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"Hello, Father, Mother," Byleth said with a smile as he approached the grave tucked away in the corner of the monastery grounds. Ever since his father passed, he had made a point to visit at least once a week and update them on, well, everything. Excluding the four and a half years that he had been all but dead or out on a march to unify Fódlan, of course.
"There's nothing we can do for the dead—not in this world." Yuri had said those words once and, though Byleth knew it was true, there was a part of him that clung to the idea that his parents were still there, still watching over him from their scenic home overlooking the mountains. He wanted to believe that they could still hear him and looked forward to his updates. He knew it was silly, but they were all the family he had for now.
Well, technically speaking, Rhea was as close to a grandmother as he'd get on his mother's side, which would make Sothis—his own literal other half—his great-grandmother. That would also make Seteth and Flayn distant relatives, as well, while also prompting the question as to whether Rhea was his grandmother or his daughter.
He preferred to simply think of her as Rhea and as some variety of sisterly figure.
His messed up family tree aside, he felt the need to visit his parents' grave and speak with them. Sometimes, simply saying his thoughts aloud gave him a new perspective and, other times, he could swear he'd heard Jeralt's voice offering counsel. He heard a woman's voice, as well, which he imagined was his mother's voice, but he would have only heard it the day he was born and had no recollection of it. Or of her in general, beyond what he was told by others. He had seen her dead body, but it hadn't really stirred any emotion in him beyond rage at the time.
True, he was sad that he'd never know his mother, but he was more angry that someone could be so selfish to sacrifice four lives to resurrect one. One that—according to Rhea and that some part of him knew was true—had begged that her life be given for her child's. For Byleth's life.
He'd carried that knowledge with him, letting that drive him forward during the fight against Aelfric. If his mother had so willingly died for another, then there was no feasible way that she could stand the thought of being resurrected with the blood—the lives—of four individuals who had nothing to gain and everything to lose from the ritual.
Then there was the additional factor that Yuri was one of those four.
Though Byleth was now the archbishop with an endless list of things to do to help bring balance to the unified nation of Fódlan, he took time out of his hectic schedule to dress down in his old coat with the symbol of Jeralt's Mercenaries on the back before visiting the grave. He didn't want to be there as Archbishop Byleth, Voice of the Goddess and Second Coming of Saint Seiros—or so a number of people liked to call him—but simply as Byleth Eisner, a twenty-seven-year-old man of common birth who just wanted to talk to his parents.
And today was an extra special day with some very exciting news.
He knelt down at the stone monument and went about his task of cleaning away any brush or debris that had built up since his last visit, then neatly arranged the flowers he'd brought at the base of the headstone. It was routine, but he made sure to change the flowers he'd brought each week to keep it from losing its importance and asked Mercedes for help to make sure he picked ones with a good meaning for the week's update.
This time, he brought a bouquet put together of hibiscus and plumeria—two flowers native to Brigid—both of which, according to Mercedes, meant something along the lines of new life, rebirth, beauty, grace, and charm. They looked really nice when arranged together and the meanings were about as close as he could get to summarize everything he was feeling that day.
Although, if he were being honest, feelings in general were still relatively new to him and he wasn't entirely sure that he could accurately pinpoint the emotions burning through him, let alone describe them to Mercedes so she could tell him about flower meanings. She did a good job of interpreting his clumsy explanations and he swore he would do everything to help her become head cleric to a church in Fhirdiad like she wanted. The woman worked tirelessly to help reestablish faith in the goddess amongst the people and damn if she didn't deserve to have her dreams come true.
Though all of his friends and former students were working hard to establish order in the unified country while abolishing the nobility and Crest system—heirs would be chosen by ability, not bloodline—only a handful had chosen to call Garreg Mach their home. He missed the ones that had chosen to go elsewhere, but he knew they all had their paths to follow.
