Precognitive Failure
by Cyberchao X
Disclaimer: You know the deal by now.
The heart loves who it loves. There was no way around it. Robin wasn't sure why he was so uncomfortable about it. Was it merely because of the fact that, due to some time travel shenanigans, his beloved hadn't even been born yet in this timeline? Was it that, on top of that, he considered his would-be father-in-law to be like a brother to him?
Or was it because he'd essentially suggested that this would never happen?
He recalled the time that Chrom had, with his typical lack of subtlety, dropped a number of hints that he wouldn't mind at all if Robin were to marry into the royal family. Said that Robin was "already like a brother" to him and stuff like that, to which Robin pointedly replied that the Shepherds were all like a family to him, but Chrom and Lissa especially were like brother and sister to him. Chrom realized he'd been caught, and Robin said that even though he didn't think marrying into the royal family was in the cards for him, he'd still be "Uncle Robin" to little Lucina. This was, of course, shortly before "Marth" revealed herself to be an older version of Lucina who had traveled into the past. At first Robin wondered why she hadn't called him Uncle like he'd hoped, and couldn't help but fret that he hadn't survived long enough. He didn't want to approach Lucina about it, though, because aside from the problems with predestined knowledge, it would be awkward. Around the time of Basilio's "death", though, it all came together.
No, not the fact that he became Grima in that future. That was a factor too, but he'd stopped this "Uncle Robin" foolishness before baby Lucina actually grew old enough to talk. Or, wait, why would he have in that timeline, with no time-shifted children to fall in love with? That version of him that came back in time didn't look any older than he was, though, and he had no memory before Chrom found him in the field, so maybe he actually was as young as the children, or close to it? …Wishful thinking. He was of Chrom's generation, and yet…
…When Chrom had suggested he get together with Lissa, Robin had conceded that she was cute. And sure enough, there were quite a number of similarities between the two girls. Both were bubbly and tomboyish and acted entirely unlike the way the younger sister of the exalt should act, and wore their hair in these short pigtails that just sort of stuck out of the sides of their heads and didn't even reach their shoulders.
"You're staring," Cynthia said.
"You're just that cute," Robin replied, trying to deflect.
"What's wrong?"
"Just trying to figure out how to tell your father about us. He did once say that he'd have no problem with me marrying into the family, but he meant that I should marry Lissa. That was before we learned about you time travelers—and before Lissa met her husband."
"I never did understand why Owain became a swordsman when both of his parents use magic…but I certainly understand why he is the way he is." (A/N: I never really thought about it until now, but Owain's theatrical nature actually works really well with Henry for a father. I think I'm going to have to pair Lissa with Henry on my next playthrough, just to see how Henry reacts when Owain starts talking about his blood boiling. Really, this pairing's only in here because it works best for the story if Lissa was one of the last to marry.)
"…You're not going to become Grima in this timeline too, are you?"
"I'll try not to. But if it looks like I can't, it's probably going to be up to Chrom or Lucina to kill me before I can become Grima. Another reason why I'm hesitant to tell them about our relationship…they both care so much for you, and it would be that much harder for them to kill me if they knew how badly it would break your heart…"
Cynthia hugged him, trying not to cry. "Don't say that. You're stronger than that. And it'll break my heart either way, so it's no good if they don't even know what they've done until it's happened."
"You're right…I assumed it would have to be one of them because they can wield Falchion, but if at all possible…I'd rather you be the one to do it."
"Do what?"
"Stop me if I lose control. That's your job, right? You're a hero, whereas I…I might be a villain. So if that ever happens…promise me you'll do your heroic duty and kill me?"
"I…I could never…"
"Well, that's okay. That's a healthy attitude, because I may have to test your resolve very soon. I don't want to say too much, but don't be too quick to jump to conclusions next battle, okay?"
"You're going to use villain-type tactics, aren't you?"
"Villains don't play fair. Sometimes you need to think like them in order to beat them."
"This is why Owain always played the villain. I could never think that way."
"I know. That's one of the reasons why I love you so much." Robin sighed. Now if only he could find a way to tell Chrom—and Lucina—about his feelings for Cynthia.
A/N: So this sort of ended up being a combination of both of my potential Robin/Cynthia drabbles—the one where Chrom at one point suggests that Robin and Lissa would be a good couple and Robin says he doesn't feel that way, only to have to tell him later that he might be thinking about marrying into Chrom's family after all, and the one where Robin confronts the possibility of turning into Grima and tells Cynthia that it's her duty as a hero to kill him if he becomes a villain. I actually originally intended to have the timeframe for this story a little earlier, since Chrom's other child is, from a narrative standpoint, probably one of the first optional child characters you should be able to get, but I had to make it later to accommodate the "just before the climactic battle with Validar" timeframe needed for the other drabble. Well, anyway, it's a new fic. Until next time, this is CCX, signing off.