#pinesong

[ducksdontdraw]

The ocean was there, too, spread out far below the cliff Link had chosen with no land in sight beyond, but it was the rising sun that caught and held his focus, each individual ray like an arrow of light piercing through him as he rose. Suspended in the air, with no mountains or land between them, he thought for one brief second that there was no Calamity—that maybe nothing existed but himself and that sun, and Link, rising alongside them.

Pinesong, ao3

for revalink week

[ghirahimbo]

it's been so long, he gasped

[nettleclanstale]

Moon 76.

CW: SUICIDE.

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Peter Parkerstar.

[mairynz]

Song : it's easier to pine [ pinesong ]

☆•°Revali dream music °•☆

" but even so , it will always be my home "

- revali

[avenin7]

Pinesong wip

[amiharana]

15, 28, 🧑‍🎨 !!!

(ask games from here and here)

i am Desperately going to try to keep all these sections shorter than i would normally write because i have to answer three things and i'm not trying to make this a graduate dissertation on revalink so HERE WE GO BESTIES

🛌 15. Going through their bedtime routine.

link's bedtime routine is pretty simple and it looks like this:

take a shower. he uses shampoo, conditioner, and body wash personalized to his hair & skin conditions that revali forcefully helped him choose. it's because he used to use that fucking. 7-in-1 body wash shit and revali was appalled when he found out

brush his teeth & hair. link feels like the type of guy who doesn't like mint chocolate ice cream because it tastes like toothpaste. revali argues with him about it all the time because what the fuck kind of toothpaste tastes like ice cream and they have to switch him to kiddie non-mint toothpaste

moisturize. link also used to not do this until revali made him. it's not like he had super dry skin before, but after he started using lotion, revali would absentmindedly rest a hand on his thigh or something and caress it because it's soft. so link kept using moisturizer LMFAO

get dressed. he only sleeps in boxers. he would actually like to sleep naked, but revali said no :[

wait in bed for revali to be done with his bedtime routine 😞 he whines the whole time about how revali is taking too long and that he's cold

wrap himself around revali like a koala when revali finally gets into bed. revali complains because he's probably got a sheet face mask on and he doesn't want it to fall off, but he's weak for link so he just lets himself get wrapped anyway. simp

sleepy time <3 link falls asleep easily if he's with revali 🥺🤍 revali is basically his safety blankie

but revali's bedtime routine... whew. revali does a slightly different thing everyday depending on what day of the week it is like he's got a hair-focus day, a face-focus day, body-focus day, etc you know what i mean? he's got a routine for every fuckin part of his body fr but here's like a general daily list

shower. actually, revali is the type of guy who does a bath and lights candles n shit, but if he's short on time, he'll do a shower. and by short on time, i mean link is whining at him from the bed to hurry up because he wants to cuddle so. revali has three different conditioners, shampoos, and body washes, and a body scrub, and all of them are from sustainable brands. he also has a couple of those pumice stones to get rid of calluses on his feet and keep them soft. he only washes his hair once a week because his hair is thick and regularly uses hair masks and protein supplements for his hair.

skincare. compared to link, revali usually does one of those 10-step korean skincare routines KJHDFKDJ he has a morning routine and a night routine, he double cleanses every other day, he exfoliates every three days, he has five different essences, dermatologist-prescribed treatments because he used to have terrible acne in his teens, and he even has a mini-fridge where he stores all of his skincare products, sheet face masks, pimple patches, etc. revali definitely got some fucked combination skin and had a lot of cystic acne in his teens, so he's very well-prepared for any skin mishaps. and it all pays off because you will not find a SINGLE blemish on this man's face. lowkey thinking about making an actual fully fleshed out morning and night time skincare routines for him.

get dressed. revali the type of guy to have matching shirt-and-pants pajama sets. the type of guy who has one of those sleeping caps AND a sleeping mask over his eyes. freak

most days, revali is probably doing a hair and/or face mask before bed for 20 mins to an hour, so he'll have a whole hair wrap in and a face mask on getting in bed with link who latches onto him immediately. link is a sleepy little guy as we all know, so of course he wants to go to sleep the moment revali gets into bed with him, but he hates it when revali moves to get up and wash out the hair mask or throw away the face sheet mask, etc. link was already warm and comfortable, why did you move!!! so they both just talk about their days or whatever to try to keep link awake until revali is done with his hair/skin treatment masks.

