Gosh i cannot come up with an au but i really want to see you play with “Test Subject”. Maybe with IAU Hyrule?
*runs in to this three months late* HI SMILES I have. um. a fic. I had the worst trouble trying to make this work with Hyrule though I'm afraid (that's why it's been so long), so I wrote something with Warriors & Time instead. I hope you still like it though 😅 I had fun writing it, anyway.
This takes place when they're both on the younger end, Warriors is like... ten or so. Time is late teens.
(Warning for a bit of violence, a bunch of needles, and some... I guess nonconsensual drugging is the right word. Medical whump)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I still think this is dumb," Warriors said for probably the fifth or sixth time since they'd gotten in the car, and his older brother heaved a loud sigh.
Time gave him a pointed look in the rearview mirror, but Warriors refused to budge on his opinion as they drove down the street, his arms crossed over his seat belt. Time could argue about it until he was blue in the face, but Warriors was not happy about this errand.
“It’s not dumb to get some shots,” Time said pointedly, and finally turned into a parking lot. It was beside a shiny-looking building done mostly in white, and Warriors sank down in his seat, looking at it with dread. “And Impa said this one in particular is recommended for supers, so you need to get it.”
“Why aren’t you getting it, then?” Warriors snipped, and Time opened the door with a smirk.
“Because I’m over 18 and whatever bug this is only affects kids. Also I'm germ-proof. Now get your behind out of the car and into that office.”
Warriors grumbled a few more moments, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out forever. Time would absolutely resort to carrying him in, and Warriors didn't want to make that much of a scene. He slid out of his seat as slowly as he could manage, and kept his arms crossed as he plodded over to Time’s side.
“Hey. It’ll be fine, kid. This guy’s registered to work with supers, so you won’t even have to fake anything,” Time assured as they walked inside, and Warriors cringed at the blank modern look of the place. “He’ll ask some questions, poke you a bit, and then we can get out of here and get ice cream.”
Warriors looked up from where he’d been toeing at the carpet as they reached the desk. “Really?”
Time smiled. “I saved a guy’s cart from being blown up the other day, he said I could have some for free next time I saw him. Today seems like a good day for it.”
Warriors nodded eagerly, and the secretary waved Time off when he asked about paperwork.
“Oh no, just wait here a moment, your agent sent us everything we need. I just need some identification, and then the doctor will be right with you,” she said with a gleaming smile, which she then unfortunately turned on Warriors. “Oh, your son looks like an absolute doll.”
“He’s my brother,” Time said a bit flatly, and took back the government ID card he kept on him for superhero purposes once she’d scanned it. “Thank you.”
The woman’s smile never faltered. “Oh of course, yes. Have a seat, the doctor will be right with you.”
They walked over to where a few stiff-looking chairs were set up, and Warriors kicked his legs as he sat down, trying not to look nervous. It was just a shot or two, he could handle that. He got shot at all the time! Or... okay, really, only the one time. And Time had been awfully mad at him for being there. Also that had been with bullets, not needles, but still. He wasn’t afraid of some pain. It wasn’t a big deal.
Just because this place gave him the heebie-jeebies didn’t mean he couldn’t handle what was about to happen.
“Warriors,” Time said as he nudged him, and Warriors realized he was making a thick layer of frost on his chair.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, and brushed it off into his hand, playing with the ice instead. He stretched it into a vaguely wing-shaped thing, and started working on shaping individual feathers. “I wish Sky could’ve come along.”
“His parents probably already got him this shot. And anyway, he had something planned with Sun today,” Time reminded, and Warriors sighed.
“They’re probably just going to nap. Or kiss each other.”
Time raised an eyebrow. “...They’re a tad young for that.”
“I was kidding, Time.”
Time gave him a look, and Warriors smiled sweetly. If he had to be here, the least he could do was make it plain he wasn’t happy about it. Annoying his brother took his mind off what was going on, anyway.
Though he probably shouldn't take it too far, since ice cream was on the line.
“Mr. Forester?”
Time and Warriors both looked up, and saw a nurse enter the room, and when they nodded, she motioned for them to follow her.
