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linkedkeysau-official · 2 years

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Whumptober 2022- Linked Keys edition

Day 7- Shaking hands/silent panic attack/seizures (+ art)

Mask knew it wasn't going to be a fun day. He felt congested, and achy, and just all around not good, not to mention tired— as he had gone yet another night without sleep— but even more so than usual. Immediately he could tell he was coming down with a cold or some kind of illness. His throat burned as he tried to take a drink of water, and his nose was so stuffed up that he could only breathe through his mouth. Yeah he definitely must have caught something during the group's travels. Still, it wasn't like he couldn't function. It sucked, but he had pushed through tougher days than this. As such, he did his best to act normally as he went to join the other heroes for breakfast.

"Morning, Sprite. Sleep well?" Warriors asked. Mask shrugged, sitting down on the ground without a word.

"Did you sleep at all? Cuz kid… no offense but you look like shit." Wild commented, soon turning his attention back to the eggs he was cooking.

"I… slept." Mask hesitantly lied. Warriors gave him a look.

"Okay maybe I didn't sleep as much as I should have but I'm fine. Really!" Mask rolled his eyes. Warriors let out a sigh,

"Fine. As long as you're not using that damned mask again." Mask knew exactly what he was talking about: the All-Night mask, which prevents the wearer from sleeping as long as it's on, and which Mask had used to intentionally deprive himself of sleep for the sake of not having nightmares. Was that potentially a reason for him getting sick now? Yeah. But Mask would rather have a cold for a short time than be plagued with nightmares every night.

"Alright, it's done. Who wants some fried eggs and rice?" Wild called out to the rest of the camp. Several hands went up. Others, who had still been asleep, rose groggily upon either hearing something about eggs or smelling the food itself and knowing breakfast was ready. Mask hadn't eaten since the early lunch they had yesterday, but for some reason his appetite didn't perk up when he saw the food. He couldn't even smell it, his nose was so clogged. Wild offered him a plate anyway, and Mask shook his head in refusal, but Warriors spoke up on his behalf.

"He'll have some too." The captain turned to his adopted son, "You need to eat something. We're going to be walking all day, and it's not good to be active like that and not eat anything beforehand."

"M'not hungry." Mask muttered.

"I didn't ask. At least eat some of it. I'll eat what you don't want, but you need to at least have some of both the egg and the rice." Warriors said firmly, handing Mask the plate of food. Mask groaned, but didn't argue. Instead he began absentmindedly picking at the contents of his plate, trying to get the motivation to take a bite.

"Everyone, eat quickly. We need to be on the road as soon as possible if we're going to make it back to Harbortown before dark." Time announced. They needed to get back to their ship so they could sail out to their next destination, and every day they wasted on land was another that Nihrie was gathering power, making their quest a little bit harder, and posing more and more of a threat to the innocent people of this world.

"Come on, Time. We've been moving around nonstop since we got back to this island. Can't we rest just this once?" Paint whined.

"Yeah, we won't be able to help anyone if we're all too sore and tired to move, let alone fight." Wind agreed.

"You can rest on the ship. It's going to be a long trip north to that volcanic island anyway. You all have endured far, far worse than a few days of walking. It is a mild discomfort, it won't kill you to go one more day." Time said firmly. Several groans came after this announcement, but nobody argued. Everyone knew the Hero of Time's stubbornness was nearly unmatched. As if to demonstrate this, his younger counterpart was still dragging his feet with breakfast.

"Mask, hurry up and eat! You haven't taken a single bite yet!" Warriors scolded.

"I'm. not. Hungry." Mask argued, "Told you that already."

"Well, too bad. I am not going to watch you starve yourself again, so either you start eating or I will feed that to you like a baby."

"Ugh, fine!" Mask groaned. He didn't feel like eating, but he really didn't want the embarrassment of being fed like an infant. Warriors had proven that he can and will resort to that method, and Mask didn't really want to repeat that experience, so he reluctantly shoveled a bite of egg and some rice into his mouth. He could hardly even taste it, though he wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse right now. He glanced over at Warriors, continuing to force his food down until the captain looked content.

