Shelter
Title: Shelter
Pairing: Link/Sheik (but not really).
Rating: G
Summary: Link's always unlucky when it comes to finding shelter in a storm. (Sheik is a dude in this series).
When it rained, Link was rarely in the position to pause his quest and seek shelter - he was also more often than not quite a distance away from some form of cover at all. Typically a storm would catch him when he was at full gallop on Epona in the middle of Hyrule field, miles away from even a sapling tree. His only option was to urge Epona to continue on through the mess until it sorted itself out. And, maybe, stop when the storm ceased and start a fire in order to dry himself out.
He could have played the Song of Storms in order to quell the storms at any time - but Sheik and Princess Zelda had both stressed the importance of not abusing the Orcarina of Time’s powers, lest he accidentally disrupt the goddesses’ seasonal weather patterns. Link had no idea what a ‘seasonal weather pattern’ was, but it sounded gravely important, so he let it alone.
It happened to be during one of those storms that Link saw Sheik again - he rarely saw the Sheikah other than when he had completed another portion of his quest and required information, so it was a pleasant surprise; Link rather liked the mysterious man in rags. The Hero of Time had been clucking to Epona, encouraging her into a trot despite the muddy grass tripping her up, when he caught sight of a slim form standing - absurdly still, considering how heavy the rain was - at the top of the ridge ahead.
“Hello, Hero,” was all Sheik called out to Link as the Hylian petted his steed to hasten her faster; it was nearly lost in the splattering rains, but Link’s pointed ears were abnormally acute - a fact Sheik probably already knew.
When Epona had mounted the slope and trudged to the near-top of the hill, Link slid easily from her ornamented saddle, green tunic slick with rain. He smiled at Sheik’s unmoving figure, greeting him silently with his blue eyes as he always did; Sheik’s face was hidden by tattered rags, preventing Link from seeing if his smile was returned.
“Come, Hero, I’ve booked lodgings for you and your horse; we must hasten, the storm grows only worse,” Sheik stated, extending a hand to gesture towards a town gate looming in the rain-streaked distance.
“It better have something to eat!” squealed a tittering voice from beneath Link’s limp hat, a flicker of cerulean light peeking out from the brim. Link chuckled quietly and hushed the fairy by tucked the hat back down over his bangs. He took a step forward as if to follow Sheik’s direction, only to stagger - throwing his arms out in a desperate attempt at balancing himself out - as his leather boots slipped in watery mud. Grasping wildly, he managed to catch Sheik’s thin shirt between his fingers, sending the Sheikah toppling over with him as he fell.
Unfortunately, the pair tumbled backwards - being so close to the top of the ridge as they were - and, no sooner than had they hit the mud with a squelching splatter, they were skidding down the hill in a landslide of loose topsoil and heavy mud. Epona whinnied where she was abandoned at the high point of the ridge, shaking out her dripping mane as her rider and his Sheikah informant disappeared down the steep incline.
Link let out a harsh exhale of air as he rolled and hit a patch of flat ground at the foundation of the gradient, a hard warmth landing on his stomach amid the churning of frigid mud. He groaned and blinked - working bits of dirt and wet grass from his eyes - raising himself up on one elbow in order to spit out a mouthful of gritty muck. Thick blonde hair clung wetly to his face and neck, hat lost somewhere during the tumble down, blue eyes wide on a face caked with sludge.
Sheik had fell neatly across Link’s stomach, his upper body entrenched in the mud beside Link’s thigh - he too had drawn himself up on his elbows, the dirty remains of his face mask hanging limply from a pointed ear. He tilted his head towards the Hero of Time, soft red eyes crinkled in annoyance at their predicament. His lips - thin, chapped - pursed before he finally spoke:
“Your balance is quite lacking, Hero.”
And Link laughed in response, tipping his head back and laughing hard into the rain - He could respect the laws of ‘seasonal weather patterns’ for as long as the Princess commanded without complaint, if only to see Sheik’s face in such a comically displeased expression.
Navi emerged from a puddle of mud at Link’s elbow, glowing wings working furiously to shake the dirt from her tiny body; she shivered with cold even after Link had scooped her up and warmed her in his careful grasp, grumbling about seeking shelter faster next time.
