Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When the Chain had arrived in the Zora’s Domain of Time’s era, only to learn that the Zora had been overrun by monsters as of late, all of the Links breathed a sigh of relief. They had been following dead leads for days, each more disappointing than the last. Now, finally they had something. 

From first glance, Wild hadn’t been too thrilled about these monsters. They looked similar to chuchus, only with desaturated colors and more capability to spread slime everywhere. The few that could be seen above the surface of the water didn’t even seem to be causing much damage, other than making the whole place stink up like a carcass. Confusion was palpable among the Links, both at the fact that none of them had seen monsters like this and at how panicked the Zora seemed about them. As soon as they had laid eyes on Time, they had flocked to him spouting off about poison and aggressive tendencies and water… which just flew straight over Wild’s head as he couldn’t even parse out a full sentence. 

Time managed to calm the hysteria enough to ask to speak to King Zora about the whole situation, instead of the advisors (what Wild assumed these Zora were, because they seemed to be in charge of organizing from what he could gather). Needless to say, when not one but nine heroes walked into the throne room with their chins held high, King Zora was rather pleased to explain the predicament in its entirety. 

Turns out those little blob monsters that they had seen on the land portion of the domain? Those were just the unfortunate few that had found their way to the surface. The vast majority of them thrived in the water, wicked fast and in huge numbers. Their weapon of choice? Flinging sticky sludge at their enemies to slow them down in the water, sometimes even preventing them from swimming. Wild barely paid attention, just catching the broad strokes. He was more focused on noticing the uncomfortable buildup of gas just below his navel. It made his stomach churn just a little, and was very quickly shifting to a sharp pain in his side that he did not appreciate, especially going into battle. Probably just a result of wolfing down his food too fast during lunch (the last of the big pot of soup Malon had sent them off with), but it was still annoying. 

Nevertheless, he managed to catch the rest of the conversation. 

“They are denser in some areas, and seem to be coming from a cave on the lake bed, but it is difficult to tell. None of our hunters or scouts have been able to get very close without being slimed.” King Zora explained. Time nodded, closing his eye in thought. 

“There is likely a hive somewhere.” he mused aloud. Four piped up, squeezing past Twilight and Warriors to get in front of them. 

“Maybe if we follow the population density we can find where they’re coming from. It will be the most fighting intensive, but the most direct. And it doesn’t seem as if the slime causes any burns or poisoning, correct?” 

King Zora shook his head. 

“No, nothing of the sort has been reported. But it will restrict movement, and we haven’t been able to figure a consistent way to clean it off. I’d advise keeping it off of you at all costs.” 

Four nodded firmly, then glanced back at Time and Warriors for their thoughts. Warriors cleared his throat, puffing out his chest in that way he nearly always did when in the presence of a higher authority. 

“It’s as good a plan as any. We can head out right away, King.” 

King Zora shifted his gaze lazily from Warriors to Time, a silent question. Time nodded his approval. King Zora broke out into a strange, fishy smile. 

“Wonderful. You all have my eternal thanks.” 

They were given water breathing potions, all except Time, Legend, Twilight, and Warriors. Wild was still trying to get over the fact that Legend could turn into a mer, and Time had a Zora form from the last time they had an underwater adventure. Wild was a little more than annoyed that Warriors got the spare Zora tunic that exempted him from drinking a potion. 

Typically potions didn’t bother Wild, but adding the bitter concoction to his already upset tummy just made the pain spike worse. He supposed that the uncomfortable sensation of sprouting gills lining each side of his ribcage was good enough distraction, though. 

It was easy enough to ignore in the wake of a task: cutting through swarms of those little blob monsters as they got closer and closer to finding a hive. It was a near constant battle, swishing his blade to and fro. He kept his movements tight, trying not to stretch out his torso too much. As he learned very early on in this endeavor, any shifting in his abdominal muscles resulted in an almost certain spike in pain. It made him a little sloppy, to the point where he got more than one raised eyebrow, but chalked it up to the whole “fighting underwater” thing. 

The nausea was growing too, along with the sharp pain that felt like a driving spear through his side. But he didn’t think anyone else had noticed yet. He counted that as a positive, because it meant two things: One, that he wouldn’t get coddled for something that would obviously fade with time, and two, that he could very successfully offload the extra gas making his gut churn in Legend’s close vicinity. 

Although, he thought bitterly as they finally got a breather, that plan won’t work if all Legend can smell is these stupid slimes. 

The odor was only getting worse. The air (or really, water) stank of rotting fish and moldy ropes. Legend had said that it was dark magic, (which explained why Hyrule was looking so dazed) and it meant that they were getting closer to the hive. Smells didn’t usually bother Wild, at least not as much as Twilight. But today, every whiff of that stench sent Wild’s stomach rolling. 

He chose to shrug it off, doing his best to ignore the smell. And ignore that this pain was different in some way he couldn’t quite place. And ignore the concerned looks he was getting from Time and the nervous ones he got from Four. Honestly, there was no reason to worry. Eventually it would pass (either with time or a trip to the privy) and all would be well again. He just had to endure it while they were still on their mission. 

A full hour into the expedition, Wild was starting to learn that that was going to be more difficult than he expected. For one, the pain and bloating was just getting worse. It hurt to swing his sword, it hurt to swim, and it hurt to burp. Which, as time went on, he was doing more and more of. Air kept forcing its way up his gullet, tasting distinctly like the carrot soup Malon had made only more acidic. Despite the constant belching, the pressure in his stomach only seemed to build instead of being relieved. He turned to pondering what he could have possibly eaten to mess himself up like this, as well as forming a plan of relief as soon as he could get to it. 

The sooner I can get to whatever privy the Zora have, the better. And I wonder if Four would let me have a couple of those ginger honey candies I made for him. They might help. 

“WILD, LOOK ALIVE!” Wind shouted. 

Wild was torn from his thoughts viciously, blinking back to the present. There, mere feet away from him, was a blob creature of mauve color, hurtling towards him. And it was twice as big as the other ones they had been fighting. He swiveled around as quickly as he could and met the monster with his blade. It was easily cleaved in two, and dissolved swiftly in the water, but not before a good pint of slime landed smack in his middle. 

He instantly folded over, clutching at his side as it seared with fiery agony. The pain burned through his gut, radiating from that spot in his lower right abdomen. His head went fuzzy for a moment, fingers numb as all he knew was that it hurt . 

A few forced breaths later, and he opened his eyes. Stars still speckled the water in front of him, but the stabbing sensation was subsiding. He tried to slowly straighten out, but the overwhelming urge to vomit overcame him almost instantly, so he curled back up to ride it out. There was a hand on his shoulder, he thought. Maybe? It was hard to tell with everything spinning. He tried to focus on a spot on the lake floor, a clump of kelp, as it warbled below him. 

“That thing got you good, you ok Wild?” said a water-dampened voice. He was about to answer, or at least try to, when a flash of metal streaked by in his peripheral vision. He followed it sluggishly, lifting his head to find Time in his Zora form (which towered over all of them) holding his sword out to him (a royal claymore, one of his nicer weapons). He must have dropped it at some point. He took a hard swallow, as the nausea thankfully subsided, and gave Time a wobbly smile. 

