#hateno boy

[mastercucco]

Hateno Boy - Part 1 - Link x Reader

The Calamity is gone, but so is Link’s purpose. He feels completely lost in post-Calamity Hyrule where everyone but him seem to have found their new place.

It certainly doesn’t help his restless nights that you, a young Hylian whom Zelda has hired as the new teacher at Hateno School, are slowly taking up more and more of his headspace with each conversation you two have.

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Pairing: Link x fem!Reader Raiting: Mature (might go up, might go down, let's see) Contains: feel-good, slow burn romance; platonic Link/Zelda; Link being an angsty retired hero Chapter Index | Read on Ao3 A/N: Very excited to write something possibly disgustingly cute. The story takes place after the events in BotW but before the beginning of TotK. All characters are adults! I hope you enjoy the story! xx

Chapter 1 - Purpose

Contains: Link being an angsty retired hero; Zelda being embarrassed by Link's inability to talk to girls (or other human beings in general) Word count: ~1,3k A/N: Please look past any weird sentences, English isn't my first language :p

A breath of warm air blows from the sea, gentle on skin and smelling of sea salt. The wind hurries over the hills of Necluda, tall grass bowing before it like waves on an emerald green ocean. Once it reaches Link sitting on top of the hills, it gently tugs on his hair and pushes his hood down.

He has been sitting there for quite some time now – so long that the tips of his ears are starting to redden from the wind, as gentle as it is. The sun that was high up when he arrived at the hills, is now hanging low over the horizon. It is soon time for him to go; Zelda asked him in the morning to stop by the school before sundown.

He is alone, as he is on most days nowadays. There isn’t much for him to do: Zelda is busy rebuilding Hateno, the recently finished village school her new pride and joy. And when she isn’t mingling with the villagers, she’s kept busy with her research at the Tech Lab. She doesn’t require an escort anymore, not after Purah hired a young researcher to assist them decipher ancient Zonai texts anyway. The man rarely leaves Zelda’s side when the two of them are together – which is often. Very often.

Link was jealous at first. After all, he is the Princess’ appointed knight, and he is the one who wields the Master Sword, and he is the one who saved Zelda’s life – not some overly excited, self-proclaimed explorer with a stupidly tall frame and an apparent distaste for wearing upper garments that hide his muscles.

Eventually, his jealousy morphed into loneliness – something he did a terrible job of hiding from Zelda. She asked him if he wanted to return to Hyrule Castle to help the Royal Guard in training new soldiers. Link said no, that he likes it here in Hateno.

“I wouldn’t mind if you go,” Zelda said, gently placing her hand on top of his, “I can see how lost you are here.”

Somehow, Zelda seeing straight through his lies and offering him kindness hurt more than her asking Link to leave in the first place. After that, Link couldn’t help but feel even more uncertain and disconnected. Everyone had seemingly moved on, everyone but him. While he still remains close with Zelda, honoring his duty, accompanying her whenever she travels outside of Hateno, even living with her, he knows deep down that she doesn’t need him anymore. The Calamity is gone, and so is his purpose.

The sun hangs low when Link arrives at Hateno School. The sky is flaring in shades of red, reminding Link of a cozy fire under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be. The school’s front doors are open, but the playground is silent and the windows are dark, all except one. It has been a while since Link last visited the school. The children adore him, which is exactly why he prefers to stay away. Their looks of admiration and curious questions make him uneasy. Ever since moving to Hateno, all he has wanted is to lay low, going as far as to hide his head-turning Champion’s tunic in the bottom of his drawer. He wanted to throw the tunic away, but Zelda wouldn’t let him.

He can already hear Zelda’s excited chattering when he reaches the open doors and quietly steps inside. Zelda is having an eager conversation with a young Hylian woman – you – whom Link doesn’t remember seeing before. He does remember Zelda telling him about a new teacher she hired a few months back, and he figures it must be you.

You notice Link arriving before Zelda does and give him a polite smile in greeting. Only when he lightly taps on Zelda’s shoulder does she stop talking and turn around.

“Oh, Link,” she smiles. “You have impeccable timing. We were just talking about you!”

Link furrows his brow. Great, just great, he thinks, already feeling the tips of his ears growing warmer.

“Only good things,” you assure with an awkward laugh. “The Princess told me you made the apple pie she brought the other day.”

Link hopes that the dim light of the oil lamps is enough to hide his red ears. He clears his throat, though not even intending to say anything.

“I don’t think you two have met before, have you?” Zelda says, giving Link an encouraging nudge.

Even after all the years spent in royal banquets practicing formal pleasantries with Hyrule’s nobility, Link still feels awkward having to introduce himself. Nonetheless, he extends his hand for a greeting. When you offer him yours, he brings it to his lips and gives your knuckles a polite kiss. Your skin feels soft and pleasant, he thinks, now horribly self-aware of just how sweaty his own palm is.

