Milestones - Chapter 2

"Hey, what do you think about kids?" Chrom stepped on the pedal, accelerating slightly as he overtook another car. They were visiting his family for a couple of weeks during the summer break, his parents insisting in fact. Robin didn't think she'd ever get into a serious relationship, move this quickly, and be comfortable at this pace but their explosive argument about living arrangements changed their perspectives quite a bit.

Robin already met Chrom's parents and sisters, the four of them having come to campus their first year to see how well he was adjusting. Too well according to his older sister Emmeryn, who bonded with Robin over their shared love of books, just fine according to his younger sister Lissa, who quickly grew quite attached to Robin as another older sister.

She was anxious meeting his parents. What if they thought she wasn't good enough for their only son? Turns out it was quite the opposite, that their son wasn't good enough for her, Chrom protesting at the lack of allies, but happy and relieved Robin and his family were taking quite well to each other.

"In general?" She leaned back against the chair, yawning slightly. "I like them just fine."

"No I mean do you want kids one day." Chrom drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music, keeping his eyes mostly on the road but managing a quick peek at Robin. She didn't seem too ruffled or perturbed by his question. "I mean it, love. Ever since Emm told me that she's pregnant, I guess I just found myself thinking about them more."

Robin turned to look at Chrom. He really was serious, but at least his grip on the wheel was lax. It didn't seem he was going to be particularly worried about her answer, either way. After a few pensive moments, she said, "I never really thought about it to be honest. I've never known my mother. The fact that she died soon after giving birth to me is the most terrifying thought in the world, my father all but physically abandoned me…"

Chrom's right hand let go of the wheel and instinctively found hers, squeezing it lightly. Robin looked away again, her cheeks starting to heat up as she smiled appreciatively. "Sorry for making you think about that. I know family's a bit of a touchy subject."

"I really don't know if I want kids. Maybe, maybe not," Robin started, curling her fingers and settling in the comfortable warmth spreading from her left hand. She glanced again at Chrom, trying to figure out his reaction before proceeding. "But if I ever want them, I think I'd like them to be your children."

An alarm pulled her back into reality, a plain white stick turned over by the sink. Robin drummed her fingers on the cool marble, trying to calm her nerves as she stared at the stick. Chrom said he wanted children, so this shouldn't be something they were going to argue about but Robin felt a little guilty that she was hiding her suspicions from him.

Over the years, she warmed up to the idea of having their own children, especially when she saw how much of a doting uncle Chrom became after Emmeryn had given birth. In the quiet of early morning, Chrom still asleep, she often thought about how she would be curled up in the corner with a book, peeking over the pages as she watched Chrom laughing and chasing after a rambunctious toddler.

"It's not that I don't want kids, but maybe not yet…" Robin wanted a little more time being selfish with what she had. They were basically all but married, her otherwise in-laws not hurrying or pushing them to go down the aisle, their consulting firm was finally starting to pick up after years of hard work. Not that having a child was going to ruin everything, but it was going to change the dynamics of their lives. Most of all, after finally being able to redefine what a family is, some part of her was still afraid that she wasn't going to be a good enough parent, a good enough mother.

"Robin?" Chrom's voice rang loudly and clearly in her ears. She jumped, fumbling for the plastic, turning the stick in between her fingers as her eyes landed on the indicator. Time seemed to stop as her eyes widened, tears starting to form. When Chrom made his way to the bathroom, she couldn't stop them from trailing down her cheeks. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Remember that time when we spent two weeks at your parents' during summer vacation?" Her voice was surprisingly calm.

"Yeah, and?" He kissed her tears away, feeling her lashes brush against his cheek before she bent her head down and rest her head on his chest. "You're not telling me what's wrong, love."

"You were asking me if I wanted kids." Chrom pushed her away slightly, his brow knitted with concern.

"Don't want 'em anymore…?" He sounded a little dejected but he wouldn't force her to have any if she didn't want them. He could be fine without kids, maybe, but he definitely couldn't be fine without her.

