AN: I would like to take a moment and heavily apologize for not updating. Some very personal matters came up last month that left me utterly drained, and quite frankly, depressed. I needed some time to think, and I just did not have the energy to write anything more than one-shots or drabbles. So, here is chapter 4, much longer than I intended, to remedy that. I will not do this again, I swear. I hope you all can forgive me. Now... on to the story.

At long last, the pair had finally made it to the sleepy little town of Kakariko Village. It didn't have much; a milk bar, cuccos, and a place to gamble the day away… but it was home to the few that lived there. Warm-colored thatched roofs rested upon straw colored cottages that were separated by neatly paved paths that made the most satisfying "clink" whenever one stepped on them. It truly was a quaint little village that brought a lot of character to the section of Hyrule it laid in.

The smell of fresh milk and honey quickly caught their attention as they entered the village through the archway.

"Ah… I love how this place smells!" Ravio commented, taking in another whiff. "I wouldn't mind selling my wares here."

"Yeah, living here would be nice too. I don't mind where my house is, but personally I'd like to be a bit closer to work." Link paused for a moment before turning towards the other boy. "We should really be focusing on the task at hand though. We have to find an item here or go elsewhere before nightfall. And if we have to, I don't have a clue of where to go…"

"Relax, we'll be fine! I think you're forgetting the fact Sheerow can smell items from a mile away! Well, kinda. He just knows my scent pretty well," the merchant replied with sheepish laughter. "Huh buddy?" Sheerow performed a flip in the air as he chirped happily in response.

"Okay then. So… does Sheerow smell anything?" Link played with a tuft of grass that was under his feet. How could a bird even smell? Was Sheerow some kind of a dog-bird? Bird-dog? …Bog?

"Let's see… Sheerow! I need you to smell me and then tell me if you can smell me anywhere else!" The little bird hopped on to his master's outstretched finger before Ravio brought him to his scarf. An audible whistling sound emanated from the bird before he flew off.

"And now… we wait." Ravio grinned, watching as his pet flew around the village, tracking down the invisible scent. "I just hope it's nowhere scary or anything…"

"I guess not, because here he comes!" Link pointed to the sky where a franticly flying Sheerow was heading straight for them. He peeped incessantly, causing Ravio to become noticeably worried.

"What's wrong? Did you find something?" Ravio held his companion in the palm of his hand, petting him in order to get the bird to calm down some. Sheerow performed a small flip as he rose and attempted to lead them forward.

"Looks like he found something!" Link exclaimed, "C'mon!"

The pair ran, chasing after the oddly colored bird down paths that turned every which way. Finally they arrived near the center of town where an older man in a turban was selling his wares; a heart and a hookshot. …Wait!

"Whoa! How'd he get that?!" the younger merchant exclaimed in surprise, already attempting to form some plan of action in his head. "Wait, forget how he found it, we need to find out how to get it back, pronto!"

"…Can't we just ask for it back?" Link mused as he dug into his wallet. "Or we could pay for it back…"

Ravio realized he had a lot more to teach Link about the wonders of the merchant world than he previously thought. With a puzzled expression, he replied, "Are you kidding me?"

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?" Link questioned with a pout, placing one hand on his hip while his other gripped his bag tightly.

With a heavy sigh, Ravio began his mini lecture. "Okay, this is going to take a bit, so I want you to get comfy. Good? Great! Okay, so there's something we merchants like to call the "golden rule" of merchant…-ing. Do you know what that is by any chance?"

Link shook his head with a skeptical look. He felt that the other boy was pulling this out of thin air, but then again he was being fairly serious, so perhaps it was true?

"Thought so. The golden rule is this: finder's keepers. If you lose it, too bad, the person who finds it now gets to do whatever they want with it, including selling or even keeping it. That hookshot? Not ours anymore. You can't just ask for it back!"

"Well…" Link began with a huff, "why can't we just buy it back then?"

"That's the thing, if we buy it back, I'll lose profit! He could be selling it for a much higher price than I do!" Ravio replied, furrowing his brow.

Link was dumbfounded. Why did Ravio care so much about profit if he knew his actual merchandise was in danger? It just didn't make sense!

"…Ravio, you… ugh! That's the only thing we can do! We have to buy it back! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!" Link exclaimed, a little angrily as he pinched his brow in frustration.

