#on Revali's end at least; Dal isn't ready to forgive *himself* quite yet...

[axewchao]

A Surprisingly Soothing Sunrise

In which the Rito and the Hylian have another moment alone.

~~~

Revali had always rose with the sun.

He wasn't sure why, he just did. It didn't matter if he was exhausted the night before, sick with yet another cold or fever as a child, or simply wanted to sleep in, once the light hit his face, he would wake without fail.

And try as he might, he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. By now he'd learned to accept such an odd habit, but by Medli's mercy did he want to sleep past sunrise right now.

It had been a few days since The Talk. Dalex had said his piece, and Revali believed him. Believed that he wasn't lying, at least. And he wasn't sure where to go from there. He doubted Dalex knew either.

During that time, Revali would often steal glances at the Hylian when no one was looking. Before The Talk, nothing would come of it. But now, he would catch Dalex staring right back, faded eyes (er, eye) full of an emotion Revali couldn't put a name to. Longing, maybe? The Talk had ended rather abruptly due to Revali's emotional exhaustion. There was still some things left to be said, that much was clear.

And as weird as it was to admit, it was nice to know that Revali wasn't the only one who wanted to continue The Talk.

If only either of them knew how. Then maybe things wouldn't feel so... complicated.

~

Revali could still feel Dalex's hand in his own as they left Faron Woods. He hadn't meant to hold it for so long, he just... didn't let go.

He wished it was a wing he was holding...

But he can't hold that wing anymore, can he?

"You don't have to worry about me using it anymore. The mask, I mean. I threw it away. Whoever finds it can have it, for all I care..."

Revali never worked up the nerve to say that he found it. Scooped it up from Satori Mountain before anyone else could get their grubby hands on it. He wasn't sure what would've happened if he did tell Dalex. Another look of shock, perhaps? Dalex did seem as though he was expecting the worst from their conversation.

Just like Revali himself. Believing that misery was all that awaited him in the end, and taken by surprise when it wasn't.

He looked up from the cheap stable bed he'd been lying in. The other Champions and the Princess were all sound asleep in their own beds with the exception of Daruk, who was curled in a ball with a small (for his size) blanket amusingly draped over him.

If that didn't give away that he was out cold, the snoring certainly did. Revali was surprised that everyone actually slept through that all night.

With a sigh, Revali sat up, running his hand through his crest. He wanted to just lay there and hopefully doze until the others woke, but he doubted that would work. Might as well get up and do... anything, really.

Maybe a walk would take his mind off things. Help him work up the energy he needed for the day.

As he got up to do just that, he failed to notice that one of the beds was vacant.

~

Revali told himself it would be just a walk, but in reality it felt more like a hike. Complete with a bit of climbing as he ascended to higher points of the plateau.

Sure, he could've just flown up, but for once, he didn't feel like it. Every bird has to land eventually, after all. They can't fly for eternity like a certain Divine Beast he knew.

...Wait, could Medoh fly forever? Or would she run out of... power? What the hell was even fueling Medoh in the first place? Or the other ancient technology for that matter? Maybe he should've paid more attention to Purah and Robbie's little seminars.

But then he'd be there for hours... Eh, he could just ask Medoh directly.

No, but then both Sheikah would hound him endlessly for answers. Purah never got over the fact that each Champion could literally communicate with their respective Beast...

Revali stopped beside a tree and pinched his brow. This "walk" was not helping. Instead of making him feel better, it just left him annoyed at two Sheikah scientists that weren't even here. And once again he threw himself into another mental back-and-forth. Gods, he did not need this so early in the morning.

He could just turn back...

...No. He started this, might as well see it through to the end. And by "see it through to the end," he meant "find a nice spot to watch the sunrise." Hopefully staring at a ball of light in the sky would make this nonsense in his head stop for a moment.

Just one. That's all he asks.

Stepping out from the trees, he rubbed his eyes, about to let out a yawn before immediately clamping his beak shut.

What is he doing here?!

