Chapter 0 - notice

Chrom hadn't taken the time to watch Cordelia train in a very long while, but he found himself wondering why he didn't make a habit of it. It was an absolutely breathtaking sight, between her strength and dedication, and the sheer beauty and finesse to her technique. She was a beautiful woman, no one could deny, and often, it was debated amongst the soldiers if she really was as perfect as everyone claimed. Chrom found himself leaning more and more toward the affirmative, but he didn't spend nearly enough time with the woman.

Part of that was because of her rather obvious feelings for him. Everyone knew of her crush, and even if word didn't spread fast, it would have been obvious by how flustered she grew whenever he was near. He tried not to force her to make small talk with him and only talked to her when it was necessary, because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. If she wanted to talk to him, she would when she was ready.

But there was the matter of his own feelings, something he had never really addressed before. He was a busy man with the weight of Ylisse on his shoulders, and romance had never come easy to him. Whenever anyone asked him about the women in life, Cordelia or Sumia or Maribelle or even Sully, he would always reply that he wasn't sure what he thought about any of them, and the other person would laugh and remark about how hopeless he was. And, he supposed, it was true, and he should have at least some idea by now, but he was too busy thinking about his country and the feelings of his subjects to stop to consider his own.

Now, watching Cordelia, he wondered just what would happen if he did try to pursue something with her. She was a kind and strong and beautiful woman, and anyone would be lucky to snag her. If she really adored him as much as everyone said she did, it would be foolish of him to let the opportunity to pass him by, and he found himself wanting to get to know her better, so that he could see where this would go. He decided he would hang around until she was done training and try to talk to her then, and he hoped that she would not be made too uncomfortable by this, and that she would be able to get used to talking to him soon.

As he sat back to enjoy the rest of the show, he was really struck by just how graceful she was. She wasn't training with her pegasus today, so he could only imagine how much more beautiful the sight would be in the air. Her long red hair flew around her as she practiced with her lance, landing blow after blow on imaginary enemies, but it never seemed to get in the way of what she did. She seemed so perfectly in her element with a small, confident smile playing at her lips. Though he had been there for some time, she had yet to notice Chrom's presence.

It was while he was watching her that he began to feel an irritation, a pressure of sorts building in the pit of his stomach and spreading down, and he felt himself growing very, very warm. His pants were suddenly uncomfortably tight, and he almost groaned as he realized what was happening. He was much too old for something like this, for trying to fight off an unwanted erection before trying to talk to a girl, but there was no denying that he had grown hard watching her. Fidgeting where he sat, he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his mind of any indecent thoughts regarding Cordelia. If he were going to talk to her, he would have to get this under control, and he fell back on the only trick that had ever helped him with this in the past.

After mentally running through several of the most boring council meetings he could remember on the spot, he felt his erection fading, and felt comfortable enough to open his eyes again. He would have to be careful watching her to avoid any further incident, but he managed to remain vigilant until she came to a rest and he rose to announce his presence.

"That was excellent work, Cordelia," he said, and she nearly jumped a foot in the air when she heard his voice. He immediately felt bad for startling her.

"I-I-I...m-milord!" she stammered, her face going red. "Is there anything...is there anything I can help you with? D-did you need something?"

"Nothing like that," he said with a gentle smile, hoping he could calm her down. "I was just passing by when I saw you training, and I wanted to let you know how wonderful of a job you're doing. You set an amazing example for the rest of the army."
Her face went even redder at that, but she cleared her throat before she spoke, and actually managed to get a solid sentence out. "Thank you so much, milord. A compliment from you really means a lot."

"I'm simply being honest," he replied. "Perhaps, if it isn't too much trouble, you might be able to train me sometime? I've been thinking of trying my hand at a lance, and I can't imagine anyone else more fit for the job."

Again, she had to clear her throat, but again, she did her best to not let it show how flustered she was, and he was proud of the progress. "Surely you have better things to do than waste your time with me..."

