Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem Awakening, all rights to the owners.
Admittedly this chapter has a lot less to do with the gimmick (controllable hair) and more to do with Robin's personality. Still, I hope you enjoy.
"Come on Chrom, don't I get a kiss for that?" The purple-haired girl teases, leaning forwards. Her long hair moves on its own to coil around the prince's arms. Robin taps her lips with a finger, grinning. "Lay one on me."
Robin seems determined to put him in uncomfortable situations, and Chrom doesn't know why. At least they aren't pranks though. "Well done as always Robin." The prince coughs, freeing his hands and turning away. "Now I have to do uh… paperwork! Yes, lots of paperwork."
"I can hel-"
"You enjoy your victory Robin. I have work to do."
The girl pouts. "You'll give in one day Chrom! You know you will!"
Chrom knows Robin isn't actually disappointed. Her hair is a dead giveaway. For some inexplicable reason Robin can manipulate her hair like so many extra limbs and it reacts to what she's feeling. When she's sad it droops, when she's happy it floats, and when she's feeling amused or impish it slightly reaches out towards the target. The hair is three times the length of her body, and often twines around her form and through some loops attached to the back of her coat to stop from dragging along the floor all the time.
Chrom's first introduction to that particular quirk had been the girl pinning him to the ground as soon as she woke up. Despite what you might assume about hair it's actually quite strong, Chrom didn't have the strength to break free.
Frederick had been convinced she was some sort of demon. Chrom had talked him down, the girl was clearly confused. He remembered firmly telling Frederick that "Robin can stay with us if she wishes. I won't abandon someone in need, no matter how unbelievable their story."
Chrom just hadn't counted on the teasing.
###
"Come on Chrom, you know you want it." Robin says. "All you have to say is 'yes' and I'll do it~!"
"If she had just done it without asking, I wouldn't refuse." Chrom thought with a sigh. "I'm fine Robin."
"But you waaaant it! I know your muscles must be aching after training with Freddy. A massage would feel really good!" She taunts while wiggling her fingers.
There's something that feels off about saying 'yes, please do' that Chrom doesn't like. It's as if he's giving in, submitting to Robin, and that puts him on edge. "I'm perfectly alright without your assistance."
"Well yeah, but you'd be even better off with my assistance." She says tantalizingly. Some of her hair slither across the ground, loosely coiling around his legs. It's so subtle Chrom wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't so attentive to her movements. The rest of her massive head of hair is curled in a loose semi-circle towards him, and Chrom feels that if he took a step forward it would all snap around him.
"Undoubtedly, but I must decline." Chrom coughs, stepping back. "Thank you Robin."
The prince leaves and walks somewhat stiffly back to the castle. The soreness of his legs and back make him immediately regret not taking up Robin's offer, but he preservers knowing the girl is watching him walk away and he'll look quite the fool if he turns back now.
###
Hair isn't usually a weapon. Well, not a weapon of war. Robin however, takes full advantage of her unusual ability. When going into battle she often threads her purple hair through multiple shields and ties daggers to the ends. She acts like mobile cover, using her armored hair to block shots and shield allies while simultaneously throwing spells through her hands. Even Chrom will admit it's quite an intimidating sight to see Robin on the battlefield; she's a one-woman shield wall.
And this isn't even touching her dueling power, which doesn't even use the shields and daggers. The ability to manipulate a dozen ropes of hair and throw spells at the same time is more than almost any opponent can handle. Even Frederick has difficulty against her, though Robin is yet to win that match.
Chrom has seriously considered not sparring with her anymore. A training sword is laughably weak against her hair, he can't use a real sword or they'd be at risk of cutting it, and Robin doesn't even need her tome to win. She just takes a few steps forwards and pins him to the floor. Getting within a few meters of her is instant defeat.
Robin seems to find it funny though, and frequently challenges him to spar. He accepts out of politeness, but forty defeats later and he still hasn't figured any way to fight her, let alone beat her.
The way she can beat him without any effort always sends a flicker of fear through Chrom's chest when it happens. It's different from losing to Frederick, at least Chrom can fight back against him, but against Robin he may as well be a puppy attacking a bear.
It doesn't help that she tends to drag it out, restraining him up little by little and giggling the whole time. He'd call her sadistic, except Robin never actually hurts him. She's the only person he can spar with and never suffer a single bruise.
Maybe a fly against a spider is a better analogy.
He sees her spar with just her tome against others, but when it comes to him she always uses the hair. Chrom doesn't know why. Is there some reason he doesn't get to be on equal footing? Is there some reason why she refuses to lose to him and no one else?
"Having fun Chrom?" Robin asks, grinning mockingly. She's sitting back on a chair of her own hair as Chrom struggles against his bindings. "Why is it you'll accept my offers to fight you but not anything else? You have some kink I should know about?"
