GhirahimxLink: Be My Escape --Chapter 9--

GhirahimxLink: Be My Escape

Chapter Nine: Bewitched


Link didn't believe him. Not for a second. Time and time again the demon lord had proven that he could not be trusted. So when a Bokoblin trudged to the cell later that morning carrying a meal that looked abnormally fresh and actually nutritious, the boy wasn't swayed; he left the breakfast untouched, and ignored the wide open door that the demon pig had conveniently forgot to close. When temptation to explore began to grow like a fungating tumor, the sky child stalked to the door and slammed it shut, the clash of metal ringing in his ears.

When the next guard came by with lunch, he eyed the closed cell door, and then the boy sitting on his bed. Link returned his hard stare with a raised eyebrow. “What?” he asked evenly.

The Bokoblin's gaze slowly turned back to the door. “You...close?”

Link nodded. “You forgot to shut it, so I did it for you.”

And despite this clarification, when the demon pig set down the tray and waddled out of the room, once more, he left the door ajar. Link let out an exasperated groan. “Hey! The door!”

The Bokoblin paused and glanced over his oily shoulder at the boy. “Can't,” he said gruffly, “Ghirahim...order it.”

Link scowled as the demon pig moped away, and turned his brooding attention to the meal sitting next to his forgotten breakfast. It looked even more extravagant than the last one. His stomach growled, pleading for just a taste. 'Surely this food is safe to eat,' his subconscious whispered with hope.

With a roar, the sky child grabbed the tray and flung it against the wall. The food seemed to explode on impact, spraying everywhere and pelting him in the face. Anger bubbled within him, but with a restrained sigh, the boy crawled back onto his bed, turning his back on the open door and the rats that feasted on his suspiciously delicious looking scraps.

When a third Bokoblin came by later carrying a third tray, Link snapped. “Stop!” He yelled, holding up a hand just as the demon pig was about to cross the threshold. “I don't want it. Take it back to the kitchen.”

The Bokoblin stood mid-step for an awkward second, eyes wide with confusion. “Can't,” he eventually said, “Ghirahim's –”

“–Orders, right?” The boy interrupted, his voice scalding.

The Bokoblin shrank back, clutching the meal tray to his belly. “You really...no want?”

“No,” Link spat, “Tell your master that I don't want anything from him.” He leaned back against the wall, folding his arms against his chest.

The demon pig was looking down at the heaping tray with glazed over eyes and a wide open mouth, and the sky child wasn't completely confident he was paying enough attention to be able to relay such a message. He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “You know what? Never mind. I'll tell him myself.”

The Bokoblin was still staring at the food, nearly salivating on top of the mountains of meat and gravy and greens, when Link stormed passed him. “Useless pig,” he grumbled, making sure to knock shoulders with the demon pig as he left the cell.

Once the boy was out of the dungeon and in the open fortress, his anger was quick to fade as anxiety eagerly took its place. He felt exposed, vulnerable, and though he knew the comfort of his cell was a facade, he still welcomed it nonetheless. His steps came to a stuttering halt. 'What are you doing?' The boy covered his face with his hands and let out a strained groan. 'This is probably EXACTLY what he wants. This was his plan all along, and here you are, strolling right into it. Good job, stupid.'

It was too late to turn back now. Trying to ignite the fire that had fizzled out to embers in his belly, the sky child picked up his feet and trudged forward. His heart worked furiously within him, his chest feeling tight and heavy, his mind a complete frazzled mess. But Link knew that he couldn't take a moment to collect himself, set everything straight; if he did, he would end up right back in his cell, pretending that everything was ok, that the demon lord wasn't playing with him, that he wasn't going to die within 24 hours.

The library burst into view. Link felt a tug at his heart. Ghirahim was in there, he was certain of it. The boy didn't allow his mind to play with the idea that the demon lord might not be in there, but it had occurred to him. 'I don't know anything about him...where did he like to relax when the library wasn't an option?' The thought felt like stones in his hollow belly, and with gritted teeth and pent up lungs, Link opened the door, ignoring the quivering in his fingers.