When he looks back at you, even he can pick up the awkward tension in your smile and words as you introduce yourself. He feels his whole face heat up, not really understanding what he did wrong but knowing he must have, because even Zelda has the same tension in her smile as you do.

“He is very accustomed to his formal greetings from his days at the Castle,” Zelda says with a forced smile and gives Link a look. Only then does he realize that a hand kiss, though adequate in greeting a noble woman, is not something you, a village school teacher, was expecting from a Royal Knight. He would apologize, but his mouth is dry and no words come out.

“And, well, you probably already know of Link,” Zelda breaks the uncomfortable silence after it becomes clear Link isn’t going to introduce himself.

“The Hero of Hyrule,” you say, knowingly. “We have actually met before.”

We have? Link thinks, the heat of embarrassment getting unbearable. All he wants to do is run home and hide under his bed covers for the rest of eternity. This is why he rarely leaves their home or willingly socializes with the villagers. He would cringe if he wasn’t too embarrassed to move his face muscles.

“You have?” asks Zelda out loud, her disapproving eyes boring into Link’s.

“It was years ago,” you are quick to add. “He took refuge in our family home once. I wouldn’t blame him for not remembering.”

Zelda doesn’t appear quite as understanding when she shoots another scolding look at Link, the pink in her own cheeks deepening as well. “Please,” she says as she turns back to you, “accept my apology. Link can be awfully forgetful sometimes.” She gives him a final glare that, at last, makes him drop his head. He’s not sure if dying of embarrassment is a real occurrence, but if it is, then he must be very close to leaving Hyrule for good.

“It’s quite alright, Your Highness,” you say with a slightly uneasy laugh that fails to fully mask your discomfort. “I don’t mind it, really. Like I said, it was years ago.”

There is an uncomfortable silence between the three of you. Then Zelda claps her hands, and the tension breaks like a taut rubber band. Link sighs, relieved.

“Well,” Zelda says, “now that we are done with introductions, perhaps we can show Link the curriculum we’ve been working on? I’m sure he can give us his opinion on the section about monster parts and their usage in elixirs.”

When you turn to look for something from your writing table’s drawers, Link grabs Zelda’s sleeve and gives her a pleading look. Zelda narrows her eyes and shakes her head.

“Do not even think of fleeing” she hisses in his ear before she hurries over to you to help you with a pile of scrolls close to toppling over. Link lets out a silent grunt and looks longingly at the open doors. The sun has gone down, the sky now the same shade as embers cooling down under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be.

Chapter 2 - Heromania »

[batrogers]

Aaaand an LU x TBP question. I've got the biggest soft spot for the NES boys. How would LU Hyrule and TBP Far get along??

I think they'd get along really well, to be honest! When I write Linked Universe boys, because we have so little actual backstory for them I tend to fill in the blanks with the kind of decisions I made for crafting That Broken Promise. While some have enough information they diverge a lot, Hyrule (for now) is someone I think probably grew up really similarly to Far.

....This basically means that they'll wind up having a conversation or two that will make everyone around them horribly uncomfortable, because of agreeing about "how best to handle people demanding shit from you", "Best ways to splint a broken femur when all you have is a knife", and how annoyed they are monster meat tastes bad when you're miles from town and hungry and they scared off all the birds.

But other than that, they get along great and Far probably would treat him like a little brother due to being ever so slightly older (and significantly taller LOL, a rarity!)

[thatbrokenpromise]

Look LOL If y'all wanna ask if Far eats bee larva.....

....

Yes, yes he does. Regularly.

(Minish has by accident and didn't mind. Hateno, too.)

(Hateno has candied crickets, among other things, in his bag y'all.)

[ofcowardiceandkings]

[stares awkwardly at BotW demographics board]

oh yeah, expanded town maps

[new-austin]

I am not having a fun time with TOTK

[starsbreadus]

Zelda:TotK spoilers but in tags bc i forgot how to do keep reading on mobile

[fioreofthemarch]

.

[fable-stims]

Hateno/Chief (That Broken Promise) stimboard for me!

Art/AU belongs to @thatbrokenpromise/@batrogers! They also kindly provided the game footage for gifs.

X X X

X X X

X X X

[chaiichait]

I do not believe that Link just stares with a blank expression after the last dragon tear and moves on with his day. That boy went back to his house in hateno that he had not visited in a while (on account of painful memories) and slept in the bed that he and zelda slept in and cried.

[reallyromealone]

FLUFFTOBER DAY 2

Title: hot chocolate

Fandom: the legend of Zelda

Characters: link, Purah, purahs assistant

Fic type: fluff

Pairings: link x reader

Warnings: male reader, reader insert, link and reader are married and have a child, Link gets to own a restaurant after saving the world

Notes:

Summary: after calamity and the world at peace, link and (name) open a small restaurant together with their adoptive son, link makes a new drink that seems to be a crowd pleaser

💀🎃💀🎃💀🎃💀🎃💀🎃💀🎃💀🎃💀🎃💀🎃💀

Autumn blew through Hyrule and a nice cold breeze washed through Hateno, (name) thankful he knit soft sweaters for the small family of three.

