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00.
“Henry, is this really a good idea?"
Ricken is perfectly aware that the question is rhetorical. With Henry, it seemed that no matter what logic you used against him, he was always right. Maybe he was; if Ricken was being totally honest with himself, he'd admit Henry was mostly right in the end, even if his way of getting there seemed a bit...excessive.
But this was just wrong. Even Henry had to know that.
He seemed unaffected as he hummed and poured half a spoonful of crow feet into the gurgling pot. Despite Ricken's unease he had to admire the way the white haired mage's eyes shone with delight, how cute the wide upturn of his lips was, how his eyes squinted from the force of it.
"It's a great idea," he said after a while, a sharp laugh reverberating from his chest. Ricken gulped. "Besides, how can I say no to Robin?"
"Like this; no Robin, I will not make a love potion for you because that is against school rules." Ricken frowned and let his eyes wander to the pot accusingly. For a love potion the ingredients sure were gross. Then again, potions that manipulated emotions fell under the Dark Magic category so he shouldn't be too surprised.
Henry just shrugged, his smile unwavering. There were very few things that could wipe a smile off of Henry Licht's face.
"It's good practice too," he said simply. Ricken watched him reach over, grab a bottle of mysterious black liquid, and dump half of it in. "Whoops, that was a bit too much. Oh well."
Ricken scrunched his nose at the smell and it his tongue to keep from berating him any further. Instead, he asked, "Practice?" because Henry rarely bothered practicing any other than battle magic. Potions were Tharja's forte.
"A personal project," he said vaguely. Ricken felt sick, suddenly. "Nothing for you to worry your pretty little ears over."
"My...what?"
"Shh," Henry said. He grabbed a large wooden spoon and stirred, his arms straining with the effort. The potions must have been pretty thick. Ricken wasn't surprised, what with all those ingredients.
"What is she going to do with it?" Ricken muttered. He folded his arms on the desk and leaned forward, closer to Henry and closer to the pot. The stench grew worse but Henry smelled like earth and floral oil (he knew for a fact that was from Maribelle, who always had a bottle in her purse and sprayed Henry every time he walked by because he "reeks of corpses").
"Who knows," Henry said with a carefree shrug. "Who cares?"
"Uh, you should!?" Ricken blinked wide eyes up at Henry, flabbergasted. "If she does something bad with it and they find out you made the potion--"
"I'll just throw them into a shallow grave and let my babies play with a new friend," he said casually followed by a breezy chuckle. Ricken couldn't even appreciate how beautiful that sound was because what the heck?
He stared, outright gawking at that point, and Henry paused his stirring to lean over and press a chaste kiss against Ricken's parted lips.
"You're cute when you're horrified," he said with another grin before he turned back to continue stirring his disgusting concoction together. Ricken froze, unmoving as he continued gawking at Henry but for a whole new reason as heat spread from his neck to his cheeks.
"I swear...you're gonna be the death of me..." he murmured as he sunk back against his chair, covering his red face with his hands. Henry just laughed.
"It would be my pleasure!"
01.
Robin squinted at the book, as if hoping it may shed some light on her predicament, even though it made no sense that a Book of Healing would help the situation in the slightest. A girl can dream, though.
"You've been staring at that thing for an hour," Lissa said in a bored, slightly whiny voice. "You promised we'd explore the school garden today! The rosecrates bloomed this weekend and I wanna see!"
"Hush, Lissa, I'm focusing," Robin said gently, eyes narrowing as she read a rather relevant but still unhelpful passage -- alas, her love was unreceptive, her aches and agony unrequited, and so she threw herself into white blossoms and found healing in their petals -- Robin felt her chest ache with familiarity. The spell intro was rather dramatic but Robin felt a connection with it, hilariously enough. The spell itself was a mere healing spell for the soul, nothing that would solve her problem.
"Robiiiiin!" Lissa reached over to tug the book down, her gaze meeting Robin's with a pout on her face and determination in her eyes. Robin knew she'd lose this one.
"You promised!"
"Alright, alright," Robin relented, sighing heavily as she shut the book and returned it to the bookshelf above her. "You got your stubbornness from your brother." Her voice was fond and Lissa just shrugged, either ignorant to the adoration in her voice or choosing to ignore it for Robin's sake.