“This way please,” she said pleasantly, and they got up and followed her down a couple hallways, all white or grey. Warriors liked white well enough, but not on every single floor and wall and ceiling. It just made him more nervous. What kind of weirdo painted everything in white, anyway? It must've been a huge pain to clean.
Finally they were shown into a room, and Warriors was a little surprised at how big it was, a examining table with paper on top, a bunch of counters with cabinets, and a bunch of equipment in the corner he didn’t know the use of. He’d been expecting an empty white box.
Which it sort of was, but at least it wasn’t totally empty.
“The doctor will be right with you,” the nurse said, then left, shutting the door behind her.
“You sit up there,” Time instructed, pointing to the table, and Warriors hopped up onto it, scrunching his nose at the sound the paper made. “And now we wait.”
“Have you been here before?” Warriors asked idly, poking at the paper.
Time nodded. “A few times. It was a different doctor back then, though. I’ve never met this one.”
“And we’re trusting him anyway,” Warriors drawled, and Time crossed his arms.
“Impa checks these people extensively, Wars. It’s good to be cautious, but sometimes we have to trust other people’s word,” he said calmly, and Warriors sighed. “...That being said, listen to your instincts too. They won’t always be right, but sometimes they’re all you’ve got. Hear what they have to say at least.”
“Well my instincts say to forget this whole thing and skip to the ice cream.”
“Nice try.”
Warriors sighed, and went back to poking the paper. It had been worth a shot.
Several minutes (and several holes in the paper) later, a knock came from the door, and Time stood up as it opened. A tall, thin man in a doctor’s coat walked in, hair salt and pepper grey, mouth turned up in a bright smile. He looked between Warriors and Time, and somehow his smile grew.
Something about the expression made Warriors bristle.
“Hello boys, the name’s Doctor Handla,” he said in a soft-spoken voice, shaking Time’s hand vigorously. “Truly a pleasure to meet you, love what you all are doing out there. Now then,” he said, turning to Warriors. “What’s the problem, son?”
“We’re just here for a checkup, and some shots,” Time said as he sat back down, and the doctor nodded, looking at his clipboard.
“Ah yes, I see. Popular one to get these days. Let’s look you over then, shall we?” he said pleasantly.
Warriors fought back the urge to flinch.
He took a stethoscope out and asked Warriors to pull his shirt up, which he reluctantly did. The doctor listened to his heart a moment, then pulled back and nodded to himself. “Nice and healthy.”
He took out some more tools then, checking Warriors’ throat, eyes, and nose. He commented on his low temperature when he took it, but Time assured him that was normal. He was poked and prodded all over, and though Warriors didn’t like it one bit, he felt better with Time sitting in the room at least. And it went quickly enough— before Warriors knew it, the doctor seemed to be finishing.
“Now, I have it written down here, but I’d like to hear it from you. What powers do you have?” he asked as he looked down one of Warriors’ ears.
“Um, just ice. I can generate it and stuff,” Warriors said, and the doctor hummed in an interested way, then nodded.
“I figured it was something like that. Elementals, always fascinating! Anyway, you’re all fine up here, son, though let’s see those powers at work, eh?” he said, flipping to a different page of his clipboard. Warriors shrugged, then tossed a few snowflakes in the air, the spray drifting around them. The doctor watched intently, making a few notes of things.
Then he took Warriors’ wrist and asked him to do it again, watching his hand as he sprayed more ice into the air.
“Magnificent. You’re healthy as a horse! We’ve just got to get those shots done now,” he said cheerfully, and turned to the door. “Be right back.”
He left, and Warriors exhaled, fighting back a shiver. “I don’t like him.”
“Nobody likes doctors, kid,” Time said, but his voice was sympathetic. “...is there a particular reason?”
Warriors hesitated, not sure he could put a finger on it, but before he could say anything, the door reopened, and the secretary from the front desk poked her head in.
“Mr. Forester? I’m terribly sorry, but something’s gone wrong with your paperwork, I need your ID again,” she apologized, and Time sighed, and stood.
“I’ll be right back,” he assured Warriors, then followed the secretary out.
