelda. Zelda's worry always dies down a little when he brings home something nice.
So he heads into the Faron jungle, brushing wide leaves away with his hand as he heads off the path to find – well. He doesn't know. Something he's never seen before. He doesn't want to return home with something simple like flowers, though he knows Zelda would love them – no, he wants to find something that would really make her eyes light up.
The air in Faron was stifling; a heat wave had come along the coast, the past couple days, and Link didn't even want to think about how hot it had gotten in Hateno. They've expanded the house, over the years, but summer still got the best of them because they struggle to keep the house cool. Eventually the heat shimmering in the air won out; Link caved and looked for the first tree he could sit under for some shade, sitting on the ground and leaning back against the thick trunk as he grabbed the hem of his tunic and used it to wipe the sweat off his face. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back with a sigh, leaning back on his hand as he bent what was left of his right arm, rolling out the stiff muscles.
The shade from the tree was so nice – it kept some of the sun off his face and his neck. Nothing he could do about the heat, though. Fumbling for the slate, Link pulled his water canteen from it and took a long pull, relishing the cool temperature, and he felt ready enough to get back to exploring – until a sweet scent drifted around his head.
It caught his attention, that scent. Made him open his eyes and hop to his feet, trying to find the source.
He didn't have to look for too long. He had to ask himself how he didn't notice it until now.
Link stared up in awe at the fruits hanging from the branches, a multitude of colors as they swayed lightly in the wind. They were the size of his hand, and while some fruits were a hard, dark green, others were a golden, inviting yellow, blending into a vibrant red.
Mangoes. They were mangoes. Link hadn't seen a mango in – in, well. A hundred years! And then some!
They were a rare treat in Castle Town; they were snatched up fast, when the summer months came around, the fruit perfectly in season, and the trade from Lurelin back then was sparse. And the fact that he was just sitting under a tree rich with fruit, the bounty abundant – did no one harvest them anymore? He supposed not, he thinks with a frown – not when there were so many monsters roaming. Not many braved the roads, when the Calamity was afoot. But now…how many more fruit trees like these were hidden in the thick Faron jungle? It was an exciting thought.
This was it, he decides – this is what he was going to bring home to Zelda. He could already see the smile on her face when he shows her how much fruit he brought home for her.
With his mind made up, Link pulls his knife from his boot, holding the blade between his teeth, and then slowly, carefully climbs up the thick branches into the tree. In the heat, the sweet scent was heady, and Link followed his nose, choosing only the best, ripest fruit to carefully cut away and add to the slate. He had to resist the urge to fill the slate to bursting; there was a whole tree full of fruit – it wasn't going to vanish.
Besides, he tells himself, he'll be back – maybe next time, he'll bring Zelda with him, too.
The idea makes him smile, and Link cuts away a few more mangoes to add to the slate before swinging down to the ground. It was tempting, to cut into one and snack on it right away – but he refrained. He wanted to share these. So it would probably be best to get back home as quickly as possible.
Before warping back to Hateno, Link opens the camera function on the slate and zooms in, taking a picture of a mango to add to the compendium and the Sheikah sensors.
He wants to be able to find them again next time.
-o-
Link was exploring Faron longer than he meant to, and when he finally returned to Hateno, it was mid-afternoon. It was just as hot as he expected, and he cringed at the heat, hopping off the shrine platform and heading down the well-worn path to his house.
Their house.
Zelda burst through the door as soon as he was halfway across the bridge.
"Link!"
Her face was as pink as her dress, flushed from the heat, her skin gold from the sun. Her hair was tied up, away from her face and neck, and Link got a second to appreciate the way some of the loose strands of her hair curled around her face before she slammed into him, throwing her arms around his neck. He caught her with a grunt, wrapping his arm tight around her waist, and relished in the squeal she let out when he picked her up and spun her around.
"Where have you been?" She asks breathlessly. "You said you were only going to be gone for a day!"
"I know." He murmurs into the curve of her neck. She smells like sweat and dried flowers. "I'm sorry. Lurelin had a monster problem, so I got – a bit caught up."
"Oh!"
She draws back, hands dragging over his body as she checks for injuries, and Link leans into her touch. "You're alright?" She asks, concerned. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"I'm alright." He promises. "Some bruises, but they're long gone. I'm sorry I was gone for so long – I would've written a letter to let you know, but, well…you'll have the post up in, what, a year, right?"
The pout Zelda gives him is outrageous, her cheeks puffing out as she huffs loudly. "It'll be done in six months." She stresses. "Six months too long, if you ask me."
