Sothis in general just shows why she was so beloved and earned her title as the Mother of Fódlan. She gets fiercely protective of Byleth right at the moment when they are in trouble, and even goes as far as going on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge for them if Jeralt dies. Yet all the same, she does not push for Byleth to kill Shez if they choose to not kill Jeralt - and this is despite the fact that she has every reason to believe Shez is related to the Agarthans just from their powers. And despite rather harshly pointing out she could easily just take complete control of Byleth's body (much like how Arval does later on) she does not (aside from temporary takeovers), showing that even when she awakens much later she does not show any interest of erasing Byleth so that she is the sole inhabitant.
If you spared (and thus recruited) Byleth and Jeralt, as well as gift Byleth the Merc Whistle after reaching A-rank Support, at the end of the game Shez will receive a letter from Byleth. Byleth will thank Shez for giving them a chance to become something more than The Dreaded Ashen Demon and giving them the opportunity to gain friends united by a common cause.
If you hand a mercenary's whistle to a character with max support points, Shez will receive a letter from the character you give the mercenary's whistle to as they speak about how grateful they are for Shez's presence and support throughout the game after the end credits.
If you don't hand a mercenary's whistle to anyone, instead, you have Shez talking at the end about how far they have come and how grateful they are to be here in the present.
Shez: And while my future isn't set in stone. I know one thing for certain. Right here, right now. This is where I live and breathe.
Hubert's letter has him congratulate Shez for actually managing to fully gain his trust, mentioning how he needs them by his side and thanking them for not betraying him and Edelgard in the end. Recruiting Byleth makes this letter extra sweet, as previously, Shez's body was taken over by Arval/Epimenides and attempted to kill Byleth, causing Hubert's shaky trust in them to take a huge dip. In context, this letter not only shows that he manages to fully forgive them, but also contains an apology for ever doubting Shez.
Petra's letter has her inviting Shez to join her when she returns to Brigid after their chosen faction wins the war. The way she words it makes it sound like a marriage proposal.
Jeralt's letter has him thank Shez for giving him some of the best moments of his life, and asks them to look after Byleth if anything ever happens to him.
While Byleth doesn't have any support conversations with anyone aside from Shez and Jeralt, they can still uniquely achieve rank A Supports with virtually every other playable character (for reference, other characters can only achieve rank C supports with characters they don't have any conversations with). Even if it is under entirely different circumstances than in Houses, Byleth is still able to form deep friendships with their allies.
If you successfully recruit Byleth, you can find them around the camp in the next chapter, commenting on how no one really seems to be afraid of them. It goes to show how quickly they've been accepted by whatever faction ends up hiring them.
While both Edelgard and Claude express doubt about Shez's hearing voices in their head (Arval) in the secret chapters, Dimitri believes them instantly. With his constant reminders of the Tragedy of Duscur, he knows exactly what it's like.
In the second bonus chapter, the dialogue between the three lords and their phantoms summoned by Epimenedes can be either heartwarming or a tearjerker depending on interpretation, as it establishes that while the lords have come a long way in their development, they've still got a long way to go:
Dimitri's refusal to do as his phantom suggests expresses that he's not completely beholden to the dead, which can be a risk for him. Also, his quote upon killing his phantom can be taken as him getting a happy Catharsis Factor, if one chooses not to interpret it as disturbing.
Edelgard tells her phantom that she wouldn't trust leaving everything up to herself, which might express a bit of self-loathing, but also confirms that she's willing to trust close allies and doesn't have to be completely in control.
Claude's dialogue... doesn't really have an easily stated heartwarming interpretation, since he confirms that allying with the other lords is just out of logical convenience rather than a close bond. Still, at least it shows that Claude isn't as power hungry as his phantom shows he could be.
Despite being a Tear Jerker, it's also heartwarming to hear Arval congratulate Shez on how much stronger they've become after Epimenides is killed in the second bonus chapter. It shows how much Arval has grown to care about Shez even after all the snarking they did all game.
Scarlet Blaze
Edelgard's route seems to be able to potentially bring the war to its quickest end (like all routes the story ends with the war still ongoing), as the story sees Those Who Slither in the Dark, who are trying to prolong the war, are defeated and leaderless. The Central Church is not in a position to limit knowledge and reform, and both Claude and Dimitri agree with Edelgard's reforms in theory. The only deaths of playable characters are Ingrid, Sylvain, Catherine, and potentially Annette. If Jeralt and Byleth are recruited and spared, peace is settled between the Empire and the Alliance, though if not, Claude will betray this peace and prolong the war.
