Chapter 21: Beast

Summary: Timeline- Rewind- Before the Great Bridge of Myddin

Notes: sorry about the wait, when I originally wrote this section it would have been after chapter 10 before I had the thought for the rewind, and was one of the first chapters I wrote before I even made the current story's first chapter.
- another fanfic recommendation i'd like to give is /works/22857652/chapters/54632173
OMG this is an awesome Yuri fic no time skip, starts right at the end of the dlc and so many nice story details and yeah during my reading of it I wanted to give another Yuri moment, so sorry Felix, you'll have to beat Byleth later 3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text 21

Felix was sparring with Guren when Byleth entered the training grounds. Guren was pointing out things about Felix's posture and angle of swings. It was interesting seeing how with just a touch of gold Felix's eyes would resemble the wolf's. Perhaps the lone wolf title suited him in more than attitude. Guren seemed to be enjoying himself as well, and then he caught sight of her and parried Felix's blade to get Felix's attention back onto his surroundings.

"So I heard your packmate here issued you a challenge. Hope you don't mind teaching the pup a few tricks." Guren said.

"Guren I don't think any of the ones here would appreciate being called a child." Byleth said, grabbing a training sword that felt balanced in her hands.

"All of you are still younger than me, so I don't see what's the big deal." Guren said with a shrug.

Byleth rolled her eyes. "Should I start calling you old man then?"

The growl that came from him didn't sound human. "Don't push it Ashen."

"Then treat all of us with more respect. There is not a soul I protect here that is an inexperienced child any longer." Byleth said.

She used her speed to take a dash towards him to send him a hit. He blocked and she jumped back, only to dance around and feign a blow to his side. He went to block her and her blade went above his arm to angle at his throat.

"Point proven Ashen. I'll start learning their names." Guren said before stepping off the arena.

She heard Felix move before raising her blade to block his as he came for her. "So eager to start then Felix?" she teased before ducking around him and circling behind him.

"Same rules as usual, blade to blade, no magic, but your body can be used to strike if the opportunity opens up to the possibility. Five points or fatal blow to win." Felix said.

"Were you seriously going to start without us Felix?" Sylvain whined as he came in, Dimitri and Mercedes were behind him.

Felix glared at them irritably. "This is between the professor and myself. There's no need for spectators."

They went to the side as Felix ignored them as he went for Byleth. Exchanging swipes and parries as she blocked every attack he threw. She managed to get a point by getting into a bind with him and then throw out his balance, getting a swipe on his arm before he regained his stance.

He came back at her with a renewed vigor. Byleth recognized Guren's move before Felix managed it, dodging it and going back for another attack that he dodged.

Felix got her into a lock and managed to swipe at her leg. It contacted with the armor piece at her knee. She hissed, off balance for a moment, before she used her weight to shove him back and return with a hit of her own. This one he had blocked too low, she had more control over her blade. She pushed and disarmed him, and went in for an attack. She should have pulled back her strength, but she needed to make sure that this was over. Felix bowed on the ground before her, holding his side where she had gotten him with a fierce blow.

"Damn it!" he growled.

"You lack the mindset needed to beat her. You may have been fighting in war, but you don't have the years of avoiding death that she does. You haven't seen the monsters she's had to face that only want to use her if they manage to take her down. Your moves are good, but until you treat this as a fight to the death, where only one of you will stand in the end she will always beat you. Mind if I take a turn friend?" Yuri said, coming from the shadows.

Felix glared at him. "Mind your own business!"

Byleth rose in her stance, giving a glance to Yuri. "I'll bite. When you were teaching me was only for fun, I'd like to see how much you've improved." She said with a gleam in her eyes. Her face was still a mask.

Yuri turned to Felix. "What prize were you fighting for?"

Felix stood up. "What are you talking about?"

"Have you forgotten about our deal Felix?" Byleth asked.

"I never really cared. I just want to get stronger so I can beat you." Felix snarled. 'and be strong enough to protect you and the others. I don't want anyone else to die if I can help it.' He left that unspoken, agitated that such a sentimental idea even crossed his mind.

Yuri tilted his head. "Oh, what deal was that?" His grin was sly.

