#thyme! link

Well, he swallows as he finishes making the sandwiches for the picnic he must attend in a few hours, it's more than that.

And Momo knows- he's just being cruel to himself because the whole situation frustrates him.

Thyme is so charming. How dare he.

Behind that stoic look, Momo learns of a soft, gentle, awkward person. Adorably awkward.

He learns of a man who comes up with the worst puns in all Hyrule and to his shame, Momo laughs at them as if they were the wittiest of jokes. He learns of a man who can be both a protective, caring friend-- but also the one asshole friend who would push him into the cold river one afternoon by the end of winter, and then jump right after him, laughing like a maniac.

Thyme is beautiful, too. How dare he.

He learns of a soft eye, and a dead scarred eye that still hold kindness somehow. And a big nose that wrinkles at the bridge whenever Thyme isn't happy or satisfied about something, and nostrils that flare letting out loud sniffles when he's angry or annoyed (and at the beginning of their not-yet-friendship, Thyme was often very annoyed-- at Momo).

He learns of a crooked smile that makes his heart jump and strong scarred hands that hold him as if he's the world's most delicate thing- why, Momo wonders, and then shakes his head.

He knows better than getting any hopes up.

Because he learns too, that Thyme was once a married man, and his heart drops where his stomach is.

Momo has nothing to offer him.

Suddenly the sandwiches don't look so tasty anymore.

And when he walks up to the pond- that cursed pond. Thyme is already there waiting for him, sitting by the edge, his bare feet into the water.

That damned crooked smile plays on his lips when he looks up at Momo, and there's a spark of mischief in Thyme's voice when they greet. It holds a silent promise that Momo may end up thrown into that pond at some point during their picnic.

Momo is honestly okay with that, he admits to himself as he sits beside Thyme and pushes both his feet into the water as well.

And something goes horrible wrong then. Because Momo is still miserable, and it translates in quietness.

Lunch goes on in silence, and Thyme shifts beside him because he's uncomfortable. He's not used to Momo being quiet.

Horse- Thyme's horse whose name is "Horse", snorts behind them and just then Momo realizes she's here. He jumps and blinks and then looks at Thyme, who slowly meet his eyes and he's waiting.

Thyme is bad at starting conversations- has a hard time keeping up with them in general. But he likes listening to Momo, and Momo knows.

And Momo feels even shittier, then. He feels so bad, he's already ruining this.

"I'm sorry" he chokes, and it's the absolute wrong thing to say but it's already out and Thyme's nose wrinkles.

But at least he's given a starter- which Thyme takes, tilting his head and asking, "Are you okay?"

Oh, he's not okay. Momo is so not okay.

He gulps and looks away because Thyme's eye burns into him through his long bangs of hair.

"There's someone I like" he says very softly.

Thyme tenses and shifts again, closer to Momo. And when he speaks, he sounds a little accusatory and Momo shrinks in his place.

"Honey?"

Momo freezes, then he laughs- but comes out as a sob almost. "No" he answers, "it's not Honey."

He's really going to ruin this. Five days after finding out how he feels about Thyme, he's going to ruin months of friendship he worked so hard for and cherished so much. He wishes to shut up and be quiet again, but his throat burns and squeezes every word out of him and he hates this.

"It doesn't matter" he says, and remembers Thyme had once a wife and that he spoke fondly of her. That once Thyme had someone that made him happy. "I have nothing to offer to him."

He looks down at the pond, sees the reflection of his own stupid baby face and remembers each time Thyme called him a kid. He swallows his own bile and feels angry at his own genes.

"I'm ugly, too" he says and it's not what he means, not really. He's just being cruel to himself like he always does when he's frustrated.

"That is a load of bullshit" Thyme says so quickly Momo believes he almost heard him choke. Which is unusual, because Thyme rarely shows any trembling on his voice unless he's holding a laugh, about to prank the life out of a very gullible idiot- which happens to be Momo, in most cases.

But when he looks up Thyme's nostrils are flaring and he looks like he seriously took personal offense on Momo talking shit about his own dumb self. And it's a really hot sight to behold. Damn it.

It takes seconds and their gaze holds, and Thyme relaxes, looks down. One of his hands moves towards Momo's, calloused fingers full of tiny scars grab just one index finger of Momo's and holds it oh so delicately.

"You're very cute" he says with a small voice, and bites the inside of his cheek. Momo's heart jumps and get stuck on his throat and now he can't speak. Thyme's head rises, and he looks so determined when he says, "if a korok and a baby cactus had a child, it'd be you. That's how cute you are."

And Thyme looks like he means it. His face is straight and his eye is dead set on Momo's big, blue ones. Thyme really means what he says.

Behind them, Horse snorts again. Momo feels judged. His sandwich is floating in the pond and he has no idea when it got there.

The hard, dry skin of a thumb brushes against one of his knuckles and it breaks Momo in several pieces. He laughs-- he laughs very hard because holy shit, Thyme has the weirdest standards when it comes to what he finds cute apparently.

