Beneath The Ashes - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Ivy's POV
I practically skipped down the stairs, a spring in my step and a plan forming in my mind. The house felt a little quiet without Massimo, Zayn, and Declan, and I figured it was the perfect time to get Vale and Jaxon to loosen up a bit. They weren't exactly sunshine and rainbows, but at least they weren't actively trying to avoid me anymore. Progress.
I peeked into the living room and found Vale sprawled on the couch, his laptop balanced on his legs, fingers flying across the keyboard. He looked like he belonged in some kind of hacker movie, all intense and focused. Jaxon sat in an armchair, flipping through papers, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"Alright, gentlemen!" I clapped my hands, making Vale jump and Jaxon glance up with a scowl. "Time for some quality bonding."
Vale groaned. "Oh no."
Jaxon leaned back, crossing his arms. "What now?"
I grinned, pulling a stack of paper and a box of pencils from behind my back like some kind of magician. "We're going to sketch."
"Sketch?" Vale blinked. "Like... drawing?"
"Yep!" I plopped onto the couch, tucking my legs beneath me. "The game is simple. We all draw something, and the best sketch gets a prize."
Jaxon raised a brow. "A prize?"
"Yup. Winner gets... bragging rights." I shrugged dramatically. "And my undying admiration."
Vale snorted. "Oh wow. What an honor."
I grinned. "It is."
Jaxon rubbed his face with a sigh. "Why are we doing this again?"
"Because," I said brightly, "it'll be fun."
"Highly doubtful."
"Come on," I wheedled, holding out the papers. "Live a little."
Vale exchanged a look with Jaxon. "She's not going to give up, is she?"
"Nope."
"Fine." Vale grabbed a sheet. "But don't expect a masterpiece."
Jaxon sighed but took a paper too. "Let's get this over with."
As they settled in, grumbling under their breaths, I handed out pencils and beamed. "Okay! Let's go!"
For a few minutes, the only sound was the scratch of pencils on paper. Vale hunkered down, his brow furrowed in concentration, while Jaxon sat back, sketching slowly, his expression unreadable. I peeked over at them occasionally, trying not to giggle at their intense focus.
Finally, I set down my pencil and clapped my hands. "Alright! Time's up. Let's see what you've got."
Vale sighed dramatically. "Prepare to be amazed." He held up his sketch, and I squinted at the paper. It was... a guy sitting in front of a computer, surrounded by wires and screens. The details were surprisingly intricate — the laptop, the keyboard, even the little coffee cup beside the computer.
"Wow." I blinked. "That's actually really good."
Vale preened. "Told you."
Jaxon rolled his eyes and held up his paper. I tilted my head. "Uh... is that a car?"
Jaxon scowled. "Yes."
It looked more like a loaf of bread with wheels, but I wisely kept that observation to myself. "Very... creative."
Jaxon crossed his arms. "It's a work in progress."
I giggled. "I love it."
They both turned to me expectantly. "Okay, your turn, Ivy." Vale smirked.
I hesitated, suddenly shy. "It's not much..." Slowly, I held up my paper.
It was a simple sketch — just a vague outline, really. A girl sitting at a table, surrounded by five boys. The details were rough, but you could tell they were eating, laughing. The girl had a bright smile, and the boys, even with their rough outlines, looked... content. Happy.
"This..." I swallowed, glancing at them nervously. "This is us." I traced the lines of the sketch with my fingertip. "It's my happy memory. Our first breakfast together."
The room fell silent. Vale stared at the drawing, his expression unreadable. Jaxon shifted, rubbing the back of his neck.
Finally, Vale cleared his throat. "Well... that's not fair. How are we supposed to compete with that?"
I smiled softly. "It's not about competing. It's about sharing."
Jaxon glanced away, but not before I saw the corner of his mouth twitch upward. Vale nudged my shoulder with his. "You're Winner, you know that?"
"Yup." I grinned.
Jaxon sighed. "God help us."
———-
Third person POV
The afternoon sun warmed the garden, Ivy took them out to have a fresh air. Vale and Jaxon followed her, curious — but trying not to show it.
Ivy bounced ahead, practically glowing with excitement, her smile bright enough to outshine the sun. Jaxon shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing at Vale, who just shrugged.
"Alright, gentlemen," Ivy announced, spinning on her heel to face them. "We're having a race."
Jaxon raised a brow. "A race?"
"Yup!" Ivy clapped her hands, her excitement infectious. "From this corner of the garden to that big oak tree. First one to touch it wins."
Vale snorted. "Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously!" She planted her hands on her hips, eyes glimmering with challenge. "Unless you're scared you'll lose."
Jaxon scoffed. "Please." He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. "You're on."
