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occasionallyprosie · 7 months

Text

Frayed Edges

Alt Ending: Resewn

ORIGINAL FIC: AO3 / Tumblr

OG: The battle’s over. The Shadow is defeated and the Triforce of Power retrieved… so why is the chain still here? Why haven’t they gone home? It’s not like the Shadow has been the one that’s been making the portals the whole time… it’s not like they’re in an unknown Hyrule with no way home.

Alt: But what if Legend didn't choose that path? What if Wind woke up the night he left, forcing Legend to stay just a little longer? What if Sky had a nightmare the next time Legend almost left, also leading Legend to stay just a little longer? What if there were a thousand little longer's?

Febuwhump 2024 | Prompt 22: "You weren't supposed to be there."

Read On AO3 Warnings: Implied/Referenced Suicidal Thoughts ----

Legend sat in the window, thoughts quietly swirling around his head. He wondered if his only option was to pin them all against a cause, become find a power for them to rally against.

The bounties worked, sending the three knights on trips had them closer than usual, but he couldn't risk sending Sky and Wars on them together anymore for how violent they've both become. But he couldn't do the others, they were too risky to send as well. Time and Twilight outright refused while Hyrule, Wind, Wild, and even Four to some extent though he still sent Four to accompany Sky or Warriors, they all were dangers unto themselves. Legend didn't want to take his eyes too far off them.

Legend sat in the window, Wind and Twilight dead asleep inside and the world awake outside. Stars gleaming and the moon shining.

He had a chance here. Something that could work.

He could be the problem, he could focus on his magic, become a proper mage and being the other heroes' (because they were heroes and at the first sign of danger they'd help, even now) opponent. Have them come back together with something to fight, then reveal his true stance at the end, make them realize more clearly that, hey, these are your brothers and half of them are suicidal while the other half borderline or outright suicide-baits them.

"Hnnn... Vet?"

Legend looked over, his face softening as Wind sat up.

"What are you doing up?"

"Just thinkin' sailor," Legend assured him, sliding out of the window and walking over to his bed. "What woke you up? Cause it wasn't me."

Wind huffed, pulling his legs up to his chest and making room for Legend to sit on the end of his bed. In the darkness, Legend could still make out how the younger hero's face contorted thoughtfully.

"You turn sixteen in a couple months, right?" Legend decided to prompt, the past two years and each birthday for all of the younger heroes had been lackluster, he hadn't tried to throw any kind of party but he did go out of his way to make sure they had at least one good present, the dinner they wanted, and cake if not a cupcake.

Wind nodded. "Yeah--Veteran, why does everyone--why do they all hate each other? Why are they constantly fighting?"

Legend laughed, he couldn't stop himself or anything, it just escaped him and a mildly hysterical laugh fell from his lips. "Oh," he chuckled, tilting his head to the ceiling for a brief moment before meeting Wind's eyes, "sailor, I've been asking myself that for over two years now."

He wanted to know what changed. He wanted to know why Time would so horribly tear apart all three both of his successors. He wanted to know why Twilight would snap at Wild and yell at Four. He wanted to know why Sky and Warriors acted more and more like the knights of his first adventure. He wanted to know why Four was just as bad as Sky and Warriors one day, as harsh as Time the next day, but also as despondent as Hyrule the next; of course he knew how, four people processing grief in the same body would result in that, but why did they react like that? He just wanted to know why none of them were themselves.

He wanted to know why he felt like his only option was to go nuclear? Why did he feel like everything around him, this little life he's made out of shear will, was only held together by a single thread and he was that thread, desperately trying to make more?

"Vet," Legend pulled himself from his spiraling thoughts and noticed Twilight had turned over in his bed, brows furrowed and clearly a bit asleep though he was awake, "what's wrong wit' you?"

Legend snorted. "I'm fine, Rancher. Go back to sleep."

Wind frowned.

"You too, sailor," Legend chided. He went and closed the window before he moved to his bed. "It's late and someone needs to be up to take care of the animals in the morning."

