#and with every chapter I write

[mantis-bnlts]

When I had said I had waited to post the last chapter so I get close to finishing this upcoming one first, I hadn’t meant that I’d finish chapter 23 within three hours of posting 22.

Regardless, I’ll wait a day or two before posting 23. But I guarantee it will go up Saturday night at the latest. So y’all can look forward to that.

[tariah23]

The manga industry, especially JUMP, needs to hurry up and do away with weekly scheduling for mangaka. There needs to better regulations put into place for their health and safety because this is pitiful. Two weeks - monthly updates should’ve already been the standard for the manga industry at this point. These money grabbers will only continue to put the lives of these artists at stake for the sake of capitalism unless some serious changes are implemented.

[zorangezest]

(part six) we've got some chill filler chapters to get through before some really exciting stuff can happen!! thank you for reading along!!

once again, tw for blood, violence, and very bad times for this whole series.

the next part will be shorter and very different to give myself a break!

prev

start

[dumbass-hyperfixations]

The text comes at 9:07.

Eddie: Happy birthday, Hen! Hope you have a good one :)

Hen smiles down at her phone as she sets down her bag in the locker room. Someone really ought to teach that man how to use emojis (seriously, is he secretly 50?), but the text warms her heart too much to be bothered by it. At least someone remembered, even from another state. She’ll take the typed out smiley emoticon as a win.

Hen: Thanks Eddie 🥳 how are you doing?

Eddie: Almost done fixing up my house and making small breakthroughs with Chris every day. But I’m sure Buck’s keeping you all updated. How about you? Any big plans today?

Hen: I’m sure it’s going great, we’re all rooting for you ❤️ and yes, Buck’s giving us all the updates, hasn’t shut up about you since you left 😂

Hen: No big plans today, though. Shift, then takeout for dinner.

Eddie: Not even cake? You’re breaking my heart :(

Hen sighs. She’s breaking her own heart over this silly little thing. She feels ridiculous, being so excited and then so disappointed over such a small thing. She scoffs as she kicks off her shoes and shakes off her jacket before answering Eddie.

Hen: I guess I’m just not in the mood this year. Maybe Karen and I will get dinner over the weekend.

Eddie: Oh, Buck and I tried this great Italian place the night before my last shift at the 118! You should ask him for details, their spaghetti bolognese was amazing :D

Well, definitely not doing that. Not while Buck and the rest of the 118 are being excited over a different H.E.N. in their lives right now. Another thing she’s ridiculously jealous of today: firefighting gadgets. And the way Eddie isn’t able to keep Buck out of their conversation even for a second. She bets Buck never forgets his birthday.

Hen: Thanks, I appreciate the tip 🤗

Eddie: Anytime. Hope you have a great day :)

Yeah, Hen thinks. Against all odds, she hopes so, too.

***

Another text comes around at 14:32, while Hen is taking a break on the roof after that call for Archie, the self-proclaimed invisible man.

Eddie: Hey, just got off the phone with Buck. I’m sorry those dummies forgot your birthday :(

Despite it all, Hen chuckles.

Hen: Don’t be acting like you didn’t remember just because of the Facebook alert. I know you well, Diaz 😉

Eddie: Guilty. Still sent the text though!

Eddie: And I know it sucks, but just remember that they still love you. We all do. Probably gonna be making it up to you for a week. I’ll bet you 10 bucks Chim’s gonna send you balloons. Maybe even a serenading mariachi band.

She snorts into her phone.

Hen: Oh god, I hope not. Haven’t I suffered enough?

Eddie: True. You can always guilt-trip Buck into doing yard work for you, though. He’s pretty handy with that. Kind of wish he was here now, helping me around the house.

Yeah, she bets he does. God, those two are so sickeningly codependent. She’s gonna have to hold an intervention one of these days.

Hen: He’s been giving me THE WORST puppy eyes since they realized they forgot. Could probably make him wash the cars too.

Eddie: Yeah, saw ‘em. He called me all sad, asking about your favourite pie. If you don’t talk to him soon, your house is going to look like a bakery display for a week.

Hen: Thanks for the tip. I DO NOT need my kids on a sugar high after all of this 😂

Eddie: At least they remembered, right? And Karen?

Hen: LOL. Mara dressed up real cute. Not for mama though, for picture day 💔 and Karen at least noticed my (very very nice) birthday outfit, but didn’t connect the dots.

Eddie: Ouch

Hen: Yup. I guess she forgot because of the kids’ schedules. Still hurts, though. There’s usually not a thing missing from her trusty planner.

Eddie: I guess she figured she’ll remember. You guys have celebrated how many thousand birthdays together now? She probably just got too confident in her ability to remember everything she loves about you.

She tries to scoff, but it comes out a little wet. Of course, he’s right. And Karen’s gonna feel so bad when she realizes.

Hen: Damn you for being right.

Hen: I’m gonna be angry with you about that, because you and Athena are the only two people I can’t be mad about missing my birthday.

Eddie: Hahaha sure, if it makes you feel better! Gotta go now, getting ready for work.

Hen: I still can’t believe I’m gonna walk back down to the loft and not see you on shift with us 😔 your talents are being wasted in that Uber

Eddie: Don’t I know it :( take care, Hen. And make Buck your gardener! I’ll be expecting pics.

Hen: 🤔🤔 starting to think gardener Buck is more of a gift for you than it is for me…

What can she say, even in her desperate sorrows, she loves making fun of the whole BuckandEddie thing, no matter how platonic it might be.

The answer is immediate.

Eddie: I’ve gotten tired of all the cooking/baking photos Maddie keeps sending me. He needs new hobbies.

Hen: How many of those do you have?????

Eddie: So many.

Eddie: Save them all, though. I like seeing him happy.

Eddie: He is happy, right? Not just putting a brave face for me every time I call?

Well. She can’t even make fun of that.

Hen: Ever seen those videos of amputated dogs that are learning to move around with prosthetics?

Eddie: Yeah?

Hen: Looks kind of like that. Happy, but still getting used to those wheels instead of legs ❤️

Hen: (The amputated legs are you. And the wheels are all those six thousand two hundred and twenty-two FaceTime calls you’re having on and off shift.)

Eddie: Yeah, I got that. It’s the same for me, really.

Eddie: Really gotta go now. Let me know if Chim sends you balloons!

***

At 21:20, Hen’s the one to send the text.

Hen: [image attached]

Hen: I actually got those fucking balloons. Are you psychic?

Hen: Also featuring chocolates from Bobby.

Eddie: Ha! Not psychic, he’s just predictable.

Hen: LOL, that he is. The worst part is that I actually kind of love them.

Eddie: Not seeing 10 different pies on the table, though. Master baker crisis averted?

Hen: Not yet, but he acted like an awkward butler around me for the rest of the shift. Needed some time to cool off, but I’ll ask him tomorrow.

She sets the phone down and opens the basket of chocolates. There’s a note inside with yet another apology, a birthday wish, and a promise of homemade dinner on their next 48 off. I am loved, I am loved, I am loved, I am loved. She thinks the words on a loop in her head, intending on doing so until she believes then again. God, today sucks.

Her phone pings again, Eddie’s contact illuminated on the screen.

Eddie: I just realized. We have never texted as much as we did today.

Surprised, Hen snorts out a laugh.

Hen: That can’t be right. We’ve known each other for well over 7 years now.

Eddie: I’m serious! Check our previous messages.

And Hen does. The last text before today was a few months ago, when she wished him a happy birthday during their 96 off, to which he responded with a simple thank you. Before that, a bunch of school-related email screenshots and links, mixed in with some carpool-themed “I’ll be there in 15!”s and some Denny and Chris sleepover related negotiations. Each short text thread at least a few days, if not weeks apart. Wow.