"Hmm." Link hummed in sympathy. "I know. You've been working very hard."
And she has – the castle is unsalvageable, what's left of it a crater in the ground, but everything else…it's coming together. Slowly. Bit by bit, Hyrule was getting back on its own two feet.
"Have you eaten?" He inquires suddenly, rubbing his hand along her side. "I can make lunch for you, if you haven't."
"Oh – no, no, I…" She looks a little guilty, then. "I had some fruit, for breakfast, but…then I got a little, um. Caught up. In work. Ohhh, and since I didn't know if you would be home today, I have to meet up with Purah soon, too…"
"Zelda." Link says, disapproving. Letting her go, he places her hand on her shoulder, turning her around towards the bridge. "Go on." He gives her a light shove at the small of her back. "Go do your thing. I'll cook some fish for a late lunch – I bought plenty from Lurelin."
That, among other things – but Link wanted to keep it a surprise. He could see it now – roasted fish, with a mango slaw on top? That sounded like something he could do.
Her face softens. "Oh, you don't mind? You aren't too tired?"
"I'm not." He swears. "I used the slate to get here – I still feel like I've only been up a few minutes. I haven't eaten since breakfast, anyway."
That was partially true; Link was definitely up for more than a few minutes, his morning eaten up by the time he spent exploring. But it has been a while since he's eaten – lunch sounded like a really good idea.
Zelda's eyes widened. "Since breakfast? Wow, so I know you must be famished." She says, teasing, and he digs a finger into her side, making her squeak.
"Cut it out." He warns. "Or I'll make you my afternoon snack instead."
Her eyes widen a little before a smile slowly spreads across her face. "Mm, do you promise?"
Link wants to kiss her. He wants to kiss her and pull her back into the house and let the entire day be forgotten. But he knows that if he starts kissing her now, he won't stop. And he wants to give her this surprise. The kissing can wait – though he feels really reluctant about it.
"Mmm…" He tilts his head, pretending to think about it. "Maybe. You should go see Purah, first."
"You -!"
Zelda glowers at him, shoving him away – though he didn't go very far. "You awful man!"
"I am, yeah." He grins widely at her. "But do you want Purah barging into the house and interrupting us?"
"…No." She answers reluctantly, and he nods.
"So that's that, then. Go do your work with Purah." He pushes her away. "And then I can have you all to myself later. Okay?"
Zelda sighs. "Alright."
She sways towards him – probably to give him a kiss – but stops herself at the last second. She knows that with how long they've been apart, once they start, they just wouldn't stop.
"I'll see you soon." She promises. "I'll be gone for two hours – no more. If Purah tries to make me stay longer, I'll tell her no."
"Right, because it's definitely Purah that makes you stay in her lab for hours."
She glowers at him, and Link laughs, loud and bright. "Go." He stresses. "I'll see you soon. Okay?"
"…Okay."
Their parting was still slow despite their words, reluctant; Link decided to risk it and pulled Zelda's hand to him, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. It was worth how badly he wanted to really kiss her to see how flushed she got. Their hands lingered as they parted, just for a second – and that second made Link want to pull her close, make her stay.
He stayed there, on their front lawn, watching her until she crossed the bridge and vanished around the bend into the village. Then, Link let out a quiet sigh, turning on his heel and shouldering his way into the house. It wouldn't last, in this heat, but Link still wanted a bath to wash the sweat and dirt off from tromping through Faron. And then, after that, he can get started cooking.
Stepping into the house, Link was overtaken with the familiar scent of home, and he smiles, stretching his arm high overhead before placing his slate on the table near the door and moving inside, allowing the world to be shut off behind him by the door quietly clicking shut.
-o-
Zelda was gone for two hours, just like she promised.
Link was honestly surprised – he really was expecting her to be gone for longer. Four hours, at the very most. He made sure to take time with the food, regardless – he cut up a few fillets of fish and rubbed them down with salt, deciding to keep the seasoning simple, so that the mango he'd serve with the roasted fish will shine. He has to move a little slower nowadays anyway, what with being down a hand and all, but - he's adjusting.
He was just finishing the plating when he heard the door open, Zelda calling out "I'm home!" as she kicked off her shoes.
"Welcome back!" Link calls over his shoulder. "I didn't think you'd show up on time!"
He smiles as Zelda sucks on her teeth, annoyed at his teasing jab.
"I said I wouldn't be gone long!"
