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vivi-the-sky-kid · 2 years

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Sowing the Seeds (of Love), Chapter 4

Aka the Resh/OC Fix-It Fic Nobody Asked for but I’m Inflicting on All of You Anyways as Punishment for Kai’s Your Hubris

The King has always been a mysterious figure in the annals of the Sky Kingdom’s history, generating both awe and fear within the hearts of the sky spirits. Few can claim to have met them in person; certainly not Tav, a researcher of light creatures for the Vault of Knowledge. But when they discover their research may be used to harm the very creatures they know and love, Tav knows they cannot allow this to happen.

Somehow, they must change the King’s mind. If that means throwing butterflies at their royal face, then so be it.

-<◇>-

Warnings: Will be added to each chapter when necessary, but there’s not gonna be anything graphic in this (do send me an ask if you think there’s something I should warn about tho)

Rating: T (just to be on the safe side)

Pairing(s): Resh/OC

Tag(s): Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies

Additional Tag(s): Resh and Alef are twins, Resh and Tav are both nonbinary, Resh uses he/they, Tav uses she/they, Resh is demiromantic and pansexual, Tav is biromantic and demisexual, no beta we die like moths in eden

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

-<◇>-

Chapter 4

Word Count: 3528

Warning(s): None

-<◇>-

“Tav, sweetie, what are you doing?”

A young spirit twisted to look at their caretaker, then back to the window they had been staring out of. Flakes of snow drifted from the sky, bits of white that glittered like stars in the light of the setting sun, but they were not the white Tav had been hoping to see.

She sighed. “I’m looking for Shin.”

Clothes rustled and footsteps softly thudded behind them, and between one flake and the next, their caretaker had come to stand beside them. Though their mask of dark gray stone hid most of their expression, the dimmed glow of their eyes was proof enough of their concern.

“And why are you looking for them, Tav?” they said. Their chirpy voice should have been a comfort. All it did was remind them of what they were missing.

More snow fell before Tav answered, her head resting on folded arms. “I miss them.”

“Oh, sweetie…”

Their caretaker knelt and pulled them into a hug. She nestled her face into their neck. The contained warmth of a star radiated into them from their body, so different from the almost searing heat of a light creature, and yet so similar.

Birdsong from outside caught their attention, and Tav whipped back to the window, their scruffy ponytail nearly smacking their caretaker’s mask clean off their face. There, in the sky! Was that…?

It was!

Tav’s eyes and mouth were wide with joy as a large bird glided down to the windowsill, the upper half of their head covered by a plate of gray and golden stone. They opened their beak, and out came, “Tav? You up?”

She blinked. That… wasn’t what Shin sounded like. And yet it was familiar. Like the voice of a dear friend…

“Taaav~! Time to wake up!”

And Tav did.

The sky visible from the window over her bed glowed with the hues of dawn. Outside, distant birds chirped. The perfume of Prairie’s multitude of flowers drifted in on the arms of a light breeze. There was no sign of Shin anywhere.

They sighed, then rolled onto their side. Only a dream. It was… only a dream.

Shin had never come back, after all. No matter how badly she had wanted it.

“Tav? Are you up yet?” Kumibir called from elsewhere in the house, interrupting that particular train of thought.

Tav sat up, ruffled their loose hair with half a scowl, and called back, “I’m up, I’m up…”

“Good! Breakfast is almost done, so hurry up and get ready! You have a busy day ahead of you~”

They sighed again. What they wouldn’t give to return to their dream… Still, Kumibir was right. There was much to do, and the more she sat around, the less time she would have to do it.

Tav dressed quickly, and while their hairstyle was rather more complicated than others, years of practice had it shifting into place with one final click of the hair clip and a quick press of the feather locks. Now all she needed was her mask…

Their gaze landed on a small table across the room. Resting amongst the clutter on its surface were three masks: Resh's diamond-crested one, the plain one she normally wore, and a dark mask with two small, golden triangles beneath the eyes. Resh’s mask, of course, would stay there. They’d get it back soon. Eventually. Maybe. As for the other two…

After a moment’s thought, Tav passed over her ordinary mask and grabbed the dark one instead. Maybe it was the lingering dream talking, but today, they would wear this one. A reminder of where they came from, and why they were doing this.

This was the mask of her adoptive family, after all.

-<◇>-

True to their word, Resh was already waiting at the pier by the time Tav left the house, the zigzags of their cape glittering in the sun's first golden rays like the manta bells. Beside her, Kumibir hummed a cheerful tune. It grated against the knot in Tav's stomach, but there was no way they could tell em that.

Ey pulled her in close for a brief hug and a pat on the shoulder.

“Now, don't forget to tell that partner of yours that I want them over for dinner tonight, okay?”