"Well…" Robin wriggled free and waved the plastic in front of his face. Chrom looked on in confusion, trying to process where she was going with her rather odd stream of ideas and figure out what she was waving in front of him. When he finally realized he was looking at two pink lines in a circle, he picked her up and started laughing, tears forming as well. "Hey, put me down!"

"No, too happy love!" Chrom compromised by lowering her slightly but kept her feet dangling off the floor, carrying her off to their bed. Robin protested, halfheartedly striking her fists against his shoulders, threatening that spinning her around was just going to make her dizzy and maybe even throw up again.

"Hey seriously, let me down. My head's starting to hurt." Chrom mumbled a half-meant apology, grinning from ear to ear, finally letting her go. Robin sat down, Chrom sinking to his knees as he put his head on her lap, arms lazily wrapped around her waist. She looked up at the ceiling, absently stroking his head as he whispered words of affection to their unborn child.

"Nothing changes, you hear me?" She wasn't a delicate flower who would wither under the slightest bit of pressure. Staying cooped up at home wasn't going to do her any good either. "Unless the doctor says I'm risking my health or the baby's, I'm still going to do everything I physically can up until she's born."

"She?" Chrom looked up, straightening his back as he pulled her close, resting his head on her chest. Not that he minded. His expression turned wistful when he thought about a small Robin running around gleefully, suddenly turning bashful and hiding behind them when someone new approached her.

"Just have a feeling a precious little princess is going to join us." Robin cracked a smile, pulling away slightly as she rest both her hands on her still flat belly. "Nothing changes, you hear me Chrom?"

"Mmm," he murmured pushing her down into bed as he climbed in, towering over her. He dipped his head, tracing her jaw with soft kisses as his arms started to slack, lazily descending beside her. "Thank you, love."

"For what?" She turned to her side, brushing away his hair.

"For making me the happiest man in the world."

-x-

A visit to the doctor confirmed that she was already pushing seven weeks, everything progressing smoothly. Robin had suddenly become all too aware that her belly was starting to show, Chrom insisting it was all in her head. Her doctor good-naturedly sided with Chrom, noting that most women don't show they're pregnant, especially with the first, until they were about three or so months along. Robin fussed, annoyed that they brushed away her comments with a smile, but relieved to know that their baby was in good shape.

"Come back in about four to six weeks. We'll have a more detailed ultrasound then. For now, congratulations are in order." The doctor closed Robin's folder with fluid efficiency, handing over the printed sonogram, her name clear at the top. "Try to delegate some more of your work to others if you can, especially the ones you don't personally have to handle. The less stress there is, the better it will be for you and your baby, but I don't see any reason for you to stop working."

The next few days were a whirlwind of activities, the two quietly announcing to their more immediate team of Robin's pregnancy. Frederick and Lon'qu were their typically stoic selves but cracked smiles once they heard the news. Cordelia and Olivia were jumping up and down, crying as they hugged Robin, peppering her cheeks with kisses. Gaius was laughing, pulling out the ever present lollipop from his mouth and smacked Chrom hard on the back, blabbing nonsense about how he knew Chrom was the boss in more ways than one.

Lissa was in town for a quick visit before flying off to the other side of the country to stay with Emmeryn. After setting up a video call with his parents and Emmeryn, Chrom told them about the coming addition to their family. Lissa squealed, jumping up and down, happy tears forming in her eyes. Emmeryn smiled, her daughter peeking into the camera wondering why everyone was talking. Robin detected a swell of pride and happiness in the posture her "in-laws."

At the end of the call, Emmeryn told them to keep her updated so she could bring Libra and their daughter over to visit. She wasn't going to miss seeing her only brother fumble around as a first time father, a wry smile as she ended the call before Chrom could protest. Their parents said they'd start looking for a place to stay for some time, to help around just a little when Robin was in her last month of pregnancy and for a few months after.