Warm arms wrapped around his shoulders, and Link hummed as Zelda sidled close to him, burying her face in his loose hair. It was warm in the house – even more so now that he's spent some time cooking. Not even the open windows could give him relief. But he didn't care one bit about the heat then; he'd endure Death Mountain levels of heat if it meant Zelda stayed close to him.
"What did you make?" She asks quietly, pressing a soft kiss into his hair. "It smells good."
"Just some fish." He shrugs lightly, not wanting to jostle her. "And some other stuff – but you'll see. Come on, grab a plate and let's sit. Tell me what you've been doing while I was gone."
Zelda's eyes immediately light up, and she picks up a tray without even looking at it, already talking as she leads them to the table. "Oh, I got much more work done than I expected! I went to Kakariko for a bit, and once I was there, I –"
Link was already smiling indulgently by the time they sat at the table. He remembers this happening a lot – evenings sitting around a campfire, or in Zelda's study, listening to her talk at rapid speed, jumping from one topic to another as she ate her food. Sometimes he had wondered if she even tasted the food or was she just that wrapped up in wherever her thoughts led her?
But no – she noticed. It just takes her a while.
Link was waiting for it, and he immediately straightened up when he saw Zelda take a bite and stiffen up, eyes widening. She makes a surprised noise, chewing quickly, and Link has to hide his smile in his hand.
"What –" She starts as soon as she could speak, staring down at her plate like she'd never seen it before. "Link, what – what's this?"
His eyes slide away, the corners of his mouth twitching. "It's fish."
"I know it's fish, Link, but – the bit on top, is – is that?"
She scoops up another bite, and that – that right there. That look. That was why Link did this in the first place.
Her eyes get impossibly bigger. "It's mango!" She cries out. "How on earth did you – where did you find – Link! Oh my goodness!"
He didn't even bother trying to hide his smile now. "I found some in Faron." He explained. "I had to bring some home to you – I knew you would like it."
Link finally dug into his own plate, now that the secret was out, and he closed his eyes in content at the flavors spreading across his tongue. The fish was perfectly cooked and salted, and the mango slaw was a bright, sweet companion to the flaky, salted fish.
"I do!" Zelda agreed around another mouthful of food. "Link, I haven't had a mango in – ages! I can't even remember the last time!"
"Me, neither. But I don't know how much that means, coming from me."
She glowers at him, lightly kicking at his shin under the table, and Link snickers around his fork. "Keep telling me about your day. Let me know what I missed. And then we can clean up – do you want to just have leftovers for dinner? Or should we skip dinner and just have dessert?"
As expected, Zelda immediately brightens up at the prospect of sweets. "There's dessert, too? What did you make? Can I see?"
"No, you can't see! It's in the freezer."
Of all of Zelda's little inventions around the house, the freezer is probably Link's favorite – made of one of the abandoned metal crates around Hyrule, cleaned and polished and broken down, melded into a smaller box that Zelda then filled with icy chu-chu jelly. It was good for when he runs out of space on the slate to store food, and it was just – nice to lean on, sometimes, on the days when it was just too hot.
Link nudged at her foot. "You didn't answer, you know."
"Answer what?"
"Do you want dinner later? Or should we skip it?"
"Mmm…" Zelda taps at her chin, before taking on a haughty tone – her Princess Voice, as Link likes to call it. "This is a rather late lunch…to have dinner so soon after would be too much, I think – at least for me. I think it would be best for us to move directly to dessert."
"Of course you'd say that, you and your giant sweet tooth."
Zelda puffed up. "Well, you asked!"
"That's true. Come on –"
He taps her foot with his once again. "I made enough fish for second helpings – we'll eat that and call it dinner. And then we'll have dessert. But until then – keep telling me about your day!"
"Oh, alright. But!" She points her fork at him. "You have to tell me about yours, too! I want to know about your time in Lurelin."
"It'll be boring – just fighting monsters."
"I know it won't be just fighting monsters because it's you. I want to hear it!"
Link sinks into the warmth of Zelda's presence with a smile, talking over a home-cooked meal as they continue to nudge each other back and forth under the table. Even though he'd only been gone for a few days, he had really missed her. Teasing her, hearing her laugh, seeing her smile – Lurelin was lovely, but the days felt a little dull when he woke up and Zelda wasn't the first thing he saw in the morning.
The time apart always makes him savor just how sweet it is when they were together.
-o-
Zelda had just gotten out of the bath when Link decided that it was the perfect time to bring out the other half of his surprise.
