(I knowww but :(((((( )
An awkward moment passed where no one said anything, until Sky cleared his throat. "So… that was a good fight, both of you," he complimented.
"Yeah, I didn't know the sand rod could do some of the things you pulled off. And Warriors, you've gotta teach me how to do that midair spin, it was awesome!" Wild exclaimed. Banter soon picked up between them, with Legend deciding to spend time with his own thoughts instead.
He would apologize, that was for certain, but a "sorry" wouldn't fix jack shit. And afterwards? Legend wasn't naive, he didn't expect to just instantly be forgiven for hurting someone. He didn't know how much harm he'd actually caused, but he got the feeling that there was something else that he wasn't aware of. Not that it was his business. And besides, Legend wasn't a hypocrite; if Lani didn't want to talk about whatever it was–especially to someone she hadn't even known for a day–he certainly wouldn't force her to.
One might be surprised how quick Lani was to forgive, even if Drake wasn't. It was a burden she always took on herself- she was the reason this had happened, she was the one who bought the sword, after all. If she hadn't, nothing would have gone down at all that would have caused this. It was her fault.
She didn't say it out loud, but Drake knew her well enough to know what she was going through. They were still working through their own, fiercely protective of their friend. If given the chance again, they'd probably strangle Legend for what he had done to her. Even if he didn't know about the trauma, it had already been explained it was the best she could get- how could he go on and on about how horrible it was?
Lani knew Drake well enough to know she'd need to make sure the two didn't end up alone together for awhile until they had calmed down. She doubted Drake would be able to do much in a fight against Legend, and she really didn't want either one to be hurt.
He was still one of her heroes, after all. He hadn't known his words would hurt her, it was okay. She couldn't… she couldn't lose that too. There was a reason she was so attached to this series, after all, and she didn't know what she would do if that was broken for her.
(Hnn Lani honey that's not a healthy thing to do–)
If they got into a fight, Legend definitely wouldn't seriously hurt Drake. Beat their ass, humiliate them a little, yeah–if they're gonna try and fight him, they're gonna get what's coming to them–but he wouldn't hurt them badly by any standards. He was an asshole, not a monster. Of course, he wouldn't be looking to be alone with Drake or Lani for a while. They'd probably want space, and Legend would respect that as best he could in the house.
(ahahaha she knows oop-)
Eventually, the room was done, to the best of their abilities.
"Thank you, Drake…" Lani leaned against her friend's chest, letting out a small sigh. "I should probably get changed before I get any more questions about my cosplay." Drake nodded, hugging Lani a moment before pulling away.
"I will too," they said, gently patting Lani's shoulder. The woman offered a smile, closing the door behind the other as they left. She let out a long breath, leaning on the door. Turning, she did her best to find some normal enough clothes so she didn't look like a lunatic.
She came out in a green shirt and blue jeans, the best she could do. She'd taken everything else off, running her fingers through her hair as she looked out the window to check if the others were coming. She was worried, for a moment, that they would decide to just camp out anyways because of what happened. She hoped to god that wasn't the case- she didn't need them to end up blowing something up.
They were not, in fact, going to blow anything up–yet. And they were on their way. Legend was still buried in his thoughts, occasionally grunting a short, absent response to something one of the others would throw his way. A hand on his shoulder caused him to start a little, and he looked up to see who it belonged to. Time's expression was unreadable, but there was concern in his eye. "Don't beat yourself up too much. You messed up, so work to fix it, but don't let it be all you think about," the Old Man said.
"Tch." Legend shook his hand off. It was easy for him to say, he was the patient one. Legend couldn't recall one instance of Time snapping at someone when they didn't deserve it, or going on an unnecessary rant about… hell, what would the Old Man even rant about? Masks? The moon??
"Hey, I think that's the van!" Wild pointed at the vehicle parked in front of one of the houses. "C'mon, they're probably waiting for us!"
Sky was more hesitant. "Or they could still be cleaning? Wild, wait up!"
A good thing, since blowing things up was ever so slightly illegal in city limits. Lani had learned that the hard way when she had moved…
But not being able to blow things up was a fair trade-off to get away from her past. She couldn't go back.