"He beats me and I have to dance for my students." Byleth answered, shrugging.

Yuri's smiled widened. "May I make the same wager? I think that sounds rather fun to witness."

Byleth tilted her head. "Felix that was originally our deal to share."

"Like I care. Let him try." Felix said before going to the sideline with the others, still silently fuming over the loss.

Dimitri wondered if Yuri failed if he might be permitted to try. Ever since he saw the outfit in Mercedes' room he had been wondering what she would look like in it. Or rather what she'd look like in it while she was on top of him and that fabric caressing his skin… he took a deep breath and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"I win and you sing for me Yuri." Byleth said in a taunting tone. Byleth slowed her breathing as she faced him, getting into her stance. Yuri had a sly grin on his face as he got into his. Dimitri wasn't sure who attacked first. He had thought that Felix had been fast but the flurry of impacts they created echoed around them. Punches and kicks were also thrown, but they were both easily dodging the other.

"The way he moves is almost like a mirror to her." Sylvain commented.

Guren nodded. "Yeah his words hit the mark too. She may fight primarily to protect her pack now, but her main goal has always been her survival. He's noticed. He'll probably be going for that next."

Felix kept his eyes on the combatants, trying to keep up with their movements. "That blow I got in at her knee, she's slowing because of it."

"With as little armor as she wears, don't you think the placement is important? Of how she will favor that leg for her more powerful strikes? When you managed to swipe it you had the perfect opportunity while she was off balance, but why you didn't take it Felix I'm not sure." Guren replied.

"I was already in the middle of a different attack, and she had bounced back so quickly. I had tried to take advantage of it but she caught me." Felix huffed.

"She took a sword to that leg when she was maybe 9 or 10 from what I heard, the reason the story kept getting told was it was unnatural that she didn't cry because of it. She had tore it out of her own leg and used it on the dastad that stabbed her. She was limping for a while, but it healed well enough." Guren said.

Dimitri noticed that she had slowed down a bit too. They had spent some of their nights just tracing the other's scars, acknowledging the pain that came with them, but not forcing the other to talk about it. Among all of her scars she had a particularly bad one on that leg near her knee. He didn't make the connection of it to her armor, though. That was a bad opening to have. When the arrow had gotten her calf, if it had landed on her good leg instead she could have been rendered immobile during Gronder, and that thought made him worry.

The game of cat and mouse Yuri and Byleth were playing was artful to watch. It was like they were both participating in a dance to catch the other. Dimitri paid more attention to her movements, how if she had to push herself forward, she was using her unarmored leg for the most part. Yuri dodged the hit she threw out and sideswiped her other leg out from under her. Off balanced she tilted forward, Yuri came behind her with his blade at her throat.

"Looks like you'll be dancing for us friend." Yuri said before letting her go.

She fell forward, trying to catch her breath. When she tried to stand her leg was shaking and she buckled at first, cursing. Yuri wrapped an arm around her waist and braced himself against her.

"Whoa there friend. I didn't think I got you that badly. Don't push yourself too much." Yuri said.

"It will pass, it always does." She growled.

"Old mercenary wound then?" Yuri asked.

"One from when I was still learning how to fight." She replied.

"We are cut from the same cloth you and I, both of us having to learn to fight for survival before anything else. I'm sorry your scars still burden you." Yuri said.

"Thank you Yuri. You are so much more than what you appear to be." She said as she tested her weight on her leg before slipping away from him, leaving a hand on his shoulder for balance as she rubbed the back of her leg.

"We all must wear our masks don't we? I did come here for a different reason. I wanted to show you that book in the shadow library that I told you about." He said.

Mercedes took to the arena. "Would you like any healing magic on it, professor?"

Byleth tested it again before standing on her own. "It should be fine. Just irritating, but the blows weren't enough to hurt.

"Your slacking Ashen." Guren growled.

"Oh shut it wolf." She grumbled shifting her weight as she bounced back and forth. She winced after the third time.

"You haven't been massaging it like you're supposed to have you?" Guren growled.

Byleth looked away from him.

"Ashen" Guren growled. When she continued to ignore him he grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "You promised that you would take care of yourself. Now keep your word. Are you at least doing your stretches?"

