A Petal in the Wind

by Superb0wl

Byleth is a broken man trying to bury his sorrows. Having lost the love of his life, he keeps his mind occupied with work in Askr if only to provide some respite from his year long grieving. But when she a different version of Lysithea makes herself known, feelings buried within their hearts come alive once again and leads to a dilemma.

1. Chapter 1

I've had this idea for some time now, really ever since Lysithea got 2nd place in the CYL this year, but waited until after her release to finally get to work on it. I am aware that there will be a couple discrepancies here, namely that there is no Enlightened One Byleth, nor is B!Lysithea from the Crimson Flower route, but for the sake of this story that's what I'm going with.

I would suggest playing the game's Unfulfilled sound track when Lysithea enters the story to add to the effect of their reunion. That's what I had playing when I conceived of it, and it really does set the tone.

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Byleth stared intently at the game board in front of him, his hands clasped together in front of his mouth in contemplation at a map of sorts that was divided into several equal-sized, small squares that dotted the entirety of it. It was a fair and symmetrical board, with a winding river running across the middle and a bridge running over the center of it, and two more rivers that hooked around opposite sides in the corners, perfect locations to place artillery, mages, and archers to pelt his opponent. Unfortunately for him, most of his were gone by this point, while the man across from him had a few more at his disposal, along with a handful more infantry and cavalry.

The man across from him was the Ylissean tactician Robin, a man with an even face, warm, hazelnut eyes, and short, platinum-white hair. His attire was unusual to Byleth, but then ever since coming to Askr he had grown use to the myriad of clothing that warriors from other worlds brought with them. The most defining feature of the tactician was his large, black coat that had three violet, menacing looking eyes on the sleeves that seem to pierce through anyone that looked at them, a stark contrast to the otherwise humble man who wore it.

They always met on occasion when they were not busy aiding the Summoner to test each other on their tactics, and Robin had long since proven that he was excellent at his position. Though Byleth was no slouch when it came to these games, he had to admit that he met his match in the Ylissean man, having only ever won early on when they were unfamiliar with each other's skills. Now that they have had time to understand how their opponent operates, Robin began coming out on top, driving Byleth to expand his knowledge so that he could one day beat him. He has since learned enough that he has held out much better than he used to, bringing the total of turns taken to around thirty rather than just ten.

Unfortunately, it was now the thirty-sixth turn and he was running out of options. With most of his long-range attackers gone, it made things easier for Robin to advance his infantry across the river. He now had the bridge firmly under control, and most of his troops had already crossed it and were now encroaching on his hill. Byleth had retreated what infantry he had left to the top of the hill, the only advantage he had left in him.

"I have my archers move to the edge of the hill and attack your infantry," he said, knowing that it only make them more vulnerable to Robin's artillery. It also wouldn't amount to much as the infantry in question were not heavily armored, more than capable of potentially dodging his attacks.

Robin, who had his arms resting on Byleth's desk, promptly lifted them up and rolled the pair of dice near him, removing a couple of his figures when they came up as odd. "Hit." He then moved his artillery into position. "After moving my ballistae into position I fire them at your archers." Normally he would be more talkative, but so focused he was on finishing this bout that pleasantries were put aside until after it was over.

Byleth rolled a singular die, given the power of the ballistae, and removed the archers when it came up even. "Hit." He went back to pondering his next move, but with Robin's infantry close by, and no longer having any significant long-range threat, he saw that he would lose in three turns. Rather than lose more of his troops, he decided the best tactic was to simply accept defeat. "I surrender."

With that, Robin relaxed himself in his seat, breathing out a sigh of relief as a smile returned to his face. "Intense as ever, Byleth. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time."

"I never would have thought to pair up my units so much..." commented Byleth as he began taking his figures away and placing them back into one of the desk drawers.

"It's a strategy I came up with soon after I joined the Shephards," informed Robin, bringing over a bag he had sitting at his side to stow his pieces away. "We fight more effectively knowing that we have someone guarding our flank. And with that sort of protection the bonds between those two people grow stronger as they work to keep each other alive."

"I have done something similar in my world."

Robin perked up and momentarily paused what he was doing. "That's right! You called them adjutants if I remember correctly."

Byleth finished putting his pieces away and started to carefully roll the game board up. "Yes. It was meant to support the person who had a more critical role to play. I didn't want to diminish the size of the army during the Three Houses War. We were smaller in number."

The Ylissean tactician nodded. "Wanting to appear larger than normal is a sound strategy, but when you already have a smaller size than your enemy it's easier to manage. Pairing up the Shephards meant that they could go after high-value targets more easily since more often than not those targets were either alone or had common soldiers guarding them. With how well they were trained the pair made short work of those soldiers, and the target was forced to fight without any backup."

Byleth flashed a smirk so quickly Robin didn't have time to notice, the first he had done so in some time. "We just warped one of our strongest to the commander to take them out."

Robin let out a laugh. "Also a viable tactic! I may have to try that on you at some point." The two men finished up the remainder of their work in silence, focusing on the task at hand than potentially slip and damage their possessions.

Ever since coming to Askr, Byleth had been working intently with some of the other tacticians brought in from different worlds, such as Soren, Leo, a Robin that was a female version of the man opposite him, and others as well. Yet out of all of them, this Robin was the one he was closest with. The man appeared so easily approachable compared to the others, and time spent with his students made Byleth more inclined to do so, especially given how they filled similar roles in their respective worlds, the difference being that he was royalty now.

Robin took a quick glance out the large, rectangular window that hung above over the series of cupboards to his right. The sky was painted shades of marmalade as the sun was in the midst of its repetitive descent into the horizon, and with it there was a small amount of periwinkle to be seen as well.

"It's getting late," he indicated to his friend. "We've been at it for a while now haven't we?"

"Five games," replied Byleth nonchalantly. "You won all of them."

Robin rubbed the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah... sorry about that. I am pretty good at this, but don't worry. You'll overcome me one day, and I look forward to seeing that."

"I still have a lot to learn..." Byleth got up from his seat and approached one of the cupboards, the one that had a ceramic pot sitting on top, a faded gold in color mixed with brown stripes running around the center of it. Growing in it were a few lilies in full bloom, the soil dampened from a recent watering during one of their breaks in-between matches. Byleth looked at the flowers mournfully for a brief moment before opening the doors beneath, revealing a series of glasses on the shelf above, and a few bottles below, some of them empty.

An unpleasant feeling of déjà vu came over him as he scanned the bottles before bringing one that was half-empty out, along with a glass solely for himself. He offered one to Robin early on in the past, but the tactician respectfully declined, citing one instance where he had too much and embarrassed himself in front of the Shepherds, but didn't go into detail. The king thought it best not to delve further if his friend didn't show any desire to.

"I heard four more heroes were summoned yesterday," Robin informed as Byleth poured himself a glass, masking his mild discomfort about the latter's reasons for doing so. "Apparently all of them came from Fódlan."

"Who are they?" asked Byleth after turning around, his curiosity raised by the news.

"I haven't had a chance to meet them myself. Alfonse and Sharena have been keeping me busy these past several days, and it was only yesterday that I was finally able to finish what they gave me." Robin then smiled pleasantly at the king. "Thank you for the help, by the way. I know it must have been a lot to ask since you have your own work, but I appreciate you taking the time to assist with mine."

"It's no trouble. I like keeping myself occupied." Byleth brought the glass to his lips and downed a gulp of the bitter substance, the taste assailing his mouth before attacking his throat. He didn't care much for the taste, only what he was chasing by doing so.

Robin looked at him with concern as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "...You still haven't talked to her yet, have you?" He was only met with silence as Byleth shifted his gaze down to the floor. "I really think it will help if you did. You don't have to tell her about what happened, but it might help ease the pain."

