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frogmanfae · 1 year

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Anthony Lockwood x GN! Reader- You Too? (FLUFF with a little bit of angst)

Summary: Anthony can't sleep at night. You can't sleep at night. Most of the time you avoid running into each other, but one fateful night of tears in the basement leads to an awkward bedroom experience.

A/n: this one is quite a bit longer than my other ones, about 4,000 words. I think it came out pretty well. Please don't make this dirty, I beg of you. It really is just awkwardness that happens to occur in a bed it isn't anything spicy.

Reader pov

There are nights where I can't bear to be in my room. I'm not sure why. Perhaps I need a break from such mundane consistency. I just need to see something other than those walls.

On these nights, I usually make myself some tea and go to the basement. I'd much rather sit in the library, but Lockwood is in there most nights. Nobody ever comes down to the basement. I'm alone with only my thoughts and my tea.

I don't quite understand why my room has this effect on me sometimes. When my parents died, my room was my safe haven. My refuge. My sanctuary. So now that I'm in a new environment, it makes little sense to me that it can feel more like solitary confinement. It makes even less sense that I'm soothed by the concrete and dust of the basement.

Tonight is one of those nights. It's probably three in the morning as I sit on the floor leaned against the wall, sipping my tea. I'm a listener, like Lucy (though not nearly as powerful) so a moment of silence is rare, but extremely calming. To use my power and hear nothing is bliss.

I've only about half way finished my tea when someone comes down the stairs, clearly laser focused on something. We're in the middle of a big case, so that's probably it. I had expected it to be George doing some late research or maybe Lucy to see if she can listen to any of the sources down here and get a lead.

To my surprise, it's the other one.

I watch silently as Lockwood pulls out several files and spreads them out on a table. He seems extra stiff, like something is really bothering him. He grumbles something in frustration before collecting the files and putting them back in the cabinet.

He walks over to my wall and sits down a couple feet away. From what I can tell, he hasn't noticed me.

I'm right here, isn't your talent supposed to be sight?

I simply continue sipping on my tea, remaining quiet and looking forward to not disturb him, though he really is an idiot if he doesn't know I'm here.

I thought for a moment that he actually did see me, but he needed space and realized I needed the same so he just didn't acknowledge it. I was certain on this until I heard him crying.

I look over at him. He's still wearing dress pants and his button up and tie. He's still got on his dress shoes. However, his hair was a mess and his hands were currently tangled in the back locks, only making it worse. His face was buried in his knees. I swear I heard a tear drop on to the floor. He was quietly sobbing, clearly trying to not alert anyone but still in pain. Emotional pain, anyhow.

I debate what I should do for a moment. I don't want to startle him, and honestly he seems like he needs this. I decide to just keep drinking my tea and not look at him. I'll let him get it all out before I make my presence known.

It lasts longer than I thought. Perhaps ten minutes? I'm not the best with comprehending passage of time but that seems right enough. Regardless of the details, it was a long time to sit here holding my breath and listening to his suffering.

Finally, he sniffs and wipes his eyes. I'm still looking straight ahead holding my cup, only seeing him out of my peripheral vision. He runs his hands back and forth over his hair a few times. I close my eyes.

"JESUS FUCKI-"

I snap my head towards Lockwood. He's now on his back with his legs closest to me, propped up on one arm and looking at me as if I'm a ghost. I can properly see his face now. His dark circles seem more prominent than usual and his eyes are red and puffy. His nose is red. His cheeks are discolored. He looks abnormally pale. His lashes have been thickened and darkened by his tears. It was truly a sight.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE?"

"I was here before you."

"AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING? YOU SAW ALL OF THAT?"

"Shhh you'll wake up the others, we both know how lightly George sleeps while we're in the midst of a case. Anyhow, you seemed like you needed it. I didn't want to interrupt. It's not like I watched you."

"But... You saw it all. You heard everything!"

"Lockwood, I hope you realize I think no less of you."

"What?"

"I- oh gosh you can't be comfortable like that. Sit up, why don't you?" He hesitantly pushes himself up and leans against the wall again. "I'm worried about you."

"Theres no need to be-"

"Bullshit. You can't keep concealing your emotions like this. It's okay to be overwhelmed or stressed or overall upset for any reason. You always act like everything is wonderful but it's not. I don't know if it ever has been."

He looks down. "(Y/n)... It's not that easy-"

"I never said anything about it being easy. Of course it's hard. I can't even imagine how you feel owning an agency so young, having all that pressure on your shoulders. It's terrifying to be vulnerable."

"Is that why you're in the basement in the early hours of the morning, drinking herbal tea?"

I hum. "I just couldn't sleep, and I like herbal tea."

"Now who's bullshitting?" The corners of his mouth tug up in a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You much prefer green. Herbal simply calms you down. You only ever drink herbal tea when you're upset."

"How..."

"I notice things, (y/n). Lots of things. Don't think I don't hear the kettle during the midnight hours at least three times a week. The peculiar thing is I never hear anyone go back up the stairs and whenever I go into the kitchen, it's empty."

I look down. How'd he make this about me so quickly?

"Tell me, (y/n), do you spend your nights in the basement often?"

"... No. Only when I can't sleep."

"So... Often." He nods. "Why don't you stay in the library? It's much more inviting."

"I don't want to bother you. That's where you are most nights."

"You could never bother me."

"Stop, you were the one crying a few moments ago, this isn't about me."

He sighs. "It was worth a shot."

"Now, what's bothering you?"

"Uh... Nothing, really."

"Lockwood."

"It's just the case, that's all."

"That's a lie and we both know it."

He let's out a noise of exasperation. "Fine, you really want to know? It's my parents."

"Your parents?" I ask softly as I scoot closer to him.

He nods. "They died when I was six years old. You really have no idea what it's like to have such a great life until suddenly you don't and it all gets ripped away from you without warning and nobody will take you in so you have to fend for yourself before your age even reaches double digits."

"Actually... I think I can relate more than you realize."

"How can you possibly relate?" He almost sounds angry. I don't blame him, I never told him my story. I kept it to myself even after living with other people all this time. I moved here with a purpose, to start new. Therefore, my past never happened according to anyone else. I was another person then. I've left all of that behind, taking only the nightmares and memories with me.

"My parents were murdered when I was eight." I look straight ahead. "Nobody really wants to adopt a kid who's just began to really get strong in their talent for hearing brutal murders and death. It freaks adults out. So I was on my own until I found you guys."

His expression softens. "(Y/n), I'm so sorry, I... Wait, you were fourteen when you applied. That's six years."

"It was hard but I managed. The whole ghost hunting agent thing isn't so bad. Once you've been forced to watch your parents get nothing short of quartered right in front of your sensitive, innocent eyes, you can watch anyone else get ghost touched no big deal."

"I'm sorry, quartered?" His eyes are wide.

"Yeah, are you familiar with the French Revolution?"

"I'm familiar enough to hope you were talking about a different type of quartering."

I shook my head. "It was intense. I still think of it every time I close my eyes."

"I can't even imagine..."

"I didn't tell you this for you to feel sorry for me. I only wanted you to know I'll understand. You aren't as alone as you believe."

He nods slowly. "I see... Thank you... For sharing, I mean."

"Of course. So now that you know I can at least sort of understand what you're feeling, what's going on with you?"

He sighs. "I don't know... Sometimes I just..."

"Miss them?"

"... Yeah." He nods. "Yeah I miss them a lot. I miss them all the time but sometimes when I think about it it's not so bad, it's let me do what I've done, accomplish all of this. Other times..."

"It's mentally suffocating."

"Mentally suffocating... Yeah that's a good word for it. Like it's put a sheet over your brain to prevent it from getting oxygen, but you can still physically breathe with your lungs for the most part."

I nod. "Yeah, it's frightening. George has a book on it he was telling me about some time."

"George knows you feel like this sometimes?"

"No, but we often discuss our readings, trade books, recommend authors or titles... Things of the sort. I haven't told anyone about my past. Except you of course."

"Well aren't I special," he flashes one of his signature Lockwood smiles.

I roll my eyes. "Don't let it get to your head, your ego is already so inflated I fear it might burst."

"Oh haha you love my charisma."

"Is that what we're calling it?" I smile at him.

He laughs. Not his public press laugh, but a true, genuine laugh. One that I've never heard from him before. It makes me feel a little bit warmer with emotion.

"You know, most nights I stay awake in the library simply because I can't stand the solitude of my room."

"What?"

"I know, it's silly-"

"No, not at all! I come down here for the same reason!"

"You do?" He raises his eyebrows, sounding surprised. "I thought you just worried over cases or, well now I thought you thought about your past but-"

"No, it's like..." I think for a moment, trying to figure out how to put it into words. "Like the silence is too loud and the space is too big for just me, even though my bed hardly fits properly."

"Exactly! Like I don't have anything to focus on except for the sensory deprivation and my anxieties."

"Yes! Oh my goodness I can't believe you get it!"

"I thought I was the only one!" He laughs again, different this time. It sounds almost relieved. "Say... Maybe we could help each other out."

I raise an eyebrow. "Help each other out? How so?"

"Well, feel free to decline if you want and we'll never speak of this proposal again, but perhaps we could try spending the night in the same room."

"But..." I get that warm feeling again, more intense this time. "Each room only has one bed..."

"Yes well..." Despite the horrid lighting of the basement, I could faintly see a light pink tint spanning across his nose and blotching on other, seemingly random, spots on his face. "Like I said I understand if you decline and if that is your choice we can pretend I never said anything... However... I feel it may be beneficial to the both of us to have a... companion in the lonely, deafeningly silent hours of the night. If it works, splendid we can finally get some proper sleep. If it doesn't, we each return to our respective seperate rooms and carry on as if nothing ever happened."

"..." I nod slowly. "Okay."

"Ah- really?" He turns to face me more. "In all honesty I thought you would detest the idea."

"Do you still want-"

"Yes! I mean," he clears his throat, "uh... Yeah, the offer still stands."

"Perfect."

"Well then." He stands up and offers me his hand. "Shall we?"

"Oh you mean like right now! Alright then." I take his hand and he pulls me up. He chuckles and leads me to his room.

"I uh... I'll go take this cup back to the kitchen and let you get changed and what not."

"Oh- right." He pushes back some of his hair. "I'll only be a minute or two."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for whenever you're ready."

He smiles at me as he steps back into his room and closes the door. I swiftly make my way to the kitchen and set my cup in the sink, resolving to wash it in the morning, and return in under a minute.

