Chapter 7 - The Shepherds

"Hey there," a man with a scruffy beard leaned against the bar beside Robin.

"Mmm," Robin hummed and sucked on the straw of her cranberry juice. She hadn't bothered to bring the cup up to her face. She simply leaned forward and chased the straw with her tongue until it was in her mouth. It was too much effort to use her hands because her head was spinning. She definitely had too much to drink. What in the Gods' names were in those Awakening shots?

"What's a babe like you doing all by herself?" he persisted.

"Mmmfph," Robin repeated monotonously while waving a hand at him in a shooing motion.

"What's that?" the man leaned in, mistaking her hand gesture as 'come hither'. Robin grabbed his shirt and violently pulled him in close. "Frisky, are we?"

"I. said. Go. Away," Robin enunciated each word. "Before I call the police on you for harassment," she hissed under her breath. The loud buzzing of conversations in The Shepherds made her headache worse. She really didn't have the patience to deal with losers.

"Whatever, bitch," he jerked away and walked off.

Robin rolled her eyes and then, sighed in relief. Finally, peace. Well, whatever was 'peace' in an old bar. She blinked tiredly and stared at her half empty cup. She still hadn't gotten the menu. Every now and then, her foot would slip off the railing she was resting on under the bar and then nearly fall off her stool.

As Robin tried to regain her balance, another suitor sat down beside her. "You must be in the dictionary, because you are the definition of fine," the man tipped his head back to get a better look at her. He smelled strongly of stale cigarette butts.

"I am," Robin answered without an ounce of emotion. Robin's eyes never left her cranberry juice. Where was that damned menu? That's it, she wasn't tipping. She noticed her implication of over confidence did not discourage nor intimidate the man with the terrible pick-up line. Then, she had an idea. Robin turned to face the man with an evil grin.

"What are you doing tonight?" he perked up at her sudden interest in him.

"I'm naming our future kids," Robin flashed her teeth at him like a Cheshire cat.

"You what?" he jerked back and started to sweat.

"I really like the name 'Morgan' for a son," Robin leaned in to close the gap. "But you can name our daughter. But before we do anything, you need to meet my father and fight him for my hand in marriage." She added in a hushed voice, "The last guy lost his left nut."

"I…uh…gotta go," the man literally flew off of the seat beside her and ran away.

"Don't go! We would make beautiful children!" she whined like a ditzy girl and watch the man scamper out of the bar. She snickered to herself, proud of her work. "Finally," she sighed. "Where is the menu?" she angrily grumbled, giving the bartender another dirty look. Another couple of hungry minutes crawled by painfully. She impatiently chewed on her straw. Menu…food…

"Is this seat taken?" asked a new male voice.

"Is that the best pick-up line you have? Because I swear to the Gods…" Robin whipped her head around. Her words were drowned away into the volume of the bar. The man beside her had dark blue locks coupled with gentle eyes. He possessed a strong jawline, but still had soft, kind features. Above one of his brows were three butterfly stitches, meticulously positioned in place. There was no denying that was her handiwork. She hadn't noticed before, but he was actually quite tall and had built shoulders—perfect for resting her dizzy head on.

"Umm," Chrom wore an expression of discomfort. "Did I do something wr— Oh! Dr. Grima, didn't expect to meet you here. I almost didn't recognize you," realization spread across Chrom's previously confused visage. He still hadn't sat down, waiting for her permission. "You look different, like in a good way," Chrom added, hoping that would nudge her decision.

Robin dumbly blinked at Chrom a little longer. He was the last person she was expecting. "Umm, yeah, go ahead," Robin's eyebrows knitted into themselves. She definitely had too much to drink.

"You sure? Your boyfriend isn't sitting here?" Chrom looked around. "I really should learn his name. I just keep calling him your boyfriend."

"Lon'qu," Robin answered. "I don't understand why you keep calling him my boyfriend. But, go ahead. Sit. I'd rather be bothered by you than the strange men who keep trying to fuck me."

"Thanks, Dr. Grima…Whatever's on tap, thanks," Chrom told the bartender and sat down. "Wait, he's not your boyfriend?"

"I never said he was," Robin mumbled with the straw in her mouth. Then she heard slurping sounds from her cup. Her eyes wandered down and saw that it was empty. "Can I get another one?" she asked lazily. The bartender acknowledged her request with a grunt.