She looped her arm through the older girl's, a wide smile on her face as they exited the library in favor for the garden. It was a beautiful addition to the school that had been added only recently, per Emmeryn's petition. Despite being headmaster all decisions had go through a council, even something as small as a garden.
Lissa adored it though; she went everyday, usually with Maribelle or Sumia or, in rare cases such as these, her brother's best friend Robin.
Robin didn't mind in the slightest.
"There they are!" Lissa bound over to the rosecrates, opened up beautifully with long glistening red petals unfurling at the tips. The smell was delicious and Robin couldn't help but lean in closer, knelt beside Lissa.
"I planted them a week ago. They bloom quick," she explained, gently running her fingertips along the petals. "It was my mother's favorite flower."
Robin smiled. "She had good taste."
Lissa giggled. "She did! They're mine too. She used to have a vase of them in almost every room. Our home always smelled wonderful."
"That sounds nice," Robin said. She meant it, she really did, but she felt herself growing more distant with the direction of the conversation. Lissa seemed to notice and frowned apologetically.
She bit her lip then brightened, quickly reached over to point at a flower and zap a small bolt of magic to cut the stem clean off. She grabbed the flower and handed it over with a shy smile.
"Here. Mother would have wanted you to have it."
Robin felt her chest warm and she grinned, accepted the flower. "Thank you, Lissa."
"Anything for you, Robin!"
Robin laughed, and she meant it.
02.
Tharja didn't know why dear Robin didn't just come to her. She was known throughout the school as the best at potions. Perhaps she was shy? Tharja chuckled to herself. Of course that was it. Dear Robin didn't want to reveal who she desired enough to beg for a love potion. It made sense.
She twirled her hair around her finger as she pondered her next move. Her sharp gaze was set on Robin, head thrown back laughing at something Vaike said.
"Uh, um, Tharja?" a familiar, timid voice greeted her. Tharja grimaced and turned, releasing her thread of hair in favor of placing both hands in front of her. She inched away from the corner she had been spying on Robin from, acting casual.
"Yes, Olivia?"
"Would you mind terribly to--to hum--ah dear, would you --"
"Spit it out before I make you," Tharja deadpanned. Olivia paled and seemed to stutter more, cheeks growing white to pink to white again. Tharja found it amusing, but she was more concerned about Robin, not this dancer turned wizard.
"Please tutor me! In p-potions!"
Oh? Speak of the devil. Tharja grinned, leaned against the wall behind her.
"Maybe, if you beg."
Olivia flushed. She immediately bowed, her long pink hair spilling to the floor. Tharja blinked, stunned at her obedience.
"Please tutor me!"
"Get up, you're embarrassing," Tharja said, though despite her words she was grinning darkly. She loved obedient idiots. "Fine, I can tutor you. But what do I get out of it?"
Olivia shifted on her feet nervously. "Ah, um, I can give you some dance lessons?"
Tharja's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"
"Robin did say she loved my dancing," Olivia said. She looked at Tharja expectantly, like she had this all planned, and as much as Tharja loved gullible idiots she loved conniving ones just as much.
"Alright. Deal."
03.
Maribelle stared blankly at the rowdy bunch who dared ask her to host a study session. She should have declined and really, she would have if not for Lissa having been the one who requested it. But honestly, why did she think they'd get anything done? First there was Vaike, who never took a thing except axes and the gym seriously, who was currently giving Ricken a -- what was it called? A "noogie"? Then Stahl, who was eating and reading and getting crumbs everywhere on her nice table and carpet, and Sumia was on her phone playing some game instead of doing her practice test. Then there was Chrom who, despite his good intentions, was distracted much too easily. He was busy chatting it up with Robin, who Maribelle knew was serious about this group until Chrom turned his blue eyes on her and then that girl was gone like the wind (She could certainly relate; whenever sunny, brown eyes fixated on her Maribelle just--).
Anyhow. This was a waste of her time, but Lissa was sitting right next to her with her book open eager to focus all her attention on Maribelle and her teachings, so she supposed all wasn't lost.
"What are you stuck on, darling?" Maribelle asked gently as she leaned closer to look at the book. Ah, the basics of magic. Lissa was not only a freshman but she also specialized in healing magic like Maribelle. Just healing magic. Nothing else. No wonder he poor dear was struggling in her Beginner Magician class.
"Everything," Lissa sulked.
