Work Text:
It was infuriating to watch her retainers flit around each other like friendly lovebirds while they continued to act as so much more than friends. It was as if they were unaware of their obvious feelings for each other, and it was even more frustrating that Ivy was the only one to see it! As everyone gathered in the cafe for lunch, Ivy watched her retainers like a hawk from across the room, where they sat nearly on each other's lap as they talked about something unimportant.
“Iiiivy,” Hortensia drawled, poking at her sisters cheek with the tip of her spoon. Ivy jerked in surprise, having completely zoned out during her observations of her two retainers. “Are you even listening? Come on, I can’t be THAT boring!”
“Sorry, yes, of course, you were saying… something about Rosado’s newest fashion accessories?”
Hortensia scoffed. “I was talking about that like 5 minutes ago! What’s gotten into you? You usually love gossiping with me!”
“I know, I apologize, I’ve been distracted.” Ivy tried to drag her gaze away from her two clueless retainers, but Kagetsu was trying to get Zelkov to eat some ice cream from the tip of his spoon, which was the cutest thing she’d ever seen.
Hortensia raised her eyebrow, following Ivy’s gaze. Seeing the two men that Ivy had been focused on, she grinned. “Oooh, your retainers are so cute! Since when were they a couple?”
“They aren’t, ” Ivy clarified. “They seriously aren’t. They act like this and they don’t realize that they love each other. It’s infuriating, I can’t stand being around them while they act like this. They need to just confess their feelings to one another already!”
“Like you around the Divine Dragon,” Hortensia said, moving on too quickly for Ivy to comment on what she’d just said. “See, all someone needs to set them up on a date, and they’ll figure out that they’re destined for each other. It’s that easy! I’ll talk to Zelkov, he and I’ve been hanging out, so he’s totally going to listen if I tell him to do something. You talk to Kagetsu, and we’ll get them to meet up tonight for a blind date.”
“You’ve been hanging out with Zelkov?” Somehow, it seemed impossible; Zelkov and Hortensia were near complete opposites on the cute-to-scary scale. Picturing them together nearly gave Ivy an aneurism.
“Well, yeah! He’s not as scary as he seems. He’s all crusty on the outside, but inside he’s sweet as cream!” Hortensia said. Ivy couldn’t disagree with that. Her sister was always good at reading people, and she was right about her retainer’s demeanor. Kagetsu, meanwhile, was sweet outside and in- a good compliment to Zelkov, and someone who could bring out the sweeter center of the other man. It was one of the reasons that Ivy found them so endearing together.
“Okay,” Ivy agreed, “we can do this. Let’s get them together.”
Hortensia cheered. “That’s the spirit!”
For the rest of their lunch hour, the two sisters came up with a plan. Ivy would go to Kagetsu, while Hortensia would go to Zelkov, and they would each tell them that there was someone who liked them. They would organize for them to meet in the garden at night, and from there they would presumably realize their love for each other and
Ivy found Kagetsu at the training ground after lunch, sparing with Vander. She waited for them to finish their bout before she pulled Kagetsu aside, Vander giving her a respectful nod as she passed him.
Kagetsu smiled at her approach, wiping a sheen of sweat from his face as she neared. “Ah, Ivy! What do I owe this pleasure?”
“I have an important message for you.” Ivy said, giving off an aura of importance. Kagetsu perked up. “I’ve been told to inform you that tonight, you are to go to the garden. There, you will meet the love of your life.”
“The love of my life?” Kagetsu said, confused. “But I have many loves in my life! It seems rude to choose just one.”
Ivy sighed. “This love is the most important one. Trust me, this is an important message, and I’m ordering you, as your retainer, to listen to it.”
Kagetsu nodded. “If it’s that important to you, Ivy, then I will gladly go to the garden and meet the love of my life.”
“You had better,” Ivy said, turning around, feeling a little light headed. She left the training yard excited for the evening.
That night, Hortensia was already waiting behind a bush when Ivy arrived in the garden. Hortensia motioned for her to come near, putting her finger over her mouth in a ‘shushing’ motion as Ivy stepped on a twig.
In the clearing before them stood Kagetsu, looking quite handsome and well put together. He stood, appearing nonchalant, as the fireflies flit about around him.
“How long has he been there?” Ivy whispered as she settled beside her sister, peering through the bush.
“Like 5 minutes,” Hortensia replied. “Zelkov should be here soon.
As she said this, a man came down the path. Seeing that it was Zelkov, Ivy and Hortensia watched as he neared Kagetsu, looking somewhat confused. Kagetsu, meanwhile, brightened up when he saw his fellow retainer.
“Zelkov!” He said, smiling. “What brings you here on such a beautiful night?”
Zelkov, meanwhile, appeared a little hesitant. “I was told that there was someone important here for me tonight. I could not decide what to wear, and so I took my time getting here. I hope I am not too late.”
“Ah, you too have been asked here by the love of your life?”
“It would appear so.”
Ivy held her breath. This was it.
“Well, let us wait together for our lovers to appear!”
“Yes, let us.”
Ivy let out her breath in a shocked ‘huh?’ as Hostensia snickered beside her. Zelkov settled next to Kagetsu, where they began to talk quietly.
Ivy turned to her sister, shocked. “I can’t believe this,” she whispered angrily. “How stupid are these men?”
Hortensia let out an actual laugh at that.
At the sound of their voices, Zelkov bristled. “Who is there ?” He demanded, staring at the bush. Seeing that their gig was up, Ivy and Hortensia both emerged from the bushes. Kagetsu gasped at their appearance, while Zelkov seemed to grow more uncomfortable.
“Ivy!” Kagetsu said, straightening. “You are the love of my life?”
“I apologize, Hortensia,” Zelkov said, “but you are simply too young for me.”
“No, you idiots!” Ivy exclaimed, growing tired of her retainers obliviousness. “It’s you two! You two are the love of your lives! How can you not see that?”
Her retainers seemed shocked at her fury. They looked at each other, than to Ivy, then to each other again, then to Hortensia, who was giggling at the absurdity of it all, and then they looked back at each other again.
“You are the love of my life?” Kagetsu said, while Zelkov just stared, jaw agape.
“Yes! You compliment each other so well! We set you up so you’d realize it tonight, but you’re too stupid to put two-and-two together, so now here we are.” Ivy stepped back, folding her arms across her chest. “Now kiss.”
Hortensia grabbed at Ivy’s shoulder. “Woah, no pressure guys, you don’t have to kiss, just maybe, I don’t know, go on a date? Unless you want to kiss now, that’s cool, me and my sister will go back to the bush if you want some time alone.”
Zelkov was clearly embarrassed, and Kagetsu was more red than Ivy had ever seen him before. Worried, suddenly, that she had grossly overstepped, Ivy forced herself to calm down as dread washed over her. Had she just ruined her retainers relationship by trying to force something that wasn’t there? What if the two were too embarrassed to hang out with each other at all?
Her fears were put to bed when Kagetsu spoke. “In truth, I had hoped it was you, Zelkov, who had asked me here tonight. I just could not believe that you would actually arrive.”
“I, too, have felt a certain…. Feeling recently, when I am around you, that causes me some discomfort, in a good way. It makes me happy to see you here tonight.”
Kagetsu turned towards Zelkov, gently taking his hands in his. “Do you want to try a quiz?”
Zelkov, ever bashful, could not look Kagetsu in the eyes. “Mayhaps.”
Carefully, kindly, Kagetsu took Zelkovs face in his hands. As the two men leaned in for a kiss, Ivy knew that everything would be all right.