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multidisciplinary) wrote in
escordvi2024-08-30 10:43 pm
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Entry tags:
log ๐ป in the absence of sunshine
Who: Zelda and Darin
Status: Closed
Where: Zelda's apartment on Eltrut
What: (Backdated to August 15) The aftermath of their fight with Ganondorf the previous night.
Warnings: Major injury, probably some PTSD, and other such warnings that come with hurt/comfort threads (edit: now with themes of self sacrifice, self loathing, and some surprise UST ๐ถ๏ธ)
[ These past twenty-four hours have been the longest, slowest hours Zelda has had to wait through in a very long time. After her century sealing Calamity Ganon, the princess has developed patience in spades-- in stark contrast to how she was before the Calamity. But now, that patience seems to have evaporated and she feels just like that girl she once was, standing impatiently for hours in the Goddess's springs straining to hear Her voice. Time passes with agonizing slowness, and each hour that Darin does not wake feels somehow slower than the last.
Zelda has seen firsthand how quickly his injuries heal, no matter how severe. When she rescued him from the ocean after his fight with Garuda, it took less than an hour for his broken bones to heal. So although the severity of the injuries he sustained from their fight with Ganondorf were deeply upsetting to Zelda, she expected him to heal through the worst of them before the following dawn.
But that wasn't the case. When dawn came, not only did his injuries barely look any better, but he hadn't hadn't regained consciousness. Dawn turned to day to afternoon to dusk and to night again and still Darin did not wake.
Throughout those long, long hours, there was nothing Zelda could do but wait. Wait and try to treat his wounds as she would anyone else's. She cleaned and bandaged his injuries as best she could, and at least that helped set her mind slightly at ease. She didn't know why this was taking so long, but she could care for him through that time. Goddess knows she had done so for Link countless times in the past.
But first aid only went as far as normal wounds. It was all but useless for treating Gloom burns. Usually, the cure for Gloom sickness was sunlight; Gloom faded away in the light and a person's vitality returned over time. Zelda had never seen Gloom burns before she and Link found the corpse of the Demon King below Hyrule Castle. She had an idea how to treat them-- a poultice made of sundelions might work like a concentrated salve of sunlight. But there are no sundelions in this world and the process for trying to fish for them through the rift was tricky and time consuming. And even if it wasn't, Zelda couldn't risk leaving Darin alone. If something happened... If she wasn't here...
These are the thoughts that have gone round and round in her mind all day, interspersed among memories of that fight with Ganondorf. Everything he said. Everything he did. How even the combined efforts of Darin, Ranma, and Zelda were barely enough to injure him at all. She couldn't get these thoughts out of her head.
Now it's nighttime again. Zelda has barely eaten and she has staunchly avoided sleep-- not just because Darin is on her bed, but because if something were to happen and she was not here beside him.... Well, she wasn't willing to risk that. But after twenty four sleepless hours, even anxiety isn't strong enough to keep her awake. The princess finally nods off sometime in the middle of the night, sitting in her chair at the bedside and leaning against the edge of the bed, her head against his shoulder so that, if he shifts, the movement will wake her. ]
Status: Closed
Where: Zelda's apartment on Eltrut
What: (Backdated to August 15) The aftermath of their fight with Ganondorf the previous night.
Warnings: Major injury, probably some PTSD, and other such warnings that come with hurt/comfort threads (edit: now with themes of self sacrifice, self loathing, and some surprise UST ๐ถ๏ธ)
[ These past twenty-four hours have been the longest, slowest hours Zelda has had to wait through in a very long time. After her century sealing Calamity Ganon, the princess has developed patience in spades-- in stark contrast to how she was before the Calamity. But now, that patience seems to have evaporated and she feels just like that girl she once was, standing impatiently for hours in the Goddess's springs straining to hear Her voice. Time passes with agonizing slowness, and each hour that Darin does not wake feels somehow slower than the last.
Zelda has seen firsthand how quickly his injuries heal, no matter how severe. When she rescued him from the ocean after his fight with Garuda, it took less than an hour for his broken bones to heal. So although the severity of the injuries he sustained from their fight with Ganondorf were deeply upsetting to Zelda, she expected him to heal through the worst of them before the following dawn.