He laughs because he was just compared to both a korok and a baby cactus and boy, Thyme has just reached a whole new level of awkward. It goes beyond adorable.

It's kissable. Thyme reached kissable awkward.

His eyes flood with embarrassing, thick tears because wow, he really wants to kiss this man before him a lot. And then it hits him, the horrible realization that he's been wanting to kiss Thyme way before he saw the older man that afternoon washing himself in this pond.

Fucking Hylia- it's bad enough that he names her- the picnic is ruined.

"You're in love, bon-bon" he remembers Hennessy say, with the softest voice he's ever heard in his friend.

Momo is in love. He's very very in love with Thyme and wants him very much.

It sucks.

He sniffles, he's no longer laughing and Thyme looks visibly alarmed. It is when his hands cup Momo's face that the first sob comes out.

"Shit," says Thyme, and Momo agrees.

Worried, Thyme pulls Momo to his chest though, and Momo feels his face pressed to a lot of muscle and a beating heart--- and the picnic doesn't feel all that ruined suddenly.

"What did I do?" Thyme asks, he sounds just as upset as Momo feels. "Fuck. I'm sorry, shit."

Momo shakes his head, which is both to try to reassure Thyme that all is fine, and also because now he gets to rub his face to Thyme's pectorals and when Horse snorts a third time, Momo knows he's being judged.

"It's fine" he stars, "it's just--"

"What?" Thyme's hands do the thing again- holding Momo's trembling shoulders as if Momo wasn't once a cold blooded killing machine like Thyme is, and instead is the most delicate thing in all of Hyrule.

"This is the nicest thing someone has ever said to me before" Momo says, and it's a big, fat lie. He doesn't know this yet, but this will be the only time he'll ever lie to Thyme in his life.

And of course Thyme doesn't believe him. He tenses just slightly, but doesn't insist on Momo's answer. Instead, he wraps his arms around Momo and holds him close, almost pulling Momo into his lap. Lips press to Momo's hair and Thyme's voice drops into something low and soothing that makes Momo's stomach flutter.

"One day you will find someone that will give you what you deserve" Thyme says, and it sounds like a promise-- and a threat, somehow. Thyme is an awkward man. It's cute.

The picnic is going great actually, Momo thinks as he sniffles a lot of snot back into his nose.

It takes minutes and Thyme doesn't let go, his protective hold on Momo doesn't even loosen one bit. Momo exhales a lot of air, and stops shaking.

"You feeling better?" Thyme asks.

Momo nods, rubbing his face to Thyme's chest again. It's been five days and now he's hopelessly unable to keep it to himself and if their friendship survives, then Momo is okay with being a little bit of a pervert. He believes this is the closed he'd ever have to Thyme's intimate affection and he's willing to take anything he's allowed to.

"Good" says Thyme, and his voice trembles again, too. But for a different reason. A familiar one.

And when he leans to the side and throws the both of them into the pond, Momo just lets it happen.

 ** That one time Thyme wanted to die **

 Thyme is waiting outside Hennessy's house. His arms are crossed over his chest to keep himself in check and not punch a wall. He keeps still, wishing the blood will finally drain off his face and he stops feeling so hot.

He doesn't know how to feel, exactly. When Momo said, some months ago, that he was in love- but it wasn't Honey, he spent many nights guessing who could be. The loneliest nights, Thyme fantasized that person was him. Those were really mourning nights for his self respect, but his heart- and other parts of his body- remembers them rather fondly.

But all that hope has been totally crushed when he walked on Momo and Hennessy lying together in bed just minutes ago. Hennessy was on top of Momo and looked pretty proud of himself. Momo was... very Momo-looking. He didn't really fully stop to see how Momo was doing once he recognized him, he felt too ashamed and maybe a little hurt. He stills feels a little hurt, even though he has no right to do so.

He still stays in front of the house, back leaning on his horse, waiting. Like an idiot. He waits until Momo and Hennessy are done doing things he doesn't want to imagine but his mind wanders there anyway. He waits because he still wants to see Momo and hang out with him because it's been a while and he misses his friend.

It shouldn't matter. They're still friends.

It doesn't matter.

When Momo comes out and sees him, his entire face lights up and Thyme forgets for a second that his heart just got broken in the worst possible way. He smiles back.

"Hey you" he says, and when Momo approaches for a hug, Thyme allows it.

Because he's lame and whatever little contact he can get from Momo he'll take it.

At some point in their relationship, Momo had taken a little habit of rubbing his face against Thyme's chest whenever they hug. That's also something Thyme allows because it's probably the closest he'd get to intimacy with sweet, innocent Momo and Thyme is thirsty and pervert.

Then he remembers what he's seen just minutes ago. Momo isn't innocent.

It hurts again, but it heals just a little when he feels how Momo's hair tickles his neck and chin. Momo is still sweet.

