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The three of them met at Freshman Orientation for high school.
Or rather, Ferdinand met the two of them—and this was when most everyone still used the full name too, before the formality became too familiar for comfort—because the other two had known each other for ages, of course.
It was a sweet meeting, actually. One lonely kid standing against the back wall of the gym while everyone else walked to club booths and such. The two others had been walking together, arms linked so to not get lost, and the girl stopped, pointing at that sad and lonely creature.
“Oh, oh Hubert, tell me I’m going blind!” she gasped, jolting her companion just hard enough to cause the object of attention to look their way, to eye the tawny haired girl urgently tugging at the dark sleeve.
Hubert stared a long moment, locking eyes with the stranger—for it must be a stranger, someone with similar hair, bone structure, eyes, everythi— oh. Oh. Oh the stranger is waving now. Eyes wide and movements hesitant, the wave seemed to ask a question.
“Are you?”
The first “we are!” was a shout, a cry into the ether for all to hear, not with words, but with Edelgard launching herself from Hubert’s grip like a bolt of lightning, squealing across the width of the gym to fling herself directly into waiting arms, to be spun around, chanting each other’s names like a prayer, the prayer of those who for so long believed themselves to be alone.
Hubert followed slowly, reaching them just as Edelgard was being put back onto the ground. He stood silently as they brushed away tears and blubbered “I missed you”s into each other’s shoulders. He sat with a small, content smile, and waited patiently for his turn to say hello.
Hubert’s “we are.” came out in a soft way, when the two parted and created a triangle of bodies. He simply reached up to where a lock of soft peachy hair had fallen from the hair tie, and parked the stray lock behind an ear, murmuring, “I see you kept it long from the start this time.”
--
They quickly fell into their old ways, the teasing, the competition, much better spirited of course this time. Unrestricted by the archaic nobility and their rules, they all flourished in their freedom. By the time they hit their senior year things had fallen securely into place.
Ferdie was well and truly Ferdie now, all warm sweaters and silly prints, cozy softness and an aura of warm early autumn no matter the time of year. The higher states of being, not a calling, but rather a choice to throw away convention. A safe place, no matter where you might find it.
It was late autumn, or early winter, they found themselves in the coffee shop where Felix worked, how surprised he’d been to see them! They were regulars now, seeing as there was no fear of being kicked out for their antics.
Ferdie had become enamoured with the concept of tarot cards, and was fiddling around with them while Hubert was looking at college application sites.
“I don’t know why you’re bothering.” Ferdie muttered, “the answer is well and truly out of our hands, I wouldn’t bother.”
“How? Did your cards tell you that?” Hubert sneered with mock distaste.
“Yes actually they did,” Ferdie replied, taking a sip of tea, “impending communication of great importance, higher beings or guides, guidance coming from a figure of great authority, it’s all here.”
Hubert exhaled through his nose in something approximating a laugh, “you were actually doing a reading on what college to apply to?”
Ferdie giggled, “Why not? Seems a good enough question as any!”
Annete came over to refill their cups just then, “Ooh are those tarot cards?”
Ferdie looked up with a sunbeam smile, “Yup, was just telling ol Hubie not to worry about colleges cause the answer is already on its way. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”
Annete gasped, “Funny you’d be talking about college! Cause just yesterday Mercie said that her brother saw Byleth down at Sunset Court! Apparently they’ve been a student there all year and they’ve just never run into each other until now, and Byleth said that Seteth of all people works there now! They have one of those running start programs where you can go to college while you’re still in high school and I was thinking about going for my senior year since so many people I know will be there. That’s also where Sylvain’s been going full time, and Dimitri and Felix are applying too.”
Hubert sighed as Ferdie gave him a shit eating grin. It was well and truly out of their hands.
--
It wasn’t hard to figure out the roommate situation.
Dorothea and Edelgard had been in a long distance semi-dating-thing since the middle of junior year and the moment they heard about the band getting back together at Sunset Court they were already making a pinterest board for their dorm room.
