#A flirtatious Noble // Sylvain | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lightbluecloud · 4 years

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How to Hide a Game of Chess

Nagamas Gift for @luminisvii

Ships: Claude/Sylvain

Word Count: 3,581

"Checkmate." Sylvain could hear Claude's grin as he moved his remaining knight towards his finishing blow.

He sighed as he realized his mistake. In his previous turn, Sylvain had moved his king to a space where as long as Claude moved one of his knights, he could eliminate it with either said knight or his queen. He had been so focused on avoiding Claude's remaining bishop, he had failed to notice the trap waiting for him. As frustrating as it was to lose in such a manner, Sylvain couldn't be mad; there was nothing that screamed Claude like escaping from one scheme, only to fall into another. For that matter, out of any of Claude's schemes, his chess ones were the least consequential; throughout the course of the war, Sylvain had witnessed enough of his boyfriend's schemes in action to be relieved that he wasn't fighting for the other side.

However, he allowed himself to risk getting schemed in chess, as it was his and Claude's favorite board game. It was a way for them to bond, and a pleasant distraction from the terrors of war on their days off.

"Damn. That was a rookie mistake." Sylvain looked up, scratching the back of his neck. "I feel like I've made that mistake before too."

Claude's grin grew wider. "Indeed you have."

"Wait, really? When? How would you remember that?"

His grin faltered. "Is this truly not ringing any bells? Me checkmating you with my knight and queen?"

"Um. . ." Sylvain bit his lip. Him and Claude played chess often enough, both before and during the war, that he could not recall many individual games. However, there was one game that stood prominent in his mind. "Was it our first game?"

Claude's smile returned. Sylvain took note of the authenticity of it; this was not one of his small, shallow smiles that he put as a front. This smile went from ear to ear, a smile only Sylvain got to frequently see.

Sylvain couldn't help smiling as well. "That award-winning smile of yours tells me I guessed right."

"You remember that day as well as I do, no?"

"How could I forget that day, even if I wanted to?"

Sylvain became immersed in the memory; though it happened 5 years ago, it remained clear as if it happened the day before. He gazed at Claude, knowing that he was undergoing the same experience as the outer world slowly diminished.

_______________________________________________________________

"Sylvain!"

The redhead's heart lurched as he heard Ingrid bark his name from afar. This was by no means the first time Sylvain had heard his name barked in such a tone, and knew it wouldn't be the last; yet, when coming from Ingrid, it sounded just as frightening each time. A part of him should have seen this coming, causing him to internally scold himself as he ran up the stairs to the second floor of the dormitory. But on the other hand, how was he supposed to know that the beautiful woman he came across while shopping happened to be a Knight of Seiros, formerly a knight for House Galatea?

"Syl.Vain!"

Her voice boomed closer. Sylvain grit his teeth, cursing Seteth for assigning him the room at the very end of the hall. He couldn't tell if he could hear Ingrid so well because of distance or volume, and he didn't want to find out which. And with how far he currently was from his room, combined with the time it would take to lock his door, he risked having that question answered.

Before he could change his mind, he suddenly skid to a stop and knocked on the door in front of him. He wasn't sure who's door this was; for all he knew, whoever was behind this door was either not present, or would slam the door on him, out of not wanting to get involved in his latest failed flirtatious crusade.

However, Sylvain recognized his luck the moment the door opened. It was Claude.

"Claude, my guy!" Sylvain flashed his signature charming smile. "Listen--"

"Need somewhere to hide?" Claude rose his eyebrow in feign curiosity.

Sylvain was too surprised to uphold his smile. "Wow. That didn't take long. How'd you know?"

"Panic is written all over your face, and I heard Ingrid yelling your name." Claude stepped back from the door. "Get in here."

"Sylvain Jose Gautier! I know you're in your room, don't try to hide from me!"

The red-haired man gulped as he heard Ingrid stomp up the stairs. His adrenaline had peaked high enough for his body to freeze, his legs stuck to the ground as he waited for his demise. At that moment, Claude grabbed Sylvain's upper arm and yanked him through his door as he kicked it shut.

As both young men caught their breath, Claude's hand remained on his arm. Sylvain didn't notice at first; he closed his eyes as he composed himself, returning to his senses as his adrenaline fell. Once he opened his eyes and took a final deep breath, he peered down at Claude's resting hand. He quickly pulled it away, placing it on his own hip instead.

Before either of them could break the silence, angry footsteps came storming down the hall. Sylvain felt his adrenaline slowly rising again, though to a lesser extent; him and Claude remained quiet as mice as Ingrid passed by Claude's door. They listened as Ingrid reached Sylvain door, (presumably) kicked it open, and nearly rose her voice once more.

"Sylvain, I--"

The red-haired man held back a sigh of relief as Ingrid's voice dropped. Nearly a minute later, Ingrid's footsteps sounded down the hall once more. A few steps past Claude's door, she stopped. Sylvain heard Claude's breath hitch as Ingrid barked, "I don't know where you are, young man, but you can't hide from me forever!" Sylvain held his breath until he heard Ingrid walk down the stairs.

"Phew," Sylvain exhaled. "That was close."

"For real," Claude said. "I thought she was going to try to come in here for a moment."

"Why? I doubt Ingrid suspects that I'm hiding in your room, out of anywhere."

"I don't think she suspects you're in my room. I freaked out because, well. . .I'm hiding from her too."

"Really?" Sylvain's eyes widened. "Didn't see that coming. What'd you do to get her panties in a twist? Hit on some pretty ladies?"

"Er. . .no. During lunch, I was sitting next to her and Lorenz in the dining hall. I had sat next to Lorenz intentionally, as I created a new. . .potion I wanted to try on him. Minutes later, Ingrid showed up and happened to sit next to me. Which would have been fine and dandy, had I not confused her and Lorenz's cups."

"Oh, man. I think I know where this is going."

"When Ingrid and Lorenz were busy chatting, I slipped some of the potion into her drink, thinking it was Lorenz's. Unfortunately, I wasn't stealthy enough, and Lorenz saw me pouring it. Of course, Ingrid took a swing of her cup moments after, and by the time Lorenz warned her, it was too late."

"So what did Ingrid do then? Bitch you out on the spot?"

"Sort of. She had flames in her eyes as she asked me what I put in her drink. I knew she'd remain mad no matter what I told her, so I gave her a dismissive answer before running. It doesn't seem like the potion has kicked in yet, because she's still awfully feisty."

"Just what kind of potion did you give her?"

Claude flashed one of his half-smiles. "My, my, I should of known that you're a nosy one."

"Nosy? Normally I wouldn't ask, but we're in a similar predicament here. The least you could tell me is if you gave her a rage-amplifying potion, because I haven't seen her this mad in a while."

"When you put it that way. . .fair enough. No, I gave her a mild stomach poison, nothing out of the ordinary. My plan was for Lorenz to ingest it because we were supposed to do stable duty together this afternoon, and I didn't want to deal with his--" Claude lowered his pitch in a mocking tone as he imitated Lorenz. ""--cleaning hooves is too strenuous for my delicate hands" this and, "sweeping hay is work below my noble birth" that. Ideally, it would have kicked in around now, and keep him in pain long enough to force Teach to partner me with someone else. But Ingrid only drank a few sips before Lorenz warned her, so she didn't drink enough for the potion to take full effect, assuming I made it correctly and it has any effect. Not to mention she's quite distracted." He flashed a half-smile. "She's so mad at you, it seems she forgot that she was mad at me. So I owe you my thanks."

"Oh. Wow." Sylvain didn't know whether to feel flattered or offended. "Is that why you're being merciful and allowing me to hide in here?"

"Yes and no." Claude tilted his head. "As bad as I feel for you, I've been wanting to talk to you. Because I also find you to be quite intriguing."

"Intriguing?" Sylvain rose an eyebrow. "What about me is intriguing?"

Claude chuckled. "You ask that as if it's a first. That doesn't surprise me, considering most of the conversation about you at Garreg Mach is, well. Not favorable."

Sylvain frowned. "I'm aware."

"Hey, no need for the long face. I'm not about to patronize you." Sylvain didn't have time to feel relieved because without missing a beat, Claude added, "Because I know you're smart. You know exactly what you're doing."

Sylvain flinched, his head lurching forward. "Huh?"

"I've seen the way you act around women, the way you try to woo them. I don't know about anyone else, but it's clear to me that your advances aren't authentic. You don't have genuine feelings for any of the girls you approach; I would argue you don't even find some of them attractive. It's all a game for you, to see how far you can reel them in before you leave them hanging."

The red-haired man's heartbeat began to increase again. "Uh. . ."

"And, trust me when I say I mean this in the most polite way possible. But not only do you lie to women, you're not even good at it. I feel bad for the women gullible enough to have fallen for your advances."

Heat rose from the center of Sylvain's stomach. "I see. You're laying on some thick accusations. It takes a bad liar to spot other bad liars, no?"

"Perhaps. But you haven't told me that I'm wrong."

He hadn't, and as much as Sylvain wanted to, he couldn't. He wasn't sure what it was about Claude, but with how he read him like a book, he couldn't gather the nerve to put on a pretty face.

"Okay, so I'm a bad liar and I play games with women. Congrats, you've solved the puzzle and won the grand prize. What else do you want?"

"Oh, I don't want anything." Claude stretched his arms, bending his elbows downwards so his hands were behind his neck. "I'm simply curious to what fuels your behavior. When I tried to come up with an explanation, I considered that you might have a grudge against women. Until I found out, you've hit on men as well."

It took every nerve in Sylvain's body to not leap up in surprise. "Okay, where did you hear that? Does Ingrid complain about me that often?"

"Bold of you to assume I heard that from Ingrid." His half-smile returned. "It was Flayn. I'm assuming Seteth told her that information in hopes to turn her against you, though all I'm asking is if it's true."

Sylvain buried his hand into his forehead. "Of course Seteth would tell her that. . ."

"But is it true?"

Sylvain sucked in a hiss. He threw his hand down as he barked, "Okay, I might have approached a few guys in the past. But those guys were known to be attracted to other men, and I just wanted to see how they would react!"

"I see. So you're open to hitting on men and women. But I'm still not sure why you play games when gender isn't the primary factor."

For a half second, Sylvain almost wished he had let Ingrid tear him another one instead of knocked on Claude's door. Yet, while he couldn't get himself to admit it, he appreciated how unfazed Claude was knowing he had flirted with men, and how mellow he had remained throughout this conversation. As uncomfortable as the subject was, no one had addressed Sylvain's behavior in this manner before; when people such as Ingrid, Seteth, and Dimitri would lecture him, they would simply tell him how irritated they were and that he should stop, which only made Sylvain want to flirt with people more. But when his behaviors were picked apart and put on display, Sylvain wasn't sure what to think, aside from the fact that he currently didn't want to keep having this conversation.

While attempting to form a dismissive response, Sylvain's eyes caught some of a chessboard laying under Claude's bed, chess pieces thrown in a pile in its center. Having no other diversion to resort to, he pointed at it.

"You play chess?"

"What?" Claude saw where Sylvain was pointing and turned to look. "Oh. Yeah, when I get the chance."

"So since we're on the subject of playing games. . .how about we play a round?"

"Trying to distract me, I see?" Claude smirked. "That's alright. To tell you the truth, I've thought about playing chess against you a few times. To test if you're as intelligent as I think."

"If you've convinced I'm so intelligent, maybe you should be more anxious about losing to me."

Claude pulled his chessboard from under his bed, dragging it to the middle of the floor as he replied with a raspy voice. "Alas, I shall not fall to anxiety, because anxiety is fear, and fear is a mind-killer." He sat on the ground. "That's a quote from some random old guy from centuries ago. Read it in a book."

Sylvain chuckled, sitting down across from the younger man. "If you insist, fearless warrior."

Claude bit back what looked like a smirk before responding, "What color do you want? Only difference is that white goes first."

"I'm feeling risky, so I'll take black."

The two young men remained mostly silent throughout the beginning of their game. Sylvain occasionally swore when Claude took out one of his pieces, and Claude praised Sylvain a couple times for making a move he didn't predict. While slight, the praise managed to boost Sylvain's ego enough to give him confidence that he would win, all while forgetting how he ended up in Claude's room in the first place.

That is, until he heard a distinct voice from outside the dormitory.

"Hey, Caspar! Have you seen Sylvain?"

Sylvain's blood turned to ice as Claude's breath hitched. They exchanged a look, silently asking each other if they should pause their game. Claude answered the question by carefully pushing a pawn forward with a finger, the pawn making almost no sound as it slid.

"Sylvain? Can't say that I have."

The red-haired man followed Claude's lead, gently pushing pieces rather than lifting them as he resisted the urge to peek out of Claude's window. Unfortunately, his distracted mind led to his demise, because next thing he knew, the younger man flashed a shit-eating grin.

"Checkmate," he whispered.

"What? How am I in--" Sylvain scanned his eyes around the board. "Oh." His king was surrounded with Claude's queen and remaining knight. "Damn. Can't believe I missed that!"

"Hey, you were beating me for a while. I may have won, but color me impre--"

"Dorothea! Did you see Sylvain within the last hour?"

Claude's jaw snapped shut as Ingrid's voice reemerged.

