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[annachu-cannot-write]

A Guiding Light

Rating: General Audiences

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy

Relationship: Ominis Gaunt/Player Character

Additional Tags: POV Ominis Gaunt, Slytherin Player Character, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Jealousy, Tragic Backstory, Eventual Fluff, Ominis Gaunt Needs a Hug

Story Summary: Ominis Gaunt has been blind for his whole life, relying solely on his wand to show him the way. But when his wand one day goes missing, he finds guidance in an unlikely place, and soon a whole new world opens up to him.

Chapter 4 - however long it takes (to make you realise)

Word Count: 3342 [published on archive 14/03 2024]

Notes: chapter 4 is finally here, so enjoy!

(i know this one took a bit longer to post, but i'm still playing the game, so from here on it might take longer between each upload)

alsooo down below is a picture (of bad quality, i know, so don't at me) of my MC aka Kieran Everbleed, cuz i thought you might want to know what he looks like (seeing as i can't really have Ominis describe his looks...)

It was Saturday morning and Ominis had just been rudely woken up by the shrill noise of an alarm clock going off. Blasted little bugger, he thought as he stirred in his four-poster. Why would anyone set an alarm on a Saturday? It was totally barbaric. 

“Sorry.” someone mumbled to his left - it was Albert Hickling. Of course it was Albert Hickling. For over four years he had tinkered with his own inventions, putting spells on them to make them do all sorts of unimaginable things. Never before, though, had he done anything with an alarm clock. 

“It wasn’t meant to do that, I thought I had bewitched it to transform into a duck every morning so I could have it in my bath.”

“What?” Either Ominis was still too groggy from sleep, or it was the silliest thing he had ever heard. 

“It wouldn’t be a real duck, of course!”

“Never mind that, could you just make it stop?” he said, because the alarm clock was, in fact, still ringing. 

“Oh! Sorry.” Hickling mumbled again, fumbling with the noisy gadget for a good couple of seconds before it finally became quiet. 

Ominis rolled his eyes. Idiot, he thought as he dragged the covers over himself again. 

It wasn’t until he heard Hickling leave the dormitory a moment later, that it occurred to him that none of the other boys had woken up. Sebastian, he knew for a fact, was a heavy sleeper, and could sleep through most things - though something as loud and obnoxious as that alarm clock would surely have woken anyone up. As for Everbleed, he hadn’t learnt what type of sleeper he was - but even if he was a heavy sleeper as well, there was no reason why he shouldn’t have woken up. 

Ominis regretted that he hadn’t asked Hickling what time it was when the clock had rung - if he had, he would have known now, if it was a time in the morning when the boys would normally be in bed. 

Lifting himself up to his elbows, he called out for Sebastian but got nothing in response. It was awfully quiet, now that he thought about it. On most mornings, he could hear faint snoring coming from Sebastian, but right now, the room was completely silent. 

“Sebastian? Are you there?... Everbleed?” Still no response. Ominis frowned. Normally, he and Sebastian would wake up at roughly the same time, a consequence from sleeping in the same room since they were 11, he was sure of, then Everbleed would slowly start to wake up, and eventually the three of them would go to breakfast together. But now there seemed to be only him here. 

A voice in the back of his head told him that the two of them had gone on without him - but he tried not to listen. After Sebastian had talked to him on the bridge last week, Ominis had been under the impression that things had gone back to normal between them - but now he wasn’t so sure anymore.

He let his arms fall to his side and his head was once again reunited with the pillow. He sighed, but found that when he did, his chest ached a bit, so he brought his hand up and clutched the fabric of his pyjamas, right over his heart. As he did so, he thought about how pathetic he was, and that it made perfect sense that Sebastian would want to abandon him. 

He closed his eyes shut, hard, and wished that he could just fall back to sleep, but he knew there was no way he could do that now. Not with all these thoughts filling up his entire mind. Things will be all right, he told himself, I will be all right. 

...

Sleep had, unbeknownst to Ominis, swept him away an hour later, easing his mind as well as his body. When he came to, it was because he had, for a second time that morning, been woken up. 

“Are you still sleeping? You’re going to miss breakfast if you don’t get up soon.”

Ominis could only respond with a sluggish ‘Mm’ for he was too tired to be able to make a, perhaps more coherent, response. 

After a moment, he heard his stomach rumble as hunger overwhelmed him, and he woke up more and more. When he eventually sat up in his bed, stretching his arms over his head, the thoughts that had occupied his mind earlier came back and hit him straight in his gut. Breakfast didn’t seem so inviting all of a sudden. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know where Sebastian is, would you?” he asked before he even realised it. 

“No, but I heard him and Kieran early this morning, talking about Feldcroft. They seemed to be in a hurry.” 

The answer threw another punch to his gut and he felt sick. He was sure he would have thrown up, if it wasn’t for the fact that Hickling was in the room. 

“I thought it was strange that he left without you.”

‘Left without you’ The words echoed in his mind, taunting him, cutting him. ‘Left without you’ He could feel the bad taste in his mouth as the words only grew louder. ‘Left without you’ He ran out of the dormitory, running like a wild beast that had been let loose. … Then he fell and hit the floor, and everything came all at once - the vomit, the tears, the blood. 

...

For a third time that morning, Ominis was woken up. This time, however, it wasn’t whilst lying in bed - but on the cold stone floor of the common room, and not when he had been asleep, but when he had been unconscious. 

Everything was a big blur to him. His head throbbed violently and he felt dizzy. He could hear rushed murmurs coming from all directions, but he couldn’t make out any of the words over the ringing in his ears. Someone shook him by the shoulder, calling his name, but Ominis just lay there, unable to produce any sort of response. Then he could feel a pair of arms picking him up, and a warm body against his own. In the state he was in, he couldn’t understand anything that was going on. 

...

He felt something soft touch his back and he realised that he must have been laid down. No more than a second later someone’s hand was on his forehead, then at both sides of his head, prodding at him, wiping at his face. He could hear a woman muttering to his side, but her words weren’t any clearer than the voices earlier had been - these, too, were rushed. Then, before he could even register it, his back had been lifted up and something was placed in his hand to hold. Ominis blinked, still feeling very out of it. He heard more muttering, and the next thing he knew, someone grabbed the object from his hand, brought it up to his lips, and then a nasty liquid hit his tongue. He wanted to spit it out immediately, but found that whoever was feeding him this liquid was still pouring it into his mouth, making it impossible to do so. 

Whatever it was that he had been forced to drink, he felt an instant effect from it as soon as he swallowed it. The throbbing in his head died down to a level where it was almost completely gone, and his ears no longer rang. The woman spoke to him again, and this time Ominis could hear every word. 

“Mr. Gaunt? This is nurse Blainey - you are in the hospital wing. It seems you fell and took a blow to your head.” 

As he registered her words, Ominis brought his hand up to his head, and frowned  - he couldn’t remember falling and hitting his head. 

“It’s best if you stay here for a couple of hours, so I can keep an eye on you. Now, be still, so I can put this on you.” 

He didn’t know what ‘this’ referred to, but felt the matron’s hands on his head again, apparently putting on some sort of bandage. 

“Do you remember how this happened at all?”

“No.” he replied, his voice coming out slightly hoarse. 

“Your prefect, Mr. Hickling, arrived with you in a hurry, just moments ago. He told me he saw you running out of the dormitory looking sick, and that when he heard a commotion in the common room he went to see what was going on. That’s apparently when you had hurt yourself.” 

The matron finished wrapping him up and said “You don’t have to remember now, it will all come back to you after you’ve had some rest, so don’t strain yourself. Now, if you would be so kind, Mr. Hickling…”

Ominis hadn’t realised Hickling was still in the hospital wing with them. 

“Of course, nurse Blainey. Ominis, I shall leave you now. Hopefully you’ll feel better soon.” 

Ominis made his second incoherent response to Hickling that morning, but it was the best he could do - he was still trying to understand why the other boy would have shown him such kindness.

“Oh, I almost forgot, nurse Blainey, Ominis hasn’t eaten his breakfast yet…”

“Why didn’t you say so? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Here I was, giving him medicine on an empty stomach…. Oh well, best call for the house-elves, so they can bring some food up then.” 

...

The rest of the morning and afternoon went by faster than Ominis thought it would, considering he was meant to spend it in a hospital bed. He had managed to rest for the most part, albeit shorter periods at a time, and the rest of the time he had spent listening to nurse Blainey moving across the room, tending to other students. At some point Hickling had come back with his clothes and schoolrobe so he could change out of his pyjamas. 

Later, when the matron finally came to remove his bandage, she announced that he was free to go, and Ominis felt relieved. 

“Be careful not to make any sudden head movements though, and should you feel anything at all, come back and see me again.” 

“Of course, nurse Blainey-” he said, and started stepping away from the bed, but realised soon that he was without his wand. “-My wand…” 

“Oh, it’s right here, dear-” she handed it over to him, placing it in his hand. “-Mr. Hickling brought it with him when he dropped off your clothes.” 

“Ah… thank you.” he managed a smile, and then proceeded to walk away from the bed, and out of the hospital wing. 

...

As soon as Ominis reached the Grand Staircase, he was overwhelmed with loud voices. All around him students were chatting away with their friends, talking about what they had been up to during the day, and what they planned to do tomorrow. Some students, further away from him, mentioned being in Hogsmeade, eating and drinking at the Three Broomsticks. A group of girls talked about how they went down to Lower Hogsfield and what a lovely little place it was. 

