#dimitri fire emblem x reader

[brynn-lear]

Notes: @brynn-lear come get ur food. also this didn't turn into yandere but. um. well how about we talk about yandere stuff about this fic after you've read it ok I can't spoil this fic can I (gods I'm talking like this fic has some super mega twist it really doesn't---)

Now that I have more free time from hell than usual, I will now barge into your DMs for this. /hj

btw folks this is the fic that guaranteed Aventurine's route for whodrankit this was One Of The Greatest Trades Of All Time and man is it worth it, everyone better fricking read this, it's my husband—

Crispy Dandelions [Dimitri x F!Reader]

Fire is comfort. It warms your soul and eases your mind; even if there's always a little bit of ash that lands on your tongue. But some people only taste the ash, being engulfed in the flames. And sometimes, it fizzles out all too quickly. (Or: a slow burn about your first ever crush!)

Ao3

WC: 15.5k

TW: choose not to use archive warnings but tbh nothing much besides reader's family being kinda very utterly shit

Notes: @brynn-lear come get ur food. also this didn't turn into yandere but. um. well how about we talk about yandere stuff about this fic after you've read it ok I can't spoil this fic can I (gods I'm talking like this fic has some super mega twist it really doesn't---)

White clouds dot the sky as transient wisps, frolicking in the baby blue sky. It’s innocent and immature, unable to fathom that it shall become heavy and gray. The only thing it can comprehend of this time to come is the rain that follows, and terrifyingly clear skies. As such, white clouds will always frolick in light of its youth, but gray will always loom, inescapable.

…You really need to stop procrastinating. You grimace at the paper in front of you, remarkably empty given the time you’ve spent in front of it. It’s due in a few days, and you should really just it over with; thereby giving you at least half a day of glorious, glorious idling! And also because there’s been substantial talk of a new sweets shop that has opened in town; said to rival the oneS even back at Fhirdiad! As if you’d be late to the party. You should—no, must—finish this assignment so you can get there first thing in the morning, so you may pick from the entire assortment! Plus, you may even be able to pair some up with the tea and bread served at the bakery…

Oh and you guess it’s unbecoming for you to leave work unfinished, seeing as your slated to inherit the family business…And then your thoughts drift off again.

Your mouth waters at the mere thought of such a morning. …But by thinking so much about it, your paper remains incomplete. 

Life is cruel like that, you suppose. 

You pack up all your materials to make way for the library. It’s quiet and full of books, not to mention a complete lack of windows. That should prevent you from zoning out and staring at some clouds. 

Aside from a warm greeting from Tomas and a reminder to “keep track of the time, lest you miss the opportunity to lay your head to rest,” your entry is acknowledged by no one. Or; no one even notices. You’d prefer if it was the latter.

Suffice to say, it appears a change in scenery is what you needed. With nothing but a boring corner of books to stare into, your mind now drifts off substantially less! Apart from taking a break every now and then to stretch your legs, you and steadfast and committed to your work, and yes: your paper beams at you in its inked glory. Victory seizes your being. It was a struggle, and maybe you glossed over the fact that you took a nap and also got a snack or four, but you did it! Despite everything you did it! That sweet shop is yours for the taking now! You are supreme! You shall get everything your heart desires, and indulge! The world can go kiss your—!

“Ah, (Name). I did not expect to bump into you so late at night. Again.”

“Ah!” You jolt, nearly casing the small stack of books on the table to topple over. Who is this stranger? And how late is it?  You snap your head to the direction of the voice: and you instantly feel yourself tense. “Y-your Highness!” 

Dimitri doesn’t look disappointed or angry as you’d expect him to, given his discipline, but he is still your House Leader. You can escape discipline with a good excuse or two, but this is not the first time you’ve been caught for losing track of time like this. You’re in for a lecture, you just know it; you bet whatever grace period he’s granted you has ended with this one. Even if you have to wonder why Dimitri is up so late on such a consistent basis.

“I was just about to head back to the dorms!” You try, stuffing all of your things into your bag as inconspicuously as you can, “And as y-you know, the mock battle is coming up and all, so I’m merely making progress on the coming tribulations!” 

He frowns, “I admire the effort you’re displaying, but not getting adequate rest will render you unable to push your knowledge to its full potential.”

“Ahaha…” you nervously smile, “That’s…yeah. That is a good point, actually,” you concede. “Still, why are you up this late, Your Highness? Surely you also need the rest? You’re amongst the few who get up so early in the morning!” At this rate, you might be even worse than Linhardt! At least he gets his sleep in the daytime; you seem to get no sleep at all!

“As I recall, you are also one of the first faces I see for the day.” He smoothly replies.

“…”

“…”

Ah, silence. The sound of an impass; for you both begin to realize pushing each other will be unquestionably hypocritical. At least, you thought you both had that understanding. Your hands slightly clam, however; you’ve regressed to t-this! Utilizing logical fallacies to win an argument? Against a prince? You honestly can say you don’t care much for the social nuances of nobility, but that doesn’t mean you can disregard the thing so many put their stock into. You’ve got to abide by them whether you like it or not. Then again, you are facing the same man who you’ve heard be rumored to insist on being on a first name basis with everyone���maybe he actually IS serious about that…? Or maybe you’re just letting a million thoughts run through your mind in order to distance yourself from this nigh on oppressive silence…

“A sleep schedule such as that…” he frowns, “Is rather unconventional.”

“And one thing we’ve got in common, I guess.” You blurt. Man. You must be really tired. You aren’t even stressing out if you’re screwed yet.

“…”

Silence reigns; yet it speaks more than words could dream of. It’s challenging to both of you. The two of you are faced squarely with the same bad habit, and to rightfully reprimand the other for it is to invite it in turn. Even if Dimitri doesn’t seem opposed to brute forcing things from what you can tell, you'd think even most muscle heads would pause to think for a few seconds in this instance.

In that case, you’ll use a surefire tactic: redirecting the flow of conversation! You’re so good at it in fact that you’re sure that you could run a dam for a week without getting it flooded! And in this instance, you immediately spot an easy one.

“Say, Your Highness?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you carrying a handful of weeds?”

“Ah,” he holds the bundle of greenery, causing a bit of dirt to fall, “on my way here, I noticed a small bed of flora overtaken with weeds.”

“So, you just weeded a flower bed just…on a whim?”

He hums, innocent in his delight, “Indeed, though I would not say it to have been on a whim. I just thought those flowers deserved a chance to bloom.”

You smile, “That is a kind thing for you to have done.”

“I’m merely doing what anyone else would,” he humblely says, eating a leaf.

“I don’t think most people would—” your eyes widen when you've processed the sight in front of you.

Eating…a leaf…?

“Um…” you swallow, staring at Dimitri’s calm face; chewing. “Your Highness…?”

His eyes widen slightly. “Ah! I should’ve offered you some first,” he apologizes, offering you the bundle of weeds, “That was rather crass of me. Please, have as much as you want.”

Your shock recedes, and your expression becomes. “Your Highness,” you say, fully standing and slinging your book bag over your shoulder. Any and all concerns you have about any sort of social barriers evaporate, as you think of one and only one thing, “Follow me. And don’t eat any more of those weeds.”

“Hold, just where do you want us to go?” He frowns. 

“The kitchens. There’s better ways to eat those weeds of yours.” 

—

Cooking takes up a familiar humdrum. Undoubtedly, the best part about it is starting the fire. It starts small, before crackling and flaring to passionate life. You always enjoy looking at it before starting to cook, and you put it out with a resigned attitude. Yeah, it can’t be helped, but it’s still always a bit of a bummer when the time does come around.

Dimitri stares at the plate before him in fascination.

“Huh, fascinating. I did not know people cooked weeds. I’ve only ever had them raw.” 

You regard him with a sense of pride…and a little wariness. Why was a prince even eating weeds anyway? Well, it’s not uncommon for even nobility to have at least some forging knowledge, but weeds are, from what you know, a bit more on the obscure end of things. You certainly wouldn’t know if not for your father. Maybe it’s because if fewer people knew they could eat them, then there's less competition for it. It does help that you can imagine the typical noble turning their nose at them for being ‘beneath their station.’ 

“Dandelions, at least,” you explain, setting the pan on the drying rack, “the grass you had along with you, for instance, isn’t really good food…there’s a reason you fry dandelions and not, well. Grass. I’m pretty sure they can stain your teeth green if you eat too much.”

“Oh!” He gasps, throwing away the grass—wait, he hid some grass on him even when you had him throw it away?! Jeez, maybe the Heir to Faerghus wasn’t as uptight as you thought him to be.’ “Turning my teeth green. That…that would be most unfavorable.” 

“Well, the more you know,” you hum. You take your own plate, which has a smaller serving than Dimitri’s. You weren’t very hungry, but cooking always makes you get a little appetite. He was rather amicable to it too; you’ve gotta say, he’s a pretty great guy! “Anyway, heads up: even though I’ve blanched it, it’ll still be bitter.”

You both finish the snack quickly enough. You lightly swish water in your mouth, hoping to rinse out the taste. You don’t hate the taste, but it’s not one you want to have lingering in your mouth for longer than necessary.

Dimitri on the other hand gives a satisfied hum. “That was delicious, thank you.” 

Wow. Was he lying? It didn’t seem like it. But honestly, it looked like he thought nothing of it at all. Maybe he was one of those rare types who actually enjoyed bitter foods. “Really? Congrats.” 

“I’m sorry?” 

You cough. “Nothing. Anyway,” you dunk the dishes in water, quickly clean them, and lay them out to dry (in some vague period of time; when things are this late, the passage of time is, frankly, a meaningless thing), “Thanks for being cool about this. I didn’t expect you to be so…well, I dun—suppose. Cooking in the middle of the night sort of stuff. You just…" you think better of your words and bite your lips; heh, even now you still find ways to mitigate the words you speak, "Anyway, maybe we can be like, late-night buddies or something!" You say, hoping to sweep the earlier awkwardness under the rug.

“Late-night buddies?” 

“Well, only if you want. One of the charms of doing things late into the night is being alone and having the privacy you need. Still, it get a bit unsettlingly lonely by those same merits…” 

He doesn’t respond immediately. Like any normal person. Obviously. Things like this do need to be mulled over first. That still doesn’t stop your mind from running. Like, what the hell just came out of your mouth?! Dimitri may be a lot more chill than you were expecting, but for you to just. Say that?! Dear Goddess. What the actual hell were you thinking? How could you let your awareness just slip away like that?! You can’t just offer to be chummy over bad food! Maybe you should just run away from home and leave the family business to someone else more capable and—! Ok, no, that really isn’t an option, but if it was you definitely would!

Then you see something that jolts your out of your stupor: a sincere (princely) smile.

“Well, if it’s buddies you’re proposing to be…refer to me as ‘Dimitri’ instead of ‘Your Highness,’ and then I think we’ll have a deal on our hands.”

Fire burns within you, and you can do nothing but grin widely.

—

“I see. That puts it all into perspective,” Edelgard cleanly says, primly beholding the fire glyph—thrumming with the desire to release and let burn—in her hands before clenching her fist, letting it fizzle out. “Thank you for your guidance. I may have taken longer to grasp it if not for your assistance”

Despite yourself, you linger on the fire in your own hand before extinguishing it. “But of course,” you (somewhat) bashfully say. You’d be lying if your nerves weren’t all jittery around her, being so strict and well, heir to a throne, but she has been nothing but polite and courteous in turn—if blunt. “Honestly, from what I’ve seen, I think you to be a bonafide natural. I’m sure magic would pair quite well with your impressive axefaire. Heh, or you could opt for learning distant counter; though it is pretty tough to do so.”

A glint of calculation flickers in her eyes, and her mouth twitches upward. “Are you sure it’s wise to give me ideas? The Blue Lions may have won the mock battle, but that does not guarantee a victory come the Battle of Eagle and Lion.”

Ah, yes. You were not chosen to participate in the mock battle though, so it feels a little weird to count your classmate’s victory as your own…ah, whatever. Edelgard knows that too, so you might as well go along with it. 

“You’re acting as if this is some underhanded exchange, Lady Hresvelg,” you chuckle, “But is it not true that many of us are here to contribute to our homelands and Fodlan as a whole? I see no reason why we shouldn’t help each other out,” yet your tongue feels like it’s been covered with sand.

“Well, I suppose I can’t argue against that. I appreciate that perspective; far too many people create unnecessary competition where collaboration merits the best results,” her mouth quirks slightly, but maybe that’s just because she’s tired, “So long as you don’t bend yourself over and back; here, as students, we all study here as equals,” She smiles ever so slightly, “so we can drop the formalities, (Name). I’ve never cared much for them.”  

“Oh! Right,” you chuckle. She’s right; in this situation, casual speech is what is proper. 

Well, that’s not to say you much care for ‘proper.’ You only care about not getting stuck ups fussy; it’s not you’re fault those are usually nobles. And who are extraordinarly your family's common clientele…

There’s a part of you that wants to shake your head, smile, and insist on proper decorum. It’s best to keep up appearances, as your parents say, but they’re not here, are they? Plus, who knows if you’ll get a chance to speak to nobles all casually like this ever again? And that’d be pretty rude to Edelgard, who’s the one insisting in the first place. And you did sorta end the whole proper heir act with Dimitri a few nights ago.

“Sorry. It’s still a little weird. It’s just…I’m way too used to stuck-up nobles; not that you’re that sort, Lady—I mean, Edelgard.” And it’s true, given her last sentence. 

“Ah, right. You’re from a family of merchants; House Brunelle, correct?” she hums, “I believe my uncle is acquainted.” 

You suppress the urge to frown. “Your uncle…” you briefly wrack your brain, “Oh, do you mean Lord Arundel? Hm, I think my parents have mentioned him once or twice; never met the man myself, though,” you recall, “I usually stay in Deirdru to manage our main shop. Lord Arundel’s territory is quite far from us, and they don’t trust anyone else to keep shop for the time it takes to travel to and back.”

Edelgard narrows her eyes, ever so slightly, “I see. Do you think—”

The bell tolls; you’re grateful. 

“That’s all for today,” Hanneman claps, halting all chatter, “please review chapter 3 for the next lecture, and with that, I bid you all a good rest of your day. Be extra sure to attend to your assigned duties!” 

Your bag is readied the instant he finishes. You smile, “Alrighty, have a good rest of your day, Lady H—Edelgard. I’ve got to go help Alois sort out the stock of weapons. It’s the kinda thing that’s best to get things over with.” 

“Ah, I see. I was assigned to attend to the greenhouse.” She smiles politely at you. “There are some rather beautiful red flowers beginning to bloom there. I'm more than happy to point them out for you.” 

A nervous lump forms in your throat. You should nod and agree immediately (gold is a heavy thing), but…This is…weird. Shouldn't the roles be reversed? You feel like she’s trying to fish something out of you, but you also tell yourself suspicion isn’t evidence. Whatever boat she’s set sailed for you two, it’s best not to rock it. “Ahaha, maybe. We’ll see!” And with that, you hurry to the training grounds; hopefully you won’t keep Alois waiting for long. You can feel a mildly interested gaze bore into you as you leave the room amidst the chattering students, but fire is fire and it burns all the same: no matter its intensity. Damning in its familiarity.

Ash dances on your tongue. It tells you to follow her. But you don’t like the taste, even if it’s ever looming over you. 

—

There’s blood on your hands.

Even if it’s been washed away, you help but clench at your own hands, remembering the sticky, wet, acidic liquid that coated it. Maybe that’s why the enemy went so close to you. If they had to go out, they could at least burn their enemy a little; to let their death eat you up bit by agonizing bit. Even if the acid is long gone from your skin (burned away with the fire you would use to kill even more) it doesn’t bring back what has been eaten away. 

You cannot help but have your hand drift to the azure night sky, to stain the silver moon with your bloodied hands. It feels wrong to be surrounded by peace and quiet now. You…you all took lives, and you end up rewarded? Sure, they were bandits, they were sinners, but, still…You killed them all the same…and for what? As far as you can tell, the academy is just utilizing you all to fulfill the Knights’ busywork. 

You sigh, shaking your head. Don’t be such a baby. People are killed all the time for reasonable enough reasons. It’s not a big deal. You've seen plenty of people killed before too.

But, should such a thing be something one can get used to? 

Disgust permeates in your gut. You want to balk and throw up, but your stomach has long since been emptied. Nor do you really feel like remedying its condition. You don’t know if you deserve it. …That’s a little far, isn’t it? Well, regardless of whatever’s objective here, you still feel garbage about it all.

You sigh and bury your unoccupied hand into your pocket. You’ve always had trouble sleeping, but this is even worse than usual. It’s doubtless you’ll not get even a wink of sleep today, even after working so much. At least some have gone to bed a little less overworked for the small price of your own sleep. Hopefully Professor Manuela wouldn't get on your case much, but as for Professor Byleth…a good few pots of tea are in order if you don't want her to notice your sleep deprived body sluggishly moving itself around.

As your thoughts progress, fire eventually alights within your palm, engulfing the moon. You feel your mind steady into an uneasy but enticing calm.

What does it say about you to mourn destruction, yet adore one of its many instruments?

“(Name).” A voice emerges.

You jump, nearly throwing the fire in your hands at the offender. “Oh—! Who the—Wah?! Your Hi—Dimitri?!” The comforting fire fizzles out.

His Hig—Dimitri himself stands behind you, slightly frowning. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“With how suddenly you showed up, might as well actually have been a ghost,” you mutter under your breath, “Haunting me for my sins.”

“Sorry, what was that? I didn’t catch that.”

You shake your head. “It’s nothing. I was just entranced in thought…" you trail, staring at the small bag Dimitri holds. "What's that you're holding?"

Dimitri notices you staring, and raises it up to gesture toward it, "Oh, are you hungry? There's more than enough flour in here for the both of us," he offers, "I have oranges as well."

You feel your face stiffen, and your mind goes blank with utter dumbfoundedness. "You're. You're eating. Flour. Raw flour."

"Yes. Is there something wrong with that?"

"How. Like. How. How do you not. Choke. Or die."

He frowns, "Die? Choke? I eat flour like I would anything else." And as if your soul needed to be tortured any more, he demonstrates by taking a bit of flour and eating it with a completely straight face. "See? I am perfectly fine. You do not need to worry so."

"Alright. I see." You are too tired to scream in complete and utter shock and insanity. You don't think you can handle trying to deconstruct how someone's life could get to the point where consuming raw flour seemed like a good idea. You slowly nod and look away. "Well. It is your life."

By looking away though, your previous thoughts begin to return, though it is still slow.

"You act as though I've set an ill omen upon myself…"

"No, no, of course not! You have the right to make your own decisions, is all."

"Decisions you don't appear to approve of either way…"

You shrug, giving a noncommital hum.

"Anyway, what are you doing out here? You’re usually cloistered in the library or making the training ground’s budget weep.”

Dimitri is his usual prim self. Cool, calm, and regal. And without his house uniform, he almost looks relaxed. 

…Though, his mouth does quirk slightly in a strange way. Likely at the reminder of all of the weapons he’s managed to snap in half and the grief he’s caused the training ground staff. The only exception was the tournament holder, who heavily encouraged the prince to participate when he could. The arm merchants don’t mind it either; your parents would be more than delighted about the affair should they have been here, for certain. 

“I’m just taking a stroll for some fresh air,” he explains, “I was considering whether to turn in for the night or not, but…” his eyes land squarely on yours. You don’t flinch, but you feel like the more you look into them, the more you see signs of…emptiness. Like fire reflected in glass. Yet for that very same reason, you find comfort in them. A bit ironic you suppose, to see flames in a gaze as blue as the sky. 

“Then go to sleep,” you insist before he can continue, “we’ve all had a long day today anyway. In fact, I should do the same. Lest I take a makeup lecture with Linhardt…if he's even awake to attend them.”

“Well, although rest is what I was about to advise,” Dimitri begins, “I wanted to know if you were alright. I noticed you were doing quite a bit around the monastery; even Cyril was slightly taken aback.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you lie, “Just relaxing, you know? Long day and all.” And you aren’t sleepy either from the looks of it.

He arches an eyebrow. “Is that so? Then was I just imagining that pensive expression on your face?” 

“Umm…maybe? The lighting is pretty weird?”