So that left Hubert and Ferdie to room together, obviously.
Well okay, theoretically Ferdie could have roomed with Lorenz because at that moment there was no one in his room and Hubert had enough money for a single room but Ferdie had asked and Hubert couldn’t just say no that's absurd!
(He wasn’t about to let go of something he could rub in Lorenz’s face for the rest of his life, obviously)
And all the better because just days before the first quarter at Sunset Court began there was a huge shake up.
And by huge shake up, I mean Claude finally grew the balls to buy a plane ticket with his own money and fly out to Fodlan to go to Sunset Court with everyone else even though his mom would literally rather cut off all his contact with everyone than let him go.
She actually did that, she took his phone and everything. Seteth bought him a new one when he got there.
So Claude got to take the empty half of Lorenz’s room during their first year, because all the freshmen live on campus, it’s a rule for some reason. Plus since half the group were from places too far too commute, even the running start kids had to fudge some paperwork to stay
(Seteth being a saint is true in multiple ways, honestly. He’s the only reason this whole thing worked!)
And Hubert was so glad about it for so many reasons.
He’d never admit it but Ferdie was a fantastic roommate. A little loud in the mornings sometimes and had a few too many potted plants, but no one else on earth could make coffee from a shitty keurig taste that good, and no one else could get him to sleep at reasonable times.
Sure, they butted heads over just about everything, but they also joked and did tarot card readings on the floor and played checkers at midnight and once in a while after a few to many swigs of stolen wine in a 2-liter soda bottle, they’d put on some fancy music and try to stumble their way through waltzes they knew an entire lifetime ago.
And well, when the end of freshman year rolled around, it just felt natural to get an apartment together.
--
It started with a necklace.
Hubert had been accompanying Bernadetta on an outing to a thrift store; she’d never been to this one and was a touch nervous to go on her own.
They’d meandered through the racks, looking for things she could alter for her 3d art class final project, and were about to pay and leave when they passed a small display of necklaces.
And one caught Hubert’s eye.
It was a dinky little thing, a wooden pendant in the shape of a sunflower, the paint chipping just slightly in places, hanging on a dingy cord. It was clearly made for a child.
Ferdie would love it. It was only a dollar. What was he supposed to do, not buy it?
He’d dropped it on the kitchen table when he got home, and said nothing until Ferdie took it in a hand and asked “what’s this for?”
“I saw it in the shop, thought you’d like it.”
He pretended he didn’t notice how it rarely ever left Ferdie’s neck. It made him feel a strange pride though, to see his roommate wearing something he bought.
So he began to do it more.
A beaded bracelet, a pair of horrendous red and orange socks, a mug with a chip at the base with a print of a coffee shop and the word “mocha” on it. Hubert was in that thrift store more than he was out of it, hoping to find something new and uniquely stupid for Ferdie.
Like a crow that collects dumb hipster shit instead of shiny objects, surely the staff at that little store must pity him on some level. It was obvious he wasn’t buying any of it for himself.
And it was that last gift, the mug, that Ferdie had said it for the first time, the statement that shot into Hubert’s core like an arrow on fire…
“Thank you dear.”
--
“I’m in love with Ferdie”
The call was late at night, well past midnight, and it was obvious Edelgard had been sleeping.
“I know sweetheart, everyone knows.” her grumbling reply came, “Did you have to call to tell me this at... one thirty in the morning?”
“What do you mean everyone knows? I didn’t know until about six hours ago, I know this group can’t keep a secret this lifetime to save our asses but really?”
A rustling sound, Edelgard must have just sat right up in bed, “What, you didn’t know until six hours ago, Hubert you’ve been dating for months!”
“Dating? Since when are we?”
Were they dating? Was that flirting? Well yes looking back the gifts were an express of his interest that he didn’t understand at the time but they’d never talked about it! Had Ferdie considered them to be partners this entire time?