It all made Ominis feel like he had been stuck in a sort of hazy dream the entire day - coming in and out of consciousness, and not really knowing what had been going on for the most part. He had missed out on a whole day he could have spent doing the things the students around him had done. But it was just one day, he told himself, no matter. It’s not like he normally spends his free days visiting Hogsmeade or the neighbouring hamlets, anyway. Nonetheless, a sense of gloominess washed over him as he descended the stairs towards the Reception Hall. 

A waft of delicious food reached Ominis’ nostrils as the doors to the Great Hall opened and closed by students coming in and out, and the gloomy feeling turned to hunger. It felt to him like no time at all had passed since the house-elves had brought him breakfast. Here I go, eating again, he thought to himself. All he had done this day, so far, had been eating and sleeping. 

...

Dinner had been exquisite. All the things Ominis loved tasted particularly good this evening - the roast chicken was juicier, the sausages fattier, and the roast potatoes crispier than ever. He couldn’t think of a time when he had been this full - not even on his very first day as a first-year. 

I wonder if I still have room for some dessert? But it probably won’t arrive any time soon, he thought as he rubbed his belly. Though I might as well stay here for a while, I’m too tired to go anywhere at the moment. He let out a content sigh, but was interrupted halfway. 

“You look like you swallowed a dugbog - were you that hungry?” It was Sebastian.

 Ominis was just about to give a snarky retort when suddenly there was a strange feeling in his head. It didn’t hurt, exactly, more like it made him a wee bit dizzy. He shut his eyes, but when he did, memories of the early morning came back to him - very fast, and very vividly, and he felt increasingly dizzier. He didn’t even notice nearly falling off of the bench, until a pair of hands steadied him. 

“Don’t touch me.” he spat out instantaneously. 

He was met with something he could only assume was a stunned silence. Then, whilst still a little shaky, he stood up and began to walk away, bumping into Sebastian on purpose. It didn’t take long, however, until Sebastian’s hand was on his arm, trying to stop him. 

“Ominis? Wha-”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“Did something happen?” 

Ominis ignored the question at first, just puffing out air, shaking his head in disbelief, trying to convey the message that he was upset. Then he grabbed Sebastian's arm forcefully and dragged him to the side of the hall, where they could have some privacy. There, he answered the question with a question of his own.

“What do you think?” he said through gritted teeth.

“Well, you’re obviously upset, I can see that.”

“How observant of you, anything else?”

“You’re being really snappy towards me.”

“Oh, yeah?” 

Sebastian sighed, and after a couple of seconds said  “Why are you being like this, Ominis? If I did something to offend you, just say so.” 

“Offend me?” he huffed loudly. “I think you would know for yourself if you had done something to offend me.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like!” 

“Okay, so I have offended you? When exactly?”

“You haven’t offended me Sebastian, you’ve hurt me!” he yelled out, tears starting to form in his eyes. “Are you really that oblivious?”

“If you’re talking about the Undercroft again, I’ve already apologised for that-”

“That’s not what this is about!”

“Then, what is it about?!”

“Everbleed!” he practically screamed out, tears now streaming down his cheeks. 

“What does he have to do with this?”

“Everything! He’s got everything to do with this, can’t you see? You spend so much time with him, you barely have any left to spend with me anymore! And as if the Undercroft thing wasn’t bad enough, you even bring him to Feldcroft to meet Anne? You didn’t stop to think that perhaps I wanted to go meet her again? That I, who happen to actually be her friend, would be happy to hear her voice again? No? Did it never occur to you?!” 

He fell backwards against the wall, shaking with uncontrollable sobs, feeling utterly miserable. 

“Am I not your friend, Sebastian? Do I mean that little to you?” 

Several seconds passed in a suffocating silence, and he thought that this had to be it - the moment he would lose his most dearest friend. He knew that if Sebastian didn’t want him anymore, things would go back to how they were before they were friends, before he got to Hogwarts. He would be on his own again, the only company the one found in solitude. But he didn’t want that, he didn’t want to go back to being all alone, with no one to talk to, or to laugh with, or to create memories together with. But that had already started to happen. It started on the very first day of their fifth year. A tear in a bond that he thought was so strong that nothing could break it, but has just kept on growing. 

“Ominis…” Sebastian’s voice was not more than a breath of air, and Ominis could barely hear it over his own thoughts. “I am sorry. I am truly sorry… I didn’t know you felt like this. You know you mean a lot to me-”

“No, Sebastian, I don’t.” he cut him off quietly, and Sebastian sighed. 

“You and Anne are the most important people in my life; I wouldn’t know what to do without either of you.”

“Then why didn’t you let me come meet her?”

Sebastian sighed once again, and took a step closer. 

“What you have to understand, Ominis, is that there are bigger things going on. War is almost upon us and goblins are terrorising people everywhere. There’s not a single hamlet that is safe anymore, especially Feldcroft. It’s just a matter of time before they curse someone from the village again, and I just don’t want that to be you.”

Ominis closed his eyes. He just didn’t want to hear it. 

“You don’t think I can handle my own.” 

“That’s not what I said, Ominis.”

“But I know that’s what you meant. You didn’t want me there with you to slow you down, so you brought Everbleed with you instead - perfect little Everbleed who can defeat a whole troll on his own.-” He pushed himself off of the wall, and stepped closer to Sebastian, stopping right in front of his face. “-Isn’t that right?” 

A few silent seconds passed. 

“You’re being ridiculous.” Sebastian said and moved away. Ominis clenched his jaw. 

“I’ll leave you alone then, if that’s what you think. I have no interest in being here anyway.” 

He didn’t get very far though, before Sebastian said “Before you go, I want to speak to you about something else, if you care to listen.” 

Ominis made no sign of moving, and Sebastian continued “You remember me mentioning Salazar Slytherin’s Scriptorium, right?-” 

“-I’ve already told you how I feel about that.”

“Yes, well, I hoped you could give it some more thought. I believe, if we were to enter the Scriptorium, we could find something that could provide us with useful information about a cure for Anne.” 

Ominis clenched his jaw harder. 

“That Scriptorium means only bad things, and I want nothing to do with the dark magic that lies within it-” 

“-Even if it means finding a cure?” 

“I will not change my mind on this matter! Anything to do with the Dark Arts should be avoided. It’s too risky.”

“Anything to do with Salazar Slytherin is worth the risk.”

“I can’t agree, and I’ll not say a word more. I’m sorry.” 

With those final words, Ominis walked away from Sebastian - his head pounding and his heart aching. He couldn’t even be bothered to care when he realised he had collided with Everbleed, he just wanted to get away from the Great Hall as fast as possible. 

...

It was cold in the dormitory, where he lay in his four-poster, thinking hard on everything that had transpired that day - first hitting his head, then spending the day in the hospital wing, and lastly, everything that had gone down between him and Sebastian in the Great Hall. Perhaps he hadn’t lost his most dearest friend that day, but he wasn’t sure how much longer it would take before their bond would eventually break. 

He turned onto his side and dragged the duvet over his head, trying not to think, because he just wanted to go to sleep, forget about everything and for this day to finally end. 

[annachu-cannot-write]

A Guiding Light

Rating: General Audiences

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy

Relationship: Ominis Gaunt/Player Character

Additional Tags: POV Ominis Gaunt, Slytherin Player Character, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Jealousy, Tragic Backstory, Eventual Fluff, Ominis Gaunt Needs a Hug

Story Summary: Ominis Gaunt has been blind for his whole life, relying solely on his wand to show him the way. But when his wand one day goes missing, he finds guidance in an unlikely place, and soon a whole new world opens up to him.

Chapter 3 - maybe i'm amazed

Word Count: 3535 - [published on archive 24/2 2024]

Notes: this is a long one plus it's got a cameo by Leander in it, so enjoy!

One week had passed since his and Sebastian’s little quarrel in the Undercroft. It hadn’t exactly been a ‘quarrel’’, maybe just an argument - no, that wasn’t it either; Ominis wasn’t quite sure what to call it. He just knew it had felt good to say the things he did, and that Sebastian deserved it all. True, he did get an apology, but that didn’t change the fact that he was still hurt.

Ominis could only guess, by judging by the way Sebastian hadn’t spoken to him since then, that he was upset with him. Or perhaps Sebastian just didn’t know how to approach him, because he thought that Ominis was upset with him - which he no longer was. Either way, it only led to Ominis feeling even more hurt.

Pushing open the large doors that led out to the viaduct bridge, Ominis sighed - he had been doing a lot of that recently.

It was late afternoon; the air was just a little bit chilly, and most students were probably inside, in their common rooms, doing homework. This meant Ominis could lean on the railing of the bridge and brood in peace. If he said he was no longer upset, he was lying to himself, because he was definitely still upset.

He let out another sigh. The railing was cold against his skin, right by his wrists, where the schoolrobe didn’t cover. It was a pleasant feeling though, not uncomfortable at all. In fact, Ominis quite liked the cold, certainly way more than he liked the heat of summer.

He had fond memories of when he, Sebastian and Anne would play in the snow in the winters. They would build the largest snowfolk that grew even taller than all three of them combined, and that would make every student who laid eyes upon them, jealous. One winter, in their third year, they each made a magical beast out of snow that they then bewitched to move around as if they were alive. Anne had made a unicorn, with a perfectly crafted horn that she had made glitter and sparkle like the most beautiful snowflake. Of course - that was what she had claimed at least. Ominis had in that moment, if not stronger than ever before, wished that he could see.

