Leaning back in her slightly uncomfortable plastic seat on the bleachers, Robin surveyed this week's newspaper. It was now Monday, and the current edition was selling well – a positive trend Robin had been keeping a very close eye on over the past couple of weeks. The paper was in a good spot and it only seemed to sell more and more in each passing iteration. Luckily, the rest of last week passed without any problems, leading to a smooth and good quality issue of 'Ylisse Now!'

In the end Stahl had, in fact, run the story of Robin almost drowning (although he changed the title) to help kick-start a petition to fence off the offending lake area. It seemed to be receiving quite a bit of support from the student populace, and Chrom had already commented that it may be brought up at the end of the week's student council meeting. The rest of the paper was as good as usual: Lissa's graphic designs were as poppy and eye-catching as ever, Tharja's horoscopes had been getting a lot of praise (though Robin was now 'banned' from reading them), Olivia's pictures only ever seemed to increase in quality and Sumia's poetry column was as solid as ever, though this week she opted to write a poem about flowers instead of birds. There was one thing that confused Robin, though.

"What the heck is this week's Hubba article about?" She turned to the small group gathered on the bleachers who didn't have a club to attend this lunch. Next to her Stahl was barely struggling to keep himself awake, one eye almost fully closed as he tried to stop himself from nodding off. It didn't help that he was halfway through eating a cookie, leaving random specs of crumbs dotted all over his face. Gaius slid in behind her, eyebrows raised.

"Wotcha mean, Squeak? Seemed pretty standard to me." Tossing a bunch of pop rocks in his mouth, he moved his face uncomfortably close to hers just to annoy her with the sound of popping candy. He grinned, opening his mouth to further increase the volume of the sweet cacophony. Robin pushed his face away, picking up the paper and pointing to the column.

'To Old Hubba,

Hey! So… I'm writing in to ask about. Um. A certain event. Okay, so… There's this whole thing coming up where you can, uh, ask someone as a date. To. Attend with you. And there's this one specific guy I have in mind… But I think it may be a bit weird? See, uh, I've known him for… Basically since when we were kids! But I really like him, so, I don't really know what to do! I've no idea what he thinks of me, so I'm not sure if he'll be on board with it! I just… Want to spend this with him, you know? Please help!

Thanks, Pushing-Up-Petals'

'Hey, Pushing-Up-Petals!

Ah, I see the issue. It can always be a bit awkward and nerve-wracking asking for a date, especially true if you've no idea what the other person's feelings are. Plus with the whole best friend angle there's a chance it could skew your relationship in a weird direction. My advice? Ask him anyway! But ask him to go as friends. That should eliminate any awkwardness and, if the evening goes well, you may be able to see whether he likes you back – or if you're just better off as friends. Thanks again for writing in, I hope your Friday goes well!'

Gaius kept an eyebrow raised, pushing around the slowly dissolving sweets in his mouth with his tongue. Lissa and Tharja popped their heads up behind him, turning their attention to the column. The blonde quickly turned back to Robin, leaning back and forth on the pair of crutches she held under her arms.

"Oh! That's about the dance this Friday!" Robin stared blankly at her, the girl's pale face slowly turning into a confused scowl. "…Uh, didn't anybody tell you?" She shook her head. Tharja quickly took this opportunity, grasping Robin's undefended hands that were previously holding the paper. Gaius had to duck out of the way to avoid being shoved aside by the Goth's approach.

"Perfect. That means you don't have a date, correct? Robin, I think both you and I know that no one can truly match your brilliance," Tharja's hands were unsettlingly cold against Robin's skin, her concerned frown quickly twisting into a wide eyed stare as she began getting increasingly more uncomfortable. "None of the morons here would be a suitable… Companion. Except for me, of course." The girl let out her demonic giggle, leaning closer to her with a worrying smile. Wrenching herself free, Robin rose from her seat.

"First of all, Tharja, no," She deflated, crossing her arms and returning a disappointed pout. "Second of all… There's a dance? A proper one? …Even though it's, like, barely October?" The three nodded, acting like this was completely normal.

