The rain can only mask so much. @sylvix-week Slyvox week day 4, Oneshot.
Read on Ao3 for better quality!Â
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It rains when Glenn dies.
And it rains again at his funeral.
Felix stares wordlessly at his grave.
Glenn is-- was an asshole. He was rude, ill-tempered and constantly picked fights. Heâs still not sure what Ingrid sees-- Felix takes a deep breath-- saw in him, but then again, Glenn was his brother, not betrothed.
Itâs not as if Ingrid has ever had good taste anyway.
Sylvain is next to him. Sylvainâs sixteen, taller and bigger, and he thinks wiser. He probably is, despite what people think. Felix knows him, he knows him so well. Theyâve been attached at the hip since he could walk. Sylvain is this unwavering pillar that Felix can just hold onto.
But he doesnât anymore, because heâs thirteen and heâs officially old enough to be beyond the need of physical comfort.
Everyone is gone. Thereâs a coffin in the ground, fancy and expensive, delicately carved and ornately decorated. Worth of a knight , his father had said to him.
But to Felix, itâs only a box, and itâs empty. There wasnât enough left of his brotherâs body to even bury.
Felix stares at the turned soil of the ground, at the flowers littered the area, at the marble headstone with empty words--
Warm fingers wrap around his cold hand, and Felix finds that he canât pull away.
âI hate him,â he hisses instead.
âYeah,â Sylvain replies.
âI fucking hate him.â Itâs the first time heâs ever used the word, even if heâs heard Sylvain sputter it plenty of times.
â Yeah .â
Sylvain squeezes his hand, and Felix finds that he doesnât want to pull away. In fact, he squeezes back.
What a strange feeling, this thing that slowly drowns out the hate.
It rains when Sylvain kills Miklan the beast.
Theyâre covered in mud and guts and blood, and now thereâs rain to wash it all away.
Sylvain heaves heavy breathes, lance heavy in his hand, red splattered across his dented armor. Felix stands to the side, his sword still held at the ready, just in case because you never fucking know .
Sylvain stands there for too long, staring at his dead brother. Itâs familiar to Felix, the pain. He hates that Sylvain has to feel it. He is relieved that heâll no longer be the only one.
Itâs a sour thought the burrows deep in his heart, and he does the best that he can to forget it.
Later that night, Sylvain refuses to leave his room. He wonât let Felix in, but instead of feeling hurt, heâs angry. Itâs also the perfect opportunity to practice that new certification that heâs been working on. He kneels before the door, lockpick carefully in hand at he works at the lock. After a long and frustrating moment, the tumblers fall with a click .
He practically kicks open the door, the word pathetic about to tumble off of this lips but--
Sylvain is crying.
Felix falters at that. At the tears that stream down Sylvainâs face, leaving wet tracks that glitter in the firelight. His eyes are red rimmed and his breathing is panicked and--
Felix shuts the door behind him and is immediately at his side. âHey,â he says quiet, and he wants to reach out but--
Heâs not thirteen anymore, and itâs not that he doesnât want to touch, itâs that he does . There is nothing more that he wants to do, than soothe Sylvain. That threat of physical affection isnât gross any longer, itâs morphed into something more.
Sylvain chuckles, but itâs dark and full of anger. âI hated him, Felix,â he says.
âYeah.â The word is familiar, and maybe thatâs a comfort but Sylvain looks so conflicted.
âI hated him so much, Fe. He tried to kill me. So why do I--â His words cut off, strangled in his throat. â Why do I care?â
Felixâs heart cracks . âI know, Sylvain,â he says, reaching out and rubbing his back. Sylvain rests his head in his heads, fingers curling into his hair, pulling at it. âI know,â he repeats. His hand goes round and round in soothing circles. âI know, I know, I know,â he says, his voice calm.
Sylvain reaches out to grasp his other hand, squeezing it, holding onto him like a lifeline.
Felix doesnât let go.
It rains when they bury Felixâs father.
Felix is tired of the rain. Heâs tired of the bone-weary feeling of water pelting him, and heâs tired wishing that it will just wash away the hurt .