Edelgard overcoming her 'sacrifice for the greater good' mindset by taking the gamble to rescue Monica from TWSITD, which in turn leads her to a path of less collateral damage because of said gamble paying off by getting the Agarthans ousted from the Empire thanks to a grateful Monica. This persists throughout the game, as though she does have some suspect quotes, she also states in many story cutscenes that their aim is to limit the loss of life, and to protect people in need of the Empire's help. In coming to the defense of Gwendal and Lonato, saving Leonie and the Hrym region, and not punishing Count Gloucester for his betrayal, Edelgard stresses the importance of proving that the Empire will always come to the defense of its allies, wherever they may be, even setting personal animosity aside.
When Bernadetta asks if Edelgard arrested her father, Edelgard's response is "Unfortunately not." In just two words, Edelgard conveys that she knows Count Varley is a reprehensible person, does not like that fact, and expresses empathy for Bernadetta. Throughout the game, both in supports and in the main story, Edelgard makes sure to let Bernadetta know where Count Varley will likely be so that Bernie doesn't have to be too close to her abusive parent.
You can potentially recruit Ashe in Chapter 5 where you save Lonato. Though he’s still plagued with conflict about fighting his old friends, he and his adoptive father are able to survive the war together and act on the same side, each deeply relieved the other is alive, well, and no longer their enemy. Rodrigue even reassures Ashe, if they are on opposite sides of a battlefield, that siding with family is a noble cause.
In Chapter 6, Count Gloucester is absolutely furious at the Empire for hurting his son, even if you recruited Lorenz and thus spared his life. It shows that he really does care about Lorenz, despite any previous impressions he may have given off.
In Chapter 8, you once again come to the aid of Lonato (and Gwendal and Count Rowe, assuming you can save them before Rowe turns traitor again). This also means that unlike in Three Houses, Lonato can survive a route for once, and Ashe doesn't lose his father.
Caspar's relationship with his father, Leopold, is quite heartwarming compared to the rather twisted, strained, or tragic paternal relationships among the other characters. Caspar adores and looks up to his father very greatly, and Leopold pays that back with the sheer pride he has for his son, even passing down his sacred gauntlets onto him. Remember, Caspar doesn't have a Crest, and you know what tends to happen to nobles born without a Crest. And yet, it's all but stated that Leopold favors him far more than his actual Crest-bearing heir who had abandoned his post at the first sign of trouble.
In Chapter 10, Edelgard and Claude decide to join forces to fight against the Kingdom and the Church culminating in the two shaking hands to solidify the pact. If Jeralt and Byleth were recruited, this alliance actually sticks for the whole game and you get that route's Golden Ending in the process. Come the battle at Ailell in Chapter 14, both the Empire and Alliance forces team up against the Kingdom and the Church with both Edelgard and Claude expressing their trust in one another. Compare this to Crimson Flower where the Empire has to go through the Alliance to get a strategic foothold.
Edelgard, Lysithea, and Hapi's paralogue during Chapter 12 has them routing a TWSITD base, in an attempt to find information that could be used to reverse the experiments done to them and bring an end to their curses. Though this does involve bringing up traumatic memories, the three end up closer for it, with Edelgard being reminded she's free to feel and express pain in order to heal.
The paralogue also ends with a discussion about who Edelgard's most frequent tea-time companions are, those being Lysithea, Shez, Monica, and Ferdinand. Given the trauma Ferdinand experiences in the game, including in the very next chapter, it is helpful to know Edelgard is spending much time with him outside of work hours.
In the optional chapters, Edelgard confirms to Claude that her preference is just to have Rhea dismantle the upper echelons of the Central Church holding society back, not actually kill Rhea. In the final battle, once Rhea loses her Immaculate One form, Edelgard tells her troops their aim is to restrain her, not to kill her, despite Rhea just giving her all against them. Compared to Three Houses she seems to see certain Central Church policies and their cultural impact as an enemy over seeing Rhea herself as evil. This pays off at the very end of the battle, in a three-way standoff between Rhea, Thales, and Edelgard and Shez, where everyone prioritizes taking out Thales instead of fighting each other.
