In the early morning hours, before the sun peaked across the horizon, there was life inside of the kitchen in the Dining Hall. A young man was preparing breakfast for one, as best as he could. He remembered Ashe and Dedue's tricks of the trade, trying to copy a simple recipe that he had done before to impress girls in the past. However, this time he was doing this to make sure someone wouldn't stop eating.

Sylvain had been doing this for the past couple of days, ever since Jeralt's death and funeral. Byleth had barely even left her room. She was not speaking much and she definitely was not eating enough. Sylvain's hands were covered in small bandages, he had not been careful enough to avoid cutting his hands with the knives in the kitchen, but he needed to get this food to before she woke up. He scrambled some eggs on a skillet, along with cooking some oatmeal and chopped up fruit. It wasn't much, he wasn't as good at cooking like some of the other students, but it was enough to get her started for the day. He placed the plates delicately on the tray with some utensils to eat with and a fresh brewed pot of Bergamot tea. Once he felt like it was enough, he carried the tray off and made his way to Byleth's room. He had swiped a copy of her key on his last visit, and so he carefully balanced the tray in one of his hands and unlocked her bedroom with the other one.

Opening the door, he sighed in relief that she was still asleep. He had been trying his best to ensure she was getting enough sleep at least. He tiptoed across the creaky floorboards and gently placed her breakfast on her desk, pouring one cup of tea for her as well. He was so exhausted from waking up this early, but he was going to be damned if he ever let her go hungry. The worst part about this was having to wake up Byleth, since he knew that whatever sleep she had gotten the night before was extremely limited. He sighed and sat on her bed and shook her lightly.

"Byleth," Sylvain spoke softly, rubbing his hands on her shoulders, giving her a light nudge.

Byleth groaned and squeezed her eyes in annoyance, "mmmm,"

Sylvain gave a short snort, "C'mon, you gotta eat. I'm not leaving until you do, so if I fail my upcoming exams, I'm blaming it on you." He lightly removed her blankets to reveal her fully. She was wearing a linen nightgown held up by two tiny straps and a deep plunging neckline. Sylvain paused for a moment, ogling her pert and full breasts squeezed together underneath her crossed arms. His cheeks flushed, he shouldn't be thinking about her like this, not while she was still grieving her father. He shook his head and forced himself to shake her a little more out of her slumber.

"I don't need to eat…" Byleth turned away, desperately grabbing for her blankets.

Sylvain just continued to ease her out of sleep, "No, I am not allowing that, and I'm being serious, By. You need to have something in your system."

Byleth slowly stretched her arms above her head, with one of her straps of her nightgown slipping down her right arm showing more skin than Sylvain needed to see. He quickly looked away and cleared his throat, "Heh, Byleth, I think you should, I don't know...cover yourself? You're kind of…"

Byleth looked down to see her nightgown's neckline seeping down showing ample amount of cleavage. She grabbed one of her throws on her bed and wrapped it around her upper body, covering herself. Looking up to see Sylvain, he was shifting uncomfortably rubbing the back of his neck which had turned a deep red. She felt a bit embarrassed but she was a bit curious about his reaction towards her, despite how wrong it felt to do so. Tying the throw tightly, she got up out of bed, her feet padding slowly on the wooden floor. Sylvain turned slowly to see Byleth still somewhat disheveled and her eyes hollow. Her hair was tangled and looked as though she had not bathed in a couple of days, not since the funeral more than likely. She wasn't carrying the same light that Sylvain had seen at the ball, instead it was like the light was dim. Sylvain smiled softly at her and gently persuaded her to sit on one of the chairs. She looked up at Sylvain who motioned her to eat. She did so, reluctantly, although she had to admit the food was a welcome sight. She just didn't have the drive to eat or do much anymore. She could feel Sylvain's eyes on her, making sure she would lap up every bit of food on her plate. It was a normal occurance now. However, she missed being able to have light conversations with him, to laugh and joke as if none of the terrible things that occured in the past week had happened.

Cleaning her face with a cloth, she stared back at him, "How do you even get the cooks to make this so early in the morning?"

Sylvain nervously chuckled, "Well, you bribe a cook enough they're willing to do anything for you."

Byleth frowned, her grip on her spoon tightened, "You aren't flirting with the kitchen manager are you?"

Sylvain violently shook his head, "No! I'm not! I swear, I haven't flirted with anyone besides you!"

Byleth narrowed her eyes, "Are you sure?"

Sylvain matched her expression, "Why would I do something as messed up as to flirt with other women, when the one I really care about is right in front of me?" He scoffed, "You really think I'd pull something like that? While you're still grieving? What the hell, Byleth, I'm trying to take care of you, not throw you away."

Byleth dropped her spoon in her oatmeal, "I'm not a child to take care of, I am a grown woman, dammit!"

