"Faint lights pass through colored glass, in this beloved place..."
Byleth smiled as she listened to the beautiful harmony of the songstress's voice. It was Dorothea Arnault, a singer with a beautiful voice. She stood in the corner, belting out her tunes as the others listened to her.
"Who's that?" Claude slid up beside Byleth, a curious look on his face as he eyed the songstress.
"Dorothea. Great voice, right?"
"Yeah...I didn't know you had live music here," Claude said in intrigue, a distant look in his emerald eyes. "It's..Nice."
"It is, isn't it?" Byleth agreed, content as Dorothea hit a beautifully high pitch before the song ended. The bar erupted in applause, and Byleth watched as everyone began to leave. "Alright. Looks like that's everyone. I'm gonna head to the back room, alright?"
"No problem, Teach," Claude nodded, his eyes still lingering on the songstress. "Leonie and I have got this covered."
Byleth retreated to the back room, where her father was sorting out materials. She joined him without a word, and enjoyed their moments of peace together.
Crash!
Byleth hurried out from the back room, alarmed by the sound of a large thud. What had happened in her absence?
A glass was shattered on the floor, and Byleth looked to see Claude standing by the sink with an embarrassed look on his face. Leonie's eyes were wide as they glanced at Byleth.
"Sorry, Teach," Claude grimaced, his cheeks bright red. "I guess I'm not the best at washing dishes."
"It's alright," Byleth told him, relieved that no one had gotten hurt. She held out her hand, gesturing for him not to move. "I'll clean it up. Stay right there."
As Byleth went back to retrieve a dustpan and broom, she could hear Leonie and Claude chatting quietly, and Byleth chuckled as Claude worried about getting in trouble. It honestly wasn't a big deal, but she could understand why he was worried. Luckily for him, the Eisners weren't very strict. Mistakes happened, after all.
"Don't worry about it," Byleth said as she returned, addressing the nervous Claude. "It's just a glass. Everything's alright."
"I haven't even been here long, and I'm already breaking things," Claude sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I thought I'd give this a try so you didn't have to do it, Teach, but now I just made you work with more of a mess..."
"Claude, I appreciate the effort," Byleth shook her head as she began to sweep the broken glass pieces into her dustpan. "Thanks for thinking about me, actually...But you don't have to worry about washing the dishes, Claude. You're a great help, even if you just broke one glass."
"I mean, I'm actually surprised you wash dishes at all," Leonie chortled from where she was wiping down some tables. "Most rich guys wouldn't even touch a dish."
"Rich guy?" Byleth questioned, and Claude sighed. He ran his hand through his chocolatey brown hair once more before shrugging.
"Of a sort. The von Riegan name is meant to carry on the tradition of becoming the next CEO for the Riegan company," Claude revealed, a grimace on his face. "From my grandfather, to my mother, to me...Well, at least, I'm supposed to. I have no plans of following that, though. I don't want anything that has to do with all of that stuffy business."
"Wow. I never would have thought."
"I was actually more surprised that you nor Jeralt had heard of me, actually," Claude scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Although, that's how I knew this was the right place for me. A place where I wouldn't be judged off of that."
"I'm glad that you feel that way," Byleth nodded, sweeping more vigorously at the glass shards on the floor.
"Oh, and I get to see that lovely smile of yours," Claude winked, and Byleth rolled her eyes in amusement...but she couldn't help but let a smile sneak onto her face. Claude grinned, playfully placing his hand on hers. "Aha, see..there it is."
Byleth grinned, shaking her head before shaking his hand off so she could continue brushing the shards away.
"Do you think that Captain Jeralt would ever return to teaching again?" Leonie asked as she continued to spray down the tables. "I'd love to learn under him again."
"No, I don't think so-agh!" Byleth winced as her heart seemed to explode. She winced, but the pain quickly disappeared, so she shrugged it off. Upon seeing the alarmed looks on the other bartenders, Byleth quickly reassured them. "I'm fine."
"You sure, Teach?" Claude put a hand on her forehead, concerned. She nodded, forcing a smile.
"What happened out here?" Jeralt burst through the back room, a suspicious look on his face as glanced at the close proximity of Byleth and Claude. "Broke a glass, huh?"
"So sorry about it-" Claude was mid-apology when Jeralt shook his head nonchalantly.
"No worries. Just keep your hands to yourself, would you?" Jeralt chuckled in amusement, and Claude lowered his hand awkwardly. "Better. But Kid...You alright? You're looking kinda pale."
"Huh? Oh, I' m fine," Byleth shrugged. "My chest just kinda hurt for a bit, but I'm okay now."
He looked at her suspiciously.
"I'll schedule a doctor's appointment for tomorrow," Jeralt declared, and Byleth sighed in annoyance.
"I don't need to go-"
"Kid, I'm not taking any chances here," Jeralt said firmly. He always wanted to make sure his daughter was alright, especially when she had always been so abnormal. "You're going."
"Alright, fine. I'll go," Byleth relented, sighing. She finished sweeping up the glass shards, flashing Claude a thumbs up. "There we go. You can go home now, by the way. I've got the last dishes."
"Can't get rid of me that easily. I'll help you."
"Suit yourself."
As they continued to clean, one thought plagued Claude's mind;
Why had both of them been so quick to suggest a doctor's visit after one minor chest pain?
YOU ARE READING
Race Against Time
Fanfiction"BYLETH, YOU'RE DYING." Those were the words Byleth Eisner had heard her entire life...but it had never rang true. She had always known that the doctors were wrong, that she was going to keep living, but the fear of death was constant. Born with a h...
