Chapter Text
From the day they began their relationship Yuuri quickly got used to sleeping in Viktor's company, and Viktor was more than happy to cuddle up to his soulmate to share body heat during the cold nights of Hyrule.
However, when they slept in the open, they had to be constantly on guard, taking turns to guard their camp and avoid being attacked by monsters, living skeletons or thieves.
Yuuri used to take the first shift, since, ironically, he was like a nocturnal creature who functioned best in the dark while Viktor, who was supposed to be the ninja trained to work better in the shadows, he quickly fell asleep early on like a bird, so the dark-haired man kept his brown eyes wide open and his bow in hand until a couple of hours after midnight. Sometimes Vicchan stayed up with him.
When it was Viktor's turn, he would sit with his back against a large rock or tree, with a sleeping Yuuri's head on his thighs, and Vicchan snuggled between them. The sheikah would close his eyes to sharpen his ears and listen if something was approaching, which also helped him to save energy.
And the few times the couple managed to find an inn they could comfortably sleep in the same bed, they wouldn't be able to have any kind of intimacy beyond little kisses or innocent caresses due to the other guests.
So it was a pleasant surprise when, on a calm rainy night, they entered an inn with no guests.
When the innkeeper went to his own room, and after placing Vicchan on another bed, the couple were able to make the most of their solitude to, for the first time, explore their bodies and touch each other until dawn.
Yuuri's confidence increased quite a bit and Viktor became twice as loving and clingy.
Although there were times when their nights weren't so pleasant...
"Viktor, wake up."
The sheikah's eyes snapped open and he tried to get to his feet, expecting to find some intruder in their camp, however, instead he was met by the worried face of his traveling companion. The light of a totally white moon illuminated them.
"Yuuri? What's wrong?" He quickly looked around, noticing that the poodle was also looking at him without wagging his tail, but soon his blue eyes were back on the human.
"Umm…Viktor. You…were shaking…I think…you had a nightmare. I didn't know what to do. I just thought to wake you up. I'm sorry." He said slowly and timidly, trying to decipher the silver-haired man's expressions of confusion and then embarrassment. "Do you want to talk about it?" Yuuri offered but quickly wave his hands. "If you don't want to I'll understand."
"I…" Viktor thought for a moment, sitting up on the fabric they used as a bed. The dark-haired man was still kneel beside him, patiently waiting for his response. "Yuuri. You know what a sheikah does, right?"
"Uh… just what the rumors say…"
"I haven't killed people, if you were afraid to hear otherwise." He clarified, still not looking at him, however, he didn't seem offended as he took his boyfriend's hand for support. Yuuri then sat down next to him. "But I've seen a lot of people die, civilians and comrades, Sheikahs and other races alike; people I couldn't save and I know I shouldn't blame myself for it, but... It's strange. I know I have nightmares about it sometimes, though I never I remember them when I open my eyes, so I don't know how to feel about it… By the way, I wasn't trying to hide my nightmares, I just forgot I had them. I'm sorry if I scared you, Yuuri."
"Viktor." Yuuri muttered, feeling his chest ache at how vulnerable and hopeless the silver-haired man seemed. "No, you don't have to apologize. I understand. Sometimes... I dream of my family... No, rather, I remember in nightmares how they died. The fire, the screams, the blood, the thought that if I could have done something to help even though I know there was nothing to do. And when I wake up... I try not to feel anything. Obviously I miss my family. But... I'm tired of feeling guilty."
Silence settled over them for a moment before the sheikah spoke again.
"Yuuri. Do you think it's bad that… we don't want to feel anything again, that we try to move forward and not look back anymore?" He inquired quietly, casting his watery, tired gaze on the human.
"I don't know." Yuuri responded kindly, letting go of his hand to reach his back and stroke strands of long silver hair. "I just know that I'm glad having you by my side, Viktor. I'd hate to feel alone again."
