Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's one of the best sights they have seen in a while.

Wild steps out of the portal, looking both exhausted and victorious at the same time through all the grime and dirt that sticks to his body, and he only beams brighter once he spots them just a few feet away from him in the middle of the bridge they stand on.

All of them, no expectations, are able to share a relieved smile with their missing champion before he’s swallowed up by the stone hard ground beneath his feet.

Wind, who had been one of the first ones to sprint forward and had been in the middle of throwing himself at Wild, ready for a hug, ends up smacking his face against the bridge’s floor instead.

The portal that had brought their missing brother back closes shortly after and the group is left in silence. One that was never meant to last long.

“ Seriously?! ” Wind shrieks as pulls himself back, face red and scratched. He spats out every curse known in his Hyrule and the others’ Hyrules he has learned throughout their quest as he glares at the cobble stones that have stolen both his face and brother. “You wanna go, bridge? You wanna go!? ”

He taunts angrily as if he didn’t have any remaining small tears lingering in the corner of his eyes from the first blow the bridge smacked him, quite literally, with.

Sky, for his part, is still not able to even start to process what he has just witnessed. He’s shell-shocked at the whipsplash his heart had experienced; from thumping happily at the sight of the brother they have been missing for weeks now, to the abrupt hard drop it did when Wild was gone once again in a blink.

He snaps back to reality the moment both Hyrule and Four snap out of their own shock and splatter both curses and the like as they both sprint and stumble to where Wild had disappeared, once again, from.

“What the fuck just happened?” Legend hisses next and Sky looks over his shoulders to catch his lost and wide eyed gaze. “He just went — ! Poof! Poof! He was right there! Everyone saw him, right? Someone please tell me that I did not made him the fuck up .”

“Easy, we all saw him.” Warriors is quick to reassure him as he drops a hand on Legend’s shoulder, nodding to himself when Vet leans to the touch unconsciously.

The moment is short lived, though, for Legend’s shock and hurt never fails to turn into anger, and Warriors ends up being its nearest target.

“Oi, did you bring us to a hylian-eating bridge monster!?” Legend accuses, narrowing his eyes at Warriors who splutter in both offense and surprise.

"Wha — ? Of course not! "

“Well, the evidence sure points the other way!”

“By Hylia, this is what I get from trying to comfort a goddess damn brick! ”

“Say that to my face!”

“ I literally just did! ”

“Wild!” Hyrule’s shouting snaps Sky’s attention, making him turn back and catch their traveler in the middle of pounding the spot Wild had been swallowed up with his fist while repeatedly calling for him. “ Wild! Punch the floor back if you can hear us! One for yes, two for no!”

Next to him, Four is crouched and hugging his knees as he presses his finger to his lips, feverishly mumbling to himself.

“Is there like a hidden hole? Maybe a door?” He theorizes before he shifts and lowers himself down until his cheek is pressed against the floor, one hand patting the rough surface around him. “Is it a trap? There’s got to be an explanation.”

“Yeah, I’ve got one!” Legend answers, shoving himself into Four's one-sided conversation. “Hylia’s a bitch! ”

Sky wisely decides to swallow his offense on behalf of his beloved. It’s not the time.

Especially not when Twilight, who hasn’t moved or made a sound since Wild had been eaten, finally comes back to life.

“I need to lay down.”

Sort of.

“My protege got eaten.” He mumbles, looking both shocked and confused at the same time, and barely notices when Sky reaches out and helps him sit down, back against the rail. “By a bridge .”

“Yeah, a bridge!” Legend echoes, clearly all over the place, before he focuses on Warriors once more, hands on his hips. “Because someone brought us to a hylian-eateing bridge!”

“By the Three! I did not —! Those are not even a thing! ”

“Well, the evidence sure points the other way!”

“You don’t have any other argument except that!?”

“It’s the only one I need!”

“Boys!” Time steps in, loud and sharp as always but his furrowed eyebrows tell everyone just how disturbed he equally feels. “Assess the situation and calm down .”

“Hah, you said ass .”

“Wind, are you serious right now!?”

“I’m coping! This is how I cope, okay!? ”

Sky hears Time sighs before he calls out for him. Sky blinks, briefly confused, and spares their group one last glance before he turns to meet his gaze.