Edelgard seemed shocked, “Everyone else just sort of thought you were together when you moved into the apartment! You certainly act like a couple, albeit not a very affectionate one but I know how you get with pda so-”
“Edelgard I woke you up in the middle of the night over realizing I had a crush, if we were dating you’d have been told immediately, you’re my best friend! But really does it look like we’re dating?”
“Yes, it absolutely does. Why did you call now?”
Hubert felt so stupid.
“I bought Ferdie a mug from that store and I…. Ferdie called me ‘dear’ and I felt like I was dying! And now I can’t sleep.”
It’s not like Hubert could just not address it! But how would Ferdie even take the admission that Hubert hadn’t even considered them to be an item until that point? Ferdie was always big on non-traditional relationships… not traditional everything really, so maybe Hubert was expected to have already picked up on the change of dynamic? Would Ferdie… be upset with him?
“...Call me in the morning. Quit being a disaster, you’re practically married, just kiss already.”
And she hung up. Some best friend she is.
--
That morning was tense.
Outwardly things seemed fine, Ferdie was humming while prepping breakfast, Hubert was scanning notes at the kitchen table, it was a beautiful day and everything was fine.
But Ferdie’s voice scratched just a tad, the nervous tension obvious in the strain of each note. And Hubert gripped his notecards hard enough to bend them.
Ferdie set the coffee mug and omlet down just a tad forcefully in front of him, “Hubert… what’s wrong.”
“I… I’m stupid. That’s what’s wrong.”
That succeeded in getting a light chuckle out as Ferdie’s own breakfast landed at the table, “Well I know that, everyone knows that.”
“...That’s what Edelgard said when I called her last night. Everyone else knows things about me but myself. I’m sorry.”
Ferdie paused, fork hovering in the air, “...why are you apologizing?”
“...I had an epiphany yesterday and called Edelgard for advice in regards to it. It seems that the rest of the world was under the impression that I already knew of the situation but… I wasn’t aware. Is this even something one can do on accident? I think that's categorically impossible, as the nature of the thing requires a conversation to be had and I certainly don’t remember doing that but I suppose one of those drunk evenings in the dorm but-”
“Hubert just spit it out! You never ramble, this is so unlike you! You’re worrying me!” The chair squeaked against cheap linoleum as Ferdie stood to reach over the table and gently cup Hubert’s cheek.
Hubert froze, “I… I’m… I think I’m falling in love with you and according to Edelgard the rest of the group has considered us an item since we moved in here and… I… didn’t even consider it until yesterday and I feel horrid about it! Please don’t hate me! I just don’t really understand my own feelings sometimes and...”
Hubert was prepared for a dozen ways Ferdie could have reacted to that statement. Positive, negative, horrific, enchanting.
Never once did he consider that Ferdie might giggle.
“You- aha, I… you realize you’re in love with me in the middle of the night… you-ah, haha, you call Edelg-a-aard a-aha-about it… hahaha! And she-s-she says we’re already dating oh my godess a-and you- and your first reaction is to… to freak out over how I might be upset with you? I- you thought I...I-I might freak out because I just decided w-we were dating out of the blue an… and… and then… just told the entire group but decided not to tell you for some reason? ah hahaha! ”
By the end of it Ferdie’s voice was like a mouse’s squeak, tears peeking from squinting eyes.
And in the following silence, the absurdity of it all, Hubert tried to deny it but he couldn’t.
That was really stupid of him. And fucking hilarious.
And the moment Hubert’s laughs started sneaking through, all the composure Ferdie gained was lost immediately, each of them causing the other to laugh until their breakfasts were cold and they were almost late for their morning classes.
So Ferdie took their now-cold drinks to the microwave to reheat them and transfer them to travel mugs, tucking the uneaten omelets into sealed containers to bring along.
And as they rushed into the building where their two early classes were held, a young lady coming down the stairs flashed a smile and called to Ferdie, “I love your necklace!”
And Ferdie reached a hand to gently touch the paint-chipped sunflower charm and grinned, “Thanks, my boyfriend bought it for me.”