"Then you're here all by yourself?" Chrom frowned in concern.

"I can handle myself," Robin defended herself before the policeman could lecture her.

"Okay," Chrom played along, holding back a smile. It was impossible to miss that the doctor had a couple drinks too many without pulling out the breathalyzer. He watched her shiver and tug at her dress. "Are you cold?"

Robin pouted for a moment and tried to figure out how to answer the question. Does she deny it and let the goosebumps pattern her skin or confess she was, indeed, cold? She shivered involuntarily again. It was obvious. "Yeah, I'm actually kinda chilly," Robin admitted in embarrassment.

"Here," Chrom stood up from his seat and draped his blazer over her bare shoulders. "I took it off a while ago, so it's probably not too warm, but it should do something."

"T-thanks," Robin shyly murmured and pulled it closer to herself.

A part of Chrom was relieved that Robin accepted his blazer because his eyes kept wandering and it was getting rather difficult to maintain strict eye contact. The two received their drinks and they silently kept each other company.

"Why are you here?" Robin finally asked, cocking her head to the side curiously. "Shouldn't you be out chasing some guy who parked on the street at the wrong time?"

Chrom choked on his beer and began to cough. Wow, she really didn't think highly of him.

"I'd pat you on the back, but that makes it worse despite what people believe. It makes the thing you're choking on go down the wrong way faster," Robin remarked unsympathetically. She chased after her straw in her cranberry juice with her tongue again while simply watching the poor police officer struggle to clear his airway.

"I'm not actually," he coughed, "in the traffic," he coughed again, "patrol division."

"Mmhmm," Robin nodded slowly, failing to show a trace of interest.

"I'm actually in the Special Tactics and Investigation Division," Chrom managed to say after finally clearing his throat.

"Oh, and what does that entail?" Robin inquired.

"It's a specialized branch off of the Crime Division, but I can't share more than that without sharing confidential material," Chrom smiled apologetically.

"Yeah, that's fine, Officer." Robin's stomach grumbled again. She searched for a server, but saw that they were all busy. "Do they just hate me because I'm one of the few women in this bar or do they actually have no menus?" she whispered to Chrom.

"The menus right above your head," he pointed up.

Robin lifted her gaze and tipped back a little. Chrom stuck his arm out behind her, nervous that she'd fall backwards. All this time, the menu had been above her head. It was a blackboard with messy chicken scratch advertising what they sold. Why didn't she pick up on that earlier? Oh right, ethanol was in her system.

"They have chicken fingers and fries," Robin gasped excitedly while tugging at his sleeve. Her action caused the ends of his lips to tug as well.

"They're sandwiches are really good too," Chrom commented.

"Wait, why are you here again?" Robin asked.

"Grabbing a drink and food before going back to the headquarters," Chrom gestured for a server to come take their order.

"Right," Robin nodded to herself. She pulled the edges of his blazer closer to herself. "You're a workaholic," she judged.

"What makes you say that? One sec," he responded. The server arrived with paper and pen in hand. "Could we get the chicken fingers and fries and the chicken avocado sandwich?"

"Sauce?" the server asked in a deadpan voice.

"Dr. Grima?" Chrom glanced over at Robin. She had returned to absentmindedly drinking out of her cranberry juice again. "Robin," he nudged her.

"Huh?" she perked up. "Sorry, what?"

"Dipping sauce for your chicken fingers," he repeated. The server glanced over at Robin with an impatient, bored look.

"Plum," she answered.

"Anything else?" the server asked out of courtesy, even though her tone said otherwise.

"That's all, thank you," Chrom dismissed her. "Dr. Grima, how much exactly did you have to drink?"

"Robin," she corrected. "I'm not your doctor and we're not in the hospital. It makes me feel weird when I'm called that out in public."

"Robin, how much exactly did you have to drink?" Chrom tried again.

"Are you going to arrest me for being a public menace? I only scared two guys away. I could probably walk in a straight line." Robin rested her elbows on the bar table and eyed him with a slight pout. "If I tried really hard," she smiled.

"No," he laughed.

"I think I had three Awakening shots and a porn star," she nodded to herself as she counted them off on her fingers.

"A what?" asked Chrom.

