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The morning sun's warmth was enough to stir Revali awake from his deep slumber. Oh, he'd been asleep for far longer than he'd noticed.
He wished he could bring himself to care.
Revali slowly inhaled, savouring the feeling of the cool, comfortable air in the room. It was chilly in such a delightful way - it reminded him of being back home in Hebra. Minus the open living spaces, Hateno Village bore a lot of strong resemblances to the peaceful mountains he’d called home for years. And now, he was at his second home - with the bundle in his arms.
Slowly, the Rito began to look downward, his eyes now fully open. He adjusted his shoulder slightly so he was more comfortable, pressing his cheek to the plush pillow below as he gazed at the sleeping boy wrapped in his wings. He let out a slow, silent exhale, wings adjusting ever so slightly so that Link's chest was closer to his than before.
Second home indeed.
The Hylian had been leaning against his boy the whole time - presumably all night - but now he was practically embracing Revali, though he was still dead asleep.
Revali blinked several times, adjusting himself to the light of the room and lifting his head slightly to gaze around, not particularly looking for anything. They were in Link's house, in his cozy loft. Natural light poured into the room from the several windows lining the walls ahead and to the left; light that had served to stir Revali awake, as he had grown used to.
Link’s house was...nice, to say the least. While his guest didn’t particularly have any architectural prowess, he would have been a fool to not have taken notice of all the lovely decorations. Rito didn’t have nearly this many knick knacks in their homes, which were substantially smaller. They tended to prioritize the essentials, while Hylians had houses so large and foreign that it seemed they could store basically anything in them.
Upstairs in the loft, where the two were now, Revali let his sleepy eyes roam around to observe the illuminated area. Link had a neat writing desk, his bed of course, a dresser, and numerous pictures on the wall. It was quaint, but far bigger and more enclosed than any house Revali was used to being in.
When finished taking in his surroundings, Revali looked back down, green eyes now clear of any leftover sleepiness. He was no longer tired, but rather extremely relaxed, and rather keen on keeping it that way for as long as he could. The Rito's navy wings pressed against the knight's back gently, moving up slowly and gently lifting his sleeveless undershirt with their movements. It was the only thing Link was wearing, but most of his body was obscured by the immaculately clean white sheets that draped over the two boys.
The bird silently moved his wings up and down Link's back in several long, soothing strokes. He felt his soft feathers brush over the Hylian's warm skin every time. Oh Goddess, it was so soothing. And Link, the sleepy fool, didn’t budge.
With a soft, caring smile, Revali gently pressed his beak against Link's head, arching his neck up a little in the process. He nuzzled into the boy's soft, dirty blonde hair, eyes focusing on the almost golden glow his hair had in the sunlight streaming through the window. Had it been the first time he’d noticed that…? He almost didn’t remember. It seemed like he noticed new things about Link every day.
Revali's beak nestled into a comfortable warm spot in his hair, just above his ear. His cheek brushed over the boy's temple as he re-situated himself, twisting his body until he got into an even more comfortable position.
Their chests were fully pressed together, and Link's arms loosely hung onto Revali as his nose pressed lightly into his champion’s feathered neck. They felt inseparable. Link was still fast asleep, but Revali could feel him shifting naturally towards the warmth.
Time seemed to pass, although Revali had entirely lost track of just how much. He had long since allowed himself to zone out, only focusing on the deep breaths of the knight in his arms. He was idly gazing at the wall and letting the sun warm his body, any thoughts he may have had only being about Link - how his hair felt, how warm he was, how he (very occasionally) made little noises in his sleep. But he eventually felt the urge to close his eyes, and let the waves of sleep wash over him again if they so chose to.
Just as he began to doze off, a little grunt made its way out of the bundle in his arms. Revali's green eyes opened again, and his head gently began to lift away from Link's. As he re-adjusted himself, Revali finally found himself looking directly at the boy’s face.
