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triforce-of-mischief · 9 months

Text

Not Yet

Summary: Legend doesn't have to trigger his phobia again until he's ready. That's what Warriors tells him, at least.

Word count: 4,070

AO3

Warnings: needles, vomit

Reblogs > Likes!

The portal deposited the heroes on the outskirts of the Lanayru Wetlands, and Wild warned them that they might not reach true civilization during this trip. Both Zora’s Domain and Kakariko were a few days’ travel away, but the Wetland Stable was an hour or two down the road. It was better than nothing, so the group agreed to head there and get their bearings.

They had hardly reached the main road when Wind shouted excitedly, pointing to a figure approaching from the south. Legend squinted, making out a blond man riding a sturdy brown horse. The stranger slowed as he reached the heroes, calling out a greeting that Wild happily returned.

“Everyone, this is Spoone,” Wild said. “He’s a good friend of mine, and the best doctor in Hyrule.”

Legend tried to suppress a shiver. Spoone was just a man, and seemed to be a nice one at that. Legend couldn’t let Spoone’s occupation ruin his opinion of him before they even truly met. So what if he was a doctor? That was… fine.

“The only doctor in Hyrule,” Spoone corrected good-naturedly. “Not counting Doctors Calip and Robbie, whose medical skills are… lacking, anyhow.”

“I’m sure you’ll find an apprentice soon,” Wild said with a grin. “You’ll need all the help you can get to find a use for those scales, right?”

“Ah, yes! I almost forgot that you haven’t heard the news,” Spoone said, one hand absently resting on a pouch at his hip. “Through minimal trial and error, Director Purah and I were able to develop a formula that will change all of Hyrule for the better.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Four asked.

“I’m glad you asked, young man!” Spoone smiled down at Four, and Legend snickered as the teen stood a little straighter. “You see, it’s been my life’s goal to collect even a single scale from the great dragon Naydra. It’s said that her magic can cure any illness, and the thought of delivering that kind of widespread protection is almost too exciting to bear. I had nearly given up hope, but one day Link descended Mount Lanayru with more scales than my horse could carry. I brought them to Hateno, where Director Purah and I transformed them into this.”

The man retrieved a small box from the pouch and angled it so they could see. Rows of tiny vials were lined up inside, each filled with a cool blue liquid.

“Medicine?” Four guessed.

“Correct. A single dose of this stuff will prevent a hyrulian from falling to any of the diseases that spread across the land, or cure them if it’s otherwise too late.”

Warriors stared at the admittedly unimpressive number of vials. “And… this is enough to treat every person in Hyrule?”

“Yes, it is,” Spoone confirmed. “Rather than brew the scales as an elixir, we were able to implement a medical technique that has only recently been discovered since the Calamity. All I have to do is collect a fraction of a vial’s contents and inject it directly into the patient’s bloodstream via a hollow needle.”

Vaguely, Legend heard Warriors suck in a sharp breath. The captain’s words were muffled by Legend’s own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Of course. Of course.

This doctor had reinvented the very thing that was the cause of his phobia and all of its related trauma. Legend just couldn’t catch a break. He knew what would come next.

Warriors was still trying to speak to him, but Legend ignored him in favor of listening to Time.

Their leader was oblivious to Legend’s predicament, saying, “That sounds like it could be incredibly useful for a group like us. If we could travel without fear of our entire party falling ill…”

Spoone responded in the affirmative, offering to administer the medicine once they arrived at the stable. Time agreed, waving the heroes forward as Spoone led the way. Legend started to follow, walking on numb legs, and jolted when Warriors gently grabbed his shoulder.

Warriors waited a moment, holding Legend back until the others were out of earshot. “Not so fast, Lege. I saw how you reacted. If you’re not ready yet-”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m not ready,” Legend whispered. His voice would break if he spoke any louder. “This is for the good of the group. Imagine how much we could get done if none of us get sick, Wars- I can’t ruin that just because I’m a coward.”

“You’re not a coward,” Warriors reminded him. “You’re not mentally fit to go through this, so I’m not going to let you. That’s an order.”

