Archive of Our Own

“I know these aren’t normally the tactics you devise.” Chrom sheepishly smiled as he scratched the back of his head. Robin, the white-haired tactician, exhaled sharply as he wondered what the man was going to ask when he approached Robin in his tent this morning. Even when the grandmaster thought he knew more about Chrom than others did–he would often be taken aback by what the lord would say to him. It reminded him of that time when he overheard Olivia–the shy, demure dancer–and Gaius–the lax, candy-loving thief–talking about the blue-haired prince:

^1A “Say, Gaius? Why do you ask ME to taste your pies? There are tons of people in camp who'd be happy for a free bite.” The shy dancer had played with the ends of her long, pink hair. 

“It's 'cause you're a dancer. See, the way I see it, you've got a sensitive soul. The Shepherds are a stout bunch and great if you need to throw down. But most of those clods couldn't tell a turnip from a sirloin.” Gaius, the orange-haired thief had chuckled aloud. “I think I saw Chrom eating an unpeeled orange the other day. No kidding!” ^1B

“Well…” Chrom cleared his throat. “I was hoping to get something–like tricks of the trade–for dealing with this problem I’m having.” Robin’s features softened: he had to admit that he liked it when the Exalted Prince of Ylisse became vulnerable and asked for help. Taking a sip of the unsweetened green tea he had brewed–perhaps a bit for too long–Robin motioned for Chrom to take a seat on the lounge chair beside him.

“The nobles of the Ylissean court agree that Sumia is a suitable queen.” Chrom reminded Robin of a recent roundtable meeting that they had with some of the stuffy nobles of the Ylissean kingdom. Chrom, like Robin, loathed these meetings as the trenches of politics and fake veneers were far more treacherous than the sweat and blood of a battlefield. Still, Chrom had a duty to fulfill and Robin was happy to stand by his friend's side. Nonetheless, the meeting had left a sour taste in Robin’s mouth.

“So you begin the courting process?” Robin asked, remembering his study on Ylissean traditions. The Halidom of Ylisse was located in the southeastern part of the continent which offered some scenic locations. Robin quickly scurried his brain to think of some possible areas: there was the Desert Oasis where Miriel and Robin had discovered Laurent. Then again, Robin remembered that the Desert Oasis was located in the former kingdom of Pyrathi which had been a small kingdom of pirates ruled by a Manakete king. The nobles of the court would likely frown upon a choice like that for the courting dinner.

“Did you already ask her for a private dinner?” Robin tapped the bottom of his chin as Chrom fidgeted uncomfortably. 

“Yes, I was thinking of a place in Themis–”

“Hold on, Themis? The dukedom where Maribelle hails?” Robin pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled sharply. “Chrom, that would be a blatant disregard for Maribelle’s family.” Chrom blanched, nodding quickly.

“Why not somewhere in Ylisstol?” Robin offered. “If I recall correctly, the capitol is located roughly in the same location as Pales, the capital of Archanea. I’m pretty sure that’s where King Marth courted Queen Caeda.” Chrom let out a sigh of relief although the tenseness in his body only lightly resolved. 

“Well, I appreciate you helping me solve a problem I didn’t even know I had.” Chrom sheepishly grinned. “But there is another slight issue that I’m worried about.” Robin encouraged Chrom to continue talking, curious about what other problems could arise from this situation. From what Robin knew, Sumia and Chrom got along well and if she had the nobles approval–what was there to worry about?

“You see, Vaike and some of the others had joked that…” Chrom had a tendency to sometimes fumble over his words but this seemed a bit unusual for the prince. For him to also mention the more vacuous members of the Shepherds only heightened Robin’s intrigue. “If something were to happen, Sumia–and other women–would prefer an experienced mount.”

“Like her pegasus?” Robin arched his eyebrow, nodding as if he actually understood what Chrom was referencing. “I guess it would make sense for her to want a strong mount when traversing the skies–especially during battle.” Chrom furrowed his brows a bit as if he was struggling to select the next words he wanted to say.

“Well, the thing is…” Chrom took a deep breath. “I want make sure she has a strong mount.”

“Chrom…” Robin took another long sip of his tea. It was definitely overbrewed. Had he lost track of time when steeping the tea leaves? “Are we actually talking about Sumia’s pegasus or–”

“I want to make sure I know what I’m doing when I have to become intimate with her!” Chrom finally blurted out his words, red sprinkling his sharp facial features. Robin, not expecting those combination of words from the prince, nearly choked on his sip of tea. 

“How were you expecting me to get that from what you were saying?!” Robin exclaimed, exasperation coloring the tips of his words. “I genuinely thought you were talking about her horse or pegasus or whatever!”

“This is uncomfortable for me to talk about, so you know!” Chrom retorted, his hands clenching the cushion of the couch as if he was holding onto it like a steed. “But I didn’t know who else to go to and–”

“Chrom…” Robin pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled again. “What makes you think that I would know the answer to what Sumia wants in bed?” It felt a bit vulgar, frankly, to talk about his friend and comrade like that. But it wasn’t a surprise that Chrom and Sumia were attracted to each other. After all, she had baked the prince a rhubarb pie (even though Robin acted like he didn’t hear Gaius snickering about the prince eating Sumia’s ‘personal’ pie ). And Chrom, to his credit, ate the pie even though rhubarb made him queasy.

“Well, you’re smart!” Chrom explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “If you can lead us to countless victories on the battlefield, then there’s a chance you might know the answer to my own query!” How did Chrom possibly equate battlefield tactics with mastery in the bedroom? Robin internally debated about loaning Chrom some of Tharja’s sultry tomes that she thought no one knew about but figured it would be better to actually embrace the open dialogue.

“Doesn’t practice make perfect?” Robin tried his best to stifle his own reddening blush. Sure, he trusted Chrom–to the point that he was nearly irrationally angry at his friend for taking him in when the prince found him collapsed and without memory. Robin remembered that conversation–where he had asked Chrom why the prince took him in and the prince replied about pity. Robin had chastised him about how Chrom never stopped to consider how that could have been a trap. 

But that trust didn’t necessarily include conversations about what carnal pleasures some of the army might enjoy. Frankly, Robin didn’t even know if he wanted to know. He couldn’t help but notice, however, how Chrom’s blue eyes widened.

“How am I supposed to practice with Sumia when she’s the one I’m trying to impress?!” Chrom scoffed, quickly grabbing Robin’s shoulders as if to emphasize the severity of the situation.

“Why don’t you try being honest with her?” Robin sighed, rubbing circles around his temple. “She probably will realize you might not have a lot of experience.”

“Right.” Chrom shook his head. “That would be great for the royal family, right?” Robin tried to argue that it would make sense for the Exalt to not have a lot of experience in bed but Chrom continued to fret and verbalize his anxiety about disappointing Sumia.

“I dunno, Chrom, I mean do you know anyone who you would trust to not only practice kissing you but also keep your secret?” Robin scoffed, growing exasperated with the irrational anxiety that the prince was spouting. Chrom suddenly stopped talking and turned to make direct eye contact with Robin. The look was unsettling–as if Robin was sprouting dragon wings from his spine. 

“Well, I do know someone who said they would watch my back.” Chrom sheepishly grinned. Robin arched an eyebrow, ready to discredit whoever Chrom was thinking when a flashback of a previous conversation smacked Robin in the head:

^2A “I hear you’ve been going on patrol with a couple of the men.” Robin had marched up to Chrom wearing that angry scowl he was allegedly notorious for especially when apprehending Shephards skipping strategy meetings. 

“Only to patrol the immediate area.” Chrom had sighed, holding up his hands in surrender. 

“...You know what I’m going to say, don’t you?” Robin had huffed, crossing his arms against his chest. Sure, Chrom was taller and more muscular than him. But Robin knew his way around a tome and a sharp Levin sword.

“That it’s too risky, and I need to be more careful.” Chrom had rolled his eyes. “Yes, thank you, mother .”

“But if you know this, then why–”

“Look. I understand enemies could be lying in wait to try and kill me…” Chrom had exhaled sharply, holding his hand in front of Robin’s face to let him finish speaking before the white-haired man could answer. “But there could also be others who need my help! There's a war going on, and people are suffering. I can't ignore them. I won't.”

“So why not send your men to search for these hapless innocents?!” Robin had exclaimed, pushing away Chrom’s hand to make the other man see the brazen fury in his eyes. 

“Because.” Chrom had turned away from Robin in that moment, weirdly calming down the white-haired tactician. 

“Becauuuse...?” Robin had stretched his syllables, his curiosity piqued by Chrom’s cryptic answer.

“Because...of you.” Chrom suddenly had turned back to face Robin with a different color of emotions in his eyes. “If I hadn't been there—if Frederick alone had found you—would we have ever met?”

“...Probably not.” Robin had mumbled, taking this opportunity to look away from the noble. He sometimes hated when Chrom was right and he was definitely right in this situation.

“You see? And it's not just you, Robin. It's everyone like you. I know going out there exposes me to danger, and I haven't always been careful. But it's a risk I'm willing to take in order to connect with the people. To forge bonds.” Chrom had explained, his eyes staring past Robin as if staring into a mesmerizing fantasy. 

“Bonds? Between who?” Robin had asked.

“You and me. Me and the others. The villagers we've met, the world we've seen... Such bonds are the true strength of this army. Without them, we're lost. Others may disagree, but that's one benefit of leadership: I make the final call.” Chrom had finished his explanation, finally returning his gaze toward Robin. 

“It's hard to argue when you use me as your example. But at least let me come with you.” Robin had requested his friend.

“So you can watch my back?” Chrom had grinned, flexing his bicep.

“That's part of it, yes. But I also want to be there when you find the next me, face down in the field. I want to help you make this army stronger. I want to help you forge new bonds.” Robin had smiled, his anger disappearing into the breeze.  ^2B

“C-Chrom! I was talking about patrolling with you! Not–” Robin exclaimed, a faint red blush sprinkling his cheeks.

“Please?” Chrom lowered his voice, grabbing Robin’s hand. “I trust you more than anyone else in this camp and I know you would have my back no matter what.”

When Chrom worded it that way, Robin had little clout to refuse. He would always protect Chrom no matter what the future held. Always and forever.

