Chapter Text
There is a portal blocking his front door.
Not a portal he’s used to seeing (what a strange thing to be accustomed with), although it’s definitely born from dark magic. And dark magic means something evil, 9 times out of 10. And something evil means a quest, 10 times out of 10.
Link was tidying the house. He was pretending to, at least. Constantly unpacking everything in the basement then reorganising it into categories only marginally different than before counts as cleaning, right?
It’s days like these where Link envies his housemate. Despite despising them with his beaten down heart, Link oftentimes finds himself craving an adventure or a quest. He does not know how to live in moments of calm anymore, and he cannot wish kingdom-destroying apoloclypses upon Hyrule whenever he finds himself without something to do. He polishes his stainless weapons, refolds his unworn clothes, and quality-checks his unused items. It’s funny how often he’s in the house now, when he’s used to being away from it for weeks or even months at a time. He’d always come back to Ravio, who’d be waiting for him with new items and a smart-assed quip. Those were Link’s favourite days, the days he came home to see Ravio.
But now that Link finds himself short of a job, all he has for his time is housekeeping. Princess Zelda bestowed him with the privilege of having all his needs and necesesities delivered to his home with not a rupee’s charge (not that he’s short on money after his countless quests), and no one in any town or city across the kingdom will accept him as an employee (“we couldn’t possibly make you work, Link! After all you’ve done for us, you deserve an easy life…”). As wonderful as an easy life is, Link finds himself with absolutely nothing to do with it.
Ravio is more busy than the fate-bound hero these days. As a travelling merchant he’s often off, well, traversing the land- only coming back to restock and show Link what fascinating new item he’d traded for. Link would always listen with a raptness hidden by his grumpy persona (because Hylia forbid Ravio saw his true emotions. Hylia forbid he knew the hero cared for him. Forbid he ever sees Link as unwanted and clingy), hanging off each of Ravio’s rambled, distracted words to try and savour his presence before he leaves again. Even if he’s tired and dead on his feet, he forces his ears open in fear he’ll regret never having listened whilst he had the chance. It feels like every time Ravio leaves the house, the time between when Link next gets to see him is longer. Like Ravio is slowly leaving him for good, drawing it out painfully.
So he’s stuck at home, with nothing to do, ‘housekeeping’. He should probably be in bed- there’s been a queazy feeling bubbling in his stomach that’s only worsened as the day progresses- but the idea is dreadful. Pretending not to be doing nothing is still better than actually doing nothing at all. Link will lose his mind one day. How normal people manage to have normal lives and enjoy free, normal time both completely baffles Link and fills him with envy.
The bad feeling is getting worse. It’s accompanied by a sense of dread- his hero instincts honed to detect the slightlest hint of something Not Being Right. Link is horrified of the idea, of another adventure Hylia wants to throw at him, but he finds himself excited still. Although a quest means days of near death, away from all the people that care for him (the two people that care for him. The princess that is bound to him against her choice, and the merchant who lives with him out of convenience and pity) he’ll have something to do. A meaning.
When Link opens his front door he is greeted with a gateway of dark swirling abyss that he can only assume a hell is on the other side of.
Link looks at the ominous sight with a blank stare of indifference for a few moments, before he sighs. He knows a portal when he sees one. Although these things aren’t exactly an every day occurrence, even for him, Link has become so desensitised to any and all abnormalities he can’t find himself to feel any significant emotion towards the portal in front of him at all.
The queazy feeling in his stomach warps into a tug towards it. Definitely a portal for him then, not that Hylia’s known for her subtlety. Link huffs again. He’s probably on a timer to get through there. Turning back inside in a half-rush he collects his perfectly kept kit for adventure- completely packed and prepared as if he knew this would happen, that he’d never get his rest- and wanders aimlessly around the house, trying to ignore the tugging feeling, trying to think of anything he may have forgotten.
Link’s eyes wander distractedly across his once-cluttered living room, now cleaned and organised to perfection several times over. There’s a spot on one of the tables that dips, worn down by small claws repeatedly landing and making its home there. After a year living together, Sheerow still hasn’t opened up to Link. Sure, the bird-thing seems to deem Link the most trustworthy person second to Ravio, but no one beats the merchant. Link doesn’t entirely blame him. Who wouldn’t want to get to hover around Ravio all day and perch on his shoulder and tuck themselves into his hood?
Link clicks his jaw irritatedly. Stupid thoughts- can’t be having them now, of all times, when he’s just readying to leave. He’s been thinking about Ravio more and more frequently as of late. It makes sense- with the merchant being one of the most important people in his life by default. Link doubts it’s mutual. He’s seen how Ravio acts with other people. Even with strangers he’s aimiable and open; no wonder he spends so little time at the house, when Link is here moping all the time. Who would, when he gets to spend his time better in the company of lively people who do not fall into pits of depression when their lives aren’t on the line?
Will Ravio even miss him? Will he know he ever left? The feeling in his gut tugs strong enough to make Link stumble- it’s growing impatient. That was a warning, clearly, the hero’s running out of time.
Link needs to stop being so pessimistic. Link may not mean as much to Ravio as Ravio does to Link, but he must care at least a little? Besides- it’s good courtesy to warn your housemate you’ll be leaving for what he presumes is a good while, right? Link settles with that.
Link definely cannot wait for Ravio’s return. He doubts he’ll even make it to the end of the day before some force drags him into the portal kicking and screaming. How can he let Ravio know? He can’t find him- what about when he gets back? A note?
Link sets out across the house to find a paper and pen, one of the advantages of constantly reorganising the house being he knows exactly where everything is. Link was never taught how to write when he was young- very few people were- so he had to teach himself when it became obvious it was a skill he’d rather have than not. He can’t remember when he did, it must have been some way into one of his quests, and he knows he had to reteach himself a few times, but when he picks up his pen he’s fortunate enough not to be completely stumped as to how to write.
He shouldn’t put too much thought into this. This should look like a low-effort after-thought. He does not care about Ravio- not as much as the merchant does- and so it will be short and quick and rushed. And yet, Link cannot quite bring himself to be sloppy. His already unsteady handwriting is written slowly, carefully with intent. He tells himself it’s because Ravio needs to be able to read what he’s written. He knows that’s a lie.
Frustrated with himself for his sentiment, he makes sure his note only reads as a brief ‘New quest suddenly came up. Don’t steal my shit’. That sounds in character for him, right? It’s not too sentimental. What if Ravio reads it too harshly?
Another tug that almost makes Link crumple to the floor like a spineless puppet tells him he doesn’t have time to mull it over any longer. He grabs his bag muttering under his breath to the goddess, knowing that if she even was gracing him with her ear, she would not care for his defiant mumblings. Perhaps she knows how much Link is lying when he says how much he hates quests. Perhaps she knows how much he’s lying when he says he doesn’t care about Ravio at all.
Still, an elation, a ‘finally’ sings in his bones when he steps out of his house, closing the door behind him with what limited space he has between it and the portal. Thank goddess, about time you old hag
He steps through the portal with the confidence of a seasoned hero, well acquainted with inter-dimensional portals, who isn’t quite himself without worlds-threatening danger.
***
It’s an odd quest, this one, and Link knew it would be odd as soon as he came out the other side of the portal not by himself, no even to a horde of monsters, but to the faces of other fully equipped, slightly confused on-guard people he would later learn to be the other heroes of Hyrule.
Although he’s learnt that Hyrule’s magical senses are far more acute than his (he has his suspicions as to why that is, but he isn’t a snitch, thank you) he could still tell immediately something was different about half of them. The magic that came off of some of them was so potent, so different to what he’s ever encountered, and he had been one of the first to clock who these people were and, furthermore, why they were gathered.
