Work Text:
It was half past midnight and the rain was beginning to pour. Robin slogged his way back to campus without an umbrella by the light of the flickering streetlamps. He held his hood close over his ears to keep his headphones dry. Brunnhilde’s Immolation Scene was already drawing to a close just as Robin approached the final intersection.
Her voice was high and clear, despite the harshness of the German. The music swelled as she ceased her lament and threw the torch upon the pyre. The inferno roared from the strings, Brunnhilde called for her steed, and the brass blasted their fiery anthem. Behind closed eyes, Robin could see flames rising up into the night.
Suddenly, something hard slammed into his legs, toppling him so that his arms released his hold on his coat in order to brace himself for a fall. His eyes shot open as his headphones unraveled out of their nook beneath his hood and he hit the cold street with a sickening lurch. As the puddles soaked into his clothes, he could hear the faint crash of cymbals echoing up from where his headphones lay next to him on the pavement.
With a groan, he raised his head up off the level of the street, attempting to get his bearings in the glare of the headlights. The driver scrambled out into the rain, in his haste, leaving the door wide open behind him.
“Oh my god!” came a strong, deep voice cutting through the patter of the rain. “Are you alright?”
Robin blinked up at the man before him, his blue hair illuminated in a halo of flickering streetlights. Robin felt suddenly as though he had been struck down by an angel.
“Here, take my hand,” the man said. Robin reached up for a firm, warm hand that pulled him to his feet. “Are you hurt? I’m terribly sorry – I stopped as fast as I could, but you just came out of nowhere.”
Robin took a moment to get his bearings. Upon closer inspection, the man was clearly no angel, though Robin could have been forgiven for mistaking him for one. He was beautiful, tall and strongly built, with a ruggedly handsome face drawn in sincere concern.
Robin stared blankly at the man for a few seconds, unable to find any words. He blinked away the droplets from his eyelashes, stunned by the beauty of this man who had nearly run him over with his car. Robin shook himself back to his senses, sending raindrops flying from the tips of his hair.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Just a little shaken up. It was my fault anyway. I was crossing the street with my eyes closed.”
“Here, let’s get you out of the rain.”
Robin realized that the man hadn’t let go of his hand since he’d pulled him off the street. Gently, the man pulled Robin over to the car, opening the passenger side door for him. Without a second thought, Robin slid into the car, dripping onto plush leather seats.
The man got in on the other side. “Are you sure you’re ok?” he asked. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital?”
“No!” Robin said. “Oh, God, no, no hospitals.”
“But I hit you with my car!”
“You grazed me. I just fell down, is all.”
“At least let me give you a ride home. It’s pouring rain, after all.”
“Thank you,” Robin said. “I live pretty close to here, in Shepherd Hall.”
“Ah,” said the man, putting the car in gear. “So you’re a student here?”
“Yeah,” Robin said. Now that they were out of the rain, Robin could get a better look at the man. He was wearing a fraternity jacket and his eyes were the same deep blue as his hair. “You too?”
The man nodded. “Just started this year,” he said.
“Me too,” Robin said, following the rhythm of the windshield wipers with his eyes.
“What did you say your name was?” the man said.
“I didn’t,” Robin said, “but it’s Robin.”
“Robin, huh,” said the man. “I’m Chrom.”
Chrom? Robin thought. What the hell kinda name was that? “Nice to meet you, Chrom,” Robin said.
“The pleasure’s all mine,” Chrom said, “though I can only say that I wish the circumstances of our meeting had been a little less unfortunate.”
Robin smiled as they pulled up to his dorm. The ride had passed relatively quickly. “Well, I guess this is it,” he said.
“Wait,” Chrom said, reaching over to the glove compartment. He pulled out a pen and paper. “I should give you my information.”
“No, no, I told you, I’m fine.”
“I hit you with my car!” Chrom said, jotting something down on the pad. “It’s the least I can do!” He tore off the page and handed it to Robin.
“Thank you,” Robin said, taking the slip of paper.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Chrom said, reaching into the back seat. “Take this.”
He handed Robin a damp black umbrella.
“Oh no!” Robin said. “I couldn’t! It’s only a few steps to the door, I’ll be fine.”
“No, I insist,” Chrom said. “If you don’t have an umbrella on the east coast, you’re in for a world of trouble.”
“Well,” Robin said, “thank you.” He reluctantly took the umbrella, opening it as he slipped out into the rain. He waved back at the shiny BMW before going inside.
As the door slammed shut behind him, he shook the water from his new umbrella and sighed.
He looked down at the contact sheet Chrom had given him. It had his email and phone number, but the rain had smudged away his last name. “Chrom, huh?” Robin said to himself, absent-mindedly heading over to the elevator.
He walked into his dorm room to find his roommate still awake, sprawled out on the floor with his 3DS.
“How was your day, Gaius?” Robin said.
“It was ok,” Gaius said. “I’ve been thinking of changing my Smash main, though.”
“What? But you love Jigglypuff!”
“Yes,” he said. “But I’m a man who loves variety. I think I wanna kick some ass as Dark Pit, just to fuck with people. So, how was your day?”
“It was ok,” he said, shrugging out of his coat. “I got hit by a car.”
Gaius sat up. “What?” he said. “Jesus, are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “It was more an inconvenience than anything. Plus,” he said, glancing down at the damp piece of paper in his hand, “I might have met someone.”
“Please don’t tell me you fell in love with some dude who ran you down with his car.”
“He didn’t run me down!”
“That doesn’t sound like a denial,” Gaius said.
“Well, maybe that’s because it wasn’t.”
Gaius sighed. “You’re hopeless,” he said, turning back to his 3DS.
Robin smiled. Maybe he really was hopeless. But hey, he wasn’t one to turn down a man for trying to give him his number, especially not one who looked like Chrom.