Sylvain X Felix. The Training Grounds.

It was late. The monastery was quiet, the bells just having struck to signal that midnight had come. Sylvain listened to his own footsteps, quiet against the stone and echoing off the even greater stone walls. He sighed quietly; the date had gone well, but he didn't intend to see the girl again.

He rounded the corner to get to the dorms, hands in his pockets, when the soft sound of his footsteps was met with something else. Sylvain stopped to listen.

Someone was at the training grounds. At this hour? He frowned, curious… and yet he already knew who it likely was. Sylvain turned right instead, and quietly headed to see what his friend was up to.

Felix's back was turned to him when Sylvain entered the grounds. The source of the noise was the training sword colliding with the stuffed and wooden sides of the training dummy, Felix's movements precise and powerful as always. But they were restless. And Felix's hair was messy; he was so focused that he didn't notice his hair slowly falling loose from the hair tie. His strong shoulders were tense, despite the force he put behind his strikes.

Sylvain, as aloof as he acted, knew when his friends were acting different. His voice came as a startling break of the night's quiet when he spoke. "Felix… what are you still doing up?"

Felix whirled around and instinctively thrust his sword forward. Sylvain was reminded of how impressed he was with Felix's skill at times, when the wooden blade stopped just a hair's breadth before hitting his chest. Sylvain's hands went up in surrender, but he didn't move. Felix had beaten him up plenty of times before, so Sylvain was no longer afraid of the coming barrage.

His amber eyes looked up through the messy strands of black hair that had fallen in his face. "What are you doing here?" Felix grunted out, annoyed. His tone was sharper than usual.

"Easy there…" Sylvain took a step back when Felix didn't lower the training sword. He laughed softly, an attempt to ease the tension. "Just checking on a friend." At no response again, his hands dropped, along with his smile. "Seriously though… what are you doing up here at midnight? Don't you already train from four to six in the morning or something?"

Felix scoffed and finally the sword came to rest at his side. "Oh, you know. Hunting demonic beasts." He huffed at his own sarcasm. "Training, obviously. I'd ask you the same thing, but I already know the answer and don't care."

Sylvain blushed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, but that wasn't the point. "Yeah, yeah okay. Come on, I know that face… what happened?"

He only gave an eyeroll and turned around, reaching up to fix his hair. "I've just been in a bad mood, is that a problem?"

Sylvain couldn't help but smile just slightly at Felix's ever-persistent sour attitude. "Well, there's normal bad mood Felix, and then there's bad mood-bad mood Felix… And the second one is usually really scary, or goes really badly. Or both. Remember that time that that rich merchant family came to visit your father, and the older girl cut your ponytail off? What were we, ten and seven years old…? You got so angry that you punched her and broke her nose… After your dad grounded you, you went into a training fit. He sent me to check on you, and then you punched me too… That's the basis I lay for your attitude. And I'm getting a feeling that leans more towards that."

Felix growled and turned to face him. "Keep talking and I might punch you again." He glared at Sylvain, but soon his gaze dropped to the ground, and he toed the stone with his boot. He mumbled out, "I haven't been sleeping well, okay? Why do you care so much?"

Sylvain frowned just slightly. "Well, first I just wanted to check on my best friend." Felix tched, and Sylvain continued. "But now I'm worried. Have you tried seeing Manuela? Or is it… nightmares or something?"

Once again, Felix glared up at him. There was less heat in his eyes, though. "I don't want to talk about it. Quit prying, and go away."

"Alright," Sylvain sighed. "I'll leave. But either you're coming back with me to the dorms, or I'll train with you for fifteen more minutes to tire you out. Then you have to come back. Which will it be?"

Hardly before he even finished, Felix was pushing a training lance into Sylvain's hand. He stepped back and got in a fighting stance, his eyes narrowed. "I doubt you'll tire me out. But fine, I'll play along."

Sylvain looked down at the lance and smirked, going over to the rack and exchanging it for an axe. "I've actually been working on something. You know all of my lance technique, so let's switch things up a bit."

Felix raised a brow. "Well, it won't change much." He charged forward before Sylvain could react, the wooden blade of the sword colliding with the axe handle with a loud clack.

Sylvain gritted his teeth, aware that Felix would always possess some level of physical strength higher than his own. He moved the axe so the sword blade got caught in the crook between the blade and the handle, and using his height to his advantage, twisted it up and ducked under their arms to get out of the weapon lock. He jumped back a few steps and got in a defensive position.

Felix stood his ground and turned quickly, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes before aiming a few quick strikes to Sylvain's stomach. Sylvain managed to hop back and dodge some of them, but the last two thudded against his hip, causing him to hiss at the dull pain.

On Felix's next strike, he parried with the axe blade, turning it in his hands to knock the blow off target, then switching his grip on the handle, he managed to land a surprising hit to Felix's shoulder with the butt of the handle. For a second, Sylvain's expression shifted to one of concern, fearing that he'd hit too hard.