"You know what? Fine! But it's coming out of your pocket!" Ravio folded his arms with a pout, clearly not happy with their decision.

"But it's your item!"

"...I give up. We'll split it, fifty-fifty. Do we have ourselves a deal?" the merchant suggested, holding out a hand to Link.

"Deal." With that, the two shook hands in agreement. "Now let's get over there before he closes!"

With a nod from the merchant, the pair made their way towards the older man, who seemed to be a little… frazzled.

"Excuse me, sir? We'd like to um… buy something," Link began, not quite sure how to address the older merchant.

"Ah? Well I would say 'go ahead!' but unfortunately… there's a big storm coming and I'm closing down shop!" the merchant explained, rolling up his rug before stooping down to retrieve the hookshot.

No!

"Wait! …Um, can we at least know how much you're selling that hookshot for?"

The merchant eyed Link, as if pondering how much money he could shake from him. He certainly didn't appear rich…

"For you? Three thousand rupees."

Ravio choked.

"THREE THOUSAND?!" Link exclaimed before patting Ravio on the back. What was he choking on anyway? Spit?

"Sorry boys, that's my price! I'll be back in a few hours once the storm's over, and if you hurry on over I'll sell it to you if you're still interested!" With that, the merchant turned to leave. "Ta ta!"

Ravio clenched his fists in anger, waiting to voice his… fairly negative thoughts until the older merchant was out of earshot.
"How DARE he sell MY hookshot for that price! That's… that's practically highway robbery!"

"Um… didn't you say before that it wasn't yours anymore?" Link asked, placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"I lied! I just made that up on the spot so you'd listen to me! …Ugh, we have to come up with that money somehow…" Ravio let his head hang down, dejected.

"Hey…" Link began with a smile, lightly rubbing Ravio's shoulder, "with your smarts and my… whatever I have… I'm sure we'll come up with something! For example… how does selling monster guts to the witch sound?"

Ravio opened his mouth, using an index finger to point into it as he made a gagging sound. Those things were disgusting! So disgusting, in fact, he made Link dump them at the door every time he wanted to come in! No way was he going to actually handle them!

"No thanks, buddy! Rather not!" …Something wet made contact with his hand. "Hm… is it raining?"

A few more drops fell, one landing on Link's nose. "…Seems like it. We should probably look for shelter. Maybe the Milk Bar could take us in for a bit? That way we'll have something to eat and drink in case the storm lasts a while."

"Sounds good! I was gonna say that we shouldn't head home because Sheerow can't fly well in the rain, and for some reason gets really sick if he gets wet," Ravio added, pulling out his scarf just enough for Sheerow to duck inside. "Just hope they'll take us in…"

"Won't know till we ask, right? Let's go!"

With that, the two boys made their way to the Milk Bar, a place usually occupied by the self-titled "burly" men and Hyrulian guards. It wasn't that bad of an establishment either, it catered to everyone no matter where they came from or who they were, and the owner was fairly kind and talkative. Inside, it smelled of a mixture between sweet milk and musty cigar smoke. Ravio couldn't help but gag as he breathed in the curiously flat smell.

"Jeez Louise…" the merchant began, plugging his nose with his thumb and index finger, "I feel like my nose-hairs are getting singed…"

Link's eyes went wide, his brows shooting up in shock. Ravio didn't… didn't insult the bar, right?!

"Ravio!" he spat under his breath, slamming an elbow into the merchant's arm. "You don't say stuff like that around here! You're gonna get us-"

A gruff, raspy voice interjected in the middle of Link's desperate warning. They were in for it now…

"Excuse me…" the bartender addressed the frightened boys, "But are you here to drink or seek shelter?" Oh.

Link swallowed, chuckling sheepishly as he answered, "Y-yes. Wa-wait… I mean, we're here to seek shelter."

The bartender sighed as he brought his hand to his face, letting it fall and rest at his chin. "Ah. Well… that's fine. Just know that we're already spilling out, there's just too many people here. You two are going to have to share a blanket-" He stopped, eyeing the large sacks on each of their shoulders. "…Ah, you already have some? Good. We have plenty of pillows, no one has asked for any just yet. Let me know if you need any."

"Thank you, sir. We'll let you know," Link replied, sighing in relief. Ravio and that mouth of his… he needed to learn when to keep it shut!

