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johnsbleu · 2 months ago

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Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 180

warnings: nsfw, dual pov hmh masterlist

“That is just the weirdest thing.”

I look over my shoulder as Y/N walks into the kitchen, “What is, baby?”

“My car,” she says, and I watch as she drops her bag onto the counter, then she moves to get herself something to drink. “Yesterday it dinged for the first time in like…ever, and I saw that I needed gas. I knew I’d be driving around today, so I made a mental note to fill it up this morning. I’ve been driving around all day feeling like I had to do something and just realized when I pulled into the garage, I never went to get gas.”

She stares at me like it is the most mind-blowing thing ever. I nod for her to keep going.

“But here’s the weirdest part about this whole thing,” she says, leaning her hip against the counter, “The tank is always full. I was down to my last 50 miles yesterday when it dinged, but today it was almost full. I didn’t stop to fill it up though. I drove over 50 miles today. I should be stranded on the side of the road calling you for help right now.”

“Hm, that is strange.”

She takes a sip of water and looks around, “Do I have a secret admirer who comes to fill my tank up? Because the more I think about it, the more I realize I have never filled up the tank since I’ve had that car. Surely it’s not running on the same tank of gas from when we bought it three years ago.”

She is so damn cute, and so damn confused. I love her. I love her so much.

“Yeah, it’s weird,” I say as I shrug, then I turn back to the newspaper and hope she doesn’t see the look on my face.

“What was that?” she asks, and I close my eyes. Fuck, she’s good. “What was that face, Wick?”

I put the newspaper up in front of me when she sits down across from me at the table. I see her perfectly manicured nails over the top of the newspaper, and she pulls it down and smiles at me. I shake my head and put the newspaper back up.

“Jonathan Charles Wick!”

“That’s my name.” I say, and she pushes the paper back down. I smile as I look at her, “I don’t know what you want.”

She raises her brow, “Tell me the truth.”

“What truth?”

“The truth about my car!”

I start to laugh, “You must have a secret admirer, like you said. And why wouldn’t you? You’re the sweetest.”

“John, I’m not an idiot.” she says, and I take a deep breath and hold her gaze.

“Fine,” I set the paper on the table and look at her, “When we first started dating, you mentioned that you hated filling up the tank. You said you hated going in the winter and having to stand outside to get it filled, so…I've been filling up your tank every week, and I have for three years now. You’ve only just now realized.”

I expect her to be happy, but instead she frowns and gets teary-eyed. Her chin wobbles a little as she sits back in her chair looking at me.

“You’ve been doing it for three years?”

“Just about. Since we got the car.” I say, then I furrow my brow, “Why are you crying?”

Y/N wipes her cheeks and turns around so I can’t see her, but I see her shoulders shake as she cries.

“Peach?” I get up and kneel down next to her, “What’s going on?”

“You’ve been doing this really nice thing for me for three years, and I only just now realized.” she says with her face in her hands, “I’m such a bad wife.”

I reach up to rub her back, “I didn’t want you to know. I wanted it to be a little secret. I wanted to do something nice for you.”

“You do so many nice things for me, Jonathan. You always make sure that we have my favorite snacks when I’m on my period. You know exactly what I’m in the mood to watch at night. You always know when I just want some alone time, or when I want to just cling to you, and you allow me to do it. You have my favorite food delivered when I’m at work and you’re at home. You just get me. You know when I want to hold hands when we’re going for our nightly walks, and now I find out that you fill my fucking gas tank up and have for three years so I don’t have to.” she looks at me with tears on her face, “And what do I do for you? Nothing.”

“Don’t start that.” I warn, and she starts to cry even harder. “You’re a good wife. I don’t know why you question that. You’re a good wife, Y/N.”

Y/N looks at me and frowns, “I didn’t realize you were doing such a nice thing for me.”

“I wasn’t doing it so that you would notice. If I wanted the recognition, I would have announced that I was doing it, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to do it so it would be one less thing you have to do. I wanted to do it because I love you.” I say, and she sniffles. “That’s what we do as husband and wife. And before you say you don’t do things for me, yes, you do.”

“Name three things.”

I laugh as I nod, “You always make sure the coffee is ready in the morning--”

“There’s a timer for that.”

“But you still have to put the coffee into it.” I say, and she playfully rolls her eyes. “And you always pick my favorite mug and have it ready for me if I’m running a little behind, and even when I’m not, it’s still there on the table waiting for me. You know how much I hate to do the payroll at work, and you always step in to help me. When I’m working downstairs, you come down there and bring me a good lunch because you know I won’t leave my work to get food myself.”

She nods as she wipes the tears from her cheeks, “You just get so absorbed in your work, and I don’t want you to be hungry.”

“Lately, when my…night terrors have been acting up, you’re there to make sure I know I’m okay, which means more than anything in this world to me.” I say, and she looks down at my hand on her knee, “You settle me and make sure I know how safe I am and that you won’t leave my side. The best thing that you do for me though, is just being good for me. You are so good for me in so many ways. You keep me on my toes, you keep me laughing, and you keep me happy.”

Y/N looks at me with the softest eyes, “You don’t think I’m a bad wife?”

“I think you’re the best wife in this world,” I say, and she laughs before turning to face me. “I’m probably biased, but I’m pretty sure I have the best wife on this planet.”

“Oh, you’re absolutely biased.”

I shrug, “Oh well. No one has the guts to tell me I’m wrong.”

“I think I have the best husband on this planet too.” she cups my face and looks into my eyes, “I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”

“I didn’t want you to notice,” I whisper, and she chuckles. I lean up and kiss her softly, “I love you, mouse. More than anything in this world.”

Y/N smiles softly, rubbing her thumb against my cheek, “I love you too, John.”

“And you do have a secret admirer, I’m just not very secretive about it.” I say, and she laughs, “I’m an admirer who is very vocal about how much I love you and admire you.”

I get up and reach for her hands to pull her up for a hug. She wraps her arms around my waist and leans her head against my chest. We stand there for a few quiet moments. Ronan isn’t here, so the house is extra quiet today.

“So,” she leans back and looks at me, “When were you filling up my car?”

“Anytime I took it.” I say, and she laughs, “Sometimes I’d just sneak out before you were even up so that I could fill it, especially in the winter.”

She shakes her head, “That is so sweet, John.”

“I’ll stop if you want me to, but I don’t want to. I want to do this for you, so let me.”

“As long as it doesn’t bother you, then yeah, keep doing it. I just don’t want you to feel like I’m making you do it.”

I laugh, “I definitely don’t. I’ve been doing it for three years without you even knowing about it.”

Y/N places her hand on the back of my neck and reaches up to kiss me, “I love you. You’re a very sweet man.”

“I love you too,” I kiss her again, then I let go of her.

She shakes her head, exhaling, “I don’t deserve you.”

“Yes, you do.” I say, then I raise my brow, “Don’t ever let me catch you saying that again, and I’m dead serious.”

“Yes, sir.” she laughs, leaning up to kiss me.

I give her another look of warning and only smile when she laughs. “How was Ro when you dropped her off?”

Y/N scoffs, “Thrilled.”

Ronan is having a playdate today with some kids from her swim lessons. She was so excited about it when she left this morning, and I was happy to see her so thrilled about spending some time with some other kids. The plan is to take them to this farm that is almost 30 minutes away. They have all kinds of animals there; she’ll be so happy. Y/N and I were worried about her going without us at first, but Amanda is going to be there since she’s friends with one of the moms. Amanda promised that she would keep an extra close eye on Ronan, and knowing Ronan, she’ll stick close to Aunt Amanda anyway.

“Are you regretting not going?”

“No,” she looks at me and shakes her head, “I mean, she’s still so little that, yes, I’m worried about her, but I trust Amanda. I know she’ll take care of her.”

I nod, “Yeah, I’m sure she’s probably texted you already.”

Y/N reaches for her phone and smiles, then she turns it to me. It’s a picture of Ronan sitting in Amanda’s lap. I laugh, then I walk over to stand next to my wife.

“So,” I smile at her when she immediately squints her eyes, “What are our plans for today?”

“The same plans we made last night,” she says, and I nod. “And maybe a few other things.”

I lean back against the counter and cross my ankles, “I’m cool to do whatever. Just wanna…spend time with you.”

“You’re so cute,” she leans against me and looks up at me, “We can spend all day together. Amanda is dropping Ro off around 5, so she’ll be back for dinner.”

“So, I have you to myself for…” I look at my watch and smile, “Six hours.”

She nods, “Yup.”

“So, you ready?”

Y/N smirks as she backs away from me, “Ready whenever you are.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Been ready every time you've asked me that for the last hour.” Y/N is standing across the padded mat from me as she nods, “Yes, Wick.”

“I’ll be gentle,” I say, and she rolls her pretty eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes.”

She dramatically rolls them, and I immediately take off after her. I go for her legs, but she’s quick, much quicker than I expected. She dodges me and immediately crawls onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck and bringing me to my knees.

“What…the hell?” I ask from where I’m lying on the mat before rolling onto my back.

“I’m quick!” she says, dancing in place, “You taught me that. You said I need to use it to my advantage, so I am!”

I sit up on my elbows, “You’ll always be smaller, which…unfortunately means weaker--”

“Even that’s not always true, because look at these…” she lifts her arms up and flexes, showing off her muscles, and I wiggle my eyebrows at her; she looks hot. “But yeah, I’ll always be weaker than a man. Physically, but definitely not mentally.”

I sit up and look at her, “You know I think you’re strong, peach.”

“No, I know, and I totally get what you’re saying. Yes, I’ll always be smaller than a man, which means weaker. No argument there.”

