Confessor
By: Aviantei
[Twelve Shots of Summer: Another D8 5/12]
[Parameters: "From the Sidelines" + "Acclimation"]
Ivy knew that she tended to think too much about the things said to her, and that tendency just grew all the more pronounced whenever it was Hao who was doing the saying. If nothing else, she was much less obsessive about his words in the years since the Shaman Fight, but their most recent conversation was enough to make those old habits rear back up.
As fun as it is to watch you three pine over each other from a distance, it gets old after a couple of years.
Now back in her room in Tao Castle, Ivy exhaled as she ran her hands through her hair. Hao had always known just what to say to her that would send her mind spinning in circles. The biggest difference that the end of the Shaman Fight had brought with it was that Hao was no longer using that ability to push her away. He had accepted that he wanted to be close to her, as Ivy had always wanted and was now in a much better state of mind to act on after years of healing.
And yet, despite that—
But if all goes well, it's going to be some years before you can be here all the time, and I want you to have that joy of living with someone else, sharing your love, creating a family.
Ivy didn't even need to touch her cheeks to know that they were burning up. Oh, she'd gotten better at flustering Hao, but he'd always been good at flustering her. And this—this offer, this blessing that he'd given her to follow her feelings, even if those feelings weren't all directed at him was—was—
"I don't know what the hell this is," Ivy muttered, flopping back onto her bed and staring at the ceiling. In comparison to Hao, Ivy's cumulative lifetime was much shorter, but it still felt as if she'd lived for centuries. The early, brutal days at the beginning of her memories; the peaceful life with her parents before that world had gone up in flames; the years traveling with Hao and training to become stronger; the Shaman Fight itself; the past few years of finding a place that felt like home at Tao Castle, with Ren and Lyserg—
If that's the case, then you shouldn't have any problem declaring yourself to Ren and Lyserg, hm?
Ivy considered screaming, though it wouldn't do her any good. Hao didn't need to be able to read minds to see right through her; his omniscient position of the Shaman King meant that he could see all the evidence that he would ever need to prove his point. Because in the time where Ivy grew to understand herself better and turn her love for Hao into something much healthier and less obsessive, the saplings of other feelings had started to bloom within her as well.
She'd recognized these feelings, but had decided to let things stay the way they were. After all, she'd made a promise to Hao, one that she had every intention to keep, because, no matter what, at the end of it all, her soul would always find his. Thus, romantic attraction to anyone else, while not wrong in itself, would not be able to go further than just a feeling. That had been her plan, and yet Hao had tossed that resolve straight out the window.
Of course, what Hao had given her wasn't an order to follow through on her feelings. It was a choice. The choice to follow her heart to the fullest, without any need to feel guilty about it in the future.
I don't want you to feel as if you need to squash your true feelings again for my sake, he hadn't said, but Ivy had understood that was part of it. After so long of thinking of herself as a weapon, it had been a stumbling path to where she was now, able to view herself as a person and live. And while Ivy had considered her decision to remain loyal to Hao as respect, did being loyal to others at the same time have to be disrespect—?
There was a knock on the door, and Ivy pulled herself up to a sit, reorienting herself to her living body rather than the pure form of her spirit. "Ivy?" Jun's voice called from the other side as Ivy worked on standing and stretching. Though whenever she was revived, she was back to full physical health, there was still the slightest of differences that were necessary to acclimate to. "We're about to get started. Are you ready to come downstairs?"
"Yeah, gimme a minute." It took a few moments for Ivy to feel calibrated again, and then she smoothed out her somewhat wrinkled clothes and opened the door. As elegant as ever, even when relaxed, Tao Jun's form was striking in her cheongsam dress and clipped up emerald-green hair, and she offered a smile. For a brief moment, Ivy almost blurted out, How would you feel about me trying to date your younger brother along with someone else? but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Ren would be irate at the idea of someone assuming they could just ask his family for permission, and the concept was enough to make Ivy giggle. Jun raised an eyebrow as she led the way down the hallway. "Sorry. I just thought of something silly with Lián."
"Oh, if he were willing to lighten up a bit," Jun said, taking the opportunity to turn the conversation onto a topic she must've been waiting to be out of earshot to start. "He's gotten all worked up again about making this party perfect to the point that he's almost become insufferable. Whenever I noticed it was almost time to get you, I took the opportunity just to get a breather." Ivy offered a sympathetic smile; with a few years of maturity on him, Ren's temper wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been during the Shaman Fight, but he still had his penchant for rampant perfectionism that reared its head to the great despair of almost everyone caught in the immediate vicinity. "Well, you don't want to hear me complain on your birthday. How was your visit?"