"All right. You two can have a seat wherever you like. Really." With that, the bartender returned to his work of cleaning glass bottles.

Giving each other a look of confusion mixed with relief, the pair made their way to an open spot against the wall. Setting his bag down, Ravio let himself slump against the brick surface, bouncing a bit once his bottom hit the floor. He paused for a moment before tearing into his sack.

"Hey… isn't it a little early to eat?" the hero asked, gingerly poking the merchant's shoulder.

Ravio paused. Under the hood he gave Link a skeptical look as he spoke, "We only had an apple this morning. I'm just gonna eat a little bit before I…" A tired yawn escaped him. "Before I sleep."

Link was used to living on minimal amounts of food - or at least now during his quest - so the merchant's ability to eat after just finishing that apple an hour or two ago was pretty… impressive to him. He joined the other boy on the floor, laying his sack to the side.

"Whatever you say, Ravio," he mused, the idea of sleep actually sounding fairly tempting. Perhaps he would in a bit, but for now… he had some thoughts to collect.

As Ravio crunched away on bits of dried fruit, handing some to Sheerow once in a while, Link stared at the ceiling. There was something about the whole situation that made him feel… strange. Not sickly strange, just… strange. But why? Ravio was just being… Ravio. …And that was the problem! Ravio was the problem! The entire day he had been giving him the weirdest fluttering in his gut. He'd felt it before on other occasions too…

There was one moment in particular that Link couldn't keep from reviewing in his mind.

"Hey, Ravio? Can I ask you a question?" the hero spoke, tentatively swirling his spoon around in the bowl of thick soup he had barely touched since Ravio gave it to him.

The merchant's interest piqued, his head rose as he replied, "Oh sure, buddy! Anything!"

Link pursed his lips, laying the spoon down on the rim of the bowl. He wasn't hungry anyway.

"Do you… ever think you're not supposed to be scared of stuff?"

Ravio's brow furrowed, curious as to what Link's intent was. "Sure. I'm scared of a lot of stuff that I think I shouldn't be scared of."

"No… that's not it. I mean…" Link gripped the spoon again, swirling it about in the lukewarm meal. "I mean… like, you're not supposed to be scared of stuff in general. I feel like I'm not allowed to be afraid of going into dark dungeons or fighting really tough monsters. Like I'm supposed to be this brave, silent guy who isn't afraid of anything. …Do you understand?"

Ravio blinked a few times, a worried frown being the only thing Link could see. He figured Link would say this at one point. He was pushed into being the hero everyone needed without his consent. Of course he was going to feel this way.

"…Mr. Hero, I understand. Completely. Listen to me," Ravio began, putting down his own spoon to reach over and touch the other's hand, "You have every right to be scared. In fact, it means you're human. You're not some super-duper tough iron clad tough guy! You're… you're just a guy. I-I mean… sure you're strong and all, but…" his words trailed off, leaving Ravio to shrink back in embarrassment.

"I get it. …I just feel like, like even though I know it's okay to be scared, I'm still not allowed to be, by anyone. They don't get it." He frowned once more, pulling his hand away. "Ravio… do you see me as an adult? Or a kid?"

The merchant recoiled a bit, unsure of how to answer his question. "I-it depends. Right now I see you as someone the same age as me. A kid. But…" he paused, spooning some soup in his mouth. "But other times I see you as a mature, responsible person. Not an adult, but… mature."

Link spoke in a lower tone than usual. "What do you mean?"

No good; he became increasingly flustered. "I-I mean uh… um… oh! Right now, you're letting me see a side of you that you don't normally show. You're showing me your true emotions, I guess, and that makes you what you are: a kid. When you hide your emotions for my and other people's sake, you get really silent, mature." He grasped the other boy's hand gently. "And… that's not you. I know you, buddy. The real you is super fun, smiles a lot, and is really kind. The real you… you're a person like everyone else. You deserve to express your feelings, too."

Link was silent. Ravio was being serious, something he usually didn't do. When he was, Link hung on to every word the merchant uttered. He could feel tears begin to well up in the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall with every sincere word the other boy said. They felt hot, almost burning his skin, even.

