#he looks a bit ill in twilight

[stxr-slut]

I can't watch twilight when bella keeps rejecting jacob cos I'm just sat there screaming like

"ID CHOOSE YOU!! ID WOULD ! BITCH ARE YOU INSANE??"

Every single time this man comes on screen I'm giggling and smiling like "HIII POOKS !!"

[luck-of-the-drawings]

OH ARTHUR BENNETT.. such a gorgeous and intriguing character. terribly burdened by a GRUESOME set of crimes, his light suffocated by a HEAVY century of GUILT. so tragic, so dark and broody, and yet PAINFULLY awkward in any social setting ever

[sleepyskeleton-0]

A scream ripped through camp. Warriors was up in an instant, heart pounding out of his chest. Everyone was awake now.

Hyrule sat up, sweat beading along his brow and body trembling to no end. He shook so violently that he couldn’t even hold the flask of water Wild had tried to give him (he took it back and thought it best to make tea instead).

Once Wars got to the traveler, the tears started to fall.

“I’m fine” he said softly, and goddess, how heartbreaking it felt for the captain, listening to a voice so calm come from such a frightened teenager.

Legend sat next to the two with a soft blanket and a bucket in his arms. He set the bucket in Hyrule’s lap.

“It’s okay, it’s all gonna be okay” vet mumbled, then turned his head, feeling ill listening to the sounds of throwing up.

Instead, he looked around. Time was walking around making sure everyone else was okay. Twilight had gone to Wind, who looked rattled by the sudden scream, and was now trying to comfort him.

Sky had fallen back asleep not long ago. Figures, Legend thought, he’d had a rough week.

Wild was sat by the fire brewing herbal tea for Hyrule; and Four, who likely wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again without it.

When the sounds of heaving ceased, he turned back. Wars picked up the bucket, “I’m gonna do a quick lap, I’ll be back in half an hour or so,” he collected his sword on his way out of camp.

Four took his place and leaned up against Hyrule. The weight was welcome, it seemed, so Legend did the same.

“ ‘m sorry-”

“Don’t even start. We’ve had this conversation before, ‘Rule. People react and deal with nightmares in different ways. I hyperventilate, Four dissociates for a bit,” (smithy nodded) “and you get ill. It’s not a big deal. I mean, fucking hell, we’re heroes. Don’t you think we’re allowed to feel pain?”

Hyrule sniffled, tears dried up. He has a point, I suppose.

Legend’s words were, in fact, true. Still, he found it hard to internalise those thoughts. As a hero, he felt he constantly had to instill a brave, almost unbreakable facade for everyone else. It seemed surreal, being surrounded by people who knew exactly how he felt, and being encouraged to be himself for once. It felt good, but he often had to remind himself that it was okay to do so.

“Here, made it just the way you like”

Wild passed all three of them mugs of warm tea.

“Made one for you too Lege. Thought you’d also want one.”

“Thanks.”

It was how they liked it. Hyrule with a drop of honey, Four’s had mint leaves, and Legend liked his tea with 6 sugars (ironically).

One by one, over the course of the next hour, all the boys fell back to sleep (except for Wild, who resumed second watch).

-

Wars had taken longer than expected, he realised, but the perimeter was all clear… and so was the bucket.

When he got back to the others, a wolf lay with a tiny sailor, three empty mugs were set to the side, and any pre-existing tear tracks had long since been wiped away.

[hyukakisses]

— emo beomgyu as tate langdon

pairings: emo beomgyu x fem reader

plot: random headcanons of tate langdon beomgyu x fem reader

warnings: mentally ill/lovesick oreo gyu (my brand), sweet reader (also my brand), reader is also a little bit unwell, coquette reader (my brand sorry guys), ghost beomgyu, watered down tate langdon beomgyu basically, characters are virgins, faint smut

you absolutely hated your new house. you hated how dark and gloomy everything was. what was your parents’ obsession with the color black anyway? you preferred to be in the walls of your pretty pink bed room more than anything now because of the new area.

you also would hear faint footsteps and maybe people talking coming from your attic but whatever you were probably just hearing things “i think i have mommy issues” beomgyu randomly inquires to the hidden ghosts around the house. “you guys know a therapist?”

if you weren’t a scaredy cat then you can definitely consider yourself one now with the way your heart jumped out of your chest at the sight of an unknown male in your living room. “a-and you are?” you ask with a shaky voice, cursing yourself for having anxiety. “im beomgyu, your dad’s my therapist” the oreo haired male replies with a small smile making you relax a bit.

from that day on beomgyu knew he was enchanted by you, always bringing you up to your father hoping for any little information about you. “are you ready to talk about to talk about your relationship with your mother?” “your daughter’s over eighteen right?” “yes but what exactly does that have to do with your mother?”

beomgyu liked to watch you throughout the house, you were so different compared to him. the way you wore pink and collected plushies really just made the emo boy like you more.

beomgyu couldn’t help himself when he saw you laying peacefully on your bed reading the manga nana he thought you looked so sweet and vulnerable. “can i read with you?” his smile grew at your scared face, “did i scare you? your dad said i could hangout with you after our session” lie but whatever

beomgyu would use trauma dumping as a way of getting closer to you; at first you thought that was a bit weird but you brushed it off.

the boy was extremely emo but that’s okay because you liked how he was in touch with his emotions. you thought beomgyu was so cool and emotional mature

when you found out you beomgyu never received a gift before you immediately went to your front yard cutting fresh flowers. “i painted it black, i know you don’t like normal things” you hand a black painted rose to beomgyu this action making him stammer out a “you’re the first girl to get me a flower”

you were shocked when beomgyu opened up about being a ghost to you; “why didn’t you tell me sooner?”“because how does one exactly tell somebody that ‘hey im a ghost wanna hookup?”’

definitely into soft sex and the nurturing type. praising you and trying his best to pleasure you even if he’s a loser virgin too :( “did it hurt? i heard losing your virginity as a girl usually does” beomgyu would ask you with his puppy eyes genuinely worried he hurt you

on halloween he takes you to the beach, beomgyu doesn’t really like swimming much less the ocean but he thinks the beach is peaceful at night

he would definitely be the little spoon but if you were having a bad day he would rush to big spooning you; letting you use him as a human teddy bear/tissue

definitely a homebody (not like he had much of a choice), you two would watch twilight on loop while listen to his favorite bands such as the neighborhood, arctic monkeys and nirvana

beomgyu is the over protective type when he finds you’ve been bullied in highschool he goes ballistic and lures your tormenters into the house and scares them into leaving you alone with the house’s supernatural elements.

at first you were a bit frightened at what beomgyu did but nonetheless you thanked him with a hug, you thought beomgyu going as far as attacking the people who hurt you was the most romantic thing ever

definitely steals your dad’s credit cards to get you gifts delivered to the house, because if they wanted they would

beomgyu was insecure at times needing your reassurance; “are you planning on leaving me? you’re all i want and all i have you know” “i’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want” his teary eyes bore into yours before you gently run your fingers through his hair reassuring him that you loved him ):

a/n: it’s tate langdon ahs fall season until december 1st idc

[nightghoul381]

Dark If ~ Ellis Twilight

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Bitter End | Premium End | Epilogue

In this country, time, which had been stopped by Jude’s magic, started moving as soon as I woke up…

My father said that he would begin looking for a husband for me to marry to ensure the prosperity of the country.

Jude the Wizard: “’The Thorn Princess of a country where time has stopped for 100 years is looking for a husband.’”

Jude the Wizard: “’The Princess is the most beautiful woman in all the land’…Who?”

Jude frowned as he read the ad and compared the picture of the beautiful woman with me.

Ellis of Thorns: “It’s talking about Kate. This picture doesn’t look like her though.”

Kate: “I-I see. Father was so enthusiastic that he had an artist draw it, so it’s been a bit beautified…”

Ellis of Thorns: “…? No. The real Kate is far cuter and more beautiful.”

Kate: “Ellis…”

Jude the Wizard: “Are your eyes rotten?”

Ellis of Thorns: “Thank you for giving me eyes that see how beautiful Kate is, Jude.”

Jude the Wizard: “Tch… Whatever. So, what are you going to do now?”

Ellis of Thorns: “I’ll try for her hand too. I’m the only one who’ll make Kate happy.”

And then, a few days later, the selection of my husband began at the royal castle.

Host: “After overcoming various challenges, the winner is—”

Host: “Of unknown origin! The mysterious wizard’s assistant ‘Ellis of Thorns’!!”

During the competition, an opponent who tried to win by any means necessary, tried to poison him, but since Ellis was a plant, the poison didn’t work on him…

It seemed like he had studied everything about me and humans for the last 100 years, and his knowledge was outstanding.

(All that’s left is to have my father approve it…!)

King: “…Ellis of Thorns, I do not recognize you as Kate’s husband.”

Kate: “Wh-Why not…?”

King: “Because…”

Ellis of Thorns: “I once read in a book that fathers get lonely when their daughters get married.”

Kate: “But it was my father who wanted me to get married?”

King: “Well… seeing a potential husband in front of me, I feel a sense of loneliness…”

Kate: “Father…”

I was shocked at the reason, but I was aware that I was raised with care from a young age…

I couldn’t ignore my father’s feelings because I’d already caused him so much worry.

Ellis of Thorns: “Should we stop the selection of a husband? It seems that the King still needs some time with his daughter.”

Ellis of Thorns: “No matter how many years, how many centuries… I’ll always be waiting for the day I can be united with Kate.”

Kate: “Ellis…”

King: “…You’ve found a good match, Kate.”

King: “Please wait a little while longer before getting married. However, I will allow Ellis to become Kate’s fiancé.”

--

Ellis of Thorns: “You look gloomy… would it have been better to get married instead of being engaged?”

After returning to his room in the castle, Ellis asked his question.

Ellis of Thorns: “If you want to get married right now, I’ll kidnap you…Just tell me anytime.”

I thought it was a joke, but Ellis’ eyes were serious…

(I’m sure Ellis would grant any wish I ask of him.)

Kate: “I don’t care about marriage.”

I was more interested in the story of the Thorn Princess.

(The story should have ended happily with the prince waking the sleeping princess with a kiss.)

(But this world has strayed far from the original story…)

In the story of the Thorn Princess, it would be impossible for a thorn to become engaged to a Princess.

(I had to put it off because of my illness and the search for a marriage partner…)

(I wonder if it’s okay to deviate from the story of the Thorn Princess like this.)

Ellis of Thorns: “I’ve heard that human lovers and family members share both good times and bad.”

Ellis of Thorns: “So… I want you to share your troubles with me.”

I hesitated a little about whether it would be okay for me to tell Ellis about the other world and the story, but…

Kate: “…Got it.”

It was painful to keep secrets from Ellis, so I decided to tell him everything.

Ellis of Thorns: “That’s it…”

Kate: “Sorry, I know it’s hard to believe when you suddenly hear about another world.”

Ellis of Thorns: “There are so many strange things in this world, so I don’t think it’s strange.”

Ellis of Thorns: “If you say it’s true, Kate, I’ll believe you… even if no one else in the world does.”

Kate: “…, thank you.”

I felt relieved and at the same time, tears began to fall.

I had memories of living in both England and this fairy tale land.

But I wanted to live in a world where Ellis, my beloved, was from now on…

I was also attached to my life in England, so I was happy that he believed my story.

Ellis wiped away the tears that had fallen silently.

Ellis of Thorns: “If you’re worried about straying from the original story…I think it’s time to get back on track.”

Kate: “Back on track…?”

Ellis of Thorns: “Yeah. For example… every morning when you wake up, I’ll wake you up with a kiss.”

Kate: “Huh?”

Ellis of Thorns: “I thought that if I did that, it would be like the story of the girl who was woken with a kiss… Do you hate it?”

Kate: “I don’t mind, but… my heart feels like it’s going haywire.”

Ellis of Thorns: “Fufu… Should we practice?”

His eyes, the color of twilight, swayed mysteriously and before I knew it, our lips were touching.

A soft kiss, barely touching, was given several times before I was gently released.

Kate: “I’m not going to get used to it at all…”

Every time I felt the warmth and softness of Ellis’ lips, my heart rate just went up and I couldn’t calm down.

Ellis of Thorns: “…Let’s get used to it slowly.”

Saying that, Ellis lay down on the bed with me in his arms.

Kate: “Huh, Ellis…?”

Ellis of Thorns: “I want you to get used to me hugging you, not just kissing.”

Ellis of Thorns: “I want to hold you like this forever.”

Ellis of Thorns: “…I want to keep you locked in my arms.”

Even though he had a human form, when he held me in his arms like this, I felt like I was trapped in thorns.

Kate: “I like being held by you too, Ellis.”

Kate: “No matter what… Don’t let me go.”

Ellis of Thorns: “Okay…”

I couldn’t hear his heartbeat, and there were probably many things about him that were different from other people that I didn’t know about.

--But for me, being held captive by him was the best happy ending.

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Bitter End | Premium End | Epilogue

[xetlynn]

Twilight- The Switch of Daylight: Chapter Ten, Steam

(Alice x Reader x Jasper)

[Nine] [Ten] [Eleven]

I sat with Mike, Angela, Jessica and Eric like usual. Listening to them rant about the illness going around.

I then look up to see Bella carrying her tray of food to her normal table but then looks at us. I smile, encouraging her to do it. She takes a deep breath and joins us. I watch as the others take note but continue talking.

"I'll kill Tyler if he gave me his flu." Jessica threatens. "It's going around. My sister was so sick she couldn't come on our hike this weekend... so she didn't see it." Angela frowns, they were talking about a large animal. "Ang, maybe you should keep that to yourself." He whispers to her.

"We saw something Eric." Angela argues with him. "I believe you." He assures her. "No he doesn't. He's just trying to get lucky." Jessica calls him out.

"Is that an option?" Eric asks in a hopeful tone. "It was jet black and huge; on all fours it was still taller than a person. A bear maybe." She explains what it is and I stiffen up.

That's definitely one of the Quileute boys...

"Or Big Foot." Jessica interjects. "Or an alien. Lucky you didn't get probed." Mike jokes. "We saw it." Angela whispers and my face softens, I believe her but I can't be the one to speak up. "You're not the only one." Bella says, everyone then stares at her, shocked that she actually spoke up. "My dad's been getting reports at the sheriff's station. A couple hikers went missing. People are scared." She explains, everyone's now sitting a little straighter due to what she said. "I did hear some guy talking about it at the store." Mike admits. "Last time you clowns doubt my girlfriend." Eric puts his arm around Angela, now they all continue to another conversation.

Angela moths a thanks to Bella. Sharing a smile before they both join in. Bella rejoining the group again.

"You look scared." Jacob tells Bella, I stand there with my arms crossed. "I'm not." She's lying, she's now on one of their completed motorcycles, Jacob stands next to her, holding the bike up.

Now on the La Push forest clearing, a dirt road, Jacob runs through the instructions. "Brake?" She taps it. "Clutch?" She squeezes it. "Right. Gas?" She then grips it, he smiles up at her. "You ready?" She nods, he then grins, kick starting the bike. "Slowly release the clutch."

She does as told, the bike moves forward an inch. Jacob nervously steps back and she moves another inch forward. I notice her turning to find something. Her hand slipping off the clutch and the bike bucks and falls on top of her. Jacob and I quickly lift it off of her. "You okay? Bruises, breaks?" He questions her and I stare down at her. "I'm going again."  She tells us. "I'm not sure that's a good-" She's already up and hopping back on the bike. "Guess we're going again. Now what are you going to do with the clutch?" He asks her.

