Chapter Text
The camera pans over a field, showing distant blue-green hills and a forest of deciduous bordering the fence. Calming music provides a background ambiance - familiar to anyone who has played a Legend of Zelda game before, but otherwise sounding like harp, piano, and synthesizers.
It’s peaceful, the initial few seconds of video, and then the camera spins and zooms in on an area by a small shed where several feathered animals can be seen.
The camera shakes as it narrows in on a rooster - standing tall and clucking ominously.
Keith’s voice is loud and clear as the video feed begins to shake.
“I’m gonna fight those chickens.”
“No!” Lance can be heard yelling, but it’s too late. Whoever is filming begins running forward, and the rooster turns to stare fully at the camera as the feed gets closer and closer. There’s a flurry of feathers, and Keith trips, sending the camera flying.
“Abort!” Keith screams, but his voice is drowned out by the sound of disturbed squawking. The camera lands on its side, and all it shows is the very edge of the scene unfolding on film: a boy covering his head as he tries to flee the growing mass of chickens converging on his location, yelping as wings beat against his legs and beaks find purchase on his skin.
It’s chaos, and the peaceful music is no more. Right before it ends a single leg can be seen stepping into view of the camera, but it’s not human. It’s scaly and long: three-toed and ending in sharp claws.
A rooster crows, and everything goes black.
Living Like Link - Part 2: Episode 1
“Hey guys!” Lance cheers, waving as the video reopens. He’s sitting with Keith on their couch, behind which sits a wall of fanart and letters and several framed YouTube Play Buttons. “Welcome to a new series with us: the greatest video gamer on the planet-” he pauses, in which Keith grins widely, and then smirks: “-and Keith.”
“Wha-” Keith deflates, glancing over at Lance with a frown. “I thought you were talking about me!”
Lance folds his arms over his chest.
“Um, I think our last game proved otherwise.” A link pops up on the bottom of the screen, showing their latest video titled: Smash (ing) Bros , which Lance points to. “And if you guys wanna see Keith get his butt kicked by yours truly then you know the drill!”
He winks, and Keith flops back on the couch, blowing hair out of his face with a pout.
“Maybe I let you win,” he grumbles, but Lance doesn’t seem to hear.
“Anyway, as you probably guessed from the title, we’re doing a part two of my series ‘Living Like Link’, where I taught sign language to raise awareness for people who are mute, deaf, or otherwise incapable of verbal communication.”
Keith makes a few hand gestures beside Lance, who is too busy staring at the camera to notice the way his pinky and thumb lift and cradle against his chest, before his other fisted hand comes over to cross in front, ending with the index finger of the hand closest to himself pointing in Lance’s direction.
I love you, but in a more intimate way than the standard sign.
He smiles, cheeks flushing as he watches Lance continue the introduction.
“This video was actually Keith’s idea, who-” Lance pauses, having looked over at Keith and seen his fond expression. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm?” Keith hums innocently, before sitting up and shoving Lance gently aside.
“Hey!”
“This series is the next step of learning to be Link,” he explains, ignoring as Lance attempts pushing him back to no avail. “Where we show you how to fight, cook, and live in the wilderness like a real adventurer.”
“Wait,” Lance freezes, brows lifting as he ogles Keith. “That’s what this is?! You said it would be making pointy hats and swords and stuff!”
“It’s both,” Keith goes on, pulling up a bag by his feet that Lance stares at.
“Where did that come from…?”
“In here,” Keith goes on with a grin, “are two costumes. One is for Link, and the other is for Princess Zelda.”
Lance’s face drops as he realizes what Keith is getting at, and he makes an attempt to reach into the bag. Keith pulls it away with a laugh and wags his finger in Lance’s direction.
“Bad! No. They’re a surprise. Not even I’ve seen what they look like.”
“That’s concerning,” Lance mumbles, leaning back to his side of the couch. “Where did you get them?”
“I’m glad you asked!” Keith announces in a voice not at all his own. He turns to face the camera with a wide, blank smile, and a solid five seconds go by with the sound of crickets in the background.
“Hey babe,” Lance says finally, glancing between Keith and the camera. “What...is..?”
Keith blinks and snaps out of it, turning to look at Lance with a shrug.
“Allura and Romelle made them,” he explains, and Lance lifts a brow.
