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oneweirdbookaddict · 4 months ago

Note

Are you still doing fic requests? I've always had this weird headcanon that Four eats four times as much as a normal person (cuz he's four people lol). What if he was too shy to tell the others that he eats the equivalent of half the team's food so he's starving himself? What if he and Wild were buffet buddies? The possibilities are endless! Feel free to go angst or fluff or humour, or to ignore my ask altogether! Love your work~

Hey fun fact this was supposed to be fluff 😂

I’m always doing requests! I love doing them, so if anyone has any I’d be thrilled to write it!

Thank you, lovely anon! I hope you like it!

1695 words, warnings for malnutrition? Kinda? Accidental but not really starving yourself? Eating issues? And one (1) very brief, undescribed mention of vomiting. Let me know if anyone wants me to add something!

~~~~

Four hides it well, in the beginning.

When they’re still fresh in supplies, coming across towns on a regular basis, they’re in the woods where he can sneak off and find some berries or fruit if he’s lucky.

The others catch him snacking, and he shrugs it off as a personal preference to snack during the day instead of having full meals.

And it works.

For a while.

Until they stop coming across towns, they leave the safety of the woods, and they’re running low on supplies.

At first, he tries saving the food Wild makes from breakfast, stretching it and eating on the road until lunch, doing the same with his lunch, and then stretching out dinner until he goes to bed.

But then he’s aching with hunger all day.

So he tries eating the full meal, which… well, helps for a little bit. Then he’s starving again.

Either way, he’s practically starving himself.

He didn’t think the effects would be… this bad.

But he gets lightheaded, dizzy, any time he moves quickly he’s convinced he’s going to either pass out or throw up for a second.

Once, in the middle of the night, he woke up shaking uncontrollably. Blankets did nothing- he was shaking until his muscles ached and he was so nauseous.

Somehow, he’d managed to crawl out of his bedroll, stagger far enough away from camp to throw up his dinner, swear Hyrule to secrecy, and go back to sleep.

The others notice, of course. He must look terrible, he feels terrible, he’s so hungry, all the time, and the lack of proper nutrients to his body makes him exhausted.

They’re convinced he's sick- which… maybe he is. Technically. He’s not… healthy.

Wars always looks at him with an understanding glance when it comes up, never arguing with him.

Just always finds a way to sneak him an apple, or even an orange if they find a tree across the massive plains of Wild’s Hyrule.

So he’s not surprised, that when the awful shakiness comes back again, this time in the evening as they’re getting ready for bed, Wars knows what’s going on.

He’s leaning against a tree, ignoring the rumbling of his stomach, fighting to focus on the book in front of him.

His head keeps drooping, though, eyes falling shut, until he dips too much and jolts right back awake.

“Goddess, Smithy, just go to sleep. You’re clearly exhausted.” Legend jokes softly, sitting next to him.

His stomach growls. Loudly.

He doesn’t feel well.

“Hey, you hungry? Four?” Legend feels his forehead, arm wrapping around him when he groans softly.

Wars glances up at them, standing.

The veteran digs in his bag for a moment before sighing. “I’ve got nothing to eat.

Wars produces an orange from out of nowhere, peeling it and handing him a slice. “You alright? Just hungry?”

He accepts the orange, popping into his mouth with a shrug. “I… just feel… weird.”

Wars nods, handing him another couple slices. “I get that too. Low blood sugar- your body isn’t able to release enough glucose into your bloodstream, causing all sorts of adverse effects.”

He nods, finishing up the orange.

“Sugary foods help. Pretty much any fruit, juices, honey. Oranges are my go to.” The captain smiles gently, handing him a cup of water.

“Thank you.” He says quietly, already feeling a ton better.

Wars nods, patting his shoulder before moving away again. “I’m off to sleep, need anything else?”

He shakes his head, getting another smile.

“Alrighty, if you need anything, you can wake me up. I got another orange or two in my bag, too, if you need.”

“Thank you.” He says again, and gets a salute from his friend, making him smile.

~~~~

He’s a nauseous, shaking mess the entire next day.

He manages a few bites of breakfast, giving up when he feels like puking and gives the rest to Legend.

When the shaking starts right before lunch is served, his heart sinks.

But he hands Wind his lunch with hopefully unnoticed shaking hands, the sailor accepting it without too much questioning.

They continue walking, after their lunch break, and he’s shaking so much he keeps stumbling.

The sun bears down on them, the day warm though there’s a nice breeze.

“Wild?” He manages, drawing unwanted attention to himself. Wars is already making his way toward him. “How long until we reach that stable?”

“If we go fast, we can make it tonight.” The champion says confidently.

“Are you alright?” Time asks, voice ever so steady.

“Just a bit lightheaded. I’m alright. We can keep going.”

Everyone just stares at him.

“Four-”

“I’m alright. I’m fine- not even dizzy. I swear. Wild said we needed to get going, let’s go.”

Though they’re concerned, the thought of a real bed and maybe a warm meal pushes them to accept his request and continue down the road.

“Do you need to eat something?” Wars asks softly, hand reaching out.

He bats it away, stomach growling as if on cue.

He feels his cheeks flush up to his ears, not meeting Wars’ eyes.

“He didn’t eat lunch.” Wind rats him out, frowning at him. He throws the sailor a scowl.

“Why not?” The captain asks immediately,

“He’s been shaking all day, too.” Hyrule points out softly.

“I’m fine. Really. Just-”

“Smithy, I need you to be honest.”

“Hungry. I’m hungry.” He sighs, fidgeting with his hands.

