#For once not even the hero of hyrule can make that look good. And that is no mean feat.

[phoenixcatch7]

Minor non story spoilers for the gerudo archaeologist quest.

I was finally exploring the gerudo highlands and I thought I'd stop by the old eighth heroine statue - the one we proved was apparently Link (??!). I've got the vows tagging along, I'm excited to show them!

I get there and say a sentence I did not ever expect to say:

"But why the face though. Like, why has my face fallen off."

See, I remember this statue featuring in the very first reveal trailer of totk, long before the name, and people were going insane over the idea of there being some sort of secret cave behind the statue, that it was of ganondorf, that ganons mortal form was buried under there, that there was zonai stuff inside. So I was quite upset that it wasn't a normal erosion at the feet and instead Nintendo had removed my face to put a giant mirror there instead.

Whatever, I light it up, anticipating the kind of treasure that would be hiding in the head of the giant ancient statue of link, important enough that it was decided upon so early in development and even featured in the VERY FIRST trailer of the game!

There's a bandit armour chest!! It's guarded by gibdo!! Wow, it must be good! I wonder what I'll get! The cap of the wild?? A diamond circlet? A piece of dragon armour?!

It's

It's tingles hood.

NINTENDO YOU TROLL BASTARDS

[maple-the-awesome]

The Chain Meets You, His Partner || 1/3

Part 2 || Part 3

Pairing: Warrior, Twilight, Legend x GN! Reader

Requested by @temporarilyablog: i see requests are open still so im coming to you with a thought i had recently: how about a Link from the Chain interacting with the reader, another Link's s/o from their original adventures, when *their* Link isn't around. i can see some teasing another Link with the reader that they've only known through little stories here and here, or others grilling the reader relentlessly because another Link was so shy about their relationship and partner, and wants to know how that Link is like around someone he allows himself to relax. its kinda like when the Chain met Malon for the first time and interacted with her for stories about old man Time and as always stay awesome, i love your writing!

Zelda Masterlist 💙Fandom Masterlist

Concerningly delighted or eerily eager - the Chain can't quite agree on which descriptor best described their teammate the best once he realized they had all landed in his Hyrule. Bubbling with excitement ever since while maintaining a pace some of the other boys have to jog after, Link doesn’t waste breath saying where he’s leading them, although that giddy smile upon his face - as much as he tries to hide it - is plenty for the wiser heroes to get the hint...

Taking numerous shortcuts that avoid public attention, Warrior skillfully navigates the familiar streets of Castle Town with his only pause being at the doorstep of his apparent destination. There, he takes a quick second to smooth his hair and perfect his uniform before knocking a fist against the chestnut wood.

The curious murmurs of the boys huddled behind him adds ambience to his impatient wait where his thoughts temporarily worry that perhaps you aren't awake yet, after all the sun is only just rising above the waking town, however true to your many letters which have complaint of insomnia during his absence, the door soon opens not more than a minute later to reveal your tired figure.

Even with a mess of bedhead and a robe tied lazily around yourself, you look beautiful and sacred in Warrior's eyes - an observation he isn't alone in making. Some mainly Legend had doubted that you were even real or at the very least matching to the Captain’s honey-soaked descriptions, although none can deny how well you truly hold up to that image.

You awake in a snap and leap into your lover's arms with a cry of joy; a feeling that is contagious throughout the group who watches on in silent amusement. Suddenly their friend's excitement makes plenty of sense, especially knowing how much he's missed you throughout their journey. Seriously, he's never shut up about it!

You can't rid of the smile on your face when Warrior finally takes his attention off of you long enough to introduce the others, all of whom you’ve already learned about from his letters. Without hesitation, you invite the group of worn travelers into your home while waving off any concern raised about possibly intruding at such an ungodly hour.

"Nonsense. You’re all welcome here any time. I know from personal experience how much rest can mean during a long and perilous journey.”

"My love is a captain, as well~" Warrior brags proudly, his arm wrapped snugly around your waist as you both stand aside to let the others file through into the warmth of your home.

"We know. You've only mentioned it a dozen times," Four rolls his eyes teasingly while passing by.

"So I take it you all already know about me then. Hopefully all good things?" You eye Warrior with mocked suspicion, yet he’s hardly fazed, dodging any blame by pressing a quick kiss to your cheek.

"Of course. The trick is getting him to shut up about you," Twilight says, earning a laugh. You couldn’t deny it if you tried - that sure does sound like your Link, and seeing as he does nothing to argue against the claim, instead pressing another longer kiss to your cheek, he recognizes he’s a guilty man.

The group is simply happy for the chance to finally rest their feet somewhere homely, although none complain to your offer of throwing together breakfast, even if it’s just a small one made up of some toast, eggs, and a first-come-first-serve fruit bowl. While you gather this makeshift meal, Warrior remains practically glued to your side, sneaking kisses and lingering touches whenever he can manage before you shoo him away playfully.

The heroes have all experienced their fair share of interesting and distinctive adventures, however rather than saying much about themselves, they favor asking about you, wanting to confirm if everything Warrior has said is true, after all he’s built you up to be a talented soldier who’s sword should be feared by even the fiercest of monsters. It’s not to say they doubt it based on your build and stern undertone, but it would still be nice to hear from you personally.

You admit to your reputation, however are too modest to exactly rave about your military achievements or detail your victories during war. That role is left to your boyfriend who’s unafraid to brag for your sake while tying in as many compliments as possible, both professional and of the romantical sort. As for the boys, they only interrupt with brief questions or comments, mostly related to your relationship as curiosity and thirst for mischief get the better of some of them.

“Sounds like he was smitten at first sight,” Sky smirks after hearing the story of your initial meeting, not that he could ever judge. If anything, seeing you both together warms his heart with the memory of his own lover.

“Was the feeling mutual?” Someone else asks teasingly.

For once, Warrior remains silent, glancing at you subtly in an attempt to hide his own interest towards the answer. While you certainly struck him dumb with one look, your own expression had always held a bit of resentment during those early days, your attitude strict and standards held impossibly high - higher than they were for any other subordinate.

Link never blamed you, though. If anything, it made perfect sense for you to not be his biggest fan. All of your hard work had been largely overshadowed by the discovery of Hyrule’s new hero, his simple existence being to blame for the war you then had to fight tirelessly through. You weren’t willing to give him a pass just because of his shiny title and pretty face, instead holding him to expectations you’d set for anyone destined to defeat Ganondorf. He had to earn your trust and love overtime, at least what he always assumed.

Yet to Warrior’s surprise, you become slightly bashful as you stubbornly redirect your gaze and answer, “...I admit I found him attractive - both in appearance and personality…A little too cocky, though, and not the best listener there in the start. He had to be trained out of that habit.”

Startled by this revelation, Warrior mocks offense, “You barely gave me the time of day!” 

“I was putting your ego in check,” You reply easily.

“So you were playing hard to get that whole time?”

“Oh please, you were enjoying it,” You smirk, leaning in for the challenge with your noses centimeters apart. 

For a second, it’s as if you’ve forgotten about your guests, too busy staring into each other’s eyes affectionately, that is until Legend scoffs while biting into an apple, "If our captain here was smart, he'd hurry up and put a ring on it before you finally come to your senses."

Warrior’s eyes widen into a look of horror after the Veteran's comment, yet you take it in stride, laughing as you pat your boyfriend’s chest, “There’s really no need to rush, after all, life has only recently started calming down following Ganon, and the hope is that neither of us will be going anywhere anytime soon…assuming that you boys help keep this one out of trouble during your adventure.”

“Aye, aye, Captain!” The group cheers with a chorus of amused laughter resulting from Warrior’s flustered face; a rare sight they plan to memorize.

Your smile remains even as you lift yourself to sit on the counter where you can nibble on your piece of toast, Warrior following in suit with a huff while he shamelessly pouts like a child at your side. Alas, you merely find it endearing, kissing his cheek which seems to be addicting enough to have him chasing after your lips, pecking them as he takes your free hand in his and whispers in your ear for no one else to hear, “I’ll have you know I already have a ring.”

“And I’ll have you know I’ve already found it,” You smirk, placing a finger against his lips, “Keep trying and maybe one day you’ll be able to get one step ahead of me, my dear captain.”

He huffs again before stealing a quick bite of your toast.

The boys chase Twilight blindly through what appears to be a forest no different than the many others they’ve already traveled through during their adventure, however it’s when crossing a long wooden bridge over a canyon that they begin to connect the dots as to where they really are; a point soon proven correct once reaching a small treehouse standing by its lonesome amongst a meadow.

Even Epona seems eager to arrive here, confirming this is somewhere familiar to the two. She’s pleased to busy herself by grazing outside while her rider has other plans, leading his comrades up a steep ladder and into his cozy home. He invites them to make themselves comfortable, although he’s still clearly distracted by another thought himself. 

His eyes search the house excitedly, disappointment echoing on his face when he doesn’t seem to find what he’s looking for. He looks no different than a kicked puppy, his smile drooping into a frown that he doesn’t explain. There’s no need to. As quickly as his joy had soured, it returns in a blink when the front door once again opens from behind the group.

You’re understandably startled to look up and find eight heavily armed men crowded around in your house, however your surprise doesn’t stand long. Swiftly, you’re scooped up into someone’s arms then spun with ease. It only takes you seconds to realize it’s your lover doing, having already assumed he’d be somewhere within this party of travelers seeing as his loyal mare had been there to greet you just outside.

To say you’re both delighted to see each other again would be an understatement. You’ve been impatient awaiting the day Link returns, only having so many ways to distract yourself from his absence in this small village. With that said, you have no objections to the deep kiss he steals, instead savoring it as your arms steady themselves around his neck while he still holds you off the ground against his chest. It’s a display that has some of the boys gagging in mocked disgust, although most merely smile, finding joy through that of their brother’s. After all, if he can be this happy, maybe there’s hope for all of them.

Twilight has, of course, frequently mentioned you before to the heroes, but had never gone into too much detail nor had he exactly specified the extent of your relationship. Nevertheless, the boys already assumed you to be a lover, after all, you would have to be someone special to always occupy a rent-free space in their dear rancher’s head.

Only Time, Wild, and Four knew the exact specifics because one, they had actually gone out of their way to respectfully ask, and two, Twilight trusted them enough not to relentlessly tease. Seeing how long it took Warrior to drop the dog jokes after finding out his ‘wolfie secret’, Twilight could only imagine the jester that damned captain would become if possessing any other information about his intimate life…A fear proven rational now that the cat’s officially out of the bag.

Fortunately or unfortunately - Your boyfriend has yet to decide - you seemed to instantly forget that the eight travelers are total strangers to you and insisted they all stay the night; a kind hearted offer born from good intentions, but also the perfect opportunity for the boys to plan their rancher’s downfall by mercilessly interrogating you about your relationship.

“When did you guys meet and where?”

“Did he make the first move or did you?”

“How’d he ask you out?”

“Do you ever get tired of the dog smell?”

Twilight rolls his eyes, finding himself slowly regretting this whole show-and-tell of his lover. He should’ve just slipped away from the group and snuck home to visit you. They would’ve been none the wiser seeing as he often strays as Wolfie anyway. Surely had he told Four or Wild, they would’ve covered for him. Now he’s stuck listening to this meet-and-greet with the one person who knows all the good dirt there is to be found on him. It doesn’t help that you answer every question as if it’s your sworn duty assigned by Hylia herself.

“We met in Castle Town - back when he first set out to become a hero. Poor guy was completely lost, so I took pity upon him by pointing him in the right direction.”

“He made the first move, although I’d like to think I gave him a good push.”

“Oh, that’s one of my favorite memories! He set up this beautiful little picnic at Lake Hylia. It was very romantic.”

“...Sometimes, yeah.”

“Do you have any embarrassing stories to tell about him?” Wild asks with a devilish grin, taking joy in the betrayal that cuts across Twilight’s face.

“The better question would be where to start -”

“- Alright, alright. You’ve all had your fun. Don’t overwhelm them now,” Twilight cuts into the conversation at last, moving behind you with his hands set upon your shoulder. You wouldn’t be able to see it from where you sit, but he’s sending a warning glare to the other heroes who are hardly intimated.

“Oh come on! We’re just making up for lost time since you refuse to tell us anything about this lovely beauty,” Warrior punctuates his sentence by winking your way, making it clear he knows exactly how to push his friend’s buttons.

Twilight almost growls, seconds away from kicking everyone out under the stars for the night, however with your soft hand set upon his own, you smile up at him sweetly, “They’re okay, Link. I don’t mind the questions.”

‘I do,’ he wants to object, but he’s weak against your pleading eyes. With no other choice, he’s forced to sigh and take the seat next to you. The price of this compromise is your hand which he refuses to let go of, instead keeping it rested against his lap as the group eagerly continues teasing him questioning you.

“Have you always lived together?” Sky asks, perhaps the only one here who is truly innocent with his curiosity.

“Not until recently. It took some convincing for my family.”

“What, the goats and farm smells didn’t appeal to them?” Legend snickers playfully.

“Not exactly…” You grimace.

“They’re a well known noble family from Castle Town,” For once, Twilight answers a question himself, squeezing your hand with a smile that’s really closer to a smirk, “‘don’t think they cared much for their eldest running away with some plain o’ ranch hand.”

You return the action just as smugly, “But you won them over in the end.”

“Or they were just happy to get rid of ya’.”

“Why not a little of both?” You shrug before pecking his nose which leaves him grinning like a lovesick puppy. Legend sticks his tongue out and Warrior tells you both to get a room, prompting Twilight to promptly remind him whose house they’re currently in.

The rest of the Chain laughs heartily, save for Time who has been the only hero apparently mature enough not to actively take part in poking a wolf. He has simply been listening in respectful silence with his arms crossed over his chest and a small smile of amusement upon his face. Honestly, his presence could’ve been completely forgotten if not for him finally choosing to speak up as soon as the laughter dies down, “And does he behave himself around you?”

