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#is there a lu shade tag?
skyloftian-nutcase · 3 months
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Febuwhump Day 11 - Time Loop
Based on this art and idea from @twilight-linkess! Your art is always so great, I haven't had a chance to reblog it much lately but by heaven I will!
This new era was strange. Not because anything in particular really stuck out, but because it felt eerily familiar while also quite foreign. Both Time and Twilight observed similarities, the former sensing fairy magic as if he were in the Lost Woods while the latter recognized some architecture. Neither could pinpoint enough to really definitively say it was their era, and a nearby village had no recollection of anyone named Link.
So they were between heroes, then.
Despite this knowledge, Twilight felt... uneasy, for lack of a better word. He found himself looking over his shoulder often. Time hovered close to him, worry coating his features and setting his shoulders stiffly. It was still too close to Twilight's injury, and his elder was clearly letting his misgivings about the place channel into worry over his descendant.
As for Twilight... well. He'd been having disturbing dreams and visions lately. He swore it was just because he wasn't really sleeping well, because this place made him feel off. But some days, when he was laughing with Time, the way his armo glinted would dull, like it was rusting over before his very eyes. Or, worse, his armor would shine too bright, reflecting a red eye glowing in a skull that wasn't--couldn't be there.
By the time a week had passed, Twilight was ready to lose his mind. Every time he looked at his elder he had to do a double take to make sure he was real. Every time he saw the man's reflection it looked ghostly.
It's fine, he tried to reassure himself. You're just sleep deprived. It's not like he's going to vanish into thin air. He's fine.
But every night he shivered, no matter how many blankets he wrapped himself in. Every night he saw bony fingers reach out to him. Every night Time lay dead on the ground.
When he finally found he'd had enough, he patrolled the woods in his wolf form. A golden light caught his attention, heartbreakingly familiar but impossibly so. He followed it with haste, heart racing, but no matter how fast he ran, it always moved faster.
High, high above the Hero of Twilight, the Hero's Shade watched, sadness hanging over him. He ached to see his pup and talk to him, to almost have a conversation where both would have equal knowledge of the other for once, but... no. He couldn't interfere with the timeline any more than he already had.
Go on, little pup, he bade with all the love his aching heart could muster. Stay safe with your brothers.
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luna-lovegreat · 21 days
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So hi
ITS THE HEROS SHADE BACKGROUND COLOURS
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The colour shift (from blue to light) is a subtle parallel to the dueling grounds of the Hero's Shade. Where Shade (Time) taught Twilight how to fight
And it's repeated in panels shade-related
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(In Dawn pt. 9)
The detail! I saw those panels and it looked like the hero's shade scenes. The colours aren't exact, but it's a cool reference, ya know?
Twilight still sees Shade, his trainer- while looking at current Time, his mentor
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Art by Jojo @linkeduniverse :D
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jumpstrike · 1 year
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m5or · 12 days
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Here is a silly post from silly little me because i am curious. Which link would do the "Get down Mr. President!" tackle to their Zelda? (I think that is everyone )
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unicyclingdogs · 9 months
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sun and sky :)
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prince-of-red-lions · 6 months
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uni… i finally… finished it…
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here we go! wind, with the help of wild, has gotten his hands on an entire jar of goron spice. unfortunately, earlier that day, warriors made fun of wind’s pirate accent. truly unfortunate.
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binouchetruc · 10 months
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(le soldat/the soldier)
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birb-boyo · 7 months
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HOW DID THE CHAIN MEET IN YOUR STEVEN UNIVERSE AU???
HOW DID TIME BECOME…TIME?!
ARE THE GODDESSES THE DIAMONDS? AND IF THEY ARE ARE THEY LIKE THE DIAMONDS IN THE SHOW???
WHAT IS RAVIO?? IS HE LIKE- A GEM THAT WAS CUT FROM THE SAME CRUST/KINDERGARTEN AS LEGEND???
TELL ME ABOUT IT SAHDE
OKAY
HELLO(I just got from my nap, sorry for the wait)
FOR THE FIRST QUESTION
All heroes, instead of having a triforce, they have a shard of First’s gem, also called the Shards of Courage. These shards are made of basically just Light because that was Hylia’s parting gift, to make his shards shine brighter than the morning sky. Ask the chain, except Sky, they fucking hate it. It’s Sky’s nightlight by the way. It’s like a naturally made flash bang. It’s an activation thing, so it’s not always there.
I don’t know why I explained that last part but whatever.
I actually haven’t thought about how they met, but I suppose we could stick with the iconic dream montage. Like, they all pass out randomly and suddenly First is talking to them like, “Hyrule needs her heroes to assemble and-“ blah blah blah
A lot of them probably ignore him, but some days later, when they all end up through a portal, surrounded by each other with their bright ass shards, they definitely believe the magic dream man.
SECOND QUESTION
Time is a fusion between Fierce and Mask
I should also clarify that Majora and Fierce were never masks, their gems were put in stasis. Skull Kid and Mask were able to gem those gems out of stasis(I didn’t think about how yet) and I guess the final fight was like a Pokemon fight and I love that idea so much but it’s also so stupid-
SO WHAY HAD HAPPENED WAS, AFTER THE BIG TERMINA FIASCO,
Mask and Fierce were going to part ways, but Fierce has been in stasis for so long, he knew that the surface had changed. Not only that, but being in stasis for so long made him weak. It made Majora and Fierce weaker than they used to be.
So Mask, still in a existential crisis, was like “we can be travelers together then” because mask didn’t want to seem like he used Fierce (even though he kinda did) so he offered to be travelers together with Fierce.
My boy Fierce took that “together” the wrong way and kinda forced Mask to fuse with him.
THEN BOOM, TIME EXISTS
Mask is kind of shaken like, “What the fuck?”
Fierce is kinda like, “Isn’t this what you meant?”
Mask is like, “No!” Mask then uses they mirror shield. “I mean…”
So now they’ve been fused for a good while. They also just feel safer inside the fusion because they know that if one fumbles, the other has their back.
I also have a feeling that no gem truly knows what it means to be married, so when marriage was proposed to Time, he was kinda just-🧍🏼‍♂️
Then Malon(I’m keeping her human…hylian) explained it sort of like, “Marriage is like promising to be best friends forever-“
“Then me and Fierce are married?”
“NO-“
THIRD QUESTION
I would give the Goddesses Diamonds. Nayru gets Blue, Farore gets Yellow, Din gets White, Hylia gets Pink.
Hylia gets pink because she is all over the place. But she is actually shattered too. She shattered herself after First got shattered so her shards(Shards of Wisdom) could be beside First’s for all eternity. You know Demise’s hating ass shards(Shards of Power) are also there, tearing shit up🥰🥰🥰
The other diamonds, Nayru, Farore, and Din, just monitor what the shard wielders are doing and making sure Hyrule doesn’t fall in on itself.
FORTH QUESTION
Yes, Ravio was born in the same Kindergarten as Legend. The same hole too. He was made after Legend though and came out “deformed”. Physically, Ravio doesn’t look really deformed, but other amethysts disagree. He’s skinnier and weaker and far more in the mind(smarter) than he should be.
That being said, my boy did not have fun while trying to serve his diamond. So he ran away. He attempted many times to run away, in turn, he was kind of tortured by his “siblings”. Don’t worry, there’s no crack, but other amethyst would forgive and forget in a solid three human years, but Ravio? Those nights are engraved into him gem.