Robin knew that kissing his best friend to help him in a debatably tough situation was perhaps the right thing to do? Yet it still made the white-haired man feel uneasy. It felt wrong, almost. Robin did his best to pick away at his uneasiness by affirming to himself that he could do this to help the man who had done so much for him. That was all this was: Robin paying back the sheer generosity Chrom had extended to him. With those words forcibly painted in his ego, Robin took a seat on the edge beside Chrom. It didn’t help that the prince nor the tactician couldn’t look at each other as if they would expose some deep buried secret by making eye contact. Robin started to wonder if this ‘practice session’ would happen when Chrom mustered up the courage to plant a kiss on him.

Robin nearly jumped but quickly forced himself to relax. He was surprised to find that it wasn’t a horrible feeling; in fact, it wasn’t even unpleasant to kiss Chrom. It was warm, soft and…left his lips tingling for some reason. When he caught Chrom’s eyes staring at him for feedback, Robin blushed and attempted to form some type of coherency in his rattled mind.

“Uh, maybe you could use less tongue?” Robin suggested, gently pushing Chrom away with a hand firmly against the prince’s chest. As if to make this seem nonchalant, Robin used his other hand to wipe at his mouth. “It felt a bit like a Mogall’s tentacle or something.” 

“Alright.” Chrom nodded seriously as if he was a schoolboy taking notes from a strict teacher. Robin was nearly taken aback when the prince leaned in again. Right before their lips reconnected–almost teasing the tingling resting on Robin’s lips–Chrom pulled back and his face split into a huge grin. “My intuition was correct. You would be helpful in this situation.”

Robin didn’t have the time to argue as Chrom crashed into the other man with a kiss again. Robin tried to focus on the feeling of the other man’s lips to hide the blossoming warmth fluttering through his chest. Was it because he saw his best friend smiling wide like he had just won a difficult spar? Or was it because of this kiss? Robin tried to whisper some suggestions that rushed to the front of his mind but the words practically came out incoherently between the gasps for air that the men took when they broke their kiss. 

Chrom might have had superior finesse wielding a sword but his hands–in this situation–felt clumsy and overly eager. Robin felt this instinct to pull the prince closer–maybe because his primitive brain structures were indulging themselves–and Robin tried to convince himself that it wasn’t the way that Chrom’s normally neat blue hair was ruffled by Robin’s fingers running through them for the umpteenth time. It definitely wasn’t the way that the prince’s nervousness was apparent with his knee knocking into Robin’s thigh. 

Somehow, Robin felt himself moving back further up the mattress. Chrom wordlessly settled over him a moment later, his large hands planted on both sides of Robin’s head. One of Chrom’s knees were settled between Robin’s thighs but were intentionally not touching the tactician–and Robin felt this frustrating sense of gratitude and…something else. But he was grateful for the slight distance since it would hide the fact that Robin was already hard. How would Chrom react to that? It would certainly transform the situation into something even more awkward than it already was. It was definitely just a physiological reaction–or so Robin tried to keep on convincing himself. 

Robin tried to mentally note how Chrom was doing such a good job moving his whole muscular body with the kiss–the muscles on his back would tense with Robin’s light touches and his warrior’s body would sweep up every time he surged forward–like a sparrow hunting its prey–to press against Robin’s lips. 

“G-Good job, Chrom.” Robin panted when they broke again for air. “You-You’re doing great. Just continue, uh, moving like that and taking, um, deep breaths to, uh, hold the kiss longer.” Chrom nodded eagerly, the tension fading away from his features as he returned to kiss the tactician with a similar ferocity that he held for his sparring matches with Lon’qu or other swordsmen. Robin could tell Chrom was trying to control the way his lips moved, the way his hands moved all over Robin’s body, and the way his face moved so that he wouldn’t look anything but suave.

“I, um, think I get the hang of this.” Chrom’s voice surprised Robin who hadn’t realized he had been keeping his eyes shut. Had the tactician let himself get swept away under the endearing nervousness of his best friend? Robin licked his lips although immediately regretted his actions–hoping it wouldn’t shatter the sanctity of their close friendship . 

“You did a great job.” Robin grinned. Chrom slowly melted into a soft chuckle that Robin joined. Soon, the two friends had dissolved into an odd laughter–even if Robin wasn’t entirely sure what they were laughing about. 

“I felt the urge to reply ‘ yes, thank you, mother .’” Chrom explained his peals of laughter. Robin playfully slapped the prince, acting offended that Chrom associated him with his mother. Chrom still had a hand on a sliver of exposed skin on Robin’s waist and Robin couldn’t help but groan a little and mindlessly tilt his hips upward. Chrom, in his fit of giggles, collapsed onto Robin and their bodies were so close to each other that Robin ended up planting a kiss on Chrom’s lips. The prince kissed back, submissively granting access to the tactician’s tongue to explore his mouth.

Chrom broke the kiss again and stared down at his trusted friend, chewing his swollen and slick bottom lip: “That was, um, a helpful review. Was there anything else on the lesson plan?”

“Right, yes, um…” Robin suddenly found his dirty boots interesting–finding anything to avoid making eye contact with his best friend and the commander of the army. When Robin did glance up, he noticed that Chrom had been staring at him the whole time but his face was uncharacteristically unreadable. Even though Robin was strongly avoiding Chrom’s eyes, he felt like…was Chrom trying to say something to him? Robin felt like there was something that he had to say but he wasn’t sure how to say it or what to say or–

“I think this was very helpful.” Chrom broke the silence, standing up and turning to leave. “Thank you, Robin, for being such a fantastic friend and an amazing ally.” Robin tried to play it cool, winking and throwing his thumb up.

“A-Anytime.” Robin nearly choked as he felt like he could still feel the other man’s lips on him even when Chrom left his quarters. There was this emptiness hanging on his heart that made no sense–it felt oddly familiar yet completely foreign. Why was Robin feeling so weird ? Sure, it was uncommon for two friends to practice kissing like that but Robin could normally shuck off these weird things. After all, the Shephards had their own set of eccentric behaviors. But for some reason, this was sticking to him like one of Tharja’s hexes. 

Robin had excused himself from dinner that evening. He joked with the army that he had stayed up all night to revise their tactics drills and needed to get to sleep early. But in truth, thoughts were running rampant in Robin’s head. The white-haired tactician did his best to quiet his mind until he was alone but by the time he collapsed onto his bed, Robin could feel his mind screaming at him like a nagging parent. 

All he could think about was his practice session with Chrom. Why did he enjoy the feeling so much?! Sure, it was basic science–arousal didn’t discriminate and even unintentional movements could feel good. So it made some sense that kissing–something that required significant muscular coordination involving a total of 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles (according to Miriel’s tomes)--would stimulate his nerve endings.

But why couldn’t he stop thinking about it? Why did he remember how his stomach twisted and how his body shivered at the thought of Chrom laying next to him? Why did his heartbeat race faster than a thief escaping from a mob after pilfering a chest?

“Robin?” Chrom’s voice hovered outside of Robin’s private room. The tactician jumped, half-enthused to hear the voice of his best friend and half-terrified to hear the voice of his best friend that he had just been thinking about. “Are you okay? I’m going to come in, if that’s alright.”

“Lissa said that you had a headache or something.” Chrom entered the room as Robin burrowed his face into his pillow, hoping to shorten this conversation so he could continue having his crisis in private.

“Um, yeah. It’s going away. Just gonna need some more time.” Robin mumbled as he lifted his face just enough from the pillow to make his voice audible. 

“No worries, friend.” Chrom’s voice always had this way of draping over Robin like a warm blanket. “I’ll leave you be but I wanted to schedule a meeting with you to talk about this invitation we received from Prince Alfonse in Askr. They would like to invite us to their inaugural Day of Devotion gala.”

“What is that–oh, never mind.” Robin grumbled. “I’ll look it up later and get back to you. Do you think you could close the door on your way out?” The white-haired tactician did his best to avod glancing over his shoulder to see if Chrom was affected by his curtness. By the time Robin indulged in his vice, the prince was gone and the door was closed. Exhaling loudly, Robin dropped his head to his pillow again.

As the winter season started to flare up, Robin took special note of the Shepherds who started to display signs of being sick. Lissa had taught him to look out for special signs of infection such as fever, white exudate on the tonsils, and anterior cervical swelling of lymph nodes. According to the cleric, those signs were associated with more severe infections. The protocol that Robin and Lissa had set up included quarantining soldiers who could possibly have one of the more severe infections. The policy seemed to work as it kept the healthy soldiers safe from becoming infected.

Robin did wonder, however, if he was some type of demon in a past life. After all, why would all of his good efforts and karma go to waste? That had to be the only explanation as to why Chrom was knocking on the door of his room in the middle of the evening with a satchel on his back.

“Robin, I have a request.” Chrom started speaking once Robin voiced his permission to enter. “Sumia has those white things on her tonsils. I remember Lissa badgering me about checking my tonsils and I think you both had said that we should stay away from the sick soldier, right?” It didn’t escape Robin’s notice that Chrom was speaking faster than usual and his eyes were darting around the room restlessly. The prince was also holding his bag tightly against his shoulder as if he was afraid Ricken would blow it away with an overzealous Wind spell. 

“Yes, that is the idea we had in mind.” Robin explained, looking up from his bed at Chrom. The tactician hadn’t been asleep but he found it sometimes to be easier to map out his drills from the comfort of his bed. This was especially nice as the temperature would dip obscenely low. “What do you need of me?”

“Could I stay here for the night?” Chrom asked, a faint red blush touching his cheeks. “You have a bigger bed than most and I–”

“Um, yeah, sure.” Robin immediately replied. A moment later, the white-haired tactician mentally scolded himself for appearing so eager and excited to spend time with Chrom in the same bed . They were supposed to be trusted allies and best friends–nothing more. Sure, it didn’t help whenever Robin would catch Chrom coming from the showers with a loosely-tied towel swinging dangerously around his hips. That pounding feeling in his chest would return and Robin would find any excuse to hide from the prince. 

Robin knew that his room was small and not the most cosy-looking. Maribelle probably had the best cushions in the entire army but it was obvious why Chrom wouldn’t ask to spend the night in her room. Robin’s simple bed was nestled against the wall, adorned by a small night-stand at the back corner. 

