fefanevents - Tumblr blog

fefanevents · 2 years ago

Text

Title: matched pair

Rating: E for everyone

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Word count: 1700

raphael/marianne for @slanax as part of the sunny summer exchange at @fefanevents ! Let me know if you'd like an alt ao3 link giftee :3

“In conclusion,” Hilda states, “while Prof – er, Archbishop Byleth meets with the Western church delegation I think we – all saviors of the world sans those currently being Almyran King, Count Gloucester, and Former-Countess-Ordelia etc. – deserve a beach party vacation extravaganza, and the Rhodos Coast is obviously the perfect place for it!”

“Er,” Ignatz says, raising a hand despite the fact they are all in fact famed war heroes currently surrounding a church assigned carriage rather than on rickety chairs overseeing a war map; “Archbishop Byleth aside I really don’t think the Church will look kindly on us, well, partying on sacred ground?”

“Oh, not at all,” chirps Flayn as Leonie helps her down out of the carriage and onto the sandy Rhodos terrain besides the rest of the former Golden Deer, “you see, back when Mother still lived the lands blessed by Saint Cichol were in fact known for their many ethnic dances, said to be reminiscent of waves upon the sea! So, really, a party is quite proper historically speaking, particularly for this time of year.”

“Sounds nice and all but I’m not sure about dancing,” Leonie begins just as Hilda shrieks “yes, exactly!” taking both women by the arm; Marianne for her part cannot help but let out a giggle for it truly is just so nice seeing Flayn like this especially after everything that happened to her and Seteth in Shambhala.

Marianne still isn’t sure what to think when people call her a hero – and some have, in an awed tone rather than Hilda’s teasing one which is even more alarming; but in this moment she can say she is glad to be here with the people she has come to trust more than any others these past three years.

“So Marianne,” Hilda begins again, apparently having convinced Leonie dancing was an alright activity although she’s mentioning swimsuits now so really it’s a bit difficult to follow – “you’re coming too right? Let’s ride some waves, and if you don’t have anything to wear you can just borrow something of mine!

She trusts and loves these people, truly; but saying no to Hilda is still something that she needs to prepare for so Marianne stumbles over the words: “oh, well, actually I was really hoping–”

“Marianne was going to go shell collecting with me actually!” Rapahel’s bright voice bounds” through the air and Marianne feels herself able to stand a bit straighter; giving the man a small but true smile as he comes to stand beside her.

“Maya said there are shells here that are bi – biv… hmm, that fit each other perfectly and that people back home have been hollerin’ about getting a matched set painted! It’s good for business and I thought Marianne might want to see too.”

Hilda seems about ready to pout when Ignatz carries on after Raphael with “that sounds lovely. I was hoping to do some landscape painting myself. You don’t mind, do you Hilda?”

The Goneril maiden sighs, clearly put upon, though somehow still rolling her eyes as she says: “what’s with asking permission from me? You’re making it seem like I’m forcing this on you all… it’s our Beach Party Vacation Extravaganza! Just like, you know, have fun, and promise to get my good side Ignatz.”

“Um, by landscape I didn’t –” but Hilda is already running in the direction of the ocean with Leonie’s and Flayn’s clutched tightly in her own before Ignatz can reply, so he just smiles and nods to Marianne and Raphael. “Oh well; some things never change. I think I’ll start setting up my palette here but let me know if you two need help.”

“Of course,” Marianne says, still feeling a bit rushed but finally coming back to herself now that she can hear the soft sea breeze and still feel the solid figure of Raphael beside her, and here she looks up at him: “shall we Raphael?”

“Oh, sure,” he says, takes one long stride and then turns back to her with a whisper (in a not at all quiet voice – it’s one of the things Marianne has come to adore about him; that he is incapable of deceit by deed or by word) “I, uh, that stuff was all true but I didn’t actually want to make you… I mean, I do want to show you the shells! Maya said they were really pretty and, uh, but well if you’d rather do something else?”

Marianne shakes her head, and finds that the smile is still there as she puts one hand in his. “There isn’t anything else I would rather do, actually, and walking along the shore together sounds nice. Will you tell me more about the shells so I know where to look?”

Ever so gently Raphael squeezes her hand in his as he starts to walk again but this time at the perfect pace, he chuckles “oh, sure! Um… she said they fit right inside a girl her size’s hand, uh so about your size; told me to be extra gentle with ‘em and all cus of that. They look like regular clam shells but if you fit one half against another they kinda join together with a click.”

