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Chapter Text

The sound of skates scraping against the ice cut through the silence of the rink. The drop of the puck on the ground, then the resounding crack of the stick slapping it into the empty net. Another puck, another hit. And again, and again, and--

“Hresvelg, what are you doing here?” A voice called from the boards.

Edelgard didn’t turn to face the woman, whose voice she recognized as Catherine’s.

“Training,” she grunted in response, her breath heavy. Another puck, another hit. The movement of her skates almost drowned out Catherine’s words. 

“Kid, it’s late. We can train you tomorrow. You need sleep.” 

Edelgard sighed, glancing briefly at her coach before looking back to the ice. Her palms were sweaty under her gloves and she could feel the telltale ache of her overworked knees starting to act up. She dropped a puck. 

“Didn’t you see me yesterday?” Edelgard asked, scoring yet again into the empty net. “I was terrible, coach.” She swung wide on her skates, practicing the next strike with her backhand. A clean swish sounded from the net as the puck collided. 

“Your game was fine. It was attitude that caused your problems. Training alone isn’t going to help with that,” Catherine answered bluntly, as usual. 

Edelgard’s next hit was rushed, harder. The puck smacked into the crossbar, the sound of it ringing loudly in the air. She took a deep breath and grit her teeth, dropping another puck and slapping it with even more force. Top right of the net, a crisp goal. She gave her coach no response.

“Come here,” the older woman ordered. Edelgard felt her shoulders slump slightly, knowing what was to come. She turned, skating slowly over to the side where Catherine stood, staring her down the whole way. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Catherine said.

“What, then?” Edelgard huffed. She was busy trying to fix the maneuvers she struggled with the last game. What could be so important that her coach, who should want her to fix those things, would interrupt her training? Well, she knew what the coach had to say. But she didn’t want to hear it. 

“Cut that out,” Catherine said with bite. “I’m not your enemy.” Edelgard wanted to snap back, wanted to start this fight right now, but she breathed deeply again and nodded her head.

“Right, sorry,” she said, trying hard to sound genuine. She leaned forward, draping her arms over the board. 

“We need to talk about what happened,” Catherine began. Edelgard looked her hard in the eyes. She could see just a faint hint of hesitation, as if her coach was nervous to really broach the subject. Edelgard decided she should help her out. 

“When I cross checked that guy? Or the hooking call? Maybe you mean the two faceoffs I got kicked from. Or any number of the other things that got me those 24 penalty minutes. Is that what you want to talk about?” Edelgard asked, feigning a politeness in her tone as if she was offering customer service. Catherine sighed.

“Hresvelg, what’s going on with you? Two years you’ve been playing for this team. Of course you’ve always been a little rougher in the rink than some, but this... this is out of hand. This season’s barely started. I can’t have our captain fighting the ref on every single call,” the coach explained. 

“What does that mean?” Edelgard asked, already knowing what she was getting at.

“If this type of stuff doesn’t stop, if you can’t keep it together on the ice, you’re not leaving me much choice…” Catherine trailed off.

“Just say it.” 

“I would have to strip you of the captaincy.”

Edelgard scoffed, shaking her head. “I’m the best player you have,” she said simply.

“Be that as it may, you aren’t being a good leader to the rest. You--” Catherine began.

“I am the b--” Edelgard tried to interrupt.

“Shut up!” Catherine yelled, her brow furrowed. Edelgard backed up slightly, looking down. “Don’t talk over me. You focus too much on yourself. You’re the center, the playmaker. I know you want to go out there and score nonstop, but you’re not on the wings for a reason. Nobody is better than you in that spot. But you like the rush, don’t you? On the ice, taking shots, carrying the team. Your role is something different than that. You’ve lost sight of it, and now the plays you make don’t suit the rest of your team. How do you think Bergliez and Macneary feel when you rush the offensive, taking their job? Or Aegir and Arnault, when your careless calls make them have to work twice as hard on the defense?” 

Edelgard worked hard to avoid eye contact throughout this whole barrage. The things her coach were saying were all true, but it didn’t make them any easier to hear. 

“I’m giving you one more game, Hresvelg,” Catherine said. Edelgard looked up, eyes wide. “One more game to sort this out. If you can’t handle it, I’ll give captain and center to someone else.”

“Who?” Edelgard challenged, voice steely. “Who could take my place? You just said it yourself, there’s no one better than me in that position. What, are you going to put Varley out there? Hevring? Come on, coach, what are you going to do?” 

“Stop. These are my decisions to make. Final,” Catherine replied angrily. “I’ll probably put you on defensive. Aegir would make a fine center--”

“Ferdinand? You have to be fucking joking! You know that he and I--”

“Did I not say to stop interrupting me?!” Cathering shouted, fists clenched.

“I’m sorry,” Edelgard mumbled, looking away again. 

“I don’t care about that rivalry you two have,” Catherine began, her words coming out hard and harsh. “If he can keep his shit together better on the ice then he will be a better captain than you. He could stay on defensive with the title, but I’m hoping that putting you back there with Arnault and with Vestra in the net will keep you out of trouble. Now, that’s enough. Go to your dorm, get some sleep. I expect to see you at practice tomorrow acting right. I hope that you figure yourself out, for your own sake. Goodnight, Hresvelg,” she finished, walking out of the rink with one last glance at Edelgard. 

Edelgard waited to hear the sound of the doors closing before letting anger overtake her, slamming her stick into the ice with a shout. She couldn’t believe this. Edelgard knew that her behavior in games was becoming a problem. She even saw it leaching out into her life outside of hockey. That attitude she just gave the coach? She would have never done that last year, not even last month. But for Catherine to decide to make Ferdinand captain? The guy who had been constantly trying and failing to one-up Edelgard since they joined the team? It was a stupid choice anyway, regardless of that rivalry. Ferdinand and Dorothea didn’t get along at all either. How was Catherine going to have a captain that was disliked by a third of the team? Even with all of Edelgard’s recent problems in the rink, she was still loved by almost every teammate. Hell, Hubert would do anything for her. 

Edelgard shook her head, trying to will herself to relax. She could feel her heart pounding with anger in her ears. She knew that she could just go to Catherine and tell her what was going on, but that would show such weakness. Would explaining the situation with her family even help, or would she just think she was just making excuses? Whatever.

Catherine was right about one thing, however. Edelgard needed sleep. Her body ached from how hard she had been training. It hurt even just to bend down and try to undo her skates. She sighed heavily as she sat on the ice, deft fingers unlacing the boots. Once they were off, Edelgard attempted to massage her ankles and relieve some of the pain she felt there, to no avail. A feeling of being overwhelmed began to overtake her. She felt tears prickling in her eyes. 

This team meant everything to her. Practicing and playing with these people, that was really all that brought her much happiness in life. Her classes were boring and not challenging in the least, there wasn’t much to do on campus at all, and her home life… well, that was the biggest issue. And with what her father had been saying recently, it seemed like the end of her life as she knew it was hurtling towards her. His words echoed through her mind.

“I don’t want you playing that game anymore, Edelgard,” he had said on their last phone call. “It’s dangerous. You could get hurt. And I need you in the best shape you can be in to take over the business. I’m getting older, you know.”

Edelgard recalled the anger she had felt then, feeling it just as strongly now. The tears began to flow from her eyes, dropping on the ice below her. Some business was not important to her at all. She didn’t even want to do what her father did. She was not built to be a CEO of some bigshot corporation like he was. Sure, she was tactically and strategically minded, but she hoped to use those strengths for something positive in the world instead of ordering people around in a meaningless corporate office. And the fact that he wanted her to quit playing hockey? Unthinkable. This had been her biggest outlet in her life for years, ever since she started playing in high school. The idea that she would just give it up to suit her father’s wishes was infuriating. Equally as infuriating was the fact that that same father was the person who paid for her university education, meaning that if she were to go against his will he could easily force her to do what he wanted. For right now, she had simply held him at bay by lying straight to him. Her father was not a man to be trifled with. His orders should always be followed. So, following that phone call, she told him she quit the team. The day that that can of worms would inevitably open was almost too stressful to even think about.

Edelgard stood from the ground, wiping the tears from her eyes and stepping forward with resolve to the locker room. Too much of her life was out of her control to be so worried about it, she decided. She had no idea how to handle her father, but too much had happened in one night already for her to be focused on that. She headed for her locker and removed her bag, taking out her phone and checking it for the first time in hours. Over 50 missed texts from the team group chat, eloquently titled “black eagles ice hockey” followed by an unsightly amount of bird emojis. Glancing briefly over the conversations she missed, it seemed largely to be about some teams from opposing schools and Bernadetta’s new pet Venus flytrap. Edelgard smiled to herself, feeling warmth in her chest overtake the cold anger. Her friends on this team all meant so much to her. She sent a quick text requesting Bernadetta to send pictures and began the solitary walk back to her dorm room.

As Edelgard approached the door to her room, she could see light peeking from under the frame. She heard some noise within as she unlocked the door, opening it to see Dorothea, Petra, and Bernadetta all laughing together on Dorothea’s bed. Not the rarest of sights, considering how ever social Dorothea was.

“Edie! There you are! We’ve been waiting for.. are you alright?” Dorothea asked, suddenly worried. “Your eyes are all red. Have you been crying?”

Edelgard shook her head. “No, no. It’s just allergies,” she lied, smiling widely to show that she was okay. Dorothea eyed her, seemingly catching the lie, but she didn’t say anything. “What are you guys up to?” Edelgard asked, attempting to shift the focus. 

“We were waiting for you!” Bernadetta piped up. “I brought my plant.” 

Edelgard’s smile was genuine this time. “Well, let’s see it then!” She said with a laugh.

Bernadetta reached behind her and brought forth a small potted Venus flytrap, it’s jaws wide open. “His name is Hubert, but don’t tell human Hubert,” she said, sounding panicked at the prospect of him finding out.

Edelgard laughed again. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Bernie,” she said, rubbing at a sore spot on her leg as she spoke. 

“Edelgard, does your leg have pain?” Petra asked, looking worried.

“A little, it’s alright,” she replied.

“Where have you been?” Petra pressed further.

“I was at the rink,” Edelgard said, knowing that it would be better to be honest about that.

“Edie, why? It’s late and pretty much our only day off this week. Couldn’t you take a break, for once?” Dorothea asked, standing to hand Edelgard the bottle of ibuprofen she had grabbed from her bedside drawer. Edelgard thanked her quietly.

“Days of rest are good for you,” Petra said in a scolding tone. 

“I know, guys. I just wanted to get out there,” Edelgard explained half-heartedly, hoping they would drop the subject. Dorothea seemed to take the hint, quickly changing the topic to every viable candidate on campus for her to date. 

As the three girls chattered on, Edelgard made her way to her bed just a few feet across from them. Her body basically sank into the mattress, and although she had intended to stay up and talk with her friends she found herself immediately wanting to drift off to sleep. She yawned quietly, trying to hide it as she turned on her side and shut her eyes. The conversation of the three girls continued for a few minutes, Dorothea explaining the wordplay of a few pick-up lines to Petra so she could try them out. 

“Hey, is Edelgard asleep?” Edelgard heard Bernadetta ask, suddenly whispering. 

“Looks like,” Dorothea replied. 

“Should we be going to me and Bernie’s room?” Petra asked. There was a beat of hesitation.

“Tell you what, I’m feeling pretty tired myself. See you guys tomorrow?” Dorothea offered them, a strange note in her voice. Edelgard heard some affirmatives, peeking her eyes open just slightly to see Bernadetta and Petra closing the door behind them on their way out. She quickly shut her eyes, hoping that Dorothea really thought she was asleep.

“Edelgard?” Fuck. Obviously not. Edelgard chose not to respond, trying hard to keep up her act. “I know you’re awake.” Shit. 

Edelgard opened her eyes slowly, a sheepish smile creeping up her face. “You caught me!” she said, as if it was some sort of prank instead of a desperate wish to ignore the obvious problems she was having. 