Chapter 3 has Shez trying to high-five Edelgard after driving off Thales together, but Edelgard doesn't return it due to being unfamiliar with the concept. In a Call-Back and form of Book Ends at the end of Scarlet Blaze, Shez proposes a high-five to Edelgard once more after Thales and Rhea, as Seiros, are dealt with. This time, Edelgard returns the high-five and they leave together as victors.
In the paralogue An Incurable Shut-In, Duke Gerth mentions that he's on good terms with Monica's dad and Bernadetta's mom. He asks both girls how their respective parents are doing, and comments that he should tell Lady Varley how well Bernadetta did during the battle. It's a fairly small moment, but it's nice to see some solidarity and concern shown between the Empire's houses.
If you don't recruit Byleth and Jeralt, in Chapter 14, if you fight Hilda and defeat her, Claude steps in to save her, telling her to retreat and fighting the Empire in her place. This also doubles as a Tear Jerker, since it can lead to his death and shows that he is willing to risk his life to save Hilda, just as she did for him in Crimson Flower.
The simple fact that Randolph can survive if Byleth is recruited. Fleche's evident happiness at simply being with and working with her older brother, especially considering how devastated she is when he dies, helps to drive home the difference.
Azure Gleam
Just like in Three Houses, Dimitri's route, depending on the player's choices, can be the closest the game comes to an Everybody Lives ending as far as playable characters go, with the only mandatory death within the route being Hubert, who is confirmed by Randolph at the start of Chapter 12 to have been Killed Offscreennote Ferdinand’s fate goes unmentioned and is left ambiguous after Thales seizes control of the Empire. Other routes see more required deaths because the Kingdom's commanders refuse to surrender peacefully. Azure Gleam is also the only route where Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn get their home at the monastery back and get to remain a part of Fódlan society (as opposed to dying or having to live in hiding).
Thanks to various truths about the Tragedy of Duscur coming out earlier than in Three Houses, we get to see more of Dimitri's efforts to restore the land of Duscur to its people and improve the Kingdom's relations with them. While anger toward Faerghus is not erased among the people of Duscur, and Duscur is for the time being still considered a Kingdom territory, the people of Duscur are so appreciative of Dimitri's sincerity and his efforts to reveal and punish the people responsible for the Tragedy that a far larger force than he asked for comes to assist him in the war, all volunteers.
The revelations also have a positive effect on Gilbert, who in Three Houses had walked away from his family and his knighthood for what he saw as his own inability to protect King Lambert from dying. In Three Hopes, as he's not weighed down as much by the guilt of his past, Gilbert returns to Faerghus to take up his knighthood again at King Dimitri's behest (along with his real name, Gustave), has a much warmer relationship with his daughter Annette (even going so far as to pull a Heroic Sacrifice to protect her on Scarlet Blaze if certain conditions are met), and is able to convince his brother, Baron Dominic, to turn against Cornelia and the coalition of western Kingdom lords who were accomplices in the Tragedy.
Throughout the game, you can find several characters from Duscur in the camp. Some of them have been granted high ranks in the army, and many of them talk about how they're hesitant to trust Dimitri at first, but they do want to believe that he'll find the truth and help them return to normal. Late in Azure Gleam, you can even find a Faerghus soldier who asks a Duscur soldier to teach him a Duscur prayer after he lost a few soldiers in his unit who were from Duscur.
While leaving command of the army to Felix, Dimitri tells him it's their duty to "protect every last one of them," likely a kindhearted homage to his infamous "kill every last one of them" line from Three Houses.
Chapter 7 of Azure Gleam has the rest of the Blue Lions saving Dimitri from Cornelia, who has put him in a Hostage Situation where the people of Faerghus will be harmed should he step into battle. It's Dedue who convinces Dimitri out of trying to die for the sake of the people, telling him that his burden is not his alone to bear and that Dedue, along with the rest of the Blue Lions, will be with him.
This is immediately followed by the rest of the Blue Lions chiming in to encourage Dimitri. Felix even gets a fairly long speech trying to snap Dimitri out of martyring himself. Even if it's in Felix's usual blunt manner, it still shows how much he actually cares about Dimitri, which Mercedes comments on.
