Claude and Byleth meeting after the 5 years gap, or Byleth being a little more all-over-the-place and not taking so lightly the fact she slept for five years straight. Budding fluffy feelings too.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

I want to know everything

Chapter 2 – The first reunion

Claude still remembered the night after Garreg Mach had fallen to the imperial army. How things had been going well as long as Byleth was giving them orders. How he'd tried keeping his teacher in his range, how she was taking too many risks. More risks than in any other fight.

"The professor's gone," Hilda had told him.

Ashe said he'd seen her fall down the cliff and that was all it took for Claude to order Hilda to ride down the cliff with him. Even if her wyvern was tired and even though their army needed to move out; Hilda had accepted in a heartbeat. No matter how much she'd complained about all the work, she was very fond of Byleth.

She was keeping her head straight, Claude forced to hold her pigtails to the side to see their descent. The cliff's edges were splattered with blood. The bottom was a river of corpses, either knights of Seiros or imperial soldiers. None of them moved. None of them called for help. And Claude was terrified to spot Byleth's clothes or hair among them.

Jumping off the wyvern to walk in the water and realizing it was deeper than he'd expected had been an impulsive decision. Hilda had screamed, he'd ended up screaming back and after a very dangerous maneuver, she'd pulled him out and knocked on his head twice, effectively snapping him back to his senses. They couldn't look for Byleth with just the two of them and her wyvern barely had the strength to fly back up to the rest of the class.

The class had broken down upon the news Byleth was lost. Leonie was particularly mad, and Marianne couldn't help a few tears, Lorenz actually stepping off his horse to embrace her as sobs followed. Claude had waited until everyone had left, hiding inside Garreg Mach for a few hours of dreadful silence. He'd walked back to the sacred grounds where he'd met with Byleth after the ball. He'd sat down on the ground, his bow held close, his quiver half-empty on his shoulder, his body getting cold while his heart ached.

Five years later, he was back in Garreg Mach, making his way through the ruins. His hope was fragile, but he held it tightly to his chest, knowing that while his former classmates might not show up, he would see Byleth if there was any chance she was still alive.

His Teach wasn't one to break a promise. As the day wore on, he was visited by the recurring thoughts he was chasing a fool's dream. Then he heard footsteps and instinctively reached for his bow, just in case it wasn't…

"Claude!"

His heart did something absolutely not good for his health at the sheer thought this could be a dream. He'd dreamed hearing his name in her voice, he was embarrassed to acknowledge the thought. Pushing that aside, he whipped around, his eyes widening for a few seconds. She was just like he'd remembered. Maybe her clothes were a little frayed at the edges. They were the same clothes. Her hair seemed to be damp, not a millimetre longer and her shoulders were shivering, but there she was, going up the steps, her legs growing surer now that she'd seen him.

"Teach!"

He walked up to her, fighting against the sudden need to hold her. Instead, he offered her his hands, which she took, her grip strong, almost desperate. Her eyes took him in, with the beard, the way his shoulders had grown fuller…

"It's really been five years…" she muttered.

Her eyes were misty, and then she was taking another step, her arms moving up his to wind around him. Claude couldn't help the reflex to step back, somehow stilling himself. He didn't want to treat her as something threatening. Not Byleth. From this close, he realized she was shaking.

"H…hey," he managed. "Where have you been?"

He couldn't remember ever seeing her shaking or a time when she'd hid her face against his chest like this. He wanted to breathe her in and hold her even closer, but that was all because of the time apart, of longing for the knowledge she was alive. This couldn't be anything more than this, could it?

"I woke up today. It seems I've slept for the past… five years."

Her voice was steady, but her frame still trembled, and Claude could only imagine how it would feel to wake up after such a long time; and realize what had been missed.

"How did you even…?"