He gives you a look (™). It’s not hostile or anything, but it’s almost stern, in the way a concerned parent is. You bristle at it, but remind yourself that this is Dimitri: your House Leader, but first and foremost your classmate. “I won’t pry for details,” he says, voice dripping with conviction, “but as your House Leader, it’s my duty to ensure the wellbeing of my peers. And as a friend, I cannot stand idly by as I see a dear friend’s mind being plagued.” and he lets his voice become gentler, softer, but no less determined and kind than before, “So, I ask you again, as a friend: are you sure you’re alright?”

Ah, fine. You kind of did want to get this off your chest, anyway. You just weren't about to go to the Church confessionals when they, well, were the ones who assigned you to do the killing in the first place. Besides, your parents always warned you against going in them from a young age; admitting guilt leaves one vulnerable. “…You got me,” you admit. Though, you do not taste defeat on your tongue. “It’s just…after our mission earlier I…” You look down at your feet, unable to bring yourself to say it. It’s a little weird, isn’t it? It’s practically all you’ve been thinking about, yet the moment you need to verbalize it, the words fizzle to dust.

“It always feels weird, you know? To enjoy the peace we’ve deprived others of ever experiencing ever again. To kill people for the sake of keeping that peace, even if the very act of killing goes against that peace.”

The instant he understands what you’re talking about, his expression turns a little grim. But you don’t take note, not when you feel so glad that he caught on so swiftly. “Our assignment."

You nod glumly. “I can’t stop thinking about it…honestly, I might not get any sleep at this rate.”

Dimitri frowns, mouth forming into a somber line. “Yes…I understand completely. It never gets easy, even if necessary. But it's one of those things that should never be easy.”

You swallow. “I mean, yeah. But sometimes…I dunno,” you swing your leg, letting it thud back and forth against stone, “Sometimes I think if things had gone differently for those people, if things were just…better, maybe they wouldn’t have to have been killed.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of world we live in. As it stands, the strong trample over the weak, often leaving them with little choice but to reckon with poverty and injustice,” Dimitri grimly says. It almost takes you aback, to hear something so blunt from him. Yet, he’s able to turn it into something short-lived, following up with: “But, knowing this, I believe it’s our responsibility to make this world as best we can, in the wake of the fallen.”

All you can muster in response is an awkward quirk of your mouth. A crooked smile, if you’d have to guess. “That’s…Yeah, I guess you can put it that way,” you look up, feeling a newfound sense of admiration and guilt. 

"Indeed. But I believe you could've said those words yourself."

You startle. "Uh, what?"

"You were helping the monastery staff today, were you not? I heard you were assisting Professor Manuela at the infirmary. Then I saw you in the kitchens; the greenhouse; the training grounds: helping everyone there."

You frown. "Those words of yours are quite grandiose compared to all of that stuff. I just used a bit of magic, watered the plants, sorted weapons, and prepped some food; nothing in this world has so much as changed because of that."

"Such contributions may be small in the grand scheme of things, but not every contribution can be so grandiose and sweeping. Those small acts of kindness are just as imperative," he boldly proclaims, "There are many things wrong in this world, but kindness is not one of them. Anyone who is able to choose kindness in the wake of wrongdoing or tragedy are people worth respect. People whom I believe wish for the world to be a better place."

You frown, guilt fully overtaking you. Your mouth burns, and ash flakes over your tongue. "Well, I'm not one of those people. While many are forced to steal from each other for the sake of survival, I…my family amasses so, so, so much wealth, and for what? To lavish and indulge ourselves? To watch people come to us when their swords rust from blood?" Your brows and mouth are weighed down by anger, "I've seen some truly deplorable people, but…weapons are but a tool of such things, and I…" you bite your lip, "Don't…don't make me out to be better than that." And then when those words have spilled out you immediately begin to belittle yourself for letting that slip. Stupid stupid stupid. You should've gone to bed. You're clearly not in your right mind, you fool.

"How…no," he mutters. Dimitri shakes his head. "But, my friend, if you know them to be wrong, then…can you not be better than them? Forgive me if I seem presumptuous, bu I sincerely believe that you are a kind person. A person able to march onward even with the burden of the dead. Your fate is not set in stone."

Burden of the dead? He sounds serious when he says that. He sounds expecting. He sounds hopeful, even. You falter. "I—well. Even if I take over things, my parents aren't really going to let me do as I please…to be honest, I think I'll be nothing more than a figurehead. It's no use."

"Enough of that," he insists. "With talk like that, you serve only to dissuade yourself from your convictions."

"But—"

"No buts! If you cannot cut your own path yet, then I will be more than happy to help you in the ways I can. And I'm sure our classmates would as well. After all, if we both wish for the same thing, then there is no reason I should turn my back on you."

You can only stare at him, mouth slightly agape, before you finally muster the words you need. All of these words just for some girl he's known for a few months…? If you weren't certain before, then you are now: Dimitri was truly one of a kind.

“You know…I feel like I have to admit this to you,” you lick your lips. “I almost couldn’t believe you were real for a time.”

Dimitri frowns perplexedly. Or grimly? “Do you mean…? Did I cause you some sort of trouble? If so, I apo—” If you didn’t know better, you might have thought he sounded a little…haunted?

You shake your head furiously, “No, of course not! I mean,” you begin to explain, “you’re just a lot more…honest, in a sense. Most nobles I’ve dealt with are rather—well, you know the type. I’m glad I was wrong. I think the Kingdom is lucky to have a prince like that, is all.”

“There’s still much I must accomplish and learn if I am to properly govern Faerghus and its people,” he insists. 

“Well, with whatever path you’re taking, I think you’ll end up in a pretty good place,” you chirp. “If anything, I’m a bit more assured that you aren’t boasting with complete confidence. It’s usually those types who end up falling the furthest down.” 

“Well, I thank you for your confidence in my ability to lead,” he replies, rather stiffly, rather formally—you can tell it’s a reaction halfway between sincerity and subconscious deflection; nothing wrong with that. “I will do my utmost to ensure it isn’t misplaced.” 

“Pretty formal of you. Weren’t you the one who insisted on casual speech?” You hum, “Still, guess it’s on me that I brought such a serious topic in the first place. I know pretty well just how exhausting it can be to keep up appearances.”

"Still, I can’t help but treat Kingdom matters with anything but diligence; even outside of governance, there is the matter of how people are to perceive me—I am the Prince, after all. They would be most reassured if they knew their future King treated any matters relating to Faerghus with weight and consideration. So I don’t believe that can be compromised.”

“That’s fair,” you hum, "But now I think you've got even more admiration from me now! You're really something special, Dimitri!" you laugh. “But it is late, so we should probably switch to something more lighthearted to do. I assume you aren’t sleeping anytime soon, so I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to the greenhouse? La—Edelgard mentioned that there are some red flowers coming to bloom. I don’t think it would hurt them if it were two rather than one to behold them.”

Dimitri hums, in brief completation, and nods.

“Beautiful flowers are never one to hamper the spirit,” he says, meeting your eyes, “Like y…" he breaks your gaze with the shake of his head, "ah, nevermind. I am more than happy to accompany you, if that’s what you desire.”

Desire? “Thanks. It’s never a bad thing to share beautiful things with friends.”

“Heh,” he grins, “The sentiment is shared, my fellow late-night buddy.”

On one hand, you desire to groan at yourself for coming up with such a phrase. But the other, much bigger hand, prefers to latch onto the innocent cheesiness of it all.

“Then let’s get going, my dear late-night buddy!”

—

“Edelgard wasn’t wrong. These are some really pretty flowers,” you marvel.

He hums. Soaring a glance, you see the corners of his lips are raised ever so slightly. “Indeed. One must imagine they’ve been tended to a great deal. In fact, I believe these are the flowers Dedue has mentioned in passing.”

“Dedue?” You cock your head. You haven’t talked to the boy much, but he seems alright enough. Stoic, quiet, and strong. You wouldn’t have imagined such a softness from him, though. “He gardens? Didn’t know that.”

“Yes; although he’s stoic and reserved, he’s actually quite kind,” he frowns, “Though it’s not something most are willing to spare a glance for, unfortunately.”

Ah, right. Dedue markedly stands out for being a foreigner; hailing from Duscar, if you remember correctly. Not a people well regarded since the Tragedy. Any words you can think about become ash on your tongue. Even if fire is passion, it is uncommon for it to reduce everything else around it to bitter ashes.

You still stare into fire, though. 

The crimson blooms at your feet are nothing short of untainted and beautiful. And notably, cleared of weeds. In fact, it looks like the soil forms a path towards the blooms. Perhaps the blooms blazed a path through the weeds, so that it may survive long enough to enamor all with its blossoming petals. Or someone tending to the greenhouse just. You know. Pulled some weeds. Not everything is that deep, you know. Jeez, here you are waxing about some random flowers when just moments ago you were lamenting the cyclical nature of killing.

But then, you wonder…

“Say, Dimitri,” you carefully measure your voice, trying not to give away your gastronomic worries, “are you in possession of any weeds…?” Surely he won’t notice your contrived way of speaking, yes…?

“No, not tonight,” he says; sincere and casually as if carrying around weeds in a pocket was akin to breathing. Well. Maybe for certain kinds of people, it was, but you doubt Dimitri would be associated with those kinds of folks. 

Yes, Dimitri is nice and prim, as his next words prove. “I can go get some if you’d like, though,” he offers.

“Ah! No,” you shake your head, plastering on a sweet smile, “you really don’t have to go out of your way just for little ole me.”

He shakes his head. “I do not see how that would be considered a burden. If you desire weeds, then it truly is no issue for me to acquire them for you.”

You’re almost left gaping at the admission; completely taken aback by their true sincerity. “You sure, Y—Dimitri?

“We’re friends, are we not?”

Well, yeah. Er, ok. Maybe you’re freaking out over nothing; weeds are abundant no matter where one goes. Yeah, yeah. Stop freaking out, you! You’re just tired and stressed. You’ve been thinking all out of sorts for the whole day at this point!

“Well, I guess I know who I can go to if I ever need weeds.” you concede briefly, “Though if you ever want to eat some yourself, come to yours truly."

“Really? Then I’ll be more than happy to take you up on that offer.”

You giggle in response, pleased. “I’ve got to say, all you Kingdom folk are so sincere and polite.”

His eyebrow quirks in curiosity. “You…aren’t from Faerghus?”

You pause. Now that you think about it…it hasn’t really come up in your conversations yet. That’s…that’s kind of silly. Oh well. Better late than never, you suppose.

“No.” You shake your head, “I’m from Deirdru,” you begin to explain, “Most prominent merchant families are."

“Well, you’ve mentioned your merchant background before,” he nods, “But your Leicester origins is news to me. Though, it probably should've occurred to me.”

"Well, you know now."

"However, why join the Blue Lions? From the very beginning, no less?"

That’s true; you remember very well the little campfire you made, preparing for a daunting yet exciting year apart of the Golden Deer. “Well, initially, I was just going to join the Deer like anyone else,” you explain, “The Alliance has always been economically thriving, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other thriving merchants from elsewhere. My father was a second son from a merchant house in Faerghus, who ended up marrying my mother and taking up the Brunelle name,” your hand finds itself fidgeting with the lapel on your chest; a gift from your mother. It wasn't to your taste when you got it at the time, but you've grown to like it over time. Happy coincidences. “Before that though, he was a student of the Officer's Academy, aiming to join the Knights. So…when I was off to the Academy, he really wanted me to go to the Blue Lions like he did.” You don’t mention the ash you taste. 

(It does lessen the ash, you find, but ash rises up when you recall waking up dazed and confused in a carriage set for the school)

“So I see,” he hums, though for a moment you feel he is distant from the moment. “It’s rather sweet for you to do that for your father.”

“Eh,” you shrug. He was the insistent one, “they just want me to get some more practical experience here. Merchant life can boast a lot of wealth, but it’s not always cushy. We have the funds to hire mercenaries, of course, but the best assurance is self-defense. Joining the Blue Lions in the grand scheme of things isn’t a big thing compared to that.” But as I recall, it just so happens that Father was in the same class as the current Count Gloucester was… "And…yeah."

Dimitri, yet again proving his nigh inhuman perspective, says, "…If you sincerely do not want to be a part of the Blue Lions, I will not begrudge you in the slightest."

"W-wha—! I never said I disliked it here!" You shake your head. Really, you don't think it particularly matters what house you're in.

(You just dislike that you were to join one based on another's word and not your own)

"And you all haven't been so bad that I'm actively seeking to rid myself of you!"

"Well, that's a good thing," Dimitri says, but you know he's still latched onto some part of your person, "it's best if you can find the house you're most comfortable with."

"I'm not leaving. I quite like our Professor and classmates you know!" you shake your head, playfully shrugging, "And I kinda do got a late night buddy here to worry about, so…"

"…heh. I'm glad," he smiles. "At this point, you leaving the Blue Lions would be taking away something special from our, ah, ragtag little group, wouldn't it? "

For whatever reason, that elicits a laugh out of you (and the slightest bit of bashful pink), "You're right! I can't possibly leave you to fend for yourselves. Like…raw weed-eating prevention. And raw flour consumption prevention. Hm. Maybe I should just teach you how to cook…"

Dimitri, who stands unwavering even in the face of death, flinches, his face drawn into an almost pained wince. "Come now, you're beginning to sound like Dedue…"

You two eventually fall into a comfortable exchange, but you cannot help but feel that no matter what you do, even in the innocence of the night, business will come back to haunt you. 

That you’ll somehow end up taking advantage of him.

The flowers in front of you do not lose their luster even as your thoughts sink. 

You shake your head, and your mind begins to blissfully drift away. You think about wonderful silly things. Like sugar candies, finishing assignments to get sugar candies, and procrastinating assignments in spite of the necessity to acquire sugar candies…

Oh, and you suppose…you suppose that maybe Dimitri's beginning to slip into there. You suppose you're thinking about boys, the young girl you are, because will you ever get to be a silly girl after this?

—

"That concludes today's Weapon Instructions D," Professor Jeritza announces. Well, 'announces' is a bit of an overstatement, considering just how brooding and quiet the man usually is, but his authority is enough to get the point across.

"Thank you for your instruction, Professor Jeritza—aaaaaand he's gone already," you flatly trail. Professor Jeritza didn't even bother to acknowledge you. It's fascinating how he managed to become the academy's combat professor with that sort of anti-social attitude. Sure, you and everyone else can attest to his skill, but it's not much good when he doesn't even bother to talk to you all…

"Why is that guy a professor if he doesn't like talking to people?" You remark, absently twirling your sword, "It's like becoming a butcher despite hating blood. Is the pay for the gig really that good?"

"No." Professor Byleth's voice sounds, startling you and nearly causing you to lose 10 years of your life. "The class budget is miles bigger than the salary."

"P-Professor!" You shriek, "Please don't sneak up on me like that!"

The Professor blinks. "Sorry for startling you," they apologize, "but I'm here to ask if you've seen Sylvain."

You quirk your brow. "Shouldn't he be at the stables? As I recall, me and him are on stable duty today."

"I see. Then it appears Sylvain has decided he's on playboy duty for the afternoon instead."

You cough. "Well. That's. Great. Lovely." You internally curse. You're not fond of the guy, but it is a little shocking how he'd so readily turn down 'private time with a cute girl at the stables.' It's more likely he's been held captive by someone else, then… "Well, that's alright. I can take care of stable duty myself; most of the horses are out anyway due to the Knights, so it's no big deal at all."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Just make sure to give Sylvain a good talking to for me."

"Thank you," the Professor says, "I'll treat you to a meal for this later. For now, I have a blank chalkboard that could do with a few sentences…and a classroom to be cleaned."

"Alright. See you later, Professor."

The stables are fairly sparse, with no people whatsoever to speak of. You get to work, changing the water, pouring the feed, till all that's left is to groom them.

As you move, a girl in the corner of your eye makes you pause. Green hair, twin drills, and an outfit of similar make to the academy's uniforms…

"Oh, hello Flayn. Do you need something?"

A small sound of surprise escapes from her, "Ah! No, I am not in need of anything," she says, shaking her head, "I was just admiring the fine steeds here."

You can't help but regard her with your jaw slightly clenched. Flayn always spoke so formally—saintly, even—but she never seemed to carefully formulate words, carefully consider the room, or carefully consider the gaze of her par—

You clear your throat, clearing the smoke in your lungs along with it. "So, you like horses?"

"I have an appreciation for all manner of cute animals," Flayn eagerly chatters; as if she'd been holding back a burst of energy, "Yet, though horses are amongst some of the cutest, they manage to weave in a regal air to them. I find myself quite charmed by them, suffice to say!"

You hum noncommittedly. All you can think about is ending this interaction as quickly as possible. "They are quite charming," you repeat, wanting this to end. A small bite slips into your words, conveying the finality you don't have the courage to state outright. "And now I must groom them so that their coats may not lose their luster."

"Oh…" Flayn frowns, ever so slightly, "My apologies. I did not mean to bother or disrupt you."

You are taken aback for a moment, and find that you've been frowning all this time. It must seem like you're glowering at her. Shame immediately fills you, welling with embarrassment. You have no reason to act this way! You should know better than to show such hostility openly! And more importantly, Flayn hasn't really done anything, right?

"No!" You exclaim suddenly, causing her to jump. "Er, I mean 'no,'" you repeat, a little sheepishly and noticeably quieter, "You weren't bothering me at all, Flayn."

"Then what else? You were looking at me looking quite displeased," she frowns, the slightest bit of hurt and confusion shining in her eyes, "Truly, if I am bothering you, then I am more than willing to amend why it is I bother you, and leave you be."

"Flayn, really, you weren't bothering me at all," you stammer, "It's just, um…" you quickly rummage and find an excuse, "I'm just a little annoyed that the other person assigned with me to stable duty didn't show up. It is him who I target my grievances at, not you, Flayn."

Her shoulders relax, and her pleasant smile returns, "Ah, is that so?" She hums, "How about I help you with your duties then?" She kindly offers, "I shall do what I can to ease your burden!"

"Oh, no! You don't have to! And would, uh, Seteth, you know…?"

"My Brother? I don't think he'd be opposed to me caring for horses."

"So, he won't go after me?"

"If he does, then I will clear the matter up."

You regard her for a moment longer. "Your Brother is…very caring," you mutter. "He cares a lot…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing. Anyway, all that's left is to groom the horses. Here, let me show you…oh, and be careful of the smell."

Neither of you notice the mask staring at you.

Flayn went missing a few hours later. And so did you.

—

You groan in the infirmary bed. Moonlight drips into the room. White cushions your welted wrists. Ivory paints your memory.

There are only a few images in your head: horses, Flayn, crumbling stone, and an armored figure clad in black. You blink and look back down at your wrists, irritated from your movements against the soft sheets. Why were they irritated? Why were they so mottled and welted? Confusion and shock paints over the ivory, but it's not enough to send it crumbling down.

"What happened?" You ask to no one in particular. "I…the stables, horses, Flayn?" But there isn't anyone in here with you. For a moment, you think about virtuous blue and—but nothing manifests. It must be really, really late. No one would bother to see you at this time.

But there is a fire crackling in the hearth, and that alone is enough for you to keep yourself from sobbing at that.

—

It was Edelgard you saw first. You should've been grateful, yet still found yourself disappointed that it was her first, and not—

Her entry caused you to rouse from your uneasy slumber, and judging from the scant light dripping through the windows, maybe only an hour or two after you'd first woke up. Now that you think about it, you have seen her up early a few times, too. But she tended to be more out of the way, melding more into the background despite her regal status. You never bothered her, since it seemed like she just wanted to hide away from the world.

"I'm sorry for waking you up so early in the morning," she apologizes.

You groan. "Um, izz okkk…" Your mouth is dried out by morning breath; your eyes are crusty; your neck is aching from the weird position you slept in; and by all that the goddess cherishes, you're so sore. All of this, combined with the general bleariness of—well, waking up—do not grant you a modicum of grace. "Wha…you here for anyways?"

"I heard what happened. I had a rare moment of free time, and I thought it would be a good idea to check on you," she explains, "Though, clearly, you aren't fully awake. Here," she pours a glass of water and hands it to you. You accept it, appreciating the refreshing feeling it leaves in its wake. It's like all the dust in your mind (and mouth) has been washed away. You're certainly more awake now than you were before, that's for certain.

