Byleth couldn't speak for all possible lifetimes, but of the ones she had seen thus far, there were certain things that she simply could not change. Each story began with Sothis. The war would come, no matter what. Her father would be killed, inevitably. How many times had she lived this life? By the time she'd accepted all of these unmoving truths, she had stopped counting. One thing did change, though. One very important thing. Every time the cycle began anew, her choices varied, and Byleth became a new version of herself. Her soul changed. Her love changed.

This small consolation- the people she would spend each of her lives with- varied, all charming in exciting and unique ways -was one of the only things that helped her cope. There were other positive factors, of course. While she could not keep Jeralt alive, she knew by now that, as long as she could conjure the tears to her eyes when he needed to see them, he would pass with a smile on his face. Then, she would wait, and some day, Byleth would be with her father again in her next life. In a myriad of similar ways, her endless cycle of rebirth was full of blessings and curses.

Today, these thoughts weighed uncharacteristically heavily on the professor's mind, making an especially lovely day at the monastery feel overcast. It was warm out, and a gentle breeze lightened the air around her, but her pleasant surroundings did not alleviate the burden of her thoughts. She wasn't particularly in the mood to socialize, but didn't want to be alone either. After all, her ever evolving bonds with her comrades were the main saving grace of endlessly reincarnating. Perhaps this was why, before she knew it, Byleth found her feet taking her towards Linhardt's room.

Linhardt was endlessly curious, which meant he was also unusually open minded. In all likelihood, this was why she had been spending so much time with him in this life. Being around him was calming, and perhaps exactly what she needed at a time like this. Maybe, just maybe, Byleth could finally tell someone about her unique circumstances, free of the fear of their reaction.

Byleth knocked when she arrived at his room, but knew from experience that he was unlikely to answer. The next step was to let herself in, and find something in one of his towering book piles to flip through until he woke up. Fully prepared to do just that, she slipped into his room, kicked off her boots inside, and closed the door behind her. Her strange mood must be to blame for her breach of routine. Instead of settling in with a book, she came to sit next to Linhardt at the edge of his bed. Given the warmer early summer temperatures, he was lightly dressed in only his white, high-collared shirt and usual pants, and had forgone bedsheets.

On looking closer, the neckline of his shirt was unbuttoned, carelessly relaxed around his neck and collarbones. Loose bangs had strayed across his forehead and long eyelashes fluttered with his sleeping eye movements. Byleth smiled- a private, quiet smile. Linhardt was beautiful.

As she watched, allowing his even breathing to soothe her, she eventually noticed him begin to stir. She felt a twinge of guilt for waking him, but knew that if he wasn't done sleeping, he would simply roll over and resume his nap.

Blindly and unconsciously, his hands fumbled across the bed. Byleth held in a snort of laughter. What was he dreaming of that had him grasping around like that? It became harder to hold in her amusement when his hands found her arm and grabbed onto it with force like Lindhardt hardly applied to anything. But then, he pulled, and Byleth went down onto the bed beside him. Laying half atop the sleeping man, she opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted.

"Warm…" he muttered, by all appearances still fully asleep, and his arms now squeezed around her waist. Byleth's face burned crimson, and she finally put her thoughts together enough to protest aloud,

"Linhardt! Wake up- and, and let go of- ugh!"

"Hn…" at long last, his eyes began to open, and groggily met hers, "Professor? What are you doing here? I am awake now, right?"

Byleth sputtered, trying to find somewhere to put her hands that wasn't directly on his body at this close range.

"Well, I had come to, to talk to you at first! But- as you can see, now I'm here, and-"

"Oh!" Linhardt spoke with confidence, "so you wanted to sleep with me, is that it?"

