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lazyfattygeek · 1 month ago

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Title: I Can't Help But Fall For You

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Fandom: Fire Emblem Engage

Relationship: Ivy/Diamant

Characters: Ivy, Diamant, Alear, Clanne

Additional Tags: During Canon, Canon Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending

Words: 4,485

Ao3 Link

Thoughts ran through Ivy’s head as she looked longingly at the gem Diamant gave to her. It wasn’t hard not to think of him whenever she looked at the stone, especially knowing many aspects of it reminded her of him. The gem, crimson red, glistened in the sun, soft but strong. It was so much like him.

She let out a low murmur as her face began to heat up. She couldn’t believe that she was thinking about him. She remembered all the times she thought of him. Ivy thought about him after she let him and his friends escape Elusia, shortly before joining his team, after getting the gem, the many, many times afterwards, two weeks ago, yesterday. Her face began to become the same shade of red as her gem. It was strange how many times she thought of him.

Diamant was so kind, so gentle with her. It wasn’t just her he was gentle with, it was with everyone around him. Whenever she saw him, he was always trying to help out and it never mattered who it was. With every word that he spoke, she knew he was sincere.

Ivy held the gem close to her chest and rubbed it with her thumb, and began to calm herself down. After she calmed herself down, more thoughts ran through her mind. Ever since meeting Diamant, Ivy always made a point to keep her distance from him, no matter how many times she thought of him or wanted to be around him. She figured, with them being heirs to the throne of their respective kingdoms, it wouldn’t work out. They would be nowhere near each other and would never have the time to be with each other. They would be too busy with kingdom affairs that it would ever work out.

As she looked to the stars and moon, unease set into her heart. She didn’t know if it was her feelings or that something was off in the air.

The next morning was no better; it still felt off. Ivy held her gem up to the sun, letting it glisten. It was much prettier in the sunlight than it was in the moonlight.

Getting out of bed became a struggle for her. It’s not like she didn’t want to see her fellow soldiers; there was one person she didn’t particularly want to see. She took a breath in, and exhaled. She had no choice but to leave. She had too many things to do today for this to get in the way.

Most of the day, it was easy to avoid him. It wasn’t until nightfall that she had difficulty keeping her distance.Everywhere she went, the two bumped into each other. Ivy tried her best to mince words with Diamant when they did. For someone so astute and always to himself, he always did talk a lot. Anything he said, whether it was about history, his training, or about the gems that Brodia has, it was soothing to hear his voice. Maybe it was one of the reasons why she loved him so much. But if she could be as cold and as emotionless towards him, he would give up and stop caring for her.

She shook her head as she continued to walk. No matter how she acted, he would never stop caring for her, even when they became rulers of their countries. It wasn’t in his nature. Maybe if she could act cold until he found someone he loved and married.

Before taking another step, she ran into a brick wall, or what felt like a brick wall.

“Princess Ivy, are you okay?” Diamant asked, holding her tightly.

“Pr-Prince Diamant,” she stuttered, feeling her heart pound. She placed her hand on his chest, pushing her body slightly out of his grasp, and tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “Ye-Yes, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, looking at her with his sunshine smile.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, turning her body around. She placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling her face heat up.

“If you are feeling unwell, I can take you to the infirmary,” he said softly.

“Oh, goodness,” she thought. “His voice is so attractive!”

“Princess Ivy?” He questioned, turning her back towards him.

“Oh! Sorry, my prince!” she responded.

“My prince?” he asked, surprised.

Ivy’s face turned a deep red. Without another word, she stormed off.

“Ivy, you idiot,” she chastised herself. “You cannot fall in love with this man. It would never work out.”

She avoided him at all costs after the incident. It worked well, for a while, but ultimately it failed. With the many war councils the two had to go to, it was inevitable that they had to be near each other.

“Princess Ivy,” Diamant greeted.

“Prince Diamant,” Ivy said coldly.

“If you are free after the council, would you like to go grab something to eat with me?” He smiled. “I wanted to talk to you about the other day.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Prince Diamant, I will have to decline,” she said, her voice becoming sharper.

“Unfortunate, but I understand nonetheless,” he nodded, briefly placing his hand on her shoulder.

Ivy wrapped her around her body, trying her best to contain her nerves. For the amount he trained, his hands were soft and gentle.

