#so i think he would be able to tell whats going inside twis mind when he gets like this

[krissis-averted]

not alone read left to right contextless thang i just wanted to draw it... smth smth twis big bro mentality

[cafecourage]

Speaking of sleepy, caring for sleepy Chain

-Softie

We worked on this on stream long ago. I also made this also one bed. Part 1 has Time, Twilight, and Warriors

_____________

There was a common issue among some of the chain where most all of them have the fatal flaw of not being able to sleep. Some had issues waking up like Sky, Wind, Four and Wild. You quickly found that Legend was among that group but given the incident he went into the latter issue. Which was annoying when dealing with. It was completely opposite problems.

Time:

It was always hard to tell if the Old man was tired as he seemed to be always absolutely exhausted. Which was fair enough since he was dubbed the dad friend in the group thus making him the main person to go to for everything. It’s a wonder how he hasn’t just slept for 7 more years yet.

Still the Hero of Time was probably 3 days in without sleep and thats what you observed. Granted you should have stopped him by day 2. But you weren’t sure if he slept on the days you seen him take first shift and wake up with him being on last shift.

The other boy’s notice it too and while they all appreciate the extra sleep it’s unfair for Time. Warriors is typically the only one that speaks up about it since he isn’t phased by the Older Link’s tough exterior. While it would be embarrassing in hindsight you had to drag Warriors aside to push for you and Time to be in the same room. “I have a plan” is what you tell the captain not letting him know that you in fact, dont have a plan.

Truly the plan is fist fight the old man until he actually sleeps, or lecture him whatever you feel like. At least you will be here in town for a few days to gather supplies and information. So you can at least fix Time’s sleep schedule.

You’re plotting came to an extreme halt as you step into a room with one bed. “This can work.” You say out loud as you dropped your stuff in a corner of the room. “We can share the bed.” It’s not even up for debate at this point.

“Can we?” Time asks as he closes the door “wouldn’t that be uncomfortable?”

“Uncomfortable?” That wouldn’t be the word you would use. “Nah. Unless it makes you uncomfortable. Then I can take the floor.”

The hero gives you a look, one to even dare you to say that again. “If you don’t mind, then I don’t see why fight over it.”

“It I am being real.” You stand up and stretched “you do need it more.” It has been decided. You are lecturing him. “When is the last time you slept a full 8 hours? Heck 6 hours I would accept.”

An eyebrow was raised as he heads inside “I have been fine with the sleep I’ve been getting.” He takes his armor off putting each piece down carefully before finally sitting on the bed. He pats the spot next to him.

You follow his lead as you prepare a long argument. “Ah, yes the zero hou- Ack!” What you didn’t expect was Time to drag you into his lap and lay down.

Your face exploded in a blush as you were now basically his teddy bear. “Don’t you think I haven’t noticed you also have trouble sleeping.” He whispered as he was already in the process of wrapping the both of you in the blankets. “Let’s take a nap for now…”

Well… This backfired successfully.

Twilight:

Twilight was one of these Links which, made sense but also didn’t when you found this out. He tries to older brother everyone, he makes sure everyone is asleep before he does. Which takes forever to do and your patience for this man is thinning.

After stopping in a town from a long trek. The group decides to go to the Inn to set up shop. You were already on Twilight to take a nap before dinner. “No. We are going to eat in like 30 minutes.”

Ok.

No.

He isn’t getting out of this and you don’t care you’re in the middle of the lobby. There was something that the chain has yet to learn about you.

You might be short.

But you are strong.

So you marched up to Twilight and despite his struggling you throw the hero over your shoulder and went directly to the room angrily. “Let me down!” Twilight demands of you. However you couldn’t care about it as you open the door kick it close and threw him on the bed. “That was unnecessary.” He said getting up.

“It was very necessary!” You argued back crossing your arms. “When is the last time you properly slept?”

Twilight stays quiet and looks away. He looked like a kicked puppy. “I get enough.”

“According to who? Because everyone else can make an argument that you’re barely getting any to function.” You let out a huff as you should probably be more lenient with him because it’s not really like he is doing something bad. You know from experience that the body could function with little sleep if it’s used to it but it’s not healthy! You didn’t go through classes with a clear mind but you should have! “We are just worried about you.”

The Hero stays quiet but sighs “ok. I understand.” He seems to give up at this point. But he reaches out to take your hand finally letting himself looked exhausted “but… can you stay with me?”

Your eyes soften as he seemed to be more tired than you thought. “Of course I will. Someone has to make sure you stay put.” He teases you.

Warriors: 

After a long day of traveling an inn was a welcoming sight. Since there were ten of you now each room had to have 2 people. Which was sometimes unfortunate for some, but for you in this current moment?

You couldn’t ask for a better opportunity since you (forcably) asked to be Warrior’s pair, only to have there only be one bed. 

Perfect.

Wonderful.

Amazing.

It was instant that you had grabbed Warriors tunic and almost thrown him on to the bed. “Didn’t know you wanted me on the bed that badly, doll.” He was laughing. This man was laughing and he looked like hell. Probably felt like it too as the ever polished captain was showing dark circles under his eyes. His smile was sluggish and his eyes weren’t as sharp as they normally were.

“Very funny.” You rolled your eyes as you headed towards him again to help him out of his armor. “You should take better care of yourself. 3 days of barely any sleep? What were you thinking?!”

“That the other boys need some sleep.” There was no hesitation as the stubborn man is proud of himself for killing his sleep schedule. “It’s fine.” “It is not fine.” You didn’t mean to throw his shoulder plate on the carpet. “You better take your chainmail off before I do it for you.”

“What if I rather you do it for me?” The captain fire back without missing a beat. Instantly his face paled “wait-“

“Nope to late come here.” You take his tunic and just… thew it off of him. “Do you want to continue?” This was a threat.

“no…” Warriors voice was silent as he finally got out of what armor he had left. “I should sleep on the floo-“ that suggestion was instantly silent as you glared at him.

Finally when both of you were ready for bed you had put your self on top of him. Cuddling but also if he was going to escape he will have to wake you up first. “this is so you don’t escape.” You said.

“I wont. I wont.” Warriors was a bit hesitant to wrap his arms around you “Thank you.” He whispered as he finally started to relaxed.

“Don’t rely on me to fix your sleep habits.” You said poking his cheek “good night Captain.”

“Good Night Sweetheart.”

[bigbrkenmachine]

⚠️ NSFW Sonegg 🦔↑🥚↓

Eggman scoffs when he sees Sonic's much smaller cock and says "Hmph, that's not gonna be enough for me, I've taken way bigger. You can't fuck me as good as I fuck you." So sure of himself because he likes them huge and thick and takes it rough.

But Eggman won't be so high and mighty when he's begging for him to slow down and go easier on him. Sonic puts all his power and speed into slamming his hips into his ass pounding him relentlessly, his cock pumping in and out so fast and hitting his prostate every time.

Eggman's whines and moans and how loud he gets is incredible, no one would expect to hear it from him. His mind goes blank and he sees stars, it's so intense and mindblowing unlike anything he's ever felt. He can't pull away, Sonic grips his legs so tight and keeps pounding away.

He's a drooling writhing mess helpless to break free until he gives up and goes limp, so weak and overwhelmed by pleasure. All he can do is softly moan that it's too much under his breath and Sonic is proud and cocky, teasing, asking "What was that about being able to handle me?"

He loves how Eggman is reduced to a drooling moaning mess and he's completely and utterly dominated by him at his mercy. He may be shameful but Sonic can see how much he likes it by his rock hard cock that slaps against his belly with every thrust and dribbles precum.

When Eggman cums he cries out Sonic's name and Sonic is amused, it sounds just like when he'd yell his name in anger during their battles. Nobody would've ever expected him to be crying it out while under him with his cock slamming into his fat ass, making him shoot ropes of cum.

Sonic cums inside him and Eggman tries to be disgusted and mad at being filled by the filthy blue rat's cum! But he's so conflicted because it always feels good to be a used up slut with cum spilling out his hole... Even if it's thanks to his own arch nemesis... It feels surreal.

His ego is bruised badly by Sonic proving him wrong and he's very embarrassed and frustrated to be defeated by him once again, in a very new weird way. As much as he tries to deny he's into it, he'll find himself having wet dreams and jerking off when thinking back to it later!

Sonic will never let him live it down. During battles Sonic will tease and remind him of how he dominated him and how he might act tough and mighty but he's seen him weak and vulnerable beneath him. He likes to rile him up and fluster him, saying he'll go around and tell people.

Eggman snaps and barks "You better fucking not!" and Sonic loves how it makes him even more violent in their battles for the thrill. And he enjoys the look of genuine fear on his face when he says it while his friends are nearby to the point he almost begs him not to tell them!

Eventually Sonic will get him alone and cornered again after a defeat and turns out that just like Egg, he's been thinking about it a lot since. The real reason he teases him is because he knows they're both into all this. So he jumps in the Egg Mobile and gives him a smug knowing look, saying he knows he's thinking about it right now in such a vulnerable defeated state.

Eggman both grumpy about the defeat and the teasing grumbles "No I'm not..." and it's obviously a lie because he knows exactly what he means. Sonic comes in closer, puts his hand under his chin and strokes it. Eggman grows more nervous, gulping and sweating as he reminds him how much he loved his cock and moaned and cried out his name.

Eggman hates the way a shameful hard on is soon growing in his bodysuit. Sonic is right, he'd been thinking constantly about the previous encounter, having wet dreams about it and cumming to thoughts of it as much as he tried to pretend even to himself that he didn't enjoy it that much. But now he's so hard and clearly aching for more.

Sonic says he's going to claim his "prize" for defeating him and tears his bodysuit open to reveal Eggman's empire logo printed red briefs and pulls them aside to reveal his twitching cock leaking precum and hole puckered cutely for him. He licks his lips and gives a cocky smirk.

"Ugh! H-how dare you, you nasty little pest!" Eggman groans.

"Come on, you know you want it~" Sonic coos as he runs a finger along his hard length, following the trickle of precum. "This is really giving you away, it's practically begging me!"

"Stop teasing, you blue bastard."

It feels so good when Sonic's cock sinks into his ass again, a pleased sigh escapes immediately and he moans softly again as Sonic starts to pump in and out of his eager hole. He wants to be mad at him so bad but truth is, he'd been wanting this to happen again for so long.

"Man, you're already moaning like a slut! You must be sooo embarrassed that my cock makes you feel this good."

"I fucking hate you."

"Nah, you love me~"

"Ugh! You're such a pest!" Eggman groans. But he's getting so worked up and horny, he needs him to speed it up.

"Rrghh fuck! Come on! Fuck me harder!" He finally snaps.

"Oh and you're begging now?" To hear that coming from his arch nemesis' mouth! He'll definitely never let him live this one down.

And Eggman knows it so he frowns and blushes hard but he's too horny to hold back right now.

"I'm not begging, I'm demanding- argh whatever, just shut up and go faster!"

He really wants him to fuck him relentlessly like he did their last encounter but he'll never admit that so boldly. He doesn't need to for Snic to know exactly what he wants though.

"I can go faster! If you get out of this Egg Mobile and lay on your stomach for me."

Eggman immediately does as told despite how embarrassing and humiliating it is to take orders from him, especially when that involves laying on his stomach and presenting his ass to him.

Sonic slams his cock back into his hole, immediately much harder, faster and deeper. Eggman cries out in shock. There it is, that overwhelming rush of pleasure again that makes him go crazy. He can't help himself his desire to get fucked rough by this handsome younger man.

He has that kind of conflicted look on his face, when one tries so hard to stay mad at someone but the smile tugs at their cheeks and they end up laughing. He's moaning and giggling as he gets fucked silly so hard and fast again, so good he can't stand it but can't get enough!

He cums loudly yelling his name, which he's not any prouder of than last time but he can't help it. Sonic pumps his load inside him and zooms off, leaving him lay in the wreckage of his machine with his enemy's cum leaking from his hole and his own cum in a puddle in the floor.

Eggman feels so dirty and even more defeated than he did losing the battle when he realizes what he's done. Defeat has never felt so good but that makes him so mad. He's so conflicted! But the way he bites his lip at the feeling of his cum leaking out his ass says he loved it. ;)

[bokettochild]

Request: Fairy Hyrule, Minish Four and Bunny Legend cuddlefic? Mostly because I love the idea of hugging a bunny ten times your size. THINK OF THE (literal) FLUFF AND SOFTNESS

So... I got a bit caught up in the WHY of them all being Small, and... this happened.

It all got deleted halfway through and I had to rewrite it from memory, but it turned out okay (although I don't like the flow as much this time through), bt it's... a bit long. This baby was ten pages, and it took forever to get to the cuddling bit- sorry about that.

Anyways, Anon, here is your (long overdue) Tiny fic (it ain't tiny).

The others are laughing and it’s making him mad. Usually, he’s just smack them over the head (a much good as it would do, curse his weak arms) but usually he can reach that high.

Right now, he can’t.

Because right now, he’s a freaking rabbit

He’s a little pink rabbit sitting in the middle of a circle of heroes who are all laughing at him, and more than anything he wants to hop his freaking furry tail over to Warrior’s horrid choice of footwear and bite the shit out of the captain’s ankles; he deserves it (the rancher does to).

“How did this happen?” Hyrule wheezes out, and even though he wants to be, Legend finds that he can’t be mad at the healer, not when the kid’s face is flushed with laughter, his smile bright and carefree, golden gaze watery under the force of his bell-like laughter as it pricks at Legend’s sensitive ears.

“I don’t know!” Twilight wheezes from where he’s leaning against Time, hearty chuckles exploring from him unabashedly as he looks down at Legend. “We were scouting around the camp and when I turned around,” He gestures weakly to the veteran, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “Rabbit!”

Legend scowls. He doesn’t even know what happened. One minute he was walking and the next he was tumbling head over paws on the pathway. He’d refused to let Twilight carry him back to camp (if only to try and maintain whatever dignity he had left) and had waited hopefully for Twilight to retrieve the Master Sword for him, only for Warriors to stumble upon him with the darkest expression he’s ever seen on the captain’s face.

Warriors’ expression at seeing a rabbit might very well haunt Legend’s dreams for ages to come, and had prompted a squeak of fear from him that had sent Sky darting up from his seat. “Legend!” The Chosen Hero had shouted, concern in his sky-blue eyes as he had skidded to his knees at Legend’s side, cautious hands scooping him up and inspecting him for injuries in the brief moment where he was too shocked to protest. Of course, he wouldn’t stand it for long, and after pawing at Sky’s fingers with angry huffs and squeaks that he was going to hope the others would forget about, he had been released back onto the ground.

Which landed them where they were now, surrounded by cackling heroes as they stared down at the fluffy pink ball of fur that was their salty veteran.

“Wow vet, I’d’ve never guessed, a rabbit?” Warriors wheezes, eyes full of mirth. “No wonder we don’t get along!”

He rolls his eyes and growls as best as he can as a rabbit (not like he can growl anyway, but he tries none-the-less). “Just hand over the Master Sword so we can get this shit over with.” He squeaks, ignoring how his growls sound more like honks and chitters than anything threatening.

Sky looks at him oddly, as do several of the others, none of them (save Twi and Sky) apparently expecting him to be able to speak in this form, but the Chosen Hero obliges regardless, reaching back for the Master Sword and carefully settling it within Legend’s reach.

The cool cross-guard is comfortable under his paws, even if it is too big, and he sighs in relief as the power of the blade flows over him. In a moment, his form will disappear into the light and reappear, whole and Hylian, and fully capable of kicking some rancher ass.

Just a moment....

A second more...

He blinks his eyes open, violet flitting across the blade in mounting concern as he takes in the fluffy pink paws that are where his hands should be. Why isn’t it working? Why is he still a helpless rabbit?

“That’s weird.” Twilight and Sky both murmur, exchanging a worried glance as the Skyloftian retrieves the blade. He lunges after it though, not giving Sky a chance to inspect the blade and instead startling him with the weight of a rabbit in his lap as pink paws reach up to grasp the sword hilt again.

“Fi, explain.”

The sword spirit’s voice rings clear and cool in his head as Sky lowers the blade further, better into his reach. He hardly processes the motion, so focused on the words, which is perhaps why he doesn't question the stabilizing hand that lowers onto his back.

“Young Master,” Fi chimes softly in his mind. “The forces which have transformed you are not dark in nature. There is a 76% chance that they are in fact, of nature themselves. As such, my blade is unable to undo the curse. You will likely have to wait until this curse runs its course.”

“How long.” He grates out, nose shivering in irritation as his ears flick back, brushing gently against the Skyloftian's fingers and making Sky gasp softly.

“Processing....There is a 49% percent chance that this curse will fade and return you to your Hylian form in approximately three days' time, and there is a 27% percent chance that it will take a week for said change to occur. Additionally, there is a 15% percent chance that the curse will not fade, and a 9% chance that this curse will make you explode.”

A strangled screech escapes him and he doesn’t even realize his paws have released the sacred blade until they are grasping at his ears, tugging with all of the pent-up emotion inside of his body as he processes the words. Never mind the exploding bit, he might not turn back? There’s only a fifty-fifty chance that he’ll turn back in the next few days?

Sky’s long fingers drag through his fur gently, rubbing soothing circles over his back. “What did she say?”

“Three days!” He tugs his ears again. “Three days of being utterly useless and helpless, and it’s not even certain that I’ll turn back! I could be stuck like this forever! I could explode!”

“Exploding doesn’t seem likely-” Twilight attempts to calm him, but it only makes him tug his ears harder.

“Fi said it might happen!” He shouts back, high pitched and squeaky, and hating every second of it. He buries his face in the fabric beneath him, his rabbit heart pounding with panic and cold dread washing over him as the words continue to spew from his mouth. “And if Fi said it could happen than it might! And we were about to go into battle too! What’ll happen if someone gets hurt? I can’t help anyone and there's absolutely nothing that stupid bunny could do and-”

Someone’s scratching his ears.

Long fingers rubbing just right between them and Legend is helpless to tell them to stop because he’s too busy melting into a puddle in Sky’s lap at the sensation. All thoughts flee as he lets Sky’s hands drive away all worries. Should he be worried that he’s rendered speechless and vulnerable by something so simple? Probably, but Sky seems to know just how to place his hands and Legend can only hum in appreciation at the feeling, a squeaky purr escaping him as he leans into the sensation as Sky hums something soft and soothing under his breath. The vibrations carry down his fingers and tingle down Legend’s spine, calming him further.

“Cute.” Twilight's voice breaks him from his thoughts, and he’s pulling back from Sky’s hands and glaring up at the rancher with all the fury he can fit in his now tiny body.

“He’s not wrong, Kit.” Time chuckles soft and low, and Legend whips his head around to stare at the man.

“Oh no, you are not giving me a nickname!”

“Yeah Time,” Sky’s voice is low and mirthful as he speaks, hand once more settling on Legend’s back as he lifts an arm to block the vet from launching himself at their leader. “He’s my descendant, if anyone should be giving him a nickname it’s me.”

“How about Nibbles?” The sailor grins, leering into Legend’s space with enough mischief in his gaze to kill a Lynel. “I mean, the vet is always chewing us out.”

He forgets for a moment that his growls sound more like chirps in this form, baring his teeth at the sailor as he attempts to frighten him off. It doesn’t work, rabbits aren’t made to scare off bigger animals “So help me sailor I-”

Large hands scoop him off the ground and suddenly he’s being cradled in Sky’s arms. Like a baby. The indignity! “Calm down, Bun, he’s just kidding.” Sky’s crystal eyes glimmer with genuine concern as he looks down at Legend. “And we’ll find a way to change you back, I promise. The goddesses wouldn’t have let you change like this if it was for the worse. You’ll see,” Sky bops his nose with a smile entirely too pure. “It’ll be fine.”

Legend would like to argue that point, the goddesses have never shown any particular interest in what’s best for him before, and most of them seem to find humor in ruining his life time and again (except the Golden Trio, they’re alright he guesses, especially Din), but Sky looks so certain and Legend’s honestly too tired to start a big fight about Hylia again. (Heaven knows the last time he made Sky mad he nearly shat himself at how terrifyingly defensive Sky could get about those he loved). It doesn’t matter anyway, he supposes, as Sky’s already standing and making is way back to their main camp, gait just smooth enough not to jostle his reluctant passenger as Legend slumps in place.

He might as well let this happen, at least until he can figure out how to fix it.

It’s official.

Legend hates being a bunny.

They’ve settled down for dinner and as if to mock him and all that he loves, Wild has been struck with the inspiration to make his absolutely heavenly radish stew. The one that Legend would literally sell some of his rings for because it is that good.

And he can’t eat it.

He tried, and that attempt resulted in both himself and Sky covered in broth, the thick liquid clinging to his fur now as he sits on the ground with some raw fruits and vegetables instead. He doesn’t know that he’ll ever be able to eat it again without being forced to remember nearly drowning in the stuff.

He feels like a baby and he hates it.

He’s soaked himself and his ancestor and food and Warriors still isn’t done tittering about it.

He really hates being a bunny.

The others have nearly stepped on him numerous times, simply because they aren’t used to having to watch underfoot, so every time someone walks over to Wild to get seconds (why did the Champion sit next to him and Sky in the first place?) he has to back-peddle onto his haunches to avoid being crushed under heavy boots and even heavier feet.

Add to that that Wild and Wind both subconsciously reach out to pet his bedraggled fur every few minutes and he’s absolutely fed up with this shit!

At least the Champion was willing to lend him something to dry his fur off with, and even if he hates it, the spare brush Warriors has on hand does a decent job of detangling his fluffy hide. If he melts a little in Twilight’s lap as the rancher goes over him with the brush than no one says anything (although both Sky and Time have infuriating matching smiles on their faces).

But then it’s bedtime and Time is sorting through his things to try and make sure that no one person will have to carry all his stuff, and he’s reminded once again how utterly useless he is in this form. It only makes things worse that he knows that the others will be burdened with his bags, and considering his top speed at the moment can only be held for short sprints, he’s pretty sure the Old Man is going to have someone carry him too.

The very idea makes him puff out his fur in irritation.

At the very least though, he doesn’t have to worry much about how he’s going to handle the cold nights, Sky’s already taken his beloved sailcloth and bundled it into a little nest, and the minute Twilight is done with his fur the Chosen Hero is scooping him up and laying him in it (absently, he wonders if Sky might have a stronger paternal instinct than Time and if his own small form is triggering that). The fabric is warm though, and it’s nice. If Sky curls up around him in the middle of the night though, well, he supposes there’s not really much he can do about that.

Sky does curl around him and he’s trapped.

The Skyloftian may look soft and cuddly, but he’s got an iron grip when he’s asleep, and it’s only by the pure squishability of his current form that he’s able to escape (Sky will be disappointed when he wakes up, he knows, but even so, Legend doesn’t intend on staying a rabbit, not for a whole week, especially when there’s monsters out there.

Perhaps the thought of said monsters should dissuade him, but it doesn’t. He knows now what triggered this change, and he’s determined to hunt it down and trick it into changing him back, he just needs to escape his babysitters for a hot tic in order to do so.

It’s a lucky thing that Four and Warriors are both so drowsy that the feather light step of a rabbit doesn’t catch their attention as the two sit on watch, and Legend’s able to creep over to his bag (positioned with Twilight’s things) and dig through it until he finds what he needs.

You can’t go making deals with the fae unless you have something of value, or those tricksters will rob you blind and steal your first born. Not that Legend ever intends on having kids, but on the off chance that he ever did he’d rather they didn’t have a shitty life because he made an error in dealing with a forest sprite.

Come to think of it, how powerful are the forest people of this time?

Warriors looks seconds away from walking up to Sky’s sleeping form and throwing Legend as far as he can into the distance, and it’s making Four nervous.

Rationally, they know that Warriors wouldn’t consciously do such a thing, but they also know how much Warriors hates rabbits in general, and that the captain’s initial instinct at seeing them is to toss them away from himself as far as possible (never mind how rare a real rabbit is, Warriors’ time is apparently full of them and Warriors hates them). They’ve heard the story, how the captain was made to hunt rabbits down across his world and return them to their homes, the fact that he did so by throwing them is a bit concerning considering the delicate bone structure of the animals, but it’s not Wars’ fault that he doesn’t know that.

All the same, Four would feel a bit more secure if they knew that Wars wouldn’t be doing such a thing.  (Rationally, they know he won’t, but rationality is only so much of the equation).

“I’m gonna check on the vet.” They murmur softly to their companion. Somethings not right and they hope it’s just Warriors’ previous retellings of his own rabbit-escapades eating at them and not something else. “Sky’s got a grip like a vice when he sleeps and I don’t want him getting crushed.”

Never mind that being small sucks when it’s this cold out. Four desperately hopes that it won’t rain tonight (although the air tastes right for it).

“Rabbits are tough little things,” The captain chuckles. “I’m sure he’s okay.”

Vio wrenches control from the others, gaze flat as he stares out at Wars. “You do know most rabbits can’t survive being thrown, right? They’re not like cats, if they land wrong their done for.”

