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It’d been years since Link and the rest of Hyrule defeated Calamity Ganon, but there were still plenty of monsters roaming the land. Zelda hypothesized that the monsters were not in fact formed from Calamity Ganon, but may instead simply have been species natural to Hyrule that were corrupted by his Malice. Link was no scientist, but his important takeaway was that, at least, all of the monsters left were low-level, nothing like the armies of Malice-infested foes swarming Hyrule during the height of the Calamity.
Still. Even low-level monsters for him were a very real threat to most of the population. Link was forcefully reminded of this during his latest diplomatic visit to Rito Village on behalf of the Hyrulean Crown. These excursions were a breath of fresh air just by virtue of taking him away from the castle, and having the opportunity to spend time with Revali was even better—but all the lighthearted plans he’d imagined unraveled when he and Revali had to attend an emergency meeting of the Rito council, called by a squad from the Rito scout legion.
“This wasn’t really an official mission,” said the squad captain, averting her eyes from the council of Rito officials. Her wing was in a cast, her head wrapped with bandages. “We just got together as trusted allies—as friends, really—to hunt the moose and rhinoceroses up north. Winter’s on us, the kids were getting tired of just the stores of wheat, you know. We only brought swallow bows. We didn’t expect to find any real danger.”
“Enough with the tragic backstory already,” Revali said from the seat next to Link, crossing his wings. They were older now than when they’d nearly killed each other during their first meeting, but occasionally Link still felt that his teenage self had been justified. “You said this was urgent, so if we need to act fast—”
“Sorry, Master Revali.” The squad captain’s feathers ruffled embarrassedly. “Up north, past the Hebra West Summit. There’s a hinox there, a black one. The way it’s positioned, it wouldn’t be a long walk for it to attack the southernmost docks at Lake Kilsie.”
“We should send another small team to investigate,” said the commander of the scout legion. “It’d be best to scope out the enemy first, before deciding if we need to allocate more troops. I don’t want to risk too many of our soldiers when our numbers have only just started recovering from the Calamity.”
“We could build some outposts,” the Rito head architect interjected. “Should the hinox decide to storm the docks, we need to have defenses in place. At the very least, we can shore up the lodgings the miners normally use at Sturnida Basin.”
“But I’m afraid I simply don’t know if we have the kind of funds to dedicate to one hinox,” said the Rito elder reluctantly. “With a winter this harsh, it might be prudent to abandon the docks, at least for this season. It’s not as if we need the ore right now anyways, and we could instead put the money toward trading for food.”
Link should have been used to this kind of back and forth, considering how many hours he’d spent over the years standing silently behind Zelda during her meetings. But he was grateful to Revali, not only for having sat next to him throughout this whole meeting, but for when he finally stood up, silencing the other council members.
“You’re all making this so complicated,” Revali said loudly. “Our course of action should be obvious. I’ll take care of this hinox. With my superior skill and wealth of experience, it’ll be a total breeze.”
“You are our most capable fighter,” said the Rito elder, “but that’s exactly why we cannot send you on this mission. You’re our most valuable soldier; we can’t afford to lose you on some hinox up north.”
Revali scoffed, clearly somehow offended by nothing but compliments. “As if a mere hinox could even hope to best the great Champion—“
“Why don’t I help him?” Link said, and all eyes snapped to him. He swallowed, trying not to let his throat close under so many gazes. He’d killed Ganon. He could handle a small crowd. “We’ll be safer as a pair. If it’s me and Revali, there’ll be little to no risk.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Link could see Revali’s bright emerald eyes burn in a glare. Link kept his face blank in front of the other council members, who were all regarding him and Revali with contemplative expressions.
Finally, the Rito elder said, “I concur with this plan. All in favor?”
As the other council members raised their wings, Revali’s gaze remained locked on Link, wing pointedly at his side.
Fine. If Revali was going to make a big deal out of nothing, that was his prerogative. Link, for his part, was going to do his job: kill the monster and save the people, just as he was meant to.
“Why did you volunteer for the mission?” Revali demanded, planting his hand on the table.
Link turned his head to meet Revali’s stormy gaze. The moonlight streaming in from the uncurtained outdoors gleamed on Revali’s feathers, turning the dark navy to an almost silvery color. This late at night, he wasn’t wearing his armor; instead, he only had a simple tunic and his well-worn tan scarf draped around his neck. It made Revali seem softer, somehow, combined with the dark.
“I’m trying to have dinner,” said Link, spooning another scoop of salmon risotto into his mouth. Room service was the best part of staying at inns—and since this was a hearty meal, revitalizing him for the mission tomorrow morning, the cost was even covered by the council’s allocated funds.
“And I’m trying to ask you a question,” said Revali. The hand not on the table went to his cocked hip. His theatrics always made Link rather want to burst out laughing—but also want to kiss him, just a little bit. “I was under the impression that you were only here to report back to the crown about the village’s activity. Not…poke your head into our business and fight our battles.”
“I’m here to observe and offer my service,” said Link, resting his chin on his hand to look at Revali. He was standing so close; it made Link’s heart race. “Besides, we all fought each other’s battles leading up to the Calamity, right?”
“That was different,” Revali dismissed. He made a sweeping gesture with his wing. “We were waging war against entire armies of monsters. Even I wasn’t—” Then, Revali let out a breath, averting his eyes. The pale ivory feathers of his fingers gripped the edge of the desk tighter, and Link had to resist the urge to touch Revali’s hand with his own. “…Even I, lamentably, cannot be everywhere at once, you know. Defending towns of civilians alongside Mipha and Urbosa and Daruk is one thing—but taking out one measly hinox in the middle of nowhere—”
“I just wanted to help,” said Link, mouth slipping into a frown. He was Hyrule’s Hero, after all. Saving people was his whole purpose. It was the main reason he’d chosen to stay on as a Hyrulean knight, despite everything. And if his reasons for volunteering so quickly to help Revali were a little selfish—even then, at least he would still be fulfilling his duty either way, right?
Revali’s gaze sliced into his own. Normally Revali made his feelings on everything obvious, whether or not anyone wanted him to, but this time, Link found himself unable to parse Revali’s expression. “I didn’t need your help,” he said quietly. “I don’t need your help.”
“I’m still giving it to you anyway,” said Link, pulling his bowl closer, absently hoping the meal was still warm. He could feel Revali’s eyes watching his movements, and tried to ignore the way it raised the hairs on his arms. “It’s already decided. You should get some sleep; we leave at first light.”
Revali opened his beak, then closed it again. Silence hung between them. Wind blew softly between the wood beams holding up the roof, making Revali’s scarf flutter at his throat, making Revali’s dark feathers ruffle so the moonlight seemed to ripple over his body like water. Link realized his hand had stilled over the bowl. He hardly dared breathe.
“…Fine,” said Revali at last, straightening up. He took a step backward, and the air seemed to drop a few degrees. “Just…don’t slow me down tomorrow.”
Link watched as Revali, rather than heading toward the doorway, instead crossed the room to the back wall. He hopped onto the railing, then pushed off, soaring upward.
“I don’t think that’s good etiquette,” Link called out the window, but Revali was already gone.
The morning dawned bright and beautiful. From the top of the rock spire that made up the center of Rito Village, Link could see the sun peeking up over the horizon by Death Mountain, painting the sky with soft shades of pink and orange. The air was pleasantly cool and crisp, and the birds were singing.
Well. Except for one particular bird.
“Do we really need all this?” Revali was complaining, lifting with one hand the travel pack given to him by the Rito elder. It visibly sagged in his grip, weighed down by lumpy objects: food, medical supplies, bundles of spare arrows, and so on.
A few members of the Rito council had gathered to see Link and Revali off. They glanced between each other, and Link picked out both uncertain and impatient looks.
“You’ll be fighting a hinox, as well as who knows what other monsters along the way,” said the scout commander, who unequivocally fell into the second camp. “These supplies could mean the difference between life and death.”
“We’ll have returned victorious before needing half this junk,” Revali said derisively. “It’s hardly a two hour glide, far less if the winds are favorable. Inconsequential to me, of course, but his—” Revali jerked his head toward Link, silently shouldering his own pack “—dense Hylian body will already be struggling, nevermind all this extra weight. Any benefits of the supplies in here will be overshadowed by—”
“It’s fine,” Link interrupted Revali’s tirade. All the attention, this scene being made for his sake, was making his stomach twist. “I can handle it. I’m bringing stamina candy anyway.”
Revali stared at him. Again, Link couldn’t read his expression. Did he really think Link was too weak to carry one extra pack of supplies?
“…Why candy?” Revali asked finally. “The elixirs are more potent.”
“I like candy,” Link said. “And they’re easier to suck on mid-flight.”
Revali snorted, turning away. Probably exasperated, but Link wanted to hope it was fond too. “Just typical.”
“If I may I add,” the Rito elder put in, tone appeasing, “it’s better to be safe than sorry, is it not? And remember, you’ll only be flying to Sturnida Basin. The elevation is too low to glide all the way back. You’ll need the supplies for the journey back on foot.”
Last night, the council had worked out the route for their journey, drawn it out on the map now rolled up inside Link’s pack. Getting to the hinox would be simple: starting from where they were now standing, at the highest point in Rito Village, Link and Revali would glide all the way to the flagpole marking the landing site south of Sturnida Basin. But for the trip back, they’d only be able to fly far enough to cross Lake Kilsie, from there on having to climb the foothills south of Dronoc’s Pass before reaching the road back to Rito Village.
“I’m well aware,” said Revali, with a dramatic upward toss of his head. He strapped the bag of supplies to his back, along with his bow. “Fine, then. If none of you care to listen to my expertise, I suppose we ought to just get going. Link?”
Link nodded, popping a honey candy in his mouth and pulling out his paraglider. The plan was for Revali to use his Gale to give them an extra bit of height, just to ensure they reached the landing site without issue. Link moved closer to Revali, about where he guessed the radius of Revali’s Gale encompassed.
“You need to be right behind me, Link,” Revali said, already turned to face toward the northwest. His voice was steady, matter-of-fact—because there was no reason for it not to be. “Otherwise you’ll get thrown by the edges of the whirlwind.”
Link took a steadying breath, and then berated himself for needing it. They were on a mission. Everyone’s eyes were on them. Paraglider raised high above his head, Link stepped forward, until only a scant few inches separated Revali’s feathers from his skin.
Link’s heart pounded. He could see the rise and fall of Revali’s back as he breathed—could watch the movements grow slower, deeper, as Revali readied himself to activate his Gale. Revali crouched down, wingtips parallel to the ground. His braids swayed in the breeze, the fluffy ends almost brushing against the bottom edge of Link’s tunic. Warmth curled in Link’s stomach at the thought.
“Ready?” Revali asked.
“Yeah,” Link said, a little breathless. He cleared his throat, tried again: “Yes. Let’s go.”
Wind swirled around them, brushing through Link’s hair, caressing Link’s face. Link tightened his grip on his paraglider, and let Revali lift them into the sky.