Chrom scowls, still not able to figure anything out. He can't use his weapon against the hair, it'll just get tangled and taken, but if he tries to run in he'll get attacked from all directions. There's no good solution! Sometimes he wished he had a lance like Frederick for the extra range. This is a pointless fight, why did he agree to this again? He knew he was going to lose.
"Ooh, that's a serious face." The girl giggles, playing with the wooden sword she had taken from him. "Did I touch a soft spot? You can tell me Chrom, I won't tell."
"It's not a kink Robin." The prince sighs, not bothering to struggle anymore. "Let me out."
"Give me a kiss." Robin says cheekily. "Then you can go."
Again with the kiss. "No."
"Well I'm not letting you go then." She sings, moving over to sit down in front of him. "I hope you didn't have any plans."
"You already know I don't. That's the entire reason we're sparring." Chrom says, deadpan.
"Well don't waste our time then, just kiss me." Robin taunts. She licks her lips slowly, tantalizing the restrained boy. "Come on, it'll be good."
The prince shifts in mild embarrassment. He's glad no one else is watching them. "No Robin."
"Just a quick one?" She asks, grinning. Her voice switches to deep and thick. "Or maybe you'd prefer a really long, deep, sensual one? I'll allow that too."
Chrom is silent.
"Or maybe you want me to kiss you?" She asks in a husky whisper, leaning in close. Chrom keeps a straight face, but having the girl so close sets his senses on high alert. "Just ask, I'll do it."
"Would she really?" Chrom asks himself. The boy is tempted; he likes Robin, she's a good friend despite the teasing, but does he really want to kiss like this?
Maybe.
"Ahh, you're considering it!" Robin purrs. Her purple eyes, matching the hair, twinkle with excitement. "Come on, say the words. Say 'kiss me'."
Chrom's mouth trembles. Slowly, nervously, he takes a breath and sa-
"Chrom!" Lissa's voice shatters the moment. "Are you here? Sully said you and Robin were training! Is she flir- uh, is she bothering you again?"
The tactician groans, releasing Chrom from her grasp. Her hail pulls back, draping over her arms and wrapping around her body in the usual resting position. She stands up, offering the prince a hand, and the two of them walk over towards Lissa's voice.
Before they turn the corner, Robin leans in close to Chrom's ear. "We'll continue this another time." She murmurs. Then she surprises the boy by tugging on his earlobe with her lips for a moment before quickly pulling away with a grin.
Chrom tries to keep the blush off his face as Lissa skips into view.
###
War has arrived. Gangrel tries to take Emmeryn during the talks at the border.
Ricken and Virion are instrumental in the following battle, striking down wyverns with bows and wind magic alike. Frederick, Sully, and Stahl were useful in breaking the enemy lines with cavalry charges.
Robin though, the purple-haired girl is the lynchpin. Her shield-adorned hair acts as the wall that protects her squishier teammates. She acts as a safe point for the front line to hide behind. Vaike, Chrom, Kellam, Donnel, Lon'qu, all of them retreat back to Robin when injured to be healed up by Lissa and Maribelle.
Sumia and Cordelia don't find much use in the fight. The tough wyvern riders and their strong axes are a hard counter to fast but frail pegasus knights and their accurate but weak lances. The two girls circle around the Shepherds' backline, occasionally swooping down to dispatch foot soldiers that manage to sneak around to Virion and the mages.
That's not the important part though. The border fight is just a prelude. Emmeryn has her hands full with the council and internal politics so Chrom took it upon himself to deal with the military reports, requests, and organization.
The Ylissian military is pitifully small, so Chrom is also responsible for dealing with the Feroxi that come to support Ylisse. He takes it in stride, keeping up his usual demonor of confidence and determination, but there is only so much the prince can take...
###
Robin is patient, but she's thinks abandoning her plan might be for the better. The stress of the constant raids and the political turmoil is getting to Chrom, the girl notices how haggard and tired he looks. He trains more, spends more time in council, is always swamped with paperwork, and almost all his time with her is spent planning.
Her teasing actually has a purpose, it wasn't just to get a reaction out of the boy (though that was amusing as well). Robin was trying to get Chrom to realize he could relax around her, be that through asking for or offering kisses and massages, or through her playful but dominating sparring sessions where she tried to push the idea that he was safe even when completely at her mercy.
Chrom never broke though, always refusing even when he clearly wanted to give in. Robin wasn't sure if it was pride or just a subtle fear of letting someone be in control of him. Robin suspected the latter, as all her teasing revolved around the idea of Chrom not being in control of the situation and just relaxing.
With the war starting though, they didn't have the luxury of keeping up the dance they'd been moving to these last few months. Chrom needed to relax, even if he didn't realize it, and Robin slowly breaking down his resistance with teasing wasn't feasible anymore. Chrom needed relief now; which meant Robin would have to be direct about her intentions.
