Everytime I post one of these someone mentions that X ship isn't a rarepair. Please take my categorization with a grain of salt. I usually don't know what I'm doing 😅
It should go without saying but please don’t be rude just because you don’t like a ship. If you want to debate or discuss a ship, do it in the tags/comments in a polite manner. This is supposed to be fun. Let’s all be mature adults!
If your favorite ship is not here, it’s probably featured in another poll. You can see all the polls by going to my blog and choosing the tag “valentines polls”. You can also just tell me in the tags or comments.
I got accepted as a writer for the Rose of Gloucester (R18+ Lorenz Zine) @Lorenz_Zine on twitter! I’m so honored and excited. Someone joked(?) that we should all draw Sylrenz to celebrate and I was so pumped that I did! <333
Summary: Lorenz and Sylvain are similarly vexed by the distance between them since the end of the war, and elect to sneak away for a night of intimacy.
Text of image below the cut.
[ID: A photo of the second story of a wooden building with long widows with pale blue curtains. The building is made of brown and white paneling and the triangular roof is visibly covered in snow. A snow storm flutters in the foreground. The image is overlaid with a dark shade and white text. End ID]
“You know,” he removed his glasses, exaggerating awe and sincerity, “seeing you now, I can see—”
“You can’t see,” Lorenz blurted, so they were both giggling as Sylvain continued.
“—why people revere the Goddess. I could spend days in worship. If you wanna spare some time?” Sylvain tossed his hand towards Lorenz in a shooing gesture, their laughter cresting. “You fucking asshole.” He pointed to accentuate his statement, “That was a good one.”
“Blasphemous,” Lorenz argued. “Tried—”
“And true,” Sylvain insisted, replacing his glasses, but Lorenz shook his head. They both drank more.
“There is so much beauty in the world,” Lorenz began, “but none such as can be seen beneath the night sky. To see the celestial bodies reflected in our earthly realm, on the ocean, in the river, in the depth of your eyes, my rose. It is enough, to see me through each day, to know that even should I be far from you, the rivers, and the ocean all, that this beauty is yet a nightly occurrence.” Sylvain drank more, as if that might hide his blush. “I am forever grateful for the time I can bear witness to any of it. Let us sit a moment longer.”
“Cheating,” Sylvain asserted, having finished his cup.
“You need to set rules for any to be broken,” Lorenz said softly, trying not to smile.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Title: Never Really Over, Chapter 2: Never Say Never
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Pairing: Sylvain/Lorenz
Word count: 3038
Warnings: None
Summary: A year after Sylvain left him, Lorenz is as busy as ever, helping to govern Gloucester territory. A Roundtable meeting is held at the Gloucester Estate, and Hilda tags along with her brother so that she can visit her best friend. However, she brings with her some grave news, but Hilda is not about to let Lorenz make the biggest mistake of his life.
“Are you enjoying the tea, Hilda?”
“Yeah, it’s great. Thanks, Lorenz.”
Lorenz smiled as he lifted his own teacup to his lips, taking a long sip and sighing contently as the delicious tea spread warmth through his chest. It had been too long since he had been able to sit down and reminisce with his best friend. Lorenz had been overjoyed when he received a letter from Hilda, informing him that she was going to be accompanying her brother Holst, as he was needed for a Roundtable meeting that was currently being held in the large meeting rooms of the Gloucester Estate.
“It really has been too long since we have seen each other. How is everything in Goneril territory?” Lorenz asked. Hilda shrugged, leaning back in her chair as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Eh, the same as always. Things with Almyra have settled down a lot, and I’ve been toying with the idea of opening some sort of shop to sell my accessories.”
“Ah! Wonderful! You always did have a knack for creating beautiful jewelry and such. You will have to let me know when you officially open for business, because I want to be first in line to peruse your wares.”
“Alright, but no window shopping. You have to promise to buy something.” Hilda said, grinning as Lorenz chuckled.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“So…” Hilda said, her demeanor turning oddly serious as she set her empty teacup down, “Have you heard the news from the former Kingdom?”