“Thanks” he said as he took the blade in his shaky hand again. Legend surged towards him, gliding easily through the water. He poked at the slime coating Wild’s stomach, and wrinkled his nose as it just bounced his finger off. It seemed to have formed a kind of gel on impact, protecting Wild from Legend’s probing. Even so, the small amount of touch sent lightning through his side. 

“Weird.” Legend muttered. Twilight, who had been the one next to Wild from the beginning, looked over with worry plain on his features. 

“You sure you’re good? Looks like it hurt somethin’ awful.” he asked kindly. Wild nodded quickly, not wanting to worry them. 

“Yep! I just wasn’t expecting it is all,” he assured, even though he couldn’t bring himself to take his hand away from his side. Twilight’s mouth twisted into a frown, but he didn’t get a chance to say anything. 

“First thing we’re getting you when we get back is a bath, Champ. You’re going to stink up everything with that slime.” Legend quipped, swishing his rose-gold tail to and fro. Twilight cocked an eyebrow. 

“Erm, Vet, we’s already surrounded by water.” 

“With soap , Rancher. I know you don’t use it often, but you should at least remember what it is.” Legend sneered. The two continued their banter, swimming ahead and towards more monsters to fight. Wild took a deep breath, ended with another little burp, and then followed suit. 

By the time they had found the hive, Wild was just about done with whatever was going on with his digestive system. His stomach did flips with every fast movement, cramping harshly in his side. The nausea built steadily as they went, threatening to become unbearable if he tried to do too much. He knew he would be fine. He would probably still be able to function and carry on, it was hardly the worst pain he’d been through. But that didn’t make it easier to bear. More than likely he just needed to find a place to throw up. That always helped. 

The “hive” was less of a hive and more of some kind of “mother blob” from which swarms of smaller blobs were emitted. By that point, they were all so fed up with them, and so good at killing them, that it didn’t take long to dismantle the thing. Wild handed out lightning resistant items, and then Hyrule zapped it with the most intense thunder spell he could manage. It was honestly the most underwhelming victory they had ever had.

The swim back was a lot better than getting there. Less fighting=less pain on Wild’s end. Even still, the discomfort he couldn’t ignore. Somehow , despite all the air he’d burped up, he still felt bloated to the brim. His stomach churned mercilessly and there were several times that he fell behind because the nausea got so bad. The goo coating his abdomen he had largely been able to scrape off with his hands, but there still remained a few patches. 

Wild half-expected that when he burst through the water and recalibrated on dry land that the pain would fade just a little bit. His hopes were dashed swiftly, when he discovered that the constant impact of his feet on stone only sent shocks of pain through his side. The brief thought crossed his mind, as he wrung out his hair and chose a shirt from his slate, that maybe he should be worried about this. He’d never felt anything like it before, this level of pain wasn’t what he considered normal for indigestion. Then he remembered that time when he’d arrived in Kakariko for the first time post-coma, and gorged himself on pumpkin so readily that he hadn’t been able to get up at all the next day, and quickly banished the idea that something could be wrong. 

Before any of them had even a moment to breathe and adjust to being out of the water again, a veritable crowd of Zora flooded into the cavern. Far more than the few babbling advisors that they had met previously. Now children, adolescents, along with adults were all whooping and showering the Links with praise. If this was how they reacted to such a small task, Wild could not imagine the level of enthusiasm that Time must have received after he helped them. It was quite frankly very overwhelming, and he could tell he wasn’t the only one who thought so. Hyrule had frozen up, barely able to squeak out “thank you”s and “your welcome”s, and Four was socializing just fine, but flinched at loud noises and got distracted by others’ conversations. 

Wild didn’t really remember much of that period, only that laughing made his side hurt worse so he tried not to do that unless someone was trying to joke. By the time that the crowd had thinned out, Wild had two beautiful, shiny stones in his palm, each a little smaller than a rupee. They looked to be some kind of quartz or other crystal, polished to perfection in a way that made them glimmer pinks and purples in the light. He didn’t even recall which of the Zora had given them to him. He hoped he had remembered to thank them in the moment. 

Finally, he got a moment to relax. They all made their way to the throne room so that Time and Warriors could report their findings. Wild didn’t even get a chance to ask if he could have a moment to find a privy. The old hylian tunic he had chosen to wear (for comfort, not style, and omitting several of the belts) was soaked through, with not only the water from their adventure, but also sticky sweat. It cooled in the fabric and made him shiver. The cave was already damp, and shielded from much heat, why was he sweating so much? 

Must have been the crowd. 

Standing in the throne room, surrounded by diplomatic mumbo jumbo, with nothing to distract himself, all there was to focus on was the pulsating pain in his side, and the hot and cold flashes. He felt every wave of nausea with a new clarity after the adrenaline wore off. Every throb of his side, every little shift in his gut. It was maddening , not being able to do anything about it. 

He’d been in these situations before, he remembered them vaguely. Studying the architecture of grand structures during meetings where Zelda would lead, watching the curves of arches and trying to name the gemstones used in decorations. He used the same tactic now, to distract himself. Through the meeting with King Zora, all the way until they walked back in the main area of the Domain. 

The Zora in his era were grandiose, with curved, flowing architecture that almost seemed to blend in with the water itself. Everything was bejeweled with opals, stained glass, encrusted with topaz accents. It almost felt too clean to walk on, lest he leave muddy (or bloody) footprints behind. 

The Zora’s Domain in Time’s era was the exact opposite, and yet much the same. It was mostly just a cave, with a lake held within. There was some architectural pieces but for the most part the main structure was dug into rock. It was rough, and yet, still sang of clarity and peace, of a certain cleanliness that put your soul at ease. 

“Now, everyone.” Time boomed, demanding to be heard. He stopped at the entrance to the main cavern to address everyone. “The Zora are particular about their customs. Do not try and refuse gifts, and always be gracious, especially with food. There may be dancing, just try to follow along if they rope you into it. Understood?” 

A murmur of agreement broke out amongst them, and Wild stood dazed. What was Time talking about? Had he missed something? 

Time nodded in satisfaction, and smiled as he stood aside to let everyone through the opening. Wild had no choice but to file in with them, embracing the crystals hung up that cast soft blue light on the stone floor. It was beautiful, really. Dazzling. 

Wild took a deep breath, and then had to smother a harsh gag behind his fist. The strong smell of cooked seafood of all kinds hit him square in the nose. The sea-essenced  seasonings mingled with the overwhelming fishy scent, and the unfamiliarity of it made Wild’s stomach churn mercilessly. All at once the pain was back, the queasiness was back, and tacked on to his growing list of symptoms was a faint lightheadedness. Something heavy landed in his stomach as he realized what was happening. 

A feast. And clearly in their honor. Zora emerged from tunnels bearing trays of delicacies stacked high. Unleavened breads, seaweed wrapped squid, and of course lots and lots of fish. Grilled, fried, boiled, stewed. Just about every imaginable dish one could make with fish, was being set up on a large table. Wild didn’t remember that table being brought in. He didn’t remember when they had mentioned any food, much less a feast. The zora beamed with pride, presenting their gifts of gratitude. One chef was already explaining the preparation methods to Warriors for some of the dishes with which he was unfamiliar. Wind took one big whiff of the food and practically started levitating towards it. Despite Sky’s frequent yawning all afternoon, he still perked up and wandered over with Twilight. Legend was having to physically prevent Hyrule from inhaling an entire gigantic tuna, but even the Vet was happily filling his plate on the side. 