"Yes father, I've been a good pup and followed your instructions." She said sarcastically.

Guren let her go with a scowl. "I'm a guard Ashen nothing more, nothing less. You are my charge and it's frustrating to know that you've been neglecting things you need to do to keep yourself sharp."

Byleth put the training sword back into the rack. "I'll meet you at the library Yuri."

"You have a pack now! It's not only yourself you need to worry about! If you are going to lead, then rise to the queen you are and not a stubborn, proud pup!" Guren yelled.

Byleth whirled on him. "Don't you think I know that?" She snapped before she left, with Yuri following close behind.

Guren huffed. He rubbed his eyes as the veining was coming forward "Dimitri, can I count on you for keeping an eye on her. She's going to end up getting herself killed for something stupid if she doesn't. That knee and her shoulder for her sword arm were always her most overworked spots. They'll cramp on her if left alone, the stretches can only do so much."

Dimitri nodded. "I'm curious as to how you know so much about her habits she should keep."

"My memory is a lot better than Darren's and I pay more attention. In my old pack I was the Queen's guard, before Cornelia's men came through and ripped our pack apart. They captured my sister and I, but both alphas and the rest of my pack were killed that day. I will not fail to protect another packmate." He said before he left.

Dimitri watched him go. He sighed before he followed the path towards Abyss. He was almost at the library when he heard voices.

"Please keep in mind that the only reason I'm here is that Edelgard owes you a debt and wishes to clean that slate. It would be easier to dispose of you now and save us the trouble, but she wanted to give you one last chance. I also demand to know what you've done with Bernedetta and Ferdinand."

Dimitri froze as he recognized that voice.

"Depends, do you have what I requested? That is the only way you're getting any answers out of me." Byleth answered.

Dimitri's fist clenched. No, why would she?

Hubert's dark laughter echoed from the library. "You were always a thorn in my side. Yes, I have what you described in the letter. Call me curious professor, why did you request such information. What are you planning?"

"They need to be stopped. The better question is why is she working with them?" Byleth asked.

"Lady Edlegard's plans are none of your concern. Now your answer." Hubert replied.

"I stay by my lion's side. As far as Bernedetta and Ferdinand they have chosen to side with us as well. What is so important that she had to start a war for?"

"Your puppy was always prone to following you wasn't he?" Hubert asked.

"What does Dimitri…." Byleth started.

"I still owe him for that lance he threw in the Holy Tomb." Hubert growled.

The next thing Dimitri knew he was dodging a mire spell as it hit the wall behind him. Hubert was standing there arm raised as he started to cast another spell.

With a shout Byleth caught Hubert's arm and stopped his casting. The glare he cast on her was dark. "You've always been an interfering nuisance. It is only because she wants to be the one to end your life if you chose to go against us that I won't take it now." Then turning to Dimitri "I'll warp her back once I'm finished with my questions."

He slammed Byleth into the wall and she crumbled beneath him. Then he grabbed her collar and they both warped out. Dimtri lunged forward only to grab empty air.

Byleth rubbed the back of her head. The last thing she remembered was Dimitri yelling out her name. Then Hubert…. She ground her teeth, that's right he had slammed her into that wall. There was something odd attached to her arm.

"You're awake faster than expected." Hubert said, closing the book that Yuri had shown her before he left.

"What is this?" Byleth asked, grabbing at the tube that was running blood down a vial.

"I wouldn't just pull that out if I were you. Consider it your payment for my answers. It's still against my better judgment to let you go, but I have my orders. She was always too soft when it came to you." Hubert said, leaning down and taking her arm. He pushed the barb down before he pulled it out, taking the vial back to a desk with a few other bottles and tools.

He wouldn't have been able to warp them all that far so where was this he took her too? Byleth stood up, wobbling a bit from dizziness. He hadn't bothered bandaging up where the barb had been and she could feel the blood trickle down her arm. She tried to focus. Dimitri was not going to be happy with the situation. She needed to get her answers and get back to him quickly. Byleth knew Hubert always carried a hidden dagger with him. If she made the wrong moves, despite his orders, he could kill her if he decided to.

"I still want to know why she decided to go to war." Byleth stated.

