#totk fluff

[newtabfics]

Thunderous. Sidon x Fem!Reader SPICY Fic

TW: For spicy content.

The crash caused the prince to shoot up in fear as his heart hammered wildly in his chest. He panted for a moment before finally slumping back into the tide pool. 

Sidon rubbed his face. It was always the more intense thunderstorms. It only reminded him of the day he lost his dear sister.

She had run by, stopping a moment to kiss Sidon’s head. “Hurry to Father. Tell him it’s time. I have to go. I’ll be back soon.”

Mipha never came back. She had gone into Vah Ruta and the storm suddenly overwhelmed the domain. He watched the glow shift to red and the storm was overbearing.

For days, Zora’s Domain was buffeted by the storm when Vah Ruta suddenly stopped. Silence settled over not just the domain but over Hyrule as a whole.

A small hand dipped into the water, gently waving to get his attention. He surfaced to see Y/N sleepily watching him with worry.

“Si?” She mumbled.

He sighed and came out slowly, clinging to the smaller Hylian. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

“Uh uh. The storm startled me. What happened?”

“Just…it startled me too,” He muttered.

She hummed for a long moment before nodding to the bed. He smiled and carried her there, laying in it with her. 

They put a tide pool in a small room just for her. Something about Hylian comforts? It didn’t matter. They shared a room, though he tended to slip out of the bed once she’d dozed off to sleep in the water.

Though, this seemed different as she moved to lay over his chest, smiling softly at him as she brushed the fin by his face aside.

“What aren’t you telling me?” She asked.

Sidon smiled. “Never a secret with you,” He hummed. A deep sigh escaped him as he rubbed her back, looking out to see the ruins in the sky, sludge falling from them. It had only just started the day before. He was exhausted but… “It reminds me of the Day of the Calamity,” He confessed.

Y/N blinked at that, waking more. The day she’d only heard about from her grandfather’s mother. Something that had only recently been resolved. And yet…

“The storm went on for days. It was horrible. When Vah Ruta finally stopped, she…” He gulped thickly as he clenched his jaw.

Her lips pressed against his nose, making him sigh in relief as he nuzzled her gently. “I know just how to distract you,” She hummed, startling him when she slid down to grind against him.

His breath hitched as her thighs tightened against his hips. “Let me give you a reason to love storms?” She tried, nuzzling his chest as she kissed it gently.

Sidon let out a breath as he gripped her hips, bucking up against her. “You’re so tiny,” He muttered in leiu of an answer.

She smirked and moved up, kissing him as she shed her clothing. Y/N only barely heard his joke about moving to wearing more traditional Zora garments instead of her Hylian clothing but it fell on deaf ears as she moved down and kissed along his lengths. She stroked one slowly with her hand and kissed the tip of the other.

Sidon moaned and let himself relax into the bed. When a rumble of thunder made him flinch, he was shocked by the warmth engulfing one head and moaned lowly.

Y/N moaned as she slowly ran her tongue around the head and sucked gently. Her chest swelled in pride when he whined and twitched reflexively, bucking his hips as she squeezed his other length gently.

Once he was lubed up enough, she moved until she was straddling him and slowly sinking down.

“Oh goddesses!” Sidon grunted, biting his lip as he gripped her hips tightly. 

He would apologize for the bruising the next day, but he could hardly apologize when she bit her lip as her eyes rolled back when she had fully seated on him. His second length was twitching against her stomach, leaking precum as it ached for its own attention.

Sidon whined softly as she finally calmed on his length, watching him with a loving smile before she rocked her hips slowly.

“You’re my beloved prince,” Y/N said gently, squeezing his hands as he moaned under her. “You’re my brave prince who always wants to save me, wants to satisfy me–” She dropped down hard as she spoke, making him choke a moan. “And I can’t help but want to be my prince’s little girlfriend.”

Sidon groaned and bucked his hips up before flipping her under him. He smirked as she squeaked and mewled in pleasure as he began to pump into her rapidly. “You’re so mcuh more than just my little girlfriend,” He whispered as he leaned down and kissed her, practically folding himself to dote on her.

She whimpered. “I’m supposed to help you.”

“You are,” He chuckled before growling as he began to rut into her more aggressively. He wanted to tell her how cute she was riding him. Instead, he showed her in the way he began to thrust and growl out her name under his breath.

The next morning, Sidon let out a deep sigh, seeing the sludge. He wanted to find a solution quickly. Instead, he heard Bazz making a comment.

“If that huge storm comes in tonight, it might get worse. Or better? I really don’t know.”

“It’s going to storm?” He asked before following Bazz’s finger to see him pointing towards the stormclouds heading their direction. “I’ll…need to tell Y/N then.”

“She’s scared of storms? Surprised.”

“Not anymore,” He chuckled before hurrying away to hide his hardening lengths.

[malulurivers]

birdsong trickled through the window much like the morning sun. you groaned, burying your face into your blankets. still hazy with sleep, you felt the hand flung over your waist shift as warmth enveloped your back.

breath tickled your neck as Link wished you a good morning, pressing a trinity of kisses into the bare skin of your shoulder. you hummed, lethargically tracing his arm in soothing circles.

his legs were entwined with yours, blankets lost to your side of the bed. and so he melded with you, hiding from the sun and the real world that came with it.

