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The moon sat high in the sky above Garreg Mach Monastery, surrounded by a multitude of shimmering stars. Sylvain thought it was a beautiful sight. He wasn’t one to normally wander around at night, so it was rare for him to appreciate the serene calm of the later hours. Sleep was alluding him, for he had a lot on his mind.
Sighing, Sylvain ran a hand through his hair as he rest his other on the railing on the balcony of the Goddess Tower. He hadn’t really known what to expect when he traveled here for the five year reunion that their class had arranged. Surprisingly, despite the war ravaging all of Fódlan, most of his former classmates, and their professor, had all managed to make it back for their promised meeting. Everyone had changed so much, but one person in particular had definitely blown everyone out of the water with their changes. And for some reason, Sylvain could not stop thinking about it.
Five years ago, Sylvain thought of Lorenz as a rival of sorts, as they both, in their youthful immaturity, skirt-chased to an embarrassing degree. Lorenz did it because of an obsessive need to fulfill his duties as a noble, and he himself as a coping mechanism for his fucked up upbringing. They had formed a begrudging tolerance for one another, and hadn’t really budged from that relationship.
When Sylvain was finally reunited with his rival after five long years, he was surprised for a couple of reasons. First, House Gloucester was currently aligned with the Empire, so it had shocked Sylvain to hear that Lorenz was siding with Claude against his father. Second, Sylvain had to do a double-take when he first saw Lorenz, because he did not believe that he was actually looking at the same person. His appearance had certainly changed for the better. Instead of looking like he had strapped a coconut shell to his head and painted it purple, his hair was long and styled in a rather dashing manner that suited him. His armor perfectly suited his aesthetic, and even that stupid rose that he always used to wear on his academy uniform blended well with the purple and tan of his fancy breastplate.
These past five years had certainly been kind to Lorenz, in regards to his looks. However, Sylvain was sure that he was still the same pompous, snobby noble on the inside, but he still could not stop thinking about him. He was just...annoyed, frustrated at seeing his rival again. That must be it. There was no other rational explanation.
“Ah, Sylvain. Good evening.”
Pulled abruptly from his thoughts, Sylvain turned to find the object of his annoyance approaching him, a small smile on his face that made Sylvain’s heart skip a beat. Uh, weird.
“Hey Lorenz. Can’t sleep?” Sylvain asked, watching as Lorenz stopped at the railing and turned to face him.
“Indeed. The day’s excitement still has me a bit riled up. Also,” Lorenz paused as he sighed deeply, placing his hand on his head and drumming his fingers against his hair, “I, well, was looking for you, actually. I need to speak with you.”
“Oh?” Sylvain blinked slowly, raising a confused eyebrow. Well, he didn’t expect that. What could he possibly want to talk about?
“Yes, well...I’ve done a lot of reflecting over these past five years, and I have come to realize that I was rather arrogant and rude to many people while I was studying here. I’ve already spoken to everyone else that I needed to apologize to, including the professor,” Lorenz said, averting his gaze as a dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks. Sylvain’s jaw dropped in shock, but he quickly snapped it back shut. Lorenz was...actually apologizing to him? Was this actually the same jerk he had butted heads with so often all those years ago?
“Sylvain,” Lorenz continued, clearing his throat as he looked back at him, “I apologize for being an insufferable bore to you during our time in school. It was unbecoming of me, and you certainly did not deserve to be treated that way. I...do not expect you to forgive me, but I would like it if we could maybe start over and try to be friendly with each other.” Sylvain was silent for a few moments, just staring blankly at Lorenz, and he broke the silence when he suddenly burst out laughing.
“W-What’s so funny?” Lorenz stammered, his face flushing red. Sylvain gasped for breath as he tried to compose himself, and he took a deep breath and did just that.
“Sorry. It’s just...are you sure you’re the same Lorenz that was so stuck up and so fixated on finding a noble spouse, or are you actually an impostor?” Sylvain smirked when Lorenz’s face scrunched up in annoyance.