The captain pales slightly but doesn’t say anything, and they take that as their cue to stand and make their way over to where Sky and the vet had bedded down for the night. Sure enough, Sky is curled up around the sailcloth nest he made for Legend like a child curled around their favorite stuffed animal (or Red with any of the rest of them), but at the very least it doesn’t look as if Legend would have been smashed, just caged. They wince, the vet doesn’t sleep well on a good night, but waking up to being trapped? That is...not good. There’s a reason they never force him to join everyone else when Red takes over and calls for a cuddle pile; everyone knows that the most Legend will stand is letting Hyrule hold his hand while he sleeps, and even then, the vet will still pull away when he finally does fall asleep.

Sky shifts (he’s a heavy sleeper, but all the same he moves a lot), arms wrapping tighter around the bundle in his arms. Tight enough that the sailcloth gives way. Sky’s face screws up in his sleep, wrapping even tighter around the bundle as if seeking out some form of resistance.

Four panics. Bunnies are delicate creatures and Sky is strong, did he just crush Legend?

Only, looking closer, Vio points out that there isn’t even a hint of pink amidst the fabric, and when Four dares reach out to test the bundle himself, they find that there is nothing within its folds.

“Four?” Warriors’ voice is tinged with concern as Four stand back up from his crouch, brows pinched together as he scans over the camp. “Is something wrong?”

“Legend’s missing.”

The captain’s brows shoot up, but thankfully he doesn’t bother with questioning them, instead hoisting himself to his feet and making his way around the camp, an ever-growing frown marring his features as he looks around. “Did he choose to sleep with Hyrule instead?” It’s a soft murmur, likely only spoken aloud because Wars is too tired to stop it before it reaches his mouth, but Four’s eyes flick over to where the Traveler sleeps regardless.

“I don’t think so.”

“Look,” Warriors groans softly, not loud enough to wake the others, stopping at Twilight’s bedroll and motioning to the bags stacked near the rancher's pillow. “His bag is open.”

“You don’t think he climbed inside of it, do you? We’d never find him!”

The captain gives him a look, blinking once before shaking his head. “No! But he was clearly trying to get at something.” Royal blue eyes turn to stare out at the forest. “What are the chances he went back out there, alone?”

Four hesitates, fingers drumming on his thigh as the colors swarm in his mind. “I don’t know, but I should probably check.”

“We need to watch camp.” The older hero frowns.

“You watch camp, I’ll go out there.”

“You can’t go alone, Four, it’s not safe.” Wars reminds him, concern glinting in his gaze as he turns back to the smithy.

“Fine.” Blue’s the only reason they roll their eyes, they swear. “I’ll take Hyrule. If the vet’s fallen down a hole or something then we can take care of it immediately.”

A smile breaks out across Warriors’ face, even if it is slightly strained. “Funny how that’s even a risk now.”

“Don’t I know it.” Besides, at least Hyrule seems to have a second sense for these sorts of things. Like Sky and Twilight, he has a knack for tracking down the others, especially if he needs to find Time for whatever reason. Four’s seen it themselves, it’s uncanny, but incredibly useful, so they’ve never really questioned it (Vio has, Vio has questioned it enough to give them a head-ache).

It’s the work of a minute to shake the traveler awake, as he’s one of the lightest sleepers of them all, and it takes even less time for them to be off, the simple words “Legend’s gone” being enough to send the traveler springing up and following closely after Four, one hand on his sword as the two of them make their way back into the depths of the forest.

Legend should know better than to try and make a deal with the fae.

Hyrule can recognize the look of a fairy about to claim her prize in an instant, and it appears Legend is about as clueless as a bunny can be about the loophole that he must have left open in whatever twisted deal the two have concocted. Anger burns in his blood as a whisper-hisses through his teeth, a few words all it takes before he’s zipping between the two of them, wings beating furiously as all six of his eyes stare into those of the other with nothing short of pure fury.

“Mine!” He hisses, darting forwards in a fake charge at the other, wings whirring angrily as his eyes stare at them “Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine!” His voice contorts and buzzes, his aura flickering brighter and sharper as he zooms down to hover over Legend’s ears. “MINE.”

“What is your claim?”  The other chimes smugly. “What promise or service marks him as yours? Where is the Mark that makes a mortal the charge of a fae, hmm? Show it to me and I will release him to your care.” Glistening teeth glimmer as multiple eyes glisten with malice, jealousy over a potential catch making the fairy’s gaze spark dangerously. “Else ways, leave us be, our deal is near set and you have no business to interrupt it.”

“His true form,” He hisses. “There is my Mark on his hand. The Triangle, my symbol.” He hisses through bared teeth, every eye slitted and glimmering with fury. He can’t lie, not even if he tried, but he’s fae and they’re more skilled than anyone at finding tricks to get around things. The triforce is his symbol, something he’s recognizable by in his world, but it’s not only on his hand, the others bear the same mark and even if it isn’t Fae in origin, it's from the Scared Realm and none can deny that it sets them apart. Anyways, the Fae know mortals by their markings, this should be enough of a claim to make her renounce her dealings with Legend.

No fae dares mess with the Charge of another.

“What is your proof? Can you show me?” She taunts.

“My power isn’t that strong.” He hisses. “You do it and then you’ll see!”

“And give him what he asks without receiving my due? Oh no little Half-Blood.” She glares at him. “Give me Good Reason or leave alone.”

“He is goddess born.” He hisses out finally, grasping at straws. Mother only taught him so much of Fae law, but surely there’s something against touching those blessed by the heavens, right? “Hylia’s child descended. To touch him or any other of Mine is to plead wrath from the Scared Realm.” A sly smile slides over pointed teeth. “Would you wish that on Yours?”

She pales. “Mark your own in all forms, Halfling. This would not happen if you did.” It’s all she cares to say though, zipping away without another word.

“Do I want to know what I just avoided?” Legend’s voice croaks up at him, faint and pitchy all the same as he looks up to the fairy above him.

“I don’t know. But never, and I mean NEVER, make deals with fae again. Not even me! You can’t break promises or be too careful, you never know what they’ll do.” Two of his eyes glance over his shoulder to ensure that the other Fae is gone for good.

“I was trying to be careful.” Legend huffs, his breath sending Hyrule higher over his head for a moment before the fairy regains his balance. “They’re clever little-” He cuts off, violet eyes narrowing and bunny nose shivering as he looks up at Hyrule again. “You’re a fairy.”

His aura dims slightly, wings drooping ever so slightly as he looks down at his mentor. “Yes.”

Legend stares, violet piercing and sharp. Hyrule has never noticed the hint of gold that bands his irises, nor the flecks of blue that glisten under the effects of a fairy’s glow, and it only makes the Veteran’s stare all the more intense.

“Huh.” The bunny huffs softly. “That’s pretty neat, ‘Rulie.” There's no anger, no accusation in his tone, and when Hyrule brings his gaze up to meet that of his mentor again, all he sees is fondness and intrigue. “Is this new? An item? Were you- no,” Legend’s ears prick forwards, his interest obvious as he leans forward. (Hyrule wonders if the vet realizes that he's smelling him.) “You speak like They do. This isn’t new.”

It’s not a question.

“I’m, uh, half fairy.”

Legend nods slowly. “And you didn’t think to tell anyone?” At the dimming of Hyrule’s glow the vet pulls away, eyes flashing with panic for a moment. “I don’t mean that as a bad thing, ‘Rule, just-” He cocks his head long ears flopping to one side sloppily. “It’s not something I’d think you’d want to hide. Seems pretty useful to me.”

And by useful, Hyrule knows Legend means cool.

“I told Four.” He nods to the Hylian standing over them. The smithy’s eyes flicker various colors, his lips pulling aside into a slight smile as he crouches to be closer to their height.

“Now I’m taller than both of you.” Four chuckles softly, crimson tinged gaze sweeping over the two of them.

“Don’t get smart.” Legend huffs. “This is a curse, not my true form, you’d be tiny too if you were cursed into an animal form. Probably smaller than me!”

There’s a knowing look in the smithy’s gaze, but he holds his silence, smile still present as he carefully looks over the both of them. “Well, if neither of you were harmed in that little exchange, we should get back to camp. Wars will be in a huff if we don’t back with you soon.”

Legend huffs his own huff, but doesn’t object, gathering up the glimmering item he had brought as a toll (Hyrule thinks it might be a precious stone of some sort) and slowly hopping after the Smithy as he turns back towards camp.

They’d have made it to camp rather quickly too, if the sky hadn’t chosen that moment to weep out it’s sorrow with the world and the evils within. Great sheets of rain, the likes of which they usually only expect from the Champion’s Hyrule, flood down over them, and Hyrule thanks all things Holy that Legend is there to break his fall as the water soaks his wings and sends him careening towards the earth. Four yelps in surprise, hands fumbling for his hood as he tried to fend off some of the wet (it does little good, they’ll be soaked in seconds in this downpour.

“In here!” Legend squeaks, the rabbit hero already darting into the nearest hollow he can see that isn’t clearly inhabited. It’s a tight squeeze, and Hyrule nearly knocks his head on the bark of the opening, but Legend gets the both of them under, and despite the mushrooms that seem to fill the space with a soft light, it’s a comfortable fit for the two of them. The ground beneath is laid with moss, purposefully it would seem, and Hyrule lets himself side down into it with an appreciative hum.

“What about Four?” He murmurs softly, looking out of the crevice through which they entered. It’s still pouring buckets, and unlike them, the smithy has no dry place to hide (heavens knows the camp will be soaked. He feels terrible for the others).

“What about me?”

Violet and gold turn upwards as twin gasps escape the two. Four, in all of his minish glory, waves back at them from where he’s perched on top of one of the mushrooms. “Minish portal.” He smiles cheerily (but Hyrule can Taste the nervousness rolling off of him).

“Wait, both of you get small?” Legend’s ears stand up straight, brushing the roof of their shelter. “Smaller?” He corrects himself.

Four rolls his eyes. “It was get soaked or get small. I don’t fancy catching a cold, so I chose small.” He wrinkles his nose (it will never stop being cute), hopping down from the mushroom and free falling into the dampened fur of his rabbit-companion. “Now shut up and let me warm up, you’re bigger than I am and since you left me out there to soak I think I can get away with using you to warm up.”

Hyrule’s laughter rings soft and sweet through the hollow, Legend’s vaguely offended expression only adding fuel to the fire as he flits closer. “The vet doesn’t really mind cuddles, do you Ledge? Besides,” He lets his wings fall still, embracing the warmth of Legend’s soft fur as he lands in it lightly. “We just saved his ass.”

Legend turns his head to stare at the two of them, but even in rabbit form his lips twitch with amusement as he shoves him nose into Four’s personal space, making the minish-hero tumble down into the moss with a faint yelp. “You’re soaking.”

The smith grins back, plunging right back into the warm pink fur. “That wasn’t a refusal.”

“One time.” Legend huffs, ears flicking briefly. “One time only, smithy. Enjoy it while you can.”

“Trust me,” Four sighs, plonking down against the vet and leaning into the plush fur around him. “I will.”

It takes mere seconds before Four has drifted off, and Hyrule is reminded that the smith was keeping watch for most of the night before they had gone out looking for Legend. Guilt, sickly-sweet, yet bitter, taints his tongue as Legend stares down at the tiny form curled against him. Hyrule sighs. “I guess he was more tired than I thought.”

Legend only huffs, ears flicking back and nose shivering as he noses the smithy’s sleeping from. Four’s dropped off like a stone, completely dead to the world as Legend curls around him (not dissimilar to how Sky had curled around him earlier that night), easing the gentle shivers of the smith, who noses deeper into Legend’s pelt. Tiny paws coming up to catch hold of pink fur as Four curls up, feather-like tail brushing against the top of his tiny nose, moved only by tiny snores that make Legend’s ears twitch and Hyrule giggle softly.

“The rains still pouring down.” Legend hums, gruff as he can be in his current state, but Hyrule knows it’s all an act. “You might as well get some sleep too, ‘Rulie.”.

And while any other time Hyrule may have argued, Legend lifts his head to offer the space next to Four, and if Legend is offering cuddles, especially with his silky soft fur as a barrier against the cold, Hyrule knows he can’t resist it.

Four’s paw catches hold of him the instant he settles next to the smithy, and before he knows it the two of them are both bundled up in each other while Legend curls himself around them, breath soft and soothing as his heart pit-patters away inside of him.

That’s how they wake the next morning.

Wolfie’s nose shoved against the crack in the bark is what pulls them back from the land of dreams, and the soft snuffling bark followed by Time’s voice is what gets them up on their feet. It’s an awkward thing, emerging into the light again to find five heroes and a wolf staring down at them in a mixture of confusion and concern, but nobody seems to be able to bring themselves to scold when Four sneezes.

“We got caught in the storm.” Legend huffs when he sees the soft expression on Time’s face.

Wolfie huffs, and, much to the surprise of the currently shrunken heroes, they can hear the laugh in it. “Of course you did.”

Hyrule’s mouth drops open, all six eyes bugging out in shock as he turns to Four. The fairy’s whisper is high and shocked, but too sharp a noise for Hylian ears, although Legend, Wolfie and Four can all hear him quite clearly. “Wolfie is Twilight!”

[mypoisonedvine]

MUTUAL MASTURBATION WITH LEE THO 😳😳😳like i can imagine him teaching the reader to touch herself and basically makes her put on a show for him while he talks dirty to her as he strokes his bigbigbigbigbig cock aggressively 😳😳😳

(warnings for semi-public stuff, phone sex, daddy kink [obviously], dirty talk, degradation, and all the classic warnings for twi)

“Will you get that?” your mother requested when the phone started to ring.  “I’m busy in the kitchen.”

“Yes, mama,” you agreed as you hopped up off the couch, crossing the room and taking the phone off the hook.  You remembered the way your mother had coached you to answer the phone, since she felt ‘hello’ was too informal.  “Bodecker residence, may I ask who’s calling?”

“Is your mother home?” Lee’s voice came through the other end, husky and quiet.

“Yes,” you answered hesitantly, “aren’t you at work?  Why are you whispering?”

“Can she hear you?” he asked, ignoring your questions.

You got a little quieter, too, instinctively.  “Um... no?”

“Can she see you?” he added.

You turned back to look towards the kitchen, and though you could just see the edge of your mother’s side from where you were standing, she’d only be able to see you if she turned around and leaned over past the doorframe.  “I don’t think so,” you answered.

“Good,” he hummed.  “What are you wearin’?”

“Uh, just a brown dress, the one I wear around the house sometimes...” you trailed off, unsure of his motives.

“I remember that one.  It’s gettin’ a little tight for you, honey,” he purred, “wouldn’t take me much effort to pull it down and get your perfect tits out.”

You swallowed, feeling oddly warm as his voice sent shivers down your spine.  

“I’m s’posed to be workin’,” he continued, “but all I’ve been able to do all mornin’ is think about you.  Think about puttin’ my hands on you, touchin’ you just how you like...”

“Lee,” you whispered, “you shouldn’t be talking like that...”

“Is it makin’ you wet, princess?  I’m so fuckin’ hard for you right now,” he groaned. 

You bit your lip, wishing he wasn’t right about the effect his words were having on you.  Absent-mindedly, your thighs clenched together, but it did little to relieve the pressure.

“Pull that skirt up and touch yourself for me,” he instructed.  

“I... I don’t know how,” you whispered.  “You’re the only one that knows how to touch me...”

“I’ll teach you, sweetheart, just do it how I tell you to,” he soothed.  “Reach under your skirt and put your hand inside your panties.”

You did as he asked, shaking a little from nervousness even as the fear of getting caught only turned you on more, somehow.  Feeling how wet you were, you gasped softly.  

“Feel that swollen bud right on top, pretty girl?  Keep rubbin’ it, nice an’ slow, baby...”

Obeying his commands, you felt warmth spreading everywhere you touched.  It still wasn’t as good as when he did it to you, but it was nice.  “Are you gonna do it, too?” you asked nervously.

“Yeah, baby, you want me to?  Want me to stroke my cock for you?”

You nodded, but then realized he couldn’t see you.  “Um, yes,” you answered aloud.

“You’ll have to ask nicely...”

“Please?”

“You know how I want you to ask, babydoll,” he groaned, sounding more serious and stern in that way that filled you with arousal and fear simultaneously.

“Please stroke your cock for me, daddy,” you whimpered quietly.

“Of course, princess,” he obliged, sounding a little smug.  You could hear his belt jingling and it made your mouth water.  “I’ve got my cock out, pretty girl, and it’s been hard for so long it’s sore.”

You closed your eyes and imagined him in his office, leaning back in his chair and holding the phone while he moved his hand over his length, biting back moans and bucking up into his hand.  You felt your knees wobble a little and realized that this was going to be very difficult to do standing up.

“Put a finger inside yourself,” he hissed.  “Be careful with your nails.”

Nervously, you slipped one finger down and circled your opening before pressing inside with a subtle gasp.  

“How’s it feel, princess?”

“Not as good as your fingers, daddy,” you whispered, adding a second already in search of the wonderful stretch his hands provided.

“Well it’s only fair, then, that my hand feels like shit compared to yours,” he chuckled.  “It’s all rough and calloused, your hands are so soft and gentle, babygirl— and don’t even get me started on that warm, wet little cunt a’yours.”

You moaned weakly, your hips jerking forward to rub yourself on your palm while you rode your own fingers.  Your mind was racing with memories of when he touched you like this, trying to recreate his movements but not quite getting it right.

“Would you take care of me if you were here, sweet girl?” he purred.  “Wishin’ you could touch me instead?”

“Mhmm,” you agreed quickly, “I wanna feel your cock, daddy.”

“Your hand barely gets all the way around,” he remembered in a low voice.

“Wanna taste it,” you added.

He chuckled a little, though you could tell his breathing was getting heavier.  “I bet you do, princess.  I should have you under my desk right now, so you can suck me off all day while I get my work done— would you like that, little girl?”

“Yes, daddy,” you moaned under your breath.  

“Are you close, baby?” he asked gruffly.  “‘Cause I’m about to make a big ol’ mess all over my hand for you.”

“Yes, daddy; me too,” you sighed.

“Is that your stepfather on the phone?” your mother’s voice called out, making you jump and pull your hand out of your underwear.  Thankfully, as you turned back to look at her, she was still facing the other direction and presumably hadn’t seen anything strange.

“Um, yeah!” you called back.  

“Is he alright?” she asked.

“Uh...” you stammered, “he’s caught up at work right now... just wanted to check in.”

“Tell him to stop by the store on the way home, we’re out of tomatoes,” she instructed.

“Mom says to stop by the store on the way home and buy some tomatoes,” you repeated to Lee.

“Tell her to crawl back to hell where she came from,” Lee grunted in reply.

You laughed, holding the phone away from your ear as you yelled across the house to your mother.  “He says he will!”

“Okay, come back in here and help me cook,” she demanded.

“Just a minute,” you requested, turning your attention back to the phone.  “I have to go,” you told him.

“You’d better not leave me hangin’, princess, or you’ll have hell to pay tonight,” he growled.

“I could get caught,” you hissed.

“Then you’d better do it quick.  Now get your fingers back in that needy little pussy.”

You whimpered but obeyed, rubbing yourself hard and fast in hopes that you could come before your mother called for you again.  You could hear Lee’s heavy breathing over the line, which certainly helped you along.

“Miss you so much, dollface, drives me crazy that I can’t be with ya all the time,” he moaned.  “I’m burnin’ up for you over here.”

“I want you to come for me,” you whispered, “I want you to make yourself come while you think about me.”

“You like the attention, is that it?  You like knowing what you do to me?” 

“Yeah,” you admitted breathlessly, “I like making you as desperate as you make me.”

He growled a little, and it made your knees weak.  “I’m gonna fuck you so hard tonight, you won’t walk right for days,” he promised (and/or threatened).

“Please, daddy,” you moaned, speeding up as pleasure began to jolt through your body, “I’m gonna come for you.”

“Come right now, princess,” he demanded, “fuck, come for your daddy, slut.”

You gasped and bit down on your lip, managing to suppress the sounds of your orgasm until only an embarrassing squeak came out.  Hearing him moan deeply and imagining him coming into his hand was the perfect accompaniment to the waves of pleasure washing over you and making you soak your hand with slick.

“You’d better get in the kitchen and help your mother,” he instructed, sounding exhausted but prideful.  “Be sure to wash your hands real good first.”

“Are you really gonna... do what you said?  Tonight?” you asked nervously, toying with the phone cord in your hand.

“Oh, sweetpea,” he chuckled darkly, “I’m a lot of things but I’m no liar.  Be waitin’ for me in your room after dinner and I’ll show you how desperate I really am.”

[attllhak]

Just read the latest chapter of A Change In Fate and am curious about what’s up with Hyrule and the Furnaces. Also, if you don’t mind, can you talk about the time Hyrule sat on Twilight? Can you tell he’s my favorite character in Linked Universe? Thank you!

Hi! I can totally talk about both of those.

So, on the subject of Hyrule and the furnaces, I should give some background on my thought process. First, I'd like to direct attention to this post I made talking about a theory my best friend had. I don't agree with all of it (I have other thoughts about Fi and the Ocarina of Time), but for the most part this is what I think is going on with the blue fire.

And on Hyrule, I've always assumed people who are magic can feel magic. I read a book once with a very good metaphor for it. In that book they described magic as a series of tight strings, and using magic was like reaching up and tugging or twisting the string to do the thing you wanted. This also meant you could feel when someone else tugged on the string.

In most of my stuff, including all of my LU and LoZ stuff, I describe magic as a vibration. It's just energy, and energy tends to hum, so, vibrations. You can see this in how I talk about the Master Sword and Hyrule's Magic Sword. They thrum and hum and buzz. Vibrations.

Time travel (this is why you should read that post, it explains why time travel is relevant here) is inherently magical in the Zelda universe, and so it too would hum and vibrate.

The Gates of Time and timeshift stones would have a low frequency that someone very magical would be able to feel. But the furnaces? The blue fire? Way more intense. The timeshift stones and Gate are a very refined form of this substance, so it's easy to be around. The blue fire is a very unrefined, primal, raw form of it, so the effect it has is... intense.

What Hyrule is picking up on near the furnaces is the inherent magic of time travel given off by the blue fire, but unlike other forms of time travel nothing has been done to make said substance easier for magic users to be around (since there are so few of them in that era). So he's getting hit full force with the very loud vibrations of magic, thus the way it feels like the inside of his skull is humming.

He never does get his answers, though.

The story about Hyrule sitting on Twilight I'll try to keep short, since this is already kinda long, haha.

Basically what happened is that it started with Twilight hurting his ankle pretty badly. It wasn't broken or anything, but he couldn't walk on it for a while.

(Still going back and forth on if he hurt it in battle or chasing after Wild, so feel free to just fill that in how you want.)

Anyways, a few days pass, and Twi can finally walk three steps without collapsing. And then they get ambushed.

Twilight insists on fighting. Hyrule insists he rests. They argue, loudly.

A scuffle breaks out and when the fight's over the others turn to find Hyrule sat stubbornly on Twilight's back, Twilight trapped face down on the ground and cursing, but not really trying to get Hyrule off very hard.

Wild still has a picture of it on his Slate.

[i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle]

Chapter 30: A Pear-fect Reunion

After the deeply bittersweet, but ultimately happy reunion between Starlight and her mother, as well as Sunburst’s father returning to Sire’s Hollow for good. The Elements of Harmony and the Cutie Mark Crusaders go back to Sweet Apple Acres to see how Big Mac, Sugar Belle, and Granny Smith are doing with with Pear Butter & Bright Mac. Twilight actually gives Celestia her own pack of gum so perhaps she can get back to Saddle Arabia herself as she still plans on attending the wedding. Trixie went back to her wagon to rest for a while.

Some of the group heading back to the farm is still reeling from the emotional scenes of the family reunion in Sire’s Hollow.

Rarity: *sniff* That reunion Starlight and Sunburst had was so beautiful, yet so sad, but also satisfying, and yet also so heartbreaking…

Twilight: That was certainly a mix of emotions wasn’t it? But I think ultimately we can be very happy for Starlight to have gotten to see her mother again.

Applejack: Yeah, Starlight’s past regarding her mother is more tragic than fo’ mah own parents. But now at least we both get t’ see them every now and then thanks t’ Spike’s Dragon Tear. This thing is certainly going t’ be ah life changer fo’ ah lot o’ ponies

Apple Bloom: Sure is! But let’s go see how Granny’s doin’!

Once they all get to the house they actually see Sugar Belle, Big Mac, Granny Smith are outside with Pear Butter and Bright Mac’s spirit while the Cake family seems to have probably returned home since then. Sugar Belle is the first to notice the return of the Elements and the CMC.

Sugar Belle: Welcome back! How did things turn out with Starlight and her mother?

Twilight: It’d be a looooooong story trying to explain everything that went on… we can get to that soon. But how have all of you been?

Granny Smith: Oooooooh! One o’ the best days o’ mah long life fo’ certain! Why didn’t ya’ll wake me up t’ see Pear Butter and Bright Mac come down in the first place?