Hen: LOL, are we even friends 😂

Eddie: Right?! Like, I know we are, but we have absolutely no way of proving it.

Hen: I’m blaming it on the twelve hundred groupchats the Buckleys have created over the years.

Eddie: Seconded! Why do we need one for every get-together? The original groupchat is fine.

“Mama?” Hen looks up to see Mara standing in the doorway, looking a little unsure of herself.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Mom’s calling you for dinner,” Mara says. “Or, she’s asking if you feel like joining us.”

Hen sighs and stands up. To her surprise, the weight of her chest is lifted somewhat. She didn’t even notice that she calmed down and switched her mood during their chat.

“Of course, I’m coming,” she says and hugs Mara again for good measure before they head to the kitchen. Just to let her know nothing is wrong, that she’s not mad at her. Or anyone, in fact. This stuff happens. I am loved, I am loved, I am loved.

After dinner, she sends Eddie the picture of the cake Mara and Denny brought her.

Hen: [image attached]

Hen: Got the cake after all ❤️🎂

Hen: Thanks for today ❤️

Eddie: Looks good! And, anytime :D

[kamaluhkhan]

I CAN STILL CHANGE THE END (spider-woman!vi x spider-woman!reader)

LET'S DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY THIS TIME....her name is violet lanes. she was bitten by a radioactive spider and for the past 10 years, she's been the one and only ghost-spider spider-woman ! she joined a band, saved the city, fell in love, saved the city again, graduated college, argued with her sister (teenagers are the worst), moved in with her girlfriend in hopes of saving their relationship, got into grad school, broke her leg (do not text and swing, regardless of how late you are for an anniversary dinner), saved the city some more, maybe too much, but couldn't save the love of her life.

no matter how many hits she takes, no matter how much guilt she carries, vi always, always, gets back up, even if it's hard to keep fighting when she's lost so much.

and.....she's not the only one.

(spoiler alert: you're the one and only spider-woman until an alternate version of your dead ex-girlfriend crashes a double date and introduces you to the chaos of the multiverse.... and maybe reintroduces the possibility of a happy ending, however doomed it may be.)

i. mercury in retrograde — violet lanes adjusts to a different reality; a new team of supervillains wreaks havoc around new york; and you just really need a nap, honestly, but you have a thesis to write, a city to protect, and a ghost-spider to deal with.

ii. agent of chaos, angel of death — you and vi start to appreciate not having to shoulder the responsibility of spider-woman alone. hoping to find her a way back home, the two of you visit oscorp and make some sinister discoveries; mj agrees to let vi fill in as the band’s drummer, but your show is cut short by unwanted guests; and you’re once again faced with the reality that you can’t save everyone.

iii. in the web that is our own, we begin again — in every other universe, violet lanes falls for spider-woman. it never ends well. but, there’s a first time for everything, right? you and vi indulge in fantasies of what your lives would have been if you met under different circumstances; the two of you save the multiverse before harry osborn can make his daddy issues everyone’s problem; and an inevitable goodbye isn’t as final as it may seem.

[bloggerspam]

A Christmas Carol AU

Inspired by a prompt found in the @haunting-heroes-creative-games :) (i.e. back on my shit again)

When a 15 year old Jason, pissed at Bruce for taking Robin away from him, finds his birth certificate he realizes Catherine Todd is not his real mother.

Just as he resolves to go out and search for his birth mother, Jason finds himself accosted by three ghosts in his room, talking about A Christmas Carol of all things.

===

"So, what? We're gonna Christmas Carol him?"

Dan scoffs, crossing his bulky arms with an unimpressed look. "We hated that movie."

"I didn't." Dani chirps, disturbingly cheery, "I didn't see it!"

"We hate Christmas," Danny corrects, "But the movie was alright, and the logic is sound."

"I don't hate Christmas," Dani once again interjects cheerily, "I've never participated!"

"Sound my ass," Dan growls over her, throwing his hands up. "We don't even know this guy!"

"Minor detail." Danny insists, "Tuck can look him up."

"He's a fucking Bat, Danny." Dan scrunches up his face, pinching the bridge of his nose just like Vlad does when he's disgruntled with any of Dad's shenanigans.

"He's a Robin, actually." Dani pipes in, "And he's just a kid. How hard is it gonna be to pretend to be this kid's Ghosts?"

"You're a kid," Dan reminds her, crossing his arms, "And you didn't believe me when I told you sticking a fork in the outlet would shock you."

"I believed you," Dani sniffs haughtily, crossing her arms and pointing her nose up with a snooty voice, "The warning simply did not deter me from doing it anyway."

"We don't have to convince him we're his Ghosts, or even that we knew him before," Danny reasons, needling, "We just have to convince him that we're…"

He hums, pointing at Dani. "Past."

He points at himself, "Present."

He points at Dan, "Future."

Dani does a little cheer, arms up and twirling into the air before landing with her legs over Dan's shoulders, hands and head settling atop Dan's fiery, but harmless, hair. It flickers, before going limp into long white strands that Dani messes up by gently scrunching up the strands and running her fingers through them.

Dan lets her, huffing and looking weirdly like a downtrodden, wet cat. "Why am I future?"

"Because." Danny doesn't continue, because he knows it makes Dan annoyed. True to form, his scowl gets worse, like sucking on a lemon. They all know why anyway.

Dani grins, triumphant and knowing, letting her voice go real deep, "The future," she intones into Dan's hair, "is here."

"The future is now," Danny corrects her, but doesn't lose his smile, floating up to tuck a strand of her hair back behind her ear.

"The future is already here," Dan mumbles his correction, or is it a follow-up? "It's just not evenly distributed."

"How about you distribute some of those muscles, Gibson," Danny sighs, shaking his head "Waiting for puberty is such a drag, and we both know you didn't get the mass from Vlad's side of the family."

Dan makes a moue of disgust, but it serves him right. The consequences of his own actions, and whatnot. He looks up at Dani, who simply shrugs. "I think you'll do great." She leans down to give him two pats on the arm.

"So how's acting out A Christmas Carol gonna help us stop this Jason guy from blowing up?" Dani fiddles with Dan's hair, tongue poking out as she attempts a braid, "Will he even see us? Ghosts in this dimension taste funny."

"He'll be able to see us, it's magically rich enough for some ghosts to maintain a semblance of themselves," Danny explains for the third time. Dani and Dan hum at different pitches, and even though Danny is the common denominator he kind of hates that Vlad has more of a lasting impression on them. "The ectoplasm here is scarce and mostly corrupted, though, so it's rare."

"So there's lotsa bad ghosts here?" Dani eyes the messy braid she's made, proud, even as Dan's silky hair immediately causes it to fall apart, "Or 'mentally unsound' or whatever Frostbite called it."

"No," Dan grumbles, annoyed and indulging all at once, "Corruption begets ecto-rot, but the scarcity means they're not strong enough to actually retain their sense of self enough to rot."

"Shades," Danny explains when Dani looks even more confused, "There's lots of shades."

"Is this one of the Olympian dimensions?" Dani groans, flopping over Dan's shoulder as he sits down on the sofa, "I love Pandora and all, but if I see Zeus again I'm gonna lose it."

"It's one of the hero dimensions," Danny hums, taking over braiding Dan's hair the way Jazz made him when they were little, "There's a couple of Amazons walking about, but on the whole no Olympians."

"I don't know why he didn't just dump me in a Norse dimension." Dan leans back and closes his eyes to their ministrations. "Especially with my current occupation."

The three of them are sitting in Dan's apartment, a large loft studio located somewhere in the UK of the aforementioned hero-dimension. Alber-something, Danny can't remember. Doesn't need to, it being a different dimension from his anyway.