Thankfully, the house was as cleaned up as it could be. The books and games were still out, but unless one of them pulled one from its spot, there wasn't much going on there. Lani was fidgeting some as Drake finished changing, coming out in their usual clothing- black jeans and a white top. The wig had come off too, revealing their red hair underneath. Lani smiled some as Drake moved to sit on the couch, looking around.
"It really is weird to not see all the merchandise laying around," they pointed out.
"Yes, well, it would be weirder if I had knowing who was coming over," Lani said. She looked over as she heard the group coming, taking a deep breath. She was fine, everything was fine. It was no big deal. Besides, the others had gone through much worse than she had, she had no right to be that upset.
(ddsklanv I was off on my mental image of Drake then lmao, I had thought like dark hair, pale skin from Not Going Outside and blue eyes haha)
(Also Lani your feelings are valid >:O )
"At least knock!" Warriors called after Wild when the Champion didn't wait up. Time shook his head with a sigh and a chuckle.
"Nayru give me patience," he muttered, but his tone was light and there was no annoyance in his expression.
Wild, meanwhile, cheerfully bounced up the front steps and knocked on the door three times. Legend was reminded of a young dog, and the thought made the corner of his mouth twitch upwards for a second.
(You's really close tho with the image (I finally managed to get on my phone), the only real difference is his hair is red :0)
(And yesssss bby girl please-)
Lani looked up when she heard the three knocks, surprised by it. It was appreciated, though, as she made her way over, opening the entrance for Wild. She grinned, stepping to the side.
"Good, you made it," she said, a bit of relief in her voice. She hadn't heard anything blow up, thank god.
She'd have to drive them out to the country so they could have some fun later. For now, getting settled in was top priority.
(I know this isn't really a shipping RP but Lani x self-worth please 😫 my otp)
"Yup, we did!" Wild grinned right back and stepped inside. The others weren't too terribly far behind, but it still took a moment for them to reach the door. What a sight it must have been, should any of Lani's neighbors seen the five men walk up her driveway–one of whom was wearing a full suit of heavy armor–and into her house. When they did, Sky offered an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, someone got a little carried away," he said with a chuckle.
When everyone was in, Legend fidgeted with his bracelet. He wanted to apologize, but was now really the right time? It would already be awkward, he didn't want to make it even more so.
(Please yes omg)
It might be surprising to learn it was a common sight- Lani had friends over all the time, and most came in cosplay. They'd probably just think the group was new friends of hers.
Lani would love to be able to count them as friends at some point.
"Oh, it's fine, it's fine!" Lani said, smiling some with a wave of her hand. She closed the door when everyone else was in, smiling. She didn't seem affected by what had happened, but she'd already proven she was good at hiding things such as feelings and emotions. She hummed some, turning down the hall.
"Here, there are two open rooms," Lani said, pointing to them. "And there's room in the basement as well, if you would like to stay there."
Legend kept messing with his accessory while they walked, still unsure of when would actually be a good time to say something. Probably when Drake was actually with everyone, he wanted to apologize to them as well. "Thank you for doing this," Time said to the woman. "I don't think we would be able to fit the five of us into one room, so we can split up between the two. Wild, Legend, and Sky can use that room–" he pointed to one of the two, "–and Warriors and I will take the other."
Lani nodded some as she was thanked.
"Yes, of course," she agreed when splitting between the two rooms was mentioned. "We have two more mattresses we could put into the rooms, though it might take a bit of time to get them ready." Lani turned to one of the closets, opening the one that didn't have all the figurines hidden in. She pulled out two boxes, one under each arm, and closed the door with her foot. She had owned the air mattresses for a while, but they still worked.
"Oh, it's fine, we have…" Warriors didn't get to finish his sentence, as Lani was already pulling out the boxes at that point. "…bedrolls…"
(Catch me cutting myself off there bc otherwise there'll be excessive thanking bc I tend to project that little tidbit onto my characters 😎)
(oop- but like, same tho)
Lani shook her her head some, offering a smile.