Rhea had opted to stay after formally stepping down from her title, helping Byleth get accustomed to his new duties, but said that she planned to leave in time. Seteth and Flayn were still there, both working tirelessly to assist in the reconstruction, even if a number of people didn't take Flayn seriously due to her appearance of a child. Once things settled down, Byleth planned to tell them to take a journey as father and daughter to see the world; to help Flayn—Cethleann—break free from seclusion so she could finally be responsible for her own choices. He understood that Seteth—Cichol—was protective of his daughter, but a thousand years or so was a long time to keep her in the coop. He knew she had been wounded near death in the past and slept for a long while as a result—he could relate—so he tried not to tease about Cethleann being the oldest teenager he'd ever met.
Alois was now captain of the Knights of Seiros, Catherine was still around while Rhea remained, Shamir hadn't had anywhere better to go as long as she got paid, Manuela stayed solely as a physician until the Officers Academy could be rebuilt, while Hanneman likewise came around to continue his Crest research and aid in the reconstruction until his teaching job was open again.
Cyril had, as always, immediately followed where Rhea went and immediately went to work on helping with the reconstruction. Though Byleth was glad to have his support and attention to detail, he planned to talk to Rhea about encouraging the boy to take control of his life. He was a hardworking young man and could accomplish great things, but was held back by his perceived debt to Rhea. While, sure, his debt seemed valid—for what Byleth knew of the situation, at least—he was fairly certain that so many years of so much work was more than enough to repay it. He was also fairly certain that Rhea wasn't even aware that he was still working so hard out of debt and had just assumed that he was happy doing tasks that were familiar to him.
Byleth was more than ready to offer him a spot in the Officers Academy once it was up and running again, if he wanted it.
Constance had returned to Adrestian territory to work on rebuilding House Nuvelle and Hapi left to visit her hometown, though the latter promised she'd be back after she caught up with everyone. Balthus was dragged to Goneril territory by Hilda to say hello to her brother as they'd apparently been friends in the past and Yuri had only waved and watched him go like that time a giant bird had carried him off. That had been a sight to see.
Yuri…
Yuri had stayed in Abyss, helping the residents and refugees get settled after the war while somehow procuring supplies for the people working aboveground. Byleth chose not to ask where they came from. The less he knew about Yuri's potentially illegal activity, the better it was for his new position as archbishop.
The man he'd come to love—'boyfriend' just sounded mundane to him—had been nothing but supportive and, supplies and communication networks be damned, he was certain that he'd never be able to keep up with his tasks without Yuri at his side. As something of thanks, Byleth had asked Manuela to go down to Abyss—with an escort for her peace of mind—and tend to the sick and injured belowground. Yuri had mentioned in the anonymous question box that he'd been having difficulty getting physicians to help and, at the time, Byleth had advised that he ask the church for help. Now, Byleth basically was the church, so it fell to him to ensure Abyss received care.
Of course, he wasn't about to tell Yuri that he was involved or that he knew—or at least very, very, very strongly suspected—that he'd been the one to write that note.
He trusted most Abyssians as they were, as Yuri had said, just simple folk with nowhere else to go. The only violent criminals that were typically permitted to seek shelter there were the ones that Yuri got his way-too-compassionate-to-be-real claws into and inducted into his gang, who then acted for the benefit of the poor and sick. Byleth saw no reason to purge them and trusted his lover to keep them in line.
He knew Yuri was right and that a number of criminals became such because they didn't have a choice, whether they were forced when the war demolished their homes or if they were orphans that got wrapped up in matters beyond their control or some other circumstances. He knew that Yuri's only sin that led to his rise in the criminal underworld was simply being born into poverty. If that was a crime, then Byleth wanted to do everything he could to change that. No one could control the circumstances of their birth, after all.
He was working with the leaders of the new Fódlan to eradicate nobility and the curse of being born to that lifestyle, so it seemed prudent to do the opposite and get rid of the disadvantages of the poor. Though he wasn't entirely sure how to do so, he had the idea to start by having churches across the country offer lessons in reading and writing so everyone could do that much, at least. He'd never lived that lifestyle—being too poor to even afford food—so he was hoping Yuri had ideas to further the resources available across the lands.