He let out yet another sigh, but this time, it was filled with a nostalgic sadness. He missed Anne - if only she was here, then he and Sebastian would probably not be in this little predicament of theirs. Even though Anne was the most mischievous of the three of them, she had also always been the voice of reasoning, always the one that could sort things out between them and make them see sense again.

It wasn’t fair, Ominis thought, that she out of all people would fall ill and be forced to stay home, the confines of her bed the only place of safety.

It struck him then, as bitterness once again made itself noticeable, that in a way, Anne’s place at Hogwarts, or more specifically, her place with Sebastian and him, had been replaced with Everbleed. Only, now Ominis was not a part of that group anymore.

If he said Everbleed was an alright person, he was lying to himself about that too.

…

Some time later, when the air had grown ever colder, and the wind had started to pick up, Ominis was still leaning against the railing of the bridge - except now he wasn’t alone.

At some point, someone had walked up to the railing not far from where he stood and had conjured, what Ominis could only assume, was a small ball of fire. He had been a little startled at first, but the soft warmth coming from the fire had soon put his mind at ease. The person who conjured the spell hadn’t said a word and even now they remained silent.

Ominis thought about saying something, asking for their name - but decided against it. His curiosity let his mind wander, however, over who this person was - surely just another student. It couldn’t be Sebastian though, because he would have known, but would any student just come up to someone standing on their own, conjure a ball of fire, and keep silent? Ominis couldn’t help but to think that it was a bit strange. Maybe he should just ask them anyway?

“Excuse me, but who-”

“I’m sorry.”

It took a second before he could register what he just heard.

“Everbleed?”

“I’m sorry” he said again, and all thoughts that had previously flown around inside Ominis’ head just stopped dead in their tracks.

“For, you know, finding out about the Undercroft… I didn’t know what it meant to you until Sebastian told me about it; at that point, we were already inside.”

Ominis shifted on the spot, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.

“It’s not your fault” he said, but it felt wrong to say those words to Everbleed.

“I feel like I've been let in on a secret I wasn't supposed to know about - and that doesn't feel right.”

“There is nothing you can do about it-” Ominis turned around, and started leaning his back on the railing. “-Besides, that’s all in the past now, best not to dwell on it.”

The last part was perhaps more a note to himself than to Everbleed; a reflection on his own situation, and what he should do about it. Somehow, it felt easier to tell someone else what they should do than make yourself do it.

Ominis was too caught up in his own thoughts that he did not notice how quiet it had become. Apparently, Everbleed had no reply to what he had said - or perhaps he had just decided not to answer. Either way, Ominis could not be bothered to care. Besides, what kind of response would he have gotten anyway? It was hardly anything to reply to, at least nothing that would add to the point Ominis was trying to prove. The conversation was over, as far as he was concerned.

“Have you eaten?”

Ominis blinked - apparently the conversation wasn’t over.

“What?”

“Nevermind. I am going to head back inside.”

The warmth from the little fireball quickly vanished as he heard it being put out, and yet again he found himself alone, leaning against the railing of the viaduct bridge, the conversation definitely over this time.

~

One day later Ominis was walking through the Quad Courtyard - or the Slytherin Courtyard, which he thought of it as, feeling the wind brush against his face and playing with his schoolrobe. He quite enjoyed these little walks of his, where he could breathe the fresh air and clear his head. And these moments were ones where solitude didn’t feel like it weighed him down, but was something that could still be appreciated.

He thought about whether he should stop and find a place to sit, or just pass on by, continuing his walk. There weren’t many voices coming from inside the courtyard, only a few to his left, so Ominis thought it was safe to assume that one of the benches on the upper side were free. Reaching his destination, he found a bench, indeed, free of occupants, and sat down, letting out a content sigh. Here, he would sit and rest for a bit, undisturbed, and then he could continue-

“Do you mind if I take a seat?”

Apparently the universe had different plans for him.

He sighed - it was Everbleed again.

“Would you mind if I said yes?”

The other boy let out a soft chuckle, and Ominis frowned - not exactly the reaction he was expecting to get.

“Did you need something?”

“No-” Ominis could hear him sit down next to him, Everbleed clearly ignoring the fact that he had basically been given a ‘No’ just seconds earlier. “-I just thought I could come see how you’re faring.”

Ominis frowned harder, and scooted slightly over to his end of the bench.

“Why would you do that?”

Everbleed chuckled once again.

“Yeah, why would I do that…”

Ominis was confused. Was Everbleed pulling his leg right now?

“Are you trying to be funny? Because if you are, I should let you know that I don't find it the least bit amusing.”

“I’m not trying to be funny, I just…-” He chuckled again “-You know what, it doesn’t matter, forget it.”

Ominis continued to be confused, but decided that he should just forget it, like Everbleed had told him to. Then he rose from the bench, and brought up his wand, wanting to get away from the situation and continue his walk.

“Are you going somewhere?”

Ominis rolled his eyes.

“Clearly.”

Then he left Everbleed and the bench behind.

~

The fountain outside the Greenhouses was a desolate part of the school grounds - something Ominis was grateful for. Hearing the trickling drops of water soothed his mind, as well as the chirping from the birds all around him, and the rustling leaves in the wind. Without any other students nearby, it was easier to enjoy these little sounds, as they otherwise would be drowned out by all the voices. It’s not that Ominis didn’t like other people, he just didn’t like how they were always talking. How could one have so much to talk about anyway? And they were always being so loud - must love their own voices, he thought. The only person he could tolerate listening to was Sebastian - and he was quite the talker sometimes. Of course, there was also Anne… she was quite the talker sometimes as well. Other than that, Ominis found most people quite unbearable to listen to for more than five minutes at a time.

All of a sudden, he was reminded of yesterday's events in the courtyard, and the person who had talked to him then. Everbleed. His voice, Ominis recalled, had not been loud but gentle - just like it had been on the bridge, the day before. Come to think of it, his voice might have always been quite gentle.

Absent-mindedly, he started playing with the leaves on the bush next to him, running his hand over them, feeling every individual leaf with his fingers. Meanwhile, his thoughts continued to linger on the memories - on Everbleed’s voice.

Without realising it, Ominis plucked several leaves off of the bush and brought them close to him. Slowly he started forming them into something that soon took the shape of a little rose. Shortly after, however, Ominis shook his head and blinked, as if having been in a sort of haze. He then felt the leaves in his hands crumble as his creation fell apart, now nothing but a pile of leaves again. He blinked again, suddenly aware once more, of all the thoughts of yesterday and the day before - and Everbleed’s voice… Then he quickly dropped the leaves to the ground.

…

Time had, in some way or another, just slipped from Ominis’ grasp. He wasn’t aware of how much of it had passed since he, in his haste, had let the leaves fall out of his hands. It could have been five minutes, or five hours, for all he knew. On second thought, perhaps not five hours.

None of that mattered, however, when something to his right caught his attention - a voice. There was no mistaking it, it definitely belonged to Everbleed, whose voice Ominis had just been thinking about moments earlier. A second voice could be heard as well, one he recognised as Leander Prewett’s, the Gryffindor who couldn’t mount a broom properly.

“I’m telling you, I’ve tried so many times, but it just doesn’t want to cooperate… I’m starting to think the school brooms have something against me.”

He could hear Everbleed laugh at that, and just for the briefest second, he thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Then he registered what he had just thought, and blinked in amazement.

“I don’t think the school brooms have anything against you Leander, you just need to practise more-” Everbleed said, his voice light and friendly from still chuckling a little. “-Or… perhaps you just need to face reality; you might not be cut out for riding a broom.”

Ominis chuckled slightly to himself at the comment, but could hear Prewett making a ‘hmph’ sound.

“Just because you mastered flying after one class… You know, you don’t need to excel at everything you do.”

“I’ll try being mediocre from now on then.” Ominis hardly noticed the fact that this earned a chuckle from Prewett, he was too preoccupied with listening to Everbleed’s chuckle. Maybe a bit too much so, because what came next, almost startled him.

“Oh hello there, Ominis. What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

This time, Ominis definitely noticed the chuckle from Prewett. He looked in his direction, and glared at him slightly.

“Leander, why don’t you go on ahead and get the brooms, I just want to speak with Ominis for a bit.” Everbleed said, and Ominis’ eyes widened somewhat at the words.

“Right, yeah, I could do that… If they’ll let me.”

Then he started walking away, soon leaving Ominis alone with Everbleed by the fountain.

“So, why did you want to speak with me?” he asked, after he couldn’t stand the wordless silence any longer.

Everbleed didn’t respond. He went to sit down next to him on the bench, and Ominis turned his head in his direction, waiting - but a response never came. Instead, he could hear him mutter under his breath, something that sounded like a spell, but not one Ominis was familiar with. Next thing he knew, he felt a hand on his own, gently placing something light in his open palm. He could only blink, for he didn’t know what was going on.

“You were making something like this before, weren’t you?”

He felt the object in his hand, and thought that it felt not far from the thing he had created out of the leaves earlier. The shape was almost exactly the same. Had Everbleed made a rose? he thought incredulously.

“I saw you from inside the Greenhouses, making that rose out of the leaves, and I wanted to try something similar myself.”

Ominis was lost for words. He just sat there, gaping, hoping he didn’t look like a complete and utter fool. Inside his head, a thunderstorm full of questions was raging. Had Everbleed been looking at him for a long time? Was the rose specifically made for him? And, perhaps the most important, but also the scariest of them all - what was the meaning of this?

“You can keep it if you want-” Everbleed said, interrupting his thought process. “-I charmed it so it won’t wither.”

