Claude awoke to the sound of someone singing softly.
He felt groggy. Even though he was awake now, he really didn't want to be. His eyelids were still so heavy...Plus, he was so comfortable. There were soft sheets against his skin, and the comforter was fuzzy. It was way too warm for him, but he found that he was too lazy to move away. Plus, as a bonus, wherever he was smelled good. There was a slight vanilla fragrance to the comforter, and Claude really liked it.
Yeah, he really didn't want to get up.
The singing continued from a corner, and as the song went on, Claude began to realize that...the voice was his.
Wait. How was that possible?
Who cares? Just stay here. It's nice and comfortable...His subconscious whispered, but Claude was far too curious to listen now. He slowly opened his eyes, shielding them from the light from the window...
This...was not his room. It was a room with neutral colors, a mirror, and a desk in the corner. A desk where Byleth was sitting, focused on her phone...
Uh...Had he fallen asleep in Byleth's room?
"T...Teach?" Claude rubbed at his eyes in confusion to see if the sight would disappear. It didn't. Wait, he really wasn't dreaming? What had happened?
Byleth turned toward him, her lips parted in surprise. She was already dressed for the day. She shut her phone off, and the music stopped. Oh. That explains the noise. She walked over toward him, sitting on the bed next to him.
"Good morning, Claude," Byleth greeted. She didn't look nearly as tired as he felt. Claude was so confused by what was happening...
"Good...morning? Uh...How did I get here?"
"Oh, You passed out yesterday while looking for answers. I carried you over here," Byleth said casually, as if nothing was odd about that. All Claude did was stare back at her, slightly more confused than before.
"I passed out? I don't remember that," Claude scratched at his head, trying to dig back in his head for memories. Nope. He didn't remember whatsoever. He did remember Byleth telling him the truth...Suddenly, something she had said finally sunk in. "Wait, you carried me over here?"
"Yeah," Byleth responded nonchalantly, as upon seeing his bewildered expression, Byleth elaborated further. "I used to train at my dad's old job. He was a master for swords. Alois and him made me train every day, so...I guess I've got a bit of strength left here. Glad it came in handy eventually."
"A bit of strength? Geez, Teach. You really know how to understate it," Claude muttered. He wasn't heavy or anything, but he was certainly bigger than her. "I didn't know that about you, though. I'm impressed."
"Yeah, well, it's nothing much," She tried to play it off as if his compliment didn't mean much, but her cheeks reddened slightly. Claude smirked. She was so cute when she was flustered..."Are you hungry? We have breakfast."
"Breakfast? Yeah, that sounds good-wait," Claude suddenly frowned. No, he didn't remember falling asleep, but he remembered that he had been reading up on heart disease to try and save her! Panic immediately sunk in. "No time for breakfast!" He jumped out of bed, hurrying over to the desk and fumbling through his notes. "I've got to find the solution-"
"Claude, calm down," Byleth sighed before standing to walk over to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to relax. "You just woke up. Eat something."
"There's no time to waste! It's already-" Claude turned Byleth's phone on, letting out a slight gasp as he saw the time. "Two in the afternoon!? Teach!! We can't afford to waste time with sleep, you're-"
"Dying, yeah, I know," Byleth interrupted with a roll of her eyes. Claude didn't understand how she could be so nonchalant. "And you will work yourself into an early grave if you continue at this rate. Then we'll both die together, considering I don't have any faith you'll find anything when your brain isn't functioning."
"Teach..." Claude frowned at her deadbeat tone. She sounded so pessimistic. He couldn't even afford the possibility of her dying, and she said it so offhandedly. "I'm trying to help you."
"I know," She said softly. "And I'm grateful. But if you keep going on like this, I'm going to smack you. I wasn't kidding when I said my heart didn't like us staying up yesterday. It really hurt. I mean really hurt," Claude knew she was trying to guilt trip him now. He wondered if what she was saying was even true, but the thought of hurting her filled him with guilt. "If you're going to stay up all night, then I'll have to stay up with you, and that's going to cause me pain. I don't think my heart likes the lack of sleep."
"You could just go to bed," Claude said lamely, and Byleth raised a brow at him. Claude sighed. "How am I going to sleep when I know I could be doing something?"
"You are doing something by sleeping," Byleth replied, moving her hand to his cheek. Her hand was ice cold... "You're keeping my heart from exploding with worry about you. Also...actual pain, remember?"
"...Alright, fine," Claude relented, knowing he couldn't do anything to endanger his beloved friend. It was going to be near impossible to sleep at night, but he could at least try and promise that he'd go to bed. She did have a point, anyway, but Claude's mind was just too busy running...Byleth removed her hand from his cheek, and Claude instantly frowned. He missed the feeling of her skin against his. The cold was such a nice contrast to his usual warm self, it really felt quite nice... "But I promise you, I'm going to find the answers. I will find the cure."
Byleth finally a smiled. Her smile was such a wondrous sight to see, it really lit up Claude's day. For a girl who never knew happiness before she met him, she sure did have a nice smile. Claude didn't really know what there was to it, maybe the way her eyes sparkled with excitement or how her dimples creased, but Claude couldn't help smiling whenever she did. Out of impulse, he reached for her hand.
The coldness of her skin against his was instantly relaxing to him. She didn't resist, just enjoying his presence as well. Claude's smile grew wider. He would do anything to save this girl...and he was going to succeed. He'd have to come up with an appropriate schedule to research and keep her happy, all while staying healthy. It was a lot of work, but it would be worth it.
He wanted to see that smile forever.
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...