Byleth gasped, a tiny, pained sound and he forgot any restraint, hugging her fully. She wouldn't lie. She never lied. She'd let him look into secrets she didn't want under any light, she'd given him her trust over the months spent together, even though he was a sneaky brat and now… She seemed small in his arms and while he'd always been a good head taller than her, it suddenly felt real.

"Are you hurt? We tried looking for you, but…"

"No, no, I'm sorry. I'll get myself together, you must think I'm fake or something."

Her hands pushed against his chest, her eyes frowning at the colorful fabric wrapped around his waist

"Don't like the changes?" he tried teasing.

She blinked at him, trying to shake her head the negative but freezing mid way, her breathing coming out rough as her shoulders shook even more.

"Teach?! Teach, stay with me, okay?" he asked her, grabbing her shoulders and flinching as she jumped in freight.

"I'm here," she whispered to herself. "I'm here but I don't understand how it happened."

Her voice sounded shrill, which had him wonder just how fresh her memories from the battle at Garrech Mach were.

"Teach…"

"Byleth. It's Byleth," she sounded like she was pleading. "I'm fine, I'm just… Why would I need five years? How could I sleep five years?!"

Claude tried hugging her, but she resisted, as though stepping closer and losing sight of his face would be worse than standing where she was, shaking like a leaf.

"Byleth," he tried, wondering why the name felt so foreign on his tongue. He'd thought it over a thousand times in the past five years. "How about we sit down for a bit?"

"Aren't the others going to show? I shouldn't be in this state. I…"

This time, when he pulled her close, she followed the tug of his arms, leaning into him, her elbows poking at his chest as she raised both hands to hold her head.

"You rushed here… Even though you had to be so confused."

"I needed to see a familiar face."

"I'm here. This is… unbelievable, but… It's great to see you again."

Other words wanted to come out but he held them back. Longing certainly had him mixing things up. He'd missed her. He'd been worried and had tried to convince himself it was just her value he missed. She could help him make his dreams come true. She made every one of his plans work smoothly, she was like a war goddess and she'd picked him and he knew the Golden Deer house wouldn't have gotten as far without Byleth leading them. But deep down, he knew. When had he ever felt this protective while holding someone close to him? Was it because she'd never shown him weakness outside of the time she'd cried over her father's brutal death?

"I'm… I'm glad I woke up in time for this promise," she confessed.

Her voice sounded steadier, but something was still missing, Claude stopping himself mid-way as he'd lifted his free hand to pat her head. He couldn't do that to his former teacher, could he? She sensed his hesitation, pulling back enough to look around and see his raised hand. Her trembling was finally gone, her exhaustion showing, despite the light smile lighting up her face.

"You're aiming to comfort me?" she understood.

Claude wondered if the flush he felt in his cheeks was showing. When she named things like that, it made him feel even more self-conscious and he still needed to process the idea she'd been sleeping for five years, the idea she was looking at him with only memories of his teenage self. He wanted to sound cool, he wanted to reassure her, he wanted to keep the old feelings he'd deemed wishful thinking at bay. He needed her help. He barely understood her back then and now he knew she could sleep for years without aging, without thinning, he knew she had no heartbeat. Was she even human? She had absorbed a goddess and a part of him still missed the dark color of her hair. He had her eyes at least.

"Claude?" Byleth insisted.

His hand touched her hair, cupping the back of her head, his pinky brushing against her ear.

"Is this okay?" he asked her, mentally berating himself for being this vague when she was already clearly lost and confused.

"What is?"

Too many options, this was starting to feel dangerous, his heart was aching again, and he wanted to keep it quiet.

"Me comforting you?"

Way to go and be subtle man! He chided himself.

Byleth's hand reached for his wrist, guiding his hand across her ear, past her hair, till he was touching her cheek and cupping her jaw. Now he was regretting his gloves, even though it kept her from realizing how rough his fingers were from pulling on his bowstring and training with swords.

"No one has touched me in five years," she stated, her voice calm and neutral while her eyes closed for the shortest time.