“No. I have been busy dealing with Gloucester business lately. Why? Has something serious happened?” Lorenz said, a frown crossing his face as he moved to refill Hilda’s cup.
“Well, I’ve heard from a pretty reliable source that two of our former classmates are engaged to be married.”
“That’s wonderful! Please, tell me who?”
“It’s...Ingrid, and…” Hilda hesitated, munching on a pastry and averting her gaze. Lorenz tilted his head at her, curious about her odd behavior. She finally let out a deep sigh and looked back at him.
“Sylvain.”
Hilda winced as the teapot fell from Lorenz’s hands, hitting the table and shattering to pieces. Hot tea spilled everywhere and Lorenz jumped to his feet with an absolutely horrified look on his face. Sylvain was...getting married?
“H-Hilda, I'm terribly sorry!” Lorenz exclaimed as he frantically began trying to pick up the broken pieces of the teapot. His trembling hands caused him to keep dropping them, however, and his breathing became erratic as he tried to stay calm. Had Sylvain...truly moved on?
“Lorenz,” Hilda said, and Lorenz felt her hands grab his arms firmly. He squeezed his eyes shut and took in a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly.
“Sit down.” Hilda continued, gently pushing down on his arms until he lowered himself back into his chair. Hilda then moved to clean up the mess, and Lorenz held his head in his hands, tears starting to well up in his eyes. It had been almost a year to the day since Sylvain left him, and not a day went by where Lorenz did not think of him. He wondered where he was, what he was doing, and if he was happy, or absolutely suffering deep down like Lorenz was. His broken heart had never mended, and now Lorenz did not know if it would ever heal, knowing that Sylvain was going to be married to someone else.
“Lorenz,” Hilda said, her warm hands taking Lorenz’s trembling ones as he lifted his head, tears starting to spill down his cheeks. Hilda had moved her chair from the other side of the table so that she was now sitting right in front of him, her knees bumping against his. She started massaging the backs of his hands with her thumbs, and she continued, “You should know that their marriage was arranged by their fathers.”
“...Arranged…” Lorenz mumbled, a wave of relief passing through him. Wait, why was he so relieved? Sylvain left him. That was that. There was no way that Lorenz would ever be with him again, so it was a false relief.
“It...it does not matter, we-” he started, but Hilda cut him off with a groan.
“Ugh, don’t give me that, Lorenz. You dropped a whole teapot when I told you. And you’re crying.” she said, plucking Lorenz’s handkerchief from the pocket on his shirt and using it to dab the tears from his cheeks. “You still care for him.”
“B-But…” Lorenz choked out, as fresh tears started falling down his face. She was right. No matter how many times he tried to bury his feelings, deep down, he knew that the love he held for Sylvain would never go away. It hurt so much, but what could he do about it now?
“If it makes you feel any better, my reliable source said that both Ingrid and Sylvain are totally against the marriage.” Hilda said. Lorenz did feel a bit better at that, but it still did not change anything.
“And, from what you told me about the...incident, Sylvain only left you after your jerk-head father voiced his disapproval. There’s a good chance he only left you because you were threatened with being disinherited.” Lorenz winced at the reminder of that terrible day. His father had been extremely harsh, and the thought of not becoming the next Count Gloucester scared him. His whole life, Lorenz had been raised and prepped to become the next head of his family. He had been so, so sure that that was what he wanted in life. But now, without Sylvain here with him, that future seemed more like a nightmare than a dream come true.
“Lorenz,” Hilda said, her gaze softening as she gave his hands a squeeze, “your father is going to be dead and gone long before you are. Are you really going to let him force you into making the biggest mistake of your life? I know you still love Sylvain, and I’m sure he still loves you too. You’d be risking losing your inheritance, sure, but isn’t spending your life with your true love worth that risk?”
Lorenz’s eyes widened as he processed Hilda’s words, and he chewed on his bottom lip. She...was right. Lorenz knew now that he needed to live his own life, and not just the one that his father wanted him to. Even if he lost his inheritance and was stripped of his title and house, none of that mattered to him as long as Sylvain was in his life. Lorenz shot out of his chair suddenly, startling Hilda, and he looked back at her with determination blazing in his eyes.