"Yeah! There's loads of events going on all the time, for example," Lissa awkwardly juggled one of her crutches to the side to free one hand and held out her fingers, beginning to count them down as she listed off all the school's various campaigns. "There's the dance Friday, then at the end of the month it's mine and Chrom's annual Halloween party," She slipped into a Romanian accent for that one, making spooky fingers to accentuate the import of the Halloween party. "Then in mid-November it's the school festival – where there's fireworks, dancing and food – and then towards the end of December it's the Ylissean Winter Games!" Counting off her four fingers, Lissa grinned and propped back down onto her seat, bouncing her bandaged foot. Letting it all sink in, Robin tapped her chin in thought. This was a very busy place – as it was, Lissa only listed off the events that applied to the whole school. It sounded like a lot of fun, sure, but more importantly…

"Dance, huh? Sounds like the perfect opportunity for some classic teenage drama," Robin's face erupted into the Finch grin, devious plans whirring around in her head as the onlooking Gaius and Lissa exchanged a mildly concerned glance. "Just think of it: all the T-rated shenanigans, all the drama and heartbreak that may ensue just by a single act on the dancefloor… And the couples. Man, I could probably fill a whole issue with that kinda stuff…" She trailed off, furrowing her brow. "I could totally fill a whole issue with that kinda stuff." Robin turned to the dozy Stahl, poking his face until he regained some semblance of consciousness.

"Muh…? Robin…? Is it time for class yet?" He yawned, stretched his arms, then suddenly realised he still had half a cookie and threw it in his mouth. Turning to her, he rubbed a bleary eye.

"No, not yet. But seriously, this dance thing on Friday? We are going to make all of this week's issue on it," Her golden eyes shone just thinking about it, waving her hands in an arcing formation above her head as she said it. A twelve page spread filled to the brim with juicy gossip: the perfect bait for a teenage demographic. Robin looked between the doubtful gazes of Lissa, Gaius and Stahl. "What? We could get pictures and stories of some of the couples going… Ooh, maybe we could have a vote in the week after for who the best pair is!" Lissa actually looked excited at that. She leaned forward between Robin and Stahl, looking at the girl with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Really, you'd do that?! That'd be so cute…!" The blonde zoned out, her mind preoccupied with another thought that just popped into her head, then squealed as she fell back and started punching the air. "Oh man, oh man, oh man! I have to be in that issue! Now if my date would hurry up and ask me…" Lissa's voice dropped to a grumble as she crossed her arms over her chest. Robin didn't have to guess at who she was talking about.

"But… Then it'd just be me and you writing it. Plus since most of the material we'd be getting on Friday, like Olivia's pictures, we'd have to make it all by Sunday and give it to Chrom to copy for Monday…" Stahl frowned sleepily, scratching his head. He didn't seem to be looking forward to the amount of work this would land him in.

"We'll just have to work super hard all day on Saturday. As long as we get a lot of notes down on Friday night – and we interview some of the couples before the dance itself – we'll be fine!" Robin grinned, putting her hands on her hips and puffing her chest out, determination shining from her excited face. It was then that Gaius interjected.

"But Squeak, if you're spending the whole of the dance writing notes and… Stalking couples or whatever it is you newspaper sleuths do, then you won't have any time for. Y'know. Dancing," He kneeled behind her seat, placing his chin on the top of the plastic, nudging her shoulder. Robin deflated at his matter-of-fact tone, looking to his leafy cat-like eyes. "And – now correct me if I'm wrong – but I'm sure there's a certain someone that you'd be dying to dance with." Gaius turned his eyes to the field below. Robin followed his gaze to see the Track and Field Team running about the white lines. Forefront was Chrom, as per usual, shouting unintelligible words of encouragement to his fellow teammates. Robin slid down more in her seat, her heart sinking with her. Sure she'd give anything to go with him to the dance, but… Well, first of all, the odds of her actually plucking up the courage to ask him were abysmal. Secondly, the odds of him saying yes were even more questionable. And thirdly… She didn't have a choice: she had to keep her priorities in check, and unfortunately the newspaper had to rank above boys.

