Quick Info~
I decided that since it's been so rainy where I live recently, a chapter about winter is fitting (for someone who doesn't get to experience snow in the winter, cold rain is a big deal for me). Anyway, since I've been writing angsty Laslow recently, I decided to switch it up for something a little more lighthearted. Since this fic is rated T, there isn't anything too mature in it. However, if you're squeamish about heavy making out or any "lusty" scenes like that, then I'd advise to skip the second half of this chapter. And for those of you who like stuff like that, then I hope you enjoy what I've written! Thanks again for all of the incredible support :) I love you guys to the moon and back!
Drabble 8: Baby, It's Cold Outside (warning: some slight naughtiness)
Winter in Nohr was positively dreadful. If the bitter cold wasn't enough to make one want to burrow underneath hundreds of blankets until spring, than the heaps of snow that fell in thick sheets certainly would. Corrin was no exception to this rule, and her hatred of shoes convinced her enough to stay inside at all times.
However, Laslow was convinced that winter was the most romantic time of the year (tied with spring, summer, and fall, of course) and with that mindset, he planned frequent dates venturing out into the cold.
"I can always hold onto you if you get too chilly," he'd say, enveloping Corrin in his arms until she had to pry herself away from him.
His date ideas weren't bad. In fact, Corrin had never felt more loved. Whether it was looking at the beautifully strung lights twinkling in town or cuddling by the fire and drinking hot cocoa, Laslow was the expert in coming up with ideas that only inevitably made her fall for him more.
So when the eve of their next date was cancelled due to a scouting mission, Corrin was visibly upset. She undoubtedly needed to put her people and her drive for peace above the butterflies and the kisses and all of the sweet nothings she let Laslow whisper to her, and she was ashamed to admit that at times it was hard to choose between the two.
Thankfully, as the seasons wore on, it was evident that their army of ragtag troops was pairing off with one another. As soon as Corrin noticed this, she narrowed down the simple scouting missions to two people only. Romance and war went together like toothpaste and orange juice; yet couples falling in love worked seamlessly well when it came to battle.
"Did you put on your snow boots?" Laslow asked, lacing his own as tightly as he could pull the strings.
Corrin rolled her eyes. "I might hate shoes, but I'm not an idiot. In fact, I was just getting to it."
Laslow eyed her suspiciously, watching as she grabbed the box that she had nonchalantly kicked underneath her bed the previously evening. He chuckled quietly to himself. Corrin was as stubborn as ever, even with him. Especially with him.
"So I know that we're supposed to go scouting," Laslow started hesitantly, his eyes already beginning to sparkle in that signature Laslow way. "But I thought that since I was going to take you out, I'd incorporate both into today."
"Oh yeah?" Corrin raised her eyebrows at him quizzically. "What did you have in mind?"
"If I tell you then it won't be a surprise," he said back simply.
"Why do I even bother trying?" Corrin asked exasperatedly despite being unable to keep a lighthearted giggle out of her voice.
"It's unbelievably adorable that you do, though," Laslow said, walking towards her and planting a kiss in the middle of her forehead.
"I knew I picked up a thing or two from you," Corrin responded wryly, watching with amusement as Laslow's cheeks reddened without the help of the cold air.
"I used to sneak out after snow storms when I was little with some friends," Laslow explained as he led Corrin to the top of a snowy hill.
The scouting mission was a bust, as usual, and it was only midday judging by the heat and angle of the sun hidden behind thick masses of gray clouds. Laslow was overjoyed as soon as he realized the sloping hills were also covered in snow, although Corrin couldn't exactly be sure why.
"It made our mothers sick with worry," he said, his eyes dancing in that bittersweet way whenever he talked about his past. "But it's unbelievably fun."
"Okay," Corrin said, swallowing hard as she looked down the steep hill. "What is it?"
Laslow set his shield on the ground and patted the snow around him carefully. To Corrin's surprise, he stepped inside of it, gripping the ground on either side of the shield and motioning with a single hair flip for Corrin to join him.
"You're insane," Corrin said, stepping gingerly in between his legs and nestling there.
"Ready?" he asked, his voice almost breathless with anticipation.
Before Corrin had time to answer, Laslow had already pushed off the ground and sent them slowly careening over the edge of the hill. It felt as if all of the oxygen in Corrin's lungs whooshed out of her as the chilly air nipped relentlessly at the bare skin on her face. She thought she might've been screaming, her brain felt like it was urging her to scream, but she didn't hear anything. Instead, nervous laughter bubbled up in her throat and she clutched to Laslow for dear life as they moved swiftly down the hill.
As soon as she gathered the courage to look behind her, all of the fear inside of her gut was replaced with pure wonder. Laslow was staring straight ahead, the wind whipping through his hair and his eyes wild with adrenaline. He had a blissful smile plastered on his lips and a joyful, melodic laugh filled every cold part of Corrin with warmth.
"You're crazy!" she yelled as Laslow skillfully dodged a tree while simultaneously shooting her a flirtatious grin.
"Crazy about you, yeah!" he yelled back.
They slowly skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Two wind-burned faces smiled back at one another, Corrin breathless with adrenaline and Laslow breathless with delight.
"You did this as a child?" Corrin asked, still hanging onto him despite the fact that they were no longer moving.
"Every winter," Laslow said, nodding. "Ask Odin. He can tell you about the time we dared him to race headfirst into a tree. He's got some pretty disgusting stitches on top of his head."
