i really loved the short story of isekai reader patching up Twilight using modern medical methods aka stiches. Could we have more of that? Maybe isekai reader teaching them some more things like maybe the reason Sky gets so winded when he runs is because he might have asthma.
Absolutely! I love giving these boys a much-needed break!
You mentioned Sky, but I've also seen people head-canon that Four has migraines and I wanted to be nice to him seeing as SOME PEOPLE have been STABBING HIM recently. (I know one Tylenol probably wouldn't stop a migraine, but he's 1. never had medicine like that before and 2. really short, so it would probably be ok dosage-wise.) Time is here because OLD.
LU x Modern! Medic! Reader
Four
“Ow,” Four winced, touching the side of his head.
“You ok?” you turn as you walk, shifting the bag on your back as you do.
“Fine,” he mumbles. “Just a headache.”
“Ok, give me a sec,” you take your arms out of the straps of your bag, swing it around to the front of your body, then put the backpack back on backwards so you can dig through it.
“I don’t need a potion,” Four says quickly. “Honestly, it wouldn’t even help. It’s just a headache.”
“Four, if you’re complaining about a headache, it’s serious,” you continue digging through your bag, remembering the various injuries he’d taken without so much as a wince. You guess black smiths were just built different. “I’ve got some Tylenol. One pill and some water and you should feel right as rain.”
“A potion wouldn’t help,” Four says again. “It’s not an injury.”
“Good thing this isn’t a potion, then,” you take out the small white bottle, then proceed to struggle with the child-proof cap.
“I’ve seen you give that to some of the others,” he points at the bottle. “They eat it and then they feel better. Potion. Maybe not liquid, but still.”
“It doesn’t actually heal anything,” you explain, grunting as you try to open the cap. “The thing causing the headache will still be there. It just blocks the pain.”
“How would there be no pain if the injury is still there?” Four raises an eyebrow.
“It’s like… how do I explain this,” you muse. “So, your nerves send signals to the brain. Think of them like little mail men, taking messages from where the pain is to you. This blocks those signals. The mailmen are still there with their letters, but now the letters can’t get to where they’re going, so no pain.”
“So I’m full of tiny little mailmen,” Four smirks.
“Sure,” you laugh, then finally pop the cap off the bottle and shake a single pill out of the container. You hold it out to Four. He takes it, looks it over, then pops it into his mouth.
“Wha–!?” you sputter, your hand still reaching for your water bottle. “Did you just dry swallow it?”
“Yes?” Four winces at the after taste. “Why? Was that wrong?”
“I mean, no, it’s fine,” you close your bag, still bewildered. “It’s demented, but you won’t, like, die.”
“Who are you calling demented?” He grins.
“You just took a pill without water!” you cry. “Who does that!?”
Time
Time was old. Mentally, yes, he was probably like 60 or something as far as you or anyone else could figure, but physically as well. Most of the other heroes were in their twenties or younger. Time was in his thirties, and with the added stress of hero work he might as well have been forty.
He had old injuries that still ached, and the past strain on his body had definitely sped up how quickly he developed arthritis. You noticed the way he would massage his hands occasionally. Or wince when he woke up. It was your job to notice these things after all.
Unfortunately, heroes were stubborn and selfless. Most attempts to help them were met with “I’ve had worse” or “so-and-so needs it more.” And from what you could tell, Time had never been “mothered” in the traditional sense, making it all the more unlikely he would accept anything you had to offer. He thought your help was necessary for the others, not him. It was noble. And incredibly stupid.
You had to find alternative ways to help him.
“Tea?” you hold up a mug to him as he passes where you’re sitting, your own cup held loosely in your other hand.
“That’s not suspicious at all,” Time frowns at the mug.
“What’s suspicious about tea?” you take a sip from your mug.
“Yeah, old man, when has tea ever gone wrong?” Wild, currently also enjoying a cup of tea next to you, smiles.
“Tea isn’t suspicious,” Legend nods, clutching his own mug close to his chest.
“Not at all,” you agree, nodding in a totally not suspicious way.
“Then why are the two people you’re always after about pain management the only ones drinking it?” Time points at Wild, who often got whole-body aches that he liked to try to ignore, then at Legend, who, like Time, had arthritis in his hands, but was more willing to take medicine for it.
“Maybe they’re the only two who happened to walk past,” you take another long sip from your cup.
“What’s in the tea?” Time sighs.
“Uhhh, it’s green tea, so Camellia leaves,” your arm is starting to get tired from holding the extra mug out to him. “And some honey.”
Time raises an eyebrow. He didn’t remember having honey in the camp supplies.
“We just got it. Wild shield-surfed face-first into a hive,” you explain. The Link in question gives you a thumbs up when you glare at him.
“So this tea is just to use up the honey?” Time takes the mug carefully.
“Can’t really store it all. Our jars are for fairies or potions,” Legend shrugs.
“I kept one jar,” Wild smiles.
“Fine,” Time takes a drink. Success!
“Oh! And I added some turmeric and ginger,” you admit, looking away from him as you do. You glance at your surroundings in a nonchalant manner. “They have anti-inflammatory properties. Figured you could use it.”
“I knew it,” Time narrows his eyes (eye), but takes another drink of tea. “You were trying to medicate me.”
“Is it helping?” you ask. He flexes his hand, thinking.
“...Yes,” he finally admits, shoulders slouching in defeat.
Sky
“That’s not what happened!” Sky scowls. He had been recounting his attempt to catch the apparently portal-using mail man when a few of the others had begun teasing him about his inability to run.
“That’s totally what happened,” Legend smirks.
“Sounds like asthma,” you shrug, turning away from the conversation to inspect Twilight’s side. Apparently there was some evil magic that you couldn’t see infecting the wound, and while you were no mage, you were a medic, and infection of any kind, magic or otherwise, was unacceptable.
“Asthma…?” Nine heads tilt inquisitively sideways, various looks of confusion on their faces.
“Do you guys not know what asthma is?” Now it’s your turn to be confused.
The blank looks you get back speak for themselves.
“Okay,” you pinch the bridge of your nose, trying to think. “Athma is like… your throat gets tight and it gets really hard to breathe. Sometimes it feels like someone is sitting on your chest, making it really hard to get air in.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s pretty accurate,” Sky smiles.
“How do you not know what asthma is? If you have asthma you should have an inhaler.” You stand up, forgetting Twilight’s magic wound for a moment, and start rummaging through your bag. There wasn’t really a way to treat inflammation like that with the herbs you had available, but you had to have something.
“I thought it was just because I grew up in Skyloft,” Sky shrugs. “The air down here is just different.”
“That’s not how altitude changes work. The air up there is thinner, meaning Skyloftians should have an easier time breathing near the surface,” you say exasperatedly.
“Oh,” Sky blushes.
“So it’s an illness?” Warriors glances at Sky and takes a not-so-subtle step away.
“No, it’s genetic. You can’t ‘catch’ it, if that’s what you’re afraid of,” you roll your eyes. A few of the boys snicker at Wars’ look of relief.
“But is there a cure?” Sky sounds hopeful. “You said something about me needing to have something.”
“An inhaler. Not a cure, just a way to treat the symptoms,” you give up digging through your bag. “It’s medicine that you breathe in. And I have no way of making it here. If we ever go to my era I’m breaking into a pharmacy and getting you one.”
“Surely there must be something you can do without traveling to your era,” Time says.
“Not really,” you grimace. “We can limit triggers. If you didn’t have issues on Skyloft your asthma might be triggered by humidity? Or pollen? But it sounds like it’s triggered by exercise, which… well, you might have chosen the wrong profession.”
“You could say that again,” Legend snorts.
“Well, not much to be done,” Sky hums. “I’ve been alright up until now. I should be fine.”
“I’m still swiping you an inhaler if we wind up in my era,” you mutter, adding it to your growing list of things to either buy or steal from a modern pharmacy (some of the meds these boys needed were prescription, which you wouldn’t really be able to get otherwise).
Reader is lonely in the unfamiliar world of Hyrule and struggles to talk with the chain. A clear view of the night sky unearths the pain you had been suppressing the past few days.
Tags: hurt/comfort; somewhat Sky centric; Sky x reader if you squint; all members of chain appear (except First); human!reader
Warnings: feelings of homesickness, isolation, loneliness, alienation; focus on emotional difficulties
a/n: Did you know that if all the artificial lights on Earth were shut off, the night sky would be completely visible everywhere on the surface with clear skies in almost an instant?
wc: 2748
—————
Three days ago, you found yourself in an unfamiliar land. Rain pierced through your clothes and you stumbled blindly through the deluge until you bumped into a group of boys. At first, apprehension overtook you— but they folded you amongst their ranks with understanding. Their situation and yours were quite similar, all being out of place and time. Despite this, there seemed to be a cool distance between you and the boys.
You and the boys— all somehow named “Link”— encountered monsters and strange phenomena that could only be described as magic. To the Links, it was completely normal and they navigated their reality with ease. To you, however, it was making your mind skip a beat. How was any of this even possible? You came from a world ruled by science and logic, and every moment seemed to bring about a new impossibility. Their world was nothing short of mind-blowing at every step, and you were finding it difficult to handle. A rift in experience stood between you and everyone else. You were so different from them, after all.