“Okay...that’s pretty awesome, but what was with the whole…” he makes a hand gesture at the camera, and again Keith shrugs.
“I thought we could put a commercial at that part as a plug for their channel,” he whispers. “Just edit it in, okay?”
Lance snorts and agrees, but when Keith turns back to the camera he subtly shakes his head and mouths ‘no way’. Instead a link to Allura and Romelle’s channel appears in the upper right-hand corner, showcasing some of the amazing cosplays they do and make.
“But yeah,” Keith goes on, oblivious, “I commissioned them to make Link and Zelda outfits, and we’re going to have a little competition to see who has to wear which.”
“Are you serious?” Lance bawks, but he sounds excited. “For how long do we have to wear them?”
“The whole series,” Keith answers, grinning wickedly.
“And what’s the competition?”
Keith reaches for something out of frame, and comes back with a large, ornate looking bow. Lance gapes, and leans around Keith to see where he had pulled it from.
“Where the heck did that-”
“Archery!” Keith interrupts, and Lance huffs.
“Archery?” he repeats, and Keith nods.
“Yep. Bows and arrows and stuff. Just like Link. Whoever can shoot closest to the center of the target gets to pick which costume they want to wear.”
“So...Link's,” Lance supplies, and Keith tilts his head.
“Yeah, basically. Though I’m sure Zelda’s dress is absolutely amazing.” He winks at the camera, and Lance narrows his eyes.
“I’m not wearing a dress,” he states, and Keith bites his lower lip to keep from laughing.
“Then you better win at archery.”
He stands, feigning shooting at the camera with the bow before leaving. Lance watches him go, and then rolls his eyes as he makes to follow.
“This game is rigged,” he mutters, and the feed goes black.
The scene opens up to a large backyard with a single target set up about fifty meters away. The camera zooms in on it for a moment, and then spins to re-focus on Lance and Keith standing a few feet away.
Keith looks confident as he toys with a few arrows, and Lance watches him with a blank expression, careful to keep his features from showing his emotions. The person behind the camera giggles, and the scene cuts to Keith standing by a tree tossing the bow between his hands.
“How confident are you about winning this?” a voice asks, recognized as their filmer Hunk by those who are avid watchers of the channel.
Keith laughs, shaking his head as he beckons Hunk closer.
“Okay, so,” he whispers at the camera, glancing around nervously as he does. “Lance doesn’t know this but I’ve been practicing archery for the last few weeks specifically for this challenge.”
“Isn’t that cheating?” Hunk asks, and Keith waves him off.
“It’s not! It’s just that I ordered the Zelda costume in Lance’s size so I kinda have to be Link, you know?”
Hunk grunts, and Keith continues.
“Anyway, I’m feelin pretty good about my odds of winning, and Lance, babe, when you watch this please don’t be mad.” He blows a kiss at the camera. “Love youuuu!”
The camera flips up at Hunk, who stares down at it with a bored look on his face, before swiveling to show Keith running back at Lance, who catches him mid-jump and spins around in a circle.
“He’s so dead,” Hunk mumbles, and the scene changes again.
“Okay so we get a few practice rounds first, just to warm up,” Keith is explaining, and behind him Lance is trying not to laugh. “I’ll go first.”
He grabs the bow and walks over to where a line has been painted on the grass, rolling his shoulders a few times before plucking an arrow from the holster at his hip. He draws back, inhales once, and releases.
The camera moves to follow the arrow, which lands in the blue ring on the target. Keith woops, and then attempts shrugging nonchalantly as the camera points back his way.
“Not too shabby,” he self-congratulates, handing the bow to Lance, who throws a wink at Hunk before taking it.
“So dead,” Hunk mumbles again, but this time there’s humour in his voice, and the scene cuts to show Lance standing in the same place Keith had been for his brief one-on-one interview.
“Do you think you’ll win this?” Hunk asks, and Lance answers expressionless.
“I was in archery for seven years.”
There’s a brief silence, and then Hunk’s sporadic giggles can be heard loudly behind the camera.
“No way!” he squeals, and Lance shushes him with a smile.
“Yeah, and I was pretty good at it too. But don’t tell Keith! I have a feeling he’s thinking this will be super easy, and I want to see his face when he loses.” His smile turns wicked, voice lowering menacingly. “I can’t wait to see him in that dress.”
