#cause I already did Rulie

[perryelornitorrinco]

I agree with everyone who thinks they're cute and deserve all the rest and snuggles. No one will escape their pranks once they wake up >:)!

From this post

[writing-zelda-brainrots]

--

"[Name], what is that?" The Vet's question was more of a demand than anything. His gaze was locked onto your forearm, covered in bandages.

It seems his stony words caught the attention of the rest of the group, them acting confused for a second before their eyes followed the same trajectory of Legend's.

"This?" You asked puzzled. "You seriously haven't noticed it before?" You've been travelling with them for almost a month. I mean, to be fair, you did almost always wear something with long sleeves, but it's not like you've gone out of your way to hide anything.

"What is that?" He insisted, grabbing your arm as the bandages come loose, revealing the multiple scars, burn marks, puncture wounds, irritations, cuts and other injuries below. His eyes widened upon seeing the damage, even if it was clear it had long healed already. "Why didn't you say anything earlier? How- what- when did this even happen?"

You yanked your arm back, sending a little glare at the hero. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about this."

"No, you're not 'fine.'" He bit back, making air quotes to emphasize his point. "Rulie, do we have any spare potions? Someone's been an idiot."

The boy began rummaging through his sack with haste. "Don't waste your breath." You cut him off. "This isn't something a potion can heal. Besides, these scars are old. I've had them since before I met any of you."

Legend pointed at one of the irritated patches. "What? This one's clearly newer."

"What caused this? This doesn't look like any injury from a monster." Wars took his place next to you, examining the spot the veteran was talking about.

"That's because it's not-"

"Who did this?" Multiple people spoke at once. you were certain that Legend and Wars were two of them, given how they've practically shoved their faces into yours, dead set on interrogating you for answers. You think you heard Wind and Twilight in there, maybe Four? You weren't quite sure.

"You're too close." You grumbled as you leaned back a little.

"Who?"

You sighed. "I did."

A quiet breeze wafted throughout the camp.

"Come again?"

"I'm an apothecary; I make medicines, I make poisons. What else am I supposed to test on?"

"POISON?!"

Ah, crap. Probably should have left that part out. Well, you can say "goodbye" to your beloved stash of poison snacks.

--

[nancyheart11]

Fan Joy July 1

Hyrule woke up. Suddenly urgency hit him like a rampaging Lynel and he sat up quickly, before he had to stop and hold his aching, throbbing head. Just what had he been– Where had the bunny gone? Was this a dream? Why had his head been lying on something soft? He spotted Legend and his heart calmed a little just knowing such a strong hero was nearby. “Legend? Why are you here? Are you looking for me?” Legend looked over with such an intense gaze Hyrule felt a shiver crawl down his back. The jumbled story of going to look for wood, finding an injured pink bunny and being chased by bandits flew out of his mouth, it was only stopped by the sudden realization the bunny had disappeared and  he had no way to prove himself to Legend. He must look like the most lazy hero ever! Sent to get wood and he didn’t manage that job. Legend must be so disappointed in him. He waited for the scolding that was surely about to come, his head held low since he couldn’t stand to see the look on Legend’s face. But instead of a lecture, there were arms around him? Legend was hugging him, why? “Ah… sorry sorry, you always panic if you are hugged suddenly. But I can’t help it.I’m so proud of you, Hero of Hyrule.” He didn��t know what to think, Legend saying he was proud of him? And looking at him with such soft eyes? Was this real? “Breathe, Rulie!” Oh, right, that was important. “Legend, I don’t understand . . . What I’ve done is- why did you say that all of a sudden.” “You will understand one day.” “But . . .” “No buts, now let’s go back to camp and treat your wounds. Can you walk?” “Yeah.” “Okay, let me hold your hand.” After a while of walking they encountered a hill. Legend started up first. “Watch your step! It’s slippery here.” He hesitated slightly and Hyrule’s gaze shot to the other hero's foot. The same wound on his right knee as the bunny, dragging the same foot, acting stiff, possibly from the anesthesic? And most suspicious he didn’t ask the cause of Hyrule’s wounds, as though he already knew. Could the bunny and Legend be one and the same?! ------- “Dinner is ready!” called Wild, immediately drowned out by, “PINK BUNNY?!” “Pink? Are you serious?” asked Warriors while finishing putting a bandage on Hyrule’s shoulder. “Yeah! It’s very cute.” he replied. “I want to see and hug it!” continued Wind at a more appropriate volume for sitting one Warriors distance away “If I find one, i’ll take a picture with my picto box!” “Maybe there are other colors besides pink? . . .” mumbled Warriors. “Hey, if we’re lucky, we might see the pink bunny family!” Wind hoped aloud. What Hyrule didn’t know was in another corner of camp where Legend was working on repairing his brown tunic, Twilight was hurting his already wounded chest by holding back his laughter. Legend glared harder at him while holding the needle threateningly, while Time and Four watched with a mix of amusement and confusion.

a little ficlet written about This amazing comic by @la-sera! I love her art and this is my favorite comic she's done yet!

[arecaceae175]

Flufftober Day 22: Picking

353 words, Hyrule-centric featuring Sky and Legend. A03 link. @flufftober

“Okay,” Twilight said. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Time to pick teams. Two groups of four, since I’m judge.”

“I want Hyrule on my team!” Sky yelled.

Hyrule’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Sky picked him first?

“‘Ey, no! I want Hyrule on my team!” Legend said. Hyrule’s head whipped around to Legend.

“Sorry. I chose first. You’re too late, ” Sky said with a grin and a shrug. His tone conveyed exactly zero regret.

“We never set up the rules!” Legend said.

“That’s true,” Twilight said. “I never said who was picking first.”

“I picked first,” Sky said. “It already happened. Let’s move on.”

Legend crossed his arms with a scowl. “That’s hardly fair.”

Sky raised his eyebrows and his smirk changed into something more menacing. He straightened his back to his full height. Legend shrunk back minutely. Hyrule watched them with wide wide eyes and a brain full of static.

“Y’know, we could always have a friendly little spar,” Sky said. He tapped his fingers on the Master Sword’s handle and grinned, eyes sparking with mischief.

“Yeah, nope. Sorry, Rulie, that’s not happening,” Legend said. “Sky, you’re terrifying, you know that?”

Sky beamed. “Thank you!”

“I’ll take the old man instead, I guess,” Legend said flippantly.

“Feeling the love,” Time said sarcastically as he moved to Legend’s side.

After they finished picking teams and Twilight re-explained the rules for Wild who hadn’t been listening the first time, Hyrule approached Sky.

“Sky?” Hyrule asked.

“Yeah, Rulie?” Sky asked.

“Why did you want me on your team so bad?” Hyrule asked.

“‘Cause you’re cool,” Sky said without hesitation. Hyrule felt his face burn, and he was sure the tips of his ears went bright pink. The warm, fuzzy feeling that came with being loved and appreciated settled itself in his chest.

“Plus, you’re resourceful, and I need to beat Warriors,” Sky said. Hyrule laughed, but it turned into a nervous giggle when he realized Sky was being completely serious.

“Right,” Hyrule said. “I won’t let you down!”

“You could never. Now, come on. I think Four has a plan,” Sky said.

[wayfayrr]

👾 anon here

Sage kinda would have to be a house husband since he is from hyrule and not from here making him not have any documents of his birth, pretty much making it harder for him to get a job or anything that has to do with people needing to know of his birth and I doubt people would believe that he came from a video game especially knowing how his ears look more human than hylian and half of his arm is missing and people would question that and look at reader thinking their suspicious and they have done something terrible to sage like kidnapping and sage wouldn't want that. Sage would probably have an interest of true crime shows because he would be able to pick the bad and good habits that killers did to or get caught and find the things that would kill a person more efficiently. Because of him now only having one arm he is gunna need help for some tasks like the ones where you need both arms altho he wants to prove that he is perfect to be a house husband for reader which the hole needing help to open a jar might break that to him but that is a plus cause that means reader would have to be with him as it can be used to bond and to get their attention to him instead of the chain. Being at reader's world now would Legend's hair be turn more normal he would probably have only few streaks of pink hair and twilight marks look faded like their old tattoos and much for the favor of sage those two would not turn into their animal forms as much and I think hyrule would feel much weaker as he is a fairy. Hyrule would probably try to learn modern medicine from shows and twilight would probably tag along sage when he is farming or going to the farmers market. Maybe one of them becomes a influencer to help reader with the bills since now there isn't just two people living but more than twelve if you count the others and reader.

@neverchecking, @lovanmari MORE HOUSE HUSBAND SAGE!!!

AKSMSDKCVM BECAUSE WARS AS AN INFLUENCER 💀 It'd have to be him of any links, He's already got the looks. wild could be his camera man since he'd be hopeless with tech. And you're so right, reader would be DONE with how they're having to provide for everyone now. If any of the links offered to help, they'd be readers new favourite instantly - much to everyone else's jealousy.

as for some of the other points 👾, Sage very much volunteered but at the same time reader would be in so much trouble if he was found without any ID, there's a chance he'd try to forge some just to make it easier on them so they don't have to be as stressed about him going out or getting arrested themselves there isn't a single way he'd let that happen after all. But Wind would be the real issue - adults can somewhat slide, excuses for loosing things sure. but a kid? Reader is fucked if that ever got picked up on, and school is a whole different problem to deal with.

As for legend and the others, his hair would probably stay the same - sure the magic has gone, but it's not like hair dye doesn't exist here. The same could go for Twi's markings since they could be written off as a tattoo permanent without the magic so you're right about how they'd fade over time. It's less like the looks are the issue, it's just the magic isn't there anymore and anything - like their ears, Hyrule's fairy side and sage's arm have no way to fit into the real world so they get lost over time. ALSO POOR HYRULE, He's going to be bed sick for at least a week while his body adjusts. DO YOU THINK SAGE IS BAD WITH JUST AN ARM MISSING?? RULIE CAN'T MOVE AND HE'S NOT PLAYING IT UP AS MUCH AS HE COULD. While I do like the idea of Sage losing his arm within the real world as well, I feel like it wouldn't be completely lost. Reader would be constantly reassuring him that he's good enough and perfect as he is, only encouraging him to do it even more ✨✨. But if it was he would play it up for so many sympathy points, begging reader to open jars, to have them dote on him when he gets phantom pains and suspiciously only having it play up when the others want reader attention.

[baileyboo2016]

send this to everyone you give a fduck about even if they have no fducking idea how you got into their apartment cause even if it isnt a flying fduck it’s still nice and youre able to hold it in your hand (you’re also giving the fduck to them so that’s nice) <3333

— 🪬 (did i already send this to you??? idk but thank you for getting me into linked universe the young one is my child the pink haired mango is my wife and the one who wore the red crop top is beautiful also i know their names i think i’m just describing them weird)

you didn’t, thank you so much!! i love it!! (nobody knows how i got into your apartment. not even me. only time will tell.)

and it is my pleasure! is the young one in question the one with a light blue tunic and blond hair? because that’s Wind, he’s 13 years old :) the pink mango guy is Legend, and the one who wore the crop top…are you talking about Rulie?? my absolute baby boy who is just so precious??

[skellytonsandstars]

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! Sorry for being a bit late with your secret Santa, I had a lot going on (I broke my foot lol)

Anyways, here it is! Hope you enjoy:

Legend cursed as the freezing wind assaulted his bare skin. Behind him, Hyrule trudged along, taking advantage of the path forged in the deep snow by Legend. They had been cut off from the chain when a portal had dropped them into the unforgiving wilderness. He doesn’t know whether he should be thankful or not that they knew it wasn’t Hebra. Their best guess before it all went to shit was they were in Twilight’s era in Snowpeak.

Thankfully, they should reach better climates if they keep heading downwards off the mountain. The problem though is that none of them had winter equipment apart from Wild and the snow blinded them to any potential threats. Speaking of, he could hear a howl in the wind.

“Best keep moving, Rulie.” He bit his lip to stop his teeth from chattering. He didn’t look behind him, but he could still hear Hyrule’s frozen breathing. His fingers were numb, and he stuck them under his arms. The howling was closer now, and he looked around nervously. The ground started to even out beneath his feet and groaned. Now what do they do? If they keep walking, they might just go in circles.

But they didn’t have much of a choice, did they? He trudged on, and on, and on. It felt forever had passed until they finally reached something. It was a lake, with several large, floating ice chunks forming a way to get across. He stopped suddenly, causing Hyrule to crash into him, almost sending them both toppling into the icy water.

After narrowly avoiding disaster, they huddled closer together to decide where to go from there. After deciding it would take too long to go around, they began hopping across the ice. It was difficult to get traction as they slipped around. They clutched onto each other's arms for stabilization. Again though, they heard howling, this time sounding as if it was right on top of them.

A white, ghostly looking wolfos emerged from the snowstorm. It was large, and growling dangerously. Legend fumbled around for his sword, numb fingers making it difficult to grasp the hilt. Hyrule also reached for his sword, having better luck in drawing it from its scabbard. So far the wolfos kept along the bank of the lake, prowling, like it knew they were trapped.

“Listen,” Legend grabbed Hyrule’s shoulder, “I’m going to jump to the next ice float, then you will. Don’t look away, they strike best when your back is turned.” Hyrule nodded, and Legend jumped to the next ice float. He swung his arms out wildly for balance, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn’t fall. “Alright, come on over now!” he shouted to Hyrule.

Hyrule turned away from the wolfos carefully, then jumped. He grabbed onto Legend’s arm to stabilize himself. Unfortunately for them however, the wolfos decided that the ice wasn’t too much of a challenge, and easily leapt onto the ice float they were just on. They both groaned, this was just great, wasn’t it? The wolfos got ready to jump again.

‘Oh you have got to be kidding me’, Legend thought. They didn’t have enough time to prepare before the wolfos had jumped to their ice float, sending it rocking dangerously back and forth. Hyrule slid too close to the edge for his liking, and he grabbed onto his arm to keep him from slipping off. Their moment of distraction is just what the wolfos was waiting for however.

It lept, slamming into both of them and sending them all over the edge of the ice float. Freezing cold water surrounded him, turning his already numb skin increasingly number. He couldn’t see Hyrule anymore, his vision blackening around the edges as the cold abyss tried to claim him.

The pain started now, and he cursed his slow brain. The mermaid suit. How could he forget? The pain of his legs fusing together, scales forming and bone structure changing. It was done fairly quickly, thank the goddess. Soon his vision cleared as he was able to better breath in the water.