"Well then, everything is what I shall teach you," Maribelle stated determinedly. She found it easy to block out the noisy chatter of the others with Lissa looking at her like that. Like she was the sun and the moon and everything in between.
"I love you, Maribelle!" Lissa cheered, gratefulness in her smile as she jumped off her chair to hug Mafibelle tightly. She buried her small face into Maribelle's arm then pulled away to sit back down, presumably to focus on studying, but Maribelle suddenly forgot all about magic and potions and all she could hear was the roaring of her blood in her ears.
"I love you too, dear Lissa," she said after a moment, her smile genuine as she turned back to the book and turned to the first chapter. Even if the meaning was different, it was nice knowing Lissa loved her, too.
Her contentment didn't last much longer.
"Oh my god, Vaike put Ricken in a headlock!"
"Sick."
"RELEASE HIM THIS INSTANT!"
04.
Ricken knew things like labels didn't bother Henry. It wasn't a thing, really, it wasn't like Henry went around making friends to kiss then not call them his boyfriend. He was just...Henry. The thought just never occurred to him. It wasn't on purpose.
Ricken knew this, yet the insecurity was still there, but Henry was an expert at reassuring him without even realizing he was doing it.
"Did you give Robin the potion?" he asked as they sat on Henry's couch, horror movie blaring in front of them but Ricken wasn't thinking about the flesh eating monsters attacking the city. He was thinking about Henry, and Robin and Chrom, but mostly Henry. Nothing new.
"Not yet," Henry said. "I need to test it first."
Ricken rose his eyebrows. "Test it....?"
Henry leaned in, rested his head against Ricken's. Ricken felt his heart beat insanely fast and he was worried Henry would hear it.
"Don't worry, I don't need to test is on you. You already adore me."
Ricken choked on his spit, sputtering unintelligently as he tried to defend himself.
"And it won't work on me either," he said as Ricken finally caught his breath.
That sent him into another coughing fit that had Henry cackling.
05.
Tharja didn’t understand dancing.
You moved your body in random positions and people thought it was this amazing talent. Spells were not much different; you positioned your body and your aura in certain positions and let the magic fly out of you. It was easy. It came to her so naturally, like breathing, so why was this so difficult?
“You’re doing great!” Olivia praised, even though Tharja felt ridiculous. She scowled but didn’t reply. Instead, she copied Olivia’s position, lifting her leg behind her and arching her back to mirror her. Olivia smiled even wider, if possible, and dropped her pose to walk over and gently reposition her arm to lift above her shoulder.
“Like this,” she said gently. “You’re beautiful. You were made for dancing!”
Tharja huffed. “I was made to spread darkness and chaos on this planet, not to throw my hands and feet around like a clumsy child.”
Olivia giggled. “Oh, yes, of course. Now try the move I showed you yesterday. The one where you spin?”
Tharja obeyed, fluid and careful in her movements as she spun on her toe, one leg in the air and her hands spread around her like rays of a sunset (Olivia’s words, not hers). Olivia watched, something oddly hungry in her eyes as she pressed her thumb to her bottom lip, in deep thought. Tharja dropped her leg and waited, one hand on her hip and the other running through her hair. It was a little tangled from all the hopping around she was doing.
“How are you so good?” Olivia marveled, then grinned. “Well, looks like I can step it up an show you some advanced moves.”
“Please do,” Tharja said. “Robin would certainly enjoy something more complex.”
Oliva nodded. “I’m certain she would.”
She strolled over and gently grasped Tharja’s shoulders, lifting her arms, and turned her face close to Tharja’s ear. “Ready?”
Tharja was surprised at the bold action. Olivia was annoyingly timid and terrified of her, yet here she was openly touching her like they were standing on the same ground? She was too surprised to get angry and merely nodded, watching as Olivia spun gracefully on her heel to stand in front of her, her eyes sparkling and lips upturned into a playful smile.
Tharja, for the first time in her life, knew what fear felt like.
06.
"Sorry, I can't give you that potion."
Robin froze, eyebrows narrowing so quickly Henry had to wonder if glaring was her default setting. Gaius was next to her cradling a large bag of gummy bears like a baby and Henry had to bite his tongue to resist asking for some.
"What?" was all she said.
Henry shrugged. "I tested it on a rat and it exploded."
She nodded, slowly. "Okay...."