He did have some ideas about Abyss itself that he wanted to discuss with his lover. If Yuri was on board with it, then it would—should—solve the issue of other clergy disliking the existence of the underground colony while still holding true to the initial goals of its establishment. But that was a topic for another day. That was something he wanted to discuss with Yuri before telling his parents.
There was something else he wanted to talk about that day.
He finished dusting off the gravestone with a soft smile on his face, fingers gently tracing over the names engraved there. His father still didn't have a year of birth inscribed, which had him legitimately wondering just how old he'd been. His mother had apparently been young—only twenty—when she'd died, the same age Byleth was when he'd arrived at the monastery. When he thought about it in that lens, he couldn't even imagine what she'd been feeling when she realized she would have to die to save her son's life.
Byleth had never really entertained thoughts of 'I'd die to save someone.' By the time he was emoting enough to understand the concept, he'd had the power to reverse time and could just undo a person's death rather than recklessly take a hit for them. Once he'd woken up at the bottom of that ravine, he had known that his body wouldn't perish easily, but still refrained from reckless behaviour since he could stop any death before it actually happened.
True, some part of him knew he'd rather disappear from the world if it meant saving others, but he'd never thought very hard on the concept. All the same, there was another part of him that fully understood what his mother had been feeling—the part that sacrificed her consciousness to save their lives. Though Sothis was, as she'd said, still very much a part of him, her free will was gone as she lived on through him. He knew she was there; he could feel her life flowing in his blood alongside his own like two rivers that flowed into one.
He was just as much Byleth Eisner as he was Sothis the Progenitor God and he would respond to either name, but most called him 'Byleth' out of reflex since his body was still that of Byleth Eisner. Or 'professor.' There were still a number of his former students who addressed him as such, though Leonie had taken to calling him either 'sir' or 'boss' since she still seemed to have trouble saying his name to his face for some reason, despite remaining in his direct employ—not the church's—after the war. He liked having the girl around and felt a sort of familial connection with her.
And he had a terrible habit of getting sidetracked when visiting his parents. Part of him just felt calm around them—being in the graveyard was the only place where no one would bother him—and he liked to take the opportunity to reflect. Another part was honestly nervous to tell them the news, though. There was absolutely no reason to be anxious, of course. It wasn't like he was a child or that his parents were in any position to try to change his mind or anything.
He inhaled a deep breath before shifting to get comfortable in front of them, then carefully started, "So, it's Wednesday. I have something important to share today. It happened last weekend, but I wanted to wait until today for my weekly visit to tell you. But first, let me tell you what's been going on with the monastery and all.
"Reconstruction is going well, though we're still trying to find craftsmen to restore the dome in the cathedral. All of the other buildings are just about done and are inhabitable again, so the knights are working on reorganizing their ranks and I named Alois captain."
He chuckled softly, more than certain that he'd heard Jeralt groan playfully. "Say what you want, Father, but he's a good knight with a good heart. He's proven himself time and again during the war and I know I can trust him to lead them with honour, integrity, and compassion. He still reports to Seteth and myself, so we have executive authority if something goes horribly wrong, but I trust Alois. Even if his jokes leave much to be desired," he added with a soft chuckle.
"I met his wife and daughter for the first time the other day now that it's safe for them to come to the monastery. Their old home was left worse for wear from the war, unfortunately, but his wife was more than happy to come here and help out, so they’ll probably be here for quite a while. His daughter just turned fifteen and she's a really sweet kid. It's obvious how much Alois loves his family and I have no doubts that I picked the right man for the job. Let's see…" he murmured, trying to remember if there were any other updates since he'd spoken to them the week prior before he got into the big news.
He couldn't think of anything else that was set in stone yet, so he figured he'd wait on all of that. Finally, he averted his gaze to a spot of grass as he folded his hands together nervously, wishing he'd be able to hear their reactions. He was sure they'd be happy for him, but who could say for certain?
