Confessions

by TheTactilePope

Summary:

Kyr has a problem of a magical nature. Or at least, that's what he keeps telling himself.
But unfortunately, the only person he can find is the one person he absolutely can't ask for help.

Chapter 1: Lighting the fuse

It was an unusually peaceful day on the Shrouded Isles. No Death Gods patrolled the shores, sending hordes of shadowy minions to capture spirit folk. The Prison of Lights was shut tight, and no one was using it as a convenient short cut. A rickety, decrepit bar stood silent, its usually raucous residents absent, except for a man with dead eyes. He seemed determine to drink himself into a stupor, and made little noise in pursuit of this goal. The forest, for once, was completely still and tranquil. This sense of peace lasted all of twelve seconds, before the World’s Strongest Human shattered it.

Kyr crashed through the bush, yelling at the top of his lungs. “Hey Markus! Colvin! Where are you guys?! Ashe? Hell, I’d settle for Kyl’il at this point!” he bellowed, leaving a trail of broken branches in his wake. How is it that I have so many friends that use magic, but can’t seem to find any of them? This thought currently occupied the forefront of his mind, pushing the ideas for many fantastical and explosive machines to the back.

Except, it wasn’t at the forefront. It was at the pre-forefront. The back of the forefront. Whatever. The point is, there was another thought that was pushing the thought at the forefront of his mind back, and that was not ok.

After what felt like hours, Kyr stumbled in to a clearing. Well, it was more of a glade, complete with a small pond and… beach chairs?
“Those are new,” remarked Kyr, as he stepped further into the glade. Occupying one of the chairs, dressed in a blue, one-piece bathing suit was the small witch, Inien. Kyr froze, taking note of her closed eyes, and began to slowly back away. Just my luck, to run into the one magic user that I can’t ask for help, he bemoaned, while his brilliant mind concocted a strategy for getting away, step one being Run Like Hell. Right as he was about to execute his flawless plan, Inien spoke up.

“You better have a really good reason for interrupting my nap, Kyr.” Kyr’s restless mind focused, all of its power devoted to finding a reason that would save him from getting the Horaven Treatment. He opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn’t think of anything. All that came out was: “Uhhh, I… err… need advice. Not your advice specifically, just someone experienced with, y’know, magic stuff…” Kyr said with a motion of his hand, similar to one Markus used to denote the mystical.

With a sigh, Inien sat up, moving the book that had been resting on her chest to a small table beside her and assumed a put-upon expression. “If you don’t need me specifically, Mr. ‘Genius Inventor’, why are you here?”

“Well, I didn’t mean to come here! I couldn’t find anyone else! Well, except for Thog, but he’s too intoxicated to help right now.” Kyr said, shifting on the balls of his feet.

Waving to the unoccupied chair, Inien’s face softened.
“You said you needed advice of a magical nature, right? Well, you’ve already woken me up, so I might as well hear you out.” She said, getting more comfortable.
Kyr awkwardly sat on the edge of a chair that creaked ominously under his weight. “I wanted to ask about curses…”

“Curses? Really?” Inien rolled her eyes at Kyr’s statement. “Curses are just superstition. Hexes, on the other hand, are quite dangerous.”

Kyr bristled at her words, and responded bluntly “Curses, hexes, whatever! That isn’t the point here. Whichever it is, I think I’ve been thated.”

“Kyr, why would you think that?” Inien asked, leaning forward to get a closer look at the Engineer. He squirmed a little under her intense gaze.

“Well, it’s just that recently… I’ve been noticing… things…” He said, rubbing the back of his head, “And they only happen when I’m around… someone.”
Inien gave a snort, and laughed. “Kyr, I can’t help you with that little information. Noticing things? Give me a break…”

“It’s just… I don’t really know how to explain it.’ His face was extremely red. ‘Lately, every time I see … someone, I just feel weird…”

“Isn’t weird, like, normal for you?’ Scoffed Inien, ‘I mean, you do live on an island full of spirits.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t normal weird. This is like, weird weird.” Kyr was fidgeting noticeably more than usual.

