For Muse - Rest from the Rain (1)

[zeffyface]

Disclaimer: The Boys aren’t mine, sorry to disappoint.
Title: Rest from the Rain
Author: Zeffyface
Rating: PG
Warnings: Male AU Sheik, written without the time relapse.
Pairings: Link and Sheik
Words: 4750. Longest Oneshot to date. Split into two pieces to fit LJ, just follow the link at the bottom of the post for the second part.
Notes: Set four years after Ganon, making Link and Sheik both in their early twenties. (Not that it truly matters for this sort of fluff, but hey.)
Dedicated to the most awesome internet buddy in existence, Muse, who has put up with me since I first started writing fanfiction and never fails to bring a smile to my face on days when that should be impossible. I've owed her something nice for a LONG ASS time and finally managed to pull up some cuddling for her, as she loves these boys as much as I do.
Much Love, Hun, you deserve it and so much more.

Sometimesamuse is Pure Win. Really, go see for yourself.


Rest from the Rain

The rain in Kakariko had slowed somewhat; no longer the tumultuous downpour threatening to flood the streets, but a steady drone of water still muffled the night air and made certain anything outside remained most assuredly wet. Luckily for the villagers, night had long fallen, and the chill, damp surroundings passed unnoticed around pleasant dreams in warm beds. Their roofs, repaired dutifully in the years of restoration, held the elements at bay and the heat from the covered hearths inside. It was not perfect, but it had evolved a long way into something peaceful, something comfortable, something that allowed the village rest.

Unfortunately, there was one person still awake and about. A lone figure trudged across the swampland of streets, heavy boots squelching through muddy puddles with every slow step. His attire soaked through until a dunk in Lake Hylia could get him no wetter, green and white fabric clung to the tall frame in a manner that may have been incredibly revealing were the night not almost black. The traveler seemed to not notice the darkness, feet carrying him across the town with the mindless ease of a path well traveled.

Upon reaching a section of the cliffs surrounding the town the figure paused, raising one gauntleted hand to comb back the blond hair plastered across his forehead and eyes. The motion made the heavy shield and sword on his back shift, clanking together quietly while his free hand carefully felt for a hidden crevice in the wall. Finding it he let out a sigh, breath clouding against the chill rain. A section of wall swung outward, permitting passage to a small, hidden clearing in the rock face.

In the middle stood a small cottage, smoke from the chimney curling cheerily into the air to be mixed with the more ominous clouds of Death Mountain. A hint of a weary smile sparkled in the depths of blue eyes as he heavily made his way to the door, the wall swinging closed behind him, and rapped on the wood in a single, quiet knock.

Roughly thirty seconds passed before the latch clicked and the door opened, revealing two glinting crimson eyes regarding the drenched figure critically. In response he shrugged a shoulder and offered an apologetic twitch at the corner of his mouth. After a moment the door opened the rest of the way, the eyes now framed by unruly spikes of blond hair and the soft, white material of a face mask. A few more seconds of silent staring battle ensued, before the man in the doorway sighed and reached out, snagging on to a soaked section of tunic and hauling the other bodily inside the house. The door closed with a final-sounding snap.

“Stay there.” Dripping bangs shifted as he nodded, remaining in the entranceway while watching a tanned back disappear into another room. It was clear that the other man had not bothered to redress from his awakening, wearing only a loose pair of pants and his customary cowl to the door, with the occasional bandages wrapped around his arms or torso. This also meant he had known exactly who would be on his front step in a rainstorm in the middle of the night. That brought a small smile to the blue-tinted lips before the warmth of the house started soaking into his skin, causing goosebumps to erupt across his arms and his teeth to chatter. Still shivering, he removed the sword and shield from his back to place next to the door, checking his pack and nodding in satisfaction when the contents remained dry and undamaged.

“Link.” Turning at the smooth tenor, he found a thick blue towel held a foot from his face and an empty basin at his feet. He accepted the offering with a heartfelt smile of thanks, pulling off his hat and dropping it into the basin while the other disappeared again, supposedly to find dry clothing. Gauntlets and boots followed his hat, and after some struggling with the wet fabric came the tunic, undershirt, and leggings, leaving the pale man standing in the entranceway wearing only a pair of thin shorts. He quickly wiped away the excess moisture still clinging to his skin, pausing to scoop something off his head before toweling out his choppy, shoulder length blond locks with one hand. The movement made him cringe faintly, but he stubbornly refused to look at the source of discomfort. The object in his palm flickered with a blue glow for a moment before moving, a tiny fairy body sitting up to blink wearily at their surroundings.

“Did we finally stop walking?”

Link pulled away the towel from his face to smile at the fairy rubbing its eyes. “Yeah Navi, we’re done walking. Go back to sleep.”

“Hmm.” The little fairy stretched, wings carrying her lazily from Link’s palm and into the air. “I’m gonna see if the pillow by the fire’s still there.”