"I… He'll just have to go with someone else." The words stung on her lips, a feeling of all-encompassing dread settling in above her. There were bound to be many girls who liked him as well; that thought alone was enough to tear a fissure in her chest. Gaius' face betrayed the slightest hint of sympathy for a moment, then he stood to his feet.

"Mighty responsible of you. Well, you'll be at least happy to hear that I've got a lead for your first couple." He smirked, a strawberry flavoured lollipop materialising out of nowhere. Robin shot up, leaving her feeling of dejection behind as she stood to attention.

"Really?" Her voice shot up an octave – an action that made the ginger boy chuckle.

"Yep, lookee here." Gaius turned and gestured to the two girls behind him that she hadn't really paid attention to: Sumia and Cordelia. The brunette held a flower in her hands, plucking at the petals one by one.

"He'll say yes… He'll say no… He'll say yes… He'll say no…" The girl was covered in a field of petals, along with the bare stems of her previous victims. Cordelia looked almost ready to slap the girl judging from the blatant look of irritation displayed on her beautiful features. Stahl followed suit and turned to look at the two. "Oh gods, this one says he'll say no! How can I bring myself to ask him now?!" Sumia wailed, dropping the empty stem onto her lap and burying her face in her hands. Cordelia tapped a finger impatiently on the top of the seat.

"Sumia, please. Those childish flower petal fortunes mean absolutely nothing. You're being silly." The redhead had a very brisk, stern voice that rolled sharply off her tongue. Robin hadn't really interacted with the head girl before. To be honest, her level of perfection was kind of intimidating. Robin exchanged a curious glance between the two.

"Something up, Sumia?" She looked up at Robin's question, rubbing her runny nose as she continued to despair.

"I w-wanted to ask henry to the dance – as friends! – but there's no way he'll say yes…!" Sumia choked a sob, pulling anxiously on one of the stems. Everyone else who wasn't Sumia stared at her blankly.

"Uh, why wouldn't he say yes?" Sumia frowned at the question, looking between all of them. She went to open her mouth, then closed it again, then repeated this until she looked like the human equivalent of a fish.

"Because… Beeecaaauuuse…" The brunette tried to reason it out, frowning as she looked for a good reason. She shot up, clicking her fingers. "Because I just tore apart all the flowers he gave me!" Robin looked at the mess of petals she'd created and grimaced.

"Doesn't mean he'll reject you. Henry's a reasonable, if slightly insane, guy. Maybe if you got him some flowers he'd be more likely to agree. He does seem to like those things a lot." The unexpected contribution of Stahl lifted up Sumia's head. Robin cast a sideway glance at the boy, who was leaning his chin on his hand as he watched the situation. Sumia quickly got up from her spot on the bleachers, sending a flurry of yellow petals as she went, and clenched her hands into fists. Cordelia almost fell back from the suddenness of it.

"You're right! All I need to do is buy him a bunch of flowers, man up, and ask him! Yeah! I'm sure he'll have forgotten how I fell on that flower patch when I went to visit him in Gardening Club the other day! Or how I dropped that sandwich he got for lunch on Thursday into a puddle! Or how I accidentally scared that bird away that he was feeding on Friday!" The girl grabbed her bag and ran past them before she could actually reflect on what she'd just said, almost tripping up on her way down the steps, and tore off in some random direction. Robin had no idea where exactly she was going to get flowers at this time of day. More than that, she wondered whether they'd actually survive the journey to Henry in that girl's hands.

"Well, that settles that. You better be writing this down, Squeak – there's the story of how your first couple agreed to go together to this dance." Gaius leaned over and ruffled Robin's hair, chuckling as he did. She just prayed he hadn't stuck a piece of candy in there. At that, Stahl pulled a notebook out from his pocket and began writing. Sighing, Robin turned her attention to the rest of the group. Cordelia was regarding them curiously, seeing as the one person she was talking to had just left. Robin met her gaze and the two shared a weirdly uncomfortable moment.