btw revali also taps the product into his skin and uses face rollers. the first time link sat by while revali was doing his skincare routine, revali was tapping the toner into his skin and link was like ???? Why are you hitting yourself????? and revali was like. it's for stimulation and blood circulation. and link was still like ??????? but now he really likes it when revali uses face rollers on him because it's vv relaxing

revali goes to sleep with a silk hair wrap to keep his hair moisturized. they also have silk pillowcases that revali insisted they buy because cotton dries out your hair.

and FINALLY, revali will get back into bed to let link wrap around him once more and go to sleep with the glossiest, most moisturized and perfect skin and hair ever fr

🍺 28. Link gets into a bar fight and Revali steps in to help.

(disclaimer: i've never been in a bar fight or a fight ever, so this is what i imagine it would be like LOL)

link is dodging a punch by the time revali finds him on the other side of the bar. he's got a nasty black eye, a bleeding split lip, and his gorgeous blond hair that revali had lovingly braided prior to coming here is a rat's nest on his head. his face is pulled into a snarl, brows furrowed in anger and concentration. revali sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose; no matter where they go, link is a beacon to all trouble.

by the time link's assailant is gearing up to throw his next punch, revali has already made his way to link and he pulls his boyfriend back by his elbow. link yelps in surprise, falling backwards into revali's chest, while his assailant loses his balance at the lack of a target and faceplants onto the floor. link is hot to the touch, and revali can practically feel the blood and adrenaline thrumming underneath his skin.

"'vali?" the blond says, looking back at him with wide eyes. "how did you—?"

"you aren't every difficult to find," revali replies, deadpan. "you leave a path of destruction wherever you go, and if i lose sight of you, the chances you've already gotten into trouble are incredibly high."

link winces. whether it's from an injury or guilt, revali doesn't know but he doesn't like seeing link in pain either way. "sorry."

"it can't be helped now," revali sighs resignedly, and lets link stand up on his own. he immediately misses the warmth. "let's just go home already. you look terrible." contrary to his words, revali's gaze softens and he reaches up to cradle link's cheek with a hand, brushing his thumb against the corner of his lip with a featherlight touch. link's shoulders drop, his eyes fluttering, and revali almost smiles; he loves the way link relaxes at his touch.

"no way!" shouts the assailant, who has since drunkenly struggled his way up to his own two feet again. "we're not done here! blondie's got a lot to 'pologize for!"

revali narrows his eyes at the extremely drunk man and drops his hand, stepping in front of link. "and what exactly does he have to apologize for?" he says curtly. "in fact, it should be you who should apologize for wasting my time and assaulting my boyfriend."

the man's face flushes a bright red and he grits his teeth, swaying in one spot. "how about you and your boyfriend get down on your knees and say sorry for being pathetic instead?"

revali's jaw tightens and link tries to step forward. "shut the fuck up, man—" he starts, but revali holds an arm out over link's chest, keeping his eyes on the man.

"we will do nothing of the sort," he says, his voice as sharp as the point of an arrow. then, revali takes a deep breath and suddenly throws a punch, his fist colliding hard with the man's jaw. he drops to the ground, knocked out, and a collective hush falls over the people surrounding their portion of the bar. revali gives a nod of acknowledgement to all of them.

"a good evening to the rest of you," he says, polite but terse. "we'll be taking our leave now." then, he grabs link's arm and stalks towards the entrance of the bar, the blond following after him easily.

he doesn't stop to breathe until link is safely seated and buckled in the car, and he's in the driver's seat and the doors are locked. so much for a casual night out with link.

revali turns to look at link, who is looking down at his hands in his lap. "are you alright?" he says gently. "did you sustain any other major injuries?"

"i took a couple hits to the ribs," link mumbles. "hurts a lot."

revali chews on his lip. he might have fractured a rib. "okay. does it hurt enough that we should go to the ER?"

link feels around his ribs for a moment before shaking his head. "think i'm okay, might just be bruised bad. just wanna go home now..." his voice falters and he still won't look at revali, and that hurts more than his worries about link's injuries.

"hey," revali says, trying to make his voice as soft as he can. "look at me, please?" link doesn't move. "songbird, please?" link glances at him but returns to his initial position. "little jewel?" the blond pauses before moving his head just enough that revali can see his eyes. "there we are, snowdrop. tell me what's wrong please, darling."

