Amongst the Living

Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Brothers. That goes to Nintendo. The only characters I own are those from the Golden Land, angels from Skyworld including the royal bodyguards, Angel Assembly and archangels along with all the other angels and of course the witch hunters. I also don't own Queen's Blade as that belongs to Hobby Japan.

Summary: Falling in love was the last thing Shulk wanted to do. It meant opening up to another person and spilling your dark secrets. Rob had secrets of his own that he locked away, so perhaps Shulk's secrets weren't all too bad.

Pairing: Rob/Shulk

Rated: K+ (for older children)

Genre: Angst, Romance and Hurt/Comfort

Warning: Xenoblade Chronicles spoilers, swearing and unintentional OOC

This is day 23 of the writing version of Inktober. Today's theme is "the undead". I know this story would be in timelines where Rob isn't all that concerned about Shulk's status as being part of the undead. Besides, I think I tortured them enough for this month so it's rather bittersweet now. Enjoy!

Shulk had a secret that he always wanted to keep. When he found out that he had died on Valak Mountain many years ago and was only saved to be used as a vessel for Zanza, the Homs did not take the revelation well. So many things made sense because of this revelation. Shulk had no taste buds so he could never taste the cooking given to him. The dead had no use for taste buds. Shulk also had bad memory and started forgetting what he did in his youth. Zanza ate at his memories the older he got, meaning that he would only be a shell if the process completed. Alvis had told him that now that he was the new God of Fate, he could become like every other Homs. Shulk did just that and made himself a normal Homs for the most part. He still had his visions. He still had the Monado. He still had the powers that gave him the title of a god. That didn't make him feel better though.

Shulk thought he could forget the events that happened in Bionis temporarily if he joined the Smash Brothers tournament. For the most part, he did forget. He prioritized on making new friends and doing well in the tournament that the terrible events on Bionis didn't cross his mind for a while. Unfortunately, once Shulk started to get more involved with someone romantically, that would have to change.

Of all the people Shulk started to fall in love with, it had to be the male tactician Rob. At first glance, Rob didn't really stand out. He could blend in with the crowd but was rather forgettable in comparison to his twin sister, Robin. Shulk was assigned to be roommates with the male tactician, and that was the only reason Shulk interacted with him in the first place. At first, it was only quick, polite dialogue exchanged between the two. Overtime, they would get to know each other and realize they had much in common.

Shulk had a list of almost everything he liked about Rob. The tactician enjoyed reading like him. He was interested in learning about new things and always did his best to understand the culture of the other fighters. His polite side hid his sharp tongue that started to make itself known the longer Shulk got to know him. Rob might have been a frail person but he made up for it with his brain. Robin was apparently smarter than her twin brother, but Shulk did find that harder to grasp seeing as how she jumped into the action without second guessing herself. Shulk also noticed that Rob started to take lessons on how to bake from Peach. The blond noted that the tactician twins were initially only good at making soup. Everything else wasn't all that good. With Peach's assistance, Rob was considered the second chef of the mansion.

They say that a way to win a man's heart is through his stomach. Perhaps Rob's improvement in that field allowed for Rob to move his way into Shulk's heart ever so slowly. The Homs thought that once he became the new God of Bionis that he had to keep himself emotionally distant from those not from his world. He was wrong. Dead wrong. But Shulk didn't mind all that much.

Shulk thought that he had a crush on Rob first but it was the other way around. The white haired tactician had a knack for cute guys. He just wasn't successful at wooing them. Rob recalled how Gregor made fun of him for his inability to make the next move on anyone that suited his fancy. Rob settled with being alone but upon meeting Shulk, the tactician felt rather confident with romancing Shulk. For starters, he was rather subtle with his affections. He learned early on that the blond was oblivious to other people's affections unless they were blunt about it. Rob did his best to show that he was interested from making Shulk sweets to constantly complimenting/helping him in battle. Over time, Rob would become bolder with his flirting. Fanservice was a great way to get a guy's attention, and Rob decided to start surprising Shulk with his attire, or the lack of. When Rob was in his pajamas, he made sure to keep his shirt opened just so his roommate could see the pale skin underneath his baggy clothes. His pants sagged lower just to tease Shulk of what was underneath. Sometimes, Rob wouldn't wear any underwear and the underwear he was supposed to wear would end up on Shulk's side of the room. The Homs tried to pretend he wasn't affected by the gestures, but his cheeks turned red once he started to actually look at Rob. When the older male came out of the shower, Rob sometimes forgot to tie the towel correctly. That situation actually backfired since Rob didn't want Shulk to see all of his body yet and demanded that Shulk look away whenever he was out of the shower. That didn't apply if Shulk glanced at his butt. Rob had no problem shaking it while he changed.