Maybe conversation could help bridge the gap?
Yet the thundering rain continued for days, and holding a conversation proved difficult with the constant pitter-patter of foliage. Every attempt to speak was punctuated with a “what?!” or a “huh?!” and you figured it would be best to save whatever you had to say for another time. Maybe it wasn’t even worth it. Maybe you’d be home— warm and dry— soon enough.
—————
After another long day of walking and fighting, the group stops to set up camp. The rain had waned throughout the day until it finally sputtered out with a cough in the afternoon.
The ones they call the champion and the traveller manage to start a weak fire with slightly damp firewood, and they begin to prepare a meal together while chattering with excitement. The smith raises an eyebrow at their discussion but turns away to set up camp and organize supplies with the sailor. You’re not sure what ‘special ingredient’ the champion and traveller are talking about, but you know actual warm food after days of soggy rations sounds divine.
The ranchhand, the knight, and the veteran disappear into the verdant woods to scout the area while the old man and the captain attempt to wipe down their armour. You decide to help by hanging everyone’s clothes up to dry, including your own outer layer drooping sadly on the line. With nothing to protect you from the wind, every slight breeze sets your teeth chattering. At least it might dry your clothes faster. You stand alone in your task, trying not to turn back as laughter breaks out amongst the boys.
The sun’s rays peek through the trees as it drifts below the horizon, eventually giving way to the evening. As you watch the last bit of sunlight disappear, you notice a curious sight. At first you think it’s nothing unusual for once, just the stars coming out. There’s so many, and they’re so bright. It should feel familiar, shouldn’t it? But a slow chill crawls up your spine.
These stars are not your own.
Even the comfort of the night sky only reminds you of your distance, and you search desperately for a familiar constellation. Miles away from the brilliant lights of a city, this should have been easy. But you’re not on Earth. You’re far, far away from home.
Humans have always used the stars to navigate their world. They’re familiar and watch over every person from cradle to grave. For millennia, they’ve been our anchors in the sky. But for the first time, a human stares at the sky and a stranger’s stars stare back.
It’s too much. The monsters; the magic; even the mundane— all of it feels so wrong, and you feel the desperate pull of your heart trying to drag itself home. A deep ache settles within you, and it leaves you hollow.
What are you supposed to do?
You sit with your feelings for a moment. You name them.
Homesickness. Loneliness. Fear.
You detangle your woes piece by piece, and the intensity dulls, if ever so slightly. But it lingers.
What can you do? You go over a mental list in your mind.
Take deep breaths.
You can do that. In, and out. In, and out. Your heart rate begins to reign itself in.
Count the things you can see.
OneTwoThreeFourFiveSixSevenEightNine Ten sets of clothing, dripping wet, dangle on a line. You wring them all out, water dripping down to your elbows.
Talk to a friend.
Your hands still. That’s not an option here.
Or is it?
There seems to be a cool distance between you and the boys, but perhaps it’s you keeping everyone at arms length.
It’s easier to stay distant, to acknowledge the reality that you’ll have to say goodbye one day by never getting close enough to say more than “Hello”. But you’re here right now, and you don’t need to make it all on your own.
Talk to a friend.
You wring out the last piece of clothing— the knight of Skyloft’s white cape, speckled with mud— and smooth out the wrinkles left behind. The others have returned from their scouting trip and pass around some berries they found. They look good.
The rain has stopped, hasn’t it? Why not give conversation a try again?
You walk back to the camp and sit down. The knight notices you and holds out his hand, full of clumpy fruits that resemble raspberries. You can pretend they are. His hands are covered in small cuts— presumably from thorns— and you smile. It seems everyone else is just as enthusiastic for fresh food as you are.
As you pop the berry into your mouth, you cringe. The knight chuckles.
“Sour, right?”
You nod, and take a seat on the log next to the veteran, who is attempting to wring out his hat. He hums in acknowledgement and you hum back.
“Ready to experience the best cuisine the land of Hyrule has to offer?”
You grin. “I’m excited to have something warm for once.”
“Yeah, well, the traveller’s helping cook. Maybe put your hopes and dreams on hold,” he says with a snicker, throwing his cap back onto his head.
“Why? What’s wrong with his cooking?”
“You’ll see.”
The champion takes a long sip from the stew he helped make, savouring the taste. He nods in approval, humming a happy note. “Tastes good to me.”
“That’s thanks to the special ingredient I’ve been saving just for now,” the traveller says, grinning from ear to pointed ear. “It’ll knock your socks straight off!”
The veteran grimaces. “How much you wanna bet it’ll knock the newbie straight out?”
You laugh, feeling more at ease. “How bad can it be?”
The traveller cheers. “That’s the spirit!”
Everyone aside from the champion and traveller exchange nervous glances. The smith shakes his head, eyes filled with terror. Oh. Okay. Great.
Easy laughter bubbles up from the other boys as you groan. You rub your arms, trying to quash the chill still rattling throughout your body. The ranchhand, noticing your plight, gestures for you to move closer to the fire. You both totter forwards, holding your hands out to the heat. Warmth curls around your fingers, and you rub them against your face. Heat radiates off of the ranchhand like a brazier, and you shuffle ever so closer.
The old man glances up from carefully drying his armour, eyeing the clothes dangling on the line.
“Excellent work hanging everything to dry—” he comments as he gives a sly half glance towards the captain. “—even if you had to do it all yourself.”
The captain scoffs. “Old man, I thought you of all people would understand. It would be insulting to the armourer if I let their work be ruined by something as trivial as rain.” He glances over at you, eyes crinkling as he smiles. “Thank you, so much. What would we do without you?”
“It’s the least I can do,” you say, thinking his praise to be overly lofty for what you actually contributed.
“I would have helped— really —if it weren’t so damned difficult to dry chain mail with a wet cloth—”
“Excuses, excuses.” The veteran’s dry voice crows out, interrupting the captain.
“Is that what you think?” The captain’s voice sharpens, but he maintains a jovial demeanour. “Why don’t you take over for me, if you think it’s so easy?”
The veteran takes one glance at the mail in the captain’s hands and waves him off. “No thanks, someone has to be on the lookout while you scrub your nose with armour polish.” He leans back, making an excessive show of looking around the camp.
“Some lookout you are,” the captain scorns, ignoring the veteran’s further taunts and turning his attention back to the sopping wet cloth in his hands.
The ranchhand rolls his eyes at the exchange, changing position from crouching to seated by the fire. He eyes the stew, giving it a slight whiff. His nose twitches, but he makes no comment.
You both still for a moment, watching the flames dance beneath the pot. Bright imprints fade to dark spots on your retinas, and you rub your eyes.
The loud clang of the champion striking a pot lid with a ladle stirs you.
“Dinner’s up!”
The others draw towards the fire and take seats on the logs and the still muddy ground. After weeks of travelling, you supposed cleanliness took a backseat. For most of you, at least. The captain carefully adjusts himself on his log and you swipe at any stray leaf litter before taking a seat between the veteran and the knight. The sailor and the smith pass out bowls to the others, and you decide not to comment on the amount of fresh mud dripping from the sailor’s shirt. That must have been what all the laughter was about.
Although… you still don’t have a bowl. Fair enough, you didn’t happen to have one on you when you came from Earth. No problem, you could wait for someone else to finish, or use the pot lid as a plate—
Your reasoning is interrupted by the appearance of stew in a bowl held out to you. You look up, and see a smile warmer than a forge.
“I have a few extras,” the smith says, “so you won’t have to drink from the pot or anything.”
You smile and take the bowl from him, grateful.
“Careful—” the smith warns.
“Ooh yeah, it’s hot.” You adjust your grip on the bowl.
“No, just, be careful.”
You pause. Right. The secret ingredient. It can’t be that bad, right? Maybe… no. Warm food. It doesn’t matter how it tastes, you just need something that’ll warm you from the inside and out.
Preparing for the worst you raise the bowl to your lips and…
“How is it?” The traveller and champion watch you expectantly while the others cautiously sip.
… It’s fine. A bit off, sure, but nothing worse than whatever you’ve reheated at home. You dare say that the soggy rations you’d consumed for the last three days were almost worse.
“It’s good.”
“Mmh… so, nothing strikes you? At all?” The veteran presses a curled finger to his lips, eye twitching.
You come from a world of hyper-processed ‘food.’ You literally eat stuff like this for breakfast.
“Yeah, it’s fine. A few flavours I’m not used to, but it’s more a ‘culture shock’ sort of thing, I guess.”
The traveller deflates. “Darn. I was hoping it would be a real zinger for the newbie.”
“It surely was a ‘zinger’ for the rest of us,” the old man says flatly.
The traveller perks back up, and he offers seconds with the champion. The rest politely refuse.
You polish off your bowl, and the knight pushes his towards you.
“I’m not very hungry.” He donned such an innocent smile, you’d almost think he was telling the truth.
Regardless, it doesn’t matter; this half-nasty stew resembled ambrosia to your tastebuds after days of soggy hardtack. You sip from the bowl, chewing on tough meat chunks that turn into stringy bits between your teeth. Small veggie pieces melt in your mouth. The knight looks you over.