That's why she was at his door. She knew he had just finished training, and that he was going to retire soon for the night. It was the one time he should be relaxing as all the important paperwork and planning was already done, so Robin decided this was the time she'd confront him. If he wasn't relaxing now, then he should be, so really the timing was perfect.
She raises a hand and knocks on the door. She hears muffled walking and the door quickly opens. "Robin. What is is?"
"Can I come in Chrom?"
"Uh… alright?" He steps aside, confused, and allows Robin inside.
Robin has only been in this room once or twice. She's never really had a reason to be. The sheer number of swords adorning the leftmost wall is staggering. This must be Chrom's sword collection that he oh so infrequently mentions. It amuses Robin that someone with a legendary weapon on their hip still collects mundane blades to display. She can spot a Chon'sin katana (known as a 'killing edge' on Archanea) and a Valmese armorslayer, as well as the so-called 'noble rapier' from Roseanne.
"So, erm, what is it Robin?" Chrom asks as he closes the door behind them.
"You." Robin says, turning and pointing at the boy. "You are 'it' Chrom."
"Pardon?"
"I've been trying to get you to relax for the last few months and you've been fighting me every inch of the way." The tactician huffs. She crosses her arms and her hair waggles a strand (like a finger) disappointedly at the prince. "Its too much to ask that you just trust me huh?"
"I'm not sure I follow." The blue-haired boy coughs. "All I've noticed is you trying to make a fool out of me since we found you outside of Southtown, and I do trust you Robin."
"Make a fool out of you?" Robin asks, raising an eyebrow. "Chrom, how is offering a massage making a fool out of you?"
"I mean the other things more than that…"
"What? Asking for a kiss? Oh no, I'm asking for you to show physical affection, how mortifying." The girl snorts.
"Erm…" Chrom coughs, realizing just how poorly his argument was being made. "What about the sparring then? What justification do you have for that?"
"I'm not really trying to make a fool out of you." Robin says slowly. She takes a moment to remember her reasons before speaking. "Though I can see why you might think that. I just want you to feel safe is all. If I show I'm stronger than you it means you can relax when I'm around because I can do the protecting… or at the very least you don't have to worry about me."
"Truly?" Chrom asks, blinking in surprise. "I never considered that."
"Admittedly though I considered all my teasing attempts to 'break' you. To try and get you to give in to something so you'd relax for once." She takes a few steps forward and pokes him in the chest. "And you need to relax sometime. You're running yourself ragged lately."
"War is a busy time-"
"And no excuse to kill yourself with training, paperwork, and stupid council meetings where nothing ever gets done." Robin scoffs. "And that's why I'm here. I'm gonna force you to relax if I have to."
"Well no problems there." Chrom says, taking a seat on the bed. His shoulders droop as he rubs his eyes. "I'm far too tired to do anything but relax right now."
"Well that's great and all, but you need to relax more." Robin pouts. "Not just at the end of the day. You can't stress all day and then go to bed worrying about what's happening tomorrow."
"How do you know me so well?" The prince asks with a tried smile.
"I pay close attention to a lot of stuff." Robin shrugs. "It's literally my job. People, supplies, tactics..."
"Of course, and I thought I had a lot to focus on." Chrom sighs. "You have just as much as me."
"Yeah, and you don't see me looking all tired all the time." Robin says pointedly. "So next time I offer you a massage or something, I expect you to accept!"
"I…" The boy hesitates.
"Chrom." Robin crosses her arms and waves a few strands of hair at him threateningly. "Don't make me pin you down and force you to accept. I can and I will."
"Alright…" Chrom sighs. His eyes meet Robin's. "But not during sparring. I'm not 'surrendering' to you."
The girl's mouth widens into a crooked grin. "Keep telling yourself that. I'll get you eventually."
###
"Robin…"
"Chrom, this is not the first time you've had your shirt off in front of me. Stop freaking out."
"You walked in on me!"
"You first, and for the record (since you ran before I could say anything) I didn't make a big deal out of it like you are right now."
Chrom grumbles under his breath and nervously lifts the clothes over his head. It's not the first time he's been shirtless in front of a girl, and not the first time in front of a girl that isn't Lissa or Emmeryn, but in front of Robin he feels vulnerable, and it unnerves him. "J-Just…"
"I'm not going to hurt you Chrom." Robin huffs. "Seriously, who do you think I am?"
The girl lays her hands on his shoulders and Chrom tenses. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and a shiver goes down his spine. "L-Look, maybe this wasn't such a good idea." He stammers, suddenly rising to his feet. "I appreciate the offer Robin but-"
The prince tries to step away but, unbeknownst to him, Robin had bound his legs with her hair the moment he sat down. There is no way for him to run. "Chrom. Sit."
