Quick Info~

Can you guess from the title of this drabble what it's about? After hearing him say it in his "my room" lines, I felt it was kind of anticlimactic and I think this chapter suits the way it was done in canon. Anticlimactic doesn't mean it isn't important, though. ;) My own personal headcanon is that after spending so much time together, the future kids from Awakening all picked up a little bit of one another's traits. For Laslow/Inigo's case, I think he might've picked up a bit of Yarne's hypochondriac tendencies (especially after seeing their scene together in the Hot Springs Scramble DLC for Awakening) as well as Owain's flair for theatrics - both of which are seen in this drabble. The beginning of this drabble is also a headcanon that I think would be hilarious, so I hope you guys like it, too! A million thanks again to everyone checking this out! :)


Drabble 9: Inigo

"Making tea is one of the simplest yet most important tasks a retainer can provide for their Lord or Lady," Jakob explained, slapping one long ruler against the chalkboard loud enough to make the class jump.

When Xander put him in charge of training all of the retainers, he had taken to it like a duck to water. Given the freedom to actually push people around instead of merely relying on making snarky comments under his breath was a welcomed change. Needless to say, he was more than satisfied with the position. Except, of course, when his second favorite student to ridicule ditched class.

"Has anyone noticed a severe lack of perfume in class today?" Jakob asked, scanning the classroom sardonically.

The seat next to Peri and across from Niles and Odin was noticeably empty. Again. Jakob didn't necessarily mind not having Laslow there to lament about how even though Kaze is technically Corrin's retainer, he should still be allowed to train to protect her because he is, after all, the one who gets to kiss her. However, having one less person there to forcibly listen to Jakob was a bit of a downer.

The class stared back at him with blank expressions until Peri rolled her eyes and raised her hand.

"He's sick today," she said. "Which is totally not fair, by the way."

Jakob smiled at Peri brightly, and the rest of the class braced themselves for the inevitable wave of sarcasm that was coming her way.

"Then perhaps you'd like to be the first one to taste test Lady Corrin's tea sample? I'm sure you'll be ready to join Laslow in no time," Jakob said, holding out a teapot emitting a strange, bitter smell.

Peri stuck her lip out into a fat pout and turned to Effie behind her. "Laslow always gets the better treatment," she griped.


"My love," Laslow said weakly, thrusting one clammy hand out from underneath layers of blankets and coughing weakly. "I am afraid our days together are coming to an end."

Corrin laughed and batted his hand away. "Don't be such a baby. It's just a little cold."

"You never know when a cold will turn into something worse!" he whined. "It could be pneumonia, or influenza, or…or—"

"I think you're going to sneeze all of the germs out of you before it has a chance to get that bad," Corrin said, amused as she watched his nose twitch in irritation.

"Is that medically accur—" he started, but was quickly cut off by the aforementioned sneeze.

Corrin raised an eyebrow and smirked as Laslow pouted, defeated into silence.

It had been nearly a week since the pair was caught canoodling in the hot springs, and Corrin thought that meant they were in the clear as far as sickness went. Although she remembered to properly dry off before trekking back through the snow, Laslow had been so flustered by Xander's sudden appearance that he put on all of his clothes still dripping wet.

The first three days back he was fine, albeit embarrassed and sheepish around Xander. On the fourth and fifth day, he tried to deny his sniffles and raspy voice by playing it off as an allergic reaction to something. But on the sixth day, he couldn't fight it any longer.

Which, of course, led to the melodramatic monologues Corrin had been hearing all morning.

"I don't even remember the last time I felt this awful," Laslow said, rolling over to one side in a pathetic attempt to wrap his arms around Corrin's waist and pull her down next to him.

"Well you should feel a little bit better after you eat something," she said.

She brought him a piping up bowl of soup mainly made up of chicken broth, noodles, and cabbage. She had to sneak around the cafeteria to avoid any I-told-you-sos from Xander, and nearly lost her head when the chef of the day—Benny—was startled seeing her hiding in the pantry.

