A oneshot I wrote based on one of tumblr user sheikofthesheikah's post game headcannon thingers.

Yep.

His knees hit the dirt with a dull slap, a haggard cough forcing its way from his lungs. The sun beat down relentlessly, the early morning coolness long having passed into blistering afternoon weather. Link watched a beetle scuttle amidst the loose grains of sand beneath him before he raised his head once more. He didn't meet his opponents eyes, a scowl firmly drawn across his features.

Already he could feel his side bruising from the harsh kick he'd received in return for a clumsy swing. His sword was still clenched in his fist - a simple blade forged by the blacksmith of Skyloft, expertly crafted but still nothing in comparison to what he'd wielded before.

Something wet dripped down his temple - blood or sweat, he couldn't tell - and he reached up to wipe his face on his sleeve.

"Get up." His opponent's voice came. Not a taunt as he would have expected, but a command (more than backwards given their predicament) dripping with resentment. Link glared at him, but it didn't hold even a fraction of the intensity he wanted to convey.

The former demon lord was angry - Link could tell despite the deceptively calm façade he put up. He wasn't sneering or trembling or putting on any show of dramatics, but he did eye the human with such disgust that Link wasn't so much insulted as he was ashamed. Neither of them had come to the Lanayru province in a very good mood - in fact, that was the reason they had come in the first place - but at this point the hero wasn't sure if this method of taking out their frustrations was much of a benefit any more.

"This is pathetic." Ghirahim's tone was barely contained, simmering like a pot about to boil over. "A mere spar shouldn't have you this worn, sky child, yet here you stand - or rather - kneel."

Link wouldn't deny that he was a bit confused as to why the sword spirit seemed so offended by the hero's performance, but this coupled with the fact that what Ghirahim was saying was entirely true only served to fuel his growing frustration. He forced himself to his feet, wincing a bit as pain shot up his leg; it hurt to put weight on it.

Ghirahim silently watched him rise, bringing his own blade to a resting position at his side. He allowed Link to steady himself, and then he rushed.

The clang of metal on metal resounded throughout the area. Link grunted as he was pushed back, planting a foot solidly behind him and using it to steady himself for an attempt at retaliation. He swept his blade in a wide arc as the demon neared, but Ghirahim saw right through the attack, twisting his body out of the way and batting Link's sword to the side.

A cry left the hero's mouth as his legs were suddenly swept out from under him, his back making harsh contact with the earth, only slightly cushioned by the sand. He gazed at the sky above in a daze, snapping out of it when a foot stamped down on his right wrist and caused a hiss of pain to fly from his lips. Effectively pinned, he felt a prick at his throat and had to squint against the sun to see the demon standing over him, the tip of his sword positioned just under the boy's chin.

"You…" Ghirahim began lowly, "the brat I lost to… and the one I gave everything to… now unable to match me in battle…"

His words stung, but Link, still unwilling to give up, stubbornly struggled underneath the taller male. He knew he could order the demon to step off of him, and Ghirahim would have no choice but to obey, but to him that would be the same as admitting defeat.

Ghirahim merely bore down harder, effortlessly forcing him back into submission. He shook his head and it was evident in his reprimanding tone that he was not only seething, but disappointed. "I refuse to accept this as anything less than some divine joke."

His companion's reasons for being so irate were becoming clearer now. A bitterness settled on the hero's tongue. He ceased trying to break free and fixed the demon with a stony look.

"Get off of me."

Ghirahim scoffed, but heeded the command after all - as any good servant would do. He removed himself, allowing Link the room to sit up.

The hero's thoughts were a mess. He couldn't understand why it seemed so hard to land a hit, why the former demon lord only seemed to grow more nimble as the human grew more exasperated. He knew he was stressed, but he didn't think he was this stressed.

It was like every time he tried to focus, his thoughts would deflect into another matter; a duty to the rapidly growing surface settlement; a feeling of restlessness as he wandered the many untouched parts of the world beneath the clouds; a worry for this and a worry for that. It didn't help that he now possessed the responsibility of having the dark sword spirit bound to him, nor that said spirit was exceptionally adapt at reading his moods - probably even more so than Link himself.

He once again got to his feet, and stared down at the blade still clutched in his hand.

Perhaps it wasn't an issue of stress at all. Maybe Ghirahim had been right from the start. The divine weapon he'd formerly wielded was the only reason he'd ever stood a chance, and now that it had been laid to rest he was as powerless as he'd felt when he'd first shouldered the burden of being Hylia's chosen.

"My, my, it really isn't your day, is it, sky child?" The demon's voice interrupted his thoughts. Link stiffened, sensing the smugness behind the other's words. He could only guess where this would lead.

Ghirahim moved closer, stalking up from behind him. Link kept his gaze fixed on the sand, not acknowledging the demon in any way, even when he felt a hand brush against his shoulder.