“Thanks, friend.” Chrom smiled, throwing his bag to the floor. Even such a simple action from the other man stirred something within the tactician. Robin felt a flush of red hit him sharply and suddenly like a wave of water. Despite the frigid cold outside, the tactician could feel heat spreading diffusely across his body–from his neck to his face to his abdomen. Swallowing, Robin moved toward the edge of the bed closest to the wall and tried to force the uncomfortable feeling away by gazing back at his papers–or anywhere but Chrom. Fixing his gaze on his papers, Robin tried to focus on which allies needed to practice their swordplay.

When the mattress dipped under the weight of another body, Robin tried his best to remain motionless as Chrom rearranged the sheets he brought with him to wrap them tightly around himself. Turning his back toward Robin, the blue-haired lord seemed to drift off to sleep. 

^3A“Robin, may I bother you with something that’s been on my mind?” Chrom spoke into the darkness. Robin, who had just finished stacking his papers into a neat pile, reached over Chrom to put them on the adjacent nightstand. 

“Sure. What’s on your mind?” Robin settled into his own sheets, mirroring Chrom by turning his back toward the noble. 

“Prince Alfonse mentioned to us that Askr summons heroes.” Chrom started speaking slowly. “Which makes sense when we see Marth, Caeda, Alm, Celica and the lot.”

“Right, it had something to do with that summoner’s Breidablik.” Robin struggled to pronounce the last word, prompting a soft chuckle from Chrom who admitted he couldn’t even spell it. 

“Well…I don’t think I’m a hero.” Chrom mumbled, shifting his body so he was facing the ceiling. Robin knew that Chrom couldn’t see him but he still scrunched up his nose.

“You really believe that? I thought you were a hero long before we ever discovered Askr.” Robin admitted, also turning his torso so he was facing the ceiling above them. 

“If I was a true hero, there wouldn't be so much suffering in my own home.” Chrom languished, idly rubbing his chest with his palm. “If only I could get stronger…”

“Regardless of what happened in the past, you've never been one to just sit back. You fight with all your strength for the protection of everyone, don't you?” Robin articulated with a newfound sense of conviction. “That's the Chrom that the people, as well as the Shepherds, rely upon.”

“And yet, Ylisse's problems remain. The people have been suffering since the last war, and I can't do a thing about it... Except for worry, and be a burden. It's so pathetic.” Chrom chuckled mirthlessly, nervously tying his fingers together. Robin scoffed at Chrom’s admission, turning his side again so he was facing the lord.

“A burden? Pathetic? You're the only one who thinks that, Chrom. If you see someone in need, you help them. Isn't that just your way?” Robin contended, lifting his torso up with his elbow so he could watch the expression change on Chrom’s face. “Just like when you found me. You had no reason to help me, and yet you did.” It was true. Robin’s life–despite not knowing much about what had happened before waking up to Chrom’s face in the middle of that field–must have been drastically better after joining Chrom and the Shephards. He had made lifelong friends and even found new hobbies–like pulling pranks with Lissa or hearing all of Owain’s names for his weapons. 

“That is the only way I know how to live my life.” Chrom mumbled after a few moments of silence, turning his torso to face Robin directly. The tactician almost hissed with how handsome Chrom looked from the brief rays of moonlight shimmering into the room. 

“It's those unwavering ideals that motivate so many people to fight by your side. This is just my opinion, but...being a hero doesn't mean you have to be perfect.” Robin reasoned, hesitating on whether or not to reach out and place his hand on Chrom’s shoulder to further calm down his friend. “A hero is someone who cares for the people around him, and who guides them.”

“So, by that logic...without anyone around, a hero is just a normal person?” Chrom proclaimed as he furrowed his brow, 

“That's...one interpretation... But still, you're always surrounded by friends.” Robin smiled. Like me . Robin thought inwardly to himself, feeling a tug at his heart at the thought of ever leaving Chrom’s side.

“Yeah... You're right! Because I can't do anything by myself!” Chrom groaned. Robin blinked a few times wondering how the other lord managed to reach that conclusion. 

“That's what you're taking away from all this?!” Robin asked incredulously, now resisting the urge to slap the other man. “Just look at how much I rely on you. Without your aid, who knows where I'd be.” Chrom whispered, his blue eyes widening with realization. 

“Oh, come on... You're starting to embarrass me! It's the way you believe in your friends like this that makes you a hero to me.” Robin blushed, tugging the blankets closer to him as if it would hide his flush. “That's why I'm proud that Askr–and Prince Alfonse, Princess Sharena, and their summoner–all acknowledge you as a hero.”

“Well, if that's the case...I'll just have to become worthy of the title of hero.” A smile finally broke through Chrom’s face. “You’ll be by my side, right, Robin?”

Always and forever . Robin wanted to say but quickly cleared his throat to break the clumsy silence that had been growing between the two.

“Of course! The future you aim for will be the path I walk. Nothing can stand in our way.” Robin grinned.^3B

As the night progressed, the two men eventually fell into a comfortable slumber. Robin’s thoughts were unchained about Chrom and even in his dreams, the tactician couldn’t avoid facing his growing feelings for the prince. After one particularly steamy dream, Robin opened his eyes and immediately felt a warm and solid pressure against his back. It then dawned upon him that Chrom was wrapped around snugly.

Robin sighed as he leaned back against Chrom’s chest, basking in his drowsiness against the haziness of the winter midnight. If Robin had his way, he would have loved to just stay burrowed under thick blankets forever during this season. Closing his eyes again, Robin lazed at how nice it felt to be in someone’s arms. Inadvertently, the tactician scooted backward but their bodies fit together like a jigsaw puzzle piece–nearly perfectly matched from shoulders to knees.

A moment later, Robin suddenly noticed a stiff ridge and realized that Chrom was hard in his nightclothes. Freezing, despite the butterflies fluttering in his abdomen, Robin contemplated his options. Deciding to move away to avoid the awkward conversation, Robin tried to shift away when suddenly Chrom’s hand flew to grip his hip in a tight, immobilizing grasp. 

“C-Chrom–” Robin gasped in surprise.

“Thank you for everything.” Chrom rasped his words, breathing against the back of Robin’s neck. The hot breath made Robin’s body shudder as he found his own hardness growing when Chrom quietly rubbed against him. Inhaling sharply, Robin stays quiet as Chrom’s erection slides against the sink of his lower back. Robin could practically feel some dampness seeping through Chrom’s pajamas. Turning his head toward his pillow, Robin buried his face and started breathing harshly as his mind raced. He closed his eyes at the sensation of the heat rushing toward his own crotch.

Moving his head from his pillow, Robin finally mustered his courage and faces Chrom. The blue-haired prince gazed at his tactician before tangling his fingers in Robin’s hair, pulling him closer. In that moment, Robin started whimpering as Chrom grated his teeth against Robin’s lower jaw, nipping at his lower lip. 

“Gods.” Chrom whispers before he seized Robin’s mouth in a rough kiss that forced him to lie back against the pillows. Chrom shifted so he could curl his hand around Robin's jaw to lick into his mouth–impatiently and hungrily. When the blue-haired prince tried to break away, Robin found himself pulling Chrom down for another kiss as they sunk deeper into the bed. 

“I-Is this okay?” Chrom asked as he slid his hand under Robin’s shirt. 

“Your teacher’s proud.” Robin joked, rubbing himself against Chrom as they let out breathy chuckles. Robin could practically feast alone just on Chrom’s physical appearance: his masculine, bold features complemented his sharp jaw and warm blue eyes. 

“I’ve been thinking about this since our last session.” Chrom confessed, pushing Robin down into the bed. Robin grinned as Chrom kissed him again. The prince moved down to scrape his teeth against the other man’s throat, making the white-haired man buck-up against him. Robin reached out with his hands to get a hold of Chrom’s shirt to feel the strong muscles under his fingertips, squeezing them as Chrom grunted and climbed on top of him in a swift move. Chrom started to kiss the side of Robin’s face and jaw, mouthing his way down to suck at Robin’s neck. Robin took back some control as he started to brush their grounds together that had both men gasping breathlessly.

In an instant, like a flash of lightning, rational thoughts entered Robin’s mind. This was Chrom –his best friend and commander. His prince–who was seeing Sumia–who was also Robin’s friend.

“C-Chrom!” Robin suddenly pushed the other prince’s head away. “Stop!” The prince immediately ceased his assault on Robin’s neck and gazed worriedly at the other man. 

“Robin, what–”

“Sumia.” Robin breathed. Those syllables immediately deflated the arousal in Chrom’s eyes as realization hit him. “You’re supposed to be courting her.”  Robin could have briefly excused their first practice session but anything more was wrong–even though it felt so right–and Chrom had to know it, too.

“I…” Chrom immediately withdrew his body from Robin’s body. “I think I should go.” Robin wordlessly nodded, clutching the blankets around him as the prince hastily packed up his things. As soon as Chrom left the room–without a glance back–Robin missed the warmth and comfort that he had just basked in earlier that night. Robin could still smell the scented oil that Chrom normally wore–a mix of spicy and woody–and a part of him wished he could bottle that scent to keep it from dissolving into the quiet air.

With tears threatening to fall from the corner of his eyes, Robin eventually drifted off into a restless slumber–his dreams haunted by the brilliant smile of his best friend. 

From a distance, Robin watched Chrom at the other table with Sumia. As if Naga had blessed Robin with new eyes, the tactician kept on noticing things about Chrom that entranced him: the way his eyes glowed when excitedly speaking or when his laryngeal prominence bobbed while he swallowed. The white-haired man always knew that Chrom was handsome but he had a newfound appreciation for the junction where the blue-haired lord’s neck met his jaw–right just below his ear. Gods, even watching Chrom’s strong hands pick up a piece of meat was tantalizing to Robin.

He had to stop this. Robin tore his eyes away from Chrom and looked around, trying to distract himself. Zeroing in on some of the other Shephards, Robin weighed his options: Gaius had a sweet-tooth and a sweet way with his words. Frederick was built nicely…

But there was this nudge at the back of his mind reminding Robin that none of them were Chrom . Choosing to distract himself with the mess hall, Robin tried to notice how the loud was loud–even for the thin crowd within the hall. There were groups of soldiers cheering and taunting each other at one table. 