It doesnât. He doesnât think that it ever will. He doesnât know why he keeps wishing for it.
Unlike Glenn, his father is in that box. He shouldnât be, but his father is-- Felix pauses and shudders-- was the stupidest man alive, and thatâs including Sylvain. Unlike Glenn, Felix barely feels a thing. Thereâs no anger. No hate. Thereâs nothing.
Heâs empty.
Sylvain is quiet when he moves to his side. He forgoes words, instead grasping for Felixâs arm and yanking him close. And he holds him there. He presses his hand against the back of his head, guiding it to the crook of his neck.
âItâs okay,â Sylvain promises. His fingers card through the long and oily strands, because Felix canât be bothered to even bathe properly. âFe, itâs okay, Iâm here.â
Well, at least someone is. And yeah, heâs the preferable one of course, this red-headed idiot. Felix sinks into the touch, fingers curling into the rough material of Sylvainâs linen shirt. Sylvain hums lightly. Itâs not a real tune, but Felix likes it, he focuses on it, he tries to remember it.
Because at the age of twenty-two, heâs given up on ignoring it and opts for cherishing it instead. Itâs weird to think itâs love, but it is, not that heâll ever tell Sylvain that. Sylvain, who wears a new girl everyday like a pair of drawers.
Sylvain who could be anywhere at that moment, but heâs there , with him . Felix buries his face into his neck, breathing in the smell of sandalwood and leather conditioner.
âI donât feel anything,â he murmurs against Sylvainâs skin.
Sylvain scratches at his scalp lightly, before pulling back to look at his face. âThatâs not true Felix.â
Heâs about to deny it, but then he realizes that Sylvain is right. Itâs not nothing he feels, itâs pity . He pities his father most of all, and it makes his skin squirm.
âI donât want to feel anything,â he says, and Sylvainâs expression is unreadable.
âYeah,â he responds, leaning forward, pressing a kiss against his forehead. Thatâs new. âYeah, I know.â His lips linger there, the words traced into his skin.
Felix wants them to stay there.
It rains when Edelgard loses her head.
It rains all day, through the night and into the next day. And the next. And the next.
By now, Felix hates it. He cannot stand the feel of it, the sound of it, the idea of it.
The war is over, the Empire has lost and Faerghusâ King has returned. Things should be loud and riotous. But they arenât. Theyâve returned to the safety of the monastery for the time being and itâs preternaturally quiet.
Heâs always liked the quiet, but Felix feels as though heâs had his fill for the rest of his life.
âGold for your thoughts?â
Felix relaxes the moment he hears Sylvainâs voice. Heâs in the training hall, but under the overhang because who wants to slip in the mud, while holding a weapon . It sounded stupid when Sylvain said it as a child, but Felix has seen men slip in the mud and fall on their own swords during battle.
It doesnât sound so stupid anymore.
So he sits on the step and watches the rain instead. He doesnât know why, he still hates it. Sylvain drops beside him, his long legs stretched out. Itâs weird to see him without armor on. Heâs worn it everyday for a year and itâs hard to remember that he owns regular clothes as well.
âItâs too quiet,â Felix tells him. Sylvain hums at that. âItâs like I expect the warning bell to go off at any moment, or the empire to crest the hill or--â
â Yeah ,â Sylvain interrupts. âI get it.â
âThe Bo--â Felix pauses. â Dimitri ,â he amends, because heâs been trying to get better at it-- âWill be leaving in a few days for Fhirdiad.â
âWill you go with him?â Sylvain asks quietly, and while it isnât accusatory, itâs stilted enough the Felix narrows his eyes.
âI have things to attend with back home.â
Sylvainâs mouth parts in a silent ah . âI do as well.â
Right, the thing that Felix dreads, because the last time Slyvain went home , they didnât see each other for five years . And when youâre desperately in love with someone, thatâs five years too long.
Felix stands abruptly, not wanting to think about it, not wanting to talk about it--
âFelix--â Sylvain starts, following suit.