“Well… yeah, you skipped lunch, Four. Why’d you do that?”

“We don’t have enough to feed us all.” He mumbles, not looking at the captain. “I wanted Wind to eat.”

“And breakfast?” Legend asks with a raised eyebrow.

He doesn’t answer that one.

Wars gives him an oddly gentle look, reaching into his bag and sighing slowly. “I’m out of oranges.”

“I’m fine. Really.”

“Four, you’re really pale. You sure you’re just lightheaded?”

His feet drag, Legend gently wrapping an arm around him. “Easy, Smithy, you need to sit?”

“No- no, I’m fine-”

“I think your blood sugar is low again, buddy.” Wars says gently, taking his hand.

Feeling his pulse, he realizes.

He frowns up at the captain, pulling his hand back. “I’m fine.” He repeats for what feels like the hundredth time.

He gently pushes away from Legend, stumbling immediately, both the veteran and the captain jumping to steady him, and he sees the twin looks of concern before he hits the ground and passes out.

~~~~

“Four, time to wake up, bud.”

Pain. Throbbing behind his eyes, skull pounding.

“You need to eat something, or the medic is gonna shove a tube up your nose to feed you. That’s going to be very unpleasant, Four.”

“Speaking from personal experience, yes. Very uncomfortable.”

Even with his eyes closed, he can tell it’s bright.

Painfully bright.

“Link, kiddo, we need you to open your eyes.”

A gentle hand in his hair.

He squints in the harsh light, eyes watering immediately.

“Hey… there ya are, you scared us pretty good, kid.”

He blinks, still squinting.

Eyes finally finding the rancher, who looks worried.

“ ‘m’nota kid.” He slurs out, hearing a small laugh.

“Yeah, he’s alright.”

“We’re gonna prop you up, can you drink some water for me? Wild’s making some food, we managed to find a deer to hunt for some stew.”

He obediently sips the cool water, the light slowly turning less painful.

“Small sips.” Wars reminds him gently, taking the cup away for a moment. “Eyes on me? Good.”

The captain eyes him, looking for something that he doesn’t care enough about to find it odd. He’s hungry and he’d like the water back.

“Four. Where are we, do you know?”

He blinks, wondering if this is a trick. “Wild’s world?”

A nod. “Remember what happened?”

“I… erm. Passed out.” He does remember that. Oops.

He tries to reach for the water Wars is still denying him, though the limb feels much too heavy to lift.

“Water?” He asks weakly, getting awarded another drink.

“Four, don’t chug it, you’re gonna make yourself sick.” Wars chastises him softly, taking the water again.

He makes a protesting noise that makes him sound like a child.

“Food’s almost ready, bud, can you wait a minute?”

His eyes flick to Twi, nodding.

Which makes his headache worse, slowly rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“How you feeling, Smithy?”

“Tired.” He mumbles honestly, leaning back against Twi’s chest. “Head hurts.”

“Hungry?” Wars asks gently. “When’s the last time you’ve eaten enough food to be sufficient?”

His eyes flick away despite himself.

“I need… more food to… suffice.”

Wars frowns.

“That’s why I had snacks all the time.” He explains, still looking at his knees. “Then… I ran out. And we got low on… everything, so-”

“You haven’t had enough food to suffice you in weeks?” Wars interrupts, giving him the water back when he reaches for it. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

He sighs slowly as the group all glances up at him.

“I didn’t… want to cause problems. We’re all hungry, making sacrifices.”

Wars nods understandingly, patting his knee awkwardly. “I understand.”

“He does.” Time agrees, shooting a glance at the captain with a small smile. “And you’re a hypocrite, Captain. You’ve skipped more meals than he has.”

“That was different!” Wars defends himself. “We were feeding an army, not nine people!”

Time raises an eyebrow.

Wars looks away, ears flushing.

“Ignore him. He’s lying.” The captain mutters, and he manages a shaky laugh.

“He’s not!” Wind calls, making the group laugh.

“Here, this is ready.” Wild says gently, approaching him with a bowl of stew. The look he gives is all too understanding.

“I had to eat a lot more than your average person after I woke up. Guess it was a side effect of not eating for a hundred years.” The champion says, though, pressing a bowl into his hands.

He nods, looking down at the food. “Thanks, Champion.”

“Anytime, Smithy. Now eat- you need it, man.”

“Goddess knows that right- there’s no way you weigh any more than forty five kilograms.” Wars chimes back in with a grin.

He has to smile, rolling his eyes as he takes a bite.

~~~~

Thanks for reading! Any interaction is appreciated :)

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oneweirdbookaddict · 6 months ago

Text

Alright @undertheopensky and @violet27writes (hope you don’t mind the tag! Sorry!)

This one is for you guys 😂

Part two to this fic!

Can be read separately but will make more sense if you read that one first.

Summary:

Time and Four have Issues as the rest of the chain tries their best to get their resident skyloftian back.

6358 words!

