DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.

A/N: I kind of went back to 'Smoldering Resistance 2' and changed Say'ri's comment about the Resistance base being the only tavern in town. I really hate doing stuff like that but figured it doesn't really hold any significance to the plot other than to allow this fun little chapter to happen.

When Men get Together, They're Boys

It was the day after their victory over the Valmese, and an important victory it was. It was their first win on Valmese soil, managing to rid the town of its Imperial occupation.

Despite the event's significance, the thought dwelled in few minds among the Shepherds, as they sought to make the most of the free days that Chrom had presented them.

Robin had just awoken from his cot in the barracks.

He got up to stretch then walked over to the trough like sink at the end of the room and pressed down on the pump a few times, until cool water dripped onto his open palm.

He took a handful and dunked his face in the small pool. He grabbed a second batch and ran the liquid through his hair.

He reached for the rag he had stuffed in his pocket, and wiped his face and rubbed his hair dry.

Robin felt a heavy weight on his shoulders.

Not the weight of the burdens of war that he usually felt, a weight that was more... obnoxious.

He turned his head to see none other than Vaike, leaning against him, stealing from some of the water he had started up.

"Morning, Vaike" Robin greeted.

"Morning, Robin" he replied.

"What've you got planned for today?" Robin asked.

"It's not so much as I, as we." Vaike grinned.

"...I'm already not liking this."

"Come on, don't be like that! We're all just gonna go out and have some fun in town. No wives or girls this time. Just us bros!"

"Well, that doesn't sound... too bad I guess. Count me in." Robin smiled.

Vaike shook his shoulders lightly. "Alright! You better get ready, we're gonna start soon."

"Already? We just got up."

"You can't exactly squeeze every moment out of the day if you're gonna be getting out at noon now can you?" Vaike explained.

"I suppose so... What are we doing first?"

"We're drinking at 8 in the morning!?" Robin asked incredulously.

Vaike had led them to a tavern across town.

Vaike sipped his mug. "Don't worry, this is just our first stop. We won't be here long anywho. Just need a few good drinks before the real fun starts!"

"I'm all for fun, but doesn't this strike any of you as a tad excessive?" Robin asked around to the others who had joined them.

Lon'qu shrugged his shoulders and downed another glass.

Gregor was on his third already.

Stahl spoke up, "Take it easy Robin. When's the last time we all got to do something like this?"

"Yeah Bubbles, will it kill you to get your mind off of work every once in a while? I mean what happened to the 'fun' Robin from last year?" Gaius asked.

"That was before I had a war to worry about. Ughhh, you know what, just hand me one." Robin groaned. Although it seemed a bit counterintuitive, he figured he'd need some alcohol if he planned on getting through this day.

"That's the spirit!" Vaike said as he slid a mug of ale down the counter to Robin.

Virion being the high class individual he was, enjoyed himself a glass of the tavern's finest wine. "I myself cannot wait to begin our little excursion. There are bound to be plenty of beauties roaming about that I'm certain would be dying to hear of how I fought so valiantly to liberate their home from the clutches of that Conqueror."

"I thought this was a guy's only thing?" Robin asked.

"Why yes, in regards that only us men among the Shepherds will partake in today's events." Virion spoke.

Vaike sat up and leaned on the counter. "Got that right! Wait til you see what I've got planned today. But first, hey pops! We need another round of drinks over here!" he yelled to the barkeeper.

"Another? I haven't even finished my first." Robin said.

"Well you better finish fast if you don't want dish duty for the next week." Lon'qu mumbled as he slammed down his glass. His face was slightly tinged red.

"What?" Robin asked.

"We made a bet that whoever fails to keep up, and or passes out, gets the dishes for a week." Stahl said.

"I didn't agree to any of this." Robin frowned.

Gaius leaned in to Robin and whispered, "Well too bad. If you don't, I'll have to go around telling everyone just how much you love reading books about, naughty pegasus riders..." Gaius smirked.

"What are y-you talking about? Those belong to Sumia and Cordelia! They're always giving me all kinds of books! Besides, I've yet to open any of that... that!" Robin stammered.

"Hey, all that matters was I found those on you, in your stuff."

"Like I care. Go ahead." Robin said setting down his mug.

Gaius smirked.

"..."

"..."

"You do realize I'm technically your superior right?"

Gaius held his smirk.

"..."

"..."

"What if I tell everyone about that tattoo on you?"

Still smirking.

"..."

"..."

"Damn you. Give me that!" Robin yelled as he chugged the last of his drink, quickly snatching another.

"Alright, now that all of us here are on board, how about a drinking game?" Stahl asked enthusiastically.

