Exception

By: Aviantei

61. From Grey to White

With the news of how the end of Robot Fight Club had gone, Ivy was feeling pretty confident in her decision to avoid the event altogether. It wasn't anything all that surprising—in fact, the level of property damage that had happened was a bit below expectations all things considered—but having two major chaos events back to back would've wiped out any last bit of sanity she had scrambled together. And when you paired that together with the end of senior year already threatening to suck out anything even kind of resembling motivation, it would've been a recipe for disaster.

"Yeah, fuck all of this."

As things were, Ivy still felt like she was going to die, so maybe it wouldn't have made all that much of a difference.

Even the fact that she'd been invited over to Kanda's was doing very little for her energy levels overall, and she'd sprawled herself out over the table, ignoring the history project she was responsible for. It was to the point that she didn't even care that she was crunching up the paper, her "messy under pressure" settings coming out in full force.

Kanda returned to the room with the tea he'd set off to procure, took one look at the scene, and said, "Not like you to give up over there." Though his usual gruff tone made it impossible to tell, it wasn't a serious jab. Ivy understood that, but she still groaned, refusing to move, even as the scent of oolong beckoned her back to awareness. Kanda frowned at the lack of reaction, dragging his chair closer before taking a seat. "You okay over there?" He'd seen plenty of sides of Ivy since they'd met, and even more since they'd started dating, but even Kanda had never witnessed her like this.

"I'm over it," Ivy said, though her face smooshed up against the table distorted the sound of her words just a bit. She at least adjusted to look at Kanda, though that meant nothing in the realm of sitting the fuck up. "It's been weeks since Valentine's, and I'm still exhausted, and I hate the stupid research I have to do for this project, and everything outside of being alone with you feels way too loud." Kanda was pleased to hear that he wasn't contributing to the problem, but he decided to keep his smirk to himself. "I wanna run away forever and go somewhere where I don't have to do anything but whatever I want to all day."

"Yeah, you don't mean that." Ivy sighed, because she, in fact, didn't mean that. Sometimes it was a bit of a pain having someone who knew you so well. "You might mean it for a bit, sure, but you're way too ambitious to run away from everything forever. Besides, if you did that, you'd be running off without me, and I think I'm justified in objecting to that just a little."

"Just a little?"

"I mean, I wanna object a lot, but that seems like I wouldn't be respecting your boundaries."

Ivy smiled—not much, but it was still a smile—and reached out to take Kanda's hand. "You could run away with me, you know."

Kanda squeezed Ivy's hand back, taking a moment to rub his thumb over her faded calluses. "Very tempting offer, but then we'd both be in the middle of nowhere getting antsy because we were doing nothing, and then neither of us would be having a good time." Kanda didn't have much he cared about, but he did put pride in a job well done, so he wasn't about to just abandon everything he had accomplished so far. "…I could do without the rabbit, though."

That little snort of laughter was just what Kanda had been looking for. "I suppose you have a point," Ivy said, dragging herself up to sitting again. Kanda's hand was staying right in hers, though, thank you very much. Still, it was clear she looked tired. "It all just…gets to be a lot sometimes, you know?" Kanda made a sound of acknowledgement, not having anything clever to say but wanting to show his support nonetheless. "Maybe it would be easier if I could just cut out the shit I don't care for, but then I realize I care about everything I'm in involved in, and then I get nowhere."

Kanda took a long look at the rumpled history assignment notes. "Last I checked you didn't care all that much about this project."

"I care about doing well in school, even if I don't like the class." Not doing well in school would just cause a whole lot of trouble, if nothing else, so keeping her grades up and aiming to do the same in college were going to be responsibilities she was stuck with for a while. "And, yes, I care about Lavi and everyone else, too—though it goes without saying that you're my favorite." It was nice having friends that were close, even if sometimes their collective decibel level was a bit too much to take. "So I just don't know what to do…"

Ivy couldn't tell if she was asking for serious advice or if she was just hoping that enough bitching would make a solution fall into her lap. Either way, it sort of felt like giving up, which her pride was not a fan of. She'd thought, that since coming to Black Order High, she'd gotten better with her whole procrastination issues, but now she was just stressed about other things, and it felt kind of unfair, all things considered.

The human consciousness was kind of a bitch that way.

"Well, I can't support you running away forever," Kanda said, for obvious reasons, "but I think you need a break." Ivy was more than capable of pushing through, he had no doubt in that, but that didn't mean she should push through. "If you wanna run away and do nothing, why not do that for a few days? We've got the next week off since it's halfway through the semester, right? There's nothing wrong with putting everything down for a bit." That was a lesson he'd had to learn the hard way, and he'd fought Tiedoll and Marie every last step of the way, but he'd seen the merit. In time.