Byleth stared intently at the contents of his glass, mulling it over briefly as his mouth grew heavy. "...I'm not ready yet."

Robin wanted to push, but decided against it. Ever since coming to Askr Byleth had been like this, and though he would like to see his friend get better, he also couldn't force him to do it and come off as selfish. Despite his drinking Byleth still performed his role at the castle with due diligence so it had not affected his work, but he wondered how long that might last. He had seen what grief and mourning can do to someone when robbed of a person they care for, but he hoped he wouldn't have to do what Sumia did to help him move past it.

He also knew what it was like to fail someone despite a promise being made. He planned everything to try and save Emmeryn from her execution, but circumstances he couldn't predict threw his plan awry and he could do nothing but watch as the late Exalt fell to her death, by her own volition, accepting that there was no way out of her dire predicament. It was his greatest failure, and still was to this day, and reminders of that failure returned when a different Emmeryn was summoned to Askr. Much of what he went through was similar to what Byleth was going through, only in Robin's case he was at least able to find closure via revenge by taking out the man ultimately responsible for Emmeryn's death.

And he also didn't have his heart broken by the loss.

Byleth came over and sat back down in his chair, bringing the bottle with him as he did. From one of the drawers he brought out a stack of papers along with a quill and inkwell and placed them in front, immediately setting himself to work. Robin noted that they were all blank, drawing a curious raised brow from the tactician.

"What are you doing?"

"Recording my steps from the game," Byleth replied plainly, as he scribbled down on the first sheet, not making eye contact with Robin. "And yours. I will be prepared next time."

Robin hummed to himself, intrigued. "That's a good idea. I'll have to start doing that myself and make sure I don't fall behind either." Robin stole another quick glance out the window, smiling briefly as he did so. "I should head back to my quarters before Lucina starts to get worried."

Byleth paused momentarily at the mention of Robin's wife before resuming his work, a pulse of sadness emanating from his stone heart. He had met Lucina before, even sparred with her a few times when time permitted for it, but it wasn't very often that they did, his sense of longing interjecting itself whenever they were together.

He took another long gulp of his drink to wash away the melancholic thought, an act that Robin noticed causing his brows to knit in regret.

"Sorry," he said gently as his grip on his satchel slackened slightly. "I know that subject is sensitive for you."

Byleth shook his head. "Don't let me stop you from mentioning her. How is she?"

Robin smirked at the question, always eager to talk about her whenever asked. "She's doing well despite being away from Ylisse. She doesn't talk about it, but it's easy to see that she misses Morgan very much... baby Morgan I mean. The nursemaids back home are taking care of her, but with what Lucina's been through she doesn't like being separated from our youngest for too long."

"You couldn't bring her here?"

"I wish we could have, but we agreed it would be safer for her to stay at home than to bring her here where we could get attacked at any point in time." Robin chuckled to himself briefly as he looked at the ground in amusement. "She wants to head to the marketplace this weekend to look for souvenirs we can bring back, maybe even a few toys that Morgan might like to play with."

"Sounds nice." Robin was unfazed with Byleth's manner of speech. He had learned from the others from Fódlan that he was a man of relatively few words, curt in his responses, but never coming across as rude. Though from what the Edelgard in red attire pointed out, she knew him to be a little more chatty than ever, and even expressed his emotions more than when she had first met him.

Robin's face lit up as an idea came to mind. "How about you come with us, Byleth? It might be fun for you to bring back souvenirs of your own for your friends!"

Byleth's squinted as he once again paused his work, pondering the idea silently. "I don't want to intrude."

"I would have to check with Lucina, but I don't think she would be bothered if you came along with us. And it would be nice for you to take your mind off of things and get away from work for a little while."

Byleth gazed down at his notes, his handwriting only halfway legible, then at the half-empty glass off to the side. "I'll think about it."

"Excellent!" Robin grinned. "I'll run it by Lucina and see what she thinks. Morgan will want to come with us too I'm sure, and you can finally meet her!" Tightening his grip on his satchel again, Robin turned to make his way out. "With that settled, I really should get going."

"Allow me." Byleth stood up from his seat, bringing his drink into his hand as he prepared to see his friend out. He didn't even make it to the first couple of steps before there were a few light raps from the other side of the door. Both men looked at each other in puzzlement.

"Are you expecting someone else?" Robin asked, though judging from Byleth's widened eyes he already figured out what the answer was.

"No," he answered back before looking toward the door. "Come in."

When the door slowly opened, nothing could have prepared the green-haired man for who stepped into view. All of time seemed to have stopped for a moment as his jaw hung open, and his grip on his glass slipped to the point that it fell and shattered on the tile floor, spilling its contents in multiple directions. The sound of glass breaking did nothing to phase the three people present as both men stared wide-eyed at the white-haired woman that held a similar gaze to their own, staring back at the king of Fódlan in shock.

"Professor?" she spoke, meekly, hopefully, as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"L-Lysithea?" he replied, his voice similar but mixed with even more emotion. Her outfit matched very closely to what the gremories of Fódlan wore, only in her color scheme of lavender and black, with the intricate golden ends circling the frock around her chest and the bottom of her dress.

Byleth's room had grown dead silent as the two native Fódlanders could only stare at each other, questions buzzing in their minds along with an overwhelming feeling of disbelief at who they were seeing. Robin, being able to read the writing on the wall, took this as a sign to quietly shift around Lysithea to leave, the latter instinctively moving to let him pass her without ever taking her eyes off of Byleth. The Ylissean then gently closed the door behind him, certain they were going to need some privacy for this.

The former professor was the first to make a move, taking a few tentative steps toward the woman. If his heart was normal it would be racing now, instead the flame from the Crest Stone went ablaze at the sight of the woman he loved, standing in front of him once more and seemingly none the worse for wear. Aside from her change in outfit she looked very much the same as he remembered her from back home, bringing up all manner of memories he had of her, only to have them quashed by guilt and grief.

"Is it... really you?" she asked him, unknowingly voicing the same question that was at the forefront of his mind. He looked exactly the same as he did during the war, with his splendid Enlightened One clothing, mint-green hair and eyes to signify his merger with the goddess, those very same eyes that she longed to look into again. So much of a match he was to how she remembered him that she thought she was looking at a ghost as her rising goosebumps could attest too. Yet her body settled down after quickly convincing herself that he wasn't. There was no ethereal glow to him, no signs of him being a specter. It was really him, standing before her in the flesh.

"...It is." He was perplexed by the question, though didn't make it apparent. He wanted so much to reach out and touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin again and to ensure she was real, but thought better of it. This was Lysithea, but judging from her behavior and question there was something amiss. He decided it was best to alleviate some of the tension in the room before getting to the heart of the matter. "You must have been with the new arrivals Robin mentioned."

She blinked at the statement, taking her out of her state by what was such a plain remark. She had expected him to address the situation they were in, for she too was confused by his reaction. "That's right. I came here along with Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude. We were puzzled by our sudden arrival to Askr, but once the Summoner explained everything to us, we've decided to aid them for the time being. I suppose you're here for the same reason?"

Byleth nodded. "I am. I don't know for how long though. I do need to return to Fódlan and resume my duties as king."

"King?!" Lysithea's eyes went wide again for a whole new surprise. It was growing increasingly clear for both parties that the one they were looking at was not the same version as they remembered. "By... professor, that is quite an unusual position you're in. I mean no offense, but I never took you for someone of royalty. You're a natural leader of course, but in all of the times we've talked you never once showed an interest in politics."

"I don't," he admitted. "I have been learning, but I still don't think I'm the right person for it. I told Claude that before he left for Almyra."

