A/N: This is my favorite chapter :3 This is almost double the usual length, so buckle up!
Chapter 28: Just Once
Thursday 12-29, 11am
Eastern Abbey
The snow went nearly to his knees, but Vaati was walking in it anyways. In the courtyard of the Abbey, less wind and snow were able to enter, but there were still impressive snowdrifts piled against the building. The snowstorm was not nearly as fierce as the last two days; it had been virtually impossible to see anything but white, whereas now the dark walls of the Abbey were easy to see. Still, the snow fell and fell without pause.
Vaati kept close to the Abbey, walking the perimeter of the courtyard. Even he had grown tired of being cooped up inside. Coming outside was an attempt to cure his cabin fever. It was just making his feet cold, though.
He held out a hand and snapped his fingers. A little flame burst to life above his palm, flickering dangerously in the wind. He wondered how much fire it would take to melt all the snow in the courtyard. Too much for him to control, he knew. Fire had a will of its own, unlike the wind, which flowed so easily according to his commands. It would be easier for him to simply blow all of the snow up and away from the courtyard. Or perhaps drop it right back down.
The Mage scoffed quietly to himself. That sounded like something Link would tell him to do. The blond was always suggesting mischievous things to do with his magic. He was actually really creative, though, and sometimes came up with ideas that Vaati wished he had thought of himself.
If he were here, he'd probably be dragging Vaati through the snow with him, throwing snowballs and jumping into the deeper drifts, without a care about how much snow was getting on him. Vaati might throw some snowballs back just to get even.
Vaati had realized on Tuesday—the first day of the storm when everyone had been forced to shelter inside—that he had grown used to having Link around. Perhaps it was because they were roommates and had seen each other every day for almost five months that he kept expecting to see the blond or kept feeling like it was too quiet. Unable to practice magic inside, Vaati had spent most of his time in the library. Even there, though, he would sometimes find himself checking his Slate multiple times, wondering when Link would text him back.
It frustrated him more than just a little. Did he really pay attention to Link's presence that much, or was it just the cabin fever making him feel like he was missing something? He'd refused to text Link aside from when the blond sent him messages, stubbornly ignoring how often he'd get the itch to share certain little magic tricks he'd learned. Aveil picked up on Vaati's frustration and teased him, saying he was just lovesick at being apart from Link. To which Vaati sent a horde of Keese after her.
"She's wrong," he huffed, kicking at the snow and sending it flying into his own face. Sputtering, he wiped his face off and added, "I'm perfectly fine without him around. Sure, it's less boring when he's here, but I don't need him."
The wind picked up, whistling between the Abbey walls surrounding the courtyard and drowning out Vaati's voice. Vaati pulled his scarf up, squinting against the snow. It looked like the storm was getting worse again. He sighed and turned around, following his own deep footprints back to the door.
Inside, he pulled off his boots and walked barefoot back to his room. The stone floor was achingly cold. They really needed to update the Abbey and add more heating; fireplaces in every room were nice, but not quite enough to shake off the winter chill. He dropped his boots in front of the fireplace in his room and sat down on his bed with a sigh.
He was wondering what to do when his Slate vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, Vaati saw it was a message from Link. The blond had been texting him every day since he left. This was the first time he'd messaged today, though.
Link: I'm dying
Vaati: You were perfectly fine yesterday
Link: I think I got a cold from playing in the snow without a coat...
Vaati: I told you it was a stupid idea
Link: but I was super bored. there's nothing to do...
Vaati: Waterpark? Hang out with Zelda? Eat at the buffet?
Link: (sent a selfie of him lying in bed, hair loose and incredibly messy, and dark circles under eyes)
He actually did look sick. Vaati brushed his bangs back, thumbs hovering over his phone screen. He had zero clues on how to help someone who was sick.
Vaati: Does Zelda know you're sick?
Link: ...no
Vaati: Why the heck are you telling me?! I can't help you
Link: well... I always feel less horrible after talking to you. cuz you're always fun! hey, are you sure you can't teleport?
Vaati sighed, shaking his head. He would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to try it out. But Impa had made it incredibly clear that he was not to step foot outside of the Abbey. She was probably rejoicing over the convenient snowstorm that forcibly kept him inside.
