Work Text:
Gladiolus-- Confessions, Hanahaki
When Byleth woke up and was told that five years had passed she felt sick. Relief bubbled up inside her when she recognized Dimitri in the Goddess Tower. Her heart went out to him when she noticed the eyepatch. He had grown so much, and it looked like he was in dire need of sleep. The first itch began in her throat when he refused to take her hand. Then came the petals and the blood. Byleth didn’t understand what was going on.
It was getting worse, whatever this was. Byleth noticed it would normally happen after interacting with Dimitri. She did her best to keep it hidden from the others. It could interfere with her ability to fight, and the last thing she wanted was to be taken off of the battlefield. It was Mercedes that noticed the blood and petals. Mercedes explained what she could before she lent Byleth a book to research her condition with. It seemed that this hanahaki would go away on its own, but she needed to make sure not to let it get any worse.
A fight with Dimitri after he was being stubborn and ignoring her orders manifested a coughing fit on the battlefield. It had made her an open target and Dimitri had come to her rescue with a bellow that hurt her ears. He immediately dragged her away from the fight and threw her on the sidelines before rejoining the fray. Mercedes filled Dimitri in on her condition and what it was. The glare he sent Byleth's way only made her choke.
They had returned to the monastery and Dimitri had followed her during her patrol. It was when she started coughing that he made himself known. "Just be done with this nonsense and tell the person that you care for so much! I need you fit for battle. If we have another incident like today I will not step in to save you."
Rage boiled within Byleth at his words. She didn't ask to wake up with this disease. If it was the Dimitri she knew during the academy he might leap at the chance to be with her. The man he was now wouldn't give her any chances to cure this sickness in her unbeating heart. "And why would it matter? It's not as if you would tell me you love me back!"
Her eyes went wide as she slapped her hand over her mouth. She could already feel the burn in her throat as the petals made themselves known. She should turn back time this instant, but as the racking coughs shook her frame she knew that her power was too busy healing herself to work.
Dimitri looked as stunned as she felt. That cruel sneer wore most days was replaced by a gaping mouth. His face twisted into confusion before it turned to fury. The condensation on his face was clear until the tears blurred her vision. It hadn't hurt this much before.
"Do yourself a favor and forget about me Professor. I have no love to spare for distractions."
It hurt to even breathe as the itch burned along her throat. The petals she coughed up were stained with blood as they fluttered to his feet. She couldn't bear to look at him.
The Dimitri she knew wouldn't leave her like this. She didn’t know how to make this pain stop. Love wasn’t supposed to hurt. It was similar to a spar. You would dance together, know the other person’s movements, and clash from time to time, but, in the end, you still stood side by side to protect each other. If you were one of the lucky ones, love was a flower that brought joy and happiness. It didn't require constant work just to bloom. It wasn't supposed to strangle you as it tried to thrive.
Byleth felt the tears stinging her eyes and she wasn’t sure if it was from the flowers or from the pain lacerating her heart at his words. Dimitri caught her as she crumpled to the ground, the coughing just wouldn’t stop. She was aware they were moving, but she wasn’t sure where. Her eyes stayed closed most of the way and were blurred by tears when she tried to have them open.
There was a rustle of movement around here, too many voices to concentrate on. Then her world went black as she passed out in his arms.
-----------
Watching Byleth kneel in from of him out of pain with the blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth was too much to bear. Why him of all people? He noticed that she was hiding something, but he had left her to her own devices. His words seemed to set her off into a coughing fit worse than the ones he’d witnessed before this. Usually, it would calm after a moment, but this just wouldn’t stop. His worry finally got the best of him as he picked her up and rushed towards the infirmary. He only prayed that Manuela would be there.
Thankfully, she was and Manuela stood at attention when Dimitri burst into the room. He didn't have long to speak before Byleth passed out in his arms. He laid Byleth down on the bed and Manuela began her examination of Byleth.
“Gladiolus, this can’t be comfortable for her at all. They aren’t poisonous to humans, but the pollen alone can cause irritation to the skin. Usually, when you see this spell it’s a soft and small flower. I guess we can just be grateful to the goddess that it wasn’t roses.” Manuela was careful and cautious as she pulled out what she could without hurting Byleth further.
Dimitri froze as his eye widened. “Does the type of flower matter?”
Manuela nodded. “It’s typically important to the person or significant to their love interest.”
Dimitri swallowed as the memory came unbidden to his mind. He was carrying a small bouquet of Gladiolus when he presented them to Byleth. She was solemn, her expression blank as she stared at the grave they buried her father in. Everyone from the ceremony was already gone. He planned to leave the flowers there with an oath to Jeralt that he would take care of Byleth, but he didn’t want to disturb her in her grief. He had left briefly when his own feelings threatened to swallow him whole.
When Dimitri stood over her in the rain, he used his cloak to shield her from it. He had no idea what to say then, nor now. He knew hollow apologies would not help, and any words of things will get better would only be lost in the spiral of pain and regret. She wasn’t ready for that yet, and he would not force her.