He also smells really good.

Stop that.

Momo is just being friendly and affectionate and Thyme is a pervert for enjoying himself too much.

"Hennessy said you came over" Momo starts, as he pulls away. Thyme is disappointed the contact ended and also that his presence wasn't noticed back there, when he loudly entered a bedroom without asking like a troglodyte, and stuttered all over himself at what he saw-- even though it did save him from some humiliation. Momo must have been very focused on whatever they were doing. "You wanted to ride with me?"

Thyme mentally bites back a very, very horrible joke about Momo and riding.

"If you want to?" Thyme offers. He then adds, softly and honest. "I missed you."

Momo stills for the split of a second, and blinks in surprise at him. He recovers very quickly though, and answers with a smile. "I missed you too" and his voice pours with sweetness and Thyme's knees weaken just a little.

There's a short moment of heavy silence between them and Thyme fears a conversation he truly doesn't want to have.

But Hylia is cruel, sometimes.

Momo clears his throat, and looks at the floor. "You... didn't see anything, right?" his face is red and so are his ears, and Thyme knows that Momo knows what that 'anything' means. No, Momo isn't innocent.

"It's fine" Thyme says, surprising himself by keeping a calm voice.

Momo's face gets a little redder, "He was just-" he continues, "teaching me things."

"It's fine" says Thyme again, his throat feels a little tight and so does his chest.

It sucks.

The mood changes suddenly, fortunately, when Momo then turns to the horse, and greets her.

"Hello, Horse" he calls to the mare, and Thyme doesn't correct him.

There are many things he hasn't told Momo yet, starting from Hoe's real name. Or the story behind the scar on his face.

Or that he has the biggest, heaviest, horniest crush on Momo- that's probably not a crush anymore and instead something bigger and more terrifying to admit.

Some things Momo just doesn't have to know ever, Thyme concludes.

Of course they share the horse. Of course Momo takes the reins and Thyme sits behind him and hugs Momo's middle a little tighter than he should.

This is fine, Thyme thinks.

It is not fine.

Because when they go ride away- very away from Hennessy's house, Thyme is painfully aware of everything. What he saw is still very fresh in his mind and his blood boils with something he cannot name- anger? jealousy? horny? maybe all those three mixed up into a white hot ball within his stomach.

He's painfully aware of the fact that finally he can relate the concept of Momo to the concept of sex into one full, stronger concept: Momo is sexual- without it feeling like a really guilty fantasy he's to feel guilty about after a desperate jack off session, on the loneliest nights at the Lost Woods.

And that maybe he's not that much of a pervert for lavishing in the affection of his friend, at the expense of Momo's apparent obliviousness. And that perhaps Thyme is enjoying all the physical contact he's getting as much as he does because Momo knowingly allows it.

That's a terrible thing to think, Thyme believes, Momo has a boyfriend.

Momo would never do that, and Thyme is overthinking everything. Obviously. Totally.

He's also painfully aware that, as they ride together sharing a horse, their hips move together in glorious, tortuous sync.

Thyme corrects himself- this is the closest to intimacy he'd ever get with Momo.

And it feels really, really good. Dangerously good.

Oh no.

Thyme feels whatever hot bullshit in his stomach turn into something softer and less painful, and slide lower into his gut. And he starts to panic real bad.

But his body seems to disengage from every single desperate order his brain gives because he keeps on holding Momo really tight against him.

There's no way Momo wouldn't notice--

"Hey" Momo says, eyes fixed ahead and with a breathless voice. Shit. It's because they're riding. Of course. Shit. "Move your dagger away" and he laughs, "it's poking my butt."

Holy fuck. There is no dagger.

Thyme breathes in very deeply, swallows very hard.

He lived a good life.

Thyme closes his eyes, and stares into the abyss.

"I can't" he says, with an impassive voice still.

Momo laughs again, "Are you scared of letting go and fall?" he teases, but makes Hoe slow down anyway. "Come on, you know I'm a good rider."

There's another horrible joke about Momo and riding that Thyme tries really hard to bite back again. He manages. Barely.

Thyme doesn't have to open his eyes to know Momo let one of his hands off the reins-- because that fucking hand lies on Thyme's fucking thigh and holy fucking shit--

"Do you want me to do it for you?"

And the abyss stares back.

 ** I'd love to nuzzle your balls for the rest of my life if possible thank you very much **

 It feels like Momo just pent hours in the void, even though it's been just seconds when everything went white and his body felt heavy against the sheets. He later realizes, as he regains focus, that the heaviness he feels it's also because Thyme's body is pressed atop his back.

He really likes the weight though, and the bruises he can feel on his skin, and the burn of the bites on his shoulder. His thighs are slick and wet and Momo thinks about how, up until six months ago, he never cared about sex.

It took one very handsome man, who once punched him in the face, to change that.

