Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Briiiiinnnng

Briiiiiiiinnng

Briiiiiinnng

“Link, hon, your phone is ringing.” Malon called from the kitchen, eyeing the vibrating phone on the kitchen table. 

Link, or Time, was quick to come retrieve the screaming device. Malon watched his facial expression turn from annoyance to surprise in seconds- curiosity fueling her to pause her chore to watch (or eavesdrop, but she’d rather not think of it as that)

Time answered the call, puting the device to his ear, “Hey-”

“Time?”  Said man's eyes blew wide at the sound of the boy on the other end of the phone, his kneejerk reaction having startled his poor wife.

“Legend? What’s wrong kiddo?” 

Legend? Why was he calling all of a sudden? They hadn’t heard from the boy since he moved away with his good for nothing parents several months ago. 

“Legend?” Malon breathed from across the kitchen, eyes wide in surprise and worry.  Time nodded, a matching look of worry and surprise on his face. It was well known in their circle of friends and family that the Lonlon family had nothing good to say about Mido and Romani Kokiri; the fact that the boy was calling them out of nowhere was a sign that something was wrong.

“I um-” There was a sound that was worryingly similar to a stutter of his breath, “They left me behind. I’m not sure what to do.” 

“Oh buddy. What happened?”

Legend took a deep breath on the other side of the phone, the faint sound of traffic cutting in as if he pulled his face away from the phone before it was replaced by his voice once again. “Dad…Mido said we were going to a work convention for his job but when we got to the outskirts of Goron city we went to get gas and I-” there was another shaky breath, “He said to get him coffee while he pumped gas and when I finished buying the coffee, he was already on the highway again.”

“What- why would he do that?” Time asked, red hot worry and anger starting to curdle his stomach. On the other end he heard what could only be a resigned sigh from the kid, the sound making him tighten his grip on his phone as a futile attempt to keep his anger at bay.

“He texted me saying that this was a lesson on responsibility. He said that they would be expecting me to be home by tomorrow. T-they want me to walk home.” 

Pinching his brow, the man held in every curse he wanted to let out, instead focusing on the child in danger as he began to pace around the kitchen. He was suddenly happy that his two sons were out doing chores so they didn't have to stew in worry like his poor wife. 

“You don’t live anywhere near Goron City though.” Across the room from him, Malon gasped softly as she put together the pieces. 

A humourless laugh echoed in his ears, “Yeah, I know. But I can’t just stay here so I took your advice and called since I need help.”  

“Fair enough. Alright, do you know an estimate on your location? Like any landmarks you can see?”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, muffled sounds in the background indicating Legend walking around to look. Time took the time to begin gathering what he needed, keys and wallet going into his pockets as he began to toe on the nearest pair of shoes he could get to. Malon bustled around behind him for a few moments before handing him one of Twilight's scouting lunchbox to hold snacks and drinks for the drive, aware that time was of the essence. Time gave his wife a quick peck to the cheek before idling at the door, awaiting an answer from Legend.

“I see a Goron Gusto sign but otherwise there’s not much I can identify.” Legend’s voice thankfully didn’t sound scared anymore, but it was clear the boy had resigned himself to his fate, something that broke Time’s heart. 

“Alright, that’s exactly what I needed, I actually think I know of a hotel not far from you.” 

“Okay? Not really helpful for me since I can’t just walk across the interstate, Time.” came the snarky response, though a beat later there was a soft apology. 

“I’ll send a navi to go get you, I’m texting you the details now.” He explained, putting the phone on speaker phone so he could start the process of making a hotel reservation under Legend’s name as well as ordering a navi to go pick the boy up. “I’m also making a reservation at the hotel so you have a safe place to stay until I come get you.”

“Wait, what? You can’t-”

“Yes I can, and I already have. I’m heading out now and if I can get away with speeding a bit I will be there by tomorrow morning.” Time said resolutely, waving to Malon before heading out. 

“Do you want me to stay on the phone with you until the navi arrives?” He asked, unlocking the truck before settling in, keys in the ignition as soon as he was in. 