Dan doesn't have a lot of things: a sofa and TV, a bed in the corner, a decent but small kitchen. They're still trying to figure out decorations, but Dan on the whole is a minimalist so it's been slow going.

He's working as a bartender these nights, whiling away his odd existence now that his form has stabilized.

And wasn't that a trip? Learning that hey, adult lightning halfas shouldn't really be mixed with teenage ice halfas, actually!

Apparently, ectoplasm can become corrupted if you try to combine incompatible sources.

Apparently, side effects include (but are not limited to) unmitigated violence and a devastating need for vengeance.

Sound familiar?

"This dimension has a lot of time continuity errors," Danny reminds him, "Dropping you here gave the least amount of pushback."

"Yeah, yeah," Dan flaps a lazy hand, "Praise be the speedforce and flashpoints and whatnot."

"Plus," Dani adds softly, absent-minded as she watches Danny finish up the braid, "Lotsa heroes to help out if you relapse."

Dan heaves a slow, controlled sigh. Danny and Dani both pretend they don't notice.

"Is it bad?" Dan doesn't open his eyes, his voice is so low Danny can only hear him by virtue of his ghost powers, "Like me levels bad?"

"No." Danny shakes his head, leaning into his older self, his older brother of sorts, "He decapitated eight crime lords, killed a couple of assassins, maybe an innocent or two depending on your definition of things."

"Past tense?" Dan scrunches his nose. They all hate how confusing Time Shenanigans are.

"He's living as Red Hood, right this very moment."

"Red Hood?" Dani questions, "That his hero name?"

"Crime lord alias." Danny corrects her, "But he's more of a vigilante these days. Has a bat on his chest and everything."

"But it's bad enough to warrant a trip to the past." Dan points out, "Bad enough for us to try and persuade him. Does he relapse?"

"Not…exactly." Danny scrunches his face, not wanting to explain Clockwork's ambiguity.

Dani floats to spread over Danny and Dan's laps, sprawling out and purring like a cat. Self-soothing, though it's more for their benefit than hers.

"Like Dani said, there’re lots of heroes here, and he doesn't have powers." Danny continues, petting at Dani's soft hair, "The world doesn't end. He doesn't have the means to, even with the ecto-rot."

Danny pauses, and chooses his words deliberately and carefully. "And deep down, Jason Todd is a hero through and through. Relapse would be…difficult. His Obsession is similar to yours."

Dan lets that sit for a moment, but nods, Danny moving a little with the motion. The tension slowly bleeds out as they wait like that, enjoying each other's company.

"If the world doesn't end," Dani whispers, "Why is Clockwork sending all of us?"

Danny thinks on that, on his meeting with Clockwork. The Ancient's voice when he explained what would happen.

He thinks about Jason Todd, about Bruce Wayne, and Catherine, and Sheila. He thinks about Batman, and Robin.

He thinks about Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, about Damian Al Ghul, about Cassandra Cain, and all of Jason's Outlaws.

He thinks about a tattered uniform that stays up in a glass case for a long, long time.

Most of all, he thinks about Dan.

He thinks about regrets and one bad day away.

And then he stops thinking about it, because sometimes the past is the past, and other times, it's the future that never happens that haunts you instead.

"You know, Dani." He settles on, "I'm not sure. He probably has his reasons."

Dan leans heavier onto him, and they lean together like that, with Dani in their laps.

Ghosts of decisions made, unmade, and never to be.

Follow the story on AO3 here!

[corkinavoid]

@windyengel my honest to god, genuine reaction

[super-paper]

haven't seen a mha version of this meme + i can't resist picking low hanging fruit

[adrinktostopyourthirst]

Just imagine your t shirt pushed up over your chest and his large hands on your breasts, panties pushed to the side and legs wrapped around his neck as he groans into your cunt. The heat of his skin everywhere that he touches you, stuttering on your words and him only answering by groaning against you. He’s panting against your skin, inhaling you as he catches his breath, muscular shoulders flexing with each desperate inhale. The brief flex of his ass as he grinds into the mattress just for some relief of his own. You can’t move, only struggle against him. Your hands grapple for any hold - his hands on your chest, his veiny forearms, his hair. Then his hands slide down and under your hips, they push you up and into his mouth, his tongue diving deeper as he shoves a pillow beneath your hips. And he has the audacity to laugh at the broken noise spilling from your lips. One hand presses down on your womb, the other slips a finger into you and curls up, and you are gone-

Yeah…

[smilesrobotlover]

First|| <-prev

AO3

Before we begin, I just want to say thank you so so much for reading this cringey little fic of mine! I didn't actually think I'd complete a project like this since I never do, but y'alls support and the brain worms really helped me through this so thank you SO much!! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! As y'all saw, I might continue with a little sequel story, but we'll see :) I love this world and I love the characters and want to write more, but regardless of what I do, I hope you guys will continue to stick with me!