In order to truly escape, he had the help of an opal(Hilda) they kinda just hang out together until they find another amethyst(Legend) on earth and started spying on him and WOW ANOTHER GAME INCOMING
Kinda dropped backstory there whoopsie😅
@the-cucco-nuggie :D
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quirkle2 · 1 year
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miscellaneous stuff i didn't manage to finish before the year ends. maybe next year !
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skyward-floored · 2 years
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I know this has lately been unpopular but I will continue to use the name Artemis for Warriors’ Zelda and NOBODY CAN STOP ME
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skyloftian-nutcase · 2 years
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I cannot draw worth a darn, but I wanted to visualize the one scene from Paradox where Time chooses to hold the Master Sword to help Sky, so have my crappy art skills on display.
I decided that I suck at drawing faces so I just focused on his hand and the sword with Time vaguely in the background lol. I know he's left handed, he's holding the sword with his right hand because he's holding Sky with his left.
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Lil snippet of chapter 2 of Wrong Shade
Twilight takes a few halting steps forward, water splashing. He walks through the remnants of a wall of a wrecked house, running his fingers along the splintered, waterlogged wood. Whatever happened here clearly happened a long time ago, but it still makes him sad. He doesn’t know the name of this place, but he mourns it anyway.
As he wanders the village, he hears splashing and guttural noises and sees a couple of the strange lizalfos​ that seem typical for whatever region this is.
A low, canine growl rumbles in his throat. Seeing the monsters splashing around, downright gleeful in their- their desecration of the site of this tragedy, Twilight feels a sudden burst of rage flare up in his chest. He draws his sword.
(The village is the Deya Village ruins btw, which isn’t a detail that’s super relevant, but I like being able to point to the map and be like “they’re HERE rn”, and I wanted someone to know :) )
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neteyamssyulang · 6 months
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Biting
Day 23
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Pairing: Neteyam aged up x Fem avatar reader
Summary: You decided to visit your mate during training not expecting the plans he has once you show up.
Warnings: Dom Neteyam, Sub reader, P in V, Marking, Creampie, Choking, Slight Aftercare.
Word count: 1587
Translation(s): Paskalin -> Honey, Yawne -> Beloved, Nga yawne lu oer -> I love you.
A/N: This has to be my favorite one now🤭
Tags: @teyamsatan @pandoraslxna <3
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You made your way to the training grounds before sneaking up and jumping onto your mates back. Neteyam was in the middle of a lesson when suddenly he felt someone jump onto him.
His eyes widened in shock but quickly realized who it was "W-what are you doing?" You giggled before reluctantly getting off him "I missed you."
"Is that so?" He smirked trying to act confident even though his heart was beating like crazy. "I missed you too paskalin" he then gently pulled you close placing a soft kiss on your lips.
"You didn't have to attack me in order to talk to me though" Neteyam teased. "Well I wanted to surprise you" you grin. The male chuckled "You succeed, so what's up?." you shrug "I just wanted to see how the training was going."
"Ah I see, it's going well we're about to start some drills. Are you going to stay?" He silently hoped you'd say yes. "Would you like me to stay?" You say while running your hands down and up his toned chest.
Neteyam winked at you "Of course I would, but are you up for what I have planned?" You raised your eyebrow at him "I am yes."
"We'll see." He trailed his finger on your lips causing you to shiver at the touch. He then slowly brought your faces close together until your lips were mere centimeters from eachother.
"Shall we?" He smirked daring you to make the move. "Oh shut up and kiss me" you immediately catch his lips with yours while wrapping your arms around his neck.
Neteyam let out a deep chuckle against your lips enjoying the way you took charge. He then wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you closer deepening the kiss.
His tongue pressed against your lips demanding entrance which you happily granted. As you allowed him inside he immediately took control exploring your mouth.
A low growl rumbled through him as he savored your taste, his hands trailed down to grip your ass firmly. "T-teyam" you moaned into the kiss.
"Yes yawne?" He murmured letting his lips trace kisses down your neck. His teeth grazed your skin lightly causing a trail of goosebumps to erupt on your body.
"Sh-shouldn't you get back to training?" You say starting to pull away from him. Your mate tsked pulled you back to him "They can start without me, I'd much rather concentrate on something else right now."
Neteyam trailed his lips to the other side of your neck gently biting the soft skin. Shivers ran down your spine as you moaned softly.
His grip tightened as he felt your reaction "You enjoy this don't you?" He murmured sucking on your sweet spot.
"Y-yes" another moan left your lips. Neteyam grinned letting out a throaty chuckle "Then let's cut this conversation short and find somewhere more...private~"
Before you could react he scooped you up bridal style making you giggle. "I know a place where no one will find us" he said as he carried you away to a different part of the forest.
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It didn't take him long to reach his destination. You both were in the middle of the forest, in a secluded glade. The tall trees above you offered shade, the grass soft and lush. It was peaceful, quiet... and intimate.
Neteyam set you down on the ground, and without warning he pressed you against the bark of a tree, his body trapping you.
Your eyes widened but immediately placed your arms around his neck. When Neteyam was sure that you were properly pressed up against the tree, he planted a hand on your waist, holding you still.
"Is this what you wanted, my love?" He whispered in your left ear, trailing his tongue along the sensitive lobe. His other hand was planted against the bark, holding him in place.
"It-it’s what I wanted" you whimpered softly, your mate gave a satisfied smirk and then he was upon you, claiming your lips in a passionate kiss.
This time, he didn't hesitate to let his tongue explore your mouth, to dance against yours. He let out a low groan.
His arms slid up your body, one hand traveling to the back of your neck, the other back to your waist pressing him even closer until you could feel every inch of him... and still, he wanted more.
You moaned into the kiss while moving your hands to rest on his shoulders, The kiss turned more intense, and Neteyam's hands traveled down the backs of your legs, lifting you up.
He purred at the contact, his breath hitching once more against you. Slowly, he started to lower you back so that you were lying on the ground, him above above.
Neteyam continued to let his hands roam across your body. This time, however, he wasn't just simply skimming along your skin... rather, his hands slid under your woven top to touch and grope your breasts. When he felt you shiver and moan against his touch, he knew his plan was working.
Your mate leaned pressing a kiss down against your neck. You moaned his name as your back slightly arched off the ground, He let out a light chuckle and grinned, then pulled your top off to reveal more skin for him to explore.
"You're beautiful when you blush," he murmured, letting his fangs nip at your neck. He gripped onto you waist but not painful, and his tongue left a trail of kisses down your chest.
Soft whimpers left you as you layed your head back relishing in this moment. The sounds you were making pleased him, and he couldn't help but grin in satisfaction... but he didn't stop there.
Eventually, he removed his hands from your waist placing them now by the sides of your head. His tongue started a long trail back up your chest, ending at the crook of your neck... and then he stopped, waiting.
Shuddering you moved your head to the side giving him complete access to your neck, It was all the incentive he needed.
As soon as he got the desired amount of exposed skin, he went at it, burying his head in your neck and nibbling, licking, and, biting. He could tell his pace was getting more aggressive, but it wasn't anything you needed to be scared of...
It was quite the contrary, as your reaction told him that it was more of a turn on for you. You moaned his name as your back arched, your hands now moving to his back digging your nails into him.
He chuckled at that, knowing it would only make you dig your nails deeper. Without a moment to spare, he lifted you up and carried you in his arms, only to set you back down on the ground. But this time, with your back towards him.