Warriors kicked his legs, now alone, and stared at the white walls. He was sick of being poked and examined, and the worst part still had to happen. He just wanted to get out of here and get the ice cream he’d been promised. Especially since he knew the shots were coming next.
And... the doctor really did creep him out for some reason.
Right as he had the thought, the doctor came back in, that same fakey smile plastered on his face. He was pushing a small cart, one with multiple vials on it, and Warriors gulped.
“All right, here we are. Give me your arm, son,” the doctor said pleasantly. “Just hold still, this won’t hurt a bit.”
He held up a needle, one that looked awfully sharp, and Warriors swallowed.
“Can we wait for my brother?” he asked in a small voice, and the doctor hummed like he’d just noticed Time wasn’t there.
“No, I’m afraid not. These vials go bad in a very short period of time, and they’ve already been out for a bit,” he said, and Warriors reluctantly held out his arm. “Thank you very much. Just hold still, and we’ll see what happens.”
Warriors blinked at the odd phrasing, but then he felt a sharp prick of pain below his shoulder, one that made him spurt ice across the bench he was sitting on.
“Hold still,” the doctor reminded him, and Warriors pointedly did not look at the needle that was still in his arm, his stomach tight.
What ever happened to it not hurting a bit?!
He clenched at the table where he was sitting, waiting for the pain to abate, and finally that needle was removed. The doctor put a bandage over the mark he’d left, and then he took out another needle, this one bigger. Warriors gulped, and tried not to shake as the doctor took his arm again, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
Time, hurry up.
The pain seemed worse this time, and Warriors couldn’t stop his whimper, trembling as the needle pierced him. Was it supposed to hurt this badly? Why wasn’t Time back yet?
“There we are,” the doctor said as he pulled that needle out, and his grip tightened when Warriors tried to pull back. “We’ve only got two more, stay still.”
“Are you sure we can’t wait?” Warriors asked, and realized he was still shaking.
“There’s only two more,” the doctor repeated, and didn’t loosen his grip. “It’ll be quick, son.”
Warriors grit his teeth, and despite the fact that his brain was yelling at him to get up and get out of here, he stayed where he was as the doctor prepared another syringe, then jabbed it into his arm.
That one hurt more than the other two combined, and Warriors bit his tongue to keep from crying out. He blinked back the sting in his eyes as the doctor pulled it out and bandaged that one too, and tried to stay calm as he lifted up one last syringe, the liquid inside a bright orange.
Only one more. Only one more.
Why are there so many of these anyway? I thought Time said I’d only need one or two—
Another sharp prick of pain hit Warriors, as well as an odd sensation that ran through his arm, cold and painful. He barely managed to bite back the noise he wanted to make, and after what felt like forever, the last needle was removed.
“There. All done. You’ve been a model subject, son,” the doctor said pleasantly as he finished with the bandaid, and Warriors barely heard him, still trembling.
He blinked a few times as he tried to get ahold of himself, and that strange cold feeling grew stronger in his arm, making him shake harder. That sense of something is wrong in his mind started screaming at him again, for a different reason and Warriors rubbed his forehead, blinking a few times.
Why... why did he feel dizzy?
“Something the matter?” the doctor asked, and for some reason his voice didn’t sound right.
“Uh...” Warriors said in a small voice, his stomach churning. “I— I don’t feel... well. I think the shots...”
The doctor didn’t say anything, and something inside Warriors blared danger.
Time should've been back by now.
He quickly stood up, though he probably should’ve moved slower with how dizzy he suddenly felt. The room swam around him as he tried to bolt towards the door, and the doctor easily blocked his path, grabbing Warriors' arm that hadn't been pricked to death.
“Looks like it’s already hit your bloodstream,” the doctor said, and set aside his clipboard, pleasant look gone. “You’ve truly been an excellent subject, Link, and I’m sure you’ll continue to be one.”
“Wh... what? What did you do?” Warriors managed to slur as he tried to stumble back, and the doctor smiled.
“Just a little test. A few drugs that a normal human wouldn’t be able to handle, nothing to worry about. Now why don’t you come with me, and we’ll get you settled somewhere where I can monitor your reaction,” he said as he looked at the veins in Warriors' wrist, then began tugging him out of the room.