He was able to spot Hyrule now, grappling with the wolfos. He looked like he was becoming weaker by the minute though. With a solid swish of his tail, he was at his side in an instant, running his sword through the wolfos. Hyrule looked surprised, before clutching his throat as a stream of bubbles went to the surface.

He grabbed his arms, swimming up to the surface quickly. Even the mermaid tail couldn’t prevent him from the cold though, and soon his strokes were becoming weaker. They made it up to the surface though. When they broke the surface, Hyrule began coughing weakly as Legend held him from his armpits, struggling to keep both of them afloat. Hyrule’s skin was pale and his lips blue, and Legend knew he probably didn’t look much better.

Keeping Hyrule on his chest, he began to swim towards the shore as fast as he could. It felt like an eternity, even though it was only a few minutes. Hyrule had stopped moving and Legend carefully lifted him out of the water and onto the bank, before trying to do the same for himself. He got himself halfway out before he heard them. The chain, calling out to them in the distance. If he squinted, he could see the distant fire of a torch, or maybe one of Wild’s flameblades.

He breathed a sigh of relief, calling back out, before trying to lift his uncooperative lower half out of the freezing water again. He was so focused on his task, he didn’t notice it when they reached them, and hands were on his body, pulling him out of the water. He shivered, remaining clothes soaked and already freezing to his skin. Then of course the reverse transformation started, turning his tail back into legs and feet. He was already so weak he faded from consciousness quickly.

When he woke up again, they were huddled in a cave, with a warm fire going and dry clothes and about a dozen blankets covering him. Warriors appeared in his view and he sighed. “Right scare you gave us, you know. Hyrule still hasn’t woken up, and you both looked like popsicles when we got to you.” Wars scolded him some more, but he tuned him out, looking around for Hyrule.

He spotted him near the fire, sleeping peacefully, the color having returned to his previously pale face. Wars snapped his fingers in his face, and Legend turned to glare at him. Warriors gave him a look, then smiled gently. “He’s going to be okay because of you, y'know. If you hadn’t pulled him out as quickie as you did.. well..”

Legend nodded, closing his eyes, content to know that Hyrule was safe. This had been a real shitty day, but maybe things would turn around. And with that, Legend went back to sleep

(PS: if you wanna know who it is, just ask. Didnt want to ruin it for you if you don't want to know)

Hey I’m sorry I never answered this, I think it’s really cool and thank you for taking time out of your day to make it. I really do appreciate it

[manofmanymons]

If Ghost Game had its own Survive arc (bunch of kids all sent to another world), or it started out like Survive did, what characters would be good candidates to be apart of the group, and their digimon partners to-theoretically-be? Of course the trio protagonists are there by default.

Funny enough, I think the main three could constitute a good enough group on their own. Between the levelheaded survival expert, the fearless adventurer, and the cowardly genius, they cover all the bases. However, if we were to have an expanded team...

(Pictures included in case anyone forgot these characters' names and needs to be reminded who tf I'm talking about)

Maybe I'm just biased because I like him so much but I think Yuto would be a good group member, and maybe a possible partner could be Lalamon? 1) because something small and cute suits him and 2) bc they can eventually evolve to Ajatarmon and I have a sick sense of humor. I think the group could benefit from how calm and gentle he is.

Going off the idea of starting with a "stuck in the digitial world" arc rather than all of gg canon having taken place already, I propose Kayono. I really like her design and wanna see more of her, and I also think she's just a great character to exemplify how humans can negatively affect digimon. I think DemiDevimon could make a fun partner.

I almost...I almost wanna say Kotaro. Not because he would add anything to the group or because I think he could survive but because you gotta have that comedic relief character who causes problems on accident. I could balance him out with a straight laced partner or I could do the funny thing and give him Neemon.

Part of me feels like Ruli's friends don't really do enough or have enough personality to be relevant group members...but that didn't stop Tamers from dragging Kazu and Kenta along so...

Maybe they can be the "don't have partners for most of the arc but still help in their own way" characters.

The only other character who really stood out to me as memorable enough to be a recurring character is probably Emma? She could be a fun addition to the team because she's smart and has an interesting dynamic with Kiyo. I...almost want to give her specifically the Dracmon from gg ep 3 (and 25 but we don't talk about that one) as a partner? I mean her episode involved her being a lowkey stalker and his episode involved cursing people via surveillance and social media so like idk their vibes kinda mesh in my mind. They'd be meeting in a circumstance where he's never seen the real world and she already knows what Kiyo is up to so maybe they'd both be better people?

Or maybe depending on whether they influence each other for better or for worse could be the thing that either makes them reliable allies or terrifying antagonists.

OR it could be a fun yet sad twist that he only partnered with her bc of her smarts and just wanted to use her to cause more problems on purpose and we'd end up having a main character's partner be an endgame boss battle but this time bc of a betrayal instead of a virus which...could be interesting. I accidentally put more thought into this than I meant to. Anyways this one is Emma if anyone forgot:

[gliphyartfan]

@yandere-linked-universe @stars-for-thought @linked-heroes @ice-cream-writes-stuff

@imprisioned-in-the-hole I loved your prompt and couldn't resist! Hope I did it justice!

Wind has a strong presence in this one, that wasn't planned by the way.

Enjoy!

'I'll be fiine guys.'

She totally should have saw this coming.

'This is Wars' era, wandering the market won't that bad.'

Yep— these past few days had been too damn calm for the all of them,

'I'll be gone for an hour! Two hours tops! Promise!'

Of course something like this was going to go and happen.

'This. fucking. sucks!' She grunted, slowly slide down the rope she made out of the sheets in the room she was trapped in.

This is what happens when you jinx yourself.

'Everything will be fine!' Oh suuure, the first hour was delightful.

Saw some items,

Chatted with some folks,

Even got to pet a few dogs!

But the second hour-

'His Grace wishes to discuss some things with you.'

'Sorry, you got the wrong person. Plus I don't feel comfortable with-'

'That wasn't a request.'

'...-!!'

She should have know there would have been someone behind her.

It's always when it's out of your mind that it happens.

And now she was trying to escape her own wedding. And the crazy Duke that wanted to marry her.

She wasn't a hero damnit!

'I'm gonna get lectured so badly after this!' She grunted as she reached the end of the rope, her feet dangling in the air for a moment as she tried to figure out what to do next.

'Damn you laws of physics and gravity!' She whispered to herself.

Physics and gravity decided to take her insult personally as the rope loosened its hold on the railing, causing her to fall into the bushes two feet below her.

'Urk-branch! Branch!' She hissed in pain, reaching underneath and removing the branch poking at her back.

As she rubbed the area, brushing the crumpled sheet from her head, she checked her hand to make sure she wasn't bleeding.

Before she could plan her next move, she stilled as she heard the heavy thuds and clanks of armour approach nearby.

The movement came closer, she used her place in the bushes to keep hidden. Slowly parting the leaves next to her with one hand, she used what visibility she had to discover that yes, it was a pair of guards and the conversation that flowed through the air confirmed they weren't Hyrule guards.

Drat.

'Is the Duke really gonna marry that girl?'

'Seems to be the case. He's been very pleased with himself too. Looks like he's trying to get the wedding done by tonight.'

Double drat.

'I don't blame him, you've seen that girl? Bet he's eager for the wedding night.'

Okay. NO.

'Haha! A beauty like that for a wife would be quite the status boost.'

The guards walked past the bush and it's hidden occupant.

Had they looked back, they would have seen a displeased glare directed their way.

(y/n) huffed and looked around, trying to remember where the exit was.

With another glance around, she picked up her dress and slowly made her way out of the bushes, pausing momentarily before taking off the heels she was forced to wear

'I can't run and climb in this dress.' Trying to think about what to do next, she looked down at her clothes.

'Hmm...'

--

'WHERE IS SHE.'

'Link please-'

'Don't tell me to calm down Zelda!'

Wind bit his lip as Warriors marched up to the princess' face and growled.

'Impa is having her men search the castle and surrounding areas, we will find her.' Zelda tried to reassure him, taking a step back when he glared.

'It's been a WEEK and you have nothing to show for it!' He ran a head through his hair, taking a deep breath to calm down.

'You know I've been busy with-'

'With the Grand Duke of the farther kingdom who is here as a token of peace and unity between kingdoms.' Warriors recited irritably. 'Yes, very understandably important when someone went missing under the watch of YOUR men.'

'She was last seen in the market, we have blocked the gates and are inspecting every individual leaving the city.' Zelda gave Warriors a look.

'And might I remind you that they are also your men?'

'Apparently not anymore with how you let them slacked off!'

'Excuse me-'

Wind sighed as they started arguing again.

They were getting nowhere.

'This is going nowhere.' Wind turned and saw Hyrule coming up next to him, watching the arguing duo.

'Any luck with the others?' He asked quietly, not surprised when Hyrule shook his head.

'Twilight is using Wolfie to catch any scents but the storm has made that difficult. Time is with Legend and Wild speaking to the merchants and Four is with Sky speaking with the guards.' Hyrule replied, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Wind felt the same way.

None of them were able to sleep well since she went missing. The only reason they slept at all was because they needed to be rested enough in the event a fight comes their way.

But the lack of her presence was deeply felt.

'Any luck here?' Hyrule asked hollowly, already knowing the answer but still asking.

Wind simply gestured to the still arguing duo.

'Is she even still in town?' He couldn't help but ask, not wanting to think of the possibility that she was far away, but it was necessary.

'She has to be,' Hyrule reassured,smiling weakly. 'The town went on lockdown almost immediately.'

Wind returned Hyrule's smile with a weak one of his own.

They turned back to the duo, feeling more tired as they listened to the princess justify her duties.

'I am already dealing with the Grand Duke and I can't give anymore of my attention to this than I already have.' Warriors just gave her a look.

'I wouldn't be bothering so much if you allowed me access to his guest quarters.' It was Zelda's turn to glare at him.

'You know I cannot do that, he is a guest and has nothing to do with her disappearance.' Only Wind and Hyrule noticed the way Warriors hand twitched, as if desiring to reach for his sword.

Not that they could blame him.

'I am not accusing him Princess,' he said through gritted teeth. 'I am merely requesting-'

'That I allow you access to his quarters.' The displeased expression on the princess' face only matched the captain's.

'Annnd they're arguing again.' Wind muttered, watching them fall back into another verbal brawl.

'The only place we haven't looked is the guest wing.' Hyrule whispered, wringing his hands.

'You think we should sneak in?' Hyrule looked at the arguing pair and nodded.

'Yeah...it's better than assuming nothing is there.'

'Alright...Wars!' The angered captain looked at them, a scowl on his face.

'Rulie thinks he has a lead at the market so I'm heading out with him.' Wind kept a casual look on his face, staring Warriors in the eyes.

Warriors was quiet for a brief moment before he grunted and turned back to arguing his case with the princess.

But he was less tense than he was a moment before.

He understood what they were going to do.

'He'll keep her distracted.' Wind murmured, tugging Hyrule out of the room.

'And Impa?' Wind sighed and rubbed his shoulder.

'Still searching the market place I bet, we gotta be quick.'

And with that, they both headed to the guest wing of the castle.

---

The guest wing wasn't too far away, probably for the convenience of whatever foreign guests came to visit.

But it was walled off and the Grand Duke's personal guard was patrolling the area, forcing the duo to sneak their way in.

'I really hope we find something.' Hyrule whispers, the two stilling as a guard passed by their hiding place.

'Best place to look is the most obvious place.' Wind reassured. 'And the most obvious place is a area that's being guarded by enemy guards.'

Hyrule didn't correct him about the guards.

If she was here, they were enemies.

'Let's look through the rooms! Top or bottom floor?' Hyrule hummed.

'We're good at escaping from higher levels, and there's only two floors, let's start low and move up.'

They worked together, both alerting the other when a guard was close.

Soon they snuck passed the majority and reached the first set of rooms.

Then the second set.

Then the third.

They moved up to the second floor and quietly searched through each room.

It was in the Grand Duke's room that they found incriminating evidence on his desk.

'I can't read this language,' Wind whispered harshly as he glared at the papers in front of him. ' but I know (y/n)'s name anywhere!'

'Take it, we can sure it to the princess.' Hyrule whispered back, keeping watch at the door. He tensed when he saw a couple of guards round the corner. 'We need to go!'

'This is the last room and we haven't found her!'

'We found evidence and that's a better than what we had before, now move!'

It took some time to shuffle out the window and climb down, but they were successfully able to make their escape from the guest wing without notice.

'A lead, that's good.' Wind gasped, hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

'But still no (y/n)' Hyrule bite his thumb nervously. 'I hope she's okay...'

'We can't lose hope!' Wind grunted, stretching his back and sighing.

'Let's go, we need to show these papers to the others before we give it to the princess-'

The sailor went rigid, eyes snapping forward, widening.

'What's wrong Wind?' Hyrule asked worriedly, hand on the younger teen's shoulder.

The teen bit his lip to keep his expression from crumbling and his breath was shaky,

'(y/n)...?' Hyrule's own eyes widened and his head snapped to look when Wind was staring.

There, in a torn dirty white dress, no shoes, and messy hair, was their beloved goddess looking around, visibly distressed.

'(y/n)..?' Wind raised his voice, hope as visible in his tone as it was in his eyes.

Hyrule's heart felt such relief as their beautiful goddess' head snapped in their direction.

The smile she gave them was simply magnificent as she immediately ran toward them.

The moment she was close, she wrapped her arms around the both of them and began to cry, relief filling her.

'You have no idea how happy I am to see you two!' She hugged them closer.

'WE'RE happy to see you!' Wind sighed happily, resting his head in her shoulder, both him and Hyrule hugging her as tightly as she was hugging them.

Just having her in their arms was a blessing they treasured so much.

'Where have you been? How did you escape?' She sighed and shook her head.

'I'd rather tell it one time.' She looked around.

'Please tell me the others are near by?' She whispered, absolutely exhausted and didn't want to deal with any more drama.

'Well...no. They are looking for you in town. We snuck into the guest wing to look for you.' Hyrule answered apologetically, heart clenching when she sniffled.

Wind frowned for a moment before he gasped in excitement.

'I'll rally them up!' Hyrule and (y/n) looked at him in confusion as he reached into his pouch.

'Wild has the slate! And if he has the slate-' he pulls out what he was searching for.

