Chapter Text
“We posted our ads two weeks ago and haven’t gotten any replies!” Annette slumps into Mercedes’ shoulder. Mercedes softly frowns and reaches over to begin grabbing the cookie plate, to which Annette touches her arm and replies, "No, thank you, though."
The well sized shop carries the aroma of coffee and fresh bread. The fabric of the vintage pillows offer a blunt roughness against fingertips and arms as the friends lazily lean across the small setting of mismatched couches in the corner of the room. The light jingling of the bell as the front door swings and the occasionally buzzing of the blender upon a smoothie order all blur into the familiar, comfortable atmosphere they frequent most days after classes.
“Well,” Felix begins, shaking his head, “Maybe if you had taken my advice when describing yourselves, you’d seem more appealing and less desperate. Desperate is weird.”
“Felix.” Ingrid glares before turning back to Annette. Her face softens, “Don’t worry. I’m sure who you’re looking for is right around the corner. I know your lease officially starts soon and it may seem like a worrisome situation, but I promise it’ll be fine. At worst it’s a higher rate for the two of you, but there are ways you can get through it, right?”
“Yes,” Annette mumbles softly, diving her lower face into a pillow she hugs, “I know that if I really needed the help…he’d be able to help support the rent partially for a while but…” she sighs, “I just don’t feel right reaching out and depending on him so soon. He just came back into my life.”
Mercedes looks at her knowingly and reaches around Annette’s shoulder, softly squeezing it. “It’s okay, Annie. While I’m not the most affluent person, I have enough to cover the both of us should we need it.”
Annette hugs her, shoving her face into her shoulder, voice muffled, “I don’t want to accept your offer just yet but thank you so much Mercie!”
“Please, you two.” Dimitri frowns, putting down his tea. “I’d gladly help should you say the word. There isn’t a reason why you should feel stressed about this situation to begin with."
“I can’t just do that, Si-“ Annette begins to shake her head, “I mean, Dimitri. Really, I appreciate your offer though.”
He frowns again before his tone lightens, “’But thank you Mercie for offering!’” he smiles a bit, “Why can Mercedes aid you while I can’t?”
Ingrid shakes her head, “Best friends are an exception for everything.”
“C’mon, Annette.” Sylvain leans over his crossed leg, trying to meet her eyes, “It’s not like you should feel bad! Dimitri offered before you even put up that ad, and not to paint an ugly portrait of his majesty-“ Dimitri furrows his eyebrows at him, “-but he’s loaded anyways. He gives so much more out to charities every month, a small amount just to supplement what you need won’t even hurt.”
Dimitri, though mildly annoyed, softly admits, “It’s…true that it wouldn’t hurt much at all. It helps both of you as well. Mercedes should be saving as much as she can to take care of her mother, after all.”
Mercedes sends him a quiet smile as thanks and Annette is quiet for a bit. Dimitri hopes she is considering accepting his offer, although he knows this conversation has been repeated numerous times with the same outcome. As much as his heart feels for the two girls, watching their time run out while their notifications remain empty, he considers that perhaps it was a good thing that there were no messages yet. Best case scenario, he thinks, the temporary stress of it all persuades her to finally accept his offer.
He looks at the two girls, the usual light from their eyes drained. His eye glances at the clock across the café and reasons that it could be the late hour taking its toll, but he highly doubts it. Annette is the most diligent student he knows, exhausting days only being deemed as minor challenges in her optimistic eyes. Mercedes is the most caring, with the hours spent on her own work being only the warm-up to the countless more she takes helping out any friend, or stranger, in need. He now knows how even the brightest of flames in a person go out just as quickly when dampened with such an inevitable problem like housing. He recognizes, guiltily, that he will never face such a seemingly inevitable problem.
“It’s the least I can do.” He firmly adds. “You can even consider it a … “ he waves his hand in the air, trying to come up with the words, “…parting gift from the company? If a personal favor is too much to accept.”
Annette gives a small smile, “I’ll…consider it.” She lifts her head from Mercedes’ shoulder and sighs, reaching for her cup on the table between the friends, “It’s Thursday today. I’ll just keep the ad up one more day, and hope someone messages me.” She looks determinedly into her mug, her eyebrows furrowing, “I know someone will come! Ingrid is probably right. Having a roommate will be the best scenario, because the rate will be decreased for all of us.”
Dimitri doesn’t miss the small, fond smile Felix has on his face when he glances at her before looking back down at the table. Felix murmurs, “You’ll be fine.”
Annette sends Felix a small smile that he refuses to meet, and Sylvain grins at Mercedes, his shoulders lightly shaking with contained laughter. Mercedes smiles back, finding the two just as endearing. Before Dimitri knows it, all of them have restrained smiles on their faces, Felix’s ears are tipped red, and Annette is noticeably more cheery again. She accepts Mercedes’ second offer for a cookie.
“Alright…alright…Got it. Okay, take care, El. See you. Bye.” He hangs up, and begins to get out of his car. Annette summoned their small group to meet at their favorite café, The Brew Lions, the next day again, and Dimitri can only hope that there is good news either way.
“Something bothering ya?” Sylvain’s voice comes from across the parking aisle, locking his own car after Dimitri.
“No, do I look bothered?” Dimitri turns and waits for his friend to catch up.
“I mean, to some degree, always, but a liiiittle-“ Sylvain pinches two fingers together “-bit more than usual.”
He huffs. “Hm. Not particularly. Edelgard was just venting to me about her lack of progress in her research, so I suppose it could just be the atmosphere from that.” He shrugs.
“Ah, the beloved Edelgard,” Sylvain looks to the sky, then closes his eyes, “If only her patience were as bountiful as her beauty.”
“Her patience towards you is the only thing that is lacking, and with good reason.” Dimitri rolls his eye, “But she’s doing fine, thank you for asking.” He begins to walk to the café entrance.
Sylvain follows, smiling, “You sure you’re not actually related? Both of you lack the humor gene.”
