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"Nice job!" Warriors openly praises as his arm finds itself around Wild's shoulders.
Tunics and armor alike covered in thick, stubborn mud didn't seem to very much bother the Captain, not when Wild had been able to tug them all out of the swamp with a bit of creative thinking.
Hyrule fought against the shudder that tremored up his spine when Wild leaned back towards the embrace- The Champion too close to Warriors' neck, too vulnerable.
Being the Hero known from a dying land had forced Hyrule to be quite resourceful and prepared.
Whether it was keeping an extra potion in pack, or rationing out the little pouch of dried jerky he had for the week's meals, Hyrule had always prioritized survival over all.
From avoiding the lakes of what he always assumed to be some sort of acidic poison, or lingering too long in towns that threatened with spies or stared too long with the Eyes of Ganon, Hyrule never quite had the chance to breathe the same as his companions did.
And certainly, under all circumstances, Hyrule would never, ever let anybody touch him.
Because where he learned to survive from, where he struggled to fight and carry on, being touch meant being caught, and being caught meant being killed.
And that was exactly why Hyrule stared widely from the distance as both Wild and Warriors cheered with hands clasped.
The longer Hyrule spent with the chain, the more he came to realize that physical contact wasn't as odd an affair as the Traveler made it out to be.
The first thing he's noticed, was how normal everybody else seemed to act around it.
There had never been a day passed without Sky giving a hug. Whether it was a reassuring, little embrace to the younger ones, or even his own search for comfort with his head tucked low and against somebody's shoulder.
Twilight also seemed to have quite the liking with pats on the shoulders. Hyrule's seemed to notice it the most at the end of battles, or in late night campfires.
Something he just didn't quite understand was why everybody seemed to lean into it- He was hurting them, wasn't he? Why wasn't anybody hurting him back?
Wild, who he even thought to be the more reserved of the Chain, but none like Four was also seemed to occasional tug at others' sleeves or scarfs, in Warriors' case. A silent way to get them too look over, or perhaps a beckoning of attention, Hyrule didn't really know.
But what he did know was he too wanted to be part of those unspoken sorts of affections, getting to speak and communicate with other than words.
It looked amazing, likely would feel amazing too.
Hyrule wanted to feel that.
Though he carried the Tri Force, and perhaps - depending how one would look at it - the curse of courage, Hyrule just didn't have enough courage in him to ask to be a part of what his brothers enjoyed.
He wanted to be like them, he wanted Sky to hug him, he wanted Twilight to rub his hand between Hyrule's shoulders and tell him that he was proud, he wanted.
Hyrule rolled the question over and over again with his tongue, not entirely sure how to ask, not entirely sure what he should say.
So instead, he watched and yearned. Because maybe if he tried hard enough, he could pretend that they were him, that whoever had been caught in a warm embrace, or cuddled close when asleep would one day be Hyrule.
And because of that, Hyrule didn't want to sleep in his bedroll alone. Because while it was warm and thick, it wouldn't ever be enough to soothe the aches and chills the same way he figured Twilight's warmth would, or maybe even leaning against Time's side could- Warriors seemed to do that quite often, so perhaps it had some worth.
Hyrule would never know what it would be worth though, and Hyrule would never sleep anywhere but his cold and empty bedroll. So that was exactly why he didn't want to keep very quiet when Time assessed shifts for the night.
"Wild is on first watch, Four on second, and Legend on-"
"I'll take watch." Hyrule interrupted. Something in Time's stoic expression shifted. The Traveler didn't falter, glaring back firmly.
"What?" Somebody else said, perhaps Legend.
"I'll take the first watch." He pressed again, and nobody seemed to dare tell him otherwise.
"Okay." Time obliged. He didn't fight it anymore, and Hyrule felt crimson dote over his cheeks and ears. "Hyrule's on first watch- Which means we'll have to shift the turns. Wild, you're on second then, which means Four will be on third."