Twilight nearly chokes on his saliva and even you blush at this question, but you don't hesitate to offer an endearing nod, “Oh, of course. Link’s a perfect gentleman. I couldn’t possibly ask for anyone better.”

This seems to satisfy Time who returns your nod proudly, his smirk evident when Twilight dares take a peek at him, although the younger man struggles to fully face anyone beyond that; he’s too busy rubbing away the embarrassment from his face. 

Taking this as a sign that he’s officially reached his limit, you dismiss any further questions while placing a comforting hand on your boyfriend’s shoulder, yet your sympathy is a poor mask placed over the clear mirth even you take in his flustered state.

Legend never bothers announcing himself upon arriving home, although that’s something you’ve come to expect from your adventurous and often absent roommate. Seeing as you don’t get many visitors, it’s safe to assume it’s either him or Ravio whenever the front door creaks open, but nevertheless, you poke your head around the corner just to be certain. Yep, it’s Link…along with a group of strange boys?

“Funny. I didn’t think you had any friends,” Is your greeting as you lean against the doorway.

“You’re one to talk,” Legend scoffs back while simply brushing past you towards his chest room, “I’m just here to grab a few things and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Ah,” You nod, already accustomed to this pattern. As common as it is for his homecomings to lack any fanfare, it’s also fairly usual for his presence here to be short-lived so long as he has his sights set on adventure. Occasionally, he’ll take the time to fill you in on what he’s exactly doing, especially if planning on staying for a meal or nap, but other times, he’s in and out that door without a word.

You don’t mind, after all it’s exactly what you knew you’d be getting yourself into when you first agreed to move in, however it seems this group of travelers Legend’s brought along with him aren’t so used to his solitary ways. They all huddle awkwardly around the door, their eyes darting across the room and at times landing on you in clear curiosity that goes unspoken for now. You take it they’re unsure as to what they should be doing while waiting for Legend.

“Make yourselves comfortable. I’m sure he’ll only be a minute or two,” Your invitation is gladly accepted by the boys who quickly fill into the room instead of remaining in their crowded bundle. A few sit on whatever stools there are available at the table, but most remain standing. 

Faced with either awkward silence or a basic conversation, you decide to introduce yourself, telling them all your name with a friendly smile, “‘not sure if Link mentioned me or not, but I live here with him. I promise I’m not just some homeless person who broke in while he was away.”

“We didn’t think you were,” One chuckles stiffly, likely taking your comment as an odd ‘joke’. If only they knew about Ravio…

“Sooo, are you Lege - Link’s…Um -”

“- Roommate? Yeah. ‘have been for the last year.”

A brunette boy raises an eyebrow, even going as far as to squint his eyes at you as if you’ll suddenly confess to being a robber or something, “Are you only ‘roommates’ or…?”

"Well, what else would we be?" You ask, cocking your head to the side innocently. The boys all stare at you in disbelief.

“It’s just - The Vet talks about you all the time. Like, all the time!”

“Does he?” Now that’s a nice thought: Legend going out of his way to tell his traveling companions about you, speaking your name as if you’re someone important to him who always occupies a section of his mind…Oh, but you doubt it’s anything like that. He’s likely only mentioned you once and they’re exaggerating.

“I don’t know if he does ‘all the time’,” The shortest of the room argues almost as if reading your mind before adding more seriously, “But he has mentioned you. Pretty fondly, I’d say.”

“With the lovey-dovey eyes and everything,” The knight of the group nudges one of his friends teasingly and they both share a laugh.

You find it contagious, “If that were true, I’d suggest you check to make sure he hasn’t gotten a concussion. ‘Lovey-dovey’? Now that doesn’t sound like my Link.”

“What doesn’t sound like me?”

A few of the boys go pale while others smirk almost as if they take pleasure in having been caught. You never even heard Legend approach, although one look to your side and you see him already standing there with crossed arms, his eyes narrowed towards his friends.

You open your mouth, prepared to brush aside his worries and assure him they haven’t been saying anything bad about him behind his back, but then the youngest boy suddenly blurts: “Have you guys ever kissed before?!”

His question earns him a sharp elbow to the side and an even quicker scolding in a whispered tone, however the damage has already been done, particularly to your face which feels rather warm now. So that’s why they all seemed so confused by the whole ‘roommate’ thing. Apparently they doubt that’s the full story…

"No! I-I mean, not really...- It's not like we're a couple or anything if that’s what you’re thinking. We're just friends who decided to live together for convenience sake, that's all!" You explain in a rush.

“I needed someone to watch my house and stuff while I was away!” Legend adds, his face as red as his own tunic. Whether that’s from embarrassment or anger, you can’t tell, although the later might be the best guess given his puffed up cheeks. 

“Exactly! And I needed a place to stay.”

“Precisely! It was a ‘kill-two-birds-with-one-stone’ type of situation.”

“Simple as that!”

The group of travelers sit in silence, their eyes switching between Legend and you. Despite the diversity amongst them, they all manage the same deadpan expression; not a single one of them believes you, but then again, you’re not here for their approval. Hell, they’re in your house - Well, Legend’s house - NOT THAT IT MATTERS! You don’t owe these people an explanation for why you happen to live with a guy you may or may not find attractive! They’re not going to get one either!

Clapping your hands together, you do your best to change the subject, “So, no one’s told me how you guys have met yet. Let’s talk about that.”

.

.

.

Legend said they’d only be staying long enough to change his items, however that was a couple hours ago. You had lots of questions about finding out every stranger in your house was actually another version of him, all brought together across different timelines and kingdoms. A whole recap and dinner later, it had gotten late with many of the boys looking visibly tired from weeks on the road.

“What’s with the face?”

You want to call Link - your Link - a hypocrite because he’s had the same stupid pout on his face ever since he lost the vote on where they’d be staying for the night. You insisted that it be here, seeing no sensible reason for them to go camp elsewhere in the cold when they could have a warm roof over their heads. He did everything he could to argue, yet nine outweigh one.

“I’m just thinking about what your friends said earlier,” You sigh, rolling onto your back where you can stare at the ceiling instead of into his eyes as he lays next you. With the living room overflowing with guests, you’ve been forced to share a bed for the night not that you haven’t occasionally done it before, “I can’t believe they thought we’re dating. We’re friends who live together. That’s not illegal, is it?”

“Hmm.”

“And before they were saying you talk about me all the time like that means you’re in love with me or something. Like, I’m a fact of your life, sure, but I’m not your life itself, you know? It would be weirder for you to completely avoid mentioning me to other people.”

“...Yeah…”

“A-And maybe - just maybe - we’ve kissed before, but no further than a peck to the cheek or forehead…Only once have our lips actually touched…” You roll back onto your side to face him, biting your lip as you whisper, “...Maybe we should start putting more distance between ourselves to avoid any more misunderstandings like this…I’m sure if those boys already think we’re dating, the whole village must think it’s true.”

“...Or we could just do the opposite…” 

“What do you mean?”

Legend curls his face further against the pillow and his folded hands, doing everything he can to avoid your eyes as he mumbles barely audible words, “Clearly everyone is going to assume we’re in a relationship anyway, so we might as well avoid the hassle of having to explaining they’re wrong each time by just making it official…”

You blink, his hinted suggestion taking a few seconds to set in, although once it does you can’t help smirking. Leaning forward, you kiss his nose, causing his cheeks to flare as he stubbornly jerks away, “How convenient! I was recently thinking about looking for a boyfriend, but so long as you’re offering, you’ve saved me the trouble of finding someone as good as you!”

Legend grumbles, however that doesn’t stop him from inching closer to you and kissing your forehead, “...Just don’t say anything to them tomorrow or else I’ll never hear the end of it.”

[luna-loveboop]

Twilight and Legends relationship

...I love it

**in this post there's a lot of stuff I didn't notice before. I'm gonna resist the urge to write an essay on each point, and attempt to leave most of it up to the reader's interpretation**

Ok ok there's a ton of stuff here, starting with early character scenes

They're like the rest of the chain: They fight together and talk. Legend is close to Hyrule, and Twilight to Wild and Time.

We see some things Twilight and Legend have in common. One is their dislike of Hyrule knights, and-

As seen in the Gerudo clothes scene, both Twi and Leg like to mess around with pranks and have a lot of snark... wonder what would happen if they worked together

But there's something really important about how Twilight views Legend:

I wasn't aware this was before looking closely at their interactions but... Twilight didn't originally like Legend. This is shown a lot later on- in his facial expressions and words towards Legend. But from the start he didn't like him much, and here's why:

From the start, Jojo says this- Twilight judges Legend's actions as too harsh since his mannerisms come across as picking on someone. (Also Sky you are so so pure and cute 10/10 most huggable Link)

Legend is abrasive because he's had so many adventures- he's hardened to the point of being sharp. But it's wonderful that that character can still be so loved- his heart is good (hero duh)

Twilight has always been a big brother. It makes him well loved (rightly so). Jojo says he knows people can change- for good or bad. But because of his past Twilight doesn't like people picking on others "not even a little". It's complicated- we see it affect Twilight's attitude towards Legend a lot.

Anywho moving on to the plot

Wolfie, Aka twilight

Dark mirror stuff happens, and Legend finds out Twi's Wolfie- as we all know. But he can't just. Acknowledge it of course. He's gotta probe and tease, asking pointed questions (snark snark snark)

And in his attempts to be certain about the Wolf stuff, we were blessed with:

Bunny Legend

Welp. That investigation did not go as planned.

Animal forms:

Bunnies are soft, but Legends actions are not. He is guarded and sharp yet his form shows how sweet his true heart is

Wolves will love/protect their family yet are fierce, they have fangs and will fight. The root of who Twilight is is his kindness and family

Also (sarcastic) good job to Four and Wild for being SO SUBTLE with their emotions when Legend's asking questions hinting he knows Twi's secret

Legend: asking questions about the secret shhh

Four and Wild: Are having a freaking heart attack about it

Twilight: starts ranting about goats

...

Once Twilight gets over the shock of Legend like. Absorbing his crystal. He... well, looking at the harshness in his face and words, this is where Legend's attitude and his past with Colin being bullied biased him against Legend.

Look at his face in each panel through the progression- Twilight is more and more confused thinking legend is not who he thought he was...

And Twilight certainly sympathizes/relates to being hurt by losing someone he loved (in whatever form the relationship took)

And WHY is it always girlfriend trauma with these boys of COURSE it's girlfriend trauma that brings them together NOT SHARING A SPIRIT AND LOVE OF SWINGING GLORIFIED METAL NO THEY HAVE TO BOND OVER RELATIONSHIPS GONE WRONG

Twilight then thinks well that's a good reason to be pretty changed because from the start Jojo said he'll always understand people changing...

So they go, and make legend human again (with pink hair) and Legend is... surprised. And grateful...

Another few defining moments:

Legend's dialogue thanking him is the real start of them connecting like in Leg's original character description "the most reliable, you want him on your team"

And again Twi's face, Twilight is looking at Leg differently throughout this- contemplating to be honest. Considering...

And remember when I said these two both like to prank? Well the second they have a shared experience and get back to camp they immediately team up and start barraging Warriors with snark

Heaven help the chain when these two are on the same side

Legend has never been close to people outside of the few he's accepted as his (love him and hyrule's bond). After this? Twilight's one of his people. There's much more expression of caring and closeness towards Twilight- something we don't see with many.

And then, well, Twilight nearly dies. And Legend, he cares

Bunny boys puppy dog eyes are gonna kill me someday

Twilights pretty injured, he really doesn't see/remember all these moments showing how much Legend wants to help

And then we have this moment

this moment

Matters so so much

Look at Twi's face. Look at his surprise, realization, and acceptance- this is when he realizes- when he sees how much Legend cares for him

Twi woke from his deathbed for his family

and then in the next few updates it's really cute- he just is barely recovering and legend is just... beside him. Staying by his side

Animal forms later development:

Legend's bunny form is soft- but he is still not totally soft. Looking at Legends actions and facial expressions towards the others, while he's definitely closer to Twi now, he's still the snarky boy we know and love.

Twilight's Wolf form is loyal and loves family: Once he knows legends heart? Full on pack love.

And WHY were they so very intent on petting each other

Legend: I'm gonna go try and pet the wolf since I think he's my dude yes good plan

Twilight: I KNOW THIS IS WEIRD BUT IVE NEVER PET A RABBIT BEFORE LET ME TOUCH YOU

...

Here's a few random parallels of them to chew on because I love parallels (them snarky snarking each other, then some brother love parallels)

The thing with these two is their character bonding and whatever is not all sweet and lovey like some of the others. They have some REALLY sweet caring moments with each other. But snark plus snark equals double snark, meaning them together is the weirdest mix of kindness and teasing you've ever seen

And although at the beginning they were pretty harsh towards each other, it makes their getting closer and learning their similarities all the better.

[sleepy-the-loz-enthusiast]

"...'ncle..?" Legend muttered, shifting his face to bury it in the soft fat of Sky's stomach. Even through layers of fabric, the heat radiating off the teen's forehead was enough to make Sky wince.

That, however, was nothing but a passing thought.

"Mhm, that's right. I'm right here, Link, it's okay..." Sky assured, threading his fingers into Legend's hair without hesitation.

Was it a mistake? Sky hopes not, but hearing the small noise the Veteran hero makes...

"I missed you..." Sky's doubts die with those three muttered words, uttered with such raw vulnerability it almost makes him cry.

"Awe, it's okay buddy. I'm here now, alright? It's all okay..." Sky cooed, knowing damn well that once this sickness passes Legend will remember none of this, but his heart breaking nonetheless.

"Mmkay..." Legend shifted slightly, resting his full weight on the older hero's legs and nestling into his arms. "...'ncle? I don'... feel so good.."

