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The former Ashen Wolves were some very interesting people. Having spent so much time in the Abyss underneath Garreg Mach, none of them were quite used to life in the light of day. Though they all seemed to be adjusting fairly quickly.
The large man, Balthus, took an immediate liking to the Golden Deer house. While in Abyss, he had befriended Claude, Hilda, and Lysithea pretty quickly, and they all somehow convinced him to join their house, now that the Ashen Wolves were no more. These days, him and Raphael were almost always eating or training together. He was a nice enough person, but he was very forward and loud.
The woman with the fiery hair, Hopi, had warmed up to the Blue Lion house. With how often she spoke to them in Abyss, it was probably Dimitri or Ashe that convinced her to join. From what little she had seen, Hopi spent a lot of time with Annette. It seemed they were both the "go get'em" type, dedicated to their work. She was nice, and looked easy to talk to.
Constance, the most noble looking of them, had become quite enamored by Bernadetta's own house, the Black Eagles. Edelgard and Ferdinand could most likely be thanked for bringing her into their house. Along with connecting with the two of them, she had a strange interest in the combat instructor, Jeritza. She came off as a rather strict type, and Bernadetta wasn't to fond of it.
Last there was their former leader, Yuri. They had taken to Professor Byleth almost instantly, and upon leaving Abyss insisted on joining their house. Besides Byleth, they spent a good deal of time with Dorothea, Ingrid, and herself. They were very polite and patient, even being able to put up with her when she would freak out in their presence. In her mind there was one other thing that set them apart from the other Wolves.
It seemed that she had feelings for them.
To be fair, how could she not? For starters they were absolutely beautiful, with soft looking lilac hair, eyes that look both soft and yet firm, and lips that she would sometimes imagine peppering her in gentle kisses. They always treated her with a sort of reverence. Always patient when she did something wrong which, in her mind, was often. On the days where she would spend time out of her room, they would try to spend time with her, and for once she would welcome the company of a near stranger. The two of them would sometimes just sit in silence and for her it was actually nice to spend time with a person.
At times it seemed like the Goddess had decided to torment her because of this. In the training grounds, not quite yet being used to warmer days, they would often discard their uniform jacket, leaving a light tunic underneath. Days like these made her notice their body more. Not nearly muscular like Balthus, but rather toned and lean. The sleeves would often cling to their arms and chest, and would leave little to the imagination. It was always hard to focus on her own training after seeing them like that.
That wasn't all, with the Goddess Ball coming up, the White Heron Cup was happening soon as well. Professor Byleth had chosen Yuri to be their class' representative. So now she would also have to see them dancing outside of the classrooms now too. And they were good at dancing. Of course they'd be good at it. It seemed like they were good at most anything. Their skill made all the better with help from the professor and Dorothea, who had insisted on helping them herself. It was those sessions where she liked to imagine herself dancing with them in Dorothea's place. Like the princess of a story dancing with her beloved. She wasn't one for dancing, but with them the idea of it was warm in her heart.
When the day of the cup and the ball arrived, Yuri had won the Heron Cup, and would officially be given a certification on being a dancer. She had seen what the dancer outfit looked like, and the thought of them in it painted her cheeks red. Goddess help if she imagined them actually dancing in it. Thankfully at the ball they were wearing one of the fancy evening uniforms for occasions such as that. From her area at the food she watched them dance with students from each of the classes as well as Professor Byleth.
After the sixth or seventh dance, it started being to much for her. Seeing everyone who could do what she was to afraid of. No point in watching it any longer. Not to mention she had spent enough time out of her room as it was. All the more reason to leave. As she made it outside she heard a voice call out to her.
"Bernadetta!"
It was Yuri. And they were heading towards her.
"Bernadetta, is everything alright? I saw you leaving and thought I should check on you." Goddess they were even caring too. What was she supposed to say though? Oh just dealing with my crush on you, and with the jealousy I have seeing you with all those men and women who are more worth your time? No she couldn't say that.
"Oh, everything's alright," better to just pretend everything is fine. "I'm just not really one for dancing, so I thought I'd just head back to my room now."
"Well may I walk you back to you room? To be honest, I was thinking of calling it a night soon myself."
"I'd like that."
The walk to the dorms was quiet, which had its ups and downs. She did appreciate the silence, but she was afraid that the beating of her heart was loud enough to break that silence. Perhaps saying something might have been the safer option.
"You're a really good dancer." The blush on her cheeks hidden only by the dark of the night, the moonlight not bright enough to betray her feelings. "I saw you dancing with some of the other students, you were doing really well."
"Thank you Bernadetta, to be honest I was rather nervous about all of this." Nervous? Was that even something someone as perfect as them could feel? "But I will say it was nice to dance with most of my friends. A shame I didn't get to dance with one of them on the dance floor though."
If only she could take the place of that friend, she'd never want the dance to end. "Well, I'm sure you'll be able to dance for them another time, after all you did get certified as a dancer."
"That is true, though if I'm lucky perhaps I will still be able to dance with her tonight."
"Tonight? But it's so late, and while you're here with me, she's probably still at the ball with everyone else. You should probably leave me so you can try to dance with her."
They turned their whole body towards her. Her own body mirroring theirs. "Bernadetta, you're the friend I'm referring to." Their eyes looking directly at her.
"What!?"
"Would you care to dance with me?" They're hand now out towards her, waiting hopefully for her hand to join it. She was the friend? Yuri wanted to dance with her? She couldn't believe it, no one ever wanted to dance with her before. She always saw herself as so undesirable that the idea seemed like a distant dream. But this was no dream.
She took their hand.
And in the low lit moonlight, together, they danced. And in that moment, she realized her crush didn't really matter. Maybe someday something could come of it, and maybe perhaps her feelings would simply fade over time. But for right now, she could simply dance with someone she called a friend.
And that was more than enough for her.