Tav sighed, their shoulders and their expression sinking. “That really isn't necessary, Kumibir—”

“Of course it is! Never let it be said that Prairie’s hospitality is lacking! It may not compare to the fine dining of Eden, but I'm sure he'll appreciate it.” With that, ey raised a hand in a wave to Resh, who politely nodded back. Winking and grinning at Tav, Kumibir set off for the solar altar.

She stared after em with a long-suffering look. As endearing as eir aggressive kindness could be, it was the last thing they needed right now. Ey had the perceptiveness of a seasoned field researcher and the tenacity of one of the Valley's rising stars. If ey got too close, ey'd figure out that this partnership was a lie.

Ey'd learn the real reason behind Resh's visit.

Their hands clenched, nails painfully digging into the meat of their palms, and they scowled at the ground. Visions of Kumibir's betrayed expression, of the resulting coldness, floated before her eyes. They took a deep, calming breath, then another. In, hold, out. In, hold, out. The tension eased from her shoulders; her pounding heart slowed down; the dark cloud over her mind fizzled away.

Everything was going to be fine. It had to be.

Composure regained, they turned and walked up to Resh, raising a hand in greeting. “There you are. Sleep well, darling?”

Their eyes widened the smallest of slivers before they nodded.

“As well as can be expected, my dear.” He leveled a cool gray gaze on her, opened his mouth as if about to ask something, then closed it. Whatever they had been about to say, they must have thought better of it. Instead, Resh raised an eyebrow and nodded at Kumibir's receding back. “Dare I ask what the two of you were discussing?”

“Just... dinner plans for tonight,” Tav said hastily, before hurrying away to the waiting boat.

Resh fell into step beside them—an easy enough task, given his remarkable height—and remarked, “I see you’re wearing a different mask today. What’s the occasion?”

“It’s my family’s. I just felt like wearing it today,” she replied.

They hummed thoughtfully at that. Tav could feel his gaze lingering on them, but to their surprise, he said nothing more on the subject. Instead, they said, “So, where are we going this time?”

“Bird Nest.”

-<◇>-

Much like the Butterfly Fields, it was easy to see why Bird Nest was named that. Flying above and below and around and pretty much everywhere in this particular section of Daylight Prairie were river-like flocks of birds, with a few small manta squadrons lazily soaring with them. It would have been quite the jaw-dropping sight… if Resh’s hadn’t been clenched tooth-achingly tight. Naturally, Tav noticed (those accursed researcher eyes) and tilted their head to the side.

"What's wrong? You don't look so good."

They didn't feel good, either. Something about the ever-present, warm updraft made his skin burn softly. The motes swept up with the air currents weren't helping—every tiny flake that brushed against their bare face stung like rain in high winds.

"What… is this place?" he ground out, trying to repress the urge to shudder.

"This is the Bird Nest. Lots of light creatures pass through here, but it's mainly home to birds,” Tav declared, though the confidence in their voice was undermined by the brief looks they kept shooting him as they spoke.

Resh snorted, just a little, and straightened their shoulders. "Really. I had no idea."

"I know, who'd've thought?" They were smiling when they met his eyes, but quickly looked away and folded their arms before them. "A-Anyways, come on. Time for your next lesson on light creatures."

"Let me guess: birds."

It was, indeed, birds.

-<◇>-

Tav spoke as they walked along the central island. Gesturing all the while, they explained that, while butterflies often found themselves in groups simply because of their dietary habits, birds chose to gather together. A flock offered benefits that flying solo, so to speak, did not, such as being able to support one another with their collective heat and light. That was how long migratory streams like those here functioned. By sharing their light with one another, the flock could fly for days—weeks, even—without needing to rest. And this support wasn’t extended solely to other birds.

"They'll care for anyone they see as one of them,” she said. “Doesn't matter how different a person is—once they become part of the flock, they're there to stay."

There was something wistful to Tav's gaze as they spoke, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the cause.

Well, whatever. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was getting this accursed lesson over with. The sooner they were out of this place, the sooner he would stop feeling so weird.

Resh folded their arms in front of their chest. "And how, exactly, do you get them to see you as 'one of the flock'?"

"Let me show you.” Tav waved, and he followed their gaze to see another star wave back from a distant island. One short ride on a manta-drawn boat later, they were walking up to the two of them. Their eyes kept shifting back and forth between Resh and Tav, but they seemed friendly enough.

“Welcome back, Tav. I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon,” the spirit said.

“Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting to return quite so soon, either. But something came up, so here I am,” Tav replied. They looked up at him. Her shoulders sank ever so slightly, but her voice was pleasant as she gestured to them and said, “This is the something, by the way. Ivox, meet Resh, my… partner. He was interested in learning about my work, so I brought him here. Resh, this is Ivox, the local bird whisperer.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Ivox said with a wave, the spike of hair atop their head bobbing with the motion.

