Race Against Time

The Truth

"You're...really dying..?"

Byleth cursed herself upon hearing his shocked and dismayed reaction. She hadn't meant to say that! It had really just come out of her mouth before she could stop it. Her mind hadn't even been able to process her words...they had just escaped her.

Byleth hated herself.

Why couldn't she stop herself better...?

"Forget it! I didn't mean it," Byleth tried to play it off. She stood, pacing back and forth without even realizing it. "It was a joke! Just a joke."

"Teach...you don't have to lie," Claude gripped at his brunette locks, a stunned and dismayed look on his face. "I was hoping you were exaggerating about your final moments, but..."

"Fine! You want the truth?" Byleth knew the cat was out of the bag now. There was no turning back; Claude knew. She might as well commit now. "I'm going to die! The doctors told me I have about a year!"

It hurt to say it out loud. It hurt to see his shocked and dejected reaction. It hurt to see his lips part and then close once more as he couldn't make words leave his mouth.

It hurt to know that this was the last she'd see of him before he left her life forever.

"What...What do you have?" Claude managed to choke out, his voice heavy with sadness and dejection. Her heart hurt as they spoke.

"No one knows," Byleth kept her eyes on the ground. To say the harsh truth out loud really made her condition so much more daunting, and she hated it. There was no running from the truth now. "There's something wrong with my heart. There's no known cure for my illness! There's no guarantee with anything! Here's the honest truth; no one knows if I'm going to make it out alive!"

Byleth panted slightly after making her little speech. It was the truth that had finally
been spoken. No one knows if I'm going to make it out alive...Byleth's heart beat with pain at that sentence. She didn't want to die...

Claude still hadn't said or done anything, but she knew what was coming next. This was the part where he walked out the door, where he apologized for his actions, but he would explain that he had to do it. She was prepared for it, as much as it hurt. Her reason to smile would be gone, but she wasn't even mad at him for it. Who would blame him, anyway? It was fun while it lasted...Byleth squeezed her eyes shut, ready to hear his brutal departure.

Instead, she felt herself being pulled forward by the hand. As she opened her eyes, Claude pulled her into a tight hug. Byleth's mouth just hung open from shock. Did he forget where the door was, or did he mistake her for the door? He still wasn't gone, even after Byleth blinked. What?

"No," Claude responded, a determined tone in his smooth voice. Byleth just blinked again, confused and stunned. "You're wrong. I know you're going to make it out of this. We're going to find a cure, dammit! I'm not letting you die like this."

"Y-You're still here?" Byleth just asked, completely ignoring his statement. She couldn't process what he had said because of how much shock she was in. Claude...really hadn't left. Her father had been right...? "Y-You're not going to leave?"

"No, no...I'm never going to leave you," Claude held her tighter in his warm embrace, and Byleth thought her legs might give out underneath her. They felt like goo in his embrace... "Teach...I told you. I've never trusted anyone as much as I've trusted you..."

"All the more reason for you to leave before you get hurt..." Byleth mumbled, mostly out of shock. As selfish and glad as she was to hear him say it, she still...needed to make sure he was completely understanding her. "I don't think you understand. There's no cure. The chance of me dying are..." Byleth's chest felt tight as she said the brutal truth. "Extremely high."