FE3H Polyship Week 2024

It was a pleasant morning in the Margraviate of Edmund, and Marianne was roused from sleep by the sounds of birds chirping and the gentle warmth of sunlight on her face. Letting out a long yawn, she stretched out her arms, which proved to me much too easy of a task. She turned her head to one side and then the other to confirm that she was indeed alone in bed, which could only mean one thing: her husbands had stayed up all night, again...

Marianne sighed and shook her head before getting out of bed to start her day. Linhardt did tend to stay up later than her and Caspar, but she usually woke up to him still fast asleep, and he wouldn’t wake up for a few hours after his spouses. Caspar, in contrast, was typically the first of the trio to wake up, but he would at least wait until Marianne woke up to get out of bed.

After she had gotten dressed and fixed her hair - while hoping that her husbands weren’t causing trouble in their sleep-deprived states - Marianne left her room with the intent of going over some paperwork in her office. Even though she had the day off, she still liked to get some work done to lighten her load on workdays. However, as soon as she opened the door to her office, one of her maids rushed up to her.

“Excuse me, Margrave Edmund!” the maid - one of the new hires, Eliza - said as she bowed. Marianne brought a hand to her face and stifled a chuckle.

“You can just call me Marianne, Eliza.”

Eliza gasped and gave her head a hard shake, looking absolutely offended at the very idea. “Oh, I could never, ma’am! U-Um, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Master Caspar and Master Linhardt are in the dining room and, ah, they seem to be in the middle of a little squabble...”

“I see...” Marianne let out a sigh and rubbed at her temples. She would have loved to try and break Eliza of that ‘Margrave’ and ‘Master’ habit, but that would have to wait until after she rounded up her grumpy husbands. “Thank you. I’ll go see them now.”

Bowing deeply once again, Eliza quickly took her leave, and Marianne redirected her course to the Edmund Estate’s dining room. As she got closer, she heard the muffled, annoyed voices of Caspar and Linhardt snapping back and forth at each other.

“...and another thing - Ow! Not so tight, Linhardt!”

“Will you sit still for once in your life, Caspar?”

“See? This is exactly what I mean!”

Her husbands bickered on as Marianne entered the room, and they didn’t even notice when she walked up to the table next to them and crossed her arms over her chest. It seemed that Caspar had somehow hurt his arm, and Linhardt was tending to his wound, and not being gentle about it.

“Ahem.” Marianne loudly cleared her throat, causing Caspar to yelp and shoot straight up in his chair, and Linhardt to wince as he rubbed at his temples.

“Aha, h-hey honey!” Caspar said, standing up and giving Marianne a quick kiss, and it took all of her willpower not to giggle when his beard tickled her face; she was supposed to be upset, after all. She placed her hands on her hips as Linhardt gave her a kiss as well - a bit slower, and he had to pause to yawn first - and she took over tending to Caspar’s arm, much to his relief.

“My dears...What kept you up all night this time?” she asked, and Linhardt averted his gaze, while Caspar hung his head and spoke first:

“Er, well, those knights from Garrag Mach that visited a few days ago taught me some new axe tricks, and uh, I guess I lost track of the time last night practicing...”

When Marianne turned to Linhardt, he let out another long, draw-out yawn, and she knew that he did that on purpose to stall. “I was just - yawn - pouring over the research notes that Professor Hanneman sent me. And they are quite fascinating, you know. I just - yawn - couldn’t put them down for even a moment.”

Linhardt’s eyes narrowed and he let out an irritated huff. “And then Caspar came bumbling in with another injury for me to deal with, completely derailing my focus and-“

“Hey! I didn’t even ask you to help,” Caspar retorted, his eyes narrowing into a glare as he poked a finger to Linhardt’s chest. “I was gonna deal with it myself, but then you started lecturing me and wouldn’t let it go!”

“Apparently I need to lecture you more, considering you keep getting yourself hurt.”

“Why you-”

“Stop it!” Marianne’s commanding voice cracked between the bickering men like a whip, and their mouths immediately snapped shut. Letting out a tired sigh, Marianne took Caspar and Linhardt’s hands, giving them a gentle squeeze.

“I know you two are only acting like this because you’re sleep deprived, but I hate seeing you being so...mean to each other.” Marianne’s voice was soft, and Caspar and Linhardt’s gazes both fell to the floor, immense guilt very evident in both sets of blue eyes. “Please, apologize and go get some sleep.”

Caspar let out a sigh and turned to Linhardt as he ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right, as usual. Lin...I’m really sorry for snapping at you.”

“I’m sorry too, Caspar.” Linhardt offered up a tired smile, and Caspar beamed in return as they both hugged and kissed it out, and Marianne sighed in relief.

“And we’re both sorry for making you worry, Marianne,” her husbands said at the same time, leaning down to give her a kiss on her cheeks. Marianne giggled and wrapped her arms around both of them, basking in the warmth of their embrace.

“I forgive you. Just promise me that you both will get proper sleep from now on.” Marianne took their hands and laced her fingers with theirs. “It’s very lonely to wake up all alone in that large bed, you know.”

“Aw hells...We really messed up, hun.” Caspar turned to Linhardt with a pained expression. “Makin’ our Mari sad is just unforgivable!”