"Hands on the tree" he demanded. You gulped but obeyed placing your hands on the tree. You heard him growl in pleasure, and could imagine the smile he was wearing.
"Good girl." Neteyam stepped back for a moment, admiring the sight... and then he got his hands busy with you again, his fingertips tracing along your shoulders, neck, back, hips... till he finally unties your loincloth throwing it somewhere off to the side.
He skillfully removed his own before lining his tip up with your entrance, slowly he pushed inside groaning as your velvety walls clenched around him.
Your nails dug into the bark of the tree as your mate set a brutal pace. Your moans filled the area along with skin slapping against eachother, Neteyam tugged on your kuru making you hiss at the pain mixed with pleasure.
“T-tsa-heylu ma’teyam..” You choked out as his cock started brushing against your g spot repeatedly. Chuckling he obeyed your wish bringing his own kuru infront of him connecting them.
You groaned as the pleasure became more heightened, your legs threatened to give out. One of his arms wrapped around your waist while the other moved to you throat gently squeezing.
“Eywa paskalin…you feel so good wrapped around me” your mate whimpered next to your right ear. He quickened his pace slamming roughly into your already aching core making you reach your climax.
A silent scream left your lips as you squirted coating his lower abdomen and legs with your juices. Even as you came he didn’t stop, he couldn’t.
When you felt Neteyam wrap his tail around your thigh you knew he was close, after a few more thrusts he bit down onto your shoulder as his cum spilled inside of your womb.
The feeling of him throbbing inside your cunt mixed with him biting you sent you over the edge once again. Your both still breathing heavily as he carefully pulled out of you, you whined at the loss but quickly relaxed as he pried your nails from the tree and layed you down onto the ground once again.
He grabbed a cloth from the little bag you always carried and cleaned the mess between your legs as gentle as he could knowing you were sensitive.
After he did himself he put your loincloth back on along with your top as well as his own loincloth before laying down behind you pulling you flush against his chest. “My good girl.. nga yawne lu oer” he whispered in your ear.
“Nga yawne lu oer Ma’Teyam” you smiled before sleep overcame you. Neteyam placed a kiss on your cheek as he too fell asleep holding you.
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Ghost x City Girl Reader
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You expected Ghost to leave you before the morning; he usually does. However, you're surprised to see him rush to your aid after being woken up by violent night terrors. A sweet and unexpected moment between you, that only ends as quickly as it began.
Tags: Romance, Drama, slight Hurt/Comfort, slight Angst, Intimacy, Fluff that turns sour, Mask-Kissing, Arguing, Swearing, Enemies to Lovers, FWB, Jealousy, Toxic Relationships, "Couples", Arguing, Swearing, A Little Melodramatic, I'm aiming for something more real though, Reader is somewhat bratty and immature, Ghost is bad at communicating his feelings, Damaged people not knowing how to talk to each other and let their walls down, reader has night terrors, I wanted representation!
WC: 4.5k~
Author's Note: I'm back from Vegas! I was on a drunken bender on Fremont St. partying with my brother for his birthday this week (I talked to a lot of interesting people too 😏). This chapter might be a little different, I don't know? I'm not gonna lie, after this chapter, the tone is about to take a shift. Please enjoy~
Also, thank you so much @argella1300 for helping me out when I asked. Your insight was greatly appreciated and it really meant a lot! 💞
Masterlist
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It came in the dim shade of dusk, tucked in by shadows of your hall -- the abnormally tall silhouette of a man. Stalking you. Haunting you.
He looms at the brink of your hallway, expressionless, unmoving, and yet somehow inching forward all at once. With each step he closes between you and himself, an encroaching darkness fills the room behind him within the blink of an eye.
Who was he? It's a question you've had since adolescence. The answers never felt as true as his unsettling existence.
The world around you is silent, fogged as though you were being held underwater, your mind racing at an incoherent speed. The only sounds you hear are that of your own screaming. You knew what was happening; your body and mind had just been unable to control it.
Night terrors.
You've never told anyone about them before; you've never felt any need to. It's not exactly a hot topic of discussion, nor something you could even put forth any real value into if asked; you can't explain something you don't understand.
They haven't been anything beyond a waking three-minute inconvenience. An on-and-off occurrence throughout your life. But once it happens, there'd be no avoiding it.
They send your body into a mindless, cold panic, the only emotion coursing through your veins being the unknown fear that first woke you. Your arms thrash frantically as you scream, your body feeling as though it were being grabbed by a million hands...
Don't touch me, your mind cries out. Don't touch me. Don't touch me...
...Until you've felt the one, very real hand touch your shoulder, taking with it the darkness you'd thought had all but swallowed you whole and replacing it with the waking world around you.
The morning returns, as do the rest of its unpleasant realities.
"Hey." That deep and raspy Manchester voice is the first sound you finally register, and for once in your life, it couldn't have sounded any sweeter. "Hey," Ghost says again, placing both hands gently over your shoulders to wake you. "Everything's OK. You're in your living room."
Your chest heaves shallow breaths when sitting up on your couch, taking in your surroundings. That's right, you're still in your living room. You'd almost forgotten you'd passed out on your couch last night, now catching the breaking dawn which pooled through your windows.
It always takes you a moment to regather yourself after it happens, having to make sense of what had been real versus some strange in-between with you and your REM state. In those moments, everything felt real, and fake all at once.
Even the shattering and reforming of reality around you could not take your mind from Ghost's hand, which remained wrapped protectively over your arm, fingers trembling with the hesitancy of his own actions.
"Are you alright?" His dark eyes look your face up and down, taking in every twinge your lips made and how your eyes seemed to look in every direction but his own, still glossed over and dazed from sleep. "You just started screamin' out of nowhere."
Once his words run through your head a few more times, you realize that you'd made a scene right in front of the one person you hadn't wanted to know this about you, a new detail he no doubt did not expect from you at all.
Ghost has known you to be many things -- seductive, witty, cold, distant, and near every other synonym in between. He's heard your voice moan in pleasure more times enough to recognize it within a crowd; he's heard you hurl enough insults his way to send even the hardest of soldiers home crying and insecure.
Never has he heard you scream like this before, with such fear and strife. In fact, he can't think of a single time you've ever been so frightened around him. To see a glimpse of that had been more unsettling than he wished to let on.
He'd only woken up a few minutes shy of you, having slipped away to fix himself up and reset his balaclava. His lips had still felt stained by your kiss from last night, the skin on his face tingling off the memory of your touch alone.
Nearly two months he's spent with you in this odd, little fling and he's never actually kissed you like he had last night before. Never for so long. Never so deeply. He wouldn't allowed himself to. Kissing just for the sake of it always felt like a step beyond casual, as much as he often craved your lips on his most exhausting days.
Ghost must have stared at himself in the mirror longer than he should have, just chasing that feeling again, making himself sick with it. He debated on leaving before you woke, though he'd keep that to himself, having heard your screaming once he'd rounded the corner. In which case, Ghost ran to your aid without question.
His first thought had been that you were in danger; perhaps someone had broken in, or worse, you'd been hurt. You might get on the man's nerves, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't care about your well-being at least somewhat. He never wished any harm to you, and he damn sure wouldn't let anything happen to you if he can help it.
The archway between your hall and you had felt as foreign and distant as space itself, however. When Ghost found you on your couch, your arms writhing, and wide eyes locked on him with confusion and terror, he had frozen in place.