“So, you have to find whatever advantage there is and take it. Always take it. Always play dirty if you have to.” I say, and she smiles. “Go for the balls, go for the eyes, go for the throat. Whatever you have to do to get the upper hand. Whatever you have to do to win. To survive.”

Y/N laughs, looking at me, “I got it, Mr. Wick. Question.”

“Answer,” I nod.

Y/N walks around as I watch her, “Will you ever teach me guns?”

“No,” I say, simply and directly. I shake my head when she looks at me, “I want you to be able to handle yourself without relying on them. I can.”

“Yeah, but come on…” she gestures to me, and I raise my brows, “You’re John Wick!”

I close my eyes as I laugh, then I look at her, “So you want to learn them?”

“No, but I mean, why won’t you teach me?”

“Because they’re dangerous,” I say, holding her gaze, “And I don’t want you around them.”

She nods, “Yeah, I get that. I don’t want to learn about guns anyway.”

“Then why did you ask?” I laugh, then I furrow my brow, “Were you asking because you thought I didn’t think you could handle them?”

“Maybe,” she shrugs bashfully, “Because if you didn’t--”

I laugh, “You’d want to learn, yes, I know you well enough to know that.”

“Tell me I can’t do something, and I’ll prove you wrong.”

“I know you, Mrs. Wick. And I know you’d be able to handle them. If you truly wanted to learn, we could do some training.”

She inhales deeply as she looks at me, “I really don’t want to learn.”

“Good.”

I lay back down and look at the ceiling. It’s too cold to do any training outside, so we moved the couch in the basement and placed the mat down there. Y/N comes over and stands over me, placing her feet on either side of me before she lowers herself down and straddles my waist. My hands automatically go up to rest on her waist. As I sit up, she plops to the ground, but we’re still connected at the waist.

“Are you getting tired?”

“Little bit,” she nods, and I lean forward to kiss her. “And I’m hungry.”

I chuckle as I reach up to tuck her hair behind her ear, “Thanks for indulging me with this.”

“Of course, babe.”

We’ve been down here for nearly two hours now, going over self-defense. Before she was ever pregnant, I wanted to teach her. I taught her some, but not long after, she got pregnant, so we stopped. We kept putting it off since I always told her that she didn’t need to worry too much about it--I’d always be there to protect her--but after everything happened with Peter stalking us, I felt better knowing she would be able to handle herself if it came to it. I still plan to be with her and be there to protect her, but unfortunately I can’t always be with her. I wish I could be, but I can’t.

We’ve been practicing again for the past few weeks, and she’s picking it up really quickly, just like she did last time. She’s also kicking my ass, just like she did last time. I’m always so proud and in awe that I can’t even be upset that I’m moving a little slower than before. I actually don’t think I am moving slower, I think she’s just fucking quick, which I tell her to use to her advantage.

Y/N moves closer to me and shifts until she’s back in my lap again, “Should we take a shower and get something to eat?”

“Shower…together?”

She laughs, “Sure, but no funny business.”

“Ugh, it’s always ‘no funny business’ with you,” I tease, and she pushes me down until I’m lying on my back. “When can we have some funny business?”

“Tonight,” she leans down and kisses me, “I promise.”

I hug her close to my chest and kiss her, then I move my hand down to her ass and gently pat it, “Alright. I’ll take you out to lunch since you kicked my ass today.”

Y/N laughs as she gets up and reaches for my hands, “I think I’ve kicked your ass every time.”

“Good,” I stand up and hold her gaze, “I want you to be able to do that.”

“I think I’ll be able to kick anyone's ass if they mess with me,” she says, and I smile at that, “But hopefully I’ll still have you by my side, then we can kick ass together.”

I wrap my arm around her waist, “That’s the plan, peach.”

“You are so unbelievable,” John says, and you smile at him. “You’re unreal.”

“I am believable and real,” you say, sticking up one finger, then you grimace, “God, that was…not hot at all. A little dorky, really.”

John laughs as he stares at you like a deer caught in the headlights, “You could be a total dork, and I would still think you’re the sexiest woman on this earth. In fact, you are a total dork and I still think that.”

“It’s the sheer bra and underwear.” you say, gesturing to yourself.

“Yeah, those are good too,” he says, then he smiles, “But I had this reaction to you this morning when you were wearing one of my shirts and a pair of oversized sweatpants.”

You start to smile as you place your hands on your hips, then you take a step closer, “That’s true.”

John licks his lips as he looks down at your chest, “God, I can see right through this bra. I can see that piericing.”

“Yeah?” you look down at the piercing in your nipple, then you look at John, “Would you like to do something about it?”

“Yes, I want to suck on it.” he nods, reaching out to touch you. You immediately back away and cock up your brow, and John pouts--fully pouts with his whole body. “Please.”

You take John’s hands and place one on your waist before moving it lower to your ass, then you take his other and place it on your breast. He smiles as he looks at you, then he leans down to kiss you.

You feel the warmth of John's touch as he caresses your body, sending a shiver down your spine. The kisses between you two deepen as he moves his hands over your curves with a gentle yet firm grip. His eyes meet yours, filled with arousal and desire, igniting your body.

“Fuck, your mouth is amazing,” he says in between wet and passionate kisses, “Fuck, I love it.”

“You should see what else I can do with it.”

John leans back, smirking, “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, I can yap for hours!” you say, and he lets out a deep laugh as you push him down on the bed. You kiss down his clothed stomach, then you lift his shirt and nip at the exposed skin. “But I can do some other really great things.”

“Why don’t you show me?”

You sit up and help him get his pants off, then you toss them to the floor. When you look back at him, he’s already taken his boxers off and is tossing them aside. He’s a little bit eager tonight, which you don’t mind. You stroke him in your hand as you smile at him, then you lean down and kiss him before moving lower. Your hair falls around his hips as you take him into your mouth, and John carefully gathers it all up in his fist and tilts his head up to watch you.

“Shit,” he whispers, tilting his head back and groaning. He bucks his hips impatiently, so you place your hand on his stomach to tell him to control himself. He lets out a small laugh, “I’m trying…”

You take him deeper and gag a little, then you lean up and stroke him, “Patience, Wick.”

“I’m trying.”

“Hmm,” you smirk, then you lean down to take him into your mouth again, and he groans loudly when his cock hits the back of your throat. Gasping, you sit up and smile at him, then you wipe the spit off your chin and crawl up to straddle his waist, “You want more?”

“I want whatever you want to do.”

You playfully roll your eyes, “Jonathan.”

“What?”

“What do you want?”

John leans up and cups the back of your neck, then he pulls you closer, “You.”

“Good answer,” you say, laughing against his lips, “But I need to know what you want me to do next.”

“I think…” he sits up, still holding tight to you, “We need to get my teammate.”

You gasp as you crawl off of him and dig through the drawer in your nightstand, then you hold up the vibrator and smile. John laughs as he takes it from you, then he moves to sit back against the headboard. He beckons you over and pats the mattress between his legs, and you sit up on your knees to take off your underwear, then you move to sit between his legs with your back against his chest.

John clicks on the vibrator to the lowest setting and trails it down your thigh to between your legs, and you buck your hips a little.

“Patience, Mrs. Wick,” he whispers in your ear, “Patience.”

“Yeah, I’m trying…” you say, repeating his words from moments earlier.

John kisses your neck as he moves the vibrator lower, and he lets out a small laugh when your body immediately responds to the pulsing between your legs. You squeeze your legs shut and moan, but John uses his other hand and spreads your legs apart again. He slowly rotates the vibrator around your clit as he sucks on your neck, and you close your eyes and moan loudly.

“Where do you want my other hand?” he asks, and you reach for his right hand and move it lower between your legs. He slides his finger in deep, and with the combined pressure and vibration from the toy, you immediately squeeze your legs shut as you roll your hips. “That’s my girl. Yeah, does that feel good? You’re so wet for me.”

You grip John’s arm with your hands and tilt your head back so you can kiss him, and you feel your body tensing up as you climax. You let out a string of moans as John slides his fingers in and out of your pussy, and you open your eyes to look at him as he watches you intently.

Every nerve in your body is taut. Your knees are clamping shut, but John spreads your legs open, clicks the vibrator to a higher setting, and rubs circles on your clit.

“Fuck!” you grip his arm tight and moan, rolling your hips and riding out the orgasm as John gazes down at you. You push yourself up and motion for John to lay down, then you crawl onto him and hold tight to his hands as you slide down the length of his cock, letting out a moan when he fits inside so perfectly.

John groans as he holds tight to your waist, then he thrusts his hips under you as the two of you moan. He won’t last long at all, so you let him do whatever he wants. Plus, you don’t have much time. It’s already almost 4:30. He reaches up to touch your breast, and you pull your bra from over your nipple and smile when he immediately leans up to suck on it. You roll your hips as you cling to him, and his arms wrap around you even tighter, his groans echoing against your chest.

“Oh, shit…” John moans, and you lean down to kiss him, “I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come…”

Keeping a tight grip on you, John lays back down and jerks his hips hard several times as he fills you up with a loud groan, and you pant as you look at him. You stay on top of him even after he’s stopped moving, and you smile when he opens his eyes, then you lean down and kiss him several times. He playfully spanks you before you both look down to watch his cock fall from between your legs. You wink at him when he laughs quietly.

“Come here,” he whispers, gesturing for you to lay with him. Holding up the little black vibrator, he laughs, “This is…”

“Our best purchase.” you say, and he laughs.

John nods, “It’s definitely a nice little teammate.”

“I think so too,” you say, leaning up to kiss him.