Linhardt tapped his chin and stifled yet another yawn. “You are quite right, my dear...We’ll have to come up with a way to make it up to her, hm?” He moved a hand to Marianne’s neck, and she shivered when he leaned down to place a tender kiss on her forehead.

“Hehe, I can think of a few good ways...” Caspar snickered and wrapped his arms around Marianne, lifting her into the air and causing her to dissolve into a fit of giggles.

“As much as I want that,” Marianne said as Caspar gently set her back on her feet, “it will have to wait until you two have gotten some sleep.”

They relayed their disappointment with a few mumbles and grumbles, but the two men relented and they let their wife lead them to their room. On the way, Linhardt abruptly fell asleep, so Caspar threw him over his shoulder and carried him the rest of the way, with his other hand clasped tightly in Marianne’s.

Once inside their room, Caspar dropped Linhardt onto the bed before tumbling on himself, and Marianne let out a surprised gasp when he didn’t let go of her hand and she fell onto the bed between her husbands.

“Caspar...?” she questioned as Linhardt immediately rolled over in his sleep to hug her arm and lay his head on her chest.

Caspar beamed as he wrapped his arms around both of his spouses and pulled them as close to him as possible. “C’mon, sweetheart! Stay and nap with us, for a little bit at least!”

“But I just woke up...” Marianne started to protest, but the way Caspar was looking at her with wide, pleading eyes, and the way that Linhardt snuggled closer to her in his sleep made her change her mind quite easily.

Marianne smiled as she let herself relax and settle in between the men that she loved more than anyone else. “Oh, alright. It is my day off, after all.”

“All right!” Caspar cupped her cheek and pulled her face towards him so that he could place a tender kiss on her lips. “I love you, Marianne. Thanks for always putting up with me and Lin’s weird quirks all the time.”

“I love you too, Caspar,” Marianne said, giggling when he nuzzled his nose against hers. “Quirks and all, but not when they start negatively affecting yours and Linhardt’s health...”

“Yeah...sorry about that again. Both of us will try a lot harder to sleep properly.”

“That’s all I ask, love.”

Marianne and Caspar shared a fond look, and Marianne looked down when she felt Linhardt’s head shift on her chest, until his lips brushed against her neck, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

“Mmm...love you...both...” Linhardt mumbled in his sleep, and the soft smile that crossed his face made Marianne’s heart swell with warmth. Running at hand through his hair, she placed a tender kiss to his lips, while Caspar leaned over to kiss his forehead.

“We love you too, Linhardt.”

Yawning loudly, Caspar lay his head above Marianne’s and hugged her close, letting his eyes slip shut as sleep finally claimed him. Marianne couldn’t stop smiling as she listened to the soft breathing of her dear husbands, and she felt the luckiest woman in the world to be able to fall asleep next to them every night...and sometimes in the morning too. They could be a handful when they let their quirks get the better of them and when they bickered like only childhood friends could, but Marianne loved them with all of her heart all the same.

Even though she had woken up only a short while ago, Marianne felt her eyelids grow heavy. Being so relaxed and embraced by the warmth of her husbands had her feeling sleepy again, so she let herself drift off as she mumbled words straight from her heart to the two men that she loved more than anyone else in the world:

It was a quiet night at Garreg Mach, where the worn-out members of the Alliance army were enjoying a brief window of respite from the rigors of war. Many had taken the opportunity to catch up on sleep, but Claude wasn’t one of them.

The only sound in his office was the scratching of his pen against the parchment below it, which was currently a half-written request for more provisions from Derdriu. Claude was quick to finish it and add it to the ever-growing pile of letters, strategic plans, and battle reports that had made a cluttered mess of his desk.

Letting out a groan, Claude propped up his elbows and cradled his head in his hands. He was weary - exhausted even - and it was only getting worse as the war dragged on. Plus, even though he tried his damnedest to hide it, his mood more often than not was rather dour. He would have liked to place all of the blame on the war effort, but that was far from the truth.

In truth, it was matters of the heart that had Claude feeling like a dark cloud had taken residence right over his head. Somehow, he had managed to develop very romantic feelings for not just one, but two men.

Lorenz and Sylvain - the two men in question - were unlike anyone that Claude had ever met before. Lorenz was wholly dedicated to his lofty position as the future Count Gloucester - sometimes annoyingly so - but Claude had come to realize that he genuinely cared about his people and wanted to do everything that he could to make all of Fódlan a better place. That was something that Claude deeply admired about his former rival, and that admiration was quick to grow into something much more complicated...

As for Sylvain, Claude was drawn to his intelligence, and they had played many games of chess during their academy days. Bouncing strategies off of him always yielded interesting results, and even though Claude was well aware of his...skirt chasing antics, it seemed that Sylvain had left that part of him in the past; Claude was very thankful for that. Claude’s feelings for Lorenz were complicated enough, but adding Sylvain to the mix just made everything even more of a mess.

Leaning back in his chair, Claude folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Alas, it seemed that luck wasn’t in his favor when it came to romance, because as he struggled to figure out how to make his heart decide which one to court, Lorenz and Sylvain had started a relationship with each other. News of that development had spread through the ranks like wildfire, and way more than one person was shocked that the two bitter rivals in flirting were now a rather loving couple.

