Sorry I'm late, you guys! It turns out that teachers love giving you homework on the first day of school!

Anyway, I decided to combine two prompts because, if you know me, you know that angst is my thing, so I chose the angstiest two and combined them together!

After a grueling year of reconstructing and searching, they finally reached Shambhala. They entered the underground city, wary of their surroundings before they came face to face with Thales. "Welcome, children. We are so happy that you could join us in our humble abode."

"Drop the small talk, Thales," Hubert growled, taking a step forward. "You know why we're here."

"I suppose that I do. But my…such lovely gifts you have brought me." He took a few steps forward, surveying the room. "All these beautiful Crest for me to experiment with."

"We didn't come here so you could continue your Crest games." Hubert, being one of the few people in the room who didn't possess the Crest, stepped forward. "You will die today, Thales."

"How sad. I was hoping to get one more experiment before I die." He flashed four Crests in his hand. Hubert paled. "Do you recognize these Crests? They've been the subjects of my newest experiment. And now, I have live test subjects."

"You wouldn't!"

"I wouldn't?" Two of the Crests glowed in his palm. "It seems I have two of the four Crests of the Four Saints. I wonder who they are."

"Get Ferdinand and Bernadetta-" Edelgard couldn't even finish before lightning crackled through the air, sending both Ferdinand and Bernadetta to their knees. Both Hubert and Petra were quick to react, going over to both of them respectively. Ferdinand clung to Hubert's overcoat, his breath heavy. "It hurts, Hubie…"

"What did you do?" He protectively wrapped his arms around the ginger, looking up at Thales.

"My, my…what's this? Does Imperial Minister von Vestra have feelings for another? How very interesting."

"Don't you dare!"

"And who's going to stop me?" He reached out his hand and all the Crests disappeared except for the Crest of Cichol, which went from a bright white to a deep purple.

Ferdinand let out a blood-curdling scream. He shoved Hubert away, hunching over himself. Hubert instantly tried to go back, but Ferdinand motioned for him to stop. " Ferdinand-"

"Stay away, Hubert. I…I can't control it."

"Control what?" He tried to take a few steps forward, but the ginger stopped him again.

"I said stay away!" He let out another scream as a purple haze covered his eyes, turning them into an ugly dark orange.

"Ferdinand!" Hubert looked back up at Thales. "What have you done?"

"It's lovely, isn't it? My latest Crest experiment. Though it only works if I know what Crest a person has. A flick of the wrist and they become him to control."

Recovering from her shock, Edelgard was the one to speak. "You mean…"

"That your dear Prime Minister is now my puppet."

"How could you?!" Edelgard looked towards her friend. She had never seen him so shocked, so afraid.

On Hubert's face, was absolute, unfiltered, terror.

"It won't do us any good to just sit here, however." He walked up to Ferdinand, who had stood while the two were talking. He ran a gnarled hand through his hair. "My first order for you, my doll…is to kill the Imperial Minister."

Without a word, Ferdinand lunged. He clutched the Spear of Assal in his hands, getting ready to strike Hubert.

The mage couldn't find it in himself to retaliate. He barely managed to dodge out of the way. He looked at the ginger like he had grown a second head. "Ferdinand, listen to me!" He got no response. "This isn't you! We're your friends. You're being controlled and you have to snap out of it!"

"There's no use, Imperial Minister," Thales said, watching the scene play out with a smirk. "The only person he'll listen to is me."

"How cruel…" Hubert heard Bernadetta whisper as he continued to dodge the incoming blows. He heard Dorothea say something about changing him back, but he couldn't focus on it. He somehow managed to get a good luck at Ferdinand. His arms were shaking slightly and there was a small glint of sadness in his eyes. "Ferdie, look at me."

The pet name causes the ginger to falter. Hubert took that opportunity to grab the man, prying his weapon from his hands and pinning his arms to the side. He looked him in the eyes, pale green meeting hazy amber. "It's me, Ferdie. I want to help you, but you have to fight back."

Ferdinand squeezed his eyes shut and when he opened them, the haze disappeared. His forehead glistened with sweat, making his hair cling to his face. He looked up at Hubert with an expression that made Hubert's stomach twist. "Hubie…I…I can't do it-"

"You can. You're fighting back right now."

"But I can't! The more I resist...the more it hurts. I'm trying as hard as I can and-" he cut himself off with a scream, freeing his arms and clutching his chest.

"Ferdinand!"

When he stopped, he put his head to Hubert's chest. "Hubie…kill me, please."

"What?!" He pulled the man back to arm's length. "What are you saying? I could never do that-"

"I know that it's a lot to ask but…I don't want to hurt you. If I have to die…I want it to be by your hands in your arms. Please, Hubie."

"I…I can't."