For a split second, he thought that fear had been caused by the sheer sight of him. And then, the strangest thing had happened -- it tore him to pieces being given a glimpse of a reality he didn't know he feared most of all. One where the sight of him brought you complete anguish.
Your screaming didn't stop when he approached you, nor had it stopped when he knelt beside you, saying your name and asking what was wrong, only falling on deaf ears.
Nothing had stopped your screaming, nor these emotions that ripped at him, until his hand had touched your shoulder, and you both felt the sensation of one another.
Your features calmed, your gaze softening at the sight of him, now having been pulled from that sudden trance. In a matter of seconds, you'd just barely managed to get your breathing to a more manageable pace, your heart not drumming so loudly in your ears. You played his words in your head, again and again, until you've slowly regained composure. Everything's fine. Everything's fine.
Had you noticed he had this effect on you? Ghost imagines you'll only carry on as though it were just another thing; the kindest of gestures are often the hardest to notice in the moment, and you never did like to dwell. It only took years' worth of tragedies for Ghost to be able to recognize them himself. Though every now and then, it isn't something he can catch either. He only wishes this hadn't been one of those times.
Embarrassment and shame flood within you like a crashing wave, though you mask it in an annoyed groan, turning your body away from Ghost in hopes he'd take the hint and give you some space. You always hated when this happened around others, most of all around the men you slept with. Slowly, you prepared yourself for your usual dose of reactions.
"I'm fine," you say. "I just... I'm fine." You rub your hands over your face in defeat, before sinking your head into them with a low groan.
There had been reasons you didn't sleep over or have others do the same often, this being one of them. You didn't need to have another guy slowly ghost you because you scared him awake at 2am in a frantic panic; the best way to avoid it would be to not put yourself in the situation at all, right?
But what happened last night hadn't been like any of your normal nights with Ghost. Last night had been something... not quite the same. There had to be some reason you haven't sent him home yet otherwise. You wondered if it had been the same reason why he hadn't gone home yet either.
"Fuckin' hell," Ghost sighs. "You might've woken the neighbors with that one."
"It's nothin' they're not used to," you say casually, though the second you do, you wish you hadn't been so cavalier about it. You hadn't meant to invite him into your world like this.
However, no one had been more understanding of these sorts of troubles than he; Ghost knew what a pain it could be feeling as though you needed to explain emotions you had no control over. So he wouldn't ask you what that was about, or why you think it may have happened. He didn't need to know anything beyond the fact that you were OK.
"Well," Ghost sits down beside you on the couch with a dramatic "oomph", huffing to himself with a certain contentment to it. "I've been there."
"I'm sure you have," you groan. You couldn't help being sly with him, even now. It came out of you impulsively, knowing he'd always reward you with some form of attention you both could get something out of. Something you both let sit at the back of your minds all day.
You stretch your arms over your head feline-like, your body now finally feeling as though you'd slept in your living room instead of your bed. Your shoulder ached dully, your back already popping at each stretch you made with your body. The wonderful joys of aging.
"That's one way to get the blood pumpin' in the mornin', yeah?" Ghost jokes, he always did feel a little humor could lighten any mood. "You never scream like that with me."
"Perhaps you should do a better job then," you tease.
"Don’t tempt me, love."
Love. He doesn't call you that often. Only in your most intimate of moments. You hadn't felt your face smiling, but you knew you were.
You looked so innocently up at him after without even thinking. "Tempt you, Manchester?" You give the man a rather tired but still lurid look, bumping his shoulder playfully with your own. "Perish the thought," you say. "As if it's that hard to do."
"Oh, fuck off." Ghost sighs, and you can practically feel the man smiling beneath his mask. A smile that felt as warm as a heater come after a snowstorm.
Wind chimes clung lightly outside your window, the finches gathered at your bird feeder chirping blissfully. You both laugh lightly to yourselves, your arms faintly brushing at every small exhale from your noses. And you both sat there even after the laughter, simply looking off ahead of yourselves, with eyes still heavy from waking.
It had felt suddenly a tremendous task to look over at Ghost. Once you've worked up the courage, you catch him gazing out your window aimlessly, peacefully, his body settled into your couch as though he'd been with you the day you bought the thing.
And then he looks down at you. Maybe he felt you staring, but you never noticed how brown his eyes are, or how deep they could look in a dimly lit room. Similarly, he's never noticed how animated your own eyes are, always moving and observing some small, unknown detail. It made his skin crawl delightfully. Ghost would have thought that feeling to be a bad thing, and yet it had been quite the opposite.
Why don't we ever do this? You asked him that last night, and though he'd answered you, it hadn't been the entire truth.
A sudden burst of energy springs from you, pulling you from your seat and inviting yourself onto Ghost's lap, who leans back and lets you do so without question. Your legs settle over his boulderous thighs, humming lightly as he rests his hands back against your hips, sighing pleasantly to himself and looking back up at you.
Ghost did his best not to squirm around too much with you on top of him. It hadn't been the worst thing you two have done together. However, it wasn't common for things to feel so... easy. He could stay like this all morning if you let him.
Something tells him you felt the same way; you don't usually take this long to start getting to the point of things physically.
"What is it?" he asks.
"I'm surprised you're still here."
You watch your comment bring him to a short pause and find yourself now at the edge of your seat, arms resting gently over his shoulders and not being used to this sudden anticipation towards his answer.
Ghost had thought about being completely honest with you, admitting that he'd been equally surprised. That's when he woke up and saw you still sleeping on the couch next to him, it had been the hardest thing to even excuse himself to the restroom.
Your arms had been entangled around him, cuddled against his large shoulder like a giant pillow. You slept soundly beside him, peacefully, having felt so at ease with letting your guard down, all things considered. An innocent sight too far and few between bitter exchanges.
He's never slept over after before, nor has he ever held you in his arms like this. Yet, it had felt like the most sensible thing to do now, something as natural as breathing or blinking.
He found himself just watching you sleep for a while, still. In the early morning light that crept through your living room window, he sees all these details to you he's never had the chance to; you are beautiful. Truly. And he hadn't meant it in ways that were superficial or lustful. Genuinely, he really did find you a stunning woman. He's always found you so, even behind the toxicity.
Seeing you next to him had made him happy, and all at once, it hurt him the same, knowing this time would always be finite. You'd bore of him soon enough, only to call him later as another passing thought. Maybe one of these days, he'll gather the strength to stop answering.
Even now, with you over him like this, it's odd. He doesn't want to get up, and yet he does. He wants to pull you in closer, and he wants to leave. He can feel himself breathing, yet the sight and touch of you made the air catch in his lungs each time he went to inhale.
Maybe he could just blame that on the smoking.
"Good thing I was 'ere, yeah?" he finally quips.
"Right," you lean forward, letting your nose brush the tip of his just faintly enough for him to long for its sensation beneath his mask. You watch the blond of his lashes flutter innocently, with eyes wrapped up in you even more than they had been last night. "My knight in shining armor. You won't hear me complaining."
"That's a first," he teases.
"Fuck you."
Your kiss is what truly wakes him that morning, your lips sculpting the shape of his mouth through his mask and gently planting slow, light pecks. His arms hug around you warmly, with strong fingers gently grazing their way up your back. He always did like these rare occasions where you'd treat him softly; he liked to think it had been a side of you that only he had seen. Even as he knew it wasn't true.