When Robin noticed Chrom excusing himself from the table, the tactician felt something compel him to follow the noble. They were still friends after all, right? Besides, Robin could always conjure up some reason or another to talk with Chrom: whether it was about tactics or the rumor that he heard about Lon’qu and Lissa cozying up while the myrmidon was assigned to guard the princess. Regardless of what tactic he would employ, Robin followed Chrom out of the door and out to the dirt path. 

Chrom had to have noticed Robin but he didn’t seem to make any effort in conversing with the other man. Robin kept on glancing at the prince, thinking that the noble would have to acknowledge him at some point. There was also the fact that Robin was smitten with how Chrom managed to look attractive with that tensed muscle in his jaw. 

“Chrom, hey, I just wanted–”

“That night shouldn’t have happened!” Chrom snapped, twisting his head to glower down at Robin. The tactician winced which seemed to calm down the noble who sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Chrom met Robin’s eyes for a split-second before looking away. “You’re my best friend and my tactician. We’re not…” 

“I get it.” Robin saved the blushing prince. “We were cold and had just an emotionally laborious conversation. It–we don’t have to–it doesn’t have to change anything. I’m still your best friend and your tactician. Chrom chewed on his lip but remained silent as the two men kept on walking. They crossed through the central area of the camp and started to head toward the private barracks. 

“I’m not angry at you.” Chrom eventually spoke again. “I just…feel like I’m not sure how to talk to you anymore.”

“We can talk the same way we always have, Chrom.” Robin frowned. “I’m still the same person.” Chrom’s eyes dropped to Robin’s lips and the prince shook his head, muttering something under his breath. 

“Chrom!” Sumia’s voice rang out from a distance. “I forgot to–AAAAAAARGH!” The pegasus rider managed to trip over a peddle and lunged forward. Fortunately, Chrom reacted fast enough to grab her as the two men rushed over. 

“T-Thank you, Chrom!” Sumia blushed, tucking back loose strands of her long, dark hair. “I'm fine. I just tripped on a pebble. Gods, how embarrassing.” 

“It’s happened to all of us, don’t worry!” Robin smiled, trying to comfort his friend despite the acrid taste simmering in his mouth. As Chrom helped stabilize Sumia, Robin noticed how her face was just a few inches from his. It wasn’t hard for Robin to admit that Sumia was beautiful and kind. She had a cute nose with high cheekbones and her body was slim but muscular. From the way Chrom was smiling down at her–Robin suddenly felt sick again. 

“Since you’re okay, Sumia, I’ll leave you two be.” Robin quickly dismissed himself before anyone could say anything else. Rushing back to his room, Robin sprinted inside and slammed the door shut before collapsing onto his bed. Why was this so hard? Why was he feeling so gross and disgusting for wanting Chrom? And burning with envy for the way the prince looked at Sumia? It only made things harder because Robin liked Sumia–she was a good friend to him and supported his endeavors. 

Gods, he should have never agreed to helping Chrom practice. It was becoming glaringly obvious that was the mistake. 

There was an abrupt knock at his door and Robin’s first instinct was to ignore it–no matter who it was. When the knock reappeared, Robin mumbled a soft ‘go away.’ But when the knock returned with an even louder vibration, the tactician grumbled as he sulked over to open the door. To his surprise, a smiling Lissa stood outside of his room.

The tactician had an easy friendship with the princess. She, like Chrom, had been immediately accepting to the stranger when they first met. While she often preferred to spend time with Maribelle, Robin still made sure to check-in with the princess. He had quickly learned that her bubbly and jocular exterior hid a lonely noble with anxiety about how she would measure up to her sister.

“Lissa, hey.” Robin yawned, trying to make it seem as if he had been napping. The way the shorter woman’s eyes gleamed made it seem like she was skeptical of Robin’s claim. “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing.” Lissa gently twirled her hips as she stood in place. Robin was briefly reminded of the time when she had been doodling a picture of Robin in one of his new books on battle strategies. The princess had spilled the ink and ruined the book and profusely apologized. “Can I come inside?” Robin conceded, letting the other girl step into his room. 

Lissa plopped onto the bed, glancing around the messy room. Robin crossed his arms, tapping his foot as he waited to see what exactly Lissa needed from this evening visit. The blonde princess realized that Robin was waiting on her to start the conversation so she quickly kicked her shoes off and laid back on Robin’s bed.

“I was talking to Maribelle and we were talking about you.” Lissa rambled, glancing at the ceiling. “Specifically, we talked about how much you’ve done for Chrom.” Robin immediately stopped tapping his foot as ice seemed to rush through his veins, freezing him in place.

“I-I mean, I’ve always done what I think can best help the army.” Robin answered as if he was being accused of something. “How exactly have I helped your brother?” 

^4A“Well, you've taken a huge weight off Chrom's shoulders, silly! You know what Chrom's like. He never asks for help, even when he needs it. But he trusts you, Robin. Enough to rely on you. He's not the type to come out and say it, but I know he's grateful.” Lissa swung her dangling legs back-and-forth before lifting her torso from the bed and facing the tactician.

“You...think so?” Robin stuttered, unsure of how to react. He couldn’t help but be naturally wary of the young princess: she had a knack for pulling pranks and her strategy typically involved lowering the defenses of her victim.

“I know so! Nobody knows my big brother like me!” Lissa exclaimed. 

“Well, that is nice to hear…” Robin mumbled, glancing down at his feet. Given the awkward encounter the two had, it was nice to hear some validation of how close of a bond the two men shared. 

“You know what else I like about you, Robin?” Lissa kneeled on the bed, moving closer to the edge to bridge the distance between the two spellcasters. “Nobody else does that rubbery thing with their face that you do.”

“I do a rubbery thing with my face?” Robin prattled, quickly cupping his cheeks as if Lissa had somehow planted a frog on his face.^4B

“So I wanted your opinion on something.” Lissa reached up to play with the ends of her twintails as Robin’s face dropped. There it was–the real reason why the blonde princess had come to bother Robin.

“Ask away.” Robin sighed, wondering what the princess could need his opinion on. From Robin’s experience, it was likely something related to pranking someone or–

“So I have two friends.” Lissa licked her lips, glancing away from Robin again. “And I think that they–you know–like each other as more than friends.”

“What makes you come to that conclusion?” Robin glanced sideways. 

“Well, I was planning on pranking one of my friends with the ol’ frog trick again.” Lissa leaned back to look up. “And I think I overheard something that I probably wasn’t supposed to overhear.”

“You’re being intentionally vague, aren’t you?” Robin stroked his chin. “Do I know these two people? Are they part of the Shepherds?”

“I can’t tell you, silly!” Lissa giggled. “Or give you more details about them, ‘kay?” Robin hesitated in responding as he wondered how useful this conversation would be for the princess. Robin prided himsel on analyzing situations from different angles and with clear details missing–it would be hard to give Lissa a good answer. Although Robin did remember Cherche had once asked him if he had any good-looking wyvern friends so being asked odd questions wasn’t too unusual.

Tilting his head to the side, Robin realized that it had probably been the longest time he had been able to go without thinking of Chrom. Maybe engaging in some idle gossip with the princess wouldn’t be the worst idea.

“Fine, fine!” Robin held his hands up to surrender. “So you said you overheard something that you don’t think you were supposed to hear.”

“Yup!” Lissa nodded her head. “To be honest, I was a bit weirded out because I guess I see one of them like family, you know? And they had been talking about some private things that I–”

“So this has to be someone in our army.” Robin’s eyes widened. His first thought went to Chrom but the tactician guessed that Lissa would have started the question directly about her older brother.

“I told you I can’t tell you that, silly!” Lissa playfully scoffed. “But let me finish!” Robin apologized for interjecting again and gestured for Lissa to continue.

“So anyways I leave them alone and then one of them starts acting weird. Like weird weird. Weirder than like they can be.” Lissa continued rambling. “And my other friend–the one who I see like family–starts to act weird, too. I don’t think too much about it–”

“That’s a lie.” Robin mumbled before Lissa slapped his shoulder and chastised him for interrupting her again .

“So then there was this other night and I noticed that my friends were together again. But then the weirdest thing happened!” Lissa’s eyes widened as if she was getting to the punchline of a joke. “One of them ran out of the room as if there was like a giant spider hanging somewhere. And since then, I haven’t seen them really talk. Well, that’s a lie.”

“What do you mean?” Robin inquired.

“I did see them talk recently.” Lissa clicked her tongue. “But it looked more like they were having an argument.”

“So what exactly do you need my opinion on?” Robin pulled at his ear in thought. “It’s clear that your two friends are possibly having some relationship issues. Are you sure it’s a good idea to get involved?”

“Ugh, but it’s so frustrating, Robin!” Lissa cried. “It’s like so obvious that they have really strong feelings for each other. Well it’s obvious to everyone but the two of them. And I think they keep on fighting because they’re both too dumb to admit it to each other.” Robin started to think through the Shepherds as Lissa rambled. Who had he heard about that could possibly fit Lissa’s description? 

There was that rumor he heard about how some of the soldiers thought Sully and Stahl made a cute couple. Oh, then there was that time where someone had whispered about how Gregor was helping Cordelia work through some romance issues she was having. Robin also vaguely remembered someone saying something about the history between Cherche and Virion. 

“Hel-LOOOOO? Robin!” Lissa nudged the grandmaster’s arm to catch his attention. Robin, blushing at the files of gossip he had been scurrying through in his brain, apologized again to Lissa for his distracted mind. 

“So yeah! I don’t know what to do!” Lissa groaned. “They’re both so dense and I feel like I would have better luck convincing Frederick to let me run into a bandit stronghold unarmed than getting either one of them to admit their feelings for each other.” 

“It’s not Frederick then–”

“ROBIN!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Robin grinned. “You just piqued my interest! But okay, yeah, I hear what you’re saying. I think the best thing you can do is let them figure it out by themselves. No offense, but your meddling doesn’t usually work out.”