Sylvain pursed his lips, his anger bubbling up, "Is this why you're acting so prickly, then?"

Byleth crossed her arms, "I'm just…" She exhaled, her breath wavering and her body shaking, "I'm...I'm pathetic right now...I don't know what to do. Everyday I wake up and I hope that everything that happened was just some terrible nightmare. Instead, it's all real, and there's no way I can escape." Byleth's eyes began to water, causing Sylvain to wince, "I mean...I should have known this could happen, I was a mercenary, but…" Her voice trailed off.

Sylvain got up from his seat and walked behind Byleth, placing his hands on her shoulders and massaging them, "What you're feeling is absolutely normal, By. No one is expecting you to bounce back so quickly from losing Jeralt."

Byleth raised a hand to grasp one of Sylvain's, rubbing it softly with her thumb, "I know, but it feels like I'll never get over it."

Sylvain sighed, dropping his shoulders a bit, "I don't think you ever 'get over it'. I just think that over time you get better at hiding it. The pain won't be as bad, and eventually you can live again."

Byleth looked up at him with the most beautiful look in her eyes, "Is this what you felt with Miklan?"

Sylvain paused his hands' movements, he pondered for a moment, "I...don't think it was the exact same, after all I despised everything that he stood for and what he did to me. But…" His voice trailed off.

Byleth gave a small grin, "But you did care for him. Because he was family."

Sylvain sighed, "Yeah, I guess some part of me always wished we could have been close, had it not been for my Crest."

"I'm sorry, it was insensitive of me to mention that memory." Byleth muttered.

"Don't be, I'm okay," Sylvain replied, rubbing her back soothingly.

Byleth looked back at him again, grabbing one of his hands and examining it, "By the way, you have injuries on your hands. How did you achieve such a thing?"

Sylvain chuckled, "Hehe, you know how Felix can be in training. He just got a bit too eager."

Byleth raised an eyebrow at him, "Is that so?"

"C'mon, Byleth, would I lie?" Sylvain looked at Byleth's not-so-amused expression. He rubbed the back of his neck feeling his life leave it's body, "Well it's been a while since that look has graced you, my lady. I have to say I can't remember it being as intimidating, nor as adorable."

Byleth's eyes grew wide and she flushed dramatically, "I...You...Gautier! I'm being serious!"

Sylvain laughed, "Well now, Professor, it seems my light teasing can just stir any emotion out of you, huh?" He sent a charming smile and wink her way. Her heart leapt out of her chest, jeez he really was just as handsome as a Prince. His eyes were warm and inviting and when her gaze lowered to his lips, she longed to know what it was like to kiss him, to feel his cheeky smile against hers.

Byleth tore her eyes away, placing her hands on her face, "You're impossible."

Sylvain snickered, "And you, my dear, have not finished your breakfast." He went back to his seat and picked up her spoon. He scooped up some of her oatmeal and moved it towards her mouth, "Now say 'ahhh'"

Byleth gave him a deadpanned look, "What are you doing?"

Sylvain smirked, "I'm feeding my lovely Professor, what else?" He wiggled the spoon in her face with the stupidest grin. Byleth slowly took a bite of it, much to Sylvain's delight. He smiled and kept going through the same motions, until most of her oatmeal had been eaten by her. Taking care of her like this...it felt so domestic. Like how he would imagine being married to someone would be. He blushed slightly as he watched her eat more of her food, his chin resting on his hand as he sighed contently. He knew she was still going to need more healing, but it was the happy moments in between the bouts of sadness that really kept him going. She was truly the strongest person he'd ever met, and yet simultaneously, was so vulnerable to her own emotions since her experience in showing them was little to none. She was so mature and yet childish.

As Byleth finished her meal, she looked up at Sylvain, who had been silent for a while, "Sylvain, thank you for the…" She trailed off as she saw Sylvain sleeping on his hand, obviously tired from waking up so early for the last few days. Even though he hadn't said anything about it, Byleth knew that he was making her breakfast each morning. He had all of the burns and knife cuts on his hands to prove it. Plus, the dishes he would pick were relatively easy to make, not like the cooking that the kitchen staff would cook. She picked up her plates and placed them back on the silver tray they were carried out on. She was careful not to disturb his slumber. He looked so peaceful asleep, it really made her feel at ease. She couldn't help the fact he looked so damn handsome, even more so now than any other time. The way he was going out of his way for her, she felt very...loved. Yes, she thought, that's the correct word. She knew she was still healing, her grief wasn't quite over yet and it was probably going to take some time before that could ever end. However, when she looked at the slumbering redhead, she couldn't help but fall for him more. She watched him breathe slowly, and suddenly she felt the unconscious need to reward him for his kindness. She looked at his lips, and a hunger inside gnawed at her. She swallowed hard, she was always curious what kissing someone must feel like. Sure, she kissed him on the cheek before, but the lips? She had always been told that it was like fireworks or lightning, but was it really? Was this just an exaggeration? She had to know. She leaned over the desk and slowly crept into his private space. He was still unaware of her, too sleepy to even feel her breath on his face. Those lips that Byleth had seen laughing at her and smiling at her, they were teasing her into just filling the distance between them. She licked her own lips, to moisten them just a bit before she moved closer and closer. She closed her eyes, sucked a breath in and was prepared to dive in. At least that's what she wanted to do, if it weren't for the fact that Sylvain's head, which had already been dropping low, fell from his hand and crashed into Byleth's face, knocking into each others' noses.