"How about a game of 'Would you Rather'? If you refuse to pick, you've got to down an entire mug." Gaius explained.

Robin slammed his head on the table.

"I'll go first." Vaike said. "Lon'qu, would you rather get in bed with a man or a woman?"

Gaius spit his drink onto the counter.

Stahl and Gregor were howling with laughter.

Virion nearly choked on his wine.

Robin couldn't help but lift his head and chuckle.

Lon'qu looked as if he had just thought up 100 different ways to kill Vaike. "What kind of question is that you fool? We've been over this, I'm not bothered by that anymore. And I'm married!" he spat.

Vaike pat the seething man's back as he laughed. "I'm just joking with you. You still have to answer it though."

"Woman" Lon'qu said bitterly as he sipped his drink.

Gaius wiped a tear from his eye, "Alright, I'm next. Let's see... Stahl. Would you rather kiss Walhart's rear or take a beating from Sully?"

"Hmm. I get enough bruises from just sparring with Sully, so I wouldn't even want to know how bad a shape I'd be if she just wailed on me. But, as lovely Walhart's backside might be, I'll have to go with the beating." Stahl said.

"Really?" Gaius asked.

Lon'qu smirked. "It's always those plain guys you've got to watch out for. This one turned out to be quite the masochist."

They all laughed.

"Gregor will go next. Robin, who would you make with, scary Tharja or Chrom's daughter?"

Robin gritted his teeth. It appears that Gregor intended to fully pursue what had happened yesterday.

Robin really didn't want to drink an entire mug, so,"...Lucina."

"Wow, Bubbles. Awful bold of you. You didn't even have to think about that one, did you?" Gaius chuckled.

"What do you m-mean? You think I'd rather have Tharja?" Robin shuddered. Although he was used to Tharja's eccentric ways and considered her a friend, the thought of being anymore than that was quite... unsettling.

"Hey, I'm not judging! Older Lucina is pretty cute." Vaike grinned.

Robin punched Vaike in the chest.

"*cough* Hey! What's up with that? You aren't getting jealous are you?" He smiled.

Robin turned away and sipped his drink. "I promised to help Chrom keep guys like you away from her." he smirked.

"You're the one that picked her!" Vaike whined.

"And I did so without that enthusiasm you just had."

"Ahh, whatever. Everyone just finish their drinks so we can get a move on." Vaike said.

Bar Count: 1

"So what are we doing now?" Robin asked as the group walked up the street.

"A little contest on who could pick up a girl first within the hour." Vaike said.

"Since this is after all a guys only day, you merely need to find out where she lives." Gaius added.

"You've only got a shot at one girl, so pick wisely! Oh, since Lon'qu's married,, he's out." Stahl said.

"I'm certain there's some prize for the losers, am I right?" Robin asked grudgingly.

"You've got that right. Like last time, losers drink an entire mug." Gaius said.

"Are you guys trying to get alcohol poisoning?" Robin asked.

"Heh, that's what sets apart the men from the boys." Lon'qu grinned a bit evilly.

"Idiots..." Robin muttered.

"I will have the honor of going first." Virion smiled. "Best make way back to the Tavern, as this win is surely mine." he said proudly.

Virion stood at the corner of the street, looking around for someone that suited his tastes.

He caught sight of a young, pretty brunette selling flowers at a stand and made his way over.

The group couldn't overhear the conversation, but they saw Virion talking to the girl, making use of dozens of gestures.

Virion pulled out his bow, and pretended to fire off into the distance.

He then leaned into the now blushing girl's ear and whispered something.

He was abruptly smacked across the face and trudged back to the group.

They all bellowed with laughter at the bright red handprint across his cheek.

"Haha! What did you say to her to earn yourself that?" Stahl laughed.

"Heh heh, I'd much prefer to just keep quiet about such a thing." Virion said, rubbing his cheek.

"Watch Gregor show you kids how it is done." Gregor said confidently as he walked up to a short haired blonde.

"Hello, pretty thing. Gregor was sent here to take you out."

The girl dropped the basket she was carrying and ran.

As Gregor walked back in defeat, the group laughed.

" 'Sent here to take you out'? You sounded like some assassin!" Vaike howled.

"No, no. Woman these days are just not use to Gregor's charms." he said.

The rest of the group took turns, all ending in failure.

Gaius came back empty handed, but was referred to the finest physician in town to help out with his 'condition'.

Stahl was mistaken for nearly 2 other people, coming back with a loss.

Vaike was pointed to the nearest clothing store, being berated for walking around shirtless in public.

Robin found the game ridiculous, hardly putting any effort to strike up an interesting conversation.