In Chapter 9 of Azure Gleam, Shez goes to find and bring Dimitri out of the crossfire after Edelgard is forcefully turned into the Hegemon Husk by Thales, with Dimitri insisting that he's fine but Shez not buying it and continuing to carry Dimitri out while reminding Dimitri of the promise they made to him.
Shez: I promised you didn't I? By your side, always.
In the endgame chapter, while you're at base, Bernadetta (if you recruited her) will be holed up in her shack expressing fear at the inevitable confrontation with Count Varley. The heartwarming part is that if you also have Yuri, he will be just north of her shack, and if you walk past him or indeed talk to him, his dialogue will be expressing concern for Bernie.
Yuri: But no matter how much I want to laugh at the trouble he's in, or what a gruesome death he'll have... I keep wondering how Bernadetta is holding up. I don't think she has it in her to kill her own father.
If you talk to Marianne at the base camp in the last chapter, she says that even though some in the Kingdom are worried Claude won't rendezvous with them in time, no one from Leicester is the slightest bit worried, including her because she believes in him.
Marianne: It's a little different than trust. I just know. Claude will make it and help us achieve victory. That's the kind of person he is.
Golden Wildfire
Golden Wildfire is the only route where all three Lords are guaranteed to be alive and in good health by the end regardless of the actions you take in the story, and the route ends with the possibility of peace being achieved between the three nations of Fódlan without any of them being conquered by the others. There are also no student deaths as long as you recruit everybody when they are available.
When Ferdinand falls for Claude's scheme and is trapped behind enemy lines in the Alliance, it's clear that Hubert is very worried about him. He even spends his own personal funds to hire mercenaries to save him, showing that, despite his demeanor, he does care about Ferdinand's wellbeing.
When the Golden Deer are discussing what to do after trapping Ferdinand and Bernadetta, Marianne expresses a reluctance to kill them, remembering their time together at the academy despite being in different classes. Claude agrees, saying he intends to offer them the chance to surrender. Even after the Empire refuses to surrender, and Ferdinand escapes thanks to the mercenaries Hubert hired, Claude says that he had only intended to capture Ferdinand, not kill him.
In Chapter 7, the Alliance is forced to retreat after invading the Empire due to Almyra attacking Fódlan's Throat. Count Bergliez notes that the Alliance army does not burn the Empire's grainfields while retreating, which would cause many people in the Empire to starve. He repays their mercy by letting them retreat unhindered and recommends to Edelgard that the Empire should stop fighting the Alliance. When Monica relays his message to Edelgard, she notes that Bergliez did not make the recommendation begrudgingly and seemed as though he had come to respect the Alliance's leaders.
In Chapter 8, Nader and his soldiers are so unhappy with Shahid's invasion of Fódlan that they turn against him to side with the Alliance despite the fact that the two countries have long been at odds. After the battle, we learn that Holst and Nader met before the battle and quickly became friends, even calling each other brothers, and the Alliance and the Almyrans feast together to celebrate their victory.
In Hilda and Marianne's paralogue, after Hilda is rescued, she and Shez ask Marianne what she meant when she said people shouldn't get involved with her because of her Crest. When Marianne hesitates to answer, Hilda says she doesn't have to talk about it if she doesn't want to and just wants her to keep smiling. She also offers to finish up the chores Marianne was struggling with before she left to go rescue Hilda.
If you recruit Byleth, everybody is very enthusiastic about working with them, eagerly welcoming them into the army. No one holds a grudge against them for fighting against the Alliance/Federation, and no one seems to care about their reputation as the Ashen Demon. Claude is relieved that everyone is happy to have them on the team and says that he didn't need to worry after all. Leonie is also so overwhelmed by having the chance to fight alongside Jeralt again that she starts crying with joy.
After recruiting them, Claude tells Byleth that some part of him has been calling out to them, showing that he feels a connection to them even in this timeline, which is pretty heartwarming for fans who enjoyed their relationship in Three Houses.
After being called out by the other characters over how his scheming and inability to trust anyone costs him the lives of allies and their ability to trust him, Claude starts to make an active effort to include his friends in his plans and decisions. This leads to him opening up to them more and even makes him more idealistic, such as rushing to Edelgard's aid when it would be easier to fulfill his plans if she died, a far cry from the secretive schemer from the beginning of the game and a sign of how much he is willing to trust his allies now.
