#run trash boy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

skyloftian-nutcase · 2 years

Text

Elastic Heart Ch2 (Linked Universe story)

Summary: When Sky goes missing, the Chain scrambles to figure out where he is and what happened before it's too late.

(Click here to read on AO3)

<<Previous chapter // Next chapter>>

Chapter 2: Missing

Time knew something was wrong the moment he woke up.

It wasn’t that there was danger, or something obvious was happening. But the eldest Link had a keen sense of awareness and surroundings, and he had learned at a very young age to trust his instincts. His gut was saying something was off, and he needed to figure out what it was.

Scanning the camp, Time took inventory of the group. Wild was slowly gathering ingredients to make breakfast, eyes drooping with sleepiness. Legend was off in a corner ignoring the rest of the world as he tried to go through his quiet morning ritual. Wind gave a yawn so loud and massive he made Hyrule jump from a few paces away. Warriors was smoothing his tunic over his chainmail, already almost prepared for the day. Four was flat on his back overtop his bedroll, staring at the sky blankly as he usually did in the mornings. Twilight wandered over to the champion, stretching and bidding him a quiet good morning. Sky…

Sky. Where was Sky?

Time sat up some more, stiffening. He looked around the camp again, and as he concluded once more that Sky wasn’t there, Warriors approached and confirmed it.

“Do you know where Sky is?” Warriors asked.

“He had third watch,” Time remarked, rising to his feet.

“I know,” Warriors replied, crossing his arms. “Which is another reason why this is concerning.”

“If there was danger, he would have woken us,” Time thought aloud, gathering his armor and weapons.

Twilight came to them next. “Have you guys seen Sky?”

“We don’t know where he is,” Warriors answered.

Wind gasped, having heard them as he walked by. “Sky’s missing?”

The rest of the camp froze, and then everyone started speaking at once.

“When did anyone last see him?”

“Champion, you’re usually up first, was he around when you woke up?”

“Was there an attack? I don’t understand where he could be!”

“Enough,” Warriors said loudly, raising his hands to calm the group. “He could’ve just gone off to relieve himself or something. Champion, did you see Sky when you woke up?”

Wild shook his head worriedly. That eliminated Warriors’ suggestion, then, seeing as the cook had likely been awake for at least half an hour.

“I’ll track him,” Twilight immediately said, reaching into his tunic.

“I’m going with you,” Four piped up, striding towards the rancher with purpose. “It’s dangerous to go alone.”

Although Time trusted Twilight’s tracking abilities, he also wanted to cover more ground quickly. Sky couldn’t have been gone for too long, and the more aggressively they searched for him the more likely they’d find him. Looking at Wind, he said, “Sailor and I will look as well. The rest of you stay at camp in case he returns. If no one finds anything, return to camp by midday.”

Everyone looked uneasy at the possibility that they wouldn’t find Sky, but they all nodded in acquiescence.

Warriors turned to the others, speaking to the remainder of the group to get the camp back in order. Wild slowly made his way to the cooking pot, watching Twilight shift into his wolf form with worry. Legend paced the camp, agitated, all semblance of morning rituals forgotten. Hyrule stood at the edge of camp, wringing his hands and watching Time uncertainly.

Four hopped on top of Twilight’s back and the pair moved around the edge of the forest as Twilight sniffed the ground. Then the wolf turned around, marching straight through camp before stopping dead at the edge of the cliff.

“He went over the cliff?” Legend surmised, his voice pitched in worry.

Wind stomped his foot. “Well standing here panicking about it won’t find Sky! Let’s go!”

With that, the sailor charged ahead, pulling out his Deku leaf and leaping off the cliff. Time automatically flinched, stopping himself from calling out to the sailor, and then he strode after him. Pulling out his hookshot, he aimed for one of the sturdier looking trees down below, hoping his item could reach the branches. Twilight had his clawshot out and ready while Four slipped a ring on each index finger and started to climb down the cliffside.