"So, Robin, if you won't go to the dance with me, since you're busy and all… How about we go dress shopping together?" This moment was then thankfully interrupted by Tharja, who crept in at a weirdly close distance once more. She was doing that creepy doll-like smile again.

"You don't exactly seem like the type who likes shopping, Tharja." Robin cocked an eyebrow at the image of the Goth running around town with piles of Hot Topic bags. The girl scoffed.

"Well, normally, no. But for you…" She began blushing, which was apparent even through the layers of thick white foundation. "We'd have to spend a lot of time together, in those small… Cramped… Changing rooms… Who knows what could happen…?" Tharja started laughing, a sound that chilled Robin's blood. Especially considering what she'd just suggested.

"…I'm not really sure about tha-"

"You're not already going shopping with anyone else, are you? It's not Olivia is it? Or your brother? I can always be your replacement if something… Untoward… Were to happen to them." The creases under her dark eyes sharpened, giving the girl an even more terrifying appearance than usual. She was practically inches away from Robin's own face at this moment.

"…You know what? On second thoughts, maybe I will go shopping with you." It was enough to make her wipe her brow in relief as Tharja relented, leaning back with a seemingly contented smile appearing across her face. Gaius, who had backed up a mile at the development, finally retreated back to where he was standing before.

"Great. Thursday, after school. Me. You. Shopping." Tharja grinned – which was basically an oxymoron – and sat down on her seat, pulling out her phone and beginning to tap out something. The ginger boy turned to Robin and looked genuinely remorseful at her predicament.

"Hey, Cordelia, who are you going to the dance with?" Lissa's chirpy voice broke through the tension. Both Robin and Gaius turned to the two, as Stahl was still busy writing in his notebook. Robin had no doubt that Cordelia could get any guy she possibly wanted: she was, in the most literal sense of the word, perfect. Head girl, beautiful face, the ideal body shape and not to mention extremely intelligent. Yeah, there was no doubt she'd be any guy's dream girl. A pit of jealousy almost threatened to form in Robin's chest, but she immediately quashed it. Putting Cordelia in this week's issue with whoever her date was seemed like a good idea. The girl smiled; a forced expression, yet it somehow still fit wonderfully on her face.

"Me? Aha… Um, a few have asked, but I'm not going with anyone yet." Robin's shoulders slumped a little at her response. Climbing over a few seats to Cordelia's row, Gaius plopped himself next to the girl, twirling his lollipop. He had that distinctly feline smirk.

"Aw, Cordy, you gonna be all alone? Heh, maybe if you're lucky I'll be able to provide you with a dance or two. You know, when I'm not being hounded by my soon-to-be harem of women." The teasing came out as a purr, though Cordelia just scoffed and turned away.

"Gaius, you need to work on your manners. If you end up showing to the dance in the state that you're dressed like now… Well, I'd doubt it if your harem could even reach the sum of one girl." She raised a finely pointed eyebrow at him as she delivered the scolding. Gaius just whistled and put an arm around the back of her seat, shrugging.

"Whatever you say, Mother." Lissa swayed back and forth on her crutches, looking over to the field for a few moments, before turning back to Cordelia.

"Are you going to ask him?" Cordelia froze at the innocent question that escaped the blonde's mouth. Stahl paused from his writing, looking up at Cordelia to see her reaction. The girl had gone crimson, almost the colour of her hair, and lost the usual confident gravitas she possessed. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt and licked her lips, managing an awkward half-smile as she attempted to answer Lissa. Robin had now become extremely interested in what was happening. Did the head girl have some sort of… Unrequited Crush? This was big news.

"I… I may try. Um. I mean, the last few times I've choked, but…" Her voice trailed off. Gaius had directed his attention to the sky, finding the clouds far more interesting than the current conversation. Cordelia nodded to herself, looking up with a fierce fire of resolve blazing in her red eyes. "This time, I'll do it. I'll ask him!" In the corner of her eye, Robin caught Stahl cast a lingering stare at the redhead – was that a frown? – but in a moment it was gone, and he returned to his note making. Lissa smiled at the girl. Enthralled by this sudden development, Robin leaned over the back of her chair, grinning at the head girl.