I wait outside for only about thirty seconds longer before Lockwood opens the door again.

"Sorry I took so long."

"Long? Lockwood that was- wait."

"What? Is something the matter?" He takes his hand off of the door handle and peeks his head out around the corner.

"No, just... You're wearing a shirt."

"Oh, well..." He stepped aside, inviting me in, and closed the door behind me "Yes in fact I am. What about it?"

"Lockwood you've never worn a shirt to bed in all the time I've been here. It's like an unspoken principle in the house; you don't wear shirts to bed and George doesn't wear trousers."

"I didn't realize it was such a disruption of order-"

"Well- that's not what I'm saying." I sigh. I've always struggled with putting things into the right words. "Obviously it's fine if you wear a shirt to bed, I just... I'm just wondering why all of a sudden?"

"Well... I don't know. I suppose I thought you may be a bit uncomfortable sharing a bed with me when I've no shirt on." He looked down, those pink splotches returning to his face. "After all, this is only an arrangement of convenience and practicality. It's not like were... uh... going out... or anything..."

"Ah, right..." I can feel myself getting flustered. "Well... I don't mind, really. The whole point is to feel more comfortable going to sleep so if you feel more comfortable with no shirt on, honestly it doesn't make any difference to me."

"... Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, really." I smile reassuringly. "Whatever makes you fall asleep best."

He hesitates. "Well, if you're absolutely positive-"

"Lockwood, I promise you."

He hums lowly. "Alright then. But if you change your mind just tell me and I'll put it back on straight away, I swear-"

"Lockwood!"

"Alright, okay! If you're sure-"

"I'm sure."

He holds his hands up in mock surrender, a smile gracing his face. It isn't one of his signature smiles, it's real, quite boyish actually. He seems so young. Sometimes I forget how young we really are, but then again, all youth since The Problem has forgotten how young they really are.

I try my best to appear to be disinterested and looking away as he removes his shirt and folds it, neatly placing it in the bottom right drawer of his dresser. Of course, I watch the whole thing unfold. I'm only trying to appear as if I'm not.

"Alright, well..." He awkwardly rubs his arm. I've never seen him seem so nervous before. "I suppose now is when we uh... get into bed, then..."

"Yes it does seem like that happens now..." I slowly nod.

"Well uhm... After you." He gestures toward the bed.

"Oh no, please, it's your bed, you go ahead first." I wave my hands.

"No no I insist. You're my... guest? Is that the appropriate term for this? What do we call this?" He lets out a breathy chuckle. "Sorry, I'm a bit..."

"Nervous?"

"To say the least."

We both laugh a little bit. There really was no need for it to be so nerve wrecking. We had already agreed that if it doesn't go well we pretend nothing happened. Nobody needs to know.

"Here, why don't we just both get in at the same time?" I offer.

"Yes! Yes, that sounds like a good idea." He goes to the side of the bed opposite of me.

It's still extremely tense as the both of us climb in under the covers. There's plenty of space in between us. I'm nearly hanging off the edge, no doubt Lockwood is as well.

Fuck it.

I move onto the bed more so I'm a comfortable ways on. "Lockwood?"

"Yes?"

"Can I be frank for a moment?"

"Well I think I'd prefer you to stay (y/n) but I suppose whatever makes you happy-"

"Oh shut up." He laughs one of those real laughs again. I nearly melt.

"What would you like to talk about?"

I take a deep breath, admittedly, his joke (however stupid) managed to cut some of the tension. "This isn't going to work unless we get over ourselves and actually share the bed. Like real sharing."

He pauses. "You're right. The question is, how far are we going?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... Well..." He huffs. "If we're being frank-"

"I prefer Anthony, but I suppose-"

"Oh shut up, it really isn't funny." Despite his words, he was smiling again. "I see your point now."

"Well, what is it you were going to say, Frank?"

"Please don't." He laughs, making me smile more.

"I'm listening."

He inhales deeply. "Well, how far are we going as in... Are we simply laying next to one another and trying to go to sleep or... to be blunt, are we spooning?"

I nearly chocked on my own saliva. Blunt was certainly one way to say it.

"Well... Whatever makes you comfortable. Honestly I think it would work best if we... Uh... Did the latter, but I don't want to make you-"

"I was actually hoping you'd say that-"

He sighs, sounding almost... Relieved?"

"Really?"

"Yes, I-" he rolls over, bringing us from being over a foot apart to our noses now almost touching. "Goodness you are much closer than I thought-"

"Sorry, I-" I start to move back, but he puts his hand on my waist, gently stopping me.

"No no I uh... Well if we're going to uh... You know, uhm, we're going to have to be close anyway so..."

"Right, yeah..."

He softly pulls me closer using his hand that still rests on my waist. I move towards him until my hands are pressed to his chest and our legs are touching under the covers. His face is splotchy red again, the most intense I've ever seen it, though I can't imagine how flustered I must appear.

"Uhm... May I?" He starts to wrap his leg around mine.

"Ah..." I nod, unable to trust my voice.

And so now we lay here, about two seconds away from being puddles of awkwardness and mild embarrassment. He's warm. Very warm. It's kind of nice being this close to him.

I've always found him attractive since the moment I saw him. He is, objectively, a good looking guy.

Then I got to know him a little bit. He and I would often bicker and pester one another, some times seemingly more serious than others, but for the most part it was all in jest. Making jabs at each other is just what we do.

I think I fell for him more and more over my time here, but tonight I saw a new side of him. A side that really pushed me over the edge of having a bit of a crush on him to trying to stop myself from kissing him at any given moment.

"(Y/n)? Are you alright?" He brings a hand up to my forehead. "You're awful warm and you look... Distressed."

"Anthony?"

His gaze softened. I don't think anyone has called him that in... well who knows how long? Too long. "Yes? Is something the matter?"

"No I just..." I make eye contact with him, effectively rendering myself speechless.

He inches closer. "Are you sure? This is quite the... intimate position... I wouldn't want to make you..."

By this time, our noses are back to almost touching, but even closer than before. He tilts his head just enough to avoid colliding them.

"Make me what? Uncomfortable?" I glance down at his lips, quickly looking back to his eyes to avoid suspicion. "Anthony, you could never-"

He kisses me.

Holy shit.

Anthony Lockwood is kissing me.

I'm in Anthony Lockwood's bed.

I'm kissing Anthony Lockwood!

"I'm sorry-" he pulls back. "Oh no... I shouldn't have done that... Shit... Oh shit I'm so sorry-"

I kiss him again. "Shut up, will you? I just had a life altering moment here and I'm trying to enjoy it."

"You- you liked it?"

"Of course I did. Anthony, I've liked you since... Well I suppose there wasn't a single moment I could pick out but-"

"I love it when you call me that."

I smile. "Call you what? Anthony? Well that is your name."

"It hasn't been used in years. Not by itself, anyhow. It sounds nice coming from your lips."

"I like your lips." It takes a moment to register what I just said. "Wait, I didn't mean-"

"You like kissing me~" He teases me, putting on his Lockwood Smile.

"Oh shut up!" I put my head on his chest to hide my face. "Of course I do..."

"Well... You know what I would like more than just kissing you?" He carefully lifts my head up with two fingers under my chin.

"Hm?"

He hesitates for a moment. "I'd like to be your boyfriend."

"What? Really?"

"If you'll have me, that is-"

"Of course I'll have you, you prick!" I lightly punch his chest. "Do you know how long I've wanted to tell you that?"

He shakes his head. "I can't say I do."

"Well there wasn't a specific time but I think I started to think about it more and more around the time we were working the Brentic case."

"The B- (y/n) that was at least a year and a half ago."

"I'm well aware."

"... Huh."

"What?"

"I think I've known since the Dalkins case."

"Lockwood, that was long before the Brentic case-"

"It seems my charm worked then."

"Oh shut up! Go to sleep!"

He laughs a bit. "So... Are we...?"

"... I think we are..."

"Wonderful! Splendid! Perfect! Grand! Fanta-"

I laugh. "Anthony shut up!"

He goes quiet, but the smile remains on his face. "Do we tell the others?"

"... Nah. It's funnier if we just let them figure it out. But we don't necessarily have to hide it either."

He nods. "It'll take all my self control to not shout it from the rooftops."

"Oh hush." I roll my eyes, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach. "Get some sleep, lover boy. You clearly need it."

He kisses me once more, shorter this time, before closing his eyes and pulling me closer to his chest. He falls asleep surprisingly quickly, his breaths going even and his mouth falling slightly agape in no time at all.

I watch him for a moment. Once again, he really shows his age for only a second. I push some of his hair away from his face and place a kiss on his forehead, causing him to stir just a bit.

Before I know it, my eyelids feel heavy. It becomes increasingly harder to keep them open, to stay awake. Soon enough, I'm drifting into sleep with pleasant dreams to greet me and Lockwood by my side.

How lucky am I?

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silverbladexyz · 5 months

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Blue Skies, Tainted Sorrow

TW: Mentions of death. Stormbringer spoilers below!

The Yokohama sky was an exceptionally sorrowful blue.

Normally, the colour blue was associated with stability and harmony, granting a sense of tranquil peace wherever it descended. Favoured in the eyes of many, outshining numerous other shades- with such positive attributes, it was almost laughable, really, how it was also the epitome of sorrow.

But on this particular day, sorrow was the perfect reflection of the sky.

Chuuya sat, unmoving, on a particular protrusion of the building; his vacant eyes staring at the endless expansion of blue stretched out above him.

Calls that were sent to him were left unanswered on his phone, whether it was from you or from the supercomputer Adam that was assisting Chuuya in this case.

You understood your friend all too well to know what he was thinking.

"The hell is he doing?"

Shirase's impatient voice cut through the silence, and you turned your gaze towards him, glaring slightly. Despite all his proclamations about being the future 'King' of the disbanded organisation called the Sheep, he couldn't read the room to save his life, and was a coward in times of true danger. Talk about being a king of foolishness instead.

"I imagine he doesn't want to talk to anybody right now," Adam replied, as he looked up at the motionless teenager. You frowned slightly, glancing back towards the figure sitting on the building. Even though the latter could put on such a convincing act that could fool Dazai himself, anybody could tell that Chuuya was suffering in remorse and self-blame.

You didn't want him to suffer anymore.

"... Please excuse me."

Activating your ability, you teleported right to the same ledge that your friend was situated on, trying not to slip off the uneven surface.