Now Momo is eager to have his face pressed to a pillow, panting hard after a good orgasm, his eyelashes wet with tears that never came out.

Thyme shifts on top of him, and Momo feels a hand on his cheek and smiles. Carefully, Thyme brushes away the hair that sticks to Momo's sweaty face, and then kisses his cheek.

"Hello," he says, and he sounds spent and happy.

Momo's smile grows and he tries to wiggle under his lover, who chuckles and lifts his body enough to give Momo room to turn and lie on his back, only to fall atop him again- their chest pressed flush against each other.

"Hey" says Momo, and their smiles meet in a kiss.

Momo feels the light sting on his scalp when Thyme presses him a bit more into the mattress, and it makes him moans into Thyme's mouth just a little. Perhaps his hair was pulled too hard, but he likes it. He's by no mean a masochist, but his body heals very fast and Momo quickly misses all the marks of Thyme's desperate lust leaves on him. He doesn't get to enjoy or brag on any hickeys or love bites for long, so he indulges in the flash of pain they mean until his body heals it.

And even though Thyme knows that, he still apologizes when he's rough- and his kisses are tender and so are is hands when they caress Momo's body with the softness of a feather, looking for a bruise to kiss better.

Whatever Thyme unleashed within Momo, he likes it. He likes being touched this much, and he likes the kisses and he likes having Thyme's dick inside him and he likes having his hair pulled- it's much, much better than when they started and Thyme treated him like he was made of glass.

Now they both know better and Momo enjoys watching how Thyme is when he loses control of himself. He likes being wanted this much, and he likes the trust he's given.

His powers activate automatically on him, but he has to will them into Thyme's body to heal him too. Momo has short nails but that really doesn't stop the scratches that still appear on Thyme's shoulders and arms and back. And also, to revitalize him and give him some extra energy.

Because whatever Thyme unleashed within him, Momo is addicted to it.

Thyme purrs, already used to Momo's care and energy flow inside him. His chest trembles against Momo and it makes Momo's spent little cock twitch, trapped as it is between their bodies.

Thyme knows and he smiles down at him. "Remember when I was the pervert in the relationship?" he teases.

"Hush" Momo tells him.

Thyme laughs, and leans down to kiss his chin. Momo sighs. They're sleepy.

"I have to clean up" he says, but he doesn't want to get up, and Thyme seems very comfortable on his spot on top of him, too.

"I can clean you up" Thyme offers, and licks his lips.

Momo frowns at his lover's mouth for a second- it really takes him a full second because dirty jokes are not his forte. Then, he laughs.

"You're still the pervert in the relationship" he says.

Thyme laughs as well, and drops several pecks on his face and calls him beautiful. And Momo can feel him hard against his thigh again. Good. This is the most selfish use he's ever given to his healing abilities and it's worth it.

He leads a knowing hand to the back of Thyme's neck and scratches, watching how his lover closes his eyes and sighs. It's slow and there's really no hurry for it, but Thyme lowers his head and hides his face on Momo's neck and sucks the skin right above his pulse. When Thyme rolls his hips, Momo gasps.

He may be very new at The Sex Thing but he's a quick learner and Thyme just happens to be his favorite subject. He loves to nose on the hair between Thyme's thighs, the smell of man and clean sweat that makes him dizzy with want, he likes the taste of Thyme in his mouth. He loves the noises Thyme makes, even if they're minimal and he's nowhere as loud as Momo is.

Momo never expected himself to be so loud, either. But then again, he never expected to ever want a person like this. Or in any way, truly.

"I don't think I could ever be tired of this" Thyme admits, his voice hoarse and hot against Momo's skin.

Momo's free hand travel up and down Thyme's arm, tip of fingers caressing his way around old scars he finds beautiful. Thyme is so beautiful.

"Even when I'm old and my butt is flat and full of old people warts?" Momo asks, in contrast to his loving attention.

Thyme has a cute, deep laugh. But there's a laugh he lets out only after he's been fucked, which sounds so delicious, coming out of a throat that's rough for having sheathed dick and moaned around it.

Momo loves that too.

"I'll still fuck it with my flaccid penis full of old people warts" Thyme says, and he sounds serious but then he snorts and so does Momo.

"How would that even work if it's flaccid and too old?" Momo asks because he has to. He's cackling, too, because Thyme said penis, and that's such a lame word.

"I'll tie to a stick" Thyme answers without a pause, because apparently he expected this question.

"Gross!"

The room smells of sex and it echoes laughter for minutes, and moans for some other minutes.

Momo admits, he really doesn't think he'd get tired of this either.

I'd love to nuzzle your balls for the rest of my life if possible thank you very much, Momo thinks but doesn't voice it. He's not confident enough for such level of dirty talk. Or any kind of dirty talk. Or any sort of talking, really, especially while being fucked so hard he feels his insides turn to jelly.

This is still the horniest thought Momo has ever had in his life without having Thyme's glorious cock inside him so technically, he's progressing a little.