“Wait for us,” Time called down to the sailor.

Thankfully, Time’s hookshot did indeed reach one of the taller trees, and a few well-placed hits allowed him to vault to the ground below. Four caught up fairly quickly just as Twilight changed back into his wolf form, sniffing intently.

The wolf paced around the area, ears peeled back. His fur ruffled up, and a low growl emitted from him. The other three immediately drew their weapons, recognizing the alerting gesture. Time squinted into the morning mist, but he saw no movement. Birdsong echoed through the air, implying that nothing had scared them off, which could mean there was no danger, but clearly something was setting Twilight off.

“What is it?” Wind asked quietly, scanning the area with his sword and shield at the ready.

Time’s gaze settled on what he could see of the ground. Footprints, dislodged and broken brier, and bent flowers implied a fair amount of movement in the area. But the flowers were already bending in supplication towards what little sunlight was spilling through the foliage and mist, implying that they had been pushed aside a good while ago.

Four pointed to the footprints. “Those are massive – they have to belong to bokoblins and moblins.”

Wind looked at Four, startled. “What? So close to camp? Why wouldn’t Sky say anything?”

“I don’t know,” Four answered, holding his chin thoughtfully, his brow furrowed in worry. “Maybe he just saw the footprints as well… but that wouldn’t make sense, something had to draw him from camp… what if he was captured, what if something went wrong—”

Time put a hand on Four’s shoulder to calm him before he started spiraling. The boy was observant and smart, but he also worried fairly easily. “There’s no sign of struggle here, Smithy. I don’t think Sky engaged.”

“He tracked them?” Wind surmised. “But why?”

“I don’t know,” Time answered truthfully. There was far too little information at the moment, and he didn’t like it. “Let’s keep moving. Rancher?”

Twilight moved ahead slowly, methodically lifting each paw as he continued to sniff the area. He paused once, ears elevated and alert, before he started to pick up his pace. Time continued to keep an eye out for their surroundings, picking up more clues and ensuring there were no enemies nearby. Wind stayed on Twilight’s heels, ready and eager to charge ahead and fight whatever monsters might be lying in wait. Four, on the other hand, dragged his feet, eyes glazed over in thought.

Time looked around for physical signs while Twilight traipsed ahead with caution. Most of the clues left behind were obviously from monsters, and it was honestly a little alarming how many there seemed to be. This clearly wasn’t just a small group, which was even more concerning. Usually if they ran into hordes of them, it meant the Shadow was somewhere nearby. Time automatically turned his gaze to Twilight, senses even more alert now. They couldn’t afford another encounter like that one.

But Twilight was in front of him, safe and healed. Sky was not.

Time felt anxiety grip at his chest, and he forced himself to take steady breaths. He focused on tracking once more, trying to find any sign that Sky was here. So far their only hint was that Twilight had apparently picked up his scent, but it was likely being covered by all the others by now.

And then he saw a clue. A small footprint made by a boot, not as deeply indented into the soft grass as much as the others, implying that this person was fairly light in comparison to the monsters around him. A Hylian, and a young one at that.

Sky.

Time walked towards the footprint purposefully, examining it. Wind came up beside him while Four and Twilight investigated elsewhere.

“How old is it?” Wind asked, leaning his hands on his thighs as he bent down to look at the footprint.

“I can’t say for certain,” Time answered as he analyzed it. “But the mud has dried. It’s been a little while.”

Wind straightened, a worried look on his expressive face. “I don’t understand. What was Sky doing? Why would he go out on his own like this?”

Time put a hand on Wind’s shoulder to reassure the youngest member of their group. “Sky is sensible, Sailor. I’m sure it was for a good reason. We’ll find him soon. He might even be heading back to camp right now.”

At least Time hoped that was the case. Sky did seem to be one of the more reasonable of his boys, even if he was a bit, for lack of a better term, air headed. The boy could space out easily enough and would sleep anywhere at any time, but he had knight’s training and was the best swordsman in their entire group, and he was generally quiet and calm. He wasn’t someone Time pegged as a troublemaker, unlike some of his other boys. Which meant that either something was really wrong, or Sky was actually fine and they were all overreacting.