"Can I be done now?" Mask whined,

"Sure." Warriors sighed, taking the plate from him to finish it himself. He wished there was a better way to get Mask to eat. The kid had a horrible habit of ignoring his own needs, and it has more than once resulted in severe sleep deprivation, near-starvation, and more often than not, pushing himself to the point of literal collapse before he would admit he was not okay. Warriors tried his hardest, but the fact was sometimes the Sprite simply didn't want to eat. And Warriors couldn't force him to without physically shoving food down his throat. The kid's stubbornness was concerning, but it had always kept him going when things got almost too tough to handle.

And yet, while this behavior wasn't out of the ordinary for Mask, Warriors couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something the kid wasn't telling him, or anyone for that matter. He just couldn't figure out what. All he knew was that Mask was moving a bit more sluggish than usual. It could very well be leftover tiredness from the night before, and Warriors tried to convince himself he was worrying for nothing, but given the Sprite’s track record, his instincts were telling him there was something else.

"You're not sick, are you, Sprite?"

"Huh?" Mask asked, so surprised at how fast his dad had guessed the truth that he didn't have time to think of a lie, "M-Maybe. It's just a cold, though. I'll be fine." He confessed. Warriors stared at him skeptically before shrugging,

"If you say so. But promise me that if you start feeling worse you'll tell me, okay? I don't want you pushing yourself too hard if you're getting sick."

"'Kay. I will." Mask nodded. He probably wasn't going to. Admitting that he felt bad would lead everyone else to start babying him. He hated when people treated him like some helpless infant. He'd handled far worse before. He could push through this and just get some rest when they made it to Harbortown.

He moved quite a bit slower than usual. And nobody could miss the near-incessant sniffling and the occasional cough that slipped out. A few times, the others would cast a glance over at him as if to ask if he was okay, but a sharp glare from the kid immediately made them back off. Even at 10 years old, the Hero of Time had his death stare down pat. Honestly he probably would have been fine if things had stayed the way they were. But given the boys' luck thus far, he should have known it would take a turn for the worse.

As the boys reached roughly their halfway point, it began to rain. It started out as a light sprinkle, then became a drizzle, and less than an hour later it was a full-on downpour. The problem was, in the middle of an open field like this— with the chain having left the cover of the forest behind before the rain even started— there was no place the boys could go to find shelter without backtracking almost the same distance they had left to travel. No, it was best to keep going and to tough it out. A little rain never hurt anyone. Well… usually.

Everyone was soaking wet within minutes, including Mask. The young Hero of Time tried to hide it, but it was hard to miss the way he shivered every so often. Out of everyone, he had the least amount of protection from the elements as far as clothing went, in what basically equated to a thin short-sleeved shirt, a pair of shorts, and some oversized boots. He of all people had to be freezing in this weather. And yet when both Wild and Sky offered him their cloak and sailcloth respectively to help shield him from the rain, the kid once again refused their help, even throwing the extra layers onto the muddy ground when they tried to force him to wear them anyway (Sky was very upset that his nice white sailcloth, handmade by his Zelda, had gotten muddy but was assured that it could be washed).

"Hey! Stop! I said I'm fine! I don't need—" Mask shouted as another pair of hands tried to force another piece of extra clothing on him.

"Just wear the damn scarf, Sprite. You're only going to get worse otherwise." Warriors told him firmly. Mask wanted to argue, but he bit his tongue. There was no arguing with dad. Plus he did love that scarf… Always so soft and warm, and a great reminder that Warriors was there— that Mask was safe— whenever he was scared or upset.

"I don't need you all to baby me. I'm fine on my own." Mask grumbled, attempting to hold back another cough.

"It's not us babying you, it's called being smart and making sure nobody freezes in this weather. You don't want to get sicker, do you?" Warriors rolled his eyes. Mask grumbled something under his breath, not wanting to admit out loud that Warriors was right.

"Hey, there's a big tree up ahead, maybe we can stop under there and take a break while we wait for this rain to stop!" Tracks pointed.

