Byleth weaved them through the crowds on the street before they made it to the near ice cream shop. She pushed open the door for the two of them.
"Ice cream? Ah, delicious," Claude praised, an excited look in his emerald eyes. "Good choice, Teach."
"Ah, welcome! I never thought I'd see you two around here!" The cashier with orange little pigtails waved at them both, and Byleth politely waved back before turning to Claude.
"I have no idea who that is," Byleth whispered, and Claude laughed. He placed his hands behind his neck nonchalantly.
"I remember you. You were around when I first started working," Claude responded, a bright smile on his face. Slowly, Byleth began to recall those events... She'd been with another girl who wanted to remain clean. What had been their names...? Anna? Tracie? Annie, that's what it was.
"That was your first day!?" Annie gaped, a surprised look on her face. "I never would have guessed...Well, anyway, welcome! What would you guys like?"
"I'll take a single scoop of vanilla," Byleth ordered. "In a cup, please."
"And I'll have...uh..." Claude furrowed his brow as he scanned the menu, his eyes frantically running over the options. "The Leicester Cortania sounds great. In a cone. Thanks."
"Coming right up! That'll be nine dollars and twenty cents."
Byleth took out her wallet to pay, but Claude had already whipped out his card and handed it to the cashier. Byleth frowned.
"Hey, you didn't have to-"
"But I wanted to," Claude interrupted before winking at her. Byleth just shook her head in amusement, pocketing her card. The cashier laughed, handing the credit card back to Claude.
"Take a seat, we'll bring it to you!"
Byleth and Claude took their seats at a nearby table for two. Claude leaned back in the chair, a wide smile on his face.
"So, Teach...You have excellence taste," Claude praised as he sat back nonchalantly. "I told you that you'd figure out where we could go."
"I just thought of places Sothis and I have been before," Byleth confessed, a slight tint of red in her cheeks upon hearing the praise. "But I'm glad it worked."
"To be honest, I think I would have enjoyed whatever you brought me to...even if it was just the bar," Claude confessed casually, a slight smirk on his face for some reason. "We have our own fun."
"That's true."
"One order of vanilla and another for Leicester Cortania, right here!"
The bright orange haired girl-Annie-put Byleth's cup on the table, placing the ice cream cone in Claude's hand. Claude thanked her before she left, and the two began to enjoy their treat.
"Mm. Yup. This takes me back...I used to go eat ice cream with an old friend when I wanted to escape my father," Claude said, a distant but happy look in his eyes. "Oh...Sorry. Didn't mean to space out. This is better than those days-"
"Claude, you don't have to apologize for anything," Byleth chuckled softly. "But...I'm glad you like it."
"True...But I still meant it, Teach," Claude winked at her. Byleth felt her chest flutter with butterflies of excitement. "You're giving me the best of days, too. Don't forget it."
"I won't, Claude."
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...
