For what seemed like the millionth time in Link's pregnancy, Leo knocked on the door of the Hero's house. It was a week since the speech had been given to Hyrule Market, and Leo hadn't seen him since then. Today marked the approximate beginning of the sixth month of Link's pregnancy. Silence met his knock. Then...
"Nado?" came Link's quiet voice.
"What?" Leo said, confused. He didn't know who Link was referring to.
"...Leo?"
"Yeah?"
In a flash, the door opened. A hand shot out, grabbing Leo's shirt and pulling him inside. The door slammed shut as quickly as it had opened, and Link was standing there with a crazed, desperate look on his face. "You gotta get me out of here!" he cried.
Leo raised an eyebrow. "What happened?" he asked, wary of the hero's disheveled state.
Link's mouth twitched. "You want to know what happened?" he repeated. He grabbed Leo's elbow and dragged him to a door leading to another room. Link paused with his hand on the doorknob, looking up at Leo skeptically. "You sure?"
"Y-yeah, I guess," Leo said, thoroughly confused by now.
Link sighed before throwing open the door. "There. Happy now?" he said. Leo's mouth dropped open. Inside that room, piled high all over the floor and just barely touching the doorjamb were envelopes.
Leo turned to look at Link incredulously. "How'd you get this many letters?" he asked.
Link gave him a look. "What do you think? The speech," he answered. He picked up a few that had been opened. "There are a whole bunch in here, and a temple's worth of opinions to go along with them. Take this one, for example," he said, holding up one in particular. He took out the paper inside and read it officially. "'Dear Mr. Link, my name is Eleanor. I have had three children, so I have known what you feel currently. I give you my deepest congratulations on being the first pregnant man, and another congratulation on your expectance.'" Link looked up at Leo with a raised eyebrow.
Leo matched the gesture. "Oookay... What's this one?" he asked, picking up an already-open maroon envelope. It seemed to be crumpled and worn, which meant that Link had probably spent a good deal of time on this letter.
Link picked it up and took out the letter inside. "'Dear Link, this is immoral and against the Goddesses. Women are supposed to be pregnant, not men. If the Goddesses wanted men to carry the babies, they would have created them with the right equipment!'" Link looked up. "It's signed 'M. L.'," he added.
Leo gave an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, they're all overreacting. If you're pregnant, then you're pregnant. There's nothing they can do about it, especially since you're the Hero of Time, and you've got me on your side," he answered.
Link snorted. "Try telling that to them," he said. He placed a hand on a table nearby and stooped down to pick up a blue envelope, taking out the letter inside. "Listen to this one," he added. He took up a high, girlish pitch as he read, "'Dear Link, I am soooo happy for you! I am currently eight and a half months along with my own pregnancy, and we had ours checked out five months ago. It's a girl! Hey, maybe if you have a boy, our kids can get together, and we'll be in-laws! Won't that be fun!' It's from a person named M. S. Parfait."
"You're kidding, right?" Leo said, unconvinced. Link showed him the letter, and Leo started laughing. "That's- ha ha- that's just- oh, Nayru!"
The pregnant boy grinned. "Told you," he said, throwing the letter on top of the pile again.
After a little while, Leo's laughter died away. He grabbed a letter of his own out of a bag he had on his belt. "Look at this," he said.
Taking the letter from Leo's outstretched hand, Link read the letter aloud. "'Dear Dr. Leo-'" he started. He paused. "Wait, 'doctor'?"
"People can't get their facts straight," the other boy responded, rolling his eyes. His cheeks were red, and his eyes flicked back to the letter, anxious for him to read more.
"'-I am very happy for you and Link.'" Link paused. "Huh?"
Leo's cheeks darkened. "Keep reading," he mumbled, keeping an eye on Link for his reaction.
"'I congratulate you and Link for finding a way to have a child around your homose-'" Once again Link stopped. His face turned bright red and he pushed the letter back into Leo's hands. "Where'd she get that idea?" he muttered, not meeting Leo's eyes.
