#you go to hateno and everyone's like 'hey strange man'

[autistic-beshelar]

i did not collect 900 korok seeds for hestu to not know who i am

[silverdragon-imagines-blog]

Four and Flowers - Fluffy One-shot

[This was for the LU gift exchange back in the Spring. It was a self-imposed challenge that I’m not gonna do again... probably. I hope you enjoy ^u^]

Read it on AO3

Four often caught themself looking at the various flowering plants the group passed. Maybe it was because of all the varieties they had found, a warm red filling their chest as they saw new plants they had never seen before, most not being found in their own era, but they soon found a want- no, a strong need to see all of them.

It was late one night, the heroes electing to make camp in a secluded area they found themselves in, a more mountainous region of who knows whose era when Four spotted a small glimmering blue flower that shone by the light of the moon. They were on watch and with everyone sound asleep, Four didn’t see the harm in slipping away quietly for a moment or two.

Only once they were a sufficient distance away did they draw their sword, holding it up and letting the white light engulf their body. And one became four.

“Okay, Red, what is it with you and flowers all of a sudden?” Blue crossed his arms, eyebrow raised.

“This may sound weird, but… I was thinking… what if when we get back home, we planted a garden?”

“I don’t mind the idea, Red,” Blue spoke again, “I just want to know what started this idea.”

Red fidgeted in place, glancing between the other three nervously, despite the non-judgemental looks they had, obvious curiosity on each of their faces.

“Well… I liked the ones we saw for one thing, and then I was thinking about... when this adventure was over…”

“You want something to remember the others by,” Vio finished, Red nodding at the end.

“That’s not a bad idea at all, though… how are we gonna do it? And what plants?” Green asked, causing them all to grow quiet in thought.

“I could do research when the others aren’t watching,” Vio offered, “I’m sure we could easily find which flowers or plants would be able to survive in our era.”

“Guess I’ll start by asking about what sort of plants-- er flowers the others like,” Green spoke up.

When they all turned to Blue, he shrunk under their gaze, the tips of his ears turning red.

“I’ll… help you plant them I guess… help you pick them out-- er somethin’,” Blue mumbled, Red beaming at him with giddy happiness.

With the plan made, smiles lighting up each face, they raised up their blades returning to one, then heading back to the camp and finishing off their watch shift.

When they woke the next hero for their shift, settling themself down to sleep, swirling colors of excitement barely let them drift off, thoughts and plans filling their head with vibrant hues, but they found that they didn’t mind tonight.

They figured out whose era they were in quickly enough. Wild practically jumped to his feet when the slate registered the map of his home. Four listened in on the older heroes’ conversation, talk of heading to the nearest village, which apparently they were in luck since Wild said he knew a shortcut to Hateno.

With the decision made, they all packed up their belongings, following behind Wild and Hyrule as they made to run straight down the mountain. Four laughed as the two adventurous heroes were yelled at by their predecessors, though seeing as that was truly the only way down the mountain, the group reluctantly agreed to follow their path. Thankfully, Wild only needed to be told once not to shield surf down the mountain.

It wasn’t long until they arrived on flat ground, a small fenced-in house near where they stood with a brilliant blue horse standing in a stall, a small pond next to it surrounded by a rainbow of flowers.

“Everyone, welcome to Hateno! This here is my house,” Wild beamed, running over to the stall to greet the animal standing inside, “and this is my horse, Safflina.”

Four could see how the old man’s expression seemed to soften slightly at the sight of the mare. Twilight even approached the horse to offer her pets at her muzzle.

“She’s beautiful,” Time spoke, Wild grinning wide in response.

“I’m glad you think so, it’s been a while since I’ve been back, so—“

“Link, is that you over there?”

The group froze at the new voice, though Wild’s grin only seemed to grow upon hearing it. A man soon stepped into view from the other side of the stall, dressed in blue save for a pink headband around his head. He smiled once he caught sight of Wild, placing a hand on his hip.

