The hero's lips drew down into a small pout as he stared glumly into the downpour. Luckily, he had found a tree to cower under, but he was still getting wet enough for a deep chill to settle in his skin. He hoped he didn't get pneumonia.
He clasped his hands together, breathing hot air into them, trying to warm up as his nose turned an alarming shade of pink. If only he had foreseen the storm coming. He could have already been up on Skyloft, tucked away into a warm, dry bed. The thought alone was enough to make a longing, cold shiver wrack his body.
He just hoped the storm didn't last all night. The last time he had ate a decent meal was yesterday for breakfast, and the hunger pains had started to pool into his lower gut and sides. Maybe he wouldn't die from pneumonia, the great hero of time would pass from starvation. The dark joke did manage to bring a small flicker of a smile to his lips for the barest of a second.
His ears twitched as a chime managed to break through the incessant static of the rain. A little bit panicked, the hero searched the area beneath the tree to his right, but then snapped his attention the left as a familiar voice spoke.
"This is really a miserable sight, even for you SkyChild," the demon chuckled. "I always thought I'd be your downfall, but it looks like the cold might beat me to it."
Link tensed in his sitting position as his foe began to talk, and then stiffened even more when Ghirahim made to approach him. At any other time, the hero would of had enough sense to bolt right then and there or at least draw his damned sword, but something danced in the chocolate brown eyes of his enemy, something innocent and harmless that kept him rooted to the spot.
"But I can't have that. As much as I'd live to see you die, I want it to be at the hands of me during battle," cruelly soothed.
The thought only occurred to Link when Ghirahim say down beside him, oh so close to himself but just far enough away. The bastard was completely dry, and the hero could almost feel the heat radiating off the other's skin. It must've been nice to have magic at times like this.
A light rusting broke the boy out of his train of thought as Ghirahim unclasped the chain that held his startling crimson mantle together. Link watched warily as the fabric fell off of the demon's shoulders and into his hands. And, he held a breath as those hands found their way to him, wrapping the cloak around his shivering self. Every time one of Ghirahim's fingers would happen to brush against his bare skin, a tirade of goose bumps broke out on his arms.
"You're terrified of me," Ghirahim stated. It wasn't a threat, just an observation as the demon pulled away and his mantle now hugged Link, providing a tiny sliver of warmth.
The Hylian didn't think too much into the statement. He was more focused on other things, like how Ghirahim's mantle smelled like an Autumn night with a faint hint of vanilla. As much as he didn't want to admit it, alongside with the little heat it provided for him, it soothed him in this rather precarious situation.
"Why are you helping me?" His voice came out as a rough croak, breaking on the last word from lack of use. But if Ghirahim noticed, he decided not to say anything.
"Like I said before, I want to be what kills you, not a cold," Ghirahim offered.
However, his velvety voice held a light playfulness that didn't make the explanation come out as cold as Link would have liked. He needed something painfully normal to break them out of this moment they were having.
"Then kill me now," he whispered, barely a hush over the onslaught of the raindrops that surrounded the partially dry area.
"That would be too cowardly of a move for me," Ghirahim murmured back.
The other was so close now that he could fell the heat of the other now, and the warmth gently seduced him into scooting over closer, an action he only noticed before it was too late. Their arms brushed up against each other as their knees awkwardly bumped together, and it reminded him of how grade school kids tried to get their first crush's attention. The mere thought made a blush crawl up his neck and onto his cheeks, but, despite his mortification, a small, contented sigh escaped his lips. The heat from the other came like a searing kiss, and found himself leaning even more, completely pressing their sides together. Ghirahim fidgeted, as if even he hadn't expected this little, bold move.
"I'm so cold," his quavering voice pleaded. He quickly screwed his eyes shut tight, hating himself for how desperate he sounded.
After he started seeing colorful explosions in the blackness of his vision, he felt a light weight lay across his shoulders. The hero meekly opened his eyes, choking down a whimper as he realized his foe now had an arm wrapped around him, hugging their bodies closer together. It felt so good to his own freezing body.
"Don't mistake the one moment for weakness Skychild," Ghirahim warned.
Link nodded in agreement as he let his head rest on the demon's shoulder. His eyes lazily flickered upwards, landing on the other's lips. He noticed the softness of Ghirahim's voice when he spoke, and how his mouth seemed to be the warmest part of the demon. It would probably feel like Heaven to have those hot, intoxicating lips on him at the moment. Link froze at the thought, and this time the blush came out much more pronounced and traveled all the way up to his ears.
"You're face is the color of a health potion," Ghirahim exclaimed. Link's stomach dropped even further when he could very clearly detect concern laced into his enemy's voice.
"Just the cold," he half-lied.
"You're still not warm?"
Link lifted his head up to listen to the other's inquisition, but immediately a dull aching reverberated through his body as the little white wisps of the other's hot breath landed against his face. With a shaky, frost bitten hand, he cupped a side of Ghirahim's face. The other flinched at the contact, from the mere touch or the coldness of his fingers Link couldn't decide, but didn't actually move away. After a wobbly, hesitant second, the hero leaned upwards and delicately pressed his blue lips against the demon's ivory ones.
It was pure bliss. A new kind of welcomed heat weaved through the hero's body and sloshed in the bottom of his stomach as his kiss was cautiously returned. All too soon for Link's liking Ghirahim pulled away, and cold nothingness pervades him once more. His eyes stared stunned down at the damp, mud stricken grass before shyly meeting the other's again.
And it was in that beautifully horrible moment that the hero realized nothing would ever be the same again.
Frantic, Link closed the space between them again, kissing the other needy. The demon bowed to the hero's conflicted wants for a couple moments, kissing him back with the same sloppiness . But as the hero let out a small, shameful moan, Ghirahim broke the kiss again, this time holding the other away at an arm's length. A small whimper escaped the boy's pouted lips at the sudden absence of the other's warmth.
"Nothing has changed," Ghirahim warned breathily.
Link didn't know if the demon was saying that to him or trying to convince himself, but he found himself nodding in agreement as his foe sharply looked at him. And he kept nodding, saying he understood as the other left him in the unbearable cold again, disappearing for the rest of that fateful night.
But, as a few tears escaped the hero and he quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle a mournful sob, he knew that everything had changed.
A/N: Inspired by the rainy days my town in the middle of nowhere has been having