Lysithea went silent for a moment as she put the pieces together. If this Byleth was a king, and he talks about Claude going to Almyra, something he had done in her world, but never heard from him since, it can only mean one thing. "Claude must have come from your world then..."

Byleth glanced to the side. "Ah... so he finally came did he?" Byleth had suspected that his Claude would come at some point, judging how the Summoner could bring in different versions of the same person from different times and worlds, and with the caveat being that Askr summoned heroes, his Claude seemed to fit that label. It was only a matter of "when" to Byleth, and not "if".

Now it was his turn to wonder just where Lysithea was from, as well as Dimitri, and Edelgard. The versions of them as students had already arrived, along with two more of Edelgard as well, so these couldn't be them as students, especially with an obviously matured Lysithea standing in front of him. What puzzled him the most was that Dimitri and Edelgard didn't tear each other apart if they all arrived together. "Lysithea... where are you from exactly?"

Lysithea froze for a moment at the question. She knew it was coming, but from what she already learned about him she worried about what he might say. If Byleth was the ruler of Fódlan in his world, that could only mean that Edelgard was killed.

"Edelgard and I came together." She braced herself for some form of rebuke, a demand to know why she sided with someone that Byleth must have struck down in his timeline. She had her reasons of course. Edelgard wanted to change Fódlan so that Crests would lose the power they held over others, and it would be up to the individual to decide their fate rather than just be born lucky, a goal that Lysithea thoroughly agreed with given her own experience with Crests.

And after learning more about Edelgard, she had found someone that knew exactly what that experience was like, someone who understood. She had her suspicions about the emperor even from their early days at the Officers Academy, given that they had the same hair color, but to know for certain was a bitter revelation. Someone who went through that horrible time yet was allied with the people who made them this way repulsed her, and if it wasn't for Byleth's influence she may never have sided with Edelgard. She counts herself fortunate now that she had, and the emperor was now her closest friend.

Which was why she was prepared to argue for her if the professor had anything negative to say about her.

"I see," he finally answered after a moment of absorbing that information. He knew she wasn't the Lysithea from his world, but to know she was from this new Edelgard's was interesting. "Did the Edelgard of your world succeed?"

Lysithea was stunned, not at the question itself, but how... sympathetic he sounded. She was expecting disappointment, not this. "...Yes, she did. And now we're rebuilding Fódlan to match what she always envisioned for it."

"'We?'"

She nodded. "That's right. I decided to help her further after we wiped out Those Who Slither in the Dark and removed both of our twin Crests." For a second time Byleth's eyes went wide with shock as his body froze in place, with not even his chest being seen rising from his breathing. "She wanted my help with the reformation process, and after I brought my parents the peace I always wanted for them, I went back to Enbarr to-"

"Y-you're Crests were removed?" he asked, needing to hear her say it a second time, disbelief grasping at him, and remorse tugging at his stone heart.

"...Yes," she answered with concern. He was starting to look melancholic, then grew even moreso with her confirmation as his brows knitted and eyes shifted to the floor. "...We found the research notes they had on the blood experiments they conducted on us, and after some time we were able to reverse-engineer it and remove them from our bodies." She paused for a brief moment as Byleth shut his eyes, and she noticed they were quivering. "...Our lifespans have returned to normal..."

Byleth solemnly, slowly made his way back to his desk to sit down, her words piercing his stone heart with how cruel they were despite how they were never intended as such. All of the feelings he had that he tried to bury away with work came back in force, as intense as they were shortly after what he considered to be his greatest failure, worse than being unable to save his father's life.

Lysithea's eyes followed him with worry and a hint of fear. She had not seen him behave this way for some time, and she remembered all too well how much it pained her to see the man like this, especially since she knew that whatever emotion he expressed was genuine after having gone most of his life without them. It only magnified how much worse it was for him than it could be for an average person.

It was then when she noticed the nearly empty bottle on his desk, and combined with the large, tan stain on the floor, she could surmise as to what it was. "Professor... what happened to me in your version of Fódlan?"

Byleth sat down and hung his head low, staring at his desk mournfully as the guilt welled up within him and his flame cooled and wavered. His hair cast a shadow over his eyes, and he brought up his arms to form an arch in front of his face. With what he was about to say, he couldn't bear to look at her. "I failed you."

His voice was heavy, Lysithea noted, filled with sadness that she had only ever heard once from him. "You... 'failed me'?"

He nodded, and took a moment to collect himself before opening up about it. He had only ever told his tale once, but only because Robin and Lucina had no prior connection with her. It was also going to be strange having to recount the last years of her life when events played out differently for this version of her. How odd it would be to inform someone of their own demise. "During the war, you told me about how you obtained your Crests from Those Who Slither in the Dark. I promised that I would find a way to remove them despite your protests. We searched for a method together during the down time between battles."

She hummed to herself in response, and to urge him to continue. So far what he said matched up to what her world's Byleth had done. She recalled trying to dissuade him from such an impossible endeavor, but he was adamant about his decision, and she couldn't help but feel the hope rise within her at his resolve. There was little chance they'd find such a cure, but he was the first person to offer an alternative rather than just accept her fate.

"It was a difficult task," he went on. "There were a number of studies and theories that Hanneman provided to us, but none of them were what we needed. We came to the conclusion that Those Who Slither in the Dark would have the necessary information, since it was likely they kept records of their blood experiments. We only needed to know where they were located."

"You went with the same method we did..." she indicated under her breath. Despite the different positions they found themselves in, much of what happened during their time searching together aligned. "How long did it take you to find Shambhala?"

"Hubert left us a note for when... Edelgard was slain."

Lysithea's eyes flashed. She already knew that was the case when they had arrived along with Dimitri and Claude. Both kings confirmed that Edelgard was dead in their Fódlans, but the way Byleth had said it... "You were the one who did it, weren't you?"

Byleth glanced up at her for a split second before nodding. "I took no joy in it. I would have preferred it if she had surrendered, but... we both know she never would." He glanced again, to accentuate his point, and to probe her for her reaction. Given the relation this Lysithea might have with her Edelgard, he wondered just how poorly she would take that fact.

Lysithea pursed her lips, but had to agree with him. She knew Edelgard's drive and how honed that drive was toward the Fódlan she envisioned, to the point that the emperor was willing to die for that future. It had not happened in her world, but she was quickly coming to the conclusion that, based on the accounts of Dimitri and Claude, the tide of the war turned in favor to whomever Byleth happened to have sided with. And in the case of Claude's Byleth, he was the one to deal the killing blow to her friend. Yet for who she knew Edelgard to be, she could not blame him for doing what was inevitable in his case.

"No," said Lysithea. "She wouldn't. You don't have to apologize to me for that, professor. I can't hold that against you for something that needed to be done in your world."

"Thank you. Anyway, after the battle in Enbarr Hubert gave us the location of Shambhala. When we went there, you and I kept a look out for where their archives were for later while went to find their leader..." Byleth let out a deep, pensive sigh as he once again closed his eyes and knitted his brows. "And that was when it all went wrong for our search."

Lysithea raised a curious, but worried brow. "The notes weren't there?"

Byleth shook his head. "Worse. Their leader activated some sort of glyph at the heart of the city, and it summoned a salvo of javelins of light that bombarded us. The ground above us collapsed, and blocked off much of the city from us.,,"

"No..." Lysithea uttered, her jaw opening slightly. Such an event never happened in her world, and they were able to navigate through Shambhala with ease after their raid. To hear that Byleth was so close to it, yet then to be denied by an unpredictable barrage made her heart sink. She imagined that he and his Lysithea had the same reaction as she just had.