Warnings for torture, violence, mentions of death.

~~~~

Sky takes a slow breath, his return to consciousness rather unpleasant.

His head aches, a dull thrum deep inside his skull.

Weak coughs rattle in his chest, and he a metallic, coppery taste lingers in his mouth.

He’s pretty sure he’s laying on the ground, but it seems… rocky. Tilting and moving and rolling underneath him… as if he’s on a boat.

His head pounds.

His tongue is bleeding… had he bitten it?

He… right… he’d been captured… He’d heard Four screaming his name… Four! He’d head Four screaming- he tries to sit up and immediately collapses back down, floor swaying underneath him.

“Four?” He groans, moving his head off the rough, hot wood. “Four? Smithy? Time?”

He wants to look around, to see if they’re with him, to see if they’re ok, but he’s too weak.

He takes a slow breath.

“Four?” He pleads, jolting when metal clatters.

“You’re awake, good! Hate to think we’d killed you before we got to have our fun! Those other two didn’t last long.”

He manages to look up, finding one of the people who captured them.

Shakes his head, straining from the effort of looking up.

A laugh. Cold and harsh, no humor in it.

“The little one was weak. All bravado until we got him figured out. He wasn’t so brave when his organs were being removed!”

His blood boils at the thought of them hurting Four, face twisting into a glare.

“I’ll kill you.” He promises, forcing himself to sit up and look at the face properly. He’s going to remember this guy and kill him for laying a finger on his friends-

Another laugh.

“I wish you the best of luck.”

And he starts walking away.

“I’ll kill you!” He screams, unsure of where the sudden strength is coming from. But he’s grateful for it. “I’m going to kill you, you hear me?! You’ll pay for their blood with your own! I’m going to kill you!”

He has to pause, out of breath now. Slumps back again, tears burning in his eyes.

They can’t be gone… they… no.

No, they’re the strongest people he knows, Four and his unwavering bravery, unshakable Four. And Time, unwavering and confident… no.

He refuses to believe it- they’re trying to break him.

So he takes a slow breath, scrubs his face off, and lets the self pity wash away into fury.

~~~~

“How’s that cut on your stomach feeling?” He asks, undoing the bandages on Four’s bicep. Brushes his scarf out of the way, too.

“Sore,” Four admits in a volume just above a whisper. He doesn’t think the kid’s talked in full volume- or even half volume- since he woke up for good. “But not terrible.”

“That’s good, these are looking a lot better too.”

“Can we take the stitches out of my thigh?” The smith asks quietly, and he pauses.

Chews his lip- the answer is probably not, but he doesn’t want to just say that. So… “We’ll look at it in a minute.” He decides on, and Four nods.

Hyrule inspects the four slices on the smith’s calf, murmuring softly that they’re healing well.

Four doesn’t like those cuts. Not at all. All the deliberate cuts have four of them- the ones on his calf, on his arm, his bicep, and the four deep gashes on his thigh that he’s honestly still worried about.

He’s sure the four cuts and Four’s namesake isn’t just a coincidence. Something in particular happened with those ones.

“Can I ask-” he starts gently, but the kid interrupts.

“No.” Four says quietly, looking away.

“Four, buddy, we need to know-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

And they let it go.

A few minutes of silence as they clean, rebandage, note the progress and areas of concern- until Time walked into the room.

Four’s whole demeanor changes instantly, tensing up, face going stony.

Both he and Hyrule pause nervously, waiting for the explosion…

Time’s gaze flicks between the three of them, then slowly steps into the room.

“How-” Time’s voice cracks and the old man pauses to clear his throat. “How are you doing? Those… healing up ok?”

Four’s eyes are ice cold, not even sparing him a word.

Just ignores him, staring determinedly at the cuts over his bicep. He’s finished cleaning them, careful of the forming scabs over them.

“These are healing well.” He says again, if only to make Four feel… better.

It’s disheartening to see the kid so defeated.

Four just nods, expression unreadable.

“Let’s leave the bandages off tonight. Let it air out.” He suggests softly, and Four nods again.

Just looks… so worn down.

“Ok… Rulie?”

“Yep, looking good here. Cleaned and healing well.”

“Good, let’s look at the ones on your thigh.”

Four nods again and scoots his pants down, shifting the fabric of his underclothes up to reveal the deep cuts.

“How are those, any changes?”

A shake of the head.

He gently inspects the cuts, looking for signs of infection, scabbing, straining or pulling stitches…

“Looks good. Want to take these out?”

It’s a bit early, but… they could get away with it if Four wants. He’s desperate to get a smile out of the kid.

He only gets a shrug in response.

“You asked earlier.” He pushes a bit. “Do you want to take them out?”

A long second, then Four nods. “Yes.”

“Alrighty. Want me to help you, or you want to do it?”

Four holds up a trembling hand in response, answering that question.

“Well. That answers that, then.” He says lightly, accepting the small scissors that Hyrule hands him.