'Then we can reach him with this!' (y/n) tilted her head.

'A...stone?' Wind grinned at them, the pirate's charm dangling from his fingers.

'A COMMUNICATION stone!' (y/n) gasped in delight and gave Wind another hug.

'Call him! Call him!' Wind laughed and activated the stone.

'Um, I've been meaning to ask...' Hyrule quietly said to (y/n) who looked at him innocently. '...About your..outfit...'

Wind ignored them for a brief moment as Wild's tired voice came from the pirate's charm.

'What is it sailor?'

'Guess who me and Hyrule found!' Wind grinned as he heard gasps.

'You found her?! Is she safe?!'

'They found her?!'

'She's okay! We're by the-'

'HE WANTS TO MARRY YOU?!'

Wind turned his head so fast, he winced at the pop he felt, the loud yells coming from his charm filling the air.

'WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS?!!' (y/n) winced as she realized the panic she just caused

'Uh-'

He couldn't help it, Wind laughed, soft and just a little hysterical.

Of course an insect had to pop up when they let their guard down.

---

'Where is she.'

'Sir, we have our men searching for her this very moment.'

'I want her found by TONIGHT, the wedding will go as planned.'

'Of course sir!' The Grand Duke scowled as his guard walked off.

He is so close to raising his status.just another day and he would have been on top of the social world. He sneered, like a child, storming down the halls of the guest wing.

'Should have simply left with her when I had the chance.' He ran a gloved hand down his face.

To think he had one of the heroes of legend in his grasp only for her to have slipped through his fingers.

He'll have to make sure to teach her a lesson.

'Sir!' He sighed irritably, turning to see another one of his guard approaching him.

'What is it? Did you find her?' The guard looked nervous.

'Sir, Princess Zelda is requesting your presence in the throne room at once.' The Grand Duke tensed and stared at the guard.

'Are you sure?' The guardsman nodded, stepping back when the Duke growled.

'Of all the times...' He looked back at the guardsman. 'Continue looking for the girl.'

After the guardsman nodded, he decided to get it over with and headed to the throne rooms.

--

--

'Grand Duke, thank you for coming at such a short notice.'

'Your Highness.' The Grand Duke bowed to her, as he rose he noticed the nine gentlemen standing to either side of her.

The heroes of legend.

The Grand Dukes greed brought to mind the rise in his status at what might be a possible meeting with the legendary nine.

He was to arrogant to realize the cold looks he was receiving from them.

She smiled, nodding in greeting. 'I apologize for disturbing your day Grand Duke, I understand how frustrating it can be, but I heard of a strange rumor recently and I had hoped you would clarify it for me?'

'Please rest assured Princess, I will do all that I can to assist you.' He said, smiling openly, the perfect gentleman.

'Splendid. Now,' She dropped the smile. 'Did you conspire to abduct the heroes' companion and force her to wed you?'

The Grand Duke froze, paling as the question registered in his head.

'Wha-'

'Ah. Before I continue, allow me to properly introduce the gentleman before me-'

'There is no need your Highness,' calmly interrupted Time, coldly gazing down at the nervous Nobleman. 'He is as aware of our identities as we are aware of his.'

'I-'

'And you seem to be very aware of the identity of our most dearest companion.' Legend hissed from his place next to Time, glaring daggers at the unsettled man.

The Grand Duke's expression twisted into fear, anger, and panic.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he cleared his throat. 'I'm sure I don't know what you're speaking of.' He calmly answered.

'Perhaps a misunde-'

' A misunderstanding? I'm sure.' Warriors scoffed, looking at Zelda with a raised eyebrow.

She sighed "Lets not fool ourselves here, we all know what this is about.' She stared sternly at him. 'You abducted the young woman known as (y/n) and were conspiring to wed her for...status?'

'She isn't very happy about being kidnapped.' Wild said casually, as if he was not wishing he could jam a bomb down the Grand Duke's throat and detonate it.

It seemed the arrogant man could barely handle being talked down in such a way. His clenched fists trembled in anger.

'I will not allow such accusations to be made against my person!' He looked at Zelda, face flushed in anger.

'If you believe that our kingdoms will be allied after this, I assure you that-'

'If your kingdom is full of noblemen like you, than Hyrule would benefit by NOT allying with you.' Warriors interjected, ignoring Zelda's stern look towards him, looking down his nose at him.

'You have no proof!' Warriors sighed and nodded.

'I suppose I don't.' He was silent until the Duke looked smug before he matched his expression with one of his own, pointing behind the Duke.

'But she's proof enough.'

'Oh, so I'm demoted to proof now, am I?'

The Duke went rigid, his mouth snapping shut on the words just spoken as he slowly turned his head-.

An dispassionate look directed right at him.

'Apologies my Angel.' Warriors smiled softly at her. 'No insult meant.'

'Hmm.' She raised an eyebrow, a brief glance at Warriors before looking at the Grand Duke.

'(y/n) I ask for complete honesty.' Zelda commands. 'Was the Grand Duke the man behind your abduction with intention to force you to wed him?' (y/n) nodded.

'Yes your Highness.' Zelda closed her eyes and sighed.

'Very well, I will arrange for his departure tonight.' The Grand Duke's face a unique combination of red and enraged yet also paling.

'T-This will not stand! When my king hears of this-.'

'We have already sent your king the information of your crimes.' The princess proclaimed to the unsteady nobleman.

'Y-you-'

'You are no longer welcomed within the borders of Hyrule Kingdom and are henceforth outlawed from ever returning. Impa shall escort you to the guest wing to retrieve your belongings.'

Zelda then turned and strode away, but not before sending an apologetic glance at Warriors.

He simply returned her look with a blank one.

(y/n) walked passed the royal knights that now surrounded Grand Duke and made her way to the group.

'I'm so glad you guys found me.' She said with relief in her voice.

'You ended up saving yourself dear.' Time chuckled, reaching up and cupping her cheek. 'And we were panicking like we lost our minds.'

'I was panicking when Wind and Hyrule popped up.' She admitted. 'Trust me, I was so happy and relieved to be found by you guys.'

'We'll always find you (y/n)!' Wind chirped, wrapping his arms around her waist, causing her to giggle.

'Well I guess it has it's uses.' She clapped her hands.

'I'm hungry and demand all the cuddles! I hated this week!' Wild was already pulling out his slate and looking through his inventory.

'I'll make a meal that'll taste so good, you'll forget this week ever happened!' (y/n) grinned in delight.

'That's what I want to hear!'

The Chain surround her as they guided her out of the throne room, the angry cries of the Grand Duke not worth notice.

Yet two members of the group lingered behind.

And they were eyeing the fuming nobleman with calculating eyes.

'We could have been a bit more...hands on with his punishment... ya know that don't you old man...?' Wind commented, his treasured wind waker in one hand.

'As enjoyable as it would be, I don't want to spend a moment longer away from Her.' Wind sighed but nodded in agreement , crossing his arms, tapping his wind waker against his chin.

'So the storm will kill him?' Time nodded, inspecting his Ocarina casually.

'I have more than enough magic to conjure one strong enough.'

'You've already had Wild damage parts of the ship correct?' Wind nodded. 'Than once I summon the storm, make sure the winds finish the job.'

Wind hummed. 'Kay.'

They both looked at the shrinking form of the dead man walking.

'Ugh, I hate bugs.' Wind huffed, a disgusted look on his face.

Time stared at the Duke until he could not see him no more.

'Hm..So do I...'

That night, the group of nine celebrated the return of their most beloved member, lavishing her with their affection and as she requested, all the cuddles she asked for.

(That night, reports were received by two kingdoms that notes a vicious storm appeared as the Grand Duke's ship sailed beyond the Hyrulian sea borders. Destroying the ship beyond recognition. There were no survivors.)

[zerolostwalks]

“How do you feel handing out candy tonight with me?” for Rulie?

Reggie navigated through the students in their assortment of costumes as he made his way to his next class. He really hoped Mr. Gilman would be one of those teachers who gave up on real class whenever Halloween landed on a school day. 

He highly doubted it, but he could always hope. Especially since he didn’t want to disturb the unidentified devil and angel couple that had been making out on his locker. Which meant he did not have his text book, notes, or even homework for class. 

His homework was a lost cause but as far as textbooks go he did have one other potential hope if class did move forward as normal. Julie. 

He’d been so ecstatic when he found out the two of them shared quite a few classes this semester. Over the summer she and the band had been hanging out more regularly. During which he grew to care about her more and more. 

Although he doubted he stood half a chance, what with her being surrounded by the likes of Luke and Flynn. 

Anyway, she was nice enough she’d be willing to share her textbook and maybe some of her notes with him for a day. Right? 

Julie sat in her usual seat, just off center from the middle of the room. He’s not sure if she was wearing a costume. Regardless, she was still breathtaking in the simple yellow and black plaid skirt and jacket combo. Yellow always had a way of enhancing how bright she could shine. Not to mention the freaking simple white knee high stockings that almost made him swallow his tongue.

“Hey Jules” he greeted as he slid into the seat next to hers just as the bell rang. 

She whispered a cheery greeting in return as Mr. Gilman begrudgingly took attendance. After which he decided since they apparently were ahead he would allow them to work in pairs to complete the chapter review questions. He expected all the completed assignments by the end of the period. 

Perfect. Reggie turned to find Julie already scooting her desk closer to his. With a smile he helped pull her over the little remaining distance. 

“Thanks, Han” She giggled as she adjusted her things. Her eyebrows furrowed at his pencil and notebook. “Where’s your book?”

“About that,” he began with an apologetic smile and scratch to the back of the head. “ I sorta couldn’t get into my locker. I was hoping you’d be willing to share your book and notes.”

“Why my notes?” her grip tightened on her closed notebook-which had definitely been open when he sat down-as her cheeks dusted the faintest shade of rose.  

“Because I don’t have mine?” He’s pretty sure he just said that? Why was she being weird about her notebook? 

She grimaced down at her desk and mumbled something under her breath about Flynn being right. With a slow exhale she slid the notebook over but kept her hand firmly over the cover. “Umm, is it possible for you to pretend that all you see are my actual notes in here?”

Oooooh. She probably made some incriminating doodles or notes of her own. Probably crush related based on her reaction. 

His heart fell into his stomach at the confirmation that she definitely liked someone. He’s not sure if he’s willing to find out who. It’d be easier to pretend like he’s got even half a chance if he couldn’t attach a name to her feelings.

Curse his treacherous curiosity. And the need to use her notes. He attempted to swallow away the tight feeling in his throat and nodded. “Sure, Jules, it’s all just notes, butterflies, and glitter.”

With a snort she hesitantly opened her notebook, and it was not as bad as he thought it’d be. He half wondered if he magically manifested his joke because this page was really only notes, butterflies, and a few scattered hearts. 

She groaned as she hid in her crossed arms on her desk as he turned the page. He wasn’t sure how to breathe anymore. These hearts definitely had some initials in them but they were not the ones he was expecting. 

Who else did she know whose name started with R?

That was apparently the wrong direction for his thoughts to go, he realized as he turned to the next page. There in the margins were small doodled versions of him. Some of her better work actually, which he’s not sure if he should read into. 

“Jules?” He finally managed to whisper out, after he saw the near half page drawing of the time he fell asleep in class. “Are you absolutely sure you want me to pretend this is just butterflies and glitter?”

She whined as she moved in an attempt to bury herself under her arms. 

“Because, I’d rather not pretend if that’s alright with you.” Her wide eyes shot up to meet his. He could feel his face heat up but attempted a small smile anyway. “I probably should have said this sooner, but I like you.”

She sat up and looked at him doubtfully, so he quickly pressed on. “I’m not just saying this. I’ve liked you for a while Julie. I just never thought I had a chance.” His eyes drifted back to her notebook, a little awestruck by it all. 

“Oh.” She whispered out, then poked him in the shoulder to get his attention again. She was as bright as the sun again when he returned his gaze to her. “How do you feel about handing out candy tonight with me?”

“I know it’s not the typical dinner and a movie.” His smile grew as she spoke. “But I volunteered for candy duty tonight and-”

“Are you asking me out?” He asked through a smirk as she trailed off. He slid his hand into hers as she nodded. “Sounds great to me.”

Later as they met up with everyone after school, hands linked together, he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about the silent exchange of money between their friends.

[lady-literature]

Flirting Fish

Hi, I fucking love the gay fish movie and it's currently all I can think about it so rip all my other projects ig.

inspired by 'better than coffee' because I read it and the whole 'Alberto flirting with Luca' thing, kinda as a joke until it's very much not a joke anymore just made me insane so here's this now.

I do not speak Italian so I am sorry for any errors I will undoubtedly make.

They’re a few weeks into the summer the first time it happens.

Alberto has already been up for hours, helping to man the boat with Massimo and then tend to their stall at the fish market after that. After three years of living in Portorosso, he’s long since grown used to waking up before the sun has even thought of rising over the sea.

Once upon a time, Luca had been too. Back when he was un piccolo contadino, tending to schools of fish and living off the reef, instead of being well on his way to a world-renowned erudito.

“Morning, sunshine!” Alberto says laughing, throwing a tanned arm across Luca’s shoulders and slightly jostling the smaller teen. Luca groans and attempts to hide himself in Alberto’s shoulder. “Haha! Well, aren’t you chipper this morning?”

Luca tilts his head just enough to look Alberto in the eye. “It’s too early.”

“It’s almost noon.”

“It’s summer,” Luca retorts, pouting. “You’re supposed to get to sleep in during summer.”

Alberto tsks at the groggy, sleepy-eyed look on his best friend’s face.

Oh, how his fancy schooling has spoiled him.

“I, of course, understand the need for beauty sleep, amico,” he playfully runs a hand through his ruly curls, flashing a charming smile that Luca doesn’t notice since he’s trying to nap on his shoulder. “But perhaps it would work better if you didn’t stay up half the night reading.”

“How can I sleep when the Americani e Russi are revolutionizing modern science?” Luca mumbles passionately. Even half-asleep he can give entire lectures about space and scientific discoveries, the utter nerd. “Luna 2 is the first man-made object on the moon, Alberto! È incredibile! And all the journals are talking about plants and animals being sent into space. If they can return unharmed that means it’s only a matter of time before we send people up there. Riesci a immaginare? Le ramificazioni scientifiche sarebbero-”

Normally, Alberto can listen to Luca ramble on about his crazy nerd stuff for ages. He only ever understands every other word, but it’s not so much the content as it is the way Luca gets when he talks about it.