"Might not be a bad idea." Time agreed. Everyone ran ahead and gathered underneath the tree that Tracks had pointed out. This being the closest thing they had to a shelter, the boys were glad to at least be out of the worst of the rain, though it was still cold, and many of them were huddling together for warmth.

"Hey, if anyone's hungry, I've got some apples we can munch on while we wait." Wild offered.

"Oh, sweet, thanks!" Wind grinned as he took one.

"Yeah thanks, Wild. I'm starving." Four took one as well. Nearly everyone had taken one, and it was surprising to see just how many of the little red fruits Wild had stored in that crazy Slate of his, but they were grateful for it. A little snack was much appreciated at the moment.

"Want one, Mask?" Wild asked. Mask shook his head.

"You're just not hungry today, are you?" Wild asked. It was strange. Usually the kid would always eagerly gobble up whatever Wild made, sometimes so eagerly that the others feared he may choke. But today he didn't seem interested in Wild's cooking, or somewhat-freshly-picked snacks, at all. Wild wasn't the type to worry, especially about a kid who was already so strange to begin with, but when he would even turn down Wild's cooking, that was a clear sign that something was up.

"You really should have one, Mask. Some fruit would actually help you get over this cold. Not to mention a snack would be good for keeping your energy up." Warriors urged. Mask hesitated, but eventually took one from Wild, nibbling on it slowly. He still wasn't hungry, but if what Wars was saying was right, hopefully this would help to get him back on his feet where he could actually be useful to the group, and not just dead weight— a pathetic lump of sickness— until he recovered.

Another hour passed, and the rain finally stopped. Time and Warriors were now getting everyone ready to go again. The others were thankful for the break, and now more energized than they were that morning. Well, all except Mask. If anything the kid was even more tired than before. No matter how much Warriors tried to urge him to get up, he didn't want to. Fearing this was a sign of the sickness getting worse, Warriors knelt down beside him, gently placing a hand over his son's forehead. It was barely noticeable, but he did seem a bit warmer than normal. Definitely had at least a mild fever, which would certainly explain the sudden reluctance to move.

"Okay, Sprite. Up we go." Warriors, not caring whether or not Mask wanted to be carried, slipped his arms underneath the kid's legs and behind his back. Mask leaned against him, clinging to his tunic as he was lifted up. He buried his face in his father's shoulder, trying to concentrate on the light bouncing as the older hero walked and the warmth and softness of the scarf still around his neck and shoulders, rather than how much everything hurt; His head throbbed, nearly every muscle in his body ached, and he could hardly breathe through his nose at this point. Honestly he was kind of glad to have a break.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was setting by the time the boys reached the town; they'd still somehow made it in perfect time. Half the group then went to stock up on food and supplies for the upcoming voyage while the others went straight to the inn, requesting two of the largest rooms they had (the boys were comfortable enough around each other that they were perfectly fine sharing a room with 7 or 8 others). Warriors had to set Mask down while he reached for his wallet to pay the innkeeper, and from the moment Mask was put back on his feet, he felt a strange sensation through the discomfort he was already experiencing. Lights and colors seemed brighter than they had moments ago. The air around him seemed to chill and heat up drastically at the same time. He stumbled a few times as Warriors walked him up the stairs. Then all of a sudden, he collapsed.

Twilight, his wolflike senses still strong even in his regular form, could vaguely sense that there was something wrong. Something about Mask had changed as Warriors set him down on the ground. He’d known the kid was sick, but this gave him a really bad feeling that it could be worse than anyone anticipated, even if he couldn’t figure out why. Hyrule had gone into the village to stock up on supplies with Wild, Ravio, and Time, and they hadn’t yet returned, meaning the healer wouldn’t be able to help at the moment. The next best person would be Legend. As Warriors and Mask began heading up the stairs, Twilight had alerted the veteran hero to his concerns and asked that he go with them. And what a good thing it was that he did.