If Chuuya heard you, he gave no sign of acknowledging your presence.

Taking a small breath, you tried to relax yourself as you slowly approached the teenager, speaking in a soft voice.

"... Hey. I just wanted to check up on you. You've been up here for a few hours, and I was starting to get worried."

There was no reply, but you waited patiently, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

"... I'm fine. There's no need for you to concern yourself over me."

It was an usual curt answer that you'd expected to hear from him. You knew that he was like this because he wanted to solely shoulder the guilt of their deaths on his shoulders.

But you weren't going to let him go this easily.

"... This is about the detective, isn't it? And the Flags, as well-"

Before you could finish your sentence, Chuuya had already shot up and faced you, gritting his teeth as he glared silently. You only stared back at him calmly.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"..." He stared off in another direction for a while, before his gaze returned to you again. But instead of anger, there was only a vacant emptiness in his eyes.

"The Flags and Detective-san all died because of me. I'm the one responsible for their deaths. And I have to be the one to stop Verlaine so that there won't be anyone else who end up with the same fate as them."

You stared at him silently, before opening your mouth to speak.

"'You're the one responsible for their deaths'... is that truly all you believe in?"

Chuuya stiffened, and you continued before he could get a chance to rebut.

"You were not the one who murdered them. Verlaine did, in order to 'set you free'. But he doesn't want to force you to come with him, because it'd be going against your own freedom of choice. Instead... he wants you to blame yourself for their deaths. To feel guilty about those lives that he cut away. And make you approach him of your own accord, so that-"

"But Verlaine killed them because he knew I wouldn't leave the Mafia. Even if I wasn't the one who performed the physical act, I'm still the sole reason why they're dead! Can't you see? None of this would have happened if I had just gone with him that time."

The sorrow was evident within him, even as he resorted to his usual angry façade.

"... It is agony. I feel it too. But," you tentatively placed a hand on Chuuya's shoulder, feeling his muscles tense up underneath your touch.

"Just as Mori-san had said, the dead feel no emotion. Things such as revenge and guilt are for the living. However, blaming yourself for their deaths is going to get you nowhere. It hurts, but it is only through this hurt that you can remember who you are fighting for. And please remember that you are not alone. I'll be here for you, and you can rely on me whenever you need me."

"..." Chuuya looked down towards the ground, his body starting to turn away, but you weren't finished yet.

His eyes widened as he felt your arms encircling around him.

Chuuya's instant reflex was to flinch and back away, but you merely tightened your hold on him. His hands lay by his side, but your warmth encouraged him to relax into the hug. It was slightly awkward, as the two of you weren't too well-versed in platonic affections, but that didn't matter in this moment.

"I know that it's been hard for you. I know that it isn't easy to keep on fighting when you have struggles of your own. But I just wanted to tell you... that you'll always be a human in my eyes. And that will never change."

The silence that followed was deafening- and with that, you felt a twinge of panic in you.

Did you happen to say something that upset him? You always knew how Chuuya felt about his humanity, but you never knew how he would react if someone believed that he was human. Your grip around him started to loosen slightly.

Only for two strong arms to hug you back, alongside a face being buried into your shoulder.

It was the first time you ever felt him smile.

Hopefully this did justice to Stormbringer!Chuuya ❣

@circinuus @riiwrites @sariel626 @ruanais @kolyakisses @chocsra @oldworldpoolhall @chunshiya @yuugen-benni

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sleepboysummer · 7 months

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i think about him at least 10 times a day

#poor poor boy. give him a hug #and a kiss on the forehead #i actualy cry when i see him #his storyline is so sad in both worlds i just want himto be happy #coraline #wybie lovat #coraline wybie

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skyloftian-nutcase · 7 months

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Elastic Heart Ch 7 (Linked Universe story)

Summary: When Sky goes missing, the Chain scrambles to figure out where he is and what happened before it's too late.

(AO3 link)

First

<<Previous // Next>>

Hyrule Castle hardly felt like the safest place for any of the Links given most of their adventures, but it was as good a place to regroup and heal as any other. Although the entire group was well aware that the knights were useless, and the whispers of nobility hung close over their shoulders, the queen gave them as much privacy as possible and lent her best healers to their cause.

The next twenty-four hours were a somber affair. The heroes kept vigil at the beds of their fallen friends. When they weren’t fretting over them, they were wandering aimlessly, too forlorn for words and too anxious for rest.

It was late into the night after their return from the desert, and Time was staring into a fire contemplatively, his mind still trying to process everything. Twilight had already eased him out of his armor, which had been silently hidden until it could be cleaned of Sky’s blood. Somehow, despite all his experience, Time still seemed to be the least functional when someone was this injured.

How was it that in the span of four weeks he’d almost lost two of his boys? He still hadn’t figured out what had led to this, why Sky had been so terrified, so insistent that they leave, why he’d been apologizing with his dying breath.

There was just… so much. All of it was too much. The Shadow, Sky, all of it. Why had the Shadow taken his form and then spoken such words about Sky creating him? Was that why Sky had been so concerned with eliminating it himself? Some words about a curse, lies hissed between demonic teeth about how Sky had somehow made this mess?

Goddesses above… what had that thing convinced Sky? No matter what had started this… surely Sky wasn’t blaming himself for it?

That had to be the issue. Sky, sweet and soft, always in the background until he decided it was time to cause a little mischief… the boy had always been the least of Time’s concerns when it came to causing actual trouble. He’d always seemed the calmest, the most put together, the least traumatized, the most normal. Between that and his adoration for a sword Time would rather see at the bottom of Lake Hylia, the boy had never really been someone that Time had to keep a close eye on.

Yet here he’d been, taking on the weight of their journey himself and trying to leave the others behind. He’d nearly gotten himself killed for it.

Time had assumed the position of leader in this group and he’d nearly failed in recognizing when one of its members was in desperate need of help.

How long had Sky been spiraling like this? What had led him to this point? Had the Shadow spoken to him on the night he’d taken watch? Had it started before then? Did he blame himself for Twilight’s injury as well? What else was he hiding? What curse had the Shadow been talking about?

Time heard footsteps, and he turned to see the veteran walking morosely through the room, pointedly ignoring his leader. Twilight stood at the entranceway to the room sectioned off for their two fallen brothers, arms crossed as he watched Legend leave. When Time’s eye met his own, he said, “Finally convinced him to go to bed.”

“How are you holding up?” Time found himself asking before he could stop himself. He was worried for all of them, especially his descendant, who naturally took others’ wellbeing and protection as his own personal responsibility. They were all heroes, they all felt that burden, but his Ordonian made it his life’s mission to protect his loved ones far more than anyone else.

Not to mention Time had been doing a terrible job of checking in on anyone.

Twilight sighed tiredly. “I… would feel better if I were the one in the bed. It’s way worse just being the one helplessly looking on.”

Time would rather not relive the events of a month ago, but he knew what Twilight meant. It was the worst feeling in the world, being a child of destiny, someone who was so used to fixing all the problems, and being stuck in a situation where there was absolutely nothing to do.

“I know,” Time said simply, resting a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

“Cap’s still in there,” Twilight said quietly, eyes looking at the ground as his own emotions got the better of him. “I managed to get the rest out. Vet was the last.”

Time hadn’t even been in there since their arrival. Warriors hadn’t left the boys’ side. It was almost as if their positions were reversed from the last time. He wasn’t sure he should be happy about it or not. He felt almost guilty for not hovering the same way, but he’d been fairly useless last time. It would be better if he could actually help the others as Warriors had, but he’d spent the majority of the day in a daze, guided around by Twilight, who had taken the captain’s role in guiding and leading everyone else.

What an insane week this turned out to be.

“Get some sleep,” Time finally said, patting Twilight’s cheek affectionately before lowering his hand.

Twilight watched him uncertainly, biting his lip and nodding. He walked by without another word. The eldest Link took a steadying breath, heading into the room.

It was a fairly small chamber, with both beds’ headboards against the same wall. Time saw Warriors asleep in the chair between the two, scooted a little closer to Hyrule’s bed. The captain was dressed down in his undertunic and pants, scarf and armor set aside in his own quarters. Time pulled an extra blanket that was folded by the bedside and wrapped it gently around his fellow hero. Despite his attempt to be gentle, the captain stirred, one of the lightest sleepers in the group, and turned bleary eyes towards his elder.

“Go to bed,” Time said softly. “I’ll watch them.”

Frazzled and exhausted, Warriors let out a weary exhale, rubbing his face. Time thought better of his dismissal, recalling that the captain had checked in on him in the past, that he himself had just checked in on Twilight. He shouldn’t brush off the man just because he held himself together better than anyone else.

“It’ll… be all right,” he tried to reassure the man hesitantly.

Warriors stiffened, shoulders shaking, much to Time’s alarm. However, instead of sobs, he heard an amused snort. The captain looked up, eyes exhausted but somewhat alight. “You’re really not good at this whole emotional support thing, are you?”

Despite his own mood, Time found himself scowling mildly. “That bad?”

“Your tone isn’t reassuring at all.”

“I’m not used to saying things that…”

“That you don’t believe?” Warriors finished for him. “Me neither. That’s why I try distraction instead.”

Time huffed, looking between the two sleeping boys. They both looked so peaceful now. Not pale, not on death’s door, not desperate or begging for forgiveness.

He sighed heavily as his gaze returned to the captain. Not recognizing he was under scrutiny, Warriors had let his expression be more open, fear and worry pulling at him. He looked so damn tired. He’d seen this too many times. Time himself had seen the expression when Twilight had been dying.

Warriors was far more accustomed to this than any of them. And Time hated that.

The captain shifted to get up, but then he paused, staring at the bed. Time followed his gaze, watching with sudden intensity as their esteemed traveler scrunched his nose and twisted in bed a little, eyes fluttering open.

“Traveler? Link?” Warriors leaned forward alongside Time, his hand gently reaching for Hyrule’s shoulder.

The Hero of Hyrule blinked a few times, seeming to register his surroundings, and then he gasped, practically leaping into a seated position. Time immediately sat on the bed just as Warriors jumped forward, both placing steadying hands on the teenager’s shoulders.

“Sky!” Hyrule immediately exclaimed, squirming under their hold.

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Warriors insisted, putting a second hand on the boy’s chest. “He’s here.”

Hyrule paused, panting for air, eyes wide and wild, before they settled on the pair. “He’s okay?”

Time and Warriors exchanged a look before the leader spoke. “He’s here.”

