#wakingnightmare

…oh.

This is…

Quite a bit more awkward than he wanted.

He should have expected that— of course, things had been awkward ever since his amnesia. But still…

“Link….” The researcher breathed after a long pause.

“…WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” She yelled.

The Cook was taken aback and squeaked. He paused and looked around.

…

“I was just…”

He gazed at the other boys.

“Making some new friends.” He said, expression softening.

The Traveller waved eagerly at the dog, Sailor soon following suit.

Vet, on the other hand, merely spared her a single glance before returning his gaze to the ground.

She gazed at them for a few moments, then back at The Cook. “I see…”

The researcher smiled ever so slightly before turning slowly. Wild frowned, but acknowledged that she wanted some space and let her go, watching her struggle a bit as her hair got tangled in a bush. He quickly scrambled to her aid as she let out a small hiss.

“Ugh, it always gets stuck!” She laughed dryly, “I swear, I’m gonna chop it off!”

The Cook looked at her in visible alarm for a few moments. She blinked at him.

“What, do you think I would look bad?” She snickered.

He ruffled the hair on the back of his head “What?! No no, of course not—! You’d look good with any haircut— besides, why would it be my business what you do with your hair?”

She laughed.”Right, it’s not.” and left it at that. He smiled under the false hope that she’d stay with the group, but she went off to sit by herself anyway.

Later on that day, the Cook wandered over and sat beside his travel companion with a small, warm smile. “…Good evening, dog.” He said, lowering a plate of dinner he made in front of her.

The Researcher smiled in return. "Good evening..." she replied. "Thank you."

Something within The Cook’s chest seemed to stir at that smile, but he pushed it away. “Hope I’m not bothering you by sitting here, I would rather not intrude on your alone time…”

"Ah, it's no issue—" the Researcher squeaked. "I don't mind!"

He smiled in return and sat back. “…If you say so.” He said, turning his gaze to the sunset. “So what you said earlier, about cutting your hair…”

“…Are you really going to do so?” He peeped, expression mixed with so many emotions, it was hard to tell what he felt about it.

Her gaze lingered toward The Cook for a moment. With a small hum, she turned her eyes to the sunset as well. "...I've been thinking about it for a while. After a century with long hair, I figured I could try something new," she said with a dry chuckle.

“I suppose it would be nice to get that weight off your shoulders after so long.” He smiled warmly. “Of course, that doesn’t mean this is changing anytime soon.” He let out a small cackle and gestured to his hair.

The Researcher chuckled. "Of course not. It rather suits you, after all."

He quietly ruffled the hair on the back of his head. “…You really think so?”

The Researcher nodded with a small hum before returning her gaze to the sunset. "I can't imagine you with shorter hair like the other heroes."

“Yea well, I can’t imagine myself like any of them in any way. “He snickered, though his tone had a touch of sadness to it.

“…Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like they understand me.” He sighed quietly. “A little while ago, I got caught in a trap. Set up by bokoblins. It was embarrassing…! And then they set me up to clean up Epona’s dirt the next day, instead of helping with other tasks!” He sputtered.

The Researcher grimaced. "...Well, I suppose they just didn't trust you for a bit. I'm certain they won't treat you like that forever."

He only nodded quietly. “It seems to happen every time I mess up. One too many slip ups and suddenly I’m not allowed to be in a room with glass because ‘you break everything’. I’m ten feet away! What can I do?!”

"They'll just have to accept that's how you are," she huffed. "They can't expect such a drastic change like that."

He nodded quietly. “I hope they do soon… I care about them a lot. I don’t want it to be hard to exist around them some days.” He chuckled dryly.

The Researcher nodded. "...Maybe we could think of something to convince them," she suggested, canting her head slightly.

“Perhaps.” He smiled

“…Thanks for listening to me spew on about this bullcrap.” He chuckled.

"You've done it for me so often in the past. It's only fair I return the favor," she replied with a small giggle.

“I suppose so!” He chirped, glancing back at the setting sun. He felt a brief twinge of guilt at the fact that she still referred to his past self as the same person he was now. He had forgotten everything— he might as well have been a different person.

…Oh, what he’d give for all those memories. For her sake, and for the sake of people he lost.

“…Say, do you want to go horseback riding? Before the light disappears?”

