A/N: Hey guys! This silly little oneshot is actually a gift fic for a Secret Santa project of mine that's coming up. I honestly never intended on ever writing a FE:A fanfic, but here I am, and since I wrote this out I decided to just share it here, as well. Although it's not much, I hope you enjoy this, Katgirl, happy holidays to youuuu!

Striking Curiosities

"Thanks to Chrom, Robin realizes that people never really change... they simply grow up and pretend they're someone different."

The tent was humid... a horrible combination when paired with the chill of the night air; it was a most problematic dilemma when trying to decide whether to allot yourself more or less covers, or perhaps an awkward combination of the two.

Robin, however, decided quickly, burying herself further into her blankets, listening intently to the rise and fall of her lover's breathing; he wasn't asleep, she knew him well enough for that. Hadn't even dozed off yet, probably. She slowly adjusted herself closer to him, just to see if there was a reaction from his still form.

There was none.

"Chrom?" she asked carefully, though really, she didn't know why she even was worrying about disturbing him. They were far too close for that.

"Mm?" he answered almost without a beat.

"What were you like as a child?"

The question was so fast and without reason that Chrom barely even had time to chuckle. "Wh-what?" he said in a short, fleeting breath.

"There's no need to whisper. It's only us here, isn't it?" Robin teased. She positioned herself onto his chest to see his outline more clearly in the darkness. "Tell me what you were like. For no reason at all, just a moment ago, I suddenly had a striking curiosity about the matter."

Chrom grinned. "You and your striking curiosities… are you certain this isn't something you're going to use against me later in some grand tactical scheme to sully the good name of my bloodline?"

Robin shifted, making it obvious that she was in the process of turning away from him. "It's fine. If you don't want to tell me, I'll just ask your sister tomorrow. I'm sure she'd be much more truthful with me, anyways."

"N-no, wait!" he quickly said, reaching for her retreating shoulder. "I hate to think what Lissa might tell you, just to tease me endlessly and cause me trouble. Perish the thought!"

"You realize that makes you sound even guiltier… were you that bad of a child?"

"I didn't mean… that is… um, I just mean that I'd rather tell you myself. About my childhood... I know myself best, after all."

Robin smiled, quite excited to hear the details of his innocent youth. Knowing Chrom, he was practically blushing from ear to ear and he hadn't even started the damned story yet.

He took her silence as cue, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I don't think I was that bad, really. Both my sisters… I know that I have memories spending lots of time with them, playing with them often, laughing with them…"

Robin found her smile curl slightly downwards as he described the words she could barely, herself, conjure: memories. She hated herself for suddenly feeling the ping of jealousy.

Chrom didn't notice her tense up ever so slightly as he continued. "I guess, I… I wasn't very tough at all, I don't think. Maybe having an older sister and a baby sister can do that to a boy."

"I can't imagine you not being a tough guy," Robin commented, twirling her fingers through his hair absently.

"Really? I—wait, was that sarcasm? A-anyways, as you know, I've always been good with a sword. But thanks to my childhood, there are a lot of, um, other things I'm good at, as well."

"I think I can attest to that one. You do have a few hidden talents within you."

"Hey, I'm being serious here," Chrom stuttered, biting back a blush. "Why do you have to say such things… anyone could be listening!"

"Chrom, these tents are completely soundproof, you don't have to worry," Robin assured him, rolling her eyes playfully. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you… I suppose?" he said with a defeated sigh.

"So tell me, then, about these so-called hidden talents of yours."

Chrom paused a moment, trying to put into words all the things he, just a moment ago, was much more confident about. "Well, as far as I can remember, and I'm sure Lissa would recall the same, I was actually a very gentle boy. Spending so much time with my sisters, you see, I learned how to do many things—not just sword fighting and other weaponry training. I remember always wanting to help my sisters. I learned how to cook, how to thread, how to braid my sisters' hair… all sorts of things that other boys my age, er, probably didn't."

Robin giggled. She imagined Chrom braiding his little sister's hair—or maybe even Olivia or Libra's, for Naga's sake—carefully bending and tugging the strands into an adept masterpiece; honestly, it really wasn't hard to see him doing such a thing.

"Or at least that they'd admit. I'm really not surprised at all, you know," she admitted jokingly.

"Wh-what?" Chrom asked diffidently, with the covers apparently pulled up to his face. "You mean… is it really that obvious? To everyone?"

"Although everyone knows that you're a fearless leader and an unrivaled swordsman, you're such a soft, gentle soul, my love. There's no hiding it."

Robin traced his fingers with hers, assuredly, only imagining the horrified expression he probably wore on his face. He must have really been sensitive about the subject, especially since he practically admitted to trying to hide it. For what reason, well, that was between Chrom and whatever insecurities he kept inside him… Robin honestly hadn't a clue. If anything, she was simply amused by his need to convince himself that he was nothing more than tough and manly.

"But… I, I've never, ever told anyone this! And I know Lissa would never speak it to anyone, in fear that I'd never speak to her again! A leader needs to be strong and tough." He reasoned with himself, forgetting Robin was even there for a moment. "But why should I worry? There's no need, you're… you're much more clever than most. You clearly see things that others do not. Right…?"

