Exception

By: Aviantei

76. You Haven't Changed


Turning back the clock the slightest of amounts, we now join in with the unlikely trio of Tyki, Ivy, and Ari from their newfound location on one of the party house's handful of balconies, because of course the house would be that extra, why wouldn't it be? Ari was very much enjoying the balmy night air, seeing as it was still decent enough to enjoy for a few more hours before the nip of the cold spring night worked its way in and managed to wrangle all the errant partygoers inside.

Or maybe people would be too caught up in the hype to even notice the chill. It was anyone's guess, and Ari found that delightful.

Ivy, on the other hand, was not finding their new companion's smoking habit to be delightful in the least. She'd always had a distaste for the smell after having tried one when she was younger and almost making herself sick in the process. Not to mention that it felt like they were wasting time of attempting to find Lenalee, which didn't make her mood any better. Once this whole mess was over, she was locking herself up into her apartment, and nobody but Kanda was allowed to come in.

Tyki, seeming to not care in the slightest for those concerns, took another drag and did his best to relax whilst leaning over the balcony railing. One thing after the other, this night was turning into the worst; he deserved some sort of compensation in the form of one of his (many) guilty pleasures, right? Besides, the smokes helped him think, and right now he was trying to figure out how the hell he was supposed to keep Lavi's friends plus sister from getting wrapped up in something they couldn't handle.

Answers weren't quite forthcoming, which wasn't helping his mood.

Ivy's patience was running out, too, so she enacted the very mature strategy of Take It Out on the Person Closest to You as Tyki went put out his first cigarette and lit up his second. "That's a shitty habit to have, you know."

"So is calling out other people who are here to help you, but that's none of my business." Maybe antagonizing someone he was trying to keep an eye out for wasn't a good move, but she'd started it. Besides, out of all the girls that had managed to fall into Tyki's little babysitting circle, Ivy was the one he was least worried about, hands down. Ivy scowled, but she didn't have a ready retort. "Besides, being up here is a good vantage point, don't you think? Instead of running around the entire house, we can set up shop and keep an eye out for our missing princess up here."

Being in a bad mood tended to dull Ivy's logical thinking, so she hadn't fully considered that. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that hadn't been the first possibility to pop into her mind? "Okay, but that assumes that Lenalee will even bother coming outside in the first place." And that they'd be able to see her in the mess of bodies outside. Where the fuck had all these people even come from?

Ari leaned a bit more over the railing so that she was visible from behind Tyki. "Of course she's gonna come out here; there's a pool!"

"I think you're convincing Lenalee's priorities with yours."

"Still, you have to admit that this is the best vantage point to get a good view of a high traffic area," Tyki said, and Ivy didn't have much other choice but to take those words as fact. Sure, she and Ari had done a sweep of the house before, but Ivy hadn't noticed any strategic places in that time, which she'd almost been on the lookout for more than Lenalee herself. "Of course, there's every chance our princess doesn't wander out here, but it's not like you two can't keep watch while I search around a bit or call in some favors."

Ivy was getting plenty of opportunity to give people the side eye that night. "Well, excuse me if I don't feel like owing you a debt." Because dating-not-dating Lavi or not, Ivy very much doubted that a Noah was about to go and give out free favors of any kind.

Though there were some rather unfortunate implied accusations heading his way, all Tyki did was smirk. "In most cases, I'd say that's a smart move, but you're kind of at a disadvantage here, ain'tcha—oh, come on, no need to look so scary." Tyki held up his hands in mock surrender, and Ari gave the two one last glance before deciding that, if they were gonna have a staring contest, that put her on Lenalee Lookout duty. "If you were gonna be so distrusting, you didn't have to go along with me in the first place."

"I like keeping potential threats where I can see them, thanks."

Tyki barked out a laugh. "Kind of hard to keep all of enemy territory in your sights at a place like this, huh?" He was right, and that made the whole situation so frustrating. "That said, you look even more on edge then when Road was pulling all her shenanigans at Valentine's Day. If you've got something else on your mind, that doesn't mean you need to take it out on me."

That piqued Ari's interest enough to pull her away from her game of Where's Lenalee? (It was like Where's Waldo, but with a non-static image and more partying teenagers!) Ari had noticed Ivy was tense, but she'd figured it had just been from the unusual circumstances. But Tyki's words and Ivy's reaction made it sound like there was a prime opportunity for learning more about her friend than Ari expected, making this an excellent Live Changing Adventure scenario! Score!

Not in the mood to deal with Tyki staring her down, Ivy went to look back to the poolside below, though it was more to prevent eye contact than anything else. The last thing she needed was to get lectured about the whole Alma situation by someone she knew next to nothing about. Her pride had taken enough damage already.

And then, in the moment where she opened her mouth to retort, she saw it.

