Quick Info~

Are you ready to hop on the train to Cheese Central? Stops along the way include Fluff Town, Mushy Ville, and Blush Corner. Population? Laslow and Corrin, of course. Anyway, stupid jokes aside, this is an incredibly fluffy chapter that I adored writing! All of your guys' support has been beyond amazing and I hope I'm still doing Laslow, Corrin, and the rest of the the cameos justice. This may have been one of my favorite chapters to write so far, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Drabble 5: The Cottage by the Creek

"Do I look alright?" Corrin asked, smoothing the front of her dress with her palms.

Camilla's heart probably would've popped out of her chest if it could've. She was looking at Corrin like it was her wedding day. Sniffing back a sob, Camilla grabbed her and forced her into a tight embrace.

"You look so incredibly adorable!" Camilla exclaimed, squishing Corrin harder and harder against her body.

"Thank you…but Camilla, I can't breathe," Corrin said, her voice muffled by Camilla's breasts.

"Sorry, little sister," Camilla said. "But I can't help it! You're just so darned cute!"

She let Corrin go and tipped her chin up with one hand, using the other to tuck Corrin's long blonde hair behind her ear.

"He better know that if he even tries anything funny I'm going to crush him like the little bug he is," Camilla said, her eyes smiling despite the menace in her words.

"I doubt he will," Corrin said. "He's actually pretty shy when you get past all of the shallow flirting. But Camilla, do you think this dress is too much?"

Corrin had picked up the dress secretly on one of her trips to the market. It looked stunning on the mannequin, and Corrin was particularly tired of wearing armor the day she purchased it. Tiny yellow daisies were spread out against the white cotton and it was the first sleeveless thing that she had ever worn in public.

"Not at all," Camilla said. "You're putting out a lot less than I did on my first date."

"That's because I don't have as much to put out," Corrin teased, looking down at her own chest.

"My little sister," Camilla said, sighing. "I can't believe you're growing up so fast."

"I'll always be your little sister, though," Corrin said, giving Camilla a reassuring smile. "Anyway, it's about time I meet Laslow."

Corrin opened the door and took a deep breath. Laslow was already standing by the entrance to the castle. From the looks of it, he seemed quite calm. Although, she knew he was probably anything but. From the moment that they had decided on which day to go out, he had been sheepish in every conversation they had.

Corrin wasn't sure what to make of her own feelings. Laslow made her happy, and that was simple enough for now. She didn't bother putting much stock into something that she hadn't even experienced yet.

Laslow, however, had spent the last few days worrying about every little thing. Was it going to rain? Was Corrin going to cancel? Or get sick? And what if he had to cancel or got sick? Selena, quite literally, had to slap the sense back into him before he went insane.

"Be safe!" Camilla called, waving to Corrin.

"Will do!" Corrin called back, taking a few shaky steps towards Laslow.

Camilla had suggested that she wear a pair of pink high heels to compliment the spring colors on her dress. Corrin always preferred to go barefoot, so the added height made it nearly impossible for her to walk.

"You look stunning," Laslow breathed, taking Corrin's hand and bringing it to his lips.

"Thanks," Corrin said, shifting awkwardly in the heels. "You look pretty good, too."

"Thanks," Laslow squeaked, his eyes widening and his cheeks turning pink.

"So do you know which tea place you want to go to?" Corrin asked after a period of awkward silence.

Laslow nodded. "Of course. It's just a little way up the road."

"Alright, shall we go?" Corrin asked.

"After you, milady," Laslow said, flashing her a shining grin and holding out his arm for her to take.

Corrin rested her hand in his arm and concentrated as hard as she could on not tripping as they left the camp. It was quite beautiful considering how gloomy Nohr usually looked. Springtime was always Corrin's favorite season. Looking out from the gates of castle, the flowers blooming and the birds chirping were always something she looked forward to.

And somehow, waiting long enough to experience it with Laslow was completely worth it. He looked like he was made to live somewhere with an eternal spring. His elegance, even coupled with embarrassment, was undeniable.

