The Shepherds' white haired tactician sat at his desk, quill in hand as he mulled over the plans for the coming battle. It had been a stressful yet fulfilling couple of months working with Chrom and his Shepherds. Even if he may not have remembered his past, the memories he made in the present meant so much more to him.
Chrom, Lissa, Frederick- all of the Shepherds; he cherished all of them. Lucina, Cynthia, Severa, and the rest of the kids too.
As he played through battle scenarios in his mind, he failed to hear the knock on his door. Too engrossed in his planning, the knocks went unanswered until whoever was at the door slowly opened it.
"Um, dad?" her voice came from his side as she tapped on his shoulder.
Slightly startled, Robin jumped a little in his seat at the sudden interruption. "Huh- who? Oh, Morgan, what're you doing up so late?"
It was a little surreal to know that he had a daughter as well. Much like Lucina was to Chrom, Morgan was Robin's own child. Yet unlike the Ylissean Princess, she knew nothing of her past much like her own father. It was something they shared and bonded over. Even if they may not remember the past, the memories they made with their friends was what truly mattered.
Morgan was everything that he could ask for and then some. She was kind to everyone and ambitious beyond belief. She could easily surpass him if she had more time. And he would help her every step of the way.
"I could ask the same to you, you know. It's not good to stay up late! You always used to tell me that if I didn't get enough sleep, I'd only be hurting myself."
Robin had a chuckle at that. "True, I probably should get to bed soon. I'm just trying to make sure the coming operation goes well. I'm having a bit of trouble though…"
"Isn't that operation not for a couple days though? You have a lot of time to get it all set up," she countered.
"I know… it's just, whenever we have some sort of mission, I'm always trying to make sure everyone stays safe. As our tactician, everyone puts their trust in me to lead them well. I can't let them down. So for as long as our tactics are unfinished, I have trouble sleeping. I couldn't bear it if anything bad happened to anyone."
"Yeah, I get it…" Morgan replied as she wrapped her arms over his shoulders. "Let me help. Maybe with what you've taught me, we can come up with something together?"
"I suppose that wouldn't be a bad idea. C'mon, pull up a chair and let's get to work so we can get to bed," Robin nodded to his daughter.
Instead of doing that, Morgan plopped herself down right in his lap. It was nothing quite like he had felt before. A strange, heartwarming feeling washed over him. He didn't show it, but a single tear dripped from his eye as a realization finally hit him full force: parenthood.
He may not have known how she would have been growing up, but right then and there, at that moment in time, he was overwhelmed with feelings of pride and unconditional love. Even if she was still relatively new to everyone, Morgan was his pride and joy.
It was strange to suddenly have a daughter, but the feelings that came with it hit him with everything they had. And he welcomed it. The two took turns pitching ideas to one another. As they looked over the tactics planner that Robin had come up with, they found flaws and fixed them. They did everything they could to ensure that everyone would make it out of the next battle with as little injury as possible.
Paper after paper was written and drawn on as they devised dozens of potential plans. In the end, they finally settled on one and found themselves in high spirits.
"Well done," Robin complimented. "You picked up on a few things that I couldn't quite resolve. With that, I believe we've got the perfect plan for the next operation."
"I learned from the best, you know. Thanks for all the years you spent teaching me. Even if it wasn't the you in this time that taught me, I'm still thankful. I… never really expressed my thanks to you that much back then… but now, I realize I need to be more appreciative. Since we're changing the future, who knows what might happen?"
"That's true. Maybe I should be more open as well. Follow your example. You've taught me a lot too. About myself and about what it means to be a father."
Morgan stretched, yawning as she did so as her fatigue finally caught up to her. Robin followed suit, having been up even longer than her.
"Can I… sleep here with you, dad?" Morgan asked as she turned to her father.
Robin's heart swelled as he nodded. "Of course. You can stay in my room whenever you want, okay? If I'm here or away, this room is yours just as much as it is mine. You're always welcome to stay here."
"Thanks," Morgan said, smiling back to him. The two stood up and headed for bed. It was comforting for Morgan to sleep by her father's side. She may not have remembered much of her past, but it never hurt to be close with her dad.
Even though they were tired, the two continued talking. "I wish I could remember more of the past…" Morgan said as she got in bed. "I know you don't remember either, but I just wish I remembered more people…"
"Yeah… it's unfortunate that neither of us can remember much of our past, but I'm sure that the memories that we'll make with everyone now and in the future can more than make up for it."
"…do you know anything about mom?" Morgan asked.
"Well, I can't say for certain since I'm not with anyone at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if your mother was another one of the Shepherds. Since you inherited my hair color, I guess we won't know until something happens in the future. Maybe you'll remember something eventually?" Robin speculated.
"Maybe… I guess it doesn't matter yet then, huh? Goodnight, dad. Thanks for spending time with me tonight…"
"Anything for my daughter," Robin smiled.
Words couldn't describe just how safe she felt laying by his side. As she snuggled up against him, sleep came to her quickly, and she soon dozed off. Robin on the other hand was still up. He stroked her hair, comforting her as she fell asleep. He felt that he couldn't sleep until his daughter was safe and sound, falling asleep before him.
As her breathing evened out signifying that she was finally snoozing, he closed his own eyes, putting his arm over his daughter and hugging her close as they slept. It was strange being here with his daughter. For months, he had slept alone. And although he never had an issue with it, he felt oddly whole now.
The two had the best sleep that either of them had since they could remember.
Recently played through Awakening and the existence of child units has me craving fluff where Robin is just a dad. I love the idea of simple scenarios where Robin just bonds with his kid/s, so I'll definitely write more of these.
I know that Morgan takes the hair color of the mother, but I wanted to leave it ambiguous for this fic, so she just has Robin's hair color. The first fic that features a mother will likely involve Cordelia and Severa since I picked her for my playthrough.
