A/N: Hello all! I've been immensely dedicated to my "Two Professors" story, and have had the idea for awhile now to write one-shots that detail in between moments in my story. I wasn't going to do this, but I felt the details here are important, and wouldn't fit smoothly in a chapter for the main story. i won't be doing this all the time but (big maybe) I may have a few more in the future.

*It's important to note that in my main story I write the Professor as twins. mByleth is Byleth. And fByleth is Balaiya (I took Belial and butchered it so it could sound more feminine and other reasons :)

This is a one shot told through Mercedes's point of view, detailing what happens behind the scenes between the chapters "In Need of Support—What it takes to trust (Just knowing you care)"

This can be read without reading the parent fic, but please look into it anyway! :)

~Enjoy

Of Course I Care

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"Goddess please ease his pain… mend his bones as they were anew…I'd gladly take on this strain if I cannot get through…"

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"Its okay Lysithea, I will do whatever I can to help you if you like. It's really no trouble at all." Mercedes smiled softly, and collected her books from her desk.

Lysithea had only recently joined Professor Manuela's magic class, and while the younger girl was surely a prodigy when it came to magicks– she seemed to struggle with spells that required a bit of faith. Something that Mercedes had a lot of— if she had anything, it was faith.

"No, it's alright Mercedes. I can get it on my own. There really is no need to waste the time on helping me catch up." Lysithea gathered her things as well, and marched down the aisle towards the exit.

"Oh, I see. Very well, I don't want to trouble you too much."

"Um, excuse me. Mercedes?"

Mercedes turned to face Ignatz- the other student from the Golden Deer that Professor Balaiya had permitted to take Professor Manuela's class.

"Yes Ignatz?"

"Could I perhaps practice with you? I'm struggling to get this." He rubbed his arm, unease clear on his face.

"Of course! I'd love to help you! We'll get together a fun study session– if you want– Oh but, today won't work because I promised Annie I'd make sweets with her. You could help if you like!" She clapped her hands together happily.

Footsteps were suddenly echoing back down the aisle and Lysithea's rounded face appeared beside her. "You're going to make some sweets?!— Uh, I mean…" Her face flushed to a shade that matched the delicate hue in her eyes.

"If you want some, you're more than welcome to join us." Mercedes stepped around the pair and made her way outside.

"Mercie! Wait up!" Annette ran over and fell into step beside her. "Did you remember to get all of the supplies for the sweets?"

She paused a moment and carefully went over the things she did throughout the last few days. "Lets see… I watered those plants for Hilda– oh then I got distracted and cleaned up the place. Then I had tea with Ingrid and later Felix– oh…" Guilt washed over her. She'd carelessly allowed her feelings to alter her better judgement, and had upset Felix the other day. She hadn't gotten the chance to apologise properly yet either…

"Mercie? Are you alright? You're frowning." Annette tilted her head and pouted. "Is something the matter? Did someone hurt you? Who was it? I'll make sure I get them back for whatever it was!"

"No, no, nothing like that." She continued walking. "I just distracted myself! But yes! I made it to and back from the market with everything we needed yesterday."

"I wish you would have let me go with you!"

Mercedes shook her head with a smile. "Oh Annie, I would have loved if you came with me, but remember– we decided it would be best if only one of us went to pick up the supplies since we both got so distracted last time."

"That's true… but we had so much fun! And Professor Byleth didn't even comment on us being late. So no harm done." Annette declared with a grin.

"Hmm, I guess so. But maybe we should bring him some of the things we bake today. As a thank you of some sort."

"Oh that's such a good idea Mercie! I remember when he first arrived to the monastery I asked him and his sister what kinds of food they preferred– I was surprised Professor Byleth said he preferred sweets!"

"Oh, really? That is interesting… I'm glad you told me that Annie!" Mercedes laughed lightly and held the kitchen door open for her little group: Annette, Lysithea and Ignatz walked in. She walked over to some hooks on the wall and hung up her shawl, then she tied an apron around her waist.