☾ ₊ ˚ ✩ ˚ ｡ ☽

masterlist | buy me a hot chocolate <3

[emberglowfox]

i dont think the sages are distinctly aware of everything their avatars are doing, but i imagine some things probably bleed through

[clowns0up-felix]

I was gonna put what I learned in the totk background studies to use, but I got bored and so it looks a little lackluster and the pose looks a little stiff,,, whoopsieee

Anyway, Zelink pre totk (they’re my babies)

[sheikfangirl]

Gloom nightmares...

Link is totally sleep-deprived on his Tears of the Kingdom quest.

He NEVER rests. But despite all his efforts, it is inevitable: Link collapses and sleep wins over him... and when that happens, Link has the most vile and repulsive nightmares!! Puppet Zelda and her cruelty is always there, ready to mock and torture him.

PS. Nintendo could've gone waaaaaaaay worse with Puppet Zelda if you ask me

PS 2 If you are wondering, yeah, this is a shameless homage to that iconic Evil Dead 2 scene. Groovy! 😊

[saetoshi]

“i want you to like me.”

you absentmindedly hum, flipping a page of your book. sae frowns, crossing his arms on the table. he sighs, hoping to get your attention.

it fails.

so, he sighs again, a little louder, a little deeper, and, maybe, just a little annoying. he bites back a frustrated groan when you don’t even bat an eye in concern.

he calls out your name, pouting. “don’t ignore me.”

“mhm,” your eyes widen slightly as you lean closer to your book. a hushed gasp leaves your lips, the corners of your lips quirking up into a smile as you read.

sae sighs again, resting his head on his arms, his cheeks flushed as he gazes at you. he supposes that’s the one good thing that comes with you ignoring him.

“i really want you to like me,” he says, his words hushed. a hint of a smile curls the corners of his lips up, an amused glint in his eyes as you don’t react to his words.

a dry chuckle leaves his lips before he tsks, shaking his head. “i hate you,” he mutters. (he doesn’t mean it. not anymore, at least.)

he hides his mouth behind his arms—a futile attempt at hiding the smile that you clearly won’t see anyway.

(he thinks he must seem pathetic.)

the corners of his eyes crinkle when he sees your expression shift from joy to shock. he thinks your book’s probably interesting. (not as interesting as you, though. he’s becoming cheesy.)

(he thinks it’s disgusting.)

“i like you,” he whispers, his words muffled by his sweater. his heart drums on his chest, butterflies erupting in stomach as you try to bite back a smile. (he wishes you were paying attention to him.)

a few beats of silence go by. sae sighs, the sound oddly dreamy before he chuckles when your brows furrow. he smiles, leaning up before gently pressing his finger between your brows. his smile widens when you finally look at him.

“something interesting happen in your book?” he smiles, his voice teasing.

you don’t say anything, but your slightly frustrated expression tells him all he needs to know.

“wanna tell me about it?” he chuckles when you swat his hand away. he laughs harder when you give him a dirty look.

“you wouldn’t understand,” you mutter, frowning at him. he can tell you’re angry he interrupted you. (he concludes you’re even prettier when you’re mad at him.)

(he thinks he might be ill.)

“says who?” he sticks his tongue out at you. the corners of his lips turn up in amusement when you stick your tongue out in return.

“says me,” you huff, flicking his nose. (he really wants to grab your hand and shower it with kisses.)

(he’s most certainly ill, he thinks.)

i like you, he thinks, his eyes locked onto yours. he smiles when you tsk, turning your attention back to your book.

sae calls out your name once more, “shouldn’t you take a break? don’t you think it’s better to read a book over several days?”

“shouldn’t you mind your business?” you shoot back, giving him a glare from behind your book, “don’t you think it’s better to shut up and not be a bother for once?”

he snickers, his ears flushing when he hears the small smile in your tone despite the harsh words. sae’s laughter slowly stops, his arms crossing on the table once more.

he softly sighs, resting his head against his arms as he looks at you. his cheeks flush when he sees your focused expression once more, a smile growing on his lips when you glance at him before looking back at your book.

he really, really likes you, he concludes.

(he thinks it might not be such a bad thing.)

[salamispots]

some break/warm up drawings

[akira-pink]

Have some zelink brainrot from me to you please enjoy

[ifangirlalot]

˗ˏˋ 𝐙𝐄𝐄'𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ˎˊ˗ | idk guys, i tried-

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵୨♡୧‿︵‿︵୨♡୧‿︵‿︵୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ 💭 ۫⠀MILES FAIRCHILD.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* Lesson One &&* Sauce With The Boss &&* Top!Reader x Sub!Boyfriend &&* NSFW Headcanons

💭 ۫⠀BORIS PAVLIKOVSKY.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* Foreplay Headcanons &&* Riding A Foreign &&* Sauce With The Boss &&* NSFW Headcanons

💭 ۫⠀FINN WOLFHARD.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* Hopelessly Pinning &&* Sauce With The Boss &&* Hot, Heavy, and Handsome &&* Yandere!Finn Alphabet &&* "Method" Acting &&* Pussy Eater &&* Worship & Praise

💭 ۫⠀RICHIE TOZIER.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* Digits &&* Bottom!Richie x Top!Reader &&* Richie Taking Shy!Reader's Virginity &&* Richie Fingering Shy!Reader &&* Sauce With The Boss &&* How Long Has it Been Since You've Eaten?