But Time wasn’t an optimistic person. And there was little reason Sky would wander off unless it was serious.

“You’re right,” Wind commented, looking into the mist. “Wherever he is, I’m sure he’s okay.”

The young sailor said it with such certainty, it almost gave Time hope. Almost.

A howl pierced through the morning air, and Time and Wind ran to find Twilight, swords and shields at the ready. When they got to him, they were in a large clearing. The mist had been burned away by the sunlight in this area, leaving glittering dew and a few deer in the far distance grazing in peace.

And a shadowy portal in the center of the field.

The wolf was encased in darkness, and then it dissipated and Twilight was crouching on the ground. “His scent ends here. I… guys, I think he went through.”

“What?!” Wind and Four exclaimed at the same time.

“Why would he do that?” Wind asked.

“What was he thinking?!” Four questioned.

Time stared at the portal, stunned and scrambling to figure out what could have happened. He looked at the ground for signs of a struggle, for some clue of why Sky would do such a thing. There was no debris, no scuffed up earth, no dry blood or broken weapons. If there was a fight, it wasn’t out here in the open. If Sky had been taken, he was already unconscious and being carried by the time they’d gotten to the field.

He needed answers.

Time looked at the youngest Links. “Boys, I need you to get the others. Go back to camp and tell the to pack up. Can you guide them here?”

Wind nodded immediately, face set in determination and body tense with anticipation. Four looked far more hesitant and worried, but he nodded all the same. The pair ran into the woods, leaving Time and Twilight alone to ponder.

“I don’t understand,” Twilight muttered, rising. “Sky was on watch and saw danger, and instead of waking us he went after them?”

“It would seem so,” Time admitted, still scanning the surroundings to try and make sense of this situation.

“But that isn’t like him!” Twilight argued. “Something has to be wrong.”

“Did you smell any blood?”

The ranch hand sighed, looking at the ground. “No. But there were a lot of different scents, few of them friendly.”

“And you’re certain Sky’s scent ends here?”

Twilight met his gaze, eyes hard. “Absolutely.”

Time looked at the magical gate once more, lost in thought. He couldn’t come to any conclusion that was a hopeful one, but the evidence didn’t quite point to Sky being injured or in immediate danger, either. No one had seen any signs of a fight. That would imply that Sky willingly followed the pack through the portal.

The logical conclusions, then, were on vastly opposite ends of the spectrum, ranging from worrisome to downright insane. Most likely was that Sky had proven himself to not be as reasonable as Time had assumed and he was tracking the group alone. Least likely was that Sky was actually in league with the Shadow. The options in between varied between Sky being bewitched by the Shadow, the Shadow taking Sky’s form, Sky being kidnapped… Time didn’t know which one to settle on.

Twilight shifted his weight from foot to foot, looking steadily more anxious. “Shouldn’t we go after him?”

“We will,” Time assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But not without the others.”

Like hell am I letting you near the Shadow alone.

But Sky was near it alone.

Time squeezed Twilight’s shoulder, pushing the worrisome thought out of his mind. They weren’t splitting up any more than they already had. They were facing this danger together, with Time able to protect them and with Warriors able to strategize an approach.

Twilight crossed his arms in some sort of sense of resolve and assurance, eyes downcast. Then he took a steadying breath and looked at his elder. “Ancestor, I… I assume you know the group we’re tracking, the group Sky’s tracking.”

“Assuming he’s tracking it.”

His descendant watched him warily. “You think they took him?”

Time sighed, pulling away. “I don’t know what’s happening, child. I do know we’ll gather everyone and follow. But—” here Time turned sharply, giving Twilight a stern look, “Do not do anything foolish. I know how aggressive a fighter you are, Rancher. Stay close to my side when we engage. Understood?”