About an hour and a half later, they touched down at the southern tip of Hebra West Summit. Even despite all the stamina candy, Link’s limbs felt like jelly after such a long flight, and the blizzard raging around them wasn’t helping matters—but Revali only looked dashingly windswept, strutting around without the slightest hint of fatigue. His dark plumage made him stand out starkly against the surrounding snow, a bright beacon of safety in the storm.
“Let’s move,” said Revali. His green eyes were already scanning the expanse of snow around them, though Link didn’t know how he could pick anything out amidst all the snowflakes whipping through the air. “I’d rather not sit around and wait to be ambushed. For all we know, that hinox may be rallying an army.”
Link just nodded, folding up his paraglider. He not only felt but saw the way his arms trembled slightly; gritting his teeth, he squeezed his hands around the wooden frame, trying to steady himself. He’d killed Ganon. An easy glide was nothing.
Revali glanced over at him, and Link flushed. If Revali asked, it was because of the cold.
“Well,” said Revali after a moment. He crossed back over to Link, the weight of his talons leaving pronged prints in the snow. “No need to rush recklessly in, however. It might behoove us to plan out our approach.”
Revali took a step closer. Another. Link felt electricity race across his skin. They were nearly nose-to-beak, clouds of condensation from their breaths mingling in the scant space between them.
“Link, I…” Revali’s eyes, so vividly, shockingly green, slid away from his own. Link startled when he felt Revali’s wing brush against his side, just the barest whisper of sensation through his thick Snowquill armor. He held himself still as Revali’s hand traveled higher—the tip of a pale, soft feather skimmed across the back of Link’s neck, heat rising to meet the touch, before Revali’s hand at last slipped into the open flap of his pack.
“I’ll need our map,” Revali murmured, and pulled it slowly from Link’s bag. He took a step back, and Link did the same, swallowing down a strange feeling of disappointment.
Link followed as Revali moved toward a flat stretch of rock, still mostly uncovered by the rising layer of snow. With one quick movement, Revali tugged the cord tied around the map and unraveled the knot, flicking his wrist to let the length of cord wrap securely around his hand. Then he flattened the map out.
“The captain said the hinox was here,” said Revali, pointing at a clearing surrounded by trees, directly west of the second peak from the south. “The fastest route would be flying over the mountain here…”
“But we’d be meeting it head-on,” said Link, focusing on the map laid out before him, instead of the way he was kneeling shoulder-to-shoulder with Revali, close enough that he could feel the heat coming off Revali’s wing. Better to think about battle tactics, positioning and attack strategy, than to remember Revali’s hand low on his hip. “If we cross here—” Link traced the map with his finger, glad that the movement was steady “—we’ll be able to flank it from the high ground. It’ll give you a good vantage point to bomb it, and if that doesn’t take it down, we can more easily avoid its attacks from higher up.”
Link glanced over to find Revali watching him. Just watching him, quietly, his whole face light with a startling openness. Link felt warmth rise in his own face.
Then Revali’s shoulders jumped and his feathers ruffled, fluffing out around his face and the back of his neck. “What are you gawking at me for?” he demanded, expression sharpening back into familiar territory.
Link grinned. “What are you staring at?”
Revali let out a squawk, gaze dropping quickly back to the map. “Nothing,” he said. “Just—your Hylian skin looks ridiculous in the cold. But don’t we have more pressing matters to attend to?”
As much as Revali always bragged, Link knew he was still just a person; he’d pushed his magical stamina to its limit through rigorous training, but that limit still existed. Revali couldn’t use his Gale indefinitely. So when Revali blustered some excuse about Link being unable to keep up if they tried to fly over the crest of Hebra West Peak, Link didn’t push the issue.
Instead, they hiked.
Clearly, Revali’s thin Rito legs were about as happy with the climbing as Link’s dense Hylian arms had been with the flying. Not to mention that Revali surely must have been already exhausted by using so much magic, both to lift them up for takeoff and to keep the wind at their backs the whole flight, ensuring the easiest, straightest shot. The snow, too, made the climb even more difficult, slicking their holds and forcing them to move more slowly than Link would have liked—but while Link led the way forward, down the shallow slope north and up the rock face between the two mountain peaks, Revali was uncharacteristically quiet, trailing behind Link with nary a complaint.
“Are you okay?” Link finally worked up the nerve to ask, as he pulled himself up over the top of the ridge. He remained kneeling there, turning around to offer Revali a hand—but Revali flapped his broad wings and hopped upward, landing beside Link with only a slight stumble.
“Worry about yourself first,” said Revali snappishly, but without any real venom. There was a disquiet to the tilt of his beak, to the furrow of his brow. “I’m keeping up just fine.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t.”
“Well—well, you must have been thinking it, weren’t you?”
Link gave him a flat stare. Clearly Revali heard how it sounded too; the lower half of his beak worked for a long moment, the short feathers on his throat shifting as he swallowed. Finally, his shoulders dropped, and he turned away.
“Look,” said Revali, quieter now. “Forget it, all right? Your concern is…appreciated. But I don’t need anything more than that, you understand me?” Revali glanced backward at him, green eyes shining fiercely in the morning light. “All I want is your trust.”
“Of course,” said Link, all too easily. After everything they’d been through together, how could Link not trust Revali with his life? And maybe too many other parts of himself, besides.
Finally, the two crested the ridge. Downhill, Link could already spot the hinox, an incongruous dark spot amidst the white expanse of snow. He shrugged off his pack and tucked it against a cluster of exposed boulders, to be retrieved later so it wouldn’t weigh him down during the fight. As Revali did the same, Link stepped forward and raised a hand over his eyes, trying to get a better look at the hinox down below: at the moment, it was sleeping, lying with its arm slung over its face in the middle of a copse of trees. Shame that it’d protected its eye—but at least the surrounding area looked clear of other monsters. In Link’s opinion, this hinox seemed far too lazy to do anything so strenuous as rally an army to march on Lake Kilsie.
“It’s not even moving,” said Revali beside him, with a disbelieving little laugh. He crouched down, wind swirling around his wings. “I’ll take care of this, Link—you just stay here and enjoy the show.”
At that, Link stopped short.
“Wait,” Link started, reaching for Revali’s wing. But Revali was already shooting up into the sky.
Dammit. What was the point of coming along to protect Revali if he was just going to fly off alone? Link pulled out his paraglider and jumped from the slope to follow him.
Ahead, Revali was soaring upward, flying a loose spiral around the hinox still sleeping on the ground. He dropped his bow into his talons, wings flapping to keep himself in the air. Link had never properly watched Revali shoot with his feet before; for brief moments airborne, or when he had the energy to use his Gale several times in a row to make up for lost altitude, Revali seemed to prefer the greater accuracy of using his hands, and when he was forced to stay aloft for longer stretches of time, Link himself had always been too occupied with the battle inevitably raging on the ground to study Revali’s technique.
Revali reached into his quiver and drew a fistful of bomb arrows, dropping them to his talons to nock them against his bow. His wings flapped harder, but his body remained remarkably steady, green eyes sharp and focused. One leg drew back, ivory talons curled around the bowstring, sunlight glinting off the pale feathers of his thighs as his muscles flexed—and then he fired.
Explosions burst against the hinox down below, blasting against its limbs and its covered face. At last, Link touched down a distance away from it, pulling out his sword and rushing in as the hinox roared with fury.
Above him, Revali continued to circle the hinox, his dark feathers bold against the cloudy sky. Link noticed that he wasn’t taking aim, though. “I thought I told you to stay back!” Revali called, with the audacity to sound irritated.
“Don’t leave me behind again!” Link yelled back. “It’s my job to protect you!”
Link couldn’t see Revali’s expression, so far away. But he could hear the coldness of Revali’s tone. “I see,” he said, voice lowering, so that Link had to strain to hear him from this distance. “That’s what this was all along? Well, knight—you may be the Hero of Hyrule, but if you don’t recall, I’m still a Champion myself.”
There was no time to retort. The hinox was stumbling upright, its right hand grasping out blindly—but its left remained stubbornly pressed against its eye. Link darted forward, underneath the hinox’s occupied arm.
He drove his sword into the flesh of its stomach, using both hands to rip the blade downward. Yellow blood streamed from the wound, and the hinox screamed, flailing outward from the direction of its injury.
Link yanked his sword free and jumped backward. Arrows rained onto the join of the hinox’s shoulders and arms, the back of its neck—just regular arrows, so Link didn’t get caught in any explosions. But the hinox’s skin was so tough that the shots to what should have been weak points barely seemed to slow its movements down.
“Get away!” Revali shouted again, and Link had to bite back a frustrated sound. “I’ll bomb it again!”
And what, leave Revali to be the monster’s sole target? As long as it was dealing with Link, the hinox wasn’t attacking Revali. “No, I—!”
The hinox ripped a tree from the ground and pulled its arm back, the trembling leaves unable to hide the jagged branches they grew from. The hinox’s eye was still covered, but its ears swiveled in the direction of their calls. Link realized with a rush of horror that it was aiming straight for Revali.
“Move!” Link screamed at Revali, and hurled his sword at the hinox’s hand.
The blade pierced a hole straight through the hinox’s wrist, slitting the muscles and making the hinox roar in pain. Its grip faltered right as it released for the throw, and the tree went wide, Revali dodging away easily.
Now weaponless, Link ran for cover beneath the remaining trees. Another explosion rocked the ground beneath him; he glanced back, and saw Revali swooping above the hinox, loosing another flurry of bomb arrows.
This, at last, seemed to force the hinox to falter. It stumbled beneath the barrage, trying and failing to swat away the bomb arrows. But eventually, the deluge of arrows slowed. Link knew bomb arrows were expensive to produce; Revali hadn’t been able to bring even a full quiver of them. He watched as Revali soared higher once again, back to circling the hinox from above, waiting for an opening for his regular arrows.
Across the clearing from Link, the hinox at least was now moving sluggishly, the metal sheets around its legs blown away by the explosions. With its uninjured arm, it scooped up debris on the ground and hurled the makeshift projectiles toward Revali, who every time only whirled away at the last second, hindered by the buffeting winds of the blizzard. The hinox’s wounded hand was pressed to its face now, Link’s sword still embedded in its wrist jabbing against its cheek.
All of a sudden Link had an idea. A reckless idea, for certain—but a plan that would finish off the hinox in one fell swoop and get them both out of danger, if Link could pull it off.
That settled it in Link’s mind. He ran forward, ignoring Revali’s cry of “What do you think you’re doing?!” and digging his hands into the sagging folds of skin at the hinox’s right knee.
The hinox roared and tried to shake him. But Link held tight, reaching upward to latch onto the sheets of animal skin knotted around its waist. He planted his foot against a hardened knoll of skin and levered himself upward.
Handhold by foothold, Link scaled the body of the hinox. It flailed in an attempt to knock him off, trying to reach down and swat at him—but every time, one of Revali’s arrows would zip through the air toward the hinox’s eye, forcing it to throw its hands back up to its face to block the shot.