“You..you are absolutely right, Hilda.” he said, and Hilda smiled at him as she also stood up. “I need to take control of my own life. And the first thing that I need to do is stop Sylvain from making this mistake. I...I cannot let him marry someone that he does not love, as long as there is a chance that he still harbors love for me.”
“That’s the spirit!” Hilda said, pulling Lorenz into a hug, “We’ll go and get Sylvain back for you!”
“We?” Lorenz said, blinking owlishly at her. Hilda rolled her eyes.
“Well, yeah. I’m going with you. I’ve gotta make sure you don’t chicken out or something.” Lorenz let out an amused chuckle.
“I am surprised that you would go to so much trouble for me.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t important. And stopping your dumbass from being miserable for the rest of your life is pretty important to me.”
“...Rude.” Lorenz mumbled, but a small smile crossed his face.
“Hmm, yeah, with the three of us, we should make it to Galatea territory pretty easily.” Hilda said, tapping her chin with one finger thoughtfully.
“Yes, of course-Wait, three?”
“Hey, Hilda! I finally found you! This place is way too big!”
Lorenz’s eyes widened with shock as he looked towards the door as a beaming Raphael entered the room. Raphael looked from Hilda to Lorenz and let out an excited ‘whoop’. He then crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Lorenz, lifting him into the air as he gave him a bear hug.
“Lorenz! It’s good to see you, buddy!” Raphael exclaimed, his booming laughter in his ear causing Lorenz to wince. “Your house is too big! I found the kitchen to get myself a snack, but Hilda left me behind and I had to wander around until I found you guys!”
“Raphael...What are you doing here?” Lorenz asked when he was placed back onto his feet.
“I’m here to help you out, of course!” Raphael said, “When Ingrid sent me a letter telling me about her arranged marriage to Sylvain, I knew I had to let you know somehow. Hilda met up with me on her way here and I told her everything, and I tagged along to meet with you!”
“Raphael was your ‘reliable source?’” Lorenz asked, raising an eyebrow at Hilda.
“Yeah. He’s been writing letters to Ingrid for a while now.” Hilda said, “So, are you ready to go or what?”
Lorenz looked from Hilda to Raphael, his eyebrows furrowing as he clenched and unclenched his hands a few times. Yes, with his best friends by his side, he could surely do this. But still, a nervous pit had formed in his gut. He hadn’t seen Sylvain in almost a year, what if he changed? What if he did, in fact, move on and not even want to see Lorenz again? The thought scared him.
“What’s wrong?” Hilda asked. Lorenz sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his gaze falling to the floor.
“I must admit, I am a bit nervous...I just never thought that I would see Sylvain again…” Lorenz mumbled, and Hilda placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, you know what they say: ‘Never say never!’” Raphael said, a beaming smile on his face as he punched an enthusiastic fist in the air. Lorenz blinked at him before a smile made its way to his own face.
“Your enthusiasm is as infectious as ever, Raphael.” Lorenz said, wincing as Raphael slapped a rough hand to his back.
“Great! Then let’s get going and get you your man back!” Raphael said, “‘Cause I also need to get my partner back too!”
“Yeah, you did say that Ingrid isn’t too happy about this arranged marriage either.” Hilda said. A frown crossed Raphael’s face as he nodded slowly.
“Oh, I know that for sure. Her last letter to me said as much. She was so looking forward to becoming a knight with me, and I can’t just let her throw away her dreams like this!”
“Well, we will not let Ingrid or Sylvain make this mistake.” Lorenz said, standing up straight with a confident air about him, “Come. We must not waste anymore time dawdling. And...I must thank you two, from the bottom of my heart for talking some sense into me.” Hilda and Raphael shared a glance before they looked back at Lorenz with big smiles on their faces.
“Anything for you, buddy!”
“Yeah, Lorenz. Someone has to save you from your pessimistic outlook, and you’re lucky we like you so much.”
“Yes, yes, you can stop teasing me at any moment, preferably sooner rather than later.”
“No promises there!”