Maybe eventually he can tell Thyme.

Instead, for now, Momo says something else between titters. "Look at us, talking about growing old together."

Thyme's smile gets bigger and toothy, and he looks so happy and charmed and loving and beautiful that Momo's breath catches.

Momo is so in love.

"Ew, we're so sappy" says Thyme, laughing, and Momo wants him in his bed forever.

 ** Patience **

 His clothes feel a little tight on his body and Thyme realizes he may have filled up a little, which shouldn't be surprising- he went from having just what he found around in Lost Woods to having several full meals a day.

After disappearing for three months and coming back, Thyme stays in the Lurelin for five months. It's the longest he's ever stayed away from the shack in the Lost Woods ever since he got in this universe.

But he doesn't mind, because he gets to learn about Momo better.

First, he learns that Momo likes cleaning and cooking a lot- although the second one he already knew very well, from the early stages of their friendship-not-quite-friendship where the only reason he allowed Momo to follow him around was because he brought food.

(And, because he's really pretty)

He also learns that Momo has ... almost infinite patience. He's a patient teacher to the children, and a patient doctor for the people in the village. He's patient when other links mistreat him. He was patient when Thyme mistreated him.

Sometimes he's too late or a person just simply cannot be saved. Momo hurts, but he knows the family hurts more, and understand when he's screamed at. Because the anger will pass eventually and Momo will be needed again.

Thyme shakes in wrath at things Momo takes with grace. Thyme knows he cannot act on his anger because it's not his place- and if Momo doesn't, why should he?

But if he can help in some way- he will. When they get home he pushes Momo to a wall and kisses him until he melts, and they make love until Momo forgets to feel sad and what they are is the only valid emotion.

Sometimes Thyme teases, because there's a limit to Momo's patience- well, there should be. Momo says he doesn't know himself, and Thyme believes him because Momo has only lied to him once since they met, and that's all Thyme needed to know Momo is really bad at lying.

"I'll find out eventually" says Thyme and while he's still teasing, he kind of means it.

He learns too that Momo loves cock. Well, Thyme's cock only, as far as he knows.

It shouldn't be that big of a deal, considering they're boyfriends and of course, one kinda has to appreciate or just tolerate the genitalia of their beloved at least one bit. Or so he assumes.

He's Momo's only experience- and he knows that someone as beautiful and loving as Momo didn't stay a virgin, while being a soldier and expected to have a short life, because he wasn't wanted.

Thyme knows Momo was just not interested in that function of his body. And he's not sure exactly what made Momo see him that way, but he's thankful for it.

Really thankful for it.

He noticed very early in the relationship that Momo was curious. When they decided to go a little further and sleep without clothes, Momo would stare. And when they first touched, Momo was more interested on getting Thyme off than have any attention on himself.

And when Thyme taught him to use his mouth well- he noticed a small addiction. And that just feels like a very egocentric thing to say but Thyme isn't sure how else to explain it.

Momo got really good at sucking dick very quickly, but also and still to this day Momo doesn't seem to care to stop himself unless Thyme is pulling his hair because this tiny, hyperactive lover of his seemed that he would suck him off past orgasm, over sensitivity and then back into full hardness if he wasn't stopped. It's like he really, really likes having his mouth full with cock and his throat abused and while Thyme enjoys the attention, he wants to please Momo, too.

(At least he can joke about it.)

("Do you guys want me to leave you two alone?" he'd say, voice trembling because Momo's been down there for way too long and Thyme's hands are antsy and grabbing the sheets is just not enough.)

And while Thyme is no stranger to sex, he knows that every lover is a new experience to learn from. He discovers that Momo is very self conscious of his appearance and the one time he called him "baby" during a really tortuous blowjob session Momo pulled away with a loud pop and looked at Thyme like he'd just slapped a puppy.

Well at least he stopped Momo without pulling his hair. But also, accidentally, he stopped everything else that could happen that night.

Eventually Thyme finds out of a positive way to stop him only when Momo discovers that getting his ass fucked is the absolute next best thing after having his mouth fucked.

Which leads him back to Momo's patience. The best thing Thyme learns in those five months is that indeed, everyone's patience has a limit.

And Momo's limit is three fingers up his ass.

By now Thyme knows Momo- nosy, talkative, loud Momo- seems to lose the entire ability to talk when he's really horny.

Not that Momo never really needed to voice his needs, because Thyme is a simple man, and very easy too. It takes Momo sitting on his lap and a few kisses and maybe a well acted out whine for Thyme to rips both their clothes off and push him to the nearest horizontal surface.

He's a simple man.

Thyme can't really get Momo to tell him what he likes, and is led instead by the other sounds Momo makes which are glorious in their own way.

He'd like to hear it, though.