Claude had been one of those people, but seeing how affectionate they were with each other - in contrast to their time at the academy that they spent fighting over every little thing - he couldn’t help but think that they were perfect together, leaving Claude to deal with a mix of conflicting emotions.

Sure, he was happy for them; they were his friends, after all. However, he couldn’t quite suppress the pit of longing for the both of them that had settled deep within his heart. Claude wished that he could, because these unrequited feelings that he harbored were proving to be a big distraction from his work.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door, which pulled Claude right out of his broody thoughts. Rubbing his temples, he let out a long sigh, wondering who would want to bother him at this hour. He crossed the room and opened the door, his eyes going wide and his cheeks flushing with heat.

“Hey, Claude,” Sylvain said with a too-sweet smile on his face as he leaned an arm against the door frame. “Enjoying your evening?”

Claude’s guard immediately went up and he narrowed his eyes. It was apparent that something was off about Sylvain - with the way that his intense gaze seemed to bore right into Claude’s very soul - and he remained wary as he stepped aside to let Sylvain step into the room.

“If going through seemingly-endless stacks of paperwork sounds fun to you, then yes, it’s been great,” Claude said, and his heart fluttered, in spite of his unease, when Sylvain laughed.

“Honestly? That sounds like hell.”

Claude shrugged as he closed the door behind him, and when he turned around to respond, the words caught in his throat when he found Sylvain standing very close to him. Close enough, in fact, that when he tilted his head up to look right into Sylvain’s pretty brown eyes, their noses almost brushed and Claude could feel his breath on his face.

“Hmm,” Sylvain hummed, his tongue poking out between his lips as he slipped his fingers under Claude’s chin. “Though, I can think of a few ways to spice up your night...”

Claude’s heartbeat was roaring in his ears, and it was beating so fast he thought it might burst right out of his chest. This...this had to be a dream. Claude had fallen asleep at his desk, and was just having a dream fueled by that damned pit of loneliness that permeated his entire being. That had to be it, because otherwise...

Sylvain was trying to cheat on Lorenz.

Anger bubbled up swiftly within Claude, engulfing any and all other emotions. His face scrunched up in disgust as he took a step back from Sylvain; apparently he had been very wrong about Sylvain abandoning his flippant attitude towards relationships. Claude knew how much Lorenz cared for him - hell, he probably loved Sylvain at this point - and he sure as fuck wasn’t going to let Sylvain get away with trying to cheat on him.

“If you want to fool around behind Lorenz’s back, leave me out of it. The fact that you're even doing so in the first place pisses me right off,” Claude snapped, his eyes narrowing into a glare when Sylvain burst out laughing.

Claude’s rage boiled over as he stepped forward to grab Sylvain by the collar. “You know he really cares about you, right? Are his feelings just some kind of joke?” Sylvain did not resist, instead focusing on containing his laughter. When he had succeeded, he cleared his throat and shook his head.

“No, no. You’ve got it all wrong, Mister Leader Man,” Sylvain said, a sly smirk crossing his face. “I’d never do that to Lorenz. I...actually really care about him too. Probably more than he knows.” Claude blinked slowly as he released his hold on Sylvain, and his brow furrowed with confusion when a light blush rose on Sylvain’s cheeks.

“Then...what are you talking about?”

Sylvain swallowed thickly before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Well, Lorenz and I...we were hoping that you might want to, ah...be with us. Both of us.”

“...Excuse me?”

“We want you in on this relationship, Claude.”

Ah, so Claude wasn’t having sleep-deprived hallucinations and in fact did hear him correctly. His eyes shifted to one side as he cleared his throat, his cheeks burning hot. This...was not what he expected at all from Sylvain, but he was incredibly relieved that his initial assumption about his intentions was very, very wrong.

“Well...first things first.” Claude rubbed at the back of his neck and forced his eyes forward to meet Sylvain’s gaze. “I’m sorry for accusing you of trying to cheat on Lorenz, Sylvain.”

A nervous laugh escaped Sylvain and he shrugged. “It’s alright. I...did have a reputation back in our academy days, after all.”

“That’s an understatement.”

Claude smiled when Sylvain laughed earnestly this time, but that smile was quick to fall from his face. Sylvain raised an eyebrow at him, and Claude let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Are you sure that I wouldn’t just be...intruding on your relationship, and that Lorenz actually wants me?” Claude asked, hesitation evident in his tone.

Sylvain barked out a laugh and reached out to take Claude’s hand. “Oh, absolutely not, for one. We both really care about you, Claude. It was pretty hard not to fall for someone as strong, compassionate, determined, stupidly smart...and really sexy.”

Claude felt his cheek start to burn, and he chuckled as he curled his hand around Sylvain’s. “Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t you?”

“Oh please.” Sylvain rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. “You haven’t heard Lorenz talk about you yet. If it were him here, he’d still be going on and on about all the things he loves about you. Hell, I’d probably be a jealous mess about it if I wasn’t into you too.”

“Really?”

Sylvain winked and tugged on Claude’s hand, causing him to gasp as he was pulled flush against him. “Yep. In fact, I told Lorenz it would have been better if both of us came to ask you to be with us, but for some dumbass reason, he’s convinced that you’d never be attracted to him.”