Resh’s eyes narrowed in thought. Unlike most of Prairie’s denizens, their voice was remarkably similar to Tav’s. How curious.

He bowed slightly. “The pleasure is all mine.”

“I suppose you need me to whisper to a few birds, then?” they said, winking at Tav.

Tav nodded.

“One lesson, coming right up, then!”

They stepped away and held out an arm, chirping out a tune Resh didn't recognize. A few birds did, however, and they landed on their arm without hesitation. A couple were a solid, gleaming white, like the snows of the Valley. The others had golden markings on their heads and tails (signs of domestication, Tav had explained earlier). Ivox and the birds exchanged more chirps—at one point, they all turned to face Resh, who looked back warily—before the birds flew down to the ground at their feet. Their talk (apparently) completed, they walked back to the pair.

“It seems the first step is to be less intimidating. You’re a rather scary-looking person, Resh. The birds don’t even want to go near you right now.”

Resh folded their arms against their chest. “I see. And how, exactly, am I supposed to go about looking less… scary?”

Ivox and Tav shared a look. Then the two studied him with a startling intensity. Tav’s gaze drifted up towards his head, and he could nearly see the figurative lightbulb appear over their head. Sure enough, she walked up to them and patted their pizaine.

"Take this off. You don't need it. No one's gonna attack you here."

"Somehow, I don't quite believe you…" His eyes landed on Ivox, and he hastily added, "...my dear."

"Please, darling? For me?" they said, batting their eyes.

They glanced from Ivox and their birds to Tav, weighing their options, before heaving a sigh. Hewn from the same stone as the boats and floating platforms of the Kingdom, the pizaines of the Sky Kingdom's soldiers were tough but light, and Resh lifted it from his shoulders with ease. They set it down on the grass nearby with a muffled thump, then threw their arms out to the sides.

“Is this better?”

-<◇>-

As they had hoped, removing the pizaine softened Resh's silhouette—though it did little to make him seem less big and dangerous. Even without the armor, their great height and the broadness of their shoulders left them looming over Tav, Ivox, and the birds. One chirped nervously and hopped behind Ivox.

Tav said the first thing that popped into their head.

“Why are you so tall?”

His mouth fell open. They gaped at her like a fish, then waved at her own body. “Why are you so small?”

Tav looked down at themself, then planted their hands on their hips and glared back up at him. “I didn’t exactly have much of a say in the matter!”

“Well, neither did I. There’s your answer.”

“What kind of an answer is that?!”

“An accurate one.”

Tav opened her mouth to say… well, she wasn’t quite sure what she was going to say, but it was definitely going to put Resh’s smart-aleck self in their place.

Instead, Ivox’s giggles interrupted and made both of them turn to face them.

“I can see why Tav likes you, Resh,” they said, eyes crinkled in mirth.

The two glanced back at each other, only just now noticing how close their faces had gotten, and separated in a rush. Matching pink blushes glowed over their faces.

“Wh… What’s that supposed to mean?!” Tav retorted.

“Oh, they just really seem to spark your passion, that’s all.”

They and the birds now perched upon their shoulders twittered with more laughter. Several more hopped around at Resh’s feet, though they fluttered away when he shifted his stance. Without the pizaine, it was easy to see how tense their shoulders became at this. Coupled with the scowl on his face, and Tav knew he was mere moments from releasing a long-suffering sigh.

-<◇>-

Resh was mere moments from releasing a long-suffering sigh. The butterflies of yesterday were a walk in the palace gardens compared to these birds. At least those light creatures had the decency to approach him right after he removed part of his gear, and not force him to do more.

If birds were this bad, they shuddered to imagine what else lay in store for them.

“Looks like they’re still a little scared of you, huh?” Ivox said, the chirp of their voice cutting through Resh’s train of thought.

“Indeed,” he said with a nod.

Though perhaps “a little” was something of an understatement.

They hummed thoughtfully. "Why not try feeding them? It's lunch time anyways, and if you were to hand out food, I'm sure they'd start to trust you more."

Resh stared at them incredulously.

"Feed... the birds?"

The very suggestion was baffling. And yet… it also seemed familiar. Like a conversation he had once held long ago.

-<◇>-

The Palace garden was considered one of the private sanctuaries of the King, and only the Elders, certain government officials, and a few specially chosen servants were permitted within. Such measures should have ensured that a plate of sandwiches would be safe from any potential thieves.

“Hey! Get away from there!”

Such measures failed to take into account that birds can fly and do not care what star spirits allow.

Resh grumbled under their breath and glared at the rapidly shrinking forms of birds fleeing over the garden walls. Resting on the table before him, a once-pristine sandwich had been picked and pecked at. The damage amounted to little more than crumbs, but from the look on their face, Resh certainly thought otherwise.