“That’s–” Lissa paused as she tapped her chin, trying to think of one successful instance where her meddling worked. “Okay, you might have a small point there. Ugh, this is more frustrating than trying to figure out Maribelle’s favorite tea. Can you believe she told me that it was black tea infused with the still-warm blood of an adult male grizzly bear?!”

“Look, Lissa.” Robin tapped the end of his nose in thought. “You could just get them to talk by putting them together in the same room. They might be annoyed with you at first, but if they’re really in a bind, being stuck together could force them to talk about it.” Lissa twisted the end of her earlobe, her lips turning up into a smile. 

“That sounds so simple but so effective!” Lissa squinted, her eyes lit with an inner glow–or was it a twinkle of mischief? The princess thanked Robin profusely as she skipped out of the room. The tactician couldn’t help but wonder what two poor souls were going to be at the receiving end of the princess’s meddling. 

A flush crept across Robin’s cheeks as his chin dipped down. Clearing his throat and coughing, Robin felt his stomach hardening. The bustling noise of the mess hall did nothing to calm his nerves. 

^5A“Gaius, I am SO sorry about earlier! I had no idea you were in the bath…” Robin’s face, neck, and ears felt impossibly hot.

“Aw, no worries. At least I hadn't taken off my smallclothes yet, eh?” Gaius, the orange-haired thief, winked. 

“Yes, but…” Robin tucked in his arms at the sides. “I still may have seen more than you intended.”

“WHAT?! You saw THAT?! Gods, how embarrassing…” Gaius gritted his teeth, pressing his lips tight and shoving his hands into his pockets. “It's just...uh...some poison oak I got into the other day, I swe—”

“I'm talking about the tattoo on your arm.” Robin gestured toward the tattoo. “It's the one they use to mark convicted criminals, isn't it?” Gaius slanted his body away from Robin as he contemplated his next words. 

“Oh, that? Yeah, I got caught once doing a favor for a mate. Paid the price. But, uh, I'd appreciate it if you kept that little nugget under your hat, Bubbles.” Gaius spoke as if he had a lump in his throat. A tingle swept up the back of Robin’s neck and across his face at the nickname Gaius had penned for him. 

“Well, I also noticed that you had some bee stings or something. Along with the poison oak. And the tattoo.” Robin tried to defuse the awkward silence that had joined the men at their table. Gaius glanced down at his wrist, chuckling softly under his breath.^5B

“Believe it or not, I was out hunting beehives with a friend.” Gaius lifted the corner of his lips in a wry smile. “I wanted that sweet, sweet honey. That golden, syrupy shine.” Robin rolled his eyes playfully at the idea of Gaius risking his life against a beehive for some sweet honey.

^6A“Anyways, Bubbles. I got you something. ” Gaius pulled out something that immediately glistened in the bright lights of the dining hall. Robin’s face flushed as he lost count of how many precious jewels were embedded onto that belt. 

“Is this...a belt? With stones inlaid? Er, thank you, Gaius, but—” 

“Yep. Just a plaaaaaain old belt that's worth a big sack of gold down at the market.” Gaius was clearly trying to downplay the gift. 

“Then I must refuse. I can't accept such an extravagant gift.” Robin held up his hands, refusing to even touch the beautiful belt in front of him even though it would look so good for the upcoming festival in Askr.

“All right, maybe I stretched the truth, just a little... It'd be worth a sack of gold IF they paid for sentimental value, see? ...'Cause I made it myself.” Gaius rubbed his elbow, eyeing the exits of the dining hall. 

“YOU made this? But, it's magnificent!” Robin was shocked. He knew Gaius was a man of many talents but to have made such a beautiful belt was something Robin could not have predicted.

“Pleased you like it, Bubbles. Makes all the effort worthwhile.”^6B Gaius bounced one of his knees in his seat, twitching his fingers. Before Robin could make another comment, Lissa’s familiar voice tickled the edge of his ear from a distance.

“This tea is soooo good!” Lissa exclaimed, walking beside Maribelle. The two blonde women walked toward Robin’s table. Before Robin could put away the belt Gaius had made him, Lissa spotted it and her eyes widened to the same size as the plate in front of the tactician.

“My my!” Maribelle huffed. “That’s a beautiful belt. From where did you purchase it, Robin?” The white-haired tactician turned to the thief who admitted that he made it himself.

“Holy cow, Gaius! That's amazing! I didn't know you could sew!” Lissa eyed the belt like a child faced with rows of candy. 

“I've always had nimble fingers. Useful skill in my trade.” Gaius shrugged.

“Isn't it just divine, darling?” Maribelle commented to Lissa, the two women holding the belt to marvel at each gemstone. 

“I wish someone would make me something this beautiful.” Lissa wiggled her eyebrows as she darted her eyes between the two men. Robin immediately felt his cheeks redden and he turned away from the table, clearing his throat again as if he was starting to contract the flu.

“Don't make that face, darling. It will give you the most terrible wrinkles later.” Maribelle chided Lissa, brushing the blonde princess’s hair back. “But yes, it seems even great men are blind when it comes to matters of the heart!”

“Hey now!” Gaius glowered at the women. “Don’t start spreading this around like it’s gossip as hot as the tea in your cups.” Lissa glanced at Maribelle, giggling. Robin, throughout the exchange, was starting to wonder if he could perform a spell powerful enough for the earth to swallow him whole. 

“Hey, uh, I should go.” Robin noticed the empty feeling in his stomach as Maribelle returned the belt back to him. “Thank you again, Gaius, for such a wonderful gift. I will cherish it forever.” Gaius simply saluted the tactician before the women pulled the orange-haired thief into some heated discussion. If Robin had to guess, it was probably about what flavored scone would pair best with what tea.

A few hours later, the tactician decided it was time to retire to his room. He had spent time patrolling the grounds and taking inventory. The armory was well-stocked–even with Chrom still breaking weapons during training. Food and other supplies were also within their normal range so Robin felt like the camp’s finances could stay stable for the moment. The white-haired man was sure some of the flamboyant characters in the army would try to pester Robin to let them use the army’s budget to buy expensive clothing for the upcoming Day of Devotion festival in Askr but the grandmaster remained firm in his decision to not grant those requests any merit.

To distract himself from the longing he held in his heart for his best friend, Robin absently toyed with a loose thread on his robe. Chrom and Robin hadn’t spoken much since their last encounter. The noble seemed busier than usual which Robin guessed was due to the upcoming festival. While the Day of Devotion was occurring in Askr, news of the festivities would surely reach back to the Ylissean noble court. Chrom would likely be making his first appearance with Sumia–the future queen of Ylisse.

Gods, the sound of that made Robin’s chest tighten. He wanted to be happy for his best friend and for Sumia. But then he would remember how warm Chrom felt next to him. He would remember how that warmth would radiate throughout his body along the beat of his racing heart and the drumming in his chest. Even the thought of Chrom would scatter Robin’s thoughts and prompt him to draw in deep breaths. 

Deciding to study more about the Day of Devotion, Robin tried to stifle the heartache weighing heavily in his chest. It was hard to dull those senses but the stack of papers did intrigue him. From what Robin understood about the festival in Askr–it was about showing gratitude. There were other parts to it, too. Princess Sharena excitedly had written to Lissa about the cute clothes they would wear and the beautiful flowers that could make anyone smile. Princess Sharena had also mentioned that it was Queen Henriette’s favorite festival.

The Day of Devotion was a simple festival. It was a day to express gratitude to allies who held significant importance. The Day of Devotion, according to Prince Alfonse’s invitation, was a reminder to show our friends that we care. The love was a reflection of the history of Askr. Robin could imagine that every face at the festival would be lit up with a smile–like a flower in bloom. Ultimately, it was a festival of love that gave people the chance to show much others meant to them. 

“Robin!” The door suddenly swung open and Chrom appeared in the doorway. Robin nearly dropped his papers as he saw the familiar face of his best friend. Yet something seemed off with the blue-haired prince. The sound he had made seemed like a growl or a noise in the throat. There was a sullen look as Chrom crossed his arms in front of his chest. It almost seemed as if there was pain in Chrom’s jaw from the way he was clenching his teeth.

“C-Chrom?” Robin gently placed his notes back on his desk as the prince stomped inside the tactician’s room, shutting the door behind him with a loud slam. “Are you alright?” Chrom’s eyes darted around the room as if looking for an intruder. The prince’s body stiffened upon seeing something behind Robin’s back. The white-haired man turned on his heel and noticed the blue-haired prince’s eyes on the belt that Gaius had gifted him earlier that day in the dining hall.

“Was this a gift from Gaius?” Chrom sneered as he quickly grabbed the bejeweled belt.

“Yes.” Robin narrowed his eyes. “It was a gift from him.” Chrom normally never stormed into his room like this and there was hardly ever such an angry aura from the other man.

“I see.” There was a visible flush in Chrom’s cheeks as he pressed his lips flat. “And I heard that he has a name for you–Bubbles or something inane like that, right?”

“What are you trying to–”

“Answer me, Robin.” Chrom threw the belt onto the bed and pivoted on his heel to glower at the white-haired man. “I asked you a question.”

“Yes, he has a nickname for me.” Robin’s nostrils flared. “May I ask the intention behind this interrogation?” The white-haired man’s hands were clenched at his sides and his lips pulled back, baring his teeth. Chrom suddenly reached forward to grip Robin’s arm in a tight squeeze.

“Why do you always overcomplicate everything?!” Chrom narrowed his blue eyes, adopting a challenging tone.

“Excuse me?!” Robin scoffed. “I don’t understand you , Chrom! It’s not my fault if someone gifts me something nice! I also fail to see how this complicates anything besides the obvious fact that you’re envious of the fact that someone appreciates me!” Robin’s pulse quickened as Chrom seemed to tighten his grip on Robin’s arm.

“You’re so insufferable!” Chrom barked, breathing through his nose.

“Fuck off!” Robin yelled, pushing the prince away and clasping his own hands so tightly that his knuckles started to whiten. “Go fuck off with Sumia or whoever else the Ylissean noble court wants you to court! You can’t even talk to me normally anymore so I don’t know why you bother keeping me around!” Spots of color entered Chrom’s cheeks and the prince clenched his teeth, clearly irritated.

