This Ascent to Divinity is Lewder Than Expected

7.24 – Confessions

The rest of the day proceeded like usual, filled with training both magical and physical. An alchemy lesson occupied her evening, and before she knew it, she was winding down for the night.

Maybe it was Elodie's confrontation, but Zoey's mind had been sticking on one topic in particular throughout the day. Her relationship with Rosalie and Delta was always on her thoughts, but one specific unresolved aspect had wormed its way to the forefront.

So, when she found Rosalie in her room, post-shower and in her nightclothes, Zoey asked, "Hey, can we talk?"

Rosalie glanced at her, pausing. "That's an ominous introduction. Not going to ask how my day went? Or the talk with Astrid?"

Zoey blushed. "Sorry. How was your day? And how did it go?"

Amused, Rosalie said, "Too late for that now. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing. I just … came to a decision."

"Now I'm really worried." Rosalie stood from the lounge chair she'd been reclining in. She didn't actually seem concerned, but there was a curious look in her eyes, and maybe a hint of consternation.

Seeing that, Zoey stepped forward and grabbed Rosalie's hands, squeezing them. "Really, nothing bad. But, uh, serious, yeah." She met those gorgeous ice-blue eyes, and, though she'd always been certain, somehow became more certain after losing herself in them. "You and Delta told me to put off on using Solidify Bond. That because it's permanent, it shouldn't be a split-second decision on who to use it on. We haven't talked about it since. Well, I've thought about it, and my mind hasn't changed."

"Ah," Rosalie said. "Right. That. I suppose it has been put off."

"Does the idea still bother you?"

"It never bothered me." She hesitated. "Just, permanent is permanent. And you are—impulsive, in some ways. I don't mean that as an insult."

"Didn't take it as one." A pause, and Zoey joked, "It does feel kind of like proposing, doesn't it?"

The tips of Rosalie's ears went red. At that reaction—Zoey also grew flustered. It'd just been a joke.

She cleared her throat. "And, I know, speaking objectively, we haven't known each other all that long. But I like you, Rosalie. I … a lot more than like you. That's gotta be pretty obvious by now."

A lot more than like you. What a silly way to talk around the topic—what she should actually have said. To be fair, Zoey had wanted to say those three words for a while. She wondered if she should now, even. But Zoey had always been quick to crush on girls, and even quick to enter into relationships, but she had never actually said I love you to any of them. Despite having known Rosalie for less time, her feelings toward her were many times stronger.

They'd been through a lot, to be fair. Tackling a new world and deadly dungeons was fraught with much more conflict than the comparative challenges back home, and challenges were great for bonding. More than that, Rosalie was Rosalie. Of course Zoey had fallen harder for her than anyone in her past life.

But was now the right time to tell her that? Maybe. But, still, she didn't say those three words. Because it felt fast, objectively speaking? Right? And because she didn't want to pressure Rosalie into saying them back.

Unsurprisingly, at what Zoey said—whether or not she'd said it for real, it had been implied—the blush on the tips of Rosalie's ears was joined by ones on her cheeks and face too.

"I see," Rosalie stammered. "Of course, I also—feel that way."

Zoey's beaming response, half at Rosalie's response and half at how flustered she was, only made Rosalie fidget more.

"But, again, forever is forever," Rosalie murmured, looking away. "This isn't something to take lightly."

"I know. So, we should talk about the worst case scenario, at a minimum."

Rosalie seemed relieved she wasn't the one who pointed it out. She had probably been wanting Zoey to, else Zoey misinterpret what Rosalie meant by bringing it up. "It's unwise to not address every possible avenue," she said, "regardless of how unlikely—or unwanted—such a future would be."

"So," Zoey said. "Should we have a falling out, we need to be okay with Solidify Bond cementing us as wayfaring partners, regardless of whether our personal relationship … stays the same."

"Such things have happened before. Romances within a team do go awry—often. More often than not, some would say. Some recover to a professional relationship with minor problems at worst, but some—don't. What then?"

If she and Rosalie broke up, would they still be able to function as teammates for the sake of saving the world? Because Solidify Bond would force them to. As Rosalie had said: permanent was permanent.

"To be fair," Zoey said, "any two teammates can have a catastrophic falling out, not just girlfriends. So using that skill is a risk no matter what, no matter who."

"But romantic falling-outs do tend to be messier," Rosalie said.

"True, true. Alright, let's assume the worst case." And the idea pained her, but this was something that needed to be aired out before they jumped into a life-long skill-locked Bond. "No matter what happens, could we both agree to work professionally? Seeing how the end of the world might be coming, I can answer confidently: Yes. Even if—I messed up somehow, you would still be one of the best teammates and allies I could have. For the sake of everyone, you need the Bond."

"If you messed up?" Rosalie asked, frowning. "Why phrase it like that?"

Zoey hadn't realized she had. A bit embarrassed, she said, "Well, come on, there's zero chance you do something to make me break it off."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Rosalie's frown deepened. "I'm human too, Zoey. Both of us are capable of making mistakes."

Zoey hesitated, then reluctantly inclined her head. "Right." That seemed to satisfy Rosalie, though in essentially any modeling of this scenario in Zoey's head, it was definitely Rosalie that broke things off with her, not the other way around. But saying that didn't seem wise; Rosalie hadn't seemed to like Zoey's assumption.

"And you?" Zoey asked, squeezing her hands. "Are you a hundred percent sure we could work together, in the worst case?"

Rosalie made a noise of amusement. "If there's anything I'm confident of, it's my ability to put duty first. It's what I was born and raised for. So yes. A 'messy break up' would not stop me from doing what is needed for the sake of my people."