He stifled a laugh. The miniscule part of it that wasn't covered by hair was rather pleasant, aside from the giant drool stain that traced over most of his lips and ran down his cheek, against the bed. Revali wondered internally if this was the most amount of sleep Link had gotten in years.
As the boy stirred, Revali kept a close eye on his face. His strong wings fastened securely around Link, chest swelling slightly as he focused on his blue eyes beginning to open slightly. They opened about half way at first - clearly drowsy and irritated by the light in the room. They closed fairly quickly and Link sniffed.
With a growing smile, Revali pushed the two closer once more and gently touched his beak against Link's nose. He gave a gentle purr, words almost coming from him, but he entirely lost his train of thought and decided against saying anything.
The tired bundle seemed irritated by the touch, and scrunched his nose briefly before turning against the bed a bit more. A few moments of blissful silence followed. When he had just started to move into unconsciousness again, Link felt a cool sensation against his lips that he couldn’t place, followed by a low chuckle.
He opened his eyes halfway again to be greeted by Revali, who had pressed his beak up against his lips and proceeded to bump their foreheads against each other. Of course he did. It was clear that Revali was smiling, though Link couldn't be bothered to focus his vision enough to check.
The Hylian’s lips twitched and then turned away ever so slightly from his lover's beak. That earned him a distinctly irritated scoff. “Funny that,” Link thought.
He decided to ignore the badgering of his partner and instead take time to mentally note that the room was...warm? No - it was cool. The warmth of the sun against the bed - and his body - was warm. His hair was all over the place. It was tangled, probably. That was standard. He noticed his shirt was pulled up his back slightly, too, and...was that drool on his cheek? How embarrassing.
His mind was too active to have any hope of drifting off again now. He came to the realization on his own and let out a tired sigh, pouting internally. It wasn't long before he felt Revali's beak against his lips again, pressing close - and not to mention the fact that the Rito's wings had a secure hold on him, something he’d neglected to notice a few moments prior, somehow.
Link moved his legs slightly, grunting and stretching the left one over his lover's hip. He let it rest against him comfortably.
Revali chuckled tenderly, admittedly awestruck. He was being sure to keep his beak against Link's lips. From his point of view, the boy's gentle stirring was ever so soothing to watch, and he felt warm shivers rush over him whenever Link moved even slightly. Mesmerizing was the only word that came to mind. Every little change in his body language, and especially how he moved his leg over the bird's body softly, made the feeling of warmth and relaxation increase.
He could have stayed like this forever. But he could at least say something.
"Mm...morning, you." he finally decided to coo out to the boy, eyes half lidded and brow lifting slightly. He expected some sort of response, but got nothing other than the softest, most pathetic yawn he'd ever heard in his life. It was so cute, he almost melted. That adorable bastard.
His adoration quickly faded when Link didn’t indicate he’d even heard Revali’s greeting, not even his eyelids twitched.
"Are you ignoring me, dearest?" he inquired softly, trying not to let a scoff escape.
Link's bright blue eyes opened as soon as Revali scoffed, immediately meeting with his. He looked amusingly confrontational. Though they both knew he wouldn't say anything, Revali half expected to get hit with a pillow. That was hardly fair, seeing how Link had woken up on his own.
Instead, he got a regular shove - though it was more of a nuzzle, truthfully. Link dipped his head for a moment and used his nose to get Revali's beak away from his mouth, and then turned away his head (though keeping his eyes open this time) as if he were intent on ignoring him.
On the verge of getting offended by this, Revali chose instead to ignore his knight's early-morning apathy and instead press more. He had to be persistent.
He pushed back against Link’s little shoves, holding him tighter and chuckling wordlessly. Of course, it ended up working in his favour.
It wasn't long before the two champions were grabbing softly at each other's backs, feeling whatever they could of each other. The motions were almost desperate, but they were slow and caring above all else. The boys were shifting around in bed to somehow make themselves closer than they already were, although that was pretty much impossible. They never broke eye contact.