At last, Link pulled himself up the hinox’s hands, using Revali’s arrows still embedded in its skin as grips. He was right in front of its face now, clinging as the hinox crossed both of its hands over its eye. But directly within Link’s reach—there was the hinox’s wrist, and still pierced through it was Link’s sword.
Link wrapped his hand around his sword’s hilt and yanked. The hinox screamed as the sword slid out from its flesh, but Link was already gripping his sword and lining up the blade. The hinox’s hands shifted just slightly, trembling with pain—a gap opened up between its fingers—
Link stabbed his sword straight through the hinox’s hands and into its eyeball.
Blood gushed from its eye, spurting down its face in disgustingly thick rivulets. The hinox roared and groaned in agony. Link felt its body starting to buckle under him, scrambled to climb back down.
Then he had to bite down a scream when the hinox slammed its massive hand right into Link’s legs. Link felt the hinox’s rough nails pierce into his flesh, felt the bones crack, crushed against the back of the hinox’s other hand. The hinox was already moments from death, but—but it had been smart enough to keep its eye covered the whole duration of the fight. Surely that meant it was smart enough to want to take Link down with it.
That last swat seemed to be all the hinox could manage. Its whole body slumped, taking Link with it. His grip was already slipping, both with the hinox’s blood slicking his handholds and the pain of his own injuries. Link’s mind worked too sluggishly. He could use his ability to slow down time, maybe, use those precious few seconds to pull out his paraglider—but once his magical stamina ran out and he resumed real-time, the force of dropping would yank his arms from their sockets anyway. The ground was coming up too fast to think of any other plans. There was nothing else for it but to brace for impact—
Instead of hitting the hard ground, Link instead fell against soft feathers and a leather cuirass. He heard Revali let out a small grunt, staggering beneath his weight for a moment, before he again righted himself and they were soaring smoothly upward through the sky.
Link’s arms curled around Revali’s neck. He felt so warm against Link’s body, a stark contrast to the frigid air pressing in on them. “Revali…”
“Shut up,” Revali snapped. “Shut up. I don’t want to hear a single word from you. You… You’re so… I…”
He didn’t finish his sentence. Link felt wind surge around them, felt the faint tingle of magic against his skin, as Revali shot forward, flying even faster with the gust of wind he summoned to their backs. Link rested his head against the back of Revali’s neck and pressed his face to the soft feathers there. With his chest against Revali’s back, he could feel the rise and fall of Revali’s quick breathing.
“Link. Link. Goddesses damn it all, I swear, if you don’t open your eyes right this very instant—”
Link blinked awake, and found Revali’s face incredibly close to his own.
Before Link even had time to process, Revali jerked backward, settling on his haunches a respectable distance away. The feathers around his face were ruffled.
“Finally awake?” Revali said, snappishly. But Link was surprised to see how relieved Revali’s expression was. “Hope you had a lovely nap while I flew us all the way here.”
Here, Link realized, looking around, was a hot spring. Sturnida’s Secret Hot Spring, if Link remembered the map correctly. Link was propped up against the wall of a cave, their equipment in a pile a few feet away, illuminated by a wooden torch burning in the corner by the small waterfall beside him. With awareness came registering the humid heat, Link’s Snowquill armor, which had kept him toasty in the blizzard outside, now making the tiny cave feel positively sweltering.
Not to mention the pain in his legs. Link had survived far worse injuries, certainly, and his role as a knight left no room for squeamishness. But looking at his torn, bloodied pants, surely disguising an even more gruesome sight beneath, still made him wince.
“Sorry,” Link said, and Revali’s face pinched further. He looked away.
“Whatever,” said Revali, reaching for their supplies. “Here—take a potion so we can be on our way.”
Revali pulled out a glass bottle and shoved it into Link’s hands. The liquid inside was a pale white color, unlike any elixir Link had ever drank. He swished it in the bottle, and the liquid reflected hints of yellow.
“What’s in it?” Link asked.
“How unlike you to be so picky,” Revali snapped. “It’s just your standard-issue healing potion. Black nightshade with—I don’t know, bokoblin parts, most likely.”
Link grimaced. “Black nightshade’s poisonous to Hylians,” he said, reluctant to break the news when already Revali seemed so on edge. Still, he had no choice but to hold the bottle back out to him. “Do you have anything else?”
“Really? But I’ve seen you and the Sheikah use nightshade plenty of times.”
“Blue nightshade. Even then, only specific parts. Black’s completely toxic.”
“Ah. Just wonderful.” Revali took the bottle back, but he looked decidedly unhappy about it. “Unfortunately, it appears they only packed the one type. I suppose if I was unaware of this difference in our biology, it’s not so surprising that whoever prepared our supplies didn’t know either.” He took a deep breath. “Plan B, then. I didn’t just bring us to the hot spring on a whim. The water will heal you, so we need to get your clothes off.”
Link had been nodding along, but at the last words, he stopped short. His face heated, if that was even possible in the heat already surrounding them in this cave. Revali rolled his eyes at Link’s expression.
“Do correct me if I’m mistaken, but I was under the impression that it’ll be easier to dry that Hylian skin of yours than a full set of Snowquill, especially in this environment,” said Revali. “But suffer if you truly insist. Since you so seem to enjoy taking undue hardship upon yourself.”
Link frowned. Revali, of course, was always mean; he wouldn’t be Revali otherwise. Only, this felt different. Link tried to respond, but the pit growing in his chest made his voice refuse to cooperate.
Instead, he just clenched his jaw and set to taking off his armor while Revali unpacked the medical supplies. Link didn’t really need to remove the headpiece, but it would be the easiest part, so he untied the braids and pulled out the ruby-tipped ribbons, letting his hair fall loosely down his back. The tunic was not too bad either, as long as he moved slowly to avoid pulling the muscles in his legs. And he could unlace the boots and slide them off his feet without moving too much of anything else. It only left the thick, heavy trousers, meant to be insulating against bitter cold and at least moderately shielding against sharp blades—in other words, impossible to slip easily out of.
“Can…” Link tried, and it was too loud in the tense silence filling the tiny cave. He cleared his throat. “Can you pass me a knife? Or no.” The hinox’s nails had already torn the trousers, but though he was pretty sure there was a spare set of regular clothing in their equipment somewhere, Link didn’t want to wreck a perfectly fixable piece of armor. “Do we have a sewing kit?”
Revali looked over at him, eyes catching around his face, before quickly glancing away. “…What for?”
“I can’t move my legs,” Link murmured. “It’ll hurt to pull the pants off. Figured I’ll cut them open and fix them later.” And with an actual seam ripper, he could avoid doing even worse damage to the armor than it’d already suffered.
“…I see.” Revali turned back toward their supplies. “We most likely have something of the sort packed away in all this…”
And sure enough, just a minute of digging through their bags later, Revali handed him a small sewing kit. Link pulled out the seam ripper, and got to work.
He could feel Revali watching him. In any other circumstance, Link might have felt flustered by the weight of Revali’s gaze, all the more so because he was shirtless and his hair was down. But after the fight with the hinox, and this thing between him and Revali too nebulous to be called a fight, Link wasn’t dense enough to think Revali had anything so lighthearted in mind.
At least Link didn’t have to suffer the awkward silence too long. He set aside the fabric that once made up his pants and peered at his wounds. On the surface, it didn’t seem too bad; the hinox’s nails had gouged long lines into the flesh of his calves, but the wounds weren’t as deep as they could have been, and the blood’s flow had slowed to a trickle. The more pressing problem was his bones—fractured, most likely, because nothing felt out of place, but he doubted he’d be able to put weight on them anytime soon.
Link grimaced, and looked up at Revali. Revali’s eyes were fixed on Link’s legs, dark with some emotion that Link couldn’t decipher. They sharpened when he noticed Link watching him.
“Here,” said Revali brusquely, pulling out a flask, a rag, and a roll of bandages from the medical supplies. “It wouldn’t do for the legendary Hero of Hyrule to survive a hinox—hell, survive the Calamity—only to be laid low by an infection.”
Link frowned, discomfited by his title coming from Revali’s beak. But he remained silent, and let Revali open the flask and pour clean water onto the rag.
Link held his breath as, carefully, Revali then reached for his legs. The long primary feathers of his fingers brushed softly against Link’s skin as Revali lifted first his right leg, swiping the wet cloth over the blood encrusted around his wounds. Link shivered—at the cold fabric against his injuries, at Revali’s hands on his body. When the blood was fully cleaned, Revali repeated the process for Link’s left leg. The gentleness of Revali’s touch surprised him, especially considering the stony expression that remained on Revali’s face. Link wouldn’t have been surprised if Revali had brusquely scrubbed only the worst of the blood away, or, even more likely, had simply shoved the rag into Link’s own hands and been done with it.
But instead, Revali set down the now-bloodied cloth and picked up the roll of bandages. He passed the roll under and back over Link’s legs, wrapping the open wounds with the same delicate care he put into maintaining his bow. Link watched as Revali tied off the last bandage, and then stopped, hands lingering at Link’s knee. He could feel just the slightest brush of Revali’s feathers through the cloth bandages.
“Revali?” Link whispered.
His name seemed to snap Revali back to himself. Revali’s shoulders jumped, and he jerked back with an audible hitch of his breath. “Well, then,” he said, crossing his wings behind his back. “That’s…that’s one thing taken care of. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Link said, a moment too late. Revali let out a “tsch” and turned away, picking up the supplies he’d used.
Revali had had the foresight to seat him right next to the water, so Link only needed to swivel around to lower his legs into the water pooling at the east side of the cave. Once his legs were floating more-or-less painlessly in the water, he scooted deeper, until he was submerged to his shoulders. Right behind him was the small waterfall; he leaned his head back into it and closed his eyes, letting the water flow through his hair. The spring’s hot water felt like heaven on his sore muscles and grimy skin.
There was a loud clattering sound. Link opened his eyes and met the emerald green of Revali’s own for just a moment—then Revali’s gaze snapped away, as he righted Link’s sheath, which had earlier been balanced against one of their bags. Only then did it occur to Link that Revali must have removed it for him, while he was asleep.
“What?” Revali snapped, the feathers around his face fluffed up. “Forgive me if I was a little bit preoccupied with ensuring your well-being over organizing your share of our equipment. I dragged us into this cave because you delicate Hylians can’t handle a bit of cold, it’s not my fault if my wingspan—”
The clumsiness in knocking over Link’s sheath was out of character for Revali, notwithstanding the (hardly even) small size of the cave. There was a different kind of edge to Revali’s voice too, the sharp, rambling quality of his bluster different from his usual vitriol.
“You seem exhausted too,” said Link, cutting Revali off. “Get in the water with me?”
Revali stopped, and stared at him for a moment, clearly trying to read his expression. Link met his gaze steadily.
Then, with a quiet exhale, Revali turned around to divest himself of his armor.
Link watched as Revali unwrapped his beloved tan scarf first, folding it delicately into a square and setting it on the ground beside him. Slowly, Revali unlatched the steel fastenings of his pauldron, pulling the two halves apart and placing them atop his scarf, followed by the plates of armor at his chest.
