There was so much here to take in and absorb. Which should have been easy. Taking in vast amounts of information and understanding it, processing it, making connections... that was what he did. But somehow as soon as it became about emotions... he found his capacity diminished. Like he was suddenly working with a lower IQ. It was... unsettling. Sometimes terrifying.
So he found himself reacting and processing more slowly than he was used to. He stared at the boys in something of a state of shock. "But.... how could anyone see the two of you, talk to you at all, and not want to make you part of their life forever...?" How did anyone look at his boys and not just know how wonderful they are? How could he have been the first to ask Link in all those worlds? Also, this was serving to make him less willing to actually like Hyrule once they finally got there. A whole world that couldn't see how amazing his boys were, save a few people? Also he kind of figured that Saria's father... had he been wrong? Not he was unsure of everything he knew, now.
He missed Zelda. Desperately. She was here, but she also... wasn't. While he still loved this Zelda because her essential self was clearly the same... they didn't have the relationship where he could just sit and talk with her, ask her to clarify weird Hyrule things.
He shook his head a bit, to clear it. This wasn't about his own selfish longing for a good friend who was both here and gone, but about needing to be here for his boys. About getting this all figured and sorted.
"You are a wonderful son," he said softly. "Frustrating at times, undeniably, but wonderful all the same. Having you accept me as your adopted father is something I've never felt worthy of once I came to understand it, Link," he said softly. And the whole rift with Shadow had also driven home how amazing it was that Link had agreed. "And let's be honest with ourselves, Link. We both know that if someone asked you to cut off your own arm, because they needed it... you'd probably do it. Is it really so hard to see how I could imagine you seeing how much I wanted to have you in my life and agreeing for my sake without thinking about yourself?"
He swallowed hard. "I want you to be able to... to feel free to... to say no to people sometimes, but at the same time I am a hypocrite enough to feel terrified that you will one day say no to me still being your father." he swallowed, looking down at the pen, gripping it.
There was more he should say, he knew. But the lump in his throat was too large, he couldn't get words out past it. part of him wanted to say that he was actually partially pleased whenever Link said no to homework or studying because it was expressing his own wants over the wants of others. And in general, he wanted to encourage that, to get Link to put himself first sometimes. Not all the time, but far more often than he did. To see his own value. But he was afraid that if he said that the take away would be, for Link, that he should never study again.
no subject
So he found himself reacting and processing more slowly than he was used to. He stared at the boys in something of a state of shock. "But.... how could anyone see the two of you, talk to you at all, and not want to make you part of their life forever...?" How did anyone look at his boys and not just know how wonderful they are? How could he have been the first to ask Link in all those worlds? Also, this was serving to make him less willing to actually like Hyrule once they finally got there. A whole world that couldn't see how amazing his boys were, save a few people? Also he kind of figured that Saria's father... had he been wrong? Not he was unsure of everything he knew, now.
He missed Zelda. Desperately. She was here, but she also... wasn't. While he still loved this Zelda because her essential self was clearly the same... they didn't have the relationship where he could just sit and talk with her, ask her to clarify weird Hyrule things.
He shook his head a bit, to clear it. This wasn't about his own selfish longing for a good friend who was both here and gone, but about needing to be here for his boys. About getting this all figured and sorted.
"You are a wonderful son," he said softly. "Frustrating at times, undeniably, but wonderful all the same. Having you accept me as your adopted father is something I've never felt worthy of once I came to understand it, Link," he said softly. And the whole rift with Shadow had also driven home how amazing it was that Link had agreed. "And let's be honest with ourselves, Link. We both know that if someone asked you to cut off your own arm, because they needed it... you'd probably do it. Is it really so hard to see how I could imagine you seeing how much I wanted to have you in my life and agreeing for my sake without thinking about yourself?"
He swallowed hard. "I want you to be able to... to feel free to... to say no to people sometimes, but at the same time I am a hypocrite enough to feel terrified that you will one day say no to me still being your father." he swallowed, looking down at the pen, gripping it.
There was more he should say, he knew. But the lump in his throat was too large, he couldn't get words out past it. part of him wanted to say that he was actually partially pleased whenever Link said no to homework or studying because it was expressing his own wants over the wants of others. And in general, he wanted to encourage that, to get Link to put himself first sometimes. Not all the time, but far more often than he did. To see his own value. But he was afraid that if he said that the take away would be, for Link, that he should never study again.