And because he and Ivy were similar in that way, it wasn't any surprise at all that she said, "But my project—"

"Isn't due for a while, because you've been working ahead. Shifting your arbitrary deadline won't change a thing, dumbass."

Further emphasizing the point, Kanda chopped the top of Ivy's head, but that didn't stop her from attempting to continue to protest. "But—"

"I was going to suggest that we go on a date, but if you're not interested, I can just go on my own…" Kanda made to stand up, and Ivy grabbed onto his sleeve to stop him.

"Wait, wait, wait, I'll go!" Kanda smirked, and Ivy thought it was super fucking unfair how attractive that one change in expression made him. She huffed in response. "You're mean, Yū-kun. I hope you know that."

Kanda's lips slipped closer to a smile, and he took her hand to pull her up from her seat. "I know. Lucky for me that I also know you like me this way."

He was, in fact, correct, and Ivy's lack of an immediate retort just made that fact all the more apparent.

With both members of the Yūvy duo, they didn't need anything too complicated to make them happy when it came to dates. In general, spending time at each other's sides was more than enough, and they didn't need to talk all that much to be satisfied, though that last part was more in the way that Kanda wasn't one for idle conversation. Ivy didn't mind, more than happy to chat when something occurred to her and content in the silence the rest of the time. And with how overwhelmed she'd been feeling, silence was feeling like an incredible respite in the middle of the storm.

Given that she was still a student at Black Order High School, that storm wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but that was what made the moments of peace and quiet all the more important.

The couple started out by going to a tea shop they both enjoyed, drinking their way through a pot and enjoying sitting by each other's side. For the first time that she could remember in quite a while, Ivy managed to doze off for a short nap on Kanda's shoulder, and he occupied himself with a book on meditation he'd been managing to read—though half of his concentration was taken up by checking on Ivy's sleeping face.

He wouldn't say so out loud, but she was cute like that.

Afterwards the next stop was lunch (which consisted of the usual soba for Kanda and a ginger beef for Ivy), and the two were full once their meal was done. Ivy, determined not to just pass out again and waste the time she and Kanda had together, proposed a walk at a nearby park, and so they set out.

"We're lucky that the weather's nice today," Ivy said, appreciating the relative balminess of the air in comparison to the last few months. It wasn't quite spring yet by calendar standards, but it was close enough that the temperature was showing it. Any and all signs of snow were gone, the upcoming forecast had no more sudden cold snaps, and fresh green was starting to make its way back into the world around them. "It'll be nice to go outside some more. It kinda gets to you, holing up inside for so long."

"Mn," Kanda said, which was about as eloquent as he got whenever he didn't have anything all that insightful to say. "For now, it's just a bit chilly, though."

It was Ivy's turn to smirk, and she took a step closer catching Kanda's hand in her own and pressing their arms together. "Well, I don't know how much this can help, but I'll give it my best." Kanda didn't blush—because of course he didn't, he was way more likely to flush red in anger than embarrassment—but he did feel a sense of contentment pulse through his chest. "Thanks, though, Yū-kun," Ivy said, gazing out at the path ahead of them instead of looking her boyfriend in the eye. "I still feel a little overwhelmed, but I feel a whole lot better. So, um, I guess what I'm trying to say is…thanks for looking out for me."

"Don't be a dumbass," Kanda said, the words fueled by a pretty decent amount of tsun. You kinda had to dig down super deep to find the dere, but Lavi swore it was there! Maybe. Good thing Ivy understood that Kanda's attitude wasn't as harsh as he wanted it to seem. "Of course I'm gonna look out for you. You don't have to thank me for something so obvious. You'd do the same for me, right?"

"Of course. Doesn't mean I can't appreciate it, though." Kanda clicked his tongue—now that was in embarrassment—and Ivy's smile grew a little easier. Still, she came to a stop, tugging on Kanda's hand to make him look at her. "Days like this… I didn't think I would ever get to have them," she said, and Kanda once again was struck by the feeling that there was a lot about herself that she wasn't telling him. "So now that I do, I wanna cherish them. But it seems like the world around us is going nonstop, and that's what makes me wanna run away. Because if everything turns to chaos, what if I don't get to appreciate being with you like this anymore?"

If Kanda were a different person, he might've had the perfect thing to say. If he were a more ultra romantic person, he might've been able to kiss Ivy's worries away. But Kanda Yū was just Kanda Yū, and so he took his time, thinking over everything she'd just said. Though he acted like he was ignoring the world half the time, Kanda was a pretty good listener all things considered. You just had to be someone he cared enough about to use that skill in his favor.

Minomasu Ivy was, in fact, someone he cared about.

"Do you think I'm going to leave or something?" Kanda asked, and Ivy winced, which was answer enough. It wasn't because she doubted Kanda or anything, but the fear had wiggled into her brain and hadn't gone away, ever since the leadup to Valentine's Day and more of her secrets had started to slip towards the surface. "Look, I'm not gonna say that things won't be different. We just have a little bit of high school left, and college will be next. But that doesn't mean that I'm going anywhere. Not without you at least."

