A Small Gift(Linked Universe GN reader insert AU)

The Stump (again)

Hours later you awake to a gentle hand on your shoulder. You grunt still half asleep and swat it away rolling over with a grumble. Your body knows better.. It is absolutely Not time to get up yet and you had watch Last night. Its definitely someone else's turn. You know this. Unless someone's dying or the camp is under attack you are Absolutely not-

You hear a quiet breathy chuckle, and your eyes pop open. Four. Its Four's laugh and suddenly you remember the agreement from earlier. You roll back towards him, prop up on one elbow and painfully crack open your eyes in a squint. They feel hot and gritty, and you hate it. "Mrrrhmph...yeah?" You grumble hoarsely making him laugh again. You rub one eye and open it wider, closing the other to sweet darkness. He looks bright-eyed and excited. Curses...

"Are you ready to go?"

This feels harder than you thought it would. Your bedroll is So so warm... You feel your eye wanting to close but you fight it. "Yeah.. *cough* yeah... I'm up. I'm up..."

You stumble out of bed and see Twilight sitting at the low fire with a bemused expression looking at the two of you.

"Oh, don't worry.." Four says lightly, "He knows what's going on. He won't tell." He grins mischievously and helps you to your feet. He fixes the collar of your tunic without thinking and brushed your throat with his fingertips on accident while doing so. They are rough and callused, but his touch is gentle, warm...almost reverent. This unexpected little contact of skin on skin caused you both to fluster and turn a little red.

He clears his throat and steps back to a respectful distance again linking his hands behind his back, rocking his weight back onto his heels, "I- errr... we should probably head out." He mumbles looking at his feet.

You agree (now Fully and Completely awake).

The two of you walk out of the firelight to the stump on the edge of camp.

As you leave, Twilight chuckles softly to himself shaking his head as he watches you walk away. You two are hopeless, he thinks to himself. Thank Goodness everyone isn't as awkward in love as the two of you...Humanity as a whole would have gone extinct a long time ago just from the sheer amount of hesitation and heel-dragging.

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Once you reach the stump, Four does something unexpected and hops up onto it. He reaches his hand out to you with a wide and earnest smile. You take his hand and step up beside him. The stump is barely big enough for the two of you and you are forced into very close quarters, you can feel the warmth of his breath on your face. He looks up into your eyes and offers his hand again.

He asks once again; "Still trust me?" He smiles, small and hopeful...bashful even.

You nod, and take his hand, lacing his fingers in your own.

"Then close your eyes..." He smiles, and closes his own. He begins to chant something softly, you can't understand a word, but it sounds ancient and musical in tone.

Suddenly you are struck with the worst spell of vertigo you have ever had. You feel the stump give way beneath you to open darkness and you fall. You scream and reach, clinging to Link. You hear him laughing. He squeezes you reassuringly.

"Relax.." He murmurs into your ear, amid the rushing air. "I've got ya.."

He does indeed.

You feel yourself land softly on something with a bounce, then again and once more before you feel your feet strike the earth with a gentle impact that doesn't even hurt your knees. You look up and see the biggest mushroom you have ever seen! Moonlight shafts softly through a crack in the cavernous space above. This place is HUGE... massive rough wooden walls are barely visible in the darkness on the edges of the light. You are flabbergasted.

"Y-You can teleport!!?" You cry, eyes wide looking at Four in wonder.

He laughs and smiles at you, a cheery green glinting in his eyes. "Not exactly... actually no. Not even close. We are exactly where we were a moment ago, just..... a little bit smaller."

You look up at the mammoth mushrooms. "A...a 'bit'?" You question, and feel a grin spreading across your face, his intent suddenly becoming clear. "Wait...are we going to see the 'fairy-bug'????"

He laughs again, shaking his head furiously. It causes his pale blond hair to fan out around him and it is beautiful, you think to yourself. "No no!..I mean yes? They...aren't bugs. Or fairies Even. They are the Picori, but Yes. We will be visiting them tonight. Did you bring your camera?"

You smile wide, and nod, holding it up for show. He nods back.

"Fantastic," He smiles. "Let's go"

(pt. 3 still in rough draft..sorry! this is turning out longer than I had originally thought. its turning into an actual story. ;P )