Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wild was questioning his decisions for once. Just for once.

They were currently fighting some monsters, nothing out of the ordinary. There were about seven bokoblins and a few moblins. Luckily, it wasn't the largest group they have encountered but some of the monsters were infected, so they did have to be careful.

Everyone seemed to be faring well so far. Four and Warriors were fighting gracefully with some bokoblins while Time and Hyrule made sure that two of the moblins wouldn't attack them. Sky and Legend were back to back, fighting the rest of the bokoblins with Twilight taking care of another moblin alongside Wind. That left Wild perched on top of a tree, using his bow to kill whatever he could.

Or that was the plan, anyway.

Now was the moment when Wild was questioning his choice of using a bow. Because he would swear there weren't as many monsters as he was seeing at the moment. The fact that there were two Times fighting two moblins also helped.

He sighed, shaking his head in order to clear his vision. Well, that didn't help. Now black dots started appearing, only making his task of focusing on the battle more difficult.

Deciding that it was too dangerous to use a bow, the long-haired hero put the weapon back in his slate, changing it to a broadsword and starting his descend from the tree. It was a bit challenging, since his arms and legs were not co-operating completely and the weight of the broadsword threw him off balance more than once, but he managed to make it to the ground without any major complications.

When he finally touched the ground, Wild tried to run as soon as he could, but the scarred hero’s world seemed to tilt suddenly. He grabbed the tree for support, cursing himself for being so slow. He had to be helping the others! He had already lost time changing weapons.

Spots invaded his vision once again, making him close his eyes for a few seconds despite knowing how dangerous that was.

Suddenly, a scream echoed in his head. It sounded distant and fuzzy, and only now did Wild notice that he hadn't been hearing the commotion at all while he was in the tree.

"Hyrule, dodge!" Time screamed, watching as a bokoblin that was previously fighting Four took interest in the traveller out of the blue.

But Hyrule was too busy parrying a powerful blow from the moblin he was currently fighting. He knew he wouldn't be able to dodge the club of the bokoblin.

Wild knew it too. That is why, with speed that would appear inhuman, he started running with the broadsword in his hands, ignoring the pounding in his head and the blurriness of his vision.

As Time was about to shout another warning, knowing fully well that it was too late for Hyrule to react anyway, there was a loud clash as the club made contact with the steel of the broadsword

Wild struggled for a moment before he finally managed to deflect the blow completely, sending the bokoblin flying with the strength of his parry.

"Nice one, crazy cook!" Legend shouted. He had been trying to reach Hyrule as well, and after seeing how fiercely Wild had protected the traveller, he couldn't be more grateful.

"Yeah, thanks Wild!" Hyrule gave his fellow hero a brief smile before focusing on the fight once again.

Wild sighed and nodded, glad that he was at least able to protect Hyrule. However, relief was rapidly replaced by concern, as he, once again tried to stay up right. Running had left him gasping for air, which shouldn't be happening taking into consideration the short distance he had moved. As he continued fighting, he tried to breathe deeply, filling his lungs with as much air as he could in order to keep those weird black spots out of his vision.

The fight continued for what felt like an eternity. The monsters weren’t that difficult to defeat but, for Wild, there seemed to be no end to the battle. Finally, Twilight with the help of Four managed to kill the last moblin, silence filling the clearing where they had been fighting.

For an instant, everything was silent, all the heroes still alert in case any more monsters were to appear. After a few seconds, everyone relaxed, deeming it safe enough to check on each other.

“Is anyone injured?” Warriors asked after everyone had gathered together, cleaning the black blood of his sword.

Time and Twilight checked on everyone, sighing in relief when the only injury seemed to be a cut on Sky’s arm. Luckily, it wasn’t very deep, so with the help of a red potion, the arm of the Skyloftian was as good as new. Hyrule checked on the others anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time one of them wouldn’t notice an injury until someone else pointed it out. Fortunately, no one looked hurt from what he could see and Time seemed to think the same as well, since he subtly nodded in his direction.

Hyrule smiled and turned to Wild, who was quietly looking at the forest, making sure that no monsters lurked around.

“Wild, thank you so much for helping me before” Hyrule said, still remembering the dread he felt when he saw the moblin raising its club to strike him.

“Hmm?” Wild mumbled, finally looking at him. Hyrule’s smile softened, noticing that Wild still looked a bit confused. That usually happened to some of them after finishing a battle, their minds still on the fight that had ended recently. He seemed to be coming out of his battle daze, but his eyes were not as sharp and focused as they usually were.

“I just wanted to thank you again for saving me back then. If you hadn’t reacted, that would have hurt for sure” Hyrule giggled, watching as the blond hero finally gathered his surroundings.

“Ah, right. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to kill that thing sooner” Wild answered with a sheepish smile.

“Well, as long as no one gets hurt I don’t see why you have to apologize” Sky said, joining the conversation and putting a hand on the archer’s shoulder. He smiled gently at the younger heroes.

“I know, but I still should have been able to kill it with an arrow. Then, ‘Roolie wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place” Wild muttered, leaning on Sky as the older hero put an arm around his shoulders.

“Nonsense. You protected him in time and that’s what counts. You both did well” Time said, giving them a gentle smile.

“Why did you come down, Wild? I thought you decided to be our marksman today” Warriors asked, intrigued. It wasn’t unusual for Wild to fight in close combat, but the scarred teen normally preferred his bow over any other weapon.

“I couldn’t see the monsters well from the top of the tree. Too many leaves and branches” Wild answered, slightly shaking his head. It was true that he couldn’t see the monsters that well, but it had nothing to do with the tree itself.

Warriors gave him a strange look, confused by the cook’s answer. “I thought the tree was just fine, but you’re the expert” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“We should keep moving. We don’t know where we are yet” Four said, looking around once again. They had been transported into this Hyrule a few days ago and they had yet to encounter a village or any other sort of civilization.

Noises of agreement resonated through the clearing and, after one last check to be sure that no monsters were around, the heroes started walking once again. Time and Warriors took the lead, followed closely by Wind and Sky. Four was chattering with Legend and Hyrule while Twilight approached Wild, who was at the very back.

“Those were some nice reflexes back there, Cub” the ranch-hand commented while looking straight ahead. He knew how hard it was for Wild to accept compliments sometimes.

“Thanks. But that wasn’t my best battle by a long shot” Wild answered absent-mindedly. His thoughts felt all mixed up and it took him a while to process the words of his mentor. Normally, a compliment from Twilight would make him feel all kinds of proud and warm, but today he couldn’t focus on his words.

“That’s fine too. We all have good and bad days, but you managed to help Hyrule and no one was badly injured. That’s a victory in my books” Twilight said, finally looking at his protégé. The younger boy looked distracted, walking ahead with his mind somewhere else.

Twilight didn’t keep talking, already familiar with the times in which the scarred teen preferred a bit of silence while they were walking through the woods. It was normal for all of them to feel a bit overwhelmed from time to time, especially considering that most of them had been used to travel alone or at least with fewer companions than now. He kept walking along his Cub in silence, keeping an eye in case a memory struck him again.

Wild was still thinking about his current predicament. He knew he should be paying attention to his surroundings, but his ability to focus on what was happening had disappeared after the battle. He also knew that Twilight was right beside him, and the older hero wouldn’t let harm come to any of them if he could avoid it, so he just kept walking, mind wandering to the day they were transported into this Hyrule.

It had been in the middle of the night. While Four was on watch, a portal had suddenly appeared, forcing Four to wake all his companions. They had barely managed to gather everything when they were transported to the middle of the woods, rain pouring from the sky and no shelter in sight. They had had to run for almost an hour before being able to find a small cabin in the middle of the forest. It was clearly abandoned, since the windows were broken and no light could be seen inside. They had entered and tried to warm up as fast as possible after the rain had caught them off guard.

Wild had given his cloak to Wind, who was still half asleep, leaving him in his undershirt since he had taken his tunic off before going to sleep. It hadn’t been his best idea, especially considering that he had watch right after Four and had to wait until everyone was back asleep to change his clothes so as not to worry anyone. By the time they had all gone to sleep, the cold caused by the rain had seeped into his bones and no matter what he tried to do to warm up, he felt cold until the sun was high in the sky and they were walking once again.

It is true that, after that night, he had been feeling a bit off. A dizzy spell here, a sudden headache there, but nothing to worry about. He was a bit more tired than usual as well, but that could also be because he hadn’t been sleeping that much as of late. He knew the others had made him promise to tell them whenever he was hurt or feeling bad, but to be fair, this hardly needed to be addressed. Wild just had to make a conscious effort to stay alert and focus, and that was it. Nothing more. If he could take care of it by himself, there was no need to worry the others.

Wild was pulled out of his thoughts when Twilight grabbed his wrist, prompting him to stop walking. He looked around and noticed that the sun had gone down, bathing the forest with the golden light of sunset. It looked like they had decided to stop for the day, which was surprising considering they had finished their last battle right after lunch. Seems like Wild had spent more time lost in thought than he had anticipated.

“Cub?” Twilight asked, trying to get his attention.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Wild asked, not having heard what the other had said before.

“I asked you if you were feeling well. You seem a bit lost in thought” Twilight repeated. Wild perked up at the question.

“Oh, yes. I was just thinking about what to make for dinner. I have some options but I can’t decide on which one” he lied. Now that he thought of it, he had no idea of what to prepare for dinner.

“You know you don’t have to worry that much about it. We’ll eat anything as long as you’re cooking it” Wind shouted from across camp, making the other heroes laugh. He was right though. There still had to be a day in which Wild’s cooking didn’t taste amazing.

Wild simply blushed a bit at the compliment, grateful that his companions enjoyed his cooking so much. He started to leave his things on the floor, rolling his shoulders at the slight soreness that came with being tense for a long time while carrying his bag and equipment. As the others started unpacking their things for the night, he started making preparations for dinner.

The long-haired hero looked through the ingredients stored in his slate and decided to make some stew. Yes, warm stew sounded really nice to fight the chill that had settled in his bones after they had stopped walking. He could also make something else, maybe some skewers, just in case someone was hungry after the stew.

As he started preparing his pot and his ingredients, he tried his best to stop swaying. He was having so much trouble focusing before and now he was also feeling dizzy. Just great. Luckily, the scarred cook knew the food would help him feel better. Or at least, he hoped so.

While he chopped the vegetables for the stew, he could hear the other heroes talking and setting up camp. It was a nice distraction from the pounding in his head and the itch in his throat. Wait, when did his throat start bothering him? Before he could think about it, Sky and Four approached his place by the fire.

“Hey Wild, what are you making tonight?” Sky asked, curiosity lacing his voice.

“Oh I-“ Wild started, but had to clear his throat in the middle of the sentence “I was thinking of some stew and meat skewers”.

“That sounds great” Sky answered, oblivious to the look Four was giving Wild.

“You feeling okay?” Four asked, his eyes glinting violet in the light of the fire.

“Yes, of course. Why do you ask?” The cook answered, feeling a bit nervous under the smithy’s scrutinizing glaze.

“You just seem a bit pale and you haven’t been speaking that much today” Four commented.

“I’m just a bit tired. I haven’t been sleeping very well for a few days” Wild shrugged, his eyes back on the carrot he was cutting. It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

Four seemed to be satisfied enough with his answer, but Wild could still feel the other’s eyes on him. After their short conversation, Four and Sky sat on one of the logs that was near the fire, continuing their previous chat. They tried talking to Wild, but after receiving a few short answers, they decided to leave the cook alone, letting him focus on preparing dinner.

