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Nearly 200 reads and 10 votes?? Thank you guys so much! This really means a lot to me! As a thank you, a wrote another long chapter unlike my previous one! This one being a Young OOT/MM Link x reader as he deserves some more love and light in his life! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did writing it and thank you all again!
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published 03/07/2023
warnings: fluff, comfort, touch of angst
‧͙⁺-ˋˏ See you againˎˊ˚⁺‧͙
Soft splatter could be heard through the warmth of your house as you knitted in front of the twirling flames of your hearth, weaving the pink through the blue in a lyrical rhythm that echoed the sizzling fire - the wood beneath crackling under its intense heat that kissed your cozy skin.
The rain plummeted down to the earth while the grey clouds slowly drifted by, signalling that it soon shall pass- unfortunately, you thought. With a sigh, you reached down into the woven basket that obediently laid beside you, only to feel nothing but the sharpness of the aged grass that it was made of.
Your eyebrows rose, causing you to quickly glance down and see nothing there besides the nearly finished pink ball of wool and some strands of random colours spread out in different corners. A pout now laced your lips before casting your eyes to the window where droplets of water drooled down the misted glass, 'As much as I love the rain, I really need more of the blue to finish off my scarf...' And with that, you stood up, neatly placing the incomplete scarf upon the chair and dusting off your waist-tied apron while a content smile spread across your face, '...maybe it won't be so bad once I go outside.'
You glanced up at the cloudy sky, squinting your eyes from the drops that dared to fall upon them. You sighed, pulling your hood further down towards your eyes, the thought of there not being too many people in Castle Town - meaning that buying the wool would only take a few seconds - made a proudful grin sneak its way across your lips as you treaded your way down the cobblestone of the alleyways, seeking somewhat of a shelter along the extending roofs of the stone houses and buildings.
You came to a stop in front of an aged house where golden, curved writing lay engraved above upon a wooden beam, 'Wool of Hyrule', while the catch of the day laid beside the door, painted in white, says, 'Feeling a bit sheepish? Then you better get inside and buy some more wool to thicken your coat!' A bit daft, but a little funny, causing a silent chuckle to edge its way through your mind before you pulled down the golden hand - the coldness icy against your fingertips as the bell above your head rang away in sign of your arrival. "And who dare comes in such weather to my humble abode!", a voice called from within the warmth while you slid off your hood, "It's always a pleasure to see you, Hassan."
You smiled at the young man dressed in a purple cloak and a fine tunic as he leans against the wooden counter of his little shop stacked with wool of every colour and a few antiques here and there. Hassan gave you a playful scoff, rolling his eyes before he leaned back against the wall which contains a shelf filled with some aged technological items, "I should've known it was you and your little vixen fingers." You laughed, strolling towards your destined shelf containing the colour you need, "Well, what can I say, if I am a vixen then you must be a minx, dear Hassan."
He folded his arms across his chest, studying the way you picked up the wool and twirled it around your fingers, "Perhaps. But it is good to see you - even though you were in here just the other day. Still working on that scarf I suppose?" You hummed in answer, turning your head to glance at him with a smile, "I am, I don't have a reason to make it but I've been enjoying doing so, especially during weathers like this." You placed the wool upon the counter and reached into the pouch strapped to your belt, grabbing out a red ruppee, "it's rather calming." Hassan hummed, strands of his long, lucious hazel hair now drooling in front his darkened irises, "I very much agree with you, though I prefer to find myself in an inn and drinking all the ale I can get - it warms you up quite a bit you know."
You gave him a playful huff, "Oh, I know alright but you should've known better than to drag me with you that time. You're a loud man you know, scaring off all the customers." He scoffed, a daring grin spreading across his lips, "Like you're any better." And with that, you slid the rupee towards him and bid him goodbye, only for him to yell afterwards that both of you must go to the inn sometime again - to which you half-heartedly agreed to. The ringing bell now following behind you as you treaded along through the street, hiding the wool beneath your dampened cloak.
With a sigh, your buried yourself deeper into the warmth, wrapping your arms around yourself, but only for you to come to a stop at the sound of a sniffle and whimper. Your ears twitched, causing your head to glance to your left and into the shadows of an alley. Concern and curiosity filled your eyes, only to hear another sniff and groan, '...A child?'