He doesn’t get a smile. Just a sad flick of the eyes in response.

~~~~

“There you are, think that’s good.” He says, tightening the bandages around Four’s thigh.

Four stands to adjust his clothing, then looks up at him.

“Thank you.” The teenager whispers, and he nods.

“Yeah. Anytime, Smithy. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do, alright?”

Four nods, drifting to the door.

“Four-” Time tries, but Four ignores him again.

He and Time watch Four slowly leave the room, shoulders hunched.

Time sighs slowly, sinking down into a chair.

“I see you’ve made progress with him.” He says, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know what else to do.” Time says flatly. “He won’t talk to me.”

“You can’t force him.” He shrugs, moving over to the desk. Time sighs from the other side of the room.

“Did you notice Four was limping?” He asks, genuinely curious if anyone else has noticed.

“What?” Time asks quickly. Apparently not.

“Yep. Had a limp. Right knee. Hiding it well, but it’s hurting him.”

“Is his knee injured or accommodating for…”

“His ribs? I don’t know. We need to leave tomorrow, we can’t risk another day. Take the five of us, search the place top to bottom, not leaving until he’s found…”

“If his ribs are hurting him from walking he might just be accommodating to that.”

“Yeah.” He offers offhandedly, not really paying attention anymore. His mind is on their plan, frowning over the map of the base they’d sketched out. What can they do better than last time?

Things had gone wrong quickly last time- the three of them hadn’t been together, they didn’t get all of them into the base, Legend had been discovered, and Four…

He tries not to think about how bad Four’s injuries were. The way they fought to keep him breathing, to keep him alive.

They weren’t expecting any of them to be that injured. Banged up, sure. Some serious injuries, if they were unlucky. That?

They hadn’t even brought a potion- glass was… noisy. That’s a mistake they won’t be repeating when they get Sky out.

He shakes himself out of the unpleasant thoughts, focusing on what he can control now. Their plan.

“We have to assume security is going to be increased… should we brute force it..? We don’t have the numbers. Stealth mission… Wild, Legend… Hyrule? Twi will insist on going, I’m going to insist on going… is five too many?” He mutters under his breath, letting his gaze drift around the room.

Time understands he’s more talking to himself than to him, and he appreciates the quiet.

“Four’s gonna be pissed when I tell him he’s not coming… but we can’t take him. Hmm…”

It’s late. He can worry about this tomorrow- he needs some sleep to clear his mind.

He sighs, setting the quill down and standing.

Time glances up at him, looking exhausted.

“Get some sleep, Sprite,” He says softly, dabbing his inky fingers on the parchment so he doesn’t stain anything. “You look exhausted.”

“You-” Time starts, but he cuts the man off.

“I’m just going to check on Four, and then I’ll be heading to bed myself in a minute.”

Time nods with a sigh, standing and blowing out the lanterns in the room with him.

“Goodnight, Captain.” Time says quietly, and he gives a small nod as they exit the room together.

“Goodnight, Time. Sleep well.”

~~~~

His stomach rumbles as he walks down the hall, reminding him suddenly that he’d completely forgotten dinner.

So he alters his destination to the lobby of the inn, finding both of his desired goals- a plate of sandwiches Wild had made, and the smith he’d been looking for.

And a bonus- the rancher, who blinks up at him in surprise.

Four’s… dozed off on Twi’s lap.

Twi makes a slashing motion across his throat, the meaning coming across clearly: you wake him, you die.

He nods his understanding, heading to the plate of sandwiches Wild had made for dinner hours ago and taking one.

Studies Four, a task made difficult by the fuzzy blanket engulfing him.

Slow, gentle rise and fall of his chest… lips slightly parted, small hands lightly gripping the fabric of Twi’s tunic, head resting just over the rancher’s heart. Shifting slowly every so often, giving a sleepy mumble every so often.

“He alright?” He asks, and Twi sighs softly.

Makes a weird shrugging gesture, one arm gently wrapping around the smithy.

“I… I don’t know, Wars. He’s a mess.”

He nods with a sigh.

Four has been a mess since he woke up for good.

Barely sleeping, barely eating, refusing to rest from his near fatal injuries, refusing to talk about what had happened unless he thought it could help Sky…

Talking to himself, zoned out all the time, getting his attention was difficult, getting him to do something he didn’t want to do was impossible. Rest his ribs and relax for an hour? Nope.

Sleep for the night? Not happening.

Eat something for dinner? Don’t even think about it.

If you pushed the kid at all? You were on his ‘I don’t like you’ list for a good day or two.

Unless you were Time, who seems to have a permanent place on that list.

The kid could barely stand to be in the same room as their leader- he sees this causing a lot of problems if this continues.

But for now the kid sleeps- somewhat restlessly, he admits, but still sleeping.

He scarfs down another sandwich, ignoring Twi’s raised eyebrow, thinking back to the last time he ate. Did he eat lunch? Yes, he must have, it was… it…

Well… ok, did he eat breakfast? Did he… sleep last night?

No wonder he’s so exhausted.

He blinks slowly, shaking his head at himself. He’s a mess. He stands with a yawn, eyes finding Twi.

“I need to get to sleep, you want any help with him or something? Getting him to bed?”

“Nah, I’ve got him. Thanks, Cap. Sleep tight.”