Claude blinked at Sylvain, his eyes going wide. “Wait, really?”

He nodded, before letting out a huff and shaking his head. “And that’s bullshit, obviously. I mean, how many men do you see with an attractive face, gorgeous eyes, a sexy body, and beautiful hair? He’s really one of a kind.”

Claude nodded slowly, still not quite believing this was actually happening. While the gears turned within his head, he hadn’t noticed that his face had scrunched up considerably, but Sylvain had.

“Your face is gonna get stuck like that if you keep it up, Claude,” he said, and Claude’s breath hitched when Sylvain’s face appeared inches from his own. He stared deep into Claude’s eyes with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. When he spoke again, his lips came dangerously close to grazing Claude’s, causing sweat to bead on the back of the latter’s neck:

“What are you afraid of?” His voice was soft, and Claude gulped when Sylvain’s hand moved to cup his cheek.

When he finally managed to speak, Claude’s voice was quiet, unsure. “...That this is all just a really, really good dream.”

Sylvain chuckled softly, and his free hand moved to settle upon Claude’s waist. “I can prove to you that it’s not.”

Before Claude could respond, Sylvain closed the minuscule space between them and pressed their lips together in a tender kiss. Claude’s heart leapt into his throat, and his eyes were wide when Sylvain tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Warmth flooded through every inch of Claude’s body, and he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest. This feeling was...incredible.

Smiling against Sylvain’s lips, Claude let his eyes slip shut as he wrapped his arms around him, pulling him even closer. He let himself get lost in the feeling of kissing one of the objects of his affection, and just when he thought he would drown in the bliss, Sylvain broke the kiss, allowing them both to catch their breath.

“So...” Sylvain said, grinning as he brushed the back of his fingers over Claude’s cheek. “Still having doubts?”

Claude frowned as the gentle warmth within him was swiftly replaced by a frigid unease. “Well, not about you. Lorenz, though...”

Sylvain rolled his eyes, before taking Claude’s hand and tugging him out the door. “Well, let’s go tell him the good news, then you’ll see that you’re worried for nothing!” He barked out a laugh as he threw his arm over Claude’s shoulder. “Heh, he’s gonna be so pissed that I got to kiss you first!”

Claude’s laughter joined Sylvain’s, adding some mirthful noise to the quiet night. He would like to take Sylvain’s word for it, but Lorenz had always butted heads with Claude over every little thing...but then Claude remembered how badly he used to get along with Sylvain, and that was enough to light a spark of hope within him.

When they reached Sylvain and Lorenz’s room, Sylvain opened the door, and Claude was not surprised to see that Lorenz was in the middle of getting a table set up for teatime.

“Sylvain, my dear, is that you? Oh good, I’m about to start brewing the tea-”

When Claude stepped into the room after Sylvain and Lorenz turned around, he let out a shriek, his arms shooting straight up into the air and sending the bag of tea leaves that he had been holding flying across the room (Claude was grateful that it hadn’t been opened yet).

“C-C-Claude?!?” Lorenz’s eyes were wide with shock, and his pale face had flushed a cute shade of pink; Claude couldn’t help but think that he looked incredibly endearing in this flustered state.

“Ahem, I-I mean...” Bringing a hand to his face, Lorenz cleared his throat before straightening his posture and turning his narrowed eyes to look at Sylvain as he aimed his question at Claude: “What are you doing here...at this time of night?”

Sylvain spoke up before Claude had a chance to answer: “Babe, I talked to Claude about joining our relationship-”

“You what??? ” Lorenz’s face went white as a sheet and he covered it with his hands. “I told you that was a bad idea, and now you’ve brought him here to reject me to my face? Of all the horrible, embarrassing, degrading things to-”

Sylvain rolled his eyes hard; Claude was shocked that they didn’t pop right out of his head. “Oh cool it already, you dramatic bastard.”

Lorenz gasped, looking offended, and crossed his arms over his chest as he turned up his nose. “Ugh, how incredibly uncouth, Sylvain!”

“Yeah, yeah, just listen, will you-”

“Why? So I can hear you say how foolish my feelings are...for someone that I am completely and utterly unworthy of?” Lorenz’s breathtaking amethyst eyes took on a watery sheen, and Claude didn’t want to listen to him degrade himself any longer. He took a few steps forward and reached out to take Lorenz’s hand, who let out a gasp and snapped his head up to look Claude in the eye.

“Can I say something, Lorenz?” Claude asked softly, giving Lorenz’s trembling hand a squeeze.

“I-I suppose so, but-”

Claude cut Lorenz off by cupping his face and pressing their lips together in a tender kiss. Lorenz made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, his eyes wide as saucers, and Claude managed to hold back a laugh when Lorenz’s eyes slipped shut and he smiled against Claude’s lips. Kissing Lorenz was a bit more restrained experience than kissing Sylvain, but it was soft and tender and just as fucking incredible as kissing Sylvain for the first time had been.

When they parted, Claude couldn’t help but laugh at the absolutely flabbergasted look on Lorenz’s face. His jaw was hanging open while he blinked slowly, and his face had flushed an even darker red than Sylvain’s hair.