“I don’t want anyone else to ever court you with a gift like this.” Chrom argued, raising his voice. Robin opened his mouth to say something but then the words ‘anyone else’ echoed in his mind

“What do you mean by anyone else ?” Robin noted the tightness in his muscles and jaw which felt uncomfortable. His skin felt like it was on fire.

“Nothing!” Chrom broke eye contact with Robin, a flush appearing in his neck and face. “This was a mistake to talk to you.” Chrom moved past the stunned tactician to exit the room. Before Chrom could even touch the doorknob, Robin called out for him.

“You’re never going to choose me.” Robin slowly spoke. “So I don’t think you have the right to choose whoever may want me.” Robin never had associated Gaius’s gift as anything other than platonic. There was also the revelation that gossip travelled fast in this camp: it had only been a few hours since Robin had received the gift from the orange-haired thief. 

“You don’t know what I want!” Chrom seethed. The prince went to twist the doorknob but found it stiff. Robin watched for a few clumsy seconds as the prince struggled to open the door. “Did you put an enchantment on this door?”

“Like I would want to be stuck here with you right now.” Robin scoffed, shoving Chrom away to twist the doorknob. Like the prince, the tactician found it stuck. It was almost cold–as if someone had cast a spell on it to keep it frozen in place.

Thoughts suddenly sprinted past Robin’s mind. He was stuck in a room with Chrom. The last time he had actually spoken with Chrom was during an argument that was interrupted by Sumia. Before that, Chrom had fled his room in the middle of the night. 

But then the weirdest thing happened!” Lissa’s eyes widened as if she was getting to the punchline of a joke. “One of them ran out of the room as if there was like a giant spider hanging somewhere. And since then, I haven’t seen them really talk. Well, that’s a lie.”

“What do you mean?” Robin inquired.

“I did see them talk recently.” Lissa clicked her tongue. “But it looked more like they were having an argument.”

No, there was no way that this was happening. Robin desperately attempted to twist the doorknob again as his thoughts continued to spin around him like shamans performing a ritual. 

“Look, Lissa.” Robin tapped the end of his nose in thought. “You could just get them to talk by putting them together in the same room. They might be annoyed with you at first, but if they’re really in a bind, being stuck together could force them to talk about it.” Lissa twisted the end of her earlobe, her lips turning up into a smile. 

“Lissa!” Robin roared. “I am sure you’re listening right now and I need you to undo whatever spell you cast on this door!” Chrom huffed from behind him, grabbing the other man and pulling him away from the door.

“Why are you accusing my sister of this?” Chrom’s voice softened from earlier. 

“Hold on, Chrom.” Robin held up his finger. “How did you know about Gaius’s gift to me? And his nickname for me?” Chrom thinned his lips as he remained silent for a few moments. Scratching the back of his head, the prince finally exhaled as if holding onto a breath for too long.

“Lissa. And Maribelle. They came up to me after I finished speaking with Sumia earlier today.” Chrom mumbled, glancing at the ground.

“Ugh!” Robin groaned. This was mortifying. Lissa had outplayed the tactician–talking about him and Chrom the whole time without Robin realizing. The princess was surely a master of pranks and this was likely her crowning achievement. “This was a trap. I’m going to wager that Gaius’s belt was part of the scheme, too.” It explained why the two women had appeared at the exact time that they did and why they had been so fascinated by the belt.

“A…trap?” Chrom scraped a hand through his hair.

“I’ll explain later.” Robin struggled with the door knob again but it was futile: it wouldn’t twist. “Or I’ll let Lissa explain what demon could have possibly possessed her to do this.” Chrom stared at Robin as if he grew wings from his back again and simply shook his head, sitting down on the chair at the desk. Robin, understanding that they were likely stuck in this room for a while, also moved away from the door to plop down onto the bed.

“You have no right to be jealous or envious of anyone possibly interested in me.” Robin finally broke the silence. “You might have been my best friend and you are my commander but you do not get to play a role in that part of my life.”

“...Been your best friend?” Chrom lifted his head from his arms. “Are you suggesting–”

“I can’t stop thinking bout you, Chrom. Ever since we practiced kissing together and slept in the same bed–I keep on wishing I could be with you.” Robin blurted out, his pulse quickening as he released his anxieties into words. Chrom suddenly started laughing, shaking his head. 

“I…I cannot stop thinking about you either, Robin.” Chrom stopped laughing but kept on shaking his head. Robin felt his brain short-circuit as he wasn’t expecting that from Chrom. All Robin could do was stare at the noble who was smiling despite the sadness in his gaze.

“In desperation, I visited the Ylissean library and not once has there been a record of an Exalt claiming a spouse of the same sex.” Chrom collapsed back on the chair, slightly tapping his head against the wooden frame of the desk. “I…I freaked out. I felt disgusting.”

“Do you really feel like…us together…is a disgusting thought?” Robin asked softly as he heard the pain in Chrom’s voice. Chrom didn’t speak–or even move–for what seemed like a long time. His eyes were still open–so he was awake. 

“No. I don’t think so. I don’t know.” Chrom tilted his head up to face Robin. “I feel like I’m supposed to feel disgusted by the idea of courting another male since it has never been done in our history. But…our time together has never felt disgusting at all. In fact, it has felt…right.”

“Well, except for when you were attempting to court Sumia…” Robin added, sighing wistfully. Chrom glanced at Robin with a curious glimmer in his eyes.

“Sumia rejected my proposal.” Chrom confessed, stunning the white-haired man. “She said that she had been flattered but she suspected that my heart already belonged to another. And no amount of her rhubarb pie would change that.” 

“What?!” Robin’s jaw dropped, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head. The tactician felt dizzy. “When–”

“Right before Lissa and Maribelle found me.” Chrom let out a heavy sigh. His eyebrows were knitted together as he wore an inward gaze. “Sumia had just come back from an excursion with a friend and she had a swollen elbow–almost turnip-sized. Turns out she and her friend had been hunting–”

“Bee hives.” Robin chuckled as the final piece of the puzzle came together. Chrom raised an eyebrow at the white-haired man’s interruption. “It seems like Lissa, Gaius, and Maribelle were all in on a scheme this whole time.”

“What do you mean?” Chrom hesitated before asking. “Hold on, are you suggesting that she was out with Gaius? Why is this man after–”

“Chrom, Gaius is just scheming with your sister and Maribelle.” Robin laughed softly. “I don’t think he’s trying to poach any potential partners from you.” Chrom seemed satisfied with this answer as he glanced up at the ceiling.

“Sumia said that she had her suspicions from the start but was honored by the considering of the Ylissean court. She wanted to help lift some of the weight from my shoulders.” Chrom continued explaining his story. “But after speaking with some of her close friends, she said she realized that role had already been seized by someone else.” Robin blushed, looking away from his friend as he felt mollified by the fact that his own friends had played him and Chrom like this.

“So…what does this mean for us?” Robin’s chin trembled. He already could guess the answer. The best case scenario would be that he could be a consort–or a bedwarmer–for the Exalt. After all, there had been no precedent for the Exalt to marry someone of his own sex. Moreover, the Ylissean noble court was already suspicious of Robin and his mysterious origins. “Would it be easier if we were to part–”

“No!” Chrom suddenly exclaimed, kicking the chair back as he stood. “Robin, after our recent time together, I’ve come to the realization that I would forfeit my title and blade to earn the honor of being your betrothed.” Robin couldn’t contain his smile as he jumped up from his seat to embrace Chrom. There were tears prickling at the corner of his eyes but he could care less if he started sobbing.

“Robin…” Chrom ran his hands through the other man’s white locks. “You know, when I first met you, I was taken aback by you. The way you plan, help everyone, and work to keep all of your allies alive. At first I was bewildered, but...your guidance has made me stronger. May we ever remain side by side. There is no one I'd rather have guiding my steps. This bond we've built will last forever. That bond can't be broken--ever!"

“Every time we head out, I can't help but be proud that you've chosen me to fight at your side.” Robin smiled, tilting his chin so he could gaze into Chrom’s blue eyes. “ I vow to support you to the end.”

“There’s a poem that talks where a lover’s words shoot out from their mouth like arrows from a bow and their lover’s eyes pierce through their heart or something.” Chrom chuckled softly under his breath. “The lover promises that his life is going great–save for the intoxication of his path and the thirst for his destination. I’ve never really understood poetry like that until I met you.”

“Chrom, you stole my heart and made it so difficult. I felt like I was going insane. But I do know that you’re the cure for this heartache. You’re what my heart prays for.” Robin whispered into Chrom’s ear. Chrom kissed the back of Robin’s head as his hands rubbed against the tactician’s back. The two men held each other for several seconds as if time stopped around them.

“Hel-LOOOOO?” Lissa’s voice called out from the other side of the door. “Either you two killed each other or you two finally admitted to each other–”

“Lissa!” Chrom and Robin both yelled. Despite the voice of their captor, the two men still remained steadfast in their embrace.

“So did one of you ask the other to be their date for the Day of Devotion festival?” Lissa giggled from the other side of the door. 

“Your darling sister will not remove the spell until you do so.” Maribelle’s voice echoed from behind the door.

“Twinkles is right. The princess is officially unhinged.” Gaius’s voice was flat but still held a certain flair of intrigue around it. “Oh, and for what it’s worth, Blue, I’m not trying to poach Bubbles or Stumbles. I dunno if you actually believed that but just trying to keep my head on my shoulders.”

“You have my word that you won’t be executed, Gaius.” Chrom laughed, shaking his head. “As long as you open this door to let us out.”

“Only if you ask Robin to be your date to the Day of Devotion festival!” Lissa screeched.

Robin blushed as Chrom lifted Robin’s chin with his finger so their eyes were in direct contact. 

“Robin.” Chrom smiled. “Will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Day of Devotion festival?”

“Yes, I accept your invitation, Chrom.” Robin leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss on the other man’s lips. Lissa was cheering on the other side as Gaius picked the lock–or Maribelle undid the spell, Robin truly wasn’t sure as he was floating in the clouds with his best friend and lover by his side.

“May I have your name please?” An armored knight stood at the door in front of a golden gate. Behind the gate was an illustrious palace that belonged to the Kingdom of Askr. 