John leans over until he’s hovering above you again, and you hear the click and hum of the vibrator. He moves it back between your legs and starts to laugh when your body jolts; you’re still sensitive. He slowly moves it over your clit until you’re moaning softly into his mouth as you come. It was a small and subtle orgasm, but it was good.

“God, I love this thing,” John laughs, looking at it glistening with wetness from between your legs. He clicks it off and smiles, “I think I need to carry you to the bathroom for a shower.”

“I am spent, Mr. Wick.” you say, looking up at him, “My legs are jello.”

John smiles proudly as he leans down to kiss you, “Let’s get showered. Ro will be home soon.”

You playfully groan as John lifts you up and carries you in his arms, then you look at him, “I’m surprised you can still do this.”

“Excuse you…” he says, and you start to laugh, “Of course I can still carry you.”

“Yeah, true.” you hold tight to him as you stand up, “You were just flipping me around downstairs a little bit ago.”

John starts the shower and smiles at you, “I will carry you until I die from old age.”

“Your back will give out before then.”

“No,” he shakes his head as he walks over to you, “I promise I will always carry you.”

You tilt your head back and smile up at him, “I promise to let you.”

John steps into the shower and reaches for your hand, and you press your lips to his as he shuts the shower door behind you. He gives you a heated look as he stands under the spray of the water, and you bite your lip as he steps closer to you. Your back is against the wall as you smile at John, and you close your eyes when he leans down to kiss you, his hands moving down to your thighs where he lifts you up and presses you against the wall.

He’s absolutely intoxicating, and absolutely not done with you yet. And that is totally okay.

“Yeah, you tell him, Ro!”

Ronan babbles to John, scrunching her face up as he watches her in amusement. Neither of you has any idea what she’s so animated about, but you’re both laughing. Ronan walks over to get her crayons, then she brings them back over to the coffee table and dumps them everywhere. They scatter onto the floor and roll under the couch. John looks at you and inhales deeply before letting it go. He’ll have to fish them out later, otherwise Toast will try to eat them.

“It’s okay,” you whisper to him, reaching over to scratch his scalp, “I can get them. Ro, why don’t we keep all of our colors in this bucket?”

Ronan picks them up one by one and puts them into the blue plastic bucket.

“What color is this?” John asks, holding up the red crayon.

Ronan purses her lips, then she hops a little, “Wed!”

“Red, good job.” you reach for the brown and hold it up, “What color is this?”

Ronan stares at it for a moment before looking at John. He sounds it out for her, and she smiles before looking at you and trying her best to say brown.

“Brown. What else is brown?”

John smiles as he watches her, and she points at her eye, “Your eyes, yup, those are brown. What else?”

Ronan grins as she points at John’s hair, and you both smile and nod, asking for more brown things. She points at your hair, then at hers, and you laugh when she reaches over to point at John’s eyes, almost poking him in the eye.

“You’re so smart,” John says to her as she sits on his knee. He pulls her into his lap and kisses her cheek, “What’s your favorite color?”

Ronan looks at all the crayons and thinks it through, “Gween.”

You laugh, “Oh, it’s green today? That’s daddy’s favorite color.”

John tickles her sides as she buries herself in his chest, “That’s why she likes it!”

“I thought it was blue like momma’s favorite,” you say, and she grins and nods. “Oh, you like blue too?”

“She likes all the colors,” John says, helping her stand up.

You watch as Ronan walks over to where you’re sitting on the couch, then she reaches up for you. You put her in your lap and hug her tight. She’s a little cuddle bug. John groans as he gets up from the floor, then he walks over to join the two of you on the couch. He wraps his arm around your shoulder and kisses your cheek, and you help Ronan so she can sit between the two of you.

“Did you have fun at the farm today?” John asks, and Ronan nods as she plays with a crayon, digging her nails into it. She’ll need her little fingers scrubbed tonight before bed. John brushes the crayon flakes off her legs and the couch, “Were there…horses there?”

Ronan nods, “Yeah.”

“How about…” you tap your finger to your chin as you think, “Cows?”

“Yeah,” she nods again, and you smile at John.

“How about--”

“Shickens!” Ronan says, practically vibrating in place with excitement. It’s genuinely surprising how clearly that word came out of her mouth. She begins yapping about the chickens, and you smile as you reach for your phone.

Amanda had sent you a ton of pictures earlier, but you were a little occupied. You open the text and smile as you lean over to show John the pictures of Ronan and all the farm animals. She’s holding a chicken in one picture and she has the biggest grin on her face. She looks so happy.

“Is that one of the ‘shickens’?” John asks, smiling when Ronan nods. He leans down to kiss the top of her head, “God, we’ve made the cutest kid on earth.”

“We really did,” you smile as you look at him. You help Ronan off the couch and brush the remaining crayon flakes to the floor, then you scoot over to sit closer to John so you two can look through the pictures.

After looking through them and sending a few to your mom (and a few to John since he wants to have them on his phone), you go back to the text from Amanda and laugh when you read it.

She was OBSESSED with the chickens. Like, genuinely, we spent an hour just at the coop. She found one and just held it, and it let her! She was in love, and I think the chicken was too. Get that girl a chicken!

You and John both look at each other at the same time, and you smile when you see him looking at you.

“Don’t get any ideas.” he says, and you laugh. “We just got a kitten not that long ago.”

“Hey,” you put your hands up, “I didn’t say anything.”

John playfully squints his eyes, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“I’m not looking at you like anything!” you laugh, and he looks away, “I’m just looking at you like I always do.”

“No, you’re looking at me with…googly eyes and you know I’ll give in.”

You scoff, “Give in to what, exactly? I haven’t asked for a single thing. I think maybe you want to get chickens.”

“I don’t! They’ll be loud and messy, and I don’t want it.” he says, and you nod in agreement. It would be a lot of work. “They’ll shit all over my vegetable garden too.”

John and his damn vegetable garden. He’s so proud of it. It’s fucking adorable. He made a salad the other day with everything from it, and it was truly the best salad you’ve ever had. He didn’t believe you when you told him, but it was so good.

“I mean, unless we put them near the back of the house, closer to the side patio,” he says under his breath, and you reach over to get him to look at you. “We don’t need chickens, do we?”

“No, we don’t.” you say, and he nods.

Ronan whines a little as she walks over to you, and you help her onto the couch again. She’s probably wanting some dinner now.

“Why don’t we go get cleaned up?” you say to her, and she nods. “Then daddy can take his girls out for dinner.”

Ronan nods, then she crawls off the couch and waits patiently by the stairs.

You get up from the couch and point your finger at John, “Stop it.”

“I’m not doing anything.” he laughs, playfully swatting your hand. “You’re the one who needs to stop.”

You lean down and kiss him, “We don’t need chickens.”

John sighs, “Unfortunately, I think we do.”

“Jonathan Wick,” you laugh as he grabs you and pulls you into his lap, “She’s a toddler. What is she gonna do with chickens?”

“Learn responsibility, have chicken friends…”

You smile as you lean over to kiss him, “John, if you want chickens, just tell me.”

“I…kind of want chickens,” he says, and you start to laugh. “We could have our own eggs here!”

“John Wick isn’t just a dad. He’s a dog dad, a cat dad, and now a chicken dad.” you say, and he smiles. “She’s gonna love it.”

John kisses you, “Probably not the time to get them, plus we’ll really need to do our research and build a good coop for them.”

“Momma, come.” Ronan says, waving you over.

“I’ll be right there, baby.” you say to her before looking at John, “You would give her the world if she asked, wouldn’t you?”

John nods, “You’d do the same.”

“Absolutely.” you smile, then you cock up your brow, “But she didn’t ask for chickens.”

“No, she didn’t.” he says before smiling, “But you did. With that smile right after you read that she loved the chickens today. I’d give her the world, you’re right, but I’d also give you the world. I know you want chickens too.”

He’s good.

You playfully roll your eyes, “Okay, so maybe I think it’d be cool to have chickens and have our own eggs.”

John smiles when you get out of his lap, “Do I know my wife or what?”

“Yes, you do.”

“Just chickens…” he says in a playfully warning tone, “Just the chickens.”

You nod as you lean up to kiss him when he stands up, “Got it. Just the chickens.”

Ronan grins when you walk over to her, and you lift her up and look back at John. He starts to smile when you lean over and stage-whisper to Ronan.

“We’ll get the goat too, don’t worry.”

I’ve been researching chickens all night. After we got home from dinner, Y/N took Ronan up to get her bathed and ready for bed. She still won’t go down for another hour or so, so we plan to watch a movie. I’m usually with them for bathtime, but I…couldn’t stop thinking about chickens, which sounds ridiculous.

“Hey, chicken dad.” Y/N says from the living room, and I push my chair back and head out to see what’s going on. “Wanna watch a movie with us?”

“Of course.”

Y/N smiles, “Cool.”

“Shicken daddy,” Ronan says, and I laugh as I look down at her.

“Oh, you’re calling me chicken dad too?” I ask, and she giggles. She screams with laughter when I scoop her up and tickle her. “You little turkey.”

Y/N gasps, “A turkey too?”

“No, my love, just chickens.”

She playfully pouts, “Fine.”

I set Ronan down on the couch and walk over to hug Y/N from behind as she picks a movie for us to watch. I move her hair off her shoulder and kiss her neck, “More self-defense tomorrow?”

“My body is killing me, if I’m honest.” she says, leaning back in my arms, “I was hoping I could take a nice bath tonight after Ro is down.”

“Okay,” I kiss her shoulder. “Sounds good to me.”

I have some leftover rose petals from her last bath that I made up for her, so I’ll slip away at some point to get everything prepared for her.

“Maybe we can take a day off from training tomorrow,” she says, and I nod.

I really don’t want to, but if she’s not feeling up to it, then I understand.