It was times like these where Link dearly wished that his partner had lips he could press his own against. Oh, there was definitely no going back to sleep now. Link didn’t ever want to take his eyes off his pretty bird.
The Hylian ran his fingers all through the Rito's unbraided hair and feathers as gently as possible. Warm breaths and soft nuzzles were exchanged between the two, feeling each other with graceful hands and slow caresses everywhere they could reach. Revali's loving coos sent shivers down both of their spines.
Link was normally quite blank, but right now he looked focused and passionate, in his own way. He only had his brows lowered slightly, but even just that minor detail of his face spoke a thousand words to Revali. Beautiful boy.
He was so in love.
Both of the knight’s legs had wrapped firmly around Revali's torso at this point. He held him securely, keeping him in his sight and grip just as Revali did for him.
“Mm...” the Rito champion breathed, melting against the bed. Twice, now, he thought he had something to say, when the words just entirely escaped him. It was no surprise as to why, but it was a little frustrating. Was he feeling shy? The Great Rito Champion, FLUSTERED over some...some pretty boy? No.
He had to convince himself that nearly every day.
For Link, "good morning"s weren't needed. Showing love and gratitude in his own special way was impactful than words could ever be. He knew that Revali understood him intimately, perhaps far better than everyone. All he had to do was tilt his head or lower a brow, and his lover instantly knew what he was thinking. It’d taken so long to get this right, but it was so worth it. Every moment spent with him was worth it.
Revali's chest feathers lifted slowly as he took in a deep breath, natural blush on his cheeks - though it was really just the colouring of his feathers - seeming somehow even more prevalent.
The frosted white tips of his head feathers and his wings were the softest parts of him (aside from his cheeks) that Link knew, so the boy had made swift work of stroking his head and wings gently; alternating between them as best he could. Reaching his wings was a bit awkward in his present position, but he was far too melty to care.
"I just-" Revali mumbled after a few moments of loving silence, never once breaking eye contact with his knight,"...want to be with you. All day."
He saw Link visibly twitch. That was enough for him.
The Rito gently tilted his head, parting his beak slightly and leaning over Link. He barely allowed his beak to graze over his champion’s skin before he hovered over his ear. Link didn’t register that Revali was hesitating, because all he felt was the warm breaths against his sensitive ear - and that was enough to make him shuddery.
Revali kept himself in the same position for a long moment, a bit uncertain about what he should say. He knew that he longed to say...something. He could tell Link about how he was the light of his life, or that he helped keep him safe and strong without even knowing it. He could tell him all the...utter sappiness he couldn’t bring himself to say. Something along the lines of how Link was his hero. Because he was. He might not know it, but he was.
He felt how relaxed the boy was in his arms, and decided to let his eyes close.
“my beloved…”
Link froze a little, ear twitching at how Revali’s mouth sounded each syllable. He took quite a long time to process his words, and wound up a little surprised he’d even caught them to begin with. His Rito was so soft spoken and gentle when he wanted to be. It was rare that Link ever got to experience his caring nature, though it seemed to come so natural to him.
Revali’s...beloved.
Link’s strong arms wrapped around his partner's torso and pressed their chests together. He nestled his face into the place between Revali's neck and shoulder, kissing over his feathers there gently and allowing his blue eyes to flutter closed as he dragged his calloused hands up the bird’s long, smooth back.
The taller boy practically melted at the sensation, batting his eyelashes in a sort of flattered way as he settled back down against the bed again. He focused on Link's long fingers tracing perfectly up his spine, and the way they took special time to touch at his unbraided hair before starting to card through it softly.
It induced so many shivers that he was rendered speechless for a while.
Link kept stroking Revali's hair as softly as he could for several minutes - it was just as soothing for him to do as it was for his partner to receive. His warm face had been pressing closer and closer to Revali's neck as the moments passed by; his lips connecting with his small, soft feathers in the most caring way they possibly could.
When Revali felt the motivation and urge to talk, he opened his mouth slowly and gently turned his head against Link’s, placing it tenderly on top of the other boy’s and chuckling warmly.