"Sleep… sleep with…?" Byleth's eyes widened. What a brazen overture! It wasn't that she had never considered it with him- Linhardt was plenty attractive, and they had gotten quite close during this lifetime. But to be so forward about it…

"Well then, if you're comfortable, goodnight." With his arms still around her, he turned toward Byleth on his side, nestled against his pillow, and closed his eyes. Left baffled and speechless, she stared at his lovely features and tried to process what had just happened. What she had come to speak to him about had all but left her mind, and not even his slow, steady breathing could tame her racing mind. He hadn't released her from his arms, but she did her best not to lean too far into him, not to let their bodies touch too intimately. At this close range, she noticed for the first time that he carried the scent of the monastery's library with him. Then, Byleth just barely caught the corner of his mouth curling up before his eyes opened once more.

"I'm just joking with you, professor, don't look so disappointed. Even I'm not that obtuse," and with that, he closed the scarce inches between them and brushed his lips to hers. Just like she'd dared to imagine a few times before, his lips were soft and smooth, his movements subtle and curious. He lingered for a few silent but thrilling seconds, exploring her lips gently with his own. When he pulled away, Byleth saw his self-satisfied grin and prodded him in the gut with pointed finger,

"You are astonishingly confident- some might even say arrogant."

"Come now, you know me better than that. When have I ever cared about what 'some might even say'? Besides," he went on, reaching up a hand to trace his finger across her bottom lip, "we both know that you're much stronger than I. If you'd wanted, you could have pulled out of my arms. You didn't, so I figured you were enjoying yourself."

"Reasonable, if not flawless logic." she grumbled, though her hands betrayed her feelings, coming to rest on Linhardt's chest. Through the light fabric of his shirt, she could feel him, smooth and warm to her touch, his heartbeat steady even now. That wasn't fair even in the slightest. Byleth moved to the offensive, and kissed him, hard.

The professor smiled into him at her victory; she felt his chest rise with a silent gasp of breath as she parted his lips with her tongue. His hold around her tightened, his heart thudding beneath Byleth's touch. Even still, his analytical mind quickly caught up to the movements of her tongue, and he returned them expertly. She wondered distantly whether he had any idea how desirable he was; how, despite his eccentricities, half of the monastery had confessed to finding him beautiful, and how effortlessly his kiss warmed her through and made her crave more.

The two slowly parted, just enough for Linhardt's cat-like eyes to search her face for the answer to some unspoken riddle.

"How strange…" he murmured, and brought a hand to brush her hair behind her ear, fondly caressing her cheek along the way. Byleth knew by now to simply let him process, then speak. Prying into his brilliant mind preemptively rarely yielded the expected or desired results. Instead, she leaned into his touch, allowing herself this time to enjoy his delicate fingertips grazing her neck, jawline and ear in turn. Finally, he said,

"I suppose arousal could be considered a type of motivation."

"Pardon?" she replied with a short laugh.

"Well, I feel quite awake, and quite… let's say 'motivated'," he clarified, "I imagine that's because I desire you- rather strongly, at that." Despite how her face flushed red, Byleth tried to affect confidence,

"I wasn't quite sure you even had desires like that."

"Of course I do," Linhardt's fingertips moved back toward her lips, playing lightly across them as he spoke, "Pursuing desires is generally just too much trouble to bother with. But you've never felt like trouble at all. Perhaps that's why I desire you so deeply…"

As if on cue, this was the moment when Byleth noticed a certain pressure against her thigh, which she hadn't quite noticed had been resting between his legs. With a rush of excitement, she realized that he was growing and stiffening against her, and she bit her lip eagerly. She placed another kiss on his soft lips- this one quick, but heated, then said,

"I'm eager to see what you can do when feeling so uniquely energetic."

His expression was oddly serious, his eyes half-lidded as he glanced at her lips that had only just left his. After a short pause, he said softly,

"Turn around for me and I'll show you."