“Glad to see you back with us, Link,” he spoke, “I took care of Safflina for ya, my treat this time. And I see you’ve brought some friends of yours. My name’s Bolson.”

Four could hear Legend and Warriors whispering to each other, and it took a bit of restraint to not call them out on it. Bolson seemed nice enough, listening as Wild introduced everyone and smiling once it was over.

“Actually, Bolson, do you know if Zelda is still here?”

“You’re in luck, she got here yesterday and has been up in that weird Tech Lab ever since.”

The Champion brightened at that.

“Well, it was nice meeting all of you. If you need anything, Link here knows where I’ll be,” Bolson spoke, smiling as he walked back the way he came.

Wild led them all around the side of his house, Four taking in the view of the field spread out over the cliff separating the Champion’s house from the rest of the town.

“Hey Four, ya coming?”

They startled from their thoughts, turning towards the house and breaking into a run to join the group.

“We may as well split up and resupply. I need to get some stuff to make a meal anyway,” the Champion swiped through his slate as he spoke, “and if there’s time, I need to go to the Tech Lab and talk with Zelda before she leaves.”

No one argued with that, so Four found themself in a group with the Champion and Traveller, off to find ingredients for dinner later that night. As they passed over the bridge that connected the house with the rest of the village, Four marveled at the landscape below them, taking in the sight of the far-off mountains that seemed to stretch on for miles. They passed a few strangely shaped houses, the colors reminding them of their own quad-colored tunic. The thought made a rush of blue rest behind their eyes as they continued to look, annoyance or anger causing pressure to grow.

“Hey, Four! Hurry up!” Wild called out, tearing their gaze from the houses and dispelling the headache, “You’re lagging behind!”

“Sorry,” they called back, hurrying down the hill, “got distracted.”

“It’s not a big deal, just didn’t want to get too separated.”

The steadily growing chatter let them know they were in the village proper, people milling about completing daily tasks or talking to each other. Hyrule seemed to have the same look of curiosity as Four was sure rested on their face. Wild chuckled, leading them into the shop they were next to. Four only caught a glimpse of the odd building on the far off hill behind the village, but it was enough to catch their attention.

“Hey, Wild, what’s that building behind the village?”

“The Ancient Tech Lab,” he replied, though he didn’t look towards them, “I think once I get everything I need here, we could head up there for a bit. I needed to talk to Zelda and Purah while we’re still in my era anyway, may as well do it today.”

Four nodded and stood closer to the Traveller hero who was eyeing the bulb-tipped arrows on display, the sign nearby listing them as bomb arrows.

“D’you think we’ll need these?”

“Not sure… but I wouldn’t touch them. Just in case.”

Hyrule shrugged, looking away from the arrows. Four could see Wild finishing up paying for ingredients, thanking the man at the counter with a grin as he gestured for them to follow him out.

“That didn’t take long at all,” he grinned, storing the items away in his slate, “now that that’s over, I think the others are still wandering around here…”

“It’s your era, they won’t be worried, trust me.”

Wild seemed to agree with their words, leading the way through the crowd, past the other shops. Four could see Twilight watching the kids run around the middle of the village with Wind, an amused smile on the elder hero’s face. Legend and Warriors were outside a different shop, conversing with a woman leaning against the entrance. They had to be betting on something stupid, especially considering how Legend seemed to be goading the Captain into doing something or other.

The Champion led the way over a small stream, past a large Inn and up a path lined with blue-flamed torches. Their pace was hurried despite the steep incline, and they made it to the top within minutes. Four could see the entire village from this vantage point, the view easily taking their breath away. They entered the Lab to find Wild already deep in a conversation with his Zelda while Hyrule was eyeing the several gadgets scattered about. Four, however, was only focused on the bookshelf in the far corner.

Their mind was already alight with violet-red excitement, their feet leading them instantly to the white-haired man standing near it.