So that left Time, Wild, and Four. Wild stood dazed. The time had just kind of skipped, leaving him confused and disoriented. The pulsating pain in his side was all he could really focus on. 

Time watched with satisfaction as the rest of the Chain dug in happily, and he slapped both Wild and Four on the backs. Wild had to bite his tongue to not cry out in pain as stars speckled his vision. 

“Don’t be shy, boys. They won’t let any of us leave hungry!” Time encouraged. He looked happier than he had in a while. Four glanced uncertainly at the spread, then at Wild. There was a suspicion to his gaze that wasn’t there before, but he reluctantly followed in the path of the rest of their brothers. Wild remained, not quite having the willpower to follow. 

For the first time in what he knew was a very long time, Wild had no desire to eat. Or really put anything into his body. Everything hurt, and it was only getting worse. Just the thought of eating that fish made him glance around for the nearest garbage receptacle. He swallowed nervously as he eyed Time. Their leader was clearly excited to get to take part in the celebration, but he waited on Wild. 

The last thing that Wild wanted to do was spoil Time’s fun, or anyone else’s. But he was not interested at all in taking part. The only thing he wanted to do was find some form of relief. 

“Hey Time?” He asked. His voice came out whispery and unused, reminding him far too much of how it used to be fresh out of the Shrine of Resurrection. He cleared his throat before Time cocked an eyebrow. 

“Yes, Wild?” 

Wild couldn’t look his leader in the eye. He felt his shoulders shrug involuntarily, trying to play down his pain by instinct alone. 

“I don’t feel well, my stomach’s just bothering me a little, would it be okay if I sat this one out?” he asked. 

Time frowned, stepping closer to Wild. He surveyed Wild, much in the same way that a baker might carefully measure a unit of flour. Concern bled across his features. 

“Hm, you are a tad flushed. When did this start?” 

Wild shrugged again. Really, he needed to stop doing that. Time was going to think he was just making up lies to get out of the social gathering. 

“Earlier today. Since before we left. It’s only gotten worse.” he muttered. Time hummed, chewing on his lip. 

“Any other symptoms?” 

“No, just belly pain.” Again, a lie. He was a little dizzy, a little too hot, certainly nauseous, and that pain, that felt like an arrow in his side. But he spoke of none of it. 

Time scratched the back of his neck, the weighing of options playing clear as day on his face. Eventually he sighed, and looked Wild in the eye deliberately. 

“Now be honest with me, how would you feel about this: First, I’ll show you where the privy is. Then we’ll find you some medicine somewhere, something to settle your stomach. Then would you be okay to stick it out? Wild, if you really don’t feel well, say the word and I’ll find you a place to rest–” 

“No that’s okay! Medicine would be great, actually.” Wild stammered quickly. It came out before he realized why he was saying it, but Time’s pinched brow answered that question. “Besides, you’re right I probably just need to use the privy, it has been a while.” he added, trying to joke. The attempt at a laugh that he made only caused more pain, but he smiled through it. Time looked slightly relieved, but not convinced. 

“Are you sure? You know I wouldn’t normally ask this of you, but like I said the Zora are particular, if you don’t show they might insist we stay until you get better and… well…” 

“I want to see Malon again before we have to leave this era” Wild filled in. 

“Yeah! It’s okay, I get it. Tarrey Town is the same way.” he acknowledged, though he couldn’t quite keep up his smile as the reality set in that he was going to have to endure this feast. 

“Wild… please tell me if you start to feel worse or just don’t want to take it anymore. Your wellbeing is more important and if you need rest then just say something. Okay? Promise?” 

“Promise.” Wild said. 

“Thank you,” Time breathed, setting a single hand on Wild’s shoulder. “Now, I’ll find you some medicine, and the privy is the second tunnel on the left.” he instructed, pointing. Wild nodded, wincing as the movement made his throat tighten with nausea. 

“Okay. Thanks.” 

Wild didn’t wait for Time’s answer or lack thereof to turn and head towards the place that Time had pointed. He walked slowly, winding his arm around his side when no one was looking. 

He was just coming upon the tunnel that Time had pointed out when one of the crystals hung up for the celebration shifted, blinding him with a dazzling light. He shut his eyes and clutched at the wall, reeling as the movement sent his equilibrium spinning. Something dark and vile surged up within him, something he’d had to keep down for the last few hours. His stomach tightened, mouth filled with saliva in preparation, and it only made the mind-bending pain worse. For a moment, it was too much to bear. He stood there shaking, using the wall for support, trying to choose between holding his side and cupping his hand over his mouth. He thought he was going to be sick right there, in plain sight. Maybe that would be easier.

But then Time would worry, and he would have surely ruined the celebration. So he took a hard swallow, and made a mad dash to the privy.

Chapter Text

By the time that he finally was able to pry himself from the rim of the toilet, he couldn’t tell how long he’d been there. All he knew was that it had felt like hours . His side pulsated, feeling as if someone was stabbing into it repeatedly with a dull dagger. At least he didn’t feel as full now. A welcome, though small, reprieve in his world of hurt. 

His hands shook as he fumbled with the water basin, carefully running the cool water over his fingers. The nausea stayed but it wasn’t as urgent, not fueled by any actual  substance in his stomach that he needed to expel. The clean polished mirror told him exactly how bad he looked. Luckily for him, the flush from his sweating erased all evidence of pallor. He couldn’t decide which he would rather have. 

He rinsed out his mouth, careful not to swallow any of the water so soon after throwing up as to not anger his system. Then he cleaned off his face and checked to make sure he hadn’t splashed himself anywhere. Luckily, he’d managed to leave little trace. He straightened out, and the world turned topsy turvy. He gripped the water basin with blanched fingers, and allowed himself a single, self-pitying groan. 

Should he have just told Time that he was ill? Probably. But now he was in too deep. No rest for the weary, or… whatever the saying is. 

After the dizzy spell passed, he stepped out of the door, and braved the party again. 

Music had started, light, jovial, just a nice tune in the background. A few dancers pranced out on a sectioned off slab of rock, but mostly it was just gentle swaying or swishing arm movements. And none of the Links seemed to have been roped into it yet, which greatly reduced Wild’s chances of being asked to do it. In fact, it was a relatively calm ordeal. That was, except for the outrageous amounts of food being piled on to everyone’s plates. Just looking at the arrangement of fatty fish, rich delicacies, and desserts made Wild feel sick all over again. He couldn’t even rouse within himself an ounce of curiosity at the unfamiliar food, because he had a sinking feeling it was just going to come right back up. 

He inhaled deeply, hoping the smell might ignite some of his appetite that the Chain teased him endlessly for, and squared up his shoulders. He hadn’t let being full or sick stop him before, he wasn’t going to now. 

Just eat enough to appease them, and then you’re home free. He told himself. This is just another task. Another mission. 