Ferdinand winced, pulling at his overcoat. "Hubie, please! Before I hurt you. I want my final thoughts to be of you, my love."

Hubert looked away, blinking back tears. "My world would be dark without my sun." He wrapped one arm around his waist, putting his other hand just over his heart.

"Even the moon shines at night." He brushed Hubert's bangs from his eyes. "I believe in you. Protect Edelgard and love Adrestia in my place." He kissed Hubert, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Hubert savored the kiss for a moment before he felt a Death Γ spell bubbling underneath his skin. He vowed to himself to make it quick. He wouldn't make Ferdinand suffer. He moved to whisper in Ferdinand's ear, magic dancing across his fingertips. "I love you, my sun."

"And I you, my dear." Ferdinand placed a kiss on Hubert's forehead.

With that, Hubert shut his eyes as the magic left his body.

"Ferdinand!"

Hubert sat up, his breath ragged. Sweat clung to his forehead. He slid the sheets off of him, suddenly feeling very hot. He rubbed his face, fighting back tears.

He heard rustling beside him and nearly fired off a spell then and there. It wasn't until he heard a voice—soft and gentle—that he relaxed. He felt a warm hand against his arm as a shadowy figure sat up, his hair softly mused from sleep. He yawned. "...What's wrong, Hubie?"

"...It's nothing, Ferdinand. You can go back to sleep."

The ginger didn't say anything for a while, but simply lit a candle on their bedside table. He looked at Hubert, his freckles dancing with the flame.

Hubert had always wondered how Ferdinand managed to look breathtaking even when he was half asleep. His hair, up in a loose braid with stray hairs framing his face, sat lazily on his shoulder. His facial expression was soft, though it became laced with concern as his eyes met Hubert's. "You've been crying."

"It's nothing."

"I have known you for seven years and I have never seen you cry once. Plus, you woke up screaming my name." He placed his hand back on top of Hubert's. "You can talk to me, my love."

"It was just a bad dream."

"What about?" When Hubert didn't respond, he sighed. "It is only the two of us. It is okay for you to be vulnerable around me. I will be here to protect you."

"Before I do…can I see your Crest?"

Somehow, Ferdinand managed to look more concerned than he had before. Nonetheless, he held out his other hand as the Crest of Cichol illuminated the room. When it faded, he looked back at Hubert. "You were thinking about Shambhala, weren't you?"

"How did you know?"

"We have been courting for six years. We went from hating each other to loving each other in the span of a year." He smiled, laughing to himself. "Is it really so odd that I know you well enough to know what's going on in that big brain of yours?"

He squeezed Ferdinand's hand. "I suppose not." He paused, rubbing his thumb against the back of Ferdinand's hand. "I couldn't protect you that day. And because of that, you were almost taken away from all of us. Away from me."

Ferdinand sighed, flipping his braid behind him. "It was not your fault, Hubie. Thales was strong and I was unprepared-"

"And I should have been there to protect you. Because of me…your leg-"

"Is fine. It only acts up every once and awhile. Linhardt did a good job at healing it up. I do not even use my cane anymore, so I am fine."

"I know but…it was worse. I dreamed that…I killed you. With my own hands."

"Hubie…"

"Thales somehow managed to take control of you. You tried to break free but you just couldn't and I tried to save you and I couldn't . I killed you, Ferdinand. I couldn't protect you."

Then, for the first time in his life, Ferdinand saw Hubert cry.

The older man sobbed into his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around him. Ferdinand sat, shocked, for a while before he wrapped his arms around Hubert. "It's alright, Hubie. I'm right here. And nothing that happened in Shambhala was your fault. Sure, Thales managed to get me in the knee and mess up my leg, but if it were not for you, I probably would have died that day." He moved Hubert's head so that they were looking at each other. The ginger wiped his tears away with a smile. "You did protect me. You carried me out like a knight in shining armor. You saved my life. So don't ever say that you didn't do enough that day when you did more than enough. I am not going anywhere. We will both stay with Edelgard until we decide to retire and then we will live a happy life together. No more fighting. No more wars. Just you and me. I promise."

Hubert didn't say anything for a long time. He just looked at Ferdinand, his expression unchanging. Then he smiled softly. "How did I ever end up with a man like you?"

Ferdinand let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. "You know that I will always do whatever I can to make you happy." He pulled the covers back up, laying down. "Now, let's go back to sleep. I promise that I'm not going anywhere."

Hubert nodded, wrapping his arms around Ferdinand and pulling him into his chest. He kissed the top of his head. "Thank you, my sun. I love you."

"Anything for you, my dear."

I hope you guys enjoyed this one! I'm going to try and get caught up over the weekend, so hopefully, you'll see two from me tomorrow. Also, please keep up the comments and kudos cause they make me happy!
Stay tuned and see you guys l8tr!