Shulk forgot who made the first move one night and what caused it. Thinking back, Shulk figured he made the first move after being chaste for so long. As for what caused the start of their relationship...it might have been that one night after a huge Smash tournament where Shulk was praising the older male for his performance. It could have been after the shower. It could have been after Rob confessed about his improvement over the few months he's been at Smash Brothers Mansion. It could have been when Rob thanked Shulk for being his friend and always being there for him. Shulk never saw himself as a greedy person but he had to steal a kiss from the older male. His lips weren't exactly soft but they had a sweet taste to it.

From that point on, the two were in a healthy relationship. The two males wanted to keep their relationship a secret at first but it was difficult to hide it. Riki found out immediately and Dunban caught on because he noticed that Shulk's demeanor changed. It took Robin longer to put two and two together. The moment Peach found out, the entire mansion found out within the next few hours. The mushroom princess was nosy and gossiped like there was no tomorrow when it came to relationships. Shulk sighed at how meddlesome Peach was. If this was what she did when she found out dirty secrets, how would she react to more serious secrets? Would she spill the dirt or would she realize that some things were meant to stay secret?

Shulk was perfectly content with his relationship with Rob. However, he didn't like how when Dunban made a comment about how he can't hide secrets in a relationship, the blond despaired. A warning like that shouldn't have had meant anything but Shulk knew what Dunban was referring to. Shulk would have to reveal to Rob about his dark past if he hoped to maintain the relationship.

Rob already knew Shulk was one of the three deities participating in Smash Brothers. Shulk tried to be subtle about it. He didn't flaunt his title like Palutena did or demonstrated how powerful he was in Smash while Rosalina used more power than needed. Shulk pretended he wasn't a god at all. He was normal just like the majority of the Smashers except he had a god sword and could see the future and his body functioned more like a plant than a human…

At the end of the day, Shulk had a hard time pretending he was the same like most of the fighters. If Shulk couldn't keep his status as god or his relationship with Rob hidden, then he certainly couldn't hide the fact that he was one of the undead. Being dead had many implications. One was that you already passed on and no longer deserved to be apart of the living. Another was that romancing someone who was dead implied that the person alive was into necrophilia. Being labeled as one could hurt someone's reputation, and Rob already had a lot of labels slapped on his back. Finally, because Shulk was part of the undead, that confirmed that the relationship wasn't going to last forever. Shulk chose to return to the world of the living and became a normal Homs. That could mean a lot of things though. The Homs needed to make sure that his Monado wasn't destroyed if he wanted to keep his form as well as keep the entirety of Bionis alive. Alvis stayed in the Monado to remind Shulk that some actions he did had consequences. Even with that in mind, Shulk couldn't bare hiding his secret from Rob anymore.

One night after a long doubles tournament, Shulk decided to tell Rob. He needed to wait for his boyfriend to unwind before Shulk worked up the courage to tell him. That meant waiting for Rob to get out of the shower and then settling down.

The blond tried to distract himself while Rob was cleaning himself off. First, Shulk placed the Monado on the wall on his side of the room. While he had left it on its side a few times, he preferred if it was on the wall where it was nice to look at and out of the way. Next, he started stripping down until he was naked. Shulk went to get his towel so he could prepare to jump in the shower after Rob was done. He then wrapped the towel around his waist. The Homs made sure to put his clothes in the laundry bag provided by Peach. That was how she did the laundry. Nothing would be lost if everyone tossed their clothes into their own laundry bag. After that, Shulk would sit on his bed and wait. He could pick up a book that he borrowed from the library. He could pretend to be asleep. He could do anything but Shulk was still worried about how Rob would respond to his confession.

"The shower's opened now, Shulk," said Rob as he came out of the bathroom. Shulk made a mental note to always look away from his boyfriend when he was exposed like this. Before they were dating, Rob would often get flustered over his roommate seeing him naked and asked to look away. Now that they were in a relationship, it shouldn't have had been an issue. When Shulk didn't move right away, Rob looked at him curiously. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," Shulk said rather quickly. "I won't be long."

