"I see you've fixed your hair," Hubert remarked, a glimmer of playfulness harboured within his sinister gaze.

"Now you're just teasing me," Byleth replied, watching him carefully from across the delicately fashioned table. The sun sat heavily in the sky as dusk began to settle. The beautiful hues of the sunset sky coupled with the elegance of the gardens made Hubert stand out like a sore thumb. Dressed mostly in black with his midnight hair slicked back, like a shade amongst the sunlight. Even so, he appeared quite relaxed in these surroundings. "You've seen me plenty of times after battle and never once commented on my hair. Has something changed?" Byleth brought the teacup to her lips, taking a sip.

"You're unusually cold to me today, Byleth," he said, watching her carefully. "By chance, does this have something to do with what I said to you earlier today?"

"Mmmph!" She choked on her tea, trying to settle the cup on the saucer without spilling any. She wondered when he would bring the subject up, but had not expected it to be so soon. Their conversation up until now had merely revolved around tactics and theory, which made the shift all the more jarring.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Byleth cleared her throat.

"Well, I…" She composed herself, realising she had been avoiding eye contact as much as possible. It was anything but discreet. "I just… Didn't expect something like that from you."

She thought back to his words from the morning, they were so poetic and gentle, it was a stark difference to his usual brooding and sinister personality. Even so, they shone a bright light on something she had kept deep within. Something she did not feel she was capable of only yesterday.

"Why so?" he asked, his voice softer than before, less scathing. He continued before she could reply, "Do you take me as someone devoid of feeling? It's only natural that we should feel close to one another, given the time we have spent together… and all we have been through."

She remembered back, there were many moments of kindness he had shown her in the past, yet she had always veiled them. As if she suspected each gesture of having an ulterior motive behind them, and so they were taken with a pinch of salt.

"I misjudged you, I'm sorry," she said sweetly, her mind falling back on previous events. "How can someone who secretly feeds Hector extra food when I'm not looking be devoid of feeling." She breathed a laugh.

His eyes narrowed, obviously annoyed that he had been caught doing so. "I can hardly let our leader's mount look sickly on the battlefield, it would surely affect morale."

She smiled. "How about last week? I overheard you talking to the armourer, you made sure that they would supply me with the finest weapons they could provide."

"Good offence is the best defence; you should be an inspiration to the strike force," he replied, his tone starting to shift back into his usual sinister candour.

"Yes, but what about the time when you-"

"- Although I do feel I should add," he interrupted, relaxing his posture to sit a little closer. His voice lowered an octave. "They are not the only reasons why I do such things."

She sat back, scrutinising his features for a glimpse of insincerity. Something about that voice and smouldering look quickened her blood, a foreign feeling coiling in her stomach as she opened her mouth to speak. Yet the words died in her throat.

"My, how I have come to enjoy making you blush." He sat back and took a sip of his coffee in victory.

Blushing again? Byleth followed suit, trying to decompress. Her drink had cooled down quite a bit already. It seemed Hubert could play her like a harp if he so desired.

"Though it is all relatively harmless," he continued, placing his cup back down. "It isn't as if anything is going to come of this. I am devoted to one person, and one alone. If you showed even an inkling of betrayal to Lady Edelgard, I would strike you down where you stand."

What is with him? Hot and cold, no in-between! She sighed, feeling a bit less flustered than before. Though a sadness rippled beneath the surface that she could not make full sense of.

"And I would remind you that I would do the same. Or maybe I would have Hector rip you to ribbons…"

"Hmph. Maybe one of the students, yes. But that creature wouldn't dare lay a tooth upon me."

It was true that the Wyvern was overly fond of Hubert, there was a sense of deep respect between them both. Hector would not allow anyone else to even touch him.

"You do seem to have a way with animals," she pondered, seeing an opportunity. "Have you ever thought about being a Wyvern rider?"

"Perish the thought," he said abruptly, crossing his arms. "I, unfortunately, have a fear of heights."

"Really? I had no idea." She was even more surprised that he would even tell her such a fact. "It's a shame though, wielding such powerful magic on a wyvern would be a sight to see." Just envisioning him flying alongside her in the skies was enough to make her thoughts flutter away.

"It would hardly be practical," he replied bluntly. "it would be difficult to be accurate, and the wings would get in the way. The risk of downing your own mount would be too high. A pegasus would be better suited, but..."

"If anyone could master it, it would be you," she replied without pause.

There was a strict moment of silence, his green eyes holding her gaze, "You… flatter me."

Byleth gave a small giggle. "This is the first time I have ever seen you falter."

"Yes… I suppose I deserve that," he replied with a curt smile.

The rest of the conversation went by just as fondly, and the weary sun had finally fallen below the horizon. The street-lamps bathed the paves in a warm, orange hue and the boldest stars were starting to shine in the deep blue sky.

It was just the two of them left in the garden, as it had been for quite some time.

"May I escort you back to your quarters?" Hubert said as they walked out of the gardens.

"You may," she replied gladly.

Garreg Mach could be quite a dull place in the evenings, she was glad for the extra company. Taking his offered arm, they began walking in comfortable silence, Byleth holding her gaze to the skies as if counting stars, and Hubert focused on the path ahead. She was glad that they'd had a chance to spend some time together, albeit slightly disappointed that Hubert's feelings were so resolutely set on Edelgard. Though it gave rise to keeping her emotions in check again – there was no chance of anything happening between them, so it was best not to think about it any longer. After a while, a memory came to her. They had been reminiscing much that evening and thought it apt to bring it up.

"Do you… remember when we met at the goddess tower all those years ago? After the ball?" she said, still watching the skies.

"Yes, I do. We must have been spotted, as some students had spread rumours of an unsavoury nature. I had no choice but to silence them."

"You threatened them?" she said with a soft laugh. "Yes, I remember, you were quite angry." A few beats of silence passed and she looked up, catching him looking at her fondly. His gaze shifted when their eyes met, and she couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad we get along much better now, you never trusted me before. I swear you once suggested poison was the best way to assassinate me."

"Well, a lot has changed. I would never have dared tell you of my fear of flying back then. To tell you of such a weakness would have been…. Damnable. And yet here I am, freely sharing it."

"I think you went out of your way to threaten or scare people. You seemed to revel in it."

"Alas, I must admit I was younger and more reckless with my words. Age has… refined me if you will."

"How so?" she replied, watching him inquisitively, trying to figure him out.

They broke apart when they approached the stairs to her quarters, footsteps echoing off the cold stone walls. The torchlight illuminated his green eyes, and Byleth couldn't help but admire their colour. "Well, for one, given what I know now, I would have said something very different to you at the goddess tower that night."

She paused by the steps, curiosity burning. "What would you have said to me?"

"Hm." He propositioned for her hand and she freely gave it. "Perhaps we should leave this for another time, it is getting quite late. We should do this again." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently, "Good evening, Byleth."

She watched him disappear down the walkway as she stood speechless and off-kilter. Was this his new hobby? Leaving her in a mess of confusion and fluster? If that was true, he was good at it.

Leaning against the wall she sighed, trying to dismiss the bewildering nature of her feelings. She cupped her hand and squeezed it to her chest.

What on earth is this man doing to me?


Thank you for reading, I'm having a blast writing this!

Shout out to General-Mudkip for reviewing, hope you liked it :D