"nothing," link mumbles and fidgets in his seat. "just... sorry for all of that, and being an inconvenience. he was being a fucking creep to this girl and wouldn't leave her alone, and no one else was doing anything about it. so i wasn't going to just stand there and let it happen. but it escalated before i realized and we started fighting and..." link fidgets even more. "tonight wasn't supposed to go like this. i'm sorry."

revali just stares at him for a couple moments. of course link's selflessness wasn't going to allow itself to be ignored in such a moment. "it's alright, songbird," he says. "you did the right thing. i'd rather not find you beaten half to death the next time you do something like that, but i'm not mad. so can you please actually look at me?"

and this time, link complies. his eyes are bright and wide and shining blue, and revali is reminded why blue is his favorite color. he reaches over to take link by the back of his neck and presses a kiss to his forehead. "i love you," he murmurs against link's skin. "let's go home and clean you up, okay?

"okay," link whispers back. "you're not mad?"

"i'm not," revali assures him. "irritated that you were in a fight and that the guy was an arrogant shithead, but i'm not mad at you. never."

link hums. and after a second— "but if you're not mad, then why no kiss?" and taps on his mouth.

revali rolls his eyes. "i just gave you a kiss on the forehead. i'm not kissing you on the mouth right now, it's covered in blood, idiot."

link pouts. "whatever. let's go already." he sits back in his seat with his arms crossed.

revali snorts. "you can have mouth kisses when we get home and you wash up and treat your other injuries. does that sound acceptable?"

"i guess," link replies, but revali can hear a smile to his voice.

"okay," revali says, turning back to the wheel, smiling himself. "let's go home then, songbird."

🧑‍🎨 A musical artist where you drop everything to hear their latest work

it's bts. i'm purple blooded through and through y'all 🤞💜

i swear it's like a whole event for me every time there's a bts comeback or if one of the members is having solo promotions or something. keeping up with bts is so difficult bc these mfs don't know what the word "rest" means, they're always dropping new content all the time year-round 😭 i mean in comparison to other groups, armys are WELL FED, we are never starving in terms of content. but by god is it overwhelming ☝️😞

like crow is gonna beat my ass but i've watched like. five episodes of 'in the soop' season one, 10 episodes of run bts, and like. one episode of 'bon voyage' i forget which season but it's the one where they went to hawaii. LIKE I STRUGGLE SM TO KEEP UP WITH THEIR VARIETY CONTENT but if it's the music, i'm fucking there baby. except for D-DAY as of recently because i've been depressed. i will listen to it soon (tonight methinks i'll liveblog it if anyone's interested)

[vanali-of-winterfell]

google doc chapter titles for my fic, at some point i'm going to look back at these and wonder what on earth i was thinking

[written-in-starlight]

Anyways if you need me I’ll be over here in my little corner having so many feelings about fucking Pinesong

[kiexen]

[side eyeing the book series i really should be working on finish reading] what if i reread two fics that are the length of a book or two in and of themselves again instead

[muffintonic]

In regard to your tags, that makes me so sad that Revali seems all but forgotten and it's honestly heartbreaking too. He's so important to me and the dumb thing is, I only just was introduced to Breath of the Wild. I heard that Kass is forgotten about as well. Did the creators just end up hating Revali and Kass or something or just wanted us all to move on from them? I keep trying to work on some fanfic that helps save Revali in some way or another but I know that it would hurt him to know that nothing he did mattered and that no one cares about his sacrifice anymore. At least we care, right? I have my own little "shrine" for him so hopefully he can be happy with that. I think I'm just biased towards the Rito and Revali considering that for Dungeons & Dragons the only characters I seem to create are aarakocra, who are humanoid birds lol. Falco has been one of my faves since Starfox N64 and it surprises me that people seem to hate him??