But trying to get Momo to talk is a mistake- fingers move slowly, stretching up and painting with lube the warm walls of Momo's insides; and that's all it takes for Thyme to find out. Perhaps too a few laps on Momo's little cock that Thyme is oh so fond of because it's so pink and it leaks so pitifully and he would love to baby talk to it-- but that would probably earn him to sleep on the ground outside.

Three fingers is all it takes and Momo, for the first time, speaks in bed.

"Please" he says, and he clenches around Thyme's fingers and every single hair on Thyme's body rises.

He wants to hear it again.

"Please what, love?" and he kisses the soft inside of Momo's thighs, where no hair grows.

"Inside" Momo speaks again and this is the closest he'd ever heard Momo beg and Thyme feels like he's reaching heaven with his pants still on.

He feels confident now, and the kisses on soft skin turn to biting. Momo squirms and mewls on the bed.

"I'm already inside" Thyme teases in a low voice, and to his luck he finds the spot he was looking for, pokes it, and watches with delight how Momo arches his body so much his back is no longer touching the bed.

But then Momo is propping himself on his elbows and he gives Thyme a look.

For the next, silent, still second Thyme is almost sure Momo is about to pounce him.

This is the first time ever that Thyme felt so turned on while also low-key fearing for his life.

And because he's an asshole and really likes picking on Momo's patience, it doesn't get to be the last time, either.

Eventually, Momo does pounce him.

 ** That one time Thyme tried to cook **

There's a window above the stove, in the kitchen of their hut- that's no longer a hut really, but a house. More rooms and space was needed when Thyme stopped being a visiting lover and became a husband and father, instead.

Thyme helped build this humble house with his bare hands the moment he was healed up enough after the the Last Battle. Ganon was gone and Thyme had no more worries, he could finally live in peace with the love his life.

You know when for a while you're living so well, having such a good time with yourself and everyone in your life- and it makes you distrust your own luck? That's Thyme's general mind setting, even though it's been years. He adores his goddess but knows better than to believe Hylia to be so kind, and Thyme fears the day he gets to lose everything if he gets too comfortable.

It's too late though, he already thinks himself a happy man. He's already gotten too comfortable.

Through the window above the stove, in the kitchen of their house, Thyme sees fire and gulps. He feels the heat very close to his face, the pile of hay located right outside the house is burning and it's Thyme's fault.

If he doesn't move, the fire will spread and burn the entire house he built with his own hands, and Momo's.

But he does not move- he's in shock still. Like, he just. How exactly did he manage this?

He lives in peace now, goes to hunt often to feed his family, goes to fight not so often because it's no longer needed.

Sometimes, Thyme looks at Momo who cooks and cleans and shaves him and cuts Listik's hair and envies him a little.

Sometimes, Thyme would like to try being a house husband.

"As long as I don't burn anything" said Thyme like, fifteen minutes ago, when he picked a knife and decided he'd make dinner tonight because Momo said he'd be home late.

Well shit, someone left a metaphor on the kitchen floor, Thyme thinks now, as he watches the fire outside his house, don't step on it or anything.

Listik is outside, yelling his throat sore as he throws water into the hay pile. Digger joins with some buckets, and Bitters. Luckily the flames do cease to be, and there's just a pile of ashes instead.

When Digger asks how the fuck it happened, Listik's eyes flashes to the window where he meets his very guilty father, presses his lips together in judgment, but says he doesn't know.

But he does know, he's just a very loyal comrade.

Listik has gotten taller, his bones filled up well when Momo and Thyme took him in. Not much is left from the angry child Thyme brought home, once. He's at a very awkward age, though, his voice breaks ugly when he speaks sometimes and his eyes are a little too big for his head still. And he still has no eyebrows and there's still baby fat on his cheeks. He looks like a very handsome toad and Thyme is very proud of him.

He remembers very vividly how some years ago the kid sat him and his husband on a table after months of living with them and said that "Hey, this adoption thing is a little too serious for me, so how about we're just buddies instead?". The little shit. Thyme loves him more than his life.

He watches Listik thank the neighbors and make his way around the house to get back inside, and he readies a big apology.

But when he hears the door open and turns to meet his son, he finds his husband instead.

Momo looks at him with big blue eyes, hes panting like he just ran a marathon. He looks terrified and of course he saw the smoke and the fire outside his house on his way back home because Hylia is not the kindest goddess and Thyme already expected to explain what happened to the hay pile now ash pile they bought for their cow three days ago, anyway.

Thyme winces, and Momo walks in with long steps until he's in the kitchen and there's only the dining table between them.

"My love" Momo starts, and Thyme feels like shrinking a little. Pet names aren't something they use often on each other- mostly because they like to hear each other's names. Thyme only uses them when they fuck, but Momo uses them when he's trying to console him. Wow, is he really, now. "What happened?"

Thyme swallows, and Listik enters the house just in time to hear Momo's question. He knows Listik will not save his ass this time- because technically, Listik is angry at him and also, because he's slightly more loyal to Momo than he is to Thyme. The little shit.