At first, he wondered if he should come back another time, but then he remembered how much he longed for a friend’s embrace. They were all struck by grief and Glenn’s absence. Not even his uncle would raise a friendly hand to him. As his steps drew him closer to her he could only feel his anger rise at the ones who broke her this way. There was no other way to describe the listless and empty gaze. She didn’t even react to his presence.
He started talking out loud about the flowers and their meanings as he knelt down to place them onto the grave. Remembrance was the primary meaning when given to a love you lost. To some, it was called the sword lily and its beauty and poise represented a silent, calm, and strong spirit. When given to a potential lover it meant that the giver’s heart was pierced with strong affection. If you put them into a bouquet during a wedding it represented a pure faithful unwavering love.
Byleth hadn’t moved, hadn’t even acknowledged that she heard him. Dimitri pulled out one of the shorter ones out of the ribbon as he turned to her. He placed it in her hand. “Keep this one so you can hold him a little closer. I promise you, professor, we will get the bastards that did this.”
Byleth’s lip quivered as she gripped the stem. “He had something he wanted to tell me, I have no idea what it could be, and now I will never know. The last time we stood here together he gave me my mother’s ring.”
Dimitri nodded in understanding. He knew there were more lessons that his father would want to teach him, advice that Dimitri was never given. He extended his arms to her sides, but didn’t touch her. “May I?”
A bit of light came back into her eyes for only a moment before he found that she closed the distance and threw her arms around him. Her sobs broke through the silence as he closed his arms around her. He wasn’t sure how long he held her for as he dared to stroke her hair and nuzzle himself closer. When a shadow at the top of the stairs caught his attention, he saw Dedue standing guard to keep anyone else from entering. Dimitri was grateful. The Professor didn’t need anyone else bothering her over this. If he got lectured he could handle it, but she wouldn’t be able to in her fragile state. He didn’t care about their status, right now she was someone he cared about and she was in pain. He would let her take whatever she needed from him.
Her sobs finally became sniffles, but she didn’t let go of him, if anything she only held him tighter. Dimitri took a deep settling breath, happy that she was at least safe in his arms. She would be able to heal and persevere. It was what she did best. Her tenacity was one of the things he adored about her. “Would you like me to escort you back to your room?”
All she gave him was a slight nod that rubbed against his chest. He wished he could be holding her under better circumstances. He had meant what he said in the Goddess Tower. If there was a way to do it, he would love to with her forever. Even if all he could do was manage to convince her to stay in the castle and train new recruits, he wanted to keep her close. He didn’t want to let her go, but he would need to shortly.
“I… carry me?” Her voice was so soft and cracked from her crying.
Dimitri couldn’t help himself from kissing her forehead before sweeping her off her feet and cradling her close to his chest. She buried her face into his chest as she kept the flower within her sight. Dedue gave him a speculative look when they passed him, but fell in behind them without a word. Everyone they passed gave them looks of pity and his anger burned brighter for the injustice done to her.
Dimitri asked Dedue for a vase for the flower before opening Byleth’s room. They left the door open so there wouldn’t be any further rumors of the two of them. She would have enough on her plate without others gossiping that they were lovers of some sort. He laid her down as gently as he could before pulling her sheet over her. He had every intention to leave but she grabbed his cape as she swallowed and tried to speak. Dedue brought the small vase in and placed it on the table next to her and held out his hand towards Byleth. Her grip tightened on the flower before she handed it over to Dedue and he placed it in the vase before bowing to both of them and leaving.
Byleth still hadn’t let go of his cape. “You are aware that if I stay there will be rumors. I don’t wish to bring that upon you.”
“If it doesn’t matter to you, then it doesn’t matter to me. I… alone, I don’t want to be alone right now.”
It was heartbreaking to see her like this, and he was more than happy to oblige her as she scooted over to make room for him. Byleth settled against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her.
Dimitri swallowed as he was lost to the memory. He hadn’t even noticed Manuela was trying to talk to him. “Pardon?”
“I asked, are you aware of who the dumb fool is that she’s in love with?”
He could only repeat Maneula’s description slowly in confusion.
“Only a fool would leave a wonderful woman such as her in such a state! If she confessed then they should be on their hands and knees thanking her for such a devoted love. Sometimes this curse comes from a possessive love, but these white petals indicate a pure and kind love. If they are ignoring her pain then they are either dense or undeserving of her love. The poor thing has been suffering so much over this. Without her crest, it would have killed her already.”
Dimitri could barely speak as Byleth started to cough again. The gurgle of blood blocking her pathway of air was sickening to listen to. Manuela went into action quickly as she raised Byleth into a sitting position.
“What if he’s dead?” The one Byleth was in love with was the teenager he used to be, there was no way that she cared for him as he was now.
