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"The storm was terrible. Why, if we'd arrived any later, the emergency food supply would've been whisked away!"
Every time Revali retold the events of his week, he gesticulated his wings. It added drama to his already dramatic words. He swooped and swished them through the air, simulating how the wind had moved the Rito homes to and fro. The breeze they made blew on Link's face and gave him some relief from the summer heat, which was warm even as the sun was setting. It would've been pleasant, if not for the heavy sack of meat and produce he carried in his hands.
"Honestly, the weather up there is outrageous, I've never seen anything like it. Not even before the Calamity."
Link hummed in response when there was a small beat of silence. A short, little "hm", that was immediately followed by more accounts of the week prior. Link was used to it; it was very rare that his partner left room for reply in between his drawn out rambles. And that's all they were at the end of the day: rambling. A mish mash of retellings and thoughts dressed up nicely with big words and a proud tone. Saying rarely anything of great importance, merely being exaggerated recaps of the Rito's day, and whatever else was on his mind. They both knew it too well, but refused to say anything about it. Revali because he was too embarrassed, and Link because he loved it.
Link is a creature of nature, only recently tamed by the domesticity of living with another. He remembered always hating the silence of the huge, empty castle. He couldn't bring himself to say a word during those years, so the long, tense silences of his servitude went unfilled. The Hylian was much more used to the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, and the rushing of nearby water. Which he could not hear over Revali's second rant in the past hour. But once again, he didn't mind. Because at some point, he'd found himself loving the sound of Revali's voice like he loved the sound of falling rain, or the whistle of the wind. Every word sounding sweet like honey and baked apples, even if he was just cursing whoever had crossed him that week.
It didn't matter what Revali said at the end of the day. The sound of his voice was enough, always chattering off in the background as he happily carried out his tasks.
They carried down a long trail that brought them from a low field to a lush forest. It'd only take them a little bit before they reached their home at the heart of it. Hopefully before the sun was completely gone. Their evening was used up getting more food for the house, hunting the wild boar and blowing apples from trees. The spoils were abundant, and Link had to carry them all (Revali reasoned that since he did most of the hunting, it was only fair).
The peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by a sudden itch on his face. He made a small grimace at the discomfort that lay right on his forehead, the source of the irritation. He'd opted to pull the hair out of his face during the sticky summer, with a simple leather band. But a stray piece of blond hair always found its way out of the hold, and now it laid plastered on his forehead, tickling him.
He scrunched his face at the feeling, which just made the hair rub his skin more. But it was all he could do with his hands so full.
Suddenly, he felt soft feathers on his forehead, as Revali plucked the strand and tucked it back in place on his head with practiced ease. With barely a pause in his long winded rant. When Link looked over in surprise, the Rito was already looking forward again, chattering on as if he never stopped.
Link had no idea when Revali had even looked over at him, let alone noticed his discomfort (even though he'd graduated to making more expressive facial expressions, they were still extremely subtle). But the surprise was quickly replaced with gratitude, and he smiled the rest of the way home. The decent sized cabin was just ahead of them, becoming more visible with each step.
They'd settled down way out west, south of Tabantha and north of Gerudo Desert and the Colosseum. There, the ground was lush and green, and the land was filled with rocky cliffs that had snow at their peaks, and full forests filled with apple trees. Not too cold so that Link didn't freeze, not too hot so that Revali wouldn't boil. It was just right.
Moving in with Revali meant that he had to move out of the house he already owned. And selling it would've been painless (lucrative even), if Hateno Village hadn't become the closest thing Link had to a community. The people there gave him a sense of support while still respecting his solitary nature, and the slow pace of their lives gave him needed peace while he was trying to literally save the world. They gave him food, supplies, comfort, and nice looking clothing. He owed a lot to them. He sometimes didn't feel he deserved their kindness.
His neighbors expressed their sadness about him leaving (he didn't tear up, he swears), but after heartfelt promises to visit, it wasn't too bad, and he left. It wouldn't be the first time his life was completely uprooted anyway. Also, the house itself was just a rest stop in between missions for him. He would miss it, but he was leaving it to build his home.
It helped that Hateno wasn't actually his hometown, and he had no childhood memories of growing up anywhere. Not like his partner did.