Despite the sometimes drastic differences between them, they all click together, working like the gears of one, well oiled machine. Their fighting habits all adapt swiftly to fighting in a group, in their group, and friendships are quickly forged to a strength that would rival the master sword herself.
Link- no, Legend, now- is comfortable like this. There’s constant danger, a vague end goal (he’d prefer it if it were less vague, though) and every week was, in a completely non-cliche way, entirely different to the last.
The battles were hard and life-threatening, but not to anyone else besides them. There were no massacres like Wild’s time, or drastic transformations to the land like Wind or Hyrule’s. The monsters generally followed them, perhaps appearing to a Hyrule a week or two before the chain, but then fucking off when the heroes dealt with them.
He’s fond of the lot of them, and although he denies it to within an inch of his life, he knows the rest of them know this, too. He enjoys his banter with Warriors, Wild’s complete disregard to any level of personal safety, Hyrule’s positive look on anything and everything, Wind’s energy and youthful exhilaration, Time’s surprisingly cryptic humour, Sky’s investments in everyone’s cultures, Four’s levelheaded reassurances that often hide his true nature(s?) and Twilight’s comical mother henning. Not that he’s attached, or anything.
All in all, it was perfect.
Apart from one thing. Ravio.
Goddesses Legend feels the humiliation reddening his cheeks at the thought alone.
It would all be perfect, if it weren’t for the fact that Ravio wasn’t here.
He’s caught himself awkwardly praying to the goddess to let him tag along, Ravio’s a hero, he’s a hero of Hyrule too, if you’re Loruleist or something. It’s not like Ravio not having a triforce of courage is the problem. Wild didn’t even know what the triforce is (was?)- that was a shock for the chain-, for example. And Sky has all of the triforce, apparently. Wind wasn’t even a chosen hero until he made the goddess choose him!
But obviously it wasn’t meant to be. Doesn’t stop Legend from continuously thinking about him, though. Unfortunately.
He can stop thinking about him, though, if he tries hard enough. He can stop everything from reminding him of the merchant, if he sets his mind to it. He can do it.
***
Curse Hylia, Din, Farore, Nayru then Hylia again for good measure, he can’t do it.
You know what! Curse Lolia! She doesn’t get a free pass just because Legend isn’t Lorulian; he’s not a coward, he has a little golden triangle tattoo and a fuck ton of trauma to prove that much.
He’s hanging out with the chain? Boom. Thoughts about Ravio. Trying to get to sleep after a day busy thinking about nobody-in-particular? Boom. Ravio. Literally fighting for his and his comrades’ lives? You guessed it. Ravio again.
He’s thinking about Ravio a little too much for it to be entirely friendly, if he’ll be completely honest with himself, and he’s a very honest man! And it’s not like Ravio’s the worst person to have fill Legend’s head, what with his endearing charisma and his cute voice and his selfless personality, but by Hylia. He gets the message. He may or may not have some feelings for his housemate. It’s a horrible time to realise this, really. Could he not have gone through this malarkey when he had literally 24/7 hours of free time to think it over, and when he could actually talk to the merchant?
***
Legend is busy cursing out Lolia under his breath for other, definitely un-Ravio related reasons some days later when Wild (who everyone is certain by now must have some sort of enhanced senses because how the ever loving fuck can he smell what time period they’re in) somehow overhears and asks him “who’s Lolia?”
Legend replies on instinct, mind elsewhere “Goddess from another world. Got a” crush. What? No. No we are not going into that. “…friend from there”
“Oh.” Wild looks vaguely intrigued “You close to them?”
Close? Legend knows Ravio’s favourite drink is apple juice, because Lorule doesn’t have them any more and Legend’s favourite food was apples so it’s the first drink here Ravio tried. He knows his favourite colour isn’t actually purple, it’s a sky blue with specks of green; he says Hyrule’s blue skies are everything Lorule’s isn’t. He knows it’s been two months and 27 days since he last saw Ravio, two months and 13 days since he left through the portal.
He knows if he opens his mouth and begins talking about Ravio, he’ll never be able to stop
Legend shrugs, turning back to the wood he was trying to whittle, a little miffed he hasn’t picked up Sky’s skill instantaneously “Nah, haven’t seen him in years”
***
Legend is looking at a pictograph Wind had snapped on the Sheika Slate and gotten Wild to ‘print out’. Scrawled across the bottom in a decent attempt at his written Hyrulian is ‘Legend pretendings he hate us’. The pictograph is of them sat at breakfast just a week ago. Legend remembers being tired and grumpy as hell, consuming Wild’s blessed cooking as a means to wake himself up, and was looking straight at the camera, raising the finger to it in mock irritation, betrayed by the badly hidden humour in his eyes. Damnit, he has a soft spot for kids, it seems.
He’s not looking at the photo to stare narcissistically at himself, though. Or even to take in the scene and notice the details of his friends that surround him, reminiscing on what was only a week ago.
No. He’s looking at it for Ravio. Because of course he is.
He catches himself staring dreamily at the picture, a soft smile taking residence on his face as he imagines what the merchant would be doing if he were with them- would Ravio still be stubbornly asleep? Would he have tried to help with Wild’s cooking? Would he, too, be a little pissed at being woken up at the ass-crack of dawn? Would he be taking the photo with Wind?- before he decides enough is enough. Hylia knows how long it will be until they sprout up in his Hyrule. He needs to do something about his, before his feelings start marinating or something along the likes. Legend doesn’t know how emotions work.
He fetches a pen and paper from his pack, fuelled by determination, and turns over in his sleeping bag. It’s the dead of night, no one is awake to see him (besides Twilight who is off patrolling in the wolf form he likes to think no one knows about), and if anyone is up it’s quiet enough for Legend to hear them wiggle out of their own sleeping bags and move to read the letter. He’s just close enough to the withering fire to be able to see what he’s doing.
For fear of spilling the entirely of his heart out in the first sentence, he begins writing about his quest. Slowly writing to make his handwriting as neat as possible- not that it matters; not that he cares about what Ravio thinks- he starts from the top most corner and leaves no blank areas, not wanting to waste a single space.
It takes him a week to complete, only working in the secrecy of the campfire light, or his own torch when he guiltily continues his endeavours on watch.
He finds that once he fills one page, he move onto another, then one more. Retelling every anecdote shared amungst the group, every discovery across the ages, all the differences in magic and culture and even the landscape
He constantly resists the urge to write ‘I wish you were here. You’d love it’
When the letters are done, on a whim he decides to include the pictograph that initially fuelled it. It’s not like he’s going to forget what the people he spends every waking minute with looks like.
On the back he scrawls ‘left to right:’ then lists each of the heroes in the image- somehow all of them fitting in and making an appearance.
On the front of the envolope he writes ‘Link, Hero of Hyrule’ then, after tossing back and forth about it, adds his current alias, ‘Legend’, to that the end. He needs this to be sent to the right house, but he also needs it to be sent to the right house in the right era.
Still, on the inside of the lid of the envolope, he writes ‘To: Ravio’ and bristles at himself when he actually thinks of adding a heart to the end of that. What in Hyrule is happening to him?
***
Legend writes the letter, then keeps a hold of it for a week. He can’t build up the courage to send it on its way. Doubt builds and festers under his skin, an ugly viscous thing that almost makes him burn the letter, which in turn makes him think screw that and only convinces him to want to send the letter more. He spent way too long on it to throw it away, damn all intrusive thoughts and insecurities.
He hands it to the next appearance of the mailman with bravado, ignores all the looks the heroes give him, and carries on with his life. According to the rate everyone else trades letters with their loved ones, he’ll get one back in a week: two at tops.
***
It’s been a month.
Hyrule’s picked up on his sad moods, and he fears Wild will too if he doesn’t do something. Hylia, even Warriors is beginning to be suspicious.
