To See the Sun Smile: Part 7 (2/2)

[zeffyface]

DISCLAIMER: All of The Legend Of Zelda Characters and Places belong to Nintendo, and maybe some other equally important organizations/people. They are not, nor have ever been mine. I just write silly fics.

Nobody panic, just broke the character limit. Go me!




Link’s eyes snapped back open, hand pulling back in shock. “W-what?”

Silently cursing the heat in his cheeks, Sheik shifted to face the hero fully as he kept his voice steady. “I would ask for you to face me and bite my right shoulder. It will keep you from jerking away while I work, as well as provide a distraction and hinder your left arm from interfering.” He took a slow breath and continued. “My clothing will keep you from causing me damage, and I assure you it will not break my concentration.” He paused, reaching again for Link’s wrist in what he hoped was an unthreatening manner. “If the idea is too… unsettling we may find another way, but to my knowledge this is the easiest.”

He watched the inner battle of emotions flicker across Link’s paled face as the hero turned partially, then stopped and weakly tried to pull back from the loose grip on his wrist. “I… it was my fault in the first place, you shouldn’t get hurt…”

"Hero." Sheik let his voice firm just enough to reclaim attention before softening it once more. "You won't hurt me; you are the one in the worse. And if I recall I owe you a favor." He spoke carefully and slow, at the end smiling through his mask, although the muted gesture would be barely visible with his face covered. From the surprised look given him, it was seen anyway.

There was a long, agonizing pause before the hero slowly shifted again to face him, then leaned forward, crowding Sheik’s line of sight. He could feel the warmth of breath against his neck as Link hesitated, then the gentle pressure of teeth on his shoulder. His heartbeat jumped unexpectedly at the sensation, little jolts shooting down his spine from the point of contact. Taking a slow breath to steady himself, he found Link’s scent and warmth taking up the air. Then again, perhaps this would be more difficult than he thought.

He gave himself a mental smack for that thought and forced himself to look down, concentrating on the task in his hand. There was no easy way to remove the glove, but hopefully the leather was loose enough to slide off with minimal pain. He shifted his grip and lifted his other hand, gently pulling the gauntlet at the tip of the pinky until it moved a centimeter. He repeated the process with the thumb, then the ring and middle to leave the index for last. Link’s teeth tightened a fraction on his shoulder as he tensed, but Sheik knew hesitating would only worsen the process. As the glove began to slide off Link’s free arm wrapped behind his back, gripping one blue clad hip on automatic. The process was thankfully short and without snags, and one long second later the silver gauntlet hit the floor. “Breathe, Hero. Are you all right?”

The hand on Sheik’s hip squeezed faintly, shaky breaths beginning again in his ear. Link’s bare finger was a swollen shade of purple, making an array of curses bounce merrily through the Sheikah’s head as he reached down to search through his own boot. He emerged with a small vial of green potion which he set in his lap. “Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.” Link obeyed, his muscles relaxing on automatic.

Before the hero was granted a chance to think about it Sheik had gripped his hand in a vice and used his free hand to force the bone straight. He felt the slight grind and pop a fraction of a moment before Link’s teeth clamped down on his shoulder harder than he had believed possible. He bit his own lip and ignored it, as well as the hand bruising his hip and the muffled scream in his ear as he snatched up the vial of potion. Breaking the seal, he emptied the liquid over the straightened finger and spread it across the skin, letting the substance numb and heal. With fast, practiced movements he unraveled the potion-damp bandage from his own hand and began wrapping Link’s, using the hero’s middle finger as a makeshift splint and binding the two together.

It was when he finished that he noticed the broken whimper Link made into his neck as ragged breath began in his ear again, the death grip on his shoulder slowly loosening. He let the hero take his time releasing him, but to his surprise instead of pulling away Link merely buried his face deeper and let more of his weight relax. Uncertain of what to do with his hands or any other part of himself, he carefully set Link’s hand down in the green-clad lap. “Hero? Are you still with us?” After a pause he reached up, resting his hand on the top of the other’s warm back.

Their was a tight sound of affirmative in his neck that made Sheik wince. The chest against his took a deep, shuddering breath and finally sighed, slumping against him even farther. “Yeah, I’m here. Thanks.”

Having no training in how to handle this situation, Sheik decided to ignore everything that was currently happening. He looked out across the temple, considering counting the tiles in the floor. “…You should take at least some additional potion to aid healing, Hero.”

The blonde surrounding him made a muffled noise of disapproval. “Hate potion. Tastes nasty.”

There was no arguing with that statement; it was a well known fact that potion was as much a punishment as a help. “Yes, it does.” Leaning around to reach Link’s pack without jostling him, Sheik fished out the bottle and uncorked it. He held it in the air beside the hero’s nose until the other was forced to look over and glare at it. With a heavy sigh and a dramatic effort Link untangled himself and sat up on his own, scooting back to accept the bottle with his good hand. Blue eyes stared forlornly at the thick substance for a moment before closing tightly for Link to throw his head back and down a gulp as quickly as possible.

The absolutely disgusted grimace on his face when he resurfaced made Sheik bite back a smile, offering the water pouch to cover it. Link snatched it, draining every drop in an apparent attempt to cleanse his mouth before wiping his face on his sleeve. “Ugh.”

