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mothfables · 1 year ago

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III. Rain

{CW: Legend is in a not-so-great state of mind as well as nonverbal the entirety of the fic. he is also unresponsive to any stimuli until about halfway through, though he is able to get up and move, though not without help. i’m not entirely sure if it’s depression or dissociation or something else but he does go out to lay in the road in the rain without telling anyone so :| Ravio is quick to fetch him and give him comfort (in the form of a bath and then cuddles in bed), so it does end on a more positive note. the rest of the chain are there as well but they don’t really do much other than worry. the fic itself is in Ravio’s pov, so what’s going through Legend’s mind is unknown to him and the audience}

“Has anyone seen Legend?”

The question came a few hours after breakfast as most of the Chain lounged around the living room listening to the rain. They’d gone their separate ways after eating; some outside to spar, some staying in to work on mending clothes or going through their supplies, but they had all been forced to reconvene when it began to rain not two hours later. Legend was not among them.

A round of negatives went around the room in response to the question. Ravio frowned. Normally on days like this the hero was bundled up in front of the fire, a mug of warm tea in his hands as he grouched about the rain and the cold affecting his joints. Today, though, the space before the hearth was empty; the blankets and pillows were in their proper places and his mug - his favourite, the one with apple blossoms - was still on the shelf.

Humming in concern, Ravio did a quick sweep of the house. Legend wasn’t in their room or the kitchen, or the basement, or even the backyard for whatever reason. He paced the living room, humming and shaking his hands as he tried to keep from worrying. It didn’t do much to help.

“Hey, wait,” that was Wind, kneeling on the couch and looking out the window. Ravio walked (he was not hurrying, thank you very much) over and glanced out, trying to spot what he was looking at. “Is that the Vet? What’s he-? ...Is ��e in the road?”

The... road? What was he doing out there?

Even more worried now, Ravio scurried to the door and pulled it open, ignoring the questions from the heroes and pulling his hood up as he stepped out into the rain. As he moved down the hill he could make out the figure at the bottom of it more clearly. His hero lay unmoving in the muddy road, hands clasped loosely on his stomach and face turned to the sky.

“Oh, bunny,” Ravio sighed as he drew closer. Legend’s expression was blank, his eyes dull as he stared up at the clouds. He made no indication he had even heard Ravio speak. The merchant knelt down (grimacing only a little at the mud that splashed on his robes) to better see his partner. Water ran down his face in rivulets, plastering what hair was not tucked in his cap to his temples. His clothes were dark and muddy, and a part of the merchant grimaced at the thought of having to wash all that mud out of not only the fabric, but the embroidery as well. His bunny had worked for hours to get it just right, and it would be a pain to get it clean enough to ensure none of the enchantments or tiny details were affected.

Ravio heaved a sigh and stood before bending down to gently pull Legend to his feet. The hero was all-but boneless in his hands, not resisting but not helping either. With some effort, Ravio had them both upright, with his arm around Legend’s waist and the other boy’s arm around his shoulder.

He managed to get the two of them back up the hill and through the door (which was still open, oops) without slipping once, which he considered a success. Pushing his hood back with his free hand, he moved past the other heroes in the room towards the stairs, wincing when they began exclaiming in worry at the state of their brother. A sudden thought had him tilting his head back to address the crowd.

“Would one of you mind running up and drawing a bath? I want to get Link out of these wet clothes and warmed up as soon as possible.”

Wild nodded and scurried past them and up the stairs. Lolia bless him, he wouldn’t have to wait while the other fiddled with the taps; Wild already knew where everything was and how to work them. Ravio followed at a slower pace, mindful of the still-silent hero at his side.

“What’s wrong with ‘im?” came Wind’s tearful little voice. Goddess, he’s so young, Ravio thought with a pang. He shouldn’t have to worry about this sort of thing. One of the older heroes put a reassuring hand on the Sailor’s shoulder.

“Is he-? I mean, obviously he isn’t okay, but do you know what happened? Why he was out there?” That was- Sky, right? Ravio shook his head, forcing himself to focus.

“Just a bad day, that’s all,” he murmured.

That didn’t do much to reassure them; if anything, it only made them more worried. He had a hunch it was due to the concerningly blank look on Legend’s face that hadn’t changed since the merchant had found him outside.

Thankfully they stopped asking after that, and he was able to get Legend up the stairs and down the hall to the bathroom with no trouble. Wild was waiting outside, shifting from foot to foot with anxious energy. Ravio opened his mouth to thank him but Wild beat him to it.

‘I made it as hot as I could,’ he signed with anxiously flicking hands. ‘Also I got the fluffy towels from the closet and put them by the tub for you.’

Ravio sent him a tired smile. “Thanks, Wild, I really appreciate it. You can go back down, now. You helped a lot.” Wild nodded and, with a last glance at Legend, silently stepped around them to vanish downstairs.

“Alright, that’s one less thing to worry about,” Ravio murmured. “Okay, bunny, we’re almost there. Then we’ll get you out of those wet clothes and into a nice warm bath, and maybe you’ll start to feel a little better. How does that sound?” There was no response, which he’d expected. But Lolia, if the continued silence didn’t make his heart hurt.