“Um, excuse me,” they spoke, gaining the attention and easy smile of the man, “Do you happen to have any books on flowers or plants that I could look through?”

The man simply nodded, grabbing a thick tome from a higher shelf and passing it down. Four smiled wide, turning to settle down against the wall nearby.

“Thank you.”

“No need. Just give it to Link when you’re done with it,” he smiled, turning back to his own book.

Four started leafing through their own book, and as they read, their thoughts began to split.

‘What if we planted Daisies? Don’t they kind of remind you of the Sailor?’

‘I don’t disagree with you, Red, but I’m not sure they fit as well as you think. They aren’t really a sea plant-’

‘You don’t really expect us to be able to take care of a sea plant, do you Vio? We literally couldn’t be further from the sea.’

‘Guys, focus. We’re here to figure out which plants we can even get to our era.’

‘Duh, Green, but we still need to--’

“What’re you looking at Four?”

Their conversation cut off, becoming one once again, leaving a headache behind. They clutched at their head, looking to see Hyrule peering at their book curiously.

“I’m thinking of starting a garden back in my era…"

“Why do I get the feeling there’s a but in there.”

Four groaned.

“Okay, so I want to get flowers or plants from everyone’s era so that I have something to remember everyone by I guess? But how the heck am I supposed to even take care of some of these plants?”

“You’re talking about the Sailor’s era, aren’t you,” Hyrule stated.

Four nodded, sighing tiredly. Hyrule took a seat next to him, peering over the small hero’s shoulder.

“You know, I bet I know someone who could figure out how to get this to work out how you want it to.”

Four only watched with barely concealed amazement as the princess and Wild walked over and started discussing ways to get plants to thrive in Four’s era where they wouldn’t otherwise survive. Wild showed off his slate, pages upon pages of pictures, and the flowers they depicted themselves taking place there. It seemed that they weren’t the only ones with this idea. They smiled wide, a warm red spreading through them as they listened to the others talk. Things were working out for them it seemed.

It wasn’t long until they arrived at Four’s era, close by the forge the smith ran. By now, the group was aware of the plan they had, to make a garden with a variety of plants from every era. Wild had gotten tools and pots that were made with Sheikah tech, they would easily keep the more difficult to care for plants alive, even while Four was on their current quest.

Once the group had gotten settled in Four’s home, the smallest hero started finding a nice spot outside and near the house. One by one, the rest followed, sleeves pushed up and armor long since put away, watching the excitement on the young smith’s face. Four took a moment to watch as the area got cleared of weeds and the dirt turned over to make room for the plants. They decided now was as good a time as ever, and besides, they all agreed that they wanted to help plant the garden anyway.

Four ran back inside, pulling their sword out and raising it up. A flash of white light, four grinning faces, and the four boys ran outside to help plant. No questions were asked, the group only glancing at the newcomers for a moment before returning to what they were doing. Soon, Wild started pulling the plants from his Slate. Hawk grass and Hibiscuses, Silent Princesses and Goddess Flowers, Daisies, Tulips, Swift Violets, and Geranium flowers. When they were all put in place, the heroes tired and dirty but satisfied with their work, they saw the four colorful boys smiling wide.

“Guess it all worked out, huh?” Blue spoke, Red turning to the other heroes beaming.

“Thanks so much for doing this!”

“No need to thank us,” Hyrule smiled back, “though, out of curiosity, who planted that other flower?”

The four looked confused until Vio spotted what the Traveller was referring to. There, next to the violets was a small patch of dark-colored forget-me-nots. Vio said nothing, only looking at them, smiling sadly. He could hear Red asking Wild, but the Champion seemed just as confused by their appearance as the rest of them.

“Just leave them there,” Green said, a small smile on his own face as he watched Vio, “I think they fit in perfectly.”