“You, too, Rancher.” He nods, heading down the hall, finding his room, flopping onto the bed and crashing almost immediately.

~~~~

“What’s with the urgency, Cap?” Twi asks as he walks in with Legend.

“Plan to get Sky back.” He answers, and all the heroes perk up.

Even Four focuses on him long enough to meet his eyes, then slowly returns to staring out the window.

Now that everyone’s in the room and he’s got all their attention, he starts explaining his plan.

“Ok. Plan is to go tonight- Wild, Hyrule, Me, Twi, and Legend. We’re going stealth rather than force, so let’s try to make this an in and out entry. Hopefully no combat.”

“I want to go.” Four says quietly.

He takes a slow breath, meeting the kid’s eyes.

“Not happening. Wild, you’re good at stealth and can offer us stealth potions. We’re going to need those, the ones that last as long as you can manage. We’re going to split and search, Wild and Twi on the bottom floor, Me and Hyrule will take the ground level-”

“Hyrule and I.” Someone corrects- Twi.

“Oh, can it.” He rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Legend, your job is to use all those fancy tools and tricks of yours to figure out if there’s any secret rooms or anything they could be hiding him in.”

“I want-”

He meets Four’s eyes and holds his gaze.

“Four, for the sake of your safety, no. You’re recovering, you’re exhausted, I understand you want to come with us, but your ribs are still busted, your wrist is weak, you’re in pain- fighting is going to be a challenge for you.”

“But the goal is to not be in a fight-” Four tries, and he smiles softly.

“That doesn’t guarantee there won’t be one, Smithy. You’re not coming with us. I’m sorry.”

For a second he thinks Four’s going to cry.

Then the smithy’s eyes dart away and the kid slumps in his seat.

A long moment of silence.

He addresses the group once again. “We’re leaving in six hours- nightfall. More security, but less general activity. Get what you need, eat a bite, whatever. Meet back here at nine chimes.”

Some nods, and they all disperse.

Both the smith and the rancher linger, Twi raising an eyebrow at him after glancing at Four.

Expecting an argument, he waits for the smithy to talk first- but the kid just slowly slides out of his seat and carefully makes his way out the door and down the hall with a sharp sniffle.

He makes a mental note to check on the kid in a minute.

Glances at Twi, waiting for the rancher to speak.

“He had a panic attack earlier.”

His heart sinks. “Four?”

“Yep. Kept saying… you know. What he’s been saying. Sky’s dead and there’s… no point in…”

Two trails off, and they stand in a horrible silence.

“Well.” He sighs slowly, “I was about to go talk to him anyway. Maybe…” he trails off.

“Yeah.” Twi says quietly.

Then- “Do you really think-”

“No.” He says firmly. He refuses to consider it. “Sky… no. He’s fine. They didn’t kill Four, they didn’t kill Time… I think he’s alive. They want information, and… Sky doesn’t have it. He’s gonna be in rough shape, but he’s going to be alright.”

They don’t mention the horrible minute Four wasn’t breathing.

Another long silence.

“Well…” he starts, mind going back to the smith.

He makes to leave, but Twi hesitantly takes his arm and stops him. “Wars… this is going to work, right?”

Taking a deep breath, he musters a smile. The confident, easy going one he was known for back in the day. “If everything goes to plan.”

Twi nods, unconvinced. “I don’t know what it’ll take to break that kid, but I don’t want to see it. This has to work.”

“It will,” he promises, though they both know it’s empty words.

~~~~

Four is a lump of blankets on the bed of his room when he gently pokes his head in after receiving a small ‘hm?’ When he’d knocked.

“Hey, buddy, you doing ok?” He asks softly, making his way to the bed.

The lump of blankets rustles, making room for him to sit.

He does so with a groan as his knees ache, stretching out and laying on the bed.

Four’s frozen for a moment, but slowly scoots closer.

“C’mere,” He says quietly, and Four shifts to slowly nestle into his side. He’s not a touchy person, but Four needs a hug. He can manage for a moment or two.

His arms gently wrap around the kid, rubbing his back with a yawn.

“You in pain?” He yawns, only getting another rustle from the lump of blankets.

Four clearly doesn’t want to talk, so he lets him be. Just rubs his back slowly, the kiddo slowly cuddling back, small but toned arms wrapping around him.

His eyes close for a moment, giving another yawn.

He’s never been very relaxed with physical contact, but he finds himself enjoying the relaxation.

Four somehow seems to realize this, or perhaps it’s merely a habit when Four slowly starts drawing small circles into his back.

Tracing little loops, eventually switching to what he assumes is letters and words, continuing even when his hand stops and he’s gone still, savoring every moment.

Eyes closed, until he’s drifting… drifting…

“Captain?” A voice says softly, and his eyes flutter blearily. Not wanting to be awake, he slowly sighs and curls into the blankets around him more.

“Wars, hey, time to start getting ready.” The same voice says gently, and he sighs again. Gives a mumble that even he’s not sure what he’s saying.

There’s a soft laugh, a hand touching his shoulder-

He snaps awake, shoving the hand off him, heart rate spiking panickedly in his chest.

“Hey… sorry, we’re getting ready to leave.” Twi offers quietly, and he nods slowly, trying to calm his breathing down.

Glances down at Four, ignoring Twi’s second apology. The smith is still sleeping, hair all in his face.

“Leaving… yeah… what time is it?” He says as he blinks away the grogginess, standing carefully.

“Almost nightfall. Eight and a half chimes. You should eat, we’ve still got a while.”

His eyes linger on the kid on the bed- despite Four’s insistence, he couldn’t convince himself that Four was of age.

“Wars, hey, you fell asleep, that’s all. We’re going to get Sky back. Are you alright?” Twi asks softly.

“I- yeah. Yeah, sorry.” He says, shaking his bleariness off. “Just… don’t remember falling asleep.”

It’s easier than explaining he fell asleep with Four cuddling him and the kid was at the opposite side of the bed when he woke up.

He looks back at the bed. Four’s… still asleep. Breathing slowly, lips slightly parted, face peaceful…

He shakes his hesitation off, following the rancher out of the room.

~~~~

Fifteen minutes.

He starts strapping his armor to his body.

Laces his boots.

Straps his sword and shield to his back.

One knife on both arms, one in his boot.

“Please let me come.” Four whispers, and he jumps.

Looks at the teenager, sitting up on the bed, looking miserable.

Hopeless.

He moves back to the bed, taking a seat next to the kid. Four’s eyes slowly find him.

“Do you trust me?” He asks softly instead of giving the response Four knows he’s going to get.

Soft grey eyes blink at him.

A small nod.

He reaches and gently takes Four’s hand.

“Four, buddy. I’m gonna get him back. I promise you. I’m not leaving without him. When I get back tonight Sky is going to be with me. I promise you that.”

Ten minutes.

“I’m worried about you, smithy. I think you’re pushing away what you went through to focus on Sky.”

Four looks away.

Swallows, blinking.

“I want to help you, buddy.” He practically whispers. “But I don’t know how. Do you trust me? For real?”

Four looks him in the eye again, nodding.

With much more confidence this time.

“I’m glad.” He says quietly, patting Four’s arm gently. “I trust you, too, you know. I’m not leaving you behind for anything you did. Or because I don’t trust you, or… or anything. I want you here because I’m worried sick about you. That’s all. So… can you do me a favor while I’m gone?”

Four nods slowly, blinking again.

“Eat something for me. Drink some water. Clean your wounds off, see how they’re doing, maybe even take a bath. Take some time to take care of yourself.”

Another nod.

He offers a smile, and almost gets one in return.

It’s the best he’s gotten since he got the smithy back.

“Thanks.” He says, patting the smith’s shoulder.

“Be safe.” Four whispers, and he nods now.

Offers a little smile, walking to the door.

“Safe is my middle name.”

He swears he hears the tiniest laugh before he closes the door, leaving Four behind.

