The scent of cooked poultry wafted in the breeze through open windows. Fluorescent lights were cast on the pale stone walls inside of the monastery. Clinks of plates being served and a chorus of laughter were evident, making you shuffle anxiously on the balcony to remain undetected. Their sounds served as your only companion on this lonely night. You didn't mind, as their joy was a stark contrast to that of what happened earlier this morning. A part of you physically cringed at the thought, so you shake your head and heaved a sigh to forget.
You laid on the balcony's ledge, since it was thick enough for you to rest your whole body. Back pressed against the wall and legs straddling the sides, you gazed up at the inky abyss of the night sky — the stars shone brightly. Your life was always in a constant state of too much work and stress that something as simple as looking at the sky made you look in awe. It was simply breathtaking.
The noise in the monastery caught your attention, and you found yourself drooling at the aroma of the feast. You battered your brain, telling yourself not to get enticed by it. Instead, you began to focus on the speech that was being given by the host — Claude.
"We almost lost someone important to us today. Someone we admire very much. As house leader, I want to make sure stuff like that never happens again."
His voice boomed, a sound you loved to listen to, especially on nights like these. You let your eyes droop, staring blankly at the dark forest ahead of you. Crickets quietly chirped unlike other nights, perhaps they were polite enough to let Claude finish before they could start a performance of their own.
"They're not with us tonight, for obvious reasons."
You heard a small wave of murmurs, voicing concern over your disappearance. Though you had not attached yourself to the rest of the house members, they still sounded worried over your well-being. You cracked a smile, figuring that Claude had helped instill a sense of compassion onto them.
He continued, "As we hope for their speedy recovery, let us celebrate a battle that we have won in their stead. For _____!"
Claude raised to toast, and his declaration were followed by chants of your name echoing inside the walls.
You couldn't help but feel your cheeks flush red at the thought of Claude honoring you. If it weren't for him and Mr. Byleth, surely you wouldn't have seen him again.
____________
It was the brink of dawn that brought you to your feet. Months in the academy and your body had already alarmed itself to wake up thirty minutes before training started. Though, you would've wanted to savor those extra minutes in bed instead.
You've put on your uniform in haste, not really carrying to properly tidy yourself by buttoning only some buttons and styling your hair in a simple fashion. The only part that mattered were your thigh holsters and boots, two of your popular places to keep your daggers. You were self-trained in the combat of flanking and staying hidden, since your family didn't really want to teach you to fight. You've also piqued an interest in having your own horse for combat purposes, but that was something that required an extensive amount of training, which you lacked.
A knock intruded your thoughts, forcing you to avert your attention from the mirror to the door. Your dorm was quite a mess, clutter of homework piled in places one wouldn't suspect. Because of this, you only opened your door a slight amount, as for the person to not get too nosy.
It was Claude.
He stood there with regal posture, a hand on his hip wearing a contagious smile. His eyes gleamed so bright that you wondered if they could ever be dull.
"Hey, ______. You ready? Let's have some fun today." He greets you with a warm look, and you couldn't help but feel anxious gnaws at the pit of your stomach.
You couldn't stop staring at the perfect brown locks of his hair, even though it's a bit unkempt. His charisma practically lured you closer to him, and you didn't mind it one bit. "At your service." You respond.
His smile never faltered. Folding his arms to the back of his neck, he makes direct eye contact. "Say, we talk like this a lot but we've barely been on the same battlefield. What do you think? I kinda miss it when we were paired up." He emits a low chuckle, "You. Me. We work well together. I don't think Teach would mind."
You smile at his offer, feeling the bond between you two grow stronger.
____________
"I knew you'd be out here."
You hadn't realized that you were beginning to doze off. The familiar presence of Claude sparked adrenaline in your veins, blood rushing mostly to your face. Your rubbed your eyes, fluttering your eyelids to dispel the drowsiness. "Claude… don't scare me like that." You emit a light-hearted giggle, but when you looked to see his face, his lips were etched in a thin line.
He held a plate of leftover food from the feast, still having a sense of warmth fresh out of the oven. Looking as you placed your delicate hands on your stomach, he cast the plate aside and heaved to sit next to you. Concern settled in his eyes, gazing over your stomach area. Yet, he suddenly shakes his head and adorns a grin instead. "I didn't mean to scare you, just wanted to check if you're doing alright." He says in a slightly defensive tone, but he meant well. From the time you've been with him, he had voiced nothing but friendly banter to you.