Twilight: I guess it slipped my mind, sorry Granny Smith.

Granny: Heh, it’s ok. Admittedly, when ah was first woken up the first thing ah saw was Pear Butter and Bright Mac’s ghosts. Ah initially freaked, cause ah thought ah had kicked the bucket myself in mah sleep! Ah’m at that age after all!

Big Mac: Heh heh, it did take ah little while fo’ us t’ convince Granny that she wasn’t dead nor was this ah dream!

Granny: But once ah calmed down, it was sooooo good t’ see mah big son and his lovely wife again!

Sugar Belle: Me and Pear Butter talked a good while being the non-Apples that married into the family.

Pear Butter: Being a pear farmer as opposed to a pastry-baker is a bit different. But we nonetheless both fell in love with two large apple farming stallions. That alone is enough to make a nice bond with my new daughter-in-law. But she’s also as sweet personality-wise as the sugar in the pastries she must make. It’s just too bad we spirits can’t eat, mostly because we don’t need to any more. But at least we’re in a state where we always feel contently full, otherwise it’d be kind of unbearable.

Pinkie: Spirits no longer get to eat?! That sounds awful!

Pear Butter: It is odd at first to no longer need food, and indeed kinda a trade-off that we’ll never get to taste food again. But it takes some time to get used to, on the bright side though… We no longer need emergency bathroom breaks, ahahaha.

Granny: So… Ah heard all o’ ya went t’ help Starlight find her mother?

Applejack: Yeah, hope ya’ll not too upset ah chose t’ go see her instead o’ being there, when ya’ll was reunited with Ma and Pa.

Granny: Nah, ah gotcha. Sugar Belle told me ya mentioned having felt an obligation t’ help her out after ah conversation ya’ll had with her at the ball. Helping Starlight find ah mother she never got t’ know sounds pretty noble o’ ya’ll

Apple Bloom: It certainly was, Granny! We did kind o’ find Starlight’s mother!

Granny: Well, ain’t that nice! Where was she?

Apple Bloom: Well… maybe us finding her isn’t the exact word… ya see… just like our parents… Starlight’s mother was dead. So we got Spike t’ summon her t’ us.

Granny: Oh mah… that must o’ been one bittersweet reunion. A mother she didn’t know... that’s been dead the whole time…

Applejack: Believe it or not, Granny… that ain’t even the saddest part o’ Starlight’s story...

Applejack and the others take some time to recap everything that happened and/or they learned about Starlight’s Mother. Granny Smith going through just about the same mix of emotions they went through hearing everything. Big Mac and Sugar Belle with some shocked reactions themselves too.

Granny: Dang… what ah mare Sunset must o’ been… Ah do feel like ah heard the name Sunset Shimmer around 30 or so years ago, but she was likely still mainly in Canterlot. So wasn’t often mentioned too often in our humble little town. There’s no way ah could o’ known she’d be Starlight’s mother. Still, it’s ah good feeling Starlight got to meet her and Sunburst has his father back home too now!

Pear Butter: I think I’ve seen Sunset before up in the soul shield, though I never talked to her. It definitely makes me want to meet her now though!

Twilight: Well, you can… if you’re willing to go to a wedding between two of my friends in Saddle Arabia in just two days. We actually asked Sunset if she’d like to be summoned back down for it. And she agreed, you won’t know who the couple are. But it’d certainly be a good opportunity for you to either reunite with some more ponies or meet for the first time!

Bright Mac: That sounds like a good time!

Applejack: Say Twi, what if we got both mah mother and Sunset t’ meet that club o’ mothers we saw at the ball!

Twilight: Oh yeah, that would be kind of neat.

Pear Butter: What’s this about a club of mothers?

Twilight: You see Pear Butter, each of the mothers of the Elements of Harmony formed a club together. They also brought in Sunburst’s mother as well as Mrs. Cake AKA your friend Chiffon Swirl. I also kind of joined myself since Spike’s my adopted son!

Pear Butter: That sounds lovely! I’d love to meet all the other moms. I guess I’m the only one of the Element of Harmony’s mothers that have been missing from that club for... obvious reasons...

Granny: Ah can’t wait until the next annual Apple Family Reunion! Ought to be the best one yet when we can get Bright Mac and Pear Butter back!

Applejack: True t’ that! Heck, why stop there? There’s plenty of other deceased Apple family members we can see again. Like your own parents for example, Granny!

Granny: That’s true too! Haha! Though one o’ these days soon, ah myself am going t’ need t’ be summoned!

Apple Bloom: Awwww Granny, don’t just say that so casually…

Granny: Ah wouldn’t usually, buuuut this spirit summoning thing kinda makes death only an inconvenience fo’ us old folk now. Not any less sad, but it’s just naturally not as upsetting when ah know ah’ll still be able t’ nag at ya’ll even from beyond the grave! Ehehehehe! Of course that could also just somewhat be an opinion on this as somepony who’s lived long enough. I understand it’s probably still tragic for Bright Mac and his wife since they died way too early...

Bright Mac: Yeah… We had so much we wanted t’ do still when we passed, some o’ which we still can’t do as Spirits. But, we’d gladly trade in some o’ those just fo’ the chance t’ see our family every now and then. So fo’ us, this thing is still ultimately a plus.

Pear Butter: One downside to being a spirit is I won’t be able to use my guitar anymore. I can only somewhat touch the ground as well as family members and/or close friends.

Sweetie Belle: But you can still sing! Applejack’s always told me you had a beautiful singing voice

Applejack: Oh yeah! Ya’ll can sing fo’ us again sometime! And don’t worry about ya guitar, ah can play the instrumentals!

Pear Butter: Ok, then yeah. That can work certainly!

Applejack: Oh and ah didn’t meet her until sometime after ya passed. But ya’ll have t’ see ah friend o’ mine in Manehattan. She’s known as Coloratura, but ah call her Rara. She’s ah famous musician. Ya’ll would make fo’ an excellent duet, ah’d be willing t’ bet!

Pear Butter: It’d be great to meet all the friends you’ve met since I passed, AJ.

Scootaloo: Heh, you know what’s funny about spirit summoning? We could potentially have famous singers who have passed away brought back to make new records!

Apple Bloom: If their fans won’t mind the slight echo that spirits have in their voice

Sweetie Belle: Eh, if autotune spells can be relatively popular. I doubt a spirit’s echo would ruin it for most too bad. Heck, you know how I’m into metal? There’s plenty of songs in that genre that include an echo that gives you the best chills of the song!

The family and friends keep on talking for a little more while when suddenly a knock is heard from the other side of the house.

Applejack: Oh looks like we have ah visitor! Ah’ll go see who it is!

((Story continues after the break))

Applejack heads back inside the house and opens the door for the visitor. It just so happens to be Grand Pear.

Grand Pear: Hey there, AJ

Applejack: Oh mah stars! Grand Pear, so nice t’ see ya’ll!

Grand Pear: Nice to see you, too. I’ve been hearing quite a ruckus even from my house, I think my hearing’s weakening, but I almost swear there’s been quite some noise coming from the Apple farm today. Was kinda curious what exactly is happening, and if everypony’s ok.

Applejack: Oh we’re more then ok, Grand Pear. In fact, ya’ll should absolutely join us. Trust me, ya’ll don’t want t’ miss it.

Grand Pear: Do tell…

Applejack: Just follow me, ya’ll quickly see it soon enough.

As Grand Pear and Applejack head back out the other side, Apple Bloom is the first to greet them at the back door

Apple Bloom: Grand Pear! Ya’ll must come out here quick t’ see who’s here! Ya’ll gonna love it!

Grand Pear: Your sister said something similar, though I have no idea what you could possibly mean.

Grand Pear is now back outside as he looks around the group noticing all the Elements of Harmony and Apple Bloom’s friends.

Grand Pear: Don’t you see these ponies all the time? I don’t know why they’d be so great for me to see them, It’s not like you got Pear Bu-

Grand Pear finally notices two ponies with a white glow and somewhat transparent look. Grand Pear just stands there mouth agape but silent before he just becomes a stuttering mess.

Grand Pear:  P-p-p-p-pe-pe-pe-pea-Pear… b-b-b-b-bu-bu-bu-bu-butter?

Grand Pear wipes his eyes in case this was some sudden hallucination he was having. But even given a through wiping, Pear Butter and Bright Mac’s glowing spirits are still there. He walks just a bit closer, but quite slowly. Making sure it wasn’t a cruel mirage either. Pear Butter and Bright Mac themselves look towards Grand Pear. 

At first they look at eachother, though both don’t exactly have happy faces seeing him. Bright Mac giving him a rather mean stare, whilst Pear Butter angles her eyes similarly, but also makes an extra step at turning her back to her father. This distraughts Apple Bloom a bit who doesn’t understand why this isn’t an instant happy reunion.

Apple Bloom: Wh-wh-what’s goin’ on? Why aren’t our parents happy t’ see Grand Pear?

It’s Big Mac who answers his littlest sister

Big Mac: Grand Pear never apologized t’ either Ma or Pa before they passed. All o’ his apologies came t’ their graves, where it looks like the spirits don’t hear us. He was still in Vanhoover at the time.

Apple Bloom frowns

Apple Bloom: Oh no...

The whole group remains quiet as the tension between the spirits and Grand Pear who never managed to get a real contact for reconcilation for how Grand Pear treated them before their wedding.

Grand Pear: I… don’t know how you two are here… but… looks like all my apologies I said to your graves never reached you… did they.

Pear Butter’s ears perk up and she turns back around to look at her father, though she still looks at him with a displeased face. Although it disappoints Grand Pear that everything he’s ever said at Pear Butter’s grave was never heard. It at least assures him that this is actually them, and not some kind of dream.

Grand Pear: Well then… *sigh* I guess this is a good time to finally get to apologize to both of you for real… Pear Butter… Bright Mac… I am so so so so sorry for leaving you the way I did, before I went to Vanhoover… The feud I had with the apple family was the stupidest thing ever and I cringe whenever I’m reminded of those days…

I should have never let a petty competition between me and Granny Smith get so out of hoof that I’d refuse to let my daughter to see somepony she loved just because they happen to be in the apple family.... I’ve… met all your children. They’re all great ponies. Big Macintosh is such a gentle giant, Applejack knows how to keep things honest and is one heck of a hard worker, and lil’ Apple Bloom is just a bundle of joy and youthful optimism that I can’t help but cherish. 

Apple Bloom in particular reminds me a lot of what you were like when you were a filly, Pear Butter…

Grand Pear starts tearing up heavily. Voice occasionally cracking into a weepy tone.

Grand Pear: You were my little girl, I loved you very much. I’ll never forgive myself for prioritizing the pear business over my daughter’s happiness. I never should’ve left! *sniff*

The day I learned of your passing just a little over a decade ago… it was the most heartbreaking day of my life. You died way too soon… and even at the time, I was considering returning to apologize to you… 

But… I was just too late… and that’s what made that day worse… just when I was close to taking a chance at reconnecting with you and finally show I have accepted your love for Bright Mac… and reconciling with the apple family as a whole… fate was cruel… and I had thought I’d never get… *sniff* the opportunity to say sorry for all I’ve done while you were dating Bright Mac…

It hurt me so much it delayed me further from returning to Ponyville, I didn’t even attend your funeral in Ponyville because I thought that was only going to get me cursed out by the entire Apple Family if I attended… but I held my own sigil back in Vanhoover for you… and then I think I cried that whole night… my pillow and the top of my bed was soaked with my tears the next morning… *sniff*

Both Pear Butter and Bright Mac’s expressions have changed. They’re still staring him down, but instead of angry ones, their eyes are tilted in the opposite directions with sad looks on their faces as Grand Pear continues his apology.

Grand Pear: I frankly have no idea how you’re here right now, but I can tell that you are actually here… but the how doesn’t matter as long as I get this chance to apologize to you. You don’t have to accept my apology, I’m sure me being far away when you died probably only made yourself more bitter towards me wherever you spirits go… and I understand that I didn’t treat your love for Bright Mac with the respect that it deserved.

I was a bad father and terrible pony all those years ago, I’ll admit that. But I’m a repentant, changed old pony now… I’ll understand if you still want nothing to do with me after what I did. But I still at least want you to know… that I love you Pear Butter… and as for Bright Mac… I would be more then happy to accept you as a son-in-law now. Pear Butter loved you, and that’s what should of mattered more then anything else… I will forever be sorry… we’re all ponies… we’re all farmers… Pears and Apples are both fruit, and quite frankly both delicious… and your love was valid… but my stupid younger self chose to ignore all of those for some foolish sense of pride…

That’s most of all I’ve wanted to say… I can start heading back home... if I’m still not quite welcome…

Everyone there just stands quiet for a long while as the weight of Grand Pear’s apology falls on the emotions. Pear Butter lowering her head, turning away from her father, for a little bit. Grand Pear frowning, seeing that as a sign that she’s still not ready to accept apologies yet. Just lowers his head as he starts walking back to the Pear farm. He gets about to the other side of the house before… Pear Butter starts calling for him.

Pear Butter: Father… wait…

Grand Pear: Huh?

Pear Butter slowly walks up to her old father and starts to speak to him for the first time since he had rudely made her choose between remaining a Pear, or being an Apple family member at her privately held marriage.

Pear Butter: You were still a stubborn father when we last talked… and my resentment only got deeper when you refused to even so much as reply to our letters when I was raising a family with Bright Mac. The years of raising Big Mac and Applejack when they were little were some of the best years of my life, but if there was one thing that disappointed me was the lack of support I had from you... It’s going to take more then one conversation to fully forgive you for the years of giving me and my husband the cold shoulder…

But… I can still get a sense of the sincerity in your apology. And while I’m not sure I’m quite ready to say that I accept your apology…

Pear Butter sits down and outstretches her hooves.

Pear Butter: Come here, father. I’d be at least willing to hug you for the first time in a while.

Grand Pear gasps, though at first he questions if he even can

Grand Pear: But… aren’t you a…

Pear Butter: Do you want a hug from me or not?!

Grand Pear stands silent for a short moment, nothing would make him happier than getting to hug his daughter again. And if she’s offering, then somehow it must mean it’s possible despite her being a ghost of some sort. He approaches closer, and then Pear Butter wraps her forehooves behind her father’s back. Grand Pear wrapping his own hooves around his daughter as well. He’s surprised at just how warm Pear Butter felt, if he was blind he would of thought Pear Butter had actually never been dead at all.

Grand Pear: This… this is amazing… I thought I’d only just go through you… Don’t suppose I should also give your husband a hug?

Pear Butter: Sorry Father, you likely won’t be able to. We can only touch those who are alive if they’re blood related, or had been friends with us spirits while we were alive.

Grand Pear: Oh… ok then… I guess I have a lot of newfound lore to catch up on then, but that’s good to know… though still a darn shame.

After they release each other from the embrace. They rejoin the group, as Twilight and Applejack recap everything they’ve learned to Grand Pear about spirit summoning, where Pear Butter and Bright Mac went when they died, and what exactly they do up there.

Grand Pear: So… Dragons if they have some special sort of gemstone they can cry out can summon down spirits of the deceased? I guess I have to thank this little feller for allowing me to see my daughter again. I don’t think I’ve actually met you for very long, what’s your name?

Spike: My name is Spike, I’m Princess Twilight’s adopted dragon son.

Grand Pear: Princess Twilight’s son, ay? Well ain’t that adorable. Thank you so much for summoning Pear Butter and Bright Mac down so I could say my apologies. This… isn’t a one time thing, is it?

Spike: No, as long as somepony related to and/or were friends with either Bright Mac and/or Pear Butter goes to see me... I can summon them back down anywhere at any time after they’ve returned to the soul shield.

Grand Pear eyes shine as he hears that

Grand Pear: Why… that’s the best thing ever… so many ponies could see dead friends and family they miss so much again…. It’s incredible. And even when I eventually pass, the Apple siblings can bring me back down on occasion.

But on another note, so my daughter has been circling the planet as one of among trillions of protectors huh. I guess that’s a pretty comforting thought. Most who have ever died in all of history has been keeping us safe the whole time from all the unknowns of space. Makes death all the more less scary too, if we’re greeted by many of our closest relatives and friends before ultimately joining in the noble mission to protect the planet. I just hope I can in time get my apology fully accepted before I’m up there with Pear Butter.

Granny Smith: Until then, you can join in on some bingo with me and the other ol’ gals!

Grand Pear: Ahehheh, perhaps I should.

Apple Bloom approaches her mother

Apple Bloom: So uh.. how ‘bout singing ah song now?

Pear Butter: Oh! Yeah, certainly. I think AJ just needs to get out the guitar and then I can sing.

Applejack: Ah’ll be right back with that, Ma!

Applejack heads back inside the house and brings out her mother’s guitar from it’s case. Heading back outside to sit next to her mother as she gets ready to sing.

Grand Pear: Now this will be good, what song are you going to sing?

Pear Butter: Well… it’s a song that you wouldn’t have approved of in the old days. But I guess thankfully you’ll appreciate it now. It’s a little… love song I had for Bright Mac while we were still dating. It’s called “You’re In My Head Like A Catchy Song”

Grand Pear just smiles

Grand Pear: Let’s hear it.

Meanwhile, Sugar Belle and Big Mac whisper to eachother a little before Pear Butter starts singing. Applejack strums the opening notes

((You’re In My Head LIke A Catchy Song))

Pear Butter: We’re far apart in every way

But you’re the best part, of my day

And sure as I, breathe the air

I know we are the perfect pair!

(Bright Mac starts singing along with his wife)

Pear Butter & Bright Mac: On a prickly path, that goooees on for miiiiiiiillleeeeeeeees

But it’s worth it juuuuussst to see you smiiiiiiiiiiilllleeeeeeee

And I cannot, be pulled apart

From the hold you have, on my heart

And even if, the world tells us it’s wrong

You’re in my head like a catchy song!

(Sugar Belle and Big Macintosh join in to sing for the rest of the song)

Pear Butter, Bright Mac, Sugar Belle, Big Mac: The seasons change, and leaves may fall

But I’lll be with you, through them all

And rain or shine, you’ll always be miiiiiiiinnnneeeeeee

On a prickly path, that goooees on for miiiiiiiillleeeeeeeees

You’re the only one, who makes it all worth whillllllleeeeeeeeeee

And you should not, blame me too

If I can’t help, fallin’ in love with you…

Once the song ends. Both Pear Butter & Bright Mac, as well as Sugar Belle & Big Mac give a good long kiss. The rest of the group at the farm clap, cheer, and/or wipe joyful tears at the beautiful sight of two generations of Apple family couples singing together.

Sweetie: You were right Apple Bloom… your mother has a beautiful singing voice!

Pear Butter: I see that my oldest recalls my lyrics? I guess I did share it to you and AJ back in the day.

Big Mac: Eyyyyyuuuppppp

Sugar Belle: It’s a beautiful song. Big Mac shared the song when we were dating and we practiced singing it ourselves. We thought it’d be nice to sing along.

Pear Butter: I appreciate that, quite a bit.

Grand Pear: Absolutely heartwarming song, Pear Butter. I admit I probably would of tried to rip apart the lyric sheet had I found it was for Bright Mac long ago. But that’s not me anymore. It’s wonderful to get to hear you sing again.

Pear Butter: Thank you, Father.

Twilight: Wonderful singing from both couples! Though if I may, I thought it’d be important to mention something we took an educated guess about with Sunset. We don’t have to send you back ourselves, when Pear Butter and/or Bright Mac fall asleep thy will return to a comet-like form themselves and go back to the soul shield. So they’re free to stay the rest of the day, and then maybe we’ll summon them back down in time for the wedding in two days.

For now, we can hang out some more time here at the farm. But once it gets late at night, we’ll have to get back to sleep whether we’re sleeping back at home or going back to our rooms in Saddle Arabia. Once again, I’ll have the castle protected just like last night.

Bright Mac: Yeah, I think we’ll stay for the night and go back up ourselves once everypony’s asleep.

Pear Butter nods her agreement. As for much of the rest of the day, Pear Butter & Bright Mac spend quality time with family & friends until nighttime. Where most of the Elements and CMC use the portal gum to head back to their rooms in the Saddle Arabian palace. While Twilight and Spike once again put up their protective measures from last night over at the castle.

Meanwhile, in Sire’s Hollow it is also nighttime. Sunburst, Stellar Flare, and for the first time in a long while Sunspot are all in their beds in their own home. Starlight is sleeping in her old room, and Sunset’s spirit is laying (Though perhaps, more like just floating on the bed) next to Firelight. He tries to get some blankets over Sunset but they only go through. Though the try at it certainly makes Sunset giggle.

Firelight: Oops… I guess with the fact I’ve been able to hug and kiss you again briefly made me forget that you weren’t... alive… heh…

Sunset: *giggle* Yeah, you get the blankets all to yourself now. Don’t worry about me, we spirits feel like we’re at normal room temperature at all times. We’ll never be too hot, or too cold.

Firelight: Are you sure? Because with your fiery colors, you’ve always been plenty hot~

Sunset: Hehe, I’m glad you still haven’t outgrown your cheesy flirtations. Always found it rather charming. I guess maybe your much cooler colors may also have brought us to a comfortable level~

The reunited couple hug each other in bed before also kissing.

Firelight: Look.. I know you’ll be gone by the morning, but if you can… hold on tight to me, it’d be nice… to have some more body… or rather spirit warmth as I go to sleep.

Sunset: No problem, Fi-Fi. One perk of being a spirit is I can’t exactly get tired. As long as I don’t close my eyes for too long and/or start drifting off and/or focus.on heading back up. I’ll be here with you. I’ll wait till’ you’re sound asleep and I’ll have my hooves around you the whole time before I leave. I still remember your distinctive snoring, so I’ll know when you’re deep asleep.

Firelight just smiles, and kisses Sunset again.

Firelight: It’s good to have you back, even if repeat visits aren’t going to be quite easy without an easy ride to Ponyville or Canterlot within a year.

Sunset: I’m glad I’ll be able to come back occasionally too, best day of my li- or I guess I should say… afterlife… to see you again, and see the kind of pony my daughter has become. I’m glad I’ll still be able to watch her future unfold from time-to-time.

Firelight: I guess I’ll see you at the wedding in Saddle Arabia next, huh?

Sunset: Yep, should be fun.

Firelight: Goodnight, Shimmy

Sunset: Good night, my darling Fi-Fi.

Sunset and Firelight proceed to hold onto each other for the night. Hours later when Firelight has been snoring for a good while. Sunset closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, before focusing on heading back up. Her comet form leaving the house, back up to the soul shield. Until the next time she gets summoned again.

UP NEXT: Chapter 31: The Sands Of Time & Family

[hunidlo]

Call of Fire

CHAPTER 3 - The Decision

Rating: M

Word Count: 3K

Pairing: The Mandalorian x F!Reader

Warnings: slow burn fic, language, mentions of death, angst

A/N: I really enjoyed writing angry Mando parts for this chapter. Hope you enjoy them too.

Summary: Now that you know where your parents might be, you need to figure out a way to get out this planet. And the Mandalorian has a ship, doesn’t he?

Chapter 1   //   Chapter 2 //   Masterlist //  Chapter 4

***

By the time you get to the village, the sun has already set and you are troubled by a number of questions. You worry about what might be awaiting you in the village. 

Have the villagers come back? … Are the bandits still there? … Is the Mandalorian dead?

Then, you see light coming from the settlement. There is no turmoil, no clattering of weapons, no blaster fires—a good sign, you think.

When you get closer to the square, a heartbreaking cry comes from somewhere in front of you. 

“No!” A woman is running towards you—Zullu’s mother. “My baby!”

She hugs the body that is being carried in your arms and weeps. 

“S-she saved me.” You eventually say. “I’m sorry ... I couldn’t …” 

Zullu’s mother raises her teary eyes at you and nods. She understands.

A couple of men from the village come and gently take Zullu’s body from your arms. Too weak to resist, you let them. One of them places a hand on your shoulder. “You should rest …,” he says compassionately.

Having a chance to look around now, you see dozens of torches lit around the small village, illuminating the rubble that used to be the square. You observe the people who are getting rid of the dead bodies, cleaning up the mess and going through the clutter that remained in the place of the barn.

Then, you see the Mandalorian. He’s standing on the front porch of one of the houses—his feet wide apart, thumbs tucked into his belt—his visor fixed at you. 

So he’s still here.

“This ...” You tilt your chin towards the debris. “... his doing?”

“... Not his fault …,” the man replies. “One of them decided to blow the barn up with the Mandalorian in it.” 

You turn your head to the man.

“They underestimated him,” he continues on when he notices your baffled look, “He killed them all ...”

“No, he didn’t,” you mutter to yourself, remembering the bandit you killed in the forest.

The Mandalorian’s gaze makes you uneasy but you do not have the strength to think about it—about him—any longer. You really need to rest. 