[minsyal]

[Interest Level: 0, Revali x Reader]

Eloquence seemed to trickle from his lips like cool crisp water running through the smooth pebbles of a remote forest stream. You sighed, deciding to relinquish yourself to the torment of the bright lively party that went on around the town. Every word that dropped from his mouth was seemingly filled with sincerity. The way his eyes flickered around in various directions, the way he never quite leaned into the conversation, or the way his arms remained crossed over his puffed chest signaled to you that none of this was sincere in the slightest.

Rather than submit your time to this “festival,” you opted to slink away in the passing moments of boisterous laughter to make your way back to the safety and comfort of your home. Home, the place you could be when you didn’t want to see or hear another living being. It was truly where the heart is.

“Hey.” An extended arm caught you in your retreat. “No.” It was a simple command coming from your father and you knew exactly what he meant. You weren’t leaving the festival.

He had insisted that you, your brother, sister, and mother all attend this festival to honor the Champions as they made their way around Hyrule to receive everyone’s upmost praise for what they’ve yet to do. It was all overrated if anyone asked you, but no one did.

“Don’t you want the shop set up for tomorrow?” You figured it was worth a try. Physical labor was better than standing around wanting to pick your eyes out. “I can go home and get everything ready! Then when the festival is over you all can just go to bed.” A large smile crossed your face.

He watched you for a moment, outwardly caught off guard by your request since you weren’t the one to offer to do anything. A pondering second later, he agreed. “Fine, but if you finish early come back.”

“Oh, you know I will!” An elated laugh escaped your lips before you shook your head, opting to keep it together so your father wouldn’t have any reason to revoke his side to the agreement.

Not a second sooner, you were off, rushing happily back to your home that was merely yards away. While you wouldn’t be out of the festival’s grasp, you would be able to potentially block it all out. The wooden door slammed behind you as you leaned against it with a relieved huff. Finally.

The sounds of the festivities soon died down as people dispersed into smaller groups to chat individually among the Champions and princess, who was rarely seen around Hyrule without a large entourage of heavily armored men surrounding her. It was a nice gesture for them to come, but none of it mattered to you. The so called “Calamity” hadn’t shown its ugly face near Hateno even though they had been going on and on about it for a few years now. A few older fellows attributed it to some sort of “government conspiracy” and insisted the King had made it up to keep everyone at bay. While you weren’t thrilled with the Champions, you weren’t that crazy.

Slowly but surely, the shop was cleaned and prepped for the busy market day to come. The merchandise sat neatly on the shelves that lined the creaky wooden walls. The money from today’s hours was safely packed away in the chest father kept beneath the floorboards. Everyone’s bed was nicely made with the pillows fluffed perfectly for when they returned home. Everything was done and you could finally relax.

That is, if your younger brother hadn’t burst inside calling your name.

“What?” You peered over the side of the sleeping loft where you had just fallen onto the bed to rest your aching feet. “Grant, I’m tired. Can this wait ‘til tomorrow?”

“Not exactly…” his voice trailed off as he climbed the steps. He kept his tone low as if he was holding a secret that absolutely nobody  could hear. “Iris is missing.”

Your heart dropped. “You’re sure she isn’t with the other kids?” Now, with renewed energy, you hopped to your feet and began tugging on your worn shoes. The soles were falling out, the sides needed to be stitched, and the laces were made from rope that came with a tied stack of wheat. They weren’t much, but they worked.

He hastily shook his head back and forth, “She said she was going to grab some flowers from Marblod Plain.”

“You let her go there alone?”

He sulked, an obvious expression of guilt lacing his features. From his glossy eyes to his trembling lip, you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “It’s my fault.” He whispered, casting his gaze to the floor.

“What is?”

“I told her to go.”

“Okay, look.” You slung your father’s sword over your shoulder and adjusted his metal shield to your arm. “I’m going to go look for her. I’m going to find her, and then we’re going to have a talk about sending your sister on wild goose chases.”

