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Day 12: Last Minute Shopping ft. Sidlink

Summary:

Sidon catches word that Link is dropping by Zora's Domain for a visit. He's gotta hurry to find the perfect gift to convey the growing feelings he's begun associating with the Hylian in his absence, and speaking of, BOY do they have a lot to catch up on when he gets here!

(This is part of a collection of silly, rushed drabbles for me to get into the holiday spirit. Make of them what you will, and happy holidays!)

Notes:

I have never even written anything close to LOZ fanfiction before, so if this is atrocious I apologize lol

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Sidon was panicking, just a little bit.

Link was due to arrive anytime within the next, oh, thirty to forty minutes, and he still didn’t have a celebratory present for the rambunctious Hylian. Ever since they’d worked together to appease Divine Beast Vah Ruta, Sidon and Link had formed a sort of companionship. After Link inevitably had to leave Zora’s Domain to continue his grand crusade against Calamity Ganon, Sidon had sent him off with the fondest of well wishes…and in the time that elapsed since, the prince found himself thinking of Link more and more often.

…Alright, Sidon could readily admit to himself that he missed the adventurer. Despite some older Zoras’ lingering unease towards him, Sidon had done everything to ensure Link was welcomed into the Domain with open arms. And in the process, Sidon may have developed a greater attachment to his visitor than he’d initially intended.

Which is exactly why he had to make an even better impression on Link during his second visit! Sure, he’d displayed definite acrobatic prowess on the occasion of their first meeting, and Sidon had even bestowed some electro elixirs to the Hylian as a show of good faith, but…that was before they’d come to know each other. Now, there would be expectations, and connotations, and, and…

Flexing his fins, Sidon took a deep breath. He was getting too far ahead of himself, wasn’t he? His excitement so often ran out of control, most of all in matters of those he admired such as Link.

But yes, a gift was certainly in order. What would someone like Link, a brave and at times feral traveler who’d been to most corners of the land, want to receive as a present? Link already owned so many treasures from so many places to aid him on his quest. The real question was, what didn’t Link already have?

Then, it hit Sidon like a slap to the face: the one thing he’d observed Link to be lacking in during their last encounter. One trip to the Domain’s market yielded the exact article Sidon had in mind. He safely tucked it away under his ever-present sash hardly a moment too soon; he’d scarcely taken his first step out into the Domain’s courtyard before the stationed Zora guards convened on someone crossing the bridge.

One glimpse at the sandy blonde hair and blue tunic, and Sidon knew exactly who it was.

”Link!” Sidon greeted loudly, dashing across the square.

The guards perked up at their prince’s voice, bowing and stepping aside to allow him a one on one audience with the new arrival. Link’s watery blue eyes brightened at the sight of his friend, and Sidon felt his heart do a funny little dance in his chest. My, my…he had missed Link even more than he’d thought.

Puffing up his chest, Link stiffly bowed. “Your highness.”

“There’s no need for such formality,” Sidon chuckled, bending down somewhat to better reach the shorter man. “You know I consider us to be on equal ground, don’t you?”

“Psh, yeah,” Link dismissed, just as quickly reverting to a casual stance and strolling into the square. “I was just messing around.”

“Ah!” Sidon’s arm fins rippled self-consciously. “Yes, of course. Just a joke. You always have been a funny one, Link.”

Glancing back, Link graced Sidon with a knowing smirk as they continued further into the domain. “So, what’s new? What’ve I missed since last time? Looks like the rain has stayed gone, at least.”

“Hardly any news here,” Sidon brushed off, picking up his pace to match Link’s. “I’d be much more enthralled to hear about what’s new with you. You’ve been all over the place lately, haven’t you?”

“Even more than usual, yeah,” Link admitted, picking a clump of debris out of his hair. “Haven’t been able to catch a break lately.”