He contemplates sending another letter to Ravio. He really does. He tosses and turns in his sleeping bag thinking it over. But he can’t bring himself to.
Ravio hasn’t sent him a responding letter. That’s as clear a sign as anything. He doesn’t want to maintain contact with Legend. Hylia, he’s probably glad to have the house to himself, finally; glad to have Legend out of his skin. How hectic had his life become since Legend entered it? Very. Ravio, although a hero, was not filled with the same horrid lust for danger. Legend’s disappearance was probably a relief for him. A fresh breath of air. A finally.
Legend is not a pessimst. You can’t be, when you yourself have done the impossible numerous times. So, he tries to approach this… situation from a different angle. Perhaps Ravio’s made and sent a letter. Perhaps he’s still mulling it over. Perhaps it got lost. Perhaps the postman is going to appear tomorrow with Ravio’s letter-
He doesn’t.
But Legend doesn’t write another letter.
Because how much of a jerk would he appear, if he sent a following letter accusing Ravio of not replying, when the merchant’s letter is already sent and on its way?
How clingy and insecure, would he appear? Regardless to whether Ravio has already replied or not. The mailman said it’s been delivered, he must have it. Oh Hylia what if he hasn’t read it? What if he never cared to?
He can’t risk it. He just needs to wait one more day, then the letter will come. If it doesn’t- well? The message is clear.
***
It’s been a month of telling himself it will come the next day. Legend’s given up.
***
Legend’s learnt to tolerate the gut-spewing feeling of being teleported, but only by a bit. It’s a horrible method of transportation, but Legend seems to have a stronger stomach than most of them- not as strong as Wind’s, though. Legend fears him a little.
“Check?” Time bleats out. He’s gotten better at hiding his gags
Everyone calls out their allocated numbers, Warriors always complaining about sounding like a kids’ group on a trip. Once it is confirmed no one and no limbs are lost, and the question of how everyone’s fairing is asked, then the next big hitter is queried
“Anyone recognise this Hyrule?”
Wild sniffs the air, then looks between Legend and Hyrule- he needs to stop doing that it freaks Legend out every time- and now that he has a proper look around, a proper sense for the magic and how familiar it feels, Legend can confirm it is indeed his Hyrule. Or at least somewhere close.
By the goddesses, he’s home. 5 months is a long time.
“Mine” Legend raises his hand calmly, even though he’s freaking out slightly. I’m home I’m home I’m home.
Ravio
Oh Hylia, Ravio! He could see Ravio!
Oh. He could see Ravio. Legend’s face drops slightly, but he covers it up with a thoughtful scowl before Hyrule sees it. How would the Lorulian react? Would he be quick enough to hide his dissapointment at Legend’s return? Would he pretend to be happy to see Legend?
Legend finds he doesn’t want to find out. He doesn’t want to gamble his heart away. Ravio can’t know he’s here- that means definitely no Hyrule Castle, gossip festers like parasites there. Legend could get away with crossing the odd traveller or very small settlement- they’re less likely to recognise him.
“Right” Warriors wheezes, reattaching his scarf around his neck “Lead the way”
Legend sets off, giving vague answers to his comrades, in the opposite direction of Ravio
***
Hyrule keeps sending him glances. Legend has a feeling Hyrule knows why he’s leading them all away from civilisations that would actively recognise him. Legend shows no signs of knowing Hyrule knows.
***
Hylia teleports them away not even three days after, seeming to deem Legend hopeless. The veteran supposes he should consider himself lucky. The goddess is temperamental with him, she could have gotten fed up and dropped him on Zelda’s doorstep for her descendant to deal with him. Or worse. Ravio’s doorstep.
***
Over the next few months Legend cradles a damaged self-image and reassesses his relationships with everyone in his life. Has anyone ever liked him? Did they all just suck up to him because of his title? Did Marin even ever like him? Was he so unlikable even a giant fish’s fever dream couldn’t like him? Did Zelda host celebrations in his disappearance?
He grows more bitter over time. More angry and short tempered. He lashes out more, battles more recklessly, and still, still, he cannot get Ravio out of his head. It infuriates him about how much he likes the stupid merchant, and how little he likes Legend back.
It’s unfair. Couldn’t Hylia let him have one thing? One small thing?
***
Legend’s honestly surprised it took Hyrule this long to corner him- he’s surprised he still didn’t expect it.
Hyrule had wandered off, persuading- manipulating, if you ask Legend- the red-clad hero to follow him. He’d gone a short while without letting on his plans, before his demeanour suddenly changed and Legend was trapped against a tree and a boulder.
“What is up with you?!” Hyrule outbursts, body and tone screaming aggression and confrontation, but his face twists into deep worry. Has Hyrule been faking friendship with Legend all along, too? Has he finally given up on his charity case?
“Nothing” Legend snaps back, responding needlessly hostile. Stop. This is your friend “Why? Am I not acting perfect enough for you, fairy boy?”
Hyrule stunts back, several confused emotions darting across his face in quick succession, before the concern is back full force. Legend wants Hyrule to be mad at him. It would all be so much easier if he stopped with this niceness and just lashed out back.
“I’m not surprised you figured that out” he says under his breath, an afterthought, before he asks Legend directly “Seriously! Something’s really been troubling you” He was hoping Hyrule would be distracted at Legend’s knowledge of his closely kept secret, but evidently Hyrule is determined.
“What?” Legend snarls, feeling all the cornered rabbit he is “Can you sense it, Hyrule? Can you sense my thoughts?”
Hyrule’s mouth opens and closes noiselessly as he tries to decode what he said, and for a short second he glows, slightly, the faint hint of magic building, and Legend thinks yes. Finally. I’ve struck a nerve despite how much it pains him deep down to hurt Hyrule, like this. It’s needless. Why am I like this. No wonder I push everyone away
But then Hyrule takes a deep breath in, the soft glow subsides and he responds calmly, eyes closed as if he can’t stand to see Legend, as if his patience is about to snap “Doesn’t matter if I can, because more importantly I know you, Legend. People don’t get angry all the time like this without reason, even you- no matter how much you try to persuade everyone else that’s just how you work.”
Legend bristles. How dare he make such a bold statement. How dare it… be true.
Hyrule prods the inside of his cheek with his tongue, and inspects Legend as if the answer is written on his clothing somewhere, and all he has to do is find it. Finally his eyes come back up to Legend’s “Is it Zelda?”
She doesn’t like me “Zelda doesn’t need me. Doesn’t want me, anymore, my service to Hyrule is done” Legend replies coolly. He challenges Hyrule’s sad retuning look with a raised eyebrow, and Hyrule frowns. “Another girl, then?”
Red hair fills his sight. Flowers and smiles, the soft sand of the beach, the endless blue of the sky and the sea. Lies “No”
Hyrule searches him closely, eyes flicking over Legend but never quite leaving his eyes, before he gasps a soft, private sound and asks “A boy?”
Legend has faced down terrors and monsters beyond the imagination. And yet, it is only at this that he freezes up.
A small childish glee fills Hyrule’s eyes that Legend cannot help but feel fondness for, before the younger hero remembers the seriousness of the conversation and steels himself, asking “is he why you mislead us when we visited your Hyrule?”
Silence. Legend tries his best to pull on a scowl, but Hyrule only looks at it with muted amusement and sympathy “What? Not surprised I figured it out?”
“Shut up” is all Legend has the competence to spit out. Hyrule shakes his head “Is it about the letter?”