"Straight to the point with you isn't it? That scar you have on your breast where your heart would be, Edlegard has a similar one. Where do you think Rhea learned how to do what she did to you? The Church has many crimes to pay for and all of them point to Rhea. Tell me professor, in our previous conversations, you told us Rhea's wording when she sent your students to quell Lenato's rebellion. It had made you furious because you heard her underlying threat when she said to you that it would be good for them to see what happens when you pointed your blades against the church."

Byleth came over to the table, her hand putting pressure to keep the wound from bleeding. He was putting her blood in some sort of liquid, but his reactions weren't happy. His mouth stayed in a slim line, and his eyes narrowed. She did remember being angry at Rhea for that comment. She had heard the message behind the silver tongue. The madness Rhea displayed in the Holy Tomb mirrored Dimitri's on the battlefield. She remembered the dream her father had mentioned in the diary. She had had it again recently and she was certain it was Rhea in the dream.

"Do you know anything of the Red Canon?" Byleth asked.

"Other than it is holy ground to the church, it hasn't been any interest to us." Hubert answered.

"Whatever happened there it was necessary to start a war with Nemisis over. I've seen the past Hubert, and I've seen Sothis. I know that I hold the title of archbishop once Rhea's gone, but I don't want the church that she's built. There is something rotten in this world and it starts with Slither's poison." Byleth said.

Hubert turned his gaze to her. "If you somehow managed to win the war against Lady Edlegard, what are you and Dimitri planning?"

Byleth looked back. "Peace for one. I plan on trying to turn the church locations as places for children to take classes, not on religion but basic reading and writing at the very least. We don't want crests to be a deciding factor, Ashe is a good example. He's a commoner without a crest, but Dimitri has spoken about making him part of the LionGuard if Ashe doesn't want to take care of Lenato's lands instead. Either way he's worthy of the title because of his actions and ethic, not because he was born to it. There's a lot to address, and we've only talked about it amongst ourselves."

Hubert gave her an odd look. "Dimitri shares these same ideals?"

Byleth nodded. "Considering he came up with a few of the ideas himself, I can answer yes."

"I see. I find it interesting considering what Lady Edelgard fights for. Those that slither in the dark are a means to an end, but we do plan on eliminating them once Fodlan is united. You are correct in that their poison runs deep." Hubert said.

"Which is why I ask again, why is she working with them?" Byleth asked.

Hubert only gave a dark chuckle. "Here is what you asked for in your letter. I will say no more. Go back to your puppy before he does something stupid. Thank you for the experiments. I hate to say that the results are not as forthcoming as I wished them to be, but I am glad I got the chance none the less."

Byleth's head went dizzy again as she found herself warped back to her original point. She leaned up against the wall, a large stack of papers and book in her arm where Hubert had placed them. The Abyss guard started shouting for help as she found herself trying to stay upright.

She heard Dimitri's voice before she faded out again.

Dimitri had been trying very hard not to strangle Yuri as the man was attempting to get him to calm down. They couldn't have warped that far and he already had men searching. Dimitri's patience was wearing thin as he paced the library. His mind warred between anger and paranoia at the possibility of her being a spy, to panic because, if not, she had just been kidnapped.

He didn't know how long his vision was red, his mood foul, and his body tensing from his own inaction. The voices were back laughing at him, telling him that this is what he deserved this for abandoning them. Then shouting broke into his thoughts and he stepped outside the library to see Byleth slumped against the wall. He called her name before coming over to her. He scooped her up and listened for her heartbeat, calming when there was none, but her pulse at her neck was strong. He saw the items in her arms but he paid them no mind as he carried her back to her room.

He dropped her into the bed and went to lock the door as she shook her head and tried to sit up. The papers fell from her grasp. She held her head against her palm and that's when he noticed the blood that trailed down her arm.

"What did he do to you?" Dimitri growled.

"Just….. just took a little blood….. gah my head still hurts. Why do warps sometimes feel so dizzying?" She was hissing and trying to shake her head for clarity.

"Do you mind telling me what the hell that was about?" Dimitri roared.

Byleth looked up at hearing his flat dangerous tone. His eyes were frosting over and his face twisted into a scowl.