Hunk is still giggling, and the same sound can be heard as the scene switches back to Lance taking the bow from Keith and setting up at the line. He draws back in a stance honed from years of practice - the muscles in his shoulders taunt and ready - and then shoots a quick wink at the camera.
He releases, and the arrow goes flying past the target, landing somewhere in the garden behind it.
Keith snorts, covering his mouth hastily when Lance walks over.
“Ah, better luck next time,” he says with false empathy, and Lance smiles sweetly up at him.
“Thank goodness we got to practice.”
“Agreed!” Keith cheers. “But that’s over now. Time to shoot for real!”
He runs to collect the arrows, and the camera pans over to Lance, who can be seen watching the boy with a fond look in his eyes.
“Did you do that on purpose?” Hunk asks, and Lance glances over and winks just as Keith returns.
“For you, kind sir,” he bows as he presents an arrow to Lance, and then raises up with a gleaming grin. “Or shall I call you ‘my lady’?”
“You can call me whatever you want hun,” Lance shoots back as he takes the gift. “But you haven’t won yet.”
“Then let’s begin, yeah?” Keith takes up the bow again, and waltzes over to the line with the bravado of a man confident he can’t lose, making a show of choosing his arrow and stretching.
“I almost feel bad for him,” Hunk comments, and Lance snorts.
“You ready to witness greatness?” Keith calls over, and Hunk groans.
“Actually, nevermind.”
“Go for it!” Lance answers, and Keith draws back. A second later he releases with a very Link-like grunt, and the arrow sails smoothly through the air before coming to a halt with a solid thud in the target.
It’s closer this time, landing just outside the red center by a few centimeters.
“Oh woah!” Keith exclaims excitedly, pointing. “Did you see that?! ”
“Sure did babe,” Lance calls back, taking the bow from Keith as they trade places. “I don’t think I’ll ever beat that.”
“You’ll do great,” Keith murmurs back, cockiness fading as he falls for Lance’s act. “You’re amazing either way.” He presses a quick kiss to Lance’s forehead, who stares back at the camera with a look akin to guilt.
But then Keith slaps his rear as he walks away, making a comment about how sexy Lance will look as Zelda, and the look is gone.
“I mean, undoubtedly,” Lance huffs, glaring at Keith as he goes. “But I’m not the one who’ll be wearing it.”
“What was that-” Keith starts, mid-turn to stare back at Lance, but the boy is already taking aim with the bow, drawing back and breathing in steadily as the arrow is sent off. It lands right in the middle of the target, and Keith is stunned silent.
“Ah, what’s wrong princess?” Lance teases as he relaxes, and Keith snaps out of his shock.
“What was that?! ” he screeches, running over to the target as Lance makes his way back over to Hunk.
“Easy peasy,” he shrugs, and in the background, Keith can be heard yelling as he gestures at the target in shock.
“IT'S LITERALLY RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE!”
“I think you broke him,” Hunk chuckles.
“WHAT KINDA LEGOLAS TRICKERY IS THIS?!”
“You think?” Lance answers, jumping at the gargled screech growing louder from behind them.
“Do it again!” Keith demands as he charges back over. “I call beginners luck! You have to do it again!”
“Alright,” Lance agrees easily, and Keith follows him over to the line. The process repeats and Lance assumes his stance and pulls back. The arrow is released with a twang and hits beside the first: feathers brushing in dead center.
“HOW!?” Keith bellows, collapsing forward, and Lance laughs at the genuine shock his tone holds. “HOW!! When- that was amazing! I’m not even mad cuz holy-” the word is bleeped out, and Lance yelps as he’s picked up and swung in a wide circle.
“Keith! Wait-”
“Show me how you did that!” Keith goes on as he places Lance back on his feet. “I didn’t know I was dating a badass!”
“Sure you did,” Lance jests, but the flush in his cheeks reveal how flattered he is.
“I mean, of course I knew,” Keith goes on, handing Lance another arrow. “But damn! I didn’t know you could shoot like that! Did you?!” he turns over to Hunk, who laughs and moves the camera up and down for yes.
Lance shrugs, picking at the bow string self-consciously.
