Work Text:
What are those two planning?
Felix trotted atop a horse through the former capital of the Adrestian Empire, Enbarr. Now it was the Capital city of the Adrestian state of the United Kingdom of Fodlan. That was just the result of mass change, he supposed. It had been five years since the war, and what fallout there had been was all but dealt with. A city he once stormed alongside his former classmates was now back to the bustle it was previously known for. People walked the city streets as if it had never been a battleground covered in the bodies of fallen soldiers.
Felix dragged his thoughts away from that day, instead focusing on his current assignment. Strange that Sione and Leonie would come all the way to Enbarr for a task. Felix was suspicious of his old friends. Especially Sione considering his old tricks. Though it was somewhat stranger for Leonie to leave home for some sort of 'mission'. He imagined Lorenz wasn't happy, but Felix knew that Leonie likely wanted freedom to travel even after their marriage. She was a warrior at heart, after all.
"Hey, Felix!" He drew his gaze up to see Sione standing at the square, waving him over. It was hard to miss such a tall man, even in a big crowd of people. His appearance hadn't changed much since he last saw him, though Sione dawned a brown wool cloak that covered most of his body. "Over here!"
Felix tied his horse to a post after finding a proper place to stop, walking over to the giant with an amused smile. "You still stick out like a sore thumb at that height."
"And you still blend in with a pack of kids at your size." Felix clicked his tongue at the retort but clasped hands with Sione as the two embraced. "Good to see you, uce."
"You as well. I hadn't realized that the ambassador of Molanu would have so much time as to be going on mercenary missions like this." Felix made his suspicion clear, but it only brought a laugh from the giant.
"Yeah, well, I'm allowed to take a break now and then. Nafana's pretty much acting ambassador when I take time off."
"Your idea of taking time off is to go on dangerous jobs across Fodlan?" Felix crossed his arms in a show of disbelief.
"Well, not typically, but I thought it'd be a nice change of pace." Sione shrugged before narrowing his eyes at him. "But how can you talk? I'm pretty sure you don't even take vacations from jobs!"
"True. I'd rather spend time training and fighting." Felix shrugged in return, looking around. "So where's Leonie?"
"She's bringing our contractor to meet us. Should be here soon."
"Alright then. Since I have you… what are you planning?" Felix decided to cut straight to the point.
"What do you mean?" Sione put on that weakly feigned innocence, clearly aware it wasn't convincing anyone. Sione was a good actor when he wanted to be.
"Don't play dumb. Calling for my aid out of nowhere just for some mercenary job? With Leonie helping out as well? You're planning something." Felix accused, bemused by Sione's poorly veiled amusement.
"I promise, Felix. I have no ulterior motives here that will get in the way of our work." At least he wasn't outright denying that he had ulterior motives. Though the roundabout way he put it was still annoying. "In fact, I think it'll be more motivation for you on our job."
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"You'll see soon enough, uce." Sione spared a look around before pointing. "Oh, there they are. Try to keep your cool, huh?"
"Please. Don't act as if I…" Felix trailed off as he followed Sione's motion, his eyes bulging as he saw two familiar faces approaching. Sitting behind Leonie on her horse was none other than Dorothea. It was as if she hadn't aged a day since he last saw her, her glistening skin and piercing emerald eyes immediately meeting his. And without being able to stop it, a thought occurred:
She's as beautiful and radiant as always.
He hadn't seen her in over a year, when he came to watch her sing. He had frequented her opera shows for a good while, stopping by after almost every job. But every time he visited, he wouldn't stick around. He would leave a rose for her in the same place, and take his leave. But over a year ago, he felt a powerful yearning to see her. To speak like old times and to finally admit that he…
No… I can't.
Felix turned a heated gaze to Sione, and of course he was wearing an irritatingly teasing grin. "You…"
"Hey girls!" Felix nearly growled when Sione walked over to meet them without acknowledging his anger. "Right on time!"
