Something in Sidon's expression was off. Link had expected polite inquiry or maybe another worried frown, but Sidon looked… expectant. Like he already knew what Link wanted to talk about and was simply waiting for him to get on with it. It made Link unreasonably anxious. What if Sidon already knew and was bracing himself for unwanted news? What if he was expecting something different?
The expression softened after a moment. Link probably looked bewildered or nervous or both. He certainly felt that way.
"Please don't hesitate, Link", Sidon said, and sat up. He scooted over to sit next to Link. Was Link imagining it or was Sidon sitting unusually close to him? "You can talk to me about anything at all."
...That was very similar to what Zelda had said right before Link came out to her, and she hadn't been terribly surprised in the end. Had he come out to Sidon at any point? He thought he had, but now he wasn't sure anymore. Was that what Sidon was expecting now? Well, it hardly mattered if it turned out he hadn't come out; that detail would go more or less without saying with what he was actually going to tell, so it was a moot point now.
Yes, he was stalling.
Hylia give him strength.
"I think I'm in love with you", he said, surprising himself with how bluntly and naturally it came out. He had meant to be a bit more tactful and careful about it, but he really should have known himself better than to assume that was going to happen. Well, in for a green rupee… "I'd gotten a big crush on you the moment we met, or sometime within my first visit in the Domain anyway. It hasn't wavered during all this time – in fact, I believe it's grown steadier – and I think that's how you know it's real."
That was surprisingly easy. Shockingly so. He felt immensely relieved for having gotten it out in the open, too. Why hadn't he done this earlier?
...Oh, right. Sidon would get his say about this next. Needless to say, the nervousness came back with revenge. Why was he doing this instead of keeping quiet forever?
Link looked up at Sidon, only now realizing he had been staring at his tightly clenched hands until that moment. Damn, he should have looked deeply into Sidon's eyes during his confession. At least he thought that was how it was supposed to go; romance novels said so, and they would know best. If Sidon didn't return his feelings by the end of this conversation, he would blame it on that blunder alone. It might make him feel better about it.
Sidon looked like one of the rocks Link had used Stasis on that was one second away from its release: completely unmoving and straight backed, his lips were pressed into a tight line, and he was barely even breathing. Or alternatively he was a very handsome statue; one that would fit in perfectly in the city they were visiting. Either way, he was clearly holding something back with all his might, and Link was quickly going insane with the lack of answers. He was willing to bet that Sidon would have already said something had he gazed into his eyes during his confession, damn it.
"Does that-", Sidon started with a strangled voice, then cleared his throat and began anew. "Does that mean you're officially asking to court me?"
Link wanted to scream. That was such a non-answer! Couldn't Sidon just tell him if he had a chance before he dug himself deeper? Apparently not. Fine then. Time to take out the shovel.
"Yes", he said simply, and proceeded to literally hold his breath while waiting for the answer. There would be an answer this time, right?
For about two seconds, there was silence. Then...
"YES!" Sidon yelled, which startled the held breath out of Link. Then Sidon stood up and did a… bizarre little victory dance? He bumped his head on the ceiling, too, despite the perfectly acceptable height of the room.
Link stared; brain completely empty of any rational thought. What in the name of Hylia?
Sidon stopped his dancing and turned to beam at Link. His smile was the most radiant it had ever been and caused Link's heart to skip a beat or two. And here he had thought Sidon couldn't get any more gorgeous than he already was.
"Finally! I've been waiting for this for a while now!" Sidon said. "To be fair, I only secretly wished for it for the longest time without feeling very hopeful about it, but ever since that incident on the big people road I've been feeling increasingly more confident about it."
Wait, what? Multiple whats. Firstly, Sidon had been wishing for this and Link hadn't had a clue? Second, Sidon knew what was up this whole time? And didn't say anything? Third – or fourth; did that last one count as a separate question? – did that mean Sidon's answer was "yes"? Finally, was it normal to want to strangle your hopefully-soon-boyfriend because of their inaction despite apparently knowing about his feelings?
Link's thoughts must have been clear as day on his face, as Sidon stopped smiling and looked sheepish instead.
"You must pardon me, but I have to confess something", Sidon said, and sat down next to Link, again. This time Link was certain he was sitting particularly close; their thighs were touching. He would have felt happier about it if he wasn't already feeling nervous, confused, and kinda mad, which currently took up all of his available feelings capacity. "I've actually been aware of your intentions for a while now and I've shamelessly exploited them."
Link gave him a blank look. He was officially lost now. He was pretty sure he hadn't been exploited in any way, shape or form; anything he had done or given had been knowingly and deliberately.
"I have been playing clueless when I've, in fact, had a rough idea of what's been going on", Sidon elaborated. "It begun when we crossed the big people road and you tackled me. I admittedly didn't understand right then, but when we were looking for the camp afterwards and I had the time to think… By the time I asked for a repeat performance, I already had a conviction. I didn't know the exact meaning of your actions – I still don't – but I knew it couldn't be simple friendship. I understand there are cultural differences, but I doubt friends are so intimately tactile anywhere. And regardless of other people, the two us certainly haven't been that close before so I knew it had to be a sign. However, I feigned complete ignorance in order to give you a convenient out if you needed it, and an easy bait if you wanted it. And, of course, because I liked it and wanted you to continue. That's where I feel like I exploited your feelings; I asked you to continue for the sake of my own enjoyment while intentionally leaving you in the dark."