Enormous thank you to @yiga-hellhole for beta reading almost every chapter here. They wouldn't be as good as they are if not for him and I'm SO thankful!! I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter! :)))

~~~

Chapter 18- Hope for the Future

Kakariko was eerily silent. The new bustling town Luda had grown so used to was completely empty, with people hiding in the safety of their homes due to the mayor vanishing. Luda stood anxiously outside of the sanctuary, her sword in hand as she watched the dust blow with the wind. Barnes sat in the dirt right next to her, his injured leg extended while the other was folded up to his chest, his crutch nearby. The two simply watched their empty town as if it was doing anything useful, and they were both afraid. Afraid for Hyrule, afraid for another invasion, and afraid for Renado. Though Luda was taught by Rusl to fight with a sword, she didn’t feel like it was doing any good. It wasn’t like it kept her father from being kidnapped.

Footsteps were suddenly heard from the entrance of Kakariko, and Luda shot up to see what was coming. It could’ve been more of those monsters, or it could’ve been Link and the others. Either way, Luda was going to be ready for whatever. The people of Kakariko looked to her and Barnes for help with Renado gone, after all, so she was responsible for all of their safety. Luda gestured for Barnes to stay back as she walked to the middle of the pathway, watching the entrance where she heard the footsteps. Someone entered the village, and she couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her.

“Papa!” She cried, running to Renado who excitedly met her halfway, the two embracing each other. 

“Oh my sweet daughter,” Renado’s voice was muffled in her shoulder as she cried, the two overjoyed to be reunited at last. 

“Ren, you’re alive!” Barnes cheered, limping over to the two with his crutch, and Renado frowned.

“Barnes! Are you alright?” He asked, looking the man over. Barnes swatted his worrying hand away with a shake of his head.

“Don’t worry about me! I wasn’t the one who was kidnapped by a monster!” 

Renado smiled gently. “I wasn’t the one who tumbled down a mountain, Barnes.”

The man huffed, scratching the back of his neck. “Y-yeah, well, your daughter helped me out. Don’t worry about me, ok?”

Renado gave Luda a proud look, and he pulled the two in for another hug. “I’m grateful to have you both here.”

The three all relished in the hug, relieved that they were all safe and that their growing village would have a future. But Renado quickly pulled away, turning to the group that followed closely behind; Link and a tall, otherworldly woman were in the front, with Kori in Link’s arms, and Renado turned back to Luda.

“There’s a lot injured, I need your help to take care of them all,” Renado said, and Luda nodded, determination in her face. 

“Cripes, what happened?” Barnes asked while Link walked past. He watched the two, his eyes landing on Midna who didn’t look his way. “Who is that?” 

Everyone ignored him as those who were well enough helped the injured into the sanctuary, and soon it was filled up. Luda and Barnes were glad that there hadn’t been many injuries from the past few days—they doubted they’d be able to fit everyone there. 

Renado tended to Kori first, who was snatched by the monster and clearly traumatized from what happened, and Luda turned to the queen of Hyrule, who was certainly not someone she expected to ever treat. The king was leaning over her, his hand resting on her forehead and the other clasped around her hand. He pulled away when Luda arrived, and she was able to get a good look at her. The queen was wearing strange, ratty clothes that didn’t seem to fit her status. Her brown hair was tangled and stuck to her forehead from sweat and blood, and her breathing was labored and shaky. 

“Barnes, could you help me?” Luda asked, and the man shrugged.

“I can try. I’m no healer like you and Ren.”

“I just need supplies.”

“That I can do. I’ll be right back,” Barnes said, and he left while Luda and King Edmund watched.

“Will you be able to help her?” Edmund suddenly asked, his expression full of worry. Luda nodded.

“I will do what I can.”

The king nodded, bowing his head in gratitude.

“Thank you. I will leave and send more supplies and help for you,” he said, and Zelda began to sit up.

“I-I’m going too—“ she started, but Edmund cut her off.

“Zelda, please I beg of you. Rest.”

The queen seemed hesitant, so Edmund continued.

“The kingdom won’t collapse without you there for a couple of days. Rest. It seems you haven’t been able to do that for a while now.” 

Zelda stared, emotions running rampant through her head, but she knew Edmund was right. It seemed she could trust him for a little bit. She rested back and let out a sigh, nodding.

“Alright,” she said softly, and Edmund smiled, giving Luda another bow and walking away, leaving the two women alone. Luda immediately began treating the queen while the king walked up to captain Hoz, who looked out of it while his soldiers surrounded him.

“Are you doing alright?” Edmund asked, and Hoz gave him a surprised look.

“Uh… yes your highness.”

“Good.” Edmund looked away, crossing his arms awkwardly. “I was wrong about Hyrule. There’s a lot more courageous souls such as yourself. Thank you for all you’ve done.”

Hoz’s mouth hung open, his mind trying to think of something to say, but all he could muster up in his concussed state was, “t-thank you, your highness.”

Edmund smiled, nodding at the soldiers around him before turning away. Hyrule didn’t have knights established, but he wondered if they could start knighting people again, starting with Hoz and…

He spotted Colin lingering near his father, who was in a cot, and he walked up to the young man. Rusl tapped Colin’s arm when Edmund walked up to them, and he spun around, quickly bowing when he recognized him.

“King Edmund!” Colin greeted, and the king noticed an amused look in Rusl’s eyes. 

“Colin, I must thank you for helping me with Queen Zelda and Captain Hoz back there.”

“Oh! Of course! I’m happy to help,” Colin said awkwardly, and Rusl let out a small chuckle. Edmund couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Yes. Have you considered joining the Hylian guard? I know you’re no Hylian but I—Zelda can always make exceptions, yeah?”

Colin’s face flushed slightly, his eyes widening. “I… I uh… I haven’t considered it,” he laughed nervously. 

“Well, you should consider it. You have great talent and courage. Whoever taught you has taught you well.”

Colin looked over at Rusl who was smiling proudly at him, and he scratched the back of his head.

“Well, thank you. I’ll consider it.”

Edmund smiled and bowed. “I’ll be leaving for Castle Town. Supplies and healers will be sent here. Thank you for your help.”

With that, the king left the sanctuary, the uninjured soldiers following. Colin stared for a moment, feeling like he got hit with an epiphany. He figured he’d just stay in Ordon and work on a farm, maybe even take over his pa’s blacksmith job. But being a soldier… admittedly it felt right. But it couldn’t be…. Could it?

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Rusl asked, a teasing smile on his face. Colin shrugged.

“I… I guess a lot of things,” Colin answered. He didn’t know how his pa would react to him even considering the opportunity.

“Are you gonna take up his offer?” He asked, and Colin shrugged. Knowing how his son got, Rusl rested his hand on his arm. “No matter what you do, just know that I’ll support you.”

Colin pursed his lips, the rest of the resistance walking up to the two.

“I say you should take it, Colin,” Ashei said, crossing her arms and leaning into Shad. “To be recommended by the king, that’s a big deal, yeah?”

“Agreed,” Auru jumped in. “You’d be the first human soldier in the Hylian army! Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Colin shrugged again, kicking his feet. “I dunno… what about Ordon?”

Rusl scoffed affectionately, smacking his arm lightly. “Boy, don’t worry about Ordon. It’s your future. I would be proud either way.”

“Yeah! Maybe you’d even become captain,” Auru said.

“Or a knight,” Ashei added.

“There hasn't been hyrulean knights in generations.”

“Well it wouldn’t hurt to reestablish them, yeah?”

“I suppose not.”

“Ooh! The first human knight of Hyrule!” Rusl exclaimed, seemingly ignoring his injuries. “That just gave me chills!”

Colin laughed and shook his head. “No need to jump ahead. It’ll never happen anyways.”

“Never say never, Colin. It might just happen,” Auru teased, and the group laughed, all playfully smacking him. All save for Shad, who was staring blankly with his brow furrowed.

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted, and the group quieted down to look at him. “Are we just going to ignore the fact that Link turned into a wolf?”

The resistance fell silent, with Colin and Rusl glancing at each other nervously. 

“You didn’t know that?” Auru asked, and Shad let out a noise.

“You did?”

Auru shrugged. “When I went to Gerudo Desert, he turned into a wolf to hunt down ghosts that stole a flame. He tried to hide it but he didn’t do a good job at it.”

“Me too,” Ashei muttered. “He also hunted ghosts. He didn’t say anything about it and I didn’t want to come off as insane to him in case I hallucinated it.”

“Me and Ashei talked about it afterwards, but it was when you went to the sky with Link,” Auru explained. “So we figured you’d find out.”

Shad looked between them as if they insulted his entire line of ancestors. “No, I never found out! I didn’t even see a wolf when I went to the sky with Link!”

“No wonder why you were so quiet about it,” Ashei mumbled, and the group all erupted into laughter.

“Well now you know, Shad!” Rusl laughed, slapping his arm playfully before flinching in pain from his injuries. Shad frowned and crossed his arms.

“And how did you know about it, Rusl?” He asked, but before Rusl could open his mouth Shad immediately raised his hand to stop him. “No, never mind. I don’t even need to ask.”

The group laughed again, poking fun at Shad, all while Renado, Midna, and Link were huddled near a silent Kori. Renado checked his ears, his face, his neck, and his arms and legs, but luckily there were no physical injuries from what he saw.

“He seems to be fine. Physically at least,” Renado commented gently, patting Kori’s head. The poor boy was staring at his lap, mindlessly picking at his fingers while Renado observed. It worried his parents.

“Do you think anything else is wrong?” Link asked, his arm wrapped around his son. Renado sighed.

“From what I see, he’s just traumatized,” he said, and Link and Midna both glanced at each other. Kori was alive and well, but having such a thing happen to him… it made them sick. He stood giving Kori a sad look. “I’m afraid it’s not a simple fix. The best thing we can do is to be there for him.”

Link and Midna nodded silently, their eyes never leaving Kori, who didn’t move. It was silent for a moment while Renado fidgeted with his hands, clearly wanting to help more, but not knowing what he could do. 

“Well, can I look over you both?” He finally asked. “You look like you could use some treatment.”

Link shook his head. “I’m fine,” he lied, “I can just look for fairies in the spring. I’m sure everyone here could use some.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

Renado nodded before glancing at Midna, who also nodded.

“I’ll be fine too. Ashei gave me a red potion earlier,” she quickly explained, and Renado sighed.

“Very well. I’ll leave you be. Just don’t let any serious injuries go untreated.”

“We won’t.”

He smiled slightly, then he stood and left the small family alone, both parents hugging their child. Link glanced at Kori, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

“Kori, are you—“ he stopped himself. Of course Kori wasn’t ok, he was almost killed. “How are you feeling?” He instead asked. Kori looked up at him for a moment, his mouth opening before shutting, then he looked back down. He couldn’t find his voice.