"Hey, Sione!" It's so good to see you again." Dorothea slid off the saddle and quickly hugged Sione's giant frame. Felix felt his body stiffen, but quickly reminded himself that Sione and Dorothea had been close friends since the academy days. He didn't have a right to feel jealous, anyways.
"You too, Dorothea. I missed ya." Sione rubbed her back before straightening up and motioning to Felix. "We've got our third now. I'm sure you know him?"
"Indeed I do." Dorothea's eyes met with Felix's again. He saw a hesitation and restraint in her gaze as she walked over. Her steps were heavy, as if forcing herself from running. Felix didn't see a way out of this now and decided to stand his ground, slowly moving to meet her.
"Hey…" He mustered up, a bit to his own shame. That was a weak greeting.
"'Hey'?" Dorothea repeated, and Felix soon realized what a mistake that was. "Over a year since you last visited the opera and all I get is a 'hey'?"
"Sorry, I…" Felix was flustering up, putting a hand to his head as he struggled to give a proper response.
"Oh, you're sorry now, huh?" Dorothea tilted her head so that she kept him from looking away. "Well, I suppose that makes up for over a year of lost time."
"Look, I-"
"No, you look!" Felix couldn't stop from straightening up at Dorothea's command. "I looked for you at every performance and I…" Dorothea's voice caught in her throat, looking away from Felix for a moment. He remained quiet, feeling that he deserved whatever tongue lashing she had for him.
Their routine had been more precious to her than he realized. And he had broken it. Because he was a coward.
"I… I'm really happy to see you." Dorothea managed, surprising Felix.
He cast his gaze to the ground, avoiding her eyes. "I… am as well." Despite what guilt he felt, he couldn't deny the joy he felt leap in his heart the moment he saw Dorothea striding toward him.
"Uh… sorry to interrupt," Felix drew his gaze up to Leoonie who carefully stepped up behind Dorothea. "But we should probably fill him in on the details of our job."
Oh, was that actually real? At this point, Felix had half forgotten why he actually came here. And had honestly thought for a moment that this was a trick by Sione to reunite the two of them. He honestly wouldn't have put it past the Maloan prince due to his past meddling alongside the professor when it came to the relationships at Garreg Mach.
"Right. Right." Dorothea cleared her throat, straightening up her back. "Let's get going. We'll be discussing the job back at the opera wagons."
"I see." Felix nodded, following the girls forward before giving Leonie a nod. "It's… good to see you as well."
"Same. Glad to have your help on this." Leonie gave a smile back to him, the three soon followed up by Sione. Felix didn't bother to hide his anger toward him as he pierced his eyes with a seething glare.
"What? I didn't do anything!" Sione of course played innocent in the most irritating way possible, holding his hands up in the air.
"We'll talk about this later…" Felix spat, speeding up to keep Sione from walking in line with him. It wasn't long before they were at the opera wagons, as they happened to be parked close by. The four sat at a table likely set for the performers to use during a break. Felix wanted to position himself far away from Dorothea, but that didn't stop her from sitting straight across from him, eyes piercing into his with a mixture of anger and want still present.
"So, why don't you go ahead and give him a rundown for us?" Leonie said, looking at Dorothea.
"Right. So, as you're well aware, the Mittlefrank Opera Company does a lot of traveling." Felix didn't miss the bit of venom in the first part of her explanation. "Oftentimes, we have a few guards to help guide us along the way to other regions. But recently, there's been a lot of news of bandits roaming the path to our current destination. A good number of them, too. I was looking to hire a band of mercenaries to protect us on the road, but then I ran into Sione who offered to help us out."
"I still figured we could use more manpower. Leonie here was already traveling with me when we found out about the job, and I thought that since you were often out and about, we could use your help." Sione said. Despite his obvious plans for this reunion, Sione seemed completely serious about this part. And since Felix was one of the few people from the war acting as a mercenary, he supposed it made sense.