"Release it. Slowly." He nods, kick-starting the bike again. She releases the clutch and moves forward. Slowly at first.

Now she keeps going, a tiny bit faster. I notice as she is looking around and then the curve up ahead gets closer to her. "I don't- How do I turn!?" She yells to us. I drop my arms and I want to run to her but it would give myself away to Jacob. "Bank it! Bank- hit the brake!" He shouts. "Hit the break, Bella!" I scream. Both of us running to her. I try to match my pace with his, She reaches the turn, not banking and goes straight.

Flying right into a wall of trees. As she lies on the ground dazed, we hurry to her. "What are you training for the X-games?" He questions her. My nostril flares as I can already smell her blood. "I want to go again." She says. "Forget it. I'm revoking your motorcycle privileges. Man, look at your head." He tells her, I back away from the sight. Holding my nose. Normally blood doesn't affect me, but it's been a while since I've been hunting.

"God, I'm sorry." Bella shrinks as Jacob pulls his shirt off to wipe the blood. "You're apologizing for bleeding?" He questions her. "It uh bothers name." She points to me as I then pretend to gag at the sight.

Knowing it's really just making my mouth water like feigning animal. "[Name] you alright?" He asks me and I just put my thumb up. "I uh, I'm gonna go over there." I look away from them , hurrying away.

I go into the woods, far away from them. I can hear them talking but I know that they won't be able to hear me.

Shit, why haven't I gone hunting in so long. I feel the pain of smelling her blood. My nose stinging as my mouth waters tensely. I cover my mouth to muffle the sound of my groans.

I then see a deer walking, my body starting to shake as I try to control myself. I squeeze my eyes. Looking back to the entry of the forest. They can't see me. I'm going to have to not be messy with this. I then surprise attack the deer.

Wiping the blood off of my face, I cover the deer with leaves, cleaning myself off as well.

"[Name]!?" Jacob calls after me. I curse mentally. Checking myself one more time and I walk over to him.

"I'm right here." I laugh. "Sorry, blood really freaks me out. I had to throw up." I lie to him, walking up to him. His facial expression shows confusion. "You never had that problem when we were kids. You were the one who practically played doctor when one of us got hurt." He remembers and I bite my bottom lip thinking of what to say.

"Yeah, then in Arizona a kid broke his leg, bone out and all. I've gotten sick at the sight of blood ever since." I pick up a quick lie, he seems suspicious but shrugs it off, both of us leaving the area.

Charlie and I are watching a game, well more Charlie than I am. I'm more focused on Bella doing homework, she's on edge. Jacob hasn't respond to texts or calls after they went out to the movies together with Mike. She wanted me to go too since it was going to be awkward for her, knowing both boys like her. I refused though, not wanting to be caught up in that mess. She told me Jake wasn't feeling good at the end of the night, feeling extremely warm.

She's been trying to call him, she had the flu too so she wanted to make sure he's alright too.

As the next few days passed I heard her try to call him over and over again. Now we're in the kitchen, she left yet another message. Charlie comes into the room.

"Harry and I will be back by three." His sentence stops when he sees her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's mono, Bells." He softly reminds her. "He's too sick to even call?" She exclaims. "You just gotta wait it out. You know, I don't have to go fishing..." He says, even though he desperately wants to go. "No, go. I have [Name]. I'll just call Jessica or something." She forces a smile. "Good but you two stay here or at Jess's. No hikes or anything. We're issuing a warning about those bears." Charlie sternly tells us.

But of course Bella and I don't listen, After we watched Charlie and Harry leave we went to the woods. Bella tries to navigate her way to the meadow with a map and a compass. "You know I could just get the top of a tree and probably find it easily right?" I remind her, she just hums in response. I just let out a sigh, continuing to follow behind her. I know it's a wolf that everyone's seeing but I want Bella to feel a little safer so I can along.

After a while I see Bella notice the clearing ahead, hurrying towards it. Once she goes into the opening she seems hopeful. Like something... someone will be there waiting for her. She told me about the sun that would be out but instead it's cold, gloomy and cloudy. Bella sinks to her knees, I frown at the sight.

Before she can even cry, we hear a rustling noise. We turn towards it, I move my body to cover hers. Another noise coming from a different area of the woods. Then we turn to another noise and Laurent is a few yards away. My body stays in front of Bella.

"Laurent?" She questions.

"Bella. [Name]." He acknowledges my existence as well. "I must admit, I didn't expect to find you two here." He admits to us. "We live here. But you- I thought you were in Alaska with Carlisle's friend." She brings up.

"Tanya, I was. It was kind of him to arrange, given my association with James and Victoria. The enemy." He smiles to himself. "You tried to help us." Bella disagrees with the last part. Laurent begins to stroll in a slow arc around us. Bella grips onto the sleeve of my jacket. Every movement he makes I follow. "I went to visit the Cullen, but their house is empty. I'm surprised they left you two behind. As you were some sort of pet and you... you turned." He grins. "Congratulations." I roll my eyes in response. I begin to feel Bella's fear. "Um... something like that." She tells him.

"Do the Cullen visit often." He looks between the both of us. "Absolutely. All the time." Bella lies. Good call. "I'll tell them you stopped by." She's trying to soothe her body. I begin to focus on my energy while also on him. Any step closer and I'll tear his head off. "Will they be able to reach you in Alaska?" She questions.

"I don't think so. Tanya's vegetarian family was pleasant enough. But the dietary restrictions were difficult- living on nothing but animals." He then looks at me, smirking.

"Something you've been finding difficult lately, hm?" He whispers, only audible to me. I give him a look. I haven't tried human at all. What is he talking about?

"Tell me Bella. Do you ever fell compelled to cheat?" She tries to step back while also holding me but I keep my stance. "But that's not why I left. I came back here as a favor to Victoria." She

"You're still friends."

"More or less. She asked me to get the lay of the land with the Cullen. Because, well... I'm afraid Victoria is quite put out with you." He informs her. "That's too back." She responds. My eyes glare him down, he's not focused on me. He doesn't know my ability. "Yes. She feels it's only fair to kill Edward's mate, given he killed hers. Eye for an eye, mate for mate." He tells her, Bella's heart quickens each word he speaks.

"Edward will know who did it. He'll come after both of you." She knows to not bring up my ability. "I don't think he will. After all, how much could you mean to him if he left you here unprotected?" He then glances at me again, he thinks I'm not a threat. "Victoria sent me here for information. She won't be happy about my killing you." He hums. "No, Laurent..."

"No, no, no. Don't be upset. I'm doing you a kindness. Victoria plans on killing you both slowly. Painfully, whereas I'll make it very quick." I'm apart of it now too?

"And you smell so mouth watering." Laurent inhales my sisters scent which grosses me out. He then shoves me out of the way, taking Bella into his arms.

Shit.

I hear her whisper something. I stand up, then look over to see a black wolf. It's Sam. He skulks out of the darkness of the woods. Letting out a disturbingly deep growl, his sharp teeth gleaming. I smile at the sight of the others coming out. I go over to Sam. Laurent goes to bolt across the meadow. I use my ability to slow him down, weaken him.

"What is-" He stares back at me, noticing it's my doing. The wolves then spring out, seemingly towards Bella but then leap above her. It's impossible for Laurent to fight back as my ability weakened him into an almost human state.

"Run, Bella." I push her towards the way we came in. "What about you?" She panics. "They're good. It's okay." I tell her. She then runs like she was told.

Once she's out of sight I run to the mess they've made of Laurent. His limbs all over the place. Sam and who I think is Jacob come up to me. I smile.

"Good timing." I pet who I think is Jacob. "I'm sorry you turned." I sadly look at him. He whines a bit, backing away from my hand. Sam makes a low grumbling noise.

"I'll make the fire and then meet you guys at the rez." I tell the five wolves. Sam huffs. Paul comes up, purposely bumping into me, whipping me with his tail. "Hey, get going now." I order them.

Sam does a quiet howl, they make their way away from the scene and I pick up Laurents limbs, putting them in a pile.

After putting out the fire I rush back to my house. Charlie is already angrily storming out the door. "I'm going to the station, you want to come?" He asks. "No thanks, I'm gonna go to the Rez." I tell him, he comes over and gives me a quick side hug and kiss on the forehead before getting in his car. Bella comes out.

"Can you come with me to get Jacob?" She asks, storming towards her truck. "Uh-" "I'm going either way." She opens the truck door. I let out a groan, she's already taking off so I look around and then jump onto the back of the truck bed. She looks in the back and I irritably wave, she tries to hide her smile as she continues to drive. I stay sat in the back.

Feeling rain droplets start to fall on me. Lifting my hands I feel the rain. Then notice my hands steam, I begin to panic. Going to yell to Bella but then it stops and I close my mouth. What is happening? I feel my chest begin to pound and the steam emits once again off my body.

Stop stop stop stop.

Bella's truck goes to a halt and I stand up from the truck bed. The steam stops again. The rain only getting harsher.

Bella and I head to the door, she knocks. No one answers. Then a second time and finally Billy is at the door. "Hi, Billy. I know Jacob's sick but-" "He's out with friends." He cuts her off. She seems taken aback. "Oh." "I'll let him know you came by." He begins to close the door but Bella stops him. "Wait- he's got mono, right? That's what you told my dad." She interrogates him. "You should go home, Bella." Then he finally closes the door.

Bella storms down the stairs, getting into her truck and slamming the door behind her, obviously pissed. She begins to start the truck but then stops, tossing the keys aside. I slowly walk down myself, instead of going towards the truck I go to where I can hear five boys rough housing in the woods.

I speed off to where I hear them, peeking out from a tree as they don't even notice me.

"You know for wolves. It was pretty easy for me to sneak up on you." I fold my arms in front of my chest, they all jolt, getting into an attack position but once they realize it's me they calm down.

"Jake you're hurting my sister." I point a finger in his face. "I don't have a-" "Ah," I cut him off. "I didn't ask for excuses. We all have choices." I then look over to Sam who doesn't look me in the eye. "He really doesn't have a choice." Paul speaks up and I laugh. "He does, everyone does. You guys just choose the dumb ones!" I throw my hands up in the air.

"Well here's a choice you have, you're a bloodsucker who has the choice to be something better." Jacob throws in my face and my eyes widen. "Excuse me?" I step closer to him, Sam places a hand on his chest, pushing him back. "Jacob that's not-" "You told him!?" I glare at Sam.

"I can't control it, wolves read each others minds. I don't get to hide anything." Sam defends himself, I close my eyes tightly, now angered. "Jacob apologize to my sister or so help me." I spit in his face, shoving him against a tree before I walk away. I hear Sam jog after me, the boys looking after Jacob.

"[Name], I swear I didn't mean for anyone to know." He tells me and I just ignore him. "[Name], I'm sorry." He's practically pleading and a part of me wanted to stop to listen to him. That child in me who had the biggest crush on Sam Uley wanted to stop. But the other part, the person I am today, refuses to even look him in the eye after the betrayal he committed for his own selfish reasons.

I then see Jacob at Bella's truck, her climbing out. "You cut your hair." She announces. "Go away." Jacob turns away and bite the inside of my mouth. She grabs onto his arm. "What happened to you?" She asks him and he turns back as the others wait for him, out of earshot.

"I can help." She lowers her voice. His face is stern, shaking his head. "Sam got to you. What did he do?" Bella questions, obviously concerned for her friend. "Sam's trying to help me, don't blame him." He retracts. "Then who?"

"How about those filthy, reeking bloodsuckers you love? The Cullens... your sister." He says, he obviously didn't realize I was there, if my heart was working it would be broken by the fact that he just said that. "I... don't know what you're-" "You know exactly what I'm talking about." His body was shaking with anger.

"The Cullens are long gone. How are they to blame? And [Name] is still her how could you say that..." Her face falls. "They started all this by existing. Goddamn leeches-" "Jacob." Sam gives him and look and Jacob takes a breath, then he finally notices I'm there, rolling his eyes before going back to talking to Bella.

"I can't be friends with you anymore." He tells her. "Jake, I know I hurt you, I should have been more up-front but I needed you, I still do. I don't know what that means yet, but if you give me time-" "Stop. Don't it's not you." His humanity is still there, Sam is making him do this.

"It's not you it's me? God." Bella shakes her head. "It's true. I'm not good." He tries to find the right words. "You're wrong-" "It's doesn't matter. This is over." He tells her.

'"I can't take losing my best friend too." Bella's voice breaks.

"You already have-" "don't say that- you promised!" She tries to remind him, it was an effortless fight though.

"Go home, Bella. Don't come back." He runs away, joining the group to leave Bella standing in the rain.

I helped Bella into her truck and it felt like that day all over again. Only this time I was filled with a rage I've never felt before.

And when we got home I knew there was something wrong with me as Bella said the only words I never wanted to hear again. "[Name], you're really hot. Like burning." She mutters to me, backing away from my body. "I think you're hallucinating." I wave it off, lying to her is my best option right now. Charlie comes out and helps her inside. I sit in the truck, nervous about the steam with the rain again, it would prove that I'm heating up instead of being cold.

I can't turn. I can't.

I curl up in the truck seat, wanting to cry.

Masterlist

A&J M.L.

I guess I’m posting a lot right now. lol might post another tonight🧍🤷‍♀️ What are your theories for future chapters🤪🤭

Taglist: if you want to be added lmk

@stevenandmarcslove

@steh-lar-uh-nuhs

@kisekihany

@aureliacorvina

@l3ejm

[tenderleavesbob]

Potions and Hyrule's magic did little against illness. Warriors thought that they helped increase the body's strength to fight against the sickness, but that could just be wishful thinking. He had personally witnessed illness sweep through his army, killing soldiers who had survived the battlefield, just to die on their sickbed. It made him nauseous just to think about it.

The guilt on Hyrule's face tugged at Warrior's heart, and he reached across Legend's sickbed to squeeze his hand. "He'll be all right," he said softly. "He just needs rest. I know hearing your voice is helping him."

Hyrule smiled weakly at him and squeezed Warriors's hand back. Between them, Legend slept restlessly. Sweat beaded his flushed face. Hyrule squeezed Warriors's hand one more time before resuming dabbing at Legend's face with a damp cloth. Warriors leaned back in his chair.

Twilight was with Wild in another room and Time was sleeping in his regular bed. The other heroes were helping Malon with the farmwork. Everyone would recover. Warriors reminded himself that this wasn't the battlefield. Everyone was sick and feverish, but no one's fevers had spiked too terribly and they were keeping water down. Everyone would be fine.

Warriors's heart cracked a little more when Legend moaned. Hyrule bit his lip and kept wiping the sweat away from his face. "You're okay, Leg," Hyrule assured him. "You're at the ranch. Do you remember?"

He sounded hopeful. He usually did.

Legend moaned again and opened his eyes. They looked glazed and far away. He looked at Hyrule but didn't seem to see him.

"Hey," Warriors said gently. He brushed Legend's hair back and pulled the sheet a little higher up Legend's body. "Link. You're all right. You're safe. Just rest. We're here for you."

Legend's gaze fixed onto Warriors's face. Warriors smiled reassuringly at Legend and kept stroking his hair. He hoped Legend didn't remember this when he recovered. He had seen what the young man could do with his ice rod.

"You're okay," Warriors soothed. "Everyone's okay."