"Yeah I bet, you're pretty sick..." Sky said softly, his fingers absentmindedly carding through the delirious veteran's hair and voice rumbling slightly.

'Pretty sick' was an understatement. Legend had forgotten about a stab wound and left it for weeks to get infected, then proceeded to collapse with a fever. He'd been delirious for the past two days, barely waking up enough to sip water and broth. To make matters worse, the group was stranded out in the woodlands of some random Hyrule with no towns in sight. Thankfully the lands seemed healthy enough for Wild to forage and cook hearty dishes... but still.

"..'m I gonna die?" Legend whispered, looking up at Sky without a trace of recognition but a world of vulnerability and fear. Small tears started to form in those glassy eyes.

"No, no, you're gonna be all okay. I won't let anything bad happen to you, alright? It's okay, it's okay..." Sky gently uttered, leaning over and planting a soft kiss on his hairline.

"Mmn... promise..?" Legend's eyelids drooped, his battle to stay conscious slipping with every passing second.

Quietly settling beside the Skyloftian, Warriors gently handed him a mug. He wore a firm, yet worried expression on his face.

"I promise. But first, you have to drink this, okay? It'll make you feel better. You can go back to sleep then." Sky gently nudged Legend's lips with the brim of the mug.

Too sleepy to object, Legend obliged and started taking small, slow sips until the mug was fully emptied. In Sky's words, Legend resembled a sleepy remlit; cuddling up to the older hero in a way he'd never dare to if fully conscious. Nobody would dare take advantage of that vulnerability; not even Warriors, for all the two teased eachother.

Now, though, Sky slowly laid himself down on his bedroll, keeping an arm securely holding Legend close. With his prickly barriers down, Legend let himself melt into the warm embrace, feeling so safe and secure that in his last seconds of awareness he started crying.

"I love you..." Three words muttered with sincerity, and the sickly hero passed out once again.

(I'm not sure how this happened, but it did. I think maybe it's the idea that Legend's subconscious recognises Sky as a similar presence to his uncle that when he's caught in such delirium he mistakes them? Idk, but yeah, I hope you liked reading this !!)

[skyward-floored]

I would love to talk to you about plain old Lu if you want that's all I ever do lol but I haven't much in a while you wanna talk about Hyrule? Because he needs more love

HYRUUUUUULE I LOVE HIM SM

He’s always been one of my favorites (cause in a roundabout way, Zelda 1 & 2 were my first zelda games via NES remix) and I love his characterization in lu :)

He’s humble about his skills and insecure about his place among all these heroes (I mean, look at him when Warriors compliments him on being a knight in that one comic, he looks so awkward!) even though he’s earned his place among them twice over! Just because he’s not a knight doesn’t mean he’s at least as skilled as one, and he’s shown his worth multiple times already.

He’s also sassy, which I feel like is a characteristic of his that often gets overlooked in favor of his humbleness (which I think people mistake for meekness, which, while Hyrule does have his moments, I’m pretty sure he’s been sassy more often than he’s been meek!). He’s got a mouth on him! He teases Time of all people! More than once! I know we often give the snarky remark role to Legend, but I think him and Hyrule share it sometimes tbh.

Oh I also have to mention his silly puns. Oh man. “Everything has its likes alike” “well they’re still ruins, just not ruined” HE’S SO GOOFY!! His jokes are terrible but he makes them anyway and he’s always cracking little things like that and just generally acting goofy.

And then he can be epic too!!! The comic where he and Warriors are beating up those monsters with fire is one of my absolute favorites, because we get to see Hyrule go ham with his magic!!! Look at how awesome he is!!! And he saved Twilight too!!! He exhausted himself trying, and refused to give up, even when his attempts had no sign of working he just kept going and fighting because my boy doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase ‘give up’!!!

He’s a wanderer and traveler, he’s a good fighter and he’s humble and he cares dearly for his friends and people and his land, and he thinks he doesn’t deserve to be here and he’s sassy and chivalrous and makes bad jokes and loves exploring and has amazing skills and magic and he is truly one of the Links ever. I love him.

[bokettochild]

Hi just letting you know that I'm Obsessed with what you wrote about Legend's uncle. Because, like, my headcanon was that his uncle got older and Legend encouraged him to move in with his grandparents--don't worry I'm older now I can manage the orchard myself--and the distance that formed between them post alttp was enough to make his uncle just a bit too willing to leave Legend behind.

But, like...now I'm imagining Alphon raising this kid, this forgotten prince who has a divine destiny ahead of him. And he tries not to get attached, and slowly starts to encourage Link towards things like farming as his duty to look after him turns into found family. For a short time, Alphon starts to convince himself that maybe they can just live on that isolated farm together without worrying about gods or monsters.

Of course destiny comes knocking. Alphon goes to the castle alone, telling Link to stay behind (to stay safe, stay out of it) as a sort of last ditch effort to keep fate from claiming the boy who has become like a son to him.

When Link shows up anyway, Alphon reasons that it was foolish to see family in someone as far removed from him as a child of the gods. He gives the Hero of Legend instructions on how to proceed, and lets go.

Link loses his uncle in the sewers of Hyrule Castle.

Yes!

Whether Aflon was actually his biological uncle or not (I say yes, but I don't care particularily) he raised this kid with the knowledge that, yeah, he's more then the average small child.

When the rest of the knights are all killed off, he realizes, quite abruptly, that "oh, the prophecy about the hero is referring to him."

I think he loved Legend, truly. You can't be the sole caretaker for a wee babe and not fall in love with them. You can't watch them mimic you and talk like you and do their chores in a mirror of how you do and walk in your literal footsteps; little legs struggling to stretch far enough between holes in the snow- and not fall in love with that child.

Aflon loved Legend with everything in him.

But the kid that he found when he was brought back to life had his own way of doing things, he was wary, he was silent, scared of so many things and rather than following in too-big steps, he makes his own as he darts from brush to bush, from cover to cover like a soldier under fire. He doesn't act like a child anymore, he's not that sweet, gap-toothed kid that Aflon held in his arms just the other day (as far as he is concerned). Yes, he has the same face, but that kid is not his sweet, innocent, gentle, carefree nephew.

But it's still a kid.

So he takes care of him until he can make arrangements for someone else to, because it's still a child, even if it's not his child. He arranges for his parents, Link's grandparents, to take over, telling this kid with Link's face that they're going to the farm for the summer like they always do- except this summer he never comes back to bring him home again.

This summer, once the boy is not his Link is on the farm, he goes back to the house, locks it up, and leaves.

He can't live there without Link, and he can't go back for the kid that replaced his own.

So he wanders through Hyrule, finds a place after some time, settles down, and starts a family of his own. He always wanted kids after all, and now he has a wife and a son.

Except the little one they have is either the exact opposite of his Link, or all too similar to him, and either way that hurts. He's haunted by that little boy he promised the queen he would care for, but he's got no way to find him now.

He might go back once, but Legend's off adventuring, hardly ever home- doesn't really have a home, because the house isn't the same without his uncle and the farm was never truly home either. Maybe he asks the locals, hiding his face so they won't know him, won't tell Link he was there, (maybe they can't recognize anymore him anyway) and all they can tell him is what a good hero that kid became, but he's gone today, as he always is, wandering and restless, wary and unwilling to linger.

So he goes back home.

And I like to imagine he's even more haunted, because Link never wanted to wield a weapon. His Link wanted to be an apple farmer. His Link didn't like to fight. His Link would always cheer that his Uncle would kill all the scary monsters. His Link didn't have blood on his hands.

But the hero is the opposite, and deep down he knows his Link is the Hero.

Which means he failed his mission to protect him. He failed Link. He failed the queen.

And now he has to live with that. All while watching another little boy grow up in front of him. A little boy who idolizes the hero that the village people talk about sometimes. All while wondering if his son will turn out the same way.

[weepingtalecowboy]

Four meets the colors

I decided to be absolutely evil so here you go fanfic prompt :

What if four was never capable to combine into link but they didn’t even get the opportunity to take turns because everyone controls different body parts and they have to coordinate absolutely everything together and pulling the four sword back just to be four people again isn’t something they can just do

They learned to live with it but no matter how hard they try to make it look naturally

they still move in a way that feels wrong even when they are trying hard to cooperate

Their feet have slight delay

their hands have trouble gripping stuff in a way that looks naturally and one hand might grip the wrong side of a box ending with nearly dropping it

Their face can show different and several emotions at once and they can sometimes be heard mumbling to themself

And because of that they are perceived as unsettling or unstable by their own village

Their father couldn’t truly understand or accept them because link his child essentially died and they know it no matter how hard he tries to hide it

Their grandpa is getting older and even though he grieved his grandson he still wanted to accept them and when he is gone they would only have Zelda left

And she spends most her time in the castle ruling Hyrule

Shadow is not coming back ever again

And because of that spend as much time as they can on blacksmithing to not have to worry about things

But when linked universe happens they meet a version of them that has everything they could possibly want

Like their own bodies and lives

Shadow is still alive

The village doesn’t fear them

Vio,Blue , Red and Green all get to go by their own names

And four has to go by link

It’s genuinely paining them because it just doesn’t seem fair

Main while the colors hate how four is looking at him

Because they used to think that link would understand and support their decision to stay apart

But obviously link feels to good about himself as the perfect and superior hero of the four sword

And they all start hating him for it because it means that their decision wasn’t approved by the one person it mattered from the most

The chain feels the tension but doesn’t really know how to fix it so they separate both

And when they all get to four’s Hyrule they feel ashamed of how bad they are viewed by their own village

Because the colors are loved but they are not

So they tell them that when they put the sword back they never became one

The colors feel absolutely horrified when they realize the implications

Because four's existence sounds like their worst nightmare

And it makes them feel sick

That a version of them could be so screwed over by their own existence

And shadow isn’t even with them

And their dad doesn’t even want them to exist

Man and they thought they had it rough

Four gets to meet shadow and has a mental breakdown over it

Shadow is also very disturbed by the situation

Also they keep four there is no way hylia can stop them (it still is extremely weird when they interact with their counterparts because they like don’t always have the same expressions )

but also four is all fucked up like red is delusional (he was doing his own thing the entire adventure in the manga), blue has an obsession with keeping things under control(getting frozen and swallowed by a ghost is not fun) (which is why he is so obsessed with cleaning because it gives him a way to control the environment ) , Vio is depressed about shadow,green has a hero complex (he is link if you delete all personality traits except hero)

That combines into a mess of having their own personality but not enough to be their own people (just how they can’t even live without coordinating link's every step)

Yeah that won’t be fun

The colors have it easy in comparison

[mastercucco]

Hateno Boy - Part 1 - Link x Reader

The Calamity is gone, but so is Link’s purpose. He feels completely lost in post-Calamity Hyrule where everyone but him seem to have found their new place.

It certainly doesn’t help his restless nights that you, a young Hylian whom Zelda has hired as the new teacher at Hateno School, are slowly taking up more and more of his headspace with each conversation you two have.

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Pairing: Link x fem!Reader Raiting: Mature (might go up, might go down, let's see) Contains: feel-good, slow burn romance; platonic Link/Zelda; Link being an angsty retired hero Chapter Index | Read on Ao3 A/N: Very excited to write something possibly disgustingly cute. The story takes place after the events in BotW but before the beginning of TotK. All characters are adults! I hope you enjoy the story! xx

Chapter 1 - Purpose

Contains: Link being an angsty retired hero; Zelda being embarrassed by Link's inability to talk to girls (or other human beings in general) Word count: ~1,3k A/N: Please look past any weird sentences, English isn't my first language :p

A breath of warm air blows from the sea, gentle on skin and smelling of sea salt. The wind hurries over the hills of Necluda, tall grass bowing before it like waves on an emerald green ocean. Once it reaches Link sitting on top of the hills, it gently tugs on his hair and pushes his hood down.

He has been sitting there for quite some time now – so long that the tips of his ears are starting to redden from the wind, as gentle as it is. The sun that was high up when he arrived at the hills, is now hanging low over the horizon. It is soon time for him to go; Zelda asked him in the morning to stop by the school before sundown.

He is alone, as he is on most days nowadays. There isn’t much for him to do: Zelda is busy rebuilding Hateno, the recently finished village school her new pride and joy. And when she isn’t mingling with the villagers, she’s kept busy with her research at the Tech Lab. She doesn’t require an escort anymore, not after Purah hired a young researcher to assist them decipher ancient Zonai texts anyway. The man rarely leaves Zelda’s side when the two of them are together – which is often. Very often.

Link was jealous at first. After all, he is the Princess’ appointed knight, and he is the one who wields the Master Sword, and he is the one who saved Zelda’s life – not some overly excited, self-proclaimed explorer with a stupidly tall frame and an apparent distaste for wearing upper garments that hide his muscles.

Eventually, his jealousy morphed into loneliness – something he did a terrible job of hiding from Zelda. She asked him if he wanted to return to Hyrule Castle to help the Royal Guard in training new soldiers. Link said no, that he likes it here in Hateno.

“I wouldn’t mind if you go,” Zelda said, gently placing her hand on top of his, “I can see how lost you are here.”

Somehow, Zelda seeing straight through his lies and offering him kindness hurt more than her asking Link to leave in the first place. After that, Link couldn’t help but feel even more uncertain and disconnected. Everyone had seemingly moved on, everyone but him. While he still remains close with Zelda, honoring his duty, accompanying her whenever she travels outside of Hateno, even living with her, he knows deep down that she doesn’t need him anymore. The Calamity is gone, and so is his purpose.