It was a shock to everyone that Link didn't want to return to his knightly duties but if one person understood it was Zelda, the Princess smiling with a fondness to her old friend when she learned his desire to open a restaurant "Save me a seat, won't you?"

And that's how (name) ended up helping his husband in the shop while their little one played outside with his friends.

The store was fairly empty, the lunch rush just ending and (name) taking it as a chance to sit down and relax, looking around the coazy restaurant with a smile, It was a testimony to his husbands hard work after all.

"(Name)! Please feed us!" Purah cried out, the woman having spent every waking moment learning about the sky islands and rebuilding her people's heritage after everything "Link, darling?" (Name) Turned his head towards the kitchen where his husband was hunched over a table creating something, turning the blond made a soft humming sound to ask what he wanted "Purah wants food" his words lazy and a bit sleepy, the hero of Hyrule quickly whipping up some food for them.

"What's this?" (Name) Asked when a mug was placed before him, the two Shikah scientists devouring their late lunches. Like leaned over (name) from behind and rested his head on the others shoulder, (name) sniffed the warm drink and hummed at the sweet scent that came back before sipping it "amazing!" (Name) Beamed at his husband who looked like an excited puppy at the others praise.

"Papa! I'm back!" The voice of their little son called out, (name) glancing at the four year old who immediately ran to his parents "I'm hungry!" The boy pouted, he wasn't hungry for lunch so the two let him go burn some steam off before coming back. Link moved to lift the boy into his arms "can we have sweets papa?" (Name) Heard his little one whisper to the blond "here baby, try this" Purah looked invested in the drink while the little boy took a sip of the chocolate drink and beamed at the flavor.

"You know he's gonna want that every day right?" (Name) Whispered to the hero who shrugged "can we have sooome!" Purah teased and the blond man rolled his eyes handed the boy back to (name) before going to grab some more hot chocolate for the scientists.

"Papa...." It was late, the moon high when link cracked an eye open to see his sons little face infront of his own "can I have more hot chocolate?" He whispered, proving (name)s words correct. Link stared pointedly before pulling the boy into a hug and turning, pinning the boy between both parents "in the morning..." Rarely did link speak but his little family were always lucky to hear it.

"And sword fighting?"

"Absolutely not' (name) grumbled sleepily.

[mastercucco]

Hateno Boy - Part 2 - Link x Reader

The Calamity is gone, but so is Link’s purpose. He feels completely lost in post-Calamity Hyrule where everyone but him seem to have found their new place.

It certainly doesn’t help his restless nights that you, a young Hylian whom Zelda has hired as the new teacher at Hateno School, are slowly taking up more and more of his headspace with each conversation you two have.

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Pairing: Link x fem!Reader Raiting: Mature (might go up, might go down, let’s see) Contains: feel-good, slow burn romance; platonic Link/Zelda; Link being an angsty retired hero Chapter Index | Read on Ao3

Chapter 2 - Heromania

Contains: Link is awkward; Everyone is crazy about the Hero, maybe even you Word count: ~2,9k A/N: Yaas, second chapter, let's goooo

The cool night air sneaks in through the open window, barely keeping you awake. Twilight has come and gone, and you can already hear the first calls of the night owls. Your day at the school is stretching unpleasantly late into the evening once again. You’ve been so focused on creating the new curriculum with the Princess – or Zelda, as she has asked you to call her – that you have completely forgotten all your obligations as a teacher.

Now you’re stuck with a cup of tea that went cold hours ago and a stack of short stories written in poor grammar that you promised to read before the end of the week – a promise that seemed perfectly reasonable four days ago. But tonight? Not so much.

You’ve spent a lot of time with Zelda and her knight these past weeks. Zelda is eager to finish the curriculum before fall comes. You still have several moon cycles to go – summer has barely reached Hateno –, but Zelda isn’t one to waste time. She is dedicated to offering the children the best education they can get. You’re in awe of her devotion to the cause – and a little ashamed by your own lack thereof. You are the teacher, after all. You should be twice as passionate as Zelda is, should you not?

You blame your lack of enthusiasm on these late nights: the cold cups of tea and the ever-growing list of tasks and responsibilities that never seem to get any shorter, no matter how many hours of sleep you sacrifice.

You sigh as you pick up the next story from the stack.

THE HERO AND A MONSTER IN A SVAMP

You snort. The ‘Hero of Hyrule’ craze among your students (or ‘heromania’, as you like to call it) is at its peak. You thought you were being clever when assigning them to write a short story about the Hero, hoping it would excite them to complete an otherwise dull assignment. But you were a bit too clever for your own good in the end: your students got so excited to share stories that all of them returned more than one paper. And who were you to kill their excitement just because you had forgotten to do your part in reading them all in time?