“Kori, you’re safe now,” Midna said, rubbing his shoulders soothingly. “Nothing will hurt you.”

Kori sniffled, his eyes growing watery again, and Midna pulled him into a hug, kissing his temple. Kori melted into it, snuggling further into his mother while Link rubbed his arm. The two parents looked at each other; Midna was tired, distraught, and guilt was clearly written all over her face. Link was the same, but there was a more quiet acceptance of what happened. He hated that it happened, but the only thing he could do was to be there for him. 

The door to the sanctuary opened, and Barnes entered with an excited look on his face.

“Look who I found!” He said, and Beth walked through the door along with Uli, Rela, Beth, and Sera. Rela immediately ran to Rusl, not at all caring about his injuries as she hopped onto him, wrapping her little arms around his neck.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Rusl cried, his voice slightly strained as he held onto her. 

“I’m glad you’re ok, papa,” Rela mumbled, clearly trying to fight back tears. Uli walked up to the two, stooping down to kiss Rusl gently. 

“How are you?” She asked, and Rusl smiled.

“Got a few broken ribs but otherwise I’m fine,” he said, grabbing onto her hand. “Now that you’re here, of course.”

Uli smiled and kissed him again, and Rusl sighed, feeling his whole body relax from his wife’s touch. He missed her. Rela turned her head where Kori sat, and she immediately crawled off her pa and ran to him.

“Kori! You’re ok!” She cheered, hugging her nephew tightly. Kori smiled slightly, clearly happy to see his aunt, and she pulled away, looking him over. “What happened? Are you ok? I’m glad that monster didn’t eat you, I was so worried!”

Link tapped her arm, hoping to discreetly tell her to lay off the questions, in fear that it’d upset Kori further. Rela went silent for a moment when Kori said nothing, and she stared at her hands before smiling at him.

“But you made it! I knew you were tough! I taught you well, didn’t I?” She said, lightly nudging his arm. He smiled a small but genuine smile, and Rela turned to dig into her little bag. “I brought Billy and Jasper. I figured you wanted them.”

Kori’s eyes widened slightly and he quickly grabbed his stuffed animals, hugging them close in relief. Link smiled, running his hand through his hair.

Beth and Sera both lingered near the family, watching Midna curiously (who was avoiding eye contact with them like her life depended on it), and Link tilted his head at them.

“Link,” Beth greeted with a smile, giving Kori a few pats on the head. “We heard about what happened and wanted to see y’all. This little one especially,” she pointed to Rela.

“Thank you, Beth. I’m sure Kori wanted to see them,” he said, right as Uli walked up to them. She kissed Kori on the head and gave him a gentle squeeze, lingering near while watching Sera anxiously. The woman was still, holding a large basket while looking rather nervous. Link couldn’t help but be nervous too, but for different reasons. The last thing Kori needed was someone giving him a hard time. Beth turned to Sera, giving her an inviting look, and she finally sighed, walking up to the bed. Kori shrank away, further into Link, and he tried to give Sera a polite, but also threatening look, just so she’d know to watch herself.

“And why are you here?” He asked, trying to sound curious rather than accusatory.

“The kittens have all grown up and can live without their mother,” Sera explained, gesturing to the basket. “I’ve been meaning to go here to Kakariko to see if anyone wants them, and since the danger has passed I thought I’d do that now.”

Link glanced at Beth who was smiling slightly. 

“I uh… heard what happened,” Sera continued quietly. “I figured you could… pick out a kitten… if you want, m’dear.”

She was facing Link, but it was clear she wanted Kori to pick one out when she set down the basket of kittens. Link stared in shock, looking down at Kori who was waiting for his permission. Gently nudging him, Kori excitedly looked into the basket, his face lighting up when he saw the little kitties squirming around and meowing. One with a light orange coat climbed up the walls, mewing at Kori, and he picked the little one up with a big smile on his face.

“Hi baby,” he said, his voice high-pitched as he gently petted the tiny head. The kitten immediately melted into Kori, purring loud as its eyes closed. His son looked up at him, his eyes big. “Can I keep him?”

Link couldn’t fight back the smile. “Of course you can.”

Kori’s smile grew, and he hugged the kitten, the little thing squeaking in response which made him giggle. It made his heart warm, hearing his boy laugh and speak finally after everything. He was hurt and traumatized, but there was hope, there always was.

“Thank you,” Kori muttered to Sera, and she smiled slightly, nodding her head.

“Kittens make everything better,” she simply said, nodding her head and walking away. Link gave Beth a puzzled look when she left the sanctuary, and Beth shrugged.

“She felt bad after everything. I guess she understood what it’s like to almost lose your baby.”

Link frowned, hugging Kori close as emotions ran through him. “Thank you.”

Beth smiled, ruffling Kori’s hair. “I’m glad you’re ok, Kori.”

“Thank you,” Kori said again, looking down at the kitten again when Rela began petting it. Beth smiled again and turned to follow her mother, leaving the family alone.

“So, what are you gonna name him?” Rela asked, and Kori shrugged.

“I dunno,” he muttered. 

“How about Jasper?”

Kori frowned. “That’s the same name as my stuffed animal!”

“But they’re both cats.”

“I don’t want them both named Jasper!”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. Jasper isn’t even the same color!”

“Jasper is just a stuffed animal, why does it matter?”

“Rela,” Uli started, resting her hand on her head, “let Kori pick the name.”

Link couldn’t help but chuckle as Rela sheepishly sat back, pouting as she watched the kitten crawl around Kori’s lap. A sharp pain went through as he was laughing though, and everyone looked at him in concern.

“Are you alright, Link?” Uli asked, and Link nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine, ma.”

“No you’re not!” Colin suddenly jumped in, crossing his arms across his chest as he walked up to them. “That thing threw you around!”

Link sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s fine—“

“Link, you shouldn’t neglect yourself!” Uli argued. “Renado can help you!”

“He and Luda have a lot on their plate right now.”

Uli frowned, and Kori looked up at Link. “Didn’t you say you were gonna look for fairies?” He asked softly. 

Link pursed his lips, looking between him, Midna, and Uli. He did say that, but he didn’t want to leave Kori. There was a fear that he’d lose him again if he did. Uli picked up on his worries and rested her hand on his arm.

“He’ll be ok. We’ll watch him. But you look like you need some fairies.”

Link sighed, and Midna finally moved, standing and nudging for him to follow.

“I’ll go with you, Link. Come on.”

He stood as well, wincing in pain, and the two left the sanctuary, with everyone’s eyes on Midna as she walked past them all. When they left, they were able to see that the world had turned to night, and it put Link at ease a bit. He really didn’t want to deal with people.

“It’s night,” Midna commented, staring blankly at the sky.

“Yeah. It should make finding fairies easier,” he muttered. “If there’s any left.”

The two walked to the spring, and fortunately there were about five fairies prancing around the waters. Link walked up to them, holding out his hand and allowing one to swirl around him, the pain in his head and ribs going away as the healing light surrounded him. The others were drawn to him, and he looked over at Midna who was staring solemnly. One hurried over to her, flying around her and lingering near her stomach, then it simply rested on her shoulder.

“Are you ok?” He asked, and Midna nodded.

“I—yeah…”

Link frowned, walking up to her and taking her hand. He stared up at her in concern, cupping her cheek in his hand.

“I missed you,” he said, and Midna shuddered, pulling him into a tight hug. Link let out a muffled sound as he was pulled into her embrace, but he reciprocated instantly. The two held each other for a long moment, with Midna shaking in his hold. All he could do to comfort her was to rub her back and say “it’s ok” as she clearly tried to get ahold of herself.

“It’s all my fault,” she wept, and Link shook his head.

“No it wasn’t.”

“I-I let it get this bad and I didn’t make sure it was gone and now it hurt Kori and I—“ she hiccuped and wordlessly sobbed into Link’s shoulder. He simply held her, her body leaning into him fully as her legs started to fail her.

“I-I should’ve kept a closer eye on him… I should’ve sensed it alive I should’ve… I should’ve…”

“There’s a lot of things we should’ve done,” he said soothingly, running his hand up her neck and through her hair. “But it’s in the past now, we can’t change anything. Kori is alive, he’s ok, and that’s all that matters.”

Midna sniffed, falling to her knees and gripping onto his shirt. “Why must you all suffer because of my world?”

“Hey.” Link pulled away, staring right into her eyes. “Don’t put everything on yourself. You did so much for Hyrule, for me, for Kori. Everything that caused us pain from the twilight realm is on Zant’s shoulders, ok?”

Midna looked down, biting her bottom lip.

“He got what he deserved Midna. You killed him.”

“I wish I beat him half to death first,” she mumbled, and Link laughed.

“That would’ve been great to see.”

Midna smiled slightly, but it went away as she brushed a tear off her cheek. She buried her face in his chest, letting out a sigh.

“I’ve missed you both. I hate being away all the time.”

Link ran his hand through her hair. “Me too. It’s never the same without you. Are they treating you well at least?”

Midna shrugged. “I suppose, but they’re paranoid because of Zant.”

“Did you… um…” Link scratched the back of his head. “Is the heir thing still going on?”

She nodded. “Yes. We hope she was conceived a few days ago.”

Link’s eyes widened. “Conceived? Midna—I—are you ok? You fought that thing while—are you—is the baby ok?”

Midna gave him a surprised look, but she nodded. “I’m fine, and I think the potion helped protect her… I don’t know… but I think…” she looked over at the fairies and sighed. “I think she’s ok.”

Link frowned. “Are you sure? Do you need anything?”

Midna smiled. “Yeah. I just… need to have hope is all.”

She rested her head against him again, clearly finding comfort in his presence.

“They’re wanting me to marry her father,” she muttered, and Link frowned. 

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“It’s not as simple as that.”

“Well it should be.” Link pulled away again. “You shouldn’t have to marry anyone you don’t want to! Heck, having a baby with someone you barely like is bad enough!”

“I know,” she sighed. “They’re awfully pushy.”

Link hummed. “Well, you’re the most stubborn person I’ve met save for my pa so, hopefully you’ll wear them down.”

Midna smiled. “Yeah… but… I don’t know…” she tapped her chin with her finger, tightening her hold on Link. “Maybe I should get married to the father of my kid.”

“W—What?” Link exasperated. “You’re gonna listen to them? You’re gonna get married to a guy you don’t want to marry?”

Midna raised a brow. “I do want to marry this guy, Link.”

He blinked, confusion and hurt swirling through him as he thought about what she said. Midna stared back at him, rolling her eyes and letting out a sigh, an amused grin appearing on her face.

“I’m talking about you, idiot!” 

Oh right, he was the father of Midna’s child. But that meant…

“You want to get married to… me?” He asked, and Midna’s smile turned to an annoyed one. He really was an idiot.