"Ow!" They both exclaimed, Sylvain was jolted awake. He looked down to the ground to see Byleth clutching her nose and whining about the pain.

He did the same, "Byleth, what was that? Headbutting me after everything I did for you?"

"Ugh, I didn't headbutt you!" Byleth complained, blushing slightly, "I was just...cleaning up the area around you and your dumb face hit mine."

They both stared at each other for a few moments, and all of a sudden burst into a cacophony of laughter. It was the first time in days that she had done so. Sylvain was bursting at the seams, he clutched his sides, he had no idea why he was laughing so much but everything about this situation was ridiculous.

"Oh! I can't wait to tell my father about this, he will surely…surely..." Byleth's laughter halted completely at the mention of her own father. Her demeanor switched on a heel and her joyous smile was replaced with a weathered and saddened look in her eyes. Sylvain's gaze softened, his own laughter silenced. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering when and if this will get any better.

"I'm sorry, Byleth," Sylvain said.

Byleth looked at him quizzically, "What do you mean?"

"I'm...failing at all of this." Sylvain let out a snort, "I mean, I can't even keep you happy enough for an hour or two. Let alone heal your pain."

"Syl," Byleth spoke softly, getting off the ground to walk behind him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders nuzzling her head against his, "It's like you said, this isn't your fault. I appreciate everything you're doing for me."

"Yeah, but, it feels like I'm not doing enough for you, Byleth, I feel kind of like I'm hitting a brick wall." Sylvain spoke defeatedly. His head slumped and he started to play with his hands, re attaching some of the bandages that had let loose. "I just want to make all of this pain go away, it's killing me seeing you like this."

Byleth was silent, but she continued to cuddle close to Sylvain, feeling guilty that her own grief was affecting others. Sylvain looked up to her giving her a small smile. He started to get up from his seat, huffing out a breath, "Well, I gotta get to class though, Byleth. I can't miss any of them with Hanneman around, hehe."

"I'm sorry I ruined the mood," Byleth mumbled. Looking down in shame, wishing she would go back to change things. She could, but she knew Sothis would give her some lecture over how the misuse of her power was most unwise.

Sylvain shook his head, and in a daring move, lifted Byleth's chin so she could look him in the eye. He smiled at her and lowered his face to give a sweet and gentle kiss to her cheek, much to her own shock. She gasped in response, watching as he raised his face to her again, "It's okay, just take care of yourself while I'm gone. I'll come by around dinner and get you some food to eat." He turned to leave, giving her a pat on the shoulder, unaware of Byleth's shock and awe at his sudden display of affection. She touched her cheek, and smiled softly. She decided she would try her best to take care of herself while he was away, just so he could see that his actions weren't going unnoticed.

He exited the door to her room with a bit of a rain cloud on his head. He felt like he definitely ruined everything in one fell swoop. What right did he have to share his frustration when Byleth lost the only family member she had? He was so screwed up for doing that to her and all he could think about while he was in class was how he could make up for the fact he was a complete ass to her. By the time classes were done for the day, he needed to go to his room to take a moment to himself, to think of ways that he could fix this issue. He opened the door to his dorm and slumped himself on his bed with a thud. He rubbed his temples, annoyed and completely lost. He glanced at his desk and saw an envelope resting there, collecting dust.

Sylvain clenched his eyes shut, he knew what it was. He just didn't want to read it. He didn't have the heart. Jeralt's last letter to him was a taunt in his own mind, something that he felt he didn't know he could handle. The answer was in there, all he had to do was open the letter and read it. Sylvain grabbed the pillow behind him and squeezed it to his head. Could he have the strength to do it? To see if what it said was what he needed to hear? He tossed the pillow aside and rushed to his feet to his desk looking at the envelope with the wax seal of the Church of Seiros on it. He inhaled sharply as he grabbed the letter opener on his desk and deftly ripped the envelope to unveil the piece of parchment he couldn't bear to read days ago. He unfolded it, and clutched it to his chest before he decided to reveal its contents to himself. Taking a deep breath, he glanced down and read the letter in full.

