#thymelink

Thyme pressed his back to the trunk of the tree as his legs betrayed him and he slid to sit on the floor, breathing hard. He could feel the blood slipping through his fingers and when he coughed, he too tasted the blood. Shit.

He looked up at the sky, it was a lovely, sunny day. Perfect to cause a reset, he guessed.

His view was interrupted by a shadow that wasn’t the tree. It moved fast for his tired eye to follow, the creature knelt beside him- to check on his wound.

He tried to focus his blurry vision into trying to recognize whoever sat with him.

Thyme recognized the voice first.

“Oh this doesn’t look good.” said the newcomer.

Ah, Thyme thought, Digger’s “little brother”. The obnoxious kid with no sense of personal space.

“Is Digger with you?” he asked, hopeful that at least someone he knew and trusted was near.

The kid shook his head and his eyes were fixed on the wound, hands on his own knees, closed into fist. He seemed to be concentrating in something.

Thyme swallowed his own, thick spit, trying to keep his patience in check. “Do you have any hearty potions?”

The kid shook his head again, and let out a sigh. Thyme couldn’t help but groan as pain and the sense of impending death became a little too stressing.

“Thank you” he said with only bite in his voice.

But then he saw the boy’s lips glow a tender blue, and then his hands. Thyme caught his breath. A special ability? The glow reminded him of-

The kid pushed Thyme’s hand away from the wound and the sole touch gave Thyme goosebumps all over. He felt anxious suddenly, a little fearful even. Then the kid pressed one hand on the wound and suddenly Thyme felt a small jab of pain from the sting to its quick fading as a wave of freshness spread over his entire body from where the boy touched, and then it turned warm.

Thyme groaned at the sudden sense of pleasure and looked through his bangs to see the boy, as he leaned closer.

“Kid-” he said.

“I’m not a kid” said the younger hero, as his other hand went to Thyme’s chin. “Forgive me.”

And then he pressed his lips to Thyme’s, and everything went dark.

*

When Thyme woke up the sun was high enough to let him know it was past lunchtime. He should get up but he still felt too weak and the grass under him felt too comfortable. The kid-not-really-a-kid was sitting beside him.

“You should eat,” he said. “If you sit up, I’ll feed you.”

Thyme grunted, as nice as it felt to lie down like the dead, the promise of food was enough motivation as he sat up and greeted the other chosen one.

“I’m Momo, maybe you remember me?” said the younger hero, offering him a rice ball. “Digger’s brother? We met before-- you uh, pinched my nose and told me ‘got your nose’”

He laughed softly, a little nervous, but Thyme didn’t. He picked the food from Momo’s hand with a weak “thank you” and began to eat it slowly and watch the place around them. It wasn’t the forest where he got hurt. They now sat near a very small pond.  

Momo cleared his throat.

“I brought you here” he answered Thyme’s silent question. “Thought you might want to wash off all the blood eventually.”

Thyme turned to him, and then realized: he felt no pain. He quickly looked down to palm his sides and only found a hole on his clothes, with dried blood around it.

He looked back at Momo.

“You can heal” he said.

Momo shrugged. “Some sort of enhanced healing ability. I can’t revive the dead like Mipha’s Grace does, but I can heal just fine any other kind of wound or illness, no matter the severity” he smiled. “You’re okay now.”

Thyme nodded, grunted. He noticed the basket of rice balls on the ground between them and took another one.

“Why did you kiss me?”

Momo coughed.

“I didn’t--- kiss you” he said, laughing nervously. His face was red. “You were stressed and in pain, so I sent some healing energy to your brain to stimulate it into numbing the pain and relaxing you um- it’s just easier to reach the brain from mouth to mouth contact.”

“Mouth to mouth contact” Thyme repeated, incredulous, as he pushed the new ball of rice whole into his mouth.

“Uh-- um, I have to leave” Momo got up suddenly, dusting his lobster shirt and his ... underpants? Does this kid really walk around in underwear? “See you around, yes?”

Thyme swallowed and stood up as well, picking up the basket of food to hand it to him. Momo shook his head and started walking backwards, away from him.

“You can keep the basket, it’s okay” he said.