Vaati: Already told you I can't
Link: you mean won't. you could come in the evening, and she would just think you're in your room
Vaati: For the last time, no
Link: okay... I'm just gonna sleep or something then... bye
Vaati: Sorry
The Mage stared at the message he had just sent, frowning in confusion. Wait, what was he sorry about? He was just doing what he was supposed to. And yet, Link's last message seemed almost disappointed. He was sick and alone, and his best friend refused to go see him. Vaati grumbled to himself. What was he supposed to do?
His tablet vibrated again. To his surprise, it wasn't Link, but rather his least favorite person.
Aveil: Hey handsome. Got a minute?
Vaati: Since you'll probably pester me either way, fine. What do you want
Aveil: Meet me in the library
Vaati: Right now?
Aveil: Yes. See you soon!
Well, it wasn't like he was doing anything important. Vaati grabbed his slippers and reluctantly walked down to the quiet library. The Gerudo was already there, wearing several thick layers even though she was indoors. She waved and smiled at Vaati; he just scowled at her.
"What do you want?" he asked shortly.
Aveil stuck her hands in her coat pockets. "Have you heard anything from Link lately?"
"Yeah. He texts me every day. Why?"
"Well, I was a bit worried about how he's doing. He doesn't do too well when he's cooped up for too long. He's the kind for action. With this storm, I was wondering if he's feeling alright."
Vaati crossed his arms. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"Oh, he wouldn't tell me." Aveil shook her head, ponytail swinging. "He doesn't like to burden others with his problems, especially when they're ones he can't physically tackle. That's the one area in which he does tend to lie. But you, however—" the Gerudo pointed at Vaati "—he might tell you the truth."
He'd never realized that about Link, but when he thought about it, it was true. That time when Impa had threatened to take him off the case, Link had kept it to himself. He'd even refused to admit when he was cold. Recently, Vaati felt that Link was struggling with the idea of being the Hero, but he wouldn't voice it aloud. "...He said he's sick," Vaati sighed. "And he refuses to tell Zelda."
Aveil nodded slowly several times. "That's Link for you. He's tried to train more than once while running a fever. He'd really rather do anything than stay in bed all day."
An idea nagged at him, but he pushed it down. No, he'd already said he wouldn't. Aveil tilted her head, smirking at Vaati. "You look like you want to say something."
"No..." he muttered, looking away. "Just thinking that Link's an idiot for making himself sick if he hates it that much..."
"You should go visit him."
Vaati snapped his head up. "One, I'm under house arrest, and two, how would I do that?" he retorted with a glare.
Aveil's smirk was amused and smug. "You're the Wind Mage, are you not? And if I remember correctly, the Wind Mage can teleport. Quite convenient! Go see your dear Link and cheer him up. It'd do your lovesick heart good, too." She winked.
"For the last time—!"
"I'll even get Impa's permission," the redhead interrupted. When Vaati stared at her in shock, she continued, "She knows how Link is when he's sick. I can convince her to let you go and take care of him." He still didn't reply, so she held out a hand. "If I do, you have to agree to do it. What do you say, handsome?"
He lowered his eyes to her outstretched hand. Part of him wanted to say yes, to try out teleporting and go finally see Link. Another part was strangely nervous at the idea. He wanted to see Link, and yet there was something almost embarrassing about how much he wished to see his friend.
Vaati seized Aveil's hand and shook it firmly. "Fine. If you can convince her, I'll go."
"Oh, I promise you I will," she replied with that confident smirk. "Why don't you go and practice teleporting while I talk to Impa?" She waved a hand like she was shooing him away, then sauntered off.
The violet-haired student just stared at her retreating form, sighing heavily. The way she always had an upper hand in their conversations annoyed him to no end. She seemed to be quick to identify weak points and loved to exploit them. At least she didn't really seem to do it for her own gain, Vaati had to concede. Aveil had a genuine love for her pupil Link—even Vaati could see that.
But how was he supposed to practice teleporting? He only knew the general concept—forcing your body to vanish and then reappear in a different location. The location probably had to be one he knew, however, or he might end up somewhere completely different. How exactly did he force his own body to move?
Was it similar to summoning creatures? No, they were formed from magic, not actually summoned from anywhere. Perhaps he needed to practice on inanimate objects first. If he could master teleporting those, then he could move on to teleporting himself.
Vaati turned around to the hundreds of books in the library. Plenty of material to practice with. He was pretty confident he wouldn't accidentally vaporize them. He grabbed a few books from the shelf nearest him and marched over to a table, setting them down at one end.