Leo's blush was as fiery as Link's. "I don't know, but it's the craziest thing I've ever heard," he said, laughing nervously as he cast his gaze out the window. He glanced over at Link, but unfortunately that was also when Link decided to look over as well. Their eyes met for a moment, and immediately the two boys looked away, a more intense blush on their faces.
Leo was still trying to avoid Link's eyes when he remembered how the visit began. "Oh, yeah. Why did you want to get out of here?" he asked, looking back over at Link.
Link raised an eyebrow. "Look at this pile and tell me you don't want out, too," he said skeptically.
"True," Leo mused, folding his arms and  tilting his head back in thought. He looked out the window once more when he spotted a couple walking along the path. They weren't from around here, so they were probably sight-seeing and just getting out of their house… hmm… out of their-
"Link! I have an idea!" Leo said excitedly, turning back to Link with a grin.
"What is it?" the hero asked, his eyebrows raised curiously.
Leo grinned. "You said you wanted to get out of the house, right?" he asked. After Link slowly nodded, he continued, "How about you and I go out to Lake Hylia or something? It's really nice this time of year, and we can catch our own fish and eat them! It'll be great! What do you say?"
Link instantly perked up. "That sounds amazing! Come on, let's go!" he exclaimed.
He was doing a quick version of his half-waddle to the door when Leo grabbed his arm. "Wait!" Leo said quickly.
Link bounced up and down energetically. "Whaaaaat?" he asked. This seemed to be the first time he'd been able to actually go out and have fun in a while.
Leo grabbed a scarf, a pair of gloves, and a jacket nearby, which were the same ones that Link had used a week earlier when he went to the speech. He handed Link everything but the scarf, and once he had put all the other things on, Leo put the scarf around Link's neck and pulled the hero so they were forehead to forehead. "I don't want your baby to freeze because his or her mother was too stupid to dress warmly," he said.
Link laughed quietly and smiled at Leo. He seemed to have cheered up considerably from two weeks prior. After a few seconds, however, the two boys' faces flushed again. Link pulled away, wrapping the scarf around his neck securely and averting his gaze from Leo. "Sorry," they muttered in unison.
Leo shook his head to clear his mind. "Come on, let's go to Lake Hylia," he insisted. He opened the front door, went outside, and waited for Link to come out patiently.
Link frowned. "You know you don't have to wait for me," he said crossly. "I can catch up to you perfectly fine without you slowing down. Now come on, I want to get there before sunset."
Leo shrugged. "All right," he said. He walked at a normal pace, but moments after they came down from the steps of Link's house, a crowd of women flocked to Link.
"Aww... it's so cute!" a middle-aged woman cooed, looking down at the baby bump. She had obviously had some of her own, for she still had a bit of the baby weight and her hair was starting to grey.
A younger woman with her hair in a low ponytail smiled at Link more gently. "May I rub your belly?" she asked quietly.
Similar statements and questions were asked, and Link looked out where Leo was standing outside the circle. He looked desperate, and was even reaching out for Leo. "Help me," Link mouthed.
Leo fought to keep a straight face, but unfortunately, it didn't stay straight for very long. When he had finally stopped laughing, he walked into the middle of the circle where Link was. "Sorry, ladies, but Link has a prior engagement, so you'll have to excuse us," he said, grabbing Link's forearm and pulling him out the way he had come.
There was a chorus of "aww"s from the women, and Leo laughed again. He walked quickly away from the group of women, still holding Link's arm. He slowed down after a while, but a few minutes later he could hear Link gasping for breath. Leo turned to look at Link. "What's wrong, Link?" he asked curiously as they stopped, looking at the pregnant man with a slightly worried expression.
Link huffed, trying to breathe evenly. "You're going… too fast… for me," he replied in short pants.
Leo bit back a smile. "I thought you wanted me to go at normal speed," he said slowly, trying not to laugh.