“What was that all about, back over by the clothes?”
You nearly spit out your stew.
You rap your fingers along the base of the bowl, staring at the colourless vegetables which are punctuated by weird pink chunks. The others chatter as they clean up, none taking notice of the intense gaze the knight is casting over you.
Talk to a friend.
“Mm… just looking at the stars.” A moment of silence. “They’re, uh, lovely.”
Dodging the truth of the matter.
He nods.
“I never realized what a treat seeing the night sky was,” the knight muses, “Where I’m from we live above the clouds— and the stars are close enough to touch!— but on the surface there’s all sorts of things in the way. Knowing that a clear sky is a rarity down here makes me want to appreciate it like I never have.”
“Mhm. That’s true.”
The knight looks you over again, gaze less intense. His irises seem to reflect the dark sky more than the warm fire. If you look close enough, you can just make out pinpricks of light from the stranger’s stars in his eyes.
He stretches, leaning back on his arms. He sighs, and you follow his gaze towards the dancing flames.
“You know,” he says, “I might know how you feel.”
He glances over at you, gauging your reaction. You say nothing. He continues.
“Like I said, I came from an island above the clouds. When I first established a settlement on the surface, it was difficult to adjust, to say the least.”
“But you had your people with you, right?”
“That’s true. But then, I ended up in another place, another era. Everyone I knew… hm… we Links realized that I’m the first on the timeline our eras exist in. It’s been a few hundred, maybe thousand years since my time…”
“Oh. I… I’m so sorry.”
He relaxes, throwing an arm up. “Hey, it’s alright! They’re alive back in my era, just not here and now. It’s the same with you and your world. You’ll see them again. One way or another, the world won’t be so unfamiliar.”
You hum. One day…
He gives you a soft smile. “Every one of us is in the same situation. You’re not alone— we’re all doing our best in unfamiliar lands. Yeah?”
You crack a smile. “Yeah.”
You gaze into the fire together, the light burning shadows into your eyes. Mumbles and chatter flit in and out of earshot as you enjoy the moment.
“-‘s cold-”
“-they dry yet-?”
“-still wet-”
“-idea-!”
Glancing up, you see the sailor holding up a giant leaf. You remember him using it as an umbrella the past few days.
He trots forwards, aiming himself towards the clothesline.
Hm. What is he doing?
He raises the leaf over his shoulder, ready to swing.
Ohh, he’s using it as a fan to dry the clothes. Clever.
Memory strikes just too late— you didn’t clip the clothes to the line. You didn’t have any clips. There’s no clips on the clothes. They’re free. Not clever.
You pounce forwards.
“THEY’RE NOT-”
You’re too far. He swings.
“…attached.”
Colourful garments float away, drifting through tht sky like kites and snagging on nearby tree branches. The knight stifles a snort. Chaos ensues. Yelling and incredulous ruckus echo through the camp, and the sailor shamefully shoves the leaf back into his bag. The champion springs into action— though not before snapping a photo with his weird iPad thing— clambering up the trees and pulling clothes down from the branches with a huge grin on his face. Even the knight gets up with a groan and joins the fray, presumably searching for his cape.
Maybe now wasn’t the time to divulge your deepest, darkest fears, but talking to a friend lightened the load— if only ever so slightly.
The sailor approaches you with a sheepish expression and hands you your own outer layer, still damp with new bits of leaves and dust on it.
For now, you need to redo what you’ve done, hanging clothes on a line.
You take it with a smile.
But this time you have the whole chain to lend a hand.
—————
a/n: My first LU fic! If you have any constructive criticism on the characterization or anything, lmk <3 I haven’t had the time to properly study the characters yet so I did my best 😭
Also I started writing this in December so no First, oops
Overview: With sunset approaching, your group is forced to set up camp for the night, allowing time for an important revelation to finally find its voice.
A continuation of this
Series Masterlist ⚔️ Legend of Zelda Masterlist
Chapter Five: The Original
"...It's getting late," His voice might've taken you by surprise if you hadn't already seen him approaching in the corner of your eyes - the apparent 'Old Man' of the group, whose nickname is one of the few that stood out well enough to etch itself into your memory although to actually call him 'old' would feel like a bit of an insult considering he doesn't look much older than yourself.
There's no prolonged silence or awkward attempts at making casual conversation beforehand, yet he still manages to sound perfectly neutral while jumping right to the point. Falling into line by your side, he pauses just long enough to give you a fair chance to add a comment of your own. When you don't, he speaks again carefully, "...We'll need to set up camp soon."
"What we need is to reach that portal."
He doesn't bite on your precipitance, instead remaining stern yet relaxed with his tone - not arguing, but merely pointing out a fact, "It's dangerous to travel at night. We'll have trouble seeing our direction, not to mention monsters become more active in the dark."
He's right...You just aren't so willing to admit that.
Although returning home as soon as possible is your leading concern, the thought of spending the night surrounded by strange men doesn't exactly bring you any comfort either. It's already enough of a risk traveling in isolation with them. How could you possibly be expected to completely lower your guard by falling asleep near them?
"You lot can fight, can you not?"
"We can, but not while deprived of rest."
You try to make it subtle as you glance back at the rest of the group. There's no mistaking the way they've begun dragging themselves lately, their pace slowing down immensely compared to what it had once been. Even the youngest - previously full of so much zest - has begun to fall behind with dramatic groans of displeasure while his brothers physically tugged him along.
Moments before his approach, you had heard faint mumbling between the Old Man and a couple of the other boys who sounded annoyed with a hint of urgency behind their voices (which beckoned you to try eavesdropping even if you couldn't properly decode their whispers).
They were adamant about something, their hushed complaints only ceasing once an agreement must've finally been made. That's, of course, when the Old Man first came to you...No doubt they had been trying to annoy their leader into talking some sense into you.
Although you've been trying to ignore it, there's no denying the exhaustion that courses through your own body, too. Your legs ache under all the unusual exercise they've been forced to experience these past few days, your lower back feeling so brittle, you fear a single touch might result in your form crumbling completely...It's starting to really weigh you down, and the poor sleep you got last night plus all the days priorprobably doesn't help any, either.
Perhaps if you were younger, this would've been an easier trip to at least adapt to, however you're not entirely sure how much further you'll be able to push yourself before your body decides to wave that white flag for you. As desperately as you may want to return home without delay, you realize it's not realistic to make it there in your current state, not to mention you won't be able to protect yourself if worn too thin.
...At last you begrudgingly nod to Time's suggestion, giving no verbal agreement to the idea, although one isn't necessarily needed. Without making any big fuss of it, he stops suddenly in his tracks and faces the tired group with a simple announcement: "We'll camp here for tonight."
There's a collective sigh of relief as the boys collapse right where they stand, a few 'thank Hylia's whimpered throughout the group...yet surprisingly - and against all their previous grievances of fatigue - none of them stay in one spot for long.
Where you would've only had the courage to find some nook or cranny to hide in overnight, they're apparently much more determined to turn this small gap of forest into a comfortable camp for the night - spurred on by their Captain who's quick to begin ushering them back to their feet after a mere minute of rest.
Aside from some brief grumbles, no one truly digs their heels into the ground against his insistence, especially not when the Old Man begins handing out directions as well. Some to clear the forest floor of debris, others to unpack, and a trio to complete a small patrol of the surrounding area in case of looming danger...Soon, the entire group is buzzing around the clearing as if possessed by a swift influx of energy you can only be jealous of.
Away from their chaos, you've found a place for yourself on the edge of the clearing where you settle against a tree with a shaky twitch to your movements. If you allowed yourself, you could honestly fall asleep right now laying amongst the foliage, but instead you sit with your back stiff against the tree where you can keep everyone within your line of sight at once.
...They said they had all been investigating these portals individually before being brought together, however you can't quite shake the feeling that there must be more to it than what's been admitted thus far.
They just seem so different...not to mention they don't all fit the expected description of 'simple travelers'. Take the youngest, for example. A boy his age shouldn't be off on his own adventuring the world. What business does he have investigating dangerous portals? And what parent would allow their child down that path, or does he belong to one of the other boys here? Only the Old Man seems old enough for a child of that age, although they don't share much resemblance. Perhaps a little brother someone brought along?
Then there's that Captain. He certainly doesn't look like any traveler - not in appearance nor manner of carrying himself. If anything, he reminds you of those old knights back in Skyview - the fake, good looking ones hired by nobles to act as showpieces more than actual protection.
Compared to the others, he seems more high-strung in his behavior, fussing about camp like every little detail matters from the placement of their bedrolls to what tools are used to ignite the fire (you had watched on as he reprovingly ripped some kind of rod out of the hands of the long haired boy before handing him so simple flint instead).
'A prideful act,' you think bitterly despite knowing full well that Link sometimes behaved the same way with his own men; always on guard and always at work.
If being fair, you suppose you can't truly judge what would've led any of them to this point seeing as you, yourself, have no personal business being here beyond being a worried mother and resentful widow. Even Link had once been of nobility before he abandoned it all for the sake of freedom and adventure...Perhaps that's what led them all here, too - a simple desire or fear of the unknown which spiraled out of control, eventually pushing you all together by total coincidence. Maybe if you keep telling yourself that, you might actually start to believe it.