You let your weak legs lead you to your hut. You head straight to the ‘fresher, washing the blood and dirt from your hands and body. You can’t stop thinking about what happened in the woods—the way the bandit’s body split in half because you wished it to do so, what Zullu said about your parents ... Zullu—you try to suppress a sob—you can’t believe it ... can’t accept it. Your limbs begin to tremble and you burst into tears again.

When you get out of the ‘fresher, you’re beyond exhausted.

You fall asleep as soon as soon as your body hits the bed.

***

You wake up early. The sleep helped with your exhaustion but it did not ease your mind at all. You look in the mirror to see your eyes are puffy, your cheek is swollen, and you have a split lip. 

It doesn’t surprise you, the bandit hit you really hard yesterday.

Everyone is already up. They are still working on the repairs around the village. Some of the men are cutting down trees near the woods—for the funeral pyre, you realise. 

You squint and see something shiny near the cart … the Mandalorian is helping the men load the logs ...

Why hasn’t he left yet?

It was sort of exciting seeing him on his ship yesterday—witnessing all the stories you heard about the Mandalorians coming alive. You remember how you laughed with Zullu when you ran away from him. But today … everything is different. Zullu is gone and you—despite knowing you shouldn't because it’s unreasonable—blame him as well. You blame yourself for not being able to save Zullu, and the Mandalorian for starting the fight with the bandits in the first place.

Lost in your thoughts, you walk to Zullu’s hut. You hesitate a little before you enter.

Zullu’s mother is kneeling next to the chest that belonged to her daughter—clutching to one of Zullu’s dresses—weeping.

You silently approach her and sit next to her on the floor.

She turns to you to hug you.

“I’m so sorry,” you let out on the verge of crying again. “I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s not your fault,” she says and pulls you closer.

“... She was so brave ...” You need to say it, you need to let her mother know that Zullu died honorably.

“I know.” 

She reaches inside the chest and takes out a piece of clothing. “Here ...” She extends her hands towards you. She’s holding a light brown, slightly worn leather jacket—it’s Zullu’s.

“No.” You gently push her hands away. “I can’t take it. It’s her favourite—”

“She would have liked you to have it.”

For a beat you just stare at the jacket wordlessly.

“Thank you,” you say, not knowing what else to say as you take the jacket from her.

“Zullu said … you knew my parents.” You’re hesitant and it comes out more like a question.

“Yes,” she breathes out. “I was here when they brought you to the village.” And then, she tells you the whole story about the day when you were left with the villagers.

“... So my father stole something from the Empire and ran.”

“Yes, I don’t know what it was though … You have to understand that your parents left you here to protect you, spare you from the constant running and hiding.”

“I want to find them,” you say eventually, looking at the jacket that you’re clenching in your fists.

“No.” She shakes her head. “You have to stay here—safe—with us. Your parents didn’t want you to come looking for them, they feared someone might capture you, use you to get to your father. 

“But I have no idea where he is …”

“The Empire doesn't know that … they would torture you.” She looks seriously worried now. 

You want to push her, want to know more. Zullu said her mother knew where your parents were hiding. Yet … you can’t. Not now. Not on the day of her daughter’s funeral.

“You look tired … should get more sleep … be ready for the evening,” she says after a moment of silence. “I’ll see you on the hill.”

You nod and leave without a word.

On your way back you catch sight of the Mandalorian. He’s leaning against one of the huts—his legs and arms crossed—his visor following you as you walk by.

What’s his problem? You’re definitely getting irritated by him constantly gazing at you. Especially since you can’t see his face or guess what he’s thinking. Is he still pissed about the ship?

Even now—in what you imagine is a comfortable stance for him—he’s still threatening as hell. He looks like a bescar vulture that has spotted a womp rat and is now circling around it, waiting for the right moment to strike.

You consciously choose to ignore him and thus deny him the pleasure of seeing how nervous he makes you feel. 

The tension is unbearable though. You can’t help but glance in his direction when you reach your hut.

What the …? 

He’s gone.

“Creep,” you say to yourself, checking your surroundings before you enter.

***

Someone is shaking your shoulder. You wake up instantly. 

Zullu’s mother is leaning over you. “It’s time …”

The sun is setting as you walk up the hill where the funeral takes place. 

The pyre is prepared and Zullu's body is already lying on top of it. No one says anything. This is how it goes in your village���no speeches, no pompous ceremonies. Zullu’s mother lights the pyre and the whole village stands in complete silence, watching. 

“One day, we’ll walk among the stars together,” you whisper as you raise your vision towards the night sky.

When you look down again—

He’s gotta be fuckin’ kidding … 

The Mandalorian is standing opposite to you—behind the pyre. 

That does it!

You can’t be sure whether he’s watching you or the pyre in front of him but you don’t care. You have to ask what his deal is. You need to know what exactly he’s doing on this planet—

“I’m sorry.” Zullu’s mother is now standing beside you. 

“Excuse me?” You look at her with raised eyebrows.

“I shouldn’t have kept it from you for all those years. Maybe ... it’s really time for you to find them.” Her voice is quiet, eyes gleaming—reflecting the fire. “They might still be alive. You deserve to see them again.”

“But … h-how do I find them?”

“Go to the planet Hoth. There should be a Rebel base. If they are still on that planet, they would be there.”

“Thank you,” you say and lay a hand on her shoulder.

Hoth. You’ve never heard of such a planet. Your parents are most probably very far away, yet you feel them being closer than ever before. You’ve been trying most of your life to forget about them, accept the present and not dwell on the past. But now? Now when you know where your parents could be, you can’t continue living your life in the village, can you? 

No, you can’t. 

Okay, how do you get out of this planet …  

Then it strikes you—the Mandalorian!

You look in the direction where he was standing.

Not again …

A group of men is standing where the Mandalorian was just a couple of minutes ago.

You rush towards them. “Um ... have you seen the Mandalorian?” you ask.

“No,” some of them say while others just shake their heads. 

A little hand by your side tugs your sleeve. “He left,” the child says.

You lean closer to her. “Have you seen where he went?”

Your eyes follow a tiny finger pointing to … the lake.

He’s setting off … 

Okay, don’t panic. First things first.

You sprint to your hut, take your backpack and shove a couple of things you think you might need in—some credits, food, water bottle, and clean underwear of course.

You put on Zullu’s leather jacket and run out of the village towards the lake without looking back.

***

It’s dark outside but the forest is even darker. By the time you get to the lake you can barely see a couple of steps ahead of you. You trip and fall several times before you get to the clearing. You breathe heavily, your hands and clothes are dirty, and you’re positive there is mud and little twigs tangled in your hair.

Phew! … The ship is still here. 

Through the gap under the aircraft, you see two armoured boots. It seems that he’s doing some maintenance on the opposite side of the ship, meaning … he has not seen you yet.

You contemplate your options. Of course, you could approach him and ask him to take you with him. However, for some reason, you feel like he would not be compliant to fly you to Hoth. Moreover, there’s a good chance he’s still mad at you. So it’s decided.

Treading softly—as silently as possible—you sneak into the ship. Unnoticed. 

There’s a little … thingy lying on one of the crates and it’s flashing rapidly with red light. You get to the weapons locker to see it’s open. 

“Just in case …” You take one of the blasters and continue to the end of the hull. 

Where could you hide?

Yes, the boxes and crates conveniently stacked up by the wall will do perfectly. You hide in the space between the crates and cover yourself with some sort of canvas that you found folded in one of the boxes.

Let’s hope he won’t find you until you are far away from this planet. Then you can figure out the rest.

Yes, let’s … 

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

The Mandalorian finishes the work on his ship and is ready to hit the road. He walks up the ramp, puts his blaster in its place in the weapons locker—

One of the blasters is missing … 

He quickly looks around the hull and notices the tracking fob on the crate is flashing.

He cautiously presses something on the side of his helmet, turning on the thermal vision. He can see you now—sitting on the floor behind the crates, curled up. 

He takes his blaster from the cabinet and walks towards the crates to eventually stop in front of you. He raises his blaster, aiming at what he assumes is your head.

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

The canvas is abruptly pulled away and you blink at the armoured man standing in front of you. You could hear him coming and prepared your blaster, so you are now pointing your weapons at each other.

“You,” he utters but it sounds more like I knew it.

Obviously examining you, he tilts his helmet to the side, looks at the blaster in your hands, sighs, and puts his own weapon back in the holster.

“Take me to Hoth,” you command, suddenly emboldened by the fact that he is now unarmed.

 “No.”

The lack of emotion in his answer and its bluntness shock you. You expected him to protest but you’re now struggling to find the right words to continue.

To your surprise, he … he relaxes—transferring his weight to one foot—clearly anticipating what you’re going to do next.

“I have to get to Hoth to find my parents.” You try to play on his—quite possibly non-existent—feelings.

“I don’t take passengers,” he speaks again, his voice raspy.

You’re losing your patience. “Y-you’re going to take me to Hoth or else—”

“You’re gonna shoot me?” 

He’s taunting you ... You have your blaster aimed at him, trying to look as threatening as humanly possible, and he’s mocking you.

“Well … yes … I will shoot you and take your ship.”

“Try,” he enunciates slowly—leaning closer to you—his visor trained on your face.

He thinks, you’re not going to do it. After what you’ve been through in the past couple of days, you’re sure you could kill anyone who stands in your way, right? Right?

You put your other hand on the blaster too to steady yourself, and point the barrel at his chest.

An annoyed sigh comes out of the helmet. “You’re not stupid but you need to stop acting like you are … See this?”—he taps his chest plate with one fist—”Beskar … It would hurt, but won’t kill me … You want to aim at the gaps in the armour.”

Is he giving you advice about how to shoot him?

You lift your blaster so that it’s trained on his neck—covered only by his cape that is wrapped around it.

“Better …” he says. “Now shoot.”

What? Is he serious?

“I-I will …,” you warn but your voice deceives you, indicating you’re fucking scared right now, even though you are the one holding a blaster.

He takes a slow step towards you. As he moves closer, the barrel of your blaster digs into his cape until you can feel his neck pressed against it.

“Shoot me.”

You hesitate.

“Shoot!” he shouts.

Your whole body is quivering.

You … can’t do it. You can’t kill an unarmed man.

Your grip around the weapon eases and you slowly start to lower the blaster.

Before you can do so, his hand shoots up, catches your wrist and you can feel your finger being pushed against the trigger with his. 

He pulled the trigger! He pulled the fucking—

But …

Nothing happens. The blaster doesn’t shoot.

“Next time you try to kill me with my own blaster, at least turn the safety off,” he grunts at you, ripping the weapon out from your hands.

“Wait …” you’re still trying to process what happened.

“Go home,” he says coldly and turns away from you to put the blaster back in the cabinet, grumbling something about an insult.

Before you can think of a better reaction, you push his armoured back with all the strength you can currently muster. 

Considering how well-built he is, his chest moving by an inch at most came as no surprise.

Oops … 

He stops and turns to look at you, slowly tilting his head sideways a little. Did you really just do that, the silent gesture says.

You are quite thankful that you can’t see his—most definitely furious—face right now. You would swear you can hear him grinding his teeth under his helmet. It was stupid … and you really don’t know why you did it. You’re perfectly aware that you are throwing a tantrum like a child right now.

And he treats you as such in return. 

He grabs you by your upper arm, drags you through the hull and shoves you down the ramp, out of the ship with ferocious force. You have to make a couple of clumsy steps forward to prevent yourself from falling over.

He turns to shut the hatch. 

“Please!” you hear yourself pleading to stop him, tears now flooding your eyes. It’s pathetic. “I … I p-promised her … promised her to find out wha—” You hesitate for a second. “I need to find my parents.”

He sighs. 

“Look …” he says eventually, his voice considerably softer than before. “I’m sorry about your friend, okay? But trust me, it’ll be safer for you here.”

Oh no … the rage is back. “Trust you?” you cry out. “It’s your fault that she’s dead!”

“My fault?” He sounds genuinely confused.

“If you didn’t stalk us back to the village and play a hero—”

“Me? … I wasn't the one to spit in that guy’s face. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be dead now!”

“And she would live!” your voice cracks with grief as you yell.

He takes a couple of steps forward, grabs your shoulders, yanks you closer to him so that your nose is practically touching his visor, and shakes you in an attempt to knock some sense into you, “Do you think they would stop there, huh? Do you think they wouldn’t massacre half the village after that?”

“Well, if you had let me take that blaster instead of pawing me—” you snark at him.

He immediately lets go of your shoulders as if scalded and takes a step back.

“—I could have protected them ...” you finish.

“Yeah …,” he chuckles darkly, mocking you again, “… sure … I’d like to see you kill thirty armed men with the safety on ...” He turns and starts climbing the ramp back to his ship.

“Well, fuck you!” you yell after him. “If you won’t help me, I’m sure I can find another ship that would take me out of this planet!”

“Good luck with that,” he utters, his tone ice-cold.

Suddenly, a laser blast strikes the ground just a few feet from you. You duck and try to spot what caused it.

A small starship flies over your head.

Someone is shooting at you.

“… To the ship …” The Mandalorian shouts to you.

You quickly run into his ship and he closes the hatch. Before you can ask about what’s happening, he’s already climbing the ladder up to the cockpit.

You follow him.

He sits in the pilot's chair pushing various buttons as the ship rumbles and takes off.

“Sit down and fasten your seatbelt,” he exclaims without looking at you.

You stand behind him, gaping out the cockpit window trying to spot the attacking ship again.

“Who was—”

A laser beam hits the ship. You are tossed sideways and against the wall, knocking yourself unconscious.

The Mandalorian turns his head to look at you, growls and steers his ship so that it now flies directly against the little starship. He readjusts his hands on the control sticks and inhales deeply.

“This is more than I signed up for.”

***

Chapter 1 //   Chapter 2  //  Masterlist

[julemmaes]

You marry me, Alas

"Stop eating all my popcorn, they're for the tree" AU

Thomas Lightwood and Alastair Carstairs Fluff Christmas Holiday AU

Okay I kept on writing because apparently it is fun, and I did a little something for my boo @tyherondaletrash who deserves the world and all the love we can give her. And tomorrow is Monday, so it’ll be a shitty shitty day for her (not for me, schools are closed;)) and I hope I can improve her mood a little.

Just gonna tell you that there’s a little angst, a lot of fluff and SHIT TON of sex references, but nothing too serious, hope you’ll enjoy it

Word count: 2,364

Thomas poured the last pan of popcorn into the biggest bowl and picked up the few who had fallen on the island before eating them. He left everything in the kitchen as he went up the stairs of their new house to go get a needle and thread.

Alastair would never agree to do such a thing, he would probably complain all the time about the grease on his hands or the fact that “food should be eaten, not used to make stupid necklaces”, but Tom really wanted to get him into the Christmas spirit. Because that would be the first Christmas they spent with their families and especially the first Christmas since Alastair and Cordelia’s father got out of rehab.

Thomas had found out from James. One afternoon, when only the two of them had gone out to make gifts to the others, out of nowhere he had asked how Alastair was taking it. Thomas had looked at him frowning, because he didn’t understand what he was talking about, and when James told him that their father was going back to London after all those months out of town, the sky fell down on him. Not because he was upset.

He had mostly panicked and text-bombing his boyfriend, who, busy with a business meeting, had not replied right away. And then Thomas had called him. Fifteen times. And when Alastair came out of the meeting he thought the other was dead. He had called back immediately and was slightly angry when Thomas told him to go home because they needed to talk. He tried to imply that he knew about Elias, but Alastair seemed too focused on the fact that he called him so many times, and so he had to be the one with the issue that needed resolving.

Tom sighed, remembering how he had had to pull every word out of Alas' lips, which eventually gave away and began to cry. He had rarely seen his boyfriend cry, but he had never felt so much hatred and anger in his sobs. It was difficult to feel affection for his beloved’s father at that time. A father who had taken away his childhood and forced him to protect his sister’s.

He found the needle in the drawer of his bedside table and took one of the little balls of white thread that Alastair kept in his drawer (for when the buttons fell from his shirts), and went down to the first floor again. He returned to the kitchen, and did not immediately notice that his boyfriend was sitting on the counter swinging his feet and eating his popcorn… his popcorn!

“Hey! I was eating those!”Alastair shouted when Thomas tore the bowl from his hands.

“Make them yourself, if you are hungry! These go on the tree. And you will help me.” he said, sulking like a child, holding the popcorn in his chest. Alastair shook his head sighing and, making a small leap to get off the island, gave his assent.

They went into the living room and sat on the carpet next to the tree. A tree that had been bought almost a week earlier and still didn’t have a single ball on it. This was due to the fact that since Alastair’s holidays had started, there hadn’t been a minute when the two of them hadn’t rolled around in bed.

Sometimes it was annoying to stay apart all day and then be too tired to do any other activity but sleeping, so as soon as the chance to spend some time together for their own business had presented itself, they had not been able to resist and had locked themselves in the house for a week, receiving complaints from Lucie and Christopher, who wanted to go out with them, but they both had repeatedly refused to make the famous double dates she loved so much and shut the door in front of a very confused Kit.

“So? How do we do these things?” asked Alastair by taking a popcorn and throwing it in his mouth.

“Certainly not like that.” muttered Thomas, taking two meters of thread for him and two for the other boy and starting to stick it in his needle, “First put the thread in the needle and then stab the popcorn, like this.” He showed it to him and continued undisturbed until a sound of frustration escaped Alastair’s control and Tom was forced to interrupt his work. Looking up, Thomas never thought he’d find himself in front of an Alastair red of rage with a twisted thread around his fingers, desperately trying not to prick himself again.

“How the fuck do you put something so big inside something so small?! It’s impossible.” Alastair’s hands were shaking from how focused he was, and that didn’t help with his task.

Thomas' eyebrows shot up and, refraining from laughing, he placed his necklace on the ground, gently taking his boyfriend’s hands into his own, stopping that tremendous trembling, “I don’t think you should make another joke like that, or I’ll be forced to leave this tree naked another day to show you how it’s done,” he whispered to him with a wink. Thomas heard him mutter something about being naked and that as far as he was concerned that tree could also burn in the fireplace. “Here.” passed the needle with the already threaded thread, “you have to hold it from here otherwise it slips out.” Alastair thanked him before he took a handful of popcorn and took it to his mouth. Thomas refrained from snorting and began his work once more. He still felt that the other was confabulating and a quick glance made him realize that he would never accomplish anything.

Not even five minutes passed before Alastair stood up and started yelling at the popcorn, which kept breaking and falling off. He stomped his feet on the ground like a child and at that point Thomas could not hold back any longer, bursting into a loud laugh, with his head pulled back.

Alastair took that laugh as an invitation to do something else and on his way to their room, took all the presents he hadn’t wrapped yet, wrapping paper and tape, before he sat down next to his boyfriend. He stared at the books he had bought for Cordelia for a whole minute before taking a deep breath and really started working.

Meanwhile Thomas seemed to have finished his first necklace and was starting the one he had abandoned. Alastair took the wrapping paper and began to rip it in half, so that he had enough for every book, but of course something had to go wrong and a sharp pain took over his finger. He looked at his hand and two drops of blood came out of his thumb, “For fuck’s sake.”

Thomas, intrigued by his boyfriend’s swearing, turned to him, giggling, “I agree. Today is not your day.” he told him, nibbling a popcorn, “Do you want me to go get you a Band-Aid? At least you won’t stain the books.” he proposed with a shy smile.

Alastair turned to him, to that boy he loved so much that sometimes he wondered how it was possible that everything was real. That Thomas was really his. That he could finally be happy, too, if he had someone like Tom by his side.

“Don’t worry, I can go by myself.” he bent down on the other, brushing his lips with his own, but the other took him by the neck of the shirt pulling him down towards him and the kiss became more intense. Alastair lost his balance, ending up on Thomas, that by now was lying on his back, his hands going up under the other’s shirt.

They split just to catch their breath, and when Alastair finally broke off, Thomas gave a grunt of discomfort at the lack of contact, “We said no sex today. And no sex will be.”

“That was a stupid fucking rule, then.” Thomas said, raising his hips against Alastair’s, making him feel how even that little contact between them made him feel. Alastair closed his eyes leaning his forehead against that of the other, laying a last little kiss on his lips. He stood up, resting on his arms and then helped Thomas, lending him a hand.

“Are you sure you want to go to the bathroom? Isn’t it that with your bad luck, you come in and the patches are gone?” Thomas joked on the way to the kitchen to get a drink. Alastair saw from the croner of his eye that he was adjusting his trouser and could not stop his mind when he thought “Stupid rule, indeed”, but they had to finish decorating the house, tomorrow would be Christmas Eve and all their friends and families would come here. Explaining to his mother that you hadn’t decorated anything because you were too busy fucking didn’t seem like a tempting thing to do.

“No you’re actually right. Could you take it fom me?” He took his finger between his lips and sucked it. At least there was no more blood.

“That shitty rule is ruining my day. At this point we would have finished everything.” he was looking at him like a lioness looks at a gazelle after a week of starving. Yet, that lioness had eaten, even too many times, wondered Alastair. He scoffed, knowing full well that they wouldn’t have done anything if it wasn’t for that one rule.

“Stop it, Lightwood, and hurry up so we can finish early and after we can do what we want.” He smiled greedily, swooped over the couch with an athletic jump and landed just two inches from him. He put the Band-Aid on him, insisting that he needed to touch him somehow, and for Alastair to take the piss out of him, those tiny displays of affection swollen his heart.

They both went back to doing what they had to do, until Alastair finished wrapping and then put all the balls there were to be put on the tree, and all the streamers. He also began to decorate the kitchen and the entrance, putting sprigs of mistletoe here and there at Thomas' request. If he had to be completely honest, that afternoon wasn’t as bad as he initially thought.

He was getting up on the chair to put the last twig on the front door, when a Christmas tune blew up the house at full volume, scaring him and making him almost fall, “Oh hell, no,” he complained softly, but he would never ask Thomas to turn it off. For some strange reason, Christmas made him ten times happier, kinder. Perhaps it was because his past Christmas had been spent with a loving family, in houses full of gratitude and happiness, while Alastair’s had all been spent hiding his father’s eggnog where he could not find it and to buy a gift to his sister at the last minute, because no one ever remembered to drive him to the mall.

He came down from the chair in silence and took it back to the counter, where he leaned with both elbows before burying his face in his hands. Stop it, he said to himself, or you will ruin Christmas to everyone, including Thomas. He took a trembling breath, trying to calm down. His father was fine. Cordelia had told him. Layla, his sweet little Layla, who had gone to see Elias alone because he had refused to see him. Layla, who had been forced to meet an alcoholic father alone after knowing a complete different person for a very long time.

He looked out the window, where the snow was starting to come down slowly. He did not notice the volume of the music being lowered, or Thomas looking at him from the doorframe, again, but this time with a hard, thoughtful look. He did not even notice him when the first sob came out of his lips and he cursed under his breath so as not to be heard.

He only noticed Thomas when he approached him with two big strides, and circled his shoulders with his arms, bringing him close to himself, cradling him as he had done every time. Alastair turned to him, hiding his face in his chest, as a liberating cry made its way into him.

Thomas lifted him from the ground and, holding him as tight as he could, went to the couch, where he sat whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

They were like this for hours, one next to the other. The forgotten popcorn necklaces on the floor next to the tree and the half-packed gifts to keep them company.

Alastair looked up at Thomas only when he was sure he was no longer crying and what he saw on the other’s face stopped his breath. There were traces of tears on Thomas' cheeks as well. Alastair sat up straight, still on his boyfriend’s lap, holding both hands to his face, “Tom,” he whispered passing a finger on his cheekbone. Thomas took his hand in his, taking it to his mouth and leaving a tender kiss on his palm, before resting it on his chest, on his heart.

Thomas looked him in the eye and as every time he looked at him his love grew and grew so much that for a second he was afraid he would explode, he was sure that he would die if he did nothing to let Alastair know his feelings. How much he loved him and how much this love grew every day. For everything that he meant to him and for everything he stood for.

Thomas had a completely crazy idea in mind, but he was sure, sure of that love. Sure that the only voice that mattered in the midst of the thousand that he heard every day was the voice of the man who stood on his lap at that moment. And he was not afraid when he opened his mouth and moved to speak, did not feel fear, only an indescribable emotion, while…

“Marry me.”

“You marry me, Alas.”

[marauder-level-chaos]

In A World Like That Ch One

Magnus and Alec have been pushed into their TWI roles by a meddling demon who feeds on their happiness. It puts them in a deep sleep and the only way to get out there is to find each other in TWI and fall in love. If they can do that, they will automatically fall out of the magical slumber the demon has placed them under. Otherwise, they fall into an eternal sleep. It’s upto Malec to find their way back to each other. It is set after the TWI episode in the show, so they have met each other once already. Here is the masterlist. My AO3: malecplusotherthings

Warnings: swearing, TWI characters, angst obviously, some fluff, slight show divergence

When Magnus Bane woke up that morning, something had been very different. Everything around him looked as it always did, but felt extremely strange. He quickly shook the feeling and went about his day as he normally would. Magnus reached over to the table by his bed and grabbed his glasses. He brushed his teeth and poured himself a giant pot of coffee. He then fumbled around in his closet to find the only clean shirt left and paired it with a random pair of jeans. Great, now I’m going to have to do some laundry. I fucking hate laundry.