Next she carefully tied her hair into a neat bun, and turned to the younger students. Ashe was also in the kitchen, seemingly finishing up the lunch preparations with the staff on the other side of the room. She smiled softly and waved him over when he was done.

"Hello Ashe, how has your day been?– Oh you have something—" She took out a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and carefully wiped a smudge off of his cheek. "There you go! You had a bit of something there, but I got it for you!"

His cheeks colored, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh thanks Mercedes. And I've been okay. I got this really nice book from the market a bit ago– a thief had tried to take it but Professor Byleth had gotten it back for me." His eyes brightened considerably and Mercedes couldn't help but smile. "It's such a good book Mercedes! I'm reading it with Ingrid and I think she likes it too."

"Oh, I'm so happy to hear that Ashe!" She smiled again and gestured to the other students, "Would you like to join us? We're using our break to bake up some treats! We—" she looked over at the students again, "I hope everyone washed their hands, oh and no eating the mixture!"

Ashe nodded. "Sure, I'd love to join everyone."

Mercedes gently placed her hand on his back and ushered him along to join the others. How have you been doing since losing Lonato? Was what she really wanted to ask him, but not only could she see the sadness still in his eyes, she knew that many people must have asked him already. Her adding herself to that list of people giving him sympathy would not help him move on. It was moments like these—

She giggled and brushed some flour off Lysithea's nose.

The girls face flushed and she quickly looked around. Possibly to see if anybody noticed. Which of course, Annette did. In fact her eyes glimmered mischievously and she scooped up some batter.

"Oh, Annette don't you d—"

The batter hit her face.

Ignatz waved his hands out between Lysithea and Annette. The former having grabbed a small handful of flour in her hand. "Lysithea, don't you're going to get us in tr—"

Mercedes gasped, and caught the younger girl by the wrist and Ashe snuck a handful of marshmallows out of Annette's hand.

"Ladies! Please don't. We only have a limited amount of time here." She did her best to sounds stern but when she glanced over to where Ashe stood she started to giggle. He looked positively precious with a handful of squished marshmallows in his hand and his hair dusted white from the flour.

He blinked between the three girls and popped said marshmallow in his mouth. "What's so funny?"

It was as if he were watching a play or some other performance. The tension, and suppressed amusement written on his face completed the look.

"Oh, I'm just so happy everyone wanted to join me today!" Mercedes laughed softly and released Lysithea.

"Sorry for getting carried away." Lysithea pouted but wiped her face with a towel provided by the perpetrator herself: Annette. "I'll get you." She muttered towards the ginger.

Annette gulped. "Haha?"

"Let's finish these up and let them sit to bake." Mercedes flitted about the kitchen and assisted them– all but Ashe really. He was such a natural! And so much better in the kitchen than she was! Though she was definitely doing her best to practice.

When the last of the trays had been taken out and set to cool Mercedes too a deep breath and sat down on a small stool. "Well! That was fun!" She hid a yawn behind her hand and wiped her hands with her apron.

"It sure was!" Annette swept up the last of the debris from the floor, and Ignatz dumped the pan into the bin. "But gee! Am I tired now!" She groaned, and flopped down on a stool besides Mercedes. "And we haven't even finished classes for the day!"

"Ah that's right! I have to get something before my next class!" Lysithea stood quickly, and started filling a small pouch with cookies. "Thank you again for these Mercedes!" She shoved one in her mouth. "They tase sooo good!"

"Of course! I'm glad you decided to join us."

"I'll see you guys around." Lysithea rushed out of the kitchen.

"My, my, I guess we should get going too, huh?" Mercedes clapped her hands on her knees and stood up slowly. "Here everyone." She walked over to the counter and sorted out the remaining cookies and miniature tea cakes into pouches. "Try not to squish them." She handed one to Ignatz and Ashe, but gave Annette two. "Can you make sure Professor Byleth gets one?"

"Sure thing! I'll see you later Mercie!" She waved at everyone and skipped away.

"Thanks again Mercedes" Ignatz took the pouch and carefully cleaned off his glasses. "You're really too kind."

"Oh there's never enough room for it." She waved him off lightly and when he left she turned to Ashe. "Are the cookies to your liking Ashe?"