"Dimitri I know why you were angry and it had to be upsetting, but it was a gamble I was willing to make. I did mention to you that I had sent a letter to them as well, I just didn't think that they would respond." She said.

"You sound too much like Claude." He grumbled, snatching the papers and transferring them to the desk.

"I'm sorry this has effected you so badly. When I sent those letters, this was not what I had planned." She said, looking over to him.

"The monster has always been there Byleth. I could have lost you just now, and there wasn't a damn thing I could have done about it if he had sent you back with a blade buried in your chest." Dimitri growled.

She looked up at him. "And yet, you never let it out long enough to try to tame."

"And what do you mean by that?" He asked, turning around. Why was she changing the subject? Was she not concerned with her own death? His mind whispered.

She got up and walked over to him. "That morning the first time I woke up, I still wonder what you would have continued with if I hadn't interrupted you. There are times that your strength excites me Dimitri. Even these nights we've enjoyed you hold back. It has all been pleasurable but I can't help but wonder what being under your control entails. What other dreams you've had of what you want to do with me?"

His face flamed and he looked away from her. "Why are you bringing that up now of all things?"

"Because I had that same fear after he warped me away from you. I was worried for you and the situation. You're voice right now I've only heard a few times so of course I'm going to focus on the more pleasurable moments you've used it in my presence. The blood was payment for his answers, but for the moment, I am off-limits to kill and the questions were simple and brief so it was not as worrying for me." She said, examining her arm. The bleeding had stopped.

He glared at her. "And how am I supposed to take this? I am keeping a lid on my temper because it is you, but I can't help these thoughts that are calling me a fool for trusting you. What debt did you owe Edelgard? If you're not a spy for her, then what have you offered?"

She met his gaze. "You were not the only one having nightmares at the monastery. I was coming to check up on you one night when I heard her cry out. Hubert had tried to stop me, but because I knew what you went through I knew she shouldn't be alone either and I told Hubert exactly that. He begrudging let me, while giving me a threat about her safety. She asked me to not speak to another soul about the details, but she has her own Duscar that surrounds her family."

Byleth swallowed hard and looked down. "If Lysinthia has told you what happened to her family then you already know what they did to Edelgard's. Hubert said that Slither is just a means to an end, a tool to be thrown aside the moment its worth is spent. I still can't see how she is working with them. I heard the seething and pain she hides behind that tone she held those nights…..You asked me why I didn't use the pulse at the Holy Tomb. The truth was I was just as shocked as you. When my father died she was … she wasn't supportive like you had been, but she was sad and angry as well, but I still….I had no inkling it was her until that mask came off and then you unhinged at the same time to give me another jolt. I couldn't cope with the shock. I had a tangle of feelings that I had no idea what they were. I had thought that I had gotten to know all of you, and yet the masks you all wore fooled me completely. By the time she had escaped and trying to calm you and Rhea down enough to get you out of the tomb it was too late to go back with the pulse."

Byleth went to the desk going through the papers as Dimitri started to pace. An envelope flittered out of the pile. Confused, she turned to see the Empire seal on it, with my teacher written on the front. There was only one person that was so formal with her. She opened it, feeling Dimitri's gaze on her and a sound of disgust before he resumed his pacing.

Thank you, for the kindness you showed me in my time of weakness, know that now my heart will not let me stray from my chosen path, and I am no longer that little girl who cried in the dark. Do not burden yourself with the blame, it is Rhea that had earned my hatred. For you I hold only regret, I wish that you had chosen to fight by my side, but wishes too are for fools. I have always admired your loyaty and your strength and it helped me find myself. Those false halls still hold cherished memories of a time long past that I must tear down. We shall finally see if I have gained the strength to unbind myself and rise to someone who can ultimately surpass you. This war can only end when Fodlan is united under a single banner and I will bring the dawn that Fodlan needs. The church must answer for its atrocities. There are no need for gods in the world I see. Know that even though our swords may cross, there's no denying that our chosen paths ever will. Goodbye my teacher, when next we meet one of us will breathe our last.

Inside was something Byleth hadn't seen for a long time, a whetstone that was violet in color and when she had given it to Edlegard for her birthday tea party she had told her to use it to sharpen her desire. Byleth gripped it in her hand, clenching her teeth as some feeling tried to choke her.