💭 ۫⠀ZIGGY KATZ.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* Sauce With The Boss &&* Gettin' Jiggy With Ziggy

💭 ۫⠀MIKE WHEELER.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* Sauce With The Boss &&* I'm Sorry The World Is Failing You &&* Digits

💭 ۫⠀SAL FISHER.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* Softie Toppy &&* Top!Reader x Sub!Boyfriend &&* Sal x Injured!Reader &&* Sal With A Hard To Please SO &&* Is That My Shirt Babe?

💭 ۫⠀LINK.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* BOTW/TOTK!Link NSFW Headcanons

💭 ۫⠀TICCI TOBY.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚

&&* Headcanons

[frickingnerd]

traveling together with link

pairing: link x gn!reader

tags: wholesome fluff, (implied) romantic feelings (link for reader), scared!reader acting tough/fearless, friends to lovers

both you and link had been traveling on your own, before the two of you even met for the first time

one evening, link joined you by your campfire as you rested for the night and the two of you realized you were both traveling hyrule on your own

so, you decided to team up! 

with no concrete destination, your goal was to see as much as you could together! 

during your trips, you often came across enemies or had to hunt for food and link always admired your strength and courage

you were often the one leading the expeditions and walking ahead to clear an area, despite link being plenty capable himself

link genuinely admired you, thinking he had found an equal in you – or maybe even someone who outshined him! 

though one night by the campfire, the two of you were talking and you ended up confessing to link that you weren't as brave as he thought you were

you only pretended to be fearless, hoping that one day you really wouldn't fear anything anymore… 

despite that confession of yours, link refused to change his mind about you! 

doing the things you fear was the definition of being brave! 

if anything, he only admired and loved you more now…

[overgrownthrone]

a little design of a dragon hybrid zelda

i just really like the idea that some of the light dragon elements lingered after shes humanoid again

[newtabfics]

Desperate for some redeemed Ganondorf x dorky Sheikah researcher Reader who’s done with his shenanigans. He’s paying for his crimes with community service.

I SCREAMED WHEN I READ THIS AHAHA OKAY OKAY. Alright. So, for this--Let's just say, Zelda Magic happened and he's been purged of all power entirely. Like he's just a big dude, but let's also just kinda give him amnesia cuz Idk. I would wanna forget that I slaughtered millions of people just for my own sanity. Okay. But he knows cuz they told him the truth when he awoke.

"Hey, Ganny," Y/N chuckled as she ducked her head over the scaffolding to meet his eye level.

He blinked and smiled. "Uh, hey. What is it?"

"Lady Paya asked me to come getcha. I think she wants you to help Mellie with the plum trees. Apparently, there's a shipment of fertilizer."

Ganondorf grimaced and nodded. "Alright. What are you going to do then?"

"I was going to just go over my notes." She flipped down, looking up at him. Her heart thudded as she took in their size difference again. "So, let's go then."

"Plural?" He asked, smiling as he followed.

"Yep. Someone's gotta watch you."

"I think the whole village is doing that," He muttered before glancing up at the mountains surrounding the village. He saw the princess and hero practically having a picnic near a ruin as the dragons surrounded the village, practically glaring into him.

He was almost glad Y/N couldn't see them, knowing she'd likely get scared of them. Though the children in the village took notice of them quickly. He wondered if it had to do with the curse he'd made.

"Yeah, but to be fair, you were kinda the Demon King."

"I don't think there was a kinda about it." He sighed, rubbing his neck. "Y/N, you don't have to force yourself to be kind to me. You are very sweet though. I do enjoy spending time with you, but you don't have to."

Y/N blinked up at him, stopping as she met his gaze. "I'm not pretending. I don't ever pretend. Being a Sheikah, I try to be my genuine self when I am home. Missions make that hard." She looked down and away. "I like spending time with you. The princess erasing your memories was a really good thing, I think. It gave you a second chance. And it turns out you're into sand seal racing?" She grinned up at him. "never would've imagined."

"In my defense...they do look cute when they're winning. They're so excited!"

"I know, right! Oh! If we ever get to go out to the desert, I really wanna check out the races out by the ruins! Link told me he actually beat their champ a few years back."

Ganondorf blinked and looked away. "I'd like to do that, if we could, but, I don't know if I'd ever get that chance," He chuckled. He looked to her. "Thank you."

Y/N smiled and grabbed his hand, making him flush a slight as he was tugged away, trying not to fall on her as she ran.

Zelda sighed as Link handed her the water skin. "I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

"She'll be fine," Link said, popping a wildberry into his mouth. "He's already in love with her."

"HUH?!"

[malulurivers]

Searching for Frogs | Zelda x GN!Reader

Word count: 1.5k~ Warnings: frog described affectionately as round, spherical and chunky (as well as stinky); technically unsafe handling of frogs (but this is a fictional world, so bear with)

AN: because I love my girl and I love frogs! it took a lot of effort for me to refrain from naming this frog Boggy.

☾ ₊ ˚ ✩ ˚ ｡ ☽

the grey heavens opened. at first there were a few heavy droplets, but they quickly lightened into a foggy drizzle. you pulled up your hood, trying to shelter the handwritten journal Zelda had handed to you. but as she pulled ahead, levering her hand to the sky with a glowing smile, you realised why the pages were so crumpled.

"finally! we're in luck, y/n!" she called over the breeze that had picked up slightly.

