Work Text:
Lyric sat by the fire, Koholint nearby on his bedroll. He tossed and turned, but the usually soothing crackling of the fire did nothing to help.
So it was one of those nights.
"Do you believe in love?" Lyric blurted out.
Koholint grumbled. "You talkin' to me?" He murmured from his mat, sitting up. He pulled at the leather strip he bound to his wrist weakly and watched it untie. He gathered his hair into its usual ponytail and rubbed at his eyes.
Lyric usually would have chuckled at this, saying something along the lines of "Well of course, silly!" and ruffling his hair almost motherly, just as his wife would have. He usually would have rubbed the back of his neck joyfully and smiled, sun-kissed and wind-roughed skin almost glowing in the light of the miniature inferno before them.
He did no such thing.
Lyric sighed and looked at his hands. He had been picking at the skin on his thumbs again, starting at the cuticles and leaving them bloodied and rough. "Not infatuation or crushes or any of that, but real love. Real, unbound love. Do you believe in that?"
Koholint sat there, hands in his crossed legs, pondering the question. "Whatever brought this up, Lyric?" He asked curiously. This was not normal behavior for the Skyward Hero. Even he, who kept his head forward to the point of appearing uptight to his fellow adventurers, knew that.
Flaming red hair in the sea-salted wind. The swish of a dress, blue as the oceanic vastness before them.
Lyric wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. He had been crying. "Please, Koho, just answer the question." He nibbled at his bloodied thumbs as if to keep himself from crying again. It clearly wasn't working; he pressed his leather-clad palms into his eyes and bit his lower lip.
Koholint moved closer to Lyric and began rubbing his back. He took a deep breath and thought about how he would answer.
Truthfully, he was unsure. There was always that ache in his chest, that yearning for his own beloved. To hold, to kiss, to whisper compliments that faded into sweet nothings as they both fell asleep peacefully next to each other. Someone to give his dresses to, ones he had liked but had grown uncomfortable with as he came to know himself. Someone that belonged to him, willingly, happily, even.
Koholint had simply given up on his love life after… he refused to say. He did not date or court or marry, and that was that.
Tanned skin with its pale counterpart in ink splotches, a beautiful balance to his flat, sunburned complexion.
He sighed. "If I'm to be completely honest, Lyr, I believe only those favored by the Three are blessed with love. I-You're definitely one of them, I'm sure of it," he added hastily as Lyric sobbed. "You were the first of us! Of course they like you. We were made in your image, after all." He gave an apologetic smile. Of course he wasn't helping.
The fire crackled. Lyric said nothing.
Koho peeled Lyric's hands from his face. He held one in his own, rubbing the calloused skin under his thumbs. Despite his long-standing rejection of physical affection, this feeling wasn't foreign; it lingered in the back of his head, a distant, fuzzy memory simply being. He often thought of it similarly to how Elegy described his amnesia– he knew and was positively sure he had felt this before, but just couldn't remember how or when or where.
Lips brushing against his cheek, soft and plump. A feminine giggle to the left of him, a soft, lovely pressure in and around his hand as fingers intertwined with his own.
"Koho, what if she hates me? Has she ever liked me? What if I was just filler? A fucking fling?" Lyric sobbed and pulled his knees up to his chin. He gripped at his pant legs, a similar flowy texture to the sailcloth he donned on his adventure. It was the one thing keeping him going during the torturous journey and he knew it.
Koho bit back a "she literally married you" for Lyric's sake, opting instead for a hum and a hug. "It's okay, Lyr–"
"But what if it's not?!" Lyric cried hysterically. "What if I get back to my world and my Surface, and what if she's moved on?!" He buried his face in Koho's cloak, wetting his shoulder thoroughly with tears. "What if she doesn't love me anymore?"
"Link, you know I… you know I like you, right?"
A shudder, a breath, a note played, and she wasn't there. Her voice, heavenly and notable, gone; the beautiful flower she wore in her hair, missing; with a kiss and instruments played, her voice spread like a seagull's wings across the world. For everyone to hear, she said. Not for him, he knew.
"I-I'm not the person to talk to about this," Koho said truthfully. "You're tired and not thinking right. I'll take watch, you just rest."