Link looked at him in confusion, his eyebrows knitted. "What? But- no, you aren't! You're not going at a normal pace! You're going way too fast!" he spluttered in a rather undignified manner.
Leo shook his head. "I'm walking normally. See?" he said. He let go of Link's arm and walked around at the same speed he had been going, and by the time he got back to where he had been, Link was quietly seething.
"Fine. Go slower," he said. He could see Leo slow down a bit, and he added hastily, "But not too slow! I don't want to become a slacker because of the baby."
Leo laughed. ""All right," he said. He walked forward again, and after about a minute of arguing, they finally found a speed that Link felt comfortable with.
After a while, they made it to Hyrule Field. Link grinned and took out a lightly colored, wooden ocarina. Leo raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, Link?" he asked. Link grinned and said nothing before raising it to his lips. He played a short but sweet melody on it before tucking it away once more. Leo's other eyebrow raised to join its brother. "What was the point of that?"
Link's grin never disappeared. "Just wait," he answered. Leo obeyed, and after a short while, he could hear a whinny in the distance. He turned to see a rust-colored horse rearing up as it looked in their direction. It was silhouetted against the sun, which was merely an hour or two away from setting.
As Leo watched the horse gallop, he let out his breath in a long, slow exhale. "It's beautiful," he whispered.
Link's smile turned gentle and proud. "I know. Isn't she?" he answered just as softly.
Leo's eyebrows raised quickly once more. "You sound like you know her," he said slowly. He turned to see the mare, which he noticed had a white mane and tail and a white streak along her snout, trot up to them.
Link nodded as she slowed to a stop next to him. "Of course I know her. She's Epona," he said, laughing as she nuzzled his face with her snout. "I've known her for seven years now, and she's the one I called with that song."
Leo's brows furrowed this time. "Why did you call her?" he asked slowly. His training as a doctor's apprentice was setting off warning bells in his mind.
Link looked at Leo as if he was stupid. "She's going to ride us to Lake Hylia. What else?" he answered. He stroked her snout gently, and she nickered happily. "I haven't been able to take care of her or even interact with her at all since I became pregnant, so I thought she could ride us to Lake Hylia."
After he said this, Epona began to sniff Link's stomach, nudging it gently. She was curious about the bump that had formed since she hadn't seen him in so long. Leo bit his lip. "Link, I… I know you don't want to hear this... but you can't ride her," he said, hesitating until the very last part, his final words coming out in a rush.
Link's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "What?" he demanded. "Why not?"
Leo sighed. "I would like to ride her... very much, in fact," he said, giving her a gentle but hesitant stroke. "She's very beautiful. However... You're almost done with your second trimester. It's very easy to injure the baby this far along, and if you ride Epona too long or in the wrong way, you could have a miscarriage, not to mention what would happen if you fall off."
Link looked crestfallen. "What? But... but she's been with me through it all... I can't just leave her alone for the rest of the pregnancy!" he said half-hysterically.
Leo sighed again and placed his hands on Link's shoulders. "Calm down. I don't want to let her go back either, but it's for the best. You also probably can't ride her for a few months after the baby's birth, either, since you'll need to heal. I'm sorry," he said quietly. He made a small smile. "Besides, there's always a few months after the pregnancy, right?"
Link nodded slowly, still looking heartbroken. "Yeah, I guess," he answered just as quietly, pulling away from Leo. He hugged Epona around her snout and looked into her enormous brown eyes. "Epona... I'm going to have to ask you to go back to Malon." Epona backed up as she heard his statement, whinnying. "I don't want to do this any more than you do, but I don't want my baby to die. Remember that I love you, and once the baby's born, I'll come ride you all the time." Epona whinnied again, nudging his face. "You'll see me again, I promise. Now go back to Malon," he insisted. She backed up, keeping an eye on Link, when she started cantering away. Link waved enthusiastically. "I'll see you later, Epona! I love you!"
As she started to gallop out of sight, Leo smiled again, gently this time. "So, should we get going?" he asked, placing a hand on Link's shoulder.