"I'm getting married," he finally said, pulling his left glove off to reveal the ring he wore. It was a simple silver band with a green stone embedded, but he loved it. He never cared for flashy things—despite the day-to-day garb he typically wore now—and the ring was just subtle enough for his tastes while still proudly displaying the fact that his heart belonged to another and always would.
"His name is Yuri Leclerc, though he's already said he'll happily become an Eisner. Father met him a handful of times and I know I've mentioned him quite a bit during these visits. He's a good man, full of compassion and kindness." He shrugged slightly before adding, "He has his moments of being an asshole, sure, but it's usually only to people who give him a reason to dislike them. He's strong and he'll fight to protect those he cares about and I…" he trailed off as thoughts of his fiancé filled his mind, bringing a smile to his face. He was blessed to have such an amazing, kind, hardworking, and strong man as his future husband. Not to mention, he was gorgeous as all hell—with or without his makeup—and Byleth knew he'd never get tired of waking up beside him. "I love him," he finally finished.
He took off his other glove to gently touch the ring with his bare hand, eyes locked on the emerald set in the center of it as a small smile stayed on his face. "He's been instrumental in helping me with the church; always at my side and helping however he can even though he has an endless number of responsibilities elsewhere in the monastery. He makes sure that I remember to eat and sleep regularly and, well, he's the best friend I've ever had."
That same smile stayed on his lips as he finally looked up at the headstone again as if looking at their faces. "We'll both be incredibly busy with the post-war efforts and trying to help people across Fódlan get back on their feet, so we probably won't be able to get married for quite a while. As much as I'd like to have a quiet little ceremony with just us and friends, I do have to remember that I'm archbishop now and our wedding won't be anything remotely close to modest. We'll also have to wait until the country's rebuilt and everyone's recovering. It'd be selfish of us to run off and celebrate like that when there're still too many people who don't have enough food or even a roof over their heads."
His eyes moved back to the ring on his fourth finger as he kept fiddling with it. It felt so perfect there, yet so foreign at the same time. "But I don't mind," he murmured, still smiling at the piece of jewelry he wore. "Just having this ring— his ring—is enough for now. Just knowing that he wants to spend his life with me and having this ring to remind me of that if any doubts surface is all I need.
"I never thought I'd be someone who needed reassurances, but…" He paused as he gave a small chuckle. "Yuri changed that. He makes me feel things I never knew were possible and my head can't help but wonder why he's here with me. My heart knows he loves me as much as I love him, but I've always relied on logic to see me through life and I've come to realize that love isn't something that logic can explain. I wouldn't trade it for anything, though."
He couldn't help it. He always felt so much lighter and happier when he thought about his fiancé; his future husband. The man who'd offered his heart in his hands and nervously asked for Byleth's in exchange. True, he'd had no idea what he had in mind when he'd met him at the Goddess Tower on Sunday and, honestly, it didn't really click until he'd held out the ring. Even then, Byleth's mind had run through every possible reason that he might be giving him a ring, then Yuri had fed him that excuse about it being payment for his help with that turf war and he'd actually felt disappointed by it.
He'd never seen Yuri look that nervous before and he'd even commented on it himself when he pointed out that he was usually much more charming—which Byleth knew, of course—though he'd been more than a little confused on his exact intentions until he let the word 'proposal' slip. Up until then, Byleth wasn't exactly sure what it was that he was asking and he'd tried to phrase his responses in a way that would still work in the event that he was jumping to conclusions, but it had only served to make Yuri more awkward.
Seriously, though, who asked someone to marry them—especially someone as clueless as Byleth—by saying, 'will you accept my offer?'
If he hadn't said 'proposal' in there—seemingly as an afterthought after his tangent about dying—then Byleth would've had no idea what his offer would've been and, even then, he was still skeptical. In retrospect, Yuri had clearly been a mental wreck from working up the nerve to ask him and his thoughts had been all over the place, but, honestly, it just made Byleth want to marry him even more. He loved that he alone got to see that bashful, disheveled side of Yuri and, if he were being honest, he was absolutely adorable in those moments and he wanted to have them forever. He wanted to have him forever.