“T-That wasn’t...” Lorenz managed to squeak out after a few moments of stunned silence, “...saying something.”

Claude snorted to suppress his laughter, and Sylvain smiled as he walked over to them and placed his hands on each of their shoulders.

“Oh, but I think it says everything, babe,” he said, leaning over to place a kiss on Lorenz’s cheek. “So are you gonna cut that self-deprecating bullshit out now?”

Lorenz’s gaze fell to the floor for a moment, and when he looked back up at the two other men, Claude had to avert his gaze this time, for he was afraid that he’d go blind staring at the breathtakingly-bright smile that Lorenz had on his face.

“Yes, apologies to you both. I’m just...you really want to be with us, Claude?” Lorenz asked, his voice dropping to a whisper as he gazed at him with hopeful eyes. Sylvain was also looking at him expectantly, and Claude chuckled, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair.

“You know...when Sylvain came to my office, I thought I fell asleep at my desk...” Claude said, reaching out to take Sylvain and Lorenz’s hands, “because I’ve been dreaming about being with either one of you for a long time now. Getting to be with both of you, though...that’s even better than my wildest dreams.”

Lorenz sucked in a sharp breath, but his face fell when Sylvain burst out laughing. Pursing his lips, Lorenz shook his head and sighed.

“And just what are you laughing at, Sylvain? This is a serious moment, you know.”

Sylvain managed to compose himself, and he wiped at his eyes before pulling both men into a tight hug. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I just didn’t think I’d ever hear something that cheesy come out of anyone’s mouth but yours, Lorenz.”

“Ugh,” Lorenz groaned and rolled his eyes, before placing a reluctant kiss onto Sylvain’s cheek. “You are insufferable, darling.”

“Heh, right back at ya, babe.”

Lorenz still looked a bit miffed, but when Sylvain pressed his lips against his, Lorenz’s annoyance seemed to melt away in an instant. Claude watched them kiss with an overwhelming amount of fondness; Gods, he was a damn lucky man.

“Claude...my dear,” Lorenz said when they had parted, and a warm, giddy feeling spread throughout Claude’s chest at the term of endearment. “Would you...like to join us for tea? We can further discuss our relationship, if you would like.”

Nodding, Claude leaned over to place a kiss on Lorenz’s cheek, coaxing a cute ‘oh!’ out of him. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot, hun.” Lorenz averted his gaze, and the shy smile that crossed his face almost made Claude swoon.

When Lorenz managed to look back at him, Claude’s heart leapt into his throat when he took his hand. “I am...very happy that you’re here, darling,” Lorenz said, lifting Claude’s hand to his face and placing a soft kiss to the back of it.

“Wow...” Claude breathed, his heartbeat roaring within his ears as Sylvain laughed.

“You better get used to that, babe,” he said, leaning over to give Claude a light peck on the lips. “Lorenz loves giving hand kisses.”

“I’ll keep that in mind...sweetheart .”

Claude greatly enjoyed the way that Sylvain’s face flushed a bright red, and he let out a low whistle and shot Claude a wink as they both started to help Lorenz prepare teatime for three.

“Man, you’re lucky that Lorenz loves his tea so much, or I’d suggest skipping it all together and getting to the real exciting part of a new relationship, the fuc-”

“Sylvain! Do not be crude during teatime,” Lorenz hissed, delivering a light swat to his arm, earning a pout in return. “Patience is a virtue, after all. We will certainly get there. The night is still so young.” The mischievous grin that crossed Lorenz’s face was certainly something that Claude had never seen before, and he was suddenly very interested in getting through this tea time as quickly as possible.

“Heh, can’t wait, babe!”

It was a perfect, sunny summer day at the Gloucester Estate, and Claude, Lorenz, and Sylvain were looking forward to spending a nice day outdoors with their three children.

“Oooh, Papa! Can I brush her now?”

“You sure can, Del. Up you go!”

Sylvain laughed as he hoisted Delilah - one of their triplets - into the air so that she could reach the horse's mane and give it a good brushing. Her face was scrunched up as she focused completely on her task, and Sylvain glanced over at Lorenz, who was receiving help filling up the water trough from the second triplet, Lilianna.

Lorenz quickly moved his hand to Lilianna’s back to steady her as she stumbled a bit under the weight of the small water bucket she carried. “Liliana, my dear, are you sure that isn’t too heavy for you?”

“No, I got it!” she said, pursing her lips as she gave her head a firm shake. “I wanna be just like you, Father, so I gotta get stronger and stronger!”

Sylvain smiled when he saw Lorenz’s eyes grow watery, and he winked when their eyes met and Lorenz smiled back at him.

“Papa! Father! Look what I caught!”

The third triplet, Zinnia, popped right out of a pile of hay and placed a hand on her hip, thrusting out her arm and showing off the large snake that she held.

“Oh gods above...” Lorenz’s face paled, and Lilianna let out a shriek and hid behind his legs. Delilah gasped and wiggled out of Sylvain’s arms before rushing over to her sister and bouncing on her toes.

“Wow, cool snake Zin!” she gushed, leaning in close to get a good look at it.

Zinnia beamed and they both took turns holding the snake. Sylvain sighed, shaking his head as he crouched down next to both girls and placed a hand on their shoulders.