Link had certainly taken the bait. He had seized it with both hands, shoved it down his throat with haste, and choked on it a little while swallowing it whole. In his opinion, however, there had been no exploitation whatsoever when one wanted it as much as Link did. Or at least the exploitation had been mutual; Link had decided to pursue his own enjoyment while thinking Sidon had the wrong idea, just because he was selfish. They were equally guilty or guiltless, and that made it okay in Link's humble opinion.
"Your actions since then have more than proven my supposition correct", Sidon said, taking Link's silence for an encouragement to continue. He wasn't wrong. "It was an agony to wait for you to muster up the courage to say something, but I had no other choice. I wanted to take the initiative as soon as I was certain we felt the same, but you were once the person my sister wanted to marry. It would have been improper of me to start courting you."
Oh. Oh, damn. That's right, Mipha had prepared the Zora Armor as a proposal present. Link still didn't know what he had felt for Mipha way back when, but she had had every intention to marry him had he been amenable. That would make dating her little brother just a bit awkward, if not completely crass, now wouldn't it? Link had thought about it a bunch when his feelings were still new, but he had eventually dismissed the concern for the most part. She was dead; she didn't get to limit his love life posthumously. Especially since he didn't know if he even had returned her feelings.
It seemed things weren't as simple on Sidon's end.
"But there is a loophole", Sidon said, his smile back in place. "I'm not supposed to court you, but you have no such restrains. If you're the one approaching me, I'm free to reciprocate. So, I waited and tried to subtly encourage you. Now that you formally took the initiative, I am free to shower you with all the affection I want."
He waved his hands around as he talked, but set them down in his lap once he was done; clearly a signal for Link to take it from there and establish their relationship once and for all.
Sidon's speech certainly explained and maybe even excused his actions; although a little heads up would have been nice so that Link could have acted earlier. Hadn't Sidon said that he had "secretly wished for it for the longest time"? They could have been together for Hylia knows how long if Link had been a little more observant or Sidon had given him a clear hint to work with.
Well, he couldn't change the past. ...Except for one little thing that was more immediate and thus perfectly retconnable.
"Now that we're on the same page, I want to redo this", Link said, and stood up, cool as a cucumber. He no longer felt nervous. Already knowing his feelings were returned gave a big boost in confidence for sure.
Sidon looked hilariously confused and a bit alarmed. "What?"
Link grinned mischievously and walked over to the door. There he did a little spin and turned to face a very baffled Sidon with a serious expression.
"Sidon. There is something we need to talk about."
He waited. Sidon stared at him with incomprehension for a moment, and then slowly nodded. He didn't seem to quite know what was going on, but he was willing to play along anyway. Link loved him all the more for it. "All right. What is on your mind? You can talk to me about anything at all."
Link gave him a small smile and walked over. He sat down next to Sidon, on his previous spot, and turned to look at him. He smiled up at his friend and gently took a hold of his closest hand with both of his own and caressed the back of it with his thumbs. Sidon's eyes widened momentarily as he clearly realized what Link was up to, and then a half amused and half charmed smile rose to his lips.
This was more like it.
"I'm in love with you", Link said softly but confidently, gazing deeply into Sidon's warm eyes. "Will you allow me to court you, and be my boyfriend?"
This was the version he would tell Zelda and anyone else who asked.
"It would be an honour to be your boyfriend", Sidon answered, visibly trying to reign in his enthusiasm in order to treat this moment as seriously as Link was. "You are allowed to court me. I'm completely smitten by you already, so would you consider skipping further formalities and going straight to the part where I get to shower you with love?"
Wow. Sidon hadn't been kidding about his want or ability to take the initiative. He was apparently tired of waiting, too. Link was okay with that.
He was extremely okay with that.
Link nodded, let go of Sidon's hand, and stood up on the bed. Sidon watched curiously, hands hovering near Link; probably so that he was ready to catch him if he stumbled on his rather unsteady platform. Link took a step closer to Sidon, grabbed a tender hold of his cheeks, and kissed him right on the lips.
Link could feel Sidon flinch – presumably in surprise – before his mouth softened and hesitantly played along with the gentle movement of lips sliding against lips. Link was pretty sure Zora didn't typically kiss; that much had been implied by Sidon's earlier words on the subject of their neck kissing. He smiled for a second in simple adoration, and then dove right back into the kiss. He tilted his head slightly for better access and moved one hand to the back of Sidon's neck with a content sigh. He had been dreaming of this moment forever, and it was everything he had hoped for. Especially when Sidon wrapped his arms around Link's waist and pulled him into his lap for maximum closeness.
Everything he had hoped for and more. Completely worth the wait.
Link kissed Sidon until he had his fill, or at least enough to tide him over for a while, and reluctantly pulled back. Sidon had been a very fast learner and Link was more than satisfied with his skills, although he may be a little biased because he was thoroughly smitten with the Zora. Sidon, too, apparently found the activity to his liking; Link had to lean back further than he initially thought, as Sidon eagerly chased his lips until he noticed that Link meant to stop. He looked so put out by it, too, and it was absolutely adorable. Link kissed the pink spot under Sidon's crest in apology.
"I merely want to wash up and lay down", Link said with a big smile. "We can make out for the rest of the night after that for all I care."
Or for the rest of their lives. Either way, a few minutes break wasn't a big deal now that the first step had been taken.
The night ended up being very enjoyable indeed.