Twilight knew better than to argue, so he bowed his head in acquiescence, looking a little browbeaten.

With that matter settled, Time watched the portal warily, praying that they’d find Sky and get to the bottom of this soon.

XXX

To say the atmosphere at the camp was tense would be an understatement. Hyrule shifted nervously, watching Wild cook while Legend paced the stretch of the clearing with frantic energy. Warriors stood to the periphery, eyes alert and arms crossed.

Hyrule wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but he didn’t like it. It was never a good sign when someone was unaccounted for, and it was downright strange that it was Sky. The knight was quieter than some of the others, but he was fairly comfortable with people and usually stayed to the group. The traveler himself was far more likely to wander off, and if he or the cook had done so it wouldn’t have been seen as out of the ordinary. But for Sky to disappear… and doing so while he was on watch…

Sky was sleepy and silly and soft, but he was not irresponsible. Something was clearly wrong.

Hyrule’s first inclination was to immediately search for him, as Time and the others had done. He wasn’t used to operating with a team, and sitting here made him feel like he was about to burst out of his skin. It didn’t feel right to sit around and wait, even if he knew the others were out there looking. He wished the old man had picked him for part of the search party. He felt far more akin to Legend’s obvious distress than Warriors’ calm and stoic demeanor, or even Wild’s barely contained energy.

Hyrule again marveled at the captain. He didn’t know how he did it.

“Okay, this is ridiculous, he clearly isn’t coming back,” Legend finally said, stopping in the middle of camp and waving his arms. “We should all go searching for him. Champion, can’t you call our sailor with your slate? We need to make a plan, a search grid, a—”

“Our orders were to stay here,” Warriors interrupted firmly. “That’s what we’re going to do. Have a little faith, Veteran; Sky is no fool.”

“Of course he isn’t, which is why this is bad!” Legend fired back, growing more agitated.

Wild finished packing meals and started to break down his cooking area. “He’s right, Captain, we should be out there looking.”

“Do you think the others aren’t?” Warriors said sharply.

Hyrule bit his lip, looking away. Then he heard rustling from the cliff and his hand flew to his sword in a heartbeat. Warriors also grabbed his weapon, though he didn’t draw it yet, catching Legend and Wild off guard before they quickly followed suit.

There was a distinctly Wind-sounding grunt and a small hand appeared at the top, clawing desperately for a perch to latch onto. Wild hurried over and grabbed the boy’s wrist, dragging him upward just as Four pulled himself into view.

“Well?” Legend questioned immediately.

“We found a portal,” Four reported, dusting his hands on his tunic. “The Old Man wanted everyone to meet up there.”

“But what about Sky?” Wild asked.

Four’s face grew stormy, and he looked at his feet. Wind answered for him. “We’re not sure. Rancher says his scent trail ends there, so we think he went through.”

“Alone?!” Legend yelped. “What, is he crazy?”

Hyrule had his belongings ready to go, and he shoved the veteran’s things in his arms before he could continue. They had to get moving. Wild and Warriors were ready and waiting, and the team quickly made their way back down the cliff. Wild and Wind glided to the bottom easily, leading the way as the others caught up. Hyrule’s eyes traced the forest, listening and watching and letting nature tell him the story of what it had witnessed. Monsters had come through, and a good number of them at that. Sky had followed. There was no fight, no discovery, no injury or peril. Just a pursuit.

This was so weird. Sky wasn’t the type to go off at random like this. At least Hyrule thought he wasn’t. Perhaps he didn’t know the knight as well as he’d thought. He wasn’t always the best at reading people, after all.

It still made him worried, though.

Between the initial search and their trek to return to the site, it was nearly midday by the time everyone had gathered at the portal. Wild distributed breakfast to the group wordlessly, clearly trying to find some way to help and feeling at a loss, and Hyrule accepted it with a thankful smile, wolfing down the delicious food in haste as Time tried to coordinate their next steps with the captain. Twilight took the food with a grateful nod but didn’t touch it, clearly agitated as well. No one wanted to stop, and Hyrule noted that some stomachs were growling even as food was hastily stuffed into pouches rather than mouths.

