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It was a calm day at camp. There had been no monster attacks and there was a significant lack of tension among the group today. When the small groups of heroes called for a truce to join forces, there was a decent amount of infighting. Nothing physical, luckily, but there had been plenty of threats and harsh glares. Sky was certain it wasn’t posturing, everyone was fiercely loyal to their little groups.
Today’s peace was a welcome change of pace. Even Sailor, who was arguably the one most ready for a fight, was resting quietly next to the fire. With any luck it would stay this way.
Sky watched as Twilight stood from his spot next to Eras to go do a perimeter check. Something was up with them and he had his suspicions. He stood and hurried to Twilight’s side, only huffing a little as he went.
“Hey!” Sky called out and Twilight paused to watch him approach. “Want some company?”
“I’d appreciate that,” Twilight replied with a bright smile.
They walked along the swamp’s shoreline and kept an eye out for any potential danger. There was a pair of lizalfos splashing in the water, though they were well far enough away to not be a threat. Aside from a few frogs hopping away, there was no unusual movement in the tall grass and cattails. It was peaceful. So naturally, it was time to strike.
“Seems everyone is starting to get along well,” Sky commented while brushing a bug off of his shoulder, “even the captain looks more relaxed now.”
“Yeah, it’s nice,” Twilight hummed, “I hope this means we can find our way home now.”
“Right. It’ll be easier now that we’re not at each other's throats.”
They continued at a steady pace along the swamp’s bank, Sky spotted a few herons wading in the search for small fish. While they were far more small and sleek than loftwings, seeing their powdery blue feathers made his heart ache. But this wasn’t supposed to be about him, he didn’t tag along with Twilight to pity himself. He had real and serious work to do.
“I still don’t know some of the others that well,” Sky commented while trying to get a read of his companion, “like the captain, but it seems like you’ve been getting to know him.”
“I have,” Twilight replied and frowned lightly, “doesn’t seem like anyone else is willing to.”
This wasn’t going exactly as planned. There was plenty of time for damage control, he knew Twilight was not prone to anger.
“I’d like to, but I don’t think he likes me that much.”
“What makes you think that?” Twilight asked while raising a brow.
“I mean, he did try to kill me. More than once.”
“That’s hardly fair,” Twilight said with a laugh, “that was before we knew the truth. Besides, he said he was sorry.”
It was hard to get a read on Twilight. Was he being defensive as a friend, or was there something else going on? He couldn’t tell.
“I know, but he’s a bit intimidating,” Sky sighed, “he doesn’t talk to me like he does with you.”
“I’ll let ya in on a secret,” Twilight said while making a show of looking around for potential eavesdroppers, “he’s more scared of you than you are of him.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s true,” Twilight replied with a shrug, “he’s not as menacing as he looks. He’s a bit of a goob.”
“A goob?” Sky repeated, unsure if he heard correctly.
“Ya’know, he’s silly. He’s kinda awkward, but in a good way. He has a flair for dramatics but it makes me-, I mean, he does it for the laughs.”
As Twilight rambled, his accent grew thicker and a blush grew on his face. Sky watched him carefully, he took note of how Twilight smiled and perked his ears up as he spoke. There was something there, Twilight liked the captain in some capacity. The difficult part would be finding out if the feelings were mutual.
Once they completed their rounds and confirmed there were no potential dangers in the area, they returned to camp. Knowing that Twilight would likely return to the captain, Sky took the lead and approached him. Eras stared at him with a frown, his ears were pinned back slightly and he looked like he was ready to bolt. Then his attention shifted to Twilight. His expression softened, not quite to a smile but at least he didn’t look like he was thinking about biting Sky if he got too close anymore.
“Everything’s clear, just some lizalfos in the swamp,” Twilight announced while leaning against a tree.
Sky quickly tried to think of his next move, he wasn’t quite sure if the captain saw Twilight in a similar light. More data was needed. He looked up and noticed both Twilight and Eras were looking at him expectantly, he didn’t normally make a habit of sticking around the captain.
“We’re getting low on firewood,” Sky said while looking at the dwindling pile, it wasn’t exactly a lie, “I was hoping you two could help me collect more.”