She peered over her shoulder, watching him take his seat. She couldn’t pay much attention in the meeting. All she was focused on was Diamant, wondering why her mind was on him. All her thoughts were consumed by him, even well after the meeting. They were consumed by him even days after the war meeting.

Whatever she did, Diamant consumed her mind. She would think about cooking, and she would be thinking of doing it with him. Ivy would think about walking in the rose garden, and she would imagine walking with him, her hand held tightly on his arm. She would think about her future, but he was there by her side. He was always consuming her thoughts.

Within these days, she would still avoid the prince — though it was getting harder and harder to do so. The only time she was okay not avoiding him was in battle. There was no avoiding it then, it would be her death if she avoided him. She took one deep breath in and exhaled before pushing her bedroom door open. She walked around, on the lookout for not only Diamant, but for Alear as well. Ivy was very glad when she found them, and that she didn’t run into anyone else.

“Oh, Divine One,” Ivy said softly.

“Yes?” Alear asked.

“Do you keep an itinerary?” she asked, avoiding eye contact with them.

“What do you mean?” they asked, tilting their head.

“Do you, by chance, keep records of what people do within the day, or weeks, or months?” she stuttered.

“I don’t,” they apologized. “Why do you need this?”

“Uh, no reason!” she reassured them. “I just want to make sure that I can help raise morale for our troops!”

“Okay,” they sighed, sensing the lie in her words. “I don’t have one, but one of my stewards might be able to help.”

“Thank you!” she cheerfully said, and quickly walked off.

She walked around the Somniel, looking for one steward in particular. Ivy peered over the wall, seeing that Clanne was pickling something. She tried to hold her composure, but it went out the window when she accidentally dropped her glove to look at her gem before scattering to get it.

“Oh, hello Princess Ivy,” Clanne greeted with a smile. “Is this what you are looking for?”

“Yes,” she said, taking her glove from him. “Sorry, I did not intend to intrude on you.”

“It’s alright!” He reassured her. “I’m not doing something too important.”

“Are you sure? I know you really like pickling stuff so I don’t want to interrupt something you enjoy doing,” she said, putting her glove back on.

“I promise you it’s no big deal. It’ll be a while before they are ready,” he insisted. “Was there something you needed from me?”

“Yes. The Divine One said you might have it-itinerary of wh-what people d-do,” she said, tripping over her words.

“I do!” Clanne said excitedly. “I try to keep track of everyone the best I can so I can help the Divine Dragon!”

“How wonderful!” Ivy perked up. “Do you mind if I look at it?”

“What for?” he asked, tilting his head.

Ivy’s face became a deep red. She placed her hands on her face, trying to think of the right words to say to Clanne.

“Are you alright, Princess Ivy?” he asked, his voice becoming a little higher.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she reassured him, slowly removing her hands from her face.

“Oh, good,” he sighed.

“I just don’t know how to word this,” she said, her voice shaking.

“It’s okay, I am not here to judge you,” he reassured her.

Taking another deep breath, she began to think clearly. “I want to see it so I can avoid one certain person.”

“Oh, why’s that?” he asked.

“I would rat-rather not s-say,” she stuttered.

“Oh, okay,” he said, softly. He grabbed his book and handed it to her. “I hope this helps.”

“It will be more than helpful,” she reassured him.

Ivy took the time to look over every single page of Diamant’s schedule. She was not surprised at how much Diamant trained and how much time he spent at the training grounds. She felt a twinge of release in her chest knowing that he was heavily scheduled and that his retainers kept him busy. A smile crept across her face when she discovered that, with a few small changes to her schedule, she could avoid him.

“Do you mind if I switch up my schedule?” Ivy asked, handing Clanne his book back.

“Of course! Though, I can’t change a few things like war meetings, important meetings with Alear and the royals, and when we have to leave the Somniel,” he reminded her, taking his book.

“That is fine, but if we can change when I can train, when I eat, small stuff like that,” she said with an even bigger smile. “Just as long as I can avoid training and eating with…”

“Hm?” He asked, looking back at her. “Is something the matter?”

“No, no, I was just getting a little embarrassed,” she reassured him. “Is it possible if I can avoid doing anything with Prince Diamant?”

“Oh, is that it?” he asked, scratching out some of his schedule.

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Okay, I will go over this again and get back to you!” Clanne smiled.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Ivy skipped off, making her way back to her room. She felt her heart ease to a lightness she had never felt before. This would certainly help her not get close to Diamant. Now all she had to do was wait in her room until her dinner.