“Wait!” Keith pauses abruptly, and then grins widely. “This can be the first lesson of Living Like Link! Learning how to shoot a bow! Lance you can teach me and we can like, hunt rabbits and stray pottery!”
“We can do that later,” Lance interjects, and goes on when Keith shoots him a confused frown. “Because I believe this was a competition, right?”
Keith pales, the realization of what his loss truly means sinking in.
“Uh-”
“So how about you go and put on that beautiful Zelda gown and we go from there?”
The camera zooms in on Keith’s face, who looks like he’d just swallowed a mouthful of pickle juice. His smile is forced, and Hunk giggles as Lance jumps into frame with an arm around Keith’s shoulders.
“Time to get prettied up my princess!!”
Keith whines, and the scene cuts to black with an animated arrow shooting across the screen.
They’re back in the living room, and the bag Keith had shown in the first part of the video is sitting between them unopened. He’s refusing to look at it, but Lance is eagerly clapping his hands.
“Okay, so since Keith lost at archery-”
“I wish I could be more upset about that,” Keith grumbles, one hand propping up his head as he leans against the side of the couch.
“-that means I get to be Link!”
“You’re sure you don’t want Zelda?” Keith offers, giving Lance the biggest puppy eyes imaginable, but Lance doesn’t fall for it.
“Nope. The rules were I get to pick which outfit I want and I choose Link! Now let’s see what we have…”
He opens the bag, reaching in with his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth and his head turned the other way to prevent seeing, and when he pulls something up it’s with more gusto than necessary.
“Alright, what do we have here?” He holds the first article of clothing between both hands, and a long pause spreads out between them as both Keith and Lance ogle it.
And then Hunk can be heard giggling in the background.
“Oh my god!” Keith’s face brightens, grin growing into a toothy open-mouthed beam as he watches Lance frown at the item.
“Is this a bra?” he asks, trying to pass it over to Keith. “It must go with yours-”
“No, it doesn’t,” Keith cuts him off, digging into the bag and letting out a burst of laughter as he pulls out a matching pair of pants, two armbands, a scarf, several golden bracelets, and a pair of dainty green slippers. He holds them out and laughs so hard that tears come to his eyes. “Oh my god! Thank you Allura and Romelle!”
“What is this?” Lance asks in confusion, rummaging through the bag to pull out a red hooded outfit with black pants and crimson boots, gold-trimmed and looking altogether more adventure ready than the bra he still holds in one hand. “This must be Link’s, right?”
Keith can only shake his head: his laughter having escalated to breathless silent wheezing. Lance turns towards the camera, evidently looking at Hunk for an explanation.
“Dude,” their cameraman giggles, “look up the ‘Gerudo’ outfit for Link. It’s from the newest game.”
Lance blinks, glancing over at Keith - who manages to fall off the couch from laughing so hard - and brings out his phone. His face falls, head whipping up to gape at the camera.
“You’re kidding me, right? This isn’t real-”
“It’s real alright!” Keith finally speaks, voice coming from off camera as he remains breathless on the floor. “It’s real and I’m so glad I lost!”
“Hunk?” Lance tries, voice faltering.
“Sorry man.”
Lance makes a whine in the back of his throat as he stares down at his phone again.
“How is this real?!” he exclaims suddenly, and an image of what Hunk had told him to search appears in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. It shows Link in the Gerudo outfit from Breath of the Wild, which looks more like a belly dancing get-up to the unknowing eye.
“I’m so happy right now!” Keith proclaims as he sits up, wiping tears from his cheeks and grinning so widely he can hardly get the next words out. “Remind me to send a bouquet of the finest threads to Allura and Romelle for this, even though they knew I had ordered the Link outfit for myself-”
“You what now?” Lance cuts in, and Keith freezes.
“Nothin,” he waves, grabbing the red garment from Lance and standing. “And it’s too late now, you already chose Link!”
“I didn’t know he ran around in hula gear!”
“Now you do,” Keith yelps as Lance gets up to chase him, and the two run around the couch for a moment before Keith darts off towards the bathroom and locks the door.
“You have to wear it!” he yells off camera, and Lance flops back down with a groan.
“I knew this competition was rigged! Even though I won I still ended up losing! How does that make any sense?!”