"I haven't," Dorothea said. "Who did he flirt with this time?"

Sylvain could tell Claude was fighting the urge to look out the window himself, his eyes constantly drifting towards that side of the room. Yet, for both of their sake, he remained composed.

"Oh, no one special. Just one of the Knights of Seiros that used to work for my father!"

Claude clasped a hand over his mouth. Sylvain was almost grateful they had to be silent, because he knew Claude had a roast dancing behind his lips.

"Wow. That man is really desperate, no wonder you're mad. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him since breakfast in the dining hall."

A pang stabbed Sylvain in the chest. He knew people all over Garreg Mach spoke ill of him, but to hear such ill-spoken words in real time hit differently.

"Oh. That's alrigh--ow!"

"Ingrid!" Dorothea shrieked. "Are you alright?"

"Ack. . .my stomach just started hurting real bad. Wait. . ."

"What is it?"

"Claude. He sneaked some potion into my drink during lunch today, and Lorenz didn't tell me he saw Claude do so until I had already drank some. Could this be. . .?"

"It has to be!" Dorothea barked. "That stupid Claude and his schemes! Must be one of his stomach potions I hear notorious things about. I can't believe he would go as far as to poison my Ingrid!"

"I don't understand it either. . .but Lorenz was at our table. Maybe he meant to poison Lorenz and accidentally poisoned me in the process?"

"It doesn't matter who Claude meant to poison! He still hurt my Ingrid and he is going to pay the price!" The growl in Dorothea's voice temporary dissipated as she switched to comforting Ingrid. "I'll take you to the infirmary, I'm sure Manuela has something to ease the pain. After that, I'm going to find Claude and make him sorry he ever came near you!"

"Dorothea, you are so kind, but there's no need to track down Claude. I can talk to him myself once my pain eases."

"Nonsense! You can bring him to justice later, but I must defend my Ingrid now! Come along, the infirmary isn't far."

Sylvain and Claude waited a long, tense minute until the two young women had walked far enough. Then Sylvain asked in a voice far calmer than it should have been, "Now what do we do? This will be the first place Dorothea will check as soon as she drops off Ingrid."

"Well. . ." Claude bit his lip. "You could help me with stable duty."

"Stable duty? Oh, right. That's still a thing." Sylvain remained still.

"I get it, you don't want to do laborious work. But think of it this way; consider your help as not only my grand prize for beating you, but a guaranteed escape from the wrath of Ingrid and Dorothea." Claude's half-grin flashed once more. "What do you say to that?"

". . .On second thought, stable duty sounds like a really good idea right now." Sylvain stood up fast enough to nearly pull a muscle. "Race you there!"

"As if I wasn't already going to make a run for it." Claude stood up as well, and within seconds, both of them were out the door and stampeding down the hall.

_______________________________________________________________

"Oh Sylvaiiiiin!"

"Huh?" Sylvain jerked out of his thoughts. He was met with his Claude standing right in front of him, continuing to flash his award-winning smile. "Yes?"

"Do I get a grand prize for beating you, again?"

"Why of course, darling." Sylvain reached up to cup his boyfriend's face and pull him into a kiss. Claude kissed him back eagerly, crouching as he swung his legs over Sylvain's to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around the redhead as he deepened the kiss, probing his tongue to ask for entrance. Sylvain was about to allow his tongue entry, only for their make-out session to be cut off by a grumpy voice.

"You two are disgusting. Go to your room if you're going to make out!"

Sylvain and Claude snapped their heads towards Felix, who frowned at the doorway of the common room. Sylvain felt a blush creeping towards his face, unable to come up with a response. However, he didn't have to, because what Claude said next spoke for his behalf.

"Not our fault you can't find someone to make out in public with."

He winked at Felix before returning his gaze to Sylvain and diving in for another kiss, instantly probing his tongue. Sylvain opened his mouth without hesitation, therefore resuming their make-out session. They ignored Felix as he huffed and stormed off.

As their make-out session began to get heated, Sylvain continued to praise that day; he would never get over having met the love of his life over philandering gone wrong. That day led to a blossoming friendship, which led to a mutual crush, which led to a beautiful, loving relationship to the future leader of Fódlan. This man saw through Sylvain like glass; his Crest, noble house, and philandering were irrelevant to Claude, because Claude loved him for him. There was no man in Fódlan who understood Sylvain better, the same man determined to create a world more equal than the one both were raised in.

And Sylvain wouldn't trade that for anything.

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thepandapopo · 4 years

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A Step Through Time Chapter 3: Wishes Do Come True

Synopsis: In which Sylvain comes to a horrible realization and Felix learns something new.

Mercedes and Annette learn that they should really give disclaimers whenever they tell kids about wishing wells.

Pairing: SylVix

Chapter Index 1 / 2 / 3

It only takes a week for Sylvain to decide that his newfound knowledge about Felix’s sexuality is a horrible, horrible curse.

The type of curse that is initially disguised as a blessing because Sylvain is ecstatic that he might actually have a chance, but is really a curse because now he can’t stop noticing how many men seem to linger around Felix.

Did Felix always have this many men around him?

Sylvain never noticed it before, but now he cannot help but note that whenever he’s not sparring with Felix, there never seems to be a shortage of male soldiers clambering to challenge the sword master. In fact, if Sylvain is being honest, they all seem a little too eager to test their blade against the Fraldarius heir. Of course, none of them ever manage to win, but that doesn’t stop them from approaching Felix even on his grumpiest of days.

Sylvain doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like it one bit.

And if anyone notices that Sylvain is now sharpening his lance with a tad more force than absolutely necessary in the shadows of the training grounds while glaring holes at anyone who approaches his best friend… well, no one says anything because they’ve all seen him skewer his enemies with negligible effort.

“Lord Fraldarius! Sir!”

A new recruit that Sylvain can’t bother to remember the name of jogs up to Felix with a sword in hand and a traitorous part of his brain notes that he’s well built and boyishly handsome.

“Would you be willing to spar against me again? The pointers you gave me last time really helped to improve my form and I’m hoping that you could do the same again.” The soldier stands with his shoulders back and spine straight in the perfect picture of respect, but Sylvain has done this song and dance enough times that he can spot the underlying flirtatious tilt of his head and innocently deceptive tone.

If this were the first time that he had approached Felix, Sylvain would have given him a pass. Hell, even a second or third time would be okay. But this is the fifth time this week that his recruit has approached Felix, and Sylvain cannot figure out for the life of him why Felix is giving him the time of day when he could so clearly go practice sword forms on his own.

So, in typical Sylvain fashion, he saunters over to interrupt their conversation.

“How about you spar against me instead?” To his smug delight, Felix doesn’t shrug off the arm that he throws casually around his shoulder. “I’d be happy to train with you. Plus, that gives Felix the opportunity to focus on critiquing you and giving you pointers.”

Sylvain picks up a training lance and gives it an expert twirl, muscle memory taking over as his feet slide into a ready stance that he could probably replicate in his sleep. There’s something fierce stirring in his gut and he can feel his body jittering restlessly; Sylvain has never been a fan of training (at least not as much as Felix), but his senses are on overdrive today and his mind is focused solely on winning.

“On my mark.” Felix puts away his own training sword and walks over towards a nearby pillar to watch the match. He crosses his arms across his chest and Sylvain can’t help but let his eyes distractedly trace the bulging lines of his biceps that drift down towards a tapered waist…

Damn it.

Now he’s turned on, frustrated and jealous.

A piercing whistle cuts through the air and Sylvain sends a silent half-hearted apology to the new recruit before lunging forward at full strength.

----

“You should have held back.”

“I did.”

His younger self snorts while cutting into his pheasant, “I’ve been your sparring partner for years. And I’ve fought by your side enough times to know what it looks like when you’re not holding back.”

A small smile creeps onto Felix’s face. He really shouldn’t be eavesdropping on his past self’s conversation with Sylvain, but watching the red headed flirt stumble over himself with this new information has been more than a little amusing.

In his timeline, Felix is the one who is always flustered – although admittedly less so now, so it’s nice seeing the tables turn for once even if it’s not with his Sylvain.

Felix doesn’t give any indication that he is eavesdropping – his gaze is still fixed on his own meal and on little Sophie beside him, who has her tongue adorably stuck out while carefully eating wobbling spoonfuls of Onion Gratin Soup.

“I’m surprised that you’ve been helping train the newer soldiers.” Felix can tell from the offhanded way Sylvain tosses the comment out that he’s fishing for information. There’s a subtle edge in his voice that Felix can only hear from years of learning how to avoid arguments with his husband.

“Why? It makes sense. Byleth said she wants more swordsmen to add to my battalion and if they’re going to be fighting with me, then I need to make sure they’re up to my standard.”

“Fe, no offense but your standard is a bit high.”

“Your standard is just low.”

Felix is eternally grateful for Sophie when she masks his snort of laughter with a request for another bread roll.

“That’s not true! Admit it Fe, you always have extremely high standards for everything.” There’s a nervous energy to Sylvain’s prattle, like he’s stalling time to build up courage. “Not that it’s a bad thing! But it is true that you have that expectation for all aspects of your life.”

“Really,” his younger self says dryly, “like what?”

“Like your taste in partners.”

Honestly, Felix is impressed that Sylvain held out as long as he did before caving and broaching the subject with his younger self, but that doesn’t make it any less awkward or mortifying for Young Felix. He’s only listening in on this conversation and he can practically feel the embarrassment that is flooding his counterpart, but that will be nothing compared to the absolute disaster this conversation is headed towards.

Is it considered masochism if Felix is kind of enjoying this?

“We are not talking about this.”

“Aw, come on, Fe! What did you think of that recruit? He was pretty cute.”

The violent coughing that follows is concerning enough that Sophie turns to look worriedly.

(“Papa, is he okay?”

“I’m sure he is, Sophie.” But not for long.)

“What?”

“The guy I was sparring! He was totally interested in you, by the way. Cute face, decent body, but kind of weak.”

“Goddess, kill me now - wait. You… since when were you interested in men?”

“Uh. Since forever? Fe, haven’t you ever heard Ingrid complain about me? I ‘flirt with anything that has a pulse’ – her words, not mine.”

As much as Felix is enjoying the explosive trash fire that is this conversation, he isn’t a fan of everyone in the dining hall knowing their business and judging by the steadily increasing volume of their conversation, there are at least a few others eavesdropping now as well, curious as to what has gotten the two nobles so riled up.

“What the actual fuck, Sylvain. Why have you never told me you were interested in men?”

“I thought you knew!”

“How was I supposed to know if you never told me?”

“I don’t know, I’m sorry!”

His younger self looks like he is on the verge of either combusting or stabbing Sylvain so Felix takes it upon himself to intervene. Sophie, who has since finished her dinner, tilts precariously to the side as her eyelids droop. With one hand, Felix ushers his daughter off the bench and towards the front of the dining hall while his other hand drips the tray laden with their dishes. When Sophie is finally far enough ahead that she will not hear him, Felix takes the opportunity to casually stroll by the two men.

His presence alone is enough to shut them both up and Felix can’t help but let the corners of his mouth twitch upwards.

As much as he would love to see the red head squirm some more, he does love the idiot and he cannot help but say something to him and ease his guilt. “To be completely honest, we already had a feeling.”

Once again, Felix finds himself on the receiving end of his infamous glare but he can’t find it within himself to care as long as he can end this conversation quickly. Consider it a mercy to his younger self, or to their privacy in general.

“Oh, and just so you’re aware,” Felix calls over his shoulder as he walks away, his calm voice at odds with the small shit eating smirk on his face, “Sylvain knows about us now too.”

Felix doesn’t stick around long enough to see the consequences of his words, instead quickly catching up to his daughter and scooping her up before depositing their dishes and heading back to his room.

----

Perhaps it is the consequence of eating cheese for dinner that catalyzes the stream of ridiculous night terrors combined with the fact that the Gautier cheese used in the soup was reminiscent of home, but when Sophie wakes up for the third time that night in tears and crying for her Daddy, Felix swears that he is never letting his daughter eat Onion Gratin soup before bed ever again.

A lone candle sends flames dancing in their assigned room, casting shadows across the walls that flicker hypnotizingly and threaten to drag Felix back down into the dredges of sleep if not for his crying daughter in his arms.

As much as it breaks his heart to see Sophie in tears, there is very little Felix can actually do to make her feel better. He isn’t the one she misses, and he doesn’t have the magical capabilities to perform the time travel spell by himself – not that he would even consider risking the safety of his daughter in an experimental spell to begin with (speaking of which, he’s going to have a chat with Linhardt about how Sophie managed to get herself sent to the past when he gets back).

It certainly doesn’t help the situation that he is due to leave on a two day mission in the morning, which is why he shows up exhausted at Annette and Mercedes’ doors at sunrise dropping off a still slumbering Sophie in their care for the next couple of days.

Sophie may not be either his nor Sylvain’s biological daughter, but she certainly inherited some traits from her fathers; and the one thing that her and Sylvain have in common is that they both like to indulge in sweets whenever they are feeling particularly sad.

And so, with a request to bake cookies with Sophie and a hasty reminder to not let her eat too many sweets lest she get a stomachache, Felix hurries off to join his battalion that is set to depart shortly after breakfast.