"we are?"

she nodded vigorously. "we're frog-hunting, remember? and this," she gestured to the arguably grim weather, "is exactly what we want!"

she skipped further ahead, towards the edge of a nearby pond. the surface was dappled with ripples, silvered from mirroring the clouds. you flicked through the journal, landing on a page marked with a woven stripe of leather twine. titled 'tireless frog,' Zelda's calligraphic handwriting swept across the paper. she had clearly detailed its habitat, appearance, diet, and more. her theories lined the edges in a thinner pen, mainly on the species' innate stamina-related properties.

the words sounded all too familiar—they resembled the ones she'd mused to you on the way up the ridge. she'd been so animated then, talking so much that she very nearly forgot to take a breath now and again. it didn't matter if you didn't understand some of the more scientific things she spoke about, you always listened intently.

her excitement was practically tangible now, and you couldn't help but smile as she peered carefully into some bushes. tucking the journal into your pocket, you joined her at the pondside. "they like the rain, huh?"

she hummed, straightening herself as well as her satchel. "there aren't any in the bushes..." her crown was decorated with droplets, loose locks of hair beginning to stick to her forehead. but as she turned to you, her grin couldn't be any bigger. "we're going to find one today, I'm sure of it!"

you tucked her hair behind her ear, before gently pulling the hood of her coat to cover her head. "I know we will."

she rolled her eyes at you playfully, but when you cupped her cheek, she leant into your touch.

"don't want you catching a cold," you said warmly, running the pad of your thumb across her skin. her skin was mottled with rain and pink from the cold, but still smooth to the touch.

it was if your hand was made to hold her. her fingers slipped between your own with ease as she gently eased your palm from her cheek. your hands fit together perfectly.

"I think it's going to take a little more than some rain to stop me." she insisted. "did I tell you about the time when I single-handedly held off a creature of pure malice for 100 years?"

you searched her eyes her carefully. it wasn't often she mentioned her direct involvement with the Calamity. but there seemed to be a smile on her lips, still. "I think I've heard the legend before, maybe," you chuckled.

"do you want to hear it again?"

it took you a moment, but there was no doubt about it: she was teasing.

your thoughts flashed back to the dark nights, the quiet ones, where Zelda had clutched onto your hand so tight she'd turned her knuckles white. the ones where she'd spiralled, spilling blame all over herself.

that Zelda morphed into the one that stood before you. the one with a resilient gaze, her head tipped higher than she'd dared before. she was joking. about it.

your heart swelled, squeezing her fingers. "no need, I understand. rain's got nothing on a hero."

her chuffed expression morphed into a flustered blush which she immediately tried to shield from you. letting go of your hand, she turned back to the pond. "the frogs are this way!"

in two steps she was shin-deep in murky water. with only mild hesitation, you were right behind her. icy cold drenched your feet in an instant, your leather boots well worn and offering little protection against the temperature. Zelda only seemed mindful in her step so not to slip, and remained completely unfazed by the cold.

keeping an eye on her as best you could, you aided her search. "so, how long are we going to hold onto one?"

she tutted, scouring the surface for any sign of movement. "only for a brief moment! now be careful, they're quite skittish..."

"how do we decide which one to take? is there a specific thing you're after...? ooh!" you pointed to a ripple of movement off to the left. "was that one?"

instantly Zelda was making her way across the pond. "we choose one that's easy to catch. one which is a solid specimen, of course."

you nodded knowingly. it was a lie of course. "oh yes, of course... and a good specimen looks like...?"

"a good specimen is... very..." Zelda thought for a moment. "round."

"round?" you echoed, spluttering into laughter. "oh that's brilliant! i love spherical animals! spherical frogs sound—you should've said that sooner!"

Zelda scoffed, about to argue that you should be interested in the frogs regardless of their chunkiness, until she spotted one. the princess' hands could very well have cracked like a whip by how fast they darted into the water. before you could be startled, in her palms was a wiggling frog. and yes, he was positively rotund. "aha!"

you were speechless, simply watching with wide eyes as she began to lead the way out of the pond.

"I know, sir, this is rather sudden. I do apologise for this impromptu excursion! I assure you that you will be back in your pond in no time."

it took you a moment to realise she was talking to the frog.

boots meeting unsubmerged grass once more, you grimaced at the cold sensation seeping into your feet. but before you could think about it any longer, Zelda called for you. "y/n, do you mind getting the pen out of my satchel? my hands are occupied with this little one."

you sprung into action, rummaging through the bag. glancing up, you had meant to catch Zelda's eye to compliment her on her accomplishment. however, you met the frog's eyes instead. they were a bright amber, and ever so slightly turned outwards away from one another. you giggled. it was quite endearing. "he's no longer wriggling!"

Zelda admired the creature's webbed feet with soft delight. "no, he's being very well behaved."

the frog blinked slowly, letting out a single long croak. his throat engorged, giving him the appearance of a balloon. pulling the small wooden cage out of her bag, you pouted. "he's adorable. he needs a name."

"absolutely not!"

"why not?!"

"I should've known you'd get attached." she shook her head, brushing her shoulder into yours. she quickly plopped the frog inside the holding pen and latched the little gate closed. the creature sat still for a moment, before beginning to have a little waddle around. "we're not keeping him."

you pouted even more, gesturing to the frog who appeared to be quite content. "but—!"

"no buts!" Zelda pressed a playful kiss to the tip of your nose. it worked like clockwork, your cheeks heating up as you sighed a bittersweet 'fine.'

her lips did crumple though, feeling a little bad for your poor heart. she glanced at the frog, who croaked pleasantly as if on cue. he was very cute. very relaxed. very round.

