"Hey, Teach...What house were you in?"
"What house?" Byleth asked, confused. Claude had asked the question out of nowhere while the two were snuggled together one early morning.
"Yeah. You know, at the Officer's Academy," Claude said. "What house were you in?"
"Oh. Well, actually, I wasn't in a house," Byleth said, much to Claude's surprise. Byleth just shrugged. "I wasn't interested in all that."
"But-But-You had the option to become a Deer, and you passed on it?" Claude spluttered, sitting up to look at her sternly. Byleth fought off a laugh. He definitely had quite a bit of class pride. Maybe too much, but Byleth found it endearing to see him so pumped up.
"At least I didn't choose to become a Black Eagle," Byleth countered. "Everyone does that. Just because Edelgard is a girl doesn't mean you have to pick her, but everyone does anyway..."
"That's why everyone chose Black Eagles?" Claude laughed before suddenly realizing something. "Wait, you were at the Officer's Academy when I was?"
"Oh, I guess so."
The two stayed silent for a moment. They could have had each other much earlier if they had just noticed during their earlier years...
"You know what, I think I remember you!" Claude said suddenly. Byleth craned her head to look at him in puzzlement.
"You do?"
"Yeah. It was a star-shower. Basically everyone came," Claude said, and Byleth racked her memory. Claude was hard to forget, she was sure she remembered... "Even you. I think."
"Yes, I did."
"You were sitting on the hill by yourself with a journal...and you dropped your pen. It rolled down the hill..."
"And you grabbed it for me," Byleth finished with a sudden realization. Yes, she did remember it! Thinking on it now, she remembered she hadn't raised her eyes from her journal. she had just taken the pen and mumbled thanks. Surely if she had looked at him, Byleth would have been attracted to him right then and there... "Neither of us knew...I hadn't even looked at you..."
"I kinda did," Claude said. "But I was too focused on watching the sky. Do you think...if we had looked at each other, we would have met back at the Officer's Academy?"
"Probably."
They were silent for a moment. They were both thinking the same thing...Could they have known each other before the bar, and gotten together? Could they have been happier earlier?
"I can't believe I missed out on those years I coulda had with you," Claude said with a sigh. "Maybe I could have met you before...well...your illness kicked in."
"That would have been nice. I wish we had more time..."
He sat up, a stern look on his face.
"Teach, we have all the time in the world. Don't talk like that."
"Like what?" Byleth hadn't even realized what she'd said and implied. Claude continued to grow upset, and as Byleth reviewed the situation, she realized we hah she had said...
I wish we had more time...
Why was she so negative all the time? Why had she just subconsciously assumed that it was all over soon? Knowing that she was passively thinking harshly about her time constraint somehow made her outlook worse, not to mention how it had affected Claude...
"Sorry, I didn't even realize I said it," Byleth said ashamedly. "I just...I don't know..."
"You don't have to explain yourself, but Teach...I just want to reassure you again that we will find a cure. Don't give up."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Byleth hoped they could just go back to snuggling, but Claude got up and started changing for the day. With a sigh, Byleth followed suit when his phone rang loudly.
"Hello?" Claude answered, but a scowl suddenly came to his face. Byleth could immediately tell just who it is... "Mr. von Riegan, I don't know why you're calling me, I don't believe you."
Byleth could hear the angered tone of Claude's supposed father, even though the phone wasn't on speaker. Byleth winced, walking over to hug Claude.
"Dammit, Claude...I thought I raised you better..." Byleth could just barely make out the words passed through the phone toward her lover. "You're going to let us...fall to Adrestia like this!?"
"I..." As Claude was reminded of Byleth's presence, he remembered his drive. "It's not my problem. I am not the heir anymore."
"You are my SON!"
"No, I'm not! Goodbye, Mr. von Riegan!"
Claude hung up, his whole body shaking and trembling with anger. Byleth gently took the phone out of his hand. setting it down before hugging him once more.
"I'm proud of you," Byleth said softly. Claude didn't look too sure, and Byleth couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't what he wanted. Had he said it only because she was there and watching? Well, Byleth couldn't complain, and she certainly wouldn't interject. If this was his decision, she wouldn't make him consider something she didn't want anyway. "You're making the right choice."
"Yeah..."
Byleth smiled, but an uneasy feeling grew in her chest. Was this really her call? No. But did she want him to stay with her, in his life as a musician, without his company, without his power?
Yes.
It was for her-no, their own good. That was what Byleth had to remind herself.
it was, wasn't it?
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...