“What’s going on?” Dorothea asked, sitting down on the foot of Edelgard’s bed. She sounded so genuinely concerned that it would make Edelgard feel evil if she didn’t share at least something with her. Edelgard shifted so that she was on her back and then propped herself up on her elbows. She stared at the other girl for a moment, trying to gauge what she could get away with.

“Catherine doesn’t want me to be captain anymore,” Edelgard stated simply. Dorothea furrowed her brow, shaking her head.

“What?” she asked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that she doesn’t want me to be captain anymore. That’s it.” Edelgard’s voice was surprisingly even considering how upset she had been just a little while ago. 

“Why?” Dorothea’s question sounded incredulous, even a bit angry.

“Dorothea, you know,” Edelgard sighed. “You’ve seen me on the ice the past few games. I’m like a monster out there. Coach doesn’t like that, thinks it makes me a bad leader. So she wants to give the captaincy to Ferdinand.”

“Fucking Ferdinand?!” Dorothea exclaimed. Edelgard laughed loudly.

“Yes, fucking Ferdinand.”

“As if that douchebag needs his head to get any bigger. I swear to god one day it’s gonna fall right off his shoulders,” Dorothea said. “Wait, I’m really sorry, Edie. Is it effective immediately?”

“No, Catherine said she was going to give me one more game to ‘get my shit together’ and if I fuck that up that’s it. But I made her very, very angry while we were talking. And she made me just as mad,” Edelgard said, realizing something for the first time. “Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already settled on this. I don’t think I really helped my case tonight.” 

“Nonsense! Catherine is really fair usually. I bet if you show up at practice tomorrow acting like a lovely little ray of sunshine you’re gonna be just fine,” Dorothea offered. Edelgard smiled wryly.

“She wants to give him center, too. She’s gonna try me on defensive,” she said quietly.

“Oh, shit,” Dorothea whispered. “Well, hey, you want to be a wing anyway! So, not that big of a deal,” she tried.

“Because it’s still not what I want? Maybe. Do you think Ferdinand will be a good center?” Edelgard asked.

“Um… no. No, I do not. He’s pretty level headed, but his perspective is a mess. I don’t think he’ll be a good playmaker,” Dorothea replied. Edelgard nodded.

“I agree. I guess we'll just have to see how it goes,” she said, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

“Is that everything? I can’t help but feel like there’s something else you’re not sharing. Maybe about why your play style has changed so much in the first place?” Dorothea tried. Edelgard thought to herself briefly about her father, then decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. She shouldn’t worry her team with talk of her needing to leave the sport. And, somewhere deep in her mind, Edelgard was still dead set on finding a way to work around her dad’s wishes. 

“No, that’s all,” she said. “Thanks for talking to me.”

“Anytime,” Dorothea replied with a wink, patting Edelgard’s leg as she stood. “Get some sleep, for real now,” she said, flipping the lightswitch and sending the room into darkness.

“Yeah, yeah. Goodnight,” Edelgard replied. And despite her racing thoughts of the night’s events, sleep did come quickly.

Chapter Text

As the morning came, so did Dorothea’s daily blasting of corny pop music while she got ready. Edelgard would never share it, but awakening to Carly Rae Jepsen usually put her in a good mood. She rose quickly and got ready alongside her roommate, laughing at her antics and how she sang along in her operatic voice. While Dorothea would do a full face of makeup every day, Edelgard did none. She did, however, take time to carefully brush out her hair before tying it back in a loose bun. A fast goodbye to Dorothea and she was on her way to class, a biology gen ed she needed the credits for to graduate. It was boring and easy, so the 50 minutes she spent in that lecture hall felt like ages. But, since it was a Thursday, it was Edelgard’s only class of the day. Practice wouldn’t start until 6pm, so she had plenty of time to take part in a little self care routine she allowed herself on rare occasions.

Edelgard took her time walking to the coffee place on campus, looking around at all the students that rushed by. The early autumn weather was lovely, leaving Edelgard feeling comfortable in her light hockey jacket. As she rounded the corner to the shop, she could see how busy it was through the windows. She entered the store, spotting the single empty table in the corner and placing her bag on one of the two chairs to claim it. Lively music played through the speakers, the sounds of milk steaming and chatting customers bringing some warmth to Edelgard’s chest. She had always loved these sort of scenes, people coming together and sharing something simple like coffee. 

In line, Edelgard made proper small talk with the barista. She ordered her usual, bergamot tea and a muffin. She was careful about her sugar intake, but she did still have a soul. She made her way back to the table, pulling a small notebook and a pencil out of her bag. Glancing around the room, she settled on her mark. An older man, perhaps a grandfather, playing with a young girl. He had picked her up on his shoulders. Edelgard smiled, ignoring the longing coloring her thoughts, and began to sketch the scene. This was something she had always done, on and off. She found that people watching helped her stay grounded in reality, instead of whatever far-off thoughts and ambitions would sometimes cloud her head. The anger that had been plaguing her the night before was fading. She was feeling somewhat excited for practice, hoping that she would be able to shake her father’s wishes from her mind and not let it affect her game.

“Hey,” a soft voice spoke out, stirring Edelgard from her thoughts and stilling her sketching hand. She looked up, startled. On the other side of her table stood a girl, probably slightly older than herself. Taller, too. Her deep blue hair tumbled messily just over her shoulders. Her eyes were sharp, seemingly observant and lost in thought at the same time. She was dressed in casual clothes, track pants and a sweatshirt. Her features had a gentleness to them, immediately visible through her cool exterior. Edelgard’s heart was racing just looking at her, probably from the surprise of being interrupted. She felt herself staring. It was clear that the girl had just asked something, yet Edelgard had heard none of it.

“Sorry, what?” Edelgard asked, her voice sounding higher than normal. What the hell was that?

“Could I sit here? It’s the only empty spot here,” the girl asked, her inflection even and straightforward. She already had one hand on the back of the chair, as if anticipating Edelgard’s answer.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Go for it, yeah, no problem.” That felt like way too many affirmatives. 

“Thanks,” she responded, sliding into the seat and pulling a book from her bag. Edelgard studied the cover. World History: Cultures and Society .

“Are you a history major?” Edelgard asked, immediately wanting to clamp a hand over her mouth. It wasn’t that she was impolite, but talking with total strangers was usually something she didn’t engage so readily in. 

“Huh? Oh, no,” the girl responded, seemingly just as surprised as Edelgard that a conversation had been struck. “I’m health science.” She looked back down to the open book, clearly trying to read. Edelgard nodded to herself. She could take a hint. She wasn’t sure what had compelled her to ask anyway. Her focus turned back to the grandfather she had been studying earlier, her pencil moving quickly in her sketchbook. She couldn’t help but sneak a few glances across the table, however. She had never seen this girl before on campus, not that that was too crazy. It can be hard to pick a face out of a crowd of ten thousand. But there was something about her that was captivating to Edelgard. Maybe it was the way she sat, her feet planted firmly on the floor and her legs spread confidently. Or how she would frequently run a hand through her hair to keep it out of her face, ignoring the hair tie on her wrist. Or maybe it was--

“Byleth!” the voice of a barista knocked Edelgard back to reality. Her stranger stood quickly, walking over to the bar and grabbing the paper cup marked with her name. Byleth . Huh. It felt good in Edelgard’s mind. As she returned, Edelgard made a point to look focused on her work despite having abandoned the serious portrait and just scribbling haphazardly in the corner of the page instead. She briefly kept up the facade before she felt the piercing gaze of the girl, Byleth, on her. Edelgard met her eyes, lowering her book. 

“Sorry, I’m sure it’s rude to stare,” Byleth started. “Your jacket, you play hockey here?” 

“Uh, yeah. Yes. I do,” Edelgard said, trying to find her confidence. She looked down briefly with pride at the patch on her jacket: Adrestia University Ice Hockey . “It’s my third year on the team.” 

“Do you like it?” 

“I love it. It’s the best part of my day during the season, and during the off-season I can’t wait to get back to it.” Something about the girl made Edelgard want to share herself. She wanted to tell her these honest, vulnerable things. There was just a very genuine air about her, no ulterior motives or false pretenses. Her questions felt sincere. Edelgard hoped, for some reason, that the current strife she was facing with the sport didn’t show through in her words.

“That’s great,” Byleth returned. From any other coffee shop stranger, that remark would have sounded as if it were dripping with sarcasm. From her, it felt like praise. Edelgard smiled. 

“Thank you. I’m actually captain of the team. You should come by for a game sometime. There’s one home tomorrow night?” Edelgard offered. She had no idea what she was doing. Why did she just invite this total random to a game? Obviously, they were open to the public. She could go whenever she wanted. 

“I will definitely be there,” Byleth said. Edelgard couldn’t hide her surprise, her eyebrows shooting up in response to her confirmation. Byleth just smiled softly, taking a sip of her drink. It was as if she knew something Edelgard didn’t. “I’m a transfer here, I actually don’t technically start until next Monday. But,” she gestured down to her textbook, “coming in a month into the semester has left me with a good bit of work to do.” It felt like another hint for Edelgard to stop talking so this poor girl could read, but she wasn’t willing to accept that. She was too… enamored? That word felt dramatic, but true. Something about Byleth was keeping her attention. 

“I’m a PoliSci major, if you ever need any help with anything like that. History is one of my strong suits, too,” Edelgard said. Why was she offering to tutor this girl she just met?

“You seem very self assured. I admire that.” Edelgard almost spit out her tea. What a strange, bold manner this Byleth had about her. It seemed that whatever came to her mind, she would say. “I will probably take you up on that. Can I get your number?”

“So very forward,” Edelgard answered with an almost-giggle. What the hell. Byleth simply handed Edelgard her phone, her face neutral but her eyes betraying… something. Playfulness? Edelgard subtly shook her head, quickly entering in her contact info and returning the phone. Byleth glanced at it, furrowing her brow.

“Help me out here,” she said, sounding exasperated. Edelgard laughed again, louder this time.

“It’s Edelgard. Edelgard Hresvelg.”

“Edelgard Hresvelg,” Byleth said slowly, trying it out. “Well, Edelgard, it’s great to meet you. I’m Byleth Eisner.” She reached a hand across the table. How old fashioned.  

“As if that’s much easier! If it was written out I would’ve needed as much help as you,” Edelgard joked. She took Byleth’s hand, her skin shockingly calloused and cold. Still, she shook it firmly. Might as well make a good impression.

“Maybe,” Byleth replied with an air of finality as she looked back down to her textbook. Edelgard couldn’t help but smile to herself. This girl was… cute. In a weird way. It had been a while since she had really been into anyone, maybe it was about time to entertain the idea of a crush. It was silly, considering they just met, but Byleth’s astute curiosity had somewhat taken hold of Edelgard. She really hoped to see more of her. The store had started to clear out, but neither of the girls made a motion to move to an empty table. Edelgard continued to study Byleth as she read, abandoning the subject of her previous sketch and instead turning her focus to the one right in front of her.

Drawing people grounded Edelgard, but it could also sometimes send her higher than ever. Taking notice of such little things like the curve her nose or the tapping of her thumb against her lips made Byleth’s presence seem even more intense. Her hair was wildly fun to get down in all the glory of its untamed locks. Even her hands, one unseen in her lap and the other resting on the open book, were something to behold. Edelgard continued to glance back and forth between Byleth and the sketch, jumping when Byleth looked up towards her at the same time. 

“Can I see it where you’re finished?” Byleth asked. Shit. 

“It’s, uh, it’s… I’m not very good. Sorry, also. I know it’s weird,” Edelgard stammered out. She knew she was caught, so there was no point trying to hide it. She could only hope Byleth wouldn’t view it as an invasion of privacy.

“Where’s that self-assuredness from earlier? I saw you drawing that older man. It looked wonderful. I want to see what you do to me,” Byleth said with a smile. Edelgard felt heat rising up her neck. 