Legend blinked at him. He licked his dry lips. Warriors gestured at Hyrule to get him a glass of water. Hyrule started standing up. "...uncle?"

Warriors and Hyrule froze.

Legend's eyes fluttered. His head rolled a little on the pillow. Warriors automatically noted that they would need to change that soon. "Uncle. I had such a bad dream."

Oh. Warriors swallowed. He felt a little dizzy. He hoped he wasn't getting sick, too. "It's okay," Warriors whispered. He stroked Legend's sweaty hair. He gestured again for the glass of water. "It was just a dream. Everything is all right."

Legend's mouth quirked into an odd smile. "Some things aren't just dreams."

Warriors bit his tongue before asking about that. "Don't worry. We're here. We're watching out for you. Drink a little water for me, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle," Legend murmured. Hyrule's eyes were wet when he helped Legend drink. Warriors kept stroking Legend's hair. When Legend was done, he tucked Legend back in.

"Get some sleep," Warriors whispered. "Only good dreams this time, all right? We're right here. We'll watch over you."

Legend's eyes fluttered shut. He still smiled a little. "Good night, Uncle."

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Fluffvember Day 15 - In the Firelight

Twilight was cold.

A land that bathed in shadow naturally didn't have the same warmth to it as the land of Light. But the coolness of it was crisp and pleasant, refreshing and soothing.

Midna was used to the cold of Twilight. But this chill was far different, and even she shivered a little when she wasn't hiding in the shadows.

So she wasn't surprised when, halfway through traversing the manor those beast people lived in, Link finally succumbed to something. They'd been traipsing around in this forsaken frozen wasteland for at least a week, between tracking down the mirror share and then exploring the mansion. They'd been here for half a day and had already been misled what felt like a dozen times, leaving Midna growing progressively more frustrated despite her effort to just stay at a level of exasperation instead of outright anger.

The Yeti woman was sick. Midna tried to be patient. But the more they moved, the more she'd noticed that Link too was sniffling and shivering, that with each blow from an ice monster he slowed down even more.

When he couldn't swing the ball and chain that he'd collected, Midna had finally stepped in, forcing him to take a break.

"We'll resume tomorrow," she said evenly, trying to keep the annoyance out of her town. It wasn't his fault. He'd gone out of his way so many times for her. The least she could do was be patient one more day and make sure the idiot didn't get himself killed over a cold.

So here Link sat, curled in on himself by the fire. Midna wished she could go to the next room herself and get the soup that was being made for other sick occupant of the room, but she couldn't. So she watched Link shiver, feeling helpless.

Her frustration grew, and she aimed it at Zant. No one would be suffering if it weren't for him.

"Link," she said softly. "You need to eat. Why don't you have some of that soup? We've gathered half the ingredients, anyway."

She couldn't quite help the sarcasm in her tone, but Link smiled at it, typically finding amusement in her quips. She smiled back, though she wasn't sure he could see it.

Sniffling, Link moved to get up, shuffling sluggishly towards the other room. Yeto was kind, fretting over Link's state and asking if perhaps he had gotten his wife's illness. He insisted he would make soup for him too, offering him a large helping and shooing him back to the other room.

"Aw, they're adopting you," Midna teased with a snicker.

Link raised an eyebrow at her, but whatever reply he had was covered by a heavy cough. Sniffling, he slumped on the ground, sipping at the soup.

"Oh, little human sick, uh?" Yeta asked in her soft, weak voice. "Cold?"

"I'll be fine," Link said shakily with a gentle smile. The sight of it made Midna sigh a little - Link was...

She'd never met a man like him. She'd just say that.

"Eat," she ordered mildly. "You can cheer up everyone else with your chubby cheeks and cute little smile later."

Link flinched, looking at her, blushing. Midna felt her heart rate spike--that--she hadn't--that came out wrong. Thankfully, his reaction seemed less flustered and more embarrassed, as to him she was nothing more than a shadowy imp, but...

She shook her head. She wished she wasn't starting to hold such feelings, but...

It didn't matter. None of it mattered. What mattered was defeating Zant and getting home. The separation between Light and Dark had to be maintained.

The Ordonian Hero sighed, sipping the soup a bit more before just holding it in his hands, shivering.

"Ah, yes, cold," the strange, large woman commented, nodding. "Little human should come here."

"He's already by the fire," Midna said, though she knew she couldn't be heard. It was a little frustrating right now.

Well. It had been frustrating this entire time. She wasn't in the habit of being quiet or ignored. This entire certainly had been humbling.

Link looked like he was going to argue something similar and say he was fine, but Yeta shifted a little in her bundled up state, humming quietly. "Cold, uh? Come here, blankets warm. Fever warm."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Link said, though the way his teeth chattered didn't do him many favors.

Yeta shifted again, coughing as she did so, and Link hastily moved to her to prevent her from straining herself.

"We find key in morning," she said as she shuffled closer to Link, pressing him between herself and some cushions just by the fire.

Midna snickered as Link was practically drowning in the Yeti's quilts and fur, but his shivering at least stopped. He barely got through half his stew before he started falling asleep.

Yeta hummed, watching him a moment, and then looked at his shadow. "Voice sleep too, uh?"

Midna jumped, startled. Did she--?

Shaking her head, she grew quiet, watching Link in the firelight. Honestly, he looked far more comfortable than he had in a while, despite the cold that was running him down. Yeta smiled and closed her eyes.

The Twilight princess had to marvel at the kindness she'd seen on this journey. It...

Her people were not cruel. But being in her position, she wasn't entirely used to seeing people at their best. This had...

If she could take anything from this disaster and adventure, it was that people could be kind. And Link was the prime example.

Midna sighed, heart warm, and disappeared into the shadows.

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 1: Swooning, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Welcome back to whumptober yet again >:D I’m going to try and do all 31 days again, we’ll see if I can manage it!

Anyways, this got longer then I meant it to, but I had to corral the ending into something that made sense XD Enjoy!

Read it on ao3

————————————————————

“You find that key yet, Rancher?” a voice called from way off in the distance.

Twilight barked back a negative, and continued to sniff around for the key to the exit of the room the others were in. There’d been a spot only his wolf form could easily get to, and so he’d climbed up to it and crawled through, moving soft dirt with his paws until he’d entered into the more spacious area he was in now.

The room appeared to be circular, but there were several high walls he couldn’t see over so he couldn’t tell for sure. They were somewhat maze-like, and confusing in their layout, so Twilight was forced to rely on scent, searching for the metallic, and no-doubt rusty-smelling key.

He turned several corners, following a faint metallic smell he hoped was his objective. There wasn’t much in the maze apart from a few rats and the concerning remains of a skeleton, and Twilight padded cautiously on, perking up the moment the glint of a treasure chest finally caught his eye. He ran up to it, and transformed back into a Hylian, eagerly opening the chest.

A dark, shining key sat inside, just what he’d been looking for.

Twilight reached inside with a warm feeling of satisfaction, then heard a faint click as he lifted the key. A cloud of dark particles shot up from the chest, blowing right in Twilight’s face, and he gasped involuntarily, inhaling a good portion of it.

He began coughing as the dust coated his throat, the dust making him choke as he stumbled backwards. The cloud settled after a moment, but Twilight kept coughing out whatever he could, blinking tears from his eyes and wiping dust off his face.

He patted himself down, and looked around for any threat or danger to his person, but the room was as silent as it had been, and apart from the dryness of his throat, Twilight felt no ill effects.

Must have been an old boobytrap, he thought to himself, coughing a bit more as he pocketed the key and headed back the way he came. Arrows or something were probably supposed to fly out at my face... Whatever it was probably disintegrated because they were so old.

Twilight coughed again, and shook more dust out of his hair.

It’s a good thing I wasn’t here a few decades sooner.

Twilight made it back out of the maze and into the other room without further incident, though the skeleton tried to grab him as he walked by. He easily fought it off, and told the others about it with a laugh as they continued through the dungeon, and the strange black dust entirely fled his mind.

The dungeon was large, obviously some kind of fort once upon a time, but it had been long abandoned apart from the monsters who’d taken up residence inside. The heroes ran into a large group of them shortly, and they set to work, room echoing with shouts and screeches alike.

Twilight went for a troublesome-looking gibdo (one of Legend’s fortunately, apparently his didn’t scream), and began attacking, slicing at the strangely thick bandages.

Sky was fighting another one nearby, and a little further away Legend was yelling something as Wild shot several fire arrows. A group of the gibdos burst into flames, but Twilight tried to focus on his own battle, even as Legend yelled at Wild again.

The gibdo wasn’t fast, but it was sturdy, and it took a lot of time for Twilight to make any headway in hurting it. He jumped around to the back of it more than once, slicing in the same spot, and the gibdo finally seemed like it was flagging after several of the attacks.

It made a move for him, swiping at his middle, but Twilight took the opportunity to roll around and run it through with his sword, the monster letting out an odd moan before collapsing into dust.

Twilight glanced at where the gibdo had swiped at him, but his tunic wasn’t even ripped. Satisfied that he was fine, he jumped back into the fray, avoiding a stalfos that jumped at him and nearly sliced off his arm. Twilight immediately went on the attack, blocking another swipe with his shield, and lunging forward to swipe at the monster.

But the moment he stepped forward, a strange wave of something swept over him, making him stumble. He blinked dizzily, head lightly spinning, and looked around in confusion.

His head felt light, the battle around him fading at the edges, and he put a hand to his head, wondering what on earth was going on.

He felt almost as if he was suffering the effects of an injury, a knock to the head, blood loss or something similar, but that gibdo had barely touched him, why was he..?

Twilight stumbled as he avoided a swipe from the stalfos’s blade, clumsily blocking it with his shield. The crash of the weapon hitting it made him wince, and he desperately tried to gather his wits about him so he could fight back.

What was going on here?

Twilight tried to go on the offensive, swinging his sword, but somehow he missed the stalfos entirely. The lack of resistance made him stumble, and the stalfos let out a strange clattering cackle as it swung at him again, red eyes blurring in Twilight’s vision.

A glowing blade suddenly entered his sight, and Twilight watched as Sky swiped straight through the stalfos that had been hedging him, the bones falling to pieces. The room was suddenly a lot quieter, and Twilight distantly realized that that must have been the last monster.

“Twilight, are you okay? That thing nearly got you!” Sky said with a smile, his voice only mildly worried as he sheathed his sword.

Twilight gave him a nod, blinking as he tried to make the room quit swimming around him. It refused to stop though, and Sky’s expression turned more truly concerned.

“Twilight? Are you all right?”

“Fine, I’m... I’m fine,” he said a little shakily, resting a hand on his head. “Think I... just...”

He coughed, black flecks falling on his hand, and his mind abruptly flashed back to the dust in the treasure chest.

...perhaps the boobytrap hadn’t been as ruined as he’d thought.

Sky’s eyes went wide, and the room suddenly lurched, shaking and wavering all around. Twilight heard a shout, but it was muffled and strange, and didn’t make any sense to his ears.

He couldn’t hold his weight any longer, and he felt his eyes roll back in his head as his legs gave out.

(...)

Something shook him, a bit frantically, and Twilight sluggishly came back to awareness.

He blinked his eyes open, and bit back a groan as he closed them again, his vision swirling and rolling around. Something was shaking him again, but Twilight didn’t reopen his eyes, afraid he would throw up if he did.

“Rancher, open your eyes, come on.”

Twilight reluctantly cracked them open, several things moving above him in dizzying color.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” the same voice asked him, and Twilight blinked, trying to focus on the things in his vision that kept blurring in and out of focus.

“Quit movin’ th’m,” he mumbled, and more voices echoed above him, making him only feel more dizzy as he tried to listen to them.

“Concussion you think?”

“He didn’t hit his head, there’s no injuries there I can find.”

“Well what’s wrong with him then?!”

“Has he had anything to eat today?”

“Probably needs a bath, he’s filthy.”

“Don’t be stupid, that wouldn’t make him faint!”

Twilight’s breath caught funny in his chest, and he coughed again, a sharp wave of vertigo hitting as someone sat him up. A groan escaped his lips, and a hand gently turned his head.

“Twilight, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Twilight blinked hazily, trying to focus on whoever was talking to him, but his vision refused to do what he wanted it to, and his dizziness grew to an excruciating degree.

He let out a whimper, uncertain of what was going on, and felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest, intense and painful. It spread through his body like liquid fire, and he cried out, moving suddenly agonizing.

“Twilight!”

The hand was back and frantically patting his cheek, and something moved in front of him again, but all Twilight could do was focus on the dizziness and pain that was demanding all of his attention.

“Twilight, please, focus, do you know what happened?”

Twilight breathed in shakily, tensing as another wave of pain ripped through him. He had to tell them what was wrong, he had to warn them in case there was more of the dust, in case it hurt one of them— but all he could do was try not to scream.

“Twilight?”

Twilight squeezed his eyes shut, then reopened them, trying to meet whoever was in front of him’s eyes.

“Th... dust...” he moaned, voice barely more then a whisper, “brea... thed...”

His breath caught with pain, and Twilight heard someone shout as the dizziness overcame him again, darkness washing over his vision.

(...)

When Twilight woke back up, he was being held between two people, arms over their shoulders.

He blinked dizzily, and saw stone under his feet, moving slowly as he was carried forward. We must still be in the dungeon.

Another wave of that strange fiery pain ripped through him, and Twilight gasped, making whoever was holding him startle.

“He’s awake!”

Footsteps clattered on the stone, and hands poked at him, lightly holding up his chin.

“Rancher? How are you feeling?”

Twilight couldn’t manage anything more then a groan, and something gently ran through his hair.

“Okay, that’s alright, you’re going to be fine. Can you drink something for us? Warriors thinks a potion will help.”

Twilight mumbled something he hoped was a good enough reply, and something cool was pressed to his lips. Sweetness hit his tongue as it was tilted back, and Twilight drank, waiting for the potion to kick in.

The very beginnings of warmth began to settle in his chest, but then his stomach lurched, and he jerked forward, coughing up the healing draught and gagging at the taste of it coming back up. It felt weirdly dry as well, nearly making him choke, and Twilight felt the arms come up to prop him into a slightly different position.

“Easy Rancher...”

“Should we give him another?”

“He won’t be able to keep it down, not with the way he’s acting.”

“Well now what?!”

“...Guys? He’s... not just throwing up potion.”

The room went oddly quiet, apart from Twilight’s harsh breathing, his stomach and head now swirling with nausea. He’d finished throwing up, but now his tongue and throat felt like sandpaper in his mouth. He coughed something out, and there was a hand on his cheek again, holding him steady.

“Four said he mentioned breathing in dust earlier... do you think that’s what he meant?”

“I don’t see what else he could have meant.��

“So the dust is making him like this... we just gotta get it out somehow!”

Twilight moaned as his head swirled, and something touched him, gently rubbing his shoulder as his awareness started to fade again.

“Don’t worry Twi, we’ll fix this. Just hold on.”

(...)

Twilight came to with a jolt the next time, something forcing his mouth open, air being pulled through his lips.

He heaved in a gasp, and hands moved to hold him down, voices talking far above his head and the ground rolling up and down under his back. He tried to struggle, but the hands were firm, and something brushed through his hair as he tried to drag in another gasp.

“I’m so sorry Twilight, but this’ll help, try and stay still.”