Warriors stumbled after him, his legs wobbling like jello, and though he tried to pull his arm out of the doctor’s grip, he couldn’t get free. His mind raced as he struggled, and Warriors felt a mix of vindication and panic that he’d been right after all.
He knew something fishy was going on here, he knew it!
“L-let go of me,” he demanded, heart pounding. “You ca... can’t do this.”
“Fighting me will only make it worse,” the doctor said calmly. “I’ve been looking for a little-known super nobody will miss for months now, and you’re perfect for my tests. Supers are more hardy, it makes them perfect for drug trials like these. But volunteers are hard to come by what with you all always running off to save the world. Fortunately, you're young enough you're not doing that yet."
Warriors couldn’t help the panicked noise he let out.
“No need to be so alarmed, my subjects have had no major lasting injuries or effects, and have no memory of their experience, which means you have nothing to worry about,” the doctor said calmly.
“I don’t w-wan...” Warriors said as he was dragged down a hall, “...lemme go!”
He tried to shoot some ice at the doctor, but all that came out were a few uneasy spurts, not nearly enough to do anything. His panic spiked, and Warriors clawed weakly at the arm holding him, flakes drifting from his fingers.
“What did you do?!” he gasped, and the doctor hummed.
“It’s hard to use powers when you’re dizzy, isn’t it? On a scale of one to ten, how disoriented would you say you are?”
Warriors tried to jab his elbow at the doctor, but his arm wouldn’t do what he wanted it to, all sluggish and full of pins and needles. It felt like a limb that had fallen asleep, only instead of getting more feeling as he moved it, he kept getting less and less.
“Hm. I would guess around a seven,” the doctor said almost to himself.
Warriors kept trying to fight him off, but soon enough he could barely swing his arms at all, and the doctor easily tugged him down several more hallways, Warriors’ panic growing more with every second.
“Ti... Time!” Warriors yelled, realizing his voice still worked pretty well. “TIME!”
“He can’t hear you. My secretary is keeping him busy,” the doctor said, and Warriors struggled as hard as he could, which wasn’t very hard. His legs suddenly buckled beneath him as they turned a corner, and the doctor hummed as he caught him. “That was sooner than I thought. It’s moving pretty quickly, isn’t it?”
He briefly propped Warriors up in the hallway, popping into a door and pushing out a gurney. Somehow he managed to lift Warriors up onto it, then kept going, Warriors’ breath coming fast and panicked.
He was being kidnapped. He was being kidnapped, and he couldn’t fight back in any way, and he couldn’t think of a plan to get himself out of this.
Except to keep screaming for help.
“Time!” he yelled again, and the doctor sighed as he pushed Warriors through several doors and then into a large enclosed garage, sunshine happily glinting through a window in the ceiling.
“Oh stop that. By the time he gets here, we’ll be long gone,” he said, looking entirely unbothered. “We just need to monitor the results of these, then try some more injections and monitor those. Your cooler temperature will provide a dearth of opportunities. And you’ll see your brother again in a few weeks, don’t worry.”
“TIME!” Warriors screamed at the top of his lungs as he was pulled towards a truck. “HELP!”
The doctor looked at him with a bit of annoyance, and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. “That’s enough of that, son. Stop fighting this, and it’ll all go easier for you.”
“No! L-let me— TIME! TI—”
Warriors got cut off as the doctor jammed the gag in his mouth, quickly tying it in place despite Warriors’ squirming. He fought as hard as he could, but it was jammed in tight, and he finally stopped, panting heavily through his nose as sweat trickled down his brow. The nurse from earlier opened the back of the truck in front of them then, her face looking a lot less pleasant than it had earlier.
“You riding in the back, doc?” she asked, and he nodded as she set the ramp down, moving to help him push Warriors in.
“Yes, I want to monitor him. We haven’t had any elementals yet, and the ice powers may prove to be tricky,” the doctor said idly, and Warriors made as loud of a noise as he could through the gag. “Goddesses, I hate children. What a hassle.”
“...Should we sedate him?” the nurse asked as Warriors weakly struggled, and the doctor sighed.