She was sitting on the bed in light nightgown, leaning against the open window as she ran a towel over her hair. It was evening, now, and the stars glittered in the dark sky, the night air filled with the sounds of summer creatures – the croak of frogs, the chirp of crickets and the soft cries of owls. The large bowl of diced mango was chilled against his fingers as Link crept up the stairs, and he took in the sight of Zelda with a smile.
"You ready for dessert?" He calls out, and watches her entire demeanor brighten up as she yanks her towel away, her hair tumbling in fluffy, golden curls to her collarbone.
"Yes!" She says, excited, crawling forward to meet him halfway as he gets on the bed. "I want to know what you've been so secretive about!"
"I haven't been secretive at all! I said it earlier, didn't I?"
He carefully tilts the bowl to show her the contents – golden, diced up cubes of mango, mixed with some of the leftover strawberries Uma had given them from a recent harvest. He drinks in how her eyes light up. "I said I had to bring some home to you." Link says softly. "The mango we ate with the fish wasn't all of it, you know – not even close."
Zelda didn't say anything as she looked up to stare at him, amazed. And then, a wobbly smile slowly spread across her face before she leaned in the brush a kiss over his cheek – just mere inches away from his mouth.
The touch danced over his skin like lightning. Link was very, very aware, then, that the last time they had kissed had been three days ago – nearly four. A goodbye kiss, when he was leaving for Lurelin, that quickly dissolved into another, and another, until Zelda had to practically shove him out the door, flushed and giggling.
Three days, since then. Nearly four.
"Thank you, Link." Zelda murmurs against his skin, and Link swallows, his throat suddenly dry, and croaks out a response.
The mango that he served with the fish was delicious – that was undeniable. Somehow, it still doesn't hold a candle to the fruit on its own.
It was so sweet – not even Link could hold back a noise of pleasure at the taste, and he laughed a little at the full body shiver Zelda had at her first bite, unable to contain a high squeak of delight. And the mango was juicy, too – he knew just how juicy it was when he was cutting it up, but Link still wasn't prepared for the rivulets that ran down his chin, over his wrist. He probably should've laid out a towel so they don't stain the blankets, he thinks wryly. Too late for that now.
The fruit was good – even better, now that it was chilled. It helped abate some of the ever-present heat, which was a relief that Link thanked all the Goddesses for.
"This is delicious." Zelda sighs when they're halfway through the bowl, sucking the lingering juice of a strawberry off her thumb. Link watches the motion like a hawk. "Thank you again, Link – mangoes! They're so delicious – I don't know how you found them!"
"I just stumbled into them, really…" He mumbles bashfully, popping another mango into his mouth. "Took a picture with the slate, too – it's on the compendium, so we can find them again."
"Really?" She kicks her feet, delighted. "You never add things to the compendium! Link, that's so thoughtful!"
"I add things to the compendium!" He protests. "Sometimes!"
Zelda rolls her eyes, very obviously not believing him. "Oh, sure you do. That's why every picture in the compendium was something I took."
Triumphant at making her case, she bites into another piece of mango. Every protest Link had died as he watched her lick any remaining juice from her lower lip. "Well." He starts dumbly, but his voice trails off into nothing. Zelda giggles at his lack of words, her eyes soft.
The stars outside formed a halo around her head, the dimmed lamplight in the house making her look soft and golden. Her nightgown avoided the threat of mess the fruit brought so far, and barely – just barely – he can see the outline of her shape, the soft curve of her waist.
Link didn't understand himself, sometimes. They had only been apart for three days. Nearly four. They've been apart for longer than that – weeks. A century. Why was he like this?
It didn't matter. Link was so hungry. He'd never get enough of her.
He shuffles the bowl aside a little, keeping it within reach as he moves across the bed, sidles up against her side. There was a light breeze outside, brushing against his back – but that didn't cool the heat in his blood.
"Link?" Zelda asks, tilting her head. "Are you alright?"
And he just sighs, leaning in and pressing his cheek against the curve of her shoulder, relishing the way her breath catches. Her skin was so warm. She smelled like cool safflina and ripe mangoes, the sweet scent clinging to her skin like a perfume.
"Link?" She prods again, and he hums, rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.
"I'm fine." He finally says, reaching for her hand. Her skin was sticky, covered with juice from the mangoes they've eaten, and Link wraps his fingers around her wrist. Slowly brings her hand up to his lips. He raises his head and doesn't look away from her as his tongue darts out and drags against her skin, licking up the traces of fruit that sticks to her fingers.
Three days. Nearly four.
Zelda's breathing stutters, and her eyes go wide, a flush crawling up her neck and over her cheeks. Link takes great pleasure in knowing just how far that blush can go.
