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Marrying the new Lord of the Fraldarius house was no easy task. Felix was both vicious and cold when he wished to be, and that counted for everyone in his life, yet his words were strangely well put at the same time. His cutthroat way of stating the obvious tended to help people more than they originally thought. Byleth was quick to catch on to him when he was younger. A young man amidst people who all held ideologies he despised. It wasn’t that he hated his friends from his childhood, it was just that he hated their opinions. The lone wolf. Few of their classmates approached him at all. Those who did were brave enough to challenge him to a duel, and were promptly beaten, and sent running with their tails between their legs. Felix had enjoyed the challenge Byleth posed. It was one he soon found out that he couldn’t solve with his sword. She handed his sword back to him more than once, and Felix only asked for them to spare again.
“You don’t strike with purpose!” She pointed out as she sent his sword flying once more in the training grounds.
“I do!” Felix snapped, snatching the practice sword from her grip before taking a breath and listening, arms crossed over his chest, “I hear you. I just…I don’t know what my purpose it. What my reason to fight for it? I don’t have an idea.”
“You need to find one if you want to win against me.” She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes, “Until then…” Byleth clutched her sword and lowered her stance, ready for the male to come at her, “I’ll keep sending you on your ass.”
Felix’s amber eyes went wide before he laughed and grabbed his sword, crouching low, leg muscles coiled tight and ready to launch him at the woman, “Let’s see how you fair!”
Now they were older, well, Felix was older, the two of them were back at each other, crouched low and poised at one another before they clashed blades. Felix’s proposal was brash and harsh, just like him, yet he had admitted to loving her and wanting her by his side always. Byleth felt similarly, and enjoyed their intense debates and spars. The swords crossed with a vicious slam of metal before Felix tilted his blade and pressed down on Byleth’s larger sword guard. The metal clacked hard and Felix smirked as he twisted again, grinding the blades together before he drew his word back and swung, hard, for Byleth’s side. She shifted her stance and took the blow well, gritting her teeth as the strength rattled the metal blade in her hands, vibrating in the bones of her arms. She was quick to swipe upwards, sending Felix backwards in retreat as she spun low for a belly blow. The male grunted and jumped backwards again before driving his sword towards her chest. Byleth dodged the blow narrowly before twirling and hollering as she cut at his back. Felix bent forwards enough to dodge the blow, but the tip of the blade still sliced through his turtleneck thermal.
Byleth gasped at her mistake, “Felix! Goddess! I am sorry.” She sheathed her blade and assessed the damage. It was supposed to be a non-contact match, just a yield when one of them was on their back or hit, soundly, to a vital. His shirt was torn open all along the back, which was usually hidden beneath armour and thick furs.
“No matter.” Felix tore the shirt over his head and flung it off to the side, shivering for a moment in the cold spring air before he levelled his stance and sword once more. Byleth found herself staring at his slim yet muscled body. The power was in his core and arms, yet she was more distracted by the ink coloured in his pale skin, designs curling over the tops of his arms and down into an ornate piece over his back. Neither of them had seen one another in such a way yet. They were engaged, yes, but married or thinking about such acts with one another, they were not. Felix never seemed too enthralled with the idea of intimacy either way, and Byleth was simply too busy to tend to such desires.
Yet, as she gazed at the tattoo, she revealed it was another detail about her husband that she didn’t know of. Her mouth hung open and Felix used the distraction to his own advantage. Dashing at her, cold faced and lethal as he struck two blows aimed for her neck. Byleth barely managed to right her sword and defend herself before Felix slipped past her and pressed the tip of his blade to the base of her spine.
“Yield.” He announced, tone sharp and clipped.
“I yield.” Byleth relaxed as the kiss of steel was removed from her back, “You got me.” She laughed softly before she felt Felix growl behind her.
“You let me win!” He spat, pushing rogue pieces of blue hair back out of his face, already reaching up to retie the bun that was keeping his hair out of his way, “Explain yourself.” Felix grunted, tying his hair back up and out of his face, shaking the short pieces back out of his eyes as he levelled his biting amber gaze on his betrothed.
Byleth swallowed, green eyes trailing over the ink curling over her husband’s shoulders. Looking closer, the tops of his arms were covered in scales and stripes of patterns before disappearing down his back. Her eyes followed the patterns before realising that they were the tails of some sort of beast. She was curious but stopped herself, looking back into Felix’s eyes to try and come up with a reason for her lame attempt to spar with him.
“I…Uh…I didn’t expect.” She blew a hot breath out, the air condensing in the cold outdoor arena before she levelled a cool look at him, “It was because you took your shirt off…And I’ve never seen your back before.” She muttered the end, looking at her husband as he gave her a withering sigh, blushing beneath his hand before he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Byleth listened to Felix take several long, deep breaths. He was flustered, embarrassed and angry all in one, and Byleth knew he needed a moment to calm down before she pushed anything any further.
“You were too busy looking at my skin to be concerned with your own life…” Felix scowled at her before grumbling again, looking for his shirt in the corner of the training ground. He held up his slashed shirt before moving to put it back on over his head again.
“Hey.” Byleth moved over by his side, taking hold of the shirt gently before pressing one hand to Felix’s chilly skin, turning him so she could see the full work of art over his back. Felix sighed but complied, letting Byleth look over the patterns of ink. The two dragons from his shoulders cascaded downwards towards the base of his back before their necks crossed and they looked back up to the sky, noses touching. Between their curved necks sat the Crest of Fraldarius. Green stems and dark coloured flowers littered the piece and Byleth found herself amazed at the colour and intricacy of the dragon’s and their scales.
Felix shuddered when her cool fingers traced over the ink covering his back, shoulders and arms. The scales made her smile and Byleth pressed a soft, yet bold kiss, to Felix’s shoulder before moving back, allowing for him to pull his ruined shirt back on over his art piece.
“You never told me you got a tattoo.” Byleth smiled at her betrothed, linking their arms after Felix had collected his gear, belts and coat. He pulled his coat on before letting her have his arm.
“It isn’t exactly life-threatening information.” Felix snarked with a smirk as he turned towards their quarters.
“What does it mean?” Byeth asked softly, looking up at her husband.
Felix’s jaw went a little stiff before he responded, “It was originally for Glenn…and now my father. My family. My house. I sat through hours of pain, hoping it would make me better somehow. It irritated my father…and back then, that seemed like a win. Now I see it as something for my House. Fraldarius is me now. I am the sole heir…So I better make damn good use of my time.” He smiled gently at her and Byleth felt her heart warm at his words.
“It means a lot to you then.” Byleth squeezed his hand gently.
“Indeed.” Felix looked away from her for a moment before blushing, holding her hand back just as tight, “Though, I confess, the dragons reminded me of you. I had them in blue…Your hair was blue at first…and…” He didn’t say the rest, his face too hot and his words tangling in his mouth, too heavy on his tongue.
“Felix…” Byleth’s eyes went a little wide before she smiled softly and pulled the man to a stop. With a gentle breath, she leaned upwards and kissed the swordsman soundly, enjoying his embarrassed grunt before she pulled away, kissing his nose, “Thank you, Felix, my love. I’m honoured.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled his shoulder. Felix smiled, his flushed face hidden in Byleth’s own shoulder as he composed himself.
“I love you, Byleth.” He muttered for only her to hear before pulling her into their rooms, kissing her lips as soon as the door was closed, and they were away from prying eyes.
Byleth pulled away with a smile, “I love you too, Felix.”