Sylvain,

You are by far the most ridiculous and infuriating young man I've ever come across. You're carefree to a fault, annoy most of the knights to no end, and you're the worst case of skirt-chaser I have ever seen. Though, even with all of these negative qualities you have, you remind me so much of the young man your father once was. You may not believe me when I say it, but Margrave Gautier was once a lot like you; a second son who used his power and influence to get girls to fawn over him. He was talented and smart, but oftentimes would just fool around, even when Lambert and Rodrigue would try to get Sylvestre to act seriously. You are so much like him, it's actually kind of funny. I remembered how he would beg me to teach him lancefaire, mostly to impress the ladies, but I knew it was partially because he was so terrified of being the heir of House Gautier. And while I know the years haven't been kind to him, as you are aware, I still feel like his life would have been a lot different had he not known your mother. You must've thought the pair was arranged to be married, judging by the conversations we've had while sparring, but really, Sylvestre was madly in love with your mother. The only reason why he's so serious now is because he felt it was his duty to be so, even at the expense of having a loving relationship with his family.

You aren't your father, Sylvain, that much is true. In fact, as much as you remind me of your father, your true face is very much like your mother's. Florianne may have been a genius when it came to reason magic, but her best quality above all else was her kind heart and words. Despite her age, she would talk with such wisdom and charisma, you could have sworn she was Rhea. So much power was held in what she said and did, even as she was so weak physically. It was those words that drew your father in. It was her kindness that allowed her to be so close to my own wife, Sitri. And it's those words I see you speak when you talk to your friends. Such as when you told Marianne to smile more and be more confident in herself or when you told Dedue that you couldn't judge a race of people based on the horrible actions of one. I knew you weren't the idiot that others said you were.

However, I don't think this is exactly what you want to hear. You want an answer to the question you asked me, right? 'If I can, would it be okay if Byleth and I were together?' I didn't answer you then. Hell, I think I knocked you on your backside! How could someone I knew who had cheated on a large quantity of women ever really deserve my own flesh and blood? I have to admit, hearing those words come out of your mouth, I just thought you were being a snot nosed brat trying to be cheeky. I was convinced of that, until the actions at Remire and the night of the ball. I can see how you treat Byleth. You listen to her intently. You try to make her smile, make her laugh. You'd rather make yourself out to be foolish so she can grin and scold you. You even placed yourself in danger, so that my little girl could come back to me, scarring yourself in the process. And while you are not what I expected for the partner that she might choose, you certainly are doing something to her that I have to be thankful for. You're making her feel human, like she actually belongs. So many years have passed, and the fact that she smiles, laughs, frowns, and groans are almost blessings to me. To know that through you and the rest of her students, she has been taught to feel and show those feelings for the first time, gives me joy. And I see it the most, when she interacts with you. I can't say for certain whether or not she cares about you, Syl, but I know that you're an important fixture in her life, and if you were to go away, the light I see in her would to.

So Sylvain, would I have a problem with you being with my daughter? No, I guess I don't see anything wrong with it. But if you are going to be with her, you need to promise me three things. One: you won't ever abandon her. Two: when she's hurt, be there to heal her. And three: Love and support her with every inch of your being. If you can do these things, and she accepts you as her own, then yes you may have her. If you break any of those promises, you can know for damn sure that not even if I was buried six feet in the ground, I'd find a way to knock you down a few.

And Sylvain, before I end this sappy letter, know that I'm rooting for you kid. I think with some time and effort you'll become a better man and Margrave than you think, because there's only one person in your life that can dictate your future and that's you. And who knows? Maybe one day I might call you 'Son' and you'll be mine for real. Stay well, Son, and take good care of Byleth.

~Jeralt Reus Eisner

Sylvain's eyes teared up, as he quietly sobbed in his room. Jeralt, while not as important to him as Byleth was, was certainly a man that had quietly become very important to him. He didn't really expect it, after all, most fathers hated Sylvain from the moment they saw him. Not that he did himself any favors, seeing that he continuously cheated on the girls he sought out. However, with Jeralt, he pushed him in just the right places. He wasn't cruel or too soft and pitied him. He just let Sylvain hear what he needed to hear, whether Sylvain liked it or not. He was what he wanted to see in his own father. Sylvestre Gautier was usually more concerned with the future of House Gautier to see his own son's unhappiness. Jeralt knew and understood Sylvain's pain and let him vent to him.

The tears kept growing stronger and stronger. Dammit, he missed that Old Man. It wasn't fair that he had died the way he did, and thinking about it made him angrier. Jeralt should be here, so he can see Sylvain change for the better. Sylvain rubbed his eyes on the sleeve of his Officer's Uniform and looked at the letter one last time.

"I promise, Jeralt," He smiled through his tears, "I promise to all of that, and I promise I won't let you down."