"I'm fine." He repeats, dragging his tongue between the webs of her fingers. "I just missed you."
"I –" Her voice was breathless, two octaves higher, and he grins, nipping at the meat of her palm – not enough to hurt, but enough to make her shake a little. "I – I missed you, too."
The bowl of fruit was nearly forgotten at this point, Link letting go of her wrist to paw at her nightgown with a sticky hand, tugging her closer and closer until he could wrap his arm around her waist and heave her into his lap. It's moments like this, he thinks, as he nuzzles against her collarbones, that Link regrets losing his arm. Because in moments like this, he gets so greedy, and he wishes he had both hands so he could touch her all over – all over.
But, he reminds himself, enjoying the way Zelda's breathing was speeding up, he can do perfectly well with what he has right now.
"We still have some mango left over." He says softly, hand sliding over her hip to hook behind her knee, pulling her closer. "It'd be a shame to waste it."
Zelda's lashes flutter, teeth sinking into her lower lip as she tries to focus on what he's saying. He still catches the way her eyes repeatedly dart to his mouth.
"That…that is true, yes." She agrees haltingly.
"Could you feed me a piece?"
"I…"
He smiles at her so sweetly, so different from the hand inching slowly up her nightgown, fingers dragging against her thigh, and Zelda exhales shakily, blindly reaching out and grabbing the bowl. She quickly picks up a piece of mango, clumsily setting the bowl aside. "Here." She says, holding out the fruit, and her hand lowers when he shakes his head.
"Not like that." He says, that smile still on his face. "Feed me a piece. Please?"
It takes her a second to understand, and when she does, the flush on her face darkens, and Link watches it with greedy eyes. Her eyes slide away as she brings the mango to her lips, holding the fruit between her teeth. A rivulet of juice runs down her chin, drips onto her nightgown, and Link can no longer resist the urge to lick up that trail of juice to the source.
The mango tastes so sweet. The flesh gives easily between his teeth – he only picked the ripest, the best. It's so much sweeter as Link licks the taste out of Zelda's mouth, swallowing down the strangled whimper she lets out with the desperation of a man starving.
Zelda's nightgown was ruined – stained with spots of juice that ran from their chins and sticky handprints from Link pawing at her hips, her waist, at him pushing the hem of her nightgown up her thighs. Link feels Zelda's hands drag up his chest, over his shoulders, tangling into his hair, and it was fine. It was more than fine. He didn't give a damn if mango juice got in his hair, on his clothes – it'd wash off. He'd do all the laundry, scrub Zelda down in the bath if she asked, pressing a kiss to every bit of skin.
But it didn't matter right now – what mattered was kissing every trace of that sweet taste out of Zelda's mouth, sucking her lower lip into his mouth and running his tongue over it until he could taste nothing but skin – and that, that was equally as sweet. Perhaps sweeter.
"I missed you." Link said again, the words thick as he poured them into her mouth between kisses. "I missed you – only three days, and I missed waking up and you being the first thing I see."
Zelda's grip in his hair tightened, and she hooked her legs over his hips as she used her weight to tumble back onto the bed, pulling him down with her. Link followed her down without a fight, taking care to brace his hand against the bed to not press all his weight on her. She looks up at him, her hair a gold halo around her head, and it takes everything in him to not dive down and kiss her again.
She smiles. "I missed you, too. I –"
A laugh bubbles out of her. "Isn't it silly? It was just three days. Only three. We've lasted longer. But I missed you so."
The air was sweet, between them. The summer air made the scent of mangoes linger, hanging heavy in the air. Even though he knew the taste of the fruit was long gone, Link swooped down anyways, the thought of kissing every sweet trace away irresistible.
The bowl of fruit was truly forgotten, then – only remembered to clumsily place it onto the floor, so it wouldn't get knocked over. They learned that the mangoes tasted just as sweet much later, wrapped up together despite the heat and feeding each other the pieces that remained for a midnight snack.
Link thinks about the remaining mangos in the freezer, wonders how they might taste in a cake, and he presses his lips against Zelda's shoulder to hide his smile.
Another surprise for another time.
I didn't intend to add link being an amputee but I was wondering if The Arm is gonna be a borrowed time thing. so I sprinkled it in there.
I also didn't intend for this to be over 4k. but hey! it is what it is.
okay NOW I'm done with mango stuff lmao but it sure was fun to write! comments and kudos are cool and appreciated!
hope y'all enjoy the rest of your weekend! and like I said in the last work - share mangoes with the ones you love.
until next time!