But that wasn't the case. When dawn came, not only did his injuries barely look any better, but he hadn't hadn't regained consciousness. Dawn turned to day to afternoon to dusk and to night again and still Darin did not wake.
Throughout those long, long hours, there was nothing Zelda could do but wait. Wait and try to treat his wounds as she would anyone else's. She cleaned and bandaged his injuries as best she could, and at least that helped set her mind slightly at ease. She didn't know why this was taking so long, but she could care for him through that time. Goddess knows she had done so for Link countless times in the past.
But first aid only went as far as normal wounds. It was all but useless for treating Gloom burns. Usually, the cure for Gloom sickness was sunlight; Gloom faded away in the light and a person's vitality returned over time. Zelda had never seen Gloom burns before she and Link found the corpse of the Demon King below Hyrule Castle. She had an idea how to treat them-- a poultice made of sundelions might work like a concentrated salve of sunlight. But there are no sundelions in this world and the process for trying to fish for them through the rift was tricky and time consuming. And even if it wasn't, Zelda couldn't risk leaving Darin alone. If something happened... If she wasn't here...
These are the thoughts that have gone round and round in her mind all day, interspersed among memories of that fight with Ganondorf. Everything he said. Everything he did. How even the combined efforts of Darin, Ranma, and Zelda were barely enough to injure him at all. She couldn't get these thoughts out of her head.
Now it's nighttime again. Zelda has barely eaten and she has staunchly avoided sleep-- not just because Darin is on her bed, but because if something were to happen and she was not here beside him.... Well, she wasn't willing to risk that. But after twenty four sleepless hours, even anxiety isn't strong enough to keep her awake. The princess finally nods off sometime in the middle of the night, sitting in her chair at the bedside and leaning against the edge of the bed, her head against his shoulder so that, if he shifts, the movement will wake her. ]
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[His wide grin softens into a look of pure adulation. It's like all at once he understands why knights would go to war and die for their princesses. Why they'd compete for their favor. An entire kingdom could rally behind such a beautiful smile.]
[His heart pounds and he's forced to acknowledge something he never thought he'd truly get to experience.]
[Darin might have a crush on Zelda.]
[It's a bittersweet thing because he knows that he could never act on it. She has a home someplace else. But what he can do is make her life here as happy as possible. He can stand with her against Gaondorf. Safeguard her and see her through until she can return to the kingdom who needs her.]
[So, that's what he'll do for her. As her support. Her smith. He'll forge a path to her future with his own hands. Even a future without him.]
[It's the least he could do for the care she's shown him.]
[She might find him staring at her with that same warm smile— his green eyes seeing nothing else in the room but her.]
I think the bed passes my test. What about you?
How's it feel...?
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What is it about this happiness that makes it so different? It keeps tugging at her heart whenever she and Darin lapse into these little moments together. For awhile, she thought this was the same feeling of closeness she shares with Link. But over the past few days, Zelda has started to think that it might be... different. How and why, she cannot begin to guess. But there's just something, something she can't put her finger on just yet, about the way Darin makes her feel that is different from Link.
And she likes it.
At his question, Zelda comes back from her musings. Her head cants just slightly to one side, as though she's studying his face from a different angle. Whatever she sees, it causes her smile to shift into something quirked and knowing. ]
It feels perfect.
[ And she does not elaborate, letting that assessment hang in the air between them. ]
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Yeah it...really does, doesn't it?
[A couple of days ago, Darin would probably be feeling panicked right now. A beautiful princess laying on top of him on her bed? There's only a few other ways things could possibly get more intimate than this and...frankly? He's not entirely against any of them anymore.]
[But this feels right.]
[It feels normal.]
[It feels so normal that he can't help but huff a quiet laugh.]
It...feels so perfect, it's a shame I have to leave...