Though it was still obviously a convenient excuse to bring them together.
"Hmph. As good as the three…" Dorothea made sure to sear her gaze into him for not including her. "Er… four of us are," she at least wore a pleased smile upon hearing that. "I still doubt that's enough people for us to fight a whole band of thieves alone."
"Don't worry, I've brought some manpower with me!" Leonie reassured. "Lorenz wouldn't let me leave home without a decent sized company to protect me. A little much as usual, but it came in handy."
"I've got a few Maloan warriors helping us out as well. We're well covered on manpower." Sione reassured with a nod. "I just thought we could use one more top guy for the job. Besides, you're used to jobs like this, right? Pay will be good too. Leonie and I don't need it, so it's all goin' to you."
Felix stroked his chin, having to at least make it look like he was thinking on the job. To be honest though, even before he knew it was for Dorothea, he was planning to work with Sione and Leonie for old times sake. But now that he knew Dorothea was in legitimate danger, he wasn't planning to go anywhere. Even if she was still angry with him.
"Fine… I suppose I don't have a reason to refuse." Felix still had to make it look like a struggle. He had his pride to think about.
"Good! I wasn't going to let you slink away this time, anyways." Dorothea's voice was both teasing as well as serious. Felix had no doubt she would rip him a new one if he tried to leave. "Well, now that it's settled, I'm going to continue preparations with my people to move out. We'll be leaving at sunrise. I'll see you all later…" Dorothea's eyes lingered on Felix, narrowing. "I better."
With that, she took her leave. Felix finally let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. "That damn woman…" He sighed, stroking his forehead.
"Well, that was a lot tenser than I was expecting." Felix turned his burning gaze to Sione who rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I heard you guys hadn't seen each other in a while… didn't think it'd been over a year."
"Well now you know." Felix stood from his seat, still glaring. "Why must you always try and meddle in others' relationships?"
"I guess me and the professor had too much fun doing it at the academy." Sione at least had the decency to sound somewhat guilty, avoiding his eyes. "Look, I thought it'd be nice for you guys to chat again, but I didn't have any idea it was like that! I meant what I said before and thought we could use your help."
"Tsk. I doubt it…" Felix would make sure he knew how displeased he was.
"He's telling the truth, honestly." Leonie defended, though she wore a small smirk. "We were throwing out ideas for what we would do, and your name came up. Dorothea seemed very interested so we decided to reach out."
"... She was?" Felix couldn't help but ask, looking at them from the side. He quickly cursed himself for showing his interest. "I mean-whatever. It doesn't matter."
"Heh. Sure, buddy." Sione stood up and slapped him on the shoulder. "Well, we got time. Why don't we get somethin' to drink?"
"... Fine. But you're paying for setting this up." Sione held his hands up in surrender once again.
"Fair enough. Fair enough. Drinks are on me."
"I have to go organize my men first and make sure to send out an envoy. Lorenz would be mad if I didn't update him." Leonie stood from her seat, saluting the two. "I'll see you guys later tonight."
Despite his initial aggravation with Sione, drinks out with him had been pleasant. Felix wasn't sociable as anyone who knew him understood, but the Maloan prince understood well enough just how to get him to relax better than most, at least. They had spent a lot of time catching up, and Sione had wisely kept away from the topic of Dorothea so far. But Felix knew it was going to come.
"So… things with Dorothea seem to be… odd."
And there it is. Sione had at least taken the time to get a few drinks into Felix by now. Felix never drank to get drunk, but did like the buzz. It helped him relax when he typically couldn't. Still, it didn't stop the pit in his stomach from forming.
"Can we not..?" Felix grumbled, shifting in his seat as he looked away. "I hear enough of this talk from Sylvain and Ingrid whenever I visit them."
"Exactly! You need a less biased eye on the situation." Sione laughed, leaning back against the bar next to him. "Look… clearly there's somethin' goin' on. You guys were clearly getting sweet on one another. What happened?"