He was still very much a novice when it came to romance, but Yuri wanted him as he was, apparently. He just hoped that Yuri was okay with waiting on their wedding until things settled down. Byleth had a ring to reassure him that marriage was what Yuri wanted, but Yuri didn't have that in return. Or at least he didn't yet, Byleth realized, eyes on his parents' names. He'd stood in this exact spot six years ago when his father told him that he wanted him to give his mother's ring to someone he loved. Byleth had originally planned to give it to him on their wedding night, but maybe…
He managed a smile as he told his parents about the awkward proposal, chuckling to himself at the thought of Yuri actually asking if he was good enough for the new archbishop. Byleth had no intention of letting his title dictate who he could or could not marry, though it was touching to see Yuri's little blush when he'd asked. It certainly wasn't like him to actually express any kind of self-doubt, even if Byleth knew him well enough to know that he actually hated a great deal about himself.
The more he talked about it, the more he gradually found himself questioning everything. Yuri had told him very bluntly soon after they'd met that he wasn't above using his charms to get what he wanted, then started his proposal by pointing out that Byleth was now the archbishop. As he'd gotten onto his tangent about ending poverty, he'd said that he felt like his dream could become a reality if they were together. He shook his head.
No.
Yuri wouldn't have gone that far. There was absolutely no way that he would've proposed solely to take advantage of Byleth's new station. He just wouldn't. Byleth had known him for far too long and he knew him better than that. He knew Yuri was genuine when he said he loved him. The emotion in his eyes was far too real to be tricking him. Besides, he'd been flirting with him from the day they'd met, back when Byleth was nothing more than a novice professor. He had nothing at the time to give him reason to flirt for any sort of advantage beyond being the owner of the Sword of the Creator.
Granted, Rhea's trust in him skyrocketed after that, but there was nothing to suggest that he'd become the archbishop until right before the imperial assault on Garreg Mach when she told him to take command if something happened to her. Then he'd fallen down into the mountains below and disappeared for nearly five years and Yuri's face when they met again was burned into Byleth's mind. There was no way that was the expression of someone trying to fool someone else.
He hadn't realized what it meant at the time, but now he knew that the look in Yuri's eyes that day could only be love.
He knew Yuri loved him and wanted to marry him because of that love, but now he had doubts festering deep in his mind. He didn't like this feeling of distrust, especially when directed at Yuri. He'd never doubted his fiancé before. Not once. Even when he'd told him about Aelfric's plans and admitted to using him. There was always just something that told him to trust Yuri and he always had. And he'd never been let down by that trust, either.
He knew these thoughts were stupid and all kinds of wrong, but he couldn't make them go away. He probably wouldn't be able to unless he heard Yuri actually confirm it, but that meant he'd have to admit that some subconscious part of him didn't trust him. He really, really didn't want to go there. He'd placed his life and his heart in those skilled hands countless times, never to be disappointed. He did trust Yuri, wholly and completely, and he had no idea where this doubt was suddenly coming from.
There was nothing he wanted more than to spend forever with him and wake up beside him every morning. While he still didn't fully understand what love was, he did know that he felt it for his fiancé and that he couldn't imagine a future without him in it. There was literally no reason whatsoever for all this doubt to suddenly show up out of nowhere.
"Am I being a fool?" he muttered softly, addressing the grave before him. He already knew the answer, though, given the sound of Sothis's voice replaying the words 'you are such a fool' on repeat in his head.
He gave a heavy sigh as he shifted to stand, then flashed a weak smile towards his parents' names. "Well, I'll let you know what happens and if I'm still engaged next week. Hopefully he won't hate me for this," he muttered, then nodded once in his usual signal for 'goodbye'—though it was becoming more of a dismissal these days—before turning and heading back to his new room on the third floor of the monastery.