Rob laughed quietly to himself. He thought he knew why the younger male was suddenly acting all shy around him. Rob thought that maybe Shulk had a naughty imagination tonight, but in reality, Shulk was freaking out about the truth coming out soon.

Shulk didn't take long in the shower. He was always the type of person to go in, rinse his hair and body, and then get out so the next person could wash themselves. In Bionis, Homs bathed quickly so they could be on their merry way. Even when Shulk wasn't being rushed, it was a bad habit to break.

The Homs had two towels when he walked out of the bathroom. One was wrapped around his waist and the other was being used to dry his hair. Rob pretended not to sneak a peek in as his eyes were glued to the book again. Shulk knew it was Dominion's Descent. The tactician along with most of the female Smashers were obsessed with that novel. Shulk might have enjoyed reading but he could never get into the romance genre.

"Rob, I need to talk to you about something," Shulk started.

"Get dressed first," Rob told him. "Or...do you want to do something with me tonight?"

Shulk immediately went for his pajamas. He needed to force himself to stay on topic and not consider his body needs. Rob chuckled yet again, seeing Shulk fumble with his pajama shorts. It took the blond longer to actually put the right clothes on and sit on his bed.

"Shulk, I know you had something to say," Rob started. "You can't hide anything from me."

That could mean anything. Rob framed his sentence this way as if he was reading Shulk's mind. The younger Smasher knew that was impossible. Rob might have been good at reading people but he wasn't Ness.

"I know I can't hide anything from you," Shulk admitted. "It didn't mean I could try."

"Well...now that the tournament is over, you have my undivided attention. Tell me...what is on your mind?"

This is it. Shulk thought to himself. Rob's attention wasn't 100 percent directed at him. The Monado Boy saw that Rob's chocolate colored eyes were still glued to the text of the novel. Once Shulk started talking, he knew Rob would close the book. The problem was how much information would the tactician take in and how would he react to this hidden information. Shulk wished he could see the future and see how badly this conversation would end. Here goes nothing.

"I'm not alive."

Rob tilted his head in confusion. He found a good spot in his book to stop and put the bookmark on the page before closing the book. "Shulk, what are you talking about? You're right here with me."

"I am."

"So how are you not alive?"

"I'm a walking corpse."

There, he said it. Now, Shulk needed to wait for Rob's reaction. To his disappointment, Rob assumed he was joking.

"Shulk, you're not really good at jokes," Rob told him simply. "I know we're getting close to Halloween but it's not easy being dead."

"I am not joking. I am dead."

Rob eyed Shulk suspiciously. He wanted to believe the blond was lying to him. No signs of trickery could be found in his eyes.

"I find that hard to believe…" the tactician mumbled. "The only way to be dead is if you're a demon that keeps coming back to life or dragged from a timeline where you are alive. No one here is a zombie."

"I died in my world more than ten years ago," Shulk explained. "I was a walking corpse waiting to be used for an evil god."

That got Rob's attention. "Was it...this Zanza?"

Shulk nodded his head. "I couldn't taste. I started losing my memories as I got older. I was nothing but a pawn to Zanza. I may have killed him and taken his powers but I am still a walking corpse. You have been romancing something that is no longer alive. Don't you feel disgusted?"

Rob shook his head. "Even if you say that...I find it odd. Why tell me this now?"

"Because I enjoy hurting people I care about with the truth. Nobody wants to know how much I want to die even after I fixed everything. I'm still dead at the end of the day..." Shulk muttered darkly. What he said was meant to be what he thought. He had no intention of saying his true feelings out loud.

The room remained silent after Shulk's statement. The blond wanted to take back what he said almost immediately. The words sounded too harsh. The last thing the Homs wanted was for his roommate to hate him.

Rob stared cautiously at his boyfriend. He was at a loss of words on what to say about Shulk's true feelings. Then again, he wasn't all that surprised that Shulk felt this way.

"...I don't blame you for wanting to be dead," Rob mumbled.

"Rob, it's not because of you-," Shulk began to protest but Rob interrupted him.

"No...it's all right. I sometimes wish the same thing," Rob confessed, surprising the younger male. "I might not have suffered as much as you. In fact, I know I haven't. I wasn't killed when I was a child with the intent of being used as a vessel of the god. I was already a failed vessel when I was born. I should have died right there but my mother...she wanted my sister and me to escape from Plegia. She got us out of there. My sister may have forgotten our mother but I haven't."

