All This Time

Verdant Wind

everyone say thank you to furiousfire23 for writing this part as well :) (...i did add some detail to the deer convo, sorry bout that)

Five years of inactivity hadn't changed her ability to battle, much to Claude's satisfaction. There were so many bandits, but they all fell to her sword and his bow. Slowly, the rest of the Golden Deer began to fill out the battle field, and the battle was over before she knew it. They began to rush over, their faces giddy from seeing her.

"Professor, where have you been!" Lysithea demanded. She had grown quite a bit; her white hair was grown out longer and she wore a regal, indigo outfit. She no longer had the appearance of a child. "We've been looking all over!"

"Claude was quite upset to hear you had disappeared," Hilda sniffled. Quite noticeably, her chest was exposed in her black outfit, and Byleth figured it was because she wanted to extract more favors from the boys. "We all were!"

"Hey, now. She's back, and that's what matters," Claude said reassuringly, wrapping an arm around her. Byleth forced herself to stop blushing. "Everyone is."

"You haven't even aged," Leonie noticed. Her orange hair was grown out and parted to the side, and she looked like a huntress of the wild. "Jeralt had that trait, too. He never looked any different whatsoever! You must get it from him."

"You wouldn't even believe what's gone on," Lorenz told Byleth. The noble of Gloucester had grown his hair out quite a bit, and he now wore a ornate outfit to match his status. "Edelgard's war is tearing Fódlan apart."

"The war..."

"It's really taking a toll on the amount of food being produced," Raphael said. Somehow, he had grown bigger, much to Byleth's amusement. "We've had to ration quite a bit."

"...Edelgard will stop at nothing," Ignatz shook his head in disapproval. His voice had deepened quite a bit, and he now looked like a true adult rather than a young child. "Even though many lives have been taken..."

"You're right," Claude interrupted a grin growing on his face. Somehow, Byleth had a feeling she knew exactly what he was trying to say. "That's exactly why we're going to fight back."

"W-What?" Marianne was startled. Her light blue hair was now neatly tucked into an updo, and she wore a navy blue dress. She looked much healthier and happier. "But...She's so strong!"

"With Teach here, nothing can stop us," Claude reminded them. Well, he's not wrong. "Right?"

"Right!" The other students chimed in. From there on, Byleth couldn't remember anything that happened as the night burst into celebration and excitement.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that Claude wouldn't let his guard down around her. He hadn't really tried to seek her out, he was mostly talking to Hilda who looked like she was trying to cheer him up.

Dragging herself away from the feast and many questions from her students, Byleth suddenly saw someone in front of her. It was Claude, who was spinning an arrow while lost in thought.

"Ah, my friend. Running away again?" He teased her, almost as if repeating the night five years ago. That night, when they'd snuck out and talked around their feelings...

"Actually, no. I'm here to talk to you," Byleth fidgeted, somewhat uneasy. It's been so long...does he trust me? Will he let his guard down around me again, or has too much time passed? Upon seeing Byleth's uneasiness, he dropped the pleasantries and a concerned look replaced it.

"Teach, are you alright?"

"Well..I just..I...I...I missed you," Byleth swallowed, her voice weak, and his emerald eyes softened. He twirled his silvery arrow one last time before placing it back into his quiver.