Legend finds he is once again stumped, and he seriously considers Hyrule isn’t joking when he says he might be able to sense thoughts. Stupid fairies. Stupid magic. Stupid emotionally-competent protégés. What? Not surprised I figured it out? “Yes it’s about the damn letter, you happy?” He spits at Hyrule. The boy does not falter, just nods approvingly, as if Legend said something worth praise
“Just because he didn’t return a letter to you, doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you” that’s it. Legend’s going to punch Hyrule. He’s going to do it “Doesn’t mean he’s ignoring you or anything. And even if he is- you need to confront him at some point, it’s worse to let it fester like you have”
Hyrule takes a step back, holds his hands politely infront of himself and looks far more composed than Legend feels “Tell me about him” he says, accompanied by a prompting nod.
Legend, as much as he tries, can’t bring himself to open up about Ravio “No” he responds, contorting his face in defiance, falling back into the comfort of his standoffish personality.
Hyrule huffs a sigh, and although it doesn’t compare to the dissapointment that Time manages to convey, the fact that it’s coming from Hyrule, directed at Legend, somehow makes it worse “Okay” he says, and then, like that, ups and leaves.
Legend stares after his retreating figure a little stupefied, and finds that to be the most unsatisfactory end to a conversation he’s ever had with Hyrule. Was that the point?
They don’t talk about Ravio again.
***
Another portal. Another roll call. A few bruises and scrapes, a broken arm from Wild, a twisted ankle from Twilight. They’ve come out with worse, far worse.
Legend doesn’t even need to wait for Time to ask, or for Wild to do his weirdly accurate sniff-the-air thing before he realises it’s his Hyrule. He’s south of Castle Town by an hour, and south to his house by half. It’s late afternoon, but they needn’t worry about sunset for two hours
“Mine” he says, halfway through Time asking the question, staring aggressively north. Hyrule sends him A Look. Legend does not grace him with A Look back. He probably should have because then Hyrule turns around to the direction that Legend is glaring in and says in a chipper voice that he must be putting on to piss Legend off “Ah! We can see the castle from here. We haven’t met Legend’s Zelda yet”
Legend refocuses his offensive glare towards the back of Hyrule’s head. The half-fairy’s ear twitches, but he does not turn around.
“We can’t walk far” Four says, pointing to Twilight. Before the ordonian can even begin to defy the statement Wind claps his hand over the hero’s mouth. Legend drones out Wind’s screeches of “he licked me!”s in favour of glaring at the woodland that he know hides where his house is. He can’t see any smoke. The Hyrule field planes are flat, he should be able to see the smoke of a fireplace.
That could mean no one’s home, right? It’s sunny out, Ravio would be seizing the day to travel. By the looks of the slightly yellowing grass, it’s been sunny for some time, maybe a few days. Ravio’s never one to stay in one place. He wouldn’t be home. It’s empty.
Legend ignores the disappointment that rises in his chest and instead settles on focusing on the relief that instead blossoms. He huffs “My House is about 30-“ he looks back to Twilight’s broken leg and corrects himself “-60 minutes away.” Twilight frowns but it looks more like a pout and Four guffaws at it “I have” Ravio has “quite a few potions and the likes.” He could also stock up on some items. Namely rupees. He’s probably the wealthiest non-Royal in his Hyrule, but he obviously didn’t take all his riches with him when he stepped through that portal almost a year ago. The group’s beginning to run out of reserves (besides Wild. But Wild somehow manages to always be the exception in the group.)
“Right. Lead the way” Sky says as he moves Wild out of the way from where he’s supporting Twilight’s weight, and the hero of the Wilds sends Sky a withering look as he replaces him. Legend begins walking at a decent pace, ignores Hyrule when he slides up next to him and meets his stride, and tries his best to switch off his thoughts.
The door is locked. Legend takes some time to rummage in his bag for his keys, and considering how long ago he last used it, and with all the magical items it’s sat in a bag with, he’s surprised it still works as a key.
He opens the door and isn’t welcomed to the cool interior he was first expecting to find. Dust doesn’t coat his hallway, either. When he furthers into his house and enters the living room, Ravio’s shop is still up. It’s as stocked as it was during Legend’s quests- possibly even more. After Lorule was saved and as Ravio travelled more and more, he took more and more of his items with him, leaving less at home. White charcoal sits in the fireplace, still damp from water being poured over what was once a fire.
As each of the heroes trail in and begin taking a seat in the assortment of random sofas and chairs in the living part of their living room, a slight dread fills Legend.
Ravio was here not that long ago. And it appears he’s more of a regular visitor than Legend compensated for.
He’s just lucky Sheerow isn’t hanging around here. Legend can’t believe he forgot about Sheerow. Although he’s pretty sure Ravio can’t understand him, he’s still able to gage what the infuriatingly sentient bird-thing tries to convey. He’s sure if it where here it would snitch on Legend as soon as it could.
“Potions?”
Legend snaps his head upwards suddenly to look at Hyrule, who is standing in front of Legend with an expression he can’t figure out. He takes a good few seconds to process what the healer said, though “Oh! Potions” he trudges into the room, nabs some of the potions Ravio has on display- he does not pay for them- then passes one to Wild and Twilight. He gives another to Four, who takes a small sip that is enough to knock back off most of his bruises, who then passes it to Wind, who takes his own small sip to heal the scabbing cut across his forehead.
“Do you think we could stay here for the night?” Sky asks, to which Time hums his approval of and Hyrule sends a glance to Legend, not even trying to hide his curiosity and concern. Legend scowls “The castle is hardly even an hour away- her highness will offer us beds there”
The idea seems to win the favour of some of the heroes, and content that they won’t have to stay- that they won’t have to run into Ravio- Legend turns and begins walking away “I’m grabbing some stuff from my basement, rest up real quick.”
Finally alone with only his thoughts, a steadily building pulsing panic builds in Legend. He can’t have Ravio come back. He can’t see the dissapointment, the disgust, on the lorulian’s face.
When he trudges into their basement that acts as a storage for all the items they don’t have the room for upstairs, he finds that all of his stuff has been moved. Unused if not untouched, sure, but he has to jump around chests to find what he’s looking for. He’s only searching for the odd items he would consider useful that he didn’t have in his arsenal before.
Perhaps he’s making too much of a racket. Perhaps they got bored. Perhaps they’re trying to pester him- because eventually the heroes file themselves downstairs. And they start touching his stuff. He’s had to fend off three of Wind’s attempts to equipt powerful items, four times of Wild trying to steal anything magical that he thinks Legend wouldn’t notice missing, and even Time is meddling.
Legend stomps over to Wind, who had managed to find his crate of excess rings and is trying to put them on, snatches the crate from his hands and holds out one of his own, expectantly, and the kid reluctantly places the ring he holds in Legend’s palm so he can drop it back in the crate.
He wanders back to his place by his chest, hand digging deep into it again to search for the missing thingamajig for the whatchamacallit. He hears a clash not even five seconds later and turns around to see Warriors holding the magic mirror up he’d just managed to pry from Wild’s hands “Wars I swear by Hylia herself if you do not put that down in five seconds I will not be held accountable for the curse that befalls you”
But instead of putting it down, like any sane person who values their life would, Warriors continues to hold it above his head as if it were a trophy and not an artifact that reeks of magic- honestly Legend’s surprised Hyrule can even stand the smell down here- and taunts with a sly smile on his lips “Why, for someone who calls me ‘pretty boy’, you sure do have a lot of mirrors”
Legend is not in the mood for this. He’s really not in the mood for this. Hyrule glances at Legend, who does not meet his gaze, before the traveller turns back to Warriors before pausing “Hey Legend” he begins slowly, and said hero has to take a deep, calming breath “Do you keep live animals down here?”
Legend is immediately going to respond “What? No.” But then his anxiety catches up with of train of thought and he worries somehow his… other form has been exposed, to which a rather frightening shot of adrenaline is suddenly released into his blood. However, before he even has time to panic, a very familiar white and blue blur flies directly across his line of sight, revealing the identity of the live animal. Sheerow. Sheerow’s here. Legend slams down the chest lid so he can see the bird who hid behind it.