"...Fi?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
You slouch further against the tree, unconcerned with any judgment Fi might give if she's even capable of it, "How much further until we reach that portal back home?"
"If walking at the average pace of a Hylian, you should be able to reach the portal in an hour and forty-six minutes. This estimate doesn't account for any breaks or other disturbances such as weather," She answers apathetically, earning an equally indifferent hum of acknowledgement.
Despite your question having been answered, she continues to hover. Although there's no change to her expression, her brief silence and next words almost make her sound concerned, "...Ma'am, might I suggest moving closer to the fire? The temperature is expected to drop significantly once nightfall -"
"- I'm fine where I'm at. Thank you, Fi."
"Of course, ma'am," She bows her head before disappearing, leaving you thankful that she hadn't argued. Anyone else might've stayed to point out the way you curl further into yourself, pulling your scarf closer to cover your nose.
.
.
.
From across the clearing, Sky ambles through camp so sluggishly, one might begin to worry he's forgotten the purpose behind all that firewood held within his arms.
Although trying his best not to make it obvious, he'd be displeased to learn his recent attempts at 'subtly' aren't exactly winning him any awards. It's hard for anyone to ignore how his head seems to always be turned in your direction, his jaw clenched with a dangerous amount of pressure and eyes so intense, they appear as if they're holding the secrets of the universe.
"Do you know her?" Warrior's knelt not far behind, currently fixing his bedroll until each corner is stretched straight. Some of the others Legend and Twilight would say it's because he's a perfectionist, but he'd instead argue that being so tall something they wouldn't know about, he'd simply like to be able to stretch his legs properly without getting his feet stuck in a stubborn corner of fabric.
He abandons this task to watch Sky, having long taken note of that thoughtful look behind his eyes which has failed to explain itself in any meaningful way. It's been there ever since they first crossed paths with you, however it seems to have only gotten worse as the hours tick on. Earlier the knight had denied knowing you, yet that troubled expression makes him out to be a liar...
"...Fi? She was the spirit who possessed the Master Sword when I -" His response is delayed and hesitant. A liar, indeed.
"- That's not who I'm referring to," Sky ducks his head under the pressure of Warrior's thinned eyes. It's nothing personal - not done out of anger or annoyance, but rather a worried friend wanting to help.
"...I don't know her personally -" Sky finally confesses, "- But I know of her."
He's unfortunately all too aware of how crazy he might sound, especially if you were to happen to overhear. He doubts you can, given the awful space placed between you and everyone else, however that makes him no less paranoid. You've already been overly suspicious of them since the start and he can't help feeling most of it has been directed his way, too. If he continues to act too strangely, you'll only have more reason to hand out judgment...
At last seeming to remember the task bestowed upon him, Sky resumes his path over to the fire, dropping an armful of wood nearby before plopping down himself with an added weight. The entire time, his answer to Warrior's question had quickly turned into a ramble, "At least I'm certain it's her - It has to be! It would only make sense!"
"What makes sense?" Wind asks, immediately locking onto the conversation the moment it hits his ears. He pushes himself up right from where he's been laying boredly on his stomach, his chin propped against the flats of his hands.
Sky breathes your name with some desperation, "I wouldn't think anything of it if not for the way everything adds together. Her name, the fact that she has the Goddess Sword and Fi - Plus she's clearly from a time before my own seeing as she was so surprised by other Hylians being down here - She must be the original!"
"The 'original'?" Legend echoes with his eyebrow raised almost mockingly.
"Yes, the original!" Sky repeats, throwing his hands up in frustration before reminding himself to keep his voice down. How no one else has figured this out yet is beyond him, "You know, like from the stories - the ones about Hylia's Chosen Hero and the creation of Skyloft. She must be that (Y/n)! She was his wife! She's responsible for the Goddess Sword and basically founded Skyloft as a civilization!"
Although it's been on his mind all day, it's hard to contain his excitement now that he's finally voicing the connection aloud. All his life, he had heard the stories - the very legends that formed Skyloft's history and legacy, yet he never thought he'd get the chance to actually meet you - well, this version of you; the woman who started it all.
Your husband may have been the hero who saved Hylia's People from Demise, but it was you who kept them lifted from sorrow, ensuring their continued survival during times of such great loss and uncertainty. You founded the Knight's Academy and helped structure Skyloft's early society, your dedicated work going on to inspire generations, including his own.
Sky would say he feels particularly in debt to you, after all he likely wouldn't have been able to defeat Demise if not for the sword that kept him safe. Your sword guided him through the dark, eventually becoming the very foundation for the Master Sword itself. There's no doubt in his mind that many of the heroes around this circle would've been lost without your touch...and yet they all look completely clueless to that fact.
The Knight's head lowers slightly as he blinks a few times, his passionate rant dying down into a stunned silence when he doesn't receive the response he had expected. Maybe it's too much to think they'd all fanboy the way he has, but surely there should be some interest or mild wonder towards making your acquaintance.
Instead, the rest of the heroes continue to stare at him as if he's grown another head, some plain confused while others borderline concerned.
"You guys...do know what I'm talking about...right?"
Their scrunched faces are really answer enough.
"The name's familiar, but only because I know someone with the same," Time shrugs, his arms crossed over his chest which sells his lack of amazement towards the topic. His reaction would probably be the same if someone told him the sky's blue.
"M-Me too," Hyrule shows more emotion through his blush and the way he fiddles bashfully with his hands upon his lap. There's a second where he suddenly sits much straighter as if suddenly all too aware of his poor posture.
"It's a fairly common name from my time," Four, too, shrugs, not wanting to make any big deal out of the announcement, "I know a couple people with it."
"...Once again, it seems I'm the outlier..." Wild mumbles with some envy under his breath. He doesn't even look up from the soup he stirs.
"...You guys..." Sky whines, feeling as if lead has sunken into his stomach, "You seriously don't know about the legend? I mean, it's not even a legend, it's plain history!"
"If it's so important, explain it to us then," Warrior gives a huff of breath while kicking a leg over his knee and sitting at full attention, "What are the rest of us not understanding?"
Despite his willingness to learn, his fellow knight groans, going as far as to tug at strands of his hair in a mix of frustration and disbelief, "...I can't believe - This is all Year One information! Children are taught this stuff!"
"My apologies for not having time for history lessons during the mist of a war."
Sky shakes his head in disappointment, briefly wondering where it all would've gone wrong. It would be different if he were to receive this reaction from residents of a small town or occupants of some random bar, but these are the heroes of Hyrule! How do they not know of the history that forged their shared paths? And perhaps most critically, how do they not know about you?!
It's already been discovered that 'common knowledge' isn't always so common amongst their group after all no one's really recovered from the shock of finding out Sky had no idea who Ganon was, however you should be different! You're his other half - the one who encourages him and fills his heart with hope even after the world has beaten him down. He used to find comfort in thinking you'd always be together no matter the life...but this conversation has him beginning to doubt that.
"Well, I've already told you all about Demise and why Skyloft was created..." Sky starts, casting his eyes towards the fire with an uncomfortable feeling set throughout his body. That hadn't been a fun conversation either, but at least he doesn't have to explain it over again.
"I guess what I left out was stuff about Hylia's hero. It's all so well known back home, I just didn't think - I wasn't sure it needed to be said...but when Demise first attempted to seize the Sacred Realm - centuries before my own time - Hylia had chosen a hero who she believed could help turn the tide during the war; someone who could rally her people together and courageously meet the darkness head-on."
"Sounds familiar," Someone comments, although it really isn't important who seeing as the same thought likely crossed all their minds.
"The thing is, the hero wasn't alone in the fight - at least figuratively speaking, that is. They say he was married to a blacksmith's daughter who, upon hearing the threat her husband would be up against, created a special sword fit for his hand. He'd go into battle carrying that very sword yet would give his life while buying the surviving Hylians time to escape on Skyloft.
"His wife was understandably distraught by his death, so to repay a debt and give her some peace - however little - Hylia promised that their souls would be reborn again, therefore giving them both a second chance to live happily together once more.
"...That's, um, the summarized version at least," Sky finishes his explanation with a bit of a nervous shrug while pinching the edges of his sailcloth between his fingers, "Growing up, I wasn't ever too sure how much of it to believe. Other kids said the details must've been twisted, which could've made sense, I mean, the last part did seem like something that would've been added on to leave a depressing story on a more optimistic note, but my girlfriend - she shares the same name as the hero's wife.
"Ever since we were kids, people would make jokes saying we were just like the hero and his wife from the stories. I still figured it was just some coincidence, but then after everything that happened with Zelda being taken and Demise's return - We learned we really are the reincarnations of them both! Hylia's promise was true! We're destined to be together, and seeing as the hero's spirit has continued to be reborn, that's probably the case in every life after ours, too!"
"Or maybe it's just a case of self-fulfilling prophecy," Legend grumbles against his hand, "You're told your whole life that you're supposed to end up with someone then you end up with them. So what? And don't you live on a small island anyway? Your choices were probably slim to begin with!"
