Chapter Text
It was finally that day. The day Niles had been waiting for for so long now. It was the day his husband was coming back. Niles had spent these last few...what was it? Days? It felt like weeks ACHING for Corrin to come back, and it was finally the day.
Corrin took the army to storm Hoshido for the final battle, and had told Niles to stay behind.
----------------------------------------------------5 Days Before----------------------------------------------------
"Corrin," Niles said, "I'm not as fragile as you make me out to be."
"The only one implying that you are weak is YOU, Niles," said his husband jokingly. "Besides, you're not staying behind because I'm worried of you capability to fight, I have to go and you're the only one who knows the children well enough to take care of them."
"Felicia and Jakob are both capable!" Niles demanded. "They have been in our children's lives for as long as we have!" This battle was going to be dangerous, and Niles knew that, he wanted to be able to be by his husband to ensure his safety.
It was odd to see Niles lose his cool like this, but Corrin was steady with what he believed. Corrin knew the casualties would be immense, and he didn't want to risk his love being one of them.
"Niles," Corrin said desperately, "you know perfectly well how clumsy Felicia is, and have you SEEN Jakob with Dwyer? You are the only person I trust to take care of your children."
Niles said nothing. He knew deep down his husband was right, he usually was, he just didn't want to admit it. Corrin meant so much to him, he couldn't bear even THINKING about losing him. He was his redemption, and he needed him in his life. Niles knew Corrin better than anyone, so he could tell when he was dead set in his ways, and knew there was no point in arguing.
He closed his eye and sighed. "Alright. I'll stay here."
Corrin looked relieved as embraced his husband. "Thank you so much. You know exactly what to do right? What they eat and won't eat, when the sleep, what their favorite book is."
"Corrin, love, you act like I'm their babysitter and not their father." Niles chuckled to himself quietly as his husband blushed
"Y-yes! Of course I know! I was just...making sure YOU knew, of course!" Corrin was incredibly flustered now, he always got flustered easily around his husband.
Niles kissed Corrin on the cheek. "Ah yes, of course that's what you were doing. How foolish of be to believe otherwise." The room went quiet for a few moments, until Corrin spoke,
"Well, I should be going then. There is a war meeting I have to go to before we leave in the morning. It's just a quick briefing to go back over the plan."
Niles nodded solemnly. He understood what Corrin was saying, even if he didn't want to admit it. He reached out to his husband and kissed him. When the pulled apart, Niles whispered into his husband's ear,
"If you come back with so much as a SCRATCH, I'm not speaking to you for the rest of our lives."
Corrin chuckled as his husband's gesture and kissed his forehead. He broke away from his husband and started for the door.
"Corrin," Niles said. Corrin turned around to look his husband in the eye. "Promise me you'll come back."
Corrin smiled at his husband's question. He knew he couldn't keep that promise, but he embraced his husband again, and said "I promise, I will come back with not a single scratch on my body."
He felt the tears well up into his eyes and tried to hold them back. He knew what was going to happen, he knew that he was most likely going to be one of the casualties in the oncoming battle, but Niles gave him hope. He couldn't die, he knew he wouldn't, he told himself he wouldn't, and he believed he wouldn't. He knew he wouldn't die, because Niles and their children were waiting for him at home. He was going to fight, and he was going to win. He would come home, run to his family, and never let them go. After all, he was a giant dragon, he couldn't possibly get hurt...
Right?