Now then... Vaati focused on the book on top, willing it to move. Wind whispered around him, curling under the book and lifting it up. He frowned, dismissing the wind. He didn't simply want it to move; he wanted it to vanish and then reappear. The wind wrapped around the book once again as he willed it to vanish. No, no, why was the wind reacting when he wanted the book to teleport?
Vaati brushed his bangs back, staring at the books. His magic was usually fairly intuitive; he imagined what he wanted to do, and the magic did the rest. So perhaps the wind was actually a part of the teleportation spell, though he wasn't sure why or how.
He placed his hands on either side of the pile and took a deep breath. The magic would work if he let it. Once again, the wind curled around the book, lifting it slightly. The other side of the table was the goal. Vaati concentrated on the destination, just willing the book to appear there. The wind whirled tightly around the book, almost as though it was squeezing it. As he watched, the book grew dark, turning black like a shadow, and then it began to warp, the wind stretching it flat. He nearly held his breath as its shadowy form vanished.
The wind flew towards the other end of the table, swirling in one spot. Shadows began to collect at the center of the wind, forming the shape of the book. In the reverse of how it had vanished, the book reformed, and the wind gently set it down on the spot Vaati had been focusing on.
He let out his breath and smiled. Well, that was a lot easier than he thought it'd be. Basically, the wind transformed the item into a sort of shadow, which it then carried to the destination and reconstructed. As long as it was wind magic, Vaati knew he could perform the spell well.
Then again, the idea of transforming himself into shadows and then being reconstructed was slightly unnerving. He would essentially become nothing but wind and shadow. Would he be able to stay in control then?
Aveil returned about an hour later. By then, Vaati had teleported the books dozens of times. He could move them individually or as a group, and could even place them each in different spots at the same time. As long as he could imagine where he wanted them to go, the wind obeyed his commands and brought them there.
"Oh, looks like you've mastered it already!" Aveil's voice came from behind as he was in the process of teleporting books from the shelves to the table. Vaati turned to see her smiling, clearly pleased. "Shall I share the news with you?"
"You got Impa to say yes," he replied flatly. He could tell by her smile.
"As promised. And now, handsome, are you ready to go?"
He turned his head to look at the books on the table. "I haven't practiced teleporting myself yet."
The Gerudo waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, it can't be that hard. You're a natural. Just start by teleporting over here." She beckoned to him, raising her eyebrows when he didn't immediately respond.
With a sigh, he turned to face her fully. She was about ten feet away. All he needed to do was focus on the spot in front of her and will the wind to teleport him there. Vaati took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He pictured Aveil, and himself appearing in front of her. The wind tugged at his clothes, wrapping around him like a blanket. He tried to ignore the thought that he was going to turn into shadow, the wind pulling him apart. Just focus on his destination...
It really did feel like a blanket, tight and secure. He struggled to keep his mind on Aveil as he realized his consciousness was slowly fading into darkness. It was as though the wind was putting him to sleep.
Vaati blacked out, but only for a moment. He soon could feel the wind around him again, and he opened his eyes, only to startle back. Aveil was right in front of him.
"See, that wasn't so hard," she chided.
The Mage quickly looked himself over. He was all intact, of course; there was also no cloudiness in his mind, despite having blacked out. He let out a relieved sigh. "That was a little strange but not as bad as I thought it might be," he murmured, more to himself than Aveil. "Still... I probably shouldn't do it too often. Turning to nothing and then back can't be good for my body."
The Gerudo chuckled. "I wonder about that. Anyways, now you can go visit poor bedridden Link." She waved him away. "Go on, before Impa changes her mind!"
"...Did you actually get her to say yes?" Vaati frowned at her dubiously.
"It wasn't a no," Aveil smirked.
"So, you're the one that was a bad influence on Link. Whatever. I'll go. But I better not get in trouble for this."
"Oh, don't worry, just go and have fun!" Her smile was a little too suggestive for Vaati's liking, and he grumbled lightly. There wasn't any point in arguing with her, though, so he just brushed past her and walked back to his room.
He grabbed his tablet, checking for any new messages from Link. There weren't any. Had he actually fallen asleep? Just to be sure, Vaati sent him a text.
Vaati: Are you awake?
The reply came quicker than he expected: yeah. can't sleep for some reason
Vaati: Okay something's definitely wrong with you. I'll be there soon.