Wild pulled a glower, being on second watch was the worst. On the quietest, and most unholy of hours, second watch was known to taint and ruin anyone's sleep schedule for the next few days. Not early enough to be considered sleeping late at night, and certainly not early enough to simply be up first.
Hyrule realized he was at fault for that a little too late to back down now. He instead fixated his gaze on a patch of grass below.
He'd apologize to Wild later and make it up to him later, maybe- Returning favors was what kept the Traveler alive for this long.
Fingers tracing over the indented markings on his shield, Hyrule sat silently on a fallen log while Warriors tended to the fire before heading to bed. He was one of the last few awake, and though Hyrule didn't really question it, the Captain couldn't really convince his nerves to rest unless he made a complete and thorough patrol through camp and around the perimeter.
Hyrule knew better than to ask. He didn't really know what War was, but with the way The Captain described little of it, Hyrule wouldn't be surprised if his nightly rituals and anxiety had any to do with it.
"Good night Traveler." Was the last Hyrule heard before the woods had returned to calm, crackling silence.
Hyrule uttered a brief thanking to The Three.
Watching the stars, and focusing on the swaying trees, Hyrule breathed to himself as he tried not to yearn and wish. The Traveler couldn't help his curious, wandering eyes however.
His heart hurt a little when, in his sleep, Wind rolled over to rest his back against Warriors'. He forced himself to look away. Hyrule didn't feel very curious any more.
A sudden rustling in the bushes nearby, and Hyrule nearly leaped upright.
"Sorry." The Rancher greeted, tugging a leaf off his pelt.
Hyrule slumped over in relief, hands loosening over his shield.
"Couldn't sleep." Twilight explains, and Hyrule nods quickly, uncomfortably, looking as though he'd be reprimanded if he didn't.
"So you went on patrol?" Hyrule quirked an eyebrow, but there was no bite.
The Rancher nodded, slowly approaching to sit next to Hyrule. Right next to Hyrule, who could quite literally feel the warmth radiating off his pelt and Hyrule had to fight himself to not teeter over to bury himself in the soft material.
Twilight caught him staring, clearing his throat. Hyrule, akin to a startled forest animal shot upright at an instant, muttering an apology.
The Rancher frowned, that wasn't what he meant to accomplish.
Studying the nervous little fret on Hyrule's face, Twilight sighed before shifting a little in spot. He sidled to the left a bit, away from The Traveler.
To his, and Hyrule's surprise, Hyrule shifted a bit closer to, returning the gap to where it was before.
Twilight was rather known to be one of the more touch-oriented members of the Chain. Hyrule however, was not, anything from it really.
But the longer he stared at the younger hero, the more Twilight seemed to question what he knew of his brother.
"Is everything alright?" He asked dumbly. Of course Hyrule wouldn't tell him anything, he should have-
"Yeah." Hyrule mumbled, though the little shrug he gave told otherwise.
Twilight unbuckled the sword from his waist, watching silently at the fire. He didn't say any more however, unsure of how welcome it would be. Especially to the hero who's made it quite vocal he disliked touch, if not resented it. Though Twilight preferred physical affection over all, he'd still respect the Travelers wishes nonetheless.
Yet, Hyrule frowned at Twilight's silence, kneading his hands as he tried to find the right words, while Twilight sat on his own hands as a constant reminder of Hyrule's aversion towards contact.
The longer he spent, however, the more Twilight regretted even asking Hyrule in the first place.
So instead, Hyrule resorted to silently beckoning for his attention, and maybe even to be hugged and held like the Sailor was, or even their Champion.
With that, a plaintive sort of whine escapes the Traveler, and Twilight didn't need a keen sense of hearing to notice that upset.
"I'm… I don't understand ya." Twilight tries to make much out of Hyrule's furrowed brows and thin glower through the dim light of the nearby campfire.
Wild, his protege was rather similar to Hyrule if he really dared think over it. Some moments instead of not, The Champion found himself plagued by unwelcome memories, some too upsetting he wouldn't dare speak for longer than anyone would prefer. It was also in those states did he ask for Twilight's attention, if not anybody else's, in another way.