Marianne nods, growing more interested as Raphael goes on, and she’s suddenly very thankful for all the times she lamented being on Garreg Mach kitchen duty before because that just might help her find a clam shell.

“Hmm, I’ll keep an eye out then,” she says, nodding to focus herself and when she points out something shining in the sand she finds her hand slipping out of Raphael to shift through the material. A hermit crab skitters across a piece of seaweed and she jumps, startled, before giving it a polite hello; hm, the shell on its back was rather spiral shaped so that couldn’t be it. Digging a bit more she touches a smooth surface and gently finds herself with a sand encrusted white shell in her hands, or half of a shell at least with its other half just barely connected by some remaining muscle.

She wouldn’t have thought it beautiful before Raphael’s description, and yet she finds herself staring at it all the same.

“Hey, Marianne! You were digging for awhile there. You alright?”

Raphael runs up to her, a small towel in his hands and bends down beside here. She beams, and holds out the shell she’s found: “Yes, in fact, I think I’ve found the oyster shell!”

“Hey, that’s great,” Raphael says, voice soft as he opens one palm and she gently deposits it there. She sees him drop the shell into a bag at his side before turning back to her with the towel and running it over the hand she had given him.

“Oh!” She says, ticklish, and Raphael pauses.

“Alright?” He asks. “You were working so hard there I didn’t want to interrupt but I worried your hands might get all dirty with all that digging. Is this… okay?”

“Mmhmm,” Marianne says, looking at his face as he dips his head again to focus on cleaning the sand between her fingers. “I was just startled. This is nice but, um, I can do it myself too. Raphael.”

“Oh, I know,” he laughs, “but I like doing it! Consider it a thank you.”

I like doing things for you too, she wants to say but finds she cannot. Not yet. Instead as she works she wonders, “should we clean the shells too?”

“Mm… yeah, might need some of Ignatz’s tools for that. We can go ask him.”

“Let’s,” Marianne agrees, but the two stay together in the sand holding hands a bit longer anyway.

“Oh, wow,” Marianne says, sitting by the fire pit as Ignatz shows her his work, “they’re sparkling!”

“You exaggerate,” he grins, “but I’m glad the polish worked. Truth be told Maya let me in on this plan same day she did Raphael but I… oh, hang on I think Flayn needs help with that fish. You mind holding onto them for me?”

Marianne cradles the shell, now in two halves, and watches the fire play off their pure white silhouettes. She and Raphael had found a number of other clam shells in the sand before the sun started to set but she’s still awed at how pretty they can be.

“Hey,” Raphael says, sitting down beside her," Ignatz finish that batch?”

“Yes,” Marianne answers, privately quite happy he’s coming to visit her rather than help with dinner preparations. “Do they really fit together you think?”

“Ah, well,” Raphael says, raising one hand and putting it down again, “Maya said to just pick up one half between your pointer finger and thumb and then put it against the other half so…

He’s hesitant again and Marianne, disliking seeing him like this, offers him one half of the shell. “Go on,” she says, “take it. It will be alright. You can help me match.”

You were so gentle with my hand earlier, she thinks. There’s nothing you ever need worry about especially when it comes to hurting things.

“O, okay,” he manages, the look of concentration on his face almost makes him look queasy and she imagines she too looked like that earlier so she smiles gently and shows him how to hold his part of the shell so it mirrors the other.

“Ready?” She asks.

“Here goes,” he says, and meets her gesture halfway. The sound is less a click and more a gentle clink but the shells snap into each other all the same.

“A perfect match,” Marianne says, reverently, “you know… I wasn’t sure that really existed.”

“Huh? You mean you didn’t believe me?” Raphael goes to scratch his head and nearly drops the oyster shell; thankfully Marianne has the pouch from before and puts it away gently to the side.

“No, I always believed you its just…” and here beside the fire, just across from the sounds of laughter of their friends and family she fits herself against him. This time there isn’t any sound, just the same warmth coming off of Raphael she’s always known to be there but that little bit of awe at how right it feels is the same as the shell matching.

“I didn’t think I’d ever experience it myself.”

“Oh,” he says, arms encircling her as they sit there on the same beach they had before, but this time, in some way, better. “Well, you know, I had always been kinda hopin’…”

She giggles against his chest and the resulting rumble from his own has Marianne hoping for all kinds of things anew.