"Same here, Yuuri." The sheikah showed a small smile, feeling lighter. He still felt a weight on his shoulders that surely would never go away, but at least he knew that he would no longer carry it alone.
That night they snuggled together even though neither of them closed their eyes again until the following night.
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"We must climb the mountain."
"Climb... the... mountain?" Yuuri repeated, looking at the silver-haired man with an expression that was difficult to decipher but definitely denoted disbelief and annoyance. "Viktor, are you crazy!? Can't you see the size of that thing?!" He exclaimed with rough gestures, pointing to said mountain.
"Yup, and it's huge." He replied still smiling, unaffected by the fact that Yuuri was now frowning.
"Exactly! How do you think I'm going to climb that high?! I can barely walk for an hour without feeling like I'm going to pass out from exhaustion! I'll definitely pass out from exhaustion if we go up the mountain! I will fall and break my neck! Will you take care of Vicchan when I break my neck?! And how are we supposed to get Vicchan up?! I hope you don't suggest 'storing' him in your sack!"
Despite having seen many people summon electricity, water, or fire, Yuuri was surprised to learn that the Sheikah tribe knew how to use magic to 'store' objects of any size in pockets or bottomless pouch, which explained how Viktor hid his weapons and provisions, and to which, thanks to that, the human was able to save himself from back pain since his backpack now floated in some other dimension, or more precisely, in the cloth bag that the silver-haired man had tied around his waist.
"Of course I wouldn't suggest something so heartless, Yuuri." Viktor laughed. He adored the quiet and shy nature of his soulmate, but he also liked seeing his explosive reactions. Yuuri looked especially sexy when he was expressing his honest opinions that weren't filtered by his excessive politeness. "I have a plan to safely climb up the mountain so we can get to Akkala region faster. But if you prefer that we go on foot and take us weeks to get there, I won't object to that." He took the human's hands gently and that seemed to calm him down. "What really matters to me is that you feel safe by my side, Yuuri. I would never do anything to make you feel vulnerable just to use a shortcut."
"...Oh, that's the reason." He replied quietly, and it didn't take long for his eyes to widen open as he realized something. "Oh! I-I'm so sorry, Viktor! I-I shouldn't have yelled at you. I should have listened to your explanation first and…"
"Don't worry, Yuuri." Viktor said nonchalantly to let him know that he wasn't upset. "It's my fault, too. I should have asked your opinion first instead of assuming you'd go along with my idea without question. Because from what I gather from your immediate terrified reaction, you're not that keen on heights, are you?"
Vicchan, who had been ignoring them for playing with some frogs, watched them for a moment after feeling the tension in the air.
"Yeah... I'm afraid of heights." Yuuri admitted sheepishly, lowering his brown gaze to the ground, like a scolded puppy, or at least that's how adorable the sheikah saw it. "Still, I shouldn't have panicked and gotten mad at you, especially since you were just trying to give us an alternate route... I'm really sorry."
"Okay, Yuuri. You are forgiven if you forgive my recklessness as well." Viktor raised their intertwined hands and gently kissed one of the human's, who finally smiled with relief.
"Okay." Yuuri then kissed one of Viktor's hands and the sheikah laughed, a little flushed. "And what is your plan? Perhaps we could carry it out with the necessary preparations."
"Umm…" Viktor put a finger to his chin and took a moment to reply. "Now thinking about it, I formed the plan forgetting the fact that you are a Human with a fragile body and that the sudden change in height could pop your ears, or in the worst case, damage your brain due to the lack of air at the peak. So the best thing would be to wait until we find a smaller mountain and then I'll tell you my plan." He finished saying showing his heart-shaped smile, as if he hadn't just put a horrible mental image in his boyfriend's head.
Yuuri sighed and suddenly didn't feel so bad about doubting the sheikah. However, he didn't blame Viktor either, because being both of them from different races, it made sense that they didn't know or forget their limits, advantages or weaknesses.