"But—" Ivy started, not knowing how she was going to finish that sentence.

"Shut up for a second," Kanda half snapped, though Ivy was too grateful for the lifeline to feel upset. "If there's something you're worried about telling me, you should wait until you're comfortable to do it. I don't mind waiting, because I enjoy being with you regardless. I can't say I won't end up deciding you're not worth it, and I can't say I won't end up ditching, because that would be irresponsible. But if that happens, that's a fucking problem with me, not you." Ivy grimaced at the thought, not liking the possibility whatsoever, no matter how Kanda put it. "But I'd rather have the option to make that choice for myself instead of you making it for me—especially if you just end up worrying about it all the time."

If Ivy were a different person, that might've been enough to break down the wall she'd had up for so long. If Ivy were a different person, she could've told Kanda everything then and there, gotten it all off her chest. But Minomasu Ivy was Minomasu Ivy, so she kept that concern held tight into her chest—but now it felt a little bit less like a burden and a little bit more like an opportunity to open herself up again, regardless of the consequences.

I wasn't a good person, she thought, unable to bring herself to say the words.

I'm still not a good person.

She sighed, half a smile gracing her expression. "Not… Not today," she said, and Kanda couldn't deny the tiny flicker of disappointment that raced through him at that. "Not because of you, but because of me." Because there were things that she still didn't like to admit about herself. "But I think…at some point I'll be able to tell you, Yū-kun, so please be patient with me a little while longer."

"I told you; it's fine to wait." Kanda wanted to know, but not so much that he'd pressure her into it. Besides, today hadn't been meant to talk about serious stuff. For now, the promise that she would talk to him about it was more than enough. Even so, Kanda couldn't stop himself from frowning. "Fuck, I was supposed to take you out to help you feel better, and then this goes and happens." While Kanda wasn't a romantic by any means, he was still someone who wanted to do things right—and that happened to include being a good boyfriend.

"No, no, it's okay, I do feel better." Not just because the day had been relaxing, but also because the plan to get things off her chest—even if she didn't know when she'd be doing it—was enough to ease the knot of tension from her lungs, keeping it from pressing up against her ribcage and threatening to suffocate her. She reached up to pinch Kanda's cheek. "That blunt attitude of yours helps, you know. Though you're lucky I'm so sturdy, Yū-kun. You could've made someone else cry saying things like that."

Kanda caught Ivy's offending hand in his own. "As if I'd fall for someone who would cry that easy." Pure irony that those words were almost enough to make Ivy tear up, but she would never admit that to anyone, ever. Kanda contemplated a clever transition into what he'd been meaning to say all day, then decided that it wasn't worth it and cut to the chase. "I have something for you."

It was with shown reluctance that Kanda let Ivy's hand slip away from his, but it was a necessary evil for digging around in his pocket. Ivy watched in a mixture of curiosity and confusion, both displayed in such perfect clarity in her expression that Kanda couldn't help but sigh.

"It's White Day, you know."

Ivy had—forgotten. Like she'd managed to recognize the date, but remembering its significance had been a whole other matter. Which is kinda sad, considering that I'd been looking forward to it.

But the point remained that she remembered now, and Kanda was offering her a small package, which upon opening revealed a set of small earrings in a deep blue, the kind that made a small loop around the earlobe without much space for anything else in the middle. If one was keen-eyed, they might have noticed that Kanda had in a similar pair, but he wasn't about to draw attention to the fact.

"It's up to you if you wear them," Kanda said, his voice much less forceful than usual, "but I thought they'd look good on you."

"Thank you, Yū-kun," Ivy said, meaning every word. "Will you hold the box while I put them on?"

If they were a different couple, they might've had a more romantic time. If they were a different couple, they might not have been satisfied with just holding hands in the aftermath and resuming their walk.

But Kanda Yū and Minomasu Ivy were Kanda Yū and Minomasu Ivy, and, as far as they were concerned, the way they were worked just fine.

[Author's Notes]

After I made the intentional choice to let Ivy and Kanda have a breather from Robo Fight Club, it was time to cycle back to them for a pure fluff chapter. White Day is good content. They'll also be back in the spotlight for a bit as we get into some other plot beats I've been excited to explore in this AU.

A couple of self promos: just like a blue gem shining, a bonus story for my Kimetsu no Yaiba fic has debuted as a way of celebrating the anniversary of walk steady on this cruel world's path. And you could have my heart (and i would break it for you), my Moriarty the Patriot fic, is now updating fortnightly for [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm]. Do go check them out if you're interested!

Next Time: "62. Karma in More Ways Than One." Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[6 January 2024]