An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier/Lorenz Hellman Gloucester Characters: Sylvain Jose Gautier, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Self-Harm, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Hurt/Comfort, Mental Breakdown, Blood, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Canon-Typical Violence, Love Confessions, First Kiss Fic Summary:
Those who are born bearing the crests of the ten elites are easily identified, as they all have them branded somewhere on their bodies. Most are lucky enough to have them somewhere easily hidden, but Sylvain has no such luxury.
His hatred for his crest brand reaches a breaking point while he is alone one night at the training grounds, but he is luckily stumbled upon by Lorenz, and Sylvain finds out that he might have more in common with his insufferable rival than he thought.
Chapter summary: Sylvain had always thought that the crests branded on those cursed with them were a blight. But now, as he watched Lorenz's hair light up beautifully every time his activated in the midst of battle, he was starting to reconsider his stance on the matter.
"Sylvain, on your left!"
"Got it, Lorenz!"
With practiced skill, Sylvain swiftly thrust his lance at the incoming cavalier. A flash of light erupted from his neck as his crest activated, giving his attack the extra force needed to impale the enemy right through their chestplate with his trusty Lance of Ruin.
After giving his horse a few pats and words of encouragement, he caught sight of Lorenz again and breathed a sigh of relief. The war between the Alliance and the Empire was getting more and more intense by the day, and today's skirmish was no different. He tried to focus and assess the current situation, but as he watched Lorenz's horse rear up, Sylvain found that he could not tear his eyes away.
With Thyrsus raised above his head, Sylvain watched as Lorenz cast Ragnarok, one of his most powerful spells. The eyes of the enemy were zeroed in on the point of impact, but Sylvain's gaze was locked onto a much more captivating sight. Even though Lorenz’s crest brand was now fully concealed, the glow when it activated still showed through, illuminating his beautiful purple hair in a way that looked absolutely ethereal.
Sylvain barely heard the dying screams of those unfortunate enough to be caught in the fiery blast, for his heartbeat was hammering too loudly within his ears. He was finding it harder and harder to concentrate when fighting side by side with Lorenz...due to the fact that he had fallen in love with him.
Five years ago, when he was just a student at the officer's academy, Sylvain remembered how he and Lorenz used to butt heads over the dumbest things, which mostly involved trying to one-up each other when it came to impressing the ladies. That had all changed when Lorenz had stumbled upon him during one of his lowest and darkest moments.
Even though they had held so much disdain for each other, Lorenz still came to his aid after he had tried to claw his crest brand off of his neck. Sylvain had learned a lot about his rival that night, and the fact that they had both suffered because of their crest brands had completely changed their relationship for the better.
Gone were the days that they would trade hurtful and scathing insults, directly or in passing. Instead, they had started to engage in pleasant conversation over tea, talked politics over meals, and developed new tactics while sparring. Sylvain had even made good on his offer to get Mercedes and Annette to help Lorenz style his ever-growing hair.
When war had descended upon Fódlan, they had been torn apart by their obligations to their homelands. The gnawing ache of possibly never seeing Lorenz again had festered in the back of Sylvain's mind for five years, until he had been able to return to Garrag Mach for the promised reunion.
"-vain!"
To his relief, Sylvain did reunite with Lorenz, and with that came a flood of newly-awakened feelings for the man. The purple armor that he wore as he rode in on his horse had given Sylvain pause, and when he dismounted and pulled Sylvain to a hug, he took note of how his hair had grown even longer in their time apart, and it accentuated the features of his handsome face. Lorenz had returned more confident and refined than he had ever been before, and Sylvain found himself falling for him in no time at all.
"-archer, move!"
Unfortunately, Sylvain hadn't figured out how to express his newfound feelings yet, and these pesky war marches certainly were not helping. Even if they did manage to find time alone, it was mostly spent repairing their weapons and armor, or talking about important tactical matters. It was frustrating, and Sylvain wasn't sure how long he could keep this matter of the heart to himself.
"Watch out, Sylvain!"
As Lorenz's distressed cry hit his ears, something else cracked against his shoulder. White-hot pain coursed through Sylvain's left arm as he cried out and fell off of his horse, hitting the ground hard. Pushing himself up with his uninjured arm, he watched as the archer who had shot him was hit right in the face with another of Lorenz's Ragnarok spells. As the poor soul exploded into a grotesque mess of blood and gore, Sylvain couldn't help but think that was a bit overkill...
"Ah, fuck!" Sylvain cursed when another wave of pain shot through his arm and shoulder. Of course the stupid arrow just had to hit one of the few little gaps in his armor! His breath was ragged and heavy, and his eyes went wide when Lorenz's horse came up beside him.
"Sylvain, you idiot!" Lorenz yelled when he had dismounted and knelt down next to him, causing him to flinch. "I yelled to you three times about that archer! Why didn't you move?"
Sylvain opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out was a pained hiss. Fucking hell, this hurt like a motherfucker. Averting his gaze, he mumbled an apology instead. Lorenz scoffed and stood up, lifting his hand to shield his eyes as he scanned the battlefield.
"It looks like we have won, thank the gods," he said. "Come, let's get you back to the camp." Sylvain nodded and forced himself to look back at Lorenz, and his eyes went wide at the fear that he saw in those pretty amethyst eyes. It was like he said; they had won the battle, so why was he so scared? As Lorenz helped him up and supported his weight, Sylvain felt that he was trembling, which only confused him further.
When they had regrouped with their allies and Sylvain was looked over by Marianne, he was relieved when she said his injury wasn't serious. As there were others who needed her healing expertise more, she left Sylvain in Lorenz's care.
They had settled at a fire near the edge of camp, away from prying eyes, as the other soldiers were either applying/receiving medical treatment, getting a well deserved meal in, or retiring early to rest for whatever conflict the next day would bring.