"It's alright! You're our guests, after all, it's our job to make sure you're comfortable here." Lani moved to walk past the Boys to the bedrooms, glancing to see Drake giving her a disapproving look. She didn't have to do it, and she sure as hell didn't have to make sure her guests had more than she did. They knew just how Lani could get, and they wouldn't have it. Lani just offered a weak smile.
Lani's overly-hospitable attitude was… honestly, it was starting to make Legend a little uncomfortable. It felt kind of like they were taking advantage of her, even though she had been the one to offer them these things. That added onto the guilt that he was already feeling and made him even more anxious to get onto that apology. But again, he needed to do that when both Lani and Drake were in the same spot, and not at a bad time… So, instead of saying anything, Legend kept his expression unreadable and continued to play with his bracelet.
Lani just wanted to make sure she was a good host. She didn't want to look like she couldn't afford to. So, she went into the first room, setting one of the boxes down and taking the air mattress out. She hummed some to herself, taking the pump out to plug into the wall. Soon enough, it was humming away, the air mattress unfolding and filling up.
Drake had come out of the living room, not looking at any of The Boys- especially not Legend. Instead, they went to help Lani, picking up the other box to head into the other room to set it up.
(Legend: Why are you being nice you should hate me or at the very least Dislike me
Lani: The crippling fear of not being good enough :') )
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sky asked, moving to help Drake in the room that he'd went into. Legend and Wild followed him–the three of them would be sharing that room after all, it only made sense that all of them would pitch in. Besides, as awkward as it would be, Legend still wanted to help. Time asked the same question, with Warriors trailing behind him into their room after Lani.
(I mean–)
Drake looked up as they opened the box, then shook their head.
"There isn't really much to do," they said, taking the flat mattress out and unfolding it. They hooked it up like Lani had, watching to make sure everything went smoothly.
"But since you're going to be staying here, might as well make yourselves comfortable."
Lani looked up as she was asked the question, shaking her head with a small smile.
"No, it's quite alright, I've got this!" She was still smiling as the mattress finished blowing up, taking the pump off and sealing it to ensure it stayed blown up.
"If you ever need more space during the day, let me know and I'll take the mattress down."
At the sight of the mattress just… seeming to expand on its own, all of The Boys were rather surprised. Even Legend's eyebrows raised. That's gotta be magic… right? "So… how does that work?" Wild asked curiously.
"I doubt it'll be a problem, but thank you," Time said. He was curious about how the mattress worked as well, but didn't say anything. It wasn't particularly important now, was it?
"You plug the cord into the wall, and it powers the air pump. It fills the mattress up faster than I could by hand," Drake said, not looking up from their work. It wasn't magic, it was science.
"Any other questions?" They didn't mean to come off as sarcastic- they might as well just get it over with, was all.
Lani nodded, standing up.
"You're welcome!" She gathered the cord and pump, putting them back into the box before picking it up. She was still smiling, looking to Time and Warriors.
"Let me know if there's anything you need!"
Legend's ears twitched–they weren't familiar with the technology, that wasn't a good reason to be an ass–but he didn't say anything. If Sky caught any sarcasm or ill-intent in their tone, he didn't react to it. The Skyloftian just smiled. "Nope, but thank you," he said, as upbeat as ever. Wild looked at the thing curiously, as if thinking about something. He was absolutely thinking about where he could find one to bring back to Flora, but Legend had no clue about that and the author just wanted to communicate that somehow.
"Actually…" Legend hesitated. Would now be the right time? Fuck it, we're already asking. "Could I talk to you and Lani? I… want to apologize. For the rant I went on." He felt the tips of his ears heat up and looked back down at his bracelet. The steady thrum of its magic was ever-so-slightly calming to him.
Time nodded. "Don't hesitate to tell us if you need us to do or help with something, either." He knew that they would offer to help if they saw the opportunity–Wild would probably ask to cook for everyone tonight, he'd be willing to bet on that one–but he wanted to make sure Lani knew she could ask.
Drake nodded, turning back to their work. They really hadn't meant any ill will or sarcasm, but it just happened sometimes. It didn't help that they still thought these men were only there to take advantage of his friend, of course.
They looked up again as the mattress finished blowing up, undoing the pump.