“Should I tell dad?” Immediately, your focus turned to the window where you could see your father becoming flustered as the Goron Champion, Daruk, flirted casually with your mother. He rubbed the back of his neck, an ecstatic smile never leaving his face. He was a people pleaser.

“No. Either wait here,” You pointed to the bed, “or go outside and wait by mom and dad.”

“I’ll go outside.”

Outside, the noise of the celebration moved forward as if nothing was wrong. Mipha strolled through the town center with a younger man by her side, ignoring the looks they received from a young knight. Link gave a lot of his attention to Zelda who was speaking to one of the elders about the energy source to the north. Revali was patrolling around, not paying a lick of attention to the young group of girls hot on his feathers. Urbosa was valiantly telling of her meetings with the Yiga Clan, actively reenacting a few of her encounters for the group of children before her.

“Don’t tell them, it’ll ruin their night.” Grant nodded and picked at something under his fingernails. He swallowed hard, trying his best to hold back the tears that welled in his eyes. You knelt down and gently tipped his head up to look you in the eyes. “It’s okay. Iris will be fine. Don’t worry too much.” With a soft kiss pressed to his forehead, he perked up. “Go keep mom and dad safe while I’m gone, okay?”

“Okay!” He sniffled, wiping his nose and forcing you into a snotty hug. “I will!” He scurried off back to your parents before turning and slyly giving you a thumbs up with his highest conviction.

With Grant taken care of, you looked to the west where the rolling plains lied. A new structure had appeared there recently whatever it was had to have something to do with Iris’s disappearance. Trekking the miles over was difficult and a five-year-old wouldn’t have been able to go this far alone. At least, not Iris. She was a laid-back kid, scared of absolutely anything and everything that moved. Butterflies, grass, even sometimes her own shadow spooked the living daylights out of the kid. There was no way she went there on her own accord.  

The moon was suspended high in the sky by the time you made it to the strange building. Odd-looking creatures were jumping up and down on the third story up, shaking the entire thing. How it wasn’t falling to pieces was beyond you. You could see their own weapons perched on their hips, swinging rapidly with each jump.

The night would be your friend in this instance, providing an ample cover as you inched your way up to the first level where your first foe was lying on it’s back, fast asleep.

Revali didn’t particularly enjoy taking part in the festivities that came with being a Champion. Though,  he did enjoy showing off for a few minutes before becoming disenchanted by the crowding fans and young girls that seemed to think they had a shot with the Rito warrior. After he finished telling of the Village from where he came, he grew bored of the situation and decided strolling through the town at a heightened pace would be better suited for his tiring attention.

He spotted them. A girl who was evidently a year or two younger than he kneeled with her back to him, speaking in hushed tones to a child who looked worried sick. He wouldn’t have taken notice to her if she hadn’t had a sufficiently sized sword strapped to her back and a shield to boot strapped to her arm. Something was up, and Revali wished to be in the know. The girl wished the child farewell and took off over the small bridge leading to another home but didn’t stop there. Instead, she continued onward to the west hiking through the grassy lands of Necluda towards Faron.

She wasn’t packed for a long journey, so he could rule her out as being a traveler. There was no way she’d survive without any food. There was no conclusive rhyme or reason as to her departure from Hateno into the wild. That was, until he saw where she was headed.

Perched upon the cliff-side, Revali observed as the girl crouched down in the grass that provided descent cover. She slinked up the steps of the outpost. He prepared himself to become her knight in shining armor; he expected a true fairytale moment as he positioned himself to swoop in and safe the damsel in distress. What he hadn’t expected was her to wield the old sword with such agility, such grace, that the first foe was cut down in seconds. He watched in awe as she moved quietly up the steps to take on the two that were formulating their master plan for her arrival. She disarmed them even faster.

In no time, the outpost was clear of any danger and the girl was sitting at the top with another crying child in her arms. She caressed the girl’s hair, pressing relieved kisses to the top of her head as the child’s wails filled the air.

