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The nearly-full moon hanging in the cloudless sky illuminated the world from on high. It reflected in the rippling waters below, filling the dark swirling void with a soft glow. There was a light breeze, enough to carry with it a slight chill in the air, despite the fact that summer was on the horizon. The atmosphere was fresh and alive, much unlike the stagnant winter that had come and gone yet again. The earth was damp with dew, and smelled of new life as green grass sprouted forth after a long, dreary stretch of the coldest months.
The calm waters of the pond lapped gently against the stone boundaries of the reservoir, which coupled with the rustling of leaves in the trees overhead, would be enough to lull anyone to sleep. Even so, there stood a figure at the edge of the small body of water, gazing into its depths intently. She seemed immune to the peaceful charm of the night, as she stood transfixed at the edge of the fishing pond.
A few fish occasionally swam close enough to the surface for her to make out their approximate shapes. She watched the water as the minutes ticked past, only blinking a few times as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. It was well past midnight by now, and she hadn’t gotten so much as a wink of sleep. Her mind was abuzz with too many thoughts and concerns she couldn’t seem to quiet down. She took solace in watching the fish lazily drifting below the water’s surface as she tried to silence her racing thoughts enough so to allow herself to grow tired.
There was something so simple and yet so comforting in watching the fish go about their life in the pond, hardly a worry in the world. They were at risk of being caught and turned into someone’s dinner any day, yet they were blissfully unaware such a morbid fate awaited them as they carried on. It was almost enviable, in a way.
The fish were her only company in the dead of night, as all of her companions were fast asleep (or, at the very least, tucked away in the quiet solitude of their room). It was only her, and her alone. Try as she might to distract her mind, she discovered that being alone with her thoughts was overwhelming. The trees, the moon, and the many fish were hardly sufficient company.
She considered returning to her room. She had been tossing and turning for hours to no avail, and couldn’t seem to focus on a single word when she had attempted to engage with reading materials. At this point, she had all but resigned herself to being lucky if she got so much as even an hour or two of sleep. That wasn’t all too unusual for her, and it wasn’t the lack of rest that got to her, it was the thoughts that consumed her in the loneliest hours of the night.
“Byleth?”
A soft, deep voice cut through the silence, catching her off guard. She was never the type to jump at shadows, but she hadn’t heard any approaching footsteps.
She whirled around, instinctively assuming a defensive position.
“Whoa there, it’s just me.”
Even in the dull moonlight, she could make out the familiar features of the person standing a few yards behind her. Standing tall, with tousled dark hair and an unmistakable smile, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes glistened in the moonlight as he awaited a response.
“Claude.”
Byleth relaxed and exhaled softly. Claude took a few strides towards her, which allowed her to make out a few more details. His hair was messier than usual, as though he had just rolled out of bed, or perhaps had ruffled it thoughtfully while engrossed in a book, which was the more likely scenario. She was surprised to see him in casual sleepwear—which was not to say that was strange to see in the middle of the night, but that she wasn’t used to seeing him dressed in such a way.
He seemed unfazed by her wandering eyes. “What are you doing out here at this time of night?”
Byleth was silent for a few moments, before answering simply but honestly. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Can’t sleep, huh?” Claude ran his fingers through his hair, which only mussed it further. There was something oddly endearing about that. “Yeah, me neither.”
They stood several feet apart for a few seconds, the only sound filling the cool night air being that of the body of water beside them. Byleth felt uncharacteristically bashful as Claude met her gaze with playful curiosity.
“You know,” Claude mused, “Sometimes it helps to pass the time with someone else.”
Byleth wanted to protest, but part of her was desperate for someone else to fill the lonely void if even for a short while. Before she could even think over a response, Claude had already sunk to the ground and sat himself at the water’s edge.
He beckoned her to sit down next to him with a sly wink. Without thinking, Byleth lowered herself to his level and crossed her legs, resting her hands in her lap. The stone was cold and hard, and she immediately regretted her decision to seat herself on it.
Claude didn’t seem to notice nor care as he cast a friendly smile her way. Even without a word, just looking at his warm expression was enough to put her at ease. What nothing else could do, merely being in his presence calmed her, subdued her racing thoughts, and quelled her worries.
She alternated between glances at the pond and at his face as they filled the air with idle banter, mostly initiated by Claude. He seemed genuinely interested to share a conversation with someone, even though his voice was low and gravelly with fatigue. Byleth was happy to listen and add her own comment every now and then, even going so far as to smile once or twice at something Claude said.