Ominis still didn’t know what to say - didn’t know if he even could if he tried. He was beginning to fear what an absolute joke of a human being Everbleed must think of him as, sitting here, completely dumbstruck. But then he started fearing something else - the fact that he cared about what Everbleed thought of him.

The rose in his hand suddenly felt heavy, as if the petals had turned into lead. For a split second, he considered just dropping it to the ground, because it was starting to feel as though it was slowly crushing his hand.

He wished that he could see the other boy’s face, to read his expression and be able to tell his reaction to all this. But a blind boy had no such luxury. So all the questions he had asked himself would have to remain unanswered, because never in a million years would he voice them out loud.

“I should probably get back to Leander; he must think I’ve forgotten about him.” Everbleed’s voice cut through the silence that had grown between them, and a part of Ominis felt guilty for not having said anything. That guilt only grew when he heard Everbleed get up from the bench and he wondered, in a flash, if it was too late now, to say something. But he could only open and close his mouth quickly again, for once more, he caught himself caring, and that was far scarier than any unanswered question.

~

“You seem to be thinking hard on something - is everything all right?”

Sebastian had just walked up to where Ominis stood, leaning against the railing of the wooden bridge outside the Clocktower Courtyard.

“Took you long enough to speak to me again.” Ominis said, though it came out more as a snort.

“You could have said something too, you know.” Sebastian responded, elbowing his side.

“Ow.”

“Oh, come on, that didn’t hurt.”

“It hurt my feelings.”

Sebastian huffed.

“But seriously, what’s troubling you?”

A lot, Ominis thought. A lot of things were troubling him.

“Nothing.” he chose to say, although it was a lie. One thing in particular was indeed troubling him, though he dared not think about it, let alone speak about it.

“It’s obviously not nothing. No one has that look on their face without it meaning anything.”

“Perhaps this is just my face, have you ever thought about that?”

Sebastian laughed and said “I’ve known you long enough to know what your face looks like when you’re all right and when you’re not.”

“Then why did you ask in the first place?”

“Because it’s what you do, Ominis. It’s called being polite. Now, spill.”

Ominis snorted again, and said “I’m not going to spill anything, details or otherwise.” He shifted his weight so that he now leaned his side on the railing, his head against a post. When Sebastian made a displeased sound, clearly not satisfied with the answer, he sighed. “I’ve just been thinking a lot, recently. That’s it.” Yeah, that would have to suffice, he thought, not willing to dive deeper on what was actually troubling him. Of course, Sebastian still wasn’t satisfied.

“About?”

“Different things.”

“You’re not making it easy on me, huh.”

“You are the one not making it easy on me, asking me all these questions.”

Sebastian chuckled lightly, and said “Fine, have it your way then.”

Luckily, he said nothing more on the matter, to Ominis’ great relief, so they both just continued to lean against the railing, now the wind the only sound between them. A couple of minutes later, Sebastian interrupted the wind.

“Has Kieran talked to you recently?”

Where did that come from? Ominis thought, a mixed feeling of surprise and suspicion.

“Why do you ask?” he said, trying to sound as though the question hadn’t caught him off guard.

“Hm, only that he told me he’s been trying to get closer to you.”

A small squealing sound came from Ominis at that, and he feared that Sebastian would be able to see the fear that was starting to rise inside of him. With his voice not more than a breathy whisper, he said “Excuse me?”

“He wants to become your friend, Ominis.” Sebastian said, emphasising the word ‘friend’.

Ominis wasn’t quite sure how to feel. At first, he had feared that Sebastian would say something else, but right now, the thought of friendship scared him just as much. Friendship was a normal thing, of course, and everyone had friends - be it a few or a big group of them. Ominis had always been happy with having just Sebastian, and Anne of course, and had never wished for more. He was more comfortable confiding in one or two people instead of five or six. All of that was why he found himself not really knowing how to feel about Everbleed wanting to become his friend. He didn’t know what it was, but the thought of his friendship, in particular, just froze his mind, putting it in a state where he just couldn’t think straight. It was absolutely ridiculous. It was probably not a normal thing to overthink someone offering their hand in friendship as much as Ominis did in that moment. And it hadn’t even been Everbleed himself offering it, it had just been Sebastian telling him about it.

“Ominis?” Sebastian called out from what felt like a great distance away. “Are you all right?”

“Shouldn’t you be able to tell?” Ominis said after a moment, feeling like he was stuck in a sort of bubble, his head throbbing ever so slightly. He could barely make out Sebastian’s huff and his words that accompanied it.

“I see you’ve still got your sass, so you can’t be doing that bad at least.” Sebastian responded, elbowing his side again.

“And I see you’re still as annoying as ever- hey, would you stop that! I told you it hurts.”

“I don’t believe you!” Sebastian sang, and continued to assault his side with his elbow.

Not long after, they both burst out laughing, and the bubble Ominis had been stuck inside started to break. Instead of feeling cramped in a tight space within his own mind, he now felt lighter, like he could breathe a bit easier. The worries on his mind were still there, although they had been pushed to the back of his head. Ominis was free to fully enjoy this moment of joy.

What wonders a good laugh could do.

[annachu-cannot-write]

A Guiding Light

Rating: General Audiences

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy

Relationship: Ominis Gaunt/Player Character

Additional Tags: POV Ominis Gaunt, Slytherin Player Character, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Jealousy, Tragic Backstory, Eventual Fluff, Ominis Gaunt Needs a Hug

Story Summary: Ominis Gaunt has been blind for his whole life, relying solely on his wand to show him the way. But when his wand one day goes missing, he finds guidance in an unlikely place, and soon a whole new world opens up to him.

Chapter 2 - a place of comfort, a place of hurt

Word Count: 1587 - [published on archive 17/2 2024]

The Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower had always been Ominis’ favourite place to hang out in between classes. It was a rather big area of the school and he had been told, by Sebastian, in their first term, that the walls and floor were all a dark mahogany colour - then he had added, when Ominis reminded him that colours were irrelevant to him, that it was a place full of mystique that suited Slytherins like them. Ominis had not been quite sure he knew what Sebastian meant, but they both took to the place very quickly, and soon they found themselves there every day. 

It had been on one of those days, after just having finished dinner and walking around the tower on his own, that Ominis had found something special. Tucked away in a corner there had been, what Ominis could only surmise from feeling with his hands, a combination between a cabinet and a grandfather clock. But it wasn’t acting like either. There weren’t any drawers or doors that opened, nor did it tick like a clock would do, so Ominis had been completely clueless as to what it actually was. 

It was just as he was about to give up, that something happened. He had been leaning with his back against the side of it, when a clicking noise could be heard. Startled by this sudden sound, he had turned around to try to locate where it came from. Pressing his ear against the odd cabinet, he soon found that the sound had in fact come from the side where his back had just been leaning. He must have accidentally touched a button or a switch or something, without noticing it. Another sound had then been heard, this time louder and more like a door creaking. Ominis had been perplexed. Reaching out, he had then discovered that a door had in fact opened - the cabinet did have a door. But where in Merlin’s name did it lead to? He had hesitated then, thinking about fetching Sebastian, and perhaps also Anne, to show them what he had found. But another part of him, the part that had increasingly grown the more he thought on it, told him that this was his very own mystery to indulge in. He would find out where this cabinet led to, alone. And then he could tell Sebastian about it. 

~                                      

It was just another evening and Ominis was alone in the DADA tower. Or not entirely alone, of course there were other students there as well, but he wasn’t with anyone. Sebastian, to be precise. No, Sebastian was probably hanging out with Everbleed, Ominis reckoned. He felt his mood sour at the thought. Maybe Sebastian had finally grown tired of him… The new student was probably more fun to be around. 

He let out a rather loud sigh as he went to sit down at his usual spot near the window. Fiddling with the hem of his schoolrobe he thought about how lonely he was starting to become again, but this loneliness was not one to find comfort in - this one almost felt as though it was suffocating him. He had already spent far too much time on his own as a little child, albeit of his own accord, but the loneliness he felt at Hogwarts was different - and he didn’t want to be alone anymore.

It was all Everbleed’s fault. 

If only his eyesight worked, then he could go look for them. He wasn’t comfortable with the idea of walking around, shouting their names all over the school. Though he supposed he could still walk around the DADA tower and see if perhaps Sebastian would see him and call out to him. Or maybe he should just go back to the common room and test his luck. Sighing once more, he weighed over his options until he finally decided that he would go to the Undercroft. It wouldn’t be a surprise to find Sebastian there, it was after all, the place Ominis had introduced to him all those years ago, in their first year. They had spent a lot of time there, so finding him there now seemed very likely. 

… 

Just as Ominis reached the corner where the cabinet stood, he heard the door creak open. Glad to have found Sebastian, he called out to him… except he didn’t get an answer. If it wasn’t Sebastian, then who had just come out of the Undercroft? 

“You there. I can hear you.” 

“Oh, hello, Ominis. I was just heading to our common room.”

“I recognise that voice. You’re the new fifth-year.” Everbleed - of course, he thought.

“Did you just come from the Undercroft? How did you get in there?” 

“That room’s called the Undercroft ? Ah. Well, I was exploring and suddenly found myself in a strange passageway-”

“Don’t lie to me. No one ‘stumbles’ upon that room. Sebastian told you, didn’t he?” He’s a little liar, he thought. “You breathe a word about this place to anyone and not even your precious Professor Fig will be able to help you. My father is friends with the Headmaster. I'm not afraid to exploit that connection if I need to.”