Hyrule huffed, eyes wet, and then he laughed shakily, tucking his knees into his chest. “I—I thought—I thought he—I—”

He laughed again, more nervous than before, entire body trembling. Warriors settled on the mattress beside him, arm wrapping around his shoulders carefully. Hyrule wasn’t the most comfortable with touch and usually didn’t engage in it, and neither Warriors nor Time were particularly cuddly men, but after everything, they all felt the need to stick close to each other. The traveler leaned into the hold, tears trailing down his cheeks as he continued to chuckle, his breaths quickly accelerating into something akin to panic and relief, a conglomeration of emotions crashing out of him in a fashion that he couldn’t control. Warriors held him tighter.

“We’re glad you’re alright,” Time said softly, his thumb tracing across the boy’s collarbone. “You scared us back there.”

“Yeah, what with the Triforce and all,” Warriors piped up, squeezing Hyrule a little more tightly as he smiled. “You sure did have quite the trick up your sleeve.”

Hyrule’s tearful relief evaporated in an instant, eyes widening with alarm. Time felt his own concern rise – did the boy not remember using it?

“It’s okay,” Time assured him. “We’re all heroes here, Traveler. We’ve borne pieces of the Triforce as well. I just didn’t realize one among us had carried the entire sacred relic. That’s quite an honor.”

“R-right,” Hyrule mumbled, looking at his knees.

“How are you feeling?” Warriors asked, brushing past the distressing topic.

“Where’s the Triforce?” Hyrule countered.

The elder pair glanced at each other again before answering honestly. “We… don’t know. It vanished once you’d finished using it.”

Hyrule watched them a moment, still and silent. Then he buried his head into his knees.

“We’ll find it,” Warriors assured him. “One way or another. Such an artifact stretches far beyond our understanding – it might have returned to your era.”

“I—I didn’t want him to die,” Hyrule said in a trembling voice.

“We know,” Time soothed gently, sliding his hand along Hyrule’s back. “We didn’t want that either.”

Hyrule glanced up at him, cheeks stained with tears once more. “He’s okay, right?”

Time swallowed. Sky remained quiet in the other bed. He pushed lightly on the teenager. “Get some sleep, Link.”

XXX

It was the middle of the night when Legend finally gave up on sleeping.

His mind was whirling too much. Watching Sky basically die right in front of him, watching Hyrule nearly kill himself with the effort to wish him back with the Triforce…

It had been entirely too familiar.

He thought he’d gotten passed that. He thought he’d learned to keep moving in spite of the shadows cast over him by his journeys.

Clearly he’d been wrong.

So the young hero, a veteran of more adventures than any of the others individually, found himself incapable of handling the situation. And he hated that.

Legend wandered the castle, ignoring the cold and uninviting stone all around him. His feet guided him back to the room they’d set aside for Hyrule and Sky. The candle in his hand flickered slightly at the draft in the cavernous antechamber, chilled now that the fire in the large hearth had mostly died down.

When he slowly opened the door, he wasn’t surprised to see someone holding vigil. Time glanced up to meet his gaze.

“Just wanted to check on them,” he said dully, not bothering to hide his reasoning. This felt so different from when Twilight had been injured – Hyrule had been in there constantly trying to heal him. They’d avoided the area to let him concentrate. It had been awful, but at least there’d been a thread of hope to work with. It wasn’t as if there weren’t healers here, but the words they’d been given were little comfort.

They’d needed rest. There was nothing else they could do.

No potion could heal someone who couldn’t drink it. No spell could be cast when the one who knew the spells was the one who was unconscious. And so they’d all just done the last thing they could do, the only thing they could do.

They kept them company.

They kept them company, and Legend simmered with grief, guilt, and unresolved emotions from so many years ago that he didn’t even know how to put words to them.

Time pat the empty chair beside him welcomingly. Legend was thankful for the invitation, thankful that there were no questions being asked. He shuffled over to the chair, watching Sky sleep before his eyes drifted to Hyrule next.

“Our traveler woke up earlier,” Time said quietly.

Legend turned to him, eyes wide. “He did?”

“Yes. I think he’ll be alright with some more rest.”

Thank the goddesses, he thought. He didn’t remember the Triforce being so draining, but Hyrule had used it to augment his magic and grant a wish, so perhaps it worked differently than it had for Legend all those years ago.

Time’s words hung in the air, and then there was silence. Legend’s candle held steady against the darkness, illuminating his face, but he had no words to offer. For a moment, as he watched Sky, it felt like he was holding vigil over a body, a mourner lost in time, adrift in a different Hyrule altogether, grieving the loss of someone who was equally displaced and wholly forgotten to this era.

His breath hitched in his throat. He swallowed hard.

The silence seemed suffocating, but he had nothing to say. Time shifted uncomfortably beside him, clearly trying to find the right words. Legend didn’t care.

Sky. Sky had… just like…

There was usually something to distract him at this point, some task he had to accomplish that made him move forward despite the emotions dragging him down. But this felt like the end of a journey, after his first one or after Koholint, where there was nothing left but the emptiness in his chest, the fresh wounds on his heart. He had no road to travel on, no home to go back to, no Zelda to talk to.

He just stared at Sky.

“I have confidence that the Triforce healed the worst of it,” Time said. “Though I do not know if he will fully recover—”

“He died,” Legend interrupted.

“Veteran… he’s right here. He’s alive.”

“No,” Legend said firmly, feeling his throat tighten. He swallowed hard to fight it. “No. You don’t get it. None of you gets it. He didn’t just get hurt, he didn’t just fall. He died.”

They didn’t understand. They didn’t realize why they felt the way they did. Even he couldn’t truly comprehend it, but he knew why. He knew because it had happened before.

“The Triforce brought him back,” Legend explained. “But that doesn’t change the fact that he died. He died and none of you get that, he died, he died—”

Legend didn’t know when he’d lost the battle with his voice, when the tears had started to leak out, when the words had devolved into pathetic sobs, an admittance to a grief that he’d carried with him for years, a fresh wound and terror and horror that had ingrained itself into his soul.

Sky was one of his dearest friends. And he’d died.

He couldn’t even be angry at the Shadow, couldn’t even be curious as to what its words had meant, couldn’t even be worried about why Sky had left in the first place. All he felt was utter and absolute grief and loss.

Because Sky had died. They’d had to resurrect him. The others were caught in a confused haze of worry and fear, as if they were just watching an injured brother instead of acknowledging what had actually happened, instead of realizing that they should be mourning too.

Legend’s cries grew louder, inadvertently waking Hyrule. He didn’t notice. He couldn’t see it through his tears, through the darkness that engulfed him when Time pulled him into a hug.

XXX

Sky didn’t wake the next morning when Hyrule did. The others celebrated seeing one of their brothers slowly recovering, but the mood was certainly dampened by a lack of progress from their most injured. Wild found purpose in nourishing Hyrule back to health while Warriors started to fall into a field medic mode of sorts. Sky’s comatose state still necessitated care, though it brought a morbid curiosity in Wild – after all, he’d been in a similar state for a century.

Clearly the Shrine of Resurrection worked its magic to help sustain him. Sky had no such luck. His body still functioned as if he were awake, requiring sustenance, removing waste. He needed to be fed and cleaned, to be moved so he wouldn’t get bed sores, to be prodded to see if there was a reaction. It was a morbid affair, and it made Wild uneasy. He’d only been asleep for two days and it already felt like a century in itself.

Wild found it too disturbing to watch. Instead, he helped the others. He felt like he had to pull his weight somehow, had to blink the images of Sky’s broken body in Time’s arms. Hyrule slowly improving was something they could all latch on to. Warriors never seemed to leave Sky’s room, and Twilight spent a fair amount of time in there as well alongside Time. Occasionally Legend and Four assisted, but Wind was kept away, as well as Hyrule. Wild just couldn’t stomach the sight of the care his beloved friend needed. Whenever any of the boys lamented the situation, however, Legend would firmly and adamantly say that Sky was going to be fine.

It was strange, how confident he was. But with all his experiences, Wild had to wonder if he knew something of the matter. He latched on to the hope nonetheless. It seemed silly not to hope in a recovery, given his own history, but, well… that had taken a while. Sky didn’t have a century.

As the sun set on the second day, however, worry began to hover over them like a cloud heavy laden with an oncoming rain. After all, there was no way they could nourish Sky if he didn’t wake up.

“He’ll wake up,” Legend insisted when Four pointed this out.

“Assuming he does, that still doesn’t address the biggest issue,” Four sighed. “What if… what if when he wakes up, he tries to leave again?”

“He wouldn’t!” Wind argued.

“How do you know?” Four fired back. “He’d been running from us the entire time!”

Wild watched the exchange warily. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t wondered what had caused all of this in the first place, but it honestly hadn’t crossed his mind that it could happen again. He felt Hyrule shift uncomfortably beside him, and he turned his attention to his exhausted brother.

“You don’t think he wanted to leave us, do you?” Hyrule asked him quietly.

Words latched on to the champion’s brain, having first hooked in his mind when he’d heard them two days ago.

You don’t realize how terribly you failed.

This entire journey, Wild had been the failure of the group. Hearing those words had made him think the Shadow had been addressing him when he’d known, he’d known that it had been addressing Sky. But what failure was Sky responsible for? He hadn’t done anything wrong. Unless, of course, the Shadow was simply talking about Sky’s pursuit of it. But… Sky’s frantic attempts to argue, to silence it…

“No,” Wild answered distantly. “I don’t think he wanted to leave us.”

XXX

“It’s been two hours; we should move him.”

“I can do it.”

“No, it’s all right. You carried him last time. I’ll do it.”

What? What was… what?

Link felt impossibly heavy. His half-addled brain wondered if he’d become a sword spirit like Fi, made entirely of metal.

He was lying on something soft, he knew that much. He felt like he was sinking into it so much that he would never be able to get out.

Except he was getting out of it. Or, well, floating out of it. Flying? Was he flying?

Warmth wrapped around his back and shoulders, around the back of his knees. Two grounding forces, holding him steady in a vast expanse of nothing. He felt himself dangling and shifting in rhythmic motions.

Distant voices grew closer as the sound of creaking wood emitted beneath him in shuffles.

“Don’t spill it!”

“Oh, quit your fussing, Vet! Here, Traveler, just drink slowly. We kept it warm for you.”

“Are you guys done arguing? I have a story to finish!”

Grumbles. Sighing.

