[The reach for him loosens some of Claude's doubt, and he takes Sylvain's hand almost as soon as it's offered. The downright desperate eagerness of the gesture might be some indication of just how badly Claude's wanted to touch him, to show him affection, and how much Claude's been holding it back.]

After all that time, I wasn't sure how you'd feel about...things. [About this place, or their arrangement, or about Claude in particular.

And then Sylvain drops the bomb, and Claude stares at him. There's a trace of the horror he feels in his eyes as the implications start to sink in.]

Nothing...?

[They'd forgotten their pokémon? Their friends from other worlds? They'd forgotten their promises to each other, the events they'd wanted to try to avert? Their deepened bonds? They'd forgotten they loved each other?

They'd forgotten all of it?]

That's...I don't know how much it would've hurt for you, if you'd gone back remembering what you left behind here, but...to just lose it all when we go home...

[And in an instant, all of Claude's doubts and fears are whisked away, as quickly and neatly as a magician whipping a cloth out from underneath silverware on a table without wobbling a single wine glass.

This is the man whose mind had whispered you gave me a future to look forward to to Claude, now thinking that whole future is gone. Seeing nothing but bleakness ahead of him. Claude can't accept that - more than that, he can't even believe it. With or without memories, no matter what happened, even if he's not there...Felix and Dimitri wouldn't let Sylvain be miserable.

And nothing currently matters more than making sure Sylvain knows that. Knows that he can have a future where he's happy, under any circumstances. Whatever the implications for himself are, he can deal with those later.

Right now, he has a future to give back to Sylvain.

He moves to sit down next to Sylvain, keeping hold of his hand, pressing their shoulders together.] Sylvain...memories or no memories of the things that have happened here, some things were true before we ever got here. Like Felix loving you, and hating your family. Your falling in love, and his resolving to give you a new life with him rather than you having to live some miserable life in your family's territory...they might've been quicker to happen here than they were at home, but those things didn't have to contend with a war here, either. They were never things that could only happen here.

I don't know if the moment just hasn't come yet between the war and everything, or if you need to go home for at least a little while to stabilize things in Gautier territory after the war and Felix knows he can't entirely prevent that necessity no matter what he does, but I do know this - Felix would never let his chances with you just disappear forever. And he'd never abandon you to be forced to live a life you hate. I don't think even Dimitri would let that happen, whether or not you two find love again back home or not - you still mean everything to him as a friend regardless, and he'd want to see you happy more than anything. Your future, no matter where it is, has things worth looking forward to in it - whether or not they've happened yet. And I think deep down you know that, too; you know Felix better than anyone. But after going through so much...you're scared to believe it. And I don't blame you, but...I can't believe anything else.

[Ah. The question Claude doesn't have an answer to - not for Sylvain, and not for himself.

He drops his eyes to the hand Sylvain is still gripping. He squeezes it back, a slow pressure that's equally slow to release.]

I don't know. [His voice is soft.] We might just...have to be content with what we have here. And if that goes away when we go home...then for whatever it's worth, I suppose we won't remember what we had to miss it.

[It's for that same reason that, as much as Claude wants to, he's not insisting he'll somehow make their promise of that date in Fraldarius happen. If they don't remember...how could he? The relationships he's had that have only started here...if they lose their memories of them, then the relationships themselves will go with them. And he and Sylvain had never been anything but friendly acquaintances before they'd arrived here. No, maybe not even that on Sylvain's end; Claude hasn't forgotten the suspiciousness Sylvain had looked at him with, that first day in Cherrygrove.

He rubs his thumb gently over Sylvain's skin.] I know it is. And I'd give anything to be able to have another one to offer, but... [He trails off. He doesn't know what else to say, and underlining the pain of a conclusion neither of them wants doesn't feel necessary. They're already hurting enough.]

I wish I could have stayed in Fodlan. [The words surprise him a little, but perhaps not as much as they might surprise others. He hadn't really had any friends in Almyra, aside from Nader - and his parents, if that counts towards friendship. He loves Almyra as a country, and he's always wanted to use his eventual rule to make his country even better. But he's never really felt like he belonged - not in Almyra or Fodlan. But with friends...Fodlan, even in the midst of war, had been happier. If the land of Almyra feels like home, then the people of Fodlan feel the same way. And nothing about giving up living in Almyra had ever hurt the way thinking of losing his relationships with Dimitri, Felix, and Sylvain does.