Then, Revali hesitated, one hand at the belts securing his red undertunic. Link itched to reach out and unbuckle them himself, to press Revali down and peel the clothes from his body. He flushed at his own train of thought.
“I don’t…” Revali started, avoiding Link’s eye.
“Come on,” said Link, cajoling. “You said it yourself. You don’t want to suffer wet clothing.” And it was perfectly true. The heat unfurling low in his belly was from the hot spring. It didn’t influence his words whatsoever.
Revali’s beak pressed shut. “Fine,” he said at last, just a little bit stiff. In his voice, was that…awkwardness? “But only because I am always right.”
Briskly, Revali undid the belts holding his shirt closed, pulling his wings out from the fabric and dropping it with the rest of his clothes. Link had never seen Revali’s bare torso before; he didn’t realize Revali had that patch of white feathers on his stomach. Link’s first thought was that it suited him. Just as enthralling was when Revali stepped out of his faulds, revealing the ruffle of dark feathers trailing down his hips.
Link swallowed, eyes jerking back to Revali’s face. But Revali still wasn’t looking at him as he slipped into the water next to Link.
Only when Revali’s body was fully submerged did he at last meet Link’s gaze. For the thousandth time, Link found himself captured by how striking Revali’s eyes were, brilliantly green, their almond shape made stark by the lining of red makeup. Link thought he could simply sit here and stare into Revali’s eyes for hours.
But Revali broke their eye contact, and their silence. “I don’t understand you,” he said quietly, staring downward. “When we’re just passing time together, your demeanor is so…lighthearted. As if we really are normal friends, not…” He swept his wing in a vague gesture between them. “But the moment we enter combat, you become a different person.”
“What?” Link said, unsure of where this was even coming from.
“You mean you don’t even notice?” Revali laughed, a touch bitterly. “I keep convincing myself that we might actually be—that you might actually—” He cut himself off, shoulders tightening. “But evidently, all of that is just a front for you, is it not? An act to discard once things get serious? And here I was, thinking that you’d finally dropped the mask, at least with me.”
Link felt his stomach sinking. He swallowed, grasped for words. “What are you talking about?”
Revali bristled. “Goddesses, Link,” he snarled, turning his body to face more fully toward him, “I knew you were just a pretty face with nothing of substance behind it, but I was under the impression that you at least had a brain, even a miniscule one!” He tilted his head down to meet Link’s eye directly, and Link’s heart sped up. “If my words weren’t true, then answer me this: why did you throw yourself into harm’s way earlier?”
Link stared at him. That was Revali’s problem? That was what this whole frenzied rant was about? “You were in danger,” said Link, frowning. “I could save you. So I did.”
If anything, Revali seemed to grow more incensed by Link’s response. “Are you serious?” he demanded. “We’re warriors. We signed up for the danger when I volunteered to fight this hinox, and you for some reason decided to tag along.” He swept a wing outward. “And, let’s not forget which one of us saved whom. I distinctly recall being the one to carry you all the way here, after you pulled that reckless stunt with the hinox.”
Link certainly felt guilty for making Revali carry him. But the hinox had kept its eye covered the entire time, not once opening its weak spot up for attack by Revali’s arrows as it hurled projectile after projectile after Revali. It would have taken scores of arrows for Revali to pierce through the hinox’s armor, but the hinox only would have needed to land one good hit to drop Revali from the sky. And with Revali on the ground, forced into a melee…
“Sorry,” Link said. “But I had to. You could have died.”
Revali’s expression twisted. “You truly think that lowly of me?” he gritted out. “What about you, huh? You could have died, right out there in the snow, had I not been able to fly you here.”
“But I didn’t,” said Link, helplessly. He didn’t know what Revali wanted from him—he couldn’t express regret when he’d do it all again in a heartbeat. How could Revali complain when this was how it’d always worked? “And now you’re safe.”
“Even when you deign to respond, it’s still like speaking to a stone wall,” Revali muttered. He planted one hand on the stone beside them and leaned fully into Link’s space, feathers on his wings ruffled high, green eyes narrowed. “Elucidate me, Link—why do you insist on protecting me? Even after all this time, do you still consider me nothing more than your s—”
“Because it doesn’t matter if I get hurt!” Link burst out.
Shocked at his own volume and fervor, Link snapped his mouth shut. He didn’t dare look at Revali; water splashed around him as he whirled around, hiding his face. He didn’t think he could control his expression. The stiffness of his shoulders and the waver of his breathing were already giving too much away, regardless.
“Really,” said Revali behind him, voice low. “Really, is that what you believe? Because that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
Link’s hands curled into fists at his sides. He could feel them shaking. “You don’t understand,” he murmured, hurt despite himself.
“You’re right, I don’t understand,” said Revali coldly. “As much as I enjoy mocking you—as part of our reciprocal repartee, let me be clear—I do know that you didn’t accomplish as much as you have by being a fool. So, enlighten me, by all means: how is it, then, that you’ve survived this long without developing even a mote of self-preservation?”
Link shook his head. “I’m the Hero,” he said, summoning every ounce of self-control he’d developed over the years as Zelda’s knight. Even then, his voice wasn’t quite steady. “It’s my… You’re not… You don’t…”
Link gritted his teeth together and dug his fingernails into his palms. He hated how words always abandoned him at the worst times. Revali’s impatience was like a tangible miasma fumbling Link’s tongue even worse; Link just wanted to fix whatever he’d said to make Revali so upset at him. He didn’t exactly want to go back to never saying a word, but it really had been so much easier…
No. Revali had always seemed even more annoyed when Link didn’t say anything at all. “I’m supposed to deal with the worst of the danger,” Link managed finally. “Not anyone else.”
At last, Link dared look back over at Revali. He was unsurprised to see Revali’s furious expression, but that didn’t make it sting any less. Revali’s green eyes glinted like sharpened steel in the torchlight; Link’s stomach swooped, and some distant part of his mind wished they weren’t fighting, so he could just admire how pretty Revali looked when he was angry, and not stress about the reason why. He promptly shoved the thought down, because this was the worst possible time for that kind of thinking.
“And how much danger do you really think I was in?” Revali snapped. “I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself. You’re not my personal bodyguard. I’m not just your charge. I’m no less a fighter than you.”
“I…I know,” said Link slowly. But even as he spoke the words, he turned over Revali’s. Traveling with Revali was nothing like accompanying Zelda on her outings had been, back before they’d become close friends, back when they were nothing more to each other than princess and knight. With Zelda, it had purely been Link’s duty. With Revali, even just a small excursion like this one felt like an adventure. But—Link had grown so used to standing between Zelda and every hint of danger. Maybe Revali was right in thinking that Link still couldn’t help but be the same knight he’d always been, even if he wanted to change…
“Then act like it!” said Revali—a demand, but also a little bit of a plea. He grabbed Link’s wrists and gripped them tightly; Link, taken aback at the contact, let him. “Look, for better or worse, the whole purpose of the Champions is to fight alongside you, out on the front lines of battle. To stand with you. I asked you to trust me, did I not?”
“I trust you,” Link whispered. “Of course I trust you. With my life.”
Revali’s emerald green eyes, illuminated by the low torchlight, pierced all the way through him. Pointedly, Revali asked, “But do you trust me with mine?”
Link’s mouth felt like stone. The silence lingered, one moment stretching to too many. At last, Revali shook his head and scoffed, letting go of Link’s wrists. Though they were still submerged in the hot spring, the loss of contact made Link’s hands feel suddenly cold.
“I don’t know what I expected,” Revali muttered, but he sounded less angry than just…resigned. “Stay there and heal, I suppose.” He started to rise from the spring, fluffing the water from his feathers, and Link’s heart dropped. “I’m going to go and…and…”
“No,” Link said quickly, words finally unsticking in his desperation. He grasped for Revali’s wing, and Revali looked back at him, a kind of bitter weight to his expression. “No, stay. I… It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s never been that. It’s just…I’m just… I don’t know how to explain.”
For a long, horrible moment, Link thought it wouldn’t be enough. Revali hovered there, half-standing, eyes unreadable. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d flown off in a huff after an argument with Link. But then what—they’d circle gingerly around each other in this cave too small for the tension between them, for however long it took before Link could walk again? They’d hike all the way back to Rito Village still stewing in resentment? Maybe, like all other times before, they would simply drop the matter—leave it buried, but not quite forgotten, and everything would stay exactly as it was. Somehow Link couldn’t stand the thought.
But at last, Revali let out an exhale. The wing in Link’s hand dropped, the tension in Revali’s shoulders slackening.
“Try anyway,” Revali said, and lowered himself back into the water, at Link’s side.
Link felt a rush of relief wash over him—but he didn’t have long to savor it before he was overtaken by a new wave of uncertainty. He’d managed to get Revali to hear him out, yes. But even if Link could articulate himself in the first place, he feared he would again say the wrong thing, would again push Revali even further away.
“I know you’re capable,” Link murmured. He couldn’t bear to make eye contact; instead, he stared down at his hands, clenched into fists in his lap. “I know you could have killed the hinox on your own.” He could feel Revali staring at him, silent. Link continued, deliberately slowly, focused on tamping down his stutter: “But it would’ve been a long, hard fight. It almost knocked you down so many times. I saw the chance to end it quicker. I don’t care that I got hurt, so you didn’t.”
“I care!” The fervor in Revali’s voice surprised Link into looking up. Revali’s eyes shone in the torchlight, intense with a feeling that Link couldn’t read. “Did that ever occur to you—that I don’t want you to endanger yourself for me? You didn’t have to throw yourself at the hinox alone.”
As if Revali was any better. “You didn’t either,” said Link, frowning. “You wanted me to sit back and—’enjoy the show.’”
Revali looked away. “I did, didn’t I,” he said, more quietly. He huffed a breath, and there was almost something Link would describe as a laughing quality to it, if only Revali didn’t look so self-deprecating. “Well—so I thought—what better way to prove myself your equal, than to slay a hinox singlehandedly? Since you make your respect oh-so-difficult to earn.”
Link’s frown deepened. “You don’t need to prove anything to me,” he said. “You already have my respect. You have since I met you.”
“Hmph. Then you could stand to actually say so, you know.” Revali’s tone was curt, but even though he looked away, Link could still see his feathers ruffle. “Instead of leaving me here guessing all the time as to how you really feel about me.” He exhaled, and glanced back over at Link. “Since you met me, huh? Is that true?”
“You almost beat me in that fight,” Link pointed out. “You might have, if Zelda didn’t stop us. I’d never had an equal in combat before. And when you first showed me your Gale—it was incredible. You still amaze me with your skill all the time. If there’s anyone I trust to fight with me, it’s you.”
“Oh,” said Revali, and then nothing else. He looked genuinely surprised by Link’s words, though Link couldn’t fathom how. Link had thought that telling Revali the depths of his admiration and respect would just be stating the obvious—but maybe it was as Revali had said. Maybe Link needed to speak the unspoken more often.
With that thought, Link’s courage strengthened. “I’m sorry,” Link said. He steeled himself, and reached out to touch Revali’s hand. “I trust you, I promise. We are allies. Next time we’ll plan together.”