Magnus then headed downstairs to the antique store. His father had left him the store when he had passed a few years ago. Since then, Magnus had kept it in almost perfect condition. He grabbed one of his frayed light grey sweaters off the hook behind the door and went outside to get the mail. Usually there was nothing interesting in the mail, but today was different. Between all the credit card statements and electricity bills, Magnus noticed a deep purple envelope with beautiful silver lettering. He frowned as he grabbed a butterknife to open the letter. Inside was a wonderfully designed lilac invitation with gold writing that matched the silver on the envelope. The invitation asked Magnus to join an antiques exhibition at the Institute over the weekend. Well, they’ve got style, I’ll give them that. This was Valentine Morgenstern's way of including other smaller businesses in his circle. Between taking care of this business and his tarot readings, Magnus didn’t exactly have time for such events.

The day had been quite busy with people coming through the doors of the store constantly. It had been hours and Magnus hadn’t had a chance to sit down yet. He glanced at the clock above his head. It was already past noon. The exhibition would have started by now. He wouldn’t be able to make it even if he wanted to. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a customer asking for assistance. After helping them out, Magnus finally had some time to himself. Or so he thought. Surely enough, the door swung wide open once again. However this time, a familiar face walked through it.

“You got the invitation?” Catarina called. She was a co-owner of Magnus’ antiques store so it was obvious that she would have received an invitation as well. “I think you should go, Magnus. It might be good to get our name out there.”

“I’m a bit busy here, Cat. Besides, it’s already 1 PM. The exhibition started over an hour ago. They’re probably even done by now. I couldn’t go even if I wanted to.”

“Well, the invitation said it goes until 2 PM, so if you hurried you could make it.” Catarina said matter-of-factly.

“Well, I’m still busy so you go on ahead if you want to.” Catarina jumped over the counter to get behind the cash register.

“I would, Magnus, but you see I’m not the one who has a crush on the Institute’s Party Planner.” Magnus knew telling Cat about the boy he had met during the Morgensterns’ Mad Hatter party was a mistake. He rolled his eyes at her and glanced one more time at his watch.

“Well if it’s so important to you I guess I could go.” Magnus smiled at her. He grabbed his coffee off of the counter and marched out the door.

By the time Magnus got to the Institute, the crew had already begun to pack up. All the tables had been cleared and the chairs were neatly stacked in the corner.

“Hi...I’m Magnus Bane. I was invited here for the antiques exhibition?” Magnus pulled out his invitation from his pocket and tried asking one of the security guards at the door.

“I’m sorry but that exhibition has shut down for the day. Mr. Lightwood gave us strict orders to not let anybody in after 1:30.” Magnus let out a sigh of disbelief and threw his hands up in exasperation. All this was clearly for nothing.

***

Alexander Lightwood had been planning his exhibition for quite a while. After seeing his work at the Mad Hatter party, Valentine Morgenstern had asked him to take up a job as the Head of the Institute’s marketing and public relations team. It had been Alec’s idea to plan an exhibition in order to get to know the smaller businesses in the city. Many people would say that this whole thing was a charade for Alec to meet the man he saw at the Mad Hatter party. Magnus, that’s his name. Those people would be right. Shy, adorable and dorky was exactly Alec’s type. He knew that Magnus was an antiques store owner so Alec had sent an invitation over to his store. Being the nerd Magnus was, Alec was certain that such an exhibition would draw him out. He had called antique collectors from all over New York to take part in this event. Despite having been planning this for months, something felt odd to Alec. Something was different.

“You know, if somebody planned an entire party just to get my attention, I would probably love them for the rest of my life.” Alec turned his head and saw Simon standing in the doorway. He smiled. Simon was one of his oldest and best friends.

“Well, seeing as I was the one who planned the housewarming party for you and my sister…”

“And I do love you. What can I say, I have a thing for Lightwoods.” Simon shrugged. Alec laughed at that. “You ready, Alec?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right down just give me a minute.” Simon shut the door behind him and Alec turned his attention back to the mirror. He was wearing a perfectly tailored navy colored suit with a well ironed white button-down shirt. It brought out the blue in his eyes. His dark hair was messy but in an elegant sort of way. Silver rings adorned his long, graceful fingers. Alec picked up the black eyeliner laying on his dresser as a finishing touch to his ensemble. Alec had always been one for a little extra flair.

Satisfied with his look, Alec made his way downstairs to manage - according to Izzy, the correct term is micromanage - the details of the event. Guests were filtering in through the doors of the Institute but there was no sign of Magnus. Alec glanced at his watch and sighed. It was almost 1 PM. Maybe he was wrong about this. Maybe he was wrong about Magnus altogether. He signalled his crew to start packing up for the day. He made his way over to the drinks table where his friends were waiting for him.

“Is he pining?” Alec heard Jace ask Simon.

“Oh, he’s pining.” Simon said. Alec shot them a glare.

“Alexander Lightwood does not pine.” He retorted. “If Magnus isn’t going to come here, I’ll go to him.”

With that, Alec went to the address he had delivered the invitation to. He figured that if Magnus didn’t show it was probably because he got caught up at work. It was a bit of a walk but Alec didn’t mind. Magnus’ antiques store was very well maintained. It had a certain class to it. Alec made his way through the store, searching for Magnus. He spotted a woman behind the counter and went over to her.

“Hey, uh, Catarina, I’m looking for Magnus?” He said, reading her name off of her badge.

“Oh, he actually left for the day. Can I take a message?” Alec shook his head. Dammit, Magnus. Maybe this hadn’t gone the way Alec had planned for it to go, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to give up.

Malec Taglist (please let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@thatwinchestergirl67 @quickbright @julialightbane @bestieswithmydarkthoughts @plaggherondale

[forsakentoast]

Wildflower

Chapter 3- Basically plot part 2

As the sun rose in the sky, the heroes stirred from their slumber and began to filter out of their rooms, all with the exception of three. Laughter and a groan were heard from the room that housed the other three companions.

Wind was about to volunteer to see what was going on with the other three when Warriors came out of the room struggling to contain a fit of laughter.

“Baby faced boy!” before all other words were lost to laughter.

As the others rushed to the room, they were met with a concerned Hyrule speaking to a mass under the blankets.

“Wild, it’s not bad! Just come on out.”

A muffled no was heard.

“What’s going on?”

“Warriors hasn’t stopped laughing.”

Off in the distance, the cackling continued as broken words of apology spilled from the young man.

“Shut up,” came the muffled reply.

“It’s just… Wild has regressed and-”

The small mass moved, “Don’t you dare say it.”

“His voice cracked,” Hyrule whispered to the group.

A groan just resounded with the blankets.

“Wild, it’s okay! Just come on out.”

With a sigh of resignation, Wild removed the blankets and stared at the other six. Messy blond hair accompanied a disgruntled face. 

“Pfft… Baby face! I’m sorry. I need to go.” Legend left to go join Warriors outside.

Wild just deepened his glare. Baby blue eyes soon landed on the other five. Smiles of varying degrees were observed. “Just out with it, will you.”

“You are so adorable!”

“Honestly, it isn’t that bad. You still are you, cub… Just younger.”

“I look stupid!” Eyes became wide. Snorts of laughter left some and Wild just hid. “My voice sounds so stupid!”

Despite Time being amused, he gingerly placed his hand on the mass under the blankets. “Your voice cracked. We all went through that.”

“Yeah, Wild. I sometimes go through that myself. But you look pretty neat though! And don’t mind the baby face. I also suffer from the syndrome as well.” 

“Okay, okay. Can you please leave? I’ll get ready so we can see Impa.”

As everyone left, Twilight stayed behind, “If you need help, just call out, okay?”

Scoffing, Wild became offended, “As if. Now get out of my room.”

“Bossy, bossy. We’ll be waiting for you.”

----

Legend and Warriors waited for the others as they regrouped nearby.

“I shouldn’t have laughed. But the way his voice cracked made me lose it. Normally I don’t let things get to me, but it was just different. I guess it was the baby face that did me in.”

“He’s not ready to go?” Legend looked around.

Before anything else could be said, the sound of a creaking door grabbed the attention as eight heads swiveled around to see a meek-looking face peering from the side.

“Twi? I need help.”

-----

Exiting out of the inn, Legend commented, “Oi, didn’t your clothes shrink with you or something?”

The boy harbored his usual garb, minus the boots. His champion tunic hung off of one shoulder and his pants were rolled up and a piece of torn fabric looped around the belt loops to keep the pants somewhat in place.

Looking Legend up and down with a glare, Wild responded, “Wouldn’t you and your pasty knees like to know.”

Laughter erupted from almost everyone.

Flabbergasted, Legend became offended. “You leave my knees out of this, brat!”

He only earned a stick of the tongue. Legend had to be held back by Sky before he smacked the young boy upside the head.

Upon arriving at the grand home, two sheikah guards stood at attention and blocked the entrance to the staircase with their weapons. Shoving the others aside, Wild came up to the two men.

“Hey guys! I’m here to speak with Impa. It’s for important business. And these guys are with me.”

Upon looking at the young boy, both men saw the sheikah slate hanging by a piece of fabric- at the demand of Wild to Twilight.

“Ah, Master Link! Apologies. We have been notified by Impa to be expecting your visit. We did not recognize you at all.”

“As stated, please step on inside. Impa awaits your visit.”

“Thanks Cado, Dorian! Come on guys!” Wild began making his way up the stairs as he held on to his loose pants and looked behind him as the others all filed along and followed after the smaller boy. Upon reaching the grand doors, Wild adjusted his pants once more and pushed the doors open, allowing himself and his companions to enter along. 

“Ah, young champion, I have been awaiting your arrival,” an old voice called out. “So there was truth to what Purah had said. You do not look a day over ten.”

“I assume Purah has told you everything there is to know?”

“Indeed I have been made aware of the unfortunate incident that has befallen you. It has been such a long time since these old eyes seen such a young lad.” Impa hadn’t missed the bashful smile that graced Wild’s features. “But I must ask how you have been feeling so far, young hero?”

As Wild began to delve into how he had been feeling, soft footsteps took the attention of the others in the room as a young sheikah woman made herself known.

“Grandmother? Has Master Link arrived yet?”

She stopped at the footsteps and her bashful nature took over as she noted the others who were in the room. 

“Ah! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t r-realize our guests were here al-ready!”

“Paya!” 

A gasp left the woman as she was soon overtaken by a hug from a young boy. Looking to her grandmother, she received a nod from the elderly woman and realization dawned that the young boy hugging her was the champion she deeply admired and low-key crushed on.

“M-Master Link! S-so good to s-see you!” She couldn’t help but hug back awkwardly. 

“Paya, why don’t you accompany the young champion and get him at least a set of clothes that will properly fit him. Link, here. This should be enough to buy you something.”

“Such kindness you harbor for me, oh great village chief. Thank you.” Taking the rupees, Wild immediately ran to Paya, grabbing her hand and leading her outside with such energy that the poor young woman did everything to not trip over her own two feet.

The smile soon faded from Impa as she directed her gaze back to the others in the room. “Purah tells me that there were instances that he recalls memories of long ago. What has he said or what has he shared?”

Both Warriors and Hyrule looked at one another. 

“Well, when we arrived at the dead of night at the inn, Wild, I mean, Link, was just exhausted. Swaying as if he spent days with no sleep.”

Hyrule continued, “He just started responding to someone or something. Something about flowers and how he needed to go see you. I tried to bring it up this morning, but he had no recollection and was angry.”

“Angry? Because of his predicament or because of something else?”

“Well, you see,” Warriors became a bit meek, “I laughed at his voice. It just cracked. I don’t know why it made me laugh, but it did.”

“I see. But nothing else?”

All heads shook.

“Just to clear things up, Purah did let you know that his behavior would change, correct?” all heads nodded. “The display of affection was not of his character. At least it hasn’t been since a while. I know questions are whirring in those minds of yours, but do not utter them. Those conversation pieces you heard last night must be from his young life that is bleeding into his current memories.”

“So you say that it’s not just behavior that would change but memories will  surface?”

“Aye. how far and to what extent is truly unknown. I pray to Hylia above that it is not harsh on him. I do have one major concern for him. The Yiga.”

The room became cold. Time swore his breath could be seen. “There has been mention of that group.”

“A group of assassins whose goal is to murder the Hylian champion for the blood spilt from their lord and master. With the defeat of the Calamity, the pursuit of the hero has decreased some, but not enough to stop completely. Link is not out of danger. I am aware of the switching of worlds, but I urge you all to use caution when you are in this world.”

“I think we can manage,” spoke Time.

“I believe it to be ideal to pick and choose names when in the company of strangers. I do not believe titles would be wise as the Yiga are aware of the title of the champion. The only ones who are currently aware of Link’s condition are a select few. Zelda has also been notified. But I have a feeling that you lot will not be able to see her as the goddess has a timer currently set.”

“We will be careful. Thank you for that. And we will be taking good care of him, worry not.”

“Thank you.”

And at that moment, the doors opened as the young woman before stepped in, “I’m s-sorry… Master Link demands you all join him and Koko for breakfast.”

Standing up and dusting himself, Twilight turned his attention back to Impa. “I believe that is our cue to leave. You have our promise to watch him safely.”

“May Hylia above grant you patience and strength. He was a wild child.”

“I freaken knew it...”

-------

Exhaling a breath, Paya looked to her grandmother. “He was such an endearing young boy. So energetic and lively.”

“He wasn’t always like that. Younger? Yes. But it felt like eons since I saw that energy once again.”

“It must have been nice to see once more. You were very kind to give him some rupees. He was able to purchase a hylian tunic set. He was a little embarrassed to have asked for assistance in measurements, but he was so elated. He claimed it to be a gift from the ‘Great Village Chief’. He would have thanked you, but he saw Koko cooking and wanted to help prepare a meal for his companions before he demanded I come get them.” Paya could help but laugh as the memory of the small Hylian puffed out his cheeks to come get the others.

“What’s the matter, Grandmother?”

“I have been filled with such great sadness, my dear granddaughter. Those rupees were a mere gift to slowly attone for the sin I have committed against the young champion. I cannot help but fear a storm is brewing. I just hope they all exercise caution.”

Paya wanted to inquire for more. But she did not. Nor did she want to worry her poor grandmother over an acclaimed suspicion of a merchant that both her and Link encountered. Paya, like other sheikah, has been wary of outsiders that come to visit Kakariko. But that one merchant just sent shivers down her spine. There was no time as Link pulled her inside the Enchanted Armour shop, losing sight of that merchant. But it must have been her nerves.

Before she could excuse herself, Cado came bursting in, followed by Dorian.

“A dark portal appeared and Master Link with his companions all went in!”

“The portal then disappeared and there is no trace whatsoever of the young master!”

“Calm yourselves. If it were a dark source of energy, I would have been out the door praying and creating a barrier of some sort, would I have not? It was the will of the goddess that that portal appeared there. You may go in peace. You are also excused, Paya.”

Finally alone, Impa began to pray, “Hylia above, watch over them.”

[dinfeanoriel]

Wolf Companion?

Just something that came to my mind randomly one day and that I decided to play around with. And would you look at that, Time, Twi, and Wild are here! 

Linked Universe belongs to Linked Universe and Jojo56830. I own nothing but my writing! 

~~~~~~~

This was Wild’s Hyrule. 

Wild’s Hyrule. 

Not his. Never his. 

So, why, then, did he feel such extraordinary familiarity to it? 

Twilight could not, for the life of him, understand and it was beginning to grate on his nerves! Everywhere he looked, everywhere he went, every smell he inhaled, every aroma that reached him, every sound that caressed his ears, struck him as eerily and infuriatingly familiar! 

Ever since their unexpected arrival to this new Hyrule, Twilight found himself in a constant state of déjà vu. He knew the travelers and strangers they would bump into, he knew the names of the stable workers, and those of the domains they would pass through. 

He knew where there would be Guardians and recognized those blasted Yiga a mile away just by looking at them. 

His wolf senses tingled, the beast within vibrating with excitement and recognition. Why was this? 

It messed with his mind, disoriented him, and caught him off guard. When the Links would ask Wild a question, the answer would surge to the tip of his tongue, ready to fly before Twilight would catch himself. He was left to wonder how he’d known the answer before Wild had uttered a single word. 

Directions came to him unbidden and he would often find himself idly leading the Links to where they needed to go whilst Wild wandered to fetch miscellaneous items or collect whatever it was he would gather in his inventory. 

Wild had commented on it, jokingly claiming he had no need to guide the Heroes when Twi clearly knew where to go. 

Twilight tried to smile and play it off as being good with directions, but the thing was, he did know where they were going!

How? He wasn’t so sure. 

Wild was taking them to his home in Hateno. Twilight had realized this long before Wild had told the Links. He’d recognized the path they were on and the peaceful pastures dotted with grazing horses they would pass by.  

Since the beginning of their trip through Wild’s Hyrule, Twilight struggled to get a grip of his wolf self.The beast had not once settled since their arrival to Wild’s world. It yearned to be set free- to run loose and revel in the familiarity of the world it had once before explored alongside another. 

When night would fall, Twilight would dream. The clarity of his dreams was almost too much for him. They were too realistic to be considered mere dreams. Hazy memories from another life- another time- would crawl forward from the deepest and darkest corners of his mind as if unlocked and called upon, and Twilight would wake with a start. 

He would scramble and struggle to remember where he was and how he’d gotten there. His sense of reality was horribly skewed, two separate lifetimes merging together as one and throwing him off kilter. Confounding questions would filter through his muddled mind and cause Twilight’s head to spin as he was cast in a sea of confusion and wonderment. 

Why was Wild’s hair longer than he remembered? 

Why was the Master Sword missing from his back? 

Why were they accompanied by seven others who shared an uncanny resemblance to his Cub? 

So many questions, so little answers. 

Twilight feared he might be going mad. He was losing himself and Twilight was afraid that he wouldn’t recover. With every passing day, his wolf spirit yearned more and more to be allowed to roam and celebrate its return to the place it’d once called home. 

There were times Twilight would look off into the distance and strange thoughts would come to him based on what he would lay his eyes on...

Heh, that was the same cliff Cub failed to climb three days in a row because it would rain every time he would try. 

Or- 

I remember that stream. I pushed Cub into it because he hadn’t bathed in days and was in desperate need of one. 

Twilight’s nose crinkled in remembrance of the stench. Wild hadn’t appreciated it, but Twilight hadn’t cared. 

Or-

This was where Cub nearly got assassinated by the Yiga. Foolish humans! I will not allow them to harm a single hair on my Cub! 

The fierce protectiveness that arose within Twilight came without warning. A dark scowl impressed itself upon his features as he recalled just how close Wild had come to nearly being beheaded. 

Thank Hylia he’d been there. He’d take care of those accursed Yiga. 

Twilight faltered mid-stride. 

He’d taken care of the Yiga? 

What...

What were these thoughts? These memories that assailed him with almost every step he took? 

Twilight cradled his whirling head in his hands. He didn’t understand! He didn’t know what was happening! His memories and these new memories were piecing together and becoming as one in his mind that Twilight was having difficulty picking them apart. 

They were his, and yet, they weren’t. 

He sensed a change taking place within him. A strange warping sensation of his wolf self, and it frightened Twilight. He felt it’d grown older. 

Much older. 

Something was very wrong. 

Something was very, very, wrong. 

Cobalt blues darted to where the Old Man walked alongside Wild. He stumbled when his wolf self suddenly lurched within him at the sight of the Cub, a mixed jumble of emotions pouring forth to the point of overwhelming him. 

“...Twilight?!” 

Strong hands caught his shoulders and Twilight squeezed his eyes shut as he fought and battled to regain control over his elated wolf self. He placed restraint after restraint until his inner beast growled in defeat and reluctantly settled it. 

“Hey! Twi, can you hear me?” 

Was that Warrior’s voice calling to him in the distance? 

Twilight blinked slowly, owlishly, as the roaring in his ears finally died down and the raging sea in his mind calmed. 

“Twi? Is something wrong?” 

Warrior’s voice was clearer now. Closer too. 

The Ordonian flicked his gaze up to find Warrior crouched down in front of him, worry mingled with concern shining in those brilliant blue eyes. His brows were drawn together and there was a frown marring his features as he waited for Twilight to respond to him. 

When had he stopped walking? Why was he kneeling on the ground? 

The beginnings of a migraine were making themselves known to Twilight and the warm sunlight piercing through the canopies of the trees above them was making his eyes hurt and head pulse. 

“Hey!” 

Twilight cringed, a sharp tendril of agony exploding in his head. Warrior hadn’t raised his voice, but Twilight’s hearing had suddenly become overly sensitive. It had heightened to the point where he could hear mice scurrying through the foliage and the quiet chirping of far away crickets. He could even hear the trickling of a stream he knew was a long ways away from them. 

“Warrior..?” Twilight managed to mumble, forcing himself to focus on the Hylian in front of him. Anything to distract him from the strange feeling seeping deep into his bones and gradually spreading. 

He was still in Hylian form, but he felt very much like he was in wolf form. As if both halves had blended together and now Twilight had to learn how to adapt to the foreign entity he had become. 

Warrior breathed a sigh of relief, clasping Twilight’s shoulder, “You gave me a scare there, Twi. You feeling alright?” 

No. He was not. But that hardly mattered.  “Fine. Just a dizzy spell,” Twilight answered, voice tight. Warrior was not easily convinced, but said nothing to contradict his words. 

“If you say so.” He straightened, dusting himself off and smoothing the wrinkles from his tunic before lending Twilight a hand. 

Twilight took it and allowed Warrior to effortlessly haul him to his feet. Another wave of vertigo swept over Twilight and he subconsciously tightened his grip on Warrior’s arm to stay standing. His limbs were oddly wobbly, his coordination terribly off, and he wavered momentarily. 

Warrior didn’t remark on it, but Twilight knew he’d caught it. The Knight’s sharp eyes narrowed, noting the sudden paleness of Twilight’s complexion and the confusion and worry carefully hidden in the background of those cobalt orbs. 

Twilight might pride himself in being able to hide his true feelings, but Warrior had grown adept at reading people like an open book. The only one he’d been unable to get a good grasp on was Time. 

“If you start feeling worse, let me know and I’ll have us stop to make camp for the night,” Warrior told Twilight, tone brooking no argument. He held a hand up to stall Twilight’s oncoming protestation, sternly stating, “Your Cub’s home isn’t going to disappear overnight. It will still be there tomorrow. He can wait.” The Knight inclined his head with a faint smile and added pointedly, “Besides, I think Wild would be more concerned about your health than getting home, anyhow. Don’t you think?” 

Twilight wisely chose to shut his mouth, glowering mildly at Warrior. He was visibly disgruntled that Warrior had already known what he would have said, but he had to concede to the point the Knight made. 

He hadn’t missed the thinly veiled warning behind those words either. 

You had better tell me, or I will tell Wild and you will have to deal with the consequences then. 

~~~~~~~

In the end, they’d made it to Wild’s home. It was late in the night and most of the Heroes had retired almost immediately after stepping foot inside the homely house. 

It was mostly bare with a handful of furniture here and there, but they hardly minded. They were just relieved to finally be off their feet and get a good night’s rest without any fear of monsters or an unprecedented ambush. 

There were three still awake, two of whom were growing increasingly concerned by the third’s uncharacteristic behavior. 

Wild wouldn’t admit it aloud, but his worry for Twilight would not stop rising. The Ordonian was a man of few words, yes, but he’d hardly spoken to him during the past three days! He hardly interacted with Wild now, and the teen was beginning to wonder if something was seriously wrong. 

He was slowly becoming twitchy and impatient, waiting for Twilight to snap out of whatever daze had appeared to take hold of him. 

Time shared his concerns although he hid it well. The Pup had a tendency to space out for hours on end and when he would finally return to the present, he would look so utterly lost and bemused about everyone and everything. Time had seen him when he would wake in the mornings- sometimes in a panicked haze, other times in fear, and most of the times perplexed and lost. 

Twilight’s eyes flickered and shifted as if there were some kind of inner battle taking place that he was struggling to win. 

“You mentioned you wanted to stop by somewhere before we should leave?” Time’s rumbling voice broke the tense silence hanging uncomfortably o’er them. 

Wild blinked and turned to the elder Hero, nodding before verbalizing,  

“I need to visit Kakariko briefly and pick up a few things.” 

Time hummed, “And how far is Kakariko from here?” 

To think that village was still around... It was amazing. 

“If we teleport to TaLoh Naeg Shrine, we could save ourselves a day’s walk.” 

Wild, who had been on the verge of answering Time, froze. Time’s brow creased and both Links slowly rounded on Twilight who was sat across from Time at the small table. The Ordonian hadn’t once moved from his slouched position. He had an arm resting on the table and was tapping a finger on the surface, apparently deep in thought. 

But they knew he had spoken. 

That had been his voice casually answering for Wild. 