Legend saw the kid suddenly collapse in the middle of the hallway. He saw Warriors freeze up as Mask’s body began convulsing violently, as if the kid had completely lost control of his muscles. Legend knew right away what was going on: Mask was having a seizure, and Legend needed to act fast.

“MOVE!!!” He cried, shoving Warriors aside as he rushed towards the kid. He quickly placed his hand underneath Mask’s head so he wouldn’t hit it on the floor and injure himself. With some difficulty, he managed to get the kid laying on his side, as this would ensure that if he vomited, he wouldn’t choke.

“Wars, I need you to–” Legend started to say before he looked back and saw that the captain was still frozen in place, face white as a sheet, staring wide-eyed at the scene before him. He didn’t seem to hear anything Legend said.

“HEY! SOMEONE GO GET HYRULE, NOW! MASK IS… MASK IS IN DANGER!” Legend called out to the other heroes downstairs. He then turned his attention back to the task at hand. How long had this been going on? About 30 seconds? That seemed about right, though to be safe he'd say it was 40. Legend had to keep track of the time; if the seizure didn’t stop within about 2 minutes, there was a much higher chance of it being life-threatening.

50 seconds. Legend could hear a door slam shut downstairs. Hopefully that was someone either going to find Hyrule, or coming back with him.

60 seconds. The convulsions hadn't stopped. Legend kept a close eye on the kid's movements, trying to determine if he was still breathing okay.

70 seconds. It was finally beginning to slow, but that didn't exactly mean Mask was out of the woods yet.

80 seconds. Mask began retching as if he were about to vomit. Legend felt bad as he did so all over the floor, but that could wait until after he knew Mask was safe. Despite his hatred for the Goddesses, Legend was praying to any of them that could possibly reach them in this world that Mask would be okay.

After 90 seconds, it seemed his prayers had been answered. A minute and a half, and Mask finally regained control over his body. Legend breathed a sigh of relief as his body stilled, with the exception of the heavy rising and falling of his chest as he breathed. He was still breathing… they should consider themselves lucky for that. The sound of the door again, followed by hurried footsteps up the stairs caught Legend's attention. Hyrule had returned.

"I heard Mask was in trouble and came as fast as I could. What happened?" The healer asked.

"He had a seizure. And I think it may have been caused by a fever, because he's really warm." Legend explained.

"WHAT?!" Hyrule demanded, rushing to the spot where Legend had been as the latter stood up and made room for him. Indeed the child did feel very warm. It was a relief to see that he was still breathing, and his pulse— while being very fast— was strong. Hyrule used the edge of his sleeve to wipe the bile from the child's face. Mask seemed to have lost consciousness, but hopefully he would wake up in a few minutes.

While Hyrule made sure Mask hadn't injured himself, Legend turned his attention to Warriors. The captain was clearly still not in a good state either, sliding his back down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, head buried in his hands, trembling. Legend could have sworn he heard him sobbing very quietly, as if trying not to be heard. Legend, for once, couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Poor guy must have been scared out of his mind… he thought. It only made sense, seeing your own child in that state and not knowing what caused it or how to help.

"Hey. You okay?" He asked, sitting down facing Warriors. He didn't respond.

"Wars? Captain!" At the word captain, Warriors' head snapped up to face Legend, "Are you okay?"

Warriors didn't know how to respond. He'd never been good at letting himself be emotionally vulnerable in front of others, especially those he was supposed to lead or who looked up to him. It caught him off guard when he realized Legend had seen him crying. But… He couldn't pretend he was okay this time. Not after that. Not after seeing his son collapse, violent convulsions wracking his tiny, frail body, and… him freezing up. Not even being able to move and help. Having to watch Legend take it upon himself to keep his son from hurting himself further. He shook his head, another sob escaping his lips. He was not okay. He mentally kicked himself for admitting it; Legend would probably never let him live it down. The big strong war captain, breaking down and crying over a sick child, even if it was his sick child. But much to his surprise, Legend didn't say anything of the sort. Instead he spoke with an uncharacteristic level of compassion behind his voice.

