Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was a waste of time.

Time that he could’ve spent doing anything else. Training? It never hurt to train, he would need to be in perfect shape once the Calamity came.

If not training, perhaps some fishing. He hadn’t paid a visit to Lake Kilsie or Strock Lake in nearly a year. Even making a quick visit to the small Hebran village East of Rito sounded like a much better idea than whatever.. this was.

There he went again, getting lost in thought. Revali had to remind himself of the situation at hand. Though, to call it a situation seemed a bit.. excessive.
But being with that boy always seemed to drive his senses into a frenzy. He didn’t feel as though he were in danger, more like a feeling of unease. He didn’t know what to expect behind those thoughtless eyes. What could he be thinking of? Was he judging Revali? He had done nothing but briefly look around the Flight Range, then only stared straight ahead. He seemed to be focused on the small platform outside, perhaps thinking of how he could beat Revali. No, there was simply no way he was that foolish. Not even the best warriors of the Rito could come close to Revali’s accomplishments in archery. He was the Rito Champion for a reason.

Ugh, he was getting sidetracked again. Back to the matter at hand. What is on that boy’s mind?

How should he know? Why is he dwelling on such a minuscule matter?

Sidetracked once more. He needs to focus on why the boy is even here.

Right.

The Princess in all her gracefulness, had asked Revali to help Link hone his ability with the bow. Revali had accepted the task, albeit not pleasantly. Looking back on it, he could have been more polite in the presence of her oh-so-great Highness. What a waste of time this was. Now, what he needed to focus on was the boy’s skill. He certainly didn’t look like he could wield a bow. Revali doubted he could even hold it right. No Hylian could ever-

The sound of a boot scraping over wood drew Revali out of his deep thoughts.

The boy, er, Link, had slowly gotten off the floor. His face said nothing, but his body language said everything. He didn’t bother trying to hide the tired posture of his shoulders. His slow, unbothering movements as he reached for his satchel that had been placed alongside his sword, against a wooden beam. His hand dug through for a few seconds, until he pulled out a small notepad. What would he need a notepad for in this situation? He’s here to learn archery, not to write notes.

Link had pulled out a pencil while Revali had once again lost himself in deep thought. He doubted Revali would understand sign language, and had brought a notepad to instead communicate with him.

He scribbled something down, and handed Revali the pad. It seemed to catch him off guard. Revali hesitantly took it from his hand, the Rito’s wing feathers brushed over his own fingers as he did so. There was a surprising amount of warmth emanating from his fingers alone. But before he could finish his thought, the warmth was gone as Revali drew back his hand, notepad in his grasp. He stared down, seemingly bored, then intrigued, then.. mortified?

Revali glanced up at Link, staring long enough for Link to look away, feeling uncomfortable. He looked back down at the pad.

“I’ve been staring at you this entire time, and you only thought to tell me now?”

That unusual, incredulous tone from Revali made Link burst into laughter. Which only earned him a glare, a rant from the unsettled Rito was sure to come next.