Sky would have told them to eat.

Of course, they wouldn’t be in this situation if Sky were here in the first place.

“Why aren’t we just going through?” Wind asked quietly as the leaders continued to speak.

“If we go through the portal and it turns out Sky isn’t there, we could cut ourselves off from him entirely,” Four explained. “The portal could close behind us.”

“Every clue implies that he went through,” Wild remarked. “It’s almost like they’re doubting our best tracker.”

Twilight, noticing their murmured musings, stepped over. “You guys doing okay?”

Wild shot him a flat look, making the rancher chuckle sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess that was a silly question. Don’t worry; we’ll find him.”

“Would there be any reason he’s still here and not through the portal?” Wind asked. “I mean, that’s what the Hero of Time and Captain are trying to figure out, right?”

Twilight sighed. “There could be a lot of reasons for any of the options. They just want to be sure in case the portal closes behind us. Y’all should eat in the meantime. I’ll make sure Vet eats too.”

Wind and Four reluctantly pulled out the meal Wild had packed for them as Twilight went to Legend. Hyrule continued to watch the entire scene play out, ill at ease. The portal radiated dark magic, making him cold, and the food he’d just consumed started to churn uncomfortably in his stomach. The sooner they figured this out the better.

The traveler was fairly certain Sky actually had gone through the portal, just based on the signs he’d seen. It would also make the most sense, even if he didn’t know why Sky had done it. But Hyrule wasn’t going to question their leader; he was certain Time knew far more than he did and was infinitely wiser.

It honestly was only a few minutes of deliberating, but to Hyrule it felt like hours. Most of the team had eaten by the time Warriors finally shrugged and the eldest Link faced the dark gate.

“Pair up,” he ordered. “We’re heading out.”

Hyrule eagerly jumped in line first alongside the captain. Time immediately went to Twilight just as Wild did, and Wind grabbed Four and Legend excitedly to make up the difference.

Despite his usual anxieties around such dark magic, the traveler hastily made his way through, bracing himself for the wretched feeling. Warriors was at his side the entire time, and the warmth of the captain’s body heat helped stave off the intense chill that tried to sink into Hyrule’s bones. Darkness engulfed them both, rippling swirls fading into black, and for just a moment they walked through nothingness and were surrounded by malice. The traveler felt his skin crawl, his own magic and hidden treasure humming in retaliation, his innate paranoia about such matters making his hand itch for his sword. And then, it began to clear – a bright light, small and distant, started to grow ever present, warming the motionless air. An image of scenery formed, dancing and waving as if Hyrule were looking at it underwater, and before he knew it his steps, silent and seemingly on air, sank into tall grass as he and Warriors were bathed in the golden rays of dusk.

Hyrule blinked a few times to adjust to the change in lighting before he started to scan the area. They were in a vast field sparsely populated by trees and one or two small bodies of water. Cliffs covered a majority of the horizon, but in a few directions were several landmarks.

Including a castle.

But there were other marks and telltale signs, far closer and more pertinent: Grass cut unevenly, monster parts and weapons scattered in different areas, glinting in the fading light.

Black blood stained flowers, and occasionally red mixed in the gruesome paint.

“There was a battle here,” Warriors noted quietly as the others emerged from the dark gate. “But where are we?”

Twilight gasped immediately. “This—this is my Hyrule!”

Everyone turned to him, surprised.

“This is Hyrule Field,” Twilight explained. “Castle Town is to the north, we—we must be in the Faron region. I—”

Twilight cut himself off when he took in the sight of the battle. The others did as well. Hyrule had already frozen in place upon first noticing it, but now he was being driven to action, looking around frantically for any sign of Sky. He marched ahead, careful not to disturb the clues left behind, eyes focused on the ground. He heard a quiet hissing sound and sensed a brief flare of magic before he heard sniffing. Wolfie came up beside him, snout buried in the grass.