“Twilight..?” Wild whispered, utterly confounded. How had Twilight known that? How did he know of the shrine and of Wild’s teleportation ability? He’d never said a word of either! 

Time glanced between them. He might not have understood what Twilight had said, but he knew it was wrong. Twilight couldn’t have possibly known how far it was to Kakariko from here. He wasn’t from Wild’s Hyrule and had never visited it before they’d met Wild. And based from Wild’s shocked expression, Time could tell Twilight must have been right. 

“Is he correct?” He asked for clarification, voice pitched low in order not to disturb the slumbering Heroes in the next room. Wild briefly looked to him then back to Twilight, nodding with a weird and stunned look on his youthful features. 

“Y-yeah...But...How could he have known that?” 

Time had other questions. Teleportation? Shrines? But he brushed them aside. There would be time for answers later. 

Instead, he cleared his throat, trying to gain Twilight’s attention. 

It didn’t work. 

Twilight appeared to have forgotten he and Wild were there. 

Wild was not as patient. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now. Twilight had been acting strangely, but this took the cake! First, he knew where Wild’s home was. Then he chased off a couple of travelers, stating with a growl that they were Yiga scum, and he was acting funny when they passed by the Shrine of Resurrection and the Temple of Time.

Wild had known something had been off about it all but hadn’t thought too much on it until one thing started happening after another in a never-ending stream of coincidences...

~~~~~~~

“Twilight, there you are!” Wild called with relief evident in his tone as he trotted to the still Ordonian’s side. Twilight didn’t react to his presence. In fact, he didn’t appear to realize Wild had called out to him. 

The fur-clad Hero was staring blankly at a small crevice in a rock where an old campfire lay, embers long having been collected by the wind and spread elsewhere in the extensive land. 

Wild remembered this place. It had been the first he’d visited, but back then, it hadn’t been so strikingly empty and abandoned. 

He curiously looked to Twilight, concerned by his silence and the strange expression he wore. There was a distant look in his eyes, as though he were recalling a memory from a time passed. 

“Twi..?” He slowly asked, nudging the older with his arm. 

Twilight blinked with incredible slowness but otherwise did not react. 

“He’s gone...” 

If Wild hadn’t seen Twilight’s lips moving, he would have thought his voice had been a figment of his imagination. 

The teen quirked an eyebrow at the vague words. 

“Who is?” 

Twilight suddenly shivered. He vigorously shook his head, resembling his wolf-self when he would shake his head and whip his thick mane through the air. 

“Right...” He murmured in a quiet and thoughtful voice, “He could finally rest...” 

Wild was even more lost when Twilight seemed to draw himself from whatever daze he was in. A look of surprise stole across his face when he noticed Wild beside him. 

“Cub?” 

Now both Wild’s eyebrows were raised. 

“When did you get here?” 

When did he-  Wild nearly dragged Twi over to Time. For him not to notice his presence? To not acknowledge him? Twilight had literally just spoken to him! Had answered him! And now he was acting as if he hadn’t realized Wild was there? 

Something wasn’t right about this, and Wild was determined to get to the bottom of it. 

~~~~~~~

The next time it had happened had been when they walked past the Shrine of Resurrection. Wild hadn’t told Twilight that this had been where he’d awakened from his century-long sleep. 

If Twilight had been acting strange earlier, he was acting even more strange now. 

The Ordonian had looked so disconcerted and uncomfortable. He bared his teeth at the doors, recognition flashing in his eyes. Wild had been bemused and when he’d asked Twilight what the matter was, Twilight growled that he hated the Shrine and wanted to get away. 

He’d muttered other words beneath his breath, and Wild couldn’t make any sense of them. But the teen couldn’t stop thinking of how Twilight had called the Shrine by its name. How had he known? 

Then they came across where Wild had been mortally wounded. The crumbling wall and three Guardians piled atop one another. Wild hadn’t told the Heroes this was where he’d fallen. 

Twilight had gone berserk. The other Heroes might not have recognized the wild look in his eyes or the sheer pain in them, but Wild and Time had. Twilight had basically dragged them away from the spot, claiming the Guardians made him feel queasy and that something about the place felt horribly wrong. 

Wild had thought maybe Twilight had sensed what might have happened. That he felt something terrible had gone down in this very area. But there was something more to it. Something more to the intensity of Twilight’s reaction. 

~~~~~~~

“Twilight!” Wild surged up from his chair, the legs scraping the wooden floor as he loomed over the oblivious Hero. Time very nearly started at the abruptness of his movement. 

A thought had struck Wild and the Hero wasn’t sure what to think or feel. It couldn’t be possible but...  Maybe it was? 

Twilight raised his head, blinking several times before turning to give Wild a faintly bemused look, 

“Yes?” 

“How did you know?” Wild immediately demanded to know, planting his palms firmly on the tabletop. 

A look of pure confusion crossed Twilight’s features, dark brows drawing together at the sudden and very much heated question. 

“How did I know what?” 

“Where Kakariko Village is!” Wild pressed, eyes narrowing. He dared Twilight to try and scrabble out of this one. He’d managed to wriggle away before but he’d drawn way too much suspicion from Wild for it to be coincidence. 

Twilight knew far too much about his Hyrule and Wild was determined to find out how. 

Twilight leaned back, completely and hopelessly lost. 

“What?” What was wrong with his Cub? He could sense Wild inwardly bristling, and his frustration bubbling to the surface. “I don’t know where Kakariko Village is. This is your Hyrule-” 

“Don’t give me that nonsense!” Wild interrupted, wounded. It caught both Time and Twi off guard. Jabbing a finger at Twilight, Wild claimed, “You knew where my house was before I even said a word! You knew those ‘travelers’ were Yiga! You recognized the Shrine of Resurrection and the ruins of the Temple of Time! How?” 

Twilight’s expression suddenly morphed into one of equal aggravation and frustration. He lurched upright in his seat, growling back, 

“I don’t know, Wild! I don’t know this place! I have no idea what you are even talking about!”  They were only inches away from each other and Time immediately stood when he felt tensions were running alarmingly high. He made to separate them but Wild exploded, 

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” 

His thunderous voice awoke all the slumbering Heroes. A few shot up in alarm while others blearily blinked themselves to full consciousness. 

“What is going on?” Wind fearfully asked upon seeing the wrathful form of Wild and the furious Twilight. Time was looking between them, hands hovering uncertainly in the air. 

Warrior curled an arm around the sailor when he shirked back against the Knight. Legend was rubbing at his eye, disgruntled and displeased at having been woken up in such a rude fashion. 

Sky’s eyes were wide as he watched Twilight and Wild stare one another down. He’d never seen them interact like this before! The two were so close, an unbreakable bond binding them together. But now they were completely at one another’s throat and Sky feared something might happen that they would later come to regret. 

Four wasn’t sure what to make of it either. His counterparts were voicing their own opinions. Red was pleading for Wild and Twi to stop fighting, Blue was griping about lack of sleep, and Vio was droning on about how he’d long seen it coming. 

Hyrule buried himself further into his blankets, hoping to drown out the argument. He hated contention and fights. They made him feel sick to his stomach, and seeing Twilight and Wild at odds made him incredibly ill and discontent. It was a horrible feeling that made him queasy and uncomfortable. 

“You know! You just refuse to say anything!”  “I told you that I don’t!” Twilight didn’t shout, but he might as well have. His tone was dangerously low and precariously balanced that even Legend shrunk back at it. There was an undertone of warning neither of the Links had missed. 

Four’s eyes held the uh-oh look the others wore. 

“I don’t understand what you’re saying!” 

“Stop lying to me! You’ve never lied before! Why are you starting now?” Wild’s voice wavered, bordering on a crack and hurt flashed across his expression. 

Twilight reared back as if he’d been physically struck. 

“Lie to you..?” He whispered in disbelief. “What makes you think I’m lying to you?” 

Wild threw his hands in the air, a strangled sound of frustration escaping him, “There you go again! You know what I’m talking about! Stop pretending that you don’t!” 

Twilight was still reeling from Wild’s incensed words, his heart aching. 

His Cub had angrily accused him of lying. 

He swallowed thickly. 

He’d never lied to Wild. Twilight had made a promise not to. Sure he withheld information, but never would he flat-out lie! He’d always been honest and open with his Cub.

Why would he say such a thing? 

What had Twilight done to give Wild the impression that he was lying? 

He tried to speak but his voice withered and died in his throat, the words failing to reach his tongue.

This was worse than any wound Twilight had ever had combined! The words were sharper than even the sharpest knife, stabbing into his heart and viciously twisting it. His heart bled, his chest suddenly tight. 

Twilight couldn’t fathom it. He couldn’t wrap his mind around this. What had he done to lose Wild’s trust so quickly and so easily? For Wild to so readily accuse him...

It hurt more than words could ever convey.

Everyone appeared to hold their breath, the atmosphere heavy with anticipation and tight with worry. 

Finally, Twilight released a shuddery breath and lowered his head, blinking furiously. 

Surely it was a trick of the light, but Time could have sworn he saw his descendant’s eyes glistening. Cobalt blues swam with a myriad of hurt, pain, anguish, confusion, and grief that it physically pained Time to see. 

But it was gone before anyone else could see. 

Gone before Wild could see. 

Twilight lifted his chin and opened his eyes. 

Time didn’t like the look in them. He’d never seen Twilight look so...look so guarded and empty. Completely devoid of any emotion. It was a defense mechanism. A way to protect himself from the harm Wild’s words had undoubtedly inflicted. 

Then his eyes sparked and flashed and Twilight set his expression, stating lowly and with a clarity, “I would never lie to one of my own.” 

The Goddess strike me down if ever I do.  

Then he was gone. 

~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

The great wolf whined as he pawed helplessly at the stone doors keeping him from the one who lay within. 

When would he come out? He’d been waiting for him and his patience was slowly growing thin. 

“Patience, Great Beast,” A dignified, elderly, voice lightly chided. The wolf turned his large head to face the cloaked man standing not too far from him. The man leaned heavily on an axe, watching him closely, “He will come in due time.” 

The wolf grumbled and griped. If the person wasn’t going to wake anytime soon, why had he been brought here in the first place? He wandered away from the doors and searched for a comfortable place to rest. He circled a portion of the ground, still rumbling deep in his throat before finally settling. 

He supposed he could wait a few more days for the kid to wake up. 

The Old Man was left shaking his head bemusedly at the odd animal and returned back to his campsite to await the Hero’s awakening. 

~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

“Down by the spring,” A familiar, deep voice hummed. Twilight’s ears twitched and he opened his eyes a crack to peer up at the glittering sky above. He should have known the Old Man would seek him out. “You always were predictable.” 

Twilight said nothing. 

Time released a silent sigh, shoulders slumping with the movement. He moved forward with the grace and elegance of an experienced warrior and settled beside where his descendant lay. He crossed his legs and patiently waited. 

Twilight relaxed somewhat when Time’s strong and soothing presence wrapped itself around him. The Hylian counted as many of the sparkling gems decorating the oily canvas above, willing himself not to think of the memory that had come to him before sensing Time’s presence. 

He tried not to think of Wild or of their argument. Of the pent up frustration and confusion Twilight had projected into the fray, adding to the building tension and tipping the scales. 

It was hard not to. 

He shut his eyes against the heavens and willed himself to forget. But he couldn’t. He kept remembering. 

The words echoed in his ears...

He reopened his eyes and peered off into the distance. 

“Stop lying to me!” 

He flinched, anguished and grieved. 

“You’ve never lied to me before!” 

His heart throbbed painfully. 

“Why are you starting now?” 

The hurt reflected in his Cub’s eyes. The confusion and uncertainty. 

“I would never lie to him.” Twilight whispered fiercely. He didn’t know why he spoke aloud, or why his voice sounded weak and uncertain. As if he were seeking to reassure himself but not knowing whether or not it was the truth. 

How was he to know? The past few days had been nothing but a muddled blur. 

“I know.” Came Time’s steady assurance. 

Twilight huffed and turned his face away, sorrow glimmering in his eyes. 

“You do...But he doesn’t...”  

~~~~~~~~

The wolf shuffled through the brush, skirting around the rocks and peering in at the Old Man idly stoking the fire he had blazing. 

He’d been periodically checking in with him, getting updates on whether or not the kid had awoken. Lately, he was always disappointed to learn the kid was still dead to the world and would leave grumbling and complaining about having to wait. 

As if sensing his eyes on him, the Old Man glanced up. A smile lit his face hidden by the hood he’d cast over his head and he told the wolf, 

“I’m afraid you missed him by a couple days, my friend.” 

The wolf blinked slowly then growled, the words slowly registering in his mind. His sharp teeth flashed in the sunlight as displeasure rose within him. He stalked to the edge of the cliff, glaring down into the vast expanse of Hyrule spread out below. Of course that foolish kid would wake up while he’d been off exploring and familiarizing himself with this expansive kingdom! 

He exhaled deeply and searched the area below. It was truly more colorful than his own. And much, much, larger. 

The sheer size still took him aback. 

How was he to find the idiot boy now? 

“I suppose you could try tracking him, but-” 

Whatever the Old Man was going to say, the wolf would never know, for he was interrupted by an enthusiastic whoop.  

The wolf looked curiously in the direction it had come from and trotted to the cliff’s edge to see what had made the noise. The beast had to take a double take at what he saw. 

Was that a...

He blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing. 

The vision was still there. 

There was a half-dressed Hylian surfing down a cliff on a shield waving a torch like a madman in the air. And he was heading straight for the monsters camped below. 

The wolf’s face would have been iconic were the Old Man not restraining himself from face-palming at the wild child he had let loose into the wilds. 

“I am also afraid,” He began, trying to keep his voice steady but the strain was apparent, “That your descendant is rather-” He started when the wolf bolted away, chest heaving as he enthusiastically barked at the Hylian. 

There was no denying it! That boy was his! 

The Old Man’s expression fell flat. What had he done? He inwardly bemoaned. They were two peas in a pod and would wreak havoc across his beloved Hyrule! 

~~~~~~~~

When Twilight next stirred, he was surprised to find it was dawn. He didn’t recall drifting off, but he supposed he’d lost track of time and had another strange and all-too-real dream. 

His brow crinkled when he registered warmth against his side and rolled his head to the right to find Time lying next to him, a serene expression softening his neutral features. 

His ancestor, it appeared, had stayed by his side for the entirety of the night. His arms were tucked beneath his head, providing a cushion against the cold, hard ground, and he’d positioned himself to where he was shielding Twilight from the cool breeze sweeping in. 

Twilight looked away, warmth blossoming in his chest. 

Time still looked after him, after all of these years-

And that was when it hit him. 

Twilight bolted upright with a disbelieving gasp, eyes incredibly wide. His breath caught at the possibility- at the chance that it might be true. Unbridled shock stole over his entire being as the realization sunk deep into his heart and disbelieving mind.

Oh Hylia! 

The Golden Wolf! The Hero Shade! Time had come to him to help him on his journey to defeat Ganondorf! He’d trained him, taught him all that he needed to know to stand his ground against the King of Evil! 

What if...

What if Twilight had done the same for Wild? 

And then it struck him. Wild’s easy acceptance when he learned Twilight could turn into a wolf. The familiar manner in which Wild had greeted him when they’d first met. When their eyes had locked onto one another, Twilight remembered the shock, surprise, disbelief, and hope that brewed within those cerulean orbs. 

He remembered feeling confused. He was the only one Wild would speak and listen to when the Heroes had come across him. It was by chance Twilight had found him. But now, he couldn’t help but wonder whether it was the Goddess’ plan all along for him to be the one to discover the Hero of the Wilds. 

Surprisingly enough, it had been Wild who had- after much hesitation- approached him first and a connection had established. A powerful bond was forged and only grew stronger with every passing day.  

A strong hand gripped his shoulder, anchoring Twilight briefly as thoughts raced through his mind. He startled and sharply looked to see Time had sat up- having been jolted awake by Twilight’s sudden movement. 

There was a hint of concern in his good eye that he fixed on the wound up Twi. 

“Pup?” 

Twilight could hear and understand the questions accompanying his name, but he couldn’t answer them. Not now. Not until he knew...

He gathered himself to his feet as calmly as he could manage, his mind whirling. He needed to talk to Wild. To find out if it was true. He needed to know if Wild had recognized him when they met- if he had known who and what he was before Twilight ever revealed his secret to the Cub and Time. 

It would explain so many things. How well they worked together when he was a wolf- as if Wild had had previous experience. How simple it was for Wild to adapt to his frequent shifting between forms. The familiarity Wild interacted with him that had been evident since before they’d grown close and forged an unbreakable bond. 

Without a word, Twilight walked away from the spring and made for Wild’s home. Time had already stood and strode after the Ordonian without question. The brisk pace Twilight set told Time he had an agenda- an objective he intended to accomplish. The look in his eye was all too familiar to Time, but he knew he had nothing to fear. 

What felt to be an eternity but was truly no longer than a couple minutes, the two arrived to Wild’s humble abode in Hateno to find said Hero already outside, tending to the garden he’d started to grow. It was still early, dawn having just arrived, meaning the other Heroes were most likely still slumbering away. 

In his peripheral vision, Wild caught sight of them and straightened with relief upon seeing Twilight coming his way. Immediately, he deserted the basket he’d been gathering vegetables in and hurried towards them. 

“Twilight!” He called, his hair loose and fluttering in the breeze. Dressed in his Hero of the Wild’s outfit, Wild resembled Twilight and Time from whenever they’d adorned their own Hero tunics during their adventures. 

He met Twilight and Time halfway down the path then paused uncertainly. Shifting on his feet a little ways in front of the Ordonian, Wild’s gaze darted here and there, finding the ground more interesting before moving to lock onto Twilight with true remorse and contrite. 

From the faint shadows beneath his eyes, Twilight felt a pang of guilt flash through him when he realized Wild must have had difficulty getting any sleep the previous night. The two often slept nearest one another or with Twilight in wolf form curled round Wild protectively and comfortingly. 

Rarely were the two apart. While it didn’t often bother or trouble them, this time was different. Twilight and Wild hadn’t resolved their dispute and it had nagged at the both of them. They did have disagreements here and there, and there were times their opinions didn’t align, or their thoughts differed from one another, but never did it escalate the way it had only hours before. 

Both attributed it to stress, but neither used it to excuse or justify their words or deeds. 

Seeking to assure his Cub, Twilight made the first move before Wild could apologize for something they were both at fault for. 

He reached out and gripped Wild’s shoulder reassuringly. 

All was forgiven between them. 

Wild knew this from the simple gesture. Twilight was a reserved individual who spoke when he pleased, and so, for him, actions spoke louder than simple words. 

A smile curved Wild’s lips and he gripped Twilight’s wrist. 

He knew, that even though he’d never voiced it, his apology had been recognized and accepted. 

Then Twilight frowned and Wild faltered uncertainly. 

The intensity of Twilight’s stare, the boring into his eyes told Wild he was searching for something. 

“Wild,” 

“Yes?” 

“Did you know?” 

Wild didn’t have to ask for Twilight to clarify his meaning. He understood what his mentor, brother, and friend was asking. 

Wild grinned widely upon seeing the faint flicker of recognition in Twilight’s eyes. A look entered them that he knew well. They were the eyes that belonged to his much beloved and loyal companion who’d traversed into the deepest of depths and furthest of lands alongside him; who’d awaited him as he completed the trials and regained control of the Divine Beasts; who’d comforted and encouraged him with his presence alone; who’d cared for him, hunted with him, and experienced everything with him. 

Twilight hadn’t remembered anything before they’d met. Most likely due to the fact that he hadn’t joined Wild on his adventure as of yet but someday would in the nearby future. In a time already passed for the younger teen. 

With a nod, Wild affirmed, “I did.” 

The instant I first met you.

He’d known. When their eyes had first met, Wild recognized them as those belonging to the wolf who’d journeyed with him. It was the reason why he’d addressed only Twilight when he’d met the other Heroes and not any of the others. 

Twilight shook his head with a sigh, a small smile of his own appearing and the Ordonian curled an arm around Wild’s shoulders and pulled him close. 

Wild knew then and there that all was well between them. 

Time watched them with pride. Moving behind them, he settled a hand on his descendant’s and Wild’s shoulders and the three looked to see the sun rising in the distance, bathing the world in color and light. 

The other Heroes would soon awaken and their mission would resume once more. 

All was well. And all would be well. 

~~~~~~~~

Link swallowed thickly as he gazed upon the castle bathed in malice. He gripped the Master Sword in his hand and shifted the shield on his left arm. He was ready to face the Calamity. All he’d experienced, all he’d done, and all he’d seen had prepared him for this. 

His eyes narrowed, blazing with determination and face full of steely resolve. He would confront this evil that arose 1100 years prior to this point and defeat it, bringing peace to Hyrule once more and freeing Zelda. 

He would purge this kingdom of the poison that had long-since seeped deep into its very core, smothering it in darkness and suffocating what little hope remained. 

He may not remember much of its rise 100 years earlier, but he knew the Calamity had caused much devastation, despair, and ruin. 

A nudge at his side drew Link’s attention to the great beast standing beside him. The wolf who’d come across him not too long after he’d awoken had never left him. A constant, reassuring presence Link found he treasured and was ever so grateful for. 

This wolf had witnessed his lowest points and his highest during this adventure.This wolf had celebrated when he’d celebrated, mourned when he’d mourned, and encouraged him to press forward- to get back up on his feet after he would fall and try again. 

This intelligent beast had never once allowed him to give up or give in. He’d protected him, congratulated him on his achievements, and gave Link the courage he needed to keep on going. 

With the wolf at his side, Link never felt alone or remiss. Wherever he went, the wolf would follow. 

Link placed a hand on the wolf’s large head and nodded sternly to himself. The wolf huffed and seemed to smile at him. His teeth were bared and he pushed Link gently with his snout, urging him onward to the Castle where the Calamity awaited. 

Cobalt blues bored into Link’s own cerulean ones, telling him the wolf believed in him and knew he would succeed. 

Link smiled in thanks and started down the path. The wolf walked alongside him, his presence soothing Link’s tumultuous mind and troubling thoughts. It pushed away the uncertainties, fears, and doubts that might have lingered helping Link to focus on the purpose of his being here. 

It was time. 

Both had known this- had felt it deep within. It was almost like a calling, telling Link his tale was drawing to an end. 

But...

Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow.

When Link crossed the threshold of the Castle, he immediately felt the absence of his companion and when he turned to look, he found the great wolf seated on the cobblestone path, watching him go with sorrow. 

The sad eyes still blazed with the belief the wolf held in Link. Link knew then that the wolf would leave. That he had someplace to return to. 

Link hesitated and denial warred within his heart. He’d drawn close to the wolf...and to lose him...

The wolf barked once. 

Go! 

The beast wagged his tail, thumping it against the broken and torn up path. He tilted his head, watching Link proudly. 

Link knew what he had to do. But before...

Link turned around and began walking towards the wolf. The wolf inclined his head and made a low, rumbling, sound. Link ignored the chastisement. He’d come to recognize and identify the wolf’s thoughts and feelings from the different intonations and body language. Those eyes spoke for the beast more than it probably knew. 

He dropped to his knees and threw his arms tightly around the wolf- his dearest friend who’d stuck with him for the duration of this difficult and wild journey. 

“I’m going to miss you...” He whispered hoarsely, eyes stinging as he squeezed them shut. 

He felt the wolf raise its paw and wrap a limb as best it could around him. Sometimes, this beast acted more human than wolf... 

It nuzzled its large head against his then gently nudged him towards the castle once more. 

This time, when Link left and disappeared into the depths of the decrepit ruins, he never looked back. 

For to look back would mean he didn’t believe they would ever meet again. 

The wolf remained until he was gone...Then vanished into speckles of Twilight. 

When Link emerged victorious and the Princess saved, he found his companion absent. He felt the loss of his presence keenly...

Their parting tore at him. 

~~~~~

However, that parting need not last forever...

Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time...

That was up to him. 

~~~~~

And, months later, when Link looked and met the familiar cobalt blues of a Hylian bearing a fur pelt round his strong shoulders, he knew. 

The connection was reestablished. 

“Are you the Hero of this Hyrule?” The question directed towards him would have made Link wary and suspicious, but this time, he knew he had nothing to fear. 

This was no Yiga intent on assassinating him. 

Standing and dusting himself off, Link inquired with a small grin, “And if I am?” 

The Hylian with dusky brown hair extended a hand and with a slight smile replied, “Then I’ll need you to come with me. Some friends and I have been searching for you, Link. I’m afraid we have need of your assistance.” 

Link released a warm chuckle and clasped the Ordonian’s hand with his own. The wolf had assisted him on his journey and now, Link could return the favor. 