But despite getting along well with women, Robin had to admit romantic relationships weren't exactly his forte.

None of the group had managed to secure a win, so only Lon'qu was spared from the 'prize'.

Bar Count: 2

They all sat around in a different tavern in town, the losers quickly gulping down there ales.

Vaike passed them all another one.

It seemed that another rule was the '2 drink minimum' at every tavern they went to. It didn't help that Vaike had made it a point to head back to another tavern every time one of their events ended.

"So we're essentially bar hopping." Robin deadpanned.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Vaike said happily.

"What was our next drinking game?" Lon'qu asked. His red face made it apparent that he was already buzzed.

"Never have I ever" Virion stated.

"We all need to make a deal to keep this truthful then. You swear on your name as a Shepherd you won't lie." Lon'qu said dramatically.

"You know what, I'll go first this time." Robin said taking the lead. "Never have I ever wet myself during battle."

Stahl and Lon'qu's eyes shot to Vaike.

Robin burst into laughter, "No way!".

"It seems Teach doesn't even give himself a bathroom pass." Gaius chuckled.

Vaike flushed red. "T-that wasn't any ordinary Wyvern, I'm telling you..." he muttered as he took a large gulp.

Everyone laughed at the thought of the self proclaimed tough guy, soiling himself in front of a wyvern.

"Robin, your turn." Vaike said.

"Okay, ummm. Never have I ever... peeped at another one of the Shepherds."

Again, Stahl, Lon'qu and even Robin's eyes snapped to Vaike.

"W-what the hell?!" he yelled.

Vaike grabbed his mug and took another drink.

Virion joined him this time.

"Why doesn't that surprise me..." Stahl said smugly.

Virion merely flashed him a smile and continued his drink.

"My turn." Lon'qu stated. "Never have I ever... felt bad... about killing the enemy..."

Robin was caught by surprise.

He himself has had that thought numerous times. Having made the pact at the start of the game, he would have to come clean about it. He could only hope they wouldn't think less of him for being too compassionate about killing off any of their adversaries. After all, any hesitation from their tactician could spell death for them.

As Robin nervously reached for his cup, he saw that everyone at the table had taken a drink themselves, Lon'qu included.

"You guys too?" Robin asked.

Stahl rubbed the back of his head. "Well... I love being a Shepherd, and I'd gladly take down anyone trying to bring harm to us. Doesn't mean I don't feel bad for killing people." he said.

Vaike, Virion and Gregor nodded.

Gaius spoke up, "My refusal to help kill Emmeryn was what got me together with you guys."

"However blood thirsty I may seem in combat... it pains me when I think of what kind of person I had actually killed was." Lon'qu stated.

"Don't we all." Virion said solemnly.

Robin took a sip from his mug. He was no longer afraid to admit it. Turns out that he wasn't the only one plagued with the guilt. He's not sure if it was the new found solidarity among them, or merely the alcohol working its wonders, but Robin felt a surge of strength rise up from within him."I'm honored to fight alongside you guys." he said proudly.

Everyone shared a soft smile before laughing.

"Haha, look at us. " Vaike laughed.

"Sitting around, laughing like a bunch of jackasses" Gaius chuckled.

The doors to the tavern slammed open, to reveal a very irritated Chrom and Basilio.

Robin felt his gut sink.

This was bad. What would two of the leaders of the Ylissean coalition think when they found their tactician and some of their best men drinking at 10 in the morning?

Chrom slowly walked to their table. "You had us walk around town all morning, only to find..."

Robin prepared for the worst.

"that you guys started without us?! You could've at least told us where we would meet up."

Robin's jaw fell slightly.

"You snooze you lose, Blue." Gaius said casually.

"Some of us still had some stuff to take care of before you could enjoy your little vacation." Chrom said.

"And appreciate your endeavors we do. That's why we sought to make the most of every moment." Virion explained.

"Ahh, well, just pass a drink." Chrom said as he sat down.

"Don't forget about me." Basilio said.

"As per our agreement, you all have to match us or face dish duty." Vaike said, passing several mugs towards the the three.

"Gods, how much have you all drank already?"

"I'd say we averaged 4 drinks. Gregor had about 6." Stahl said.

"And the day is still young, so get drinking!" Vaike egged them on.

The three pounded the drinks.

"Alright... what's next?" Chrom asked as he wiped the foam from his mouth.

The grouped walked over to a small pier along the beach.

"Hmm, fishing? That sounds quite normal." Robin said, lugging around the pole he had rented from a nearby shop.

"Yeah, a real manly thing to do" Vaike said.

"Bwa ha ha. Knowing you, I'm sure drinks are involved, no?" Basilio laughed.