Soon enough, Wild was calling the other heroes with warm bowls of stew in hand, accompanied by some delicious-looking meat skewers. Wind ran towards their designated cook, clearly hungry after an eventful day.

“Thanks, Wild! It looks amazing!” the sailor exclaimed, claiming the first bowl on the cook’s hands.

“I’m glad you like my food” Wild smiled, giving the other bowl to Time, who was also eagerly reaching for the food.

“Your food is Hylia-sent, Cub” the oldest hero chuckled, frowning a bit when he noticed the light coat of sweat covering the long-haired teen. It wasn’t warm by any means and, even by the fire, the night was chilly enough to prevent them from sweating.

Wild smiled once again, passing the rest of the food to the other hungry heroes. Once he finished, he took a bowl for himself, not hungry enough to eat the skewers. He sat on the floor between Legend and Twilight, content to leave the talking to the others for that night. He felt exhausted. His head was still pounding and having stayed on his feet while cooking hadn’t helped the dizziness he had been feeling for a while. Subconsciously, he had started leaning on Twilight, who was warm by his side. He really hoped the food would help.

He smiled as he listened to Four bickering with Wind. He had eaten half of his bowl when he suddenly felt nauseous. Trying to prevent feeling worse, he left his bowl aside, leaning back on the log. Twilight, who was still eating, notice his lack of appetite.

“Won’t you eat some more, Cub?” He asked, feeling a bit worried since he knew how much the younger boy was able to eat.

“Not really feeling like it” Wild shook his head lightly, smiling at Twilight. “You don’t have to worry so much, Twi. I have been eating while preparing dinner. I’m always half-full whenever you guys start to eat”.

Twilight chuckled. “That’s good then. But please, make sure to eat and drink water. We’ve been travelling for a few days and it has been a while since we’ve stayed in a town. You need to take care of yourself”.

“I know, I know. Don’t worry, I know how to take care of myself” Wild watched as Twilight nodded, biting one of the skewers, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

The rest of the night seemed to pass as usual. Some conversations about their eras, their friends and their adventures. Some bickering and teasing. The usual. Then it came the time to assign who would be on watch. Wild could only sigh in relief as he had not been assigned any that night. He should really try to sleep tonight. Warriors had first watch, Twilight had second and Time had third, so he should really sleep or he would risk getting scolded by the three responsible adults^TM of the group (Sky could be considered part of this group, but the Skyloftian, while being able to scold someone, didn’t have the same effect as the other three most of the time).

As Wild was walking toward his bedroll, which has been placed in between Hyrule’s and Time’s, Warriors called him, beckoning him to his side by the fire.

“What is it, Wars?”

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Warriors asked, straight to the point.

“What? No, I didn’t even fight that much this morning. Why?” Wild was honestly shocked at the implications of Warriors’ question. It had been a long time since he had hidden an injury from the group. He had come a long way in terms of trusting the others. That Warriors thought he would consciously hide any sort of major injury from them hurt a bit, to be honest.

“Sorry” the Captain apologized, noticing the hurt flashing on the cook’s eyes. “I have just noticed that you’ve been acting weird today. You didn’t even finish your stew tonight”

“For Hylia, you’re as bad as Twi. I was eating here and there while I was cooking, I’m sure I ate more than you today” Wild explained, exasperated.

“Okay, okay. Don’t compare me to that mother-cuckoo. I just found strange that you didn’t eat that much tonight. You usually eat the most out of all of us” Warriors chuckled and Wild just shook his head.

“Well, I’m going to sleep. I wouldn’t want our Captain here to get even more worried. Who knew he had it in him” Wild said, making the point of turning dramatically and walking towards his bedroll.

“Oh, just go to sleep, you menace” Warriors chided, turning back to the fire to start his watch.

Wild laughed under his breath. It felt nice to joke around with his brothers like this despite not feeling great. He finally lied down on his bedroll, supressing a groan as the world spun around him. Time gave him another weird look but didn’t comment anything, simply let the other hero get comfortable in his bedroll.

Wild closed his eyes, trying to breathe deeply and relax. Despite the general discomfort he felt at the moment, he was able to fall asleep fairly quickly, oblivious of the concerned glance coming from the oldest hero by his side. 

- - - - -

Twilight transformed back into his Hylian form, making his way back to camp after patrolling one last time before finishing his watch. It was almost time to wake up the Old Man for his watch, but it never hurt to check just one more time.

As he reached the clearing in which they had set their camp, he couldn’t supress a smile at the sight. It was very clear that, after travelling together for quite some time, the group of heroes had grown more comfortable, not only in the sense of trusting each other, but also in regards to physical contact. He watched their sleeping distribution with an amused smile.

Warriors had ended up with Sky and Wind clinging to him from both sides, sharing their blankets and all. Four was comfortably curled between Sky’s back and Legend’s chest, almost being completely covered by Sky’s sail cloth. Hyrule was also clinging to Legend’s back, the only visible part of the traveller being his curly brown hair. By his side, Wild was also curled in Time’s arms, sleeping calmly for once.

The cuddle pile that formed every night was starting to become a tradition at this point. They would go to sleep on their own bedrolls only to wake in the morning all piled up together. It wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest and it also seemed to help those who yearned for some physical contact but had trouble initiating it. It was surprising the first time it happened but, by now, it just seemed like another little ritual of theirs. A nice ritual, nonetheless.

He walked towards Time, feeling a bit bad for having to wake him up, knowing how tiring it could be to guide all of them while looking out for everyone at the same time. However, he also knew that the Old Man would get angry when he realized that Twilight hadn’t woken him up for his watch, so he just had to wake him up.

“Wake up, Old Man. It’s your turn for watch” Twilight said quietly, shaking Time’s shoulder lightly so as not to wake up Wild, who was clinging to Time.

Time woke up immediately, always alert and ready to jump on his feet as soon as he heard the slightest sound.

“Oh, Pup” he murmured, relaxing slightly after sensing there was no immediate danger. “Is it time for my watch already?”

Twilight nodded and Time tried sitting up, moving only for a moment before he noticed the other hero he had attached to his shirt. Time looked down at Wild, as if suddenly remembering that he was actually hugging the younger hero as well. Mirth danced in Twilight’s eyes.

“You seem to have got the Cub pretty comfortable there” Twilight teased the older hero, chuckling when Time just smiled and shook his head slightly.

“He seemed tired today. I’m just glad he’s getting some proper rest” Time said as he ran a hand through Wild’s hair as the scarred teen continued sleeping, oblivious to the conversation going on in front of him.

“I noticed, too. At least he’s getting some sleep now” Twilight mused. He was no stranger to Wild’s night terrors and sometimes borderline insomnia. Seeing his Cub sleeping so soundly actually relieved him more than he would admit.

“You should come here so that he doesn’t wake up. We’re going to wake him up if we keep talking” Time murmured, carefully removing the smaller hero’s arm from around himself.

With Twilight’s help, Time could get up from his bedroll without disturbing Wild too much and, soon enough, he was covering both Twilight and Wild with the blanket he had been using.

“Go to sleep and rest. Morning will be here soon” Time murmured, tucking the blanket around the two heroes.

“I know, Old Man. Go or you will wake him up” Twilight chastised quietly. He found himself blushing at the older hero’s actions, even if it made him feel warm inside. He heard Time chuckle fondly, leaving his side to go to the log beside the fire.

Twilight sighed, moving a bit to find a comfortable position and finally relaxing after being on high alert for hours. He felt Wild shift beside him, the younger hero seeking him as he barely woke up.

“Time?” he asked blearily, barely opening his eyes to look at Twilight.

“It’s just me, Cub. Go back to sleep. We still have a few more hours until sunrise” Twilight whispered, rubbing Wild’s back and hoping to lull him back to sleep.

The teen merely hummed and wrapped his arms around the Ordonian, sighing when the other hugged him back. Twilight closed his eyes, starting to feel the warmth of the blankets dragging him into the arms of sleep.

Chapter Text

When Twilight woke up once again, it was to Time shaking him with a worried look on his face.

“Wha’?” Twilight asked, still half asleep.

“Pup, I know you had watch before me, but there’s something wrong with Wild” Time said, concern lacing his words. Words that immediately made Twilight wake up.

“What happened?” he asked, not processing that said hero was still asleep beside him.

“Just look at him” Time motioned to the teen who was hugging Twilight.

Once the Ordonian got a good look of his Cub, he could immediately tell what Time was talking about. Wild, who had been peacefully sleeping when Twilight finished his watch, was now shivering like a leaf, breathing with difficulty and trying to cling to Twilight with all his might. As Twilight run a hand through his hair, pushing back his sweaty bangs, he could feel how high his temperature was. He looked back to Time, whose sour expression surely mirrored his own.

“The others woke up earlier. It was a bit weird for Wild to still be asleep, but considering how tired he seemed yesterday, we didn’t want to wake him up” as Time talked, Twilight finally noticed that it was later than when he usually would wake up. It was true that whoever was on watch would normally sleep a bit more in the morning, but it seemed like Time and the others had tried to wait for both Twilight and Wild to wake up on their own.

“At first we thought he might have just slept in, but after a while we started getting worried. I came to check on him and this is what I found” Time explained.

“His temperature is way too high” Twilight murmured, shushing Wild when he whined as Twilight put his hand on the other’s cheek.

“I was about to tell Hyrule to come and check him, but I just wanted to wake you up first” Time gestured to where all the other heroes were. They all sat around the fire, looking in their direction with different levels of concern visible on their faces.

“Thanks for waking me. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed” Twilight mentioned, his eyes not leaving his Cub’s face. He could feel his heart shattering just by looking at his pale face and feeling the heat coming from his body.

 “None of that, Pup. You were tired and you had watch last night. I was beside him all night until you came and I didn’t notice anything either. Don’t beat yourself for something you couldn’t control” Time reprimanded, not wanting his protégé to feel bad.

“I know that” Twilight murmured. Logically, he knew that Time was right, but he couldn’t stop the feeling of helplessness that invaded him as he watched Wild. “Let’s see what Hyrule has to say about this”.

With that, Time made his way back to where the others were. Twilight could faintly hear Time, probably explaining the situation, and the other rapidly asking him question after question. Despite that, Twilight could only focus on Wild’s pinched expression and violent shivering. Soon enough, Hyrule was by his side, the other heroes having come closer to the duo but still letting them have their space.

“Let me check him” Hyrule said and Twilight sat up, letting Wild curl in his lap, still looking for warmth.

“Should we wake him up?” Twilight asked.

“I think we should try. If the fever has been caused by an infection, it will be easier to ask him where he’s hurt rather than trying to guess” Hyrule pointed out. Any hesitation he might have had in other situations had vanished. The traveller never hesitated when it came to the health of his fellow heroes. “Hey, Wild. Wake up, c’mon. Wild, can you open your eyes for me?” Hyrule said, shaking the cook’s shoulder.

Wild groaned, trying to hide under the blanket and escape the traveller’s attempts. After some time, the long-haired teen opened his eyes, hazy and confused blue meeting worried hazel.

“There you are” Hyrule said, smiling slightly at the sight of his friend.

“ ‘rule?” Wild muttered. He looked confused, not fully aware of where he was.

