#also projecting my occasional horrific dreams that are enough within the realm of possibility that I wonder if they might actually happen

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober day 24 — “I don’t want to do this anymore”

This prompt gave me so much grief my mind was SO blank, I don’t even know how I ended up with this

Albw Link has nightmares/prophetic dreams, as do sksw Link and oot Link. Meaning Legend, Sky, and Time have all had prophetic dreams at least once in their lives. Interesting, huh?

Anyways I’ve never written Ravio before, I hope I did him justice :)

No warnings.

Ao3 link

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Ravio enjoyed seeing Link’s new traveling companions whenever they came around.

Really, he did. And it wasn’t just because a few of them were gullible enough to buy items from him that weren’t worth nearly as many rupees as he charged them.

As silly as it was to admit, he felt an odd connection with them, a sort of almost brotherly familiarity that he’d never felt with anyone aside from Link himself before. It wasn’t as strong, but it was there, and he’d puzzled over it for a while.

Once he got the “we’re all heroes named Link” explanation, it made a bit more sense.

But anyways, he truly liked Link’s fellow heroes. He always had a good time whenever they ended up at his shop (“my house,” Link would always snap, and Ravio would just grin), and greatly enjoyed their company.

He just didn’t like being forced to sleep halfway into a closet whenever they stayed the night.

Heroes were spilled into every corner of available floorspace in Link’s fairly-small house, tucked on the singular couch, and nestled around the tables. With so many people crammed inside, Link had decided Ravio could sleep in the other room, by the closet right next to the kitchen.

“Oh he doesn’t mind,” Link had said when someone had asked if Ravio was okay sleeping there. “I consider it payback for him sleeping in my bed when I’m not here.”

So Ravio slept halfway in the closet.

And due to the fact that he was halfway in a closet, he was having quite a bit of trouble falling asleep, the floor too hard, his blankets too hot. It took him forever, but he finally drifted off after way too long.

And then was woken a much too short amount of time later by Sheerow pecking his cheek.

“Wh’z’matter?” he mumbled, “prices’re half off on Wednesdays...” His bird pecked him again, but when Ravio didn’t stir, let out a concerned cheep before flying off somewhere.

Ravio let out a groan. There went any hope of getting at least a semi-decent night’s sleep.

He reluctantly got up, not looking at the clock (he didn’t even want to know how ridiculously early it likely was), as he peered around for where Sheerow had gone. A sound hit his ear, and Ravio tilted his head, trying to figure out what the soft noise was.

Crying.

Ravio froze, before peering cautiously into the main room of the house.

The hero closest to him, and slightly more out of the way than the others due to where the doorway was, was sitting up in his bedroll with his head pressed to his knees. Thick, shuddering breaths were coming from his direction, and Ravio felt something unpleasant roll in his stomach as the hero of the skies let out an almost-silent sob.

Sheerow hopped onto his arm, and Ravio looked down at him, the little bird cocking his head as if to say Well? Do something!

Ravio shook his head.

“Buddy, I can’t just go out there,” he whispered. “I don’t know what’s bothering him, I’ll— I’ll probably just make it worse.”

Sheerow almost seemed to roll his eyes, and after giving him a disappointed peck, zipping away and flying up to the crying hero’s shoulder.

He alighted on his arm, letting out a small chirrup, and Sky startled, raising his head and looking at the tiny bird. Sheerow chirped again, bonking his head against Sky’s tearstained cheek, and the man’s lip trembled as he raised a shaking finger to his feathers.

“Hey there,” he whispered in a wavering voice. “D-did I wake you up?“

Sheerow let out a peep, and lightly pecked Sky’s ear.

Sky let out a trembling laugh. “I guess so. S-sorry about that. It was a...”

He swallowed thickly, and somehow shrunk further into himself.

“Nightmare,” he got out eventually, voice so quiet Ravio could barely hear it.

Sky pressed his face back against his knees, and Sheerow settled himself down on his shoulder, watching quietly as Sky tugged the white blanket he had more tightly around his shoulders.

“I...”

Sky swallowed thickly, and Sheerow peeped again.

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Sky whispered, head still buried in his knees. “I-I don’t— I don’t want to worry about them coming true. I don’t want to have to constantly wonder if they’re real or just nightmares, and I don’t want to have to keep trying to prevent them from coming true even though I know it’s impossible because if they’re prophetic they’re going to happen no matter what I do—“

Sky‘s words turned into a pained whine, which he quickly cut off into his knees.

He was silent for several long moments.

“I don’t think I can keep doing this,” he whispered, voice small and trembling.

