Forget Me Not | LoZ: BotW/LoZ: TotK {Link x Reader}

18

Unperturbed, her clearing sight drifted to the faint, swirling plumes of white smoke rising from a bed of smoldering cinders. Last night's raging fire had long since burned to dying embers and heavy ash, flickering with extreme difficulty to remain lit.

Her slow thoughts blurred, stagnant and incomprehensible until a soft snore echoed from her right. Startled, (Y/n)'s hooded eyes, remnants of sleep still slightly clouding her vision, swiveled to Link who lay opposite to her position.

I completely forgot about him for a moment, she inwardly deadpanned.

A crude bow, shield, and sword were all tossed unceremoniously onto the ground, forgotten due to his ample fatigue. The young man's back faced her, ill-fitting beige shirt expanding and contrasting with each of his peaceful breaths. (Y/n), keeping a watchful eye on him, gracefully roused to a full stand, purposefully tensing her aching muscles as she stretched. Satisfying pops and cracks echoed throughout (Y/n)'s body, leaving her to blissfully sigh. Considerably content, she leisurely scooped up her resistant staff, twirling it masterfully between her deft fingers before swinging it onto her back, clipping it to a sturdy belt wrapped around one of her shoulders.

Quietly shuffling over to Link next, (Y/n) crouched so she could curl her fingers overtop his nearest shoulder. "Link." (Y/n) gently shook him, hoping to stir his conscious. "Link, it's time to wake up." However, he stubbornly slept through her friendly call, shivering defenselessly in the process.

Ignorant to what engulfed her in a stray bout of inquisitiveness, (Y/n) distractedly dissected his attractive features closely. Her bizarre concentration fixated on the dark bags arranged under his sealed eyes. Shallow cuts, red and agitated, scraped across his handsome face, a telltale sign of his arduous journey thus far.

Goddesses help me, he looks too exhausted. How much did he go through before we met, I wonder?

(Y/n) ponderously sighed, breaking from her engrossed stupor, but a solution had already formed in her mind. With a pleased hum, (Y/n) decidedly dug into the insides of her bottomless, leather traveling pouch, grabbing a durable, yet extremely comfortable, cloak.

The obsidian material rumpled beneath her touch, unraveling with a lofty flourish as she flung it outward, covering Link to keep him nice and toasty. Not even a second passed and Link's calloused hands were mindlessly grappling at the article of protective clothing, pulling it closer as he unwittingly mumbled something incoherent.

Wasting little time, and with an entertained grin claiming her lips, (Y/n) left Link's side, carefully trekking below overhanging branches enveloped by a heaping assemblage of blooming leafage varying in colorful greens.

Thirty minutes later, (Y/n) officially encompassed the entire forest, splashing her face with sparkling clear water, filling their respective canteens, climbing plenty coniferous trees, and searching for local spices and mouthwatering herbs before finally collecting every tasty ingredient for a hearty breakfast.

She arrived back at their makeshift camp, placing an abandoned cooking pot she salvaged above thin twigs and logs of wood she managed to obtain. (Y/n) borrowed Link's ordinary sword, swiftly striking the sharp edge against a shard of flint. As the dry wood caught fire, (Y/n) started absentmindedly making a savory meal for them both to eat before their inevitable departure.

During her attentive cooking, she randomly checked on her slumbering companion from time to time. Yesterday evening had been a blundering disarray of (Y/n) and Link pretending they weren't over 100 years old. Neither brought up the touchy subject. Although they remained calm, the underlying tension was so dense the dullest of swords could've cleanly sliced through their barely suppressed, disquieted emotions.