Not Lenalee, no, but a familiar figure in the crowd, nonetheless. It was gone the next second, and Ivy thought she might've imagined it, but if by chance her mind hadn't been playing tricks on her, then—

"Ari-san, you stick with Mikk, got it?"

"Huh? Ivy-san, where are you—"

Ivy didn't wait for an answer, already gone by the time that Ari had started to question the instruction. It was stupid of her to go off on her own, a complete contradiction of why she'd dragged herself to the party in the first place. She didn't even know if she'd seen who she'd thought she'd seen, but if there was a chance she had

What's he doing here in a place like this?

No, even if he is here, I shouldn't care. It's none of my business.

It's none of my business, it's none of my business, it's none of my—

But Ivy should've figured it out a long time ago:

Strong feelings didn't give a damn about logic. If it was that easy for people to control themselves, the world would've been a different place altogether.

And so, though it was none of Ivy's business, she raced downstairs on the off chance she just might get a fated reunion, after all.


Left behind, Ari and Tyki exchanged a look.

"Any idea what that about?" Tyki asked, not sure how he was supposed to feel about the implication he was now the sole person responsible for Ari's wellbeing and the trust that came with that.

"Not a clue," Ari said, who knew she felt very offended that Ivy was running off to do something fun without her. Well, standing around and sulking wasn't going to change anything, so she could pout and enact her vengeance on that matter later. "Ne, Tyki-san. Ivy-san just said to stick with you, not that we had to stay here, you know."

Tyki recognized that tone of voice—it was the exact same as Road's whenever she was about to bribe Tyki into following along with her latest whim. Between her and Ari, he was half convinced that there was no such thing as a small, cute girl that wasn't a harbinger of chaos, which was just unfair to every girl on the planet at that point. "Let me guess. If I don't go with you to follow her, your brother will hear all sorts of disparaging things about me?"

Ari clapped her hands together. "I'm so glad you understand, Tyki-san! Now let's—"

A rather loud splash from the pool derailed her words, the pure human instinct of curiosity dragging both their attention down to the backyard just in time to witness the aftermath of Lenalee's fall into the waters and—as the you in the audience already know—Road's own dive in after her. Thus Ari was presented with a conundrum: either follow her curiosity and tail Ivy or do what she came there to do and catch up with Lenalee to make sure she was safe.

Ugh, this is so no fair! And yet, Ari knew the right choice to make.

"Tyki-san, do you think I'd survived if I leapt down to the pool from here?"

"Either you walk with me downstairs like a normal person, or I carry your ass down there myself; take your pick."


Since there was a party going on, the house was packed to the brim, which made navigating it a little bit of a challenge, though Ivy had a good idea of the building's layout from their earlier Lenalee searching. Even the hallways were filled, giving an almost claustrophobic feeling to the place. There was no way one person could know this many people, right? It just didn't make sense.

Just like the person Ivy thought she'd seen didn't make any sense, either.

It couldn't make sense.

And yet, if she hadn't been seeing things—

Wedging her way past a couple that had decided they couldn't wait to find a private corner to make out, Ivy bit on her lip, a habit she'd worked hard to break a long time ago but stress was seeing fit to bring back. She couldn't tell if she hoped that she'd just been seeing things or not. What was worse? Having the opportunity vanish or not ever having the opportunity at all?

As if I need any more shit going on in my life right now!

"Hey, cutie, did you come here alone?"

Ivy blinked, realizing that a duo of a guy and a girl had seen fit to stand in her path. They were both on the taller side, but they seemed sober at least, which made the way they were looking at her pretty gross. She wasn't intimidated by them, but with everything going on at the current moment, she didn't quite have enough patience to put up with some assholes. If she got stuck for too long, then there was a chance he'd disappear, and…

Well, she didn't know what she'd do, but no one would enjoy it, that was for sure.

"Don't be too mean to her; she looks pretty new to the party scene," the girl said, and it was with great effort that Ivy resisted the urge to snort. She deserved a medal for that one right there. "We can keep you company, you know. We know plenty of ways to have fun."

Were all Noah this fucking pushy with their feelings? Well, Tyki seemed to be an exception to that, so maybe Ivy was being rude. And while she felt a little bad for being rude to a sort of acquaintance, she felt no guilt whatsoever at being blunt with the two people before her. "I'm not interested." And then, because it seemed like as good a deterrent as any and was also the truth to boot, she added, "I have a boyfriend."

"Hmm?" the guy hummed, looking like he was trying figure out if Ivy was lying or not for convenience's sake. "If that's the case, he must not know how to take care of you, letting you run around a place like this on your own."

Ivy could all but hear the last thread of her patience straining, ready to snap. For one, she didn't need anyone to protect her, since she was more than capable of doing so on her own. And on top of that, it was a double layered insult, not just at her, but at Kanda as well. Funny, out of all the ways that Ivy had imagined herself needing to throw hands that night, defending her boyfriend's honor hadn't been one of them, and yet here they were!