“I don’t mind,” Twilight replied first, Eras merely nodded his head.
Sky waited for Twilight to hitch a cart to Epona before leading them away from the swamp and into a dried floodplain. Among the sprawling mangroves were fallen trees and stranded branches of driftwood. It was the perfect place to collect firewood, but more importantly, they were alone and safe from prying eyes.
Twilight went to work chopping dead trees with his hatchet while Sky and Eras carefully stacked the logs into the cart. It was quiet, save for the chopping and occasional bird call, but it was a comfortable silence. Sky looked over at Eras a few times to try to get a read on him. The captain was far less guarded now, he hummed a tune to himself as he set the wood down. Unless Sky’s eyes were playing tricks on him, Eras kept glancing at Twilight with a slight smile.
“Twilight’s pretty strong,” Sky commented casually and Eras visibly bristled before turning to stare at him questioningly, “I think I’d get worn out after splitting that many logs.”
Eras blinked at him blankly. Then the corners of his eyes and mouth crinkled as he belted out a laugh.
“I bet I can chop way more than him,” Eras said while sporting a mischievous grin.
“You think so?” Sky asked, slightly taken aback.
“I know so.”
Before Sky could say anything else, Eras rummaged through the front of the cart and procured a hatchet.
It occurred to him that he rarely heard the captain speak aside from a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. He certainly never saw him smiling, at least not like this.
“What,” Twilight said and paused his chopping when he saw Eras approaching with the hatchet, “am I not going fast enough for ya?”
“No, no, he thinks I can’t chop more wood than you,” Eras replied while pointing his thumb back at Sky.
“I never said that!” Sky protested, none of this was going as planned.
“It was implied, Feathers,” Eras teased and started cutting into a log.
Sky stopped in his tracks. He’d never seen the captain so casual and carefree. And he certainly never expected Eras to call him by that nickname. Maybe Twilight’s presence put the captain at ease and Sky wasn’t reading into the nature of their relationship after all.
He watched as the two made a competition of splitting logs, they were evenly matched for the most part. They laughed and made playful jabs at each other while wood splinters flew everywhere. At one point, Eras brushed a hand through Twilight’s curly hair to dislodge a chunk of tree bark that had managed to get stuck.
Sky couldn’t help but think of the times he would race Zelda on their loftwings. When they landed, she would often take the time to brush his windswept hair into a more presentable state. He missed it. Seeing Twilight and Eras acting like this should have been vindicating, but instead it made his stomach churn with longing. No, this wasn’t about him.
He shoved those thoughts away and focused on loading the wood into the cart. Getting Twilight and Eras to realize they liked each other was his task here. Staying out of their way while they started to figure that out would be best. He didn’t notice the lack of chopping until Twilight and Eras walked by him with a bundle of firewood in their arms.
“Done already?” Sky asked.
“We lost our referee,” Twilight explained with a shrug.
By the time they finished loading the cart, the sun had fallen below the horizon. A cool breeze settled in the air, causing him to shiver. This could be perfect. Twilight’s arms and shoulders were bare of any clothes, no doubt he was feeling chilly.
“Wow, it got cold fast,” Sky commented while looking at Twilight.
It was foolproof. Eras would see how cold Twilight was and offer some warmth. Maybe even a classic arm over the shoulder. What he wasn’t expecting was something suddenly draped over his back, he looked behind and realized Eras had given him his scarf.
“What’s this for?” he asked in disbelief, he couldn’t believe his plan had fallen apart so fast. He didn’t know why the captain would bother giving him the scarf, out of all people.
“You said you were cold,” Eras said like he was explaining one plus one to a child.
Okay, fair, he was cold. Still, that should have gone to Twilight instead. He wouldn’t complain this time, there were still more opportunities to get them together. When they returned to camp and refueled the fire, Sky sneakily moved his bedroll away from the fire and Twilight’s spot, so there was room for Eras to place his bedroll there instead.
Or so he thought.
He bumped into someone and of course it was the captain. Eras looked at him with a stern expression, and his arms were crossed tight.
“Can I speak with you,” Eras said quietly, his gentle tone betrayed his strict posture and he added, “privately.”