“Mind keeping an eye on our rancher?” Time asks, keeping his voice low. “Don’t want to leave him on his own while I make sure Four doesn’t make a hole on his own while we are still on the bridge.”

“Afraid he’ll beat you to it, Old man? Because you look ready to join him,” Legend snarks still with his wild eyed look on his face, popping out from Time’s back and yelping when Time grabs him by the back of his tunic and shoves him towards Warriors who welcomes him back with a headlock.

Sky limits himself to nod and steps back from that chaos to join Twilight, crouching next to him and patting his knee to announce his presence.

He calls his nickname twice before their rancher finally meets his eyes but not his smile.

“Náusea?” Sky guesses, knowing how sensitive his brother’s stomach gets when overwhelmed. His own stomach turns empathically when Twilight hums weakly as an answer, pressing the edge of his wrist against his forehead, utterly defeated. “Alright, just focus on humming between breaths, Twi. We’ll figure this out.”

Twilight only sighs before he does as told, the edge of his frown gaining a sad edge on it that makes Sky’s comforting smile dim slightly.

‘I know.’ He tries to comfort in his head what his brother keeps in silence. ‘It’s not fair, I know.’

He tries to convey his message by touch; reaching out to squeeze his brother’s nape reassuringly, hoping it will be enough to ground him temporarily. By the way Twilight’s shoulders lose some of their tension, he seems to succeed.

He makes sure Twilight’s posture relaxes significantly and doesn’t look on the verge of throwing up before he stands up, staying near his brother as he looks over the bridge’s railing, staring at the water below, looking for a speck of disheveled wet blond hair among it.

It’s a stupid theory, he admits. A stupid ‘thought’ even, to consider that maybe Wild had just slipped past the stone structure of the bridge and had just landed on the water below it. Somehow. Someway.

There are several holes in that theory, unlike the bridge which clearly has zero holes, and he doubts that in their own timeline, in any of their eras, there could be something that could explain what just happened to their missing — twice over — brother.

Sheikah technology? Sure. 

Magic, spells, blessings and curses alike? Go nuts.

Hylian-eating bridges? Hard to explain .

But they have all seen crazier things, right? Sky looks over his shoulder to catch the chaos he had left in Time and Warriors’s hands and winces.

Right.

He bites the inside of his cheek as he ponders his own silly thoughts before he arches his neck and leans forward, trying to get a better look at the water that was right below the spot they stand on. 

There’s no disturbance in or around it and Sky’s about to pull back and drop his dumb theories when a sharp move catches his attention from the corner of his eye.

With a frown, he turns his head to the side, shifts ever so slightly to lower it ever further down to get a better view and proceeds to choke on his own spit at the sight of two legs sticking out from where Wild had been swallowed from just a few minutes prior, angrily kicking the air around them.

“ Wild!? ” Sky splutters in shock. He doesn’t even notice the way the rest of his brothers whip their heads his way. 

Even when they call out to him, their voices filled with a mix of confusion, some hope, and a speck of fear, Sky pays them no mind, for he’s already one foot on the ledge of the bridge, ready to climb on its side and reach Wild’s legs.

He’s about to jump to the other side of the railing, ignoring the rest of his brothers’ alarmed shouts, when he sees the pair of legs disappear only for them to be replaced by a familiar face that pops out from what should be a solid hard stone surface.

“Hylia, I hate it when it does that!” Wild complains through gasps, taking in big gulps of air as he hangs upside down from the bottom side of a stone bridge, stuck on it from his chest and up. “Oh, hey, Sky!”

“ Wild .” Sky breathes out and it sounds like a whimper with the way his throat grows thick with emotion at the sight of his clearly-not-eaten brother.

Wild smiles crookedly at him, gaze fond and happy, and it only grows wider when the rest of the chain finally scrambles forward, pushing Sky harder against the railing and making him wheeze at the pressure it has on his middle.

“Holy shit! What? What? Move! Lemme see, lemme see!” Wind blabbers as he clumsily climbs over Sky’s back to get a look at their missing Link. “It’s really him! Holy shit — ! Wild, what the shit?”

“What in the names of the three goddesses are you trying to do, you absolute maniac!?” Legend shouts out from his other side, right next to Sky’s ear, making him wince. “Besides giving us heart attacks like an ass!”