"Sorry 'bout that. I guess love is just too..........explosive....."
Gaius clapped his hands together slowly. "Nice one."
"No. Not nice one." Robin smacked the bag of gummy bears right out of Gaius' hands, causing him to let out a scandalized gasp. "What am I supposed to do now?"
"Curse him? Not sure." Henry shrugged. "I mean I can give it to you, but Chrom would definitely explode. There's also a 60 percent chance that he will catch on fire."
Robin let out a drawn out sigh. "Henry...."
"You should've just asked Tharja," Gaius said as he stuffed a handful of gummy bears into his mouth.
"Tharja? No..no no no....that's a bad idea. Trust me." Robin shuddered at the idea of Tharja creating a love potion for her. Bad, bad idea.
"Why did you want one in the first place?" Gaius asked. "It isn't like you to use magic to solve your problems. That's not the Bubbles I know and love." He shoved another handful into his endless abyss of a mouth and Robin rolled her eyes.
"None of your business," she sassed before she spun on her heel and sauntered off.
07.
Chrom wasn't blind. Robin was...off.
It wasn’t like Robin hadn’t always been a bit peculiar. She was a unique woman; it was why he liked her so much. She was outspoken, bold, brave, and her magic was incredibly powerful. She came up with ridiculous pranks and even more ridiculous solutions, her smile lit up a room, she saw the best in others, and he was getting off track.
The point was Chrom knew Robin pretty well. They met their first year and were attached at the hip ever since. The closer they got, the more Chrom fell deeper and deeper into this pit she had dug for him. She opened up to him Christmas eve, standing on the balcony by the dining hall with blurry eyes. She looked beautiful, her long hair a mess as she wiped her runny nose and told him about her father, how he was a Grima worshipper, how he carved marks into her skin as a child and her mother pretended not to see.
She also made him feel vulnerable. Something about her made it easy to talk, to tell her things he hadn’t even told Fredrick or Lissa, things about himself he didn’t even know. He thought they knew each other pretty well. They had proudly shown each other their scars, both shallow and deep, and he always thought Robin told him everything.
He was wrong.
Something was definitely up, and nobody who seemed to know would tell him.
“Hey,” Robin said. She leaned over the table to poke at the spot between his eyebrows. She mimicked his thoughtful expression. “Why so serious, bro?”
He tried to relax his face, embarrassed that she had seen right through him. Or maybe he was just much more expressive than he thought he was. Either way, Robin was too perceptive for her own good.
“Nothing,” he said, batting her hand away. She rose an eyebrow. “What?”
“You can’t lie to me. What’s up?”
He shrugged. “Nothing. Just…”
“Just…” She prompted, leaning closer. She pushed her drink to the side and tilted her head expectantly, a patient expression on her face as she waited for Chrom to speak. He didn’t plan to tell her though. You can’t force someone to open up if they don't want to, he knew that much. Robin was very particular about what and when she opened up and didn’t like being confronted, so Chrom leaned away and smiled.
“I’m just wondering if it’s a great idea for you to eat two cheeseburgers.”
She scoffed. “Excuse me? My metabolism is top tier. I’m a growing girl.” She relaxed and leaned back to shove a whole burger in her mouth while staring Chrom dead in the eye. “Fckm you,” she muffled out with a triumphant grin.
Chrom laughed.
08.
Tharja cornered Robin a week into her deal with Olivia, trapping her against a wall in the hallway. Robin looked up at her with those wide grey eyes of hers and Tharja felt that familiar coil in her chest, opening and thrashing at her heart and lungs and tearing them to bloody shreds.
“Room E54, one hour. I have to show you something.” Tharja’s deadpan voice made Robin wonder if it was something she should be concerned about, but there was a hint of anxiety in her expression that had Robin smiling as reassuringly as possible. She reached out to pat Tharja’s arm.
“Sure thing, cuz. I’ll be there. Can you drop the kabedon now, though?”
Tharja slowly pulled back, dropped her arms at her sides. “What’s a kabedon?”
“It's…not important. E54. One hour.” Robin shot her a thumbs up then sauntered off and Tharja grinned. She was in a good mood suddenly, all earlier grumpiness and anxiety gone with that one wide smile from her beloved. She spun around when a squeal of terror snapped her from her blissful daze. It was Olivia, clutching the wall with wide eyes.