Legend knew that this was a dangerous game, pitting his stubbornness against the captain’s protective streak. Still, he pressed on despite the part of him that begged to accept this mercy. “I’ll be a liability. I could be the one holding everyone back. Wouldn’t it be easier t-to-” His voice gave way, and he mentally cursed it for giving Warriors the proof he needed.

“We’re a team, Lege. When one of us isn’t at their strongest, we cover their weak spot. In this moment, that means sparing you from unnecessary stress. We still have a lot of work to do before you’ll be truly ready for this. Until then, and always, we have your back.”

Legend sighed, finally letting himself feel relieved that he wouldn’t have to go through this… yet. The relief was gone as soon as it came as he remembered that this was only a temporary solution.

“But it’s gonna happen eventually, it-”

“Listen to me, bud. Nothing’s happening today, ok? Right now, you don’t have to do anything.”

“Okay… promise?”

Warriors pulled him into a quick side hug. “Yeah. Promise.”

Legend shoved him away, grumbling about how they needed to catch up to the others. Warriors easily agreed, choosing not to comment on the flush blooming on the tips of Legend’s ears.

Four was walking slower than the rest, and Legend matched his pace as Warriors jogged to the front. The smith took a moment too long to notice Legend, obviously preoccupied with his thoughts.

“He said you don’t have to, right?” Four said, and Legend nodded. “Good.” He fell silent for a minute, and Legend realized that he was walking much closer than he normally did, almost letting their hands touch.

“And how’re you holding up?” Legend asked.

“I’ll be okay.”

Legend frowned, not liking Four’s subdued tone. “You sure?”

Four debated his next words, then sighed before admitting, “Red is crying.”

“What? If you’re not ready either, I’m sure you can-”

“No… I can do this today. We know how to calm him down.”

Legend chewed his lip, wondering again if he should just get it over with now. A wave of anxiety and nausea answered that question.

Four’s next step brought him even closer to Legend. Four grabbed Legend’s hand and Legend gave it a comforting squeeze. “We’ll be okay,” Four repeated.

Legend didn’t know who exactly Four was referring to, but he believed him.

They caught up to the rest of the group, and Four left to check on Sky. Warriors was talking with Spoone as Wild and Wind chattered nearby. Legend joined them, unaware that it was a bad idea to tune into the younger boys’ conversation.

“I was one of the subjects of Spoone and Purah’s experiments, so I know what it feels like,” Wild said. “It hurts, more than a bokoblin club but not as much as a lynel charge. It kinda feels cool, you know? Monsters usually leave surface scratches or wide wounds but with an injection, you can feel the needle going in your arm.”

“Cool! I can’t wait to get to the stable!” Wind chirped.

“Wild, Wind!” Warriors snapped. “That’s enough.”

A gentle voice came from beside Legend. “Breathe.”

“I am,” Legend gasped.

“Not enough.” This was Hyrule, nudging Legend’s shoulder. “Don’t pay attention to them, just take deep breaths. There’s nothing to panic about.”

“I’m not-” Legend stumbled, suddenly weak from a lack of oxygen. Din dang it, he was panicking, and that stupid phantom pain in his arm had returned in full force.

“That was uncalled for,” Hyrule muttered, holding Legend’s arm to keep him upright (and, unintentionally, driving the pain away). “How about some revenge after this is over?”

Legend noted that Hyrule was nervous too, though he was good at hiding it. He indulged the traveler’s need for distraction, helping him concoct a plan so epic that it would take multiple days to prepare. They were laughing by the time the stable came into view, having momentarily forgotten what was about to happen there.

Hyrule’s snickers trailed off as they gathered in front of the stable, falling silent as he and Legend watched Spoone dismount. The doctor handed his horse’s reins to Wild, who led it to the man at the front counter.

“It should only take me a few minutes to get everything set up,” Spoone announced. “Please come inside if you’re ready and willing.”

With that, Spoone entered the tent, leaving the heroes to mill around and send each other glances that said, Well? Go on!

Legend noticed that most of the others were starting to pair up, the more confident heroes taking the nervous ones under their wing. Wind had gravitated to Time, and Four to Sky. Legend nudged Hyrule forward, pointing him to Twilight. The rancher ruffled the teen’s hair before pulling him close, making him giggle. Warriors glanced at Wild before stepping closer to Legend.