Sitting at the edge of a pond, back turned to Revali and the water, was none other than Dalex. If it weren't for the fact that he and Revali hadn't spoken to each other since The Talk, Revali would've been convinced that the Hylian was following him around. It seemed that he also aimed to watch the sunrise, as he didn't appear to react to Revali's approach.

Not even his odd pointy ears twitched. Revali doubted that Dalex even heard anything just now.

They're still drooping...

Revali let a small amount of worry fill his chest. That dull hue that covered Dalex's entire body, even his clothes, was still there. Revali could see it, even in the warm light of the sun. His hair looked even more messy, though given the hour, Revali was willing to chalk that up to an untamed bedhead. And that weird bead thing at the end of his braid...

Gray. Revali distinctly remembered it being blue when... when...

When he was with me as the Starling.

The mere thought of him sent Revali back in time. When the two of them were sitting on a plateau much like this one, under the light of the full moon. Talking and laughing as fireflies and the occasional fairy gathered around them. 

Back then, Revali felt... 

Like he could say anything, feel anything. Like he had a real friend for the first time ever. A kindred spirit, in more ways than one.

What a lovely night that was. He missed those nights. He missed his friend.

He's right there, isn't he? The logical part of him asked. You made your choice. You decided that he was not some heartless liar that used you like a toy. If you want your friend that badly, what are you waiting for?

He hated how that part of him had a point. But... it was still different.

How?

It... it just is, okay?! He can't just go up to Dalex and say hi anymore!

And why not?

...Wait a minute. That tone... 

...Medoh, is that you?

...What a shame. You caught me. There were no traces of guilt or resignation whatsoever from the Divine Beast.

Revali bit back the urge to growl. He was not in the mood for this. What do you want, Medoh?

A wonderful question, my Champion. I want you to go speak to your friend.

...We're not friends. Revali felt his throat tighten. Not anymore...

And who is the liar now, I wonder? Medoh chided, a hint of smugness in her voice.

Don't give me that, Medoh. It's complicated, you know this!!

It is only complicated because you are actively making it complicated.

Revali nearly squawked. I'M making it hard?! How?!

By not talking, you fool. Revali imagined Medoh shaking her head, You did well in Faron Woods, but you have not spoken to him since. I know you wish to speak with him again, do not try to deny it.

Damned Beast, reading his mind. Who knew that ancient technology could be so unbelievably nosy?

I heard that.

Oh, I know you did. Revali pouted, crossing his wings.

Revali... Medoh sighed, You cannot dance around him forever. Surely you realize this.

Don't pin all the blame on me, Medoh. He hasn't made any move to speak either.

Based on my observations, he likely will not speak to you until you have given him permission to do so.

Wha- Permission?? What are you talking about?

Think about it. Even after you had stopped avoiding him, he made no move to speak to you until you asked for a meeting in Faron Woods. He had plenty of opportunities to approach you, but he did not. Even after your talk, he has yet to say anything else, but he keeps looking at you the same way you have been looking at him. My best hypothesis? He is waiting for you to make the first move once again. You are the one that had been hurt, after all.

That... 

Revali's crest drooped. He... hadn't thought about that, actually...

You... you think he's just been giving me space?

I do. Would you not do the same if your roles were reversed?

...

No need to answer. I know you're conscientious enough to do so.

I... still can't just walk up to him like that, Medoh. I don't even know if that's... okay.

...'Okay'? Medoh echoed with a confused trill, Why would it not be?

After everything that's happened? Do you honestly believe that we'll be friends again THAT easily?!

You could start to.

Revali searched his mind for a rebuttal. He couldn't find one.

I understand that you are both hurting. Your friendship likely will not be the same. But there is nothing more you can do other than go forward.

...

Tell me, Revali... what do you want?

I don't know what you-

Do you want your friend back?

...Yes. The admission made a weight lift off his shoulders. Funny, he didn't notice it until it left.

Then go get him. He is right there.