Little did any of the three know that the fact that Wind woke up at that particular moment, and that he verbally revealed to Legend that he had noticed the changes in the group since the quest, would have a rather large impact on their veteran's decisions.

At the very least, he didn't leave that night.

Legend inhaled slowly as he heard Warriors screaming at Twilight and the Rancher giving as good as he got.

Just split them up, you've done it a thousand times before. Yeah, a thousand times too many.

"Veteran?" Wind was beside him, having gone with him to town.

"Sorry, take these to the shed, I should go break that up."

Wind frowned but didn't argue as Legend dragged himself into the house. Warriors and Twilight were screaming at each other about something stupid with the barn Legend had asked them to start on, but Hyrule was right there and his eyes were too dead.

Something in him snapped.

"Why?" He asked, forcing his voice not to snap as badly as his temper, forcing his expression to mellow in exasperation and not screw up in fury.

Neither of them blinked, continuing to argue. They hadn't even noticed him speak.

"Just acknowledge the people around you, it's that simple," he muttered. He grabbed a wooden bowl normally filled with fruit --he and Wind had bought some fresh ones to refill it with-- and threw it at them.

The sound of it hitting Warriors' face was so worth it. Maybe Legend needed to go on a bounty mission except no, he couldn't, because he couldn't leave these idiots alone for a day before they were at each other's or their own throats.

"Go," he ordered before either could explode on him. "Just--Get the hell out of the house."

"I am tired of you acting like you’re the boss!" Warriors snarled. "I'm tired of you acting like everything is okay!"

"Yeah well so am I!" Legend retorted, fuse cut short and burnt. "I'm tired of having to break apart another stupid, useless, dumb fight every day!"

"Yea' well, if some people wou'da jus' use the brain they were given," Twilight growled with a sharp glare at Warriors.

"Maybe you should use yours and get out."

"There it is again--"

Legend pushed past them to drop down on his knees in front of Hyrule.

"Rulie, look at me. Stay here, please?"

"Why?" Asked the traveler who hadn't left their little home since the beginning. Warriors scoffed and made to make some comment, but Twilight grabbed his arm and forced him out of the house while Legend responded.

"I know you want to leave, but please, stay with me," Legend encouraged softly.

"They hate each other," Hyrule whined.

"They don’t, they're just hurting. It's going to be okay, I promise. I'll make sure of it."

Hyrule just shook his head, quietly disagreeing.

Not for the first time lately, Legend silently agreed with the younger hero in front of him.

The world outside had always looked enticing. Legend couldn't remember the last time he actually went and explored, it might've been during the quest but he was also supposed to be one of the responsible ones, so he's pretty sure he stuck to paths then. Maybe it had been Lorule... maybe it had been Hyrule between adventures. He couldn't remember and he just wanted to go.

Of course, that wasn't happening. He had a job to do and it was holding this mess of what used to be a family together.

He could just leave, they wouldn't notice at first and he could go take the Triforce of Power. Hyrule would notice that and then he'd burn down a village or create some magic golems and attack one. It would be hard to fabricate the danger, he didn't want to hurt anyone, but he needed to make them think he was a threat.

He was about to put his hat on and climb out the window when he heard someone scream.

He burst into the next room and was beside Sky's bed before Time or Four could get out of their beds. He caught Sky's hands and hummed, gently coaxing him into releasing his grip on his hair and the pressure of his nails digging into his skull.

"Hey, Link, you’re safe," he murmured along with various other platitudes and grounding phrases.

Sky sobbed, curling in on himself, whispering about it being all his fault.

A few heads poked in, but quickly left.

After Sky finally fell asleep, Legend stayed another hour before he went back to bed himself. He was thankful that the group hadn't completely fallen and used their nightmares against each other.

Legend stared at the lightened but not yet dawn-lit sky out their window.

Goddesses, he was tired.

"You know, these cakes are the only thing anyone does for our birthdays," Wild said as Legend tried to ice the cake with a goat butter buttermilk icing. His grandmother taught him to make buttermilk and buttermilk icing, but that had been with cow milk. He figured it was close enough and it seemed to be fine...