⁷“I am Chrom of Ylisse. It is my pleasure to take part in the Day of Devotion with my companion Robin.” Chrom introduced himself, walking onto the cobblestone path with his white-haired partner by his side. As the duo entered the front garden of the palace, they were greeted by familiar faces: Prince Alfonse and Princess Sharena.

“You both came!” Princess Sharena exclaimed, running forward to tightly embrace both men. Prince Alfonse joined their embrace, greeting them as well before guiding them toward the appetizer table. The Ylissean prince and his partner grabbed a small plate filled with scones as they headed toward a table. The event had just started and so the first event was a light course of appetizers while guests arrived and mingled. The duo had also deposited their gifts with Commander Anna who would be in charge of sorting and distributing the gifts to the appropriate recipients. 

“I made sure to research what everyone wanted as a gift. It's a special occasion, after all.” Robin had explained to Chrom as he scanned the list. Chrom and Robin, as a couple, agreed on the gifts they would give to their close friends. There was a surreal feeling to the idea that Robin and Chrom were now making decisions–not only as best friends–but as a couple.

“My sister loved her people. She led with warmth and benevolence. I plan on following her example.” Chrom explained to Robin about his enthusiasm for finding the right gifts for everyone. They eventually found an empty space at a nearby table where Kiran, the summoner who stood by Askr, was picking at their food. 

“So, Prince Chrom, I must pick your brain.” Kiran asked after greetings were exchanged. “What do you think is the greatest act of love?” Chrom grinned, glancing toward his side. Robin may have reneged on his previous promise of not dipping into army funds. As such, the tactician was dressed in a brilliant brown-and-purple robe that was worn atop a pristine white tunic. The robe had a short purple cape embroidered with gold that hung behind Robin’s shoulders. Robin had also appreciated the two wide clasps on the front of the robe that held it together like a vest. 

“Putting your life on the line to protect those most precious to you…” Chrom thought aloud. “I think there could be no greater act of love.” 

“Having someone to express your love to is an amazing thing.” Robin grinned, nudging Chrom with his elbow. “There IS more to life than constant battle!” The tactician gazed at his partner, admiring the Ylissean blue sleeveless robe that the prince wore over his white garb. The prince, seemingly always ready for battle, also wore shoulder armor that clung to his left shoulder. The brown of the armor matched Robin’s outer robes.

“I like to tell Alfonse that same thing.” Kiran winked at Robin before walking away to greet another familiar face. Before Robin could bask in the silence, a loud shrill screech met his ears as Lissa jumped to embrace her brother and friend. Owain, Lissa’s son from the future, stood by his mother’s side. 

“I suppose we owe you a great debt, Lissa.” Robin smiled as he held onto Chrom’s arm. Lissa winked at Owain, bringing her son closer for another warm hug.

“Oh wait till you hear how mother scored a CRITICAL HIT before the festival.” Owain was bouncing on the balls of his feet, glancing his eyes between Lissa and Chrom.

“What is Owain referring to?” Chrom arched his eyebrow, clenching his hand with Robin’s hand. 

“Well, Lucina and Owain are from the future.” Lissa smiled with the familiar twinkle of joy glittering in her eyes. “And so they might have shared with me some secrets that certain nobles of the Ylissean court wouldn’t want public.”

“Secrets…” Robin scratched the bottom of his chin.

“Oh, you know!” Lissa giggled. “It’s hard to tell who the baby’s father might be until they grow older and have the same eyes and hair as another noble in the court.” Chrom huffed, realizing that his younger sister was resorting to blackmail.

“And so mother equippd a BLAZING SWORD when she confronted one of those stuffy nobles.” Owain broke away from his mother to pose, as he usually did. “And eventually they promised to vote to keep you, Uncle Chrom, as the exalt.”“Even with…Robin by my side?” Chrom seemed to be in disbelief, rubbing absently at Robin’s arms. 

“Well, it wasn’t hard when Lucina mentioned to me that one of the nobles later was discovered to keep inappropriate artwork of other nobles in his private quarters.” Lissa clicked her tongue. “One by one, they all fell like dominoes! It was so much fun!” Robin inwardly questioned the princess’s definition of the word fun but he was nonetheless elated: Chrom would be able to keep his title and keep his promise to stand by Robin’s side.

“Even fate can be changed by love!” Chrom grinned, breaking away from Robin to bring Owain and Lissa in a hug. “I am forever grateful to you both.”

The event continued as planned with the next stage of the day opening up with ballroom dancing and more refreshments. Owain was dragged by Lissa to the dance floor so they could share a dance. Chrom gently bowed in front of Robin, extending his hand and asking the tactician if he could have a dance. Robin, feeling like his life was a fairy tale from a children’s book, could only gleefully accept.

^8A“Our list was quite long.” Robin conceded as he glanced around at other heroes on the dance floor. “I overheard that Prince Hector’s list was half the size of our list. And that also included his daughter from the future.”

“Phew. Did we eventually get to everyone? I'd never have guessed that showing we cared would be so...difficult.” Chrom mentioned to Robin as they clasped their hands together and moved their bodies to the slow tempo. The day they had spent shopping for gifts had been tiring. “I think I'm more used to swinging a blade than buying gifts. I'm more exhausted than I should be.”

“Hmm. Maybe the Shepherds' only goal isn't just protecting people from their enemies…” Robin thought aloud as he swayed with his partner.  “Perhaps their role is also to support and care for those they protect, so everyone can live happily, in peace.” 

“At least...that's what I think…” Robin quickly added as he noticed Chrom gawking at him again like he had sprouted dragon-like wings from his spine. 

“Protect not just their lives, but their happiness as well? I think you may be on to something, Robin.” Chrom smiled, bringing in the tactician for a warm embrace. “It's a noble goal, ensuring that those we care for feel supported. I will hold that in my heart from now on.”^8B

The Day of Devotion festivities continued with the same fervor as it had started with: Prince Alfonse and Princess Sharena were doing a fantastic job at attending to guests while enjoying the festival themselves. Eventually, the time came around for gifts to be distributed to guests. Commander Anna, along with a dozen other heroes, started to call out names of heroes to pick up the gifts that had been deposited for them. 

^9A“There's Lissa, Emmeryn, Lucina, Frederick... I think we've got gifts for everyone. Don't we?” Robin scanned the list again as Anna finished reading out the list of recipients from Ylisse. 

“Well, all but one. What would you like your gift to be, Robin?” Chrom smiled, leaning against his best friend. 

“What? Me? You can't just come out and ask like that, you know. There are rules!” Robin exclaimed, rapidly blinking his eyes. 

“You know I don't care about that. Jus tell me what you want.” Chrom assured the tactician, gently stroking the other man’s arm. 

“Truthfully...I can't think of anything.” Robin confessed, glancing down at his boots. 

“You don't want anything? Aw, come on. Think of the bind that puts me in.” Chrom chuckled, ruffling Robin’s white locks. 

“You gave my life meaning when I had nothing—not even my memory.” Robin explained, nuzzling his shoulder into Chrom’s arm. “The sense of purpose I've found at your side, working for peace in the world, is all I could ever ask for.”

“You're not alone in that, you know. I feel the same way.” Chrom gently ran his fingers through Robin’s soft white hair. “That's why I wanted to give you something nice. To show you how I feel.”

“All right, all right. In that case, why don't you give me one of those flowers you're wearing?” Robin looked up to meet Chrom’s gaze. 

“It's only going to wilt.” Chrom mumbled, arching his eyebrow at Robin’s request.

“I'll press it into one of my books. That way I'll never forget this Day of Devotion.” Robin smiled, plucking a flower from the crown that Chrom had been given by Prince Alfonse. 

“You're too easy to please. If only Lissa could learn that from you.” Chrom joked.

“Don't be shy about it, Chrom. Remember, the whole point of this is to show your gratitude.” Robin joked. 

“I know, I know. No need to nag me, I'm not a child.” Chrom scoffed as Robin let out several hearty peals of laughter. The two embraced as they made their way to their guest room in the palace. ^9B

“Hey.” Chrom hopped up as Robin walked into the guestroom from the bathroom. Robin couldn’t help but marvel at how cute Chrom looked in his Day of Devotion outfit, smiling hesitantly and waiting for Robin’s approval. Robin was still blown away by the effort Chrom was putting into this relationship. The tactician felt warm and fuzzy, wrapping his arms around the prince to bury his face in his chest.

“Hey.” Robin replied, muffled a bit by Chrom’s robes. The prince cupped the back of Robin’s head, running his fingers through the white locks. Robin looked up and kissed Chrom on the jaw before letting him go. 

“So…” Robin hummed, rubbing Chrom’s bare arm and drifting down to play with the prince’s fingers. “What did you think of today?”

“It went well.” Chrom’s voice rumbled through his chest as he paused. “Robin, I was unkind and unfair to you that day when I stormed into your room. I promise to never treat you like that again.” Robin froze, surprised by the sudden admission. 

“Chrom, I’ve long forgiven you for that.” Robin curled into the prince, pressing his lips into Chrom’s shoulder. Chrom put a finger on Robin’s chin, turning the tactician’s face back to him.

“I love you, Robin.” Chrom whispered as his eyes glistened. “So much. I never want to ever make you feel bad again.” Robin stared into Chrom’s red-rimmed sky-blue eyes, feeling a tear at the corner of his nose as he pecked the prince’s lips.

“I love you, too.” Robin gently guided Chrom to the bed where he moved to straddle the prince’s lap, cupping his face with both hands so the prince had to stare at him. “You make me feel incredible.” At this point, Robin started to press kisses to Chrom’s face all over–kissing the prince’s neck and then resting his head there. Chrom’s hand rose to stroke Robin’s back, rubbing gently.

“I’m so lucky to have you.” Chrom said before kissing Robin’s hair. The tactician nuzzled back into Chrom’s neck, kissing it after puffing some warm over. Chrom didn’t say much more as he relaxed under the white-haired man, his shoulders loosening and his hand continuing to play with the hair at the top of Robin’s neck. 

The tactician started to suck on Chrom’s neck, kissing his way up Chrom’s jaw. Noticing some glistening tears prickling the edge of Chrom’s eyes, Robin wiped them away with his thumbs which prompted the prince to smile. Robin moved forward to kiss that smile and Chrom kissed him back with soft, shallow little brushes of lips and flickers of tongue. 