“Shh.” You held Iris who was a mess. Her nose hadn’t stopped running since you found her, her eyes were puffy and red, and her fingernails were nothing but nubs from where she had been biting. “You can’t go running off like that.”

“I… I k..know…” She wept, soft hick-ups escaping her parted lips as she tried to garner the strength for a smile. “I just…just wanted…”

“This?” An unfamiliar voice had you on guard, quickly rising to your feet, pushing Iris behind you, and grabbing your sword. The tip brushed against the assailant’s throat, dancing lightly on his feathers, the moonlight casting a reflection on his face. “It’s rather rude to threaten my life in such a way.”

He held his ground well, not faltering as he used a finger to push away your sword. “Sorry.” You mumbled, returning the metal to its hilt. It was Revali.

“Here.” He held the blue flower out to your sister who hesitantly inched forward. The five sectioned flower swayed slightly in the breeze; the soft petals brushed with a gradient of blue to white. “For you.”

Taking the flower from him, a smile spread across her face as her features lit up. “Thank you!”

“And,” he turned to you, standing tall, “for you.” He held another flower out to you. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, you skeptically took the flower despite everything urging you to tell him to buzz off. How long had this pompous bird been here and why hadn’t he helped?

“Thank you.” You gritted out for the sake of your sister who was jovially staring with wide exploring eyes at the bird. “C’mon, Iris. Let’s head back.”

“Hold on.” Revali jut out a wing to stop you from heading down the rickety steps. “Allow me to escort the two of you back. It’s the least I could do.”

“I think we’ll be fine, thanks.”

----

Iris jumped up and down joyously as she prepared to get her first ever flight. It was a big moment for her and with the mode of transport being a Champion, it made it life changing. Revali could only carry one at a time and you both agreed that Iris should go first as leaving her here would be less than keen. She hopped onto Revali’s back and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. The Champion took off and disappeared into the air.

You scanned the top deck, a poorly constructed bow catching your attention. You had never shot a bow before and what better time to figure it out than now? Father had never let you play with the weapons in the house. In fact, if he knew you were using his sword and shield, he would be irate. The grip on the bow was unfortunate. It was far too big for your hands and the arrows were all off balance. After a few went flying off in the opposite direction from which they were fired, you gave up.

“An expert swordsman but I’d have to say,” the voice surprised you as you hadn’t expected him back so soon, “your marksmanship is,” he tilted his head back, “meager.”

“Hateno doesn’t exactly have the bows that Rito Village has.” You nodded to the bow he had strapped to his back.

A moment of silence passed between the two of you, neither one wanting to gather the courage to continue the conversation. What were you supposed to say to him anyway? “I don’t really care about the title you hold or whoever you think you are.”

“Why didn’t you alert anyone to her missing?” It was a simple question with a simple answer. But it wasn’t an answer you wanted to say out loud, so instead you shrugged. “Darling,” he tilted his head, “I may be a bird, but I assure you I wasn’t born yesterday. Was it jealousy?”

“Excuse you?” You felt heat rise through your cheeks.

“Jealousy.” He restated. “The Champions were receiving too much praise and you wanted a cut. Simple as that.”

You contemplated what you would say next. “Fuck off.” No. Too forward. Too rude. “I don’t do things expecting something out of it.” No. You’d have to explain yourself further with that one. Instead of replying you shook your head and let out a chuckle, then began down the steps figuring he’d just take off and head back on his own.

He remained persistent and on your heels. “Oh, come on. Don’t be coy. At least allow me to take you home. Your family is worried sick.”

“Then they’ll be happy when I walk home.”

“You’ll tire yourself by walking. Allow me to,” you cut him off. “No.”

The festival was over by the time you returned home. The streamers and lanterns were taken down, the lit fires of the community cooking pots were extinguished, and the lights in most houses were darkened. Even your house was quiet. They hadn’t waited for you. Biting the hurt you felt back, you made your way home with Revali nearby. The Champions were all staying in the Inn for the night having rented the entire building out. Urbosa was the only one still out.