"Alright, then," they said calmly. They still didn't like Legend, at all, and it was pretty clear. Still, they also knew this would help Lani, even if this man wouldn't see the effects.
"Thank you very much!" Lani hummed some as she carried the box out of the room, nodding. She knew she'd ask for help as little as physically possible, but she would accept the preemptive offer for it.
Legend didn't blame them. He wasn't looking to wave a magic wand and make his apology fix everything, he just… wanted to apologize, express that he regretted what he'd done and not do it again. He didn't normally feel the need to something like this, usually hiding behind a big attitude and a confident facade, but Lani had been nothing but kind to them and how had he repaid her? By being an ass to both her and her friend, and evidently he'd caused more hurt than he thought. "Thanks."
"Of course." Time had assumed as much, based on his impression of Lani as someone who maybe gets caught up in attending to the needs of others and could end up not attending to her own, but the offer was still there. She'd offered to help them get home and had even given them a place to stay while they tried to figure it out, free of charge–they'd find a way to repay at least a little of that.
Drake just nodded again as they put the pump and cords into the box, picking it up.
"Might as well do it now." They turned to leave the room, going to the closet to put the box inside.
Lani smiled one last time, heading out of the room to put her own box away. She looked up when she saw Drake, smiling some at them. Drake moved out of the way for her to put the box down on top of the first, closing the door. Lani hummed some, expecting nothing in repayment. She never had before, why now? It was okay, really.
Legend nodded and followed Drake. Behind him, Wild and Sky exchanged a look. Wild shrugged and Sky chuckled almost inaudibly. Legend, of course, didn't notice either of these things, as they were behind him.
Lani looked up to see Legend following Drake. Her face flickered some behind her mask, but she smiled broadly at Legend.
"How are you settling in?" She asked, glancing over at Drake. Drake was quiet, letting Legend handle this. They sat their hand on her shoulder, mostly to make sure she wouldn't run off.
She ended up doing so, anyway.
"Oh! There's something I want to show you," she said, before anything else could be done. She went to her room, Drake cursing to themself.
"Don't you dare," they hissed, following her in.
Legend didn't miss Lani's expression flickering, but he didn't comment on or react to it. "We're settling in fine, you really didn't need to do al thi–" He didn't get to finish what he was saying before Lani darted off. The Hero frowned, but followed curiously. He didn't react outwardly to Drake's comment, but he assumed it was directed towards him.
It hadn't been, actually, but it was hard to tell with what was going on. Lani was in her room now, the door half-closed as she oh so carefully lifted her Master Sword down. This one… well, it was real, for one thing. It had also cost her more money than she made in half a year. She'd done her research to find the best of the best, after all, and she had done everything she needed to ensure the sword was of the highest quality she could get her hands on. She turned to Legend, smiling some.
"How's this sword?" She asked. She needed his approval, to know she'd done good with at least this sword.
She'd already thrown the plastic one away.
Drake didn't say anything, but they highly disapproved of this. They would have a talk with Lani later about this- they didn't need to be waving her past around for this con man to see.
Legend blinked, a little bit caught off guard. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but this definitely wasn't it. Something in her tone seemed off, too, like she might be a little bit… afraid of his answer? And why was she showing it to him? Legend didn't entirely dismiss his observation–it could, in part, be his anxieties about this whole thing, but something in his gut told him that it had something to do with why she was asking about the sword. Part of him wanted to ask why Lani had bothered with the toy one when she had this one on hand, but he doubted that she would take it well. Still, from what Legend could see, the blade seemed to be leaps and bounds better than the other one. Someone had put time, energy, and care into forging it, and it looked like it had paid off. "It… looks really nice, actually. May I hold it?" he asked.
Lani was a bit apprehensive. She didn't think she could handle Legend telling her this sword was garbage, too. It'd probably break her. Still, she gave a genuine grin when he said it looked nice, holding it out for him.
"Of course!" Lani was careful with the blade, always careful. She knew it could easily be used for actual combat, but she did everything in her power to ensure it stayed in peak condition.
Unlike a certain Hylian that broke every weapon he touched. Wild would never be allowed to touch this.
She hadn't brought it to the convention since is was kind of illegal, and she didn't want to get in trouble.