Corrin found herself staring at him before she realized she was doing it.

"Is something wrong?" Laslow asked.

"What? Oh, no. No. Not at all," Corrin said hurriedly, switching her gaze to the trees, the ground, anything that wasn't directly on him.

"You're not falling for me, are you?" Laslow teased, grinning at her and blinking innocently.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be obnoxious. I was just—"

Before Corrin had time to think of an excuse, she felt her ankle give out and her view start to switch from the sky to the ground in an instant. She held her hands out in front of her to brace her fall, but they never made it far enough.

Laslow was extremely close to her face. So close that she could make out nearly every detail on it. And his entire body was wrapped around her like a cocoon, braced tightly in order to successfully keep her from falling. It was like he had done it without even thinking about it and, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she felt nervous being so close to him.

"It was just an expression, Corrin," Laslow said, chuckling.

"I know that!" Corrin retorted. "It's these high heels."

She sat up, rubbing her ankle and wincing. Laslow reached forward and grabbed the clasp holding the shoe to her foot. In one swift motion he successfully took it off and then reached for the other.

"What are you doing?" Corrin asked.

Laslow smiled. "I'll carry them for you. Besides, you act much more comfortably without these big, clunky things on."

"But Camilla said that all guys love a girl in heels," Corrin muttered, more to herself than to him.

Laslow let out a gentle laugh. It was musical and tinkling, and it made Corrin blush even more furiously.

"I think you would look beautiful wearing a garbage bag," he said, and held out his hand to help her up.

She grabbed it, her insides squirming into knots, and stood.

"Although, that dress does make you look quite adorable," Laslow added quietly, covering his face to keep her from seeing his blush.

It didn't take much longer to get to the teahouse that Laslow was talking about. It was a cute little shop in a cute little thicket. The owner had planted various types of pastel colored flowers, and they lined the walkway to the entrance. The shop itself was covered in vines blooming tiny white blossoms and each of the windows were crisscrossed with aged wood.

"Laslow!" the owner said as soon as they entered the shop. "Finally convinced a pretty girl to come with you?"

"The prettiest of them all," Laslow said earnestly.

The owner took them to a table by the window, in perfect view of all of the flowers. The table had a tea set already laid out. The teacups were decorated with cherry blossoms and the teapot depicted an old Nohrian cottage nestled near a creek.

"Oh my," the owner said, staring at Corrin. "I didn't realize who I was serving. My apologies, Princess Corrin."

Corrin smiled. "Please don't apologize. I'm here on a date, so don't worry about formalities."

The owner nodded, then smiled coyly. "How did a fool like Laslow end up with such a beautiful woman?" he asked.

Laslow opened his mouth to protest, but Corrin managed to answer first.

"He never gave up," she said simply, and it was enough to send Laslow's stomach into a butterfly frenzy.

"Then what'll it, lovebirds?" the owner asked.

Corrin looked at Laslow expectantly, but he didn't falter. "I thought it would be fun to sample a few different teas," he said.

"Alright, I'll bring out five of my best for each of you," the owner said, scribbling something illegible in his notepad.

It didn't take long for the tea to arrive. Corrin picked a simple green tea, while Laslow went for the sweeter cinnamon chai.

"You have to try this!" Corrin exclaimed, sipping from her cup.

Laslow couldn't help but laugh. Despite her efforts to be dainty, she had already managed to spill a majority of her cup's contents onto the table and the napkin on her lap. Apparently, Nohrian royals never took etiquette classes.

The pair spent the rest of the afternoon sipping each other's teas and ranking their favorites. Conversation with Laslow was one of the easiest things Corrin had done. He wowed her with tales from his past that, if she was being honest, she didn't know if she could really believe. He even charmed her with the simplest gentlemanly efforts. And the longer that they sat there, the more Corrin realized that she didn't want it to end.

"I have one more place to take you," Laslow said, taking one last, big gulp and setting his teacup on the table.