#gifts

4 notes · View notes

fefanevents · 2 years ago

Text

Title: Beach Time Fun

Ratings: Gen

Warnings: None

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Characters: Mercedes von Martritz, Ashe Ubert, Annette Fantine Dominic, Ingrid Brandl Galatea

Additional Tags: Pre-Timeskip, Azure Moon | Blue Lion's Route, Fluff, Slice of Life, Friendship

Word Count: 1,706

Ao3 Link

It was rare that anyone at Garreg Mach Monastery would be able to get any sort of vacation. Especially with everything that has been going on lately. Mercedes was really ecstatic and relieved that they were able to get some downtime; it was a great feeling being able to relax with everything horrible going on, and in between classwork and training. Mercedes was grateful that Byleth fought for them to have this downtime, she knew they had their fair share of convincing to allow their students the chance to relax at the beach.

The days leading up to their day at the beach, Mercedes overheard the conversations from her classmates. It was very nice hearing some of her friends being excited to go and how jealous the other students from the other classes were. She laughed as Felix was complaining to Sylvain, Dimitri, and Ingrid about he didn’t want to go or had the time to and Sylvain was trying to convince him otherwise. Her smile grew bigger as she overheard Annette and Ashe were excited to go, talking Dedue’s ear off of what they were going to do when they arrived.

Mercedes knew exactly what she was going to do when she got there. She was going to sit under an umbrella, sit on a towel, and drink a nice refreshing fruit drink. It sounded very relaxing to her. She couldn’t wait for that day to come. Everyone needed it, especially the friends she had that lived in Northern Faerghus.

Mercedes scattered about, making sure that she grabbed everything she needed to pack for her trip to Derdriu. She went in circles, triple checking that she had her swimsuit, hat, sunscreen, beach towel, and other miscellaneous things. She let out a little sigh of relief as she grabbed her bag before leaving her room to catch up with her class. Her face lit up as soon as everyone arrived at Derdriu. The capital was a lively place with its many shops, fresh and cool air, and with a nice beach with pristine ocean. It was a beautiful place to relax at.

She did her best to contain her excitement as her and her class continued to walk to the beach. She really wanted to see the many shops, to see what kind of sewing supplies they had to see if they were any different from the Empire’s and the Kingdom’s. Mercedes wanted to see the fashion styles that were prominent in the Alliance so she could sew something for her friends. The most important thing was she wanted to try some of the confections that Hilda suggested she eat.

Mercedes let out a sigh, she knew she couldn’t do any of that. Byleth wouldn’t approve of it, especially knowing it probably took a lot of convincing to let them all come here. They were only instructed to stay within the vicinity of the beach. She shook her head, still very happy that she was able to come to Derdriu.

She hummed as she laid her beach towel on the sand, and opened her umbrella. Mercedes watched her friends playing in the sun. Felix was competing with Dimitri in some water related event, and having Sylvain or Dedue watching over it. She laughed to herself a little, she knew there wasn’t going to be a fair match. She knew that they were going to pick sides. Only if Ingrid was there, but she wasn’t. She was on the sand with Ashe and Annette doing something else. Mercedes faintly smiled at Annette when she looked over to her.

“MERCIE!” Annette yelled at her, waving her hand towards her. “MERCIE COME HERE!”

Mercedes waved her off, not wanting to walk over to her. She loved Annette very much, but she knew that being around her meant more exercise. The trek to the beach was enough for her, she was happy where she was sitting.

“MERCIE! MERCIE!!” Annette kept yelling.

She let out a small sigh before getting up. Her irritation soon dissipated when she got closer to her friends.

“Was there something you needed from me?” Mercedes asked, greeting the three of them.

“We wanted you to come spend some time with us!” Annette chirped, letting go of Ashe.

“Yes,” he agreed, trying to compose himself from Annette’s shaking.

“She thought you were a little lonely sitting on your beach towel,” Ingrid informed, with a smile. “It’s a shame you would just sit there and not spend this wonderful day doing something.”

“It’s alright,” Mercedes reassured the three of them. “The trek here was exhausting enough so sitting down felt very nice.”

“Ah, well,” Ingrid sighed. “We wouldn’t want to bother you if that’s what you wish to do.”

“Yeah, we do like relaxing in our own ways,” Ashe said, making a jab at Annette.

“Why was that directed at me?” Annette whined.

“Because you were the one that insisted Mercedes come have some fun with us,” Ashe reminded her.

“Hmph,” Annette grumbled. “I just wanted to spend some time with her while we can.”

“That sounds…very ominous,” Ingrid blurted out.

“Heheh, well, thank you for your concern,” Mercedes said, with a smile. “Since you are keen on wanting to spend time with me, what did you have in mind?”