It was moments like these that made the Human wishes he had been born as a Rito so he could fly through the sky without worries. Although… surely Viktor wouldn't have liked his soulmate to have a beak and feathers.
"Yeah, let's not do that…" Yuuri, determined to change the subject, took his boyfriend's hand once more and made him continue walking along the previously agreed route. "Could you repeat what you heard about Tarrey town? Do you really think we'll be welcome there?"
Tarrey Town. The reason why they decided to venture into the dangerous region of Akkala, where there was nothing but desolation and possibly active Guardians. It was a certain death for a civilian like Yuuri but an ordinary day for a ninja like Viktor.
The poodle stopped playing with the frogs and followed the couple while hopping around.
"Yes. Rumors say so. Tarrey Town is a new town, so they are eager to have young people like us who are willing to help to build it and populate it. I heard they even accept Gerudos."
"Uh? 'Even'? Why do you say it like that? Is there something wrong with gerudos?" He inquired curiously, slowing down his steps to pay attention.
Viktor gave him a strange look for a second until he remembered that Hyruleans usually ignored or had forgotten some of Hyrule's history due to, well, the the Great Cataclysm and its millions of dead civilians. So he decided to reply diplomatically.
"The Gerudo are a race of female warriors to be feared, and there was a time when they were known as thieves and allies of the Calamity King, since only one male Gerudo is born every hundred years, to whom they turned king, and he was their king. So, still now Hyruleans are on guard around them, despite the fact that the last Gerudo matriarch was a personal friend of the last Queen of Hyrule. Not to mention that Gerudos once had round ears because they used to have children with Humans."
"Uh…, and what does their ears have to do with people still mistrusting them?" For some reason, hearing that hurt a little.
The sheikah man stopped walking and his blue eyes watched him carefully. Yuuri immediately stopped and turned to look at him in confusion.
"Viktor?"
"Yuuri… You…" The silver-haired man looked around, as if he was trying to avoid the subject. It was the first time Yuuri had seen him hesitate like that and it worried him. Viktor sighed. "You don't know why people look at your ears, do you?"
"Eh?" That startled him a bit. "Isn't it because we Humans are a rare sight?"
"… Yes, kind of. But…" He was suddenly silent. The dark-haired man only blinked, since he didn't understand the seriousness of the matter.
"Viktor, just say it." He said, not trying to scolding him but trying to rush him. Viktor evasiveness only made him more nervous.
"... Rumors say that the Calamity King has... or had, round ears."
The human opened his eyelids wide. Suddenly many things began to make sense.
"Oh…." Yuuri looked at the ground, remembering the times that he had seen faces of fear or disgust towards him but thinking that it was only hia imagination, because he never had any altercation because of his ears, only eyes on him that made him feel uncomfortable. "Well... That explains it, I suppose…" He had meant to keep walking but Viktor squeezed his hand to recapture his attention.
"I'm sorry, I thought you knew…" Viktor said quietly, as if he was afraid that he had offended his soulmate. However, Yuuri blinked and tilted his head.
"Viktor, you don't have to apologize for answering my question." He smiled slightly, which made the sheikah man feel relieved at his honesty. "I am a Human, yes, but what the Calamity King has done is not my fault or the Gerudo's. Also, thanks to you now I know why everyone is looking at me, that it is not something personal against me. It makes me feel less paranoid, actually." He sigh but continued. "Also…, you said you like my ears, right?" He added sheepishly.
"Yes, that's true!" Exclaimed Viktor with a big smile, bringing his mouth closer to Yuuri's neck. "They're adorable, just like you." And he kissed his right ear on the blue scarf. Yuuri was startled but ended up laughing.
"Good. After so many emotions I'm starting to get hungry. How about we eat fish and mushroom skewer today?" Yuuri suggested and the silver-haired man nodded vehemently.
Fish was one of Viktor's favorite foods. Yuuri knew this, just as he also knew that the sheikah man was too impatient to fish for himself and that using magic was also not an option because he didn't wanted to harm other animals in the process.
