(Said kindly with no pressure❤️😂)
based on this post by @whumporama
set during hyrule warriors: definitive edition. characterizations are from @thatbrokenpromise
please reblog if you like <3
It was easy, natural for Link to let his mind drift away as Impa showed him to the medical tent. He stared straight ahead, letting the doctor’s words wash over and around him as he sat and offered his arm for examination. They asked questions and he gave silent consent, his slate untouched on his lap.
“I need to move your arm, there…”
“Let me know if this is too painful.”
A nurse was busy off to the side, but Link barely registered their movements. He tried not to focus on anything at all, not the doctor’s incessant confirmations of his consent-
“I am going to touch you here, is that alright?”
Not the feeling of hands on his skin, unwanted and unable to be pushed away-
“I think Lana would be more equipped to deal with this one.”
That name, Link couldn’t ignore. He suppressed his flinch and cast his mind out farther, hoping to escape the rest of the conversation and the anticipation of her hands on his body.
The nurse spoke quietly, soft words that Link wouldn’t hear. He didn’t react as the doctor left the tent. He was still, barely present, waiting for her to enter and do what she would with him.
Long, slow minutes passed and she didn’t appear. Link’s hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms. The sharp new pain brought him back just enough to realize that the nurse, at some point, had sat beside him. Not speaking, not touching, just waiting.
The nurse hadn’t asked any questions, so Link dared to ask his own. He took his slate and scrawled, messily, Lana.
“Hm? No. She doesn’t need to see you,” the nurse said. “You don’t need her magic to heal.”
Link wondered how he knew that. He wondered why, amidst the fear and uncertainty, he wanted to reach out and hold the nurse’s hand.
It was a ridiculous thought, but he watched his arm move as if with a mind of its own and his fingers brushed against the nurse’s.
He startled. Link flinched. Then he realized that the nurse hadn’t moved away. He reached out again, slipping into a waiting, callused hand.
The grounding sensation was instant. Link felt tethered, felt present, felt safe in a way he didn’t think was possible in a medical tent. He didn’t need to think about the doctor, or Lana, or floating away. He was here, and the nurse at his side understood what he needed more than anyone else had so far. A calm, steady presence that waited for him to make the first move.
“You can wait here until you’ve healed,” the nurse said. “Nobody else needs to see you right now.”
Link wanted to thank him, but words had never worked for him. Cautiously, he pulled the nurse closer and folded around him in a loose hug. The nurse was so much smaller than him and Link could feel that he was strong, as gentle as his arms were as they wrapped around his waist. They held the embrace for a few moments, then Link was the first to pull away before he offered his arm again. This time, his mind was clear as the nurse went about to accelerate the healing.
Maybe he could visit the medical tent more often.