"Have your heroic duties finally ceased to stimulate you? Has your little surface project not been developing the way you've planned?" The former demon lord taunted, bringing his mouth to the hero's ear. "Or perhaps you've once again grown nervous of being in my presence and it's affected your focus, is that it?" He purred, clearly enjoying the way Link bristled under his claims. "Come now, you can tell me what's eating you…"

Before he knew what he was doing, the human had turned and slammed his fist into his companion's jaw with a dull, resounding crack. Ghirahim reeled, most likely more out of shock than pain, a hand raised to his mouth. Link threw a second punch before he had the chance to recover. His sword lay forgotten on the ground now, but he didn't care. He lunged, raining blow after blow on the demon, as many as he could before Ghirahim caught him by the wrists and kneed him solidly in the gut, his sword apparently forgotten as well.

Link bent, coughing harshly, the ensuing events becoming a blur of fists and motion. To an outsider it probably would have appeared comical, for quite the spectacle it was to behold; an unlikely pair fighting tooth and nail while their weapons lay discarded on the ground.

The human would try to land a hit, only to receive a harsh backhand in return. When he managed to force the other male onto his back, he would put everything he had into pummeling him despite his own muscles screaming in agony. That was until a crushing kick to the middle sent him sprawling across the ground.

Everything else momentarily forgotten, they fought until they were both bruised and bloody. They fought until they were spent and exhausted, unable to exchange blows any longer. They fought until there wasn't a reason for them to fight any more.

It didn't take long at all. The hero found himself on his back, a weight bearing down on his midsection. With his eyes closed he could see nothing, but he could feel the demon's presence hovering just over him. He didn't have the strength to move, a feeble moan arising in his throat.

He felt the other's forehead resting against his own, moderately laboured breath ghosting over his lower face. Something pressed against his parted lips - only slightly bloodied; his face was hardly touched in comparison to the rest of him in their frenzied scuffle, for some reason.

The wetness of Ghirahim's tongue delicately traced the opening of Link's mouth, running over the broken skin and causing the human to shudder. Then there came the unmistakable touch of soft lips capturing his own. They moved slowly and with an arrogant finesse, as though to savour the victory of the moment. Link's brow furrowed, a sigh of defeat leaving him through his nose.

He couldn't find it in himself to be angry any more. Now he just felt... tired. The lack of malice in his companion's gesture lead him to believe the feeling was more or less mutual.

Several long moments passed before the former demon lord pulled away, instead bringing his mouth to the younger male's temple.

"Foolish boy…" He murmured. "You're never going to hear the end of it from the spirit maiden when she sees you in such a state."

Link groaned and painfully brought a hand to his own face, almost deliberating on confining the spirit to his sword for a while

"Which is why she won't,"

"Oww…" Link winced as the cool water touched his wounds, stinging the various cuts covering his body. With his hands supporting his weight on the edge of the desert spring, he lowered himself into it until the water reached up to his ribs.

The spring behind the Temple of Time was empty, to be expected as hardly anyone ever came here aside from the two when they made such trips to the desert. It was a secluded cavern, light streaming in through an opening in the ceiling and an activated timeshift stone sitting at the center of the spring on a small outcropping of rock.

Link was more than thankful they'd discovered this place. A familiar carving of the goddess in one of the walls let it be known that it had once been touched by her light. Already he could feel the soothing effect the water had on his wounds as it took to healing them, and he tilted his head back with a sigh of relief.

"Perhaps I should have been more charitable with you." The demon's voice came from nearby, echoing around the walls. Link looked over to see him standing in the waters on the other side of the spring. He was submerged up to his waist and his back was turned, but his head was slightly cocked towards the hero. "If you wanted me to go easy, you could have simply asked, sky child,"

"I didn't want you to go easy." Link frowned, wading deeper into the water. He took a breath before dunking his head under, letting the crystalline liquid wash over him entirely. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times, getting the dirt and sweat out of it, and then resurfaced. As he was wiping the water from his eyes, he noticed a presence move behind him, and let his arms lower down to his sides.

"I feel I should inquire, without the earlier hostility…" Ghirahim began, drifting closer to the human. "Are you ever going to tell me what's really been troubling you as of late…?"

Link stared down at the water's surface for a few moments. He then shook his head.

"There isn't much of a point."

Ghirahim's exasperated sigh was nothing short of dramatic. Link tensed a bit as he felt him lean his weight onto him from behind, the demon's bare skin pressing against his own.

"Oh, but you do get so woefully sulky…" Ghirahim drawled as he practically draped himself over the hero, chin resting on his shoulder as his hands slid around Link's waist. "And that's hardly any fun, now, is it?"

Link caught the demon's stare out of the corner of his eye and he looked away, trying not to let the way those hands grazed along his sides steal his attention.

"It's… just stress I suppose. Nothing I can't overcome myself." He muttered. There was a low chuckle of amusement in his ear.

"I don't think I'm entirely inclined to believe that." Ghirahim went on. "You see, as it is, the nature of our bond puts somewhat of a compromise on our dispositions. Any sort of affliction you experience is more than likely to be shared..."