Sheik reached over, pulling the arm back before Link could forgetfully use his bandaged hand as a rag when he ran out of shirt. “You’ll need to keep your hand still long enough for the magic to take effect.” He set the hero’s arm down gently and reached behind his tabard. “Have you eaten?”

“Not unless you count faceplanting in sand a few times.”

They both looked up to find Navi drifting down from the ceiling to rest on Link’s shoulder. Unperturbed by the mumbled ‘second time didn’t count’, she flipped to lie on her belly and shrug at Sheik. “It’s why Malon stuffs you guys when you go over, I think.” She took a half second to glance down at Link’s hand, wings fluttering as she took in the bandage, then Sheik’s lack of one. “Oh, so that’s what all the bandages are for? That makes a lotta sense, one for everything!”

“Something like that.” It was hard to not notice the private little smile on Link’s face at the fairy’s words, but Sheik did his best while unwrapping the remainder of the dried meat and fruit Malon had forced on him. He took a small piece and set the rest between them, waiting for Link to follow suit before looking back to Navi. However, instead of the continued mix of questions he was expecting, the little fairy seemed to realize something, reaching up to tug on a lock of Link’s blond hair before pointedly flipping around to face away from both of them. Sheik blinked, watching as Link smiled and rolled his eyes, turning his head to keep Navi in his view and offer her a bit of fruit.

It was only when he briefly looked away and pulled down his mask long enough to take a bite that he realized the two of them were giving him privacy while he ate. A small smile crept to his face, spreading when Navi made a sweeping gesture of intense interest at the cracks in the far corner. Link nodded knowingly, waving his piece of apple at the corner in agreement before popping it in his mouth. “So what fun filled adventure are you off on now that we’re taking your spot?”

“Don’t talk with you mouth full, sloppy. Sorry Sheik, I didn’t teach him that.” Navi seemed oblivious to the food muffling her own words as she chewed.

“I’m sure you didn’t.” Finished, Sheik pulled up his mask and leaned back against the wall. “Lon Lon and Kakariko need to be checked, although under Miss Malon and Lady Impa’s watch I doubt I will be needed. The majority of my time will be preparing for the last sage to be awakened and preparing the trigger to unleash the final magics in the Temple of Time.”

Link lost interest in the far corner, turning back to raise an eyebrow at Sheik. “Final magics?”

Sheik shook his head, looking carefully at the empty bundle as he put it away. “Nothing of real importance, it will be done in time for your return. The battle ahead will be much more pressing at that point.”

When he glanced back up Link was giving him an odd look, but after a moment the hero shook his head and smiled it away. “So you’re going all around Hyrule in the time I navigate one building? Deku nuts must be handy.” He leaned his unoccupied shoulder against the wall, settling into a more comfortable position.

The change of subject caught him off guard, but was certainly welcome. Sheik shrugged. “As long as the spells don’t go awry, in which they become more life-threatening.” He realized then that Navi had stopped contributing to the conversation. Leaning around for a better view, he realized that the little fairy had fallen asleep draped across Link’s shoulder, one arm dangling down his tunic front.

Link followed his gaze and smiled softly at the sight, lowering his voice. “Yeah, I figured. How do you get from here to there without ending up in a lava pit, exactly?” His eyes were starting to droop farther as well, and he paused to yawn.

Sheik also dropped to a soft murmur, unconsciously re-wrapping his thumb as he worked on how to explain. “Once the magic is unleashed it will carry you in any direction until it is depleted without the right focus. One must know their destination, feel it with their soul and senses as a tangible thing and force it to become true.” He shook his head helplessly. “That is the best I can phrase it, I am afraid.”

“Mmm, makes sense though.” Link’s eyes had drifted closed, his voice a soft mumble.

His next words were too low for Sheik to understand, and he leaned in closer. “What did you say, Hero?”

One blue eye cracked open a fragment, looking into his own. “We never talked about it.”

“Oh.” The statement was familiar, but for several seconds Sheik could not place its value. His eyes narrowed as he searched his mind for the memory, and then widened not a second after, a tingling spreading across his nose. Oh.

During the pause Link’s other eye had opened, his face growing more concerned. “Sheik-“

“I suppose,” He overrode whatever hesitant statement the hero was about to make, letting their eyes meet evenly, “That we will be forced to speak again to cover that subject.” He let Link search his gaze, feeling wretched but refusing to let it show.

Eventually fatigue won out and Link nodded, closing his eyes with a hint of a smile. “That sounds nice.”

Sheik looked away, something in him ripping in two. “It does.” Silently, he picked up the empty water pouches. “I am going to refill your water outside; this room is secure.” Link hummed softly in reply and the Sheikah stole silently from the room.

When he returned Link had already entered a deep slumber, breathing slow and even. He set the water down and looked over the hero’s hunched position, hesitating before bending down and lifting Link’s legs onto the bench. He nudged the sleeping Navi with one finger as he had seen before, smiling when she crawled into his hand without ever opening her eyes. His free arm wrapped around Link’s back, coaxing him away from the wall to lie back instead. Link mumbled something unintelligible but complied, although Sheik had to remove himself quickly to stop the hero from using his injured hand as a pillow.

Satisfied, he eased Navi from his hand and onto the green clad chest, then stepped back. For a few moments he merely took in the peace of the scene, but soon the guilt became too much and he turned away. “Next time.” The whisper came without his consent or notice as he walked again from the temple.

And may he never know it is the last.