Shy Teacher

AU. Crack-fic. Very OOC for some characters. Contains a lot of cliches. Extremely fluffy. Byleth-centric.

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life

Sub-Genres: Parody

Played the game in Japanese, students will refer to Byleth as "sensei". There will also be honorifics (some may or may not be how as they are in the game, i might even forget them at some points), but no other elements of the language will be added. Bear with me!

"Run."

Was the only thing going through Byleth's mind as he rushed to protect Edelgard from being chopped in half by the opposing bandit's axe. It was strangely impulsive, wanting to defend someone who he had barely met. He felt that he needed to do this though, remembering the slight connection he felt with the girl when they spoke to each other before battle. Though the conversation was a bit prolonged due to Byleth's constant stutter and unwillingness to look at her eyes. The rush of adrenaline did nothing to ease his clouded mind, losing all sense of reason and forgetting his skill as a mercenary as he stupidly jumped in front of the bandit's axe rather than try to intercept it with his sword.

"W-wh.. Hey!" Edelgard yelled.

Time seemed to slow down as the axe closed in on his body. Memories began flooding his mind, the realization that he was about to die still not correctly registering in his brain. The small moments with father, fond memories with a particular orange-haired tomboy attempting to instill confidence within him, while another blue-haired girl watched from the sidelines, praying for Byleth's safety, and various other memories that flashed before his eyes.

"Leonie... Mari... Sothis... Father... I'm sorry..."

Just as the axe was about to cleave his body in half, a voice yelled in his head.

"Ugh... You idiot! You're always so willing to help others... Yeesh. You can thank me for this later."

A green light began to envelop Byleth in a blink of an eye. The aura had a physical property to it, which deflected the axe away and out of the bandit's hands.

"Huh!?" The bandit exclaimed.

The green aura disappearing as quickly as it appeared, Byleth, despite the fact that he had deflected the vital blow, could not stop the momentum of the jump he did so willingly. He fell on the ground, face first.

"Pwah!"

Face full of grass, Byleth now had the problem of regaining his ground while being disoriented from the fall.

"What the hell!" The bandit shouted.

Despite Edelgard's initial shock, she regained her composure and saw the opening that the bandit gave away. She quickly handled the dagger she tried to protect herself with and stabbed the bandit. Blood splattered out of the wound and onto Edelgard's gear, while the bandit cried in pain. The stab wasn't fatal, however, and the bandit ran away back to his men to regroup.

Having taken care of the immediate threat, Edelgard looked downwards to her savior, who was pitifully on the ground trying to stand up. Seeing the predicament he was in, she opted in to help. She bent down and reached her arm out to Byleth, who saw her act of kindness, and accepted.

Both standing up to full height, Byleth spat out some of the grass still in his mouth.

Wiping off the remaining grass on his face with his offhand, Byleth was about to thank Edelgard when she spoke first,

"Thank you for saving me. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be here right now..."

Edelgard looked towards the ground in a bout of guilt, also angry at herself for having to rely on the protection of someone she just had met.

Hearing the genuine message of gratitude, Byleth sent a small, but warm smile as his inner shyness began to disappear temporarily.

"It was no problem... I'm glad I was of use to you after our initial conversation..."

Edelgard's eyes widened in surprised at hearing Byleth forming a coherent sentence without a stutter, contrary to their inital encounter. She looked up to a breathtaking sight no young maiden should ever have to witness lest they have their hearts stolen at first glance.

Byleth gazed at Edelgard warmly, a gaze that held a warmth so intense that it could be misinterpreted as a loving gaze sent only to one's significant other. His lips in an upward angle, showing a smile that held a boyish charm while a small but visible blush mingled on his cheeks. His eyes held a hint of his former shyness, but was gone for the most part due to his acknowledgment of her thanks. His handsome features now more noticeable than ever because of the aforementioned gaze. Edelgard finally took notice of the glasses that he was currently wearing, the lens giving him a sharper look that only enhanced the viewing pleasure.

Sufficed to say, the sight was rather enchanting for a young woman like her.

Edelgard was at a lost for words, this sight, along with the fact that he was willing to give his life for her, sparked something in her that she had never felt before. It was something that burned her dreams and ambitions into a crisp in favor of a new one that involved a long, happy life with the man before her.

It was love, and it was at first sight. Well, more like attraction, but it most definitely felt like love.

She had completely forgotten the foreign green aura that shocked her when she first saw it.

She openly stared at Byleth, who had noticed this, and is now becoming much more insecure with his appearance. Was there something on his face? Gah! He thought he had gotten rid of all the grass! The blush on his face intensified from its previous light pink state, becoming a dark red. Byleth turned his gaze down to the ground, but quickly noticed that they were holding hands.

"I-I-I-I'm so sorry!"

Byleth took his hand out of Edelgard's, and apologized profusely.

Edelgard was brought to her senses after the sudden loss of warmth. A blush rapidly forming on her face as it reached her ears, she clasped her hands and looked down shyly, still speechless, like a teenage schoolgirl talking to her crush. She did not acknowledge Byleth's apologies at all.

Jeralt approached the two while riding his trusty steed and said, "Hey, did you just..."

"Hey lovebirds! The bandits are still here, ya know!?" Claude cried out.

"!?"

Edelgard and Byleth immediately snapped out of their current state of mind in exchange for a more serious one, finally remembering the problem at their hands.

Kostas, the bandit that Edelgard had stabbed, clicked his tongue.

"Shit! What the hell was that green magic!? It just completely blocked my attack!" Kostas thought.