"A porn star," she said louder. "They're really good. You should try them some time, when you have free time. They really hit the right spot."

"Right," he nodded quietly as he shifted uncomfortably.

"What were we talking about? Besides porn stars," Robin buried her face into her hands. "Oh right!" she sat up. "You being a workaholic."

"On what premise," Chrom crossed his arms.

"Right there," Robin pointed at him.

"What?" Chrom protested.

"You're crossing your arms. Body language: defensive," Robin drew circles with her finger around his upper body. "So I know I'm on the right track."

"Okay, but that doesn't mean anything," Chrom uncrossed his arms.

"And!" Robin continued to prove her case. "You're going back to work on a Friday. At…" Robin checked her phone. "Well, past midnight. Who does that besides a workaholic?"

"You," Chrom sassed her back. "And technically, it's Saturday now."

"I…" Robin frowned for a moment, trying to determine if there was truth to that.

"You were on a night shift when you stitched me up," Chrom helped her. "Maribelle told me that you took someone's shift for them so they could enjoy their anniversary with their partner even though you finished your required number of night shifts."

"Oh, hmm," Robin accepted his answer. "I guess we're both alcoholics."

"You meant, 'workaholics', right?" Chrom offered.

"I said that," Robin rebutted.

"Well, now that we've established that. I think you have a problem with authority," said Chrom.

"What? Me? Pfft, no," Robin flicked her wrist.

"You ran," Chrom began to present his evidence.

"Officer, you were chasing me," Robin rolled her eyes. "It's a natural reaction."

"Not really, Robin, especially if it's a police officer, unless you've done something wrong," he responded. "Then you yelled at me when I tried to fine you. And you thought I was interrogating you when I was trying to just make small talk."

Robin's lips tightened into a thin line. Then she relaxed, "Okay, fine. I do have a problem with the authorities. Especially cops."

"Right," Chrom grinned.

"But you're really bad at making conversations and you're not very intimidating," Robin added at the end. She was going to have the last word in this conversation whether she was drunk or sober.

Chrom opened his mouth to give her a counterargument, but she had him defeated. His last attempt at trying to just talk to her resulted in him taking his pants off. Robin smiled coyly at him and giggled at him. Her eyes softened and twinkled, her cheeks tinged with a rosy glow, and she possessed a gently curved pair of pink lips. His heart stopped and air escaped his lungs.

"Food!" she excitedly announced when the server dropped off their orders, not noticing the effect she had on Chrom moments ago. She tugged at his sleeve excitedly like a child again.

Chrom cleared his throat and weakly responded with, "Yeah." He watched Robin dig in and close her eyes and give the happiest expression he had ever seen on her face.

"Gods, I was starving," Robin sighed contently. She tried to take another bite of her chicken finger but some strands of her hair stuck to the plum sauce. "Eugh, hair in way," Robin threw her hair back. She pulled out the elastic that was holding some of her hair up. Her long hair came down like a waterfall. Following it, came a waft of an intoxicating citrus burst. Swiftly, she pulled it up into a messy bun and went back to eating. "Finally," she muttered. "I hate it when hair gets in the way."

"Y-yeah, I know," Chrom stuttered, trying to regain his composure. He imagined what it would be like to run his fingers through her hair.

"Mmm," Robin shoved more fries into her mouth. "Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face? Is my makeup melting off my face?"

"It's nothing," Chrom shook his head and took a long swig of his beer. She looked different than usual. Robin was sultry. The red dress on her showed him that she could look stunning in both formal and casual wear. He was also incredibly intrigued that Robin didn't care about what she ate, seeing how she was literally stuffing her face with bar food. Robin was effortlessly alluring.

"Okay," Robin gave him a look and returned to eating.

What if this was the last time he saw her? For real? He didn't want that. He wanted to see her again and again and again. She was so fascinating. Chrom had no idea of what he expected to get from this, but he wanted her to stay close to him.

"Hey, Robin," Chrom asked for her to turn her attention away from her delicious food just for a moment.

"Mmm?" she responded while chewing. Her curious eyes were fixed on him, waiting. He lost his words in her gaze. It felt like he was staring into a maze when he looked into her eyes.

"Umm…can you just call me Chrom?" he requested. That wasn't the question he had originally thought of. Then again, he had forgotten what he had originally wanted to ask. "It's only fair since I'm not calling you by your formal title," he added with a poor attempt at nonchalance in his tone.