Determining himself dry enough, Link dropped the towel into the now very full basin of very wet clothing and wandered after the ball of light into the living room, where a fire crackled merrily in the hearth. A baggy fitting pair of pants and a thick blanket lay draped over the sofa, and the fighter wasted no time pulling them on and cocooning himself into a ball on the end of the comfortable couch. He closed his eyes, beginning to feel the warmth return to his limbs, and found hot ceramic pressed into his fingers. Link blinked down at the mug of steaming tea, then up at the stern crimson fixing him with a meaningful gaze. Obediently complying with the silent order he took a long sip, at first wincing at his burnt tongue and then sighing in bliss when the heat made its way through his very veins. He looked back up, a smile shining through his warming face. “Thanks Sheik.”

The Sheikah’s eyes softened even as he rolled them. “Just make sure you drink all of that, you’ve probably already given yourself pneumonia as it is.” Link nodded apologetically and downed the rest of the hot liquid, making to get up and put away the mug when a strong hand easily pushed him back down and took it from him. “Until your ears return to their normal color you are going to sit there and thaw out.” Grumbling somewhat sullenly, the Hero nonetheless snuggled deeper into the blanket and pillows, absently watching the muscles play across Sheik’s tan back as the lithe warrior walked into the kitchen. He felt a mild disappointment when they disappeared around the corner, only to be placated by a very nice view of firm chest as the other returned. It wasn’t until Sheik settled on the other end of the couch that he realized his staring and blinked, turning to look at the fire and biting his lip when the movement strained his side. Sheik’s gaze snapped to him instantly. “What is it?”

“Ah,” Link shrugged thoughtlessly and winced again at the movement. “Just me being clumsy and bruising myself up, nothing new.” He shifted under the blankets to carefully probe the area, hissing as he hit an unnaturally sensitive spot.

Abruptly the dual sensation of losing the heat of the blanket and gaining that of another nearby body hit his side as Sheik scooted over and tugged the cover free. “That doesn’t sound like a bruise, let me see.” A bit distracted by his musings on how a person could sneak up when they were in plain view, Link allowed the other to remove his hands and examine the large purpling section of his ribs. He let out a soft hum and raised an eyebrow.

“Wow, it didn’t feel that bad.”

“Your entire body was numb from the rain; it probably didn’t feel much at all.” Warm fingertips wandered the area surrounding the angry wound before gently pressing into the darkened sections. Torn between focusing on the soft tickle of hands against his skin and the uncomfortable pressure to his wound, Link bit his lip again. Sheik let out a sigh, the cloth covering his face taking away all but the tiniest brush of air against his torso. “This looks like a fracture; do you have any potion on you?”

Link shook his head, hair moving loosely into his eyes. “I used the last of it a week ago, haven’t been in town to buy more.” He scowled at the bruised area; cracked ribs were not enjoyable experiences, and lasted far too long without enhanced healing measures.

Sheik stood again, making a ‘wait here’ motion with a hand and moving back to the kitchen. Link blinked, but did as he was instructed, not that he felt like moving much now that the feeling had started to painfully seep into his feet as a reminder of just how many steps he had put them through. After a moment the Sheikah returned, carrying a jar of green liquid, a small rag, and a roll of bandages. “It’s not as efficient, but this will have to do. Here…” He gently reached out and snagged onto Link’s arm, guiding him to lie in a reclining position across the couch. Link fidgeted, shying away from the hand reaching for his torso and trying to sit up again.

“It was my stupid mistake; really, I can just go buy something tomorrow-”

“Link.” Blue eyes lifted guiltily to meet red, the crackling of the fire and hush of the rain outside the only sounds in the several seconds the Sheikah steadily held his gaze. When he spoke it was quiet and slow, like explaining a delicate subject to a small child. “If I were unwilling to have you here, I would never have opened the door. I don’t mind, you should know that by now. Hold still, this is going to be cold.”

Link had no response for that, simply staring with his mouth open slightly while the other knelt at the side of the couch and began gently applying the green salve with practiced swipes. The stiffness and pain released almost at first contact, and he sighed in obvious relief. Sheik kept his eyes on his work, massaging the substance into the bruised area to encourage the muscles to accept the healing magic. After a moment of comfortable silence he spoke again. “You could tell me what possessed you to walk around during the night in the middle of a downpour.”

A soft hum came from above, and Link ran his free hand through his damp hair. “It wasn’t raining when I started - was just trying to think. And when that didn’t work I just kept walking, and sort of lost track of where I had gone until I hit the steps of Kakariko.” He chuckled softly, torso rising and falling with the movement. “Guess that’s what I get for thinking; Wolfos caught me off guard.”

Sheik nodded in acknowledgement, irises shifting pensively before he asked quietly. “What were you thinking about?”

There was a long pause, in which two sets of blond brows furrowed in thought. “It was… something Malon said. She’s engaged, you know.”

“I had heard of this, yes.” The skilled fingers, finished with the salve, guided Link halfway to sitting and began winding bandages around his chest. Link attempted to ignore how Sheik was forced to lean over him and wrap his arms around his waist to do so. “Does the marriage trouble you?”