~~~~

He’s sitting against the wall, pressing his forehead to the cold stone.

The guards open the cell door, carrying his food for the night, and he waits.

Waits for the one to get closer… grabs the neck of his uniform, scowling.

Shoves him roughly against the wall, using his forearm to cut off his oxygen.

“You’re going to tell me where my friends are,” he says calmly, despite the rage burning through him. “And maybe I’ll consider letting you live. Do we have a deal?”

He’s weaker than he’d like- woozy, not quite steady, hunger and pain making him less aware than he’d like.

But this is his chance- and by the goddess is he going to take it. His hand slowly finds the concealed weapons the guard has- a knife, a heavy but short club-type thing…

Takes the knife, tossing the other thing away.

“Good.” He releases some of the pressure on the guard’s neck. He feels no guilt as the man wheezes and coughs. This is the same one who bragged about torturing Four.

“I don’t know.” The man rasps shakily. “They’re just- gone. We tortured the little one- we were attacked afterwards. It was- it was chaos.”

Another long coughing fit.

“Your friends were gone. The boss was furious- we might’ve killed the small one.”

His hand trembles, knife nicking the man’s throat.

A drop of blood runs down the guard’s neck.

Before he can reply, he’s shoved roughly.

Losing balance in his weakened state, stumbling away, and something cracks over his head. He gasps, knife plunging into something soft-

For a second, he’s blind. Only seeing white, his knees hit the ground, nausea clenching in his stomach-

Ringing.

Loud ringing.

He slowly scoots to find the corner of the cell as he hears sounds of a struggle through the ringing- metal on metal of swords clashing, a pained grunt-

“Sky! Sky, Sky, hey… hey, talk to me, buddy, where are you hurt?”

“Wars..?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m here, Sky. I’ve got you. Where are you hurt? Drink this, bud.”

A cool bottle is nudged to his lips, hands easily moved when he attempts to push it away.

“Where’s… others?”

“Shh… drink.”

He takes a sip, sighing softly as the pounding in his head fades slowly. The ringing fades slowly. His vision clears, revealing a dusty and slightly bloody friend.

The body of his captor on the floor next to them, unmoving.

His knife sticking out of the little space between pieces of armor.

“Most of us are here, we got Four and Time, they’re alright. Promise. You just drink that, Sky. Rest up.”

He slowly finishes the potion, feeling much better afterwards. Achy and exhausted for sure, but… no longer feels like he’s burning from the inside out.

“Mm…” he tries, but his lips don’t really work.

“Good…” Wars says softly, hand slowly reaching out but backing away at the last minute. “Let’s get you to the inn, yeah? You’re safe now. I’ve gotcha.”

“Wars?! Hyrule?!”

“In here! I’ve got him!” Wars calls, making his head pound again.

“W’rs… Four?” He repeats, and Wars shushes him gently.

“He’s safe, Sky, I promise.”

He blinks grime out of his eyes, forcing himself to squint at the captain.

Legend runs into the room, kneeling next to him.

“Hey… hey, Sky.” Legend says softly, and he manages a small smile.

“Hey, Lege… how… y’doin’?”

“Good, really good, you alright? You hurt?”

“ ‘ve… been better.” He confesses, gratefully slumping into Legend’s arms when the veteran carefully scoots him away from the cold wall.

“I got him a potion, he doesn’t seem to have any serious injuries…” Wars is saying softly, and he can hear more voices slowly adding to the chorus.

Chorus? Singing… Zelda sings… he misses Zelda.

Zelda… he ought to write to her again, it’s been a while… because he was captured…

Hm. He probably shouldn’t tell her that, though.