"come on, y/n, I need your help recording my findings. I can't feed him while writing things down."

‎

⌖˚‎٭ ﴾﴿ ⌖˚‎٭⌖

later that day, you'd left your boots and cloaks to dry by the fireplace. and now, on the table not too far from the warmth, was a glass terrarium filled partially with water. Zelda was focused, adding some moss and a small fern.

you meanwhile gazed at your frog, sitting patiently in the wooden cage. "what crimes did you commit, Mr Pickle?" you mused.

Zelda sighed, not looking away from the glass. "none! he's going to get a lovely new home that's going to mimic his natural habitat perfectly! he's going to be well fed and become even more rotund as all frogs should be."

"I know, I know, I'm only joking," you chuckled, cocking your head at Pickle. "all that food and space, all to yourself." you tutted. "what did you do, stinky man? to deserve solitary confinement?"

"don't call him that!" Zelda whined. "he's not stinky! he just has a protective layer of mucus that makes him smell very earthy! it's not his fault!"

you would've responded, doubling down on your affectionate teasing of your new friend. but you were too busy mulling a new thought over in your head.

"Zelda..."

"what?"

"he's going to be all on his own."

for a moment, only the crackling in the hearth could be heard.

"y/n, we are not getting another frog—!"

☾ ₊ ˚ ✩ ˚ ｡ ☽

masterlist | buy me a hot chocolate <3

[lemonspades]

Cotla's orders no brooding everyone

< part 17 - part 19 >

Masterlink

Also me breaking down under the break over Impa in totk

Like okay I had a break down over Lady Impa while writing this story haha, the joys of actually exploring crossover aus and looking up to realize the colossal abyss you've dug yourself in

but like Impa

Baby girl... oh my god

Home girl lost her best friend and her family and her purpose to live all in one fucking night and for 100 years she watches her ward Zelda fighting this fucking monster and she can't do jack shit but wait for Link's ass to wake up but that doesn't mean this woman's gonna let shit go to waist no sir. and like yeah she's old but that's not gonna stop her and NO she is NOT going to use the weird rejuvenating serum that her fucking sister made because she can do it by herself thank you very much! (it's totally not because she'd be the younger sister again plus some sibling angst that's i've been thinking up an)

*cough cough* I mean whaaaaaat?

seriously though sound off in the bottom i found another sad old person to fixate over

[clowns0up-felix]

Drawing backgrounds and scene elements is so so hard,,,, man.

Domestic botw/tork Zelink has me in a chokehold (I usually don’t draw much domestic stuff is the thing)

The comic is something that happened in a dream of mine. It was only a very quick and short part of the dream but it stuck with me? Also,,, why are both images well-related what’s going on what??

Lastly, I was gonna draw something small for 500 followers bc I’m excited there’s so many of you but it felt too silly to do it so soon. I’ll draw something for 1k tho should we ever hit that!

[syndxlla]

best friends don’t look at each other the way we do

A low stakes, high reward, and self-indulgent Zelink fan fiction. Canon-compliant. Takes place between BOTW and TOTK.

Heavily inspired by my Zelink thoughts

I wanted to dig into the dirty, grimly reality of being the saviors of the world and not knowing how to be the savior of yourself. But you can find that safety in another person.

Fan fiction warnings: Canon-typical violence, eventual smut (in later chapters, characters are consenting adults), references to self-harm, eating-disorders, and a lot of angst. Each chapter will have chapter-specific warnings.

Chapter one: I used to tie your shoes

Song: We’ll never have sex by Leith Ross

Summary: Fresh off Hyrule Field, Link and Zelda have to face life after the Calamity, and come to terms with the long road to physical, emotional, and mental recovery.

Warnings: Vomiting, trauma, canon-typical violence, eating-sensitivity

Word count: 3.7k words

Author’s Note: I am so excited to share this. Please share and support this in anyway. I drew this art for the cover :) chapter begins after the page break. I love you guys. Also, these chapters won’t be heavily edited. Ignore any grammatical/spelling errors pls

Time. We never seem to have enough time. Green grass burns soft red embers into the field, a horse’s mane is rebraided at the nearest stable, and the stars shine as if nothing changed. Because it hadn’t, not really. The sun will still rise in the east and set in the west. The birds will still sing their songs at daybreak and the fireflies will still flicker at dusk. Nothing changed, but everything did. The air feels lighter, the sun feels warmer and yet Zelda’s fingers still shake as if she was in the snowy Hebra peaks.

The Princess by nature, is very gentle. She’s soft and patient at heart, but was placed under such strenuous situations all through her youth that caused her to often snap or lash out. But not now. Currently she is silent, stone-cold and confused. She was in shock. And Link could tell.

“Here.” He pulls out a baked apple from his pack, handing it to her. He has to get her attention twice before she finally takes it, their hands brushing for a moment. Her awareness returns to her gaze then, her bright-green eyes meeting his.

“I-I’m so sorry.” She sighs, her voice weak. “I’m just… so tired.” Link tries not to show his distress, but she notices his demeanor change as well. “How much further?” She says, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“Probably another hour and a half. It’s just through those mountains.” He points.

“Dueling peaks. I remember.” She nods. “I remember everything.”

“Everything?” He asks as he starts to dig around a pack on the rear end of Epona, searching for his rito attire. It was starting to get dark, and she hadn’t stopped shaking since they left Castle Town almost three hours ago.

Zelda nods once.

