To Want- Chapter Six

Chapter Six- Heat (Day 1)



"For Nayru's sake," Vio muttered, tugging at the collar of his tunic.

"I know," Green's voice was edgy as he sidestepped around a pair of people haggling over some obscure item in the middle of the street. "This is mad."

The town they'd just arrived at, if one could even call it a town, was small and dirty, full of ramshackle single-story huts  and small alleyways in which the two heroes couldsense people lurking. The only halfway-reputable buildings they'd seen were the inn, where they'd gotten themselves rooms, and the potion shop, which they were heading towards right now.

The people in this town looked… sad, almost. They walked for the most part with their heads downcast, trying to get from location A to location B as quickly as possible, with near-complete disregard for whatever was in their way.

"Hey!" Green was jostled by a tall man who shoved past him, not even looking down at the smaller blond. "That was so rude!"

"Keep your voice down, Green, we're almost here." Vio took a brief look around- the potion shop, marked by the traditional stylized bottle as well as the sign, was about fifty yards in front of them… directly behind a huge throng of yelling, jostling people.

Vio let out an irritated noise, the frustration he felt apparent on his usually calm face, and reached into his bag. "We'll never get through this crowd unscathed," he told Green in an undertone,"and I'm all out of red potion."

"So what are we gonna do?" Green crossed his arms, just as irritated as the purple Link.

In answer, Vio pulled their Hookshot out of his bag and latched onto Green's arm, shooting at the nearest roof and catapulting the both of them up there. "We travel up here," he said, quietly pleased to be able to move unimpeded.

"Clever," Green nodded, already jumping over to the next roof. "We'll get there in no time."

Only a few minutes passed before the two Links jumped off of the last roof, landing neatly in front of the door to the potion shop. Vio held Green back for a moment when the other went to open the door, peering at the sign tacked to the front-

                                                     "Enter at your own risk"

Vio frowned. That sounded much more ominous than he liked. But this was the only town within a day's ride of where Blue and Red still lay, unguarded except by Shadow…. And they really needed this potion.

"Alright." He let go of Green, and the other opened the door. Together, they entered into musty, dim-lit darkness.

~~~~

Red was the first to wake the next morning, the sun bright and warming on his face and chest. He was snuggled up to something warm, too…. In fact, the entire right side of his body felt overly warm… Dear Farore, he hadn't rolled onto the coals of the fire, had he?

Or…. was that…

Red cracked his eyes open, wincing a little at the dazzling ray of sunshine that nearly blinded him. He blinked several times, finally squeezing his eyes shut for a few seconds before re-opening them. The sky…. It was blue, and cloudless… beautiful.

And beside him, arms still wound tightly around Red's waist and face pressed into Red's neck, was Blue.

Red could barely stop himself from letting out a noise of surprise, but hastily stifled it. So… what had happened last night …. Blue had kissed him…. Multiple times…. Had he really slept in Blue's arms all night?

Yes. Yes, he had.

Red didn't want to move ever again, but when Blue shifted slightly his forehead brushed against the bare skin of Red's neck. He was burning up once more, and Red reluctantly eased his way out of Blue's grip, padding over to the stream to re-wet the cloths he was using for cold compresses. On his way back Red noticed that the pile of firewood he'd stacked for the night was a lot bigger than it should have been, and that there was a small rectangular package sitting above and to the left of where Blue was still sleeping.

He'd worry about that later. Blue was getting a little restless, shifting onto his back with a look of slight discomfort on his face, and Red immediately moved over, laying the still-dripping cloths carefully onto Blue's slightly flushed face. The teen sighed, relaxing ever-so-slightly, but a hand moved up, groping around presumably for his missing bedmate.

Red reached for the hand, gripping it and intertwining their fingers. "I'm right here, Blue… just sleep. I won't leave you."

And Blue smiled faintly, and squeezed Red's hand.

~~~~

The potion shop was quite possibly the strangest place either Link had been in their entire lives. Cramped and cluttered, with towering shelves and bookcases filled to the brim with all manner of things, and lit here and there by strategically placed candles that did little to actually light the store, simply guiding the visitors deeper into the maze. A quiet and rhythmic drum beat could be heard faintly in the background, and both Vio and Green were on edge as they followed the candles.

"I'm having second thoughts about this," Green murmured under his breath, flinching slightly as he brushed past a precariously-teetering stack of dusty books.

"I can't imagine why," Vio muttered back, rounding a corner.

Both heroes jumped when they heard a voice behind them.

"I don't often get visitors as young as you two, these days." Green whirled, hand going to his sword, but relaxed when he saw it was simply an old man, his face benign and holding a small glass lantern.

"Are you the herbalist for this town?" Vio asked, peering over from behind Green's shoulder.

