#( sylvain > t003 )

[txnichtgut-archive]

@ofstarsandskies°•*⁀➷ DOMESTIC INTIMACY PROMPTS | CLOSED

╰┈➤ ❝ [ [ HUG ] sender embraces receiver, burying their face in receiver’s chest / To Sylvain from Ludger C: ]  ❞

"hey lud---" sylvain was certainly caught off guard when ludger suddenly embraced him, even rubbing his cheek against his chest. "i don't have anything against cute young boys embracing me, certainly not---but what's the ocassion?" the last battle went fairly well, sylvain could handle himself in a fight. he may seem a little brainless at times, given his reputation, but sylvain understood battle tactics and strategies quite well. given his interest in history, he had even studied them closely, being able to understand formations with just a simple look.

nothing he'd boast about though. being a nerd certainly did not appeal to woman after all. "you also want a welcome back kiss?"

[kriegsveteranen-archive]

"why would i ever say no to you, sothis?" sylvain chuckled softly. he'd not turn down any woman, he was far too kind but trying to correct his ways was not easy. he still couldn't turn down ladies and he often enjoyed doing things out of spite, to embarrass his father, to rebel against his ways and to show him how much he cared about having this crest which only brought him unwanted attention. it also showed him which lady was honestly interested and which just wanted a fuck from a crest boy.

sothis however, she didn't need a crest, she probably didn't even need a man in her life. she was after all not as human as the rest of the academy. at times he found it hard to put into words, but earthly demands... human desires, did she even have anything like that? maybe she also had been a human before ascending to a higher... plain of existence.

he really didn't know all that much but she seemed to be enjoying herself, especially when she was lifted up, so instead of following the dance routine, he made sure to lift her up a few more times before gently putting her down when the music ended.

"did you enjoy it? if you want... i can do it more often. i mean, you're hardly heavier than a feather."

No, Sothis wouldn’t do that at all. Sylvain doesn’t deserve to be wiped out, especially when he’s done nothing! Nothing at all. If he didn’t want to, she didn’t mind. She knew height difference was a blessing and a curse, it just depended on the situation, such as this. She was about to suggest something, when he nodded.

This tradition dance wasn’t something she was use to, but she wanted to delve a bit into the art. There was something almost intimate dancing with another person for the duration of a song. Touch, being in sync.

Her hands were placed on Sylvain’s arms, a comfortable height rather than try to reach up for his shoulders. She moved with him, her gaze upwards to his face. And - oh! She was lifted! That filled her with delight, and she even laughed! Oh she truly was missing out on this type of dance! “No, ‘s good! If our difference was so drastic, you could have said no, I wouldn’t have minded,” So told him. She’s delighted regardless.

“Can you lift me again, Syl?”

[txnichtgut-archive]

he could see the disbelief. maybe ludger wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but sylvain paid it no mind, because his own grades were doing just fine. he certainly needed no help, even if nobody thought of that when they heard the name sylvain... it didn't matter, he had no good reputation anymore anyways. he also didn't think he'd grow so fond of ludger to begin with, but this was... unexpected. what were they involved in?

he watched his friend's face flush bright red, head tilted curiously. big brothers could be embarassing? not that he'd know, since his own big brother tried to kill him and sylvain struck him down... the male sighed. it was so difficult to recall these memories, he decided against thinking too hard about it. maybe these brothers had a better relationship, obviously.

"i want to try," sylvain said, walking closer over to ludger, "I want to try your tomato cream puffs. is that not okay?" the male pouted a little, certainly not the cutest guy around but sylvain supposed he didn't need to be prince charming to convince ludger. ludger was by fault way too kind... to everyone.

"You are a very interesting duo to say the least." he accepted the card and looked over to ludger with a small smile. "I will be looking forward to it. i will have you know i am not extremely good at cooking but i will follow your every advice."

Julius knew the calculating stare of assessment too well. Directly interfering like this wasn't ideal, though better Sylvain question him than Ludger out them both as liabilities to the coup stretching across all corners of the monastery. Their employers (masters was more accurate) could replace them tomorrow and only those in the know would notice.

Ludger? Help study? Sylvain ought to see Ludger's middling report card. However, a big brother knows when to save his smart remarks, "I'm glad Ludger's been helpful to you as much as he is me. He may be shy, but I've yet to meet anyone as dependable as my cute baby brother." Which said baby brother's face was catching itself on fire in embarrassment. Still adorable the 50th time.

Then Sylvain said the most perplexing set of words: he never tried Ludger's cooking yet. "You haven't? After knowing him this long?" Well now, Julius must correct this oversight! "If you're willing to expand your palate, we could save you some tomato cream puffs. You'd think tomatoes and sweets wouldn't mix, but if you tried just one, you'd--"

"Nii-san, we've talked about this," Ludger cut in to save Sylvain from Julius' 30 minute sales pitch on a niche snack no one cared about. "I bake them because we don't have to share; nobody else will EVER want some."

"--And as I always say, those who turn their noses are missing out! I'd eat those cream puffs with every meal if the sugar levels was lower," But to his detriment, Julius' status as a teacher and an older brother demanded he eat a healthy diet. At least tomatoes themselves were healthy-- he'd never want to live in a world where tomatoes were nutritionally worse than candy.

...Why was he arguing again? Oh, right, Mr. Gautier brought up Ludger's cooking. "I apologize, you're not standing here to watch us bicker," Julius cleared this throat as he jotted down a special order for Sylvain to use, "Hand this to the cafeteria staff when you're able; you two can play in the kitchen after hours. Keep in mind I'll be liable for any mischief you cause, so please behave yourselves."