Y/N looks over her shoulder at me, “It’s not forever, Wick. It’s just for tomorrow.”

“I know,” I say, and she raises her brow.

She knows me too well. I worry that if we stop, we won’t pick it back up, which means she won’t know how to protect herself if something were to happen.

“Hey,” she turns around and cups my face, “We’ll talk tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” I lean down and kiss her. “Popcorn for my girls?”

Ronan nods, raising her hand, “Meeee.”

“You wanna help daddy?” I ask, and she comes running over to me.

I lift her up and toss her over my shoulder as she giggles. I open the cupboard and smile when Ronan leans in to grab a bag of popcorn from the container. She holds the package close to her chest and only hands it over for me to open. It’s hard to do it with one hand, but I manage. I open the microwave and hand it back to her, and she smiles as she sets it inside. She’ll want to push the button to start it, so I close the door and look at her.

“You’re such a good helper, bug.” I say, and she smiles at me before wrapping her arms around my neck.

“I sure am getting lonely out here.” Y/N says from the living room, and Ronan and I look at each other.

I whisper, “Should we make momma some hot chocolate?”

Ronan nods and points at the cupboard where we keep the cups. I open it and smile as she looks at all of the mugs and decides which one to pick for her mom. She goes with the one shaped like a donut with purple sprinkles. Y/N was obsessed with donuts with purple sprinkles when she was pregnant. When I was out one day, I saw the mug. I took it as a sign, so I bought it.

I set Ronan down so I can make us some hot chocolate. I get a little caught up in making it, and with the sound of the popcorn in the microwave, I almost don’t hear Ronan raiding the snack closet. I laugh as I walk over to it and find Ronan inside, reaching up for some cookies.

“What are you doing, young lady?”

Ronan shrinks into herself and looks up at me with her huge brown eyes.

“Are you looking for snacks?” I ask, and she nods. I let out a laugh before leaning back a little, “I think our bug is still hungry.”

Y/N comes into the kitchen and laughs when she sees Ronan is standing in the snack closet, “Are you still hungry, baby?”

Ronan nods her head just as the timer goes off on the microwave. Y/N picks her up and takes her back to the closet so she can pick a snack while I go back to making hot chocolate. I get the popcorn into a bowl and bring it to the living room, then I head back to the kitchen to find Y/N and Ronan at the counter. I look over Y/N’s shoulder and smile when I see her putting peanut butter onto a few slices of celery for Ronan.

“She also asked for a ‘yunion’,” Y/N says, looking over her shoulder at me, “So, maybe just a slice.”

I get the onion out of the fridge and hand it to Y/N, “Ro, go sit down and we’ll bring your snacks out.”

Ronan’s feet slap on the floor as she runs to the living room, calling out for Bleu and Toast to join her.

“A fucking onion, John.” Y/N says, and we both start to laugh. “She wants…an onion.”

“She’s…her mother’s daughter.”

Y/N scoffs, “I have never asked for an onion.”

“No, but you do like random snacks.” I say, and she laughs.

“What a strange kiddo,” she says, and I smile at her, “God, I love her so much, so so much.”

I nod, “I do too. She’s perfect.”

After Y/N cuts up a slice of onion, I grab the hot chocolate and walk with her back to the living room. Ronan kicks her legs a little and claps when her plate is set in her lap. Bleu tries to sniff the plate, but all three of us put our hands out to stop him.

“No, Bleu-boy, onions aren’t for dogs,” Y/N says, then she looks at Ronan, smoothing her hair back, “Good job remembering, sweetheart. He can’t have them. They’ll make him sick.”

“Smart girl,” I say, leaning down to kiss the top of Ronan’s head.

Y/N plops down on the couch next to her and takes a bite of celery and gives the rest to me. I sit down on the other side of Ronan and smile when Y/N looks over at me.

“Ready for our movie?”

Ronan holds up a slice of onion and nods, “Yes!”

Y/N laughs and presses play, then she smiles as she looks back at me when she realizes I’m still watching her. I reach over and lightly brush my knuckles against her cheek, and she closes her eyes and smiles before leaning into the palm of my hand.

“I love you,” I whisper to her, and she smiles and whispers it back. “Bath in 15?”

Y/N looks down at Ronan and laughs since we both know Ronan will fall asleep in 10 minutes or less, then she nods her head and presses a kiss to my hand.

I’ve had to add more water to the tub twice since it keeps cooling down, but neither of us wants to get out. It’s nice just holding each other.

“We should have just gotten into the hot tub.” Y/N says, and I laugh against the shell of her ear. “I totally would.”

“You’ll be frozen by the time we get down there,” I say, and she hums. I let the silence linger for a moment. “Do you really want to?”

She shrugs, “I’m not tired. I’d be up for a glass of wine and some crackers in the hot tub.”

I laugh as I lean up to see her face, “Let me get out and get your robe.”

Y/N moves up so I’m able to get out, but before I can get a towel around my waist, she’s already standing up and unplugging the bathtub. She steps out and reaches for her robe, then she smiles at me before walking into the bedroom.

Ronan doesn’t usually sleep with the baby monitor on anymore, but since we’re going outside, Y/N quietly sneaks into her room to turn it on, then she follows behind me to the kitchen. I quickly grab two wine glasses and a bottle of Pinot Grigio, and I see Y/N grab a box of crackers and some cheese from the fridge. She smiles at me when I look at her.

“What? I want a little snack!”

“I didn’t say anything,” I hold the door open for her and laugh when she stuffs a cracker into her mouth.

It’s pretty chilly outside, but the hot tub is warm. There’s steam coming off of it. We haven’t had it all that long, and we really haven’t used it much, but now with the weather getting cooler, I have a feeling we’ll use it more. I just wish it were closer to the house so we didn’t have to walk so far in the cold.

I set the wine aside and hold Y/N’s hand as she stands on the steps, then she looks over her shoulder at me. It takes me a moment before I realize why she’s looking at me; she’s naked.

“Oh, you’re good. Logan won’t be home tonight and no one is outside.” I say, nodding my head. I reach for her robe and smile when she lets it fall from her shoulders.

“I probably should have put on a swimsuit.”

I wave it off as I set her robe aside, “It’s 10 o’clock at night. You know our neighborhood--everyone is asleep by now.”

“Except my sister,” she says, and I widen my eyes as I hold my towel around my waist. Y/N laughs, shaking her head, “No, she just texted me, so I know she’s awake. She’s not coming over here. I didn’t respond, so she probably thinks I’m asleep.”

After setting my towel aside, I get into the hot tub and reach for our wine. I pour some into our glasses and pass one to her, then I sit down and smile before clinking my glass against hers.

“So,” she looks at me as she swirls her wine in her glass, “Chickens…”

I laugh before quickly finishing my glass and filling it again. I will most likely get a little tipsy off this bottle, so will Y/N, but it’s fine. I fill hers back up too and smile when she laughs.

“Chickens, yeah.” I settle beside her and wrap my arm around her shoulder to pull her closer, “Maybe three.”

“Three? Geez,” she laughs, “You really love our daughter.”

I smile, “I certainly do.”

“How about…a rabbit?”

I start to laugh, “A rabbit, chickens, and a goat?”

“A mini farm. It’s all legal in Nassau County.” she says, then she shrugs, “I’d help take care of them.”

“I know you would, baby.” I whisper against the top of her head, then I lean down to kiss her, “Why don’t we start with chickens?”

Y/N nods, “This summer?”

“That sounds good to me.” I say, and she smiles.

“Geez,” she says softly, leaning up to kiss me, “You really love me.”

I smile, “I certainly do.”

I watch as she sets her glass aside and stands in front of me. I hold her gaze for a moment before setting my glass aside and reaching out to hold her by her waist.

“What are you thinking about?”

She hums, “A lot of things.”

“Let me in,” I whisper, and she laughs quietly before leaning against my chest and kissing me. “Let me into your mind.”

“Do you think we’re safe now?”

“I do,” I nod, pulling her closer, “I know we are. Peter’s gone. He’s not coming back.”

Y/N chews on her bottom lip before she straddles my waist and sits in my lap, “Is it stupid that a week ago we had someone watching our every move and now we’re naked in our backyard?”

“No,” I shake my head, “I think it’s brave. You’re allowed to be naked in your backyard if you want.”

“I don’t want to be ashamed to be naked. I want to be able to be naked in my house. I want to be able to be naked in my backyard if I want to.” she says, and I nod. “I feel like I’m taking back something that was stolen from me. Does that make sense?”

I nod, “It does. It really does.”

“No one can even see us.”

I nod, then I tilt my head to the left, “I don’t think Mrs. Johnson next door is even up at this hour, and if she is, she certainly can’t see through or over the hedges. Our backyard is very secluded and private. I did that on purpose.”

When I had the house rebuilt, I liked the idea of being able to be in the backyard and never being able to see a neighbor. I didn’t want to be bothered. Sure, sometimes I’d help Mrs. Johnson next door during the winter. Helen would always offer for me to shovel the old woman’s driveway--and I was happy to do it--but I wanted to be able to sit in my backyard, read the newspaper, and be left alone. I didn’t want people to be able to even see me in the yard since I knew it meant they’d try to talk to me.

The ironic thing is, when I noticed Y/N for the first time, I started spending more time outside in hopes that she’d see me. All that time I spent trying to hide from people, but all I wanted was for her to notice me. In order to do that, I had to actually go into the front yard, which I did much more than necessary. It worked in my favor in the end. I got my girl, and I am so grateful.

I pull her closer and kiss her, “You can be naked in the yard all you want, baby.”

“Good. Only in the backyard though.” she laughs, then she leans back to hold my gaze. She bites her bottom lip for a moment before kissing me deeply. “You’re my best friend.”