“I’m sure. And if we’re speaking of your type of humor, I think all of Fodlan is lacking it.” Dimitri shakes his head, but smiles a bit nonetheless. He knows Sylvain too well, and is accustomed to his unique way of greeting him.
“Is she gonna be back in Faerghus any time soon? I’d love to catch up,” Sylvain holds the door open for Dimitri, his eyebrows raising and his grin widening.
“Likely not, she hasn’t ever stayed for more than a week since we were…12?” He tries to recall. “Besides, her career is in Adrestia, and her life is her career.”
Sylvain frowns, but shrugs it off, “Gotta respect a woman with ambition.”
Dimitri takes a moment to scan the small shop for their friends and he and Sylvain head over. He offers smiles to Ashe and Dedue upon approaching. "Glad you two could make it this time," he takes his usual spot next to Dedue.
Ashe nods, "Finally done with moving in!" a smile rises to his face, "Now Dedue and I can spend more time perfecting some of our recipes!"
Dimitri feels a simple contentedness in his chest at Dedue's small smile and nod. It had been far too long since his closest friend experienced the bliss of a mundane, simple life. He had bore too much burden for a single person's lifetime within a few days, and was still recovering, as was he. He hadn't even known Dedue was a phenomenal cook since a month ago, despite knowing him for a few years.
"It only ever made me feel like a coward." Dedue murmured the first day he began again. "It made me face memories I knew I wasn't ready to face. But I know now that I..misunderstood."
Dimitri recalled his words - "It's never cowardice to take the time you need to heal."
Dedue's voice snapped him back to the current time, "I'd love for you to try some."
Dimitri shifted his gaze to him, his hands slightly stiffening, "And I'd love to have it...but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to give much feedback."
Dedue smiles. "No worries. No feedback needed. We wouldn't serve it to any friend if it wasn't already perfect." Ashe eagerly nods in agreement.
"What's this about food? Wait, no - perfect food?" Ingrid arrives, swinging her backpack off her shoulder and taking a seat next to Sylvain.
"We should invite all of you over as soon as we perfect it!" Ashe clenches his fists in excitement, "A mini-feast for whatever news Annette has for us today!"
Ingrid has stars in her eyes as she begins to imagine it, "Yes! It's been a while since I had a good home cooked meal!"
Sylvain feigns offense, "Is my food not good enough?"
Ingrid teasingly scoffs, "Your food? Or experiments?"
He pouts, "I try hard for my one and only missus, and all I receive is criticism."
Ingrid simply smiles and shakes her head. "One and only, huh?"
"Sorry we're late!" Mercedes' soft voice floats, and Felix and Annette take their seats after her.
"Not a problem at all," Dimitri dismisses. "Well." A moment of silence. "Annette?"
Annette is practically radiating excitement, her legs lightly bouncing on her toes. "Yes! I wanted all of us to assess her together!" She blurts.
"Her?" eagerness rises in Sylvain's voice.
"We got a message today!" Mercedes cheers, and the group begins to congratulate them.
Annette nods happily, "I told her I'd be able to message her after my classes, so I figured why not do it with everyone!" She pulls out her laptop from her bag and starts furiously typing. "She responded to my reddit post so we're messaging on there."
"Do you know anything about her?" Ashe asks.
"Nope," Annette admits sheepishly, "Other than ... uh ... blades420."
"Seems good to me." Felix and Sylvain say at the same time, yet Felix seriously nods whereas Sylvain laughs loudly.
"Interesting." Ingrid raises her eyebrows, "What's her name?"
"I'll found out right now!" a determined look comes back to her as she begins typing. "Oh! She must be on. She just replied with a small paragraph about some...basic info, it looks like?"
She and Mercedes both look closely at the screen and Felix attempts to look over her shoulder, as well.
Mercedes reads aloud, "Byleth Eisner. 23. Nice to meet you. I'm ready to move in as soon as...tomorrow?" Mercedes raises her eyebrows, "...should you accept it. I'm not terribly picky about anything. Any rules or boundaries you have are fine. Feel free to ask me anything."
"Straight to the point," Dimitri murmurs.
"Why blades?"
"Why 420?"
"Oh, shush, both of you." Ingrid shakes her head at her two childhood burdens. "Ask whatever you'd like, Annette, Mercedes."
Annette glances at Felix for a moment before offering, "Maybe I'll ask about her hobbies." She begins typing.
A minute later, Mercedes reads aloud simply, "Blades."
"Yes."
"Felix!"
"Has she heard of Zoltan?"
Annette begins to type.
"Annette you don't need to entertain him."
"He's her favorite craftsman." Mercedes reads. "And...her father owns his very first sword."
Felix and Dimitri's eyes both bulge, "No way."
Dedue and Ashe smile at the lighthearted atmosphere.
Dimitri is admittedly caught up in the turn of events as well. His and Felix's interest in historical weaponry tightened their friendship as children. While he originally imagined this to be more akin to an interview setting, he is glad the current room has Annette and Mercedes - and even Felix - happy and eager.
"And his third axe." Mercedes adds. "And his fourth lance."
"I have to meet her. To see them." Felix asserts. "Even if you don't want to room with her, you need to room with that sword-"
"Silly." Annette rolls her eyes, patting his hand. "You will in time. If I'm honest, I was willing to accept the offer anyway. I just thought it'd be fun to do this together, and to point out any noticeable red flags."
Dimitri feels just as excited as Felix with Annette's reassurance, and Sylvain tries, "Now 420?"
A minute passes.
Mercedes quotes, "My uncle thinks he's funny. He's lame. Like 420."
Sylvain's shoulders slump.
Ashe speaks up, "Is she a student at Garreg Mach as well?"
Annette types. Mercedes reads. "Yes, a history major."
The group begins to ask questions and blades420 answers all of them as promptly as her first words.
Personality type? Haven't taken that test. Introverted if that helps.
Favorite food? Anything filling.
Morning or night person? Morning. Don't have an actual preference, there's just more reason for me to be awake then.
Dimitri thinks in the back of his mind about the 3 reasons he's kept awake at night.
"Well." Sylvain shrugs after another 15 minutes, "She seems indifferent towards everything. Can't say if that's good or bad."