Unlike him, Revali had his village, a home that he grew up in, that raised him. Not to mention a people that looked up to him as a protector and a teacher. While Link always felt like a visitor in Hateno, Revali's mere existence was ingrained into Rito Village. And Ritos were a communal people, who lived in close knit communities. They didn't live out in the woods, miles away from the nearest person. Link had a hard time accepting the change, mostly because he felt as if he was stripping his love from the place he belonged.
He'd expressed this in the late nights before they moved in, smushed into an all too cramped hammock in Revali's home in the village. Their stuff filled every space inside, awkwardly placed together. Revali's was obviously more neat and put together, while Link had trinkets and gemstones and swords all over the place. He'd just never found a good spot for his things. It was an alarming indication that Link couldn't just integrate smoothly into the village, and of their eventual, much needed move. It was becoming too cramped and chaotic, and he didn't even live there.
Link was the same almost every night leading up to Revali's departure: tucked into the other's side, whispering his worries into the night, so quietly that he could barely hear himself, in a rare moment where he let his anxieties overtake him. Worries that it was too selfish to ask Revali to leave his home, that he wouldn't be okay in the isolation.
"Well technically, it wouldn't be isolation if you're there, would it?" Revali cheekily replied. He simply chuckled as Link beat at his torso with his fists. The movement made the Hylian's head shake, as it was laying right next to the Rito's heart. Revali had gone from being completely incapable of being vulnerable, to making jokes to lesson his fear during a serious conversation. And while Link was more than proud of him, he was also greatly irritated by it. He always had to be smug or add humor on the rare occasion that Link was trying to be serous, and he couldn't stand it.
Even if they could properly communicate now, it was still annoying.
Once his laughter subsided, Revali suddenly looked thoughtful. Emerald eyes dulling slightly, and beak titling upward into the air; it was clear that he was really thinking about his next words. He stared up at the sky above as he spoke.
"Rito Village will always be my home, that I'm sure of. As long as I'm a Rito, I'll never be disconnected from it, no matter how far I go." He said confidently. "But," he let out a long, tired sigh, "this village has outgrown me, and I've made peace with that. Because I've outgrown it as well." It was a very simple answer that spoke of a long and complex history, filled with rejection, death, rebirth, and all the conflicting things that came with that. Link felt nothing but sympathy. He always knew that Revali had a hard time adjusting into the village after him and the other champions were resurrected. New buildings, new people, new faces, everything the same as he left it but so completely different at the same time. It didn't help that he never got proper closure with the parts that were lost, to the Calamity and time. It was no wonder that he struggled to find his place back in.
But then again, it never felt like he had much of a place there in the first place. His words were as true as they were bittersweet; he had outgrown Rito Village. He'd outgrown the constant desire to be accepted and respected by it and its people. He'd grown up, and was no longer the fledgling that had so much to prove to Rito who were now long deceased.
"I'm ready to move on, and build another one just as meaningful."
The look on his face was as peaceful as it was pained and aged. It was acceptance. An acceptance of the pain and past hurt, and readiness for the adjustments that came with picking up the pieces. It was losing the fight to reclaim what was lost, letting the things he'd been chasing for ages finally slip away. It was building a new future with what life had to offer him. Offer them both.
Letting go had hurt him deeply. But the calm that came from its end made it all worth it, made a future after and without the chase become a reality. Made room for hope.
And hope was moving away, letting go of past demons, letting go of his legacy, aging, growing old and weary. And following Link, wherever his wild heart went. The light stroke of fingers on his back, comforting him in devoted silence, solidified that fact.
"Besides, when have I ever done anything I didn't want to do?" He said smugly, beak almost lying flat against his chest to look down at the Hylian in his arms.
Link smirked, when you had to work under me.
Revali threw his head back, letting out a groan that said his frustration for him. He threw his wings up in exasperation, and they laid tired over the side of the hammock. "Fine," he drawled out, "when have I ever done anything I didn't want to do that wasn't for the sake of the world." It was Link's turn to chuckle then, soft laughter being muffled by navy blue feathers.
He lifted himself up from them to throw the other a look of pure fondness, that crinkled the sides of his eyes, made them sparkle in the moonlight, and made his rare dimples show.