“Stay outside the tent, all right?” Warriors said. “There’s a cooking pot over there, you can sit there until we’re done.”

Legend nodded and watched Warriors go to where Wild was waiting. The champion led the way into the tent, the rest of the heroes filing behind. Legend waited for the last pair to disappear behind the flap before walking over to the cooking pot.

A man was sitting near the pot, and gestured for Legend to join him. He wore a stable hand’s outfit and was meticulously polishing a torch for some reason. The man looked curiously at Legend’s sword and shield as the vet set them beside him.

“Nice baby sword, pal,” the man said. “I bet it can’t even keep a flame going. What’s its name?”

Legend couldn’t care less about indulging this weirdo, but it was a sufficient distraction from what he imagined was happening inside the stable. He sighed and lifted his sword, letting the blade catch the light just so. “She used to be known as the Master Sword, but now she’s the Tempered Sword.”

The man scoffed. “Well, it’s nothing compared to my weapon of choice! For I am Yolero, the hero of legend chosen to wield the Master Torch!”

“Hero of Legend? Yeah, right,” the veteran laughed. “I’d double check your history books if I were you.”

Their banter continued for a few minutes, but Legend’s mind started to wander. His ears pricked in the direction of the tent though he didn’t know what he was listening for.

Yolero noticed Legend’s lack of attention, changing the topic so fast that it took Legend a moment to adjust. “Say, why aren’t you in the tent with the rest of your gang? Don’t you care about protecting people and all that?”

Legend flinched, mentally cursing himself for doing so. “I’m… not ready today.”

Yolero huffed. “Why’s that?” “I’m just not. Not like it’s any of your business anyway.”

“Hmm.” Yolero leaned back, a calculating smirk on his face. “You’re not scared, are you?”

Legend gave him a silent glare.

“I mean, that would be pretty pathetic. A well-armed guy like you, too much of a coward to go in there and let a doctor stick a needle in your arm.”

Legend hissed, fingers gripping the wooden seat instead of clutching his suddenly aching arm.

Yolero’s eyes narrowed, knowing that he had Legend trapped. “Just as I thought. You’re scared and weak and willing to take your team, maybe all of Hyrule, down with you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Legend growled.

“Prove it then,” Yolero said, pointing at the stable.

“I have nothing to prove to you.”

“Suit yourself.” The look on Yolero’s face said that he knew that he had won.

Legend tried to ignore him, taking deep breaths and staring at the castle in the distance. His ears twitched again, expecting to hear something.

When he was young, he had sat in the examination room, white knuckling the table as he listened to sobs and screams from the other side of the thin walls. He stuck his fingers in his ears, pretending that he couldn’t see Uncle’s look.

No such sounds came from the tent. The youngest of them was nearly fourteen, plenty old enough to have some dignity. Legend was the only one who still acted like a child. A child and a coward who was taking the easy way out.

Warriors wasn’t going to be happy.

Before he could lose his nerve, Legend stood up.

Yolero had the nerve to act surprised. “Well, look at that. Maybe you’re not as much of a wimp as I thought.”

“Shut up,” Legend grumbled. “I’m doing this for me, not you.”

“Just go in there already!”

“I am!” Legend snapped, taking a step forward that was more shaky than he would like to admit. He could feel Yolero’s eyes on him as he walked over to the tent and reached for the curtain concealing the interior. There was no backing out now. He pushed the curtain aside, eyes darting to every corner of the stable.

Wild and Wind were sitting on the floor, laughing and poking each other’s arms. Warriors and Four watched them, the smith wrapped in the captain’s scarf. Legend was relieved to see Four’s small smile. Sky was seated at the table, head pressed to the wood while Time rubbed his back.

Then Legend looked to the back of the stable and saw Hyrule.

The traveler was leaning against Twilight, who held his hand in a firm grip. Hyrule’s eyes were closed, his lips pressed into a flat line. Spoone sat in front of him, at such an angle that Legend could see what he was doing.

There was a needle in Hyrule’s arm.