“I uh, yeah. That would be nice.”  Something burned in his chest as he started to drive off of the ranch property, fierce protectiveness filling his veins at how small and resigned the boy sounded. Of all of his and his sons’ friends, Legend was always one who never seemed small- despite him being one of the smaller of the boys and men. 

Taking a deep breath before he answered, Time loosened his grip on the steering wheel, “Alright, I can do that. Hey, did Twi or Wind tell you about the new foal Epona had last week?”

“Oh, yeah. Aryll, right? Wind was sending us pictures of her non-stop for a few days.”  Upon hearing how his voice brightened, the elder smiled for the first time since answering the phone that afternoon.

“Haha, yeah. He’s awfully smitten with her. Malon had said that if Aryll had been a boy we should have named him Link.” 

Laughter echoed in the cab of the truck as the boy on the other end seemed  to relax, the most common type of joke in their eclectic friend group seeming to brighten his mood- which in turn brightened Time’s mood. 

An hour or so later, Time was turning onto the Hyrule Field overpass when he started hearing the ringtone for Warriors, the cab having been silent other than for music once Legend finally felt safe to hang up. Merging into the correct lane, Time answered his phone.

“‘Ello?”

“Hey Time, have you heard from Legend at all? I got a call from Malon saying something about him possibly being in danger and that you were going to go get him.”

“Yeah, I’m on my way right now. We hung up probably thirty minutes ago? He’s most likely at the nearest hotel by now.” Word seemed to spread fast with their group.

“Okay that’s great. Now I can shift gears from just his friend and into his caseworker. What do you know?”

Time chuckled, “You know he hates when you bring up that fact, right?”

“Don’t stall, Old man. I’m trying to keep him safe.”

“Okay, okay. He called me originally because his sorry excuse of parents left him at a gas station outside Goron City with the expectation of walking home and being there by tomorrow.”

He audibly heard a pencil snap and winced for the poor thing. 

“They WHAT ?! Why- what the fuck-” Warriors seethed from the other end, Time imagining steam coming out of his ears and nose. 

“Ledge said it was to teach him a lesson in responsibility? I’m just as pissed as you are.”

“I- He can’t go back to them. He cant .” Ah, the anger was now replaced with conviction. 

“I’m aware.”

“Okay, walk me through everything he told you and when you get him, have him call me. I need his account of events.”  The silent prayer of the courts being on their side was said. 

“Alright, will do. I- Oh, speak of Demise, Ledge is calling again.” Time chuckled, “I gotta hang up, Wars. Talk to you in a bit.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Chapter Text

Despite how often change happened, Legend himself never seemed to learn how to accept it- restlessness itching under his skin as he sat in the backseat of the navi sent for him.  The idea alone was still rattling around in his head as doubt and fear tried to cloud his brain. 

He had actually done it. He had actually asked for help. 

But despite the simmering joy, he knew that it was not over; Mido Kokiri was a vengeful man and he had so many connections in the court system; believing he had finally slipped from his father’s grasp was simply ignorant.  He had learned that the hard way, many many times (five times to be exact, but Link would rather not think about every caring and loving family he had been with since he was a child).

Even as he quietly thanked the navi driver and exited the car outside of the hotel, Legend felt unease and a sense of disreality. Who’s to say that he hadn’t simply fallen asleep at the gas station and that everything that followed was just a dream?

“Excuse me sonny.” A world weary voice grunted from behind him and Link jolted back to reality, idly blinking his eyes as he turned to look at the ancient goron woman behind him. 

“Oh, I, uh… Sorry ma’am.” He stuttered, voice gravely due to how long he had been silent (and from the countless screaming matches he had been in the last week or so). He stumbled over his feet to get out of the way for the woman and to open the door for her, getting rewarded with a pinch to the cheek as she passed him into the lobby. 

An annoying vibration distracted him from thinking too hard about when the last time he had had such an affectionate touch and instead to his phone. Said phone had been blowing up since he called Time for help, no doubt word had spread to just about everyone in the “Link” group chat which meant that he had eight people desperate to hear if he was okay or not- something he did NOT have the mental capacity for. 