Sky turns to glare at the younger teen, however any offense he was about to voice is interrupted by Four:
"So you're saying it's like a soulmate type situation," He clarifies, a finger caught under his chin in thought, "Like I said, it's a fairly common name where I'm from...but so are 'Link' and 'Zelda'. Even though I've never heard of that story before, I suppose it isn't impossible that it could've gotten lost over the ages while the legacy went on in smaller pieces."
Time hums, although his expression is noticeably a bit more 'stiff' than usual - almost as if there's an unfavorable taste left on the tip of his tongue. Nevertheless, he toys around with the presented information inside his own mind before finally looking across the rest of the group, "How many of us here know someone of the name? Show of hands."
Six out of nine hands go up.
"That doesn't mean anything," Legend scowls, refusing to play along by so much as twitching a finger, "Smithy just said it's a common name."
"It's not common in my time," Much to the Veteran's chagrin, his predecessor's quick to squash his argument.
"And how many of us are close with that person?" Warrior decides to specify.
Six hands remain in the air, some even becoming a bit more bashful.
"We're dating!" Sky repeats with more exasperation this time.
"Slim choices"
"It was fate -!"
"- Regardless of whether that part is true or not -" Time snaps, keeping them both squirming under his eye as he continues, "- doesn't matter at the moment. Our concern is understanding the woman with us right now and what led her to cross our paths like this. If she truly is related to a hero, it must not be any more of a coincidence than it was for the rest of us to meet each other."
"Why don't we just ask her?" Wind rolls his eyes, feeling this whole argument is entirely stupid when the answer really is that simple. He goes to push himself to his feet, yet is stopped by Sky frantically shaking his hands.
"Don't!"
"Why not?! What's the point in arguing when she can just tell us right here, right now?"
"We don't know if she even knows!" He protests, motioning for Wind to sit back down, "About the whole reincarnation and hero's spirit thing! It was easy enough for us to accept since we've all lived with the fact, but how would she react? Especially considering her husband's tragic end...I just think it could be a lot for her to digest."
"Not to mention she already doesn't trust us," Hyrule flinches at the reminder of your harsh glare, already imagining a scenario where you react badly to all this information, "She could think it sounds too far-fetched."
"She's gonna have to find out sooner or later," Twilight whispers almost sympathetically, "The longer we travel together, anyway."
"I'm not saying we keep it from her completely, just - There's gotta be a way to ease her into it, you know? Break the news gently that we're all technically the reborn spirit of her dead husband."
"Probably best we don't word it like that," Time critiques gruffly.
"The longer we wait to tell her, the worse it'll be when she finally finds out," Warrior warns, shaking his head as if this has already gotten completely out of hand. To be honest, he has some doubts about this entire topic, but he isn't one to dismiss a theory without proper investigation first.
"We'll tell her!" Sky insists, "I just think we should find out how much she even knows first...It might not hurt to get her to trust us a little more, too, so that she doesn't think this is all some cruel joke or anything."
"Easier said than done. She isn't exactly the most open armed person around," Legend grumbles, gesturing over to where you still sit across camp. Despite being a distance of mere yards, it seems like miles by the way you stay curled into yourself, your sword placed upon lap with a hand always on the handle.
You look exhausted - any of them can tell - yet even with the way your head lulls back in a fight to stay conscious, your tired gaze continues to pass over them in careful surveillance. You'd likely act no different if being held hostage by a bunch of bokoblins.
"Then we take the first step," with that, the Hero of Skies stands to his feet, a determined smile glowing on his face before he turns to approach your direction.
The others watch him go, glancing amongst themselves almost in a wordless agreement that this could go very wrong...but then again, it's not like they have anything to lose here. Perhaps if they're lucky and if Sky's charisma pays off, you could be more willing to share useful information with them, giving them better insight to this world and the portal you journeyed through. They can only hope.
.
.
.
"...Would it be too much to bet on her stabbing him?"
What I feel like each Link would do when it’s time to go to bed with you! (Slight mention of kinks but nothing too big)
Sky
- oh our favourite sleepy cuddle bug ugh, we love a physically clingy man that can manhandle you to bed.
- not without consent of course hehe.
- he’s definitely clingy in bed too, but unconsciously chokes you by 3 am when he’s having a couple dreams (let’s be real, all Links have nightmares…)
- Whether he’s being spooned or is spooning, he’s a happy man.
- could literally fall asleep with only you being his blanket and him being your heater.
(Side note, did you know that women generally feel colder because their inner heat is like 5x more than men? It’s also less spread out so women’s hands and feet just get randomly SUPER COLD compared to men who have a cooler inner body temperature who don’t experience that! All Links take advantage of this to make you feel warm even if they don’t know the reason behind it.)
- being in skyloft makes you 10x colder too, so sky is probably holding hands and holding feet 24/7 in your sleep.
- he’s a light snorer, but fully alert, always ready to protect with a bit of a sleepy stance.
- he probably sleeps with a shirt and some pants, used to having a bit of clothes due to cold weather in skyloft.
- sky does this thing where he shoves his hands up your back just to feel more skin contact. He’s definitely a skin-to-skin type of cuddler—he’d solely take off his shirt for it.
Time
- Our Daddy issues man, or at least for me he is. Ugh the comfort he gives when he gives you a simple hug, IMAGINE sleeping with this man and his shirtless glory hugging you into his toned chest…
- okay got a little carried away but honestly who doesn’t love that. He’s definitely the spooner in the relationship but can be spooned depending on his mood (cough cough, nightmares)
- definitely stays awake at night sometimes not believing that his life is real or that you are real.
- his funny habit is that he DEFINITELY snores LOUDLY when he’s in a comfortable space with safe people and safe everything
- that’s when you KNOW he’s happiest than ever.
- probably sleeps with one eye open otherwise (not that he has a second to use. No I don’t regret that.)
- if you both can’t sleep, you guys will probably chat each other’s ears off till you do or sit in comfortable silence.
- he loves having you beside him, having that one comfortable warm spot always being there with him through very terrifying nights
- you’re both working through his nightmares, and maybe one day you might not have to worry about that at all.
Warriors
- now I’m gonna be fully honest, average man who likes flirting with women definitely had NO IDEA how to sleep the first time y’all went to bed together.
- the awkward straight board of shock realising that you guys are sleeping next to each other. (Not sex get your mind out of the gutter)
- however, you wake up the next morning and your trapped within his arms, unable to get out, and he’d place a couple kissed on your jaw to mess with you.
- definitely also kinda sleeps with one eye open, not much of a snorer…Or so he says but you know he’s a loud one when he’s DEEP in sleep.
- he loves playing with your hair when you can’t sleep.
- curly, straight, wavy, long, medium, short, he’ll find a way to style it in your sleep, you’d wake up with an amazing hairdo (that’s probably disastrous).
- he likes circling patterns on your arms too, like trace it and memorise the FEELING of your skin. He thinks it’s super soft compared to his hand and body that’s littered with scars from his battles.
- sleeps shirtless, keeps a knife under the pillow.
- no one will take this happiness from him.
Twilight
- biggest cuddle bug! Second to sky of course, but a big cuddle bug nonetheless.
- he LOVES spooning you to smell your shampoo, he falls asleep to it and your regular scent.
- I swear to god this guy just has a scent kink but he genuinely finds comfort in it. Hell he even loves shoving his face in your neck when you’re sleeping to take a whiff and fall asleep in an instant.
- bro knows how to fall asleep like in the military, tight routine and schedule and all, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t wake up from nightmares too.
- I wanna say his nightmares are the WORST just simply because his world is so horrific. (The amount of jumpscares I had while playing TP is insane)
- insufferable in summer, this motherfucker is a walking furnace and sadly y’all can’t survive the heat at night, so you decide to link pinkies (hahahaha pun) or tangle legs or something and everything else is treated like it’s gonna give you covid.
- sleeps shirtless, heavenly ripped muscles that you wouldn’t miss the chance to trace before passing out.
-you both have your own weird kinky habits (I think I have it too.)
Hyrule
- poor bby oh my god, third cuddle bug in the list, I was gonna give that spot to Wild but Rulie my baby…
- he deserves all the love, definitely gets spooned often but would love to spoon every now and then too.
- also sleeps with one eye open, monsters constantly out for him isn’t safe for either of you.
- I kinda headcannon that he gets visions of monsters or like a feeling that they’re nearby, call that fairy intuition.
- however, when in a safe spot he’s clinging onto you and completely passed out, like nothing but you matters in his little world.
- likes to sleep with his clothes on to always be able to be on the move, otherwise he’d sleep with a random comfy oversized shirt of yours, yeah he’d steal.
- he’s still a Link, he has to be a menace SOMEHOW.
- on the nights he stays awake, he loves fully paying attention to you and whispering all sweet things about how amazing you are and how he’s such a lucky guy to have a pretty gal like you.
- would move your hair out of your face softly and memorise your every feature, worse, probably worship the land you slept on.
- and he’d 100% give you loads of kisses throughout the night. He feels that if he doesn’t appreciate you enough you might leave. Be sure to pay this bby back tenfold.