Manuela paled as she blinked rapidly. “Then… oh goddess, please tell me that isn’t true. The only way to cure this is for the love to be returned. Someone who’s dead cannot break the curse upon her. Even if she would receive the love from someone else... no, there have not been any survivors because the roots strangle their hearts as their lungs give out.”
Dimitri glanced her way as he swallowed. “How exactly does this curse start?”
Manuela sighed as she tucked back Byleth’s hair away from her face. “I imagine it has to have something to do with the five years she was asleep. The seed is formed from a mutual bond, and usually the person is given the time to let it bloom or die on its own. It never gets to this stage. If she was inflicted with the curse before her slumber than it has had five years to fester from the unrequited love. When she woke up the final seal would be either, as you said he’s dead and she can’t love him how she wants to, or the one she loves rejected her or gave her the impression that he would reject her.”
It would have to be the latter. She was comatose right now because he had rejected her. The venom from his words was leaking into her body to cause her more harm. He thought she was a ghost when he first set eyes on her again. When he realized that she came back, he decided to keep her at a distance. His heart had broken once already from her disappearance. He would not survive it again.
“What has to be done to save her? If the one she loves is found, what do they have to do?”
“Confess their love and mean it. Kiss her long enough to help her breathe until the flowers start to recede. She will need to hack up the manifestation, mind you, but after that small reminders that they care should be enough to keep it from coming back.”
Dimitri nodded and Manuela collected the bloodied rags with a few of the Gladiolus inside. “Can you watch over her? I am going to go take these to be examined.”
Manuela shut the door behind her and the silence of the room loomed over him. “You always did manage to cause extra trouble. That time we had to rescue you in the Red Canyon because you went off on your own comes to mind.”
Manuela had missed one of the flowers that had drifted to the floor. Dimitri reached down and picked it up. It didn’t surprise him that she was having trouble breathing with these blocking her airway. If he had known that moment would have such a large impact he would have chosen a much smaller flower. He snorted, if he had any inkling of what was going to happen that day he wouldn’t have let her fall in the first place and she wouldn’t be going through any of this.
“I’ve been in love with you for a long time now, Byleth. That is why it hurt so much when you left, and I apologize, but I can’t go through that again. I told you that I may not have a future to promise anyone. What happens if I die on the battlefield tomorrow? What would you do then?”
Byleth’s breathing was ragged as she opened her eyes. He had assumed she was asleep. “I wouldn’t let you die. I… protect… like I always have.”
Dimitri circled the bed as he chuckled darkly. “In the condition you’re in, you couldn’t even protect yourself. You cannot bring him back to love. You would be stuck with a beast for the rest of your days. If you’re expecting a sweet and tender lover you are not looking in the right place.”
Byleth chuckled before it sent her back into a coughing fit. “I am well aware, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t hope for a glimmer of him every now and then. I can love you as you are, that’s obvious enough by now.”
“I never asked for such devotion.”
“Until the flesh falls from my bones, wasn’t …” She swallowed as she tried to catch her breath. “Wasn’t that what you said? If letting you do that isn’t some form of devotion I don’t know what is. I want to fight along side you. My sword is yours, Dimitri. The tenderness can wait until after the war… right now what’s important is that we both stay alive.”
Dimitri laughed as he shook his head at her. “You always did know how to amuse me. Do not blame me later for giving in to what you wanted.”
He moved to her bedside and leaned down until his breath fanned her face. He expected her to cringe away. The feeling of her fingers sliding through his hair made his eye widen, but it didn’t surprise him as much as the softness of her lips on his. There was a burning in his throat as their breathing mingled. It must be the pollen agitation that Manuela mentioned. It made it hard for him to breathe, but as they kissed he could feel her breathing getting stronger in return.
It was her that pushed him away as she started coughing again and leaned over the side of bed. More blood and flowers fluttered down before she coughed up… he really didn’t want to look at the bloodied object that smacked onto the floor. What mattered was the wonder in her eyes as she looked up at him and took a deep breath. She grabbed his armor and jerked him down to her as she practically fused her lips to his. The kisses were heated as she clung to him as if he was the air she breathed now. Maybe in a way he was.
Byleth pulled away with a flush face, swollen lips, and her eyes hooded as she stared up at him. “Stay the night with me?”
Dimitri snorted. “The armor stays on. I may trust you, but that doesn’t mean that I am ready to shed my protection from others just yet.”
Byleth nodded as she moved to let him onto the bed. When he was comfortable she nuzzled her face into the fur of his cloak. “This is enough for now.”
He curled his arm around her. It was going to have to be. Until he was released from his oath to the dead, he didn't have the time to spare on distractions. Just like the last time they had been like this, she had fallen asleep so quickly. She was taking deep strong breaths that rustled the fur. His fingers stroked aside her bangs as he thought of the best way to keep this from manifesting was. He would let her keep her foolish dream for a while longer, but he wouldn't allow her to die for it.
They had a war to win after all.