Lyric heaved and gasped for air, like his lungs were being squeezed and stretched. His electric blue eyes filled with defense. He bared his teeth. "You want to replace me, too… You all hate me, don't you… You want me dead! All of you! I knew it!" He shot up and reached for his sword.
Koho tackled Lyric down. His short stature was capable of that much, if not reaching the weapon before his acquaintance's lanky but skilled self. Lyric tumbled with a grunt, kicking and pushing and hitting at Koho in an attempt to get him off. "You… All… Hate… Me!" He shouted, voice thick with tears.
"Lyr, we don't! Please listen! Here, what if I get Dusk or Nautilus? They'll know more than me–"
Koho was cut off by his head hitting the ground, arms pinned by Lyric. It wasn't the kind, comical Lyric that often looked after the group; his eyes brimmed with tears and hatred, ready to be released through force into Koho.
Pinned and laughing, he gazed into the eyes of his love. Her smile shone brighter than the hazy midday sun suspended above them, her eyes crinkling in the cute way they did when she was happy. Her gentle hands trailed his arms as she peppered kisses against his face and giggled. He played with her hair, long and free, so unlike his own tight ponytail. The grass below him tickled his cheeks, but he couldn't care less.
He was in love with her, and her with him. They truly were smitten, ready and eager to live out their dreams with each other.
But all dreams must end.
Koholint cried out. He sobbed, tears caught in his throat, as his chest shuddered. Lyric's weight was lifted from his shaking body by a half-asleep and alarmed Nautilus. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay!" Koholint screamed to the sky, hoping a far-fetched hope that she would return. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry!" He rolled to his side and let the tears flow, hugging himself and wishing the space in his arms was her. His nose burned and his eyes flooded, but he let it happen. "I'm sorry, Love… I'm sorry I couldn't stay…"
Sunset, morphing into his shadowy wolf counterpart, nudged Koho with his muzzle. Koho latched on like a leech, letting himself be consumed by the copious amounts of thick fur. Lyric snuggled into the sailor's jacket of a slightly apprehensive-looking Nautilus, who held him in a tight hug, grim-faced and sorrowful. The seven other heroes remained asleep or watched silently as they pretended to be asleep.
And eventually, after the long, tear-filled night, they all fell asleep.
Koho woke on his bedroll to the scent of egg and a faint humming. Blinking and sitting up, the humming disappeared and he was left with the rest of them. Parallel, Picori, and Sap drew in the dirt with sticks, Nautilus and Genesis still sleeping. Elegy was at the revitalized fire, hair tied up messily and smiling as he cooked. Quad and Paladin were most likely patrolling the area, and Sunset probably hunting, teaching Tinker a thing or two.
Which left Lyric.
He was nearby, sitting alone and playing with rocks. "Mornin', sleepyhead," he called cheerfully to Koho.
Wasn't he just super mad at me last night? Koho thought as he made his way over, untying his rat's nest of a ponytail and pulling his fingers through the pinkish locks. "H-hey. How're you faring?" He asked, deciding that was an appropriate question to ask.
Lyric frowned. "Better," he replied after a beat. "I'm sorry about last night. I got… a bit aggressive, to say the least." He chuckled. "If you could forgive me, I would like to go back to where we were."
"I'm afraid that isn't happening, Lyr." Koho saw Lyric's shocked face and chuckled. "I feel we're stuck as… friends, I think."
Lyric smiled softly, eyes crinkling. There was a pang in Koho's chest. "I think I can accept that," Lyric said, looking down at his bandaged thumbs.
Koho held a rock in his hand. They sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the background noises; Sap or Painter laughing, Elegy yelping and stomping out a potential forest fire, Genesis’ snoring.
"I think you're favored by the Three as well, you know."
Koholint looked up from his rock. "What do you mean?"
"What you said last night," Lyric replied, absentmindedly examining stones. "How love only comes to those favored by the Three. I think you're one of them; you just have to open up your heart again."
Koho snorted. "Sure. Totally."
"I'm serious!" Lyric urged, laughing. "You might just need a little help with it."
Koho shrugged. "Maybe," he replied wistfully.
"Maybe," Lyric repeated.