The room was still beautiful as ever, but it seemed...off. Darker, heavy, sad. A fire crackled in the corner, but the warmth did little to lift the room's chill. The demon lord was sitting in the luxurious-looking chair threaded with gold, his legs folded up onto the seat, chewing on a fingernail as he gazed intently at a book swarming with hieroglyphics. He was wearing glasses, and if it had been different circumstances, the sky child would have laughed at the irony of a demon needing to wear glasses to read. They were simple, a black frame with thin rectangle lenses, and yet they made Link's heart wobble uncomfortably.

But something was wrong, and Link was embarrassed that he was so focused on Ghirahim's glasses that he didn't notice how disheveled the demon lord looked. His hair, normally pristine and carrying a healthy shine, was dull, piecey, stringing in front of his face. His white jumpsuit hung loosely on him, having lost all its elasticity, and it was worn, crinkled, like he had slept in it. If he had slept at all; the deep bags underneath his tired eyes suggested otherwise. And yet, the boy's heart continued to wobble. 'How can he look so awful and yet still make me feel like this? That's certainly not fair.'

Ghirahim didn't even stir when the boy marched into the room, just continued to stare at his book with keen interest, but Link knew better than that; he knew to look closer, harder. At the way the demon lord's grip tightened on the book's cover till his fingers went white. At the way he suddenly grew rigid. At the breath he had taken hostage and was holding tightly in his lungs. At the way his eyes held onto a single word, not brave enough to continue reading. Despite the fury still blooming within him, seeing the demon lord like this made Link's insides ache. He gave his head a quick shake, stifling the unpleasant emotions that tried to claw their way into his heart. 'Remember what you are doing, why you are here.' He narrowed his gaze at the demon lord, his teeth bared in a sneer. 'This DEMON is a monster.'

And so, before his heart could betray him, the boy opened his suddenly dry mouth and let the words tumble out. “Why do you insist on continuing to torment me with your mind games? Haven't I been through enough?” He growled, surprised by the amount of pain weighing down his words. “Please, just end your cruel jokes and let me be!”

Ghirahim didn't look up from his book, but Link's words did seem to unsettle him; the breath he had been holding came out in a slow sigh, and he flicked his eyes in the boy's direction, not meeting his gaze completely. “I don't know what you're talking about,” he said quietly, turning his attention back to his book.

Link scoffed. He was half-tempted to erase the distance between him and the demon lord and wrench the book out of his hands, tossing it into the fire, demanding all of his attention. But doing that meant that he would be much closer to Ghirahim, and right now, that didn't seem like a safe idea. He clenched his fists at his sides, hoping that the demon lord didn't notice how bad they were trembling. “The elaborate meals? The gate being open non-stop? You insist that I play with your emotions, and yet you have no regard for my own! Enough already!”

Ghirahim set down his book into his lap with a sigh, giving the boy a tired, withering look over his frames. Suddenly, Link wished that the demon lord was still reading his book, ignoring him. 'Stop it,' he maintained, 'stand your ground.'

Ghirahim frowned, but that, too, looked tired. “What do you want from me, sky child?” He asked in a drained voice.

“Don't take me for a fool,” Link spat. “These games you play, I want no part in them.”

“I'm not playing any games.”

“But you are!” The boy cried out, shocked when tears sprang to his eyes without warning. “You are!”

“Sky child,” Ghirahim sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. “I meant what I said last night, about leaving you alone. Haven't I done just that?” The demon lord waved a hand in the air. “And here you come, storming in with rage on your tongue and head full of fire, claiming that I'm continuing to torment you, even though I promised you I wouldn't.”

Link faltered, his cheeks burning. “But...but the meals –”

“–Look,” the demon lord offered a sad smile, “I understand that this must be hard for you to register, but please try.” The smile vanished, but the sadness remained. “And please acknowledge that by doing this, by storming in here and accusing me of such acts, that you are hurting me, too. The meals?” He waved a hand in the air, flicking his wrist dismissively. "They were simply a gesture of goodwill. Had I known they would upset you this much, I would have tossed them myself."

The boy's tears lost their heat, and he closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. “You're wrong.” When he opened his eyes, his gaze latched onto Ghirahim's, but it was blurred. “I don't understand. I don't understand any of this.”