“I haven’t done much, really. I’m just trying to make you look as beautiful as you do in real life,” Edelgard froze immediately after the words escaped her lips, the blush definitely evident on her face now. Byleth laughed for the first time, light and carefree, and Edelgard felt her heart stop. That thought she had about crushes earlier? Scratch that. This was out of hand. 

“So very forward,” Byleth echoed. “Come on, let me see.” Edelgard took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she passed over the book. She never let people see her drawings. They were always embarrassing, not because they looked bad or anything but because they felt so vulnerable. Edelgard slowly reopened her eyes, trying both to look and look away from Byleth’s reaction. 

Byleth’s smile dropped and a soberness overtook her eyes. She glanced up towards Edelgard, then back down at the sketch. To Edelgard, then back down. Edelgard felt suddenly very exposed, wanting to explain herself and apologize, but Byleth beat her to the punch.

“This is… very good, Edelgard,” she said quietly.

“Oh. Yeah?”

“Yeah, yes. Regardless of the fact that it looks just like me, it feels like you… I don’t know how to explain it. Like you see me, I guess,” Byleth explained, the eye contact she was making stirring Edelgard’s heart. 

“Oh. Thank you. I’m glad you… like it?” Edelgard hesitated.

“I love it. I really do. You’re really observant,” Byleth said, passing the book back. She pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced at it quickly, eyes widening slightly. “Oh, shit. I have to go. This was very nice, getting to know you. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” She was walking away as soon as she finished speaking, leaving Edelgard dumbfounded in her wake. Again, that sincerity permeated Byleth’s words. She meant everything she said. Including the part about tomorrow night. Edelgard smiled, looking down at her sketch again. Tomorrow night, then. 

Practice that evening came about slower than usual. After leaving the coffee shop in the morning, Edelgard headed back to her dorm to kill time. She did some reading, a little homework, mostly just waited for Dorothea to arrive so they could walk over to the rink together. As if on cue with Edelgard’s thoughts, Dorothea swung the door open dramatically.

“I’m here!” she exclaimed in a sing-song tone. Edelgard laughed.

“Great, lovely to see you. We’re going to be late!” she shouted out with a smile, quickly slipping on her shoes and ushering Dorothea out the door. 

“We’ll be fine. Someone seems like they’re in a good mood.”

Edelgard playfully elbowed her roommate. “I am.”

“...care to elaborate at all? What’s going on, Edie?”

Edelgard thought about the events of the day. Telling Dorothea about Byleth would be a nightmare. She could already hear her shrill excited shrieks at the news that she might have a bit of a crush. But that was really what was making her so happy. Edelgard felt like a little kid, but it was nice to be hopeful and care about something unrelated to hockey or school or her family. She found an alternate explanation to give Dorothea, choosing to hold off on that discussion for a later date. 

“I’m just taking what you said last night seriously. I want to get back on Catherine’s good side, so I’m keeping my energy positive,” she detailed.

“Yes, Edie! Manifest that! I am here for you all the way,” Dorothea said excitedly. “But what else?” she pressed. Edelgard balked.

“What do you mean what else? I just told you!” she replied, praying to get away with it.

“Yes and it is so in character for you to be this naturally happy about Catherine, of all people. You can’t hide from me, kid.”

Edelgard sighed. Dorothea looked at her expectantly, slowing the pace of their walking.

“...I met someone,” Edelgard said, almost a whisper. Immediately, Dorothea punched her in the shoulder.

“No way! NO WAY! Edie!” her voice was loud and somehow more shrill than Edelgard had expected. She winced, rubbing her arm. Dorothea was stronger than she looked. 

“Yes, Jesus, keep your voice down!” Edelgard whispered-yelled. “I don’t need everybody on the planet knowing.” Dorothea laughed loudly.

“Okay, okay. Who is she? Tell me everything. Was it love at first sight? Did she sweep you off your feet? Is she rich?” Dorothea questioned rapidly. Edelgard waved her off.

“Stop it, relax. Her name is Byleth. She’s a transfer student and a health science major. She’s tall and insanely pretty and she has this… way about her. Like everything she does is so deliberate, so meaningful. We only talked for a little but she was great. Like, really great. It’s silly, but I’m not going to try to deny anything,” Edelgard detailed. Dorothea eyed her expectantly.

“I don’t know if she’s rich it didn’t come up!”  

Dorothea quickly pulled out her phone. “Byleth… last name?” she asked.

“Eisner.”

“Eisner. Got it,” a brief pause. “I literally don’t see her on any socials,” Dorothea concluded. Edelgard laughed lightly.

“For some reason, that doesn’t surprise me. It doesn’t seem like something she would be concerned about.”

“Maybe, but how am I supposed to know what she looks like!” Dorothea said, exasperated. Edelgard glanced her way. Fuck it.

“I drew her.”

“What?”

“Like, I drew her. A picture of her. It’s in my bag. Hold on.” Edelgard twisted her shoulders, reaching behind her into her backpack and pulling out her sketchbook. She was careful to only reveal the page with Byleth, holding it out for her roommate to see.

“Edelgard. How have I known you this long and not known you can draw.”

“I don’t know, it hasn’t come up. Not the point. Isn’t she beautiful?” Edelgard asked, wanting to throw up at the hint of wistfulness she could hear in her voice. 

“Well there’s no way this is what she actually looks like. Nobody is this… perfect. You must have exaggerated it in your mind’s eye or whatever,” Dorothea said.

“No, Dorothea. She looks like this. Pretty much exactly like this. And her voice is so soft and enthralling and everything she does is just so… real. She seems really remarkable,” Edelgard gushed. 

“‘Remarkable,’ listen to yourself. Edie’s in love!” Dorothea shouted out. Edelgard smacked her arm. “So, when’s the date?” 

“I actually didn’t really ask her out,” Edelgard replied.

“How are you going to fall in love with a stranger and not ask her out?”

“It’s complicated. I kind of invited her to our game on Friday?”

“So you want her to see you get all rough and wild on the ice, huh? Didn’t know you played like that, Edelgard,” Dorothea laughed.

“Shut up. She said she would ‘definitely be there.’ Which I thought was kind of weird. But, I don’t know, I’m really excited to see her again,” Edelgard said. Her hope was scary, especially because she knew how easily something like this could be dashed. She hardly even met the girl, she couldn’t know how she really felt about her. But still, something in her heart longed to be near her again. Stupid.

“Well, I’m definitely excited to meet her,” Dorothea said as they approached the doors to the rink. “I’m going to find out everything about her. I want to be sure you’re in good hands.” Edelgard pushed the door open, heading inside. The cold air hit immediately, feeling refreshing on Edelgard’s face which had been permanently stained with blush throughout this whole conversation.

“I’m not in her hands or anything like that yet. Don’t scare her off. And don’t tell any of the others,” Edelgard warned. The response Dorothea was sure to give was cut off by Caspar’s voice booming through the rink.

“Edelgard, Dorothea! Finally made it!” he yelled out, already on the ice. Edelgard checked her watch. They were five minutes early. 

“Oh, hush, Caspar,” she replied, making a beeline for the locker room to get changed for practice. Nerves suddenly hit her. Byleth had been a wonderful distraction, but now it was time to get serious. Were anything to go wrong tonight, Edelgard was acutely aware that it could cost her her position and title on the team. With all her gear on, she took a final deep breath and headed to the ice to greet Catherine.

Chapter Text

The instant that Edelgard’s skates made contact with the ice Catherine’s eyes were on her. This was going to be… hard. Something about being in the rink, stick in hand, being ready to play ruthlessly even against her own teammates, it got Edelgard’s blood pumping. In the past, the rush of endorphins would drive her mind to clarity, guiding her to make strong calls and act as a secure pillar for the team. Now, every second in the rink was a fight to push the thought of her father’s wishes out of the forefront of her mind. That rush that usually helped her be calm and intuitive instead made her blood boil, tapping right into that latent anger that was settled just under the surface of her conscious thoughts. Even tonight, at a practice that could mean so much, Edelgard could feel her emotions already at risk of unraveling. Deep breaths. She skated right by Catherine, nodding in her direction.

“Coach,” she addressed with a slight smile.

“Hresvelg.” The gesture returned. Edelgard glided over to the defensive side, stopping next to Hubert right outside the net. 

“Hresvelg,” he echoed the coach’s words. Hubert was the only player on the team to use last names like that. Edelgard the person disliked the formality, but Edelgard the captain relished in the power it gave her. 

“Vestra,” she greeted. “You ready?” 

“As always. Be careful tonight,” he warned. “I know you’re on… thin ice, if you’ll excuse the phrasing.” 

Edelgard narrowed her eyes. “Who told you?” she questioned, a hint of anger rising.

“Nobody, Hresvelg. I have eyes and ears. It’s easy to see that the coach is getting fed up with your more… megalomaniacal tendencies.”

“Harsh. I ought to kick your ass just for saying that,” Edelgard shot back with a dry laugh. Hubert wasn’t kidding, but his words were spoken from a place of real support. Even though they only ever really talked on the ice, she still valued his opinion. They’d been playing on and off together in travel leagues for years, after all. Edelgard swung back around on her skates to the center faceoff dot. Catherine blew her whistle.

“Alright, listen up! Scrimmage teams! First: Hevring, Varley, Bergliez, Hresvelg. Second: Vestra, Arnault, Aegir, Macneary. A few minutes for strategy.”

Edelgard smiled, turning to face her teammates. The lack of players on their team made it impossible to have full scrimmages, leading instead to these 4 on 4 matches. In a way, they were perfect training for real games. It would force everybody to be constantly aware, keeping vigilant in all ways. Hubert, Dorothea, Ferdinand, and Petra all positioned themselves on their side, Ferdinand acting as their center. A little on the nose on Catherine’s part, but it got the message across to Edelgard loud and clear. A hard slap on the back brought her attention back.

“What do you say, captain? We’ll stomp them, for sure!” Caspar said, just loud enough for the other players to hear. He shot Edelgard a wink. “Mind games, works every time. Gotta get right up in their heads.” Edelgard nodded in affirmation, knowing he was full of shit.

“Totally, for sure. I love the initiative that you’re showing,” she deadpanned. Bernadetta and Linhardt skated up to the two of them. 

“Play hard, okay guys? I’m exhausted. I don’t have the energy to be in the net,” Linhardt said, feigning a yawn. Edelgard sighed.

“You know you’re just as good as Hubert. If only you, I don’t know, applied yourself?” Edelgard joked. Linhardt faked a dramatic gasp. 

“You wound me, Edelgard. Wow. Hey, while I’m here, I assume our strategy is going to be ‘let Edelgard play every position until she tires herself out,’ just like we’ve practiced the last few games?” Linhardt shot back. Edelgard frowned.

“No, actually. Catherine had a… talk with me about that. I’m working on it. Caspar, you’re taking the scoring lead, puck’s going straight to you at the start. I’m going to hang back as much as I can. I’m, uh, sorry for how I’ve been playing,” she said, the apology feeling sticky in her mouth. They still won those games, so not that much to apologize for, but all the same. She knew her aggressiveness on the ice was causing problems.

“I’m impressed by your sincerity,” Linhardt said simply before gliding to the net. Edelgard’s thoughts flashed to Byleth, her deep sincerity in the cafe. Maybe something rubbed off on her. 

Bernadetta smiled at Edelgard, looking excited. “It’s going to be nice to have you more focused this time,” she said, quickly looking surprised. “Wait, well, I’m sorry if that was hurtful. Please don’t be mad at me!” she squeaked out. 

“All good, Bernie,” Edelgard chuckled. “Ready to play?” Caspar gave a loud whoop, skating off to Edelgard’s left side. Bernadetta disappeared off somewhere behind them in the defensive. Taking Caspar’s cue, Petra let out a whoop of her own and the opposing team got in position. Edelgard worked to steel herself one final time before the puck drop, willing herself to be relaxed. Hard to do with Ferdinand gliding up to the dot in front of her.

“Captain Hresvelg, a pleasure to see you here!” he exclaimed, his voice loud and overbearing.

