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The Trials of an Unofficial Wingman
Sylvain knew he was going to get an earful when he saw Dimitri marching up to him with that look on his face. It was a look he’s seen a lot actually, from Ingrid mostly and lately even from their professor. It’s usually followed by a stern reprimand for something he was doing—goofing off and skirt-chasing instead of training or focusing on his lessons—and, if he was speaking to Ingrid, a brutal punch to his person for not taking her scolding seriously.
‘At least I won’t get beaten up this time.’
Sylvain remained aloof and smiled brightly. “Hey, is something up?”
“You know very well what is up.” Dimitri released a sharp breath and crossed his arms over his chest with that stern look in his eyes. “I received a complaint from one of our female classmates about your rather flirtatious behavior.”
“What? A complaint about me?” Sylvain appeared almost affronted by the accusation before he realized who the plaintiff likely was. “Oh... I thought it was going well. She seemed to like the flowers I got her.”
Though maybe in retrospect he shouldn’t have flirted with her sister too.
‘In my defense, she came onto me first.’
He doubted that bit of information would help his case though.
Sylvain sighed, accepted his fate, and braced himself. Especially after that open admission, a scolding was inevitable.
‘Getting scolded by Dimitri is way less painful than by Ingrid anyways...’
He waited a beat. Then another.
Sylvain blinked, surprised to see Dimitri looked deep in thought about something instead of getting ready to reprimand him.
“D-do girls really like those?”
Sylvain blinked once more, caught off guard by such a question.
“Flowers, I mean.”
“It’s more so giving something that the other person would want or like,” he answered slowly, brows furrowed in confusion at the odd question. “Like if you know they like certain types of flowers, a particular kind of tea… things like that.”
Dimitri absently nodded his head. “Ah, so even tea may suffice. I see.”
Then it clicked. A sly smirk curled at the corners of Sylvain’s lips. “So what’s her name?”
Dimitri visibly tensed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His reply came too fast, too guarded. Something that, of course, Sylvain noticed.
‘He’s standing even stiffer than usual, his hands are gripping his sleeves too tightly, his eyes a little wider than normal...’
His smile widened. Sometimes Dimitri was pretty easy to read.
“Oh, come on. There's no use hiding it. It’s just me. Besides,” Sylvain said, stepping closer and wrapping an arm around his neck, “It’s about time a girl caught your eye. You need to keep that royal line going after all.”
“What about the royal line?” They turned their heads at the sound of the voice. Byleth started walking towards their direction, carefully balancing an ungainly number of books in her arms.
Before Sylvain could even think of a response, he felt Dimitri shove him away.
“Nothing, Professor! Please don’t mind him,” he said quickly and shot the redhead a severe look. Sylvain chuckled and crossed his arms over the back of his head, smiling innocently in return. “I was merely reprimanding him after receiving a complaint from one of our classmates.”
“Again, in my defense, it was all harmless flirting!”
Byleth ignored the outburst and nodded her head in understanding. “I somehow was tasked to do the same and had to scold Lorenz. It’s not even my house, and I’m not sure how I got involved…”
“And they had the nerve to make you carry a ton of books too?” Sylvain said, pointedly eying the stack of tomes.
“Oh! I’m just trying to help Ignatz out. He was carrying these as a favor to Hilda, and I couldn’t let him do it all by himself.” She grunted, adjusting the pile in her arms. “I wouldn’t know how Ignatz would have done it. These things are heavy.”
“Perhaps I can offer some assistance.” Despite murmurs of protest, the Blue Lion House Leader already grabbed several books from her arms. “I was going to the library once I finished here anyways.”
Their professor opened her mouth to protest once more but merely sighed in defeat. “Well, I appreciate the assistance.”
Dimitri only smiled at her before turning to shoot Sylvain a look. “Now, I hope you don’t cause any more trouble.”
“When do I ever?” After some sharp looks, he waved them off with a cheeky smile.
When they disappeared from his sight, Sylvain chuckled to himself, gazing at the sky as if to offer it his gratitude.
Dimitri was always focused on his own goals and duties, a bit too focused in his mind. Now that he has his sights on someone, it’s up to old Sylvain to make sure he gets the girl.
Their house leader always had his heart in the right place, but his skills lay more towards combat and general diplomacy. It didn’t seem like he had much skill in wooing (a memory of him gifting weaponry came to mind) while Sylvain was a certified pro.
‘Though helping him out would be much easier if I knew who it was.’
Sylvain was almost affronted that Dimitri never told him who his crush was. It was nothing to be embarrassed about, and it’s not like he would think of telling anyone. Well maybe he’d tell Ingrid, but considering their history together, that’s to be expected...
The thought suddenly gave Sylvain pause. He crossed his arms behind his head and hummed to himself, considering something.
