For them, it came naturally. It didn't matter their age, their gender or where they were - kissing just seemed to be the most natural thing for the two to share.

At first no one had thought much of it, they were only 5 after all. The two had met when their older sisters, Hilda and Zelda, took Ravio over to Link's home so they could both baby sit them while still hanging out. And to say they got along was an understatement. The two were just alike when it came to their habits, with only mild differences.

When nervous, Link would be silent and Ravio wouldn't be quiet. When having a particularly good time, both the bridge of their noses and tips of their ears would turn red. And when near each other, they wouldn't let go of the other boy's hand except to go to the bathroom.

Which made it very unsurprising when they both wished for goodnight kisses once it turned to be 9 o'clock with no parents in sight to take Hilda home or to tuck Link into bed. Hilda had expected this apparently, since she brought Ravio's pajamas with them, footy-pajamas... Just like Link's. The blonde had a Cuckoo-themed pair while the purple haired toddler had a Bunny-themed pair, but they were the same size and style and they both laughed like idiots as they were tucked into the same bed. They refused to sleep unless kept together.

And then came time for goodnight kisses. Hilda refused to give one to Ravio, being a middle-schooler and "having no time for her little brother" for some reason - while Zelda bent down quickly and pressed her lips to Link's cheek without asking, giggling in amusement when the little one started rubbing it off with his sleeve, pouting.

The two left them alone to sleep and just before Link went to sleep, he saw Ravio's eyes watering from being denied another goodnight kiss. With a small smile and little hands holding Ravio's head in place, the blonde pressed their lips together with a smile and wished Ravio goodnight, letting the two of them sleep soundly.

After that, the two would share a kiss goodnight every time they were put to bed at one another house, finding it helped them sleep without nightmares quite often.

Neither of them questioned it, and it became routine for them as they began hanging out more, even to the age of nine. They're habit didn't change at all, even if their sisters said it was time to stop being as close as they were. After many lectures and sometimes even scolding on Zelda's part, which was rare, the boys listened. Sort of..

They abandoned their treasured footy-pajamas, watching them be disposed of with what some people would say teary eyes, and left them behind for more common sleep wear.

But they refused to sleep without one another. Every time they were set to sleep in different parts of the room, Ravio in bed and Link on the floor when they were at the darker boy's home, and reverse when not - but that never stopped them from getting right back up and cuddling into the other's side.

It was natural to them, it was familiar, and they wouldn't change a thing. They slept soundly again.

After a while, once they reached the age of 10, the two still refused to stop showing affection. In fact, they started to increase their displays. It wasn't always in the form of hand holding and soft, hidden kisses - they were shown in being bound by the hip and giving more open, slightly longer ones in the living room when they thought their sisters were up in one of their rooms, gossiping about boys most likely.

The two didn't find it odd, even if they never saw any other boys holding hands or giving a peck on the cheek. The two just thought that they were more shy about it, keeping it behind doors like they had done when so very little. So, they felt no shame in showing it in the comfort of their own homes. They loved giving the other affection.

It wasn't always physical either, it was the small things.

Like when Link protected Ravio from being made fun of for playing with dolls, instead of the toy monster trucks that all the other boys showed off. And when Ravio saw how hard Link was trying to buy something with a very non-existent allowance, only to buy it for him with his own and not even waiting for an occasion to roll by to give it to him.

Those were the times when they would give a kiss to the other in thanks and gratitude, instead of kindness. When they would last a big longer than usual and the two would close their eyes from the familiar warmth against each of their lips.

A few more years passed and the two, to their dismay, were separated.

Ravio's family had hit hard times as the years went on and the only way to fix it was to take a job opportunity in another city. Said city being a whole country apart from where Link's family lived. The two were heart broken when they found out, their 13 year old hearts never feeling such an excruciating pain before.

Their sisters, well Link's sister, tried to cheer them up for most of the time before they were to be parted, but with such a large age gap - Link and Ravio finishing middle school and Zelda in her middle years of college - her logic for the situation didn't reach them. They just wished to be left alone or by each other's side until they finally couldn't see each other again.

In little more than 2 months, they were torn apart by a moving van and a country's length of land. For what seemed like the last time, Ravio and Link shared a kiss, this one being their longest and for the first time, filled with tears. Ravio's parents called for him to say goodbye and get in the car, which called them back to reality. The darker teen wrapped his arms around Link and promised to be back as soon as possible before slowly letting him go and getting into the backseat.

Link waited until he couldn't see the car anymore before breaking down like he'd been doing behind closed doors for the last month.

For a long time, neither of them could function without knowing how their best friend was, if they were enjoying life where they currently were or if they were a crying, sobbing wreck like the other was.