Link: ...wait, like, you're actually coming?
Vaati: No I was lying
Link: :c
He actually gave a small laugh at Link's reply. It was a bit fun to do the teasing for once. Link was in for a surprise. Vaati slid his Slate into his pocket and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure how well attempting to teleport all the way to the hotel by Lake Hylia would work, but there was only one way to find out.
He closed his eyes and pictured Link, and let the wind take him away.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a room with deep blue walls and a blue-gray carpet. Most of the room was in shadow; thick curtains were drawn over the window, blocking out the weak winter sunlight. Vaati could make out a bed in front of him. The sheets were a mess and only one pillow remained on the mattress. The Mage squinted, looking around for Link. He didn't seem to be in bed. It was too dark, though, for him to make anything out clearly.
He cautiously made his way towards where he assumed the door and a light switch would be. His hands searched out the area in front of him, making sure he wasn't about to run into any walls. A rustle somewhere behind him made him pause. Vaati strained to listen, but the room was silent. With a quiet sigh, he resumed his search for the light switch.
Just as his fingers made contact with the small plastic switch, Vaati felt a sudden pressure on his throat. There was something thin, cold, and hard against his skin—it didn't take much for him to realize it was a knife. The Mage froze, hand outstretched.
"Who are you and why are you here?" a low voice whispered behind him.
Vaati inhaled sharply—that was Link's voice. "Link, it's me, Vaati," he replied, still not sure if moving was safe. "Aveil bugged me into visiting you."
"Vaati...?! Really?! Turn on the light!"
The violet-haired man flipped the switch up, blinking at the sudden brightness. After a moment, Link pulled the knife away from Vaati's neck, allowing him to turn around and glare at the blond. "Geez, what was that for?" Vaati grumbled.
Link just stared at his face for a long moment. Then he laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I thought you might be a Yiga or something. I wasn't expecting you. Wait, so you figured out how to teleport?!" Link's eyes lit up. "See, I told you that you could do it!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm here to cheer you up or something since you're sick." Vaati paused, taking a moment to really look at his friend.
Link's hair was loose from its usual ponytail, falling to his shoulders and sticking up in awkward tufts in the back. Despite the wide grin on his face and the excitement in his eyes, the dark shadows under his eyes and his pale complexion made even Vaati concerned. "You should be in bed," he snapped. "Seriously, if you're sick you need to tell someone about it!"
Link pouted. "I'm tired of lying in bed. And I told you I'm sick..."
"Tell someone who can actually help you. I don't know anything about taking care of sick people so you're just going to have to put up with whatever I say. And if you get worse, it's your own fault." Vaati grabbed Link's shoulders and pushed him back towards the messy bed.
The blond flopped face down on the sheets, moaning. "I think I'm actually dying," he whined, voice muffled.
"I doubt it." Vaati looked around the room, then walked over to the chair next to the bed, sitting down. "Have you eaten at all?"
"No," the blond moaned.
So, Link was completely helpless when he was sick. Vaati sighed. There was probably some sort of room service where they could get food delivered. He grabbed the hotel booklet from the bedside table and flipped through it. "I'm ordering pizza," he stated, grabbing his Slate and dialing the number.
"Pizza'sgood," Link mumbled in reply. He turned his head to look at Vaati as he made the order. The direct stare made the Mage uncomfortable, and he shifted in his chair, turning away. "Hey, Vaati," Link murmured. "I kinda missed you. It's not as much fun here on my own."
Vaati stuttered in the middle of his sentence. He closed his eyes, growling out the rest of the order before slamming the phone down. Deep breaths. "I don't see how having me around is fun, but whatever."
Link chuckled. "It's a lot of fun. I realized I've gotten used to seeing you every day. It was weird to go all day without seeing or hearing you... Texting isn't quite the same." He sighed. "You probably think I'm just being weird, don't you?"
"...Yeah, you are being weird," Vaati muttered, unable to look at Link directly as he spoke. "Why're you being so negative? That's my m.o. Anyways... I guess I felt off when you weren't around, too."
The smile Link gave him in reply to that made his heart skip. It was full of relief and happiness, enough to banish the weariness in his eyes. Vaati cleared his throat and stood. "Aveil told me you get bored easily when you're stuck inside. What do you want to do?"
Link pushed himself up, so he was propped on his elbows. "I really wanna do the waterslides," he sighed.
