Quick Info~

Even though I'm excited for every chapter, I really enjoy this one! There are some hints of other pairings in this chapter, but they aren't necessarily the ones I chose for my game. (mostly because I'm slow and trying to support everyone with everyone so that I get the cutest couples I can. Who care about stats in Fire Emblem: Dates, amirite?) Anyway, all of you guys are literally the best and I appreciate all of your feedback/favorites/follows/reads more than I can ever express! I hope you guys like this chapter :) It's another 3rd person POV and it furthers the drabbles quite a lot...

Drabble 4: Sparring Partners

"Alright, today is the day!" Laslow said. "I've been preparing for this, well, every day since she first told me no. So why do I feel so…?"

"Whoa there," Odin said, catching Laslow as he stumbled backwards. "Don't want you succumbing to the darkness before you even have a chance to be turned down."

"Why are you always like this?" Selena asked, picking at a hangnail as she sat haughtily on a stool in Laslow's quarters.

"Me?" Odin asked. "That's because I am cursed with this—"

Selena rolled her eyes. "No, not you. Although, that's a good question for later. I mean Inig—Laslow."

Laslow chuckled weakly. "It was easier back when I just wanted to take her on one date."

Odin's eyes widened and his lips broke out into an open-mouth smile. "You actually like Lady Corrin now, don't you?"

"That's, no, that's absurd. What makes you think that?" Laslow asked, mentally cursing how hot his face felt.

"Liar," Selena said, standing up and smirking. "You're completely enamored with her."

"So what if I am? She's a princess and I'm just, well, me," Laslow said, sinking down onto his bed and picking at the tassels hanging from the duvet.

"I think 'just you' is pretty awesome, though," Odin said.

"Yeah, you're a total weirdo but you can be sweet when you want to," Selena added.

Laslow managed a small smile. "She thinks it's a game," he said. "I doubt she even thinks I'm serious about it anymore."

"Then don't ask her today," Selena said.

"Won't that make her think I'm really not interesting?" Laslow asked.

Selena shook her head. "Not at all. If you don't ask her, she'll think something is up. She'll go and ask you about it, and that's when you ask her again. In private. For real."

"Girls don't work that way, Selena," Odin said, leaning on Selena's shoulder and chuckling.

She shoved him off of her and scowled. "Maybe if you spent less time in the dark realms and actually listened to a girl instead of monologue-ing like an idiot, you'd actually know a thing or two about them."

Laslow couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

Selena huffed and Odin plopped down on Laslow's bed, muttering something about there being women in the dark realms.

"It's worth a try," Laslow said finally. "Thank you guys. I'll just have to find something to entertain myself for the day."

"Absolutely not," Xander said.

"But why not?" Laslow asked. "Trust me, Lord Xander. You never know what affections are hiding in your heart until you unleash them."

"The only thing I want to unleash right now is opening this door and kicking you out," he said sternly.

"Peri isn't that bad, milord," Laslow continued as Xander began to open the entrance door to the castle. "Yeah, she likes violence and knows what everyone in the army's blood types are but underneath all that she's, well, I mean… Alright fine, I've got nothing."

"Don't you have someone else to annoy right now, Laslow?" Xander asked, pinching the bridge of his nose and holding the door open for Laslow.

"Not exactly," Laslow said.

"Well, then find someone. Ah! There's Corrin. Alright, off you go," Xander said, shoving a completely unwilling Laslow out the door.

"Laslow?" Corrin asked, shooting him a confused look.

Laslow's eyes widened and he felt his stomach flip-flop. "Oh hey, Corrin," he said, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"I was just going to go annoy Xander, but from the looks of it you beat me to it," she said, laughing.

Laslow winced. Her laugh was one of the cutest things about her! How on earth was he supposed to ignore her like Selena suggested? She was just standing there smiling at him, and all of his insides felt like they were going to knot into one big bunch.

"Yeah, you know me," Laslow said. "Anyway, I've got some urgent business to attend to."

"Wait—" Corrin called.

"Sorry, milday," Laslow said. "I really can't talk right now."

Laslow hurriedly shuffled towards the bathhouse, feeling his heart pang as he left Corrin behind.

She stared after him, utterly confused. Hadn't they gotten past the retainer formality? And what urgent business could Laslow possibly have in the bathhouse? She was only going to ask him if he had annoyed Xander to the point where he wouldn't want to see anyone else.

Laslow ran so quickly into the bath that he barely had enough time to take off his clothes. He sunk underneath the water, hoping that the heat would flush out all of the icky feelings left over from ignoring Corrin. She looked so happy, which was a rarity with the war going on, and if he ruined that he didn't know what he was going to do. She probably hated him more now than she already did.

When Laslow emerged, his eyes widened in surprise and he clamped one hand over his mouth.

"Laslow!" Charlotte shrieked, immediately covering her breasts with one arm and reaching out the other to slap him across the cheek. "Pervert!"

"If you wanted to join, all you had to do was ask," Keaton said, shooting him a fang bearing, half-smile. "I know all about being part of a pack."