It only took a few seconds but Legend stood there, paralyzed, as he watched Spoone administer the vaccine. As the needle emerged from Hyrule’s arm, a surges of nausea told Legend that he had witnessed enough. He tore his eyes away, momentarily crossing gazes with Warriors. The captain’s expression of horror (and was that anger?) registered for a split second before Legend’s hands flew to his mouth and he stumbled out of the tent.

Legend barely made it to the woods behind the stable before he collapsed, the contents of his stomach lurching up his throat to spill on the ground. He retched and coughed, unable to hear footsteps running toward him. A sudden hand on his shoulder made him jump, but another hand was already pulling his hair away from his face.

“It’s ok, it’s just me- just get it all out, all right?” his helper soothed, and Legend identified Four’s voice. The pitch was higher than normal, too- closer to Red’s voice. Great.

Four held Legend’s hair back until the vet finally exhausted himself, then waited as Legend spat the rest of it out. “All done?” Four asked.

Legend shivered, feeling Four rest his hand on his back to rub small circles. He stared at the mess beginning to soak into the dirt and opened his mouth to speak, but a pathetic whine grated out instead. Hot, angry tears burned Legend’s eyes, from pain and embarrassment and gods knew what else.

“Don’t try to talk if you’re not ready,” Four tutted. “Can you stand? We should get you cleaned up by the river.”

His legs shook like a newborn foal, but Legend managed to stand. Four took his weight without complaint, supporting the older teen as he led him down the hill to the riverbank. A sullen silence hung over Legend as he washed his face. He could tell that Four was full of questions that Legend wasn’t in the mood to provide answers to.

The sound of boots tromping down the hill saved Legend from that conversation.

“Lege… I told you to stay outside the stable.”

Oh no. A scolding from Warriors was way worse.

A heavy sigh. “There’s a man by the cooking pot who’s laughing his head off. I don’t suppose he had anything to do with this?”

A rush of fury gave Legend enough strength to stand again, but Four pulled him right back down. “Let him handle it,” the smith whispered, a blue gleam in his eye.

Legend didn’t even want to hold any pity for Yolero. If anything, he wished that he could go with Warriors himself. There was no way that Four would let him in this state, though.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, even after Warriors had gone. The air surrounding them was… awkward, almost tense, with only the river’s steady flow to cut through it. Finally, both of them attempted to speak at the same time.

“Lege-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

They both winced, Legend tearing a fistful of grass from the mud and Four reaching up to tap his feather earring.

“Do you… need some alone time?” Four offered quietly.

“Yeah,” Legend whispered. He stared straight ahead, only his ear flicking back as Four stood and hesitantly returned to the stable. He watched the sun shimmer on the water as it flowed over and around rocks and fallen tree branches and the occasional fish. It was a mesmerizing sight, mirroring the erratic whirl of Legend’s own thoughts.

He had known that he wasn’t ready, he had known that he didn’t have to face his fear yet. All it had taken was a few barbed comments from a stranger and he had marched right into the stable and made an absolute fool of himself. What had he achieved? What had he even hoped to achieve? Absolutely nothing, that’s what.

His ears, trained on a lifetime of paranoia and hiding, detected the rustle of something approaching from behind. Tiny feet, definitely not Sky or Warriors. Legend doubted that Four could sound that small even at his sneakiest. So who…?

Something soft and furry nudged his wrist, and he yelped at the unexpected touch. The sensation vanished with a jingle of magic. A few sparkles floated past Legend, then another flurry of them appeared above his lap along with a glowing blue bunny. The vet yelped again but the bunny was undeterred. Calm yellow-orange eyes stared up at him, and he blinked.

“What… what are you doing?” Legend whispered, afraid to move in case he scared the bunny away.

One of the creature’s antennae (ears? antennae) twitched and it plopped down, resting its head on its paws.

This was clearly some kind of magical rabbit, and his deeply hidden instincts were rousing with a gentle feeling of kinship. The little one must have sensed his brooding and come to help him feel better.

“Are you here to cuddle?” Legend asked, tilting his head a little. “Have you come to smother my storm cloud? I won’t blame you if you don’t want to be near me… I do it on purpose, sometimes, project my bad mood so I can deal with it myself. At least Wars and Four know better than to be around me when I’m like this.”