But the human, despite not being a big fan of fishing either, was willing to throw the bait into the water and get bored for a while in order to pamper Viktor, who often sat next to him and rested his head on his shoulder, with Vicchan in his arms. Sometimes they conversed in low voices and other times Viktor fell sound asleep. Yuuri let him sleep until lunchtime.
Because, although Viktor presented himself as a proud and stoic sheikah, Yuuri had learned that he tended to worry a lot about the safety of the three of them. The silver-haired man was always alert, tense and ready to attack, consequently becoming exhausted by nightfall. Yuuri was especially worried when Viktor was too hard on himself, as many times Yuuri had to convince him to share responsibility with him and also take turns on hunting, cooking, doing laundry... Viktor was used to doing everything alone because his duty as sheikah was to serve.
And serving his soulmate was the greatest privilege for him.
"I'm not your master, I'm your boyfriend." Yuuri gently reminded him from time to time. "I also want to feel useful to you, you know?" That usually worked and Viktor then put aside his pride and agree to share their duties.
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To get to Akkala without putting themselves in too much danger, the couple decided to detour to Zoras' Domain, as Viktor knew someone there who might know a shortcut.
Yuuri had to resign himself to spending much of the trip in his wet clothes due to the lakes and ponds in that region, added to the monsters that wet them every time they made a surprise attack from the water... or Vicchan, who liked to play in the puddles, get wet and shake off the water and then get wet again.
Luckily for the human, the sheikah knew wind and fire spells and he could dry their clothes and boots quickly.
And after almost a whole day of dragging their feet through the mud, they came to a lake formed by several waterfalls. Viktor then dropped to one knee on the grass and held out an open palm to the water before tapping the surface several times, as if he were knocking on a door.
"Hello, my friend." The head of a yellow-skinned Zora emerged from the water. Yuuri gasped before covering his mouth. "I haven't seen you in months. But I see you haven't wasted your time." He added laying his honey colored eyes on the human and the poodle curiously. Vicchan stood at the edge of the lake and looked at the fish-man, wagging his tail a lot.
"Hello, my friend." Viktor got up from the ground and took Yuuri by the hand to pull him closer. "This is… my soulmate." He finished saying with some shyness.
"Oh, I see." The zora smiled, displaying his row of shark teeth in a friendly way. "In that case, I'm glad my advice worked for you, my friend."
Yuuri turned to Viktor for an explanation.
"Yuuri, remember when I told you about my friend Chris? Well, this is Chris, and he was the one who convinced me to go to Lovers' Pond." He said as his cheeks turned increasingly pink, which Yuuri thought was cute. "And Chris, this is Yuuri. He and I met because you encouraged me to go to Lovers' Pond when I had already given up on the idea. I will be eternally grateful with you for that."
"Oh, you're welcome, Viktor. You can thank me by letting me be best man." He joked with a thumbs up. The human laughed.
"You can count on it. I'm very grateful to you too, Chris." Yuuri said with a bow. "I went to that pond as a tourist but ended up meeting my soulmate. Asking you to be our best man would be the least I can do for you."
"Yuuri…" Viktor put his free hand to his chest, because his boyfriend didn't deny the possibility of a wedding, in fact, thanks to his sheikah senses, he was able to tell that the human had totally confirmed it and not just for following the joke .
"Oh, wow. You're really adorable." Said the zora with an expression of astonishment due to the sincerity of the human, which soon turned into a lewd smile. "You know, I already have a soul mate, but I wouldn't mind having a little fun with you if you're this sweet all the time." He lifted his torso out of the water and put an index finger to Yuuri's chin, who froze in surprise. The zora was taller than he had expected.
"Chris." Viktor immediately stepped between them with a forced smile. "Do you know if there is a safe route to Akkala? My Yuuri and I are headed to a new town to settle there."