The demon lord stared at Link, his onyx eyes hard as stone, his mouth clamped shut in a thin line. It was a look the sky child had grown used to. Analytical, objective, as though he were a study specimen that Ghirahim couldn't quite figure out. Often it would only last several moments, and the demon lord would let out a hearty laugh, having cracked the code and figuring out just what made Link tick.

But not this time. There was no smug laughter, no cracking of any codes. Just that stare. 'He's figured out all of them. There is nothing left.'

Suddenly the demon lord stood, dropping the book onto the chair, and strode towards the boy with slow, deliberate steps. A chill raced up Link's spine, but he forced his feet to remain firmly planted on the ground. His heart, however, failed to listen when he told it to calm its overwhelmed stuttering, and he couldn't stop the trembling in his arms and the way it vibrated up his shoulders, making his hairs stand on end. His head was beginning to pound, throbbing to the rapid beat of his heart, with his lungs working just as hard, just as fast.

And then the demon lord was upon him, staring down at the boy with those hard eyes. They were so close, sharing the same breath, the same heartbeat. It took everything within Link not to shrink away, to curl up into a ball and pretend that he didn't exist, that Ghirahim didn't exist. Except, the demon lord did exist, and his presence, normally enough to enrapture an entire room, was now wholeheartedly focused on the sky child alone, and it was almost painful. “What,” Ghirahim whispered, craning his neck even lower, his gaze searching, “do you not understand?”

Link, unable to help it, severed the eye contact, letting out the smallest of whimpers as he covered his face with his shaking hands. “How can you claim to not be playing with me, and yet my heart...” his voice cracked, and tears pooled in his burning eyes, “my heart hurts the way it does? My entire body feels like it is on fire when I'm with you, and you claim that you've stopped torturing me. My mind is running in circles, going mad trying to find answers to questions I have yet to ask, have yet to even think of. Why is it that I can't breathe when I'm with you, but when you are gone, its even worse, like I'm choking, gasping for air but never able to fill my lungs?” He looked up from his hands, the tears streaming from his eyes, his face overrun with anguish. His shoulders began to heave with exertion, fighting back the the mournful sobs that threatened to come out. “What is happening to me? Why do I feel this way? Why?” The boy's leg's buckled, and he sank to the floor, the sobs that were clawing to get out unleashed, leaving his throat raw, his lungs surging, his heart panicking and flailing within him.

The demon lord, on impulse, reached out, gripping the boy's shoulder's and collapsing onto the floor with him. Link went stiff in his arms, but didn't fight back when Ghirahim gently cupped his chin and lifted his face up. Slowly his harsh cries waned into deep breaths, and though the tears continued on their war path down his face, the boy had stopped shaking. The demon lord's thumb rubbed against his cheek, catching a few tears. “There, there, sky child,” he cooed, his voice a gentle thing, like velvet on Link's raw skin. “Hush now. Everything will be alright.”

The boy convulsed in the demon lord's arms, a fresh wave of agony sinking into his veins, coating his blood like poison. “How can you say that? Look at me!” Link flinched out of Ghirahim's grasp, lowering his face into his hands once more. “Look at what you've done to me.” He whispered, his fragile soul on the brink of shattering completely.

Ghirahim bit his lip, his long, snowy lashes dipping low over his eyes. “Oh, my dear boy, if only you knew exactly what you've done to me, maybe you'd understand a bit better, hmm?” When Link slowly peeked through his fingers at him, the demon lord let out a long, shuddering breath. “Never have I wanted something...someone...as much as I want you.”  Ghirahim reached for the boy's face once more, his eyes dancing with torment. With a sigh, he let his hand drop to his side. “And yet, I can't have you; you are just out of my reach, teasing me. I long for you, craving you like one craves their addiction. How I ache for you. You've...” Ghirahim paused, running a hand through his hair with a pained expression drifting along his face, “you've bewitched me. The moment I saw you in that temple, I was under your spell.” He offered a hint of a sad smile. “I was doomed from the very beginning.”