Rhea's old room, though she'd moved out once she passed the title onto him and, honestly, he was still getting used to it being 'his room.' 'His room' was that end unit of the student dormitories where he'd lived for so long—the first space that was really his —where he'd gotten used to his work as a professor and graded essays. His life was changing rapidly and Yuri was the only real constant he had.
He just prayed to the goddess embedded in his own flesh that he didn't lose him over these ridiculous doubts.
…
Byleth wasn't even sure how much time had passed since he'd sat himself down on the bench he'd placed under his bedroom windows so he could sit and look outside, only that the sky was starting to turn orange with sunset. He'd been sitting there, staring at his ring and willing the doubts to go away. Despite his words to his parents' grave just hours ago, he was quickly finding that having Yuri's ring was doing the opposite of allaying his fears. Instead, he sat numbly, replaying his doubts in his mind and absolutely not working when he should have been.
There had been a number of knocks on the door as people were looking for him and, each time, he tried to say something or make himself move to answer the door, but he just couldn't. His mind had plundered too far into the dark spiral of doubt and, eventually, the knocking stopped as everyone assumed he wasn't inside. He knew he was neglecting his duties, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything about it, either.
At this point, he was fairly certain that he'd have to hear it from Yuri's own mouth before he'd be able to pull himself out of this rut.
As if on a cue, the doors opened and his fiancé—the only person who didn't knock aside from himself—walked in with a smile, only for a frown to quickly take its place when he saw Byleth sitting there. "There you are. Everyone's looki- What's wrong, love?" he asked as he closed the door behind him, then walked over to sit down next to him.
"I…" he started, slowly averting his gaze. He hated that he doubted this amazing man. His eyes were so full of concern and love that Byleth felt like he was betraying him simply for feeling the way he was. "It's nothing," he muttered.
He sighed heavily, eyes closing as if he knew his fiancé was going to be difficult. "I'll believe that when Balthus flies without the help of a giant bird. Come on," he said, setting a hand on Byleth's knee and squeezing gently. Apparently, he hadn't forgotten that sight, either.
"Seriously, it's nothing worth mentioning." He lifted his chin and gave the best smile he could muster, though he knew immediately that it wouldn't get him far. Yuri could always tell when he was faking it, though most people could since he was still getting used to expressing himself. He was usually better off keeping his expression flat so no one could guess what he was feeling, though that didn't work with Yuri, either.
"Byleth," he said, a slight edge to his voice. "You're doing that thing where you pretend nothing's wrong and shoulder an unnecessary burden all on your own because you think no one else can handle it or you think it's in everyone's best interest or something. Don't you trust me?"
"I do!" he replied immediately, eyes wide as he looked up to meet his gaze. "I do," he repeated more softly. "But that's why…"
He was silent for a long moment, then finally murmured, "Can you talk to someone else about it? If not me, then at least get it off your chest with someone else?"
He shook his head. Yuri was both his best friend and lover. Ever since he'd told him about his ability to turn back the clock, he'd never kept a secret from the beautiful man at his side. "If I can't say it to you, then I can't say it to anyone."
The look that crossed Yuri's face then was some strange combination of joy at being the first one he'd confide in and even deeper concern over the fact that there was apparently something that he felt he couldn't say even to him. "Will you be able to climb out of this mood if you don't say it?"
Silence.
Byleth knew he'd probably have to say it and hear Yuri's response before he'd be able to stop thinking about it, but how could he? How could he admit that he was scared he was being lied to when he knew that wasn't the case at all? He knew Yuri wouldn't do that to him, especially after he'd trusted him with something as personal as his birth name.
"Do you not want to get married?"
"No!" he said, eyes wide in horror that he even suggested it. "I mean, 'no, that's not it,' not 'no, I don't want to get married.' I love you, Yuri." As long as the lord of the underground still wanted him after all this, then he'd never let him go.
"Then just say it, love. Whatever it is, just get it out of your system before it breaks you," he murmured, shifting to take his hand and hold it. "You say you trust me, but it doesn't really seem like it right now."
