-LoZ-ShadowXVio- Not In Love

I'm not in love, Vio reminds himself as the days go by and he starts to spend more and more time with Shadow Link. No, there's no way he could possibly be in love with himself; he's not narcissistic, after all. If anyone, he has a crush on Zelda like he does when he's whole.

He's not in love with Shadow.

Even now, as he's pressed against the cold stone wall, feeling Shadow's rough, forceful hands on his body and his lips on his own all at the same time - it's not love he's feeling, as he constantly reminds himself. The only reason he lets Shadow suck on his neck, the only reason he lets Shadow's hands find their way under his tunic and onto his bare skin, the only reason he lets any of this happen is to gain his trust.

Even though Vio kisses Shadow back, moves his tongue against Shadow's, moans and groans at his touch, even though he lets his hands wander throughout Shadow's body and he thinks about how similar but somehow different his body feels to his own - he's not doing it out of love.

Even though Shadow makes Vio laugh and even though Vio feels himself smile at seeing Shadow get excited and happy at some of the smallest things - that probably mean something big to him - and even though Vio likes to hear Shadow's laugh and wants to make him laugh more -

It's not out of love.

Vio has to remind himself that, even though the idea of ruling with Shadow and being king along side him doesn't sound too bad, he's a hero through and through and cannot turn his back on the light. He can't let himself fall into the darkness and taint the world...he can't turn his back on the others and Princess Zelda.

He can't let himself fall in love.

To prove this to himself, Vio turns his back on Shadow and tells him what he really feels and as he does this - as he hurts and later kills Shadow Link - he ignores the pain that's lingering on his heart. As he spends time with the others, he ignores the feeling of sadness and the feeling of how wrong this all seems and how it feels like something's missing.

He doesn't love Shadow, he just misses his friend.

But as Shadow lies there after having been the hero and breaking the Dark Mirror, the two of them share a small glance and then -

Vio realizes that he's in love.

And it's too late, and all he can do is lament on how he had a love that would never come true, even when he's whole again and giving flowers to Princess Zelda and holding hands with her...

Vio still glances at his shadow, wishing that he could go back and rewrite the past.