"After I became king, I immediately began having it excavated. It took several months before we finally reached their archives... only to find that many of their works were damaged by the debris. We pieced together what we could and began working on reversing the process." Byleth took a long pause as his hand jerked for a glass that wasn't there, only to grab the bottle after realizing that the glass lay in pieces on the floor. "By the time we were able to come up with a solution... it was too late. You're body had become so weak. Any attempt would have just killed you outright..."

"Professor..." Her heart bled for him as all was revealed to her. She had a feeling something terrible had happened to her, and indeed it was exactly as what she had expected to happen, but needed to hear it to confirm. They were even closer than she realized to saving her, only to have time run out and take all that effort away.

She approached him from the side, careful to avoid shards of glass as she did, and lay a hand on his, but he didn't seem to notice as he remained perfectly still, head unable to hang any lower.

"I made sure that your last days were comfortable," he spoke, quietly now. "I don't remember how many times I apologized. You eventually scolded me for it." Lysithea could hear a faint tapping on the desk, and saw small, circular stains below his head as he began to shake."I couldn't keep my promise to you. I lost you, like I lost my father."

Despite the context, her heart couldn't help but flutter at his word choice. Did he perhaps... feel the same way she did about him?

"It wasn't your fault, professor," she tried to assure him, her eyes radiating sympathy. She of all people hated to see effort go to waste, and while the progress he had made could be used to aid others, now wasn't the time to point that out. "I know she wouldn't have blamed you for circumstances beyond your control. I had already made peace that my life would be short, and she would have done the same. I'm sure... she at least enjoyed being able to spend all that time with you though." She knew she would have if she had that chance, and still wanted it.

"Perhaps..." he muttered, losing the strength to speak normally as his jaw grew heavy. "I still haven't forgiven myself though. I don't know if I can..." He slid the bottle away from him as he finally took note of the warm and gentle hand placed on his. "Since then, I haven't spoken much, or smiled either. I bury myself in work and sometimes drink to keep me occupied. Annette noted that I have... regressed to how I was before I met all of you."

"Annette?"

Byleth barely nodded. "Garreg Mach became my palace after the war. Annette is a teacher at the Officers Academy, along with Felix. It was during one of our teatimes that she mentioned it... and I have to agree with her. Life... hasn't been the same without you."

She was thankful that he wasn't looking at her, or else he'd see the pink streak going across her face at the admission. Dormant feelings, long thought buried to her, were welling up again at his particular vocabulary. Was it possible that he had felt this way about her, or at least his Lysithea? If that were true... but no it couldn't possibly work.

"Now I truly understand why my father drank," he mused, though it seemed he was speaking more to himself by now. "Temporary reprieve from those memories..."

"This is all just the cruelest of coincidences..." Lysithea lamented suddenly, causing Byleth to raise his head toward her. She could see the well of tears beneath his eyes, and streaks from where they made their journey down his cheeks.

"What?"

Now it was her turn to cast her eyes downward as her own memories came to the forefront. "You aren't the only that lost someone close to you."

Byleth tried to ascertain what she meant by that, but it did not take long to understand as she now exhibited the same body posture he did, albeit while standing.

"You don't mean..." he said as his eyes widened, opening even further as she nodded to confirm his suspicion. "How?"

"It was at Faerghus," she began, returning her hand to her side. "We were making our way through the city to finally defeat Rhea and end the war. It was a brutal fight, thanks in large part to Rhea having set fire to the city and-"

"What?!" Byleth nearly reeled back in his seat. It didn't seem possible that the late archbishop would do such a thing. "Why would she do that?!"

"For some context, you chose to teach the Black Eagles in my Fódlan. When Edelgard revealed herself as the Flame Emperor in the Holy Tomb, you chose to defend her and defy Rhea's order to kill her. That's when the latter... snapped, to put it mildly. She became hellbent on killing you, no matter the cost."

Byleth could only continue to look at her in disbelief. The Rhea he knew was a much different person than what Lysithea was describing. He did recall how angered the former was at Edelgard's desecration of the Holy Tomb, revealing a side of Rhea he had not seen before, but never once expected the serene woman to be in the wrong mind enough to set an entire city on fire just to kill them. Based on the secrets she spilled to him before his fight with Nemesis, he now knew her to be a duplicitous woman, and it seemed there was a much darker side to her than he realized.

"I see..." was all he managed to say, stunned by this revelation.

"Rhea had sunk far enough that she was willing to sacrifice innocent people for the sake of vengeance. By that point everyone had accepted that Rhea needed to be stopped. You and Edelgard confronted her as the Immaculate One, and together the two of you triumphed over her." Lysithea tilted her head down enough that a shadow cast over her eyes. "...And that was when the worst happened."

"...How did I die?" he carefully asked, seeing the writing on the wall.

"I... I don't know..." she murmured, confusing Byleth even more. "Almost immediately after Rhea was killed, you just... dropped dead. None of us could believe it. Edelgard ran over to check for a heartbeat, but I told her about what was said in your journal. So she checked for a pulse, for your breathing... n-nothing. All... all that happened was that your hair turned backed to what it was before."

Now it was her turn for the tears to trickle down as she recalled that terrible time. She and Edelgard, crying over his body, with the emperor cradling him in her arms as they were surrounded by flames and the corpse of the Immaculate One. The others from the Black Eagle Strike Force eventually arrived, and they too joined them in their anguish and grief.

And she remembered how she felt that day. What should have been a moment of celebration turned to one of despair. Seeing his lifeless body had torn her heart, reminiscent of when he had first "died", but this time there was no coming back. She wanted to lash out at the world for robbing her of something dear to her yet again, but knew that the one responsible was already dead. She hadn't cried for so long until that point, and despite being surrounded by fire her body felt deathly cold as she fell to her knees and sobbed.

"Lysithea..." he whispered gently, mirroring her action from before and placing his own hand on hers. She didn't flinch at his touch, so he began massaging it with his thumb as he frowned. It truly was a cruel coincidence that one had lost the other in their respective worlds, and both were hurting just as equally.

While Lysithea stood there and tried to restrain herself from openly sobbing, Byleth sat there silently and mentally tried to determine how it was possible that he died in such a way. It was strange that his death would be caused by Rhea's considering that, in his world, she passed away and nothing happened to him. His hair had also returned to normal, which didn't seem possible unless he had lost the powers Sothis granted him when they merged. It all somehow tied into Rhea dying, but it didn't make any sense upon basing it off of his own experience with her death.

"After that," she sniffled, wiping away tears from her eyes and forcing herself to go on, "Exterminating Those Who Slither in the Dark felt hollow in the end. I know how much you wanted to avenge Jeralt's death, and unfortunately you never got that chance. Even... even when Edelgard and I successfully removed our Crests, we weren't as overjoyed about it as we should have been. We wanted... we wanted you to see it too, but..."

Byleth closed his eyes. He wanted to have seen it too.

"Since all that, it just hasn't been the same without you around. I miss being challenged by you to always do better. I miss seeing that gentle smile of yours whenever we talked, the time we spent together searching for a way to remove my Crests. I never even..."

Lysithea paused for a moment. She thought with worry if what she wanted to say would be right. Even though this Byleth was of royalty, he was nevertheless exactly the same person she remembered from her world. Would it be fair, she wondered, to confess to him? It was the biggest regret she had, and now she had a chance to correct that. Judging from his own story, and his choice of words at certain points, it sounded as though he felt the same way.

Yet even though she could, she wondered if she should. The same person he may be, but they were worlds apart, and his Fódlan was different than hers. Could she really do that to him, to herself, to lead them on like that? What if he said he didn't? Well at least then, she understood, it would be a weight off of her chest, selfish as it all seemed to her, but she had gone for so long without ever saying it.