"What do you think? I went onto be a mercenary while she continued to sing in the opera. There's nothing complicated about it." Felix huffed. The drink had certainly made his lips a little looser than usual. "We just… went our separate ways."
"You mean you went yours." Sione frowned, his voice becoming solemn. "Felix…"
"Just let it drop. You don't have to solve my problems for me, Sione." Felix groaned, eyes narrowed as he stared ahead. "You and Byleth always loved to do that. And if we're going to talk about relationships, what about you and her?!"
Sione's lips thinned into a line. Felix immediately felt guilt having mentioned that, but he had to stand his ground.
"... You're still feeling like shit from what happened during the war, huh?" Felix stiffened, his eyes drifting back to Sione. It had been a long time since his face had become so sullen. So weary. The last time it was like that was when they had reunited after five years. Right when Byleth had returned.
Felix swallowed a lump in his throat, trying to maintain his demeanor. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah you do. After what happened to Dimitri… your whole demeanor changed." Felix gripped his cup hard enough to possibly break it. "There was nothing you could have done for him, man. He was… just gone."
"... What do you know about…" Felix stopped himself, realizing what a fool he would be if he finished that sentence. "Sorry. I suppose you do know."
"I think I know better than most." Sione choked out a chortle, already on the verge of tears. Felix then realized what weight he carried on his shoulders. A burden likely greater than the guilt he bore after Dimitri's death.
"She had to be stopped, Sione. And she wasn't going to surrender." Felix found himself saying. It was strange that he was the one now trying to reassure Sione.
"I know. I know there was nothin' to be said that would change El's mind." Sione's voice quieted to almost a whisper.
"It doesn't hurt any less. I killed my best friend. I watched the life drain from her eyes as I sat next to her, half hoping I might die from my wounds too. But I didn't. And I'll always carry that." He reached out a hand, gently gripping Felix's shoulder. "Don't… don't be like me, Felix. Don't let the weight of the dead stop you from being happy."
Felix remained silent, Sione's words reverberating within him. It was something similar to what he wished to say to Dimitri so long ago. But he had been so caught up in his own disgust that he couldn't manage to say it straight. He had mourned the loss of his childhood friend for too long. And ended up losing him completely when he became a savage.
Was he becoming more like him now? Allowing the gravestones around his neck to weigh him down?
It had been several days spent on the road with the Mittlefrank Opera Company's caravan. Felix had wrestled with Sione's words ever since. The Maloan prince made no further mention of it after that and went on like nothing had been said. He had always been a good actor that way. Still, it likely had the effect that Sione intended. Felix's thoughts often drifted to Dorothea, and the reason he stopped seeing her sing.
That was what had woken him up that night. To go out and stare into the moonlit landscape. Most were in their cots by now, asleep. There were guards already on watch duty, allowing him to relax and take a moment to himself. To stare out at the dimly lit trees and open green fields. They were pretty exposed, but at least they would see any attack coming.
"Cold night out, huh?"
Felix shifted in place as a chill ran up his spine. He hadn't been avoiding her, but this would be the first time they would speak one on one considering how busy she was looking after her people.
"It… It is." Felix coughed out, watching as Dorothea stood by his side, a fur blanket draped over her shoulders.
Dorothea let out a short laugh. "I haven't heard that in a long time. I missed that awkwardness." She giggled, almost as if no time had passed. The smile she wore was infectious, relieving him of some of his woes.
"I… thought you were mad." Felix rubbed his neck as he looked at her.
"I was… and I kind of still am." Dorothea put a finger to her lips. But then her eyes sparkled as she shifted a sincere gaze to him. "But I… I realized I'm more happy to see you than mad."
Felix's heart sank, her serene voice once again singing to his ears. He looked at the ground, nodding. "I was happy to see you, too. I still am."
"Good. That doesn't mean I'm not still mad." Dorothea's coy tone returned, eliciting a short chuckle from Felix. He looked back up at her face, and she was still smiling. He felt his cold heart melt just from the radiance of her presence.