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But she doesn't want him leave yet. Even though it's only been two days (well, one if you don't count the day he spent unconscious with fever), it's been nice to have another person in the house. Zelda has grown accustomed to living alone and Pumpkinpatch has definitely helped, but she misses living with someone. ]
You could stay a little longer, if you like. It is late. [ It is not. ] Why not wait until morning?
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[He glances to their side at the bed they're lying in. At the bed she's currently lying on top of him in. And he feels his throat tighten. Zelda did just receive traumatic news. Would it be right to just...leave her? He might not be far but...]
[...Well, he should be honest with himself. He's not exactly keen on leaving either. Today was just...nice. He wants more of that. But...]
[He can't impose. He's made too many assumptions about Zelda.]
[He levels his gaze to her.]
If...If that's what you want...
I don't mind staying until you feel like you'll be okay...
I should be recovered enough that I can sleep out in the living room...
[He's making the offer to sleep out there but his eyes are watching hers. They both know what he's really asking. He's asking the princess—his princess— where she wants him to sleep.]
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She sees the question in Darin's eyes, the one she easily reads through an offer of propriety. A bit odd to hear from him, given not only that he has little regard for such things and he was the one to suggest sleeping together last night.
But that was under more serious circumstances. He probably could sleep in her sofa chair without it adversely effecting his recovery.
And yet... ]
I think there is ample space in this new bed for both of us to sleep comfortably.
[ Her eyes say it more clearly: she wants him to sleep here with her. ]
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[He simply nods, smiling albeit a little sheepishly.]
...Th-Then, I want to stay. With you. For...as long as you want me.
[Gods when she looks at him like that he feels his cheeks burning hot. There's a lot of 'want' in her green eyes and he's still so unaccustomed to being a part of that list.]
Sh...Should we call it an early night then...?
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But she doesn't say it. She just gives a hum of acknowledgement and a nod of her head. Until she feels like she'll be okay, he said. (How long with that take this time, she can't help but wonder. Will it be easier to grieve for Sonia thanks to all of the experience she had grieving after the Calamity?)
Zelda doesn't want to think about grief right now. She had a good day; she wants it to last a little bit longer. ]
I think we should, yes. We had a full day and neither of us are completely recovered yet. We should rest.
[ And she is tired. Now that she is relaxing, she can feel the exertion of the day creeping over her. It would be nice to just... lay here together. Talk. Relax. Drift off to sleep again, like last night. ]
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I can make you another breakfast then we can go shopping so I can replace all of the food I ate on you.
[He laughs a little, an apologetic look in his eyes.]
So...I guess we should...change?
[His...cheeks start to color at the thought. What...does Zelda wear to bed? Darin sleeps in boxers and...that's it. Surely she won't want him to sleep like that here...]
[Would she?]
[But his mind is already getting filled with thoughts and...not all of them are the most pure.]
[He clears his throat awkwardly.]
I...think I have some shorts I can wear. I usually just...sleep in my boxers...
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So she doesn't understand why he's blushing until he continues.
Ah. He simply.. sleeps in his underclothes.
For once, it's a good thing that she's still on top of him, because just the mention that he sleeps in his boxers makes Zelda start to automatically look down... And, realizing what she's doing and how their current position inhibits her wandering gaze, she jerks her head back up. ]
Should we have bought sleepwear for you while we were out?
[ Because, well, given how Zelda's hormones have been getting the better of her over the past two days, sharing a bed with Darin while he's barely wearing anything at all sounds like a recipe for disaster. ]
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[He protests strongly, trying to assure Zelda he would never sully her virtue that way. But he still can't fight the mental images dancing in his mind.]
S...Should I change in the bathroom...? Or...?
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You can change in here. [ She climbs off of his chest and climbs out of the bed. Opening her wardrobe, she fishes out a fresh nightgown. ] I will use the bathroom so that I can brush out my hair. I imagine you will be done before me.
[ Without waiting for him to agree, Zelda slips to the bathroom and closes the door behind her. They could have just taken turns using the bathroom, but she's pretty confident in this timing.
Indeed, it's nearly fifteen minutes later when she cracks the bathroom door open and knocks on it to warn of her return. ]
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[But he can't seem to shake the mental image. So he quickly stands up and strips down...before digging his clothes out of the bag. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have retrieved his clothes first but...]