"Then why haven't you? Seriously, you keep saying you want to."
To that, the blond sat up, facing Vaati. "I can't. I've got all these scars; it would totally scare everyone. See—" He pulled up the hem of his shirt to reveal his stomach and the thin scar across it.
Vaati's eyes registered the pale, bare skin, how flat and smooth his stomach was except for the scar, and he stared for a moment. Then the moment broke—as did his reserve. "What're you—put your shirt down, I don't need to see!" Vaati shouted, literally stumbling back, heat rushing to his face. He froze, realizing how much he'd overreacted.
Link just sighed, letting his shirt drop back down. "See? It's too scary to show off."
That wasn't at all what Vaati thought, but he refrained from commenting on that. "F-fine, no waterslides. Let's play a board game." He snapped his fingers, and a chess set appeared on the table.
The blond leaned forward, making a noise of awe. "Ooooh, so you can make this, too? Cool!" He crawled out of the bed and went over to the chess set. "Hey... the white ones look like Sheikah. Wait—is the king me?" He picked up the piece, grinning at the little stone miniature of himself. "Coooooool. And the queen is Impa, the bishops are Aveil, and the knights are Sheik." Link picked up each piece, laughing.
Vaati picked up the black king; it was a miniature of himself. The pawns were keese, the knights Darknuts, and the queen an anonymous shrouded figure. "I'm assuming you know how to play, right?" he asked Link, setting the king back down in its place.
"Uh, yeah!" Link scoffed, pretending to be offended. "You ready for a challenge?" He rolled up his sleeves and sat down, fixing a competitive smirk on Vaati.
"How hard can it be?" Vaati replied. He allowed himself a smile; this was more like the normal Link.
Seven matches and a pizza later (Link lost by one match), Vaati and Link were sitting on the bed watching TV. Well, Link was watching TV; Vaati was reading a book he'd summoned from the Abbey library. It was fairly quiet aside from the voices coming from the TV and the caramel kettle corn Link was munching on. They'd made a quick trip down to the candy shop that was in the resort; why there was a candy shop in a hotel, Vaati didn't know, but he didn't complain. It was nice to get out of the room for a short while.
Link was looking significantly better. He was watching the show with interest, leaning forward, and chuckling every so often. His hair was back in its usual ponytail. The shadows under his eyes hadn't left, but Vaati was sure they would once Link actually got some sleep.
A commercial break came on, and Link turned to Vaati, nudging him, and offering him some kettle corn. The Mage absently took it and tossed it into his mouth, before remembering that he didn't like crunchy things. He must have made a strange expression because Link giggled.
"Hey, Vaati," Link said, bumping shoulders with him. "I'm glad you came. Laugh if you want, but... I was kinda lonely."
Vaati lowered his book. "And I ask again, why don't you spend time with Zelda?"
"She's nice, but..." The blond rolled around a few popcorn kernels in his palm. "I'd rather hang out with you. I can be myself around you, y'know? I can't really tease her or prank her, or spar with her, or..." He sighed. "I've never really felt like I have to pretend when I'm with you. I mean, I lied about my identity, but everything else was real. There's no one else I can be myself around."
Vaati watched his friend as he spoke. Link's former calm happiness was fading to a quiet sadness. The Mage cleared his throat. "What about Impa? Or Sheik? Aveil?"
He shook his head. "They're all important to me but in different ways. I can't be as close to any of them like I can with you."
"Well, I guess that's what being best friends is about," Vaati muttered in reply.
Link bumped shoulders with him again, giving a smile. "Yep! It's nice to have someone I can be honest and open with. Actually..." His smile faded. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Ask away."
"We won't ever be enemies, will we?"
Vaati set his book down at that, fixing a frown on the blond. "Uh, I'm pretty sure you made a million declarations that we wouldn't stop being friends, no matter what."
"I know, I know... sorry. I just end up thinking too much and worrying when I'm stuck in one place too long." Link sighed and set the bag of kettle corn on the bedside table. "I think the Four Sword reacted to me," he confessed. "After we infused it with the Force Gems, I went to pick it up, and it sent this shock through me. The sword's gem changed color, too, for a moment. You know how the Four Sword makes copies of the Hero? I think it was trying to, but it doesn't have enough power yet. And it just got me thinking—if I am the Hero... it means everyone is in danger. There's never a Hero without an evil he has to fight. And I just thought—if I'm the Hero, what if I can't save everyone? What if I defeat the evil, but I lose people along the way? And what about us—can the Hero and the Wind Mage be friends?"