"Vale?" Ivy tilted her head, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.
Vale sighed. "Fine. But I don't want you crying when you lose."
She laughed. "We'll see about that."
They lined up at the edge of the grass, the oak tree standing tall in the distance. Ivy raised her arm. "On your marks... get set... go!"
They took off, grass crunching beneath their feet as they sprinted across the yard. Jaxon noticed almost immediately that Vale was holding back, keeping pace behind Ivy rather than pushing ahead. He rolled his eyes.
"Seriously?" Jaxon grunted as he slowed down to match them.
Vale shrugged, barely breaking a sweat. "Didn't want her to feel bad."
Jaxon groaned, and sure enough, Ivy turned around. "Hey!" she yelled, glaring at them. "You guys can't even race properly!"
Jaxon blinked, surprised by the bite in her voice. Vale smirked. "Oh, it's like that, huh?"
Ivy crossed her arms. "I bet you can't even beat me without holding back."
"Oh, you're on, Sunshine." Vale grinned.
Jaxon huffed a laugh and took off at full speed. Vale pushed himself harder, matching his brother stride for stride, and for a moment, they were neck and neck — until Vale's foot caught on a root.
"Whoa—!" Vale stumbled forward, arms flailing before hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Grass and dirt flew up around him as he landed face-first.
Jaxon burst out laughing. "That... that looked hilarious."
Vale pushed himself up, brushing dirt off his face. "Shut up."
Jaxon was still chuckling. "What kind of super-athlete wipes out on flat ground?"
"Rub it in, why don't you?" Vale grumbled, glaring at his brother.
Before Jaxon could throw another jab, Ivy's panicked voice cut through the laughter. "Oh my god! Vale!" She sprinted toward him, dropping to her knees beside him. "Are you okay?"
Vale blinked, surprised. "It's just a scratch."
Ivy ignored him, eyes scanning him frantically. "You're bleeding!"
Jaxon peered over her shoulder and scoffed. "It's barely a scrape. Trust me, this won't even make him flinch."
But Ivy didn't listen. She turned to Jaxon, eyes wide and commanding. "Go get the first aid kit."
Jaxon blinked. "Umm What ?"
"Now!"
For a second, Jaxon just stared at her. Then, for some inexplicable reason, he found himself obeying. Muttering under his breath, he jogged back toward the house. Vale watched Ivy fuss over his leg, a strange warmth stirring in his chest. No one had worried over him like this in... well, years.
When Jaxon returned, Ivy grabbed the first aid kit and got to work. She cleaned the scrape carefully, brow furrowed in concentration. The sting barely registered.
What did register was the way she concentrated herself on helping him, her hands gentle as she pressed a bandage over the wound. Vale glanced at Jaxon, who was watching quietly, arms crossed.
As Ivy worked, Vale felt an odd sense of déjà vu. A nostalgia about something he never got to experience. Her touch, so soft and caring, pulled him.
He thought, maybe his mother would have patched him up after a scraped knee, If she wouldn't have died just as he was born. He swallowed the lump in his throat, glancing at Jaxon. By the look in his eyes, Jaxon felt it too.
"There," Ivy said softly, pressing the last corner of the bandage down. "All better."
Vale stared at her, unsure what to say. But Ivy wasn't done. Her face crumpled, guilt clouding her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "This is all my fault. I made you run..."
"Hey." Vale cut her off, voice softer than he expected. "It's not your fault."
"But—"
"No buts." Vale hesitated before clearing his throat. "Actually... I'm the one who should be sorry."
She blinked. "What?"
Vale looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "I've been... mean. Unnecessarily. You didn't deserve that." His voice dropped lower. "I'm sorry."
Ivy stared at him, eyes wide. Vale shifted uncomfortably. "Stop looking at me like that."
Jaxon snorted. "It is pretty shocking." He crossed his arms, his gaze softening. "For what it's worth... we're not as bad as we seem. Least approachable, maybe. But we don't hate you."
Vale nodded. "Yeah. You're our sister."
Ivy's mouth dropped open. "Wait... what?"
Jaxon shrugged. "You heard us."
She blinked rapidly, her eyes shimmering. Then, she threw her arms around them, squeezing tight. "I knew you two were softies deep down."
Jaxon groaned. "Don't push it."
She giggled, stepping back to wipe her eyes. "you're rough and tough, but deep down, you're super protective."
Jaxon scowled. "Am not."
"And Vale," she said softly, turning to him, "You hide behind a 'don't care' attitude, but you're kind underneath."
Vale shifted awkwardly. "That's... not true."
She just smiled. "It is."
