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Byleth had always been a woman of few words. She rarely spoke, and even when she taught at the church, it was a rare occurrence if she spoke a single word or made an expression aside from her usual thousand-yard stare. The war didn’t make things any easier for the woman, having to fight against some of her very own students, still not changing her expression as she cut down whoever she needed to. But that was all over. The war had finally ended and for once, Byleth was allowed to relax.
And yet the woman seemed restless. She never had time to develop her own hobbies, and even as a child, all she ever knew was the sword. Most days, she’d just follow around her partner, listening to him talk on and on about art or watching him paint. It would be an understatement to say that Ignatz liked her company, as ever since they first met, Ignatz had been practically glued to her side. He rarely got to share his love for art with others, especially since he didn’t want gossip to spread to his family. At that time in his life, Ignatz never thought he’d be able to live his dream.
It was all thanks to Byleth that he was accepted as an artist, and for that alone he was beyond grateful to the woman. But she was much more important than any piece of art. She was kind, gentle, and beyond all else, she was his love. Of course, Ignatz loved her company, but he knew that it wasn’t interesting to watch someone else all the time. As a child, Ignatz would spend his time admiring art and sat quietly by as he watched others paint. While it was fun, soon enough he wanted to try it for himself instead of being an observer. Believing that his wife would be the same, he had attempted to teach her some basic paintings. And yet, she looked bored as she painted, every stroke being done as quickly as possible instead of being slow and precise. Clearly, she wasn’t a fan of painting, so Ignatz decided he would find something Byleth enjoyed doing on her own.
First, he tried books. He went into town and bought all kinds of literature, that way Byleth could look and skim them all until she found a genre she liked or an author that caught her attention.
“Byleth! I’m home!”
Ignatz shouted as he walked through the front door. He smiled as he saw his wife curled up on the couch, a silver tabby lounging on her lap. Byleth looked up, a soft smile on her face as she met eyes with her husband. With a huge grin on his face, the artist rushed by her side, sitting next to her and in the process, waking the cat, who simply looked up at Ignatz with a grumpy expression.
“Byleth! I got you some books! I know reading can be dull sometimes but I made sure to pick out stuff you’d be interested in!”
Instead of the bright expression he expected, Byleth simply looked at the books and then back at her husband, giving him a nod before petting the small cat.
“Uh…Don’t you wanna look at them?”
“…I will, later.”
Before her husband could pout much, Byleth wrapped her arms around the artist and leaned onto him, causing the man to sigh softly and melt into her touch. Ultimately, the books were gently placed onto a nearby shelf, still untouched.
With books being out of the question, Ignatz decided to try another hobby. Knitting! After all, Byleth would always linger on handmade clothing when they would go shopping together. And in the winter she always wore a pair of thick knitted socks. However, the outcome was exactly the same as before.
Instead of being interested in the new things Ignatz had brought his wife, she ignored them and kept close to her husband instead. Ignatz had tried a few more ideas, but baking was also a bust as Byleth just couldn’t get a hold of it. Writing was the same as reading; it just didn’t interest her much. Finally, Ignatz had almost given up, until one day he came home and was greeted by the woman, who was holding a bouquet of wildflowers. With a soft smile, she held the flowers out to Ignatz. While the short man was over the moon over such a loving gesture, it also gave him an idea. They could start a garden! Byleth had clearly spent a long time putting together this bouquet, that had to mean she was at least interested in flowers! Just like before, Ignatz made sure to keep his plan a secret, buying all the needed supplies in one day and heading home with them. His excitement only began to rise when Byleth seemed intrigued by it all.
She gently took the gardening gloves Ignatz had bought her, admiring their beautiful celestial theme before slipping them onto her rough hands.
“...So, we would do this together?”
“Yeah! I mean gardening is a lot of work! I don’t want you to be the only one doing it!”
“...Then let’s start gardening.”
Ignatz could feel his heart swell with accomplishment, he finally found something that could bring his beloved wife enjoyment! Without wanting to waste another second, Ignatz slipped his own pair of gloves on and rushed outside, carrying a few different types of flower seeds as Byleth followed behind him, bringing a shovel, a gardening rake, a watering can, and a few other essentials. The sky outside was overcast, not the best for gardening but it would do for now. Ignatz took the rake and hoe from his wife, showing her how to properly tend to the dirt before gently planting one of the flowers.
Byleth copied her lover's exact motions, though much to Igantz’s disappointment, her face was blank as usual. He tried to ignore it, he really did. Instead, he tried to focus on how she seemed to be enjoying this activity. But he couldn’t take it anymore, not to mention it looked as if the sky was around to rain down. He walked over to Byleth, placing an arm on her shoulder.
“Do…Do you like doing this?”
“...Doing what?”
“Gardening. Do you like gardening?”
“...Ignatz. I like anything as long as you are by my side.”
Ignatz quickly flushed up, turning his face away from his beloved only for her to grab it, forcing Ignatz to look at her and unfortunately, getting dirt on his face.
“Ignatz. I love you. I love being with you. I apologize if this has annoyed you-”
“No! It hasn’t! I love being with you as well Byleth! Your company could never ignore me! Wait…Did you think I was trying to push you away this whole time?!”
“...I thought you were trying to be nice about it.”
“No! I just…I just thought you might have been getting bored by watching me paint all day. I didn’t want that, so-”
“I love watching you paint. That’s why I like to sit with you while you paint. It’s because of you. If I was bored I would do something else.”
Before either of them could continue their conversation, a loud bolt of thunder struck down, causing Ignatz to scream and cling to his wife, who held tightly onto her partner in return.
“...I love you, Ignatz.”
“I-I love you as well! Can we please go inside?!”
Byleth chuckled softly, easily picking her husband up and carrying him inside. For now, their garden wouldn’t be completed. But they could always pick it up another day. Now there was no war to fear, no imminent danger. Only the two of them and the quiet domesticity they had finally settled into.