#[ yet has moments where he's so shy he can't bring himself to even actively flirt with them in non-subtle ways ]

[spurnedadulthood]

▒ ▌❛ ┈ 🌺 ;┊ ( SYL-SAN. )

   A sigh pushed its way past his smooth lips when they tugged { downwards } just as his hand came up to rub the back of his neck. While a part of him was incredibly tempted to simply accept the other boy’s claim, most of him (the fraction that still clung to what few morals he still possessed like they were the lifeline keeping him afloat in a sea of mistakes); however, strongly disagreed. He wouldn’t claim he knew the other boy well - they were from two different classes and this little errand they had been { forced } to run together was simply the professor’s attempt at bringing all of the students together, but his noble upbringing and all of the training he had endured during his childhood in order to eventually serve Dimitri as a knight made him a rather decent judge of…well, constitution. And he could say, with a decent amount of { confidence }, Kensuke didn’t strike him as someone, at the moment, who could easily walk injury off or ignore it all together. He had no talent as a healer or medic, but he had basic knowledge in the department (just enough that he could dress his own wounds and keep himself from bleeding out so as to not become a { burden } in dire times), and, even without that, there was no denying the fall the other had taken during their unintentional run-in with bandits after the professor had sent them out to fetch a few supplies had been { unsightly } and hard. Even from where he stood, it looked as is the thick material of his boot had become crumbled and tight about an ankle that had clearly begun to swell.  

       Would he die? Absolutely not - assuming that ragtag gang of thieves he’d chased off didn’t have a handful of { unwanted } friends lurking in the shadows. But it was questionable whether or not, in Sylvain’s opinion, he would be able to drag himself back to the monastery with one, good leg. He was far from a { saint }. In fact, he was certain any of the girls he’d dated up until this point would be quick to shout the opposite if given the chance, but he wasn’t so devious that he would abandon a wounded classmate in the woods. “Acting tough won’t make you popular with the girls,” he heaved, extending his hand towards the other to help pull him up off of the ground. “Can you stand at all?” The answer he receives, though not unexpected, comes { sooner } than he had been prepared for when the moment the balls of the other boy’s feet roll onto the grass and he nearly stumbles right back down - or rather, he would have had Sylvain not the reflexes or muscle strength to yank him forward and grab him by the elbow to support him in place of his swollen ankle.

          “Well, that answers my question. The supplies will have to wait for now, it’s more important that we have a healer look at your ankle.” He had the sinking suspicion Kensuke would be quick to protest his aid, but, in his current condition, it was clear he wouldn’t be walking back to the monastery on his own. Kensuke was quite a bit smaller than him and Sylvain, for all of his { twisted } lies and { broken } promises, was still a man who had been crafted into a knight since his childhood - broad muscles, long limbs, and the strength to utilize them as he pleased. Needless to say, picking the other boy up and carrying him wouldn’t be difficult for him, but he somehow doubted the other would be terribly { thrilled } to learn of the plot unfolding in his head. So, instead, without warning, he kept his grasp on the other’s elbow and pulled him forward, turning to hoist him onto his back in one, smooth motion - hands moving to support his legs the moment he felt Kensuke’s chest his his back, that would hav been { impressive } if not for the fact that he’d clearly done it before - most likely to more than his fair share of women. A shame, really, for such effort to be wasted on a man when his execution of the maneuver was truly spot on.      

         “This would be more enjoyable if you were a woman, but I suppose I’ll just have to settle for the time being.” He was only vaguely serious. “At least try not to move around too much, I don’t want to drop you.” Odds were that even if the other started to { struggle } he would be able to keep him from falling back onto the ground, but he’d rather not have to put that much energy into supporting someone he wasn’t going to be able to get anything out of in the end. Still, despite what he might have claimed, he held onto Kensuke as if he expected the other try to wiggle out of his grasp as he walked back towards the monastery, { mercifully } taking a path their fellow classmates really used to preserve whatever pride the other boy might have harbored (though he didn’t feel the same way - whatever pride he had once possessed had died alongside his mother years ago; the name he carried with him now was only good for soiling).

      Now, Kensuke would be lying if he said his ankle didn’t hurt. Truth be told, the pain was so searingly hot, he reckons it might take him a while before he could return back to Garreg Mach Monastery, but at the same time, he didn’t wish to burden Sylvain with the task of looking after him. When it came down to it, Kensuke just hated holding others back and troubling them any further than necessary, so to that end, his fellow peer’s sigh only caused surprised blinks to flutter off his grey, bespectacled eyes. Considering he never knew what it’s like to have an older sibling and was only ever coddled by his mother, seeing Sylvain frown with what looked to be disapproval was enough to take him aback, yet naturally, he tries to play it cool by downplaying his pain. “ Yes, I-I believe I’ll be fine... and no offense, Syl-san, but I don’t really want to consider advice from a guy most girls actively  AVOID,  ” he’ll sigh before slowly struggling up to his feet.

    That, however, ended up being a huge mistake, for as soon as he attempted standing, a pained wince soon swept over his visage and before he knew it, he found himself teetering uncontrollably forward. Luckily, though, Sylvain managed to be quick enough in securing a tight grip over his elbow, allowing a few shaky breaths to slip past his throat. Well, apparently, he seemed to have underestimated how weak he was; then again, he’s grateful he didn’t end up hitting the ground altogether. “ Seriously? Man, talk about inconvenient; still, uh... thank you for catching me,” Kensuke hesitantly told him. In the end, he still found it prudent to speak politely, for that was simply how he was taught to act around others; regardless, he never expected Sylvain to straight up lift and spin him around until he’s directly balanced against his  BACK.

    Sure enough, his eyes were quick to immediately widen. “ H-Hey, Syl-san! What gives? ” Kensuke stammers out, only to cling his hands awkwardly over Sylvain’s shoulders when confronted with the fact there’s probably no use in arguing back.

     “ I can’t believe I actually agree with you for once. ” Yet again, another sigh ends up issuing past his throat. “ Fine, fine... I won’t bother moving. Happy? ” Rather than annoyed, however, it’s far more accurate to conclude Kensuke sounded exasperated. “ You know, you’re oddly quite pushy. Are you  LIKE  this with your younger classmates too... or is it just me? ”

@thornplucked​ } continued from here !