Which is exactly how Annette finds herself sitting on a stool watching Mercedes and Sophie cut out cute little shapes from their rolled-out cookie dough.

“Sorry Mercie, I promise I’ll help out next time when there’s less… risk of fire involved.”

Mercifully, the healer simply laughs and waves off the apology; after all, it is no secret that Annette has an uncanny ability to make things explode in the kitchen without meaning to.

“Oh that’s quite alright, Annie. After all, I have a wonderful little helper already – isn’t that right, Sophie?”

Sophie doesn’t reply but continues to meticulously push the Pegasus shaped cookie cutter into the dough.

“Sophie…?”

Peering over the counter, Annette tilts her head so that she can see past the curtain of crimson that reveals teary honey eyes and a bottom lip wobbling dangerously with barely held back sniffles.

“Oh dear, what’s wrong Sophie? Do you want a different shape?” Mercedes coos and gently turns her so that both her and Annette can fully see her expression.

One lone tear manages to drip past long brown lashes before the flood gates open.

“I…I m-miss…” Sophie chokes out before abruptly stopping, her face scrunching up in distress.

Sweeping her dress under her knees, Annette crouches down to Sophie’s eye level and smooths her hair back in a comforting gesture. “Who do you miss, sweetie?”

Once more, a flash of uncertainty and reluctance crosses her expression before Sophie finally breaks down and whispers, “I miss Daddy.”

There must be something else bothering the little Fraldarius, Mercedes and Annette conclude after an hour of fruitlessly trying to comfort Sophie that Felix will be back before you know it, because nothing they say seems to elicit any reaction other than Sophia stubbornly insisting that she misses her Daddy. Any attempts to cajole further elaboration merely ends in Sophia clamming up with more tears, looking guilty as if she has broken an unknown rule.

“Sophie, are you sure you don’t want to tell us more about what’s bothering you?” Mercedes frowns. “Is there something more than you missing Felix?”

Flour streaked hands grab the hem of her dress to wipe away the errant tear tracks on her cheeks. Shaking her head once more, Sophia invokes her Fraldarius stubbornness and repeats her mantra. “I miss Daddy.”

“I know, sweetheart.” Annette pauses for a moment as an idea strikes her. There really isn’t anything to lose considering nothing else they have done so far has helped – not even the freshly baked cookies. “Hey, Sophie? Have you ever heard of a wishing well?”

“Wishing…well?” Little eyebrows scrunch up in curiosity.

Annette beams. “Yeah! It’s where you go when you have something you are wishing for that you really, really want to come true. I like to go there whenever I am feeling sad so that I can make a wish. How about we take you there so you can make a wish for your Daddy to come home faster?”

“I can wish to see Daddy?”

The hope stirring in her eyes makes Annette’s chest clench guiltily, but she’s desperate to cheer up this little girl who has taken up resident in her heart with her radiant smiles and cheer.

“Yep! They say that if you wish really, really hard that the Goddess will hear you and grant whatever you ask for.”

“Really?” Sophie turns to Mercedes with wide eyes in search of confirmation.

Smiling back, Mercedes nods. “Yes, that’s true. But if you want your wish to reach the Goddess, you must bring an offering that is connected to your wish. Do you know anything that your Daddy likes? Maybe something we can get from the pantry?”

“Cookies.”

There’s a beat of silence as Annette and Mercedes stare at each other.

Felix doesn’t like cookies.

“Uhh… are you sure you wouldn’t rather just eat the cookies?” Annette asks; neither of them are willing to call out a child, much less a distraught one. “Maybe there’s something else we can find?”

Even though they’ve only known Sophia Fraldarius for a little while, it doesn’t take a genius to know by the set of her shoulders and pout that her mind is made up, leaving the older girls no choice but to follow along, bundling up mini Pegasus cookies in a Mercedes’ white handkerchief and setting off for the well just outside the Cathedral’s main hall.

Thankfully, it is a relatively warm day and the wind does little to bother them, despite their high altitude. When the well comes into view, Sophie’s excitement grows with each step and by the time they reach the stone structure, the knot holding the handkerchief together threatens to spill cookies across the floor, loosened by her excited skipping.

“Oookay,” Annette claps her hands together and grins. “Before we make our wish, we need to make sure we properly present our offering.”

Placing the wrapped goods on the ledge of the well, all three girls take a step back and clasp their hands with Mercedes leading their prayer.

“Dear Goddess, we are grateful for your kindness and compassion. We offer these items in hopes that you will hear our wish and grant us what we seek. May you always watch over us and protect those we hold dear.”

Taking a step forward, Mercedes makes the first wish. “I wish for all our friends and comrades to come home safe from their battles.”

From Sophie’s other side, Annette goes next. “I wish to see improvements in my faith magic so that I can protect my friends.”

When it comes to her turn, Sophie steps forward hesitantly with her hands clutched to her chest. “I…I wish that I could see Daddy.”

Stepping back, Sophia hastens to mimic the other two and claps her hands twice to finish the ritual.

Even when they turn to head back towards the dining hall for dinner, Sophia carries her wish in her heart and repeats the prayer through the rest of the day and into bed. By the time she finally manages to fall asleep, her heart is swollen with enough hope that it chases away the night terrors and leaves her with dreams of riding through fields with the person she misses the most.

----

On the next day, Sophie rises with the sun.

Though still bleary eyed and exhausted, excitement runs like electric through her body and propels her from bed in a rush to get dressed in a forest green dress that matches a shirt she has seen in her fathers’ wardrobe.

If her wish really does come true, then Sophie wants to look her best so that her Daddy knows she has been taking care of herself and not out romping in the bush, wrecking havoc for her caretakers like she does so often when she visits the capital.

Breakfast crawls by ever so slowly, time moving with the same speed that her gloopy porridge drips from her spoon, but eventually the dining hall clears out and Sophie is able to drag Mercedes and Annette to the entrance of the main hall where she plants herself on the stone wall atop the staircase leading down to the marketplace.

“To make sure I don’t miss Daddy!” She had declared proudly to her caretakers when asked why she had picked this spot to settle down at.

Burnt sienna eyes focus heavily on the portcullis that protects the entrance to Garreg Mach. Even as the sky climbs higher in the sky and the noon bell tolls, Sophie does not leave her post, instead opting to eat her lunch consisting of sandwiches outside on her perch.

But as the hours of the day begin to count down and the sun sinks lower and lower towards the horizon, Sophie cannot stop the gnawing darkness of doubt that coils in her gut and grows stronger with the fading daylight.

“Still waiting?” Sylvain asks as he joins the small group of friends that have gathered anxiously anticipating the tears that will inevitably come when Sophie realizes that sometimes wishes don’t come true.

“It… probably wasn’t the best idea to give her false hope.” Ingrid frowns. “How are we going to console her when Felix doesn’t come back? He’s not due to arrive for another day.”

Letting out a moan, Annette drags a hand down her face. “I know! I shouldn’t have mentioned anything. Now she’s going to be even more upset.”

“Why don’t you just tell her that Felix isn’t coming back tonight then?”

“Because Linhardt,” Leonie rolls her eyes. “We’re not monsters who go around killing children’s hopes and dreams.”

“All I’m saying is that the upfront disappointment might be the better alternative.”

“I’m sure we can just talk to her and explain that Felix will be back the day after tomorrow.” Mercedes reasons.

When the dinner bell tolls, it echoes throughout the courtyard and through the now-empty stalls. The sky glows with reds, pinks, and oranges that are slowly fading into the dark blue of the night sky, casting their last brilliant rays on the earth.

The sniffling that ensues shortly after the bell chime fades is expected, but no less painful.

“Is… is Daddy not coming?” It’s almost unfair how lethal Sophie’s teary face is as it cuts into their hearts.

“I’m sorry, Sophie.” Dorothea says, wrapping up the little Fraldarius in a tight hug. “I’m sure Felix is doing his best to come back soon. He’ll be here for sure in another day or so.”

Leonie flashes her best reassuring smile. “Yeah! I’m sure that Felix will be on his way home soon.”

“But I miss Daddy.”

More tears are coming now and the panic among the adults is steadily increasing.

Ashe and Annette do their best to offer small placating reasons as to why Felix hasn’t come back, however despite their best efforts, Sophie’s distress grows and grows until she is sobbing just as hard as when they first found her in the middle of the sealed forest.

“I want Daddy!”

“Hey, hey.” Dorothea coos. “It’s okay, no need for tears! Why don’t we get you inside first, hm? Sylvain can give you a piggy back ride, would that make you feel better?”

Ever on the same page as her girlfriend, Ingrid quickly drives her elbow into Sylvain’s ribs and pushes him forward.

“Ouch! Er. Yeah! Of course. How about it, Sophie? Want a ride back to the dining hall?” Sylvain beams and offers up his hands, but quickly retracts them when the wails increase in volume.

“Sylvain! What did you do?”

“What?! I didn’t do anything!”

Ingrid huffs. “Well, clearly you did. Listen to her! She’s crying even louder-“

“Rider at the gate!” The shout from the sentry breaks cuts through their argument and for one blessed moment, everything falls silent except for the sound of sniffling and hoofbeats on stone that grows ever louder as it approaches.

“Rider? Not a messenger?” Caspar frowns. It’s an odd announcement – there are very few people who are brave enough to travel solo during war – and the sentries know and recognize the Resistance army’s trusted messengers.

Which means that whoever is approaching is an ally, or someone they recognize… which is even more odd because everyone they know is either already accounted for inside the walls of Garreg Mach or are out on missions and not due back for a few days.

But when the portcullis finally raises and the oaken doors part, they too recognize the person astride the horse, now galloping through the marketplace with hair the colour of crimson flame and very familiar honey eyes trained only on the weeping child seated on the stone wall.

They all continue to gape silently in various states of shock even as the rider slows to a stop at the foot of the stairs.

“What the-“

It’s undeniable now.

If the Resistance Army thought it was weird that they now had two Felix’s, they were definitely not prepared for the arrival of an older looking Sylvain Jose Gautier decked out in noble regalia with another Lance of Ruin strapped to his back.

The lazy grin he flashes them is unmistakably Sylvain, but when his eyes finally return back to Sophie, his expression morphs into something so soft that it leaves the current Sylvain reeling.

“Hey sweetheart, did you miss me?”

Sophie wastes no time in scrambling to her feet and dashing down the stone banister to throw herself into the arms of the older looking Sylvain.

“Daddy!”

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

Author’s Note: This was so weird to write. Originally I wanted to do it in Sylvain's POV, but then it switched to Felix's POV, then I realized that I defaulted to active voice for Sylvain's part and told myself I would go back and change it to passive voice, but then the chapter just kept morphing and morphing and dear lord I don't know.

Imma just leave it in active voice for now. Because that's what feels right LOL. Maybe I'll have to scrap my whole passive voice practice; this chapter was hard enough to write as it is. English is hard. (Says the person with a major in English Literature).

Tag List: @pato-social

#A Step Through Time #Fire Emblem Three Houses #fire emblem 3 houses #fire emblem #Sylvix #sylvain jose gautier #felix x sylvain #sylvain x felix #felix hugo fraldarius #time travel AU #Popo writes #Original Character #sophia gabriella fraldarius gautier

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degenerate-yandere · 5 years

Note

Yoo!! I loved your Yandere Dimitri headcanons! Could you do one for Sylvain, perhaps? 👀

Thank you so much! I apologize if the quality on this one isn’t great, but I hope it’s to your liking. I plan on doing some Claude Headcanons soon for another request.

TW: Yandere, manipulation

Sylvain is… unsure how to deal with these confronting new emotions. He’s a skirt-chaser, for sure, but he’s horribly inexperienced when it comes to authentic love. Your presence is just so frustrating. God, sometimes he just wants to rip his heart from his chest to cease that frantic beating that arises whenever you smile in his direction.

He’s used to women swooning at his feet, he’s the Sylvain Jose Gautier after all. He has everything anyone could want from a partner; good-looks, a crest, a noble title with wealth to match. But you - you’ve turned those metaphorical tables.

Your mannerisms and quirks are carefully observed and learned, and oh how they make his heart skip a beat. Your voice is a beautiful hymn that makes him weak in the knees. You - out of every woman he has woo’d, your the one to rattle his composure and shake his self-confidence. The pedestal he’s so carefully created for himself is disturbed. That’s why he needs you. When he finally has you in his arms, when he’s whisked you away upon his shinning steed into the sunset, that’s when he’ll finally be complete - He’ll finally be content.

He’ll begin his courtship as per routine - with flirtatious quips and sugar-sweet flattery. Of course, Sylvain means every word of it. He’ll make an effort to mention his crest and his status, but he knows that alone won’t win you over. Your not shallow, not like everyone else.

Expect gifts, constant compliments, a tall shadow that follows your every move to shade your perfect skin from the sun. He’d keep his cool, of course, ensuring that none of these overtly romantic gestures were ever a hassle for him.

“Oh that locket? It’s nothing, really. Its glimmer caught my eye when I was on a mission, and what can I say, I was stunned by it’s beauty. I thought to myself; ‘just what mad-man would leave a brilliantly precious treasure such as this in such an undeserving place?’. And whad’ya know (y/n), I was reminded of you.”

Oh how he’ll cherish every blush and nervous giggle, every twirl of hair around those cute fingers of yours. That’ll manage to tide him over for awhile, but soon enough he’ll be craving more.