“Yes, Ferdinand, it’s… nice to see you too?” Edelgard said hesitantly. They had just seen each other two days ago, at the last practice. Whatever. “This should be fun.”

“Indeed! I had a very interesting talk with Coach Catherine prior to the start of this practice,” he said, something shining in his eyes. Edelgard raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

“Let me just wish you the best in maintaining your composure, both tonight and at tomorrow’s game,” he said, bending at the knees to prepare for faceoff. Edelgard bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to quell her anger. So Catherine had told him of her plan already? Then what was the point of trying here and tomorrow, if her mind was already made up? Why should she-- No. No, she had to try. She could prove Catherine wrong. Ferdinand too, if he was already thinking he had this in the bag. Edelgard breathed in heavily through her nose.

“Good luck to you too. I’m looking to surprise everybody, even myself. If I wasn’t, you’d have a bloodied face by now.” 

“Ha! Very funny, as always. Now, let’s begin!” Ferdinand called out. Catherine skated over, blowing her whistle once more. 

“First to two!” Catherine declared, holding her arm at a downwards angle, puck in hand. “Aegir, your team is home.” Edelgard grunted. She was really going to give him advantage in the faceoff? As if reading her mind, Catherine shot her a loaded look. Edelgard resolved herself, nodding solemnly. Her brow furrowed, she leaned in and placed her stick on the ice. Ferdinand followed suit, his grip and positioning betraying the backwards strike he was planning on making. Edelgard eyed Caspar in her peripheral to her left, who gave her a slight nod. She noticed that Ferdinand made no such move. So he was going to attempt to pass to Dorothea on the defensive? Even better.

“Both of you behind the line,” Catherine ordered. Edelgard didn’t falter, looking at Ferdinand’s face as he glanced down to check his positioning. She knew she was secure.

“Ready? Go!” 

In a flash, the puck was in the air. Ferdinand was quick, sliding his stick in an effort to catch the puck on the inside and send flying backwards. Edelgard, however, was quicker. Puck outside to block his strike, then a lightning fast switch to inside to send it barreling over to Caspar. Edelgard wasn’t much for talking on the ice, but Ferdinand sure was.

“Well done!” he called out to her, moving away in an attempt to catch Caspar. Edelgard inched forward slowly, trying her hardest to hang back. She was doing well, remembering her objectives.

“You too!” she returned to the opposing center as a gesture of good faith, hoping putting in the effort would win over Catherine’s favor. She allowed herself a brief look over to where the coach watched from the sides. Unreadable. Caspar’s voice rang out and Edelgard jumped forward, seeing him ready a pass towards her so he could safely get around Dorothea. He easily sent the puck straight to her, essentially siccing Ferdinand right back in her direction. He was fast, despite his height and somewhat lanky limbs. 

“Come on, Cas!” Edelgard called out, urging him to outpace Dorothea who was hot on his tail. She heard the cheer echoed by Linhardt and Bernadetta from behind her. She could’ve sworn Dorothea sent a wink her way. She rocketed forward and to the right, attempting to dodge the careening form of Ferdinand rapidly advancing on her. As she turned her head, Petra collided with her suddenly on her left side, slamming the both of them into the boards. Ferdinand reached them, attempting to get the puck out of Edelgard’s cradling and only managing to send it towards Linhardt without much force or direction. 

“You should be looking more carefully!” Petra yelled out, playfully bumping Edelgard with her hips before rushing forward towards a terrified looking Bernadetta that had just managed to intercept the shot. Edelgard saw Caspar turn from the offensive side, raising his hands in a shrug as if to say “What happened?” Edelgard just shrugged back, working her way in front of Ferdinand to stop him from getting anywhere near Bernadetta, who was quickly advancing towards them. Bernadetta on defense was always something special. She was way smaller than any other defense Edelgard had seen before, playing the position in an entirely different way. It was driven wholly by fear. She was small, faster than anything, and mainly drove to get the puck out of the defensive zone in any way possible. In a real 6 on 6, keeping her partnered with a powerhouse defender like Ferdinand or Dorothea was fantastic. In a 4 on 4, Edelgard would kill to have her only defender be someone who wouldn’t get too scared to remember to pass.

“Bernie!” she called out. Bernadetta seemed to shake from the raw flight instinct powering her, letting out a yelp and immediately passing Edelgard’s way. Ferdinand, thankfully, swung wide trying to spin around and missed his opening. Edelgard caught the puck, sending it easily over to Caspar and advancing forward. Caspar, brave as ever, took a hard slapshot at Hubert’s net. Their unintentional collision that followed was brutal, if entirely accidental. Everyone on the ice looked towards Catherine, who was ducking her head around like an owl searching for prey. Her right arm shot out horizontally.

“Goal!” Even in the largely empty rink, the cheers of Edelgard’s team filled the space. 

“Fuck it up, Caspar!” Linhardt shouted from his net, earning a hard laugh from Edelgard. Ferdinand glanced in her direction. She gave him a lopsided smile and a poor attempt at a thumbs up through her glove. This was going really, really well. The two of them made their way back towards the center dot. She heard Hubert yell something at Ferdinand, unable to make it out. Ferdinand looked back towards him and nodded.

“Ready?” he asked, out of breath.

“Ready,” Edelgard replied evenly. Catherine glided over, extending her arm again.

Edelgard’s stick hit the ice first, by regulation. As the ‘away’ team, setting up any sort of position for a faceoff was difficult. Ferdinand had the clear advantage, being able to put his stick down second and choose his play based on Edelgard’s. He grinned at Edelgard before simply touching his stick to the ice. No grip or positioning to indicate any fancy plays. Just two sticks, side by side. Edelgard looked at him, cocking her head. He raised his eyebrows, as if taunting. Saying “Wait and see.” 

“Ready? Go!”

The puck dropped and Ferdinand immediately made contact with it, sending it hard to the left straight to… Caspar. Who looked at it, stunned, as it totally bypassed him and bounced off the boards back to Ferdinand, who had backed up to catch it. Edelgard rushed forward, but not faster than Petra made it behind her. Ferdinand passed it cleanly to Petra, who then sent it flying right into the upper right corner of Linhardt’s net. Linhardt was agape. Catherine’s arm shot out once more.

“Goal!” Now it was the opposing team’s turn to let the cheers ring out. Edelgard turned to Linhardt, who was standing with his gloves on his hips. Caspar was still dumbfounded and Bernadetta looked to have missed the whole thing. Edelgard grunted, glaring at Hubert from across the rink. He smiled, lips turning up devilishly. Of course a play like that would be his idea. She shook her fist at him like an angry old man, catching a glimpse of Dorothea wrapping her arms around Petra in celebration before turning to face Caspar as he got back in position.

“Nothing funny like that. You’re gonna get this next one, clean and simple. Fake out Petra and go behind me to the right, I’ll pass it back to you from there,” Edelgard outlined. Caspar nodded enthusiastically.

“Aye aye, captain!” he said in a poor attempt at a pirate’s voice. Edelgard felt childish for laughing with him. As Ferdinand approached the dot, she reached out a gloved fist to him. He bumped it tenderly.

“That was impressive,” Edelgard complimented.

“Thank you! I--”

“Too bad Hubert’s a goalkeeper. Catherine could have had that conversation with him instead of you,” she interrupted, voice dripping with disdain. 

“What was that?” Catherine asked as she skated over for the faceoff.

“Oh, nothing!” Edelgard replied, grossly peppy. Catherine narrowed her eyes at her for a second before extending her arm downwards. She ticked her head up towards Edelgard, prompting her to place her stick. Ferdinand followed suit, lining up for a backhand. 

“Ready? Go!”

Before the puck touched the ground, Edelgard had pulled it down towards her. She watched Caspar rush right while Petra rushed left before noticing, leaving just enough of a gap for Edelgard to pass to Caspar. Ferdinand must have noted her eye movements, abandoning the battle for possession and instead slipping away from Edelgard and directly shoulder checking Caspar away. Without time to even spare a glance before Petra would be on her, Edelgard shot forward. She was breaking the rules she set for herself, but they weren’t going to lose to ‘captain’ Ferdinand. Deftly dribbling the puck, she crouched past Dorothea’s defensive maneuvers and struck the puck right towards the bottom center of the net. She watched with bated breath in the split second that the puck flew across the ice. Hubert dropped low to his knees attempting to block it, but the puck slid right through the gap in his pads.

“Goal! That’s it!” Catherine called out. Bernadetta and Caspar attacked Edelgard, slamming her in the helmet and shoulder pads, shouting their praise. Linhardt just gave her a look, silently telling her that she probably shouldn’t have done that. Edelgard shrugged towards him. 

“Great job, everybody! That was a strong scrimmage. Now that you’re all warmed up, bag skates, all of you!” she continued. The collective groan that followed was louder than any of the goal cheers from before. “Oh, shut up!” 

Edelgard sighed, quickly making her way between Hubert and Dorothea on the line.

“That was fun!” Dorothea said with laughter. “You made some really good calls, Edie.” Edelgard smiled, nodding.

“Maybe not that last one,” she said softly. Dorothea clapped her on the back.

“Yeah, maybe not,” Hubert chimed in. Dorothea glared at him. “Well…” 

“One goal is fine, Edelgard. Centers score all the time. You didn’t dominate the game, that’s what matters. I, for one, am proud of you,” Dorothea said supportively. Edelgard grinned, jumping at the sound of Catherine’s whistle. As if they had planned it, every member of the team started the drill at a snail’s pace. Blue line and back, red line and back, far blue line and back, far goal line and back. These should be illegal. 

“Faster! I saw you move in that scrimmage! You guys are quick! Prove it again!” Catherine called out. Frankly, Edelgard didn’t mind the opportunity to let off some serious steam. Even though it went very well, holding back made her itch to go harder. So she shot off in front of everyone else, essentially sprinting the laps. She saw Ferdinand pull forward in her peripheral, attempting to catch up. Caspar followed suit and soon did everybody else, wanting to join the fight. Concentrating hard, Edelgard felt sweat pouring down her neck. She smiled all for herself, feeling free with her speed. After what felt like an eternity, Catherine blew her whistle again and signaled for them to stop. Looking up from their sprint-induced tunnel vision, the team saw Bernadetta almost a full lap ahead of everyone else. She smiled sheepishly, waving from across the rink. Laughter broke out among her teammates and Edelgard felt that familiar warmth she always felt in happy moments with them, as well a surge of pride at her restraint and somewhat professional demeanor today. As far as she was concerned, acting the same way at tomorrow’s game would be easy. Practice makes perfect, after all. 

Catherine called everyone over for sticking drills, earning glares from the goalkeepers. This just meant they were about to get battered by slapshots for an hour. Edelgard stopped letting her mind wander, instead choosing to focus fully on the training. Tomorrow’s game was, objectively, unimportant. Whatever score they got, win or lose, it didn’t matter this early in the season. She just had to remember that and not let herself get carried away with the drive to win. Composure, to steal Ferdinand’s threat from the first faceoff, was everything.

Chapter Text

Edelgard felt her left leg bouncing against the side of her desk chair, a telltale sign of her nervous excitement. Something about this game was getting to her. She wanted to convince herself it was because she was going to prove herself to Catherine and cement her place on the team. It must have had at least a little bit to do with that right? But the image of Byleth, calm and entrancing across from her at the coffee shop, kept coming to mind. She had said she was going to the game tonight. Edelgard’s heart pounded just at the thought of it. In truth, Edelgard had wanted to reach out to Byleth a few times since they met the day prior. But, in the confusion and distractedness of the moment, she had only given her number out. She had no way to initiate a conversation. 

Edelgard sighed, picking up the book she had been fooling herself into thinking she was reading for what felt like the 30th time in as many minutes. A buzz from her cell phone immediately caught her attention. A text message from an unsaved number popped up on her screen. Oh god. Speak of the devil. But that saying would only really apply if Edelgard’s thoughts hadn’t been constantly speaking of this devil from the moment they met.