“Yes, that’s me” Hyrule answered gently. “How are you feeling? You have quite the fever”

“ ‘m tired” He merely responded.

“I bet you are. Are you hurt anywhere?” Hyrule asked once again, coaxing Wild to sit up and checking for injuries.

The other teen didn’t appreciate the change in position, for a wave of dizziness suddenly hit him, making him sway. Twilight was fast to wrap his arms around the other hero, stabilizing him until the dizzy spell passed.

“It’s okay, Cub. I’ve got you” Twilight murmured, rubbing a hand up and down Wild’s back. When he opened his eyes once again, he answered Hyrule’s question.

“ ‘m not injured. My throat hurts. My head, too. ‘m just tired” Wild said, rubbing his eyes.

“So, no infection then” Hyrule muttered and Wild shook his head. “Then, it just seems like a normal cold to me” Hyrule said, and he could feel the relief of the others at his diagnose.

“Would a potion help?” asked Sky from somewhere behind Hyrule. At his words, the clanking of glass bottles could be heard.

“I’m not sure. Potions are mostly used for injuries. They don’t help that much with infections or other types of sicknesses” Hyrule stopped talking, thinking for a moment. “Do any of you have any kind of medicinal tea or herbs? There are some specific herbs that are used in my era to make tea that helps with fevers and coughs, but I don’t have any right now” He asked, looking back at the other heroes.

The others started looking through their belongings, some thinking for a moment after Hyrule’s statement.

“Now that you mention it…” said Legend, suddenly looking through his bag with furrowed eyebrows. Some heroes stopped searching at the words of their resident hoarder. “I know it has to be here… Aha! Here it is” exclaimed the veteran, holding what looked like a small jar filled with dried herbs. “This is some kind of medicinal tea that Ravio gave me the last time we were in my era. I believe this could help the champion” he passed the glass jar to Hyrule, who inspected its contents. With a hum, he nodded.

“This could help. Giving him some of this tea with a bit of honey for his throat will at least make him feel better. Other than that, we just have to make sure that he drinks plenty of water, eats well and rests as much as possible. If we manage to do all of that, he will be up and moving in no time” Hyrule smiled, looking at the relieved faces of his companions.

“Well, you heard the doctor” said Time. “I don’t think we’ll be moving for a while, so let’s look for some more wood and prepare tea for the champion. Pup, stay with him for now and then we’ll figure a way so that everyone can stay with him for a bit”

“But Time-” Twilight started.

“No buts. I know you want to stay with him and make sure he’s okay, but you also need to rest. We wouldn’t benefit from having another member of the party being sick. It would also be foolish to think that you can stop any of us from being with the Cub for a while” Time said, smirking at Twilight.

“Yes, ranch hand. Don’t think for a moment that I will hesitate in dragging you to your bedroll if I have to” Warriors smirked as well, making Twilight smile.

“And then I will sit on top of you until you fall asleep and rest” said Four nonchalantly. That made Twilight laugh out loud. He knew that as much as the others joked, they would actually do everything in their hand to make sure that Twilight was not exhausting himself. However, all of them knew that, as much truth as there was in Four’s words, Twilight would have no problem in picking the smithy up if he really wanted to.

“Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you only because I don’t want to face the fury of our smithy here” Twilight said, smiling with mirth.

“Yes, fear me and my immeasurable rage” Four smiled, gaining a few more chuckles.

“Well, now that everything is cleared up, we should give Wild some of that tea and let him rest” Time said, looking at Wild. A fond smile appeared as his eyes landed in the form of the champion. It seemed that, at some point during their conversation, sleep had claimed him once again and he had drifted off with his head resting on Twilight’s shoulder. He still shivered and his face was still pale, even with the red spots of his cheeks. Nonetheless, Time could at least feel more relieved now that Hyrule had checked Wild. They could make him feel better, and they definitely would.

After a few hours, everyone was more or less settled in. Twilight was still with Wild, both in their bedrolls, with the scarred hero sleeping and the Ordonian looking over him. The others had found themselves a bit lost, not knowing how to help. However, after Time’s orders, everyone had their tasks to help with camp.

Hyrule found himself in a predicament at the moment. He had been very confident in diagnosing Wild. He still was completely sure that what was ailing his best friend was just a simple cold, that was not his concern. Despite this, he didn’t exactly know what to do.

Wild had fallen asleep before, while he and the others were talking. He needed to rest in order to get better and, knowing his exploration buddy, it was very likely that he hadn’t slept for more than a few hours in the last days. Now came his dilemma. Wild should sleep, but from what he could see from his place in the fire, the symptoms of the cold weren’t doing him any favours.

He was shaking despite the couple of blankets he had on top and his fierce grip on Twilight, who was more than happy to let the other cling to him. Hyrule could not see nor hear it, but he still remembered how laboured his breathing sounded before. The traveller really wanted to let the other rest, but maybe waking him up to give him some of that tea that Legend had would be better in the long run.

Time, who just now arrived from gathering some wood, seemed to have noticed his hesitation and left the wood in the small pile they had formed. He approached the brunet, sitting on the log beside him and startling the other out of his thoughts.

“Is everything okay, Hyrule?” he asked, and Hyrule, for his life, couldn’t lie to him.

“I just… mmm…” he hesitated for a moment. “Do you think we should wake up Wild to give him some tea? He is sleeping and he needs to sleep, but he looks uncomfortable and maybe drinking something would help him to rest better, but I don’t know if waking him now is-“

“Hyrule” Time interrupted the traveller’s rambling with a firm voice. “You are our healer. We all know that you are very capable in helping with injuries and illnesses and we trust you. If you think giving Wild some tea will make him rest better, then we should give it a try” he explained and Hyrule hesitantly looked back at him.

“Do you really trust me so much with your health? But what if I mess up or…” he trailed of.

“We trust you because you haven’t let us down. Never. Every time we have been in need of healing, your help has been incredibly helpful and all of your predictions have been true in the end. You are very capable, and you have to be more confident in your choices and opinions, if not out of your own belief, then out of ours” Time smiled, putting a hand on the younger’s shoulder and squeezing it in silent support.

“I… Okay” Hyrule nodded, trying to wrap him mind around Time’s words. “Then, I will try to be more confident. Thank you, Time” Hyrule looked at him once again and nodded, this time with a timid smile adorning his face.

“Of course, traveller” he smiled back. “Now, shall we prepare some of that tea?” he asked. Hyrule nodded and they made their way towards their bags, where the jar with the tea was stored.  

After the tea was ready, Hyrule approached the two heroes who were still in their bedrolls. As Twilight saw him approaching, he sent him a questioning glance.

“I think having some of Legend’s tea will help him. His breathing might get better” Hyrule explained and Twilight nodded, having noticed himself how ragged Wild’s breaths sounded.

“Hey Cub, wake up. Hyrule has brought you something” Twilight said, gently rousing Wild from his sleep. The other hero groaned and rubbed his eyes, not being able to sleep deeply.

“ ‘roolie?” he asked, finally opening his eyes.

The traveller smiled at his friend. “Yup. I brought you some warm tea. I think it will help you sleep better” he said, motioning to the cup he was holding.

“Hmm” Wild hummed, inspecting the cup. “If it makes me feel better” he shrugged and took the cup from Hyrule’s hands. Both Twilight and Hyrule watched as the resident cook took a small sip, testing the flavour. To their surprise, the tea didn’t seem to have a bad flavour and, soon enough, Wild was sipping from the cup, looking more relaxed by the moment.

“Does it taste good?” Twilight asked one of his arms still around Wild in case he got dizzy again.

“It’s not the sweetest tea ever, but I can say I’ve tasted worse things” Wild said between sips.

“Knowing you, that’s not unbelievable” Hyrule chuckled, relieved at seeing Wild looking more alert and coherent. From how he looked, he still seemed to have a fever, but he looked much better than before. Preparing some tea had definitely been a good idea.

After Hyrule and Twilight spent some time talking with Wild, the sick hero started feeling sleepy, which was completely normal according to Legend. It was almost time to start preparing lunch and Time had decided that it was time for Twilight to get some rest and let someone else look after Wild for a bit. It wasn’t like he would have any problem in finding a replacement.

Since the topic of cooking was mentioned, Time made sure to tell Hyrule to stay with Wild as the scarred hero slept. He may have been a bit deceiving in giving the traveller a reason to stay with their resident cook, but the last thing they needed was for Wild to get food poisoning after eating Hyrule’s infamous cooking.

Legend, who was not looking forward to lunch, decided to escape when he was given the chance. His cooking skills were not that good and, to be honest, he couldn’t care less about who would make lunch. He already knew he would miss Wild’s cooking, no point in knowing which hero would be the responsible for their likely stomach ache.

As he quietly made his way away from the fire, where Warriors and Sky were discussing about who would be cooking, with Wind eagerly volunteering and Twilight trying (and failing) to convince him to drop the topic, he found a sight that he was not prepared for.

Wild, who had indeed fallen asleep after finishing his tea, had somehow found a way to get his head in Hyrule’s lap. Now, the traveller had a lapful of the Champion, who finally seemed to be resting peacefully. The brunet was also running his fingers through Wild’s hair, an action that, as they had found out, really relaxed him.

It was cute. They looked cute, all comfortable and relaxed and Hyrule was smiling, obviously happy at seeing Wild sleeping soundly, and Wild looked so content with Hyrule’s hand brushing his hair.

And Legend was not ready for such an attack. These two were being adorable and it was way too early for this.

“I can’t deal with this adorable crap right now” he murmured, mostly talking to himself, and mostly lying as well, since he was glad to see both teens relaxing together. They had endured so much already. All nine of them had, and Legend would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to see them having some time to just rest.

“Just go and join them, Vet. It’s clear that you want to” Twilight teased, and Legend went bright red as he realized that someone had, indeed, heard him.

“Shut up, farm boy” he said without any heat behind his words. Despite his earlier statement and his red cheeks, he was still walking towards Wild’s bedroll.

Twilight just smiled as he watched Legend plop down beside Hyrule, clearly being teased once again if Hyrule’s laugh and Legend’s reappearing blush was anything to go by. He was also able to see the glorious face Legend made when Wild, who was still asleep, mind you, managed to grab one of his flailing hands and made Legend completely freeze. The expression that appeared on the Veteran’s face was indescribable, a mix between fondness, astonishment, a pinch of anger and a dash of horror. It only made Hyrule laugh louder, which attracted the attention of the other heroes.

It is safe to say that Warriors and Wind had an amazing time after seeing the stoic pink-haired hero in such a position. Despite his grumbles, Legend didn’t let go of Wild’s hand even after the others stopped their teasing and went back to prepare lunch.

Chapter Text

In the end, after quite some time, Twilight was chosen to prepare something to eat. Luckily, despite Wild still being asleep and having been joined by Hyrule and Legend, who were talking quietly while keeping an eye on the sick hero, the ingredients in Wild’s slate were still available. After looking for a bit, Twilight decided to make some soup. It was simple and it would surely help Wild feel better.

With the help of Four, who seemed responsible enough to actually help, lunch was ready. As Twilight started giving bowls of soup to everyone, Sky got up from where he was, carving something under a tree.

“I’ll get Legend and ‘Roolie” he said to the others, who simply nodded.

As he walked, he could see Hyrule’s hands still in Wild’s hair and Legend playing with the younger hero’s hand as well, probably distracted while talking to the traveller. Wild still seemed to be sleeping and, while resting would help him, he also had to eat something. He had drank some tea, but if Sky recalled correctly, the last time Wild ate was during dinner last night and he didn’t eat that much.