He’s instead very suddenly met with Ravio’s returning gaze. Everything in Legend short circuits. Ravio squeaks in surprise, and Hylia he is so cute and Legend hates this. Hates that he’s staring into Ravio’s panicked eyes. Why is he already back. He should have never come in here. They should have never crossed paths.
“What are you doing here?” Legend growls. Because seriously, what is he doing, he’s supposed to be anywhere else and Legend has not prepared for this. He tries to make it sound like he’s irritated at Ravio for invading ‘his’ house, but finds that it isn’t that hard to achieve when he can instead chanel his irritation at Ravio for never replying to his letter- for showcasing such a blatant disregard and rejection to Legend. Had the merchant sent a short letter describing something along the lines of ‘I’d prefer not to keep in touch with you’ the hero may find himself slightly less angry at Ravio. Although he’d probably make up for it in heartbreak, not that he’s short of any of that at the moment.
There’s a long drawn out moment where Ravio is just staring at him wide eyed, as if he too hadn’t expected to see Legend, as if he’s panicked at the prospect of having to interact with the hero- and there’s another moment, where Legend swears Ravio looks as if he’ll say something- before the sound of drawing swords echoes across the basement and Ravio is being held at eight blade points.
Legend startles back a little, and he stares openly at Ravio as he stutters and stumbles some excuse out. It’s so odd, to see him after so long. It’s as if he’s only just remembered the merchant is, indeed, real. That he’s not a concept or a long lost memory, but that he’s a breathing, alive person currently trying to blubber his way out of death before him, becoming more flustered as the seconds pass, and Legend is lost.
Hylia he’s so cute.
Legend snaps out of it and to distract himself from his thoughts he reinserts himself into the conversation, hoping he does so correctly “Guys, he’s a friend. Put your bloody swords away- Hylia’s sake” he tries to sound casual and indifferent, tries to hide how much he is freaking out, and he circles the heroes slightly so he’s sort of besides Ravio.
Ravio looks at him as if he hung the moon and stars as the other Links have to sheepishly put their swords away as they minutely regret threatening a friend, and Legend has to force himself to look away from Ravio’s startstuck gaze- can he please stop pretending not to dislike him? Before it fills Legend with all the soft feelings he’d rather not feel, not when he’s aware of the bitter reality? Unfortunately his eyes land on Hyrule, who is looking back at him with raised brows and a pointed, judging look. He looks back to the merchant as he speaks up in an understandably meek voice, not standing up “I’m Ravio”
Hyrule sends Legend another look. He pretends not to see it. Hyrule knows he saw it. “I’m Link’s house mate”
Something sings inside Legend’s head. Link. He called me Link. Something in his blood buzzes with glee as he turns and replies to Ravio on autopilot on a topic of conversation often bantered on, clinging onto it desperately to try and cover his internal banshee-screaming from the other heroes: “No, don’t try with that. This is my house, Bunny”
Bunny? Who is he? Has he preened so much at Ravio simply calling him by his name that he resorts to stupidly sweet pet names? No. No he’d better than this.
Ravio does not deserve this.
He does not deserve this attention or this joking. He does not want it, he made that clear in his silence. Legend will not stand for someone so close to his heart playing with it- it’s already fragile enough as it is. He shouldn’t reveal his feelings- can’t seem weak. Not in front of his friends, who need to know they can rely on him to protect himself and others. Not in front of Ravio, who could easily take the opportunity to burn him. Legend keeps his face cool and calm.
Ravio comes back with a rebuttal “Well then who’s been keeping our house in such a nice condition, because it certainly wasn’t you” His hip is cocked out, he sings the word like a coy, he is enjoying this. Enjoying Legend’s suffering.
A dark, angry, heartbroken expression passed across his eyes for a moment- he knows it does because Hyrule, who had not taken his too-knowing eyes off Legend all this time, is giving him lots of looks- before he reins it into a passive face. He needs to convince Hyrule he’s fine, and he needs to prevent Ravio from noticing somethings off- he probably knows already, through. He must be doing this on purpose “Consider it rent, Merchant” he says, prodding Ravio in the stomach probably a little harder than he should. Does he remember Ravio isn’t keen on physical contact? Yes. Does it make him a bad person to invade and prod him then? Perhaps. But Legend finds he cared less and less when Ravio is acting so pleased to see him now after refusing to even reply to a letter Legend sent him over the course of several months. It wasn’t even quite a small letter, either.
“Legend, you have a house mate?”. Legend is pulled out of his thoughts by Wind’s disbelieving question, and he fights down the frown he realises was beginning to etch into his face. He instead replaces it with a scowl directed at the kid, and then at Warriors, who has that stupid grin he hates so much. Legend knows what’s coming next, and it already pokes needles uncomfortably under his skin.
“My, Ravio!” Warrioes says grandly with a step forward, and Legend sees Four roll his eyes
Would Fi jump into action to stop Legend from killing Warriors, or does she too see it as a noble and needed deed?
“A pleasure to meet you! Now, why does a young man with such a beautiful voice hide his face?” Legend’s irritated huff is unanimous across the other heroes, all rather fed up of Warrior’s theatrics. He’s not in the mood for this. He’s really not in the mood for this.
“Please refrain yourself from flirting with whatever has a pulse, Warriors,” Legend begins grounding out, and he finds a small spark of satisfaction in the idea of Ravio’s ego being deflated at finding out Warrior’s attempt at flattery is not just for the merchant. “or next time I won’t warn you when you decide to wave around whatever cursed object you pick up” all eyes in the room train back to Warriors, no one quite yet prepared to interject. Legend is a little happy to be having this argument- because he’s too riled up to just call it banter- because at least his focus is on Warriors, now, and not on the lorulian standing just next to him.
Warriors adopts a shit eating grin and- nope. No. Legend immediately takes it back. He is not pleased about this interaction. He’s taking back the fire rod- that’s for sure “Why? Is Ravio unavailable then, Legend?”
Legend doesn’t like the jab. He doesn’t like how it manages to get under his skin because by Hylia he wishes it was true, but part of him wishes Ravio wasn’t taken by him. Because maybe all this ignoring would hurt less. Because then he’ll never have the opportunity to lose someone else, just as he had felt begin to happen as the weeks without a reply rolled on. He doesn’t like how Warriors says Ravio’s name, spoken as if he hadn’t just learnt it hardly a minute ago.
He does not breach the topic. Does not try to deny it, because he’d never quite be convincing enough, he’ll surely give something away. He retaliated the only way he knows how- more insults “Not that it would matter to you, would it, playboy?” And wow okay that’s a bit low, but Legend does not let his face betray his slight guilt and Warriors seems to be able to take it- or at least has a better poker face then what the chain thought after his many unsuccessful games of Go Fish.
Warriors’ mouth scrunches up slightly, another comeback on his lips before Time interjects sternly- and Legend’s surprised the old man let it go on this long- “Legend, Warriors, that’s enough.”
Legend’s never been good with authority, but he shuts up at Time’s words- or at least in this particular instance. He’s cagey and ready to pick a fight, and he doesn’t want Ravio to see how much his… his… manipulation has gotten to him. His disregard and his rejection.
All eyes are on Time, and the eldest directs a steely gaze on Legend, searching him, calculating, scolding, before he turns to Sky, who takes this as a non-verbal prompt to step forward. He’s smiling, and Legend’s sure it’s supposed to be his usual, carefree one, but his face is tense and the lines around his eyes aren’t quite right. He’s never liked it when people argue, especially not within the chain, and Legend suspects Fi’s own disliking to inter-hero fighting only eggs on Sky’s own unease. “We should introduce ourselves to Ravio- give an explanation, after all- we have invaded his house.”