“There is a sandcastle competition further up the beach!” Annette chirped. “We were about to go there and compete.”

“Oh! How lovely!” Mercedes said, clapping her hands. “I would love to join.”

“Yay! Let’s go!” Annette said, rushing towards the competition, being followed by Ingrid and Ashe.

Mercedes followed the group to the site where the competition was being held. There were so many people here competing, it was very nice to see. She was glad to see so many people able to relax, even in these trying times.

A judge came over to the group, giving them a few tools to help them out, and read the rooms. Mercedes chuckled as Annette rushed over to an open spot of sand, only to be followed by Ashe and Ingrid. It was funny to her, watching the three of them having no idea what to do. All they were digging a hole in the ground and placing sand into a couple of buckets.

“Have you guys never built a sand castle before?” Mercedes asked, joining them and sitting on her knees.

“No,” Ingrid replied, watching the sand fall through her fingers. “I’ve never spent much time at a beach. Spending most of my time in Northern Faerghus, we didn’t really have good weather to do so.”

“Ashe and I never had the time and means to get to a beach,” Annette replied, her expression growing grim.

“Oh, I’m sorry guys,” Mercedes said, sorrowfully. “Why don’t I teach you guys how to!”

They all smiled and agreed to it. Mercedes smiled as she began working, filling the hole that they made and patting the tight enough for it to stand firmly on the ground. She began to instruct the other three on what to do. It felt nice watching her friends building a sandcastle, watching them stuff the sand into the tiny little buckets. It was very calming to hear her friends laugh as the sand they stuffed into the bucket crumbled as soon as it came out.

Mercedes did her best to help out where she could. It was hard when Ashe and Annette started to mess around, having a little sand fight. She let out a sigh of relief when Ingrid tried to help her when she tried to help sculpt the sandcastle only for it to backfire. Ingrid, in the rare times that it has happened, had lost her footing and fell on half of the castle.

“Oh no, I’m sorry Mercedes,” Ingrid apologized profusely, wiping the sand off herself.

Mercedes could sense that they were worried about the growing silence. Thankfully it was cut off short when she burst out laughing.

“I’m sorry,” Mercedes tried to say through her laughter. “I don’t mean to laugh.”

“Heheheh,” Ingrid laughed along. “It’s fine.”

“Do you think we have time to fix this?” Annette asked, forming the sand into part of the castle.

“I think it’s lost,” Ashe said, jokingly.

“Heh, not if we talk like that!” Mercedes said, helping Annette.

“I hope Dimitri isn’t nearby,” Annette smiled.

“Why is that?” Mercedes asked, messing with a different part of the castle.

“Because he would be very disappointed by Ashe and what he said,” Annette teased.

“Heh, good thing he isn’t,” Ashe smiled, helping them fix the castle.

“He truly would be,” Ingrid teased.

The four of them rushed to finish their sandcastle, proudly showing it off to the judges. It wasn’t all that fancy, half of it had some design to it and was sculpted. The other half was lopsided and started to crumble by the time the judges came by. They didn’t win by any means of the word, they didn’t even come close. To cheer themselves up, they stopped by a stall selling fruit drinks and treats.

“Ah man,” Ashe whined, taking a sip of his drink. “I wish we could have won.”

“It would have, if you and Annette didn’t get distracted,” Ingrid teased, biting into her cold treat.

“Hehehe, he challenged my little sand knight to a duel,” Annette laughed. “I couldn’t turn him down.”

“Hehe, Mercedes chuckled, sipping her drink before taking a bite of her treat. “I don’t mind. I had fun with you guys. It has been a very relaxing day.”

“Good!” Annette chirped.

Ashe and Ingrid nodded before eating their treats. They talked and talked as they walked back to their classmates. Mercedes laughed some more when she saw that Sylvain was being buried under the dirt by Felix, which must have been some sort of punishment that he got from Dimitri.

She skipped over to them and helped Felix cover Sylvain with dirt as everyone stood by and watched. While he was stuck in the ground, making him suffer while they all swam in the sea, made up some beach games, and messed around. They stuck around until sundown before digging up Sylvain from his sandy grave and heading to an inn that they stayed at for the night.

------------------------------------------------------

I am finally able to post up my gift to emeslines on Twitter and IG for @fefanevents sunny summer exchange! I got to write about some of the Blue Lion's since they have some of my fave characters! So I had fun writing these guys together having some fun at the beach and just chilling with each other.

#gifts

5 notes · View notes