[Well, he's not thinking clearly.]
[He selects a loose tank top and gym shorts; clothes that he'll be able to begin training in, and sits on the edge of the bed, arms propped up by his knees and hands clasps in front of his face. Just what the hell was he so nervous about??]
[When she cracks the door open and knocks, he bolts upright, his voice cracking a bit as he speaks.]
C-Come in...?
I-I mean...it's good, I'm...I'm dressed...!
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When she turns to see Darin standing bolt upright beside the bed she raises one brow. Why in the world does he seem so nervous? Surely this can't be because they're about to share the same bed-- he's the one who suggested it in the first place last night, and he hardly seemed nervous then. So why should he be nervous now? ]
You look nice. [ She offers the casual compliment in attempt to dispel some of his nervousness as she tosses her worn clothes into a basket for washing and heads to the opposite side of the bed. ] We did well today.
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They're really comfortable...
[Darin's honestly relieved that Zelda's wearing something conservative. So relieved that he says the first thing that pops into his mind.]
You look pretty.
Cute.
Pretty cute.
[GODS DAMMIT.]
H-Hey let's...you know! Get into bed!
[Darin immediately turns and climbs into the bed, hurriedly trying to hide himself beneath the plush comforter and copious amounts of pillows. There's a shock of blue hair poking out but she might need to go on an expedition to properly find him.]
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Zelda moves around to the other side of the bed and climbs into it. She lays down on her side and props her chin up with her elbow against the mattress, watching the lump under the covers with a quirked smile. ]
Are you planning to hide under there all night?
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[Even though her words the night before were so full of conviction. That she chose him and Ranma over the people they'd set out to save.]
[She chose him...]
[And gods did he react poorly. She really deserved an explanation.]
[Darin huffs a bit and wiggles out from under the comforter to lay on his back.]
Hey...I know this is a weird time to mention it but...I'm...sorry for the way I acted last night.
I'm not...really used to people caring about me and it just...confuses me. It's not you.
[He laughs sheepishly.]
Hell, I haven't been hugged since my dad died. Acteon was a lot of things but he wasn't really a hugger. Headlock, hair tousle, back slap sure but...I guess I just get confused when someone actually wants me...
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Darin's description of his adoptive father brings an image of Daruk to Zelda's mind, along with the rough sort of affection he used to give to Link. Not many Hylians could walk away from a back slap from a Goron. ]
That sounds quite lonely. [ She offers, a gentle encouragement for him to continue. ]
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You don't know the half of it.
[He turns his head toward her as he pushes himself a little more onto his side.]
I wasn't allowed to go to school and...well, none of the kids my age wanted anything to do with me. They all repeated the things their parents said behind closed doors.
I've had rocks thrown at my more times than I can count and the cries of "monster" didn't exactly let up when they saw the cuts heal up right away.
...Just kinda...encouraged more stone throwing. Literally.
[He heaves a sigh and rests his head on the fluffy pillow. He's never really talked this openly about his life growing up in Kenmore but...Zelda deserved to know.]
Over time they stopped openly ridiculing me. They went off to schools. Lived their lives. Before long I was the only person my age in town.
...So...when you say you'd choose me over the world it just...doesn't make sense. I've never had someone other than Acteon or Kessler ever...
Ever...actually want me...
Heh, you're the first girl my age who actually spoke to me without looking down her nose at me...
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But it also sounds unfathomable. She doesn't think Darin is lying about this, but it's hard to believe none of the children in his hometown ever gave him a chance, that none of the girls his age dared to challenge the idea that he was "cursed." With how attractive and charming he is, Zelda automatically assumed that he had dated and been intimate before. ]
Then I am left to assume that all of the women in Alvale collectively suffer from some sort of... madness, I suppose. [ There's a hint of levity in her tone. ] How else can one explain why none of them have ever seen what I see?
[ It is a rhetorical question and she doesn't give him the chance to try to answer. ]
I wish I had something better than words to explain why I want you in my life. I hate that my care challenges you as much as it does.