Don't mess with me teach, I'm not a child anymore, he wanted to warn her.

But that was childish, so instead he tugged on her chin, raising her head lightly, fighting back the shock of seeing her following the gesture. He bit his tongue as he saw how pale and worn her face was. She'd been sleeping, but it couldn't have been restful and while her hand on his wrist felt strong, he could tell a toll had been paid for all of this time. Had she hit her head when she fell? Had the goddess inside her made it possible for her body to heal itself at the price of her consciousness?

He needed answers, he always felt too ignorant for his own good, he would look everywhere he could to find them, but right now…

"You must be hungry after all this time," he managed, Byleth blinking her eyes open, a strange, unfamiliar light sparkling in her dark irises and fading back as quickly as it had happened.

Her lips pinched hard together, he could see how dry they were now. And yet a part of him thought about how it would feel to kiss those lips. Right here, right now.

Who's hungry for what, huh?

Byleth gently pushed his hand away, stepping back between his arms, pressing her forehead against his chest.

"I am now, but I wasn't… I don't think food should be wasted on me."

"Don't be ridiculous! You're shaking again!"

He cared and his voice was carrying it over to her, he didn't like how open he felt. How his arms felt, filled with a presence, her presence. If she was to step away now, he would feel so empty and that was new, he didn't need this kind of attachment, not now, not until they had…

"I'm sorry," Byleth said, her frame stilling.

"What are you even…? If I want you to eat up, you should… We haven't had tea and scones in forever."

Regret was pouring out now, but thankfully, Byleth was struggling to keep all of her own emotions in check and decided to ignore his or didn't notice.

"Tea?" she repeated. "Can we have warm tea?"

His throat clenched at the notion she had had nothing warm in five years.

"Yeah. I just need my hands for a couple minutes," he said, his teasing tone tentative.

"But you're warm," she protested.

Claude's words drowned down to silence as he hugged her as close as he dared, overwhelmed and knowing she was beyond that emotion. Any thoughts of using her, every drafted plan was forgotten. He wanted her to feel safe. He wanted her warm and content and was realizing how he'd never worried about that before.

"I'll start a fire. The food I have with me is rations but we can have tea," he told her.

He didn't like the impression he was prying her off of him, since she'd never been needy. She'd never asked for anything before. Claude made a point of taking off his black cape to wrap it around her shoulders, ignoring her brief fussing to focus on preparing them both food and tea. When he looked back at her from over the metal cups he was heating up and realized she'd pulled the cape closer to her, he felt his heart doing a little jump. It was silly. And maybe he needed to have himself examined by a doctor.

"It's almost ready."

She acknowledged him with a nod, blinking away her thoughtful haze.

"Can you tell me about the others? I must have missed a lot."

"I only know bits and pieces, but it's still early. You might be able to hear the news directly from them."

"That'd be lovely."

There was no regret on her voice, but Claude could almost taste it in the heaviness surrounding her. He gave her a plate of pickled meat and stale bread , setting the metal cup next to her with a cloth to hold it since it was still burning hot. Then he sat down by her side, keeping a respectful distance, raising a brow as she motioned for him to shuffle closer.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm not. I want to say that hearing you voicing needs is a nice change, but I don't appreciate the circumstances bringing this change."

"A nice change?" she repeated. "What did that wicked mind of yours picture?"

The once-over she gave him had Claude gulping nervously despite how confident he wanted to look in front of her.

"You've helped me and the rest of the class a great deal, it's just normal that I'd like to repay you a little. So… you name it. What would you like?"

She pondered his offer for a long moment, holding her chin in that adorable way he remembered.

"We're going to need a new promise," she declared. "Preferably with less years involved," she added with a sad, forced laugh.

"Teach…"

"Sappiness doesn't suit you and it's not what I'm looking for," she told him. "I'm not your professor anymore. Tell me, I've seen one run-down village so far, but how is the situation with… the empire?"