“I can help whoever is next.” A voice chimed from the front desk, luring the worn out teenager over to begin socializing. It turned out that Mr.Lonlon had not been kidding when he said the hotel reservation was under his name, though Legend had no idea how the hotel let him make a reservation for a 15 year old. 

“Alright Hon, here’s your key card and your room number. Room service will be available until midnight but our lobby commissary is available all night long so long as you have a credit card.” The cool plastic card was placed in his hand along with a slip of paper with his room on it, the desk clerk most likely clueing in on the fact that something was wrong and thus keeping his room a secret. 

Just as he was about to turn to leave, another object slipped into his hand with a wink that confused Link until he was halfway to the elevator. In his hand, along with the card and paper was a candy bar. The same kind he devoured whenever he was at Lon Lon Ranch.

Making his way to his room was a quick and quiet affair, the tension leaving his frame as he locked the door behind him. Though after a second of thought he grabbed a door and jammed it under the doorknob. Just in case. His hand hesitated above it as he chewed his lip, violet eyes looking around before sighing and instead flopped onto the bed. 

Legend had nothing with him except the clothes on his back and his phone and wallet.  He was usually so prepared for things, all kinds of things in his backpack but it was currently who-knew-where with his stupid parents. And the cherry on the sucky cake of life was the fact that his phone had not stopped vibrating since the lobby, the sound slowly driving the boy mad until he saw who was calling.

“Hello?”

“Hey Ledge, did you get to the hotel alright? No issues checking in?” Ah, Time. Being as overprotective as always despite how often the two had communicated within the last twenty-four hours. 

“Yeah, uh. I’m in my room right now.” He murmured, suddenly hit with emotions he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with. He was in the process of escaping from clutches he had almost resigned himself to for years while his friend’s dad was talking to him as if he was one of his own. 

If Time could hear how thick his voice was, he didn’t comment, “Okay, good. That’s so good to hear. Do you have enough money for something to eat for dinner?” 

“I think so? I haven’t checked the prices yet. But if it’s too expensive then I have a candy bar and whatever free crap they keep in hotel rooms. I’ll make do.”

“That’s not what I asked Ledge. Do you have enough?” 

“Ugh, fine. One sec and I’ll check.” He groaned, swallowing the lump in his throat to grab the menu, skimming through the prices before scowling.  “Nope. Everything is a bit steep for me.”

“Alright, you still like your pizza with olives right?”  

“Yeah.” Link swallowed thickly, tears threatening to spill though he managed to keep a grip on his emotions, even if it was by a thread. 

“You sure? If not, I can always order something different.” Time sounded genuinely concerned and despite his better judgement Legend sniffled.

“N-no, I’m sure. I’m just worn out.” He said, not exactly lying. 

“Alright. The pizza will be heading your way in twenty to thirty minutes. I told the delivery guy to leave it outside your door. That way you don’t have to open for a stranger. I gotta get back on the road now but with the time I'm making I’ll be there by noon. Talk to you soon, Kit.” 

“Talk to you later, Old man.” He answered dumbly, eyes staring blankly at his expression on the dark TV screen. 

Taking a few deep grounding breaths, Link opened up Discord and groaned seeing just how flooded his dms and the group chat were- at least 40 messages in total waiting for him to address everything going on. 

The chain: 7 members online

ItsfeckingWimby: Thanks for teh hwk hlp Fouuurrrr! 😁

High-ro0l: Guys!!!! He’s on

Wilde-childeTM: Yooo! You’re alive!!!!

Twilight has changed their name from Biggest-goat-evr

Twilight: stop changing my name, Wind!

Twilight: !!! Ledge1 @ Legendary Are you okay?

High-ro0l and 6 others are typing  

Legend rolled his eyes before laying down on the bed, deciding to let the others get everything out of their systems before replying.

Legendary: Yeah, I’m okay now. 

Setting the phone down on his chest, the boy nodded to himself. He was okay. 