Four
- he’s so genuinely complicated I don’t even know where to start.
- he feels like the most normal in the group, with lack of a better word, despite having his personality split shit with the four sword.
- on regular nights, he sleeps close. He’s not a clingy sleeper but he won’t mind you and him mingling limbs together.
- doesn’t mind being spooned or spooning. If he feels like it though he’ll be super affectionate when you guys face each other, he’ll hold your face and place kisses on the corner of your eyes to get you to giggle before sleeping.
- he smiles softly when he hears you laugh, honestly he’s a happy man. God forbid you’d be a sleep talker and he’d be having full conversations in your sleep because he simply loves hearing your voice.
- he sleeps shirtless.
- he’s definitely warm, but Four himself is better for summer while he usually splits for winter when you find your hands and feet growing supper cold.
- you’ll find each colour sticking to one side to help you warm up. The clinginess order being Red, Green, Vio then Blue.
- Blue’s a shy tsundere don’t worry he’ll come around <33
- Vio doesn’t mind being affectionate since he logically knows that it’ll boost your happy system (dopamine but do they know what that is? Hmm) and warms you up.
- green just likes helping, being super close to you is a literal bonus that he takes with cheers in his heart
- red is clingy for the sake of being clingy, helping is the bonus—
- Four is a mix of snores, sometimes he’ll be loud, sometimes quiet and sometimes no snores at all.
- he’s definitely one of those that doesn’t get nightmares as often, but sometimes loses touch of reality and has to ground himself in the middle of the night by just focusing on you.
- he loves you lots <333
Wild
- you won’t be able to sleep with this guy.
- unless you tie his hands and legs and body up to the bed, you won’t be able to sleep with him, he MOVES…A LOT.
- his dreams are the biggest reason for his active movement in his sleep.
- you guys decided a great solution was wrapping him like a burrito and you sleeping while hugging said burrito.
- all jokes aside, he doesn’t move every night but he still sprawls out like a star fish.
- your best bet is sleeping on him so that he’s grounded and is reminded not to move at night because you could get hurt.
- plus as a descendant of Twilight, has a bit of the urge to just smell your shampoo while you’re on top of him.
- another one that loves stealing your clothes, but he lets you steal his so he sees it as fair trade.
- hugs you super tight when he gets nightmares, he doesn’t know how to deal with them so you might have to wake up and shush him down to help him a bit.
- otherwise he might stay up the rest of the night unable to sleep, but hey, at least you’re sleeping peacefully.
- he might just pass out again while he’s sleeping with you like that.
- he does the same as hyrule where he whispers how much he loves you, but not to the same extent as him.
- he’d do a lot for you.
Legend
- hardest for last, tries to be less clingy but can’t help it and gives his act up really early on.
- he loves being spooned, he’s always suffered being a protector and having all these jobs and people to protect, he just thinks it feels nice to not have that pressure on him in his own comfort home.
- he definitely waits for you to sleep first so that he can take his time admiring you or tracing patterns all over the skin if your side, arms or cheeks.
- it’s a little silly but he always wishes for you to have good dreams, he has slight eyebags from his bad ones but you being there and staying there helps with it.
- he sleeps with a shirt on and surprisingly doesn’t snore at all.
- he loves having your legs on him and your arms around him like a little koala. He thinks it’s cute and he gets to just feel you way more so it’s a win win for him.
- I feel like he’d also be a whiner, he basically whines about affection when he’s feeling more comfortable with you but he’d be SUPER embarrassed if that got out.
-loves putting his face in your chest to listen to your heartbeat, he falls asleep to it constantly and promises it’s the best sleep he gets every time.
Wind (platonic also short, mb)
- I feel like Wind would also have nightmares and clings to you throughout the night.
- you’d be shushing him quietly when he sobs about a dream and you both would stay up chatting about stories that you know, experienced or heard of
- Wind definitely falls back to sleep with that, still clinging to you but with a smile on his face.
- he’s happy he’s got you to rely on when the night seems so cold and terrifying.
Little acts of affection the boys give you - blurbs
Sometimes, you just don't have the time for big or long acts of affection when you're traveling with the chain or working. That dosen’t mean the boys don't still show affection
This is written as romantic, so no Wind this time.
Four - linking pinkies
Four falls into step with you as your group pushes through the busy market street. His presence is always something that is welcome.
"Hey," he says as he hooks his pinkie with your own. "Is this okay?"
"This is perfect," you smile at him a little.
Hyrule - secret smiles
It's in the middle of packing up camp to get ready to leave for the day that you meet Hyrule's gaze. He stands across camp, helping Legend but his eyes meet yours anyway and he gives you a soft, warm, adoring smile.
His smile is the one he only uses for you. The gentle curve never fails to make your heart warm.
You aren't sure anyone else sees the smile, but it isn't meant for them anyway.
Legend - fixing clothes/ accessories
It's early when you leave the inn, a yawn still seems to linger somewhere deep in your bones. The sun is still rising to be fully in the sky as you and your group head out to talk to the locals.
"Wait," Legend says as he takes your hand in his so you don't go too far.
You turn to him, blinking a little at the furrow in his brows. "Ledge?"
He reaches out and fixes the cloak on your shoulders so it lays more comfortably and the clip is more secure. He gives a soft smile you aren't sure he knows he wears. "There. Better?"
"Yes."
Sky - tucking you in
Your slumber releases you just enough to feel someone pulling the blanket back up your lax form, tucking you in just so. The night breezes brushes against your face lightly.
"Hope you're having good dreams, sunshine," Sky's voice says in a quiet and fond tone.
You aren't awake enough to answer, but you can't help the vague fluttery feeling in your chest. This feeling only grows when a soft kiss is given to your forehead.
Time - leaving notes
You find the note in your bag as you dig throughout it for your tooth brush. It's a little note but you know who it's from before you read it.
'You looked like you had a lot of fun at the lake today, I hope you sleep well. If you need me at all feel free to come get me. I'm sorry we aren't sharing a rooms this time. If you'd meet me early for breakfast I'd love that bit if you need more sleep I understand. Sweet dreams - Link'
Of course 'Link' is your lover Time. He's so sweet to you. Even now, when he's watching over a hurt Sky, he takes steps to make sure you know he cares.
Twilight - forehead kisses
You sit on a log beside Wild as the champion cooks, warming yourself as you admire the fireflies in the distance. Dinner smells amazing, like it often does when Wild cooks.
Twilight comes over and drops a kiss to your forehead with a smile, standing to your right just a bit. "Hey, darlin'."
"Hey yourself," you grin up at him.
He laughs a little, that deep voice a delight like always.
Warriors - giving you a blanket
The cold creeps through your several layers against your wishes as you sit as close to the fire as you dare. Snow flutters outside the window of the inn room but you can't take being around many people now so in your room it is.
A blanket settles around your shoulders as Warriors sits beside you with his own blanket. He dosen’t speak, but he offers you a real and gentle smile.
You lean your head against his shoulder, "Thanks."
Wild - playing with your fingers
You lounge against a tree with Wild between your legs and leaning back against you. Your hand rests in both of his.
Wild plays with your fingers gently, careful of any sore knuckles or bruises that may cause distress. Any rings are frosting on the cake as he uses the time to slowly commit the lines and marks of your hand to memory.
I saw on tik tok one day a video about how “Every girl that has had a crush on Link, could always tell who Link really wanted” as it showed all the moments of characters realizing or being jealous that Link might have liked Zelda. I was wondering if you could do something similar like that but make it x reader. Where its the girls that ended up liking Link during his quest being able to see that he loves the reader or the moment when they realize that he likes the reader and not them. Like for example, Malon for Time. Midna for Twilight. Zelda for Sky. Idk if you do stories about the Chain about their adventures before LU, but I think it would be interesting. If you don’t want to do them all, I think just those three that I mentioned would be fine (or if thats still too much, just Twilight). Could be angst with them being accepting of it, could be made about angst but kinda humorous jealousy, could even be fluff if you look at it through the lens of the reader. Sorry if this doesn’t make sense!
Hello, anon! I’ll go with the three you mentioned(Time, Twilight, and Sky). I feel like it’d be hard to do all of the Chain for this request without having some being repeats because some of them pretty much only have Zelda as an option. I’m also going to add in Reader feeling guilty for ‘taking’ Link away from them. Apologies that they’re a bit similar to each other 🙇♀️
Anyways… enough of me rambling. Time to write your request, anon! Sorry for the slight delay!
Time
Malon had been crushing on Time ever since that day she had meet him as a child where she was waiting on her dad to be done delivering milk. She had noticed another young girl had been crushing on him too, that being Y/N. She didn’t really see how Y/N had appealed to Time at all. She only ever saw Y/N feeding the dogs in at the market! Despite that, she competed with Y/N; even though it was one sided on Malon’s part because Y/N seemed oblivious.
Malon had given him a chicken, taught him Epona’s song, given him a cow, flirted with him, and even offered to provide a roof of his head! All Y/N seemed to do for him was give him hugs. Malon did get herself to begrudgingly admit that gentle affection and merely hanging out is probably what drew Time to Y/N. Time did seem to be a loner who secretly craved company and affection. But Y/N wasn’t as oblivious as Malon had thought.