Stepping into the bathroom enveloped them in a cloudy haze of warmth and something in Ravio immediately loosened at the feeling. He guided Legend over to the tub before getting the both of them down to their shorts, telling him what he was doing the whole time. Hopefully the sound of his voice would help ground the other, and he knew his partner preferred knowing what other people were doing around him, even while he was unable to be fully aware of it. When he was finished, he gathered up their wet things with a quick, “I’ll be right back, don’t worry,” and went to dump them in the hallway with a wet plat!

“If someone would take care of these, it would be greatly appreciated,” he called down the hall before closing the door, making sure it was firmly shut so as to keep as much heat in as possible.

Link was where he’d left him, staring blank-eyed at the wall. The merchant tutted gently as he reached out to help him into the tub. Once he was in, Ravio settled in behind him and pulled him close to his chest to begin rubbing the warmth back into chilled limbs.

They stayed like that for a time, Ravio humming as he worked and Link still gazing listlessly into the distance, showing no response to his partner’s care.

Suddenly he shuddered. The merchant immediately zeroed in on the action: it was the first thing he’d done all day besides stare lifelessly. Another shudder, followed by a hiccup, and Ravio was quick to gather him close as Link began to cry.

Ravio murmured soothingly as Link cried, turning his face to his chest with little hiccuping sobs that made Ravio’s heart ache. In this, too, he was quiet, as if he’d forgotten how to be any louder. Thin hands, looking frail without their usual adornment of rings, came up to clutch at his partner desperately.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed there, minutes or hours, but eventually Link’s tears slowed and Ravio moved to get them out of the tub. The water hadn’t cooled much while they were in it, thankfully, but he’d rather get them both dry and into bed, where he hoped the softness of the mattress would help ease any lingering hurt in Link’s joints. He grabbed the towels from their place by the tub (sending mental thanks to Wild for his thoughtfulness) and wrapped one around his own waist; the other went around Link’s chest to keep him as warm as possible once they left the bathroom.

Any thoughts of Link making it on his own disappeared when he swayed on his feet, sniffling. Ravio cursed himself under his breath for not even considering how drained his partner must have been from the whole ordeal. Link hiccuped, reaching up to paw at his face with a clumsy hand, and Ravio had an idea.

“Hey, bunny,” he started, getting Link’s attention. “I know you’re not feeling well still, so is it alright if I carry you to our room? I don’t want you walking when you’re swaying like this.” A moment passed where Link had to visibly work to decipher the words before he gave a tiny nod, that one small motion taking most of his energy.

“Okay, baby. Thanks for letting me take care of you.” Ravio tucked some of Link’s hair behind his ear before hefting him up and settling him on his hip. Link immediately clung to him, looping his legs around his waist and curling as close as he could with his limited strength. Ravio cooed, pressing a kiss to damp locks.

It was a little tricky opening the door with only one hand, but Ravio had plenty of practice from hauling merchandise around and soon enough he was on his way to their shared room, noting absently that the pile of clothes was gone. Opening the bedroom door went similarly and he slipped inside before shouldering it closed and moving to the bed.

Then came the problem of getting Link to let go. It took a lot of cooing, kisses, and a promise of cuddles (which the merchant was going to give him anyway), but eventually Ravio was able to set him down and leave him on the bed so he could hunt down the softest, warmest pajamas he could find. He handed one pair to Link and dressed himself in the other.

Turning back around, he was greeted with the sight of Link staring down at the pajamas in his hands with an absent frown. The other boy glanced up as he drew close, then back down at the clothes. His frown deepened, gaze flickering to Ravio’s bare arms.

It took a moment before it clicked: the merchant was sensitive to the cold, coming from Lorule, so he nearly always wore long sleeves and as many layers as he could get away with. Now, though, Link had the long pajamas while Ravio wore short sleeves. He was concerned for others even while unwell himself, the dear. How typical of my Mr. Hero, Ravio smiled to himself, a little sad.

“It’s alright, honeybee,” he soothed. “I can live with short sleeves for one day; you’re the one who needs the warmth right now. Do you want help putting them on?”

Link gave a slow nod, still frowning. Together, he and Ravio worked to get him dressed and then they were curled up under the covers. Surrounded by a veritable mountain of soft blankets (curtesy of Ravio’s insatiable need for warmth) and a just-firm-enough mattress beneath him, Link was finally able to relax. Ravio watched as the last of the blankness faded from his face and his shoulders lost the last of their tension. He shivered, and Ravio wrapped him in his arms and held him close.

He whispered promises and comforts into soft strawberry-blonde until Link fell into an exhausted sleep. No matter what happened, how grey the days or long the nights, Ravio would be there for him. Nothing would change that, not even the goddesses themselves.

Outside, the rain continued to fall, a steady sound.

#moth’s tales #fanfiction #linked universe #linked universe fanfiction #lu legend #lu ravio #cuddles and wishes and bunny kisses #i’m not entirely sure what to tag for this #but if something bothers you let me know #legend x ravio #queerplatonic relationship #qpr legend x ravio #raviolink

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