Considering that Ivy took regular sojourns to the Great Spirit for Hao's company, leaving her body behind and vulnerable, it had seemed polite to let the others in the home know what was happening. "It was nice. He threw another far too extravagant celebration for me, like always." It was still nice, though, the time with Hao, her parents, his mother, Ohachiyo, and Matamune. An eternal life like that together was one worth looking forward to, when her true time came.
Jun's lips played into the slightest smirk, more teasing than malicious. "You don't appreciate extravagant celebrations, then? I could let Ren know for you, if you like."
"No, no, that's not—" Ivy huffed, upset at herself for being so worked up. "Hao just seems to enjoy exerting effort where he doesn't have to, I guess? Though, I mean, maybe that's just trying to impress me. At least here, Opacho has fun and—"
The conversation lasted all the way until they reached the dining hall, where yet another far too extravagant celebration was lying in wait.
The party was good, because of course it was good. Ren wouldn't accept anything else, and Lyserg had a way of enabling his flashier tendencies. There were plenty of decorations and banners hanging from the walls and ceiling, what food did make it onto the table (enough to feed all living present without extensive waste) was delicious, and the company was good. Ivy would have stayed in that moment together if it weren't for Opacho running out of steam and dozing off her lap.
"Pyron and I can take her to bed," Jun said, scooping Opacho from Ivy's lap with gentle practice. While the Jiangshi behind Jun might not seem like the best choice for taking care of a child, he had been a father before his death and knew enough of how to take care of a smile child—not to mention he could keep up with Opacho's energy while playing, and she loved him for it. "You should spend the rest of your birthday relaxing, Ivy."
"Thank you," Ivy said, dipping her head in a short bow. She'd be sure to return the favor another time.
Jun and Pyron were halfway out the room whenever Mya, her eyes and hair a deep blue and in her full corporeal form, rather than her spirit ball mode, cleared her throat. "I was thinking of stepping for the evening as well," she said, though spirits didn't need rest in the same way that the living did. "Xin-Zi, Bason, we were having an interesting conversation. Care to join me on the balcony?"
Xin-Zi smiled. "Of course, Xīngnān." He tugged on Bason's arm, pulling the much more armored warlord along with him.
"A-ah, yes, right!" Darting through the air, Morphea giggled, the sound like a chiming bell, and the fairy spirit darted after the three other ghosts before they phased through a wall and out of sight.
Leaving Ivy, Ren, and Lyserg behind in the room.
Alone.
If that's the case, then you shouldn't have any problem declaring yourself to Ren and Lyserg, hm?
There had been just the minimal time to consider it, nowhere near enough to make a final decision on what she wants to do. The tricky part was that it wasn't just her decision. Even if Ivy decided to go through with it, success assumed several other factors: that Ren and Lyserg feel the same way, that they're willing to have a more open but still committed relationship. These were things Ivy couldn't know without asking, but there was still apprehension inside her at the prospect.
Because she did like them both, not in the familial way that she cared for Opacho or the no longer suppressed friendship that she felt for Issebella and Kaede. No, Ren and Lyserg were different, and they each filled her up with such a wonderful warmth, slotting right into place by where her feelings for Hao rested at the core of her heart.
Ivy could already feel herself flushing again, so she stood up, brushing nonexistent crumbs off her pants. "Sh-should we go, too?" she asked, and, if either of the boys noticed her stutter (which, of course they did, they were both far too observant for her own good), they didn't comment on it. "I'd like to have a walk in the garden, and I'd like even more to have your company."
There were no protests, just agreement, and soon all three of them were in Tao Castle's central gardens under the moonlight. Being in the mountains, the Tao estate managed to stay temperate, even in the middle of summer, and the air was almost chilly at night. Ivy hummed to the elements, fire not quite forming but still adding just a bit of extra warmth to them all. The plant life let out a relieved sigh, and Ivy felt that little spike in pride again: that her presence in this place had made the garden flourish more in the past few years.
Lyserg managed the small talk, because he had always been best at it; while Ren and Ivy had improved over the past few years, their upbringings had never been conducive to building social skills. Even so, Ivy felt that conversation was easy amongst them, a natural, peaceful thing, and it just made her crave their shared presence even more, as selfish as it felt.
It's your birthday. It's okay to be a little selfish.
Dammit. Since when had she become such a coward?
"Um—" Ivy reached out, catching onto Ren's and Lyserg's wrists. They looked to her, each giving Ivy his undivided attention: Ren's golden gaze as intense as ever, Lyserg's blue-gray eyes soft but unwavering. Ivy swallowed down her stammering, trying to make a little less of a fool of herself, though the sudden stray thought that Hao had to be watching made calming down harder. "I-I've been thinking. About—about us. All of us."
