First Time Destiny | Fire Emblem Awakening (Oneshots)

The Domestic Life

Original prompt: Cottage

Lucina couldn't remember the last time that she had been on holiday. In fact, she wasn't certain if she had ever been on a proper holiday.

It was two years after Grima's demise and her mother's return, and she had finally stopped feeling quite so worried about her parents. The fell dragon was truly gone. Fate had still not claimed the lives of her family. It was really all over.

So when Gerome had started talking about visiting Rosanne and seeing his parents, she had decided to arrange it.

Her parents had instantly taken to the idea of the couple having a proper break, and suddenly a small visit had turned into a sightseeing trip that would last a few months.

Lucina had been reluctant at first, but now that she and Gerome had finally arrived at the cottage Virion had lent them, she was starting to relax. They could have some romantic time to themselves, and her parents, despite being on the other side of the long sea, would be fine.

They'd been to the local market and bought some food a few hours ago, and now they were preparing dinner. There were plenty of local taverns around to cater for them, but they had somehow made the unspoken agreement that they wanted to cook a meal for themselves.

Lucina was standing at the kitchen counter, peeling potatoes for Gerome while he organised the rest of the ingredients that would be needed for their stew. It was a mundane task, yet she was really enjoying it. She knew Gerome was, too, because although he was being quiet, he kept catching her eye and smiling.

This simple, domestic duty was lifting all the stress away from them. It was like they were average villagers and this was their average home.

It was like they were cooking a meal for a family.

That was the only anxiety that this holiday wouldn't shift. Lucina wasn't certain when it had started, but she would sometimes catch herself thinking wistfully about having children with Gerome.

There was just one problem. She had to pluck up the courage to talk to him about it.

They'd never spoken about starting a family, not even hypothetically. She wasn't certain that he would ever want children, given all that had happened to them in their own timeline. But she was starting to become desperate for them, and she couldn't stop daydreaming about it.

They could buy their own house in Ylisstol so that the children could grow up to be average people. But it wouldn't mean that they couldn't still visit her parents – the children's grandparents – on a regular basis. They could visit often. And Morgan could even stay with them for some independence if he liked, though Lucina was sure that he had his eye on a girl of his own. Perhaps one day, he would move out of the castle and start a family. They could visit each other's homes; the cousins would become best friends –

"Lucina?" Gerome placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think that potato's peeled now."

Lucina glanced down at the potato and cringed. She'd taken the skin off long ago, and now she'd started peeling the part they needed to eat while she'd been daydreaming. It was quite an odd shape. "Right. My apologies."

She handed the potato to him and avoided his eyes, but he ignored her offering entirely and took hold of her wrist.

Her stomach sank. Obviously, they weren't going to pretend that this hadn't happened...again.

"I was talking to you about our visit to Wyvern Valley tomorrow, but I don't think you've been listening for ages," Gerome said. "I wish you'd tell me what's wrong when you're so deep in thought like this."

He placed his free hand under her chin and gently turned her face to him. Now she had no choice but to look him in the eyes, and doing so made her both more desperate and more terrified to tell him everything.

She opened her mouth, stuttered, and closed it again. She blushed.

Gerome sighed, letting go of her and placing the potato on the counter. Unfortunately, they hadn't started cooking the stew yet, so there was no reason why they couldn't stop to talk. Or, at least, no reason that Lucina could think of. And she was desperately trying.

Gerome took her hand again and led her to the kitchen table. When he pulled her chair out, her nerves soared even higher. He wasn't normally chivalrous.

She sat down and waited until her husband was sitting opposite her. He said nothing, as he always did when he was waiting for her to explain herself. She could probably take hours to gather up the courage to speak, and he would still not push her. It was the reason why he had taken all of her excuses up until now.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Lucina looked at everything around them in great detail. Finally, she had to look at him.

It was his eyes that suddenly gave her the courage. They were filled with concern, and she instantly felt guilty. "Gerome, I...I'm sorry if I've worried you. It's not – I mean, there's nothing wrong. It's just..."

She swallowed hard. Gerome had never been a family man, and in her own timeline, she couldn't have pictured him having children.

But a lot of things had changed. He'd never wanted to see his parents again, for starters. He'd been too afraid of losing them twice. But years later, here they were in Rosanne with the intention of visiting them. In fact, Gerome was probably closer with them now than he had been in their own timeline.

There was a small chance that this would be all right. She had no choice but to find out now.

"I can't stop thinking about us having a family."

She closed her eyes as soon as the words had left her mouth. She wanted to crawl under the table and never come out again. She'd made Gerome uncomfortable. He was working out how to say no without upsetting her. Or he was getting angry that she'd asked. She'd ruined their holiday before it had even –

"Is that it?" He sounded confused and relieved. Definitely not upset or angry.

She slowly opened her eyes.

"That's what's been on your mind?" he asked again.

She nodded.

The corners of his mouth twitched. "Oh, Lucina. Why didn't you just talk to me sooner?"

Now she was the one who felt confused. "You're not angry? I wasn't sure...I just didn't think you'd want that. I didn't know how to ask you. And I know it's early. We can wait. But I just wanted the certainty that we could, that you'd want to. I'm –"

"Lucina," he said gently, a smile spreading over his face. "Stop. You're rambling. I admit, if you'd asked me a few years ago, I'd have recoiled at the thought. But I've changed. Now I know that our future is bright and we're not going anywhere. Starting a family with you..." He blushed. "It sounds amazing."

She stared at him in shock for a moment. Then she grinned, excitement bubbling. She stood up and moved around the table towards him. "We could buy a cottage like this, in Ylisstol! We could –"

Gerome laughed and rose to his feet, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Let's cook our dinner, and then we can talk about it while we eat."

They took their places at the kitchen counter again. Lucina peeled potatoes, glowing with happiness. She could already imagine them working together just like this, with two or three hungry children waiting at the table.