"I think it's good," Ashe considers, "She seems agreeable and straightforward, but not rude."
"Her answers seem very... normal, besides the weaponry hobby." Dedue thinks aloud, "She seems harmless though, even then."
Annette and Mercedes look visibly reassured at Dedue's words. Of course, Dedue is credible for assessing danger, Dimitri thinks. It's a bittersweet skill to have under your belt, he would know as well.
"One last thing." Ingrid says, "Where did she live beforehand? Why the change of housing?"
"Oh! That's good!" Annette nods.
Moments later, Mercedes softly says, "Oh!...Uhm. Byleth says...Sorry. I told you my father owned Zoltan's weapons." Mercedes pauses. "I suppose I meant to say that I do, now. He passed away last week."
Felix doesn't react to the mention of the artisan's name, his face still.
Dimitri feels sympathy rise in his throat like bile. "Apologies." he says outloud, quietly, as if she were there to hear it.
The atmosphere falls. Annette types to her, thanking her for being honest and apologizing for bringing up any sensitive topics. She welcomes her as a roommate, and says she and Mercedes are excited to meet her the next day.
Dimitri smiles at the thought, yet his stomach hasn't quite settled yet.
Blue Lionzzz
annie: I love her... (╥﹏╥ )
mercie: she's very, very nice. there's just something charming about her.
annie: YEAH! I thought she was almost cold at first but...
annie: her face doesn't give it away. but her eyes show a lot of emotion. I dont know why I felt compelled to share so much about myself with her! kinda weird tbh haha. she felt like an older sister, or a mentor...
mercie: Yes, I agree. I spoke about emile, annie spoke about gilbert, and byleth talked about her father. she's a good person, I'm sure of it. I just don't know how she didn't cry! even annie and I cried for her.
annie: U guys will love her too I promise you she's so nice but doesn't say anything particularly nice but just IS nice I even hugged her (╥﹏╥ )
mercie: she looked a bit adorable when annie did, she's a bit awkward, but in a good way. like an innocent child, except not a liability.
Dimitri reads the chat from an hour ago as he sits in his car, finished with his classes for the day. The bite of new winter is at his ears and nose, and while it isn't cold to him just yet, he turns on the engine to allow the car to warm. He receives a notification from Cornelia, and sighs. He's glad Annette and Mercedes' issue has been solved. He turns over this page and begins his next one.
The next day upon finishing his classes once again, he immediately begins to respond to the flood of Cornelia and Rufus' emails. His father's - no, his company - has never been a burden. He's felt the duty and the determination to carry it on since he understood what it was. Yet any interaction with the two was an utter obstacle. He hated their guts, through and through.
Cornelia's condescending attitude and Rufus' eagerness to see him fail was irritating at worst, he reminds himself. Worse has happened. Suddenly it's too hot in his apartment, even as clouds swarm the once blue sky.
His phone lights up and he sees Sylvain has texted him:
bruh she's hot
He rolls his eyes yet entertains him, who?
sylvain: byleth. annette sent me a picture of her.
Dimitri waits a moment, and surely enough, Sylvain sends a photo.
The picture is taken by Annette, as it features Mercedes and another girl sitting on the couch in their apartment, a single blanket draping over the three of them. The two of them aren't looking at the camera, but to the side, and if Dimitri recalls correctly, are probably watching the TV there.
Sylvain texts: they certainly seem comfy already. y cant ingrid b tht comfy w me :((
Firstly, Dimitri responds:
shut up.
Secondly, Dimitri responds:
they do. I'm happy for them, it was really strenuous before she messaged.
He scrolls up slightly to inspect the picture closer. He thinks she's quite pretty indeed - but there's no need to mention that to Sylvain.
A few days roll into a week, and Dimitri is utterly swamped. Less than recommended hours of sleep, more than recommended amounts of caffeine, and voices louder than the traffic outside his window. Tired, yet fulfilled. Lambert is loud, but not as loud as the week prior. He thinks maybe he is finally doing good.
He completely withdrew into his own work that week, playing catch-up from neglecting the company while also maintaining his studies. The ache in his legs don't go away with sleep, and exhaustion is beginning to settle. He's truly overworked himself a bit too much. Maybe he is related to Edelgard.
No, he shakes his head, leaning on his bathroom counter. His overgrown hair falls over his face, his eyes tracing the edge of the porcelain bowl. Edelgard would've handled this better.
He looks down into the sink and thinks that he needs to clean it, properly flush down some hair from his shaving, properly scrub some toothpaste stains off. Maybe after all of this.
His phone starts ringing and he stalks towards it, his feet heavier than usual. He glances at the clock on the way there - it's only 5pm.
"Hello?" his voice is raspy, unused for days.
"It's me." Dedue greets. "We've...perfected the recipes. Everyone is coming over at 8."
Dimitri hears his stomach rumble as if on command and thinks, when was the last time I even ate-
"I'd love for you to try it." Dedue adds, "But I won't hate it if you don't."
Dimitri lets out a whisper of a laugh, his throat still dry, "Thank you, my friend. You're always appreciated. But I will be over, thank you for inviting me."
"Any time." he hears Dedue's smile, and the two say farewell and hang up.
He lets his body fall onto his couch. He could've sworn he was doing better. For the first time in 3 years, he felt like he maintained a normal life again for over 2 months. Glenn hasn't said a word. Patricia hasn't made a sound. Yet Lambert.
He really, really, thought Lambert was finally, finally speaking instead of yelling and yet -
He really thought he was doing better.
But seemingly out of nowhere, this week snowballed behind the scenes until it gathered into an unmanageable size.
He sighs again, leaning forward and putting his head onto his lap. Not behind the scenes, he thinks solemnly, it was in the script. I even wrote it myself. Why couldn't I handle it?
His hand shoots out and quickly searches along the tabletop for his phone again. He redials and his call is answered quickly.
"Are you okay?" Dedue immediately asks.
"Yes, yes, I..." Dimitri doesn't even know how to continue. "I just...feel...like...No, I want to come over. I know it. It's not that. Don't think that. It's just...everything else." His voice drops to a mutter. "I thought I was better."