Her silence speaks volumes.

He yanks out his snowquill armor, finally. “Do you remember anything from the last hundred years?” She doesn’t answer right away, she instead takes a smaller than small bite out of the apple. “Zel? Can I put this on you? You’re still shivering.” He asks, looking at her blank, traumatized stare. “It’s from the Rito, it’s soft as a cloud and will keep you warm for the rest of the way.”

“The Rito.” She sighs. “Revali…”

Link realizes that she hasn’t had any time to process what she just went through. She had spent the last one hundred years deeply focused, probably in a trance-like state. He places a hand on her cheek. “Look at me.” His voice is gentle and welcoming, not forcing her at all. She looks at him, their eyes locking. “Breathe with me.”

They take two deep, heavy breaths. They sync their inhales, exhaling together.

“It’s over. It’s all over, okay?” He reassures her. “It’s not coming back. It’s just us now, alright?”

She swallows, still emotionless. “You’ve changed.” She says.

“So have you.” Link smiles in an attempt to comfort her. “Can I put this shirt on you?” He asks again. She answers faster than she usually had, nodding twice this time. Link bunches up the excess fabric before pulling the head-opening over her hair. He then guides each one of her hands through the arm-holes. Link takes a moment to adjust the garb around her torso until it was probably positioned around her shaking body. She immediately sighs in relief.

“You talk more.” She mumbles, looking at him as he gently wraps his fingers around her long, golden hair and softly pulls it out of the shirt, knowing how much it irritates him when his hair is loose underneath a shirt.

He smiles again, “I do. Some people say I don’t shut up.” He tries to lighten the mood.

“Like who?”

“Impa.” He sighs.

Zelda’s eyes light up with that name. “Impa?”

He hums and nods. “We can go visit her when you’re feeling stronger, okay?”

“Okay…” Zelda looked down into her lap, the skirt of her goddess dress was barely white anymore. “I am going to get stronger, right?” She asks, her voice tender and broken.

Link’s heart sinks. Not because he’s worried she won’t, but rather because he feels responsible for putting her in this state.

“Of course.” He reassures. He believed it. He wanted to believe it.

“I’m… just so tired.” She repeats herself.

“I know, come on, let's get you a bed.” He then picks her up bridal style from the ground. They had stopped in the first place to get that rito armor for her. She rests her head against his chest as he lifts her onto Epona. She smells like burnt oil and exhaustion. He probably isn’t smelling any better.

They wouldn’t get to Hateno until noon at the earliest tomorrow, and traveling wasn’t doing anything for her recovery. He gets on Epona behind her, letting her weak body rest against his chest as they make their way to Dueling Peaks Stable. The road is quiet, so much quieter than it ever has been. The pair of lizalfos always swimming in the river aren’t there, and even the crickets suppress their chirps.

It’s post-apocalyptic. Literally. Link isn’t sure how to feel.

She throws up a few hundred feet from the stable. She gags and lurches over the side of the horse, somehow managing to keep it off of anyone. Not much comes out, she hasn’t eaten in over a century, but Link frowns when he realizes the apple probably triggered it. He silently curses himself out for causing her any form of distress. She dry heaves violently, and Link tries to hold her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. When she finishes, she holds her breath.

She can’t decide if she feels like she lost a bit of dignity or not. She holds back the tears that well in her eyes. Link breathes in to say something, but she raises her hand in protest. She would rather they act like it never happened. Neither of them say anything from there on, they just keep riding the final minute of the journey.

Everyone at the stable was asleep except for an attendant… who was also treading precariously between consciousness and a deep rest behind the counter.

“Excuse me?” Link asks to wake him up, hopping off of Epona after making sure Zelda would still be comfortable in his absence. She would never admit she wasn’t.

The man stirs awake with a jolt. He yawns, slightly startled, “So sorry, young man.” Link wouldn’t necessarily call himself young. He smirks softly.

“I’d like to board this horse till the morning, and we’d like one soft bed, please.” Link nods before setting down the required rupees. The man squints his eyes, taking the money in hand.

“Ah! It’s you! Link, was it?” He asks when Link turns his back to help Zelda down from the horse. “Jeez, you haven’t passed through here in at least six months! We were holding onto that old mare for you!” He gestures to their stables where a small gray spotted horse sleeps. Link’s first horse since he woke up from his century-long slumber. He only rode her in the beginning, when he was doing chores between Hateno, Kakariko and one time a longer trip to Zora’s Domain. But she’s old and weak, which is why she was easy to catch when Link was still regaining his strength. He stopped taking her out when he found Epona in the western part of Central Hyrule.

“Yeah… you guys can let her free.” He says as he sets Zelda down on the ground. She holds her cold hands together.

“Well uhh.. we tried. You see, after four months at a stable we let go of any forgotten pony’s, but she kept coming back.” He chuckled, his voice exhibiting a distinctive nasality.

“Here,” Link hands him a red rupee, not wanting to discuss an old horse any longer when he literally has the closest thing to a God in this world resting her head on his back. “Keep her for another month, I’ll come take care of her then. Okay?” Link asks. “Can I get that bed now?” Not impolite or forceful, he never was. He’s assertive but has a comforting cadence to his tone. For being such a talented swordsman, guard and easily the most deadly hylian in the entire kingdom, he was never rude or condescending. He was welcoming, and little kids often looked up at him with intimidation when they first met him, but it didn’t ever take long until they were chasing him with tree-branches while he fled and begged for mercy, letting them take him down with ease. The kids at the stables loved him, knew him by name, and would play as him in their silly pretend games.