Oh, no, sorry if I spoiled you! Have you played the BOTW DLC? It's great for more Revali characterization. With the way HWAOC went/contradicted BOTW and the DLC, it sure feels like somebody hated at least Revali. I was never that attached to Kass because of the whole "absent father" thing (which, spoiler, continues in TOTK), but he WAS a memorable and helpful fixture in BOTW--I think he just got the "exposition NPC" treatment/they didn't want to flesh him out any further in TOTK. Ah, the universal revival fic! (I've been working on one, haha!) Revali mentions his feelings about being remembered in the DLC and...yeah. (Being new to BOTW and a super Revali fan, you should definitely give Pinesong by ghirahimbo a read for all your Revali revival needs if you haven't already! I honestly wish it were canon instead of TOTK...) I definitely care; I immediately made my paraglider in TOTK his face, haha! All I know about DnD is from the recent movie that came out (poor Jarnathan), but that makes sense! I think the Rito are really interesting, too! I only know Falco from Star Fox: Assault, but it's probably the mix of cocky and snarky that makes most people turn away (much like with Revali).

[ghost-town-story]

FebruarOC Day 1: Aiden

Alexis stretched, her feathers ruffling with the movement, then pushed herself to her feet. “I’m heading to bed,” she said. “Don’t have too much fun now.” She winked at Aiden and gave James a pointed look before heading into the hallway.

Aiden watched her go until the last purple-tipped feather vanished from sight, then his eyes slid closed, and he let his head fall back against the chair he was leaning against. He knew he should be going to sleep as well, but the thought of being alone in his room sent a dark chill shivering down his spine, making his tattered feathers ruffle with agitation. Even James’s silent company was better than that.

Aiden wasn’t sure how long they sat there in silence, but he was pulled out of his doze by the sound of feathers rustling. Aiden’s heart barely had the time to sink before there was a light touch on his shoulder. “Make some room?”

Aiden sleepily blinked up at James, relief far outweighing his confusion. “What are you doing?” But he complied with the steadily increasing pressure at his shoulder, moving away from the chair.

James slid to the ground behind Aiden. “Give me your wings.”

Aiden swallowed down his initial refusal. “You know it’s no use.”

“Please.”

Aiden sighed, but he was never good at refusing James, so he stretched out what remained of his wings. A moment later, he felt James’s fingers threading through the feathers of his right wing, fighting the constant losing battle to try and groom them back into place.

Despite his initial reluctance, the familiar ritual was soothing, even as James strayed near and deftly avoided the scarred edges of his wings. James was one of the few people he could actually trust to touch his wings at all anymore, much less for any prolonged amount of time.

The chain holding Alexis’s feather chimed softly as James brushed against it. “Careful,” Aiden warned.

“I know.” James took a moment to make sure the purple-edged feather laid neatly against the white that framed it, then moved on to Aiden’s left wing. He hesitated, then Aiden heard another soft metallic noise as he felt a familiar clasp slid over the top of his wing.

Aiden looked over at it. Mirroring Alexis’s brown and purple was a dark grey feather, nestling into the deep flame colors that turned the color from a storm to cinders.

Aiden’s breath hitched. “James…”

“You don’t have to wear it in public,” James said. “But I think it’s about time we acknowledged this, hm?”

Aiden stared at the grey feather, his thoughts racing. He could think of a thousand reasons to refuse, excuses why he could never wear James’s feather. But… James made a tempting argument. It didn’t have to be a public thing, subject to all the scrutiny and disapproval Aiden already was under. It could just be for them, and their friends and family that already knew about the kisses stolen in empty hallways and dark rooms.

Aiden swallowed hard. “I…” His hand strayed to his wings, though he already knew he’d be hard-pressed to find any feather untattered enough for this purpose.

James interrupted the movement, reaching over Aiden’s shoulder to deposit another feather and chain into Aiden’s hands. “You underestimate just how much Lexi and I hoard your feathers,” he said lowly.

For the second time that night, Aiden felt himself thrown off kilter by James. The feather now cupped in his hands was a pale yellow veined with fiery gold, the same color that had once lined the very tip of his flame-colored wing.

“You’ve been keeping them for a long time,” he finally managed, though his voice was nowhere near as strong as he would have liked.

“I thought they were pretty,” James explained simply.

Aiden finally turned around to face James. His storm-grey wings were casually splayed across the floor, but James met his eye and raised his left wing in a silent invitation.

Still, Aiden hesitated, his free hand once again creeping up to his shoulder. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I could probably…”

“I’m sure,” James said. “It’s part of the reason I kept them safe for so long.”