Chapter Text

Waking up after hours of struggling to keep nightmares at bay, Link reluctantly opened his groggy violet eyes, blearily looking at the outdated digital clock on the bedside table. Despite the sunlight filtering into the room, the flashing numbers tauntingly flashed ‘6:30’ at him. 

After screaming into the pillow, the boy dragged himself out of bed, joints and back protesting until he started to stretch his limbs. He was never a morning person, or at least not since being adopted. Vaguely, Link could recall early mornings running through the trees behind his Uncle’s cabin and playing in the early morning dew. 

Shaking himself out of memories long past, he began to straighten out his clothes and idly considered going out to brave the breakfast crowd that was no doubt filling the hotel dining area. Hell, maybe he’d go soak his feet in the pool downstairs- he could smell the tell-tale smell of chlorine from his third floor room. 

BZZZZT

BZZZZT

Picking up his phone from the bed, Link cautiously looked at the name of the caller, relief crashing into him when he saw it was not his parents but instead Time. Granted he wasn’t sure who it could be at the early morning time, but either way, Link was just happy to see the familiar name.

“Sup.”

“Oh, you’re awake. I didn’t wake you up did I?” Time sounded genuinely happy to hear him, something that made some of the ice around his heart melt. 

“Nah. I mean you probably would have if I wasn’t already awake but it’s whatever. What’s up?”

Time chuckled on the other end of the phone, the sound bringing a small smile to Legend’s face, “ I was calling to let you know I am only half an hour away. Do you want to get food at the hotel or would you rather we go out to get something?”

“How are you- Never mind, don’t answer that. You don’t have to keep wasting money on me, Time. Otherwise I’m gonna have to pay you all the money I have on me.” He tried to joke, but he knew it probably sounded rather pathetic to Time. 

“Link, it is not a waste if I want to do things for you. You are worth it, yeah? Just let me do this for you, son.”  

Well if that didn’t have his eyes burning- “Shit Old man, you can’t say that shit to me when I’m only just waking up.” He bemoaned, giving a watery chuckle before taking a deep breath. 

“Alright fine, yeah I’d like to eat something other than watery eggs and over-mixed pancakes. Please.” He tacked the plea on after a second, remembering his manners despite the overwhelming emotions he was already feeling. 

“That’s my boy! How about Telma’s cafe?”

“You only wanna go there because Twi works there!” He squawked, his outburst making the man laugh. 

“Perhaps. Anyways, do you?”

“Yeah that sounds fine.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in fifteen. See you soon, Kit.” With that Time hung up, leaving Legend to scrub a hand down his face as he tried to get his emotions in order. Maybe he was just overly emotional due to not getting enough sleep- Yeah, that sounded right. 

Link glanced at the time before leaving a small tip for the housecleaning staff and idly swiping some of the free amenities in the room before at last leaving the hotel room. While he was relieved to be out of his parents’ grasp for the time-being, he was wary to believe it would last. He had been with five other families off and on since Uncle died (and before him, his biological parents, but he didn’t remember them at all) so he knew not to get his hopes up. 

The Forger family had him first at the tender age of seven, only a year after his adoption because of an untreated broken arm that led to an investigation with CPS. The couple and young son welcomed him into the fold of their family and he even got to learn the very basics of blacksmithing- something that young Link had adored, as well as ironically introducing him to Link “Four” Smith and his family. 

Then his parents got him back after Mido worked his magic and he stayed with them until he was eight where he then got whisked away to stay with Granny Syhrup and her granddaughter Maple after untreated injuries almost killed him (he had no recollection of it so he personally doubted it was ever that bad) While there he played the days away with his foster sister in the backroom of Granny’s shop until a week before his tenth birthday. He vaguely remembered how hard Granny slammed the door when CPS came to collect him to take back to his family. 

Shaken from his thoughts, Link dazedly returned the keycard to the young man at the front desk before going outside to sit and wait for Time.  Sunlight warmed his skin as he got sucked back into his thoughts, memories flowing over him once more. 