The sun hangs low when Link arrives at Hateno School. The sky is flaring in shades of red, reminding Link of a cozy fire under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be. The school’s front doors are open, but the playground is silent and the windows are dark, all except one. It has been a while since Link last visited the school. The children adore him, which is exactly why he prefers to stay away. Their looks of admiration and curious questions make him uneasy. Ever since moving to Hateno, all he has wanted is to lay low, going as far as to hide his head-turning Champion’s tunic in the bottom of his drawer. He wanted to throw the tunic away, but Zelda wouldn’t let him.

He can already hear Zelda’s excited chattering when he reaches the open doors and quietly steps inside. Zelda is having an eager conversation with a young Hylian woman – you – whom Link doesn’t remember seeing before. He does remember Zelda telling him about a new teacher she hired a few months back, and he figures it must be you.

You notice Link arriving before Zelda does and give him a polite smile in greeting. Only when he lightly taps on Zelda’s shoulder does she stop talking and turn around.

“Oh, Link,” she smiles. “You have impeccable timing. We were just talking about you!”

Link furrows his brow. Great, just great, he thinks, already feeling the tips of his ears growing warmer.

“Only good things,” you assure with an awkward laugh. “The Princess told me you made the apple pie she brought the other day.”

Link hopes that the dim light of the oil lamps is enough to hide his red ears. He clears his throat, though not even intending to say anything.

“I don’t think you two have met before, have you?” Zelda says, giving Link an encouraging nudge.

Even after all the years spent in royal banquets practicing formal pleasantries with Hyrule’s nobility, Link still feels awkward having to introduce himself. Nonetheless, he extends his hand for a greeting. When you offer him yours, he brings it to his lips and gives your knuckles a polite kiss. Your skin feels soft and pleasant, he thinks, now horribly self-aware of just how sweaty his own palm is.

When he looks back at you, even he can pick up the awkward tension in your smile and words as you introduce yourself. He feels his whole face heat up, not really understanding what he did wrong but knowing he must have, because even Zelda has the same tension in her smile as you do.

“He is very accustomed to his formal greetings from his days at the Castle,” Zelda says with a forced smile and gives Link a look. Only then does he realize that a hand kiss, though adequate in greeting a noble woman, is not something you, a village school teacher, was expecting from a Royal Knight. He would apologize, but his mouth is dry and no words come out.

“And, well, you probably already know of Link,” Zelda breaks the uncomfortable silence after it becomes clear Link isn’t going to introduce himself.

“The Hero of Hyrule,” you say, knowingly. “We have actually met before.”

We have? Link thinks, the heat of embarrassment getting unbearable. All he wants to do is run home and hide under his bed covers for the rest of eternity. This is why he rarely leaves their home or willingly socializes with the villagers. He would cringe if he wasn’t too embarrassed to move his face muscles.

“You have?” asks Zelda out loud, her disapproving eyes boring into Link’s.

“It was years ago,” you are quick to add. “He took refuge in our family home once. I wouldn’t blame him for not remembering.”

Zelda doesn’t appear quite as understanding when she shoots another scolding look at Link, the pink in her own cheeks deepening as well. “Please,” she says as she turns back to you, “accept my apology. Link can be awfully forgetful sometimes.” She gives him a final glare that, at last, makes him drop his head. He’s not sure if dying of embarrassment is a real occurrence, but if it is, then he must be very close to leaving Hyrule for good.

“It’s quite alright, Your Highness,” you say with a slightly uneasy laugh that fails to fully mask your discomfort. “I don’t mind it, really. Like I said, it was years ago.”

There is an uncomfortable silence between the three of you. Then Zelda claps her hands, and the tension breaks like a taut rubber band. Link sighs, relieved.

“Well,” Zelda says, “now that we are done with introductions, perhaps we can show Link the curriculum we’ve been working on? I’m sure he can give us his opinion on the section about monster parts and their usage in elixirs.”

When you turn to look for something from your writing table’s drawers, Link grabs Zelda’s sleeve and gives her a pleading look. Zelda narrows her eyes and shakes her head.

“Do not even think of fleeing” she hisses in his ear before she hurries over to you to help you with a pile of scrolls close to toppling over. Link lets out a silent grunt and looks longingly at the open doors. The sun has gone down, the sky now the same shade as embers cooling down under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be.

Chapter 2 - Heromania »

[ashley-kins]

If I were to make the next Zelda game, what would I change?

Bring back underwater traversal and real Water Temples.

If you were to think about any iconic Zelda item that isn't a weapon, you'd most likely think about the hook/clawshot. I like that we can climb, but I miss the claw/hookshot. Personally, I'd have the Skyward Sword climbing mechanics where you can climb a little bit but not much, but make it so that the hook/clawshot can go on any surface. Even better is a double claw/hookshot so you can swing around like Spider-Man

Linkle. That's right, from the original Hyrule Warriors spin-off game. It would be cool if we got to choose to play as Link or Linkle at the beginning of the game. Make it so that Link can't get into Gerudo Town without a disguise like in Breath of the Wild, but also make it so Linkle can't get into Goron City without a disguise, that way it's even and there's no major advantage.

If Linkle can't be an option, I'd have Link be a different race than Hylian. Tears of the Kingdom already teased us with this concept with the Ancient Hero. Before TotK, the closest we got was Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask Link who thought he was a Kokiri but found out that he was in fact Hylian and also had ghost masks to shapeshift into other races. (Or you could also add Linkle as this race too. But I think that's a bit much)

20 hearts OR harder enemies. With BotW, Link had 30 hearts. In literally every other Zelda game he had 20. With 30 hearts, it was a decent change in normal mode, but in Master Mode, it made it essential. Enemies did more damage and evolved from their normal mode counterparts. In TotK, Link has 40 hearts and no Master Mode. The enemies do basically the same damage as in BotW's normal mode and sometimes even far less with the decayed-unfused weapons. So I would make the series go back to 20 hearts or have Master Mode as the default difficulty.

A new fast travel system. Look, shrines were a good idea. Especially for a fast travel system, but if we're getting rid of the 10-20 extra hearts how I would do it, we need something else. For this, let's turn to Skyrim for just a second. The fast travel system there is broken because every cave, tower, dungeon, etc. is a fast travel point, but let's look at the towns/cities and important landmarks: they're fast travel points once we discover them. So let's turn those things into fast travel points in this hypothetical Zelda game. Now, what about the less significant parts of the map? Well, a few train stations around the map with a train. I mean, trains are in the Zelda universe. Spirit Tracks literally is about that, so it wouldn't be a big deal. I had this idea back in 2021, and now even fucking Fortnite has a train around a map with a few train stations in random spots.

This one will make a bit more sense if you read my "If I were to make a Zelda game, what would I keep?" post. Heart Pieces/Stamina pieces. You could go the normal route with 4 pieces makes a full thing or go Twilight Princess style with 5 pieces makes a full thing. These would probably be given as quest rewards in quests that are Side Adventures rather than Main Quests or Side Quests. Side quests would give you rupees or a rare item and Main Quests will give you more story progression.

Bring back the "one-and-done" races like the Kokiri, Twili, Minish, Zonai, Lokomo, etc.

[miharuki]

First chapter of my series, I think, from Linked universe x reader

But first of all, I'll list a few things here

All Linked Universe characters are romantic partners

But one thing before reading the story!

Here you will be a girl, want to make this gender change fit into the story, as well as:

You are a heroine of your hyrule (I'll leave the stories to you) but you don't have the spirit of courage!

Your link is a prince! So he has two sides, being the son of Zelda, the triforce of courage and wisdom .

You will be a closed person at the beginning, because you are not intimate with the current, then only later will you show yourself

That's why, and my English isn't perfect! So, good luck

<prototype -ep list - Next>

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝖆 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖔(𝖎𝖓𝖊) 𝔈𝔭.01

"I see it now... looking like death itself, that's what I see... it's not a gaze I saw in ancient heroes, no!... This is a look of pure rage, no, it's not that!... it's as if she simply has not a shred of mercy or kindness in her face, this gaze isn't of a brave hero as it has been in many years and reincarnations, no!... This gaze is that of a killer..."

The kingdom of Hyrule was thriving, having recovered from all the chaos it endured. Villages and markets were bustling once again, and all the realms lived happily, reminiscent of their best times. Queen Zelda was currently preparing to pass her throne to her heir, her son. It would take a while since she planned to hand over the crown , when he is ready—And when that day comes, you really don't want to miss it, not after everything you've seen, and what you've been through.

Unfortunately, you don't know how you can return. As you look around, you see those who call themselves heroes engrossed in their tasks. You move about, not quite remembering how you ended up there, surrounded by a bunch of blonde boys from different timelines. Despite being accustomed to being in a place full of men and even training with them, it feels like you don't belong to that group.

Everyone there is a hero, with stories, swords, and the soul of a hero—brave, something you're not. Sure, you saved your Hyrule, but that was because you were the last one standing in that shattered land. You had to do something; the land was in peril, your friend was in danger, and you couldn't let him go with it, not after you promised. You're just a mere key, lacking the soul of heroism, without a side of the Triforce like everyone else, not even a tattoo on the back of your hand.

"Hey! (Name), right?" Turning your head, leaning against a tree, you look to the side and see a boy of shorter stature compared to you, dressed in blue and carrying a compass or something similar.

"...yes?" Your voice sounds somewhat flat and even a bit cold, but you can't help it, not when you've been with them for less than a day.

"Well, Wild wants me to grab some things. Would you like to help?" He seems nervous, you can tell by his way of speaking and posture. Stepping away from the trunk, you simply nod your head, following the boy as he enters the forest.

Wind occasionally glanced at you, walking a bit slower as he began to walk beside you. He couldn't help but notice the two covered sword sheaths on your back, but he refrained from asking, aware it might be intrusive.

"Ah... what was your Hyrule like?" The boy attempted to start a conversation, nervous and unable to discern whether you were angry or something else. With a closed appearance, your expression remained unreadable, and he couldn't quite gauge your feelings, likely because you hadn't fully acclimated to them.

"Normal..." You speak in a voice that's somewhat normal, though low, not quite a whisper. Wind frowned, and you maintain your gaze forward. Clearly, you were a Hyrulian, given your pointed ears, but Wind couldn't quite determine if you hailed from a different Hyrule. Simultaneously, your clothing was and wasn't that of a hero; he couldn't quite figure out what you were.

"Ah... I see." Wind then averted his gaze, noticing a bush of fruits. He motioned for you to follow as he approached the bush.

"These fruits look edible, don't they?" He asked while picking one up and examining it. Unbeknownst to him, you also grabbed one, sniffing it. Detecting no strange odor, just a sweet scent like edible fruits, you opened your mouth and took a bite.

"Maybe someone knows what fruit this is. I think we should check other things before—" Wind glanced to the side, watching you grab a cloth bag and fill it with fruits. "Carry...? Don't you think it might be poisonous?" He said while observing you take one and eat it. You shook your head in denial, handing one to the boy, who looked somewhat scared and suspicious.

"They're not poisonous. The leaves are like any other, they smell sweet, and despite their appearance, they're sweet." You spoke while looking at the fruits and collecting them. Glancing back at Wind, who had a bead of sweat on his face, even though his expression was somewhat stoic, you saw that you were looking at him, expecting something. Not knowing what to do, Wind sighed before cautiously biting into the fruit and realizing they were indeed sweet.

Rising, you took the two cloth bags filled with fruit and placed them in the side bag you carried. Wind observed as you looked up.

"Did Wild ask for something specific?" You looked at Wind, awaiting a response."Ah... no! He just asked me to see if I could find something, maybe mushrooms!" He nervously explained, eliciting a noise of understanding from you. You walked ahead, and the boy hurried to catch up. He watched as you, a bit further ahead, handed a fruit to a white rabbit. Upon spotting Wind, the rabbit darted away with the fruit. He observed as you stood up from your crouched position and continued walking.

"B-well! How are you feeling?" Trying to initiate another conversation, he was met with a buzz.

"Normal..." He only realized he had returned to the camp when he heard the others talking. He paused, still confused about the entire situation, and walked over to Wild along with you. You handed over the bag filled with fruits, mushrooms, and plants, along with a large water container.

"When did she get this that I didn't see?" Wild didn't even have time to react and say thank you before you left and returned to your place leaning against a tree, gazing into the forest, never at the others. Wild looked at Wind, who just shrugged and sat down with him.

"Anything?" Wild asked as he opened the bag, examining its contents and grabbing a fruit. "Nothing, b-but she said these fruits are good!"

"Of course they're good!" Wild said as if it were obvious, starting to cut the mushrooms he had. From a distance, Time observed as the girl gazed into the forest, appearing thoughtful. Sky looked at Time, beside him, and also observed the girl.

"What do you think they have?" Sky asked, looking at Time, who had a stern look, sighing as he cleaned his sword.

"I think they're just not at ease. They've just left their home; let her get used to it gradually." With that, they both put the matter aside. Fiddling with your belt, where the two covered sword sheaths were, you felt a twinkle and sensed the small gift you carried.

"It's okay..."

[yourlocaltreesimp]

A Hero’s guide on how to heal pt. 2

pushing my chubby sky propaganda again. @biblicallyinaccuratespoons come get your food. This is a part 2, but you do not need to read part 1 to understand what is going on.

CW: Senstitive topics, proceeded with caution

Part 1 is non x reader

Part 2 (you are here) is an x reader because i’m a simp

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★

Truly, Sky was proud of how far he’d come. He was content to not be in what the people thought as ‘his prime’ anymore, especially since he knew what it really entailed. The life of a hero is appealing until you become familiar with being so hungry you can feel the emptiness carving at your sternum, and so tired you hallucinate.

Being a hero sounds glamorous until that’s all you ever get to be.

It’s all you let yourself be — perfection. And nothing else.

Truely, he never much cared for the term anyway.

That sentiment only becomes truer once he looks past the beginning of his journey.

When he was allowed to simply just be himself.

He was scrawny and awkward. He fumbled his way through life and confrontations, doing whatever he felt was right. He slept through his classes and would sneak into the kitchen at night to steal food.