The Researcher blinked before smiling warmly. "Of course."

The cook sat up excitedly and guided her over to Epona. “Ah,, I forgot you haven’t got your horse with you—“ he said, stepping back.

"Ah, that's alright— we can both ride on one, right?" the Researcher replied.

He perked up in response. “Yea, that’ll work—!”

The Captain weaved his way in. “You sure? You two are soooo heavvvyy, you’ll crush Epona!”

The Cook scoffed at his sarcasm. “We get it, Cap’n, we’re short.”

The Researcher quirked a brow. "...I choose to ignore that."

The Cook rolled his eyes and nodded at her statement before taking her hand in his and getting on Epona.

The Researcher hoisted herself behind the Cook, quietly shifting to get comfortable. "How far should we go?"

Once again, something stirred in the cook’s chest, particularly when she touched him— and it was much harder to ignore. “..Not sure.. but I know for a fact that I don’t wanna be on trail!” He cackled, and Epona promptly took off into the forest.

The Researcher let out a squeak as Epona started, giggling and holding on tight to the Cook. He let out a joy-filled laugh, breathing in slowly as fresh air passed him. The smell of fresh dirt and grass flooded the air as the sunset’s light leaked through the leaves above and warmed their skin.

During these just moments, everything seemed okay. As if nothing in his life had ever gone wrong.

Epona let out a sudden whinny and leaped into the air to avoid stumbling on something. He let out a shocked laugh as a rush of excitement came to him from the sudden leap.

The Researcher was startled by this, clinging tightly to the Cook and burying her face in his shoulder with a giggle, thus causing the Cook’s very heart to jump. He nearly began to squirm at how many strange things he was feeling at the moment.

Finally, Epona settled into a calm strut and they turned around, keeping a slow pace as they returned to the ranch, taking a different route to keep the scenery fresh.

…Back at the ranch, the rest of the boys were lounging. Many were interacting with their Zeldas, unsurprisingly.

Tetra sat back. “Where’d that long haired crazy Link go?”

The Captain crossed his arms with a grin. “Went off riding Epona with his princess. Last I saw she was clinging to his back as the horse charged forward.”

The Old man smiled. “Even after all that, they still seem close.”

The Veteran huffed. "You would be too, if you went through hell and back with someone."

The Old man sighed. “I suppose so.”

Only a moment after, the Cook and Researcher made their return, talking idly with each other and chuckling occasionally. The Veteran watched with a small huff before turning and sifting through his items.

The Old man cast a quick glance at the Veteran before smiling at the two as they wandered off again, not even bothering to stay with the group. One would think it was because they just have a lot to catch up on, but no. They simply babbled about the most trivial things imaginable.

The conversation went on for some time, until eventually, it turned somber. The Cook stared up at the now dark sky and spoke. “…I dunno, after everything… sometimes I just wonder if it’s even worth it.”

”What is the reason we go through life? To suffer? Is it really worth trying when you’re always hurtin’ so bad?”

These all seemed like questions for himself more than anything else.

The Researcher gave the Cook a solemn look. "Well... think about all you've done for Hyrule. You may have been hurting during that time, but it turned out to be for the better, right?"

He let out a quiet sigh. “…Hyrule’s fields were burned. During my travels I witnessed ruin after ruin. Those were people— families. I spoke with people who said that the destruction reached nearly every corner of the kingdom. The only places that are safe are in the furthest reaches of the castle possible. I failed. If I can’t even do what I was out here for, what’s the reason?”

"Link. You were not responsible for Hyrule's destruction. That was the Calamity," the Researcher huffed. "And before you go saying it was because you slept so long and forgot everything, that wasn't your fault either. That was the fault of the Shrine of Resurrection. You did all you could."

“Everything I could do clearly wasn’t enough.” He said quietly. “Why did I have to be the one to survive? The champions had so much ahead of them. I don’t even know what to do with my life now.”

"You were the only one who could deal the finishing blow. I miss them so much, but... if they'd lived instead of you, the Calamity would have won regardless."

Wild tensed up and gritted his teeth, feeling pressure increase in his eyes as tears tried to flood into his eyes. He blinked them back— and then stood up on his feet. “…I’m sorry— I can’t—“

"Link—!"