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No. No, don't. I'm honestly...I'm thankful. Today was so much fun. I've never gone out with a girl my age before!
[He laughs a bit, not realizing that his descriptors really do make it sound like they were on a date.]
I just...I know I'm going to be difficult at times. I'm not going to understand why sometimes but...
What you said earlier? The um...the things you said you'd say about me...?
[He rolls onto his back, the color starting to rush to his cheeks again.]
They're...the nicest things anyone's ever said about me...
[For once, Darin's bravado vanishes. His fear and uncertainty melt away. And all that's left is a young man trying to navigate his feelings. This vulnerability he's trained himself to hide from the world...it's all on full display for Zelda to see.]
[This is who he is.]
A-And...I mean, it's not just the women. The men too! Everyone!
[Because he feels the need to stress that it wasn't just women who were the problem. For some reason.]
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Ooops?
Not that that has any impact what she thinks of him, so the thought is a brief one. ]
I meant every word of it.
[ Zelda shifts position, folding both of her arms and tucking them beneath her pillow. ]
And I expect there are more people in this world who share them, voiced or not.
[ She pauses, and a soft fondness seeps into her features. ]
I've never spent a day like this with a boy my own age. Or anyone, really. As the Princess of Hyrule countless times... but never as Zelda.
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...How old is Link, anyway?
[Zelda was...22? If he had his timeline right. She said the Calamity rose on her 17th birthday...and didn't she say that was five years ago?]
[But also, she was sealed for 100 years...]
[...Did that make Zelda 122 years old?]
[Idly, he looks around the room as he puzzles out whatever that means until his eyes fall to the portrait on her wall. Darin had looked it over earlier but...given everything he and Zelda had talked about today, he felt like he had some better context.]
[The young man next to her had to be Link. And he certainly didn't look like the knight he would have pictured. Then again, Darin knows better than anyone that looks can be deceiving.]
...You cut your hair...
[It really stuns him just how breathtakingly beautiful Zelda is. And that she would deign to spend as much of her time with someone like him.]
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We've spent days together like this, visiting shops and markets and local restaurants, but always as the Princess of Hyrule and her swordsman-- or, when people recognize him, the Princess and the Hero of Hyrule. I think the only time we get to be simply Zelda and Link is when we are out in the wild all by ourselves. The mountains don't care if you are a princess and a hero. Nor do the rivers or the forests.
[ Zelda watches how Darin's gaze travels around her room while she speaks. What is he thinking about, she wonders. He's very observant. What sorts of things is he learning about her simply from looking about her bedroom?
When his eyes stop, though, she doesn't have to wonder anymore. She knows what he's looking at before he even speaks. ]
I did, yes. [ Zelda's tone turns a bit sheepish and she reaches up to pluck at the short strands of her hair. ] A year or two after I was freed from the seal.
[ Her gaze flicks to the photograph. A young princess standing over the precipice of complete destruction, surrounded by her five beloved Champions. It's risky to have this photograph at all-- if anyone were to see it, it would reveal the secret Zelda has been hiding all this time. But her apartment felt so empty without this picture. ]
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[If the man beside her was Link...who were the other four?]
[They...seemed happy. Like a family. But knowing what Zelda's lost...the likelihood of those people being around seemed...well, heartbreakingly unlikely.]
...I like it. That you cut your hair. I don't know...people tend to associate long hair with titles and nobility. Seeing you like this, it just seems...more 'you.' Besides...for 122 you look stunning.
[He glances over his shoulder at her and gives her a teasing smirk. But he can't hide the slight bittersweetness of it. After all, Darin doesn't have a lofty title like 'Hero of Hyrule.' As proud of he is as a Master Smith...well, he'd be lying if he didn't want a title to match hers in a sense. Something special.]
I'm a bit of a downgrade from "Hero of Hyrule" thought, huh. Still...I hope that I can give you more days like today.
[He turns his gaze back to the portrait in an attempt to quickly move on. Knowing Zelda, she'll try and push back on the 'downgrade' comment. Maybe he can pivot before she does.]
And the others? What are their names...?
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