“Then I’ll happily lend you mine.” 

~~~~~~~~

[jdc1717]

This is my first Linked Universe fanfic so let’s see where this goes...

Basically: the new Hyrule is strangely familiar.

-<>-<>-<>-<>-

Familiar

The laser fired at a young man, no older than eighteen, right as it was about to hit him he redirected it back to the mechanical beast with a shield. The cloak worn by the man along with his hair flapped madly through the chaos.

The mechanical beast exploded and the man ran forward to search for parts.

A laugh filled the air

The man instantly looked on guard. He looked every which way trying to find the source of it.

“Where is he Twi?”

The voice changed. “Twilight?”

It wasn’t coming from the man. “Twi?”

“Twilight!”

Twilight jumped when Time placed his hand on his shoulder. Twilight’s breath felt short and his mind was still dazed.

Worst of all, he felt like he was missing something important. Something that he would die for, if only he could remember what it was.

“Pup, you alright?” Time seemed worried. A quick look ahead of him proved that the others were too. They were all staring.

Twilight looked back to the strange eight legged creature that seemed long dead and nodded his head. “Ye..yeah! Yeah, I’m..im good just… this feels so familiar.”

Time looked around for a moment. “Are we in your Hyrule?”

It was a valid question considering what Twi just said, but still…”No, I’ve never been here before.”

Legend threw his hands up. “Then where are we!?!”

“There can’t be another hero!” Warriors exclaimed.

“Uhh, I’m thinking there is.” Four said.

Sky looked at the long empty path ahead of them. “We can’t be certain until we find people.”

Time nodded, “Sky’s right. Let’s go.”

As they were walking Time gave Twi a look.

Are you alright?

I’m not sure.

I’m here for you.

I know.

Time nodded and the group continued their adventure.

-<>-<>-<>-<>-

Despite the many hours the group had been traveling they hadn’t been able to find a village.

Along the way, many more of those broken mechanical beasts could be seen and for some reason Twilight couldn’t shake the cold feeling he got whenever he saw them.

The heroes decided to call it a day and started to set up camp.

They somehow set up a fire(magic was totally not used) and Hyrule made the group a soup that was… not great. Or as Legend liked to call it, “One of my greatest regrets in life.”

Tired from the long day they all settled in for the night. Twilight said that he would take first watch. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t see the concerned look Time shot him.

Twi sat at the edge of camp and looked at the world around him. In the distance another ruined mechanical beast could be seen. He decided to keep an eye on it. There were small blue and white flowers beside him and, without even thinking about it, Twilight picked one up.

As he studied it his mind once again fell into a daze and before he knew it, Twilight had gone into another scene.

The same young man from earlier was sitting on the ground looking at the blue and white flowers. His hood was down and yet his face remained fuzzy, as if Twilight couldn’t quite remember it.

He looked at Twilight and somehow he knew that those eyes were sad. “This is a Silent Princess. They...they used to be endangered.”

The man gestured to the large group of flowers around them, “She'll Be so happy to see it.” He looked at Twilight in such a bittersweet way, “don’t you think?”

The scene faded and for some strange reason, Twilight’s chest hurt. The feeling of something missing was greater now. As if telling the hero that, ‘you have lost something of extreme importance.’ If only Twilight could figure out what it was.

The flower felt cold in his hands.

Out of nowhere, Time sat next to him and gestured to the flower. “What’s that pup?”

Twilight handed the flower to his mentor. “It’s a Silent Princess.”

Time studied the flower, “Do these grow in your Hyrule?”

“... no.”

Time moved his gaze from the flower to Twilight. “What’s going on Twilight? You seem… off.”

Twilight shrugged, not answering.

Time was silent for a few moments and Twilight was honestly worried that Time would force him to admit everything that still wasn’t making sense and hurt chest so much that he felt like he was watching a certain woman shatter a mirror all over again.

His mentor, however, simply sighed and said, “You can tell me when you’re ready just know that I’m—that we,“ he gestured to the sleeping group behind him, “are here for you.”

Twilight smiled as Time patted his shoulder and returned to his bedroll. It didn’t make sense and it honestly terrified him that something that felt so important was slipping from his mind’s grasp, but they, the heroes, his friends, they would be there.

The hero of Twilight took a breath and continued his watch.

-<>-<>-<>-<>-

They set out the next day in search of a village that could help them find the new hero.

Twilight walked from the back of the group and once again searched the area. Those mechanical beasts were showing up less and less, which eased Twi’s nerves.

The group walked for a few hours, trees slowly started to show along the plains and they continued walking until in the distance they saw smoke. Smoke and… a village.

The group cheered and immediately started to head in the direction of the town.

The village wasn’t too large and looked relatively new. People walked and talked to each other and a few stands could be seen selling various items.

Twilight and the others looked at everything and once again that strange feeling of something returned.

An old man walked towards the heroes. He wore a smile and said, “Hello travelers! Welcome to Hateno!”

They all mumbled greetings and Time spoke, “Do you think you could help us find someone?”

“Why sure!”

“You may know him by the name Link.”

“Link? His house is just down there.” The man pointed slightly away from the village.

“House?” Hyrule whispered.

Wind leaned towards Hyrule, “I don’t get it either.”

“Thank you.” Time told the man.

“No problem, though, he may not be home. He’s always going off someplace with the queen.”

“Queen?” Four asked.

The man nodded, “Yes, our queen Zelda. She was only released from that beast a few months ago, and soon after she was made queen and she has been traveling with Link to rebuild the kingdom.”

“I see… thank you.” Time said.

The group left for the house of the new hero.

Wind bounced along, “I wonder what he’s like. Do you think he can cook?”

Legend laughed, “Yeah right, if he’s anything like the rest of us then cooking is a complete disaster.”

Wind stuck his tongue out at Legend and they all, except Legend, laughed. It wasn’t long after that they arrived at the hero’s house.

“Should we knock?” Sky asked.

Time, instead of answering, decided to knock on the door.

Silence.

“Hello?” Warriors called.

No reply.

Four kicked a rock, “Guess he’s not home.”

Twilight stared at the house. It was...familiar. It felt as if all his answers were at the top of his thoughts, if only he knew what they were.

The young man threw his door open and ushered Twilight inside. His face, like before, remained fuzzy. The house was small, but homey. There was furniture and kitchen and stairs.

“What do you think?” The man’s voice was hoarse, like he didn’t use it often.

Twilight studied the inside of the house and gave a simple nod of approval. A large grin grew on the man’s face.

“Great! Now how ‘bout I make supper…”

“Twilight?”

Sky some softly and with a warmth that most of the group didn’t have. “Are you alright? You spaced out on us again.”

A quick glance showed the others talking in a small group while constantly looking at him and Sky. They seemed to be asking Time about it, but of course the man didn’t know.

“Yeah… I’m fine.”

Sky didn’t look sure, but he didn’t push.

“Do we know where this new hero is? Because he’s not here and none of us has a map or any clue of where we’re going.” Legend said.

The group was quiet before, “I think I know where he is.”

Twilight wasn’t quite sure why he said that, but he didn’t find himself regretting it. The others stared at him.

Warriors scoffed. “Twilight how could possib-“

“I just do! I need you all to trust me in this.”

They were silent.

“I trust you pup.”

Twilight had never felt so thankful to have Time. The others eventually murmured agreements and once again the group was off to find the hero.

-<>-<>-<>-<>-

It was a few days later when they arrived at a broken castle. Everyone was horrified at the ruins, villages, temples, homes, and countless other things seemed to have been destroyed. Even Time seemed disturbed.

Legend gaped. “What the-“

“Language!” Sky interrupted.

Legend rolled his eyes, “what makes you think I was going to curse?”

“Experience.” Everyone deadpanned.

Legend grunted but otherwise stayed quiet. Twilight continued to lead the group into the castle.

The inside was broken and full of destroyed belongings. Yet, the master sword started to glow.

They all stopped and waited for Sky to listen to what Fi was saying.

“She...she says he’s near.” Sky said.

Legend rolled his eyes, “Well that’s handy, why didn’t we use her to find him?”

No one answered.

Instantly, they all started to scan and search the rooms they passed until they made it to large doors. Faint voices could be heard speaking.

Twilight was sure that the others could hear his heart race. The voices… they felt so painfully familiar. He took a few steps forward.

As they drew closer, the voices suddenly stopped. The group of heroes looked at each other and hesitantly Twilight knocked.

The hero must have hit harder than intended because the doors slowly slid open, revealing the room.

All that filled the room was a stool, two capes, and… hair?

Time and Twilight both walked into the room, but before they could take more than a few steps a blade was held to each of their necks. Well… a blade and what seemed to be a pair of scissors.

A young Hylian woman who had half of her hair chopped off was holding a sword to Time’s neck. The other, a young man, was holding a pair of scissors to Twilights.

Twilight watched as the young man who held the scissors studied the group. He saw how the man’s eyes instantly took in the weapons, armor, and magic items they carried.

Despite the fact that two of his comrades were literally at blades edge, Sky Asked, “Is that the master sword?!?”

Immediately, everyone noticed that the sword the young woman was wielding was indeed the master sword.

The young woman sent a quick glance to the young man and they both removed the blades from Time and Twilight’s necks.

Her eyes were cold and narrowed, “What do you want?”

Her voice was young and Twilight just knows that he knows her voice. It was at the edge of his brain...

Time held his hands up in a peaceful gesture, “We only want to talk.”

She studied the eight of the heroes while the man watched for any sign of violence.

The woman once again glanced at her partner and it almost felt as if they were having a silent conversation.

Throughout this, Twilight couldn’t help but stare at the young man. He, like everything else in this world, seemed familiar. Especially those eyes, blue, kind, intelligent, and… sad. The pair's eyes seemed so horribly sad.

It made sense, their world was literally in ruins. The ashes seemed to be etched permanently into the world.

And then the man’s eyes met Twilight’s and it all clicked. Memories of the past(future?). All the nightmares, battles, adventures, and dreams. It all made sense now.

Twilight remembered having to watch as Link went into the ruined castle to free Zelda and defeat the calamity. He remembered feeling so proud as he watched the two Hylians embrace before disappearing.

Before he could even think about anything Twilight breathed, “Cub.”

Both the Link and Zelda’s eyes snapped to the hero and he saw recognition flare. Zelda nudged the champion, “Is this him?”

Instead, Link stared at Twilight, “You always show up when I need you, don’t you?”

Despite the confusion that the other’s felt, Twilight responded, “Well this time we kinda need you.”

Zelda sighed and pulled Link’s sleeve, “Come on. If we’re going to get some life changing revelation you may as well finish cutting my hair.”

Link rolled his eyes and walked back to where Zelda was now waiting.

The seven heroes left stared at Twilight.

“Care to tell us what that was about?” Time asked.

Twilight glances to the two young adults in the other room. “I’ll tell you later, but for now let’s just say we have history.”

None of them seemed satisfied with the answer, but they didn’t have time to push it further before Zelda was calling them in to explain everything.

Time sighed, “Fine. But you will explain later.”

Grinning, Twilight nodded and they all went into the room. It was great to have his cub back.

[linerwriter]

A Noble Heart

This was inspired by an ask made by @waa-anon to @jinmukangwrites, who gave me permission to write about it. I changed the prompt a little, so the link to the original idea is here. Thank you both so much for allowing me to write about this!

Note: the story that Time talks about during the second part is actually an original side story made for the Majora’s Mask manga! Some parts of the story I took creative liberties with, but a majority of it is from the manga. All dialogue in that section also comes from the manga :D

(also I am slightly tempted to write a follow up that details what actually happened before this, so be on the lookout for that)

Word Count: 2283. For the @linkeduniverse AU. Enjoy!

“You… I don’t like you.”

Wild’s eyes opened to the bright sunshine. He squinted, raising a hand to protect his eyes as he rose from the ground. The area around him was odd; it was almost as if it didn’t know what to settle on. One second it was a lush, green forest, full of colorful birds and loud rain, the next it was a hot, dry desert, full of cacti and quick lizards.

‘Where… am I?’

“Why are you here?”

Wild turned around erratically, trying to find the owner of the voice speaking. “I-I’m sorry?” His head swiveled around. “Can you tell me where I am?”

“Why are you here?” The voice repeated more forcefully.

Wild frowned, “I don’t even know where I am, so how should I know why?” His snapped words seemed to quiet the voice. For a few moments, the only thing that moved was the landscape, until a sparkle in the distance grabbed Wild’s attention.

Wild stared at it. The sparkle wasn’t huge at first- but then it started growing. Gradually, as the disturbance grew larger, winds formed around it, sucking the youth in. Wild grabbed at the surrounding vegetation furiously, but they kept on disappearing as the land changed to polished stone. With nothing left to hold on to, Wild was sucked into the growing tornado.

Once in the swirling mass of wind, everything calmed down. For a couple of seconds, Wild was able to calm his racing heart. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming toward him, and a hand came down to pick him up by his collar.

The body the hand belonged to was weird. The thing- for it wasn’t something that could be classified as normal- was incredibly buff and tall, and had stark white hair. The most intriguing aspect, however, was its face. It reminded Wild highly of Time, with the red and blue marks on its forehead and cheeks. When Wild looked into its eyes, though, the similarities stopped. ‘There’s nothing there.’

“Why are you here?” The voice boomed out again, although this time it came from the figure holding Wild up.

Wild tried to struggle out of the being’s hold, “I told you, I don’t know why!”

“I do not like you. Why are you here?”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

The entity’s previously blank expression melted into one of pure fury. Silently (almost too silently) it wound the arm holding Wild back, and in one smooth motion, threw him. And Wild knew no more.

“Cub? Wild? Answer me, Wild!”

Once more, Wild woke up, although this time it was to Twilight’s concerned face. “Wha?” Slipped out of his mouth unwillingly, and Twilight’s face changed into relief.

“Oh thank goddess you’re okay,” Twilight clutched Wild’s body to his chest. “I thought you were a goner!”

“Twi?” Wild murmured sleepily into his shoulder, “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” Legend spoke up from behind Twilight, “We were trying on one of Time’s masks, you know, the scary one? None of us had been able to get it on except you, but when you did, you passed out. Scared the crap out of the rest of us, especially Mother over here,” he jerked his thumb toward Twilight, who scowled. “Glad you’re back with us, though.”

“Happy to be here,” Wild said with confusion still in his eyes. He shook himself slightly, putting his strange dream to the back of his mind. “Am I free to help?”

Twilight’s mother hen look increased, “You are, but you have to take it east. Got it?”

“Got it.”

For the next couple of days, life went on as normal. Yet, there was something off about Wild. Several times, he would stop what he was doing and just stare at something. Twilight would have to shake him gingerly and remind him about where they were (after the first couple times everyone else was attacked by him, they wisely gave the job to his mentor). When they would stop for the night, he was quieter than usual, and his vibe seemed muted. Finally, it all came to a head one night, when the others had grown sick with worry.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Wild?” Hyrule asked the reckless hero. The group had been asking him that question a lot lately, and it was starting to get on Wild’s nerves.

“For the last time, I’m fine!” Wild burst out. “Can you please stop asking?”

Hyrule leaned back at Wild’s outburst. Almost immediately, Sky spoke up, defensive of his friend, “Hey, that was uncalled for!”

Wild’s fists clenched and his eyes squeezed shut. He wiped at them furiously and then abruptly stood up, “I’ll be back later.”

Everyone watched their lonely member leave until they could barely see him. “Is anyone gonna go after him?” Wind spoke up timidly. Twilight made to rise, but Time’s hand stopped him.

“Let me. I think I know what this is about.” Time got up from the ground, “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“Be safe out there, okay?” Four called after him. Time held up his hand in acknowledgment, then vanished from their sight.

Time found Wild sulking by the river, staring out at the horizon. He sat down next to him gently, letting the water run through his fingers. “What’s on your mind, cub?”

Wild didn’t answer for a few minutes, refusing to look at Time. Finally, he answered, bringing his hand up to look at it more clearly, “Was it because I was too weak?”

Time hummed, “Too weak? Too weak for what?”

“The mask.”

“The mask? What makes you say that?”

Wild hesitated, “Well… when I put on your mask for the first time, you said it knocked me unconscious, yeah?” At Time’s nod, he continued, “Before I came to around you guys, I woke up in a different place. It was weird; the environment could never seem to settle on one thing, and there was this loud voice coming from all around me. It kept on repeating ‘I don’t like you, why are you here?’” Wild shook his head, “At one point, a tornado formed and I got sucked into this weird transparent room inside of it with a figure that had the face of that mask.”

“It seems you met the spirit of the mask.”

“The spirit?”

“Yes, the spirit. The mask holds an old spirit inside, which decides whether you can wear it or not. If it doesn’t approve, then it physically repels you from wearing it.”

“Then why?” Wild finally turned toward the older man, “I was still able to put the mask on. Why didn’t it allow me to wear it?”

“It was scared.”

That sent Wild’s mind into a screeching halt. Scared? Wild blinked rapidly, Why would it be scared of me? He voiced these thoughts to Time.

Time sighed, “The thing inhabiting that mask… it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen and probably will see. It’s old, filled with a power few even know about. Fewer know that it can speak, not to mention the fact that it can think freely.”

Wild was surprised, “Really? I thought everyone could.”

Time shook his head again, “Just me and you, apparently.”

Wild frowned, “But that still doesn’t answer my question. Why would it be scared of me? It barely knew anything about me before today.”

“From my understanding,” Time turned toward the young soldier, “when you put the mask on, the magic inside analyzes your spirit. And when you tried to put it on, it saw something it didn’t like.”

“Which was what?”

“Itself.”

“...Itself?”

“Uh-huh,” Time nodded, “It saw something inside you that reminded it of itself, which made it reject you.” He rolled his eyes, “For how all-knowing and powerful it is, it sure doesn’t know how to handle emotions.”

“But what about me reminds it of itself?” Wild spluttered out, “I’m nothing like it!”

Time thought for a while, “There are stories passed down, about the mask.” His words were quiet, spoken with a solemn air. “They say that, at one point, the being housed in the mask was a mortal, a traveler to be precise. The traveler was constantly on the move, never once stopping to settle down, and would take odd jobs to collect money to sustain his travels. At one point, the traveler caught wind of an old rumor, about a beast with armor that would grant the wearer incredible power. So, he decided to investigate it.”

“Investigate the monster?” Wild wondered, “Why?”

Time sent Wild a warning glare, “You didn’t let me finish.” With the younger sufficiently cowed, Time continued, “The traveler went to the ruins that housed the beast within, and asked to rest there. It had been a while since the monster had seen a human- they eventually stopped coming after everyone else was eaten by it- and, surprised at the traveler’s humility, decided to grant the human a wish. But he refused.”

“Refused?”

“Calm down, will you?” Time shoved the youth light, making him giggle, “Anyway, the human refused. ‘Huh? Nothing?!’ The beast asked with anger, ‘Then why do you wear such thick armor beneath your cloak? I can see it. You are a warrior. If you have no wishes, then why have you come here?’

“The traveler answered truthfully, ‘I heard that there was a terrible man-eating monster here. I was asked to get rid of it.’ But then he sighed, ‘That is a lie. In truth, I was drawn here by the strange air in this land. You can say it’s moving… or that it’s still. But it seems filled with energy. It’s a weird place.’

“The beast was surprised. ‘You can sense that? How wise you are.’

“The human continued, ‘And here I find a man-eating monster who admits to eating men. How long have you been living alone?’ The monster couldn’t answer that. ‘You can’t die, but you can’t really live. For thousands of years. For tens of thousands of years. Ignored by all the universe, in this strange, still air, for time unknown. That sounds so… sad.’

“The monster roared back, ‘How dare you pity me? I am a fearsome, evil man-eater!’

“The traveler had a simple answer, ‘There isn’t anyone left to eat.’

“At that, the beast paused. It had never truly noticed before, how it was stuck there bound by space and time, for eternity. Now aware of it, a feeling blossomed in its chest. ‘I’m… tired of being alone. I want to sleep soon…’ The hopes and dreams of the people it had eaten came to the forefront of its mind, ‘Make… make time flow for me!’

“In response, the traveler drew out a drum.”

“A drum?” Wild balked. “What does that have to do with anything?

Time sighed, “You young people, always wanting to go fast. Learn to appreciate pacing, huh? As I was saying,” he rolled his eyes, “the traveler got out his drum and started to play. ‘Dance!’ he commanded to the creature, ‘Rhythm. This place is the only stage you got.’ The air moved with vibrations, and thus, time was born. The man-eater was said to dance for three days straight, and collapsed dead on the fourth morning, taking the world with it. The only thing left behind was its armor, the one said to grant the user incredible power. Instead of donning it, the traveler decided to carve a mask out of it- a mask of incredible power, now known as Majora’s Mask.”

Wild gasped, “But if the world disappeared, then wouldn’t the traveler vanish as well?”

Time nodded gravely, “Indeed. Once the beast slept as well, the traveler followed. In a cruel twist of fate, however, the traveler’s magic, the one used to start time, was put into a mask as well, to balance the world. Eventually, though, the magic inside both mask grew sentient, and they became angry at their outcome. They started to whisper to innocents about the power they could give them, so they could pass it on to finally die in peace. And that’s where we are now.”

“So the masks became angry at their situation, and started to lash out?” Wild guessed, “Which is why you don’t wear it often, I’m guessing.”

“Uh-huh,” Time answered, “The Fierce Deity mask, unlike Majora’s Mask, is very picky on who it’ll pass its power on to; although it may seem evil now, it used to belong to a noble spirit, and doesn’t want to watch the world burn for its own amusement. That’s why some of the others couldn’t wear the mask: the deity didn’t think they were worthy.”

“But you mentioned earlier that something about me reminded it of itself,” Wild echoed with a frown, “What was it?”

“If I had to guess,” Time thought out loud, “I would say how you just want to help the world. Just like the traveler, you didn’t have to help save the world, and yet you did. And that scared it.”

“But anyone else would’ve done it!” Wild protested, “You guys are living proof of that!”

“And yet,” Time shot back, “You and I are the only ones able to wear it, and I still have trouble controlling it.” He sighed, “I don’t know what the mask saw inside you, Wild, but what I can say is that you’re not weak. I’d even go as far as to say that you are a descendant of that traveler, if he was ever alive.” He looked the younger on in the eyes and spoke softly. “You have a noble heart, Wild. Don’t waste it.”

Tears sprung to the younger man’s eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered to the older one.

Time smiled and hugged Wild close, “No problem.”

[the-unknown-storyteller]

Nicknames

(Universe by linkeduniverse )

Summary: Wind really can't cope with extreme heat.

_____

The Links were exhausted, slightly dehydrated and overall in a not-so-happy mood.

They've been walking around this desert-like region for probably just a few hours, but the heat of the sun, that's been constantly burning down their backs, is slowly getting to most of them. Wild, Legend and Time are the ones least affected by the hot environment, having travelled through very similar regions such as this.

Sky and Wind, on the other hand, look a few breaths away from collapsing. Especially Wind, used to the humid air of the sea, feels like a fish on dry land.

“Can't we just rest that way for a bit?”, Wind sluggishly points at something in the distance. “I think there's a small water reservoir or something…”

“Look again, Wind. Sorry to disappoint ya, buddy, but it's just a Fata Morgana.” Twilight shoots him an apologetic smile which Wind doesn't return. Instead, he stares at his shoulders which seem so much more narrower without his fur coat constantly resting on them. His sight is slightly unfocused and blurred, but he himself doesn't seem to notice.

‘Maybe the fur is actually slowly eating away at Twi’s shoulders and he usually can't take it off because its hold is too strong. But now he was able to take it the fur, weakened by the heat, off.’ Wind absentmindedly nods his head a few times, convinced he’s just cracked the code. ‘But why wouldn't he tell us? Maybe he's scared that we would laugh at him for it. I wouldn't laugh, though. I would never because I don't want Twi to lose his shoulders. I like Twi’s shoulders.’

“Wind? You alright, there?”, Twilight asks, snapping his fingers in front of Wind a few times. In response, the poor boy jumps a bit, shakes his head and continues the conversation, as though he hadn't been staring off into space a few minutes ago.

“Again? I thought ‘this time this time for sure it's water and not my eyes playing tricks on me’, but no, you had to take that hope away from me, Twi,” Wind mumbles, looking at the ground in disappointment. He's walking a bit lopsided and keeps kicking up small clouds of dirt and fine sand.

“Want me to carry you? We're almost there, but you're not looking all that… uhm, great right now,” Twilight says, eyebrows pinched together in worry. He watches Wind go in a slight zig-zag line, head hanging low. He even trips a few times over his own feet.

“No, no, ‘m fine! ‘m not a child, ‘n don't need your help, Twi,” Wind slurs. He's just so so tired and his mouth feels so dry. Water would be great right now, but he knows they're almost out, losing most of their bottles filled with water in their last fight. They can only drink some when they really need it…

Ah, being back home would be great. Because then I'd have all the water in the world just for myself. Oh, and for Twi and Wolfie. I'm not a big meanie, I’d share my water with my friends. Even with poopy McSnark, Legend. His thoughts seem to jump under and over themselves, from one to the next. Some of them stutter and stumble much like he is right now.

“Of course you're not, Wind, it's just that…” Twilight lets out a quiet sigh. “Would you at least do me the favour and drink some water?”

Wind blankly stares at it, thinking. Then his eyes snap up and look at the other with a very confused look, his head slightly turned. Twilight can't help, but see some similarities to a puppy. “But I'm supposed to share all my water with you, not the other way around, Twi. It wouldn't be right for me to keep it all to myself, you know?” His eyes dart back to the water bottle, nonetheless.

Twilight gives him an amused look, before he gently pushes the bottle into his hands. “It's fine, Wind. Just take it, I don't need it right now. Don't drink it all at once, though. Small sips, please.”

The other, not able to think ahead and intervene with a “but what about later?”, takes the glass bottle and sips the lukewarm water inside it slowly.

...