Linhardt guided her as she obediently turned from him, laying on her side with his chest pressed along her back. Gentle fingers brushed her hair from her neck, and she gave a short squeak of pleasure, feeling his lips just below her jawline from behind. Then, his hand at her hips urged her to shift back towards him. Just as he'd said, Byleth was considerably stronger than he, but somehow, with light and delicate touches, he directed her body with ease. Her backside nestled comfortably against his partially erect member, and she stifled a moan at the feeling of him gradually hardening for her.

Painstakingly, his hands began to explore the beautiful body of the woman in his arms. His nose and lips nuzzled into the side of her neck, his breath teasing her skin as he enjoyed her warmth and her scent. Careful hands traveled the swell of her hip, the dip into her waist, and her rather impressive breasts. Linhardt took his time with these in particular, kneading and massaging them, working his way inward toward her nipples that, even through her shirt, stiffened to his touch. She gasped in reply as his fingertips circled and toyed with the hardened nubs, and she bit her lip to stifle her voice.

"You can moan for me, Byleth," he said as he placed another kiss on her neck, this one punctuated by a playful bite..

"It's… nng…" she attempted a response, but his fingers at her achingly vulnerable nipples forced her to concentrate on keeping her voice down. To add to this, it wouldn't be the first time Linhardt referred to her by name, but in this context, it sounded new and transgressive, flooding her lower body with heat. She made a second attempt, murmuring,

"It's embarrassing…"
"Suit yourself," Linhardt replied conversationally. The arm wrapped under her body kept one hand at her breasts, allowing it to absent-mindedly caress and toy with them at his leisure. Meanwhile, the other hand slid down the curving contour of Byleth's body. His pleasant sigh tickled her face and neck, and she shivered subtly against him. His hand reached the hem of her shorts and tights, and he snuck the very tips of his fingers beneath the fabric.

"May I?" he whispered into the back of her neck.

"Mm… Mhmm…" Byleth nodded, and subconsciously pressed her ass more firmly against his length. She felt his breath, hot and perhaps just a little impatient despite himself, as his hand slipped into her clothing and between her legs. The agonizingly slow and meticulous way he moved had her trembling with need before he even touched her directly. When he finally did, it was like a shock up through her core. A single finger parted her lower lips and slid downward until it ran along her wet and swollen clit, rubbing it from front to back firmly and slowly.

"Haa-!" Byleth cried out, and her body arched against him. She felt the brush of a silent laugh along her neck, then a gentle kiss where his breath had warmed her.

"See? That's exactly why you shouldn't be so shy about your voice," he spoke even as his fingers continued to play with her stiff, sensitive bud, stroking and circling it as she became ever wetter and his cock throbbed conspicuously against her body, "Can't you feel how much it turns me on?"

This smart-ass. Still, she couldn't deny that she adored the feeling of his arousal pressed against her, sometimes rubbing into her or throbbing with his appreciation for her body. All the while, his hands researched her thoroughly. Soon, he'd discovered that gently squeezing and tugging at her nipples was most effective when he gave her time without the sensation so that she never became too accustomed to it. On the other hand, the more consistently he stroked and played with her clit, the more he felt her fluids coat his hand and her moans became harder and harder to restrain.

"Mmmm… Lin… Linhardt…" she whimpered into his pillow, biting her lip in her efforts to stave off her climax, to last just a few pleasurable moments longer. His own groan vibrated along her sensitive skin, brushing stray strands of hair from her shoulder.

"I bet I could make you cum right now," he whispered, "But if I do, you have to promise you'll cry out my name. Sound fair?"

Byleth couldn't muster a response amidst her soft gasps and whines of pleasure. Linhardt took this as a favorable sign. Moving with purpose, he positioned his ring and forefinger tightly around her swollen clit, applying just enough pressure to build an anxious bundle of pleasure in her gut. Then, his middle finger found its mark, rubbing tight, firm circles across the nub. With a sharp gasp, her body shuddered and tensed, and he knew she was close.

"Promise…?" he murmured into her ear. Finally, her willpower began to fracture.

"Ye… Yes! Please, Linhardt-!"