After all, one cannot expect total conquest from the same tired tactic.

Sylvain is cunning, more so than he initially lets on. He’ll cozy up to your friends and family, and eventually they’ll be hounding you to just give in to that kindly nobleman. He’ll watch you from the shadows, learning every little intricacy of your life to get the upper hand.

If all else fails, he’s not afraid to get more…. serious. He’ll cradle your chin in his hand, whispering threats to loved ones and promises of financial ruin as if they were sweet nothings. And when you inevitably cry and weep - well he’ll be right there to bury your head in his chest and stroke your back. See? He can take care of you, if you just let him.

Sylvain will have no need for chains or bindings when those closest to you are held under his thumb.

But, as he assures you every night, it’s all for you. He’s your ‘knight in shining armor’, and your his beloved princess.

“It’s just like a fairy-tale, isn’t it honey?”

#yandere fire emblem #yandere sylvain #yandere x reader #fire emblem #three houses #sylvain x reader #yandere sylvain x reader #fire emblem x reader #yandere x you #reader insert #headcannons #sylvain headcannons #fire emblem headcannons #sylvain headcanons #yandere headcanons

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preetsposting · 4 years

Link

The gang makes a plan to get to the root of the absolutely wacky “legend” Balthus described to them.

“Balthus!”

Sylvain called out to the burly man crossing the courtyard, waving his arms excitedly back and forth. He had just finished eating some lunch and was heading back over to his and Claude’s (and for now, Hilda’s) “office” (if you could even call it that) for some more “work” (if you could even call it that).

“Hey! Sylvain, pal!” Balthus sauntered over, his grace surprising considering his bulky, muscular, frame. A singular curl of his windswept raven hair fell over his forehead as he grinned heartily and slapped Sylvain’s back affectionately.

“I needed to talk to you. About…you know.” Sylvain indicated his head towards the monastery. “I’ve been looking for you. Have a minute?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’ll meet you there in 10. A King’s gotta eat, ya know?” He winked and waved as he left towards the door to the dining hall.

- - -

Almost exactly ten minutes later, a knock sounded on the door of the Wednesday Counselor room (”Look, the name is a work in progress!” Sylvain insisted at Hilda’s resigned sigh).

“Come in!” Claude and Sylvain hastily swung their feet off the desk and smoothed down their shirts in a facade of professionalism. Hilda left her feet up and popped a truffle into her mouth.

“It’s just me.” Balthus followed his gruff voice into the room, closing the door behind him. “I just wanted to-oh, hey Hillie!” His face lit up, breaking into a wide grin at Hilda’s presence. “Whatcha doin’ here, princess?”

“Well, Baltie, I came in here to talk to the boys and I read your letter! You know that I can’t just stand by if something bad happens to you!” She pouted. “Plus, you didn’t tell me that you had your eye on someone! You also know that I’m the queen of matchmaking-”

“Calm down there, girlie.” Balthus sat down at the desk in front of the three, reaching over to grab a truffle right out of her hands. “Sometimes you just gotta have some guy talk first, ya know? Nothing against you, of course. You know I love ya.”

“Hmph.” Hilda took another truffle, quickly moving her hand out of Balthus’ reach as he made motions to steal it from her again.

“So what’s this about a naked midnight monastery run?” Claude interjected, leaning forward. “You can’t be serious, Balthus. Who even told you about this? I did a cursory check in the library to make sure this wasn’t a legend I just…hadn’t heard about, but I couldn’t find a trace of it.”

“You sure it’s not a prank?” Sylvain cocked his head to the side.

“Dunno.” Balthus raised a fist to his forehead, his elbow on the table. “It was one of the regulars at the Abyss bar. One of the knights. I think his name was…well…I don’t think I’ve ever gotten it. I’ve always just called him Steely, because the first time I saw him down there he got super drunk and told us all about the kind of steel his sword was forged from.” The former noble shrugged his wide shoulders. “Never thought it was important. Not sure why he’d lie to me. But if you wanna talk to him, I usually see him on Wednesdays and Saturdays.”

In unison, Sylvain and Claude leaned back and looked at each other, arms behind their heads.

“Claude?” Sylvain made a mock curtsy-like gesture and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Yes, Sylvain?” Claude mirrored his facial expression, holding a smile back under his weakly serious mask.

“Wanna grab a drink tonight?” Sylvain fluttered his eyelashes with exaggerated flirtatiousness.

“Sure. 7? Abyss?” Claude put a hand to his mouth and forced a high pitch giggle.

“Sounds good to me.” Sylvain winked.

“Hold on.” Hilda got to her feet. “What about me? What about Baltie? It would be weird to try to talk to this guy if Baltie’s around, especially if you think it’s some sort of prank. First off, why would anyone admit to pranking a person who could be listening in? Secondly, I want a drink too!”

“You and Balthus can stay behind. Maybe he can help you figure out why guys aren’t hitting on you anymore, since you made it pretty clear you don’t think we’re going to be helpful on that one.” Claude let out a bark of laughter..

“But I’m a pretty girl.” Hilda sounded almost petulant. “We’re way more likely to get info out of a drunk knight if he’s trying to impress a lady.”

“She has a point, Claude.” Sylvain considered Hilda’s words, nodding. “I don’t know that many guys who won’t bend over backwards for Hilda, especially after a couple drinks. Plus, if he doesn’t flirt back, we can try to get to the root of her problem too?”

“That’s valid. So you’re saying all three of us should head down?”

“Well, I was thinking that you and Hilda could do the honors. Balthus and I can stick around up here, grab some dinner, then have some…guy talk over a whiskey in my room.” Sylvain looked over at Balthus. “What do you think?”

Balthus shrugged again. “Fine by me, pal. I have no idea what’s going on, anyway. I just was hoping for some quick gold.”

Hilda rolled her eyes. “Is that all you think about, Baltie? You know, if this legend-” she made mock quotes with her fingers, “-is even real, you could wish for something way more than gold! Like, I dunno, the heart of the girl you love!”

A gentle flush rose to Balthus’ cheeks. “I wanna win her heart myself, Hillie. No tricks.”

#fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem fanfic #fe3h fanfic #fe3h fanart #hilda valentine goneril #balthus fire emblem #hilda fire emblem #sylvain jose gautier #fe3h sylvain #sylvain fire emblem #claude fire emblem #fe3h claude #claude von riegan #fe3h hilda #fe3h balthus #ao3 #fanfic

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imagine3h · 5 years

Note

Dimitri and Ferdinand with a troublemaker s/o?

alrighty! hopefully this is what you meant by “troublemaker” :]

Dimitri:

He first noted your…unique character trait when he saw Sylvain getting vigorously chased down by Seteth. Later on, he questioned Sylvain what he’d done this time - only to learn that apparently, you’d informed Seteth of Sylvain making flirtatious comments towards her. Which, for once in his life, he hadn’t done; and that was solely because he knew of Seteth’s wrath.

Dimitri politely asked why you did that, to which you plainly responded, “Why not?”

He made sure not to get on your bad side after that. He certainly didn’t want the archbishop’s right-hand man to come after him next.

While he couldn’t exactly relate, given he’d always been very proper and rule-abiding, he did surprisingly find amusement in your troublemaking.

He found it especially laughable when you made it a point to debate with Byleth during a lecture, contradicting everything they said just because. He didn’t understand why you were like this, but that’s part of the reason why he liked you; he always was interested in what he couldn’t quite comprehend, after all.

Being in a relationship with you, he’d often (unwillingly) end up entangled in your messes, but hey - that’s bonding, right?

On one instance, two random students had some rather…unpleasant comments they decided to voice about Dimitri to his face. While he could take it without much issue, you were less than happy about it. Thus, you decided some justice needed to be reinforced.

You took it upon yourself to steal a decoration from the cathedral, sneak into the students’ rooms when they were vacant, and set up the “crime scene”. You spritzed one student’s perfume around the object and placed it in the other’s room. Therefore, it appeared obvious that the student’s friend had stolen it yet attempted to pass the blame onto the other. Genius.

The two students were given an intense tongue-lashing and minor suspension, and of course, word got out about it.

“…Was this your doing, by any chance, S/O?” Dimitri gazed over to you, a rather worried expression covering his face. You nodded, a deep sigh coming from him.

“…Well, I suppose I do have to thank you for looking out for me,” his lips curved into a grin.

Ferdinand:

Ferdinand found himself trying to stop you and Caspar from duking it out to the death in the middle of the dining hall. Like a true noble would, he reiterated.

After the fact, you two began conversing a bit more. Getting to know each other, you quickly found out about his intense one-sided rivalry with Edelgard, and opted to have some fun with that.

You spent a few minutes writing a letter in the neatest cursive you could fester - a letter demanding a battle in the training ground after classes, that is. You signed Edelgard’s name at the bottom, then dropped the letter off outside Ferdinand’s door at nighttime. Not only that, but you did a similar thing for Edelgard as well - an invitation to talk about “ending this rivalry” at the same time, “signed” by Ferdinand.

When classes ended, you quickly rushed into a hiding spot in the training grounds, waiting for impending chaos to erupt.

Edelgard arrived first, arms crossed as Ferdinand came charging in with a weapon already readied.

“So, you’ve finally come to your senses?” the white-haired leader questioned.

“I could say the same for you,” Ferdinand pointed his lance at the girl, “now draw your weapon!”

“…What?”

You had to cover your mouth with your hand to avoid your laughter ruining everything.

Later on, you ate dinner with Ferdinand and he decided to tell you the story about someone apparently writing fake letters to him and Edelgard. You very sarcastically jested that you’d have absolutely no idea who’d do such a thing, but apparently he didn’t catch on.

Honestly, he’ll probably never figure that out until five years down the road.

Being in a relationship with you will definitely help him focus less on his nobility - because, let’s face it, a lot of the things you do together are completely...not-noble-like. He was probably against breaking the rules and such at first, but…yeah. He comes around.

If anyone messes with you, he’s learned a few tricks from you to get back at them. Regardless of if he succeeds in that or not, it’s the thought that counts.

#fe3h #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd x reader #ferdinand von aegir #ferdinand von aegir x reader #headcanons #imagines

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frankenby · 5 years

Text

My Grandma Rates FE3H Students (and Jeritza)

My grandma knows that I play this game a lot, and so I decided to get her opinions of the characters. Yes, I know that sometimes her rating doesn’t match up with what she said. Yes, I know that she gave her favorite characters lower ratings than others. These are the numbers she gave me, I’m not gonna argue with her.————————————————————

Annette: 4/10

She likes Annette’s pre time-skip look, but not her post time-skip look. I told her that Annette what a mage, and then explained that a mage is a person who uses magic. She said, “She needs to magic herself back to looking how she used to.”

Ashe: 7/10

She thinks Ashe is handsome. I told her he was an archer, and she said he shoots arrows right into her heart. I told her about Lonato and how I had to kill him, and she asked me if Ashe knew that I did it. I told her he did, and she asked if it was because his dad got mean. I told her he was rebelling, and she said that was okay because I know right from wrong.

Bernadetta: 8/10 (because she had a hard life)

She thinks Bernadetta is pretty. I told her about what her father did, and she said that I could kill him and it would be alright. I told her he got placed under house arrest and she said that is good because you shouldn’t mistreat children. She then asked if this was from that game that I’ve been playing forever and commented that it’s “brought me a lot of pleasure.”

Caspar: 5/10

She asked me, “What happened to him?” Then just told me Caspar looks not too good when I asked her what she meant. After talking about what his personality, she said, “He’s a wild child.”

Claude: 9/10

She likes Claude and was excited to see him because knows that I like him a lot. I talked about his backstory and personality. I told her he schemes sometimes, but she says that’s okay because he’s gotta take care of himself. She also had a brother-in-law named Claude.

Dedue: 6/10

She thought that Dedue was scary because he looked mad at the world. I explained that he was very good and talked about what happened to him. I also let her know about his hobbies. At first she said, “Meeting him in the dark would not be good,” but she has since changed her mind.

Dimitri: 4/10

Upon seeing Dimitri pre time-skip, she said, “Oh boy!” Then, she saw him post time-skip and said, “Ew. He went downhill.” I told her that he struggled with mental health, but she said she’s very glad he gets better. She doesn’t know how to feel about him.

Dorothea: 3/10

She thinks Dorothea is pretty. I explained stuff about her childhood and told her that she tends to be flirtatious because she thinks no one will support her once she gets old. She said that it is good that she wants someone to support her in life. That’s all she really said.

Edelgard: 9/10

She really likes the name Edelgard, but says she wouldn’t name her child that. She thinks she’s a little unusual. I told her about her backstory. She also thinks she is conniving, but only because she has to be.

Felix: 10/10 (because he’s handsome)

She thinks Felix is really handsome. I told her about his life and she said that he’s lived a hard one. She also asked if I thought he was handsome, and I said yes.

Ferdinand: 3/10

She said Ferdinand is cute, but doesn’t know how to smile. I told her he’s a noble and can be a little bit vain and sort of looks down on commoners. She said, “Well, you get over it, Mr Ferdinand.”

