Chapter Text
“How are you feeling?”
Byleth looked up from the fire, blinking. Seteth stood on the other side of the hearth, and she turned to find that the rest of the war room was now empty. For a moment a fierce feeling of panic clenched in her gut and then she focused on the sound of the distant voices in the hall. Time had slipped again.
“Ask me again later?” The joke came out more cynical than she’d intended and not for the first time she despaired her inability to mimic Claude’s flippant tone.
“I suppose that is to be expected. I could leave you alone, if you wish,” Seteth’s voice was gentle.
“No,” Byleth said quickly. She forced her hands to relax, “No. I don’t want to be alone.”
For the first time since he’d pledged the full force of the Knights of Seiros to her - not to the Alliance, not to the war, not to finding Rhea - to her, she looked Seteth in the eye. He stood stiffly, hands clasped behind his back, looking exactly as he had when she’d seen him a day ago. Five years ago. The force which had so powerfully gripped her by the throat returned, but they were alone and she could not hide herself amidst strategic proceedings.
“No, of course not,” Seteth closed the few steps between them, and then stopped. Overwhelmed, she turned back to the flames and felt his hand on her arm. She felt a sudden irrational surge of anger followed quickly by a sense of guilt that only increased as she read the expression on his face. He let his hand fall back to his side, “I had thought it would be easier if some things were left unsaid.”
“Was it?” Byleth’s voice cracked.
“No,” The answer was sharp, regretful, “It was no easier.”
She wanted very painfully to hold him, but she stood on the edge of something new - hope built upon uncertainty. Sothis had transformed her. Garreg Mach had transformed her - so that she had gained an appreciation for all of the things that had never concerned her - among them a home and a group of people she loved so dearly that it sometimes hurt. With that had come the possibility of loss, and lost it she had. Only the will and power of a goddess had brought it back to her, and it was not quite the same. It would never be quite the same again.
“Why does it hurt?” Byleth asked, “To love things?”
“A difficult question,” Seteth’s jaw tightened for a moment, then he gave her a rueful smile, “It would take a wiser man than I to give you an answer.”
“Life was easier when I cared for very little,” She mused, and reached down to take his hand. He inhaled deeply as she held it between them, running her thumbs across his knuckles, over the faint scars just visible in the firelight, “I wouldn’t go back.”
“That is good,” Seteth murmured with his exhale, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. “I spent a long time searching for you and I do not want to lose you again.”
“When I saw the monastery empty, I thought-“ A lump in Byleth’s throat prevented her from continuing. She raised his hand, pressed a light kiss against it.
“I am here,” Seteth cupped her cheek with his free hand, “And I will go anywhere you ask of me, whatever comes.”
“Stay here,” Byleth commanded softly, pulling him close, holding his hand tightly to her chest.
“As you wish.”
Byleth had never really appreciated kissing in the halting experience of her affection. She preferred the tactile sensation of skin on skin, strong and dextrous hands tasked to gentle exploration. There was something quite overwhelming and vulnerable in the act, but when she kissed Seteth it was at the urging of her own desire. His response was almost chaste in its reserve, but he made a low noise when she bit his lip, running his fingers through her hair. The cut of his robes baffled her desire for touch, but when her nails scraped gently down through his scalp, her fingertips once again skimming just above his collar, Seteth shivered, exhaling sharply into her mouth before he pulled away.
“What?” She felt a low spark at the sight of open desire on his face. As she watched it disappeared under the strength of his effort, throat cleared, lips pressed together so tightly he almost frowned. There was, to her delight, nothing he could do about his eyes, except to look away from her to the expanse of the empty room.
“This is hardly the place-“ Seteth’s voice was low, stripped of its usual composure. He paused to take a breath before he faced her again, thumb rubbing circles on the back of her hand, “It has been a long day,” He said finally, “I think we should both get some rest.” Byleth was not disposed to agree, but she rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh.
“When I wake up, will you be here?” She paused, feeling him wrap his arms around her, “Will you all still be here?”
“You have my word.”