[switzerland] hands down. [sylvain]

Grindelwald, Bernese Alps

It was a stunning day. The snow clouds had parted some hours before, leaving an expanse of bright blue sky that seemed to be never ending. There was fresh powder on the slopes, the mountains and Lyra's small village, which she practically sprinted through to get to the train station. It was the easiest place for Sylvain to get to. On the edge of the village, it was a short distance to the Hartmann's chalet but there was no risk of snow drifts or avalanches or him potentially apparating in the wrong place and getting stuck halfway up a mountain. Her uncle was a member of the local mountain rescue but it wasn't the ideal way to introduce her boyfriend.

"Entschuldigung," Lyra panted, pink-cheeked as she tried to squeeze past a gaggle of skiers with loads of gear - backpacks, boots, poles - she ducked to avoid being smacked in the face by one. Her bright eyes widened as she tugged down her bobble hat to sit over her ears before she tutted before she turned her head, her mood lifting tenfold as she saw his familiar figure.

"Sylvain!" She called out, standing on her tiptoes to wave enthusiastically before she realised she could just close the gap. So she did. Breaking into a jog, she launched herself at him like a spider monkey, arms around his neck as she pressed her chest close against him, accidentally dislodging his backpack. "Hi," she grinned breathlessly as she dipped her head to kiss him, her cold fingers cupping his face as they embraced before she extracted herself to put her feet back on the ground.

"How'd you find it?" She asked,  meaning her vague directions, reaching out to take his hand as they walked away from the pack of holiday makers, her free hand flicking down her sunglasses before she looked over at him. "Can I help you carry anything?" Lyra offered brightly, already sensing Sylvain's nervousness. She knew he had nothing to worry about but she also knew that if she was meeting his mother and step-father (properly this time) she'd be losing sleep, too.

"I missed you!" She cooed, the soles of her boots crunching on the fresh snow as she grinned at him, their interlinked fingers swinging between them merrily. They weren't due at the chalet for another hour but she'd selfishly made it that way because she wanted more time with him and more opportunities to ease his mind.

It was a big deal, meeting the parents for the first time. Lyra was excited to make this next step because she loved him and this was important to her. "We can grab a hot chocolate first?" She asked Sylvain lightly, wondering if he might be too cold. As far as the temperatures went, it was hovering just over zero degrees so Lyra was comfortable but she hadn't forgotten that Nice was a far cry from the Swiss Alps.

"Have you ever been on a ski lift before?" She asked Sylvain with a dimpled grin. There were other options to get to the chalet - both cable car and a slow moving train - but the lift was the quickest. They passed lots of people with snowboards and skis over their shoulder as they made their way through the ski resort, looking like a Christmas wonderland, the remnants of the festive season still there in the forms of heavy boughs of fir on lintels as she turned to look at the towering mountains. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, a smile on her face. "You don't get this sort of fresh air in Paris," she joked.


@Sylvain Chéret

Sylvain was on Lyra withdrawal. After one week of being separated it was so bad that he’d do literally anything to be with her again. How good it was that he had been invited to stay with her and her family in Grindelwald. When he had first accepted the invitation the young wizard had been a little torn. On the one hand it felt great and reassuring that Lyra wanted to introduce him to her family, on the other hand… well, he was scared out of his mind. What if they did not like him? Did not approve of him? Did not think he was good enough for their daughter? What if he made a fool of himself? What if… There were so many what ifs that it made his head spin.

By now, however, the wish to see Lyra again was far bigger than his fear to meet her family. He was still nervous, though, even anxious, but somehow he was also ready. Ready for this important next step in their blossoming relationship. He loved Lyra, could not imagine being with any other girl. What else but that could parents wish for for their child?

He had promised Lyra to be his true self, but he wasn’t quite sure he’d manage. Usually when he felt insecure, the aspiring actor slipped into a role of a far more eligible and confident man. In stressful situations it was easier for him to pretend to be self-confident and charming than to actually be it. On the paper he was nothing special, after all. He was a low ranked official at the French ministry - a position he loathed but that at least provided him with a regular income - and an amateur actor, hoping to rise up in the ranks and make himself a name one day.

