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A growl rips throughout the training hall as Felix points his wooden sword at Sylvain in an accusatory way. The redhead’s eyes widen in shock. “Why are you staring at me?” Felix demands, glaring at Sylvain’s quickly relaxing form.
“What do you mean? I’m not doing anything like that,” Sylvain defends himself with a shake of his head. But Felix knows what he saw, and he knows what he’s felt this past month. Sylvain keeps staring at Felix when he thinks he isn’t looking. But Felix isn’t the type who lets his guard down easily, not even at the monastery. Spies, assassins, and other sorts of unsavory characters are lurking always everywhere. “Also, could you maybe not point your sword at me? That’s dangerous,” Sylvain adds, moving the sword’s tip away with a finger.
Felix scoffs, but does as asked. The sword is tossed to the side unceremoniously. Sylvain breathes a sigh of relief. “Spare me your lies. Tell me the truth. Now,” Felix hisses before Sylvain can change the subject.
“Alright, well… I…,” Sylvain starts. But then he stops and hums, putting a contemplative hand on his chin. “Why do you think I’ve been looking at you?” he attempts to turn the tables. Quite poorly, at that.
“Because you have a death wish,” Felix responds dryly. Sylvain laughs, much to Felix’s frustration.
“Oh, so close, but not close enough,” Sylvain says. Felix glares at him, a substitute for telling him to hurry up and explain himself. Sylvain is able to read the gesture easily. He awkwardly looks away from Felix, down to the wooden sword he feared only moments ago. “It’s just… you’re… different now…?”
“You don’t sound very sure of yourself,” Felix points out, unamused. For a moment, he thinks that Sylvain is still playing around with him. But when Sylvain chances another look up, Felix can see he’s dead serious. For once.
“That’s because I’m not. You haven’t changed, not really. I mean, you’ve grown, of course. And your temperament somehow got better- Ow!” Felix had stomped on Sylvain’s toes for that last bit. “Or not, I guess!” Felix does not respond beyond a cutting glare. “I just- Look, if I say what’s really on my mind, you’re going to kill me-“
“Just say it, before I kill you for saying nothing.”
“Yeesh, damned if I do, damned if I don’t, huh? Then I guess I oughta do,” Sylvain says.
“Stop wasting my t-“
“You’re beautiful.”
There is a moment of silence as Felix wonders if he heard Sylvain right just then. Then another as Felix wonders how he should respond. Sylvain takes this moment to ramble off what’s been on his mind. “I mean, don’t get me wrong! You always have been. But you’re just… It’s different. But also the same? It’s like, lately when I look at you or think about you, I get a tight feeling in my chest. But it’s good, and then I… Well, I don’t know, I just- I just want to be with you, Felix.”
Felix’s immediate response is to be flustered, because no one has ever called him beautiful. No one has ever said such things to or about him before. It’s understandable. His personality is one that’s hard to get along with. Not that this has ever been a problem for Felix, because when it comes down to it he doesn’t care what others think. All he cares about is becoming strong enough to protect the things that matter and not becoming a knight.
Still, knowing he’s not someone who is easy to fall for triggers his next response. Which is to be enraged. “Why are you using one of your stupid lines right now?” Felix asks, venom pooling out of his words.
“I’m not! I’m serious!” Sylvain exclaims. “Okay, I get why you think I’m just saying stuff. But I really mean it, Felix. I don’t know what’s changed. I don’t know if it’s you or me. I just know that I don’t want to be apart from you.”
Felix lets out a “hmph” and scrutinizes Sylvain. It shuts the older man up, making him chew his lip nervously. To Felix’s surprise, Sylvain really isn’t doing anything like he usually does when he’s trying to pick people up. In fact, he seems very genuine. Felix blushes and scoffs. “You’re an idiot. I should throttle you,” Felix says, because he really doesn’t know how else he should respond.
“What? Why? You’re the one who kept asking,” Sylvain replies defensively.
“And you’re the one who wouldn’t stop staring. You don’t even know why you’re staring, you just are!” Felix shoots back. He shakes his head and sighs. “I am leaving you, you dunce,” Felix declares. He swoops down to pick up his sword and then he walks away from Sylvain to the training weapons’ rack.
“Hey, wait!” Sylvain calls, following after Felix. Felix hears Sylvain’s footsteps quickly thudding after him but decides to let him approach. All things considered, this isn’t the dumbest thing Sylvain’s ever said to him. In fact, it’s probably one of the nicest.
Besides, Felix’s heart uncharacteristically won’t stop rattling erratically in his chest when he remembers that someone—Sylvain—thinks he’s beautiful. He may have some thinking of his own to do.