UNSAVED: hey edelgard! it’s byleth, we met yesterday at the coffee shop.

Edelgard hummed at Byleth’s introduction, as if she really could have forgotten meeting her just over a day ago. She picked up her phone to respond, then hesitated. Gotta play it cool. That was something that Caspar had taught her as soon as he learned she was into girls. He found out she hadn’t dated since high school and he immediately tried to take her under his wing. It hadn’t worked out so far. Edelgard slowly put her phone down, eyeing it for a second. She quickly snatched it back up. To hell with cool.

EDELGARD: Hi! What’s up, how are you doing?

Byleth responded instantly. Edelgard had to force herself to hide the happy little smile that was rising on her face.

BYLETH: i’m good!

B: well, actually, i would be

B: but, you see, i live off campus

B: and i have no idea where the hockey rink is. would you be able to show me? i know 

     you have to be there early to get ready for the game, so if it isn’t a hassle or 

     anything…

Edelgard was charmed even by Byleth’s texting style. All lowercase, mimicking her soft voice. But multiple quick texts in a row, reminding Edelgard of the earnestness with which she spoke. She was still so straightforward, but not curt or disrespectful at all. Edelgard’s smile creeped through a bit and she could sense Dorothea staring at her from her side of the room. 

E: Yes, of course! It’s not a problem. I usually walk from my dorm, so would you be able 

    to meet me here?

B: you are so wonderful yes i will meet you there. which hall do you live in? and what 

    time should i show up?

Edelgard blushed deeply at the sudden compliment, not able to wrap her head around this girl. Who just says things like that? 

E: I live in Enbarr. The game starts at 8 and we actually only have to be there by 7:30, 

    so come by around 7:15?

B: (thumbs up)

B: (blue heart)

Edelgard stared blankly at the message for a few seconds. A heart. Huh. What could that mean? Should she send one back? She turned to look at Dorothea, considering asking her advice.

“What’s going on over there?” Dorothea asked, raising her eyebrows. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, painting her nails. Edelgard contemplated her options. Dorothea could definitely be helpful in any sort of romantic pursuit, but she got invested so easily. If whatever this thing with Byleth was shaping up to be didn’t work out, it would be likely that Dorothea would be even more upset than Edelgard herself. 

“Nothing,” Edelgard decided, shaking her head. Dorothea narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah, nothing definitely makes me blush and smile like a fuckin’ schoolgirl. Tell her I said hi!” Dorothea joked. Edelgard just laughed, turning back to her book to pass the time until 7:15. She could worry about Dorothea later. Right now, she had too much excitement and not enough time to learn how to hide it before Byleth would show up.

Edelgard watched the minutes tick by on her clock. 7:12. Dorothea had left about an hour ago to get dinner with Petra, their pre-game ritual. She had always wanted to ask Dorothea about what the nature of their relationship was, but it felt almost out of line. Dorothea was constantly ready to talk about the newest person on her mind, whoever she was thinking about being romantically involved with. She had never once mentioned Petra, however. Even though Edelgard could see them being together very easily, considering their excitable personalities and Dorothea’s caring nature, she wouldn’t dare to ask about it for fear of whatever was keeping Dorothea from mentioning it. 

7:13. The game tonight was bound to be fun. Edelgard’s resolve to succeed coupled with the fact that they were playing against the Brigands, some nobody team from Magdred College, meant that it would be an easy win with low stakes allowing for creativity on the ice. Despite her recent drive to dominate the game, Edelgard did love strategizing and tricking opponent’s defenses. There would be plenty of room for that.

7:14. The horizon on Adrestia’s campus was beautiful at dusk. Edelgard always loved looking out at the various buildings, gothic academic architecture piercing into the sky. She mused briefly on autumn, the season of change. How wonderful nature was, how beautiful the fleeting world-- buzz . Oh thank god. 

Edelgard glanced down at her phone. 7:15. One new message. 

BYLETH: hi i’m here

EDELGARD: So very punctual. I’ll be right down!

As she stood, movement in the parking lot outside her window caught her eye. From a few floors up, it was easy to see the driver’s side door to an ancient looking white sedan open. A recognizable mop of blue hair emerged as Byleth stepped out, closing the door with what seemed like practiced care behind her. Edelgard observed her physically putting a key in a lock to secure the car, wondering briefly if it had windows that had to be manually rolled down. She chuckled to herself, feeling more mystified by this girl with each new thing she learned. Adrestia wasn’t exactly an inexpensive university. If Byleth could afford to transfer here, surely she would be able to get a better car? Edelgard supposed her grasp on finances was slim, considering her father handled everything like that, but… still.  

Quickly leaving her room and jogging down the stairs, Edelgard opened the lobby door and stepped outside. The air was cool, almost cold. Byleth sat perched on the trunk of her car, eyes wandering off and observing passersby. She was wearing a green flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Edelgard swallowed roughly, staring at her forearms. For the first time, she noticed Byleth’s body. Her face was obvious. It was so striking, so attention grabbing. But, even just seeing the small visible part of her arms, it was clear that her body deserved the same awe. Her jeans, black, hugged her evidently muscular legs tightly. Edelgard would bet her life that there were defined abs under that shirt. As Byleth brought up a hand to run through her hair, the toned muscle in her arm flexed just slightly. Her head was turned to the side, exposing the sharp jawline usually overshadowed by her hair. A thousand questions suddenly came to Edelgard’s mind. What did she do that made her look like that? Sure, Edelgard was fit, too. Hockey was brutally physical. But Byleth’s form had to be more than that. She flashed back to the coffee shop, the brief handshake. Her hands were so calloused, almost rough. What was this girl’s deal? Suddenly, Byleth was looking at Edelgard and springing from her seat.

“Hey!” she greeted, quickly stepping closer. It took Edelgard a second to find her feet before taking a step forward. Wait. Byleth wasn’t stopping. Edelgard felt out of body as Byleth lightly hugged her with one arm before stepping back, letting her hand linger softly on Edelgard’s shoulder for a moment.

“Oh, hi!” Edelgard said, cosmic luck helping her remember how to speak. Her voice betrayed nothing, but the sweat on her palms would be a dead give away. “Hi, how are you?”
“Fantastic. It’s great to see you,” Byleth spoke with that same sincerity from before.

“You too, of course. But…” Edelgard started, suddenly finding her confidence in a mischievous grin. “We have to do something about your shirt.”  Something had just crossed her mind and sure, she was nervous around this girl, but she was still herself. Byleth cocked her head curiously in response, a touch of pink coloring her face. 

“Green,” Edelgard started, quickly poking Byleth in the stomach (yup, abs), “is the Brigands’ color. The team we’re playing tonight.” Byleth laughed, a sly smile of her own appearing on her face. Oh, Edelgard could get used to that look.

“Well, then, Edelgard. You’ll have to find me something else to wear. This is all I have with me,” she said, leaning in just slightly as she spoke Edelgard’s name before stepping back with a confident shrug. Edelgard’s turn to blush. She looked Byleth up and down slowly, sizing her up.

“Bold,” Edelgard returned. “Wait right here.” 

Turning on her heel, Edelgard quickly ran off back to the dorm. She could hear a soft laugh echo behind her as she re-entered the lobby and sprinted up the steps to her room. Inside, there was no shortage of the Eagle’s colors: black and red. A flannel, to suit Byleth’s style? No, it would certainly be too small on the taller girl. A tight red sweater? Didn’t seem quite right. A sweatshirt? Specifically a Black Eagles ice hockey sweatshirt? One with “Hresvelg” emblazoned on the back? Perfect. Edelgard grabbed it before running back outside. 

“Here,” she said, a little breathless, offering the clothing to Byleth. Byleth held it up, examining the logo on the front. Understanding dawned visibly on her. She flipped it around, reading the name on the back. The same grin from before crossed her lips. 

“Bold,” she shot back, staring hard into Edelgard’s eyes. Edelgard felt like she was going to die, nervous and excited and just… thrilled. Something about Byleth was thrilling, something about being with her was thrilling. Maybe it was the blatant flirting. Not looking away, Byleth began to unbutton her shirt. In the middle of the Enbarr Hall parking lot. Edelgard’s eyes grew wide, wanting both to challenge Byleth by keeping eye contact and also cover her face and hide. At about the third button, Edelgard couldn’t take it anymore. She let her gaze fall to the ground, staring instead at the muddy toes of Byleth’s boots. She barely heard Byleth’s chuckle.

“If it’s, uh, too small, just let me know. I tried to grab something that was bigger because you’re, you know, tall,” Edelgard said quietly, her confidence broken simply by how flustered she was. She looked up just as Byleth was pulling the sweatshirt down over her head, catching a fleeting glimpse of a black sports bra and an insanely shredded torso. 

“Fits perfect,” Byleth responded, shaking her hair out of the hood. She smiled widely before raising an eyebrow in questioning. Edelgard came back to reality, forcibly pushing the image of what she just saw out of her mind. Maybe a proper date first, isn’t that how it’s supposed to go?

“Right, right, it looks… great on you,” Edelgard said, letting earnestness slip through. In the past, the beginning of any relationships or hookups or whatever had never been this easy. It was hard to tell feelings apart, understand all the nuances of this sort of thing. But Byleth was so obvious, clearly letting Edelgard engage in stupid things like the sweatshirt that showed interest and playing the game right back. It was exciting, but Edelgard knew there was such a thing as moving too fast. “Let’s get going?” she posed.

“Lead the way.” 

The walk to the rink wasn’t uneventful by any means. Maybe to the outside observer it would seem that way, two girls making banal smalltalk about class and campus and standard things like that. But to Edelgard, it was riveting. She wanted to learn everything she could about Byleth, like her favorite jeans or what music she listened to or if she was a cat person or a dog person. Even how she color coded her folders. 

“Are you kidding me? Blue is history, it always has been!” Edelgard exclaimed, laughing. She looked up to Byleth, balancing with arms widespread and walking the curb like a tightrope. 

“No way. Blue is science. Get real, Edelgard,” she responded, looking deadly serious. Edelgard smiled, then quickly reached out to grab Byleth’s elbow as she watched her almost stumble. Byleth stepped down, briefly bumping into Edelgard. “Ha, thanks,” she said, blushing slightly. Edelgard remembered to let go. She flexed her fingers. 

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, why did you decide to transfer here?” Edelgard questioned suddenly, wanting to know something a little more real. 

“My dad and I, our work moved out here. So we did too.” Edelgard paused until it became clear she would need to press for more information.

“You work with your dad?” she asked, somewhat surprised at the notion.

“Yeah,” Byleth said. Edelgard could have sworn she saw something almost like defensiveness behind her eyes. Like she had been ridiculed for this before, but was proud of it nonetheless. Edelgard nodded, wanting to ask more but not wanting to intrude. 

“Oh, you want to know what we do?” Byleth asked, like realization had dawned on her. “Just construction. Right now we’re on a team building some business park in town.” Edelgard thought back to her calloused hands, her muscular form. That made sense. But…

“Isn’t that exhausting? How do you possibly manage a job like that and class and like, a social life?” Edelgard questioned.

“It’s easier than you would think. I’ve been doing it forever, always helping out around sites and stuff. My hours are flexible, too. It’s a pretty good gig,” Byleth said, something of an air of finality to it. As if there really wasn’t much more to say on the subject. Edelgard nodded, pursing her lips.

“Okay, then. Are you adjusting well here? Are you getting involved in anything on campus?” Edelgard asked. Byleth laughed.

“Now you sound like my dad,” she responded. She looked Edelgard in the eye, an almost wolfish grin on her face. “Yes, I’m involved in things,” she said. The way she spoke sounded like there was something hidden, something about to burst out at any moment. Edelgard was surprised to see this hint of secrecy, so out of character for what she had seen before. She wanted to press further but they had just rounded the corner to the stadium doors. 

“Hm, well, this is it,” Edelgard said, putting the strangeness behind her. She opened her arms in a wide gesture. “Adrestia University’s hockey rink!” Byleth looked it up and down, nodding. She grabbed the nearest handle and opened the door, heading in confidently. Edelgard hurried behind her. As they entered, Catherine’s familiar voice rang out. 