“Really, it is rude of you to laugh when I’m trying to apologize to you.” Lorenz said, turning his head up as he huffed. “And, I’ll have you know that I’ve put off my search for a spouse. It would be unwise to distract myself during war.”
“And,” he continued, his gaze falling to the ground, “I’ve...come to realize that the status of one’s bloodline is unimportant in regards to who I chose to marry. Commoner or noble, it does not matter. What does matter is the worth of an individual’s soul.”
Sylvain’s eyes widened with shock. It really was like he was talking to a completely different person. A smile slowly spread across his face. He had to admit, he did like this new Lorenz. As insufferable as he was, Sylvain was impressed that he had worked so hard to change for the better.
“Man, these five years really were good to you, huh? You’re considerably less pompous and insufferable and you managed to get really hot too. You just-” Sylvain rambled, but when he realized what he had just said, his mouth snapped shut. Gods, did he really just call Lorenz hot? Clenching his jaw, he watched as Lorenz stared at him with wide eyes, and Sylvain waved his hands frantically in front of him.
“F-Forget I said that!” Sylvain blurted out in his flustered state. Lorenz’s mouth slowly morphed into a sly grin, and he placed a hand on his hip while he ran the other through his hair.
“Oh, I don’t think I will ever forget those words, Sylvain.” Lorenz's voice dropped low, and for some reason, a lump had started to form in Sylvain’s throat. “You think I’m...attractive?”
“W-Well,” Sylvain mumbled, his gaze moving to his hands, which were now gripping the railing of the balcony so hard his knuckles were turning white. “I mean, it’s certainly an improvement to your disastrous look five years ago.” Lorenz chuckled and took a step closer to Sylvain.
“Your words are harsh, but not untrue. My hair style especially has seen much improvement.” Lorenz said, and Sylvain snorted to stop himself from laughing. “If I may be so bold, you yourself have certainly gotten more handsome as well.”
“Uh, what?” Sylvain's face grew hot as Lorenz inched even closer, hand brushing against one of Sylvain’s as he continued to grip the railing for dear life.
“Yours is a more subtle change, but it is certainly noticeable, and I myself find you very...alluring.” Lorenz reached up to slowly brush his fingers against Sylvain’s hair.
Sylvain froze as his brain tried to process what was happening right now. This had to be a dream, because there was no way that Lorenz was actually flirting with him, and there was no way that Sylvain was actually enjoying it. The tightness that had formed in his gut, and the heat that he felt radiating from his face was oddly familiar, but definitely not something he had ever felt when thinking of Lorenz. It almost felt like…
The answer suddenly hit Sylvain with the force of taking a blunt weapon to the side of his head.
Oh shit.
Without giving the rational side of his brain time to stop him, Sylvain grabbed Lorenz’s face with both hands and yanked him forward, pressing their lips together in a heated kiss. Lorenz’s surprised noise was muffled, and Sylvain greatly enjoyed the look of shock that appeared in his deep amethyst eyes. Sylvain then realized exactly what he was doing, with the rational side of his brain screaming at him to stop, but when he tried to pull away, Lorenz buried a hand in the hair at the back of Sylvain’s neck, locking their lips together. His other hand moved to Sylvain’s jawline, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss.
‘Oh gods, what have I gotten myself into?’ Sylvain thought, throwing his rational side away as he slipped a hand into Lorenz’s silky, beautiful hair. His tongue shoved its way into Lorenz’s mouth, and the latter let out a deep groan that sent a shiver down Sylvain’s spine. Lorenz’s was a surprisingly good kisser, Sylvain thought as their tongues twined together, and Sylvain moaned as he caressed Lorenz’s cheek.
When they finally parted to catch their breaths, Sylvain took a moment to admire the flush of Lorenz’s face, his delightfully bruised lips, and his disheveled hair. Lorenz took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, his purple eyes locking with Sylvain’s brown.