***
They’re all sat in the living room, with Ravio’s shop pushed up closer to the walls in a futile attempt to make more space. What they’re sat on is mismatched- whatever could pass as a seat with enough imagination- as are the cups that hold the tea Ravio brewed for all of them. Legend’s pretty sure Twilight’s is in a saucer not unlike what you’d feed a young kitten milk out of. Legend thinks it would be more funny if it were a dog bowl.
Ravio poured him tea. He knows Legend hates tea. Legend glares at Ravio to try and show his dissatisfaction at this blatant dismissal of his feelings. Ravio pretends not to see this and holds his own tea. Ravio also doesn’t like tea. Is he trying to make a point? See look, now we’re both miserable.
Perhaps if he glares hard enough, he’ll notice a slip in Ravio’s cheeriness. He acts invested in the story everyone’s telling, a hastily thrown together alibi that they’re all family- not far off the truth. Why is he listening so raptly? The truth was in the letter.
Unless he didn’t read it.
Even so, does Ravio not know Legend well enough to sniff out the lies everyone is saying? Or at least be suspicious? Perhaps he never cared to remember Legend in enough detail.
It’s an entirely conceivable possibility that Ravio may be listening so attentively to avoid looking at Legend. He can feel the merchant’s gaze from under his hood- could map out his entire expression if he wanted to, despite having never seen his face- so he can feel Ravio’s gaze dart to him every so often out of the corner of his eyes, before retreating back to whoever’s talking just as quickly.
Legend’s glare, however, does not break.
Twilight must have put his kitten bowl down because when he speaks next Legend can see him in his peripheral leaning forward with the saucer on the table, arms clasped loosely over his knees “So Ravio” he begins, and the lorulian in question’s eyes follow to the ordonian. He sounds suspicious, sceptical, and his voice betrays how he’s preparing the best way to lay down what he’s about to say. “How come Legend has never told us about you?”
Legend’s toes curl in his boots to avoid any outwards reaction. Ravio keeps his head turned to Twilight, but he gives a much more loaded look to Legend out of the corner of his eye and the look lingers, no longer just a glance. Legend stiffens a little- can the merchant make it any more obvious?? What is he trying to do, intimidate Legend? Drive a point across?- because he’s certainly not getting it.
Ravio sighs and drops his head slightly, one finger circling around the rim of the tea cup, which he’d been holding for the entire encounter despite not drinking from it. It’s not even like he could drink it without a straw, else he’d have to lift up his hood. And in all the time Legend’s known him, he never lifts up his hood even a little, unless eating- which is only ever in private.
Is he trying to ground himself? From what? The confrontation? From the irritation of seeing Legend again? Can’t he just talk? Stop this year-long silent treatment? “I don’t know. Why haven’t you told them about me?”
Legend almost lets his glare faulter, because since they’ve returned Ravio has been his usual welcoming, slightly skittish but overal uplifting self, but now his voice betrays the front that it was. It’s bitter and undoubtably pissed off and besides the fact Legend cannot remember the last time Ravio sounded so irritated- besides being unable to remember the last time he talked to Ravio- all he can think is How Dare He. How dare he sound angry at Legend, as if he wasn’t the one that disregarded their entire friendship and abandoned all forms of contact! Suddenly Legend doesn’t care for whatever self-pitying reason Ravio could muster up to excuse his neglect because now he’s unbelievably angry, too.
He can’t cause a scene in front of the heroes, because he needs to show he’s a good man. He knows they sometimes doubt him, knows they sometimes look at him and think to each-other ‘that guy? A hero? You must be joking.’ He can’t let them fuel their doubt. And as violently angry as he is at Ravio, the most angry he’s been with anyone so close to him, he does not want to hurt him, not really. And for that, a part of him hates himself, because Ravio deserves it. It’s not as if the merchant hadn’t caused Legend his own months-worth of hurt.
So instead Legend scrapes his chair back as aggressively as possible, not caring for the mark it may carve into their living room floor - it’s not his house anymore it seems, not one he’s welcomed to- and stands up, marching past Ravio and out of the house with full confidence that if anyone follows him, Ravio would be the last person to. The lorulian has already made that message loudly and clearly.
***
Of course it’s Hyrule who follows him.
If Legend wasn’t already physically clamping his mouth shut he would have made yet another snappy remark about fairies and emotions at the young teen when he emerged through the shrubbery.
Hyrule simply passively sits down next to him, appreciating the woods that act as Legend’s back garden in silence. If he’s waiting for Legend to speak first, he’ll be waiting for a long time.
Legend does his best to ignore him, and continues to burn as he looks at anything but the young hero beside him. To try and forget. Separate himself. His breathing levels out, his shoulders relax and untense, and he tries to forget how mad he is at the goddesses and their stupid divine plans right now.
After some time Hyrule opens his mouth, and any semblance of peace Legend had felt in tuning out everything for just a few moments- of tuning out everything Ravio- quickly vanishes “He seems to see you as important to him- he seems hurt you never told any of us about him.”
“He doesn’t have a right to feel hurt!” Legend snaps, sharp anger returning back to his blood so suddenly, now irritated with Hyrule, too. He hardly knows any of the situation! If he knew how much Ravio mattered to Legend, for how long Ravio pretended Legend mattered to him, he wouldn’t be on such unbiased ground in this. Wouldn’t have sat down so calmly and arrogantly and acted as such a balanced mediator.
Hyrule gives him a slightly disappointed, pointed look and Legend seethes at the nerve of the hero “He has a right to have emotions, Legend”
“Fine.” Legend has the urge to throw something. To destroy. To do anything to get this awful festering furious hurt out of him “Sure- for whatever reason he deems satisfactory to be mad at me for… for what, even? That I sent him a letter? That I assumed after 4 years of friendship he’d want to hear from me?” Hyrule gives him this awfully pitiful look and this is worse, so much worse, and Legend wants him to be mad at him again “Literally what reason does he have to be mad at me!” Legend throws his hands up and claws them at the sky, his arms shaking with the emotion he’d neglected over the past few months. Stupid emotions. Stupid fairies. Stupid fucking lorule and quests and that awful boy.
Hyrule’s starting to look sad watching Legend lose himself and if he wasn’t so filled to he brim with violent pained rage he’d get that awful twisting guilty feeling in his gut whenever he makes Hyrule sad.
“Legend. I will not pretend we are much more than close strangers with secrets” and Hylia why must he sound so sad and pathetic and reflect something deep in Legend’s heart “but I know your quests have been tough on you. Hylia has been far less merciful towards you than she has to the rest of us. I do not know of the details of your quests but I know you have lost. Lost people. Loved ones”
Hyrule puts his hand gently on Legend’s shoulder to comfort him, but the feeling burns something sharp under his skin and he throws the contact off far more aggressively than needed, and whatever speech was about to leave Hyrule’s mouth dies on his tongue. Legend feels wild. Feral. This anger is building in him and he doesn’t know what to do.
He hates this
He hates it all
He looks at Hyrule and sees his wide eyes, his kind wide eyes. How he was dealt the hand of the worst Hyrule. A kingdom lain to ruin that he had found the love to fight for, to care for. When he never had the support of his people, of anyone, and yet he kept going, and keeps caring and nurturing.
Hyrule faced adversities just as hard as Legend and is filled with heroism, and selflessness, and purity and courage and kindness and love despite being born only to know hatred and greed.
Legend has none of those things.
He knows he’s a bad person. He knows the heroes know it too. Are too kind to mention it. Too heroic. He knows he is only a hero because he was doomed to be. Dragged against his will. Born with the restless spirit of the hero in the body of a boy who wants to help no one but himself. How selfish, to think he could find peace with Ravio, when his life is so filled with torment. When he cannot find any kindness in himself to give to others. Who would want to stay by him?