It felt like old times. Maybe not happier times. But times where they stood side by side. Where they belonged.
"Man, it's really cold out, hm~?" Felix blinked when Dorothea opened up her blanket, a sultry smile on her lips. Thankfully she was at least dressed in a nightgown, but regardless the notion still made his cheeks turn rosy. "Care to join me under the blanket?"
"I… probably shouldn't…"
"If you want to keep me from getting mad again, you'll get under this blanket." Dorothea's voice was assertive and her expression stern. Why do I let her vex me like this?
Despite his musings, Felix didn't fight too hard against the idea. He joined Dorothea under it, the two shoulder to shoulder as the fur wrapped around the front.
"There. See? Much warmer. Two bodies together like this are much better." Dorothea giggled, snuggling up against him. Felix swallowed the lump in his throat, but felt his lips turn up into a smile. He didn't hate this. The two stood in silence, eyes glued to the moon. It was larger than life, hanging above them almost as if it could fall onto them at any moment.
"Felix… why didn't you come back?"
He knew the question was coming. His stomach twisted, eyes trailing back to Dorothea. Her face said it all. A sullen frown rested on her lips and her glistening emerald orbs pleaded for his answer. And he would give it.
"... The last time I saw you on stage… I realized how beautiful you truly were." Felix admitted, his hand gripping into the blanket. "How much you had been through and how much you truly deserved. And I knew that if I had let myself see you that day…" Felix turned his head fully, their faces inches away now. "That I wouldn't have been able to leave your side."
Dorothea's lip trembled, her hand gripping at the fabric of his shirt, almost as if ready to pull him in. "So why didn't you come see me?" her voice shook and her eyes misted.
"Because… I was a coward." Felix admitted, his hand trailing up to her back beneath the blanket. "I… I was afraid that I'd be happy with you. And that I didn't deserve to be."
"Oh, Felix. "You've suffered enough. Just let yourself be happy." Dorothea let the blanket hang from her left shoulder, reaching a hand to his cheek and cupping it. "With me."
"I don't deserve you." Felix leaned his face into her hand, her touch warm enough to melt any chill left in his body.
"You don't deserve to be alone." Dorothea whispered, her voice luring his face closer to her. "Please. Come back to me."
Felix felt her breath brush against his face. He felt he could stare into her emerald eyes for an eternity. But she closed her eyes. Only to press her lips against his. It was almost natural when Felix pressed back against her, their tongues snaking through wrestling against one another. The passion he felt for Dorothea lit like a fire burning in his chest, and without realizing it, they were wrapped in one another's arms.
And it was at that moment Felix realized that he was hers. His guilt may linger for the rest of his life, but Felix knew that it could no longer sway him from being with Dorothea anymore.
*RING* *RING* *RING*
Felix and Dorothea forced their moment of bliss to end, heads snapping southward when they heard the alarm bell ring.
"Hey lovebirds!" Felix looked over his shoulder to see Sione running past them. "Bandit attack! Get ready!"
Felix was reluctant to let Dorothea go, but he did. "You should get inside. We'll handle this."
Dorothea raised a brow as if to question 'really?' but to his surprise, she went back to her tent. Felix licked his lips, getting one last taste of her before grabbing the sword by his tent and running forward.
"What the hell?! There's a ton of guards here!" Felix heard a bandit as the sound of battle raged. As he came to a clearing, he saw Leonie and Sione were already engaged in battle with a number of their men fighting through the crowd.
Felix lunged at the first bandit he could find, slashing with utmost ferocity. "You're all going to pay for ruining this night." He snarled without thought, hand gripped tightly around the hilt of his blade.
"Shit-attack him all at once! He's not with-" Before the bandit could finish, a bolt of lightning struck him from above, cutting him off as he fell to the ground, singed.