The three friends left the room and, after Lorenz quickly packed for their journey to Galatea territory, they proceeded to leave the Gloucester Estate and make their way to the stables.
“And where do you think you’re going, Lorenz?”
Lorenz froze mid step, jaw clenching as he turned his head to find his father standing there, eyebrows furrowed into a heated glare. Lorenz pursed his lips and turned around fully, standing up straight as he looked Garen in the eye. No, he was not letting his father keep him from his love. Not this time.
“I am heading on a journey to Galatea territory, father. I suspect that I will not be back for some time, so you-”
“And who gave you permission to leave? It was certainly not me.” Garen sneered, taking a step closer to his son, who straightened his posture further and did not back down.
“I do not need anyone’s permission father, least of all yours.” Lorenz said, and he heard Hilda gasp behind him. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips when his father’s face contorted with anger.
“How dare you speak to me like that!” Garen hissed, his cheeks flushing red. “You are my son and heir to House Gloucester, and as such you-”
“Please spare me the lecture, father. I am leaving to find my fiance, and you will not stop me.” Lorenz said, his heart hammering in his chest as he continued, “I love Sylvain, and he will become my husband, whether you like it or not.”
“You cannot be serious, Lorenz! I have told you before that if you marry that Gautier boy, I will disinherit you immediately!”
“Then do it!” Lorenz yelled back, his amethyst eyes blazing with fury as he glowered at his father, who stomped up to Lorenz, grabbed him by the collar, and backhanded him across the face. Lorenz managed to keep a straight face, and he saw Raphael take a step forward, but Hilda placed a hand on his arm to prevent him from interfering.
“You can hit me all you want, father, but it will not change my feelings for Sylvain. My feelings for you, however, have changed considerably.” Lorenz said, as he grabbed his father’s wrist and shoved his hand away. “Instead of marking you as an incompetent, sorry excuse for a Count, I now see what you truly are: a contemptible, degenerate, bastard of a man.” Without waiting for a response, Lorenz turned on his heel, smirking when he saw that Hilda and Raphael were gawking at him, as he strode confidently to the stables. When all three had mounted their horses, Lorenz paused when they left the stables, glancing down at his father, who seemed to be stunned into silence.
“When I return, father,” Lorenz said coolly, “I will have Sylvain - my fiance - with me. I will quickly collect my things and leave. Do be sure not to run our house into the ground before I return. I know it will be a daunting task for you.” And with that, Lorenz galloped off down the road, ignoring his father’s angry shouts, with Hilda and Raphael close behind. When they were well out of sight of the Gloucester Estate, Hilda pulled up beside Lorenz and gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder.
“Wow, Lorenz! Good for you for standing up to your father like that! Didn’t think you had it in you.” she said, and Lorenz sighed and shook his head.
“To be honest, I did not think so either.” Lorenz said, swallowing thickly as he rubbed at the spot on his cheek that his father had hit, “I guess I need to start planning on what to do with my life now, seeing as my father will most certainly be disowning me after the verbal thrashing that I gave him.”
“Yeah, that was awesome!” Raphael said when he pulled up to Lorenz’s other side. “I got really mad when he hit you, though! I would have socked him if Hilda didn’t stop me!”
“If you had done that, Raphael, you probably would have sent his head flying right off of his scrawny shoulders.” Hilda said, and Lorenz failed to stifle a laugh.
“Indeed. I do believe that my father is hosting a dinner for the Roundtable attendees tonight. I hope that I riled him up enough so that it goes poorly.” Lorenz said, and Hilda snickered with delight.
“Your dad’s hosting a party? Weird, it didn’t seem like he had much food prepared for it.” Raphael said. Lorenz raised an eyebrow.
“What? My father had plenty of meat dishes prepared-” Lorenz started, but a realization hit him and he sputtered.
“Raphael! You-did you eat the meat that was laid out in the kitchens? On a long serving table by the door?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah! It looked so good, I just couldn’t help myself! Uh, I probably should have asked first, sorry.” Raphael said, a guilty look crossing his face. Lorenz stared at him for a moment, before he burst out laughing so hard that tears stained his cheeks by the time he had composed himself.