Sylvain had considered his options of transportation but had, in the end, decided to travel the muggle way. His father was a muggle anyway and he liked that muggles could actually enjoy the journey itself. There was something about riding the train that the young man liked far more than apparating or travelling by portkey. The changing scenery, the time he had to himself, the people he could observe… He could dream of his future life with Lyra when they’d travel this way to see her parents with their children. They’d have two - a boy and a girl. Adorable kids that had her mother’s eyes and dimpled smile... It was such a heartwarming thought and such a pleasant journey. 

Or it would have been if there hadn’t been that muggle woman with her two children who had joined him in his compartment from Dijon on. The children had been noisy and ill behaved to say the very least. After about an hour Sylvain thought that, maybe, kids weren’t quite so charming after all and that travelling the magical way had its clear advantages.

When the train stopped at Grindelwald station, Sylvain was relieved. He grabbed his travel bag and rucksack and hurried outside. It was much colder here than it had been in Paris. The sky was blue, there was fresh snow and everything looked calm and peaceful. Well, not quite so calm at the station but still… It was a picture perfect winter day.

He heard Lyra’s voice before he could see her and a moment later she already launched herself at him. He could sense how the annoyance from his train ride was washed off his face and was replaced by a wide smile. “Lyra,” he whispered softly as he dropped his bag and flung his arms around her to wrap her into a tight hug. He closed his eyes as they kissed, totally forgetting about everything around them.

“No need,” he said with a smile as Lyra offered to help him carry something. He didn’t have much luggage to begin with and what if her parents saw him allowing her to carry his bag? He doubted that would make a great first impression. He picked up his bag and fastened his rucksack again.

“And I’ve missed you,” he responded, squeezing her hand gently, unable to even look anywhere else than at her now, “our flat is not the same without you being there.” Usually he was eager to come home because he could spend time with Lyra (unless she was at work, of course), this past week, however, he had felt lonely when he had been at home and had, therefore, taken solitary walks through Paris in the evenings, wishing she’d be back with him already.

“Do we still have time for a hot chocolate then?” Sylvain asked nervously as she suggested it. He liked the idea of a hot drink, because, Merlin, it was so cold! But if that put them on a tight schedule he’d rather do without the hot chocolate than to risk being late.

“No, I have never been on a ski lift,” Sylvain confided, for the first time allowing himself to glance around now and take in their surroundings. He chuckled softly as Lyra compared the air quality to Paris. “You’re so right,” he said. Paris was great for its culture and opportunities but it could not compare to the Bernese Alps in terms of recreation.

Sylvain's warm hug made her forget all about the sleepless night she'd had the night before as her eyes closed and she clung to him. Lyra knew her parents would love him - her dog, too - but she was concerned about him. She thought he was great as he was but she knew he didn't share the same idea. Even getting him here must have been a feat.

"You're sure?" She asked as he set her back down on the floor, tucking her hair behind her ears as she smiled brightly, it only widening to a grin. "Aw," she cooed, blushing faintly. "You didn't like the peace and quiet?" Lyra joked, bumping his hip with her own lightly. It was shocking to see how quickly she'd become accustomed to his presence. While she enjoyed being home, her mind wandered when she was alone, thinking about how much more fun it'd be if he were here as well.

"Of course!" She exclaimed as she squeezed his hand and pulled him through the town. "And it's the good stuff. Proper melted chocolate," she grinned. "Come on." With that, she gently steered Sylvain across the street, dodging the climbers and the skiers and the tourists as they opened the door to a small cafe, tucked away. It was bright and cheerful, soft music playing, pictures of the Eiger on the walls as Lyra chose a seat by the window.

After shrugging off her coat, she grinned again. "You'll love it," she assured him, reaching across the table to grab his hand because seven days was too long without touching. "I promise," she said gently, meaning the lift and the parents thing. With a cursory glance at the menu (she knew what she was getting - the full works), she flicked her eyes up to her boyfriend.

