I feel like Gaius is a little OC. I apologize for that.

I don't own Fire Emblem Awakening, but you knew that :)

The air whistled passed Robin's face, flapping at her hood and cloak and she pulled at the edges to keep her face hidden. She tightened her fingers on her other hand around the Thunder tome. The air was cool and, even wearing armor and her cloak, she still felt the creeping cold along her spine.

She could still hear the sounds of laughter coming from the tents of her companions. She could tell the others were having fun, cheering on Vaike as he downed pint after pint of alcohol. Recently the Shepards had been finding more and more time to relax after successful battle after successful battle.

Robin settled down on the top of the hill, a little ways away from the camp. The evening sun shone dimly, purple and pink hues gracing the sky in swirls of color that reflected Robin's dark eyes. She crossed her legs and sat comfortably, staring into the dark sky.

She wanted to celebrate with her friends. Nothing pulled at her thoughts more than enjoying the time she spent with them... but something gripped her heart and she found herself shying away from each invitation.

She flipped through her spell book, studying the runes and symbols that were so familiar to her she could recite them in her sleep. She read through them one after the other but her thoughts moved in different directions.

The Hierophant. Validar's Plegian comrade. The woman who shared Robin's face. Just remembering the chill that went down her spine the moment their eyes had met. It spooked Robin.

Not to mention Validar's whispered words to her after the encounter. His admission. It took everything in her to block out his words. She closed her eyes tight, trying to push back the memory. Chrom had shown faith in her. He didn't care about her forgotten past. She was their companion and friend. She clutched onto Chrom's words of encouragement but they did nothing to stem the turmoil in her brain.

I just needed time by myself, she believed. That's what made her find a secluded place away from the festivities. Yet she couldn't stop thinking about it... so it really defeated the point, didn't it?

Irritated, she closed her book with a slam.

"Whoa. Bubbles, you really gave me a fright!" Robin jumped, turning around with surprise. She hadn't heard him arrive. Gaius, his orange hair tousled by the wind, crouched, hands resting on his knees, directly behind her. He had shed his usual assassin's armor for more comfortable relaxing clothes. He smiled and tilted his head at her curiously.

"Gaius! What are you doing here?"

"Blue was worried. Sent me to get you."

"Chrom?" Robin looked around Gaius' shoulder as if she could see the Ylissean lord standing behind him, arms crossed. Gaius snickered and brought himself beside Robin, sitting down and looking out at the sunset.

"Enjoying the view, Bubbles?"

"Huh? Well... I guess." She really hadn't been paying attention. Looking out at the view now, Gaius' eyes on her face, she really couldn't comprehend her surroundings. She shook her head to clear it.

Gaius poked her in the forehead. Robin blinked, leaning away from him in surprise, locking onto his emerald eyes. "Frown lines, Bubbles."

Robin reflexively touched her bangs, brushing them back to touch her forehead. She frowned even further finding that there were none and Gaius tsked at her. "See you're still doing it. What's on your mind?"

She looked at him. "What makes you think anything's wrong?" Frankly, if she couldn't talk to Chrom, her best friend, about this, she certainly couldn't talk to Gaius about it. The puckering of Gaius' lips almost seemed like he was pouting at her. She narrowed her eyes. He looked away and she blinked. Was he really that upset?

"Gauis, I'm sorry-I didn't mean to make you upset. I just don't think there's much I could say about it, is all."

Smirking somewhat, Gaius turned back to me. "Aha. I knew there was something going on, Bubbles."

Damn. He got me. Robin wrapped her arms around her knees, looking away back at the sunset again. She could hear Gaius breathing, waiting for her to speak. She felt like she should, but the words wouldn't manifest themselves. When she thought about what she could say, the words died on her tongue before she could open her mouth to say them.

A hand brushed along her shoulders and she felt warmth envelop her side as Gaius leaned over to wrap his arm around her. She turned to him, surprised, and found him facing the sunset. "You don't need to speak, Bubbles." He said, without looking at her. Robin closed her eyes. She just listened to the sound of the wind whistling past her head and ear. It was quite peaceful actually, a little more peaceful with Gaius' presence nearby. She breathed.

"Thank you... Gaius." She whispered and felt his head lean against her shoulder. She flinched a little, "H-hey..." He didn't move and she touched his shoulder, feeling his warmth underneath her fingertips. She shook him a bit but he didn't react. Then she heard him snoring. "You're kidding..." She huffed and turned towards the sunset again. The swirls of pink and purple had melted into a orange-ish wave of light that balanced off the blue-ish black night sky. The colors shone even brighter against the encroaching darkness. "Pretty..." She couldn't help but whisper aloud and she heard Gaius beside her mumble.

"Gaius?" She glanced at him again and he squirmed a little but did not wake. She smiled a bit and poked his cheek, watching with a smile as he grumbled and turned his head away. She found it rather strange that she was the one teasing him for a change.

The light from the sunset shone off his hair and she admired it, then realizing what she was doing, she blushed and looked away. She felt bad moving while he slept, so she stayed still and listened to the soft snoring. She found her thoughts moving back to Validar and the Hierophant who shared her face, and she found that Gaius' breathing disrupted each deprecating memory.

"Chocolate..." Gaius mumbled and Robin smiled. Even sleeping he was obsessed with sweets. It was nice to know that he would never change. She looked at the sunset again, which was disappearing rapidly now. If this worry was just like the sunset, striking and impressionable at first but then quickly it retreats... then she won't have to worry. She smiled at Gaius. Especially with a sweet-toothed angel on her shoulder.

...

Did she really just think that?