Link lowered his hands, and they flopped numbly into his lap. His brow was furrowed with confusion, still not quite grasping the demon lord's desperate confession. The boy raked his mind furiously for answers, an inkling of understanding, but kept coming up dry. Ghirahim seemed to sense the sky child's unease, and he let out a defeated chuckle. “It's ironic, really. You were meant to be my prisoner, and yet it is my heart that has been captured.” Tears flooded Ghirahim's eyes, and the fathomless black orbs glistened like stars. “Captured by you, and only you, sky child.” He narrowed his eyes slightly, giving Link such a palpable stare that sent the butterflies in the boy's stomach nearly frantic. “You understand now, don't you?”

Link bit at his wobbling lip. “Ghirahim I...” he swallowed, unsure of what to say. “I understand,” he finally mumbled.

The demon lord's face lifted, and a hesitant smile drifted along his glowing features. He reached out for the boy, but Link shied away, sucking in a sharp breath as he did so. The tremors returned. Ghirahim's arms hung in the air emptily, his face riddled with concern. The sky child shook his head, a lump forming in his throat. “I...I just can't. Not after what I've been through.” He swallowed hard, slowly meeting the demon lord's wide eyes. “Not after everything you've done to me.”

Ghirahim didn't move, his brain slow to process the boy's words. Link could see the moment when they properly sifted into the demon lord's mind. He could see it in the way the Ghirahim's face dropped, all hope vanishing in an instant. He could see it in the way the demon lord's shoulders sagged, dragging his arms to the floor. He could see it in the way he stared mournfully at the boy, with a gaze so overwrought with pain that Link had to look away. Silence enveloped the room, the tension electrifying. A moment later, the demon lord cleared his throat, causing the boy to jerk his head up, pulling his attention from his lap and back to Ghirahim. “Well,” the demon lord said lightly, though his words were flimsy and threatened to break, “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I can't wholeheartedly torture you for days on end and expect you to return my feelings when I confess to you out of the blue.” On impulse, the demon lord lifted a hand up and reached forward once more. This time, Link didn't flinch away, but when Ghirahim's fingers were just shy of brushing his jaw line, he stopped. Letting out a strained sigh, the demon lord jerked his hand back as though he had been stung, and cradled it against his chest. “I promised I wouldn't touch you, and so I won't. Not until you are ready.”

Link opened his mouth to speak, but Ghirahim was already standing and brushing himself off. He glanced down at the boy and gave a small smile, but Link could see right through it, at the pain resting just beneath the surface. “I think,” the demon lord shrugged his shoulders, but the movement was awkward and sluggish, “I think I'm going to lay down. I don't feel much like reading anymore.” Without waiting for a response, Ghirahim stepped around the sky child and stumbled out of the room, leaving Link in a heap on the floor.

If the boy had to guess when his heart shattered into oblivion, it would be when the demon lord closed the library door.

**

Link wondered if he was ever going to fall asleep. He knew he needed it; it had to have been over 24 hours since he last slipped into slumber. His body begged for it, through his stiff muscles, to his heavy eyes, to his weak heart, but every time he tried, his mind always grabbed onto a thought drifting by and tugged him back into reality. Out of the warm embrace of his deep subconscious, out of relief's reach. He was on the brink of giving up altogether.

What was more painful than the lack of sleep, however, was the fact that each and every passing thought that captivated the boy's attention was of him.

Ghirahim.

With a groan, the sky child rolled onto his side, clutching his arms close to his chest and tucking his legs up. 'Go away,' he grumbled inwardly, 'I don't want any of those thoughts.'

And yet they continued without relenting.

His smile. His laughter, like chimes, like music. His touch, vicious, desperate, tender.

His anger, unpredictable and terrifying.

His sadness. His pain, how it was a wild beast, threatening to swallow him whole.

With a growl, Link struck out a balled up fist, smacking the brick wall in front of him. Pain burst at the contact, radiating through his split skin and cracked knuckles, down his wrist. The boy welcomed the sudden invasion of pain; it brought distraction, however small and fleeting. But even then, his mind flitted to the memory of Link surrendering to Ghirahim in the library, when the demon lord pierced his hand with a dagger in order to distract him from the pain from their intimacy. 'In a sick, twisted way, it was very thoughtful of him. And, in the end of it all, he healed you, even though he didn't have to. Not really.'

Link bit his lip, glancing down at his bleeding knuckles. He let out a drawn out sigh. His thoughts were getting the better of him, and he was letting them, too tired to put up a fight.

'And it felt good, didn't it?'