Pairing: Link/Sheik (but not really).
Rating: G
Summary: Link's always unlucky when it comes to finding shelter in a storm. (Sheik is a dude in this series).
When it rained, Link was rarely in the position to pause his quest and seek shelter - he was also more often than not quite a distance away from some form of cover at all. Typically a storm would catch him when he was at full gallop on Epona in the middle of Hyrule field, miles away from even a sapling tree. His only option was to urge Epona to continue on through the mess until it sorted itself out. And, maybe, stop when the storm ceased and start a fire in order to dry himself out.
He could have played the Song of Storms in order to quell the storms at any time - but Sheik and Princess Zelda had both stressed the importance of not abusing the Orcarina of Time’s powers, lest he accidentally disrupt the goddesses’ seasonal weather patterns. Link had no idea what a ‘seasonal weather pattern’ was, but it sounded gravely important, so he let it alone.
It happened to be during one of those storms that Link saw Sheik again - he rarely saw the Sheikah other than when he had completed another portion of his quest and required information, so it was a pleasant surprise; Link rather liked the mysterious man in rags. The Hero of Time had been clucking to Epona, encouraging her into a trot despite the muddy grass tripping her up, when he caught sight of a slim form standing - absurdly still, considering how heavy the rain was - at the top of the ridge ahead.
“Hello, Hero,” was all Sheik called out to Link as the Hylian petted his steed to hasten her faster; it was nearly lost in the splattering rains, but Link’s pointed ears were abnormally acute - a fact Sheik probably already knew.
When Epona had mounted the slope and trudged to the near-top of the hill, Link slid easily from her ornamented saddle, green tunic slick with rain. He smiled at Sheik’s unmoving figure, greeting him silently with his blue eyes as he always did; Sheik’s face was hidden by tattered rags, preventing Link from seeing if his smile was returned.
“Come, Hero, I’ve booked lodgings for you and your horse; we must hasten, the storm grows only worse,” Sheik stated, extending a hand to gesture towards a town gate looming in the rain-streaked distance.
“It better have something to eat!” squealed a tittering voice from beneath Link’s limp hat, a flicker of cerulean light peeking out from the brim. Link chuckled quietly and hushed the fairy by tucked the hat back down over his bangs. He took a step forward as if to follow Sheik’s direction, only to stagger - throwing his arms out in a desperate attempt at balancing himself out - as his leather boots slipped in watery mud. Grasping wildly, he managed to catch Sheik’s thin shirt between his fingers, sending the Sheikah toppling over with him as he fell.
Unfortunately, the pair tumbled backwards - being so close to the top of the ridge as they were - and, no sooner than had they hit the mud with a squelching splatter, they were skidding down the hill in a landslide of loose topsoil and heavy mud. Epona whinnied where she was abandoned at the high point of the ridge, shaking out her dripping mane as her rider and his Sheikah informant disappeared down the steep incline.
Link let out a harsh exhale of air as he rolled and hit a patch of flat ground at the foundation of the gradient, a hard warmth landing on his stomach amid the churning of frigid mud. He groaned and blinked - working bits of dirt and wet grass from his eyes - raising himself up on one elbow in order to spit out a mouthful of gritty muck. Thick blonde hair clung wetly to his face and neck, hat lost somewhere during the tumble down, blue eyes wide on a face caked with sludge.
Sheik had fell neatly across Link’s stomach, his upper body entrenched in the mud beside Link’s thigh - he too had drawn himself up on his elbows, the dirty remains of his face mask hanging limply from a pointed ear. He tilted his head towards the Hero of Time, soft red eyes crinkled in annoyance at their predicament. His lips - thin, chapped - pursed before he finally spoke:
“Your balance is quite lacking, Hero.”
And Link laughed in response, tipping his head back and laughing hard into the rain - He could respect the laws of ‘seasonal weather patterns’ for as long as the Princess commanded without complaint, if only to see Sheik’s face in such a comically displeased expression.
Navi emerged from a puddle of mud at Link’s elbow, glowing wings working furiously to shake the dirt from her tiny body; she shivered with cold even after Link had scooped her up and warmed her in his careful grasp, grumbling about seeking shelter faster next time.