He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the feeling like he'd been punched in the gut. He could admit that he didn't fully trust him, or he could stay quiet and give him the impression that he didn't trust him. Neither way was optimal. His hand squeezed Yuri's as he forced his eyes open, looking down at the silver ring with the emerald set in the center. He loved that ring so much because of what it represented—Yuri's love for him and commitment to him—but would he want it back after this? Would he end their engagement, then disappear from his life?
He wasn't sure if he could handle that.
"But… it will probably hurt you," he murmured, voice soft as he tried to hold back tears. Ever since he'd awoken from his four-and-a-half-year slumber, all kinds of emotional outbursts were more and more normal, but only when he was safely tucked away with Yuri. Only then would he let his walls down.
"It's going to keep hurting you if you keep it bottled up," he replied, reaching his free hand up to brush through Byleth's pale green hair in that soothing way that never failed to make him melt against him.
"I… Are you sure?" he asked, shifting their linked hands so they could both see the ring he wore.
His gaze was level and steady, never flinching back or showing hesitation. "Positive."
He nodded to show he heard, then turned away slightly to try to articulate the thoughts burning through his mind. "I know this isn't true. I know it isn't, but some part of me has to ask…" He swallowed heavily, green eyes drifting to the side to look at anything but Yuri. "I know you're not this kind of person, Yuri."
"Byleth." His tone was getting that steely edge that meant he wasn't going to put up with anyone's bullshit. "Just say it."
"Did… Did you propose to me because of my title?" he blurted, unable to bring himself to look at his potentially former fiancé's face.
"I…" he started, blinking in surprise. "Okay, wow. Yeah, that definitely stung."
Byleth kept his eyes on his lap and the ring he wore, unable to bring himself to meet that pale indigo gaze. He'd finally said it, but the hurt in Yuri's voice when he responded was so raw and real. He felt awful for even saying it, but he knew he could never take it back. "Yuri-" he tried, only to get cut off when Yuri spoke.
"Am I a lying scoudrel who uses his charms to get what I want? Yes. Have I been working hard and struggling to help as many as I can for the last decade and a half? Yes. Do I want to create a world where poverty is obsolete? Yes. Will that be easier to accomplish if I were married to the archbishop? Yes. Will I be able to reach hundreds of thousands more people with your influence? Yes," he murmured, eyes also staring at the emerald on Byleth's hand.
He fell silent for a moment as he collected his thoughts, then added, "Would I still have proposed to you if you were still just an awkward professor with no real connections or wealth? Absolutely yes." He shifted slightly on the bench as he squeezed Byleth's hand, using his free one to gently cup his cheek and gently draw his gaze back to his own. "I love you, Byleth. Yes, your title is convenient, but even if you wanted to pack a bag right this second and run from the job of archbishop and everything that goes with it, I'd follow you without hesitation."
Byleth blinked as he stared into those beautiful, light purple eyes, then slowly reached out to cup his face with his free hand and drew him in for a kiss. It was loving, but remained a mere press of their lips in a sweet reminder of how they felt towards one another; how much they loved one another. "I'm sorry, I-"
"Shh," he soothed, slipping his fingers back through his hair. "I know my history's spotty at best and I don't have the most reliable record, so let me know if any thoughts like that come back, yeah? I'll gladly remind you that I'm here for you and only you."
"No, it's my fault. I just thought too hard about some of the things you said and let it get out of control. Like I said," he murmured, eyes still locked on his fiancé's. "I know you wouldn't do anything like that. But…"
"But?" Yuri prompted, head tilting slightly.
He adjusted his position to face him more easily as he murmured, "Would you really follow me if I quit as archbishop?"
"Of course." He chuckled softly as it should have been obvious, then leaned closer to touch their foreheads together. "I mean, ideally, I'd like to stay near my people in Abyss, but they'd be fine without me there to hold their hands. Why do you ask? You want to run?"
Despite the tease in his tone, Byleth couldn't help but shrug slightly. "Maybe… Maybe after we get everything in order and I can find a replacement… Maybe then we could go somewhere quiet to live peacefully."
