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2025-05-20
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2025-05-24
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3/?
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Bad Habits

Summary:

Warriors decides to break a bad habit for Twilight. All he earns is the rancher's ire and the explosion leads to collateral.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: A Lie to Chew On

Chapter Text

Warriors let out a long sigh on his side of the door. He bounced all the balls of his feet, praying towards the ceiling in a low mutter before he raised the back of his hand and used his middle knuckle to knock. There wasn’t an answer, but through the wood, the captain could hear shuffled steps and murmured curses. Warriors grasped the glass knob in hand, turning it as he pushed open the door.

Inside one of the heroes’ rented rooms, Twilight had spilled his entire bag across the bed for the third time that day. First, just after breakfast and then again before lunch. Whatever he searched for, he’d yet to find it and the longer it was missing, the more agitated he became. As Twilight tore through his things—unrolling socks, opening pockets and dumping pouches—one of his hands scratched at his neck impulsively. His nails raked red marks across his skin, leaving behind a fiery rash and spreading hives the size of a pinhead.

“Rancher,” Warriors said, doing his best not to startle the man.

Twilight snapped his attention towards the captain with a venomous look. He said nothing in greeting, simply ignoring Warriors as soon as he’d acknowledged him.

“What did you lose?” the captain asked, softly closing the door.

Twilight shook his head once.

“Well I can’t help you look for it if you don’t tell me what I’m looking for.”

Twilight’s scratching stopped, the man stilling for a moment. His face soured, his scratching picking up even more vigorously. His nails broke open the skin beneath his ear, carving shallow tracks into the side of his neck.

“Stop that,” Warriors scolded. He reached out, grabbing the offending hand by the wrist.

Twilight froze, a low snarl crackling from his chest.

Warriors frowned, entirely unimpressed. “You’ll flay yourself at this rate.”

Twilight snatched his hand back.

The captain set his hands on his hips, eying the mess of things across the bed. Unfolded clothes, open books, empty bottles without their corks. He raised a brow, trying to think of anything both small and vitally important to Twilight. That horrible crystal still hung around Twilight’s neck, a small lump apparent under his layers. On the tail of his sash, Warriors counted all three beads knotted at the end exactly where they should have been.

“You’ve worried us, you know,” Warriors said. “Me, Time, Wild. The rest too, of course.”

Twilight shrugged tightly, his nails digging at his neck again. It was a tic, the others knew, although it only picked up in crowded marketplaces. Usually, Twilight would find other means of soothing his anxiety—fussing with his hair, twisting his earrings, biting his nails, sucking on candies.

The captain folded his arms, leaning against a papered wall. “Did you sleep last night?”

Twilight nodded once, though the answer was only meant to placate Warriors as the rancher picked through his things again.

Warriors watched a moment longer. This sort of obsessive madness was nothing new to the captain. He’d felt it, he knew Legend and Wild had. The captain had seen it in his own men too and did his best to be useful to those poor souls during the war.

“What are you feeling right now?” Warriors asked gently.

Twilight shifted his eyes over, some darkness in them the others were not used to seeing but one familiar to Warriors all the same. He shrugged after a moment.

Twilight had no answer because he assumed there wasn’t one. That day the monsters invaded Ordon, something had been lost which Twilight would never find again. It was just a fragment of security, some small shard that compromised his stability every day. It was a feeling like dread chewing at his ribs, an infestation of fear which squirmed in his organs like balls of maggots trying to burrow their way to the surface. There were few things which helped, even less words to describe it, and no names at all to call it by.

At times like these, Warriors found the rancher’s reservedness overwhelmingly frustrating. If Twilight ever spoke about himself, if he ever let the others know what comforted him best, then they wouldn’t need to tiptoe around his anger and throw suggestions at the wall. Every miss just fed Twilight’s wrath further, his patience being pulled thinner and thinner until it snapped.

Warriors knew the rancher had very few coping mechanisms. Space if he could find it, quiet if they could spare it, a run on paws if he needed to stretch his legs. Those things were impossible to find in a busy town, though. There was liquor, which Warriors knew Twilight avoided out of a weakness for the stuff. Sometimes, the rancher would sneak off to smoke a cigarette rolled with hemp buds if he was particularly on edge. Neither Time nor Warriors appreciated it, but it was better than the rancher’s far more common, much nastier habit of chewing tobacco.

First, they lectured him about it until he began to wave them off. They came to some unspoken agreement that he would not chew in front of the younger heroes, nor would he spit on the road. Somewhere along the way, it seemed as if the habit vanished altogether before they caught Twilight using it in front of Wind while fishing. After that specific incident, they made Twilight throw out his stash in front of them. He hadn’t spoken to either of them for at least two days afterwards, but it was behind them now.