“Can you be more, I don’t know, descriptive?” Inien let out a sigh, and began massaging her temples.
His blush intensifying, Kyr looked down as he spoke, “Recently, whenever I’ve been around… this person, I feel off…” Seeing Inien’s brow begin to crumple with annoyance, Kyr continued quickly, “My chest feels tight, and I start getting this feeling in the pit of my stomach.” Just breathe, Kyr, this isn’t so bad. Now that he had started talking, he couldn’t stop, as per usual. “I get all tingly, and I can’t stop thinking about them… It’s really weird, ‘cuz normally this only happens when I've got a really good idea for an invention. So, yeah, that’s what’s up.” His pulse pounding in his ears, he continued on, barely stopping for breath, “I don’t know what to do, and I’ve tried talking to people about it, but they just get this funny look on their faces. Kind of like the village Spirit Folk used to, but without the whole chasing me away bit.”

Counter to all his expectations, instead of dismissing him outright, Inien burst into laughter. “Oh, gods, Kyr! This is too funny…” Wiping a tear from her eye, Inien switched into her ‘Explaining-magic-to-idiots’ voice. “You’re not hexed, you just have a crush.”
Kyr blinked, his features growing confused. “A… crush? What do you mean? I haven’t crushed anyone! At least, not recently…”

“I don’t mean literally, gearhead. It’s an expression that means you like someone.” Inien responded, shaking her head in disbelief.

“But, I like lots of people! And they don’t make me feel this way!” Kyr stated, feeling more confused than ever.

“I mean romantically! Gods, you can be dense sometimes…” She rolled her eyes.

“I’ve heard that before…” Kyr mumbled, “Usually right before someone throws something at me…”

“Oh. Kyr. Kyr, look at me. I’m not gonna throw something at you. Sometimes I forget that you grew up alone…” Inien said. Kyr obeyed, and wiped away the tears that had begun to gather in his eyes. Inien’s voice took on a… less condescending tone, and she scooted to the edge of her chair, closer to Kyr. “OK, so now that we’ve established it' just a crush, there’s one other thing we need to do.”

“Wait, but it’s not magic, right? You made that pretty clear...” Kyr frowned at her words.

“Yeah, but I’m still gonna help you. We’ve got to do something about the person you like. Who is it?” Kyr burst into a sudden fit of coughing at the Witch’s unexpected question.
“Wha-what? W-why do you want to know that?” Kyr yelped, sitting up completely straight in shock.
Inien smiled. “So I can help you deal with your feelings. Duh! We’ve established that it’s someone we know, someone you see pretty often… ” she said, reclining back into her seat, “Are you gonna tell me, or do I have to guess?”

At that, Kyr leapt out the chair, his breath hitching in his throat, “Ahahhah that really isn’t necessary, I-Inien… I’ll figure this out on my own, it’s what I do best.”

“It’s Markus, isn’t it? Yeah, it’s gotta be him.” Inien was watching Kyr intently, observing his reaction.
“What? Markus? No, no, it’s not him…” Kyr felt his face grow even redder, as the pit in his stomach dropped further.
Ignoring Kyr’s protests, Inien continued unabashedly, “I mean, you guys go so well together, it’s really obvious when you think about it…” Kyr had never been very good at concealing how he felt, and often spoke his mind without considering the consequences.
Both of these things contributed to what he said next. “Inien, listen to me! It’s not Markus! It’s you!” Those words hung in the air for a moment.

Before the results could be observed, the Engineer turned on his heel and executed step one of his escape plan. Headless of his destination, Kyr ran, trying to outpace the horrible mistake he might have just made.

Chapter 2: Sparks begin to fly

Kyr ran, heedless of where he was going. All he knew is that he wanted to be somewhere other than back there. With her. With Inien.

Well, that’s not quite true. Kyr wanted to be back there with her. But he was afraid of what she would say.
I really screwed up this time… Kyr thought, as he felt the tears begin to well up in his eyes. Of course I did. What was I expecting? That it wouldn’t blow up in my face?