Robin, happy with the bulge he started to feel in Chrom’s lap, put his hands on Chrom’s shoulders to lean into the kiss. Chrom, despite all of his confidence, seemed hesitant and almost fearful of doing the wrong thing. Robin decided to take initiative and pull off his own shirt, grinding into Chrom’s lap before diving in to kiss the prince more. Chrom laughed a little at Robin’s brazen confidence, opening his mouth to accept the tactician’s tongue.

Chrom started to gain confidence as he pushed Robin back, attacking the white-haired man’s neck with his lips and teeth. Robin gasped and grasped the back of Chrom’s head, holding him against his body and tangling his fingers in the blue hair to hold the prince close. Chrom moved lower, alternating between kissing, licking, and biting Robin’s chest. Taking Robin’s nipple into his mouth, Chrom’s other hand grabbed Robin’s ass. During all of this, Robin whimpered as continued to press their straining erections against each other.

“Gods, yes.” Robin moaned, pulling Chrom’s face tighter. Chrom opened his jaw wide, biting most of Robin’s pec and swirling his tongue around the nipple. Robin rutted against him, feeling pre-cum working its way into leaking into his purple boxers. Chrom bit down a bit harder making the tactician feel so good. 

Robin finally pulled Chrom off of his chest and they made eye contact. Chrom’s pupils were practically blown-out and his lips and chin are red and wet. Robin leaned back in and took Chrom’s mouth again, biting the prince’s lip in a desperate heat. The tactician felt incredibly aroused as he teared himself away and grabbed the prince’s shirt. Chrom, the gentleman, helped Robin pull off his shirt so that Robin could go back to kissing his jaw and his neck and biting at his collarbone to leave a mark. Robin licked his way down Chrom’s chest, sliding off of the prince’s lap to press his face into Chrom’s belly so he could kiss at the treasure tail and tongue his navel. 

Robin moved back up to slide his tongue up along Chrom’s nipple to his muscular arms–inhaling the mesmerizing scent of his lover. The tactician licked right under Chrom’s arms, rubbing his hands all over Chrom’s hard torso. Chrom continued to smoothly rub his hand across the tactician’s back, encouraging him. 

“I’ve thought about doing this for so long, Chrom.” Robin hummed as he lapped at the prince’s abs with his tongue. “I wanted to show you how incredible you are. You’re so incredibly sexy.” Chrom grunted at this admission, writhing side-to-side. 

Chrom kicked off most of his pants with the help of Robin, leaving him in his tight blue boxers. Robin grabbed Chrom’s hard cock through the fabric, running his tongue along the damp spot. Robin continued to play with Chrom’s cock and mouth the prince through his boxers. The white-haired man practically hugged the prince’s boxers against his face, inhaling the musk.In a frenzy, Robin pulled away reluctantly from Chrom’s crotch to kick off his own pants. Leaning over a bit too far, Robin knocked Chrom backwards onto the bed so that he was straddling the prince’s lap again. The tactician continued to suck and bite at the side of Chrom’s neck while the prince moaned loudly, arching his back off the mattress. Chrom wrapped his arms around Robin, pressing their cocks together so that the fabrics of their boxers rubbed together. The two men shuddered at the contact that sent fire through their veins. 

Chrom groaned and forced Robin away long enough to push his boxers down. As soon as Chrom’s cock popped free from his boxers, Robin returned to lick at the sides while he helped pull the prince’s boxers the rest of the way down-and-off.

With his free hands, Robin grabbed Chrom by the base and looked him in the eyes as he licked from the prince’s balls right to the tip of his cockhead. Chrom was leaking so much pre-cum and Robin was happy to lick it up, pulling his lips up-and-off, licking all over the cock head. Chrom started to groan and mutter about how good it felt and Robin grinned, taking the prince into his mouth.

Immediately, Robin plunged his head down on Chrom, taking a big breath through hise nose as the prince entered his throat. The tactician enjoyed the thickness of the cock in his throat and was mesmerized by how Chrom’s knees pulled up so his hand could grip the white hair as Robin bobbed up-and-down, taking the prince’s cock. Chrom started to swear and pant, turning Robin on even more.

“T-Think you can handle this cock?” Chrom stuttered as he tried to level his voice, his attempt at dirty talk amusing Robin. 

“It’s so big I’m having some trouble.” Robin winked as he sucked in a breath and took a hold on Chrom’s cock, tugging on it lazily as he swiped his tongue over the head, enjoying the salty taste. Robin opened his mouth, taking as much of Chrom’s cock as he could. The tactician looked up at Chrom, basking in the silent praise from the bliss on the prince’s face. With absolute determination, Robin closed his eyes and braced his palms against Chrom’s muscular thighs to take in as much of the cock as he could until he felt a tickle against his nose: he had reached the end. Chrom was letting out strangled sobs as Robin mumbled vibrations against the prince’s cock–looking up to get approval from the man he loved so much. Their eyes met and Robin felt his own bliss with his lover’s cock in his mouth. 

When Chrom finally pulled Robin’s head off of his cock, the prince barked an order in between deep breaths: “Take off your boxers.” The prince was gazing at Robin with half-lidded eyes, his face pink and sweaty. The prince wrapped his hand around Robin’s throat, forcing the tactician’s head up to plant another wet kiss against Robin’s lips so they could share the taste of his cock. 

Robin’s boxers had barely hit the floor when Chrom manuvered the two men so that the prince could grip Robin’s cock. The prince started to pump the cock slowly as he breathed into Robin’s mouth, occasionally kissing the white-haired man or pulling at the tactician’s lips with his teeth. Robin tried to grab Chrom’s cock but the prince brushed the other man’s hand away.

“I want to cum inside of you.” Chrom whispered. 

“I’m getting so close though!” Robin whined, thrusting into Chrom’s hand. Chrom trailed his tongue across Robin’s face and licked around his ear before whispering.

“Cum for me, Robin.” 

Robin groaned and shot into Chrom’s hand, painting Chrom’s abs and his own abdomen with his seed. Chrom continued to lick at Robin’s ear and jaw, telling the tactician how great he did. Chrom moved the two men around again so that Robin was laying on his back and Chrom was above him. Chrom moved on top of Robin, grinding their cocks together as Chrom moved his tongue into Robin’s mouth again. The prince seemed content to just kiss Robin for a few moments–even though both men wanted more. Robin wrapped his legs around Chrom’s muscular back, raising his hips to slide their cocks together. 

“G-Give me a moment.” Chrom broke the kiss, barely catching his breath. “I want to get some oil.” The prince quickly returned with a vial and replied to Robin’s huff with a peck on the lips. Chrom took some of the oil on his hand and brought it between Robin’s legs, pressing two fingers to the tactician’s hole. Robin felt like his cock could shoot another jet of cum as Chrom twisted his fingers, leaning back on his knees and looking down at the white-haired man. The tactician’s legs were still wrapped around Chrom’s back and the prince’s leaking cock stood between the two men. 

With a mischievous grin, Chrom gazed at Robin. The tactician noticed how beautiful the prince looked with his sweat-slicked body. The prince started to pull his fingers out, scooping some of the cum on Robin’s chest, and bringing it back to the white-haired man’s hole. Hitching his hips back, Chrom grabbed his cock and slid it down Robin’s taint.

“Are you ready, Robin?” Chrom looked at Robin for consent. The tactician almost wanted to slap the prince on his arm but appreciated the time that the other man took to make sure that this was really what Robin wanted.

“Yes. Fuck me, Chrom.” Robin added a whine for emphasis which seemed to darken Chrom’s eyes as he slowly pushed his cock inside of Robin. The tactician’s eyes squeezed shut as the prince entered him, and the white-haired man started to whimper and moan as Chrom sunk into him–the prince’s lips at the corner of Robin’s mouth.

“I love you, Robin. I love you so much.” Chrom murmured, thrusting slowly in-and-out as he softly kissed the other man.

“Fuck, I love you Chrom!” Robin moaned, gasping into Chrom’s mouth. “I need you to fuck me harder!”

“Anything you say, my love.” Chrom chuckled as he continued kissing Robin. The prince started to thrust faster and deeper–hardly pulling out much and staying in to deeply, rapidly thrust inside the other man. After a few minutes of hard thrusting, Chrom broke the kiss so he could pant against Robin’s lips–the sweat on their foreheads coming together.

Robin continued to groan as his torso rose to take every jab from Chrom’s cock. The prince continued to slam deep inside, dragging out his own cries for release. Robin’s hole clenched tightly around the prince’s hard cock, sending waves of pleasure throughout both of their bodies. Chrom started to quicken his pace and Robin licked his lips in anticipation. 

“You’re so good at this, Chrom. I love you so much.” Robin panted, amused by how Chrom flushed and muttered something incoherent under his breath. 

“I-I–” Chrom fumbled his words, shaking his head as he continued to pound Robin’s ass, bucking his hips in a ruthless furor. Robin’s mind was blurred with waves of pleasure as deepthroated groans came from the prince. In a flash, Chrom cried out and thrust all the way in, digging his fingernails into Robin’s hips as he filled the other man with his cum. Robin ran his hands up-and-down Chrom’s back, pressing kisses to the prince’s open lips. 

Chrom pulled back for a moment to look into Robin’s eyes as he was still buried to the hilt inside of the tactician. In the next moment, Chrom collapsed to meet Robin’s lips again. In just a few seconds, Chrom started to lazily grind into Robin again–circling and thrusting his hips gently.

“I could stay like this forever with you.” Chrom whispered. Robin laughed as a few tears sprinkled away from his eyes. The sheer joy of being together with his true love–and his best friend–was finally getting to Robin. This was almost too good to be true. Chrom pulled back and wrinkled his brow, frowning as he brushed the tear away with his thumb.

“I’m so scared if I blink…” Robin mumbled. “If I blink, I’ll just wake up alone in the middle of a field again and this would all have been a dream.” Chrom replied by taking Robin’s hand and holding it against his bare chest before kissing the knuckles.

“Robin.” Chrom’s warm breath embraced Robin’s body. “Even if it took me the rest of my days, I would search every open field in this whole stupid world to find you.” 

And with that, the tactician and the prince lived happily ever after.