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

Rest

Chrom

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Relieved. Mostly tired."

I chuckled, running a hand through Anna's hair. "It's ok. You can rest."

They won. Evelina won the custody battle over Anna. She would never have to see Validar again. From what Father told me, Validar got very upset after the case was settled and assaulted his lawyer. Father assumed that he would be pressed with even more charges and could very well be facing prison. Evelina had to deal with a few other legal things that she didn't want Anna being around for; something about her being under a lot of stress and the last thing she needed was to sit around for a few hours at the courthouse while Evelina signed papers and discussed their situation. So, Father offered to bring her over to our house so Anna could stay here while she finalized stuff.

As soon as she arrived, she attached herself to me like glue and we haven't been apart since. We were luckily able to get her to eat a bit of lunch, but it mostly seemed that she wanted to sleep. So, I took her into my room so she could rest quietly.

"It feels like I'm waking up from a nightmare... A long, terrible nightmare," Anna whispered from where she was resting her head on my shoulder.

I smiled at her. "But it's over. You don't have to worry about him anymore."

"I hear that a lot," she giggled. "...Thank you, Chrom. For everything."

I brushed away a few strands of hair that were stuck to her face. "You don't have to thank me for anything."

"I do," she sighed. "You...you've been my lifeline through this. You've given me so much help and support. Hell, you even gave us support in the case in talking to that social worker."

"You would have done the same for me." I pressed down on her temples, making her groan in relief. "I'm just glad that crazy asshat got what he deserved."

Anna chuckled. "There's a special place in hell for him, I can tell you that."

"And rightfully so."

A few moments of silence passed between us. I was almost convinced that she was asleep, until...

"Hey, Chrom?"

I turned to her, seeing that she was looking up at me. "What is it?"

She chewed on her bottom lip. "I-is this, er, weird?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "What's weird?"

"H-how close we are. How we practically have no boundaries," she continued. "I-I know it's an odd question, but it's been picking at my mind for a while."

I gently scratched her scalp, trying to think. "...Well, do you find it weird?"

"N-not really."

"I don't find it weird, either," I released a breath. "I'm comfortable around you. More comfortable than I've ever been with anyone in my life."

Her cheeks turned a shade of red. "C-Chrom, do you think-"

"I know you want to wait," I said, disappointment gripping at my heart. Although, I didn't really know why. "I do, too. It's not the right timing. We'll pursue whatever feelings we have as soon as...as soon as we find that sign. That force that tells us to move forward."

She nodded. "Y-yeah, right. Of course. Yeah." She released a breath. "We'll know when that time comes."

Gods, why does it feel like my heart is trying to punch me?

"I really want things to go back to normal, soon," Anna sighed, changing the subject.

I tried to tamper down my nervousness. "Th-they will, trust me. Soon enough, we'll be back into the normal rhythm of things. Just you wait."

"Normal rhythm?" She huffed a laugh. "Since when were our lives normal?"

"Hush." I flicked her forehead. "Go to sleep. If you don't, I'll smother you with a pillow."

She rolled her eyes. "Charming." She snuggled against me, eyes shutting. "Goodnight, Chrom. Thank you again for being the best friend a girl can have."

I decided to continue my work stroking her hair while she fell asleep. "Goodnight, Anna. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

*****
I'm so sorry I posted late. I slept in super late and have been baking all morning, plus I have to leave for a play I'm currently in very, very soon. So yeah. Super busy morning. But at least I remembered to post! XD Anyway, here's some fluff cuz I don't know what else to do with my life. Yeah. I'll just leave this here. Thank you so much for reading and look forward to reading more!