She spent most of her time in her room just reading and not thinking about anything but her book. It was an enjoyable change of pace that continued to last through her dinner and for the most of the night.

When she was done eating, she took her nightly stroll in Somniel’s garden. It was calming for her and it always helped to clear her head. Looking up at the moon, she gave it a smile. She knew things were going to get better for her and she was going to be able to move on. It was for the best. She knew that falling in love with Diamant wasn’t going to work out.

Before she could get back to her room, she heard a continuous rustling in the wind and bushes. She looked around, unable to see anyone. She didn’t know what was worse: no one being around her with things making sounds, or the potential of a ghost being around.

“Who’s there?” Ivy yelled out, clutching her gem close to her chest. She looked around her, but there was no one to be seen. “Is someone there?!”

“Princess Ivy!” A low voice yelled out. “Watch out!”

In the split second Ivy turned around, she held up her arms and closed her eyes. She began to slowly open one of her eyes, seeing that Prince Diamant was near her. She closed her eye again.

“Princess Ivy,” Diamant said softly.

Ivy opened her eyes, blinking until she was able to process everything, seeing a lifeless boar on the ground

“Ivy,” he repeated in his low voice.

“Y-Yes?” she asked, her voice shaking.

Thoughts ran through her head. Why was he here? He wasn’t supposed to be here. Why was he here?

“Diamant,” she said softly enough for him not to hear.

“We should get you to the infirmary,” he said, holding onto her arm.

“I’m, I’m fine,” she reassured him.

“I would beg to differ,” he said, sharply breathing in air.

“Why would that be?” she asked, avoiding eye contact.

“You are bleeding, Princess Ivy,” he informed her. He tore a long piece of fabric from his cape, using it as a bandage for her bleeding arm. “Please allow me to escort you to the infirmary.”

Ivy suppressed her gasp as she looked to her arm. Questions ran through her mind as she and Diamant traveled through the garden to get to the infirmary. Her mind went blank as he sat down across from her.

“This looks really bad,” Diamant said, furrowed brow as he slowly unwrapped his cape from her arm.

Ivy pouted as he tended to her wounds.

“I am sorry, but this is the best I can do with your wound.” He let out a sigh.

“Go to the cabinet over there and grab the gauze and antiseptic,” she calmly said. She quickly took the items out of his hands as fast as he sat down in his seat. “Aaaaand there.”

Ivy heard his gasp as she looked up to see his eyes widen.

“You look surprised.” Her voice was sharp, and her eyes just so.

“I’m just shocked you got that done quickly,” he responded, his voice becoming somber.

“Yes, I’m used to tending to wounds,” she replied, moving her hand to his face and tracing her thumb over a small cut. “Whether it be my soldiers, my sister’s, or my own.”

He took one deep breath in and exhaled. “War is a cruel thing,” he said, placing his hand on hers.

“It is,” she agreed, using her healing magic on his wound. “I sometimes wonder if love can move through the cracks of hatred.”

He nodded, taking her hand so he could place it near his lips.

Ivy felt the pounding in her chest as she felt his warm skin. “It would never work,” she whispered.

Diamant gazed at her in bewilderment.

She quickly slipped her hand out of his, scurrying away

“Ivy, wait!” Diamant called out.

She placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling the heat continue to rise. She placed her hand on her stomach, breathing in and out. Ivy couldn’t believe what Diamant was about to do. It could never work. They would be too preoccupied with managing their own countries.

It would never work.

The passing months were bliss for Ivy. With her schedule changed, she didn’t need to worry about Diamant more than was absolutely necessary. In the few moments where she almost came in contact with him, she could easily hide or avoid him. It was nice not having to see his handsome face, his irresistible voice, beautiful hair, kind smile…

Ivy patted her face to get her mind off of him; that was the point in changing her schedule. She shook her head as she continued to take her stroll through the Somniel.

Her nice stroll was cut short by the sight of Diamant.

She turned around, hoping that she wouldn’t be spotted by him. She rushed around, hiding under the staircase that was leading up to Alear’s room. Not that it helped much.

“There you are, Princess Ivy,” Diamant greeted with a smile.

“Ah!” Ivy screamed, her body bumping against his.

“Ah, I didn’t intend to startle you,” he apologized, holding her close to him. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I am fine,” she reassured him, pushing herself away from him, her heart pounding out of her chest. “I was startled by you.”

