~Fire Emblem: Three Houses~ Dimitri X Reader Oneshots

Gratitude

Alright here it begins! This one ended up being a lot longer than I thought. But regardless I hope you'll enjoy it!
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Summary: The difficulty of the mission was relatively low and you, being the former mercenary you are with incredible skill, everyone was certain that the mission would be a success without any casualties. But alas, it seems that even the most experienced individual makes mistakes

The morning at the monastery was like any other, the only difference being the unusually cloudy sky. The sun peeked out every now and then lighting up your room for a few short minutes. Your time in Garreg Mach had been filled with exciting yet dangerous missions with your students from the Blue Lions house. The students were a lively bunch hailing from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, which was located in the north of Fódlan. Simply put the time you spent with your students was enjoyable and your trusted in their abilities on the battlefield.

However last month's mission hadn't gone exactly as planned and you were now stuck in your bed, with a stab wound done with a dagger on your back. The difficulty of the mission was relatively low and you, being the former mercenary you are with incredible skill, everyone was certain that the mission would be a success without any casualties. But alas, it seems that even the most experienced individual makes mistakes. It had all happened extremely fast and just as you were about to return to the monastery, light but rapid footsteps made their way to your ears and before you even knew it the vicious bandit snuck up behind you and struck his dagger into your upper back. The impact caught you and your students off guard, some letting our gasps and others running straight towards your attacker. You were later told that the Crown Prince himself had finished the vermin off. You soon lost consciousness and would later wake up at the infirmary with all your students at your side.

And so, you were prohibited from teaching for at least a few days, despite you protesting against it saying you were fine. Manuela and Hanneman promised to keep your students up to date with their studies, which was a tremendous help, though you wished to continue your daily routine. But even you couldn't lie to yourself about the pain. It was unbearable, to say the least. It felt as though you were stabbed again and again, the dagger digging deeper and deeper every time. This lead to sleepless nights in the first few days, despite the medical herbs Manuela had given you. Your lack of sleep meant that in the morning you were extremely exhausted and unable to leave the comfort of your bed. In other words, you needed two hands to help you whilst you recovered.

Fortunately, Dimitri himself was doing just that. Ever since the incident he has been taking care of you nonstop. Before lectures in the morning he would check up on you, ask if you needed anything and later, after he was done with training and/or lessons, come visit you once more. You often found yourself wondering why was he so determined to help you. Surely he had more important things to do than to assist his professor, but his actions said otherwise.

You slowly opened your eyes as you heard the academy bell toll the familiar tune and looked around your room. Last night had been slightly easier than the previous ones, but you weren't able to drift into the dreamworld fully. The pain in your back had also calmed down slightly probably thanks to the ridiculous amount of herbs you had consumed the night before. This slight lack of pain was still enough to make you completely sit up on the edge of your bed and stretch your arms. After sitting for a few minutes you decided to try something that had been impossible for the past few days; standing up. You held on to your bed for support and slowly lifted yourself up, gritting your teeth as you felt the tiniest amount of pain. You weren't planning on giving up though. Once you were confident enough you let go of the bed and now stood on your own, somehow keeping your balance. With a smile on your face and still in your nightgown that hid your bandages, you did a small victory dance to celebrate your accomplishment.

Your joyous celebration was rudely interrupted by a knock on your door. You turned your head towards the noise and called out: "Yes?" The person on the other side cleared their throat and replied in a familiar voice. "Good morning Professor. It's me, I've come to check on you. May I enter?" Dimitri called out in his usual calm voice. You had grown accustomed to his voice during the few days you had been recovering. You were about to invite him in but then a thought entered your mind. Since you were already standing why not go on and open the door for your caretaker? Slowly but surely you started making your way to the door, each step making you feel excitement as you would be able to teach again soon. "Professor?" Dimitri's voice grew louder as you were mere steps away from the door. The poor prince was most likely growing worried as you hadn't answered him. You reached the door and open it, smiling as you notice Dimitri's surprised expression.

"Good morning, Dimitri" You say proudly as the prince stands there dumbfounded, clearly taken aback by the sight of you standing right in front of him. "Professor! You're on your feet! Are you.. Feeling better already?" Dimitri asks as you let him in. "Yes. I feel like I can go back to teaching soon. The others must've missed me" Thinking about your students makes you smile and chuckle at your own words. The blonde prince responds with a chuckle of his own. "That is correct. They have been eagerly waiting for your return. It is a delight to see you feeling better" Dimitri's words remind you just how much quicker your recovery was thanks to him. He was the one who brought you food, helped you get up, made sure you felt comfortable and above all, kept you company. "Thank you, Dimitri," these words cut him off guard as he looks at you. Noticing his silence you clarify; "You've taken such good care of me for these past few days. Words can't describe how grateful I am. I'll make sure to repay you someday" Dimitri blinks a few times, your words making his blood rush to his cheeks, red decorating them. "Please, I was just doing what anyone else would've done. I was too slow to act on the battlefield so the least I could do is help you recover" His voice held this strange tone in it. You looked at him confused by his words. He was too slow? Dimitri continued: "That said, I'm glad I was able to finish that.. rat. And rid the world of such evil" The toxicity in his voice as he spoke of the bandit was clear as day. There was a strangely dark glint in his blue eyes that you couldn't figure out. He seemed to take this whole incident very personally to the point where he blamed himself for it.

Before you could say anything Dimitri snapped out of his thoughts, clearing his throat. "Ah.. I seemed to have gone too far with my words. My apologies, Professor" He bowed down, regretting his words that had came out rather harshly. There was still a lot you didn't know about him, but you could sense something dark beneath that handsome smile and stunning blue eyes. There was an awkward silence between you two until you carefully broke it. "Dimitri, me getting injured was nothing more than a miscalculation of mine. It was in no way your fault" You had a soft smile that made him relax and sigh deeply. "I know. I.. I was just concerned. No one was expecting you to.. well 'miscalculate'" Dimitri chose his words even more carefully than usual, trying not to make you feel any less of a mercenary than you were.
You decided to lighten up the mood by making a jokingly hurt face, putting your hand on your chest dramatically. "Your Highness! Oh, your words hurt me so deeply! As if you're piercing my poor heart with your very own lance!" Dimitri, not being the best when it comes to humor, but still understanding that you were simply being sarcastic chuckled at you. You joined him and let out a sweet laugh, which upon reaching his ear, filled his heart with joy. Once your laughs quieted down you noticed the sun piercing through the clouds and lighting up your room. "Well.. I guess it's about time to get ready. I have a class to teach" Walking to your closet, you didn't notice Dimitri's confused yet concerned face. "Professor, shouldn't you rest at least one more day? Surely it would be for the better not to overwork yourself as you're still a convalescent" You raised your brow and glanced at Dimitri over your shoulders, giving a reassuring smile. "Nonsense. I'm feeling just fine. Besides-" Your words were cut off by the familiar pain in your back. Upon feeling the uncomfortable sensation you squeeze your eyes shot and lift your shoulders. Dimitri rushes over to your side, having the same concern in his eyes as when you were stabbed. "Professor? Please, I beg of you, you need to rest" Dimitri allows you to lean onto him as he guides you back to your bed, laying you down.

"I'm afraid I can't stay with you much longer. Please professor don't leave the bed, you could get seriously hurt and I- we wouldn't want that" Dimitri stands up and walks up to the door opening it, ready to leave for the upcoming lecture.

"Wait" The crown prince turns his head to look at your suddenly tired figure. You give him yet another smile and express your gratitude with two simple words:

"Thank you"