The boy widened his eyes, his heart stuttering within his chest, causing his ribcage to ache. He clutched his hand tighter, a shudder crawling up his spine. That thought, that deadly, forbidden, dangerous thought, came out of nowhere. And yet it blossomed within him without consent, slipping through his barriers and infiltrating his tired mind like an infectious venom.

'You liked being tortured by Ghirahim.'

Link cringed, gripping his head tightly between his hands. “No!” He bit out, a sob getting wrenched out along with the word.

'You're a sick, masochistic low-life, aren't you?'

His fingers dug in deeper, pulling at his hair and crushing his skull. “Stop!”

His thoughts were spiraling out of his control, developing momentum, crashing over him, wave after wave, seeping into his veins, pumping through his body like a hurricane hellbent on power. They didn't belong to him, they couldn't possibly.

'Ghirahim knows just what to do to make you sing, doesn't he? He loves that voice of yours.'

“Stop!” The boy cried, hot tears of shame lining his eyelids. “Enough!”

'All of this denying that you are doing is not healthy, Link. Just own up to your thoughts. You like him. You like Ghirahim.'

“STOP!” Link roared.

Silence.

The venomous thoughts came to a frenzied halt, making the boy's head feel suddenly empty. His ears were ringing, his heart pumping excitedly. Link let out a shaking breath, loosening his grip on his head. “They aren't true,” he moaned. “They aren't true!”

Another thought appeared. Like a silent predator, it slipped in unnoticed. And when it voiced itself, speaking life into Link's numbed mind, it was a quiet thing, a whisper. And yet, it felt like the boy's brain was struck with lightning, and all of his frayed nerves stood on edge.

'But it is true. All of it.'

Link's mouth parted slightly, heat furiously coating his cheeks as shock overwhelmed him. “It-it's not.” He stammered aloud, despite knowing the battle he was encountering was completely internal.

'No, it is,' the voice reasoned, oozing with confidence. 'You've grown fond of the demon lord. And now that he's gotten into your head, you can't seem to get him out.'

The boy gritted his teeth together, clenching his fists even tighter. “So why does it matter anyways?” He spat. “I'm a dead man tomorrow. Trivial matters such as these hardly matter now.”

'So you agree? You're fond of him?'

“I've agreed to nothing.” Link realized that he was literally arguing with himself, and his cheeks grew even hotter. And despite this, the voice inside him continued.

'He's fond of you.'

“I'm well aware of that.”

The voice became a whisper once more, full of ill intent. 'So use him then.'

Link bolted upright, sitting tall as his spine stiffened. “I...I can't do that.”

'Why not? He used you. If anything, he deserves it. Surely he knows that. He'd probably let you, too.'

The boy's heart flared within him. “He apologized for his wrong-doings.”

'But you're still hurting.'

“Yes, I am.”

'So hurt him back.'

“No!” Link shouted, his voice booming off the walls, echoing down the hall. His sudden burst of anger startled him, but just the same, he let it warm his shivering body, festering within him for a bit.

The silence returned for a moment before the voice, completely smug, spoke up one last time, and though it was quiet, to Link, it sounded like a mighty roar. 'Ah, so you are fond of him.'

The sky child let out a groan and dropped his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “I am.” He confessed in a whisper.

The meddling voice within Link had vanished, having gotten its way, but the boy continued to speak, despite knowing his only audience consisted of hungry rats, cold walls, and himself. “I am,” he repeated, testing the words out on his tongue. “I am fond of Ghirahim.” They felt surprisingly good to say, not bitter and sharp like he had originally anticipated. They were sweet, velvety like honey, and they left Link feeling light, airy, intoxicated. A weight plummeted in his stomach, and the warm feelings disappeared, leaving him empty and cold. He frowned, his shaggy bangs slipping over his eyes as his eyebrows furrowed deeply. “Oh, God, that is incredibly messed up. How did that even happen?”

The walls protecting the boy's mind disintegrated, and without anything holding them back, Link was bombarded with all things that was the demon lord. And he welcomed them with a smile, letting each and every one wash over him like a gentle caress. Without denial clouding his vision, the boy felt liberated; the blinders had come off, and he could finally see clearly.

And all he could see was Ghirahim.