"So? Who's the lucky guy? I need to know. For newspaper purposes." She caught Cordelia's gaze, who smiled almost shyly in return. Lissa went unusually quiet.

"Chrom, of course!" …What. She must've misheard. Robin's grin faltered slightly. The atmosphere around her suddenly got very still.

"…Sorry, who? Could you r-repeat that please?" The question came out very stunted. Cordelia frowned in confusion at being asked to repeat herself.

"You know. Chrom? Head boy, Mr Perfect, dark blue hair, dashing smile…?" Robin felt like her very reality had been splintered. The dread that had only momentarily bothered her earlier now collided into her gut with a blow that was enough to knock the breath from her. She was suddenly drowning in a sickening sense of envy. This was Cordelia. Head girl. The Miss Perfect to Chrom's Mr Perfect. There was absolutely no way that Robin could possibly win against her. Robin's mouth suddenly felt like it had been stuffed with cotton balls, any moisture that once lingered had now evaporated with Cordelia's confession. The redhead returned her confused stare, but in that very same moment, realisation flashed in her face. Cordelia's face morphed from bewilderment into something akin to pure, unadulterated contempt. It was almost malicious. A shudder ran down Robin's spine as she held her stare. She knew. "You…" Cordelia started. "…I'm going to ask Chrom." It was a statement that brooked no argument. Robin could only nod dumbly as she sank back into her seat, turning to face forward and staring out into the field where Chrom was still running his laps. Right. It made no difference, anyway. Robin couldn't bring a date. She needed to get over that awful feeling that clung to her abdomen; it was just a dance, one that she would not be going to with Chrom.


Robin didn't sleep very well that night. Tossing and turning, she tried to fight off the sensation of unwarranted rejection that seeped into her chest. Flashes of those two beautiful figures drifting in a loose embrace were gouged into her eyelids, making her stomach churn and crawl in anxiety. She was almost thankful that she was suddenly jerked awake.

Rubbing her eyes, she glanced out over her still dark room, the glowing red lines of her digital clock the only things illuminating the black that clung to her surroundings. It said it was five a.m. Robin sat up, kicking the suffocating duvet from her body. It wasn't even light outside yet, judging from the lack of sunlight shining in behind her thin curtains. Why did she wake up? Did her nightmare finally snap her into consciousness? These questions were almost immediately answered by the brisk sound of knocking coming from the front door downstairs. Slinking out of bed, Robin quietly made her way down the carpeted stairs, trying to get to the door before their impatient visitor woke Jay up. Robin stifled a yawn as she finally reached the door, brushing some of her messy hair out of her face in a lazy attempt to look half-decent. It was probably just the postman, anyway. Sighing, she opened the door.

"…Gaius?" The ginger haired boy stopped mid-knock. He was fully dressed, seemed completely unbothered by the fact the sun had just barely started rising, and was looking at Robin's pink, fluffy 'Hello Taguel' pyjamas in a mixture of curiosity and bemusement. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, she crossed her arms over her chest, trying her best to look disapproving despite the pink rising to her cheeks. "Wh-what are you doing here? School doesn't even open until half eight!" Tearing his gaze away from the friendly visage of smiling bunnies, he met Robin's golden eyes with a small smirk.

"Got up early and decided I wanted a walk. Then I got hungry. So I came here," He rubbed his reddened nose with a fingerless gloved hand, looking over Robin's shoulder as she tried her hardest to scowl through the slowly encroaching crimson of her face. Gaius flicked his eyes back to her. "So you gonna let me in Squeak or what? I ain't getting any younger here." Robin bit the inside of her cheek in mild annoyance, but still stepped back to let him in. He advanced past her without another look, heading straight to the kitchen with a purposeful gait. Closing the door, Robin followed after him.

"We have a box of microwavable porridge if you're that hungry. We've ran out of anything good to put on it though," Entering the kitchen, Robin saw the boy rummaging through their cupboards. "Wha- hey! Stop that!" Dodging around the various pieces of furniture, she tried in vain to quieten the noise Gaius was creating.