"Robin you're going to be a mom!" Lissa jumped up and down, squeezing Robin comfortingly as Chrom watched on. Robin laughed, patting Lissa on the head as she tried to get her to calm down. Lissa let go, excitedly chittering over to Chrom as she attempted to tackle him to the floor as she held him tight. "And Chrom's going to be a dad!"

-x-

"Aaahh." Robin sunk further, until just her chin was above the warm water, her muscles suddenly aching from all the excitement. Lissa had just left that morning, though reluctantly because she wanted to stay longer to help look at baby things. Now, she just wanted to stay inside the bathtub, away from all the excitement that was apparently bubbling over from everyone still.

Frederick took it upon himself to space out her involvement in their projects, Robin thankful for their office manager's quiet support. Lon'qu, despite his rather shy ways around most women, announced his interest in taking some more leadership roles in future projects, especially ones that were going to last well into next year. Olivia seemed dedicated to make herself more confident in their presentations. Gaius, troublemaker that he was, became a little more serious when he thought no one was watching and along with Cordelia, started to take on just a little more work so as to reduce hers.

"If they thought they were doing a good job at pretending not to tread lightly around me, it's not working," Robin chuckled to herself, breathing in the soft ocean-infused scent of the bubble bath. For all her insistence that everything should remain the same, the past week and a half showed her they treated her still as their friend from college, not their boss. Though it was Chrom's name that bannered their company, there was a tacit understanding that it was a fruit of their labor as well.

"Tired?" Chrom waltzed into the bathroom, dropping a change of clothes into his basket as he started to undress. Robin sat up straight, moving jerkily as she started to panic. "Relax, it's not like we haven't seen everything before."

"Precisely because we've seen everything before is why I'm pregnant." Robin huffed, looking away as her face started to heat up, no thanks to the steam in the tub. "It's not your turn yet you know."

"Couldn't wait, back's killing me, damn Gaius." Chrom climbed in, pushing Robin gently forward as he maneuvered himself to the most comfortable position he could manage behind her. He let her fall against his chest, his head slightly lolling backwards as his knotted muscles started to relax.

"H-hey!" Robin reddened even further as she felt all of him against her back, trying to wriggle free but his hands stopped her. The tips of his callous fingers dug slightly into her tense shoulders, rubbing slowly but purposefully, goosebumps forming in the wake of his touch. "C-chrom… C-can't…"

"Not going to do anything, just relax love," he whispered continuing to massage the tension away as he leaned forward and softly kissed the junction of her neck and shoulders. Robin shuddered into his touch, leaning backwards slightly, any resistance slowly slipping away. "There you go…"

"Don't… try… anything…" Robin gasped when he found a particularly knotted muscle just by her shoulder blades. "I'll… punch you… if you… try…"

"Threat duly noted." Robin vaguely registered a gleam in his eyes and mischief in his voice, all the tension and strength in her body melting away as he continued his massage.

-x-

I realized, after writing this chapter, that there are going to be a lot of flashbacks and time skips. Apparently that's how the story is organically developing in my head, more than it being intentional, but I like how it's turning out so far. I kind of have the end roughly figured out in my head.

This is not going to be a story where Robin is basically pregnant with Lucina the entire time, planning for some chapters dedicated to her being pregnant with Morgan. Think of it as a little bit of drama, humor (hence the family genre) with lots of romance (sweet and suggestive) all around.

Not a lot of appearances from other FE:A characters, the ones that do show up playing mostly bit parts and maybe having some lines here and there. Almost all the interactions will just be focused on Chrom and Robin, Lucina (and Morgan) in tow when they're old enough.

I did take the liberty of pairing off Emmeryn with Libra, even though they don't have supports in the game. When I think of those two together, they seem to fit the kind, motherly/ fatherly type of older sibling which I feel Chrom and Lissa, the latter especially, sorely need. Their parents are alive as well, I can imagine them being doting grandparents.

Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews so far, the last being so kindly appreciated. I haven't written creatively in years, most of my writing diverted to graduate school papers of all sorts, so I'd love to get some feedback on what you guys like so I can do more of that, and what you think I can improve on.

Cheers and here's to the next chapter!