Link nodded somewhat wearily. "Yeah, let's go," he said. They started walking again, and they didn't say any more for a while.
About fifteen minutes after they had left Epona, Link was huffing again. Leo turned and looked at him. "Link, are you okay?" he asked.
Link nodded quickly, and that was when Leo noticed Link was limping. It seemed he favored neither foot, however, since he quickly moved from foot to foot as if either step meant pain for him. "I'm fine, don't worry," he answered. He winced when, without warning, his knees buckled and he started to fall.
Leo reacted instantly and caught Link before he could fall far. That plus the momentum, however, knocked the two to the ground, causing them to become a panting pile on the ground. As Link got a grip on his awareness again, Leo gave a half smile. "You sure you're all right?" he asked dryly, looking up at Link with a raised eyebrow.
Link glared at Leo, and if Leo didn't know any better, the other boy was blushing. "I'm fine, I told you," he muttered, not meeting his gaze after the glare.
Leo rested his chin on his hand and his elbow on the ground, looking at Link with a raised eyebrow once more. "So you like collapsing when you're perfectly fine?" he asked.
Link sighed, his blush never fading. "Fine. My ankles have been hurting since we got out of Kakariko, and I can't breathe as easily," he answered.
Leo held back a grin. "Well, it's about time we take a break anyways," he said. He rolled off of Link, who said nothing.
Instead, Link sat up, pulled off his boots, and wiggled his reddened toes. "Ahh, that feels so good," he moaned in pleasure. His blush only remained because of the effort he had spent and the pleasure of letting his feet go free.
Leo laughed. "Why not get bigger boots?" he asked.
"There aren't many people in Hyrule who can make boots, so I just have to use what I have," Link answered, shrugging.
The other boy paused for a moment, lost in thought. His face brightened, and he said, "Well, I remember seeing some comfortable shoes in Osvaldo's shop. Maybe we could check out if he has shoes for you there."
This time it was Link's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Osvaldo? Who's that?" he asked.
Leo frowned. "Don't you remember? He was the tailor at the shop the day you got exposed," he answered.
Link tilted his head back, thinking. "Was he? Hmm... I think I remember him, now that I think about it," he replied. Then he remembered something. "'Maybe we should check it out'?" he repeated.
Leo's face flushed instantly. "I-I just meant that…" he stammered. "W-well, you saw what happened earlier. If you go out on your own, you'll be so swarmed by women or curious people that you'll never get back out again," he said quickly.
Link shrugged, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he answered. He wiggled his toes again and smiled. "I think we're good, huh, little one?" he said, looking down at his stomach and rubbing the baby just below the surface. It responded with a kick, and Link laughed. "I guess that's a yes," he responded. He pulled his boots back on, and they started off again.
Finally, about an hour after they had set off since they had to take three more breaks, they had made it to Lake Hylia. Link grinned and ran forward. "I haven't been here in so long!" he cried. After a few strides, however, he was quickly puffing and trying to catch his breath. "Dang it. In that time, I've gotten incredibly out of shape," he said, breathing deeply.
Leo walked up beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're not out of shape, Link," he said gently. "You just have to share your energy with another person. Besides, on a woman, the baby squeezes against her lungs, and she's designed to carry a baby. It's most likely a little harder for you since you weren't supposed to carry a child."
Link sighed. "I guess you're right," he replied. He seemed to be in thought for a second when he turned to look at Leo. "How are we going to fish?"
Leo pointed to the stand that displayed a few fishing poles the fisherman in Lake Hylia rented out for a price. Most of his profit came from them. "That's how," he answered.
Link's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't know those were there," he said mildly.
"And now you do," Leo replied, grinning. He dropped a purple rupee into the collection jar and grabbed two of the fishing poles. "Let's go fishing!" he said as he handed one to Link.
It took about an hour of waiting and another hour to gut, clean, and cook the fish, serving it with some purified lake water. It seemed that after no time at all, the fish were gone. Link leaned back, sighing in happiness. "That was the best meal I've had in a while," he said contently.