Wild purses his lips at him, looking offended at the, from his perspective, baseless accusation. 

“What the heck does it look like I’m trying to do? I’m trying to get back up to the top part of the bridge!”

Sky opens his mouth to speak up but instead inhales sharply when Four shoves his head in the space between his arm and side, making him squirm from the tickles he gets.

“You are literally stuck in stone, Wild.” Four deadpans with a scowl.

Wild clicks his tongue. “ I’m working on it! You try to work with Farore’s ten thousand plus year old magic and see how well you do it!”

“Excuse you? Whose magic — ?”

“Cub, I’m at the brink of an aneurysm .” Twilight cuts Legend off with his own hiss, shoving himself between Time and Warriors to glare at his protege. “ Get down from there .”

“ Down? But I’m trying to get back up — ! Oh, shit! ”

“And there he goes.” Warriors mumbles under his breath as Wild finally pops himself out of the bridge and falls to the water below unceremoniously. “Good thing this is a lake and not a river.”

“Can you stop!?” Wind shouts after Wild as he shoves himself forward, glaring to where Wild had fallen. Sky instantly holds on to him, however awkwardly, to stop him from slipping off his back and following Wild’s footsteps. “This isn’t funny, Wild! I want a hug!! ”

“I’ll get him.” Twilight grumbles under his breath at the same time Wild, once again, pops out from the water. Sky can hear him spit and curse from where they stand several feet above but at least he’s alive.

“I’ll come with you.” Time sighs, dropping a hand on Twilight’s shoulder before he meets both Sky and Warrior’s gaze. “Stay here. Make sure no one else falls off the bridge.”

Warriors nods while Sky only hums, turning back to Wild who is now pulling himself off the water, looking like a drenched daylight-remlit.

“I imagined this reunion going differently.” Four mumbles to himself, dropping his chin on the bridge’s railing but Sky hums and drops a hand on top of his head, stroking his head for both of their comfort.

“I’m just glad we’re having a reunion at all.” Sky says quietly, his heart finally slowing down as he feels both Hyrule and Warriors trying to pry Wind off his back while the teen continues to have a screaming match with Wild before the latter is tackled in a hug by Twilight when the older one finally reaches him.

“How come Twilight gets a hug!?” Wind shouts, outraged, even as Warriors hooks his arms under his armpits and lifts him off the ground completely when he looks ready to jump off. “Your favoritism is showing, Wild!”

Despite the worry and uneasy feeling inside his stomach he has yet to get rid of, Sky’s lips still twitch upward and his chest feels lighter than it has in weeks.

He figures it should last for a while.

Chapter Text

It’s only when they all step off the bridge and meet their remaining trio, the three of them dripping water to different degrees, that Wind finally gets both his hug and himself also wet.

“Stupid.” Wind reproaches against Wild’s drenched tunic, burying his face on his chest and not caring one single bit that he’s practically nuzzling against the smell of dirty waters. “ Stupid ass .”

"Hah, you said ass." Wild snickers before he huffs when Wind punches him half-heartedly on the stomach. “Pff, yeah . I missed you too, Say.”

He raises his left arm to cradle the back of Wind’s head, eyes softening when Wind leans to the touch before his expression shifts and proceeds to ruffle the teen’s hair roughly.

“You don't have to cry, though.” Wild teases, his grin playful.

“ I’m not ,” is Wind’s petulant muffled response.

Wild hums. “I mean, it’s okay if you want to, of course.”

“ I’m not .”

“I am!” Hyrule cuts in with his own cry, launching himself and clinging from both Wild and Wind as he shoves himself into the hug. “Wild, I missed you so much!”

Wild gasps a small laugh that turns into a huff when another body, however small it might be, slams itself on his other side.

“Why am I even surprised by this stunt?” Four grumbles against Wild’s side, making him chuckle.

“You look like shit.” Legend snaps, not letting Wild even excuse himself. He walks toward the pile of Links, eyeing Wild from head to toe, before he scrunches his nose and says, “And smells like it too.”