"Sorry it's not more," Legend said. "I'd prefer to do more, especially for yours and the Traveler's twentieths, the Smithy's eighteenth, and the Sailor's sixteenth."

"No, it's--it's nice," Wild admitted, he glanced out the window. "It's not like anyone else does anything."

Legend hummed. "Don’t be too harsh on them," he reminded the younger hero. "They're working through things, same as you."

"You’re not."

"Ah," he shot him a smirk, "I'm too busy working through your guys' problems to deal with my own."

Wild snorted. Legend grinned when he heard it, Wild had been getting more expressive in recent days, but that also had him being much more sorrowful, which was why Legend was even more careful with his younger brother. But these moments, when Wild was almost himself, Legend could fall back three years and pretend that he wasn't holding on by a thread.

"Yeah right," Wild chuckled. "I forgot you’re the new mom in the te--group."

Not much of a team anymore, Legend agreed. "I'm pretty sure that you are the last one who can say anything about mothers."

That got a proper laugh out of the Champion.

"Fair enough. Hey do I need to go get the Sailor?"

"If you want. I can get him myself."

"Eh, I'll see if anyone else wants to sing with us."

Legend smiled as Wild wandered off, setting the finished cake on the table. Past years and attempted events like this have always failed, holidays ignored because of old memories, birthdays ignored because of high tensions between each other, the best one thus far was Hyrule's twentieth two months ago when Legend had mentioned what day it was to Wind who spread it to Wild and Sky, and the four of them had somewhat celebrated with Hyrule, but it was the same as whatever may happen now with Wind.

He finished the cake well enough when Wild came back with Wind, Sky, Hyrule, and most surprisingly Twilight.

Legend placed the last candle in the cake, the sixteenth, and he hesitated.

"Traveler, think you can light these?"

Hyrule startled, then he nodded and a moment later fire magic spilled from his fingers and the candles were lit... and the buttercream was slightly golden but it looked good.

"Nice job!" Wind nudged him.

"It's not that cool," he muttered, tugging on the thick sleeves of the goat wool coat Wind made him.

"Didn't you say that precision with destructive magic like that is actually pretty complex?" Wind challenged. "Pretty cool."

Legend smiled softly.

"Thanks... Happy birthday, Sailor."

Wind looked over at the cake now, something sad in his eyes. "Thank you."

"Make a wish," Legend encouraged. He knew it was childish, they all did, but nobody said anything (Time and Warriors both would've made a scathing comment, Legend was certain of that. Four might've, depending on his mood).

Wind closed his eyes, then he blew the candles out.

I wish we could all go home.

The same wish he made both of his previous birthdays. Childish though it may be, he had to at least try.

Wind cut the cake and managed to get everyone to take a slice. There was just enough for him to divide the remainder into three decent slices and he plated all of them.

"Here," Legend murmured as he appeared beside him, he picked up two of the plates. "Go ahead, I'll carry these behind you."

Wind nodded. He took the third plate and headed toward the forge, knowing Four had gone straight there after a dinner he'd been practically forced to eat.

He kicked lightly on a table, Legend remaining outside and unseen.

Four looked up with a glare. "Go away, Sailor."

"I brought cake," he said softly. "It's just strawberry, the vet still can't find a merchant with vanilla, but it's pretty good this time."

"We don't want it."

Wind inhaled carefully. He was realizing rapidly how awful things here were, how bad of condition everyone was in. A nightmare of them killing each other had hit him a while back and since then he couldn't help but see it slowly becoming reality.

He tried since then. He was trying. Be more patient, be more present, don’t let Legend keep worrying about him and being too close to heights.

"Alright," he conceded but set the cake to the side. "It's right here. I think they added honey to it, it's really sweet..." he hesitated and Four was clearly ignoring him.

His eyes changed colors, always had, but it was obvious especially now.

Wind smiled. "Later then."

He exited and Legend stepped away from a fence he was sitting on while he waited, a distance away and out of earshot.

"Thanks," he chirped as he took one of the plates. "I think the captain's over that way."