"Hey. Look at me. I know you were scared, and there is absolutely no shame in it. Your son just had a seizure, you have every right to be scared. In fact I'd be worried if you weren't scared by this. I was too. Look, my hands are still shaking." Legend held out his hands for Warriors to see, and indeed, they were still shaking from the scare that Mask had just given both boys.

"I froze… He collapsed and I just… I froze. I didn't even try to help… He's my son, dammit! I should have done something!" Warriors wailed.

"You were in shock. You looked about ready to faint. You couldn't have done anything in that state. There's a reason I followed you up here, because Twilight had a feeling something would happen, and I was best equipped to handle it in Rulie's absence." Legend explained.

"You did good, Ledge." Hyrule spoke up behind him, "Aside from a small bruise on his right arm, probably from when he fell, he came out almost completely uninjured. And that's good, because that means he's probably gonna recover without issue, provided we can get this fever to go down. You're right, it does seem pretty high. I've got some medicine in my bag downstairs that might help, but we have to wait until he wakes up to give it to him. Until then we should probably have him lay down in a proper bed… Should be safe to move him now. Are you okay to carry him, Wars, or do you need me to? You are looking a little pale—"

"I can do it." Warriors hurriedly replied. He couldn't do anything during the seizure itself; the least he could do was to help the kid through the aftermath. Hyrule nodded in understanding as Warriors made his way back over to where Mask lay, gently lifting him up and carrying him towards one of the rooms the Chain had reserved. As he carefully tucked Mask into bed, wincing at how hot the poor kid's skin felt (way hotter than before), Legend spoke up,

"I'm just confused as to why this happened. I heard that kids usually only get febrile seizures in their toddler years, and only in rare cases. Unless…" Legend turned to Warriors, "Has he been wearing that mask again? The black one that keeps him awake? Sometimes lack of sleep can make it more likely for this to happen."

"Shouldn't be. I thought Time said he was going to take it away." Warriors replied.

"Search his bag. He might have stolen it back." Warriors did just that, looking through the collection of masks the kid had inside. He recognized most of them, but hadn't seen the kid use them much: there was the Deku mask, the Goron mask, the Zora Mask, the Fierce Deity mask (it took a lot of self control to keep Warriors from just taking that one away, but the kid has needed it before as a last resort), the Bunny hood, Keaton mask, Brehmen mask… then he saw it. The literal torture device that his kid insisted on keeping for some goddess-forsaken reason, designed to prevent sleep for the wearer, the All-Night mask. He pulled it out of Mask's bag and showed it to Legend.

"Yeah that one. If he took it back, there's a good chance he's still been using it." Legend told him. Warriors cursed silently. He hated this damned mask even more than the Fierce Deity, or the Blast mask (which he had confiscated a few weeks ago after the Sprite nearly blew himself up with it). He hated the pain it caused his son, who wore it more often than could possibly be healthy even for an adult, to escape sleep for the sake of avoiding nightmares. If this thing was part of the reason for Mask's seizure, there was no way Warriors could let him keep it. He'd hide it better, and ensure that Mask couldn't get ahold of it again. He was not going to let this happen again.

"I can take it. I'll find a place to put it where he can't get it." Legend offered. Warriors nodded as he handed over the mask. He then sat down on the edge of the bed beside his son. His face was flushed and his hair stuck to the sweat on his forehead. Warriors gently brushed aside his bangs, staring at the kid's calm, peaceful face. At least he didn't seem to be in too much pain.

"I'm back. How's he doing?" Legend asked, returning to the room.

"Still unconscious, still got a fever… Not much has changed." Warriors muttered sadly.

"Well, I brought this. Hopefully this'll help bring his fever down a bit, at least until he's alert enough to take that medicine." Legend handed Warriors a cool, wet cloth, which the other carefully laid over Mask's forehead. Mask had been unconscious for a while, it seemed like. Perhaps it felt longer for Warriors because of his worry, but he was almost certain this was taking longer than it should have. A million questions flooded his mind in the midst of his anxiety. What if Hyrule was wrong? What if there was something else going on, and Mask wasn't going to get better? What if…?