Ever since they were kids, they both thought Ingrid would be the perfect knight—she was strong, diligent, and forthright. Dimitri always spoke accolades of her skills and considered her one of his closest friends (second to him, of course) and held nothing, but the utmost respect.
Man, Sylvain didn’t even think that respect might eventually turn into infatuation.
Sylvain stood at the outskirts of the training grounds and observed Ingrid while she trained, mulling over that thought. It made sense why Dimitri never told him about it. All things considering (former engagement and all), their house leader likely suspected the feelings were one-sided.
'But could there be a chance?'
As Dimitri's unofficial wingman, it fell on him to find out.
Without preamble, Sylvain walked up to Ingrid and asked, “So would you date Dimitri?”
Sylvain flinched when Ingrid pointed the training lance towards him, her brow knitting together at the question.
“Why would you say such a silly thing?”
Sylvain felt a pang of pity on Dimitri’s behalf and gingerly pushed the wooden weapon away from him.
“I’ve overheard some people misinterpreting your intentions when you say you say going to be his knight,” he replied quickly, relieved when Ingrid didn’t think anything odd about it.
“People and their gossip… Serving their king is one of the greatest honors for a knight,” she answered in a matter-of-fact tone, lowering the lance and placing her free hand on her hip.
“I mean, I guess it is noble. Honestly, if he was just a regular guy, would you still not date him?”
Ingrid’s lips tightened into a thin line, clearly exasperated. “Why are you even bringing this up?” A thought suddenly came to mind, and her eyes widened in horror. “Oh no... did you hear something from my parents? I was afraid they’d start thinking of weird things like that...”
“Is something the matter?”
The two turned and noticed their house leader in question walking towards them, his expression quizzical.
Ingrid shoved the lance into Sylvain's arms. “It’s nothing! I was just trying to get Sylvain to train for once.”
He nodded his head in approval. “About time, I must say.”
“And what brings you here?” The redhead’s brow quirked, studying his proximity from Ingrid, every glance and gesture.
“Are you here to spar? I could use a decent training partner,” she said.
“Apologies, perhaps another time. I’m actually looking for someone at the moment,” he replied politely, his gaze unfocused as if looking for someone else. It definitely wasn’t the look of someone avoiding his unrequited love.
‘Well, that’s odd.’
“Ah, professor!”
Sylvain turned to see Byleth passing through the training grounds, her head turning towards them. Dimitri drew closer to her, his face bright and eyes shining. “I wanted to report that I completed organizing the training weapons and armor!”
“Oh, thanks so much. With Manuela feeling under the weather, I honestly I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to do all that by myself.” She released a relieved sigh at the thought. “I hope it wasn’t too much work.”
“It was no trouble at all! As the leader of the Blue Lions, I am glad to be of service,” he replied, his lips curling even wider. “I’m assuming you’re off to check on Professor Manuela now?”
Byleth nodded her head. “Especially since I overheard Hanneman was going over there to speak to her about something, and someone needs to help maintain some peace.”
She glanced over to Sylvain and Ingrid and nodded her head to them in acknowledgment. “I’m glad to see you both training.”
“Well you know me, Professor! I’m always working hard,” Sylvain said, earning a light jab from the blonde standing beside him.
The professor shot him a pointed look before shrugging it off. “Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day.”
As they said their goodbyes, Dimitri turned instinctively, his eyes seeming to follow her movements as she left the premises.
Though soon he found his attention caught by a certain blonde.
“Is something the matter, Ingrid?” he inquired, confused by the odd look in her eye.
“Nothing wrong with me, no...” She paused a moment to examine his expression before suddenly saying, “Dimitri, do you think you can show me how you organized the armory? I wouldn’t want to make a mess when I return this.”
“S-sure, of course.” He blinked and quickly went to follow Ingrid.
When Sylvain was left on his own, he only shrugged his shoulders. ‘Well, that was disappointing.’
He was so sure that Dimitri’s crush was Ingrid, but how he acted clearly said otherwise. If it wasn't Ingrid, who else it could be?
‘I mean, there’s always one of those two... but who...’
Sylvain supposed it didn’t matter who he had a crush on when they both responded like that.
“Are you telling some kind of weird joke right now?”
From the confused and skeptical looks on Annette and Mercedes’s face, he guessed any romantic feelings were not mutual. Sylvain withheld a heartfelt sigh, mentally wondering what was wrong with his boy, but held his tongue.
“I mean, you guys got to know him through the Academy, and I was wondering if he had any appeal. That’s all,” Sylvain bluffed quickly, a smile plastered on his face.
To his relief, neither of them seemed to think much of it.
“He’s going to be our future king. Beyond friendship, I suppose I never thought more of it before,” Mercedes said, taking a bite out of her meal while Annette nodded her head in agreement.