The veteran smiled. "Yeah, he mentioned checking the perimeter this morning and knowing him he hasn't come back."

Wind nodded. He gathered his courage once he spotted the gleaming pauldron the war captain wore.

"Wait here?" Legend nodded when he made the request. Wind walked toward Warriors, who saw him approaching and glanced behind him at Legend's fading form.

Wind held out the plate and cake. "I brought you a slice."

Warriors gave him an annoyed look. "Go back inside kid."

Wind clenched his jaw, back teeth grinding. "I'm not a kid."

"Yeah, you--"

"I'm sixteen. You said once I hit majority then I wasn't a kid. Because for some reason maturity and experience meant nothing to you."

He saw Warriors freeze, then he rolled his eyes, that defensive flame burning clearly.

"Fine. Go away, Sailor."

Wind tightened his grip on the plate, the cake shaking slightly from how tight he held it.

"Alright," he agreed, smiling best he could. "I'll put it on the counter for you."

Warriors stared at him for a long moment before he scoffed lowly and marched off.

Wind swallowed the lump in his throat. He still remembered his twelfth birthday, the one he celebrated during the War of Eras... when the Captain had put him on his shoulders and paraded him around their camp, when Mask had played his ocarina during the birthday song, when Ravio gave him a pair of hover boots, when Marin helped the cooks make some proper island food... That had been a great birthday, only could have been better if his grandma and Aryll had been there. But if Wind had told himself, had told Tune, that in four years Mask and the Captain would hate him and tell him he should actually take that too-tempting leap...

Tune would've killed him on the spot for badmouthing his brothers. Wind wished he still held such trust in them, but at this point, it was only faith and hope that had him clinging to the idea that one day Time and Warriors would be themselves again.

He headed back to Legend and went to track down Time.

Their eldest was in Hyrule's fairy and bee garden.

"Hey, old man?" Wind called, Legend hidden a distance back and out of earshot. "We made cake and I brought you some."

The glare shot at him sent a pang through his chest.

"I'm fine."

Wind took a careful breath as he dared draw closer. He had to try. "You sure? It's strawberry and I think they used--"

"I said I'm fine." The snap was sharp enough to cut him. It was harsh and Wind flinched back. "Gods. Why won't you just leave me alone? Leave us all alone? You're so clingy and pushy. I'm tired of it."

Wind swallowed hard. He shakily placed the cake on the fence. "S-Sorry--"

"And you think apologies mean anything. Apologies mean shit if you don't actually do something about it. For once just do us all a favor and go away."

Wind flinched back, Time hadn't even so much as looked back at him. He clenched his jaw tightly, trying to hide how it trembled. He left the plate on the fence post and walked away.

Oceans, the roof was looking tempting again.

Legend was waiting, he raised an eyebrow and Wind just shook his head.

"It's alright, Sailor," he murmured softly. "They'll come back around eventually."

He wanted to cry. He was sixteen now damnit, he wasn't allowed to cry anymore, but goddesses did he want to.

"I know," he whispered, voice strained. "I know."

Legend squeezed his shoulder and walked with him back inside.

Why couldn't they just get along?

Legend needed to calm down. He needed to step away and just... just--

He left the property and just walked until he deemed himself far enough away.

Time had gotten into another argument with Twilight, he'd called the rancher names, Twilight threw a few of his own back, and before Legend could intervene Wind had done it.

Sweet, clinging Wind who was the only one Legend trusted these days with an ounce of his sanity. The child had jumped between them and told them to cut it out--and they both directed their fury onto the teenager.

Wind maintained composure and Legend got there to help finish splitting them up, a screaming match going off. Then Wind muttered an apology to Legend before locking himself in their closet. He promised he would stay, but then wouldn't say another word to the veteran.

Then Legend caught Four reaching his hand into the forge's fire. He had barely ran over to prevent total nerve damage, heal and wrap it, and comfort the promptly sobbing teen who said he just wanted to go home.

Once he took Four to his room to rest and heal, he then found Warriors and Hyrule fighting, which was a new occurrence, and it was bad.

It felt like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong today.

He just needed a minute.