"Oh? Are you leaving so soon?" Chris pretended to be sad, though he was actually amused by the sheikah's jealousy. Viktor was rarely this expressive. "I could be your guide and show you around Zora City."
"Maybe another time. We really need to get to Arkadia as soon as possible." Viktor insisted as he circled his boyfriend's hips so possessively that even a naive Yuuri noticed.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Yuuri, completely blushing, didn't contradict the silver-haired man even though it wasn't entirely true. But Zora City would surely be full of water and he… already missed being dry. "We'll come back another time, then we can see the city without rushing it. But thank you for the offer."
"I understand. I'll have to offer myself to you some other time" Chris snorted, though he smiled before diving in again. "You can get to Akkala from Upland Zorana and go downhill from there. That river leads there." He pointed out toward one of the waterfalls. "Come on. I'll take you there."
The zora turned his back on them and motioned for them to climb onto his back. Viktor produced a small bag from his magic pouch which he stuffed Vicchan into to secure him against his chest while Yuuri struggled not to let his sigh of annoyance show. He didn't want to get wet again...
At least he could see the elegant Zoras' buildings from the river.
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About twenty minutes later, reaching the highest point of the plateau, they thanked Chris for his help and waved good-bye as the zora blew kisses at them before dropping down the waterfall.
"Your friend Chris is very... friendly." Yuuri commented with a chuckle as the sheikah man took out a pile of firewood from his magic pouch before cast fire.
Vicchan shook off the water, then lay down by the fire.
"Yes, too much." He sigh. "I hope he didn't make you uncomfortable. I thought Chris would behave like a decent Zora in your presence to make a good impression, but I see he never changes." Then he started to take off his boots.
"No, it's okay, it was fun seeing you jealous."
"Yuuuri." He complained with a pout, though he shook his head before laughing. "I wasn't jealous, I just don't like others touching what's mine."
"I'm pretty sure that counts as jealousy, Viktor." He contradicted with a raised eyebrow but the sheikah man pretended to ignore him. "You know I'm only yours, right?" He stated, and it wasn't exactly flirty, but it made Viktor feel better all the same.
"You're right, Yuuri. I'll try to behave next time… By the way, I think we should rest here. It's almost nightfall and we just have to get down the plateau. Tomorrow we can reach Tarrey Town before noon." He pointed his finger into the distance.
"Oh. Is that Tarrey Town?" Yuuri asked as he followed Viktor's index finger and stop to look at a small town on a high island in the center of a lake. A long natural bridge was what connected the people of the town with the rest of the world.
"Yes, I think so. It's what the map indicates." Viktor finished undressing completely, handing the magic pouch to Yuuri before summoning wind to dry his long silver hair with a mini whirlwind. At this point the human had already gotten used to seeing his boyfriend naked, so he began to undress himself.
"Um…Viktor. I don't see any way to go down…" Yuuri walked over to the fire to warm up. He then took his backpack out of the magic pouch and opened it to look for dry clothes and boots for both of them.
"Oh, don't worry. We'll use a paraglider." He said lightly, receiving clean clothes from his boyfriend. Yuuri shivered.
"Paraglider? Do you… do you mean we'll fly to go down?" He inquired after finding a green tunic and brown pants for himself. He didn't need a scarf to cover his ears if he was alone with Viktor.
"We'll actually glide through the air all the way to the ground." He corrected, dressing himself in a blue tunic and white pants.
"Victor!" He frowned, trying to keep his promise not to get angry again without knowing the whole plan.
"Yuuri." Victor snorted. After finishing dressing, he cupped his boyfriend's cheeks and urged him to look at him. "I know you're afraid of heights, but I assure you there won't be any danger. We're not that far off the ground. I can swear to you that I'll keep the paraglider stable using my wind magic, so there's no way we'll fall unless I drop myself on purpose. The worst thing that could happen to us is a broken bone. Besides, this really is the safest route, because on the other side there is a Guardian graveyard and some of them could still be active, remember?"