Her hand reached back and found the side of his face, and her fingers tangled into smooth locks of dark green hair. Holding him close as his fingers increased their pace, Byleth finally allowed herself to moan for him, her voice higher as her orgasm rapidly built. Apparently pleased with this development, he began to thrust his hips against her, pushing his cock rhythmically against her plump backside. This motion pressed her body back against his hand, and soon enough, his fingers' expert movements on her aching, throbbing clit caused her to come undone all at once. Tilting her head back toward him, Byleth gasped out his name- once, then louder again, as her legs shook and her orgasm rushed through her body. The moment he sensed her climax, Linhardt's hand shifted, and he pushed two digits just barely inside of her entrance. He let out a low groan, feeling her hole twitch and tighten, then release around his fingertips. By now, he was so hard it was distracting and more than a little uncomfortable. It was bizarre, wanting something so badly and immediately, and he found himself eager for what was to come.

"I bet that will feel wonderful…" he mused, then nipped once at the outer shell of Byleth's ear. With a submissive little whine, she shivered, still recovering from her climax.

"What… what will...?"

"The way you tighten up when you cum, of course."

Before she could reply, his hand was back at the hem of her shorts, lazily tugging down on them. She generously took over the task of sliding these down along with her tights and underwear, but she only got them to mid-thigh when she felt Linhardt shift behind her. It seemed he was working on his own clothing, but this didn't prepare her for the sudden feeling of his member, hot and stiff, pressing between her thighs. With his usual gentle touch, he urged her hands away from the clothing that restricted her legs and pushed her soft, thick thighs together. Byleth gradually began to understand what he wanted, and the lewd idea made her lower body ache. With the remainder of her cum on his fingers and a little saliva, he slickened the shaft of his cock and slowly pushed it between her thighs, sandwiching it tightly between her curves.

Linhardt moaned contentedly, a sound not unlike some she'd heard him make in his sleep before. No, perhaps it was a little different- this moan was to her, for her. With slow but firm thrusts, he enjoyed the feeling of her flesh around him, squeezing his full length over and over. All the while, Byleth felt an urgency building in her- the need for him stronger than ever. Each time his long, hardened rod pushed between her thighs, she felt the pressure of him dragging along her lower lips. Each time, her mind pleaded with him to enter her, to fill her up and satisfy her. Soon enough, she felt his teasing words in her ear,

"Mmm… I could probably cum like this, you know," he said as he held her tight around her waist, "but something tells me that's not enough for you, is it?"

With his next thrust, the head of his cock finally pushed between her folds, but wouldn't quite enter her. Byleth whimpered, arching against him,

"Lin.. pleeease…!"

She could hear the smirk he wore when he replied,

"Of course, of course, I don't mean to be cruel to you," he nipped at the nape of her neck, "why don't you go ahead and finish taking these off?"

He casually tugged at the band of her shorts, and Byleth happily granted his request. Her hands trembled subtly, making her task a little awkward, but soon enough she dropped her lower layers to the floor beside the bed. The moment she had, Linhardt wordlessly ran his free hand down the side of her thigh. As always, her body was a fascinating new subject for him, but for the moment, he had a goal in mind. His hands soft and gentle as ever, he directed her leg up and back, slung over his hip so he could enter her from behind. Thanks to his height, he was able to position the head of his cock at her entrance from below without ever moving his lips from the soothing haven of her neck, her shoulders, the pale green locks that bore her intoxicating scent. Nestling his face into her hair carelessly spilled across his pillow, Linhardt brought both hands to her hips and slowly began to push his tip into her.