Something in Ren's gaze shifted—a little more intense, if that was at all possible. It was Lyserg who remained soft and gentle, his tone encouraging and—and hopeful?—as he responded, "What about us?"
It was unnecessary, but Ivy almost wished that she had a reason to be angry at Ren and Lyserg—being upset at Hao had made it so much easier to confess to him, though maybe it was because he had already known that had eased the pressure? Chasing the thoughts from her mind, Ivy refocused on the present, on the people she had yet to declare herself to. "I—" She swallowed, pulled herself together. "I'd like for us to be us," she said, cursing herself for avoiding the point. "I like both of you, so…"
It was a pathetic confession, but at least the words had come out. Already embarrassed enough, Ivy refused to look away, instead focusing on their faces. Lyserg looked flustered, which was a good sign, and Ren—
"About damn time." Ren tugged Ivy a little closer, and, up close, it was a reminder of how his face had filled out as he got older, how he'd gone from something like cute to handsome, his growing out hair adding to the overall effect. That he'd gotten a growth spurt and was taller than Ivy and Lyserg both now was extra unfair. "How long were you planning on keeping us waiting?"
"What Ren means—" Lyserg said, stepping in, though that just made Ivy feel a little bit more overwhelmed. Unlike Ren, Lyserg had retained a bit of his adorableness, and it was just accentuated further by his smile. "—is that we've been talking. He and I have…grown closer." Ivy had noticed, the way the two had soft conversations together, how Lyserg could pull out Ren's soft little smiles. A blush spread over Lyserg's cheeks, and Ivy was glad that it wasn't just her. "But we care about you, too. So we were wondering when would be a good time to bring it up."
Ren huffed. "If I had my way, we would have had this conversation months ago." Months? It was impressive that Lyserg had reigned him in that long. "But you have your own things to worry about, and it would have been unfair to add any pressure, considering."
Considering that Ivy had been in love with Hao for a massive portion of her life and had promised her soul to him? Yeah, that was fair. Still, she scowled. "You would have saved me a lot of trouble if you'd just done that." It would have been easier to go and ask Hao his thoughts than to have them dumped on her without warning. "But, yes, we talked, so long as you're fine with how I feel about him…" Ivy bit her lip, realizing that was a big ask. Sure, Ren had never held back his antagonism towards Hao during the Shaman Fight, but he'd mellowed out a bit more since the Five Warriors' victory over him. For Lyserg, though…
"Come now, don't look so sad. This is a happy day." Lyserg lifted Ivy's hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss over her knuckles. Though she'd shared the gesture with Hao before, the new sensation was enough to send her whole hand tingling. "Your happiness is much more important to me than my anger. I…I don't think I could face him, but I don't blame you for what you feel, Ivy." He clasped Ivy's hand between both his own. "So long as you stay with me, that will be more than enough."
"Stay with us," Ren said, not one to be outdone in any way shape or form. Almost as if to prove that point, he reached up with his free hand, cupping Ivy's cheek. She felt so hot that she was already regretting using the elements to keep her warm. "We knew from the start that you'd still be loyal to him. That's fine. But that doesn't mean we can't be satisfied."
The distance closed between them in a second, the press of Ren's mouth on hers, and Ivy accepted it, at least knowing how to handle his much. Her kisses with Hao had always been chaste, and this one was much the same, but this one was different because it was Ren, and no less wonderful, even if he was impatient. But that was something Ivy liked about him, the way he didn't hesitate to show his resolve and convictions.
It made her feel safe—Ren's insistent pressure, Lyserg's gentle presence by her side. Their lips parted, and Ivy tugged both of them close, the group hug awkward at first but settling into place with their arms around each other and the smallest snippets of laughter as Ivy pulled Lyserg in for a kiss as well, while there was a reassuring phantom third touch on her shoulders, a reminder of Hao's own love and approval from his place in the afterworld, the whole moment a fresh sensation that Ivy was more than willing to learn to acclimate to.
The world and the elements hummed all around them in a fresh new song that signaled the beginning of the next part of their story.
[Author's Notes]
Or, more specifically, I suppose you could call this Epilogue Three.
Since I've finally finished the full posting of the main Aviantei story line, these side stories can include post-canon content! This one happens right after Epilogue Two. It's funny how once upon a time I considered writing separate AU endings for each of the potential love interests...
Next week's update will use the prompt [The Long Way Around]! Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[07.03.2021]