“Hey guys, Twi has made some soup. We should also wake Wild up so that he can eat something” the Chosen hero said gently, stopping Hyrule and Legend’s conversation.

“Oh! Then we definitely have to wake him up now” Hyrule said, motioning to Wild, who was still in his lap.

“It’s okay. I can wake him up and you guys can go and start eating” Sky suggested, kneeling beside them.

“But-“ surprisingly, it was Legend who complained. However, even before Sky could say anything, Hyrule started talking as well.

“Legend” he started and, oh that wasn’t the traveller’s usual sweet tone. “You have to grab something to eat. I saw you skip breakfast this morning and I don’t want you skipping another meal while we aren’t looking”

“I’m not going to skip any meals. In fact, I didn’t skip breakfast this morning either” Legend grumbled, crossing his arms and letting go of Wild’s hand.

“I saw it too, Veteran” Sky said, smiling at the triumphal grin that appeared on Hyrule’s face. “I know you are worried, but not taking care of yourself won’t make anyone feel better” the Skyloftian mentioned, putting a hand on Legend’s shoulder.

“I know that but it’s just… He got so sick so… suddenly. I just want to be sure he gets better” Legend admitted. While everyone had got used to his usual grumbly attitude, they had come to know by now that it was just a façade. He cared about them just as much as they cared for him, but everyone had their own way of showing affection and Legend’s was a bit particular.

“I’ll take care of him for a while. You and ‘Roolie have been with him for a while” Sky said. “You can be sure that if he starts feeling worse, I’ll tell all of you immediately” and that at least made Legend nod, even if he was still a bit hesitant.

Hyrule carefully laid Wild back on his bedroll while trying not to wake him up so suddenly while Legend finally let go of Wild’s hand, giving one last squeeze before letting it go. As the two made their way towards the fire, Sky looked at Wild, finally taking in the state of his friend. While he still looked way too pale, his breathing seemed better than how it was earlier in the day. The Chosen hero placed a hand on Wild’s forehead, frowning when he felt the hot temperature.

“Hey Wild” Sky gently brushed the cook’s bangs out of his eyes, trying to rouse him. Wild just sighed, leaning into the touch. “C’mon Wild, Twilight has made some soup for you” he said, talking a bit louder. That seemed to do the trick, since Wild started mumbling.

“Soup?” he asked, opening his eyes and looking at Sky. Despite being a bit hazy, Sky could see some recognition in them as well.

“Warm, delicious soup. You must be hungry after only drinking some tea this morning” he said, helping Wild sit up.

He stabilized Wild when he almost tipped back down to the floor, the poor boy closing his eyes tightly after getting disoriented.

“Sorry” Wild murmured, rubbing his eyes as he felt Sky squeezing his arm softly.

“It’s okay. You have quite the fever and you haven’t eaten in a while. Some food will make the dizziness better for sure” Sky said, smiling when Wild looked at him once again. “Shall we go with the others?” He asked, tilting his head to where the rest of the heroes were.

“Sure. But you may need to help me get there” Wild smiled sheepishly, aware that his balance would not be the best.

“That’s alright, too. I’m stronger than I look” Sky joked, getting up and reaching to help Wild on his feet.

“Oof” Wild said. He was upright, but he was heavily leaning on Sky. To Sky’s credit, he barely seemed to have difficulty in taking Wild’s weight. Slowly but surely, they made their way to the others.

Finally sitting down on a log, with Sky still by his side, Wild was greeted by the rest of the heroes.

“Hey Wild! How are you feeling?” Wind asked, immediately latching to Wild’s arm. Wild just smiled, appreciating the warmth, and scooted closer to the younger boy.

“I’m fine” he answered, clearing his throat. “A bit dizzy, but that’s it”

“You better be telling the truth” Wind warned, letting go of Wild’s arm but not moving away from the other.

“Yes, Champion. Or else, the sailor will make sure you stay in your bedroll for days on end” Warriors joked, giving him a bowl of warm soup.

Wild smiled, thanking Warriors and letting the bowl warm his hands. He had started feeling cold after leaving his bedroll, where he was covered by a few blankets. He wasn’t that hungry, but he knew he had to eat something. Sky, who had noticed his shivering, unclasped his sailcloth and wrapped it around Wild’s shoulder, getting a grateful bump from the scarred teen in return.

As they ate, the comfortable atmosphere they had got used to finally returned. Ever since they noticed that Wild was oversleeping, the heroes had been tense and concerned. Now, seeing their cook looking a bit better and at least speaking coherently had helped all of them get a bit more relaxed. It was clear that Wild was still sick and it would take some time for him to get completely well, but seeing him talking with Wind and Sky once again was a big relief.

In the end, it seemed that Twilight’s soup was a success, since it tasted well and Wild was able to eat the whole bowl despite not being very hungry. After finishing the soup, Wild simply laid his head on Sky’s shoulder, listening to the others talking and trying to ignore his headache. Sky, having finished his own food, let the bowl on the ground and wrapped an arm around Wild, smiling when he received an appreciative hum in return from the Champion.

As Wild made himself comfortable, wrapping the sailcloth tighter around himself, Legend smirked, a clear sign of one of his remarks coming the cook’s way.

“Didn’t know you had become so clingy, Champion” he commented, knowing fully well that it would get everyone’s attention.

“Bold of you to say that when literally an hour ago, you were sitting with Hyrule and him practically on top of you” Warriors answered since Wild didn’t say anything. His comment was met with some giggles and a light flush from Legend.

“Point in case, he was clinging to me and Hyrule before and now he’s attached to Sky” Legend retorted, clearly flustered.

“He’s sick. Let him cling to whoever he wants” Twilight answered. He knew that Legend didn’t intend to hurt Wild in any way or even make him feel bad for seeking physical contact, but he still felt the need to say something in his behalf.

“I know, I know. I’m just saying that, in his case, he gets more clingy when he’s sick” Legend said, pointing to Sky and Wild. However, the Champion decided to talk this time.

“That’s because whenever I’ve been sick in the past, I’ve never had anyone to cling to. Not even in my memories…” Wild commented. He didn’t even seem aware of what he had said, looking into the fire and lost in his thoughts.

Right after his words, silence filled the camp. After a few seconds, Four finally broke the tense atmosphere.

“Well, that was not what I was expecting” he commented, almost in a whisper.

“Seems like getting sick also makes him more expressive” Legend mentioned, clearly taken aback as well.

Wild seemed to realize what he had said at that moment, shaking his head slightly.

“Oh, but it’s fine. At least I have you guys now. There’s no use in dwelling in the past” he said, slightly blushing for saying something so personal.

“That’s right” Sky answered, tightening his hold on the Champion slightly. “You have us now and I doubt you will have a problem finding someone to give you a good hug” and those words made the rest of the heroes smile again, with Wild smiling even more when Wind wrapped his arms around him, giving him a quick, tight hug.

“Yes, Wild. You know I’m always up for a little snuggle” Wind said, teasing the other now.

“I know, I know. Just don’t make it a habit. I’m not always up for physical contact” Wild frowned.

“Aw, then will you only want hugs when you are sick? Then we might have to make that happen often or you’ll die from being touch-starved” Four musing, clearly messing with the cook.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Wild laughed, enjoying their little banter. Around the fire, the rest of the heroes smiled at seeing the playful fight. Time sent a small smile to Sky, who returned it with one of his own. He was glad he could offer Wild and the other heroes some support and if for Wild that meant some physical contact at the moment, then he would gladly offer it.

As their bickering continued, the heroes made themselves comfortable around the fire. They would not be going anywhere, so might as well enjoy the little moments of peace that they could get.

 As the afternoon continued, the heroes found themselves engaging in different activities to entertain themselves. It was unusual to have an entire day to rest without being in a town, so now, in the middle of the forest, they had to find ways to entertain themselves.

Warriors and Twilight had been the first to get up from their little arrangement. They had decided to patrol around camp, just to be sure that no monsters were near them. When they had finished their round, they decided to spar for a while, just to burn some of their energy.

Hyrule, who had been itching to take a walk and explore, was stopped by Time before he could even get out of the clearing they were in. He had thought the oldest hero wouldn’t let him go exploring for a while but, to his surprise, the eldest member of the group had asked him if he could go with him. Hyrule had immediately accepted, more than thrilled to spend some time with someone he admired so much while also being able to explore this still unidentified Hyrule.

As the pair walked out, with Twilight telling them to come back soon and be careful, Legend found himself sitting beside Sky, who still had Wild relaxing with his head on the Skyloftian’s shoulder. They started talking and, at some point, Sky had offered to teach him some things about woodcarving, since the topic seemed to have interested the veteran hero. When he told Legend to look for his tools, Wild raised his head from Sky’s shoulder, yawning shortly after.

“Where are you going, Wild?” Sky asked when he saw the younger hero moving.

“Nowhere. I’m just tired of sleeping. I want to stay awake for a bit” he answered, sitting straighter and watching Warriors and Twilight in the distance.

“You should sleep if you are feeling sleepy” Wind said, not having left the cook’s side since their little banter from earlier.

“But I’m not so tired anymore. And I also want to stay awake for a while so that I can sleep tonight. I’m not used to sleeping so much” he joked. The others, clearly aware of how difficult it was to simply fall asleep for the scarred hero, let him be.

“Okay, but if you feel tired, just go to sleep. You can take some more tea tonight so that it will be easier to sleep” Legend said, to which Wild nodded.

Both Sky and Legend got up from their place around the fire, going to find Sky’s woodcarving supplies and sitting in the base of a near tree, near enough to still talk to the three remaining heroes, but far enough from the noise made by Warriors and Twilight.

As Wild readjusted the sailcloth around himself and sat on the ground, Four got up from where he had been reading one of his books, stretching for a moment and then plopping down beside Wild. As the smithy leaned on his side, Wild relaxed even more, happily shifting a bit closer to the other.

“Want to hear some stories about my Hyrule?” Four asked. If Wild didn’t want to sleep, may as well entertain him and Wind for a while. He didn’t want to think what those two could end up doing on their own.

“Sure! It has been a while since we were in your era” Wild answered. He then felt Wind sit behind him in the log, making him move around a bit so that he was sitting directly behind him.

“I want to hear them too!” said the youngest with enthusiasm. He always loved hearing the stories the others had to tell, as well as telling some of his own. Their eras sounded so interesting that he couldn’t help but get curious! “Can I braid your hair, Wild?” he asked, itching to do something but not wanting to leave now that Four had offered to talk about his Hyrule.

“Okay. I have some ribbons in my bag that you can use” he said, gesturing to where his bag was, almost by their side.

Without getting up from his spot, Wind twisted until he got to hold said bag, looking through the items that were stored there until he found a hairbrush and some colourful ribbons. As he took off the hairband that kept Wild’s ponytail in place, the long golden hair of the Champion fell across his back and Wild sighed at the sensation of loosening some of the tension in his scalp.

‘No tight braids then’ Wind thought after seeing the other’s reaction. Maybe Wild was having a headache on top of the rest of the symptoms.

Four seemed to have noticed his reaction as well, which was to be expected with how observant the smithy was. As Wind started brushing Wild’s hair, he started telling them about kinstones and all the different places where they could be found. He made sure to lower his voice so that if Wild was actually having a headache then he wouldn’t worsen it.