He didn’t need top marks like Zelda, or a group of yes men like Groose.

He only cared to be content with himself.

Of course, this all fell apart come the time when he’d attach his self worth to his performance as hero.

Once his thoughts began to shift, thinking that not only did he have to save Skyloft and kill demise, but that he needed to live up to this tall tale of what he was supposed to be. That this heroism, ingrained in his very soul, was the marker of his being. This is why he lived.

So he began to build his life around it.

His schedule did not revolve around fulfilling his own life as much as it did saving others.

Perhaps, then, it’s no surprise the people in Hyrules following make him out to be something he isn’t. A vague, shifting figure amidst a surprisingly rigid history. In the act of changing and melding himself to every point of view, every requirement and request, he tucked the truth of himself further away from the eyes of history.

Truthfully, and perhaps slightly shamefully, Sky admits that he would’ve done anything to live up to those expectations. More than he already had.

If someone had told him, at his most vulnerable, that he had to die a martyr, he wouldn’t have even dug a grave.

That thought was a comfort back then. That maybe he’d be asked to just give up. That he’d be relieved of his service. That he’d be perfect in the eyes of history. That despite the fact he was hungry, and tired, and sick, and aching, he’d done what he needed to do.

If death cleansed his soul and finally made him good enough, life was no longer worth living.

Now, he wishes he could go back.

To tell that younger version of himself that it’s ok.

That he’s not perfect and never will be. But it feels so much better when you’re loved for who you are rather than who you wish you’d be.

Admittedly, though, he couldn’t have learned that on his own. All of Skyloft knew him from before and would love him regardless of how much he’d seek to harm himself.

He would’ve never fixed himself if he stayed stagnant.

He needed change.

He needed the change to crack and to break him before he could be remolded and refused.

In the end, he didn’t save himself. Even if he was The Hero.

It was the chain, their brotherhood and support that showed him there were people that understood. People who actually wish for you to be better (as in actually wanting you to be healthy rather than stronger or faster). People who’ve been through the same struggles and problems. People who know what he needs and how to support him.

All at once, he wasn’t alone anyone.

There was so much of himself in each of them. It was impossible to be alone.

Beyond that was you. His lover. That showed him constantly how love should make you giddy and proud of what you are instead of hungering to be more, even if it was ‘to your advantage’ (but you never did care about how he benefited you, did you? he was always more to you than his abilities). You didn’t care for some hero and their acts of service to the goddesses.

You cared about an awkward dork who couldn’t even think about you without his lovesick heart fluttering.

But perhaps most ironically of all; he achieves more now than he did back when he thought suffering meant efficiency.

He can strategize for more enemies and more complex group dynamics when he’s fully slept. He can work his muscles for longer and at higher intensity than when he was skin and bone. He doesn’t feel that aching sense of emptiness, the nausea of hunger looming over him.

He’s comfortable, the chill no longer nipping at his bones when there’s layers of healthy fat to insulate him.

He’s comfortable, You’re able to curl up onto his chest without crushing him.

He’s comfortable. He finally feels right in his skin. That this is where he’s supposed to be, and exactly who he’s supposed to be. Regardless of what people expect of him, regardless of what people judge of him.

[luimagines]

Mr. Blue Sky

Another commission!

A small look into the idea of what it would be like if Sky got a hold of the Four Sword and then split- but I had to focus a little more on their favorite color. not because they asked, but because I know them. XD

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

This was… interesting to say the least. 

You had managed to get separated from the group after a particularly nasty landslide. Items were thrown about, people were buried and you had taken cover in a cave with Hylia’s Chosen Hero in a split second effort to get out of the way of the falling mountain side.

You were both stuck in the darkness until you took out your lantern. You consider yourself lucky that you still had your pack strapped to your back.

“Hey…” You crawled over to Sky. He was face down in the dirt and unmoving. It was unnerving. 

“Sky.” You grabbed onto his shoulder. No reaction.

“Link.” You shook him. He groaned.

You let out a sigh of relief and all but collapsed onto yourself. “You ok? Anything broken?”

Sky pushed himself up, keeping quiet for a moment before he put a hand to his head. “No, no. I think I’m fine. Just a little turned around. Where are we?”

“I think we got buried under the mountain.” You answer, holding your lantern a little higher. “I don’t know where the others are. They might still be outside.”

Sky sits up and looks around. “Any way out?”

You shake your head.

“Great.” Sky rolls his eyes and forces himself to his feet. Instinctively, he tries to reach for the Master Sword that should have been strapped on his back, but he comes up empty. In a moment of panic, he looks around the rubble, spinning in a circle to see if he can find his beloved blade.

It’s nowhere to be found.

Instead a familiar blade lays near the once entrance. The ribbon on the hilt is a dead give away of who it belongs to. The Four Sword lays innocently on the ground, half buried by the dirt and rock that had fallen minutes earlier. You walk over and pick it up, treating it gently. You still have your weapon, since you kept everything in your pack so you have no use for it. But you can’t leave it behind.

Sky looks concerned even though he says nothing. You hand him the sword. It’s much smaller by comparison and certainly much smaller than he’s used to, but it’ll have to do. There’s not a lot of options.

“We need to move.” You say gently. “I’m sure the sword is fine. I think you actually gave it to Warrior before the landslide. We’ll need to keep this safe when we meet up with Four again. Smithy would like to know that his sword was safe too.”

Sky makes a face but takes the sword, strapping it to his back. “I know you’re right. But… I hate being underground.”

You pat him on the shoulder. Holding your lantern higher, you offer your hand to the young man. “We won’t be here forever. Let’s just keep moving ok? At best, the others are already trying to get us out of here. Knowing some of them… Bombs are definitely on the table. So let’s get away from the entrance.”

Sky takes your hand without question and nods. “...That’s a good idea. I don’t feel like being blown up after everything.”

You laugh and lead the way through the cave.

It’s dark and damp and uncomfortable. Despite the amount of room you both have to walk around freely, you find yourself shoulder to shoulder with your hands tightly held together as your sides are virtually glued together. It’s almost as if you’re both afraid to make any more noise than soft padding of your footsteps make in this cave system.

Where you’re from, many monsters live in caves such as these, but you have yet to see anything like that during your travels around Hyrule. Then again, this could be the moment where you’re proven wrong.

You tug on Sky’s hand. “Did you travel a lot underground during your adventure?”

“I’ve been underground before.” Sky answers. His normal volume sounds like it echoes along the walls of the cave. He quiets himself to a whisper. “This isn’t exactly anything new…. But when you live in an open area for your entire life… the sudden restriction is… stifling.”

“Are you claustrophobic?” You run your thumb over his knuckles.

“Wait a second, what does that me-?”

A creature screeches and turns the corner in front of you. You gasp and hook your lantern onto your hip, reaching for your weapon. Sky is the same, reaching for the Four Sword on his back.

He charges first and strikes the beast in the neck. You trip over your feet and follow up just a second later. It’s hard to see with the non existent lighting. Your lantern swings erratically and fails to do a proper job for lighting the way. You strike the monster in what you hope is the shoulder after making a swing at Sky. It turns to you with a speed faster than you could have anticipated and a limb of sorts knocks you off of your feet.

You hear Sky cry out in anger and a white light suddenly blinds you. You’re stuck on the ground for a few seconds before you hear… multiple Skys. 

You get up and can barely see the creature fighting off a small group of people. For a moment you think that part of the group has arrived to help you out, but your dimmer lantern light tells you a different story.

You charge into the fight. Glimpses of the sailcloth dyed in different colors, passes your vision and lantern light as each individual dances through the battle.

Frankly, the battle doesn’t last long with the added hands but you’re left wondering what on earth happened. That bright, blinding light was unexpected. And who are these people then? Who came to your rescue?

You unclip your lantern and hold it higher to get a better look in front of you. Your jaw drops.

Sky is still there, he’s looking just as confused as you feel. But suddenly there’s four of him. 

“I think I figured out why it’s called the Four Sword.”

“No kidding.” One of them sneers. He’s in a blue tunic with the same blue eyes that you’ve grown accustomed to seeing on Sky. “Well isn’t this just great! We’re trapped under a mountain, separated from the group, it’s pitch black and we have magic shenanigans happening at the moment.”

“Woah, hey, calm down.” The first speaker walks up to the other one. He’s dressed the most similar to the way Sky was before he apparently split, but he has green eyes. “No need to get ourselves worked up. This can work to our advantage.”

“I have to be honest.” A third Sky speaks up. He’s dressed in purple but the lantern light makes it harder to tell the color of his eyes, but you can guess that they are violet to a degree. “I don’t want to think about it. Why don’t we focus on getting out of here first?”

“Agreed.”

“And how, pray tell, do you intend to do that?” The blue one snaps.

You open your mouth to answer him, reeling from the information and the sight in front of you.

The fourth one starts coughing, cutting everyone off. You turn to him in concern. You notice that like the other three, he’s dressed in a different color. He wears a red tunic and as you approach him, you notice that his eyes are red as well. It’s off putting and it startles you. You’re used to red being the equivalent of danger- but if anything, it sounds like he’s struggling to breathe.

“Uh oh-” The purple one walks over to him. “You need to calm down too. Deeper breaths. Easy.”

“What’s happening?” You ask, holding the lantern closer to the poor man. You can see him struggle to keep the air in his lungs, despite his attempts to listen to his copy. The man in purple, rubs the other’s back, trying to fish through his pockets with one hand. You can see him struggling.

In an instant the other two beside you scramble for your light also looking through their pockets. They seem to bump into each other and they nearly run you over in their… enthusiasm. Is that what you would call it?

The one in red coughs harder. The way he tries to suck in oxygen rattles you to the bone. It’s a wet snapping noise that causes goosebumps to crawl all over your skin. It’s unnatural. He’s clearly struggling.

“What’s happening?!” You repeat louder. Your heart begins to beat quicker and you can feel the way your anxiety spikes at the lack of information.

“Hold on.” One of them says, you can’t tell who.

Suddenly, someone comes up with a rather large green item and gives it to the one in red. “Eat this.”

He does.

He begins to calm down and slowly, he starts to regain his breath. It sounds as if he was on the verge of drowning on dry land. 

You’re shaking. Your nerves feel shot. “What the heck was that?”

“Stamina Fruit.” They slowly stand again. “It helps me catch my breath and keep going.”

“I’m… sorry…” You lift your lantern higher again. “I can’t tell which one is speaking.”

The one in green lifts his hand. “It’s a good thing I still have a few. Otherwise this was going to be a painful ten minutes.”

The one in red slowly pushes himself to his feet with the help of the purple one. He raises a hand and waves him away. “...Sorry… I’m ok now…”

“Are you?” You ask again, clutching your hand over your heart. That was a terrifying few seconds. Granted, nothing had really happened. But between the sounds he was making and the lack of information you were given it was hard to keep yourself calm in what was clearly growing to be a moment of decisive action. 

He coughs some more, still not answering you. You turn to the others.

“He’ll be fine.” The purple one tries to placate you. “While I haven’t been that bad in a while, there are ways to help with it. Even if there was no stamina fruit left, it could have also just been waited out until it all calmed down again.”

You gulp. “That would have been nice to know before we got here, Sky.”

“Well that hasn’t exactly been a problem for a while now.” The one if blue growls. His foot is tapping and his arms are crossed. “This is dumb.”

The green one turns to him. “I don’t care for your attitude, you know-”

“How do we fix this?!” He shouts, ignoring the other one entirely. “This is just going to make things harder! I think even our inventory was split between the four of us.”

“You’re scaring me.” You say on instinct.

He shuts up in an instant.

The green one smacks his head with the curve of his wrist while the purple one puts his hand on your shoulder. “Come on. Keep your sword on you. I can carry the lantern. We can’t stay here. There might be more monsters. Besides, the sooner we can get back to the others, the sooner we can hopefully track down Four and ask him how to get back into one person. Given that this is his sword and we haven’t seen this ability of his yet, he must know how to undo it.”

“...Ok..” You hand him the lantern. You’re already tired. This is too much information for your brain to handle right now. Between the landslide, the darkness, the fight and whatever was happening with Sky in the red getup- you’re ready to end the day. And it’s only 2pm, you’re sure.

Purple guy takes the lead, holding his sword out with the lantern held high. Greeny and Cherry follow after, arms around each other for support as he tries to catch his breath even more. Blueberry stays behind with you, putting a hand on the small of your back as your now group descends through the cave system.

You try to not think about the way his hand feels against your body. You’re not even sure why he’s doing it. You cough to clear your throat and try to be as quiet as you possibly could. You wouldn’t want to alert any more monsters within the cave- or get on his nerves. Frankly, he still looks pissed.

Eventually, after an agonizingly long five minutes, he removes his hand and walks beside you, keeping an eye on the other three from behind. You hear him sigh and huff but not say anything else.

You decide to be a little brave, now that his hand has been removed, and poke his shoulder. “You ok, buddy?”

“...This is stupid.” He growls.

You try to not flinch and pull your hand back. “It’s… just what it is at the moment. It’s not like this was planned. I didn’t know the sword was capable of that either.”

“Hm.” He kept walking, taking your arm gently before you could trip over the rock on the cave floor beneath your feet. You have no idea how he noticed that. You have no idea how you missed that. The blue one takes another deep breath before, pausing, keeping you by his side. He turns to you. “Are you alright? All the commotion with the attack and I didn’t bother to check up if you were hurt. I thought I heard you fall.”

You blush. “No, no- I’m ok. I got my feet knocked out from under me but you distracted the thing before it could turn on me. Then you blinded it with that weird light from the sword so I got back to my feet fast enough. I didn’t thank you for that yet.”

He waves his hand, taking yours before gently pulling you along to catch up with the others. They’re the ones with the light after all.