“Go on, Sailor.” That voice rumbled, buzzing in Sky’s ear with the warmth of a hearth and accompanied by a gentle heartbeat.

“So there I was, thirty bokoblins between me and my goal—”

“Oh boy, they multiplied again,” a voice remarked dryly.

“What are you talking about?”

Sailor. Sailor? What?

Link tried to focus, but he was being lulled back to sleep by gentle sways as if he were laying on a hammock on Skyloft.

“It seems each time you tell it more bokoblins appear.” There was that rumbling tone again, waking Link slightly, relaxing him and drawing him into a trance. It was so familiar…

There was a decidedly annoyed huff in reply. “Hey, I know what I’m talking about! Anyway, so there were fifty bokoblins between me and—”

Link finally pried an eye open. Then he blearily tried to do it with his other eye. Everything was so blurry.

The hammock he was on continued to sway gently. Back and forth. Back and forth.

“That’s impossible and you know it, Sailor!”

“Nuh uh, that’s what happened—”

“Sky?”

The swaying stopped, jostling Link out of his relaxed state a little more. He tried to look up, but he couldn’t muster the strength. However, his perception was finally piecing together an image in his brain, and he belatedly realized he was not, in fact, lying on a hammock.

Someone was carrying him.

Someone was carrying him, and the sailor was here. But not just the sailor. He recognized all their voices.

“Sky, can you hear me?”

The rumbling from before returned. The gentle, steady heartbeat had increased a little. Who was carrying him? Link tried again with all his might to move his head, to tip it back just enough to see above, to identify who was holding him. It definitely wasn’t the captain; the voice was deeper than his. That just left Time and Twilight.

It had to be Twilight, then. The man was freakishly strong, and Time would never—

“Here—move this—put him here, old man.”

Huh?

Link felt his world move as the person carrying him—Time—took a few steps forward. There was scrambling and shuffling of items, hushed whispers and excited laughs. Link felt something somewhat hard and warm rise up to meet his back as he was laid on top of something, and his head settled on someone’s lap.

A hand gently brushed his bangs out of his eyes before settling on his chest, giving it a soft pat. With his head facing towards the ceiling, he saw eight faces slowly come into focus, all encircling him like flower petals around its center.

He drank in the sight, having missed his friends so much. Twilight was the one his head was resting on, the one who had a hand on his chest and a reassuring, gentle smile directly over him. Time stood behind Twilight, a hand on the rancher’s shoulder, also watching him, though his expression was less warm and more concerned. To Link’s left were Legend, who quickly placed a hand on Link’s shoulder, Wind, who was smiling so brightly he outshone the sunlight, and Warriors, who had both hands on Wind’s shoulders as he leaned over to see Link more clearly. Hyrule sat a distance away towards Link’s feet, with Wild directly beside him and holding him steadily in a side hug, his face beaming. To his right, Four’s smile was genuine and trembling, his eyes glistening with tears. Link managed to get the muscles in his face to cooperate, and he gave a weak smile.

The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and then laughter echoed in the air. Link was bombarded by voices competing for his attention.

“We were so worried—”

“Our Traveler nearly killed himself to get you better, we thought we were going to lose both of you!”

“We missed you so much, Sky—”

“We really thought you were a goner! Like seriously, Vet was crying—”

“I was not crying!!”

“Are you feeling okay?”

Everyone hushed at the question issued by Twilight. Link watched them all, his smile fading alongside his energy. He took a deep breath, trying to piece everything together, his mind still too slow to process it all, and Twilight patted his chest again.

“It’s okay if you’re too tired to talk,” Twilight said softly. “We got you out of bed so you wouldn’t get bed sores, but now that you’re waking up, maybe it’ll be okay?”

Here Twilight directed his attention to Warriors, seeming to ask him if it would, in fact, be all right. The captain ruffled Wind’s hair, making the sailor giggle and step aside, and he drew closer to Link and Twilight. “Mostly. If he’s too weak to move, we’ll still need to do it for him.”

Link could hardly put anything together. But one sentence suddenly burned in his mind, registering and making him try to bolt into a seated position. His body refused to obey, and he barely had curled into his abdomen before his head flopped back on Twilight’s lap with a grunt.

“Easy, Sky,” Twilight soothed gently, pulling Link onto his lap completely with strong grips under his arms. Link settled his head against the elder’s shoulder, gasping for air at the exertion. “It’s okay. We’ll take care of you.”

“T-Traveler…” Link managed to scrape out, his heart racing.

Hyrule shuffled closer, sitting on whatever object Link had just been lying on earlier. He reached a shaking hand out to the Skyloftian, squeezing his upper arm. “I’m here, Sky. You’re okay.”

His grip felt so incredibly weak, even to Link’s addled mind. He felt his stomach drop.

He’d made it worse. Somehow, he’d made it worse. Hyrule had almost died because of him.

“I’m s-sorry,” he stammered, his eyes stinging with tears, his mind berating himself over and over and over.

“Sorry?” Hyrule repeated, confused. “Sorry for what?”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Twilight reassured him, his gentle voice relaxing Link’s body, even if his mind continued to whirl.

“Sky, we’re just happy you’re alive,” Four said quickly. “Please don’t—don’t try to do anything. Just stay here. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“N-no,” Link protested weakly. “I—I need—I—it’s my—I can’t—”

His entire world shifted as Twilight lifted him into his arms and stood. “Shh, it’s okay, Sky. Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

Despite his complete exhaustion, Link almost wanted to snap. He wasn’t a child, damn it. He had to tell them, he had to make them realize it was best to leave him here, he could recover on his own and then he could hunt—

Wait.

“Shadow?” he asked quietly.

“He escaped, as he always does,” Time said from somewhere to Twilight’s right. “He’s a coward.”

“Yeah, but the Old Man left him with a pretty good parting gift!” Wind piped in. “Arrow to the chest! And Champion got one in his eye too!”

Link wilted in Twilight’s arms. The Shadow was still alive, and he hadn’t even been able to land any meaningful hits on him. The others had to come rescue him. The others, who bore the brunt of his own stupidity and weakness, and who continued to do so.

He was too tired for this. Too weak to hold back his brittle mind and body’s reaction. Too spent to care that he was suddenly weeping.

It just wasn’t fair. Why did they have to suffer for him? Why couldn’t he get this right?! How did he just keep compounding upon his failure?!

“Sky, what’s wrong? It’s okay, we’re all okay, the Shadow didn’t get anyone except for you.” Wild hastily said as Twilight hesitated in lowering him, instead opting to sway back and forth calmingly.

He felt someone card their hand through his hair and wipe the tears from his cheeks. “Hey, it’s okay, Sky. Everyone’s safe, and so are you.”

Warriors’ words were both a blessing and a curse. Link was eternally grateful everyone was fine, but this just wasn’t right.

“I—I s-should’ve—should’ve—”

“Link.”

He snapped out his stuttering, surprised at hearing his own name for the first time in ages. He had long since stopped viewing himself as part of the group, but he’d been remiss to throw his name out for the world to hear when he’d realized he was in Twilight’s Hyrule.

“No one is expecting you to eliminate the Shadow by yourself,” Time said firmly. “We wouldn’t all be here if that was the case. Whatever has convinced you to think you should handle this alone, it’s wrong.”

The room suddenly exploded into sound, cutting off whatever argument Link might have had.

“Wait, you wanted to take on the Shadow alone?!”

“Sky, are you insane, I thought you were one of the smarter ones in our group, what the actual hell—”

“The goddesses wouldn’t bring us all together if we could take the Shadow by ourselves!”

“You could have gotten yourself killed, Sky, what were you thinking?”

“Enough,” Time interrupted the group. “Let him rest.”

Link felt himself being lowered onto the bed, and the blankets were tucked all the way to his chin. He saw the group surrounding the bed worriedly, some looking more annoyed than others, some looking scared, and some hurt and bewildered.

Link sniffled helplessly.

Wind immediately jumped into the bed, kicking off his shoes and snuggling in beside him. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Everyone agreed with words that Link didn’t bother to discern, and he felt Wind tuck himself neatly in between his right side and arm, resting his head on his shoulder. Link suddenly felt sore, but he didn’t protest.

“Aryll loves cuddling when she’s scared or hurting or doesn’t feel good,” Wind whispered with a smile. “I figured you didn’t want to be alone.”

Link couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at his lips. He bit back another apology in lieu of letting the sailor have a chance to help, and he closed his eyes, resting his cheek on Wind’s forehead and closing his eyes.

The world grew warm and heavy. Exhaustion pulled at him, allowing him to settle back into sleep, but just before its gentle embrace could take him, his mind jolted back to—

Bleeding. He was bleeding so much. A bone deep exhaustion dragged his mind away, but he clung desperately. This was a different kind of tired, a far too permanent sleep beckoning him.

“S-Shadow…”

He had to know. He had to be sure.

“He’s gone,” Time said. “He’s gone.”

He… he did it?

He did it. They were safe. They were safe.

He felt tears sting in his eyes, his heart fluttering. His mission was… over.

He’d finally eliminated Demise.

He laughed, he laughed in relief. His brothers would no longer be haunted by that demon. He couldn’t eliminate the wounds of the past, but he could prevent any in the future.

“What were you thinking?” he heard Time whisper.

It didn’t matter now, whether they knew or not. But he still… he still felt obligated to say it. “M-making… amends…”

He could never truly make up for everything. But at least now he could…

He could rest. Goddess, he could rest.

I’m sorry Zelda, he thought. He apologized to her over and over, to Groose and to all his friends on Skyloft.

He knew. In his heart, he knew.

This was his last mission.

“I’m… sorry,” he said aloud before directing the apology at those around him. Because he knew he was leaving them too, and he knew he would never get a chance to truly apologize for all the harm he’d caused. “I’m s-sorry. I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry…

The darkness pulled, and he drowned in it.

Link’s eyes snapped open. He’d—goddess, he’d—how—

Hyrule. He—he must have—

“Why?” he asked quietly, his voice little more than a whine.

“Hm…?” Wind perked up, already groggy, but his eyes were sharp as he looked at Link. “What’s wrong?”

Link couldn’t let this out on their youngest. But he couldn’t stop his raw emotions either, and before he knew it he was crying again. “Why?”

Wind watched him, eyes suddenly far older than they had any right to be. The boy held a gentleness and understanding to him, a sympathy and sorrow that intermingled, and he leaned down to hold him tightly.