As the afternoon advanced, Four continued telling stories with Wind telling some of his own as well. Wild also talked about his own Hyrule for a bit, wanting to tell them about his own era but not actually having much energy to do so. Wind had made an incredible job in braiding his hair, undoing and redoing different braids just to keep himself entertained. However, this actually had an almost soporific effect on the Champion, who found himself on the verge of sleep a couple of times.

Sooner than they expected, Hyrule and Time returned, bringing with them some apples and colourful flowers. As they approached the fire, Four, Wind and Wild finally noticed that afternoon had turned into early evening. Soon they would have to start preparing dinner and getting ready for the night.

Legend and Sky, who had been lost in their own little world as well, also noticed the return of the other two heroes and got up from where they had been sitting all afternoon, each of them carrying some pieces of carved wood. As Hyrule told them all about how he and Time had found a beautiful waterfall near their camp with just the most colourful flowers, the oldest hero went to bring Warriors and Twilight back to camp. Those two had been sparring for hours and, even if they were having fun, they had to stop and rest as well.

Once everyone was finally reunited again, the discussion of dinner began, just like it had happened for lunch. No one was eager to cook (besides Hyrule, but he didn’t count) and they weren’t looking forward to know who would be the one to have to cook for them all.

“I can cook dinner” Wild said from where he was still sitting with Four by his side and Wind behind him.

“Cub, as much as I love your cooking, you’re still sick” Twilight said, sitting down near the fire and wiping some sweat off his forehead.

“But I’m feeling better. Besides, Wind and Four have been with me the whole afternoon. They can tell you that I didn’t go anywhere and rested the entire time” Wild whined, itching to do something already. He wasn’t used to staying still for such a long time and, after Wind had finished his last braid, he was feeling less tired than before.

“First of all, the fact that you stayed here during this afternoon doesn’t mean you actually rested. I know you didn’t sleep at all” Warriors started, using the tone he always had whenever he had to scold some of the younger heroes.

“But-“ Wild started, but was interrupted once again by the Captain.

“Secondly, even if you are feeling up to cooking, we can’t let you cook unsupervised. You have been feeling dizzy all day. What would happen if you felt dizzy while cooking? You might end up cutting yourself or even getting burnt” he continued.

“I know-“ another try, another interruption.

“And thirdly, you can’t be cooking for everyone because you might just end up making all of us sick. That cold you have could spread very easily if you were to prepare all our food. We are already risking it with having all of us practically piled on top of each other whenever we sleep or are around the fire. If we can be more careful and avoid getting sick, then we are going to do it” he finished, looking Wild directed in the eye.

Wild just sighed, feeling defeated. He knew that the Captain only wanted what was best for him and the others and also that what he was saying made complete sense. However, that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.

“Okay, I won’t prepare dinner” he murmured, accepting his fate.

At least, that was until Four spoke up.

“What if I prepare dinner while he helps me?” he asked, gaining a few surprised glances.

Four was not usually interested in cooking. When he had tried before, he had made a decent job, which was impressive considering how other Links had faired in the art of cooking. For him to express a sudden interest in said activity was surprising for all of them. He was also one of the heroes who enjoyed having some time for himself, whether that was reading one of his books of doing some maintenance on their weapons. That is not to say that he didn’t help out in camp. On the contrary, the smithy was one of the most productive heroes, always managing to finish the tasks assigned to him remarkably quickly while still doing them properly. That was why he had so much spare time in the first place.

Considering all of this, it was rare for him to offer losing some of his precious time to relax alone, especially after being with Wild and Wind for the whole afternoon. Wild, knowing all of this, couldn’t be more grateful towards his short friend.

“Four, would you really do that?” he asked, still wanting a direct confirmation. He knew he could be a bit obnoxious at times, especially when doing something he loved as much as cooking.

“Sure, if you guys don’t have a problem with it” he smiled, sending a questioning glance to the others.

“If he doesn’t get near our food and stays put, then I don’t see a problem” Warriors shrugged his shoulders, looking at Time and asking for his opinion on the matter.

“Go ahead, then. Just be careful and try not to burn all the ingredients we have” Time smirked, remembering that one time Wild had offered to teach them a bit about cooking. It had ended horribly, to say the least, and the Champion had complained for days about having run out of provisions because of their disastrous cooking skills.

“Can I help? I promise I’ll be careful” Wind asked, putting on his best puppy eyes towards the duo.

“Okay, but you have to listen to what Wild says and actually follow his instructions” Warriors said, gaining a victorious smile from the sailor.

The rest of the heroes just sighed in relief, knowing that, even if they didn’t have the best meal in the world, they would at least eat something edible. The only one who was pouting was Hyrule, not happy at all. His frustration was forgotten fast though, since Twilight and Sky immediately started asking him about the apples he and the Old man had brought back. Soon enough, he was recounting their little adventure of the afternoon, with Time intervening sometimes to tell some more details.

There was a cosy atmosphere surrounding camp. Four and Wind started preparing dinner while following Wild’s instructions. He had to say that, even if at first he didn’t have that much faith in them, they both were doing a decently good job at preparing the dish they would be eating that night. Four, despite not being a chef himself, was able to do almost everything Wild told him and Wind was also doing quite well. With the air being filled by the conversation of the others, Wild found himself immersed in directing the two younger heroes, cheering for them when they did everything well.

Soon enough, after cutting lots of vegetables, nine bowls of salad were ready to be eaten along some steamed fish they had managed to prepare without burning them. The others seemed to be surprised as well, which Wild could understand considering his own expectations for their dinner that night.

“If I were you, Champion, I would be worried. The Sailor and the Smithy are going to replace you soon in your position as cook” Warriors joked after trying some of the fish.

“I didn’t know you two could cook decently” Twilight joined, also enjoying his meal.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all this time! You guys just never let me near the pot” Wind grumbled as he munched on his salad.

“It was not so much cooking as it was following instructions” Four commented, snorting at the offended glare he received from Wind. “You almost cut your fingers like three times. If it hadn’t been for Wild telling us what to do and how to prepare everything, this meal would have been rather unpleasant” He said. Wild smiled, looking at Four’s green eyes.

“You guys still did pretty well. At least you listened to what I said and didn’t ignore me like other people have done in the past” Wild said, giving a not so subtle look to Legend and Hyrule. It was fair to say that their last adventure in the kitchen hadn’t gone smoothly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Legend said, taking another bite from his fish.

“Oh, but I certainly do” Warriors didn’t miss a beat.

The rest of dinner passed by fairly quickly, with Warriors retelling that last time when Wild had agreed on letting both Hyrule and Legend help him with cooking. The other heroes laughed while finishing their dinner, enjoying how both Legend and Warriors kept trying to interrupt each other with Hyrule trying to stop both of them.

Soon enough, Time interrupted their bickering, since it was getting pretty late and they should be getting ready to sleep. They wouldn’t be going anywhere the next day, but they had to stay alert just in case any monsters were to attack them. Twilight prepared some more tea for Wild, hoping that it would help him fall asleep and pass the night comfortably. In the meantime, the others washed the dishes and started setting their bedrolls and deciding who would have watch that night.

As they were deciding on how to organize the bedrolls, Hyrule suddenly realized something.

“Hey, Time?” He called the oldest hero. When he received a curious glance from the other, he continued. “I think it would be better for Wild to sleep near the fire tonight. His fever might rise again and the night is getting quite cold” he explained. Time thought for a second before nodding to the traveller’s words.

“Good thinking, traveller. We should put his bedroll around here and whoever is on watch can be with him just in case he gets worse through the night” Time said, smiling and ruffling Hyrule’s hair. He received another smile in response.

As they finally put all the bedrolls together except for Wild’s, which was near one of the logs surrounding the fire, watch had finally been decided. First watch had gone to Wind while third had gone to Legend. Lastly, Time had decided to take second watch himself despite having taking watch the night before too. To say that the others had been upset would be an understatement.

“Time, you have to rest, too” Hyrule crossed his arms as he talked to the eldest.

“I know, and I will rest before and after my watch” he answered.

“You can’t be telling me that I have to get more sleep and then do this, Old Man” Twilight complained, with Warriors joining him.

“That’s true. You are not setting a good example here” Warriors frowned.

“You kids worry too much. I have slept more than enough tonight and I’m not even that tired today since we didn’t move from camp” he said and he knew just by the looks he received that the other weren’t convinced yet. “I won’t take watch tomorrow, I promise. I just want to make sure we don’t have any surprises tonight since we have been here all day” he tried once again.

It seemed that his promise to rest had been what finally stopped the rest of the heroes from worrying. He was telling the truth. Despite not being so young anymore, he was still used to go a few nights without sleeping too much. Besides, he really wanted to be sure that Wild spent the night as comfortable as possible. That his cold hadn’t acted during the day didn’t mean he couldn’t be feeling worse during the night.

“Okay” Hyrule begrudgingly said, still not completely fine with the idea. “But you have to sleep in tomorrow or else I will make Sky sleep on top of you” And wasn’t that a threat. The Skyloftian was known to sleep very deeply and latch onto anyone who was near him. Due to this, anyone who ended sleeping near him knew they would be trapped until their resident sleepyhead decided to wake up.

“Alright, alright. I get it, I will take a nap tomorrow or something” Time chuckled fondly at the worry of the rest of the heroes. “Let’s go to sleep already and tomorrow we’ll see how much I’ve slept” he challenged, looking directly at Warriors and Twilight. “Don’t hesitate to wake me of anything happens, sailor” he said to Wind, who simply rolled his eyes and nodded. He gave Wild one last look, seeing as Hyrule was checking him once again. Finally he went to his bedroll, seeing Twilight, already under his blanket, with a smug Four laying almost on top of him. He simply gave them a questioning look.

“I told you I would make sure he rests and sleeps tonight” Four shrugged his shoulders, barely containing his laughter.

“And I told you I have rested during the day” Twilight chuckled, shoving Four playfully and almost sending the shorter hero flying.

“Nope, I’m not taking any risks” Four repositioned himself, practically lying across Twilight with mirth dancing in his red eyes. “You won’t be moving from your bedroll tonight” he said with an air of finality, resting his head on Twilight’s side and closing his eyes.

Twilight just huffed, smiling fondly at the younger hero and settling in under his blanket as well, trying not to move too much so as to avoid disturbing the smithy. Time sighed, appreciating little moments like this with his boys. He also got situated in his bedroll, closing his eyes and feeling Legend’s back against his own. Soon enough, he was out like a light.

Chapter Text

Second watch was usually the least liked one. You had some time before it started, but with a group as theirs, sleep took a while to come (at least for most of them) and just when you were falling asleep, your shift was about to start. On top of that, after it finished, there were still some more hours before sunrise, so then there would be more time to sleep, right? Once again, that was wrong in most cases. After being alert for a rather long period of time, your body doesn’t usually relax completely to the point of sleeping and, even if you were able to get some rest, it was usually cut short by sunrise and breakfast. In fact, some heroes even decided to stay awake after finishing second watch and start doing other things, like Wild, who would start preparing breakfast, or just to accompany whoever had third watch, like Twilight, who usually preferred to stay alert for a few more hours with whoever was on watch.

Now, Time usually found second watch quite peaceful. It lacked the usual ruckus of first watch, when everyone was still trying to fall asleep and settle for the night. It was also different from third watch, which implied having to wake everyone up and start the day very early.