"Ledge? Do you think… He might have another seizure? You said it was probably because of the fever and that hasn't gone down at all. I'm just… I'm just worried. I hate seeing him like this. I hate seeing him suffer. And… I don't know if I could take it if he were to have another—"

"He'll be fine. I promise. As soon as he wakes up, we'll get Hyrule, get him some medicine, and hopefully the fever will go down. You heard what Rule said, he didn't hurt himself or anything, meaning that chances are, he'll be just fine. You hear me? Mask will be fine. He will recover from this."

"But he hasn't woken up yet. Hyrule said he should wake up in a few minutes—!" Warriors tried to argue before Legend gripped his shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes,

"He will be okay. I promise. Rulie and I are not going to let anything happen to him, but you're not doing him or anyone else any good by wondering 'what if'. You need to trust me and Hyrule. You need to trust that we will make sure Mask recovers. Can you do that?" Warriors nodded in understanding, though the tears welling up in his eyes told a different story. Legend would never normally do this, especially not to Warriors, but… Whenever Mask was concerned, it seemed to be the only time the two could ever get along, and sometimes in his concern for the kid, Legend did things he wouldn't normally do; He pulled Warriors into a hug.

Warriors was taken aback by this, but returned the embrace, burying his face in the other hero's shoulder and just letting the tears fall. He really hoped Legend didn't mind this, but if he did, he'd just have to deal with it, because Warriors couldn't stop. Or at least until he suddenly heard a soft groan behind him. Warriors quickly pulled away from Legend, turning around to see Mask just beginning to stir. Bleary sapphire eyes opened, immediately coming to focus on Warriors.

"Dad…?"

"Hey, Sprite. How are you feeling?" Warriors asked, trying to hide the fact that he'd just been crying, internally cringing at the way his voice cracked at nearly every other word.

"Cold. Tired. What… What happened?" Mask asked. Warriors hesitated. He should have assumed the kid wouldn't remember what happened, but he wasn't sure he had the strength to tell him. How could he tell Mask what really happened when he could barely think about it himself?

"You… Passed out. You must have been exhausted, with you being sick and walking as much as we did today…" Legend told him. Not technically a lie, but a stretch of the truth that was probably easier for the kid's brain to handle right now.

"It's okay though. You're safe, Hyrule will be back with some medicine, and we'll ask Time if we can postpone the voyage to the next island, so you're free to stay here and recover properly. Okay?" Warriors said, putting a hand against his kid's (still warm) cheek. Mask nodded. He would have tried to argue, but felt too shitty to do so. He was so exhausted, and his body ached so much that he probably couldn't even get out of bed if he tried.

"Oh, that reminds me, I should go down and let Hyrule know Mask is awake." Legend got up and left the room quickly, knowing Warriors probably wanted a moment alone with his kid. Once he was gone, Mask spoke up again,

"I didn't just pass out, did I?" He asked suspiciously, "You were crying… You never cry unless it's really bad." Warriors let out a sigh. He should have known Mask would figure it out. He was a smart kid, very perceptive. Sometimes Warriors forgot just how perceptive.

"...No. You didn't just pass out. You…" Warriors paused, trying to figure out how to get the words out, "You had a seizure, Sprite. Legend and Hyrule think it might have been caused by the fever… As well as a lack of sleep." Warriors told him.

"O-Okay! Fine. I took the All-Night mask back and… I have been using it." Mask confessed, "But I didn't know this was going to happen, I swear!"

"I know. And I'm not mad at you, Sprite. Nobody knew this was going to happen. Honestly you scared me half to death tonight…"

"M'sorry." Mask muttered.

"Hey. Don't apologize. Like I said, nobody could have seen this coming. Except Twilight, in the last minute before you collapsed, but that's beside the point. I am not mad at you." Warriors said firmly, cradling his son's face in his hands, "Though I did confiscate the mask."

"And this is why we accept whatever people are offering you to cover up when you're sick and stuck outside in the rain," Warriors wanted to add, but held himself back. Mask didn't need a lecture right now. That could wait until he was all better.