"Mmmph," she shrugged. Robin swallowed and drank her juice. "Yeah, sure."

"Great," he smiled and took a bite of his sandwich, feeling slightly unsatisfied.

After a couple moments of eating, the two faced each other to converse again. Robin tapped to the side of her lip at him.

"Hmm?" he raised his eyebrows. Robin repeated the gesture while chewing her food. "I have no idea what you're trying to say."

Then she reached over and wiped the side of his lip with her thumb and placed it between her pink lips. When the pad of her thumb left her lips, it made a smooching sound. "You're good, now," Robin went back to picking at her food voraciously, like nothing had happened, leaving the poor victim paralyzed.

Chrom's face made a tomato look pale in comparison. He stopped breathing.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked with a mouthful of food. "Oh, I know. You're one of those people where their faces go red when you drink, right?"

Chrom cleared his throat, "Y-yeah." That was a lie. He hadn't even actually computed what she had said to him.

"Oh! Come closer for a sec," Robin waved her hand towards herself.

"Why?" he sat still, not knowing how else to respond.

"Just humour me, will you?" Robin pleaded in an exasperated tone. Turned out Chrom was too slow because Robin leaned in with her heels wedged into the foot rests of the stool and precariously balanced off her seat. She placed a hand on his thigh for balance as she invaded his personal space. She brought up her free hand and brushed his bangs aside. Then, she slipped the tip of her finger nail under one of the butterfly stitches and peeled it off. He felt his skin tug as she pulled the adhesive off, making him wince. She repeated this gesture twice more. He could smell the alcohol on her mixed with an intoxicating perfume.

"Done," Robin breathed. Their eyes met only being a mere couple inches apart. When he wasn't being annoying, Chrom was actually a handsome man. He owned a boyish charm to him despite how straight-laced he was.

Robin soon realized her proximity to the young officer. The spinning in her head that had settled down with all the cranberry juice and food manifested again as a new tidal wave of dizziness. In her minute fleeting moment of drunken lucidity, she gasped, "Ah!" and her hand slipped off his thigh. Flailing, she hit the ground with her shoes and feet trapped and tangled with the foot rest of the bar stool.

It took Chrom a couple more seconds to collect himself because he was certain that he was having a heart attack. It was the only reason that could explain his pounding heart. Immediately after, he looked down at Robin who was struggling to get up. He slipped off his bar stool and extended a hand. Robin, who now had finally escaped the clutches of the stool, glanced at his hand. Hesitantly, she reached out for his hand. His grip was firm and strong. Then, he pulled her up, slowly nonetheless, so she could regain balance on her ridiculous heels. Once she was upright, all she could see was his handsome face: gentle, yet serious, currently affected with concern. She cleared her throat and was the first to break eye contact. Robin tugged the ends of his blazer closer to herself, in subconscious attempts to hide.

"Get a room!" a rude stranger fox-whistled at them. Normally, Robin would've responded by cursing at them and shoot lasers from her eyes, but at that moment, she couldn't get her thoughts straight. Chrom was flustered as well and couldn't form a string of coherent words.

"Well, now you won't have to get yelled at by Carol to get those removed. Well, you could've done it yourself, I guess," she joked nervously and tried to laugh but it ended up sounding like a dry cough.

It was the alcohol, she decided. There was no way she would be attracted to an idiot like him.

"I don't usually drink," she laughed apologetically. "I like to be aware of my surroundings and always be ready to address emergencies." The two sat back down again. A heavy cloud of awkwardness floated between them. "Thanks," she murmured, breaking the ice.

"No problem," he scratched the back of his head, all the while avoiding her gaze. "I'm the same."

"Huh?"

"I don't usually drink either. A police officer's duty is never over," he shrugged.

"Right," she nodded slowly.

"Could we get the bill?" they both requested in unison.

"It's been a long night, I should go home," Robin explained quietly.

"Yeah, I need to uh…get some rest too," Chrom agreed.

Robin pulled out her phone and texted Lon'qu. I'm at The Shepherds across from the Reeking Box. Come pick me up? Thanks, Mom :P

Be there in fifteen.

Damn it. That was a long time. Fifteen minutes with Chrom, the stalker police officer, who had evidently threw her off her game.