“I’d prefer not to, it’s harder to measure the effects when they’re under. But if he’s going to keep getting worked up like this, I suppose we have no choice.”
Warriors made a panicked sound as the nurse grabbed yet another needle, and stepped towards him. The sharp point glinted in the light, and he couldn’t help his whimper as she lifted his arm, now entirely uncooperative. A part of him wondered if he'd pass out from terror before it even pricked him, when suddenly he heard a loud crash.
Both the doctor and nurse paused, the needle inches from his skin, and Warriors strained to look at the door, chest heaving.
It exploded outwards as he looked, shattering into pieces, and Time appeared in the ruined doorway, eyes glowing and face furious.
Warriors gasped in relief, and the doctor quickly backpedaled as Time bolted forward. He smacked the needle out of the nurse’s hand and threw her into the back of the truck all in one movement, her head knocking into a shelf and sending her crumpling to the floor. Another person Warriors didn’t recognize came from around the front of the truck, a crowbar raised, but Time quickly knocked him down too.
Then he whirled on the doctor, who held up his hands as he slowly stepped backwards.
“N-now then, there’s no need for violence,” he said as he chuckled uneasily. “I was going to return him to you perfectly unha—”
Time punched him in the jaw, knocking him out before he even hit the floor.
Warriors let out a bit of a hysterical noise, and Time bolted to his side, his markings slipping away as the glow faded from his eyes.
“Oh goddesses— Link, can you hear me?” Time asked in a panic as he reached him, and quickly pulled the gag from his mouth. “What did they do to you?”
All Warriors was able to do was gasp and twitch a bit, his limbs aching, his throat so tight with leftover panic that speaking was impossible.
“Okay. Okay, just— stay still,” Time reassured, and hurriedly looked over Warriors, holding his hand tight. Warriors tried to hold it back, but his fingers wouldn’t behave, and he made another weak noise as Time carefully examined him. Time finally reached the bandages on Warriors’ arm in his search, and he lightly touched them.
A dull ache went through Warriors’ arm, and he flinched, Time immediately pulling back.
“I’m going to call Impa,” Time said in an almost eerily calm voice, then moved back from the gurney.
Warriors made a panicked sound as Time’s hand started to let go of his, and he tried to grab at his arm, though all he could do was turn his head. He met Time’s gaze and his brother stilled, Warriors desperately trying to convey how much he didn't want to be left alone here.
Time exhaled and stayed beside him, setting a careful hand on his chest. “I wasn’t going to go far, Wars. And I can’t move you if I don’t know what they did to you, I might make it worse.”
Warriors shook his head, slowly, since if he tried to do it fast the whole room spun. Just get me out of here, please just get me off of this and get me out of this building.
Time looked at him, blue eyes somehow frightened and angry and worried all at the same time, and then he paused.
“You can nod?” Time asked, and Warriors gulped in a breath, then managed a small one in reply. Time exhaled. “Okay. Okay, that’s good. It looks like he gave you a bunch of shots, am I right?” Warriors nodded. “Do you know what any of them were?”
A tremble went through Warriors, and he shook his head.
Time swallowed, and his fingers tightened around Warriors’. "Do you think you're in any immediate danger?"
Warriors wasn't sure.
He bit his lip, and Time nodded, though his face grew even more worried. “Can I move you off of there?”
Warriors didn’t know for sure, but he nodded anyway, and Time immediately scooped him into his arms. Warriors slumped weakly against his brother’s shoulder, and another small panicked sound escaped him, his heart still pounding so hard he felt like it was going to explode.
That had been terrifying.
A weak spurt of ice frosted Time’s shoulder, but he didn’t seem to care in the slightest, sinking to the floor and clutching Warriors more tightly.
“I’m sorry, Link, I’m so sorry,” he breathed as another tremble ran through Warriors. “I shouldn’t have left you. The secretary kept blabbing on about paperwork, and then I heard you yell, and she got these claws out when I tried to leave and kept— goddesses kid. I heard your scream cut off and I just—”
Time took in a shaky breath, then stood again, holding Warriors carefully.
“We need to get you to a doctor. A real one."