At least if he'd stayed in Fodlan, maybe lightning could strike twice. Maybe there'd be chances for himself and Dimitri and Felix and Sylvain to all fall in love with each other again. But with him a continent away, as Almyra's king...it seems impossible.

And Grant, and Jaskier, and everyone Claude's met here, and all his pokémon...no matter what happens back home, he'll lose them, too. Not even bittersweet memories left. He'll go back to Almyra alone, and never know he's lost so much.]

Of course you would. [Claude finally releases Sylvain's hand, if only so he can turn towards him and lift his arms to cradle the larger man against him as best he can. Is he doing it to comfort Sylvain, or himself? It's not a choice he's forced to make.] I've helped where I could, Sylvain, but you've pushed through a hundred times worse than I've ever helped you through long before we even met. Don't give me so much credit that there's none left for yourself. The things I made easier...you would have found your own way through them, one way or the other. All I did was expedite things.

[A hand finds red hair, and brushes fingers through it.] And you act like that's all on you. I could've gotten to know you and Felix better, too...and I was the social butterfly of the school, wasn't I? Why didn't I find you two sooner? [The words are a soft lament.

But...Sylvain's future. That's what's important here. The future he'd been looking forward to for the first time, up until this happened. Even when Claude feels hopeless himself, he can't accept letting Sylvain feel like that.]

But...just because I can't make any promises about my future with you doesn't have to mean there isn't one, Sylvain. [He's practically murmuring the words into Sylvain's chest.] No guarantees isn't the same as no chance. When Fodlan is peaceful, and Almyra is no longer hostile to it, things that are more or less guaranteed by the kings in charge of those countries...who knows what could happen. There'll be meetings between kings, and a need for diplomats...would us getting to know each other like that, maybe even falling in love, even be half as unlikely as us winding up here to begin with?

[In a weird way...Claude's words are a faint reassurance even to himself. It's not like he ever tries to make an argument with no logical basis. This isn't entirely unconvincing to his own ears, even if they were words originally meant for Sylvain's benefit.]

And anyway...that's another future, in another world. There's still future ahead of us in this world, too, as long as we're both still here, and we shouldn't waste the time we've got worrying about somewhere and somewhen else. There'll always be scary what-ifs about what tomorrow will bring, Sylvain. If we let what we're afraid might happen in the future poison the present, and frighten us out of trying to bring about the future we want...nobody would ever get anywhere. You didn't know if you or Felix would survive the war before you fell asleep, but it didn't stop you planning a wedding. But now...you know you guys won the war. If that isn't enough to convince you that you can make whatever future you want for yourself, what is?

We're not going to let you be miserable, Sylvain. [Claude's voice is firm.] Not now, not ever. If you're miserable back home, Dimitri or Felix or both will see that, and they won't let it stand. You're good at hiding it, but not that good. And if I see it, whenever I see you...I'll want to fix it, too. Even with nothing connecting us back home. I don't want to see a friend - even a distant friend - suffering if there's anything I can do to help them. I wanted to help you right away here, too. [He lifts a hand to cup Sylvain's face.] Maybe that's how we'll connect back home. I'll see you're hurting, and I'll have to do something about it. That's really all it'd take.

[He shakes his head with a fond, exasperated sort of smile at the story of Felix's ridiculousness. Because that's what it is; no kinder word would suit.] You were ready to make a lifelong commitment with him already. It's amazing he thinks so little, in the scheme of things, could change your mind. What's six months and a war compared to an entire lifetime together? Of course your feelings about marrying him haven't changed - those feelings are meant to weather anything.

But focus on that, okay? [He gazes up into Sylvain's eyes.] Trying for a better future. That's all you have to do. That's all anyone has to do. So no more looking at your fears. Keep your eyes on your hopes, and move towards them on the straightest path one foot after the other. Your doubts are the things that'll make you most likely to stray, so don't listen to them. You will have the future you want, as long as there's at least one person who hasn't given up on that for you. And even if you give up on it for yourself, Dimitri and Felix and all your friends never will, so there'll always be hope.

[And then Claude leans up and lightly presses his lips to Sylvain's. It's almost as if he's sealing those words of his with it.]