“What?” Tharja snapped.
“I--I wanted to be sure you were okay! That things went well!” she stammered out, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “I’m glad they did. You're a quick learner, you’ve been doing amazing.”
Tharja shrugged. “Of course I am. I’m excellent at every endeavor.”
“O-Of course!”
Tharja sighed. “You, on the other hand…”
Olivia flushed. She moved her hands to hide her face and groan. “I…I know, I’m horrible! Absolutely horrible! Potions are not my strength at all! How are you so good at it, Tharja? All those confusing names and rules and you have to touch hearts and --and feces--“
“Stop talking,” Tharja cut in sharply as she crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. “We’ll just have to work twice as hard.”
Olivia seemed surprised, then pleased. Pink flushed her cheeks as she nodded, eyes downcast. “Of--yes! Of course! I’ll work hard!”
“You better.”
09.
“Tharja danced for me,” Robin said as she shoved a handful of chips in her mouth. Chrom watched as the white-haired girl uncrossed her legs to lean forward to grab the remote, digesting her peculiar words as he tried to imagine Tharja dancing. He grimaced.
“She…danced?”
“Mhm,” Robin said as she swallowed and changed the channel to SyFy. “Hell yeah, the X-Files is on. Thank god this place has cable.”
“Back up,” Chrom said, putting his hand up in the air to get her attention. She paused, put down her bag of chips, and turned to him curiously. “She danced.”
“Yes…” Robin said slowly, as if Chrom was an idiot and Tharja dancing was a normal thing.
“Okay. Was she…good?” Why was Chrom asking this?
“Yeah, actually. She was…really pretty. Kind of hot, too, but don’t tell her I said that. That’d be weird. Is calling your cousin hot weird?” Robin scrunched up her nose and grabbed the bag of chips again. Chrom remembered watching Olivia dance; her long hair twirling around her like a waterfall, her pale skin bright against the dark room as she spun and twisted, and the breathlessness Chrom had felt witnessing it. He couldn’t imagine Tharja doing that, or Robin having the same reaction.
Tharja was pretty, sure, but she was also creepy and obsessive and dark. She was obsessed with curses and Robin and always glared at Chrom like he kicked over her cauldron or something. He didn’t remember ever doing anything to her.
“Huh,” was all he said as he leaned back against the couch. He took a sip of his soda and let his gaze wander to the TV. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Robin echoed as she crunched on another unnecessarily large handful of Doritos.
Chrom didn’t know why, but she’d never looked more beautiful.
10.
Ricken knew that kissing Henry in the potion lab room was a stupid idea, yet here they were.
Henry was impulsive but he was surprisingly tame when it came to physical affection. He was scarce in his touches and kisses but Ricken had never minded; he always recuperated when Ricken initiated, so it wasn’t like he hated it or anything, he was just…Henry.
So it caught him off guard when he entered the room and immediately felt an arm snake around his waist. He was pulled away from the door and watched it slam shut before he was nose-to-nose with a grinning Henry, who immediately pressed his lips against Ricken’s. Ricken found himself pressed against the wall, eyes squeezed shut and mouth opening obligingly against Henry’s insistent kisses. He gripped at his coats, his shoulders easing tension as he melted and let out tiny sounds that he knew Henry liked.
Then he heard it; a tiny sound coming from the tables to their right.
He ignored it at first, opting instead to focus on Henry’s mouth, but then it increased in volume and Ricken was pushing Henry’s face away as he struggled to look over the white-haired mage’s shoulder. Sure enough, he found the source of the sound, and his jaw dropped.
“Why is there a rat in the potions lab, Henry?”
Henry grinned. “I did it, Ricken.”
“Did what?” Ricken nudged past Henry to kneel by the table, watching the rat as it watched him with its beady little eyes, unmoving. “What did you do to this poor creature?”
The rat blinked. Henry appeared behind him, leaned against his back to murmur in his ear, “That’s my test rat, duh.”
Ricken shoved him away and tried to find something wrong with the rat. One eye bigger than the other, an extra set of balls, four tails, anything that suggested Henry tried one of his weird spells on him. The rat seemed fine to Ricken, though.
“Test rat for what?”
“I asked Tharja for help on the potion,” Henry said. He moved past Ricken to scoop the rat up, who squealed in delight and rolled onto its back in Henry’s hands. “I told her it was for class, gave her some of Robin’s hair in exchange, and she was on board.” Ricken decided not to point out how creepy that was. “The love potion is a success.”