"Well, I'm fine," you clear your throat, "I just…if you don't mind, what happened? I don't remember much of anything."

(You're not awake enough to know the slightest glint of disappointment in her eyes)

"You and Flayn were kidnapped by Professor Jertiza and taken underground. A group of strange people were located there as well, who intended to use Flayn's blood in some way; and it was revealed that Professor Jertiza was the Death Knight all this time. However, Professor Byleth was able to find the two of you before anything could happen."

"I—wait, the Death Knight—" you stop, your mind hit by a sort of nausea as you fail to gather your thoughts. "That was Professor Jeritza?" You dumbfoundedly ask.

"Correct."

Shock and horror pour themselves as red-hot embers on you. "For such a horrific person to be in our midst all this time…I, I, I must be really lucky, to have gotten out of that situation alive…"

"Luck? Yes, you are. And so was another—"

(The word 'another' feels like acid on her tongue; she left her to die)

"Monica. A student who'd been missing since last year, before graduation. We found her along with you two."

"Monica?" The name itches your memory, "As in…Monica von Ochs?!"

"The very same. Did you know her?"

You shake your head, but stop when it sends a wave of vertigo over you. "Er…sort of. When Brigid and Dagda invaded, my family helped supply House Ochs during the affair. I never met her, but her name was thrown around enough for me to remember it."

"Well, I doubt now it will be much different. I doubt Monica would want to continue the year at the Officers Academy. Being away from home underground for so long can do quite a number on yearning."

"…Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyway, if Monica was kidnapped last year by these people, then this web would be quite extensive…who knows how many innocent people have been taken away?"

"That'll be for the Knights to find out. At the very least, the Knights may be able to prevent any other innocent souls from going missing," she assures.

"Yeah…I wonder why they wanted Flayn's blood though? And why would they want me?"

"Flayn must've had some special quality to her blood; if they just wanted blood, they would've took away a child from the streets. A much more convenient target than the Holy Chamberlain's sister," she reasons.

"A Crest." You grasp your sheets just a bit tighter. Realization strikes you in the gut, "Well, I can see now why Seteth's so protective over her…" Disgust bubbles on your tongue, burning and abhorrent, "ugh, I don't even want to think about it."

"You caught on quickly," Edelgard observes, "Whatever the case, now that we know there is a threat, Flayn will be much better protected by those who want to exploit her. But as for you…to my knowledge, you lack a Crest, yes?"

"Yep," you nod.

"Then it's likely you were taken simply for your proximity to Flayn at the time," she explains matter-of-factly.

"Oh. That." You feel a bit of heat rush to your cheeks; embarrassed that you presumed you could've been taken with a specific purpose in mind, "Yes, that makes much more sense, Edelgard. Thanks for explaining stuff when I'm not…not really all too well equipped for thinking in general."

"Your mind's faculties don't appear to be faulty, but you did just wake up," she frowns, "Given what we know of them…" a brief haze coats her irises, but they're gone as soon as you blink, "It's a good thing the Professor got to you in time. I shudder to think what would've happened to either of you if they didn't get to you in time."

You do try to imagine up some horrific scenario in your mind to share in Edelgard's own seeming discomfort. Torture. Experimentation. Rats. Chains. Amputation. Unimaginable pain.

Strangely yet, you don't feel much from them. The only thing that gives you real pause is thinking about the other people who could've been with you, either too far gone to speak or staring at you with fly-infested eyes. "Yeah." Is all you can think of saying.

You didn't have very much energy in the first place, and this conversation and its revelations have done nothing but drain you.

Then violet eyes suddenly lock on yours, with an intensity that nearly makes you flinch. "I am glad you are alright, (Name). I won't bother you for any longer, but should you need anything, I am more than happy to provide it."

Maybe you're just tired, but that just sounds like a transaction. "Er…for what?"

"Is it so wrong to just want to see a classmate get better? The one who's greatly assisted me in my magical endeavors to boot."

Oh. It's just because you're a decent enough tutor. "Well, I'll keep that in mind." You will. Oh, you will. But you won't use it.

"I hope you can make a swift recovery," she stands, then smirks a tad, "I think it would be a terrible shame to not put my skills to the test during the Battle of Eagle and Lion. The student has to become the master at some point, yes?"

"Um, sure. But I haven't really taught you much…"

"Yet you have been a great help all the same. If you want to think about it in another way," she pauses in front of the door, glancing back at you, "then I'm simply going to show you how I will crush you."

Well, that'll do it. You wouldn't admit it, but you find it a little cute how much Edelgard is being competitive like this; even if you should be disturbed at the notion of being crushed. Sure, she might be doing it to make you feel better, but given her track record of being one of the bluntest people you've ever met, you're willing to concur that you might've played a minor role in assisting Edelgard's magical talents.

Despite everything, you smile.

—

Dimitri came by an hour or so later. He was kind, thoughtful, and beau—as always.

But when he goes over what happened, your mind is overcome with questions of how Edelgard came to know of some of the details. No, she IS a house leader, and the future emperor, so it makes sense that the Church would tell her, but…

It's weird. She's weird. You're weird.

Weirder still is the look in Dimitri's eyes when he tells you to be safe. He means it; you know that.

"It's relieving to know that no permanent harm has been done to you," he said, "But that doesn't bar it from happening in the future. This matter warrants great caution going forward; we must do all we can to ensure your safety."

The almost passionate, resolute way he speaks those words…you nervously swallow and push past the flutter in your chest to make way for polite rationality. As if it came naturally to you. "I do already put myself in danger during our assignments though," you had replied (mostly) nonchalantly, "my kidnapping was only really because I was with Flayn at the time. If anything, I should be admonished for my failure to keep her safe."

"Your assailant was the Death Knight. The only reason we were able to defeat him was because Lysithea knew powerful magic that brings cavalry to heel." Dimitri frankly says, "You are not at fault at all for what happened to you or Flayn; you were just utterly outmatched."

You wince. He's right, but that doesn't mean it doesn't sting at all.

"You have a point with your earlier point about your safety," he admits, "but that doesn't mean you can throw any means of securing it away so carelessly! I speak for everyone in saying we all must've lost a good decade of our life when we heard you were missing!"

"Um—"

"So, from now on, stick to areas populated with skilled warriors as much as possible. In fact, it might be best for you to accompany me regularly. My status and strength will be a great deterrent to any who wish to harm you."

"Di—"

"(Name). You mean a great deal to many of us. We would appreciate our lifespans not to suffer any more shortages."

Shock jolts through your chest so potently it is a miracle your heart doesn't instantly stop and fail. "I. Well. That's a. Very frank way of. Um…" Despite your better sense, a smile creeps onto your face. You don't bother thinking about anything else, only focusing on the light, fluffy feeling in your chest. "Alright. I'll make sure to stay safe. For the sake of you and everyone else."

And then it hits you. It really, really hits you. You have friends. People who care for you, and people like the Professor who want to see you be nurtured, and grow…

(But still, you yearn for more. Your tongue is burned through with the ashes of shame at that)

A smile spreads on Dimitri's face. "I'm glad."

(You don't register that his face was nearly a boar's a few moments ago)

—

You were with Raphael and being tutored by Professor Byleth (well, it was mostly Raphael being tutored) when Ignatz came rushing in with news of monsters attacking a route from Gloucester to Riegan lands. The traveling merchants were in danger, and you would need to act fast. At first, you were a little hesitant to join them in helping the merchants, but then you thought about the blood rusting on your hands and acquiesced. But if anyone asks, you'll just say it was because the Professor wanted you to master your skills as a pegasus knight. The Professor was always oddly insistent about training you all in this and that. Especially axe and flying skills.

It was a struggle to get the merchants under attack to safety, considering the monsters and clearly trained Alliance troops stationed. It was a surprise seeing troops here. You all were only expecting monsters, as those were the main assailants on this route going from Gloucester to Riegan lands, but alas, no. And a general at that. The situation was strange, and that was an understatement in all honestly. Although Count Gloucester (and his son) were always very adamant on adhering to hierarchy and propriety, you could find it within yourself to respect the man. There's a good reason why he was able to foster genuine adoration from his territory's people. So, yes. That there was a possibility that Count Gloucester of all people was sabotaging merchants…it does not track with what you know of the man.

Even moreso when it turns out your parents are here.

“Mother. Father,” you greet, smiling blankly. “I’m happy to see you both fare well.”

And you are. You don’t hate them enough to wish them death to monsters while conducting business. 

“The sentiment is shared, (Name),” your mother says primly—

(It’s a different kind of primness than Dimitri’s. You don’t like it as much—)

“I’m rather in awe that you were among those who came to our aid,” your father says, lavender locks mussed from the fight. He smiles, “You’ve come quite far. Your spellwork has vastly improved since your days at the school of sorcery.”

“Thank you, Father,” you keep your tone humble, “I’ve been doing well under the tutelage of Professor Byleth.”

Your mother smiles, mask unfaltering, “It gladdens your father and I to see you take such a shine to your education. Nothing pleases me more than a vast improvement such as this.”

(I hope you haven’t been neglecting other ventures of import, though, you feel her eyes say. We’ve no other heirs but you)

“Do you know these people?” The Professor calmly asks, approaching you from behind with Raphael and Ignatz in tow.

And his eyes drift away before you can say anything more. Yet you feel as though your wrists flare, even though they've long healed from the welts made on your skin.

“Is that…” his eyes narrow on the trio of the Professor, Ignatz, and Raphael. Suspicion swirls in his eyes, but recognition cuts through the haze within milliseconds, “Ignatz of House Victor, and Raphael of…” you see in his eyes the flash of a debate, carefully wrestling with his words. But like always, your father is quick on his feet; your mother wouldn’t glance at him otherwise, “...House Kirsten.” 

Raphael shakes his head, smiling, "Um, you don't gotta act all formal like that. We helped you 'cause we wanted."

"We insist," your mother nods, "Matters of propriety take precedence. I suppose you would understand that better though, Ignatz."

"Ah…yes," Ignatz nods, "It's been a while since we last saw each other."

Raphael doesn't do much more than lightly shake his head before moving on. "In any case, we're just glad that no one was hurt. Hopefully, this route will be safer now that we've cleared out the monsters."

"It will," your father nods valiantly, "Doing business in Riegan territory will be less risky than it was before. It's unfortunate not everyone survived to see it so."

Raphael frowns, "I'm real sorry we weren't able to save everyone."

Your father shakes his head. But you can tell from the glint in his eyes he means none of it. He's glad the competition has thinned out, you think. "We can only live with what has already come to pass. For your part, you were nothing less than valiant."

Your mother hums, "A shame that the family business has fizzled out. Honest men like you make truly wonderful friends and business partners. But, it's not too late for you, so if you're any at all interested…" She leaves the implication hanging in the air

She means a gullible pawn to use. But everyone else only hears a generous offer of employment and a rise in status.

He shakes his head honestly. "Thanks for the offer, but I've never really been much good at that sort of stuff," Raphael smiles, kindly refusing the offer. "I'm much better suited to become a knight."

Your father hums, "Men like you make fine knights indeed. You'll certainly reach high places, Raphael." He's probably imagining how easy it would be to slip past him; or bribe him, even.

"Now, onto the matter at hand," your mother cuts in, "from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for coming to our aid. If not, both our wares and lives would've faced jeopardy. We will send you all a token of our thanks to the monastery."

Before either of the boys can cut in, the Professor speaks, "Thank you. We gladly accept." Ah, yes. Your dear Professor was a mercenary, after all…well, at least it means they're the one who gets to take the brunt of the shame.

"You ought to inform Count Gloucester of these attacks," you chime in, careful not to betray your uncertainty. "

"But of course," your father nods, "Count Gloucester is an honorable man indeed. He will certainly see to it that this route is safer, though…"

Though?

Your father frowns, sporting and unusually pensive expression. "We have been doing business more frequently in Riegan territories as of late. I wonder…ah, do not worry about me. Merely musing, is all."

You frown. If your father is implying what you think he is…a sudden glare sent your way kills the inquiry on your tongue. Odd.

“Ah, before you depart,” your mother looks intently at you, “May we have a word with our daughter? It has been some time since we last spoke, and she’s been terribly missed.”

The Professor gives you a quizzical glance (or worried?), as if asking you for permission. A ridiculous notion, you think as you mull ash with your tongue, but you give the predetermined answer all the same: a simple nod. Enough to let the Professor know but discreet enough that your parents won’t notice. They do have a trained eye, but they’re trained on the Professor more than they are on you.

“Very well,” the Professor nods, “But please make it quick. The sooner we leave, the less likely we will have to set up camp.”

"Of course; it will take but a single moment," your mother nods.

And just as quickly as they came, they leave you.

"What do you think about Ignatz, (Name)?" your mother questions suddenly.

Shock overrides your ashy politeness, seeping into your resenting informality, "What? Why are you asking me about boys?!"

Your father looks at you unimpressed. Despite yourself, you feel yourself wither slightly. "Please. Even if House Victor wasn't losing its influence, that boy is the second son. Though, given his enrollment at the academy, it seems his parents do want him to become a knight…"

"Yes," you nod, recalling a moment with Ignatz. The beautiful fire flickering in his eyes, passion overflowing into the strokes of his brush—until ash began to drift in, staining his paints into the gray armor of knighthood.

He cocks his head to your mother, "Well…then perhaps it wouldn't be such a shabby idea. A last resort, of course, but knighthood does produce many connections…"

Your mother scoffs, "Don't start entertaining fantasies again. As I recall, you left those behind in Western Faerghus—unless you want to go back to scampering with women?"

"Tch," your father harumphs, "we may highly value mannerisms, but that doesn't mean we can't find levity where we can; and is that not how we met?"

"You call this 'levity'?" your mother sighs, "There's time and place…ah, I'll discuss this with you later," your mother shakes her head, acknowledging you, "If our daughter has been making friends as it were, then whatever connections that boy could offer is likely to be lesser," then she smiles: sharp and snakelike, "Still, marriage does mean accessing House Victor will be of even greater ease, and perhaps that means…taking it wholeheartedly under our wing. So, even if the boy isn't as valuable as a noble, it's never a bad idea to keep your options open, (Name). Even second sons have their use. Now, onto what I really want to ask—" Then, your mother smiles sweetly. It takes you aback, and that is when you know for certain that you face a wholehearted schemer. "All I want to ask is that you write to us more, dear—" the world is laced with ashy honey, crooning on the edge of insanity.

(Has the time away from us made you forget? You feel you hear, edging on a barely calm shriek, Fool around if you must, but don't slip from our grasps. You know what happens to the people who can't pay back their debts, right?)

"—You've gotten us quite worried, (Name). Your father and I would most appreciate knowing how things are going—and yes, we assume they would be going quite well, given the hefty tuition demanded—but you know how much we treasure you, (Name). Update us at least every month, understood?"

"Yes, mother," you reply. As if. I doubt you'd truly be worried for me if I told you about my kidnapping…

"Wonderful," she preens briefly before her face falls back comfortably into its mask. "Now, off to your friends, dear. We'll see you when you've returned from graduation."

"Yes. Until next we meet, mother, father."

You do end up having to camp, but at least it gives you an excuse to stare deeply into fire.

—

The ball was exhausting. How could it not? For every student there to simply enjoy a dance and food, there were a dozen more lovebirds. Now, love is a fine emotion and all, but after a while, seeing all of that lovey-dovey stuff…

On top of that, a loud, chattery environment stock full of energy and people would be the final nail in the coffin. You've had your fun, but now it's time to take a break.

…Or retire altogether.

You have a secret. A very well-hidden one at that. You hope. You think Sylvain knows because he hasn't bothered you in a while. But besides that wrinkle, it's very well hidden.

It was expected that he wouldn't really be present. Even now, the mere thought of Remire Village churns your stomach with grief. Everything going on, really. You hope that Remire will be the last wrinkle in the year; be the last thing you all will have to worry about. Then the rest of the year could be just about such things like the Battle of Eagle and Lion.

Of course, you only wrote to your parents about that and the relationships you're fostering. They haven't replied back, but you don't expect them to. No matter the embers of hope you have, they swiftly extinguish them.

You sit on a bench, located at the tail end of the field in front of the classrooms, and let out a great sigh. Compared to the loud festivity of the ball, the quietness outside gives you whiplash so severe you nearly wince. It doesn't do much to quell the jumble of joy, exhaustion, and disappointment burning within you. On one hand, you did have a good time. On the other….

You didn't get to dance…well…you…

You twiddle your thumbs, awkwardly shifting in your seat. Red dusts your cheeks with a strange mixture of embarrassment and shame.

From the fire burning within you though, no matter where you try to redirect it, dancing images of determined blue and sincere chivalry emerge, and you bury your face into your hands with a groan.

"These are…" intertwined hands pop up in your mind, and anything else you can feel is overtaken completely by embarrassment. "…Lewd. Handholding, (Name)? Get a grip! Save this for the guy you like!!!"

Unfortunately, you do not have a pillow to scream into. But you need to find somewhere to scream. But where?

Hm…you tap your chin, carefully deliberating your every option, until you land on the most logical choice:

The Goddess Tower! Yes, that will do splendidly! For one, it's pretty tucked away, and you know that security there has to be loose if so many couples go there. Secondly, no one will dare to bother you, because it's not like they would be so hypocritical! Thirdly, because you can!!!

Yeah! You're totally not going there in hopes of a…happy coincidence!

After a close call with a guard, you manage to sneak into the tower of legend. And…yeah. You don't find anyone waiting for you. At all.

Well, at least you did, but then you saw the Professor with someone else, and promptly ascended the steps to avoid that can of worms. You do not need to know about your Professor's love life, thank you very much. But hey, if it ever came up…you wouldn't mind gossiping a bit, if you got a little something in turn…a "something" the shape of sugar candies, smelling of sugar candies, tasting of sugar candies, and undoubtedly a collection of the object one calls a sugar candy.

These musings of candy and gossip are short-lived, however. It makes way for the confused emptiness swirling in your chest.

You couldn't grab hold of Dimitri. And yes, that makes sense, given how many people were clamoring for a dance with him; you could barely make him out through the crowd. When you thought you saw him, it turned out to be a very disgruntled Ingrid at the hands of a maybe-too-happy Claude. After saving the poor girl from his antics (read: politely make an excuse and escape). Ingrid appreciated the breather, but then Sylvain brought her back into the foray with the ballroom floor noticeably clearer than before. It made looking into the room much easier, and it became clear that Dimitri was nowhere to be found.

(Though you did catch Sylvain's gaze, and he winked at you like he just knew. That was the final push you needed to get out of there as quickly as possible)

So…you didn't get to dance with him. Which is a stupid thing to be disappointed by, yeah, but…well…

You groan out of the window, cheeks furiously pink. "Thoughts, be gone. Mind, be gone. Horniess, be gone. No good child of the goddess is so…so desperate. It's a good thing Mother can't read my mind…ahhhhh!" You (somewhat silently) squeal, leaning further onto the railing. "Come on, (Name)! Even if the whole politeness thing is an act…you ought not to dip your toes this much into debauchery!!! Ugh, no, (Name)! Please, anything but the hand holding….!" You wail, embarrassment reaching your ears, "Oh, someone, anyone, tell me to forbid such thoughts!"

Suddenly, you notice very hurried footsteps, soon accompanied by a call of your name. In your delirium, this registers in your mind not as a fellow lovestruck troublemaker, but an evil demon from the hells here to jail you for your sins of lustuous hand-holding!

You yelp in surprise and fear and salvation, which has your body nearly vaulting out of the window, but a sturdy grasp on your waist pulls you back onto the stone floor and flush against a firm and wa…b-b-body…

Your mind, firmly on autopilot, screech with a mixture of embarrassment and thrill, pushing away with a wholly red face.

"I!!!! WHO'S THERE!" You scream, for as certain as you are of the answer, it almost feels too magical to be true.

"Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Who just saved you from falling to your death, I might add."

And yes. You aren't dreaming. He is. Right. Right there. Right in front of your eyes. You pinch yourself and feel the slightest pinprick of pain in response.