His low, sensuous groan of pleasure harmonized with Byleth's breathless whimper as his length burrowed into her. She was tight, her insides squeezing around him and resisting him with every inch deeper that he reached. The moment he was inside her, Linhardt began slowly rocking his hips back and forth, massaging his length further in into her, gradually molding her body around his shape. Soon, both he and his former teacher were panting, breath hot and needy. His kisses along the back of her neck and down to her shoulder had become more insistent, even marking her fair skin in a few scattered spots. This desperate ache, the way this pleasure compelled him to seek out more, was entirely strange to him. He was no blushing virgin, though previous paramours had been little more than passing curiosities. But Byleth, as she let her body lean into him, welcomed each thrust of his manhood yet still stifled her voice- she was different. She was entrancing. Perhaps it was not so unlike when he found himself seized by a fascinating book. If that were the case, then he knew he would not be satisfied until he had explored every inch of her, heard every pleading sound her lips could utter, and memorized every tender sweet spot on her body.

Byleth's face flushed with arousal and her body burned with the tension already building once more in her core. As it turned out, Linhardt pursued love-making the same way he pursued his studies; he was thorough, attending to every sensitive nerve of hers that he could find, all while testing the depth and pacing of his thrusts until their bodies fell into a steady and intensely pleasurable rhythm. Each time his cockhead rubbed along her inner walls, plowing into her deepest point, she edged closer to release. Soon, she could no longer deny the cries and moans he forced out of her, and letting out her voice in full only spurred Linhardt on.

"Mmm… yeess, professor…" he groaned lustily against her neck as he slid a delicate hand down along her abdomen once more, "come on… let me feel it…"

Calling her by name had felt intimate, but as he bucked his hips against her and filled her over and over, "professor" somehow sounded even more lewd.

Goddess, Lin, please don't give me that particular fetish-

Byleth hardly registered the thought before a sharp jolt of pleasure caused her to gasp aloud, squirming in his arms. Skillful fingers had effortlessly found her clitoris once more, and unabashedly began to toy with it. His touch was firmer now, stroking and circling her soaked clit even as his cock still pushed into her. She bit down on her lip, but ultimately her panting gasps of breath forced their way out. With a single finger, Linhardt flicked along the stiff little bud, and the moment he felt her shudder against him, he doubled down. She was so close. His heart fluttered eagerly with the thrill of knowing he would feel her climax soon. He just had to push her a little further.

"Professor, please…" he moaned into her ear, then grazed his teeth along the outer shell. Something in her voice changed pitch. Her movements became tense.

It was too much- Linhardt was too much. The skin of her neck tingled at his breath. His hand at her breasts, the other expertly stroking between her legs both sent waves of pleasure through her in every direction. Her pussy clenched around him, clinging to his cock, but he never eased his thrusts. Byleth sighed out his name in a voice she hardly recognized, and at long last, felt herself coming undone. She shivered, arching into him as she tightened and released repeatedly around his member, her body wracked with pleasure. To her surprise, her climax seemed to immediately send her lover over the edge. Her legs had begun to instinctively draw inward, but Linhardt grabbed her thigh with a strength she'd never seen him exhibit, holding her legs open as he thrust deeper into her than ever.

With an unrestrained cry, he let the feeling of Byleth squeezing and pulsing around him bring him to his climax. Holding her firmly against him, he began to release into her. Groaning through his teeth, still rubbing his swelling, twitching cock against her inside, Linhardt felt nearly dizzy with the ecstasy of the most powerful orgasm he could recall experiencing. His lips hung open and his hands pawed at any part of her that they found. Finally, by the time this rush of pleasure began to subside, he had poured every drop of his cum into her, even spilling some out onto her inner thigh.

His satisfied sigh brushed errant strands of pale hair against Byleth's cheek. Though his heat still warmed her at her core, she felt her burning body begin to relax, as his grip on her leg and hips eased and he slowly pulled out of her. It gradually dawned on her just how full she felt even after his member slid out from between her thighs. Eyebrows raised, she murmured in amazement,

"Oh… uh, wow…"

Wordlessly, Linhardt's hand at her shoulder instructed her to turn towards him, and she obliged. He kissed her, comfortably this time, free of the anxious energy of new discoveries and instead tender and familiar. Barely parting, resting on his pillow close enough for their noses to lightly brush now and then, the pair's eyes met for the first time since this pleasurable encounter began. His smile lacked its usual bemused cynicism. He looked at peace, angelic- an expression she almost never saw on him when conscious.