“Trust me, Ominis. I won’t say a word.” He better not. “And Sebastian is a good friend. You shouldn’t immediately assume the worst of him.” The audacity. 

“I don’t need you to tell me about my oldest friend, thank you very much.” 

“Ominis, I just meant -”

“I know what you meant. Sebastian gets himself in enough trouble. He doesn’t need your help.” 

Well, that settled it then. All of Ominis’ suspicions as of late were true. True that Sebastian and Everbleed had been spending more and more time together, and that they were definitely up to something. But that Sebastian, his best friend, would go and show the Undercroft to him? The location Ominis had discovered and showed Sebastian. It was a special place for them. He thought Sebastian would respect that. It pained him to think about it. 

“Sebastian is going to get an earful about this.” He didn’t know why he felt the need to say this out loud, but at the same time, he wanted to show this new student that he was not one to be trifled with. 

He didn’t leave any room for Everbleed to respond however, as he immediately brought up his wand and went straight for the door that was still open, and went inside. The other boy could have probably had time to say something, but maybe he was just too ashamed of himself to speak - Ominis sure hoped that was the case. 

… 

As soon as Ominis opened the steel door, he felt something solid collide with him. 

“Watch where you’re going, won’t you?” he called out, to what he now knew was Sebastian. 

“Ominis! Sorry, I didn’t see you. What are you doing here?” What do you mean ‘what are you doing here?’ he thought to himself.

“If you don’t recall, it was I who discovered this place. I think I am allowed to come and go as I please.” 

A couple of seconds passed in silence, then Sebastian sighed. 

“You met Kieran, didn’t you?” 

“As a matter of fact, I did. And he was coming out of the door in the cabinet. Any idea as to why that was?” 

There was another pause before Sebastian spoke again. 

“Actually, I wanted to teach him Confringo, and I needed somewhere safe to do that, away from prying eyes. And I thought-”

“The Undercroft would be the perfect place for it?” 

“Look, Ominis, I am sorry for bringing him here, I know this place means a lot to you. I realise now that I made a mistake.”

“But you can’t exactly undo that now, can you? So now this Everbleed knows about our secret room that we have kept hidden from everyone for all these years, just because you wanted to teach him a little spell? And why did you even need to teach him that in the first place? I thought that was something between us as well.”

“I made him swear that he would never tell anyone! I know how you feel about others finding out about this. Trust me, I didn’t want to go here first, but it was the only suitable place that I could think of.” 

Ominis scoffed. He was getting bitter again. But in his defence, he certainly had all the right to. He couldn’t believe how Sebastian could do this to him. His oldest friend betraying his trust like this… 

Suddenly overcome with a tightness in his chest, he felt with his hands for the nearest pillar, so he could sit down and lean his back against it. Then he let out the longest sigh he had probably ever let out. 

He could hear Sebastian do small little sounds from where he stood - fiddling with his clothes, opening and then quickly closing his mouth, tapping his shoe to the ground. All of these noises were ones Ominis could recognise instantly. He relied on his hearing and had therefore learnt to pick up all sorts of sounds around him over the years. It hadn’t taken long before he was able to identify all the sounds Sebastian made. 

The noises stopped abruptly then, and now Ominis could hear Sebastian coming closer to him. Then he could hear him sit down, right in front of him, and he felt his shoe lightly nudge against his own. 

“M’sorry.” 

“Mm.” 

______

Notes: this one was a bit shorter, but next chapter will be longer!

[annachu-cannot-write]

A Guiding Light

Rating: General Audiences

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy

Relationship: Ominis Gaunt/Player Character

Additional Tags: POV Ominis Gaunt, Slytherin Player Character, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Jealousy, Tragic Backstory, Eventual Fluff, Ominis Gaunt Needs a Hug

Story Summary: Ominis Gaunt has been blind for his whole life, relying solely on his wand to show him the way. But when his wand one day goes missing, he finds guidance in an unlikely place, and soon a whole new world opens up to him.

Chapter 1 - it was all Everbleed

Word Count: 1879 - [published on archive 10/2 2024]

Ominis Gaunt had been blind from the very first moment he opened his eyes, and unbeknownst to him, it was the moment his parents had wished he had never opened them at all. To them, the birth of their blind son could have meant nothing other than a bad omen. However, time passed and the threat of the omen slowly washed away from the Gaunts’ minds as their son grew older, and nothing bad had befallen them. They continued to live as they had always done: holding their heads high and stopping at nothing to show their powers, especially when it came to the Dark Arts.

Even though Ominis’ parents introduced him to the Dark Arts and taught him its ways early on, he never got used to it - he didn’t want to get used to it. His older siblings always taunted him over how weak he was, and said that nothing good would ever become of him, because he was simply not strong enough to seek out power - all to his parents' amusement. If there was anything Ominis did get used to - it was being belittled by his family, constantly.

When Ominis was seven he was told to do something horrible. The Cruciatus curse was something so awful that no matter how much his parents demanded he do it on the muggles, he refused and refused. But he could only refuse for so long until his parents made him suffer the consequences. No dark magic was worse than the Cruciatus curse. Ominis had almost wished, whilst screaming out in agony, that they would cast the Killing curse on him instead, and release him from the pain for good. But the Gaunts showed no such kindness - instead they simply repeated the words ‘Do it’ and Ominis had no choice.

The pained screams from the innocent muggles felt worse than any pain his parents could ever inflict upon him, and Ominis knew then that the tears in his throat, the tightness in his chest and the aching beats of his heart were nothing short of signs of hatred - pure, raw hatred towards his parents.

After that incident, Ominis distanced himself more and more from his family, seeking solace in solitude.

He would walk all the way to where the grass met the trees, which was far away from their house, and go beyond, into the forest. No one ever entered there, so he knew he would be alone. There he would devote all his waking hours to one thing: mastering a new spell. It was a spell from a book his parents had got him, when he was just starting to learn how to read. Back then, his parents had had the decency to teach him how to read with his wand, and the book contained all sorts of handy spells for blind witches and wizards. After many failed attempts and a lot of frustration, Ominis had finally learnt the Navigation spell. He simply had to utter the correct incantation whilst holding his wand up to the air and a red pulsing ball of light would hover right over the tip, guiding him to wherever he needed to go. With this in his arsenal, nothing stood between him and exploring the rest of the forest - perhaps the rest of the world even, if things at home got worse.

~

Perhaps Ominis had overestimated his Navigation spell a little; it was absolutely fine for exploring the forest behind his house, but it was clearly not ready for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the handy little spell was really put to the test. During the years Ominis had used the spell, it had never had to guide him anywhere other than in the forest or in his own home, which were both easy tasks. The Hogwarts castle, on the other hand, turned out to be not as easy a task, with all its corridors and stairs leading everywhere and anywhere.

His wand had, at the very start of first term, led him so astray that he had somehow ended up near the boathouse when he was actually supposed to get to his charms class. Professor Ronen was, thankfully, an understanding man and had spared him both the scolding and the detention he was bound to have gotten, were it not for his special circumstances. Instead, Ominis was taught a stronger version of the spell he was using, which according to his professor, would be able to handle the job much more efficiently than the previous one had done. And he had been very right about that. After that incident, his wand never led him astray again. Not even once.

Unfortunately, most other students weren't as understanding as Professor Ronen. Even though Ominis no longer accidentally bumped into anyone, he still heard annoyed grunts as he came close to other students in the common room, or whenever he tried to start a conversation with someone. It was safe to assume, Ominis had thought, that they just saw him as an inconvenience and wanted nothing to do with him if they could help it.

It was exactly for that reason, that he just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Sebastian Sallow one day asked if he wanted to become his friend. Despite Ominis’ suspicion that had grown inside of him at this indeed very suspicious act of kindness, he had soon agreed to become friends with the other boy. Solitude was something Ominis felt he no longer needed to seek out, and life at Hogwarts had so far been, after all, lonely, without a friend.

~

Four years passed in the blink of an eye, and now Ominis found himself, after yet another summer at Sebastian’s in Feldcroft, back at Hogwarts as a fifth-year. After he and Sebastian had become friends, and he had told him about his family and that he planned to never go back to them, Sebastian had very kindly suggested he come live with him in Feldcroft. Ominis had probably never been more grateful than in that moment. So ever since then, Ominis had spent every summer and winter with the Sallows, coming up with all sorts of fun with Sebastian, and his twin sister Anne. Though terrible things had happened this summer… Shaking off the thought from his head, as best as he could, he tried with all his might to focus on the present.

Ominis sat next to Sebastian at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall and listened to the sorting ceremony take place; it was as boring as ever. Sebastian was awfully quiet, and Ominis worried about how he must be feeling. What happened to Anne… well, he could understand the pain Sebastian must be struggling with.

When the food finally filled the four tables, Sebastian became more like himself again, chatting away with Ominis, and happily helping himself to one plate after the other. Ominis almost forgot about the troubles haunting them, because the food was just too delicious to think about anything else.

At the very end of the evening, when every student's stomach was so filled it was about to burst, the doors to the Great Hall suddenly opened, followed by Professor Fig popping his head in, and a very unamused headmaster checking to see what was going on - described to him by Sebastian. Soon the whole hall erupted into a cacophony of mumbles, as apparently a new student had arrived very late. But it wasn't a first-year - it was a fifth-year. A boy named Kieran Everbleed who got sorted into Slytherin.

