When Chrom told Robin of his feelings for her he didn't expect it to be as...abrupt as it was.

He would admit he wasn't the most eloquent person in the world. His younger sister, Lissa, would say he could be as blunt as a sword when it came to utilizing words. While he could retort she was not the most lady-like princess in the world like their older sister, Emmyern, he had to concede to her point. Despite the many tutors over the years, who taught him the fine art of how to use words in preparation of his duty to act as an envoy of Ylisse, he hadn't quite mastered the art. Instead of using complicated language to subtly phrase what he wanted, he would simply state it. Being the leader of the Shepherds, there was no need for that type of thing. In battle the only language he needed was of blades.

None of the Shepherds minded his directness at all. In fact some (Sully, for example) favored his honesty despite how blunt it could be at times. As long as he could lead them into victory, they cared not for how plain-spoke he was.

Yet, when it came to his feelings for Robin he wanted to consider his words when he told her.

Robin...There were no words for how much he loved her. She was unlike most of the women he knew. She was smart, funny, and cared not for the status or position of her friends. Even after she found out he was the prince of Yllise, she still treated him the same way. She treated everyone equally. Her heart was filled with nothing but affection for her friends, for she truly cared deeply for them. Yet, he wished her heart belonged to him.

At first Chrom considered Robin to be a close friend. She was there for him when Emmeryn died, telling him everything would be alright. Since the moment she helped them protect Southtown not long after discovering she had no memories of her past, he trusted her. He trusted his life with her and it showed each time she brought victory to their side. Robin was his friend. There was nothing more than that. But, after the instances of seeing one another naked in the baths...Well, he began to see her in a new light.

After that, he began to notice the little things about her. Like when she was planning strategies in her head she would twirl a lock of her hair with a finger or when she laughs she would cover her hand with her mouth. The more things he noticed about her the more he thought how beautiful she was when she smiled and how her eyes would light up at the sight of a new tome. The final thing that made him realize he loved her was when she would look at him with soft, brown eyes and say his name and his heart would nearly leap out of his chest because, gods, she was looking at him-

The point was Chrom loved Robin. It was simple as that.

With his new knowledge of his love for her he wasn't able to act the same around her. Yes, he would calmly listen to her as she told him of strategies to use in their next battles, but he would get distracted with how her hair looked like starlight and how red her lips were as she spoke. He would catch himself before Robin noticed he wasn't paying attention as he should be (he had the lives of many in his hands and he needed to focus). But, he had a feeling Robin knew his attention was not with her. Well, they were but they were about her.

Gods, Chrom couldn't stop thinking about her! She was everywhere! In his dreams, in his thoughts, in his heart...He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but the thought of doing so terrified him. Him! He's faced down an army of Risen ready to tear apart a town and fought against the Mad King Gangrel as he sent his soldiers to die for an insane war! Yet, the very thought of confessing to Robin made him quake in his boots and make his hands too sweaty and his heart to race out of his chest-

He needed to tell her and soon. Otherwise, he was going to go mad with anxiety. Goodness knows, that was going to get him killed on the battlefield.

Chrom gave a long, forlorn sigh as he made his way through camp. He had just finished a training session on the other side of camp, but was forced to finish it early because Robin was on his mind the entire time. In their last bout that morning with the Risen she sustained a blow that was meant for him. Though the wound was not grievous as it looked, he was still concerned about her. He worried if he wasn't strong enough to protect her or be fast enough to save her in time she would be dead. While the rest of the Shepherds rested from their long march and battle, Chrom was in the training field so he would be strong enough and fast enough to defend her like he should have.

I'm about to lose my mind, Chrom thought, sullen. He never imagined being in love with someone could make him go mad. Robin didn't even know what she was doing to him. How was it possible for people to write or sing about love? It was nerve wracking! The shaking, the uneven breathing, the overall depression at the thought of his love rejecting him-He didn't think he could handle it anymore. This needs to end. I can't keep letting these feelings get in the way of leading the army.

Yet, what could he do with them? He couldn't just go buy a potion to make him forget he was ever in love with Robin. If that were possible, he would have bought it by now. But, as he didn't, he was unsure of how to handle these feelings and make sure he had a level head on the battle field. All he could do was worry about Robin getting hurt again. The very thought of her lying lifeless on the ground with unseeing eyes made him sick to his stomach.

These feelings were stuck with him and he didn't know what to do about it.

As he lamented about what to do with these unrequited feelings (he was certain Robin didn't see him in such a light), he didn't realize he was approaching Robin's tent. He also didn't notice the flap of the entrance moved until he heard her voice.

"Chrom! Just the man I wanted to see," Robin greeted, snapping him out of his thoughts. At her voice his pulse skipped a beat. Lifting his eyes, he saw her walk towards him with a smile (that smile she uses when she's entirely happy to see him and used only for him). "We need to talk."

He involuntarily gulped, shocked at seeing her come out of nowhere so suddenly. He was unprepared to face her when he was just thinking about her.

"Robin?"

"It's about the route you drew up for tomorrow's march," she said, naïve to his reaction upon seeing her. She brushed back her starlight hair, which was also like fresh snow in the morning after it fell throughout the night, behind her ear. She gazed up at him with brown eyes that strangely reminded him of pudding and chocolate chips and that was fine all the same because they were so warm. "I was looking at the map and I noticed...Chrom? Are you listening to me?"