His third foster family was not truly a foster family but rather one he just stumbled across during one of his mother’s hallucination fuelled training exercises out in the woods- Link stumbled through the woods at night until he came across an old worn down cabin belonging to an older man named Dampe and his adopted son Link “Hyrule”. Link got fed three square meals before the forest rangers tracked him down and took him to his very angry parents, but in the time he spent with the odd duo he got to see so many strange but interesting inventions. 

Idly watching the road, he tried to ignore memories with the Mabe family, knowing that any memories from that time would make him cry for sure. Tarin, the father, had been so caring for Link when he was placed with them at the age of twelve. He actually stayed with them the longest, and would have probably been adopted by Tarin had the storm not killed everyone in the remote Koholint village, including his foster sister Marin. 

After that placement, Link had struggled to open up to anyone new to his life and it made it hard for anyone to notice any kinds of abuse and neglect. But eventually, after failing to conceal a busted lip, black eye, and slew of new scars to the court ordered physician, he was taken away and placed with an eccentric woman in Hytopia; Madame Couteuer, or Auntie Hautie as she preferred being called by him. 

Auntie Hautie managed to take the angry and world weary fourteen year old Link and not only got through his walls with her wit and sarcasm, but also taught him how to sew and express himself through clothes (Mido had HATED it when he came back home with bleached blonde hair- saying it reminded him of a jerk from his childhood)

HONK HONK

Ripped from memories long gone, Link’s head whipped up to stare at the faded green paint of Time’s trusty truck “Epona the first” as it parked in front of him. Time hopped out of the truck to jog over to him, kneeling down and gently grasping his chin, checking his face over for any kind of bruise or blemish. Legend leaned into the fingers as the faded yellow bruising near his jaw was spotted and idly tried to not think about how much his eyes burned.  After Time seemed appeased, the man pulled him into a hug, holding him close for only a few brief moments before pulling them both to their feet. 

“I’m happy to see you in good shape Ledge.” He said genuinely, earnestness shining in his lone eye, the look alone breaking through any remaining walls Legend had. 

Link threw himself back into Time’s arms, using the man’s torso to muffle the broken sobs that bubbled up his throat as tears quickly began to pour down his face, a slew of emotions overwhelming him as he clung onto the worn denim jacket the other wore. 

“Shhh, It’s okay bud. I’ve got you.” Time soothed, arms wrapping around him just as tight, as if trying to protect him from the world. Idly, at the back of Legend’s mind, he thought about how lucky Twilight and Wind were to get hugs from Time anytime they wanted. 

When his sobs faded into shuddering breaths, Legend awkwardly released Time and began to roughly wipe his face with his arm, mumbling apologies to try and mend his very bruised ego. Clapping a hand on his shoulder, Time shook his head and led Link to the truck. 

“Don’t apologize, you’ve had a rough night and if I had to guess, you’re probably still tired. So, we’re gonna go get some food and head home. Sound good?” He asked as he opened the passenger side door for Link. 

Legend nodded, starting to feel like a rag that was wrung out.

The cab shook slightly as Time climbed in and started the car, a low rumble of the engine taking his mind away from everything. The elder fiddled with the dials of the old speaker system, mumbling under his breath until soft acoustic guitar overcame the static. 

With a nod and smile at the song, Time began the drive away from the hotel that had been Legend’s safety net for the last several hours.

           ‘Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?

                                       Can the child within my heart rise above?

                                                           Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?

                                                                                          Can I handle the seasons of my life?’

Idly resting his forehead against the morning-chilled window, Legend idly hummed along with the song, eyes starting to droop as he listened to Stevie Nicks croon about the passage of time and personal growth. 

Next thing he knew, there was a warm hand on his shoulder as a low voice filtered into his sleepy mind.

“We’re here, kiddo. Pancakes won’t wait forever.” the voice chuckled  before some creaking was heard, followed by the familiar sound of a truck door shutting.  Groaning, he opened his eyes and after rolling his stiff neck, he surmised that everything that had occurred was still reality. 

Grrruuummmble 

Oh man was he hungry. 

Hurried and stiff fingers struggled with the seatbelt release, the belt zipping past his ears as he succeeded and scrambled out of the truck with a burst of energy he himself wasn’t expecting. 

“Time! Wait up!”