Alberto couldn’t care less about Saturn or Russian spuds or whatever else. But he does care a damn lot about Luca, so he sits and listens and nods in all the right places cause it makes Luca happy.

But right now, with Luca content and passionate and so completely vulnerable, leaning on Alberto with his eyes closed, so trusting that Alberto won’t let him fall or trip or lead him off the pier, it makes something so intensely warm bubble up in his chest. Brighter than joy, and affection, and the relief he feels whenever Luca steps off the train after months of only letters and the grainy sound of his voice through the phone.

The feeling startles Alberto with its foreignness, knocks him off balance with its intensity. So he does what he always does when he feels unmoored and adrift.

He runs his mouth and does something ridiculous.

Immediately, Alberto drops his arm from around Luca’s shoulders and grabs at both his freckled cheeks instead, pinching them hard like he’s seen Nonnas do to their nipoti.

“Cute, cute, cute!” Alberto croons, shaking Luca’s face back and forth. “Beauty and brains? Santa mozzarella, save some for the rest of us, Luca.”

Immediately, Luca’s pout disappears with a yelp of surprise and he quickly bats away Alberto’s hands.

“Beto!” Luca scolds, hands over his steadily reddening cheeks. “Don’t do that!”

“What?” Alberto laughs, arms spread out wide. He can tell Luca isn't actually mad at him, just pleasantly annoyed and exasperatedly fond. So he keeps going. “I’m not wrong! You keep that up where anyone can see you, and Guilia and I are going to have to start beating the suitors off with sticks.” He mimes whacking someone with a stick to emphasize his point. “Like, I think you might steal my title of Portorosso’s most handsome bachelor. These days everyone wants an adorable brainiac, not a roguish bad boy, you know?”

Luca just looks at him, mouth opening and closing like some sort of guppy. Then, “Roguish bad boy?” he repeats disbelievingly.

“Well,” Alberto huffs, feeling the need to defend his honor, “it’s not like anyone else in this town gets up to as much trouble as I do.”

Luca snorts, finally letting his hands fall from his face. They’re… really red, actually. Maybe he did pinch a little harder than he meant to. Alberto frowns.

“Hey,” Alberto says, grabbing Luca’s elbow and dragging him forward again. “Let’s go get some gelato. Now that you’re awake, we should have enough time to grab some before our shift at the beach if we run.”

There. Gelato makes the best apologies without actually having to say sorry. He’ll even get Luca a double scoop, since, you know, he can never quite narrow down which flavor he wants and the indecision always stresses him out.

***

The good news is that his—well it wasn’t actually a plan per se, but whatever you want to call it, it worked!

Teasing Luca did make the strange, overwhelming feeling in his chest go away. It’s also funny and something Alberto likes doing… a lot, actually.

The bad news is that the feeling eventually came back.

[conventionalwisdomcomic]

Digimon Ghost Game reactions - episode 24

a.k.a. "Pretty much the only Safe For Work joke I could make about an episode with an obsessive tentacle monster that's titled Twisted Love"

But seriously, though, another solid creepy episode, and I really do like Ruli trying to run her own Mystery Incorporated.  The nitpicker in me DOES feel like the general public kind of undersold the revelation the idea that there's some kind of rogue hologram somehow causing actual physical transformations in humans.  Like, WE know it's a Digimon behind it all, but they don't.   Then again, Yuto kinda under-reacts to pretty much everything, so maybe that's just how desensitized to weirdness people are in this world.

And speaking of a different kind of weird... Um, what's up with next week? I mean, I get it.  The narrator guy of the bumper segments is hosting a special, presumably a clip show.  It just feels really weird that they're waiting until AFTER the hack put everything on hold for weeks, not during.  What, did they already pay the guy to get in front of the camera and didn't want that money to go to waste?

Conventional Wisdom / Patreon

[tenebraevesper]

Digimon Ghost Game Analyzer, Episode 06: The Cursed Song

Tch, seems like someone is slacking off on their review. *grins widely* Bet I can do it better.

After all, this is an anime about Digimon, so a Digimon like myself should know better. So, sit down and listen to what Impmon has to tell ya-

What the- What are you doing here, Impmon?!

*turns around nonchalantly, pouting and giving Tenebrae a side-eye* You’ve been taking too long, so I thought I’d be taking over. You should be thanking me for giving your audience an authentic experience.

*sighs in exasperation* I was busy with other stuff and... You know, never mind. If you want to join in on the commentary, you’re free to do so. Perhaps the audience might want to hear what a Digimon’s opinion on Digimon Ghost Game.

And I bet I can do a better job than you!

We’ll see... *turns to audience* So, today we have a Digimon as a co-reviewer: Impmon. I hope you guys won’t mind his presence. ^_^

Why would they? After all, you’re the one who controls this blog and what kind of review you’re writing. Therefore, you’re the one who decides who helps you with it.

Ehh, that is true... *shakes head* Anyways, let’s start with the episode!

After getting a short recap about Hologram Ghosts, we are thrown into a karaoke room, with a very familiar song playing...

It’s Kuyashisa wa Tane by Chiai Fujikawa, also known as the Digimon Adventure: (2020) ending song. Now that’s a blast from the past! *grins*

If you ask me, if they really wanted to play up the nostalgia, they could’ve also played I Wish, the Digimon Adventure ending song. After all, it was also featured in a karaoke episode and is more iconic.

Actually, I think there might be a connection here. For those who don’t know what Impmon is talking about, in Digimon Adventure, Episode 25: The Sleeping Tyrant! TonosamaGekomon, TonsamaGekomon was put into a state of shock due to losing a karaoke match. To revive him, a voice better than the one he lost to must sing to him, which turns out to be Tachikawa Mimi, whose voice actress, Maeda Ai (AiM) was the one who sung the actual ending song. 

Therefore, Kuyashisa wa Tane might be a reference to that episode. As for why they didn’t use an older song, I guess they wanted something more recent and Digimon Adventure: (2020) ended not too long ago. Still, if it were up to me, I would’ve chosen Dreamers by Ateez or maybe...

I think we should just ignore Ten and focus on the fact that the girls in the karaoke room suddenly hear another voice singing along, asking them to listen to its song.

Now that’s more like it! We get some intrigue from the get-go as we try to figure out what is distorting the music, first starting to singing normally, then going really low. Did something break? *winces, covering his ears* Aaaugh!

Well, whatever Digimon it is this time, it won’t let them out, emitting a high-pitched screech that forces them on their knees and...

Sheesh, when did this become The Ring? Not only are they locked in a dark room with a strange voice screeching at them, but now a clawed hand is reaching out for them.

*raises eyebrow* Say, didn’t a friend of yours already made that reference?

Yeah, but the description he gave was really good and I wanted to mention it again. In any case, it gives me the creeps. The scene then shifts to Hiro, Ruli, Angoramon and Gammamon, who are all investigating rumors regarding a supposed ghost sighting at a shrine.

Considering how ghosts in this show are usually Digimon, and the fact that it is a shrine with fox statues, my bet is on Kyubimon.

Admittedly, it would make sense, but Kyubimon isn’t the only fox-like Digimon.

Meet Youkomon, a Bewitching Beast Digimon that, unlike Kyubimon, brings about destruction and decay. It is based on the nine-tailed fox, also known as kyūbi no kitsune. A kitsune tends to be a mischievous fox spirit who might either cause trouble or help humans out. 

It is interesting that Youkomon debuts in Digimon Ghost Game, Episode 06: The Cursed Song when you consider that its counterpart, Kyubimon, debuts in Digimon Tamers, Episode 06: The Meaning of Partner, Renamon Evolves!. *proudly* As fate would have it, this is also the episode where yours truly debuts.

*deadpan* You know well that was a different Impmon.

*pouts* Aw, com’n Ten, don’t ruin my moment!

*sighs*

Moving on, in this case, Youkomon turns out to be quite benevolent, albeit annoyed by people visiting the shrine in order to investigate the Hologram Ghosts rumors. Apparently, he picked up a wallet a local woman dropped and ever since then she was bringing him offerings, with people starting to talk about his presence.

Honestly, I don’t understand why he is so grumpy. I would be overjoyed if people suddenly started giving me offerings in the form of food.

I’m pretty sure you would, since you love to eat. Anyways, Hiro attempts to ask him something, but Youkomon tells him that it’s time for his nap and leaves.

*chuckles* That must be quite disappointing for the resident Gogglehead.

As for Ruli, she is actually excited about meeting a Digimon.

We learn that the Tamers and their Digimon were investigating the rumors as Ruli wanted to find a real ghost, but so far, nothing has turned up. To be honest, I would really love to join their investigation, as it sure would be fun to try to figure out which sighting was a Digimon and which one was a real ghost.

Their next station is Karaoke Pachira, where they want to investigate the case of the Hologram Ghost that haunts the karaoke room and appears when you sing a certain song. The girls from earlier walk past them, all downcast, with the manager wanting them to keep what happened a secret.

*frowns* I don’t like her.

Neither do I. Moving on, another girl is singing Kuyashisa wa Tane, while our heroes are talking about the rumor, with Angoramon making an good point.

People talk more when they know it’s being covered up.

This is why conspiracy theories exist.

Uh, Gammamon, I don’t think you quite get it. Who would they want to meet a Digimon that endangers them?

Admittedly, he is right, though. For starters, they don’t know it’s a Digimon and as Angoramon explains, the rumors attract a crowd and the karaoke place in turn makes money of them. This is also how haunted places work, as they attract a lot of ghost or urban explorers.

Honestly, you humans are weird.

I think Hiro agrees with you. I share Ruli’s enthusiasm on this one, though. Anyways, we also learn that Hiro doesn’t really sing.

It can’t be that bad, right? Just as Ruli attempts to question him about it, Kiyoshiro runs out of one of the rooms, completely frightened. Ruli appears to not remember his name.

*chuckles*

So close, Ruli, so close. Although, this shows that she isn’t as close to Kiyoshiro as she is to Hiro. Kiyoshiro asks Hiro for help and Jellymon reveals that they heard the rumors too, probably wanting to investigate them.

Kiyoshiro is totally freaked out, while Jellymon is just amused. Ruli, on the other hand, is focused on finally getting a picture of the ghost.

Hiro, on the other hand, seems to be questioning how he got involved into this mess, judging by the expression he makes.

Back to the main attraction, the Digimon interrupts the girl from earlier and just when it looks like it’s getting interesting, we cut back to the Tamers. Seems like Kiyoshiro freaked out for no reason, as he attempted to sing the wrong song.

Hey, Ten. We both know that a Digimon is behind this haunting, but is it really possible to summon a ghost by just singing a specific song?

To be honest, I have no idea. However, considering how there are a lot of stories about how to summon ghosts, it is possible.

Speaking of summoning, I have heard that if you sing Love Serenade, an Etemon will appear to yell at you to get off the stage.

Huh? Is that really true?

*grins* Nope, I was just messing with ya! *chuckles*

*casts Impmon an annoyed look* Anyways, Ruli decides to sing, but before she can do so, everyone realizes that something is wrong.

The girl from earlier found herself locked inside the karaoke room, with the mysterious Digimon coming out of the TV. Honestly, it’s really creepy. Angoramon seems to be able to sense the Digimon’s presence, or at least that something is wrong.

Well, Digimon are able to sense other Digimon, at least where I’m from, but this guy may just have a heightened sense for danger, as Gammamon and Jellymon don’t really react. And speaking of which...

She is doomed.

No she isn’t. We see the Tamers and their Digimon run towards the room and...

Okay, this is just plain disturbing. Fortunately for the girl, Gammamon breaks the door, the the rest of the team arriving. I have to add that the look the girl is giving them is pretty chilling. She looks completely hollow.

*shudders*

Things pick up as Gammamon and Jellymon challenge the Digimon... who then promptly vanishes back into the TV. Hmph, coward.

Hiro notes that the thing they saw wasn’t a Hologram Ghost and while Ruli makes sure the girl leaves with her friends, Kiyoshiro just wants to leave. Jellymon, on the other hand, wants to expose the Digimon.

I’m with Jellymon on this one.

Hiro then asks Angoramon what it might be, but Angoramon doesn’t know. So, would that mean that he cannot really sense a Digimon’s presence?

Admittedly, that thing didn’t really look like any Digimon I know. *shrugs*

We then cut to Ruli, who ends up locked inside the elevator, as Kuyashisa wa Tane starts to play again. The voice tells her to listen to her song, which starts out low, different than the rumors described it. The clawed hand comes out of the monitor, and the culprit seems to emit another high-pitched tone that causes Ruli headaches.

We also get a look at the culprit, who wraps the dark matter around Ruli and at one point, it looks like it attempted to choke her.

*shudders* This is not how you get people to listen to your song! *suddenly backs off*

That stare...

So, it’s a Sirenmon! I haven’t met one before, but I’ve heard their singing is so powerful it can heal listeners and bring tranquility to devastated battlefields. Unfortunately for the Tamers, it is also another Ultimate.

This won’t be an easy battle. Fortunately for Ruli, Angoramon senses that she is in danger and the team rushes towards the elevator, with Jellymon phasing into it. Meanwhile, Gammamon crashes the elevator door.

Yet another reason why Digimon are scary. Seriously, that thing was all metal and he broke it like it was made out of paper.

The team then confronts Sirenmon, who really gives me the creeps with that deranged stare. Luckily, she let’s Ruli go and leaves through the monitor, but Jellymon follows her through the building.

Ruli manages to recover, noting how she thought that she was going to die. When Kiyoshiro questions her about it, Jellymon appears again, telling them how, if they were slower, she probably would’ve died.

Well, she isn’t wrong. However, none of the Tamers or Digimon are comfortable with that truth. As for Sirenmon, she got away, but Jellymon managed to figure out that she is moving through the online karaoke network.

When you think about it, it makes sense for a Digimon to be able to do that, with you guys being Digital Monsters.

Also, as Angoramon and Impmon explained, Sirenmon is like a diva in the Digital World, meaning it would be natural for her to seek out places where people sing. Ruli notes that they need to do something about it and just like they saved her, they need to save everyone from Sirenmon.

Now that they know what they’re dealing with, it’s the Gogglehead’s turn to figure things out and he quickly comes up with a plan that involves Kiyoshiro’s hacking skills.