“Twilight,” Warriors sighed as he dragged a hand down his own face, “you’re not alone anymore. Your mood affects the rest of us too.”

Twilight paused, one empty pouch in his hand. He clenched his fist, crushing the little burlap sack with a curl of his fingers.

“The boys have noticed. It makes them nervous—”

Twilight threw the pouch in his hand to the bed. Warriors flinched at the silent gesture, watching as Twilight’s face iced over with his usual glacial rage.

“We know you don’t mean to lash out,” Warriors eased. “That doesn’t mean we’ll allow it.”

Twilight balled his fists, his lip curling to show his canine. “Then get lost,” he snapped.

“No,” Warriors replied curtly. “You’re clearly dealing with something you can’t handle—”

“I been handlin’ it,” Twilight growled, jabbing a finger at the captain. “I handle it long ‘fore you come ‘round ‘n I’m gone handle it long aft’ too.”

“Imagine if you spoke to Wild that way,” Warriors chided.

Twilight turned away with a scoff.

“What’s wrong? ” Warriors pressed.

Twilight rubbed at his nose, his eyes down towards the bed. “Lose som’thin’,” he grunted.

“Yes, clearly,” Warriors sighed. “Is it important?”

Twilight shrugged, clawing at his neck again. He couldn’t tell anyone what it was he’d lost, especially not Warriors or Time. Then, they would know . They’d know he’d been lying to them, that he’d been going behind their backs for nearly two months. Warriors was already paranoid and Twilight didn’t want to make it worse by sneaking around the man. Worse yet, he couldn’t stand to think of Time’s disappointment—

“Enough,” Warriors said quietly, grabbing Twilight’s hand.

Twilight felt a burn in his neck, a sharp sting as his skin ached. The tips of his fingers were sticky. He’d manage to scrape up blood.

“You’re hurting yourself,” Warriors said. “So stop that.”

Twilight sniffed, turning himself away from Warriors childishly.

“You’re anxious,” Warriors assumed.

Twilight hesitated, finally offering a small nod.

“About?”

“Don’t matter,” Twilight grumbled.

“Clearly it does.”

“It don’t,” Twilight repeated.

Warriors quietly cleaned Twilight’s fingers with a handkerchief. As he did, the captain noticed how shredded Twilight’s fingers were from constant nibbling and picking. Dark scabs around his cuticles, chipped nails chewed until blood beaded beneath them. “If it upsets you, then it matters to the rest of us.”

Twilight let out a harsh laugh.

“I’m serious, rancher. Was it a bad dream? A noise? Did you see something?”

Twilight shook his head, letting out a haggard sigh. “No,” he admitted. “Jus’...it jus’ happen sometimes, I guess. Get real mad ‘bout nothin’, bridle ev’rythin’.”

“And what can we do to make it better?” Warriors asked.

Twilight sniffed, using his free hand to scratch at his brow. “Dunno,” he mumbled. “Chewin’ help but I…” The rancher looked away, drawing his shoulders. “Can’t find it.”

“Can’t find what?” Warriors pressed.

“My chew,” Twilight confessed.

Warriors plainly frowned, his grip tightening on Twilight’s arm. “You mean that filth Time and I watched you pitch months ago?”

Twilight scowled. “If that’s how ya gotta make sense’a it, then yeah.”

“So you lied,” Warriors said, releasing Twilight’s hand.

Twilight rolled his eyes. “It ain’t that big’a deal—”

“You lied to us, Twilight,” Warriors repeated more severely.

“Well I ain’t hafta if’n you ‘n Time mend y’all’s knittin’!”

Warriors set his hands on his hips, cutting Twilight down with a look. “I knew, you know,” the captain said shortly. “I caught you last week.”

Twilight’s ears warmed. “So’n it ain’t a big deal ‘cuz you ain’t say nothin’.”

“Because I thought you would tell us,” Warriors said. “I thought you were a man of integrity.”

Twilight blew the captain off. “I woulda maybe if you ‘n Time weren’t so bossy ‘bout it. ‘N ‘sides, ain’t chewn nothin’ in bless on three days.”

“I’m aware,” Warriors said briskly. “It’s because I threw it out three days ago.”

Twilight paused, shifting a glare towards the captain. “ What ?”

Warriors folded his arms, looking down his nose at the rancher. “Three days ago, I put a rock in your bag of tobacco and I threw it into the middle of Lake Hylia—”

Twilight’s fist met the captain’s face before the next syllable could come out.