Hubert: 5/10 (only because he protects Edelgard)

She thought Hubert was missing half of his face at first and exclaimed “Oh my god!” at the sight of him. She asked if he was bad or good, and I told her about how he threatens the player and those who he believes is a threat to Edelgard, so he’s kind of bad. I told her I can’t explain why I like him, but I do. She said there are some people who you meet that aren’t perfect, but you still like them. I also said he’s the person you wouldn’t want to meet in the dark. She almost rated him 0/10.

Ignatz: 8/10

She thinks he’s cute. I told her he wants to be an artist, and she said he should be, “because if you don’t do what you like you’ll always be wanting.”

Ingrid: 7/10

She thinks she’s pretty. I told her about her backstory, and she said it’s good that she knows what she wants and she’ll have to try hard to get what she wants.

Linhardt: 5/10

She thinks he’s cute. I told her I married him in my first route, then she asked if he was good. I told her yes, and she told me that was good and told me not to marry people that aren’t good. I told her about how he wanted to world Thunderbrand despite the danger of becoming a demonic beast, so now she thinks he’s “kind of wild.”

Lorenz: 9/10

She said his haircut is better the second time and the first time it looked like a bowl on his head. She’s happy that he cares about commoners and grows as a person. She also likes him because he’s my sibling’s favorite. She says it’s okay that he’s a little vain because that’s better than being evil.

Leonie: 8/10

She thinks she’s a girl that knows what she wants and that she’s a good person. She also likes her new hairdo.

Lysethia: 10/10

She thinks she’s pretty, as asked if she was a nice kid. I said kinda, and she said that’s okay because you can’t be perfect.

Marianne: 10/10

She likes Marianne’s name a lot and feels bad that she had a hard life. She said she needs to hang in there and that she’s cute.

Mercedes: 9/10

She asked if Mercedes was good, and was happy to know that she is very good. She said she sounds like a very nice character.

Petra: 7/10

She asked if she was good and was glad when I told her that she was. She thinks she looks nice, and that she’s one of the best ones she’s heard about because some of the characters are evil.

Sylvain: 6/10

She saw Sylvain and said, “Ooh! He’s got wild hair! A red headed wild child!” I explained that he’s a flirt, but that’s likely because he craves attention due to the fact that he lived a difficult life. She said he sounded complex.

Raphael: 6/10 (because she feels bad that he looks like an old man)

She said Raphael was an old man. I told her he was not, and she was surprised. She then said “sorry, old man” to Raphael, then promptly apologized again. I told her about his backstory and how he was very friendly, but she said she didn’t have anything to say about him other than he looks old. Then she called him an old man again.

Jeritza: 5/10

She thinks his armor is scary and thought he was a monster. She said it made him look like “a horrid looking person.” I explained his backstory, and she said he’s wild and there’s a lot to take in with him. She said he can’t be that bad if he likes ice cream, though. ————————————————————

She told me her favorites were Marianne, Claude, and Edelgard. She said it was easy for her to remember them because she liked their names.

Her least favorites are Hubert and Jeritza. She referred to them as “the boy with the hair who was mean” and “the one who had his monster picture.”

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fireemblem3himagines · 5 years

Note

Heey there! I just found your blog :) may I request what type of person Sylvain, Claude and Dimitri would fall in love with? If it's possible,could you do pre and post timeskip(like,does it change or is it the same) I hope this is okay,if not, please just ignore it! :)

Claude von Riegan: Just be a good person. Itdoesn’t even have to come naturally, he’s rather self-aware that everyone is a little bit selfish, and that’s okay in moderation. But if he sees you going outof your way more often than not to make the world a better place, if he sees that your heart is full of kindness and that you radiate warmth, he’d be farmore attracted to you. You don’t have to be completely innocent, he likes a person with some bite, a bit of sarcasm, and who’s good at reading people, but someone with a good heart would skyrocket to the top of his ‘Would AbsolutelyMarry’ list.

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd: Dimitri would need someone who’s thoughtful and empathetic, who knows how to soothe him when his past catches up and he’s on the brink of throwing himself off the edge. He prefers someone who’s elegant and noble, but being a noble doesn’t take priority for him. He wants someone who also shares similar ideals as him, wanting to protect the weak and who puts forth their own merits instead of relying on titles. Someone down-to-earth would be preferable, but so long as he sees you as a good person, you’re likely to catch his attention.

Sylvain Jose Gautier: Sylvain has a hard to distinguish type, mostly because he can find something attractive about most people. The real problem is getting him to stick around, which means he’d likely need someone more on the stubborn side, who’s open about their feelings and wouldn’t put up with him assuming they’re only after him for his crest. He would also need someone to understand that his personality was just naturally flirtatious, so they can’t be too jealous of a person; his flirting tendencies do diminish once he’s in a committed relationship, he just needs to know you accept him for who he is.

#Sylvain Jose Gautier #Claude von Riegan #Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd #Fire Emblem Three Houses #Fire Emblem Imagines #Headcanons

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spademyheartu · 4 years

Text

Haircut (Felix short story)

~~~

His hair… it was too long...

~~~

Word count: 591

Genre: Fluff/crack?

Warnings: Uses like two curse words (takes place during time skip)

A/n: pls send requests I’m so bored TT

~~~

The moon shone brightly as a certain cold and blunt swordsman let out a gruff grunt. Sweat dripped down his back soaking his shirt. His hair? It wasn’t helping. His hair tie had snapped earlier during his training and he was too into training to go back and grab another. The inky black waves stuck to his neck causing him to feel hot. Sweaty. He let out a groan of annoyance. Why?! Why is my hair so long?! Felix thought to himself. He didn’t really notice how it now reached up to his mid back when it was let down. “You look like a really sweaty version of Rapunzel.” Felix whipped his head to the direction of the voice and there lo and behold was a certain flirtatious red headed noble. Felix let out an exasperated sigh “Sylvain.” The said noble let out a lighthearted laugh “Training again hm Felix?” Felix merely shook his head in response “Just finished.” As he shook his head however, a tornado of ink black hair slapped him in the face with a loud smack. A short pause filled the room. A loud snort cut the moment of peace. “Y- you okay there F-felix?” Sylvain asked his poor friend while doubling over with laughter. Felix flushed a light shade of pink and turned away from Sylvain. “...I don't know what youre talking about.” At this point Felix just wanted to grab his sword and shave off all his hair. Sylvain’s laughter just increased with each second that ticked by. Felix swiftly turned toward the exit to go to his room to hide do something about his situation. “Im leaving.” Felix said coldly, an attempt to swat away the humiliation that lingered in his system. The laughter only grew louder and Felix left without another word. He carefully sneaked behind pillars and walls, using the night to his advantage to mask himself from the view of others. He certainly doesn’t want more attention brought to his his mop of inky colored locks.

~~~

His room. Finally. Felix let out an exhausted sigh. This was getting out of hand. His room is pitch black and he could barely see his own feet. Felix grabbed his sword at his side. He had made his choice. Felix grumbled to himself making a decision. “ About time I cut off this mess.” He raises his sword higher up to his head. He grabbed fistfuls of his soft hair, not caring if it turned out too short. Slice. He pauses for a moment and lets his hair fall to the floor. He mentally curses himself knowing he probably should have done this in his bathroom and not just whack off chunks of hair in the middle of his room. Felix brings the sword up once again. Whack. He sheathed his sword and felt his hair. Uneven. Messy. Short. He stood up to finally light a candle and headed to his mirror. Fuck. It was a mess. Hair stood in all directions and it was cut so that one side was noticeably shorter one one side. He let out an annoyed groan and flopped on his bed. Should just shave the damn thing off.

~~~

“Whoa Felix what happened!?” Sylvain gawked at his friend's new hair cut. “Shut it Sylvain.” From that day on Felix put his hair up in intricate designs masking his failed attempt at haircut.

~~~

End

#fire emblem three houses #fire emblem #fire emblem 3 houses #felix fire emblem #felix hugo fraldarius #crack #fluff #sylvain jose gautier #haircut #during timeskip #please request #im bored

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withinyourimagination · 5 years

Text

Valentines Day gift

@dreamxalittlexharder

Sigwald took a deep breath in as he paced outside of his boyfriend’s quarters for a moment. Eventually he opened the door, smiling as he offered up his gift of black roses and a home-made card with an anatomically correct heart on the front. As he looked lovingly at Sylvain he began reciting;

"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.“

Upon seeing his boyfriend walk into the room, Sylvain had a smile on his face. He always enjoyed it when he got time to spend with Sigwald. The noble took the roses and card, chuckling a bit at the heart on the front. Leave it to Sigwald to draw an anatomically correct heart on a valentines day card. He looked up at the other as he heard the poem that Sigwald had begun to recite. “You are such a dork, you know that. But then again, that’s what won me over in the end.”

#dreamxalittlexharder #A flirtatious Noble // Sylvain #We’re simply meant to be // Sylvain and Sigwald #Is this for me? // Submission #submission

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agent-cupcake · 4 years

Note

Am I the only one who finds it irritating how the fandom often completely ignore most of Dorothea's negative traits? I don't dislike her, but when I first met her in-game I thought she was an annoying thot and I took pleasure shooting her flirting down. I do like what they've done with her character, but for me something I find fascinating about Dorothea is she's such a hypocrite when it comes to her biased viewpoint nobles and how she holds them to standards she doesn't follow herself. (1/3)

Like for example, she gets mad at Lorenz for being classist, which he is, but he says he's trying to find a wife who will raise his house's standing - something Dorothea outright states she's looking to gain for herself by marrying a noble. She asks Sylvain if he'd be interested in her if she was a "hoarse-voiced old hag", but Sylvain counters that she only likes him because he's a noble and rich. She's a jerk to Ferdinand over a misunderstanding that was based off HER assumptions of him, and she talks about qualities she's looking for in a spouse, but thinks that being beautiful is the only thing she needs to bring to a relationship. There's plenty of other examples, you get the idea. Idk, I guess people are sympathetic to Dorothea because of how she grew up, but her hypocritical views are actually a big part of her character and they just get ignored because people are too busy being like, "YAS BI QUEEN" and can't stand having her being seen as problematic in any way.

I’ll preface this by saying that I 100% am a huge fan of Dorothea. If I ever have the energy to do another post like I recently did for Dimitri, she def would be one of the characters that I’d consider.

Buuuut, I agree with you anon. People boiling down interesting characters to their most easily consumable traits is a huge issues I take with fandom in general, although since I keep myself so distanced I hadn’t really seen it with Dorothea. When I first met her, I actually kinda just ignored her under the assumption that she would be your average flirty type. It was her death and post timeskip appearance (yes I’m that shallow, sue me) that made me want to get to know her better so when I actually cared to interact with Dorothea further, it was while knowing there was a bit more to her than surface value. Tbh, the only time I really felt annoyed with her behavior was with Ferdinand, as I felt the whole situation was a bit ridiculous and the structure of supports made it such an awkward affair.

That said, I completely see what you mean. These contradictions are why Dorothea interesting. As with all of these characters, her flaws are backed up by clearly displayed character tags and a very sad and sympathetic backstory... But that doesn’t make the flaws excusable. Her low opinion of herself and desperation to be loved in contrast with the actions she feels are necessary to be happy drive her hypocritical behavior, which is really cool from a writing standpoint and make her both sympathetic and frustrating. She’s very similar to Sylvain in this way, for better and for worse. They’re problematic and hold some pretty unhealthy beliefs about people and themselves, but also have a past and issues that explain why they’d feel that way. In some ways, they’re both justified in their feelings, but on the whole they’re wrong in their behavior and for allowing their predetermined judgement of others and themselves to dictate their behavior. Obviously there’s some glaring differences between the two characters, but I like the comparison because the writers took two similar archetypes and developed and expanded on them to make such wonderfully well done people. Just like Sylvain (and basically any interesting character) her flaws make Dorothea infinitely more complex and fascinating. Her hypocrisy has depth and a very satisfying resolution when she does find actual love and realize that her biases were wrong. Personally, I wouldn’t like her if she was nothing but a flirtatious ~bisexual queen~ stereotype or if I didn’t believe there was far more to explore beyond what was shown in the game. I think that painting her that way kinda cheapens Dorothea overall.

ANYWAY, yeah. That was a bit of a long-form way to say that I agree with you. This ask kind of surprised me tbh, but I love this sort of analysis stuff so I’m very, very happy to hear other people’s opinions! Overall, I just can’t understand why people are so afraid of their favorite characters having actual flaws, or why they need to explain away any flaws they do have to make said character a perfect icon. I literally cannot overstate my love for Dorothea. I love her place in the game and how she provides such an empathetic perspective, how she embodies a very real sense of insecurity and desperation to be loved that I think a lot of people (aka, me) can resonate with. I love how much she cares for people, how much she grows up throughout the story. I love that she’s such a flawed person.

#Anonymous #dorothea arnault #fe dorothea #FE3H #i feel awkward with this stuff sometimes #bc i have no right to tell other people how to enjoy their favorite characters #but this is my opinion #i hope you can feel a little more positively about dorothea anon #she really is a gem

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light-of-valentia · 5 years

Text

Black Eagles Boys + Sylvain Meeting and Greeting a Fan

hello anon!! sorry if this stinks, i had a draft going and tumblr, as usual, deleted it grrrrrr....anyways, i did my best to rework what i lost, and i hope this has as much charm as my original!! i will also use she/her pronouns and assume that the reader is female since you used she/her pronouns in your ask~

-admin belle

Headcanons for Ferdinand, Hubert, Caspar, Linhardt, and Sylvain reacting to a fan asking for a hug/hug headcanons!