That lasted for months, a year and finally until around a month after Link's birthday before they finally pulled themselves together.

After two years apart, Link had stopped crying for the other to be near him for a goodnight kiss and Ravio quit refusing meals every other day because he wouldn't be able to cook it for Link once he learned how to make it himself. The two almost moved on. Almost, being the key word.

They didn't sob or cry or zone out with only thoughts of the other while in the middle of a conversation anymore. But they did dream of one another every night, with the occasional exception of a rampant nightmare caused by too much sugar or bad milk or something like that. They dreamt of having the other close, back when they were little, still sporting their Cuckoo and Bunny onesies that they had treasured as much as their lives. In their dreams they could hold one another, tell the other about their day and whisper secrets to them, give them goodnight kisses and - on the rare yet growing occasion as they remained apart and aging - they would share more than a kiss.

They would go passed it, go to something unspoken and un-innocent and just before anything beyond their own individual knowledge could be seen, they would wake up and wish for the others touch, even if it wasn't all that they dreamed it to be.

It was only 3 years after being apart that they finally got what they wished for, dreamed for, and prayed for.

It was cold outside, snow flakes falling to the ground and into Link's hair as he walked down the street towards home, school being let out that day for Christmas break.

He should have been cheerful, everyone else was. Many of his classmates were trampling others to get home and start celebrating the three weeks off they got, while others were even singing Christmas carols together as they walked, just because they love and favor the winter season and it's holidays.

The blonde wished he could join them, Christmas was his favorite holiday after all, but he didn't feel right enough to do it. Ravio had always sang them with him from the moment November ended, not even giving people a chance to blink before they were wearing dorky, and on occasions very, very ugly... Christmas sweaters together for the month. Without the purple-haired boy by his side to sing the lyrics while he hummed the tune in the background, he didn't feel very into the spirit.

He'd done well of hiding his loneliness on Christmas Eve and the day itself for the last two years when his family was there with him, wanting to see him smile and have a cheery time as well. But once he was alone again he couldn't find it in himself to keep smiling in happiness that had left him 3 years ago.

The blonde let out a small sigh, watching his breath turn white as he walked onto the stoop of his home. He checked to see if the door was locked, finding it open which meant that Zelda was home for the holidays already as well and probably studying in her old room while she waited for him. He took a couple steps in, dropping his school bag on the floor and not getting a chance to look up before there was something covering his vision. Something soft and warm had been thrown over his head by someone, forcing it down his body and passed his eyes again before he could open them and look at who had jumped him in such a way.

What, or who, was before him made him freeze completely as tears began to pour down. "Zelda said you weren't keeping up with tradition, so I bought that sweater just for you. Put it on quick or else you won't be able to hug me back!" the other boy scolded playfully, wagging his finger at him in jest while Link hurriedly forced his arms through the sleeves and threw himself on the other, knocking them both to the ground.

"Ravio!" was all he could keep chanting, pressing himself completely against the other like he was trying to fuse them and never be apart again. "I thought- When did you-"

Link was cut off by a pair of lips, the same familiar pair that had been pressed against his in happiness, sadness, even sickness ever since the two had met at the young age of 5. He didn't pull away either, instead kissing back and closing his eyes, savoring everything about the kiss before they pulled back to breath and look at each other again, both with tears still clinging to them.

They were both older, a bit more built from the strong PE regime that their highschools had, seemingly being a common point in education. Link was more built than his companion, as per usual since Ravio always favored playing video games than playing tag or anything to that correlation. And Ravio was taller than Link by about an inch, a change neither expected since they had always matched each other's growth spurts quite well when little. They both had different styles of clothes, Link wearing a fur-trim jacket over a tight, pattern printed shirt on with jeans - while Ravio had on a simple purple sweater with black insulated pants.

They stared at each other for a few more moments, looking into the unchanging eyes of their closest friend before meeting for another kiss, the two shifting so Ravio could sit up with Link in his lip, straddling the taller boy's legs. Neither missed a beat. "I missed you." they said in unison, before smiling again like they'd just won the lottery and coming back together, lips meeting and melting together and Ravio wrapped his arms around Link and stood up carefully, not wanting to pull away.

The two headed upstairs that way, Link's legs wrapped firmly around Ravio's waist while the other wrapped an arm under the blonde's ass, his free hand finding the rail so they wouldn't fall and hurt themselves. They got into Link's room, shutting the door with his foot and dropping to the bed before they fulfilled each other's countless dreams, only being quiet enough to not scare Zelda in the other room, even if the sheets paid a steeper price in the end for it.

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