Are you doing writing prompts anytime soon? If so here's an idea. Rusl and baby Twilight, back when he first adopted him
Of all Ruslās missions with the resistance, the hardest mission in his life had nothing to do with them.
Or, well, it was kind of their fault, but mostly his own.
Rusl had come home after a mission with something extra one morning, catching Uli off guard. But given the childās circumstances, Rusl couldnāt just leave the little one, and despite being married two years, he and Uli hadnāt really had any luck conceiving. He knew Uli wanted a child, and this little one was in desperate need of a mother.
But Ordona, he was a handful.
Link was a quiet little boy, but his cries were still loud enough to fill the house. He was having a difficult time adjusting to his new home, his new parents. Rusl had been warned by several that adopted children were often difficult in the beginning, and now he understood what they meant. But the screaming and crying, the breaking things and regression, they were all just because the little one was scared and stressedā¦ at least that was what Rusl was told. He hoped it wasnāt because they were doing something wrong.
Despite the issues, it was worth it for the nice moments, for the times when Uli could soothe the little oneās tears, when he would sleep in Ruslās lap, when the tired, stressed parents would actually get a smile out of him.
It was a difficult situation to be sure, but a rewarding one.
This morning Rusl was debating whether he should work in the forge. Heād hardly done any work since bringing Link home for the first time, trying to help Uli get the little one acclimated, trying to show Link he would be there for him. But now he was wondering if it was time to try to integrate Link back into their normal lives. Heād heard from Auru about whispers of another mission, but heād respectfully turned it down, knowing that leaving for potentially several weeks just after bringing Link here would not go well in the three-year-oldās mind.
But eventually, Rusl knew heād have to work on making a living again. The other villagers had been very supportive, offering to make dinners, bringing them supplies, trying to help Link feel welcome. It was a little overwhelming for the entire family, honestly, but Rusl was eternally grateful for it.
Link was asleep between the couple, having had a nightmare in the middle of the night. Rusl and Uli kept getting thrown off balance by the child, who sometimes welcomed sleeping with them and other times wanted to be left alone, but it seemed after a month he was finally becoming accustomed to their care and comfort, and he was actively seeking it out.
Rusl stretched a little, trying not to wake the child, but Link was still a very light sleeper, and he jumped a little, eyes opening. The Ordonian whispered to him gently, reassuring him, and then smiled. He didnāt get a smile in return, but that was okay ā Linkās smiles were rare, and often reserved for all the animals he would play with. The boy seemed most at ease in nature, which wasnāt surprising as he was half feral when Rusl had found him.
Yawning, Rusl slipped out of bed quietly so Uli could keep sleeping, and Link watched him a moment before slowly following him.
āReady for a bath?ā he whispered with a smile, holding out his hand. Link took it without hesitating, which was a major victory to his guardian, and the two went outside. Rusl wasnāt sure if the little one had never been potty trained or if the stress of whatever he had endured had set his development back, but they had been working hard on hygiene habits and Link was starting to become amenable to baths.
Starting being the operative word, of course.
Link shook his head.
Rusl sighed, staying patient. They had finally gotten beyond the boy immediately acting out, so he tried to respect the childās wishes within reason, as he was expressing them well. āOkay. Do you want a bath before or after breakfast?ā
Link watched him a moment, and then he wandered into the kitchen area. That meant after breakfast. Rusl was figuring out the childās silent language, andā
āLink, donāt grab that,ā he hastily advised as Link tried to climb the counter and snatch the nearest glass bottle he could find. āYou want some milk? Weāll get some, but you canāt climb the counter.ā
Link bit his lip, and Rusl automatically felt himself tense, waiting for another meltdown, but it didnāt come. Instead, the boy sniffled and wandered outside. Rusl stood there a moment, stunned that the child had actually not started wailing, and thanked the spirits for the milestone and gift.
He headed outside to take Link to see the goats, as the child loved them, and instead found a diaper and tunic on the ground.
Panic filled him, and he started looking around frantically. āLink!ā
Thankfully, the little one hadnāt gotten far, but he also hadnāt gone unnoticed. Ruslās face burned with embarrassment as he hastily took his own shirt off to scoop up the child and wrap him in it as Bo watched and chuckled. Link finally did start to wiggle and cry as heād been close to getting near the cuccos, with whom he loved to spend time.
āNeed anythinā, Rusl?ā he asked between laughs.
Prayers for patience, Rusl was going to say, but he didnāt dare complain in front of Link. Instead, he politely declined. The boy squirmed, unhappy to be held hostage in his guardianās arms, but Rusl distracted him by saying, āLetās get dressed so we can see the goats, okay? Thatās where I was gonna take you to get milk, silly.ā
Linkās cries turned to sad little whimpers as he glanced up at Rusl, who simply smiled back at him. The child let himself be carried back to the house, where Rusl got him dressed in fresh clothes before Link waddled along behind the man, heading excitedly for the ranch. Link shot ahead as they neared the entrance, and Rusl didnāt bother stopping him, greeting Broden, the proprietor of the ranch. Broden had long since grown accustomed to Linkās adoration for his goats, and so he happily greeted the child and opened the gate, allowing Link to rush in.