Even through his nonchalant yet alert demeanor, Sidon could see a ghostly weight on Link’s shoulders. The Zora couldn’t imagine it was easy having the responsibilities of reclaiming Divine Beasts and overthrowing such a vast, evil force as Ganondorf. The pressure on Link must be immense, far greater than what Sidon’s royal duties expected of him.

“How about we go find a place to take a break, then?” Sidon offered, a location already in mind. “We can catch up!”

A softness rounded out Link’s weary face. “I’d like that.”

Doing his utmost to stop his tail from wagging in excitement, Sidon led the way to one of the larger pools of water beneath Polymus Mountain, one of his favorites to swim in. Link settled on the grass at the water’s edge, slipping off his shoes and letting his feet dangle in the cold, refreshing water. Sidon gracefully slipped beneath the water, propelling himself with experts kicks of his legs and maneuvers of his shark-like tail.

Once he’d released most of his overflowing energy, Sidon settled his arms on the bank beside Link, resting his head atop them and prompting the Hylian to share stories of his latest adventures and encounters. Link spoke of taming horses, meeting all manner of monsters, nearly freezing to death in a frozen wasteland, nearly sweating to death in a desert wasteland, and living off whatever edible scraps he scrounged up in the wild.

Sidon thoroughly enjoyed every word, both because he liked the sound of Link’s voice and because his tales served as a reminder of why he was so fond of the Hylian. He and Link were similar in their commitment and striving for the good of others, but where Sidon was a royal and refined individual, Link was a wild and rowdy nomad. It was a nice change of pace…

That thought jogged Sidon’s memory. He pulled out his offering from beneath the sash around his torso, keeping it obscured in his hand. “Speaking of, Link, I…wanted to get you something to celebrate your return to the Domain.”

Link shook his head. “Nah, you didn’t have to do that—”

“I wanted to!” Sidon interrupted, alarmed by the notion that Link might believe himself undeserving of a gift. “It’s last minute, but I picked this up and thought you might find it useful.”

With Link’s undivided, curious attention on him, Sidon felt nervousness tangling his insides. Steeling himself, he extended his hand and opened his palm. Sitting against the rubbery skin of his hand were a pair of earrings, two spherical opals that shimmered with the colors of oil on water. Elaborate golden trim held them in place.

Link’s eyes sparkled with a reflection of the opals’ inner rainbows. He shook himself, gingerly taking the earrings and dangling them in front of his face. Sidon waited with baited breath, ready to duck underwater and swim off his shame in the unlikely event that his gift was rejected.

“They’re…real pretty,” Link huffed, a genuine smile lighting his face. “I picked up an outfit in the Gerudo Desert that would go perfectly with these…”

“Really?” Sidon sighed in relief, pulling his upper half higher onto the bank. “I’m glad to hear it. I understand that those particular earrings help you swim faster.”

Humming, Link fidgeted with each piece of jewelry around his ears, slipping them on so that they dangled and shone beautifully on either side of his face. Sidon found himself unable to break his line of sight away from them; he’d only bought them hoping to impress Link with a thoughtful and practical gift, but…wow, they made him look really, really majestic. More so than usual, anyway.

“…You good, Sidon?” Link checked, cocking his head to the side.

A flush rushed over Sidon’s already red skin. “Y-yes! It’s just…those earrings look really good on you, honestly.”

In a turn of events Sidon hadn’t even hoped to expect, Link’s face reflected his own flush. The Hylian chuckled nervously, eyes darting to the side for only a moment before definitively landing back on Sidon.

Donning a face he normally reserved for when he was about to take a big, arguably reckless risk, Link reached out to cup Sidon’s cheek. The Zora’s tail splashed through the water with a start, surprising even him. The two burst into quiet laughter as a mutual understanding settled between them.

“You know what, Sidon?” Link asked, leaning back on the grass and scratching absently behind Sidon’s head crest. “I think I’ll stick around for a while.”

Feeling like a guppy who’d just had the world handed to him, Sidon leaned over to rest his head against the edge of Link’s lap. “I’d like that, Link.”

Thus ends the twelfth day of Christmas.