You continue to kiss him for a little while, the man's hands only remaining comfortably at your back to keep you over him. Ghost wasn't sure how much more he could take of you wiggling about on his lap before he gave you what you were clearly looking for. But it wasn't until you started reaching for his mask that he felt a sudden bolt of lightning strike him.
Both his hands shoot up to grab yours, large fingers hooping across your wrist like cuffs, keeping you just out of reach from the brim of his mask. His sudden hesitancy makes you smirk, and already does he know that you're about to push his buttons.
"Aw," you tease, purposefully rocking your hips into him. It makes you giggle when he huffs to himself. "Feeling shy?"
"Not shy," Ghost says. "Just..." Vulnerable. Anxious. Wary. Careful. "...You know how it is."
"Aww," you start to pout mockingly. "Is that honor only reserved for the special girls in your circle?" you ask. "Or just the ones you don't fuck?"
"For the ones actually interested in sticking around," he says. "Instead of just being some fling."
You can't help but scoff, and Ghost can't help but tense up afterward, already preparing himself for an outburst. You certainly were good for them, and Ghost hadn't wanted to kid himself here either; this would all end soon enough.
It wouldn't be long now... and he knows he should pull away before that day comes. He's lost enough people in his life to recognize not to get close to something that won't last long enough to really matter. So he won't hold back his words with you. You can't have your cake and eat it too, he thought.
But some small, sad part of himself wanted you to fight his words, however harsh that storm would be, just like you always do.
Your shoulders slouch and your eyes drift off somewhere into the room. You couldn't make it more obvious that what he said had stung, in ways you hadn't even known you'd been capable of feeling towards him.
A fling. A piece of meat. That's how you liked to present yourself -- it's how you've viewed others too -- most of the time. So you can't get mad if that's how he sees it.
Yet every time that truth is brought to attention, it can't help but make your gut twist up in knots. As if some delusional part of you felt you could continue to sleep with Ghost and see other men as well without him caring.
You've been in a losing battle with Ghost since you first slept together. You knew on that night that any real formalities between you two were forever gone; you'd already spoiled so many of the first joys of being with someone, and it often left this feeling of things being too late to change. What you have now will probably always be what it is. So why can't you enjoy it for that while you still can? Why must he complicate things?
"I just wanted to kiss you," you admit.
It's the honest truth. You dreamed about his lips; his kiss had felt that good. You never expected him to have left such an effect on you, yet you've woken up, and the want to taste him has not subsided.
Ghost takes his eyes from you, dark orbs lowering to your lips as though to telepathically share the same thoughts as you.
"I..."
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
Your eyes turn to the thunderous rumbling of your cell phone against your hardwood coffee table. A phone call.
Ghost looked back at you, expecting you to sit up and answer it. You merely turn back to him, letting it buzz until the call finally drops. You could always call them back.
As you've opened your mouth to speak, however, the phone begins to buzz again. Another phone call. It's this time that you've decided to sit up and see who it is; you freeze once you read the caller ID. Shit!
"Who is it?" Ghost regrets asking the second his voice lets the words rumble out.
"It's uh..." You stumble on your words, purposefully being coy, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"Your boyfriend?" Ghost answers for you, and your silence after speaks volumes.
Your boyfriend. Mr. Sweet and Super Understanding himself. This supposed "doomed" second relationship that has been nothing but highs since you've known him, if anything you told Ghost last night had been true. It figures he would call you so early this morning, you two had seemed close after all.
And like the strike of a match, his entire demeanor runs from cold to ticked off. Ghost can do nothing more than laugh to himself, shaking his head as though you'd just pulled the rug from underneath him and blown the ceiling off the roof of your prior delusions.
After all, you got exactly what you wanted here from him. He fixed your car, fucked you after, and now you get to send him on his merry way while you spend some real time with someone else.
Grumbling to himself, almost without him even knowing, he mutters, "I don't know what else I fucking expected-"
"He's not-" You struggle to find the right words to say, feeling as though every sentence spoken made a true difference between Ghost walking out of your life for good or not. The thought made you start to panic all of a sudden. "I'm not with him like that. You know this already."
You're right; he does know this. You haven't lied about a single thing since he drove over to jump your car. "Besides," you start to argue. "Why does it matter anyway? Why do you care? It's not like you want to be with me. You won't even let me look at you! You've said it yourself; I'm just some "slag" you sometimes like to fuck. Why the fuck do you care if I'm seeing someone who doesn't think that way about me?"
Because he hadn't felt that way about you. Not anymore. Not ever.
Never has he met a woman able to push his buttons so effectively, in ways all too familiar to his childhood. But at the same time, this woman, this human who unknowingly held so much power over him without even being aware, you equally found the littlest of ways to creep into his mind and bring him a bittersweet peace he had not felt since his youth.
But if he said that to you would you listen? Would you even understand? You've never been a woman to be tied down. He's known this. Who was he to think he'd be the difference when what you say is true. He has not been kind to you, not until it was too late, and now you've one foot out. How could he blame you for that?
And yet Ghost stands up, a bubble now having been burst. "As though you're so innocent," his voice raises, emotions finally starting to tip. He matches your hostile energy, his dark eyes glaring down at you, a mirror of wounded gazes. "How many times have I been here for you, only for you to cast me aside like an old toy you can just play with when you're bored? All I've ever been to you is an easy out; you've never cared what I've thought-"
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
Ghost's eyes shoot down to your phone ringing in your hand, and you swear you've never seen him more upset.
A passing fear of him stepping over and snatching your phone from your hand passes over you, and your entire body language subliminally shifts in response. You instinctively take a step back from him, lightly turning your body to keep your phone from his reach. You'll be damned if he thinks he can try that.
He notices this small action, and a part of himself felt akin to his father, recognizing that fear in your eyes from his mother, even as you hide it behind a biting glare. That feeling alone could have done him in for good.
Though Ghost wanted nothing more than to answer that call and tell that other man to fuck off already, he had more self-composure and respect than that, along with his own moral obligations.
Still, it didn't take long for the conversation to take a turn, and from that point, it had been as though everything this morning had been but a slow build-up to an inevitable argument between you two. It always did come naturally.
It started out antagonistic from the jump. You questioned and belittled his sudden emotional flare-up, criticizing every one of his reactions and ignoring the obvious signs that you really needed to back off and just let him go. Or it would be better to say you didn't care for it.
To be frank, you didn't understand his frustrations. If other men had been such a problem, why does he keep coming back? What is it that he keeps seeking here?
Ghost hadn't been interested in spending his whole morning arguing with you, and physically feeling a grave be dug for the remains of your tarnished relationship. He moves around you and begins gathering his things, needing the air now more than ever.
"Hold up-" you approach him, throwing any caution or personal space out the window, as you've stopped a few steps shy of him. "Where are you going?"
"Back home." Ghost starts to put his boots on, the frustration he controlled in his voice being taken out by the aggression he used to tie his laces. "It's time I've made myself scarce."
"You're just gonna run off now? Just like that? I didn't take you for such a pussy, Manchester-"
"Don't push me, Spice," Ghost warns you. "I mean it."
"Or what? You'll leave?" you taunt. "I'll do whatever the fuck I want to."
"And that's the problem," Ghost says, standing up on his two feet and towering over you. "All you ever do is what you want. You never care how your actions affect others or what someone might think of them."