“What, really?”
“Yes!” Henry grinned. “This little guy is totally in love with me.” The rat nuzzled into his hands further. “And he hasn’t exploded or oozed blood….yet.”
“Yet?”
“Well, it’s been a day,” Henry said thoughtfully. “I’m not sure how long the potion will last. We’ll see, I suppose. Once I’m sure I’ll give it to Robin and she can use it on Chrom and that’ll be that.”
Ricken gasped. “Wait, Robin plans to use it on Chrom?”
“I’m assuming. She’s not very subtle.”
Ricken frowned, watched as the rat started to nibble on Henry’s finger. “But it won’t work, will it?”
“Heeeehhhh?” Henry drawled, looking over at Ricken as he rubbed the top of the keening rat’s head. This was weird, but Ricken chose to ignore that oddly intimate gesture to instead focus on the fact that Robin wanted to use a love potion on Chrom.
“For someone so perceptive you sure at dense,” Ricken said with a heavy sigh. “Doesn’t Chrom like her, too?”
“He does!?”
“Lord,” Ricken muttered. “Yes! I thought it was obvious! Even if that moron doesn’t realize it himself, everyone else can tell. It’s why Sumia broke it off with him sophomore year.” Ricken was fed up and stormed over to take the rat away, which resulted in the small animal squirming and screaming as it thrashed and tried to bite Ricken and get back to his beloved Henry. Ricken grimaced.
“Well I don’t think she’ll believe us,” Henry said, “if we tell her.”
“Probably not. She’s in denial about a lot of things.”
“Give Mantilla back, he’s getting aggravated,” Henry said, reaching for the rat. Henry put the rat, who had been on the table and not in a cage which was dumb of Henry considering they were in a potion lab, back into the cage in the corner. Henry followed, and as soon as the angry rat was locked away Ricken grabbed Henry’s face and pulled him close so they were nose to nose.
“Wouldn’t you rather kiss me?” he asked. He didn’t wait for an answer.
11.
Lissa wasn’t as dense as everyone seemed to think she was. She knew how to read the mood, she knew when people were acting strange, and the people closest to her were acting strange.
First was Chrom, who was fidgety and elusive as compared to his usual open book policy and, while excitable, otherwise calm demeanor. Robin was acting weird all-around and Lissa didn't think it had to do with her absent dad, but rather some other issue she refused to open up to Lissa about.
“Maribelle, I don't understand! Why is everyone hiding things from me?” Lissa whined. She flopped onto Maribelle’s bed and then on her lap, pouting as she fiddled with the pale pink princess curtains draped over her best friend’s bed. “I’m not a kid. I can handle it.”
“Handle what, my dear?” Maribelle asked lightly as she ran her fingers through Lissa’s hair.
“I don't know, whatever the heck is making everyone act so weird.” She curled up, closed her eyes. “I know Robin likes brother, and he likes her, and I’ve tried so hard to make them realize it. Why are they acting weird now?”
“Perhaps they have finally realized?” Maribelle suggested.
“I would know. They’re not very good at being sneaky.” Lissa waited, opening her eyes once again to stare at Maribelle’s pale pink wall. “Do you like anybody, Maribelle?”
Maribelle tensed for a moment before she relaxed again, an uneasy breath escaping her chest that had Lissa rolled up to peer at her in concern. Maribelle sent her a reassuring smile and a careless wave of her hand.
“No,” she said. Lissa narrowed her eyes.
“I know when you’re lying.”
“I am not!” Maribelle looked affronted but Lissa saw right through her. “Alright, fine. I do have somebody that has…captured my affections.”
Lissa didn’t know why, but the admittance made her chest tighten. She thought she’d be overjoyed to hear her uptight best friend had a crush. Lissa would squeal and pry for more information, then she’d help Maribelle get his attention then arrange their first date because who wouldn’t like Maribelle back, honestly? But none of that happened. Instead, a heavy feeling weighed in her chest, and she was quiet.
“Oh,” she said to the wall. Maribelle went back to playing with her hair.
She didn’t want to know who it was, and thankfully Maribelle didn’t want to share.
12.
Robin hated Lissa, she decided.
“You what?” Chrom asked.