The wind increased in its intensity, and Twilight felt like every bit of air was being sucked from inside him, leaving him unable to breath, unable to fight, to get away they were holding him down—

A sob choked from his throat, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t resist, couldn’t stop them from doing whatever it was they were doing and it made him feel sick. What felt like sand fell down his cheeks, and he let out a breathless scream as the air continued to be pulled from him, the fire in his limbs blazing, his head swirling.

There was more talking but Twilight couldn’t focus on any of it, his world narrowed down to pain and wind and a scratchy feeling in his throat and lungs and all over inside of him.

It hurt.

He still couldn’t breathe, no matter how he thrashed or cried out and the pain was so intense and thick that the darkness soon dragged him under yet again.

(...)

A hand was brushing through his hair, teasing out knots, gentle in its motions.

Twilight didn’t do anything but focus on it for a minute, the touch soothing and calm. Then he realized just how dry his throat felt, his insides hollow, and he let out a breathy moan, trying to open his eyes.

“Whoa, easy,” someone said, and Twilight finally dragged his eyes open, pleasantly surprised when his vision didn’t smear. He was able to look to the side and meet who turned out to be Four’s eyes without any swirling spots or fire in his chest, and he felt a spark of equal relief and confusion.

“...’thy?” he rasped, and Four nodded, looking pleased.

“Hey, he’s awake!” another voice said, and Sky leaned over into Twilight’s vision. He looked tired, but there was a smile on his face. “Good to see you up, Rancher.”

“Oh thank Hylia,” another voice gasped, and Wild appeared in his vision as well, looking utterly relieved. “We weren’t sure if that was going to work or not.”

“If what w...work..?” Twilight croaked, and Sky, Four, and Wild all looked at each other.

“We had to get the dust out somehow,” Four said quietly, guilt thick in his voice. “I figured since you inhaled it... sucking it out would be our best bet.”

“Four has an item that worked rather well,” Sky said, though his smile had grown tight. “We weren’t sure at first if it had helped, but... well, we’re glad you’re all right, Rancher.”

Twilight blinked, and looked between the three. He was having some trouble following exactly what was being said, he felt sore and tired, and a bit like a paper straw someone had sucked air through a few too many times, but even he could tell that Four felt awful.

And sure, he didn’t quite know why, or remember exactly what had happened, but Four had helped him, and that was enough for Twilight.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely, and worked past the bit of dizziness still in his head to reach over and pat Four’s hand. “Thank you.”

He couldn’t manage anything further, but it seemed like it was enough. Four took his hand in his and gave it a squeeze, and Twilight dredged up a smile.

“Screw dungeons,” Wild muttered fiercely, and went back to playing with Twilight’s hair. “They’re stupid and they suck.”

Twilight barked out a laugh, wheezy and uncomfortable, but it was worth it seeing the relieved looks that were exchanged above him.

“Agree. Screw ‘em,” he croaked.

[bokettochild]

Febuwhump Day 21 - Unresponsive

@kuroro-uwu Okay, I know I am LATE, but I did write it! I hope this suits your fancy!

Wordcount: 6,697

Rating: General

Summary: Minish Four and Fairy Hyrule go on a mini-expedition to seek out information. One minute, all is well, and the next- well, Four's not sure WHAT happened, but now he's got a passed out fairy on his hands and no clue what caused it.

(No warnings, this is all pure fluff)

-

They needed information. 

It really was as simple as that. They’ve been trying to learn anything they can about what’s happening to the worlds around them, but hylians are so often ignorant and their group is anything but subtle, so getting it without causing a stir has become something of an issue for the traveling heroes. 

It’s the weapons and armor, Legend tells them with a huff, and he’s not exactly wrong either. 

People do tend to become more wary when they see soldiers around in the country. 

He’d noticed it before, back when he hadn’t yet met the others. Carrying a sword put people on edge. An axe, a spear, or even a bow, out in the country, can be excused as a hunting tool or something to do with your trade. A sword though, a sword means that you are, undeniably, a fighter, and fighters don’t tend to go about armed unless there's danger around to be fought. So, correlation of swords to nearby danger makes people wary, and their group, all armed with swords, and many of them being intimidating looking persons, only further sets people ill at ease.  

Getting concrete answers from people who are questioning your intentions all the while isn’t easy, and by now, their group has sort of given up. Or rather, almost all of the others have; Four still has an ace up his sleeve. 

“I may have something I can try.” He states as the rest seem just about ready to give up for the day. 

Eyes turn to fix on him, various expressions of discouragement, frustration, disbelief, and exhaustion coloring the different shades of blue. It’s Legend that speaks though. “If it involves pretending to be a child, keep me out of it.” 

Twilight coughs into his fist, but his dark eyes sparkle. Simultaneously, Warriors rubs at his own brows, the captain following up their scholar’s words with his own. “What’s the idea, smithy? And please, do not say it requires-” 

“It’s a me thing,” he assures them. “You guys being around actually won’t work.” 

“No one is going off alone,” Time states, just at the same time as Warriors says: “What did we say about leaving the group behind?” Both men shoot glances at each other after, but then Four’s fixed with both stares, one tired and one firm, and neither wavering as he sighs. 

“It involves magic, and it won’t work with a second person.” 

Wild stares, pointed, but Twilight frowns. “S it what I think it is?” 

Abruptly, he remembers that Twilight does, in fact, know, and has known about this as long as he’s known the truth about the wolf. They hadn’t talked about it since, and he’s not exactly employed the magic since then, but Twilight had seen it all the same. “Yeah,” he nods, ignoring the confused looks from the others, “that thing.” 

“More secrets,” the captain sighs, “excellent.” 

A few eyes turn to the soldier, annoyed, but they can’t blame him. Four can’t either. It’s been a bit rough dancing around the new things falling on their heads when their brothers deem it the time to drop new knowledge out of nowhere. Even if he did know about the wolf, there’s still knowledge he hadn’t had about that one. 

“I’ll go with the smithy,” their rancher announces, turning to their leader. 

Time’s brows raise. “You have similar magic?” 

“Naw, but I can keep watch for him, an’ guard his back.” 

“No going off alone,” Warriors repeats, again, this time from behind a hand that’s scrubbing at his brows. “How may times must I say it?” 

But Twilight can’t come with, and neither can the others. No one else can because no one else can shrink down to the size of a minish! 

 If there’s anyone who will know what's going on across the kingdom at any given time, it’s always the little people. He knows they can give him answers even if no hylian will, but he’s not too eager to explain that. The other heroes might not even know about the minish, and if they do, the doubt on whether or not he should be able to see them still will linger or make them question his skill like they do with the sailor. Neither option is something he’s keen on. 

“I’ll go with,” and he doesn’t expect the traveler to speak up, but the other lad does, stepping forwards with an awkward half smile. “I’m decent with magic, so maybe I can replicate whatever you’re planning to do.” 

Given the choice between no answers and letting Hyrule in on it, he supposes the traveler is the better of the two options. The other lad is cheeky at times, but he’s capable, and trustworthy. Besides that, he’s kept so much secret about his own magic, to the point where they still have no clue about all of it. Surely, he can also keep Four’s secret as well, right? 

“Fine,” he nods to their curly haired companion before turning to their leader, expectant. 

Time sighs, glancing briefly at the captain, but then nods. “Be back at camp by dark.” 

“Understood.” 

- 

The good thing about working with Hyrule is that he’s good at following directions, and he never asks unnecessary questions. It’s clear he’s thinking them, of course, but he doesn’t talk too much, and he doesn’t push things with Four, not ever. It’s a bit of a welcome change of pace after having the heroes all up each others’ tails about so many things. 

They wander back through the village for a short while and into the inn and bar combo they’d been to with the rest. He knows the other two probably want to know what he hopes to achieve in here, even Twilight who knows his arsenal probably isn’t sure how it would be useful, but that’s not his main focus. 

They can ask their questions later. Right now, we need that portal. 

Where was it again, Vio? 

Left corner, floor level. Looks like a mouse hole. 

Well, it sort of is. Red snorts softly. It’s a minish hole. 

Very funny. Blue deadpans back. If he had his own eyes, he’d be rolling them, but all of Four knows it wouldn’t be in any real ire. That’s just how their more abrasive aspect is. 

Twilight and Hyrule are watching as he moves down to the corner. The rest of the folks within the inn don’t seem to even notice the trio, too busy with their own business. Those that do are carefully avoiding eye contact or even being caught staring, wary less they draw attention to themselves. It’s kind of sad, honestly, but Four doesn’t have time to dwell on it. 

Ezlo’s spell plays across his lips with the ease of a thousand speakings, and in seconds he’s down to his other normal size. 

Twilight grins down at him. 

Hyrule gapes for a moment. “Is this what you were talking about?” He asks, as though it’s not rather painfully obvious. Before Four can answer though, the traveler’s face twists up into a grin, eyes sparking. “Alright, I- I can work with this.” 

It’s his own turn to gape as the traveler himself mutters a few words, and in a brief cloud of magic, the young man is gone, replaced instead by the shimmering, hovering light of a fairy. 

Four stares. Twilight does as well. 

The ball of light laughs. “You said it yourself, we’re all sitting on something, smithy.” 

“Ordonia’s kids,” the rancher murmurs softly, “’fore we know it everyone will out ‘emselves as a shifter of some sort.” Neither of the other two have any knowledge of how true that rings, but regardless, they don’t exactly have any grounds to deny it either, considering it seems to be true of their little trio at least. 

Finally reclaiming control over speech, Four turns his face upwards to stare at his flying brother. Inside his head, Red is exclaiming in delight over the flight, Blue marveling at the wings, and Green ecstatic at the presence of a fellow shifter to match Four’s size, but outside his head, he has to focus. “This hole here should lead to a community of people more on the magical side.” he nods to the gap in the wall, starting a bit when the fairy’s light flickers and zips down to be level with him. 

It’s definitely Hyrule, although the change from Hylian to fairy is more than just a shift in size. He’s not sure which set of eyes to focus on or how to react to other definitely not hylian features displayed beside familiar ones, but Vio somehow wrests enough control to keep his face straight and his jaw in place. 

“It might take a bit, but the gossip vine is strong with these folks. They should have what we want to know.” 

“Excellent,” Hyrule trills, voice more melodic, but pleasantly so. It has the smithy’s ears flicking forwards to catch it better, the warm fairy magic settling his own. 

He glances up to Twilight, still normal sized and crouched in the corner, practically looming over them. “We’ll be back before dark. Just wait here, okay?” 

A thumbs up is their answer, and the rancher stands, hailing a server in the barroom and claiming the table closest to their future exit as the two smaller heroes- and by now they are much smaller- pop through the hole in the wall to move along to their destination. 

Minish passages are nothing new to Four, but Hyrule keeps gasping in surprise and delight as he looks about the lever and pulley systems between one part of the network and another. It has the smithy smiling to himself, and while it’s not his own work, he does take pride in the efforts of his little friends, and their skill, which he’s sure to share with the only other hylian (sort of hylian?) to get to see it firsthand. 

 “Inns like this are hotspots for minish too, just like people,” he explains to his wide-eyed companion. “They catch rides on wagons or in people’s bags sometimes, and, just like us, they need a place to stay when they tire.” He pads along carefully to the lift made from an old cup and some twine, climbing up into it and almost reaching out to offer a hand to the traveler, only to catch himself when he remembers the other has wings. “A big place like this is sure to house practically a city of minish, so it might take some time, but we’ll have lots of options when it comes to asking around for information.” 

The traveler nods, gaze flicking to the little lever just inches from the smithy’s tiny paw. The signal is clear. 

Four pushes the lever, and the lift starts its ascent, the fairy flying up behind him even as they watch another such lift lower, granting Hyrule his first sight of a real minish. The traveler’s catching breath and little gasp makes him smile, but he’s careful to warn the other the moment the other lift is out of sight. “Remember not to call anyone cute, okay? If anything, be prepared for them to call you that. They're not very used to fairies.” 

“Understood,” the traveler’s voice is distant as he looks around, words almost an afterthought as he seemingly takes in the whole of the new world he’s discovering. 

He won’t be much help, will he? 

He’s here so we’re not alone, Green sighs, although there’s no lack of fondness in his tone, He doesn’t need to help us, just be here so Time and Warriors won’t get upset. 

He won’t be able to understand the minish anyway, the more sedate aspect reminds the others, he’s never eaten a jabber nut. 

Right. 

Perhaps he should have remembered that earlier, but he wasn’t exactly planning on taking Hyrule this far along when he’d agreed to keep the traveler with him. If anything, he’d expected the other to wait with Twilight while he took care of the reconnaissance. Still, it should be alright, Hyrule seems content to stare about at the thrumming new world he’s witness too, and he lets Four take the lead as the smithy climbs out of the lift and starts towards the minish puttering about. 

Greetings rise here and there and everywhere, although no one seems to recognize him. If anything, that proves they’re not in his era, so even the small things mean something (as a small thing himself, the thought makes him laugh). Still, he guides the way, Hyrule fluttering after him and attracting many a startled stare. In the long run, he thinks Hyrule’s presence works to his favor, because while a minish stopping by at an inn and wandering about a new place is hardly anything to look twice at, a minish with a fairy trailing after him garners much attention, and before they know it, a very elderly looking member of the community approaches. The staff in his paw marks him as an Elder, and while the traveler doesn’t know that, he still bows his head politely at the sight of long flowing whiskers. 

“Greetings, strangers.” The elder smiles. 

Four bows, politely. Hyrule cannot, not while flying, but he thinks the respectful bob of the head the traveler offered will be enough. Minish are polite, but they aren’t fussy about others needing to be so. Well, those who aren’t Ezlo. “Greetings, elder.” 

“Greetings, elder.” Hyrule mimics, words a soft chime that echos off the interior of the inn’s walls. 

The elder smiles again, thanking them for their kind welcome. “Forgive my asking, but what is it that brings two youngsters like yourselves here?” 

“We seek knowledge of the world outside.” Four answers, because obviously Hyrule can’t. “We are travelers through time, and this era is new to us.” 

“Ah.” 

“We have hylian companions who need knowledge in order to travel safely, so we hoped to come here and inquire what there is to be known of the world outside.” 

His explanation is met with some surprised twitching of noses and flicking of ears, little murmurs all around them, excitedly twitching tails flicking all sorts of colors from the many gathered minish peoples, but he pays them little mind, although Hyrule stares about in awe. The elder welcomes them though to speak to any they would like. “I have not been in the outside world for some time now, but we have many travelers, like yourselves. Please, ask all you would like. I hope we are of aid to you young heroes.” 

It’s only when he’s watching the elder’s tail disappear into the crowd again that he realizes at all that they should not have been recognized as heroes. Then again, Minish Elder’s are proficient in magic most times, and maybe he’d sensed it. At any rate, the title seems to spark excitement among those gathered around the two heroes, and it’s no trouble at all to find who he should speak to. In fact, it’s more a matter of them trying to speak to him all at once! 

Hyrule hovers at his shoulder as he asks questions and talks. Well, he does at first, but after a few minutes, the fae drifts away, looking around curiously, soft chiming voice echoing back to Four here and again from different parts of the space claimed by magic.  

He’s able to learn there’s no hero known about in this era, and that the last one that anyone remembers was a little boy who was close to the fairies. Considering the fondness all his brothers have for all creatures magical, it’s not a very specifical descriptor, but it’s something at least. Maybe one of the others will be able to pinpoint who it is talking about, be it themselves or someone else they’ve heard of. He does learn though, that the world isn’t in the best of shapes. Dark magic is common, a side effect of Ganon’s power, despite the fact that the monster is sealed away. 