[Sylvain is smiling. It might be a little shaky, but it's there. And Claude can see some of the warmth returning to his eyes, too. It's not some fake thing, and it seems a little more sure of its feet now than it was a few moments ago. The fact that, after everything, Sylvain can still smile, and that Claude was able to help him find that smile again...it's like the note from the Indeedees he has, tucked away in his pocket. It's such a small thing, but it means the world to Claude.

Much like Sylvain himself has come to.]

Good. [Some of that fierce urgency melts out of Claude, leaving behind his more usual, relaxed warmth.] I might not be the most trustworthy guy, but if there's ever anything I've said and meant with my whole heart, it's this.

And...the present matters. No matter what came before, or what comes after. What we've got, right now, means something. What we feel and do right now means something. Here or at home, even if time washes everything we've ever said and done and felt away, even if we forget from old age or mystical world-hopping shenanigans...nothing can make those experiences never have been. How many of my specific kisses will you remember a year from now, no matter what happens? Maybe only a few of the really stand-out occasions. But every one will have been worth it while we had it, and I don't think you'd pass any of them up because they might not stick with you.

So...let's just live each moment we've got together, آتش دلم. We don't need to worry about the next moment while we have this one.

[Claude chuckles at that, a flicker of mischievousness in his eyes.] Well, you might think that now, but I know you didn't always. And truth be told, while I could definitely infer your opinion's changed on me over time...it's not like we've ever sat down and talked about how it has, or how much. So it's only reasonable for me to underline that if there's anything at all you can trust from me, it's this.

[He lifts a hand to idly brush through some messy strands of red hair.] It was Almyran. A nickname. Loosely translated...it means "the flame of my heart". [The teasing smile on his lips is belied by the softness of his eyes.]

I know. I can't really blame you, honestly - especially knowing when you were from back then. It was just a bit of a shock to run into considering where I was from - someone who came to help save my life, and who I was incredibly grateful to, acting like you expected me to stab you in the back. Nothing could've been further from my mind...but obviously, how could you have known or expected that back then?

[Claude readily lets Sylvain nestle, an arm sliding comfortably around his shoulders while the other hand lightly brushes fingers through his hair.] But you're right...I had no interest in fighting the Kingdom at all. I did my best to strike up an alliance with Dimitri even then, but...well, you know he wasn't in any mood to listen to anyone just then. [He sighs a little.] I don't know if you heard before you fell asleep, but those secrets from the Indeedees...one of them told Dimitri that one of my scars from Gronder came from his lance, right after he found out Dedue had gone back home. Talk about timing, right? I think Grant and I helped him through both of those things, but...yeah, for all my best efforts, that's all I really have to show for the Battle of Gronder.

I don't have much right to complain, having avoided so much more open warfare with the Alliance than you guys did, but...I think that battle will always stand out as the worst one I was ever part of, even if I fight a battle a day for the rest of my life. Fighting with the Kingdom when we really shouldn't have come to blows at all, all three armies fighting at once...but more than anything else, remembering the last time we all stood on that field, being able to compare how things used to be to how they ended up.

[He shakes his head. He's got no business getting himself down, does he? He's supposed to be helping Sylvain find his emotional balance again, not losing his own over something long past. But that bone-deep ache as he'd surveyed Gronder Field, with his old friends standing at the head of armies arrayed against him...the feeling when he'd had to signal the attack on them, with friends on all sides of the conflict...he wasn't exaggerating in the slightest when he said it would be with him for the rest of his life.]

Anyway, the point is that if it were up to me, I'd never fight anyone except for fights like the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Fights for fun and training that end with a big feast with all our friends afterwards. Here's hoping we can make a world where those are the only kinds of fights that ever happen, right?

[Sylvain's blush at his new nickname gets a proper grin from Claude.] If you think that's a one-way street, Sylvain, just wait until you hear about how I fell to pieces when you were out. I'm honestly kind of ashamed of myself about it. [The grin softens into a smaller smile.] But...it means a lot to me that you think of me like that. And I knew you did even before now.

[He pulls away from Sylvain slightly, pulling aside a fold of his clothes to reach into a small, hidden pocket.] I actually wanted to show you this...I got a lot of secrets myself, back when the Indeedees were delivering. But the one that meant the most to me - I'm pretty sure it was from you. [And he pulls out a card, handing it over to Sylvain.

You made my future something worth looking forward to.]

I don't think anything could ever make me happier or prouder than that one sentence, Sylvain. I don't think there's anything better I could ever want for anyone to say or think about me.