“I apologize,” he said, giving her some space. “Why are you hiding under the staircase?”

“Oh, no reason,” she lied, avoiding eye contact. “Was there something you needed from me?”

“No, nothing in particular,” he said, trying to get some eye contact with her. He placed his forehead on hers, looking directly in her eyes. “I just wanted to spend some time with you. I haven’t been able to talk to you in our off hours for a while.”

“I, uh,” Ivy stuttered, looking deep into his crimson eyes. She felt her heart becoming heavy and tense. “I…I am very busy.”

“I am sorry, but I don’t think you are,” he said gently, holding her body close to his. “I ran into Kagestsu and he told me that you aren’t doing anything for today.”

Ivy suppressed her gasp, clutching onto Diamant’s clothing. “Kagestsu,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Please, Ivy,” Diamant said with a concerned look in his eyes.

Feeling his warmth, hearing his voice, staring at his lips as he spoke didn’t help her plan to escape him. “I…ah…mm.”

“Is everything alright?” he asked, slowly releasing her from his grasp. “Is something wrong with me that displeases you?”

“No! No,” she reassured him, getting out of his grasp. She turned around, placing her hands on her face to hide her blush. “It’s…It’s nothing. You are a kind man, Diamant, and that’s exactly why I can’t be around you.”

“Pardon?” he asked as he watched her walk away. He grabbed her hand, gently, before she could get out of sight. “Ivy.”

“Please, Diamant,” she begged.

Hearing her plea, he let go of her and watched her walk away.

When she got out of sight, she let out a giant cry. She looked at her hands, she was still shaking. Ivy couldn’t believe it; even after all these months, her feelings were still there. It wasn’t supposed to work this way. She walked to her room, shoved herself in there, and waited for the next morning.

Ivy tossed and turned in the night, her thoughts taking control. Unable to sleep, she looked out the window at the moonlit night. It seemed so calming to leave, but she would run the risk of seeing Diamant after his late-night training session. That she wouldn’t be able to handle. She could only imagine what he looked like when he was training, under his clothing.

She slapped herself lightly to get herself out of that thinking. She couldn’t go any deeper into it and tried to go back to sleep.

Ivy scratched her head in the morning as she yawned. She felt a pit in her stomach as she got ready. She really didn’t want to leave her room, but her responsibilities took charge.

Ivy took her normal path to get to the training grounds, seeing that most of their army was there. Her heart dropped when she saw Diamant alongside them..

“Welcome Ivy!” Alear greeted with a smile.

“Hello,” Ivy said, nervously. “Why is the whole army here?”

“Because I wanted to train with everyone and just see where everyone is at,” they said, taking her hand and leading her further into the training grounds.

“Great,” she said under her breath. She only hoped that she wasn’t paired with Diamant.

“Hm?” Alear asked.

“Oh nothing,” Ivy reassured them.

“Okay.” They smiled. “I will have you train with Diamant today!”

“What?! Why?” she gasped, digging her heels into the ground. “Wouldn’t it be better if I worked with a mage?”

“Well, yes. But I want to see where you are as a swordsman,” they explained, stopping in their tracks. They let go of her hand to stand behind her, pushing her towards the Broadian heir. “It’s not going to be very long though. I might have to put you with someone else instead since you aren’t as experienced with a sword than he is.”

“Why not now?!” She asked, using her weight to stop Alear. “Wouldn’t that be better than this?”

“Yes again, but he would be better at pointing where you need to start,” they said as they pushed her towards Diamant. “Have fun!”

“Alear!” Ivy called out as she was thrust into Diamant “Ugh, not what I had in mind.”

“Ivy,” Diamant said with a melancholy frown. “Am I truly unpleasant to be around?”

“No, it’s not that,” she reassured him, taking the training sword. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Ivy held up her sword, pointing it at Diamant. Her heart started to hurt when she saw the sorrowful expression on his face. Her hand shook as they started to train together, and she knew this would be a rocky training session. Ivy rushed him, having a hard time trying to knock the sword out of his hand, or even trying to hit him. With her shaking hand and poor footing, she hit Diamant in the face and tripped them both.

“Are you okay?” Diamant asked, leaning over her..

“I am,” she replied, feeling the blood from his nose fall down onto her face. “But you aren’t.”

She sat him up and helped to fix his bloody nose. “I am so sorry!”

