Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Link pulled back on the reins, guiding his horse down to the bank of the river. The handful of soldiers riding with him followed dutifully, more than grateful for the midday break from their ride across the kingdom. 

"Doing alright?" he said softly to his horse, patting her neck before dismounting. Epona was a powerful warhorse, but Link was well aware she had her limits. Their party was driving hard to make it to their destination by nightfall, but despite their urgency, he remained attentive to her needs.

Around them, his fellow knights of Hyrule dismounted from their horses, murmuring in relief at the first break since their departure from the castle at dawn. Link had known well the urgency of this mission, but even he had to agree, he needed this break, even if it would be short.

“No more than ten minutes!” he called out to the loose group. “We still have a long way to go!” His order was, of course, met with more groaning, but he wouldn’t hold it against them. A saddle, no matter how well made, could only be comfortable for so long. 

After making sure his men and his horse were fine, Link broke away from the group, heading towards the nearby hill in the hopes of gaining a better vantage point. This area was not the worst of Hyrule, but they were far enough from settlements that monsters might get cocky. 

As he walked, Link reached into his travel pack, fumbling around for a moment before finding the package he saw his husband sneak into his bag when he thought he wasn’t looking. His fingers brushed against a soft fabric, and he knew he found what he was looking for.

The little box was wrapped in one of Rowan’s bandanas. He had quite a collection, made mostly from scraps from Daisy’s fabric stock. This one was an ashy green, and the knot easily fell away when he tugged on it. Juggling the box and the bandana, careful not to let either slip out of his grasp, Link finally got it open, peeking at what his husband deemed the perfect surprise for him to find later.

Inside was a pair of hand pies, the pastry shiny and crispy with nothing leaking from the seams. There were a trio of thin slices on the top to vent steam, but even those managed to have nothing leaking out. Link could already smell their aroma, the thought of spiced vegetables and chicken — his favorite version of these treats — making his mouth water.

Rowan never ceased to amaze him. Link hadn’t even seen him make the pies, even if he had caught his husband slipping the box into his bag.

Inside a smaller box within the main box was a serving of roasted nuts, and candied, dried fruit. It wasn’t dissimilar to the trail snacks he was used to from his military travels, but Rowan made them so they actually had flavor . Taste wasn’t exactly a priority for army rations, after all, only nourishment.

Link felt a little bad about sneaking away from the rest of the soldiers to eat what Rowan had packed for him. But honestly, he found he didn’t care. Most of them had partners or family who would send them off with care packages of their own, too. Martin might tease him about it, but it was all in good fun.

Plus, there was another box, this one slightly bigger, that he’d seen stashed deeper in his bag. He knew this one would be filled with some treat to share — a batch of cookies, if he had to guess. Link had noticed those, the aroma of baking cookies impossible to miss when he’d gotten home the night before. He was more than happy to share them with his fellow knights and soldiers… after he tucked away a couple to save for himself later on.

Chapter Text

The cool evening air hit Link the moment he walked out of the restaurant. Rain was falling in steady, heavy drops, pounding against the pavement. Link hesitated in the doorway, feeling Rowan press against his back as he tried to fit in the entryway with Link.

The awning above the door was just enough to stop the rain from hitting them, but Link dreaded the walk back to his apartment. They’d both be soaked and cold by the time they’d go their separate ways. Neither of them were prepared for the rain. It had been a warm, sunny afternoon when they’d stepped outside earlier, and Link hadn’t considered bringing a rain jacket or umbrella.

Rowan pushed past him, careful not to push him out from under the awning. He was wearing a jacket. He was wearing a short sleeved shirt underneath, and had been chilly earlier. While Link had thought his sweater would be fine.

Rowan leaned over and pressed a kiss against Link’s temple. Then, he reached into his pocket. “We’re in luck, the last time I wore this coat it was pouring down rain.” And he pulled an umbrella out.

