[ she huffs a gentle laugh and trails one of her hands down edelgard's arm, twining their fingers together. byleth would prefer to feel her skin without the glove, but she doesn't want to ask her to take them off. not now.

her eyes slip closed, lips still just shy of edelgard's. ]

We've been partners in the work thus far. Why would I want that to change now? [ byleth opens her eyes a fraction, right hand shifting from the back of edelgard's neck to her cheek. ] I love you far too much to just... sit idle, while the crown lies heavy.