Title: Alpha
Pairing: Sheik/Link
A/N: Made for the livejournal community "1sentence".
Warnings: Spoilers, slight AU
Rating: PG-13

#01 – Comfort: Throughout Link's journey, Navi remained his guide, Princess Zelda his goal, Ganondorf his enemy . . . and by the end of it, Sheik's sharp eyes, gentle hands, and soft voice became his solace.

#02 – Kiss: It took three tries before Link stopped standing and staring when Sheik kissed him; it only took two more times after that before Link managed to successfully kiss him back.

#03 – Soft: Sheik resisted at first but eventually succumbed to Link's urging—and once his mask fell away, Link discovered the older man's hair was as soft as he thought.

#04 – Pain: The pair rested outside the old well, catching their breath as Kakariko burned around them, and for the first time in Link's journey, they were bound by a physical pain as well as a mental one.

#05 – Potatoes: Even without looking, Link knew Sheik was laughing at him from somewhere in the shadows; disgusted, the hero simply glared at the vicious potato that had tripped him and rubbed his toes.

#06 – Rain: In silence, the pair stood in the rain, for once not separated by the shadows, instead relaxing under the same cloudy sky.

#07 – Chocolate: The chocolate had been left in Link's old home after his adventures in the Forest Temple; he savored every bite, knowing who had left it for him.

#08 - Happiness: As Link listened to Zelda's speech, he held his own ocarina in his hands, knowing that even as he saved every other person's happiness, he was leaving his own behind.

#09 - Telephone: Sheik taught Link another melody, listening as the young hero perfectly played it back to him, and wished secretly to himself that he could teach Link his own melody like the Forest Sage had done.

#10 - Ears: It took every ounce of cunning and stealth Link had, but he discovered that Sheik's ears were ticklish . . . and he took advantage of it every time he could.

#11 - Name: Whenever Sheik attempted to call Link the Hero of Time, the young hero would quickly silence him with a kiss, not wanting to hear that title from Sheik's lips: so Sheik said it whenever he could.

#12 - Sensual: Gasping, Link broke the surface of Lake Hylia, blue tunic clinging to him and water dripping from his lithe form . . . and Sheik drank in the sight, ashamed and overwhelmed by the force of his desire.

#13 - Death: From a distance, Sheik watched the princess and the hero converse, knowing the outcome, and feeling something deep within himself die.

#14 - Sex: A part of Sheik was amused that the warrior who could unflinching take on monster after monster, who could wield the legendary Master Sword, who could inspire a country, blanched at the thought of sex—the rest of him hurt.

#15 - Touch: Even bruised and bleeding, Link never failed to arch into Sheik's touch, and Sheik never failed to touch him at every opportunity.

#16 - Weakness: When Link had awoken after the monster's attack, Sheik had attempted to help him to his feet: Link had immediately pushed him away and hauled himself up.

#17 - Tears: No matter how much hardship Link faced, Sheik had never seen the warrior cry, and no matter how much he wished it, he couldn't weep for him: he couldn't even weep for himself.

#18 - Speed: After teaching yet another song to Link, Sheik quickly vanished, hiding himself in the trees above, and he watched silently as Link stood helplessly in the now empty spot.

#19 - Wind: Nothing could compare to Sheik's amusement when Link played the Song of Storms and danced in the resulting wind . . . except Link's when he successfully dragged Sheik to join him.

#20 - Freedom: For a split second, as Sheik vanished yet again, Link desired nothing more than to toss the Master Sword into Lake Hylia and run after him.

#21 - Life: Sheik gently touched Link's cheek, and Link leaned into his hand, feeling more alive then than he could ever remember feeling.

#22 - Jealousy: Hidden away like a dirty secret, Sheik knew that now Princess Zelda was meeting Link in his place, and despite himself, he couldn't will the dark burn in himself away.

#23 - Hands: Their first time together, Link finally touched him with his bare hands, and the rough calluses touching his sensitive skin almost drove Sheik mad.