"Hold still," Lorenz ordered, his tone icy. Sylvain wasn't sure why, and he pursed his lips together, guilt welling up inside of him as he did what he was told. An awkward silence enveloped them as Lorenz's healing magic did its job. Sylvain heaved a deep sigh of relief as the pain finally subsided, and he remained quiet as Lorenz dressed his wound. He had to bite his tongue to keep himself from vocalizing when Lorenz's soft fingers grazed his skin, but he couldn't stop a shiver from shooting down his spine.
When he had finished the job, Lorenz said, "There, now that you are out of harm's way..." before giving Sylvain a swift cuff upside the head.
"Ow! What the fuck was that f-" Sylvain started to complain, but the mean glare that Lorenz was fixing him with made his mouth snap shut.
"That was so...so...idiotic of you, Sylvain. Absolutely brainless," Lorenz scolded. "What in the goddess' name had you so distracted that you'd let yourself be struck by an arrow without even attempting to dodge?"
Sylvain's heart hammered hard against his chest as he tried and failed to come up with a convincing excuse. 'Oh sorry, I was struck dumb by how stupidly fucking beautiful you looked killing a bunch of imperials, and oh by the way I'm in love with you' might just cause Lorenz to send a Ragnarok in his direction this time.
However...this might actually be a great time to finally be honest about his feelings. Sylvain stole a glance around them; no one else was at the adjacent campfires, and he hadn't seen anyone enter the nearby tents either. He tried to think of a way to make this confession not sound incredibly lame, but he didn't have time for that, so Sylvain would have to make shit up on the fly.
"Ugh, this is embarrassing..." he mumbled, his cheeks flushing red as Lorenz watched him with intensity in his gaze. Taking in a deep breath, Sylvain knew that it was now or never.
"Ah, well, I was just...captivated by how beautifully your hair glows when your crest activates."
Lorenz huffed and turned up his nose. "That's no excuse not to pay attention in battle-" he started to lecture, but he cut himself off and whipped his head back to gawk at Sylvain. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah, you're beautiful, Lorenz," Sylvain's voice dropped to a whisper, his tone hopeful, and he swallowed thickly passed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I've...actually thought that for a while now."
The next few moments ticked by excruciatingly slow as Sylvain stared at Lorenz, whose jaw was hanging open in a manor that was unrefined for him; Sylvain would have laughed if he wasn't scared to death of the possible rejection that could be coming his way. So he was very surprised when Lorenz wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Oh, Sylvain, you are a foolish man."
"Um..." Sylvain blinked, his brows knitting in confusion as he slowly slipped his arms around Lorenz in return. "I'm sorry for making you angry-"
Lorenz sighed and pulled away to look Sylvain in the eye, whose breath hitched at how close their faces were. "I'm not angry. Well, only a little bit...but only because I was so utterly terrified when that arrow struck you." Sylvain's eyes went wide with shock when Lorenz lifted a hand to his face and cupped his cheek.
"I would be beside myself if anything happened to you," Lorenz said, his voice tender as he gazed deep into Sylvain's eyes. "You are...very precious to me."
Sylvain sucked in a sharp breath, feeling tears starting to pool in the corners of his eyes. "Lorenz, you..."
"I adore you. All of you." Lorenz's hand moved to Sylvain's neck, his fingers grazing over the brand on his neck. "Even that crest you hate so much, only because it is a part of who you are."
Swallowing thickly, Sylvain couldn't stop tears from falling down his face. With a small shake of his head, he choked out, "I-I don't hate it anymore. Y-You helped me to accept it as a part of me, and I can't thank you enough f-for that. I've learned to love myself because of you, Lorenz."
"And..." Sylvain smiled softly as he leaned forward to press their foreheads together, "I fell in love with you too along the way."
"Oh, Sylvain..."
When he felt Lorenz's breath against his lips, he couldn't stop himself from closing that minuscule space that remained between him with a kiss. He saw Lorenz's eyes go wide, and Sylvain let his slip shut when he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Their first kiss.
Elation was all that Sylvain felt in this moment, and his arms tightened around the man that he loved so much. He moved one hand to settle against the back of Lorenz's head, his fingers brushing through his hair over where he knew the crest of Gloucester sat against his skin. When he felt Lorenz's lips curl up against his own, Sylvain's automatically mirrored the movement, and in this moment, the war felt like it was a million miles away.
"Sylvain..." Lorenz said when they finally parted. He paused to take Sylvain's hand and lift it to his mouth so that he could place a tender kiss against his knuckles, "I love you, with all of my heart."
Sylvain thought that his heart was going to flutter right out of his chest, and he tugged Lorenz back into his embrace. Pressing his face against his neck, he whispered against his skin, "I love you too, Lorenz."
Lorenz chuckled and gazed at Sylvain with adoration while brushing the back of his fingers over his cheek. "Yes, well, now you understand why I had to scold you. I mean what I said: losing you to this war would shatter my heart."
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Sylvain sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be more careful from now on. I've got way too much to lose now, and I want to see what a future with you will look like."
"I am glad we are of the same mind, but with that being said..." Lorenz grinned and flipped his hair over his shoulder with a wave of his hand. "I cannot help but feel flattered that my beautiful visage is what distracted you so."
Rolling his eyes, Sylvain scoffed and said, "Ugh, you're so insufferable."
"I've learned from the best, darling."
Sylvain snorted, but he failed to stifle the laughter that burst out of him. Lorenz laughed along with him, and they continued to laugh in between tender, loving kisses. Hand-in-hand, they retreated to the extra bit of privacy that Lorenz's tent had to offer, filled with renewed determination to see the end of this war, and whatever the future after had in store for the both of them.