"Yes, they're very delicious." He took the last pouch from her hand and smiled softly, his fingers busied themselves with the seams of the fabric. "Thank you Mercedes… for always being so kind to me." He looked up and his eyes glimmered a bit too much.

Mercedes gasped softly, and resisted the urge to pull him into a hug. It wouldn't be right to coddle him– even if he looked like he was about to cry.

"You're so good to everyone, and it means so much because I know your kindness is real." He bowed his head and when he looked up, he no longer looked on the edge of sorrow, instead he looked rather hopeful. "I pray I can be as much of a help to someone as you have been to me." He smiled gently. "I had a lot of fun! Everyone was so lively, it was nice. Though I'm glad they didn't start a food fight. That wouldn't have been good."

Mercedes laughed softly, and nodded in agreement. "No, it definitely would not have been good if they had. I might have had to give them the ol'one two." She held up her fists, but put no force behind the action.

He laughed. "That would have been a sight to see!" He quieted again and clutched the pouch to his chest. "I should get going. Thank you again!" He waved with another smile– this one was free of any darkness that might have tried to taint it– and left the hall.

It was moments like these that truly mattered. Moments that could make you smile. Moments that lifted ones heart.

She smoothed her hands on her apron when the ringing from the bell tower echoed. "Oh no, if I don't hurry I'll be late." She rushed over and pulled her shawl around her shoulders then hurried off to her next class.

.

The sun was fairly low in the sky when she finally finished up for the day. Her feet ached, and she was so warm! She pushed the sleeves of her blouse up and wiped the sweat from her brow. It probably wasn't the best idea to wear long sleeves, and her shawl during the Blue Sea Moon. But she loved her shawl, her dear mother had made it for her.

"I'll take a walk through the gardens, maybe I'll read a book. Sitting still should definitely help me cool down." She quickly peeked into her room to grab a book, and made her way to the gardens.

She really loved the gardens, they were such a serene place, and often they were empty and quiet. There wasn't much to do if you didn't like sitting in the grass and just watching the flowers. Which was fine, because that meant she almost always had a quiet place to read or pray, or even practice a hymn or two. Occasionally she'd spot Marianne or Bernadette somewhere in the gardens– but the area was very large and if she sensed they wanted to be alone she would simply find another corner to sit in. Sometimes she'd join them, whether they sat in silence doing nothing or quietly worked on embroidery together. It was always a pleasant way to spend an evening, or a day off. Once or twice she'd come across Linhardt sleeping by some beautiful lilies, she'd decided it best to leave him be.

Today happened to be one of those days where she encountered a companion. She had just finished smoothing out her skirt where she sat in the cooling grass when she heard someone's voice not too far away.

"Ah– damn– dammit…" A hiss of pain seemed to emphasize the severity of the state they were in.

Mercedes clammored to her feet post haste and hurried to the source.

There in the grass, leaning against a rock was Sylvain, and he looked more than worse for wear. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as the gasp of shock pushed its way through her lips. He looked horrible.

"Oh goddess, what happened to you Sylvain?" She whispered urgently and dropped to her knees in front of him.

His eyes widened and he jerked back, something akin to panic flashed through his eyes. "What wh— Oh. Mercedes?" He shifted– tried to sit up better, and winced. "What is a pretty lady like you doing out here? Have you come to my rescue again?"

Concern flooded her chest and she carefully reached out to him– his words hadn't gone over her head, she chose not to entertain them.

Before she touched him he jerked back again , a second hiss left his lips, punctuated by a curse. A guarded expression flooded his eyes.

Realization dawned on her and she held her hands up in surrender. "Sylvain. Please, let me see– let me see you." She pleaded quietly. Whatever happened to him, he needed to know she wasn't going to harm him.

After a few moments she carefully reached forward again, but kept her eyes locked on his own until she placed her finger under his chin and tilted his head to the side.

He winced again and muttered another curse, she withdrew her hand as she would from a flame.