Ferdinand von Aegir

When you ask him, he is absolutely ecstatic

He has a fan and they want attention from him???? He isn’t surprised at all, but is incredibly excited nonetheless

His eyes light up, but he quickly recomposes himself and greets you

“Oh! Why, hello madam! I am none other than the famous Ferdinand von Aegir, the oldest legitimate child of the prior Duke Aegir, and it is a pleasure to be your acquaintance.”

With this, he bows to you, folding one arm neatly over his chest, the other taking your palm in his as he places a soft kiss to the top of your hand

He immediately asks you if you have a spare moment to converse, and the subtly hopeful look he gives you makes you feel like “yes” is the only response

He talks with you before/during/after your hug, and he would talk to you all day if he could, but eventually someone pulls him aside and reminds him of something he has to attend to

Before you begin your conversation, though, he takes you in a full-body hug

But unless you’re done with hugs, he isn’t either

As you continue talking, he gives you a hug from behind, folding his hands over each other as they meet at your abdomen, his arms otherwise encircling you

If you’re too short for a normal hug or you just wish you could reach him better, he will offer to pick you up and hold you at his hip/waist, or hell, he isn’t too shy to hold you bridal-style!

His name is Ferdinand von Aegir, and treating women, commoner and noble alike, with the highest standard of respect and care is his game

He does not mind being seen being “personal” with you or any of his fans- he loves the attention, and he genuinely cares for his fans!

If you’re comfortable with it, he’s also game for cheek kisses!

Also, if he has an artist or anyone with a good drawing hand nearby, he will probably ask them to sketch out a few quick drawings of you guys hugging each other and kissing the other’s cheek

He requests that they do so in ink so that it can bleed through a sheet of paper and make two copies, one for each of you! If this is unable to happen, he gives the finished item to you for you to “remember him by”

When it’s time for you to separate, he asks you for your address and he gives you his so that you can be pen-pals!

Bonus: In his letters, he doesn’t really discuss himself or political affairs of any sort; rather, he talks briefly about how he feels that day, or he describes to you something that he saw earlier that was beautiful, comical, or noteworthy. Each letter is different from the last, and it’s easy to tell that he puts thought into each one! Sometimes, he encloses a few flower petals, a neat coin or small trinket, or some tea leaves

Hubert von Vestra

If he’s doing a meet-and-greet, it probably wasn’t his choice

Edelgard suggested that the two of them as well as a few other Black Eagles do one to “improve public relations and image”

When you approach him, he gives a weak smile, thinking to himself that “well, this was bound to happen, could I really expect to do this and never be approached?”

He quickly chases this out of his mind and greets you, giving a small bow; “Good day, miss. I am sure you are already aware of who I am, but might I ask you for your name?”

You tell him your name, and he shakes your hand, and this is about the extent of physical contact that you both have for a little while

It isn’t that Hubert is adverse to the idea of hugging someone; he’s just not very used to it, and it takes him a bit to warm up

You both chat for a little while, discussing a common interest you find you have or something more impersonal, and eventually something you say reminds him of something that happened with himself and Edelgard or Ferdinand when they were students back at the Academy

What this story is is up to you to decide! (A/n i know it’s cliche but I had too many ideas to narrow it down to one for this!)

After he opens up to you a bit more with that, you finally ask him for the hug, and he looks confused for a split second, but quickly goes “Ah, well why not.”

He gives you a hug from the side, and if you want something from the front, he either has to bend down or pick you up because he’s super tall and probably taller than you

When you go to depart and thank him, he gives you another short bow and gives you a smile, this one looking a bit more natural and relaxed than his previous ones

Caspar von Bergliez

When you first walk up to talk to him, his face is almost sparkling with awe

He knows that he’s a cool dude and he’s aware of how much he has done to get Fódlan where it is now, but a fan??? of HIM in specific???

that’s just beyond awesome to him

Before you even have to ask for a hug, he stretches his arms out and envelops you in a full-body hug, pulling back quickly once he realized that he forgot to ask first

“Oh, sorry! I got a little carried away there, heh... Well, hi! As you probably already know, I’m Caspar! What’s your name?”

You giggle a little bit at his sudden outburst of enthusiasm, caushing him to blush sheepishly before you tell him that you didn’t mind it

He gets over that little stumble he had there quickly and moves on to conversation with you

He asks you a LOT of questions

He’s never been approached by a fan before, nor had he ever really thought of it someday happening, and he already treasures you!!

You spend a while answering each other’s questions about the other and Caspar is beaming with enthusiasm the entire time

Note that he isn’t wearing his usual suit of armor, not that he was expecting an impromptu meet-and-greet, but because he just wants to look approachable to the public!

After a while of this enthusiastic conversation, you ask him for another hug, and he gladly obliges

He hugs you a little bit tighter this time, knowing that you want it, and if you’re shorter than he is?? Not problem, he’ll just pick you up

If you’re ok with it, he’ll lift you up to sit on his shoulder(s), with your legs hugging his neck and sides

He absolutely cherishes this moment!! It gives him a less metaphorical feeling of being a protector of his people, and he loves watching you smile and laugh while you guys talk!

After he realizes how long he’s spent with you, he sets you down/lets you go, and tells you that he needs to go find Linhardt, since he promised him that he’d meet up with him

He does, though, offer to take you with him

“I don’t mind at all! I’m not in a rush, and I doubt Linhardt is either...though, he’s never really in a rush for anything except his bed.”

Linhardt von Hevring

You approach him and wave at him, and he gives you a confused look complete with a small head-tilt

He points at himself as if to ask you “Who, me?”

Once you nod to confirm that yes, it is him whose attention you are seeking, his expression softens to a small smile

He takes your hand and holds it up a bit, tilting his head toward the floor but still looking to your eyes

“Good day, milady. I am Linhardt von Hevring, crest scholar to-be. It is most wonderful to meet you, though I fail to see how I drew your interest among my...”flashier” colleagues.

You have to explain to him that you’re a fan of his, and that you admire him and all that he did to contribute to the war and to bring Fódlan to where it is now

He’s a blushing mess by the end of it

Are his eyes...watering?

He gives you a light chuckle before adding, “For someone who never wished to be a part of that war to begin with, I guess I really did do something wonderful then...”

You give him a smile, and give him a small kiss to his cheek in an attempt to validate him

He feels so blessed

Like he’s only just met you but he just doesn’t understand what he did that was so great to deserve a FAN

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, miss, but I already appreciate you so much; thank you.”

When you ask him for a hug, he is happy to comply

He first gives you a long full-body hug, hugging you tightly but not enough to be uncomfortable

You feel his hands behind you gripping your shirt a little bit

He’s just way too happy and surprised

After you both pull back from that one, he leans in again and tilts his head a little bit, silently asking if another hug is ok, and you nod/giggle as a “yes”

This time, he slips his arms around your waist and hugs you pressing his face slightly into your neck, and you can sort of feel his breath along the hairs at the back of your neck

To complete this hug, you sling your arms around his neck, reciprocating where he placed his head

He smells like a mix of dewdrops on grass and lavender

Right before he pulls back, you feel him grumble and whisper into your ear/shoulder- “you’re cute”

As you’re pulling back from the hug, Caspar approaches the both of you

“Wow, Linhardt. You’re certainly in a better mood than usual.”

Linhardt lets his friend’s comment slide off of him as he rolls his eyes and reaches for your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze

“Caspar and I were about to pay a visit to the marketplace- would you care to join us?”

Sylvain Jose Gautier

You don’t approach him. Actually, he approaches you.

You were going to approach him either way, so he’s just making the task easier on your end ;)

“Well,” he began to greet you, relaxing his arms behind his head and swaying his body a bit, “what have we here? Pardon me for intruding on such a breathtaking young woman as yourself, but my name is Sylvain. Pleasure to meet you.”

He takes your hand and presses a kiss on top of it, winking at you

You smile at this, and he gives you a flashy grin in return

His flirtatious attitude is secret to none, and you knew what you were getting into before you even waved hello

You begin to explain that you were actually going to approach him before he beat you to it

He almost laughs at this, and places a hand on your shoulder/hip

“Why on earth would you ever need to approach someone for their attention? At least from how I’ve experienced things, you draw eyes from anyone who can see you.”

You both chat with each other a bit, you further explaining to him how you are a fan of his and that you admire him and his heroic deeds

He gives you an almost quizzical look, before laughing and shaking his hand a bit

“Well, call me flattered! To be honest, most women only ever approach me to try and get a date with me for my noble status, so thank you for your kind words milady! They mean a lot to me.”

You smile back at him, and ask him for a hug

In response, he throws his whole body a bit, acting shocked

“Woah there, frisky! No need to get hasty with things!”

He winks at you again

Your eyebrows raise in surprise before he dismisses his prior reaction as a joke, and asks you if it’s ok for him to hug you

He may be a flirt, but he’s a flirt with standards- even a hug with a girl in his eyes requires consent

After you approve, he picks you up and hugs you

It’s kind of a sloppy hug, but a great one at that

The way he hugs you is energetic and playful, and after he sets you down, you get up on your tip-toes and throw your arms around his neck for another hug, and he hugs you around the waist to reciprocate

Once you both release from the hug, Sylvain latches his arm in yours

“You know, now that that stupid war is over I have a lot more free time. Are you free this evening, at about...right now?”

Bonus: If you accept his offer for the date, he gives you a piggyback ride the entire way there, and if you’re ok with heights, he seats you on his shoulders while you talk on your way to wherever you want to go

bonus that nobody asked for: how likely each of them are to develop a (lasting) platonic or romantic relationship with you after these interactions

on a scale of 1 being not likely to 5 being most likely

Ferdinand: 3/5

Hubert: 2/5

Caspar: 4/5

Linhardt: 5/5

Sylvain: 4/5

AAA thank you anon once again for this request!!! it was really fun to write, and you have lowkey turned me on to writing Linhardt...he is so much fun to write!!!

also sorry i’m bad at writing Hubert

~our askbox is still, as always, open to requests, prompts, and ideas- they don’t need to be like this one, either! we/i will write for the girls, too!~

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palendromicdragonrider · 5 years

Text

Turn Back the Hands - Part 2

“Aaand I think that’s everything,” Claude said, patting his mare on the back as he closed the door to her stable.

“I think you are right,” Byleth said. “It seems your classmates have all made it back to their dorms already.”

“They’re probably exhausted from the day’s events. I wouldn’t blame them for wanting to rush to bed.”

“And you? Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m in no rush to get back to my dorm,” Claude admitted. Now that he was back, he would not be able to hide from the death threat that was slipped under his door. Hopefully he could gain some ground on finding the person who was after him before their next mission. “Where are you off to next, Teach? May I escort you?”

“I have to speak with Lady Rhea about how the mission went,” Byleth answered.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? You should have gone to see her as soon as we arrived.”

“I could hardly leave my students alone until I knew they had completed all of their duties, now could I?”

Claude looked around dramatically, making the point that he was the only student present. “If I didn’t know better, Teach, I would almost say you just tried to make a joke.”

Byleth did that thing again. For the briefest moment, her eyes crinkled, as if she was going to smile. But she didn’t. “Good thing you know better, then. Are you going to escort me or not?” Byleth turned towards the church building, leaving Claude scrambling to catch up.

“Good old Teach, as stony-faced as usual.”

“What does that mean?”

“Hmm,” Claude mused, pondering how far he wanted to take this. He had not quite meant to say what he did out loud, but perhaps getting her to open up a little about her emotions—or lack thereof—would also help loosen her tongue. “I can never tell what’s going on in your head. Whether you’re feeling resigned or if you’re just lost in thought. Or maybe you simply don’t care about anything that’s going on around you.” Byleth looked up and frowned at him.

“You think I don’t care about anything?” she asked.

“Oh. . . Sorry. That came off a little more rude than I meant it to.” It was actually exactly as rude as he meant it to be. The easiest way to pull emotion out of someone was to shake the ground beneath their feet a bit. “I guess I’m just trying to say that I find you fascinating. Like a puzzle I can’t quite figure out.”

“If you find me fascinating, you have a bit of a funny way of saying it,” Byleth said, the slight frown still on her face.

“Maybe I’m not coming off clearly,” Claude sighed. He pretended to scramble for the right words to say. Byleth leaned in closer. “Let me start over. Before you came here, you were a mercenary, right? Always getting your hands dirty on the battlefield and what not?”

“Obviously,” Byleth replied cautiously. “That’s how you and I met.”

“Exactly! It’s a bit unusual that you suddenly decided to become a teacher one day. How does one go from being the cold-hearted mercenary referred to as the Ashen Demon to teaching a bunch of teenagers at a monastery?”

“I actually didn’t make the decision, if that answers your question. Had my father not been recognized by Alois, he and I would still happily be taking jobs as mercenaries together.”

This was all known to Claude already, but he was grateful to get her talking. Perhaps getting her comfortable enough to discuss the Red Canyon would not be so difficult after all. But he would not reach that topic yet. Not until she had opened up a little more. “Did your father teach you how to fight?” he asked.