Warriors let out a soft whimper, but didn’t argue, mostly because he couldn’t. The idea of being put through anything like what he'd just been through terrified him to his core, but he'd... he'd just have to trust Time.
That wasn’t too hard. As much as Warriors liked to argue with him, his brother really did always know what to do.
Time started moving, as fast as he could without jostling him, and Warriors blearily noticed he had several bloody scratches on his face. How had those gotten there?
“You... o... kay..?” he rasped, and Time nodded as he went to the door of the garage.
“I’m fine, it’s just some scratches. Nothing bad,” he murmured. “Nayru above, I’m an idiot. I just went along with everything they said, I should’ve... I’m going to get you so much ice cream after this, Wars.”
Warriors made a noise somewhere between panicked and amused, and he closed his eyes as he shivered again, his body aching, head spinning dizzily. A door opened and Warriors distantly registered sunlight hitting his face, and he flinched as it bored past his eyelids, so intense that it hurt.
Time turned his head so it was more shaded, and said something, but his voice sounded like it was coming from a distance, distorted and strange. Warriors felt sick, and distant, and for some reason cold too, in a way he'd never felt cold before. Was this how cold felt to other people? He didn't like it. Not one bit.
A breeze brushed his face, catching on something wet on his exposed cheek. There was a crackle of a radio and a frantic voice, fingers in his hair and a strong arm keeping him up, then more voices and something that blared, but Link just... drifted.
And drifted some more.
He was flying, floating. Falling?
Maybe.
He walked on clouds, then fell through, was trapped in a jar, in an glacier, had his ice thrust into him with a blade that went through his stomach. He had wings like Sky’s, his scarf came alive and talked to him, there were all number of things he didn’t understand but that made perfect sense in his mind.
It wasn’t so bad, really. He should be scared of something he thought, but it was all just... far away.
He sighed. That felt wrong. But he didn’t care.
He drifted some more.
Until a hand brushed his forehead, softer than Time’s, and Link saw soft hair, and a gentle smile.
“All right, sweetie. That’s enough of that. Time to wake up,” his mother said gently, and Link groaned. “Come on, you heard me. Up and at ‘em. Link’s waiting for you.”
“I thought I was Link,” he murmured in confusion, but suddenly things grew fainter, and brighter, and he felt something nudge him.
A voice murmured, and Link sighed, and opened his eyes.
All he saw for a moment was white, and his eyes wouldn’t focus, his vision just one smear of the color. Things took a while to register properly in his vision, but once they did, he slowly blinked.
White ceiling. White walls. Sterile-looking chair and floor. Window that shone a spot of orange light onto his thin, pale blanket.
Link blinked again, still feeling distant, then snippets of what had happened earlier drifted through his mind, alarming ones. His surroundings and memory suddenly clicked together, and he realized with a sudden sharpness that the doctor must have succeeded. Why else would he be in what looked like another medical place?
He froze, suddenly afraid to move, then realized his arm felt strange. He looked over and saw that he had something attached to it, tubes that ended in a patch or something at his wrist.
Were they taking his blood?
Warriors sucked in a small gasp, staring at the ceiling as his panic crested. They’d succeeded. He’d been kidnapped and taken somewhere.
Okay. Okay. Calm down, he thought as he struggled to keep his panic at bay. You just need to escape. Figure out an escape. Wait for an opportunity, then strike, and...
...Wait. Was that arguing?
Warriors flicked his gaze to the side, and saw someone standing there, though all he could see was the back of someone with white hair.
“...somehow slipped past every check we have, and I can’t apologize enough, Link. This was an erroneous breach of trust, and we’ll handle it accordingly,” a woman’s voice said, her voice crisp, but sincere. “I’ve taken personal responsibility for it.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” a deeper voice said tiredly. “No system is infallible.”
The white-haired woman sighed and moved a little, and Warriors could see the other person who’d spoken. His panic immediately abated at the sight, banished with just that one look, and relief settled over him like a thick, fluffy blanket.
“Time,” he croaked, and his brother startled, then hurriedly moved to his bedside as they met eyes.