Thyme didn’t go after him, but felt strong enough to call for him. “Kid--”

“Not a kid” Momo laughed nervously again, getting further and further away from Thyme. “I’m actually twenty four years old, just don’t look like it? I uh, a disadvantage of this power is that it takes me longer to age I guess-- and I guess Digger baby talking to me in public doesn’t help either haha” he looked as red as a tomato now. “Boy I talk a lot- I have to go now.”

Momo turned and began to rush away now.

Thyme called him again.

“Momo.”  

That stopped him. Shrinking his shoulders, Momo turned around slowly, to meet him.

Thyme took a deep breath.

“I remember you, Momo” he said. “Thank you for today.”

Momo was far enough for Thyme to barely pick on his features except for his really, really red face and his open mouth.

“That’s okay” he said, and then turned to run away.

Thyme sighed, shook his head. For someone so loud and obnoxious, that kid could get as shy as a fairy sometimes.

He sniffled, and caught the stank of death from his clothes. Ah, right.

Slowly, Thyme started to unbuckle his belts and pull off his tunic, walking towards the pond. Well Momo was right about it being convenient, although he wondered how someone so small managed to drag him all the way here.

When he finally reached the pond, he decided to examine the new scar on his side.

Thyme didn’t answer, he just looked at his shack standing rigid, his whole body seemed to emanate dread.

Momo squeezed his hand. “Thyme?” he called.

“I haven’t been here in months” said Thyme. “It’s going to be very, very dirty. Uh-” he cleared his throat, “it’s not like I cleaned it much when I came here, either.”

Momo shrugged, “It’s okay”

Thyme turned to him, his voice incredulous. “You like to live in cleanliness” he said, “you clean your house everyday-”

“Thyme, it’s okay.”

“You change your sheets everyday-”

“--It really is okay.”

“And you take two baths a day. More if you’re upset about something.”

Momo let go of his hand and laughed. “Fine! I am so going to clean this place!” he admitted. “I hate wearing boots and I love walking around my house with my bare feet and I love feeling the fresh clean floor under my feet yes I am cleaning this whole place.”

“I knew it!” Thyme pointed a finger at him, laughing too. “I totally did not believe you when you equipped five mops and told me they were ‘your weapon of choice’.”

“They are my weapon of choice.”

They both laughed.

Momo hugged Thyme’s middle and kissed his cheek. “I like it.”

*

Thyme cannot remember when was the last time his shack was so full with noise. The rustling of leaves as the broom pushed them out the shack, the “clank” of his old cooking pots as they were rearranged and now held from one of the wooden walls. The sound of hammers as new shelves were being fixed to other walls and a new front door.

Momo’s singing.

He would mop the floor and shake his butt to his own songs, spin around holding his mop like he would a dancing partner. Thyme watched with appreciation, until he dropped his broom and took Momo’s hips, had him turn to him and pressed their chests together.

“Dance with me instead” offered Thyme.

“You don’t like dancing” Momo laughed.

“Oh I do.”

Thyme kissed Momo’s cheek, then his jaw and lower, to his neck. Momo had always been ticklish, but a good suck over his pulse always had him shiver a little. Especially if accompanied by Thyme’s hands squeezing his butt.

Cackling, Momo tried to push him away playfully. “What you want to do is not dancing.”

“It is a form of dancing” Thyme said, “and I am really good at it.”

“You are” Momo laughed and patted Thyme’s shoulders until he was let go. “But I have to shower first and I won’t shower until I finish cleaning-- as a reward.”

“I thought your reward would be to have sex with me” teased Thyme.

Momo turned back and leaned down to pick up his mop, purposefully sticking out his butt knowing Thyme would appreciate the show.

A low hiss let him know that Thyme indeed was.

“That is also my reward” said Momo.

*

After a long day, dinner and a good bath, they finally readied to sleep.

“A clean house is a happy house” said Momo cheerfully. If Thyme could roll both his eyes, he would.

“How do we sleep?” asked Momo.

“Well uh-” Thyme coughed, “usually I just throw some sheets at the floor near the fireplace.”

Momo gave him a look, Thyme just looked at everywhere but his lover.