Thyme swallows again.

"So, I uh, tried to cook."

Momo's face falls in terror and that's a valid reaction because technically, Thyme should never be allowed into no kitchen unsupervised. It's like a curse, one he hoped to overcome as years pass eventually but today's incident proves him that no, not yet. Probably not ever.

At some point while making dinner, Thyme forgets a cloth near the stove- which of course, catches fire. Thyme doesn't particularly react well to panic, unless it's a life or death situation in which he can either punch or cut his way out. Generally he stays both stoic and very, very still as he processes what the fuck is going on at the moment.

The cloth is in his hands and is on fire and Thyme doesn't move.

Momo winces as he hears the story and interrupts just to say, "Why didn't you throw it into that bucket of water on the counter?"

Thyme doesn't answer for a second, and Listik clicks his tongue- a world wide gesture of judgment and disappointment.

Momo is waiting.

"I told him to do that" says Listik finally, and crosses his arms on his chest.

Yes, Listik came into the kitchen, screamed his heart out and told him twice to dump the cloth into the bucket of water that was right there. He heard Listik's advice, his brain processed it, then discarded it altogether.

And then, he threw the cloth out the window.

And now they were there.

Momo's eyebrows shoot up high enough to lose themselves into his hairline- he opens his mouth, closes it. The he opens it again with closed eyes and a sigh.

"Well," he says, "at least no one got hurt."

Thyme sighs in relief, too, and his shoulders slouch. He didn't notice his back was so tense until now.

"Really" Listik says, indignant. "He almost burns the house down and you don't even scold him."

Momo laughs and cups their son's face in his hands. Momo is almost patience incarnate, aside from one single situation that only Thyme knows about. It's no surprise that how calmly he reacts to his husband's lame arson attempt.

"I'm sure the scare is lesson enough" he says, and kisses Listik's scar on his forehead.

Listik blushes brightly and looks down, "I got scared the most here and the lesson wasn't even for me" he mumbles.

At that Thyme reacts, and all comes crashing down on him and he feels really guilty and really shitty all in one.

"I'm sorry," he says and his voice is small. He turns to Listik to say it again, "I'm sorry love, I should've listened to you."

Listik looks at him with a glare first, but then it softens, because Listik loves him too and he never stays angry long.

"It's fine, pop" he says, and then sighs. "Next time dad goes out, I'll cook."

Everyone silently agrees. Listik can make some really good egg sandwiches.

When Momo finally walks up to his husband, he hugs his neck and asks, "what's for dinner?"

Thyme looks at him, and Momo is beautiful. "I made you soup" says Thyme, almost shy.

He watches Momo's face redden, looking like he's falling in love with Thyme all over again.

The soup tastes like shit. Thyme managed to ruin soup somehow.

Listik sniffs at it and then pushes the bowl away. Thyme looks at his own bowl, defeated and sickly, and doesn't touch it. Momo doesn't even use a spoon- he just picks his bowl and slurps from it. And then he takes Thyme's bowl, and then Listik's, and then the rest that was left on the pot, he eats all of it.

"You don't have to do this for me" Thyme says, guilty but deeply flattered. His cheeks burn. "You'll get sick."

"I never get sick" Momo says, and it's true.

He then sits on Thyme's lap and kisses him in a way that makes Listik cough and look at the ceiling.

The kiss taste like shit, too.

Momo indeed came out naked, but Thyme couldn’t indulge in the view at all, when Momo’s face showed no emotion. His skin glowed softly, and Thyme recognized it instantly.

“You don't have to” he said.

But Momo didn’t answer, didn’t listen. He slowly walked towards his lover and pressed a soft hand to his chest, pushing him onto the bed.  Thyme’s breath hitched, and he closed his eyes shut tight as he braced himself for what was to come.

He felt it then, Momo’s weight on the bed, could feel him hover above his own body and then his soft lips pressed to his own.

He knew this sensation too well- Momo’s energy was fresh at the first contact, then warm as it spread all under the skin of his face, into his skull. When Momo’s hand touched his arm, Thyme felt goosebumps.

Thyme felt his eyes wet as tender pleasure and relief overcame his senses and forced his body to relax and melt under Momo’s healing touch.

When Momo finally laid completely a top him, the sensation was the same- fresh at first, warm as it spread to his flesh and under his skin, through his bones, into his veins.

If the situation were any different, his body would’ve reacted to Momo’s charm in a much more intimate way. But Thyme was tired and sad and a little scared and his body was overwhelmed with Momo’s energy. It just couldn’t be.

When Momo rolled off of him, Thyme knew he wouldn’t be able to move. His entire body felt like dead weight and it took all of his strength to just turn his head to the side and meet Momo’s naked back.

He couldn’t speak, either.

Thyme slept for two days.

On the third day, Thyme woke up to Momo’s voice talking outside to a neighbor. But by the time he got out the bed and dressed, Momo was already inside the house, and he was quiet again.