With that flickering encouragement, he scanned the table to find a seat. One side was lined with Zora nobles or… whatever position of power they were in. Some seemed to be captains and others hunters or even some were decorated with healing herbs. Must be the leaders of their profession, then. King Zora was plopped on one end of the long table, Time on the other. The sheer difference in size between the two would have been laughable, if Wild wasn’t sure that laughing would make his side hurt worse. 

The other side of the table was full of Wild’s brothers. Four had been placed adjacent to Time, and then the line went down Wind, Legend, Hyrule, Warriors, Twilight, and then Sky. And just next to Sky was an empty seat, sandwiching Wild between him and King Zora. It wasn’t the worst seat. But Wild knew that Sky would be on him like a fly on honey if he so much as grimaced. 

Wild caught Time’s glance, and his leader quickly excused himself from the table to meet Wild halfway. He was beaming, clearly bolstered by both the food and whatever conversation was happening at the table. Wild tried to return a smile, but he was sure that it just wobbled on his face. 

This is your chance, a part of him begged. Tell him you need to sit this out. You just puked up your guts, that doesn’t fall within “mild indigestion”. 

Wild snuffed out the voice as soon as it came. He was fine . He was fine, and just overreacting. It would go away with time. 

“There you are. Here.” Time rumbled, pulling a handful of something from his pocket. His unfolded fingers revealed five small, round, golden candies wrapped in paper. For a moment, Wild’s spirits soared. 

“Ginger. I got them from Four. Well, I didn’t really have to ask, so you’ll need to thank him.” Time explained. Wild nodded, and took the candies from Time with shaking fingers. These would help, yes, to ease the symptoms at least for a little while. He tried to moisten his dry mouth to speak, but before he could get to it, Time asked him a question. 

“Do you feel a little bit better at least?” 

Wild froze, the answer held back by a shred of common sense. Truthfully, he did feel a little better. But the pain was still there. It still threatened to fold him in half at even the slightest agitation, and that should have overridden the mild relief he’d gotten from throwing up. But it didn’t. 

“A little, yeah.” He nodded. Time seemed put at ease— his shoulders relaxed and his smile grew a little. 

“That’s what I thought.” He mused. “There’s a seat for you over there, by Sky.” He instructed, pointing. 

All Wild could manage was a little nod before he turned away. Time went back to his seat, and Wild went to his. Sky was on top of him almost instantly. Wild could tell that by the glance he got when he finally plopped himself down. Then Wind said something, combined with grand gestures, and the table erupted into raucous laughter, Sky included. Wild had to fight not to cover his ears or otherwise flinch away from all the noise.  

“Wind, did you seriously say that?” Legend wheezed. Wind crossed his arms in a mock defensive pose, sniffing as if offended by the question. 

“Uh, yeah I did?? He wan’t exactly takin’ too kind to me either. Swabbies don’t got the right to talk to a co-captain like that.” 

Wild, completely lost, wondered vaguely what exactly Wind had said that had surprised Legend of all people. He would have jumped in to ask clarification, but he neither wanted to draw attention to himself nor expel the energy needed to make himself heard. So instead he just stared at his plate, trying to parse out which silverware were used for what. Zora table settings were very different in his era. 

Before long, a steaming bowl of something was delicately placed in front of him. He blinked back to reality to observe it, and give the Zora chef who had presented it to him a grateful nod. The broth was thick, seeped in flavor and the fat of the fish that was cooked in it. It had bits of seaweed suspended in it, and chunks of tender white fish. It smelled awful. Well, truthfully, it just smelled like fish stew. But that meant it smelled like food. And any kind of food at that particular moment was utterly repulsive in every way. 

“Hey, Wild!” Sky called from his place beside Wild. His smile only somewhat concealed his concern. Wild felt the need to appear chipper, energetic, for some reason he couldn’t name. It was just… instinctual, even though he knew it was wrong. 

“Yeah?” He asked, lifting his eyebrows and putting on a little smile. It was all he could really manage, with the pain in his side that made him want to curl up into a little ball and cry. Sky’s brow twitched. 

“Uhm… you were gone for a while, are you alright?” 

“Oh, yeah! I was just uhm…” Wild trailed off, internally panicking as his brain refused to keep up with his reflex. He couldn’t tell Sky that he’d thrown up, that would just worry him. And saying anything about feeling sick would result in the same thing, so what could he possibly say to explain his absence? 

“I was cleaning that goo off. King Zora was right, it’s tricky to get off.” he finally blurted. He was worried it was too obvious that he’d lied. That maybe he’d talked too fast or forgotten to make eye contact. But Sky didn’t seem to notice. In fact, his shoulders lost their tension and his smile looked more relaxed. 

“Oh, gotcha. Yeah, it looked like it was super sticky.” 

“Believe me, it was .” 

The easy conversation died off shortly after, leaving Sky to re-enter the main discussion being had at the table. Legend got up to dance, and the rest of them watched. Wind had his pictograph out to capture when Legend inevitably fell on his face, but the time did not come. In fact, he was rather graceful, and though he couldn’t exactly mirror the Zora’s moves, he blended in nicely. And seemed to be having fun with it. So much so that Hyrule decided to join as well, and then Wind got his blackmail. 

For a moment, Wild forgot the pain. He chose to leave it aside, focus on the task at hand. The soup that sat in front of him was rapidly cooling. And the looks he was getting from the Zora… a couple of the surlier ones were staring him down with… mistrust? Disgust? The one that wore a belt of apothecary supplies was surveying him quietly, perhaps attempting to figure out what was wrong with him. But Wild was fine . And yeah, he probably looked disgusting, but so what? He just helped save their domain! 

That had never mattered anyways, though. There was always something else to push through, a facade to keep up, no matter how much good he did. They always expected more. Wild almost resented his ability to give it to them. 

Trying to steady the shaking in his hand, he picked up his spoon and started eating. It was salty. That was just about all he could tell past the overwhelming natural instinct to stop, spit it out, regurgitate it immediately. It felt slippery in his mouth, mush swimming in broth. Any other day, any other circumstances, he may have enjoyed it. But today, it was disgusting. He went slowly, deliberately, because with every bite the less and less certain he was that he was going to be able to keep it down. 

The next hour or so was a blur of dishes being brought to him, without descriptions or rhyme or reason. Food was just placed in front of him and he ate, mindlessly. He was very good at it, too, because while he was chewing, he didn’t even notice how sick he felt. He ate because he could feel the disappointment if he so much as hesitated, he ate because Time had told him it was important, and he ate because it was a distraction. It was something to do other than sit and feel like shit. 

Eventually the steady income of food stopped. Spirits were high, pretty much everyone had engaged in some dancing, and some kind of liquor was being passed around to those who were of age. Wild stayed quiet, only spoke if he needed to. Sweat broke out on the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing with heat. Which made no sense , because he was in a cave and it was almost certainly night. 

The weight of all of the food he had eaten hit him all at once, and far sooner than he would have liked. It always happened that way, every single time. He would eat a big, hearty meal, and only after would he feel sick. The difference? This time, it was a thousand times worse. And it was different . Because even through his foggy mind, he could tell that whatever was causing this wasn’t the food, only fueled by the food. 

It wasn’t like anything else he’d ever felt, either. It was as if someone was repeatedly shoving an arrow into his side, but couldn’t pierce the skin, so they just kept going. And then there was another person that had shoved a very long-handled spoon down his gullet and was stirring up the contents of his stomach like some sort of cursed stew. The whole idea made him dizzy all over again, as waves of heat washed over him. 