“R-Raphael,” Lorenz wheezed, “Those dishes were for the Roundtable dinner tonight! Oh, my father is going to look like a godsdamn fool in front of everyone!” The absolutely delighted tone of Lorenz’s voice made Hilda giggle, and Raphael rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
“You both truly are my most wonderful friends. Thank you for helping me make my father’s life a living hell.” Lorenz said. He wished that he could see the look on his father’s face when he saw what Raphael had done.
“Anytime, Lorenz!” Hilda said, “Let’s get moving while we’ve still got some daylight left!” Lorenz nodded in agreement. As Hilda and Raphael went on ahead, Lorenz slowed his horse as he looked out at the horizon.
‘Sylvain…’ Lorenz thought, his hand slipping under the neckline of his shirt, pulling out a necklace with the engagement ring that Sylvain had given him hanging from it. He lifted the silver ring to his mouth and he placed a chaste kiss on the emerald stone in the center. ‘Wait for me, love. I will not give up on you.’ The trio of friends began their journey to Galatea territory, where Lorenz would do whatever it took to get his one true love back.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Title: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (But Not You)
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Pairing: Sylvain/Lorenz
Word count: 2946
Warnings: None
Summary: It was the night of the ball at Garrag Mach, and both Lorenz and Sylvain were eager to hit the dance floor with a beautiful woman on their arm, much to the chagrin of their other classmates. What they didn’t count on, however, was having to dance with each other.
Written for @ferarepair-week 2019 Day 4, Prompt: Gathering
“...We need to do something about this.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
Hilda and Ingrid shared an exasperated look as they turned their attention to the objects of their annoyance. It was the night of the ball, and everyone should have been having a good time, but the antics of two of their classmates were making more than a few girls visibly uncomfortable. On one side of the room, Sylvain was jumping from one girl to the next, flirting in his usual, overbearing way. On the other side of the room, Lorenz was most likely spouting some sort of flowery nonsense to every girl nearby that was his own brand of obnoxious flirting.
“Ugh, gods!” Hilda said, slapping a hand over her face as she shook her head, “Those two idiots never stop, do they?”
“Sylvain was always like this...even when we were kids.” Ingrid grumbled, sighing deeply as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“They really should just flirt with each other and leave everyone else alone.” Hilda said, laughing at the absurdity of the idea. When she composed herself, she found that Ingrid was staring at her with a sly grin on her face, causing Hilda to raise a confused eyebrow.
“Hilda, you may be onto something there.” Ingrid said, and when Hilda just continued to stare at her, Ingrid leaned over and whispered something in her ear.
“Oh! That actually might work! Let’s do it!” Hilda said, and they both giggled as they went to retrieve their respective housemates. Ingrid pushed her way through the crowd until she made it to Sylvain, who was busy talking up a very annoyed-looking girl.
“...so what do you say, babe? A beauty like you would look great being pulled around the dance floor by yours truly-” Sylvain was saying, but he was interrupted when Ingrid grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away from the poor girl, who sighed in relief and nodded her thanks, and Ingrid smiled in return. The smile then fell from her face as she glanced back at Sylvain as she tugged him along, her eyes narrowed into a glare.
“Ow! Ingrid, what are you doing?” Sylvain complained, flailing uselessly about as he tried to keep his balance. Ingrid stopped when they were in the middle of the dance floor, and she turned on her heel and poked a finger at his chest.
“Will you ever stop harassing every girl you set your eyes on?” Ingrid asked. Sylvain pouted at her as he rubbed at his sore ear.
“C’mon, why do you always have to ruin my fun?” Sylvain grumbled, and Ingrid opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted.
“Hilda! Put me down this instant!”
“Chill out, Lorenz.”
Hilda walked up to Ingrid and Sylvain, with Lorenz slung over her shoulder, and Ingrid had to snort to suppress her laughter at the ridiculousness of the sight. Hilda set the annoyed noble back on his feet, and when he turned to admonish her, his eyes met Sylvain’s and his face scrunched up with annoyance.
“Sylvain.” he scoffed, his brow furrowing as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sylvain glared back at him, before a cocky grin crossed his face.