Leo laughed and nodded in agreement. "Definitely. Fish taste better when you catch them yourself," he said.
Link laughed when he suddenly stopped. He started again almost immediately and said, "The baby's kicking again." He reached out and grabbed Leo's hand, bringing his hand to where the baby had kicked. "Feel him kick," he said.
Leo smiled as he felt the little baby kick his hand enthusiastically when he noticed what Link had said. "'Him'? You mean... it's a boy?" he asked.
Link nodded. "I think so," he answered. The baby kicked again, and he seemed to be glowing with pride and happiness.
Leo smiled gently as he saw how beautiful Link looked, blushing as he realized what he had just thought, when he spoke again. "You think? Didn't you check with Dr. Iris?" he asked.
Link shook his head. "No. She offered to tell me the day before I gave my speech, but I never actually learned," he admitted. "But it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, Ganon's a guy and he impregnated me, another guy, so guy plus guy equals a baby boy, right?"
Leo thought for a moment. "You know, that actually makes sense," he said, somewhat surprised.
Link gave Leo a slight glare. "Did you expect me to spout sentences full of randomness?" he asked hotly.
Leo shook his head quickly. "Of course not," he said hastily. "I just didn't think of that, so I didn't realize it would make sense."
Link leaned back again when Leo realized his hand was still on Link's stomach. He pulled it away quickly and let his eyes wander over the lake, which reflected the sunset fantastically. It was then that he spotted a tall tower with a ladder on the side of it, its base on the roof of the laboratory. There was a scarecrow next to the base of the ladder. "Link, do you have your longshot on you?" he asked as he remembered hearing about it in tales of his adventures.
Link nodded, reaching into a pouch on his belt and pulling it out. "Yeah. Why?" he asked.
Leo took the longshot and grabbed Link's arm, pulling him closer to the laboratory. "You'll see," he said mischievously. He wrapped the arm not carrying the longshot around Link and shot the longshot at the scarecrow. He could see Link's eyes widening when he felt his face begin to redden from the close contact and he turned away from the boy in green. The longshot finally connected to the scarecrow and began to pull them up. Within seconds, they were atop the roof, probably startling the ancient scientist who worked in the laboratory itself.
Leo handed the longshot back to Link and started climbing up the ladder. "Follow me," he said, gesturing up to the boy below him. As he watched Link, he saw him glare at the purple-eyed boy, but nothing else was said.
On the way up, Leo could hear quite a few angry mutters coming from the hero. "Stupid Leo... makes me climb the ladder while pregnant…" was among them.
Finally, the two boys made it to the platform at the top of the ladder. Leo covered Link's eyes once the latter had reached the top and steadied himself, causing Link to yelp. "Hey! What gives?" he complained.
"You'll see," Leo repeated. He lead Link to the edge of the platform, facing the setting sun, when he pulled his hands away from Link's eyes.
Link gasped as he looked at the scene, and it truly was a breathtaking sight. They could see a few miles in all directions, and the sunset's reflection on the lake was truly beautiful. "Wow, Leo… thank you," Link whispered.
Leo looked confused. "'Thank you'? Why?" he asked, looking at Link curiously.
Link turned to look at Leo, smiling radiantly. "For taking me up here to see it," he answered. He turned back to the sunset, the smile still on his face. "I'm so happy I don't have to worry about Ganondorf anymore… with him around, you can't enjoy moments like this."
Leo's heart sank. How wrong he was. He was now actually in more danger than ever before, and he didn't have a clue. He was about to tell him otherwise when a pair of arms enveloped him and a bump pushed into his side. He almost jumped when he looked to his right, where the bump and arms were coming from.
Link was giving him a hug.
"Thank you so much, Leo. For everything," Link whispered, squeezing him gently.
Leo didn't do anything for a few moments when he reached over and returned the hug. This was truly a perfect day.