Overtime, it was starting to really get to Y/N. She slowly distanced herself away from Time. Not that it was all that hard with him not being able to visit often thanks to him being busy trying to rescue the Sages and Zelda. It was a bittersweet feeling to see how happy Time was when he had gotten to see Malon again and having gotten a cow from her. She wasn’t sure if he even noticed that she was distancing herself from him because he was occupied by his journey.
She knew he’d always come to visit for a few days whenever he got done saving a Sage. So she made sure to keep on top of gossip about him. So when she overheard he had rescued a Sage, she’d make sure not to be home, either being at work or being on a stroll outside. But he managed to catch her out and about after saving the Sage of Spirit.
He had proposed to her with a ring he had found. It was over the top and extravagant. Y/N knew it was for her because it had her favorite gemstone on it. She still accepted it gratefully, even though she felt unworthy of it. Time did notice that she didn’t seem to like it. So he made sure to get her a less extravagant ring to properly propose with once he defeated Ganondorf.
When he went back to being a child again, he made sure to do his utmost to prove to Y/N that she was good enough for him. He did notice she was upset anytime he brought up Malon. There was rocky times early on when trying to prove to Y/N that he preferred her. But eventually he managed to get her to stop putting herself down. He proposed to her with the less extravagant ring and they lived a happily ever after, even when the journey with the Chain came along.
He got all cheeky when Y/N pieced together that Twilight was one of their future children. If he hadn’t won Y/N over properly and helped her with her low self worth, Twilight wouldn’t exist.
The other two are below the cut!
Twilight
Along with Ilia, Y/N was also one of his childhood friends. She’d been captured that dreadful day when King Bulblin had ordered his henchmen to knock him unconscious and kidnap the village children. That had been the last time he saw Y/N for a while. He had been dragged into the twilight, both by a Shadow Beast and Midna. By the request of the Light Spirits and Midna, he worked on saving Hyrule from the twilight and getting the three pieces of the Fused Shadow.
It wasn’t until he got into the twilight covered Eldin Province that he finally found Y/N and most of the other village children. He found them in Kakariko Village’s sanctuary, all huddled up together to hide from the Shadow Beasts. Where was Ilia? He saw Y/N trying to comfort the children before joining them in crying. It was a sad sight, he wanted to comfort them all so badly, but he was reminded he was invisible to humans will in the twilight. Colin inspired a bit of hope by saying that Link would come to save them.
He noticed the fragile hope and surprise coming over everyone, especially with Y/N. He didn’t get to enjoy seeing Y/N being a little happy for long when Midna made one of her usual snarky remarks. With a huff, he lit the torches to get into the cellar where there was a few of those shadow insects he had to kill to get the Tears of Light. Once the twilight lifted and after Eldin told him that the next Fused Shadow piece was with the Goron Tribe, Y/N and the children came out of the sanctuary. They all hurried over, with Y/N stopping briefly to help Colin back up after he tripped.
Y/N then wrapped Twilight up in a tight hug. She fussed over him and asked him about what happened to him. She had noticed his change in attire and that he’d acquired weird black markings on his face. She said that both suited him, which made him blush and become bashful. This made Midna realize that Twilight had preferred Y/N over Ilia. She was glad that she hadn’t taunted him with transforming into Y/N because he wouldn’t have been motivated to help if she did.
Overtime, Midna and Twilight’s bond improved, but Midna could tell he preferred Y/N. Midna was quite literally a princess and would’ve been queen if it weren’t for Zant usurping her throne. Though she may not be as powerful as she had been, she could easily provide whatever Twilight would need. Midna did realize childhood friendship was a huge factor for his preference, but it didn’t help her jealousy though.
After Midna had left to never be seen again, Y/N could definitely tell that Twilight was heartbroken. Y/N started to wonder if he preferred Midna over her. With how hard he tried to find ways to reunite with Midna and how often he’d cry about it to her. It made Y/N start to think that he didn’t like her anymore. She couldn’t get herself to avoid him entirely, mainly because he had a knack for finding her.
So she’d get quiet whenever he brought Midna up, only comforting him with the occasional gentle touch. He did realize how he’d been coming across when she hadn’t been as affectionate as usual. She had actually burst into tears at one point. That made him get over Midna right then. So he did everything and anything to prove that she was his one and only.
He eventually got her convinced that he did want her. And with a weird twist of fate, Y/N got dragged along with Twilight for his journey with the Chain. The others were a bit envious that only Y/N got to treat him like he was a mere puppy while in wolf form.
Sky
Y/N was a mutual childhood friend and knight in training of Sky and Zelda. For the longest time, she had felt like she was the third wheel of the friendship. Especially with how close Sky and Zelda were getting within the past few years. Sky seemed to put Zelda first, and Y/N second. She felt as if the only people who truly liked her were drifting away to focus on each other.
When she had heard that Zelda had gotten captured and saw Sky’s sudden drive… She wondered if Sky would be that driven to save her if she’d been the one was captured instead. Though she’d been getting bitter over how close them two had gotten, she worried for the safety of both. Was Zelda okay? Was Sky having any luck finding her and doing so quickly?
Periodically, Sky would come back to Skyloft during his journey. He’d come to stock up on supplies, upgrade his equipment, and check in on the residents. He seemed exhausted every time he came back, but he’d really perk up when he’d finally find where Y/N was. He’d run over and practically smoother her in a tight hug each time. He’d hum to himself and bask in her presence. It surprised Y/N a bit every time, he never did this with Zelda. Sure, she wasn’t bossy like Zelda would be sometimes, but what made Sky prefer her over Zelda?
Little did Y/N know, Zelda had very similar thoughts. Though Sky clearly loved her, she could tell he liked Y/N more. She tried her hardest to make Sky like her without being bossy about it, but she was still jealous. While she tried to keep herself safe with Impa, she couldn’t help but to wonder if part of the reason that makes Sky take a while to briefly meet with her was because he spent too much time visiting Y/N. What’ll happen when this is over?
When Sky had told Y/N that Zelda was the mortal reincarnation of Hylia, she felt like she just got tossed aside. How could she compete with someone who was just about a goddess? Y/N took it upon herself to hole up in her room at the Knights’ Academy to focus on her studies. Why even bother trying to intrude into their relationship now. They had made it clear over the past few years that she wasn’t needed by them anymore.
She didn’t even bother to come out when she’d heard that they were both back from the Surface. She didn’t feel up to celebrating their return with the festivities or helping with building a community on the Surface. They could do it without her… To her surprise, she didn’t expect that Sky had come to find her by himself and he was just about pounding on her door.
She reluctantly opened her door and immediately got pounced by Sky. They both tumbled to the floor with a thump. Y/N could feel that Sky was actually stressed out and she could tell that he had come to her so he could relax. She felt him relax and then he fell asleep on her! She realized that she was being stupid this entire time, Sky definitely did want her over Zelda.
Together, they become the cringiest lovey dovey couple with Zelda cheering on their antics. This continued even when Sky was dragged into the journey with the Chain. With how much he’d gush about someone, they thought it was his Zelda because they knew him and her were really close. To their shock when they visited Skyloft, he ran faster than they’d ever seen him run. He zoomed past Zelda with barely a hello and tackled Y/N.
He peppered her with kisses and cooed about how much he missed her. It made some of the Chain want to puke. How crazy young love can be, especially with childhood lovers.
The End!
I hope you liked it, anon! My askbox is always open for Linked Universe x Reader requests! People can feel free to request LU drawings too!
since requests are open! Can I have something involving the chain less wind, like some simps for the reader? Because when you write about how in love they are it seems so cute to me! I need these guys less wind to be total simps for me it is a real need-
YEYSEYSYEYSYEYSYESYEYSYEYSYEYS—
I’m so excited for this request. Okay. Okay okay.
Time:
time will not let you do anything you don’t have to do. No work for you.
Of course if it’s something you want to do he’ll let you, but what I’m getting at is that this is a chivalrous man.
Chivalry is alive and well with the hero of time, he worships the ground you walk on and makes sure you know that.
Twi:
chivalry part 2 but in a different way.
He’s always making sure you have everything you need.
Raining? Take his cloak, it’s fine!
Still hungry and there’s no food left? Have his, he’s full.
;not that the others don’t do this, I just feel like this is especially so concerning twilight).
Wars:
the moment you beat him in a duel, it’s all over for the captain.
Cue It Will Come Back by Hozier.
He’d be down so deviously for you it’s not even funny. From then on he’s doing things just to impress you.
Trying to defeat the most foes, trying to lift the most supplies
Hylia help him…(and help us all)
Four:
I feel like the smith would make you things
Little welded flowers
He’d even dabble in jewelry, if that’s your thing.
If not, he’d learn to make little trinkets.
Sky:
In the same vein as the smith, Sky would whittle you little trinkets.
He’d nap with you in the sun and watch as the rays coat your skin in gold, highlighting your features, the leaves of the trees casting shadows
I feel like he’s the type of guy to kiss your hand. It just feels like a very Sky thing to do.
Wild:
Get ready for so much food yall.