He was so focused at staring at her apple red lips as she moved them he almost missed what she said. He was improving on dividing his attention so he at least knew what she was talking about. If not, she would have realized long ago during war meetings he was acting unusual. That wasn't new, considering he was also avoiding her recently to calm his spiraling feelings. He couldn't so much as be in her presence without getting flustered. It wasn't the image he wanted to present in front of his men!

Chrom opened his mouth to tell her yes, he was listening to her and maybe say he was needed elsewhere immediately before his head exploded from sheer embarrassment of knowing he loved her so very much-But, when he met her eyes once more his mind blanked and he blurted out his first thought.

"I love you."

The moment those three words (three simple words that could make or break a person's world!) left his lips he tensed, mortified. It became worse when Robin's eyes widened and her jaw slightly dropped.

An uneasy silence fell over them like the world had suddenly turned off when, clearly, in the distance they could hear the rambunctious chatter of their friends and comrades enjoying their evening meal. For a few moments Chrom stood there wondering what in the name of Naga had he just said to her and oh, gods, this was SO embarrassing! Finally, Robin closed her mouth and blinked a few times.

"...Oh. I love you, too," she answered. "So, about the march tomorrow"

When he heard her voice Chrom snapped out of his daze as well before he began to say the first things that came to mind. He was too lost in his own horror he hadn't realize he interrupted her. So lost in his thoughts, he almost missed her words. Almost.

"Robin, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to say such a thing to you-Not that I didn't want to! I really wanted to! But, to say it out loud and like that when you're thinking of our men first and, gods, I'm such an idiot!" he rambled. He was embarrassed, horrified, and angry at himself. Why did he say that?! What possessed him to just blurt out his feelings for her so abruptly?! Oh, if the ground could swallow him up right now because he would like nothing more than to take Falchion and just shove it in his gut so he could die proud-He tensed once more when her answer finally sunk in. It was his turn to blink several times. "What did you say?"

She tilted her head in a way that was too adorable for words. "What? About the march?"

"No! I mean about, ya know...You...l-love me?" he croaked out.

"Well...Yeah. You said it first, so I said it as well." She shrugged.

"Y-You're not saying that because I just said it, did you? You know what kind of love I have for you, right?"

"Yes. What kind of love do you think I have for you?"

"You don't see me as a-a sibling or a close friend?" This was so confusing and too good to be true. He didn't want to think Robin was in love with him, too, just because he decided to blurt out he loved her without a single explanation. Anyone could take those words in a way they weren't meant to be said.

"Chrom." The way Robin said his name again (how he wanted to fall to his knees and worship the way she said it) gave him pause. He stared at Robin and noticed in the firelight her cheeks were red. Her hands were fiddling with the edges of her sleeves, her eyes to the ground to give them a shrouded look to the mysteries surrounding her. "I love you. And I mean that in a romantically infatuated way, not a sibling love like you think. It's just...We're in the middle of a war. I mean, the general and his chief tactician? It just...It wouldn't be right. Our first responsibility must be to the soldiers we lead, not to each other...yet." She paused. "You understand that, don't you?"

Chrom nodded. Of course he understood that. He's been considering that the entire time since his realization of his love for her. It was one of the many reasons why he tried to bottle up his feelings. Yet, his mood soared when she admitted she was truly in love with him as well. His men mattered, but his feelings for Robin couldn't be stopped. Not when she loved him as well. He would wait countless wars, a million battles, and an eternity because he knew she loved him as well.

"Of course. I completely understand."

"Good. Good." Robin gave a large sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing as she gave him a bright smile once more. One that rivaled the very sun and everything underneath it. "Now that that's out of the way, we should really talk about the route. It doesn't seem to be the best when our supply convoy took some damage-"

Once again, she was interrupted as Chrom grabbed Robin's shoulders. He tilted her head up as he craned his neck down to press his lips against her's. It was a small, gentle kiss but it sent sparks running up and down his spine. In their wake it left pleasant tingles. The kiss was brief. Just as quickly as he kissed her he leaned back.

"I love you," he stated. It felt so good to say that again and without feeling like the world was ending because of it. He loved her! He would tell the world he was in love with this magnificent woman at the top of his lungs and not care about what anyone said!

Robin giggled. "I love you, too."

She grabbed the front of Chrom's shirt to pull him down into another kiss. No words were needed to convey what the two felt for one another. As they stood there, Chrom thought perhaps being blunt was the way to go after all.

XXX

O-Kay. No idea where this came from. Literally, this came out of nowhere when I was walking my brother's dog and listening to Vocaloid on my IPod when Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder came on. I said the English lyrics in my head, then I thought of love. That led me to remember one of NigaHiga's videos (I forget which one) when it commented on how people confess their love for one another in reality, which is just saying it. That led me to remember how the confessions in Fire Emblem (especially Chrom's) were and no one would actually say all that mushy stuff and just get on with their lives. They just said it. And considering how direct Chrom is...This happened. Seriously, I love Chrom and his confession to the Avatar. I squealed like a little girl when I saw it and it's the most romantic out of the rest of his confessions. But, to write this...!

Please enjoy this while I go die of embarrassment in a corner.

Please review!