Felix's head recoiled, quickly snapping back to see Dorothea close by, a Levin Sword in her hand and a furious blaze in her eyes.
"Like he said. You're going to pay for interrupting us." She strode to his side, winking at the former Frauldarius heir. Felix felt his lips turn up into a grin as they stood side by side.
"I love you."
"I know."
The battle hadn't lasted more than an hour or so. There were a good number of bandits, but the amount of skill on their side overwhelmed them. After a little over half were felled, the remnants of the band of thieves scattered to the wind. Leonie had made hot pursuit after them with her horse riders, making sure that they were to never bother anyone else again.
"Well, it's a good thing we took this job, eh?" Sione laughed as he strolled up to Felix, flicking his warclub of blood.
"Certainly. There were a greater number of them than I expected, too." Felix wiped his blade clean with a cloth, eyes trailing across the field for Dorothea. She was helping tend to some of the soldiers, providing what healing magic she had to offer.
"Well, the rest of the ride from here should be smooth sailing. Hopefully there isn't another bandit group lurkin' around we don't know about." Sione chuckled, resting his war club on his shoulder. "But now that we have time to relax… maybe go finish your little moment with Dorothea, huh?"
Felix blushed, clearing his throat as he tried to ignore the big grin on Sione's face. "Shut up." His eyes trailed to Dorothea again, and unmistakably, she had been peering at him from the side as well.
Perhaps I will.
Felix stepped forward, deciding to stop wasting time. He hesitated for a moment, sparing a look back at Sione. "You should learn to follow your own advice, Sione. Stop being afraid and go see Byleth."
Sione raised a brow at that before letting out a low snort. "Shit… guess I don't have much excuse now."
"You don't." Felix smirked before turning back toward Dorothea. She stood from her position next to some of the warriors, smiling as she met him halfway. "Hey."
"Hey." Dorothea smiled expectantly, giving him a once over. "Looks like you came out of it relatively unharmed. Which isn't very surprising."
"I could probably thank you for that. I was thinking of being a little more reckless until you showed up." Felix smiled, causing a giggle to escape Dorothea's lips.
"Did you really think I was going to stay behind?" She asked, pushing a strand of hair out of her face as she looked up at him.
"I wanted you to stay safe, but… I should have remembered who I was talking to." Felix took a step closer, the gap reduced to a few feet. He cleared his throat, looking around. "Still, does your company really go around without that many guards?"
"We usually don't need it, but… I have been thinking of upping our security." Dorothea took a step closer to him.
"I see. I suppose there's no helping it, then." Felix feigned a sigh, deciding to be a little coy for once in his life. "Since you clearly are in desperate need of help, I might as well stay on past the job as a guard."
"Oh really? You know, I was thinking the same thing…" This time they both took a step closer, the distance shrinking more and more.
"Of course, I don't expect it to be free. I will need compensation." Felix could hear his heart beating in his ear, but remained rigid as his hands slowly snaked into hers once they were close enough.
"Compensation? Well, I suppose we can work something out," Dorothea's smile continued to rise on her lips. Their fingers were linked together, edging just a few inches away from each other.
"Yes… I expect this will be a lifetime commitment. At least that's how long I plan to guard you." Felix swallowed hard but pressed on.
"So how about… as compensation, you'll marry me. That way I can make sure I never leave your side."
Dorothea's breath hitched, and her eyes became wide as plates. The next thing he knew, Dorothea released his hands to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him into an intimate kiss. Felix quickly adapted, wrapping his arms around her back and mashing his lips against hers.
"Woo~!"
Felix blinked and broke the kiss. He and Dorothea looked over to see the guards, singers, Sione and a returning Leonie applauding their display of affection.
"Ridiculous…" Felix sighed, shaking his head.
"Oh, I think it's fine." Dorothea giggled as she looked back up at him and stroked his cheek. "By the way, that was a yes."
"Good." Felix smirked, the two wasting no more time to embrace in another heartfelt kiss.
The End