āHow are things goinā with him?ā Broden asked.
āStill a handful,ā Rusl admitted, wiping some sweat from his brow. āBut he is doing better. Howās Fado?ā
āKidās a mess,ā Broden huffed, rolling his eyes. āShouldāve seen him in the barn this morninā. Aināt got a thought between his ears sometimes, I swear. Ah, itāll be fine. Heās got a good heart, at least.ā
āIn the end, that is the most important thing,ā Rusl noted gently, eyes watching Link. The child did also have a good heart, he could tell, he could see it in how gentle Link was with animals, in how heād behaved one night when heād made Uli cry out of sheer stress. Link had been in the middle of a meltdown, and Rusl was trying to mitigate it while Uli broke down. Linkās sobs had only worsened, but heād gone straight to Uli, which heād never done, and heād let her hold him, as if he knew she needed the hug as much as he did.
He knew the boy was just scared and lost and didnāt know how to regulate himself. He knew Link was trying. So he kept trying too.
āLink,ā he called, approaching the child. āDo you want to pet the goats?ā
Link nodded, his shy smile shining forth in the morning light, and Rusl felt his heart swell. Link reached up just as his guardian bent down to pick him up, allowing him to be tall enough to stroke the nearest goatās back. They would stay here all morning if Link had his way, and Rusl let him run amidst the animals for what felt like at least an hour before he told the little one they had to go home. Link complied without a fuss, surprising the man, and when they returned home Uli had breakfast ready.
āThank you, love,ā Rusl said as he greeted her with a kiss. She gave him a brief hug before turning her attention to Link, gently asking him what he wanted to eat. Link pointed to different assortments of foods, still a somewhat picky eater, and Rusl and Uli chatted about the goats over breakfast.
When the boy finished his food, he gently pushed the plate away, thought better of it, and then grabbed the plate and hopped out of his highchair to go take it to the sink.
Rusl and Uli stared, stunned, before glancing at each other. Then Uli smiled brightly at the little one. āThank you, Link, that was very kind of you to do that.ā
āYes, that was wonderful,ā Rusl encouraged gently. āThank you, Link.ā
The three-year-old gave a shy smile and then pointed outside.
Rusl found himself debating the matter. He figured Link wanted to play with the animals, and he was more than happy to oblige the child, but he still needed a bath. Link had just done something wonderful, something heād never done, and he wanted to encourage that, but he still needed to ensure the little one was clean, as hastily throwing fresher clothes on him was not adequate. But would Link view it as a punishment, since he didnāt like baths?
He'd give a little leeway. Theyād play for a few moments, and then heād remind him of their agreement. He asked Uli to draw up the bath as he took Linkās little hand and let the child lead him outside.
āDo you want to see the cuccos or the goats?ā he asked.
Link hesitated a moment, looking between the path to the ranch and the cuccos clucking up ahead, and then he smiled brightly and skipped ahead towards his roaming feathered friends.
After a brief time watching the little one giggle at the cuccos, Rusl finally directed him to the bath. Link only would bathe if Rusl was with him, so the Ordonian entered the cool water, enjoying the relief from the summer humidity and heat, and held Link close so the little one felt safe.
āThere, see? This isnāt so bad,ā he noted with a smile and a wink.
Link watched him a moment and then leaned in, wrapping his little arms around Ruslās neck, and the world grew quiet as Rusl basked in the little oneās hold. Spirits, it was such a relief to see so much improvement in the childās behavior and trust.
Rusl prayed that someday Link would know how much he was loved, that he would feel safe enough with them to maybe even speak and not feel out of control.
The rest of the day passed peacefully, with no tantrums from Link, a brief little fishing trip, and time spent watching deer in the woods. At the end of the day, after dinner, Rusl and Uli had bade Link good night, telling him they loved him, but Link started to cry, not wanting to be left alone tonight. Uli gently carried him, humming a lullaby, settling him as she brought him to their room, and the family laid together under the covers.
Uli kissed Linkās head, and then Rusl did so as well, the boy safe and warm between them. And then Link looked between them, eyes still glassy, and moved his lips a little, barely letting out a mumble.
āThank you.ā
Uli and Rusl stared, neither entirely convinced theyād heard right, and Link sniffled. His mother moved quickly to soothe any tears that might return, and she showered him with love and kisses while Rusl continued to watch, feeling his own eyes sting.
āYouāre welcome, Link,ā he whispered. āWe love you very much, son.ā
Linkās voice was gone as suddenly as it came, but he reached out to his pa, who tucked him under his chin, encircling him in his arms.
He knew, in his bones, that despite the struggles of helping Link adjust, everything would be all right in the end. And he thanked the spirits for such a blessing.
