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If there was one thing Ghirahim always loved about himself, it was how strong he was. Not just in body, but spirit as well. He could summon weapons to his hand with just a flick of his wrist. His skin was like iron which no weapon could pierce or even dent. He had the power to command the multiple demonic forces that roamed the earth, all of which obediently followed his words, no matter the cost. He could fight his enemies one handed, treating it as nothing more than a game, before dealing the killing blow so quickly and efficiently, his adversary had only a moment to realise what had happened before dropping dead. He was strong, he was powerful, he was undefeated! Not even the three dragons that existed could even dream of besting him in a fight. He knew without a doubt that a battle like that would be over before either party knew it. Perhaps, one day, he’d be able to prove himself even further, and take down the high and mighty Goddess Hylia once and for all.
Yet, despite all these impressive achievements Ghirahim had made over the years and could accomplish even now, he was sitting here, on his knees, puking into a bucket and despite his best efforts, shivering like a child that had gotten lost in the cold.
Moncéri whined in response to a particularly violent retch, curling her body around him in a tight embrace and pressing her heads against his back in hopes it would comfort him.
Finally with a moment to breathe and a stomach that had stopped churning violently, Ghirahim heard the familiar click of claws as Izanagi approached him, who Moncéri greeted with a delighted chirp.
“I made you a special glass of water.” She said, “to help soothe your stomach.”
Ghirahim grumbled a thank you and took the glass, making sure to hold it tightly so he didn’t drop it. Izanagi watched him for a moment before returning to what she’d been doing at her table in the centre of the room.
“I’m going to have to ask you to stay with me for a while, or until I know you won't be throwing up again any time soon.”
“I can look after myself.” Ghirahim hissed, trying to stand up only to go lightheaded. Immediately, Izanagi was by his side and Monceri pressed her body against his for support.
“Sit.” Izanagi commanded, placing a paw on his shoulder. “If you stand up too quickly after how violent that puking was, you could just make yourself feel worse.”
“So? It will pass.” Ghirahim snapped, only for a sudden twist in his stomach to say otherwise. He grabbed the bucket again but tried his damnedest to hold it together, determined to not make himself look even more pathetic in front of Izanagi. He heard her sigh softly to herself before picking up his glass and refilling it.
“Sir?”
He ignored her, hoping he could force his body to return to normal so he could go back to his room sooner.
“Ghirahim?” Her voice was softer and despite his best efforts, he had to give in after hearing how worried she truly was.
“...Yes?”
“Would you… if you wanted to of course, tell me why you’re here? Why you came to my quarters specifically?”
Ghirahim winced.
“I felt sick.”
“But...” Evidently, she was trying to be careful with her words so as not to pry too badly. “You’ve been sick before and you didn’t need me back then. Granted this is… something else and the worst I’ve seen with you. But why not request I visit you instead of coming here? Surely that wasn’t good for you.”
“Didn’t want anyone to see me.”
“Even the king?”
Ghirahim’s breath caught in his throat at the mention of his Master.
“Yes, even him.”
“Do you want to tell me what upset you?”
“No.” It came out faster and harsher than expected, so he quickly followed it up with, “Sorry. Just… not in the mood to talk.”
Izanagi went quiet, considering Ghirahim’s answers.
As he tried for a second time to stand up, her eyes suddenly lit up.
“What about Aldrich?”
Ghirahim tutted.
“Izanagi for god's sake, I can’t keep disappearing off to see my secret partner behind my Master’s back. I went to see them only last week.”
“But would you feel better talking to them? Or just, being near them?”
Ghirahim paused, considering her words.
He couldn’t deny the second he’d woken up from the turbulent and horrendous dream that had caused all this, his mind had immediately wandered to Aldrich. He’d wanted more than anything to have woken up next to them, to describe everything to them in hurried whispers as Aldrich pulled them close into a tight hug. Ghirahim would have closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, pressing his face against Aldrich’s chest and listening to their steady heartbeat that could connect Ghirahim back to reality with ease.
“Maybe.” He eventually said, which made Izanagi smile.
“Well? That’s my remedy for you then! To go see Aldrich. Even if it’s just for a night or a few hours.”
Ghirahim scoffed.
“A night would be pushing it.”
“But would it help?” Izanagi stepped forward, fixing her gaze on Ghirahim.
Ghirahim paused again, before sighing loudly.
“If you think it will help, then I suppose I won't argue.”
"Then off you go, before your body says otherwise." She handed him a small bag. "But take these tablets just in case you're sick on the way there."
"You worry too much."
"I worry because this is you we're taking about. You can be so reckless at times."
Ghirahim rolled his eyes, taking deep breaths to make sure the rest of him didn't start complaining again.
"If you say so."
He took the bag.
"Thank you."
