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It was officially the evening of the Garreg Mach Ball, the only academy-sponsored social event. The academy, not unexpectedly, was doing its best to make it the most depressing party Sylvain had ever been to. There was to be no alcohol, students were to be expected to wear their uniforms, and all dancing required the participants to “leave room for the Goddess” or face Seteth’s wrath. Sylvain couldn’t imagine how poor Flayn felt, she’d probably be stuck holding her brother’s hand all night. Needless to say, he was not especially looking forward to the evening.
“So, Felix, are you going to ask anyone to dance tonight?” If looks could kill, Sylvain would have died a long time ago but since they couldn’t, he figured he’d continue to entertain himself by poking fun at his prickly friend. “Perhaps a certain redheaded mage in our class?” The sharp jab of Felix’s bony elbow in Sylvain’s side was a clear indicator he hit a nerve.
Could anyone really blame Sylvain for teasing Felix Fraldarius a little? Sylvain had been friends with him for almost fifteen years and this was the first time he’d ever seen Felix with a crush. Fifteen years! He’d never seen Felix light up so much and be so gentle , with anyone else. Sylvain knew that the woman he really wanted was unattainable - he and Dorothea were just friends, and he would accept that if that’s all she wanted from him. But Felix had a shot with Annette, if the completely obvious glances she was throwing at his friend were any indication, “She would say yes, just ask her.”
“Shut up, Sylvain. I hate dancing,” Felix crossed his arms, letting out an irritated sigh. If Dimitri was, as Felix so lovingly called him, “a boar”, then Felix was a stubborn mule. Thankfully, Sylvain considered himself to be rather adept at dealing with mules.
“Well, she doesn’t.” Sylvain started out towards the dance floor before Felix could stop him. He stopped in front of Annette, holding out his hand with a charming grin, “Annette, could I have this dance?”
Annette smiled happily and accepted his hand, keeping a fair bit of distance between their bodies with her other hand on his shoulder. That was probably best, all things considered; he wasn’t ready to lose his testicles to Felix or Seteth tonight. He was, however, likely to lose at least one of his toes with the way Annette was dancing. She knew the dance moves, but her clumsiness had led her to step on his feet around eight times within a one minute period.
The poor girl’s face kept getting redder by the second, and apologies kept spilling from her lips (in between the constant chatter, of course. She had already brought up setting Ashe’s uniform on fire while cooking, how Mercedes had the best sugar cookie recipe in Garreg Mach, and how Professor Byleth was training her in axes).
His poor feet would only have to wait for three, two, one…
“Can I cut in?” Felix said bluntly, his face dark red, even going down to his neck. Sylvain had never been so proud. Annette looked thrilled as she looked up at Sylvain, “Do you mind, Sylvain?” Her eyes had lit up the minute she saw Felix. Sylvain had never been so happy to have a dance interrupted. And he could have SWORN he heard Felix thank him under his breath as he walked away. This woman was good for him.
“Save room for the Goddess, you two,” Sylvain winked as he started for the door to the courtyard. The dance was hardly half-over and he hadn’t danced with anyone but Annette, but he already felt drained. Watching all of his friends fall in love was bittersweet - Felix wasn’t the only one, Dimitri had been awkwardly hanging around Marianne all evening and Ingrid and Ashe hadn’t even looked at anyone else as far as he could see - he was overwhelmingly glad to see all of them happy, but it just hammered in the feeling of being completely alone. He was used to it, to an extent, but he hadn’t ever felt so lonely. They were all growing up and moving on and he was still the same old skirt chaser. He was so envious, it seemed so easy for them to let their guard down. Why was it so hard for him?
Without thinking, his feet climbed the steps of the Goddess Tower. He sat under the window, letting his head lean back against the cold stone. He breathed in the frigid air, closing his eyes. It was stupid to come here. If he wanted to be alone, this was the last place he’d find solitude. There were bound to be couples popping in and out all night. He heard heels on the steps - right on cue.
His heart felt like it was being ripped in two when he saw the brunette curls and emerald eyes of Dorothea Arnault. Of course she was meeting someone here. Someone who wasn’t him. His eyebrows raised in surprise when she sat next to him, giving him a warm smile, “I was wondering where you had gotten off to. Really, I should have expected you were waiting for someone here. Who’s the lucky girl? Mercedes? The Professor?” She teased, sticking out her tongue slightly.
“If you think I could pull the Professor, I hate to say that you may be overestimating my abilities.” He teased back, letting a small smile pull at his lips. It was like his worries melted away. Even when he wasn’t okay, she made things feel okay. “I wasn’t expecting anyone else, I just needed a break from… everything.” He waved his hand dramatically. Her face relaxed a bit. Was she... relieved? ”What about you? What are you doing up here?”
“Honestly, I was looking for you. I was hoping you’d save me a dance before you left.” She hugged her knees, looking up at him with a slight flush over her cheeks.
“Of course I was saving a dance for a beautiful flower like you. Shall we?” He stood, dusting off the back of his pants with his hands and then extending a palm to her, which she didn’t immediately accept. Sylvain felt momentary panic settle in his gut. Had she changed her mind? Was she making fun of him?
“Only if you promise never to use those lines on me ever again. I like you when you’re sincere,” She then grabbed his hand, pulling herself to her feet. Was he that transparent to the opera singer? He supposed she had a lot of experience with reading the intentions of others, people had been vying for her attention since she was a child. She was still holding on to his hand, so he started to lead her to the steps to head back to the entrance hall, but she held still, “Let’s dance here.”
“There’s no music. Even I’m no good at dancing without a beat.” He smiled, tilting his head at her. His hand was starting to get sweaty with nerves, he desperately hoped she didn’t notice.
“I can sing something. Did you forget that used to be my job?” She suggested, pulling him close to her. His chest bumped hers and he chuckled nervously. He’d never felt so out of his element before. He was the experienced one, but this time he felt like a fumbling virgin who had never touched a woman before. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he tentatively placed his hands on her waist.
Her voice was clear and angelic, and he could immediately understand how she had enthralled crowds in Enbarr. She sang softly, keeping her eyes on his shirt collar. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was nervous too. This was legitimately the most romantic situation he’d ever been in. The moonlight streamed in the window of the stone tower, lighting up her face in a way he thought only happened in romance novels. He was close enough to see small freckles dusting her nose, her long dark eyelashes casting shadows across her cheeks. How had he never noticed that she had tiny gold flecks in her eyes?
Her body was warm against the cold winter air, and he unconsciously pulled her closer. When her song ended and she met his gaze, his face immediately turned red at having been caught staring. If she was anyone else, he would have kissed her. But he cared what she thought of him, he didn’t want her to think she was like the other girls he had seduced and left. She reached up, kissed his cheek once and then pulled away from him fully, “I should head back to my room, it certainly wouldn’t do to get in trouble with Seteth.”
Before he could even say a word to stop her, she had descended the steps. Sylvain was left standing alone in the Goddess Tower with his hand pressed to his cheek, wondering if he had dreamed the entire thing.