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Even though apparently alphas were supposed to be born with the innate ability to nest, nesting never came naturally to Felix. The concept of painstakingly building a nest of his own clothes to present to the omega he was courting was ridiculous to him, and the idea that some day he would build a nest for an omega to raise their child in was even worse. Ingrid always gave him a look and told him that it was because he hadn’t found an omega to court yet that he felt that way, and that he would mature in time. Felix doubted it had anything to do with maturity. Just thinking about it made him irritated.
But Sylvain was in pre-heat. And despite all of his sleeping around, Sylvain refused to be with anyone during his heat. That would’ve been all good at fine, but there was war raging around them and Sylvain had no access to suppressants. As a result he was irritable and quick to anger. It was throwing his men off because up until then, Sylvain had never snapped at anyone. To top it all off, his hormones were starting to make alphas stare at him – sometimes with barely concealed malice - which just added to the list of concerns their professor had to deal with.
And for some Sothis-forsaken reason, Felix wanted to build him a nest. The urge was getting harder and harder to resist as Sylvain’s heat neared and his scent sharpened. It was ridiculous because they were at war. There were no spare clothes for Felix to build anything out of. Other than his armor which, even getting past how padded they were with sturdy material and therefore not at all comfortable, smelled like the singe and blood of the battlefield no matter how many times he washed them, all he had was his cape. And the bedsheets they were lucky to have because they had made Garreg Mach their base. All of which were not enough for a nest.
“Here.”
Felix took the armful of cloth that Ingrid shoved into his arms out of reflex, but he was too confused even to glare at her once the bundle was in his arms. “What.”
Ingrid frowned and crossed her arms across her chest. “For your nest. We gathered all the capes we had, including mine and His Majesty’s. Ashe’s gloves. Mercedes and Annette gave me a handful of their handkerchiefs and Mercedes even added the blanket she’s been knitting. Dedue’s scarf. I threw in my and His Majesty’s pillowcases. We washed them pretty thoroughly so they shouldn’t be dirty. It’s not enough for a proper nest, but it’ll do, I think.”
“A nest? Ingrid, you know I - ”
“Felix, come on. We can all see how much you want to build Sylvain a nest. You’ve been driving the professor up the wall and she has enough to worry about on her plate without you snapping at everyone who comes near Sylvain and being all fidgety around him. I know you don’t have enough things to build him a nest, but I think the two of you will be okay with some of our stuff.”
Felix glared down at the pile of cloth in his arms. He could recognize the brightly colored squared patches from the blanket Mercedes always sat down at the end of the day with, quietly working as she sat by the fire with Annette’s head in her lap. He confessed quietly, “I don’t know how to build a nest.”
Ingrid smiled softly. “It’s not something you learn, Felix. Just do what feels right to you. There’s no wrong answer to this. I’m sure Sylvain will settle into whatever you build him just fine.”
--
Felix felt like Ingrid had too much faith in him. Ingrid had at least been right about how accepting his brain would be about the scents of the other Lions in his nest – no matter how much he wanted to pretend they didn’t matter to him, his brain registered the scents as family. But his ‘nest’ hadn’t progressed much past a haphazard pile of clothes thrown on his bed. He’d fashioned it into some sort of ring mostly using the bigger capes and blankets as the base of the general shape and then had done his best to substantiate with the other pieces.
It looked quite sad. Even taking the war into account. There was no way he was going to bring Sylvain into this.
And yet… Ingrid had a point when she said it was the best they could do. Now that he had a nest – even if it was a sorry excuse for one – his instincts were screaming at him to bring his omega into it. It was stupid. Sylvain was not his omega.
He shut the door behind him and found Ingrid and Dimitri waiting for him. “So?” Ingrid prompted, jerking her head in the direction of Sylvain’s room at the end of the hall. “Go get him.”
Felix sighed. “No.”
“No?” Dimitri echoed, looking a little confused. “Surely you built him a nest.”