That, he decides to ask about. 

Most of the minish don’t have answers, saying they avoid it, saying they only heard it from someone else, but pressing them leads him on a bit of a goosechase all over the building, looking for this person who knows more and that one who does as well. 

Like hylians, minish have many a trade, and a place like this is basically their equivalent to a trade city, even if the hylian town around it is rather small. Packed up in one building, but spread across rooms, attic spaces, the cellar, the larder, and even the bar itself, he finds himself hunting down leads and doing a few favors in order to get what he needs to know. He's halfway through delivering some mushrooms in exchange for more details on the dark magic that apparently lies around the world, when Hyrule’s soft glow returns to his side again. 

“Four, I think we need to head back.” 

He sighs. “I know, but I’ve got a lead.” 

“We could come back tomorrow?” 

A shake of the head as he adjusts his hold on the mushroom; it’s huge in comparison to himself. “No, apparently they’re leaving at dawn with the coach that stops here.” 

Hyrule’s feet touch the ground, wings stilling. Honestly, he thought fairies flew everywhere, but he supposes that a shapeshifter might use various methods. “Four, we have to go back.” 

“I’m this close to getting answers,” he drops his shroom to pinch two claws close together. “Just a bit longer, okay? Time will understand.” 

He’s not sure what time it is, but the noise of patrons in the inn does carry slightly past the magic of the minish to sound in his ears. Inns and bars are always noisy, especially when combined, but while he’s not their old man, his inner clock isn’t bad either. They have time before sunset, and if they didn’t, he wouldn’t have risked trying this at all. 

“Come on,” he urges. “Help me with this shroom. The sooner I deliver it, the sooner this guy will tell me what I need to know.” 

Hyrule’s face is pinched, and briefly it registers that something isn’t quite right about it, but it’s hard to tell with changed features and maybe it’s just worry from the traveler. He dismisses it, promising both Hyrule and himself that they’ll only take a very little bit longer. 

- 

They deliver the shroom, but in true runabout fashion, the only knowledge he gets from the minish in question is a few wary words that had been heard from someone else entirely, and he’s sent darting across the inn again to try and find that other minish before they too decide to leave. It’s the frustrating thing about communities like this, rather than the ones he finds in the countryside. Minish who make their homes in the forest, the grass, or even up in the mountains and quarries, they all keep to their own space. Traveling minish, those in small towns and hylian communities, are often unpredictable from one day to the next, and there’s no telling when or where you’ll have a chance to see them. 

Hyrule tries asking again, telling him that they really need to get going, but Four brushes him off. One or two minutes more. Just a bit. He’s almost done, he promises! 

The traveler’s feet are dragging a bit as he follows the smith, and his wings have long since folded against his back. It’s clear he’s tired, and Four is too, but they’ve only got so many chances to learn what they need to know, and passing this up would be foolish. It would make this whole trip into the world of the minish utterly pointless! 

Finally, though, he’s able to find someone who doesn’t send him on an errand, who doesn’t ask for anything he doesn’t already have and who is both willing and capable of answering his questions. Near immediately, Four dugs a notebook from his bag and starts asking. How strong is this dark magic? Has it affected any monsters? Have monsters been a prominent problem recently? Are they acting oddly? Does the magic have any effects on anything else?  

The minish, who in an odd way reminds him of Time; a prominent scar running over one eye and with a shredded ear on the same side, answers his questions. The magic effects the water and the land, and monsters are more abundant now than they had been years ago. They get worse every year, and they are stronger than the elders say they used to be. None of it lines up with the supposed infection of the monsters in other eras, but Four is not ruling it out as a possible source or contributor. He keeps asking, getting more details, channeling his more pragmatic self, but also the tactful part. He needs to think of this as a traveler, a fighter, and a survivor. In a way, he tries asking what Legend or Warriors or Twilight might ask. What would Wild want to know? What would Time need answers too? He’s going to be the one passing on this information to them after all, so he needs to be ready for the inevitable questions they’re going to have. 

He sort of forgets that Hyrule is still waiting for him. Really, the only reason he remembers at all is because his informant tells him that it’s getting late, and she can’t think anymore. “That should cover everything anyway, I hope it helps.” 

He bows his head, still sitting, so he can’t offer a proper bow, even though he wants to. “Of course. Thank you so much for your help.” 

She waves a farewell to him before heading off to wherever it is that she’s going to rest for the night. He’s seen beds around, but didn’t ask, and never does. Honestly, he should be heading back, because bed sounds fantastic right about now! He turns, stuffing his notebook back in his bag, only to stop short when he sees the traveler. 

Hyrule looks like shit. 

The fairy is slumped over, glow almost gone and while there’s no apparent injury, no sign of what on earth would cause him to look so, he looks a bit like death! The smith drops down beside his friend, catching the fae’s face in his hands and patting freckled cheeks cautiously. “Hyurle? Hey! Hey, I’m done. We can go back now.” 

There’s no answer. 

Despite knowing Hyrule was fine before, knowing the minish would never harm him, probably couldn’t without special magic, he still gives the other a once over. There are no visible injuries, nor blood. His eyes, when pried open with claws that struggle so hard not to slip, don’t show signs of being concussed. For all intents and purposes, Hyrule isn’t hurt, but his skin is pale, the fairy’s glow is absent, and he slumps almost lifelessly against the walls. 

We need help. Green sighs, desperately trying to balance his thoughts. 

Blue’s voice is low, straining. The elder? 

Is he going to be okay? 

Hush Red, and Blue, the elder can’t do anything for a fairy. Minish magic is too different. 

Well, we could try at least! 

Guys, please. No fighting. We need to focus on Hyrule. 

Blue seethes, but doesn’t argue, something he’s been doing much better with as of late. Vio on the other hand, does continue his stance. We should take him back to Twilight. Maybe he can help. 

But Twi doesn’t like magic! 

But he is Time’s kid, and he loves fairies. Maybe he knows something about them that we don’t. Come on. 

The logic of his logical facet wins over the rest of him, and for lack of a better course of action, the minish hero hefts his fairy brother up into his arms. Hyrule’s still bigger than him like this, but he’s also always been very light, and the smith is strong. Gathering his brother up onto his back, careful not to crush iridescent wings, he heads back for the lift. 

- 

Catching Twilight’s attention is hard, once they’re back out in the world of Hylians. His intent originally had been to shift back with a murmur, but he doesn't know how to trigger the change for Hyrule, and without a glow to aid him, he’s not sure how quickly he’d be able to find the traveler again after the shift to his normal size, which always leaves him just a bit disoriented. That, and if it turns out Hyrule needs help of the more hands-on sort, it’s more practical to stay on the same scale as the traveler in order to give it. 

Luckily for him, and the traveler, he has lots of experience in trying to make himself heard, and while the sound of a screaming voice would definitely draw unwanted attention, there is a sound he knows will, without fail, catch the rancher’s attention without scaring other people. Four sucks in a breath, and with all the ability he’s got in him, he pushes it out in a sharp little ‘meow’. 

Twilight’s ears prick up immediately, the rancher lowering the drink he was holding to scan the area around him, eyes glittering. 

Four tries again, a soft ‘mew’ that takes every bit of breath he has but has bright blue eyes fixing on him in seconds.  

Twilight chuffs, looking slightly disappointed, but also relieved. Well, until his eyes land on the traveler, and then the man is sliding from his chair to crouch, facing the wall and shielding the two small heroes from sight. “What happened?” he asks, offering a hand laid flat on the ground before them. 

Typically speaking, Four does not care to be picked up, especially like this, but for the traveler’s sake, he allows it. Stepping onto the rough pads of the rancher’s fingers is a bit of a struggle with his hands supporting the fae slumped over his back, nd after failing twice he gives up. Instead, he turns and carefully lets his brother slip down into Twilight’s hand first, crawling after him once he’s got use of his hands again. 

The rancher waits until they’re both stable, Four holding Hyrule with one hand and fisting a tiny fold of his glove with the other, before he stands again, carefully steady as he heads back to his table. “Is he okay?” 

Four shakes his head. “I don’t know. He’s not injured, and I don’t think he’s concussed, but he just-” his gaze drops down to the freckled face cradled in his lap, “-I turned around and he wasn’t moving anymore.” Breathing, yes, softly and slowly, almost too slowly, but it was steady, and considering he doesn’t know how fairy bodies work, maybe that was how it was meant to be. He’s not sure, and he hates not knowing, but as long as Hyrule is still breathing, things will be okay. Goddesses, he hopes he’ll be okay! 

Glancing up at the rancher, he sees furrowed brows and a harsh frown. It’s not angry, not fierce, but guilt plummets through him all the same as he watches it. 

There’s silence for a spell, just blue eyes staring down at him as he sits in the rancher’s hand, Hyrule pulled into his lap, wings still behind him without so much as the slightest of twitches. The traveler’s breath is shallow but steady as it puffs against his collar. And then Twilight speaks. “Did he maybe touch something weird?” 

He shakes his head. “I wasn’t watching him, but this Hyrule, not Wild.” Hyrule doesn’t touch unknown things, not without taking every precaution to ensure they’re not dangerous. Besides, minish don’t tend to keep anything dangerous around, and if they do, it’s well hidden and out of sight. Even lacking experience with other living beings, Hyrule isn’t the sort of person to go poking around other people’s possessions in plain sight. No, he’d wait until no one was around to see or stop him, and then he’d get into their stuff. 

The rancher’s frown deepens, but then midnight blue eyes are falling on Four again, something almost apologetic in their depths. “Look. I don’t got a clue, smith, but we gotta get him help.” The unspoken rings in the air between them: ‘we need to talk to someone else who knows about this stuff, and that means telling them your secret’. 

He sighs, nodding. “Time seems to know the most about fairies.” 

The rancher’s head jerks in a sharp nod, rupees hitting the table as the man pays for his drink and then he’s whisking them out the door and back towards camp. 

- 

It feels like it takes forever for Twilight to return with Time. 

Rather than announce their presence, and thus secrets, to the whole chain, he’d carefully settled the two tiny heroes on an old tree stump at Four’s instruction. Vaguely, he thinks it might be a minish portal, or close to one, but that’s something to worry about later. For now, he’s looking after Hyrule as best he can in a cave made from the rancher’s pelt, erected for their protection against any predators while the other fetches their leader under the premise of Hyrule and Four needing to talk with him. The rest will worry, and have questions, but they’ll (probably) respect the privacy of the other two, if only as long as they’re gone. Returning to camp will, no doubt, come with questions, but right now, helping Hyrule is what matters most. He’ll handle anything that comes after, as long as the traveler will be okay. 

“I’ve got you,” he murmurs into brown curls, not for the first time since Twilight left, “just hang in there, traveler, okay? Time will be here soon, and we’ll get you all fixed up.” 

He dutifully ignores how dark hair darkens further in the fading light of twilight. How the hand that's fallen to brush his leg has claws at the fingers, that as the shadows grow longer, he could almost pretend he’s holding somebody else. No, he focuses on Hyrule and that it is, in fact, Hyrule he’s clutching ahold of under the fur, waiting for their leader to come to them. 

Time’s puffing breath announces his presence, alongside heavy feet to match the easy lope of their rancher. The way that he heaves for breath, he really does sound like an old man, but when the fur is moved aside and Four can see their leader’s face, he rethinks that. Time looks worried, terribly worried, and the heavy breathing is probably from a slight panic rather than anything else. Hylia above, what did Twilight tell him? 

“What happened?” Time demands, even as Four shivers slightly at the return of the breeze the fur had blocked off. 

He sighs, tired, worried, and tired of being worried. “Hyrule collapsed. I don’t know why, but he’s not waking up no matter what I do.” 

The blue arrow painted between their leader’s brows distorts as his face pinches up, the man dropping to a knee with surprising grace in order to be better level with the two shrunken heroes. “Is he injured?” 

Twilight shakes his head. “Four already checked.” 

A hand, slightly smaller than Twilight’s own, but somehow more callused, is extended towards them. Even that motion is more graceful from their old man than from the rancher, and Four is surprised by the lack of panic having it settle before him causes. “Let me look at him?” 

It’s work to climb up again, shifting Hyrule with all the care he can before depositing him in the old man’s palm, but he does it. Time doesn’t say anything as the man pulls in their precious cargo a bit closer, staring down with his good eye and prodding gently at the fallen form of the traveler. 

 Behind him on the stump, Four feels Twilight settle, blocking off the breeze and providing a wall of warmth that assures nothing else will appear behind him. “Well?” 

“Shh.” Time breathes, but it’s not harsh. His gaze is incredibly gentle in fact, and as he handles the tiny form in his hand something impossibly warm lights his blue eye beneath the worried furrow of his brows. They wait. It feels like forever, but they wait, and they don’t press until, at last, their leader lifts his eyes to them instead, relief coloring his expression. “Magical exhaustion.” 

“No,” Four shakes his head. “I’ve seen Hyrule overuse his magic. He gets tired, but he doesn’t turn.... grey. And he doesn’t stop moving!” 

“That’s when he’s a hylian,” one blue eye drops again, a sad little smile tugging at the mouth of the elder man. “As a fairy, it works differently.” The hand lowers, moving close to Four again, offering him the responsibility of taking back his unconscious brother while Time turns his attention to his bag. “Transformation magic takes a lot out of a fairy. For Hyrule, being a fairy would be the transformation, but if, for some reason, he’d been brought into a space where only tiny beings could exist, rather than changing back when his magic runs out,” the potion’s cork pops loudly in the night air, “he’d get stuck.” 

“Stuck?” He and Twilight chorus together. 

Time nods. “Yes. His magic knows he can’t change back inside a tiny space, but if it’s run out, then he can’t maintain his form normally either. Instead, he has to draw directly on his magical core, which strains him considerably. That’s why usually, when fairies are weak enough to need to pull on their core, they slip into a hibernation so that their magic can keep them alive at the least cost to their core.” As if sensing the inevitable question, the man adds, “drawing on a core for too long damages it.” 

“So...” Twilight blinks, speaking for them both. “He’s in hibernation?” 

“For now.” 

“How do we fix it?” Blue takes the reins, and the others let him. 

The old man raises the potion bottle in his hand. In the faded light, Four can’t make out the color (how appropriate) so he waits to hear it spoken. “A green potion ought to help restore his magic and stop him drawing on his core for survival.” 

“Then he’ll change back?” 

He sees their leader wince, and Twilight does too, shoulders tightening above him. “He will change back, right, old man?” 

Time avoids their gazes, reaching for his bag again. “Not without doing it himself, but he should, yes.” 

“Good.” 

“We just have to wait until he wakes up.” 

“And...how long will that take?” 

A flinch. “Even with his magic restored, it’s unlikely he’ll come back immediately. He’ll need time.” If Legend were here, or Wild, one of them would point out that their leader is here now, so what else could be needed? But they’re not here, and neither Twilight nor Four speaks up in their place.  Instead, Four stares as Time produces something else, settling it before him carefully, before lifting his hand away. With nothing blocking him, he’s able to see that the object set before him is a thimble, “I think you ought to help him with the potion, Four. At his current size, we’re more likely to harm than help.” Which isn’t true at all. 

In reality, Time helps quite a bit as he pours out the potion (that they all claim is green) into the thimble, which is far more manageable for Four to lift. Situating the traveler against his front, he has to fumble a bit to get the rim to his brother’s mouth, but Time’s finger helps steady the traveler while he does so, stopping him sliding away from the smithy’s front or his head falling to either side. It’s awkward, when he actually stops to think about it, but they make it work. 