The pair took their time catching their breath. It ought to be close to dinner now, but it didn't occur to either of them to pull apart from one another. Instead, they enjoyed the quiet for some time until Linhardt spoke at last,

"Now then," he said, drawing her closer by the waist, "what exactly was it that you came here to speak to me about?"

Byleth's mind took a moment to catch up. Once it had, she gave a short, snorting laugh and covered her face with a hand. That's right- the whole reason she'd come to his room to begin with. She had to admit, she was surprised he remembered so readily.

"I'm afraid it's terribly unromantic, all things told." she said with a grin. Linhardt stretched himself out along the length of his bed, yawning, and when he settled back in with his arm around her once more, he said,

"Well I've always found traditional romantic notions to be painfully tedious, so by all means- I would much rather simply hear what's on your mind."

Byleth was nervous. She didn't feel that way often, but of course she was now- she was about to make an impossible claim. But his warm smile and his steady breath helped to calm her, and his words soothed her. He wanted to hear what was on her mind. Perhaps, in this life-cycle, when her thoughts had begun to erode her ability to tolerate her endless rebirth, Linhardt was exactly who she needed by her side.

"Okay, welI," she began tentatively, "I have been living in a sort of… continuous reincarnation cycle. I have lived this period of my life- from beginning as a teacher here, through the war, and sometimes after. Eventually, one cycle ends, and the next begins, and once again, I'm waking up to my father readying me for a day's mercenary work," Byleth could already see the questions formulating in his lavender eyes, but went on, "I don't recall every detail of every life I've lived, or even how many times I've reincarnated by now. Some things are different every lifetime, and others are the same, and I just," she paused, took a breath, and met his eyes with an almost childlike look in her own, "I need to be able to talk to someone. I thought you, out of anyone, would believe me."

When she finished, she watched him expectantly, but only saw a single eyebrow arch the slightest bit upward. He was silent for a few anxious seconds, then finally said,

"You know that's technically not what reincarnating is, right?"

"I… what?"

"If you were reincarnating, you would be a different person, or different life form in each cycle. Though perhaps I'm being pedantic," he kissed her forehead gently, "I do believe you."

Byleth let out a heavy breath and smiled at Linhardt with a new, airy sort of relief. She curled in closer to him and rested her hands on his chest between them.

"Thank you, Lin," she said softly, "This is the first time I've ever told someone- in any of my lives. Well, that I remember, anyway."

"I'm flattered," he replied, "though, as you can imagine, I now find myself with an ever growing multitude of questions for you- I hope the rest of your day is free? We can talk about your circumstances, theorize a bit, and…" slender fingers combed her hair behind her ear as his eyes scanned her and his voice dipped down, "well, anything else we find ourselves in the mood for, really."

Byleth gladly explained her full situation- that she felt herself change in each lifetime, and so in a way, each was unique. That she had tried and failed to alter certain events, and so in some ways, each was the same. The cycle began with her dreams of the girl on the throne. The cycle ended with the death of a person she chose to spend her life with. As she watched her lover's one and only life fade, with years, decades of memories of them to carry with her, she looked forward into her new beginning. In a way, it was a blessing; she would not live out her supernaturally extended life in mourning of a partner long passed. When she spoke of this detail, she saw something indecipherable in Linhardt's gaze. As usual, she decided she would not press him. Not until he was ready.

Their day together was long, but pleasant. Even on this first day together in this fashion, Byleth sensed that there could be many more to follow. As her lifetimes continued, she would periodically return to Linhardt. When the strain of her existence wore on her, when she needed someone to fully and truly understand, he was there. She would tell him once again of her circumstances, and once again find solace in his wandering and ever-open mind.