“Eisner! Oh, and Hresvelg, too! Glad to see you’re already making friends,” she spoke loudly, walking towards the pair. Edelgard’s eyes widened, confusion overtaking her. Byleth and her coach… knew each other? Before she could verbalize a question, Catherine was pushing her towards the locker room. “You’d better get in there. Everybody’s waiting for their captain to get them pumped for tonight,” she said, her words coated in warning. Right. Edelgard had almost forgotten about this game’s risk. She nodded, looking to Byleth. That same grin from outside. Whatever that was about, it was time to put it in the back of her mind. She tapped Byleth lightly on the elbow.

“Thanks for walking with me,” Edelgard said, smiling broadly. “Keep an eye out for me, I’ll be the incredible one in the center.” 

“Cocky,” Byleth responded. Edelgard could have sworn she saw Byleth’s eyes flit down to her lips. “I will definitely be watching.” Edelgard gave a fast thumbs up and turned toward the locker room, hoping to hide her blush. There were pressing things more important than a pretty girl in her sweatshirt with sudden ties to her coach. She had a game to play. 

Chapter Text

“...so let’s get the hell out there!” Edelgard exclaimed, finishing her passionate captain’s speech with a raised fist. Her teammates hollered around her, cheers bouncing off the lockers as they stood and readied to step onto the ice. She felt a presence standing behind her.

“Impassioned words as always, Hresvelg,” Hubert’s voice hung in the air, always a little threatening. “But, I couldn’t help but notice, you seemed to be holding back. What’s keeping you?”

Edelgard turned slowly to face him. His intense eyes were glowering down at her, just his natural state. “You already know, Vestra. I don’t want things getting too crazy out there tonight. Nothing to fight about, no arguments to get into with the refs, just an easy game for us.”

“Because you don’t trust yourself to remain composed?” 

“Maybe. Does it matter? Those are good things to avoid regardless of what may or may not be my precarious leadership position on this team.”

Hubert hummed and nodded, walking to join the rest of the team. Edelgard sighed heavily. Keeping calm. Not worrying about Hubert and whatever the fuck that was. Not thinking about what her future on the team might be. Definitely not thinking about what her future in the sport might be. Just thinking about this game, tonight.

As if in some cosmic joke, the team’s entrance music began to blare outside the locker room just as Edelgard was beginning to relax. “Where Eagles Dare” by the Misfits. Obviously a very calming piece. Especially when the lyrics were being screamed along to by two thousand home turf fans in the bleachers. Shaking her head quickly, Edelgard moved to the front of the line of players. A stadium employee signaled their exit in time with the song, Edelgard being the first to breach the entryway onto the ice. She skated into the rink, raising her arms above her head as she circled around roughly. On game nights, the stadium was transformed. The usually empty walls of bleachers raised above the rink were packed full, people sitting on each other’s laps just to get a view of the action. Looking out into the crowd was like staring into a black and red sea, each audience member decked out in Adrestia’s colors. All of them screaming wildly, chanting for them. For her.

The Black Eagles were one of the winningest teams in all of the Fódlan League, the college hockey tournament. They were also the highest achieving team in all of Adrestia U’s sports lineup. So, of course their games would draw big crowds. Even an early season game like this. Edelgard scanned the audience looking for Byleth, unable to spot her among the throngs of people. Suddenly, Edelgard was being pulled into Dorothea’s side in a one-armed hug.

“Ready, Edie?” she asked, a beaming smile. She loved the attention of the crowd. “You’ve got this,” she reassured. Edelgard nodded, about to respond when Catherine’s voice called to them from the boards. As usual, a pre-game speech. Edelgard dreaded what sort of thinly veiled things she would say about the current politics of the team. Regardless, it was hard to entirely put excitement behind her. Edelgard loved this sport, simple as that. She turned to make her way over with the rest of the team, feeling her heart skip at the sight of Byleth next to her coach in the box. She cocked her head, raising an eyebrow toward the taller girl. Byleth laughed and shrugged. As Edelgard swung over to the boards, positioned next to Dorothea and Linhardt, she saw Byleth mouth the words “get ready” to her. Ready for… what? 

“Everybody, this had better be a good game. For many reasons,” Catherine started, eyeing Edelgard. There it was. “The biggest of which, however,” she said as she clapped Byleth on the shoulder, “is Eisner, here. I’ve kept it a secret because I didn’t want anybody to think they could get lazy, but since she’s here tonight I might as well tell you. Starting at practice on Monday, there’s a new addition to the Black Eagles!” 

A general silence stunned the team, quickly transformed into excited murmurs and even a cheer from Caspar. There was a difficult tryout process for the team, meaning that it was rare for many new people to join. As everybody swarmed the boards to greet Byleth, Edelgard felt herself overcome with countless emotions. Next to her, Dorothea whispered to herself. 

“Eisner, why is that familiar?” Eis-- oh shit !” Dorothea hit Edelgard in the arm. “Your Eisner? Byleth?” she questioned. “Why didn’t you tell me she was going to be playing with us?” Edelgard turned to her, eyes wide and unfocused.

“I didn’t know,” she returned quietly, shaking her head. What the hell? Why wouldn’t Byleth tell her this? Part of Edelgard felt betrayed at having such a big secret kept from her. She could feel anger bubbling up within her, unsure of exactly why. Catherine’s voice shook her from her stupor. 

“Eisner was captain over at Remire University, just transferred here for her dad’s work. I’ve seen her play before and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have her with us, so I poached her real quick. She played center, so, Hresvelg, I’d tell you to look out, but it seems you’ve already made yourself… acquaintances,” Catherine said, glancing at the back of the sweatshirt Byleth was wearing. 

“It’s great to meet the rest of you,” Byleth said, an open palm raised. “I look forward to joining you all. And watching you play tonight.” Her gaze was directed at Edelgard, grin creeping up her face. Edelgard closed her mouth, realizing it had been open slightly in surprise, and gritted her teeth. This changed just about everything. Yes, she was attracted to Byleth. That wouldn’t change, even if she found herself wishing it would in these new circumstances. A crush on a teammate was never good. But if what Catherine just said was right? That Byleth was a center? And captain? Edelgard suddenly had a hell of a lot more competition than fucking Ferdinand for her spot. Was that why this made her angry? Whatever playful fun had been going on between her and Byleth had to be put on hold, at least until it became more clear what her role on the team was going to be. 

“Alright, everybody, come on. We’ve got shit to do. We can play with our new toy after the game,” Edelgard said, finally finding her voice. Byleth’s eyes widened at her wording. “Byleth,” she said, looking the girl up and down, “welcome to the team.” Emotion was clawing its way up Edelgard’s throat, but she forced it back down. No time to process that now. Instead, Edelgard skated to the center for the faceoff, the rest of the team following shortly behind her. A whistle sounded as the opposing center made his way over to Edelgard, boos and jeers erupting from the fans. Edelgard shook her head, willing herself to move on from that shocking distraction. More important things at hand. 

The linesman extended his arm, droning the usual rules spiel. Edelgard tuned him out, staring into the eyes of her competitor. A taller boy, captain’s band. His eyes flitted around the ice in a way that a less experienced player may have thought was observant, but Edelgard knew he was simply nervous. The reputation of the Black Eagles was that they were a team to be feared. Ruthless, strategic, strong. She couldn’t imagine how scary it would be to be on the other side of the ice right now. She chuckled darkly, smiling as her opponent startled.

“Relax,” she said, grinning. “It won’t hurt a bit.” The boy laughed shakily, glancing at his teammates. Standard fare, minus one brick wall of a defenseman. Built, tall, and an angry glare on his face. Edelgard made the mental note to keep an eye out for him. 

“Ready?” the linesman asked. Edelgard nodded with certainty, while the boy across from her had more urgency in his. He wanted to get out of this faceoff. “Go!”

In what was possibly the easiest play of Edelgard’s life, her opponent made no move for the puck. Not in a strategic way, but out of fear for his life. Edelgard laughed, wanting to take advantage of this opportunity and rush the net. She stopped, remembering her goals for the night, and passed the puck back to Petra. Twenty seconds of play later and the puck was cleanly in the net. A quick game, for sure. Already, the bleachers were chanting one of their go-to cheers for an early score like that.

“Mercy rule! Mercy rule!” they all yelled, inspiring shouts and laughter in the Black Eagles. The Brigands called a timeout, leaving Edelgard to wander around the ice and look to her friends.

Hubert and Ferdinand were in some sort of heated verbal spat, definitely not something she wanted to get involved with. Secretly, she hoped it was about her and that Hubert was kicking his ass. Dorothea was dancing around the ice to get love from the crowd, again not anything that Edelgard wanted any part of. And Caspar and Petra had gone to the bench to talk to Linhardt and Bernadetta, leaving Edelgard directionless for the duration of the timeout. Thirty seconds only seems short when you have something to do. She glanced to Catherine, who gave her a surprising thumbs up. Edelgard smiled and gave one back, unsure of what to make of that. She noticed Byleth, sat next to Catherine and leaning forward with her forearms on her knees. Staring right at Edelgard. Edelgard’s heart dropped with nerves and she quickly spun on her skates to be facing away from her. No time for that now. 

Thankfully, the whistle blew. Back to the game. Despite whatever planning the Brigands had done in their timeout, the rest of the first period went similarly to how it had started. Two more points and 15 minutes later, it was time for an intermission. Leaving Edelgard with nothing to do, again, as her friends went off in their own ways. Maybe now was time to bite the bullet and figure out what the fuck was going on with Byleth. Something had been building in her the entire time she had been playing. She was unsure of exactly what she was feeling and why, but maybe talking about it would help. She skated over to the box where Catherine and Byleth sat, brushing off her coach’s compliments on the game and roughly taking Byleth’s hand.

“Hey, come with me,” she urged quietly, seriously. Byleth smiled wryly and nodded, letting Edelgard pull her to the wing of the rink and out of sight of anyone else. As soon as they were in private, Edelgard shoved Byleth into the wall. Suddenly, she had processed her emotions. She was fucking pissed. 

“What the hell is this about?” Edelgard shouted, feeling a strange rage growing. Like she was on the ice. Byleth gasped before quickly composing herself, stepping forward towards Edelgard. 

“Chill, okay? Catherine told me to keep it secret,” Byleth responded, her words rushed, as if she wanted to make this anger end as soon as possible. Edelgard scoffed.

“You’ve been lying to me!” Edelgard screamed, emotion hitting her hard. 

“Only the one time!” Byleth defended loudly before recovering herself. “Only once, about not knowing where the stadium was. I just… wanted to see you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Not telling me you’re on my fucking team is the same as lying, Eisner,” Edelgard spat. 

“It isn’t, I never said that I wasn’t on the team,” Byleth shot back.

“Oh, don’t be an asshole! You know exactly what I mean.” A sudden thought dawned on her. “Did you manufacture… all of this? Meeting in the coffee shop?” Edelgard asked. Her voice wavered, almost scared. If Byleth had lied so Edelgard would walk to the rink with her, who’s to say she didn’t do that, too? She didn’t even want to consider the possibility that all this flirting and shit was some game on Byleth’s part, but it wasn’t out of the question. 

“What? No, Edelgard, no,” Byleth responded sincerely, stepping forward once more and moving to grab Edelgard’s wrists. Edelgard pulled her hands away, but didn’t move back. They were less than a foot apart. “Why would I have done that? How would I have done that? Meeting you was a total accident. One that I consider very lucky.” 

“Sure,” Edelgard said softly. No longer yelling. Hurt. “You betrayed my trust, Byleth.” In her heart, Edelgard realized that was what she was really so mad about. Byleth furrowed her brow, looking confused.

“Why the hell did you trust me? We’ve known each other not even two days,” Byleth questioned. It was clear that she meant what she said. She didn’t understand why Edelgard put faith in a total stranger. And, truthfully, neither did Edelgard. She shook her head, laughing dryly. 