Quickly and without hesitation, you treaded along the puddles that filled the cracks of the stone floor as your voice echoed along the walls, "Hello? Are you alright?" Silence. You sighed, frowning in worry before picking up your pace, but only to spot a blotch of green curled up on the floor - your heart clenching at the sight in front of you.
You lowered yourself down onto your haunches, watching the shivering boy covered in mud whimper, his eyes opening to glance up at you - confusion and fear lacing them. Slowly, you reached your hand outward towards him, urging him to take it in his own, "It's alright, you're going to be okay." His cerulean eyes stared into your own, searching for any sign of deceit, only to find none.
Quietly, he placed his small hands into your own, firmly holding onto your palm as you brought him up to his legs - noticing how they shook beneath his weight. "Are you alright? Can you walk?", your questions struck confusion to slither across his face, his golden hair brushing against his lashes while he side glanced you in question, his voice hoarse from crying, "Yes. I just needed somewhere to be...on my own."
The way his words were well pronounced and rounded for someone deemed to be either nine or ten struck you for a second, because unlike your younger brother, his words were calculated. 'He must have been through a lot to make him so...timid', you quickly shook away the thought in order to bring your attention back to the current situation, "You'll get sick out here you know, and by the looks of it - you've been out here for a while." He slightly winced at that, his fingers sliding off your palm before you brought yourself up to your height, staring down at him with a soft smile as he turned to face you, awkwardly rubbing his elbow, "...I didn't feel like heading to the castle." Your brow rose, "The castle? But-" "I shouldn't have said that, will you please excuse me miss", his eyes sharp and calculated, quickly walking past you.
"Wait", you called, turning around to face him in concern, "Do you have a place to stay? And your parents?" The child could only glance down into the puddle in front of him, staring at his reflection - strands of hair falling before his shadowy eyes, "No. I don't have parents." You smile wavered and placed a hand upon his shoulder in a form of comfort, "Then you're welcome to stay at my place for a bit, until you're ready to go to the...castle. Your clothes will need a wash too, I don't think the Royals would appreciate you stumbling upon their fancy jeweled halls all clad in mud, now would they?"
He frowned, his lips turning downwards at the mentions of the royals - which didn't go unnoticed by you. But what brought a grin to your lips was the words he said, "Fine...but I cannot stay long." You hummed, your other hand tightly wrapped around the wool beneath your cloak, "That's fine, just until I clean the mud off your wear and for you to clean yourself up. My hearth should still be lit when we get there. Now come along." And with that, you grabbed his small hand into your own and dragged him along, his eyes wide at the sudden action, but he could only softly smile at your back, appreciating the kindness you spared him.
"Alright, this is it", you pushed open the door, allowing the swirling warmth to envelope you as you stood aside for him to enter, watching the young child carefully tread along your creaking, wooden floor. You closed the door, shivering at the coolness that escaped inside before you shed your coat from your shoulders and placed the wool into the basket beside your chair in a satisfied hum, feeling the eyes of your guest watch you in curiosity. You turned around on the heel of your foot, bringing your attention to the side door, "The bath is there, you can leave your clothes within the basket. But before you go, I'll hand you my brother's clothes that I always keep a spare of in case he and mother visits - he looks around your age and size." He softly nodded before stroking the softness of the scarf that awaits you on your chair.
You returned from scratching through the clothes filled wardrobe of the guest room, returning with something similar in colour to the brightened green he wears. He quickly sat up from the dining table, wincing at the sound of the chair that scraped against the wood from his hastiness, "...Sorry." You dismissed him with a wave of a hand, placing the clothes onto the table, "There's a bucket on the side of the tub that I filled, it should be warm by now." The young boy gave a soft smile, glancing down at the wooden floor before bringing them back to stare into your own, "I never got the chance to say thank you...especially for not treating me like a child...like almost everyone does."