And now that she could she found that she wanted to. She wanted to be held by him, to be wrapped in those lean arms of his and feel his warmth again. She wanted to bring his face close to hers and give him her first kiss, perhaps even have his too. She wanted... well, perhaps those further thoughts would be going a little too far, but then she never found anyone quite like him, and if it were to be the case... she wouldn't mind.

"Never even...?" Byleth quietly urged, making her realize she had gone silent for a little while.

She tilted her head up as to meet his gaze. It was time to be brave. "I never even got to tell you how I felt about you..."

Byleth froze in his seat, causing his arm to drop at his side, his cheeks to turn rosy, and his jaw hung open in surprise. His Crest Stone heart went ablaze inside of him, yet was gentle and tingled at his skin. He had not felt this heat for such a long time that he thought he'd never feel it again. He didn't expect this to occur when speaking with her, yet it confirmed what he had always wondered about Lysithea. She may have been from a different world, but it didn't matter to him. It was always something he wanted to hear from her ever since the end of the war.

"...W-what?" he replied, flabbergasted despite her confession and his resulting joy.

"It's true. I've felt this way for... a long time now. It's embarrassing, and frankly... childish to admit, but I did have a crush on you during the Officers Academy. I never thought about acting on those feelings given that time, nor did I want to while I still had my Crests, but I couldn't deny those feelings despite how I thought my life would end. I wanted to tell you after my Crests were removed, but..."

"Lysithea." Byleth stood up before her, feeling an energy inside of him he had not felt in so long, invigorated by hearing those sweet words uttered from her lips.

"Y-yes?"

He placed his hands on the clothed parts of her arms, looking deeply into her eyes with the kind of affection that he had not shown for anyone else. She couldn't help but be mesmerized by his gaze, a look that she had wanted him to give to her for some time, and it kept her from trying to shrug him off if she had wanted to. She had no idea what he was going to do until he slowly, tentatively leaned down until their faces were barely apart.

"I love you too... Lys," he whispered, the flatness of his voice gone and filled with as much sincerity as he could muster.

"Byleth..." Her heart skipped a beat at his own confession, exuberant that her feelings were requited and validated, and in a move that surprised even herself with how bold it was, brought his face to hers and planted her lips on his. They felt dry and chapped, and she could make out the slimmest taste of his drink on the edges. It was not exactly the taste she was expecting, but it was uniquely his, and to her that was all that matter.

Byleth was taken by surprise at her sudden and forceful action, and he had let out a muffled gasp as he found himself kissing the woman he longed for. Just as sudden as her own action was did he melt into the kiss, her own lips tasting of cinnamon and vanilla glaze, and it reminded himself that he hadn't had dinner yet. That thought mattered little to him now however, as both parties did not wish to separate for any reason as years of loneliness culminated in the moment they had always wished for.

When she at last removed herself, Lysithea gave him a discontented look, puzzling him considering what they just did and he wondered if she was disappointed by him.

"That was my first kiss," she informed before her frown became a soft, amused smile, "And thanks to you it tasted like ale."

"Sorry." Byleth gave her an awkward smile of his own, only causing her own to broaden. It was the first time she had seen that smile in years and one that made her heart flutter at the sight of it. She felt her face becoming warmer by the second, her heart pounding in her chest as she wondered if there would be anything else to come of this.

Byleth moved around her and headed back to where his liquor was stored, bringing a curious tilt of her head at what he was planning. He retrieved another glass from it along with a metal jug that looked to be a little heavy in his hand. She was about to berate him for thinking of drinking at a time like this, until she saw him pour some of the contents of it in the glass and pushed that thought aside as she saw that the liquid was just plain water. Once it was filled, he gulped it down in one go and returned over to her.

"That should be better," he said, and to test that he leaned down again and this time brought her lips to his as they engaged in a more passionate kiss than the relatively chaste one a moment ago. Lysithea was pleased that the bitter taste had been washed away, and more easily delved into it as she placed her hands on his clothed chest just as he wrapped her arms around her waist.

And while they finally succumbed to their passion for one another, thoughts more primal began to emerge from years of heart-aching loss and agonizing separation. For him, his need to hold himself back due to Lysithea's steadfast refusal to give in to her baser desires was quickly giving way to the version of her that had succeeded where he failed. For her, the shackles of her Crests were broken and now she could let herself submit to those desires, but lacked the outlet she wanted in order to do so. And as their kiss became more sloppy with each passing second, they began to wonder who would make the first move, or if their partner even wanted to go to that next step.

It was Byleth who did so, unable to hold himself back after six years of restraint, but was careful not to rush into it for fear that she might reject it. Instead his hands drifted down toward her hips while feeling just how remarkably curved she was for someone who did not think too much of her appearance. He could feel a lump building in his throat as he explored her, running his bare fingers across her clothed body and delighting in being able to touch her this way.

She made no motion for him to stop, so he decided to go one step further and methodically dragged his hands to her rear and began to massage it, the heat from his Crest Stone intensifying from touching a more private location. The gentle caressing of her ass elicited a muffled moan out of her, and by then Byleth knew that she wanted this as much as he did. He knew it to be true for himself at least as the hardening feeling in his loins could attest to.

Her kisses became more desperate as he squeezed her lower cheeks, and Lysithea darted her tongue into his mouth and enticing him to do the same as they began to wrestle. She was beginning to lose her breath with how much effort she was pouring into it, and with no gap between their mouths she regretted that she would have to pull away soon, even if only for a moment. Yet with the confirmation that he wanted to do this too, the barriers were lowered as she submitted to her desires, not having a care in the world about any of the consequences, present or future. All she wanted now was to engage in something she never thought would be possible for herself, and now might be her only chance.

Eventually the lack of air was enough that both of them reluctantly pulled away from each other to breathe, leaving a trail of saliva stringing them together before snapping. She was still amazed about how bold she was being with her desire, as well as how forward Byleth was being with his motions. She had no qualms about it all, willing to indulge herself in the kind of pleasure she knew others could do, but dared never to do so herself for worry of making her passing that much more painful for her partner. Now there was a different sort of worry, but it was so far from her mind right now that she would think about the ramifications later.

Byleth almost immediately missed being connected with her, having quickly grown accustomed to the feel of her lips on his and wanting more. He didn't require as much time to recover and went to planting soft kisses on her cheek, tasting the fading bitterness of her dried tears causing his eyes to squint when he did. At a calculated pace he began moving down until he had to skip past her choker and instead went to her collar, never letting a extra moment pass when he wasn't pressing his lips to her skin and hearing her quiet gasps grow slightly louder as he descended. As he got closer to her breasts, Lysithea's breathing quickened in anticipation while she wrapped an arm around his back and the other did the same with his head.

"Byleth..." she cooed softly as he reached just above her left breast before he suddenly stopped. She had closed her eyes to prepare, but they opened half-way to glance down and wonder why he ceased.

"May I?" he asked when their eyes met. She found herself touched by his consideration, though a bit astounded he would ask her when his hands were still firmly on her rear. Regardless, she nodded her consent, and one of his hands went up to pull down her dress just enough to expose her small breasts. Once they were, he couldn't help but stare in awe at the rosy buds on full display, her nipples having hardened from just the short amount of foreplay he gave her. Gazing down at a woman's naked breasts, and hers especially, quickened his pulse and caused his stone heart to radiate a heat he only ever felt while in the midst of battle.

"You're staring, Byleth," she remarked, snapping him out of his trance and looking back up to see her blush was intensifying, painting her cheeks and now her ears in pink.

"Sorry." He took one last look at her small mounds before he dove for her right breast, bringing out a startled yelp from his lover as her head recoiled back. He began sucking on her tiny breast like a hungry babe, eliciting sweet moans from her as she became engrossed in the strange, new waves of warmth that permeated throughout her body. Her grip tightened ever so slightly on him when she felt him twirl his tongue around her nipple, and coaxing a whine out of her in the process.