“You’re mine too,” I whisper back, and she lets out a small laugh.

I hold tight to her as I shift a little, and she closes her eyes when she feels me stiff between her legs. She gets herself adjusted too, and we both reach down, our hands bumping into one another, and we laugh when we have the same idea. She takes me into her hand and holds my gaze as she sinks down the length of my cock. She feels incredible. I clench my jaw and tilt my head back against the side of the hot tub, then I open my eyes to look at her.

The steam rises around us as I gaze at her, and I notice the subtle expressions that flicker across her face. It’s adoration. It’s admiration. It’s honest-to-god love. I try to think back to a time when I ever questioned whether she loved me or not. I can’t think of a specific time, but if I did, I silently berate myself for ever thinking that. It’s so clear to me how she feels. Hopefully, it’s clear that I feel the same way. I love her. God, I love her so much.

“Hey, John,” she whispers, and I hum as I look at her, “I love you.”

I let out a small laugh because of course she’s reading my mind, “I love you too, peach.”

Y/N wraps her arms around me, and I close my eyes as we surrender to each other.

@spiderfangirl22 @im--blushing @ruby-octo @sunnythebunny7 @livetosing21 @lilithlinen @ladyren33 @multifandombliss @tnu-ree @scream-queen-25 @beingnerdyissupercool @sakurachan-9

#john wick x reader #john wick x you #john wick imagine #john wick x y/n #fic: hold my hand #i hate tumblr's tagging system with my whole being #but you know what i love? john and reader #theyre so cute #the whole beginning part is so cute like john trying to hide it and she's like UHHHH WHAT. adorable. love them #love their love #and i love YOU!#i hope you all have a good holiday season #and stay freaking warm out there!#let me know ur thoughts #ok byeeeee

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smilesrobotlover · 11 months ago

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Warning, this is a pretty dark one towards the end. A lil spooky if you will

Chapter 5- Something’s in Faron Woods

Zelda was exhausted. With the new problem of disappearances, her workload doubled. She was getting several letters from people claiming that they knew who was causing these disappearances, or people who claimed that they got caught and escaped. She was then dealing with the economy of Hyrule, then their relationship with Labrynna, then schoolwork for her daughter, and then trying to provide for the army. She’d barely gotten any sleep, but she supposed it would be fine. She’s had sleepless nights before, this would be no different.

She was eternally grateful for the resistance’s help, since she couldn’t do much on her own with the disappearances. She sent Ashei and Shad to help Hoz on his investigation, she requested Auru to ask around since he couldn’t do much in his old age, and she sent Rusl and Link to investigate Kakariko, knowing that Link’s wolf abilities would be useful. And she requested this all under her alter ego: Sheik.

She remembers when she first disguised herself as Sheik and went to help the resistance. They were dealing with straggling Bulblins who rebelled against their king. Sheik showed up to assist, and the resistance were rightfully distrusting towards her. It was difficult since Sheik wasn’t exactly a bubbly and kind person, but after a few years with her giving them correct information on situations, they started to trust her more, and she was grateful for that. It was nice doing more for Hyrule that she wouldn’t be able to do as queen, but it had made her twice as busy, and she almost had no time to do anything. Even spending time with her own daughter was severely limited, and even though she wished she could do more with her, she just didn’t have time. And she wasn’t willing to give some of her workload to Edmund.

They’d known each other since they were kids. her father was attempting to have an alliance with Labrynna and they saw each other often. They had a good enough relationship then, Edmund was very polite and kind, and even when they reunited he still was, but she couldn’t bring herself to trust him. He was never outwardly terrible, but she knew that if she gave him even an ounce of power, he would take it all and control Hyrule. She’d seen it with her father, she’d seen it with Zant, and she’d seen it with Ganondorf. All kings taking power from queens, why would Edmund be any different?

Despite her refusal to let him help her, she was exhausted, and sometimes she wished she could get help, but until she found more people she could trust, she would have to make do. Of course, it wasn’t easy to hide how she was feeling from everyone, and when she nearly fell asleep during a boring meeting, they all grew concerned for her well-being.

“My queen?” The representative for the Zora spoke up when she nearly fell over on the table, and she rubbed her face, sitting up straight.

“I’m alright,” she said quickly, and she glanced over at Edmund who stared at her with his brows pinched together.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine, just a little tired is all, we all get like that,” she waved their concerns away and looked down at the papers in front of her. She honestly didn’t remember what was being discussed, but she quickly skimmed over the details and caught up as much as she could. As soon as the meeting was over, she got up and left, with Edmund trailing behind her.

“Zelda?” He called out for her, and she groaned, turning around to look at him.

“Yes?”

Edmund let out a huff and put his hands on his hips. “What have you been doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. You look awful. You’re rarely eating, I hardly ever see you, and you’re never in bed when you’re supposed to be.”

“Maybe I don’t want to sleep with you,” she said coldly, but instantly regretted it. That was an inappropriate thing to say, and a hurt expression flickered across Edmund’s face. He looked away and ran a hand through his hair, frustration apparent in his face.

“Goddesses, Zelda. I— I didn’t want this arranged marriage either, but I’m trying to make it work for our kingdom’s sakes! It’s been ten years, why can’t you do the same?”

Zelda faced him fully and looked down, biting her lip. “I… I apologize for that comment, Edmund. It was rude of me.”

Edmund’s glare softened slightly. “So, what’s going on? Is it the disappearances?”

Zelda pursed her lips. “It’s fine Edmund–”

“No, it’s not fine. You’re clearly overworking yourself.”

Zelda turned away and let out a frustrated sigh, spotting the nobles and representatives getting closer to them. She grabbed Edmund’s arm and led him away to somewhere more private.

“It’s fine Edmund,” she reassured when they were tucked away in a corner, “these disappearances have been a lot of work to deal with, but it will pass. Besides, I have help from friends and Hoz to get to the bottom of this.”

Edmund stared at her for a moment, his brow pinched together. “Ok, so you have help,” he finally said after a moment of contemplation, “why don’t you let me handle the next meeting so you can… I don’t know… get some rest.”

Zelda’s heart spiked and she shook her head. “No, I do not need help.”

“Oh, so you’ll get help from Hoz and friends that I’ve never heard of before, but not from me, your husband?” Edmund’s voice raised a little, and Zelda sucked in a breath.

“It’s not your responsibility—“

“Yes it is! We’re supposed to have a partnership! We’re supposed to work together to keep our kingdom allies! That is why we got married! Why can’t you trust me?”

“Maybe it’s because you have no respect for my kingdom! Maybe it’s because you berate and criticize my people and my army! Why would I let someone who hates my kingdom try to rule it?” Zelda snapped. Edmund stared at her, surprised at her angry tone. She always spoke in a controlled tone, never letting her anger get the best of her since it was improper. Zelda took a deep breath and quickly composed herself, not wanting to escalate the conversation anymore. “Edmund, can we discuss this later? I have a meeting to attend to.”

“That’s what you say everytime I try to talk to you about it,” Edmund scoffed.

“Well I don’t have time.”

Edmund was about to say something, but he glanced up behind Zelda and his glare softened.

“Amber!” He greeted, and Zelda turned around to see her daughter walking towards them.

“Hello, mother and father,” she said when she walked up to them, her hands clasped in front of her. “I finished my studies and I wanted to catch you when the meeting ended!”

Edmund gave Zelda a look and he relaxed his posture. “Well, you caught us in time, my dear.”

Amber grinned at Edmund and gave a small curtsy to Zelda. Zelda nodded her head and forced a smile. The two stared at each other awkwardly, and Zelda looked down.

“I’m glad to see you, Amber,” she finally said, and forced another smile. “I take it your studies are going well?”

“Yes, mother.”

“Right…”

Zelda looked away and Edmund sighed.

“Why don’t you tell your mother what you’ve been studying, Amber?” He encouraged, and Amber’s eyes lit up. Zelda cringed internally, wanting so badly to stay and listen to her daughter, but she simply had no time…

“Well, I’ve been studying the founding of Hyrule, and I find it quite fascinating! I read that Hylians descended from the sky and made land here, creating alliances with the many species already living here. I just can’t imagine living in the sky! I heard that they flew on birds! Big birds that they would ride on and–”

“Amber,” Zelda cut in, forcing another smile, “I think it’s wonderful that you’re interested in history. I have a meeting I must attend, but you continue on with your studies.”

Amber’s expression fell which made Zelda’s heart twist in pain, and she looked down. “Of course, mother, sorry to keep you.”

Zelda couldn’t force another smile, and she simply walked away, trying to ignore the guilt creeping up on her. Goddesses she wanted to stay, she wanted to stay and to talk with her daughter. She wanted to ignore the meetings and to actually rest her eyes. But she couldn’t, there was too much to do, and she didn’t have the time.

Zelda couldn’t help but glance at the two when she turned the corner. Amber was still facing away, but Edmund was staring at her, and where she expected anger, there was nothing but sadness in his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Link watched the field around him carefully, sticking closer to Rusl this time around. Kori was no longer riding with him, and was inside the cart playing with his new toy, meanwhile Colin sat behind him on Epona. Talo was riding his own horse on the other side of the cart, grateful to no longer be alone on the trip back home. Link was also glad that they were with Talo as well, learning more about the strange disappearances have gotten him nervous. Rusl tried to make sense of it all, explaining how the scent probably got messed up, but Link supposed he couldn’t truly understand how bizarre the whole thing was. The scent wasn’t replaced, nor was it lost, it just vanished. The fact that he didn’t know why this was happening, or where to continue looking, chilled him to the bone, and he was anxious to get back to Ordon and out of the open field. Colin picked up on his nervous energy, and he rested his hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright, Link?” His younger brother asked, and Link shrugged.