"Are you okay?" Lyra asked him seriously, knowing how he felt. If and when she got to meet his mum, she was sure she'd be terrified. She was normally good with meeting people but there was an added pressure when it happened to be the parents of a significant other. She knew his stepfather through Max but she had little worry about her former friend. Knowing him, or how he used to be, he was probably off somewhere warm, trying to romance a poor unwitting girl.

With her free arm, she rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her upturned palm as she watched him. "Do you have any questions?" It was a weird thing to ask but she meant about her parents or her brother, just so he wasn't on the back foot.

A waitress appeared and Lyra ordered herself a hot chocolate with cream, marshmallows and sprinkles and didn't feel bad about it, pausing to let Sylvain order for himself. German felt weird on her tongue after not speaking it for so long but it was nice. Nice to be home, nice to be with her boyfriend and nice to be in the mountain air again. Looking at him again, she smiled, her dimples appearing. "Thank you for coming," she told him, genuinely.

Sylvain grinned at Lyra as she teased him with the peace and quiet at home. It was strange how wrong it had felt to come home to their flat after work when she wasn’t there. It was not like she was always at home when he came home from the Ministry. In fact, he thought that most days she wasn’t. However, knowing that she wasn’t there, wasn’t coming home that night, wasn’t going to be there in the morning had felt terribly wrong. Sylvain thought the flat was a different place without her. He was not going to say as much, though.

“I can only enjoy peace and quiet with you, not without you,” he said, leaning towards her to give her a peck on the cheek. “Without you it was far too quiet,” he added softly. He felt the urge to pull her into another hug and not let go of her for a while but resisted. They’d hopefully have time for some intimacy later.

“That sounds very delicious indeed,” Sylvain responded, mirroring her grin. He couldn’t have stopped grinning even if he had been asked to now. He felt her hand in his and allowed her to steer him through the crowd and into a small cafe. Everything seemed perfect now. The music, the pictures on the walls, the other people, even the foreign sound of German being mostly spoken around them was nice.

As Lyra reached for his hand, Sylvain squeezed it gently. While he knew every feature of her face so very well by now, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her now. She was so pretty in her unique way. The young wizard could barely believe just how lucky he was that she was his girlfriend. He wanted to kiss her so badly but now wasn’t the time for that.

She seemed to pick up on his nervousness although he thought that it wasn’t quite so obvious anymore now that they were reunited again. He nodded as she asked him if he was okay. And yes, he was okay, he was holding her hand again, after all.

Questions. Sylvain swallowed and suddenly the nervousness hit him with full force again. He offered a sheepish smile and gave a little shrug. “I don’t speak German,” he said, feeling stupid to bring that up now. Lyra had taught him a few phrases and was clearly aware of his lack of knowledge of her native language. “I wonder how they’ll feel about it. I’ll definitely make an effort to learn it in the future, though” If he could learn his text for a play he should be able to learn German well enough, too. At least he hoped so.

After Lyra ordered for herself he echoed her order, trusting her to have made a good choice. He knew that his girlfriend was an expert on finding delicious drinks and sweets anyway. Her choices had so far never disappointed him.

“Thank you for the invite,” he responded softly. Admittedly he was still nervous about meeting her family but at the same time he was grateful. “I couldn’t have stayed in Paris without you for another day,” he admitted, smiling at her. “I just really hope that your family will accept me.” He turned his gaze away to watch the couple on the neighbour table as they stood up and left. It was a good distraction, really. He felt he had to tell Lyra that he was worried that her family might not like him but didn’t want to make his fear a topic of conversation now.

"Aww," she cooed with a grin, blushing all the way up to the roots of her hair as she laughed at his kiss and his words. Sylvain said the flat was too quiet and she was tempted to ask if he wanted to get a cat or something before she realised they wouldn't have anyone to look after if they decided to go on holiday together. And they were both too young for children. "I'll try not to leave again for a while," she assured him as she picked up his hand and dropped a kiss on his knuckles. "At least not without you."

The cafe was warm and Lyra plucked off her bobble hat, leaving her bright blonde hair sticking up at a funny angle before her smile softened. She liked this, Sylvain being honest. She knew it was difficult for him and she'd always been careful not to push him too far. She was very lucky because she liked who she was and had some to accept herself for her faults. Sylvain just didn't realise that he was completely flawless in her eyes.