"You guys catch on fast. Same as last time. The ones who don't catch the most fish, drink." Vaike said.

"Heh, I'll have you know Donnel taught me how to fish quite well." Stahl said confidently.

"We're lucky he isn't here." Robin laughed.

"Speaking of which, why aren't the others here?" Chrom asked.

"Donnel's spending the day with Maribelle, Frederick went somewhere with Cherche, Libra went off to the local church, Henry said he was teaching Ricken and Miriel about hexes, and Kellam, well he said he was busy." Stahl said, attaching some bait onto the hook of his fishing pole.

Chrom whipped his head around back and forth.

"What's up with you?" Gaius asked.

"I was just, making sure Kellam isn't actually with us. I feel bad never noticing when he's around. Despite our jokes, he's still a valuable friend of ours." Chrom said.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Kellam's said that he actually takes pride in his little ability." Robin said.

"Oh? Why haven't we ever changed his position to that of reconnaissance? He'd be perfect for the job!" Chrom asked.

"He says he'd rather fight on the frontlines." Robin said.

"You guys done chatting? We're about to start." Vaike said, getting ready to cast his line.

"Alright, let the worst men drink." Lon'qu said as he launched his line into the sea.

55 minutes later

"Gregor has this in bag!" he said proudly, looking over his bucket containing over 10 fish.

Virion surprisingly caught 10, saying that fishing happened to be one of his past times.

Stahl was close behind having caught 8.

Lon'qu, Basilio, Gaius and Vaike caught 7, 7, 5 and 4 respectively.

Chrom and Robin were dead last, both catching only 1 fish.

Chrom scratched his head, "Aghh. I was never one for fishing."

"That's right, nobles have other people do the catching for them" Gaius laughed.

Robin stood by quietly. It seems like he wasn't even trying to keep up anymore. His fishing rod had been put away, only keeping a large fishing net out.

Basilio walked over. "What's wrong Robin, giving up already? That just isn't like you." he laughed.

Robin shrugged. "Vaike, how much time have we got left?"

Vaike checked the small hourglass he kept in his bag, "About 1 minute?" he judged by the small amount of sand left.

Robin smiled.

"Whoa, and there he his." Basilio grumbled, wondering what the tactician had planned.

Robin stayed still for a few more seconds then pulled out one of his tomes.

He leaned against the wooden railing and fired an Arcthunder into the water.

Dozens of dead fish floated to the surface.

"T-that's cheating!" Lon'qu growled.

"No, Robin merely use his head." Gregor laughed.

Robin leaned over and scooped up the dead fish into his net. "This is easily over 15, making me the winner," he smirked.

Everyone groaned at the simple, yet legitimate tactic.

"Gah, whatever. I need another drink anyways." Vaike said, packing up.

The group continued their little pattern throughout the day.

They would hit another tavern, before stumbling back onto the streets for whatever activity Vaike had planned for them.

Notable events included an eating contest, a wrestling match, arm wrestling, and a drunken horse riding contest.

Many in town watched amusedly at the sight of their saviors wandering around town like children.

The group made their way to yet another tavern, and started a game of cards.

Bar Count: 9

Chrom sat in his seat, shakily dealing cards to everyone at the table.

Vaike and Lon'qu were struggling to drink another mug of ale, a bet they made.

Gregor was in a daze, staring at the cards and smiling goofily.

Stahl was laughing at a joke Gaius told him, almost slipping out of his seat.

Basilio was taking occasional sips from his mug while leaning an arm against Robin's shoulder.

Robin, was to put it lightly, wasted. He was swaying aimlessly from his seat, a smile plastered on his red face.

"Kayy, what are we playin'" Chrom slurred as he continued to pass out the cards.

Gaius hiccuped. "You, you, you dealt the cards? Ya don't even know what we're playin?" he asked, trying to keep his vision stable.

"Bwa ha ha, I can't even read what cards I've got." Basilio said as he used a hand to keep his head still.

Vaike nearly gagged after he finished his mug. "Ehhh, know what? I don't even carrre. Just happy I'm with yoou guysss." he said in his drunken euphoria.

Chrom laughed as he let the stack of cards fumble out of his hands and scatter onto the table. "I couldn't asssk for a better grooup of frieends." He said leaning against Robin's other shoulder.

"Haha, I'm getting crusshed heree." Robin said, rolling his shoulders to get them off.

"Hey, Blue. What's it liike havin' a wife and kidds?" Gaius said, leaning the side of his face into his hand.

"Huh? It's greeat! You thinkin' of settlin' down with someonee?" Chrom smirked.