~

Word spread fast at Hogwarts, and no sooner had Ominis reached the common room the following day, than the rumour about the dragon attack reached his ears. Why a student could possibly be in need of a special escort to reach the castle was beyond him. And in a flying carriage at that. The Hogwarts train was standard for every student, was it not? So what was it that made it necessary for a professor to accompany a student on their way here? And why in Merlin’s name was that man from the ministry with them? … Horrible, what happened.

Of course, many speculations had risen amongst the students over the night, and Ominis could hear whispers about such speculations all over the common room. All absurd and very unlikely. Though one thing was for certain - there was definitely something special going on with this new fifth-year.

All the questions that swam around in his head were brought to an immediate halt, as there were suddenly footsteps coming towards him. Next thing he knew, someone had introduced themselves to him as Kieran Everbleed, and it was hard not to let a scoff escape him. What was he doing here, speaking to him, surely there were more interesting people to converse with. Despite being on guard, Ominis engaged the other boy in a light conversation. He spoke like a true Slytherin. And Ominis couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

~

This Everbleed had apparently a lot to prove to people, what with beating Sebastian in that duel, but more importantly, getting involved in the whole troll thing in Hogsmeade. Was he really that eager to show off? That he, a mere beginner, as far as most students were concerned, could take on a troll and defeat it. It certainly didn’t help the boy’s ego when Sebastian had told everyone in their common room the day after, that he barely had to do anything, because Everbleed had it all under control. As if he wanted to know.

Sure, Ominis was being bitter, perhaps a bit too much for it to be necessary… perhaps it wasn’t necessary at all. He was very well aware of that. But it made him feel better about the whole situation - at least some of the time.

There wasn’t actually anything wrong with the new fifth-year, mind you, he was an alright enough person, but the fact that there was obviously something bigger going on with him, irked Ominis. Why else would he keep meeting up with Professor Fig after classes, or sneak out of the dorm with Sebastian after nightfall? Yes, Ominis may be blind, but his hearing was excellent. He had heard them whispering when they thought the rest of the boys were asleep, whispering about a plan to sneak into the Restricted Section in the Library. Fools, he had thought. What on earth could be worth the trouble? Just for the sake of it? To be able to say you’ve entered a forbidden place so you can earn respect from other students? Or… because you needed something that could only be found there. Information? Ominis had no clue. But he knew something was up. And whatever trouble it was that Everbleed seemed so willingly to walk right into, he was dragging Sebastian right with him.

Not that Sebastian wasn’t the type to get into trouble - he had been doing a pretty good job at finding trouble ever since year one, and Ominis, being his closest friend, had naturally been right there with him, every time. However, there had definitely been an increase in Sebastian’s troublemaking ever since the new student arrived. But Ominis was no longer his companion on these occasions - it was all Everbleed.

[annachu-cannot-write]

on the spur of the moment

[published on archive 7/11 2023]

[a restart after come back home fanfic, mitsuomi/yamato, 1293 words]

Two months after their trip to Tokyo, Mitsuomi and Yamato face a problem... coming out.

It happened on the spur of the moment. 

… Or maybe not exactly on the spur of the moment. 

Mitsuomi and Yamato had been dating for a little over two months and the subject of coming out had crept its way into both of their minds. 

While Yamato accepted the idea, saying he mostly wanted to let his grandpa know because he didn't think he could hide it for much longer, Mitsuomi dreaded it. His parents weren't exactly the most open minded people, and he didn't even want to begin to think of how his father would react. He just knew he might have to run off to Tokyo again if they ever found out. 

One afternoon, when they had just finished working in the greenhouses, Yamato took Mitsuomi aside with a concerned look on his face. 

"Hey Mitsuomi, I've been thinking - isn't it best if we just tell him soon?" 

Mitsuomi sighed and looked to the side. 

"I don't know… I've already told you I'm not comfortable with it yet."

"You don't have to worry, grandpa likes you! I'm sure he'll have a positive reaction."

"But what if he doesn't? I might never be able to step foot here again… And I'm worried about you, you know! What if he throws you out, where are you gonna go then?" 

Yamato seemed to hesitate a little before he said, quietly 

"He wouldn't." 

Mitsuomi sighed again, then grabbed Yamato's both arms. 

"I know you just want to let him know, and I wish I could tell you it's going to be alright - But truth be told, I'm scared… for the both of us."

Before Yamato could reply however, a voice called out to them from the distance. 

"What are you guys doing out in the cold still? Come in and have a bath!" 

~

A week later and they still hadn't told Yamato's grandpa. Mitsuomi watched as Yamato worked in the greenhouses, and noticed how he fidgeted with his overall, an anxious energy radiating from him, and Mitsuomi felt guilty. He knew that a part of it was his fault - if only he could just find some courage again… resigning from his old job had been one thing. 

Sighing, he looked away from Yamato, and continued on with his work. 

Later that same day, after Yamato had insisted on delivering the fresh produce to the local store on his own, Mitsuomi found himself sitting by the kotatsu with old Kumai, wondering what he would talk about. 

He didn't need to think on it very long though, before the old man looked at him with contemplating eyes. 

"Yamato has been acting a bit strange lately, hasn't he, Mitsuomi? It's not like him at all - I do wonder if anything has happened." 

Feeling a bit awkward, Mitsuomi fidgeted on the spot and looked down. What would he say? 

"He's probably still digesting everything he learnt in Tokyo." 

It wasn't a very good answer, Mitsuomi thought, so he looked down again, not wanting to meet the older man's eyes. 

"Hm, he seemed fine when you two came back…." 

That was true. Even though Yamato had had a rough time learning about his parents, the moment they had stepped on to the train station back home, it had been like Yamato could breath fresh air again. He had been more than fine at the time. 

But now… 

Perhaps it was best to let grandpa know, after all, Mitsuomi thought, as he watched the old man retire into his bedroom. 

With that thought still on his mind, he walked out of the house only to see Yamato pulling up. 

As soon as Yamato had jumped out of the car and closed the door shut, Mitsuomi walked up to him and gave him a hug. 

"Mitsuomi?" 

"Let's tell grandpa." 

~

The following day went by so fast, with everything that had to be done, that by the time they stopped working, both of them had forgotten all about what Mitsuomi had said the day before. 

Gathering the last of the boxes that would be washed, Mitsuomi and Yamato were just about to leave the greenhouses when grandpa came in, holding a broomstick in his hand. 

"Another hard day's work, huh."

He chuckled at the sight of the two men in front of him. 

"You two better hang in there though, you're the only one's I've got." 

Then he started to sweep the floor in front of them. 

Mitsuomi remembered then, very suddenly, what he wanted to do, and without thinking about it too much, he cleared his throat and said 

"Yamato and I are going out." 

Yamato turned to face Mitsuomi, his eyes wide. 

Old Kumai had stopped sweeping the floor, and was looking up at them with an expression Mitsuomi couldn't quite read. 

"We are dating." 

Mitsuomi grabbed Yamato's hand and smiled gently at him. Whatever was going to happen, they were going to go through it together. 

Neither of them could have expected what actually happened however. There was no yelling or cursing or name calling, like in Mitsuomi's worst dreams, instead grandpa only started smiling widely at them, and was soon laughing heartily. 

"Is that why you have looked so anxious lately, Yamato? My dear boy, have you been worried about how I might react?" 

Mitsuomi and Yamato both let out a sigh of relief. 

"To be honest, grandpa- Mitsuomi started -it's me who's been more worried about your reaction. Yamato just wanted to tell you, but I think me being scared held him off." 

Yamato continued 

"The real reason why I've been so anxious is because I've been torn between wanting to tell you, and wanting to respect Mitsuomi. I didn't know for how much longer I could go on hiding this from you without accidentally saying something, and by doing so, risk hurting Mitsuomi."

Grandpa smiled once again, before bringing them both in for a big hug. 

"You two don't need to worry so much." 

After a little while he loosened his grip on them, but let his hands stay on their shoulders. 

"Besides,- he looked both of them in the eyes with a raised eyebrow -I started suspecting something was going on between you long ago."

Both Mitsuomi and Yamato's eyes widened, and in chorus, they exclaimed 

"EH?!" 

Old Kumai just started to laugh again, loudly. 

"You didn't think these eyes would miss the way you looked at each other, did you? No, I notice more than you think, I'll have you know!" 

Mitsuomi and Yamato couldn't help the chuckles that escaped them. 

"That being said, Mitsuomi,- grandpa suddenly stopped laughing and brought up his broomstick right in front of Mitsuomi -if you ever try and do anything to Yamato, I'll know, and!- grandpa brought the broomstick even closer to Mitsuomi's face -I won't go easy on you." 

Horrified, Yamato yelled at his grandpa to stop and to lower his broomstick, while Mitsuomi looked extremely offended. 

"I would never! - Hey, quit that!" 

Old Kumai had started hitting Mitsuomi on the head with the broomstick. 

Yamato cried out "Grandpa! Stop it!" 

He looked even more horrified than before, and he tried his best to take the broomstick away, but his grandpa's grip was firm. 

Then all of a sudden, the old man stopped beating Mitsuomi with his broomstick and said 

"I wasn't hitting you that hard, you beansprout." 

And just like that, he left the greenhouses, once more laughing very loudly and very heartily. 

"There he goes again, calling me beansprout… grandpa really is mean to me.- He brought up his hand to brush off dirt from his hair -and why was he hitting me for?!" 

Yamato tried to hold back his laughter at this, but failed. 

"It was a bit funny actually." 

Mitsuomi just gaped at him. 

