All This Time

Responsibility

After Petra had been escorted to her room, Claude and his Teach retreated back into their own housing. Claude sat on the bed while his Teach paced.

"So, what's wrong?" Claude yawned, covering his mouth with his right hand. He missed the days where he could sleep in... "I know you're not walking back and forth just for fun."

"Oh, well..." She sighed as she struggled to explain herself. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her minty green hair ruffled all over the place. "What?"

"Nothing," Claude shook his head with a smile. I love you so much, Teach. "Just waiting for your explanation."

"...Well, Claude, how come everyone dumps everything onto me?" His Teach questioned, a frustrated look on her face. Panic overtook Claude as he had tried his best to take their duties off of her, but she quickly shook her hands to clarify. "Not you, I thought that was obvious."

"Do you mean..." Claude's voice trailed off, and he walked over to shut the door. His Teach nodded, rolling her eyes as they alluded to the Archbishop.

"Rhea dumped all of her duties on me once she disappeared. Seteth would trust me over you because of Rhea. Hell, even those nobles trust me because of the archbishop!" Claude winced at the mention of the stuck up nobility, but his Teach was on a roll with her rant. "It's...It's just not fair. I don't want this. I didn't ask to be in a position of power, I'm not fit for this role..."

"You're doing fine," Claude reassured her quickly. He hadn't been aware she had insecurities about leading...she quickly shook her head, disproving his assumptions.

"That's not what it's about. You deserve the recognition," His Teach pointed out, walking over to him and grasping his hands. "Sure, I could do it. But you could do it better, and no one seems to realize that because Rhea 'appointed me'..."

"Yeah, well..." Claude couldn't exactly argue with her when it came to that sentiment. He himself had been frustrated that they would only listen to her because of his shady background. Despite all of his achievements, it was still his Teach's influence that unified the Leicester Alliance. The troops may listen to him, but the nobles wouldn't. "...That's the way this stupid church operates."

"I hate it," She subconsciously squeezed his hands tighter as she ranted. "Once we find Rhea, I'm going to punch her. I'm so done with her dumping responsibilities on me! Then, once I'm done pummeling her, I'm going to make her appoint you so that you'll finally get the recognition you deserve!"

"It's alright. There's nothing we can do to fix it, it's too late. The most important thing is that we get the answers from her."

"But it's just..." She struggled to find words through her frustrated state. "It's just not fair, my love. You deserve this, not me. You deserve to feel the praise, the respect, everything..."

"It's okay," Claude told her truthfully. He smiled at her, a gesture she couldn't bring herself to return. "I don't need that. It's probably for the best, anyway."

"What? Why?"

"Well, now I don't have to deal with Seteth's wrath," Claude joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Teach, there's nothing we can do. What's important is that the work is done."

"Under my name," His Teach muttered in annoyance. He soothingly ran his thumb over her palm.

"Once we find Rhea, all of this will be dealt with. Including this stupid prejudice."

"...But what if nothing does change?" She worried, bringing her hand up to her face. "...W...What if Edelgard was right-"

"No," Claude interjected her train of thought, a stern expression appearing on his face. She remained silent, conflict written all over her expression. Please, no. Please don't leave. "Teach, I need you, you can't leave to fight with the Empire-"

"What!? No!" She shook her head, alarmed at the mention of her departure. Claude felt relief flood through him, and he sighed. It would have been a nightmare come true if you had left... "It's just that...What if Edelgard was right? What if we're on the wrong side?"

"...She might have been right," Claude shrugged. He didn't know for sure, considering, well, how Edelgard refused to talk. "But either way, we can't let it show. Morale will drop. Besides, Teach, we're not on the wrong side, remember? We're not fighting for the church. We're fighting for me, for us. For the future we want to see."

"...Yeah...I guess you're right," His Teach muttered, and he could tell she was disappointed in herself for doubting. Claude wrapped his arm around her, comfortingly rubbing her back.

"It's alright, Teach. Just remember that everything is going to change," Claude reassured her, dreamily thinking of the future. His pleasant thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the thought of his mission once the war was over... No, not right now. "Everything is going to change once we find Rhea."

"What do you think she's hiding?" She pondered, glancing up towards him. Claude grimaced. There was obviously something wrong with Fódlan if Seteth felt the need to confiscate certain books from the library. Rhea was trying to cover something up, but what?

"Well, we know she did...something to you," Claude bristled at the thought of Rhea hurting his beloved Teach. When I find you, Rhea, I'm going to demand some well deserved answers... "It's probably why your heart won't beat. But why do you look like her now? Why did you have the Goddess in your mind..?"

"If only we knew.."

"...I promise you that we'll finally find out the truth," Claude held her closer to him. "Rhea will answer, just as Edelgard will. Both of them will pay for what they have done to you."

"That's not necessary," She bit her lip. Claude really sympathized with her; she had been closer to both Rhea and Edelgard than he had ever been. While Claude wished for the war to end and for their lives to be spared, he still wanted them to face some sort of punishment. His Teach was much more conflicted about punishing people she had once regarded as friends. "If we can, I just...well, I don't know. Both of them are too stubborn to say anything, I know that. This meeting is going to be a waste of time."

Claude offered her a small smile. They honestly both knew that...but Claude needed to at least try. He wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he didn't offer Edelgard a chance of redemption.

"We need to try."

"...I want her to say yes," She shut her eyes, fearing the meeting's occurrence. They didn't even know if Edelgard would accept their arrangement to create a rendezvous. "But..."

"...Let's just focus on recovering from the last battle, okay?" Claude attempted to direct her attention elsewhere. "We can worry about that another day. The first thing we're going to do...is go back to bed."

"Um, Claude...It's practically noon now."

He chuckled. He wasn't going to lie, sleeping wasn't exactly on his mind...

"So?"

question: want longer parts but slower updates? or is this speed ok?