“I’ve thought about it for a while now, and either the pressure got to me or I’ve always wanted to do this but… I… I want to get married. Not to them, but to you,” she simply said. Link stared for a moment, watching her sunset eyes staring back at him, her expression vulnerable and full of love, and he leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. They sat there kissing each other, Link never wanting to let her go.

“I love you,” he breathed in between kisses, “I know you said that we suffer because of your world, but you bring so much light to my life, Midna. I love you.” He pulled away for a moment to look her in the eyes again. “Will you marry me?”

Midna smiled wide, pressing a long kiss on his lips. “Yes.”

Link smiled back and the two embraced each other under the moonlight, finding peace and comfort in each other’s presence. Then they collected the rest of the fairies and headed back to the sanctuary, feeling a little lighter as Link held Midna’s hand. When they entered the sanctuary, the fairies floated over to the injured, which was mostly Hoz, Zelda, and Rusl. But Rusl, of course, refused a fairy and instead wanted it to go to the queen or Hoz.

“They’re more important than I am,” he explained, waving his hand away from the fairy, “I can heal the old fashioned way.”

“Are you sure, Rusl?” Zelda asked, and Rusl nodded. 

“I know how anxious you are to get back to the castle. Y’all need it more than I do.”

Zelda looked unsure, but she took the fairies anyways, feeling her injuries heal entirely with two fairies, which was nice. Hoz sighed in relief as his head healed up, and the queen turned to him.

“Do you think you could escort me back to Castle Town tomorrow?” She asked, and Shad walked up to her.

“You’re going to leave already?” He asked, and Zelda nodded.

“I’m all healed. I cannot wait around while Edmund tries to deal with Hyrule’s issues alone.”

Shad glanced over at Ashei who looked concerned. “We will… see you again right?”

Zelda blinked. “Perhaps as Queen, yes but…”

“Not as Sheik?”

She stared. “I figured it wasn’t needed…”

Auru laughed, walking up to her. “Whichever form you take my queen, it will always be needed. You’re a part of the resistance after all.”

She couldn’t help the smile, and she nodded. “Of course. I will continue to help, if you’ll have me.”

The resistance members bowed in response, and Luda walked up to them, putting her hand out awkwardly.

“I do suggest you get some rest tonight, my queen—if you do plan on leaving tomorrow morning that is.”

Zelda stared, then nodded.

“Very well. Who am I to argue with the healer of the village?”

Luda snorted slightly, her face quickly growing red while the others chuckled. Soon the night grew quiet, with Luda resting after helping any injured soldiers and Rusl, her sitting right next to a sleeping Renado with Barnes on the other side, fidgeting with his crutch. Link and Midna were huddled up together next to Kori’s cot, Link fast asleep in her arms, and the uninjured were staying in the inn. Everyone turned in for the night, the only sound being the soft snoring and shuffling of those in the sanctuary. Even Midna seemed to be sleeping, but it was hard to tell as she laid her head on Link’s. Kori should’ve been asleep along with everyone else, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He was tired, but he was also scared—scared of what his dreams held for him, scared that everything was a dream, and just… scared.

His kitten was curled up on his lap which helped, the fur soft against his fingers as he pet him. Occasionally, the kitten would shift around and curl into cute positions. It cheered him up a bit, but he still felt off. He was about to call to his mother when he heard shuffling to his side, and he saw Grandpa Rusl limping over to him, a small smile on his face.

“Hey little one,” he whispered, leaning heavily on Kori’s cot as his injuries were clearly bothering him. Kori shuffled over and his grandpa immediately climbed into the covers, allowing Kori to cuddle up next to him. The kitten mewed quietly, walking up to the new person, and his grandpa scratched behind his ears. 

“Can’t sleep?” He asked Kori, and he nodded. Rusl smiled. “Me neither.”

“Are you hurt?” Kori asked, and Rusl shrugged.

“Not too bad. Don’t tell anyone I got out of bed though, they’ll have my hide,” he chuckled, hissing quietly in pain after a moment. Kori’s kitten huddled up between the two, purring loudly. It was silent for a moment, and Kori spotted his mother smiling at the two, though there was a hint of annoyance when she looked at Rusl. But she let them be, staying near if he needed anything.

“Kori,” Rusl started, his voice holding a hint of seriousness that wasn’t present before. He looked down at him, his brows furrowed and his stare firm. “If you’re ever scared, or hurt, or need someone to talk to about this, you can always talk to me. I hope you know that.”

Kori nodded, but Rusl didn’t stop.

“I… I know exactly what you went through,” he muttered, and Kori looked up at him. “That thing almost took me too.”

“Oh…” Kori frowned, his ears drooping slightly in thought. “Were you also eaten?”

Rusl’s expression went dark, and he nodded. “Yeah… I was. Swallowed whole.”

A spike of fear went through Kori’s heart, and Rusl gave him a gentle squeeze.

“Were you scared?” Kori finally asked, and his grandpa nodded.

“I was. I was very scared, and you know what? There’s no shame in that.” Rusl smiled at him, kissing his head. “I still get scared, honestly. But you know who saved me?”

“Who?”

“Your old man. Your pa saved me, and he saved you, along with your mother. As long as they’re around, you’ll be ok.” He kissed his head again. “And me too. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Kori couldn’t help but smile and nuzzle further into his grandpa. He felt comfortable around him, the man protecting him despite his own fears, watching over him in the Twilight Realm despite being weak, and always being there for him when his parents couldn’t be. Kori looked at his new kitten, who slow-blinked at him which made his heart warm. Hm…

“I think I know what I wanna name my new kitty, now!” Kori said, and Rusl raised a brow.

“Oh?”

“I’ll name him Rusl! After You!”

Grandpa Rusl blinked, his eyes widening. “Oh.”

Kori looked down, suddenly getting bashful. “You made me feel better when we were in the Twilight Realm, and this kitty makes me feel better, so I think it fits!”

His grandfather’s expression melted, and he pulled him into a hug. “You sweet thing.”

Kori’s heart warmed again, and he hugged his grandpa tightly with his new kitten, Rusl, who was squeaking in response and wriggling out of the hug. Kori giggled and rested against his grandpa, and the two laid there while holding each other. Though she was trying not to eavesdrop, Midna couldn’t help but watch the two, a pleasant smile on her face as her son found familiar comfort in someone. She and Link would try their hardest to provide Kori all the comfort they could, but it was nice knowing someone at least knew what he went through, someone close to him. 

The day soon arrived, and Link and Midna decided to share the news of their engagement to a few people. Midna didn’t want many people there at the wedding, simply because she wanted everyone to forget her existence, but she was convinced to invite the resistance, Renado, and Zelda, who wanted to bring Edmund and Amber. Zelda was happy to officiate the wedding, due to her status as the queen and high priestess, which made things easier for the couple. Link offered to give her the Ordonian Bible when the time came, which held wedding instructions inside for Ordonian weddings, and after accepting her role, she left with Hoz. 

Uli was rightfully annoyed that Rusl had snuck out of his cot, but knowing how much comfort it brought Kori, she couldn’t complain too much, and decided to leave to get working on wedding clothes for Midna and Link. 

“When are you having the wedding?” She asked, and Link glanced over at Midna. 

“I’m not sure, when do you want to have it?” 

Midna shrugged. “I don’t know. Soon? I want to have it before… Um…” She rubbed her stomach, and Uli cocked her head to the side.

“Midna… are you…?” She started softly, and she nodded, not elaborating on the baby’s father, which Link couldn’t blame her for. She’d have to explain her status as the queen as well to do that. Uli’s eyes widened, clearly not knowing how to feel in the moment, but she eventually smiled and grabbed Midna’s hand. “That’s so exciting! Do you need anything? Are you feeling alright?”

Midna nodded, smiling. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Well, give me a few weeks and I’ll have some nice wedding clothes for you.”

“Don’t rush yourself, Uli—”

“Nonsense! I can get this done soon! Maybe I’ll get help from others but…” she laughed. “I’ll do it. I want to.”

“Well, thank you, Uli. You’re very kind for doing that,” Midna said. 

“Will you two be doing the big wedding then?” Uli asked, and Midna glanced over at Link. She was going to let Link make all the wedding decisions—she didn’t care about anything besides getting married to him.

“Ordonian weddings last for three days,” he explained to her, “the first day we go hunting and prepare for a feast, the next day we make a meal for each other and dance and stuff, then on the final day we get married.”

Midna frowned. “Oh.”

“It’s a lot of preparation,” he added, then shrugged. “I uh… don’t really want to do all of it.”

“I’m doing whatever you're doing, Link,” Midna said, her hands raised. “Twili rarely have weddings so I don’t know what’s going on.”

Link grinned, nodding his head. “Alright. I think we’ll just have the wedding itself then. No parties or anything. I’d rather keep it more… intimate, if that’s alright.”

“I think that’s wonderful,” Uli said. “I’ll head out and start preparing for it. I need to take care of things in Ordon anyways.”

“Will you be ok?”

“I’m taking Rela and Colin with me. I’ll be more than ok,” Uli chuckled. “Just make sure that man stays down, otherwise I’ll have to come back and keep him down.” 

Link and Midna glanced over to see Rusl still fast asleep with Kori beside him, and they laughed.

“I’ll make sure, ma,” Link said with a wink, and with that, his ma got up and began collecting her things. As she left, Kori sat up in his cot, staring at his parents.

“What’s happening?” He asked.

“Your mother and I are getting married,” Link explained, and their son frowned.

“Aren’t you already married?”

The parents laughed, looking at each other for a moment before shaking their heads.

“No, we’re not.”

“Why?”

They looked at each other again, this time more seriously. Midna never cared for weddings, but she truthfully was… scared to make such a commitment. Her love for Link never left no matter what, but she was afraid that something would happen that would break the commitment. For Link, it took a long time for him to feel comfortable with continuing their relationship before. Midna was scared she’d have to leave them, and Link was scared to be heartbroken again. They needed to grow more comfortable with their situation, and with each other. 

“It didn’t feel right,” Midna muttered, fidgeting with her hands. “But it does now.”

“Nothing will change for you, Kori,” Link reassured when their son was looking uneasy. “You’re still our son, and we’re still your parents. We’re just a bit more… official I suppose.”

Kori nodded, still not looking like he understood, and Link chuckled.

“You’ll understand when you’re older.” 

Kori frowned slightly, but he didn’t continue the subject, instead he got out of bed and began playing with his kitten, all while his parents happily watched. There was more hope for them now, a contentment that wasn’t entirely there before. Unease was always there in the relationship, an unknowing future that filled the two with anxieties. But now it was gone.

Now there was hope for their futures.