Her boyfriend admitted to what he was worried about and she simply smiled. Was that the only hang up he had? "They speak French," she assured him with a nod. She understood that it wasn't the same thing and she knew why he was panicking. Sylvain could say please and thank you and it was the thought that counted. Her parents dealt with clients from all over the world and they'd never expect anyone to speak their language - Mr. and Mrs. Hartmann were so laid back, they were practically horizontal.

"Ah, danke," Lyra thanked the waitress with a smile as she deposited their drinks, causing the woman a spot of difficulty as she refused to let go of Sylvain's hand. "They won't care," she assured him but smiled at his next comment. "That'd be nice," she nodded. "And of course I'll help."

Reluctantly, Lyra removed her left hand from Sylvain's as she scooped up some of the cream with her spoon and licked the back of it, her eyes flicking to his before she grinned, caught off guard. She agreed with the sentiment. This little tyrol was lovely but it wasn't home without him. She'd missed him. It was funny how quickly she'd become accustomed to living with someone. She missed the smell of his shampoo or how he always made her a cup of coffee before he left for work, even if she allowed it to go cold. Or how she sometimes heard him humming under his breath when he didn't think she could hear him.

"Why wouldn't they?" She asked him gently as she picked up the little shaker jar of chocolate shavings and added a healthy amount to her hot chocolate, her big bright eyes blinking at him. Sure, Sylvain was the first boy she'd ever brought home to meet her family but he was kind. And smart. Funny, soft, warm but above all that, he made her stupidly happy.

"I love you," she told him firmly, making sure he understood the brevity of her sentence. To enforce it, she nodded, a lock of hair escaping from behind her ear in the process. "They'll love you too," she squeezed his hand. "I'm a great judge of character," she went on, trying to placate him. "Now," she announced, nudging his hot chocolate towards him with an easy smile. "Stop worrying and drink that," she grinned.

With a smile Sylvain greeted her words that she would not leave again for a while, at least not without him. It was nice to be invited to meet her family but it was also a lot of pressure and somehow the young man now wondered if they could maybe go on a nice romantic vacation somewhere far away in the summer. Somewhere where they knew no one and could just be themselves without having to try to please anyone.

Her family spoke French. He had known that before. However, he felt that, maybe, they perceived it as a lack of respect that he could not talk to them in their native language. He wondered if he was seeing obstacles where none were but he was truly a little scared of meeting her family, scared that they would not like him, would not accept him as her boyfriend. It would be the worst thing in the world if her family didn’t approve of them as a couple as Sylvain couldn’t imagine ever being without Lyra again.

Their drinks arrived and Sylvain said “danke”, too, feeling that it sounded odd. It would take some getting used to hearing and speaking German. It was not that he disliked the sound of it, really, it was just quite foreign to him.

“Merci,” he said in response when Lyra promised to help him study German. The French word sounded much more pleasant and familiar to him, of course. However, he was determined to make an effort and learn German anyway. He felt he just had to do it. It wasn’t really a decision to make. To Sylvain it was his duty to study the native language of his girlfriend and he was eager to learn it soon now, feeling it would bring them even closer together.

He watched her lick the spoon and smiled. Truth be told, the young wizard loved watching Lyra when she indulged in hot chocolate or desserts. He just loved how she savoured these things. Lyra could enjoy the moment and Sylvain was slowly getting to learning this from her. It was great to live in the perfect moment and let go of all worries for a while, enjoying a hot chocolate.

“I don’t know…” Sylvain shrugged, offering a sheepish smile. “I guess I’m just worried that they want someone who’s more accomplished for you.” He turned his gaze down, cursing himself silently that he said this aloud, that he risked spoiling the wonderful moment they shared.

Then she said that she loved him.

Immediately Sylvain looked up at her, a relieved, grateful and loving smile spreading across his face. It was as though someone had switched on the lights for him. He was beaming at her now.