Chapter 2: Disturbing the Peace

Summary:

The heroes are all too eager to have some space to themselves, but Warriors and Twilight step on each other's toes.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Downstairs, Time kneaded at his brow. It had been a very long day. They’d been on foot for over a week, picking over thin tracks of dirt posing as roads, passing through three eras altogether. Few signs, less people, no towns to speak of. His back was sore, his shoulders aching in relief now that his armor was tucked beneath a bed upstairs.

The boys had scattered as soon as they reached the inn, all desperate to find some space away from one another. Legend’s patience had soured in the last few days, enough that he even started fights with Hyrule. Four’s headaches became more frequent and more severe, Wind could only complain about his aching feet. The two which largely held them together when tempers rose were Sky and Twilight. Sky was far too exhausted to do anything more than keep up. He’d needed more and more breaks which only irritated Warriors, Legend, and Wild. Twilight had been fine until that morning, but upon waking, the rancher seemed to have it out for anyone who so much looked his way.

Time was so thankful for a bit of quiet that he nearly cried when silence fell around him save Sky’s nearby snores. He was alone in the inn’s hall, sitting at one long table with a glass of cold milk just in front of him. Across the room, Sky had dropped like a fly on the wooden sofa. Aside from snoring, the only sign of life was one hand draped over the back of the seat.

A groan escaped Time, his fatigue catching up with him and charging interest. He folded his arms, resting his head on top of them—

Thunk!

Blearily, Time lifted his eyes towards the rafters, watching a bit of dust filter down. He assumed someone had simply tripped, but then, faintly, there was a cloud of cursing. More thuds, shuffling steps— bam!

Time stood up quickly, swallowing a whine as his back seized. Sky shot awake on the couch, as if rising from a grave. Wide-eyed, the chosen hero lifted his gaze upwards. From the small parlor at one end of the hearth, Legend poked his head out curiously.

“What was that?” Sky murmured.

Time pressed his palm into his back. “I’m not sure…” And honestly, he didn’t want to know.

“ Unhand me!” Warriors roared from upstairs.

The three heroes downstairs swapped looks.

“Stop it!” Four yelled from the top of the steps.

And just like that, Sky, Time, and Legend mustered up energy they didn’t have to scramble upstairs.

Twilight had Warriors pinned under him, one hand gripping the captain’s hair as the other belted him across the jaw once, twice, three times . Warriors screamed obscenities, his hands flailing at Twilight until one caught on the rancher’s snipped ear.

Warriors yanked, pulling Twilight down with a surprised yelp. Twilight threw the captain off, biting at the man’s arm as he did. Warriors drew up one foot, driving his heel into the rancher’s sternum. Twilight wheezed, latching on to Warriors leg and tossing the man onto his side.

“Enough!” Time yelled, throwing himself into the fray.

Warriors spit curses at Twilight, the rancher slurred venomous insults back however incoherent they were through his accent. Warriors kicked his foot into Twilight’s thigh as the rancher grabbed the back of his top and clawed him back for more beating.

Time tackled Twilight off of the captain. Twilight barked in anger, grasping Time by the shoulders and throwing him into the wall with such force that a picture fell from its nail, shattering on the wood below.

“Animal!” Warriors screamed, throwing himself at Twilight.

“Stop!” Sky yelled, grabbing the captain beneath the shoulders.

With all his might, Warriors grabbed at the air in some horrible rage, attempting to get at Twilight again. He managed to rip out a few strands of the rancher’s hair, his nails leaving faint marks over the man’s brow.

Twilight lunged for the captain again, but Time threw his arms around Twilight’s waist and jerked him back down.

“That’s enough!” Time bellowed again.

Twilight landed on his chest and chin, broken glass lacing open his hand as he clawed at the floor to reach Warriors. Sky and Legend worked together to twist Warriors away and shove him towards the stairs.

“I’ll kill ya!” Twilight raved, nearly foaming at the mouth.

“Try it!” Warriors threatened in return.

Legend, Sky, and Four fought to push the captain downstairs, away from the fight. Twilight still howled out curses as Warriors continued to let loose a flurry of insults.

“Twilight,” Time scolded, “I said that’s enough !”

Time reached for Twilight’s shoulder, his eyes widening at a sudden pain. It was dull and deep, not sharp but severe all the same. Time stared, both eyes open as he gawked. Twilight’s teeth were in him . They sank into the thin flesh of his hand, their crush threatening to break the little bones between his jaws. The look on Twilight’s face was primal— inhuman . Blood beaded up around the rancher’s teeth, staining his lips and dribbling down Time’s hand.