"And where's that?" Corrin asked, moving her spoon around absently in her teacup.

"It's a surprise of sorts," he replied simply.

Laslow paid the owner, who wished them well, and then began walking with Corrin further into the woods. The sun had just begun to set, leaving an orangey glow on the ground. Corrin wasn't sure where they were going, and Laslow was being awfully quiet.

"It's right through here," he said, pulling back a few tangled tree branches.

When Corrin stepped through, she gasped. A creek, much like the one on the teapot, was trickling along a rocky shore. And an old cottage was set warmly in front of it. The way that the sun was setting perfectly illuminated the cottage, making it look more like something out a fairytale than an actual place.

"The owner of the tea shop got his inspiration for the design on the teapots by visiting this place," Laslow explained. "I didn't believe him, so I went to check it out for myself."

"I can't believe this is still standing! It must be ancient!" Corrin exclaimed, running her hand along the side of the cottage and listening to the wood creak soothingly.

"After looking into it some more, I found out that almost no one ventures this far out into the woods so the house has been virtually untouched since it was abandoned. I haven't been able to get inside, though. Xander said that King Garon must've had someone seal all of the entrances up to preserve it," Laslow said.

"That doesn't sound like Father," Corrin muttered.

"But there is one thing I found that I wanted to show you," Laslow said, quickly averting her attention.

Laslow took Corrin's hand and led her up the steps of the cottage. The deck had a porch swing, a quaint table with two chairs, and an old radio propped up on it. Laslow walked over to the radio and shot Corrin a teasing grin.

"Since we've been working on your waltz, I was wondering if you would like to try it with music," Laslow said.

Corrin laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, I'm a real master now."

Laslow messed with the knobs on the radio, attempting to find a station that played slow enough music to dance to. As soon as he found one, he walked towards Corrin with his hands extended. She stood in her waltzing position, as stiff as a board, and Laslow laughed.

"Dancing is about feeling," he whispered, his breath near her ear making her shiver. "Try to feel something this time."

Corrin nodded and took a deep breath. Laslow took a step effortlessly and Corrin followed. Every time she tried to drop her eyes to her feet, Laslow cooed her name softly, forcing her to look only at him.

As the moon rose on the creek, Corrin was no longer worried about stepping on Laslow's feet or tripping over her own. She wasn't better at dancing by any means, but she wasn't self conscious about it either.

The night was slowly making the air cooler and Corrin's dress didn't cover much, causing her to unknowingly step closer to Laslow's body for warmth. It wasn't until he was only inches away from her face that she realized she had gotten closer than she thought. As the music played, Laslow's hands had dropped around her waist and hers had found their way around his neck. They were swaying slowly, the wood underneath them creaking in rhythm with the music.

Laslow leaned in closer, his breath fanning out on her cheeks. Corrin found her eyes fluttering closed and her head tilting upward. When his lips met hers, she felt like her insides were exploding. It was like everything inside of her had been patiently rooting for her to kiss him. From the way that his hands were trembling, she was sure that his insides were feeling the same way.

Laslow found himself smiling into the kiss and Corrin could feel him slowly lifting her off of the ground. Suddenly, he spun her around, his hands firmly on her waist and his lips gently moving in suit with hers.

When they finally broke apart, Corrin could see the grin plastered on his face.

"Dancing typically doesn't leave me feeling so lightheaded," Laslow whispered as he set Corrin down.

She giggled softly. "I think I'm getting better at it. I only stepped on your feet twice."

"I'd correct you, but then you might not kiss me again," he teased.

"Laslow?" Corrin started, moving her hands to rest on his chest.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think there's a whole lot you could do right now to keep me from kissing you again," she said cheekily.

Her blunt response made him completely lock up. The blush quickly spread from his cheeks to the rest of his face and he smiled weakly at her.

"You're using this to your advantage now," he said.

"What can I say? You're cute when you're embarrassed," she answered, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, preparing to kiss him until he turned red all over.