“It’s not a nest. I shouldn’t be building one for him anyway. Whoever’s courting him should. Whoever’s interested in him, anyway.”
Ingrid and Dimitri gave him a look he couldn’t understand. Then, Ingrid narrowed her eyes and snapped, “Fine. If you’re going to be that way, give all the stuff back to His Majesty. He can build Sylvain a nest.”
Dimitri tilted his head. “Ah. I suppose that is not a terrible idea. If it’s to help him, I don’t see why not.”
Felix glared. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. You’re trying to make me possessive.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Felix. If you’re not willing to do it, someone has to help Sylvain. He’s going to have a really uncomfortable heat if he’s not nesting, and it’s going to be a miserable time for all of us as well. If His Majesty can give Sylvain a nest, I don’t see why not.”
“Fine, see if I care.”
“Good. Now bring all our things back out. And add a couple of your stuff on top of it.”
Felix stormed back into his room. He knew Ingrid was just trying to bluff him out, and two could play at that game. It wasn’t his business who Sylvain spent his heat with. It wasn’t his business whether it was Sylvain’s first heat in ages since he took suppressants and preferred the company of other omegas or betas, and it wasn’t his business that he was going to spend it tucked away in the boar’s nest.
Fuck.
“Seiros damn it.” Felix hissed. He half-kicked the door to his room open. “Fine. You win. Are you happy?”
Ingrid gave him a look. “I don’t gloat over things like this, Felix. I’m just trying to help you both.” She jerked her head toward Sylvain’s room again. “Now go get him. We’ll leave you to it.” He watched the pair leave and until held his position until he could no longer hear their footsteps in the stairwell before sighing and running a distracted hand through his hair. Right. Sylvain.
At this point, Sylvain’s heat was so close that he could smell it through the closed doors. He ran a hand through his hair again and took a deep breath before knocking three times. There was no answer, but he knew Sylvain was in there. Everyone knew. Because of the smell. And he also knew why Sylvain was not so keen on opening the door. “It’s me.”
The door cracked open. “I know it’s you. I can smell you.” Sylvain sighed. “What is it, Felix? I’m – my heat is just around the corner. I can’t be around an alpha right now.”
“Just – come with me.”
“Did you not hear what I just said?”
“Do you trust me?”
Sylvain jolted, like he hadn’t been expecting the question. Felix didn’t push. He kept his eyes locked on Sylvain and instead took a step back instead to give Sylvain. Sylvain’s hands flexed like he would shut the door, but he frowned instead and opened his door slightly wider. He was on high edge and Felix didn’t blame him. It had to be nerve-wracking to be an omega entering heat in the middle of war in an army full of alphas. Felix wouldn’t have blamed him if he shut the door in Felix’s face. But Sylvain let out a shuddering sigh and instead whispered, “I do trust you.”
“Come with me then.” Felix waited for Sylvain to leave his room and close the door behind him. He didn’t look at Sylvain as they walked the few steps from Sylvain’s room to his, but he did stay in stride. He paused when they got to the door. “Don’t freak out.” He mumbled, and before Sylvain could say anything, he pushed his door open.
Sylvain peeked in, frowning, and froze when he saw Felix’s bed. “Felix,” he said, his voice half-choked.
“I know it’s a shitty nest. I’ve never made one before. And there wasn’t that many things to nest with.” Felix grumbled. “You don’t have to use it.”
Sylvain blinked down at him. “You made a nest for me?”
Felix scowled. “Who else would I have nested for?”
Sylvain didn’t answer. He stepped into Felix’s room, which Felix took as a good sign, and gingerly examined the sorry pile of clothes that they were calling a nest. His fingers danced across Felix’s cloak, stroked down Dimitri’s cape, and brushed down Ashe’s gloves. “It’s.. really for me?” His eyes were blown wide when he looked up and Felix nodded because he found his words were stuck in his throat. He closed the door behind them – slowly, giving time Sylvain to both stop him and to leave, but Sylvain did neither.