"What do you want from me, Simon?" You finally ask him, voice starting to rise, your chest puffing up aggressively. You'd curse him for getting you so emotionally riled up this morning.
What do you want from me? What do you want? A simple question that had been impossible to answer, because answering it would mean being honest with himself about what's happened with him here. It would mean being vulnerable.
"Stop calling me," Ghost says. "Stop seeing me. Stop being with me. We should never have done this in the first fucking place... This has to stop."
No longer did he wish to feel this way, to feel as though the worst parts of himself came at a constant full display with you. No longer did he want to feel himself slowly start to care for you, knowing that at any moment you could be gone. He's not sure he could handle something like that again.
Your mouth opens, and then it closes, and then you frown. Ghost thought you wouldn't say anything to him. He thought you might even cry. But no, you never were one to just leave things at that. You always had to say the last thing in an argument, and you never minced words.
"Then fucking go already," you say. "Get out. You won't have to worry about me calling you ever again."
Ghost didn't say anything after that, though he had looked at you for a little while longer. If you hadn't known him as well as you think you did, you'd say his brown eyes looked rather sad.
He moves away from you, making his way to your front door and unlocking it. He makes sure not to look back as you see him out. The man wouldn't be able to stomach the sight.
He remained on the other side of the door after you'd slammed it, feeling the wind hit his back and the sharp silence that it brought with it. Ghost then cocks his head back and closes his eyes, sighing in defeat. He felt the warm, morning air hit the little parts of his skin left bare for the air to kiss, and as though his mood couldn't drop any lower, he remembered he still had to go to work with you this morning.
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Part Seven Coming Soon. Stay Tuned~
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Since I'm trying to explore toxic relationships, I wanted to delve into the complexities a little (while not being so on the nose about it). They have their ups and they have their downs; they blend and happen all at once and take each other's places at every positive or negative interaction. You can have genuine moments of care and empathy with people you simultaneously butt heads and take issue with I feel; nothing is ever just black and white. I'm rambling and probably not making a lot of sense.
But, now that Ghost and the Reader are in the pits, they've gotta look within themselves and fix their shit if it's meant to be. I want to write them in a way where it's clear if they could just sit and figure out what it was they wanted from each other, then this could be something real if they let it. However, life waits for no one, and they're about to be in for a doozy. The mission i have planned for them is gonna be 👺👺👺
Taglist: @cabreezer0117, @homicidal-slvt, @deadbranch, @argella1300, @poohkie90, @glitterypirateduck , @sarraa-26, @quincessimus, @0-444-4444, @crazymela, @13thprogenitor, @joce2fine, @sapszilla, @dmitriene, @justherebecauseafarisucks, @zevrajalexxandra, @corvusmorte
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nell0-0 · 22 days
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Hey y'all, I need a bit of advice.
Someone brought it to my attention the other day and I've been thinking about it. While my time travel shenanigans stuff is supposed to be a weird mix of pre LU and post LU stuff, I'm having a hard time when deciding how to tag it. Like, if it's for the overall au I'm doing based on a LU premise, can I tag it as LU or only do so when I reference it directly??? (Like, when the chain during LU shows up or Twilight).
I mean, some of it could be passed off as just Hyrule warriors stuff, but I've been having a hard time deciding. At first I just tagged it as LU for organization in my blog, but I'm not sure if I should since I've seen some discourse about this issue? Not sure I wanna tag it as just links meet au since I don't wanna mix it up with the other ideas I'll be sharing in the future, like with the war shades au, but maybe that's a possible solution.
Being kind of new in this fandom doesn't help but since I couldn't figure it out... Help?
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webhead3345 · 4 months
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This was born from two prompts I saw around the same time that seemed to go well together. This one and this one. (@candy8448, I don’t know if you’re interested but here’s this in case you are XD)
Tags: Hurt/comfort (I think?), Legend (LU), the Chain (LU), Ravio (even though I’ve never played a game with him), fires,
Words: 4,025
Legend’s House (fic beneath the cut)
Legend was babbling. He knew he was. But still, when they came across a mushroom alongside the road he found himself informing all the others that he only usually found those mushrooms in the forest and that the old potion witch could turn it into a handy magic dust.
The others listened with varying levels of interest, but no one tried to interrupt. Maybe that was only fair due to the rapt attention Legend always paid in the other Hyrules, or maybe they were actually interested in the little tidbits that he came across to talk about.
He didn’t really care either way. His chest was buzzing with excitement to finally be home again and for a chance to show his own Hyrule to the others. Of course, it wasn’t so sparkly and pristine as some of them, but just wait until they got to try his apples.
He knew it was harvest time by now and he hasn’t told them yet that he lived on an orchard, but once they got a taste of his uncle’s apples—
“How much farther?” Wind asked, practically jumping with excitement. Maybe Legend was putting it on too thick. If he got them to expect too much they would be disappointed in his humble abode. “Are we almost to your house?”
“Almost,” Legend shaded his eyes and looked up at the tree line. The fact that they were in a familiar area he’d avoided during his first adventure because it used to be crawling with brainwashed knights was swept from his mind at the sight in the sky. “Oh no.”
That drew all the Links’ attention and gazes turned up to look at the dark plume of smoke billowing up above the highest branches.
Legend’s buzzing excitement turned to worry in half a second, just before Wild voiced his fears. “That’s a fire.”
Legend didn’t wait for more confirmation. He kicked his heels, pegasus boots activating, and dashed toward his house.
He hardly heard the others shouting for him to wait or be careful, and barely registered that Four was right at his elbow keeping up, or the sound of Epona’s hooves behind.
The others would catch up, but they couldn’t wait a second. He skidded to a stop, then turned and took a sharp corner, Four following deftly just behind.
Then his legs froze up so fast he nearly rolled through the grass with all the momentum.
His orchard. His house. All of it was burning.
“No,” the gasp strangled out between his lips, but he didn’t have a second to waste. Ravio could still be inside. He could be in danger. And if that fire spread…
Legend steeled his nerves, shoving down all the emotions and words that wanted to rise up inside of him and he dashed in quiet with resolve.
The fire roared and crackled, but now he could hear voices shouting over the sound. Soot stained villagers from Kakariko were casting buckets of water at the hungry blaze, and some were running back to refill them at the river.
A purple tunic and hood caught Legend’s attention and all his intention to dart into the burning building faded with the sight.
Ravio was coughing into a hand and a woman—one who always shouted for the guards when Legend’s wanted poster had been everywhere—sat beside him, patting his back and bandaging his other hand.
Safe. Ravio was the only other person in the house. Legend didn’t really have many visitors. He turned his attention to the blaze instead.
It was a deadly threat, to everyone here and to the rest of Hyrule, especially Kakariko. If they didn’t stop the fire, it could spread who knew how far.
Legend dug his ice rod out of his pouch and rushed in to help with dousing the flames. He didn’t think of anything else the whole time he worked. Didn’t have time to talk when he passed villagers or when he noticed the other links had arrived at some point and were also aiding in the effort.
It didn’t seem like long at all before he had to drink one of his green potions, but he did so without a second thought and set to work again.
With the additional aid the villagers and heroes were actually managing to get the flames in check.
As the sun was setting that evening, Legend slumped to the ground in exhaustion. His ice rod tapped the dirt beside him and he nearly just dropped it, staring out at the vast expanse of broken remains of charred trees.
His charred trees. Withered and burnt fruits littered the black stained earth, disgusting and destroyed. Not sweet and bright red as they once had been.