It was a small, retractable one with barely enough room for two people. But Link was grateful all the same. Rowan opened the umbrella and held out an arm. Link looped his arm in Rowan’s, pressing himself as close to Rowan’s side as he could to stay under the umbrella. Together, they stepped out into the rain and started back towards their neighborhood.

They would have to go their separate ways eventually, Link knew, but for now he was enjoying how close they were. Even if the umbrella wasn’t quite enough to keep them fully dry.

As soon as they stepped out from under the awning, the rain began to patter noisily against the cheap umbrella. The two of them shuffled along the sidewalk, trying to stay dry under the sky’s assault, but each step shifted one or the other out from under their meager protection. Link grimaced as the rainwater slipped off the end of the umbrella directly onto his shoulder, the chill sinking into his sweater.

Maybe they should have taken up the waiter’s offer to peruse the dessert menu.

“At least Nola's flowers will be happy with this rain,” Rowan said, breaking the silence between them brought on by the chill. “She’s just put some in the planter box on her patio.”

“Isn’t she the neighbor that works at the florist down on Anderson?”

“That’s her,” Rowan confirmed with a laugh. “She’s offered to transfer a few of her flowers into a pot to put on my balcony once they grow a bit more.”

Link smiled, imagining the little apartment courtyard covered in flowers. Nola's patio was across the courtyard from Rowan's second floor apartment, and from what he'd heard, the two of them have been in a generosity battle since Rowan had moved in. For every pastry or loaf of bread he brought her, she retaliated with bouquets and seeds and tea. He had no doubt Rowan's apartment would be a greenhouse by the end of the summer.

Link, too distracted by his musings, didn’t notice the puddle until there was water seeping into his shoes. He grimaced, knowing he would need to clean the shoes later if he didn’t want them to get water stains. At least he could throw them in the wash.

“These puddles are terrible. It must have been raining for quite a while.”

“Must have,” Rowan said. “Your shoes are wet.”

Link hummed and leaned further into Rowan’s side. “Well, it can’t be helped now.”

They were almost to Rowan’s apartment, but Rowan didn’t seem eager to pull away. “I’ll walk you back to your apartment.”

“What? No, it’s so far out of your way!”

“But I have the umbrella.”

Link shook his head. “I’m already soaked, it can’t get much worse during the rest of the walk.”

Rowan frowned, his forehead crinkling. A lock of hair was dangling over his forehead, curled tightly from the moisture. “I’ll feel better if I know you got home safe.”

Link opened his mouth, then shut it wordlessly. His cheeks warmed, and Rowan grinned at him. “And I’ll feel better knowing you got home safe.”

Link could tell that Rowan was about to reply, but before he could, he suddenly spun around and wrapped his arms around Link. Link gasped, tensing at the sudden movement. But then he noticed the car speeding by, the tires throwing up a wave of water, absolutely soaking Rowan and still getting on Link even with Rowan blocking most of it.

In the shuffle, their umbrella had fallen to the ground. Already, the rain was soaking both of them, plastering hair and clothes to their skin. Rowan looked up at the sky, and his grin widened.

Link crossed his arms and scowled. “Why’d you do that? You’re soaked.”

“Better me than you.”

Link had to fight to maintain his frown. Of course Rowan would say something like that. The sweet, chivalrous ass.

“Besides, I’ve always wanted to dance in the rain.”

Link couldn’t help the answering smile or the blush that rose to his cheeks.

He laughed when Rowan grabbed his hand, barely remembering to grab their forgotten umbrella as he was dragged down the street. Rowan spun him around and the two of them twirled, danced to a silent song. They were nearly tripping over each other, taking turns leading and spinning the other. It didn’t matter that Rowan was taller, Link stretched his arm above Rowan’s head so he could spin beneath him.

After a final spin, Rowan released Link’s hand and then shifted into a running skip, grinning as he turned back to Link. His curly hair had gone wild, soaked and sticking to his face, or sticking out in random directions. But he was grinning, completely uncaring about the rain now that he had been thoroughly soaked.