“U-Um…” Sylvain said, gulping as he rubbed the back of his head. “That was, uh…”
“Ah, well…” Lorenz mumbled, a hand moving up to cover his face. “A-Apologies, Sylvain, I lost control of myself-”
“Why are you apologizing?” Sylvain said, cutting Lorenz off, “I’m the one who kissed you.”
“Well, yes, but I prevented you from pulling away.”
“I, er, didn’t want to pull away. You know I could have pushed your noodle arms off of me if I wanted to.”
“How rude!”
They stared at each other for a moment, before they both burst out laughing. When they had composed themselves, Sylvain boldly took one of Lorenz’s hands in his, and Lorenz just stared at him in response.
“Sorry. That really was, ah, rude. And maybe I should have asked to kiss you first.” Sylvain said, and Lorenz smiled and shook his head.
“Ah, no need to apologize for that. It was...rather enjoyable, actually.”
“Yeah? Well, we actually agree on something for once.” Sylvain said, the sound of Lorenz’s laughter causing his heartbeat to quicken. He decided right then and there that he did not want the night to end here. “There could be more where that came from, if you’re interested.”
“Could you...elaborate?” Lorenz tilted his head as his brow furrowed in confusion. Sylvain grinned and took Lorenz’s chin in his hand, pulling his face close enough so that their lips grazed as Sylvain spoke.
“Spend the night with me.”
Lorenz’s face flushed about five different shades of red, and Sylvain relished in reducing the normally composed and proper Lorenz to a flustered mess.
“A-Are you proposing what I think you are?” Lorenz asked, and Sylvain grinned as he slipped his arms around Lorenz’s waist.
“If fucking your brains out is what you think I’m proposing, then you’d be correct.” Sylvain laughed when Lorenz’s face scrunched up.
“Do you really have to be so crude?” Lorenz complained. He paused a moment, before grinning and softly caressing Sylvain’s cheek with the back of his hand. “Although, hearing such foul language coming from that pretty mouth of yours is rather...arousing.” Sylvain gulped as Lorenz’s voice dropped to a low growl, and his body was already starting to respond positively to the suggestive banter. Sylvain bit his lip, a smile crossing his face as he took Lorenz’s hand and pulled him towards the stairs. Well, he still couldn’t believe that this was actually going to happen, but it was too late to back out now. Not like he wanted to anyway.
“Gods, I can’t believe this is happening. There must be something really wrong with me if I’m sleeping with you of all people. You’d better show me a good time.” Sylvain said, a cocky grin crossing his face.
“Oh, it will certainly be a good time. You are spending your night with Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, after all.” Lorenz winked, and Sylvain snorted as he rolled his eyes.
“You’re insufferable.”
“Likewise.”
Sylvain let his laughter spill out of him, and soon he heard Lorenz’s join in. This would...certainly be a night to remember, for the both of them.
*
“Where is that idiot?” Felix growled, an absolutely sour look on his face as he stalked in the direction of Sylvain’s room. The idiot in question was supposed to meet him in the training grounds for a sparring session, but that was two hours ago and he still hadn’t shown up. It was almost midday. Was Sylvain really still sleeping? How aggravating.
“Sylvain!” Felix yelled when he stopped in front of the door to his friend’s room. He banged on the door a few times and continued, “You missed our training session! Get out of bed already!” There was only silence from the other side of the door, and Felix’s eyes narrowed into a heated glare. He grabbed the doorknob, and was surprised to find that the door was unlocked. He quickly flung the door open and stalked his way inside.
The large lump under the covers on the bed shifted slightly, and Felix heard a muffled groan coming from underneath. A messy head of orange hair finally poked itself free, and Sylvain turned his head to look at Felix with sleepy eyes.