So, in the middle of the woods, far from anyone, Legend looked up at the sky.

"What did I do wrong?" He asked the sky, the goddesses. "Did I miss something? Was there a dungeon we were supposed to do, an item we're meant to find here? I get it, if this is how it is, fine. Okay. But--"

He laughed, it was a bit hysterical, a bit pained, a bit unstable.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING WRONG!" He screamed, voice breaking and he dug his nails into his skull. "I'M TRYING! I AM TRYING SO HARD TO KEEP US TOGETHER AND--"

He just screamed. He screamed his voice hoarse as his legs gave out and he finally felt tears slip down his face.

"I don’t know what I did wrong," he sobbed. "I did the work. I protected your bloodlines, your oracles, your triforce. I saved the world time and time again, I restored light to a darkened realm, I returned displaced people to their own worlds, I calmed the seas when I woke the Wind Fish--I served you. And I did it obediently; happily and willingly and promptly."

He let out a pained laugh, a pained sob.

"So why can't--I've done it right half a dozen times so why can't I FIX THIS ONE?!" He shut his eyes. "WHY--" his voice broke again. "Why," he repeated, voice trembling, "can't I just fix this one? Why can't I help them be happy? Why can't I just--Why am I the only one who actually cares?! Why is this stupid, soft, bleeding heart still caring?! Why can't it just stop. Why can't I just stop and just leave? I can't..."

He choked, hands covering his mouth as he finally broke. That final thread finally snapped.

"I can't... I can't watch them get themselves killed, kill themselves or each other, but I can't stay anymore without killing myself. I can't though. I can't do that because I have to help them. I have to make them see each other again. I have responsibilities and it's killing me."

He dropped his head completely, forehead to the ground in something of a bow as he hugged himself tightly.

"I JUST--" he sobbed. "I just want them to be happy! So why--why..." he trailed out, choking on three years suppressed emotions, "why does it feel like it'll cost me my life?

"V-Vet?"

His blood ran cold.

Legend jerked himself up and around. Sky was standing there with one of his cucoos... one of the ones that run away all the time.

He jerked his sleeve over his face. "Goddess--Sky, I--Sorry--I'm just--You weren't meant to hear that--I mean--"

Sky released the cucoo and dropped in front of him, knees touching his own and hands flying up. "Whoa, hey, breathe."

Legend inhaled sharply, Sky's hands cupping his face and brushing away his tears.

"It's okay," he promised softly. "Oh, goddesses Vet..."

He couldn't stop crying. He couldn't stop crying and sucking in large, shallow breaths only to expel it in an instant. He couldn't breathe.

"How long have you been holding onto this?" Sky whispered, carding a hand through his hair gently while taking his hand and pressing it to his own chest, his eyes filled with surprise, concern, and most of all, realization. "You've been playing peacekeeper forever now... and to no reward or renown or anything. Oh goddess, I am so sorry."

"I'm sorry, I can't--" he sucked in another gasp, trying to mimic Sky's breathing but it wasn't working, "I can't--I just want it--I can't anymore--Sky, please."

"It's okay. It's going to be okay." Sky soothed, pulling him into his chest. "We'll figure it out. You know..." he trailed off a bit, as if coming to another realization, "Wind's been trying to play peacekeeper too, and I--I'll help. I'll try. I know I've been short fused, I know, but I'll do better I swear. We can fix this."

"I can't," Legend all but whimpered those words. "I just--I'm so tired. I can't fix this. I've been trying, I have, I promise I have. I have been trying so hard for so long, I can't do this."

Sky shushed him softly. "I know--You've done so well." He pulled away, cradling Legend's face and he was gentle and warm and kind.

Legend wanted to melt, he wanted to hold onto this feeling forever. Even if his skin felt on fire and his brain was frigid, even if everything was awful and he couldn't breathe, Sky was being Sky. He was being patient, he was being calm and kind, he was being so stupidly kind and gentle and everything he hadn't been for three years.

"You have done amazing," Sky told him so softly. "We haven't made it easy for you and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for that. But I'll do better, I swear. You aren't--You aren't alone."