“You’re fucking right,” Edelgard whispered, looking Byleth in the eye. She turned, needing to get away and quickly heading back through the halls of the rink.

“Fuck, Edelgard, wait!” Byleth called out. Edelgard knew she wouldn’t follow. 

Edelgard was furious. That type of cold anger that can destroy a person. Her hands were balled into tight fists, her short fingernails digging deep into her palms, almost to the point of drawing blood. She made a conscious effort to open her hands, trying to take deep breaths. This was the last thing she needed tonight. She felt immature for being so upset. Byleth really was right. They didn’t know each other. Why was she so hurt by some random person’s actions? But that rational part of her head was easily drowned about by the ‘indignant child’ part. She liked Byleth! She wanted things to be good between them! She wanted to take it further, she had even let herself feel a little out of character hope about the prospect. And Byleth fucked whatever they were becoming up. It was infuriating, how fast the life cycle of this relationship had been. And, on top of that, Edelgard would have to face her every night of the week at practice now. She surveyed her surroundings, sinking down against a wall when it was clear she was alone in this back hall. She sat with her knees brought to her chest and her head tilted back towards the ceiling for minutes, just waiting for the intermission bell to ring. Trying and failing to relax. 

Edelgard’s ears rang as the Black Eagles returned to the rink. She was the last on the ice, following behind Hubert. Dorothea turned to her as the others got in position.

“Jesus, Edie, there you are. What happened? You look crazy,” Dorothea asked quietly, as if she didn’t want to bring attention to Edelgard’s obvious state of emotion. Like everybody couldn’t already tell. Edelgard turned to her, shaking her head.

“I’m fine.” 

“No you’re not, honey. If you’re not going to tell me what’s going on at least let me remind you that you have to stay calm tonight,” Dorothea urged, trying to get through to her. Edelgard stared straight through her. She was right, objectively. Didn’t change the fact that that possibility was long gone. Staying calm, playing safe, these were things far from her mind. The anger was going to drive her, like how it did when she thought about her father. Now, however, the object of her rage was in the stadium with her. She would show Byleth that she wasn’t to be fucked with. Edelgard ignored Dorothea and prepared for the faceoff.

The Brigands sent their captain again, despite his pitiful performance last time. Edelgard made no threats, no pregame banter. If he looked scared before he was terrified now. The signal, the drop, and immediately Edelgard was in possession. She shouldered her opponent out of the way, quickly advancing towards the net. In her careless motions, she lost sight of the hulking defenseman. It didn’t take long for him to slam her up against the boards, stealing the puck and sending it flying towards his offensive. He glared at Edelgard and she cursed him out under her breath.

Hubert expertly blocked a couple shots as Edelgard made it back over to their side. He passed to Ferdinand, who eyed Edelgard with worry before passing to Petra. The play bounced around for a few minutes, Petra unable to get through the defense and the Eagles seemingly unwilling to get Edelgard involved. She skirted around the rink, furious at the knowing warning looks her friends were giving her. If they thought that would help her relax, they were perfectly wrong. Missed shots here and there for both teams and the period was winding down rapidly. 

There were two minutes left on the clock when Edelgard finally had possession again. Nobody would pass to her, but poor aim on the Brigands’ part gave her a fine opportunity to grab the puck on a rebound off the boards. She looked more carefully this time as she advanced toward the net, not seeing that defender anywhere. As she pulled back her swing for a direct slapshot, gasps and shocked groans from the crowd drew her attention. She swung around just in time to watch Ferdinand hit the ice like a sack of flour, his helmet flung to the side. Standing before him was the defenseman, gripping the top of his stick in a position that clearly revealed the attack Edelgard had missed: a hard hit of the butt end of the stick into Ferdinand’s jaw. Edelgard abandoned the puck, rushing over to where the ref stood by them. No whistle blown, no penalty called. The play had not been formally stopped.

“Hey!” Edelgared yelled out. “What the fuck? You’re not going to call that?” she shouted towards the ref as she advanced, skidding to a stop a few feet in front of him.

“There was no clear intent to-” he started.

“Clear intent? Look at my fucking teammate!” Edelgard interrupted, gesturing passionately to Ferdinand on the ground. All of the Eagles on the ice had rushed over, Hubert leaning down to try to assess the damage. Ferdinand was conscious, but he seemed thoroughly messed up. The part of his head that had hit the ice when his helmet came off was bleeding and his eyes were unfocused. Edelgard heard Catherine call her name in the distance.

“Miss, I have made my-” the ref started again, this time interrupted by the defender.

“I barely fucking touched him. Not my fault you run a team full of puss-” Edelgard’s gloves were on the ground in an instant, her helmet thrown to the side. If she wasn’t invigorated before, the cheers from the crowd at that moment would’ve done it. Catherine’s voice rang out again, along with the voices of her friends next to her on the ice, but Edelgard pushed the sound away. 

“Fuck did you just say?” Edelgard growled out, advancing on him. She saw something like fear flash through his eyes before he accepted the challenge, tossing his gear down as well. Edelgard was on him immediately, grabbing his jersey to pull his face down to her level before getting a solid punch in. It was undeniable that he had the advantage, both in height and strength. But he was lacking the anger that drove Edelgard. He swung wide, missing her head by inches. Edelgard made contact with the underside of his chin, mimicking his strike on Ferdinand. She felt the skin on her knuckles split open, not caring one bit. He reached out again, clocking Edelgard right in the jaw. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her back by her hair, slamming his forehead directly by her eye. The linesman quickly moved forward, attempting unsuccessfully to separate them. Edelgard stumbled back, head spinning, before elbowing the defender in the ribs. He sputtered out a cough and Edelgard readied for another swing, feeling the blood dripping into her vision, before a set of arms was around her waist.

“Fuck, Edelgard, stop!” Caspar spoke by her ear as Hubert stepped between her and her opponent, who was being pulled back by his own teammates. She could faintly hear the buzzer signalling the end of the period over the roar of the crowd around them. More clear was Catherine. 

“Hresvelg, off the fucking ice, now!”

Chapter Text

EDELGARD: How is he?

DOROTHEA: He’s fucking Ferdinand. He’ll be fine. They say he’s got a concussion, he’ll be off for about a month.

Edelgard let out a sigh, some of the tension that had her shoulders touching her ears leaving her. She rubbed her palms together roughly, trying to get heat and feeling back in her freezing hands. She could see her breath. The rink only got colder once everybody left, lights off and body heat gone. Sitting up in the nosebleeds, she let her head drop back and bump against the seat behind her. She winced, feeling her skin pulling around the now-dried blood on her forehead.

D: Where are you?

E: I’ll be home soon.

She stood, kicking the toes of her shoes into the concrete flooring. It was nearly midnight. The big LED scoreboard taking up the south wall still echoed the Eagles’ victory. The blood on the ice, Edelgard’s failure.

D: OK hurry up!!!! I forgot my keys D:

Edelgard shook her head, then quickly started her descent down to the main doors. Pushing them open, she felt the cool autumn air run over her. She wished she had her fucking sweatshirt. At the thought, she gritted her teeth and broke out into a jog towards her dorm. 

She didn’t want to think about that. About Byleth, about the game, about Catherine, none of it. She let her feet hit the pavement hard as she ran, not caring for the soles of her shoes or protecting her knee cartilage or any of that. The impact felt good, grounding. Rhythmic. 

Catherine’s fist pounded into the locker, metal denting with the impact. 

“Tell me what the fuck you were thinking!”

“He fucking checked Ferd–”

“He was twice your goddamned size, Hresvelg! He could’ve killed you!” Catherine shouted, throwing her clipboard down on the tile floor.

“I’m supposed to look out for the team, I’m the captain! I have a job–” Edelgard answered, hands out in exasperation. 

“Not anymore you don't. You’re done, Hresvelg.” Catherine’s words were quieted, somber yet stern. They pierced the empty locker room like a bullet.

“No, coach, I’m–” Edelgard started, stepping forward. Tears were building in her eyes almost instantly.

“You’re done! You’re putting yourself in danger at this point, Edelgard,” Catherine said, holding a hand out in front of herself. As if to placate Edelgard, like she was some kind of animal. The coach never used her first name. “You can’t keep going like this. You need a break.”

“Please…” Edelgard whispered, sinking down on the bench nearest to her.

Catherine stared at her, eyes softening. She seemed almost surprised at the bareness of Edelgard’s emotion. If she was expecting rage, anger, a fight, she wasn’t really getting it. Edelgard was hurt, physically and emotionally, blood trickling down her face and across her knuckles. “I’m sorry, kid.” 

“I can, please, coach, I’ll try–” Edelgard mumbled, looking up at Catherine through wet eyelashes. She felt like a little kid, bumbling and warbling her way through some pathetic demand. She felt helpless, too. Alone, scorned, misunderstood. Truly childlike, at least as she remembered it.

“It’s final, Hresvelg,” Catherine said softly, stepping closer. She put her hand on Edelgard’s shoulder, almost tender. In her sadness, Edelgard wanted to lean into it. Elsewhere, in the pit of her stomach, she wanted to sink her teeth into the flesh. Edelgard could only let out a choked sob in response as Catherine brushed her hand down her arm, slipping her fingers under the captain’s band as she went and pulling it off. Edelgard clenched her fist a second too late, watching in disbelief as Catherine held the armband between them. 

“I’ve got to catch up to the others and get to the hospital. Hresvelg…” Catherine started, failing to keep eye contact with Edelgard. “I don’t want to see you. Here, at practice, anywhere. You need time.” Edelgard gripped the bench below her, a wood splinter digging into her thumb. She thought she might scream. Her vision was nearly blacked out in anger, but she could do nothing but cry. “Three weeks. I’m suspending you for three weeks. We’ll see what happens after that.” 

By the time Edelgard felt like she could breathe, the coach was well gone.

When Edelgard finally reached Enbarr Hall’s glass front doors, she felt tears on her cheeks again. The bright, fluorescent lights shone through the building, casting dark shadows around her bloodied knuckles as she gripped the door handle. In the parking lot behind her, she felt the looming specter of where a white car once sat in her periphery. Edelgard gently pushed the door open, suction popping against the rubber lining. Inside, their security guard sat fast asleep at his desk. Edelgard watched a flurry of movement as she stepped in, Dorothea hopping up from a lounge chair to greet her.

“Great, there you are. Took you long enough! I could’ve– oh, hey, Edie,” Dorothea calmed her faux-exasperation, turning quickly serious. “Are you alright, honey?” She asked, reaching out to hold one of Edelgard’s wrists.

Edelgard pushed her away. “Obviously not,” she spat out. Truthfully, she felt close to hyperventilating. She wanted to collapse into Dorothea’s arms and cry her eyes out. But she couldn’t. “Coach kicked me off,” she said instead, swiftly walking past Dorothea and towards the elevator.

“Wait, what? Like, permanently?” Dorothea cried out, hustling into the lift behind her. 

“Three weeks suspension. I’m not captain anymore, either,” Edelgard stated dully. 

“Oh, well… I guess we knew that might happen,” Dorothea mumbled. Edelgard snapped her head towards her, brows furrowed darkly and eyes bloodshot. “I mean, I– I’m sorry, Edelgard. Really. You don’t deserve this.” 

The second the doors opened onto their floor, Edelgard pushed her way out. She made her way to their room, kicking her shoes off and flinging her body down into her bed without even turning on the lights. She wasn’t sure if she could agree with Dorothea.

“Whatever. Just let me sleep.” 

Edelgard awoke to a sort of sickly dim light, sunlight failing to force its way through tightly drawn blinds. She blinked, rubbing crusted blood from around her eye as she sat up slowly. She was sore, but physically fine. Dorothea’s bed was made, any trace of her long gone. On her nightstand, there was a bottle of water, some ibuprofen, and neosporin. Next to it, a note read: “Talk to you later. Love you - Dorothea.”

