Thanks @marenwithanm for the screenshot for the Redraw Challenge! It's always great to be reminded of how OoX Link is such an awkward dancer despite the fact that you gotta dance for important items like 3 times.
[Image Description: Left, a drawing based on the screenshot from Oracle of Seasons, right. Link awkwardly dances next to Din, who dances gracefully. Link looks focused and ridged, sweating. Din smiles, looking over her shoulder at him. In the drawing, both Link and Din's skin is darker, and Link has pink roots in his hair. End ID]
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
^Ao3 link
Summary: Link crashes on Tokay Island during OoA, and meets a familiar Subrosian.
Warnings: Some mentions of minor injury & Link is transfem but isn’t 100% aware yet so this uses he/him pronouns (and there’s a moment where said trans-ness is implied), otherwise it’s fluff
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Link’s head hurt. He rubbed the back of his head. He knew he should’ve asked for some sort of actual boat instead of trying to raft through the rapids. He glared at the sand, kicking it. Really, the Tokay couldn’t even wait for a second for him to protest before snatching everything huh? Just compounded finding everything on his headache.
“WOAH Leave me alone!” a Tokay yelled, “I, I don’t know… nothing? I mean I’m innocent! I don’t know whose shovel it is!”
Shovel? Link ran over to the sound through the sand. He spotted the Tokay stumbling backward, arms raised in surrender. He turned around and ran past Link, pushing past him.
An orange-cloaked Subrosian adorned with a red bow looked at his shovel, hands on her hips. Link couldn’t help a small smile as he approached, “Well, who’s this?”
Rosa turned to look at him and gasped, “Hi! Don’t you remember me?” she said, leaning towards him with a smile.
Link hummed, making a show of considering her, “Hm, not sure, remind me?”
She gaped, “I’m Rosa! You, like, forgot we dated?!?”
“OHhh! Yes, I remember now!” he smiled and leaned in towards her, “Hi Rosa.”
She smacked his shoulder, “Oh you’re a jerk, making me think you forgot about me.”
“Sorry, sorry, I figured it would be obvious I was joking. Last I heard, we were still dating.”
Rosa smiled, “Good. Then I can do this-” She pulled him down into a kiss. Link giggled, face dusting pink as they pulled apart. He barely heard her transition into her next topic, too focused on the echo of her touch. “I missed you... This is my first long trip in, like, forever! And I saw this weirdo with this shovel I had seen before, so I, like, asked if he knew you.” Link glanced at the shovel as she picked it back up. Right! His lack of Stuff. She continued, “And then he got all excited and went leapin’ off somewhere. What a weirdo. Was this, like, your shovel?”
“Ah…er, yeah,” he chuckled awkwardly.
She handed it back, smiling, “If you don’t hang onto it, it could, like, wash out to sea.”
He sighed, “Yeahhh, I know. I’m uh, trying to avoid that. I crashed my raft and a bunch of Tokay stole my things.” He fiddled with the shovel, “Thank you for rescuing this one.”
Rosa humphed, “Of course. Do you need help getting everything back? I’m sure I could, like, intimidate them for you”
“No, no, It’s alright. I’ll get it all. Don’t worry.”
“Wait...Did you say you crashed?! Are you alright?” she circled him, lifting his arm and inspecting his face. Link laughed, blushing brighter as her face got intensely close to his. She frowned, “That isn’t an answer.”
“Ah- I’m fine, it wasn’t much more than a tumble and a bonk on the head.”
“Oh!” She pulled him down to look at his head intently, “Did you get knocked out? How’s your memory?”
He sighed, allowing Rosa to take his hat and run her hands over his head and hair, “It’s fine, I was just joking about forgetting you. I swear.”
She hummed and nodded, “Good, good.” She seemed to enjoy her excuse to continue smoothing her hands through Link’s hair and continued to hold him, despite agreeing he was fine.
He sighed into the touch, “I’m alright… I should get my stuff back soon, though. Hopefully, I can wrap up my journey here quickly.”
She let him go reluctantly. “Alright, get going. I should get back on my own trip. Be safe.”
Link nodded and turned around. He started walking, considering where to search next. He turned around to look at her. “Wait- I- uh… What do you think about going to lunch or dinner or whatever- later? …Whenever I can get back to the City?”
“Actually, the theme of my trip is “The Independent Woman” so you’ll have to wait for another date,” she shrugged in a playful manner.
He wiggled his shoulders, “What if my trip was also themed the Independent Woman?”
"Well, then you wouldn't be on it, Mr."
He considered for a moment, "Ohhh," he laughed, almost nervous, "Independent Boy. Then." He grinned, cheekily, “Maybe you could give me a few clues as to where you’re headed, at least? I might just coincidentally independently be going that way too.”
Rosa hummed, “Maybe… I would love to see you dance again sometime,” she winked.
Link blushed brighter and stuttered before laughing and nodding. “I guess we’ll have to see.” He turned back around, walking away. He tried to remain casual while he was in her view. But the excited energy was too strong. He skipped a few steps and spun, laughing.
Rosa laughed in the distance, watching. He spotted her blow him a kiss, and he mimed catching it. He pumped a fist in the air and ran off to finally find his stuff.
