Fire Emblem: High School Years (High School AU) - Junior Year

Chapter 11: Meeting My Family

Chrom

I watched as Anna fidgeted with the hem of her navy blue blouse, mechanically polishing each set of silverware I passed her. Her sapphire blue eyes were trained on nothing, booted foot lightly tapping on the hardwood floor.

She's been like this since she entered my house.

My parents agreed to have her and Evelina over for Thanksgiving -- quite enthusiastically, actually. They came over about three hours before our guests were supposed to arrive to help prepare. With Anna's magical abilities when it came to food, the preparations came along quicker than they ever did. Now that all the hard stuff was out of the way, I could enjoy some alone time with my girlfriend before chaos erupted.

My whole house was warm -- both from the heater and the oven. I could smell the turkey already, the scent mixing with about a hundred others: combining into a lovely symphony of homeliness.

She set a fork on the table, hand extending to take another utensil. Out of curiosity, I set the fork aside and placed my hand in hers; unsurprisingly, she began to wipe my hand with the cloth.

It took a few seconds for her to realize her mistake, face flushing. I had to fight back a laugh, removing my hand and tucking a strand of her straightened hair out of her eyes.

"It's not funny," she said, tone flat.

"Kinda is," I chuckled. "Relax, babe. They'll love you, I promise."

She shook her head, leg bouncing even more. "But what if they don't? What if they hate me and my mom and make you break up with me? What if you have to choose between your family and me? I don't want you to have to make that decision-"

"I won't." I pulled her close, breathing in her scent; she must have recently washed her hair with how fresh her hair smelled. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you: My family will absolutely adore you."

She leaned into me, gently resting her hands on my shoulders. "Chrom, I'm aware of what your family comes from -- they aren't exactly small names," she sighed. "Meanwhile, my family - or lack thereof - is just...us. We aren't significant in anyway shape or form."

I rubbed small circles onto her back. "That's a whole load of bologna, darling." Where is this coming from? "They don't care about that crap. They've been eager to meet you since I told them we were dating. My parents love you, my sisters love you, my grandparents are going to love you, and you made cookies for this: my four-year-old cousin is going to treat you like a god."

Anna giggled, glancing over to the plate of baked goods she prepared. There were all sorts of baked goods adorning it: cookies, macaroons, tarts, you name it. "Really?"

"Really." I pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, relishing in the loving twinkle in her eyes. "I have no doubts. My family will love you just as much as-"

"Emergency-potato-run over!" Dad groaned as he burst through the door, a sack of potatoes dangling from his hand. "You wouldn't believe how crazy the store was, I almost had to fight someone for -- oh? Am I interrupting something?"

I thought he would be gone for another hour! Last-minute Thanksgiving runs are violent! I stepped away from Anna, blush coloring my cheeks. "N-no. Not at all. Nothing was happening. Nope."

Anna sighed, going back to polishing the silverware. "Everything's fine, Sir."

"As you say..." Dad said, an amused smirk crinkling his lips. "Where are the girls? I could've sworn they were here when I left."

"Mom and Evelina are in the cellar collecting some wine and cheese," I replied. "And Lissa's still baby-proofing the house."

Anna turned to me, eyebrow raised. "Aren't we staying on the main floor?"