After the first thimble, Time pours three more, which is honestly more than Four thinks he could hold in his own body at this size, but the old man assures that it’s basically liquid magic, and the traveler will need lots in order to wake again. “Four thimbles might not be enough, but we’ll see.” He tells them, once more taking the traveler in his own hold, hand cradling the limp form of the fairy with all the care he’d show a baby. More, maybe. Fairies are smaller than babies, so they are a bit more delicate. 

“What now though?” He asks, watching. 

Time’s gaze falls on him in answer. “Do you need help shifting back?” 

“Should I?” 

“If you can.” 

“And if he needs more of the potion?” 

“He won’t,” the hand holding his brother tilts slightly, although Time needs not lower it at all for Four to see the faint shimmer of green light that the fairy within is emitting. “I think that was enough. I’ll have him drink the bottle when he’s changed back, but you don’t need to help any further, smithy.” 

He nods.  

Finding a portal in the dark takes some help from Twilight, but once he has, and has shifted back, it’s a breath of fresh air. Returning to their leader’s side though, he finds the man now seated on their previous stump, gaze fixed on the tiny, unmoving, but also unwavering, glow in his hands. 

“Is he waking up?” He asks, slipping from Wolfie’s back to stand at their leader’s side. At this size, Hyrule looks even tinier, and so much more breakable in Time’s big hand. He’s not moving though, still. 

Time shakes his head though, as though the smithy can’t see for himself. “As I said, he’ll need a while to come around.” Blue lifts, and it’s strange to have their leader level with himself. “You boys should head back to camp. Dinner will be ready soon.” 

“What about you?” Shadows slip free of the wolf, leaving the rancher standing in it’s place, brows furrowed and voice low. 

Time’s gaze drops to his precious cargo, a tiny, almost tender smile touching his features. “I’ll wait for him. Tell the rest that Hyrule needed my time a bit longer, but we’ll be back when he’s ready.” 

So, they do.  

They head back to camp, joining the others for dinner just as Wild’s beginning to serve it. There are questions, and he still is yet to make his report, but doing so is a quick way to divert attention from their absent leader and wanderer. Later, Time will come back, a sleepy, but normal sized Hyrule curled in his arms, face buried against his chest as the traveler dozes, but for now, the camp muses over the information they were given. Any questions on how he’d gotten this knowledge are lost to worry about Hyrule’s absence, and any fear for Hyrule is lost to questions about the report Four gives. 

When Time does come back, it’s only after Warriors has assigned shifts and most of them have at least pretended to go to bed. Their leader’s return has them all watching though, no longer pretending as their eyes, so many shades of blue, follow Time’s path through camp to his bedroll, to Hyrule’s settled beside it at Warriors behest. The man settles the traveler down carefully, but the hand caught in his tunic isn’t pulled free, instead tolerated as long hair is brushed back from freckled cheeks and their leader settles down beside the younger hero. 

Even when his good eye slips shut, there’s something warm playing on Time’s face as Hyrule unconsciously nestles up against him once more, and a callused hand becomes lost in dark curls. 

Twilight’s gaze meets his own, something like a smile in them as he shrugs, disrupting his blanket. Four just smiles back, shaking his head. Fairy boys, the unspoken thought flickers in both of their heads. It’s only when he lays down again though that he realizes that Time might even be who the minish meant when talking about the last hero. 

Well, that would make sense. He’ll ask tomorrow though, right now, he has no interest in disturbing either of the two heroes. 

[emithecharmer]

Lotte World

(Amusement Park), Friends to Lovers, fluff, kissing scenes, teasing between friends, jokes about being mentally ill

Sorry for any mistakes!!!!!!

"Ooh they have cotton candy too!" Jisung laughed at your excitement, wrapping his arm around your shoulders, trying to keep you close to him. It was crowded at Lotte World, but after you told Jisung that you'd never been, he made it his life's mission to be the one to bring you.

"Oh! We should take pictures too!" You said, moving towards the booth.

"We should do it at the end, then our smiles will be the biggest." Jisung said, leading you slowly away from the photo booth.

"Ah," You pat his head softly, leaning on his shoulder, "what a smart man you are, Han Jisung." He preened.

"I try." He chuckled.

.

"What's the plan for tonight?" He asked as you two were sitting down in the food court.

"Hm..We could have a movie marathon." You suggested.

"No Twilight though.." You scoffed at him, rolling your eyes.

"Wouldn't be much of a movie night without Twilight." He groaned at you, putting his head into his hands, but you saw the smile.

"We can watch Howl's moving castle first, so you can replay it in your head." He jerked his head up, brows furrowed.

"I think you underestimate my ability to quote that movie, word-for-word." You laughed, throwing you head back slightly. Jisung's eyes practically sparkled as he watched you give him a detailed plan for the rest of the day, only butting in a few times to help you out with directions.

.

"Arcade!" You squealed, running behind Jisung and watching him play a game he was 'an expert at.'

..

" 'No, Y/n, I'm great at this game!' But then he loses." Jisung pursed his lips and pretended to be offended.

"Poor bay-bee." You exaggerated.

"Baby?!" He turned to face you.

"I'm older than you!" He continued.

"Technically, yes, but mentally, I'm older." You said, making him scoff.

"Mentally, you're ill." He said, making both of you burst into laughter.

.

"Tell Minho to never cut his hair, please." You said, making Jisung snort.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but I'm your only friend, so who are you gonna tell," You deadpanned but he continued anyway, "Minho has a haircut scheduled." Your jaw dropped and you pretended to cry.

"Life is so unfair!" Jisung giggled at you as you wiped your fake tears, giving a very exaggerated sniffle.

.

"Where's somewhere you've always wanted to go?" You asked Jisung as he lead you both to where the photo booth was.

"Hmm, your house." He wiggled his eyebrows, making you snort.

"You've already been there." He shrugged.

"I don't know..I think I have everything I want." You nodded, not seeing the way his eyes quickly darted to look at your face, and the small smile on his lips.

.

"Ok, pick a style, and then pick the sticker you want on it..Not that one." You chuckled as Jisung gave his input.

"Okay, now look here.." He pointed to the camera before hoisting you onto his back.

The first picture was you on Jisung's back, holding up a peace sign and smiling brightly into the camera.

The second was you both making finger hearts and tilting your heads slightly toward the other.

The third Jisung brought you in for a back hug, confusing you a bit, but you held onto his arms and smiled nonetheless.

"Can I try something new for the last picture?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course!" You answered, unknowingly, before smiling again at the camera.

The fourth picture was you both smiling at the camera, although Jisung's mind was elsewhere.

The fifth, Jisung pulled you close to him, tilting your head up, and smiling down at you. You immediately knew what the sixth picture would be.

"I love you." He whispered before kissing you softly, hand on the back on your head, stroking your hair softly.

The sixth picture. Your first kiss, your first love confession, and your first of many Lotte World dates with Han Jisung.

[yanderelinkeduniverse]

I'm not sure if you've been asked this before, but could you do the chain with a reader that is very much NOT built for the outside world?? (ie has asthma, hayfever, and all the works that werent an issue back in their modern world...) if the chain is too much, than maybe specifically just wild or twilight haha. thank you so much if this is possible! I'm a new fan, but these characters have infested my brain lmao

Oh honey they would be on you 24/7 and I mean that literally.

Admittedly, they’ll each be slightly irritated with this situation, they don’t hold any ill will towards you having someone who isn’t suited for traveling or combat accompanying them isn’t making their job any easier.

But as time goes on and bonding happens, when their blossoming feelings start edging into obsessive devotion, they have some…realizations.

For one, you’re just so delicate, even in your own world you were faced with specific burdens that others just weren’t. And while these burdens may have been alleviated by things from your own world, in theirs you struggle greatly.

So of course this sparks the already existing fear of you leaving because they’re smart enough to know that you want to go back. And they understand, why wouldn’t you wish to return a place with remedies you couldn’t find in theirs?

But where they once felt slightly burdened by your presence, now they are burned by your absence. You occupy every their every waking thoughts and at night they’re blessed with dreams of you.

At this point it feels like their hearts beat just for you.

Suffice it to say, they aren’t willing to let you go, not in the slightest. So they overcompensate by making it so you don’t have to lift a finger.

When in battle you are their first priority, protecting each other or themselves be damned. No hard feelings though since everyone is on the same page about this.

And lets say you get winded easily when walking with the group.Don’t worry, Twilight always has a spot for you on Epona and if on the off chance he doesn’t then he’s totally willing to just carry you.

A little too willing at some points since you’re pretty sure he nearly got into a fist fight with the Captain over who got to carry you one time…

Any and all chores you previously did as a part of the routine set up in the group have been pushed aside onto the other, more willing boys. Particularly Wind, Wild, and Hyrule since those three have always wanted to impress you and have you look at them and only them and say you’re proud of them, preferably accompanied by a kiss-

Plus, you’ll have a buddy in Sky who can relate to your issues and is always there for you whenever you need someone to vent to about your frustrations.

Sometimes you feel bad for pulling him away from the others to talk about your problems, but you don’t see the side eye he gives the others and the way his lips curl into a triumphant smile.

Whenever you share the former thought with him though, he always brushes off your concern and just says that he wants you to be happy and seeing you feel a bit more calm after venting makes him more joyful than you can imagine. You don’t owe him anything, just keep letting him hold your hands while you talk and he’ll be fine~

All in all, they just want you to see this world as more appealing than your own. You won’t need to worry about your health when they’re around to take care of you, nor would you become stressed because of job or school.

They’ll handle everything and take care of you, all you need to do is stay.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

I’m not sure if you’ve ever said anything about this, but the first time I read new moon, the vote chapter, there was one bit that really stuck out:

(from Bella’s point of view) Edward grabbed my face in his hand, forcing me to look at him. His other hand was out, palm toward Carlisle. Carlisle ignored that.

Bella later went on to say it was hard to talk clearly with how Edward was holding her jaw. I don’t know if I’ve misunderstood what exactly was happening, but why did the entire family watch that and do nothing? I’ve read the metas where you’ve said it’d take a lot for Carlisle to realise what Edward really is, but surely that’s a pretty massive indicator and Carlisle actively ignored it?

Anon, you're hilarious.

An Aside in Which I Say "Look in the Mirror"

I've been running this blog for a few years now (a terrifying thought) and I'm both a) one of the most critical of Edward in this space (which is not a bad thing, mind, people are free to do what they like) b) often get asks in which I am asked by anons to justify why I think poorly of Edward.

This is on top of the thousands of metas I've written pointing out various things from canon, where I've presented many arguments, and anons still will ask me to make more arguments.

This is fandom, anon, relatively objective observers who are privy to information the characters in the story don't have. We know Bella's exact thoughts, we know how Edward has interacted with her in private, and we even know Edward's private thoughts for at least the duration of Twilight because of Midnight Sun.

AND YET, I AM HERE.

And you ask this as if it should be obvious to the most casual observer.

Back to Your Ask

I've discussed this at length in posts I'm too lazy to look up at the moment but the crux of it is that

a) Edward's a beloved family member and it's deeply hard to think ill of those we love and we want to justify their actions

b) the family doesn't see most of what goes on with Bella and are only told things by Alice and Edward with Alice being firmly on Edward's side

c) Due to his having previously had a redemption arc in which Edward came back unprompted to the diet even though it must have been not only humiliating but terrifying, Edward comes across as one of the Cullens who best understands that human life is worth protecting and just why they're all doing the diet.

This particular moment though, I'd also give Edward a pass if I was present. To touch Bella at all, to move her like this, Edward has to be extraordinarily gentle and careful. If he was at all rough with her, at all, Bella would be dead or seriously injured (with her jaw crushed between Edward's fingers, her neck snapped, etc.) Basically, for Edward to do this at all, he's being incredibly mindful and the Cullens as vampires are very aware of that.

Add onto that that Bella can speak, when this is a guy who's hand is made of stone, he has to be holding her incredibly gently from his perspective for her to be able to speak at all (and not have a broken jaw).

Also from the outside perspective, where Bella and Edward are in this romantic relationship (even though they just got out of being broken up) and they all know Edward's deeply in love with Bella, this looks like an intimate gesture than it does a "LOOK AT ME" gesture. It's not something any of them would do, or a normal person would, but they're also not dating Bella/convinced they're soulmates with her.

Add into that that they're in the middle of a very intense day, in which Edward had just tried to kill himself and is very emotionally fragile, Bella's now asking to be turned directly, the Volturi barely pardoned them, and Edward is coming unglued with the idea that Bella's going to be turned and the Cullens aren't at the top of their game.

They're just trying to get through the conversation where they tell Edward (and Rosalie) that, yes, they actually do have to turn Bella.

This doesn't register as physical violence to them, and I don't blame them for this one.

[wannabepoeticischiya]

if I can stop one heart from breaking

[ 02 ] — the catalyst

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He existed in the morning dew, in the afternoon haze, within the illusions of twilight. He was there. In the silence of midnight, in the wake of dawn... he was there.

Hoshina Soushiro was everywhere... except right here. He existed in every corner of the cosmos-just not in the space beside her.

The next time [Name] was in the presence of Hoshina, she found herself with her hands folded before her, forehead meeting the tatami floors as she spoke the words she had rehearsed over and over after they got the barely conscious Soushiro out of her temporary quarters. “I deeply apologize for my imprudent behavior, Hoshina-sama. I was short-sighted and lacked proper judgement. I should have known better than to assume. Therefore, please see that I am made an example of—"

Hoshina found her sudden change in behavior strange. Quite literally, it was a stark contrast to that domineering terminator of all those who trespassed from last night. “There’s no need to be so extreme Uehara-san,” Soushiro tried to coax, “It was a misunderstanding that’s all… uh, y-you can sit now, please don’t bow anymore.”

Thankfully, [Name] ceased her remorseful demeanor, yet she remained silent; eyes shackled to the floor. Hoshina could’ve taken her actions for many things: deception, fear, a habit that she couldn’t quite grow out of. But he was painfully aware of her unease, so he regarded her bearings as a sign that she still felt bad, which wasn’t far off the truth—[Name] did feel a tiny bit of remorse for her misconduct (not that it wasn’t undeserved on his part)—but more pressing reasons were hidden underneath that placid air she had surrounding her: the many, many years of practice drilled into her head, tutors and lecturers nagging her ears off on this and that, hours on end of grueling expectations disguised as corrections.

No matter how many times she would whisper to herself that she had grown out of them—left all of it behind for good—chanting them nearly every night like a mantra—when it really came down to it… she would find herself succumbing to the philosophies she swore she would never live by.

And she hated it.

Cradled under the faint glow of the fluorescent lights, Soushiro remained an arm’s length away from knowing her true plight. Either [Name] was extremely good at hiding, or he was far too slow-witted to take notice.

“Really, it’s no big deal. Only a few bruises and a broken rib—” Hoshina knew better than to say those words without thinking twice, and the realization that had come crashing down on him was accompanied by the startled expression [Name] had painted on her face, her head raising so fast, yet faltered ever so slowly as she hesitatingly looked at him with a concerned gaze, unsure if he would be offended by the gesture.

So, he complemented his previous unthought-of statement, “which already healed quite fast if I do say so myself.”

It hasn’t.

His injuries would throb and send sharp jabs of pain under his skin at the littlest of movements, rendering him motionless from the sensation that reached all the way to the horizons of his being.