Link’s sweater was sopping wet, holding in the water like a sponge. His socks squelched miserably with each step. But he had to admit, Rowan had the right idea. They were already soaked, what was a little more rain?

Chapter Text

Link peered through the glass display case, staring intently at the wide selection of delicate, delectable pastries. A finger idly tapped his lips as he thought carefully over the choices presented to him. “How about…” he started, trailing off as he finalized his selection, “one more of the strawberry jam.”

The tongs appeared inside the case, expertly grabbing one of the many pastries in the row, and pulled it out and up above the counter. Link rose with it, watching as Rowan carefully placed it into the box, completing the third row of pastries laid out neatly inside. “Are you sure you don’t need another box?” Rowan asked. “We have plenty.”

“It’s just the General and a few captains today,” Link waved off his concern. “The meeting won’t be too crowded, this should be more than enough.” Rowan raised an eyebrow unbelievingly, but didn’t push the matter further. Instead, he flipped the box lid shut and turned around to grab some twine to tie it.

As his back was turned, Link reached for his coin purse on his belt, shuffling around the rupees inside to find the amount he needed. He spotted a red rupee and plucked it out, setting it on the counter as he tried to find another.

“Link!”

“What?”

“You don’t have to pay!”

“Rowan, I’m taking these to an official meeting with officers from the army. These aren’t just for fun.” Link dropped another rupee on the counter. Was that enough? He should probably tip as well.

“You live here. You practically work here. You don’t have to pay.”

Link ignored him, adding a handful of green rupees to the pile on the counter. It had been a while since he’d calculated a tip, but he thought that was enough. When Rowan tried pushing the rupees back towards him, Link shoved them back across the counter.

“The queen pays me more than enough anyways, I don’t see the problem here.”

“We basically share the income from the bakery. You’re just paying yourself.”

That gave Link pause. He tilted his head and tapped his chin in thought. He’d never thought of it like that. “It’s the principle of it, Rowan. You deserve to be paid for your work.”

“And employees get a discount at the bakery,” Rowan refuted. “How many times have you seen me take one of the bagels from the case to have during downtime?”

“Yes, but you made them!”

“And the time I ate one of the cupcakes you made?”

“That cupcake was a group effort!”

Rowan sighed, rolling his eyes. “I take it you won’t be dropping this?”

“Nope!” Link smiled, taking his exasperation as a victory. He took the box of pastries from Rowan, finishing the knot for him while he halfheartedly glared at Link. He leaned over the counter, standing on his tiptoes to reach far enough to peck a quick kiss to Rowan’s cheek. “You don’t want to make me late to my meeting.”

“If you’re late, that’s your own fault.”

Link pointed a finger at Rowan’s chest. “You’re the one not taking the good customer’s money. That’s bad for business, you know.”

“If your general finds out why you were late, she’d agree with me.”

“No she wouldn’t!” Rowan simply raised an eyebrow in challenge. Link held his ground for all of a minute before he caved. “Fine,” he huffed, snatching the box off the counter. His annoyed facade melted when Rowan grinned, reaching across the counter to offer him a kiss of his own. “Alright, alright, I’m going. I won’t be late.”

“Have a good day,” Rowan said, letting Link duck away towards the door. He waved at him before heading out onto the street, the bell at the top of the door jingling as he left. Rowan shook his head with a fond chuckle. Link was certainly a stubborn character when he wanted to be. Rowan turned his attention back to the display case, ready to take note of what Link had taken with him so he could restock before the morning rush, but he paused.

Link’s rupees still sat on the counter, glittering mockingly at him in the beam of morning sunlight streaming through the front window. That sneaky little…

_________

When Link returned home after a long day of meetings, it was to a home cooked meal and a welcome home kiss. He couldn’t stop smiling as they ate dinner and asked Rowan about his day. He didn’t care if he looked like a lovesick teen on their first date.