The man nodded. "I am. Business is slow nowadays, though… come, we can sit in the back room and have some tea while you tell me what you need."

Both boys nodded in unison, following the hunched old man as he wound his way expertly through the maze-like twists between shelves and tables, ending up in a small room that was relatively bare.
"Just stay here for a moment, will you?"

Vio nodded, pulling a chair away from the small center table and seating himself, motioning for Green to do the same.

It was only a few minutes later that the man returned, carrying a tray with several mugs and a teapot on it. He set the tray on the table, pouring them all tea. "My name is Aelo, by the way. I'm very sure I've never seen you around here before," he commented, sitting down. "Are you travelers?"

"We are," Vio nodded, picking up his cup and taking a polite sip. "A friend of ours fell into the river a few days ago and caught cold. His fever seems a little abnormal… we were hoping that something we found in the town could prevent any unnecessary complications and heal him."

Aelo nodded, sipping at his steaming mug himself. "I can make your potion."

"Good!" Green placed his cup down on the table with a thud. "When will it be ready?"

The elderly man held up a hand. "Unfortunately, I do not have the precise ingredients for it in my shop. It has been a long time since anyone has asked me to make something like this…"

Green huffed, irritated, and Vio sighed. "Where can we find these ingredients?"

"Most of them can be found in the swamp to the south of the town. They're very common- it shouldn't take more than a few hours to gather them and bring them back. Shall I write you a list?"

"Thank you. That would be very helpful," Vio nodded, setting his mug down onto the table as well.

Aelo rose once more, nodding as well with a smile, and slowly made his way over to the other side of the room, retrieving a sheet of paper and inkwell, and after a few moments blew on it lightly. He returned, handing the sheet to Green. "Everything I will need is written there."

Vio and Green both stood, bowing a little to the old man. "Thank you, sir."

"Oh, don't 'sir' me," Aelo chuckled, waving a hand at them. "Go, go and retrieve your ingredients so we can help your friend."

They didn't need a second invitation to leave.

~~~~

Blue panted, throat raw and burning as he rolled over for what seemed like the thousandth time. He couldn't get comfortable… It was just too damned hot outside. He let out a cracked, irritated noise, shifting once more.

"Shh, Blue, it's alright." A wave of blessed coolness swept down his chest and stomach and Blue nearly moaned in relief. "I'm sorry, I know you feel awful… do you want something to drink?"

Water…. Blue almost moaned again, settling instead for nodding slightly.

"Okay, Blue… I'll be right back." He heard footsteps moving away, and summoned up the force of will to open his eyes. Damn, it's bright outside… He winced, twisting his head away from the light. He couldn't think straight… he didn't really know where he was, or what day it was, even.

The footsteps were returning, and a hand was at his jaw, smooth and cool and gentle. "Open your mouth, Blue…" He did, obediently, and was rewarded with a small mouthful of cool water. He swallowed greedily, sighing as the liquid soothed his throat.

"M-more…" His voice cracked, was hoarse, and he winced to hear it.

"As much as you need." He received another mouthful, then another, until the fire in his throat was soothed. He opened his eyes again, a blurry figure coming into focus in front of him.

"…Red." His voice was soft, almost a caress as he felt a small smile curving his lips. Red nodded, a pleased look on his face.

"You haven't woken up since yesterday, I was beginning to get worried. I… I made soup, if you're hungry…"

Blue shook his head, moving his hand to grasp at Red's. It was cool, like nothing else in this damned place where he was resting, and he sighed, twining their fingers together.

Red blushed, a huge smile on his face. "Do you just want me to sit here and talk to you?" he asked softly, the fingers of his free hand brushing Blue's bangs out of his eyes. Blue nodded, shifting to lean his head against Red's knee. For some reason, being flat on his back unable to do anything wasn't making him as irritated as it should have been… as long as it was only Red seeing his weakness, it
was fine.

Red moved away and Blue was about to make a protesting noise when he felt his head being lifted and placed into Red's lap.

Red gently laid his hand on Blue's warm forehead, silently urging him to close his eyes again. "I could tell you a story…" he offered, and Blue nodded. "Alright then~" Red bit the inside of his cheek, idly checking the position of the sun. It was about mid-afternoon, leading to evening, and soon it would be dark…

"I've got one, Blue! It's not very long, though…" He smiled, suppressing a slight shiver at being… well, not alone, but the only one awake…

"So, there were once these two heroes, and they went on an adventure together…" Red's voice grew quiet, almost trancelike, and Blue sighed, closing his eyes. Red's voice had always been soothing to him, and the rhythmic rise and fall of the tone threatened to send him to sleep again.

Blue wished that they could stay like this forever.