His uncle had always boasted about Legend’s careful tending of the orchard. His watchful and meticulous eye over every bit of it, even at a young age. His praise had made the job three times the worth of doing, and quickly shooed away all the wild ideas he’d ever had of being a knight.
Now Legend stared at his orchard. His home. And the pounding of his heart didn’t quite slow as he took it in and finally the calm collected mask of a hero began to drop as he saw the ruins of the last remaining normalcy in his life.
“Legend?” Time’s voice resounded with that same deep-throated command. That calm collection he always wore.
“How did this happen?” Legend couldn’t bring himself to say more than that, staring out at his trees. His uncles trees. His livelihood and life beyond adventures.
A strong hand dropped on his shoulder. “Sometimes accidents happen. We’re lucky the fire didn’t spread further than this one farm.” Time gave him a slight tug. “We’d best be moving on, if we’re going to get to your place before nightfall.”
Legend’s eyes stung and his ears burned. All his boasting before seemed idiotic now. His hands trembled as he looked over the lands, but a new thought struck him before he had a chance to say much else.
No.
Legend spun around, dropping the ice rod completely and scrambled to his feet away from Time’s firm presence and back through the charred stumps of once healthy trees.
He passed villagers having burns tended, some by Hyrule and Warriors, and some by other members of the village. He passed Wind and Wild throwing balls of soot at each other and laughing at how blackened they already were.
He passed Four, Sky, and Twilight gathering newly arrived children together for an effort of bringing water to all the adults.
None of that seemed to matter at all. It didn’t take him long to make his way over the familiar path to the old shack he’d spent the majority of his life in.
His home. His uncle’s home before him. Everything that he had left of him. His hands were trembling again as he moved to the door—half off its hinges—and pushed against it, the wood still warm.
The door gave way and dropped into a mound of rubble just behind with a puff of ash. Legend stared at the remains of his small home.
Everything he’d had he’d saved within these walls. Thousands of collections. So many different items, both helpful and totally worthless strewn about in meticulously organized chests.
Legend stepped in, surveying the damage and hardly even noticing the dangerous way the ceiling creaked above him. Though he did see places where it had already caved in, bringing some of the walls with it.
They had to be here. If nothing else, Legend had to find his uncle’s sword and shield. The first weapons Legend had ever taken up and the last thing his caretaker had ever given him. They had to be here somewhere.
“Mr. Hero.” The voice was a nervous squeak.
Legend’s trembling fists tightened into balls and he hunched his shoulders up toward his ears. “Not now, Ravio.” He started in, digging through the ashy piles of ruin and searching for anything that might still be intact.
“But Mr. Hero…”
“What happened?” Legend demanded, shoving through another useless pile of rubble.
“I-I don’t know,” the merchant stuttered. “Everything was quiet and I was looking through my wares and I smelled smoke and I thought maybe the oven, but no, and then I checked outside but I didn’t see any signs and then there was a blaze inside and I didn’t know what to do and I-“
“My stuff,” Legend grunted as he pushed a beam out of the way. “Did you take out any of my stuff?”
Ravio’s silence was answer enough.
Legend kept digging.
===
They didn’t know what Legend was looking for, but whatever it was it was clear it was important to him.
The chain gathered at the fallen door of the old farmhouse and gazed in at the wreckage, and Sky couldn’t help but wonder who the unfortunately soul to lose their house so suddenly might be.
Did they go back with the townspeople when they’d left earlier? Did they have family to stay with until they could rebuild?
Legend was digging through the soot in a serious silence, already stained ashy black and gray from fighting the fire, his efforts were only making it worse.
Similarly, the boy dressed in purple sat near the door with a bunny hood pulled over his face and his head hanging. He didn’t even seem to notice them when they tried to speak to him and that made Sky wonder if this was his house.
Was Legend looking for something for the man?
Four was the first one to move, rolling up his sleeves and screwing his face with determination. “Well, this is gonna take forever if we make him do it alone.”
And then they all filtered into the house after Legend and started sifting through the wreckage for anything they might be able to salvage.
It was dark, the area lit with a few lanterns and candles now. They’d found various odd items in different conditions. A few dented pots that could be salvaged, a chest that was only half charred full of outfits that were a little worse off but not ruined.
They had a small collection near the doorway now, and the man in purple had since joined the search in a sullen silence, and he didn’t lift his hood.
Sky let out a little gasp when he lifted a beam to find a mutilated sword and shield beneath, dented and half melted, and twisted in so many ways it shouldn’t be, he nearly left it there.
But his expression of surprise drew Legend’s gaze momentarily as it always did when they found something new.
Only this time the Veteran didn’t turn straight back to his work. He let out a strangled gasp and climbed over a hill of rubble between them before dropping to his knees in the ash and reaching a hesitant hand toward the sword and shield.
His fingers were trembling.
“Is this what we’ve been looking for, Legend?” Sky’s quiet question drew more gazes, but Legend still didn’t answer.
He didn’t touch the sword either. He pulled his hand back and hugged it to his chest as though he’d been burned and he didn’t move.
“Legend?” Sky lowered himself to a knee next to him, but the hero still didn’t look at him.
He’d been getting the idea for a while now that this meant more to Legend than some request from the owner. This was more personal than just some orchard in his Hyrule.
Sky set a gentle hand on his arm and the younger teen didn’t even seem to notice. “Legend. Is this your home?”
His shoulders hiked higher and his ears pinned against his head. And then it struck the Veteran at once and his shoulders started to shake.
Sky’s hold on his arm tightened and carefully he pulled himself closer and wrapped his arms around the tiny hero, who curled up and crumpled only seemed smaller.
Legend didn’t move to return the hug or seem to notice it at all. He still faced toward the sword, curled inward, and cried silent tears.
Sky waved the others off. He didn’t know if they realized what was going on by the sight of Sky hugging Legend, or if they were just ready to listen to any guidance given, but they backed away and gave the Veteran some space.
After another few minutes, the quiet hiccuping breathes choked off and Legend’s body stiffened, as if noticing the arms around him for the first time.
“I’m fine,” he said in a hoarse voice, gently pushing Sky’s arms off him and still not looking his direction as he scrubbed at his face. “I’m fine.”
By the reverent, almost scared, way he picked up the shattered and melted blade and shield and carried them out of the house with a hanging head, Sky didn’t really believe him.
===
“Ah, the comforts of an inn,” Warriors said sarcastically as he dropped onto one of the beds. “I guess we can’t blame the Veteran for failing to calculate a fire into his schedule, but I’d certainly hoped we were closer to his house than this.”
“Warriors!” Sky’s snap was enough to draw everyone’s attention in the room. “Didn’t you put it together?”
Their whispers floated over Legend’s ears like distant waves. He squeezed the sheet in front of him where he faced the wall, but he didn’t move more than that.
“That house was Legend’s.”
Sky’s simple words brought a silence to the others. Legend hated that even more. The pitying looks he knew—could feel—were being pointed in his direction. Not least of those coming from Sky who’d seen the way he lost it by his uncle’s old sword.
It was broken, beyond repair. It would never be used again.
Legend closed his eyes and tried to push the thoughts away. Tried to drown them in the idea that this was just another adventure and someday he would go back and find his home waiting for him.
It didn’t work. Even as each of his companions dropped off one by one, Legend couldn’t sleep.
