(I don't own Fire Emblem, blah blah blah, insert standard disclaimer here)
STOP! This is a side story to my series Metallover's Self Insert Adventure. It will make absolutely zero sense unless you have read that, too. You have been warned.
Introduction: So, to keep my ass safe from Nintendo Lawyers ™, I'll be starting to upload this series to FF and AO3, too. These shorts, Metallover's Self Insert Supports, are a side-story to the main canon Self Insert story. They get posted to my (P)atreon twice a month, with artwork that will remain (P)atreon exclusive. This story will update monthly, with two 'conversations' a chapter. Aside from that, they're pretty self-explanatory. Support conversation style shorts starring the other characters of the Metallover-verse. I've actually started really liking writing these shorts, so I'm excited to share them here with everyone.
Chapter 1 – Virion & Olivia
C-Level Support
Olivia leaned back in the high-backed lounge chair she had claimed, doing her best not to groan with satisfaction as she finally got off her feet. It had been another long day of preparing supplies for the other platoons of the Royal Ylissean First Heavy Infantry, and while the work was rewarding it was also exhausting. Night had fallen not that long ago, and after a dinner that Olivia was so exhausted she didn't even remember eating she had slunk off up to the Officers' Quarters of the barracks.
Ever since Virion and the First Platoon had made a show of helping during the flooding in the southern territories their numbers had almost tripled, and it was getting to be too much for Olivia's small Third Platoon to handle alone. Yet all of the new recruits were being trained for the Second and the new Fourth and Fifth platoons, leaving the couple dozen soldiers under Olivia's leadership out in the cold. At least Anna was being helpful, organizing more uniforms and weapons with her and helping with some of the more esoteric paperwork. Toady, too was being surprisingly helpful when he wasn't off blowing stuff up with the time-traveler Laurent. But Virion and Ricken were totally absorbed with their own platoons, and Ben was… well, Ben was busy being Ben. No doubt he'd help if Olivia asked, but their General would no doubt drag Lucina along with him, then Noire would catch wind and want to spend time with her father, that pyromaniac Laurent would end up getting involved too, Robin would tag along just to laugh at the mess and pretty soon all the work Olivia needed to get done would be doubled in the ensuing chaos. Said chaos tended to follow Ben wherever he went, which meant that at the moment Olivia needed him far away from her work.
She sunk a little deeper into the plush cushions of the chair, wishing that she'd had the energy to remove her boots, at the least.
Olivia, like all the other dual Shepherds/Officers, had taken to wearing the duty tunic of the Royal First when she was working. The muted blue tunic she wore was currently hanging open, the core of her dancer's attire and her bare midriff visible beneath. In fact, she still wore her dancer's clothes every day beneath the uniform as a matter of comfort and security; she felt more confident, more in control of her shyness when she was wearing it. She would just leave the flowing decorative gossamer and silk sections off to streamline it enough to fit under the uniform.
The dancer knew it was silly, but it still definitely made her feel better about being in a position of authority she didn't feel like she'd earned.
Her maudlin thoughts were interrupted as heavy footsteps announced another person approaching the small common area, an exhausted and shambling Virion appearing out of the short hallway. He paused when he spotted Olivia, clearly debating drawing himself up and brushing off his fatigue to flirt the way he always did, but exhaustion won out and the archer merely shuffled across the room and fell into the chair opposite her.
"By the gods, what a day," he groaned, propping his feet up on the low table between them. "At least we know we have Bertha's cooking to look forward to now."
Olivia gave a tired giggle, grinning at the taller man who was slouching almost exactly the same way she was. Virion glanced up at her, tiredly pulling at his ever-present cravat and failing to do any more than loosen it.
"I-I… think that's the most normal I've ever heard you sound," she smiled.
"And that, my dear, is the least I've ever heard you stutter," Virion grinned back.
They shared a tired smile, both too exhausted to even laugh. Olivia wouldn't say it to his face, but she was actually rather comfortable around Virion. Ever since he had taught her the traditional ballroom dancing of his homeland during the war with Plegia she had found herself less nervous in his presence. Until he started flirting. She still didn't know how to deal with the flirting. Usually she ignored it.