But Felix is already walking. Heâs already into the rain, crossing the grounds, wanting to get away--
Sylvainâs hand clasps around his arm, and he stops dead. The rain pours. Itâs loud in his ear drums and his skin stings under the drops. âFelix,â he begins again, his voice so quiet that Felix can barely hear it over the downpour.
âSylvain, whatever it is--â
âCome back with me. To Gautier.â
Felix glares at him incredulously. â What ?â he hisses.
âWhat is there for you, back home?â Sylvain says it so simply, that Felix canât think of anything else in that moment. It makes sense, it makes so much sense .
But instead he responds with, âMy people .â His voice snaps out like a whip, more vicious than he wants, but when youâre trying to nip something in the bud, itâs easier to be ruthless.
Because if his heart is going to break, he might as well do it to himself.
âIâm not there,â Sylvain answers, and Felix falters. âI donât know what I would do, if you arenât by my side, Fe.â
âDonât say such ridiculous things, Sylvain.â The words sound harsher than they did in his head, but Sylvain marches onward.
âMarry me.â
Everything comes full-stop, as they stand there. Itâs like he canât hear the rain anymore, all he can focus on is the stupid red-head before him, and that ridiculous smile spread across his face. Sylvain makes it look so easy, wearing his feelings so openly.
Twenty-five years old, and Felix still hasnât quite learned that itâs okay to love someone.
Which is probably why he responds with, âWhy on earth would I do that?â
Sylvain isnât mad. He sighs wistfully though, his grip on his arm tightening. âBecause Iâm hopelessly in love with you.â
Felix cries. Felix feels the tears slip from his face before Sylvain has even finished his sentence, because Goddess above, this wasnât how this was supposed to go . He never cried for Glenn. Or his father, or their lost friends or the roar.
But he cries for Sylvain and his love.
âHey, hey,â the other man shushes, reaching up and pressing fingers to his cheek. âDonât--â
âItâs nothing , you oaf.â Sylvain wisely, doesnât mention the crying again.
âWeâve been through a lot together,â he says instead. âI just want to go through the rest of life with you.â
âYour father--â
â Fuck my father.â Sylvain shifts, and suddenly heâs holding Felixâs cheeks between both of his hands. Theyâre large and warm, and Felix wants him to never let go. He thumbs at the skin under his eyes.
âIâm so broken,â Felix says.
âBroken things can be repaired.â He ducks down, but hesitates. His lips are close, yet so far. But Felix wants this. He wants . âFelix, youâve lived your entire life for everyone else. Itâs time to live for yourself .â
Felix kisses him. He leans forward, pulling at his close, bringing Sylvain closer. His lips are chapped, but Goddess he smells good, tastes good, this is literally everything heâs ever dreamt it would be. Sylvain angles his head differently, his tongue brushing against his lips. Felix gasps, and Sylvain licks into him Felix presses closer, pulling closer, trying to lose himself.
He does. He does for a long time, and he doesnât care that theyâre soaking wet, or that anyone could come in, or that Sylvain is laughing against his lips.
When they part, Sylvain presses another kiss to his forehead. âIs that a yes?â
Yes . â Moron ,â is what he actually replies.
Felix loves the rain in that moment. He loves Sylvain, and the way that he looks at him. The way that his hair is darkened and wet, hanging limply around his face. He loves the dimples around that infuriating smile.
He loves that the pain in his heart as been filled instead with something else.
Live for yourself , suddenly seems a lot more like love yourself.
Went with little red riding hood, where Felix begrudgingly delivers different items(mostly baked goods) to Ingrid's grandmother, and Sylvain is the wolf that "escorts him there to make sure Felix stays safe" despite them both knowing Felix can handle himself and that Sylvain is probably the most dangerous things in these woods. They both decide to ignore those facts though.
The doodle that inspired this idea during one of my classes
(Some of the notes on Felix-How are you today? I love you. Did you know how much I need you? You're such a big part of my life. -And many more + hearts)
All these years and not much has changed, has it? But you're different, Felix. You used to be so, I don't know...carefree when we were young. Now you're the exact opposite.
Well, you're not any different. Good-for-nothing then. Good-for-nothing now.
Again with the abuse! This from the guy who's always been by that good-for-nothing's side.