The others spread out slowly, swords at the ready. It seemed the majority of the fight took place farther south; the portal was on the periphery. Wolfie started to walk in circles before he whined and turned back into Twilight, a confused look on his face.

“It’s Sky’s scent for sure,” he said, and everyone stiffened. “But it… I can’t really track it; he goes all over the place. He was here a good while, but then he went south… but there’s also a trail leading towards Kakariko. I don’t know how he could have covered so much ground so quickly, unless maybe more time has passed here than for us?”

“How much time?” Legend asked worriedly.

“What’s south of here?” Hyrule questioned. After all, the main battle seemed to be south of here.

“Faron Woods, and… and my home.” Twilight’s tone and expression grew worried.

“We’ll head there first,” Time assured him. “We won’t leave your home defenseless if there is still a threat. Perhaps your people can help us look for Sky as well.”

With the decision made, Twilight nodded firmly and took the lead. Hyrule examined the field as they headed for the forest. Still no physical appearance of Sky, which was good – he’d survived the battle. But there was so much debris… how many monsters had he fought? Was he hurt? Not all of the blood was black, after all.

The traveler wrung his hands worriedly and directed his energy outward. Running ahead, he walked alongside Twilight, ready and willing to eliminate any threats in the area. He couldn’t do anything for Sky right now, but he could protect his other brothers.

And protect them he did. Any perceptible threat was eliminated with haste before the others even had a chance to notice it. Hyrule cleared a path as they traveled, only half paying attention to the myriad of questions being thrown around by Wind, or the curious but guarded observations made by Wild, or Four’s complete and utter stone silence, or Warriors and Time’s steadily wearier and pessimistic expressions.

By nightfall Twilight slowed his pace. There were fewer signs of danger here, and by this point the traveler had surmised that the main battle had indeed taken place at the mouth of Faron Woods right where it met the fields.

“We’re here,” Twilight said softly.

"I don't see any signs of a fight," Warriors noted reassuringly to his worried friend. "It looks like your village didn't see any of the action."

Twilight nodded silently, his shoulders relaxing just a hair.

“Is there an inn where we can stay?” Time asked. “It’ll do us no good to continue our search into the night.”

“But we can talk to the villagers, right?” Wind questioned. “We need to find him, we only just got here!”

“We will,” Warriors assured the youngest Link. “But it’s the middle of the night. I doubt they’ll be welcoming of strangers. We have to adjust to this new time setting. We have to wait.”

“Waiting is what let Sky get farther ahead,” Legend snapped.

“You want to march in without a plan or any idea what’s happened?” Warriors shot back.

Legend looked away, crossing his arms. He knew he’d been hit in the right spot – the veteran refused to move ahead without some kind of plan, and they had nothing to go with right now.

It still didn’t make Hyrule feel any better, though.

"There's no inn here, Ordon's not that populated nor that visited," Twilight answered. "We'll have to stay at my place."

Many of the heroes perked up inquisitively at the prospect and followed the rancher eagerly.

Twilight led the group across a bridge and beyond a small spring. The path opened up to a small clearing with a humble abode built in a large tree. Hyrule noted the sign indicating it was Twilight’s home, and he stared at the house in wonder. Wild gasped in delight, temporarily distracted. “You live in a tree? That’s amazing!”

Twilight smiled and headed for the entrance. The group climbed the ladder and Hyrule cast a quick spell to light the fire in the hearth, warming the place immensely.

Everyone’s worry and exhaustion was temporarily forgotten in place of curiosity. Hyrule was still awed at how Twilight had managed to build a house in a tree, Wild was thrilled at the concept, and Time looked strangely distant with a soft, sad smile.

“Why would you live in a tree,” Warriors muttered, looking around a little uneasily. “Are we sure this is stable?”