“Because we love you, Sky.”

Sky fell apart completely, sobbing in his brother’s shirt.

#writing #elastic heart #linkeduniverse #linked universe #I... don't know how I feel about Time's POV :-/#I felt pretty good about Legend's as the point of his uncle's death and resurrection being very similar jammed itself into my brain #but... flow of this chapter... ehhh #oh well whatever just take it #I'm pretty ok with it overall #lu sky #all the boys #Warriors is not ok but he'll act it #I kind of want to address him too but I'm tired lol #somebody give Wars a hug for me #give ALL of them a hug for me #poor Legend #and Time #and just yeah #all of them

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paperglader · 6 months

Text

Laudna.

Back to the place where she died.

Back to the place where she has been brought back. Twice.

Still healing from that. Still not over how not too long ago she killed a man in cold blood because she lost control. Because of betrayal. Darkness. Hunger.

A little kid touched her chest and felt so much hatred that she had to run away, scared. A hatred that laudna did not put there, that is not her own but that she’s been made to carry.

Delilah. Imogen’s promise.

Ashton. Her friend. The one that’s as visually broken as her. The one that’s always got it. The one that’s enabled her behavior in the past. Comforted her. Betrayed her. Hurt Fearne. Almost didn’t make it through. Reckless. Stupid. Woke up something within her, something bad.

The shard. Delilah. Hunger. Fear. She’s gonna hurt someone again. Her old hut. Coldness.

“Sometimes you have to walk from whence you came to appreciate how far you’ve come.”

The woods. Her friends running after her again. Guilt. Shame.

Ashton’s doll.

Imogen, the one she loves, the one that gave her a reason to live, the one that has never shied away from her, that has loved her through it all. She took off the circlet that kept her away from Laudna’s thoughts– thoughts that once were musical, that truly were the first reason that drove them together– immediately told her that she was disgusted by what she now found within her, the recent state of presence of the woman that lives there. That haunts her. Her abuser, driving Imogen away.

Laudna’s not sure which of her wants or feelings are actually hers anymore.

Laudna dreams about a normal life. Sometimes. All the time..

#can someone give this woman a hug?#again this is not a space for Imogen hate #she’s going through it as well #it’s a tough one but they’ll figure it out #Im sure of it #but boy do I love the drama #i genuinely hope marisha’s cooking some good stuff from what just happened #let’s have some unhinged behavior next week with the doppelgängers pls #let’s even have some shying away cause I know I personally would be super butt hurt if I was laudna #definitely want them to communicate but it was for sure a punch to the gut for laudna after everything #poor woman is not doing ok #critical role #imodna #laudna #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #c3 spoilers #southern gothic

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piplupcola · 1 year

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When you realise ??? probably's been quiet all this time cos he realised he hurt his little brother Ritsu in the past and accepted being confined by Shigeo. (Which also explains why even after being knocked out and awaken in seasons 1 and 2 ??? never took over Shigeo for very long) But now Shigeo has changed so ??? has changed too and decided he doesn't want to hide anymore and wants to free to be himself, but even a free ??? never wants to hurt Ritsu again ahhh it's so good ONE you're such genius writer 😭😭😭

#mob psycho 100 #mob psycho #mp100 #mp100 ???#???#ahhh ??? my poor little meow meow #give this boy a hug he just wants to be free

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illiana-mystery · 2 years

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He looks like a puppy, but right here he's my poor little meow meow.

#my poor little meow meow #i just want to hug him tight #and give him encouraging words #i want to cuddle him like a puppy #my precious baby boy #he's babby #a thirty something year old fetus #i can fix him #i know i can #mike hubble #boon season 6 #my sweet alfredo #my heart #❤️❤️❤️❤️#alfred molina

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toothy-writes · 2 years

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sometimes Klaus can't find his own heartbeat, and he can't discern the people in his apartment from living or dead, so he sidles up to Dave and slips a hand around his wrist, and another touches his neck.

His tears burn too hot to feel his heartbeat, so he presses his head against Dave's chest and listens to the rushing blood under his skin.

He only hears Dave's breathing, his living, for scarce moments.

He hasn't gotten that good at conjuring yet.

#some angst #my poor boy he just wants connection #klaus hargreeves needs a hug #toothyrambles #tua #tua klaus #the umbrella academy #klaus hargreeves #toothywrites #dave katz #klaus hargreeves x dave katz #tua klave #klave

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sysig · 2 months

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See you everywhere, now that you’re gone (Patreon)

#Doodles #SCII #Helix #ZEX #Dexter Favin #Ft. Wally West and Xigbar again - they're good to him <3 #Hhhh ;; The sads :'0 #ZEX never got to fully show off his uniform ;;#I was so hoping for that! He deserves to show off and feel nice and be praised </3 #At least he'd surrounded himself with good people - the dynamics around which are also interesting #Wally lovely <3 He's so sweet honestly just wants to offer a shoulder if he's able any small bit of comfort #He's injured and he's still trying to hug ZEX weh ;; Any bit of solace ♥#Xigbar's way of cheering him up is his own kind of misplaced sweetness haha I love the care put into everyone's quirks <3 #Ugh the whole thing of Nobodies trying to (and failing to! To varying degrees) convince themselves that they don't have emotions #Clearly Xig is unbothered by this so it's better to just flirt and not worry about it! It's a shame but it happens to everyone #I see you Xigbar #Really tho him being a bit flippant and silly and tactile with ZEX did seem to help haha #''Let me comfort you'' pfft - sad silliness hehe #And then Dexter showed up!! I was so unprepared for that!!#Honestly I only expected him to come visit The One Time so I was so not ready for him to be here after All This #He made ZEX cry last time and this time he came to it already crying ;;#Ughhughgh ZEX's unshakable trust for DAX - even just his voice - being the breaking point of his self control I jfdlksahfds #Someone he can be weak in front of since he doesn't want to be seen by anyone that way - only to DAX ;;;;#Offering any bit of familiarity as comfort weh I'm fine this is fine ;;#Poor ZEX :( Being so powerless and helpless in this situation is so sad!! At least when he was in the War he was in control to an extent #He only touched his cheek with his uniform later that night which I do honestly love the imagery of soft and tender <3 #I like drawing people holding things fully to their face more than I remembered haha #And then the fact that his roommate changed the same night and it was /Kirk/ of all people fjdslahfdsfd wehhhhh 😭#Kirk is genuinely the sweetest to him he is absolutely best boy but to have a Captain after all that ;;;;#It cuts so deeply ironic oww <3 <3

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things-that-make-sa-happy · 2 years

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Jeremiah Fisher | tsitp 1.07

#the summer i turned pretty #tsitp #tsitpedit #Jeremiah Fisher #my beautiful boy!#sa loves tsitp #sa makes gifs #team jeremiah's happiness! always! forever!#I just wanna hug him here! so tight! my poor beautiful boy!#this face is just HEARTBREAKING!#all the crying! this poor hurting soul!#okay! I've got to get ready! I've got a concert to go to tonight! let's do this!#I'm taking my nephews to the Imagine Dragons concert... it should be an adventure for sure!#we shall see how well they listen to me #and if they don't- well then I can always leave them there haha...#i'm kidding- i'm kidding- i would never leave them on the complete opposite side of the state #I might WANT to but I never would... my sister would murder me #I'd rather not be murdered today

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meeep-mop · 7 months

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This just in: Kevin is now my lil blorbo. My little skrumpl.

I still hate his guts, and I want to "hug" him so fucking badly-

But he's just,, a smiley blorbi guy. He make brain go brrr when not-... well- y'know--

#I might've stumbled across a comic that made my brain go insanely brrrr #i need more fanfics of him now-#the whole dessert bluffs arc is just- GRRRRARRARARAAHAHAHAGAGAGARRARGHRGRGRHRGARA y'know?#it just hurts so good #wtnv #kevin wtnv #i mean i still love my boi cecil. always will. but kevin- he's jus- my poor boi 🥺#I wanna hug them both. but I just want one of them to be hugged for the rest of their life! that's all! :D #wtnv spoilers #FUCK I MISSPELLED DESERT FML IM SORRY GUYS!!!#tho- desert bluffs IS kinda like dark chocolate now that I think about it.#because you expect it to be sweet the first time you experience it...#only to find out that the truth that sits just beneath the surface is much more bitter than you expected.#also because it's bittersweet.#desert bluffs #kevin desert bluffs

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siren--squid · 7 months

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PLAYED ALL OF SOULSCAPE LAST NIGHT...... RAMBLING SPOILERS IN THE TAGS...... :D

#spoilers in tags #BRO THE FUCKING MEMORY SCENES TOOK ME OUT #Chase deserves SO MUCH BETTER than that woman. Im so glad they've separated. i feel so bad for the kids holy crap #i hope they get a happy ending with their father.#Jackie my sweet boy. the dysphoria battle made me cry. those bullies are shit and beating them was SO GOOD. hero boy deserves confidence #MARVIN THAT SASSY CATBOY OH MY GOD...... his memory was such a fun segment to play but ABSOLUTELY painful otherwise #I LOVE HIS FRIEND THO OMG??#hate those three money obsessed guys tho. would fight them again #honestly i have no words for Henriks memory. that was absolutely heartbreaking. i cried the entire time #the baby crying. the visual of his grief. how shattered and vulnerable he behaves the entire time.#the distorted bloody hospital was such a good representation of that mental state. the graves were so sad #joline showing up was the most heartbreaking and somber thing ever. doc needs a big hug #that was distressingly amazing.#Also cried over Bings memories. that was beautifully done and terribly sad #i understand deleting that memory. and the dialogue at the cabin door absolutely broke me #i knew that forest grave was important. the connections were so obvious.#ROBBIE MEMORY WAS ADORABLE THO. love that empty room scene #true anti also made me cry a little. poor kid just wanted a life. he deserves that so much #the ending did feel a little rushed though. like.. not satisfying in a way? there wasn't enough done it feels like.#the endings always feel rushed tho i guess?? just more with this one. im excited to see if anything ever has a satisfying conclusion #LOVED playing as cat Marvin. vent maze was good #i liked getting a whole map of the place as well?? but sometimes it feels like easter eggs over power plot #they're so fun and so good but also bro im here for story and the amount of things is overwhelming lmao /j #amazing plot and game overall #absolutely stunning

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skyloftian-nutcase · 2 years

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Secrets of the Shadows Pt 2 (Wolf Link Reveal Fic)

Summary: When Link goes missing shortly after his adventure, Rusl is worried. Preparing to leave and search for him, he stumbles onto a wolf. This has to be a sign of trouble, right? Rusl thinks it is, and the swordsman attempts to eliminate the threat... and then realizes that there is far, far more to this beast than he thought possible.

