Chapter Text
“We should have a girl’s night!” Hilda exclaimed, slapping her hands down on her desk.
“Miss Goneril, we are in the middle of a lesson. Please limit your after-school activities to after-school.” Seteth pinched the bridge of his nose, now having to pause his lecture about ballistae and their tactical uses for the third time.
“Sorry Professor Seteth, but I was just thinking about how yesterday Byleth told me that she had never had a sleepover before, and I thought, why don’t we just have one here?” Hilda sat back, looking rather pleased with herself at having come to this solution.
“What is a sleepover?” Flayn raised her hand and turned around in her seat in the front row.
“Flayn!” Seteth gasped with a look of betrayal. “Do not encourage her.”
“A sleepover is when you stay overnight at a friends house and do each other’s hair and makeup, play games and stay up all night talking! It’s loads of fun- oh, you can come too! It can be all of us Golden Deer girls, and maybe some girls from the other houses would like to come too. I’ll start a list going…” Hilda bent over her ‘notes’ and began a checklist for the event.
“Oh how wonderful! I would definitely like to participate in this ‘girl’s night’.” Flayn absolutely beamed at the idea of spending a night with all her new classmates. The sight softened Seteth just a little, and his face settled into a gentle scowl.
“Yes well, please continue this little tangent AFTER class. Right now I need you all to pay attention, as this knowledge is invaluable and could change the tides of any battle. As I was saying…”
“So Byleth!” Hilda sat down on the bench across from Byleth and Claude where they were sitting at their usual table in the Dining Hall. “I was thinking we could plan to have the sleepover tonight at-“
“By is helping me study for certifications tonight.” Claude interrupted, looking at Hilda with a completely neutral expression, or at least he tried to, but failed to hide the mischievous glint in his eyes. She spared an annoyed look at him before ploughing ahead.
“Ooookay, then tomorrow night we can-“
“Nope. Tomorrow night we’re going to the library to check out every book we can on astronomy for an upcoming mission.” Hilda raised one eyebrow at him, wanting to ask if he’d booked her time all the way up to the wedding, but decided that wasn’t fair to Byleth. Claude took another bite of the stew in front of him, barely keeping the grin off his face.
“Friday then.” She said simply, waiting for any other excuses Claude might think up. She could see the gears turning in his head, but when he turned to look at Byleth he froze under her keen stare.
“What?” he said innocently, giving her his best puppy eyes and full attention.
“I’m waiting for any other plans I have I don’t know about. You seem to be keeping me very busy.” She deadpanned, causing him to recoil a bit with a sheepish look on his face and his hand behind his head. Hilda’s cheeks puffed and her eyes widened as she held in her laugh across the table, but Claude quickly recovered and leaned forward into Byleth's space. “You want me to keep you busy Teach? ‘Cuz I’ll take up as much of your time as you’ll give me.” At Claude’s punctuating smirk Byleth grabbed his shoulder and pushed him as far away as her arm could reach while turning back to Hilda. “Friday is perfect.”
“Yay! I’ll get to work planning everything, you just show up to my room Friday evening ok?”
“I’ll be there. Excuse me, I told my father I’d meet him after lunch in his office.” Byleth swung her legs over the bench and Claude watched her retreat with a pout and a mild sense of dread.
“So when are you planning to propose?”
“Hildaaa.” Claude whined, lowering his head to the table with a thud.
“Well I was just wondering, since you seem to have a lot of plans when it comes to Byleth.”
“It’s not what you think.” It was exactly what Hilda thought, but Claude wasn’t ready for anyone, himself included, to realize it yet. Despite being closest to his heart, there was still a lot he and Byleth didn’t know about each other, didn’t know about themselves. He was still trying to sort out his own feelings and intentions, and it was hard enough to stay behind the line of ‘best friends’ he’d drawn in front of himself when he found himself on the other side of her teasing. Not to mention he’d been witness to some of her rejections already, and they had been considerably brutal. Partially because Claude could sympathize, but partially because Byleth could be rather cold.
“Claude, this is much needed girl time that Byleth has never had before, and you can’t expect to monopolize her forever. Not to mention that if your current plan is to hide your incredibly obvious feelings by being super clingy and openly flirting with her, you may need to come up with a better scheme.”
“I wasn’t- “Claude’s voice cracked, so he cleared his throat and closed his eyes. Get it together, Claude. “I was just teasing her, like I always do. Anyway, as you know I’m pretty practiced at braiding hair, so I’ll be seeing you on Friday.”
“No I will not.”
“I’ll do your assignments for a month.”
“Not a chance Claude.”