Time let out some horrible sound of surprise and pain, ripping his hand back towards his chest reflexively. Twilight’s teeth refused to yield, instead carving gouges in his ancestor’s hand. Time gasped for air, tears pricking his eyes as he clutched his hand to his chest. Twilight’s anger suddenly thawed into horror.

Blood dripped to the floor. The flesh around the deep marks began to bruise and swell. The skin was scarlet. Twilight licked his lips, finding Time’s blood on them. The rancher uttered out some noise, unable to manage even a plain apology.

“ Beast!” Warriors screamed, doubling his efforts to climb his way over the other heroes.

Twilight gasped, clamping his hands over his ears at the sudden pitch. Time flinched from the volume, able to feel the air buzz against the word just with his plain hearing. He lifted his eyes to Warriors’ face stained vermillion with rage. The captain’s eyes were bright, his teeth grinding as he bared them at the rancher’s back. Warriors charged for Twilight, breaking free of the younger heroes with a rough shove.

“Captain—” Time cut in, stepping forward. He planted his hand to Warriors’ chest, feeling the man’s pounding heart under his palm.

Warriors stalled, his eyes darting between Time and Twilight. “I’ll kill him ,” Warriors snarled as he attempted to shove his way past.

Time shook his head, holding Warriors where he was. “No,” he got out, still lost in shock from the bite. “No. No more. Downstairs. Now. All of you.”

“But Twi—” Sky started.

“Leave him,” Time said sternly.

The other three wilted. They traded unsure looks, but then agreed, leading the way downstairs ahead of Warriors and Time.

 

Notes:

god damn i love making twi beat the shit out of this man. wars likes to pretend hes above scrapping but hes absolutely not lmao esp where time is concerned

Chapter 3: Aches and Pains

Summary:

Time and Warriors clean up their injuries. Warriors gives his side of the story.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was not the worst beating Warriors had received at Twilight’s hands, but it was certainly a contender for second place. Sky and Four grimaced in sympathy, watching as Warriors tended to his own injuries. He refused to let any of the others touch him, dabbing at tender bruises across his swelling face as Legend made a trip to the market for more potion.

The captain’s knuckles were red, though not broken. It was clear he’d landed a few strikes on Twilight but had largely been at the rancher’s mercy. His right eye was purple and shiny, nearly swollen shut. His cheek was bruised black and blue, one particularly dark bruise marking a knuckle-sized pock on his jaw where Twilight had hit consistently. Some of the rancher’s blood stained Warriors’ face, though they knew that was likely from Twilight’s own knuckles.

Time kept a damp washcloth around his hand, staring at the twill as blood slowly clouded the cloth. Beneath it, his skin warmed and throbbed as it swelled. There were teeth marks in the back of his hand and his palm and while his hand wasn’t broken, Time knew it had come very close.

“I’m back,” Legend grumbled as he waltzed inside.

“Captain!” Wind cried, running in behind the veteran. “Time!”

“Ish fine,” Warriors got out over his fat lip. “It’sh nothin’ shevere.”

Wind knit his brow in worry, climbing up on the chair next to Time. “I ran into Legend at the market. He said Twi went berserk.”

“Besherk,” Warriors scoffed. “He knew what he wash doin’.”

“Are you okay?” Wind asked Time, his voice oozing concern.

“I’m alright,” Time replied, although his tone was neutral.

Time was still in disbelief. Twilight could be short-tempered sometimes, outright mean on occasion only to immediately regret it, but he’d never gone that far. Rarely was he beyond sense. Time couldn’t recall a single instance where Twilight had turned on him for more than a passing jab when he was annoyed.

Legend pried open the potion, handing it to Warriors first. The captain narrowed his eyes at it, his paranoia dragged out of dormancy by Twilight’s violence.

Legend rolled his eyes. “What d’ya take me for?” he huffed. “Drink it. You owe me, by the way.”

Warriors scowled at the veteran, but nodded, pushing past unfounded fears to sip on the medicine. The immediate relief in his face was like a breath of fresh air. The warmth ebbed, the throb faded. A sharp headache behind his eye simply vanished and Warriors could breathe through his nose again. Still sporting moderate bruising, Warriors passed the potion to Time. Time took a drink himself, clenching his fist experimentally as the pain went away.

Time peeled the washcloth from his hand, turning it over curiously. Where there were bloody wells before, there were only dark scabs. The wound would scar, he knew, but Time knew they would fade quickly, especially those on his palm.