"I doubt any time spent learning from you would be a waste," he said, recalling just how skilled she had been without realizing the adverse effect this might have on him. And, sure enough, he could feel himself stirring once more, and he mentally cursed, trying to fight this off before it became visible.

"You're much too kind," she said softly, glancing down, and he winced, acutely aware of the fact that, should his problem become visible, she would get quite the view of it. But no matter how he tried to find, no matter what thoughts and images he tried to call to mind, being this close to her was impossible to ignore and once again, he felt his pants growing much too tight.


"I-I wouldn't say that," he stammered, wishing he could do something to calm himself down, or at the very least, redirect her attention.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, looking up with concern, and he counted his lucky stars. Perhaps he would get out of this with his dignity intact after all!

"Not at all," he lied, shifting. Now would be a good time to make his excuses, before it was too late. He would find her again for training another day, when he had this boyish predicament more under control.

"If you're sure," she said, her shyness returning and, to his horror, she looked back down, and this time, there was nothing he could do try to conceal this. He heard a slight gasp from her, and then she looked off to the side, her face nearly as red as her hair. There was no mistaking what this was a reaction to, and his own face burned with humiliation.

"I need to be on my way," he said quickly, stumbling over his words. "Goodbye!" Turning, it took all his self-control to walk rather than run, stiffly making his way as far away from her as he could manage.

~X~

Even with the humiliation of Cordelia discovering his predicament, and even after the walk back to his tent that felt like it took an eternity, Chrom's desires had not faded in the slightest, and once he was completely alone, he couldn't ignore the lust that had set in when he had been with the beautiful woman. He had spent so much time denying himself any interest in any girl that, now that he'd found someone he wanted to pursue, it seemed like it was all coming back to bite him at once.

It wasn't as if he was no stranger to pleasuring himself, but he couldn't remember the last time he had done it while thinking about someone he actually knew, and he couldn't remember the last time that someone he knew had gained such a reaction from him. But Cordelia certainly was something special, and it wasn't long before he was giving into temptation, freeing his erection and wrapping his hand around it.

As soon as his eyes closed, he was greeted with the image of her training again, and the graceful way that she moved. He wondered what it would be like with someone like her, if she would be just as graceful as she climbed on top of him, her red hair falling around them like some sort of curtain. Chrom wasn't sure why he imagined her on top, but he was more inexperienced than he cared to admit, and she seemed so sure of herself when she trained that he'd translated that into his fantasies.

Maybe she would hold his wrists down- though he really wasn't sure where that idea came from- while she lowered herself onto him, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what something like that would feel like. Better than his own hand, he at least knew, but beyond that...beyond that, he was at a loss. He could not even conjure up a proper image of what she would look like nude, and so he only imagined her in the clothing she wore every day, her skirt hiked up in a way that still obstructed his view of her while she rode him.

His hand worked up and down, quickly and desperately, as he thought about the way she had blushed when she spoke to him. She really did seem to care for him as much as others said, though he had no idea how she would feel about him after their little incident. He was sure that he would spend a great deal of time worrying about that later, but for now, he had these matters to attend to, and if he focused enough, he could imagine the look of shock on her face turning into one of delight. Perhaps, upon discovering that he wanted her, she would have revealed that she wanted him just as badly...

He finished much more quickly than he ever would have wanted to admit, but it had been a very long time for him, and he had had a lot of anticipation, what with how long he had spent watching her training. For a moment, he was lost in his own pleasure, groaning softly so as to not attract any attention to his tent, and then he had a moment to recover before he came back to his senses and realized that he now had a bit of a mess to clean up.

It was so embarrassing, knowing that he'd given into his desires like that, that it'd taken that little to turn him so pathetic. How had he never noticed her in this way before? He wanted her so badly, but he wasn't sure of how to approach her from here, or even what she thought of him now.