He sat up straight though, locking his muscles in place to at least appear alert (even if he was just barely listening to the conversation). The one thing he did allow was an arm winding around the curve of his stomach. The pressure helped, just a little. But only a little . 

He knew, in the back of his mind somewhere, that just sitting there, staring ahead like he was on watch was distinctly out of character. But that part of him was getting dimmer as his situation spun out of control. 

For a moment, panic engulfed him as he realized just how trapped he was. If he had to, in a worst-case-scenario, make a mad dash to the privy, he was at least fifty yards away from it. He knew from his previous experience that running that far without stopping or passing out or losing control was not going to happen. So unless he was very strategic, which, how could he be when it was some volatile, unpredictable illness he was dealing with and not a lynel, there would be no way to escape if his stomach really couldn’t handle this. 

Realizing this fact only seemed to make his own body more determined than ever to deny him respite. Perspiration covered his entire body as a wave of heavy heat washed over him. He had to set an elbow on the table to steady his light head, as the nausea took full force again. The contents of his overfull stomach pressed up against his esophagus, begging to be released. Saliva pooled in his mouth, preparing for the vomit. But Wild swallowed it back hard. At some point, he’d closed his eyes and started breathing heavier than normal, but all his attention was focused on not throwing up right onto the table. 

He sat, with the heel of his palm pressed to his forehead, curled over the edge of the table. He gripped the edge of his seat with his other hand, maybe to somehow steady the vertigo. Between the bouts of nausea, his side pulsed with agony, radiating all the way up to the base of his skull. Every thump of his heart echoed into every crevice of his body. He couldn’t breathe past the pain, couldn’t move. He could barely even tell what was happening around him any more. He knew that no one had noticed his distress, but he had always suffered quietly, what was new? 

This had all started so innocently. How did he get here? And how did he get here so fast ? Maybe he would find out, if he ever got done with this feast. 

=========

Wind was the life of the party. The Zora enjoyed his stories, the soldiers and hunters especially appreciated his tall pirate tales. He had been engrossed in digging up old stories all night, excitably narrating giant squid fights and stormy seas between bites of some of the best chowder and grilled tuna he had ever had. But all that enthusiasm was bound to wear off eventually, and by the time that everyone was on the last drops of their booze, Wind was yawning and just barely still keeping up a lazy conversation with Legend. 

“No, come on, surely you learned somewhere! No one just picks up a dance like that first try, not without proper trainin’” Wind teased, elbowing Legend good-naturedly in the ribs. Legend rolled his eyes, but there was that particular perk to his ears that always showed itself when he was pleased, be that with himself or others. 

“I mean, yeah, I had a bit of training. But it’s not like I went to dance school or anything. Just basic stuff.” 

“Pff, yeah, right. Jus’ admit it, you had Zora teach ya, didn’t ya? I ain’t never seen you dance like that anywhere else.” 

“Yeah, because I knew that you would tease me endlessly about it.” Legend snapped back. Wind held up his hands in a placating gesture. 

“Hey, I aren’t teasing ya, just askin’ questions. Rulie’s the one I’m teasin, after his tumble earlier.” 

“Uhm, guys–” 

Legend snorted, smothering Four’s small request. “I swear the guy’s got three left feet.” 

Wind chuckled. “Nah, it’s not even that, you’d think there was ice on the bottom of his shoes!” 

“Now that’s not one I’ve heard before.” Legend laughed. Wind opened his mouth again to continue the banter, but was cut off by a little tap on his shoulder. With one raised eyebrow, he swiveled around to meet Four. The smith wasn’t even looking at Wind, instead looking more past him. He craned his neck and ears down the table, causing Wind to glance that way in confusion. 

“Uh… what’s up, smithy?” Wind asked finally, thoroughly perplexed. Four looked at Wind at last, though his ears remained firmly poised towards the other end of the table. 

“Have either of you noticed Wild acting uh… strange?” Four asked, a slight uncertainty to his tone. Legend raised an eyebrow, and Wind tilted his head. Four bristled defensively before they could say anything. 

“He was late getting to the table, and I noticed he was sloppy during those fights. Plus when we got back, he was all sweaty and pale and, well I think he might be… not feeling well?” 

Legend blinked, taking a moment to process the information. That would certainly explain Four’s behaviour. But he hadn’t noticed anything off with Wild. He craned past Hyrule, but couldn’t see one bit of Wild past all the bodies. He did see that Sky was sitting next to him, though. 

Surely, if Sky was the one sitting next to Wild, he would have noticed by now, right? 

Whatever. Four wasn’t going to calm down if he wasn’t sure that Wild was okay, so he might as well check. Legend leaned as far as he could behind his brothers and managed to brush Twilight’s arm. The rancher started and met Legend’s hand, then gave him an annoyed glare. Legend then pointed to Sky rather than trying to talk over the music and chatter. Twilight rolled his eyes, but poked Sky anyways to get his attention. Sky lazily found Legend, and tilted his head in a sleepy confusion. Apparently, the knight’s fatigue had finally caught up to him. Legend almost felt bad about bothering him, but he wasn’t about to go through all that trouble and then not accomplish what he was trying to in the first place. 

“ Four thinks that there might be something wrong with Wild.” Legend signed, however sloppy it was due to his awkward position leaning back in his chair. Sky’s brow furrowed. 

“ What do you mean?” 

“ Knowing Four, he’s probably worried he’s sick. Please check on him” 

“Gotcha” 

Sky’s sign was interrupted mid-motion by a sudden yawn, and his hand didn’t quite close into a fist. But he was pretty sure that Legend got the idea, so he just turned back in his chair to complete the task he had been given. 

Honestly, Sky hadn’t noticed but Wild had been acting out of character. Mostly just quiet, which was very strange for him at a big event like a feast. A small amount of concern wormed its way into his stomach, and then it bloomed into true worry once he got a good look at his companion. Wild was slumped over himself, forehead resting on his hand and his other gripping the table like his life depended on it. His knuckles were snow white, and what little Sky could see of his face was much the same. That… was not good. 

But Wild was never one to react to concern well. So Sky tried something different, a little more casual. 

“Hey, Wild! So uh… Smithy seems to be a little worried about you, are you feeling alright?” he asked. Wild’s ear weakly quivered in Sky’s direction, but he didn’t answer right away. Sky quietly scooted his chair closer to Wild as he waited for a response. Finally, a barely audible whimper sounded from Wild’s lips. That was extra not good. 

Sky laid one light hand on Wild’s back, and lowered his voice. 

“Hey, what’s going on? What hurts?”

A moment of pause, and then an answer. One heavy with saliva and shaky. 

“I feel sick.” 

Sky could see, in the crystal blue light of the cavern, a thin tendril of spit dangle out of Wild’s parted jaw as he spoke. Sky swallowed, resisting the urge to reel back out of disgust. He began gently rubbing his hand across Wild’s back. 

“Yeah, you don’t look very good-” Sky cut himself short as Wild suddenly jerked forwards, entire body lurching with a barely contained heave. Then he swallowed back hard and started panting. 