You groan, rubbing your face harshly. You can feel the first throbs of a headache knocking behind your other eye. As amusing as some of the stories are (even Zelda thought so after reading one about Link turning into a giant), you’re slowly starting to despise your work, and your students – and the Hero, for that matter.

Another breath of cool air brushes against your neck. You bury your head in your hands. You don’t actually despise your work, not really. It’s just these late nights that you hate.

You hear the door creaking. Shit, you think in a panic and hurriedly tidy up all your scattered papers and pens. You should have expected Zelda to pay you a visit tonight, just like she has every other night so far. As tired as you feel, you don’t need Zelda to see that. Worst case scenario, she might even think you are slacking.

But when you look up, it’s not the Princess standing at the doors, but her Silent Knight.

“Oh, good evening, Link,” you sigh in relief. You glance at the stack of short stories and, as subtle as you can be, flip the first paper upside down before saying, “Please, come in.”

Link, however, does not. He stands awkwardly in the doorway, his expression turning to a frown as he looks around, as if the last person he expected to find inside the school was you, the teacher.

“The Princess isn’t here,” you say after it becomes clear you are not getting a hello from him.

Link looks like a lost puppy, an apt comparison in your mind: he does follow the Princess around like one. The silence between the two of you feels awkward. Even though you have seemingly spent multiple evenings with him, you two have barely even spoken. Everything you know about him, you have heard from either Zelda or the gossipmongers of Hateno.

Or from your students. Most of it from your students.

“I’m sure she will arrive shortly,” you add, giving him an affirming smile. After hearing this, Link finally steps over the threshold and lets the door creak shut behind him.

“I’m sorry,” he says, still looking around, “I thought she would already be here.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” you say, still smiling, hoping to ease the awkward tension still lingering in the air. You continue, “Please, Link, have a seat while you wait. Would you like some tea?”

Link shakes his head and sits down on one of your students’ chairs. It is way too small for him and whines horribly under his weight. The sight of him is amusing, and you struggle to hold back the smile tucking at the corners of your lips. It becomes extremely clear, extremely fast, that Link is trying to look anywhere but into your eyes. You consider asking about his day but decide against it; he’s not the most talkative person in Hyrule, as you’ve come to learn.

“Please, let me know if you need anything,” you politely say before going back to your work. You have barely finished reading the first sentence of The Hero And A Monster In A Svamp when Link suddenly speaks.

“I’m bothering you,” he says.

You glance up from your paper. He is looking down at his hands, a distant look on his face.

“No, not at all,” you lie, “but I do have to ask you to leave after I’m done with these papers.”

“Oh,” Link says, already getting up.

“No, not now,” you quickly say, “but later. You won’t be able to leave once I lock the doors.”

“Oh,” Link says, again, and slowly sits back down. “Right. Okay. Sorry.” He is glancing at the doors with a look of uncertainty.

“And I do prefer the company,” you assure softly. You give him a smile and – for the first time – he returns it. It’s quick but awfully sweet, and you feel your stomach turning.

He looks down at his hands again. “I could make tea,” he says almost absentmindedly and stands up, still avoiding eye contact. “Would you like some?”

Not waiting for your answer, he rushes upstairs to the kitchenette. It’s going to be a long night, you think to yourself and shift your eyes back to your student’s story.

Ones upon a time there was the Hero of Hyrule. One day he saw a monster in a svamp. He takes his Master sword and he kills the svamp monster and he is So fast because he is stronger then the svamp monster. Everyone is happy. Princess Zelda is happy and we had a big party for The Hero. Mom is there and also my brohter and all my friends are there asswell but dad is crying because svamp monster is really my Nana and everyone is sad. The end.

You rub your eyes. A long, long night…

Your second cup of tea has also gone cold by the time you are done reading the stories.

“Thank Hylia,” you mutter as you push the papers inside your bag. The stories are all sweet – though you question the validity of most of them – but no matter how adorable, you’re glad you don’t have to read one more story about the Hero tonight.

You hastily gather your things and blow out your oil lamp before heading to the doors. You nearly scream when Link steps out of the shadowy corner he was sitting in. He has been so quiet for the past hour that you completely forgot he was even there.

“I’m so sorry,” you mutter, your face flushing with embarrassment. He doesn’t say anything, and his eyes are as quiet as his lips. Instead, he opens the door for you. He gives your back a light, assuring push as you walk past him, something you’ve seen him do to Zelda many times before. His gesture seems automatic, you don’t think he even realizes he does it, but your cheeks blush anyway.

“Are you done with your work?” he asks, even though the answer is obvious as you lock the doors.

“Yes,” you still answer. “Hopefully the Princess doesn’t come here looking for us.”

“No. It’s late,” Link simply says. There’s a tone in his voice you can’t quite put your finger on. Is it disappointment? Or bitterness? You don’t know him well enough to say for certain.