He instead slid his boots off and climbed into the nest. Once inside, he pulled the material around him, stuffing stray pieces and pulling at others until he was satisfied. In the end it was a much tighter circle that was pushed up against the wall instead of in the center of the bed the way Felix had made it. His fingers curled around Felix’s pillowcase and he pressed his back to the wall, where Byleth’s blanket and Dedue’s scarf lined the edge of the bed.
A low purr bubbled from Sylvain and Felix heard his low rumble in reply before he realized he was making the noise. Felix approached the bed slowly but didn’t climb in. He planted himself right at the outer edge, and Sylvain seemed pleased at that so he stayed put. “You don’t have to invite me in. But if you want to, I’ll be right here.”
Sylvain nodded and sighed contently. “Thanks. I feel loads better.”
He smelled better. The sharp and soured strawberry had lulled down to almost his usual scent. Still stronger and tinged with arousal, but to a bearable amount. Felix raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, but then brought his fingers through Sylvain’s hair. Sylvain’s eyes slid shut and the low purr started back up again as Sylvain settled back in the nest. He wiggled until he could press as much body up against Felix’s leg on the outside of the nest as he could.
Now that his – not his – omega was settled in his nest, Felix’s brain was starting to form more rational thoughts. Like how he should probably go grab Sylvain’s bedding from his bed so the nest could have at least a little more. Or that he should go get some food and water for Sylvain for later. He kept stroking Sylvain’s hair until the purr gradually quieted down and slowly got up, but Sylvain stirred immediately. “Where are you going?”
Felix froze halfway out of the bed. “Uh.” He cleared his throat and tried again. “Grabbing some of your stuff from your room. Also some food and water.”
Sylvain blinked blearily at him for a couple of seconds and reached out to grab Felix’s arm almost hesitantly. “Can it wait until I’ve fallen asleep?”
“I thought you already had.” Felix settled back into bed and Sylvain pressed himself back into the nest. He tugged Felix’s hand toward his hair again and Felix ran his fingers through again until the purring started back up and quieted back down. Now that he was being more careful, he could see that Sylvain’s breathing had not quite evened out – he was getting there, but wasn’t there yet. After a moment the purring started back up, so faint that it was almost a low hum. It stopped when Felix lifted his hand but Sylvain didn’t stir so Felix slowly pushed himself out of the bed.
He was met with a picnic basket full of sandwiches and fruit, a jug of water, and some neatly folded bedding and pillows. He could smell Mercedes, Annette, and Dedue all over the basket and a quick sniff at the blankets told him they were indeed Sylvain’s. He’d have to thank them once it was all over.
He draped Sylvain’s blankets and over the most lacking parts of the nest and gave Sylvain his own pillow to hug. Sylvain reacted almost immediately in his sleep, making a noise that was not quite a purr but one that sounded content nonetheless as he tugged the pillow to him and buried his face into it. Felix climbed into the bed as carefully as he could without disturbing the resting omega and settled outside the nest but as close to Sylvain as he could. Sylvain was pressed up against the wall in a way that made it easy for Felix to also lean against it while keeping contact (through the nest) with Sylvain.
It wasn’t long before Sylvain’s soft purring started again and Felix let the sound wash over him to lull him into sleep.
--
It was much darker when Felix stirred awake. He stared at the ceiling trying to figure out what time it was and when he’d gone to sleep before his brain processed the scent of Sylvain’s pheromones in the air and he remembered it was in fact not early morning but probably rather late night.
“Morning,” Sylvain greeted, sounding amused.
“Is it?” Felix glared outside the window and scrubbed his face with a dry hand. Sylvain snickered. “You sound like you’re doing better.”
The smell of his heat was still heavy in the air and he was still pressed to the side of the nest where Felix was, but Sylvain was settled in his nest with one of Felix’s books open on his lap. “Yeah. Thanks for.. you know.” Sylvain gestured at the nest around him. “It’s helping a lot. And also for not leaving when I asked you to stay.”