The stable-man replies, “Of course! But you only asked for one bed, it’s not big enough to fit both of you.”

“I know, it’s for her not me.” Link then starts to guide her into the stable, where it’s much warmer and safer. Just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean it's safe. Hyrule is a dangerous place by nature, especially if you’re two century-old Gods being hunted for sport with the faces of children.

“You won’t sleep?” Zelda asks quietly behind him.

He doesn’t directly answer, and instead guides her to the bed. She’s weary, and he’s terrified of her not waking up. He wouldn’t be able to sleep even if he wanted to. He helps the Princess sit in the bed, and kneels before her to untie her sandals. When he touches the leather, he immediately gets transported into another memory.

It rips through him, just like the memories he had images of. Suddenly, he’s kneeling in the same position, but instead he was outside of the spring of courage. He looks up to see the clear sky, it’s sunset, and then his eyes meet Zeldas. Her face is rosy, and her eyes don’t have the blank stare they possess in the current time. He looks down at his fingers, tying the straps around her ankle.

“Really, you don’t have to do that.” She hums. He doesn’t respond. He never did back then. He finishes wrapping the leather around itself and then stands up. His face is emotionless. She looks at him, they’re about the same height. “I won’t be long this time.” She says. “I’m not expecting much anyways.” She sighs and then walks past him, but before she can get very far, he gently grabs onto her arm, holding her back. He doesn’t say anything but she can read his expression. He’s trying to tell her to have faith this time, just one more time.

Surely the Goddess would commune with her.

She shakes her head, and wades into the warm waters of the spring. Link turns to watch her, how her hair cascaded down her back, how her hands balled into fists. She turns around to look at him, their eyes meet. She smiles.

He comes back as fast as the scene played in his memory. He blinks a few times, and looks up at her. She doesn’t look any different, very little—if any—time seemed to pass. He doesn’t usually experience memories with someone, he wonders if she realized anything happened. Link didn’t even consider the fact he would keep receiving memories after the fact. His stomach turns, he feels like he’s lived two completely different lives and is forced to remember things from one that he doesn’t even relate to anymore. He doesn’t feel like the same person, the boy he was a hundred years ago is a complete stranger to him.

Link much preferred this life.

And that scares Zelda.

“I just remembered something.” He says. Zelda hums in response, a light-hearted noise that implies an inquiry. He elaborates, “I used to tie your sandals for you at the springs, didn’t I?” He asks.

Zelda smiles for the first time since they defeated Ganon. It’s a small pull of her lips, not showing any teeth but her eyes finally light back up. After she had asked if he remembered her on the field, she collapsed, not even aware of her own exhaustion until that moment. He ran to her aid, and ever since then she felt woozy, it only got worse the further from the castle they got.

“You did, yes.” She says. “I never asked you to, but since I was in the dress, you insisted.” She sighs. Link grunts in response. “It was very chivalrous.” Zelda adds.

They look at each other for a minute. Not saying anything. It was late, and two beds down there was a set of kid brothers sleeping. Link remembered them from their last visit. One of them wanted nothing to do with him, trying to act mature and ‘cool’. Link eventually won him over, though. They don’t speak out of fear of waking anyone. Zelda’s smile slowly fades away, and Link swallows thickly. They will never be the same.

He pulls her sandals off, her feet are filthy with century-old mud. He silently smiles about that. The closest thing to a Goddess in the entire world has dirty feet. How human of her.

Then, after pulling down the heavy rito-down blanket so she can slide in, he helps Zelda swing her legs into the bed. He pulls the blanket up to her neck, she lays on her side facing him. Her hands find their way up to her face, resting her cheek against them. Link pulls a short stool over to the bed, sitting on it and looking at her, bending at the waist.

“You’re not going to leave me, are you?” She asks in a timid, sleepy voice.

Link’s heart just about breaks when she asks. “Never.” He shakes his head. He takes his gloved hand and tucks a piece of her loose hair behind her pointed-ears. He lets his fingers linger a little bit longer than they should. “I will never ever leave you again.”

“Promise?” She asks, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

“Promise.” He whispers, “Just as long as you promise to never leave me, okay?” He asks, ignoring the lump in this throat.

“Promise.” She says, taking her pinky finger and sticking it out for him. He wraps his finger with hers, which is far daintier and softer than he's ever been. She is a Princess, after all.

“Wake up in the morning, okay?” He whispers.

“Mhm.” She hums as her eyes slowly close. He tries to disconnect their pinky fingers, but she holds onto his. He leaves his hand in that position, letting her hold it until she falls fast asleep.

Link doesn’t move his hand until he’s certain it won’t wake her up from her much needed rest. He looks at her gentle, soft face. No one even understands what she just went through, no one ever will. He’s worried sick that she won’t make it through the night, and he keeps leaning his head down to listen to her breathing, or places a few fingers against her forehead to check her temperature.

He does his best to stay vigilant the entire night, not once even looking away from her. But just before the sun rises, his body suddenly catches up with his mind. He also just had the most demanding battle of his life. His muscles started to ache, and he developed a headache. He was just a boy, after all. More than anything, his sword arm was weak, and fire-hot pain shot up and down through it. He probably overused it fightin the calamity.