Second watch, on the other hand, was probably the loneliest, but also the most calming. It gave Time a moment to breathe and reflect, think about whatever crazy adventure they had going on right now. It was usually peak nightmare time, so it wasn’t unusual to find one of them awake after having a horrible nightmare. Time couldn’t even remember how many nights he had comforted one of the boys during second watch. It broke his heart to see that all of them, to a certain extent, had been affected by their quests so much that they still managed to bother them even after having finished said adventures a while ago. He was at least glad that he could help them when those kind of nights arrived.

So, besides that, the only other unusual event that could happen during second watch was an attack. It was not that common, but it wasn’t unheard of either. It seemed as if monsters were also as tired as they were during those hours because they usually chose to attack at other times throughout the day.

Now, this second watch would surely be remembered by Time for a while.

It had started normally, with Wind waking him up and stealing his bedroll to go to sleep. He just smiled and covered the sailor better with his blanket, going to the log that had been designated as the place for whoever was on watch.

He had checked on Wild, who seemed to be asleep. His fever was still there, but he had seemed to be resting comfortably. He had sighed in relief, thanking Ravio for giving that medicinal tea to Legend.

After that, things had gone smoothly for a while. No monsters seemed to be near camp and everyone slept soundly. At least, that was until he heard a heavy breathing.

He couldn’t remember when it had started. He only became aware of it when he heard Wild moving in his bedroll and, when he looked at the younger hero, he could see him heaving and practically gasping for air.

And now here he was, kneeling by the sick hero, not knowing what to do.

Time checked Wild’s temperature once again, chastising himself for not noticing the rapid increase. His watch had barely started and the cook had been fine. How in the name of Hylia had he got worse so fast? He didn’t know, but now he could only try to improve the other’s condition.

“Wild? Can you wake up, please?” He tried to wake the Champion gently, knowing how startled he could get is someone woke him up suddenly. When he received no response, he tried shaking the other, carefully at first and more harshly as Wild refused to wake up.

“Wild, please, wake up” he murmured desperately, not liking how unresponsive the other was.

Finally, after shaking him for a couple of minutes and calling him, Wild barely opened his eyes. However, Time’s relief didn’t last more than a second after he realized the other’s state. Wild had his eyes open, but he didn’t seem aware of his surroundings. He was looking straight forward, towards the burning fire, ignoring Time completely as if he wasn’t calling him.

“Cub, look at me. Hey, Link? Link, look at me, please” Time begged once more, shaking Wild once again to make him focus.

“Huh?” Wild whispered, his eyes moving for a moment but still not focusing on Time. The older hero felt a pang of worry travel through his chest and settling on his stomach. This was not right. This was not right at all.

As he kept talking to the scarred teen, he couldn’t help but get angry at himself. He was the oldest of the group, the one many of them admired and respected for his skills and experience. He himself had acted as their leader, trying to take care of all of them with all his might because they had already been through a lot and he would try to make sure they were cared for, at least on this adventure.

Despite all of this, he was clueless. He felt insecure, worried and nervous because Wild was getting worse by the second and he couldn’t for his life think on how to make him feel better. No matter how much experience he had regarding adventures or fighting, he couldn’t help the sick hero when he needed him the most.

His hands shook slightly as he took Wild’s face, directing his unfocused eyes to his own. Nothing. No sign of recognition anywhere. All he could see was a haze of fever, pain and exhaustion that broke his heart.

He cursed. He cursed at himself for being so useless. He cursed at Hylia for making one of her chosen ones suffer like this when, in theory, she should be helping him with his ailment. He cursed at the cold Wild had right now. He cursed at the rain that had probably made him sick in the first place. He cursed, but he knew that he couldn’t continue cursing if he wanted to help the Champion.

Taking a deep breath, he let Wild’s head rest on his bedroll once again, running one hand down his own face. He had to do something, think of something. As he let his hand fall, his eyes landed on Warriors, who was sleeping in his bedroll.

It was as if his brain had finally decided connect the dots. He wasn’t alone, not anymore. He had the others there to help him and Warriors, his big brother, was also there. If the Captain ever heard the words he had said to himself in the last couple of minutes, the older hero wouldn’t hear the end of it. Whatever, he had no time to think about this right now.

“Please, stay awake, Wild” he pleaded once again, quickly getting up and going towards Warriors.

He felt guilty for having to wake the Captain up, but he knew Warriors would get furious if he knew that Wild was getting worse and he could have helped him instead of sleeping. He knew the Captain had been worried since he noticed Wild acting weird in their last battle.

“Captain? Please wake up. I need your help” Time swallowed, trying to ignore how his voice shook slightly and his hand gripped Warriors’ shoulder a bit too tightly.

The sleeping hero was awake in an instant, already sitting up and scanning the area around camp with sharp eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he hurriedly asked, still not looking at Time.

“It’s Wild” and those were the only words he needed to make Warriors focus on him. He felt himself get even more nervous under the Captain’s gaze, feeling as if he had disappointed the other hero. Which was ridiculous, considering that he was now the oldest of the two and he was not the young kid he was when he met the other.

But he still was his old brother, the one to look out for him and teach him so many things during that horrible war. He was still the one he would look for whenever he needed help or advice, which was why he had come to him before waking Hyrule or Legend. He still trusted the other with his life.

“What happened to him?” Warriors asked, already pushing off his blanket, trying not to disturb the others.

“He’s got worse so suddenly and I have just realized but I don’t know how to help him” Time said in a rush, trying desperately to find help.

“Hey, it’s okay. Take a deep breath” Warriors said, gently taking one of Time’s hands to ground him. As Time followed his instructions, he continued talking. “It’s normal for fevers to rise suddenly. We’ll help him get better, don’t worry” he reassured the other hero.

Time simply nodded, feeling a bit too much like he was the young kid who was helped by the same Captain so many years ago. After taking another deep breath, he looked at Warriors in the eye again, motioning to where Wild was still in his bedroll.

“Let’s go. He really needs help” he said and this time, Warriors nodded and got up carefully so as to not wake the others.

As soon as Warriors saw the Champion, a frown appeared in his face. He immediately kneeled beside the long-haired hero, who had once again closed his eyes. He was still breathing heavily and now he was mumbling something under his breath, almost as if talking to himself.

“Oh, Wild” Warriors muttered to himself, putting his hand on the Champion’s forehead and frowning even more. “His temperature is way too high” he whispered to Time, who saw the worry he felt reflected in the other’s blue eyes.

“He was mostly fine when I started my watch. His fever has risen very suddenly” Time explained, watching as Warriors nodded, still looking at Wild.

“We have to lower his temperature or it will be dangerous for him. Can you get some warm water and a towel? We’ll try lowering his fever for a bit. If that doesn’t work, we’ll wake Hyrule up and see if he can help” he instructed and Time hurried to gather everything.

“Should we try a red potion?” Time asked, willing to try all the options they had.

“We can try one, but I’m not sure it will do much” Warriors said, rubbing the Champion’s temple with his thumb as he thought.

As Time came back with all of their supplies, Wild’s mumbling became increasingly louder. Now, even if they were able to hear him, they still couldn’t understand what the Champion was saying.

“Shh, Wild. It’s okay, it’s okay. We’ve got you” Warriors whispered, trying to calm the other hero.

“Is he okay?” Time asked, now noticing the pinched expression on the Cub’s face.

“He’s delirious due to the fever. We have to lower it fast” the Captain said, taking the towelTime had given him and wetting it with some of the lukewarm water. As he put it in the Champion’s forehead, a pair of cyan-blue eyes opened suddenly.

Wild gasped and shot straight up, sitting in a swift motion and almost knocking his head on the Captain’s. He shuddered, looking around with his whole body tense.

“Cub?” Time asked, not really sure of how aware Wild was of his surroundings.

The scarred hero didn’t even seem to notice them, gasping for air while still mumbling something under his breath. Warriors shared a panicked look with Time, clearly worried for their fellow hero.

“Wild? Can you look at me?” Warriors tried, speaking gently while moving slowly to touch Wild’s arm.

Despite his efforts of keeping his hands and himself in Wild’s view, the Champion still got badly startled when Warriors brushed his hand against the other’s arm. Wild gasped loudly, cutting his mumbling and finally looking around. He still looked dizzy and his eyes weren’t completely focused, but at least acknowledged the presence of both Warriors and Time.

Due to his sudden intake of air, his chest started convulsing as he coughed loudly. Warriors and Time could only flinch in sympathy. That cough sounded painful.

“Wild, it’s okay. Just try to breathe, easy, easy” Warriors said, approaching the other once again. Thankfully, Wild didn’t get surprised this time and Warriors tried to brace him the best he could, rubbing his back while trying to keep him steady.

“War-“ Wild tried to talk but the coughs weren’t stopping and his attempt was cut short with another painful cough.

“Shh, it’s fine. Just focus on breathing, okay?” he whispered softly, looking at Time once again.

“Tim-“ the Champion gasped once again, finally locking his eyes with the oldest hero.

Time, after his previous experience during that night, had thought he would feel relieved when he finally got Wild to focus his eyes on him. Right now, though, relief was the last thing that he felt.

Wild was looking at him directly, his eyes filled with unshed tears, panic and pain. His coughing fit didn’t show any signs of stopping and both him and Warriors seemed to realize that a little bit too late.

“Cub, try to breathe deeply, please” Time pleaded, getting closer to the teen who was still in Warriors’ arms. He knew that Wild was doing everything in his hand to breathe and stop the coughs, but his attempts weren’t successful and it was scaring all of them.

 As Wild’s lips started turning a worrying shade of blue due to the lack of air, both his chest and stomach convulsed, his body not knowing how to cope with the situation.

Before any of them could react, Wild was throwing up the little food he had eaten for dinner, heaving and gasping once again with both Time and Warriors too stunned to act for a moment.

Warriors cursed as he got Wild and himself away from the vomit that now lay on the floor directly in front of them. It was pure luck that the Champion hadn’t thrown up all over himself.

With one last cough and a shuddering gasp, Wild finally fell back on Warriors’ arms, too tired after the events of the last minutes. He was shaking from exhaustion and the toll coughing and throwing up in such a short period of time had taken to his body. As he panted, trying to get the air his lungs so desperately needed, he laid there motionless for a few minutes.

“Wild?” Time, asked gently while cupping the teen’s cheek.

Now, Wild hadn’t seen Time with such an expression in a while. Usually, the Old Man was able to keep his emotions in check, never letting them show so as to maintain the calm within the group in dare situations. Now, however, he could see the worry and fear swirling in Time’s blue eye, how he frantically looked at him with desperation.

“That’s it, Wild. Deep breaths” the Captain’s voice also sounded strained and he could feel his hand still rubbing his back to bring some kind of comfort.

Before Wild even thought of an answer, a quick thought passed over his mind. He had thrown up in front of them, maybe even getting some of it in their clothes. He had interrupted their rest, waking them up from their sleep. Why had he done that? Why couldn’t he deal with it by himself? Was he really so dependent on the others?

Had it been any other day, Wild wouldn’t have probably taken such a thought into consideration. He knew that the others weren’t mad. They were worried for him and they would always put the others’ health over some sleep. He logically knew that none of them would blame him for getting their clothes dirty or interrupting watch because he was feeling sick. He knew that. But his brain was not co-operating with him at the moment and what seemed like a thought he might have had at the beginning of their adventure was enough to send him into a spiral of panic and chaos once again.