Ravio had burned his hands trying to put out the fires. Knowing that made Legend feel a little guilty for blaming him for the whole thing, even if he’d never voiced any blame for the merchant to hear.
He knew the others wanted to talk without him by the not-so-covert glances they kept sending at him, so he took Ravio for a walk to get his hands rebandaged so they could have the chance.
He felt sick the whole way, half because of what he knew had happened, and half because he knew exactly what they had to talk about. He didn’t know if he could take any pitying looks. If he could take that constant reminder and that shame.
He could use more Red Potion. He considered for more than just a minute sneaking out the back of town and making his way to the witch’s to buy more.
But time wouldn’t really gain him anything. In the end, he would have to face them again, and when that time came, it wouldn’t be different than it was going to be now. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable, so together he and Ravio made their way back toward the inn and the ring of heroes gathered before it.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hero,” Ravio said quietly, fiddling with his sleeves over his newly bandages hands. “I-“
“It’s not your fault.” Legend’s words came out harsher than he intended, but Ravio didn’t try to take the blame again.
That was the last thing Legend wanted to be talking about when they re-entered the ring of heroes. Not to mention it wasn’t Ravio’s fault for all he could tell. He had to keep reminding himself of that.
The Chain was serious and quiet when they stepped up to the circle. It was a stiff silence that made Legend feel awkward.
He was about to break into it with an ill-tempered comment, but Ravio was faster.
“I suppose now would be a bad time to bring up the new flame-proof merchandise I have in store?” He chuckled a little beneath the bunny hood he hadn’t removed since the fire. “But the again, I’d hate to see the same happen to any of you and I’d be willing to part with a sample for only thirty-one odd rupees.”
Wind spluttered his shock, but Legend pushed Ravio’s words aside. “Well, I don’t have anywhere to take us to stay better than this. We might as well get down to business sooner than later. No sense sitting around doing nothing.”
“Legend…” Sky’s voice was soft and all too full of pity. Legend glared at him. It wouldn’t surprise him if the Skyloftian had spilled all the juicy details of Legend’s breakdown while he was away. Sky snapped his mouth shut at the look, but he lifted his chin and firmed his expression.
“We’re not leaving just yet,” Time said, crossing his arms.
“Yeah? Why not?”
Four hefted a hammer over his shoulder and gave a crooked smile. “Because we’ve got work to do.”
Legend blinked at him.
“We can’t replace everything you’ve lost,” Sky said softly, “but we’d like to help with what we can.”
Legend’s eyes burned again and his face grew hot. He pinned his ears and forced a half-hearted sneer. “Do what you want. I won’t stop you.”
Most of them grinned at that. They turned to start the trek toward where there was still a smoldering smoke in the air above his old house, and Legend felt off balance.
They took his comment with none of their own, their easy smiles and their willingness to help.
All his years on the road and adventuring, of course he’d had people help him, but…
Not like this. He’d never once experienced what it felt like to be on the other end of all those insistent quest, only he didn’t even have anything to offer to them in return.
He folded his arms in front of him and ducked his head as the reality sank in of how much he lost and how much their words meant to him. “Guys?”
The heroes ahead of him stopped at his tone, glancing over shoulders and casting him inquisitive looks.
Legend tightened his fingers in his sleeves and forced himself to meet each of their gazes, even if only for a second. “Thanks.”
Warrior’s grin broadens. “Don’t thank us yet. Who knows what this house is gonna turn out like.”
“Yeah! I don’t expect us to do all the work, either,” Wild said, waving for Legend to follow them. “C’mon! We never even saw the house when it was whole.”
Legend rolled his eyes and threw his hands into the air. “That’s not how side-quests are supposed to work and you know it!” But he was smirking too when he followed after them, Ravio dogging his heels.
The heroes made fast work, and even some of the villagers came to help. At least now that they considered Legend and hero and not a fugitive they were more than happy to lend a hand here and there.
He was especially glad for the presence of an actual builder to make sure his new house was sturdy and not just a pile of wood slapped together.
Legend went out to survey his trees, and some actually managed to survive on the outer edge, though a lot of them were saplings he only planted recently.
Legend tended to the endangered remains of his apple trees in a reverent silence, and once he sat back on his heels, wiping his face with dirt covered hands and looking at one of the small trees, he felt his throat tighten.
It wasn’t all gone. He hadn’t lost everything. He smiled and ran his fingers down one of the branches. “The next batch is sure to be the best one yet, Uncle. Just you wait and see.”
The heroes worked hard on the small cottage until they had it completed. They all cheered as Legend stepped into his newly built home and looked around.
The charred remains of salvaged goods sat in one corner, and in the other was a pile of new furniture the chain had either built or bought—he wasn’t sure because he hadn’t seen any of it until this moment—precariously wobbling as if it was ready to fall any second.
It was small and cozy, and so similar to what he grew up in, even if the differences were glaring and obvious. They were beautiful too.
Sky had carved some extra designs into the mantle when Legend mentioned the old one had engravings, but Sky’s were clearly from a practiced Skyloftian, depictions of loftwings, the Triforce, and pumpkins for some reason.
Wild somehow had a picture of the Chain framed on the wall, and Wind had hung hooks and shelves all over one side of the house for Legend’s various instruments.
Time and Warriors had worked together on his endlessly creaky door and actually got it to stop being the way it always was, and Hyrule and Twilight cleaned the whole place so it was more spotless than ever.
Legend stared at it, but his eyes caught on the empty hooks above the fireplace. The hooks that should’ve had something of great family importance hanging on them.
His heart twinged, but this moment was honestly too happy to let something like that bother him. He’d just have to find one of the weapons from his adventures to display there when this was all over.
“Ledge?” Four stopped just behind him and Legend turned to find him holding the shattered blade and shield in front of him.
His uncle’s weapons had been mended as well as their mangled frames would allow. They were still bent and melted and in no way sturdy, but they were certainly more suit for display now.
Legend took them gently and he couldn’t even bring himself to meet the smithy’s eyes. He just stared at that blade and his reflection in it. His dumbfounded and awestruck reflection.
All this. For him?
“Well? You gonna hang it up or stand there staring all day? Trust me, a real mirror would work a lot better than a battered blade.”
Legend snorted and raised his eyebrows at Warriors. “I haven’t a doubt that you would know.”
He turned and lifted them above the fireplace, and he paused after he’d set them on display, looking at the weapons that started this all. A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “I think we’ll be okay, Uncle.”
He turned and found all the heroes watching him with satisfied smiles, and even Ravio had his hood down in the corner where he was setting up a tiny shop.
He met Four’s eyes and gave him a single nod of thanks, then he stepped away from the fireplace. “I’ve got good friends watching my back,” he murmured.
“What?” Warrior’s grinned as he raised a hand to his ear. “I didn’t quite catch that.”
Legend rolled his eyes and shoved past him playfully. “None of your business, fancy pants.” He paused in the doorway and breathed in the fresh air of a northern wind, already blowing away the smoky scent. “Thank you all. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Quiet murmured ascent drifted through the room after his statement. Then Wind broke through it all. “Does that mean we can stay here for free?”
Ravio opened his mouth and Legend had to rush to get the words out first. “Of course you can!”
Ravio hunched his shoulders and Legend smirked at him.
At least in this house he knew, even when this was all over, he would have a home and at least one friend to come back to.
He turned to look it over again and his chest warmed. And with all these reminders, he would remember each and every one of them.
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