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Sometimes, things still go wrong.
Vio and Shadow’s life in the cottage is generally cozy, far removed from the drama and danger of their past adventures. While Castle Town is only an hour’s walk through the woods away, something about their little home feels deliciously isolated, much like the room they’d shared back in the Fire Temple. Back then, Vio and Shadow had awkwardly maneuvered around each other, both too preoccupied with their own anxieties to truly enjoy each other’s company. More often than not, their developing mutual fondness had been the main source of anxiety for them both.
Things are different now. Even when everything else is wrong, they know that they have each other. Even when they fight, they still have each other. Vio and Shadow share a profoundly tender kind of devotion, an unspoken agreement that the life they share together will always be enough. As long as they can fall into each other’s arms, the rest is ultimately just set dressing.
And what a beautiful set they’ve dressed together—an idyllic little home in the woods, full of books and artifacts and barrels of evil root beer, safe and comfortable in a way neither had ever felt before. Their rescued cat/roommate Pinecone is a treasured member of the household, along with Tingle whenever he needs a place to crash because the knights are after him for undisclosed crimes against the crown. They don’t let him stay inside the house, but they do turn a blind eye to the occasional tent in the backyard.
They have other friends in Castle Town, only some of whom are shared. Shadow and Zelda are incredibly close, and at this point Vio has a pretty solid connection with his former-present allies Red, Blue, and Green. It would have been difficult for Vio not to bridge the distance between them, given the missions that they all still occasionally do as a team.
The missions aren’t usually too difficult, mostly boiling down to simple combat and negotiation. But occasionally they find themselves fending off a legitimate threat to ensure that Hyrule remains saved. And every once in a long while, one of them manages to get hurt in the process.
Shadow reminds himself of all this as he holds Vio’s sleeping body—their peaceful life together, the devotion they share, and the inevitability of occasional bumps in the road. He can feel Vio’s heartbeat, watch as his breathing displaces chunks of blonde hair. He is fine, just a little roughed up from an unfortunate run-in with a Like Like (or, as Shadow now calls the creature, a Dislike Dislike).
Honestly, when he wakes up, Vio is going to be more pissed about the monster stealing his favorite scrunchie than trying to eat him whole.
Vio’s eyelashes flutter, his eyes opening just a crack. Shadow holds his breath.
“Ow,” Vio says, profoundly. His eyes land on Shadow’s arms, wrapped tightly around his body. His grimace fades to something much softer. “Aw.”
“A man of few words,” Shadow teases, nuzzling into the space between Vio’s shoulder and neck. It smells like home.
“Shadow,” Vio says sharply, scoldingly—but his body only relaxes further.
“Yes, my love?”
“… Shut up.”