“Woah, hey, easy there. Do you think you could make it to the privy?” Sky asked urgently. Wild gave a little shake of his head, then muttered. 

“If I stand up right now I’m gonna puke.” 

“Okay, okay. Just try to breathe then. We’ll wait for it to die down a little and then go, alright?” 

A nod. Sky watched, breathing a sigh of relief as Wild sucked in lungfuls of air and forced them to slowly release. He remained by Wild’s side, rubbing circles into his back and hoping beyond hope that they would be able to make it to the privy in time. 

What even was this? It wasn’t like Wild to be taken out by digestive issues. He had a strong stomach and wasn’t generally put off by nausea or anything of the like. For him to be this out of shape was extremely concerning, and Sky was sure this wasn’t just a case of Wild having gotten too excited about food. While they sat there and waited, he took the opportunity to lay the palm of his hand against Wild’s neck and cheek. Just as he’d thought, his brother’s skin was burning . 

So he’d probably caught a stomach bug and just failed to say anything to anyone. Sky gnawed on his cheek as he sat there trying to soothe his brother. It still didn’t make sense that Wild was in this much discomfort. He had always just been so nonchalant about things like this. 

Sky felt something brush against his knee, and Wild shakily straightened out. And now Sky could see just how pale he really was. White as a ghost, a sheen of cold sweat sticking stray hairs to his face. 

“Are you ready?” 

A small nod. Sky stood up and helped Wild to stand, supporting him when he wobbled on his feet. Wild gripped Sky’s shoulder so hard that his nails dug into the skin, and Sky had to bite his lip not to wince. Wild’s other arm was wrapped tightly around his middle, and he breathed heavily as if through pain. Sky gently murmured encouragements as they started walking, Wild letting out little grunts and whimpers with every step. 

Sky was half worried that Wild was just going to collapse halfway there, but somehow they managed to make it to the privy. Not quite to the toilet, though. They had barely stepped past the door, and Sky had turned around to shut it when Wild lurched forward and spewed up a river of vile substance. It splattered the side of the water basin, the wall, and of course all over the floor. And Sky barely had time to even process that before he realized that it wasn’t over. 

In a rougher motion than he would have liked, Sky yanked Wild by the tunic over to the toilet and positioned his head in front of it before he heaved again. Tears streamed down the side of Wild’s face, mingling with the stomach acid coating his chin and dribbling into the vessel below. 

The stench of semi-digested fish sprang up from the mess on the floor, and hit Sky square in the face. He had to cover his nose to keep himself from gagging at the smell and losing the contents of his own very full belly. Wild continued bringing up mouthfuls of vomit, and Sky scrambled to pull back his hair and tie it into a loose ponytail. In between heaving and coughing, Wild cried. Not just tears, full, guttural sobs . He clutched at the fabric of his shirt covering his side, like he was trying to tear it off. But the constant vomiting prevented him from being able to do anything about it. 

Sky counted, as best he could. It took almost ten minutes for Wild to finally stop heaving. After he was finally done, all he could do was slump over onto Sky and continue to cry. He shook with weakness, his breaths thready and full of pain. Sky ran his fingers through Wild’s sweaty hair, trying to soothe him. 

“Sh, Wild, what hurts? Tell me where.” he asked quietly, swallowing back the worry. Wild hiccuped, and then cried out. Sky pressed harder, heart thumping more fervently the longer that this went on. 

“Wild, tell me what hurts.” 

“Side” Wild choked out. 

Sky’s brow furrowed, confusion and anxiety making his brain spin in circles. What could possibly be causing Wild this much pain? Was it truly just a stomach bug or was it something else entirely? Sky didn’t know anything like this… but something about the symptoms sounded familiar. Eerily so. 

But what could it be? And how could he fix it?

Chapter Text

Sky did his best, truly, to clean up the mess, but there wasn’t much in the way of towels. By the time that he finally gave up, there was nothing more than a watery puddle mixed with bile on the floor. Usually he would go and get someone who knew where some cleaning supplies might be, but he could not leave Wild. Not when the only thing the Champion had managed to do was curl up in the fetal position on the floor and continually sob. Sky had stopped trying to console him after a few minutes–partially because his attempts were falling flat, and partially because the smell was starting to get to him. It was still very much there, but not as overwhelming. 

Sky had hoped that eventually Wild’s agony would subside, at least enough to justify trying to help him to a room, but it hadn’t. His chest was twisting with worry, panic coursing through him. What was he doing? He didn’t need to clean up the mess, he needed to get Wild comfortable, or–or get him help! 

His head buzzed as ideas ran to and fro, did he go and run for help? Scream? Panic, and then scream? No, no, he needed to calm down. This was probably fine, it was probably nothing. They just needed…. 

Sky crouched down next to Wild again, and gently ran his hands through his hair. The tears kept coming, but the sobs had subsided. Wild’s pale face creased with pain, crumpling at even the slightest movement. Sky shushed him. 

“Wild? Can you hear me? I’m going to try and help you up so we can get to a room. They’re just a few steps away, alright?” He cooed. Wild shuddered on the floor, seeming to tremble like a frail skeleton. 

“No–” he gasped, desperately “Hurts–” 

“I know, I know.” Sky soothed, even though he didn’t know. This level of pain, that would floor Wild of all people, Sky couldn’t figure a cause to it. And so suddenly, too. He had been fine just hours ago, fighting that giant blob monster. 

…Or had he? 

Sky had seen Wild get hit. The impact was intense, folding Wild in half in an instant. It had looked like it hurt. Had the impact broken a rib? Or even caused internal bleeding? Once the thought crossed Sky’s mind, he knew for a fact that whether or not this was just digestive distress, he did not want to take that bet. 

Lightning lit his nerves on fire, flooding his system with adrenaline. His heart was pounding in his ears, in his fingertips, but he didn’t care. His voice was urgent, as he spoke in Wild’s ear again. 

“Wild, I don’t–I don’t know what’s happening. I have to go get Time, we’ll figure this out. Just hang tight while I’m gone.” 

Wild didn’t nod or shake his head, just managed a broken cry. Sky shot to his feet, and in the same movement pulled his scarab out of his pocket. He released it into the air, mentally instructing it to hover and keep an eye on Wild. Then for the first time in a while, he sprinted. As fast as his legs would take him. 

Of course it did not take long to reach Time’s end of the table. His leader’s content smile shone almost as much as his armor, but the grinding of Sky’s chainmail as he skidded to a halt wiped away that grin faster than Crimson could fly. Time straightened up upon Sky’s arrival, all hints of easiness disappearing from his expression. Sky sucked in lungfuls of air, and tried to keep his voice low. But really, it just came out shaky and unsure. 

“Wi-Wild’s been throwing up, I thought he had caught a bug or something, but he’s in so much–so much pain, I don’t know what is– I– he can’t tell me what’s happening I thinkmaybehebrokeariborsomething–”

Time stood so fast that his chair clattered to the floor behind him. A few of the Zora muttered and exchanged both concerned and disgusted glances. Time payed no mind, even when one of them stood as well and tried to get his attention. 

“Hylia, I knew he wasn’t telling me everything, where is he?” 

“Over–we made it to the privy. I couldn’t get him to tell me what was going on or even stand–” 

“Get Warriors, tell him to meet me there.” Time barked, before marching off to the privy himself. Sky nodded, even though Time wasn’t looking at him for any kind of confirmation. 