Reluctantly, nervously, the blue-haired boy sits back down between her legs. Her thin, delicate, fingers find their way to his back again. Slowly but firmly she presses into his muscles. The hours of training he had done today left him aching, and he had only stopped because Frederick, yes the same training junkie Frederick that was famous for his fitness hour, told Chrom he needed to stop.
Remembering what Robin had insisted on, Chrom had reluctantly found the girl in her office and asked if she wouldn't mind helping ease his aches. Robin's face had lit up like he'd just given her present, and Chrom had instantly felt worse about putting his body in her hands.
"Just relax Chrom. We're trying to get rid of the tension, not generate more." Robin scolds. "I'm not going to hurt you."
The prince takes a breath and forces himself to calm down. It's not true relaxation, but-
"Chrom. I know you're faking."
Gods, Robin was too perceptive. "I'm sorry Robin, but this puts me on edge."
"That's fine. I guess it'll take will take a bit to get used to." She murmurs. "Let's try anyways. It's hard to stay tense for extended periods of time, at some point you'll naturally relax."
Over the next half an hour Robin slowly works on him. She digs her knuckles into his shoulder blades, digs her thumbs into his lower back, and kneads his shoulders and upper arms. The girl moves slowly and methodically, as if to avoid startling him.
"Did you learn to do this recently?" Chrom asks quietly after a while of this.
"Yeah. Picked it up from Sully a few months ago, she showed me how." Robin murmurs. "She knows a lot about muscles and whatnot."
They fall into silence. There isn't really much to talk about. Chrom eventually relaxes enough to enjoy it. He's paying so little attention that he he nearly falls over, and he would have if it weren't for Robin's hair keeping him upright.
"That's more like it." Robin giggles after that happens. "I've got you Chrom. I'll catch you."
It's embarrassing for Chrom to show just how tired he is, but nonetheless he's thankful to have Robin helping. Maybe he thinks, Robin was right and he could accept her help to relax a bit more often.
###
"Come on Chrom." The purple haired girl taps her lips, grinning. "Surely that's enough for a reward, right?"
Chrom is very aware of Lissa and Emmeryn in the background, watching this exchange with wide smiles. They'd just saved Emm from execution at Gangrel's hands thanks in no small part to Robin's quick thinking to deal with the Risen archers. A dust storm with wind magic was not something Chrom would ever have considered himself.
So perhaps he was high on emotion, perhaps it was the encouraging smile of Emm in the background, but Chrom gave in for once and quickly, lightly, pecked Robin on the lips.
Her hair and hands immediately snap around his head, turning the quick smooch into a long, deep, passionate kiss. The giggling of Lissa behind them was promptly ignored by the two.
When they pull away, Chrom breathing heavy, Robin pokes him on the nose and says: "I remembered what you wanted~!"
Chrom recalls that moment from training when he almost gave in, and blushes.
###
Knowing he could go to Robin to relax made Chrom's life a lot easier. Suddenly he had these little pockets of enjoyment in his otherwise stressful day. He also starts to go out of his way to make sure the relaxation is mutual. He doesn't want to be taking and never giving.
Robin starts to do things spontaneously. Sometimes she surprises him out of nowhere, tackling him with a hug or suddenly pulling him into a kiss without warning. The incredible reach she has with her hair means that Chrom can, and frequently is, pulled in from quite a distance for her surprises.
And Chrom is finding he doesn't care. It's touching to have someone who unabashedly showers him with affection, and who he can show affection to in return.
Affection? That's probably too tame a word. Love maybe, or the beginnings of it. When the two announce after the war their plans to be married, Lissa's first words are: "Finally Chrom. Jeez, it took you forever to get your act together."
Chrom scowls and Robin laughs. Everyone else has already told them the exact same thing. Chrom was hoping his sister would at least have something else to say.
In the end, only Emmeryn doesn't mock Chrom for his reluctance.
This chapter ended up different than I expected. I had originally abandoned this Robin's personality in favour of a more calm Robin, but after comparing the two I found this worked more.
Zero kami no mu: So like Noire but slightly more crazy? Hmm… maybe that could work, but I'd prefer to turn it up a bit. How does straight up multiple personality disorder sound?
Bonefish: Already chatted to you in PM, thanks again for pointing that out.
Scorin: Nope, but people are welcome to take what ideas they want (just give me a shout-out or something as the source of inspiration). I've tried once or twice myself, but it didn't work. Merely Shepherds is a testament to my failure. I've learned that these gimmicks can carry a short story, but not a novel. There needs to be good plot and whatnot to make a novel.
I like that idea, but I don't think it fits this collection. This is The Robin Variable after all. However I would like to try that idea… maybe a name change is in order for this story, or the start of a separate collection for miscellaneous ideas.
Hmm… I'll think on this.