(Click here to read on AO3)

<<Part 1 // Part 3>>

Part 2

Rusl didn’t sleep a wink. Link was nestled comfortably between his arm and his chest, finally resting. Rusl spent the hours praying over and over, fluctuating between different prayers that he’d memorized as a child and his own desperate petitions to the goddesses. Link occasionally grimaced in his sleep, but the pain of his wound was never enough to wake him after the initial time, and that was enough of a miracle for Rusl to bring him some relief.

As the nighttime crickets grew silent, a soft drizzle pitter pattered on the roof. Hana decided this was a good enough time to wake up, and she began to cry. Rusl debated getting up to check on his daughter, but he didn’t dare disturb Link, and Uli awoke quickly. He watched her rub her face tiredly, having been asleep for maybe a few hours, and he felt guilt twist his heart and stomach. His wife looked at Link first, examining his state, before she silently slid out of bed to check on their newborn, carrying her out of the room. Link stirred marginally from the noise, which was simultaneously reassuring and concerning.

Was he sleeping through the cries simply due to exhaustion from everything, or had his body lost too much blood? Would he survive the trip to Kakariko?

Rusl trembled a little at the thought and refused to acknowledge that as a possibility. Of course he would survive the trip. There was no other option.

Speaking of which, the sun had to be rising soon, so he needed to leave. If he waited until the rest of the village awoke, it would be chaotic.

Especially with Colin.

Goddesses. How was he going to explain this to anybody, let alone his little boy? Colin and Link were practically attached at the hip most days, though the recent events had changed the dynamic of their relationship.

The rest of Rusl’s thoughts were pushed aside as Uli reentered, their daughter at her breast. She watched Rusl intently, and he knew there was no avoiding the interrogation now.

“How is he?” she asked softly.

Rusl glanced at Link once more, taking in the sight of his eldest resting comfortably. “I think he’s alright for now.”

Uli took a slow, measured breath, and Rusl didn’t dare look her in the eye. “Rusl… what happened last night?”

Rusl swallowed. Where was he even supposed to begin?

“I…” he tried hesitantly. He was suddenly energized and anxious, and he shifted to sit up, jostling Link. The teenager whimpered softly in his sleep, and both parents froze. When Link’s furrowed brow relaxed, so did his parents, and Rusl sighed heavily, resigned to being trapped on the bed temporarily. “I was… I was getting ready to find him. Like we discussed.”

Uli waited patiently as Rusl struggled to find the words, struggled to wrestle with his emotions on the matter. It was far too soon, but he owed his wife an explanation given everything that had happened.

“Instead I… found a wolf…” Rusl continued, feeling his throat tighten.

Uli gasped. “Like when the children were first taken?”

Rusl blinked. Considered that night a few months ago. Remembered his thought process from last night before he’d landed the blow. Blinked again.

Goddesses. Was it…?

He felt cold, drenched in the icy realization that yes, that probably had been Link back then, too. Why else would a wolf just wander into town? A black wolf with markings on its forehead, so distinct from the few grey and brown counterparts Rusl had seen anywhere remotely close to Faron Woods.

He pulled Link more tightly to his side while simultaneously wanting to scream and keep the boy away from him for Link’s own sake.

“Uli…” he whispered, horrified.

No, no, no, he’d done it twice, he’d hurt his boy more than once goddesses what had he done—

It was no wonder Link was scared of him at this point.

“Rusl, what happened to the wolf?” Uli pressed, resting Hana against her shoulder and patting her back.

Rusl felt his throat close with the overwhelming dismay and dread and anguish that filled him. He barely remembered that night so long ago, he’d been so injured and out of sorts himself, but he distinctly remembered swinging his torch and sword at a wolf, its ears peeled back and its tail between its legs.

Just like last night.

“I didn’t know, I didn’t know,” Rusl nearly whimpered, not sure who he was trying to convince. He pulled Link closer, his heart racing.

Uli clearly didn’t entirely understand what was going on, but she could interpret his reaction well enough, and her expression grew disturbed. “Rusl…”

“The wolf—he—Link—” Rusl spluttered, practically hyperventilating at this point. Link shifted, moaning, and it cut through Rusl’s panic like a knife. He moved to readjust the boy, his hands trembling as he did so.

“Did the wolf hurt Link?” Uli asked, though her tone implied that she was beginning to wonder if Rusl was responsible for the injury. She had grown three shades paler in the dull lamplight.

Finally, Rusl spat it out. “The wolf was Link.”

Uli stared at him. Then the words processed, probably being spun around in her mind multiple times. Her jaw shifted as she tasted them in her mouth, working through what he’d just said. “Honey, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“How much of my journeys have made sense?” Rusl fired back, almost hysterical, though he kept his voice low so as not to disturb their children. “What part of any of the most recent journey has made sense? Dark beasts? Dark magic? A shadow king usurping the queen, an ancient evil being resurrected, Link bearing a sword of legend—since when has any of it made sense, Uli?”

“But how—?”

“I don’t know,” Rusl shook his head desperately, tears stinging his eyes as he shot up into a seated position, filled with terrified energy. Link hissed, curling in against Rusl’s side, distracting him.

Uli, however, was focused solely on her husband. Her face grew steadily more horrified as she finally put all the pieces together.

“Oh spirits,” she muttered, eyes wide.

Rusl shivered, pulling Link onto his lap in an effort to ease him back to sleep as the teenager grimaced in pain. He hadn’t meat to jostle him so much, but by the goddesses he was—he couldn’t—

Uli’s hand was firm, squeezing his shoulder and dragging his attention to her. She was crying now, petrified. “Are you sure?”

Rusl looked down, unable to meet her gaze. “I saw him… transform. From wolf to Hylian. He… I…”

Uli practically collapsed onto the bed, dragging him (and therefore Link as well) into a hug. She was trembling almost as much as he was. Link squirmed between them, moaning uncomfortably, his cheek pressed against his sister tucked in Uli’s arm. Uli pulled away after a few moments to rest her forehead against Rusl’s, her eyes on Link between them. She ran a hand through the teenager’s hair, tears falling silently down her face. Then she looked firmly into Rusl’s eyes, and he almost had to avert his gaze.

“You didn’t know,” she said quietly, sympathy and sorrow radiating off her. Her voice was steady, bearing that silent strength that she always had despite the circumstances. His wife could weather any storm, no matter how much it made her heart break, and he loved her dearly for it.

Rusl choked up, swallowing hard and hiding his face in his boy’s hair. The statement was freeing in a way, but at the same time it still didn’t fix the current predicament.

And he still felt like hell for what had happened.

But her words gave him motivation enough to move. He had to help Link. He stood, bringing Link with him in his arms, still completely unwilling to let go of the boy. Uli watched him worriedly, their daughter cooing against her shoulder.

“I have to take him to Kakariko,” Rusl said. “Please… don’t tell anyone until we get back.”

Uli held his gaze for what seemed an eternity, understanding and pain swirling in her eyes, before she stepped towards her husband and planted a soft, loving kiss on his lips. The couple rested their foreheads on each other, eyes closed, drawing strength from each other, before Uli pulled away and placed Hana back in her crib.

“I’ll talk to the mayor and get you a wagon,” Uli said quietly, anxiously wringing her hands. “You get Link ready.”

Rusl nodded as he watched his wife leave the room quickly, and then he was left alone with the children. Sighing, he glanced down at Link, his mind planning for the trip ahead, giving him something to focus on aside from his worry and guilt. Hana made a distressed noise from her cradle, and Rusl glanced between the two before walking to his daughter.

“Don’t worry, little one,” he said softly, shifting Link so the majority of his weight was distributed to one side. It gave Rusl enough ability to briefly reach into the cradle and caress his sweet daughter’s cheek and comfort her. “Your brother will be better soon.”

Link groaned, uncomfortable in the awkward one-armed hold due to his size, and Rusl quickly slid him back into a gentle carry in both his arms. He swayed in place briefly, trying to get his thoughts together and falling into a familiar comforting gesture that had always worked to settle all of his kids.

I’ll need a change of clothes for both of us, and whatever food I can bring. Broth, maybe? I can get him to drink broth. We’re out of milk. Blankets, we’ll need blankets and pillows for the wagon. I’ll need my bow and arrows for any dangers. His dressings—

Spirits above, his dressings.

Rusl turned and settled Link on the bed long enough to pull his shirt up and check the bandages. They were still clean. Thank the goddesses.

By this point, he was growing worried for another reason. With all the movement and pain, Link should have woken up by now. Rusl had to check that he was alright, at least once, before they left Ordon.

Tapping lightly on his boy’s cheek, Rusl whispered, “Link. Wake up, son.”

Link squeezed his eyes shut more tightly, turning his head away from the touch. Rusl was tempted to persist, but that was honestly enough of a reaction to satisfy him for now. Link at least had some semblance of awareness to his surroundings.

Rusl honestly wanted to pick the boy back up immediately just to be sure he was safe, but he couldn’t carry Link around the house and pack at the same time, so he reluctantly left the boy on the bed while he began to gather supplies. When he had finished his task, he quickly returned to the bedroom to find Link’s eyes open and gazing around in a daze. He dropped his bag of belongings in a heartbeat and rushed to his boy’s side. “Link?”

Goddesses, he looked so pale. Link’s gaze settled distractedly on Rusl for a moment, and he furrowed his brow as if he were going to say something before his eyes looked elsewhere. Rusl followed his gaze to see if there was something concerning, but he was just staring at the wall. Link wasn’t lucid.

That wasn’t good.

Rusl brushed a hand over the boy’s forehead, then his cheeks. He didn’t feel particularly warm. No fever, then. It was likely just blood loss and exhaustion, but the swordsman couldn’t be sure.

They had to leave.

He heard footsteps in the doorway, and Uli miraculously was there right when he needed her. Goddesses he loved that woman.

“The wagon’s ready, and Epona’s waiting.” Uli reported softly as she walked up to the bed to look at Link. She noticed his gaze, and she approached him from the other side, sitting on the bed beside him and brushing a hand against his cheek. Uli dipped down and kissed his temple as Rusl grabbed the supplies he’d packed and headed for the door, knowing his wife would keep Link safe while he set everything up.

