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“What the-? That’s not how that works!”
Byleth brought the blanket up to her face, muffling her laughter. Claude’s hand made an angry pointing motion at the screen before dropping back to rest on Byleth’s hip. She shifted her legs, and he unconsciously responded, trapping one of her limbs between his own. She loved this, when his attention was focused on something else, but he still subconsciously touched her with such tenderness and care.
Claude sank back down on the couch behind her, his head propped up on a pillow so he could keep watching the movie. He continued to mutter away, annoyed at the film’s entire concept. Byleth had known it would annoy him, but she loved seeing him get passionate like this.
“Oh come on!” Claude shouted, turning his head so he did not yell directly in her ear. “Byleth! Do you see this shit? How do these people call themselves scientists?”
“Well, I think because they went to school for it,” Byleth answered, smirking at the huff that was her response.
“No, absolutely not. They would learn that that is not how a star works!” Claude snuggled back down again, closer to her. He pressed his cheek against Byleth’s. She could feel the pout in him throughout his entire body.
Byleth turned her head, brushing her lips against Claude’s chin. His beard scratched against her lips, and she loved the tingle it left on her skin. “You’re so cute when you’re annoyed. Your face gets this little pout.”
She felt Claude freeze against her, watched as his face went beat red right up to the tips of his ears. When he finally did start moving a moment later he ducked his face into his hoodie and hid behind her, pressing his forehead against the back of her neck. “Byleth~” he whined.
Byleth pressed the blanket to her face again. She could feel the heat of his skin against her own. With a gentle move, she placed her hand over his that was still resting on her hip. “I’m sorry, my love, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t,” he tried to assure her, although his voice was rather muffled and hard to make out as he snuggled closer against her. She knew what reaction she would get when she called him ‘my love.’ “You’re just so cute when you do stuff like that.”
Byleth was grateful that he could not see her own face flush. They complimented each other all the time, told each other how much they loved one another, but there was something about intimate moments like this that made it all settle more heavily against her.
She loved it.
She loved him, so very much.
“Claude, when the movie is over do you want to go stargazing? You can tell me all about how stars actually work.”
Claude gave a brief laugh, finally uncurling from his turtle hunch and kissing her cheek. “I’m pretty sure I’ve talked your ear off about stars by this point.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t like to hear about them still,” Byleth pointed out.
There was a beat of silence, comfortable and warm, his breath brushing over the shell of her ear. “How did I ever get lucky enough to have you in my life?”
“I love you too,” Byleth whispered. “Now watch the movie. I think somehow the solution to their problem is to blow up a star.”
“For the love of-!”