Legend looks at Hyrule’s wide kind eyes and hides his face between his legs that are drawn up to him, hands gripping his scrawny hair. The appearance of a hero. He looks just how he acts. Abrasive. Cruel. Unheroic.
Of course he’s lost people. He was never meant to have love
That was not Hylia’s plan
He is just a piece she can play to her fancy
Not his own person
Not his own horrible selfish person
He grips his hair harder
“Legend”
Why can’t he have this one thing
“Legend, please”
Why can’t he just love and be loved back?
“Link”
Link lifts his head
Hyrule’s pure face has been twisted into the figure of genuine concern, his hand hovering over Legend but not quite touching him
Scared
He looks almost pained for looking at the fuck-up hero before him, and Legend’s head again fills up with emotions and fairies and empathy and oh. He can’t even do self pity right. Can’t even stop himself from bringing others pain when he’s beating himself up
He doesn’t want to do this anymore
He wants to go home
His home doesn’t want him back
“Legend. Please. I want to help you but I can’t do that when you’re shutting me out”
“You can’t help me” Legend bites back, because he’s scared if he doesn’t his voice will be wobbly and broken and he can’t cry. He refuses. Crying is for when you’ve lost something monumental, and you break down in an unknown corner of the kingdom by yourself where no soul- monster or not- can find you. He hasn’t lost something monumental. Only Ravio.
He bites his lip to hold it all in
“You haven’t lost him” Hyrule affirms, as if he’s reading his mind. Or perhaps Legend’s heart is so blatantly laid out on his sleeve, all the fragments sown across the skin of his person for all to read “He looked… he felt happy to see you, initially” Hyrule says, and Legend knows he’s just saying it to appease him and it hurts even more. “I think there’s been a miscommunication”
“There hasn’t been a miscommunication!” Legend yells, and any animals that dared to stay nearby up until now scamper away through the shrubbery. Hyrule looks as if he wants to, too. Please. Leave. “There hasn’t been miscommunication because there’s been no communication at all! He had half a year to reply and didn’t! Where could I have read this wrong?”
Hyrule scrunches his eyebrow and looks firmly at Legend “You wouldn’t know unless you talked to him-“
“HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?” He bursts, and Hylia he’s crying. He’s crying and screaming over this boy to one of the few friends he’s ever had and he’s about to loose him, too. “You have never MET him. You didn’t know his name until not even an hour ago! I’ve told you NOTHING of him.”
Hyrule frowns “you’re mad at me”
That just sends a new bolt of livid heat through Legend “oh!? Am I! Well done, fairy, I suppose you do have some use! Tell me- what made you come to that conclusion?”
Hyrule’s frown turns angry, too, and Legend is feeling crazed, like all of his mind is a hot wire and he needs some monster to spawn infront of him right now before he lashes out at Hyrule instead. Or himself “you’re being unreasonable”
“RAVIO is being unreasonable” Legend shouts “He gave no signs of disliking my companionship but shows no hesitation to throw it away the first chance he got! He’s being immature! Fucking- HYLIA I wish I never MET him because clearly the goddesses only bring good things into my life to TAKE THEM AWAY-“
Hyrule slaps Legend.
It was hard. His face tingles with heated numbness and he subconsciously smiles, probably looking insane. Hyrule looks as if he wants to slap Legend again. He doesn’t. Legend wishes he would.
“FINE. Fine. Ravio is in the wrong.” Hyrule shouts, although it’s not out of some manic emotional desperation like Legend, who’s clearly lost his mind. It’s loud so Legend listens, because his mind is pulsing and throbbing and he wants everything to stop and go away “He did something shitty to you and you are hurt and you’re scared to be hurt again because of how badly it hurt in the past and how much of yourself you’ve lost through the process and you’re mad at me for so blatantly saying this because the only way you thought you could cope was to hide it all and pretend it didn’t exist-“
“How DARE you-“
“No!” Hyrule yells, a little shrill “No! Stop projecting everything onto me! Listen to what I’m actually trying to tell you and stop assuming everything I say is an attack! You are hurting! Ravio did that! But if you keep pushing everything and everyone away then you really WILL be left with nothing and will have no one to lash out to besides yourself.”
“Good” Legend spits. “I don’t deserve it”
Instead of looking sappy and sad again Hyrule seethes, holding clawed hands to the sky as if trying to strangle Hylia herself. To punish her for having to bless Legend, of all people, and make Hyrule have to bear through companionship with him “No one across Hyrule’s history or future is more deserving of love! RAVIO DOES NOT HATE YOU! He was hurt too! For what reason? I don’t know. You don’t know. And you WON’T know unless you TALK“
Hyrule looks to Legend, and he must see the pure lividity being directed at him because his faces crumples and he calmly bites out. “You’re letting your months-old inner turmoil out on me and that’s not fair.”
“You were the one that followed me! I didn’t ask you to be here, Hyrule!”
Hyrule again throws his hands up in the air, as if pleading for divine intervention for the clusterfuck of failure before him, before he takes a deep, very not calm breath, and continues to talk through his teeth, directed at the heavens instead of Legend “We’re just yelling at eachother now. We’re not listening.”
Legend doesn’t have a snippy remark for that.
“We’re going to sit here, and goddesses Legend if you try and leave or start arguing again I will curse you, and we are going to wait until my head stops screaming at me and we will have a calm conversation like civilised people and not like we’d lost our minds, yes?”
Legend wants to say something snarky back at Hyrule, but through the haze of all these Din damned emotions rings the reason and truth in Hyrules words. He doesn’t really want to keep yelling. Keep yelling at Hyrule. He’s still mad at Hyrule, for assuming so much of the situation, for pretending to be so above Legend and like his word is sacred, but for once Legend shuts up. He’s tired. He’s so so tired. He just wants it all to stop.
So he stops.
And he sits there.
Shaking and still livid? Yes. The heat bleeding across his body doesn’t just cool down because Hyrule said so. But he tries. His mind almost gets whiplash at the change of pace but by goddess he wants it to stop.
They sit there for what must be at least an hour. Legend eventually stops shaking, his shoulders droop- it feels like his body gives out.
I miss him
“Are you going to talk?” Hyrule asks, and he sounds like a mother talking to a child after a meltdown and Legend is trying so so much not to get mad all over again, to lose the progress he wrangled out of his own hands
“No” Legend says
Hyrule tuts. Legend tries so so very hard “you said you’d talk”
Legend holds a hand to his forehead, pressing the heel of his palm into his right eye socket. His skin is clammy. Calm. “No, you said that. I never agreed”
Hyrule does an odd frown that looks like he swallowed a frog. “Are you going to go back to the house?”
And face the heroes? Like this? And face Ravio? “No”
Legend’s not looking at Hyrule anymore for the better of his health, so he doesn’t have to see whatever mangled expression he makes next, and whether it’s pitiful or reprimanding- whichever is worse, likely “What? Are you sleeping out here?”
“Yes” Legend replies. As if he hasn’t done countless times on his quests. As if he hasn’t slept in far worse places. As if he hasn’t woken up on some bloody dungeon floor after being knocked out for several days, presumed dead to rot “You needn’t stay with me” he says, shimmying down the tree he sits against into a more half-laying position to prove a point, and does not intend to talk to Hyrule at all anymore. He’ll sleep on it. And he will return to normal tomorrow. His usual abrasive self, and not the utter mess he allowed to slip out this afternoon.
The fairy stays beside him
*
*
*
“Legend you slept through the night” is the first thing Legend’s woken to, and the next is a horrible crick in his neck
“Shit” he complains, rolling over slightly as he sits up. His bones feel heavy. His head feels stuffed with tissues. He feels like shit
You look like shit a part of his mind tells him, feeling how puffy his eyes are. Goddess he cried. Din’s fucking ass he had a bloody breakdown on the forest floor after running away from a minor emotional conflict. What a hero.