“I switched the love potion Robin was going to use on you with truth potion,” Lissa explained. Ricken had warned Lissa about Robin and Henry’s unstable concoction, so she decided enough was enough. She only hoped Chrom wouldn’t murder her for this. The chances were high.
“Love potion?” Chrom echoed, eyes wide as he turned to Robin. She glared at Lissa, who flinched away from the angry expression.
“Sorry!” she blurted, “but Robin, what you were doing was wrong! And you guys are both too dumb to see the obvious!” She put her hands on her hips. “So, this is the only solution! I’m going to leave now.” She spun on her heel and slammed the dorm room shut, effectively forcing Chrom and Robin to finally talk this stuff out.
Silence.
“Love potion,” Chrom said again, flabbergasted. “Why would you want to use a love potion on me?”
“I--“ Robin stammered. “A…prank?”
“A prank.”
“Yeah. Ha ha….funny, right?”
“No.” Chrom looked upset. “That’s not funny. That’s really mean, Robin.”
“I…yeah,” Robin muttered. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Why would you slip me a love potion? Not like it’d work.”
“Chrom, I--wait, what do you mean?” Robin bit the inside of her cheek, afraid that she might say too much even though Chrom was the one digesting a truth potion. He blinked, looking a bit confused by his own words, and opened his mouth as if attempting to backtrack. Instead, more incriminating truths spilled out.
“I already love you plenty,” he blurted, then immediately looked mortified. “I mean--no, that’s not--not a lie but--argh, what?” He slapped his hands over his mouth in a very comical manner and Robin would have laughed in any other situation, but this seemed…inappropriate. “I’m sorry,” he apologized quietly, ashamed, slowly lowering his slightly trembling hands. Robin’s eyes were drawn to them, large and kind, and her heart swelled.
“It wasn’t a prank,” she admitted. “I was desperate.”
He blinked at her like he didn’t understand and knowing how dense Chrom was, Robin didn’t doubt his obliviousness.
“Listen…so, I’m kind of desperate for you, in particular.” The admittance left her mouth feeling like cotton and she tried to bite back an excuse, like she usually would -- an easy way out of this awkward atmosphere, a way out of admitting something she’d been denying far too long.
“I know the love potion thing was a bad idea,” she continued, her voice dropping, as if telling him a secret. The volume of her words caused Chrom to lean in, head tilted slightly to hear better, eyes swimming with unadulterated glee and curiosity. The sight made Robin’s heart beat just a little bit faster. “I was just stuck, I guess. How do you tell someone you love that you really truly love them? That--That, well, that every expression makes you more curious about them, about what’s under all the glamour and smiles. That every flaw is wonderful to you, that you want to find more things wrong so you can know that too, and cherish it like everything else that makes up that persona and oh my god you’d think I’m the one with the truth potion, the way I’m babbling all these embarrassing things, please shut me up, I beg you,” Robin blabbered, her face turning redder the more she realized what she was saying. Way to go, Robin, just spilling all this fake deep poetic nonsense on the poor guy.
Instead of looking revolted like she expected, Chrom was grinning ear to ear, his eyes lit up with absolute joy. He didn’t hesitate - he never did, when it came to things he wanted - to reach out and run his fingertips along Robin’s warm cheeks, along her jawline, curling finally at her ear. Robin was effectively shut up, her breath catching in her throat as she tried not to faint at the thrilling sensation of his hands on her.
“I love you more than you’ll ever know,” was his response before he swooped in to kiss her.
13.
“Your potion seemed to work,” Ricken said, the palm of his hand cradling his cheek as he watched Henry turn the page of his book. He made a soft “mm” noise, noncommittal and dismissive, and Ricken narrowed his eyes. “I thought you’d be happier,” he said. Henry shrugged and looked up, a smile playing on his lips.
“Actually, it wasn’t my potion that got those two together.” he said. “It was honesty. Fascinating, really. Who would’ve thought?”
Ricken blinked. “Oh. Really? I’m glad. I didn’t really like the idea of Robin using a love potion in the first place.”
Henry laughed. “Of course not, you’re a good kid. You won’t even walk on grass if it has a Do Not Step On Grass sign,” he said. Ricken flushed in embarrassment, mostly because it was true. “Don’t worry, I find it endearing.”