"If Rhea hadn't brought me to life you would have never experienced that nightmare in the first place. You, Lysinthia, and countless other children, all of you had to suffer so much because of me. So how can I not blame myself? I lived, and yet all of you were hurt or killed in my stead." The whetstone broke in her hands, brittle from being used so many times over the years.

Dimitri stopped in his pacing. He wasn't sure if she had realized she had spoken that out loud. He felt calmer at her words, but he still couldn't shake the fear he had felt when Hubert had warped her away. He was afraid he had lost her yet again.

"May I see the letter? It's not out of mistrust. I want to see what's hurt you so." He asked, coming to her.

She handed it to him and tossed the crumbled stone in the bin she kept next to her desk. Her mask was back. He could still see the way her fingers twitched as she rubbed her nails with her thumb, a nervous tick he had seen her have at times. He was able to choke down the feelings of paranoia that had surged him as it whispered in his mind that she was a spy, and that he was a fool for being tricked so easily as he read the contents.

It was goodbye in every sense of the word. On her off days Edelgard would sometimes come to Byleth for advice or to spar back when they were still students. He remembered seeing Edlegard smile a few times that he had seen them together. She had tried convincing the staff that like how students could move to a different class, perhaps the teachers could also change their chosen house leaders. Dimitri and Edlegard had many arguments over that. Byleth had intervened by telling Edelgard that while she respected Edlegard, her heart belonged to her lions and she couldn't imagine being without them. She had also said that Dimitri was the only leader she needed. He didn't even see the look on Edelgard's face because he was looking up at Byleth shocked, as his heart burst from pride and adoration at her words.

It was Byleth's turn to pace as he sat at the desk. It was unnerving and he wondered at how she felt when he had been the one towering over her. There was a large difference in their demeanors. He had been mad at her, but hers was driven by something other than anger. He turned to look at the other papers that listed facilities and places that Hubert had found that Slither involved in. He recognized a few of them, but there was one item that he found particularly interested in. He had been looking up information on Lord Arundel for a while and he had just received the piece he had been missing for so long.

"You see it too then? Again I am sorry for the scare, but it was worth it for the intel." she said.

"Yes, he was in the area at the time." He replied, picking up the reports. There was a lot of information here that he could never get his hands on with the network he had.

"I did catch you in the library that night you know. I've had my suspicions on Aurendel too for a while. They would want to keep a close eye on Edelgard. Who better than a member of her own family that wouldn't raise any suspicion?" She said.

Dimitri sighed. " I've had those same thoughts." He ran his hands through his hair and took out the band to let his hair fall.

He watched her for a moment before he placed the papers and laid them on the desk. "Talk to me Byleth. Something is still bothering you."

Byleth brought her hand to her chest and rubbed a small faint scar. "Rhea, the process she used to bring me to life, has brought suffering to others through the experiments slither has been attempting. Only a few like Lysynthia, Edlegard, and myself can be considered successful. There might be others out there, and I assume a lot more are failures. If I had to take a guess, the Ashen wolves are all victims too, considering how rare their crests are."

Dimitri was at a loss for words. She went to get the tea set out. She had grabbed some lavender this time, which he knew was her favorite besides the apple and honey blend. She had left the herbs behind that she had been putting in with it sometimes. He took them out and laid them on the desk next to her.

"Oh I won't be needing those today unless…. I don't know if either of us are in the mood for that right now." She said. "I can make some chamomille afterward if you want something."

He tilted his head. "I'm not sure I get what you mean and, no I'm fine."

"Any child we have will be after the war, not before." She said, putting the pouch of herbs back in the cabinet.

Dimitri felt his anger deflate. How could he be so careless? He hadn't even given any thought to that part in either timeline. And she had told him about the letters that she had sent the first week they had been back. Mainly questions to see if there might be a way to come to terms of peace somehow and asking about what information they had on slither. Like her he hadn't thought they would respond, much less send Hubert himself here. His mind picked up on another detail as he was sorting through it. Once this war was over she welcomed the possibility of a child with him.

"Dimitri?" her call broke him out of his thoughts. She was turned to look at him.

