Chapter Text
Byleth knew that trying to organize the entire class together for training was difficult at the best of times. Ever since Bernadetta had numbered among his students, it had become more true than ever. Just two months after the young professor had arrived at the monastery, the violet-haired archer, eyes pointed firmly downwards, had ran up to him and stammered out a plea to join his house. Despite her seeming fondness for the professor, the quiet recluse had a habit of going absent without leave on any day when a large grouping of students was required. Of course, it didn’t exactly take a crestologist to figure out where she was on these days; so now, Byleth had delegated command of the training to his house leader, Dimitri, and went on a now-familiar walk to Bernadetta’s dormitory.
A quick rap on the door was met without a sudden shriek, muffled by the closed door. “G-go away! I don’t want to come out!” came the reply, after a few seconds.
“Bernie. It’s me. You really need to practice your archery. It’s really critical.”
“I’m really sorry, professor. I just... don’t have the energy for it today.” Now that she knew it was the professor who had sent for her, her response was noticeably less terse, though no more yielding.
“I know it can be hard for you, Bernie - but you won’t be able to pass any of your certifications if you don’t hone your skills. Plus, part of fighting is working as a team. You need to be able to trust those you’re fighting with,” came Byleth’s kind yet firm response. A minute passed as silence filled the air. Byleth spoke up again. “Can I come in for a bit?”
That got a response. “NO! No. Sorry. Speaking through the door is fine for now.” The sharp panic faded to a quiet murmur. “Can I come practice later tonight, once people are done? I know, I know, I’m supposed to ‘build relationships’ but…” She trailed off, but the import of her statement was clear.
Byleth thought to himself for a second. It was unorthodox, and it certainly wouldn’t build any sense of teamwork, but some practice was better than none. Plus, perhaps taking it in small steps would help her prepare for larger scale interactions. “Okay, Bernie. That will work. Just this once, though, alright?”
Bernadetta’s reply was swift, and the cheer in her voice was only barely contained. “Oh, thank you professor! Um, come get me whenever you’re ready.”
With a short farewell, Byleth, hopeful that he had reached some sort of helpful compromise for his students, began the return to the training grounds. He gave a knowing look to Dimitri as he began running the rest of his class through their training regimens.
By 9 p.m., all the rest of his students had either gone off to the dining hall or retired to their room, so Byleth had fetched his timid archer and was now watching as she filled a training dummy with arrow after arrow. He counted down again. “Three. Two. Fire!” An arrow flew from the archer’s bow, landing squarely in the forehead of the dummy. Compared to her stuttering tone when asked to participate with the class, she looked so confident it was as if a different woman had taken her place. “Great job, Bernie. You’re doing so well, I’m extremely proud of your progress.” Bernadetta’s face lit up at the compliment. “I do wish that you would participate in our group practices though.”
With that, she averted her gaze away from Byleth. “I, um. I feel more comfortable when it’s just with you. Is that okay?” If Byleth wasn’t imagining things, it almost looked like her face was slightly flushed.
“Listen, I know it’s tough. We’ll keep working on it, and I’ll be with you every step of the way, okay?” Byleth didn’t want to relent, but her worries pulled at his heartstrings. “The dining hall should still be open. There might be some cake left, or if not, maybe we can whip up some ice cream or something? You did really well today.” The two walked leisurely through the courtyards towards the now empty dining hall, Byleth stopping the workers there from closing things down as the two took a table.
Bernadetta became lost in thought while waiting for Byleth to return with food. Admittedly, she hadn’t expected to put so much effort into her training that night - she really was tired, after all, it wasn’t just the anxiety. But after seeing the expectant look of the young professor, she knew she had to put everything into it. It was worth it to see how happy it made him. Suddenly, a small tap on her shoulder broke her from her daydream. After making a noise somewhere partway between a scream and a squeak, she turned to see that Byleth had returned with two plates, holding two differently sized slices of cake. Byleth handed the one with the significantly larger slice to her, then sat down with his own.
“Sorry, they didn’t have much left. I made sure to give you the bigger part though.” The professor smiled sheepishly.
“Oh… thank you, I appreciate it.” Bernie began to take quick bites of her slice, looking intently at Byleth’s face, trying to divine his intentions. She wasn’t sure if she was about to be praised for her hard work or scolded for trying to hide away in her room. Frankly, she thought, it didn’t matter if she was able to practice with others - she was planning to hide away as much as possible. She didn’t want to fight.
“I’m really glad you’re working on this, Bernie,” Byleth started with a smile. “It means a lot to me. I really want to see you succeed.”
Bernadetta was flustered. She wasn’t used to this level of praise, but she also knew Byleth could only care about this since she was already such a failure, right? She had to apologize for her poor conduct. “I’m sorry Professor, I’m such a useless student I never do anything right. I can’t even do practice at the right-”
Byleth cut her off. “No, no. Please, don’t be mean to yourself. You’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. That means a lot to me. I’m so happy you’re doing so, okay? I’ll stay with you until you feel ready to practice with the others.” He flashed her a small smile, then thought back to his previous words. “Well, I mean. I suppose I’ll still be there even then. I want to make you reach your pinnacle. You’re going to be such a skilled archer. I suppose there’s even some selfishness to it - you have a natural talent for it, I can barely hold a bow to save my life. I was hoping you could teach me at some point. When you’re a little more comfortable of course.”
Her… teach him? She didn’t know how to react. She couldn’t imagine being relied on in such a way, and yet, she felt compelled to respond with an enthusiastic “Of course I can teach you!” She caught her own enthusiasm, continuing with a “I mean, what little I do know.”
Byleth chuckled slightly. “When you feel like you’re ready. I’d like you to become a bit more confident first, but… it would be nice, I think.”
“We can go now, if you want! I can show you-”
“I know you’re excited, Bernie, but it’s late. I think you should go get some sleep. Tomorrow is the day off, though - if it would help build your confidence, I could come by your room and have a chat again tomorrow?”
“That sounds wonderful.” Bernadetta replied with a smile.
“Will I be allowed to open the door this time?”
“Um… we’ll see. I still think I might be more comfortable with the door in the way for now.”
With a laugh, Byleth took their two empty plates away, and Bernadetta returned to her room. She couldn’t believe that the Professor himself had asked her to show him how to wield a bow. It felt unreal. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt so comfortable around him. She wasn’t ready yet to leave her room often but… occasionally, if it was with him, maybe that was okay?