“Whatever,” Ricken sulked, grasping a random book in Henry’s study pile to flip through. Distraction seemed like the best option at this point. He didn’t want to think about the way Henry’s hair fell into his eyes, the curve of his neck when he leaned forward, the alluring way his lips tilted a little when he caught Ricken staring.
A few minutes passed before he heard Henry shut his book. His gaze was set on a paragraph about how to find the location of a mangoat when he felt a presence behind him followed by cold fingertips brushing up his neck. He jumped a little, a squeal leaving him as he spun to glare accusingly at a grinning Henry.
“What?” he asked.
“Your hands are cold!” he accused. “Are you done?”
“Mhm,” he hummed, shoving his hands in the pockets of his coat. “Want to go bug the new happy couple?”
“Not really, but I have a feeling you’re dead set on it,” Ricken grumbled as he shut the book and carefully set it on top of the pile in the middle of the table. Henry just laughed again and Ricken allowed a small smile to cross his face at the sound. He stood, eyes falling to Henry’s hand buried deep in his pocket before he swallowed his unease to speak.
“Give me your hand.”
“Hm?” Henry looked confused but still amused, as he always was, then obediently removed his hand from his pocket and offered it to Ricken. Ricken promptly grabbed it, curled his fingers around his palm, and dropped their hands to swing between them.
“It’ll warm them up,” he explained shyly, shrugging his shoulders.
“How selfless of you,” Henry said. He sounded delighted. He bumped his shoulder against Ricken’s then peeked around the empty library before leaning down to press a soft kiss just behind Ricken’s ear. “Let’s go,” he murmured, pulling away so he could lead them out of the library.
Ricken was too flustered to respond.
14.
“Ahh, young love,” Lissa sighed as she swooned against Maribelle, who merely rose a perfectly trimmed eyebrow in silent agreement. Robin and Chrom were officially a couple, thanks to Lissa’s mischievous but well-intended plot, and were walking down the courtyard hand-in-hand. Chrom was positively beaming, chest puffed out proudly as if showing off, and Robin was embarrassed but quite obviously elated, judging by the small smile on her lips.
“It makes you want to find love too,” Lissa continued wistfully. Maribelle vaguely wondered if she had somebody in mind but quickly shook it off -- no time to mope, she had to be happy for her friends. “So, um. Now that those two are together, why don’t we focus on your love?” Lissa twisted around to grasp both of Maribelle’s hands, eyes gleaming hopefully. Maribelle felt unease clench around her throat, making it nearly impossible to speak. Seeing how excited Lissa was to set her up with her nonexistent crush broke her heart a little.
Maribelle forced a smile. “I appreciate the sentiment, dear, but I’m perfectly capable of pursuing my own romance.” A lie. “Why don’t you focus on passing this semester, instead?” Her tone was teasing but held a warning in it that Lissa didn’t miss. She deflated, her cheeks turning pink as she muttered in begrudging agreement. Maribelle’s heart twisted wonderfully at the sight of her puffed out, red cheeks and downcast eyes. She was adorable.
“Why don’t we go study in the canteen?” she offered, slipping her slim hand into Lissa’s tiny one. “I know for a fact that you haven’t eaten. Nutrients are vital in memorizing essential information, like studying for your history exam.” Maribelle winked and Lissa went red again.
“I-I know!” she sputtered indigently, though she didn’t protest as Maribelle gently led her toward the cafeteria. “I’ve been too busy listening to Chrom gush to even think about my tummy!”
“I don’t doubt that,” Maribelle said with a laugh. She squeezed her hand, took a leap of faith. “Let’s have our lunch date, then, and then we can study in the library together.”
“D..ate…?” she echoed, eyes wide. Maribelle nodded before she could back out of her very blatant word choice. Maribelle knew she was risking a lot, definitely after their romantic conversation topic, but while she knew Lissa wasn’t oblivious like her brother and would understand her meaning, she also knew it would be easy to play it off as a teasing choice of words.
She hoped Lissa didn’t hear the pounding of her heart.
She didn’t, it seemed, and Lissa merely grinned so wide Maribelle wondered if her face would hurt later. She was bright red and her eyes shone pleasantly as she squeezed Maribelle’s hand, tugging her just a little bit closer.
“Yeah,” she said in an adorably dazed voice, “a date.”
Maribelle’s heart soared. Maybe love really was in the air.