“Good morning, by the way.”
He felt Link grin against his neck. Instant butterflies. He laughed softly - almost sheepishly - and straightened his back a little. Stupid boy would never let him see that smile, but he knew it was there...and that was enough to make his entire damn day.
Hours went by.
...And yet it seemed like it was only a few minutes.
Link and Revali held each other close for nearly half the day, the Rito gently talking to his boy occasionally and the Hylian listening calmly, yet with all his heart. Nothing very important or compelling was spoken about, yet the lazy one sided conversation was more than enough to be both entertaining and relaxing. The two of them never stopped cuddling, only breaking apart momentarily once to switch up positions.
The cool Hateno house never affected them too much; it was the first time either of them really realized the wonders of their partner’s body heat and just how good it was at keeping the other warm. Of course, the natural downy feathers of the Rito as a whole were ungodly cozy, but Revali in particular just felt like a large pillow - and Revali noted the same thing about Link. Though he didn’t have feathers, he might as well have been declared the most cozy person in all of Hyrule.
Link, at one point, decided he wanted Revali to be on his back so that he could rest his head on his chest; which was a more than welcome change. Though the bird initially guessed it was because he was getting uncomfortable on his side, he quickly discovered that Link was in a particularly affectionate mood.
“Idiot,” Revali teased as he watched the eager boy cover his chest in little kisses and appreciative nuzzles. He was more than eager to provide as much affection as possible, and it certainly didn’t go without getting plenty in return.
“You’re so stupid…”
Link tilted his head up, thick eyebrows lifting slightly; teasingly. “Tell me more?” was written all over his face.
“...and adorable,” the Rito admitted begrudgingly, through an undeniable smile. Though Link didn’t smile back with his lips, Revali could tell by the way he ducked his head and hid his face that it was a real struggle to keep it at bay. And that was entirely fine with him.
Revali was more than eager to give Link all the affection he could in the form of soft lovebites and warm whispers.
He could have stayed like that for absolutely forever.
Eventually, later in the afternoon, the two finally started to drag their bodies out of that perfect bed. Link held close onto Revali's wing as they got up, and was never questioned about it in the slightest. After a few minutes of sitting up - and nuzzling each other, as they were unable to really stop - Revali started to pull himself (and the clingy boy on his arm) out of bed.
Neither of the two got to fully stretch out their bodies once on the cold wood floor, because Link apparently had other plans. He made Revali face him, much to the taller boy’s surprise, grasping his hips softly and pulling him close.
“What’s this about?” he was immediately questioned, partner noticing the serious look on his face and feeling more than a little confused.
Link stared. He thought he'd gotten used to his partner being so much taller than him when standing, but still sometimes found himself feeling small. Irritating as it may be, Link resisted the urge to stand on his toes.
Perhaps it was the intimacy of their afternoon prior to this moment, but Link's eyes showed a distinct softness in conjunction with their seriousness. Revali, though still miffed, felt his chest swell with love. Anything that boy did made him flustered beyond words.
They stood in the quietude of Link's home, the chirping of Hateno birds outside being the only sound in the world to them.
Though now standing, and naked, and disheveled beyond belief, the Hylian parted his lips, keeping his eyes locked with Revali's.
"J...just..." he breathed under his breath, raspy voice making Revali shiver.
It took a moment for the Rito to process that Link apparently had something so important to say, he decided to say it outwardly. It had been a long while now since he heard that voice, but every single instance was like hearing it for the very first time.
He was so in love.
Revali wrapped his wings around Link’s waist, smiling tenderly and standing next to him. He gazed down at his boy, admiring the sparkle in his eye, and let himself address Link in a subdued whisper.
"Just...?"
Link lifted his hand, placing it gently on Revali’s warm cheek. Now he was the one staring.
He didn’t think he ever saw a man so beautiful.
He took a breath, tracing a finger over Revali’s soft cheek, and sighed out the words:
"Stay with me forever."