“You’re gonna wear it though, right?” Hunk asks, and Lance picks up the stylish bra that had been discarded on the ground. He stares at it for a long moment and then sighs in acceptance, holding it up to his chest with an approving nod.
“I mean, at least it’s in my colour, right?”
Keith is standing in the kitchen waiting, dressed in what looks to be a hooded assassins robe.
“So this is the Zelda outfit I apparently commissioned,” he explains, pointing at some of the articles that the camera pans over. “It’s actually based off an altered version of the game where Zelda herself is the main hero, not Link. I did a playthrough with the Zelda’s Ballad mod applied, and this is her Flamebreaker Armor.”
A link pops up in the corner as Keith speaks, showing a video titled: Legend of Zelda but like actually, filmed on Keith’s gaming channel.
“This was my favourite armour to use and I’m really impressed that Allura and Romelle designed it so stunningly. It’s a bit small since I ordered it in Lance’s size, but it works.”
“It looks like it fits perfectly,” Hunk comments, and Keith flushes as he fiddles with the hem of the outfit that fans out past his waist.
“I uh...the pants were a bit tight and may or may not have ripped…”
Hunk snorts, and before Keith can respond, Lance’s voice calls out from down the hall.
“Okay, I’m ready I guess. You guys better be prepared!”
Keith’s face lights up, and he jumps up and down on the spot as the camera slowly turns to face the direction of Lance’s voice.
A door opens into the hall, and Keith squeals in delight as Lance steps out from behind it.
“Ta-da!” he announces, leaning against the doorframe seductively. The outfit fits astonishingly well, with only the pants appearing to hang a little looser on Lance’s hips. But when the camera pans back to Keith, he doesn’t seem to mind. Hunk giggles and turns the attention back on Lance, who performs a delicate spin as he shimmies his way over to them.
“How do I look?” he asks when closer, and Keith surprisingly doesn’t say anything.
“Babe?” Lance presses, and the camera turns over to Keith again, who bites his lower lip as his eyes scan slowly over Lance’s body, face flushing darker with each pass.
“It’s, uh-” he coughs, turning away when he sees the camera pointed his way. “It’s good.”
Lance laughs, grinning as he glances down at himself.
“I mean, I was sort of hesitant at first but I think I’m kinda rocking this!” He spins again, and the baubles and bells that hang off the costume chime and sing. “I actually love it, to be honest. Makes me wanna dance-”
“Don’t-” Keith interrupts, grabbing Lance’s waist to halt his hip movements. Hunk chuckles and zooms in on Keiths face: almost as red as the outfit he wears. “You’ll get us demonetized.”
“What! Nah,” Lance waves him off, adjusting the scarf that covers the lower half of his face. “If anything this will get us more subscribers.” He turns to the camera fully then, grabbing both sides and leaning in. “Fifty thousand likes and I’ll belly dance for Kei-”
“Nope!” Keith cuts in, grabbing the camera and running. Hunk and Lance can be seen in the background, though the feed is blurry from the movement.
“Keith!” Lance laughs, and the camera tilts up to show Keith’s increasingly flushed cheeks.
“No dance. Nuh uh. Also, this video is over! Come back next week to have Lance teach us archery and other Link stuff! Make sure to-”
“Keith come back!” Lance can be heard shouting, and Keith picks up the pace.
“Like and subscribe and share and do whatever you want except like this video! No dance! Not happening!”
The screen turns black, their closing song playing as the brief credits roll thanking Allura and Romelle and Hunk, as well as the local archery club for lending them supplies. But before the video ends a clip of Keith and Lance in the kitchen can be seen, both still wearing the outfits from the video.
“-kind of a shame though,” Lance can be heard saying, and Hunk’s stifled giggles let the audience know he’s filming without the other two knowing. “I would have liked to see you in a dress.”
“This is a million times better,” Keith answers, wrapping his arms around Lance’s hips and pulling him closer. “I don’t want you to ever take it off.”
“Ever?” Lance murmurs back, and the camera shifts in and out of focus for a second.
“Well, I can think of a few exceptions,” Keith purrs in response, and the camera is tilted down just as the two kiss, Hunk scuttling away to give them their privacy.
“Allura owes me twenty bucks,” he can be heard saying, and then the video ends.
It reaches fifty thousand likes within the day, but the only one who sees Lance dance is Keith.