Sylvain also found himself nodding his head in understanding. He never thought much about class differences, but he knew others did. It’s no wonder that Dimitri likely felt forlorn - it must be difficult for the future ruler of Faerghus to wear his heart on his sleeve and confess his feelings to anyone, and he might have been afraid to burden his crush with the gossip and scrutiny from the other noble families.
“Blasted!”
At the sudden outburst, the three of them glanced at the kitchen. Speaking of the devil, Dimitri sheepishly walked out of the kitchen doors holding broken pieces of a spoon and ladle in hands.
“Hey, are you alright?” Sylvain called out.
“I’m quite alright... but you wouldn’t know where they keep extra utensils, would you?” he asked, sheepishly raising a broken wooden spoon.
“They should have extras in the kitchen already,” Annette mentioned, but quickly bit her tongue when she saw the meek look on Dimitri’s face. “Oh... I see.”
Meanwhile, Sylvain examined his expression for a moment, almost cursing aloud to see nothing that indicated he had a crush on either of them.
‘Goddammit, Dimitri...’
“Well I guess I came at the right time.” Dimitri perked up as Byleth entered the mess hall, a small bag in her hand. “I was just coming with more supplies to help restock the drawers and fridge. Are you on kitchen duty, Dimitri?”
“I-Indeed I am, Professor.”
“And you broke all of the utensils in there?”
He flinched and let his gaze fall to the floor. “I must confess that cooking is not my forte,” he admitted sheepishly, rubbing his arm in embarrassment.
Byleth appeared thoughtful for a moment. “I think I have some time to help you if you need it?”
Dimitri tensed at the offer and abruptly shook his head, “A-ah, you needn’t bother, Professor! I don’t wish to trouble you...”
“And, actually, I overheard Seteth say he was looking for you too, Professor,” Sylvain mentioned absently, his mind elsewhere.
The professor flinched at his name and barely suppressed a groan.
“Oh you’re right... I’ve been running errands just to delay it.” She shot Dimitri an apologetic look. “Sorry about that. I guess I can’t help after all.”
“Like I said, Professor, it’s quite alright. I’ll make do,” he said, though his tone seemed flatter, a frown evident on his feature.
“You can go speak to Seteth, Professor. We can help him out.”
Suddenly, Annette grabbed the bag from the professor's hand, and she and Mercedes flanked Dimitri's sides, an odd smile on their lips.
“Besides, there’s something we needed to talk to Dimitri about anyways,” Annette said, shooting him a curious glance.
The Blue Lion House Leader flinched before turning away.
Byleth nodded her head in thanks, wishing them luck as she dragged her feet to go and meet with Seteth. Meanwhile, Annette and Mercedes whisked Dimitri off into the kitchen, leaving Sylvain alone with his own thoughts.
‘So if it’s not either of them... who could it be?’
Maybe he was thinking too small. Maybe he needed to think much bigger. Maybe his crush extended far beyond their own classroom, their own House, the mere student population...
Then Sylvain snapped his fingers and was struck by another idea.
“Hey, Cyril, have you seen Professor Manuela?”
Cyril halted in front of the infirmary, brows furrowed in confusion. “No, I haven’t. Why’d you ask?”
“Oh, I just wanted to ask her a question,” Sylvain admitted, finding himself shifting in his place.
He tried to rationalize his initial thoughts and held fast to his gut feeling. Though as he stood in that empty room, he felt his resolve waver.
‘Am I guessing wrong?’
The young boy narrowed his eyes and scrutinized him, his gaze critical. “You’re not trying to hit on Professor Manuela, are you?”
Sylvain blinked, remembering the boy’s presence “No, I want to talk to her for a friend, not for me.”
Cyril looked unconvinced. “Sure... I don’t think Professor Manuela is interested in younger men though. Plus she is a professor, and you guys are students. That’s not exactly appropriate, don't you think?”
Sylvain nodded his head, allowing the words to sink in as Cyril grumbled and walked away.
‘Student and teacher relationship... yeah, Dimitri wouldn’t think of something like that.’
He sighed and leaned against the doorframe. He had an odd feeling it wasn’t anyone in the student body, so a faculty member seemed like the next best guess. Though thinking about it further, it wasn’t like his interactions with Manuela were anything out of the ordinary.
‘Maybe the Archbishop? ...No, now that’s ridiculous.’
He had a feeling that Dimitri definitely liked someone, but who could it be...
“Ah, Professor! I’ve been looking for you!”
Sylvain quickly ducked back into the infirmary, watching from a distance as Dimitri rushed towards Byleth.
Byleth only smiled amiably and asked, “Is there something you need?”
“No, no. Actually, I wanted to give you something,” he said, revealing a small box decorated with a simple ribbon and a small flower.
Sylvain blinked, equally bewildered by the sight as their professor.
“Oh, you didn’t have to—” Her eyes widened. “Wait, that flower...”