By the time that Sky and Warriors bolted away from the table and back towards Wild, whispers were traveling between the seats, and concern mingled with confusion cast from the Links’ faces. 

==========

With all four of them crammed into the tiny room, it was difficult to move around or maneuver in any way. Sky strained to see past Time, as Warriors tried as gently as he could to move Wild into a sitting position. The champion still cried out as soon as he was vertical, what little color he had drained from his face. Sky’s heart plummeted, and he opened his mouth in warning, but neither he nor Warriors had enough time to react before Wild pitched forwards and coughed up a handful of bile, right onto Warriors’ lap. The captain paled, nearly reaching for the trashcan himself as the liquid seeped into his tunic. Wild swayed where he sat, stammering apologies. Instead of wrinkling his nose, Warriors took Wild by the shoulders. 

“Wild, what’s wrong?” he demanded. Wild hiccuped, and whined brokenly. 

“I feel like I’m dying.” he inhaled sharply, “I’m so sorry, I know I’mruiningeverythingand–and–now–”

“Stop apologizing. Tell me where it hurts. Point.” Warriors instructed. And this time, Sky was pretty sure the lack of color in the captain’s face was not out of nausea or disgust, but of fear. 

Wild sniffed, and placed a trembling hand over his right side. Warriors wasted no time in removing Wild’s hand, and gingerly, ever so slightly poking his finger into the area. When Warriors released the pressure, Wild wailed, producing a sound more similar to a kikwi being strangled than something that could come out of a hylian.

Warriors straightened, getting to his feet. 

“Time, it’s his appendix. We need to get him to a hospital. If we don’t– If it isn’t removed soon, he could–” Warriors paused as his words caught in his throat. “We might lose him.” 

Time set his jaw, eye going steely. 

“How much time does he have, Captain?” 

“At the most, a couple of hours. But it could be as little as less than an hour. No way to tell.” 

“Understood. Sky?” 

Sky snapped back to reality, suddenly remembering that he was actually in the room, present, rather than watching from some other state of being. His heart hammered against his chest, head going dizzy with how fast he was breathing. 

“Y-Yes Time?” 

“There is a hospital in Castle Town, just behind the bomb shop. Tell them that we are coming with Wild and he needs to have his appendix removed immediately. That should give them time to prepare. I need you to run, run as fast as you can. Can you do that? …Sky?” 

Sky nodded emphatically, stammering his confirmation. 

“Y-yes, yes I will!” 

Time’s one eye shone with unshed tears, face tight with worry. 

“Hurry.” 

And Sky did. He tore out of the privy, through the main cavern, and burst out of the domain and into Hyrule Field. He gave no pause to look at any of the other Links, even see if they had noticed anything. They didn’t matter at that moment, all that mattered was that Sky ran. 

Hyrule Field was bathed in darkness, shadows creeping across the grass. They threatened to swallow Sky whole as he sped over the gentle slopes, eyes trained on the pinpricks of light from the dimly lit buildings of Castle Town. His legs flew underneath him, pounding against the earth. He pushed himself onwards, faster, faster.

It wasn’t far, not more than a two hour walk. Running, that cut it down to about an hour. Sky didn’t have that time. His legs burned, chest ached trying to bring in the oxygen his muscles needed. He sped past Lon Lon ranch, and the field in front of him started to bleed ink spots. No, that wasn’t real, that was just his own vision. Still, he refused to slow, just sucked in larger amounts of air. 

He remembered now, he knew why those symptoms seemed so familiar. There was a girl once, when he was young. Maybe his first, second year of the Knight Academy? She had suddenly gotten ill, been in so much pain. They hadn’t known what to do, the doctors found nothing. She had had the same symptoms as Wild did. 

And she had died quicker than one could blow out a candle. 

Sky didn’t know what an appendix was, or that it could even be removed, or how, but he did know that it wasn’t to be messed around with. He did not have time to stop and catch his breath, even if he couldn’t really feel his legs anymore. 

His steps got uneven, stumbling, as his muscles screeched at him to stop. This was far beyond his limits, his tightening airway and light head was enough proof of that. But he could not stop, not when his brother’s life was on the line. 

The only thing going through his mind as he burst through the Castle Town gate was “Behind the bomb shop”. That was where Time had told him the hospital was. He staggered through the street, trying to make sense of the buildings and signs he couldn’t read, not to mention how fast they were all spinning around him. The square was empty, devoid of life. The only light was emanating dimly from the milk bar, just barely illuminating the old, wooden curve of a painted bombchu sign. The paint was chipped around the edges, but vibrant, and thank the stars that it was. 

Sky ran–nearly tripped over himself several times–as he wound his way around the building. His breaths came fast and shallow, with the air unable to move past his windpipe quick enough. His hand found the wall as he searched for the hospital. There was nothing, no brightly painted sign or anything that he could read. Then, his eyes locked with a ray of light on the ground. It illuminated the stone path with a dingy yellow glow, that emanated from a single point: above a door, with a red cross sign hanging over it. 

Sky sprinted the last few steps towards it and swung the door open. 

When he crossed the threshold, panting, tilted sideways, and shaking so hard it was visible, the doctor sitting behind the front table rose to her feet and met Sky halfway. She was tall, taller than he, and well-muscled. She held herself high, unphased by Sky’s clear dishevelment. He tried to gather up enough air to speak, wetting his dry mouth to make words again. 

“M-my brother, he’s coming, there’s–” he stammered. All that time running, and he still hadn’t really thought about what to say.

“Please calm down. What’s the issue, dear?” she asked, kind but steadfast. Sky inhaled once more and pushed out as many words as he could in one breath. 

“My brother is coming right now, he needs his appendix removed right away and he might not have much time left but I came here to warn you so that you could–” another gasp “--get ready”. 

The ink splotches came back, as he watched the doctor’s jaw set. 

“Wren, prepare the operating table, sanitize the equipment.” she ordered. The nurse that had been organizing herbs jumped up and nodded, golden curls bobbing up and down as he did so. Sky nodded, frozen as he realized that his job was over. The doctor disappeared in the blink of an eye. But he didn’t remember blinking, maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him again? 

His chest burned with fire, it felt like he was breathing smoke in billows. It made his hands and feet prick with pins and needles, verging on that numb feeling. His peripheral view of the shelves of bottles and books narrowed to a small circle. 

He reached out for a table that wasn’t there, and his final thought as his body hit the floor was one that he hoped he would never have to think. 

Had he done enough to save his brother’s life? 

========

“Sky? ….Sky, wake up! Time, do we have an air potion?” 

Sky took in as much air as he could, trying to keep conscious. He couldn’t tell where he was, who was talking. All he knew was that he couldn’t quite breathe right. His lungs felt full of something other than air, only allowing a few ounces of oxygen with any given breath. He cracked his eyes open, but the world just blurred and twirled around him in a smear of colors, refusing to take shape. There were more voices, and then he was being lifted upright. Had he been laying down? That was strange, when had he laid down? Last he remembered he was running. 

But why? He hated running. 

“...was a few hours ago, but there’s no telling how long he was in pain before he said anything…” 

That sounded like Time… talking about Wild? That sounded right. Wait. 