“You can rest, Sky.” A voice whispers softly, and he manages a drowsy nod before giving in to the pull of sleep.

~~~~

“I got him a potion, he isn’t injured too bad anymore, he just needs some rest and food. Let’s get him back, we’ve been here too long.” He says, and the little group nods and readies themselves quickly.

It’s an easy trip out, to all their surprise. Sneaking past their security is… not difficult, and they only guard the cells. With little activity going on around the base, getting out unnoticed is easy.

There’s absolutely no urgency to get back to the inn like there was with Four. Sky… is… well, mostly ok.

Not really all that injured, as far as they can tell.

And he’d already had a potion.

Sky dozes off in Twi’s arms as they walk, having eaten some spare snacks and water they’d had when they got out of the base.

Not much, but more than the knight’s probably had in days.

The master sword is strapped to his back, and he has the oddest temptation to draw the sword.

His mind itches, unsatisfied with the results. He feels like he’s missing something- something important.

But Sky is with them, he’s fed and healed and sleeping gently, they have the master sword… nothing is wrong.

The skyloftian twitches.

It’s a quiet walk back to the inn.

They walk in the door, scanning Sky over for the hundredth time, meeting the others in the lobby as they walk in.

“He’s alright, he’s-”

Four’s at his side in an instant, eyes flickering over Sky, hand reaching out to gently brush over the Skyloftian’s shoulder.

“We’re guessing a nasty concussion, broken ribs, starvation and malnutrition, dehydration-”

“He has a head injury, look at his arms, put him down-”

And that’s when the seizure happens.

Twi yelps, immediately setting Sky down, Four practically shoves all of them away from the man, forcing them all to watch helplessly as Sky convulses.

“Stop!” Four says quickly when he tries to move toward his friend, and he freezes.

And they wait- not too long, until Sky slowly stops twitching and goes still.

“Sky?” Four asks softly, slowly kneeling next to the skyloftian. Blue eyes find Four slowly.

He moves next to Four, and the smithy lets him this time.

“Hey, Sky, how you feeling? You ok?” He asks softly, noting how confused the man looks.

“Mhm… ‘m ok.” Sky mumbles, eyes flicking to him before back to Four.

Four’s holding Sky’s hand… checking his pulse. Eyes lingering on his chest, watching for rise and fall…

“Sky? Can you answer some questions for me?” Four asks softly, and Sky nods.

“Good… where are you right now?”

“An… an inn. We were in the cell… Wars n Legend got me…”

“Good. Let’s get you a potion, alright? How are you feeling?”

He’s got a potion in his hands in a flash, handing it to the smithy. Four nods his thanks, eyes still on Sky.

“Just… sore. Tired.”

“Weak? Lightheaded, dizzy?”

“No.” Sky answers, and Four nods again.

Offers the potion, slowly getting to his feet.

Sky sips at it slowly, still seeming really out of it.

“Think he’s alright.” Four says quietly, looking at the ground. “That’s common after a seizure. And he had a head injury… not surprised he had one. Get that potion into him and let him sleep.”

And the smith is gone, out the door of the inn.

~~~~

It’s a long night.

Four comes back with a thick book about seizures, sitting in the room Sky’s taken with him. The kid doesn’t sleep at all, and he doesn’t have the heart to try to force the teenager when he’s not sleeping either.

So they’re both exhausted when it’s morning.

He glances at the door when he hears it open, meeting Time’s gaze. “Morning, Sprite.”

“Morning, Captain.” Time says distractedly, looking at Four. “Morning, Smithy. How’s Sky?”

Four’s eyes don’t move from the man on the bed.

“I don’t want to talk to you.” The smith says in a whisper.

Time steps into the room and closes the door. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’d quite like to talk with you, though, and you’ve been refusing for days.”

He holds his breath, the tension in the room unbearable. But the silence lingers- neither one says anything.

“Four, I’m sorry.” The old man says quietly, not moving from the door.

In case Four tries to escape.

“You’re not.” The smith mutters.

Time sighs deeply, eye closing. “Ok. I’m not. I wasn’t about to watch you die when Sky-”

“Shut up.” Four whispers, eyes flicking briefly to the door.

“Four,” he pleads, and the kid jumps. “You don’t even know what happened. Sky wasn’t in the cell when we found Time, he wasn’t with you, you were actively bleeding out, we looked for him briefly but-”

“You should’ve found him, no one cares if I-”

“BUT chances were he was in much better condition than you were!” He continues over the smith.

“You didn’t know that.” Four says, voice flat.

The kid’s fighting tears back. Good- the kid needs to process things somehow. If this is how it’s gonna happen… so be it.

“We didn’t, but-”

“If it were Wind you would’ve torn the base apart looking for him.” Four whispers, voice shaking. Then looks at Time for the first time. “If it were Twi you’d want to be the one left behind.”

The old man physically flinches.

“You don’t get to choose-” the smith’s voice breaks, and the kid stands quickly. “You promised me.”

Four’s hands jump to his eyes, scrubbing furiously at them. “You promised me. And you lied.”

He stands, too, moving slowly to the smith.

“I am sorry for that, Four. But I could never live with myself if you had died.”

Tears drop down Four’s cheeks.

“And if Sky had? If he still does?” Four chokes, grey eyes flicking to the bed again.

“I still-”

“You don’t get to play god. You don’t get to choose who dies and who doesn’t-”

Four’s voice breaks again, and then the kid is just crying.

“You promised and you still lied to me.” Four chokes, staring at Time with pure hurt.

Time slowly moves to sit in the chair Four had abandoned, meeting the kid’s gaze.

“I never intended to hurt you, Four.” Time says softly. “I took a risk- I was hoping Wars or Legend had found him, and when they didn’t… you had deteriorated so quickly. We had to get going right then. We took a risk- as far as we knew, Sky wasn’t injured badly. You were. I won’t ask for your forgiveness- I only ask for your understanding. We took a risk, and I’m not sorry for saving you. But I am sorry for the pain that choice caused you and breaking my promise.”

Four scrubs at his eyes again, sniffling.

Tries to talk, but he only manages a choking noise before the kid is just bawling.

Knees on the floor, arms around himself, face tucked into his arms to hide it.

He stands quickly and kneels next to the smithy, putting a soft hand on his back.

Which quickly turns into the kid curling into his chest, arms around him.

“Shh…” he whispers as Four cries. “I’ve got you, buddy. It’s ok. It’s gonna be ok.”

“This is all my fault.” Four sobs, and he freezes.

Then grabs Four tightly, startling the poor kid, crushing him tightly to his chest.