But you just said-

It will not be the same, that is true. But is that truly a bad thing?

Medoh's logic was absurd. It was bad because... because...

If things do not work out, then they do not work out. But you will not know until you try.

Gods, Medoh... why do you keep pushing me like this?

I have told you before; I want to see you happy. And you were happy with him. Just as he was happy with you.

That final note didn't make Revali's heart jump. He swears it didn't.

Remember when you first retrieved his mask? You wanted him to prove you wrong. Give him a chance.

With a heavy sigh, Revali gave in. 

Fine, Medoh... you win. But if things go wrong, I'm blaming you and your incessant meddling.

I accept any and all consequences. Now stand up straight, he heard you.

...Wait, WHAT?!

Good luck, my Champion.

~

Sure enough, Dalex had turned to Revali, one ear raised to pick up the sound of him relenting to a mechanical bird. His visible eye was wide with surprise, and his whole body was tense, as though he expected an ambush.

A bit of a pointless action, considering that the sword that seals the darkness was nowhere to be seen.

"I..." Revali coughed, "Didn't expect you to be such an early riser." ...Really? The first thing he says after The Talk and that's what he comes up with?

Dalex opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His eyes kept flicking back and forth, as if searching for anything to stare at that wasn't Revali.

He looks ready to run. Say something, already!

"...Is this seat taken?" Revali motioned toward a spot beside Dalex. When the Hylian shook his head, Revali brushed some dirt away with a talon before sitting down, his knees barely grazing the other's.

...This felt too close. But he can't scoot away now, that'd make things even more awkward, he knew it...

He stole what felt like the millionth glance at Dalex, who still seemed to be avoiding any form of eye contact. He turned his head further away from Revali, towards one of the distant mountains instead of the rising sun. 

"I... Have been meaning to talk to you for a while now."

One of Dalex's ears perked up.

"I know I ended our last talk rather... quickly. But I just..." Revali ran his wing through his crest, struggling to find his words.

"...You don't have to force yourself." Revali's feathers ruffled at the sound of the other's voice.

Dalex turned to him then, eyes glazed over with regret. "I know you don't want to see me right now. If I'd known you'd be up at this hour, I wouldn't have come up here at all."

He sounds so... defeated. Ironic, coming from Hyrule's "unbeatable" knight...

The thought sounded terribly wrong in Revali's mind. 

"I'll... I'll just go-"

"No." Without thinking, Revali reached out to Dalex's shoulder, stopping the Hylian from standing. At Dalex's surprised face, Revali fumbled for more words. "I-I mean... You can stay. If you want, that is."

A dull purple eye flicked back and forth between the wing on his shoulder and Revali's face. "...Are you sure?"

"Like I said, I've been meaning to... well... you heard me." Revali's crest drooped, "...I can't keep doing this."

"Doing... what?"

"Avoiding you." Dammit, he hadn't meant to blurt that out... "I just keep thinking about what you said and-... and what you said when you were him and... and I just..." Revali sighed, covering his eyes with a wing, "...I don't want things to end like this."

Dalex didn't respond, but Revali felt a small, featherless hand touch his. Right, he hadn't let go of Dalex's shoulder...

I don't want to let go...

"...He was... you were... my best friend. And when you took the mask off that night, I just... I panicked."

You were more than just my best friend. I thought... I thought I could-

"I thought it was all one big ruse. With how guilty you looked it seemed like you were about to confess to some horrid crime, and I... I thought you were just using me."

He heard Dalex's breath hitch. Did... did something just tap his feathers?

"And I was so scared. For once in my entire life, I was scared that I was absolutely right. That you were just toying with me, that it was all some sick joke."

He felt it again. Something fell on his feathers. It was... wet?

"But then we talked in the woods and... and you said all those things."

"I started to realize it still wasn't me. Not in your eyes. Could I really count as your friend when you didn't even know who I really was?"

"You deserve a real friend. Someone that can actually speak to you without needing to hide behind a mask the whole time."