“It’s valerian. You’re favorite, or so I’ve been told from Annette and Mercedes...” Dimitri admitted quietly, his cheeks warming at the admission.
‘Wait is he actually red, or am I just seeing things?’ Sylvain wondered to himself, rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing clearly.
A smile tugged at Byleth’s lips as she accepted the present, gazing at the small box thoughtfully. “Would you like me to open it now?”
“Only if you’d like to. It’s nothing special really.”
Unable to withhold her curiosity (and to Sylvain’s relief), Byleth carefully unraveled the ribbon and opened the box.
The professor made a small noise of recognition. “Oh, these tea leaves...”
“They are your favorite as well. Ingrid advised me which kind you would like,” he admitted, studying her expression carefully.
She inhaled and released a content sigh. “This is so thoughtful, Dimitri. What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion really. You’ve done so much for us so I wanted to give you something to show my—our—appreciation,” he said and bowed his head. “As House Leader of the Blue Lions, you have our sincerest gratitude, Professor.”
“I feel as if I should be thanking you.” Dimitri seemed to freeze as an even wider smile curled at her lips, her eyes softening as she looked down at the gift. “Honestly, it’s with your help and support that I’ve been able to get this far. I just wished I could do something more since you gave me something like this...”
“No need for that! I am merely glad you like it. Your thanks is more than enough,” Dimitri said, though his eyes seem brighter, clearly pleased by her reaction.
“Still, I feel as if I should return the gesture... Oh! How about you have some tea with me?”
Dimitri seemed taken aback by the offer, a light flush touching his cheeks. “I-I beg your pardon?”
“I mean, you gave me this tea. I’d be happy to share it with you later.”
Dimitri seemed like his brain almost short-circuited at the offer, only able to nod his head in agreement.
“Wonderful!” She gasped, cursing herself as she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I have to go meet with my father, but perhaps during the next break we have, we can have tea then, alright?”
“O-of course, Professor. Sounds like a plan.”
With a smile and wave, Byleth rushed forward to go to her meeting. Sylvain continued to study Dimitri, at the soft smile on his lips, how his eyes still followed the professor as she rounded the corner out of his sight.
The red head pondered something for a beat.
Then another.
Finally, he came to a new conclusion.
By the goddess, the signs were all there. Why did he not even think of it in the first place?
“Dimitri, I am so proud of you!”
He flinched and snapped out of his reverie when Sylvain emerged from his hiding spot.
“I never realized you had such good taste,” he said, wrapping his arm around Dimitri's shoulder.
The house leader blinked, confused by his sudden appearance. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Oh, come on. You know what I mean,” he said, shooting Dimitri a meaningful look. “So... the professor, huh?”
His face suddenly flushed into a bright red. “I-I-I don’t have the slightest idea what it is you are implying!”
Sylvain only smiled. “I’m not the one that landed a date with her, did I?”
“D-d-d-date?” He swore he saw smoke almost rising from his head as he processed the thought. “Don’t be ridiculous. She’s our professor and by no means was that meant to be a date...”
“Uh-huh...”
‘Wide eyes, flushed cheeks.... heck even his ears are red right now.’
Sylvain‘s smile widened, glad to realize he got it right this time.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed about, my friend! And if you need any wooing advice, you know you can always ask me.”
“There will be no 'wooing' done here, and I will not ask you such things.”
“By the way, where did you get that from?”
Byleth noticed finally Jeralt’s stare before she came to a realization.
“Oh, it’s a gift from one of my students. One of them gave it to me on my way here.” She gently touched the flower on top of the box.
He stared at it for a moment, then at her face, his expression unreadable. “Which student? One of the girls?”
“Oh, Dimitri gave it to me on behalf of their house!” she said, her expression bright. “Isn't that nice of him?”
To her surprise, it seemed like her words seemed to have physically wounded him.
“Y...yeah, nice.” His voice was tight, his hands balling into a fist.
Byleth didn’t seem to think much of it, even as his gaze remained fixated on the box.
“Well I'm just happy to see that I'm getting along well with my class. Honestly, I wasn't sure if they even liked me,” she added, blinking when her father’s expression seemed to pale at her words. “Father, is something wrong?”
“No, no...I think I just need something to drink,” he admitted tiredly, seating himself down in his chair.
“Let me brew you some tea. Give me a moment.” When she rushed off, Jeralt could only rub his face. He had seen Dimitri upon several occasions, noticing how he looked at his daughter when she wasn't looking, that smile that tugged on his lips when she happened to pass by. It's the kind of looks he's seen before on the face of other young men, but he had been in denial that Dimitri had thought of Byleth in such that way.
Though now he wasn't sure he could deny it any longer.
‘She really doesn’t notice anything odd about it, does she?’
He looked up to the ceiling and prayed to the spirits above that she remained oblivious, at least during his lifetime.