“Says the Shit.” Wild throws back at him with a grin, growing wider when Legend scoffs loudly and turns away to hide the growing twitch on his lips everyone can see. “What? No hug? Ledge, come on! ”

Warriors laughs as he intercepts Legend’s retreat and drags him back, pushing him in-between Four and Wind before he places himself next to Hyrule, wrapping his arm around Wild’s back and bumps his forehead against his temple.

“Welcome back, little brother.” He mumbles, closing his eyes briefly in what Sky believes it’s a small prayer before meeting Wild’s bright eyes.

“Aye.” Wild greets back, choking back the tears that start to gather around his eyes and seem to grow as Twilight and Time joins them from behind, pressing themselves close.

Sky’s chest feels full and warm at the sight of his brothers finally being reunited but it turns into a fire that spreads all over his body when Wild meets his eyes and, with a wobbly smile that Sky fails to see the fear behind it, frees his left arm for Sky to take.

Sky beams before he grabs his brother’s rough and calloused hand and joins the hug, keeping Wind and Four between himself and Legend, and making sure not to squish them too hard when he leans forward to press his lips against the edge of Wild’s hairline.

“Thank the Three you’re safe.” Sky exhales, any remaining stress and worry from when none of them could do anything when his brother had been summoned once more on his own, finally leaving his body. “How are you?”

Wild only hums as an answer and it's the nonchalant undertone that makes Sky frown. The worry that had just vanished crawling its way back up just as fast as it had left.

“Wild,” he starts, pulling back to catch his gaze and growing deeper in concern when his brother doesn’t meet his eye. “What wrong — ?”

Sky cuts himself short at the way Wild flinches and immediately steps back in both fear and surprise. The others follow him, abruptly pulling themselves back in fear they had aggravated some injury they had failed to notice on their brother.

But there’s none visible to their eye and Wild only curses under his breath and ducks his head in what can only be shame as he cradles his right arm close to his body, fingers digging deep into the long-sleeved armored glove he had around it.

“I’m sorry,” Warriors says, a troubled frown in his face as something dawns on him. “I grabbed onto it without thinking. I didn’t know you were injured — ”

Wild shakes his head frantically, looking embarrassed.

“No, it’s fine! I’m not — ! I mean, not technically? It’s just —! This is just…!” 

Wild stumbles over his words as he struggles to explain, growing exasperated and frustrated with himself with every failed attempt.

“That doesn’t look fine to me, Champ.” Legend steps in slowly, frowning hard as he stares at the arm Wild cradles.

“Can I see?” Hyrule asks softly as he steps forward, offering a smile.

Wild takes a deep breath through his nose before he exhales through his mouth and holds out his arm to Hyrule, looking resigned.

“Guys, it’s fine, I swear.” He tries to tell them all as they slowly gather around him. He doesn’t fight when Hyrule gently pushes him to sit on the boulder behind him. “It looks worse than it actually is …”

Wild trials off the moment Hyrule gasps loudly, snapping their attention. He can only wince and look away when Hyrule exhales, almost breathlessly, “This isn’t a glove?”

The degrees of shock that passes through all of them gets mixed with a high level of horror Sky knows for sure hits them all simultaneously.

Wild must have felt it too, through the bond that links them together, for he groans and drops his face on his left hand in defeat.

“Guys, come on.” He pleads with a sigh, shaking his head slightly before he looks up and meets all of their gazes with a determined look that looks too exhausted to be convincing. “I swear it’s fine now.”

There’s something that’s not settling right with Sky and it goes beyond the mutilated arm his brother keeps trying to wave away.

“ Now? ” Sky doesn’t let him and frowns with worry at the way Wild’s shoulders grow stiff. “Why didn’t Fi heal you right away?” He wonders out loud before he could even stop himself and his heart drops to the floor when Wild hunches his back over even further.

“It’s not malice.” Wild weakly reassures and explains at the same time but does little to do either of the two things or to even calm Sky’s rising worry when Wild keeps avoiding his eyes.

“Nonetheless.” He whispers, gobsmacked. “She should have been strong enough to at least protect you from whatever had latched on to you — ”

“She did.” Wild cuts in, shuddering a breath before he lifts his head and Sky’s feels like crying at the shattered look on his brother’s face. “By Farosh, Sky, she did. She’s the only reason I even survived in the first place but I — I mean, she tried her best but I couldn’t — “

“Cub, breathe.” Twilight steps in, kneeling on the other side of Wild and grabbing him by the shoulder. “It’s alright, just take a breath.”