“It’s alright,” he reassured her. “These things happen all the time.”

She nodded as she finished up tending his wound.

“Ivy,” he said softly, gently holding her hands in his. “Please tell me why you have been avoiding me.”

“I have not been avoiding you,” she pouted.

“I know you changed your schedule,” he informed her, pulling her in between his legs, and not caring if anyone is watching. “I talked to Clanne and told me that you changed your schedule to avoid me.”

Ivy swallowed her pride as she clutched his body. “It’s not because I hate you!”

“I would really like to believe that, but one does not avoid someone if they like them,” Diamant said.

She nuzzled her head into his chest. She couldn’t explain to him why she had been avoiding him. She didn’t know if he would understand.

“Ivy,” Diamant said in a low tone.

“Ah, his voice, it’s so sensual, so soothing,” she thought to herself.

“It hurts knowing that you are avoiding me,” he continued, moving her head around so he could look her in the eye. “Especially knowing that my heart yearns for you.”

“Wha-” Ivy said, her face becoming more red the more he talked. Her heart began to pound in her chest. She tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp, but he held her so tightly. “What are you saying?”

“Ivy, I love you,” he confessed, pulling her in closer.

Something inside of her switched on, and she hit the bottom of his chin, releasing her from his grasp. Ivy rushed out of the training grounds and made her way into the garden. She fell to her knees, feeling her heart pounding so hard that it could burst out of her chest at any second.

“Why would he say that to me there?” she asked herself, clutching her chest and beginning to cry. “My sweet Diamant, I’m sorry but I can’t love you. We can’t love each other. It wouldn’t work out.”

Afterwards, she stuffed herself into her room. She didn’t want to leave— she wouldn’t be able to handle the rumors that could have swirled around. She wasn’t able to face Diamant. She had been avoiding him, she lied to him, and she physically hurt him. How could he love her after that? She wouldn’t.

The longer she stayed in her room, the more difficult it became to stay there.She was lucky enough to have her friends bring her food when she was cooped up, handle things for her while she was gone, and other little things. She was grateful to have them, but it got so hard. It was difficult not being able to get fresh air, not being able to see her younger sister and her friends, and that there was only a limited amount of activities she could do in her small room. Then one night she risked the safety of being inside to go for a late night stroll.

“Ah, it’s nice to get out every once in a while,” she softly said to herself. “The roses are so nice in the moonlight.”

“Ivy,” a low voice called. “It’s so nice to see you again. Everyone was getting worried.”

“Ah! Diamant!” she gasped.

“Sorry for startling you again,” Diamant apologized, walking up to her.

“It’s alright, I think being cooped up for a long period of time dulled my senses,” she reassured him. She felt her heart begin to shake. It felt odd being near him again. “What brings you out here?”

“I just got done training,” he replied, keeping his distance.

“Oh, of course,” she said.

“I’m surprised you came out of your room,” he said, reaching his hand out to her.

Ivy lifted her hand, watching it shake as she reached out to him. “Like I said, I’ve been cooped up for too long.”

Diamant took her hand, gently pulling her close to him. “I’m sorry if I ever offended you.”

“No, you have nothing to apologize for,” she said, placing her head on his chest. “I’ve been avoiding you, I lied to you, and I hurt you. I should be the one apologizing.”

“Can you finally tell me why?” Diamant asked, holding her tightly.

“It’s because I love you,” she replied, hearing his heart skip a beat.

“But, shouldn’t you be wanting to spend time with me if that is the case?” Diamant asked, putting some distance between them to look at her face.

“Yes, but it would never work out,” she cried.

“How so?” he asked.

“Because we would never be around each other,” she answered, letting go of him. “We would be too busy with our own countries and we would never have time together.”

“Wouldn’t we be together in that sense?” he asked, taking a hold of her hand. “We would have to work together to make amends for our countries.”

“But,” she muttered out. “My prince.”

Her face became a light pink as soon as he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

“My princess, please everything will be alright,” he reassured her, pulling her in closer.

Without even thinking, she kissed him and continued to do so. “I love you, please stay with me.”

“Now and always,” Diamant said, kissing her back.

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I was able to participate in the FE Engage Summer Ship Exchange on Twitter! This is my gift to @sailorartemiss!

I read through the prompts and had to write Diamant and Ivy for you and their tragic love. I eat this stuff up! I hope you enjoy!

This was also beta read by the lovely @mxmearcstapa!

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