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“I just wanted to be important to someone.”
Link watched as Revali turned away, frantically wiping at his tears. They kept falling.
Link didn’t ask, but he sat down and listened to what the Rito had to say. It was just a frenzy of tears, which were out of character for Revali. That shell, that shell he protected so tentatively was breaking, and Link was happy for him. He finally found someone he could bare his heart to, he finally found someone who he could open up to.
Link had learnt of his insecurities when he first met the Rito from Zelda, but he hadn’t expected to ever hear about them first hand. It hurt him to see Revali cry like that, but it hurt him more to know that all he could do was sit there and nod and just wait. Wait for the crying to stop, wait for the day where he would make him truly happy.
“You know Link, why do you sit here with me?” Revali spoke quietly, not as arrogantly as usual, once he gathered himself “I’ve been nothing but terrible to you.”
Link thought on it, and couldn’t find the answer himself. Revali had been terrible to him, if he were to be honest, but he could see past those sharp eyes filled with so called ‘hatred’. He saw that all he really wanted was comradely and recognition and that is exactly what Link would give him.
Link simply told the other Champion that he didn’t know.
The two were sitting far off from their camp, up on a high cliff which no one else could scale as easily as the two of them, with their climbing and flying abilities. They often came here and just talked for hours, in what was a futile attempt to forget about Calamity Ganon and the rest of the world.
It was nice.
“Link?”
It was unsure, uncertain, but strong at the same time.
Link looked over towards Revali to see a determined face. That face was soon changed into something less predatory as he turned away and something more... sheepish?
“Uh, thanks. For listening to me.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to say and Link knew it, but nodded nonetheless.
“We should get going,” Revali stood up, stretching out his wings “will you be alright getting down on your own?” he spoke, looking back at Link. He almost looked hopeful.
Link nodded, and the slightly startled looking Revali muttered a quick goodbye and gracefully glided down to camp.
The two usually left like that, at different times, as to avoid any suspicion from Zelda's keen eye.
In the morning they would be back to mocking and teasing each other.
“Is that really the best you can do? Really?” Revali spoke, fully assessing the painting of Hyrule Castle which a passing traveller had created. Revali's piercing gaze was deep within this Traveller’s eyes and they must have been on the verge of tears, because Link didn’t lie when he said that Revali could be damn scary sometimes. But then there were other times, times when his feathers were all ruffled and he tripped over a ledge when he was launching away that Link couldn’t help but think that maybe Revali wasn’t just some arrogant, narcissistic and even terrifying Rito, but could actually be quite... well, cute.
When Link first told Revali this, through a mere slip of the tongue, the latter was completely flustered, and this embarrassment soon became rage, to which became mother to a long rant about how he was by no means cute. Later that night, Revali was caught picking flowers, to which Link called him cute and the Rito just smiled.
Link, to say the least, was confused when Revali showed up before him with two flower crowns the next morning, a dead serious look on his face. Link burst out into laughter, for the whole situation was a bit ridiculous, wasn’t it? Revali didn’t take kindly to this, and recoiled with a frown, clutching the flower crowns, so carefully, so artfully braided together with deft feathers, close to his chest.
“If you didn’t want them, you could just say, you kno-“ Link interrupted Revali by taking the flower crown and placing it on his head. Soon after he took the other from Revali and placed it on his head, leading to the other male to fiddle with it, face flushed, until it was perfect. Link told Revali that he loved the flower crowns, and when the Rito saw Link, so innocent, so happy, he truly believed him.
“Of course you do, I did make them.”
The next day, when another travelling artist was going past Hyrule Castle, and of course Revali would confront him, when Revali chose to mock his art, the Traveller smiled upon first glance of Revali, with his matching flower crown to one particular Hylian.
“Are you even listening? I said you can work on the tone rig-“
“Go on over there, flower boy, your lover is calling for you.” The easy-going spoke as he lifted his easel and went on his way, not before saluting at the two Champions who were both flushing a bright shade of red.
“WE ARE MOST CERTAINLY NOT LOVERS!” Revali squawked.
But in the back of his oh so fragile mind, he thought a quiet 'yet' and found himself flushing more deeply than he was before that.
Zelda giggled and pat the back of the Rito Champion, “Hey, I think you should go sit with Link,” she motioned towards the blushing Hylian,”I think he finished making lunch.”
At this, Revali’s face lit up, for he had found yet another thing to compete over.
“Hmph, I bet I could make a better dish with my eyes closed!”
Link smiled back, in a challenging manner.
He continued to smile.
“...You want me to actually do it.”
Link told him that it had to be with his eyes closed.
“Watch me.”
When Revali had made some dubious food, and the rest of the Champion’s refused to eat it, Link gladly tucked in to his share of the putrid dish, if only to bring a smile to the Rito's face.
“I told you I could cook better.” The Rito sat smugly as he was eating the food prepared by Link.
“But that doesn’t mean your cooking isn’t decent.”
Revali wanted Link to cook for him everyday.