"...It-it's true. You're right." He sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. "...Uhm, Viktor, what was your plan to climb up that mountain?" Yuuri inquired curiously. It had been weeks since that incident, but until then he remembered to ask.
"Ah, same thing but in reverse. I was going to use the paraglider and summon wind to make it go up. But like I said, the height and speed would have hurt you. And I wouldn't have forgiven myself for hurting you, Yuuri." He lovingly crooned his boyfriend name and the human felt his heart jump.
"I-I see. Thanks, Viktor…And, uh. It looks like it's going to be chilly tonight. How about you set up the camp while I make some pumpkin stew for dinner?"
"Uh? I thought it was my turn to cook dinner today." Viktor looked at him in confusion. "Though I'm not going to say no to pumpkin stew. I love that dish."
"I know." He said, his brown eyes looking affectionately at the blue ones. Viktor felt his cheeks burn. "It's just that right now I'm in the mood to cook for you, if I may."
"Oh. That's very nice of you, Yuuri." The sheikah man smiled and brought their lips together for a long moment until he placed a hand against the back of his neck. "Ah, but let me dry your hair first, I don't want you to catch a cold."
That night they didn't take turns protecting the camp, as there were no monsters around, just birds and butterflies, so they could calmly watch the scenery, talk about what they would do when they got to the town, and later enjoy some privacy (after making sure Vicchan was asleep).
The next morning, the couple and the poodle watched the sunrise as they packed their things and made sure everything was in order.
Yuuri looked from time to time at the paraglider with apprehension until the silver-haired man turned to look at him with concern.
"Yuuri, it's fine if you don't want to do it. We can climb down."
"No." He shook his head and looked at the horizon. "That would take longer and stress Vicchan. Besides… I trust you." He smiled, trying to cheer himself up, an attitude that was reinforced by the kiss his boyfriend planted on his forehead.
So they lowered the uplands by air, as planned. Yuuri bound Vicchan against himself with a cloth, making sure he didn't stick his head out, and also used a belt as a sort of harness to secure himself to Viktor.
And while Yuuri used both hands to grab hold of the wooden handles of the paraglider, Viktor only held on with one, wrapping his other arm around his boyfriend's hips for extra security.
They glided slowly, taking longer than necessary, thanks to Viktor's wind magic, and with a shaky Yuuri who feared letting go by mistake, but having his boyfriend nearby gave him the extra courage not to close his eyes and at least try to enjoy the new experience.
Reaching the safe ground of the Akkala region, Yuuri untied the cloth and released the puppy, but not before feeling relieved and cupping Viktor's cheeks for an enthusiastic kiss.
"Why the kiss? Not that I'm complaining." He store the paraglider and other accessories while looking at the human with curiously.
"For keeping your promise and not to kill us by mistake." Yuuri had said it rather in jest, and though the sheikah could sense it, that didn't stop him from answer it with seriousness.
"Of course, Yuuri. You and Vicchan are the most important thing to me. And I'll do whatever it takes to take care of you two."
"And you're the most important thing to us, so let me take care of you too, okay? You used a lot of magic to stabilize the paraglider and you look tired. Let me take care of the monsters until we get to Tarrey Town."
"Uh? What mons-…?" Before he could finish the question, Yuuri drew his bow from the pouch and aimed three lethal arrows at three bokoblins who were running towards them with their maces raised. "Oh, those…"
The sheikah man had been so exhausted after using his magic for several minutes, while at the same time making sure his boyfriend didn't have a panic attack, that he had completely lowered his guard...
However, he always knew that he could trust Yuuri to have his back.
"I love you." He blurted out, his blue eyes sparkling with adoration. Perhaps his soulmate was a fragile and lovely Human, but he was also a strong and determined person that he could admire and felt an equal by his despite their differences.
Yuuri's face lit up completely and it didn't take him even a second to reply with the same words and a big smile.