“Are you alright?” She came to meet the two of you as you threw Revali a look. He finally shut up.

“I’m okay. Thank you.” You excused yourself from the Gerudo Champion.

Revali watched with Urbosa as the girl crept to the side of the home. She plopped herself down on the ground and dished a towel from the bucket of water positioned on a table. He sighed. There was something intriguing about her. She was like no other town girl he had met through all of his traveling. How he had managed to miss her in all of his trips to Hateno floored him. Urbosa smirked as she saw a new side to her feathered friend. His change in demeanor was obvious and his reasoning was more obvious.

“Revali,” Urbosa started, “I must say, I didn’t expect you to be this type.”

“What type?” He tore his eyes from her as she wiped down the weapons. The two began walking back to the Inn together.

“You’re just going to leave her alone now?”

His expression turned to one of confusion. “Why would I use up more of my time to deal with such things?”

Urbosa raised her brows, amused. “Oh.” She brushed her hair from her shoulder. “I don’t know.”

“Urbosa,” Revali said in his usual cutting crisp tone, “I can assure you that I have absolutely no interest in someone like her.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

[the-unknown-storyteller]

Traditions

(Universe by @linkeduniverse)

Summary: Pants of the truly ugliest kind. But hey, it's “tradition”.

____

Tarrey Town is an incredibly small village in the Akkala region of Wild's Hyrule and his whole pride and joy.

He had helped design and built this piece of land for a small community of people dear to him. Thus, it's only logical to show it to the other group of people dear to him which are currently sat around him in something that could be called a circle.

“You can't go dressed like that, though”, he explains, pointing at their pants. “For newcomers to Tarrey Town there is a certain tradition and we would like for it to continue existing. So…”

He takes out his Shiekah Slate and gives it a few taps. The screen illuminates his face and then the ground before them where a heap of clothing materialises out of nothing.

What they see takes their breath away. They stay rooted to their spots, simply looking at the things before them. The design of their new clothes is truly, truly…

Excruciatingly ugly.

And they couldn't be more shocked by that fact.

Four gives Hyrule a skeptical look, but only gets a shrug in return. He stands up and takes a careful step forward. Then two more. He crouches down to the pile of whatever this is supposed to be and picks up a pair of pants.

And promptly feels like they're burning his hands with their sheer ugliness. But he holds onto them because he can feel Wild's stare on the back of his head and for whatever reason, he is scared.

So he gives Wild a smile that wobbles just the slightest bit (but makes his heart beat faster nonetheless) and stands up to distribute the rest of it. Everyone rules their face into an either neutral or grateful expression, but Four can see the disgust in their eyes when he passes them their pair.

Again, this seems to be tradition and it does appear to be harmless… on most levels, so they're trying to be civil and give it a try.

Time promptly puts his on with an almost stone-like expression on his face. Legend, Warrior and Sky do the same, Hyrule has already sat back down, not actually looking all that bothered. Except that everyone can see his hand twitch, as if he's considering something.

Twilight, on the other hand, hesitates. “Do you really expect us to wear these?”, he asks with eyebrows pulled together in doubt, but also an apologetic smile on his face.

“Of course, it's tradition and I don't want you to miss out on it”, Wild says. He tilts his head to one side, questioning him if he doesn't want to join in on the fun. Twilight can only nod.

Still, the colour of it is so bright and vomit-inducing that Twilight feels like his eyes might melt away if he exposes his retinas to this kind of sight any longer.

He lets out a big sigh. I'm doing this for Cub, it's fine.

____

On Wind’s ninth birthday, his grandma had given him a new shirt that she had woven, sowed and dyed herself. Apart from the cut - it was actually a very pretty design- the thing was hideous.

But with all of his nine year old naivety and love, he wore it with pride and a certain glimmer in his eyes.