“How you feeling?” Hyrule asks, so careful like he’s made of glass. Like he’ll break if emotions are brought up again. As if he’s something precious that needs protecting. As if he’s anything worth protecting.
“Shit” Legend reestablishes “Like an idiot”
Hyrule’s face scrunches up and Legend is past putting effort in to read his expressions “you’re not an idiot”
“I’m an idiot for letting that bastard rabbit get to me” Legend says. He begins to stand up and huffs like an old man with creaky joints “I’ve had my little cry. If he doesn’t want to talk to me any more then fuck him, I won’t talk to him. He’s not worth it. He’s not worth any more tears or thoughts” Legend knows that’s a lie but he’s too grouchy to think anything about it. He just needs to survive until they leave his (who’s?) dreaded house, get on the road, and leave his Hyrule hopefully for the next forever.
Hyrule gives him a look that says he’s not entirely satisfied with Legend’s little morning monologue and change of attitude but he won’t speak on it lest Legend doubles down and makes it worse. Legend, with tremendous effort, ignores the look. He stands up and brushes off imaginary dust from his tunic and Legend clicks the cricks in his neck.
“I think you should talk to him” Hyrule proposes gently. A nudge. Legend huffs. Because obviously Hyrule knows what’s best. Because obviously he knows no wrong.
“If he wants to talk to me then I’ll be happy to” he says sarcastically, trying so so hard to pretend he does not miss the merchant like crazy, and he’s not that emotionally invested in their friendship, and like he didn’t have an honest to Hylia breakdown over the boy of his dreams blatantly ignoring his existence for months in his absence “but I’m not going out of my way to talk to him. I already reached out first. 6 months ago. I’m not doing it again.” Legend tries so hard to sound indifferent.
Hyrule again looks unsatisfied with this but looks too tired to retort (look how much you drained him) so he starts walking when Legend does, the latter trying to ignore the young hero’s presence as best he can, back to the house.
His house. Ravio’s house. But not their house.
The walk is silent, but his mind is not.
As he approaches the back door he feels a frown find it’s way back into his face. Typical. It’s easier to be mad all the time than show any other sort of emotional vulnerability
Because look where that got him.
They enter the back door. Left open. Not that anyone in Hyrule would rob the hero’s house, let alone a house full of heroes.
Any need for pretence of a snippy attitude fades when he hears Warrior’s voice from the other room “you’re who Legend was writing that letter for??” Legend bristles and taking a deep breath is hardly effective “It took him a week! ‘Was trying to write it in secret when everyone was asleep, caught him mumbling to himself when I was on watch!” There’s mirth in the hero’s voice and there’s anything but in Legend’s eyes as he rounds the corner into the living room, Hyrule’s panicked light footsteps behind him. He crosses his arms and glares hot daggers at the offending hero and snaps with newly found vigorous irritation “Warriors” so the offending hero looks up to Legend with a jump, and his expression completely drops.
He finds a small victory in Ravio flinching in the chair he stands behind. It’s expected- he technically came into the conversation out of no where, but still a part of his mind provides that Ravio was scared of him. That his voice is awful to the ears. You are an intruder in your own home.
His eyes are surely red, and he wants Ravio to see that, see the pain he’s caused and to feel guilty, but it would be useless to even worry, when Ravio refuses to even look in his direction. Legend darts his eyes away from Ravio, only then noticing he’d been staring a little, when the merchant slowly turns to look up at him. Something panics in Legend’s heart at Ravio being right there, so instead he targets his gaze onto Warriors, and he does not need to fake the seething anger in his eyes.
Time sighs in that stupid old-timely way he does, and turns his own eye up to Legend “Link, Hyrule, are you hungry?”
It takes a good moment for Legend to realise Time is calling him Link. They’ve all gotten better at calling eachother their birth names when dumped into their respective Hyrules, but Legend is yet to have been the subject of the name change. He’s gotten so used to his nickname, plus hearing it from Time just feels weird and wrong, so when he does he visibility hesitates before he grunts as irritably as he can. The old man is clearly trying to diffuse the situation, and Legend digs his nails into his arms where they’re crossed over his chest to stop the number of people he’s currently mad at to raise from two to three.
Time stands up, the sofa creaking in complaint of his absence, and walks into the kitchen of Legend’s house as if he owns it, not even glancing back at the younger hero to check he’s following. Prick. Legend digs his fingers even deeper into his arms and trails after him into the kitchen not looking back at any of the eyes in the room. He subtly tries to shove past Hyrule but he sidesteps out the way. Bastards, all of them.
When he enters the retired hero is already leaning himself against a countertop, half sitting on it, and his good eye trails Legend as he enters and half-sits on the countertop opposite Time, glaring back at him. Time waits a beat, takes his sweet time before finally asking “Who is Ravio”
Legend does not have the patience or the will to play these games “The purple prat in the bunny suit a room over” then he notched his head obviously in the direction of the living room, raising his eyebrows pointedly to convey his message of how unwilling he is to beat around the bush.
Time does not outwardly react to the jab besides narrowing his eye a fraction “I mean who is Ravio to you”
That immediately tears Legend’s head in half. Some of him wants to immediately answer ‘nothing. Someone I’m not well-acquainted with. He just housesits. Hardly know him. He doesn’t care about me, anyway.’ The other part of him wants to immediately reply ‘everything’
What comes out is a blank expression snd a droned “uhhh” that works in neither half of his brain’s favour.
Time does this… pinchy thing with his face and Legend can’t tell if it’s patronising or endearing- the latter sounds worse- before he says “When did you last talk with him?”
An easier answer, just numbers on a calendar “A month or two before I left” he lies, knowing it’s actually two weeks. he doesn’t need to specify what ‘left’ refers to, and fortunately Time doesn’t drag this encounter on by pointlessly asking him.
“When was the last time you talked to him?” Time asks. Legend recons he’s proud of being cryptic and thinks he thinks he sounds mysteriously wise. Legend thinks he sounds like he wants a clip round the ear.
“I don’t know what you mean” Legend says, trying to sound sharp snd above it. He just ends up sound whiny. He quickly resigns and bites the bullet “I sent a letter to him several months ago. He never replied. He clearly read it, though, so that’s all quite clear he wants nothing to do with me”
Time takes a moment to intake the information before he continues “Do you want nothing to do with him?”
Legend scoffs and tightens his crossed arms “I don’t want anything to do with someone who doesn’t care enough to send a letter back” he hates how pitiful it makes him sound. It’s all coming out wrong.
Time sighs, as if he’s irritated Legend isn’t getting the hidden meaning to this entire conversation, like he’s not reading the lines between the lines between the lines. Legend hardly even knows how to read. “If he’d sent a letter back, would you want something to do with him?”
Legend doesn’t answer
Time sighs again
“Have you talked with him about this?”
Legend bristles. This again “Of course not! When would I have gotten the chance? We just got here, you twit!” As if he didn’t just spend hours pathetically moping in his garden over this very topic
Legend gets a raise over seeing Time huff in what seems to be irritation, pinching the bridge of his nose “Can you talk to him?”
“Yes I can talk to him” Legend snaps back, and had a biting snark prepared about a lack of language barriers and mutism before Time gives him a withering look and asks “Will you talk to him?” And it almost sounds pleading, although Legend hardly sees a reason for the leader to care about this factor of his personal life enough to seem emotionally invested.
Legend is tired, he’s fed up, so he just replies a wilted “Yeah, I will”. Time falls silent and Legend takes this as the cue that this is done, not caring whether it is or not, and takes the opportunity to scamper off to his room, hating how it feels more like a flee than a retreat, and prays to every minor deity he knows to let this nightmare end, because heaven knows none of the goddesses care about him anymore.