Finally, he spoke, a mixture of pained sadness and anger in his voice, intensifying with every word. "…Ravio, I just… I just don't know. If what you say is true, then how come no one else tells me that? Why is it that I'm not supposed to feel stuff? Am I supposed to just go into dungeons without fear like everyone expects me to, never cry, never scream, and never want to take a break? Okay with being used as a pawn?!" He slammed his hand on the table in anger, almost spilling his meal.

Nearly jumping out of his seat, Ravio stood and hurried over to the exasperated hero, his fingers tightly gripping the boy's shoulders.

"Now stop it, you! You know that's not true! You're not being used, not at all!" he screeched, his eyes darting about under the hood. "If you were being used, you would certainly know it!"

Of course, Ravio knew Link was right. He was being used; by him, Hilda, and Yuga. Link had every right to be upset about that fact.

"I am! I am I am I am!" Link spat, pushing the merchant away from him, his face flushing red in preparation of the incoming onslaught of tears. "You don't understand, Ravio! I'm being used by everyone… I'm not allowed to ever… t-to…"

"…Buddy?" Ravio asked softly, tip-toeing forward. Link was… choking on his own words. As if he was going to…

"…I'm not even… n-never allowed t-to… cry…"

For the first time in probably weeks, even a month… Link cried. No, he sobbed. He broke into a gross, heaving sobbing fit that scared the daylights out of the merchant. What was he supposed to do? Comfort him? Link pushed him away the last time he tried that, what would he do now?

With some hesitation, Ravio brought the boy to his feet with little objection. Goodness he looked… horrible. Snot was already running down his nose, tears coating his reddened face... the merchant had to do something, right?

"Hey… hey buddy, it's okay…" he whispered, patting the boy on the back. "I… I think… do you want a hug?"

Link shook his head in response. What he needed was to be alone for a bit, and he just didn't feel comfortable with be held by people he barely knew. Well… it wasn't just that, either.

"S-sorry, Ravio. …I-I just need some sleep, okay?" Link used a sleeve to wipe away some snot.

"You sure? …All right," the merchant replied, crossing his arms. "Sleep it is, then."

After a moment, he sighed, placing a hand on the hero's shoulder. " …Mr. Hero? …I want you to know that I'm always here for you. If you ever need to talk, I'm listening. Okay? Please don't try to bottle up your feelings anymore, it's not healthy."

A few stray tears made their way down the hero's reddened cheeks. "…Thanks, Ravio. I hope I'm not being a bother, either. You have your own thing to do, you know, selling stuff. I shouldn't really be concerning you with my personal issues. We barely know each other as it is."

That was it. Hearing Link say something like that, especially about himself… usually Ravio would constantly put himself down and didn't pay any mind to it, but hearing someone other than himself say it? That wasn't acceptable.

With some hesitation, Ravio brought the other boy into a warm embrace, arms tightly wrapped around his waist. "Don't ever put yourself down like that. I don't know you that well either, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with you saying stuff like that. You're a person, too. You have feelings. I might just be that really weird guy in a bunny outfit that sells you junk, but I'm a person, too! I care about you, Link!"

Did… did he just use his real name?

Link wanted to pull himself away, but after hearing the merchant say his name for the first time in… possibly ever, he stayed. Did Ravio really care about him? This wasn't just a farce to gain sympathy, right? Not just some stupid social tactic to get him to spend more money?

"…You do?" he asked, slowly bringing his arms around the other's waist.

Ravio laughed, but stopped once he felt the hero's fingers cling to the back of his robe. "Of course! Why wouldn't I? You're my roommate, most loyal customer, and most importantly… my friend."

Link's eyes softened, then. Being called a friend by someone you had only known for a few days… it was strange. Strange, but it felt right, too. He let his head rest on the merchant's shoulder, smiling once he felt Ravio's hands slowly rub his back.

"…Can we be best friends?" Link asked softly, his eyes fluttering as he fought back the urge to sleep.

Ravio stopped for a bit before hugging the boy tighter. "Totally. …Now let's get you to sleep, best friend."

…Link didn't exactly hear Ravio's response in full, as he fell asleep as soon as he accepted the title. His arms went limp and his head rolled a bit.

- End Link's POV -

"…Well, looks like that's taken care of," he mused before gently laying the boy down on the floor; a makeshift mattress of pillows and blankets already there from the merchant's recent nap.

Ravio carefully tucked the other boy in, moving a bit of hair from his eyes. For once, he looked peaceful. As battered and beaten as he was… Ravio had to admit that Link looked almost angelic when he slept.