~~~

A few weeks later, Midna stared at herself in the mirror in Rusl and Uli’s home, twisting her body to get a better look at the wedding dress Uli made for her. She didn’t know how she felt about it; it somewhat matched the style of her normal clothes, but it was a brilliant white with yellow accents, which was traditional for Ordon weddings. Midna never wore white, with black clothes being the norm in her world. The wedding dress was gorgeous no doubt, but she couldn’t tell if it looked good on her. 

The door opened, Rusl entering with a gentle smile on his face.

“We’re all waitin’ for you,” he said, resting against the door frame with his arms crossed. “Is everything alright?”

Midna sighed, smoothing out the white fabric. “Does this look stupid?”

Rusl raised an eyebrow, walking inside and closing the door. He looked over her, taking in the details before letting out a laugh.

“I don’t know what you’re worried about. You look beautiful!” He poked at her long, flowing sleeve, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. “You look good in white!”

She couldn’t help but smile, staring at the white sleeves. They flared out at the ends, turning into a soft yellow with intricate designs embroidered into them. She wore a long white skirt with a yellow wrap, and a veil attached to her heavy headdress, bits of jewelry draped all over her. Despite being royalty her whole life, she truly felt fancy in the garb she was wearing. Uli was amazing.

“Uli outdid herself,” Rusl muttered, almost as if he read her thoughts, and she smiled, nodding in agreement. He gave her a look before glancing at the door, suddenly looking uneasy. “Are you sure you want me to walk you down the aisle?”