Wild snickered as he pointed to the wall. “By Hylia, he has pictures of his goats on the wall.”

Legend rolled his eyes. “Unbelievable. He really is obsessed.”

“Ooooh, what’s in the cellar?” Wind asked excitedly, garnering Hyrule and Four’s curiosity as they approached and peered into the darkness over the sailor’s shoulders.

Twilight tried to redirect them, but chaos was already afoot in the small abode by now. Wild had commandeered the hearth for cooking dinner (they’d clearly missed lunch) while Warriors and Legend were snarking at each other as they went through Twilight’s small collection of books. Wind dragged Hyrule into the cellar while Four climbed to the top of the house, looking out the window. Time stood close to the entrance, letting everything unfold before gently guiding Twilight to the center of the room with a soft, “Let them be, you know you can’t stop them anyway.”

The traveler climbed down into the cellar with the sailor and lit a lantern to take a peek. The room was rather bare save for a single treasure chest and a mirror with a green hat sitting innocuously in front of it, covered in a small layer of dust.

“Ha! So he did wear a cap like the rest of us!” Wind shouted triumphantly, picking up the hat. Then he pouted. “You think Sky did too?”

The traveler sighed, looking away. The treasure chest caught his eye, and he grew curious, but he shook his head and went back upstairs, trying to push all his worries out of his mind and failing. The smell of Wild’s cooking relaxed him a little more as everyone slowly started to gather in the center of the house, waiting for dinner.

“Eat up and get some rest,” Time said from the entrance. “We’ll resume our search at dawn.”

#writing #elastic heart #Legend's probably going to develop an aneurysm #Twi's Protect instincts are going haywire and he can't do anything about it #but at least he gets to hang out at home so there's that #the boys trash Twi's place because they can't not touch everything #I was tempted to break Twi's mirror in his basement for Reasons but then I realized he'd be way too depressed to lash out like that #anyway there will be Ordon shenanigans in the next chapter!#I still struggle to write Hyrule but oh well #Time is in Protective Dad Mode now #one of his kids is missing and his baby could be running into the Shadow again after almost getting eviscerated #he's not having a great time right now #oh where oh where can Sky be #linkeduniverse #linked universe

62 notes · View notes

rileyslibrary · 11 months

Text

You’ve just moved in with Simon. Great.

There’s one slight problem, though: Due to the nature of his work, the guy interprets everything as an order. And executes accordingly.

———————————————————————

You sit on the kitchen’s table, enjoying breakfast together, when you notice the full trash bin.

“The trash needs to be taken out,” you casually mention, not giving it too much thought.

But, to your surprise, Simon shoots up from his chair like a coiled spring, leaving his half-eaten food behind. “Roger that,” he responds and jogs towards the trash bin, leaving you baffled.

“Simon?”

He stops and turns to look at you.

“Hm?”

“You don’t have to do it right now.”

“When do you want it done?” he asks, waiting for your next command.

“Wh-whenever you can,” you reply, uncertain how else to phrase it.

“I can do it now,” Simon declares and proceeds to the trash bin.

“Babe, we’re eating.” You say and point at the semi-eaten food on the kitchen table.

He looks at the food, then back at you. He shrugs.

“No,” you state, “Come sit down and finish your breakfast first.”

He nods as if Price just gave him the objectives for his next mission and jogs to the table to resume his breakfast.

He’s always like this. Last week, you found a cockroach running in the bathroom, and you screamed so loud that he almost kicked the door. When he asked you what you wanted him to do, your first instinct was a very loud and clear “KILL IT!” without thinking about your statement’s repercussions. He chased it around, murmuring stuff like “Target’s on the move” and other nonsense until he trapped the cockroach in a corner. He stepped on it once and twisted his foot. The cockroach was dead. Gone. Kaput. But he wanted to do it again, to “confirm the kill.” When you told him there was no need since the cockroach was already a pulp and left you all to a better place, he refused and ordered an “evac” of the bathroom to “do it properly.” And when you asked if “properly” meant an AK-47 and camo apparel, he thought about it long and hard before agreeing that further escalation would be unnecessary.