In Claude's paralogue, he finally trusts Judith enough to tell her his true identity and where his mother has been for the past twenty years. Similarly, she and Shez promise in turn not to tell anyone until Claude is ready for everyone else to know.
If you talk to Lorenz in the camp in Chapter 11, he says he is surprised to see that Almyra's ships are more advanced than the ones in Fódlan, since he had always believed that Almyra's technology was inferior. He then goes on to say that Fódlan would benefit from increased contact with other countries, which is exactly what Claude is hoping to achieve.
When Claude rushes back to Ordelia territory to deal with those who slither in the dark, many of the soldiers around the camp are grateful that he cares so much for his people. Mind you, the news of Ordelia being under attack comes right when the Federation troops had the Kingdom forces surrounded in their own fortress and they only needed one more push to defeat them. Despite how it would throw their advantageous position away and make any future invasion into Faerghus much harder, Claude still decides to walk to the other end of Fódlan to save his people even if it makes their position in the war worse.
In Chapter 14, Shez tells Claude that they're grateful that he and the Golden Deer weren't suspicious of them because of their powers, and they're glad that they ended up with the Golden Deer because they believe others would have been less accepting (which is actually true on Scarlet Blaze where Hubert remains suspicious of them for much of the route). Claude tells them he understands how they feel since he has also felt like an outsider for much of his life, but says the Golden Deer are pretty open-minded and even accepted Nader.
During the final battle, Mercedes is among the enemy forces, and is sadly not recruitable in this route. However, Jeritza (who is also not recruitable) shows up to spare her from death, and both become allied non-playable fighters.
Supports
Scarlet Blaze
In Edelgard and Ferdinand's C Support, she tells him that he can still feel bad for his father even if he also admits that Ludwig has done some shady things. She also appeals to Ferdinand's competitive side in an attempt to motivate him. It's heartwarming in general, but even more so if one remembers how annoying Edelgard originally found Ferdinand in Three Houses. She actually does care about him, despite any previous disagreements.
In her A support with Hubert, Edelgard expresses that she still feels some form of inexplicable connection to Byleth. For fans who are disappointed that Byleth doesn't have the closeness to the students they had in Three Houses, this can be a bit of hope.
As much as they butt heads with each other about Edelgard, Monica genuinely compliments and admires Hubert's loyalty to Edelgard, calling him her greatest retainer, and aspires to be as great of a retainer in her own way. Monica also absolutely adores Dorothea, and tells her how many girls looked up to and wanted to be like her, much to Dorothea's genuine surprise.
While Edelgard tells Monica in their B support that she had considered leaving her for dead if the situation warranted it, their A support shows that she does genuinely care for Monica's well-being as she tells her new vassal not to overwork herself for her sake. Edelgard agrees to honor Monica's simple request for a hug, and after Monica leaves to make some tea for them, Edelgard finds herself impressed by how much Monica's grown in the two years since the initial rescue mission.
Hubert and Lysithea's A-Support displays the former's more caring side, where he invites her to eat sweets together and offering her coffee. When Lysithea asks Hubert why he treated her nicer than anyone else other than Edelgard, to which he responds (before threatening her to keep it a secret) that part of the reason for doting her is that she reminds him of his little sister who shares similar personalities. Another thing that is never explored in Three Houses is that Hubert also has a mother and little brother that he cares about, contrasting his hatred for his father. Furthermore, the reason he conceals his family's existence is for their safety from any enemies that might target them because of him.
Manuela's and Jeralt's A support has Manuela and Byleth perform an opera play just for Jeralt all because Jeralt had told Manuela in their C support that he wanted to take his late wife Sitri to the Opera at Enbarr but she passed away before they got the chance. Manuela also invites Jeralt to see her perform at the opera house after the war is over.
Just the fact that Manuela told Byleth about her previous conversation (even if she was apparently too drunk to remember at the time). It's sweet that she wanted to tell Jeralt's kid about him opening up, and, as for Byleth, they get to learn something about their dad.
Ferdinand and Lysithea's support reveals that he, Hubert, Linhardt, Hanneman, and all of the Empire's best minds are working together to find a way to cure Lysithea's health issues brought about by her second Crest. Additionally, Edelgard is more open with Lysithea about their shared issues, and is likely the one leading that effort. The normally fierce Lysithea is moved to tears at how dedicated everyone is to saving her life. She then runs after Ferdinand when he leaves, begging him to let her help with the research, too.