The dinner party. The dancing. Wild was sick, very sick, Sky had run as fast as he could because he was dying. Wild was dying, and Sky was sitting on the floor wheezing. 

Someone pressed a bottle to his lips. The cold glass made him flinch back, but whoever it was just pushed harder. 

“Drink it, featherbrain. Can’t have you dying on us, too.” Legend snapped. Sky wanted to flail, escape, find Wild and make sure he was still breathing, but he hadn't the energy to do that. So instead he swallowed mouthfuls of the air potion as fast as he possibly could, stretching his throat to take in larger amounts. The bottle was drained before long, and Legend stepped back to let Sky regain his breath.

His airway loosened, lungs relaxed. He took full, productive breaths. The fuzziness in his vision faded, allowing the room to come to clarity. Legend was sitting with him, pegasus boots still radiating magic. Time and Warriors were leaned over the front counter, peering trying to get a glimpse into the operation room. Sky scrambled to his feet, nearly knocking over Legend in the process. 

“Time! Is he–” 

“Unstable, but they got him in surgery.” Time answered. His knuckles were white where they gripped the counter, gaze focused entirely on the thin curtain that separated them from Wild. Warriors stepped away from the counter, and stumbled into a seat. 

“All we can do now is wait.” he muttered. Legend paced the small room, gnawing on his fingernails. The silence was deafening, punctuated only by the sickening tinks of medical instruments from behind the curtain. Sky for a moment wondered if the air potion hadn’t been potent enough, because his chest felt tight, and his heart hurt when it beat. But no, he knew this feeling like the back of his hand, and there was nothing he could do for it other than wait. 

“How did it even get this bad?” Legend asked, breaking the silence. “How did no one realize?” 

Sky felt all of his innards twist with guilt. If he had been paying more attention, if he had been quicker, would Wild’s chance of survival be greater? Had he truly done all he could? 

Had he been too late again?  

“He… didn’t tell me until he couldn’t handle it. It wasn’t until Four said something that I even noticed.” he whispered. Despite how soft his voice was, everyone heard it. The hot, writhing emotion in his belly refused to be silenced any longer, and came out of his mouth as a broken confession. 

“I was sitting right next to him. I was so distracted, I never even thought to…” he plopped right back down on the ground, not even bothering to get a chair. He didn’t deserve a chair. “I’m so stupid.” 

The tears came after, white hot and born out of both despair and exhaustion. They dripped to the floor as he hung his head low, refusing to meet the judgemental stares of his brothers that he had failed. Heavy footfalls echoed against the wooden floor, coming closer by the vibration. Sky kept his head down, trying to gather himself up before he looked whoever it was in the face. 

“No, Sky. The fault is mine. I chose diplomacy over the health of my own, even when he came to me and expressed his discomfort. That is not your burden to bear.” Time rumbled. His voice was low, unsure, and cracked around the edges. 

Warriors heaved a sigh, placing a hand on Time’s shoulder. 

“Come on, Sprite. Don’t do this. Even if you had listened, it still might have ended up this way. Possibly worse.” he said. Even Legend stopped pacing at that. And Sky couldn’t help it when more tears flowed down his face. 

“Let’s just take a breather,” Warriors suggested. “Stay quiet and let the doctors do their job.” 

And so they did. 

Sky couldn’t help it, the tears flowed freely. He tried to keep quiet at least, so he wouldn’t disturb anyone. He let them come, let them distract him from his own spiraling thoughts. 

Slowly, more Links arrived. First Four, with his pegasus boots, and then Twilight and Hyrule. And finally, Wind stepped past the threshold, making it a total of eight heroes pacing and waiting with bated breath. 

Sky tried to keep his head down. His crying wouldn’t help anyone. His little corner of the room was bathed in his own pessimism, because for once, he couldn’t imagine a good outcome. Maybe it would help if he actually understood what was going on. 

“...Sky?” 

Sky looked up, trying to scrub some of the snot and tears from his face. He sniffed, and the sound made him want to cringe. He was too tired to put in the effort. Wind was standing over him, looking down with wide eyes. It was not unlike the baby deer that Sky had seen in Wild’s era that one time. 

“Yeah?” He asked, his voice broken. Wind plopped down next to him, and without warning, wrapped both arms around him and squeezed. As hard as he could. 

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Wind said, his voice shaking, “but I know it’s scaring you and I want Wild to-to be okay too.” 

Sky nodded, and hugged back, tighter. He couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat, so he just hugged with all his might. It was messy. They were both sweaty from running so far, and Sky’s snot and tears were making a gross, swampy patch on Wind’s tunic. But for the first time in probably half an hour it felt like maybe, just maybe it would all be okay. 

Four sat in the opposite corner, picking at his hair and staring off into space. Legend and Warriors paced, trying to work off the anxious energy. Time just watched the curtain separating them from Wild with such intense ferocity that it was a wonder he hadn’t set it on fire with just his gaze. And everyone else was either discussing what could go right and wrong, or wordlessly nodding along. 

The air was heavy, for a while. It may have been an hour, or several. None of them could really tell. At one point Twilight finally broke down and bolted out of the small waiting room. They could all hear retching from behind the thin walls, and Four started to cry. Sky had stood to go after Twilight and make sure he was okay, even though the sound was making memories flash of Wild mere hours ago, and making his breathing go all wonky. But Legend just shook his head and put a hand on Sky’s chest as he went out the door, finding Twilight just outside. 

So Sky instead went and joined Four in his corner, Wind trailing behind with hazy eyes. Four hadn’t noticed them at first, with his eyes screwed shut and hands over his ears. So Sky just sat next to him, and waited for him to notice. On a good day, he might try and comfort his brother, might put effort into it. But all he could do, with his own shaking hands and fuzzy vision, was sit there and wait until Four finally gave in and buried his face into Sky’s shoulder. 

They sat like that for a while. Twilight came back with Legend, white as a sheet. Time didn’t move a muscle, except for one finger that he was tapping on the counter, rhythmically and unwavering. The Captain was sitting, head in his hands, with Hyrule rubbing his back to try and comfort him. 

The waiting was agony, for them all. They didn’t even know what they were waiting for. To hear that he was alive? Permanently disabled? Dead? Or even, maybe possibly they could hope that– 

“He’s going to be okay.” 

The room erupted into a cacophony of relieved sighs and choked out sobs. Sky just stared in disbelief as his eyes welled up. 

“You got here in just enough time. And with a couple of weeks to recover, he will be back to his strength.” The doctor breathed. Her hair was frazzled, and her eyes tired, but she was smiling almost as big as Wind was. Then she surveyed the eight men all crammed in that tiny room. 

“And I have to say: he is very lucky to have a group like you. If it had been caught any later, his chances would be much lower.”

That was when the dam finally broke. Sky curled in on himself, and wailed. Because he was so happy that Wild was okay, and because he was so mad at himself for not noticing sooner, and because it had felt like everything was falling apart, and now it wasn’t. 

And because for once? He hadn’t been late. He was right on time. 

As soon as that sound left his body, the chain surrounded him. He was covered in warm bodies, a welcoming embrace, and shared relief of Wild being alive, and okay. 

It was all going to be okay. That, he was sure of.