"So you've told me," Link said, recalling how Ghirahim had mentioned something about their temperaments having an affect on each other (admittedly, he wasn't paying much attention at the time; the demon did have a tendency to go on and on when he talked.)

The water swished as Ghirahim shifted against him, his palms now resting on the younger male's hips, fingertips rubbing against his skin in titillating little circles. Link drew in a rather audible breath as he felt lips brush the nape of his neck, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. He bit his lip when the other's hands began to move upwards, running along the muscles of his stomach and inching towards his chest.

All things considered, he was certainly paying attention now.

"I am merely suggesting that I'm more than willing to... assist you..." Ghirahim's suggestive purr was the only indication Link needed to confirm this was going exactly where he thought it was going.

It was typical given who he was with. It seemed their encounters eventually lead to this one way or another, especially as of late...

"And by that you mean...?" Link turned his head slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching up as if by their own accord. The demon's eyes flashed with an excitement he knew too well.

"Your feigned naivety is so endearing," Ghirahim hummed, his fingers curling slightly against the human's flesh. "I think you know perfectly well..."

His tongue flicked out, tracing the curve of the hero's ear, before he drew the lobe into his mouth. Link sucked in a sharp gasp as the demon grazed his teeth along the area. He tilted his head to the side, and Ghirahim, delighted by the pale skin so graciously put on display, was more than willing to comply with the silent demand. His lips pressed to younger male's neck, moving down to his shoulder, each kiss growing more possessive than the last.

Between the affections bestowed by the former demon lord's mouth and the hands still preoccupied with massaging his chest, Link couldn't help but allow a small moan to escape him. It only seemed to spur on his accomplice even more, any indications of pleasure the human gave more than enough to feed his insatiable ego. Link knew Ghirahim must have been impatient, if the pressure at his lower back wasn't a clear sign of that.

The hero supposed it was his turn to be smug. He pressed himself back against the demon's body, hearing with satisfaction the other male give a soft hiss.

"Is this supposed to be some sort of an apology for kicking my ass?" Link questioned with lidded eyes. Ghirahim laughed under his breath.

"I rarely apologize for anything, and this hardly an exception, but if it lessens the blow of a devastating, crushing, and otherwise completely humiliating loss to yours truly…"

Before he'd finished, Link had turned around to close the distance between them. As their lips met, any restraint or tenderness the demon had otherwise shown up until this point evaporated. His hand fisted in the hero's blond hair, tugging his head back as he claimed his lips roughly. His other arm encircled Link's waist, fingertips digging into his side - not enough to hurt but enough to make him shudder with the sensitivity of having his recently healed wounds touched.

Ghirahim's tongue swept along his lips, dipping inside, his mouth skillfully moving along the hero's own. Link's hands found their way to his companions chest, softly clawing at the firmness of his muscles - which served to excite the demon further.

Somehow they ended up at the shallower end of the spring, the Ghirahim resting with his back against the ledge and Link pressed to him. The hero sputtered a bit as his hips were grabbed and rather forwardly ground down against Ghirahim's own. A throaty groan built in his throat as the demon reached between them and took both of them into his hand, his body feeling unbearably feverish despite the coolness of the water.

Straddling him now, Link allowed his forehead to slump onto the former demon lord's shoulder, a thin whimper leaving him as Ghirahim began to stroke them both. It didn't take him long to realize he was panting as he shamelessly rutted against the other male. Each expertly timed squeeze of his hand coaxed forth more sounds of pleasure from the hero, every movement bringing them closer to that enthralling release desired by the two.

Link's mouth dropped open in a choked gasp and his fingers suddenly dug into the demon's flesh. He was unable hold back a feeble cry as he came, one final rub of Ghirahim's thumb on the head of his arousal sending him over the edge. He buried his face into the other's neck, breathing raggedly against him and ignoring the scoff of amusement he received in return.

Only a few seconds had passed before Ghirahim shuddered in pure sensation as well, his head falling back with a moan of fulfillment. Once he'd gathered the will, Link raised his head, first staring at the demon's exposed neck, and then looking about the spring as though suddenly remembering where he was. He sheepishly wondered if they really should have been... profaning such a place in this way.

When he returned his attention to the spring's only other occupant, Ghirahim was giving him that same complacent look he always seemed to wear. Link must have appeared very flustered to him because his ivory lips curved into a smirk.

"Are we satisfied here…?"

On a determined impulse, Link leaned in to press his lips to the corner of the other male's jaw, one hand brushing back the white curtain of hair that veiled half of his face.

"A bit," the hero muttered between the kisses he was marking the demon's neck with. Ghirahim acknowledged him with a vaguely entertained hum.

Perhaps there was a time and place for what normally constituted their methods of relieving stress; exchanging blows and keeping themselves at the peak of their physical prowess was its own type of reward in itself.

But now was certainly not that time.

R&R