“Don’t thank me for that. I think it only made things more complicated.” He pouts, putting his free hand on his hip. His demeanor looks upset but the way holds your hand tenderly tells you that he’s actually quite calm. You’re getting mixed signals.

“Only in the way that I don’t think I can keep calling you Sky for the time being. I think it’s actually increased our chances of survival until we can catch up with the rest of the group.” You try to smile. “We’re going to need new nicknames for you while we have these circumstances.”

He groans. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Blueberry.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Night?” You try again with a giggle on your lips.

He gives you a deadpanned look. “Really? Was Twilight not enough then?”

You snort. “No, no! It works perfectly! Greeny can be Dawn! Cherry pie can be Noon! Purple guy can be Dusk.”

“No.” He doesn’t seem too thrilled by your idea. “That’s too corny.”

“Oh come on! It’s cute!”

He doesn’t reply.

“Alright! The other names it is then!” You cheer, patting his shoulder. “I’ve got this all figured out. Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing.”

“I’m worrying about the thing.” He replies, seemingly biting on his tongue to keep the smile off of his face. That’s what you’re telling yourself at least.

You open your mouth to call out to the other three before his hand comes out and covers your mouth. You go fight him off playfully, but something in him changes and you’re pulled against his chest, his grip on your tightens and he pushes you both against the wall. 

“Shh..”

You stop struggling as primal fear sets in. You’re a second from kicking into your fight or flight mode, ready to throw him off of you when you hear it. It’s big. It’s heavy and you can’t see it at all.

Slowly, it walks towards you and Night tenses up besides you. He keeps your mouth covered and moves so that his body is on top of yours. 

“Stop moving.” He whispers close to your ear. “I’m sure it can hear us better than we can hear it.”

You stop and wait. The air is tense. You’re sure you can cut it with a knife. You realize then, that the light ahead of you- is gone. Either they’re too far ahead or they realized it was coming faster than you and snuffed out the light.

Something huffs and you can feel the air pass over your head. You curl in closer to Night. 

Neither of you make a sound. You’re too afraid to even breathe.

Another huff and then it starts moving away from you, shaking the cave as it goes. Step after step, it seems to move away from you and you feel as if you can breathe again. A moment later, Night relaxes and gets off of you.

“Sorry.” He whispers, running his hand over your head. “Are you ok? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

You shake your head, before remembering that he wouldn’t be able to see it. “I’m ok. You just took me off guard.”

“I didn’t exactly have a lot of time to warn you.” He admits before trailing his hand down your head, over your shoulder and down your arm. He takes your hand.

In front of you, you can see your lantern light be lit once more.

You take a breath and move towards it, desperate to be able to see where you’re all going. “We need to get out of here.”

“We can keep going this way.” The one you’ve now dubbed as Dawn points up ahead. “We can follow the tunnel and hopefully figure the way-”

Something explodes in the distance and you can hear frantic, and frankly, upset yelling coming from very familiar voices. Dawn deadpans with a tired smile. “Or we can follow the yelling and meet up with the others finally.”

“I like that idea better.”

[writing-zelda-brainrots]

-- 

Title: || Through the Dark ||

CW(s): yandere content, allusions to suicide at the very end 

Prequel (can be read in whichever order you want)

-- 

You still remember the good days. The warmer days when you were still with the Chain. 

You cherish these memories, even if they’ve been tainted. Despite knowing what they’re really like, you still hold these memories close, the knowledge that you enjoyed yourself at the time was enough for you to think back fondly. 

The time when Wind kept photobombing Wild’s attempts to get a picture of you by the shore, trying – and failing – to teach Hyrule how to cook something digestible, that undercover mission you had with Wars where you pretended to be a married noble couple, all of you joking and laughing around the dinner table. Yes, that’s a real family. 

However, you had to face that those days were gone and would never return. As much as they might want it, you would make sure that things would not go their way. Not this time. 

So you watched from far away, looked on as they did their best to fight off a hoard of tainted beasts. A part of you wondered if you were right. Or if you should have tried to stay. They still did their duty, still protected the innocent, still did their damndest to defeat evil, even if it was for your sake and for no one else. 

You could hear various desperate shouts of your name. Even after all this time, even after you told them to not reach out to you and to just forget about you, to hate you if it made the pain hurt less, they were still searching. Still hoping that you would be behind one of these black-blooded monster attacks, that you’d be nearby, close enough to hear them and would ‘come to your senses’ and return to them. 

But you’ve made your choice. You knew the consequences when you struck that deal with the shadow: that you’d leave them forever, that mistrust and hate would hound you, that you’d be tainted, that you’d be even lonelier than you’ve ever been. 

You’ve accepted this. 

So why couldn’t they? 

Right. Stupid question. You knew exactly why. 

If you told them to hate you, they’d just tell you all the reasons they love obsess over you. If you told them to leave you be, they’d follow you to hell and back. If you told them that you’ve become too tainted to touch, that you’d leave a mark, they’d cling onto you and not even death itself could get them to release you. If you told them to live a long, happy life, they would reject any reality that didn’t have you in it. 

It’s ironic how Dark Link ended up being your ‘hero’ in this scenario. Offering you power to rely on for once in exchange for helping him get rid of Hylia’s pawns. And while you ‘failed’ to end them on your first attempt, when you bid farewell to the group, you had your own plans. You’d bide your time, grow stronger, learn to use these new powers of yours, turn on Dark Link and set things right once and for all. You’d send everyone back to their own eras, let them restart their lives from zero while you faced the dangers of this world on your own. 

You’ll descend into darkness so that you could return them to the light. And once your fight was over, you’d end it, taking the last bits of the shadow’s influence with you. 

And then, you’ll finally be free. 

-- 

[neverchecking]

Yoo, can I request sub!wild w/ reader? i was thinking like reader could just be teasing him by sucking on his neck, marking him up, ykyk and he's below them desperately trying to grind up against them. bonus points if he comes untouched >:)

have a good day!! or night!! or evening!!!!

You have a good day as well, anon! You absolutely can request that. I mean my favorite boy, being a big ol' sub? Sign me the F U C K up. This is also kind of an apology since my last Wild bit kind of, admittedly, wasn't up to my own standards. It was rushed and not as polished as I normally like. It was deleted twice and I was just over it at that point but that's no excuse. Anyway, I hope this makes up for it, Darling!

And you know I'm going for those bonus points.

Smut, so 18+, MDNI.

Smut CW: Wild is a subby baby boy, you edge him a little, he busts a little prematurely with no touching (BONUS POINTS), and you know me. He cries just a little.

His Home

The difference in the way people treated him varied. It varied a lot. It ranged from people taking one look at his scars and treating him like some form of monster that had escaped from it's cage to people automatically bowing to his every whim-- deeming him some form of warrior who had faced battles far past their comprehension. Some people tried to hide their whispers behind cupped hands and side glances while others outwardly made their disgust known.

It was just the way it was.

At least in his Hyrule, however, he had a safe haven. A home. A place he could go to, to hide and recollect himself enough that dealing with the public was palatable once more. The civilians of his Hyrule knew he was the Hero, yes, but that didn't stop them. They still talked about how he had failed. How he was a century too late. How it didn't matter what he did, because they had grown accustomed to the Calamity. That he had done it for his own pride when that wasn't the case at all. Of course, he knew why he did it. He did it to avenge the fallen champions. He did it to free Flora, who had been fighting non-stop for a hundred years. He did it to ensure his home remained safe and sound.

Because you were his home. You were his sanctuary. You were the one to collect him into your arms and hold him close, gently whispering soft comforts into his ear, the one who was humming a half-remembered lullaby to sooth his nightmares. You remained a stone pillar of patience and comfort for him to follow. Like a beacon calling him to his Goddess.

Then he was dragged away from his home. He went kicking and screaming, make no doubt about it, but it didn't stop that Fraud from pulling him away. He was dropped with his sword brothers, which was...fine (Fine was a good word for it). But they weren't you. They had nothing on you. They could dream of being half of the comfort you were.

That wasn't even the worst of it, however. No, the worst was the face that he had now lost his safety blanket. His one hold over his own crumbling sanity was eons away and the only way he could even hope to reach them was through luck alone and Hylia's filthy grace.

Neither of which he would bet any amount of rupees on. If he were a betting man, that was. But he wasn't.

He wouldn't bet anything on making it back to you in a timely manner.

But life had a way of surprising him, he supposed, as he blinked bleary eyes open only to find familiar surroundings. The stale smell of the forest, the cool feeling of dew and dirt under his palms, even the drifty breeze flowing through his hair. It was all enough to remind him that while he wasn't quite home just yet he was close. Closer than he had been in so long.

He could practically taste you on his tongue already, the salty tang of your sweat; hear the lustrous harmony of all the sounds he could pluck from you. Just thinking about the heat of your skin under his palms, smooth and unmarred unlike his own, had him buzzing with epinephrine. He was sure even the others could pin something was different with him as the minute they entered Hateno they had wandered off to the inn and allowed him to wander off. Which was perfectly fine with him.

He had it all planned out as well. He'd get home, scoop you into his arms tight enough you would never doubt his love for you. His absolute devotion to your being. How nothing, not even time itself, could separate the two of you. Nothing could keep him from you.

Then he'd pepper an absolute flurry of kisses all over your face, neck, anywhere he could reach, just to hear your giggles ring out in pure glee. Feel your arms wrap around his own neck, fighting to return the affection only for him to make the action nearly impossible. How could he break apart from you long enough?

Of course, he would, only to press your lips together in a heart stopping kiss. Just so you could steal his very breath from his lungs. And he'd let it happen. Just to make you happy.

It didn't happen. The reason you and him paired so well together was because you surprised him at every turn. At any given point you could turn him onto his head and throw him for a loop. And he lived for it. The excitement and the rush of following you into unknown waters. It was so addicting.

This was all proven when instead of him trapping you in his arms, you pounced first-- as if waiting for him by the door. You didn't even give him the chance to act before wrapping your arms around his neck, crashing your lips together in a flurry of desire and fondness. Distance does make the heart grown fonder or something, he didn't know. His brain had began the shut-down process, too overwhelmed on emotions and a lack of blood.

When you dragged him to the stairs leading to the loft, positively filthy promises leaving your lips making him stutter. His heart was in his throat, pumping wildly in an effort to make up for all of his blood rushing to his cock-- which stirred to life in his pants.

He hadn't even known he was so pent up until you were pinning him to the bed, hips a familiar weight against his as you dragged your clothed core over his own. It was like being hurdled into the deep end within seconds as something hot and fiery and untampered roared to life in his veins.

His hips bucked wildly, aching for some sort of friction that he desperately needed. He would take anything you gave him, of course, but couldn't you take mercy on his poor, tattered soul? He would slaughter Ganon a million times over should you just lower yourself a bit more. Just give him a little more, please.

The feelings of your lips on his neck had him jolting as his own hands latched onto your hips in a positively bruising grip. Teeth gently nipping at skin before your molten tongue was lapping at the indents, soothing the slight sting. It was all so erotic, positively prurient, and he could barely contain himself. He knew he was whining. High keens full of begging and pleading pleas. He knew he was whimpering. Bordering on too overstimulated to actually do anything, but not stimulated enough to actually burst. It all felt tight and frustrating, with salty tears pooling in the corners of his eyes.

"Wildflower, please-" He cried out, nails clawing up your back as you moved from the hickey you had previously been working on to an unmarked patch of skin. You hummed against him before gently snapping your teeth on the skin again.

It was too much, but not enough. Just enough to keep him right there, but not enough to teeter over, not yet. At least you seemed to take into account his plea, humming in consideration against his skin before pulling off with a positively lewd pop. You weight settled onto his lap, at long last, before you were returning to your previous endeavor.

It only too one roll.

One roll of your hips, plump and perfect, with just enough weight to stoke his cock in just the right way. One salacious rock of your lower body, pushing against his own in a rush of lust and heat. One roll to have him absolutely shattering underneath of you.

Just the push he needed to have him jutting up into you, in an embarrassingly juvenile move, crying out in pure ecstasy with fat tears finally rolling his cheeks. It was an uncomfortable feeling to be reminded of how tightly wound up he was, but to be reminded of how tightly around your finger he was wound? It was pure bliss. To know that he was yours in such a way that you didn't even have to touch him to have him coming undone was salacious enough to have him remaining hard.

To know that you were such a comfort to him, his home, to have him this `devout to you was enough to have him restarting his entire being as fast as he possibly could if only to pin your stunned form beneath him.

He had to show his faith somehow, didn't he?

[tw1l1te]

The Final Promise₊˚✩⊹

Chapter 14

Linked Universe x reader

Warnings: Fluff, Angst, some dark themes

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You slept like a baby after your… encounter last night. You were surprised to see Time asleep just a foot away from you, deep in slumber. You almost never saw him sleep, so this was a priceless moment. You noticed that the seemingly permanent crease in his brows had disappeared, meaning he was dreaming or sleeping without a worry. His lips were the tiniest bit parted, somehow soft and pillowy despite the harsh conditions of constantly being on the run.

His bangs were covering part of his face, so you lightly brushed them away, seeing his full face now. The moment didn’t last long, as Time was woken up by your physical touch.

“Mornin’.”

“Hey yourself. Sleep ok?”

“Jus’ fine. Surprised I slept at all.”

You chuckled, his accent was so much thicker when he was just woken up.

“What?”

“Oh nothing, you’re just cute.”

Sitting up, you notice a note on your right, written by Zelda.

Good morning, Y/n!

I’m terribly sorry we didn’t have the time to catch up yesterday, it’s been too long! I dragged Link away yesterday to talk about a particular discovery, not knowing it tied to yours as well. I was hoping you’d like to meet me for breakfast so we can catch each other up on what we found, in hopes of progressing our findings. Link knows where to find me, so he can show you around the castle so you won’t get lost. See you soon!