Revali looked down at their hands, beak pressed shut. Then he took a deep breath and met Link’s gaze head-on. “Apology accepted,” said Revali, and Link was relieved to see the tiny lift at the edge of his beak. “And…” He grimaced, just slightly. “I suppose one of my own is in order, as well. Considering that we did plan together until I…well, you know. At least I know now that it wasn’t even necessary.”
“Remember that,” said Link firmly. “I trust you. I respect you a lot. I…” His throat caught. He’d said more during their conversation than he had in a long time, though, so it wasn’t quite as frustrating; he supposed those last words would just have to wait a little longer.
“Yes, well.” Revali cleared his throat, feathers ruffling. His tone became brisk. “Enough of the saccharinity, I think. How are your legs feeling?”
Ah. In the maelstrom of emotions, Link hadn’t spared any attention for his injuries. He tried lifting his left leg, and immediately winced.
Revali clicked his beak. “Still that bad?” he said. “Well, of course a hot spring is no substitute for real medicine, but I suppose we really are going to have to stick around awhile longer. Maybe I ought to go looking through the caves around here, see if I can’t scrounge up some hearty truffles—”
“Don’t go,” said Link before his brain could catch up with his mouth.
“Huh?”
“I…” Link swallowed. “I’d just rather you stayed with me,” he said, and felt overly revealed by the resulting expression on Revali’s face.
“Well,” said Revali slowly, cocking his head and fixing Link with a look. “If you’re so desperate to bask in my company, I suppose I can oblige.”
Link relaxed into the spring water, reclining against the stone behind him, and Revali did the same. The silence was more comfortable this time as Revali reached behind himself, then lowered his head to the end of his wing, preening the feathers there. Only now did Link have the opportunity to appreciate the strangely intimate feeling of this cave: it was only just large enough for the two of them to rest without feeling cramped, and the singular torch behind them cast a low, warm light on Revali’s navy feathers.
Revali met Link’s gaze, over where his broad wing covered the lower half of his face. Link flushed, realizing he’d been caught staring—but the corner of Revali’s eye just lifted in a smirk. The ease in Revali’s expression was a relief after their argument, at least.
“Is personal hygiene that foreign a concept to you?” said Revali, his ginger tone tempering the ostensibly mocking words: testing the waters between them. “My impressive plumage doesn’t maintain itself, you know.”
Link snorted—Revali seeming reassured at the sound—and looked away.
For a while, they just rested in the hot spring, regaining their energy from the battle earlier. Revali’s bringing up the topic made Link raise a hand to his own hair, and he was unsurprised when his fingers caught in a tangle immediately. He didn’t know where or if the council had packed a comb, and didn’t feel bothered to look; instead, he just started picking apart the snarl with his nails.
“Ugh, just looking at that rat’s nest on your head gives me hives,” came Revali’s voice across from him, and Link couldn’t even pretend at offense, too relieved that the air between them was light enough for Revali to resume his usual self. Link glanced back up to meet his gaze; Revali was eyeing Link’s hair with a mix of entertainment and vague distaste. “I don’t know how you’ve withstood it this long. Even that typical ponytail of yours is useless for keeping your hair from your face mid-battle.”
“But I like it,” said Link, plaintively. He tilted his head at Revali, with a faux-innocent look. “It’s cute. Don’t you think?”
“I—” Revali’s feathers fluffed up. He lowered his face behind his wing, sputtering. “I suppose you could say that—I mean, but not that I have any strong opinion on—”
Link had to hide his smile. He wanted to kiss Revali. He really wanted to kiss Revali. In that moment—the firelight dancing on Revali’s dark feathers, the hot water flowing gently around their bodies, the blizzard raging outside muffled to a distant rumble—it felt like the whole world had narrowed to just the two of them.
Their earlier argument should have left the atmosphere still tense, but if anything, Link felt somehow emboldened. Their relationship had survived that fight. Their relationship had survived countless fights over the years—survived even such conflicts as Revali’s bitterness at destiny and Link’s role as the Hero of Hyrule. If they could overcome that, then, really, there was nothing to lose from Link making the leap, and everything to gain.
Link rallied his courage. “Revali,” he said, and Revali lifted his beak from his wing, head tilted in a silent question.
Carefully, Link shifted toward Revali, until they were sitting side-by-side. Revali stilled. Their eyes met, Revali’s emerald green vivid in the firelight. The easy humor had dropped from his face, replaced with…something Link could only describe as nervousness. He didn’t want Revali to be nervous.
“I trust you,” Link said, just above a whisper. His heart was racing. “Do you trust me?”
Revali’s breath fluttered out of him. Quietly, resolutely, he at last spoke: “With our lives.”
With that, Link leaned forward and pressed his lips to Revali’s beak.
He felt Revali’s body twitch, just once, but Revali did not push him away; instead, those brilliant green eyes of his remained locked with Link’s own. Silence blanketed them both for a long, still moment. Link could feel the whisper in and puff out of Revali’s slow breaths against his skin. Could feel the rapid pulse of his own heartbeat, quick as a sword slice or an arrow arcing through the air.
Slowly, Link pulled back. The feeling of Revali’s cool, smooth beak lingered against his mouth.
“Link,” Revali whispered. “You…”
Link reached out a hand, and touched his thumb to Revali’s cheek. Only the barest hint of a red spot remained, after these few years of growth; inexplicably, Link thought he would miss it once it fully disappeared. “Do I take that as a yes?”
Revali swallowed at the contact. “If you don’t already know the answer to that question,” he breathed, “then you really are an idiot.”
They drew together once more. Link turned fully sideways just as Revali shifted forward, pressing their bodies nearly flush. Softly, Revali’s beak slid over Link’s cheek and up to his ear, nudging against the sensitive shell. Link shivered, and his fingers curled into the feathers at Revali’s lower back—not quite gripping, just resting there.
“Surely you’re stronger than that,” Revali taunted in a low whisper, the vibration of his voice sparking down Link’s skin. “I told you, I’m not made of glass. I can take whatever you throw at me. Unless you don’t think—”
Some part of Link wanted to rise to the bait: wanted to pin Revali to the ground and give him exactly what he was angling for. But some other, softer part of Link’s heart—one that he hardly ever paid attention to, let alone indulged—wanted something different. He supposed Revali pulled all sorts of surprises out of him.
“Next time,” Link promised. “Next time I’ll be as rough as you want. But I—” Link wasn’t quite ready to admit the mushiness of his thoughts. He didn’t think Revali would laugh at him outright, but then again, Revali was always unpredictable. “—I think we should take it slow. We just fought a hinox.”
“Well, if we must,” said Revali, backing off more easily than Link would have expected. In return, when Link pressed back forward for another kiss, he obliged Revali’s desire and tightened his fingers in his feathers, knuckles brushing against the warm skin beneath. Revali made a quiet, pleased sound, and Link couldn’t help his smile.
Link would have been perfectly happy to stay here forever, muscles melting into the water of the hot spring, kissing Revali until neither of them could remember their names, or their duties, or anything that would pull them from this tiny humid cave that was their haven. He’d wanted to get his mouth on Revali for so long—now that he was finally allowed, Link couldn’t imagine letting go. Maybe Revali felt the same, by the way he pressed even closer, climbing fully into Link’s lap. His long tailfeathers brushed against Link’s bare knees; Link’s hand dropped to the base of them when Revali started to rub his beak in long, slow slides against Link’s skin.
The feeling of solid keratin was foreign against Link’s face, and so were the smooth feathers on the hands pressed tight to Link’s hips. But he could still feel his whole skin tingling, could feel the blood rushing up to his face and down to his thighs at the new sensations. When Revali shifted to nuzzle the tip of his beak lightly against Link’s throat, Link’s breath hitched. Just this, and he could already feel himself starting to grow hard.
Revali must have noticed it too. He pulled away just enough so that they could look each other in the eye, and ground down once, deliberately, against Link’s lap. Suddenly Link was acutely reminded that he was only wearing a thin pair of underwear, and Revali not even that—his hips twitched upward at the sensation despite himself.
“Eager, aren’t we?” said Revali, with a delighted sort of smirk. “I know, I truly am ravishing, but do at least try to resist my allure a bit longer. I would like to get a little further than we have, you know.”
Link laughed, and he was too happy to feel self-conscious when Revali’s expression lit up at the sound. “What’s the point in going further?” Link teased. “You’re so full of yourself already, what do you even need me for?”
“Hilarious,” said Revali dryly, but the feathers around his face ruffled all the way up. Link ran his fingers through the white-tipped feathers at the edge of Revali’s crest; it was so cute, how fluffy Revali got when he was flustered. “But, seriously—do you really want to…to put your…?”
Link softened. The hand at Revali’s face slid down to his wing, combing gently through the secondary coverts. “Not today,” Link said. Rito had cloacae; if Revali had never been with a human or Zora, he wouldn’t have ever dealt with anything else before. Link didn’t want to spring too much on him so suddenly. “Not ever, if you don’t want it.”
Revali looked a little bit relieved, at that, although Link knew he wouldn’t admit it in a hundred years. “And here I thought I was meant to be the dramatic one,” said Revali, anyway. “No need to be so hasty. I’d be interested in trying it sometime. After all, let it never be said that the Champion Revali ever backed down from a challenge.”
Link’s first instinct was to push the point. Revali was prone to such bravado, but Link didn’t want Revali to feel like he had to force himself into an uncomfortable position for Link’s sake. But no—had Link learned nothing from their argument earlier? Revali knew his own limits. Link had to trust that Revali could take care of himself.
Instead, Link just snorted, and responded: “So are you saying these trysts are going in the history books?”
Revali laughed, and Link knew he’d finally said the right thing. “Maybe they will, if you do your job correctly,” Revali said, grinding down once again. A jolt went up Link’s spine—first pleasure at the friction, but then pain as the rough movement jostled Link’s still-damaged legs.
Link tried not to flinch. But evidently, he was out of practice in schooling his face, or maybe Revali could just read him that well regardless. Either way, Revali lifted himself up on his knees immediately, relieving his weight.
“Right—your legs,” said Revali, expression twisting. Not an apology, exactly, but there was still that undercurrent of regret in his voice alongside the concern. “You really can’t move them at all, can you?”
“Not for a while, I think,” Link admitted. The hot spring was helping—by now the pain was only a low throb when he stayed still, dull enough that he could mostly push it from his mind, only flaring up when he moved. “But it’s okay. Don’t need my legs to make you feel good.”
Revali looked at him, a little bit dubiously, but before he could voice any of his complaints, Link silenced him with another kiss. He pressed his forehead to Revali’s and rubbed his nose against Revali’s beak, feeling the warm damp air of Revali’s resulting sigh puff against his skin.
“…Well, then,” said Revali, pulling back once more. He cleared his throat, blinking a few times. This new expression on Revali’s face, awe and affection and arousal all mixed into one—how lucky Link was, to be the person Revali was trusting with it. “I suppose… Do you have a suggestion in mind?”