"You grew up with Odin?" Corrin asked and Laslow froze.
"Oh, umm, yeah," he responded sheepishly, instantly dropping his gaze to the floor.
Corrin could feel that familiar burning desire boiling away inside of her like lava. The desire to know more about the past that he was so secretive about. But the longer she stared in anticipation at him, the less intense the feeling became. He had his reasons for not wanting to say anything, and if Corrin wanted to be with him then that was just something she needed to accept.
"Well, that was really fun!" she exclaimed, grabbing the shield and preparing to run back up the hill. "Want to go again?"
Laslow's distressed expression disappeared and he looked up at her, flashing her another smile. "If I get to the top first, you owe me a kiss!" he said, and took off running.
Corrin wasn't sure how long they spent 'sledding', as Laslow called it, but as the sun began to set, the pair went numb with cold. Corrin's legs felt like burning jelly as Laslow took her to their final location for the date. When she saw it, she nearly dropped to her knees with thankfulness.
Three bubbling hot springs were steaming against the snow in front of them, perfectly hidden away from the hill that they had just been sledding down. Corrin glanced at Laslow and then at the springs, before curling into herself with extreme embarrassment.
"What's wrong?" Laslow asked.
"I didn't bring anything to wear," she said, and Laslow blushed furiously.
"O-oh," he managed to squeak out.
"But it's okay," she blurted.
"It…it is?" he asked, still wary as his cheeks turned virtually every shade of red under the sun.
Corrin nodded. "The steam is pretty thick and I… Well, I trust you."
"I trust you, too," he said earnestly, staring at Corrin with such intensity that she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to break their gaze.
They turned nervously away from each other, the sound of shedding clothes hitting the rocks and erratic heart beats mixing with the steamy air and trickling water.
Corrin stepped in first, lightly dipping one toe in to test the temperature. The heat rushed throughout her body as she sunk in neck-deep. Laslow followed suit, his back still turned to her. Corrin was right about the steam. It distorted anything underneath the water easily.
"So did you have a good day?" he asked, turning towards her and grinning nervously.
"It was the most fun I've had in awhile," Corrin said, closing her eyes and leaning against the rocks. "You'd be surprised how much you miss out on locked away in a castle for nearly your whole life."
"Corrin," Laslow said suddenly.
She peeped one eye open at him. "Hmm?"
"You know," he started, his voice sounding deeper, thicker, "you never did give me a kiss when I beat you up the hill."
"Oh yeah?" she said. "Well, how about I give you one now?"
Laslow's flirtatious façade faltered momentarily, another blush spreading from one cheek, across his nose, and to the other. He reached one hand out tentatively, brushing his warm fingers across her snow-bitten cheek.
Corrin shivered, his touch sending a bolt of electricity through her veins. She was sure that she sighed into his palm, but her ears were ringing too loud to hear anything. She wasn't by any means a mistress of seduction. Dating Laslow basically meant that she only needed to know a handful of flirtatious lines. Anything more than that would've sent him into a flurry of embarrassment as a red-cheeked puddle on the floor.
But for some reason, whether it was the steam in the air or the thrill of seeing her clothes strewn about on the rock above them, Laslow was holding his own. And the warmth that was pooling steadily in Corrin's stomach was making her much more skillful than a handful of cheesy pickup lines.
Her lips brushed against his slowly as her eyes fluttered shut. She could feel how tense he was beside her, his breath catching in his throat. Her lips parted, taking his in all of their fullness. Corrin heard the splash in the water before she felt Laslow's hands getting tangled in her hair. His thumbs brushed across her jawline, and she had to hold onto his waist to steady herself.
She traced her fingers along his abs, smiling to herself as they tightened with each touch. Fighting had given him strength undoubtedly, but the dancing turned his muscles lean and taut. If she kept her eyes closed long enough, it felt as though she were touching some sort of perfectly sculpted statue instead of Laslow.
"Corrin," he breathed erratically as she nipped at his lower lip.
She giggled against his lips as she heard a low groan rumble in his throat. She moved her hand and she traced one finger along the V-shape of his abdomen. It was slow enough to make him tremble, make him squirm ever so slightly. Her hand stopped just shy and she felt him inhale sharply before she—
"I was unaware that this mission required so much relaxation."
The voice Corrin heard was loud, authoritative, and definitely not Laslow's. She sprung away from Laslow like a rabbit, covering her chest despite that fact that no one could see anything anyway.
Xander, fully clad in warm fur and armor, was scowling at the pair a few rocks above them. Laslow immediately shrunk down into the water, trying to cover up the fact that he, too, was naked.
"Xander, I—" Corrin started, reaching frantically for her clothes.
"It was getting late and, due to the weather conditions, I started to get worried. Looks like I had a lot more to be worried about than I thought," Xander said.
He narrowed his eyes at Laslow, who was stunned into spluttering incoherent apologies.
"Come back with me now, or else I might have to tell Camilla about this," Xander said, the faintest hint of a challenging grin emerging.
Camilla would have Laslow's head if she found out he was in the middle of 'defiling' her precious sister. So Corrin ordered the men to turn away so she could change, and she leapt out of the water fully clothed in record time.
As Xander dragged the pair back towards the castle, Corrin couldn't help but shoot Laslow a small smile. The date had been everything she wanted it to be, despite its abrupt end. And, judging by the way Laslow was still shivering, it looked like she might even get to play doctor in the near future.