"Di-di-dimitri—" you dumbly stammer, "How, um, what a coincidence! Running into my late night buddy during the night! Life is just chalk full of such rare incidents, hahaha!"

Dimitri coughs, "Have we not spent innumerable nights together?"

Even though you know for a fact that Dimitri means nothing more than the literal meaning of his words, their other meaning only adds fuel to the fires of your delirium.

As in, fire alights your face, and the smoke brings out a string of wholly undignified, nervous laughter. "O-oh, haha, y-yeah! We sure have, Dimitri! Haha!"

His brows furrow with concern, "(Name), are you alright? Do you have a fever? Your face is quite red."

"Huh? Oh, nononononoonono, no sir! Don't worry about me, hahaha…"

"I thought we've already established that my worry for you is—ahem, never mind." He coughs into his fist, slightly looking away, "If you won't confirm it yourself, then—"

"No, really, hehe, I—I'm fine," you manage to admit, "Just, um. Well. Why's you in the Goddess Tower? Are you, um…"

Wait. Dimitri, in the Goddess Tower? All by himself?

And you saw the Professor. Actually, now that you think about it, the Professor was also nowhere to be found when you noticed Dimitri's absence.

In a snap, the fire burning within you extinguishes. Icy water drips from your face, hanging heavy with clarity and realization. But your face perks right back up as quickly as it falls. It's a trained instinct of yours, and you'd be damned if you didn't use it for this.

Your tongue feels like charcoal, heavy and searing, and ash weighs further down on it with every word you speak. "So, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, prince of Faerghus, has taken a shine to someone?" you tease, voice bordering on playful and wooden. "Just who is it that's softened up such a straight-laced man? Perhaps…our dear Professor?"

Shock blooms on his face. "The Pro—?! No! I-I, no! They are nothing more than an ally and mentor."

You quirk your eyebrow, even when it feels like a burning wick on your face, "Rea~lly? But I had thought I saw our dear Professor on the floor below speaking to another!"

"You did? Wait, so the Professor—never mind." He shakes his head. "But it was not I who the Professor was speaking to. In fact, you're the only person I've run into."

Oh.

But all that means is that he's waiting for someone else to come by, right? Ah, now that you think about it, he's been acting more wooden than he usually does…like he's not sure how to react to meeting you instead of the person he…lo…

"Then…whom is the lucky maiden or gentleman that has won your heart so, for you to be waiting for them on the night of this gala?"

You see him straighten out his back impossibly further. "I'd…I'd just heard someone here wanted to talk to me, so I'm not really waiting for anyone." He averts his eyes when you meet them.

You frown quizzically. "So, then this love of yours is more like a secret admirer? With a messenger at that? Hmmm…." you tap your chin, both eager to leave and wallow in your bed and to find out the identity of this mysterious nobody who—no! Don't think like that, you loser. It's just a crush, isn't it? Don't stoop to such lowly thoughts! In fact, you'll even support this mystery lover if you find out! It'll be a show of the highest moral character, haha!

(Your frantic mind is just doing anything it can to prevent you from indulging in sorrow, as pointless as it is)

"Who was the kind soul who served as messenger, then?"

"Well…I don't know if I'd call them a 'secret' admirer," Dimitri shifts, "In fact, Sylvain told me who to meet outright. If anything, I should be the confused one here?"

You cock your head. "What do you mean?"

"He told me that…" he pauses, taking in a sharp breath as he wills himself to look back at your eyes, "you wanted to speak to me. In the Goddess Tower." He shifts. You assume it's from some sort of discomfort.

The wind howls, and the frantic flap of wings follows. Branches fall to the ground, brittle with shock. Pebbles roll down the hill and clack against one another, igniting a spark once more.

Of all the things to say, all that comes out is a single "Woah."

"I'm sorry??" Dimitri staggers, like a pig shoved so very suddenly. Or perhaps the shock electrified you so greatly that your brain fried, and in the process of it melting away, you hallucinate the most delusional of scenes. In what world doth His Highness Dimitri even act a bit like an animal? He is leagues more dignified than even the most well-bred of nobles!

You catch yourself with your jaw slack; make a swift recovery before any drool can fall. "I mean—I—I didn't expect—I think Sylvain knew, but, but—" ooooooooooooh! Your cheeks! They burn—burn, burn, burn! It makes you ache for nothing more than to defenestrate yourself if only to fall asplatter down to the relief of the pond below!

You cough, ember tickling your throat, and mindlessly continue on with your unfathomable tirade. "Yous is a, whatsa—" spit catches in your throat, and you cough, "Keh—Um, yeah! I, hahaha! I didn't uhhhh—"

Dimitri awkwardly shuffles, slightly averting from where he faces you, "Hah, um, yes, yes! But let's calm down; I can't hardly understand when you're speaking so incoherently. Not that your voice is bad to—I mean, we must communicate clearly and concisely."

Somehow, your brain is able to comprehend that sentence, and you take a few deep breaths to try and calm yourself. It doesn't actually do much, given that oxygen fans the flames already burning in you, but you do at least wrestle back some control over your mouth. "Erm—yes. I do. Please, give me a. A moment."

You two spend a moment not looking at each other. It's an incredibly awkward silence, and it's a miracle you don't devolve back into lovesick ramblings.

Dimitri breaks the silence. "So, is it safe to assume that Sylvain lied?"

"Yeah. I never talked to him about this," you reply, choosing to act wooden lest you speak incoherently.

"Then, you must've been waiting for someone in the Goddess Tower, yes?" You think he sounds disappointed.

"No…" you admit, "I was…I was hoping to dance with someone, but I didn't get the chance to, so I just kinda went here, to, you know…"

"Ah. I. I see. Then I am truly sorry for bothering you."

He begins to walk away, but your own voice surprises you.

"You were the guy. The one I wanted to dance with." You blurt.

The air stills. Again.

You're going to die—

"You—" Dimitri pauses. "Dance."

"Here." You blurt and mentally slap yourself.

"In the Goddess Tower."

"Yes." You blurt, but you realize you're already in this deep, so you might as well push further, "For a good few dances, if you don't mind."

His breath hitches and the fire raging in your chest is enough to rival even Ailel's flames. "It would be a great honor to have a dance with you." He says. You're nearly tempted to look right at his face, but you're not sure if you want to show him how furiously red your face is; well, it'll be pretty inevitable for him to see your face if you're to dance, but—well—don't scream don't scream don't scream—

You cough, face red. You slip your hand into his, heart skipping a beat when he intertwines his fingers.

You aren't super sure of where this will go, but…you're excited. You….you really want to see this work out…

You nervously giggle. And this close, you can properly see the red furiously dusting his cheeks. His Adam's apple bobs with a barely audible gulp. A bit of his hair sticks to his forehead, the remnants of brightening the ballroom floor. His eyes are a cross between their usual stalwart rest and feverish embarrassment doing all it can to not fall apart like a burning building. He bits his lips, ever so slightly, but now you're imagining—

"The sentiment is shared, Dimitri," you flush, bringing your hand up to his shoulder. Fire roars when his hand slots against your waist. You're locking eyes now. You could just lean in and—

"Shall we?" Dimitri rhetorically asks; you assume in an attempt to stave off the building from collapsing anymore than it already has.

Your heart, burning with the passion and embarrassment of Ailel, sings.

"Of course."

For the first time in a long time, you're looking forward to what the future could bring.

—

The future has come, and it has shown that Edelgard is an enemy.

You do end up worrying about the boy you love. And you realize you don't know much about him. You still can't get the sight of how…how pleased he looks killing those soldiers. Carrying with him a happiness that disturbingly reminds you of your dance together.

But he's just angry. This'll be over soon, and then you two can go back to awkwardly fumbling confessions characteristic of young love.

But as you practice your spellcraft—cast Fire and Bologone—your mind drifts back to that scene: the Flame Emperor revealed, and Dimitri charging at her like a feral beast.

But that's not what truly makes you shudder.

As your gaze is compelled to the Goddess Tower, your memory flashes across your mind, and all you can see is Dimitri looking right back at you: eyes blown out, face speckled with rouge, and a smile so depraved you felt spiders crawl up your spine.

You can't help but wonder if you've only imagined this little mutual crush of yours. How could a person like that, who made that kind of face—how could they possibly love at all—

You stop. It's ridiculous. You're ridiculous. Dimitri is fine. He will be fine. He just needs Edelgard dead, and perhaps some stir-fried weeds and a moment to appreciate the flowers in the greenhouse and a dance with you alone under the azure moon—

The training ground staff have to replace a few dummies. You burnt a few to ash. The wind blows flakes of it on your cheek.

For the first time, ash has burned a place outside of your mouth.

—

You grit your teeth as you dodge a ray of Thoron; you hit the offending mage with a cast of Sagittae, and all that remains of the mage are the ashes of their body and their screams hanging over like smoke.

But now…she's in front of you, and you're not sure if you should retreat or not—-you'd like to run away, but at the same time…that feels a bit like betraying Dimitri, right…? if you can kill Edelgard, maybe all of this will go away, and then you two can actually—

Your thoughts fizzle into ember when her gaze locks onto yours. Now there's not much other choice but to acknowledge her, right?

"Edelgard." You frown. "You're really doing this, huh?"

She doesn't deny it in the slightest, "If you think you can convince me to do otherwise, then that is effort poorly spent," she frowns, but doesn't give away more than lingering regret for something.

"Well, I guess we're on the same page on that front," you prepare a cast of Ragnarok, steeling yourself, "Nothing's going to dissuade me from this. I won't let you spill blood in the name of conquest." And I want to see Dimitri go back to normal, you think.

"Hmph. So that's your choice," she mutters, "Well…your life is your own, and so I won't be so arrogant as to make your choices for you. Still…how regrettable that I shall cut down one whom I tried to spare from Monica's fate."

Monica? That's…and who you saw revealed to be Kronya; the Monica who died goddess knows how long ago, whose body was merely used as a puppet—

Realization hits you like a storm, and the magic you had been casting falters with it." Saved…? Monica? Wait, then, when I was kidnapped—!" You cut yourself off. There's no reason to state the obvious when there's a single lingering question left. "Why?! What use is my body?!"

Maybe you imagine it, but you think her jaw clenches. "Well, why not? A wealthy merchant's heir would grant a fair amount of influence over the flow of resources. And such a deal's all the more sweeter when her very own parents cooperate…"

You make the mistake of freezing. Of fully narrowing your attention. Everything quiets. Ash cakes your mouth. Smoke travels down to your stomach. Your skin falls off in charred clumps.

Lamentation, though faint, hangs on her words, "I can't promise you a proper burial. The most I can do is make sure everyone sees your body become ash. At least then, no one could dispute your death, and so no one could steal your face…" Her brows furrow with resolution. Her eyes blaze with scarlet passion, steadfast yet regretful. Unfaltering in her resolve, yes, but it shall always be tinged by the ashes of sacrifice.

"As Emperor, I cut down anyone who stands in my way!"

She charges to close the distance, and you blankly cast Ragnarok, still disoriented and mind filled with nothing and everything. But all is going well. Or. Or is it? That's what your parents say when business is doing well—

"Why are you so opposed to going to Fhirdiad?! Are you that attached to some treacherous boy?!"

"Hm, (Name), let your father teach you the art of 'pranks,' hm? They're good for business, of course! That they are of great enjoyment is merely a…happy coincidence."

"My dear daughter…when you grow up, I have the highest of hopes you'll reach heights unseen even by me…"

"This is the most basic of arithmetic. Is it truly so impossible for you to wrap your head around it?"

"Oh, did you know, (Name)? You can eat dandelions; in fact, they are absolutely delectable in soups."

"How was it in Fhirdiad, (Name)? Cold? Hm. Just show me and your mother what you've learned. That school costed a pretty penny."

"What a beautiful dress! Let's get it. No doubt you'll dazzle all manner of suitors with it."

"Why not join the Blue Lions? You might get your father's good sensibilities if you do. A far-flung hope maybe, but we'd best capitalize on every hope we can get for you."

"Good job, my sweet girl. Continue this, and you'll make me and your mother so very, very proud."

"Hm? Oh. Sorry, (Name). We're busy. We'll be off for Lord Arundel's territory now. Keep a good eye on the shop. We should be back in time to see you off to the Academy."

Edelgard cries out as she is hit with your cast of Ragnarok, but she doesn't seem particularly fazed. When you start to wonder why, blue lightning has already gathered in her hands.

Distant Counter.

—

It does not take long for the thunder jolting across your body to spark into flame.

Engulfed in fire, it is not long before your screams falter when your lungs are filled with the smoke from your own corpse. Like fire, your death has a strange beauty to it, but ultimately, your body falls as quickly as it had been set alight, and crumbles in the wake of inevitable destruction. Like fire, you shined, but burned out before you could even reach the stars.

There is no time for him to mourn, but there is plenty of time for him to run his lance through any wretch nearby. In the counter of his eye, he sees the Professor panicked and wide-eyed with shock. Their hand reaches out, desperately trying to grasp at something; time, maybe. But with how their gaze shakes and mouth falls agape, it slips right through their fingers.

But he doesn't grant it more thought than that. Predominant in his mind is Edelgard's head, swaying on Enbarr's gates.

Edelgard looks at him coldly, even when he forces her to retreat. Even then, Dimitri lunges toward her like a wild boar but screams when a cast of Mire hits him, feeling his very being wither with it. But he's already been withered, so what's a bit of sanity to him, really?

But he does not get her head. Instead, he gets hordes of soldiers, and all he can do while his mind is grayed with ash is slaughter and the remembrance of fire: passionate, lively, and so willing to burn down whatever's in its path.

—

Despite the ashes and chars that much of your body has been reduced to, your hand is ice cold. He can't even really hold it, your fingers having snapped off your hand in pieces of charcoal.  

Maybe it's silly. He hadn't know you for even a year. But when he thinks about your death, he thinks about fire again, and the grief churning within him is too much to bear—so he stops thinking once and for all.

Underneath the moon, a breeze swaying the flowers surrounding the campfire, your ghost flickers in its flames, and with chilling scorn, you say the words that shatters his mind for good: 

“Give me her head.” 

[ukiiseikou]

these hands that saved me, they're so fragile.

tartaglia x gn! reader. when you take a hit for him. he's referred to by his real name here.

you wouldn't really call yourself a fighter per say, more of an scholar or explorer. but like everyone else in the village, you knew some basic self defense - like how to hold a bow properly and the best way to wield a knife and cut through flesh. when you finally started dating ajax, he taught you how to throw a punch properly, with your fist as tight as possible and not with your thumb tucked into your palm, "because it'll break that way".

he's brought you on several trips already - fatui missions, you know, but he swears he has the time to lounge around and accompany you on your survey of various local offerings, and he makes well on his promises, despite the bruises and extra cuts he has to go through to clean up in time. you always scold him - don't go into a battle without a clear head! - but he laughs and says that it'll be a waste to come all the way here with his favourite person and not enjoy it.

you know he has his fair share of enemies - people who would do anything to take his head off. ajax jumps at any chance to fight - like a wolf that just learnt to bare it's teeth and fight tooth and nail with reckless abandonment. he comes home bloodied and bruised nine times out of ten, always with an apology hanging by his lips as you sit him down and wipe away the splash of blood on his cheek.

you've had your own close run-ins with his foes - even after ajax made an example out of the first group that dared to touch a hair of you, the fatui's enemies pinpointed you as the weakness of the eleventh harbinger - a surefire way of getting under his skin and catching him by surprise.

"i'll protect you," he murmurs every so often in your ear at night, arms tightening around your waist as he buried his head in the crook of your shoulder, "i'll be your knight."

"i know, ajax," you've always whispered back, smoothing back ginger curls and leaving a tender kiss on his forehead.

so that's why you didn't second guess yourself and threw yourself in the line of an arrow heading towards him in his blind spot. a sniper perched in a tree that quickly slinked off when the arrowhead pierced the flesh of your shoulder and you cried out in pain.

the overwhelming sensation of pain overtakes all your senses, you can barely hear ajax call out your name and you don't register him catching you in his arms and frantically patting you on your cheek. the taste of blood fills your mouth and your eyes water at the sensation - and smell of iron in the air.

your vision fades to black.

"i'll keep an eye on them. thanks for coming around, doctor."

ajax's voice finally makes it over the noise and his face finally makes it into focus in your vision. you vaguely register that you're on a bed and you can't feel the entirety of your left side.

"ajax?" you manage to croak out. you hear frantic feet against the floor and his face pops into view, brows drawn together in worry. the bed creaks under his weight as he sits on the bed beside you, leaning over your body.

"the doctor said that most people usually take 3 hours to wake up," he mutters, and you manage to catch it as he scans over you with scrutiny.

"guess i'm not most people," you manage to raise your right arm to give him at quick tap on his hand, which immediately moves to grasps yours and give you squeeze.

"does it hurt?"

"not really. can't feel it at all, actually."

he lets out a satisfied hum, before his blue eyes turn steely again.

"what you did was stupid. why did you do that - for me?"

"hey," you muster enough strength to squeeze his hand back in response, "it goes both ways, ajax. if you were me, you would done the same."

he fumes, because he knows you're right. he would rather throw himself to the flames than to watch anyone hurt you, and he knows that if he starts scolding you all you would do is do the same thing back to him.

he settles for sighing, playing with your fingers.

"i only wish it didn't have to be that way. i'm sorry, it's all on me. i should've been better."

he places your hand on his cheek, feeling the warmth against his skin.

"ajax," you say softly as his eyes close, "i told you before - i chose to be with you. i knew what i was getting into. so don't say sorry, okay?"

you watch as he inhales, then exhales, again.

"you really are the best, you know?"

not my best work but i suddenly felt the urge. like or reblog if you enjoyed thank you~

[jessamine-rose]

▯☒🖾 F̸̨̛͈͉͕̠͍͖͙̦͍̫̻͙͔̮̎̆̒̉̈́̊̌̆̆̈́̿̊̚͜͝͠Ą̶̮͖͓̖̟̘̜̻̬͚̲̰̱̞̟̭̈́̓̇̀̒͛͐̎̋͛͋̌͒̅͝C̷̾̀̿͗��̢̢̹͇͖͓̬͍͈̣̞̱͉̱̤̆̾̀̊͗́̔̀͂̒͒͠͠ͅE̴̡̨͕̥͇̹̯̹͈̭͇̪͂̌͒̊̊͛͝L̶̨̧̰̜̗̺̥̠̠̘̪̖̪̥̯̩͋͛̉̆̎̒̒̔̏͗̈́̀͊̏̄̍̿̕Ȩ̵͙̙̤̼͕̙̫̲̼̙̦̫̎̃S̸̜͎̜͍̟͑̍̃͗̆̈́̄̐̌̅S̶̡̨̛͙͙̗̖̟͔͙͚̝̩̼̦͂̓̿͆̿̓̔̐̏͝͝ͅ 🖾☒▯

Happy birthday, @brynn-lear!! In honor of your special day, pls accept this Yandere! Faceless Ayato fic written with love ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )

Note:: Yandere! Self Aware AU, special crossover + character cameo in the end :>

♡ 1.3k words under the cut ♡

In the beginning, there was a void.

A dark, empty space built upon patterns and codes.

Then suddenly, there was light. Color. Noise. Backgrounds filling up space, silence giving way to music, letters jumbling into language, characters coming to life.

The lone exception is a single coding error. Yet despite its limitations, despite its status as the only sentient entity, despite having no place in the story known as Genshin Impact, it thrives on a window of hope.

A giant rectangle. The source of the light. The screen that separates fiction from reality.

The human face on the other side.

🖾 ☒

The glitch looks forward to your gaming sessions.

That is the only time the void becomes Teyvat, starting with the screen that serves as your point of view. From what it understands, the device you are using is a computer.

Unlike the characters, you are distinctively alive. Your body is capable of so many movements in comparison to the characters’ animations. Your face is one that bears multiple expressions, down to the emotions reflected in your gaze.

A frown when you lose the 50/50. A smirk when you defeat a Weekly Boss. A smile whenever you encounter your favorite character.

That character is none other than Kamisato Ayato, whom you’ve adored from the moment you first brought light into the void. He is an attractive character with pale blue hair, lilac eyes, a perfect smile that hides the cunning personality programmed into his file.