"You thought correctly." Dedue replies. "Three months ago you wouldn't have even called me. You are better. You know that now."
Dimitri listens to his own soft breathing as he clenches his eyes shut, nodding and trying to fully process Dedue's words.
"Yes...I..." he manages to remember something, "I can't bow to cowardice, right?"
Dedue softly chuckles, "No, and you won't. I'm proud of you. We all are."
"Thank you." he finally says again. Lambert is around, rummaging through his apartment, nitpicking at every flaw, but Dimitri at the very least can find himself focusing on the other voice at the end of the phone line.
"Any time." Dedue smiles again. "And clean your sink, when you feel up to it. You probably need to wash those stains again."
He arrives at Ashe and Dedue's apartment a little past 8, and sees Felix's and Annette's cars in the parking garage as he heads to the elevator. Two right turns, one left turn, and a few moments later, he arrives at their place, and knocks. Not a moment later, and-
Green.
Flayn? He dumbly thinks, and glances down.
"Oh. Hello." she nods at him, voice monotone, face straight and unchanged. She takes a step back, further into the hallway and pauses at him again, before turning and completely heading back in.
He follows her in quickly, closing the door softly and attempting to catch up to her.
"Byleth?" he asks, and she turns to face him again. The two are in the dark entry hallway, and Byleth is just shy of heading right, back into the main living room where he assumes the rest of them are.
"Yes." she nods again, "Sylvain?"
He almost laughs. "Goddess. Goddess, no." He shakes his head, smiling a bit. He meets her a few steps forward and holds out his hand, "Dimitri. It's nice to meet you."
She lets out a soft, "Ah." And takes it, shaking firmly (Dimitri's eyes widen - the Blaiddyd definition of firm is firmer than others, afterall). The slightest smile appears on her lips, her eyes almost turning into half moons, though the emerald irises remind him more of half submerged water lilies."You like cheese, right?"
He almost laughs again, his lips barely quirking up. "Y-Yes, I do. I actually lost my sense of taste, uh...dishes that are associated with good memories just happen to have cheese on them-" he explains a little too quickly, then realizes to withdraw his hand. She doesn't seem to mind.
"It's okay." she shakes her head, "No need to feel ashamed. I like cheese too."
"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm necessarily ashamed-"
"Byleth? Who was at the-" Ashe's head pokes around the corner, "Oh! Dimitri! Glad you could make it!" He offers a big smile.
Mercedes from the other room happily cheers, "Dimitri's arrived!"
"Well, no need to stand in the dark anymore!" Ashe jokes at the two conversing in the hallway. "We'll be waiting!" He retreats back.
Byleth turns to him again, half her face illuminated by the warm light of the next room. Her eyes seem to glow. "You heard him." Once again, only the faintest smile appears before him. "We're waiting." She heads into the living room herself, and he feels like he could somehow hear her smile.
"Sauteed Jerky." Felix asserts.
"The Onion Gratin Soup was my favorite!" Annette fights, and Mercedes nods in agreement.
"I'm going to be honest - everything was to die for. But I have to give some credit to your take on Daphnel Stew." Ingrid smiles.
"It's been a long while since I've had Two-Fish Saute, but I gotta say, it tastes exactly like I remember it the last time Edelgard was around." Sylvain praises. "And that's probably as authentic of a standard you can get!"
As Dimitri smiles at the pride and embarrassment on Ashe and Dedue's faces, he hears Byleth lowly whisper to Annette, "Edelgard?"
"Oh!" Annette whispers back, "Dimitri's stepsister. She lives in Adrestia, though." to which she lets out another, "Ah."
As the group begins to debate which dish was the best, Dimitri gives in to the urge to reach out and take another Sweet Bun. They're all in the living room, the center table packed with dishes mainly hailing from Faerghus, but with a few Duscurian and Adrestian influences. Some of the friends sit on the couches surrounding the table, while others sit on the carpeted floor in between, at their feet.
Byleth sits next to Annette on the ground, her hair occasionally brushing Dimitri's leg throughout the night. He hasn't spoken to her again since their first greeting, so he almost doesn't react to the small pressure on his knee until his gaze slips and he realizes she is indeed tapping his leg.
He notices even now more than before that her eyes are perhaps some of the most striking he's ever seen. He wonders if it's the color, the size, or the emotion withheld behind them that makes it so.
"Oh! Yes?" he slightly leans down to her, lowering his voice as to not speak over the heated debate happening.
Her smile is small again, "Did you enjoy the Cheesy Verona Stew?"
He lets out a small chuckle, "Yes, I did. It was certainly my favorite dish by far, but you won't see me trying to argue it out. I'd lose in a heartbeat. No credibility, and all."
Byleth pauses for a moment, her eyes traveling to nothing in particular in space as she thinks.
She begins again, "I think...it was my favorite, as well. I was here when Dedue was finishing it. The look on his face only made me curious, and it did not disappoint." She nods at him again, satisfied, then turns back to the rest of the group.
Dimitri reflects on her comment, only mildly intrigued at her brief and erratic nature. Firstly, this showed Byleth was quite the observer. Secondly, it implied Dimitri was likely on Dedue's mind as he finished cooking his friend's favorite dish. He smiles at the thought, and makes a mental note to buy Dedue's favorite flora from Duscur as a thanks.
I wonder how she knew it was my favorite, he thinks, if she knew at all. Lucky guess? The cheese?
He shrugs it off. Perhaps she conversed with Dedue and he mentioned it.
While admittedly he hadn't paid too much attention to Byleth throughout the night despite her being close to him (he wonders if he would have if he was able to see her pretty eyes more - no, no), her presence was still very much loud to him, despite her subtle demeanor. He supposed it was loud to everyone - after all, she was the new member.
His mind finally trailed off and began to properly think about her for the first time that night. He had been too focused on Dedue and Ashe that night, and the rest of his own work the week prior, to have given the girls' new roommate a second thought. Originally, he was just happy for them that their problem was solved. He had only just reached the conclusion that she was likely a face he was going to see around much more often - not that he minded.