As Jellymon earlier mentioned, Sirenmon travels through the network, so by cutting everything off, except one room, they would be able to lure her into the room they’re in. Honestly, that’s a really good plan and I love that everyone in this episode gets in on the action. They all work well together and I adore their team dynamic.

Still, that alone won’t help them beat Sirenmon. After all, they still figure out how to defeat her, as it’s two Rookies and one Champion against an Ultimate.

Have a little faith in them. They are all ready for the final confrontation. So, with Ruli pressing the button and playing the song, Sirenmon appears again.

Sirenmon questions them about why they took away everyone’s chance to hear her song, completely oblivious that she traumatized several people.

Ignoring the Tamers, she notes that the room is too small and she needs a bigger audience. So, breaks out and decides to sing to the whole city. Sheesh, she could compete Etemon with how much of a diva she is.

The humans, on the other hand, see her, but think she’s just a movie promotion. It says a lot how AI Holograms work in this reality, as nobody is fazed by her appearance.

However, her singing still affects everyone, showing just how dangerous she is. Hiro decides to activate the AR Field, but Angoramon stops him, wanting Ruli to do it. Admittedly, it would make sense for this to be Ruli’s turn with the AR Field, as she was the one determined to solve this mystery.

*snorts* Sirenmon is baffled when she realizes that everyone is gone, leaving us with the final confrontation. *smirks*

They’re no match for Sirenmon, and Angoramon tells them to hide, but Gammamon decides to fight back.

Ha, it seems like ’’I’m gonna go kaboom!’’ means that he wants to battle her or even digivolve. Well, I’ve been looking forward to this! Even Jellymon and Angoramon get in on the action, knocking away the notes.

Still, no matter how hard they fight, they are at a disadvantage. Still, Gammamon goes after Sirenmon, despite the onslaught of attacks.

We also see that the notes were what formed those creepy hands.

That doesn’t look good.

Fortunately, just as the hand closes in on Gammamon, he digivolves into BetelGammamon, with Angoramon flying up to him to carry him around, as BetelGammamon has no wings.

That’s a nice bit of teamwork. Hiro also figures out that they should go higher than Sirenmon for an attack, since her notes just ricochet, making it impossible to attack her back.

Both sides can fight now on more equal grounds (or skies?), but Sirenmon is still stronger. Also, what’s up with the villain monologue about her song being never ending? She sounds like a final boss in a video game.

Well, we did establish that she is a diva and how she believes that no one can surpass her singing. As the Tamers try to figure out what to do, we hear... is that Hiro singing?

Okay, that is so off-key it’s painful to listen to.

*laughs* It’s awful! No wonder Hiro didn’t want to sing.

*side-eyes Impmon* It’s not funny... although, I had to laugh at Kiyoshiro’s comment.

Admittedly, it does go beyond a cursed voice. The way it is portrayed, it looks like an attack.

True, but at least I know that I have better voice than the Gogglehead.

Oh, really?

Yeah, and you know it! You heard me singing Christmas Alone.

*exasperated* Right. Anyways, it seems that Sirenmon is the only one entranced by Hiro’s singing.

So, what’s the reason? Why isn’t she affected like the others?

It appears that she was moved by his singing. Hiro explains how singers communicate how they’re feeling, which is why he sang with all of his heart, even if it did sound bad.

So, let this be a lesson for everyone. While your awful singing won’t make you a popular idol, if you sing from your heart, it’ll pacify a diva Digimon.

If you phrase it like that, it actually doesn’t sound wrong, and it reminds me of Karan Eri’s attempts of reaching everyone’s hearts with her being an idol, while also punching the living daylights out of Appmon. Although, Ruli and Kiyoshiro are quite baffled Sirenmon and Hiro understand each other. Hiro then notes how songs make people happy and Sirenmon explains how she was moved by human songs, but whenever she sang, everyone ran away.

Hmm, I wonder why. *sarcastic*

Well, at least she has figured out what the problem was and promises to work on it. Hiro is sure that she will find a way to fix the issue and sing in a way that makes people happy.

Overall, it’s a happy ending for everyone.

Uh, Kiyoshiro? What? *deadpan*

Also, Gogglehead here forgot that he wanted to ask Sirenmon something, but it’s too late and he resigns himself to his fate. More luck next time.

We then cut to the group outside the AR Field, with Gammamon singing and he’s so adorable. ^_^

*pouts, his arms crossed*

Is something wrong? *looks at Impmon quizzically*

Nope, there is nothing wrong.

To end the episode, the group discusses Gammamon’s ability to digivolve and turn back, which they note is quite strange. Honestly, I don’t think that should be strange, but when you think about it, Digimon without Tamers take a long time to digivolve and then they stay at that level, while Digimon with a Tamer get a temporary power boost.

In other words, it would make sense for Angoramon to question it. So, the episode ends.

I certainly had fun with it and with the commentary. No wonder you decided to make episode reviews.

Me too. It seems like your presence did make things more interesting. *turns to the audience and winks* 

See ya next time!

[anjuschiffer]

Wasn’t Meant For You but For Him

I know I’ve been quiet in terms of updates, but this is what I’ve been working on for the past two days! My first Timari! *squeal*

Thank you Vivi for encouraging me to write this! Also want to thank @eve-valution for beta-ing! 

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P.Tag: @theatreandcomicfreak @damianette-is-life

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Pairing: Timari

Context: This is years after highschool, possibly 5-6 years (I can’t count)? Gabriel isn’t HM here and HM was defeated a year after highschool was done for both Adrien and Mari. Mari isn’t the Guardian, since Fu was never discovered, however Adrien and Mari knew each other’s identities. Mari and Adrien are 24, Tim 25 and Damian is 17…

@-@-@-@-@

AO3

@-@-@-@-@

Richard yawned as he made his way to the kitchen, noticing a dim blue light peer through the crack of the living room, deciding to poke his head into the room.

His eyes laid straight onto Tim, his attention on the television screen, his coffee spilled on the floor, his laptop and documents spread on his table long forgotten and covered by the lone mug.

Wondering what had captured his brother’s attention, Richard decided to look at the television screen, then and there connecting the pieces.

“-and there you have it! Straight from the groom-to-be father’s mouth!”

Richard watched as Tim got up and left the room, giving Richard a nod as he left.

“The wedding of the year! Of possibly the century! The unification of the mysterious designer -MDC- and the face of Agreste - Adrien Agreste!” The tanned skinned reporter with a beauty mark above her eyebrow said. “And you’re saying that MDC will be revealing her actual face at the wedding?”

“She is, without a doubt, along with her actual name.”

“You heard it here first everyone! France’s beloved designer, MDC, will be revealing her face and name at her wedding! So don’t forget to joint down the big-”

Richard turned the television off, a click escaping his mouth as he cleaned up the spilled coffee on the floor and took the mug with him.

-----

“I can’t believe that I’m late for my own wedding!” A woman said, bouncing her leg as she kept looking outside her window to see if the limousine was anywhere near the church, Goliath Cathedral. 

While the cathedral was lovely, it was nothing compared to the Gotham Cathedral. Despite the Cathedral never being restored, its stone gargoyles and rusty bells attracted Marinette to the 800 foot, moss covered building.

It would’ve been wonderful to have the wedding there -no- to even walk inside the cathedral if it were ever restored. It’s lovely interior was filled with history, the unreachable ceiling would’ve enthralled the people when the music started, drawing everyone into an ethereal trance. 

The real trance, however, would start when Mari would step into the monotone room, her pure white dress becoming the centerpiece of adoration. The very dress she had on. An MDC original.

A dress made of tulle and lace, two materials and nothing more. The lace will create the sleeves and cover the bodice, forming an off-the-shoulder top. Tulle will create the skirt, lace once more adorning the hem of the dress and train that would be two meters in length. The veil would also be an MDC original, each crystal in that veil to be sewed on with joy and precision, an emotion that still radiated from Marinette since the day she started sketching her wedding gown.

“-Earth to Marinette!” Alya yelled, causing Marinette to let out a squeak. “About time you snapped from your trance!” Alya said with a giggle. “We’re here.”

“Already!” Marinette said with disbelief, looking outside her window once again, watching how crowded the streets in front of Goliath Cathedral were flooded with people of all ages and races, Marinette feeling something weighing on her. “Mon Dieu.”

“Well, Gabriel did make a huge fuss about your grand day.” Alya reminded her. “As much as I wish that I was the one to comment over your wedding, I couldn’t say no to being your Matron of Honor.” Alya said, really wishing to be the reporter to comment on her BFF’s grand day, but knew this task will always be of greater importance.

Marinette melted at that, throwing herself at her best friend. “Woah there girl! I can’t have you crying before your big dream comes true!”

“I’m sorry! I’m just-”

“You just can’t wait to finally marry Adrien after all these years of-”

“Alya!” Marinette squeaked, squeaking once more when Alya tackled her. 

“You deserve this Marinette.” Alya said, wrapping her arms around her friend. “You deserve this and so much more.” Marinette resisted the urge to cry. “Finally, after defending Paris for so many years and after getting your breakthrough as MDC… you can finally get your happily ever after.” Alya gently pushed Marinette away from her, wiping off the tears that slid down Marinette’s face. “Now! Let’s not be a minute later than what we already are!”

Marinette nodded, pep talking herself as she watched the door be opened for her, emerging out of the limo and stepping into the sea of cameras, smiling and waving as they captured the moments that would lead her to her life as Marinette Agreste.

-----

“He’s not here.”

Marinette felt lightheaded, her heart beating loudly in her ears, her chest tightening and becoming unbearable.

“Get me out of here.” She whispered. When she felt no one come to her, she said it again, not registering how loudly she said it. “GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

She didn’t know who grabbed her, but someone did, leading her back to the limo that was still awaiting for her, or rather for the couple that was supposed to be.  

She heard as cameras clicked and let out a shuttering noise that rang in her ears, she watched as lights went off as they capture her face in that moment,

Marinette kept looking forward, barely hearing Alya yell at the driver to get them somewhere.

Marinette felt as her entire body shaked, looking down at her bouquet of flowers. 

White roses - purity...innocence...

Baby’s breath - everlasting love... 

What a joke…

The limo came to a halt, Marinette looking up to see what stood in their way from getting out of the area.

Her eyes widened upon seeing Adrien step out of his car. 

She didn’t know when she got up and out of the limo, but she finally regained her composure when she heard the words she dreaded to hear on her grand day… their grand day.

“Mari, I’m sorry.”

Three words… that’s all it took.

Walking up to Adrien, feeling her anger shake the flowers in her hand, she lifted them up, connecting it to Adrien’s face, watching as flower petals scattered around them and the road beneath them. “How dare you show your face to me!” 

“Mari, I tried calling you-”

“YOU ALWAYS SAID WE WERE MEANT TO BE!” She hit him again, wondering when the petals were going to stop scattering.

“I’m here now. I-”

“YOU TALKED ABOUT ETERNAL LOVE AND YET LOOK AT US!”

“Mari, I’m-”

“YOU HUMILIATED ME! ME!” Marinette yelled, feeling hot tears trailing down her face, hitting him again and again, never noticing that the petals were already gone and battered, the stems of the bouquet bent and worn.

Seeing Adrien with guilt spelled across his face, Marinette looked him over one last time before running off, never hearing Adrien nor Alya yell out her name as she disappeared into an alley.

-----

Tim let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair, hearing Bruce’s words ringing in his mind.

“You’re not in the right mind. Come back when you’re ready to do your work properly.”

How exactly was he supposed to do that?

MDC’s wedding was today. To-day.

And no, that wasn’t what upsetted him, oh no.

It was the mere fact that she would be revealing herself to the world, something she said that she would never do until she felt comfortable.

So when Tim heard through Gabriel Agreste’s mouth that she would be revealing her face at the wedding -a wedding in which she later commented that she wanted to be private, but later was pressured into making it public- Tim couldn’t help but become upset for her.

Everything that she had worked so hard for, the respect and dignity she had built for herself all crumbled within a few moments… her years worth of effort, gone by marrying her highschool sweetheart.

To make matters worse, Tim felt like Gabriel was the one behind the wedding and not his son. 

Tim sighed as he wondered why he was even letting this all get to him.

Looking up, he didn’t expect to find himself wandering the park.

He also didn’t expect to see a bride-to-be, oddly feeling like he had seen her before. 

He heard sobs escape from her tiny frame, watching her rip the skirt of her gown with no effort, watching as she continued to rip the gown to shreds, the fabric laying at her feet, battered and covered in dirt.

He took a step forward before stopping himself.

Who was he to interfere in her life. Hell, what can he even do to stop her from crying?

He didn’t need to be told when he watched her turn around, Tim finally piecing why her back seemed so familiar, why her ruly midnight hair stunned him and why her dull, puffy bluebell eyes caused his breath to hitch.

He had seen her face before leaving his office. She was the reason why he couldn’t focus at work. It was her…

But why was she here? Wasn’t she-

No…

It couldn’t be…

She didn’t deserve this… 

No…

How could he?!

Tim slowly approached the woman he had secretly admired since he could ever remember. 

Taking the fabric away from her hands, the thing that was once her veil, a fabric that she happily worked on as she streamed her progress on her wedding gown over the course of six months…

Tim could only stand there… wondering what to do next.

“Would you like some coffee?” Tim offered, watching as something returned into MDC’s eyes. She nodded, slowly rising to her feet, collapsing as soon as she got up. Luckily, Tim had caught her in time, the woman now dangerously close to his liking.

Fishing for his phone, Tim called his most trusted family member.

“Hey Alfred… I need your help. Can you make sure there isn’t any type of paparazzi near me? We have a runaway bride that would be grateful to not have any more drama added to her big day.”

------

Adrien walked into the reception hall with his head hung low, too embarrassed to face his friends, feeling eyes pierce through him as he walked towards his former classmates.

He could feel Nathaniel and Marc’s gaze pierce through him, years of working with them allowing him to know who’s gaze was who. He could also feel Juleka’s and Mylene’s, thanking Kwami that Kim and Alix weren’t here. 

They would’ve killed him the minute he walked into the room with Mari by his side. But he didn’t need to hear their disappointment when he could already hear everyone else’s.

He could already hear the murmuring as people noticed the empty space beside him.

Where was the bride?