Be it his ingrained behaviour as a soldier to execute orders, deeply rooted within his system, or his fear not to let you down, he was finding it difficult to leave his work duties at the door. He always carried them inside—in the living room, the kitchen, and the bathroom. He acted like Ghost, not Simon. Everything was a matter of order to him, and there was no time for relaxation.

But it doesn’t have to be like this; you want him to know that. He doesn’t have to be so rigid at home. He can relax and take a step back from his institutionalised habits.

To prove your point, you decide to give him another instruction, this time more indirectly.

You glance at the sink; some pans are picking out from making breakfast this morning.

“Oh boy,” you moan, trying to pull off an act, “we have to clean the dishes at some point.”

He raises his head to look at the kitchen sink, then sides-eyes you.

“Any particular time you want that done?” He asks, ironically.

“I said ‘at some point’, Simon,” you snap, “there’s no urgency.”

“You also said we ‘have’ to do it,” he snaps back. “‘Have to’ has some sort of urgency in it, doesn’t it?”

You chuckle, impressed by his attention to detail. “You’re right, but it’s more of a general statement,” you reply. “We can do it whenever it’s convenient.”

Simon processes your words and nods.

You stare at him while he eats, and you feel a tug at your heart, urging you to address the underlying issue on your mind. You take a deep breath, searching for the right words to express your feelings without offending him. You reach out and touch his arm to grab his attention. He turns to face you.

“You’re so dedicated to what you do; it’s one of the things I love about you,” you begin, “but our home should be a place where we can both unwind and be ourselves without feeling like we’re constantly on a mission.”

He furrows his eyebrows. “What do you mean?” he asks.

You take a moment to collect your thoughts, wanting to explain them in a way that resonates with him.

“Well, when you jump to fulfil every request or task like it’s an order, it sometimes feels like we’re always on duty,” you explain gently. “I want us to create a more relaxed atmosphere here, where we can enjoy each other’s company and take things at a slower pace.”

He thinks about it for a while.

“Am I doing that?” He asks.

You slowly nod with a gentle smile.

“Affirmative,” he replies, “I’ll try to take it down a notch.”

“No ‘roger’, no ‘affirmative’, nothing like that is needed here,” you explain.

“Is ‘alright’ alright?” He asks.

“Yes,” you smile, “alright is alright.”

He finishes his breakfast and puts his dish in the sink.

“So,” he says, pointing one hand at the dirty dishes and the other at the bin. “Is there any particular order in which you want these two to be done?”

You smile. “No, babe; you take out the trash, and I’ll do the dishes.”

“Underst-alright, alright.” He corrects himself and walks to the garbage. He ties up the bag’s strings and picks up the bin. He spots you looking at him.

“Am I doing something wrong?” He hesitates.

“Why are you taking the entire bin with you?”

He keeps looking at you and places the bin on the floor.

“Just in case the bag’s ripped,” he explains, “I don’t want to spill garbage juice on the floor.”

“Oh.”

“Should I take the bag only?” He asks and begins to remove it from the bin.

“No… that’s pretty smart, actually.”

He raises his eyebrows and points a thumb at himself.

“Yes, Simon,” you nod and smile, “you’re pretty smart and considerate. I’ll carry out the same procedure while on trash bin duty.”

He puffs up his chest and picks up the bin with the bag in it.

“I’m dedicated, smart and considerate.” You hear him boast to himself as he walks towards the exit, ready to execute his mission.

———————————————————————

#simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley x gn!reader #simon ghost riley x y/n #simon ghost riley x you #simon ghost riley #simon riley x y/n #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #simon riley #call of duty #modern warfare 2 #cod mwii #cod ghost #ghost cod #simon ghost riley fanfiction #ghost mw2 #ghost cod mw2 #simon ghost riley fic

10K notes · View notes