Momo greeted him with a sparkling wide eyes, opened his mouth but made not a single sound. Then closed it again and he looked away, his face blank again.

Thyme sighed, and let it be.

They cooked in silence, together.

They bathed in silence as well, but Momo approached him with soap in his hands and curious eyes. Thyme gave him a small smile, and let Momo wash his beard.

His reward came when Momo took his hand and lead him to the bed, and he watched how his skin glowed again, droplets of water on his back sparkled as Thyme indulged to watch his beloved’s body.

And then he was pushed onto the bed, and he closed his eyes as the healing session started again.

Momo had a large breakfast the next day- to recover all the energy he poured over his entire body in order to heal Thyme’s. Thyme found his appetite was back as well and on the fifth day they went grocery shopping.

He heard Momo’s voice for the first time since he arrived- to talk to the fishermen and look for trade. They never spoke to each other.

On the sixth day Momo washed Thyme’s beard for the last time, and then shaved it.

He then dropped a small peck on Thyme’s chin and for the first time since they met, Momo smiled.

That night, Thyme couldn’t take it anymore. He fought through the weight of Momo’s energy to raise a heavy hand and bury it into the smaller man’s hair. He opened his mouth with a groan and kissed Momo back, his tongue reaching inside for a taste he missed so badly. He missed Momo so much.

But he froze the moment he felt Momo’s body tense up against his.

He pulled his hand away slowly, and let Momo roll off of him again.

He didn’t sleep that night, and watched Momo’s back shake for hours, until it stopped.

Thyme rose with the sun on the seventh day, dressed up, and made breakfast.

Momo greeted him with a tired smile and dull eyes, and then sat to eat.

Thyme sat by his side, and put a hand on Momo’s, keeping him from picking the fish with his fork.

“You are mad at me” Thyme said.  

Momo looked at him, eyes wide in shock, but soon he regained his composure and Thyme felt Momo’s hand relax under his own.

“I don’t really know anymore” Momo said softly.

Thyme felt a lump on his throat, as he let out a soft, pleading, “I’m sorry.”

Momo shook his head. “I never experienced this with someone.”

Thyme’s voice shook a little. “I know, I’m sorry” he said, “Momo I’m so sorry.”

“No, don’t talk.”

Momo moved his hand away from Thyme’s, picked on a vegetable with his fork. He then rose it to Thyme’s face and pressed it to his lips until Thyme opened his mouth and took it.

“I’ll speak until you finish that bite” Momo said.

Thyme nodded, and began to chew very, very slowly.

Momo sighed.

“When you decided to leave- I thought it was the best for you, because you know yourself better, because I thought it’d take only a day or two. Even if it hurt, of course I let you go” Momo said. “I missed you a lot, you didn’t even send a letter- I thought I made a mistake. That I should’ve insisted you to stay- you left for three months, Thyme” Momo choked, “at some point-- at some point I even dared to think that you left because I couldn’t provide enough for you. Because I wasn’t enough for you.”

Thyme shook his head and brought his hands to cup Momo’s face, wet with tears. The food in his mouth was chewed beyond comfort and ready to be swallowed, but he kept it on his tongue and waited.

“Maybe I was too loud and annoying?” Momo let out a sniffle and closed his eyes, pushing more tears down his face. “Maybe I was too dense and hurt you sometimes? I didn’t know- I couldn’t tell and I was scared because I never cared for someone the way I cared for you.”

“I missed you, I love you” Momo pressed a kiss on Thyme’s palm. “When you left, it broke my heart.” He sobbed, “When you came back to me all weak and sick and told me you were a mess without me, it also broke my heart.”

Thyme then swallowed his food and pulled Momo’s face in for a hard kiss. He was a little too rough and eager, driving Momo to the edge of his seat- but shorter man decided in a quick move to sit on Thyme’s lap instead. Momo wrapped both his arms around Thyme’s neck as the kiss deepened, and they both tasted breakfast.

Momo pulled away to brush Thyme’s hair away from his face so he could see it and kiss it.  Thyme pressed blind desperate kisses to wherever he could reach of Momo’s face and neck.

“I missed you, I love you” whispered Thyme. “When I see you cry for me, it breaks my heart.”

Momo let out a shaky, breathless laugh and kissed the scare across Thyme’s eye. Then the bridge of his nose, then his lips again.  

“Forgive me” whispered Thyme against their kiss, “talk to me again.”

Momo sniffled, nodded his head and whispered back. “I liked your beard” he confessed.

Thyme smiled, nuzzled him. “Then why did you shave it?”

“Because I was petty.”

Finally, Thyme laughed and his own tears fell as relief sank on his soul. “So you were mad at me.”

“Next time you leave me for so long without a word, and come back ill like that” Momo warned, teasing, “I’ll shave your entire head.”

Chuckling, Thyme pressed a kiss on Momo’s chest.