“You’re not going to go look for her?” you ask.

Link shakes his head. “I will walk you home,” he says instead, giving your back another gentle push as you start making your way towards the village.

The silence between you two doesn’t feel as awkward outside, where the rustling of leaves and the singsong of night birds fill in the quiet. The night air is brisk, easing the throbbing pain behind your eye. You sigh. You are happy Link offered to walk you home – though, he would’ve walked past East Wind either way. He has an aura of safety around him, something you much appreciate at this hour, even though you know Hateno to be safe even during the night.

To your surprise, Link breaks the silence first, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

You get a little startled when you turn to look at him and find him staring right back at you. You don’t think he has ever made eye contact with you in such a straightforward manner. You know you’re blushing. It’s almost like he is searching for something within your gaze.

And all you can think about is just how blue his eyes are.

“Have we really met before?” Link asks.

You can’t help the hint of pity seeping into your smile. It’s clear that the question has been bothering him for quite some time.

“Yes,” you answer, “yes, we have.”

He looks away, his brow furrowing as if he’s trying to force the memory.

“Our family farm is right outside Hateno,” you try to help him out. “You knocked on our door late at night. It was during a thunderstorm, a bad one. I don’t think we’ve had a storm like that since.”

The pace of Link’s footsteps slows down. His eyes are looking straight forward, but he doesn't seem to be actually looking at anything. You can see he is trying his hardest to remember. It pains you a little to see him struggle.

“It’s not that important, Link,” you comfort him. “It was a long time ago.”

“No,” he almost cuts you off, “I remember the storm. And I remember the farmhouse. The man of the house made me creamy mushroom soup.”

“That would be my father,” you smile, “and my mother offered to stitch your tunic, but you refused. And you refused a warm bath, to her horror.”

Link doesn’t laugh with you. He’s looking at you again, eyes observing you closely. You’re blushing hard. You don’t think even you, yourself, have ever looked at your own face as intensely as he is now. You can see frustration building up behind his eyes.

Finally, he shakes his head. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes and looks the other way. “I’m not trying to be rude on purpose.”

“It’s okay, Link,” you say, lightly touching his arm. “You had a lot going on at the time.”

You remember the night well. The first time you met the Hero of Hyrule was only a few months before the Calamity ended. He knocked on your family home’s door in the middle of the night, soaked from the heavy rain, bruised, and shivering. Your mother offered him a bed in the guest room because she recognized his blue tunic (there were rumors of a Champion awakened from a 100-year slumber), and your father made him food because he felt sorry for the boy.

You, too, felt sorry as you watched him eat his soup and then refuse the dry clothes your father offered him. He looked exhausted and on the verge of tears. He’s just a boy, you thought, your heart aching as you watched him rub his eyes dry while he may have thought no one was looking.

You’re not mad at Link for not remembering, nor do you feel disappointed. You never spoke with him. You never once thought he even noticed you sitting there by the fire, observing him quietly.

He was just a boy, you think, struggling to meet his gaze. You were the same age as him back then, and you believed – still do – eighteen was too young to bear the fate of the entire kingdom on his shoulders.

Hateno sleeps quietly. There are no lights, not even a flicker of a single candle behind the darkened windows. There is no chatter, no laughter, no horse hooves, no buzzing insects. Even the wind seems to be on its tiptoes as it blows through the town, as if to avoid disturbing the sleeping people. The sand beneath your boots sounds awfully loud in the silent night.

“May I ask you something in return?” you quietly speak. There’s been a long stretch of silence between the two of you since your earlier conversation. You can see something is still troubling Link, and you don’t want him to go home feeling saddened by memories you didn’t mean to bring up to the surface.

Link doesn’t say anything but he turns to look at you.

“The question is a bit… silly,” you hesitate. He waits patiently for you to continue.

“Uhm,” you mutter, already feeling stupid even thinking of asking what you’re about to ask. “Did you ever, by chance, fight a swamp monster during your travels? A monster that perhaps turned out to be someone’s grandmother?”

Link blinks. “... I’m sorry?”

“Forget about it,” you say with an uncomfortable laugh, motioning for him to stop staring at you. “The children have a wild imagination sometimes.”

Link thinks for a moment before sternly saying, “I have never killed a grandmother.” But the frown on his face makes it seem that he, himself, is not quite so sure of his own statement.

“It’s just something silly one of my students said,” you explain, “I asked them to write down stories they’ve heard about you.”

“Oh,” he says.

“They adore you,” you feel the need to explain further. “It was just for practice. I think most of them just made things up for the assignment. I doubt you ever turned into a giant during your adventures, or did you?”

Link shakes his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “No, I never did,” he says.

“I don’t understand how they can even come up with stories like that,” you laugh. “Poor Teebo swears he saw you riding a bear once!”

“Oh…”

“And one of the girls says their aunt in Lurelin saw you sailing naked all the way from Eventide.”