Right. Link thought about his injury; he didn’t want to force Revali to stay still, so that ruled out keeping Revali in his lap, or pressed against his lower half otherwise. Lying alongside him would work, Link supposed, but he wanted to be closer to Revali than that. Link also thought about earlier, kissing Revali’s beak and down his face—and decided he wanted to continue exploring Revali’s body with his mouth, somewhere even more intimate this time.
“I want… I…” Link swallowed, his whole face feeling hot. He steeled himself, then, quickly enough that he couldn’t lose his nerve: “I want to eat you out.”
Revali’s eyes widened. “Link,” he said with feeling. His pupils were blown, the rupee-green of his irises swallowed by black, which Link took as a good sign. “Yes. I mean, if you’re certain—”
“Do Rito do that?” Link asked, half out of concern, half out of genuine curiosity. “I’d figure the beaks would make it awkward.”
“Somewhat,” Revali said, a little bit breathless. “You can get a beak down there. Although I think Rito and Hylians simply conceptualize…oral copulation…differently anyhow.” Link found it endlessly endearing how Revali still insisted on speaking with such pretension, even in the middle of so-called copulation. “At least according to what I’ve encountered in the literature.”
“The literature?” Link repeated, and a laugh spilled from his mouth without him meaning to. “Even Champion Revali, the Rito legend, reads porn?”
“Goddesses, I—that’s not—” Revali let out a high-pitched squawk. “You’re insufferable!” he burst out, but despite the indignation in his tone, Link could see the smile pushing at the edge of his beak. “Utterly ridiculous, as always. Sometimes I badly want to strangle you, you’re so—”
Link grinned. “Just sometimes? You say the sweetest things.”
“I thought you would drive me crazy with your mouth differently than this,” said Revali, and the bluntness of his words punched the breath from Link’s lungs. “At this rate, we’ll be lucky if we get our hands on one another anytime within the century.”
“Impatient,” Link teased, as if his own erection weren’t pressing against Revali’s thigh through his underwear. But he duly slid out from under Revali, turning sideways to sit aligned with the stone floor’s gentle slope into the water so his head wouldn’t be submerged.
“Where are you going?” Revali asked, having turned to watch Link move, but not followed.
“I’ll lie down here,” Link said. “Since I still can’t lean over. So you can… Can…” He stopped, feeling heat rise to his face.
Revali smirked at Link’s hesitation, clearly glad to be back on the offensive. “Suddenly shy?” he said smugly. “I suppose I’m not surprised that your confidence should falter in the face of real action. Let me first…”
Revali climbed out of the water, shuffling forward on his knees to reach for their packs. The way the spring water dripped from his body, turned the navy feathers shiny and bright, was unfairly captivating. He turned around, and Link felt a rush of startled affection when he saw Revali clutching his pillow.
“I would give you your bedroll, but, well, we’d have to deal with all the water later,” Revali said, holding out the pillow to Link. “This should be more important for your comfort anyway, correct?”
Link couldn’t hold back his smile. He was sure his expression was revealing all too much, but in that moment, he couldn’t even feel bothered. “Thank you,” Link said, and Revali broke eye contact.
“I—pshh—what for? Giving you a measly pillow?”
It wasn’t just the pillow, though, Link was now realizing. “For all of it.”
“…Well, you’re welcome, then,” said Revali, looking like he wanted to say something more. Instead, he just shoved the pillow into Link’s chest and clambered back into the water, while Link put the pillow down behind himself.
Link lay down, and tried to ignore the sudden wave of self-consciousness; he felt so much more exposed like this, without the thin veneer of cover provided by the water and without Revali pressed right up against him, close enough that Revali couldn’t see him fully. He lifted his head to look at Revali, feeling himself blush at the way Revali’s eyes swept appraisingly down his body.
“Are you gonna come here?” Link asked. He’d meant it to sound like a demand, but it came out a little more pleading instead.
“Just enjoying the view first,” said Revali, voice cool and calm as ever. Though when Link took a closer look, he could see that same expression on Revali’s face from before: green eyes a little bit widened, and dark with arousal. “You’re quite attractive like this—I mean, not that your looks even hold a candle to my own, but I suppose that can’t be helped.”
“You’re terrible at compliments,” said Link, despite the warmth blooming in his chest at Revali’s words. “There’s always some caveat with you.”
“Who do you take me for?” said Revali. Even as he moved forward to straddle Link’s chest, the softer contour feathers of Revali’s thighs brushing against Link’s waist, that infuriating, alluring smirk still remained on Revali’s face. “You can’t have expected me to go easy on you just because we’re lying together.”
“I guess not,” said Link, reaching out to put his hands on Revali’s hips. He met Revali’s eye. “Maybe I’ll just have to suck the ego out of you.”
Revali’s feathers fluffed high. “Now who’s the cocky one?” he said, but the quip was undercut by his flustered tone. “Fighting words—but I think it’s about time we see if you can actually back them up.”
Which Link, well-versed in Revali’s particularities by now—even in this new situation—could translate pretty easily: Please hurry and ‘back them up’ right now. Grinning, Link tugged at Revali’s waist, and Revali took the hint, shuffling forward to hover over Link’s face.
“When you’re ready,” Revali said, settling with his knees at either side of Link’s head. “Move me if you need to, all right? If you end up suffocating in the middle of this, I’ll suffocate from laughter, and then Hyrule will be down both a hero and a Ch—”
Link dropped a kiss to the tan plumage of Revali’s thigh, just a few inches below Revali’s vent. Revali cut off with a tiny, hitched breath; it made Link want to discover just what other sounds he could pull from Revali’s beak.
“Okay,” said Link. Already, he felt so surrounded by heat: heat radiating from Revali’s cloaca just inches from his face, heat dripping against his skin from the spring water rolling off Revali’s feathers. If Link did his job right, he’d soon be tasting a different kind of liquid than just the metallic spring water.
He blushed faintly at the thought, but his resolve solidified. Link tightened his hands on the curve of Revali’s hips, and lowered Revali’s vent to his open mouth.
He immediately felt Revali’s stomach tense beneath his hands. Experimentally, Link flattened his tongue to Revali’s opening, swiping across its length. The feeling of downy feathers against his lips was a little strange, truth be told, but not at all unpleasant.
Above him, Link heard a quiet, but distinct high chirp. He smiled against Revali’s cloaca, and then let out a laugh when Revali tugged sharply at his hair.
Revali’s hips twitched over him at the vibration. “Stop it,” he said, but Link could tell that the bite to his tone was more out of self-consciousness than anything. “Perhaps this is all very amusing to you, but I—”
“I didn’t say anything,” said Link, pushing Revali off his mouth to talk. Idly, he rubbed his thumb down the soft white feathers at the edge of Revali’s hips. “Though I’ve never heard you make that sound before.”
“Certainly not!” said Revali, and Link couldn’t see anything from this vantage point, but he knew by heart the way Revali always tossed his head dramatically. “…Bad enough that you heard it just now…”
“It’s cute,” said Link, his other hand skating languidly down Revali’s thigh.
Revali exhaled a breath—a reaction to the touch, or a huff at Link’s words, Link couldn’t quite tell. “I think I liked you better when you didn’t talk back.”
Link’s hands stilled on Revali’s body, despite himself. “Really?” he asked, going for lighthearted but not quite hitting the mark.
Of course, Revali would notice anything less than a bullseye. “Well, I suppose you have me there,” he said quickly, which was as close to a backtrack Link would probably ever get from him. “You know, more than any of those other insults I directed at you way back when, I used to think you were dreadfully boring. I far prefer you like this.”
Link snorted, reassured. “Underneath you, sucking you off?”
“Willing to say such ribald things,” Revali corrected, pulling again sharply at Link’s hair. “Willing to speak your mind at all.” His voice grew challenging. “Still, I must admit I do quite like your point as well. Although you don’t seem to be doing much of it at the moment.”
“Well,” said Link, pulling Revali back down, “if you insist.”
Briefly, Link considered simply asking Revali what he liked—but that would take all the challenge out of it, not to mention all the fun. Besides, he had always learned best by doing. So Link simply dove right in, tilting his head back to press his mouth to Revali’s vent once more.
Link first circled the inside of Revali’s cloaca with his tongue, searching, thinking that maybe Rito had something similar to the clitoris in Hylians. And Revali seemed to like it well enough, by the way he shivered, hand fisting in Link’s hair. But no spot seemed to exist, or at least Link hadn’t found anything by the time he decided to switch gears—because it soon became apparent that Revali was most sensitive on the outer rim itself. When Link slid his tongue firmly along Revali’s opening, Revali made another chirping sound above him, and when Link pressed his lips there and sucked, Revali’s thighs clamped down around his head. Link mused as he kept going that Revali could kill a weaker man like this, especially with such developed leg muscles from aerial archery. The thought was kind of appealing in its own way.
Link tapped at Revali’s leg, and Revali released immediately. With his ears no longer covered by feathers, he could hear Revali panting for breath above him.
“Didn’t mean to do that,” Revali managed, and his roughened voice went straight to Link’s still-untouched cock. Not that he felt particularly inclined to take care of it right now; pulling such reactions from Revali was far more enjoyable. “You okay?”
“It’s fine,” said Link, half-laughing. “Just need a second to breathe. You?”
“What do you think?” said Revali, the upward curve of his beak not visible but still audible from Link’s position. “For someone so quiet all the time, you’re surprisingly good with your mouth.”
“That’s me—full of surprises,” said Link easily, and that surprised himself: the realization that he’d been bantering so comfortably with Revali this whole time, without his words getting caught or his mind blanking out. It shouldn’t have been that much of a realization at all—Link spoke much more freely around all the Champions, and he enjoyed being with Revali in particular. Revali was self-assured enough that Link could afford to worry less about saying the exact right thing; as easily offended as Revali could sometimes be, he never seemed to hold Link’s fumbled sentences against him. But after their earlier argument, it was still a relief to return to that comfortable feeling.
Link felt a rush of fondness bubble up within him. He didn’t bother trying to articulate it aloud; instead, he just repositioned his hands on Revali’s hips, and pulled Revali back toward his mouth.
This time, Link didn’t ease back in. He fitted his mouth to Revali’s vent and sucked, hard, sliding his tongue against the inner rim. He pushed his tongue in deeper, and Revali shuddered, a low whine breaking from this throat.
“Link,” Revali said, breathlessly. Link heard the rustle of feathers, felt Revali’s hand leave his hair; Revali’s voice was muffled when he then continued to speak. “That’s so… Ngh…” He ground down against Link’s mouth when, carefully, Link grazed his teeth along the edge of his opening. “Yes, do that again—”
Smiling, Link obliged him. By now Revali was trembling above him, his hips twisting every time Link dragged his lips over Revali’s vent. It occurred to him that his hands were still just resting on Revali’s body, when he could be putting them to better use. He slid his left hand down from Revali’s waist, ignoring Revali’s quiet sound of protest. The angle was awkward, with the lack of room between them, but if he lifted Revali up a little with his free hand, and hooked his elbow around Revali’s thigh—
Link pressed his thumb against Revali’s opening, and Revali trilled above him. Link grinned and nudged his finger inside, trying not to rush for fear of hurting Revali—but Revali didn’t seem to share the same concern, by the way he rocked against Link’s hand, driving the finger in deeper. Gently, Link moved his thumb, exploring the soft, wet heat; when he brushed against something inside, Revali clenched down on his finger, keening.
