Warnings: Shounen-ai, SPOILERS,corny moments, and many others.
Pairing: Chrom/Ethan (my main male character in Awakening).
Prompt: Comfort.
Comfort
She was dead. Nothing could bring her back. At least his tactician was always by his side.
Emmeryn was dead.
Emmeryn was dead.
Chrom was not the type of person to get emotional over anything, no matter what the situation was. However, seeing his sister fall from the cliff, leaving her body behind, abandoning her, was something that even the most stoic man would become emotional over. Lissa tried to comfort him, but no words could reach through the lord's grief. He was silent as they marched, not saying a word to anyone.
He never felt a gentle, warm touch on his arm until the person the limb was attached to pulled on his bare arm with a slight tug. A slight feeling of surprise passed through the lord until his blue eyes met the concerned dark brown depths of their tactician. Ethan was a man of many mysteries, and knew next to nothing about his past, himself, or anything relating to him. Despite that, he was one of the few people that Chrom trusted. By nature, he trusted most people, but there was something about Ethan that made Chrom place all his faith in him.
"Chrom. You haven't said a word since we've started marching. Is everything all right? …That's a stupid question, huh?" Ethan rubbed the back of his head as a slight chuckle passed through him. "I guess I should rephrase that to "Are you doing okay?" That sounds slightly better."
The lord let a faint smile pass over his features before he reached over and gave his tactician's hand a gentle, but firm, squeeze. "I appreciate that you're taking the time to ask me of my well-being, Ethan. As much as I appreciate it, you should try to formulate a strategy as to what we do next."
Ethan shook his head, grasping the lord's hand and squeezing it firmly. "This isn't about formulating strategies. This is about you. Chrom, you usually strike up a conversation with someone as we march, or at least lead us. You've been keeping to the back and not saying a word. That's a natural cause for concern. I know, I know I can never say anything to bring her back, but if you want to place the blame on anyone for her death, place it on me. I am your tactician, and I failed—"
"Enough. Emmeryn's death was not your fault. It was Plegian's fault, and their fault alone. Understand?"
Dark brown eyes averted to look up at the heavy rain falling from the sky. "Perhaps, but still, I should have—"
"Enough! I will not allow you to blame yourself for something that was not your fault, do you understand me?" Chrom gripped Ethan by the shoulders and spun him around so their eyes met. Enraged sapphire depths met alarmed dark brown, yet Chrom gripped the tactician's shoulders tighter. "There was nothing you nor I could have done to prevent it. It was those bastards who killed my sister, not you."
Ethan closed his eyes, moving forward until his head rested against Chrom's chest. The older man sighed as the brunet wrapped his arms around his waist and nuzzled his face deeper in the lord's chest. "I'm supposed to be cheering you up, remember? Not the other way around." The tactician's frame shook with quiet laughter and try as he might, Chrom couldn't help the slight laughter that escaped before he wrapped his arms around the smaller man. "You dummy."
"Hey now. Should you be saying that to the prince of Ylisse and the leader of the Shepherds?" Chrom reprimanded as he buried his face into locks of light brown hair. He breathed in Ethan's familiar scent of vanilla as a warm feeling passed through his being. It was scary to a fault how much of an influence his tactician had on him.
"Of course I can say it to a leader of a bunch of sheep." Ethan joked, laughter louder than before passing through his frame. He smiled in content as Chrom laughed at his (albeit lame in his eyes) attempt at humor as he wrapped his arms tighter around the lord's muscular frame. He would never admit it aloud, but being in Chrom's embrace was where he felt the safest.
"A bunch of sheep huh?" Chrom shook his head in amusement as he lifted up Ethan's face with his finger. He grinned slightly at the light pink flush that passed over the younger man's face before claiming his mouth in a slight brush of lips. The quiet squeak that emitted from Ethan caused a light chuckle to emit from the lord before he crushed his tactician to his chest. "Thank you, Ethan. Truly. I don't know where I'd be without you."
"Good thing I'm not planning on leaving." the tactician replied as he closed his eyes. It didn't matter if he died today, tomorrow, or weeks from now. His love for Chrom would never die, and deep down, Ethan knew Chrom felt the same.
Fin.