Edelgard drank the water down quickly and swallowed down some pills with it, wiping her mouth with her sleeve when she finished. Her rough, coarse jersey sleeve, since she hadn’t changed last night. She stumbled out of bed, slipping out of her dirty uniform. She showered, got dressed, and forced her blinds open to the clear midday sun. 

Staring at her reflection in one of Dorothea’s multiple floor-length mirrors, Edelgard knew she looked miserable. Besides a newborn black eye, her body seemed mostly okay. But looking into her eyes, blank and cold, she knew she was empty. Yesterday morning, she was happy and hopeful. Sure, maybe a little stressed, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Now, she was completely despondent. No team, no light, no purpose. Saturday mornings were usually reserved for a post-game debrief, then a quick practice until noon. Instead, Edelgard had nothing. She grabbed her phone, just to check the time.

1:24pm. Well, at least she wouldn’t be able to torture herself thinking about what the others were doing at practice, then. She had dozens of notifications. Edelgard sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. This would be painful.

PETRA: We love you, Edelgard. Dorothea told me about the coach's words to you. You will be better than ever soon! Do not worry.

HUBERT: Checking in on you. We don’t need to talk about it. I am sure you are disappointed enough in yourself. You’ll recover. We’ll hold on without you in the meantime. Let me know what I can do. 

MIKE(?) ECON: hey can you send me notes from yesterday 

BERNADETTA: <3 <3 <3 hope you’re feeling okay!! let me know what you need. send me pics of your face! are you all jacked up?

CASPAR: Hey - good work last night (flames). Maybe others won’t agree, but i think you did the right thing. You looked badass, and we won. No problems in my book. See you soon.

DOROTHEA: I’m stopping at the coffee shop you like on my way home from practice! Don’t eat breakfast. Maybe it’ll be lunch, based on the way you’re snoring rn. 

FERDINAND: Thanks for. Sticking up for me. Sorry about your ttitle. I won’t be taking your spot so dont worry loll. T Alk soon.

Edelgard ignored most of them, only sending a quick picture of her bruising to Bernadetta and warning Ferdinand to stay away from screens for a while. She scrolled quickly through the group chat, catching up on some pictures of Ferdinand looking loopy in the hospital and everybody cracking jokes about it. As she scrolled, a text from Linhardt came through: 

LINHARDT: Adding byleth to the chat! Everybody say hi byleth!

PETRA: Hi Byleth! 

CASPAR: HI BYLETH!!

HUBERT: Hello, Byleth. 

Edelgard scoffed at the onslaught of welcome messages. It was just that easy, huh? She felt like she couldn’t help herself.

EDELGARD: Hi Byleth.

CASPAR: OMG good morning edelgard

BYLETH: haha thanks everyone! lots of fun meeting + playing this morning. wish the circumstances could have been more cheery (dizzy eyes)

FERDINAND: I’m health .

Then, separately, a private text came through from Byleth.

BYLETH: edelgard, can we talk?

Edelgard felt heat rise up her arms. The nerve. She tossed her phone down on her bed and cracked her knuckles, then jumped in surprise as the door swung open forcefully.

“You will not believe the line at that place, good lord!” Dorothea exclaimed, hooking a foot around the door to push it closed. Her arms were full with paper cups and pastry bags. “It smells just divine, though, I have to say. I can see why it’s your favorite,” she continued, setting the food down and finally turning to focus on Edelgard. She took a step forward, holding her palms out. Edelgard raised a confused eyebrow, placing her hands down to meet Dorothea’s.

“How are you holding up?” Dorothea asked, voice lilting like she was talking to a new widow. Edelgard pulled her hands away, reaching for one of the bags and pulling out a still-warm muffin.

“I’m fine, thank you,” she responded, mouth full. 

“Are you–”

“I’d rather not dwell on it. It’ll be like… reverse immersion therapy. For three weeks, I’ll pretend I never picked up a damn stick in my life,” Edelgard answered.

“Well, by all means!” Dorothea giggled, clapping her hands together. “Give me your phone,” she said, reaching for it off of Edelgard’s bed before she could respond. Dorothea grabbed it and shoved it away in her nightstand, then pulled out her laptop.

“What’ll it be? Mamma Mia? Mamma Mia 2? Band of Brothers?”

“It’s just, god,” Dorothea hiccupped through her tears. “It’s just so sad, what’s happening to them, you know? Susie’s heart condition, Paddy, I can’t imagine the pain, to lose someone like that, it’s–”

Edelgard sniffled, shushing Dorothea. “I know, I know. Did you hear that?” She reached out and tapped the mouse, pausing about halfway through their sixth episode of Monkey Life. She could’ve sworn she heard something outside, like a faint shouting.

“The heartbreak, it’s– oh, yeah, what is that?” Dorothea brightened up immediately, looking to the window. She hopped up on her feet, opening it up. Crisp air rushed into the room, along with a clear voice.

“-gard! Listen, I know you’re– hey, Dorothea!”

“Oh, fuck! Shit!” Dorothea whisper-yelled, turning to face Edelgard with wide eyes.

“Is that–” Edelgard started, rising to stand. She was almost embarrassed at how quickly she recognized it.

“Byleth!” Dorothea finished, motioning for her to get back down. Edelgard squatted to the floor.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Edelgard hissed. She could feel sweat beginning to form on her palms. 

“Dorothea, come on! I can see you!” Byleth’s voice carried into the room. She sounded a little hoarse, like she’d been at it for a bit. 

“She’s probably trying to follow up from earlier. Desperate, if you ask me,” Dorothea noted, dusting off her hands and turning to face Edelgard. She could only imagine Byleth’s view, Dorothea silhouetted with her back to her, hands on her hips. 

“Earlier? What do you mean earlier?” Edelgard asked frantically.

“This morning, when she came by? I told you, she asked– oh, fuck, I didn’t tell you,” Dorothea trailed off, clamping a hand over her mouth.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me!?” 

“You said you didn’t–”

“Is Edelgard there? At least tell her to answer her texts!”

Edelgard scrambled across the floor, grabbing her phone out from the drawer. Three texts from Byleth asking if she could come by, then one saying she would. A missed call, about five minutes ago.

“Dorothea!” Edelgard groaned.

“I was trying to– hold on,” Dorothea turned back to the window. “No need to yell, Byleth! I’ll– she’ll,” Dorothea looked to Edelgard, who threw her hands up in exasperation. “Just wait a minute!” She finished, slamming the window shut. “I was trying to abide by your wishes! You said you didn’t want to think about it!” 

“Thinking about it is different than having someone show up at our dorm, Dorothea!” 

“Okay, listen. She came by this morning and asked if she could talk to you. I said you were out, because I thought you wouldn’t want her to know that you were, like, depression sleeping,” Dorothea explained.

“Great, thanks,” Edelgard said sarcastically, nodding. “Then?” 

“She drove us over to practice, and she–”

“You let her drive you to practice?!” Edelgard cried out. “Dorothea, where is your god damned allegiance!” 

“Listen! It was cold! And, frankly, you haven’t really explained what she did that was so wrong, so…” Dorothea said, a little sheepish.

“She fucking lied to me!” Edelgard spat out.

“I don’t think she was, like, trying actively to hurt you or anything, Edie,” Dorothea answered. “I mean, we talked a little in the car and–”

“What did she say?” Edelgard followed up, embarrassingly eager.

“Not much! Just that she wanted to talk to you and clear the air. I didn’t ask her any questions. And you came up a lot at practice, everyone was asking about you and she was talking about you while we played, so–”

“Was she any good?” Edelgard asked, almost a scared whisper. The question had been on her mind all day, eating away at her. Dorothea stared at her, eyes panicked.

"Dorothea!” 

“It’s– I’m, listen, nobody will ever replace–” 

“She’s fucking good, isn’t she?” Edelgard shouted, standing to her feet. “Oh, of fucking course she is. Why wouldn’t she be, huh? She’s tall and athletic and decisive and–”

“She’s fine, Edelgard! That’s it, she’s… I mean, she’s, well… she’s good. She’s good, yeah. Really good, honestly. I was sort of standing there like, Christ, I see why you liked her, she really is that beautiful and this girl can really–” 

“Okay! I get it!” Edelgard answered, laughing scornfully as she slipped on her jacket.

“Wait, are you going to see her?” Dorothea asked. 

“I can’t just ignore her.” Edelgard watched her roommate stare at her. “Right, Dorothea?” 

“No, right, of course, you’re right. Do you want me to come with you? Back you up?”

“I don’t think we’ll be, like, duking it out in the parking lot. It’ll be fine. And you guys are just best fucking friends now, so,” Edelgard answered. She grabbed her phone and her keys, just in case. “I’ll be right back.” 

Edelgard shouldered open the building’s door, immediately feeling chilled in the night air. She hoped her nose wasn’t turning that shade of pink it usually turns when she gets cold. The last thing she wanted was to look cute. She scanned the lot, then spotted a familiar white car with a more familiar blue-haired girl leaning against it. She tried not to think about how excited she was last time she saw this image as she strode over to her.

“Byleth,” Edelgard started, shoving her hands deep into her coat pockets. Byleth instantly pushed herself off her car, stepping forward towards Edelgard.

“Hi, Edelgard,” she breathed out. Edelgard noticed that her eyes looked soft around the edges, almost bigger, sad. She could almost feel her looking at the bruise around her eye in the dim light. “I, listen, I’m–” 

“Let me go first,” Edelgard said, her voice hard. She wanted to make herself known. Even more, she wanted to avoid feeling charmed by Byleth again.

“Okay,” Byleth answered, nodding slowly. Edelgard noticed her rocking back and forth a bit on her toes, body tense and tight. 

“I know you think what you did wasn’t lying. Frankly, I don’t care what you want to call it. Semantics aren’t important. It was wrong. It was fucking wrong, Byleth,” Edelgard began, pointing her finger and stepping closer to Byleth. She could see Byleth’s jaw squaring, clenching her teeth. 

“You led me to believe you were someone you are not. That’s never a kind or good thing to do. And I’m inclined to think you did it as some sort of fucking power play, based on the way you built up that dramatic reveal last night. Did you think I wouldn’t be mad? You’re competition now, Byleth, you know that?” Edelgard continued. She watched Byleth close her eyes and breathe deeply through her nose.

“And you know what? Whether you’re here to fight or apologize, I don’t really give a shit. You never cared about me. You said it yourself: I was wrong to trust you,” Edelgard finished, crossing her arms over her chest. She fought the urge to shiver in the wind. 

Byleth opened her eyes, holding Edelgard’s stern gaze. She furrowed her eyebrows together, and Edelgard could tell she was biting the inside of her cheek. In the momentary silence, she could hear cars passing on the nearby road. 

“Are you…” Byleth started quietly.

“Yes, I’m finished! You can go ahead and say your damn piece now,” Edelgard answered.

“I’m sorry,” Byleth said. Her voice sounded smaller, but not weak. “You’re right, about everything,” she continued. Edelgard felt her face slacken, surprised at the simplicity of it. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t say that. It’s not true that I never cared about you. But you’re right, I didn’t act like someone who did, and that’s what really matters. I’m really very sorry, Edelgard.” 

Edelgard stared at her, waiting for her to continue on. She was expecting some excuse or argument, not this show of responsibility. In its own right, it was pissing her off more. Byleth’s genuine words, her nervous body language, the way the yellow glow of the street lamp was softening her features, how her fluffy hair haloed her face, it was all making Edelgard feel like she was being lured into another trap. 

“Well?” She answered, shaking her head. “Is that it, then?”

Byleth closed her eyes again, this time biting her lip. When she opened them a second later, they looked the slightest bit teary. Christ. 

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “That’s it. I’ll, um, I’ll see you in a few weeks.” 

Edelgard was dumbfounded. She watched on in silence as Byleth turned her back and ducked into her car. The engine rattled horrendously as she turned the ignition and began to drive off. Stunned by Byleth’s words, and maybe more so by her own desire to run after her, Edelgard turned on her heel and headed back inside.