Byleth wasn't exactly sure what was coming over him in how much he wanted Lysithea, only that he wanted more of her. Removing the papers from before, his arm found itself wrapped around her with his hand on the back of her head, and he carefully leaned her down on his desk with her ass hanging off the side still held by his hand, and without letting up on her breast. Her hat managed to slip off in the process, but she was only focused on the pleasure that his mouth and tongue were bringing to her as she wrapped her arm completely around his back and clumps of his hair peeked up between her fingers at her other hand.

Lysithea felt as though she was floating, so intoxicated with the indescribable ecstasy from the man she loved working her breasts with fervor. He was careful not be too forceful as to cause any sort of discomfort despite how zealous he was trying to drink down her nonexistent milk. It was only making her hotter as he went on, and she could start to feel her smallclothes becoming damp and awkward for her. Somehow it only made her lower region ache in a way she never felt before, and she was quick to conclude that she wanted him to divert some of his attention down there.

As if to try and suggest it to him, she swallowed a lump in between her moaning to reach down and take a hold of his cock while still maintaining a firm grip on his head. She was surprised and a little amazed at how large it was in her small hand, though wasn't nearly as such with how stiff he had become. In fact she felt rather proud of herself for making him like this, having never considered herself too visually appealing to others. Without further hesitation, she began rhythmically palming his cock, hoping that her lack of experience on the matter wouldn't show.

He grunted as he felt her delicate hand placed upon his clothed bulge, but when she began massaging it, he wasn't exactly sure what to think. It was the first time anyone besides himself ever touched him down there, yet the heat he felt from her ministrations was certainly enjoyable. He was new to all this, having only ever read up on the subject before, so he was embarrassed to admit that he was relying almost solely on his instincts, but she didn't seem to notice or care.

Still, as much as he was enjoying her petite breasts, he wanted to shower her in pleasure and make this a truly memorable experience for both of them. He wanted her to share in the amazing sensation around his groin, and also needed to remind and prepare himself for something he was hoping would come soon. To that end he removed his hand from her head and brought it down to the bottom of her dress. With a swift motion he hoisted it up until it bundled around her waist and sneaked his hand down into her increasingly soaked smallclothes. The feeling of her sweet nectar on his bare hand was enough to send shivers down his spine as his breath hitched along with hers when she felt her most private place being touched. Eagerly, he began sliding his middle finger up and down her moist slit and felt his self-control slowly start to wane. Unbeknownst to her though, his teasing served a double purpose as he had no clue where to stick his cock when that time came, but it didn't take long for him to locate his goal.

Lysithea's eyes sprung open as she let out another yelp from the sensual teasing to her pussy. It was a completely new feeling to have that it threatened to overtake her as her thighs began to twitch and her toes flex as her moans grew louder. Yet the pleasure it brought only caused her to hunger in agony for him to delve further, and felt that it was a bit unfair that he had his hand on her bare skin and not the other way around.

Tilting her head down she worked her hand to try and free his cock to the open air and as she did saw him in action, making her pause for a fleeting moment to stare at his handiwork. Biting her lip, she went to back to her task, difficult to do in-between his ministrations and how slightly complicated his outfit was, but after a few seconds she managed to work it free as it popped out of its confinement. If she wasn't impressed before by his girth from when it was clothed, she certainly was now. It twitched as it became exposed to the open air, and was quite stiff from their minutes of foreplay, due in no small part thanks to her massage. Swallowing, she once more gripped it and went back to arousing him to new levels and giving him a light squeeze on occasion.

By now Byleth found himself emitting quiet grunts as he felt her gloved hand stroking his naked cock, the sensation of the fabric making it twitch and his legs to tense up from the unannounced competition they were having. In some way, he realized, this seemed to be the same effect they had on each other before, always challenging the other to new heights.

Still, he couldn't allow himself a sweet release, not when there was still much more he wanted to do with her. He wanted to be inside her, make love to her, watch her succumb to her own orgasm and see how enraptured she would be. He wanted to mark her as his and never let her go, not again. This was a chance he never thought he would have, and he couldn't bear to lose it.

He wanted more of her, wanted to feel what it was like inside of her, and to that end he slipped a finger into her and made beckoning motions with it to feel her slick, velvety interior while pumping his hand in at the same time. She let out a strained cry as she felt his finger glide across the inside of her pussy, her hips impulsively bucking whenever it did. The sounds of her nectar being forced out around his finger was enough to cause her core to ache for more of this sensation as she felt a strange feeling building up inside her. Her body felt hotter than ever before as sweat started to glean her skin and causing her clothes to stick to it. Her legs were growing tense as that strange feeling soon became a pressure that was crawling tortuously toward her nether region.

"Byleth!" she called out, her eyes wrenched shut, barely hanging on. "S-something's coming!"

Her declaration only served to spur him on, wanting to bring her to her climax, and inserted a second finger into her. He loved hearing the sounds of her sweet voice giving in to her primal want, and the squelching being made when his knuckle hit her crotch, no longer hooking his fingers and instead just focusing on pumping into her with an increased tempo. Her hand was gripping onto his cock tightly now as she hung on, a mildly discomforting feel yet at the same time it seemed to arouse him further. Her face was one of desperation as she chased after her climax, and he couldn't help but stare at how far gone she was. And this was before they even got to the main course of their hungering for each other.

With a cry of his name and the arch of her back, her body tensed up as she came undone. Her pussy clamped down on his fingers as a gush of her juices drenched them and his wrist. Her grip became like a vice on him and she involuntarily pull at his hair while squeezing his cock to the point that it made him wince at the sudden pain from how sensitive it was. He slowed his fingering down to a crawl as her arms went limp and fell to her side, her chest heaving as she panted for air, and her pussy twitching as Lysithea rode out the high from her orgasm.

He removed his hand from her pussy and planted both of them next to her head, taking in the sight of her recovering from her first climax. Her face was almost entirely pink from the heat of it, her eyes were closed, and she practically looked exhausted from such an exercise. Seeing her in this state kept his dick erect, begging him to put it inside her so that they could indulge in each other as only two lovers could.

Slowly she opened her eyes as she caught her breath to see him hovering over her, giving her a soft smile that she reciprocated. She missed that smile of his, missed how comforting it was to her, and even after her first orgasm, she still yearned for him. This wasn't exactly how she figured her first time would go, doing it on a desk with her clothes on rather than naked and in bed, but then she also didn't think she would have a first time at all.

Byleth leaned toward her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, but Lysithea held him there as she brought her arms to cup his face. Their tongues slowly twirled and danced around each other, and she could already feel her arousal return to her before he parted a few inches from her.

"Lys, I..." he began with hesitance. Despite his hunger for her, he didn't want to push her too far for his sake. "I can't hold back any longer. I need you."

"So do I," she replied amorously, with a sparkle in her eyes. "We can't let this opportunity go to waste. I... I missed you so much, and always wanted to do this with you ever since my Crests were removed."

"Lys..." He felt the inferno stutter in his chest at her touching words that were like music to his ears. "I missed you too."

Knowing that she did want to go further, he took a hold of his cock to ready himself at her entrance before he felt her own hand on his, helping to guide it there. His breathing became more rapid as he anticipated what was about to happen, and with one final look of approval from her, he slipped the tip of his dick inside her.

He was immediately assailed by pleasure upon feeling her slick walls on his manhood and his arms quivered at the sensation. Even with just the crown in he could already feel how tight she was, his fingers having never truly understood it. Lysithea bit down on her lip and hissed as she felt and saw him enter, her body tensing up that she was practically straining herself in anticipation when he would be all the way inside. Slowly and surely he went further in, inch by agonizing inch, until he breached her barrier.