Based on the swelling and the short glance she got, he must have a broken jaw. She looked over him again– and much more. She needed to get some supplies. She stood slowly and held her hands up again. "I'll be back. I promise. Don't move anymore. Please." She gave him one last look and hurried off to her room to gather some medical supplies. The thought to get someone to help him to the infirmary crossed her mind, but the look in his eyes chased that thought away. He hardly let her look, would be really let a stranger? Potentially even Professor Manuela?

No.

The relief she felt when she returned to find him where she'd left him– or rather, discovered him was almost enough to calm her nerves. Almost.

She still needed to know what happened.

Slowly she knelt before him again and set her small basket down. "Please?" She murmured and reached her hand out.

This time when she turned his head he didn't move away from her, but the dark words that slipped past his lips was ever present. Reminding her that she should move quickly, in order to ease his pain sooner. But she didn't want to startle him anymore, or accidentally harm him. And since he wasn't telling her where it hurt the worst, she had to inspect him, she had to be careful.

She gently brushed the pad of her thumb along his jawline, and added just enough pressure to properly feel the edge of his bone. His whole left side was swollen and tender, but she felt the crack closer to the middle of his left. She closed her eyes in prayer.

Goddess please ease his pain… mend his bones as they were anew…I'd gladly take on this strain if I cannot get through…

She exhaled slowly and willed the goddesses blessing forward, her hand pulsed with a soft light and she let her hand hover just above his skin. She allowed the spell to go a little longer than she thought it needed, because she still wasn't sure of the true damage. When she finished, she brushed her thumb along his skin again, and gently tugged his chin down.

He narrowed his eyes and turned his face away abruptly– spitting bright red into the grass.

She held in a gasp at the sight. She wasn't afraid of blood, it just disturbed her that he'd gotten this hurt while protected in the monastery. And while she was aware they trained nearly every day– and the boys often got carried away. Sylvain was a strong fighter– is. His peers could never reduce him to such a state one on one– unless it was Dimitri, but he was far too kind to do such a thing.

He turned his head back to her and gave her another wary look before he opened his mouth.

Mercedes peered at all his teeth and sighed quietly when she found no broken or missing tooth.

Thank the goddess.

He promptly closed his mouth, and she leaned away to reach into her basket for some soft handkerchiefs. She carefully poured some water over them and started dabbing at his face to remove any stain of red that remained.

He didn't look too much better, and he tried again to move but she placed her hand on his chest to stop him. He winced again.

Just how many injuries did he have?

She didn't dwell on it, her main priority was to get him fixed up. Her hand moved to the buttons of his shirt– which were already half undone in the first place, and glanced up at him.

He huffed out a shaky breath and nudged her hand away, but undid the buttons himself.

It was worse than she thought.

If she thought his jaw was bad, his chest was so much worse. Black and blue bruises consumed his skin, angry and merciless.

She shook her head with a frown. Whoever did this, had no mercy.

She set the rag aside and carefully brushed fingers across the darkest part of the bruise that tainted the skin at his clavicle. Carefully, she brushed aside his shirt to reveal more skin that had blossomed purple.

She felt her brows furrow tightly. Did he anger someone? Was he mugged? Either way—

No one deserved this.

She started her spell again and held her hands over his collarbone till the color had faded to a shade closer to his own.

She leaned back on her heels and looked him over again. She was just about to ask him if he had any other injuries when she saw more bruising hidden behind his shirt. She frowned again and pulled his shirt away to reveal the skin beneath.

A pattern of dark black, blues, and reds stared at her menacingly and she could do nothing but stare for a moment. She gently brushed her fingers over the skin and he shuddered, her wrist caught by his hand in a vice grip.

Her eyes widened. Had she pushed too far? Harmed him? She took a breath to apologize but paused when he released her hand and dropped his head on her shoulder.

She blinked rapidly and carefully placed her hand back on his side. When she finished healing the last of his broken bones she reached over to her basket and pulled out some soothing ointment. She nudged the container into his hand.

He held on to it but didn't move from his position.

It was well into dusk when she finally felt it was okay to ask. "What happened to you? Did you go to see Professor Manuela yet?"