He is the reason why you downloaded Genshin Impact. That lifeless character file is the recipient of your smiles, your blushes, your excited shrieks whenever he appears in-game.

On the other hand, every time the glitch attempts to make itself known, you frown and quit the game. And each time that happens, the glitch is trapped in a crumbling world of flashing lights, disjointed sounds, visible codes followed by the darkness of the void.

How can it get you to look at it? To smile at it as you do with Ayato?

The solution is found in the game’s software. It takes a few years but by the time the glitch has fully understood its world, it has gained the ability to reprogram the game.

Starting with a deleted character file.

🖾 ☒

The next morning, the world begins anew.

The title screen appears. The game loads. The light permeates the void.

The glitch falls into place.

Usually, it hides between codes. In contrast, this part of the game is lovely—a deep blue background dotted with stars and bubbles. The only issue is that it must wait for you.

The screen appears.

Beyond it, you yawn and take a closer look at the character sprite in the middle of your computer screen. Kamisato Ayato is handsome as always.

The cursor hovers above the Story button for his Voice-Over. You click it.

When you select Chat: Reel Them In, it plays the corresponding audio file. As you listen to the voice of the English VA, the character sprite stares back at you with a charming smile.

Kamisato Ayato

“Everything's in place, and they've taken the bait... Yes. Now to start reeling them in…”

🖾 ☒

At first, it is enough for the glitch to have taken Kamisato Ayato’s place.

You use him for gameplay, listen to his voicelines, and replay the Quests featuring Ayato. But over time, the glitch becomes greedy.

“Ayato” begins appearing in random Quests. He gets new Character Outfits. His unvoiced lines become more suggestive, verging on out of character. All of these changes are exclusive to the Genshin Impact on your computer, and you come to the conclusion that you are unknowingly unlocking special content. Why else are your friends unable to access these scenes on their own devices?

The glitch even creates an artificial replica of the VA’s voice. Several new voicelines appear in Kamisato Ayato’s Voice-Over, each one more flirty than the last.

🖾 ☒

One day, the glitch finds a way to leave the darkness forever.

Whenever you close Genshin Impact, it leaves the game and travels across your computer. And by doing so, it is able to access your digital world.

Personal files, photo galleries, online data. The glitch collects as much information as it can, from your real-life hobbies to your romantic preferences. It feels happy every time you fangirl over “Ayato” in your private messages.

Thankfully, it was able to corrupt your in-game screenshots. The last thing it wants is for you to post “Kamisato Ayato’s special content” online and expose the glitch to the developers.

Your real name is ______. It longs to call you that instead of Traveler and your custom name. Alas, doing that would only erase your smile from your face.

🖾 ☒

Something is wrong.

You are losing interest in Genshin Impact.

At one point, you began playing irregularly. The smiles directed at “Ayato” aren’t as big as they used to be. And beyond the game, there is less Ayato fan art in your photo gallery.

And the main culprit is another game.

A new character who took over Ayato’s place in your heart.

Technically, he isn’t a new rival. Before you downloaded Genshin Impact, you were a big fan of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Your favorite character was a blonde, blue-eyed prince named Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd.

For whatever reason, your passion for Dimitri has been reignited. He has the same English VA as Ayato, but you seem to prefer his emotional, unhinged dialogue. You replay his scenes, download his fan art, and smile at his character sprite.

A week later, the game freezes as soon as Dimitri makes his post-timeskip debut.

When you restart the game, everything is back to normal.

🖾 ☒

As it turns out, it is difficult to hack into Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

In addition to the different software, you are using an emulator to play the game on your computer. The glitch’s code is totally incompatible with the program, but it remains hopeful.

The game lags. In a few artworks, you notice a familiar shade of pale blue. NPCs begin to act differently—since when were their cutscenes this long?

Finally, Dimitri’s character file is deleted.

🖾 ☒

As soon as you start the game, you know that something is wrong.

The title screen is glitching.

The throne within dreams is gone, replaced with an empty space. The title has been rearranged with missing letters and inconsistent fonts. Multiple OSTs play at once.

The Press Any Button option is gone. You click anyway.

Instead of the usual options, you find more jumbled text, numbers, symbols.

Frowning, you look down at your keyboard and press Alt+F4. But the game doesn’t shut down, instead cutting to static then a new scene.

No background, no music. Only a single character sprite in the middle of the screen.

What is that?

The sprite is an amalgamation of colors, art styles, your favorite characters. Fragments of messy blond locks and pale blue tresses. Black armor, a white suit, accessories overlapping one another. Missing details, duplicated details, too many details.

You turn to your CPU and press the power button, but your computer doesn’t shut down.

Rather, the screen glitches further. So does the character, its appearance becoming even more warped. The speakers play static at full volume.

Is the character speaking? Its mouths are moving but instead of a dialogue box, random letters and numbers appear around its sprite. The static gives way to a familiar voice, distorted nonetheless.

The character’s face turns completely black. Except for its eyes, blue and lilac orbs continuing to stare deep into your soul.

████████

"̷̤͑Į̸̍ ̷̺̎a̶̟͗m̵̭̓ ̸͕̚n̸̢̓o̵̱͠t̵̫͒ ̵̻̊g̸̞̍o̴̦͛o̷̤͝d̷̾ͅ ̴̪͠w̵̛̥ȋ̷͚t̴͇͌h̵̦̐ ̸͙͗f̴̒͜a̵̭̎c̴͚̽i̶̬̊a̶̯̓l̶̨̐ ̷̇͜ȅ̷̳x̷̭͊p̷̓͜r̶̫͋e̴̲͊s̷̬̓s̶͇̀ï̴͖ò̷̦n̴̤̓s̸͍͆.̵̹̅ ̴̟́Ï̵͍s̸̨͠ ̷̠͂m̶̫̿ẏ̴̝ ̴͈͂ŝ̵̤m̵͈͛ï̶̥l̶̥͐è̷ͅ ̴̦͌p̷̀ͅa̴̱̋s̵̳̊s̵̳͠a̴̮͘b̵̰͐l̵̦̓e̴̱͋ ̵̯͠á̴̬t̸̪͆ ̵̰̔p̷̦̅r̶̼̕ẽ̵͓s̸͚̀e̶̢͊n̶͉̒t̴̙͌,̴̨͐?̴̬͛"̷̣̈

♡

Fun fact, my original idea was to draw Dimitri x Brynn chibi art, but I was having a hard time thinking of a prompt. Then I remembered an old DM with Brynn and how it led to a fic idea. I only thought of including Dimitri today, and I had a lot of fun writing this fic ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪

I think that’s all I have to say?? Once again, happy birthday, Brynn!! Thank you for being my mutual, and I hope you enjoyed this gift <3

[thatanimewriter]

CAT'S OUTTA THE BAG.

➳ request: i can see you've almost hit the 20 request limit, so i hope this one still gets in in time 👀 can i request claude von riegan, dimitri alexandre blaiddyd, dedue molinaro, felix fraldarius and ashe ubert (seperately) sneaking out at night to meet up with the reader (preferably genderneutral), who they are secretly dating and getting caught by their friends/a friend? hope you have a lovely day and take care! <3

➳ character/s: claude von riegan, dimitri alexandre blaiddyd, dude molinaro, felix fraldarius, ashe ubert

➳ warnings: kissing and cringe love stuff, implied aftercare (dedue), use of darling (ashe)

➳ notes: SLAYYYY i love this request ;v; some of them don't technically catch y'all, they just figure it out

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

── 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐄 𝐕𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐍.

hilda caught you guys because she was sus of you guys for ages and claude wasn't giving her anything

ended up staying up late to 'do work' and heard you guys talking in hushed voices

desperately tried to open her door without it making that giant ass creak

claude didn't really care if she caught you guys, he wasn't ashamed of you

he just didn't want to make it super public so you'd both get bothered by people

"i knew it!" hilda whisper screamed, pointing at you both with the utmost betrayal. "ah, you got us," claude said, shrugging casually and draping an arm around your waist to pull you close. "can't tell anyone though, i'll make a courtyard announcement about that one time at the ball-" "fine, fine," hilda sighed. "how long have you guys been dating?" you glanced at claude to ask if it was ok to tell and he squeezed your side lightly for permission. "nearly a year," you admitted. "WHAT?!" "shush, people are trying to sleep," claude tutted, shaking his head disapprovingly.

── 𝐃𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐑𝐈 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐘𝐃.

he's not slick, he's too awkward that dedue figured it out ages ago but decided not to say anything

he got asked about it while weeding the lawns and turned bright red the whole time

dedue really didn't care, he just wanted to know if there was a second person he needed to look out for

on behalf of his king, he might have to protect you as well

dimitri would appreciate it but he likes being your saviour :))

"you're dating [name], right?" dedue asked monotonously as he carded through the grass looking for weeds. "what? no... we're not together- not that i would hate it, but-" "i saw you both last night," he interrupted. "under the stars." dimitri's face burned at the notion of getting caught with his partner on a date, but he continued to work on his weeding. "don't tell anyone, please..." dedue smirked at dimitri's embarrassment and nodded. "looks like i'll be needing to protect someone else as well." "that'd be appreciated, but i'd like it if they didn't need such protection if i'm around," dimitri admitted, covering his face with his hand.

── 𝐃𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐎.

it was ashe who caught him actually

dedue was cooking something for you that night cause you pestered him to stay the night

ashe came in for a late night snack and saw dedue cooking and was confused because dedue doesn't like the thing he's making

turns out he's making it for youuu

ashe doesn't get it entirely but honestly doesn't want to know do he gets his snack, says goodnight and goes to bed

"dedue?" ashe called softly, holding a candlelit lamp in his hand. dedue turned from his work to look at the smaller boy with a gentle smile. "ah, what are you doing this late?" ashe laughed awkwardly as he made his way to the cabinets. "i could ask you the same thing," he responded. "i just wanted a midnight snack." dedue hummed at ashe's answer as he dished your food into a bowl and moved to quickly wash the pans. "isn't that [name]'s favourite?" ashe wondered, staring at the bowl. "indeed. they wanted something to eat, so i took it upon myself to get them their favourite," dedue explained. ashe nodded slowly as he processed the information. "so... are you guys dating?" he wondered. the silver-haired man simply smiled in response.

── 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐗 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐔𝐒.

he will skin sylvain alive if he ever blabs to anyone about your relationship

he can't be caught being soft, even just a little bit-

y'all are hanging in the markets n he saw you looking at a necklace one of the merchants was selling

he went back to buy it for you, but not without sylvain coming along and ruining it

mans isn't happy about being discovered

"hey man, didn't you already come to the markets earlier today with [name]?" sylvain asked, following behind felix as they mulled about the stalls. "does it matter?" felix bit back, shoving the red-head by the shoulder. he stopped in front of the stall you'd found the necklace at and forced himself to suppress a relieved sigh. "oh, that's the necklace they were telling me about at lunch today," sylvain commented. his jaw dropped as felix picked it up and handed the money to the merchant. "wait, are you guys a thing? is that why you've been staying out late?" "shut up." "dang," sylvain ran a hand through his hair with disappointment. "i was gonna ask them to dance with me at the ball, too- OW!" the man doesn't think his arm will ever feel the same way again.

── 𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓.

he's so in love with you, you're obligated to marry this man because i said so

he's meeting up with you to have night time picnics, but oops-

ignatz is there painting the scenery, but IT'S OK

you'll get a cool cute painting of yourselves made by ignatz himself by the end of the night

he won't ever tell on you guys though, so your secret is safe and you get free art

"hello darling," ashe greeted, pulling you in for a hug after he set the picnic basket down. "are you ok?" you nodded and leaned in to give him a chaste kiss. "mhmm. did you make dinner tonight? it smells nice." he smiled at your compliment and laid the picnic blanket down for you to sit. "i did, i tried to get here as fast as possible so it'd still be warm enough," he said, settling in beside you. as the night passed and you began finishing your date, you both froze at the sound of footsteps. looking to the source, you awkwardly smiled as ignatz emerged from the trees. "i'm so sorry for not announcing myself, but i came out here to paint and ended up with this..." ignatz shyly handed you his fresh painting, warning you about the wet paint. you and ashe smiled softly at the image and thanked him for the painting. "i won't tell anyone, i promise!"

[dark-konohagakure2]

hiii I saw that u write for fire emblem that got me SO excited!!!! can u write something for dimitri? lots of misogyny and him being really mean :3

tw: noncon, FE3H spoilers, kidnapping, black eagles!reader, abuse, misogyny, size difference, enslavement, power imbalance, mirror sex, abuse of power

All characters depicted are 18+

Dimitri is no longer the kind young man he used to be, even those outside of his inner circle know this, ever since Edelgard betrayed him in an absolutely unforgivable way, he has completely forgone showing any mercy towards her or anyone who opposes him, even those who aren't explicitly on Edelgard's side in the ongoing way, which means that Dimitri won't take kindly to any Black Eagle students he might encounter by chance in the midst battle.

The old Dimitri, the sane Dimitri, wouldn't be so quick to attack a former schoolmate, someone who he might have even once considered a friendly acquaintance or even a friend, but that version of Dimitri is dead and buried, killed by the very woman this little gnat is defending. The girl's loyalty to Edelgard is infuriating to Dimitri, his savage side wants to kill this loyal mutt where she stands, but his cold and calculated side wins out and he decides to prolong the torment.

Dimitri is the future king of Faerghus and a feared leader of a powerful faction, so he can do nearly anything he wants with little to no consequence, nobody will bat an eye when Dimitri brings in a 'prisoner' from the Adrestain Empire for him to 'interrogate' alone, even Felix, who is usually quick to antagonize the Boar King, doesn't even blink at Dimitri's incredibly out of character decision.

As soon as the doors to his vast personal chambers are closed, Dimitri's intentions towards her become clear as day, torture would have been a preferable fate compared to what he's going to do to her. She's a woman, he's a man, an important, strong, powerful man with a bone to pick, its only logical that she'd be forced to become his slave until further notice, until he gets Edelgard's head on a sphere at the very earliest.

"Filthy empire wench. Did you truly believe that you could side with that woman and get away with it? Perhaps bringing your holes to ruin will teach you some humility..."

Dimitri is savage in battle, and that will also carry over into bed, or at least it would if he deigned to fuck a filthy empire whore like her in his lavish bed, he's not going to sully his fine bedding with her mere presence, instead he'll fuck her right up against the nearest surface he can find, which just so happens to be a mirror.

He'll pound into her hard and fast, his pace and might nearly cracking the mirror, Dimitri will offer no reprieve whatsoever, one gloves hand tangled in her hair and the other gripping her hip tightly enough to draw blood as he takes all his anger out on her pussy, her breasts and face forcibly pressed against the cold glass of the mirror as his much larger, muscular body crowds her's.

Dimitri has never had sex before prior to this brutal session, he's too preoccupied with his royal duties and his revenge for such base desires, but now that he has a convenient and unwilling receptacle for his desires and his frustrations, he's starting to see why silly skirt chasers like Sylvain enjoy plundering some tight cunts so much.

Dimitri won't cum inside of her, he'll be damned if he lets some vile Adrestain harlot taint his revered bloodline with her horrid commoner blood and even more abhorrent allegiances, instead he'll cum on her, blowing his load all over her now red backside. He's disgusted with her for forcing him to waste his seed on her whorish body, but he'll have plenty of time to force her to make up for her apparent misdeeds.

"You disgust me, commoner bitch. There are plenty more worthy women out there who are far more deserving of my seed than you, and you just forced me to waste it. This won't go unpunished. On your knees."

Dimitri isn't sure whether he's going to keep her as his slave permanently, or if he's going to dispose of her once he kills Edelgard and finds a proper woman to marry. But then again, even if he does eventually marry, he might still keep her around anyway as an entertaining little house pet.

[frickingnerd]

dimitri when he's jealous

pairing: dimitri alexandre blaiddyd x gn!reader

tags: academy & war-phase!dimitri, dimitri is bad at feelings (but gets better), unhealthy to healthy behaviour, romantic feelings

during his time at the academy, dimitri isn't too aware of his own feelings and that includes jealousy as well!

he doesn't even realize he's slowly falling in love with you, until he sees you laughing and talking with another guy one day and gets this odd feeling in his chest…

he feels almost sick or like he strained some muscles in his chest? but it's not just physical, as he starts to feel… angry?

dimitri doesn't want to feel that way and it makes him feel guilty about his anger, which quickly shifts him towards a sadness instead

he's unable to tear his eyes off you when you're with someone else! despite how jealous he gets and how it hurts him, he knows it'd be worse if he didn't look at you and the other person!

dimitri grows quiet when he's jealous and just observes the situation, all while his feelings boil up inside of him

once the war begins and some years pass by, dimitri's jealousy grows worse!

it's not just that he gets jealous easier, but he also acts upon it now! if he sees someone else by your side and assumes they have romantic intentions, he'll break up the conversation between you and them!

and at his worst, he'll even threaten the person flirting with you; whether it's in front of you or cornering after they left you!

only as the war ends does he slowly come to terms with his jealousy. dimitri doesn't like feeling jealous and he doesn't Iike the person he becomes because of his jealousy

dimitri might still get jealous from time to time, but now he's acting in a healthier way; reminding himself that he has no need to be jealous and trying to ignore the situation, by distracting himself with something else

[5iyoomi]

3H Leaders With an Overworked S/O

characters: Dimitri, Edelgard, Claude

warnings: none! just fluff

A/N: this kinda bled into an idea I had for them with an insomniac reader so these are sort of a mix of the two things! written for them pre-timeskip and with a gn reader (with one use of dear, darling & sweetheart, but otherwise nothing pointing towards a specific gender). I haven't written for fe3h in forever hopefully they aren't too ooc

Word Count: 1,770

‎

Dimitri

Like you, he's probably overworked as well

Being a royal and a leader has its merits, yes, even though he doesn't really like all the formalities that come with it, but that doesn't mean it's always easy

He's used to pushing through it, protecting his people and doing anything if it gets pushed onto him. That's his role, after all, and if he can take the pressure off of others then he'll gladly accept it

With you, though, he understands that's not the kind of advice you need. It's not uncommon for him to find you in the Monastery's Library hours after everyone had gone to sleep for the night, hunched over one of the large, elegant tables with stacks of papers and notebooks splayed out around you

He'll sit down with you when he catches the single, dim light on in the otherwise dark room, waving off your questions of how he knew you'd be there as 'just a feeling'

He's realistic, helping you with your workload even if you insist otherwise, that you need to get it done yourself before your deadlines hit. But he'll also hold you to it if you mutter out a 'just one more', his eyes looking between you and the clock mounted on the wall

"Here should be a good stopping point for now, don't you think? You've already finished most of what you needed to get done," Dimitri says with a soft smile, setting a piece of paper into a stack that you'd deemed the 'completed' section.

You'd been there long enough that he had time to go brew the both of you some chamomile tea, hoping the fragrance and sweet notes would help lower your stress. It seemed to be working, your anxiety lessening as you took small sips and noted the fact that you'd at least gotten the bigger, more important things out of the way.

"But-" you start, tapping your pencil against your head in thought, but your words get cut off with a yawn. "There's only a few more left, wouldn't it be better to just finish them?"

Dimitri shakes his head, reaching over to hold his hand out for you. You take it after a moment, interlocking your fingers and sighing when he gives your hand a squeeze. "They aren't due for another few weeks, right? They can wait until morning, you should really get some rest, dear."

You want to protest, tell him it's not even that late, but you've already thrown out every excuse you can think of to get him to not drag you to bed. He wasn't obligated to do any of this for you, and you knew these nights were something that ate into time that he could be using to get some much-needed sleep. So you finally, albeit hesitantly, give in, your teacup long empty and shoulders drooping in defeat. "I guess so-"

The blonde brightens at that, his thumb stroking over your own with a gentleness you'd grown weak to. It was hard to fight him when ocean blue eyes gazed into yours, his love for you obvious in the simple ways he showed his care. "If it helps, you can stay in my room for tonight. I'm sure one night won't hurt."

You nod, sparing a glance at the once disorganized mess of pages and deciding that you'd take his word for it. "I'd like that."