"When I realized what I was doing, I had to stop it. I was being selfish and I was hurting you and..."

"And I'm so sorry."

"If..." Revali steeled his nerves, "If I'm right, you had better tell me this instant instead of stringing..." At the feeling of more wet things hitting his wing, Revali uncovered his eyes and turned to look at the Hylian. "me... along..."

Oh. That's what that wet stuff was. Dalex was crying.

...Wait, crying?

"H-Hey-"

"I never meant for this to h-happen..." Dalex's head was down, his entire body shaking as he struggled to hold his sobs in.

Now Revali was the one silent. Of all the things that could come from this, he never expected the Hero of Hyrule to break down in tears like a child being scolded. He couldn't recall ever seeing Dalex cry like this before. Or cry at all, for that matter. When injured, all the Hylian would do was grit his teeth and bear the pain.

Even in Faron Woods he was able to keep himself together with only a few tears slipping, but now he's...

"I just- I wanted to- I-I mean I-" Dalex was nearly choking on his cries now. "I never wanted to hurt you, I swear I didn't! You don't deserve that, you never deserved that!!" He furiously rubbed his eyes, "This is what I get for being selfish..."

The way he said that word... it was dripping with venom. Like he despised the mere concept with every fiber of his being.

Like he despised himself with every fiber of his being.

"I should've just left you alone. I should've never used that damned mask. I wanted to be your friend, but all I did was hurt you!! I-" He covered his face with his hands, muffling whatever else he wanted to say.

Revali's ears strained to hear it. It sounded like another 'I'm sorry.' And another. And another.

I can't take this anymore.

His wings wrapped around Dalex before either of them could react.

Please don't cry, Starling...

The area around them was completely silent, save for the wind and Dalex's sobs. Revali made no move to release him, slowly running a wing up and down Dalex's back. The Hylian in question was shaking to his core, but eventually leaned into the embrace. Revali was sure that his scarf was getting soaked with tears now.

But he couldn't care less about a wet scarf. What he cared about was what was in his arms right in that moment.

The Hylian Champion, the Hero of Hyrule, the wielder of the sword that seals the darkness. This man went by many names, and was known from Hebra to Necluda and everywhere in between for silently bearing each and every burden that came his way. Nothing made his face rise or fall, nothing made him speak his mind, and nothing made him show signs of fear or misery.

He was said to be unbreakable. Unshakeable. Everything he did, he did it without a shred of remorse or uncertainty.

Yet here he was, crying his eyes out because of how his actions personally affected one person. Just one.

And that was enough for Revali to finally admit what he'd never thought he would:

...I was wrong.

~

No one asked any questions when they returned to the stable. Revali could tell such inquiries were on the tip of everyone's tongue, though.

He couldn't say that he blamed them. After all, it wasn't like any of them thought they'd wake up and see the Rito Champion carrying a sound asleep Hylian Champion on his back, taking slow steps as to avoid jostling his cargo.

For a moment, Revali wondered if letting Dalex literally cry himself to sleep was a good idea. But one look at the dark circles under his eye was enough to convince Revali to let the poor man rest. It was clear that Revali wasn't the only one who lost sleep over all of this...

After setting Dalex down in the bed Revali had used the previous night, he did a quick stretch, 'complaining' about how heavy the little knight was as he stepped back out into the sun. A brief moment was spent asking the stableman to leave Dalex undisturbed, even throwing a few extra rupees their way to be certain they'd do as asked.

He could feel the other Champions' eyes on him as he strapped his bow to his back. He ignored them, unleashing his Gale and taking to the skies.

The sunlight warmed his feathers, and the weight tied to his heart, while still present, felt much lighter. He flew east, searching for a suitable clearing to begin his training for the day.

A lone feather fluttered in the aftermath of Revali's Gale, drifting into the stable and landing beside the slumbering Hylian.

Said Hylian's expression was as blank as always, but his mind was more at ease than it had been in months.