“Oh, uh, sure,” Sky all but squeaked, he’d never been alone with the captain before.
A part of him still feared the fierce captain, even though he knew the man had good intentions. He pushed the anxiety away and followed Eras, still with the scarf wrapped around himself. They didn’t stray too far from camp, they only went far enough away to not be in earshot. The fire flickered through the trees, he couldn’t wait to go sit next to it. Warm memories of sitting next to the hearth with Zelda flooded his mind. What he wouldn’t give to be back with her right now.
Eras let out a sigh and distracted him from his thoughts.
“I know what you’re trying to do. And I appreciate it but-”
“I’m sorry,” Sky blurted and started to pace, “I thought there was something between you two. I’ve never seen you laugh except for when you’re around him. I thought maybe if you were together, you’d be more comfortable around everyone. He blushes when he talks about you, I thought it was cute. And you were so ready to compete with him, just like me and Zelda used to…”
Sky trailed off his rant and took a few quick breaths. He looked up and Eras had the most bewildered expression he had ever seen. Oh no. This was not the direction the captain was going in before being interrupted.
“I-,” Eras stammered and shook his head before continuing, “are you okay?”
“Am I okay? Yes.” Sky repeated, unsure if he heard correctly. Of course he was okay.
“As I was trying to say,” Eras said, not unkindly, “you don’t need to worry yourself for my sake. Are you sure nothing’s bothering you? You’ve been acting different all day.”
“No,” he lied, mostly to himself.
“You mentioned Zelda. I assume she’s your partner.” There was no question there, merely a statement.
“My wife,” Sky confirmed.
“Good. Tell me about her?” The captain’s voice was calm and oddly comforting. Sky found himself heeding his words.
“Where do I even start?” Sky chuckled lightly. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. She’s so brave and smart. And I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as beautiful as her. She almost always beats me when we race, she is a force to be reckoned with.”
“You must miss her,” Eras said with a smile, a genuine one.
“I do. So much.” Sky looked away for a moment and back at the captain. Eras was the last person he expected to confide in, but he had a reassuring presence now. “I was doing a routine patrol when that portal kidnapped me, I never got to say goodbye to her. I’m worried that she thinks I’m dead. I’m terrified that she thinks I left her.”
“I’m sorry. You both seem to have good heads on those shoulders, I’m sure she doesn’t think you’ve left her.”
“I know. This is just so hard and frustrating. I want to go home.”
Sky could feel anger bubbling in him, though talking it through at least didn’t make him want to wander off into the woods to go stab some innocent trees.
“Do you need a hug?”
The question caught him off guard. The big scary captain that most of the others in the group tried to avoid was asking him if he needed a hug. If he wasn’t on the cusp of a breakdown he would have laughed.
“I think I do. I’ll go-” Sky started but was cut off when Eras wrapped his arms around him. Sky melted immediately into the touch and loosened his tense muscles. He didn’t hug back, he just sat there and let himself be held for goddesses knew how long.
Eventually, Eras let him go, though he kept a hand on his shoulder.
“Okay. I did need that,” Sky said, admittingly still in a daze.
“Anytime. Now let’s get you back to camp before you freeze.”
Sky wasn’t about to argue with that. He stuck to Eras’ side as they walked back, but they stopped just before reaching the outskirts of the camp.
“Before I forget,” Eras said in a hushed tone, “does Twilight really blush when he talks about me?”
“All of the time,” Sky confirmed with a smile.
“That’s cute. Thanks, I’ll have to tease him later,” Eras said casually.
“What?”
“We’ve been together for weeks now, I’m surprised it took this long for someone other than Sailor to figure it out,” Eras said with a light shrug and dopey smile.
If Sky wasn’t so exhausted, he might have proclaimed that he knew it all along. The signs were there! But instead, he let Eras guide him to the fire. They sat down and Sky used Eras’ shoulder as a pillow. At some point, Twilight came into the mix and sat down next to them. In his peripheral, Sky could see the two were holding hands.
Sky closed his eyes. Maybe later he would try taking full credit for getting those two together. In the meantime, he would take the first comfortable sleep he’d had in weeks.