The image of James protecting his childhood feathers made Aiden choke up again, feeling somewhere between wanting to cry or laugh. Before he could do either, he reached out and slid the chain’s clasp over the top of James’s wing. The yellow stood out even when Aiden tucked it between James’s feathers, looking not unlike a bolt of lightning streaking through stormy skies.

James wrapped an arm around Aiden’s waist, pulling him close. “I love you.”

Aiden knew he wouldn’t be able to say anything without bursting into tears, so instead he pulled James into a kiss to make up for all the words he couldn’t say.

[ducksdontdraw]

timelapse video, for fun 😛

[ghirahimbo]

Hi! I wanted to ask something regarding Pinesong and Tears of the Kingdom if that's alright with you.

How would a Pinesong sequel that takes place before or during the events of the game work out? would it even happen?

Yeah, you're fine! Somebody else asked me the same thing, actually, so I've been thinking it over the past few days. I don't have a full plot figured out (lol nor do I intend to write a totk-compliant sequel 😜), but I can imagine how some of it might go.

Minor spoilers for TotK ahead:

I guess to start out, I do feel bad that Pinesong Link in particular would have to go back under the castle 😭 I think he would have done it, though, with people getting sick and something like Malice rising out from beneath it. I suppose it's because of the similarities between Gloom and Malice that he would have gone back to the Great Deku Tree to retrieve the Master Sword, which was left in Korok Forest during Pinesong. Revali would understand. He would Not Be Pleased.

He would not go down with them, I think, which means there's a lovely, angst-ridden portion of time (days? weeks?) where Link is recovering/stuck making his way through the sky island, and Revali doesn't know if Link is even alive but also can't search for him the way he wants to because of everything happening with Rito Village (with Mipha stuck in a similar situation re: Zelda, of course. Oooooh, wonder if there's a way to work something interesting in with Mipha and all those false Zelda appearances? Hmm. 👀)

This is where the combination of TotK and BotW Champions gets hazy for me, because I don't want to take away from the development that the new Champions/Sages go through (there's a satisfaction to passing the torch on to the next generation), but Revali would have absolutely wanted to go up to investigate the source of the storm and I don't think Teba would have stopped him like he did Tulin. You could write it where Ganon specifically takes out all of the old Champions when they go to investigate the disturbances, though it kind of sucks that they would all have to get rescued by Link *again* 😂 Alternatively, there's a fuzzy connection building in my mind between the Champions, the Divine Beasts (which apparently got sent to eeby deeby in TotK but which still existed in the world of Pinesong), and the Divine Beast helms that the ancient sages all wore for some reason. Maybe the Champions all go missing in their various regional disturbances, but due to some interference other than Ganon? I'll have to sit on that one for a bit 🤔

Main plot stuff aside, given Tulin's gifts, pre-TotK I think Revali would definitely have taken Tulin under his wing (sorry). With Tulin's arc so focused on learning to depend on others, I wonder if Revali would have seen himself in Tulin and winced at what he saw. I wonder if Revali would still have passed the Great Eagle Bow on to Tulin when he awakened as a sage. I think maybe he would have.

Pinesong Link would totally roll with the Stable Trotters. He would love pizza. Revali would hate the depths (no sky). Can't speak to what Kass would be doing, because. You know. 🙃

There's maybe more I could come up with, but it seems like I've gone on for long enough already 😂 Hope any of this was interesting to you!

[nettleclanstale]

Moon 52!

[cryiling]

my ao3 wrapped :>

this was. SUCH a labor of love, I've been tracking all the fics I read throughout the year in my own spreadsheet, and I finally had time to sit down and crunch the numbers + make a slideshow for it. I'm like kind of embarrassed to share 😭 but ik u guys asked for it so here it is!!

my top 5 fics:

Again by drich127

Boomerangs and Rainbows by mindbending

The Right Words by @anuninterestingperson

Pinesong by @ghirahimbo

magic blankets by Lady_Lombax

my top author: @kaydear !!

thank u to all the amazing authors who made this year so enjoyable with your wonderful fics 🫶

[amiharana]

literally all of them AJBDJWBD ok but 15 has so many soft domestic vibes 🥹🫶 and 17 literally link seeing revali cry for the first time omgg revali finally learning how to be emotionally vulnerable w link

(ask game from here)

since i wrote more of a headcanon list of what both revalink's bedtime routines look like on this post for @noraiir-arts, i'll do a drabble kinda thing that's like a moment in their routines for 15 lol

🛌 15. Going through their bedtime routine.

