Clef didn't hear what Leia said. It was hard to hear anything over the roaring in his ears. That... and the sound of his own heart shattering.

See, I agreed because you were the first person ever to ask in any world I’d been to.

It didn't have to be him. Link... Link didn't love him. Had never loved him. This was... was just like Link doing any task asked of him. He hadn't become Clef's son because he wanted to.

But because he never said no to anyone.

And for as well as Clef knew him... thought he knew him... how did he miss that? How did he ever let himself think... think that it could have been more?

And you didn’t want impossible things from me. Until you did.

Link had agreed, because he thought he was doing a kindness for Clef... and now... now he regretted it.

Clef couldn't focus on the room, or anything said after that. Just the sound of his heart shattering over and over again.

He was unaware that he'd gone still and pale, unaware of the pain in his eyes and the tears falling free of them...