i don't want to live in a world without you

Chapter 8

Once Byleth is able to resume training, she does, and she even resumes her position as a professor, despite there being no one there to employ her to do so. Her former students still enjoy studying in a class setting, though they all assist each other much more than they simply rely on Byleth's guidance. They have all grown and learned in their own rights, and so, together they continue to prepare for the battles that they know are to come.

Her father is present for these lessons, and several people comment on how much he has perked up since Byleth has returned. She feels a stab of guilt every time, knowing that her disappearance turned him into a shell of his former self, but all she can do now is spend as much time with him as possible, and try and make up for as much lost time as she can.

Outside of class, she trains with him and eats with him, and even though her room is ready for her now, she sleeps with him more often than not. She sneaks out at night so nobody notices that part, but everything else that they do just makes them seem close. It only seems as though they really are just trying to make up for lost time, as a typical father and daughter might. No one suspects them of being lovers, or if they do, they certainly do not show that to Byleth.

Soon they will move to take the Alliance, and in the meantime, she balances her time between training and preparing, and staying up, alone with her father, where the two of them can lose themselves in one another. Even as he grows used to having her back in his life, and even as he steadily recovers from the years without her, his desperation to have her still shows in his every movement, clingier than he was in the past. Byleth does not mind that, and feels rather clingy herself, wondering how either of them even have enough restraint to keep their relationship appearing familial in public.

She gets a taste for battle again, as they use the random attacks from bandits as further training, defending the monastery with ease. Occasionally, groups will go out to hunt monsters as well, and Byleth finds herself comfortable on the battlefield once more. Jeralt always sticks close to her, and she remains at his side, both determined to protect the other from any danger, while both knowing that they can't do anything that may sacrifice themselves, because that would harm the other just as much.

Strength becomes the most important thing to their relationship, the strength to defend each other and to protect themselves against anything that might take them away from the other. She and Jeralt begin training even when others are not, sparring against each other, pushing themselves to the limit at night, even when they would have ordinarily spent that time in each other's arms.

Of course, that leads to many instances in which they nearly give into their passion in the training hall, and they both soon realize that they can't simply switch all of their focus into training, and that they need to find a balance that allows them to remain strong enough to reach their goals, but also allows them to spend as much time together as they need, to avoid it all growing out of proportion.

If their relationship did not have to be such a big secret, it would not be as much of a problem. Getting caught fucking in the training hall may be an issue for any couple, but it seems like something easily waved away if one is caught fucking a friend, someone that might be expected to become their lover. Byleth knows that being caught fucking her father would do a lot more than simply tarnih her relationship a bit, so they have to keep that under control.

They fall into this new routine, but before long, they must launch their first major attack on the Alliance. Edelgard offers to let her rest through this one, and only participate in forming the strategy, but Jeralt is going to take part, and Byleth refuses to sit it out if her father is going to be there. So much time has been wasted, in which he has been able to charge into battle without her there to protect him. Now that she is here to do something about it, she is not going to let that happen again.