[kriegsveteranen-archive]

"oh, uh." well, she was fairly small in comparison and while he knew how to dance, he obviously didn't want to step on her small feet or twirl her in the air and suddenly let go---wait, he was good enough at dancing. but if she happened the become angry, she could also just erase his existence from the surface of this planet. what if not dancing also made her angry?? oh boy. the red head smiled slightly, nodding. yeah, nothing was going to happen, nothing at all. he'd hold her tightly in his embrace...

alright, so she barely reached until his lower chest... the height difference was certainly making this quite the complicated affair. nonetheless did he give it his best effort to not step on her feet, grab her tightly with both hands before also carefully lifting her up to the flow of the music.

"i hope that wasn't too bad, my lady... the slight difference in height is... certainly not easy to overcome."

Soon as they start walking? That certainly was a jump and she wasn’t expecting it. But suppose she should have! Sothis always had been fond of dancing, as it signified merriment - least to her and Nabatean culture. Now she doesn’t know all the details of royalty, as each lands and culture has their own rules and traditions but this little nugget of information was good to know.

“Mm, how interesting! Would you care for a dance, Syl?” Her legs were feeling good today, and she wanted to move. Who to move better than with this redhead? Even though their height difference is more extreme than others ..

[txnichtgut-archive]

sylvain tilted his head curiously, but ludger was abruptly stopped by his brother. of all people this one had to appear? he knew the other male was listening to his big brother as if everything he said was the truth and every command had to be obeyed. sylvain was no fan of such families and sleeping around with girls while bringing shame to the gautier name was his way of telling his father than he was indeed walking his own path. he didn't need his dad to tell him what to do, not when sylvain was merely a necessary child since he was the one bearing the crest.

he wanted his mother to be free, but it also wasn't like his father treated her badly. he just never loved her the same way he loved the mother of his half brother. a sigh slipped from his lips. why was ludger acting like this? what was he even here for? what kind of danger was he talking about?

the red haired stared at ludger. why butter up to someone you are certainly afraid of? how he could still ruffle his little brother's hair with a smile was beyond him. did he love ludger or not? didn't seem like a very healthy relationship to sylvain.

when he heard the professor's voice, he turned to look at him. "he usually helps me study. your little brother is a very smart young man, i appreciate that. i would like to spend more time with my friend." he couldn't possibly say he harbored a crush on ludger and was looking forward to getting into his pants, since he could really be darn cute... and apparently needed someone at his side.

"i would also love to taste his cooking and baking one of these days."

As expected, Sylvain had several questions for him. The most important one though was who the real Ludger is. "Everything I've told you about me hasn't been a lie," Mostly since Ludger avoided answering anything that could blow his cover. "But the reason I'm at the monastery isn't to learn--"

"Ludger, you know hiding from me won't save you from detention," Julius' gentle tone didn't prevent Ludger from flinching as his brother appeared from thin air. "The 'sneak in halfway' trick doesn't fool your big brother. Report to the classroom in an hour; I'd advise you to cook a snack since it may cut into lunchtime."

Detention...? But he didn't-- oh. "U-Um... Right! I'll, uh, make tomato cream puffs so we can share!" Ludger offered as thanks for diffusing what could've been the worst impulsive decision of his life. Who knows what danger he'd create for himself, Julius, and Sylvain if he kept going...

"Buttering me up with tomatoes? You're lucky I'm more than your professor," Julius nonetheless laughed and ruffled Ludger's cute little head. With Ludger's rationale restored, he'd address their third party, "Off that matter, I believe this is the first time we've met outside the classroom. I've wanted to speak with the illustrious Sylvain Ludger talks about; what sorts of things do you both get up to?"

[txnichtgut-archive]

sylvain couldn't stop himself from laughing when ludger finally seemed to understand. it was ridiculous, in hindsight he's been pining for ludger pretty much since he tried to uplift his spirits after he had been left by his last girlfriend. ludger was an extremely sweet and kind human, he was also plenty cute and didn't seem to be at all concerned about sylvain's crest. they had a few good laughs together and the red head was happy to see ludger get over his last crush. not to forget, that ludger had been very vehement on helping him find his one true love or even make up for being late in class.

he was truly kind.

"you like me?" sylvain raised an eyebrow before tilting his head. there was a very lingering but. what kind of people backed ludger? how come he hadn't noticed? what about that brother of his? "and you have to follow their commands? no matter what? then... who are you even?" he wasn't really angry, not at all, but... it was disappointing at least.

@txnichtgut ,as a follow-up from this ask

"They already know?!" Oh this poor lad's brain is an ice cream cone in hell. Of all secrets of his to get out, why'd it have to be the important one? "I-It's just one person, right?! Not the whole academy? I'll be lucky if I can step foot near Garreg Mach if this gets out to the wrong people--"

And then Sylvain clarified who he was referring to: Ludger himself.

"...Oh." Ludger said ever so eloquently as logic and reasoning wrestled control back. Not that it helped much because now it was having to remove the many squares from the round holes.

"Uh... S-Sorry, I didn't expect you to say that," It was as Sylvain thought: all the clues? They went in one ear and out the other without fail. Ludger couldn't read a room unless someone painted every wall with their message. "I certainly could, though there's no point in running a race you've already won. But..." There was no getting around the uncomfortable truth anymore, huh?

"While I like you too, getting closer to me's just going to upset you. The people I'm with... they're the furthest from what'd you call 'good'."

His masters were the greatest enemies of the Church of Seiros, waiting to burn everything down. And once they gave the signal, he'd have to attack and maybe kill his own classmates, including Sylvain. Getting betrayed by a friend's one thing, but your date? That's a whole new level of hurt.