“I dunno, I just don’t like the open field,” he answered simply.

“I heard you and pa were investigating some disappearances, anything going on with that?”

Link sighed. “I don’t know, I tried to follow the missing people’s scent and I found nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Absolutely nothing. The scent just ends. Pa thinks that the scent was replaced or lost but… I honestly don’t think that’s the case,” he ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a breath.

“What do you think the case is?”

“I’m not sure, the only explanation is that the people got taken to… a different world or something,” Link felt the heat creep up to his cheeks as he said it outloud. The idea of different worlds wasn’t far-fetched to him, the temple of time literally took him through time to when the temple stood tall and proud, and the twilight realm was a world he could never forget. But to get to these places were nearly impossible, especially the twilight realm, so the idea that these people somehow getting taken to anywhere like that was ridiculous to him. Colin only hummed.

“You sure they’re not dead?”

“I’m sure Colin, I would’ve smelled it. Once we get home I’m gonna try to look further into it.” By the goddesses he was not going to let something like this continue. He was the hero for Din’s sake, he still had a responsibility to Hyrule. Link glanced over at the carriage to see Kori and Rela poking their heads out from the carriage, smiling at the nature in front of them. A protective feeling surrounded him as he watched them. He was going to make sure that his family, especially Kori, were never going to experience a dangerous Hyrule ever again.

They reached Ordon when the sun began to set, and everyone let out a sigh of relief as they got off their steeds or out of the cart.

“By the goddesses, it’s nice not being attacked every five seconds in the field,” Talo commented, stretching his arms after he got off his horse. Beth and Colin cheered in response as Link led Epona to his home, patting her neck and giving her a treat. Kori ran up to him and patted Epona’s snout.

“Thanks for getting us here, girl!” He said, and Epona lowered her head to nuzzle his chest, which Kori giggled at. Link smiled at the two and left them alone together as he went to help Rusl with unloading the cart. The kids stayed back talking and playing with the horses while Link and Rusl went to their home. When they opened the door, Uli set down her sewing project from the couch and met them at the door in seconds.

“You’re home!” She cheered, and gave Rusl and Link a hug. Rusl chuckled and pecked her on the lips.

“Hello, darlin’,” he said when he pulled away, and the two smiled at each other for a moment.

“How was it? How’s Renado?” She asked as they pulled away to put their stuff down.

“It was fine,” Link answered, plopping down on the couch. “Renado seems pretty overwhelmed, but otherwise it was ok.”

“What did Kori get?”

“A stuffed cat he named Jasper,” Link answered, stretching his arms above his head. Uli tilted her head and crossed her arms.

“A stuffed cat? If I had known that he wanted a stuffed cat, I would’ve made him one!”

“Yeah, kids are weird like that,” Link said with a chuckle, rubbing his eyes. “The moment they see somethin’ they want at the store, they ask for it even though you can make it at home.”

“It’s more special from a shop!” Rusl chimed in, leaning near the fireplace. Uli raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Are you saying that if I made it, it wouldn’t be special?”

Rusl’s eyes went big and he turned away. “Of course not… that’s… you know what I meant!”

Uli gave a quick laugh. “I know what you meant darlin’, I’m just messing with you.” Rusl glared at her and she simply giggled teasingly at him. She turned to Link and her teasing manner dropped slightly. “Well, I heard you two were investigating some…. Disappearances,” she started, “were you able to find anything?”

Link looked at Rusl and shrugged. “Not really.”

“We didn’t find anything useful at least,” Rusl added quietly. Uli frowned.

“Are you going to continue investigating?”

“Well, I kinda have to. Kori wants everyone to return home safely for his birthday,” Link said with a small smile on his lips. Uli grinned and ruffled his hair.

“He’s a sweet boy. He reminds me of a certain someone.”

Link looked down bashfully and rolled his eyes as Uli began to dote on him. Kori was a sweet boy. So gentle and kind, despite being a little mischievous at times. He couldn’t take all the credit for it of course, or really any of it. Midna raised him by herself for his first two years of life, and even though she's not with them all the time, she’s impacted his life in more ways than one. Goddesses he missed her. He wanted to tell her everything about Kakariko, he wanted her advice, her comments, her support. He just wanted her here…

Uli clasped her hands together and sighed after a moment of silence. “Well, where are the kids?”

“Dealin’ with the horses. I think they’re a little stir crazy.”

Uli smiled and gestured at the fireplace. “I have some soup cooking if you wanna drag our little ones over here?”

The smell of the soup cooking above the fireplace hit his nostrils, and he wiped some drool that suddenly appeared on his chin. Uli let out a hearty laugh and ruffled his hair.

“I’ll go get them ma,” Link chuckled, slightly embarrassed, and jogged out the door to find Colin, Rela, and Kori.

The three were excited for the hot dinner when Link told them, and they quickly put their things away as the sun set behind the horizon. Kori wasted no time showing Jasper the cat to Uli, explaining the complex backstory he gave to the plush, and how it connected to Billy the goat’s backstory. Uli listened intently, and Link let out a laugh. He always talked her ear off, but she always listened. Link wondered if he was the same way when he was younger.

“So, I take it Midna didn’t go with you?” Uli asked when Kori finished his story. Link shook his head.

“No, she had other stuff she needed to do back home.”

“What does she do anyways?” Colin asked, his spoon full of soup inches away from his mouth. Link shrugged.

“Stuff.”

“You always say that,” he said, sipping the soup from the spoon. Link shrugged again.

“Y’all weren’t supposed to know about her existence anyways. If she wants to tell you what she does, then she will. It’s not my business to tell you.”

“Fair ‘nough.”

“Well,” Uli started, standing up, “I already ate, but I can dish up some food for the rest of you.”

“Nah, I got two strong arms, I can do it myself,” Rusl said with a smile, grabbing a bowl and hunching over the pot.

“Nonsense! You’ve been traveling all day,” Uli began to argue, and the couple began to fight over the soup. Colin and Link exchanged a look and smirked as Kori and Rela jogged over to the fireplace, trying to break up the battle for service between the two lovers. When Uli finally admitted defeat, Link got up to the pot to serve himself and Kori, smiling at his ma who returned to her sewing project. But as he began to walk across the room, he stopped, his ears twitching. There was a sound, it was distant, and out in the woods, but as it got closer, the sound became more apparent.

Screaming.

Soon it got loud enough for Uli to hear it too, and they both looked at each other in fear. Kori stared at the two, hearing it as well.

“What is that?” He asked, and the whole family grew quiet, hearing the sudden screaming. Rusl got up, grabbing his sword and gestured for Link to follow him.

“Stay here,” Rusl said to Colin and Uli, who were about to follow him. Uli walked towards the kids while Colin reluctantly stayed by the doorway, and the two swordsmen marched out of the house. As they got closer, Link was able to spot three figures huddled together. He recognized mayor Bo’s large frame next to Jaggle, who was consoling a hysterical Coro. Bo looked up as the two men got closer, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank the spirits,” he said, stepping away. “I was just about to come and get you two.”

“What’s happenin’ here?” Rusl asked, staring at Coro who looked to be a mess. “Why were you screaming?”

Coro raised his head and stared at the two. “S-something’s out in the woods!” His voice shook as he said it, and he was shaking in fear.

Link frowned, feeling dread and fear creep up on him. “What was it?”

“I– I don’t know! I don’t know!”

Rusl rested a hand on Coro’s shoulder and kneeled down. “Take some deep breaths for me, ok? Think about what you saw and try to explain it to us.”

Coro swallowed and took a deep breath. “Ok, you are all gonna think that I’m insane, but I promise I’m not! I know these woods, I’ve seen all sorts of plants and animals! But I was putting my things away f-for the night, and I heard somethin’ behind me and… I saw a black creature staring at me!” Coro wailed and buried his face in his hands, and Rusl gave Link a look. “It tried to kill me! I swear!”

“Did you have a light to see this… black creature?” Jaggle asked skeptically, and Coro gave him a glare.

“I didn’t hallucinate it if that’s what you’re implying! Trill saw it too!”

As if on cue, Coro’s bird, Trill poked out from his hair, staring at the men. Link expected him to begin chatting, but he was uncharacteristically silent as the men observed the bird.

“Can you… Uh… describe the creature again?” Jaggle asked, and Coro let out a frustrated huff.

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it was a big, black creature with long arms! It almost swiped at me but I didn’t wait around! I thought something was off about the forest, Trill came to me a few days before talking about a bear, so I-I thought that he just got spooked! There hasn’t been a bear in these parts in ages so I assumed he saw a wolf! There’s been wolves around here right? But this wasn’t a bear, I don’t know what it was but it was no bear!”

Rusl, Jaggle, and Link all glanced at each other as Coro continued to ramble, and Rusl scratched the back of his head. “Sounds like you had a scare, Coro. But let’s think about this, it could’ve been a tree or something. They look scary at night, right?”

“Trees don’t try to swipe at you!” Coro yelled.

Jaggle glanced at Rusl and sighed. “You can stay with us if it makes you feel safe, we’ll be sure that the gate is locked extra tight, but–”

“No! You need to find that thing, now!” Coro grabbed Rusl and shook him slightly. “A gate won’t stop it if it found us! It’s too big! Don’t you remember what happened ten years ago? When a green monster burst through the gates and stole all the kids?”

Rusl’s expression grew dark, and Jaggle pulled Coro away.

“Now you need to calm down!” He yelled. “It’s gettin’ late, and it’s too dangerous to go out at night, we’ll hunt down whatever it was you saw tomorrow—“

“Jaggle,” Mayor Bo interrupted him, staring at the entrance, “perhaps we should find whatever Coro saw.”