#24 - Taste: After their first kiss, Link pulled away from Sheik and frowned; as Sheik began to panic, Link asked, "When were you eating strawberries?"

#25 - Devotion: Link knew he had seven more years before he could meet Sheik again; it was all right—he would wait.

#26 - Forever: Sheik laughed when Link first said "forever," knowing the hero's fate; when Link returned to the past, Sheik finally whispered the word back.

#27 - Blood: Link carelessly wiped the blood away from his wounds, stumbling on in his journey, never realizing how much the sight of those wounds made Sheik ache.

#28 - Sickness: Sheik kindly held back Link's hair as the young man puked, even as he commented that the sages had never mentioned this in his job description.

#29 - Melody: Even before they had their first informal conversation, even before Sheik dared to kiss Link for the first time, the melody of Link's ocarina and Sheik's harp bound them.

#30 - Star: As the Hero of Time, Link was destined to be star that guided their country, but Sheik knew as well as anyone else how quickly a shooting star could burn away.

#31 - Home: Watching Link mourn his old home in the Kokiri Forest, Sheik wished he had the courage to take its place.

#32 - Confusion: It took a very, very long twenty minutes before Sheik realized that no, Link knew nothing of sex, and that yes, Sheik would have to explain it . . . in every excruciating detail.

#33 - Fear: The Hero of Time was supposed to be fearless, Link knew, so he kept his fear hidden deep inside him, refusing to cling to Sheik no matter how much his heart desired to.

#34 - Lightning/Thunder: The roar of thunder made Epona squeal and rear and Navi hide in his hat, but in the flash of lightning, Link could see Sheik in the distance, watching over him.

#35 - Bonds: In a world where the sages governed far more than the people would ever know, Link and Sheik stood apart, bound by their knowledge and their chains.

#36 - Market: Gripping the Master Sword in his hands even as he slipped around the ReDead, Link wished absently that he could one day walk around the market with Sheik.

#37 - Technology: Link could both kill and defend with his Longshot, could even use it to move across great distances, but Sheik was still happy enough with his simple needles and had no problem telling Link so.

#38 - Gift: Link stared at the small top in his hand and asked Sheik how he could fight with it; Sheik only shook his head.

#39 - Smile: Link loved it when he could make Sheik smile; he only wished the mask wasn't in the way.

#40 - Innocence: Watching Link battle his way through the Forest Temple, Sheik could only despair as seven years' worth of innocence died away in a matter of hours.

#41 - Completion: With every foe defeated, with every Sage freed, Link grew closer to the end of his quest—and his and Sheik's separation.

#42 - Clouds: Sheik knew the forbidding clouds above Death Mountain would call Link like a beacon, and he knew that he would soon see Link again.

#43 - Sky: Link watched Navi fly out the window, heading for Kokiri Forest, he knew, and he wondered if this was how Sheik felt when he vanished with Zelda into the sky.

#44 - Heaven: Holding Link's sleeping form tight in his arms, Sheik knew this moment was forbidden but didn't care: The Sages' wrath was worth this moment of heaven.

#45 - Hell: Sheik behind him and Ganondorf before him, Link knew one way or another he would not win this, and holding Evil's Bane in his hands, he walked into his own private hell.

#46 - Sun: Standing in the middle of Lake Hylia, Link obeyed the directions before him and shot for the sun, and the symbolism of it oddly reminded Sheik of his own private quest.

#47 - Moon: Navi sleeping in his hat and Epona silent beside him, Link rested under the sky and wondered if somewhere, Sheik was staring at the moon, too.

#48 - Waves: Considering how many times Link had almost drowned in the waters of Lake Hylia, Sheik was still amused when Link stumbled on the lake's banks and fell into the water, small waves splashing up around him.

#49 - Hair: Annoyed by it constantly flying in his face during battles, Link grabbed a small knife and started to slice off his hair, only to be stopped by a frantic Sheik.

#50 - Supernova: The pair made love only once before Link's battle with Ganondorf, so Sheik did his damnedest to make that night as bright and as fierce as a supernova.