Lysithea clenched her teeth and whined as she lost her virginity. It wasn't as painful as she first heard it would be, but there was enough that she froze in place as her toes and fingers curled from the modest amount of pain.

"Lysithea?!" said Byleth upon noticing her state, fearing that he did hurt her. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm... fine!" she forced out. "I can handle... a little pain."

Byleth looked down to see for himself, only to notice trickles of blood slipping out from where they were joined. Inexperienced as he was with sex, he wasn't naive enough to not know what that meant. "Lysithea... you're bleeding..."

"I always... wanted you to be my first," she admitted, and his eyes went wide as he recollected almost the exact same words his Lysithea had once said before she died. The floodgates opened for him then and there. It no longer mattered to him what Fódlan she was from, for she felt and thought the same way about him. He wanted her desperately, greedily, to feel every part of her and pour his love into her and let her know how much she meant to him. He felt tears of joy pricking at the corners of his eyes, and finally he let go of any last bit of restraint.

"Lys!" he cried, and without a moment's hesitation he wrapped his arms underneath her and pressed her against his chest, then buried his face into her bare shoulder as he began pounding away, the desk creaking whenever he fully crashed into her. "Lys! Lys!"

"Byleth!" Lysithea mirrored his actions as he wrapped her own limbs around him, wanting to feel every part of him as he thrust inside her. Her heels repeatedly bounced off of his ass with the power of his motions, and her fingers dug into his regal-looking attire every time she felt his dick bump up against her womb. Tears were forming in her eyes as she lost herself in the joy of being able to, at long last, do this sort of thing with the man who had captured her heart. And she let him know how happy she was with her every cry of pleasure when he dived into her deepest part.

Byleth was engrossed with what they were doing, his lust-filled haze blocking out every thought other than to please her. His cock felt amazing as her tight, drenched walls caressed it every time he moved forward and back. It was a feeling that far surpassed what his own hand could ever accomplish, and now that he had a taste of what it was like he doubted he could ever go back to that. The slick, cushion-like feeling on his cock, the squelching of her damp pussy with every motion, and the soft body of the woman he lost and now found desperately clinging to him made it impossible for him to ever do it solo again.

The room had grown dark now that the sun had fully retreated, adding to the romantic feel of the situation that they were in. Neither of them noticed how much cooler it had become, their bodies feeling as though they were on fire, and the sounds of crickets chirping were drowned out by her cries of ecstasy and his forceful grunts.

He pulled his head back to look at her face, struggling to do so under the cover of night, but he could make it out as one that was filled with passion as she gave in to him. When Lysithea partly opened her eyes, it became one of pleading and he instantly got the message. He dove for her lips and they began to kiss fervently, with one of her hands returning to his hair and trying to push him down further, muffling her moans. Their tongues fought with each other for dominance, twirling and spinning to taste as much of the other as possible, and so little they cared for decorum that drool escaped from their mouths and down Lysithea's chin.

Eventually she had to reluctantly part from him, her lungs never having been as strong as his were, and her cries punctuated through his office once more. Byleth could feel a familiar pressure begin to form, but he did his best to hold it back. He did not want this to end so soon, engrossed with the hot, wet feeling surrounding his dick, so instead he paused briefly and lifted themselves up before he settled down in his chair. Once he did, he resumed where he left off as he felt her juices seep down his inner thighs and spatter against his crotch. He buried his face in her chest while wrapping his arms around her lower back and again brought her body against his where he now panted into her, the new position bringing a different kind of pleasure to them.

Lysithea threw her arms around his neck as she rested her chin on his head, her yells once more echoing in the room as she aided in his thrusting, trying to get him to go as deep as possible into her. His hot breath on her chest from his panting filled her with a sense of pride that she was able to exhaust him like this when he always seemed to be ready for whatever task was laid before him. Not only that, but she was ecstatic that he relished her when she didn't think her body was that impressive. She would have figured he'd want her to have one more like some of the other mature women like Dorothea or Marianne, but with his assault on her breasts earlier and the way he held her, she had underestimated his taste in that regard.

Or perhaps he didn't care about any of that and wanted to be with someone he genuinely loved that wasn't based on appearance. Her cheeks indented as she smiled at the thought. It would be just like him to think more like that than the average man. Then again, he was anything but, and one of the major reasons why she fell for him so long ago.

Her legs were growing weak with how long they had been going at it, but fortunately she could feel that same pressure building up again and ached for that sweet release. She began to wonder if he was approaching his end too with the way his grunts and pants were louder than before. She had fully closed her eyes as she went drunk with ecstasy, her body tingling all over while her hips seemingly bounced on their own rather than through any input on her part.

"Byleth...!" she managed to say, her voice weak from exhaustion. She was so close now that all effort went into reaching that crescendo of their noisy love-making. "It's... coming again!"

"I'm close too!" he replied with a raised, desperate voice as he felt that familiar feeling of his dick getting even more sensitive than ever, pressure building, and legs straining. "I need to... take it out!"

"Don't! It will stain my outfit!" An odd statement to make she knew, considering her clothes felt as if they were glued to her skin, but it was all a mask to hide her true intention.

"But-"

"Don't worry about it! Just release it inside!"

Byleth was still skeptical with what he was being told to do. He knew how babies were made, and he wasn't sure he was ready to be a father yet, but if she said it was okay, then he wasn't going to argue. As if to accentuate her point, Lysithea sped up her actions that the smacking of their thighs grew louder as she tried to get him to finish. She locked her arms around him the tightest yet so as to not let him try anything even if he wanted to. He accepted what he had to do, and with a yell his hands grabbed her waist and aided her hard thrusting that drops of her nectar were beginning to scatter all around where they were connected. He was so close that he could feel his cock getting slightly larger as he raced to reach his end.

With one final thrust, he plunged himself as deep as he could into her and cried out her name as he unleashed everything he had deep into womb, hot spunk painting every inch of it white as his grip on her became iron. His own climax managed to trigger her own, letting out a piercing cry as she clamped down on his cock to try and milk everything he had out of him, shooting another gush of her nectar that wound up staining his black pants. The force of her orgasm caused her body to tremble and shiver, and her fingers grabbed his hair so tightly that it was causing him a bit of discomfort from her pulling at it. Somehow both of their grips on the other seemed to amplify just how good they were feeling from their simultaneous end.

After what felt like ages to them, both of their holds slackened so that their hands were now simply resting, and Lysithea went limp in his arms, chin finding placement on his shoulder. One of his own arms wrapped snugly around the small of her back while the other went to stroke her hair, though mostly he was brushing the fabric of her lavender veil.

A mixture of their fluids seeped out of her and around his cock, pooling below where they remained joined, making her body twitch and shiver while she came down to recover once more. She spent even longer than before panting for air, her body feeling sore nearly all over from how much she strained to keep hold of him. Though her body was numb, she felt a happiness that she had never known before as a smile graced her tired face. She now knew what it was like to have sex with the person she loved, the kind of intimacy it brought that made her feel cherished and important by someone she trusted with all her heart. It was an experience she never once thought possible, but then there were many things that she withheld from herself that she was now free to do, and she was content that she finally was able to do the most special of those things with the man she loved.

Yet as the haze evaporated the rational part of her mind returned, her face shifted to a look of fear as it finally dawned on her on just what exactly they had done. She had given in to her baser desires that she put aside the consequences for doing so, and now they were coming back to haunt her. The joy was slipping away and being replaced with remorse as her eyes slightly opened only to look at the upholstery in sadness.