“Zinnia, you’ve gotta be more careful around wild animals,” he said, holding out his hand until Zinnia reluctantly handed her catch over. “Luckily, this snake is the harmless kind, but there are some around here that can really hurt people.”

“Ohhhh...” Zinnia said, humming as she rubbed at her chin. “But Papa, how do I know which ones are the bad ones?”

“It’s usually the color of the scales-”

Sylvain’s lecture about snake scale color in relation to their danger level was interrupted when Claude suddenly burst into the barn, sweating and out of breath.

“Hey everyone, Barbie’s eggs are hatching!”

They all let out a collective gasp, and the three triplets were quick to chase after Claude as he ran back outside. Beyond the stables in the opposite direction of the estate, sat another large building, of which the only occupant was Claude’s wyvern, Barbie.

Once inside, the triplets let out a gasp at the sight. Barbie was curled around her nest, with her large head looking down on her three trembling eggs from above. Slowly, each egg spider cracked further and further, until they fell over one by one and split completely open. The newborn wyverns were freed from their confines, and were now squeaking loudly as Barbie started licking them clean.

“Oh my gods! They’re so cute!!!” Delilah, Zinnia, and Lilianna squealed in unison, and they started sprinting towards the newly-hatched wyverns without a second thought.

“Woah! Hold up!” Claude quickly placed himself in front of his three charging daughters and threw his arms out, blocking their advance. Delilah managed to skid to a halt, but Liliana and Zinnia couldn’t stop in time, so they ended up plowing into her back and all three tumbled to the ground in a heap.

“Ouch! You guys!” Delilah pouted as she glared at her sisters before getting back to her feet and brushing the dirt from her dress. Liliana giggled as she got up as well, and she helped Zinnia to her feet.

“Sorry, Del!”

“Yeah, sorry...”

Claude chuckled and crouched down next to the trio as Lorenz and Sylvain finally caught up to them. “You’ve gotta be careful around a new wyvern mom, girls. Barbie’s harmless to you normally, but right now she’s very protective of her babies. She might think you’re a threat and accidentally hurt you if you get too close.”

 The three girls let out a long ‘ohhhh’ at the same time, and they proceeded to plop themselves on the ground, their eyes glued to Barbie and her hatchlings.

“We got it, Daddy!” Delilah said, smiling as she placed her hands on her knees. “We’ll watch over them until Barbie’s ready.”

Zinnia nodded in agreement with a comically serious look on her face, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, nothing will hurt them with us watching out for them!”

“We’ll stay out all night long if we have to!” Liliana chimed in, and Sylvain snickered as Lorenz let out a tired sigh.

“I’m sure it won’t take that long, right Claude?” Lorenz said, casting a sidelong glance at his husband, who shrugged.

“Hmm, can’t say. She can be a bit finicky sometimes-Oh?”

Claude’s eyes went wide, and everyone turned their attention to Barbie, who was staring at her rider with her striking golden eyes. When she let out a few low growls, a smile slowly spread across his face, and he stood back up.

“Wait,” Claude said, when the triplets predictably shot to their feet; they were practically trembling with excitement. “She wants me to go first.”

“Awww...” Delilah groaned, while Liliana pouted and Zinnia let out a deep sigh as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Mama Barbie is so picky...” Zinnia grumbled, and Claude laughed and ruffled her hair.

“She can be as picky as she wants, as a new mama and a giant flying lizard with sharp teeth and claws. Stay with your father and papa until I say so.”

Claude turned and started walking slowly towards Barbie. His daughters had been raised around her, sure, but a brand new mother wyvern was something that they hadn’t encountered yet, and he didn’t want them getting hurt.

When Claude was a few steps away from the massive white wyvern, he tilted his head at her, and only advanced to her side when she nodded. He ran his hand over Barbie’s head and scratched between her antlers, coaxing a rumbling hum of approval out of her.

“Good job, mama. You’ve got some cute and healthy looking hatchlings here,” Claude cooed, and Barbie nuzzled her face against his. His eyes went wide when loud chirping erupted around his feet, and he laughed when he looked down to see said hatchlings gazing up at him with wide, curious eyes.

“Heh, you three sure are adorable!” Claude said as he knelt down, giving each wyvern a scratch on the head. Two of them had scales in the common dark brown color, but one of them took after their mother, with scales shining as white as snow.

As Claude continued to mingle with the hatchlings under Barbie’s watchful eye, Lorenz smiled and rubbed at his chin. “Claude truly does have a way with wyverns. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else get close to newborn hatchlings so quickly before.”

“Well, they do belong to his wyvern, you know,” Sylvain said, pausing to loop a finger through one strap of Zinnia’s overalls to sabotage her attempt to sneak off. “That, and he’s from Almyra. Wyvern’s are a pretty big deal over there, so he’s probably been around them ever since he was born.”

“That is a valid point.”

“C’mon, Papa! Lemme go!” Zinnia whined, struggling to knock Sylvain’s hand off of her. Shaking his head, Sylvain placed his other hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

“No can do. You’ve gotta play by the rules for this one,” he said in a serious tone. “Like your dad said, you could get hurt if you rush things.”