“What were you thinking, Adrikins?!” Chloe yelled, storming to her childhood friend upon seeing him, Sabrina close behind her. Adrien watched as her black dress with golden trims approached him, wincing upon seeing a name hiddened at the hem of the dress. “How could you do that to Dupain-Cheng?!”

“Marinette didn’t deserve that.” Sabrina added, watching as Rose and Ivan stood in front of him, acting as a wall between the two.

“You guys are being too harsh on him.” Rose stated, glancing towards Ivan, as if pleading him to back her up. “He was just nervous.”

“Rose is right. Give Adrien some space to breath and rethink-”

“Rethink?” Juleka scoffed, everyone turning their heads to see Juleka make her way through the reception doors. “Seriously Ivan? Rethink?” 

“Juleka, calm down.” Rose whispered, not seeing the anger in Juleka’s eyes diminish in the slightest, instead, it grew.

“No Rose!” Juleka making Rose wince. “You’re telling me to forgive this idiot for leaving Mari at the altar?!”

“Juleka, you’re being too harsh-”

“No I’m not Rose and you know that!” Juleka looked at Adrien, her eyes narrowed. “How dare you ruin Marinette’s dreams like that? How dare you mock Marinette’s feelings! How dare you!”

“Juleka!” Another voice shouted, gaining everyone’s attention, but Juleka’s. “That’s enough!”

“Lu-” Adrien could hear the gasps that filled the room as his vision shifted to the side, his face aching and on fire.

“You had one job Agreste.” Luka growled, Adrien not daring to face Luka. 

He knew that Mari meant a lot to Luka. She was like a sister to him, the two were inseparable when they were younger. “You were suppose to make her happy Agreste and yet here you are, not feeling a single shred of shame that-”

“I told her that I was-”

“Sorry?” Luka let out a dry laugh. “Sorry doesn’t cut it buddy. I told you what would happen if you made her cry.” Luka grabbed Adrien’s face, forcing him to look at him. “I swear, if I see you anywhere near Marinette, if you dare to talk to her again, I will find you and I will tear you to shreds Agreste. I don’t care if I have become a villain once more to protect those I love.” Luka let go of Adrien, the ex-groom falling to the ground, shaking.

“Mark my words Adrien Agreste.”

Adrien heard Luka and Juleka walk out, hearing another pair stop before walking in, watching as they crouched to his level. Kagami looked at him with disappointment, a frown on her face.

“Kagami.”

“Seems like Luka beat me to the punch.” She said, her frown curving a bit. “Literally.”

Adrien didn’t utter a word as she rose, helping him get up. “I also came to tell you something else before heading to your father.” Kagami smirked when she saw him tense. “The Tsurugi’s will no longer work with the Gabriel brand. Our relationship is over.” Kagami headed for the door before stopping to take one last look at Adrien. “Seems like Lady Luck is no longer on your side.”

------

Marinette stirred, jolting up when she felt soft comforters covering her and a mattress beneath her. She noticed an elderly gentleman standing near the doorway, letting his shoulders relax when he saw her.

“I see you are awake, Miss...?”

“Marinette.” Marinette started, scanning her area. Where exactly was she?

“Do not worry, Miss Marinette. No camera nor paparazzi knows of your location.” He assured, watching as Marinette let out a sigh of relief. “We also have some attire prepared for you if you so wish to change from your current one.”

Looking down onto herself, Marinette quickly took the offer, slipping into the slightly oversized shirt and a pair of jeans that fit her loosely, also thanking the gentleman for also giving her some comfortable footwear. Sneakers were definitely better to walk in than heels. 

“Thank you,” Marinette said, walking out of the room she was in, her battered wedding gown in hand. “Do you happen to know of a good way to get rid of this?” Marinette motioned to her gown, the gentleman giving her a knowing look.

“Of course Miss Marinette.” He said, motioning her follow him. “The manor is always prepared for anything, especially when it comes to getting rid of unwanted clothing articles.”

“And before I forget,” the gentle said, bowing. “My name is Alfred Pennyworth. Welcome to Wayne Manor.”

-----

Tim sighed as he dragged his hands down his face, settling with trying to rub his temples in a futile attempt to get his mind into the right place.

MDC was in the manor. 

She was finally in front of him, so why was his chest aching instead of fluttering like he thought it would when he imagined the day he got to meet her?

He stared out the window, noticing smoke rise into the air, Tim feeling his heart stop. 

It was coming from the garden. 

Quickly, he made his way to the source of the fire, finding Alfred flipping what seemed to be a white piece of fabric, tossing it into the flames, Tim finally noticing the sigh of relief coming from MDC.

He didn’t dare to speak as he saw her lock eyes with him, her hair a bit more tamed than what it was earlier, the corner of her eyes red and no longer puffy.

“If you do excuse me, Master Tim.” Alfred said, breaking the spell that drew the two into a staring competition, causing said duo to turn away, not wanting to acknowledge the heat that dared to spread across their face. 

“It’s fine Alfred. You are excused.” Tim managed to say without a stutter, watching MDC from the corner of his eye.

He watched as she went back to watching the flame burn the remains of her supposed grand day.

Seconds became minutes and then into an hour, Tim never realizing when the flame had died out. He honestly didn’t care that he was still looking at a dark pit filled with ash. As long as she stood by the makeshift fire pit, he’d stay there to keep her company.

“You know,” MDC spoke, Tim noticing how soft it was, how lifeless it sounded. “I spent six months sewing it, only for it to be destroyed within an hour.”

“I know.” Tim said, not noticing her whip her head towards him, her eyes large with horror. “I remember how you keep doing samples of the lace over and over again, saying how you kept messing up, even though each sample was meticulously done to perfection.” Tim didn’t notice how she backed away from him. “Even though you couldn’t hear me, I keep saying how you’ve improved since the last time and how you kept seeing each one as a failure because you were using new techniques you learned a week prior in comparison to the ones you started out with when you first started your career.”

When Tim decided to look at MDC, he noticed that she was crying again, standing two meters away from him, and yet one step was soon taken closer to her.

“You… you know who I am?” She asked, her hands shaking beside her face.

“Um, yes? You’re MDC.” Tim answered, watching as she shook even more.

Where was Dick when you needed him?

Tim slowly approached her, going to place his hands on her shoulders when he hesitated, his hands hovering over her. “Listen, can I call you Bean?” Tim said, cursing himself for not having Dick nor Jason’s ability to give proper nicknames.

“Bean, I didn’t mean to scare you. If there’s anything I can do to make you forget what happened earlier, please tell me.”

“Nettie.” She whispered, Tim barely catching it. “Call me Nettie.” She lowered her hands as she looked at him.

“If that’s what you want, Nettie.” Tim wondered why he adored the way it fluently rolled off his tongue. “Are you still up for that cup of coffee I offered earlier?”

Nettie gave him a small smile, nodded. “Alfred makes the best coffee.”

-----

Gabriel fumed as another person reported to him that another video of Marientte and Adrien’s dispute went online, the PR having difficulties taking the video down.

“What part of “get rid of it at all costs” don’t you incompetent fools understand!” He yelled, watching as people scattered to fight off the damage Adrien had done to the Gabriel brand.

Gabriel had planned everything to go according to plan, twelve whole months to plan this day to the utmost perfection, to be the most spectacular day for him and his brand, all for Adrien to ruin everything thanks to having cold feet.

Gabriel had taken everything into account, everything that would possibly make Miss Dupain-Cheng to call the wedding off, only for his stupid blood to let him down.

“Sir.” Nathalie said, gaining Gabriel’s attention. “We have a problem.”

“What is it this time?” He dared to say through gritted teeth.

“We’re receiving heavy backlash from-”

“When will anyone-”

“It’s Mr.Drake-Wayne, sir.” Nathalie managed to say, holding her breath as she watched Gabriel ingest what she just told him. “After saying how incompent and embarrassed we should be, he declared taking complete control over MDC’s PR and her entire business.”

“No.” Gabriel whispered, feeling himself get cold. “There is no way-”

“He just announced it sir.” Nathalie said, showing him her tablet screen, Gabriel snatching it to get a closer look. “MDC is now protected by the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and there is nothing we can do.”

-------

Tim pressed something on his screen before tucking his phone away.

“Something happened?” Nettie asked, sipping some more of her coffee. Tim hadn’t lied. Alfred made the best coffee Marinette had ever sipped since she had gotten to Gotham. Maybe in her entire life.

“Some damage control, nothing more.” Tim assured her, watching as she looked into her coffee. 

After drinking their first cup of coffee, Nettie had asked for a favor, something Tim couldn’t say no to. 

She wanted him to deal with her PR, seeing as she wasn’t in the right head to do so. 

After getting her sign of approval and calling a few people, Tim gained control of the rumors and content that surrounded and included anything that mentioned and dared to mention the disaster at the cathedral. 

Under different circumstances, Tim would’ve been over the moon upon having the chance at being in charge of MDC’s PR, but right now, it wasn’t the time to celebrate to his heart's content. 

He had someone else to cheer up. 

“Say Nettie.” Tim started, placing down his mug. “What do you think about staying for dinner?”

Nettie blinked, sipping into her mug. 

“If it means staying indoors and away from the rest of the world, I’m down for it.” Tim smirked. 

“Just gotta warn you, I’m not the only Wayne that lives in this manor.”

——

Marinette only meant to stay at the Manor until things cooled down, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

She kept elongating her stay at Wayne Manor, bonding with each family member over the passing days. 

Alfred, she quickly bonded with. After asking for permission to the kitchen to stress bake, Alfred shared some secrets on his cooking, Marinette in turn sharing her secrets in baking. From baking and cooking, the two started to chat more, Marniette adopting him as her third grandfather.

Bruce… she was still trying to get used to him. While they spoke quite a lot when it came to business… Marinette would always run short in talking about other things, usually their conversations ending in comfortable silence. However, Mairinette did manage to find out something to blabber about: grandkids (or rather children in general). Marinette would share her fantasies about having children, Bruce asking if she would ever adopt. Marinette would laugh and comment on how she didn’t want to be a serial adopter like him. That always got a laugh from the man.

Richard, or Dick as he insisted, was a sweetheart, helping her whenever she would wake up from her nightmares of her former life and from that disastrous day. He’d stay up until she felt better and held her hand as she drifted to sleep. He would never mention the incidents, knowing and  respecting Marinette in that manner. She also couldn’t help but respect him for skills, finding something new about herself whenever she would join his gymnastic warm ups.

Jason was… the brother she wished she had. They would banter about what food to have for lunch, always resulting in having to play a game to decide who would choose. When it wasn’t that, it was wrestling each other, Marinette having the upperhand due to her small stature, only to be overpowered by the baberious man. She enjoyed learning new attacks although she hated having to lose to him in the majority of their sparing.

Damian… he was the little brother she’d always wanted. While Tim told her he was the most annoying person to spend time with, Marinette would beg to differ. He just needed some guidance. The two bonded over animals, Damian showing her his favorite part of the mansion. When she walked into the room, she swore she was in a pet store,every wall was filled with dog supplies and toys. Ace and Titus wagging their tails as soon as Damian walked into the room, the dogs immediately taking a liking to Marinette. Even the rather bratty Alfred the Cat had taken to her quicker than with the rest of the family that wasn’t Damian. 

When it wasn’t pampering Ace and Titus, it was sparring, Marinette thanking him for not holding back like Jason and Richard. He’d expose her openings, apologizing as he would hit her. After training, she would teach him to bake, enjoying how he would blame the ingredients for not working and coming to Marinette for help. Mari’s best parts would be when he would lighten up when a pastry would come out perfectly after a few tries. 

Tim… he was… she had mixed feelings about him. Being a fellow coffee addict, Marinette could sympathize with the need to drink more and having to deal with late night work. Sometimes she would stay up with him, pulling a blanket over him, although there were times where she would end up covered by a blanket. She found out he liked her opera cakes; Damian would always request one, only to share it with Tim every now and then. 

He was respectful of her space, always checking up on her in his own odd antics in the form of a mug of coffee for a new tiny plushie. (She now had a wall dedicated to them.) He never once brought up her work as MDC, something she was glad for (she wasn’t ready to go back just yet). He was the one to give her a room, provided her whatever she needed, even a new family… but Marinette knew that he was more than just that…

What exactly was he, she would have to wait to figure that out herself.

------

“What do you mean you can’t find her? That you can’t reach her?” Gabriel seethed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

It’s been two weeks since MDC had gone missing, no one knowing where she was. 

Gabriel had tried to open a line for people to call when they had any clues as to where the rising design was at, only to get an influx of false claims, prompting him to shut it down.

“Mari isn’t answering any of her phones, not even Alya knows where she is at.” Adrien reasoned, really hoping his father wouldn’t make him recall Alya. 

He could still hear screams in his ears, Nino having to answer the phone call before giving him his own two cents on Adrien’s actions towards Marinette.

“Listen Adrien, you have to find her.” Gabriel said soothingly, placing his hands on Adrien’s shoulders, the young adult wincing at the pressure. “If you don’t, let’s just say you can say goodbye to your dream of being forever with your lady.”

------

Titus and Ace were enjoying another day out in the manor garden, laying by Nettie’s side as she meditated to her heart’s content. 

She was practicing this new technique that Damian’s friend Raven had taught her, when a noise caught Titus’ attention. With a single glance towards Ace, Titus went to investigate, quickly finding the source. Without a second to lose, Titus barked a command to Ace before sprinting towards the manor, knowing he had to find Damian, and fast.

Nettie was in danger.

------

Marinette breathed in and then out, focusing on her breathing when it came to a halt when she heard Ace growl and her name being spoken by the one person she never wanted to see again.

“Marinette.” 

Her focus snapped and she felt her entire being freeze. How did he find her? How did he-

“Marinette, I’m so sorry about leaving you there, for leaving you at the steps of the cathedral instead of being by your side like I promised to be. Because you were right. I hurt you and I’m sorry for that. I should’ve kept my promise and should have gathered the courage to push my nerves down.” Adrien continued when Marinette remained silent, her bluebells staring at her with unshed tears. “We were meant to be Marinette.” Adrien said softly. “Will you marry me?”

A wind blew around them, its whistle snapping Marinette back to the present.

“No.” Marinette quietly said, stepping away from Adrien, feeling Ace began to intensify his growl. “I don’t want to marry you Adrien. Not today, not tomorrow, never.”

“But Mari!” Adrien said, grabbing her arm. “We are meant to be.” Ace began barking madly, circling around the two.