"Do you know how wonderful you are?" Laslow asked as Corrin set the soup down in front of him.

He was staring up at her with droopy eyes, but his contagious smile remained as optimistic as ever. Corrin couldn't help but smile back.

"It's the least I can do," she said. "I sort of got us into that situation."

"No, the least you can do is come and cuddle with me," Laslow teased. "You're going above and beyond with the soup."

Corrin shook her head, but a giggle managed to escape her lips. It was most likely a bad idea to get into bed with someone so feverish, but denying Laslow's puppy eyes was like denying a literal puppy. And Corrin was definitely not that heartless.

So she climbed into bed with him and snuggled up against his chest.

"You know, this is strange," Laslow mused after a moment of silence.

"How so?" Corrin asked, tracing one finger absently along his collarbone.

"Out of all of the times I pictured having a girl in my bed, I didn't think it'd be because I was sick," he said.

Corrin sat up and raised her eyebrows at him, obviously irritated by his choice of words. He might've been all talk, but sometimes that talk wasn't something she wanted to hear.

"I risk my health for you and you repay me by telling me your perverted fantasies?" she teased.

"You're included in them, though, love," Laslow countered innocently.

"I suppose that makes it a little bit better," Corrin deadpanned.

"You don't think I still think about other girls, do you?" he asked suddenly, and the air in the room seemed to instantly fill with thick tension.

"Well, I—" Corrin started, but the high-pitched tone in her voice instantly gave away the lie that she was about to tell. So instead, she simply sighed and dropped her head in shame before muttering, "Maybe sometimes."

"I'm in love with you," Laslow said. "And that's something I could never feel for anyone else. I used to talk about true love all the time, but I never really thought it could exist for me until I met you."

The way he was smiling at her with such genuine intensity made it impossible for her not to believe him. If she really took the time to think about it, he hadn't so much as bothered to look at another girl since he started asking her out all of those months ago.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," she said, leaning back down on his chest.

Laslow simply chuckled lightheartedly. "I don't blame you, given my track record. So I want to prove it to you."

"Oh?" Corrin lifted her head to stare up at him.

"It's a big secret though, so you've got to swear you won't breathe a word of it to another soul," Laslow said, wincing as he used his arms to prop himself up against the headboard of the bed.

"Cross my heart," Corrin said, making a little 'x' over her chest.

Laslow nuzzled his face into Corrin's hair, his lips just shy of brushing against her ear. It made her shiver, partially due to the fact that they were so close and also because he was burning up like a freshly stoked bonfire.

"I've never told anyone this before," he whispered. "But I want you to know that I trust you more than anything. It's about my real name."

"Laslow?" Corrin asked.

"Inigo," he corrected.

The way he said it made Corrin's stomach drop, like she had just been given the most precious bit of information in the entire universe. In some ways, she supposed that she had.

"No one else can know," he said again. "So if you're going to use it, please save it for when we're alone."

"Inigo," Corrin said slowly, touching her fingertip to her bottom lip gingerly.

She wanted to feel the way it looked coming out of her mouth. Gods only knew how long it had been since Laslow had heard his real name. She had to say it right. Say it beautifully. Say it like she loved every inflection, every curve of every letter, every syllable. Pour as much love as she had for him into one single word.

Laslow nodded, the faintest tint of a blush dancing on his cheeks. "You must be some sort of goddess," he mused, slipping back underneath the covers. "Only you could make my own name sound like heaven."

Corrin smiled earnestly, moving the bowl of soup from his lap to the nightstand before snuggling up against his chest. "That's probably because it is," she whispered.

She felt Laslow exhale deeply, a smile plastered whimsically on his lips despite how quickly he was falling asleep. She couldn't help but doze off with him, his soft, congested snores and the gentle rise and fall of his chest lulling her.

"I love you," Corrin whispered, knowing that he was far from conscious but needing to hear it said aloud anyway. "…Inigo."