"Rob…"

Rob didn't know where he was going with this. Perhaps he was holding this in longer than he needed. Then again, the snowy haired tactician had already opened up a bit to Shulk before about some of the events that had occurred in Ylisse. One more incident isn't going to hurt.

"...You know...when my sister gave her life up to rid our world of Grima...I…I wish it was me who died instead."

Shulk opened his mouth to argue Rob's statement but of course the older male wouldn't allow it.

"...It was awful. I thought I lost the only family I had left. Everyone loved my sister...she guided them through all three wars without missing a beat. Even when it was clear that our father wanted to control her, she refused to submit to him and came up with a plan to defeat him. I was hoping that she wouldn't be a casualty...but when I thought she did...I just wanted to disappear with her. Everyone would look at me and think how I shouldn't be standing alive with them. It should have been the tactician who helped them through the war. Not some pitiful brother who stood there and watched as she gave her life…"

It was odd how Rob sounded rather emotionless despite his confession. Shulk didn't like how far away his boyfriend sounded.

"Rob...I didn't mean for the conversation to be…"

"No...it's fine, Shulk," Rob interrupted again. "I felt that I needed to say this. I don't want you thinking that you're not the only one who feels like they should be dead."

Shulk regretted having this conversation now. Rob was everything he could want from someone. Intelligent to hold a conversation. Witty in making jokes. Humble when it came to his strengths. Persistent in fixing the flaws present in him. Strong that he was able to deal with his traumatic past and still be a stable person. Someone who loved you despite your obvious flaws…

"Shulk, is something wrong? You're not staring at me anymore."

Shulk blinked. Did he zone out?

"Oh...sorry...I just...thought that maybe I shouldn't have brought that up."

"Shulk, it's fine," Rob insisted. "Listen, you kept this from me for a while. It really weighed on you and I wanted you to know that my opinion of you has not changed."

Rob wanted to reassure his boyfriend that he still loved Shulk even knowing that he was technically a corpse. Shulk didn't realize he was holding his breath in. Rob was being too kind.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you…" the Homs apologized. "I...didn't want you to think…"

Rob silenced Shulk's worries with a quick kiss on the lips. The blond gasped at the sudden closeness. Before Shulk could get a chance to taste Rob's lips, the older male pulled away just as quickly as he kissed him. Shulk groaned seeing Rob retreat to his bed. The tactician sat on the side of his bed where his legs were dangling on the side of the bed. He patted his legs issuing Shulk to come closer. Shulk gulped at the implication and obeyed without a second thought.

In truth, Shulk was hoping for another kiss. What he got was equally pleasant.

"Rest your head on my lap."

"H-Huh?! But I…"

Shulk found his body doing as Rob told him to do. He got on the bed before slowly resting his head on Rob's lap. He looked up toward his boyfriend and tried his best to not blush. Rob smiled down on him as he stroked a few strands of the younger male's hair.

"To be honest, I'm happy I'm not dead," Rob said. "My sister was always the lucky one. She may have given up her life but she must have known she would return to us. I might not have been so lucky...but if I was the one in my sister's shoes...I wouldn't be here...with you."

Shulk opened his mouth as if he wanted to say Rob's name. Silence felt like the correct answer though, so the Monado Boy closed his eyes.

"Ever since I met you...I now want to keep living. Because...as long as I'm with you...I'm...content."

Shulk felt the same way. Even if he was part of the undead. Even when the Smash tournament ended and everyone would be going their separate ways. Even if this relationship ended up being a temporary thing...Shulk would enjoy the time he had with Rob right now.

Me: Done with 3971 words. Notes!

1 The constant references to a story I haven't written yet is probably starting to get old. How to Tame Your Dragon is a story near the beginning of the timeline where Rob finding out about Shulk's status nearly leads him to suicide. Shulk is reluctant to tell Rob in later timelines because of how much of an impact this particular timeline had on Shulk's revelation on being part of the undead. However, with Rosalina's interference, it's easier for Rob to accept Shulk after that particular timeline as long as he trusts Shulk enough to entrust him with his own secret.

2. So far, Rob has talked about his past to Shulk in at least two stories very early on in the timeline: My Precious Sibling and Can You Keep a Secret. Cawing Your Problems Away also dives into some of the Robin twins' backstory in Awakening but isn't being told to Shulk. This story adds a little more with Rob's feelings on the aftermath of the good ending.