"Do you need me to drive you home?" Chrom asked politely.

"Officer, you've been drinking," Robin pointed out. "Don't think Officer Knight would appreciate you drunk driving."

"Oh, right," Chrom chuckled in embarrassment.

The server cut in between them and placed two bills facing down and left.

"Do you need me to call you a cab?" Chrom asked as Robin gave the server a dirty look. She was rude all night! She wasn't tipping. "Robin?"

"Hmm?" Robin brought her attention back to the man in front of her. "It's fine. Lon'qu's picking me up."

"That's good," Chrom nodded. "Wait, at this time of the night?"

"Yeah," Robin confirmed nonchalantly.

"Either he's a really good friend or you guys have something," Chrom tried to pick apart who exactly Lon'qu was.

Robin frowned and tried to determine what Lon'qu was to her. She couldn't tell him Chrom that Lon'qu was her kind of her babysitter. But she also knew that customarily, many Ylisseans were more strict and judgemental about unmarried cohabitation of the opposite sex than Plegians, especially the older crowd. Hell, Robin had to lie to owner of the condominium building that they were married to let her sign the damned papers, even though by law they weren't allowed to discriminate against them.

Whenever they ran into the owner, she would ask how the baby was coming along, which did not make it a bearable situation for either of Lon'qu or Robin. The owner would then proceed to stare at Lon'qu's crotch and then at his face, muttering along the words of 'he looks healthy…I guess even young, healthy men have issues getting it up'. Lon'qu would usually follow the owner's gaze and then slowly turn away from the old woman once he realized what she was doing. Often times, her neck would strain a little, following his movement. Lon'qu didn't bother notifying the owner that he had no problems…down there, but decided to be respectful and let her think whatever she wanted. Then she would look at Robin and scold her that she needs to get a move on before her uterus shrivels up and becomes toxic for the baby. She would also comfort the fake married couple in her own unique way that if they're concerned about having ugly children, to not worry: half-Plegian and half-Cho'sinese babies are usually beautiful. Old Ylissean women were so terribly nosy.

She stared intently at Chrom with a serious thinking face. She couldn't tell if he was a hard traditional conservative Ylissean. Then again, the way he did his job made the answer kind of obvious.

"Did I say something wrong?" Chrom murmured, afraid that he had offended her.

"He's my…housemate," Robin picked her words carefully. It wasn't a lie. Lon'qu was her housemate. Kind of.

"Housemate?" Chrom repeated neutrally. That was a fair explanation, he thought.

Shit, he was judging her, Robin panicked. "Yeah, he's umm my… gay housemate. He hasn't really come out of the closet, so just don't mention it, please?" Robin stuffed in a small untrue detail.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course," Chrom nodded in understanding.

"It's just easier to pay the bills," Robin added another false detail. Who were they kidding? Both Robin and Lon'qu made more than enough money to live separately and then some. "You're really nosy," she sighed. It was a sore reminder that her life in Ylisse was mostly constructed of lies. A castle of lies. One day it would crumble and she would eventually be reduced to nothing.

Wait, why was she lying to him about Lon'qu?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Chrom apologized. It wasn't the reaction she expected.

"It's fine," she jumped off her stool and wobbled over to the cash register to pay. Chrom did the same, but kept an eye on Robin in case she fell. Robin fumbled with her clutch and pulled out a card. The server jammed the card into the interact machine and handed Robin. She thoughtfully punched in her pin and specifically chose to tip a miniscule amount to send a message.

"Do you want the receipt?" she asked.

"Nope," Robin responded and headed out by herself, leaving the officer behind.

Robin's heeled feet struggled down the three steps in front of the entrance of The Shepherds. When she managed to make it to the sidewalk without falling over. Gingerly, she slipped off Chrom's blazer and carefully folded it over her arm. She would return it to him before they split ways.

Robin gently tipped her head back to look up. Her eyes searched for the stars but only found a couple sparsely dotting the night. All the light pollution of Ylisstol made it difficult to see any twinkling stars.

"What's a beautiful lady doing all by herself out this late at night?" said a deep voice. Robin rolled her head to the side to see a man with a pattern shaved into his head. The remainder of his hair melded into an equally oddly patterned beard. He had thick lips and contrastingly small, beady eyes. Around him were a group of sketchy looking men. Most of them wore a sneer on their faces, while some sucked on cigarettes.