Midna was taken aback, staring at Rusl’s light blue eyes. “Isn’t that tradition for Ordon?” She asked, and Rusl shrugged.

“It’s tradition for the father of the bride to walk her down the aisle.”

She looked down, feeling her face grow warm. “Y-yeah… but…” she fiddled with her curled hair that laid against her chest, biting her lip. “You mean a lot to me, Rusl. You’re the closest I have to a father.”

Rusl’s gaze softened, and he smiled gently at her. “Well, I’m glad I can be that for you.” He held out his hand, gesturing for Midna to take it. “Now come on. You look amazing, so don’t worry about it.”

Midna pursed her lips, still feeling like she wasn’t ready, but there really wasn’t much else she could do, and she took Rusl’s hand, jumping into his shadow as he left the house. None of the other Ordonians were out it seemed, so Rusl was able to sneak into Link’s clearing, not having to explain his traditional yellow clothes he wore. When they were clear, she popped out of his shadow, looping her arm around his as they began walking to the Ordon spring, her heart beating faster every step she took. Then they turned the corner, and it felt like the dread left her instantly. 

To the left of the spring was Rusl’s family, all standing in matching yellow outfits, smiling when she came into view. Next to them were Auru and Renado, who didn’t have the yellow clothes, but they looked cleaned up, both smiling at Midna, a bit more awkwardly though. To the right stood King Edmund and Princess Amber, both looking uneasy, but clearly trying to hide it, with Hoz next to them for protection along with other soldiers circling the spring. Then Ashei and Shad stood side-by-side, holding hands and smiling less awkwardly at Midna, and right in front of her, below a wooden archway, were Zelda, Kori and Link. Her breath hitched when she saw Link, his hair tied into a braid that laid at his side, his clothes a brilliant white matching her own, with his Ordon obi a soft yellow. A transparent veil trailed behind him, clipped to his shirt, and his eyes widened when they locked eyes, his face turning red. Midna couldn’t help but giggle quietly. He was so cute.

Kori grinned at his mother when she walked up to them, him following Rusl when they grabbed hands and stood by the rest of the family. Link’s neck craned to look up at her, his eyes holding awe and amazement in them. With the couple together, Zelda opened the big Ordonian Bible, reading a passage from it in a monotone voice, but Midna wasn’t listening. She didn’t understand it fully, and she was lost in Link’s eyes, everything around her fading away. 

“Link, do you take Midna to be your lawfully- wedded wife, to stick with her through sickness and health, to be sealed to her past death?” Zelda asked, and Link’s eyes never left Midna’s.

“I do.”

“And Midna,” she turned to her, and a spike of panic went through her heart. “Do you take Link as your lawfully-wedded husband, to stick with him through sickness and health, to be sealed to him past death?”

Midna blinked. “That’s why I’m here.”

She felt herself cringe as the words came out of her mouth. “That’s why I’m here?” Why did she say that? That wasn’t the thing she had to say! She glanced at Link, her eyes wide and her face growing red in embarrassment, and he laughed. Not a mocking laugh, but a laugh as if he was expecting her to say such a thing, a laugh that showed that he loves every bit of her, even when she said stupid things at her own wedding. A laugh that comforted her to her core. 

“Yes,” she quickly said, before adding, “I do.”

Zelda smiled warmly at her, nodding at the two before looking back at the book she was holding.

“As the representative of Ordona and the golden three, I hereby pronounce you both as husband and wife. You may now kiss—“

Link immediately stood on his toes, grabbing Midna’s neck and pulling her down, pressing his lips against hers. She reciprocated instantly, her arms wrapping around him as they kissed each other. It felt amazing.

“—the bride,” Zelda added in an annoyed voice, and Link’s family all began cheering, the boys going crazy as Link grabbed Midna’s waist, dipping her down and kissing her again. Midna couldn’t help but laugh against Link’s lips, him pulling away and laughing with her.

Kori ran up to the two, excitement in his little eyes, and Link helped Midna up, picking up their boy and hugging him tightly. The newly wed couple then kissed both sides of Kori’s cheeks, causing him to giggle.

“We’re a family now!” He cheered, and Link scoffed affectionately, ruffling his hair.

“You silly, we’ve always been a family!” 

“And we’ll never stop being a family,” Midna added, and Kori giggled.

“Yeah yeah,” he said in a sassy tone, and Link raised a brow.

“Midna, I think you’re rubbin’ off on him,” he joked, and Midna laughed.

“Me? I can’t be fully blamed!” she argued, poking his ribs and making him squeal. Midna and Kori busted out laughing as Link gave them an annoyed smile, and the two parents hugged each other tightly, Kori in between them. With the sunshine, in the spring, her family around her, Midna truly felt like she was in heaven, something she hadn’t felt in so long. A deep love was in her that she hadn’t felt since she and Link made love that night many years ago, but it was here now, and this time it wasn’t going to go away. 

They were silent as they held each other, the guests all chattering excitedly, and Kori sniffled, his grip tightening on them.

“I love you guys,” he whispered, and the parents melted into him, the world around them vanishing as it was just them together.

“We love you too,” they whispered, Midna suddenly feeling emotional. There was hope for the future now.

The End.

[choccy-milky]

chap 2 of flames and fairies is out!!

i made a post about it before, but its an AU of my fic written by beekaybee in the pokemon universe🥹 and i had to draw this scene bc its my fav LMAO, i love the idea of clora's dad lecturing this cute little pokemon to keep her safe BAHAH💖😭

also to this anon I AGREE!! ITS ONLY GETTING BETTER!! so go show some love to beekaybee on ao3 if you have time as well!!🙏💖💖nothing motivates someone to write like comments!😤

[philtstone]

psych is goated show of all time for its hyperspecific past episode references but literally none of them gets me in hysterics on the floor like that one episode a full season after the telenovela case when lassiter and juliet go to some random russian laundromat on a lead and theres a grainy blown up picture of chad. like. printed out on printer paper. on the wall. in the laundromat. and the russian lady at the desk looks lassiter dead in the eye and says 'i want to have his babies' with so much longing

[paperfen]

Torbek says to keep yourself safe, but theres more art below the cut! CW: Scars and discussion of surgery

Fun Fen Fact! Some back surgeries require surgeons to go through the abdomen, and although newer research is showing the complications of doing so, I don't think feywild witchlight doctors really care about that! :) In my own personal headcanon (hehehe) I say that Torbek has quite a large scar on his back and a thin long scar on his abdomen where the tubing of the witchlight was pulled through and grafted to his body tissue and possibly organs. Each of the scars that has a witchlight tube connected to it constantly seems infected and angry. Both because Torbek messes with his tubes a lot and because his body is still aggravated by the witchlight. The only scar that has healed somewhat cleanly is the scar on his front, which will probably eventually grow fur again in time once Torbek stops picking at the scabs (so me fr). The notch in his ear is from him ripping out the tag that was once in it. His right paw is more or less permanently disfigured and discolored, being the dominant hand that he would use for combat and therefore being the most witchlight-manipulated. The visible veins of witchlight on his right claws glow and pulse, sometimes entirely seeming to disappear. I really really really wish I knew how his canisters work I want to know their mechanical secrets so BADLY!!! I'm only up to ep 34 im dying to learn the secrets of the Torbek I also find it extremely amusing that I did the lineart for the warning but not the lineart for the actual piece that the warning is for LMAO

[atalienart]

✧*:･ﾟArt summary 2024

2014-2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021

[mosquitobible]

[cintipede]

Martin Blackwood's terrible, no good, very bad 19th november (iteration #67)

fanart based on @formiana 's time loop fic! go check it out its incredible