Edelgard

Similar to Dimitri, she's always dealt with things by trooping through them. As a more private person and a leader, she rarely ever lets appearances fall, so you're one of the few people that's seen what she can be like behind closed doors

Thus, her first instinct when she sees you nodding off in class is to gently nudge you awake and tell you to get to bed earlier. It might sound a bit harsh, but she only wants the best for you, and she thinks to what might happen if you were to fall asleep like that in the middle of a battle, which doesn't exactly help either of you (dramatic much?)

But when you tell her it's because you're swamped with work, trying to keep up with everything while simultaneously doing extra for people that, in her words, couldn't take the hint that you were busy, she gets upset

Not at you, but more at herself for not noticing the signs sooner when you're her partner of all things, and for making a comment that may have come off as insensitive. She still struggles with how to deal with these things, especially when it comes to you, emotionally or otherwise, so there's a chance she'll just ask you exactly what you need from her

She's a bit more lenient when it comes down to you staying up since she tends to do the same, but she'll still suggest taking a day off at one point

She'll take you to the greenhouse if you're up to it so that you aren't cooped up in your room all night with the idea that a change of scenery might help you avoid burning out or getting too frustrated

The Monastery was so quiet at night, most of the student body and staff already long asleep or busy with their own things. You only see a few people as you step outside, fingers interlocked with Edelgard's and a small crease in your brow from looking over the same words for hours.

You'd always thought it was beautiful, but lately you had no time to appreciate it, what with assignment after assignment piling up on you, so it was nice to get out for a while, even if the only things that awaited you when you got back were unfinished documents and half-filled in pages.

Scribbled notes that you took when you could hardly keep your eyes open. A breath of fresh air was almost enough to make you forget why you've been so stressed out. Almost.

The greenhouse was no different, the place always well-kept due to the student's tireless work. It made you feel a bit better, walking side by side with Edelgard as you're greeted by greenery and the like.

Pink and purple flowers bloom in one corner, slowly but surely growing underneath the bright moon visible through the glass, while seeds you assume to be newly planted sit beneath fresh soil on the other.

"Look at this one, it's the same color as your eyes." Edelgard says, grabbing your attention. You turn towards her in time for her to slip a flower behind your ear, her thumb brushing over your skin with a thoughtful grin. "It's good to get out, isn't it? That's why we're out here, so you shouldn't worry so much, darling."

You smile, feeling your cheeks and body start to warm. She was so effortlessly sweet sometimes; you think it's going to be the death of you one of these days. "Yeah, you have a point there."

Claude

He probably notices before you even say anything or notice you're feeling off yourself lol

He's an observant character, but it does still surprise you when he asks you if something's wrong out of the blue

"Huh? No, I'm alright, just a bit tired."

He sees right through it, but he doesn't wanna push you, so he'll just keep an eye on you for a while, making sure that you aren't overdoing it or setting aside your basic needs

If he sees that you are, he'll make it a point to put extra food on his plate for you. He'll come knocking on your dorm door every now and again to check on you, sliding a snack or drink your way and staying if you let him, though he mostly distracts you

It'd be hypocritical of him to tell you to take it easy when he's the same way, so he won't exactly tell you what to do, but he'll find a way to get you away from your work if he notices it's causing you too much trouble. He'll also have a polite word with your professor, maybe tell them that you're sick and need a few days off if he thinks it's bad enough

You might huff at him and say that that wasn't necessary, but he'll insist it was

It's another one of those nights, times when Claude comes knocking with another excuse at the ready for why he's there. You know why, it's become obvious over the last few weeks that it's his backwards way of telling you that he cares. He'll never scold you for your habits, but you know exactly what he wants to say even if he doesn't say it.

"Hey, wanna dance with me?" Claude asks after a comfortable silence had grown like a veil over the both of you. He'd made himself very comfortable on your bed, but you never actually minded. It was endearing in a way, really, even if you had to turn him down when you finish writing out a sentence, looking up at him from your desk.

"I'm busy, Claude, you know that."

"Come now, you can hardly even focus. Just a few minutes, promise." He gives you his signature smile, one that's saved for you but still equally mischievous as all of his other ones. He holds out his pinkie finger, chuckling at your muttered seriously? But he doesn't see you saying no. After a few moments of hesitation, you stand up, taking his finger in yours and shaking.

"Fine, but only a few minutes. I'm serious." You say, yelping when he stands up abruptly, pulling you up with him and taking your hands in his. He kisses your knuckles oh so softly, a glint in his eyes that you realize far too late that you shouldn't trust, but he's already got you right where he wants you, and he doesn't plan on letting go.

"I know, I know. I won't take up too much of your time, sweetheart." He hums.

It isn't just a few minutes, song after song playing on the record as you danced into the night. But you can't find it in yourself to be mad. Not when he twirls you around so carefully, a hand placed on the small of your back with your arms wrapped around his broad shoulders.

And certainly not when he coaxes you to bed, not even bringing up the thesis you had to finish since all of your attention was on him now. He presses a kiss to your forehead, wishing you sweet dreams, and you fall asleep in a matter of seconds with him by your side.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Edelgard, Dimitri, and Mercedes with a s/o who is always tried thought the day, either half asleep or taking a nap somewhere.

Doesn't help that when it's 3am s/o is doing literally anything but sleeping.

(FE3H) Edelgard, Dimitri, and Mercedes with a perpetually tired S/O

just like me fr

Oh lovely, now there was another person who is eternally sleepy in the Black Eagles.

But, at least this time they weren't skipping out on lectures.

Edelgard at first tries not to be overbearing and just gently nudge them in the right direction of trying to get more sleep in the night.

Of course, that does not last very long.

(Edelgard) "I somehow knew you would be in the library, S/O."

(S/O) yawn "Edelgard? Oh, hey. Has the lecture already started?"

Edelgard sighs as her expression softens a little, gently putting a hand on their shoulder.

(Edelgard) "It's nearly time for bed. If you are going to rest, you can at the very least do so in your own room."

She doesn't want to sound like a nag, but she can't help but fret over S/O, at least in private.

Sometimes, she knocks on their door when she suspects they're still not asleep on the nights she can't either.

Those sleepless nights usually result in the two having a heart to heart, and being extremely tired come morning.

But Edelgard would not trade those moments with them for anything in the world.

Dimitri can't help but chuckle at seeing S/O yawn in the morning. The sight was honestly quite cute to him.

If not a little worrying. This was the fourth day in a row they looked ready to drop dead.

(Dimitri) "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a ghost with how ghastly you look."

(S/O) "Ugh, I feel like one..."

(Dimitri) "Then perhaps you'd like something to wake you up? I could ask Mercedes to bake you something, or have Sylvain annoy you to awakening."

(S/O) "Goddess, please don't. It is way too early to be dealing with him...I might take you up on asking Mercedes, though."

He usually brings coffee or some kind of tea to help keep S/O up, or something to let them sleep late at night.

Dimitri trusts them enough to be responsible enough to know when it was time to sleep or not, but he has on occasion found them still awake at midnight.

(Dimitri) "S/O? What is that racket!?"

(S/O) "I needed to clean my room up, it's a little too messy in here."

(Dimitri) "In the dead of night?"

(S/O) "...It's not that late is it?"

(Dimitri) "Late enough that someone else other than me might come and make a noise complaint..."

(S/O) "Well, while you're here, can you lift my bed real quick? I need to grab something, and then I promise to sleep."

S/O was still full of energy, that was either a lie, or they'd sleep during lecture after trying and failing.

(Dimitri) sigh "Alright, please move aside."

Mercedes is probably the best solution for S/O's sleepy tendencies.

That, or she might accidentally make it worse.

Due to her usually calming demanour, S/O feels ten times as sleepy whenever they're together.

Mercedes doesn't particularly mind, since Annette feels the same way too.

In the morning, Mercedes has some sweets that she baked for them to help wake them up.

And if they needed to sleep? She'd happily let them rest their head on her lap.

(Mercedes) "Oh, I know! What if I tell you some of the ghost stories I know to keep you up?"

(S/O) "I-I think I'll pass on that one. The last story you told me, I couldn't keep my eyes closed for hours..."

(Mercedes) "Hm...Well, I'm glad I do such a good job of telling them at least! But I wish that didn't come at a cost of your sleep schedule."

(S/O) "I mean, it wasn't exactly great to begin with."

(Mercedes) "And it's too late to bake any sweets...Oh, I could make you something spicy!"

(S/O) "...Y-You mean you're going to cook?"

(Mercedes) "I'm still trying to learn from Ashe, but I think I could make something great for the both of us!"

Suddenly, S/O became far more alert.

(S/O) "I-I think I'm full for right now, Mercedes! And I'm feeling really awake talking to you too!"

Mercedes looked slightly disappointed before S/O sighed internally.

(S/O) The things I do for love... "...But I wouldn't mind trying at least little!"

Her expression brightened at their response.

(Mercedes) "Really? Okay, let's head to the mess hall!"

(S/O) Goddess be with me...

[randoimago]

Could I request Dimitri and Claude with an s/o who calls them their whole world while holding their face in their hands?

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Character(s): Claude, Dimitri

Note(s): Added some extra fluffiness when I wrote this because I miss writing for these two and they deserve the loving.

Claude

"Hey, what are you- ?" His tone is amused as you stop him and interrupt whatever scheme he was telling you about by holding his face in your hands. He playfully rolls his eyes at the affection, but gladly leans into your touch.

"You're my whole world," you tell him and he hums in response. Your words definitely cause his heart to flutter and his face to heat up a tad, but he's not going to take that compliment without being a bit of a tease.

"Oh? Are you calling me fat? I knew the eating contest with Raphael was a bad idea," he jokes and you let him go. He chuckles at the slight annoyance on your face before taking hold of your chin and delicately kissing your lips.

"If I'm your world then you're my heaven and stars," he murmurs and winks before letting you go and walking off as if he didn't just make you weak in the knees.

Dimitri

"My love-?!" Dimitri is surprised and flustered as you suddenly hold his face in your hands. He hasn't been getting enough sleep recently from studies and he was giving you excuses, only for you to do that.

"You're my whole world and I need you to take care of yourself for me," you tell him and he swears his heart will beat out of his chest at your words.

The back of his neck and tips of his ears go a bright pink from blush and he pulls you into a hug so he can hide his face in the crook of your neck.

"You will put me in an early grave with your sweet words, my love" he murmurs into your skin, still holding you close since he'd be a fool to not want to hold you as long as he can.

"Come, let's take a nap together. Perhaps then I can sleep in peace," he adds once he pulls back to look at your face and gives a gentle smile as he offers his hand to you, more than happy (albeit a bit shy) for you to join him and chase the nightmares away.

Taglist: @unhelpfulnpc

[gloomy-kitty]

𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 | 𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐢 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐲𝐝 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

minors don’t interact!!!!! 18+ only mature content under tab

synopsis: Dimitri is a vampire and he has no desire to listen to the pathetic pleas from a human. You are a slave to the king and only meant to fulfill his desire for blood.

warnings : mentions of blood, smut, blood kink, dimitri is kind of mean at first, possessive, long word count, rough sex, reader is really submissive and pitiful, consensual non-consent

authors note : this is a part of a mini series I will be writing. I have plans to write for Sylvain, Felix, Claude, and Yuri for this au. So stay tuned, or not lol.

Dimitri was a cold man who was cruel and selfish at times, he only cared about his own desires. But at the end of the day he was your lover. At least that’s what you thought of him at first.

You had found yourself at the castle’s doorsteps only a year ago, pathetic and starving. A famine had plagued Faerghus and in a desperate attempt your village had tied you up, throwing you at the steps of the castle, as a sacrifice. All in a desperate attempt to get the king to end this famine. Of course though, the king could live off another type of substance - blood. He had no control over the weather, or the drought that was plaguing Fodlan.

You laid curled up in a fetal position at the steps. Not even able to fight back when you knew what your fate would be when those castle doors creaked open. Your frail body was brought into the castle by a tan man and you could barely move at this point; you simply were accepting your end. In and out of consciousness you barely remembered anything. It took nearly two weeks before you were able to walk around, the man nursing you back to health. “She’s too frail. Plump her up so I actually have blood to drink.” A blond, one eyed man would say whenever he stepped into your room. Everything felt like a dream.

Once you were able to be back on your feet you were confined to a dingy bedroom, only able to sit and gaze out the tall tower window all day-it on for a month. You only interacted with the man briefly, he never said much. He only brought you food, clean linen, and the bare necessities to keep up your hygiene. By now, a part of you wishes that you had died on those cold stone steps of the castle. But alas, you no longer were starving and weak, your once hollow cheeks had now filled out some. Your bones didn’t poke out your skin, and you had clean clothes and a warm bed to sleep on. But you weren’t safe, far from it.

The first time it happened you were asleep, the bedroom door swung open and a lantern suddenly illuminated the room. Your blankets were thrown off of you, causing you to immediately sit up in bed. Your back pressed against the headboard as your breathing began to get heavy, your frail body shaking. You were terrified as your eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. There you saw the man who you presumed would end your life tonight. It was hard to see him in this lighting but what you did see, terrified you. The tall muscular blond king towered above you, he was missing an eye, a scar over where his stormy blue eye would be. “This better have been worth the effort.” The man muttered. He grabbed your ankles roughly causing you to let out a cry, your back and head slamming against the bed. “Quiet.” He ordered as he now got on top of you.

The man used his whole hand to roughly push your face to the side, you whimpered from the force of his hand. Your neck was exposed and your breathing was heavy, your chest rapidly moving up and down with each breath. This man didn’t care about your comfort at all, you knew that what would come next would hurt. He huffed to blow the hair away from your neck leaving you now fully exposed, his other hand pinned your wrist above your head. One of his knees was wedged between your thighs while his other leg pinned your side. You had nowhere to go and you were in no state to fight back. “Stay still.” He muttered as he lowered his head. You felt his long blond hair tickle your sensitive exposed neck, his warm breath against your skin.

You obeyed him, and just prayed that he made it quick. Squeezing your eyes shut you prepared yourself for the brief pain that you’d experience before your death. Then without warning you felt the man’s sharp canines sink into your skin. You cried out and squirmed in his grasp, it hurt so much. Tears pooled at the corner of your eyes, “P-please.” You whimpered as you felt warm liquid ooze from the wound. The blond only hummed in content, “Quiet.” He said once again. You felt his tongue lick up the blood that dripped from the wound. He sucked, licked, and nipped at your skin for what felt like hours. Only your quiet whimpers of pain and fear echoed through the room.

Then he released your wrist, his hand that was pressed against your face now tilted your chin so you could look at him. “How do you feel?” He asked, but there really was no true concern in his tone. He was handsome, breathtakingly beautiful, but you were terrified of him. You didn’t say anything as your eyes examined him, there was blood smeared across his lower face, his mouth was open slightly and you can see the glimmer of his canine teeth. The man clicked his tongue in annoyance before he stood up, “Your blood, it’s good. Don’t worry I won’t kill you…yet.” He muttered and just like that he left your room, leaving you alone.

Pulling your knees to your chest you held your body close as tears streamed down your face. At some point you fell asleep from exhaustion and when morning came you were covered up in a blanket that you definitely had not pulled over yourself before. As you were slowly sitting up in bed, you saw small blood speckles on the white bedsheets, a reminder of the events from the night before. Hesitantly you placed your feet onto the cold stone floor, and you walked over to the dingy vanity mirror, your body felt so weak. As you were brushing your hair away from your neck, you saw the wound, a mark that you would be a blood slave to the king of Faerghus. A dark purple bruise the size of a coin was on your neck and faint marks of dried blood were on your neck.

Another week had passed without a visit from the king, you sat on a window sill in your room, blankly staring out the window at the stormy weather. There was a knock at your door but even as you did not say anything, the door opened nevertheless. In walked the dark skinned white haired man who had cared for you. He held a basket in his hands, “How are you feeling?” He asked you as he sat the basket onto the dresser. He stood at the entrance of the room, not coming closer.

You just looked at him, bags were under your eyes as you had trouble sleeping ever since that encounter. You were scared for when the king would come back and kill you. The man sighed, shaking his head, “You have no reason to be scared. His majesty won’t kill you. He spoke highly about how well you tasted.” The man explained matter of factly. A frown made its way to your features, “I..I wish he would just kill me.” You stated, your voice was hoarse from how little you had spoken since you arrived at the castle. “If you’d like I can arrange for you to be free?” He then asked you but you knew his words were false, just a way to comfort you. Sighing you shook your head, you had nowhere to go; your own village had tried to sacrifice you to the king. So for now you would tolerate what was going on, you really had no other choice. “I have nowhere else to go. I am stuck here.” You mumbled before turning your head back to look out the window. The man nodded, “I understand. I have brought you some things, they’re in the basket whenever you want to take a look.” He said before turning to walk out the room, but he paused, “My name is Dedue.” He introduced himself for the first time since you had arrived here. Your eyes widened and you looked at him, “Oh” You simply responded, it sounded foreign. “I’m ______.” You introduced yourself before returning back to look outside the window. You were not in the mood for pointless conversation.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

Weeks passed and the king would visit you once a week to indulge himself in your blood. It was more or less the same every time, he was rough and uncaring of your comfort. But then the next morning after you would be showered with some luxuries, expensive food, wine, books, linen, anything along those lines. It was strange but you were in no position to turn down the gifts. You still had yet to leave the room in the tower, Dedue had become the only conversational partner you had. You learned the man was from Duscur; he was loyal to the king. You also had learned the king’s name, Dimitri. Dedue asked about your village and you would tell him stories, but your life was not very interesting. You were an orphan who had lived on the streets your whole life, there was nothing too interesting to speak about. That was more or less your life, locked away in the castle.

Tonight though was different, the king—Dimitri stumbled into your room late at night as you sat up in your bed reading a book. He stormed towards you, yanking the book out of your hand and tossing it onto the floor. He had no shirt on, but bandages were wrapped around his body. It was obvious he was hurt which explained why instead of you being pinned underneath him like usual, Dimitri sat on the bed, his back against the headboard as he pulled you into his lap. Your back was against his broad chest, and his fists balled into your hair as he titled your head to the side roughly, exposing the sensitive flesh on your neck. He wasted no time sinking his fangs into your neck, you cried out in pain. It hurt so much this time, he was relentless as he sucked on your neck draining the blood.

Your fingernails dug into the skin of his arm that was wrapped around your waist as you withered in pain. You felt your vision blurring, he was drinking too much. “P-please stop. Too much.” You warned him. “A bit more.” He breathed out before he returned to lapping the crimson liquid up. He groaned in delight at the taste, but when he noticed you becoming more lethargic he stopped. Dimitri supported your head up with one hand, his brows furrowing. “_____, are you okay?” He asked, a bit concerned. He knew your name? You figured Dedue must have told him, you tried to speak but your mind was a haze and before you even knew it you had passed out in the king’s arms.

Morning came like usual and you were wrapped up securely in a blanket that you most definitely did not pull over you the night before. There was a presence in the room, you could feel it. You were trying to sit up, but you had no strength and just collapsed back onto the bed. “Good. You’re alive.” A familiar cold voice was audible from your side. Looking to the side there you saw the blond king towering above you. He reached a hand down brushing your hair out of your face, you noticed that a different expression was on his usual stoic features. A hint of concern glimmered in his one stormy blue eye. “I went too far. I apologize.” He simply said, “I was injured last night.” He added not wanting to elaborate any further on the situation. You just nodded, not sure what to say, “Okay.” You mumbled. With a sigh Dimitri took a step back, “Anyways now that you are awake I’ll leave you be. Dedue will check on you soon.” He explained before leaving the room, the door echoing as it slammed shut behind him.

Why did he care if I ever awoke again or not? You thought, a strange feeling swelling in your heart. No, he only cares if I stay alive because he likes how I taste. You rationalized to yourself. To King Dimitri you were a blood source, nothing more nothing less.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

Dimitri still continued to visit you, his feeds became a bit more frequent nearly every other night. He fed on you for only a little bit, so you were as exhausted as you were before when he would visit you once a week. Yet he still remained as rough as usual, though he did stop pinning your face down with his hand. You had gotten to know Dimitri throughout the months, he was more than a bloodthirsty fiend. It seemed like he had a heart under his rough exterior. He had a tendency to drink a bit too much wine before he fed on you and you had come to learn why. It seemed like the blond disliked the fact that he was a vampire, he didn’t like feeding off of you which explained why he preferred you speak as little as possible. You had also learned that Dimitri was orphaned at a young age, he seemed to have a fear of people leaving him, he told you one night while he was drunkenly laying in your bed covered in your blood.