"Goodnight… Link," he spoke softly.

With a small smile, he rose to collect their used dishes. The fact that Link barely ate worried the merchant. He decided that when he woke up, he'd make Link eat something, whether he wanted to or not. He was so much thinner than before.

After rinsing them out, Ravio returned to the sleeping form on the floor, lying down next to him on the rug.

Sleep didn't wait too long to come later.

…He couldn't remember much after falling asleep, but the one thing he could was Ravio's voice and the sensation of being lifted and set down. Link still didn't understand why Ravio… hugged him like that, and for so long. Was that what friends did? Link never really had friends, so how would he know? Mentioning his name like that out of the blue was strange, too. And how he didn't pull away from that hug, instead hugging him back... why?

So many thoughts danced about in the boy's head. He knew he cared for Ravio now, a lot more than then, and perhaps the same could be said about Ravio towards himself, but what Link was wondering was how much he liked the merchant. How much did Ravio like him back?

Suddenly, Link felt something on his shoulder, startling him from his thoughts.

"S-sorry… can I use your shoulder as a pillow? Sleepy…" Ravio breathed, lightly stroking Sheerow's head. "…Finished half of the fruit, by the way."

Link shook his head. Ravio had an endless stomach, for sure. "…Sure, go ahead. Just don't ask for any of my food; that was supposed to be lunch."

Ravio chuckled, laying the bird in his lap. "I won't, I won't." He lifted his head slightly. "…Wait, are you going to sleep any time soon?"

"Yeah. Might as well since we don't have anything else to do," Link replied, standing up. "I'll get us some pillows, okay?"

Ravio nodded in reply, going back to playing with Sheerow. He knew that Link was still a little heated about not being able to get the hookshot back, but he also knew that sleep would do him worlds of good. The poor guy hadn't slept for a day or two now.

With that, Link made his way across the room, carefully stepping over sleeping bodies as he did. At this point, the entire bar was filled with people, mostly merchants who traveled too far from home to make it back in time before the storm hit. A clash of thunder emphasized that point.

Eyeing a rack filled with various pillows, he looked over to the bartender questioningly. After receiving a nod from him, Link plucked two pillows from the rack. They were filled with cucco feathers, and had some of the sharp ends of said feathers sticking out. They were in fairly good condition and their colors were still vibrant. As a little joke, Link had selected a royal purple one, along with a forest green. Chuckling to himself, he made his way back to the merchant, almost tripping over an outstretched leg.

"…Seriously, Mr. Hero?" Ravio spoke, giving the other boy a smirk. "…I'll take the green one, thanks."

Link raised an eyebrow. "I was expecting you to take the purple one, since it's your favorite color and all, right?"

The merchant laughed a bit, taking the pillow once the other handed it to him. "Though my… outfit choice might make you think that, it's not! …Well, it's one of them, at least. It's my most favorite color, yes, but I also like green a lot. Oh, and I like pink too! And yellow, and orange, and blue, and…"

He trailed off, listing more and more colors until he noticed Link's slightly annoyed expression. With a flustered blush, he stopped himself. "S-sorry, kinda got ahead of myself!" Ravio rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Settling himself down, Link gave the other a forgiving smile. "It's all right. …You know, I like purple a lot, too. It's a really cool color, don't you think?"

Ravio grinned, setting his pillow on the floor. "Totally! …Ah, look at us, talking about colors. Weird, huh? How old are we again?"

Link had to think for a moment. From his voice, he figured Ravio was pretty close in age to him. A little puzzled, he replied, "Um… I'd say you're around my age, fifteen actually."

Ravio already knew the answer, but feigned ignorance instead. "Wow, really? Me too! Quick, what's your birthday?"

Link laughed a bit. Perhaps this little detour was doing them good. Being able to just talk… it was pretty fun.

"Let's see… April third. You?"

More feigned ignorance. "Whoa! We've got the same birthdays! Cool!"

"Really? Huh." A yawn escaped the tired hero. "…All right, I think we should get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us, and we need as much energy as we can get. We already spent a ton back in the woods. Okay?"

In all actuality, Link really wanted to think more. He needed to.

Ravio nodded. "Sure thing." He looked to Sheerow, who was already fast asleep on his lap. He gently picked the bird up as he laid himself down, forcing Link to scoot over a bit. Once Sheerow was at the merchant's side, he continued, "…You gonna sleep too?"