Suddenly it felt as though the last week's meeting at the cafe revealed itself to him, as if dormant during his spiral down into constant work. He remembered her prompt way of responding, her hobby, her major, and her father.
Discomfort swelled in him again, only somewhat at ease from the issue he had faced a few hours ago when on the phone with Dedue. The lingering chill up his spine prevailed throughout most of the night, but was subdued to a comfortable enough level until that moment.
And all of a sudden, he felt that they were similar. He was never one for the pretentious way of speaking that Cornelia and Rufus adopted - he enjoyed the straightforward, honest style. He appreciated Ingrid's harsh yet fair criticism. He cared for Dedue's minimal yet weighty words. He even grew fond of Felix's seemingly cold fragments. And so he decided he liked Byleth, as well. Though unsure if they'd ever be that close, he wonders if he'd ever be able to give his condolences, as a child of a lost father as well. After all, she hadn't heard him whisper it that night at the cafe.
He doesn't speak to her again that night, but as the group thanks and says their goodbyes to Dedue and Ashe, their eyes meet across the parking aisle, and she gives him a small wave before ducking into Annette's car.
It's over a month later when he sees her again.
He had seen both Annette and Mercedes a plentiful of times since the little feast at Dedue and Ashe's, but she wasn't around on those days. Apparently the few days he hadn't shown up, she was occasionally there (according to Sylvain, who always seemed to have too much time on his hands). Her name had been brought up a few times when the group got together, and the general consensus was that they indeed, as Annette insisted, 'loved her as much as she does.'
"I sparred with her yesterday," Felix mentions one morning when they, Sylvain, and Ingrid are out getting breakfast before classes. The group is bundled into their usual furs and layers of cloth as mid-winter dawns. "Her technique is unlike what I've seen before. She says her dad taught her. Not sure what he was like, but he taught her well. She was pure hunger."
She must be really impressive, Dimitri notes, as Felix is not one to sing another's praises very often.
Another time, at the cafe, where he, Mercedes, Ashe and Dedue are briefly hanging out, Ashe recalls, "I mentioned I was looking for a bow to buy when you guys came over to eat. A few days later, she messaged me saying she found a newer model made by Zoltan's apprentice! She picked me up and went with me to test it out and buy it - she really is well versed in that sort of thing." Ashe nods approvingly, "And helpful too. She really didn't have to."
Another time - "Look what Byleth made me!" Annette excitedly taps on Dimitri's arm as the two walk to their shared class together. She holds up a small tupperware with pastries inside - Sweet Bun Trio.
His stomach growls.
"She bakes?"
Annette nods. "Well, only recently. Since Mercie and I love sweets, she's been getting interested in being taught by her and Dedue, too. They're really, really yummy! Have one!" Annette pops open the lid and holds out the container for him.
He gives her a playful look as he takes one, and she giggles upon realizing. "Sorry, I mean, you like them still anyways, right?" He takes a bite.
"Indeed." He covers his mouth as he speaks, nodding, then brushes the loose strands of his tied hair further from his mouth. "The texture is perfect. Reminds me of what Patricia used to make."
Annette nods happily. "I'm glad. I'll pass on the message."
Now, as he sits along a bench at Garreg Mach, trying to pass the gap he has in between two classes, he is startled at a sudden -
"I've learned how to make it."
He jolts and swivels his head to his left. She is behind the bench, her hands rested along its back, slightly leaning towards him.
She continues, "Cheesy Verona Stew."
"O-oh..." he blinks. "My favorite. Uh," he looks to the ground for a moment, trying to think, "I tasted your Sweet Bun Trio last week. It was very, very good. Thank you for being a good friend to Annette."
Ghost of a smile. She asks, "May I sit?"
"Of course," he nods quickly. "Uh."
"Uh?" She mildly teases, sliding next to him. "Do you have a class?"
"Y-yes." He answers, his brow somewhat furrowing. Nerves? "I have a class in about 10 minutes here." He motions to the building across the walkway in front of them.
She looks at the direction he refers to and nods. "I do, as well, but in 25 minutes. It runs until 4."
"Mine does, too."
She turns to him. "Would you like to get tea with me after? Since we get out at the same time, unless you have another class...?"
"Oh, that...sounds nice. I'm free." Dimitri agrees, smiling. "Thank you for the offer."
She nods back. "Annette has been telling me about the cafe you all go to?"
"Yes, sounds good." he nods again. "Uh." He glances at her after noticing his stumbling again, to which her mouth quirks up, but she stays silent, allowing him to continue. "Have you been adjusting well to living with them?"
"Yes, they're very kind people." Is her immediate response. She looks at the path in front of them, "I think I got very lucky, although I hadn't recognized it at first."
"What do you mean?"
A brief moment of silence. "I was pretty...distraught when I first messaged Annette. I was reluctant to talk to anyone at all, but I needed to if I was going to find a place to live. I was mildly annoyed the entire time we spoke, although she was nothing but nice."
Dimitri feels a lump in his throat, wondering how much information she was going to share with him.
"Because her kindness...sort of scared me. I knew she was very much in need of a third roommate, so I was worried she and Mercedes saw me as a necessary decision. Like her kindness was a means to an end. I've lived through people like that before. That only ever shoot brief glances at you, live their entire life without another thought of you, even if you saw them everyday."
Dimitri is interested now. She's spoken more in the past minute than he's heard her in all previous exchanges together.
"But when I met them, I knew that wasn't the case. And even that scared me a little." Worry cast over her face, her lips slightly frowning. "I knew almost immediately that they are the type of people that will ask you how your day is going, everyday, and mean it. And I think I became attached quicker to them than anyone else, before my father. I..."
She paused, and Dimitri assured, "It's okay. I'm sorry. Annette...told me briefly about you. You needn't say more."
She looked at him in mild surprise, and for a moment he was afraid she'd be offended that Annette told details of her life, but instead she simply nodded and said, "That's alright. I know more about you than you probably think, too."
He blinks. "L-Like what?"