Zinnia pouted, before letting out a dramatic sigh and slumping forward in defeat. Lorenz chuckled at the spectacle, and he glanced down at Lilianna, who was currently clinging to his leg.

“Lilianna, my dear, are you scared?” Lorenz asked, and she slowly nodded her head and buried her face against his leg. “It’s quite alright, you are perfectly safe.”

“Yeah, Lili!” Delilah beamed and took her sister’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Don’t be scared! Barbie’s just being a good mommy wyvern. She’ll let us come play when she’s ready, okay?”

Sniffing as she rubbed at her eyes, Lilianna’s frown slowly morphed into a smile and she nodded. “O-Okay. Thanks a lot, Del.”

“Hehe, no problem!”

Lorenz watched them fondly, and he turned when he saw Claude stand up again. The three girls snapped to attention and watched him with wide, pleading eyes, while Sylvain and Lorenz shared an amused smile. They preemptively reached down to take one of Lilianna’s and Delilah’s hands respectively, while they each took one of Zinnia’s (she was the most likely to try and take off the first chance she got).

“Alright, Barbie’s giving you guys the okay, but!” Claude said, chuckling when the girls tried moving but were stopped in their tracks by Lorenz and Sylvain. “You need to move slowly, and keep your voices down. Got it?”

“Got it!” the triplets yelled together. Claude raised an eyebrow at them, and the three shared a sheepish glance.

“Oops...Got it...” They managed to whisper it this time, and Claude brought a hand to his face to stifle a laugh before waving them over. The three girls moved slowly, but they were practically trembling with pent-up excitement, and Claude was glad that he had Sylvain and Lorenz here to help keep them reigned in.

When they reached Barbie, she leaned her head down to shield the hatchlings from the girls’ view. Zinnia pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Aww, c’mon Barbie! We did what you asked!” she whined, and Lilianna frowned next to her. Delilah snickered and wrapped her arms around Barbie’s head, giving her a big hug.

“You guys are silly! Barbie wants us to hug her first, right Barbie?” Delilah said, and Barbie let out a low growl before poking her tongue out and licking Delilah’s cheek, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles.

Zinnia and Lilianna gasped and shared a horrified glance. “Oh no! We messed up!” They both flanked Barbie’s head and gave her a hug at the same time. “We’re so sorry, Mama Barbie!”

A low rumbling noise filled the air that Claude knew was a wyvern’s noise of amusement, and Barbie licked Zinnia and Lilianna’s cheeks one after the other.

“Hehe, thanks Barbie!”

“Yeah, thanks!”

Barbie nodded and lay down, her body curling around her hatchlings and the triplets. The newborn wyverns squeaked, tilting their heads curiously, and Zinnia was the first to scooch closer to the bigger of the two brown-scaled hatchlings.

“Hello, baby! I’m Zinnia, nice to meet ya!” she said, leaning down so that she was eye-level with him. He blinked at her a few times, before sticking out his tiny tongue and giving the tip of her nose a lick.

Zinnia leaned back and laughed. “That tickles!” she said, and the wyvern trilled as he stumbled forward, falling into Zinnia’s lap and proceeding to chew on one of her overall straps.

Lilianna and Delilah watched their sister with great interest, until the latter worked up her courage and turned to the white hatchling, who was slowly crawling her way towards her.

“Hi, little wyvern!” Delilah giggled when the wyvern licked at her fingers when she held out her hand. She cooed happily when Delilah gently scratched under her chin, and tears suddenly welled up in Delilah’s eyes and she started to softly cry.

“Oh dear...” Lorenz quickly rushed to her side and knelt down next to her. “Are you alright, Delilah? What has made you so upset?”

“S-She’s just...so-so cute , F-Father...” Delilah cried, and she only cried harder when the little wyvern squeaked before crawling into her lap and licking the tears from her cheeks. Lorenz chuckled softly and gently rubbed her back, looking up when he saw Lilianna slowly inching her way towards the last - and smallest - of the hatchlings.

“U-Um, hello...” she said as she reached a shaky hand out towards her. The hatchling watched her carefully, before letting out a squeak and retreating to hide under Barbie’s wing.

“Eeep!” Lilianna shrieked, rushing over to Claude and hiding behind his leg. Chuckling, Claude took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“It’s alright, Lili. She’s a lot more scared of you than you are of her, you know.” Claude looked at Barbie, who was nudging the scared hatchling until she was out from under her wing again. “Just be patient and gentle, and she’ll warm up to you. I promise.”

“O-Okay, Daddy...” Lilianna took a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks before trying again. This time, she took a few extra slow steps towards the hatchling, who watched her curiously. With another gentle nudge from Barbie, the hatchling managed to take a few steps of her own. It was slow going, but eventually the two closed the distance between each other, and Lilianna slowly reached a shaky hand out.

“I-It’s okay, don’t be scared...” she said softly, and the wyvern’s eyes were locked onto her hand, and she slowly extended her neck and allowed Lilianna’s hand to rest upon her head. Lilianna let out a gasp, and she turned to Claude and beamed.

“I did it! I pet her!”

Claude gave her a pat on the head and stood back, and the pride that swelled within his chest as he looked between his daughters and the hatchlings was almost suffocating. “Great job, kiddos! You’re doing great!”