This situation was not boding well for Kostas and his men. The only advantage they had that fight was Edelgard's small opening, which ended up in a potentially fatal wound for him. The mission was quickly turning into a failure, and he couldn't afford to lose any more men if they were to go for a repeat performance. The Flame Emperor would frown upon his screw up...

Ignoring his wound, he was about to order his men to retreat when he spotted a nostalgic sight before him. Edelgard seemingly enamored with her savior, he spotted the warm gaze that was sent towards her way from Byleth. He mistakenly recognized them as lovers, who were both relishing in the fact that either had not died.

"Kairi..." Kostas thought of his currently deceased significant other sadly. She had died shortly after labor, and despite the priest's best efforts, the baby had died shortly after too. To cope with his sadness and anger, he turned to the life of a bandit, raiding villages and towns alike, stealing anything he could just for the sake of stealing. He felt guilty at first, but it was overshadowed by the anger he had towards the skies above for stealing his wife and child. He closed his heart off to the world, one that was on the path of good and fulfillment, but chose a path of darkness instead.

The sight before him, however, brought a joy that he had not felt since his time with Kairi. It reminded him of the fire that had broke out in their home after a nearby mage in training had underestimated the power of their own Fire magic. Kostas got out, but not without the love of his life in his arms, protected and safe. They didn't care that their house burned down, it was a temporary problem that would resolve itself later. They were safe, and that's all that mattered. The witnessing of a genuine love between two people brought a small glint of light to his darkened heart, a place where he thought no light would ever reach again.

...Of course, he was completely wrong about them being in love. Kairi had always bashed him for being terrible at reading situations, always mistaking it for something else. Though, he had a good guess this time around, as Edelgard was now completely smitten with her dark blue-haired savior.

A tear threatened to spill out of Kostas' eyes. Love... he had experienced it before, and he didn't have the hardened heart anymore to take it away from someone like his was taken from him.

"My men... let's retreat. We can't afford to lose anymore." Kostas said.

"What!? But boss! You saw how close you got to the skank! We can take 'em!"

"No. We shall go. NOW!"

Seeing that Kostas had his mind settled, the bandits grouped up and ran. One of the lone bandits noticed a hint of liquid under the bags of his eyes, but didn't say anything.

Kostas turned his sights over to the duo who now both maintained a serious face as they calculated their next move. He smiled, shocking the group of five containing Byleth, Edelgard, Jeralt, Dimitri, and Claude.

"Cherish each other you two, we will retreat now... From now on, I'll stop being a lowly thief and bandit. I'll convince my men the same."

He ran away following his fellow bandit group, leaving the confused five to interpret his message.

"...What? Wait. Hey! Come back here!" Jeralt called out.

He had half the mind to follow them and kill them, but there was no point. The message he left them with sounded genuine, and the intent to kill was all but lost.

"Ugh... well, at least they're gone." Dimitri said.

Edelgard and Byleth let out a breath, the former not knowing she was holding one. Remembering their earlier situation, Edelgard turned to Byleth and bowed.

"I must apologize. You risked my life to protect mine and all I did was stare. I must've made you uncomfortable." Edelgard said sadly.

"H-Huh? Oh no! Don't apologize! I-I'm not very good with interacting with others, as you can tell. I didn't find it uncomfortable, i-it was just something I'm not used to..." Byleth bashfully replied.

Edelgard giggled slightly, she found his shyness cute. It was a huge contrast to his rather commanding, authoritative persona he showed when he was calling out orders in the previous fight.

She smiled brightly.

"Well, if I'm unable to apologize, let me thank you once again for saving my life. Thank you, Byleth."

Hearing her words of thanks once again, the earlier sight of Byleth's warm gaze and smile returned, resulting in the hitch of Edelgard's breath.

"I'm just glad you're safe..."

Hearing those heartfelt words made her heart soar. She was becoming more infatuated with the man who attracted her with just a glance. She looked down shyly just as she did previously, a blush coming in full force, reaching to the outskirts of her ear.

Those Who Slither in the Dark? The Church? What are those?

Byleth was the only thing running in her mind.

And she couldn't keep him out her mind.

"Dude... she just met him. Byleth must be really smooth..." Claude said with mirth.

"Oh boy... Byleth, I wish you luck. You're going to need it." Dimitri added.

Jeralt smiled at the scene. Despite Byleth's shy nature, he will always get rid of it whenever something of importance and seriousness comes up. And even so, his kindness always overrides his shyness, which allowed him to make some precious friends. His two childhood friends, Leonie and Marianne, were attracted to his delicate, caring nature, and they spent a lot of time together. Leonie tried to beat his shyness out completely, but was unable to do so. They had moved quite a while ago, five years to be precise, but he's sure Byleth had made a lasting impression on them. It was quite scary how Byleth can change from a shy pacifist teddy bear, to an 'ashen' demon ready to protect those he cared about. It almost brought a tear to his eyes to see how his beloved child had grown.

"Captain Jeralt! Is that you?" A voice familar to Jeralt called out.

"Damn..." Jeralt muttered.

Thank you for reading! Quite cheesy and sometimes cringey, I know. Hopefully it's not too overbearing, but if you're looking for drama, look somewhere else! You won't find it here.

The story will be more of a collection of oneshots, and Byleth's interactions with (mostly) the female students. The supports are very adorable, and I'd like to expand on them with this. No war or things like that, Edelgard will be wayyyy too in love. No conflicts shall arise in this story, and TWSITD will be dealt with easily.

Once again, thanks for reading! I'll probably post the next chapter by next week, depending on my mood. Don't expect too much though!