"Again, your secret is safe with me," she said softly, "and I admit that I do know more about you than anyone, right? I like to believe I know you fairly well, after all."

"You do know me better than most, yes," he agreed, still trying to convince himself that outside of this tent, and more specifically on the battlefield, he was an indestructible, menacing tyrant. He squeezed her hand gently. "I'm not sure how you always see right through me, but you do. There is certainly no hiding that."

Robin suddenly turned solemn, and she drew her hand back from his. "I… I would love to tell you in return about what I was like as a child, so that you could tease me back... but I suppose that would require me to have memories first… wouldn't it?"

Chrom's voice very loudly caught in his throat, a quick inhale of horror that only someone as astute as Robin—perhaps even Lissa, since she knew him equally as well—knew was Chrom's only weakness, in both battle and conversation.

He was awful at hiding any and all of emotions. They were always there, and they were always so Chrom.

But this time, and perhaps one of the only times Robin would care to admit, Chrom surprised her with an unexpected reply of his own.

"No," he started, softly, compassionately, "I'll tell you exactly what you were like as a child."

Robin froze as she felt a strong arm pull her closer, and his voice was now both chilling and hot against her bare neck. "What…?"

"First of all, it goes without my saying, but you were smart. Gods, were you smart, you were a genius, just like you are now. You were quiet, mainly reserved because you were always studying, or reading books, or teaching yourself a new language… there's no way I could even begin to describe, since I never really understand the things you do even now."

He stopped for a second, and Robin felt the vibration of his finger touching his chin, an involuntary habit of deep concentration.

"And Robin, you still were… you were so passionate, and gentle, and full of adventure. You wanted more; you wanted to touch the worlds you read about in your texts. Even though you were a serious girl, you still had a trace of playfulness and charm that always made the room just light up when you were around—even without you having to say a word."

Robin had fell completely quiet, completely unmoved against him. Chrom almost felt like he was talking to his pillow, or perhaps the tops of the tent above him. The bugs humming steadily outside seemed more responsive to his story than she was.

He turned to face her fully, to touch her features. "And do you want to know how I know all this about you?"

He didn't really wait for a reply, nor need it; he had already given her more than she had ever wondered about.

"Because I've met your children—our children—and they are exactly equal parts of both me, and… and you."

Chrom suddenly felt her shiver, maybe a couple times before he realized that Robin was carefully still caught up on every word he had said. He could feel the quiver of her face as her lips began to pucker slightly, and he was so close he could hear the sound of a tear as it trailed down her cheek, a wet track left in its place as it dripped onto her chest.

"When I look at Lucina, I realize she reminds me of myself, when I was younger and full of ambition and hope… and there's something else within her, something that I know has to be you. Sometimes, when she looks at me in this stubborn way and tells me exactly what she thinks and I have to simply accept it… that has to be something she inherited from you."

The uncomfortable silence was merely a rest. Even in the dark, they knew they were locked eye-to-eye in this moment.

It almost bothered Robin that this man could describe her better than she could describe herself... even if it was a shot in the dark, his words and they way he said them... it made it seem so real. He could easily convince her that this was truth, not just a fictional child he believed to exist in her past. Mnemonically, she had no way to argue his points. Robin hadn't the heart to even try and destroy what Chrom had done for her tonight; his words of comfort and tenderness were a gift.

Gifts were meant to be accepted, just like truths.

And speaking of the truth, his description of her certainly wasn't off the mark, she quickly noted as she replayed his words perfectly through her head. In fact, it was a little too on point for her tastes.

"So, let me get this straight," Robin finally spoke, between a few subtle sniffs, "when I was a child, I was not only studious and inhumanly smart and adventurous, but also gentle and playful, and… stubborn?"

Without wait, she laughed loudly, despite herself and her current disposition. Chrom pressed a chaste kiss to her damp cheek, laughing in confused unison with her jovial hysterics.

"I'm not sure why you're so amused, but I suppose that sums up my thoughts on your childhood, yes," he said.

"No, no, I'm still hung up on the 'stubborn' bit. If I'm so stubborn, what exactly do you classify your denial of your sensitive side as, I wonder?"

"Hey, that's completely a different—"

"No, tomorrow, I stubbornly declare that you will braid my hair with skill and love, so that all can see the greatness that is our gentle ruler," she interjected playfully, placing quick kisses on his face between words.

"That's enough out of you for one night," Chrom sighed, embarrassed. "Tomorrow I will make sure that your stubborn side is made public and recognized. I bet I can even take a tally on it through camp."

"Fair enough," she teased, the tiredness in her voice nearly giving away her feigned submission. "I'll admit I'm stubborn and always right after you publicly fix up my hair and cook me a delicious breakfast. Both of these are claims you made yourself, no? I'd love to see what you are truly capable of outside the battlefield, after all. The real you, with skills you learned from two very strong women... I'm certain Lissa would agree."

Chrom wasn't sure how Robin always won her battles, but her victory was always guaranteed, usually unironically, before they even began.