“Yes, he did,” Byleth said, a hint of pride in her voice.

“I figured. Your father used to lead the Knights, didn’t he? And I hear he was a legendary mercenary as well.” His next words would be a bit of a stretch, but what was life without risks? “It must have been hard on your mother when you followed in your father’s footsteps and became a mercenary, too.”

“I never knew my mother,” Byleth admitted.

“I see,” Claude said. That was actually something he did not know. It was not uncommon for the knights of Seiros to have wives and families that lived back in their home villages rather than relocating to the monastery. Until that moment, Claude had assumed that Jeralt was in a similar position. He recollected himself quickly. “I’m guessing you grew up moving from battlefield to battlefield with your father, then?”

“That sounds about right.”

Claude smirked at her. Though it meant his work would be more difficult than anticipated, he was amused by the fact that Byleth’s expression did not change the entire time that they spoke. Still, he persevered. “You know, for someone who’s right about the same age as me, you certainly have an unusual amount of composure.” Claude looked up towards the church. He noticed then that Byleth was walking slower than usual. Normally he would blame her height, but that never seemed to stop her before. “Though maybe I’ve just been in the wrong company as of late. I guess it’s only natural that you’d be different from most of the students here. So many of them are young nobles who grew up in the lap of luxury.”

“I hardly see what nobility has to do with it. I am this way because I had to be this way under pressure. Such is the life of a mercenary.” Byleth looked up at Claude, a speculative gleam in her eyes. “If we are going to point fingers, you don’t seem like a noble, either,” she said.

Claude laughed, though he did not expect to. “Well,” he sighed. “Even so, I am a noble.” Heir to House Riegan, the ‘leading family of the Alliance,’ among other titles, he thought with little amusement. “But I didn’t exactly grow up in luxury like most people of noble blood.” He ran a hand through his hair. The conversation was going in a direction he did not want it to go. “Maybe that’s why you and I get along so well.” Claude nudged Byleth playfully. “Folks like us should stick together.”

“Luckily for me, that won’t be too difficult to do. I am professor of the Golden Deer house, after all.”

They were close to the stairs now. As Lady Rhea was hardly likely to be okay with a student wandering around this late at night, Claude figured this was his last chance to have Byleth’s attention. “Yes,” he began, “and as house leader, I’ll do all that I can to help you out.” Claude bowed deeply and fluttered his cape, giving Byleth a wink.

“I would greatly appreciate that, Claude Von Riegan,” Byleth said. Instead of walking upward, she stopped just by the steps. Perfect! Claude thought. “Though I do hope you mean that beyond just escorting me from one well-guarded area to another.”

“Oh, certainly!” Claude beamed. “We can start by making time for more little chats like this. Getting to know each other better. Then if there was anything you ever needed to know from me, you would not need to go out of your way to ask.”

Byleth huffed, crossing her arms and shifting her weight from one hip to the other. Gods, Claude thought. Byleth had a gaze that could burn through a man’s skull. “You are very funny, Claude,” she said. “You are witty and charming, and that is not the sort of thing I would say to just anyone.”

“Why, thank you,” Claude said calmly, though his tone made him nervous.

“But why do I get the impression that you want something from me?”

Claude gulped. Even when he thought he was ahead, it turned out that Byleth was two steps further. “I—“

“You aren’t hitting on me, are you? Because despite how young I am, as your teacher—“

“No! No. Nothing like that,” Claude assured her. He found himself more than a little offended. Sure, Claude could be flirtatious, but it was always light-hearted, and in no way exclusive to just Byleth. To think Claude was actually making a move on her would mean she ultimately lumped him with the likes of Sylvain, the notorious playboy from the Blue Lion house, and that guy—

“What is it then?” Byleth demanded, her tone more harsh than before.

Claude groaned. This really was not his day. He recalled what Byleth had told him on the mission, about how she could tell if he was lying. Defeated, he replied, “On the way back, you seemed transfixed by that canyon.” That must not have been what Byleth expected, as her stance softened. “Did something. . . Happen there? What do you know about it?”

“It’s nothing,” Byleth said. She averted her eyes away from Claude.

Claude found himself stiffening. “Nice try, but you can’t get anything past me.” He tried to keep his tone light. If she’s going to call me on my bluff, then I will give her the same treatment. “You saw something. . . Or felt something. I’m sure of it.” Byleth took a slight step away from him. Maybe he was coming on too strongly. Claude reminded himself that it was often better to play the long game, and be patient, than to lose his prey altogether. He smiled gently at Byleth. “But hey. If you don’t want to share, that’s fine by me. Everyone has their secrets. Although, I’ll admit, there is something about that canyon that had me captivated, as well. I was hoping you could give me some insight.”

“I can’t,” Byleth said. “And that’s the truth. I’m sorry.”

“I believe you,” Claude said, hoping to hide the disappointment in his tone. ?

“What was it you thought I would know?”

Claude arched an eyebrow a her. “Well, I overheard you saying you remembered Zanado being a peaceful place. It got me wondering how Zanado came to be called the Red Canyon. I mean, nothing there was actually red. . .”

“Unless the red was blood. . .” Byleth finished.

Claude looked at her pointedly. So she did know something. Whether she knew it or not. Byleth grew more and more intriguing by the second. “How would you know that, though?”

Byleth shook her head and shrugged, as if she realized what she had said. “Must have read it in a book somewhere. My father always had a bunch of old books laying around.” She squared her shoulders. “It’s getting late,” she said. “You should get some rest. I’ll see you at class tomorrow.”

“Right. . . Goodnight, Teach.”

“Goodnight, Claude.”

Claude walked back towards the dorms as Byleth headed up the stairs to see Rhea. But Claude was not going to give up that easily. There was something he wasn’t being told, and that little obsessive part of his mind that wanted to know everything going on around him would not relent until he knew what it was. There was something. . .significant about the Red Canyon. He felt it, ever since. . .

Marianne. . .

He followed Byleth up the stairs.

It was a wonder that he did not run into any school staff on his way up, but considering the time of day, he assumed that everyone was in their quarters. Nonetheless, Claude was careful to step lightly and listen for any footsteps coming down the stairs. When he reached the second floor, the door was already closing behind Byleth. Dammit, Claude thought. He approached the archbishop’s audience chamber. This was not his first attempt to eavesdrop. Far from it. In his favor, the room beyond the door was ceiling to floor made of stone. Rooms with carpets and drapery tended to absorb more sound. Claude pressed himself against the door near its hinge, both for the slight opening between the door and the wall, as well as the little shadowed corner that he could hide in should anyone walk by.

“—So, you have safely disposed of the bandits,” Claude could hear the archbishop Rhea say. “I pray that their souls find salvation.”

Blah, blah, blah, Claude thought impatiently.

“But why did they target the students to begin with? We must further investigate the true cause of all that took place. Until we know more, I ask that you—”

Target the students? Claude repeated his head.

He thought of earlier that day. The man who had leapt out of nowhere, his sword drawn, Claude barely lifting his bow in time, the dead face staring up at him. . .

He recognized that face.

It did not occur to him in the moment he had killed him, but Claude had seen the man before. The night that he, Edelgard, and Dimitri were out camping. The night that they were attacked. The night that Byleth saved them.

The two sets of bandits were one and the same, he realized. The idea caused his body to quiver slightly. Why would he be tasked with eliminating them without being told who they were, how they were significant to him personally? For a reason he could not explain, he felt betrayed. Claude clenched his fists. His emotions would have to be dealt with later. He wanted to hear the rest of this conversation between Byleth and Rhea.

“And just what are you doing?!” A voice demanded. Claude jumped. A turn of his head brought him face-to-face with Seteth, Rhea’s advisor. His face was set in a deeper scowl than usual as he looked down at Claude.

“Ah, Seteth!” Claude beamed. “I was just looking for Teach. She ran ahead to speak to Rhea while I finished putting away our equipment from the mission. I told her I would report to her when the job was done.”

“Is that why you had your ear pressed against the archbishop’s door?” Seteth questioned.

“I could hardly burst in on them if they were having an important meeting, now could I? I was waiting for the conversation to turn into casual pleasantries.” Claude put on his most innocent smile. “Why, is there something I’m not supposed to hear?”

Seteth groaned, pressing his pointer finger and thumb against the bridge of his nose. “As if I would tell you if there were,” he replied. “You may be heir to the leading house of the Leicester Alliance, but as long as you are in this monastery, you are a student like everyone else. If you could at least try to respect the privacy of the faculty and the religious leaders here, it would be greatly appreciated.”

“But of course! I shall conduct myself more appropriately in the future!” Claude exclaimed.

Seteth scoffed. “Now, step aside. Isn’t it past your curfew anyway? I will pass along your message to Professor Byleth, if you like.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Seteth!”

Claude side-stepped past Seteth and made a bee-line for the stairway. He was fortunate that the man was not as perceptive as Byleth. Or. . . At the very least, that Seteth was likely to call Claude out on his bullshit. No doubt Claude would get an earful from Byleth the next day, but that was far down on the list of his worries. Byleth knew that the bandits they were after were the same ones that had tried to kill him, and she did not tell him. What if they were connected to the note in his room? What if someone in the monastery was behind the first attack, and wanted another shot at getting Claude killed while off the church grounds? Even if that were not the case, Claude had the right to know who he was facing. Know your enemies, he thought bitterly. He was reviled as a schemer, but his schemes had their uses.

The gears in Claude’s head were turning. . .

“Hragh!” Claude grunted, swinging his training axe down. Hilda blocked his blow, though not without effort. She stumbled backward a couple of steps to avoid falling completely.

“Hey!” Hilda protested. “I thought you were going to go easy on me when we practiced today.”

“Sorry,” Claude said, pulling back his axe. “I got a little carried away.”

“Well let’s try getting a little less carried away,” Hilda retorted. “The professor said we were not supposed to spar today, just focus on our form. And I will not be putting in anymore effort than is necessary! Our mission yesterday really took the energy out of me.”

Claude frowned at the mention of Byleth. She had avoided talking to him all morning, but the way she watched him during her lecture earlier that morning, he knew she had spoken to Seteth. Claude would be lucky to get away with working in the stables for the next week. It was more likely he would be shoveling shit the entirety of the upcoming month.

“Claude? Are you listening to me?”

“Huh? What?” Claude asked. Hilda groaned.

“I said, ‘let’s get this over with.’ Swing your axe!”

Claude rolled his shoulders and lifted his axe. “ Ready when you are.”

“I think,” Hilda panted, “that’s enough for today.”

“I agree,” Claude huffed. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the front end of his shirt. Sylvain whistled at him from the other end of the training grounds.

“Looking good, your highness! Why don’t you lift that up a little higher?” Sylvain’s friend Felix, who was standing right beside him, punched him in the arm.

“Be mature,” Felix said.

“I’m just checking out the competition,” Sylvain said. He blew a kiss at Claude, who pretended to catch it then winked at him. Gods, how Claude hated that guy. But he had to give him some credit: part of Claude’s laid-back and flirtatious persona was adapted from men like Sylvain that Claude knew back home. It was easiest to get things done in private when nobody took you seriously in public.

Sylvain laughed at Claude’s reaction while Felix looked unimpressed. The sound of the door leading back to the monastery grounds opening drew Claude’s attention away. Edelgard entered, sending a wave of silence through the courtyard. There was something about her presence that was captivating. And it wasn’t just the fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous. There were plenty of other pretty girls walking around the monastery. Claude decided it must be the way she carried herself that demanded a certain level of respect, whether or not you were not under her rule. Even Dimitri, the leader of the the Blue Lions and prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faergus, seem to defer to her whim, though he would never openly admit it. At least in that case, Claude was sure that Dimitri had more than a little crush on Edelgard. He could practically hear the royal wedding bells ringing whenever they were around each other.

But Edelgard’s powerful presence was not the reason Claude was watching her now. He had actually been hoping to run into her that day. Her. . . Or Dimitri, technically, as well. But between the two, Edelgard was by far the more shrewd. Despite his skill with a lance, Dimitri was still naive in many ways.

“Hey, Eddie!” Claude called as he approached the white-haired princess. Edelgard rolled her eyes.

“Claude,” she started. “I believe I have asked you before not to call me that. How can I help you? Need help pulling a prank? I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be the right girl for the job.”

“It’s nothing like that,” Claude assured her. He put is arm around her shoulders and led her farther away from the center of the training grounds. “I was actually hoping that we could talk about the night we got attacked by the bandits,” he whispered.

Edelgard blinked, her eyes widening. “You mean right before school started, the night we were saved by Professor Byleth?”

“Is there any other night that I could be talking about?”

“I suppose not,” Edelgard admitted. “What about it?”

“Do you ever wonder why they were after us?”

“Oh, you mean three wealthy teenagers wandering around without guards in the middle of the woods?” Edelgard laughed. “They wanted our money, Claude. I would think that would be obvious to a guy like you.”

“I think the insults are a little unnecessary right now,” Claude said with a frown.

Edelgard’s brow furrowed. She crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you getting at?”

“Do you think it’s possible that someone. . . I don’t know. Informed the bandits that the three future leaders of Fódlan’s nations were all going to be out of the protection of the monastery for one night? That maybe someone was behind their attack ‘cause they wanted us—“

“Dead?”