Robin narrowed her eyes and stood her ground. Her body tensed up ready to fight. The man smirked and prowled his way towards Robin. "No need to be afraid," he leaned in and whispered in her ear. She recoiled at his words but maintained deadly eye contact with him. "I jus' wanna talk."

"Leave me alone," she firmly said.

"Why don't you come with us for some fun?" he cooed, pacing around her. "I saw you at the Reeking Box. You look like you know how to dance. You'll be making a lot on the side," he rubbed his fingers in her face. "I'm sure men will…" the man's eyes wandered over Robin, "pay lots of money for your services."

Robin laughed. He evidently missed her dance moves from earlier. And these weren't even her real boobs. It threw off the man's power game and he stumbled back a step. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "You must be new."

"What?" he demanded in confusion. His men stiffened up and tried to assess what to do in the sudden change of character from the prey. The leader of them held up his hand signaling to his men to relax. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Are you an undercover cop?"

"No one of significance," she gave a small indifferent shrug. "Just in this business," she gestured to them with her finger, "you're supposed to target those who are usually easier to intimidate and generally younger. Well, unless, of course, they're interested in this line of work. Oh, and if they have low self-esteem or self-worth, it's a lot easier to manipulate them." She nodded sarcastically. "If I remember correctly, prostitution is still illegal in Ylisse."

"Who do you work for?" he demanded in a dangerously low voice.

"No one," she matched his threatening tone. "I know the man who—"

"Robin," called Lon'qu as he immediately jogged up to her side. Robin hadn't noticed he had arrived already. He wore a dark expression the moment he assessed what was going on.

"Lon'qu! I'm so sorry. I had no idea this was your bitch," the man who had been previously bothering her bowed a little in Lon'qu's presence and stepped back, yielding to him.

"What?" Robin hissed at the man, who nervously glanced over at her. "How dare—"

"You dare call her a 'bitch'? Know your place, Vincent," Lon'qu growled.

"Yes, of course, of course. My deepest apologies," Vincent faced Robin.

"If I see you near her or in this area, you and your men will not see the light of day again," Lon'qu threatened. Even Robin felt chills down her spine and her blood go cold at his lethal words.

"Robin!" Chrom ran out of the door. Robin snapped her attention to behind her. "You were gone as soon as I turned around. I dropped all the change I was handing to the server and…what's going on?" Chrom felt the gravity of the situation.

"Nothing, Officer Exalt," Robin smiled, her previous malignant façade evaporated away at the sight of Chrom.

"Officer?" The word was repeated in hushed voices amongst Vincent's henchmen. They began to scurry away from the scene.

"He was just asking for directions," Robin explained sweetly. Only Vincent remained, cowering in front of Lon'qu. Robin kindly directed while pointing down the street, "Just down the street and turn left."

"T-thank you," Vincent nodded and headed down the opposite way Robin had pointed.

"He just went the wrong way," Chrom raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Lon'qu!" Chrom waved cheerfully. Lon'qu grunted at Chrom in response and kept an eye on him. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me!" Chrom reassured. Lon'qu frowned at the policeman. Robin did a face palm. Lon'qu turned to look at Robin with the expectation of an explanation.

"It's nothing. Chrom's really drunk," Robin pushed Lon'qu towards the car and patted him on the back. Lon'qu hesitantly complied.

"What are you talking about, Robin? I had one be—," Chrom denied.

"Nope. He's piss drunk, Lon'qu. Chrom's lying. Let's go home," Robin cut him off. "Officer, you're drunk. Can you recite the alphabet backwards?" Robin gave him a look telling him to go away.

"How many people can actually do that?" Chrom gave her a funny look.

"Well, from where I'm from, that's what the cops ask you to do after you walk in a straight line and still want to prove you're drunk," Robin volleyed back after confirming Lon'qu was in the driver's seat.

"Wow," Chrom shook his head. "Wait, Robin," Chrom chased after her and grabbed her hand. Both their eyes fell to the point of physical contact. Chrom withdrew his hand faster than he grabbed hers.

"We're leaving," Lon'qu opened the window on her side of car and firmly urged Robin to get into the car.