Soushiro liked to revere himself as a strong man, often finding his body littered with only mild injuries—as opposed to his expectations of angry bruises that would linger around for weeks—despite enduring such brutal training. Only when he caught sight of himself earlier this day holding his lower back like an old man who accidentally bumped into the edge of a cabinet—that ill-favored memory had been (unfortunately) engraved into his head permanently—did the idea of this shy, frail woman in front of him could actually send him to the borders of unconsciousness had shimmied its way into his head (unfortunately).

And he hated it.

But when his eyes beheld the way her expression melted into tender loving softness, shoulders sagging in relief at the words that promised the safety of his well-being, lips tugging upward like a curtain opening to give way to the sunshine he had unknowingly been chasing all this time… right then and there, Soushiro decided he would keep this little secret to himself for a little while longer.

If it meant that he would get to see this moment again.

“Want to go for a stroll in the garden?”

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[adrift-in-thyme]

Whumptober Day 2: Delirium

Read it on Ao3

- Time, Twilight, & Wild

- Summary: Time comes down with an illness and takes a turn for the worse

CW for delirium, illness and fever, mentions of holding a character down (no one actually gets held down), and a character getting punched

—————————-

Twilight sighs as he tugs the blanket a little higher over Time’s shoulder. The older hero shudders, teeth clacking together so hard it’s audible. When the rancher presses a hand to his head, it’s dangerously warm. He pulls away, lips set in a grim line.

“How’s he doing?” Comes Wild’s hushed voice from where he sits by the fire.

Twilight shakes his head. “No better. I think he’s getting worse.”

He sighs again, pressing his fingertips to his temples.

“There’s no need to fuss over me,” Time had assured the two of them only that morning. “I’m alright. It’s likely a cold, nothing more.”

And though his voice had sounded a bit hoarse and he was a little paler than usual, besides that he had seemed like his normal self. So, Twilight had taken him at his word.

…and had had to watch as his condition steadily declined throughout the day. He had tried to make more rest stops and urged the old man to drink during every one. Wild had even offered him a potion, though he had refused it. But their efforts hadn’t been enough. By the time they had found a good stopping place for the night, Time’s gaze had been bleary and unfocused, skin clammy and pale, steps stumbling and heavy.

When Twilight had pulled out his bed mat and ordered him to lie down before he could collapse, his attempts at arguing had fallen pathetically flat. And it hadn’t taken much convincing to get him to let the rancher guide him over to his bed mat. After that, he had swallowed the potion Wild had given him without much complaint.

Since then, he has been sleeping, though restlessly. And with each passing hour, Twilight’s worry has only grown.

Time shifts now, mumbling something about protecting cows and fighting off aliens. Another series of shivers run through him.

Twilight gnaws his lip for a moment, then looks over his shoulder at Wild.

“Hey, do we have any spare rags? I need something cool to put on his head.”

“Yeah, hold on.”

Wild searches in his pouch for a moment, then with a triumphant sound produces a small, worn cloth. Rising, he walks to the nearby stream. When he returns, the cloth is sopping wet with chilled water.

“Thanks,” Twilight says, taking it from him. Gently brushing Time’s hair back, he lays it over his forehead.

The hero shudders at the cool touch and his eye flutters open.

“What…” His gaze flits about the clearing, taking in everything but seeing nothing. “Is-is it time?”

Twilight exchanges an uneasy glance with Wild. Time for what, he isn’t certain. But he shakes his head anyway.

“No, not yet, old man. Go back to sleep.”

Time looks at him, his expression almost pleading. “Why…it-it’s so cold.”

He brings up a hand to pull weakly at the cloth. Twilight grasps his wrist before he can manage to fling it off. Carefully, he guides his hand back down to his side.

“You’ve got a fever. That’s gonna help us break it. So, just leave it there, alright?”

“No, I don’t want to,” Time slurs, stubbornly reaching for it again. “I’s too cold. And it’s wet.”

With an effort, Twilight suppresses a sigh. Little had he thought that caring for his mentor would ever be like caring for the village children.

“Here!” Wild shows up by his side with a bowl of stew in hand. Twilight hadn’t even realized that he had left. “I made dinner. This’ll warm you up!”

With a look of gratitude, Twilight takes the bowl from him. “Yeah, how about you have something to eat? It’ll help you get your strength back too.”

Though Time still looks less than pleased with the whole situation, the promise of warmth seems enough to convince him. He allows them to sit him up and spoon the food into his mouth, swallowing each bite dutifully. But even after he has eaten, he seems little improved. Shivers still rip through his body, his skin is hot to the touch, and he hardly seems aware of what is happening around him.

There is nothing more they can do, however, so Twilight helps him lie back down. Within moments, his eye slides shut and he is asleep once more.

-----------

Twilight volunteers to take the first watch. Wild needs his rest after the difficult day they have endured. Besides, he wants to keep a close eye on his mentor. So, he settles down beneath the shade of a tree a short distance away. And he waits for morning.

The moon is still high in the sky when he hears it. Someone is moving about behind him. The telltale clank of armor plates reaches his ears and he whips around, sword in hand. But there is no monster there. The sight that greets him, however, doesn’t calm him one bit.

Time is sitting upright on a nearby log, trembling fingers working to pull on his gauntlets. His abandoned bed mat lies not far away, masked by a heap of tangled blankets.

Twilight sheaths his sword with a sigh. He had worried something like this might happen. The old man’s fever is dangerously high, after all. But he had dared hope it would break before the inevitable occurred.

“Hey, old man,” he says, gently, and Time’s head jerks upward.

Even in the dim light of the dying fire, his cheeks look flushed, his face pallid. His gaze is as glossy as ever, yet when it meets Twilight’s the intensity of it is almost enough to make him pause.

“He’s coming,” he croaks, in a voice so hoarse Twilight cringes. His throat must be on fire right now.

He takes another step toward him, careful to keep his movements slow.

“Who’s coming?”

Time’s expression hardens further. A shiver tears through him with such intensity that his gauntlet slips from his fingertips and hits the ground. He retrieves it with a growl of frustration.

“Have to prepare…”

“For what?”

“Not what–who.”

Twilight swallows. “Okay, then, who?”

A short way away Wild stirs. With a groan he sits up, rubbing at his bleary eyes.

“What’s goin’ on Twi?”

At the sound of his voice, Time leaps to his feet, looking wildly about the clearing. Twilight rushes forward to catch him before he topples. The older hero tries to shove him off, but he holds on.

“Whoa, take it easy,” he says, patting his arm. “That’s just Wild.”

Time drags in a breath that rattles in his lungs. He looks down at Twilight, an almost crazed look in his eye.

“You must run – both of you. He-he’s coming! I’ll only be able to ho-hold him off for s-so long and…”

He trails off as his words dissolve in a hacking cough.

Wild is on his feet now, fear in his eyes.

“Potion,” Twilight mouths and he nods. Immediately, he ducks down and begins rifling through his pouch.

Twilight turns back to Time, who is still wavering in his grasp. “Whoever it is, we’ll get him, okay? Now, how about you just sit down? You can’t defeat him if you’re flat on your face.”

As gently as possible he pushes Time back onto the log, even as the older hero tries to wrench himself out of his grip. Twilight can feel the panic building steadily within him like water boiling in a kettle. If he can just get him to settle down before it grows out of control…

“You can’t–” The old man gasps, breathless and trembling. “Twi..Twilight…I have to…No!” 

Abruptly, he reels back. Before Twilight can react, a fist collides with his face. The rancher stumbles. His grasp slips. With surprising speed, Time lunges for his sword.

“Ganondorf is coming!”

The fear is blatantly visible on his face now, terror audible in his voice. Twilight freezes, hand stopping halfway through its journey to touch his newly bruised cheek.

He’s not the only one with the arm strength of a moblin, apparently.

“Sweet Ordona…”

Time whirls and the rancher is forced to leap out of the way of his sword’s reach.

“Have to get the sages, have to save Zelda…” He takes a stumbling step forward. A particularly violent shudder races through him and the weapon slips from his grip to land with a dull thump on the earthen ground. “Get to the castle….can’t lose this time–all going to die…what a terrible fate…”

Twilight ducks down and snatches Time’s claymore before he can reach for it again. At that moment, Wild scrambles up to his side.

“Here!” He grabs the sword and presses a potion into Twilight’s hands instead. “Lemme get this out of reach and I’ll come help you hold him down.”

Twilight nods. He clenches his hand around the bottle, forcing an inhale through his nose. Time’s words have cut him straight to the core and left him winded and shaky. Never before has he seen the old man this vulnerable, this scared. It just isn’t right, to see his mentor gaze at him like a child seeking refuge from the monsters that stalk the night.

…a child with the world on his small shoulders.

“Time.” His voice trembles the slightest bit and he clears his throat. “I need you to trust me.”

Time freezes before him, teeth chattering, breath coming on haggard half-gasps. He crosses his arms tightly over his chest.

“N-no.” He shakes his head. “Only have three days. The clock resets — e-everything’s over. Have to sta…start again and I can’t…please don’t make me.”

He’s speaking pure nonsense now — at least Twilight desperately hopes that’s what this is — but it’s enough to shatter his heart. What nightmares has the hero endured to inspire a plea like this? What secrets haunt him?

…what regrets? 

“Twi,” Wild says from beside him and Twilight forces himself to inhale the breath he had been holding.

“We won’t make you start again,” he says, quietly. “I promise.” Carefully, he holds out the bottle. “But we need you to drink this. It…it will give you strength for the battle.”

The lie tastes ashen in his mouth. He has no other choice though. It’s either this or pin the old man to the ground and by Hylia, he doesn’t want it to come to that.

Time’s eye flits between the proffered bottle and the two heroes in front of him. He shudders again, stumbling a bit.

Twilight dares to take a slow step forward. “Trust us.”

“We only want to help,” Wild chimes in, though his voice is unusually quiet. “You don’t have to fight anyone alone.”

For a long moment, Time merely gazes at them, resigned exhaustion and terror warring across his face. Twilight holds his breath.

And then, slowly, he reaches out. Grasping the bottle, he tips it back. No sooner has he downed the crimson liquid than the tension bleeds from his shoulders. The bottle slips from his hand at the same time that he slumps bonelessly forward.

Twilight is just in time to catch him.

[imtrashraccoon]

Edit: Future Tumble here! I just wrote a short drabble that is related to this fic. Check it out here!

Or check the rest of the fic out here.

The Nightmare of Apathy: Chapter 1

Word count: 4,712

Nightmare x Female Reader

く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡 ~ ~ ~

"Don't forget to refuel your lantern before you leave!"

You stopped abruptly at the door, groceries in one arm and your other hand on the knob. Glancing down at the lantern swinging from your hip, you saw that while the fuel was low, it wasn't dangerously so just yet.

Mrs. Jones appeared from the back of the shop with a child on one hip. She looked haggard and a rather thin considering she'd had five kids by this point, yet her face was stuck in an annoyed expression. "You know what will happen if you get stuck in the dark..." she warned, although the tone she used sounded like she was scolding a small child.

You shook your head, "Yes, I know, but it's fine. My home isn't far and I'll be able to get there quickly enough if I run."

The shop lady sighed and shook her head. She seemed a bit more stressed than usual and you knew she'd only reminded you about your lantern out of habit from reminding her own family.

"Right. May the Moon keep you..." She turned and returned to the back room to finish whatever she had started doing earlier before you'd stopped by.

You scowled and, more harshly than you should've, responded, "And may he guide you for the night..." You opened the shop door and left, the little bell signaling your exit.

While you knew in your soul that Mrs. Jones was only wishing you to be safe as was custom, you couldn't help but feel disgusted whenever anyone did so. Why should you partake in some stupid religious tradition when it had never been helpful before? You scoffed and descended the steps to the cobblestone road, before beginning to make your way home through the dim streets.

This whole world was cursed and you had been unlucky enough to be born into it. It was perpetually in a cycle of darkness and twilight, but never to be any brighter. Only the stars and the moon pierced the veil of permanent black and granted some relief to its denizens. It was often chilly, even in the warmer months, but the cold of winter was more often than not, deadly to any creature caught without shelter.

It was all you'd ever known and all you would ever know. You were unimportant and worth little more than the clothes on your back. No amount of hard labour could change that, which was a fact that everyone seemed only too glad to remind you of at every little opportunity.

You were lucky to have lived as long as you had. If not for your late grandmother, the darkness would've taken you long ago after your parents both suddenly passed. She was a kind and infinitely selfless woman, who cared for you as if you were her own child. But even she could only give so much and as hard as you'd tried, you were unable to save her when she fell ill last Winter.

Now, you were completely alone. While you were fortunate to have a job working at the local mill, it was hard work and you often had little time for anything else. The pay wasn't great either but at least you only had yourself to worry about. If you needed to, you could skip a few meals here and there to help save money.

You glanced up at the crescent moon and scowled again before quickening your pace. You needed to get home before your lantern did run out of oil or else you'd really be in trouble. While this town had lanterns on each street corner and at major intersections, the spaces in between were often large and nearly pitch black once the shops were closed.

You weren't afraid of the dark per say; you and every other child growing up had quickly squashed that fear early, but it was what lurked in the dark...or what could. While wild animals would certainly be something to fear, a far greater evil dwelled in the shadows. One who no one dared to speak his name carelessly lest his anger be turned on them.

Lord Nightmare.

Even just the thought of his name sent shivers down your spine, for good reason too. He was a god, the Lord of Dusk and Shadows, and the ruler of this cursed world. His word was absolute and he ruled through fear and an iron fist.

No one could stand against him, though countless fools had tried. Yet they'd only served as grim reminders of his absolute power. Not only was he physically powerful, but he was also prone to targeting the mind, even when you weren't anywhere near him. Indeed, constant nightmares were the norm for everyone and the only known temporary relief was by taking an expensive and highly dangerous drug, but when that wore off, the nightmares would only return in full force.

In the face of such bleak hopelessness, it was only natural that people would turn to anything that could promise them even a smidgen of hope. Enter the commonly held worship of the Moon. While you'd never been interested in the schematics of the belief, nowadays it seemed most worshippers only believed in spirit, rather than actively taking part in any actual worship. You only saw it as a superstition, like wishing someone good luck, and didn't actually believe the Moon had any power over someone as powerful as Lord Nightmare.

Of course, when the worship of the Moon came to his attention, he'd threatened to block it out entirely unless his demands were met. He really could block out the moon though, and regularly did so whenever the people were late with the yearly tribute that was really just a tax. Speaking of, he regularly demanded exorbitant taxes that were due each year once Spring had arrived. And if the tribute wasn't deemed good enough in his eyes? He'd lash out and punish everyone severely, be it in the form of increasingly horrible nightmares or whatever other twisted punishment he could think up.

Still, you had more immediate concerns to worry about, like getting home so you could refuel your lantern for one. You still had enough oil to last at least another day or two if you conserved it. For now, you would do what you'd always done, live one day at a time and not worry about things outside of your control. One day, you would save enough money to live in a better house and maybe after that, you could save enough to at least live comfortably.

You were in such a hurry that you almost weren't watching where you were going and you rounded a corner a bit too sharply, nearly barreling into someone. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you and I...." Your apology died in your throat as you regained your balance and saw who it was that you'd collided with.

The girl snarled and shoved you away from her. "Yeah, you'd better be sorry," she grumbled and very obviously looked you up in down, her ugly face curling into even more of a disgusted look.