“And I love you,” he responded, “so very much.” Maybe that was really enough for her parents to accept him. He was not a criminal or anything and he really, truly loved Lyra more than he had ever loved or would ever love anyone else again. That had to be worth something.

"Accomplished?" Lyra echoed, her pale eyes wide in shock. "What do you mean?" She asked her boyfriend, placing her spoon down on her saucer to give him her full attention, her eyebrows creasing in concern as she blinked. "You're kind," she went on. "Caring, smart, thoughtful. You have a good job, you don't pay rent late," she joked, her dimples appearing. "I don't know how much more accomplished than that you can be. Mission accomplished," she joked, snorting with laughter to lighten the mood.

It wasn't a laughing matter and she understood that Sylvain needed time to realise just how special he was. Lyra hoped she hadn't made things worse by inviting him home for the week. Perhaps it was selfish but she wanted her family to meet him. It felt like she'd been in a dream world, a little Parisian bubble of love and fun after the awful two years they'd been through trying to get to this point, but she wanted it to feel real. She hoped he could understand.

She placed her elbows on the table, her chin resting in an upturned palm as she gazed at him for a moment. It had just slipped out but she'd known her feelings for him ever since he'd saved her from that gnome invasion in their sixth year. She wasn't scared to say it. Lyra wasn't even scared if Sylvain chose not to say it back but he did and she cracked into a grin.

"Aww," she cooed, her cheeks pink with pleasure as she laughed. Phew. The hurdle was over and it wasn't even that bad. In fact, it had been liberating and fun. Her heart felt like it could simply burst. Right here, in the middle of a cafe in her hometown, smack bang in the middle of an otherwise mundane afternoon. Lya didn't think she'd ever been so happy.

She couldn't believe she'd wasted so much time, pushing Sylvain away. She'd played stupid games and got caught up in misplaced loyalty. Lyra had thought she'd been in love with his step-brother, Max, but she hadn't. Her feelings for the other man paled in comparison to this burning desire to be with Sylvain, every minute of every day.

"I think," she went on as she traced a fingertip over the back of one his hands in slow, careful circles, looking up at him through her long and sooty lashes. "You should definitely kiss me," she told Sylvain with a solemn nod, trying her best (and failing) to conceal her giddy grin.

Lyra’s reaction surprised him although he couldn’t really tell what he had been expecting. He didn’t agree with her but was grateful that she didn’t find him lacking as much as he did. Sylvain still felt that to be Lyra’s partner he had to be more, that he wasn’t enough. He was a low ranked ministry official and an amateur actor. His ambitions had been much higher and he felt that he had committed to a life that was worth less just because he had prematurely given up fighting. He wanted to be a full time actor, he wanted to earn his living on stage. Alternatively he wanted to space travel. He had joined the ministry in order to find out if there was a department working on space travel but so far he hadn’t found out anything.

He smiled when Lyra laughed, feeling that now was not the time to talk about these things anyway. Probably he’d never openly talk to her about it. After all, Sylvain feared that if Lyra saw him through his eyes she’d stop loving him.

And she did love him now. Or at least she had just said so. Sylvain’s heart beat faster. He was quick to tell her that he loved her, too. There was no doubt for him. He loved her. His eyes had a dreamy expression as he remembered how they had first talked. It had been all about Maximilien then and Sylvain really hadn’t enjoyed himself then. However, he had soon grown to adore her. Had felt that Maximilien didn’t deserve her. Did he deserve her, though?

His thoughts went back to his own lack of accomplishments. He wasn’t good enough for her and he was afraid that she’d realise it one day. They were happy together, they were deeply in love but Sylvain always feared that it wouldn’t last, that he couldn’t be this happy for long.

Her touch always made his heart beat quicker and when she suggested that he should kiss her, Sylvain grinned. “Are you sure?” he asked in a teasing voice.

He quickly moved towards her so they were sitting next to each other. Then he reached for her hair, let his fingers get entangled and a second later he leaned in to her. He rested his forehead against hers, looked her into the eyes, and then shifted his position to gently place his lips on hers, waiting for her to deepen the kiss as he pulled her closer to him. The warmth of her body and her scent made him feel at ease, made him feel like he had come home.