Wild shakes his head, eyes wide and heavy with guilt. 

“No. No, it’s not alright , okay? You just don’t understand and I can explain — ”

Sky swallows the sudden thick knot stuck on his throat before he kneels next to Twilight and places his hand on Wild’s knee.

“Wild, hey.” He cuts in, easily catching his brother’s attention, and wets his lips before he continues. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell us, alright? Right now, I only need to know you’re okay,” he says but he doesn't know what Wild hears since he gasps sharply as if Sky had just struck him .

“You’re sorry —¡? Goddesses, Sky, no. No, you don’t — I’m the one who —! Sky, no.” Wild trips over his words, his eyes wide and wild. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m so sorry but I swear I tried everything to stop it.”

“I believe you.” Sky is quick to reassure him. “I don’t know what you mean exactly but I believe you, Wild. It’s alright.”

“How about we put a pin on the conversation for now? I think we could all use some rest right now.” Warriors suggests, squeezing Wild’s shoulder as encouragement as he locks eyes with Sky, adding a nod that Sky returns. “Come on, Champ. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it when time comes…”

Wild starts shaking his head but abruptly seems to come to a conclusion as he reaches for his Sheika slate and pulls a sword from it. Shattered. Burnt and rusted on its edges. Defeated. Dead.

Beyond recognition for anyone who wasn't its welder.

Something in his chest snaps and Sky feels himself disconnect from reality as he stares at the remains of the Master Sword, conscious of the way his body stays heavy on the ground but he’s far away from it until someone forcefully pulls him back.

“ — out of it, Sky! ” Sky hears the last of Legend’s calling, briefly meeting his panicked look with furrowed eyebrows before snaps his attention back to Wild.

He looks as if he hadn’t looked away from Sky for a second even as his own breathing grows unsteady, completely ignoring both Twilight and Warriors attempts of guiding him through.

Sky shudders a breath before he joins them, for Wild’s eyes are on him only and he knows it depends on him to bring their brother back. He dives head first into old habits and pushes through his grief and heartbreak because —

Zelda needs you. Hyrule needs you. Link, we need you —

His brother needs him.

“Wild.” Sky calls, slowly reaching for his brother’s right arm. He ignores the way Wild winces the moment his fingers touch the black-scarred skin before cradling it carefully. “Come on, Champion. Let’s bring you back. Follow me.”

“Sky…” Wild whines and sniffles when Sky shushes him.

“Follow me,” he repeats, urging him with a quick squeeze on his arm. Sky's not even sure Wild can actually feel it but he still does as told.

“There you go,” Sky praises after a few clumsy tries, his thumb still idly caressing the burnt skin of the arm he holds with careful strokes. “You’ve got it.”

He tries hard not to let his mind drift at the rough skin his thumb brushes against with every stroke, knowing wherever he could wander off will only throw him into the worst case scenarios that are highly likely to be true if his brother had ended up like he is.

Instead, Sky turns towards the rest of his brothers surrounding them and his chest hurts at the look he finds on their faces.

‘I’ve got him.’ Sky mouths carefully for them to read his lips when they all set their eyes on him. ‘It’s okay.’

It’s clear what he’s trying to say and that they know Wild wouldn’t really like to display himself as vulnerable as he currently looks. 

Still they look hesitant to leave and Sky knows one of the reasons for that it’s because of him and his reaction towards Fi’s state and the other one being the simple fact that they are aching to reach out and offer some kind of comfort themselves, unable to just stay still while they watch one of their own suffer.

‘Are you sure?’ Warriors mouths back at him, a worried frown on his lips.

‘I’ve got him.’ Sky repeats patiently to him before locking eyes with Time, holding his gaze until their leader drops his shoulder and sighs through his mouth. 

Slowly, and with the help of Warriors, he pulls and almost drags the rest of their brothers to a small clearing off the road. Far and deep enough to be out of ear but not out of sight.

“Talk to me, Wild.” Sky pleads once they are left alone, ducking his head slightly to meet Wild’s gaze and offering a small but genuine smile. “There you are. How are you feeling?”