As Warriors tried to sit them both straighter, deeming Wild calm enough to get up and clean everything, the Champion suddenly tensed in his arms, trying to sit by himself and pushing his arms away.

“Wild, what-“ he started when he was interrupted by said hero.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m s-sorry, I promise I will-“ his breathing started to quicken and he was once again trying to breathe without much success. “I promise I will clean everything. I’m sorry, I’m sorry” he mumbled in a hurry, the words slurred with panic lacing his voice, still trying to get away from Warriors.

“What? Wild, no, stop moving” Warriors said, trying to pull Wild back to where he was before. He didn’t like where this was going. The last thing the Champion needed now was to panic and put his body through even more stress.

“But I will c-clean it!” he begged, desperation present in his words. “I’m sorry, I will be more careful next time-“ he was interrupted by another sharp intake of air.

“Cub, it’s okay, it’s okay. Take a deep breath” Time urged the other, taking one of Wild’s flailing hands in his own and gently rubbing a thumb over his knuckles.

“No! I said I’m sorry. I will clean- I will clean it” he didn’t even seem to hear what they were saying and, for what felt like the hundredth time of the night, Warriors and Time shared a concerned look. They could see the younger hero spiralling into a cycle they weren’t sure how to break. What had prompted this? Was it the dream he had been having before? A memory, perhaps? They didn’t know, but what they were sure of was that they needed to calm the other down before his condition worsened even more.

“Wild, come here. Hey, c’mon, come with me” Time whispered, tugging Wild towards himself as Warriors let him go. Without the support from the Captain, the Champion’s weak body had no strength to resist Time and he almost fell on top of the other hero had it not been his arms wrapping around the long-haired teen’s body.

“N-No, I have to-“ while his breathing was still too fast and Time could still feel the rapid beating of his heart, Wild’s complains were growing weaker and weaker as time passed. He was clearly exhausted and he wouldn’t be able to keep straining his body for much longer.

“Shh, Cub. It’s okay. Warriors is going to clean everything. You don’t have to be sorry for feeling sick. It’s fine. You just have to take deep breaths. Try to follow me” Time placed one of Wild’s hand in his own chest, taking a deep breath and encouraging Wild to copy him.

These deep breaths would do both of them good, since Time was still quite scared himself. Seeing one of his boys in so much pain and being unable to do anything to ease it was making him feel more useless than he would like to admit. He was worried and he knew that Warriors was too, but they had to do something or the situation would only get worse.

As Time continued trying to make Wild follow his actions, he also started running his other hand through the long blond hair of the Champion, making sure to be careful and gentle. In the meantime, Warriors had managed to cover the vomit that was near the fire, which was not that much considering that Wild hadn’t eaten a lot in the past days.

When he finished, he sat beside the other two once again, feeling somewhat relieved when he saw Wild finally breathing more deeply and slowly, his earlier complaints reduced to intelligible whispering as he calmed down. He saw that Time appeared to be doing better as well, not looking so anxious and scared anymore, and he gave him a tired smile to assure him that he was helping the Champion more than he thought.

Carefully, the Captain took Wild’s free hand, loosely at first in case he got scared again. Luckily, the Champion was being lulled to sleep by the hand running through his hair, his tiredness finally catching up to him and forcing his body to rest and heal. As Warriors squeezed the other’s hand gently, he was met with a pair of tired cyan eyes. He smiled gently to Wild, who simply squeezed his hand back and closed his eyes with a small sigh, finally stopping his mumbling. As silence filled camp once again, Warriors took the wet towel he had discarded before and used it to carefully clean Wild’s face while he and Time took a moment to calm down.

“There you go” Time murmured after Warriors finished his task.

“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble” Wild whispered with his eyes still closed. It wouldn’t be long before he succumbed to sleep.

“We’ve already told you that it’s fine. Everything has been taken care of and now all you have to do is rest for a while, okay?” Warriors said, holding Wild’s hand with both of his own and receiving a content sigh in response.

Time and Warriors stayed in silence for a few minutes, both clearly aware of how tired Wild was and how much he needed to sleep after what had happened. Soon enough, Wild’s breathing slowed and the older heroes could finally let out a tired sigh in unison.

Since they had moved from Wild’s bedroll, Time now had a sleeping hero in his lap with nothing to cover him. Warriors noticed Wild’s shivering once again and quickly got some of the blankets that had been previously used to cover the sick hero. He made sure to tuck Wild completely, also covering Time who simply rolled his eyes fondly.

“Now that he has calmed down, we should keep an eye on him in case his fever gets worse” said Warriors while checking Wild’s temperature once again. Surprisingly, his fever seemed to have lowered by itself despite the stress Wild put on his body.

After what felt like hours, Time allowed himself to relax a little bit, holding the sleeping hero to his chest and relishing in the fact that he could hear his Cub sleeping soundly for what felt like the first time in the night. He opened his eyes, looking at Warriors who was smiling fondly at the sight.

“Thanks for helping me” Time whispered sincerely, making Warriors smile even more.

“It was nothing. I don’t like seeing him or any of the others having a bad time either” he answered, and Time could have sworn that the Captain’s cheeks and ears were getting a bit red.

“I know that. You are very caring towards those close to you. But I still wanted to thank you. I don’t know how I would have managed everything had it not been for you” Time commented, lowering his gaze.

“Time, I know many in this group see you as our leader. I myself consider you to be our leader as well. However, I also want you to know that, while I respect you and your judgement a lot, you don’t have to be responsible for everyone and everything that happens, at least not on your own” the Captain said and Time looked at him once again. “All the members of this group are heroes, ones who have fought and defeated incredibly strong monsters mostly on their own. We are all capable of taking care of ourselves and I’m sure we can do it if the situation ever calls for it” he gestured to the sleeping Champion in Time’s arms. “Do you think this is the first time he has been sick while being on an adventure?” he asked suddenly.

“No, probably not” Time said. He was almost completely sure that Wild had been sick during his journey. In fact, all the other heroes had probably been sick at some point in their quests too. He had been while on his own.

“And how do you think that went? Wild is a survivalist. He is aware of his limits and I’m pretty sure that, if a similar situation to this one ever presented itself while he was alone, he surely was able to overcome it and continue on his own” Warriors continued.

And wasn’t that the whole thing with being a hero? You had problems to solve and some people to help, but in the end, you were mostly on your own. It hurt him to think about the idea of any of his boys being sick, alone, while travelling to stop whatever evil was causing problems at the time. He really wished he could have avoided that, but alas, nothing could be done. It was the path and life of the hero as much as he despised it.

“However,” Warriors interrupted his train of thought, “that doesn’t mean he or any of us have to go through something like this alone ever again. We have each other now and we can help when one of us is injured or sick. Would he have been able to take care of himself? Absolutely. Does he have to do it on his own? No, and that’s why I’m telling you all of this. If Wild, or any of us, doesn’t have to do everything by himself, then you don’t have to bear all the responsibility on your own. You can count on me and on Twi or Sky. Even Legend and Four are more mature and responsible than they seem. Wild, Wind and Hyrule can look a bit more childish, but you and I both know that they are more than capable of taking things seriously and helping out at any time” Warriors sighed, brushing his free hand through his hair. “My point is that we are here for each other, and that includes being here for you as well. Don’t feel bad for asking me to help with something because I’m more than willing to assist you, whether that be in battle or with anything else” he concluded, looking directly into Time’s eye.

“It has been a while since you last spoke to me like that” Time chuckled, looking back at Warriors with a small smile. “I’m really grateful to have met all of you” he said. “And I’m also really grateful to have my old big brother back” he commented, making Warriors chuckle. “I will be sure to let you or any of the others know whenever I need help with anything. I know you are all incredible heroes, but I can’t help getting worried over all of you. You boys are quite the bunch” he smiled, sending a grateful smile to Warriors.

“Then that’s a promise and you have to keep it” Warriors commented, his usual playful tone almost back. “I expect you to ask for help more often from now on when you feel too pressured” he said seriously.

“Yes, Captain” Time answered, a playful glint in his eye, one which Warriors knew very well.

It seemed like their little banter had been louder than they thought and, suddenly, Wild mumbled something, startling the other two.

“Go back to sleep, Wild. There are still a few hours until sunrise” Warriors said, carefully tucking the blanket around the Champion again. With that and a gentle squeeze from Time, the hero of the Wild was asleep once again, content with the warmth he was receiving from the blanket, the fire and his two older brothers.

It would be a long night, that was for sure, but Warriors and Time were more than ready to help Wild again in case he needed it. As the night progressed, the Captain and the Old Man shared a comfortable silence while watching over their sick brother, hoping that the day to come would be better.

Legend woke up to the sun literally shining on his face. He supressed a groan, knowing that the others would still be asleep. He had always been one of the heroes who woke up the earliest. As he lied in his bedroll, a thought appeared in his mind. Why had no one woken him up yet? If the sun was out and shining, it must be quite late. It was true that some days they would sleep just for a bit longer because they needed some more rest, but usually whoever was on watch would have woken them up by now.

Sighing, he opened his eyes and looked around. The rest of the heroes seemed to be on their bedrolls but, as he saw the bedroll by his side, now occupied by a sleeping Wind, he suddenly remembered. He should have had third watch. Why wasn’t he awaken for his watch?

With that thought in mind, he sat up and looked around camp in alarm. Had some monsters attacked Time? Had something else happened and they weren’t aware of it?

As he looked around, he could see that most of the heroes were still sleeping, seemingly not noticing how late it actually was. Even Twilight, who was used to wake up very early, was fast asleep. The only ones missing were Warriors, Time and Wild. He could understand that Time supposedly was on watch and Wild was sleeping near the fire, but why was Warriors missing, too? The more time he spent looking around, the more questions that appeared. With this thought in mind, he decided to get up and go to the fire, which, by the looks of it, was still burning strongly.

Many emotions swirled inside Legend at the moment. First of all, he was confused. He didn’t know why no one had woken him up for his watch or why everyone else was still asleep. Then, he was also scared, since he wasn’t sure of what had happened and feared the worst. He was also worried, especially because he had heard nothing in his sleep. He was angry as well, because why had Time not woken him up.

As he approached their little fire, he finally saw that the three remaining heroes were there, and all those emotions were overpowered by anger. Those idiots had worried him and now he was going to scold them. However, his words died on his tongue as he finally got a good look on the other three.

Warriors had Wild practically on top of his lap. He seemed to be hugging him and keeping him from falling down, but it was hard to tell due to all the blankets they had piled on top of them. Time was on Wild’s other’s side, keeping an arm around the Captain’s shoulder with Wild in between both of them. Strangely enough, Time had a towel in his other hand. What shocked Legend was how utterly exhausted all three of them looked. Warriors was resting his head on top of Wild’s, who had his face almost hidden in the Captain’s shoulder. Time was leaning against the duo with this head also resting against Warriors’. It was quite the sight and it would have been kind of cute if they didn’t have such dark bags under their eyes. Out of the three, the only one who seemed fully asleep was Wild, which was not surprising considering the fact that he was sick. Warriors had his eyes closed, but the Veteran could tell that he was not sleeping, barely resting his eyes. Time, on the contrary, had his eye open, keeping watch over all of them.

“What in Hylia’s name happened?” Legend whispere, sounding more worried than angry.