Except, right as Ivy's hand dipped inside her jacket, an arm fell over her shoulder.

The fact that she didn't flinch away from the touch on contact said plenty enough.

"I think that her boyfriend knows well enough she's not the type that needs taking care of." The sound of that voice just confirmed it all the further, and Ivy let out a quiet exhale that felt as if it were clearing out the very depths of her lungs. "Now scram."

The guy clicked his tongue, and the girl hanging off his arm pouted. "That's no fun," she said. "Come on, babe, I think I saw someone else over there who could use some company…"

And then the couple had melted off into the crowd, prompting Ivy to release her grip on her screwdriver and shrug off the arm over her shoulder in one smooth motion. "You talk big game for someone who just swept in and gave help I didn't need."

"I know you didn't," her old friend said, not so much as flinching at her abrasive tone. "I was more so protecting them from you."

Two years ago, the comment would have made her smile. Now, though, Ivy pressed her lips together, feeling too many things at once to even come close to picking them all apart. She stared at him, trying to find the slightest sign that the situation she was in was a dream, a fantasy, but the unease coursing through her veins was too vivid to be anything but reality.

The last time she had seen Howard Link, he'd just cut his bangs, giving him an awkward bowl cut sort of look to go with the golden braid down his back, and he'd been so stiff one might be tempted to think they were interacting with a robot rather than a person. In his attempt to not waste the fresh start he'd been given, he'd been ready to follow the rules to a T, never once straying from his newfound duties.

Ivy couldn't blame him for that.

Still, though she'd every now and then considered their reunion, she hadn't expected the past couple of years to be so kind to him. It wasn't that his style had changed, just that he'd had time to grow into it. His face no longer had that early teenage roundness to it, instead becoming sharper, lending it a more handsome tone. Nothing about the situation seemed real, least of all the fact that she'd run into him at a party of all things whenever he'd become such a stick in the mud.

She didn't know why, but seeing how much he'd changed was enough to piss her off.

"What the hell are you even doing here?" she asked, because that had been what she was wondering ever since the moment she thought she'd seen him. Why, out of all the places they could've ever come across each other again, was it at a Noah party?

"I'm investigating," Link said, which answered absolutely fucking nothing at all, thanks, asshole. He recognized the signs of Ivy's impatience well enough and added, "It has to do with work, okay, and while I can trust you, it's not a good idea to talk about it here." She didn't feel anywhere near mollified, but Link was back to talking before she could tell him off for being vague. "What are you doing here?"

For a moment, she entertained the idea of telling him to fuck off and explain himself, but she knew from plenty of experience that Howard Link was not someone that went down easy in a fight. "I'm looking out for a friend who's here." A friend that she'd pretty much pawned off on Ari and Tyki just on the off chance that she'd seen someone she used to know. Even if that decision had borne fruit, Ivy wasn't sure she liked what that said about her. "I should be getting back to that." Now that I know you're not a figment of my imagination, she didn't say.

But when she went to push her way to the crowd back to where she'd left Ari and Tyki behind, Link said, "Wait," and it was enough to make her still.

What with falling for Kanda and everything, Ivy had thought she'd gotten used to handling her more vulnerable feelings, but it turned out that self-assessment had been bullshit.

Ivy did wait, but her voice was frigid. "You don't get to say that."

"I don't get to say that?" Oh, even without her attempting to pick a fight, it seemed that Link was gearing up for one, anyways. Well, far be it for her to deny him one. "You're the one that just—disappeared! You changed your number and everything. What the hell was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, Inspector, you tell me." Ivy whirled around, not even caring that Link had gotten taller than her the past two years and squaring up, anyways. "Or did it not occur to you that I left for a reason?"

She'd been told she was going to have to leave. She'd been fine with that.

Transferring schools had never bothered her, not when it was for the best in the end.

But seeing Link right in front of her, seeing how he hadn't changed at all…

Maybe she should've stayed holed up in her apartment. It sure would've been easier than dealing with this.


[Author's Notes]

Happy August, y'all! We finally have a new canon character getting dragged into the scene!

Link is one of those characters I didn't think too much about at first, and then Hallow came out, and I just gained a lot more appreciation for him. That was...a while ago now, but I still adore Link very much, so I wanted to integrate him into this fic! The short version is that CROW is a group of street punks and Ivy was part of them, but more on that in the story as we go!

I've also been drafting some next arc chapters recently. We have some fun stuff on the horizon, if I do say so myself!

My vacation is coming to a close, which is unfortunate - but [Twelve Shots of Summer: Eleventh Hour] is happening, too! Go check out the author team in the fanfiction forums. A bunch of my other fics received surprise updates in July, so I recommend looking at that to see if something there is your jam!

Next Time: "77. You Haven't Changed, Either." Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[2 August 2024]