“Hey, come here. It’s alright.” from the soft prompts for dedubert (with mer!Hubert?)
I've been so hype for this one since it came in THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! ALWAYS HERE TO WRITE DEDUBERT FOR YOU <3
(Taking MerMay Rarepair prompts until the end of May!)
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The water was almost level with Dedue's shoulders. He looked between the mouth of the cave tunnel far above him and the glowing green eyes across the cavern, trying to decide a path.
"You must have heard dreadful things about my kind to hesitate so long," the glowing eyes said.
Dedue tugged against the weight shackled to his ankle to try and see up the tunnel better. More than likely, the mercenaries who had put him here were camped out at the mouth of the tunnel, ready to subdue him again if he tried to run for it. They would either wait until the tide receded to shackle him once more, or just kill him outright. Either way, above him was only death.
Whereas down here...
The glowing eyes belonged to a mermaid. Not a mermaid from stories meant to excite a child's imagination before bed-- this was a mermaid straight from the deepest parts of nightmare. A character from a fireside tale told by the oldest of sailors. This mermaid in particular sported skin so pale it was nearly translucent, a tail black as ink, and eyes that seemed to pierce Dedue as they narrowed. Allowing this mermaid close could also mean death.
"Let me cut you free," the glowing eyes said slowly, "and I will lead you from this place."
"Why would you want to help me?"
The mermaid's chuckle made the water now rising to Dedue's chin feel all the colder. "You would spend precious time interrogating me? Surely your curiosity can wait. You don't have much time left."
Dedue took one last look up at the tunnel. Force his way through a camp of mercenaries, or trust a mermaid. It was time to choose his ending.
"What is your name?" Dedue asked.
The mermaid swam closer. "You may call me Hubert."
"Hubert. Lead the way."
Hubert smiled with all his teeth. Without hesitation, he dove under the water, moving towards Dedue's bound ankles. A swipe from his claws had Dedue free. He wasted no time in kicking off the ropes and weights, now able to tread water. Hubert broke the surface and grabbed Dedue's arm.
For a moment, Dedue was sure he would be dragged under and gutted. But Hubert's claws didn't even graze Dedude's skin as he clasped their hands together.
"Take a deep breath," Hubert warned.
Dedue did just that-- and then let the water envelope him.
With a tight grip on Dedue's hand, Hubert pulled him to an opening in the cave wall. It was just wide enough for them to swim side by side. Dedue suspected they wouldn't have fit at all except that Hubert was thin as seaweed and just as flexible, guiding them around corners with fluidity.
Dedue's lungs began to burn. He squeezed Hubert's hand. In answer, Hubert swam faster, his tail brushing Dedue's legs. The tail wasn't completely black, Dedue now noticed. Each scale was edged in wine red. Hubert's hand was warm, his expression nearing panic. It made Dedue consider if, perhaps, those nightmarish tales had been wrong.
With one final sharp turn, the pair sped out into the open ocean. Dedue's vision was fading, and Hubert immediately angled them upward, pulling Dedue along almost entirely on his own strength.
Dedue broke the surface with a gasp. He let go of Hubert's hand to keep himself afloat, flailing about ungraciously as air flooded his lungs once again.
Arms wrapped around his torso. Dedue jerked, trying to pull away. "Come here. It’s alright," soothed Hubert. "Just breathe."
There was little point in being suspicious of Hubert now. Dedue let Hubert hold him close, bowing his head into Hubert's shoulder and panting hard. Hubert and his not-quite-black tail keep them from sinking, and so Dedue could concentrate on simply breathing.
After several quiet moments, Dedue managed to say, "Thank you." His voice was hoarse and strained. Hubert didn't release him. For a moment, Dedue thought Hubert hadn't heard him. His claws skimmed up and down Dedue's back in a soothing rhythm. "I assume you... want something in return?" Dedue panted when Hubert didn't speak.
"Worry on that later," Hubert said. "Catch your breath and I will point you to shore. Then we will talk."
Those last words would have sounded menacing if it weren't for Hubert's careful strokes over Dedue's skin. This was absolutely not a creature of nightmare. It was possible Hubert was simply the exception but Dedue didn't care. For better or for worse, he owed this mermaid a debt, and Dedue didn't think he minded all that much.
Fire Emblem Three Houses High School Musical AU where Dimitri is Troy and Claude is Gabriella and they both want to be in the Garreg Mach school musical but their houses don’t approve, plus they also have to compete with the highly talented Sharpaydelgard and Hubert for the parts they want
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
TITLE: long quiet moments
FANDOM: fire emblem: three houses
PAIRING: dedue/hubert
RATING: general
SUMMARY:
Hubert cannot fathom how he has found himself, time and time again, in the royal gardens of Fhirdiad, enjoying a peaceful moment with Dedue of all people... And yet, he would hardly trade it for anything.