Never. Never in life. He simply answered. Because it was the truth; his love was an unmovable force in more ways than one. And it's what he adored about him.
Revali wrapped his arms around him once again and held him tight, smug and satisfied with his answer. "Damn right." he said, muffling more laughter.
~
That late night conversation spoke of the ease they'd face in their new adjustment, as it became a routine that they both eased into in no time. Revali was right about him leaving, and seemed to be perfectly content to only return a few times a month. "To make sure the troops won't grow soft without him there". His words, not Link's.
It became a lovely domestic routine, as routine as two legends retiring could be. Every month, Revali would leave for Rito Village, and Link would spend his solitude hunting and exploring, or killing monsters on the off chance that he'd see one. Even though their hearts would grow fonder for the other, they both long ago admitted that the small respites of space were needed. It was only expected that such independent spirits couldn't be attached at the hip without some discomfort. Then Revali would come back, and they'd hunt, fish, stay in, or forage. As they did now, walking back to their home with food for the rest of the week.
"The new recruit is finally coming along. I can finally sleep peacefully knowing he'll be sufficient. Someday." He said tiredly, finally wrapping up his train of thought, which proved to take twenty minutes. He let out a long sigh, immediately feeling fulfilled and relieved to get it all off his feathers. It felt even better knowing that someone had actually listened and cared. He didn't even have to look to his left to know that Link was paying attention.
When he did, he saw the Hylian looking forward with an easy look to his face, a small smile adorning his tanned cheeks.
The Hylian's care and attentiveness made him wonder sometimes how he could've ever thought he had to fight for Link's attention, that Link wasn't always acutely aware of his presence.
He was a fool for never recognizing his caring nature. Link understood his need to talk, to get every thought and moment and feeling into the air, so he listened. And as gratitude, Revali talked and talked, because he also knew how much silence irritated his other half. He knew that once upon a time, just as he feared his existence would be forgotten if he didn't constantly make noise of himself, the other had been slowly suffocated by the oppressive silence of the kingdom.
If he was a lovesick sap, he'd say they were made for each other. But he wasn't, so he kept the thought to himself, even if it made his feathers rise a little.
Before they both knew it, they were at the front door of their cabin. They were home. They'd made it just before nightfall, and the sky was still a saturated orange. The purple shadows the light cast made the worn wood of the cabin almost look blue. As the sky darkened, the lights inside began to glow through the windows.
Revali wasted no time to rush to the front door, all the sudden in a hurry to get inside. He didn't however forget to leave the door open wide for Link before bustling in. The Hylian gave his silent gratitude, as he was finally buckling under the weight of the sack in his hands.
He laid it down with a thud on their dining table, which was also the living room table, and basically separated the living room from the kitchen. He then took a seat at it, the exhaustion of the day slowly seeping into his bones. Revali was flittering through the space, pulling out pots and pans, rummaging through their large cabinets, and setting water to boil. All while muttering to himself under his breath. Link closed his eyes, and just listened to his mumbling and the sound of his talons scraping the floor.
"I think I want something on the spicier side tonight", Revali suddenly said, "how does spicy risotto sound?" He'd already began grabbing some of the food in the sack, taking meat, mushrooms, and rice and placing them with the things he'd taken from the shelves.
Link opened his eyes to throw him a confused look. He signed, I thought I was cooking tonight? As he did almost every night.
Revali dismissed him with a wave of his wing as he continued to dig through the cabinets, seemingly searching for something.
"Oh hush, let me take care of it. You carried all the supplies back to the cabin, It's only fair." He said with a playful lilt to his already singsong voice. Then he said a little victorious "aha!" as he fished out a vial of Goron spice from the cabinet.
He was charming as he was considerate, Link thought, unable to stop those warm feelings to bloom in his chest from the small act of kindness. It's hard not to when he had a partner that was constantly looking out for him, paying attention to him even when he was preoccupied. Revali just gets him, as Link gets him in return.
If he was being honest, he'd say that they were made for each other. He was too drowsy to be mushy though, so he opted to close his eyes again, smiling softly as his love prepared them dinner, and a delicious, spicy aroma filled the air.