“... Oh.”

“Can you believe the imagination of these children?” you chuckle, shaking your head.

Link rubs his neck. “Yeah, wild imagination…” he hesitantly agrees, forcing the most unconvincing laugh you’ve ever heard.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry,” you quickly apologize, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It was just a silly assignment.”

“No, I don’t mind. I– uh, I did sail to Eventide and back once,” Link admits, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

You give him a sympathetic smile. “Stories change as they get passed on.”

“Yeah…” Link mutters, rubbing his neck again.

You come to a stop as you reach the East Wind. The store’s windows are pitch-black, just like the rest of the village. You hope you won’t disturb Pruce and his family when you sneak in. He has been generous for letting you stay up in their attic basically for free. Sure, your father knows the shopkeeper well, but you still think not many people from Hateno would offer such kindness to other people’s children. It’s not the most comfortable living arrangement for a woman in her twenties, but it is better than living with your parents. Besides, Zelda has promised you a room on the school’s second floor once it gets cleared out from all the junk left behind during building.

“Thank you for walking me back,” you say as you turn to look at Link, “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“It wasn’t,” Link assures you with a smile so soft it makes your heart flutter. You’re starting to understand why the girls in town act so giddy around him. He does have an endearing smile.

“I’ll see you around,” Link says, still smiling. “Have a good night.”

“You too, Link,” you say, feeling a bit flustered. You don’t quite understand your sudden giddiness, and you wish you could just slap some sense into yourself. You pry your eyes off of him before the butterflies in your stomach get any more restless. You take in a sharp breath when you suddenly feel his hand on your back again, pushing you gently towards the door right before he leaves. You are still certain he has no idea he’s doing it.

The night air feels almost too cold against your warm cheeks. You fumble with your keys for an embarrassingly long time before you get the door open. You can’t understand why suddenly your mind is completely overtaken by the thought of the Princess’ knight giving you such attention. You’ve never felt this starstruck around the Princess, and she, at least, is going to be crowned as the Queen of Hyrule one day.

You curse. There’s no other explanation: it has to be your students’ ‘heromania’ trying to overtake you.

[batrogers]

for want of a nail, running the switch: what if hateno hadn't needed morphine, so he's not high the whole time?

Well you got actual fic out of it, enjoy.

Major content warning for trypanophobia though, which you probably expected given you asked for Running the Switch LOL. Also for medical use of morphine and various injury treatment.

Also on AO3.

IIII

“Are you sure you feel alright?” Chief repeated.

Link shot his companion a wry look and flexed the shield attached to his arm again. “I told you, this absorbs impact very well. I promise, I feel fine. Is everyone else accounted for?”

He knew they were; Chief did have his priorities straight. Link, potentially in pain but uninjured, wasn’t a priority over Rabbit’s head wound, or Four and Prince’s broken bones. Far, not far away, was idly setting his own fingers but he could heal himself once that was done and had promised to do so.

It was for the best; he’d heard what their potions were at and he reached down to check the purah pad for his inventory. Chief took the open chest as an invitation and dropped forward to lean his forehead on Link’s shoulder.

Immediately he changed the movement to hug him with his left arm.

His hand landed in something cool, set, and tacky on Chief’s back.

“Love?” he startled. “What hit you? Shit, how bad is that?”

It had been fifteen to twenty minutes, and their healing should’ve handled a shallow cut by that point. But a deeper cut, if he didn’t stop moving or was otherwise exhausted --

Chief startled against him and started to reach back, only to wince as his body flexed and clearly pulled on the torn skin. “Shit,” he muttered.

“Sit. We need to do something about that – who can do stitches besides you?”

The mere word – stitches – sent Chief flinching hard back from him, his eyes wide with panic. Link started to back off, but his friend overbalanced in fatigue and Link caught him instead, dropping to his knees.

“Fuck! Chief—”

“I’m fine, it’s fine, I don’t need, I’ll be...” Chief stopped trying to pull away, at least, and instead pressed his face into Link’s shoulder hard once more. He was rocking, trembling against him in obvious fear and gasping – but the others were, for the most part, too distracted by their own injuries to come over, at least not so soon.

Skyloft poked his head out of the tent where he was tending to Prince’s leg. “What’s wrong?”

“Chief needs seen, but – finish up first.” Link called back. As urgent as this was, they really couldn’t die of blood loss for all it hurt. Prince’s leg was more important.

And Chief needed the time to calm down, and stop gasping with every breath.

“Is there anything that’ll make this easier?” Link asked.

Chief swallowed twice more and exhaled, hard. “I... yeah. I hate it... but I can... just not be awake for it. Will you keep an eye on me?”

Link’s blood ran cold. He fought down the sinking pressure in his stomach, and gave a small, uneasy grunt. “Yes, of course,” he said, because there wasn’t anything else TO say. “I’ll stay. You.... you mean you’re going to drug yourself,” he said.