[annachu-cannot-write]

Master and... servant?

[published on archive 6/9 2023]

[a star wars prequel trilogy fanfic, anakin skywalker/obi-wan kenobi, 448 words]

When Obi-Wan gets tired of Anakin's obnoxious ways, he decides to take control and make Anakin his servant.

"Anakin, you are blocking my view." 

"So?" 

"I'm trying to fly this ship, I would like it if I could see what's in front of me." 

"It's on autopilot." 

Obi-Wan knew, of course, that the plane was in fact steering itself, but that didn't mean he couldn't sit here watching over everything. 

"You're still in my way."

"No I'm not. You just don't want me sitting on you." 

For the first time since Anakin had decided to plop down in his lap, albeit only a minute or so ago, Obi-Wan meets the younger man's eyes. 

"You're difficult." 

"And you love it." 

"Anakin." 

"Mast-"

"Wipe that smirk off your face and make yourself useful." 

With that, Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin's left leg and brought it over to the right side and then gave him a push so that the weight that was Anakin Skywalker had now been lifted off his lap. Finally. 

Though now his former padawan only stood there looking at him, pouting. 

"But for forcesake Anakin, what is it?" 

"You're no fun." 

"Alright, if that's how it's going to be-" Obi-Wan stood from the chair he was sitting in, his eyes suddenly glistening with a hint of mischief.

"-How about we play a game of master and servant? I will be the master and you will be my servant, and you shall do everything I tell you to do."

Obi-Wan raised his left eyebrow and gave Anakin a smirk of his own, and watched in satisfaction  as the younger man stumbled for words before composing himself again. 

"I didn't know Master was into that sort of thing." 

Anakin took a step closer.

And so did Obi-Wan. 

"And what is it exactly that you think I'm into?" 

Anakin did not reply, only danced his eyes around Obi-Wan's face, stopping at his lips. He then looked back up to meet his former master's eyes, and then back down again. 

Obi-Wan could almost feel the longing flooding through their bond. Could almost taste it. So he allowed himself to lean in closer, if ever so slightly. Anakin brought his left hand up and cupped his cheek, but before he could do anything else, he was cut off by Obi-Wan. 

"Tea." 

Anakin gave him a bemused look. 

"What?" 

"I could fancy some tea right now, would you please be so kind and brew me a cup or two?" 

Obi-Wan stepped away from Anakin's embrace, letting the younger Jedi's hand fall to his side as he continued to look confused. 

"I just made you my servant, remember?-" He winked.

"-Now off you go." 

He turned Anakin around and gave his back a push towards the little kitchen area. 

Amazingly, he didn't protest.

[annachu-cannot-write]

Finding our Way Back

[published on archive 5/3 2023]

[a loz botw fanfic, link/revali, 3474 words]

We loved each other  And we lost each other  But we found our way back

Revali was flying over the snowy Hebra mountains, patrolling the area. Something that wasn't actually a duty as a Champion, but something that he liked to do when he had time. 

Usually on his nighttime flights, he spotted camps filled with either Bokoblins or Lizalfos. Those monsters were easy to get rid of with just a couple of arrows, but they would always come back, making patrolling the mountains more or less pointless. But it was at least something to keep Revali busy with. 

On this particular snowy night however, it wasn't a Bokoblin or a Lizalfos that caught the Rito's eye, but something much smaller. On the white, glistening surface of the snow covered hill lay a little figure motionless. 

Revali immediately changed course and dove down to inspect what it could be. 

Reaching closer to the small figure in the snow, Revali saw that it was a Hylian boy. But not any Hylian boy. It was Link. 

Taken aback by the sight, it took the Rito a minute before he decided to pick up the young boy. 

With a firm grip around the small figure, Revali started to flap his wings profusely, then shot up into the sky. 

~

Stopping at the landing in Rito village, he adjusted his grip on Link so that his wings were now under the boy's knees and back, and started heading towards the inn. 

As Revali walked down the wooden staircases, a couple of passing Ritos stopped to look at him. 

"Is that Link you're carrying?" 

"What ever happened?" 

But Revali ignored them, his gaze only pointed forwards. 

Upon reaching the inn, Cecili, the innkeeper, briskly walked up to the other Rito, a concerned look on her face. 

"Oh my, quickly lay him down here." 

Cecili, was indeed, used to getting weary travellers to her inn; those who hadn't dressed properly for the cold weather, or those who simply hadn't eaten enough and had worn themselves out, but none had come in looking quite as rough as Link had. 

And Revali usually wasn't the one to bring them in. 

"May I know what happened?" Cecili asked after she had tucked Link under several thick Rito blankets. 

Revali just looked at her first but with a sigh, answered the question. 

"I found him unconscious up in the Hebra mountains. Seems like the boy doesn't care for his own life… Such recklessness."

He muttered the last bit, turning to leave. 

"You mustn't talk about the poor boy like that." 

"Poor boy?" 

With a scoff, Revali left the inn and Cecili sighed as she watched him leave. 

~

Link stirred in the bed he was lying in, groaning as he felt how his body ached with every movement. He couldn't remember what he had done to be hurting this much. But it must have been something. 

Little by little, he noticed that he was lying in bed, but he couldn't remember lying in bed either. 

Where was he?

Slowly opening his eyes he realised, as he took everything in, that he was in fact in the Rito village inn. 

He certainly couldn't remember going to the inn. 

It must have been one hell of a blow to the head. 

With as much strength he could muster, Link tried to pull himself up, only to fall back onto his pillow. He let out a frustrated groan, and tried again. 

"Link! You're awake - oh you really shouldn't be getting up. You need all the rest you can get… though you also need to eat something, you must be so weak right now." 

Cecili hurried out of the inn, and Link tried a third time to sit up straight but eventually just gave in. 

Shortly after, Cecili came back with a steaming bowl of soup and sat it down on the shared table.

Walking over to Link, she wrapped one wing around the Hylians back and pulled him up. 

"Here, we'll set you down on a chair so you can have some food."

Link sat down on the little stool and looked at the bowl of soup in front of him. He could definitely feel how hungry he was now. 

"Dig in and you'll feel better in no time!" 

Cecili gave Link a smile before returning to her desk. 

The soup did indeed make Link feel better, almost instantly upon taking the first spoonful. It was almost as if the ache in his body completely vanished. 

Soup had never tasted this good. 

"Oh by the way, it was Revali who brought you here… Thought you wanted to know." 

Link stopped at that, brought his spoon down from his mouth, and stared forwards. 

That came as a surprise to him. It just wasn't the thing Revali would do.

Just as his brain started to come up with different possibilities as to why Revali had done such a thing, something caught his attention. Or rather someone. 

Who else but Revali was walking by right outside the inn just in that moment. 

Where was he heading?

Link wanted to shout out to him, but Revali was already down the next staircase. 

He pushed away his bowl and made to get up when Cecili shouted at him. 

"Where do you think you're going? I said to eat your soup, not run away." 

Link turned to stare at her. 

"Just stay one more night, alright? Then you can go find him." 

Sighing, he headed back to his bed, the soup abandoned on the table. 

~

Link was awake enough to hear the creaking of the floorboards, the loud thump and the squawk that followed it. 

Pretending to be fully asleep, he stayed still and kept his eyes shut. 

He couldn't hear anything after that and wondered if, whoever had entered the inn, had already left. Then he heard a small scraping sound, as what he imagined was one of the stools being dragged on the floor. And the sound was coming towards him. 

At this point, Link debated whether or not to open his eyes and check who it was. He didn't like being crept up on. 

But whatever decision he was going to make was cut short by a soft voice calling out. 

"Link, you absolute fool."

It was Revali. 

With all his might, Link fought the urge to open his eyes, wrap his arms around the Rito and thank him for saving him. 

But instead, he stayed still on his back, his eyes closed. 

"What were you thinking?" 

"Don't you have any self-preservation at all?" 

Even though this was the softest Link had ever heard Revali's voice to be, there was still an undertone of the characteristic sneer. 

"Making me carry you like you're some helpless little creature." 

There was a scoff with that one. 

"Don't think I wanted to… but I couldn't exactly leave you there, you would have died." 

There was silence after that and Link thought that he must have left. Though he hadn't heard any creaking floorboards. 

Suddenly, he felt something soft touch his face. He fought, yet again, the instinct to open his eyes because he didn't want the Rito to know that he had been awake this whole time. 

"Link…" 

He could hear Revali sigh as Link continued to feel soft feathers on his face and he realised that the Rito must be stroking his cheek. 

Link didn't know what had gone into Revali. The Rito was never easy to deal with, making it difficult to even have a conversation with. Always thinking he was superior to everyone else and boasting about himself every time he opened his beak. But yet here he was, talking in a soft tone, stroking Link's cheek. 

But Link wasn't complaining. 

Though he knew that this wasn't going to last. Surely, Revali only did this because he was alone and thought Link was sleeping. He would never show this side to him otherwise. 

That little thought grew on Link's mind more than he wanted to admit. 

Eventually, he fell asleep and whether or not the Rito was still there beside him, he wouldn't know. 

~

When Link woke up the next time, it was already noon. Cecili wasn't tending to her desk and Link saw this as the perfect opportunity to get away from the inn. He had already stayed there long enough. 

Getting to his feet, he realised that his body still ached, but pushed the pain aside and with a grimace finally stepped out of the inn. 

He made sure that no one saw him as he wandered up the multiple staircases, up to the little hut that was Revali's house. It was thankfully an easy task as no Ritos were nearby. Though there was no Rito in Revali's hut either. 