“Hey Lorenz. Get rejected lately? Oh, wait, I already know the answer to that.” Sylvain said, and Lorenz’s gasped as an absolutely sour look crossed his face.
“How abominably uncouth, although not unexpected coming from you.” Lorenz said, huffing as he turned his nose up at his rival. Sylvain was about to snap back at him, but music suddenly filled the room and the crowd of people around them began to pair off in preparation to dance.
“Well, it looks like you guys won’t have time to find partners, so I guess you’ll have to dance with each other!” Hilda said with a wink. Lorenz and Sylvain shared a glance, and they both balked at the idea.
“Tch! As if I’d ever want to dance with a stuck up noble like Lorenz!” Sylvain said, making an exaggerated gagging noise.
“Well, I do not see how anyone would ever want a shallow bore like you as a dance partner.” Lorenz sneered back, and the two men continued to glower at each other.
“You’re gonna look pretty dumb dancing alone then, ‘cause it looks like everyone else has a partner.” Hilda said with a shrug. Sylvain snorted and turned to where Ingrid had been standing.
“Hey, Ingrid, dance with me-” he began, but stopped when he realized that she had wandered off and was dancing with a smiling Ashe. Sylvain frowned and chewed on his lip.
“How unfortunate for you,” Lorenz said, chuckling at Sylvain’s unfortunate predicament. “Hilda, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
“Nope! I’ve got a partner already!” Hilda said, jumping off to the side to grab Marianne’s arm, who looked like she had been trying to escape the dance floor.
“Oh...um…” Marianne quietly protested, but Hilda ignored her and grinned at Lorenz. It was Sylvain’s turn to laugh, but as he looked around them, he realized that Hilda was right. Everyone nearby was already paired off, and he was currently trapped in the middle of the room; there was no way he would be able to escape without causing a fuss for the other dancers. Damn it.
“You guys aren’t scared to show off your dancing, are you? I’d sure like to see who’s the better out of the two of you.” Hilda said as she pulled the confused and flustered Marianne around on the dance floor. Lorenz and Sylvain turned towards one another, glaring daggers at each other.
“As if I would let you of all people surpass me in the realm of dancing.” Lorenz said, clearing his throat as he bowed in Sylvain’s direction and offered him his hand, “Would you dance with me, Sylvain?” Sylvain did not fail to notice the condensation dripping in Lorenz’s tone, and he scoffed as he took his hand.
“Fine, I accept. But only so that I can show you up in front of everyone.”
“We shall see about that.”
Brown eyes met amethyst in a heated glare as Sylvain moved to place his other hand at Lorenz’s waist, but Lorenz grabbed his hand before it could get there and moved it to his shoulder.
“Hey, what gives?” Sylvain asked as Lorenz’s hand fell to rest on his waist instead.
“Is it not obvious? I am leading this dance.” Lorenz said, and Sylvain rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, no way that’s happening, coconut head.”
“Rude! And I am taller than you, so it is only natural that I take the lead.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Their bickering continued as they pushed and pulled at each other, trying to assert dominance over the other but with little success. Sylvain grit his teeth as he pulled hard on Lorenz’s arm, while Lorenz planted his feet and caused Sylvain to lose his balance and fall against Lorenz’s chest. Sylvain quickly pushed himself away and his brow furrowed as he tightened his grip on Lorenz’s hand, prompting Lorenz to do the same.
“Wow guys, that’s a pretty interesting dance you’re performing there. I’ve certainly never seen anything like it before.” Hilda said as she and Marianne passed by Lorenz and Sylvain as they danced. They both turned their heated gazes her way before they went back to glaring at each other.
“Well, if Sylvain here would stop being a stubborn fool and let me lead, we would certainly look much better.” Lorenz said with a huff.
“Oh, please! You’re really calling me stubborn, you insufferable snob?” Sylvain retorted as he rolled his eyes. They had stopped their abysmal attempt at dancing and were now up in each other’s faces, anger blazing in their eyes. The other occupants of the room had stopped dancing by now and were watching the spectacle with great interest.