Byleth’s eyelids began to grow heavy, at long last. Despite exhaustion finally catching up to her, she desperately hung on to consciousness as Claude carried on their conversation. She was finally growing tired, and she was sure Claude was too, yet she refused to call it a night as she didn’t want their time alone together to end.
There’s always another day, she thought, he and I talk all the time anyways, why is this any different?
Yet, something about this night did feel different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, all she knew was that she didn’t want to put an end to this.
Whatever “this” was.
Despite this, her mind started lagging behind. Claude’s voice became white noise in the background as the world around her faded away into darkness.
She abruptly snapped her eyes open what felt like a few seconds later, disoriented. She was met with Claude gazing down at her curiously as she got her bearings.
Wait...down at her?
As she fully came to, she realized she was reclining and resting her head on something. She shifted awkwardly, then quickly realized what she was resting her head on.
Claude’s lap.
She hastily scrambled to right herself, nearly causing her head to collide with Claude’s in the process. He was noticeably surprised at her sudden clambering, as she resumed her position sitting a foot away from him.
“I must have dozed off,” Byleth stated, trying to keep her voice from breaking with embarrassment as she avoided eye contact. She rarely got flustered like this, but how could she not be when she had done something so embarrassing as fall asleep in Claude’s lap?! “I’m sorry, I have no idea what came over me.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Claude said warmly, shrugging nonchalantly. “I…really don’t mind.”
Byleth hazarded a glance in his direction, briefly meeting his gaze. His dark green eyes sparkled in the moonlight, and in them she saw a flicker of something she didn’t recognize. Something…sincere. Something vulnerable. Something new.
She looked away again, certain that even in the low light he could see the blush she could feel crawling across her cheeks. She had never blushed before, had she? Why was she acting like this? It was unbecoming and unusual.
Wanting the painfully awkward moment not to be stretched out any longer, she quickly rose to her feet. “I’m going to retire to my room,” she announced, “Good night.”
She strode away, but only managed to get a few steps away from the pond before she heard Claude clambering to his feet.
“Hey, wait—”
She stopped, but kept her back facing towards him.
“Why are you acting strange all of a sudden? Is something wrong?”
Byleth sighed, her shoulders slumping as she slowly turned around and forced herself to make eye contact with Claude.
“I…just made a fool of myself,” she admitted shyly, folding her hands together and glancing downward. “I think that it would be for the best if we both called it a night and forget this ever happened.”
Claude cocked an eyebrow. “A fool? I thought we were having a pleasant time together.”
Byleth shot him a look, to which he raised his hands dismissively and smiled. “Okay, okay, so you feel weird about dozing off for half an hour. It’s not worth worrying yourself over, all right? I promise.”
Byleth’s stomach dropped. “I was asleep on you for HALF AN HOUR?!”
Claude stroked his chin thoughtfully, unperturbed by the outburst. “It could have been longer than that, actually,” he mused.
Byleth pressed her head to her palm and heaved a sigh. “Why didn’t you just wake me up?”
Claude shrugged. “You looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Byleth shook her head. "You should have just woken me up."
"It's not a big deal," Claude reassured, extending a hand out towards her. "Really."
Byleth took one step towards him, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. With his face in clearer view, she could sense something undetectable in his expression. Wait, he almost seemed…bashful? No, that couldn't be right…
"Well, a good night's sleep is important," Claude said, trying to break the awkward silence that had begun to permeate the air. "So I guess I won't keep you from it."
Byleth nodded politely, but stayed still where she stood facing him, as though unable to move.
Claude gazed into her eyes, and for a split second, she thought she saw a flicker of excitement pass through his. Not his usual brand of mischievous giddiness, but a more sincere and emotional spark. She didn't know what it was, exactly, and she hated to be presumptuous, but…she had a strange feeling it had something to do with her.
Or perhaps she was just projecting.
She was about to turn and head back to her room, but Claude spoke up again. "But, I intend to finish our conversation another night, got it?" he winked playfully, tossing his hands up behind his head.
Byleth couldn't help but smile, any remaining embarrassment she felt rapidly dissipating. "Sure, if you insist."
"Glad to hear it," Claude grinned back, swaying side to side confidently. "I'll be looking forward to it."