It wasn’t much later, after they’d washed the dishes from dinner and gotten ready for bed, that Link remembered the paperwork he’d brought back with him. Luckily, none of it needed to be taken care of tonight, but he needed to put it on his desk before he forgot about it. He kissed Rowan on the forehead and left him to finish getting ready for bed.

In the spare room that served as an office space for the two of them, Link set the papers on his desk. He paused, however, when he spotted a new item on the desk. A small clay pot, around the size of a vase, was there where this morning there had only been a coffee mug. Link frowned and picked it up, hearing the jingling of something inside. He tipped it over, holding his hand out to catch whatever came out.

Two red rupees and a handful of green ones.

Link broke out in quiet laughter, shaking his head. Of course Rowan would find a way to refuse his payment. He turned the pot around, holding it in the moonlight streaming through the window. A small slip of paper was tied around the neck of the pot, and he had to squint slightly to read Rowan’s flowy handwriting in the low light.

“LINK’S TIPS”

That sneaky little…

Chapter Text

Link dragged his feet across the kitchen floor, grateful for the soft, fluffy socks he’d put on hours ago. He didn’t know what time it was or how long he’d been awake. Rowan had gone to bed hours ago, after Link assured him he’d be there soon.

And then he’d gotten distracted by paperwork. And then emails. And then more paperwork.

He hadn’t checked the clock, but his stomach was grumbling and he knew he wouldn’t be able to finish filling out the last few forms, let alone sleep, if he was hungry.

What he hadn’t considered, however, was that it had been a while since they’d gone grocery shopping. And they’d finished the last of the leftovers for dinner last night. When he opened the fridge, there were very few options. Half empty condiment bottles, a jar of pickles with only one spear remaining, the half bottle of white wine left from dinner, and a package of hummus from Link couldn’t even remember when. A plastic bag with a single slice of ham from last week — or was it the week before? And a bit of pasta sauce, but Link knew they didn’t have any pasta left. None of it was very appetizing, and most of it probably wasn’t safe to eat.

Then he opened the drawer, and spotted the bag of shredded cheese.

Perhaps it was the sleep-deprived state he was in that fuelled it, but Link would be the first to admit he lunged at the bag with the ferocity of a starving lion spotting its prey. The blanket thrown over his shoulders slipped to the ground, pooling at his feet as he tore the bag open. Link grabbed a fistful of cheese, uncaring of the stray pieces that fell from his grasp and sprinkled across the blanket. He brought the hand to his mouth, ready to devour the delicious, heavenly handful of store-brand shredded cheddar.

The kitchen light flickered on.

Link hissed, shielding his eyes from the sudden onslaught of burning fluorescent light. Unfortunately, the instinctive move had him dropping the bag and handful of cheese. “Shit!” He fumbled, trying to catch the falling bag, but his heel caught on the edge of the blanket. He stumbled back, smacking into the door of the fridge and slamming it shut as he flailed to catch his balance. The bag of cheese hit the floor with a pathetic, plastic thwack, and the remaining shreds of cheese spilled out onto the tile floor.

“What are you doing?”

Rowan was silhouetted in the doorway, hands on his hips. Link could see the disappointed look from here.

“...getting a snack?”

The blanket beneath his feet started to slide, and Link slipped down to the ground. The descent was slow with his back against the fridge. It was lucky that there was nothing hanging on it, all their magnets on the freezer section at the top.

Rowan stepped towards him, and Link squinted up. Oh, that was definitely his disappointed look.

“It’s like two in the morning, Link. I thought you were coming to bed hours ago.”

Link rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. “Is it that late already? I guess I got distracted.”

Rowan reached out a hand pulling him up, and Link stumbled, nearly falling against his chest. He closed his eyes with a sigh. He was pretty tired, now that he thought about it.

He felt Rowan’s arms wrap around him, and Link nuzzled his head beneath his chin. He could stay like this forever.

And then his stomach rumbled.

Rowan burst into laughter, and Link was shaken from his spot. He looked up and glared at Rowan, but it only made him laugh harder.

“Let’s find you some actual food.”