Sheerow gave a quiet chirp, and nuzzled Sky’s face, gently nibbling his ear. Sky looked up at him, and stroked a finger along his feathers, Sheerow trilling gently.

The bird hopped from his shoulder to the top of Sky’s head, and began preening his hair, settling down with a contented chirp. Sky visibly relaxed at the action, almost like it was familiar to him, and Ravio still hesitated by the doorway, unsure of what to do.

He could just go back to bed. Go to sleep and pretend like he hadn’t been eavesdropping and hadn’t heard anything Sky had said.

But... despite how comforting Sheerow’s presence obviously was, Sky still looked miserable, eyes red, face tearstained and pale. He let out the occasional shudder, and Ravio swallowed, trying to draw up some courage.

He didn’t really have any, but despite that, he somehow managed to step into the room.

Sky’s ear twitched and he looked up at Ravio, blinking in surprise. He quickly snapped out of it though, clearing his throat and wiping his face on his sleeve, somehow managing to smooth his expression into one less distraught.

“Are you looking for your bird?” Sky whispered, voice still rather thick. “I think I must have woken him, I’m sorry.”

Ravio hesitated, then shook his head, walking closer.

“No, it’s um, it’s okay. I think he wanted to make sure you were okay, he’s warmed up to you quite a bit. He probably heard you, because you— um... yeah,” Ravio said elegantly.

He hesitated.

“Are you okay?” Ravio asked in a quiet voice, and Sky cleared his throat.

“Yes. Just some... some nightmares,” he replied in a whisper. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Ravio shook his head, and sat down next to Sky, watching Sheerow mess with his hair.

“No, it was Sheerow who woke me,” he said with a huff, and his bird let out a smug peep. “He was... worried about you. Are you sure you’re really... um, okay?”

Sky sniffled, and rested his head back on his knees with a sigh.

“Sort of,” he whispered.

Ravio looked at him, and swallowed again. “They weren’t just nightmares... were they?” he asked in a nervous whisper. “Maybe something a bit more real?”

Sky stared at him, then nodded, wincing as Sheerow accidentally tugged on his hair a bit hard.

“How’d you know?” he asked quietly.

Ravio shrugged, fiddling with his sleeve. “Mr. Hero gets them sometimes,” he said. “Very rarely. But he... he does get them. I saw it happen once. You’re not alone with the prophetic dreams.”

Sky stared in surprise, and Ravio squirmed under his scrutiny, the hero’s blue eyes seeming to bore into him.

“He... he really gets them?” he asked in surprise, and Ravio nodded.

“Yeah. Don’t tell him I told you though, he... doesn’t like to advertise it,” Ravio said nervously, and Sky nodded. “He probably wouldn’t have even told me, but I happened to be around the one time.”

Sky looked thoughtful for a moment, and Sheerow hopped off his head, back onto his shoulder.

“How... does he deal with them?” Sky whispered, gently stroking Sheerow. “How does he know what’s real, what’s actually going to happen and what’s just... just a nightmare?”

Ravio sighed. “I honestly don’t know. He didn’t tell me much, just said they happened sometimes. I don’t think it was good, whatever it was, but he never told me what it was specifically about.”

Ravio shrugged, and patted Sky on the shoulder.

“You should try asking him about it. Or Princess Zelda, it’s common knowledge she has prophetic dreams.” He smiled at Sky, who still looked exhausted, but better. “Plus, if you’re all the same spirit or however that is, maybe you two aren’t the only ones who deal with them. Might be worth asking.”

Sky smiled, and Sheerow chirped.

“Thank you Ravio, you give good advice,” he said softly, and the merchant blushed.

“W-well I don’t know about that. I’m glad it helped though. My advice comes at a price though, fifty rupees please!” he declared with his customer-service grin.

Sky gave him an incredulous look, and Ravio gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck.

“...that was a joke.”

Sky smiled, and let out a small laugh of his own before cupping Sheerow in his palms and handing him back to Ravio.

“Thank you Ravio,” he said, and the merchant took back his bird, the little creature looking sleepy. “And thank you Sheerow. Good night.”

Ravio smiled. “Sleep well Mr. Chosen hero.”

Sky let out a laugh at the nickname, and Ravio went back to bed, not even minding as much that he’d been woken up.

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu sky #lu ravio #lu fic #whumptober2022 #day 24 #i don’t want to do this anymore #writing from the floor #projecting the lack of space in my house onto ravio hah #one time we went to the beach and two of my siblings slept in actual closets #also projecting my occasional horrific dreams that are enough within the realm of possibility that I wonder if they might actually happen #hah... yeah. anyways