Already Ghirahim was regretting his decision to arrive at Aldrich’s door, not just without a gift but also in the very early hours of the morning. He’d ordered Moncéri to stay behind, worried she would cause a ruckus and wake up Aldrich before Ghirahim was ready, but now he was regretting not bringing her along as well. Her frustration at being in the rain would have surely forced Ghirahim to knock instead of standing there dumbly for an extra few minutes.
He took another moment to psyche himself up, think up an excuse for appearing at such an awkward hour, and finally knocked lightly on the door. The sound that came from inside was hollow, making the home sound like it was abandoned and not actually inhabited by a single figure.
It didn’t take long for the lights inside to be turned on and for Ghirahim to hear the familiar sound of a bolt being pulled loose and a key being turned in the lock. The door swung open and Ghirahim was greeted by a disheveled and tired Aldrich. It seemed to take them a moment to register who the person that interrupted their beauty sleep was, but quickly Aldrich’s eyes widened at seeing Ghirahim before them.
“Becoming more adventurous, are you?” They asked, eyeing the very sorry looking Sword Spirit who had been caught in the sudden downpour. “I thought you only visited when the sun was setting, not the other way around.”
“I needed to talk to you.” Ghirahim blurted out before he could stop himself, which made Aldrich’s demeanor change completely. They pushed the door open more so they stood in the doorframe.
“Have you been hurt?” Their hand hovered slightly, as though Aldrich were waiting for an unspoken response from Ghirahim before they touched him.
“It- It’s complicated.”
“Do you want to come inside?”
Ghirahim nodded, and finally Aldrich stepped forward and put an arm around Ghirahim’s shoulders, not caring that their dressing gown was becoming wet and sodden as they let him into the warm and dry.
“Would you like something warm to drink? I’ll also be sure to grab you a towel and blanket.”
“Yes please.”
“Alright.” Ghirahim was led into the kitchen and told to sit down at the table. As he waited, Aldrich moved to the counter and flicked the kettle on, then disappeared into the other room to grab the extra items Ghirahim needed.
Ghirahim chose to sit in silence as the kettle came to a boil and Aldrich eventually returned, handing Ghirahim the towel first.
“Make sure you dry yourself properly. No one likes the smell of wet blanket.“ Aldrich said with subtle grin. They returned to making Ghirahim’s cup of tea and eventually handed it over to him. “Be careful, it’s hot.”
“You say that like I’m going to drink it without thinking.”
Aldrich looked thoughtful.
“I don’t know about that. I know you have your moments sometimes.” They winked at him before finally sitting down. “Now. Are you happy to talk about why you decided to make your way to my home?”
“It might take me a while to get my thoughts together.”
“And I have all the time in the world.”
“For me?” Ghirahim said in a joking manner, only for Aldrich’s expression to soften.
“Especially for you.”
Ghirahim bit the inside of his cheek and felt his face start to burn. He shifted in his seat under Aldrich’s gentle gaze as he tried to figure out what to say that he hadn’t already mentioned to Izanagi.
“Well...” Ghirahim said, but truthfully he didn’t know where to start, “I was worried if I told her the truth, Izanagi I mean, she’d call me a coward.”
“A coward?” Aldrich repeated, tilting their head and stroking their chin. They thought on Ghirahim’s comment for a while whilst he finished his cup of tea.
“There’s no rule to what can and can’t scare you, you know.” Aldrich finally said.
“What makes you say that?”
Aldrich shrugged.
“I’m someone who isn’t frightened of deep water, yet you are.”
“Yes, because I’d sink.”
“But did you choose to be afraid of the water? Or did it just happen? Maybe you haven’t even gone near water before the phobia set in, but something in your mind scares you about the possibility of drowning regardless.”
“…I guess you have a point there.”
“Hmm.” Aldrich crossed their arms. “So, with that in mind, why should Izanagi, or even I, call you a coward because of something you have no control over? Perhaps I can be a bastard sometimes but-” They smiled softly, “Not when it comes to something like that.”
Ghirahim met their gaze, then glanced down at their empty cup.
“But don’t feel like you have to tell me now.” Aldrich leaned back in their chair as they spoke. “I’d rather you let yourself calm down before-”
“It was a bad dream.”
Aldrich seemed to freeze, either surprised at a nightmare being the cause of all this or surprised all this secrecy was because of a nightmare. Slowly, Aldrich leaned forward.
“And… That alone was enough to make you sick?”
“And to want and come and see you.” Ghirahim tapped his nails against the cup, keeping his eyes fixated on it and listening to the soft tink! tink! he was making.
Aldrich exhaled loudly, then stood up suddenly. Ghirahim followed them as they left the room then quickly reappeared, this time with a small book in their hand. They sat down, put it on the table, then slowly slid it towards Ghirahim.
