Summary:

A storm is brewing, and Time wakes long enough to settle the campsite, intending to go straight back to sleep -- but too much thunder is far too much for a half-asleep Veteran.

Rated G, for being whump if you squint....? Hurt/Comfort, agere (by implication) Legend, and the awkward Dad!Time I sometimes write with him.

More Linked Universe fluff, sorry mutuals who don't have a clue what's happening.

A/N Okay, so writing Wind is not my strong suit (or Time, ngl) so I needed this practice and I hope I did okay! The world in BotW is by far my favorite Hyrule out there, and I think it’s just absolutely beautiful and the perfect backdrop for a soft, fluffy scene like this - hope it’s okay I didn’t spring for Outset Island or Time’s Hyrule, but thanks for the request anon! Sorry it took so long!

Writing Song Choice: “Darkside” by Sam Tinnesz

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Time stirred from where he found himself tangled in a mass of Links, limbs and blankets next to Twi. He cracked his eye open and saw Wild curled up to Twi’s back, his fingers intertwined with the pelt over Twi’s shoulders. Sky was sprawled out with his sailcloth unceremoniously draped across his chest, leg slung over Wild’s waist and a thin line of drool sliding from the corner of his open mouth. War’s arm had flopped over Four’s waist and a loose thread on his blue scarf trying to snake into his mouth that flickered in time with his quiet breathing. Four’s head had somehow ended up on Sky’s stomach, and he was curled up under a portion of the sailcloth that made their smallest hero appear even smaller.

His ears picked up the quiet sound of snoring, and he turned his head to see Legend prod Hyrule with his elbow and roll over. Neither one of them seemed awake, and the even breathing of Legend and snoring of Hyrule confirmed it.

Time didn’t mind the soft smile that involuntarily crossed his face at all of the Great Heroes quietly (except for Hyrule) sleeping in the most un-heroic ways possible. They certainly deserved it. They had landed in Wild’s Hyrule that afternoon, and immediately been thrown into a messy battle with a camp of black moblins. No one had been seriously hurt, thank Hylia, but they were all tired from the battle and the switch, so Time had no qualms about letting them set up camp and bed down early.

He contemplated the likelihood that he could borrow Wild’s slate, figure out how to take one of those pictographs that Wind and Wild were always swapping with each other, and return it without waking any of the others. He decided the likelihood he could even figure out how to work the slate, and was about to let himself drift off again.

Wait, Wind. Where’s Wind?

A quick look at the sky told him it was likely Wind’s watch (which he ended up taking after Time and Twi had to effectively force Wild to sleep a full night for once.) Time took a quick look around and the rustling leaves alerted him to Wind’s blue lobster tunic sneaking away from camp with a bottle in-hand - likely one of Twi’s based on the shape.

His interest piqued, Time gently extricated himself from Twilight’s grip and slid his bag in his protege’s sleeping arms as he muttered at the sudden absence of warmth. Carefully stepping back and nearly falling over a log, he cast a glance back to the mass to see that each hero was still sleeping soundly. With a relieved sigh, he grabbed his sheathed sword, just in case, and followed Wind through the underbrush.

He emerged from the treeline and immediately spotted Wind sitting in the grass. He couldn’t help but gasp at the sight before him.

Wind was sitting in the grass with his feet splayed in front of him, leaning on his hands and looking at the sky. Gently illuminating the rolling hills of vibrant green grass were thousands upon thousands of fireflies, each pulse of light sending pinpricks of warm yellow light across the space. Fireflies seemed to cluster around Wind’s hair and tunic, and Time heard a soft laugh from their youngest.

“Oh, hey Time, check it out!” He couldn’t help but jump at the sound of Wind’s voice as he realized the teen had turned to look at him. He set his biggoron sword on the grass and walked over to join Wind in the grass.

“I saw you sneak out,” Time said with a pointed glance, but it held no malice and Wind just laughed.

“Yeah, I know, but I remember Wild once mentioned fireflies in his Hyrule and I wanted to see them.”

Time hummed and had to admit to himself that the fireflies were beautiful. He couldn’t really blame Wind for sneaking out to see them. They fell into a companionable silence as the soft points of light lazily floated around them, spots of gold to contrast the plethora of glittering silver stars above them.

Wind broke the silence as he begun to worry at a blade of grass. “Sorry for sneaking out when it’s my watch… You think the others will be okay?”

Time hummed and smiled. “They’ll be fine, we’ll just keep an ear out for any trouble. Wild said that the monsters here need their beauty rest, too.”

He saw Wind smile out of the corner of his eye and the blue-clad hero sat up. “Man, I thought Outset Island had a lot of fireflies, but it doesn’t have nearly as many as this.”

Time hummed again in response, eye slowly drifting shut again before it was interrupted by Wind leaning over him and holding up the pilfered bottle.

“Hey Time,” he said with a mischievous smile as he lightly shook the bottle in his hands excitedly, “you wanna catch a few?”

Time got a better look at the bottle in Wind’s hands and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that Pup’s?”

Wind blinked before realizing who Time was talking about. He looked a bit sheepish. “Oh, yeah, but mine are all full of red potion and he had this one he wasn’t using and I was gonna let them go after catching them anyways so he’ll get it back…” he was cut off by Time chuckling.

“I don’t think he’d mind you borrowing an unused bottle. I was just curious.”

“Oh.”

There was a pause.

“Wild said catching fireflies in his Hyrule was just like catching fairies, but I don’t think he uses a bottle for either so…”

Time rolled his eye with a grin. “Go put a firefly in a bottle, Wind, we still have an hour or two before dawn and you can show the others.”

Wind gave a little whoop in victory before trying various different ways of obtaining a firefly - stealth, jumping and grabbing, with his hands, with the bottle - but continuously came up short. He plopped back on the grass next to Time with a huff.

“They’re a lot faster here than on Outset.”

Time laughed a bit and put a supportive hand on Wind’s shoulder. He couldn’t ignore the small spike of anxiety when he saw a spark light up in Wind’s eye and the teen swiveled to stare at him.

“You should help me - with two of us, I’m sure we could catch a whole bunch of them!”

Time blinked and didn’t get a chance to respond before Wind was pulling him to his feet and dragging him off towards the migrating cluster of fireflies. “You try to herd them towards me and I’ll grab a few!”

And that was how a rush of panicked heroes found the two missing members of their party, with the stoic Time gracelessly falling down a hill as he tried to chase down a glowing bug. Wind jumped off the hill with a flourish of his bottle, and landed in a mess of limbs as he got tangled up with Time, and triumphantly held up the bottle with a holler. Two warm pulses of light flickered on and off inside their temporary glass home.

Twi approached his mentor and their youngest laying in an undignified, laughing heap on the ground, hands on his hips and a smile crossing his features.

“Isn’t that one of my bottles?” he laughed.

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