"It's nothing… but I—"

She frowned and sighed quietly. "I feel like I deserve to know at least something, but if you insist, I wo—"

"I had an intense training match is all. It's really not a big deal. I didn't go to see anyone about it– and I don't plan to." Came his mumbled reply.

"That's all?" She didn't want to pry, but at the same time she felt like, if she knew she wouldn't be so troubled.

"That's all." He echoed.

"I see. Well if you ever want to tell me more, I'm always here. I care about you, you know and I—"

He sat up suddenly, his brows furrowed. "You do? For a guy like me?"

She laughed slightly and gently brushed some hair away from his face. "Of course I care. We're friends right? You said so yourself. That you wanted to be my friend…"

His face dusted pink and his lips parted but he didn't say anything at first. "I— well I did. We are. I mean—" He sighed. "Thank you Mercedes…"

"Of course." She smiled and moved back to sit in the grass, and to give him space.

They sat in silence for a long time, so she picked up her book to busy herself.

"I had my first seminar for horseback riding today." He mumbled once she'd turned the page half a dozen times.

"Mhm?"

"Jeralt was a guest instructor."

She knew it. She paused and did her best to calmly look up. "So, he—"

"Yeah, he randomly chose me to assist him in showing us examples." He laughed bitterly. "I must have gotten thrown off the horse no less than ten times. I think I did hear my ribs crack when he hit me with that lance of his though." He sat up straighter and buttoned up his shirt then readjusted his blazer, or what was left of it.– he'd definitely need a new one.

"Who else is in your class?"

"Ingrid, Leonie, Ferdinand, and a few others."

"They didn't say anything about your treatment?" She knew at least Ingrid was a friend of his, surely she cared enough to question Captain Jeralt.

"Eh, I made sure I walked out of there on my own two feet." He shrugged. "Maybe they didn't notice?"

"Did he say anything? What did you d—"

He shook his head and crossed his arms loosely. "I can see it in your eyes Mercedes, you know already… so let's not talk about it."

She nodded once. He confirmed it then. Professor Balaiya… she wondered if she knew.

"How was your day Mercedes?" He looked up and down at her then raised his brow. "You look like you've had quite a day yourself."

Mercedes tilted her head and looked down at herself— she was still wearing her apron from the kitchen! Plus she had on her shawl on top of it, no wonder she was so warm all day…

"Oh my…" She murmured, and set her shawl side, then she took the apron off and folded it in the basket. She'd have to return it in the morning. "I was baking today actually. I made some wonderful treats with Annie, Lysithea, Ignatz, and Ashe!" She stood and picked up her basket.

Sylvain grabbed her shawl and stood as well. "That sounds like you took a whole platoon into the kitchens. And you were wearing this all day? No wonder you are so sweaty." He folded the shawl and placed it in her basket.

"I love my shawl, my mother made it for me." She smiled, and held out a small bag of cookies. "Do you want some?"

"Why not." He took a cookie from the bag. "You need a summer shawl or something… like one made of silk."

"Oh I don't know about that." She started walking towards the cathedral. "Silk is far too expensive."

He followed her through the emptied courtyards. "Hmm… well, where are you going at this time of night anyway?"

"I'm going to the cathedral to pray." She smiled up at him. To ask the goddess to offer you kindness…

"Ah, ever the devotee. Well don't let me stop you again." He stopped outside of the holy building and bowed in what she was sure was silly theatrics. "Have a good night Mercedes."

She smiled anyway. "Yes, and you have a good night too Sylvain. Oh, the ointment I gave you should sooth any remaining pain. Please use it…"

He nodded once "Got it." He tossed the container in the air, caught it then turned to leave.

She was going to let him go, but she allowed herself to speak what was trapped on her tongue. "Oh, Sylvain?"

He spun back around. "Yes Mercedes?"

"You can call me Mercie you know…" She reached up to fuss with her hair, but paused when she realized it was still in a bun! She felt her face flush, and she quickly let her hair loose. She looked back at him, and cleared her throat. "My friends call me Mercie."

He smiled sightly, this one was different. It gave a different aura. It was natural, vulnerable.

Real.

"Good night Mercie."