“C’mon Felix, don’t you know it’s rude to just barge into someone else’s room?” Sylvain mumbled, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. Felix opened his mouth to protest, but he was cut off.
“Yes, what boorish behavior. Rather unbecoming of a fellow noble.”
Felix froze, his jaw dropping with shock when another head poked out from under the blankets, a look of disapproval piercing into a now mortified Felix. Lorenz?
“What is this?” Felix exclaimed, gesturing at the bed with both hands. Sylvain just laughed and shot his flustered friend a wink.
“Do I really have to spell it out for you? Alright! You see, Lorenz and I just had a wonderful night of f-”
“Gods, stop!” Felix interrupted, his face turning as red as a tomato. “J-Just-Ugh!” With that, he turned and quickly fled the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Sylvain burst out laughing, and Lorenz just sighed and shook his head.
“Really? You didn’t even bother to lock the door?” Lorenz propped his head up on his hand as he shot Sylvain a look of disapproval. He just shrugged and reached out, grabbing Lorenz, and he begrudgingly let himself be pulled up against Sylvain, his head falling to rest on his bare chest.
“Haha, sorry, I was a little...preoccupied last night. Completely slipped my mind. Forgot about my little training session with Felix too. Whoops,” Sylvain said nonchalantly as he combed his fingers through Lorenz’s hair. Lorenz hummed in response, his eyes slipping shut as he breathed a content sigh.
“You are as air-headed as ever. How did you survive these last five years of war?” Lorenz asked, tilting his head up to look at Sylvain.
“Hey, I’m not as dumb as I look,” Sylvain teased, pressing his lips to Lorenz’s forehead in a light kiss. Lorenz’s face flushed, and he averted his gaze.
“I can’t believe I find you, of all people, adorable,” Lorenz mumbled, tracing a languid finger over Sylvain’s chest, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He tried to cover it with a chuckle, and a noticeably awkward silence fell between them. Sylvain worried his lip between his teeth. Now what? He had just spent the night having sex with Lorenz, who he had once hated and considered a rival. What the hell were they to each other now? What was Lorenz to him? Sylvain did not have an answer.
“Er, hey Lorenz?” Sylvain asked, meeting his gaze as he looked up. “Ah, so, after I actually go to my training session, would you, er, like to, you know, get some tea and have a chat...about us?”
“Us?” Lorenz rolled off of Sylvain’s chest and propped himself up on his elbow. “Please, elaborate?”
“Well, I dunno. I’d like to discuss maybe continuing...this.” Sylvain gestured vaguely at both of them with his hand. “I, er, wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.” Sylvain frowned when Lorenz burst out laughing, his hand covering his face as he tried to compose himself.
“You want to jump from being rivals to lovers just like that? How bold of you, Sylvain,” Lorenz teased, and Sylvain pouted at him, “But, in all seriousness, your proposition is...intriguing. I would indeed be interested in having a proper discussion about it.”
“Alright, it’s a date.” Sylvain said, “Although, it’ll have to wait until later. I have other, more important things to do right now.”
“Ah, yes, you should get to your training session-” Lorenz began, but he was cut off when Sylvain suddenly rolled on top of him, pinned his arms to the bed, and leaned in close to brush his lips against Lorenz’s.
“Nah, I’m not talking about training. This is much more important right now. Felix can wait another hour or two,” Sylvain growled, his eyes locking with Lorenz’s. He was stunned for a moment, before a grin slowly spread across his face.
“Ah, I see. I wholeheartedly agree with you. However,” Sylvain yelped when Lorenz wrenched himself free of his grasp and he flipped their positions, pressing Sylvain’s shoulders into the bed as he leaned down to whisper in his ear, “I do believe that it is my turn to have my way with you.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining!” Sylvain said when he had recovered from his shock, and Lorenz grinned as he kissed Sylvain roughly. The two forgot about the outside world for a while longer, and, whatever the hell they were to each other now, Sylvain decided that he liked it. A lot.