"I do say, though, that our vaunted General seems intent on working us to death," Virion groaned, eyes drifting closed. "I fear if I try to rise now I will end up running another set of laps around the barracks simply from habit!"
Olivia chuckled a little, leaning her head back again.
"I know what you mean," she said. "I'm so buried under uniforms and armor I'm afraid I'll never come up for air! I'm so tired I don't even think I could dance right now!"
"Ah, such is the pity," Virion sighed. "Truly, I could use one of your restorative dances at present. Then, perhaps, I could keep up with the crippling pace Ben has set for the combat platoons."
The archer's thin face turned into a weak scowl, his brow furrowing above closed eyes.
"That he expects the First Platoon to outperform every other platoon is all well and good, but how am I supposed to keep pace and still lead the rest of the regiment?" Virion complained. "I fear I am very nearly at my wit's end!"
"We could tell him that we're being pushed too hard," Olivia suggested.
Virion sighed out his nose, cracking one eye to glance at her.
"Do you really think that would work?" he asked, his tone telling her that the answer was no. "Ever since the most beauteous princess Lucina has revealed her identity to us he has been as a man possessed. Even his training regime eclipses my own! At this very moment he is up on his little perch, 'pumping iron' as he put it."
"I thought he just went up there to smoke with Robin," Olivia said.
"No, fairest Olivia, he is up there continuing to train," Virion sighed, closing his eyes again. "It is why he is always so grumpy come breakfast."
"Maybe… we can talk to Robin, then? Over breakfast?" Olivia suggested.
Virion made a noncommittal grunt, turning his head a little.
"I mean, I know she's just as busy as we are, trying to keep up with training and her duties as tactician, but she'd understand, right?"
When no response came Olivia leaned forward slightly, looking closer at the archer.
"Virion?"
The man let out a soft snore, eliciting another giggle from the dancer. With pained, aching slowness Olivia climbed to her feet and went to Virion's room. She took the blanket off his bed and brought it back to the common room, putting it over the man and tucking it in around his shoulders.
"I'll talk to Robin tomorrow," she promised. "You just worry about resting. But right now, I need these boots off my feet."
Virion & Olivia B-Rank
Another evening had come after yet another long day of hard work, and although she was once again exhausted Olivia had a distinct spring in her step as she came into the Officers' Quarters' common room, one she felt she had been lacking for the last few weeks.
As she had said to a most-likely unconscious Virion a few days ago, Olivia had spoken to Robin about their little problem with the work load, and she had promised to pass on their complaints to Ben.
Olivia had also managed to do a considerable amount of the work that had been backing up, getting the majority of the new uniforms and equipment packets sent out to the new platoons. Her storage room looked much cleaner, the blacksmiths in the Third Platoon would be taking the rest of the week off for a well-earned rest, and Bertha had even made her favorite pie for dinner. Everything was beginning to come up-
"Heya Pinkie-pie, got a minute?"
The dancer froze like a rabbit in front of a wolf at the sound of the singular nickname, slowly turning to see Ben ambling towards her. He was glancing down at the stack of papers in his hands, looking down at them distractedly as he leafed through them, the lamplight reflecting off the bald skin of his head.
"Uh, B-Ben I… uh…" Olivia stammered.
The bearded General didn't even break stride or look up, apparently finding the bundle he was looking for in his pile and handing them off to her as he walked past.
"Just finished with some new requisition orders. Can you cross-check to make sure we don't double anything up before sending them to Anna in the morning? That stingy bitch already gets enough money out of us, I don't need to make it too easy for her. Thanks, you're a doll. I'll be upstairs with Robin if you need us."
She watched him pass and head straight for the stairs with his nose still buried in his own papers, the exchange happening faster than Olivia could even think to say no. Once he had disappeared Olivia looked down at the new bundle of papers in her hands and had to fight very hard not to burst into tears. 'In the morning' he'd said. Which meant she could either go and get this done now or risk trying to get up early enough to do it before Anna arrived, and given how tired she was there was no way Olivia wouldn't oversleep.
With a tired, angry sob, Olivia turned on her heel and shuffled back the way she'd come, making for her store room.
"Stupid, lousy, jerk-faced… meanie!"