“Unless you’d rather listen to me scream.”

There was nothing he could say to that no. Link groaned and pressed his forehead to Chief’s hair. “No, no of course... You know what you need. I’ll... Promise. I won’t leave you alone while you’re out cold. Do you have something for that, or I have something Purah and Robbie used on me.”

The truest sign of just how mindless with fear Chief was, was that he didn’t immediately react to that statement. Chief knew how much Link hated the two Sheikah for mishandling his care; he knew, at least a little that Link hated being helpless. But, here and now, he bit his lip consideringly and shook his head.

“I’d rather be sure I’ll be out enough. I... Let me get into my bag.”

As Skyloft and Prince both came out of the tent a minute later, Link was still sitting there, holding Chief in his arms as his friend prepared the syringe and, with his usual steady hands, injected himself and put it away even as his hands began to fumble their grip. Link gently took the pieces from him and tucked them to one side, where he put the things that needed cleaned.

Link brushed his hair out of his face as his gaze went soft and unfocused and kissed him gently on the forehead.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispered, and fought his own shakes as he helped Skyloft pull down his heavy canvas shirt to expose the cut on his back. “I’m here.”

Here, like being stuck buried alive with Hylia in her fucking grave, but he wouldn’t let him face this alone.

[suniix]

one bed | (botw) link x reader

synopsis | you and link stop by an inn to rest, but there’s one small problem

word count | 1.3k

note | thought about it too hard so i wrote a fic about it (based on this little comic! pls look at it it’s so cute)

As the moon rose, the world beyond your hotel window fell into a peaceful slumber. The faint sound of crickets could be heard singing their calming melody. The peaceful night ambiance would’ve been enough to put you to sleep had it not been for your frantic beating heart.

In front of you lies your traveling companion, Link, whose back was practically against the wall, arms wrapped around himself as if afraid to accidentally touch you.

The silence in the room was deafening, neither of you knew what to say in this situation. After sleeping on the hard ground for weeks the two of you had agreed to spend the night at The Great Ton Pu Inn. The rain that quickly followed your decision only fueled your excitement for a comfy bed as the two of you rushed up the hill leading to Hateno Village. What neither of you expected was for every room to be booked, every room but one with a single bed.

Despite both of you being tired from traveling, neither of you could fall asleep because of the awkward tension that hung in the air. Ignoring it was proving to be impossible, someone had to say something, but you were hesitant to break the silence for fear of making things awkward (as if they weren’t already). You had been traveling with Link for weeks, months even! The two of you have shared several nights close together under the comfort of the stars, what makes now so different?

Maybe it was the smirk the front desk lady had given you both after handing you your key, maybe it was because despite how much you prayed for a room with two beds to miraculously become available you were secretly happy to share a bed with the Hylian boy, or maybe it was because despite you looking everywhere but him you could feel his eyes on you.

Just say something, anything!

You clear your throat, shuffling nervously under the blanket. “Um.. Rupee for your thoughts?” You asked in a hushed voice, an awkward smile making its way onto your face.

Link blinked rapidly in response, likely surprised by your sudden question. He continued to stare at you in silence, now tense as his cheeks turned a bright red.

Thinking you made him uncomfortable you quickly rise out of the bed. “Sorry! You know what maybe I should just sleep on the couch—”

Before you had the chance to remove the blanket from your body Link quickly sat up in bed and reached out to grab your wrist, shaking his head furiously. You stop when he does, slightly surprised to see how fast he had reacted when he looked so tired earlier. Your eyes fall on his hand which, despite the quick reaction, holds your wrist just tight enough to keep you from leaving but loose enough for you to pull away if you so wished. Realizing what he did he slowly pulls away. You immediately miss the warmth.

He looks down, blush remaining on his cheeks as he nervously fiddles with his fingers. “Don’t go, I..” he pauses, unsure if he should finish his thought. He looked up to see you staring at him patiently, waiting for him to finish. That was one thing he loved about you; you were always so patient with him. Although he was more talkative than he was 100 years ago he often found himself struggling to express what he wanted, likely an unconscious habit that stayed with him through his century-long sleep. Despite this you never hurried or pressured him into talking, allowing him to do it at his own pace. Taking a deep breath he continued. “.. I like being close to you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth you felt your cheeks burn. Did you hear him right or was it just a hallucination caused by the late hour of the night? You thought about pinching yourself, but the way he nervously played with his fingers (a habit you found adorable) and the way the ends of his hair curled up just a bit revealing a small scar on his shoulder made it too real to be a dream.

After a few moments of silence Link looked up, seeing your shocked expression. He quickly backtracked, thinking he made you uncomfortable with what he said. “Unless you don’t! That’s fine!—”

“I do!”

Link freezes upon hearing your response. You awkwardly clear your throat. “I-I mean, I also like being close to you..” you nearly whisper, feeling your ears burn with the embarrassment of blurting it out earlier.