Link made a subdued sound of dissent. “You’d think that it would, but for some reason I just never felt that way about her. And Colin really is head over heels about her, so I don’t feel like I have to worry about being overprotective.” He shook his head a little, finding his thoughts growing suspiciously cottony. “I was worried for a long time that she was hoping for… that kind of relationship with me, but when I finally got up the guts to ask her yesterday she said…”

Sheik finished tying off the bandages and pulled the blankets back up, waiting silently next to the couch for the Hero to continue. Link absently rolled out his shoulder and shifted, mulling over his words. “She said she figured out a long time ago that my heart belonged to someone else. And when I asked her what she meant, and she just smiled and told me not to forget to bring a date to the wedding.” Link’s head was decidedly fuzzy at this point, and a somewhat uncomfortable pressure had settled between his temples. He blinked up at the Sheikah hovering over him, cerulean eyes glazed. “It wouldn’t have bothered me so much, but something tells me that she’s right, Sheik. I’ve had that feeling for years now, even before Ganon fell. And so I walked, and then I ended up here…”

A cool wrist pressed against his forehead, mellow tenor tones soothing the weight between his ears. “And you gave yourself a fever.”

“Mmm…” At some point in the conversation Link’s eyes had drifted shut and his voice dissolved to a mumble. “What do you think I should do?”

Again he felt the tiny brush of air, this time across his forehead signaling Sheik had sighed. “Let’s just focus on getting you healed and coherent, Link.”

Despite himself, the impaired blond smiled. “S’always nice to hear you call me that - took way to long to stop with the ‘Hero’ stuff, you know?”

“I suppose it did.” Distantly, Link heard the sounds of the other moving things around, most likely putting his clothing in front of the hearth to dry, but the combination of the fever’s prodding and exhaustion’s gentle pull carried him off before he could open his eves to verify.

*
*

A ball of light fluttered down from the mantle to hover next to a tanned shoulder while the last of Link’s soaking equipment was hung in front of the fire. The masked warrior turned to find Link’s breathing slow and steady, although his face was flushed too red against his pale complexion to be healthy. “Stubborn idiot.” Rubbing one hand absently through his mussed blond locks the Sheikah walked over and wrapped the other man more securely in the blanket before sliding his hands beneath the sleeping form and lifting him into his arms.

“Sheik?”

“Yes, Navi?” Without the armor and equipment he practically lived in Link’s trim, relaxed frame seemed unusually light - although he most likely weighed the heavier of the two of them, Sheik considered while he padded barefoot around the couch to toe open the door to the bedroom.

“Is he going to be okay? I mean, I tried to get him to go back to the ranch when it started raining-”

Shifting Link closer against his chest, Sheik pulled back the covers of his bed, pausing momentarily when the swordsman mumbled something and nuzzled his face into the warm skin of the masked warrior’s bare shoulder.

“-or at least call Epona or something but it was like he wasn’t even listening to me, and then he finally snapped out of it when that wolfos showed up-”

Careful to not jostle the other man’s side, he lay Link down and pulled the extra blankets up against the cooler air in the room. Link wrinkled his nose at the change, and Sheik couldn’t help but smile at the decidedly cute expression on the sculpted face.

“-but then he was just like he was before, and he wasn’t even talking before he got to your house, but I really did try-”

“Navi.” Sheik turned, giving the little fairy a masked smile of reassurance. “It’s just a fever, and not a very high one. He’ll probably be fine in the morning.”

Navi froze midair for a moment, and then nodded, blowing out a high-pitched sigh. “Thanks, Sheik.”

Sheik nodded in return. “You should probably get some sleep; I’ll make sure he doesn’t worsen while you do.”

Again the tiny figure nodded, her light visibly dimming again from her previous excitement. Before she flitted off, she flew a foot or two higher, regarding both figures in the room. “He always comes here first, you know.” Sheik blinked and raised an eyebrow, but Navi simply shrugged. “When he can’t figure something out, Link just acts with his heart. Maybe you should think about what Malon said too.” And before the confused warrior could ask, the fairy had flown from the room, apparently intent on reclaiming her pillow.

Sheik blinked several times, and finally allowed his eyes to drift back over to the flushed, sleeping Hero in his bed. Crimson swept the lines of the flawless face, taking in the well memorized features once more before breaking the gaze somewhat guiltily. Silently moving a chair to the bedside, the Sheikah brushed the bangs from Link’s forehead, using a damp rag to clean the sweat forming on his brow. Link moaned quietly and turned to the touch, making a halfhearted attempt to nuzzle into Sheik’s hand while he slept. Sheik quickly averted his eyes and put the cloth aside, focusing instead on the slow rise and fall of the covered torso. The rhythm was soothing, and after a few repetitions he found his own lungs slowing to match the lulling beat. Inhale, exhale. Without his permission his heartbeat slowed, eyes drifting closed. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered where he had found such a comfortable, warm pillow before thought left him.


(Part 2)