He must be at the Flight Range. 

Using his Sheikah Slate, he found the shrine he was looking for and teleported himself. 

Only seconds later, Link was standing at Sha Warvo and snow hit him hard in the face. 

Pulling the furry collar of his shirt up closer to his face, he started heading towards the Flight Range. 

He knew he was getting closer when he could see tiny little lights up ahead, coming from the wooden hut. 

He tried to look out over the range to see if he could spot the Rito he was looking for, but the snow blizzard made it nearly impossible to see anything. 

Link could only hope that Revali was in the hut. 

Climbing the ladder proved to be much more difficult than it usually was. With each step, Link's body protested. But Link was tired of the pain, and just pushed through it anyway. 

Finally up in the hut he could see, to his surprise, that Revali wasn't sitting by the fire either.

With a sigh, Link sat down on one of the pillows and started to warm himself up. He figured that he might as well stay here and wait for the Rito. 

And wouldn't you know it, almost immediately, a gust of wind blew in over the hut and Link could see a figure descending. 

Just then, Revali landed on the small platform, flapping his wings to dust off all the snow. 

His eyes shot immediately to Link's. 

"What are you doing here?" 

He turned his gaze away from the other boy, and set down his bow and arrow. 

Link, however, continued to look at Revali, and decided to ignore his question. 

"Were you out there training in this weather?"

Revali sneered. 

"The weather stops for no one. As a champion I should be able to tackle any challenge."

Then he looked up and met Link's eyes again. 

"As should the Hero of Hyrule." 

"To think that a simple little blizzard could be the end of you -tsk tsk tsk- how pathetic."

"Maybe next time, you shouldn't be out in the mountains when you can't even handle it." 

Then it hit him. A wave of memories. 

He was up in the snowy mountains, traversing the snowy landscape, when suddenly he got ambushed by a Lizalfos. With one blow from their sword, he was sent down the mountain, his body repeatedly hitting the rock wall. 

No wonder he blacked out for such a long time. And no wonder his body still ached. 

"Thank you."

"For whatever reason?"

"For saving me." 

Revali looked at Link again, squinting his eyes a bit. 

"You would have died up there if it wasn't for me."

"I know, and that's why I'm thanking you."

"What were you doing up there anyway? You should know that the mountains are dangerous."

"I was just exploring." 

Revali let out a loud HAH. 

"Exploring?”

Link shrugged and looked away. Quietly he then asked:

"Why do you care?" 

The Rito sighed in frustration. 

"What was that?" 

"I said, why do you care?" 

Link looked up, and met Revali's gaze. 

"Why should you care if I die on a mountain?"

The Rito scoffed loudly. 

"Oh don't be ridiculous! We can't have the Hero of Hyrule rot away on some lonely mountain when there's a war to be won." 

Link, admittedly, felt a tinge of disappointment from that answer. 

But what had he expected? It's not like Revali saved him for selfish reasons. 

The Hero of Hyrule. 

That's why he saved him. 

But that couldn't be all that Revali thought of him as, could it? 

Link tried not to show the sadness that had washed over him, instead he rose to his feet. 

"I think I'm going to head off…" 

He didn't want to actually. He hoped for nothing else but Revali to soften up and be open with him, but this conversation wasn't going anywhere. 

"... Seeing as I'm a bother to you."

"And why do you think you're a bother to me?" 

Link could feel the Rito's gaze burn a hole in his back. 

"You don't need to say it with words, your body language speaks loud enough." 

With that, he jumped down the ladder, ignoring how pain shot through his body, and ignoring the Rito that was still in the hut. 

~

Yellow butterflies circled over him where he lay in the tall green grass. Flowers of white surrounded him, giving off a wonderful scent. A croak from a frog could be heard not far away. 

Link was back at the Great Plateau, a place he found comfort in. In a way, it felt safe, like it was far away from everything else. 

He would often come here when he wanted to clear his mind, and this time was no different. 

A week had passed since his and Revali's conversation at the Flight Range and he could still not get the Rito's words out of his head. 

The Hero of Hyrule. 

It wasn't like he had never been called that before, he just didn't like the fact that Revali called him that. 

Was that really all he saw him as? 

Link sighed heavily and brought up his hand to cover the sun. 

This one little thing had grown so strong in Link's mind and troubled him so much. 

How was he supposed to be focused on the task ahead of him, of aiding Princess Zelda in the fight against Calamity Ganon, when all he could think about was his stupid feelings for a certain Rito Champion? 

… 

Feelings… He had feelings for Revali. 

Then suddenly, with a force so strong, Link felt a jolt of pain from inside of him. A pain that had been there ever since he woke up on this very plateau all those months ago, but he had always tried to push away. But never before had it hurt this much. In this moment it was unbearable. 

He grasped his shirt, right over his heart, and clutched his hand so hard because he was hurting so very much. 

Just then, another jolt of pain shot through his head, causing him to scream out in agony.  

… And then all the pain he was feeling disappeared and all he could see was flashing images. A memory of old revealing itself. And he understood. 

… He had to go find Revali. 

~

Enlightened with a newfound memory, Link was back at the Flight Range, sitting by the fire yet again. 

Revali was nowhere to be seen, however Link knew he would turn up eventually and so he waited patiently. 

An hour passed and there was still no sign of the Rito. The sky had grown dark and it was getting colder and colder. Link nuzzled closer to the fire, trying to stay as warm as he could. In his mind, he went through all the things he wanted to say to Revali. He had decided it was best to just spill everything, spill his whole heart if he had to. Anything to get the Rito to understand, anything to get him to remember. 

… 

Realisation dawned on him as he noticed that it had gotten brighter inside of the hut - he had fallen asleep whilst waiting for Revali. 

Rubbing his eyes, he sat up from the uncomfortable position he had been in and immediately met the eyes of that exact Rito. 

Revali was sitting down next to him, leaning against the wall. 

"Did you sleep well?" 

Link blinked. 

"What?" 

The Rito sighed. 

"I found you fast asleep when I came back late last night. I thought it would be best to let you sleep." 

Link blinked again. Then he remembered why he was here. 

"I actually wanted to talk to you."

Revali nodded. 

"We should talk, shouldn't we?" 

Then he stood up, walked over to the little landing and extended his wing towards Link. 

"There's a place with a good view of the sunrise - I can take us there if you want?" 

Link stared at him for a second, to try and register what he had just heard. 

Then he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. 

"I'd like that." 

And so Link walked over to Revali and let himself be wrapped inside of the others wings, the smile on his face only growing wider. 

~

Revali came to a halt right next to Vah Medoh, on the highest peak in Rito Village. 

He carefully put Link down and drew back his wings. He then walked over to the very edge of the cliff formation, looking out over the soft orange sky in front of them. 

"The sunrise has always been my favourite. The stillness of it. How peaceful and quiet it is." 

He turned his head to look back at Link. 

A look on his face that the Hylian couldn't quite read. 

"I usually don't share it with anyone." 

Link fought with all his might not to break down then and there. 

Revali coughed and looked away from him. 

"Anyway, you wanted to talk to me?" 

Link took a deep breath, steadying himself, and went to sit down on the rock so that his legs were dangling off the edge. He patted the ground next to him and looked up at the Rito. 

Revali scoffed lightly, but sat down nonetheless. 

Summoning his confidence, Link uttered the words he had been so afraid of. 

"The moment I woke up at the Shrine of Resurrection, I had this strange pain inside of me. Something strong that I couldn't really understand. In a way, I felt like it was something that had been there since before I died. 

When I saw you for the first time since coming back, that pain only grew stronger. It was as if I was longing for something that I used to have. I kept pushing it away, telling myself that it didn't mean anything. 

And it was not until recently that I understood the pain I was feeling. 

…We loved each other.

…And we lost each other."

He choked out the last words, his eyes filled with tears. 

Revali softly placed his wing under Link's chin, and lifted it up, a sad smile on his face. 

"But we found our way back."

Link could only stare back at Revali, tears now streaming down his face. 

Sobbing out the words, he responded:

"Did you know?" 

"I had my suspicions, yes. But it didn't fully occur to me either until very recently."

"Then… all this pain - have you felt it too?" 

Revali turned away from Link, and looked down. 

"Yes -" 

Then he let out a dry chuckle. 

"- But I was so determined to push it away that I didn't stop for even a second to think about what it could actually mean.

… But now I know."

Revali turned to face the Hylian again. 

"And I'm happy I do."

Link, now crying violently, threw himself over the Rito in such a speed it almost toppled them both over to the side. 

But Revali steadied them with his wings, making sure they didn't both fall off the edge. 

They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other, neither of them letting go. 

"I'm sorry." 

Link's words came out muffled from where he had his face buried in the Rito's neck. 

"What could you possibly be sorry for?" 

"For leaving you back then." 

Revali grabbed Link's shoulders and looked at him straight in the eyes. 

"Link, what happened is not your fault. Neither of us could have done anything."

Link frowned, his eyes still filled with tears. 

"That's not true. I could've done something to prevent it, I should have done something, anything." 

"Link - beating yourself up over it won't change anything, what happened, happened."

Revali gave him a soft, sad smile, and then leaned in, touching Link's forehead with his. Link brought up his hands to cup them around the Rito's face. 

"It's okay." 

… 

The orange sky gleamed in the distance, slowly melting into yellows and blues as the sun rose higher. 

On the very top of Rito Village, sat a Hero and a Champion. 

For the first time in a century, they were both happy.