"I…umm…" Chrom stuttered. "Would you like to…"

"Robin," Lon'qu repeated her name.

"Chrom, I need to go," Robin nervously glanced back behind her. "It was nice talking to you." She gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder. Chrom watched Robin hop into the front passenger seat with his blazer. She had forgotten to return it. Regretfully, he watched Robin and Lon'qu leave in their black car.


"Robin," Lon'qu said her name in a stern tone as he drove down Main Street.

"Lon'qu," she said his name, playing at his game. She felt like she was a child about to be chastised by a parent. "So, I totally got scouted as a prostitute. I may not look it but apparently I have the potential," she laughed initially then it died off into a nervous gurgle.

"Mmm," Lon'qu gruffly responded. "I apologize for what happened."

"Don't worry about it. It's not like I don't know what goes on and how it works," Robin rested her head on her propped elbow. "It's a good thing that no one recognizes me in Ylisse though," Robin sighed in relief. "Secret's still safe."

At the stop sign, his eyes fell on the blazer covering her legs like a blanket. "You don't look like a potential prostitute. He was scouting escorts."

"Great, a classy prostitute," Robin grumbled. She heard Lon'qu sigh. She knew what he meant, but she was being difficult and didn't feel like apologizing.

"Why weren't you with your friends?" Lon'qu asked. "We have a deal."

"I didn't stray from our deal. I was with them. Initially. I just felt really awful and then I was hungry. So I went to grab a bite before coming up. So that I could sober up in case I felt like jumping you."

"I can handle myself."

"Yeah, only if they have a dick. Sorry. That was mean."

Lon'qu didn't take the bait to start a fight with her. He remained quiet for a moment and then said, "It was him again."

"Yeah."

"Since when were you two on first name basis? What are you playing at?"

"What do you mean?" Robin frowned, feeling accused. "Lon'qu there's nothing going on between us. I just ran into him when I wanted to grab some food because, honestly, I didn't enjoy clubbing that much. He was a space filler beside me to ward off the creeps hitting on me in the bar."

"You went to a bar all by yourself in your state?" Lon'qu frowned. "Can you use your head and be cautious for once? What if something did happen? You know this isn't going to last forever. I don't want you to shorten your stay in Ylisse by making a mistake."

"Ouch," Robin winced at his words. She curled up in her seat and stared out the window again.

"Are you listening?" Lon'qu demanded. Robin didn't respond. "Miss? Miss? Robin?"

She abruptly turned around. "I thought we both mutually understood and made it clear that I'd never fuck a cop. I hate them. Protectors of the people. Filthy lies," Robin angrily uttered under her breath. "Do you really not believe me when I say that? I wasn't born yesterday!" She turned to face him with tears glistening her eyes. "Especially after what they did to my mother," she reminded him in a terrifying whisper. "And…and…" she furiously wiped away the couple of tears that escaped. Weak, she thought. She was weak. She couldn't even finish her sentence.

Lon'qu sadly uttered, "My apologies, Miss."

"It's not you," Robin whispered. There he went again, establishing a distance between them. "It's nothing."

"Understood," he stated.

The remainder of the ride was deafeningly silent. Once they arrived home and Lon'qu parked the car, he found Robin asleep. He sat there for a moment drowning in his thoughts. This job was tearing him apart.

He got out of the driver's seat and headed over to her side. He opened the door and unclipped her seatbelt. He was hesitant to carry her up, in case she woke up and panicked. But then again, she didn't seem like she'd wake up even if he were to drop her.

Lon'qu scooped Robin out of the passenger seat and into his arms. She stirred, making him freeze, but then she snuggled into his chest and continued to remain in her deep slumber. He relaxed. Lon'qu was too tired to bother freaking out about their proximity. He just wanted to get her home, where it was safe. He closed the door and locked the car. Carefully, so as not to wake Robin, he took her upstairs. She fit perfectly in his arms. She relaxed him.


Author's Notes:

Okay, hold your hand up if your heart throbbed at the opening scene when you saw Chrom AND when he helped you up in the first chapter?

My heart skipped. Not gonna even deny it. Why? Because I'm FE:A trash. (And proud of it.)

Let me know what you thought of this chapter! I love and seriously appreciate hearing from everyone. (It's like the best pick-me-up.) See you next Friday and thanks for reading! :)