"That's fair." Mask shrugged weakly. He was a little disappointed, but he knew it was probably for the best anyway. It hurt to use, and if it was going to cause him to get sick and have seizures due to sleep deprivation, he was better off without it. Mask felt awful, both physically, and for the pain he had put his dad, and Legend, and Hyrule, and whoever else witnessed it through. He knew they'd never accept his apology for it, but he still felt as if it were all his fault. Now he was going to be the reason the next leg of their journey would be postponed.

"Hey. Quit with that look. I know that look, you're trying to blame yourself for all this. You didn't choose to get sick. It just happens. And it could have happened to anyone. Hylia knows we're all absolutely awful at taking care of ourselves. It was just bad luck that it happened to be you. So stop blaming yourself for this, alright?" Warriors gave a small smile as he playfully booped Mask's nose. Mask couldn't help but smile back. Seeing him happy, even as sick as he was, made Warriors feel as if a massive weight the size of Ganon himself had been lifted off his chest. If even he could smile at a time like this, then there was no way things wouldn't get better.

"Is he still awake?" Hyrule suddenly asked from the doorway as he and Legend entered the room, the former holding a bottle of some dull green— almost pond scum green— liquid.

"Yeah, come on in." Warriors said.

"Let me take this… and I'll get some more cold water for ya, kiddo." Legend grabbed the now lukewarm cloth from Mask's head and ran back out while Hyrule approached the side of the bed, pulling the cork out of the bottle. Mask grimaced as the strong smell of… was that grass? The strong smell of what Mask imagined old, wet, rotting grass would smell like filled the room. He could assume that was the medicine Warriors had mentioned, and he was really hoping it wasn't the kind he had to drink. Just the sight of it made him want to throw up, again (he knew he had before because of the taste in his mouth when he woke up. Still probably better than what this medicine would taste like, though).

"Here, drink this. It'll help with the fever and all that." Hyrule tried to hand it to him, but Mask recoiled at the gesture, not wanting to take it from him.

"Mask. You need to drink it. Do you need me to help you?" Warriors asked.

"It smells like death!" Mask protested.

"Yes, but it's actually the opposite. This is going to help you feel better, I promise. You know I wouldn't be giving it to you if it wasn't going to help." Hyrule urged. Mask still refused, crinkling up his nose in disgust.

"Oh for the love of Nayru, Sprite…" Warriors sighed exasperatedly, snatching the bottle from Hyrule's hand, "Can you sit up?" He asked the child. Mask shook his head in refusal.

"Mask. Sit up. I'm gonna give you five seconds to cooperate, and then I'm going to have to use force." Warriors warned.

"Wars, don't—" Hyrule butted in nervously.

"I'm not actually going to hurt him, Rule! What kind of monster do you think I am? I'm his father, I love him, I could never hurt him. I just need him to drink this and sometimes the only way to overcome his stubbornness is—"

"I can't!" Mask whined. Tears were brimming his big sapphire eyes, face screwed up as if he were holding back a sob, "I can't sit up. H-Hurts to move… It… It hurts…!" At those words, the obvious sincerity painted so clearly on Mask's face, Warriors' frustration melted, replaced immediately with remorse.

"I… I'm sorry, Sprite. Here. I'll help you." Warriors said, slipping a hand underneath the child's back and gently pushing him to a sitting position. Hyrule moved the pillows behind him to prop him up. Warriors then carefully raised the bottle to the kid's mouth, but again Mask turned away.

"Mask, please… I need you to drink this. I know it smells awful and it probably tastes awful too, but it will make you feel better, I promise." He begged.

"I don't wanna—!" Mask argued. He felt fine other than the fever and the aching. Why couldn't he just sleep it off?

"You have to!" Warriors urged, a little harsher than he meant to.

"Why?! Why can't I just sleep this off?!" Mask yelled back.