“Adrien, let go!” Marinette exclaimed, biting down on her tongue as Adrien clawed his nails into her wrist.

“You’re. Coming. With.Me.” Adrien gritted through his teeth, pulling Mari towards him, only to yelp in pain when Ace bit him. “Damn mutt!” Adrien hissed, attempting to kick Ace, but failing. However, he did manage to grab Marinette again, even if it was by her hair. 

Marinette felt tears escape her eyes, placing her hands over his, lowering herself, twisting to face him and bring herself up, watching as his grasp on her hair loosened. She quickly kicked him on his knee, not turning back as soon as he howled in pain. 

However, she knew it wasn’t enough when he grabbed her again by her hair, causing her to jerk backward, holding in a yell as her entire scalp ached. 

Again, she twisted her shoulder towards him, punching his groin area and striking his back with her elbow and throwing him forward, where his face collided with the ground.

Without giving him a second to react, Marinette stood on his knees, pinning his arms behind him.

But she was a second too late.

He pushed her off of him, pushing her down by her throat.

Marinette pushed him off using her legs and punching his face as he flung off, launching herself at him to punch him again, turning him over and hooking her arms under his own, struggling to put both of her hands at the center of his back.

Establishing her position, Marinette grabbed both of his elbows, her arms still hooked and flipped him over, her body crossing his and holding him into an excruciating pin.

She ignored the yells and cries that escaped him, yelling at Marinette to let him go, to free him before things were going to get worse for her, but she added more force into her hold, screams piercing the garden.

Marinette didn’t know how much pressure she had put into her hold, nor when Adrien passed out nor when all the brothers got to her.

She didn’t know when she was pulled away from the pale Adrien and pulled into Tim’s arms, feeling circles being rubbed against her back as Tim whispered to her that she was alright, that she was safe. 

It wasn’t until she saw Titus and Ace at her side and Damian asking Tim if she was alright that Marinette finally understood that she was okay. That she was going to be alright.

The boys watched as Nettie broke down, her wails and sobs echoing throughout the garden, watching as she gripped Tim’s shirt and cried into it, Tim wrapping his arms around her frame, nuzzling his head against hers, continuing to whisper to her that everything was alright.

-------

“-and I will continue to hold my charges against A-”

Marinette turned off the television, staring at it. 

It was over.

Adrien was behind bars, the Agreste brand tarnished and cancelled, Gabriel now dealing with lawsuits thanks to his son’s actions.

She can finally move on...

A mug appeared before her, Nettie not having to look up to see who had brought it.

She took it, a frown still on her face.

“Do you regret it?” Tim asked, sitting beside her on the floor, laying his legs beneath the coffee table.

“Not one bit.” Nettie said, letting out a sigh. “I’m… actually glad I didn’t marry him.”

“Hmmm..” was all Tim could say, sipping his own cup of coffee. “So, what now?”

“I… don’t know.” Nettie said thoughtfully. “Actually… I do know.” She said, turning to him. Tim blinked as she leaned into him, placing a kiss on his forehead.

A spark ran through Tim, making him balance his reaction between freezing upon being kissed and holding onto the mug he had in his hand. “Thank you… for everything.”

Tim remained silent as Marinette got up and left the room, leaving her mug behind.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but when he did get up, he ran.

He ran to where she could’ve been, where she used to be, but didn’t find her anywhere within the manor. 

Her room was empty, but her things remained, the plushies she gave still on the wall.

As he got to the foyer, he found Damian, who seeked comfort in Titus.

“Damian. Ha-Have. You. Seen. Nettie?” He asked between pants, getting a frown from him.

“She just left.”

“Where?”

“She said she was heading back to Paris. Something about- hey!” Damian yelled as Tim ruffled his hair and sprinted out the door.

Please let him get to her...

-----

“-passengers for flight 6236 to Paris please go to Terminal 3.”

Marinette let out a sigh as she grabbed her luggage and started to walk towards her gate when the announcement tone rang again.

“-I promise it’s going to be quick!” A voice echoed through the intercom.

“Tim?”

“Ne-Marinette! Please. Don’t go.” His voice said, Marinette feeling her chest ache upon hearing his voice crack. “I know we’ve only known each other for a short amount, but hear me out.” She listened as he took a breath. “I love you.”

Marinette dropped something, but she didn’t know what. It didn’t matter.

“Even before we met in person, I was enthralled by your work, your delicateness when you sewed and when you would bake things.”

Run.

“I remember when you broke down during your video and spent the entire two hours explaining why you were crying, making me want to find out where you lived to tell you that everything was going to be fine and that everything was going to work out.”

Run!

“I remember when you won your first fashion competition for Audrey. I cried when you showed off your winning designs that you worked day in and day out, the days that you spent working on designs you drew with your prickled covered hands and sprained wrist.”

Find him!

“I remember when you eagerly shared with us how you planned to debut, going into details about your launch before you panicked because you let out confidential information, saying how you wanted to remain a mystery to the public. You didn’t want anyone to know who you truly were until you felt comfortable about it.” 

Where was he?

“Then when I met you,” A pause. “Even with your dress tattered and ripped, with your hair ruly and out of it’s crown  and your eyes red to the brim, I was still captivated by your beauty.”

There he was. 

Marinette allowed herself to breath, panting heavily as she walked up to the booth where Tim was, tears running down his face.

“The days we spent… I truly treasured… so please… don’t-”

“I’m not going anywhere.” “I’m not going anywhere.”

Marinette said, hearing her voice echo throughout the airport as she cupped Tim’s face into her hands, wiping his tears with her thumbs with such tenderness.

“I love you too.” “I love you too.”

With those words, she kissed him, soaking in the moment, feeling Tim place his own hands over hers, leaning in to deepen their kiss.

“I love you.”

[trashyocstash]

chapter 4 of the regency au fic

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

Rick and Julie sat down for another breakfast, when Rick's parents spoke up.

"You both must know that The Season has begun. So we better start heading off to London soon." Mr. Sanchez informed them.

“Already?” Julie was a bit surprised, as she hadn’t really been thinking about it.

Mrs. Sanchez nodded. “Yes, and when we arrive, it must be made clear that the two of you are engaged. We wouldn’t anyone attempting to court either of you.”

Julie nodded at this. “Will Miss Fitzgerald there too?”

Mrs. Sanchez chuckled. “Don’t worry, she will be.”

She smiled at this, feeling glad her friend would be there, knowing it would certainly make her feel better about being in a crowd.

------------------

The four of them arrived in London, although it wasn't time for a ball just yet. First came riding horses in Hyde Park, and later came time for dinner, before seeing an opera. Finally, it came time for a ball.

Once they all stepped inside, Rick's parents immediately headed off to the card room, leaving Rick and Julie by themselves. He turned over to look at Julie and noticed how shy and nervous she seemed.

"Y-You ever been t-to one of these before?" He asked.

"Yes...it's just...I don't like crowds. No amount of social gatherings I've had to go can change this it seems.." She replied in a quiet voice.

Rick wasn't sure what to say, so he simply placed a hand on her back and began rubbing it in an attempt to comfort her. Julie smiled at him, and took his hand, before they walked over to the crowd to dance together.

During a courtship, you weren't allowed to dance more than three times, or about thirty minutes, or else it would be assumed you were engaged. So, to signal their engagement, Rick and Julie ended up dancing together for quite a while. They were stared at, but Rick distracted Julie enough with their dancing so that she wouldn't notice and get nervous again. He, on the other hand, didn't really care about getting stared at, and slightly basked in the attention he was getting.

While they danced, Julie finally noticed her friend Diane was there, dancing with a man she didn't recognize, and it put a smile on her face.

Unbeknownst to both, Ursula was watching them, hatred in their eyes. A plan quickly formed into their mind, and they walked to the dance floor and over to Rick and Julie. They ripped Rick away from Julie and started dancing with him, leaving her alone.

"Did you miss me?" They giggled mischievously.

"Not really n-no."

Ursula ignored this. "I heard you got engaged to Red over there. You should break it off and come back to me."

Rick shook his head. "I can't. Even if I wanted to, the engagement was arranged."

"You...don't even want to?" Ursula was taken aback.

"I moved on. You should too." Rick shoved them away, but Ursula wasn't about to give up.

"We could have an affair on the side." They suggested.

Rick was enraged by this suggestion and started yelling at them.. "What did I just say? I moved on! I'm not interested! It's over! Get the fuck away from me!" He then stormed off right back over to Julie.

Everyone there watched them, and their eyes drifted to Rick as he went back to Julie, before resuming dancing.

Julie placed a hand on his shoulder and gently caressed it in an attempt to relax him. "What's with her?" She asked.

"Them." Rick corrected. "And they were in the courtship with me that went into turmoil."

"I guess they refuse to let go?" Julie shrugged.

Rick sighed. "I just want them to leave me alone."

"That's alright, maybe we can leave early, go do something else?" She suggested.

A smile formed on Rick's face. "Sounds good to me."

Ursula watched them go and was furious. In their mind, Rick was now in love with Julie and dedicated to her. And well...they decided that just wouldn't do. Something had to be done about her.

--------------

Rick and Julie left the ball and returned back to the estate after a long carriage ride. It was dark, so Julie had fallen asleep and had rested her head on Rick's forehead. It had made him a  blushing mess, and he found her adorable while sleeping.

It was getting harder to deny that he was developing feelings for her. They had already done things together like dancing, riding horses, watching plays and operas together, and riding in a carriage together. Rick tended to be closed off with his feelings, but it was getting harder to do so with her. He had simply let her sleep on him, and relished in having her so close.

When they arrived back, he shook her awake and her eyes fluttered open. Julie let out a yawn and stretched her arms out. "Did I...fall asleep?" She quickly realized.

"Yeah," Rick chuckled. "Don't b-blame y-you though."

Julie smiled and giggled before they headed inside together. It was dark, so Rick lit up some candles for them to see.

"What should we do now?" She asked curiously.

Rick thought for a moment. "Hmm..how about some music? I know you can play the piano, but I can play something too."

"What do you play?"

"Guitar." He flashed her a grin, and Julie grinned back.

She moved over to the piano and sat down, while Rick went and got his guitar. Then, they both started playing their instruments together, finding harmony and soon were playing in rhythm.

Julie was happy to see they had something in common: they both loved music and playing it. It gave Julie some hope that things might just work out between them in the end after all.

Once they finished playing, Rick walked up to Julie and gave her a kiss on the check before walking off.

Julie was surprised by this and went over to him. "Wait, why did you kiss me?"

"Just a little thank you gift." He smirked.

"For what?"

He paused. "For...sticking by me I guess."

She smiled and kissed him back shyly. "Guess I should return it."

-------------

When the ball had finished, Rick's parents had found Rick and Julie were nowhere to be found, so they asked Diane where they went off to.

"Ursula came back and Rick caused a scene out of anger. I guess he and Julie decided to leave because of it." She explained.

Mr. Sanchez sighed. "Her again huh? Well, do you know where they went?"

"Probably back to the estate." Diane shrugged.

Mr. Sanchez then turned to Mrs. Sanchez. "We better get back home."

--------------

When they arrived home, they looked around the house, until they found Rick and Julie sleeping in the same room together. Julie was on her bed and Rick had fallen asleep on a nearby chair.

"I didn't expect this so early!" Mrs. Sanchez exclaimed. They may not have been in the same bed together, but in her eyes, sleeping in the same room together was still intimate enough.

"We should be glad about this though. Our son is finally getting himself together because of her. Maybe this will work out after all." Mr. Sanchez replied.

"You have a point.." She agreed. "Let's hope it does after all." The two then returned to their own room, hopeful that their unruly son would finally be "ruly" again.

[chainsawbettyloo]

Title: Marriage is What Brings Us Together Today 

Pairing: SidLink

Tags: Marriage, Fluff, Sweetness, Kissing

Summary: The day has finally come! Prince Sidon and Link are about to be married. However, before the wedding can take place, there is a little tradition that must be held beforehand. Those involved in the marriage must meet before the vows are exchanged and reveal any information that might have otherwise be withheld. 

A/N: Thank you for the request, too-tsun!! I’m sorry this took so long! I ultimately chose marriage and hope you like it! 

This is also posted over on AO3 so if you’d like to read it there! Reblogs, comments and kudos are very much appreciated! 

-

He was 50% certain that there was a 100% chance of him projectile vomiting.

Lying flat on his back, Link stared up at the ceiling and tried very hard to quell the insane whirling of nausea revolving in his stomach. The light, modest breakfast he had eaten just an hour past was turning on him, maliciously attacking his insides in a desperate attempt to be free of the confines of his stomach. Zelda had, thankfully, brought along some kind of sweet tasting medicine that was supposed to help out with ailments such as the one he was currently suffering from but it hadn’t kicked in quite yet.

He was starting to get nervous that the medicine would be late in coming to his rescue. Unlike the novels he read as a youth, it seemed as though there wasn’t going to be a miraculous, last second arrival of the hero to save the day. Turning his head slowly, he glanced over at the large, magnificent silver clock hanging on the wall and noted that it was half past eight in the morning.

His wedding was at nine. There was perhaps 10-15 minutes left for him to get his ruly stomach under control, then less than 5 to get dressed up in the ceremonial ornaments that were absolutely necessary to wear and finally, a short breath of time to make it down to the King’s Chambers where he and Sidon would be officially wed, united in holy matrimony by King Dorephan himself, in front of what would most likely be a large crowd, since it was the Zora Prince and the Champion of Hyrule being married after all. Not exactly a spectacle that many would want to miss, though, thankfully, the guest list had been limited to only local Zora and those personally invited by Link or Sidon, though that still left a fairly large sum of people standing witness.

Obviously, this was no time for his stomach to be throwing a hissy fit. Pulling in a slow, deep breath, Link turned his attention back to the ceiling. A cool breeze blew in through the open windows, causing the sheer white curtains to flutter and bringing with it the faint scents of ocean water, woodsmoke and some kind of sweet smelling food being cooked. He was certain that preparations for the celebration of their wedding were coming to a close and the final, finishing touches were being made as time tick tocked ever closer to the moment when both he and Sidon would say ‘yes’.

The very last thing he wanted was to hurl his guts up on the probably newly polished floor, in front of Sidon and the King and a multitude of watching eyes. There were a lot of memories he wanted to make during his wedding; vomiting profusely was not one of them. Letting his eyes fall closed, he sternly commanded his stomach to calm itself but to no avail. It whirled and twirled and mocked him in a way that made him want to reach into his own body and give it a hearty smack. This was a day he had been waiting so long for, how dare it turn on him in such an inopportune moment!