~X~

It wasn't until Cordelia was alone that she really allowed herself to think about what had happened between her and Chrom. The fact that he had dedicated so much of his time to watching her train was enough to excite her, but then there was the fact that he had wanted to talk to her, that they had had a real conversation! All of that would have been far too much for her to handle normally, but then things had gotten even more unusual, and she still wasn't sure what to think about that .

There was a great chance that she had been mistaken in what she thought she saw; she was almost sure that she had to be, because why would Chrom be...be...her face went red just thinking about it, but even though she was sure it was a mistake on her part, she couldn't help but wonder about what it would mean if it wasn't. Had he actually been visibly hard while he spoke with her? And, if so, what had been the cause of that?

She knew better than to hope for it to be her, but if she really thought about it, there wasn't much else that made sense. They had been completely alone together, and he had been watching her for a while...if it really was because of her, then it would only make sense. And if it really was because of her, then that meant he wanted her, and even imagining something like that sent a surge of arousal through her.

She had been in love with Chrom for so very long, and it was only natural that she desired him as well. But she had always tried her best to suppress these desires, feeling a bit guilty for thinking about him like that when he wasn't even hers. After their encounter, however, she really didn't think she had much of a choice in the matter, and it wasn't long before she was laying back, a hand between her legs as she thought about the prince who had stolen her heart long ago.

His gentle smile was the first thing she envisioned, before she remembered the uncomfortable expression he had worn when she had noticed what was going on with him, and she remembered his blush and the way he had stammered. Would he be a shy lover, because of that, or would he be strong and steady, like the sort of leader that he was? She wasn't sure, but she was sure that she would love it either way, and that she would do whatever she could to adapt.

And when her thoughts really started to wander to what sort of lover he would be, she really felt herself getting hot. She didn't have any experience in that sort of thing, but she knew enough of what there was to know, and even if she knew that her fingers wouldn't compare to what she would feel with Chrom, she could pretend. Two fingers was all she could manage inside of her, but it was enough, especially when she used her thumb to stroke her clit at the same time.

Whimpering his name, she pretended that he was lowering himself on top of her, that he was smiling down at her while he did, that he was blushing because he was still so very shy. She would be shy as well, but they would work together, and that would be enough, and thinking about him working with her like that was enough to send her over the edge so quickly that it took her by surprise.

For a few moments, she could relax in the bliss of her orgasm, but it wasn't long after she came down that she was brought back to reality. Even if she had been the cause of his arousal, even if he had been aroused at all, there was no guarantee that he would ever talk to her about it, what with the way he had fled. And if he never talked to her about it, she wasn't sure she would ever be able to get up the nerve to talk to him about it, especially considering the fact that she didn't know if she was right or not.

She had spent so much time longing for Chrom, but even having something with the potential to bring him closer to her wasn't enough to break whatever held her back from pursuing her feelings. It seemed as though she would never be able to bring herself to confront him about her feelings. 

~X~

In the end, it was Chrom who decided to make the first move, though Cordelia had been trying to get up the nerve she had been looking for ever since she first fell for him. She knew that it wasn't going to become any easier than it already was, and the fact that she had reason to suspect he was attracted to should have been enough to motivate her. If she didn't confess now, she knew that she would never be able to, but it was just as she was convincing herself of this that Chrom came to her.
 
"Do you have a moment to talk?" he asked. "I have...something I need to talk about with you. It's nothing bad, but it is somewhat serious."
 
Her heart caught in her throat, and she wondered what he was here for. If it wasn't anything bad, it couldn't be a rejection of the feelings she had yet to confess, but a part of her was still paranoid. "Yes, I have a moment," was all she said.
 
"Well, I..." He looked almost as nervous as she felt. "There are some things I might have neglected up until now, some needs that- no, this is all coming out wrong. What I'm trying to say is...Cordelia, are you interested in me?"
 
She hesitated, a part of her still wanting to deny it for fear of being rejected. But she had to come clean about her feelings at some point, and there would be no better opportunity than Chrom asking her directly. She had to answer him honestly. "Yes," she said, exhaling. "For a very long time, I..." She trailed off, already unsure of where to go from here.
 