He would rather fight a skele- Look at a skeleton, than have to speak to Inien right now.
Suddenly he heard Ashe’s familiar voice cry out “…2. 1. Ready or not, here I come, Charoth!”

There was a white shape in Kyr’s path, and he quickly realized two things: Oh, they’re playing hide and seek! And, Crap I’m gonna crush the little guy if I keep running.

He came skidding to a stop and lost his balance, sending Charoth scrambling out of the bushes towards Ashe, who let out a yell. “Ha! Found y-Oh my Gods, Kyr are you all right?”
“Well, I’m not fine, but it’s not because of the fall…” Kyr replied, standing up and brushing himself off. “Ashe, I… I screwed up and now I’m pretty sure Inien hates me.” The words came tumbling from his mouth, as he slumped down against a nearby tree.
“Kyr, I’m sure it’s nothing. Inien ‘hates’ everyone.” Ashe said, moving to sit next to him on the ground.
Charoth started tugging on her tunic, so she lifted the spirit on to her lap, where he wrapped his arms around her neck and gave off a humming sound. “He does that when he’s happy.” She explained, seeing Kyr’s quizzical glance.
“Oh. It’s just that stuff tends to explode after humming. At least, it does for me. Why are you out here with him, anyways?”
“Kyl’il asked me to watch him for the afternoon. Something about a ‘hot date’ with Markus…”
“They’ve really got the hots for each other.” Kyr responded.
Ashe sighed at the pun, and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “I get enough of that from Markus, thank you very much. Anyways, you said something about Inien hating you, right? What did you do?”
Kyr took a moment before replying, suddenly sheepish, “Well, I kinda, sorta told her I have a crush on her.”

---

 “He… said what to you, Inien?” Markus’ eye brows shot up. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Wait, did he say he ‘liked’ you? Was the word ‘love’ involved? You’ve got to tell me everything!”
“Well, I mean it wasn’t in so few words… You know how Kyr is.” Inien said, looking away from Markus. “Besides, I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He didn’t know what ‘having a crush’ meant. Even after hanging around you for so long!”

“Oh Inien, I’ve had other things to occupy my time. I’ve got another iron in a fire, so to speak. I mean, it’s not quite in there yet, but I’m working on it.” Markus replied with a wink, checking his clothing in the bar’s ‘mirror’.
Inien shot him a glare. “I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just make that joke.”
“That’s fair.” Markus responded, pulling his fiery hair back. “What do you think? Pony tail, braid, or loose, and fluttering majestically in the breeze?”
“Do I look like I know about that kind of stuff?” She said, gesturing at her… less than formal attire. “Besides, it seems like you’ve already made up your mind.”
“You know me so well.” Markus replied giving his hair a flip, and starting a small fire on the counter. He scrambled to put it out, “Shitshitshitshit. Why does it keep doing that?”

Thog called out from his seat, head on a table with a half empty bottle in front of him. “Can you two keep it down? Some of us are trying to drink away our hangovers…”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Dan. Just drink your whiskey and toss someone in the river. That always makes you feel better.” Inien said, smirking.
“You’re really gonna make me regret doing that for the rest of my life, aren’t you…” Thog sighed.
“Without a doubt. Anyways, back to my problem. What do I do about Kyr, Markus?” Inien said, turning back to the Teifling.
“Inien, as rare as this is, I don’t have an answer for you. For one thing, you haven’t even told me how you feel.”
Inien sighed. “It’s, well, it’s complicated, but I guess I…”

---

“You really like her? We’re talking about the same Inien, right?” Ashe said, slightly shocked, “Y’know, short, sarcastic, and a complete smartass?”

“Yes! I mean, she’s also smart, funny and, and…” Kyr sighed, and hugged his knees to his chest. “Ashe, what if she hates me?” He could feel tears welling at the corners of his eyes. “Worse, what if she likes me back, but I screw up?”
He felt a small tug on his shirt sleeve. Kyr turned, and came face to face with a familiar white mask. At the same time small hand reached out and poked his nose.

He gave a slight start, but shook his head. “Ashe, why did the god of death just boop my nose?” Kyr’s eyes widened, “I’m not gonna die, am I? Because I had enough of impending death back in Onorant…”

“No, it’s just something he does when people are getting upset… Don’t know where he picked up.” Ashe replied.