“Hey, guys, you’re kinda causing a scene here…” Hilda tried to interfere, but she was ignored as Lorenz jabbed a finger against Sylvain’s chest.
“You are always looking to impress the ladies, Sylvain, but I can see that your lack of tact in a social setting such as this is one of many reasons why none of them will give you the time of day.” Lorenz said, and Sylvain glowered at him as he smacked Lorenz’s hand away from his chest.
“Yeah, well, I don’t see how any woman would want to be with a self-important failure like you!” Sylvain spat, but he immediately regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. He saw the quick flash of hurt that crossed Lorenz’s face, and Sylvain realized that he may have gone too far this time.
“H-How dare you!” Lorenz said, his cheeks flushing with a combination of anger and embarrassment, “I do not have to take this from you!” With that, Lorenz quickly turned on his heel and stormed out of the ballroom. Sylvain grit his teeth and mentally kicked himself for his rudeness, and he yelped when someone smacked him hard upside the head.
“Ow, what the-” he grumbled, but he didn’t get to finish his sentence because Ingrid had grabbed his arm and smacked him again, this time across the face.
“That was horrible, Sylvain!” Ingrid scolded, her eyebrows narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
“Yeah, I know that…” he grumbled, rubbing at the offended skin on his cheek.
“You need to find Lorenz and apologize.” Ingrid said, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the door. “Honestly, saying something like that in front of a group of people. You really do lack proper tact.”
“Tch, you don’t need to agree with him…” Sylvain said, sighing and rubbing at the back of his head. Ingrid huffed and shook her head at him before turning around and heading back inside. Slapping a hand to his face, he looked around the courtyard as he contemplated where Lorenz might have run off to. Suddenly, the professor appeared at the opposite end of the courtyard, and Sylvain quickly made his way to them.
“Hey, Professor!” he said with a smile, and Byleth turned to look at him with that eerie, blank stare, “Have you seen Lorenz around?” They nodded and pointed in the direction of the Goddess Tower.
“Awesome, thanks!” Sylvain said. Byleth nodded and Sylvain waved his hand in their direction as he walked off, “Enjoy the rest of the ball!” With that, Sylvain made his way to the Goddess Tower and quickly ascended the stairs.
When Sylvain made it to the top, he paused when he spotted Lorenz standing on the balcony, gazing up at the star-filled sky as the moonlight illuminated the pensive look on his face. Sylvain hated to admit it, but Lorenz really did carry himself with a confident and noble air, even in the aftermath of a heated argument with his rival.
Sylvain crossed the room and stopped when he was behind Lorenz, and he cleared his throat to announce his presence. Lorenz started slightly, and looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing when they met Sylvain’s.
“Ah, Sylvain,” Lorenz said, his tone dripping with venom, “Here to fling more insults at this - oh, what was it? - Ah yes, I believe it was ‘self-important failure?’” Sylvain flinched and bit his lip, his shame-filled gaze falling to the floor.
“Er, no, I actually wanted to...apologize for that.” Sylvain mumbled, his gaze slowly moving back up to look Lorenz in the eye. Lorenz’s eyes went wide with shock as Sylvain continued, “Yeah, I said some pretty mean things back there, and you really didn’t deserve that, so I’m sorry.”
“This...is unexpected.” Lorenz said, and Sylvain’s nose scrunched up at his response, “But...I accept your apology, and I offer one of my own.”
“Oh?” Sylvain said, raising a confused eyebrow.
“Yes. I also said some rather rude things to you, undeservedly so. I behaved in a manner that was unbecoming of me, and I apologize for that.” Lorenz said, sighing as he brought a hand to his head and drummed his fingers against his hair. Sylvain blinked at him for a moment, before a grin crossed his face and he chuckled.
“Alright, I accept your apology too.” Sylvain said, moving to rest his hands on the railing as he looked up into the night sky. “We really looked like idiots out on the dance floor, though. I should’ve just let you lead. You did win the White Heron Cup, after all.”