And Hyrule's soft, perhaps begging voice sounded a lot like that.
Hyrule, who instead of hiding in his hands, or forcing himself upright for patrol, or truly any other means of escaping, instead allowed the rolling upset in him to fester as he grew more desperate.
"Why?" Hyrule asked, from his heart and from that he's yearned and wished for.
"What?"
"Why can't I be like you all. W-Why can't you- You hug others but they don't hurt from it. I just don't understand… You hug and hold everybody else, and- and I just thought you would-"
"Hey…" Twilight's expression softened. "You don't need to be so upset now. You just wanted a hug, didn't you?"
If this were in any other moment, if this were in where Hyrule struggled to survive and travel in, this sort of reading would send Hyrule to reaching for his sword, or maybe even to whatever magic he had left in him to kill.
But now, the idea of being read so easily felt like a piece that Hyrule searched for had finally fallen to his unfortunate life.
"You… That's alright?" The Traveler breathed, tears welling up in his eyes, and gleaming from the campfire's light.
For a man who's hunted and stalked, Twilight knew what it was like to starve. To grow missing, or perhaps desperate for what he wanted. Hyrule's low and scared posture looked as though he's been starved for years. Starved of touch.
"Oh. I'm so sorry."
Hyrule sniffled, tucking his face from where the Rancher would see him, wiping his face with the loose sleeves of his patched, well worn tunic. The same tunic he's owned and wore since the very beginning of his first adventure, the one he's been promised or expected to grow into, though he never really did after all those years from the little he had to eat.
"Look't me now. " Twilight said softly.
Hyrule, who didn't dare disobey both their Rancher, and his teammate, met him in the eyes. His wide, tear-glossed staring at those reassuring, and gentle.
"I-I'm sorry." He forced himself to spit out.
Twilight shook his head. "No reason ta be." Hyrule almost believed him. "You want this don't you?"
"Want to be like you all…"
"Yes, but do you want this?"
Hyrule balked openly at that, clearly at thought for a few moments, really considering. Good, Twilight internally smiled. This deserved a lot of thought.
Eventually, after a while, Hyrule nodded. It was a small, barely noticeable motion, though it meant far more than that.
"Do you want to…" Twilight offered weakly, letting the extended arm he gave to the Traveler do most the talking.
Slowly, with shoulders held high and body rigid, Hyrule sidled up towards Twilight's side.
The way he pressed against Twilight however was weak, barely any weight attached to it. Twilight distantly wondered if it had any to do with his small stature, or with the low apprehension that coursed through him.
Slowly, watching Hyrule's face for any flash of discomfort or fear, the Rancher lowered his arm to carefully, and loosely rest it over Hyrule's still, yet trembling shoulders.
The tension that Hyrule didn't even knew he carried for so long escaped him the moment that warm, directing touch landed on him.
Hyrule openly whimpered and Twilight was about to call the entirety of this off before his brother settled a bit more comfortable against his side, more so leaning towards the pelt he had draped over his shoulders.
Twilight, who caught this far faster than any prey he's seen, unclipped and shucked off the wolf pelt before slipping it between Hyrule's awaiting hands, who was quick to bury it between right where they both met- That way Hyrule could be close and warm without directly touching.
"This is so…"
"Nice, isn't it?" Twilight smiled, hoping.
The Traveler nodded, pulling the pelt closer to his face.
"New." He admitted. "But… a nice kind of new."
"A nice kinda new, now." Twilight repeated. With the accent he carried and spoke proudly with, the words didn't exactly sound quite the same way as Hyrule said it to be, though he still found it to be just as perfect.
"Yeah. I think. I think I want this now." Hyrule mumbled, and Twilight didn't know whether he was referring to the pelt, or to this newfound love for contact. Regardless, Twilight would do anything in his power to make sure that Hyrule got it.
Twilight took watch instead for the night when Hyrule couldn't help but fall asleep, surrounded by warmth and love he'd never experienced before.