Though bittersweet, Edelgard and Hubert's A supports with Ferdinand have them checking in on him and his well-being after he had to kill his father. Edelgard assures him that she will need him by her side. Hubert's concerned that Ferdinand's training has gotten darker, and encourages Ferdinand to be more honest with himself.
Dorothea's supports with Ferdinand, Edelgard, Hubert, and Monica are all about putting Dorothea at ease about the things she's most self-conscious about. In her support with Ferdinand, she finds out the truth about her meeting him in the past, and is able to put that embarrassment behind her (though he goes about his apology in a new embarrassing manner). In her support with Edelgard, Edelgard is quick to apologize for messing up Dorothea's life plans and bringing her to a war. Edelgard also reaffirms their bond and equality, and promises to always be there for Dorothea, providing some of that stability Dorothea seeks. In all three of her supports with Edelgard, Hubert, and Monica, none of them think negatively of her for her distaste for war, and all three are heartened by Dorothea's strength in staying with them. Additionally, Dorothea has resolved to do so because she believes so firmly in Edelgard's goals that she wants to be the lead example of the nobility and the commoners working hand in hand as equals.
Edelgard's support with Linhardt is one of the more straightforward heartwarming examples, without getting into the politics of the world. Instead, it's mostly about getting to see Edelgard completely let down her guard and be sweet to a cat.
In Jeritza and Manuela's B Support, she finally gets him to crack a grin by convincing him that animals (including cats) will be more likely to approach him. Due to her encouragement, Jeritza proceeds to compliment her teaching skills, much to Manuela's amazement. It's a very simple yet also quite adorable moment.
Azure Gleam
Dedue and Sylvain's B rank support conversation has Dedue open up about his late younger sister, describing her as someone who was fiercely determined and who also loved flowers (much like Dedue himself). Sylvain promises to go with Dedue to pay respects to her grave in Duscur after the war is over, and offers to bring flowers for her. Dedue smiles and assures him that she would like that.
Felix and Sylvain's supports start with Sylvain angrily calling out Felix for getting into a fistfight with some of the soldiers under his command, telling him that he has a lot of growing up to do if that's how the new Duke Fraldarius is behaving. The fight gets elaborated on in their A support, in which Sylvain finds out why Felix started throwing hands: his soldiers were slandering Sylvain. He was furious that they were talking about him so negatively, stating that it's one thing for Felix to give him a hard time, but it's entirely different for people who don't know Sylvain. Even if they butt heads, Sylvain is still one of Felix's best friends.
For those who had hoped for a modicum of reconciliation between them in Three Houses, there is finally progress: Felix and Rodrigue finally sit down to talk things out in their A support. Rodrigue, after seven years since his mistake, apologizes for what he had said about Glenn's death, and acknowledges that his words had hurt Felix before explaining that even if he wasn't a knight, Glenn would not have been the kind to abandon Dimitri in the Tragedy of Duscur. In turn, Felix apologizes for hitting Rodrigue, a Call-Back to one of his confession box notes in which he mentions hitting his father and wishing he could apologize for it (which only appears in the box after Rodrigue dies).
Felix and Dimitri's A support has Dimitri finally admit what happened to cause him to snap so violently when they were squires: he had recognized one of the men involved in the Tragedy of Duscur and saw red. He also confesses that he hears the voices of the dead demanding revenge. Instead of berating him for living in the past, Felix instead remains supportive of him, and accepts the offer to become Dimitri's right-hand man, just as Kyphon was to Loog and Rodrigue was to Lambert. He then actually carries Dimitri on his back to get him to go to bed, resulting in some heartwarming banter about how big Dimitri is and some fond reminiscing of their childhood. Regardless of the past, they truly are best friends.
Mercedes and Dedue's B Support starts with Dedue accidentally scaring a child Mercedes was talking to. Dedue says he's always scared off kids and animals, and Mercedes decides to try and come up with a way to help him. It then cuts to a scene where Dedue is making flower crowns for a couple of kids, because Mercedes told them he'd make them one if they asked. The end result is extremely adorable, and Dedue thanks her for the suggestion.