Felix staggered back, surprised. But then he rolled his shoulder, grit his teeth and swung his sword quickly at Sylvain, clearly riled up. He continued to make lightning-fast strikes, and while not all of them hit Sylvain, he was finally backed against the wall.

Felix stopped and held the wooden blade up to Sylvain's neck, glowering at him. "Give up?"

"That depends, will you go to bed now?" Sylvain smiled playfully as he regained his breath, looping the axe around Felix's back and holding both sides of the handle, so that he was caged against him.

Felix blew a strand of hair out of his face, cheeks red from what was likely the exertion from sparring. Of course. He narrowed his eyes and huffed bitterly, "You'd have to carry me. Or better yet, drag me." He tightened his grip on the sword.

Sylvain grinned. "Enough said." Unafraid to move against the wooden blade, he tossed the axe aside and moved, turning and looping his hands under Felix's knees and behind his back. Sylvain lifted him with ease.

Felix sputtered, dropping the sword and going red in the face. "I-I didn't mean that literally! I prefer you drag me!" He struggled against him, but looked down and seemed to decide not to fall and potentially land on a wrist or elbow wrong, and soon his efforts grew useless. "Let me go, you muscle-brained… ugh!" He cut himself off and crossed his arms, his cheeks now an embarrassed but adorable shade of crimson.

Sylvain couldn't help but feel his heart warm at how small and mad he looked, and tried to ignore the flare of his childhood crush returning. "Sorry, guess I was too muscle-brained to see through your sarcasm." He started walking. "Let's get you to bed, okay?"

Felix was silent, sending his meanest and most irritated glare at Sylvain the whole way back. Still, he did not continue to complain.

When they got back to Felix's room, Sylvain set him down gently. His hand lingered reluctantly on the small of his back just long enough to be noticeable.

"You know…" Sylvain hesitated. He sighed. "I wish you would confide in me when things bother you. You used to when we were kids, and then… Well, the point is, I'll never see you as weak." He caught Felix's eyes. "I know you're afraid of that. But you'll always be so strong in my eyes."

"Sylvain…" Felix's tone was tired and warning.

"I'm not done." Sylvain snapped slightly, wanting to finish what he was going to say. "The point is, sometimes asking for help or telling the truth is the toughest and bravest thing you can do. It's important to me that you know that."

"Like you're one to always tell the truth." Felix scoffed, then fell oddly silent as he pondered the words. He opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head, unbuttoning his vest to get ready for bed. "Maybe some other time. But not now." He looked up at Sylvain. "Give me some time, yeah?"

Sylvain smiled softly. It was an honest, caring smile. His real smile. It was infinitely more handsome than any charming grin he flashed at the town girls. "I'll wait as long as you'd like, if it means you trust me." He ruffled Felix's hair affectionately, messing up the bun, before reaching back and taking out the hair tie. He marveled silently at how soft Felix's hair was, how it fell around his shoulders in messy but gentle waves. "Now, get some rest, yeah?"

Felix went slightly red, but nodded all the same, shoving him almost gently towards the door. "C'mon, I need some privacy. You're not watching me change the rest of the way."

Sylvain chuckled and winked. "Now what made you think of that all of a sudden?" He grinned and stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him. Before the door shut completely though, Sylvain changed his mind and poked his head back in. "Sleep well, okay? And… if you're having trouble, I'm just two doors down." He smiled softly. "Goodnight."

"Just go already," Felix huffed. Although the faintest of smiles tugged at his lips.

"Alright, I am." Sylvain closed the door. He sighed quietly, waiting only a moment, just a lingering hope that Felix would say something. Would ask for him to wait. But at nothing, Sylvain turned and left for his room.

Felix gave another eye roll once Sylvain had properly shut the door. Then, he hesitantly brought a hand to his cheek, feeling his skin burning against his fingertips. He looked at the mirror, seeing his cheeks were still a shade of pink, detectable only to himself. He shook his head and mumbled. "Idiot."

And yet, when Felix finally fell asleep that night, his dreams were not the plaguing nightmares that he had tried to grow accustomed to. Tonight, he dreamed of fiery red hair, sunset eyes, and a smile that made the coming morning seem worth it all.

Author's Note: Hey y'all! Thanks for coming to the first chapter of my One-Shot book! Basically this is my FE3H ship-dump for when I'm too lazy to work up an actual plotline, but still need that good content. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter!

I take requests for this book, since I have my own ships of course, but I know that there are a ton of good ones that I haven't considered! I also take scenario requests, like if you want a particular setting or dynamic in the one-shot. Lastly, if I make a one-shot like the one above, and you would like a Part 2 to it, please let me know! They will be identified by the identical title but with a (Part 2) in it.

Anyways, thanks so much for reading! Love you guys!