“What? Bo are you crazy?”

“I don’t want anything attacking us at night when we’re most vulnerable,” Bo explained, his hands raised defensively. “We at least need to be prepared for something!”

Jaggle opened his mouth to say something but Rusl stepped up. “He’s right, it’s not dark yet, me and Link will check it out, the rest of you will make sure nothing happens to Ordon.” Link looked at his father in shock, but he avoided his gaze. “We’ll find whatever scared you, I don’t want anything to attack us at night either.”

Coro looked relieved and nodded. “Thanks, sorry to bother you folks–”

“It’s fine,” Rusl waved his apology away, “me and Link will investigate, Colin, Talon, and Beth will look after the village in the meantime, if it ain’t a bother.”

Jaggle let out a loud sigh and shrugged. “Don’t think Talo would be bothered at all.”

“Good. There’s still some sun left, once it gets too dark, me and Link will return, ok?”

Jaggle seemed more comfortable with that and nodded. Rusl nodded back and turned to head back to the house, with Link reluctantly following.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, pa?” Link asked softly as Bo led Coro to his home. “We don’t have a lot of time before it gets too dark.”

“We’ll be fine, Link. I take it it’s nothin’ serious,” Rusl said, but he didn’t seem too confident in his own words. “Besides, if something is out there, I don’t want– I don’t want another attack on Ordon.” Rusl’s voice grew quiet, but he didn’t turn to look at Link.

Link pursed his lips, but said nothing. When the two reached the house, Rusl quickly explained the situation to Uli and Colin. Uli protested against it while Colin grabbed a sword, determined to protect the village. With enough reassurance that they were going to be ok, the two bid their farewells, collected their swords and torches, and headed into the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The forest was quiet save for the rustling of the leaves as they blew through the wind. The moon was full, which thankfully gave him and Rusl more light to work with. The sky was a deep purple, making the forest much darker than what Link would like. Sure there was some sunlight, but it wasn’t enough to investigate. It was uncomfortably silent between Link and Rusl, both listening intently to whatever could be out here. Link’s eyes were darting back and forth, his heart beating against his chest as they got closer to Coro’s house. He’s never liked the dark, but after the twilight invasion, he’s grown to hate it. Anything could be hiding in the shadows, watching him and his father as they walked by. It made his hair stand on its ends. Rusl seemed to be more relaxed than him though, a determined look on his face as he observed the trees illuminated by his torch and moon. When they reached Coro’s house, Link lowered his breathing to hear whatever it was Coro saw. His sword was raised in front of him while Rusl looked around the house. The silence was deafening, and the night air sent a chill up Link’s spine. He studied the ground around the house for a moment before looking at Rusl, who put a hand on his hip and sighed.

“Do you see anything?” He asked, and Link shook his head.

“I haven’t seen anything unusual, but something isn’t right.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I—I don’t know, something in the air isn’t right.” Link pursed his lips as he watched the trees around them. There was a good chance that he was just spooked, but the feeling of dread wouldn’t leave him. Rusl clicked his tongue as his head turned behind him.

“What do you think Coro saw?”

Link shrugged. If it was anyone else he wouldn’t be so worried, but it was Coro that got scared. He wasn’t scared of anything. Even when he saw Link as a wolf he seemed calm, even when monsters were right outside his home he didn’t care much. The only time Link has seen Coro frightened was during the twilight invasion, when shadow insects were crawling all over his home. A sinking feeling rested within his stomach as he thought about the missing people, but he shook his head. There was no way that there was another twilight invasion. The only Twili that were left in the world was Midna, and how she was able to be in this world was a mystery to him. No, it had to be an animal or a tree or something. Coro wasn’t afraid of anything, but everyone gets spooked every now and then.

“He probably saw a bear,” Rusl said softly, his brows pinched together.

“If it was a bear, then we should head back and hunt it tomorrow. It’s too dangerous to be out here at night.” Bears were rare in Ordon, but they showed up occasionally, and Link had heard too many horror stories from Rusl about them that he knew that they were a serious threat. But regardless, the idea of Coro seeing a bear scared Link less than any alternative. Rusl pursed his lips and stared at the ground.

“I’m not seeing any footprints though,” he muttered, kneeling on the ground and tracing his hand across the ground.

Link looked over his shoulder, the sudden feeling of dread overwhelming him as he stared at the darkness. Something was out in Faron woods, something dark and evil.

“Pa, we should go,” he said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. “We can lock the gates and look for it tomorrow, but we’re at a disadvantage here.”

“I know, Link. But it’s not too dark yet.”

“It’s dark enough for this to be dangerous!”

Rusl stared at the ground blankly for a moment, before looking up at Link. “You think he saw something out in these woods?” Rusl asked, and Link tilted his head.

“You don’t believe him?”

“I-I’m not sure. I’m not seein’ any footprints or anything around here. Nothing was by his house, I think he saw the shadow of a tree or something, but… I don’t want to take any chances.”

Link frowned as Rusl went back to staring at the ground. He didn’t want to risk a potentially dangerous monster attacking Ordon either, but Link knew that they wouldn’t last against a black creature at night. He looked behind him at the entrance to Ordon, shifting his feet nervously as he felt eyes on him from all sides. Rusl picked up on his nervous energy, and he stood up, eyeing the house.

“I’m just gonna look around some more, then we’ll head back, ok?”

Link nodded and watched as his father marched to Coro’s home. He lingered near the trees, watching them intently as if something would grab him. It was silent for too long, and he occasionally glanced over his shoulder to check on his pa, who was barely visible from the torch he was carrying. It was getting too dark, his patience was wearing thin, and his anxiety gnawed at his insides. He couldn’t wait out here any longer, they needed to head back now.

A snap of a twig caused Link to jump ten feet in the air, and he had his sword drawn out defensively in front of him as he glared at the darkness in front of him. His heart beat furiously against his chest as he strained his eyes to see what was lurking in the dark.

Was it a monster? A bulblin? A lost traveler? Several possibilities ran through his head as he searched the woods in front of him, fear nearly paralyzing him so much he couldn’t even speak. Another sound was heard, along with rustling, and something dark emerged into the light Link’s lantern emitted. Link jumped, yelling out as soon as he saw it, and when it was fully in the light, Link saw that the creature that spooked him so badly was a fuzzy rabbit, staring at him as its nose twitched. Link stared in shock, his breathing quick and his heart beating a mile a minute.

“Link?” Rusl called out worriedly, and Link heard his pa jogging towards him.

“I—it’s— a r—“ Link let out a sigh of relief as the rabbit hopped away, and he started giggling. Loud.

“Uh, Link?” Rusl sounded much more concerned as Link doubled over laughing.

“I—it’s a rabbit— a rabbit,” Link wheezed out between giggles, and Rusl raised an eyebrow.

“Ok…?” Rusl gave him one more look before returning to the house, his head shaking in confusion. Link let out a breath and stared at the ground lit up by his lantern, feeling slightly more relaxed. He picked up his lantern and stood up, but as he got on his feet, the light moved further into the darkness, and that was when he saw it.

A black hand, clearly human shaped, standing out in the lit up grass. It quickly disappeared into the darkness, but Link was able to see it. He felt his blood run cold as he shot up, his sword shaking in his trembling hands, the relief gone in an instant. Did he imagine that?

The feeling of dread began to overwhelm him, and he spun around to his father.

“Pa—“ he was interrupted by a familiar shriek. A shriek that paralyzed him to the bone. His body trembled as his heart beat so hard against his chest it felt as though it would burst. His senses were clouded, he couldn’t see, he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t feel. All he knew was fear. Until the strong paralysis went away.

Link gasped as he was able to move again. His head felt light, his heart continued to race, but he felt conscious again. He looked around, shocked that he himself was left untouched. His lantern was left on the ground, standing upright, still emitting light enough for Link to see. The sky was black now, the moon emitting barely enough light for Link to see beyond the lantern. He shakily picked it up and looked around him, his heart sinking into his stomach as realization hit him.

Rusl.

The other light that came from Rusl’s torch was put out, and Link’s father was nowhere to be seen.

“P-pa?” Link called out weakly, tears pricking at his eyes when he was met with silence. He ran to Coro’s house and searched the ground, but there was no sign of Rusl, all except his torch which was laying on the ground. Link wasted no time turning into a wolf and sniffing the torch, but he was only met with the eye watering scent of smoke and fire. Goddesses, how could he find him?

Link noticed some scuff marks on the ground, and he saw the footprints. They weren’t human, there were no toes and they were much too small, but he knew that whatever they belonged to, it was what took Rusl. Link took off running, using his wolf senses to see in the dark. The footprints went into the dark caves, and Link plowed through, luckily remembering where to go from traveling through them hundreds of times. He ignored the rats and keese that tried to hurt him, and he emerged from the other side. At the end of the cave, Link spotted something glimmering in the moonlight. Rusl’s sword. Thank the spirits.

With no smoke to cloud his senses, Link was able to pick up on Rusl’s sent. It led deeper into Faron woods, through the thick trees that used to hold poisonous gas. Link sprinted through, the feeling of deja vu of hunting down the missing tailor and Goron making him more and more anxious.

Please don’t be too late.

Link was so focused on running that he barely noticed that he actually passed the scent, and he skidded to a stop, spinning to where the scent stopped. The scent didn’t seem to end abruptly the same way the tailor and goron’s did thankfully, but the feeling of dread kept any feeling of relief shining through. The creature was here, and it was watching him.

Link growled at the darkness in front of him, and he heard something shuffling. A dark mass silhouetted by the moon revealed itself, growing more and more until it stood up straight, and Link felt his heart drop.