Tears welled up again and Legend slumped into Sky's chest. He choked out stuttering, shuddering breaths, whispering a quiet, "Please, I can't do it anymore."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," Sky murmured in response, hugging him tightly. "But we'll figure it out. I'm so sorry."

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holly-fixation · 2 years

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Just Once

Summary: Lucrecia Crescent begs Hojo to let her see her son. He mocks her and questions how her experiment is going. Except this time, she tries, even if it doesn't work in the end. She shows the instincts of a true mother.

Author’s Note: I will not lie, I do not like Lucrecia Crescent. However, I always believed that one scene throughout the flashbacks of Dirge of Cerberus would save her character. This is that scene.

…

“Give him back!” Her hands were on his shoulders, shaking them desperately as she cried and begged, “Give my son back!” He stole her baby. She tried to ignore her guilt and pain by saving and fixing the man floating in the tank nearby. But it didn’t work. Her anxiety and guilt and fear only ate away at her more and more each day. This was her last chance to fix it, to fix everything.

His sneer never changed, his shrill voice cutting through her resolve just as always. He never bothered fighting back. In fact, he never once lifted a hand to her. She always backed down herself, and he never thought unnecessary defense was worth his time. “And how is your experiment proceeding?” He mocked, not a single concern for either of them in his voice.

She pushed off him and stumbled back, trying to hide from the power he held over her for so long. Her sobs wouldn't stop. “I don’t know!” She yelled, clawing for any kind of reaction out of him, to make his emotions as out of control as her own. To get any emotion out of him besides cold indifference and logical analysis. “I don't know and I don't care!”

He didn't bother moving, his chin a touch high in the air. He knew his presence alone was enough to keep her back.

She knew that too.

“Let me see him! JUST ONCE!”

Despite the power she desperately tried to throw behind her voice, all that left his lips after a pause was a contorted chuckle at her futile argument.

What else could she do? She continued stumbling over the desks and monitors as her mind reeled with her ever worthless attempts.

He won.

He always won.

He always got what he wanted.

His title.

His project.

Her son.

Her baby boy.

Maybe. Just Once. Maybe one time was enough. She was falling apart. It was now or never. Her eyes shifted to the various bottles and tubes of the lab, flasks and beakers and pipettes and test tubes. All glass. All fragile just like her. Just like her baby. Her fingers twitched. An instinct deep inside finally snapped into place, finally screamed over her own anxieties and fears.

I want my baby.

I want my baby!

Suddenly she grabbed the first glass she could and crashed it against the desk. The end fractured and sharpened while the cracks slicing her skin became the hilt of her new weapon. She thrusted towards Hojo with the serrated edge to his neck.

“GIVE ME BACK MY BABY!”

Yet what she believed was a true threat to the man before her could not be more feeble. She was still five feet away, holding a weapon that already damaged her defensively without taking another step forward. His black eyes locked with hers, and he did not bother taking a single step forward or back. In fact, he put his hands in his pockets casually and spoke with the most deadly calm she ever heard in her life.

“If you take a single step towards me, I will torture the boy without hesitation.”

Her breath hitched and her body froze. He claimed her son as his experiment. He wouldn't risk destroying his data… would he? “Y-you're lying!”

“Oh, Lucy…” His victorious smirk already began crawling out again. “We still don't understand the true capabilities of Jenova cell regeneration. It would be a fine test within the experiment. A fine set of data indeed.”

She couldn’t form words, her throat clogged with the threat alone. Torture her baby. Torture her baby? What should she do? What could she do?

The look in his eyes answered the question for her.

Nothing.

She could do nothing.

Hojo simply glanced from the makeshift weapon to the floor. “Put it down.”

Her motherly instincts dropped it for her, the weakened glass shattering to sand on the tile floor. She fell to her knees, despair deep in her heart.

“See?” His slimy voice cursed her ears one last time as he turned away and walked out of the room. Her eyes were on the ground, staring at the glass, staring at just another failure as his voice echoed off the walls. “I always know what’s best.”

Thanks for reading.