“For most of my adulthood, I’ve kept a hold of this book of mine.” They explained. “I use it to write down all the dreams I’ve ever had, be it good or bad, so that I can either remember them for a bad day or have them written down so I don’t think about them anymore. Unlike you, perhaps, I have frequent bad dreams, so to me it is second nature. But obviously, it’s not something you’re used to and so it affected you more than it would me.”
They paused for a moment, as though they were examining Ghirahim with a careful eye, before continuing.
“I won’t claim to know how you feel or have had the same experiences as you, nor will I insist I’ve ‘had it worse’ than you. But maybe reading this will at least allow you some comfort in the fact that you’re not alone when it comes to suffering from nightmares so awful, your body has no choice but to force you to be sick from how horrendous it was.”
Finally, Aldrich crossed their arms, eyes focused on Ghirahim.
“I don’t mind if you wish to read it. All I care about is that it helps you in some way.”
Slowly, Ghirahim reached for the book and opened it to a random page. As he read each entry, he flicked through the pages, taking in everything present in the book. Most dreams were standard: suddenly being able to fly, becoming very small, being in public with only one’s underwear. But he did spy a few scary ones: such as being chased down by an unseen monster, or even being eaten alive in the same dream.
Eventually, he landed on a certain page and felt his breath catch in his throat. Shockingly, it was practically a perfect copy of his own nightmare from earlier.
“Something wrong?” Aldrich asked.
Ghirahim clicked his tongue.
“Well, it was… Kind of like this one.” Ghirahim pointed at an entry from nearly a year ago. Aldrich looked down to see what it was and their expression darkened, evidently disturbed.
“I suppose we’re not too different after all.” They eventually said, looking up at Ghirahim so their eyes met.
“Do you get that dream often?”
“Sometimes, but I’ve learnt to drown it out through various remedies.”
“Like what?” Ghirahim asked, hoping he’d be able to work out what he would have to do the next time this happened.
Aldrich rolled their shoulders.
“I’d say you know the answer already.” They smiled softly at him. “You may have been stressed out, but you were still able to figure out a remedy. Even if you did have to walk through the wind and rain to find it.”
At that, Ghirahim returned the smile.
“I won’t lie: you certainly make me feel happier just knowing I can talk to you about-” he indicated to the book, “content like this.”
At that, Aldrich laughed. A deep, rumbling laugh more akin to a loud purring noise that always succeeded in making Ghirahim suddenly flustered because of how lovely it always sounded.
“I certainly have my uses, don’t I?” They said in a joking manner.
“Of course. I’m… glad I have you, Aldrich.”
“And I you.” They smiled. “You certainly make my days more enjoyable.”
Now Ghirahim laughed and confident he felt better, Aldrich glanced over at the clock on their wall. It was nearly 4 in the morning. Ghirahim followed their gaze.
“Oh shit.” Ghirahim stood up quickly, leaving his cup on the table, taking off his blanket and heading towards the front door. “I need to get back so I can try and catch up on my sleep.”
“Do you have to be up early?” Aldrich followed him.
“No, I have a break from work. But I need to sleep somewhere.”
Aldrich chuffed.
“Why not here? My bed is big enough for two.”
Despite now with his hand on the doorknob and ready to swing it open, Ghirahim paused then gave Aldrich a look.
“You’ve never asked me to stay before.”
“I’ve never had the chance to ask.” Aldrich tilted their head. “You can sleep on your own or next to me, I don’t mind.”
Ghirahim blinked.
“I haven’t even said yes yet!”
“Now’s your chance then.”
Ghirahim breathed in deeply, looked at the door then back to Aldrich. Eventually, he let go of the door and walked over to them. They held out their hands, prompting Ghirahim to take theirs in his. Aldrich hummed as they gently swung their hands to and fro.
“I hope you don’t snore, because I’m a light sleeper.” Ghirahim said, which made Aldrich make that wonderful purring laugh again.
“Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure you get the sleep you need.”
Even though Ghirahim could see the morning sun peaking in through the blinds, he chose to ignore it and turned his back to the window, pressing his body against Aldrich’s and listening to their gentle purring as they slept.
In the low light, he tilted his head up to look at Aldrich, watching as their chest slowly rose and fell, and how their eyelids gently flickered every now and then. If they were dreaming, he hoped it was a pleasant one.
Abruptly, something seemed to interrupt Aldrich’s sleep, making them turn over towards Ghirahim and wrap their arms around him in a tight, but not too tight, embrace. Ghirahim was shocked at first, but then closed his eyes, returned the hug and pressed his face against Aldrich’s chest, listening to their steady heartbeat. Slowly, he let his breathing fall in sync with Aldrich’s own as he felt a large smile start to appear on his face.
I could get used to this.