All This Time

Reunion: Byleth

A little alternate view :) this is the section @furiousfire23 wrote so a huge welcome to her because this whole thing would not have started if they didn't write this!

The monastery.

Byleth may have been sleeping for five years, but she remembered the promise that she had made her fellow Golden Deer. The promise that she'd meet them on the Millennium Festival, no matter what..

That villager had warned her about bandits, but Byleth was confident she could take them. After all, her Sword of the Creator was by her side. What more could she need?

Claude.

Her heart ached at the thought of him. Sothis help her, she prayed with all her being that he was okay. She didn't know what the state of Fódlan was, but if Claude wasn't there, then...

She reached the monastery, running up the stairs. Her mint green hair flew behind her as Byleth searched the monastery. Reaching the top of the stairs, she stopped and stared as she saw a figure looking out a window. A boy-no, a man- with dark skin and chocolatey brown hair stood, decked out in bright gold and wearing a white cravat. He turned, hearing the noise she made from rushing up the stairs. Maybe she was going crazy, but she swore she saw his emerald eyes light up brilliantly at the sight of her.

It was him.

"Huh? Oh...You overslept, Teach!" Claude said warmly, as if no time had passed. He's here, he's here, he's here...and he's not angry at me? His tone switched slightly, becoming more jabbing as he continued. "Pretty rude to keep a fella waiting like that, wouldn't you say?"

Ah. Well, can't say I blame him for being hostile.

Even so, Byleth just stood in shock, overwhelmed by the sight of an older (and handsomer) Claude. He chuckled at her frozen stature, apparently no longer angry.

"What's with the surprised look, my friend?" He asked her, a soft smile forming on his lips. Sothis, he aged well. "You didn't really think I'd...given up on you coming back, did you?"

I wouldn't have blamed you if you had given up...I was gone for so long.

He turned around again, glancing out the window. Byleth snapped out of her shock once he swiveled, and she followed his gaze.

"Can you feel it? A new dawn is finally here," Claude told her. She saw him sniffle slightly, even though he tried to hide it from her. "Not just for us, though. No, for all of Fódlan."

"...Claude," Byleth finally found her voice, swallowing as her throat suddenly felt incredibly dry all of a sudden. He hadn't changed from his teasing ways whatsoever. He turned to her, and her gaze glanced over his body. She swore she saw excitement on his expression just from her saying his name.

"Where have you been all this time?" He questioned, concern in his eyes. That familiar hint of fear was mixed in along as well, as if he thought she would disappear in front of him. She could see tears forming in his eyes, but he ignored them. "We searched all over."

"...You said it already," Byleth told him, her knees weak. He...He was acting distant again. His smile was genuine, but she could tell he was holding back on something. She couldn't blame him this time; she had just resurfaced after five years. He probably thought he was hallucinating. "I was sleeping."

"Haha...Funny joke. Except, that serious look on your face tells me it's the truth, and you're not one to lie," Claude sighed. He took her hand as if no time had ever passed, and Byleth's heart would have stopped if it had ever been beating in the first place. Why hasn't he actually embraced me yet? lMy friend, welcome back."

"Claude..."

"I missed you," Claude muttered, holding her closer to him. Her heart fluttered, even though it was technically still dormant in her chest. "You have no idea how much I missed you..."

Then quit acting like we're just friends!

She hugged him, clinging onto him as a smile crept onto her face. For now, she wouldn't worry about his caution. She was just glad he was here, and he wasn't mad at her, as far as she could tell. She pulled away slightly, but he still held her in his embrace as she scanned him. His hair was combed back, a far cry from the wild and tangled mess she'd been accustomed to. He had...a beard?

"You look different," Byleth said softly, reaching up to touch his beard. He looked handsome. "I like it..."

"What, was I not good enough for you back then?" He laughed, but Byleth quickly shook her head from side to side. She didn't want him to think anything negative, she knew that he had to be hurting after five years of her own absence.

"You were perfect back then...and you're still perfect now. Trust me."

CRASH!

Dammit, please don't interrupt this!

"Bandits, I assume," Claude sighed loudly. Byleth reluctantly looked down, annoyed that they couldn't celebrate her arrival in greater detail. "Let's go take care of that, shall we?"

Despite her annoyance, Byleth nodded. He took her hand, squeezing it tightly just a tad too bit, but she let him because she figured that he was just trying to make sure she couldn't leave.

Well, she may have been gone, but she was never leaving again.

She'd make sure of that.