Link sighed and pressed his forehead to his knee. The TV chattered in the background, forgotten now. "Sorry, like I said, I've been stuck in this room too long..."
There was a long moment of quiet. Vaati was more surprised that Link had shared all this with him than the fact that he was struggling with the idea. Anyone would. The legends never talked about how the Hero reacted to being told that the fate of an entire kingdom rested on his shoulders. It would be crazy to assume they all accepted it with big grins on their faces.
Vaati, too, had struggled with his identity as the Wind Mage. The one who had helped him through it was Link, with his faith in Vaati's desire to be a better person, and his promise to be by his side. He'd shown him that the old legends didn't define the present.
"You know, it's not like Hero has to do everything alone," Vaati said quietly. "Every Hero had helpers along the way. No one expected him to do everything on his own." He put a hand on Link's shoulder, waiting until the blond looked up at him. "Hero or not, you've got me. So, stop being all depressed and thinking you have to protect everyone yourself." He lightly pushed Link with a scoff. "Geez, you'd think you forgot that the Wind Mage was your best friend."
When Link finally smiled, Vaati felt a weight lift from his chest. He'd worried he wouldn't be able to help his friend; it bothered him more than he'd like to admit, seeing the usually cheerful blond so worried and negative.
"Heh, you're right. Whatever evil's out there has no chance against us!" Link grinned and turned back to watching the TV, the worry fading from his eyes.
Link's head drooped, leaning on Vaati's shoulder. He only glanced over; he'd expected it at some point. Link had been struggling to stay awake the past ten minutes, and it seems sleep had finally won. Vaati turned the pages in his book carefully, trying not to disturb his friend. For once, Link actually needed the sleep.
After a few minutes, though, Vaati had finished his book. He turned his head slightly, wondering if he could move Link's head off his shoulder without waking him. Probably; the blond was a seriously heavy sleeper. Slowly, he shifted, using his free arm to gently lift Link's head up. Then he carefully moved him, so his head was resting back against the headboard of the bed.
Vaati sighed. Should he move Link, so he was actually laying on the bed? Otherwise, he was definitely going to wake up with an ache in his neck. The violet-haired man turned, reaching out to grab Link's shoulders.
The sleeping Hylian gave a soft sigh, causing Vaati to freeze. No, he really didn't want to accidentally wake him and possibly be in an awkward position. Even just being here was a bit close. He lowered his hands again. It was Link's own fault for falling asleep sitting up, he decided.
For a while, he just sat there, looking at Link. Vaati hadn't really noticed before, but there was a small scar above his left eyebrow, just barely visible under his bangs. The Mage reached out, brushing back the golden strands to look more closely. It was about an inch long, a thin, pale line. He wondered what it was from.
Vaati's fingers traced the scar, then drifted over to Link's right temple, searching for the scars from his encounter at Karusa Pawn. But he suddenly withdrew his hand. Din, what was he doing? It wasn't the first time he'd stared at his friend while he was sleeping, the blond's innocent expression always capturing his attention; but the urge to be closer was new and unnerving. And yet he couldn't resist inching forward and taking a closer look at Link's peaceful features. His other hand bumped Link's. He hesitated, then slid his fingers under Link's palm, his thumb rubbing the smooth skin on the back of the blond's hand. Link's hand was small and slender compared to Vaati's, though the skin on his palm was rougher.
His eyes went back up to his friend's face. He couldn't deny the strange feeling making his heart beat loud in his ears. The same strange feeling he was left with every time he dreamed of Link. This wasn't how a friend looked at another friend. He knew that. Even Vaati knew he shouldn't be holding Link's hand and trailing his fingers over his cheek. Why was it Vaati, and not Link sleeping before him, who felt so vulnerable at that moment?
Heart hammering, Vaati leaned forward, bringing his face close to Link's. When had things changed, and why...? But maybe it wasn't important to know when or why, only to know that they had changed. All the little moments had added up, and Vaati could no longer deny the truth. Just once—just once he'd admit to himself how important the person in front of him was to him, admit that he would be lost without him, admit he'd do anything to keep a smile on his face, admit that maybe—just maybe—he'd fallen in love. Only this once.
He closed his eyes, the few centimeters between them disappearing, and pressed his lips to Link's.