“Wars— I didn’t notice you were awake,” he said as he looked down at him, relief bright in his eyes. “You feeling okay?”
Warriors blinked. He wasn’t sure how to answer that. But he definitely felt better with Time here, especially since now he remembered being saved by him.
“...Where?” he asked instead, and Time sat beside him, and took his hand that didn’t have stuff attached to it.
“You needed the hospital, Wars. They couldn’t immediately identify any of the substances in you, and you weren’t responding much. They wanted to be sure you weren’t in any danger,” he said heavily. “But the good news is they figured it out what was in you, and have been dealing with it, and it’s been a while now and nothing too terrible has happened. You’re just going to be here overnight, and if you’re still good in the morning, we’ll head home,” he reassured, and Warriors nodded slowly. He was pretty sure that made sense. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Fuzzy,” Warriors settled on, seeing as he felt dizzy, shaken, and still couldn’t move right. He closed his eyes for a second, then reopened them. “Thirsty?”
“That’s about what I would expect,” the woman with the white hair said, and Warriors flicked his gaze to her. Oh, it was Impa. Right. He knew that. “I apologize for what happened this morning, Link. You were in a vulnerable situation where you should have been able to trust those people, and yet they turned on you as soon as they could. That shouldn’t have happened, and I am sorry.”
Time sighed. “Impa, it was through no fault of yours that that quack was cleared for medical work.”
“It’s my job to oversee clearing people for this sort of thing, and I let a man through who was intent on abusing the power we gave him,” Impa said sharply, then exhaled. “We’re overhauling our entire system. This will not happen again.”
Warriors blinked again, having trouble following everything being said, and Time brushed a hand over his forehead. Warriors leaned into it.
“The... um. Doctor?” he tried to ask, and Time got a dark look in his eyes.
“Safely in custody. He has quite a racket of charges against him, he won’t be going free anytime soon,” he assured, and Warriors breathed out a sigh.
“Good,” he whispered. “I don’t... think I like needles, Time.”
Time let out a laugh that sounded odd to Warriors, and squeezed his hand. “That’s completely understandable.”
Impa looked between the two of them, and something in her expression changed, softening a little. “I’ll speak with you more later,” she said to Time, then inclined her head towards Warriors. “I’m glad you’re all right, Link. And I apologize again.”
Warriors just nodded back at her.
Impa left, and Time seemed to shrink a little, his shoulders slumping. He looked weary, and a bit ragged, not helped by the bandage covering his cheek. Warriors just looked at him a moment, too exhausted to try and sift through the memories in the back of his mind, and swallowed.
He felt sick for more than one reason, he thought.
For some reason Warriors shivered, and his brother’s face creased as he looked at him.
“You okay?” Time asked, pulling Warriors’ blanket a bit further up on his chest, and Warriors swallowed.
“I don’t... like being here,” he said quietly, the beeps and sterile smell just reminding him of what the doctor had done, his heart squeezing in his chest. He kept expecting someone in a white coat to walk through the door, the phantom feel of needles in his arm, and it made him feel sick.
Time nodded, still holding his hand. “Me neither. But it’s okay. I’m not going to leave you this time.”
“You promise?” Warriors asked in a small voice, and hated how childish the words sounded. He was really too old to be so clingy.
But he still felt way better when Time nodded, and pulled his chair closer beside him. “I promise. And that reminds me, do you think you’re in the mood to eat anything?”
Warriors gave a weak shrug. “Maybe.”
Time gave him a small smile, then briefly let go of his hand to stand up and take something off the table nearby. It looked like a small cooler, and Warriors tilted his head, confused.
Then Time pulled out a container of ice cream, and Warriors blinked.
“A promise is a promise. I said I’d get you ice cream, and so I did.”
He held it out to Warriors, who weakly took it with his good arm, and for some reason he teared up as he looked at the creamy dessert inside.
“Thanks,” he whispered thickly, feeling overwhelmed, and Time ruffled his hair, somehow looking relieved and pained.
“You’re welcome, kid. Now scoot over, I want some too.”
Warriors let out a sniffly laugh, and he leaned against Time as the two of them dug into the ice cream, Warriors feeling better with every bite.