"I've suspected," he said. "Or, well...I've heard some things. And I can't say that it's been nearly as long for me, but I think you're beautiful and amazing and I...I'm very interested in you."
 
It wasn't much of a confession, but there was a sincerity in his eyes that told her more than his words ever could, and it was Chrom, the man she had loved for so long. She had been wishing for a confession so much that she couldn't bring herself to care how romantic or eloquent he sounded. After all, she hasn't even been able to finish her sentence!
 
"Chrom..." she breathed, eyes bright with excitement. He smiled warmly at her, resting a hand on her cheek, and then he leaned in to kiss her. It was the first time anyone has kissed her before, and to be able to do something like that with Chrom was like living out one of her wildest dreams. Really, the fact that he ad even expressed interest in her was like that, and she almost doubted that  this was real.

He ran one of his hands through her hair, and she whimpered as she kissed him, suddenly reminded of the fantasies that had taken hold of her recently. She knew that it was much too presumptuous to think that they would do something like that now, but she couldn't stop her mind from wandering, and almost subconsciously, she pressed her body against his. Chrom moaned softly, leaning into her, and then she felt it. If she wasn't mistaken, she could feel that he wanted her, just as he had when he had watched her train. This time, she was a bit more sure of herself and the fact that he wanted her, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to stop herself from trying to take things further either way.

Breaking the kiss, she bit her lip and looked up at him. Just by looking at her, he could tell what her expression meant and a moan caught in the back of his throat, and before she knew it, they were fumbling with their clothes until they were undressed and he was fingering her, his lips brushing against one of her breasts. She whimpered and barely breathed out his name as he took her nipple between his breast, rolling his tongue over it while he worked a finger gently inside of her, getting her ready for what was eventually to come.

It would be her first time with anyone, but she was very glad that it was going to be with Chrom, the man she had always loved and always would love. She knew that it would be the first time for him as well, and that only made it better for her, knowing that they were going into this together, with the same level of experience. They would have to learn together, but so far, he was proving to be a quick study.

As he gently sucked at her breast, she could feel herself nearing the edge already, even before they had truly started. He was putting so much into her pleasure that she knew that she would not be able to last long once he had started to truly fuck her. It was all she could do now to hold on until then, but she managed, until he was asking her if she thought that she was ready.

“Yes,” she breathed, and he nodded, and she laid down so that he could climb on top of her, posing himself to enter her. Chrom gave her another of his gentle smiles that she loved so much before he jerked his hips, pushing himself inside of her. She winced and he tried to take it slow, apologizing for possibly hurting her, but she brushed him off. After all, it was no secret that this would take some getting used to, and she knew that, once the pleasure won out over the pain, she would be back on that edge again.

Chrom, meanwhile, was doing all he could to maintain his composure, and the only thing that was holding him back was the reminder that he had to think about Cordelia and not just himself. It was because of this that he could take things slowly until she had adjusted to having him inside of her and begin to work his hips in a rhythm that was enjoyable for both of them.

She relaxed into it and began to feel herself giving in once again, tensing as a dull throb grew and grew, and she looked up at him and gasped, “Chrom, I can't- I'm going to...” He smiled at her, barely managing his gentle expression as he gasped and groaned, trying to let her know just how much he wanted that, and then he said her name so softly that it was barely audible, and she came with a soft cry.

Chrom only lasted a little bit longer after her, but that was understandable, considering the fact that he had never done this before. The two of them didn't think about potential consequences or their future, or anything of that nature; not even as they were coming down, resting in their afterglow, did they worry about what had happened. They were much too happy to think about anything but the moment, because Cordelia had finally won over the man she was madly in love with, and Chrom had finally found the right woman for him.

Eventually, they might have to think about consequences, but by that point, they would likely be even closer, and things would only go up from there. Once he had noticed her, he wasn't able to take his eyes off of her, and Chrom knew that Cordelia was the one he wanted to spend the rest of this life with.

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