The bunny huffed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know… it’s just easier for me, okay? For them, too… they shouldn’t have to be responsible for my messes.” Legend laughed bitterly, soft enough that he didn’t disturb the bunny on his lap. “And what a mess I’ve made this time. I’ve ruined the group’s chances of complete immunity, Wars is about to give some guy the scolding of his life…” He swallowed, grimacing at the sour taste. “And I left a literal mess for some poor stable hand to find. I deserve to stew in my own misery for a while, don’t you think?”

He felt a pressure on his leg, like the bunny had tried to thump its foot but forgotten that it was laying down.

“Don’t give me that… here, will it make you happy if I pet you?” Giving the bunny plenty of time to escape, Legend stroked its silky blue fur. Sure enough, he felt it begin to happily purr.

“This is ridiculous, you know that? I acted like an idiot and what do I get out of it? A rabbit to vent to and cuddles by the river.”

The bunny simply nuzzled Legend’s hand, and he sighed.

He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, his thoughts gradually calming as he focused on the simple task of petting the bunny. The sun shone differently on the river, refracting pink and orange by the time a voice came from the top of the hill.

“Legend? Wild’s almost done cooking, are you ready to come back?”

Legend stayed silent, making a shooing motion with his hand. This, of course, had the opposite effect and the vet heard Four jog down the hill.

“C’mon, please? Wars wants to talk to you-” Four froze as he reached Legend’s side and the bunny came into view. He flapped his hands excitedly and squealed, “Eeeee- it’s so cute! Can I pet it?” His hand darted out and the bunny’s antennae flattened before it disappeared in a shower of blue sparkles.

“No-” Legend whined, reaching a hand out to empty air.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

The bunny materialized on Legend’s lap once more, staring at Four warily.

Legend sighed in relief, resuming the gentle strokes down its back. “You have to be slow and gentle. Let it learn to trust you before you touch it.”

“Sorry…” Four repeated as he crouched beside Legend. He offered his hand to the bunny, who sniffed it then bowed its head. Four smiled and gave it a gentle pet.

“Are you feeling any better?” Four asked softly.

Legend grunted, not looking up from the bunny.

The smith bumped his shoulder. “You know we’re not mad at you, right?”

Legend gave him a flat stare. “You don’t have to lie to me. I made a scene and a fool of myself… you shouldn’t have to put up with this.”

“That’s not true,” Four hummed. “Nobody blames you for panicking, and Wars made Yolero tell him what happened. He tried to bully you into doing something you weren’t ready to. We just want what’s best for you, and that means letting you take things at your own pace.”

“My pace is too slow. I should’ve been able to share the protection but because I’m not ready, we have a crack in our ranks. I’m just a burden-”

“You. Are not. A burden.” Four’s voice was low and serious, but he poked Legend with every word. “We look out for each other, okay? We need you to look after yourself too.”

The bunny grumbled agreement, and Legend groaned. “I’m not going to win this fight, am I.”

“Nope! You’re just going to have to accept the fact that you need to be patient with yourself, and we’re going to keep reminding you of that.” Four gave Legend one last poke. “But seriously, losing everything must have made you hungry.”

“It did,” Legend admitted. “Wild’s cooking sounds really good right now.”

“Come on then.” Four stood and offered his hand.

The blue bunny gave Legend a final nuzzle before bounding away, a trail of sparkles leading to thin air in the blink of an eye. Legend took Four’s hand and let the little smith lead him back to the stable, where Warriors wrapped him in his scarf (despite half-hearted protests from the grumbling teen) and assured him that Yolero had been sent packing to the Riverside Stable.

“Spoone said that he understands why you couldn’t join us today, and he can see you whenever you’re ready,” Warriors told him. “You don’t have to let fear guide your actions, all right? Please let us help you, bud.”

Legend bit his lip to prevent his scowl from turning into a smile. His brothers could be annoying, but it was nice to know that they wouldn’t give up.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu #linked universe legend #lu legend #linked universe warriors #lu warriors #linked universe four #lu four #linked universe hyrule #lu hyrule #fable writes #overcome #this is set before trust fall; the ao3 series is ordered correctly if you ever get confused/curious #uhh plz lmk what you think i worked hard on this and stuff #:)

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