{ Written for @ferarepair-week ! Prompt is ‘Leaves’ }
#8 from the heartbreaking prompts “how many times has he told you he doesn’t love you?” for hudue (but you can have it be like. The line applies to a different unrequited ship if you want. Or not.)
Love any excuse to come back to these two.
(Currently accepting rare ships! Click here for the info post!)
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Dedue watched as Ignatz trod on Dimitri’s foot for a third time. With a wave of her hand, Dorothea signaled for the violinist to stop playing and moved forward to correct Ignatz’s position. Red bloomed on Ignatz’s cheeks but Dimitri seemed more amused than anything else. Under Dorothea’s instruction, the couple readjusted their arms, then the dancing began again. Dimitri leaned forward and murmured something to Ignatz that made them both smile.
“Too much work for a first dance if you ask me.” Felix had appeared at Dedue’s side, leaning back against the wall with disinterest-- though his eyes were trained on the king and his fiancé. “You’re off duty,” Felix continued.
“I merely came to check their progress,” Dedue said. There had been some improvement since yesterday but he was still glad Dorothea had stepped in to assist them.
Felix grunted. Crossing his arms, he said, in a low voice Dedue only barely heard above the violin, “How many times has he told you he doesn’t love you?”
Dedue looked at him. “Who?”
“The boar. You’ve been acting strange lately. I hope you’re not pining after him or something. Every woman in Fódlan is already doing that.”
“I am not pining for His Majesty.”
“Good.”
Dedue couldn’t help a small smile. “Are you worried for me, Felix?”
Felix scowled and uncrossed his arms. “Even lapdogs deserve to be happy. That’s all I’m saying.”
The music stopped again, and they both looked up to find Ignatz rubbing his shoulder and Dorothea lecturing a flushed Dimitri about holding on too tight. Dedue shook his head. “His Majesty knows how I feel about him. But I appreciate your concern.” Felix didn’t seem to think that was worth responding to, so Dedue merely nodded to him and left the room.
Castle Fhirdiad was growing busier by the day. The wedding was still a week away, but everyone had a part to play in getting things ready. Edelgard’s arrival seemed to have impressed upon the staff how close they were getting to the big day-- and Claude’s arrival in a few days would surely increase activity tenfold.
But Dedue had the evening off. So he made his way to his rooms without pause. Inside, he found quite the welcome sight.
Hubert sat on the couch before the roaring fire, holding a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, already dressed down for the night. When he saw Dedue, Hubert put down the coffee but kept reading the book.
Dedue began taking off his armor. “I believe Felix expressed sympathy towards me just now,” he said in greeting.
“We should speak to Mercedes about getting him looked over,” Hubert replied dryly. He turned a page. “What did he say?”
“He seems to think I am secretly in love with His Majesty and thus in pain over his engagement.”
“Hm.”
“He said I deserve to be happy.”
“On that we agree.”
Free from his armor, Dedue sat beside Hubert and lifted his arm in invitation. Hubert filled the spot without hesitation, fitting against Dedue’s side and letting out a sigh. “Perhaps it’s time we told everyone,” Hubert said, closing the book at last.
“Perhaps.” Dedue tucked his chin over Hubert’s head. The smell of coffee still lingered, a scent Dedue associated with Hubert so much that it never failed to set him at ease. “His Majesty and Emperor Edelgard took the news of our relationship well enough. But I would hate to distract from the wedding preparation.”
Hubert let out a snort of amusement. “You show your pride in the strangest ways sometimes. You truly believe news of us would distract an entire castle?”
“Not the entire castle, no. Our friends, maybe. Felix most definitely.”
“Well then. For Felix’s sake, let us hold off a little longer.”
Dedue hummed his agreement, wrapping an arm around Hubert. “Just a little longer,” he repeated.
He didn’t mind, really. As much as Dedue enjoyed the image of dancing with Hubert at the wedding the way other couples would be, there was something nice about keeping Hubert all to himself. It certainly made moments like this-- relaxing against one another after a trying day-- all the more special.
Mercedes has asked if she and her wife can come for a visit, and that means Hubert and Dedue need to figure out what exactly it is they're doing with each other. Doing so brings up some painful memories
We’re finally getting into some of Hubert’s trauma!! It is very old and it has lost a Lot
Dedue had grown up on stories of the merfolk; in Faerghus they call them sirens, but his mother had her own word for them, an old word even in Duscur. A word that spoke to a connection to the sea that his family had not quite lost, even though his father had brought the fisherman’s daughter into town and grounded her at his forge.
When he sees the blood trail swirling towards the beach, his first thought is a wounded seal. The creature he finds is anything but.
@indigowallbreaker wrote me a little thing based on this same mermay prompt and it was So Good but I had a different idea for the prompt and decided to write it myself!!