They were from different worlds, and at some point they would have to return to resume their lives. As much as she wanted him to come with her, to not lose him again, she knew all too well that there was little she could do on the matter. He was a king now, and he was responsible for leading the people of his Fódlan. She couldn't possibly ask him to abandon that role for her sake, and her heart ached at the thought of being separated from him again.

She was going to miss him all over again, and this too. The feeling of him inside her, how he held her in his lean arms, the taste of his lips, it would all come to an end after she left. It's why she had always held off on ever revealing her feelings to him, or any potential lover for that matter. She never wanted them to believe that there would be more out of their relationship, the guilt she would have felt from leading them on only to part ways whether she wanted to or not. And now that fear was becoming real as that very guilt came over her, tears welling in her eyes again knowing that this would never last.

"Lysithea?" she heard him whisper in concern, and that was when she realized he must have heard her sniffling. "Why are you crying?"

"We..." she uttered, not wanting to say it, but had to anyway. "We shouldn't have done that."

Byleth's flame shrank. "Do you... regret it?"

"No... but..." Her arms were shaking as what little strength that had returned faded away. She couldn't bear to look him in the eyes now, even though only a moment ago she couldn't get enough of them. "After this, we will have to go our own way again..."

"You mean... return to our worlds..." He felt her head barely dip to nod, and now their situation dawned on him and his brows knitted in dread. He had just been reunited with her, and now he was going to lose her all over again. The wounds of that agonizing time would open as he would once more mourn, only now it would be magnified by how close he had come only to be pulled away again. They both had responsibilities to their worlds; it only made sense that she would have to go back. If only there was some way she could come with him and...

That's when his brows furrowed and the flame alighted in his breast. It would not end like this, not again. He didn't let her situation discourage him once before, and he was not about to do it now. An idea came to mind as he went over their roles. He was king of his Fódlan, and thus had the duty to lead its people to a new dawn just as Claude had talked about. Lysithea however, was an adviser to her Edelgard and didn't have that same level of obligation as he did. He wondered if it were possible to convince her of this and have her join him when he returned to his world.

"You could come with me," he suggested.

Lysithea's eyes shot open at the offer as a flurry of emotions ran through her, a strange combination of happiness, alarm, confusion, but above all, disbelief. Was he really making that sort of suggestion? That she could just leave her world and enter a new Fódlan so easily? The amount of people... friends, she would be leaving behind, the progress she had made with helping her Fódlan to recover from the war, all for the sake for an act of selfishness. As much as she did love him, she could not just simply abandon all that.

Then there was the issue with his Fódlan. It would look the same, but the path it has taken would be different than hers. So much to learn about it, at least two friends of hers she knows would be dead given who they were, and many others that would have the same faces, but likely have different views with Edelgard having lost the war. Such a drastic change... it would be as though the hands of time would turn back to that first day at the Officers Academy and she would have to learn about her friends all over again.

"What?" Yet that was all she was able to reply with as her mind was still processing what he just said amongst the storm of questions raging in her mind.

"Come back to my Fódlan with me," he repeated.

She forced herself to adjust in her spot so that she could look at his face and see if he was serious, and it was that same expressionless one he was so well-known for, staring back into her eyes. She nearly sighed in frustration at it. Of course he was serious.

"Byleth. You do realize what your asking me to do. And that is a huge ask."

"You would be leaving behind the Fódlan you know and everyone in it."

She nearly flinched at how astute he was with that observation, as if he had read her mind. That made sense for him. He had once said that being so emotionally stunted most of his life amplified the logical part of his mind since they never got in the way of his thinking, a trait she partly wish she had at times.

"That's part of the truth," she replied, sounding defensive. "But it's not as simple as that. Learning how your Fódlan functions will be quite the challenge, and-"

"When has that ever stopped you?"

She gritted her teeth in response, but made no counter to his argument. He did have a point though, and she suppressed a smile to her face as she reminisced about how he always had the knack for challenging her thoughts. She missed that too.

"True, but there is more to it. Leaving all of my friends behind is not so easily done. I won't be able to see them again, or at least they won't be exactly how I know them now. What I mean is, everything I've ever known will have to change."

"You're scared."

Lysithea paused briefly as her mouth opened slightly upon the realization that that was ultimately how she felt about it. "...To sum it all up, yes."

"I would be there with you the whole time," he assured her, a smile etching itself on his face. "I can help ease the transition."

Lysithea blushed a little. "You... have made it much more difficult for me, I must admit. But how do you plan to explain to everyone how I suddenly came back to life?" One question that did perplex her was how that detail would work out. If the Lysithea of that Fódlan was dead, it would be quite alarming for her to suddenly be walking around as though nothing had ever happened.

"I..." he looked downwards sullenly, and she realized it was one of shame. "Never declared you were dead..."

"Byleth!" she exclaimed, shocked that he would neglect to do such a thing. It was so unlike him to willingly keep secrets. "That is wholly irresponsible of you! Not to mention incredibly selfish!"

He only looked at her quizzically. "You once told me that your original plan after the war was to live with your parents and fade away into obscurity. It sounded to me as if you never wanted your death to be known."

"That's...!" Her mouth was fully open now as she became aghast at him. That part was technically true, but she didn't expect someone to withhold that information. "Y-you're twisting my words!"

"You are right though," he admitted as he returned his gaze to her. "It was selfish. I never fully accepted what happened to you, and I kept news of your death hidden. I will admit that to you and anyone who asks because I want to be with you. To be my queen."

The storm in her mind halted instantly as her eyes widened, mouth returning to a less shocked state and just hanging open. "What... what did you say?"

Now it was his turn to blush, and her heart fluttered at the sight. "It's true. I planned to ask you to marry me once your Crests were removed. I... never got that chance... until now."

"Byleth... I..." It was a question that she had always wanted to hear him say, and much of her prior apprehension melted away, but not entirely. The conflict between her heart and her mind was still there, and now the ultimate challenge was in her sights. If she were queen, she could bring over what she had done from her world to his, and shape it to something similar to what Edelgard was doing. Not fully as she would need to know what Byleth had done since the war ended and accommodate for it, but to have Fódlan move away from Crests would be a good start.

Still, leaving her friends behind would be difficult, and she would for sure have to explain to Edelgard about it if she did decide to follow him. How would she take that news? Would she try to insist she stay, or would she encourage her to follow her own path? The latter seemed more plausible given who it was, but they were like sisters now and leaving her would be the toughest... second toughest thing to do.

And yet in the short time since being reunited she had fallen for Byleth all over again, her feelings awoken again, especially at the confirmation that he felt the same. He was gone and never going to come back in her world, and she always regretted never saying more to him. Now she had that chance, but it meant sacrificing everything she had come to know and love in her world to do it.

"I just... I don't know, Byleth," she answered, a rare thing for her to ever be unsure of something. It was all too much to handle in such a short amount of time. "I just don't know..."

Byleth didn't expect an answer right away, but he wondered what else there was for him to do. He couldn't make this decision for her, and he would have to accept whatever her answer was no matter how much it might hurt him in the end. He knew it was a big ask, but he wasn't ready to let her go. He just wished he knew some way to convince her to come with him, but he had no idea how. He had no experience with leaving one world to permanently settle in another... but he knew someone who did.

---

Oh yes, there will be a part two to this, though it will be more about the resolution of the plot than smut (there will be a little bit however). Not only has this been something I really wanted to do on its own, but I also wanted my two favorite pairings to finally meet each other, and Heroes fortunately allows me to do that xD.

Not sure when I'll get to doing part 2, but expect it at some point in the future.

Shameful advertising: there is a Bysithea discord if fans of the pairing out there wish to join! Come in and be with like-minded individuals as to why this pairing is so great, and say hi to other Bysithea fanfic writers like Hazeel, kenji1104, and others!
Link: /YGJCEFV