Then the room went silent. Your heart was frantically beating against your chest; you hoped Link couldn’t hear it.

Your fear was proven false (unbeknownst to you) as Link was currently lost in his own mind. Link had become so accustomed to seeing you in that golden campfire glow that the current sight of you left him breathless. He thought you looked even more captivating in the moonlight.

He slowly nodded his head, eyes refusing to leave your form. “Ok.” He responded in a daze. It was the only thing Link could think to say as his mind was still elsewhere.

“We should probably sleep now..” You looked past Link and out the window, seeing the moon high in the clear sky. “It’s getting late.”

Link hummed, snapping out of the trance he was in and nodding his head in agreement. You settled back under the blanket and he followed your actions. Despite your earlier conversation, there was still a good chunk of space between the two of you on the small bed.

Wanting him to come closer, you begin to think of a way to convince him. “You know, it’s kind of cold in here.” You whispered (a small lie, it was the middle of summer), but you knew Link heard you when he looked back at you. Deciding to take a chance you scoot closer to him and you hear his breath hitch. “So I wouldn’t mind if.. you came closer.”

Hesitantly, Link listened and with a smile scooted just a little bit closer. You breathed out a sigh of relief you didn’t even know you were holding, moving closer to him again. Beneath the blanket, your hand slowly moved to reach his. As your fingers slowly grazed his he flinched. You were about to pull away before he intertwined his hand with yours. There’s that familiar warmth.

He pulled your hand close to his chest, gently tugging you closer. You complied, wordlessly moving closer to him once again. The distance between your bodies was minimal now; you were so close you could see the faintest freckles gracing his cheeks.

“Are you still cold?” He asked in a low whisper. You nodded your head (another lie, you were already beginning to feel sweaty). You couldn’t help it, now that you’ve experienced what it’s like to be close to him you crave more. Being greedy just this once wouldn’t hurt.

Link lets go of your hand, wrapping his arms around you to bring you against his chest. Your eyes widen at the sudden action, but you don’t pull away.

“Better?”

You nodded, slowly wrapping your arms around him in case he flinched away. When he didn’t you fully wrapped your arms around his torso and snuggled into him, a painfully large grin stretching across your face when he did the same. Your palms were sweaty as they tightly gripped his shirt. He smelled earthy, like damp dirt with a hint of smoke. You sighed in contentment, not caring that the two of you would likely wake up sweaty tomorrow. You didn’t release your grip and neither did he.

You silently thanked Hylia for not answering your prayer earlier before falling into a deep sleep.

thank you for reading till the end! :D

masterlist

[jeldacat]

Link’s resume in Tears of the Kingdom but the list gets weirder as it goes on:

- Hero of Hyrule / Hero of the Wild

- Princess Zelda’s appointed knight

- Wielder of the Master Sword

- Volunteer fighter for the Monster Control Crew

- Member of the Zonai Survey Team

- Part time reporter for the Lucky Clover Gazette

- Professor at Hateno School

- General merchant / businessman

- Gerudo archeologist assistant

- Golden-haired savior of Lurelin Village

- Member (and potential vocalist) of the Stable Trotters (or Stable Heroes)

- Member of the Yiga Clan…?

- Official Yiga Blademaster

- Well enthusiast

- Fashion model

- Acorn boy / VIP of Hateno Farms

- Reviver of the cheese recipe

- Master of the underpants method

- A suspicious guy

- A modern guy

- A weirdly handsome dude

[xinggxingg]

Farmer boy and teacher Zelda from my Hateno AU are just having a moment 🫡

[batrogers]

<3

[@batrogers requested 3; “Do you think it would be helpful if we were cuddling?”]

****

Chief was doing a poor job of hiding his shivering. Normally Hateno wouldn't pry, but Chief had wanted to retire early and he clearly wasn't getting anything out of it. Hateno set his pad down with a sigh, eyeing his pillow that was trapped in a chokehold between Chief's arms.

"Do you need anything?" Hateno asked softly. "You don't look very relaxed."

Chief snorted despite the faint panic in his eyes. "I- I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"Nope, I'm supposed to worry about you. Would you like another blanket?"

Chief nodded reluctantly, accepting it though his shivering continued.

Hateno sighed again. "C'mon, I want to help. What can I do?"

He rested his hand on Chief's arm, not missing how his boyfriend's breath hitched at the touch. He started to pull away, but Chief leaned closer so Hateno stayed there.

Still, Chief mumbled protest. "I don't want to be a burden, you don't have to-"

Hateno shushed him, then hummed in consideration. "Would it help if we were cuddling?"

Chief waited a few painful beats before conceding, "Yes. Please, yes."

Hateno didn't have to be told twice, laying beside his boyfriend and hugging him tight. Chief pressed ever closer, desperate for the touch that he had almost denied himself. Hateno held him, providing quiet reassurance and comfort until Chief finally fell asleep in his arms.