She smiles a bit, "Nervous, Dimitri?"
"No...not at all." He shakes his head. He truly isn't. Annette and Mercedes were right in the sense where Byleth made him feel like he could speak freely. "I'm an open book, should you ask me anything."
"I'll take you up on that offer when we get tea, but," she checks the time on her phone, "You should get going soon, after I finish saying this. I..." she begins again only to pause, "Have been told my entire life that I'm not very expressive. Apparently I've never cried before, not even as an infant. But I'd argue that doesn't mean I'm emotionless...so I figured after some regrets I have, after he left...that I need to force myself to be more expressive, at least with words. To accept other's care, and to show it."
He smiles at her when she meets his gaze again, and he doesn't let the hint of surprise in her eyes go unnoticed. She finishes, "So to answer your question...I've adjusted well. Because I think they are good for me. And so I only want to be good for them too."
He chuckles, "Well, Byleth, that's a lovely answer. Thank you for sharing it with me."
She looks at him from the side of her eye again, watching as he stands, gathering his bag and coat. "You thank people a lot, I've noticed."
"Yes, well," he slings his bag over his shoulder. "I've been told that I've been a little too expressive my entire life. That I cried every night as an infant, as a child....and pretty often as an adult. And as I grew older I realized the strongest relationships need mutual understanding, care...everything, really. So I appreciate it when another person opens up to me. It makes me feel more human." He nods to her. "I'll meet you back here?"
She's looking up at him, and he feels his face grow warm as the silence is prolonged a few seconds more than comfortable. "Yes," she finally says, although her eyes remain unmoved. "In that case, then I thank you, too, Dimitri."
As Dimitri takes a seat in his lecture, the 75 minutes have never felt longer.
He sees her smile for the first time - full and unrestrained, all the way up to her eyes - and something in him stirs. Every Tuesday at 4, they meet at The Brew Lions for about an hour, which bleeds into multiple hours as the weeks go on.
"Dimitri," she greets weeks after their first meeting, "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show."
"Apologies," he lightly bows his head as he places down his bag and coat, "Lecture ran over time because the Professor wanted to review for the final."
"No worries. How...have you been?" she lifts up her mug to take a sip.
He smells the distinct aroma from his seat. "Chamomile?"
She pauses, the rim shy of her lips. "Yes. I noticed you always get it, so I figured I should try it, too. It's good."
He smiles, "Glad to hear it. And I've been doing fine. Finals are hectic and all, but only about a week more and then we're done for the winter break."
Byleth nods, "Yes, I've been looking forward to it. I really want more time to spend with everyone, and time for myself too. I haven't picked up a sword by myself in a while - I'm glad Felix challenges me every so often."
Dimitri is about to respond but she quickly blurts, "Sorry. Annette mentioned that...your birthday is in a few days?"
"Oh, yes," he blinks but then shakes his head, holding his hands up," But don't worry ab-"
"Can I have your phone number?" He blinks again and she is already handing him her phone, a new contact created.
"Of course. Um...Byleth?" He asks, handing her her phone back when he finishes. "Everything...alright?"
She nods, "Yes, what do you mean?"
"Uh...nothing."
Dimitri is stuck. Is it that bold of me to think she wants to do something for my birthday? Like a gift of some sort? I want to tell her not to but - no, it makes sense that that's why she asked for my number.
Her eyes pierce his. "Don't tell me to not do anything."
He flinches, "I..wasn't going to say that."
She simply hums, "Then we're all settled." She seems content, as if she won something, and she takes another sip. He watches the soft motion of her light eyelashes slightly fluttering as she closes her eyes to appreciate the drink. Yes, indeed, quite pretty, he thinks.
When she opens her eyes again, they're already locked on his, and before he can begin to feel embarrassed at being caught staring, she admits, "It's not like I needed your number to give you a gift."
He pauses. "Sorry?"
"I'd just miss seeing you otherwise." she says so softly he strains to hear it against the other sounds in the cafe. He swears her face is a little pinker as she adds, "I wouldn't have a reason to see you every week."
He's stunned - and he's stunned that he feels stunned. Mercedes and Annette and even occasionally Ingrid say sweet things all the time to him, things that are purely platonic, things that are just -
"Sorry. That was forward. Even with your number, there's not a real reason why-"
"No, no," he interrupts her just as quickly. "There doesn't need to be a reason, I mean...other than simply enjoying your company. I'm glad you asked." He adds quickly, quietly, "And I'd miss seeing you, too."
He looks up again at her, almost afraid of her reaction, and is met with a mesmerizing smile.
"Then I thank you, Dimitri." Something stirs, and-
Yes. Very, very, pretty.
Dimitri is only somewhat alarmed at the shit-eating grin on Sylvain's face the moment it peaks around a corner of the diner they're meeting at. He seems entirely too giddy for his own good, and to Dimitri, this means either he is in trouble, or Ingrid is in trouble. Felix follows behind shortly after, his hands in his hair and redoing his ponytail.
"Stop your dancing." he hears Felix's grunt, "Unless you want me to request the children's menu?"
Sylvain arrives and slides into the booth with Dimitri, obnoxiously quick and aggressive so that his body slams into Dimitri's in eagerness. Felix rolls his eyes as he finishes with his hair, smoothly sliding into the booth across the two.
"No need for that, dear Felix!" Sylvain raises his arms, announcing it to the entirety of the two of them, "Especially not when Dimitri - our precious, adorable, little maiden-" Dimitri glares, " Dimitri - is so, so close to getting his first lady-friend. He's practically graduated from being a child!"
The waiter comes around and quickly takes their order for drinks. After he leaves, Dimitri is finally able to ask, regrettably, "What are you on about now?" He lightly shoves Sylvain further from him to a distance that respects his personal space. His light shove almost throws Sylvain off the booth but that's besides the point, especially when Sylvain is unfazed.
"Let's just say my lady-friend gave a little bit of insight."
Felix scoffs, "Yours?" Then rolls his eyes again, "And why do you say it as if you're not gonna tell an entire drawn-out, annoying story about it right now?"