"S-sorry! Incredibly sorry," Laslow said, searching blindly for his towel and slipping on the cool deck as he attempted to get out.

"You alright? It's not like you to just barge in without at least making some sort of flirty remark," Keaton said, putting his arm around a furious Charlotte.

"I'm fine," he said, rubbing his bruised tailbone and sighing.

"It's about Lady Corrin," Charlotte said. "Selena told me."

Laslow clenched his fists at his sides. He was so going to tell Cordelia someday.

"Does the entire army know, per chance?" Laslow asked, wondering if that was why Corrin seemed so bubbly earlier.

"I doubt it. She only told me and Beruka," Charlotte said. "But if you want my advice, and even if you don't you're going to get it anyway as your punishment for walking in on us, you should just go ask her. Lady Corrin is beautiful, and if you act like you aren't interested, she's just going to drop you to find someone else. Selena might be right about some girls, but Lady Corrin isn't like most girls."

"I've noticed," Laslow said quietly, blushing as he thought back to their time at the Butterfly House and in the woods.

She was absolutely something special. Outgoing despite her isolated upbringing. Compassionate despite her ruthless father. Everything about her was so completely different than what she ought to have been like. Laslow couldn't flirt with her like he did with other women because she just wasn't other women.

"Thank you," he said.

"We'll keep this warm for you and Lady Corrin next," Keaton called, growling as Charlotte squealed.

When Laslow finally found Corrin, she was hacking away at a training dummy behind the castle. She looked positively furious, her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as she slashed all of the stuffing out of one dummy.

"I think it's trying to politely surrender," Laslow called, hopping the fence.

"Great," Corrin said, flicking one sweaty strand of hair out of her eyes. "You can take its place then."

She handed Laslow a sword, or rather, threw Laslow a sword. He looked at her completely bewildered, but her harsh expression didn't falter. Instead, she widened her stance and made a "come hither" motion with her hand.

"Corrin, about earlier—" Laslow started, lowering the sword.

Corrin launched herself towards him, bringing down the sword near his chest. He quickly parried, hopping backwards and holding his own sword out defensively.

"Don't…worry…about…it," Corrin said through gritted teeth, slashing at him like he was nothing more than a Faceless.

"No, you need to hear this," Laslow said, blocking every one of her hits with ease.

"Guess all of that dancing has made you lighter on your feet than me," Corrin said, spinning and attempting to get at him from the side.

"I don't know if Selena told you, but—" Laslow started, but was quickly cut off by a leap from behind.

"You talk too much," Corrin said, her breathing growing ragged she continued to bounce about in every which way.

"And you don't listen," Laslow said, spinning once in a perfect twirl and knocking the sword from Corrin's hand.

She stumbled backwards and Laslow caught her from behind. Her arms instinctively reached for his neck to keep herself from falling, her chest heaving and her eyes wild.

"There," Laslow said softly.

"I'm sorry," Corrin said, shaking her head and averting her gaze from his. "It's not you. I was just frustrated that everyone has been ignoring me all day today. It's like I have the plague or something!"

Laslow chuckled, and pulled Corrin to her feet. "Well, I don't know about the plague, but them avoiding you has sort of been my fault."

"What do you mean?" Corrin asked.

"They know that I want to ask you to tea," Laslow said, turning his back to her so that she couldn't see his sudden blush.

"You do that every day," Corrin said, and Laslow winced.

"I know, but this time it was going to be different," he said.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back towards her and took her hand in his. She was looking at him with wide eyes, her gaze darting between his face and their hands.

"Your hand is shaking," she breathed.

"I know," Laslow said. "That's because I want to ask you out for tea."

"Laslow—" Corrin started.

"And yes, I want it to be a date. I want to get to know you, the real you. This isn't just some flirtatious ploy. I'm serious," he said.

"Yes," Corrin said suddenly and quietly, almost as if she didn't speak at all.

"Another no. It's alright, my feelings aren't hurt," Laslow said, dropping her hand and turning to walk away.

Corrin reached to grab his hand. "Now you're the one who isn't listening."

Laslow's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean it? You'll go with me?"

Corrin nodded. "You're different than I thought. Tea could be, umm, fun."

Laslow breathed a sigh of relief and jumped into the air excitedly, dragging Corrin along with him since he had forgotten to let go of her hand first. Corrin laughed, yanking her arm back and rolling her eyes.

"You won't regret this. I'll make sure you have the most wonderful day," Laslow said.

"You will," she said, and Laslow wasn't sure if she was challenging him, reassuring him, or both.

Knowing Corrin, it was probably both.

"Atta boy, Laslow!" Selena cheered.

"My comrade! I knew you wouldn't fail!" Odin said, clenching his fist near his heart.

Laslow and Corrin turned to see Odin and Selena peering at them from behind a tree. Laslow turned beat red and Corrin just laughed. He really went to all of that trouble for one little date? She knew she had to watch out, because if he kept this up, they wouldn't only be going on one date.