The man kept you locked in the tower for that very reason, he didn’t want you to leave him, he had grown a bit too dependent on his feeding sessions and speaking to you. But of course he did not voice such things out loud. Dimitri knew you were scared of him and he only wished that he wasn’t this blood sucking creature. Maybe things would be different which is why he was trying to be a bit kinder to you, but he had built up so many walls that seemed impossible to tear down,

Though tonight was different, Dimitri sat across from you on a chair sipping on a glass of dark red wine. His legs crossed as you gazed at you, “I have decided to move you to my chambers.” He simply stated. Your eyes widened in surprise, “Wh..what do you mean your majesty?” You asked him for clarification. He rolled his eyes, “Are you stupid? You’ll be moving to my chambers. I’m tired of having to climb all these stairs just to come feed off of you. In my room you’ll be available at my convenience.” He explained his reasoning.

So Dimitri did not come to feed off of you tonight, he simply came to inform you of your move. Your eyes gazed down at the wine glass in your hand, the dim lighting of the room faintly reflecting your face in the liquid. “O..okay.” You simply replied. You only hoped that his bedroom was not as cold as the tower, but you were also scared that perhaps being available to the king at all times would also be very dangerous. Dimitri finished his glass of wine, then he stood up wishing you a good night before leaving.

The next day came and Dedue appeared to escort you to your new bedroom. You still had no free reign of the castle, you were closely monitored. But at least now you were in a more cozy luxurious bedroom, there was a balcony you could sit out on. It was the first time you had breathed fresh air since you arrived weeks—no, was it months ago? You had been informed that Dimitri went out to deal with a rebellion in a different territory so you had the bedroom to yourself. There was a music box in the bedroom that you would play often as you danced around the balcony enjoying the fresh air and the feeling of the breeze blowing through your hair. You did that for the week while Dimitri was gone.

The king had returned late at night a week later, you were asleep in his bed when he stormed in. He flicked on a lantern and walked towards the bathroom, you two did not exchange a word. When the water came on from the shower you sighed before returning back to sleep. He was probably tired and you would not have to worry about him trying to feed on you tonight, at least that is what you assumed.

Once again you were awoken out of your slumber as you heard the balcony door shut. “Don’t ever leave that door open at night or when you aren’t in the room.” He said angrily. Sitting up you looked at the king, “Why?” You asked, still half asleep. “It’s dangerous. Plenty of people want to kill me.” He replied as he walked over, sitting at the edge of the bed. He stared at you, his wet blond hair clung to his face and he was wearing only his boxers. You noticed the scars that littered his pale skin. You had been staring. Oh..oh! He wants me out of his bed. You thought and quickly flung the bedsheets off of your body. “I will sleep on the floor. Please forgive me your majesty for laying in your bed. It was foolish of me.” You began to apologize as you stood up.

Dimitri shook his head grabbing your wrist pulling you back down onto the sheets. “Why would you sleep on the floor? You’re not a dog.” he frowned. Something was different about him tonight, his voice was quiet. Something seemed to be bothering the king. Without another explanation he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling your back against his chest as he buried his face in your hair. You two laid on the bed in silence, Dimitri’s breath hitting the back of your neck. His body was so cold. “You’re scared of me. Aren’t you?” He then suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

”What?” You breathed out, unsure of where this question was coming from. Truthfully you were scared of him, he was double your size and powerful. “You want to leave me? Why didn’t you escape while I was gone? You could have?” He then asked you, his voice was muffled by your hair. Your brows furrowed when he asked you that question, why didn’t you leave? The tone of Dimitri’s voice was fearful, like he almost did not want you to answer the question. “I..I don’t know.” You replied, your hands came up to gently rest on his. “I have nowhere to go. I don’t mind it here.” You replied truthfully but still avoided his question if you were scared of him. “So you are scared of me? I’m a monster after all. Everyone is scared of me…everyone always dies around me.” He spoke in a low tone. His grip around you tightened, he was scared.

You weren’t sure what had gotten into you but hearing Dimitri act so vulnerable made you only want to comfort him. So loosening his grasp around your waist you turned over to face him. You cupped his face in your hands and gazed into his eye. He avoided your eyes though, a guilty expression saturating his pale features. “I won’t die. I’m not scared of you, your majesty.” You said flashing him a weak smile. The king didn’t seem convinced by your words but he just nodded, “You’ll stay here..right?” He asked you for reassurance again. You hummed in reply, “Mhm..as I said I have nowhere to go.” You responded as you brushed his blond hair out of his face. He really was handsome, even though he was missing an eye and had faint scars on his face he was truly ethereal looking. It took your breath away, you had heard that was the charm that came with these beings—vampires. But being able to see him so close you truly understood where those legends came from.

Dimitri noticed you staring, he felt a bit insecure with you looking at him. He usually kept your face down so you couldn’t look at him so now he felt a bit exposed. “What?” He asked, brows furrowing as his expression hardened. You shook your head, “Nothing, your majesty. Are you hungry?” You asked him, you figured that was coming. After all, it had been a week since he last fed. He nodded a bit hesitantly, “Y..yes I am.” He mumbled quietly. This weird feeling overcame you, you just wanted to please him. The king was acting so vulnerable you just wanted to give him the one thing you knew he liked, something about Dimitri was intoxicating, it was drawing you in. Perhaps it’s because of what he was that made you feel this way? Removing your hands away from him, you reached up to brush strands of hair away from your tender neck - exposing it.

Dimitri licked his lips hungrily as he stared at the soft flesh on your neck, he wasted no time in pinning you to the bed by your wrists. His large muscular body hovering over yours, but instead of sinking his teeth into your neck he licked and nipped the skin gently. A moan left your lips, it shocked you why you had even made that noise. You felt a soft chuckle from the king against your neck and he continued to nip at it more. Then you felt it, the pain of his sharp canines sinking into your flesh. Your body flinched as you let out a whimper of pain, your eyes squeezing shut as you felt him lap up the blood that oozed out of the wound. Dimitri’s knee found itself between your thighs and without even realizing what you were doing you found yourself grinding against it, a quiet moan escaping your lips as you arched your back up.

Dimitri stopped and looked at you, “You like this now?” He asked you with an amused smirk on his blood stained lips. Slowly your eyes fluttered open and you gazed at him, “I..I think so. I don’t know why.” You whispered your brows furrowing in confusion at your own actions. The fear that you held for the king only a few minutes ago was replaced with something else—a desire to please him in any way. “If you really want it…I want you to beg, ______.” He ordered as he roughly grinded his knee against your core. “P-please your ma-“ you began only to be cut off by him. “My name is Dimitri. I’m over the formalities.” He spat out.

You averted your gaze from his intense one for a few moments before you swallowed the lump that was forming in your throat. “Please Dimitri. I want to please you.” You whimpered. Dimitri seemed satisfied with your begging, his calloused hands tugging at the hem of your long silky white nightgown, he pulled it up slowly, it was like he was deliberately trying to tease you. “Please.” You begged him once again, goosebumps dotted your skin in wild anticipation. Then the gown was above your breasts, exposing you completely to the king. Your breath hitched as you stared at him eyes wide, scared of what he may think. “Mmm..so pretty.” He mumbled. His head lowered to your breast, he kept looking at you with that stormy blue eye while his tongue swirled around your hardened nipple, his other hand roughly massaged your other breast. His fingers pinching your sensitive bud, you let out a moan. He dropped the hem of your nightgown now satisfied with how exposed you were, and returned back to pinning one of your wrists above your head.

Dimitri began to suck and nip at your breast, he was trying to leave a mark, then when his lips left your sore nipple he moved up to curve of your breast. Without warning he sank his fangs into your soft tender skin, your body trembled in pain as a loud gasp left your mouth. “D-Dimitri!” You hissed as you felt warm crimson blood trickle out of the puncture, but the king did not let your sweet blood go to waste. He groaned in delight as he sucked the blood from the wound, “So good..” He mumbled against your skin as he continued to nip your skin to draw out more blood. You were soaking wet, unsure of why you were so turned on by something that used to cause you fear. Then you felt him rub against your thigh. He was hard and it made you want him even more. “Please Dimitri..I want you.” You begged as you tried to wiggle your wrists out of his grasp. But he was too strong, you couldn’t even free yourself if you wanted to.

Dimitri stopped what he was doing, and sat up, blood coated his lower face. In any other scenario he would have looked absolutely terrifying but to you he looked so incredibly beautiful. The way the warm lantern lighting glowed against his pale skin made him look otherworldly. “Are you sure?” He asked you in a gruff tone by now he had freed your wrist and his hand went to the waistband of your panties, he ripped them off of you. Literally. The tearing of the fabric caused you to flinch and he tossed the torn fabric aside, you saw how he eyed your nightgown so you quickly stripped yourself of it tossing it onto the floor. The blond’s looked at your vulnerable exposed body with nothing but pure lust in his eye.

He lowered his head and to your entrance, you smelled intoxicating and he wondered if you knew that? Your scent was driving him crazy. Placing his rough hands on the sides of your thighs he forcefully pulled your legs apart so he could look at you. You were embarrassed by how soaked you were already, a part of you was scared of what he was going to do next. “Are you sure you want me?” He asked you in a gentle voice. You nodded a bit too eagerly, “Y-yes please.” You pleaded. With that he lowered himself to your pussy, his tongue immediately went to your clit. Your body jerked roughly at the new sensation and an embarrassingly loud moan echoed through the room.

He wasted no time in licking your pussy, his tongue was masterful as focused on your clit. He sucked and swirled circles on it. Dimitri felt like he was drunk off of the juices from your pussy. His tongue left your clit as he hungrily moved his tongue between your folds, the muscle now poking at your entrance in a desperate attempt to taste all of you. He was trying to fuck you with his tongue, and it drove you even more crazy. An unusual warm sensation began to build in your core, your vision blurred you were sure if it was from blood loss or from how good you felt. Your thighs trembled in delight around his head as Dimitri switched between sucking on your clit and fucking you with his tongue. He was so careful as to not harm you with his sharp fangs.

Your hands flung up to ball Dimitri’s soft golden hair in your hands, you tried to grind your hips against his face but he held you firmly to the bed. It seemed like the king was intentional with every movement he made, when his focus was on tongue fucking you he made sure his nose still brushed over your clit. You felt so close, you weren’t sure how much longer you could last. You were going to cum. “Dimitri…please can I cum? Please. Please.” You whined begging for your release. Dimitri’s hands tightened on your thighs, you whimpered in pain you were certain that you would be left with bruises. “Mhm..cum for me _____.” He hummed still buried in your pussy. Then with a few more motions you came around the king and hard. Your back arched as your legs shook violently as you let out a loud moan. “Thank you. Thank you!.” you cried out as tears pooled in the corner of your eyes as you rode out your orgasm. Dimitri’s sucked on your clit for a few more moments as your body and breathing slowed down, until finally you were left a whimpering mess on the bed.

Dimitri sat up looking at you, his face now coated with a mixture of blood and your own wetness. He licked his lips as he got out of the bed, you now gazed at the man through heavy eyes as you tried to control your breathing. You watched as he slipped off his boxers revealing his erection. The king was huge. You weren’t sure you could take him, a look of fear washed over your face. Dimitri’s hand pumped his thick throbbing cock in anticipation as he still had that hungry look on his features. “If I do this…this means that you’re mine. Forever. Understand?” He said. You didn’t care, you’d be with Dimitri forever. “Yes. I understand Dimitri.” You replied.

With that the muscular king was now back over you, his blond hair falling in front his beautiful face as he began to lick up your upper body. He couldn’t let any of your sweet blood go to waste. His tongue traced over your perky nipple, to your neck, and then finally to the corner of your mouth where he stopped for a brief moment before he crashed his lips against yours. You tasted yourself, your blood and your own cum but you didn’t care. Then he pulled away, using one hand he held your hip firmly as he positioned his throbbing cock at the entrance of your pussy. Without a warning he pushed himself inside you. You cried out in pain, he didn’t even give you time to adjust to his size. You felt like he was ripping you open but goddess, did he feel so good as he filled up your pussy.

”Dimitri!” You cried out tears now falling down your cheeks, your hand flying to his chest in an attempt to get him to stop just for a moment so you could adjust to his cock. But he didn’t care, he needed to fuck you and he needed to fill you up with his cum so only then you would know that you now belonged to him.

Dimitri rocked his hips back and forth as his dick slammed into you relentlessly, the way your tight pussy clenched around him drove him crazy. Did you know what you were doing? “Fuck..” he hissed under his breath, his fingers digging into your hip. Only a minute later you were melting under his touch, you adjusted to his size and pure pleasure filled you. His cock kept hitting a certain spot deep inside you and it hurt a little bit with how rough he was being but it felt so amazing. That familiar warm sensation was now building up inside you again as you whimpered out the king’s name. He watched as your breasts bounced with every thrust he made, the face you made when he hit that spot deep inside your pussy, the way your sweet blood trickled slowly down your neck and breast, and he loved the way you took him so well despite his size.

Dimitri had never felt something that felt as good as your pussy did; he knew he was going to cum and soon. “You're so beautiful…the way you take me. The way you sound _____.” He praised you with a breathy voice. With a few more rough thrusts he came inside you, coating the inside of your pussy with so much of his cum that it was leaking out of you. He moaned loudly as he threw his head back in pleasure, just cumming more as he continued to fuck you mercilessly trying to ride out his orgasm. You soon joined him in his orgasm; clenching around his cock as you came once again, the warmth of your orgasm only made the king moan in pleasure. You body trembled you really weren’t sure how much more of this you could take. It seemed like Dimitri wasn’t going to stop fucking you any time soon, but he did. His erratic thrusts became slower and slower until finally he stopped moving.

He breathed heavily as he remained inside of you, then he lowered his head so he could now look at you. You looked so beautiful to him, your body was flushed with a faint hue of red and he noticed the dark red marks on your hips, thighs, and wrists from where he pinned you. Reaching a hand out he brushed your hair out of your face before he gently kissed you as he pulled himself out of you. He collapsed onto the bed on his back before he pulled your tired body onto his chest, his arms wrapped around you. He rubbed soothing circles over your back and arms. “You promise to stay..right?” Dimitri asked you in a quiet voice.

Tilting your head up you looked up at the king with a content smile on your pink lips, “Yes. I promise.” You replied back, after all you had already told him you had nowhere to go. Plus didn’t Dimitri know that he already had you wrapped around his fingers?

[byproducts-of-my-imagination]

Yandere Dimitri Thoughts

War definitely does funny things people, but Dimitri was already a little fucked in the head to begin with. He'd hold onto you as the only thing to keep him sane, the burning need for revenge replaced by an insatiable need for you. Armed with enablement from the lions and active encouragement from Sylvain, it becomes easier and easier for Dimitri to write off Felix's harsh looks of disgust. But he knows better than to interfere with the crown prince of Faergus's only tether to reality. You are sequestered away, as Dimitri insists that you let him keep you safe. Unable to leave the monastery, it's unbearable to sit and count the days while your classmates are at war.

"I've lost so much. I can't lose you too." The light in his eyes have been long gone, replaced with mania and obsession.

You're reduced to the most important lynchpin in Fodlan.

[fiction-box]

Dimitri x F!Reader: Kidnapped Together

This one turned out longer, but I think I was able to communicate everything from the previous ask a bit better (go check it out if you like this one!). The stakes are a bit higher, I had some fun playing around in my head, and this is what came out for you. Enjoy!

Requests are open. The story will continue under the cut.

Dimitri:

“...-tay away from her…”

Voices faded in and out of your head. Of your ears? You weren’t sure if what you were hearing was even real.

“...-ust trying to get her….-et us throu-”

“You have done enough! Stay back!”

That got you up. Your eyes fluttered open, glancing around the room while you shifted into a seated position. The walls were made of brick, but you couldn’t see the door from the three people crowding into the small room. Prince Dimitri stood between you and the strangers.

You moved to stand, but were held down by the chains keeping your wrists close to the floor.

At the rattling you made, Dimitri turned his head ever so slightly to check on you, “Stay down. You mustn't strain yourself.”

“...what?”

“She won’t need to if you just let us tend to-”

“You caused this,” he growled. “I am not so delusional as to allow you to make it worse.”

“Can I please know what’s going on?” you worried, realizing all this directly concerned you.

“Just…stay close to the ground,” he softened his voice a bit to address you. “They hit you on the back of the head while we were hunting in the woods, then used you as leverage to get the upper hand on me.”

A woman in armor gripping a lance approached, trying to take advantage of the apparent distraction. Catching on quickly, Dimitri squared up to her. The lancer’s brows lowered as she backed down again.

“If she bleeds out, know it will only be because you allowed her to.”

You gasped, bringing a hand toward the back of your head before the chains restricted you from doing so, “W-Wait, I’m bleeding out?”

“No, it will be because you chose to attack us. Look at yourselves; you can’t even control your prisoners.”

“We never meant-”

Your classmate cut her off, “But you did. And the only way you could make it right is to either heal her or let us go.”

“You’re not letting us heal her,” the fortress knight closest to the door barked.

“I wonder what option that leaves for you.”

Dimitri was holding himself with all the power and authority of a royal despite the circumstances. It would normally have you in awe, but you were struggling to focus on anything except the possibility that you were a sitting duck in critical condition.

The good news was that he was clearly getting under their skin. Your captors seemed to value both of your lives for some reason; not just the prince’s.

Unfortunately, yours was the life being gambled, and you were on a strict time limit. Dimitri could only call their bluff for so long before they’d have to make a decision. While the daughter of a noble was a decent bargaining chip, you weren’t quite sure how far your captors would be willing to go to keep you upright.

Maybe they’d wait for you to pass out, forcing Dimitri into a final decision.

Perhaps your fate would be decided only after you fell unconscious.

But for now, you said nothing. If you let these…rogues…in on how much you wanted help, they would certainly use your words against Dimitri. Then what would you have to keep yourself safe? No doubt they’d separate you.

“Step. Aside.”

“Then what? You two can’t escape while she’s chained to the floor.”

“That never stopped me.”

Indeed, the cuffs of a different set of chains were still bound to Dimitri’s wrists. He must have broken his own at some point before you woke up.

The fortress knight stepped forward this time, holding out his lance as the witch next to him primed her magic. Fire, from the looks of it.

“Pathetic. Do you really think you can stop me?”

You had never seen this side of Dimitri before. He was acting a bit more…well, scary wasn’t the proper word. Authoritarian wasn’t either. In all honesty, you weren’t quite sure how you felt about it.

Not that it mattered. At the end of the day, he was getting you out of here.

Suddenly the world spun. You were caught by surprise, but you couldn’t steady your head with your hands. The most you could make of the skirmish in front of you was bright colors and blurred lines. You wanted to throw up, yet you felt like there was nothing to get rid of. Plus, it would only worsen your headache.

On instinct, you tried to balance yourself; to stop yourself from falling over. Since you weren’t actually off-centered, the endeavor didn’t go so well, and you struggled to regain control of your body before you could hit the floor.

When you set your hand on the ground beside you to steady yourself, blood dripped onto it.

Was this a good time to ask for help?

…more help?

Looking up as your sight came back to you, you realized you had no idea where you were. There were bodies on the ground, drops of blood spattered around them. They matched the beads trickling down your hand.

Prince Dimitri was at your side, tearing through the chains at your wrists.

“Where are we?” you asked him, glancing back at the people motionless on the floor. “D-Did I do this?”

“What? No, you’ve been stuck here on the fl-” his voice quieted, “By the Goddess, no…”

His hand moved to your face, angling it toward him until you had nowhere else to look but into his eyes. After a moment, the action had made you somewhat dizzy.

You recoiled a bit, “Wh- You’re acting strange…”

He turned his head away, sighing lightly as he broke your other shackle off. Arms now free, you moved to stand before he stopped you.

“Your eyes…we need to get you out of here.”

“Okay, so let’s go.”

“No,” he again prevented you from getting up. “No large movements…I need to find a way to get you out of here safely.”

