A/N: Poor Link *sob sob cry cry* thanks again to the Guest who sent me the review I got the idea from. Anyway, this chapter... I have ZERO plans for it and have no idea how it's going to turn out or what'll happen. I thank anyone who's still sticking with this story and I love you! I don't own Zelda or any of the songs used. Enjoy chapter 6!
Link and Dark slept side-by-side. Both had the most pleasant dreams they'd had all week; if there was anything more peaceful than taking a nap together, they didn't know it.
Then Mr. and Mrs. Avalon came home.
"Link! Sweetie?" Malon's cries woke the boys, who rubbed their eyes and groggily propped themselves up on their elbows.
"Link?" Mr. Avalon, named Embarr, called for his son.
"Move! Quick!" Link hissed to his boyfriend as footsteps could be heard on the stairs.
Dark, with the agility of a jackrabbit, dove out from under the blankets and flung himself into a sitting position on the side of the bed. They pretended that they'd been chatting the whole time.
"What's going on?" Malon looked on with worried eyes.
"I started throwing up. Good thing Dark was here to take care of me." Link smiled, trying to show his parents that everything was okay.
"Oh, sweetie!" Malon, tears in her eyes, hurried over to her son and scooped him up in her arms, hugging him tightly. Link's chin trembled as he struggled not to cry.
Malon let go of Link to hug Dark and kiss his cheek. "Thank you so much for you help."
"No problem, Malon." Dark patted her shoulder.
Embarr put both hands on Dark's shoulders. "You're the boy the Link's always talking about, aren't you?"
"I assume so."
Embarr grinned. "Welcome to the family," he said.
(Link's POV)
It took all I had not to burst into tears.
I was sick, and here were my parents who were both teary-eyed and sweet, and there was Dark who was always by my side, always there to protect me, who had won the love of my parents and would forever be my hero.
"Dark, would you like to sleep over?" My mom asked him.
"Sure, if it isn't too much trouble. It's not like I want to leave Link." He reached over to take my hand.
I smiled at him, feeling my chest warm up. He was the sweetest!
Oh God. Not again. That rising in my throat...
"Move!" I yelled. Everyone leaped back about ten feet while I threw up in the bowl.
"Damn it," I moaned, setting it down. My dad grabbed it and hurried to the bathroom to rinse it out.
"Aw, honey." Dark perched on the side of my bed again and combed his fingers through my hair. "Poor thing."
"Think you could eat chicken soup?" Mom asked me.
"Maybe." I shrugged.
"Okay. I'll make some for you and some for Dark." Mom kissed us both on our foreheads once more before clearing out.
My dad set the now-empty bowl beside my bed, squeezing my shoulder and Dark's before following my mom.
"I love your parents." Dark ran a strand of my blond hair through his fingers, studying it.
"They're really something else, I know." I slumped onto my back, staring at the ceiling.
"What's wrong, baby? You don't seem particularly happy... don't give me the 'I'm sick, I can't be happy' thing. I know it's something beyond that." Dark lay next to me, taking both of my hands in his and leaning forward to kiss the side of my face.
I sighed. "Just that I can't sing for your band until I'm better, and I really want to. And also I'm probably going to get you sick too."
"Don't worry, honey. Everything's gonna be okay." He kissed my neck and nuzzled it with his nose, making me giggle.
Fifteen minutes later, Dark and I were eating bowls of chicken soup, blankets swirling around us.
The doorbell rang. I could hear my mom talking to someone else; a man from the sound of it. The door shut and my mom appeared at the top of the stairs with a bag in her hands.
"Here you go, Dark." She handed him the small duffel, which was full of Dark's sleepover stuff (toothbrush, hairbrush, pajamas, clothes for tomorrow, etc.).
"Thank you so much, Malon." My boyfriend gave my mom a hug.
"Oh, and Link, Dark's dad says he hopes you feel better." Mom winked and then left the room, shutting the door behind her.
I turned to Dark, who's cheeks were pink. "Does your dad-"
"Yup. I told him this morning."
I laughed. "Our parents are surprisingly agreeable. They don't seem to care. In fact, they're supportive of our relationship. My parents love you, Dark."
