Kismet (Skyward Sword Reader Insert)

ᵀʰᵉ ˢᵗᵃᴿ

          (Y/N)'s soup bowl had long been emptied and left with the others to be cleaned later. Presently, they sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Link while they sharpened their sword. They unintentionally nudged him with every other movement, but neither minded much in favor of having alone time with one another. Link watched and occasionally offered advice when he remembered to, although his mind resided in a completely different time than the present. He was still stuck on what Groose had told him before, especially now that he had scored alone time with (Y/N).

          After a few moments of considering whether or not he'd actually bring up his woes, he sighed and wet his unusually dry lips. "Hey, uh, (Y/N)?" Their gentle hum of recognition was just what he needed to push him forward a few steps. "I realized after you fell that... I never really told you or showed you how much you mean to me. I never said out loud how much I admire you for working so hard and being there for me and everyone else at Skyloft. At the same time, I would always bring Zelda up throughout our very few conversations and hang-outs. That must've been like a slap to the face."

          "Every day, I would tell her how proud I am of you and how much I care for you. But, up until I thought I'd lost you forever, I was blind to the thought that you would've wanted to hear that too – probably more than anything else. For someone to finally say, 'I see you and I'm proud of you and I care.'  I've wanted to apologize ever since I saw you standing there, in front of the temple. I should've been better to you, and I hope you can forgive me."

          Finally, when he finished and was able to look them in the face, his heart squeezed at the sight of them. Their (e/c) eyes were blown wide with shock and fat tears streamed plentifully down their cheeks. More than anything, they wished that they could say something, but their vocal chords had been put under lock and key by the wave of emotions that slipped over them. Link carefully took the sword from their hands and placed it within its sheath before he gently gathered them up into his lap. Once within his snug embrace, they wrapped their legs around his waist and wept silent tears into his shoulder. While they shook against him, Link traced random patterns and apologies into the center of their back as he leaned against them. A few tears rolled down the slope of his cheeks as well -- he'd always hated making (Y/N) cry.

          "You've always meant a lot to me and those feelings just get stronger by the day. We both grew up without seeing much of our parents and we were tossed between houses together, for the most part. I should have stayed by your side more often, there's not an excuse in the world I could give for abandoning you like I did," he murmured into their hair, smiling sadly as they audibly whimpered into his tunic. 'How long had they been waiting to hear that? How long had they silently suffered, pretending everything was okay when it wasn't?'

          "I.. I pushed it down more often than I can count. I tried to tell myself that I was being unreasonable and childish. I couldn't keep food down for so long because of the stress. Owlan called me into his room and helped me get back on track with eating again, but I... I still couldn't tell anyone how I was feeling. It felt so selfish of me for wanting to put my feelings over anyone else's happiness or comfort," (Y/N) finally rasped between hiccups and sniffles, their voice slightly muffled by Link's shoulder. They didn't want to let go. "I've hated myself for how I've felt for years. I pressured myself to make sure I stayed the same strong, supportive, helpful, and tough (Y/N) as always so I could keep everyone from seeing how I truly felt behind the mask. I resented Zelda for all the praise she got and for how easy her life seemed, even though she and her father have always been nothing but kind to me. I resented her because you and Groose and everyone seemed to be looking at her, no matter what I'd do."

          "Don't you dare blame yourself. Everyone, including me, just assumed it'd be enough to let you do your own thing because you seemed too busy for hang-outs and pleasantries. We let you bleed yourself dry for the academy and for us and we didn't do a damn thing about it. We thought 'it's okay' meant 'I don't want it', when it really meant 'I don't want to burden you'. We only expressed our worries at a surface level, but never pushed to make sure you were okay. We never wanted to think that maybe.. maybe you felt like you couldn't accept help after your parents left you to be passed from home to home – that you already felt like you owed and burdened everyone enough. I.. we.. should've been better for you." Hesitantly, his fingers clumsily traced another message on their back, something he'd keep quiet about for the sake of it not being the right time and for Groose's feelings. Unless, of course, they somehow recognized each letter he etched into their tunic-clad skin. 'I love you.'