Rusl hastily tossed multiple blankets and pillows in the wagon to make a comfortable bed for Link, and then he stuffed the rest of the belongings in the corner, tying them down so they wouldn’t get jostled. Epona nickered nervously, clearly picking up on his anxious energy, and he took a calming breath, slinging the bow and quiver of arrows over his shoulder. He prayed he wouldn’t need them, but it was never a completely uneventful journey across Hyrule Field.

Reentering their abode, he found Uli gently carding a hand through Link’s hair as his head rested on her lap. She whispered softly to him, smiling gently, her features sharpened by an edge of worry.

“Has he said anything?” Rusl asked.

Uli looked up at him, her eyes sorrowful. She shook her head. Rusl tried not to let it overwhelm him. He had to stay focused. Approaching the pair, he slid his arms under the boy and picked him back up. Link’s eyes hovered on Uli for a moment longer before he closed them, exhaling a little sharply as the movement pulled at his wound. Uli rose as well, pulling the two into a tight hug and whispering into Rusl’s ear, “Please, be safe.”

Uli picked up Hana and followed Rusl outside into the dark pre-dawn air. The drizzling from earlier had thankfully stopped. He gently laid Link in the pile of pillows and blankets and swaddled him tightly in them, knowing the boy had to stay warm. When he made his way towards the front of the wagon to sit behind Epona, Uli stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.

“You didn’t know,” she said quietly with the same gentle but firm certainty as before. Rusl bit his tongue, his entire body trembling at the words, at the reminder, at the emotions fighting just below the surface. He dipped in for a quick kiss with her and then wordlessly climbed onto the front of the wagon. Uli headed back to the entrance to their house and watched him depart from there. He gave a small nod, and she nodded back.

Epona whinnied impatiently, and Rusl urged her forward. Ordon, Uli, Hana, and that damned spring were quickly left behind, and Rusl grabbed his bow, ready for danger as soon as they exited the woods.

Surprisingly, the journey wasn’t as eventful as he’d feared it might be. The occasional bokoblin appeared over a hill or around a tree, and Rusl’s sharp aim and quick reaction eliminated them before they ever even drew near enough to be a threat.

Epona guided them into Kakariko Village by midday, and Rusl immediately made his way to Renado. His worried expression and hasty Link’s hurt, I need help was all the explanation the healer needed.

When Rusl moved into the wagon to take Link into the healer’s home, he found the boy wiggling in the blankets, clearly trying to either get comfortable or get out of the bundle entirely. His eyes immediately locked on to Rusl when he got closer, and a light sheen of sweat glimmered on his forehead. His gaze, however, was sharp and clear. He was wide awake now.

Rusl swallowed, suddenly lost for words.

Link’s breath quickened and he squirmed even more, and Rusl found himself moving. He stopped short of putting a hand on the boy, guilty and petrified and disgusted with himself all at the same time. The gesture made Link shrivel further into the blankets, and Rusl wished with all his might that he himself had been the one nearly struck down, that he himself was in pain and Link never would have to worry about being afraid of his own family ever again.

“Rusl?” Renado called from juts outside. “Do you need help getting him inside? I can have someone bring a stretcher.”

It was honestly tempting, leaving it to someone else to handle carrying Link, to handle looking him in the eye and explaining what was happening. But Rusl was not someone to cower behind excuses, and his boy needed help now.

“I’ve got him,” he said softly, not really caring if Renado heard. The Ordonian swordsman bent forward, trying to ignore Link’s flinch as he wrapped him in his arms. He whispered, “It’s okay, Link. We’re in Kakariko. You’re going to get help here.”

Link remained silent but didn’t fight as he was carried into the healer’s home. His eyes were downcast, looking down Rusl’s neck and onto his tunic and lap. He never met anyone’s gaze as Renado guided Rusl to a bed. The healer grabbed supplies and brought them over with a small table. Rusl sat down on the bed beside Link, letting his leg serve as a pillow for the boy as the healer stood over him. Wordlessly, the swordsman pulled Link’s shirt up to show the bandages. Then he explained, “It’s bad, Renado. I did what I could, but he needs more than what I can provide.”

Renado nodded. “I’ll have to see what I’m working with, but a potion should be able to help. What happened?”

Rusl’s gut twisted as he helped Renado pull Link’s shirt up a bit more to fully expose the area. “Sword got him.”

Just spitting out those words nearly made him vomit, and his world spun a little. He blinked rapidly, trying to reorient from the dizziness. Movement caught his attention, and he looked down to see Renado removing the outer bandage from the wound.

All that was left was the packed gauze.

Which was going to be the most painful part.

Renado bent over carefully, tenderly picking at the tip of the gauze to start pulling it. Link hissed immediately, his legs kicking up and his feet planting on the mattress to push himself away. Rusl quickly took his hands, and despite how he didn’t deserve to be the one reassuring the boy, he whispered, “It’s okay, Link, he’s going to take it out so we can give you a potion. Just hold my hands, you can squeeze as tight as you want, okay? Don’t move. It’s going to be over soon, you’re going to be okay.”

Link obediently took his hands, much to Rusl’s surprise and relief, and the teenager tried to prepare himself as Renado continued. He stared at the ceiling, eyebrows scrunched together in fear. For a little while Link only winced or twitched, but as the healer progressed deeper into the wound, Link started to gasp and whimper, squeezing his eyes closed. His hands immediately clamped down on Rusl, who huffed a bit in surprise.

“Shit,” the swordsman cursed softly. Renado glanced up at him and he shook his head, gritting his teeth. “It’s fine. My boy’s got a strong grip.”

Renado gave a small smile. “That’s a good sign.”

Rusl knew that, and he was thanking the goddesses in his mind over and over, but that didn’t detract from the fact that it hurt. His boy had strength to break bones, and Rusl was certain he himself was going to need a potion so his hands wouldn’t be deformed when this was over.

Not that he deserved that kindness.

Pushing that thought aside, Rusl focused on the moment. Renado had returned to removing the packed gauze, and Link wasn’t appreciating it. Tears started to leak out of his eyes as some of the gauze clung to jagged, sticky tissue, and he whimpered. Rusl bent over, pulling Link’s hands to his chest, his heart breaking at the sight of his boy suffering and trying so hard to stay still. He rubbed his thumbs over the back of Link’s hands, massaging them as best he could in the boy’s iron grip. “Deep breaths, Link. You’re doing great. He’s almost done.”

Renado moved swiftly, pulling the last of the gauze out. Rusl glanced up enough to see the wound and felt a little nauseous. It didn’t look as messy as last night, but seeing it in the daylight with all its depth and varying kinds of tissue exposed to the air made him nearly pass out. He’d seen grizzly wounds before, but it was entirely different when it was on someone he loved so dearly.

And it was his damn fault in the first place.

Renado tossed the gauze in a bin and held a bottle with a familiar red liquid in it. Rusl hesitated for a moment, knowing that Link would have to be sitting up for this, knowing that his now exposed wound was going to twist and bleed and burn and scream when he moved him. Taking a deep breath and gritting his teeth, the swordsman pulled Link up to sit on his lap, and the boy’s head lolled on his shoulder as his back was up against Rusl’s chest. The teenager’s entire body convulsed and he cried out before slumping weakly against Rusl, gasping for air.

Rusl fought back the tears that threatened to escape.

With Link’s torso sufficiently propped up, Renado held out the potion. Link’s eyes were unfocused, though, and Rusl gave him a gentle nudge. “Link. Link, son, take the potion.”

His boy glanced around in a stupor, panting and clearly exhausted from everything he’d endured. Eventually his eyes settled on the bottle and his left hand shakily rose, making it about halfway before it started to slip back down. He was trying so damn hard despite the agony he was probably in, but it was clear he wasn’t going to be able to do it.

Rusl leaned forward, bringing Link with him, and he took the bottle instead. “Here, I’ve got it.”

Bringing the bottle to the boy’s lips, Rusl said gently, “Drink up, Link.”

Link obeyed, cautiously swallowing the red liquid, growing steadily more somnolent. Eager to ensure he drank the whole potion before he fell asleep, Rusl tipped the bottle back a bit more, his heart racing. He didn’t want his boy to be in any more pain. Link tried to keep up with the pace, but he coughed a little, and Renado reached forward to pull the bottle back a bit.

“Easy, Rusl,” Renado advised with a sympathetic smile. “I know you want him to feel better, but he has to be able to drink it.”

“Sorry,” Rusl apologized softly, trying to calm down. “We’ll go slowly, Link.”

This time, Link had gotten enough potion in his system to shakily grasp the bottle alongside Rusl’s steady grip, bringing the swordsman immense relief. It was amazing what potions could do. Link’s hands trembled too much to hold it by himself, but he was at least trying to guide it in so he wouldn’t choke on it. It felt like an eternity, but soon enough the teenager had finished the contents, and Renado took the bottle away as Link leaned heavily on Rusl, sighing. He turned his head to the right so he could better see the healer.

“Thanks,” Link mumbled, trying to give a smile. Ruls’ heart sang at hearing the boy’s voice, consoled at the thought that he was actually doing better.

Then Link tipped his head up to Rusl, and the swordsman felt his heart clench. Dread and worry filled him, not knowing what sort of reaction he was going to get. Link’s small, weak smile that he had directed at the healer grew a little, his face warming. “Thanks, Pa.”

That… that had not been the reaction he’d expected. Rusl melted right then and there, tears streaming out of his eyes as his lip wobbled pathetically. Two simple words, spoken softly with all the strength the tired teenager could muster, were enough to reduce the stalwart resistance member to a penitent husk of a man, holding his boy so, so tightly.

Rusl kissed Link’s forehead and buried his face in the boy’s hair, too overwhelmed for words.

He was going to be okay.

#hmm I'm on the fence with this but hopefully y'all like it #I love Uli and how she's so supportive and gentle and just keeps moving forward despite all the insanity #like her boys went missing and Rusl got seriously injured trying to find them and she just stays by her hubby's side and cares for him #despite whatever she has to be feeling #what a woman #anyway story related stuff lol Rusl is an absolute disaster #but emotions are gonna be addressed next now that Link isn't in physical danger anymore #so I think it's gonna be probably be 1 more chapter an maybe an epilogue #poor Link I want to hug him #but I think he's getting plenty of hugs already lol #twilight princess #twilight princess link #tp link #rusl #uli #renado #wolf link reveal fic #secrets of the shadows #legend of zelda #writing

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