"Well, my dad is bisexual and currently has a boyfriend, Isaac, who's coming over to our house for dinner on Friday. He also said I could invite you. Wanna come?"
"If I'm not still sick by then, yes."
Dark let me rest my head on his shoulder. "I love you."
"I knew that."
Dark laughed, kissing the top of my head. "You'll make it through this. I promise."
(Dark's POV)
So far, Link hadn't thrown up his chicken soup. It had been two hours, and we were curled up together on his bed, watching 'Big Hero 6' on a portable Blu-Ray player that sat in our laps.
We'd found out just after we finished eating that Link had the flu. Yay.
I had my arm around him, feeling so bad for my poor boyfriend. He was definitely not happy about being sick. If I could've somehow made myself become sick instead of letting him get sick, I would've.
"Let's take your temp again," I said when the credits rolled. I grabbed the thermometer from Link's nightstand, and he obediently opened his mouth.
After a few moments, the thermometer told me his fever was 100 degrees F. Damn.
"How're you feeling?" I asked him.
Link grabbed a tissue and blew his running nose. "My nose is annoying, I'm still coughing but not as bad or as rough as before, I haven't thrown up in hours, my headache isn't quite as bad, my temperature's gone down two degrees since last time, I feel about ready to go to sleep, and you're with me. So... okay, I guess."
I chuckled. "Very thorough description."
"You wanted to know, so I told you. Problem?"
"No. Let's go to sleep."
The next morning, no major events had happened. Link and I had both slept soundly; not even waking until dawn.
"How do you feel?" I asked him the second he woke up.
"Whoa, man." He blinked a couple times, clearing away some of the sleepiness. "My stomach feels fine, my throat is still sore-" a racking cough interrupted him, making me wince, "- my headache still… exists, I don't feel too warm or cold, I'm not tired anymore, and you're still with me. So… better. Much better."
"Good." I patted his thigh. "Hang in there, baby."
(Link's POV)
Thank the Lord! I actually felt decently better. I'd probably be fine tomorrow. Which was good, because then I could have dinner at Dark's on Friday (tomorrow was Thursday). And, to be frank, Dark was really the only thing keeping me sane.
"Your immune system is a boss ass bitch," Dark said with a grin. He patted my stomach. "Some people take weeks to get over the flu. Not you, though. You're a born fighter, Link. It's bad for a day, then you're fine a couple days later."
He's been showering me with compliments all day. We were still in our pajamas, sitting in my room and chatting, a window open so we could hear the birds and feel the golden warmth of the sun.
Dark leaned back against the wall, pulling out his phone. "So, when should we get you to Ganon's basement-turned-studio for band stuff?"
"Saturday morning." I picked at one of my cuticles. "I'll be in good shape then."
Bored, I listened to Dark's voice as he talked. Not what he was saying, just the sound. He had a really nice voice naturally, not just when singing. It was the sort of voice that makes you so indescribably happy to hear (and manages to turn you on while doing it).
"Dark?" I started when he put the phone down.
"Yes, m'dear?" He kissed the back of my hand, making me chuckle.
"Would you teach me to play guitar? I bought one a while ago and totally forgot about it."
Without even waiting for an answer, I got up and ran for the closet, pulling out the old acoustic I'd bought at a tag sale two years ago. I'd been wanting to learn to play at the time, but had never really gotten around to it.
I balanced the guitar in my lap, sitting next to Dark on the bed. "Teach me!"
"Um, okay. For starters, it's upside down."
(Dark's POV)
"Hey, look at you!" I grinned, applauding as Link played the opening chords of 'Broken' by Seether. It was rather impressive, how quickly he'd learned. When asked how he picked it up so quickly, he said it was from watching me.
"Did I do good?"
"You did good!" I ruffled my boyfriend's hair and laughed out loud.
Maybe I found it really adorable when Link played guitar. Maybe I'd been turned on for the duration of my teachings of guitar-playing. Maybe, just maybe, I kind of really wanted to make out with Link right now.
"Play me something else." I crossed my arms, going ramrod-straight and putting on an exaggeratedly critical, unimpressed face. Link burst into laughter at my ridiculous expression and picked up the guitar again.
He started to play a song we hadn't done together yet, that both of us knew but neither of us had sang or played in front of the other before.