He came up to her and buried his face in her hair and wrapped his arms around her. "There are times when I can't even trust my own mind. The very idea of you being a spy with all of the power you have is unfathomable. You have been nothing but loyal and loving. You've given me so many of your secrets and your trust and yet I wield my anger at you as if you are to blame. Honestly, how do you put up with me?"

"I am not blind to your faults Dimitri, but that doesn't mean they make me love you any less. You have your good qualities too. You make a nice blend of Felix and Ashe." She turned her head, so her cheek rested against his.

Dimitri couldn't help just stare at her before laughter bubbled up in his throat. "Where did you even come up with such a notion?" He asked when he could finally breathe again.

"That first night after I took you to my room I started going over everyone in the house, wondering why it was only you that stirred up emotions in me. I compared you with everyone else, differences and similarities. Like Felix you're a good sparring partner, always try to do your best and push yourself to meet whatever goal you're after. Like Ashe you are loyal to your ideals and usually have good intentions behind all of your decisions." She said.

She twisted in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then there are the qualities that are all your own that I like. There's also the feelings you give me whenever you touch me. The pleasure I feel when your teeth and lips scrape my skin. The safety I feel in your arms. There are plenty of reasons why I put up with you as you worded it."

"You're going to be impossible to stay angry at, aren't you?" he asked.

"I was hoping I could distract you from it, yes." She said teasingly.

He held her face in his hands and stroked her cheeks before he sighed. "Well it worked. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you Byleth. I know you can take care of yourself, but do me a favor and try not to be alone if you can help it. It would put some of my worries to rest without restricting you too much."

She leaned into his touch. "I think I can manage that, but try to do the same. You're important to me too Dimitri. Also it wasn't just distractions. What I told you was true. I want to see what it is you desire to do to me that you're holding back from. You have gained more control over your strength. I only saw it briefly when you were still distraught. Will you show me tonight? You might be surprised how much of it I end up liking." She asked, reaching underneath his shirt and digging her nails in lightly against his skin.

He hissed and shuddered at her touch. His thoughts had gone to that day, mostly in shame that he had handled her so roughly. He had had plenty of other depraved ideas enter his mind that he had entertained, but men didn't do that to those they loved.

"You are my lion Dimitri. You can defile me as much as you want as long as you don't hurt me. I'm not a noblewoman who has never had a bruise or cares about proper conduct. At least the marks you leave come from pleasure and I'm happy to bear them knowing that they make me yours." She said huskily against his jawline as she traced her tongue against him.

She could feel him shake around her. "Do you mean that? Truly?" He asked.

She pushed him back away from her and started taking off her casual clothes that she had put on after her bath. "I'm all yours, Dimitri. Show me how badly the beast inside of you wants me as much as the man does. I trust you. I'll let you know the moment something hurts that isn't pleasurable."

After she took off her shoes, she started taking his clothes off. She ran her tongue and nails over the skin she revealed. His mind was still trying to process what she told him. There were plenty of things he wanted to do. To be permitted to try some of them, combined with the feelings she was giving him.

"What brought this up really?" he asked.

"One I could have died today if Hubert decided to be hostile, two I'm still ticked off a bit from losing and haven't gotten that frustration taken care of, and …." She looked away from him her cheeks reddening.

"Continue." He said, lifting her chin so she was looking at him.

"I got smacked into a wall and he had pulled on the fabric around my neck. You had pinned me against the wall that morning when I touched you. Gah, please don't make me spell it out." The red blush on her face was only getting darker.

Dimitri's laughter was dark as he pulled her closer, one hand squeezing her ass, the other stroking her lips. "You are so lovely right now. Tell me what you want Byleth. I want to hear it from your lips."

He had never seen her flustered like this before and it thrilled him.

She met his gaze. "I want you to show me the depths of your desire for me. I know I love it when you bite and suck on my skin. I want you to pin me and use your fingers again."

"Then show you I shall."

If you'd like to read the scene please go to archive of our own org / works/22986058/chapters/55589284 for the original posting. Chapter 6 and 7 are already pushing fanfiction rules. I'm really not sure why it cuts off the link like that but archiveofourown is where I am posting this story first and there are plenty of steamy fics there for your pleasure