Instead of answering, Wild’s eyes widen even further and he looks absolutely baffled by the question, as if it had been the last thing he had expected coming out from Sky’s mouth.

It’s enough to shatter what little heart Sky had left.

“Oh, Wild.” 

‘What did they do to you? ’ Sky keeps the thought to himself, his stomach turning and twisting as he grows hot with anger and curses at every higher deity that had a hand in sentencing them to this cursed fate. ‘What did you do to my brother?’

Wild shuts his eyes close and all the tears he had been bravely holding back fall without warning.

“I’m sorry, Sky.” Wild croaks out, using his free hand around to grab on Sky’s forearm. Sky can now feel the trembling he sees. “I know it’s my fault she’s — I know, okay? But I can explain so, please, don’t hate me .”

Sky didn’t know he had anything left beating inside his chest but seems like there is, for his heart pounds hard against his ribcage as his brother crumbles forward only for Sky to catch him without hesitation before settling them both on the ground.

It’s a common knowledge inside their small family that Wild is the one among them always doing what should be impossible, which is essentially a good quality, but Sky wishes he didn’t sometimes, for it’s a trait that the deities surrounding their legacy seem to take advantage of. Time and time again.

Though, Sky knows there’s one thing that not even Wild would be able to do.

“Hate you?” Sky chokes out, bewildered and horrified at the mere thought , before he harshly waves it away and leans forward until his forehead presses itself against his brother’s. “By Hylia, what kind of nonsense .”

Wild sobs sharply, “ Sky… ”

“I love you,” Sky says strongly, because it needs to be said and heard, and repeats himself when Wild starts shaking his head in disbelief. “Listen to me, Link, nothing you do will change that. You're my brother and I love you .”

Sky breathes out a small relieved wet chuckle when Wild blinks, stares back at him, teary blue eyes doubtful but gaining an edge of hope, and seems to be aching to trust in Sky’s words.

Sky wishes he could believe in them wholeheartedly too.

“Come here,” Sky says quietly before he pulls him close and wraps him in a hug, tightening his hold around him when his brother practically goes limp against him. “How could you even think that?”

“How could you not ?” Wild asks back, words muffled against his shoulder while his right hand curls over Sky’s tunic on his back. “You should be angry .”

“I am ,” Sky admits, sparing a brief thought to the still raging fire set in his stomach that refuses to settle, “but not at you.”

“You should be.”

“I’m not.”

“ Sky .”

“ Wild .”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” Sky closes his eyes and sighs against his brother’s hair. “I’m not. She kept you safe .”

Wild makes a sound with the back of his throat before he calls his name once more. Sky limits himself to hum, encouraging him to continue.

“I’m tired.” Wild confesses softly, as if ashamed to admit such a thing. “Sky, I’m so tired .”

Sky takes a deep breath through his tears that sting his eyes before he cradles the back of Wild’s head.

“I know but you’re safe now.” Sky promises him quietly. “I’ve got you, we ’ve got you. You can rest.”

“No, I need to tell you about — I mean, to explain what happened — ”

“Not right now, Wild,” Sky says, for both his and his brother’s sake. “Later.”

Wild resigns himself with a grunt.

“I didn’t plan for this reunion to go this way, you know.” Wild murmurs then and Sky can easily imagine the way he’s pursing his lips, completely displeased. Sky bites down his smile as he tightens his hold around his brother.

“I’m just glad we have a reunion to begin with.” Sky echoes himself, the words still ringing with truth just like when he had said them to Four earlier. “We missed you. You know that, right? We missed you so much .”

There, finally. Finally he hears his brother laugh again.

Breathy. Soft. Small.

Genuine.

“I know.” Wild breathes out and tilts his head towards the clearing their brothers had chosen for their camp. From the corner of his eye, Sky watches Wild’s puffy eyes soften. “I know. Me too.”

Sky presses his lips against his brother’s hairline one last time before he pulls back and says, “Welcome back, Link.”

Wild smiles wobbly at him, looking both embarrassed and pleased, and Sky can’t help himself when a sudden wave of affection hits him, making him bump his forehead against Wild’s with a wet laugh.

He’s just happy to notice there’s nothing but relief behind Wild’s smile now and Sky bows to make sure it stays that way.