~Princess Zelda

So she did find something. Interesting.

Folding up the note, you placed it in your back pocket. Wild is hunched over the fireplace, seemingly cooking up some fruit and mushrooms for breakfast.

“You even make the simplest ingredients look and smell good.”

He slightly jumps at that, not hearing you approach. He gives you a small smile.

“You boost my ego way too much.”

“It’s true.”

He shrugs. He pokes the mushrooms around, making sure they get cooked evenly.

“Once you’re done with this, do you mind leading me to the princess? She left me a note saying you could lead me to her.”

“Of course. Let me just plate these really quick and we can go.”

~

“Where’d you go last night?”

Time blinks at his descendant, “What?”

“You weren’t here for a few hours last night. Y/n was gone too for a bit. You two ok?”

Time sighs, not particularly keen on talking about last night’s situation. Twilight, hell each one of them, was good at detecting lies. Hero’s spirit, he thinks.

“I couldn’t sleep, neither could they.”

“You do know my sense of smell and hearing is really good though, right?”

“I’m aware.”

“I know it's none of my business and all… but I care about them too, yeah? Just be careful with them, ancestor.”

“You sound like me, Pup.”

“I learned from my mentor, what can I say?”

They both return to checking on their drying clothing in front of the fireplace, a silence settling upon them.

~

Walking into Zelda’s study, you awe at the hundreds of books and scrolls that lined the shelves. Sheikah tech and parts were strewn about the room in boxes, some on the table as well. Zelda was looking at a map, Sheikah Slate in hand.

“You look busy, Princess.”

“It’s just busy work. I’m trying to map out a path for a possible expedition in the future.”

“Oh? Where to?”

She sets the Slate down, sighing. She points at the castle, circling the territory. “I’m trying to get underneath Hyrule Castle. When the Calamity fell, it unearthed a small opening to the corridors underneath the castle, which strangely enough, weren’t marked on the interior maps of the castle.”

That was strange.

“Do you think…. They may have left it out on purpose? In case they didn’t want the map to fall into the wrong hands? It would make sense.”

“I…. suppose, though, not even my Father or the Hylian Council ever talked about it. It’s strange.”

Zelda seems to snap out of her thoughts, focusing back on you.

“Ah, right! We’re here to corroborate our findings. Link mentioned something about hooded figures and a “Twilight Mirror”? I believe I’ve read about the era of Twilight during my studies, though hardly any in-depth information was written about the mirror. I’m surprised you found a piece.”

“Well, we technically didn’t find it, Riju and her research team did. But, yes, it does seem like the real thing and not a replica. I… don’t have it on me right now, but I did bring the Historia and a direct transfer drawing that I did.”

You hand her the two items, waiting for her response.

“This is… truly incredible! This next to the Sheikah technology are amongst the most life-changing of discoveries! Tell me, Y/n, have you found any other information relevant to the Twilight Mirror? Link mentioned something about the Yiga…” she trailed off realizing she rambled.

You smiled solemnly at her, not particularly keen on recollecting the traumatic events that occured at the hideout or in Malon’s home. 

“Well, you see, I was captured by the Yiga when Link and I visited Chief Riju. It was completely unexpected, as we thought the Clan had calmed a bit since Kohga’s defeat, but it appears we were wrong. They… wanted me for an ulterior motive, for someone else rather, but that’s all I can really remember.”

She nods, letting the words sink in.

“I’m terribly sorry that happened to you, Y/n. Link is more than capable of protecting you, me, or anyone for that matter, so it must have really been something he’d never expect.”

You nod, grateful that the princess didn’t put down Li- Wild any further. Hylia knows he’s been through enough pressure and divine expectation as it was.

“…Link also mentioned something about hooded figures… do you have any information on them? Should I be worried for my kingdom?”

“No, Princess, this seems more… personal, for them at least. It seems they want nothing to do with the kingdom itself or you, but more so with me and the other heroes. I don’t have any idea about who they are and where they come from, but I can assure you me, Link, and the others will put a stop to it, regardless of how long it takes.”

She smiles sadly, looking out the window. It was already past midday, the time you spent with her flying by.

“It’s a shame it always has to come to the hero protecting everyone else. I wish I could help more.”

“You’re already helping by restoring Hyrule and not putting yourself in danger. Trust me, Princess.”

She turns back to you, the light in her eyes returning.

“Goddesses, such formalities! Please, call me Zelda.”

~

You and Zelda spent the rest of the day nose deep in books, textbooks, everything and anything that connected to the past few weeks. Your hands cramped from how many notes you took, giving you not so pleasant reminders of your younger years in grade school, slaving away at an essay that meant nothing to you now.

Zelda closed the book she was currently reading and stood up, “Well! I think that’s enough for today. I truly appreciate the help, Y/n, it really wasn’t expected of you.”

“Of course. After all, it is my quest, so it only seems fit that I put in high effort.”

She smiles, nodding at you.

“Well then, I’ll be heading out to prepare for the night. I most likely won’t see you until tomorrow, but please don’t leave yourself cooped up in here much longer, trust me, it gets to you.”

You nod, waving her off. You sigh, slumping against the chair. How long were you even here? Wind must be bored out of his mind. Shaking your head out of your thoughts, you continue back on your research, taking the book from the top of the stack for you to look through.

Before you could put in a decent dent in your work, the door knocked.

“Come in!”

You thought that it was Wild, surprised to see the Captain walking into the room.

“Still in here? I’m amazed at your skill of concentration. Hylia knows some of the others need it.”

“I’m finishing up, I can’t feel my hand anyways. I just want to finish this last book and then I’ll come join y'all.”

“I’ll stay with you, it’s not like I have anything better to do. I left the others behind anyways to find their away around the castle.”

“That’s mean.”

“They’re fine, they have Wild with them. Plus, I wanted to spend time with you, even for a few moments.”

You hum, satisfied with his answer. You weren’t happy about the fact he left everyone behind, but you did like his company, as awkward as you got.

You continued flipping through the pages, your fingers fumbling with the corners. At a certain point, Wars was sitting next to you, your knee brushing against his, faltering your focus.

“...I’m sorry for what happened back in the desert. I should’ve come sooner.”

You lifted your head, turning to him.

“That wasn’t your fault, Wars. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, besides the Yiga Clan and… whoever our little friends are.”

“But still I-”

“You are all so stubborn. I’m gonna say this once, and one time only: it wasn’t your fault. You had nothing to do with it, Link.”

He stayed silent at your demand, searching your face for any hesitation in your words or flickers of uncertainty. Something took over his psyche and decided to lean in closer, your noses bumping against each other.

“You’re too…fuck-”

You pull him in, impatient with his indecisiveness. He grunted lightly, clearly not expecting the sudden confidence from you. He brings his hand to the base of your head, lightly pulling you in. He’d been waiting and waiting, waiting to show what you meant to him. He promised himself that after the recent incident and the too-close call, he needed to tell you, show you.

He pulled away reluctantly, not wanting to end this sacred moment, but he needed to breathe. You placed your forehead against his, catching up on your breath. He tucked away the couple strands of hair framing your face, looking at your eyes. He could get lost in them.

“H-hah, you’re terrible with feelings, Wars.”

He chuckles, placing a kiss on your forehead, “What can I say, it’s the hero’s spirit.”

You roll your eyes, but you both laugh. You could feel the pressure of the past few weeks leaving your body, even just temporarily.

Closing the book, you get up and hold out your hand to him, “I think that’s enough reading for today. You coming with me?”

“Always.”

~

“There is absolutely no way you used to look like that.”

“Speak for yourself! You’re practically showing off your ass in those tiny shorts!”

“Oh wouldn’t you like to know-”

You and Wars enter the gallery hall to find the rest of the group laughing and bickering over their paintings. You avert your eyes from Time, remembering the events that took place in the very same hallway. Luckily, he was preoccupied with looking at the paintings to notice your presence yet.

“Y/n, they’re making fun of me ‘cause I’m shorter than Zelda!!”

You chuckle, running up to Wind to look at his painting. Your lips twitch as you cough in your palm, trying to mask the laugh bubbling up your throat.

“I mean….”

Wind just throws up his hands in defeat, “Ugh!!”

Wild walks up to you, standing on your left. He leans into you a bit, asking “I take the meeting with Zelda went well?”

You nod, “Yeah, we got a lot done. Can’t say I found anything extremely helpful, but maybe some leads we could follow.”

“Oh? Who or where?”

“Hmmm… I think the nearest would be Kakariko Village, possibly Robbie and Purah in Hateno, and Lurelin Village, as it says they have a piece as well.”

“Did any of the texts mention how many pieces there were?”

“No, but if I had to guess based on patterns and the size of the piece we have, I’d say anywhere from three to seven. It’ll be easier to tell once we see the other in Lurelin.”

He nods, deep in thought.

“I’ll mention it to Twi and Time, they might have an idea on how to split up the work or what leads should take priority.”

You nod, thanking him. You weren’t sure how Twilight was taking to the journey to assemble the Twilight Mirror, as he seems… distant. Not necessarily upset, but almost hazy in thought or… memories. 

You hoped you could find some time tonight to talk to him and see his perspective on your current journey, give him space to be vulnerable if need be.

You just hoped your efforts weren’t in vain.

The goddesses above tended to do that.

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[bokettochild]

Febuwhump Day 18

@nancyheart11 you asked me for a Twilight Whump for this one, so I did my best! He wasn't talking, but it's a little tastier with the spice of another perspective >:)

I hope you enjoy!

Rating: Gen

Wordcount:

Summary: They talked about wandering off alone, but that doesn't exactly stop certain people (AKA Twilight) from not doing it again. Maybe Warriors is taking it too personally, but Mask's pup is giving him a headache. He just wants all his little brothers safe in one place, is that too much to ask?

(Note: I have not proof written this. My apologies, but half my keys aren't working, so typos are probably there.)

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  They do not run off alone, they just don’t! It’s not so much a rule as something that everyone understands, so why in Hylia’s name is it still so hard for the others to actually do? Warriors resists the urge to hiss at himself; he is not Mask or Wild, he is not a feral little creature that can’t use his words, but by Hylia’s Wings does he wish he could get away with it sometimes! 

They’d talked about this! Not at length, and yes, his opinions had been very quickly dismissed in favor of discussing the ability of their enemy to shapeshift, but he’d expressed his disapproval with running off alone in the middle of a battle! 

But who really listens to him anyway? 

No, the captain stops in his tracks for a moment to shake off that thought, that’s not fair. Most of the other heroes listen. For Wind it’s second nature, and Time too, most days, listens without thinking about it. Even as an adult, the other respects his experience in leadership and knowledge of fighting and working with others. Four, even for his faults when it comes to actually working with and not simply around other people, still hears him out when he speaks. Sky and Hyrule both respect him for his title of knight and the work he’d put in to earn it, and even Legend, who despises soldiers, will respect his decisions and follow the plans he’s set. Yes, there's some disconnect, which is to be expected when working with a new team of people that aren’t accustomed to each other just yet, but they’re trying. Most of them are trying. 

Twilight and Wild are their own story. 

The captain’s teeth saw against each other as he ducks through the underbrush, following the faint trail left by big paws and the even bigger tracks of a moblin. How can a person be so determined to keep others in line and behaving, to keep others in the group safe and obeying the rules, and yet they themselves trod all over them? 

Granted, he is also currently separate from the group, wandering off alone, but he’s not the only one and everyone else knows what he’s doing. He’s tracking Twilight while the rest collect themselves and make camp. Wild had offered to do it, but after the last time, he just can’t trust the kid to actually come back; Wild’s proved where his loyalties lie, and it’s with the rancher, not their group. When asked to make the choice, they all know what it would be. 

He told the champion to stay. 

He doesn't know if he’ll be listened to, since that’s also the other point of struggle here, but he’s done all he can. He’s a good tracker, used to picking up the slightest sign of enemy activity, and his reasoning of being their current medic and thus the best choice in the case Twilight had gotten injured in some way, seems to be reason enough for most of the rest. There’s offers of course, to have someone go with him as backup, but looking over the tired men and boys in camp, he turns them all down. They need the rest, and time to recover from their own injuries and exhaustion. As a soldier, he’s been trained to push his limits, his exhaustion, his pain, his physical abilities, and ignore all barriers until his assignment is completed. The others may be heroes, ones who’ve faced odds that soldiers could never imagine, but they’re not likely to have experienced that sort of pressure and he wouldn’t want them to. 

They need their rest. He can get his once his duty is done. 

Now if only Twilight wouldn’t make it so hard by having wandered off to Nayru knows where! 

A hand drags through his hair, disrupting it, but it doesn’t matter. Yes, there’s a small voice that hisses to fix it, one that sounds a bit like Proxi, but these heroes care even less for how he looks on any given day than for what he says.  

Still being unfair, Link. They aren’t all bad. They’re good kids. 

Sure, they’d probably all take offence at being called kids but that’s what they are! The youngest are very young and even Time, their eldest, still looks to him through force of habit for guidance and aid. At most, he’d say the oldest most of them could be is twenty, early twenties for the rancher and skyloftian, but that’s still young enough to still be tripping over themselves in an effort to understand adulthood. They are, in his mind, still kids, and they’re mostly good ones, so he really can’t go lumping them all together as not giving a darn when they very much do. Not about his looks, thank Hylia, but about what he has to say? Most definitely. 

Again, it’s just Time’s pups who don’t. 

Goddesses, they take after their old man to an extreme level! It feels like just yesterday he was chasing down the little scamp, explaining the importance of comradery, of trust, of teamwork. Just yesterday, he was tilting brilliant blue eyes up to meet tired ones and asking, nearly begging, for the kid to please just give his way a chance. 

He sort of doubts such methods will work on his kid’s much older pup though.  