“I was looking for this,” said Link, nudging at the spot again and delighting in Revali’s chirp in response.
“I—hh—you feel so—” Revali cut off, rolling his hips. His hands dropped back to Link’s hair and yanked; the sensation jolted down Link’s spine, and without conscious effort his hips lifted to rut against nothing. “I’m nearly—”
Link pushed his thumb against that spot and held it there, leaning back in to suck hard at Revali’s opening. That was it—Revali let out a trilling moan and ground his cloaca down, back arching beneath Link’s other hand, spilling against Link’s face.
Slowly, Link slid his finger out, Revali squeezing around him one last time. But otherwise, Link waited for Revali to pull away on his own time. They both remained there, catching their breath. It took several moments, but Revali at last shifted backward, settling on Link’s thighs to allow him to sit upright.
Link braced himself on his elbows and finally got a look at Revali’s face. Revali’s eyes were wide, and his beak was parted just slightly, his chest still heaving for breath. The feathers of his crest were still mussed from Link’s hands and mouth earlier. In that moment, Link felt with utter certainty that Revali was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.
“Okay?” Link asked, reaching out to brush his hand against Revali’s thigh. Revali simply nodded, clearly spent.
Only then was Link aware enough to notice the taste still lingering in his mouth. Bitter and salty, which was not as sexy as Link had been imagining at the start, but was probably more fitting for Revali, all things considered. He leaned over, cupped a handful of spring water, and rinsed the stickiness from his face and mouth.
“I warned you,” said Revali, watching Link do so, but there wasn’t even the slightest hint of bite in his voice. Instead he just sounded pleasantly floaty.
“I didn’t complain,” Link pointed out. “Fair trade for making you feel good.” He was quite confident in that statement, considering how Revali had twisted and trilled above him, but he felt obligated to double-check anyway: “It did feel good?”
“It felt…excellent,” said Revali at last, which might have been the most ringing endorsement of Link’s actions that had ever come from Revali’s beak. “I’ve never… You were…”
He trailed off, averting his eyes, feathers ruffling. Link couldn’t help his grin.
“Stunned you speechless, huh,” Link said lightly. “Didn’t even think that was possible.”
“Hmph.” Revali’s huff, too, lacked in venom. He stroked his wingtip down Link’s arm, slow and soft. “Well, I thought doing the impossible was your whole shtick. So I suppose I can accept it this time. In my infinite magnanimity.”
Link shivered at the gentle touch, even just on his arm. He was still so hard; Revali’s body was pressed so close to his length, heat radiating up from his thighs. Link let out a breath, leaning his head back into the pillow, and Revali looked at him.
“It seems I’ve left you neglected,” Revali observed, and Link stopped himself from saying obviously. “I admit I was…rather preoccupied, earlier, but I can make it up to you now. What do you want me to do?”
“It’s okay if you need a minute,” Link said, although he could feel the persistent thrumming of blood through his groin like a second heartbeat.
“Of course not, I’m perfectly c—” Revali tried to lift himself up on his knees. His thighs trembled, and he dropped back down to Link’s lap. “…Fine. I suppose you’re right.”
Link laughed. “I am?” he teased. “Did I rattle your brain that hard?”
Revali slung a wing over his face and groaned. “I’ve changed my mind, you’re an idiot,” he said, but his voice was full of an undeniable affection. “See if I reciprocate the favor now.”
Ignoring Revali’s empty bluster, Link steeled himself, and leaned up to wrap his arms around Revali’s waist. Gently, he pulled Revali down and rolled them onto their sides, until they were lying chest-to-chest. Revali didn’t resist, throwing a wing over Link’s side.
They remained there, just breathing. The hot water flowed over their bodies, lapped at where feathers met skin. Even with the cold stone floor pressing against his side, Link couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this relaxed. Revali’s wing was a comforting warmth draped over him, feathery-soft fingers tracing idle patterns on his back.
Link’s cock still throbbed, but not so urgently anymore after this time spent just cuddling. Mostly he wanted to just touch Revali—wanted to somehow close the non-existent distance between them, even if Revali wasn’t quite yet up to continuing.
“Can I touch your hair?” Link whispered, breaking the peaceful silence.
Revali propped himself up on his wing, lifting his head to meet Link’s eye. “Oh, so now you ask oh-so-politely for permission to touch my hair?” he said, an eyebrow raised. “And yet you stuck your finger in me with hardly a word of warning?”
Link shrugged, the corner of his mouth tugging upward. Revali scoffed, but it was softened by the fondness in his eyes.
“You truly are maddening sometimes,” Revali said, the words at odds with the warmth in his voice. He sat up, ignoring Link grasping at his wing to pull him back down.
Then, Revali did something Link hadn’t expected in the slightest: he removed the green beads at the base of his braids and pulled the golden ribbons from his hair. He shook his head and ran a hand through his long hair to smooth it out, letting it cascade down his shoulders.
“Now we match,” Revali said, with an indicating jerk of his head toward Link’s hair, fanned out around his head on the stone beneath them. Link watched as Revali wrapped his accessories up in a bundle, placing it on the ground nearby. The shiny, dark gold ribbons glinted in the firelight.
“I like your hair things,” Link commented, tipping his head back to look up at Revali. “The green goes with your eyes. And the ribbons kind of match my hair.”
Revali, inexplicably, looked flustered. “Just because you happen to be blond doesn’t mean that every instance of yellow must have to do with you,” he said, feathers ruffling up. “Perhaps I simply liked the color.”
“So defensive,” said Link teasingly. A thought dawned on him. “Isn’t that a Rito thing? Wearing your partner’s feathers? So you did the next best thing.”
“Shut your mouth,” Revali snapped. Tellingly, it wasn’t a denial.
“I’m flattered,” said Link, grinning lightly. “I didn’t know you liked me that much.”
“Of course I do,” Revali said—which was the last thing Link expected from him. He lay back down next to Link, turning his head to nuzzle his beak against Link’s neck: a clear bid to hide his face. “Honestly, you’re so observant on the battlefield, and yet so oblivious when it comes to people. I’ve liked you for years.”
Gently, Link draped his arm over Revali’s back, reaching out to finally run his hand through Revali’s hair. It wasn’t true hair, like humans and other mammals; instead, they were more like slightly narrower, elongated semiplumes, reaching partway down Revali’s back. Revali’s braids normally compressed all the rachides together, but with his hair down like this, the strands fluffed freely, a lot more voluminous than true hair. Link combed his fingers through the strands, enjoying the soft texture and Revali’s relaxed chirrs against his skin.
“I’ve liked you too,” said Link quietly. “I’m just bad with…feelings. Showing them.”
“Well, as much as I’d love to claim superiority in yet another area…” Revali let out a wry little laugh. The vibration tickled Link’s throat. “It doesn’t matter. We’re here now, aren’t we?”
They lay there for a while longer in comfortable silence, Link’s hand continuing to brush through Revali’s hair, Revali rubbing the tip of his beak in slow circles against Link’s collarbone. But soon, Revali sat up again, and Link rolled onto his back to look up at him, questioning.
“I’ve kept you waiting long enough,” said Revali, eyes dark and sharp, and—right. Link had somewhat softened by now, but he quickly felt heat flaring back to life low in his stomach. “Come on. It’s quite unfair that I’ve already finished once, and you still have on those Hylian undergarments. I want to see you.”
Link levered himself upright as well, Revali sitting across from him. He reached for his hips, but it suddenly felt so much more nerve-wracking, with all of Revali’s attention focused solely on his body. He hesitated, his thumb hooked into the band of his underwear.
Revali looked at him, brows furrowing slightly. “Do you need help?” When Link stared blankly at him, Revali clarified: “Can you move, or are your legs still—?”
His legs. To be fully honest, Link had completely forgotten about his injuries, in the midst of—everything they’d been doing. Although earlier, when Revali had sat astride his thighs, he couldn’t remember it hurting, which probably meant he was fine by now. Even if his legs weren’t fully healed, Link wasn’t about to let it stop him, not when he’d been waiting for so long.
Link steeled his courage, trying to remind himself that they were already far past the point of shyness, and lifted himself up on his knees to wriggle out of his underwear. He tossed it into the cave behind them, turning back toward Revali. Revali was looking down at Link’s erection, half-hard from anticipation alone; he wore a similar calculating expression as when they were planning their battle strategy just a few short hours ago.
Despite himself, Link was hit with another wave of self-consciousness. “I know it must seem weird,” he said, heading off Revali’s words before they could form.
But when Revali looked back up at him, he just rolled his eyes. “Not any weirder than mine must have seemed to you, and you did perfectly fine. Don’t think I’ll let you outdo me that easily.”
“Well, yours isn’t that different from what some Hylians have, so…”
“So what? Enough of the fretting, Link,” said Revali sternly. “I’ll just have to figure it out as I go along. Good thing that the great Revali thrives on challenge.”
“Okay,” said Link. Again, he reminded himself of their argument earlier: Revali could take care of himself. “I just—I don’t know. I thought…maybe you’d—”
Revali let out a huff, and interrupted him: “Correct me if this is a wild leap of logic, but I assume touching it will feel good?”
That wasn’t exactly where Link had been going with his words, but Revali was clearly impatient to get started, and that was enough to assuage Link’s fears. He took a deep breath, nodding at Revali and smiling at his answering scoff.
“If that’s settled,” said Revali pointedly. He looked Link up and down. “You should lie back again, I think. I want to watch you.”
Face heating, Link obeyed. They were back to their earlier position, Revali straddling his lap again, knees on either side of his thighs. But this time, Revali’s hands drifted down to his waist, stroking softly against the bones of his hips.
Revali’s sharp, analytical gaze—one Link knew intimately, having seen a thousand times Revali lock onto a target and calculate exactly how to bring it to its knees—now turned upon Link’s hardened cock. The firelight caught Revali’s dark feathers at all the right angles, making him appear breathtakingly ethereal above him.
Link’s blood pulsed in his ears. He grabbed Revali’s wrist, just to steady himself.
At the touch, Revali looked up, and he must have seen something in Link’s eyes. “You’re all right?” he asked. “I haven’t even done anything yet.”
“No, it’s just…” Link’s heart swelled with feeling. He wanted Revali to kiss him until he couldn’t even breathe. He wanted Revali to wrap his whole body in his wings until Link felt nothing but Revali’s feathers on his skin. “You’re really pretty.”
Revali’s feathers ruffled. “Of course I am,” he said, but the confident words couldn’t disguise the undercurrent of pleased surprise beneath.
“I mean it,” said Link, more firmly. “You’re so beautiful. I was watching you shoot during the battle before. You’re so strong, and graceful, every time you fight I want to just stop and admire you. And when you talk, it’s like you command the whole room with the way you move, with your confidence, and presence. And earlier, when you’d just come, the look on your face—I wish I had a Sheikah Slate just to save it forever.”