"I'll admit, this kinda sucks. If I eat food now, I feel like I'll throw it up." You sighed. As if on cue, your stomach roars from not being fed all day. Except for when you sipped a glass of warm milk in the morning — obviously, it didn't suffice.
Claude's fingers reached towards your stomach, gently lifting the hem of your shirt. Your breath hitched at his warm touch. You trust him.
You felt his thumb in particular rub the dried, bloody gauze that covered the wound. He took gentle care of trying to not press into it, since he felt your stomach tense and your uneven breathing. Such an injury would leave a scar, for sure.
"You'll be fine, _____. You're strong — there's no way you'd die like this." Claude comforts you, but based on his expression, you can tell he had a hard time accepting his own words. The small drip of sweat that rolled down his face didn't go unnoticed.
____________
Ah, the Blue Lions.
You found that sparring with them made you feel much more comfortable than with the Black Eagles, whom unnerves you just by even thinking about them.
Fortunately, Professor Byleth had allowed you and Claude to pair up, as he also agreed that your teamwork was something he wanted to witness again.
Claude's horse strutted to your side, giving you a flick of its ear in acknowledgement. Claude looks down on you with a wide grin, excitement glowing in his eyes. "We got this, _____. Let's win." He encouraged you and raised his arm, signaling for an attack.
You two fought against the paired up Dimitri and Mercedes, both adorning a look of intense concentration. Since this was just a sparring session, all of you had a rather dull, non-powerful weapon. In Dimitri's case, it was a wooden spear.
The objective was to disarm the enemy's weapon.
Mercedes targeted Claude, a blast from her staff nearly knocked his bow. Before she could continue, you quickly threw your pointed daggers -- which are made of wood — and broke her staff in half.
As she cried out in distress, Dimitri charged with newfound adrenaline, lance aimed at you.
"Watch out!" Claude warns from behind, launching dull arrows at Dimitri to make him stumble. He did, but not the way he expected. His horse skidded too close to your side before Dimitri could retract his weapon. You felt the spear plunge into your appendix, nearly lifting you from your feet.
It was as if time stopped, because it felt like forever until you hit the blades of grass beneath you. You lay on your back with your arms to the side, eyes wide in shock. You couldn't process it.
"Dimitri, what did you do?!" You hear Claude yell, and everyone around him was shocked at his menacing tone.
Your head unconsciously swayed to the side, letting you see Professor Byleth approach you. He and Claude lifted you onto his horse, though you barely felt their fingers on you at all.
Dimitri stood there, stunned and mortified at what he caused. Mercedes frowned and rested a hand on his shoulder, watching you get whisked away to the infirmary.
____________
"I thought I was going to lose you. I'll admit it. I was scared, ______." Claude's voice snaps you back to reality, his fingers now laced with yours.
"I didn't know you cared so much." You teased, remembering how sometimes you would fall victim to his concoctions by accident, though they've never resulted in physical harm.
His hand felt warm, and you hoped you would stay like this forever. Your face blushed a bright red when he swept your bangs. His fingers held a type of movement and warmth that entranced you to let him keep going. His face was now mere inches from yours, and you could see the beautiful green eyes you fell in love with.
"I thought I made it obvious. I guess I have to be blunt." Claude's lips grazed yours for a moment, before pressing them into a gentle kiss that grew stronger each second. He cupped your cheeks with smooth hands, bringing you closer to taste every inch of you.
Your fingers locked with the back of his neck, raking through his dark hair as he continued to kiss without pause. After a few seconds, he parted with a small moan coming from your lips. The both of you were out of breath, giving each other a cheeky smile. "I guess I can say the feeling is mutual, sir Riegan." You gave him a fast wink, making him feel giddy.
"You're so fascinating, ______. There's still much I want to learn about you." He enveloped you in his arms, bringing you closer.
"Some areas are off limits." You mused.
"Guess I'll just have to find my way in." He smirks, sending you a wink of his own.
You gave a small chuckle, as to not upset your injury, "Maybe another day."
The two of you sat there, silent, watching the stars above you shine with such brilliance. His arms protected you from the cold breeze of the night, and you rested your head on his chest. He pecks a gentle kiss on the top of your head, before placing his chin on it. This was definitely a night to remember.