Sylvain waves him off, "Felix, Felix. You know nothing of narration. Delivery matters! But anyways, your majesty, I'll be brief this time, just for you!" he turns to Dimitri, throwing an arm around his shoulder. Dimitri ignores the slight impatient tapping of his own foot, ignores the slight desire to hear Sylvain mention Byleth, ignores that that means something happened with Byleth and especially ignores that whatever that happened implies she could possibly be-
"Ingrid says some girl in one of her classes named Marianne has harbored a little crush on you and asked about you."
Dimitri's foot stops. He is only mildly interested now, and Sylvain's eyebrow quirks as he notices his friends usually stiff shoulders droop. The waiter returns with their drinks as Sylvain stares and stares and stares, smirk widening.
"Oh ho?" he catches on almost immediately, and Dimitri shoots an irritated glance at him in self-defense, then dropping it just as quickly upon realizing how obvious his reaction was. Felix's eyes dart between them, bored as he leans against his palm and sips at the straw of his drink.
Sylvain slightly withdraws to face Dimitri, "Is that.. a pout I see? Could that possibly be..disappointment?" He feigns shock. "Now Felix," he turns to the other man. "In what parallel universe would a man show such..such resistance towards the prospect of a lovely damsel?"
"Any man that has self worth and doesn't simply throw himself at-"
"Precisely my thought process too, Felix!" Sylvain claps his hand on Dimitri's chest. "Dimitri wants someone else."
Dimitri fakes a scoff, "You act as if my usual annoyance towards your nonsense gives away anything?"
Sylvain gives him a look and Dimitri cannot hold the stare back for more than 3 seconds, sinking into his denial.
"And I bet I know who it-"
"Blades420," Felix mutters against his straw, to which Dimitri and Sylvain turn to him, eyes wide.
"Holy shit dude! I was gonna say Mercedes but you're absolutely right-"
"Of course not. Byleth is simply a good friend of mine." Dimitri shakes his head.
Felix huffs, "And I'm definitely not fond of Annette."
Sylvain shoves his face into his hands, his shoulders trembling with laughter as the redness takes over Dimitri's cheeks and neck. Felix smirks a little, only slightly proud at the chaos he caused.
Sylvain grins, "Y'know Felix. Never thought you'd support me, so I'm so very proud of this little alliance we've made. Now let's reach a verdict - Dimitri is probably, very likely, assumably, crushing on Ms. Blades. Say ay if you agree!"
"Yes." Felix nods.
"Just," Dimitri wants to take off his light coat with how hot it suddenly is, "don't...spread it. I don't want whatever I feel to affect her." He sighs, admitting it to his two childhood friends, which shouldn't feel embarrassing in theory, but doesn't comfort the feeling of being suffocated in this odd situation.
"Uh...?" Sylvain quirks his brow, "Affect her how? Don't really think Byleth would care in the case she didn't like you - and in the case she does, well, that's that!"
Felix nods, "She's more mature than you, y'know. I don't think she's one to care much about others' feelings."
Dimitri's tone slips, "She cares very much about people, actually."
Sylvain purses his lips to stop his laugh as Felix rolls his eyes, "Not what I meant. As in she won't let little things like puppy love and crushes ruin her relationships and life."
Sylvain fails at letting out a small huff of laughter.
Dimitri's face gets warm for the millionth time that day. "O-oh. Yes. Well. Then in that case, I-I agree."
He wishes the ground under him would cave in already.
He sets down his phone onto his coffee table in his small living room. Folding his hands into his lap, he lets out a rushed breath through his lips.
"I must be losing my mind." he speaks aloud to no one. Him? Bold? Making the first move? Well, if this could be called a move. If she considered it one.
He feels a bit of dread at the fact that she hasn't replied within the next minute, considering she was responding almost immediately during their conversation for the past hour. Nevermind that. He's probably overthinking, right? She may be checking her schedule, or Mercedes or Annette could have talked to her - anything could've happened. Yes. Of course.
No need to worry then, he thinks, getting up and pacing in his kitchen. It's not like he just asked out the kindest, loveliest, most understanding and considerate and intelligent woman he's ever met to a sort-of-date.
He stops and leans over his countertop, his head dropping between his shoulder blades. Except he did.
He glances to the side, across his kitchen and back into his living room. His eyes trace a small wooden bookshelf only three levels high, completely stacked with books he hasn't fully delved into yet.
That was what she gifted him for his birthday.
It's a dark, warm wood, and smells less than new, and he can almost imagine a layer of dust settling on it in a rusted shop before Byleth bought it. She looked almost embarrassed as she explained she couldn't afford buying him a brand new shelf along with all the books, to which he brushed off immediately. It was quite adorable to him to imagine her taking the small thing home, her soft mint hair tied up and her clothes swallowing her small frame as she worked on cleaning, repainting, renewing the delicate thing for him.
Its frames were curved and had intricate designs carved along it, and he wondered how much time it took for her to dust out every cranny and cover every curve with a stain. To him it looked utterly lovely. It was elegant and charming, perhaps that's why he felt warmth bloom across his chest every time he looked at it and remembered her. He was certainly charmed himself.
Multiple times throughout the rest of that last semester he began to briefly touch on the passing of his family. She in turn shared just as much, and he remembered seeing an emotion in her eyes that was refreshing. Not pity. Not mere sadness, or sorrow. She looked almost proud. As though she understood that he was not sharing out of grief, trying to heal a new wound. It felt like she simply knew, somehow, he spoke of his father and mother and family friends from the perspective of an already healing memory, an old wound that was sometimes tender to the touch, and other times just a story he'd recall.
At least, that's what he'd want it to be. He watched Dedue overcome the grief himself, watched him slowly yield to the ghosts less and less and finally, finally be able to simply exist amongst the living again.
His self on the other hand was still a work in progress. But he was getting there, as Dedue had said, and as Byleth's eyes reassured.
But he had found himself mentioning how hard it was some nights, not sure why he felt compelled to tell her, but then again not sure why he wouldn't, not after the way he felt so alive whenever their eyes met. She had closed her eyes in thought then, and simply digested his words. He couldn't help but wonder if that was the precise moment her little mind came up with this idea.