Fastforward a few years, he had found it under a chest and saw it for what it truly was. A really ugly shirt with the love of a grandma put into its fabric.

That certainly didn't stop his slight feelings of disgust towards it. Sorry, grandma.

When he looks at the thing before him now, he feels the same sensation he felt at that moment back then. His fingers are tingling and a chill runs down his neck and up his arms. Just… does it take a certain type of gene to produce colours such as these? Is it a skill or a curse? Wind doesn't get it, so he just lets it be and gets into the pants.

“Great”, Wild beams after everyone's pulled on their pairs and sets out to their new destination.

_____

They can already see the colourful block houses from afar and despite the tradition, it does seem like a very pretty town.

“Be careful not to fall”, Wild says and gestures for them to pass the bridge that connects the lonely island of Tarrey Town with mainland. While everyone is watching where they're going, Wild can't help the grin growing on his face. He even accidentally lets out a chuckle that he can't hold back.

Legend, who is walking in front of him, whips his head around and gives him a suspicious look, but Wild just innocently smiles back at him. With a quiet hmph, he turns back around and urges Warrior on to walk faster. So slow.

Nonetheless, Warrior keeps his head held high the whole way and takes slow and “determined”, not because he is scared of heights, but because he is a proud fighter and warrior. If he lets out a shaky breath when they're on solid ground again, then nobody mentions it. Not even Legend who loves to tease him to no end.

_____

The town up close is as beautiful as they have expected and seen it from far away. In the middle of the plateau is a small pond with a goddess’ statue, wooden, cube-like cabins stand in a circle around it.

Despite the small popularity of Tarrey Town, they notice how lively and well-loved everything looks. There are small gardens adorned with hyacinths, tulips and some apple trees, carrying shiny red apples, ripe enough to be plucked.

“Welcome to Tarrey Town”, a muscular man with a very prominent bowl cut says, opening his arms wide in a warm gesture.

“I'm so glad you decided to visit us. Haven't seen Link over here for quite some while, those are probably your friends, right? My name’s Hudson. That guy over there is Karson”, he points at a Hylian man in front of a red house. He's wearing a blue vest.

“And I'm Bolson. Nice to meet you.” A man with a pink headband and a gray beard approaches them. “Glad you're here to visit us, Link, we're currently doing some renovations. It's been a while since we've checked everything, so we came over to take a-”

Bolson stops mid-sentence and just plainly stares at the group. He individually looks each of them down and then continues on with a frown. His eyes dart over to them, specifically their pants, every few seconds. “Um… sorry, your friends are just wearing some very… interesting and unique clothes and I couldn't help but notice. Anyway, what I wanted to say is-”

Wild nods along to Bolson’s word, but Legend can see the smirk playing around his lips and he growls.

That asshole.

He pulls the group minus Wild aside and urges them to come in closer. “Wild’s tricked us”, is all he says and pointedly looks down.

“Wha- really?!"

“Of course, what kind of town would have such hideous clothes. These are just atrocious.”

“I don't really mind them.”

“Oh come on, don't act like they're not burning your eyes, too.”

“It is quite strange for a town’s attire to just consist of pants.”

“Anyway, where did that moron even get these?”

“Rather, how did he make these? There's probably no one who would want to fulfill such a request. Besides, it's humanly impossible to make something this repulsive.”

“What really matters, though, is where our normal pants are.”

“I don't have them.”

“Me neither.”

“Nope.”

....

“Crap.” They all turn around, only to see Wild surrounded by blue light and waving at them.

“See ya, guys! I gotta run some errands in Hateno, I'll meet ya there, ‘kay?”, he says, grinning from ear to ear.

“AH, GET HIM!”, Four yells and dives for Wild’s disappearing form, but strips over his pants and lands face first in dirt instead.

They are truly pants of the ugliest kind.

______

“On the plus side, though, so far no monster has dared to attack us.”

“Oh, shut up.”