This boy loves to cook for you. That’s his love language. Cooking and finding little things you might like
He brings you flowers, too.
I feel like he’d sing to you too. Love songs, songs stuck in his head
He’d try to learn your favorites just so he can surprise you when he starts humming or quietly singing it
He likes the surprised look on your face. It’s the cutest thing to him.
Legend:
The vet is very cautious and guarded when it comes to love, but once he falls, oh boy… he is in love. You’re his everything. The air he breathes. He’d spend every waking moment with you if you’d let him, and stay by you well into the night.
He gifts you jewelry with protection spells embedded within them. If something happened to you, he’d be beside himself. Blame it all on himself. He couldn’t bear it.
For little dates, he likes to take you to a lake or beachside. You find little stones that match each other’s eye colors and gift them to each other—or if you’re on the beach you find shells you think the other would like.
Hyrule:
Also wants to impress you, but it’s because he feels like he has to
You mean so much to him he just wants to make sure he’s worthy of that affection
Tell him he is and he doesn’t have to do anything to be. Please. He needs to hear it.
He’d also pick flowers for you. Only he knows exactly what they mean. He’s fluent in the secret language of flowers.
White lilies for his pure love, red tulips for the declaration of love, bluebells for the consistency of his love, and yellow roses for his contentment
Reminder that he is a fae. He can be feral for you, as a treat
Warning(s): Minors proceed with caution and avoid chapters marked with an *
Notes: The LU mermaid fic y'all have been waiting for
Main Masterlist | Fic Masterlist | Next Chapter
It was precisely noon on a sunny Tuesday morning when your life would irrevocably and inescapably change.
You resisted the urge to grimace as your boss of two years, seven months, and three days loudly cleared her throat; hot-pink nails threatening to permanently damage the 129-year-old ebony timber of the desk they were currently sinking into, while your own, unpainted nubs pressed against the rapidly moistening flesh of your clenched palms. Working under the renowned Ava Farcan, a marine biologist with enough years of experience to rival your life, was neither for the strong nor faint of heart, which made it a damn miracle that you had yet to leave without your hopes and limbs mildly intact.
"I have a task for you," said the keeper of your soul and college debts with a sharpness thin enough to rival a fresh blade, and, miraculously, the terror in your heart lessened and was promptly replaced by only mild trepidation.
"Yes?" you asked, knowing full well that it was no one's business if you had the sudden urge to leap to your feet and start cheering.
Ms. Farcan's expression was one of someone who could not only read minds, but simultaneously judge them without saying a word. "Due to the Pacific Conference in two days' time, I will be unable to oversee our new… arrival," she paused, as if to let the importance of the situation truly seep into each syllable, and you nearly leaned forward in your chair when a crimson lip quirked up. "Can I trust you?"
"Always," was the only word your tongue managed to produce.
Hylia's Grace Aquarium and Mercreature Rescue was, like its many-syllable name, a towering building of concrete and recycled sea glass. Shimmering rainbow prisms lay smattered against the concrete, reflected from the glass-green crown encircling the upper rim of the aquarium, only disturbed by the sweeping darkness of your shadow as you made your way to the infinitely-discrete-er staff entrance, swiping the thin plastic keycard on the sensor before sweeping inside.
The door gave way to a long, dimly-lit hallway, the scent of seawater and antiseptic searing against your already dulled senses, and it was a lesson in patience not to cringe at the distinctly wet noises your company-brand crocs made with each step.
A row of heavy metal doors protruded on either side of the hallway, veritably indistinguishable to the untrained eye.
But you knew. You knew well.
The staff locker rooms were similarly unsuited for company. Thick, stringy mold glistened in the blue-grey corners, directly along the row of lockers housing wetsuits and other job paraphernalia. You made your way to the rightmost locker with an almost resigned sigh, using every ounce of focus in your frazzled mind to trick the rusty combination lock that had plagued you since day one to open.
Fortunately, luck was on your side today, because nary a second had passed and the damn thing was popping open like it was brand new, revealing company treasures within: a fraying wetsuit that had seen many better days, complete with a crimson milk crate housing your borrowed scuba gear and folded lab coat on the top shelf.
You changed quickly, shucking off your jeans and t-shirt with practiced speed; there was little room for fashion as far as your navy scrubs and branded coat were concerned, though you were guilty of submitting to creative expression through the grinning shark badge clip hanging inconspicuously from the scrub top's collar.
The main hallway was no less empty than when you first walked it's slippery floors, glistening tile that no amount of chlorine-bleach concoction could scrub completely clean, but
Your crocs squeaked in protest when you rounded the corner, flitting into one of Hylia's Grace' many gargantuan rooms. Large, aquarium grade tanks lined each of the four walls, filled to the bursting with water more purified than what much the City's general population drank. They were empty, no less lonely that the PhD student interns crawling through the halls.
For now.
Nary a week had passed since you'd been staring into the tiger shark mer's big yellow eyes through the thick glass, pressed your hand against the shining pane. The creature, lovingly named 'Buck' by staff much older and wiser than you, was a violent, wonderful being to help. He was your first patient, from the first feeding to the day you watched his powerful body cut through the choppy waters of Castle Town's sparkling bay, scarred dorsal fin cutting proudly through the frothing waves.
Sometimes, when you were alone, you would find yourself yearning to touch the glass once more, if only to relive those precious seconds where human and sea creature connected on an personal, irrefutable level.
The study and, by definition, rehabilitation of mercreatures was never your first choice of a job, but it was by far the most rewarding. You'd started college, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, on the path of medicine and emerged a burgeoning PhD student, working for the Marilyn Monroe of the marine biologist community for just enough to settle your debts in ten to thirty years and perhaps make a halfway decent life for yourself.
You were ripped from your thoughts when a gaggle of grad students burst into the room, new-hire packets and cold coffee clutched to each of their chests. The stench of fear and too-salty-seawater sickened you.
"And here we observe our head researcher in their natural habitat," announced the bouncing form of Mrs. Kelly McRay, the woman responsible for hiring fresh blood and dragging you into the proverbial light for various media interviews when your boss pulled her privilege just enough to be proverbially exempt. "Say 'hi', everyone!"
A chorus of nervous 'hi''s echoed through the still room. You debated waving. You also debated sweeping your lab coat over your face and running off like some sleep-deprived version of Batman. In the end, you waved and even added a polite nod. "It's good to see you out of your cave, Kelly."
"Quite true!" came her patented british accent, followed by a smile so jaunty you nearly pulled out a penlight to check the state of her jaw. "C'mon kids, who's ready to see the lab?"
Another chorus of noise rose from the students as they were promptly shepherded from the room, taking with them their coffee and packets and obnoxious Hoka shoe squeaking.
You waited until there was silence, then some. Just to be sure. Just to know that you were truly alone. Just to slip across the hallway to your office, an old room no larger than a generous broom closet. Peeling beige wallpaper framed the space, only obscured by a smattering of grainy photos: treking the mountains of Hebra, sailing Lake Hylia, and climbing an ancient tower in Faron. An oak desk sat in the corner of the room, nearly indistinguishable from the mountains of papers stacked atop it, and a similarly cluttered chair occupied the opposite corner, fabric light and scratchy from dust and disuse.
It was embarrassing. It was perfect. It was all yours.
With a sigh worthy of someone twice your age, you plopped on the only available seat---a rickety rolling chair that had definitely seen better days and less butts---in the room and slid behind your desk, beginning to sift through the seemingly-endless stack of dissertations, research materials, and… was that a Hybucks company party receipt from a year ago??
After several painstaking minutes of tossing your precious parchment hurling into the recycling bin, you managed to crack your ancient laptop open to see what horrors had spawned in your Hymail inbox.
Ping!
You audibly groaned as your fears morphed into reality, then immediately slapped a hand over your mouth in an attempt to avoid being written up for 'fornication' like Bobby and Janet from marketing. You didn't need that kind of shit on your permanent record.
The H-mail was exactly as you expected: cold, short, with that perfectly-squiggly signature spelling 'Ava Farcan' in long, looped lines. A transfer receipt from Lurelin Mercreature Rescue lurked at the bottom of the message.
You clicked it. You prepared yourself for images.
Transfer 10678B4; adult male Shortfin Mako Mer
Reason for transfer: Severe motorized speedboat injuries - 3rd degree scarring spanning leftmost 3rd rib/trunk to precaudal pit, deep lacerations on first and second dorsal fin, light bruising to caudal keel, ambulation and feeding assistance required
Shipping date: 06/21/20XX
Estimated Arrival: 06/23/20XX
That was… a lot of injuries.
You kept scrolling, and… Hylia, now you were really wondering how the poor creature was still alive. The first image depicted a set of long, dark lacerations marring the pale flesh of a shortfin mako mer, cutting through skin and sinew alike. The second revealed exactly what a speedboat boat propellor could do to anything not made of welded steel, and you used the supplementary images of bandaged wounds in a last-ditch attempt to collect your scattering thoughts.
You checked the date with an almost mechanical glance.
Tomorrow. He would be arriving tomorrow.
You closed your laptop.
You left to gather medical supplies.
A BIG thank you to @skippingstonez for inspiring this insanity <33