Kyr seemed lost in thought, “It feels like that’s happened to me before, but I can’t remember… Must have been a long time ago.”

“So, what do you want to do about this whole Inien situation?” Ashe asked, “Because really, I think the best thing to do would be…”

---

“Markus, I wanted to talk to him, but he ran!” Inien said, “And now, he could be anywhere on the island…”

“Yes, but if you really want to resolve this, you need to do this quickly.” Markus replied, “Otherwise, you’ll feel too awkward to bring it up.”

“I agree, especially if it gets you the fuck away from me, so I can drink in peace.” Thog chimed in, raising his head from the table, “Seriously though, the longer you wait, the worse it’s gonna be.”

“I suppose you two have a point…” Inien sighed, “I should start looking for him now… and… Uh, thanks, for listening I guess.”

“Well, you know how much I love to meddle in people’s lives.” Markus said, shooting Inien a finger gun and a wink. “Good luck, and remember…”

---

“You’ll be fine, ok? Kyr, you built a sword that shouldn’t exist, and helped table-top a god! This is nothing!” Ashe said, helping Kyr to his feet, Charoth still clinging tightly to her.

“So why does it feel like this is everything?” Kyr asked, dusting himself off, “Ashe, what if I say the wrong thing?”

“As long as you’re telling her the truth, there won’t be a ‘wrong thing’.” She replied, “Just, uh, keep it simple…”

“Right. Simple, I can do that. Yeah.” He said, slightly apprehensive. He squared his shoulders. “I guess the only thing left to do is find her. Thanks, for talking with me, I mean. And, Charoth, thank you for that boop.”

Ashe lightly punched him on the shoulder, and Charoth repeated her gesture. “Pfft, don't worry about it. This was, by far, one of the easiest conversations I’ve had recently. Don’t worry about it.”

As Kyr set off into the woods once more, he heard Ashe yell, “You got this! Knock her dea- Fuck I mean, uh, good luck!”

Notes:

I'm sorry for another cliff hanger I promise it's for a good cause

*boop*

now you can't be mad

Chapter 3: Fireworks

“Hey! Inien! Inien! Where are you! We need to talk!” Kyr yelled, as he walked through the forest. He had been searching for at least 2 hours at this point, with no luck. He had checked the clearing where he had first ran into her, the river’s edge, even near the edges of town.

What are you doing, Kyr? He asked himself, Why is this so important to you?

He’d become so used to being alone. He wouldn’t have lasted so long here if he hadn’t. So what was it about Inien that made the thought of loneliness so scary?

Is it the way she is always coming up with new ideas? That look of concentration when she’s trying to solve a problem? Why does my heart jump start when she’s around? There are too many possibilities…

If Kyr wanted to be honest with himself, he didn’t fully understand these feelings.

And I hate not understanding things…

---

Meanwhile, a certain witch was handling her own search with a little bit less patience.

“Damn it! Where the hell is he!” Inien exclaimed, “I’ve looked everywhere!” 

It wasn’t fair. Not one bit. Inien bit her lip, and clenched her fists in frustration.

Who does he think he is, saying something like that and running away?

Even though she had resolved to put this matter to rest as soon as she could, the option of just hiding in her crate until this whole mess could blow over was looking more appealing by the hour.

Because it will blow over. I mean, Kyr probably didn’t mean it in that way, right? She sighed, remembering his words once again: “It’s not Markus! It’s you!”

She smiled, despite herself. Even if it was infuriating, confessing like that was such a, well, Kyr thing to do: Impulsive, genuine, and endearing.

Inien blinked as if the thought surprised her, “Endearing? I mean, I guess, but there were better ways to go telling someone you like… them…”

Even just saying those words sounded strange. The way they felt on the tip of her tongue.

Maybe because they’d rarely applied to her. People would start to get close to her, but one way or another, she always managed to drive them away; sometimes it was one sarcastic comment too many, other times, it would be words said in the heat in the moment that she couldn’t take back.

