It was way too bright outside.
The sun was shining brightly through Byleth's black curtains, and Byleth turned away from it before pulling the covers over her head. It was no use, though. The sun had already woken her up, and Byleth couldn't fall asleep now. She cursed under her breath, laying there in stubborn refusal for an hour before finally getting up.
She got dressed for the day in her usual black attire before checking her phone. Much to her delight, there was a text from Claude.
wanna go for a walk at gronder ?
Sure, why not? Meet you there in thirty?
perfect
Byleth hurried to her mirror, brushing her teal hair quickly. As she was brushing the knots out of her thick hair, Byleth suddenly noticed a white hair in her teal tresses. She took it between her two fingers, a surprised look in her eyes. Byleth had been mistaken. It wasn't a white hair.
It was green.
It was a minty green, one completely unlike her usual teal. What in the world? Byleth pulled it out of her head, examining it in fascination and confusion. The strand wasn't completely green, but only the end of it was teal. Was this some sort of side effect of her heart condition? Byleth placed the strand down onto her dresser. Perhaps Manuela would be able to find something off of it...
Oh, no. Byleth needed to go, or she'd be late! She pulled on her long black jacket, waving her father goodbye.
"Going to the park!" Byleth explained as she walked out of their house. "I'll see you at the bar tonight."
"Have fun, kid," Jeralt smiled, happy to see his kid with an actual agenda. Now she wasn't just sitting around blankly...Jeralt couldn't be happier.
Byleth started her car before driving toward Gronder Field. She played the video of him singing as her music, and she enjoyed the sound of his rhythmic voice.
After the song had looped twice, Byleth found a parking spot. She stepped out of her car, waving to Claude.
"Hey, Teach!" He greeted, but his eyes suddenly went wide as he scanned her. Byleth raised her brow; what was wrong?
"What?"
"How are you wearing that? Aren't you hot?" Claude questioned, gesturing to her all black get- up, coat, tights, and boots. "It's like...eighty degrees out and you're wearing that?"
"Uh...Yeah?" Byleth shrugged awkwardly. "I never thought it was bad...?"
"I mean, it's not bad...But aren't you hot?" Claude furrowed his brow in confusion. He was dressed in a golden shirt and some plain white shorts. Byleth just shrugged again.
"Uh...I don't know. I guess I'm used to this."
"...Alright, scrap the park today! We're going shopping!" Claude announced, a bright look on his face. "Come on!"
He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the city. Byleth's eyes widened, but she just rolled with it, letting him pull her. They crossed the street before Claude suddenly stopped.
"Uh...The mall would have something for you, right?" Claude scratched the back of his neck with his other hand awkwardly. "...Yeah, it would. Okay, never mind!"
The two continued down the streets until they were eventually outside of a large mall. The building was mostly charcoal black, with a golden eagle emblazoned at the top of the building. There were four glass doors that swung open at the front. The handles were in the shape of a cursive 'a', and Claude held the door open for her so she could go through.
The walls were the same shade as the outside, but there was a crimson decal on them this time. There were many stores around them, and Claude walked over to the map.
"Welcome to the Hresvelg Mall," Claude told her as he scanned the map. "Okay, women's clothing...hmm...does this place look good to you?"
Byleth peered over to where he was pointing at, and she just shrugged. She didn't know, she'd never been here.
"Sure."
"Alright! Off we go!"
The two headed towards the store. It was called 'Varley' and the words were decorated in purple font. Claude led her to into the store, which had walls as white as ivory. There were mannequins and dressing racks filled with clothes. Byleth immediately gravitated towards the blacks, and Claude just chuckled.
"You know, black attracts the sun. Look for a lighter color," Claude pointed towards a different section. "It'll help you stay cool!"
"Okay, so what do you think I should wear?"
"I have no idea," Claude laughed. "What's something that catches your eye?"
"Uh..."
"Hm...Okay, this is kinda similar to what you're wearing," Claude held up a white top that had sleeves off of the shoulder. Byleth just shrugged once more. "Is that an no?"
"I guess I'll try it?" Byleth took it from him and held it up, only to see that it looked way too small for her chest. "Uh...I don't think this will fit around...my...uh...me."
"Oh, whoops," Claude's face turned bright red as she gestured around her bosom, and he put the shirt back onto the rack. "Well, uh...oh! How about that?"
He put another size of the same shirt into her hands along with some other clothes before he looked around. He eventually pointed to the door.
"There. A dressing room! Go try them on."
Byleth just nodded, finding herself an empty one before beginning to change. She tried on all the clothes, somewhat satisfied with some of the items before she finally found something nice. She smiled, looking at herself in the mirror.
Hopefully Claude would like this one.
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...
