Chapter Text
Wild had a bit of a dilemma, he stared at the pot of hot chocolate he’d made and tried to figure it out. You see after traveling with the same people for months one got used to their habits and little quirks. If asked, Wild could list off some quirks he’d noticed about them.
Time would eat meat usually but on bad days or after certain nightmares meat sometimes made him sick, occasionally to the point he couldn’t even stand smelling it being cooked, but he loved fruits. Twilight on the other hand always needed a little extra meat, he had almost gotten sick because of not having enough meat, and while he enjoyed vegetables he was content with how much Wild gave him even on the rare chance that Wild didn’t give him any. Four enjoyed foods that were small and could be snacked on but was happy with most foods. Wind loved seafood, as one might expect, and only enjoyed greens on their own if he could talk Warriors or Time into making them, which they were usually willing to do if they got asked. Wild hadn’t been sulky about that for days after finding out about it… really.
Warriors was fine with just about anything but for stronger flavors he had to watch the food being made, Wild had been confused about that before Time mentioned that Warriors had been poisoned by his own people a few times. After that Wild added less cinnamon to some foods just so that Warriors could eat it with a little more peace of mind. Sky ate a lot of birds, which made sense once Wild remembered that he lived in the sky so couldn’t have found most other types of meat. Legend ate vegetables like cabbage and carrots more happily if they were cooked into things instead of in their raw forms otherwise he would act like he hated them whenever he thought someone was watching. Lastly, Hyrule and Wild himself both were willing to eat pretty much anything, though Hyrule did seem to go for sweet things and fruits more while he went for meats and vegetables more.
The amount of food he’d needed was something that took time to figure out and sometimes Wild still made mistakes about it. Mostly that was because something happened to one or another of the Chain and he’d made the usual amount while the person lost their appetite or was hungrier than usual. Oddly enough they had discovered that Hyrule stress ate, but only certain berries or bugs. Legend had noticed it and suggested that Wild collect extras of those for when Hyrule needed them because he would just go without food until he dealt with whatever was causing the problem. Still, regardless of their quirks about food one thing that Wild never had trouble getting the others to enjoy or making the exact amount needed was hot chocolate. He always managed to make the exact amount needed even without thinking or trying to measure it out.
That was why Wild sat there with the pot he made hot chocolate in and counted each cup again, eyes flickering over to each of the others as he saw them drinking or finishing their hot chocolate, wondering why he’d somehow made an extra cup of it. Sure sometimes he did it when someone was feeling cold or to cheer them up while they were injured. This time he couldn’t see anyone who needed something like that. Well not until he looked at Time and saw how he seemed to be subtly fussing over Hyrule. Wild knew that Time tended to try and let them approach him with their worried or problems when he thought he should, and so seeing the way he was sitting next to Hyrule seemed a little odd until Wild noticed how Hyrule was sitting.
The younger hero had his legs pulled to his chest and his back to a tree with a bush to his right. The position reminded Wild of how Wind had looked one time when he’d been talking about his home. Perhaps Hyrule was feeling a bit homesick? The soft sounds coming from Time and Hyrule, the chiming bells and trills that the fairies used, seemed to indicate that. He closed his eyes to try and determine the tones, it was hard since he seldom saw any fairies before joining the group but it seemed like Time was sharing a story of some sort.
The gestures and the way the words that Wild couldn’t understand flowed, rising and falling in a specific pattern seemed to confirm that. He wanted to ask Time to share the story with all of them but when he looked at Hyrule again and noticed that he seemed to be relaxing and that he wasn’t as rigid now he decided otherwise. In fact he noticed that Hyrule’s cup had been set aside and stealthily made his way over with the extra hot chocolate and a small container of sweetened cream whipped into a foam for on top. Time noticed his movement but decided to help him surprise Hyrule so he changed the patterns he was speaking in a little and drew him in even more. Hyrule was completely entranced by the story and seemed to forget whatever troubled him for a moment.
Wild crept over and carefully snagged the cup, pouring the hot chocolate into it first. Then once he had that part done he opened the container and scooped some of the cream on top of the hot chocolate before moving it back to where Hyrule had set it aside. Hyrule giggled as Time reached the end of the story and said something teasing before picking up the cup, no doubt expecting it to be empty. When he found it wasn’t his face lit up with delight and Wild was given a big smile from him. Wild just waved at him then gathered up the other cups to clean them.
As he was just finishing with Twilight’s cup Hyrule came over and handed him the last two cups, his and Time’s, then gave him a big hug. Off to his left Wild saw Time watching them with a fond and relieved smile on his face. Seeing Wild watching him, Time gave him a simple nod of gratitude then turned his attention elsewhere.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Wild replied with a grin.
Hyrule returned the grin before darting off to go listen to one of Wind’s stories, his mood visibly better than it had been. Wild watched him for a couple of minutes with a smile before continuing his task.