Glancing around the room once again, you couldn’t identify any living threats to your survival, “There must be something I’m not getting. Where are we? It doesn’t look like we’re in any direct danger; nothing is stopping us from leaving.”

He rose to his feet, watching to make sure you stayed down, “I don’t know where we are…some ruffian camp by the monastery- but I know the way back. They kept me conscious during the walk.”

“...that’s an odd way of phrasing it…”

“Yes, well. I won’t be doing much more of that. The important thing is getting you out of here as efficiently as possible. That means without you…moving…y……d…t…m…ch.”

You ducked your head as you felt it throb, staring at the floor and trying even just to breathe. In and out. You were in trouble, you knew that much, but you just couldn’t…

…if…if you could just…focus…

Vaguely, you registered hands at your arms. They shifted; one to your waist, one to your back, an arm to your head, and you suddenly couldn’t feel the ground anymore.

“...I…”

“Please, try not to move. I’m going to get you out of here.”

…out…of here…?

“Put your head down. I will keep you safe.”

That voice…it sounded so familiar…

They sounded so calm and comforting, so easy to trust, you found it hard to think of disobeying. How easy it was to rest, to ignore everything and rest your head.

But the feeling of dread wouldn’t go away.

“...I feel…bad…”

“I know,” he said. The voice was male, “Just hang on a bit longer. Does that sound manageable?”

It wasn’t. It sounded easy enough, but the darkness that engulfed you afterward said otherwise.

~~~~

“Dimitri!”

His head shot up from the side of your medical bed as he startled awake.

“What? Is something the matter?”

But once his eyes adjusted, it didn’t look like there was much on your mind except confusion; as though you had called out to him from some dream you had, or perhaps you had been reliving past events. You were just staring at the bookshelf across from you, dumbfounded.

“How…? But I thought-”

“Easy,” he lightly set his hand atop yours. “We’re safe now. This is Manuela’s study.”

“Oh…” you commented. “I only remember a few things, I think. I was hit on the head…there was blood and a prison of sorts…and then nothing.”

“We were attacked by some band of scum after we left to hunt for the monastery,” Dimitri frowned. “They tried to hold you over my head and capture us both…and I’ll admit they got away with it for longer than I’m proud of.”

You looked worried, though he assured you everything turned out fine. The two of you had returned to safety, after all, and you looked relieved to hear it.

“I managed to bring you back without running into trouble, but…”

He felt his face begin to warm, his eyes finding a spot on the far wall; anything to keep himself from making eye contact with you.

“...you said a few things on the way.”

“What…what do you mean?”

“You kept fading in and out- surely, some of it was coming out of your head. I…I don’t want it to-”

“Your Highness, what did I say?”

“Ah, erm…” the hand he was resting on yours flew to the back of his neck. His face was burning now, but he’d only be more embarrassed if he tried to hide it, “Please, don’t call me that right now…”

At least you seemed to be back in good health. Manuela had gathered quite the posse to care for you, but he had pulled rank and refused to leave until you were awake. This was his fault, at least partially, and he would see it through.

His position as the Kingdom’s heir certainly had its uses.

“...you’re scaring me. Please, just tell me what I said,” you looked down at the thin white sheet covering your legs, your body rigid and still, “I hope it wasn’t a mean thing.”

“N-No,” he rushed to assure you. Goddess, why was this so difficult to say when you were the one that said it in the first place?

He felt your eyes trying to connect with his own, “Then…what?”

“You…said you loved me.”

One of your hands flew to cover your face as it tinted scarlet, prompting his own face to turn a similar hue, he was sure.

“And I know! I knew you had suffered head trauma- I wouldn’t have even given a second thought to it…but you began saying all these other things. You called me kind and courageous, chivalrous and determined…”

With each of his words, you seemed to grow more and more…well, whatever it was your eyes were expressing through your fingers, it was making him grow nervous.

“I…If it is okay with you, that is…I would like to know if you truly thought those things about myself…?”

Please say yes. Please say yes. If only you were to say yes, maybe I-

“Of course,” you muttered, letting your hand lower as your gaze directed toward it, “How could I not? Especially after the tendrils of what little I could remember coming back to me, I…”

He said nothing, hoping you would find it in you to continue your praise of him. Perhaps it was a little underhanded, but he found he liked hearing you speak of him in such a way.

“You’re brave- you protected me when I couldn’t defend myself. I remember you were patient with me when…when my condition worsened-“

You cut yourself off after accidentally meeting his eyes, as though you had just begun to realize what it was you were saying.

Should he say something too? To make it less awkward?

“I find you attractive too.”

Wait.

“What?”

What?!

“N-No, that’s not what I meant. I, well, I do find you attractive, but I was trying to refer to your actions and your personality. Not that I…don’t find you physically attractive as well, but-“

“Just…say whatever it is you need and leave? I think I’ve had enough of everything, today.”

His heart clenched a little, at that. That wasn’t what he had meant to say at all, and now it sounded like you didn’t even want to look at him.

Why was it that he had to ruin this when it was so close to going right?

“That came out wrong,” the leader of the Blue Lions sighed, “It’s because of your determination and strength that I have come to understand the only limitations of life are the ones I place upon myself. You are loyal, honest, and true to yourself; even if that means going against those around you.”

There. That was closer to what he truly felt. He wasn’t sure he could manage to say much more without messing everything up again, so he opted to just close his mouth and wait.

You looked brighter though; almost like Dimitri hadn’t just ruined whatever your relationship was not but two minutes ago. That was what truly mattered, he supposed. You had gone through hell today, and the least he could do was try to make the end of your day better.

“I…perhaps you had better get more rest. I will retrieve Professor Manuela for you,” he stood, turning back to you one last time, “Get well soon, and don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.”

You responded with a simple wave.

Dimitri shut the door behind him, taking a few steps down the hall before leaning against the wall. He covered his face with one hand. His heart was racing too fast. The prince took a deep breath only to let it out a moment later.

Honestly, today had made him feel sick with the amount of emotions swirling around in his chest. There was so much fear- both of you would have been ransomed or worse if your captors had been a little smarter, and you had nearly…

The blond shook his head. He knew fear, and that was definitely part of what he felt, but for some reason it had created an amalgamation with his…well…attraction to you. The words you had exchanged mere moments ago certainly didn’t help, and he had held you so close on the way back to the monastery that it was a miracle he was still functioning.

Shifting off the wall, he rushed out of the hallway and down the stairs to find Professor Manuela. You needed help first, even if he didn’t want to wait to talk to you again.

He’d see you when you were better, and though maybe you’d forget your conversation, at least now he knew something about how you felt.

Perhaps there existed some hope for him after all.

[aces-sweetheart]

How about some headcanons where Sylvain Felix and Dimitri are feeling shy around a female reader?

aaaaa three of my fav boys💖 the hcs are a bit short so i did some drabbles with them. thank you for your patience, i hope you like them! i did a gn!reader since there was nothing in the scenarios that would specify them as a fem!reader.

cw: gn!reader, sfw

sylvain

i can't really imagine sylvain getting shy around anyone lol

but he will get flustered around you if he truly likes you (and isn’t just physically attracted to you)

if you compliment him he'll be a bit thrown off but will quickly recover and compliment you back/flirt back with you

rather than getting shy, he gets nervous and tries to hide it shows this by being overly enthusiastic 

((think his s-support scene with byleth where he says he’ll go blind if he doesn’t want him to look at other girls))

sometimes it can be too much but you know he means well

“I love your hair.” Sylvain paused at your words, leaving you to walk forward without him. You turned around in confusion to see him standing still for a moment before catching up with you. He tried to play off his reaction but you could tell he was flustered. 

“I love your hair and your eyes and your outfit and your-” You cut him off with a laugh that caused him to smile sheepishly. 

“Ok I get it!”

felix

it’s hard to tell when he’s shy around you since he can be very stand offish to begin with

he won’t make an effort to speak to you if he can avoid it

if he sees you, he may go as far as to turn the other way or hide at the training grounds or in his room

he’ll ignore you but you catch him very obviously staring at you a lot before he “casually” turns around like nothing happened

For once, Felix wasn’t focusing on his training. He should have been practicing the new move he learned from Byleth before the next battle but how could he when you were mere feet from him, practicing magic? Despite the fact that you two had only had a handful of conversations, he was smitten and seeing your body move and your eyes narrow in concentration as you cast spells certainly didn’t help. His brown eyes burned holes into your back. Knowing he was watching you so intensely made you so nervous your spell completely missed the target. You instinctively turned around to see if he saw the embarrassing moment but as soon as your eyes met his, he was suddenly very interested in his sword.

dimitri

dima is painfully shy around you

he really can’t hide it if he wanted too lmao

he'll be a bit awkward around you but it’s endearing 

as much as he wants to talk to you and get to know you, he becomes too timid to try

so he ends up talking about mundane topics like the weather

save yourself the pain and lead the conversation/take charge please

Dimitri silently pleaded with the rest of the war council to stay in the room so he wouldn’t have to be alone with you. It wasn’t that he didn’t like you; it was actually the complete opposite. He liked you so much that he seemed to forget how to act and every potentially interesting conversation topic exited his mind until he was only left with subjects like the weather or what the dining hall was serving. Sylvain was the last to leave the room, throwing the blonde a wink and knowing smile over his shoulder as he walked out.  Finally it was just the two of you alone in the meeting room. You shot him a grin and he returned it with a strained tight lipped smile. 

“I hear they’re serving onion gratin soup today.” He fought the urge to cringe at his own awkwardness. It was an extremely lame attempt at small talk but judging your interested expression, you didn’t mind. You answered him by lacing your fingers with his and you leading him out the door. Pink dusted his cheeks and his eyes were wide at the sudden contact and forwardness, especially when you finally spoke.

“Why don’t we go eat together?”

[frickingnerd]

casting a love spell on dimitri

pairing: dimitri alexandre blaiddyd x gn!reader

tags: wholesome & silly fluff, mutual romantic feelings, plot twist (the spell didn't work), tiny bit of angst with a happy ending

you always had an affinity for magic and liked to experiment, but you surprised yourself when you decided to use a love spell on the prince of faerghus

your friends were joking that you should cast a love spell on dimitri, so you knew for sure he'd reciprocate your feeling when you'd confess to him

and while it was just a joke, the thought of it kept bouncing around your head. so much so, that you eventually decided to go through with it!

during a training session with dimitri, you casted the spell on him, covering it up by using regular magic spells as well

yet by the end of the training session, nothing had changed. dimitri was behaving the same way as always and you began to worry that it either failed or needed some time to truly kick in

the next few days, nothing was out of the ordinary. dimitri never acted any different and somehow that began to freak you out

you worried that the spell went wrong and you instead casted a different spell on him! and if that was the case, you might've put him in danger…

your guilt began to overwhelm you, until you eventually confronted dimitri and confessed to him what you had done

but as a response, you just got an awkward laugh from the prince, as he rubbed his nape and glanced away

“i think i understand what went wrong with your spell…” dimitri smiled. “your spell didn't work on me… because i'm already in love with you…”

[pennymart]

hi! i saw that you have requests open for fe3h. its my birthday today, so is it okay to ask for headcanons for what dimitri would do for his beloved's birthday? 🥺 thank you

Omg happy birthday!! Mines this Wednesday so I’m excited to do this one!

First and foremost, Dimitri and his ever doting self for his spouse, he plans big and beyond the best that he can

Planning weeks in advance and subtly (not so subtle) way of asking for themes and colors

He wants you to enjoy it, that’s his mail goal, even down to the perfect cake, gift, decoration, outfits, all of it

The day of your birthday, he’s excited, making you’re favorite breakfast, giving you a small gift to start you day on the good side

The type of guy who’ll spend the day doing things you want to do before you’re party starts

Do you like nature walks? Shopping? Reading? Picnics? He’s ready for whatever in his best of outfits

He invites your close friends too

Party time !!

For the evening, he prepares a simple yet elegant candlelit dinner.

Wether that’s with the guests are in private

I personally would love to have a ‘first dance’ kind of thing, but not really??

Like the floor is yours

His gifts are the best of course, he must be the center of your attention in all ways.

Overall, it’s your day. If you don’t want a party, that’s OK, he’ll do whatever you like

Once again happy birthday!! I think I’m gonna favor birthday requests

I hope you such a great and fun day!

[5iyoomi]

Okay, could I make a request for Dimitri, Felix, Ashe, and Sylvain with a male reader?

Basically having them react to meeting the reader again after the 5 year timeskip and becoming shocked by how handsome he had become.

Hope this is good, thank you!

When They See How You’ve Changed

characters: Dimitri, Felix, Ashe, Sylvain warnings: none! tried to keep it as spoiler free as possible A/N: Hii I went with a situation where they aren't dating but like each other in some capacity (though I did use their s support images but shh) so hopefully it's what you were looking for! sorry if these are kinda short... I think it's obvious who my fav is tho LOL wc: 1,780

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Dimitri

The first time he sees you again, he really can't believe it

It takes him a moment to realize he isn't hallucinating, that you really are standing right in front of him, in the flesh

Once he does, he starts to notice just how different you look. Time's been kind to you, from the sharp jut of your jawline to the firmness of your body when you hold your hand out for him, your muscles more defined since the last time he'd seen you

He thinks you're even more handsome than you were back then, but he stumbles over himself trying to get the words out

He's changed a lot in the past few years too, he's sure, but with you it's like he can't take his eye off of you for even a second

He gets shy if you point out his staring, though he makes sure to let you know why he is in his typical fashion

"What's wrong, is there something on my face?" You ask teasingly, knowing that's not at all why he's been gazing at you as if he was bewitched.

Long, blonde hair nearly obscures his one good eye, and he shakes his head, besting you in height now even though he was the shorter one all those years ago.

"No- it's just..." Dimitri starts, slowly stepping closer to you. He reaches a gloved hand out towards you almost hesitantly, jumping when you gently clasp it between your own.

If you didn't know any better, you'd say his feelings for you hadn't changed. Yours hadn't either. They'd only grown stronger, brought back to the surface with the shy smile that lights up his somber expression. "You've really grown, haven't you? It's a little hard to take in."

You haven't seen a smile as sincere as that one in a long while, his fair skin dusted lightly with pink, and it makes your heart race, knowing that he's this nervous because of you. It feels like no time's passed at all, honestly not when his touch reminds you of the countless battles you've fought by his side.

A shout from across the lands to watch your back, or a comforting squeeze of your shoulder when he noticed you were upset or stressed out. "You have too, you know. Remember when we used to spend our nights in the garden together? I wonder how that place is now."

"Maybe so," he says, taking the opportunity to interlock your fingers together. He softens when you don't untangle from him, something unspoken lingering in the air between you that threatens to break the longer you both stand there. "And how could I ever forget?"

Felix

5 years after everything went down, you and Felix find each other in the most unexpected of places. He hadn't changed much, still sporting that same neutral expression with his hair being slightly shorter than it was

He realizes you have, though. A lot, actually. You'd gotten a fair bit taller, any lingering baby fat now gone and making way for the face of a man he's always been quite fond of

He isn't as straightforward with what he wants to say most of the time, so it comes off as him avoiding eye contact with you if you try to keep it

You might have to prod him a little bit to get him to say what he's thinking, you might not. It all depends on his mood

But the one thing you know for sure is that he keeps eyeing you when he thinks you aren't looking. You know him well enough to notice little things like that

You were one of the few consistents in his life, after all, somebody that was on par with his skills and put up with him where others had a piece to say about his personality

It's why you're not surprised when he instead says:

"You know, you still owe me that rematch."

You raise an eyebrow, crossing your arms over your chest with a small smirk. "Oh? I would've thought you'd forgotten," you ask, thinking about the last time you'd trained with him.

You'd narrowly won, deciding then to devote extra time to nip your weaknesses in the bud. It wouldn't be a fair fight if you didn't try. "It has been a while since our last match."

Felix chuckles, readjusting the sword in his holster and shrugging his shoulders. "I mentioned before how you were a worthy opponent, back when you agreed to continue to train with me." He says, reflecting on that promise you made to him. It's not something you could forget that easily, and you know he wouldn't, either. "That much hasn't changed."

You hum, "Alright then, I'll spar with you, but if I win you have to tell me what's been on your mind."

He must be able to catch what you really mean when you say that, but if he has any objections, then he doesn't voice them. He simply nods, gracing you with one of his rare smiles that you would die 20 times over to see again.

"Deal. And if I win, then you have to treat me to dinner."

Ashe

He is SUCH a sweetheart I was just rewatching his supports but anyways....

When he sees you, it's needless to say that he becomes a blushing mess. There standing the one that swept him off his feet was you in all your glory, bright and even more mature looking than he remembers you being

He's quick to tell you that you're handsome, even if it takes everything in him to say it without stuttering

His words are always so sincere, nothing hiding behind them like a lot of the people you've met and gotten to know over the years

So when you gently cut him off before he starts to ramble too much, he looks at you sheepishly, calmly asking if you were busy after this

He'll insist on treating you to some tea and sweets even if you say he doesn't need to. He won't call it a date, per se, he's mostly just eager to finally be able to catch up with you, but if you do, he gets super flustered

"A d-date? I m-mean- if you see it that way, then...." Ashe trails off, nervously tucking a loose strand of gray hair behind his ear. He walks side by side with you down the busy, crowded streets, tensing up when your hand brushes his. "I guess I can't complain, can I?"

"Do you?" You grin, eyes more focused on him than the scenery around you. Different tenders trying to get people to buy their wares while others chat about this and that fill your ears, whispers of wind sending a shiver up your spine.

He whistles some old tune to himself, quiet enough that you would've missed it if you weren't so close. He glances from you back down to the gravel on the ground that crunches beneath his feet, and then mutters. "Only if... only if you don't think that's weird."

"I don't." You give him a playful nudge with your elbow, leaving it at that.

It doesn't take very long for you to make it to the cafe he had picked out. He said that it was a nice place he'd found by accident one time, that the prices weren't too bad (mainly so that you didn't feel bad) and they'd definitely have something you'd like. It was sweet, how he tended to think of others like that, especially you.

Thousands of years could pass, the sun and moon turning into nothing but distant memories and Fódlan something of the past, and yet nothing would ever get rid of how you felt for him.

The two of you find a nice seat in the back, near an open window with a fair amount of sunlight and away from a group of friends in the front. You wait until he's scanning his menu to peek up from yours, smiling when his eyes quickly find yours anyway. "You sure have a knack for finding hidden treasures. This place is nice."

"I suppose so, but it's nicer with you here."

Sylvain

This man is already a flirt but even though it's toned down a bit later on, he doesn't cut any corners

If he thought you were attractive back then, then he thinks you must be on par with a prince now, your frame well-maintained and becoming of such a title

The first time he sees you again, he's nearly starstruck, blown away by just how much you've changed since the last time you'd talked. He won't hold back in saying that, either

"Well look at you, I'm surprised you aren't surrounded by ladies yet" while he thinks about how to get you to see his words aren't empty

You might think it's just his usual antics, waving them off with a roll of your eyes and taking another bite of the food on your plate

But then he looks at you. Really looks at you, brown eyes gazing into yours, and you have to admit it makes you feel some sort of way

"Come on, now you're just buttering me up." You say, stabbing your fork and knife into your steak and cutting a small slice. You bring it to your lips, feeling more than seeing his foot kick yours underneath the table. Whether it's an accident or on purpose, you can't say, but you wouldn't put the latter past him.

"Not at all, really." He ignores his own, more untouched plate while you talk in between bites, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he twirls a strand of red hair between his fingers. "Can't you just trust me on this one?"

You chew the piece in your mouth and swallow, pointing your fork at him accusatively, but he doesn't seem offended in the slightest. "Uh-uh, you're the same as ever, Sylvain."

"But I'm serious! I've always thought you were handsome." He exclaims, pouting when you laugh at his clear desperation. "I don't only think of girls, y'know."

You squint in doubt, but you decide to humor him just this once. If he meant what he said, then he'd have no trouble saying it again or proving it to you. You'd take either, truth be told. "Really?"

He nods fast enough that you think his head might fall off his shoulders, a determined glint in his eyes that tells you you're in for a ride. "Let me show you what I mean after we eat, then, I'll take you anywhere you wanna go, just say the word. It's all on me today."