'Listen To Your Heart', the D.H.T version. I'd heard Mido play it on the piano before, but it was even more beautiful on the guitar, especially with Link singing in his gorgeous voice.
"'I know there's something in the wake of your smile, I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah... you've built a love, but that love falls apart; you're little piece of heaven.. turns to dark. Listen to your heart, when he's calling for you, listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do. I don't know where you're going, and I don't why, but listen to your heart, before you tell him goodbye...'"
Shutting my eyes, I allowed the velvet of Link's beautiful voice blended with the warmth of the guitar to envelop my whole body, to grasp me by my hand and suspend me in a dimension of beauty, of comfort, and of spiritual strength. I could not hear Link as much as I could feel the power and sheer radiance that emanated and resonated from his words.
"'And there are voices that want to be heard; so much to mention, but you can't find the words; the scent of magic, the beauty that's been; when love was wilder than the wind...'"
As much as I didn't want Link to stop, the song had to end somewhere. And when it did, I pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"Honey, that was the most beautiful thing I've heard since your audition."
"Even beats the puke opera?"
"Yes. Even beats the puke opera."
Link grinned, setting the guitar aside and wrapping me in his arms. "Thanks for teaching me to play, Dark. You're the best."
"No problem." I ran my hand up and down Link's back, appreciating the feeling of being with him. That love and happiness that hung in the air, a sort of permanent cheerfulness. Maybe it was just the way he always smelled like sunflowers.
"Wanna help me pick out an outfit for Friday?" Link asked me.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Isn't that what girls do and guys choose it seconds before the party starts?"
From the carefree way that Link laughed, you'd never guess the poor thing was sick. The flush on his cheeks looked almost natural, and his eyes were bright and beautiful. "Well, I guess I'm a girl then."
"No, you're just definitely, definitely gay."
Link burst into laughter and wouldn't stop until tears ran from his eyes and he had to lean on me for support.
"Oh, my God," he said, calming down. "Why did I find that so hilarious?"
"I don't know. You're definitely, definitely weird, too."
Link pulled me up from the bed with a smile. "C'mon. Just help me."
(Link's POV)
We'd been trying to choose an outfit for me for hours. Dark kept wanting to go the cool Bruno Mars-esque jazzy route while I wanted to wear something casual and comfy but still nice.
"Okay, you have to wear these jeans!" Dark held up a pair of jeans I think I'd only worn once; and for a good reason.
They were so skinny and tight, they hugged my legs and never even formed wrinkles. They made it hard to breathe; also, they were black with rips on the knees and the upper thighs, showing shots of my skin and my boxers.
"NO." I tried my best to sound forceful.
"C'mon, please? For me?" Dark lapsed into pouting.
I sighed. "I'll put them on now, but no way am I wearing them on Friday."
Dark grinned, kissing me on both cheeks and shoving the jeans into my hands. "Thank you."
He perched on the edge of a chair, leaning forward and gluing his eyes to me as if he were about to watch a stripper perform.
And he kinda was, actually.
I slipped my sweatpants down to the floor, where they made a heap of warmth and puke smell. I'd been wearing those pants since yesterday, so it was nice to get out of them.
I tried my best to pull on my jeans and button them, remembering the low-cut waist that showed a teasing amount of waistband.
"Well, look at you." Dark examined me fully. "Only thing that needs to go is that shirt."
I nodded thoughtfully and slid it slowly over my head, dropping it in the pile.
I pulled a fresh shirt from my closet; a form-fitting v-neck t-shirt that was black and sexy, with a band logo on it (Nirvana), and then slipped it over my head.
"There you go. Now you're definitely smokin', to put it lightly."
I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head. "Excuse me? What adjective were you going to use?"
He abandoned his chair and took several large steps to where I stood.
"Sexy," he said in a gravelly voice I'd never heard before.
And then he pulled me into a make-out session.
Thankfully, my parents didn't walk in once.
A/N: Okay, this chapter started to get lazy closer to the end. I got some major writers' block and couldn't think of anything, so I just went out on a limb and ended up with more story. It's probably the worst chapter yet, but it's one of the first where Link and Dark are officially a couple, so that's nice. I hope you all enjoyed and I should be seeing you soon! (We meet Isaac in the next chapter! Yay!)