"So, it sounds like there's no problem. I can do it, then?"

"If you're completely certain," Rosalie said slowly, "then it is a powerful skill we aren't putting to use."

Zoey smiled. "Like I said, I was already certain. But I'm glad you agree."

Because it felt right, Zoey leaned forward and kissed Rosalie. It caught her slightly by surprise, but, as always, the blonde melted into her within the second.

She activated Solidify Bond.

Not much happened, really, on Zoey's side—though she felt a little something. Her stats going up? Rosalie, for her part, shivered and sucked in a little gasp, pulling her mouth away from Zoey's.

"Oh. Yes, I certainly felt that."

"You did?"

"Not so dissimilar from—a buffing effect." She hummed. "By the phrasing of that skill, it seems like anything affected by the Bond would be amplified. The stat-sharing especially."

"Yeah. Makes sense."

Rosalie leaned forward to continue the kiss, which Zoey happily returned.

And.

She changed her mind.

She had to say it.

Breaking the contact, she pressed her forehead into Rosalie's.

"By the way. When I said 'I more than like you', I meant that I'm in love with you, Rosie. Just … wanna make that clear. I should've said it earlier."

Rosalie hadn't expected that—she froze, eyes going wide, and Zoey hurried to assure her:

"Maybe it's fast by some people's standards." Not that fast at all to others, too. Some might be saying those words after a few days of dating, or sooner. Not her, though, and presumably—definitely—not Rosalie. "But I know it's true. And don't feel like you have to say it back. I swear, more than anything, I want you to wait until you're ready."

Rosalie stayed frozen for a second, which Zoey had expected. Then her eyes shifted away, a deep flush going up her neck. "That's unnecessary." She bit her lip, eyes returning to Zoey's, and an indescribable thrill went through her as she realized what was about to happen. "I love you too," Rosalie mumbled. "As should be obvious." She hurried past the words, almost too flustered to function; her eyes had darted away again. She huffed. "What, do you think I would let anyone do all those—things to me?"

"Nope," Zoey grinned. "Only the luckiest girl in the world has that privilege, I know."

***

Emboldened by how the talk with Rosalie had gone, she found a private moment with Delta next. The first half of the conversation went much the same, with the requisite discussion on the worst-case scenario of Zoey using Solidify Bond and then them breaking up. Whether they could handle that scenario. Delta had a much more frank appraisal of herself and the situation:

"I'm not sure if I can give a great answer, Zoey," she said, grimacing. "Look, even I know I'm kinda impulsive. And trying to guarantee anything one, five, ten years down the line is … pretty difficult." She sighed. "But I can promise that, no matter what happens, I'll see this through to the end." She snorted. "Even I wouldn't let the world end because of a bad breakup. Have some faith. But in that worst case, after we're all saved? Would I still want to be on a team with an ex?" She shrugged. "I dunno."

It was an honest answer, and assured her in the necessary way. Because in the end, all that mattered was dealing with the global threat. After that, Zoey didn't much care if her fourth-advancement skill went to waste.

Then there was the second half of the conversation. In a particularly emotional mood, she'd decided she wanted to make her feeling clear to Delta, too. Like with Rosalie, the words had been true for a while; she'd just been scared to say them.

"Also, by the way," she murmured into Delta's lips, once their kiss had ended. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you. Well, not pretty sure. Definitely sure."

The foxgirl stiffened in her embrace, then pulled back, affronted. Zoey blinked.

"You're supposed to say that in a romantic way," Delta said, poking her in the chest. "Like, this morning would've been a good time. Preferably right as we finished together."

Zoey blinked. It didn't surprise her that Delta took the confession in a completely different manner from Rosalie—she barely even seemed flustered. Comparatively speaking. She was, of course, blushing.

Amused, Zoey asked, "That's romantic to you? I thought saying it for the first time during sex was bad, anyway."

"What? Why would it be?"

"Emotions running too high, or something? Endorphins and such?"

"Endorph-whats?"

"The heat of the moment. You're supposed to say it when you're calm and collected, so you can mean it."

"Mean it? That's stupid. Emotions running high is when you mean it most."

That was … one perspective, Zoey supposed. "Alright, alright." She grinned. "I can make it up to you. Next time, I'll say it in the way you wanted. Maybe every time that's happening, from now on?" She kissed Delta. "Sound good?"

Delta, amazingly, blushed furiously. Apparently, she really was endeared by the idea of getting those three words at the same time her womb was being filled up. To be fair, the concept also deeply flustered Zoey.

Recovering, Delta pulled back slightly so she could deliver a flick to Zoey's forehead. "Well, I love you too. I only didn't say it earlier because you seem—kinda sentimental, like that. Can't go scaring you off."

"Hey, that was my reasoning. Come up with your own excuse."

"Naw. It's mine now."

Another kiss, one that lingered long enough that it started to get a little too heated. Zoey extracted herself, stepping away to put space between them—else she would end up pinning the other woman against the wall. And Rosalie was waiting for them back in her room, having given them privacy for this talk.

Delta cleared her throat. "Also, I'm assuming you had the whole Solidify Bond discussion with blondie, too?"

"Ran into her first, yeah." Delta had come back later; she didn't want to give the impression she was, somehow, a second-place. "Why were you late, anyway?"

Delta paused, then glanced away and coughed into a fist. It wasn't very subtle, especially when her tail started swishing in the way that meant she was flustered. "Just, ah, experimenting with my shadow, like usual. Takes lots of … practice … to get good with her."

Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Practice," she quoted. "Uh-huh. I'm sure it was a productive session." She smirked. "I'm gonna have to join you for another of those, soon. Last time was way too much fun."