“Thanks, Daddy!” the trio said in unison, and Claude’s face lit up as he snapped his fingers. He leaned over to Barbie and whispered something to her, and she let out a few growls in return that seemed to make Claude happy.

“Zinnia, Lilianna, Delilah,” he said, and all three girls turned their attention to him with their wyverns tucked in their laps; they also were gazing at Claude with great interest. “Would you like to give them names?”

“Claude, you-” Lorenz started to protest, but he was cut off when Sylvain elbowed him hard in the side. Claude ignored their bickering behind him, and their daughters let out a collective gasp and clapped their hands.

“Yes!” they said, and Claude laughed as comically serious looks crossed their faces at the same time. Zinnia held up her wyvern, who squeaked and licked at her face some more. After she had managed to stop giggling, Zinnia let out a triumphant ‘ah-ha!’ and looked at Claude.

“His name is...Porkchop!”

Sylvain snorted to keep himself from laughing, and Lorenz pulled a face. “Porkchop?” the latter asked. “Are you sure, my dear?”

“Yes!”

“Why Porkchop?” Sylvain inquired this time, and she rolled her eyes.

“Because that’s his name!”

Claude threw his arms around Sylvain and Lorenz’s shoulders and winked. “Yeah, keep up, you two.” Sylvain playfully smacked his chest, while Lorenz let out a sigh and leaned his head against him.

“What about you, Lili?” Zinnia asked. Lilianna hummed as she cradled her wyvern in her arms; she had dozed off and was squeaking in her sleep.

“Um, well...” A shy smile crossed Lilianna’s face as she gazed down at her wyvern fondly. “I really like flowers, and my favorite’s are Lilacs. So, I wanna name her Lilac.”

“A beautiful choice, my dear,” Lorenz said, and Sylvain snickered at the very obvious remark, earning an annoyed pout from his husband.

“My turn!” Delilah shouted, hugging her white wyvern snugly to her chest. She hummed and wiggled a bit, settling her head in the crook of Delilah’s neck and causing her to giggle. “That tickles!”

Zinnia puffed out her cheeks. “Ugh, c’mon Del, don’t keep us waiting!”

“Yeah! Tell us! Tell us!” Lilianna chimed in, and Delilah giggled shyly and stared down at the wyvern.

“Well, her eyes are so pretty, like when the sun goes down. I wanna call her...Sunset.”

“Oooh, pretty!”

“I love it!”

Delilah beamed when her sisters voiced their approval, and they three proceeded to play with the newly-named wyverns, until all six were sleeping soundly, with Barbie curled protectively around all of them.

“Whew, that was exciting!” Claude said, sighing as he leaned against Barbie’s opposite side, nestled in between Sylvain and Lorenz. Sylvain nodded in agreement, and he rolled his eyes when he noticed the uneasy look on Lorenz’s face.

“Your face’ll get stuck like that, babe,” he said, giving Lorenz’s forehead a flick with his finger. Lorenz let out a yelp and glared at Sylvain as he rubbed at the offended skin.

“Don’t do that.” Lorenz pouted at him when Sylvain snickered, and he sighed and turned to Claude. “Claude, darling, are you sure this is a good idea? The girls are still very young...”

Claude smiled and leaned over to place a chaste kiss upon Lorenz’s lips, which seemed to calm his nerves a bit. “I promise, hun. And it’s actually better to introduce wyverns and their riders as early as-”

“Oh gods no,” Lorenz groaned, his brows furrowing. “You’re not really thinking of training them to be wyvern riders, are you?”

Claude shrugged, and Sylvain reached over to take Lorenz’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Well, it’s too soon to say right now, but I’d like the girls to be able to decide for themselves when they’re a lot older.”

“And even if they don’t become riders,” Sylvain chimed in, “wyvern’s still make pretty badass, loyal guardians, right?” Lorenz let out a tired sigh, but he eventually smiled and wrapped his arms around both of his husbands.

“I suppose you both are right. I’m just worried. Wyverns can be very dangerous, after all...”

“Oh, I know that more than most,” Claude said, taking one of Lorenz’s hands and placing a kiss to the back of it. “And that’s why all three of them will get the best and most thorough training that I can give them. I promise you that, Lorenz.”

Sylvain winked and kissed Lorenz’s cheek. “Heh, considering that Claude is the best wyvern trainer in all of Fódlan, I think our kiddos will do just fine, babe.”

Lorenz looked between his husbands, and a soft smile slowly spread over his face. “That does make me feel better about it. Just don’t overdo it Claude, please. Our girls are our most precious treasures.”

“They are.” Claude stole a glance over Barbie’s shoulder, smiling at the cuddle pile that was their daughters and their wyverns.

“They really are,” Sylvain added, pausing to kiss both of his husbands. “I love you two so much. I’m...really happy that I get to raise such an awesome family with the men that I love the most.”

“I...feel the same way.” Lorenz cleared his throat, his eyes taking on a watery sheen. “Fatherhood has been the most rewarding experience, and there is no one else that I would rather experience it with.”

Claude’s heart felt like it could burst with the amount of love that he held for his husbands, and he slipped his arms behind their backs and tugged them flush against him. “Same here. I love you both, with all that I am. Let’s keep up the good work, dads.”