But the end result is the same. I’m left to pick up the pieces, alone.

She shook her head. Thinking like that would just drive her into her crate faster. The most important thing right now was finding Kyr, wherever he was.

Walking forward with renewed determination, Inien headed deeper into the forest.

---

The sun had begun to kiss the edges of the horizon, as Kyr came tumbling into a glade. He stood up, muttering to himself. “Seriously, who put a hill there? I guarantee that it isn’t recorded on any of my maps...”

He unfolded a singed piece of parchment that qualified as a map in the same way that Ballast Mcgee qualified as a writer: barely, and only through a technicality.

“Well, fuck, that’s it right there. Huh. Always knew that wasn’t just a burn mark.” Kyr said, attempting to refold the map. While he was struggling with it, and the several small fires that had started across it, he heard a faint voice.

“...the hell are you, Kyr! I’ve been looking for hours!” It was unmistakably Inien, and she didn’t seem happy.

Suddenly, all of Kyr’s doubts came rushing back. He froze, uncertain thoughts pounding at his temples, drowning the conviction Ashe had helped him find. You’re nothing but a screw-up. This’ll end like everything else you’ve ever done. She could never like you back. And even if she did, how long before you ruin it? I’d give it a month tops.

Kyr breathed in and out shallowly, panic clawing at his chest. You can’t do this.

But that thought, the word “can’t”, it flipped a switch inside his head. When had he ever cared about “can’t”?

He hadn’t when Dont had yelled at him: “Kyr, you can’t just make explosives out of a hair brush!” He was carrying one of those around right now.

Nor when Horaven told him: “You can’t beat me. You’re too weak." Last time he checked, Horaven had been the one who collapsed into unconsciousness first. Technically a win.

And when Ashe said: "You can't walk on that leg for at least a week"?
Well, OK, she had been right, at least until he completed his rocket crutches.

A memory floated to the surface of his mind. His father, wrapping him in an embrace after his first catapult had been broken by some other kids, and one thing he said: “Kier, the next time someone says you can’t do something, tell them: ‘I guarantee I can do it at least thirteen and a half times better than anyone else’”.

He wasn’t about to start worrying about ‘can’t’ now. Clenching his fists, Kyr rushed towards Inien’s voice.

---

In the meantime, Inien had her own thoughts to grapple with. Mainly ones of irritation, and exhaustion, but she couldn’t shut out the apprehension entirely.

This is just his mistake. There’s no way he could like me, not in that way. But if he did…

Her stomach did a little flip at the thought and she sighed. “How did it come to this? Wandering for hours in the woods, to find one engineer and tell him… tell him…”

Before she could finish that thought, Kyr came crashing out of the bushes, only slightly on fire.

Inein wasn’t prepared for his sudden appearance. She stepped back, eldritch(ish) energy pooling in one hand. Recognizing him, she allowed it to dissipate, but before she could speak, Kyr beat her to the punch.

“Inien, I…” He said, looking down at the ground, “I wanted to say that I’m sorry for springing that on you. I should have just kept my mouth shut.”

“Kyr, it’s… it’s fine.” Inien replied, slightly taken aback. “Honestly. I’m glad I found you. I’ve been looking for hours, because I wanted to talk to you.”

He sighed, and brought his gaze up to meet hers, “I, uh, figured you would… I mean, I didn’t really give you a chance to respond, so…”

“Yeah, you didn’t.” Inien said, frowning, “And, while I’ve come to expect that kind of ‘drop-a-bombshell-and-run’ behaviour from Ashe, it’s still a dick move!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry… You have every right to be mad at me for telling you like that.” Kyr replied, apologetic.  

“Kyr, it’s not the fact that you told me, it’s how you ran afterwards. I had to talk to Markus to figure things out! Markus!” Inien responded.

“Wait, why was talking to Markus such a bad thing?” Kyr was confused, “Isn’t he our friend?”

“Yeah, but he’s a horrible gossip! By now, everyone on the Shrouded Isles knows I like you, before I even got the chance to tell… you… myself…” Inien trailed off, as what she just said registered. She blinked a couple times, and she felt her cheeks begin to flush. “But I mean, that’s not the point here! We need to figure this out. Figure us out. If there is even going to be an ‘us’.”