"i just don't see why it's necessary," link says, watching revali cut open a second sheet mask. he already has one on his own face, carefully spread and applied across his gorgeous tan skin. link thinks it makes revali look like he's shedding a layer. "your skin's already nice."

"how do you think i keep it nice?" revali says, carefully removing the sheet mask out of its packaging. "my skin's very sensitive, you know, it requires quite a lot of maintenance to keep it this refreshed and clear. you're lucky that you only need to shower and splash your face with water to keep it that way. who knows how you survived using 3-in-1 body wash your entire life."

"hey, i didn't know that it was bad for you," link grumbles and crosses his arms. "i thought it was more efficient to have it all in one than have to buy it all separately..."

revali rolls his eyes. "mhm. now lay down, so i can put the face mask on you."

link complies easily, the tension leaving his body and his eyes falling shut as soon as he feels revali's fingers, gentle and warm across his jaw. then suddenly, he feels a layer of ice spreading across his face and he squeaks, flinching.

"stay still," revali says, tapping link's thigh.

"it's cold!" link whines back, squirming. "you didn't tell me the face masks were cold!"

"they're cold because i keep them in the fridge and your body is a piece of the sun that fell onto earth," revali replies. "of course it's going to feel cold."

link continues to shiver until he finally gets used to the feeling of the mask on his face. revali continues adjusting its application, smoothing or stretching it out in some places until he's satisfied with the way it sits. "there we go," revali says softly. "good?"

"mhm," link says. he can barely move his face with the mask on. "how are you able to talk with this shit on?"

"you get used to it," revali replies. he lies down beside link on the bed and intertwines their fingers together. "now, we wait for thirty minutes and let the serum sink in."

"does it really take that long?" link says, nose wrinkling. the mask shifts due to the movement and he reaches up to smooth it back down.

"i've fallen asleep with them on before. but it's better to let it stay on longer than shorter so the skin can absorb it."

link hums and they both fall silent. with their fingers still intertwined, revali rubs his thumb against the base of link's. their room is quiet, except for the sound of music playing softly from link's phone. he complains plenty about how revali takes way too long to get ready for bed, but moments like this where he can participate in it with revali are link's favorite.

"thank you," revali says suddenly.

"hm? for what?" link says. he struggles to enunciate it; talking with a sheet mask on is difficult.

"for doing this with me. you didn't have to." revali's voice is quiet, almost shy.

link wants to smile under the sheet mask, but he doesn't want it to get messed up again so he resists. "it's something you like to do, so i wanna do it with you too."

he feels revali squeeze his hand, a silent "i love you". "just don't fall asleep," revali says out loud instead.

this time, link can't resist smiling. "no promises."

💧 17. Link has never seen Revali cry, so when he does, Link struggles with how to react.

when link comes home, the house is quiet. which is usually how it is, even if revali is home before him, but at least his boyfriend is being quiet somewhere where link can see him as soon as he comes in. at least revali will call back when link announces he's home, but he hasn't and it's making him nervous.

"'vali," link calls, slipping his shoes off and pushing them onto the shoe rack they keep by the door. "where are you~!" still no response. it puts link on edge immediately. "'vali?"

revali isn't in the living room or the kitchen, so link moves further into the house. he's not in the office or in the backyard, but his car was parked in the driveway so he has to be home. the last place revali would be is the bedroom, so there link goes.

but he's not prepared for the sight before him when he does.

revali is seated on the edge of the bed with a leg tucked underneath him, a look of despair and tears marring his face. he turns his head to look up at link when he hears him enter the room, but says nothing, staring and tears continuing to streak down his face.

link feels like his lungs have been severed from his esophagus, the air he's so desperately trying to breathe in blowing his chest up like a balloon instead. he's never seen revali like this; revali, whose natural facial expression is a scowl and narrowed eyes. or revali, who reserves his softest, most loving looks upon link. this expression on revali's face now... it feels like the world has fallen out of balance.

he knows he should go to revali, hold him tight and close, and comfort him like revali would do for him, but link can't move. he's rooted to one spot, eyes wide but unable to tear his gaze away from revali.

link's throat is dry, but he gulps and still attempts to speak. "you okay?"

for a moment, revali continues to stare. then he sniffs and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. "yeah, i'm fine," he mumbles, looking away.

moving feels impossible, like he's trying to swim through quicksand, but slowly, link moves forward towards revali until he's seated in front of him on the bed. "...you wanna talk about it?"

revali stares blankly into space, unresponsive. a streak of fear wraps itself around link's chest as he searches revali's face, for any change in expression because this is terrifying.