"Yeah, in a bit. Go ahead and sleep, Ravio," he answered, leaning against the wall as he stared up towards the ceiling once more. "I'll be fine. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams…" Ravio murmured, finally giving into sleep. His snores were light and soft.

With that, Link fell back into his thoughts once more.

…He knew he cared about Ravio. He knew that for a fact. He'd protect him from anything that would want to cause him harm, just like he did that morning. He would dry his tears when he was upset, and laugh along with him when he was happy. That's what friends did, right?

But why, then, was he having these thoughts? The very idea that he was giving so much thought to a simple hug was silly. It was just a hug. A long, warm, loving-

Nope nope nope! He couldn't finish that thought. First of all, it was awkward. Second of all, they were boys. Boys didn't do that kind of stuff. Well, at least, ones who were friends. And they were definitely just friends, right? Besides, they hugged earlier that morning too, so what was his problem? ...Was it because Ravio was the one who hugged him? Again, he really only did things, like comforting people, because he thought he was expected to. He didn't even pay any mind to it at all until recently. With Ravio comforting him however... that's what took him by surprise.

Link looked over to the sleeping boy next to him. The way bits of his hair poked out from his hood was a little funny. Cute, too.

Wait, did he seriously think that was cute?!

Link forced both of his hands to his face, groaning into them. Why was he so confused?! Everything was just so awkward! He knew he didn't have feelings for the merchant, he knew it! They were just friends!

"We're just friends…" he whispered, staring down at the purple-clad boy. He happened to be snuggling into that green pillow of his. "Just… friends."

Did he even like boys? Link never really put any thought into that either, but perhaps? He hadn't really been around boys his age, the only ones around being children. Ravio was the first boy his age to ever get to know him, and well… it was a little tough to think about.

He sighed, looking towards the sleeping merchant once more.

"You cause me so many problems, Ravio. And yet…" He smiled, gingerly moving a strand of hair from his nose. "I thank you. You care so much about me, and yet we barely know each other. …I could get used to our little conversations. I like having them, they make me feel real. Like… I'm a person, too. Like you said. I know you can't hear me, but thanks."

What Link didn't know, was that he could. Ravio had woken up just before Link had spoken, but kept his eyes closed as he listened. The merchant smiled.

Link tensed up then. He didn't… hear that, right? No, that wasn't possible. Not at all!

"…Maybe I should get some sleep," he mused, picking up his pillow. He had enough room to sleep next to the merchant, and to be honest, it was cold in the bar. …Perhaps he would do a little test to see if Ravio was really asleep?

"Hope you don't mind, but I'm just gonna lie down right… here," Link announced in a whisper, setting his pillow down next to the other. "Yup… right here." With that, he was on his side, facing the other.

Ravio flashed the other a giant grin. "Be my guest."

Link shot up, almost giving himself a whiplash. Ravio… that cheeky son of a…!

"Ravio! I thought you were asleep!" Link exclaimed, his eyes widening. "You… you…"

"I heard everything. …And thanks. You are a person, Link. You're real," he began, gently placing his hand on the other's shoulder. "You're real to me, and to everyone else. You mean a lot-" he paused, not wanting to say that… it could've been taken the wrong way. "I mean… you're my best friend, you know?"

Link flinched a bit, fighting the urge to brush off the other's shoulder. "…Yeah. All right, let's get some sleep, okay?"

Ravio nodded, removing his hand to let Link lie down once more. They faced each other again, and Ravio was blushing furiously. Saying those types of things got him antsy, and this was no different.

"S-sweet dreams, b-buddy…" he stammered, slamming his eyes shut so he didn't have to look at Link anymore. The merchant sighed, opening his eyes again. Link was still staring at him.

"…Can't sleep?" the hero asked sheepishly. "Neither can I."

Ravio giggled a bit. "Nah. Got so many thoughts rolling around in the ol' noggin that I can't shut my eyes for more than two seconds!"

"Same. …Just try to sleep, okay? I'm gonna try, too." He closed his eyes. "Sleep tight, Ravio."

"Sleep tight, Mr. Hero," he replied, adding, "…Do you mind if I… scooch over a little bit? I'm cold and too lazy to get my blanket. And you're warm so…"

Link's eyes opened once more as he furrowed his brow. …One little inch or two couldn't hurt, right? Probably not.