“We just washed all the sheets and they’re hanging outside” Momo said.

“And the bear pelts?”

“Also put to clean” Momo said with no guilt, then walked to where his bags where and started looking around. “I brought clean sheets. And pillows.”

Thyme crossed his arms, and chuckled. “You have an issue.”

Momo didn’t listen, returned with the items, and the sight of them made Thyme gasp.

“It’s the soft purple sheets” he breathed.

“Your favorite sheets!”

Thyme never thought, in his life, that he’d have favorite sheets one day. But then again he never thought either, that he’d fall in love again. Or that of all people, he’d fall for a loud, baby faced person who somehow also shared his goddesses sent, terrible fate as chosen hero. And more importantly, he never thought that he’d trust someone enough to have them in this place.

The moment they lied on the floor atop the soft purple sheet- the moment Thyme’s face hit the pillow, he fell asleep. 

*

Cleaning the house again the next day was easier, there was barely anything to fix. It went much more quickly- although they wasted enough time teasing until Momo finally admitted that he indeed, had an issue with dirtiness.

Then came clearing outside, cutting the grass, fixing the cooking pot and cleaning the old ashes from where once were bonfires.

“My stays in this place are always uneventful” confessed Thyme as they outside on the grass, for lunch break. “It’s quiet and lonely, here. I come when I need it- but sometimes, especially if I stay here for a long time, I forget how to make myself leave this place.”

Momo put his spoon of curry back in his plate, and placed a hand on Thyme’s thigh. Thyme turned to him with a smile.

“Once I ventured out and found a korok, but I guess I looked way too gloomy and shaggy because it ran away from me” said Thyme.

Momo blinked, and his hand went straight to his mouth and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“He tripped over a twig and fell face first, wrinkled his little mask” continued Thyme.

“Aw, a baby” said Momo, voice muffled behind his mouth.

“And then he cried.”

“Awwww, a baby!”

“I laughed so hard” Thyme chuckled.

“Thyme!” but Momo was laughing, too.

“Guess I was isolated for way too long because it shouldn't be that funny right?” Thyme’s voice shook with amusement. “I laughed until my stomach hurt, I laughed for days. I would remember about it and laugh- I am laughing right now.”

“Please tell me you helped him?”

“Yes... but I was still laughing stupid, which of course could only further his humiliation, making him cry all the more- and making me laugh all the more.”

Momo had to leave his food on the grass to dry his cheeks and eyes, cackling. He then grabbed Thyme by the collar of his shirt and kissed his lips.

“You’re horrible” he teased against their kiss.

“He sounded like a very annoying squeaky toy” said Thyme, and gave his lover a playful peck.

 *

 Night fell- while the forest was so thick daylight barely passed through, it managed to get much darker when the sun set. They were tired enough.

Thyme eyed his handiwork- their improvised bed. Clean bear pelts and sheets spread on the floor, right before the fireplace, oh they would sleep very warm and comfortable today. Or not sleep, Thyme wouldn’t mind that either.

He turned to see his lover stand before the windows.

“Faeries came” said Momo softly, then turned to him with wonder in his eyes. “They really do follow you everywhere.”

Thyme chuckled. “Close the window, don’t let them in tonight.”

“But--” Momo was about to protest when something in the way Thyme said that stopped him. He closed the window and walked towards his beloved. “Do they come inside sometimes?”

Thyme nodded. He could already sense Momo’s amusement and his lips twitched upwards.

“Do they sleep with you?” asked Momo.

“Sometimes.”

Momo gasped, “that is so cute.”

Thyme shrugged, and took Momo by the hips, pulling him close. “I know what you’re thinking” he said, “We can’t let them in to sleep tonight.”

Momo pouted and wrapped his arms around Thyme’s neck. “And I know what you’re thinking.” He could feel hands sliding down to his butt, and then some soft, playful gropes.

“It’s okay” Thyme allowed himself to pinch a buttcheek and chuckled at Momo’s little whine. “We can feed them breadcrumbs tomorrow.”

“We can do that?” Momo asked with a trembling voice. “They eat breadcrumbs?”