It was a shadow beast, but it was different. Its skin was black as the night, blending into the dark trees around it, all except the red Twili mark on its chest. Black tendrils jutted out of its body, mostly from its head. Two arms were laid awkwardly on its back, instead of a mask there was a mouth that snarled at him with yellow teeth, and it was huge. Bigger than any shadow beast Link had seen. How…?

The creature snarled and rested on its two front arms, the arms on its back hanging menacingly. Link’s growl got more low, his fear replaced by fury. This thing did something to Rusl, and he was going to make it pay.

A hand suddenly swiped at his side, and Link was barely able to move before it hit him. He barked and jumped at the beast, biting into its shoulder as hard as he could. The beast shrieked and threw Link off of it, slamming him into a tree. Link sucked in a breath, scrambling to his feet as his back ached from the impact. He shook his head and snarled at the beast. It snarled back. He moved back and forth, trying to figure out where to begin on fighting this thing. If it was similar to a shadow beast, then fighting it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Link charged at it again, sinking his teeth into the shoulder of the beast. It let out a cry, but Link continued biting, ripping it apart with his claws and fangs. Eventually he was thrown off again, but before the beast had time to recover, Link jumped at it again, this time aiming for the stomach. Link went much deeper into the soft flesh of the torso, and he was able to rip a good chunk of it out. The creature shrieked in pain as it slammed its fist down onto Link, but he dodged just in time. The beast hunched over, holding its stomach in pain as black goo fell out. Though this creature was much bigger and stronger than a shadow beast, it was simply too easy to fight.

Link went to charge again but the beast made a strange noise that stopped him in his tracks. It stayed on all fours, hunched over, gagging. Link could only watch as it gagged, his confusion holding him in place. He only came back to reality when the beast began to vomit, and soon he saw a hand flailing around from its mouth. Rusl!

Link quickly turned back into a Hylian, reaching out for the hand. He felt relief when Rusl’s hand quickly gripped to his own, meaning that Rusl was still alive and conscious, and Link pulled with all his might. The beast remained still as Rusl was slowly pulled out, and Link’s father let out a gasp as his face emerged from the mouth.

“Pa!” Link yelled out, and Rusl struggled to pull his other arm free from the throat of the beast. His face was covered in the black goo that poured out of its stomach, covering his eyes and hair. As Link pulled him out more, he noticed the teeth of the beast ripping up his clothes, but he didn’t stop pulling.

Rusl’s other arm was pulled free, and it flailed towards Link’s arm, and he weakly hung on as he was pulled out the rest of the way. But just as he was free, the beast suddenly bit down on Rusl’s leg, and Link gasped as Rusl’s grip went limp and he was pulled away from him.

“PA!” Link screamed as he was dragged away, and the beast snarled at him, leering over Rusl as if he was its prize. It scooped up his pa in one of the hands on its back and it took off running, deeper into the woods. Link cursed under his breath and turned into a wolf again, ignoring the pain that shot through as he transformed. He took off running, following the beast through a gate to where Coro’s bird’s shop was. Link pumped his canine legs, and was able to catch up to the beast and Rusl. When he was close enough, he bit down on its leg, attempting to drag it to the ground. The creature shrieked and spun around, ripping its leg from Link’s mouth. The beast snarled at him as Rusl hung limply in its hand, blood and black goo dripping down his feet and hair. Link barked at him, but he didn’t move. The beast backed away from Link as he tried to wake his pa up, its back arching like an agitated cat as it growled at him.

Link made sure he was merciless this time around. He attacked relentlessly, aiming for the arms resting on its back, trying to get it to drop Rusl, but its grip was tight around his father, so it never let him go no matter how hard Link bit into its arms. The beast smacked Link a few times as he attacked the arms, but he fought through the pain, fiercely biting and scratching the beast. Link had severely underestimated this creature, with it not giving out anytime soon. Shadow beasts normally would die after having their throats ripped out or being clawed to death, but it seemed that this thing was invincible. He didn’t know why, but it was stronger than any Twili creature he’s ever fought.

Link was smacked against a tree again, and he staggered slightly as he got on his feet. He was growing exhausted, he felt like he was doing the same thing over and over again to no avail. Though he’d just ripped part of its stomach out, it didn’t seem to be bothered by it. What was this thing?

The creature snarled at him again, having a more confident pose as it faced Link, and all he could do was growl at the thing. He didn’t care what happened to him, he just needed to make sure Rusl was safe. The beast charged at him, and Link braced himself, but it suddenly stopped, shrinking back into the shadows, making strange noises that sounded like pain. It looked up at the sky and to Link’s surprise, it dropped Rusl and sprinted away, leaving Link alone with his father. He quickly turned back into a Hylian, staggering at the sharp pain in his back, but he stood up, pulling out his sword. He ran to Rusl, standing over his father protectively in case it returned, but it did not.

Why did the thing run away? It was winning, it wouldn’t have dropped Rusl like that. The sun rising in the sky answered Link’s question, and soon the forest was lit up. Relief swept over him as he was able to see, and he knew he was safe. For now at least. It seemed that the—Twili beast— hated the light.

Link relaxed and put his sword away, exhaustion beginning to overwhelm him, but he couldn’t rest, not yet. He looked at his father who was still unconscious, and he turned him over. His entire body was covered in black goo, and some of it mixed in with blood from small cuts on his skin, possibly from the creature’s teeth. His leg looked the worst, with a bite mark circling around his calf and shin. It had stopped bleeding it seemed, but dried blood mixed with black goo made it look much worse. Rusl was breathing, though it was shallow and sounded wrong. Link hoped that his ribs weren’t bruised or broken, he wondered how tight that thing held onto him. Link took a deep breath and shook him gently, brushing his clumpy hair out of his eyes.

“P-pa?” He whispered, shaking him a little harder. Rusl seemed to be reacting to being shaken, so Link tried harder. He needed medical attention, and his mind thought of the spirit springs. He remembered fairies appeared at each one after he faced a trial from the great fairy, he wondered if they were still there. “Pa,” he repeated, a little louder. Rusl’s blue eyes began to flutter open, and he stared at Link confused.

“L-Link?” He croaked.

Link smiled a relieved smile and started to help him to his feet, but Rusl stopped him quickly, hissing in pain as he held his side.

“Somethings wrong,” he rasped, sinking into the ground. Link frowned and looked him over. His ribs must’ve been broken.

“C’mon, pa. We gotta get to the spring. You’ll feel better.”

Rusl stared at him, wheezing and holding his side painfully, but he didn’t stop Link from helping him to his feet. Rusl leaned heavily on Link’s side, and the two slowly walked to the spring. It felt like hours until they finally made it, at some point Link had to pick up his pa to carry him the rest of the way, despite his protests. He set him down in the spring water, immediately feeling comfort in the warm water. Rusl let out a sigh of relief as he rested in the water, but the relief melted into panic as he looked at himself.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Link asked, calming down his father.

“‘Don’t want to dirty the spring.”

“You’re not gonna dirty the spring, the spirit’s light keeps it clean,” at least he assumed, the water never seemed to get dirty no matter what was put in it. Rusl relaxed again and stared at himself, his brows furrowed. Link began washing the goo and blood off of himself, helping Rusl occasionally. Rusl was uncomfortably silent while the two cleaned themselves off, and Link wanted to bring up what had happened, but he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it either. After Link finished washing out his wounds, he stood up, limping towards the bushes to see if any fairies were hiding. Luckily he found two and he returned with them both, noticing Rusl staring at him with his brows furrowed.

“Some fairies,” Link said, handing them both to him.

Rusl silently opened his palm where one fluttered onto his hand, and it healed up his bleeding leg and bruised ribs. He let out a sigh of relief and stared at Link who still held the other one.

“You need another one, pa,” Link pressed, but Rusl shook his head.

“You’re hurt too.”

“Not as bad as you.”

“I don’t care, my leg is healed, you use it.”

Link was taken aback at his intense tone, but he was too tired to fight back. He held the fairy gently in his hand and it floated around him, healing up his aching back. It rested on his head when it finished healing him, and Link let out a sigh of relief. Fairies were wonderful creatures.

The two sat in silence, staring at the crystal blue water they were in, soaking in the sun as it rose higher and higher in the sky. It didn’t feel like they were gone all night, but with Link’s tired body, he supposed it made sense.

“Link,” Rusl broke the silence, continuing to stare blankly at the water. “We need to tell the resistance about this as soon as possible.” Link stared at him for a moment, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Rusl continued. “That… thing… it has to be responsible for the disappearances. We need to tell them about this.”

Link nodded. “We oughta tell them when we all meet up then—“

“I’m not waiting until the date Sheik set, we need to tell them now.”

Link stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, ok, I agree. I’ll send a letter, then we can move out tomorrow.”

“Link—“

“We move out tomorrow, pa. We need rest though, we’ve been up all night. Besides, we gotta tell the folks around Ordon to stay away from Faron at night, ok?”

Rusl glared at him for a moment, but it softened when he had no rebuttal. “Yeah, ok. We need rest.”

Link nodded. He was no stranger to staying up all night, but as he’s gotten older, it’s been much harder to deal with. He stood up, his legs feeling weak as he walked around, and Rusl followed, being careful on his newly healed leg. Link stared at his leg for a moment, then faced him.

“Are… are you alright?”

Rusl stopped walking and looked up at him. “I’m… fine. Thanks to you. Are you ok?”

Link pursed his lips and nodded. “I’ll be fine, pa.”

Rusl’s gaze softened and he wrapped his arm around Link’s shoulder. “Let’s head back then. I bet everyone is worried sick.”

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