His smile softened. "I'd like that."
"It'll still probably be a few years before we get that far," he murmured, averting his gaze slightly. "We probably won't be able to get married until things settle down, either."
"I expected as much when I proposed," he replied with a small shrug, then shifted to unfold their fingers and instead held Byleth's hand so he could look at the ring he was wearing more comfortably. "As long as you wear this, I'll know you're mine whether we share a name or not."
He chuckled softly and leaned in to kiss his cheek sweetly, then smiled as he asked, "And what about the opposite? How will I know that you're mine?" True, he'd been thinking about it in reverse earlier, where he'd be happy just knowing that Yuri wanted him to wear his ring, but he set the stage for him to ask what he wanted to. Even if it was in a different way than he'd originally thought, he didn't think it mattered as long as the overall meaning was the same.
Yuri laughed in reply as he leaned in to kiss him on the lips in sweet retaliation. "You'll just have to trust me, I guess."
"Or I could give you this," he murmured against his lips, slipping a hand in his pocket to pull out his mother's ring and held it up between them.
He drew back slightly to look at it, jaw dropping at the sight. "What the-? When did you-? Were you planning to propose, too?"
"Not specifically?" he replied, head tilting slightly in thought. "I mean, I kind of hoped we'd get married someday and all, but I wasn't really planning to ask you in the immediate future."
"Then why do you have a ring?" he asked, eyebrow rising as he smiled softly at him.
"My father gave it to me," he explained, glancing down at the ring as he blushed. "It was the ring he gave my mother when he asked her to marry him and he told me… Before he died, he said it would mean a lot to him if I'd give it to someone that I love as much as he loved my mother. I mean, I don't know exactly how much he loved her, but I know it was a lot from the expression on his face when we were at her grave and all and I can't exactly ask him anymore, so I-" he stopped, blinking when he realized Yuri was fighting a laugh. "What?"
He chuckled as he leaned closer, just enjoying the atmosphere between them in the quiet moment behind closed doors. "You're so cute when you start rambling. When we first met, I'd have to coax you to get more than two words out at a time. Now look at you."
He flushed darker as he looked away, trying to hide just how red he was sure he was. "I'm just comfortable with you."
"I never said I didn't like it or that it was a bad thing," he replied, then leaned closer to press a kiss to his hair. "But are you sure you want to give me that ring?"
He blinked as he looked back up at him. "I'm not going to give it to anyone else."
"No, I mean…" he started, reaching a hand to rub at the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's a priceless heirloom. Are you sure you want to part with it?"
Sometimes he said the strangest things, but Byleth loved every moment. He loved each and every second that he was able to spend with this incredible man, whom he'd one day marry and live quietly with. "You're priceless, too. And I'm not parting with it since marriage means we'll be together forever."
A stuttered, embarrassed laugh fell from his lips as he offered his left hand for him to put the ring on. "We've known each other for years—kinda—and I still can't figure out if you're really good at flirting or really bad."
Byleth smiled as he held his future husband's hand steady with one of his own, then slid the ring onto his fourth finger. It seemed to fit perfectly, which meant that Yuri either had really thin fingers, his mother had larger ones, or his father had the ring adjusted before giving it to him since he'd guessed that his son would end up with a man. Or his father was a terrible judge of size and the ring had been too big for his mother and she just wore it on a necklace or something. "It looks good on you."
"Everything does," he replied with a cocky grin, then turned his eyes to look at his hand and admire the piece of jewelry he now wore there. "But this looks especially great. Your love looks good on me."
"You wear it well," he murmured, reaching to cup his face in both of his hands and drew him in for a kiss. "I think yours looks good on me."
"I don't," he replied immediately, then broke into a smile. "I know it does."
He kissed him again, short and sweet, before adding, "I love you, Regulus."
"Oh, don't you start with that," he snapped with a playfully pouty expression. "Don't abuse your powers."
He broke into a laugh and leaned in for another kiss, which then turned into two, then three. "I can't wait to marry you."