He keeps telling himself that he’s fine. He has to be fine, for Zelda. His arm isn’t that bad, what really hurts was his heart. Usually he’d just down a fairy tonic and maybe go to the hot springs if he was in the area but this pain was different. A twisting and contracting ache in his chest pulled and tugged on his lungs and pulse. It’s the same pain he felt when he remembered Mipha, and more specifically, the pain he felt when he dreamed about his family before the resurrection.

The dream that gave him the memories of a little sister with blonde hair like his collecting fireflies in her pockets. Her laugh echoing, the call of an older man, the image of a royal guards sword leaned up against the dinner table. The touch of his father’s hand as he rubs Link’s back to sleep.

Link’s first sword.

He wakes up like a fire, standing up and almost toppling over. He didn’t even realize he had fallen asleep. He could hear the soft tune of the penny whistle playing the standard stable theme, and the two little brothers played tag outside. He curses and looks down at Zelda.

Her bed is empty, and his heart completely stops. He starts breathing hard and heavy, his entire nervous system feels as though it’s pulled into stasis. How could he make such a foolish mistake? He swings his sword over his back, strapping his shield to his leathers and turns around in a wild-hunt to see the Princess sitting at the round stable table, drinking out of a mug and speaking gently with an older man.

Link takes a breath of relief, and approaches the two.

“Good Morning.” She smiles up at him. Her voice sounded much better, and her eyes finally had life back into them, but she still wasn’t herself. Her skin still looked sickly, her face hollowed out and eyes droopy. Any progress is good progress, Link decides then and there.

“I… didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Link sighs. “I’m so sorry. When did you wake up?”

“Oh not long ago, maybe twenty minutes? I didn’t want to disturb you-”

“You should have.” He interrupts her and her words get swallowed out of surprise. Link realizes that he snapped at her a little, and immediately becomes apologetic. “I’m sorry, again. I just…”

“You’re worried about me. I understand.” She takes his hand, her bones frail. In many ways, she physically looked worse today than last night. But at least she could hold a conversation. He nods. Zelda notices the tension, and changes the subject, “This kind gentleman was telling me about when you saved the stable from a horde of lizalfos about a year ago.”

Link looks over at the man, Giahzo. “Oh that was nothing, it was just two green lizalfos and a blue one who wandered too close to the stable.” Link hums. Their hands were still held together by Zelda.

“Don’t be so modest!” The old man chuckled, “Without you, it would have been a disaster! The number of monsters means nothing, especially when you don’t know how to fight!”

“That’s very kind of you.” Link smiles and then realizes he and Zeldas hands, he’s the one to pull it away. “What are you drinking?”

“I’m not sure…” Zelda begins and Link immediately snatches the mug from her hand. “Hey!”

“You can’t just drink something mysterious.” Link scolds.

“Oh it’s just a bit of Hateno Milk.” The man assures. Link looks at him, then Zelda, and then into the mug to see the creamy liquid. He brings it to his nose and smells it, and then takes a sip of it. Sure enough, it was just milk.

“I’m sorry, Giahzo.” He apologizes and places the mug back down. “I’m just on high alert.”

“Do not apologize to me, apologize to this lovely young lady you’ve graced us with.” The elderly man smiles with a chuckle, his eyes wrinkling up with his age. Zelda smiles, blushing a little, “Tell me, dear, where are you from? We don’t get many new faces at this stable these days.”

Zelda looks at him, her eyes sad. A hundred years ago every person in Hyrule knew her face. She looks at Link, unsure how to answer.

“She’s from the Outskirts stable.” Link covers for her. “Her family used to reside in Central Hyrule before the Calamity.”

“Yes.” Zelda immediately chirps, “We’re headed to Hateno for…”

“A honeymoon!?” Giahzo smiles brightly. Both Link and Zelda freeze in their tracks, and Link hopes he doesn’t look as embarrassed as he feels. “Hateno is a great Honeymoon destination! Although I’ve heard Lureline is even more splendid!” He clasps his hands together.

“Research.” Zelda clarifies, “so sorry to disappoint.” She chuckles politely, making a conscious effort not to look at Link. “I’m researching… population dynamics in Hyrule.” She makes something up that sounds completely believable.

“Of course.” Link then says, “I’m just escorting her there, we are total strangers.”

That breaks Zelda’s heart.

She knows he’s just trying to be extra careful, pushing her anonymity as much as possible. And in a way, it wasn’t a total lie. But it cut her like a knife.

“I see…” Giahzo doesn’t seem convinced. “Well, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to stop by. Hopefully the monsters will start to die down.” He smiles and stands up, moving outside.

Zelda is still afraid to look at Link, and he’s a little bit shaken up by the entire interaction. He knows the Yiga are still out there, he knows that there are people who will try to take advantage of her for power or money. He has no reason to suspect anything from the old man, but he can’t help himself from being deliberate. He senses her tension and walks back to the bed to gather their things.

“You should have woken me up.” Link says as he picks up a satchel full of food and readjusts his gloves.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was timid and tired. He turns around to see her, her green eyes looking up at him apologetically. “I didn’t know it would worry you so.” He approaches her.

“Of course it worries me.” He sighs. “I spent three years trying to get you out of that castle, I’m not gonna lose you on the first night.” He holds his hand out for her to trade, helping her up. She must not have rested as well as he thought, because as soon as she gets on her feet, she almost topples right over him. He catches her, holding her up before she collapses. “Woah there.” He mutters. “You alright?”

She nods, “Let’s just get to that house you told me about.”

—

chapter two