“Twi, hey, Twi,” Wind babbles after a few moments of silence. Half of the offered water is gone, before it is given it back. He definitely looks better than he did before, in Twilight's opinion.

“Yeah?” he responds, adjusting the strap of the bag slung across his right shoulder.

“I was wondering, Twi, is something wrong with your fur coat?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“Well, you see, Twi, I've never really seen you without it and now that I have I can't help, but notice how narrow your shoulders actually are… so you gotta tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“You know…” Wind holds his hand up to shield their conversation from prying eyes, but does nothing to lower his loud curious voice, except lower it into this kind of whisper-yelling. “...if your coat is secretly eating away at your shoulders, making them the way they are now.”

Wild, who's been walking behind them this whole time and following their conversation with great interest, barks out a loud laugh. Twilight shoots him an annoyed, but also slightly embarrassed look.

“If that is the case, then I'm really sorry, Twi. I can't imagine having to live with something like that. It makes me really sad for you, Twi.” Wind’s eyes trail down to the ground, actual sadness clearly visible in them. "Don't worry, though, I'll keep your secret safe with me!"

More laughter. Wild is holding his stomach in pain and bliss. He's gasping for breath, before he descends into laughter again. Twilight glares at him.

“No, Wind. My fur coat isn't eating my shoulders, that's just the way I was born.” He leaves out the remark about how he dislikes that about himself because Wind looks both relieved, but also disappointed.

“Oh.”

Wild sounds like he is dying behind them, harsh coughs and rasps cutting his laughter short, but Twilight couldn't care less about that idiot.

“Yeah, so don't worry about me. Everything's fine, buddy.”

“That's good then, Twi.” Wind smiles at him and suddenly Twilight doesn’t mind his narrow shoulders.

There's a short pause. They walk on in comfortable silence, ignoring the idiot cackling behind them. Then...

“I was wondering, Wind, is it really that hard to just call me Twilight? It's not like my name is actually all that long and complicated to say, anyway.” Twilight isn't really mad about it, he's honestly just curious. There have been just a handful of times where Wind’s called him ‘Twilight’.

“Oh, come on, Twi,” Wind whines, “It's just a nickname, what's so bad about it?” There's quiet snickering behind them.

“Yeah, Twi-Twi. What's so bad about it?” The mischievous grin of Wild appears next to him. Twilight just rolls his eyes and shoves Wild’s face away from him.

“There's nothing bad about it. I'm just curious. I mean, Warrior’s and Legend’s name also have slightly longer names than the rest of us, but I don't see you shortening their names.”

“Oh, I can shorten their names, too, if you want me to, Twi,” Wind says. He still looks tired and a bit delusional.

“Wait, no!” Twilight yells after Wind who's gone off to where Warrior is walking ahead of them. “This was definitely a bad idea if he's gonna shorten the names the way he did mine…”

“Oh, definitely, I can't wait to see their reactions,” Wild snickers behind his right hand. He's caught up to them after recovering from his laughing fit.

They both watch Wind with great (or not-so-great) expectations.

“Hay, War!” Wind immediately cries out, stumbling over to the Link in question. Warrior gives him a puzzled look, unsure if this is some kind of weird compliment or an insult. But given, it's coming from Wind (in his delusional state of being, additionally), it must be something else.

“Twi was sad that his name is the only one I shortened into a nickname, so I told him I would do it with the others, too! You're one of those others, War,” Wind says, a weird glimmer in his eyes. “That's all. Gotta go and tell Hyr now!”

“...H-Hyr?”

After Wind’s done with confusing ‘Hyr’ too, he slowly walks up to Legend.

Meanwhile, Wild is crying and laughing in joy, half hanging over Twilight's narrow shoulders.

“Hyr!” He laughs. “Couldn't have come up with anything better myself."

“Shut up. It's not even that funny,” Twilight says, rubbing his forehead and then rolling his eyes.

“Oh, but it very much is in my opinion. And the best one is about to come!”

While they had been talking, Wind has reached the very grumpy Legend who is walking at the top of the chain of Links alongside Time. His face is pinched together in annoyance and barely hidden exhaustion. He turns his head towards the new person next to him, but before he can say anything…

“Hey, Leg!”

[twilightprince101]

Warmth (Twi X Empress)

Felt impulsive and stayed up until 4 AM last night writing a self insert fic with me and Empress. 

I regret nothing.

(TW: Blood, scars, injuries)

It’s not every day that Empress retreats back to her old apartment. She mainly uses it as a sort of hideout, sneaking away solo if any of her plans ever spun out of control. Due to the nature of her position, that thankfully never happened. The complex was old and run down, dwarfed both in size and quality by a hotel occupying the land immediately next to it. The owner was simply relieved to have anyone in occupancy, it didn’t matter who they were. At most she’d use it twice per-year. But after the most recent heist, that tradition was forced to be broken.

Empress grunts with each flight ascended up the staircase, inwardly cursing that she never bothered to build up any muscle. She was never exactly strong in the physical sense, mainly relying on others to do the heavy lifting while she focused on the planning. She had been trained to see lackeys merely as tools, an extension of oneself, so she relied on them to do the hard work.There have been times in the past where she had to get her hands dirty, but the resulting scuffle was typically ended by a slash from her claws or a shot from her rocket launcher. They focused on precision, never strength.

So today, with a bloodied and injured dragon occupying her shoulder, she began to regret that.

“C-come on now… we’re almost, there…” The yakuza wheezes out as they reach the 4th floor of the complex, knees aching as they stumble their way along to her room. Twi only mutters a response, barely keeping a grasp on consciousness as they ascend. Puncture holes and dark red stains adorn his robe, which he clutched at while they climbed. The dragon was likely more concerned about the cleanup for his clothes rather than his actual injuries, muttering about how he’ll have to sew in some more patches for it later. His umbrella thumped against the stairs with each step taken while dragging it behind by his tail. Even after such a near-death experience, he still refuses to let it leave his side.

With a swift keyturn and a twist of the doorknob, the two injured combatants fumble their way inside, being met with a wave of dust that only weighed down their tired lungs. The apartment barely had anything save for the few given commodities, which were barely ever used even during the few times she visited. There were storage boxes that contained more dust than their actual contents, blanketing the stolen goods and other materials that were within them. 

At last reaching her dust-soaked couch, the cat allows Twi to collapse into the cushions and groan from his injuries. Without wasting even a second, she undoes his  robe’s belt and pushes the cloth aside to examine his injuries. In their most recent endeavor, the two were attempting to make an escape after stealing from the rival Mad Dogma gang. After a few too many slip-ups, the two were backed into a corner. It took some last-second improvising from the both to make an escape, but while Empress escaped unharmed, in the process her associate had taken most of the fire. She entrusted her gang to take the loot back to the safehouse while she brought him back here to mend his injuries.

“H-how’s it look doc?” the dragon blurts out, watching as his boss scans the different wounds with the slightest hint of a smirk. He can’t help but joke around, even at a time of crisis like this. The sphinx cat just shakes her head and analyzes his wounds.

“There are mainly three entry points across your chest, not much else along your lower body. Judging by the points of entry, none of your vital organs have been punctured and your bones only got scraped, and due to the strength of the Mad Dogma’s firearms the bullets managed to shoot clean through you.” She places a paw on his chest, making Twi’s tail instinctively curl up. “Simply put, you got lucky. Very. Lucky.”

“Hehehe…” The dragon points a peace sign up to the ceiling, barely able to get his arm fully extended before cringing again. “The d-dragon’s luck strikes again!!”

Empress takes his arm and forces it back down. “Just because the injuries aren’t fatal it doesn’t mean they aren’t serious. From your behavior I can already tell you’ve lost a fair amount of blood, which is serious in its own right. We’ll have to get these patched up in order to prevent any more. I’ll fetch some supplies, in the meantime, don’t move.”

Twi just gives a thumbs up in response, giving Empress all the confirmation she needs to search for medicine. She makes her way towards the bathroom and opens a box within the towel closet. Even after not returning for months on end, she still knows where every item is. 

While she searches, Empress’s mind can’t help but wander to the events of that night. Everything had been going smoothly, everything had been going to plan. They snuck into their warehouse in hopes of taking some important documents relating to their future plans in an upcoming gang war, getting a jump on them before they’ve even begun. The two snuck through the air duct and snatched their documents right from under their noses. In their plan they would escape the same way, meet back up at the rendezvous then escape from there. It was such a simple mission that they had decided to do it only with the two of them, allowing the lackeys to handle another mission further into the metro.

That was their first mistake. 

As they were making their exit, Twi had taken notice of a hostage that the Dogma were keeping as a means of interrogation. They had no affiliation to the Nyakuza, Empress was willing to just leave them there. But Twi and his unique stance with gang affairs persisted: no innocents should be involved. Even as she hissed at him to follow along or be left behind, he was already trying to figure out a way to save them. Empress had no choice but to assist, lest she abandon her most valued strategist. 

In the end they were all able to escape, but Twi’s kindness had costed him yet again.

This wasn’t the first time his kindness had came back around to bite him. Whenever he developed a strategy, he tried to find a way that would involve the least amount of people getting injured, leading to an increased difficulty whenever he formulated a plan. At his best, the entire crew manages to escape without so much as a scratch. But at his worst, they leave with nothing.

‘One would expect to hurt others when joining the criminal underworld in any form,’ Empress thinks while closing the medicinal box, ‘it’s what many join it to do in the first place. So why does he insist on following this course of action?’

With a towel and several medical supplies in hand, Empress exits the bathroom and returns couchside, finding Twi fiddling with his robe with a blank expression. When she re-enters the room though he snaps out of his trance, his face lighting back up while his tail limply taps against the carpet.

“The queen of the metro returns! All h-hail!” The dust that lingered within the couch catches back up to him, beginning another coughing fit.

‘The blood loss must be affecting his ability to think.’ Empress thinks while kneeling at his side.

“I have all the proper materials here. These wounds will have to be cleaned and bandaged, so I’m going to have to ask you to bear the pain for a little while. Be thankful that they will not have to be stitched. Hopefully with the amount of blood you’ve already lost, you won’t feel too much of this.” The cat began to unscrew the cap of peroxide, dripping some onto gauze to prepare to clean out the wounds.

“Eeeehh, it’s you we’re talking about! It shouldn’t hurt that much!”

The owner wasn’t sure if he should call the police that night.

With all points of entry cleaned (and stuffing Twi’s robe into his mouth to muffle the screams), Empress set the gauze down and grabbed the roll of bandages to the side. Her ears were still ringing from the dragon’s outburst, but she pushed past it for now.

After sitting up Twi (currently on the verge of tears) to an upright position, Empress used a towel to clean the blood from his blue scales. She knew that she would also have to clean the blood from the carpet and couch in order to get rid of evidence, but that can be handled later.

“I swear, you joined my gang, one of the most feared criminal groups in the metro, and yet of all things… you lack even the slightest amount of pain tolerance.” She instructs Twi to raise his arms while she cleans him, guiding him just enough to where the pain from the wounds won’t surge again.

“I mean, I-I did take those three bullets like it was nothing.” The dragon was having trouble keeping so much as one eye open.

“You were fueled by adrenaline, it’s only natural.”

“Pure. Willpower.”

The cat rolls her eyes, unable to let out a small chuckle as she continues. While there isn’t so much blood that it turns into a sponge, there was still enough to turn the once-jade towel a deep crimson. For a moment she eyed the dragon’s robe, already slightly bloodied but still a bit dry. But Empress soon shook her head and continued mopping up the blood. 

As more of the liquid was soaked up, the wounds became more visible, along with the rest of his body. Adorning his chest were various slash marks, bruises and other remains from past battles. Some were small and insignificant to the naked eye, others couldn’t possibly be ignored, spanning across his entire body. Not all of these were from his time in the Nyakuza, there were some scars that were just barely visible enough to be seen, obtained most likely before he even set foot in the metro. But the rest Empress can rememberl clearly. 

Shielding some Nyakuza goons from enemy fire during an escape.

Protecting civilians caught in the war zone of two warring clans.

Challenging the mad cat of the metro, Goro Nyajima, to a duel despite being hopelessly outmatched.

All of these events stand firmly in her mind. Despite not having nearly enough fighting prowers to gain the upper hand, each instance he jumped in without hesitation, and each time he had to be treated afterwards. She has likely wasted enough materials on him to rival a regular medical clinic on the front lines. But despite having visited the hospital and being forced to wear his failures like a tattoo, he simply smiled and put back on his robe, asking what their next mission was. 

Because in his eyes, each scar wasn’t a failure, it was like a medal.

He had protected the Nyakuza goons after a plan had gone awry, leading to only him earning fire.

The bystanders caught between two warring factions had managed to escape without a scratch.

The duel against the mad cat was to buy time as Empress escaped.

“Even if these scars will never go away…” Twi once told her. “It’s still a sign that I was able to help someone. So I’ll gladly wear it.”

Empress stares down at the scarlet towel, holding it as it drips onto the couch. She could hear him saying her name, but she was lost in her own mind as she recalled each injury.

‘If I-if you had just been more careful, you wouldn’t have to be…’

Empress waved the thoughts away as she tosses the oversized rag into a nearby hamper, reaching over for the bandages and preparing to wrap them around Twi’s injuries.

“To be frank, I can’t help but wonder why you even joined in the first place.” She tugged a line of bandages snug. “Your strategies may be beneficial, helping my gang thrive in intricate heists, but out of all those who pledge loyalty, you stand out like a dog.”

“Nu-uh, I’m a draegen.” Twi points to himself while saying that, as if it were a grand line of reasoning. 

“Only proving my point even more…” She clips a string and ties the line tight, continuing for the other two wounds. “You gain the most shares out of the entire clan yet you never spend a quarter of it. You’re aware that the underworld is a ruthless place, yet you go out of your way to ensure none are injured. You don’t have a hint of pain tolerance yet you throw yourself into the line of fire. Some in the clan consider you a walking paradox, others worry you might have an agenda of your own.”

“Well, doesn’t e-everyone have an agenda though? The goons get paid, you get power, I’d say n-not having an agenda makes you weird…” With each word spoken it seems like he just gets more loopy, rolling his head from side to side either out of playfulness or an inability to keep it straight. Nevertheless, he just smiles all the way.

Empress just sighs, she knew it would be pointless questioning him in this state. But still, she couldn’t help but give into the curiosity that lingered within the gang. The dragon had simply appeared one day in the metro, no sign of where he came from or who he was. While exploring he found Nyakuza goons struggling to slip away from police, then without a second thought he assisted their escape. Even the most ordinary of civilians understand that police are “the good guys,” yet he proceeded to leap in without hesitation. Several of the goons find it suspicious even to this day.

His past, his mannerisms, his motives-they were all a mystery to her.

With the final line of bandages snug and tight, Empress rolls up the excess and places it behind her. The bullet wounds were covered with bandages on both sides, cleaned out to prevent infection. Now it would only be a matter of time for him to recover.

Rummaging through the kitchen, she comes back with an unopened water bottle and a protein bar. He happily munches on granola while Empress cleans up. She takes his sunset robe to the bathroom, hanging it on the shower curtain to clean later while swapping out bandages for hydrogen peroxide to clean the carpet. After coming back out with a mop and rags, she’s about to clean the splatters on the carpet when-

“You…” 

Empress stopped mid-kneel, standing back up to face the dragon. He was still sitting upright, arm over the side while sitting cross-legged on the cushion. The water bottle was already half empty and only the wrapper of the protein bar remained.

“You… what?”

“You were wondering… why I joined the c-clan, right? Well…” He turned his gaze over to her. “It was you.”

For the first time in months, Empress was left genuinely confused. She waited a few moments for him to finish his sentence, but it took longer for her to realize that the sentence was already over. Submitting to her curiosity, she set the cleaning supplies down and sat down in front of him.

“I knew about you before… before I came to the metro.” His words were slow and cautious, taking care not to over-exert himself and cause any more unnecessary pain. “I heard ‘bout how cool you were… how powerful you guys were… was much more interesting than back home. Had to s-see for myself.”

“So…” all Empress could do was blink as she processed his words. “You joined my clan simply because you thought it was… cool?” 

The dragon shook his head.

“Not the only reason.” He shifted a bit in his seat, uncovering his wounds as he figured out the right posture to be in while talking to her. “You remember… what I said about m-my home?”

Empress just nodded, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out where this was going. He had only said vague statements before, about how he ‘couldn’t be in his home anymore.’ Twi had always dodged the question, sometimes giving different stories for those who insisted on knowing.

“Back home… everything was falling apart. My family, my town… sometimes it felt like the whole world. Everyone was fighting over pointless things, tearing each other apart until they didn’t even know why. It had been my home for… my entire life it felt like. But one day everything just… snapped. Too much tension built up. It wasn’t my home anymore, all the warmth had gone. So… I left.” Twi looked out the window of the apartment. Neon lights blinked on and off in nauseatingly bright pinks and greens.

“I wandered for… a long time. Didn’t know where to go, what to do. I wanted to go home, but I didn’t know what home was. I wanted to help people, but it felt like anything I did only hurt. It felt like I just walked forever, wandering aimlessly, not knowing what to do with myself. So when I came to the metro and saw your gang… I didn’t even know they were yours then… I didn’t even think. I wanted to do something useful… for once…”

Twi tried to pull his tail closer, dragging along the umbrella that he clutched tight the entire march home. Empress leaned down and picked it up, staring at the designs of the umbrella both inside and out. He had said before as a passing remark it was a gift, but never said who it was from. But with how he never let it leave his side, with how willing he was to run back into enemy fire just to reclaim it, it became clear just how much it meant to him.

Empress gave the umbrella to the dragon, his expression relaxing a bit upon doing so. His hands traced along the grains of the wooden pole, looking down at the object as if it was a familiar friend.

“When I realized that they were part of your gang, and you were the Empress… I couldn’t stop myself from asking to join. The stories I heard, the feats you did… they all amazed me. I had always wanted to meet you in person before, just to see what you looked like. And while I admit, you were certainly looked as cool as I thought you were,” the cat playfully rolled her eyes, “I think, back then... I saw you as my last chance. To not just become something… but prove I was worth something.”

Looking up from his umbrella, Twi turned to Empress once again. He was struggling to say this, she could tell from his eyes. When he was staring out the window, they were distant, hazy. In his mind, he very well could have been in a different place full of neon and saturation. This was, perhaps, the first time since his years of being in the gang he openly talked like this. But looking back to her, away from the artificial light outside, those eyes were focused again.

“This gang, your gang, you… means a lot to me. I was worried you would turn me away, scared that I wouldn’t be enough. But you… you saw something I didn’t see in myself. You let me in… a nobody… and gave me a purpose again.”

The dragon wiped a tear from his eye with a chuckle. “I thought that I was good for nothing, that I’d just be dead weight to everything you did, but look at me now! I’m lead strategist in the Nyakuza! I’m helping pull off heists that will go down in the history books right along the great Empress! In my wildest dreams I don’t think I could have imagined being here now, being blessed with this sort of purpose... it feels like it’s too good to be true.” He grips the wooden handle tighter, imprinting the grains into his hands.

“Sometimes I worry I’ll wake up one day, finding I never left home and nothing’s changed. That I’m still the person I was before. That all of the work I’ve done would just be for nothing.” Twi pulls his umbrella close, hugging it to his body like a childhood toy. “But even if I do wake up… even if this is all just a fleeting dream and I’ll just be right back to where I was…”

He takes a moment to steady his breathing, which slowly got more and more shaky with each word spoken. For a split second he looked away to prepare himself, unclogging the lump in his throat, then after a small sigh he turns back to her. Tiny streaks of tears remain, but he doesn’t let those stop him from revealing his wide, toothy smile.

“I’m still thankful that I could be by your side.”

For a few moments, the rain falling against the window is the only sound that fills the apartment. Twi taking a few moments to express his gratitude, Empress taking a few moments to process everything that was just said. She had speculated before about Twi’s reasoning for joining why he would go out of his way to do this when he gained nothing in return. Everyone in the gang had their own ideas for what he could gain. But out of everything they had speculated, none could have come up with this.

Empress’s training to become head of the Nyakuza had conditioned her mind to remain in a losses-to-gains mentality. Every action she did would cost something, in exchange she would have to gain something worthwhile or else the choice would be pointless. She knew how to manipulate, how to decieve, how to get into the headspace of others. But this was a mentality she never could have predicted. She never knew how much she could have meant to those around her. When Twi had first joined, she saw his ingenuity as a valuable asset that could be used. Even her using the dragon as a tool at first had meant this much to him.

‘No… he’s not a tool anymore.’ Empress thought. ‘He’s much more than that now…’

“Come now, I think it’s best you try to rest.” The Nyakuza boss put a paw on her subordinate’s shoulder. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, you need to let your injuries recover.” 

The strategist nodded, eyelids starting to weigh themselves down. After the day he’s had and him pouring his feelings out like that, it’s only natural he would be exhausted. But as he brought a hand down to the couch cushion, it was met with a cold moist stain. In their talking, both had completely forgotten about the blood stains on the couch. Twi attempted to flip the cushion over, but found that it was stuck to the base.

“Ah… okay then.” With a smile and a shrug, he reached over for a pillow to cover it up. He was content with being uncomfortable for the night, it wasn’t anything too bad after all. He’s slept under worse conditions. In this moment, he simply wants to rest.

But as he fell to his side, Empress pulls him back up to where he was. He looks to her for an explanation, wondering if there was still anything he had to do or if he did something wrong. Empress’s eyes didn’t met his own immediately though, she stared down at the stain that lingered there. After ten ticks of a clock, Empress reached up to her shoulders and slipped off her coat, revealing the countless scars that were underneath. They were long, jagged, spanning from shoulder to waist. But all of them were old and faded, signs of the battles she fought and the wars she had won. 

Gesturing for Twi to stand up for a quick moment, she spread her coat along the couch, acting like a blanket covering the stains. Due to the quality and material of the jacket, none of the stains would seep through, even if one side did soak up a bit of the blood. 

“There are materials in here that can easily clean out blood stains from clothes. Rest up now, you need to let your injuries recover.”

Empress had turned away from Twi to clean up the water bottle and wrapper. The coat itself Empress likely had longer than Twi had his umbrella. It was what many used to recognize her in the metro if she ever decided to step out and handle business herself. She had it custom made from a popular tailor that had visited the metro, paying them to create it exactly to her liking. On its own it likely cost a few thousand dollars, perhaps even hundreds now that so many correlated it to her. So for her to offer it to Twi just like an everyday blanket, the dragon could do nothing but stare with open eyes.

He looked back up to her, seeing Empress from an angle that not many saw her at. While so many only saw her looking down on them, just another object in her path to be used, she had faced Twi directly. Both of them shared eye contact in that moment as if it was a miracle that could only be experienced one, lingering on it for some time. 

Then, gripping the arm of the couch, Twi planted his feet firmly into the carpet and pushed himself upwards to her level. From the blood loss and fatigue he had lost much of his strength, making simply the act of standing up feel like a monumental feat. Empress tried to lower him back down, seeing that little red dots were beginning to appear through the bandages, but he persisted. His teeth grinded together like a saw cutting through a tree, his claws puncturing the fabric of the couch, but after a fifteen second eternity, he managed to meet her eye to eye. 

Empress wanted to scold him for possibly opening his wounds up even more from the strain, but with this amount of determination despite just how much his body rejected pain, she could tell his efforts had drive behind them, so she let him see it through. Once more the two shared eye contact, looking into each other’s gaze for what felt like an eternity. His eyes were focused, but his lip quivered.

Then in one swift motion, Twi stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Empress, pulling her tight against him.

The sphinx cat’s reflexes yelled at her to claw and push away, screaming that something was wrong and she had to get away. But after the shock had faded away, Empress could feel just how tight Twi was holding her, along with drops of something cold falling onto her shoulder. He was trembling, but somehow Empress knew it wasn’t from the injuries. 

“T-thank you…”

For her entire life, Empress had never seen kindness as something useful. She had been conditioned to be ruthless by her own mother. Any sense of compassion towards others was a weakness, which would only be exploited. But with Twi hugging her close like this, feeling his warmth, those thoughts slipped away. She didn’t remember the last time she just let herself be held, or even if she ever had been. Empress never thought before she would mean this much to somebody. She never thought before somebody would mean so much to her.

Empress wrapped her arms around Twi, pulling him tight and allowing him to be close to her. The feeling was… alien to her. But with the warmth that it brought to the two of them, simply letting themselves be held in each other’s arms, she was content.

The two of them didn’t let go for a long time.