"It's pretty bad to be honest. The Alliance is not working cohesively, and it has been everyone for themselves. Eldegard is ruthless and has been expanding her territory steadily over the years."

"Has Dimitri been any help?"

"For all we know, he's been killed in the first year after you disappeared. Although I highly doubt that."

Byleth ran one hand through her hair, sensing a headache coming. She could imagine how many innocents had been killed for this quest of grandeur Eldegard was running after.

"The empire is in the way of your dreams, isn't it?"

Claude blinked at her, surprised she would bring up something that dated back from so long ago. But then again, his wish had been made mere weeks ago for her.

"Doesn't mean I've given up yet," he said.

Byleth smiled at him.

"I think I'd like to watch over you until you get there."

"That's not fair. I was going to ask for your help and you beat me to the punch!"

He laughed despite being truly put off by how naturally she offered her services to him. How she said she'd watch over him, as though he needed supervision. Pushing aside the childish susceptibility, he focused on the fact she was willing to stay by his side.

"One thing that doesn't work here though is the fact I wanted to do something for you."

Byleth shook her head at him, almost imperceptibly.

"It's a kind offer, but I can't think of anything right now."

"Really?" he insisted, playfully raising his brows at her.

"Seems that if I let you guess and try out things, I'll be far more rewarded," she observed.

And it sounds like I won't get a way to win here, he mentally sighed.

"Have we spent too much time together? It sounds like I've rubbed off on you," he teased her.

"No such thing as too much time. Come here."

He shuffled a few inches closer, curious but still hesitant, barely holding back a gasp as Byleth erased the rest of the distance so she could lean against his shoulder.

"I need to be clingy today. To make sure… Since it's just for today, it's not greedy to hold off asking you something until I can figure out something really worth the offer, is it?"

"It's fine. And I won't limit you to one offer. I owe you a lot," he admitted, taking his gloves off while being careful about not moving the side on which she was leaning.

Being arm to arm and feeling the weight of her against his shoulder was something new. Had it even happened once around the campfire, when they were out on a mission? He remembered Byleth always keeping a safe distance, even more when her other students were around. Now that distance was gone and despite his reserve, Claude followed his instinct, taking her hand. A quick glance at her face told him she wasn't even phased by it, but he knew he couldn't trust the usual tell-signs when around Byleth. Today had been the most emotion he'd seen from her so far, and she had good reasons for it.

"Seems your hands have grown larger," she stated. She laced her fingers with his before he could take his hand back, Claude wondering what she was thinking.

"Yours's soft."

Glancing at her, he saw the frown on her brow, digging deep.

"My hands were never soft."

Of course, she'd resent something like that. She was a warrior through and through.

"I bet they won't stay that way for long. You still have your sword…" he observed, mentally chiding himself for taking note of the weapon at the same time he'd noticed her.

Like the Sword of the Creator mattered more than his Teach did.

"I can't be entirely useless…"

"Come on teach, if you keep moping around like this, I'll have to find some scones, and I doubt they'll be edible."

She chuckled at that, although weakly, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Wonder how far you'd have to dig."

A rumbling noise had her jumping by his side, Claude holding her instinctively, only to have her push his arm away to get to her feet.

"Byleth, this is nothing to worry about, it's just my wyvern!"

"You're what? I thought only Hilda had…"

But time had passed. And she had a lot of catching up to do.

"I'll introduce you, Teach."

The rumbling turned into a screech and Claude ran one hand through his hair.

"This might be more than just my wyvern," he admitted.

They quickly realized Garrech Mach was raided by bandits.

"Guess it's time for me to confirm whether I'm fit for a fight or not," she declared, sounding quite sure of herself.

Claude wanted to object, but the light shining in her eyes reminded him of the old Byleth.

"Want to hitch a ride?" he offered.

She took his hand without hesitation. And with that moment, both of them knew things would be right once more.

To be continued…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

I'll keep the one-shots coming 😊