The next day, Claude had a plan. He sought out Marianne in the stables, intent on finding a way into this sleepover. If he could talk anyone into letting him in, it was probably her.
“Hey hey Marianne! Need any help? You and Dorte are both looking radiant today, might I add.”
“Oh! H-hi Claude. No need to trouble yourself, I’m just brushing Dorte off after our ride earlier today.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Claude pulled a ribbon and some sugar cubes out of his pocket and began feeding Dorte the cubes. After they’d all disappeared from his hand, he got to work braiding the ribbon through the horse’s mane. He and Marianne worked in comfortable silence for awhile before Claude decided to make his plea. No time like the present.
“So! Marianne! I hear Hilda is planning that big get together for Friday.” Marianne froze, glancing in his direction but keeping her eyes on Dorte. “Would you like an escort? It’s not a real Golden Deer party if the beloved class leader isn’t there, am I right?” He finished with a laugh and a wink, hoping Marianne would take pity on him, but now she was just looking at him with surprise.
“Actually Claude, Hilda went around and told all the girls that no boys were to be allowed in under any circumstances. It was a good try though. I’m sure Byleth appreciates the effort.”
Claude blinked. Damn. Hilda is good; there goes any chance I had of getting in. He decides to ignore the last part about Byleth, chalking it up to Hilda putting ideas in Marianne’s head. Claude couldn’t stop his disappointment from showing on his face as he started to slowly back away. “Ah well. Thanks for telling me Marianne. I’ll get out of your and Dorte’s hair now.” As he started his trek back to the dorms, Marianne picked up the braided section of Dorte’s mane and admired the golden ribbon woven through it. Hmm… she thought. I wonder if Byleth has noticed this recent change in Claude.
That night, Claude and Byleth sat in the training yard, 20+ star charts and maps littering the ground around them. Claude lay on his stomach, tracing constellations over their next mission’s route while Byleth sat in front of him with her legs criss-crossed, checking off items on a clipboard. He licked his lips and looked up nervously at his friend. This isn’t going to work, but maybe I’ll at least get a fun reaction out of it.
“Hey By? Can I come to the sleepover on Friday?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not a girl.”
“Hmph.” Claude puffed out his cheeks and rolled over to be flat on his back, staring at the stars overhead. “I can braid hair and trade secrets too. Last month Hilda called me best girl.” He grumbled almost unintelligibly and Byleth regarded her friend with a warm curiosity. She leaned over him, blocking his view of the sky and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Claude, why do you want to attend our girl’s night so badly?”
His lips parted and his eyes widened as his entire field of vision narrowed down to this one girl; her teal hair backlit by starlight and fallen to curtain around his face while he fell into her violet eyes, almost in a trance. Any train of thought he might’ve entertained had just rolled off it’s tracks, over a cliff and met an explosive demise. Woah. Wait, what did she ask me?
Byleth looked down at his dumbstruck face with a bit of confusion. Did he not hear me?
“Claude?” she asked again, only to watch his dumb expression morph into panic just before he rapidly moved to sit up, only for their foreheads to collide with a resounding smack. Both parties yelped and backed away from each other, clutching their heads. “Really?!” Byleth somehow managed a look of both annoyance and concern, and Claude immediately felt guilt on top of his physical pain.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, what were you asking me?”
“I asked why you want to come to the sleepover so badly.”
He sighed, hugging his knees to his chest and looking everywhere but back at her. “I just- well I don’t want to miss out. The girls are going to get you all dolled up and have you laughing and smiling and having a generally great time and I won’t get to see any of it, much less participate. I just want to be a part of it too.” He shrugged, his gaze laser-focused on the ground and his face contorted into yet another pout.
She wasn’t expecting such a serious answer from him, and so she took a minute to contemplate his complaint and figure out how it made her feel. It was a strange mix of guilt, appreciation and… something Byleth didn’t know how to place. It was strange to hear someone so openly lament missing her company, yet in light of Claude’s yearning she felt happy. This must be what two close friends feel when they spend time apart, she thought.
So Byleth walked on her knees over to Claude and sat directly next to him, so close that their sides were pressed together and she mirrored his position, pulling her knees to her chest. They both kept their gazes pointed ahead and Byleth decided what she needed to say. The truth Claude deserved to hear.
“Claude.”
“Hm.”
“I appreciate you.”
Claude’s blush was instant, but he refused to turn his head, feeling that if he looked at Byleth, she would see what a mess he was over one tiny acknowledgement and an awkward conversation would ensue. His compromise was a quiet laugh.
“Well… I'm glad someone does.”