"Go ahead."

…Except what Ravio meant by a "little" was actually full on body to body, including an arm around the other. Link knew he was a… "huggy" person, but this was a little much!

"Ravio!" he exclaimed, throwing the merchant's arm to the side. "…Look, I don't mind if we're this close, but we're not... cu-cuddling, okay?!" Link thought for a moment, watching Ravio's lips turn into a slight frown. Okay, perhaps he was a little too rough. "…Sorry, Ravio. If it would make you feel better, go ahead. I mean, I guess it's okay. We're friends and all, and… I guess some friends are touchier than others. Right?"

"I don't wanna make you feel uncomfortable, Mr. Hero," the merchant replied, turning over.

"No no… it's fine. Go ahead. Do whatever helps you sleep better," Link replied, inching closer to the boy. "I know I've said in the past I don't like hugging a lot, but… I really don't mind anymore. Okay? Don't feel bad."

Ravio sighed, turning back over to face Link. His expression was tender, sweet. He really meant what he said, didn't he?

A hesitant arm wrapped itself around the hero, pulling him in slightly. "…Is this okay?"

Link chuckled. "Of course. See… we just gotta realize that no matter what, we're friends. We can be as close as we want, and nothing bad will come out of it. Don't see why we can't be close. I mean, we're best friends, right?"

A small smile appeared on the merchant's lips. "Yeah, you're right. …In all honesty, I wanted to sleep closer because I'm out of my comfort zone. Being out here with all these people, on this journey of ours… it's scary. I'm not a very social person, and being surrounded by other people is kinda… frightening… especially in a place like this. …I'm scared, okay? Scared of never getting my stuff back, scared of getting killed… everything!"

He grew fidgety, the tell-tale sign of his anxiety getting the best of him. If he had a panic attack, right here and right now…

Oh, Ravio…

Pursing his lips, Link had come to a decision. Ravio was someone he felt he needed to protect and care for, yes. But… as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. It felt right. Ravio was just like him: thrust into something he didn't fully comprehend, and really… they needed each other. They needed each other to protect themselves, both emotionally and physically. After all, they were still just young boys attempting to do the impossible: save two worlds. Adding that burden to their original issues… it wasn't right, but it was done. They weren't mature enough to handle that, not at all. And yet they had to support that burden on their own, together.

"…I know. Ravio… I'm here for you, just like you're here for me. Okay?" Link wrapped his arm around the merchant. "So… stay calm, don't panic. Close your eyes… are they closed? Good. Now… go to sleep. Sshh…"

Hearing that response, Ravio took the risk of snuggling in closer to the other boy. Surprisingly, Link let it happen. He knew Ravio and his anxiety. He had seen his multiple panic attacks, for sure. He'd do anything to prevent one, even… cuddling.

"Okay… I'm just really scared…" Ravio whispered, his mind already at work coming up with various horrible things that could happen to them. What if they couldn't find their items in time? What if one of them got hurt? What if one of them even… got killed? Just like he said earlier?

Link paused for a moment, sighing. Was he really going to do this? He pulled the other boy closer, careful not to accidentally remove his hood in the process.

With that, he spoke softly, "Don't be. We're going to get them back, and trust me, I'd never let you get hurt. You know me, super protective and all. You cool?"

"…I'm cool."

"Cool."

A minute or two passed.

"You uh… asleep Ravio?" Link asked, lightly poking the merchant's hood. No response besides light snoring.

"Seems like he fell asleep after that, huh?" Link carefully removed himself from the other boy, moving his pillow and scooting a little ways back from him.

"…Sweet dreams, Ravio," he whispered to the sleeping merchant next to him. He figured they'd only get a few hours of sleep, but it would be enough to get them through the rest of the day, surely. "Sweet… dreams…"

With that, the hero finally gave in to sleep as well. Everything was quiet now, besides the sound of the drip-drop of a water pail under a leaky corner in the ceiling.

Once they woke up, they'd dedicate some time to planning on just what to do, but for now… it was time to rest.

After all, after getting that hookshot… the hardest leg of the journey was sure to come.

AN: fluffy, and a filler. But it needed to be written. The next chapter will contain something meaningful, I promise. I hope you enjoyed this one!