Link was shocked by how many words he’d spoken in a row, not to mention embarrassed by his love-struck rambling. But Revali didn’t seem to mind Link’s ineloquence—in fact, he looked stunned.
“All your silence, only to come out with that,” Revali said, a little bit wry, a little bit breathless. “Every time I think I’ve figured you out—you’re so—”
In lieu of finishing the thought, Revali leaned forward and pushed their foreheads together, the wing not supporting his weight going to Link’s hand and squeezing. Link kissed the top of Revali’s beak, another wave of need coursing through him; the new position had the soft, white feathers of Revali’s stomach pressed right against his cock, and Link had to stop himself from grinding up into him.
“Please,” Link said, mouth on Revali’s beak.
“You were the one to stop me in the first place, you know,” Revali pointed out, and Link again wondered how exactly he’d refrained from murdering him all those years ago. But Revali didn’t keep him waiting any longer after that; he lifted himself a little higher, just enough to put space for his wing between them. Finally, finally, his hand wrapped around Link’s cock, and—well, Revali was worth keeping around for some things, after all.
Revali’s hand, being the whole end of his wing, was easily large enough to encircle Link’s entire length. His first stroke was tentative, experimental: just a slow pass from base to tip. But after how long Link had been waiting, the friction—the feeling of Revali’s wing surrounding every inch of his cock—was enough for his breath to shudder out of him. The velvety sensation of Revali’s feathers against his length felt incredible, and the hint of the archer’s calluses on Revali’s skin beneath even moreso. Heat pooled at the base of Link’s spine when Revali pressed his finger firmly to the head and rubbed; Link’s mouth parted in a silent gasp against Revali’s beak.
“What did I tell you?” said Revali, voice smug, his movements growing more confident. “Good, right? I must say, my natural talent astounds even myself sometimes.”
“A-Adequate,” Link quipped, a mocking imitation of Revali—but the effect was hampered by the way his breath hitched when Revali dragged his fingertips up and down Link’s shaft. Link’s hand went to Revali’s hair, his fingers tangling in the strands.
Revali smirked at the reaction, twisting his grip to squeeze lightly at the whole of Link’s cock. Link could hear his heart hammering in his ears; his hips rocked forward into Revali’s wing, the friction making his blood pulse in his thighs and stomach. When Revali tightened his grip, tracing the edge of his beak against Link’s ear, Link closed his eyes against the burst of heat that went through his body.
“No—look at me,” said Revali sharply, and when Link obeyed, he couldn’t help his shiver. This close, in the low light of the torch, Revali’s emerald eyes looked liquid-dark with heat. “You’re so quiet. Feels okay?”
“Anyone would be quiet compared to you,” Link managed to tease, and shuddered when Revali tugged at him in retaliation. When he’d gotten his breath back, he continued more seriously, “It’s good. Really good. I promise. I’m just—you know me.”
Revali looked reassured at that. “Really good,” he repeated, with a low laugh. “I suppose that’s a step up from your earlier adjective—I’ve figured it out that fast, eh?”
Link couldn’t find it in himself to dredge up more words; instead, he just thrust up into Revali’s wing, chasing the pleasure spreading out through his whole body. Revali matched Link’s rhythm, stroking faster, firmer. He shifted his head, and the tip of his beak nudged against Link’s collarbone, a sharp point of pressure.
“May I?” Revali asked, the vibration sparking down Link’s chest. It took Link a long second to figure out what Revali meant—but when he pieced it together, he leaned his head back to give Revali room, nodding his eager assent.
The tip of Revali’s beak closed on Link’s skin, the feeling just on the right side of painful. Link’s spine arched at the combined sensations: Revali’s beak nipping at his throat, Revali’s hand sliding over Link’s cock, even Revali’s hair brushing against his skin from where it fell loosely over Revali’s shoulders. Link was so close he could taste it. Heat was coalescing between his legs, drawing tighter and tighter—he dug his heels and shoulders into the stone beneath him, rutting his cock up into Revali’s wing—
Revali moved his head back upward to press their foreheads together, in one final kiss. Link shut his eyes and whined into Revali’s beak, hips stuttering as his orgasm finally washed over him. Revali continued to stroke him through it, until the sensation took on a too-sharp edge and Link’s hand closed on Revali’s wrist, stopping him.
At that, Revali pulled his hand back and dropped down to Link’s lap. Link felt the wetness between Revali’s legs against his softening cock; Revali met Link’s eye just as Link’s breath hitched at the stimulation, and adjusted accordingly, repositioning himself to straddle Link’s thigh. He ground himself down, once, twice—and before Link could lift a hand to help, Revali came with a choked moan.
Link slumped fully down to the floor, completely spent. The frantic need had bled away, leaving behind a satisfied, pleasurably relaxed sort of feeling. Gingerly, Revali followed suit, lowering himself to lie down atop Link’s body, turning his head to rest the curve of his beak along Link’s shoulder.
For a long while, they simply lay there, catching their breath. Link felt warm all over, and not just from the hot spring. Revali’s soft feathers pressed against Link’s body. He could feel the rise and fall of Revali’s breathing against his own chest. Absently, he also noted the complete lack of pain in his legs, and the stickiness all over them: on Revali’s hand draped across Link’s arm, on Link’s thigh, between Link’s and Revali’s hips. But he couldn’t muster up the energy to care, when he felt so peaceful.
They both finally stirred at the sound of a loud grumbling. Revali rolled off Link’s body and rested his head on his wing, looking at Link with what would have been a glare if not for the softness in his eyes.
“You really have a way of ruining the moment,” Revali said without any real bite. “Although I can’t say I’m surprised, exactly.”
“You’re not hungry after that?” Link asked, sitting up. He slid back into the water to rinse his sweat and their spend from his body. “You were the one who came twice.”
“Not everyone’s quite so gluttonous as you are,” said Revali. He glanced down at his own feathers, and grimaced, following Link into the spring. “Urgh. I hate this part. This’ll take forever to preen out.”
Link snorted. “So you don’t want to do this again?”
Revali shot him a sharp look. “When did I imply anything even remotely of the sort?” He lifted his wing, closing his beak around one of his soiled feathers, sliding from base to tip to clean it. Link’s heart jumped despite himself at the sight of Revali’s dark plumage marked with Link’s seed, and Revali putting his beak there; when Revali caught him looking, he smirked, eyes alight with amusement. “Like what you see?”
“I’m—going to get the food,” Link said quickly, and climbed out of the water to the sound of Revali’s laughter. But he couldn’t suppress the smile on his face, hearing Revali’s mirth, feeling joy rise in his own heart in turn.
The blizzard had cleared by the time they set back out, meaning that the journey back to Rito Village was a lot brighter. Link expected Revali to be impatient, forced to travel on foot the whole rest of the way after the quick glide over Lake Kilsie. But Revali seemed perfectly content to walk alongside Link, to talk about nothing in particular as they climbed the slopes south of the Flight Range.
Technically, they were supposed to reach Rito Village by that same evening. The total journey should have only been about four hours: two hours to reach the path leading to Rito Village, and another two to make it back to the village proper. But they detoured to the Flight Range halfway through, and—well, Link could admit he’d initiated their “quick break” in the first place, but Revali was the one to get them both hopelessly sidetracked. By the time they finally extricated themselves from each other, it was already too dark for Revali to see, and that was enough of an excuse for them to stay there for the night.
They ended up actually arriving at Rito Village early the next morning. The council was already gathered for their regular morning meeting, so Link and Revali didn’t have to wait long to give their final mission report.
“The hinox is dead,” Revali announced proudly, to various expressions of triumph and relief. “We didn’t encounter any other monsters either—in other words, no sign of an army. Sturnida Basin is safe, should you all decide to resume regular operations.”
“Perfect,” said the Rito elder, smiling warmly at the both of them where they stood in the center of the room. “Our gratitude for a job well done, Revali—and you as well, Link. Certainly, as two Champions, your success was practically a given.”
“Naturally,” said Revali, planting a wing on his cocked hip. Link just nodded, nowhere near as pleased as Revali was to be soaking up all this attention.
“Although I can’t help but ask,” the Rito elder continued, giving them both a piercing look. “Are you sure that everything went smoothly out there? We couldn’t help but notice, of course, that your arrival was quite later than expected.”
Link’s mouth stayed firmly shut; he was well-trained in schooling his face, after years and years in the public eye as the Hero of Hyrule, but he could still feel the tips of his ears reddening as he remembered the reason for the delay. He was not going to think about Revali’s wing on his inner thigh, or Revali’s beak against his throat, or Revali’s—no, Link was not going to think about any of those things in the middle of their mission report.
“There were a few setbacks,” Revali said, voice a little too high-pitched. But at least his words themselves retained their usual composure, which was more than Link could say. “Link was injured, but I took him to the hot springs, so he’s perfectly fine now. The delays just meant it was past dark by the time we could set out, so we chose to camp for the night and wait for sunrise.”
“Delays?” said the Rito elder, frowning. “Was there more than just the injury? Or were Link’s wounds truly that severe?”
Link glanced sideways at Revali, who was also looking at him. They both hurried to turn back toward the elder. “It’s—well—” Revali started, feathers ruffling.
“I lost my sword,” Link cut in. “I broke my legs, so I couldn’t walk. And your potions—the black nightshade. It’s poisonous to Hylians. So the spring… We had to…”
“Yes,” Revali took back over for him, loudly. He covered his fluster by going on the offensive: “It was quite the oversight to provide potions useless to half the party. I, of course, was resourceful enough to see to Link’s wounds, but the hot spring only works so fast, you know. Imagine if Link hadn’t thought to ask about the potion’s ingredients, or if the hot spring hadn’t been there—if anything had happened to Link, I would have—” Revali’s feathers ruffled higher. “I mean, imagine the kind of scandal it would have caused, for Link—the Hero of Hyrule—to be grievously harmed on a Rito mission! Unacceptable.”
The whole council was staring at them. The Rito elder was staring at them, with a sudden uncomfortably knowing expression. Link steadfastly avoided looking over at Revali.
“I see,” the Rito elder said at last. “Thank you for telling us. We’ll make sure to remember that for next time we allocate supplies. And, before you go.” The Rito elder smiled. “Revali—it’s nice to see you and Link getting along so well. Prior to the mission, I was worried that you two were having another spat, but I’m glad that you’ve now worked it out between yourselves.”
“I—” Revali squawked. “This is an official council meeting, not a—a tawdry gossip circle! I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Link couldn’t help it. He snickered, and had to duck his head, hiding his face behind his hands. Revali’s gaze snapped to him, expression indignant—but there was a softness in his eyes when they met Link’s.
Affection bloomed in Link’s chest. He rallied his courage, and managed to compose himself enough to speak. “Thank you,” he said to the Rito elder, nodding once. “I’d be glad to help Revali on another mission sometime.”
“You would, wouldn’t you,” Revali muttered to him when they finally left the meeting, and Link laughed.