And, even worse, he didn’t even understand why. He wasn’t nervous about being wed, far from it! There weren’t any words that existed that could express how utterly ecstatic he was to be Sidon’s husband. He longed for time to pass even more quickly so that the announcement that they had been wed would finally be heard by his own ears, Sidon would take him into his arms and they would share a kiss before celebrating their hearts out. After that, there was a special little place further into Zora’s Domain that was reserved especially for them, where they were going to spend their honeymoon together, completely separate from the rest of the world, able to just enjoy one another without anyone interrupting.

There wasn’t a single part of him, not a smallest fiber of his being, that was nervous about this evolution, this step forward towards something entirely new, entirely different. Instead, what every single part of him, down to the smallest fiber, felt was intense, breathtaking love for his soon to be husband and tingling excitement for what was to come. He didn’t know why his stomach was being the odd one out but he was determined to overcome it!

“What are you doing, Link?” A familiar voice asked from somewhere above him.

Jolting slightly with surprise, Link’s eyes flew open to find that, at some point, Sidon had quietly entered the room and was standing over him, peering down with a concerned, albeit confused expression on his handsome face. Around his neck and chest were already strung the ceremonial ornaments - a collection of silver and gold lengths of tightly woven beads, adorned with blue and white gems. The ones he would be wearing were similar, though the gemstones for his were blue and purple. He wasn’t entirely sure what the ornaments signified - he had tried asking but was only met with vague, unhelpful responses, which wasn’t uncommon - but he imagined that it had to be something important, just given the dazzle of the ornaments themselves and the absoluteness of having to wear them.  

Smiling slightly, he said, “We’re not supposed to see each other until the wedding starts.”

“Is that so?” Sidon replied lightly, gracefully sitting down on the floor next to Link, “Well, perhaps that’s a tradition in Hyrule but here, it’s considered bad luck for the marrying couple to not speak before the vows are given.”

“Is that so?” Link parroted, “What are we supposed to talk about?”

“Well, the thought is that if there is anything that needs to be said before the vows are exchanged, now is the time to say it. If there are secrets or information that has been withheld or something like that, they’re, supposedly, meant to be spoken now.”

“Huh.” He replied, reaching up to take one of Sidon’s large hands into his own. Long, slender fingers immediately wrapped snuggly around his hand before it was brought up to Sidon’s lips and a sweet, gentle kiss was pressed against his wrist, “Do you have anything to tell me?”

Sidon lovingly stroked the back of Link’s hand with his thumb, tilted his head inquisitively, his expression one of light pondering and said, “First time I saw you, when we met at the bridge outside of Zora’s Domain, there was a small voice of doubt in the back of my head that believed you would be unable to defeat the Divine Beast.”

Link snorted, “That’s not a secret or confession. If I saw a runt of a guy running around with dirty clothes and an old sword, I would have thought the same.” Turning, he smiled warmly up at Sidon and continued, “Thank you for, at least, pretending to believe in me, though. All the encouragement you gave me did truly help.”

Sidon returned the smile with one just as warm, “I’m glad to hear it. Just so you know, the doubt of your abilities were quickly dashed. The moment you started moving towards Zora’s Domain, I truly began to see just how capable and magnificent you were. Within no time at all, those praises were genuine.”

“Happy to know I didn't disappoint.” Link teased gently. Stretching out his legs, wincing a little as his stomach sent out yet another wave of nausea, he asked, “So, do you actually have a confession about something? Or have we been open books for the entirety of our relationship?”

Once again, Sidon paused, thought for a little while before speaking up, his voice soft and steady, “I came very close to not confessing my feelings to you. The guilt over pursuing someone my sister had loved so dearly was nearly enough to make me hold my tongue. I truly and deeply loved you but I didn’t want to betray my sister’s memory.”

“What changed your mind?” Link asked.

“I had a dream.” Sidon replied after a short pause. “In that dream, both you and Mipha appeared. Without a word, just a gentle smile, she brought our hands together. It was then I understood. My sister would only wish for the happiness of you and I. Fate led her to be taken from us, but we’re still alive and she would want us to act without regret.” Placing a hand over his chest, Sidon bowed his head and closed his eyes, “I could feel that so strongly in my heart that I knew to not act would be the real betrayal. In the morning, I called for you and when you stood before me, I told you my true feelings without hesitation. Part of me was so scared that you would say no but I,” He opened his eyes and smiled lovingly down at Link, reaching down to lightly brush the backs of his fingers along the curve of his cheek, “wanted to act, wanted to speak. No matter what the response would be, I didn’t want to hide or remain silent anymore.”

Warmth bloomed inside of his chest. A wide, vibrant smile spread across his face, his cheeks aching from just how big his grin was. Reaching up, he took hold of Sidon’s hand, turned his head and placed a light kiss against his knuckles, “I’m so glad you decided to.”

“As am I.” Leaning down, he pressed a warm, soft kiss against Link’s lips. “I’m so happy, Link.”

Lifting his head up slightly so he could return the kiss with one of his own, Link whispered back, “Me too. I never thought I’d ever be able to feel like this.”

Chuckling softly, Sidon leaned back, his golden eyes glowing with love and warmth, a soft, easy smile on his face, “Now, it’s your turn. Do you have anything you want to confess to me?”

Distractedly scratching his cheek, Link remained silent for a moment, running through a lists of things he could possibly tell Sidon that either were worth mentioning or weren’t things he hadn’t already told him. In all honesty, he had tried to be as open and forthcoming with Sidon as possible. Talking hadn’t always been easy for me, especially during his years fighting against Calamity Ganon but they had found their own way to communicate until he had felt comfortable with his words.

There was really only one thing he had never told him, mostly out of sheer embarrassment. But he wasn’t too sure if this was the right time and place for it. After all, Sidon had just confessed a deeply intimate truth about himself (one that Link had somewhat already been aware of but still, it was the thought and the emotions behind the confession that counted) so it didn’t exactly feel appropriate to be bring it up.  

Shifting slightly, he hesitantly said, “I do but it’s nowhere near as profound as your’s...”

“That’s fine. It’s not like it has to be earth shattering. What is it?”

He paused for a moment more before turning away slightly, the tips of his ears going hot, still not entirely sure if he should be bringing it up and murmured, “The night after I met you, I dreamt about us having sex.”

There was a split second of silence, during which he was very certain he had said the wrong thing, Sidon was going to take offense to him not taking this moment seriously when suddenly, the Zora Prince burst out laughing. Loud, joyful guffaws filled the room, echoing off the walls as the he doubled over, one hand pressed over his chest, his shoulders bouncing hard with the force of his laughter. Smiling himself, soft, neatly restrained chuckles tumbling from his lips, utterly relieved that Sidon obviously wasn’t upset but his cheeks hot with embarrassment, Link reached up to cover his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“I was not expecting that!” Sidon gasped out between laughs. “Did you truly?”

Link nodded, immediately regretting his decision to speak, though happy he was able to make Sidon laugh so heartily, “Truly.”

“Was I any good, in your dream, that is?” Sidon asked playfully.

“All I’ll say is that I had to wash my underwear out in the morning.”

Sidon snorted, “What about compared to when we actually did have sex?”

“Dream did not even come close.” Link admitted, his cheeks hot enough to cook raw meat, “Didn’t hold a candle to the real thing.”  

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, at least. But truly? Right after we had met? My first intimate dream about you wasn’t until a month after.”

Rubbing his fingers against his eyebrows, he murmured, “I fell for you at first sight.”

He heard Sidon inhale a sharp, startled breath. Strong, warm hands suddenly grasped his wrists, gently pulling his hands away to reveal his very red face. Leaning over so that he was hovering over Link, a small, teasing grin on his handsome face, Sidon said, his tone soft, “Say again? I couldn’t hear you.”

There was no doubt about it. He had definitely made a mistake by speaking up but there was no going back from it now. Turning his head away slightly, he repeated, his voice louder and firmer this time, “I fell for you at first sight.”

“Did you fall hard for me, Link?”

“Head over heels after just one smile.”

Sidon’s smile widened, revealing his sharp, white teeth. At the sight of them, Link’s heart fluttered in his chest. Frowning slightly up at his soon to be husband, he tried to convey through his gaze that he knew Sidon was taking advantage of one of his many weakness, though this just earned him an even better view of the Zora Prince’s pearly whites as his grin widened further still. A playful glimmer appeared in Sidon’s golden eyes as he leaned down and placed a warm, firm kiss against Link’s lips.

“Did you yearn for me, my beloved little Hylian?” Sidon whispered, his lips brushing tantalizingly against Link’s. “Did you spend your days thinking of me? Wanting to be near me? Wanting to be touched, to be kissed by me?”

“Of course.” He replied, trying to remain calm but unable to deny the sudden rapid rate of his heart, the heat spreading through his limbs and the excitement humming at the back of his mind, “I thought that’d be obvious.”

“It is, but it is so much more satisfying to hear you say it aloud.”

“You’re such an odd one.” Link chuckled. “I thought the purpose of this conversation was to reveal stuff we don’t know about each other.

Sidon laughed as well, pulling back slightly to smile down at Link, “That makes us a perfect match, does it not? And it is, but there really isn’t that much to say, is there? So why not have some fun with it?”

“You’re the only one who’s having fun here.” Link replied, though with no real bite to his words.

“Yes, it seems that way.” The Zora Prince breathed, brushing his lips against Link’s once more, “I’ll have to make it up to you after the celebrations have ended tonight. Just one more question.”

“Oh gods,” He groaned, dreading what embarrassing question the Zora Prince was going to ask him next but knowing there was no way out of it, “what?”

“When I confessed to you, told you everything, did you have any doubts about having a relationship with me?”

“No, none.” He replied simply, surprised at the sudden serious question but relieved it didn’t have to do with his mortifying earlier admission.

“None?” Sidon asked, his voice conveying a slight hint of disbelief.

Link shrugged, “I had made my mind up long before you confessed that if you ever presented an opportunity, even the slightest chance of something beyond friendship between us, I would take it. I knew the chances were slim, and that it could end in heartache but I was willing to take that risk.” Reaching up, he cupped Sidon’s face in his hands, his thumbs lightly brushing over his smooth, cool cheeks, “Just as you didn’t want to live in inaction, the same could be said for myself. I didn’t want anything to pass me by, to slip through my fingers. I loved you too much to lose my chance with you.”

Sidon’s eyes widened, a brilliant sparkle of happiness shining within the golden depths, his expression one of pleasant surprise. To Link’s satisfaction, a deep hue of red colored the Zora Prince’s pale cheeks. After all the blushing he had done earlier, it felt only fair that Sidon got a little red as well. A small smile tugged at his lips as he gently pulled Sidon down and pressed their mouths together in a warm, simple kiss. Breath brushed softly along his skin as Sidon exhaled slowly, pushing deeper into the kiss. Slipping one arm underneath Link’s back, he easily tugged him up until their chests met or rather, Link’s stomach met Sidon’s chest, wrapped his long, muscular arms firmly around his back, squeezed him tightly and whispered, “No doubts at all, then?”

Link slowly shook his head, his arms loosely twining around Sidon’s broad shoulders, “None. I’ve lost too much, Sidon. I wasn’t going to allow doubt or regret force me to lose anymore.”

Trailing gentle little kisses along the lines of Link’s face, Sidon murmured, “You’re incredible, Link.”

He snorted, “More like I’m too stubborn.”

“That too,” Sidon agreed with a soft smile before planting a kiss on the tip of Link’s nose, “but I love that part as you.”

“Only that part?” Link asked teasingly.

“All parts, down to the very smallest fiber of your being.”

Snuggling closer to his soon to be husband, ignoring the slight discomfort of the ceremonial ornaments digging into his skin, Link rested his cheek on Sidon’s shoulder, breathed out deeply and said, “Good.”

“Could do without your reckless disregard for your own safety, however.”

Laughing loudly, Link pulled back and grinned mischievously up at the Zora Prince, “Well, as my husband, that’s something you’re just going to have to weed out of me.”

Sidon returned the smile, “Oh, I plan on it but for now, I believe we might be out of time. What does the clock say?”

Glancing over the Zora Prince’s shoulder, Link made an exaggerated grimace, “We might be in trouble. There’s only a couple of minutes left until the wedding is supposed to start.”

“No worries,” Sidon said easily, setting Link back down and gracefully standing. Holding out a hand to Link, he pulled him up, lightly brushed off the back of his shirt before straightening, smiling, “Last I heard, the preparations were running a bit late so we should still have enough time left. Now,” the Zora Prince clapped his hands together, “let’s get you ready. It is tradition that each individual in the marriage puts on the ceremonial ornaments themselves so I can only give you verbal directions.”

“That’s fine, just let me know if I’m botching it.” Striding over to the chair which held the length of beads that were his to wear, Link carefully picked them up, turned back to Sidon, lifted them up slightly but abruptly stopped when he realized that, at some point, his stomach had finally decided to stop protesting. While he could still feel a hint of nausea, the 50% certainty of a 100% chance of him hurling had dropped significantly, almost to an inconsequential level. He could tell that he would probably need to be careful of what he ate during the celebration, just to make sure that his stomach didn’t turn on him again. Still, an immense wave of relief washed over him with that realization.

Thankfully, it looked as though his wedding was not going to be ruined by projectile, half dissolved food.

“Is something wrong?” Sidon asked, stepping towards him, one hand reaching up to lightly stroke the curve of his jaw.

Link smiled, shook his head and said, “Nope, nothing. I’m just really excited.”

“As am I. I’ve waited for this day for too long.” Sidon chuckled softly, “It sounds cliche but it feels like a dream.” Leaning down, he pressed a soft, sweet, warm kiss against Link’s lips before pulling back and whispering, “And if it is one, I sincerely hope I never wake from it.”

Snorting softly, he gently bumped their noses together, “You’re so sappy.”

“Yes, and you absolutely adore that.”

“I do,” Link laughed, stepping back and holding up the ornaments, “now, how about you instruct me how to put these on? We’re running out of time.”

“As you wish, my love.” Sidon replied with a wide smile. After giving Link another kiss, he stepped back and with the small hand mere ticks away from nine, began instructing his soon to be husband.