The ever so wonderful, Catherine "Cathie" Lee, the mayor's daughter and your worst enemy. What you did to warrant her hatred? You still had no idea and you could only remember one time when you were both kids that you weren't able to go to a birthday party of hers. She'd seemingly hated you ever since and it had only gotten worse as you'd both grown up.

To top it off, she wasn't alone. Two other girls stepped around the corner and stood beside Cathie. Their tittering laughter only made you even more angry than you'd already been. Of course all three were wearing matching sparkly pink cocktail dresses and of course they looked like they'd just stepped out of an equally disgusting speakeasy. You could swear they stank of alcohol above all that perfume that was practically cascading off their skin.

You took a deep breath to try and remain calm. "Becky, Marcelle,...Cathie. Lovely evening to be out on the town I see..." You weren't even trying to hide your irritation but you were at least attempting to act civil, even if you were being snarky while doing so.

"Well it was, up until a minute ago," Cathie grumbled.

"Then, you know what, I'll do you a favour and remove myself from your sight," you muttered and rolled your eyes slightly. "Stars know my evening will improve drastically..."

You went to walk past them but Becky and Marcelle moved to block you. You narrowed your eyes at them and tried to go around but they blocked you again, this time trying to restrain you as well.

"Don't touch me!" you growled and yanked your shoulder away from their grasp.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Cathie hissed as she stepped closer to you. She shoved you roughly, causing you to stumble backwards into the arms of her cronies.

They grabbed your shoulders again, much tighter this time so you couldn't so easily pull away. Your bag of groceries you'd been carrying hit the cobblestone and the contents spilled out, much to your irritation. Once again, you tried desperately to pull away from them, but their grip held fast and your efforts were futile.

"You know what, your attitude reeks...must be because you spend all your time in the graveyard!" Cathie shouted in a mocking tone.

"I do not!" you shouted back. "Just because your parents are both alive, doesn't give you any reason to say that!"

Cathie growled and kicked the brown paper bag, scattering the contents across the street. There hadn't been much in it anyways, but much of it was fragile like fresh produce and eggs. She noticed this and made eye contact with you for a moment, before stomping and kicking everything until there was little hope in salvaging any of it.

You fell silent and just stared at her. This wasn't the first time her and her friends had accosted you, and likely wouldn't be the last. Sure, you could buy more food, but you still had to buy oil for your lantern. You weren't due to be paid until next week too.

Seeing the effect her actions had on you, Cathie grinned triumphantly and planted her hands on her hips. "Look what you made me do..." she grumbled and tried to wipe the bottoms of her feet against the stone. "My shoes are ruined, what do you have to say for yourself, Grave Girl?"

You stared passively back and refused to answer. Evidently, this only served to infuriate her and she backhanded your cheek in retaliation. This earned her a harsh glare and you spit at the ground in disgust.

"What do you want me to say? You did it to yourself, so why don't you go beg father dearest for new ones? Or has he finally smartened up and realized how much of spoiled brat you've become?"

Cathie scoffed and waved dismissively at Becky and Marcelle. They let go of your arms and you jerked away as soon as you were free, shooting a glare at them too.

"You worthless rat..." Cathie hissed under her breath as they started to walk away. "You'll pay for this..."

You tentatively touched your cheek and winced slightly from the stinging. That was probably going to swell up and bruise. You would have to deal with people being nosy and staring at you for a couple of days now.

With a sigh, you tried to salvage what you could, which wasn't much. Some of the vegetables could still be used and a small pouch of chili powder hadn't been burst open. Everything else had already mixed with the dirt of the road and by the sputtering of your lantern's flame, you couldn't afford to spend any more time trying to save anything else.

く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡 ~ ~ ~

You were woken rather rudely by heavy pounding on your front door and someone shouting for you to open up. The commotion shook your little shack and you worried they would knock your door off its rusty hinges if you didn't.

It turned out to be the Captain of the Town guard and with him were six heavily armed soldiers. Their weapons were drawn when you opened the door and they immediately set upon you. Roughly pinning you to the ground, they cuffed your wrists together and despite your protests about what was going on, hauled you off to the dungeon.

You were left to stew there for several hours. Your body ached from how rough they'd been with you, even though you hadn't even tried to resist. You probably had many more bruises to add to the one on your cheek now.

There were several questions that swirled in your mind as the hours stretched on. Why me? What did I do? Surely they'll realize this was all just a big misunderstanding, right...?

You were held there for several nights. While you tried to get answers from the guards, no one would explain what was going on and they treated you with the same amount of care as any common criminal. Yet you had committed no crimes so it made no sense.

Catherine Lee. This was her doing...it had to be! She must've gone crying to daddy and spewing lies, for them to treat you this badly. While you could feel the despair threatening to consume you whole, you also began to feel angry. It started out small but with each cold night that you spent rotting in the dungeon, your rage at the injustice of this situation grew more and more.

By the end of the week, they finally retrieved you, although they weren't much gentler this time either. Your wrists were once again cuffed and you were brought into the court house, again with a heavily armed guard as if they expected you to attack someone.

It looked like nearly the whole town had filled the room, save for the children and infirmed of course. However, it immediately became apparent that this was no trial. No, this was your sentencing.

"Ha...guilty until proven innocent? What a joke!"

They still hadn't told you what crime you'd committed and they wouldn't let you plead your case, let alone ask any questions. The only thing they were willing to discuss was the annual tribute.

"What do you mean there isn't enough?!"

"...it was raised last minute..."

"Well what are we supposed to do?!"

"There is one thing..."

They planned to send you as the tribute.

You were stunned.

"This can't be happening..."

Lord Nightmare was flexible when it came to payment, so long as it was on time that is. His subjects could give a majority of their livestock and harvest, which wasn't usually feasible after a hard Winter, or a hefty sum of gold, which was the preferred method. He had never accepted humans as tribute with the closest being the few times he'd accepted some of the best builders, artisans, or crafters to work on his domain. The last time this happened though was at least fifty years ago.

"At least she isn't completely ugly..."

"He's not human, there's no way he'll know any different..."

"...it'll be good to get rid of her...."

You were given a nicer dress and forced to wear makeup to hide the bruises you'd sustained during the arrest. After practically being threatened to go along with this for the sake of the town, you were shoved into a carriage for the several hour journey to Lord Nightmare's domain.

So much for being lucky...

く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡 ~ ~ ~

The forest was so dark. Only the lantern at the front of the carriage permeated a few feet into the inky black. The horses didn't care though and they continued to faithfully pull the carriage through the darkness.

You knew you were close by now. Your nerves felt frayed, like the slightest tug would cause you to unravel completely. You had to be strong right now though, for the sake of your people.

The carriage came to a stop and one of the horses whinnied softly. You could hear the two soldiers disembark and one came to open the door to let you out. You didn't need to be told twice and hopped to the ground with a small huff. The other soldier was talking with two guards in front of a massive iron gate.

You were ushered over to the guards and you could now see that they were far from human. They both towered over the soldiers by at least a foot and you estimated they were probably close to seven feet tall. They appeared like they were wearing plate armour, though it was hard to tell as they were covered in an inky black substance. Their heads seemed to be skeletal and they had sharp teeth as well as cyan pinpricks in their hollow eye sockets. Definitely fitting guards for Lord Nightmare if you were to say.

Frankly, you didn't pay attention to how the conversation went and you were unceremoniously handed over to the skeletal guards. Then the soldiers from your town got back into the carriage again. They left hastily, as if they were afraid Lord Nightmare himself would stop them if they didn't. You didn't blame them, but you couldn't help the wave of disgust that welled up inside you at their obvious cowardice.

You were guided through the iron gate and up a winding path to the castle itself by one of the guards. It was hard to grasp the sheer scale of this place because much of it blended into the night sky, but it was by far the largest building you'd ever seen.

The castle was made of large stone bricks but you weren't an expert on rocks, so they just looked like vaguely dark gray stones to you. Even in the darkness, you could see that the lawns were well manicured and there seemed to be some rather nice landscaping too.

The castle itself was decorated much more opulently than you'd initially expected. Numerous paintings and tapestry hung on the walls, depicting various scenes and themes, and you could tell the creators were far more talented than you could ever dream of being. The rooms were also lit with a variety of different light fixtures like lanterns or candles, but the flames were a light blue and most fixtures seemed to be made from gold.

The further into the castle you were led, the more expensive everything seemed to get. The floors were now covered in long plush carpets with intricate patterns, most of which seemed to be of the stars and the moon interestingly enough.

Finally, the skeletal guard came to a pair of beautifully carved wooden doors and with basically no effort, pushed them open. You immediately realized that this was the grand hall and also the throne room.

There were multiple stained glass window murals depicting what you recognized as the tale of how Lord Nightmare came into power. Weirdly enough, there were a couple of scenes and figures that you didn't recognize though. In the middle of the room was a long table that had room for at least two dozen seats around it, sporting an intricate black lace table runner.

But it was beyond the table that really caught your attention. There, casually lounging on his throne, was the god of this world and the one you now essentially belonged to.

Lord Nightmare himself.

Due to the consistent nightmares, everyone already knew what he vaguely looked like, but to actually see him in the flesh? Well, to put it simply, it was taking everything in you to remain standing and not drop to your knees right now. You could literally feel how powerful his aura was from here and he wasn't even trying to manipulate your emotions, yet.

Lord Nightmare seemed to be a skeleton although he was much different from a human one. Aside from being constantly coated in some sort of black substance, his bones appeared to be wider and thicker, giving the appearance of mass underneath his clothing like he actually had flesh. His phalanges were tipped with sharp claws and adorned with several gold rings, all of which had precious stones embedded into the metal.

On his skull was a circlet formed from gold with a black moon in the center. The black robe he wore was definitely made of the highest quality fabrics to be found and had been tailored to fit him perfectly. Underneath that, he wore a plumb coloured dress shirt with the top button undone, revealing his sternum and the top of his first pair of ribs. While his gray pants looked simple, you knew they were likely far from cheap, and even his shoes were made from a high quality black leather.

His singular glowing cyan eyelight narrowed as he leared down at you from his throne before he beckoned you to approach with a claw. Steeling yourself, you did so, although you hoped he couldn't see how badly your hands were trembling.

"What is the purpose of your visit?" he inquired. His tone of voice was low and it seemed to permeate into the very back of your mind before almost curling up inside. There was a general air of boredom about him at the moment and you really hoped things wouldn't get worse than that.

You took a steadying breath and bowed respectfully. "My Lord, I am here to present the annual tribute from the town Rynbarn," you answered. Your voice was higher pitched than it normally was and your palms felt clammy from how nervous you were.

His eye socket narrowed critically and you could feel the way his eyelight studied you. "Alright, where is it then...?" His tone suggested that he was unimpressed so far and it only caused your heartrate to increase further.

Realizing you should've been more clear, you quickly tried to course correct. "My apologies, I meant to say that they sent me as tribute..." You couldn't help the way your voice trembled at the end of your explanation.

He stared at you for a long time. You couldn't tell if he thought you were lying or if he was simply shocked by what you'd said. You subtly tried to wipe your hands on your dress and shifted your weight from one foot to the other.

He sat up straighter and rested his chin on one of his hands. He definitely didn't seem bored anymore, rather his demeanor seemed more confused than anything. "I see..." he murmured.

You swallowed nervously and looked down at your shoes.

He sighed and muttered under his breath. "Are they fools?" His tone suggested that the question was rhetorical and he continued speaking, rather than wait for you to answer. "Or do they care so little for you that they would rather give you away?"

"I wouldn't know really..." you responded quietly. Well, you had some pretty strong suspicions as to what had happened but you weren't about to complain in front of Lord Nightmare and risk upsetting him.

He made a quiet tisk sound and shook his skull. "I'm genuinely trying to understand the situation but frankly, I am more than a little bewildered." Tilting his skull, he studied you once more, trying to make some sense of this.

"Do you have any enemies or anyone that would wish harm on you?" he asked.

You hadn't been expecting a question like that and for a moment debated how you should answer. Ultimately deciding to be truthful, you took a deep breath and looked up at him again. "I'm afraid so, my Lord."

He raised a bonebrow at that and motioned for you to elaborate. "You hardly seem like the type to purposely make enemies. So, tell me why they sent you specifically."

You got the sense that he was only asking to satisfy his curiosity and not because he felt empathetic towards your plight. Nevertheless, you didn't really have the right to refuse him.

"Well... I may have slighted the mayor's daughter once when we were children and she's seemingly had it out for me ever since. I suspect she spread some sort of lie about me and turned the whole town against me," you explained.

For a fraction of a second, the corners of his permanent grin seemed to quirk up slightly before returning to a more passive expression. "A shame," he murmured. A moment later, his low tone shifted and he raised his voice slightly. "So, this whole situation was caused by a childish squabble?"

You shrank back at the sudden change in his demeanor and could feel the way his voice bounced off the walls. While he didn't seem angry per say, you could feel his aura had shifted to a darker emotion from before, which was concerning.

He calmed down again a second later, as if nothing had happened. "Ridiculous..." he muttered to himself and shook his skull. Looking back up, he frowned at the distance you'd created and motioned for you to come closer again.

Only once you'd done so did he speak again. "I am slightly insulted that they thought they could both get rid of you and appease my demands at the same time. However, I can't very well send you back now either..." He trailed off and studied you thoughtfully for a moment.

"Um, if I may..." you started to say, although you almost immediately regretted doing so with how sudden his gaze flicked to your own. "I can be useful...if you're willing to give me a chance?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "As you may have noticed, I already have my own staff, however, something about you intrigues me. Do you have any particular talents? Such as, baking or gardening for instance?" he asked.

You shook your head, but quickly tried to explain before he could become too disappointed. "My late grandmother taught me everything I know about baking and while I remember several of her recipes, I wouldn't say I'm better than any other person. And gardening was more of a hobby of hers but I helped out when she wasn't able to keep up anymore."

To your surprise, he seemed pleased by your response, although the moment was brief before his expression returned to it's previous passive state. "Very well," he hummed. "You will show me what you can do and if it is suitable, then that will be your place here. If not, well..."

He trailed off and held eye contact for what felt like ages. You didn't dare ask what he was going to say next, but it probably wasn't good. Still, you struggled to keep the staring contest going, although you quickly lost your nerve and dropped your gaze to the floor once again.

He reached out and tilted your chin up with a clawed digit, forcing you to maintain eye contact with him again. You hadn't noticed it much earlier, but now his expression was positively frigid. Even without words, his intentions were immediately clear to you now.

Entertaining this chance for you to prove yourself was him showing kindness, but, you only had one chance to do so. He had been far more civil and patient than you'd expected, yet he had no patience for fools or those who would waste his time. He held the power here and there was nothing you could do to change that.

"I expect utmost loyalty from my subjects and you are no exception. Do you understand?" he asked.

You swallowed nervously. "Yes... I understand very well, my Lord."

"Good." He let go of you and leaned back again. Changing the subject, he asked, "What is your name?"

"Aylin, my name is Aylin," you murmured.

His cyan eyelight seemed to glow brighter and a look of recognition flickered across his face. It was enough to send a shiver down your spine, especially when he let out a soft chuckle.

"A fitting name indeed..." he purred.

く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡 ~ ~ ~

Hey, Aylin is a Turkish name meaning "moon halo" or "the one who belongs to the moon". I wasn't originally going to name the reader but it is a very fitting name, wouldn't you say?

Updates may be slow but I intend to post a part two at some point.