Felix shrugged with one shoulder and gestured to the haphazard pile of clothes. “It’s not really much of a nest. Kind of a sorry excuse of one.”
Sylvain frowned. “What? It looks perfect to me.” As if to prove his point, he ran his hand across the top. His expression became impossibly fond as his fingers brushed past Felix’s cap and Felix’s treacherous heart started hammering in his chest.
He forced himself to calm down. Besides, it was obvious Sylvain wasn’t telling the truth. Felix’s only experience with a nest was when he was a toddler when his father nested for his mother and him, and while his memories of the nest weren’t too clear he remembered that it was much steadier, built with blankets and pillows and high enough that he couldn’t crawl out of it. “It’s supposed to make you feel secure and protected. It’s none of that.”
Sylvain bristled like Felix was insulting him instead of Felix’s own creation. “I feel both secure and protected. It’s the first time since this fucking mess started that I’ve actually been able to get some sleep.” He slid back down with a soft sigh and stretched, back arching almost like a cat. Sylvain was too tall to stretch comfortably in the nest but he didn’t seem to care that his hands and feet went past the ring. He grabbed Felix’s pillow as withdrew his arms and hugged it to his chest, burying his face in it.
The scent of arousal spiked and Felix was abruptly reminded that Sylvain was in heat. The banter had him almost forgetting that Sylvain had spent the last few days being miserable with no one to even help him. Felix thought his nest was pathetic but even he couldn’t deny it was helping Sylvain rest. “After the war’s over I’ll build you a better one.”
It was out of his mouth before he even realized he was saying and he froze as soon as the words were out there. Sylvain went still and slowly sat up, twisting his body so he could look at Felix as he did. “I thought you hated the idea of building a nest. You called them ridiculous.”
He did. He had. He’d thought the idea of presenting something for an omega to feel safe was ridiculous. He’d closely known two omegas in his life – his mother and Sylvain. Both of them were so strong that he couldn’t have ever imagined that they needed someone else to keep them safe. Sylvain could no doubt defend himself if it ever came down to it. He’d fought the battles in war and had come out victorious in all of them over the past few days. But obviously it was more than that. An omega in an alpha’s nest didn’t have to worry about defending themselves. Could rest without any concerns it because they knew they were safe. It was why Sylvain hadn’t gotten much rest until he was encased in Felix’s nest. “I don’t hate the idea of building a nest for you, that’s all.”
Sylvain’s eyes widened for a second and then he grinned. “Are you courting me, Felix? Going to my father and ask for my hand in marriage?”
Felix snorted. “Don’t be an idiot. I’m not asking anyone for your hand in marriage except yourself.”
The grin dropped off of Sylvain’s face and was replaced instead with a furious blush that almost matched the color of his hair. Felix snorted. Figured Sylvain wouldn’t be so good at hearing things he was so good at telling girls. Although perhaps the difference was that Sylvain was never serious when he spewed his honeyed bullshit and Felix was currently nothing but serious.
“You won’t even come into the nest and you’re dropping pick up lines on me?" Sylvain grumbled. He dropped back into it and buried his face in Felix’s pillow but Felix could see his red-tipped ears all the same.
“Do you want me to?”
Sylvain didn’t look up from his pillow so his voice was muffled when he said, “I.. I don’t think so. We can talk about next year later but not this time.”
Felix snorted. “That’s what I thought. Don’t fret about what you think is going to make me happy. I’m perfectly content where I am. You just do what you want right now. And I’ll be here if you need anything.”
Sylvain lifted his face from Felix’s pillow again. He stared quietly and Felix held his gaze. After a pause, Sylvain let out a soft laugh and put his head back down, snuggling against the nest where he could also press up against Felix on the outside. Felix cautiously lifted his hand and slowly slid his fingers through Sylvain’s hair. When Sylvain sighed softly and pressed up against him, he started stroking his hair again and it wasn’t long before Sylvain’s soft purring started back up.
Ingrid had been right all along. Like she tended to be.