“No. No, you listen here. This is not your fault. You hear me? Everything was way outside of your control- no part of this was your fault. I promise you- you trust me, right? This was not your fault.”

Four chokes weakly, face pressing into his chest.

Hands weakly grabbing his tunic, sniffling sharply.

“I promise you.” He says, much more softly. “There was no part of this that was your fault. You didn’t choose to be captured and tortured. You didn’t choose any of this. It isn’t your fault. And I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it, ok?”

Four finally gives a weak nod, pulling back just enough to wipe his eyes, then sinks back into him.

And they sit there, supporting each other in silence.

~~~~

Sky wakes up slowly.

Much… nicer than when he had before.

Not nearly as much pain, just some lingering soreness… and he’s on a comfortable bed.

Four sits next to him, in a chair next to the bed.

Eyes locked on him, looking… nervous.

“Four.” He rasps, trying for a smile. He bursts into tears instead, startling the hell out of the poor boy.

Then Four’s fretting over him in a panic, asking if he’s hurt, what he needs, should he get Wars-

“You’re ok?” He sobs, grasping Four’s arm tightly before the kid can move.

Four nods, blinking oddly. Another nod, and Four makes an odd noise. Like a squeak.

He coughs, Four slowly helping him sit up and drink a bit of water.

“Yeah.” Four says softly, slowly taking his hand once he leans back again. “Yeah.”

He wipes his eyes, nodding.

Four still hovers, watching.

“It’s ok… c’mere, Four.” He chokes, patting the bed next to him and carefully scooting to the side. “We’re ok, we’re…” his voice breaks again, and he almost laughs.

Four joins him without hesitation, curling into his side with a shaking breath.

He slowly hugs his friend, rubbing his back. “Hey… hey, what is it?” He asks softly, and Four chokes.

“Nothing, it’s nothing, I’m fine-” Four cuts off weakly, swallowing thickly.

“Hey… hey, talk to me, what’s going on?” He asks softly, and Four sniffles.

Silence. He looks down at the teenager, worried-

“ ‘m sorry.” Four whispers suddenly, voice choked.

“No… no, no no, kiddo, you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t do anything wrong, ok? I promise.”

“They hurt you cuz of me- because I got hurt and had to leave- ‘n they didn’t try to find you-”

“Shh… breathe, kiddo. Just breathe. It’s not your fault. I promise, ok? You did nothing wrong. I’m glad you’re ok, and that’s all. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you if you were… I’m just glad you’re ok.”

Four sniffles again, but nods slowly.

Then- “Love you.” The kid whispers, making a small gulping sound.

He squeezes the kid tighter, blinking yet more tears out of his eyes. “I love you too, kiddo.”

~~~~

Sky doesn’t have another seizure.

He improves rapidly, much to all of their relief.

He grows more comfortable, the lethargy wearing off, gets back to walking around, eating with them…

The skyloftian clings to Time and Four in particular.

Time still tends to stick to himself- never one for intimacy like that- but Four…

Four won’t leave Sky alone.

The smith follows the skyloftian around as often as he can, sitting next to him during meals, sharing the room and eventually even bed when Sky assures the kid he’s ok with it, and doesn’t sleep well unless Sky’s nearby.

Sky seems to enjoy it, never pushing the smith away and seeming… happy.

Their both dealing with their kidnapping and torture, but… he’s glad they can find comfort in each other.

Always has an arm around the kid, or his sailcloth, letting Four lean on his side when they rest…

Sky in particular struggles with nightmares and flashbacks, which Four helps with. A lot.

He confesses once, in a shaky whisper, that Four’s screams haunt him. The ugly scar on Four’s side that Sky’s eyes linger on, Four’s hand lingers on when the skin is exposed… and Four sleeps curled up on that side. Protecting it.

It’s a sad realization that Sky actually points out without meaning to.

Four’s drifted off early, curled up with his head on Sky’s leg, and the skyloftian casually asks “Is that the side he was cut open on?”

They all pause to look at the kid, and he nods slowly.

“Yeah. The side he’s curled around? Yeah… see the stitching in his tunic? From being repaired. That’s the side. Weird he sleeps on it, wouldn’t that hurt?”

“He always sleeps on that side. Won’t sleep otherwise. It’s like he’s protecting it- see how his arms are?”

Dead silence as they all realize this.

He slowly shifts Four to undo the belt the kid wears all the time, slowly pulling his tunic up-

“What are you doing? Wars?” Sky protests quietly.

“Making sure nothings wrong with it.” He says equally quietly, and that silences the group.

It looks fine, just a long gash of scabbing from his rib cage to his hip. Hyrule gently prods it, checking for tenderness and other signs of internal bleeding, reporting that there’s nothing.

So he’s not in pain. Probably.

Just… well, traumatized.

Sky helps him pull the kid’s tunic off, taking his headband and boots off so they can actually put him to bed. Unsurprisingly, Sky goes with him.

He carries the smith, waking past Legend, setting him gently on the bed when he gets to the room Four and Sky had been sharing.

Knees tucked up to his chest, arms wrapped around his stomach where the cut was.

“How the hell can he sleep like that?” Legend says, having followed him to the room.

Sky gets ready for bed, too, giving a small smile at them.

He has to laugh. “Right? Looks crazy uncomfortable.”

They watch the pair for a moment, then he sighs and leaves the room with the veteran.

“Think they’re gonna be ok?” Legend asks, uncharacteristically uncertain.

He takes a glance at the veteran, then nods his head.

Starts down the hall to his room, stretching slightly.

“Yeah. Yeah, they’re gonna be just fine.”

~~~~

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