“We are not letting them in tonight.” repeated Thyme, rubbing his lips to Momo’s chin.“We can’t let my fairy wives know of our affair.”

Momo laughed. “So I am your mistress?”

“The homewrecker, yes” Thyme kissed his face, as Momo’s laughter grew loud. “Lie with me.”

Momo was still chuckling, let Thyme put him in bed, take off his clothes and lie atop him to kiss his face and neck, while scarred calloused hands caressed his sides with a tickling touch. Laughter turned into sighs and moans, the pats on Thyme’s back became scratches. They were both panting when Thyme pulled away for just a second to admire his lover below, and he saw beauty.

The dying fire on the chimney provided enough light for him to see. Momo’s skin under the light looked more delectable and welcoming than usual. His flushed, smiling face, his blue eyes filled with adoration as he looked up at Thyme, and reminded Thyme that he was oh so loved.

Thyme realized then why suddenly this shack felt so cozy now, and homely. He’d probably feel lonely and sad even in their lovely hut in Lurelin, if Momo wasn’t there.

As Momo cupped his face and brushed his hair away with his fingers, Thyme realized that his real home was a person.

And that was a scary thought.

“Are you okay?” asked Momo, his smile growing tender as his fingers traced the lower part the his scar that crossed his right eye.

Thyme’s voice shook as he said, softly. “I love you.” And he leaned down and kissed his lover, before Momo could reply and say it back. He already knew how Momo felt- and a tug on his heart warned him that if he heard it right then, he would cry.

They made love over and over, until Thyme forgot his fears and his own name.

 ***

 It would still happen. Perhaps not as often, but it would still happen.

Thyme hoped it wouldn’t, because it was unfair. He was happy now, he had so much love, and friends. He ate well, he slept well. He rode his horse and sparred with Digger, hunted with Laurent. Watch Momo cook.

He was supposed to be happy.

But as frustrated as he felt with himself, he knew that just wasn’t the way things worked. His hands would itch and food tasted the way the color gray looked. He would space out from conversations that he was even interested in, his mind would wander away from Momo’s voice, to emptiness.

Everything would feel numb, even Momo’s touch, a pinch on his chin to raise his head.

“Do you need to leave?”

Momo already knew, like he never expected for this to cease all that easily. There was only patience in his voice- no hurt or accusations, nothing Thyme’s mind could cling to in order to feel guilty, so he could say-

“I’m so sorry, Momo.”

It came out regardless.

Momo shook his head, and smiled. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” He kissed his cheek and took his hand and they walked back to their hut. It might not be so good to miss dinner at Bitters and Digger’s house without letting them know, but Momo would charm his way out of it- the way Digger taught him, himself.

They took a bath together- the second one of the day, because Momo liked sleeping fresh and clean and Thyme started to get used to it.

And then they went to bed.

By early morning, Thyme was ready to leave. Momo gave him a bag of vegetables, fruit and prepared meals for him, the weight of all this food felt reassuring on his back.

He stood there by the front door, and sighed.

“What is it?” Momo asked, placing a soft hand on Thyme’s back, who sighed again.

I don’t know, is what Thyme did not say. It wasn’t like he wanted to leave, he just felt he couldn’t stay.

Since Thyme didn’t answer, they both stood quiet for a minute, until Momo let out a small “Oh!” and went away to look for something.

Thyme turned just in time to see him return, hands hiding behind his back.

“It’s dangerous to go alone” said Momo, smiling. “Take this.”

And he gave Thyme a mop.

Thyme said nothing for another hot minute and then, he laughed. Hard. Bent forward to cackle loudly even though it wasn’t that funny- even though he was pissed off at himself and leaving Momo was killing him. Even though the tears that stung his eyes weren’t of laughter. Goddesses, was he thankful for his long bangs that covered his face.

Momo chuckled softly and pressed the mop to Thyme’s chest, and kissed his jaw. “You’re going to be okay.”

Thyme nodded, took the mop with a small smile and a sniffle. His voice came out thankful, it cracked a little when he said, “I’ll come back soon.”

Momo stood up on tiptoes to press a kiss to the corner of his lips. “You will.”

Thyme knew he would.