For once, neither brother had a snarky comeback. They stood there in the quiet, the warmth of her words settling over them like a blanket. Jaxon cleared his throat. "Well... this has been sufficiently weird."
Vale smirked. "Agreed."
——————————————-
Ivy's POV
The sky blushed with soft hues of orange and pink, the sun lazily dipping toward the horizon. The garden felt cooler now, a gentle breeze rustling through the grass as I stretched out on the soft lawn. My arms spread wide, fingers grazing the earth as I let out a contented sigh. The day had been long and unexpected, but somehow... perfect.
Beside me, Vale was sprawled out, his head resting on his folded arms. His laptop sat forgotten in living room. Jaxon lay a few feet away, hands behind his head, eyes closed. He looked peaceful, almost like he was napping, but the occasional twitch of his brow told me he was still awake.
The silence was comfortable. For the first time, there wasn't any tension hanging in the air — no guarded stares or clipped responses. Just us, basking in the fading sunlight.
I turned my head toward Vale, a playful idea popping into my mind. "Hey," I whispered conspiratorially.
He cracked one eye open. "What?"
I grinned. "I'm gonna call Zayn."
Jaxon snorted. "Why?"
"To annoy him."
Jaxon chuckled, shifting to his side to look at me. "Zayn would never get irritated with you."
"We'll see about that." I sat up, fishing my phone out of my pocket and scrolling through my contacts. The name 'Zayn Vitalo' stared back at me.
I kept a mental note to change these robotic contact name and make them interesting. I pressed the video call button, biting my lip in excitement.
Vale raised a brow. "You're ridiculous."
"Thank you." I beamed as the phone rang. After a few moments, the screen lit up with Zayn's smirking face.
"If it isn't Sunshine." His smooth voice poured through the speaker. Behind him, the car's interior was dimly lit, shadows dancing across his face. "Miss me already?"
"Obviously." I grinned, leaning closer to the screen. "Where are you?"
"In the car. We're heading back." He angled the camera slightly to show Declan sitting beside him, his gaze fixed out the window. "Massimo's driving."
"Who are you talking to?" Massimo's deep voice rumbled from the front.
Zayn grinned, twisting in his seat to pass the phone forward. "It's my Sunshine."
The camera jostled as the phone changed hands, and suddenly, I was staring at all three of them. Massimo was at the wheel, his jaw tight with focus, while Declan glanced at the screen, his eyes softening when they landed on me. Zayn leaned into the frame, smirking.
"Hey," I greeted brightly. "Guess what?"
Massimo glanced at the camera. "What?"
I flipped the camera around, showing them the garden. "I'm outside." I panned over to Jaxon and Vale, who were still sprawled in the grass. "And so are these two."
Declan blinked. "You got them out of the living room?"
"Yup." I turned the camera back to myself, grinning. "I have magic powers."
Zayn laughed. "Just like you made Declan pick his favorite snack?"
Declan's head snapped toward Zayn. "How do you know about that?"
Zayn shot him a wicked grin. "We all eavesdropped."
"You what?!" Declan gawked, while Massimo raised a brow.
"We heard everything," Zayn added, waggling his eyebrows. "From the moment she made you try the food to your little 'I guess this is okay' moment."
Declan turned bright red, shooting Zayn a murderous glare. "I'm going to kill you."
Zayn just laughed, while Massimo shook his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"So," Massimo said, glancing at me through the screen, "what else did you do today?"
I leaned back, resting my weight on my elbows. "Well, after the sketching competition — which I totally won, by the way — we had a race in the garden."
Declan blinked. "A race?"
"Yup. Vale tripped."
Zayn burst out laughing. "Of course he did."
"Hey!" Vale called from behind me, scowling.
I giggled. "He scraped his knee, so I patched him up."
Declan and Zayn exchanged a look, warmth flickering in their eyes. Massimo's grip on the wheel tightened slightly, though his expression stayed neutral.
I smiled softly. "It was nice, you know? Spending time with them." I glanced at Vale and Jaxon, who were pretending not to listen. "They're not so bad once you get past the whole 'I'll kill you if you breathe wrong' vibe."
Massimo huffed a quiet laugh. Declan's gaze softened. "I'm glad."
"Me too." I grinned, leaning closer to the screen. "Come home soon, okay? I'm waiting."
Zayn's smirk softened into something gentler. "We're on our way, Sunshine."
Massimo nodded, his voice quiet but firm. "We'll be there soon."
The screen went dark as the call ended, leaving me staring at my reflection. I tucked my phone away, flopping back onto the grass with a content sigh. Vale shifted beside me, his voice softer than usual.
"You forgave me right?"
I grinned, closing my eyes. "I did, Long time ago Romeo."
Jaxon chuckled softly.