Twilight and Wild are similar in that they are stubborn, but they’re also much older than Mask had been, and neither is desperate for the stability the young boy had sought. They have Tie and each otehr, their own little bubble, separate from the rest of the heroes, and while both have an obvious respect for his skill, that’s about where their respect for him ends. They don’t look up to him, don’t admire him, don’t see him as anything more than another hero in their group, which is nice as far as not needing to babysit them goes. He’s glad that they don’t need him to keep an eye on them, that they’re stable enough mentally and in their perception of themselves that they don’t need someone else to support them, and if they do, they’ve already found that in each other. Still, having even the smallest of ways to get through to either of them would be nice. 

He’d thought that experience with the army would help connect him with the champion, that maybe a bond with Time could be something he could connect with the rancher about, but so far, no dice. 

His feet skid slightly on some leaves, bringing his attention back to the task at hand. Right, he needs to find Twilight. He can worry about driving home the idea of not running off alone when he’s sure the other is still alive. Granted, they didn’t see the black lizalfoes, or anything they think might have been another form of the beast, in this last battle, but it doesn’t take the most powerful of monsters to lay a hero low, especially if they don’t have anyone to watch their backs. 

The paw prints change to boot prints with the same seamlessness as they’d become paws at the beginning of the trail, and blood, crimson not black, spatters on the ground in an arc that indicates a swinging blade right where the moblin’s feet shift into a spin to face its pursuer. The trail of blood falls to the left of the trail, which means it could be delt by the left-handed hero or by the opposing monster, but considering the sudden turn, his money is on the rancher being the injured party here. 

By habit, his hand falls to his bag, assuring himself he’s got his med kit close at hand. 

By the three, these boys could save themselves so much pain if they just covered each others’ asses! Next time they get to the ranch or any place where they can stop for a little, he’s asking Time to help him arrange a training session for these kids. Maybe with their unofficial leader’s support, he can even get the two pups in on the session. As is, he’s sure Wind and four will be willing, and Sky will most definitely be his most valuable asset in teaching them. Good grief, whatever the Knights Academy on Skyloft is teaching, they're doing a great job, because that boy melds seamlessly in with whomever is closest to him!  

That may or may not be why he keeps close to the skyloftian, but who can blame him for wanting the assurance of having someone to watch his back when he’s so busy trying to keep an eye on all the others all the time? 

Twilight could have used the same, and blood specks along the trail as he goes. The steps become distorted, shuffling over each other in what’s clearly a break from the chase to fight. Here though, seven or eight paces from the initial blood spatter, more footprints join the mix. A bokoblin- no, two of them. The rancher’s steps disappear for a short moment, but with some looking around he finds them again. A flip or a throw landed him behind his foe, but he’s pushed back, heels dragging as they shuffle backwards into the woods as the enemy presses forwards against him. 

More tracks join the mix; an ambush. 

He grits his teeth, pushing forwards, ignoring, for the most part, the trail of the monsters in favor of following boot prints that press heavily to the dirt at the heel and toe, running, now pursued rather than the pursuer. The rancher will have known to try and limit the area of approach from his foes by darting into the trees. At best, he’d have circled around to pick them off from behind, but the prints don’t indicate as much. The speed of the different monster types will change have changed the tides of the fight though, with the bokoblins moving faster, prints fading out entirely as they likely fell and faded to miasma, leaving behind a moblin trail that continues, joined by more of its kind. He’d estimate at least three, maybe five of the creatures.  

Not great odds for one already injured rancher. 

He picks up his own pace. There’s no sounds of battle ahead or anywhere close by, not that he can hear. Granted, cannon fire in the war has definitely damaged his hearing enough that he could just be missing it, but he chooses to believe that there’s nothing, if only in the hope that Twilight will somehow be headed back along the trail towards him already, instead of being even further out, still in the middle of a fight. 

He doesn’t stumble across the rancher walking along the path though. No, he follows the fight, the footprints, trailing through the trees until there’s nowhere else to go. A wall of earth, steep enough to be a struggle to climb for anyone currently being chased, rises up and the footprints spin about to face those following after. He doesn’t keep track after that though, because the moment he sees fur and brass armor that catches the fading light, he knows his search is done. 

“There you are, rancher.” 

The urge to steal Time’s thunder and call the other man a pup- not with the affection of the now older man but with all the ire of its original connotation among his own people, is strong, but he resists. That would be considered out of line without context, and he doubts Twilight even knows the source of the nickname he so values from his mentor. 

Knowing it means a young person who’s annoying but not yet unbearable, yet, would probably kill some of that magic. 

So, he bites his tongue, keeps his impulses to himself, and moves to the side of the younger man, who’s currently slumped against a tree, breath strained but still there as dark eyes, a shade or so darker than Time’s own, flutter slightly with an effort to stay open. 

“Cap’n?” 

Darker or not, there’s definitely a lot of Time- of Mask, in the rancher’s face, and it makes staying mad with him a bit of a challenge when he’s looking so pathetic. “Got yourself in quite the situation, haven’t you,” he hums, kneeling at the younger’s side and taking his time with a once over. The rancher’s tunic has taken damage, but his concern is where crimson leaks from the tears, not where blades have slashed through only to be halted by chain mail. Yes, the bruising won’t be fun, but his concern is something he can fix, anything that Twilight will actually need help with. 

There’s a wince from the other. “Not my intent.” 

“Never is,” he unclips the bag from his belt, eyes falling on a nasty looking gash just below the cut off of the chainmail’s sleeves. There are some light scratches over browned features and an injury to the leg that leaks slowly into the earth below, but the rancher’s armor looks to have done its job well.  

“The others?” 

“Fine.” He keeps his attention on slipping the bracer from his brother’s arm, on unbuckling and sliding away the leather, the underlying glove, and then rolling up the sleeve to get at the injury he needs to treat. Wound care fills his mind, not answers, not talking. That can come once he’s assured that the other is alright. Much as the man drives him mad, he’s still Time’s kid, and still a fellow hero, still a brother, still someone who doesn’t deserve to suffer just because he’s particularly good at being stupid and reckless. 

“Wild?” 

“Fine.” He repeats, sucking in his cheeks as he sees the damage done without fabric blocking the way. Claws do so much more damage than blades, and the chances of infection are higher too. Not as much as with bites, but it’s still not preferrable. 

“The kids?” 

He huffs, turning to grab for his kit, looking for anything he might have to quickly clean the wound. “You’d know if you didn’t run away mid battle.” 

Hurt crosses sloping features briefly, not for the prodding at the wound site, but from his sharp tongue. Regret stirs briefly at his heart, but like his ire, he pushes it down to keep his head clear and his mind focused on his work as their team’s current medic. 

“Yer upset.” 

The urge to tell the kid ‘no shit’ is very strong, but he bottles up that too. Instead, he keeps his eyes on the wound, on wiping it down and looking for anything that might have gotten into the cut.  

Twilight’s ears flick back, not appreciating having his words ignored. If there’s one thing the rancher is accustomed to, it’s answers when he speaks. Wild always answers, Time too even if it’s not verbal, and the younger ones always respond to. Being met with silence, both verbally and in body language, must be new to him. “Did somethin’ happen?” And when he still doesn't answer, “Wars, what’s goin’ on?” 

“They’re fine, now hush.” It’s a deep cut. Not as bad as the axe wound, but not light by any means either, and it will need stitches. He keeps his needles in a bottle, clean and ready for use, for this reason. Mask used to fuss that it was a waste of a good bottle, and the thought lightens his heart just slightly as he pulls it out and grabs the needed supplies to close the wound in the rancher’s arm.  

“No, Wars-” there’s a straining from the body beneath his hands, but Twilight doesn’t successfully pull himself up, and his face flashes white for a moment before he slumps again. It seems the mighty rancher has spent all his strength in fighting alone, nothing left to use to so much as sit up by himself. 

“Stay still,” he sighs, pushing down, entirely unnecessarily, against a shoulder. It’s for the sake of the man’s pride, he tells himself, to pretend to play along that twilight can get up on his own right now. “Let me work.” 

Work and bottle up his frustrations enough that he can talk afterwards. 

Twilight, however, has no such intentions of likewise staying silent. “Captain, what’s goin’ on?” 

“I said stay still.” 

“Are they hurt?” Blue eyes bleed worry, the same desperation his mentor used to let slip, sometimes still does when it’s his pup in trouble or hurt. “What happened?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Why are you actin’ like this then?” 

The urge to growl again rises, and again he shoves it down with pursed lips and clenched teeth, focusing his energy on starting the stitches and hoping the pain of them will be enough to distract the younger man from his line of questioning. It doesn’t work though. 

“Wars?” 

“Twilight,” his voice snaps without his allowing it, eyes flicking up to meet midnight blue, “I’m trying to focus. Stitches aren’t easy, believe it or not.” 

They’re familiar and he’s done more stitches in his life through human flesh and zora scales than his baby sisters have in their needlework projects that Maither gives them. He won’t admit that though, not if it gives him an out from having to talk. Honestly, some days, he really misses having Proxi around to speak for him when he’s stressed. She was always much better at that sort of thing than he was. 

Twilight falls quiet at his words though, but he still feels those eyes fixed on him, searching his face even as their gaze is broken with a flinch or a huff of pain as the needle pressed through flesh and pulls the two edges of the cut together. He has to stop a few times to dab away blood and clear the area for the next stitch, but he’s quick about his work. In and out, twisting the thread together to close the wound, moving on to the next stitch and watching as the flesh pulls together again over where blood leaks out. 

He's done before he’s ready to talk again, but bandaging is something they’ve all done, and he can’t say that actually takes so much focus as to stop him talking, and Twilight knows it, already pressing again with the questions. “Wars-” 

A scoff escapes, puffing hair out of his eyes to clear them, even though having it to hide behind would be much more preferable. “You really are Time’s pup, aren’tcha?” 

A tick. “What does that mean?” 

He ties off the ends of the linen wrap, tight enough to hold but not so much as to cut off circulation. “You’re a worrier and a fuss pot.” 

Heavy brows crease in answer, but Twilight doesn’t actually have a foot to stand on when it comes to opposing his words. Instead, the rancher just stares at him, waiting until Warriors turns his attention to the injured leg, arm finished. 

It’s only once he’s gotten a start on treating the cut there (this time from a blade) that the rancher’s voice rises again, guarded and wary. “You’re mad at me,” 

He doesn’t answer. 

Rather than guess why, Twilight pushes ahead. “I couldn’t let that moblin escape. We don’t know what’s out here, and letting it terrorize a village jist wouldn’t do. You know that, Wars.” When there’s no answer though, the country accent keeps rolling, pitching slightly, straining. “There was a whole ‘nother camp out here, one that might have attacked us in the night!” And then, when still no answer sounds from his lips, “You would have done the same.” 

“I would not.” He clips, snipping his thread and briefly glancing over at wide eyes. “I would have attended to my men and then pursued the enemy when we, as a team, were capable of doing so Wandering off on my own is what nearly lost us the war. So, as a rule, I won’t be doing that again unless I absolutely must.”  

That shuts the rancher up, recognition dawning in midnight eyes that falter and fall as he turns his attention back to tending wounds.  

There’s no more pushing done by either party, and it’s quiet as he works save the hisses and hitches of the younger man’s breath in pain as stitches are laid and bandages wrapped. That done though, the quite is almost overwhelming, even to him, and he finds himself sighing at it, crouching before his pup’s pup and resisting, with a lot of effort, the urge to hook a finger under the other's chin and lift that gaze to meet his own, like he’d done with his own kid what feels like only yesterday. Instead, he keeps his hands to himself, but gentles his gaze all the same. It’s not that hard, not when faced with familiar features drawn up in a soft scowl that, were it Mask, he’d teasingly call a pout. “I’m not mad,” a disbelieving look meets his own at the words, but he pushes his tone a bit firmer with the next ones. “I’m frustrated, but we can work over that later, preferably after we’ve all had dinner and some rest. For now, we should head back to the others, before your cub starts thinking we’ve dropped off the face of the world or something.” 

A furrow forms between dark brows, too sharp teeth, wolf teeth he muses to himself, gnawing at the other's cheek lining. It’s a bad habit, and he’s sure the man knows it, but he doesn’t correct it. That’s not his place. 

He can guess what’s troubling Twilight though. “Can you stand?” 

A huff, a little smile that’s flustered enough he can guess the answer. “Not really.” 

He knew it. He doesn’t hold it against the other though, instead, shifting to kneeling at the man’s side, shuffling about as he must before giving a waring of his intent. “I’ll carry you then.” 

Alarm flashes clear as day over the rancher’s face. “Cap, I don’t-” 

“I’m stronger than I look,” he assures, although it doesn’t seem to do any good. No doubt, twilight’s staring at his slighter frame and remembering his own bulk, but honestly, he’d served for years in the army. If he couldn’t haul an injured soldier any distance, he wouldn’t be worth the rupees he earns. 

Getting Twilight up on his back with no help from the weakened rancher or anyone else is a bit of a mess, and there’s some slipping and struggle which the rancher no doubt sees as proof that this is no good, but despite protests, he keeps at it until the other is slung over his back. Twilight is heavy, much more so than the other boys would be, but it’s not his first time hauling an Ordonian to safety, and the bulk of his brother just means he moves a bit slower than he would otherwise. 

Twilight’s grip around his neck is weaker than is ideal, but in the long run, it’s probably better that way, because it means his breath doesn't get cut off as he heads back to camp. 

Like he said, once they’re there, when they’ve had something to eat, and probably after the rancher downs a potion from his cub’s bag, they’ll need to talk. This time, he will not accept having them change the subject or redirect. This time they will discuss going off alone. 

After though. After they’ve had time to catch their breath. And he supposes, shaking his head, after Twilight wakes up again from the doze he’s apparently fallen into. 

Good grief, the man even snores as loud as his mentor!