“We had a rough night” was all Time said in response. Noting that his answer wasn’t enough for the pink-haired hero, Time cleared his throat and sat up completely. “Wild’s fever got a bit dangerous last night. The Captain and I had to keep an eye on him since it got quite high a few times during the night” he explained. He could see Legend looking at him, then at Wild and Warriors, and then at him again.

“What? What do you mean it got dangerous?” Legend asked once again.

“It was messing with his dreams and he got a bit stressed out, which made his fever rise even more. Time and I had to calm him down, so we didn’t get to sleep too much” Warriors answered, startling Legend. He still had his eyes closed, but Legend could see how he hugged Wild closer as he spoke.

“Why didn’t you wake me up? Or any of the others? We would have helped you. I was supposed to have watch last night, too” Legend scolded, his eyes still not leaving the pair.

“It was very late and with Warriors helping me, there was no need for anyone else to be losing sleep. We had it under control, don’t worry” Time explained, but Legend was having none of it.

“But you could have woken one of us. That way, you could have rested a bit more” he insisted.

“Legend, we wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing about Wild’s condition. It wouldn’t have mattered if one of you had been with him. Neither Time nor I would have fallen asleep last night. That’s why we decided to let you all sleep. There is no point in having four or five of us worrying over the Champion and not resting” Warriors explained again.

“I get it, but-“ he tried to continue but was interrupted by Time.

“Veteran, please, let it go. It has been a long night for us and the last thing I want to do now is argue with you” Time spoke with so much tiredness lacing his words that all Legend could do was sigh.

“Okay, we’ll leave this conversation for later but don’t think I will forget about it. I know it’s a bit late, but you should try to sleep while you can before the others wake up. There will be no way of shutting those idiots up when they are awake” the Veteran joked lightly. He hated seeing three of his idiots looking so exhausted.

“Thank you” Time smiled. “See, now you can have your watch” he teased.

“Shut up and go to sleep, Old Man” Legend answered, going to sit in the log in front of the other. Before he sat down, he picked one of the blankets that was on Wild’s bedroll (wait, why were they so far from Wild’s bedroll?) and covered Time with it, who just smiled.

“You’re going soft, Veteran” Warriors said with a tired smile.

“You shut up as well. Go to sleep or you’ll miss your beauty sleep” he flicked Warriors in the forehead, seeing as the Captain pouted in fake anger. “I’ll try to keep the others from waking you” he said, and with that, Warriors and Time were out.

When Warriors woke up, the first thing he noticed was that Wild was still sleeping on top of him. This was quite relieving considering the events of last night. He and Time had thought that, after the initial shock Wild had gone through, the rest of the night would be more uneventful since his fever had seemingly lowered by itself after the Champion had calmed down. It seemed that they wouldn’t be that lucky, since Wild’s fever rose three more times during the night. Thankfully, he didn’t panic after that first time, but the poor Champion had been very uncomfortable and the only thing he and Time could do was stay close to him because that seemed to calm him down.

They had ended up forgetting about waking Legend up for his watch and, when they had noticed, there had been no point in waking him when they had an hour at most until sunrise. He had tried to make Time sleep for a bit, especially after Wild’s fever lowered, but the older hero refused to rest. It had been a long night but, by the looks of things, the Champion was finally resting and his fever had not reached a dangerously high temperature since they last managed to lower it.

As he became more aware of his surroundings, he could hear the others talking softly around them, clearly not wanting to wake them up but being too curious and worried about their cook. The Captain opened his eyes and saw the other heroes sitting around the fire, all stopping their conversations when they saw him awake. He felt bad for laughing at them, but the look in their faces was just too much.

“Stop laughing, you idiot” Legend was the first to speak, only making Warriors laugh more. He tried to contain himself, not wanting to wake the Champion.

“Sorry” he apologized with a light chuckle, “how late is it? You must have let us sleep for a while” he asked Legend directly as he adjusted his grip on Wild.

“Just past noon. The Old Man woke up a while ago and is now checking the perimeter with Twilight” Sky answered and now Warriors felt a bit bad for laughing because he could see how worried the Skyloftian was. Warriors nodded.

“How is he? Time and Legend told us what happened, but we didn’t want to wake any of you up” Four asked, also looking clearly concerned.

“Compared to last night, he seems to be doing a lot better” Warriors explained. “His fever got pretty nasty and Time and I had to help him out a couple of times” The other heroes nodded at his words, looking at Wild who was unaware of the conversation going on around him.

“Can I check on him? I didn’t want to disturb you before” Hyrule asked. That was quite considerate of him, since Warriors always had always been a very light sleeper.

“Sure. I’m sorry we didn’t woke you up last night. Time and I thought we had it under control, but he still got worse while we were with him” Warriors muttered when the Traveller kneeled beside him.

“Captain, as much as I would have preferred to be awake and taking care of him, a cold is not something that I can heal, nor is a fever. Those kind of illnesses have to run their course and can only be healed in the traditional way. Time has already talked to me and explained everything, so don’t feel guilty. You did everything that you could and took care of him, but fevers are unpredictable like that” he said, looking at Warriors in the eye.

For a moment, Warriors felt pride feeling his chest at how much Hyrule had seemed to grow during their time together. At first, he wouldn’t even look at him when talking, too intimidated by his achievements in the army. Now, all he could see was the honesty of a brother who wanted the best for both Wild and him.

“Okay, I’ll think of it that way” Warriors smiled fondly and he would have ruffled Hyrule’s messy curls if his arms hadn’t been holding Wild up.

The Traveller smiled back and started checking Wild. He listened to his breathing and checked his pulse and temperature, giving a satisfied sigh.

“The fever is still there, but it’s very low. Seems like resting is helping him a lot” Hyrule explained, making the other heroes relax.

“Have you guys been awake for long? Have you eaten breakfast?” Warriors asked. Even after sleeping for some hours he still felt a bit groggy.

“We ate some fruit for breakfast. Time actually woke up to eat breakfast with us” Wind said, sitting beside Warriors now that he was awake.

“Let me get you some apples. You must be hungry since it’s a bit late anyways” Four said, trotting away to get some food for the Captain.

Before Warriors could say anything, he felt Wild shifting and moving. He shouldn’t be surprised since the younger hero was always quite easy to wake up and it seemed like being sick hadn’t changed that.

“Wars?” he asked groggily, barely opening his eyes.

“I’m here, Champion” he answered, giving Wild a light squeeze to which Wild responded by hugging him back a little more tightly.

“Wild, are you awake?” Wind asked softly while the other heroes waited for an answer.

“Wind?” and that made Wild open his eyes and look around.

As he noticed the others looking at him with poorly hidden concern, Wild gave them a tired smile.

“Good morning” he said. His voice sounded a bit rough and he still looked a bit pale, but at least he was smiling and awake, which made the others incredibly happy.

“Wild, how are you feeling?” Hyrule asked, kneeling beside him once again as Warriors put him on the ground by his side, taking him down from his lap in order to wrap the blankets around him again. Once he finished, he wrapped an arm around the Champion, still not confident to let him sit straight on his own.

“I’m feeling a lot better. My throat is a bit sore and I’m a bit cold, but I’m not feeling so dizzy anymore” he answered Hyrule’s question trying not to worry the others again.

“That’s great then. You seem to be recovering but you have to let your body rest and get better with time. Legend, can you please make some tea for him?” Hyrule asked, using his puppy eyes and knowing fully well that Legend wouldn’t be able to say no to him.

“On it. I’ll add some honey for your throat too” Legend said, following Hyrule’s petition with surprising willingness. He must have been quite worried if he wasn’t putting his usual front up.

“I’m going to take a walk or something. My legs are asleep after having you on top of me, Champion” Warriors teased lightly, ruffling Wild’s hair as he got up.

“Oh, that’s right! I fell asleep on you!” Wild suddenly realized.

“And that’s fine. You also fell asleep on top of Time last night. It’s no big deal. I’m just going to walk around camp and see if I can find the Old Man and the Rancher. I’m sure they will be happy to know you are finally awake” he explained as he got one of the apples that Four had brought back and had been forgotten when he had noticed Wild moving. “Besides, I don’t think you’ll feel lonely while I’m gone” he chuckled.

Which, to be fair, was true. Wind had attached himself to Wild the moment Warriors had got up while Sky had taken the cook’s other side. With both sides occupied, Hyrule had decided to sit in front of him, leaving a space that would surely be filled by Legend when he returned with the tea, while Four sat beside Wind. It seemed like all of them would like to be close to Wild after knowing what had happened during the night.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll make sure he gets all the cuddles he wants” Sky chirped happily, giving Wild a quick one-arm hug and getting some giggles in return.

“And I will obviously support the cause as well” Wind joined in, wrapping his arms around Wild’s torso as well.

“You can be assured that he will be supervised” Hyrule said.

“Oh, ‘Rule, you aren’t the best for saying that” Four snickered, making the Traveller blush.

“Go and take your walk, pretty boy. We’ll stay here with him” Legend returned with the tea in his hands, ready to make a cup for Wild. He seemed more like himself now that Wild was awake and talking with the others and that relieved the Captain immensely.

“I’ll come back soon. Be careful and don’t set anything on fire” he said as he walked away, hearing some protests from Hyrule and Wild.

When Twilight had heard from Warriors that Wild was awake and feeling better, he couldn’t have been happier. After talking with Time about what had happened the previous night, he knew that Wild must have been feeling quite bad for the Old Man to be so concerned and even scared. Logically, he knew that it was just a cold, but that didn’t mean things couldn’t take a turn for the worse.

After making sure that no monsters were around their camp, they made their way back to the clearing where they could hear the other heroes talking and laughing. To be fair, the scene they encountered was quite funny.

Legend had a cup on his hands, likely being a cup of tea he had prepared for Wild, and was discussing with Wind about how much honey they should add. It was weird enough hearing Wind, the youngest of them, and Legend, grumpy and almost stoic sometimes, giving what they considered to be reasonable arguments as to why it was better to add more or less honey to the tea. To add to the situation, Four was interfering here and there, obviously only speaking to cause them to argue even more and increase the amusement of the other heroes, who were just laughing at how passionate both Wind and Legend were about honey in tea.

“Seems like you’re having fun here” Twilight said as he approached Wild, who was now leaning against Sky.

“Twi!” Wild said, noticing that his mentor had finally returned. He gestured to his left side, which had been left empty by Wind once he started arguing with Legend, urging him to sit by his side.

Twilight didn’t waste a second, plopping beside the Champion and giving him a quick hug.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Cub” he mumbled, hugging the younger hero tighter before letting him go.

“Me too” Wild teased, ducking his head when his mentor ruffled his hair.

“How did those two start arguing?” Warriors asked as he and Time sat in front of them.

“Wild made the mistake of saying he didn’t care about how sweet his tea should be and it seems that the Veteran and the Sailor have quite different opinions about it” Sky explained, chuckling as the other two continued with their bickering.

“We should stop them” said Time, a glint of mischief shining in his eye despite his words.

“We should indeed” Warriors continued. No one made a move to stop them. It was way to entertaining to stop it and it would be interesting to see who ran out of arguments first.

Wild smiled, not really minding that he wouldn’t be drinking his tea any soon. As he shifted closer to Twilight and Sky, he sighed, knowing fully well that he still had a couple of days to go until he felt completely well. But that was okay with him. After all he had eight wonderful brothers to look after him.