Redemption (Link x Reader)

Chapter 19: Loveless

Thud. Thud.

The sudden noise kick started your heart, and your mind raced with all of the possibilities as to who could be at the door. Wrapping yourself up in your blanket for a bit more decency, you crept slowly down the stairs.

The shop was bathed in moonlight, and through a window you could just barely make out a tall silhouette standing outside. It was not bright enough that you could make out who it was, but you could tell that it was definitely a man.

A feeling of annoyance bloomed in your chest. Was it Jay? You had absolutely no desire to talk to or see him at the moment. 

The sadness you felt earlier had gradually faded into anger and you were afraid that if you had to look at his face in your current state of mind you would say something you would come to regret.

Wrapping the blanket tighter around you, you stopped right in front of the door.

"Go away, Jay. I don't want to see you right now. If you wanted to talk to me you should have bothered to show up to Ilia's this evening like you were supposed to." Your voice was clear and devoid of any emotion. 

You didn't want him to know how hurt you were.

"Well, then I might have some good news for you."

Your eyebrows shot up, surprised to hear the voice on the other side. You immediately fumbled with the locks and pulled the door open.

"Hero?"

Said man was leaning comfortably against a wooden beam that stood just a few meters away from the door. He was dressed in his casual civilian clothing, his fancy Royal Guard uniform swapped out for a loose fitting green tunic and tan pants.

He looked up as the door opened and gave you a soft smile.

You narrow your eyes. "If you're trying to convince me to gave up and let myself cry, it ain't happening."

"Whoa, take it easy I'm not here to bully you." Link assured. "Just.... Can I come in? I bring gifts." He patted the bag that hung at his side.

Still working through your feelings of surprise, you simply nodded and stepped to the side so that he could pass by you.

After putting the locks back into place, you turned around and suddenly felt very self-conscious about your clothing.. or lack thereof. Underneath your blanket you were only wearing a large nightshirt that hardly covered your butt. 

You cursed yourself mentally for not having the foresight to put on some pants.

"What are you doing here?" You asked, squinting up at your.....friend-enemy ex-boyfriend. Afraid that your tone was a bit too harsh, you immediately rushed to add, "N-not that I'm happy you're here. It's just late and you've had a long day, I'm surprised you're not already asleep."

You certainly were not unhappy that he was here. 

In fact, you made a point to not acknowledge the relief (and maybe a bit of happiness) that had immediately washed over you when you saw that it was him at the door instead of Jay. His presence brought nothing but comfort, which you knew would not have been the case for anyone else. 

The only thing that made you nervous was the fact that he had seen you so upset earlier. You weren't sure you were feeling up to rehashing the day's shitty events and how worthless you were.

Link just shrugged. "Even if I wasn't here, I wouldn't be sleeping. There's a fancy party taking place up at the castle right now. I should be working, but I called in a favor with Zelda and managed to get out of it." He grinned mischievously, clearly proud of his actions.