"'vali?" link tries again in a whisper.

and this time, revali looks at him directly. but his face is scrunching up, his eyes welling with tears as he sniffs deeply again. "sorry," he murmurs, "i— just, it's—" fresh tears roll down his cheeks again and a sound that link has never heard before escapes from revali's throat, one that should have never made a home within revali in the first place.

"oh, 'vali," link whispers and he lets his instincts take over. he crawls forward into revali's lap, wrapping his arms around revali's neck and legs around his waist, holding him tightly. that's when the dam finally breaks and revali lets out the most gut-wrenching sound that link has ever heard him make, beginning to shake and cry openly into his shoulder. he holds revali tighter, letting him cry as much as he wants; it's the least that link could do. "it's okay, i'm here, reva."

eventually, revali's crying comes to a stop, but he's still holding link tightly with his arms around his waist, breathing softly against link's neck. link just strokes his hair, pressing kisses to the side of revali's face where he can reach. it's still a couple minutes before revali can find the words to speak again.

"it's the anniversary of my parents' funeral," he murmurs against link's neck. and it makes link stop in his tracks. oh. "i realize that i never actually talked to you about them. i'm sorry."

"that's okay," link murmurs back, continuing to stroke revali's hair. "you don't have to if you don't want to."

revali pauses for a moment. "i want to," he says softly. "i want you to know about them."

his tone somehow makes link's heart flutters. "okay," he replies in similar volume. "i'd like to, as long as you're comfortable talking about it."

"if it's with you, then i am," revali says. he takes a breath before talking again. "both of my parents died when i was six years old. i... don't want to talk about how they did, but i remember being at the funeral. at the time, i didn't really know what was going on but even as a child i understood grief and sadness." revali's voice grows quieter. "they were all i had, but i can barely even remember them. it's pathetic, i know."

"no it's not," link says softly. "you were still really young and it's a traumatic experience. you can't fault yourself for not being able to remember."

"but they were my parents," revali whispers. "they're the people that gave birth to me and were supposed to take care of me, and all i have to remember them by are legal documents and pictures. i can't even do them justice in memories."

link doesn't know what to say at first. it's an incredibly difficult subject to broach, after all. "even if you can't fully remember them," he decides to start, "i think they would love to know that you're trying. they've probably been watching from above and are so proud of you, because you have so much to be proud of, you know? you're so talented and clever and very handsome, might i add—" revali snorts — "they probably would have been proud to see you grew up well even without them. they would still love you."

"you really think that?" revali murmurs.

"the great revali? uncertain about his greatness?" link says teasingly. he pulls back a little to look at revali's face, whose eyes are still red from crying but hold a fond look. "they would, 'vali. anyone would be proud to have you as a son."

after a beat, revali pulls him back into a hug, squeezing him tight. "thank you," revali whispers. "i appreciate it."

"of course," link replies and turns his head to press another kiss to revali's jaw. "i'm here for you always." they're both quiet for a couple more minutes, content with just holding each other close until revali speaks once more.

"i'm sorry, by the way," revali says into the skin of link's neck. "i probably worried you since i wasn't there to greet you."

"that's okay," link says, his eyes closed. "i get it now after you told me. so don't feel bad anymore, i'm here with you now and i always will be, no matter what. i love you, 'vali, more than anything."

"i love you, too, songbird," revali whispers back. "thank you."

link hums. "i'm gonna get some water for you and then how about cuddles?"

"that sounds... nice." revali's face shifts its position under link's chin. "do you have to leave to get the water, though?"

he giggles. "do you wanna come with me to the kitchen, then?"

"i think we should skip the water and go straight to cuddling."

"nuh uh, you have to rehydrate after crying so much. you do the same to me when i cry."

"...whatever."

link giggles again and then sits back, pulling on revali's arm. "come on, let's go. the sooner we get water, the sooner we can cuddle." revali rolls his eyes but stands up with link and complies. even after all that, revali is still too weak for link and for his cuddles.