You frowned, rubbing away some dried mud from his cheeks, '..but he is a child?' You shook your head, giving him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it. By the way you talk, you sound like you've seen a few things for a child your age. But hurry along and bathe, I'll be here if you need anything." He grinned, swatting away your hand that messed with his locks after he removed his cap and placed it onto the table before gathering the clothes you handed him.
Soon you found yourself upon the chair again, twirling the needle through the blue of the wool with your tongue slithering over your bottom lip in concentration - a frown edging its way across your features. But only for a soft voice to break you from your silent mind, causing you to look up at the young boy, a smile breaking away the downturn of your lips, "I'm finished. Thank you madam." You grinned, waving your hand to dismiss the word madam, "Please, I am no madam. In fact, that makes me feel way older than I am. My name is y/n." You proudly and playfully extended your hand towards him, waiting for him to shake it - but instead, he wrapped his fingers around your palm and lowered himself, placing his lips against the back of your hand in curtsy, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance...y/n."
You chuckled, playfully rolling your eyes as you slipped your hand out of his grasp, "You have more manners than the men my age, it's quite disturbing." You notice him frown from the corner of your eyes while you glanced down to your work, grabbing the wooden needle between your fingers. "I'm...nevermind", he sighed, running a hand through his wet locks in frustration. Your eyes widened in realisation, "Oh my goodness! Why didn't you say anything! You must be hungry!" His eyes widened at your sudden outburst from the misinterpretation of his forming words, watching the way you frantically scurried about, the clanging of pots following after you while he watched you with amusement adorning his childlike features.
Eventually you both had plates filled to the brim, eating and discussing the matters that would only concern a child, but often he'd bring up the matters of politics and places you've never been to, your curiosity only edging him as your questions flew past your lips in excitement - as though you were the child and he the young adult in the situation.
But not much later, he found himself drained from todays events, causing you to lead him through the small corridors to the guest room. And once he was in, you placed the covers over him like a mother would a child, your candle placed on the small bedside table as stroked his hair, his smile was soft and warm, filled with admiration for you while you kissed his cheek, the words goodnight slipping past your smile. His cheeks could only burn at the action before his cheeky grin spread across his face.
You could only playfully roll your eyes at him, ruffling his locks before taking your candle and walking out of the room, waving to him before slipping into the darkness of your corridors. The silence comfortable as you washed his clothes in the bucket before the hearth, leaving them there in front of the heat in hopes for them to dry before morning - sleep following you, the memory of your motherly exchange you just had replaying through your mind, 'The scarf...I'll give it to him, to remind him that he'll always have a place here to stay...is this what it's look to be a mother?' Those being the last thoughts you had before succumbing to your dreams.
Sadly, morning came too soon for you both, and luckily for him, you had been awake a few hours prior to him - working your way through the scarf in hopes to finish it before dawn falls upon the nightened sky.
And with a sad smile, you wrapped the scarf around his neck - sticking out like a sore thumb against his freshly cleaned green and white, his smile slightely wavering at the thought of saying goodbye to you - his heart clenching at the thought of never seeing you again, even though you may view him as a child, he'd slightly hope that one day you would maybe change your views on that.
And so he said, with a glint of happiness shinning through his crystalline eyes, "This isn't a goodbye, I'll visit you again soon! Sooner than you know it!" He gave you a close eyed smile, causing one to spread across your lips, your fingers wrapped around themselves. But only for you to frown, shaking your head before lowering yourself and wrapping your arms around his shoulders - pressing him tight against your chest, "You bet. Even though you actually never told me your name, you'd always be welcome back."
His eyes widened as he stood back, still leaning on your haunches to match his eye level, "I never told you my name?" You laughed, shaking your head with a grin, "It slipped my mind to ask as well." He smiled, placing a small hand upon your cheek before giving it a soft kiss, whispering his name, "Link. My name is Link."
And with that, you watched him run through the busy streets of Castle Town, the golden rays of the sun reflecting upon the left over puddles as you watched him cheekily turn back with a grin, waving at you before dashing off again...leaving you with yourself again, your house empty of the sounds of his childish laughter. Empty of the true happiness you finally felt - a bitterness lacing through your heart as you watched the crowd with a smile.
'Don't worry, y/n, I'll see you again', he thought.
Edited 03/07/2023