Golden Wildfire
Lysithea and Marianne's support has Lysithea step in and defend Marianne from a Crest scholar harassing her about her Crest, subtly threatening him to leave Marianne alone or else. While she tries to pass it off as her just passing by, it's still a very sweet gesture on Lysithea's part, as she especially knows the burden of having a Crest, let alone two.
In Hilda and Marianne's C support, when Marianne messes up sorting armor into piles resulting in a big mess, Hilda takes the blame, claiming she tripped and sent everything flying. When Marianne asks why she did that, Hilda says that she felt like being nice, since Marianne supports her by listening to all of her worries and complaints. Marianne smiles when she hears that Hilda considers her helpful and not a burden.
In Hilda and Holst's A support, Hilda is surprised to learn that the feast Holst is holding is for her and not him. Holst tells her that he wants her to stop putting him on a pedestal and take pride in her own achievements after explaining how she was actually the one responsible for their victory in the battle.
Claude and Ignatz's support has Claude figuring out that Ignatz wants to be a painter and offering to have Ignatz travel around Fódlan on reconnaissance missions so he can see many different locations and landscapes as he travels. Ignatz sees that he doesn't have to give up on his dream of being a painter after all and offers to paint a portrait of Claude as thanks for helping him realize that.
In Lorenz and Marianne's A support, Marianne feels guilty that Lorenz got hurt protecting her in battle after she asked for his help. She tells him that even though for most of her life she hasn't cared about whether she lived or died, when she was standing beside Lorenz on the battlefield, she realized that she wanted to live. Lorenz assures her that her feelings are natural, and she doesn't need to justify them to anybody. He then promises her they'll survive the war together.
Hilda and Leonie's B support has Hilda making a scented oil for Leonie. When Leonie wonders why it's different from the one Hilda wears, Hilda tells her that she made it specially for her and tried lots of different scent combinations to create one that suited Leonie, which is touching since Hilda rarely puts so much effort into anything. She explains that she wanted to make something special for Leonie. Though Leonie isn't too excited about wearing a scented oil, she decides to do so for special occasions since Hilda put so much work into it.
Claude and Marianne's A support starts with Marianne receiving a letter from her father implying that he's planning to step down as head of his house and pass his title on to her. Marianne tells Claude that she feels like she isn't ready to become the leader of her house. In response, Claude confesses that he once felt the same way as her, but says he was able to overcome his worries because of his resolve. He offers to help Marianne find her resolve as well, but she says she thinks she already has thanks to him.
Multiple Routes
Shez's Undying Loyalty to whichever Lord they support. Despite being a mercenary who'd normally answer only to coin, they end up becoming nothing less than a loyal retainer and friend.
In Marianne and Bernadetta's B-Support conversation, with C rank having no conversation, the two women appear to be trying together to overcome their difficulties holding a conversation. It starts off with both of them waiting for the other to speak but once Bernadetta starts their conversation it's revealed they actually talked for an absurdly long time by the end of it. It's a very sweet scene of two broken and shy people being able to open up to each other.
Their A support continues this path and actually has Bernadetta talking comfortably about her writing to Marianne. In stark contrast to how embarrassed she was when Sylvain discovered her writing in Three Houses, to the point where she very briefly thought of throwing Sylvain into a fire to silence him, Bernadetta tells Marianne about her like for writing with little hesitation aside from saying she can't tell anyone. It further highlights how comfortable Bernadetta feels around Marianne compared to most other people.
All of the supports about the stray cat(s), namely Edelgard and Linhardt, Jeritza and Shez, Mercedes and Felix, and to a lesser extent Mercedes and Caspar: Sometimes, even abrasive people are genuinely sweet underneath it all.
Byleth and Jeralt's supports, namely Byleth bringing Jeralt some flowers as a gift; it turns out that the flowers are the very same ones their mother loved when she was alive. Even though Byleth doesn't express it often and refers to Jeralt by name, it shows that they love their father dearly (which makes it all the more painful to play through a path in which Shez kills Jeralt).
General/Other
When certain characters are assigned as Adjutants, they get unique dialogue upon performing Partner Specials together. Some of these make it very clear how much the characters care for each other.
Sothis: Do try to have some fun! Byleth: I always do with you!
After Ingrid does a Warrior Special as a Falcon Knight, she'll pat her pegasus on the neck and say, "Thank you, my friend," showing how much she cares about her steed.
