I Love This So Much!!! It's So Awesome And Amazing!

I love this so much!!! it's so awesome and amazing!

For Want Of Rest: Ch. 1

FAN JOY JULY!!!!!

Fic Summary: Five times Sky falls asleep somewhere that isn’t a bed plus one time they all do. Or, Sky struggles to manage his disabilities, then the chain has a conversation about accessibility and accommodations.

Fan Joy July! Each chapter is inspired a few amazing art pieces of Sleepy Sky <3. There are plenty more chapters and art inspirations to come :D

Chapter Summary: Sky falls asleep on Time's shoulder in a library. 1.2k, hurt and hurt/comfort.

Inspired by Sky Sleeping by @codyis-not-cool and Sleepy Sky and Time by @luwyv. GO SCREAM ABOUT HOW GOOD THOSE ARTS ARE!!!!!

My favorite things about codyis_not_cool's art are the expression on Sky's face and how colorful the piece is.

Luwyv's art is always so distinctive. I love the way the blorbos are drawn always, and this art makes them look so peaceful! So sweet.

Warnings: descriptions of chronic pain and fatigue, brief vague-ish allusion to an eating disorder

Sky ached. His knees throbbed in time with his back and the bottoms of his feet felt like he was stepping on lava with every step. His eyes were dry and struggling to stay open as pain throbbed behind them, stemming from the base of his neck. His body yearned for nothing more than to find a nice, soft surface and lay down to sleep. 

Sky took another step, ignoring the pain and fatigue that was dragging him down like Time’s or Twilight’s iron boots in water. They didn’t know how much time they had left in this era and they still had a third of the library to go through. Four was sure they would be able to find something here to help their quest against the shadow they were chasing. Everyone else was busy going through the books.

Twilight and Warriors had commandeered a table and had a dozen books between the two of them spread beneath the two lamps. Legend and Four each had a desk of their own and had their books organized into piles. Wild's leg was barely visible hanging off the side of the rafters. Sky wasn't sure how he hadn't dropped any books yet. Time was wandering the library. Wind and Hyrule were retrieving books any of the others asked for, as they both struggled to read dense text. Hyrule still struggled to read at all, but he was improving greatly. Sky felt a burst of pride whenever he saw Hyrule bent over a book practicing his letters. 

They were all pitching in. Sky wasn’t going to be the first one to stop. 

There was a bench at the end of the aisle of books. Sky let out a sigh of relief and walked to the bench as fast as his legs would allow. He all but collapsed onto the bench and let his head fall sideways to rest against the bookcase. Sky controlled his breaths as his hips throbbed with the new pressure. The pain in his knees and feet lessened instantly, going from a sharp pain like a knife in the joint to a more tolerable ache, spreading like fire throughout his limbs. 

“Sky?”

Sky flinched, forcing his back straight and his shoulders down as he pushed himself off the case. He brought one hand up to rub at his dry eyes and blinked at the figure in front of him as his vision slowly returned to focus. “Hm?”

“Are you… alright?” Time asked, voice just a touch too loud for a library. His underclothes hung loosely on his frame. Was he eating enough? Sky should check on that. Warriors would know, but no– asking Warriors about food was an easy way to trigger him. Sky could check himself. 

“Sky?”

“Yeah!” Sky blinked again, and took another deep breath that didn’t quite fill his lungs. It ended in a yawn, aggressive enough that his vision started to go black around the edges. He blinked it away and stabilized himself with one elbow on the armrest. 

Time raised a skeptical eyebrow. 

“Oh, I’m fine. Just a bit tired, is all.” Sky forced a lazy smile. Time didn’t react at first. His gaze traveled down Sky’s body, and Sky resisted the urge to fidget nervously. He was fine.

Time breathed out harshly through his nose and settled onto the bench next to Sky. Sky looked up in surprise, but Time was already opening his next book. Sky waited for Time to say anything, but he continued to read in silence. 

Eventually, Sky shrugged and pulled the first book off his stack. It was something about theoretical dark magic that he struggled to understand, but Four and Legend had given them all a list of words to look out for. 

“My shoulder might be more comfortable than the bookcase.”

Time’s words broke Sky’s flimsy concentration. Time was still looking at his book, one finger keeping his place across the page as he read. 

“What?” Sky asked. 

Time’s finger paused. He still didn’t look up, but Sky could feel the weight of his attention either way. “Rest your head on my shoulder. The tunic has padding.” 

Embarrassment briefly flared in his chest, but it was quickly overshadowed by the throbbing pain in his neck. Pride be damned, he was tired and everything hurt. Sky scooted over until he was close enough and gently laid his head on Time’s shoulder. It wasn’t the most comfortable since Sky’s muscles were still so tense. He wasn’t used to physical affection with Time, and he knew Time didn’t usually care for it. 

“This is strange,” Time muttered. Sky burst out laughing, then quickly covered his mouth to stifle the sound. Time’s shoulder bounced as he chuckled lightly. 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Sky asked.

“I wouldn’t have offered otherwise. Get comfortable. Please.”

Time’s finger resumed its slow pace on the page. Sky watched it for a moment, as Time went back and read the same paragraph three times. Sky glanced at the top of the page to find the title: Applied Physics of Temporal Magic. 

The words alone made Sky’s brain hurt. He dug out the book at the bottom of his stack and handed it to Time.

“Here,” Sky said. “This one might be a bit simpler.”

“Thank you,” Time said with clear relief. He pushed the other book off his lap quickly. Sky held back a fond chuckle. 

Sky’s neck twinged with sharp pain. He picked it up with a grimace. Time was taller than him, but not enough to lean comfortably sideways on his shoulder. Sky put his stack of books on Time’s legs so he could push himself around until his back was against Time’s arm and his legs were resting atop the bench’s armrest. He slowly eased his knees straight and adjusted the angle of his hips until his joints didn’t feel the pressure. They still ached– with all the walking they've done in the past week, Sky couldn’t hope for otherwise– but it was bearable. 

Sky opened his mouth to ask for his book just as it appeared in his field of vision. He smiled. 

“Thanks,” Sky muttered. 

Time hummed. 

Sky tried to take another deep breath as he settled the book on his legs. His lungs felt like they didn’t quite know what to do with all the air. His hips throbbed. Frustrated tears gathered behind Sky’s eyes as he prepared himself to adjust his position again. He was just so tired. 

“Here, wait,” Time said. He shifted until Sky’s entire back was supported, leaning back just the right amount to take the pressure off his hips. 

Sky couldn’t bring himself to audibly thank Time. His muscles relaxed, and the fatigue hit him with full force. Against his will, his eyes slid shut. He turned his head so it was resting on Time’s cushioned shoulder in the most comfortable way. Sky rested his hands on his knees so that his fingers hit the top of the book; that way it would at least look like he was reading. 

As Sky faded in and out of a light sleep, voices floated into his mind. They were muffled, like someone was speaking underwater, and he only caught some of the words. 

“... asleep? Good, he must…”

“... stuck here, now…”

“Sleep well, Sky.”