"Well, my father liked to tell me stories when I was younger." Byleth spoke softly, her fingers brushing the top of the shelf the day she showed up at his doorstep with it. "I'd always pretend I was the characters, their lives seemed a little more colorful."
Dimitri crouched, tilting his head to the side to read along the book spines as she continued.
"You mentioned you wanted to pick up reading again, and fortunately for you, I never stopped. So I figured I'd gift you a collection of some of my favorites."
Indeed, he only recognized one book along the few dozen, and even then it was one he remembered fondly.
"One, for your personal enjoyment. Two, to...help with those nights." His eye flicked up to her then, and she held his gaze evenly, a small smile on her lips. "I'm not sure how much it'll help, if it'll help at all. From my experience it'd be silly to think it's that easy to simply...forget. But maybe thinking of another world, even for a moment, will let those sorts of things fade." Her eyes left his, opting for his shoes instead.
He smiled at her, "It's certainly better than nothing. I think it'd be a welcomed distraction."
"A distraction, yes, but..." she murmured, thinking. "To some degree I don't think I'd want it to fully pull you away. My friend Leonie has told me the best way to deal with an enemy is straight on. So I don't mean for it to be an escape. More like training." she looked up, her eyes meeting his, and he saw excitement in them, as though she realized something. "Yes, that's what I mean. My father said lives are too short to possibly learn everything. You will simply never find yourself in some situations that would've taught you something otherwise. Through these, though, you can get pretty close. So I suppose by your reading them, you'll take a little of that knowledge and find yourself fairing better against whatever haunts you those nights."
He let her words hang in the air for a moment, rolling the thoughts around in his mind. To him, he found himself admiring Dedue in that same sense, using his experiences and solutions as frames of reference whenever he needed to guide himself through his own problems. He was probably one of the greatest comforts he had in life, knowing there was another that went through the same thing.
But he was near blown away that Byleth had casually gifted him another source of support. Although he wasn't sure if it'd be as effective as they hoped, the thought alone made the corners of his lips tug.
"Thank you, Byleth. I hope someday my own knowledge can help you, as well."
Her smile mirrored his, her eyes creasing. "Of course, Dimitri."
He sighed, straightening up again, still looking at the shelf. Indeed he found himself through a few books, and while he didn't successfully drown out Lambert on nights when he already began, he interestingly found that reading on some nights lessened the chance of him speaking at all.
But he'd never admit aloud that more often than not, what worked most when he held one of Byleth's books was remembering Byleth herself. He had more than a few sweet conversations with her that he could replay in his head endlessly, and suddenly he realizes he was reading the table of contents this whole time rather than the story.
His birthday was a few weeks ago, and their winter break was to be over soon enough. He had only seen her once in between his birthday and now, and that was with the whole group. Despite that though they'd been texting very, very frequently, and he was only somewhat ashamed at the heap of voicemails left by Rufus and Cornelia that he ignored.
So now he was stuck. He had been desiring to see her again in person; imagining her brief smiles and soothing voice was not the same as taking them in for himself. He was proud he was able to muster out that he'd miss her at the cafe some time ago, because now he knew that was not a lie by any means.
Letting out a grunt and bringing his hands up to cup his face one more time, he stalked back to his coffee table quickly, and hesitantly opened his phone to find a reply.
dimitri: are you free to meet any day this week? It's been sometime since I've seen you. I'm free as soon as tomorrow, if you are.
byleth: I'm free tomorrow. sounds fun :)
Looking at the timestamp she probably replied shortly after he put the phone down, as it was quite a while he remained lost in thought about her.
He cursed, realizing he probably made it somewhat awkward to have left it at that. But despite that worry, he felt his hands glued to his phone as he took a seat on his couch again, quickly trying to think of how to respond. There were quite a few places he'd been wanting to go with her; he had built a whole list in his mind and if they ever dated he'd have enough dates for a whole year planned out and-
He shook his head. Small steps. As far as he knew this was platonic unless she expressed otherwise. But then again came the issue of where he wanted to go with her most. He reread her reply, and felt emboldened by the encouragement and quickly sent: are you free the whole day?
He hoped he didn't sound creepy.
Very quickly after she replied: you have a whole date planned out do you?
He couldn't help but grin. Was she implying what he hoped? As he began to type out: I wouldn't ask of your time just to wast-
byleth: just kidding haha. Unfortunately I'm only available at night
Oh. He wasn't sure if embarrassment or disappointment struck him more. He deleted what he had typed out.
byleth: mercedes and annette are taking me shopping in the day. we can get dinner? :)
dimitri: sounds lovely. I'll pick you up at your place at 7? :)
byleth: perfect :)
dimitri: :)
byleth: oh shush
dimitri: :( :/
He looked at his screen fondly and saw his reflection in a small decorative mirror across his living room. He looked like a lovesick fool, looking at the glass on his phone like it was his whole world. Even after he got rejected he looked like a shy schoolboy.
Wait - rejected? No, no, he still had an entire date with her. Besides, dates happened at night more often not, right? If anything this was more romantic than platonic, surely she understood the implications. He blinked, then scolded his thoughts again. He was expecting too much from her, especially as just a friend. She was just busy, that's why it was at night. And that was enough for now, maybe another time.
How he wished he wasn't so dramatic sometimes. It'd be a nice asset to be as blunt and logical as Felix was from time to time. He shook his head and got up to begin preparing for bed. Another 40 minutes later after showering and tidying up his workspace, he plugged his phone in, and saw Byleth had sent one more message earlier right before he had left to clean up.
byleth: <3
Oh how he wished he was more patient. He couldn't answer back now, could he? What would he have sent anyways?
He slumped in bed. He could've most definitely sent a heart back. Then. Not anymore, though.
"Father, I am truly a fool. Have at it tonight." he muttered, laying down and speaking to the ceiling. It seemed even Lambert pitied his silly son, as Dimitri was left to his own torturous and embarrassing thoughts that night.