"BECAUSE—!" Warriors started to scream back, before he caught himself, realizing that getting into a shouting match with his sick son wouldn't help anything, "Because I'm scared, Sprite. You are really sick, and… I don't want to risk you having another seizure, or something worse. I don't want to lose you, Mask. So please, I am begging you. Drink the medicine. Even if it tastes horrible, you have to drink it."

It wasn't often that his dad actually admitted to being scared. It was about as rare as him letting himself cry; only when things were really, really bad. Because of this, Mask decided to just suck it up and drink the very smelly contents of the bottle. He turned his head back towards his dad, opening his mouth just enough that he could pour the liquid in. Mask immediately wanted to spit it out. It tasted far worse than it smelled, indescribably bad. Still, he forced himself to swallow, praying that the taste would leave his mouth soon.

"I'm back." Legend announced as he returned to the room once again, cloth re-soaked with cold water, and came to sit on Mask's other side, "I talked to Time, told him what happened. He agrees that we should stay at least another day or two until Mask recovers."

"Good. I think we could all use the extra rest anyway." Warriors nodded in agreement. Legend turned his attention back to Mask, feeling his forehead again.

"Seems like the fever is going down. That's good. Still a little warm, though…" He commented. He gently placed the cloth over the kid's head again. Mask flinched at the initial coolness of it, but after a few seconds it started to feel good against his burning hot skin.

"Hyrule and I got him to drink the medicine, so it should be gone soon. Now all we gotta do is wait…" Warriors sighed, giving a small smile as he gently rubbed his thumb over Mask's cheek. Mask leaned into it, resting his head against his father's hand, eyes beginning to droop sleepily.

"We should let him sleep. A seizure can take a lot out of a person, especially a kid. Plus sleep is the best way for him to get over this sickness." Legend said, noticing this. Warriors nodded in agreement, moving the pillows back so Mask could lay down all the way.

"Sleep well, little Calf." Legend said as he and Hyrule were leaving the room. Mask suddenly reached out, grasping at the end of his father's scarf with what little strength he could muster.

"Can you stay with me? I don't… I don't want to be alone." He whimpered.

"I wasn't going anywhere, Sprite." Warriors promised, curling up on the bed next to his son, "I'm staying here as long as you need me to." He grabbed the child's tiny hand that was still clinging to the dark blue fabric of his scarf, just holding it in his.

"SAILOR! Stop! Don't you dare bother him!" Legend's voice rang out down the hall, coupled with the pitter-patter of little running footsteps, getting closer and closer until a second small figure darted into the room, flopping onto the bed on Mask's other side and promptly throwing his arms around the one he considered a little brother.

"Wind!" Warriors scolded, "What are you doing here?! Mask needs to rest, and you're going to get sick too if you stay here."

"I don't care if I get sick, it's not like we're leaving until he gets better anyway! I just don't want him to be alone!" Wind argued.

"S'okay dad. I don't mind." Mask whispered, half-asleep. Wind snuggled up closer, smiling at his brother's approval. Warriors had no argument. It wasn't like he could force Wind out now.

"Fine. But if you get sick too, that's on you."

"You could get sick too, dumbass." Wind countered, though the word dumbass held a tone of affection and playfulness more than rudeness.

"I'm his father, I get a pass since it’s my job to be here for him.”

“Yeah well, I’m his brother so it’s technically my job too! Unless you’d rather I didn’t care at all.”

“...Touche, sailor.”

“Can you shut up? I’m tryna sleep…” Mask grumbled.

“Sorry, Sprite. I’ll be quiet.” Warriors said quietly, “And you. If you’re gonna stay in here, you better get to sleep too.” He whispered as he poked Wind lightly. All he got in response was a snore, however. Damn, the kid fell asleep fast. Warriors doubted he’d sleep at all tonight, his nerves being far too shot from the events of this evening, but someone needed to keep an eye on Mask anyway. He was glad the two kids were sleeping soundly, however.

“Sweet dreams, Sprite. Sailor.” He whispered.

Also Wolfie cuddles because yes

#linked keys #LK #LK Mask #LK Warriors #LK Legend #LK Hyrule #whumptober2022 #not lu #tw: seizure

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