“Indeed.” Lorenz said, laughing as he glanced at Sylvain out of the corner of his eye. “I was stubborn, though. You are a noble, and thus you ought to have been trained in proper dancing etiquette. I should have conceded and trusted in you instead of causing a scene. I will have to offer my apologies to the professor for making our house look bad.”
“Yeah, same here. I’ll also need to say sorry to all the ladies that had to witness that side of me.” Sylvain said with a grin, and Lorenz rolled his eyes.
“Honestly, do you ever stop with your relentless skirt-chasing?”
“Oh, and what about your obnoxious flirting?”
“Hm,” Lorenz scoffed, averting his gaze as a dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks, “At least I am being serious about finding a proper spouse. You just seem to be playing around with women and their feelings.”
“I guess that’s fair, but don’t you think you’re going about it the wrong way?” Sylvain asked, resting an elbow on the railing so that he could rest his chin in his hand. He raised an eyebrow when Lorenz just blinked at him, and Sylvain sighed and shook his head.
“I mean, if you go into conversations with the ladies just to ‘evaluate’ them, don’t you think that’ll kill the mood and scare them off? And what’s with your aversion to commoners, anyway? I don’t see why you couldn’t marry someone who isn’t noble.”
“Sylvain, you are a noble as well, so you should know why I cannot marry a commoner.” Lorenz said, huffing as he placed a hand on his hip and ran the other one through his hair. “I need to think of what is best for my house, and a common woman certainly would not be the best partner for the heir to House Gloucester.”
“So, what would you do if you did end up falling in love with a common woman? Or a man, even?” Sylvain watched as Lorenz chewed on his bottom lip and averted his gaze.
“I...cannot let my personal feelings get in the way of my responsibilities as a noble.” Lorenz said slowly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I would have no choice but to ignore those feelings, as I have an obligation to produce a suitable heir to my house, and marrying a noble woman is the only way to do that.” Sylvain watched Lorenz carefully, not failing to catch the sad, lonely look deep within his purple eyes.
“Well, whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess.” Sylvain mumbled, and they both fell silent as they gazed out over the moonlit monastery grounds. Sylvain’s mind wandered a bit, and a sudden realization made him snort at the absurdity, prompting Lorenz to looked at him with a confused eyebrow raised.
“What is it?” he asked, and Sylvain chuckled.
“Have you heard the legends about the Goddess Tower? On this night specifically?”
“I am assuming you mean the ones referring to promises made here between lovers being guaranteed to come true?”
“Yeah, that.”
“What about it?” Lorenz’s eyebrows knitted with annoyance, and Sylvain just shrugged.
“Well, I just never thought that I’d be up here on this very night with you of all people. The Goddess must have a terrible sense of humor.”
“Are you suggesting that we would ever make such a promise? Oh, the very thought disgusts me to my very core.” Lorenz said, scoffing as if the very words left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Oh hell no. I’d sooner make a promise like that with a wyvern than ever think about making one with you.”
“I am surprised that has not happened yet, considering your reputation.”
“Hey, that thing with the chicken is totally not true!”
“Is it?” Lorenz asked as he tried and failed to hide the amused smile that crossed his face. Sylvain oddly found himself smiling back, and strange warmness filling his heart. Huh, weird.
“Only a gullible fool would believe those rumors, but I guess this is you we’re talking about.” Sylvain said, his tone teasing instead of malicious like it had been earlier.
“Ugh, you are so insufferable.” Lorenz said, trying to keep a straight face, but he ended up laughing anyway. “Goodnight, Sylvain.” With that, Lorenz turned on his heel and headed for the stairs, casually waving a hand behind him as he disappeared.
Sylvain waited until the echoes of Lorenz’s footsteps faded away to burst out laughing so hard that tears started falling down his face. He composed himself and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he shook his head.
“Lovers, eh?” Sylvain whispered to himself, letting another chuckle escape him as he shook his head. “Like that would ever happen…” Lorenz would forever be his greatest rival in the realm of flirting, nothing more and nothing less. Pushing off of the railing, Sylvain spun around and left the Goddess Tower himself, shoving his rival to the farthest reaches of his mind as he readied himself to get back to flirting with every girl in sight.