"Cordelia, no?" Gregor laughed, as he shook Gaius's shoulder.

"Was it obvious?" Gaius smiled, eyes nearly closed.

"I saw it coming!" Stahl said, raising a hand from his face down position on the table.

"You guys look good together" Robin said, reaching for a small glass of hard liquor.

"Liquor after ale's a good way to throw up your insides, boy." Basilio laughed.

"Hey, you guys dragged me into this. I'm going all the way." Robin said as he downed the drink, grimacing from the bitterness.

Chrom cleared his throat, catching Gaius's attention. "Well, to answer yerr question, having a family's about the greatest joy life can give ya." Chrom said with a smile. "You'd think it's keep you down with all the worryin', but the payoff is just... I love it."

"That decidessss it. I'm gonna propose to her." Gaius said proudly.

Robin clapped. Lon'qu and Chrom reached across the table to pat the thief's shoulder.

"You can't decide something like that while your drunk! So how are you gonna propose?" Vaike said, his drunkenness making him fail to realize the two contradictory sentences he just spat out.

"I dunno. I thought I'd just slip a ring on her finger." Gaius said casually.

"Bwa ha. I'll give you 10,000 bullion if such a proposal ends up working." Basilio laughed.

"Sounds like a bet then." Gaius said as he plopped his feet up on the table. "How's about havin' a daughter from the future? I mean she's almost your age." he asked Chrom.

Chrom leaned back in his seat and gazed at the ceiling. "It's one of the most confusing yet greatest things that's happened to me. I love her. I feel bad for whatever she's gone through without me, so I'm makin' it a point to give her back every moment she's lost..."

"But to be able to pull through all that, she's amazing." Robin said.

Vaike grinned. "Of course you'd think that. After all, you said you'd rather marry her than Tharja. As strange as Tharja is, she's got a quite the body on her."

Gregor pretended to hug himself again.

Robin grabbed a handful of cards from the table and threw them at Vaike, who merely laughed it off.

Chrom turned to Robin.

The rest of the group looked at the two expectantly, waiting for the protective father's reaction.

Chrom grabbed Robin's shoulders. "You better have prefered my daughter to Tharja!"

The rest nearly fell out of their seats.

"Oh, without a doubt." Robin said drunkenly, as Chrom smiled.

"So when you gonna propose?" Basilio asked with a smirk.

"Tomorrow." Robin joked.

"Ho ho, Chrom, what're you gonna doo?" Stahl asked.

"Nothin'. I'd rather she be with Robin than any dastard out there." He said proudly.

Robin was caught by surprise at the answer. "W-whaa? I was joking, Chrom."

"What?! You aren't merely messing around with my daughter are you!? I'll kill you!" Chrom yelled.

"We've only known each other for a little over a week!" Robin defended.

"Takin' it slow, huh? Wow, you must reeeally care for her..." Chrom said with a grin, pulling a complete 180.

Robin tried to comprehend what was going on. "Chrom, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Haha, I don't know. But if you're my son in law, just imagine the stuff I could make you do!" He laughed.

Robin shuddered at the thought, grabbing another glass of liquor.

The barkeeper looked over to the group of drunken idiots and shook his head.

The group went on with their nonsensical chat, the alcohol having completely warped their judgements and thoughts.

They all woke up the next morning on the tavern floor.

The loser for the day was never decided, as they all figured their tremendous hangovers were punishment enough.

None of them had remembered anything from after their 6th tavern, but judging from the looks and pointed laughs they received as they stumbled to the barracks, maybe it was for the best.

*EDIT: I've been made aware by a reviewer that I've overlooked the fact that Lon'qu doesn't drink. However, I'll decide to take liberties and leave as is.

A/N: A fun chapter for the guys, not unlike the one the girl's had a few chapters back.

Kind of showed how alcohol fuels the idiot in all of us if not consumed responsibly.

FYI, the final segment when they were trying to play cards was when they were at their worst. Chrom obviously wouldn't have handled the Robin/Lucina conversation that well, and may have very well killed him if he was sober :P

The grammar mistakes in that segment was also intentional.

The fun of them drinking and blacking out was that I could make them say the most ridiculous things without it actually having an impact on the story.

Did anyone notice the reference I made to Gaius's S support? Or the Guardians of the Galaxy reference? :P

I'm sure you've all noticed that I've edited the chapter titles as well. Makes it much neater than before and you can easily distinguish actual story arcs from stuff I added in. Also take note of the Gintama episode like title I tried to create. (tried)

All in all, I've been busy with school so updates are coming in with more time in between.

Next chapter won't be as crazy as this one. So don't worry, after the next, the story will shift back into its original gear.

Til next time!