"Little thieves. I should have them banished from the palace grounds,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Someone chuckled nearby. Resh looked up to see their sibling, Alef, strolling up with a wry smile. "Come now, Resh. They're only birds, and it's just a sandwich. You don't even need it."

They turned their nose up, still scowling. "It's about the principle of the matter. They’re my sandwiches, and they can't have them."

Alef’s face fell. He looked to the sun above, the glow of his eyes a mere fragment of that great star’s own radiance. Then they looked back at their twin, wringing their hands.

"...What would Mother think if She heard you talk like that?"

Resh scoffed. "Mother isn't here. I don't care what She'd think. And neither should you, Alef. We don't belong in Her shadow, living as Her tools."

"Resh..."

"There you are,” interrupted a kindly voice before the tension could become too much to bear. The pair turned to see a familiar spirit approaching from the palace. “Spare some time for an old star?"

"Daleth!" Alef said, grinning and running towards the Elder of the Isle of Dawn.

Resh, meanwhile, followed behind more sedately, their shoulders pushed back and hands clasped before them. For all that he had been scowling earlier, the smile he gave the Elder was genuine. "Welcome. What brings you to Eden, Daleth?"

"Oh, I just came for a visit. We haven’t seen each other in quite a while, after all. I suppose you’ve been busy since you've taken the throne, what with your kingly duties and all, so I thought I’d come to you," Daleth said, rubbing the back of their neck.

To their credit, Resh looked sheepish as they said, "There's a lot to do. I just haven't had the time to go all the way out to the Isle."

"Of course, of course."

Chirps from above were the only warning they had before a few birds fluttered down to land on Daleth’s shoulders and the tip of their staff. The Elder’s eyes crinkled in a smile. "Ah, hello there, little ones."

"Watch yourself, Daleth. They like to steal sandwiches,” Resh said, their smile fading into a fresh scowl.

"Is that so? Perhaps you could set out some birdseed for them, instead."

"Hey, great idea, Daleth! That way, they won't touch Resh's precious sandwich,” Alef piped up, raising a cheeky eyebrow in his sibling’s direction. Resh stuck their tongue out in reply, but quickly returned to their previous kingly stance when Daleth smiled and crouched down.

"Indeed. Don't tell Lamed I said this, but food is one of the things I enjoy most of residing down here." With a warm, knowing look to the young King and his sibling, they waved a hand at the plate of sandwiches. "Few things bring us together like a meal."

-<◇>-

"Do... light creatures such as these birds need to feed on things other than flame?" Resh said, their voice soft as down.

Tav furrowed her brow and put a hand to her chin. "Well... no. Technically, they can survive perfectly fine on just heat and bits of light from the air. That’s what they use when they migrate, after all."

"But surviving isn't the same as living,” Ivox continued. “They may not need the birdseed we set out for them, but it does make them happy. And happiness is nourishment for the soul."

“Yeah. What they said.”

Resh pressed a hand to his chest, where he felt the faint pulse of his inner flame. "Nourishment... for the soul..."

They studied the sack in the bird whisperer's hands, then took it and poured it out upon the stone. Resh knelt beside the piles that formed from his unpracticed attempt and evened out the birdseed with large sweeps of his hands. When they stood, a single bird descended to feed. Then another, and another, until chirps filled the air and a tiny sea of white spotted with gold spread out from his feet.

When the feast was over, most of the birds left, either to rejoin their flocks or simply to perch elsewhere. A few, however, lingered behind, and one of them fluttered up to their shoulder. Resh ran a finger over the white diamond on its golden head. He didn’t notice the slight smile on his face.

Nor did they notice that the updraft no longer stung their gray-brown skin.

-<◇>-

Daleth startled awake, having fallen asleep while tending to their birds. One chirped softly from its perch on their shoulder. They glanced around and then got to their feet. Despite their aged state of being—they were the oldest of the stars that fell, after all—they felt as spry as the Valley Elders. They didn't even need their staff to walk about their temple.

The pilgrims within the first chamber were full of the usual awe at the sight of the realm's Elder, and though Daleth greeted them kindly, their mind was elsewhere. This new bout of energy... where had it come from? They hadn't felt like this since... since Resh had taken the throne.

If they had gone outside and looked up, they would have seen that their constellation now shone brighter than before. As it was, however, they had other duties to attend to.

Like feeding their birds, for example.

-<◇>-

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

#sky children of the light #sky #sky king #resh #resh my beloved /j #hi yes hello i return #anyways uhhh fun fic fact for this chapter:#the birds having the solid white ''wild'' form and the golden-marked ''domestic'' form #is connected to my theories as to why those two big mantas in sanctuary look so different compared to other big mantas #as well as the differences between the bird hair accessory and the birds we see elsewhere

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