Olivia huffed as she moved boxes of supplies around her store room, carefully inspecting their contents against the requisition orders that Ben had given her. While the timid dancer was still being very careful, anyone that knew her would have seen the minute extra force with which she was moving the crates. For her, this was practically throwing them around the room.
She gave another sigh, waving some air into her face as she stopped for a breather. It had taken her two hours, but she was almost finished. After barely twenty minutes she had gotten hot and frustrated enough to shed her duty tunic, and now worked in her chest wrap and uniform leggings, her bare skin sheening with perspiration.
"Ah! There you are my dearest- by the gods, woman, what have you been doing in here!?"
Glancing up at the cry Olivia watched a stunned Virion approach, looking at the short stacks of crates filling the room.
"Working," Olivia huffed.
"Still!?" Virion asked, aghast.
Olivia huffed again, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"You can thank our fearless leader for that!" she snapped.
"Why Olivia, I think this is the most animated I've ever seen you," Virion chuckled.
"You can thank that… that… big ass-face for that, too!" Olivia grimaced.
Even after being around someone as foul-mouthed as Ben for so long she still just couldn't bring herself to curse like he did.
"I trust your conversation with Robin amounted to little, then?" Virion asked, leaning against one of the crates.
"I only managed to speak to her today, over dinner," Olivia sighed. "I've just been so busy, and we kept missing each other…"
"Oh, believe me, fairest Olivia, I know the feeling…" Virion chuckled. "Why, just today-"
"I mean really!" Olivia cut him off hotly. "What kind of jerk sees someone winding down for the day and dumps more work on them!? Did he not notice the sun had gone down!?"
Virion blinked in mild surprise at the uncharacteristic outburst, Olivia catching herself and instantly turning scarlet from her shoulders up in embarrassment as her mouth worked soundlessly for a few moments.
"Oh gods I'm so embarrassed!" she cried, hiding her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry Virion, forget you saw me like this! Ohhh…"
The archer gave a small chuckle, bouncing off the crate he was against with his hip and approaching the distraught woman.
"I am afraid I don't think I'll ever forget the sight of you so impassioned," Virion declared.
"I could just die of embarrassment right now," Olivia groaned through her hands.
"Come now, dearest Olivia, let me help," Virion offered.
When Olivia looked up hopefully the archer gave her a grin and a sly wink.
"But in return you simply must join me for a nightcap," he said. "I have been lucky enough to locate a bottle of the most winsome of wines from my homeland, and I was afraid I would not have anyone to share it with."
Olivia hesitated, usually one to abstain from alcoholic drinks. One couldn't dance properly drunk or hung-over, after all. However, her eyes took in the stacks of crates still behind Virion and she felt her resistance to the idea crumble.
"After the last few weeks I think I could use a good drink," she admitted shyly.
"And I guarantee you shall find no better," Virion promised her.
The shy dancer smiled brightly, glad to just have someone to share the burden with. A friend who understood what she was going through. She picked up the paperwork from where she'd left it sitting atop a nearby crate and handed it to Virion.
"I'll drink with you, but only after we get this done," Olivia told him. "I'll tell you what's in the boxes and you cross it off. We're about halfway down the top page, I've earmarked the one's I've already done."
"Very good, which side?" Virion asked innocently.
Olivia froze again.
"What do you mean which side?" she asked, a tremor in her voice.
"I mean… these sheets all having writing on both sides," Virion explained slowly. "Did you… not notice?"
Olivia's jaw dropped. She had not, in fact, noticed that the paperwork was double-sided.
Which meant that they were barely halfway through the work instead of almost done.
For the second time that night Olivia groaned, fighting off angry, frustrated tears as she internally cursed her commanding officer.
"Why did I ever sign up for this!?" she moaned loudly.
Virion fidgeted awkwardly, doing his best to remain upbeat.
"At least with two of us the work will go quicker?" he offered unconvincingly.
Olivia gave an angry sigh, shaking her head.
"I hope that bottle you have is a very big one."
"Ah, not to fear, dearest Olivia," Virion said with a wink. "It is not alone in my collection."
AN: I don't even remember which month these two came out in. Sometime early last year. I love both of these characters to death, and calling Olivia 'Pinkiepie' is one of my favorite Self Insert jokes to date.
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