“An ‘us’? What do you mean? More than one person is always ‘us’.” Kyr said quizzically.

Inien couldn’t help but smile and snort at that comment, “No, Kyr, by ‘us’ I mean, well, romantically.”

“Oh.” Kyr’s eyes widened slightly, “You mean, like how Ashe and Thog are?”

“Yes. No. Maybe?” Inien said, “I- I don’t know. But I know I want to try and figure it out. With you.”

“Inien, I-I’m sorry.” Kyr said, turning around, “If I can’t even properly tell you how I feel, I’d just…”

“There is no ‘properly’, Kyr. And that’s fine.” She replied, “But we need to talk about this. Please.”

“I just need some time…” He said.

Inien took a few steps closer to Kyr. He tensed, ready to move. Not this time! She thought, you’re not running again!

She threw her arms around him, and pulled herself close, holding on tightly. “You can think about it for as long as you need. But I’m not letting you run away again.” She buried her face in his cape.

“Inien, I have no idea how to do this ‘relationship’ thing! I’ll probably make at least thirty mistakes in a week…”

“Like I won’t? Kyr, I’m not going to be perfect either!” She sniffed, refusing to acknowledge the tears in her eyes. “We can work at it together!”

“But I-”

“But what? Kyr, were you lying when you said that you liked me?”

“No! I wasn’t!”

“Then shut up, and we can talk about it!” She said, taking a deep breath in.

“Well, I can’t exactly do that…”

“I don’t mean at the same time. I guess, what I’m trying to say is that we both… think too much.”

“So we should just… not for a little while?” Kyr asked, “And then talk?”

“Exactly.” Inien said, “I’m gonna let go now. Don’t run off, ok?”

Kyr squirmed a little bit, “I mean, I wasn’t planning on it. Not really. Maybe just a bit.”

Inien released her grip, and he turned around to face her. She spoke up, grabbing his wrist. “Let’s just go and sit under that tree.”

“Yeah. That looks like a good tree. Very solid oak. You could make some great planks from that tree.” Kyr said, his tendency to ramble returning with a vengeance.

“Shhh. No more thinking.” Inien said, taking a seat with her back against the tree, pulling him down next to her. “Not for a little while.”

“Ok. I can do that.” Kyr said, getting comfortable. Suddenly, Inien squirmed closer to him.

“What? It’s cold out…” She said defensively, as she moved under his arm

“I didn’t say I minded.” He replied, smiling. Inien blushed slightly in response.

They sat like that as the sun continued to set. Despite their agreement not to think, thoughts of the future swirled in their minds. But since they were thoughts of the future together, each of them figured the other wouldn’t mind. And at some point, sleep crept up on the engineer and the witch, and there they stayed until morning.

Notes:

Well, I guess that's that.
I hope the endings ok...

Thanks for reading! Hopefully everyone enjoyed it!

Huge thank you to Sab who drew some fantastic art (http://pyxu.tumblr.com/post/152537085043/quick-doodle-of-sleepy-babies-for-i-am-the-altman) that helped me get a handle on the ending. Go check it out, it's really great!

Notes:

Yes I'm Kyr/Inien trash.
I can't believe I started shipping these two as a joke. Now this ship has taken over my life.
This little fic should be about 3 chapters.
Edit: Did you enjoy the fic? Want to hear it read by the Third Wheel? Thanks to the magic of Patreon rewards, now you can!
Chapter 1, read by Fae : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BytN_E4VFG_NNkw2VklIX1NMcGRPSDY3WjJrZEt0OFNVbnhJ
Chapter 2, read by Matt : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BytN_E4VFG_NWENaRFlqMkV2TWFLVGxjRXZVM0JSRHFGZWZB
Chapter 3, read by Fae: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BytN_E4VFG_NUTlGWDV6X2lmOWYwbmVBQnZmZTlpLXV2ZnU0/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-cDf04xwfuKFdRbHS5PYyxA