“Exactly.”

Edelgard looked around the courtyard. It was doubtful anyone could hear them, but more than one pair of eyes were watching them. It was no secret that their personalities tended to clash more often than not. Edelgard leaned in closer. “You mean like an assassination?”

“Yes.”

“Have you talked to Dimitri about this?”

“No,” Claude said. “I haven’t seen him yet today.”

“Good. Then don’t talk to him about it.”

“Why not?!” Doesn’t he deserve the right to know?”

“I don’t think we should incite a panic,” Edelgard hissed.

“Give the guy some credit.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if-“

“If what?

Edelgard’s eyes flicked behind Claude, ever so briefly.

“A bunch of us are going to the town tonight. There’s supposed to be dancing, drinking, mingling. . . You should join us.”

“It’s against the school’s rules to be beyond the gate past curfew.”

Edelgard laughed aloud, as if trying to draw attention. Claude figured it was her way of saying she wanted to wrap up the conversation they were having. “You are too funny, Claude. It’ll be fun. You can get the chance to know some of your classmates better—and some of the students from other houses, as well. I heard Sylvain and Felix mention they were going to be there, for example.”

Ah, that’s what she was getting at. So now Claude had to be all buddy-buddy with Dimitri’s childhood friends? Great. Just wonderful. “I’ll see what I can manage,” Claude said.

“Good.” Edelgard patted Claude on the shoulder. “Now, if you will excuse me. I have some training to do.” She sauntered away towards the rack of training weapons as Claude watched her. The other students pretended as if they had been sparring the entire time, but most of them kept glancing between Claude and Edelgard nervously. Everyone, that is, except Hilda, who openly gawked. Claude avoided her gaze as he headed towards the door. Before he made it out to the monastery grounds, Hilda was right beside him, looping her arm through his.

“Cla-aude,” she sang, “you’ve even keeping secrets.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, darling,” Claude replied sarcastically. Hilda only giggled.

“Puh-lease! I saw you flirting with Edelgard. Saying good-for-nothings in hushed tones while looking into each other’s eyes? I didn’t know you were the ‘fraternizing with the enemy’ type.” She elbowed him playfully in the ribs at the word “fraternizing.”

“It’s nothing like that,” Claude argued. “She just invited me out to the town tonight to go dancing.”

“And will that be with or without her tongue down your throat?”

“How can I manage that when I have another girl go with me?”

Hilda’s eyes widened. “Who?!” she demanded.

“You,” Claude said. Hilda stopped walking.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Why not? I’ve known you longer than anyone else here, anyway. I would love to have you go as my date.”

“Oh, so it’s me you want to make out with now?”

“Trust me, I am not trying to make out with anyone tonight. You’re more like a buffer.”

“Good. Because as cute as you are, you’re not exactly my type.”

“You mean because I won’t do your chores for you in hopes of you giving me a smile, or a bat of your eyelashes?”

“Hey, now!”

“Look, do you want to come with or not? Don’t worry about my reasons, just come and have fun. I promise I’m a great dancer.”

Hilda crossed her arms and hummed, as if she were pondering his offer.

“Fine,” she said. “But if we get caught, I’m telling Professor Byleth that it was all your idea.”

“I have no objections.” Claude kissed Hilda’s hand. “Meet me in my room at ten?”

“Sounds like a plan!” Hilda replied. She skipped back towards the dorms muttering about what to wear, and Claude stalked towards the classrooms. He hoped Dimitri would be there. No matter what Edelgard said, he had the right to know if someone was trying to kill them. Though he had to admit, he was curious about what she meant by asking Felix and Sylvain about him. As his childhood friends, they were bound to have dirt on him, if any existed. But Dimitri just seemed so pure. The poor guy couldn’t have possibly done anything worse in his life than kill a fly.

Claude groaned inwardly. There were too many secrets going around. He had hoped moving to Fódlan a year ago would simplify his life, not make it more complicated. Much luck of that happening any time soon. Claude reached the Blue Lion’s classroom, and the door was wide open. He peered in. No lectures were going on, and only a few students remained at the desks talking with each other. None of them were Dimitri.

Claude’s stomach growled, reminding him that it was well past midday. He realized that Dimitri could be in the mess hall, too. Claude rushed in that direction, but to his dismay, Dimitri was not there either.

Shit, Claude thought. He did not know off the top of his head where else to look for him. And while the monastery was not too big going in a straight line, it had a significant number of nooks and crannies where a person could hide. Still, while he was there, Claude figured he should eat. There was always the chance that Dimitri would still show up.

Students stared up at him as he walked past to grab a plate. After the first few weeks of such behavior, Claude was more or less used to it. After all, he was the House Leader for the Golden Deer and the future leader of the Alliance. The fact that no one knew where he had been before his grandfather legitimized him as an heir seemed to only make students more intrigued by him. Claude had heard the circling gossip speculating on where he came from many a time. Some guesses were wilder than others. None of them accurate.

“Claude!” A voice called. From across the hall, Lysithea was waving frantically to catch his attention. “Come and eat with us.” Claude noticed Leonie sitting across from her at the long table. He smiled and waved back in agreement. Once he had his food, he sat down beside her. Leonie seemed particularly interested in her lunch.

“How was training today? Did you and Hilda get a good workout in?” Lysithea asked.

“I did the best that I could, considering Teach wanted me to use an axe instead of a bow today,” Claude said. Probably the first of my punishments for eavesdropping on her conversation with Rhea yesterday. “As for Hilda. . .”

“Say no more,” Lysithea groaned. “Unless it is makeup or jewelry, I have never seen that girl put effort into anything.” Claude thought he could have been making it up, but it sounded like there was a hint of jealousy in Lysithea’s tone.

“Yeah, trying isn’t her strong suit. If I remember correctly, I think she has an older brother that spoils her rotten or something.”

“Hmm,” Leonie grunted.

“Are you still in a foul mood?” Lysithea groaned.

“Why? What happened?” Claude asked.

“It’s nothing. . .” Leonie muttered.

“One of the boys in her archery class mistook her for a boy today,” Lysithea said in a fake whisper. Claude looked over at Leonie, who was finally looking up, but with a scowl on her face.

“No offense, but I didn’t take you for the kind of girl who cared what a guy thinks.”

“I don’t,” Leonie asserted.

“So I see,” Claude laughed. “Well, how about I cheer you up tonight? Hilda and I are sneaking into town after curfew. There’s supposed to be dancing and partying or something. Come with us. A good dance under the stars can turn any frown upside down!”

“What if we get caught?” Leonie asked.

“Caught schmaught! You are sneaking out with the master of schemes! I’m sure I can think of a way to get us out okay.”

“Umm,” Lysithea interrupted. “What about me? Aren’t you going to ask me to go dancing too?”

“Oh, I would never mess with a child’s bedtime.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“I’m joking, I’m joking! Of course you can come with us! As long as you’re okay with breaking school rules, losing out on sleep, possibly a little drinking. . .”

“On second thought, I’ll pass.”

“Actually, I like the idea of seeing you drunk, Lysithea,” Leonie snickered.

“Yes, I’m sure it would be a hoot,” Lysithea said with a roll of her eyes. “But seriously. Have fun without me. I guess I could cover for you if you needed it.”

“Aw, you are too kind!” Claude beamed. He bent over and kissed her cheek, if only to annoy her. Lysithea made it too easy to tease her.

“Gross, gross! Stop!” Lysithea protested, pushing Claude’s face away. Her cheeks were flushed red, but she was laughing.

“So then, oh grand leader,” Leonie began, leaning her arms on the table. “How are we going to get out of here without the guards seeing us.”

Claude looked around, half to make sure no monastery staff were in hearing distance and half to see if he could spot Dimitri. Still no luck. He turned back to Leonie and Lysithea, a sly grin on his face and hands laced menacingly together. “I am so glad you asked,” he said, “Because I was wondering if you had any rope left over from hunting. . .”

#fe3h turn back the hands #claude von reigen #fe3h claude #fe3h fanfic #claude x byleth #Fire Emblem Three Houses #fire emblem #fe3h #claude von riegan

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songcharme · 4 years

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Another Long Ass Meta Time(tm):

I love how in Dorothea’s support with Sylvain, Dorothea calls Sylvain out for his attitude towards women, recognizing that his flirtatious tendencies are disingenuous and reveal a subtle hatred towards women, almost like its obvious to the discerning eye. But really, I can’t help but feel like this could also be a reflection of herself, (like hey, its fucked up how you treat these girls like their nothing yet you claim to love them, you’ve got some issues don’t you? Why aren’t you being honest with yourself?

Just admit it: you hate them because you only view them as something that wants what you can offer but not the real you-- so you use them knowing it hurts them, and it hurts you in the end) like she also flirts with men with the purpose of finding a man to marry, leaning strictly towards noblemen or wealthy men because they hold financial stability and this translates to stability in living a comfortable life and while she claims to want to find an ideal partner, the men she dates never earns a second date (hm...........................almost like the list of traits she looks for in a man aren’t there.........almost like whenever she tries to date a man she’s immediately uninterested and inevitably disappointed.........hm............dunno lads, but Something about that doesn’t feel right...dang...can’t imagine why...). But Dorothea doesn’t pretend that her persute to marry into money is anything other than that, in face she never disguises her disgust with noblemen (I would reach out to say that she has own personal brand of hatred for men, which would mark her as a hypocrite but...y’know(tm) ) and in her various supports has made her distaste quite clear.

The parallel between Sylvain and Dorothea’s characters is so fascinating to me; like thinking about how in Part I, Dorothea establishes her intent to settle down with a man to marry while in the same breath denouncing Sylvain’s careless attitude in flitting from one woman to the next is hypocrisy, at least on the surface. She’s able to recognize he’s full of shit because its the same act she’s playing as well. No (sane, rational decidedly non-heterosexual) woman would want to marry any man they hated, and we’re not bringing politics in this sense Dorothea is a born commoner she’s free of the obligation of marrying for bringing stronger ties to her house. She’s blessed in that respect. But it doesn’t lessen her hatred any less, nor does it make it easier in dealing with her compulsive heterosexuality (more on that later).

Both of them have self-destructive tendencies when it comes to relationships: Sylvain’s carefree attitude is designed to disappoint people’s expectations over him because he finds it suffocating, while simultaneously seeking a true relationship that doesn’t stem from his bloodline or noble status. Meanwhile, Dorothea flirts and teases because that’s the tool she’s used to survive. In my last meta post I mentioned how she doesn’t know how to live her life, only to survive. Both of these characters have trauma that shaped them to cope in different ways, and it shapes their perception of the opposing gender, mostly in negative ways.

(That’s not to say that they’re completely blameless. I feel like they are victims of the society’s failure to address certain structures regarding the classes & the crest system: meaning that if crests were removed from the equation, the suffering wrought upon them wouldn’t have happened. But that’s an entirely separate discussion that’s been debated into the ground countless times so I’ll leave this be.)

In Part II we see a drastic change in their attitude as not only a result of the war but in their development between them. With Dorothea its profound, her demeanor is somber from the battles fought and lives shes had to take in consequence to the path she chooses to walk along side the house she’s been recruited into. Here we see her as almost disinterested, almost abandoning the notion entirely (understandable because there’s no guarantee she’ll survive the next battle or even if she’ll live long enough to find someone to marry).

The difference between Sylvain and Dorothea, I find at least, is that Sylvain actively avoids settling down to marry any woman (mostly noblewomen) because he is perceived as the gateway to his wealth & lineage. As much as he claims to ‘love’ women and how every woman he flirts with is the ‘love’ of his life, it’s a rehearsal composed to appeal to any girl (& boy) taken easily by his romanticism. While he never had an easy childhood and never wanted to be placed on a pillar that was afforded him because of his crest, he knows that eventually the woman he’s assigned to marry won’t love him genuinely for who he is, which in turn fosters resentment, and eventually hatred, towards women.

Dorothea, however, was cast out of her noble father’s home when her mother, a maid in waiting, bore a crestless child. Her mother would eventually fall ill and die, leaving Dorothea orphaned, homeless and destitute while struggling to survive. What saved her from the probably death she would have suffered was her gift of singing and natural beauty, which is polished through after she’s ‘cleaned’ of the filth that she carried while living on the streets. These natural attributes are the only thing that keep her off the streets, the same as Sylvain’s crest keeps him living a comfortable life. Unlike Sylvain, Dorothea worked hard to refine her beauty and singing ability to become a diva in a famous opera house, one that almost rivaled Manuela. She was able to establish connections and favors from nobles in order to become a student at the officers academy (before passing the entrance exam, check mate haters) while Sylvain likely gained entrance because of his family’s wealth, much like the rest of the nobles in Fodlan.

Their class status and gender are all that separate them, otherwise they are similar in their circumstances and honestly they do have mutual respect for each other, after they have a conversation (or three) and recognize the suffering they endure and how its reflective of their own suffering.

#˚ ⊹ 🌹 ∘ ⡊ ❛ i’m the girl you’d die for / meta. ❜#long post /#ask tbt.#oof...i know im bouncing around a lot and thats the adhd sorry unu but i needed to get these thoughts written down #just have so many feelings & not enough words to articulate it so if i repeat points thats my bad

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