Boy Cut
By Queenie Z

Link held his scissors steady, closing one eye to ensure that his cut was straight. "Okay, this'll be the last one," he murmured before carefully snipping off the last length of golden hair from his girlfriend's head. Well, there was still the bit that hung directly in front of her ears, but he was under orders not to touch that or her bangs. When he finished, however, most of the long locks Tetra had grown out since she was a small child laid strewn about the floor for Link to presumably clean up later.

The young captain let out a sigh and looked herself over in a small hand mirror. "Well, it'll be less of a hassle now, I guess."

"Doesn't it feel weird, though?" Link asked. "I mean, not being able to wear the bun?"

"It does, but it's a lot better than roasting in this heat." She brushed some stray hair from her shoulders. "Besides, hair grows back. You'll see the bun again, don't worry."

He still was going to miss the bun, though, thought Link - it was part of what made her cute despite her tough demeanor. But whatever Tetra wanted, Tetra got; though they had been a couple for a few years, she was still his captain, and he had long since learned that good pirates (and boyfriends) always did what their captains (and girlfriends) asked.

Tetra stood from her chair and turned to her impromptu stylist. "Well? What do you think?"

Seeing her new hairstyle from the front nearly made Link's heart skip a beat, much to his surprise. He'd expected to be somewhat disappointed, but in fact her short hair made her just as cute! With a hint of pink on his cheeks, he nodded in approval.

"You look great! It's really, really cute!"

"Really?" The girl pouted a bit and looked to the side, something she did when she was flattered or embarrassed and didn't want to show it. "It kind of makes me look like a boy..."

"Well, yeah, it does - but it's still cute!"

Tetra suddenly shot the boy a glare. "You weren't supposed to agree with that!"

The young hero, realizing he had just committed a faux pas, lifted his hands defensively. "I-I didn't mean that in a bad way! Honest! It's just - "

"It's just what, you think I'd make a good boy?"

"Well, um, I..."

Tetra's gaze softened and she placed her hands on her hips. This kid was just too honest for his own good, she thought. Although, come to think of it, that's probably why she liked him so much.

"Okay, okay, it's fine. I act like a boy most of the time anyway." She smiled. "But would you still like me if I was a boy? I don't mean like friends or anything, I mean seriously like me."

"What!" Link cried out. How was he supposed to answer that question! He hadn't even thought about it - Tetra was Tetra, after all, and she was the only person he'd ever been truly crazy for. In his heart he had no doubt he'd feel the same way regardless of what gender she was and that it wasn't just her feminine qualities he was attracted to. The idea of holding a boy Tetra the way he held the girl Tetra seemed just as pleasant. But was that what she wanted to hear? Deciding that trying to lie to her would only end in misery (he was a notoriously bad liar), he swallowed a bit.

"...Yeah. Actually, I think I would."

The captain's eyes widened a bit at his answer; she'd expected him to say something more along the lines of, "well, only if it's you" or "I'd still like you as a friend". That was when another thought occurred to her.

"So, what about other boys? If you hadn't met me, you think you'd get so stuck on another guy?" She asked, slightly amused at where this conversation was going.

"M-Maybe! But I like you, so - "

A tan hand lightly slapped the top of Link's head. "That means you're attracted to guys, too, you dummy!"

Link winced. "But isn't that - that's weird, though, right?" He dreaded to think that his non-preference for whether she was his girlfriend or his boyfriend would sour their relationship somehow. Instead, Tetra simply laughed.

"Link, we're pirates! You really think we give a bokolin's hide that you swing both ways?" She winked. "Don't worry, I'm not afraid you'll leave me and run off with Prince Charming. A Link who wasn't hopelessly in love with me wouldn't be Link, after all."

"O-Of course not..." the boy laughed nervously. It was almost scary at times how well she'd gotten to know him, and now it came to the point where she was knowing things he didn't even know about himself! "Guess it doesn't matter much if I'm stuck with you."

"Exactly. And if you're that worried about it, I won't tell anyone else. It'll be our secret, okay?"

"Sure, uh, thanks, I guess."

"No problem." She gave him a peck on the cheek. But that gentle gesture of affection was quickly followed by another order. "Now be a good boy and clean all that hair up. And make it snappy!"

Link grinned a little. "Aye aye." He then went to work searching for a broom, wondering if he'd miss Tetra's boy cut as much as he already missed her bun.