First Time Destiny | Fire Emblem Awakening (Oneshots)

Toddlers in Love

Original prompt: Woods

Lucina was pleased that she and Gerome would still go out on romantic walks even though they'd been married for a few years. It was something that had never really faltered: not while planning the wedding, not after it, and not now that she was pregnant.

They were currently walking through the local woods at the edge of Ylisstol, hand in hand as they looked for the perfect spot to eat their picnic. Despite the fact that Lucina saw her parents every week, she was daydreaming about spending the evening with them at the castle. She loved her regular dinners with all the Shepherds.

Even Gerome seemed to be awaiting it with eagerness, because Cherche and Virion had come visiting from Rosanne. He was so close with his parents that it was hard to remember the way he'd felt about them before.

Lucina was just about to point out a picnic spot when they heard the voices. At first, they sounded like nothing more than a small group of regular Ylisseans talking. But when Lucina heard a little boy shout, she stopped in her tracks. She'd know that voice anywhere, even if it did sound a lot younger than she remembered.

She smiled at Gerome. "That sounds like you."

He frowned as they listened for a moment. "Cherche – Mother – did bring my younger self."

"Indeed," Lucina said thoughtfully. "So perhaps that's them."

Then she heard her younger sister, as her mother preferred her to say, yelling Gerome's name. She blushed. "It sounds like I'm – I mean, like Lucy's there, too."

"Let's leave them to it, then," Gerome said.

He tried to pull her in the direction they'd been walking, but she stayed put and gave him a mischievous smile. "I want to see you. It took me ages to get used to seeing myself around the castle, and you always thought it was hilarious when you saw us together. This is my only chance to get payback."

She tugged Gerome in the direction of the voices, ignoring his protests. They reached the edge of a clearing and stopped behind the trees.

Robin, Chrom, Cherche, and Virion were all sitting on the grass together, most likely having a catch-up. Morgan, now just over a year old, was sitting in Robin's lap and trying to put her hair in his mouth. Lucy and Gerome, both around three years old, were standing a short way ahead of them and playing with toy swords.

Lucina the elder only had a few seconds to grin at the sight of a much younger Gerome before her alternate version opened her mouth.

"If you lose," Lucy said fiercely as she tried to ready her wooden sword, "you marry me."

Lucina winced and covered her eyes. Gerome made a muffled choking sound next to her.

The others were laughing, and Lucina knew exactly why. This wasn't the first time that her younger self had boldly announced she was going to marry Gerome when she was older. It was something she would quickly outgrow in a few years' time, just as Lucina had, but what made it so amusing to her parents was the fact that it was true.

Gerome put his arm around Lucina's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "I don't remember you being so bossy at such a young age."

Lucina slowly uncovered her eyes. Their younger selves were duelling now, and badly, but she was quite certain that Lucy was going to win. After all, she did have the best teacher in the world available to her: Chrom.

It looked like Gerome had been doomed to marry her from a very young age.

"I do," she murmured. "I was determined that I was going to marry you, and I suppose I was right."

"Perhaps we'll have to attend their wedding one day." Gerome's expression was a mixture of wonder and dread.

Back in the clearing, Lucy shouted happily as something went thud. Lucina turned to see her younger self holding her wooden sword to baby Gerome's neck. His own weapon was buried in the grass a few feet away from him.

She turned back to her husband. "Perhaps we will."