The movie loudly played in the theatre, everyone watching intently. Mercedes in particular was on the edge of her seat. It was no secret how much she loved scary stories. Her heart was racing, just the way she liked it. She once again looked over to her wife, Byleth, who was staring at the screen with her typical blank expression. She was leaning back in her chair, hands in her lap. Mercedes always felt she was incredibly hard to read. Today was no exception.

Mercedes' attention was pulled back to the film after hearing the music slowly build up. As a horror buff, she knew where this was going. The door in the movie opened, and a loud scare cord played. She jumped slightly in response. She felt incredibly invested in the story it was trying to tell. She turned to Byleth again, who still hadn't moved. She was hoping she wasn't bored or anything. Mercedes reached out to grab her hand, and Byleth smiled in response. She didn't need the comfort, she just adored her smile. It always filled her with warmth, and could pull her out of the worst of moods.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Byleth let go of her hand and stood up, waving goodbye at her wife. Mercedes waved back and placed her attention back on the movie as Byleth walked out. The lights soon came back on as the credits came to a close. Byleth never returned, which Mercedes didn't notice until the movie had ended. It hadn't been that long, but it was still a bit strange. She decided to look for her, and started in the bathroom. She looked under the stalls, unsure if that was a good idea or not. But she felt it was better than knocking on each individual one. Mercedes saw her feet under one of them and tapped the door..

"By? Are you okay?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"Yes, I'm fine." She replied in her normal stoic tone.

"May I come in?" Mercedes knocked again. She was normally good at reading people, but Byleth made it so hard for her.

"No, give me a second." After a few seconds that felt like hours, Byleth emerged from her stall. She smiled at Mercedes and walked past her to wash her hands.

"Are… you sure you're okay?" She asked again.

"Yeah, don't worry." Byleth repeated as well.

The only noise coming from the room was the loud sound of the faucet. The two sat in a bit of an awkward silence, until Byleth broke it.

"What are you doing here by the way? I imagine if you had to use the bathroom, you'd have done it by now."

"Oh, the movie ended."

"Huh... I'd have waited if I realized it was so close to the end. Well, did you have fun?" Byleth asked, changing the subject.

"It was!" Mercedes' excitement suddenly exploded. "It was so heart pounding! There were a lot of jump scares, and I know some people find them cheap, but I love them!"

Byleth smiled and listened intently as Mercedes went on and on about her adoration of horror. She had been sitting there somewhat distracted with wet hands for a bit, so she dried them off with the machine nearby. This surprised Mercedes a bit, as she was so invested in her rant that she didn't even notice Byleth making her way there.

"You're so cute when you're excited." Byleth stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Enough about me though. What did you think?" She asked trying to put the focus back on her wife.

"It was fun, I had a great time. Especially since it was with you."

"You're such a charmer." Mercedes said with a smile.

Byleth opened the door to the bathroom, and motioned for Mercedes to leave. Mercedes walked out and Byleth followed closely behind. She put her hand out, and Mercedes happily took it. She gave it a gentle squeeze, to express her affection.

"Where to now my love?"

"Honestly I'm tired…" Byleth admitted. "Is it okay if we head home?"

"Of course. I'll drive home if you want to rest."

"That's for the best." She agreed.

Mercedes always felt so safe and comfortable around Byleth. And she hoped that the feeling was mutual. She's been told by multiple people she's very warm. Not just the aura she gives off, but apparently physically too, which made her happy. However, what wasn't making her happy was the feeling that Byleth was hiding something. But she wasn't sure what. She wondered if Byleth had found the movie cheesy, or campy, and was keeping it to herself to spare her feelings. She couldn't blame her for not enjoying it, but she at least could handle being told someone didn't like something she liked. She felt a bit insulted if that was the case. But she knew she couldn't jump to conclusions. Once they arrived at the car, Mercedes kissed her cheek, and walked to the other side. She unlocked it and hopped in, with Byleth doing the same. But she didn't immediately start it. Instead she turned to her and placed her hand on top of her wife's.

"By, what's the issue? I know you, and I know something isn't right."

"...It's stupid." She said with a sigh.

"I highly doubt that." Mercedes countered. "You know you can trust me with anything."

"Do you promise not to laugh?" Byleth looked out the window, not wanting to look directly at her at the moment.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"That movie just… it scared me. More than I thought it would…"

Mercedes watched her silently, waiting for her to continue.

"I thought I could handle it, and it made you happy. So I thought 'why not?' I tried so hard to hide it, but nothing gets past you. I was terrified. I kept seeing things, feeling things behind me. I wanted to collect myself, so I left, but I didn't want to come back until I worked up the nerve. You know what happened from there."

"I'm… I'm sorry. I should have noticed you were scared sooner." she apologized. Mercedes felt rather guilty over it. She felt like she couldn't be there for her when she needed her. As if she failed.

"Please don't apologize, you did nothing wrong. I should be apologizing, getting so worked up over something like this."

"I don't want to hear that Byleth. Unless you're implying that I'm 'weak' as well? Because I've been upset by things much smaller than this." Mercedes got a bit worked up, but kept her small gentle voice. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was highly unnecessary self deprecation.

"Of course not! You're one of the strongest people I know!"

"Exactly, and you are too. I get upset. I cry. You don't need to be 'strong for me.' I just need you to be THERE for me."

"...Yes, you're right. I'm sorry." Byleth felt a bit foolish for thinking Mercedes would look at her any differently for this. She was one of the kindest people she knew. There wasn't much she could do that'd lower Mercedes' opinion of her.

"I don't want or need an apology. I just want you to open up. You're my wife, and my best friend. My shoulder is always open for you to cry on."

"Right… so- thank you. Sometimes I forget just how forceful you can be. I love that about you."

"And I love you too!"

The two kiss, forgetting about everything else for a moment. The only thing that mattered to either woman was the other. They slowly backed away from each other, looking into each other's eyes, borderline staring into each other's souls.

"I'll always protect you Byleth. No one will hurt you."

"I mean… they're not real. Of course they won't." Byleth said, missing the point a bit.

"I know, but you feel like something is after you right? Well it's not going to get to you. Because I'm here. You're not going to feel alone, because I'll hold on tight to you"

"Thank you." She smiled. "I really and truly adore you. I'm so happy we're married."

"I'm glad we are too. We'll face the world together, as a team."