“What happened?” Sky asked, finally dragging a coherent thought together through his own exhaustion.

The others looked to the captain for an explanation. Warriors folded his arms, pinching his face in a glare as he huffed out a sound of annoyance.

“I threw his tobacco in the lake a few days ago.”

Time paused, confused for a moment. “He—he threw it out weeks ago.”

“Yes,” Warriors agreed, “and then he got more.”

Time furrowed his brow.

“You took his stuff?” Legend balked. “No wonder he hit you.”

Warriors scowled at the veteran. “That stuff is horrible. It’s bad for his health, not to mention it’s little more than filth. He promised he’d stop chewing two months ago and then I caught him last week.”

“Yeah,” Legend scoffed, “but you can’t just take stuff . Let alone throw it out. I’d be mad too.”

Wind, Four, and Sky looked slightly more conflicted. On the one hand, they knew they wouldn’t like having the captain rifle through their things. It was one of Warriors’ worst habits, but since the captain began to trust them, he’d all but stopped snooping except for on his most anxious days. Still, all of them knew Twilight’s chewing had been a point of contention, and none of them liked it. Few of them knew what it was to begin with, but they all knew that it stank and frankly, that it was gross.

“He lied to us,” Time murmured, boring his gaze into his palm.

The others looked over in vague surprise. Time’s tone was almost childlike. It was clear Twilight’s deception hurt his feelings.

“We all lie sometimes,” Legend supplied.

“Not like this,” Four sighed. The smith folded his arms, peering upstairs curiously. “Was it that stuff that made him act like that?”

“No,” Warriors answered, “more like the lack of it.”

“I don’t think he’s well,” Time cut in. He hesitated, unsure of his need to defend Twilight as his sympathies scattered. “When he’s been angry before—rightfully so, even—he’s never been like this .”

“Yeah,” Sky agreed softly. “He hasn’t been himself today.”

“Well I talked to him,” Warriors huffed, “and look where that got us.”

Legend frowned, raising a brow. “Before or after he found out you stole from him?”

“I did not steal ,” Warriors snapped. “Stealing it implies I’d have some personal use for it.”

“No,” Legend drawled, “you just took his stuff without asking and then didn’t tell him.”

“I did him a favor,” Warriors spat.

“Enough,” Time groaned. “Please, just—no more. We can talk about this later, once we’ve had a chance to rest. None of us have the patience for this right now.”

Warriors frowned, but nodded in begrudging agreement. “The more pressing matter is who’s sharing a room with him? I don’t think it’s safe—”

“Wars,” Sky scolded quietly.

Warriors glared at the chosen hero. “He bit Time.”

Sky frowned, refusing to concede the point as he held Warriors’ scowl. “Yes, he did. But he’s still our brother. He’s not a monster.”

“You’re right,” Warriors mocked. “He’s an animal—”

“Stop,” Time chided, his tone less patient. “I said enough and I mean enough. We can double up in one room if we think Twilight needs the space.” He sighed, reaching across the table to take Warriors’ hand in a soft squeeze. “I know it frightens you, captain, but he’s not our enemy. I think you should go find some space for a while to settle down, alright?”

Warriors face flushed lightly, the man clearly embarrassed at being called out. He hesitated, but then nodded, standing stiffly. He glanced across the others before he wordlessly turned and headed into the little parlor to have some time to himself.

Time lay his head on the table with a beleaguered sigh. There was a headache behind his eyes, one which throbbed in his ears. He was meant to look after his younger counterparts, but who would look after him? He desperately wished to have his wife there then. She would know what to do the same way she always knew what to do.

“Time,” Wind prompted, “your back’s sore, right? Why don’t you go take a bath before dinner so you can soak a while.”

Time dragged himself upright. “If I’m not needed—”

“You’re not,” Four said quickly.

Legend nodded. “Yeah, go on, old man. You’re making me ache just looking at you.”

Time smiled miserably, but agreed. He managed to get up to his feet, grimacing in pain as his back twitched. He pressed his palm to his lower spine, forcing himself upright despite a shooting pain up into his waist and down his hip.

“Don’t wait on me for dinner,” Time said before he shuffled upstairs.

Notes:

legend is SO not impressed

time rn is way too tired to even deal with wars bs lmao hes so concerned for twi rn like worried sick actually

wind brothering

Notes:

happy bday thea!!! you are so amazing and lovely and awesome and i love love LOVE getting comments from you. so enjoy the latest emotional minefield i'm putting these boys through as a treat to you on this, the day of thy birth.