"Porridge is a no-go. You guys never have anything good here." Completely ignoring her, the boy pulled out a mess of bowls and cooking equipment and clattered them onto the counters. Robin scowled. She didn't recall him ever coming over for food before.

"Then why the heck are you tearing our cupboards apart?" She kept her voice to a forced whisper. Tossing her a passing smirk, Gaius put back most of the stuff he'd pulled out, closing the cupboard as quietly as he could muster as he gestured to the things he'd kept out.

"Today's your lucky day, Squeak. I'm going to treat you to some of my delicious homemade pancakes." Grabbing the weighing scale set off to the side, he started unfurling the bag of flour. Robin just stared at him incredulously. The image of Gaius baking was not a sight she ever expected to see.

"Y-you cook?" He tried his best not to laugh at her high-pitched squeaking, instead pouring out the white powder and pausing every so often to check the scale.

"Yep. One of the most cherished members of our own Cooking Club, in fact. Lemme tell you, my honey cakes are to die for," Seemingly pleased with the measurement, Gaius poured the flour into the large glass bowl he'd procured from one of their cupboards. "Do me a favour, Squeak, can you grab me an apron?" He turned to her, eyebrows raised expectantly. Robin shut her mouth which had previously been hanging open, finding it difficult to process the information he'd just given her. He leaned down and poked her forehead. "He-llo, anybody in there? Crivens, you are the worst assistant." Shaking her head, Robin managed to pull herself out of her daze.

"Uh, a-apron, got it." She turned around and walked to the other side of the room as Gaius went to the sink to wash his hands. Pulling the kitten emblazoned apron from the nearby coat hook, Robin glanced back over at him. This was… Weird. She wasn't hallucinating from lack of sleep, was she? Or maybe it was a dream. It was pretty unbelievable to see Gaius merrily whistling as he wiped his wet hands on a tea towel, looking over at her with a complacent half-smirk pasted on his sharp features. He was supposed to be the rebellious rogue type, right? Yeah, he liked sweets, but Robin was pretty sure that following in the footsteps of Mary Berry did not fit into his character archetype. Cautiously, she walked towards him and offered up the feline infested piece of clothing.

"Thanks. Now make yourself useful, Squeak – grab some eggs and milk from the fridge. Oh, and wash your hands. Don't think you're gonna get a pancake just because you're letting me use your kitchen, you gotta work for your breakfast." Donning the apron, Gaius gave her a cheeky wink, then turned to grease a frying pan he'd found. Still mildly shell-shocked, Robin turned to the fridge and did as he said. There was no way around it; that boy was, in fact, the ginger haired candy tycoon who she knew and sometimes tolerated.

"Uh, we only have semi-skimmed milk. That okay?" She plopped the ingredients down next to his workspace then turned to the sink.

"Yup, it's exactly what we need. Finish greasing that pan while I work my magic," Gaius cracked his knuckles, grabbing a whisk in one hand and an egg in the other. Taking the pan and greasing paper, she turned to watch what Gaius was doing. He deftly cracked the egg one-handed on the side of the glass mixing bowl, then pulled the shell apart with his fingers as the contents dribbled into the middle of the pile of flour. Tossing the shell to the side, he started whisking the mixture energetically. It was impressive, actually; the whisk moved in a silver blur, whipping up the egg-flour mixture into a yellowish paste within a matter of seconds. Gaius stopped momentarily, wiping off a bit of mixture on his face that had flecked up from the bowl. He caught Robin's surprised expression and made his feline grin. "Didn't think a guy like me could be good at this stuff?" She snapped out of it, looking to the boy and managing a small smile.

"Uh. Well. No." Robin answered simply. Gaius just shrugged, pouring in a bit of milk into the mixture as he started to whisk again.

"That's what you get for underestimating me, Squeak," He glanced up from the mixture, flicking a bit in her direction. It landed right on the end of her nose. "And that's for zoning out on your pan greasing duties." Robin couldn't help but grin at Gaius' playful antics. Turning back to her 'pan greasing duties', she watched him continue to create the pancake batter through the corner of her eye. They fell into comfortable silence as he kept whisking away, eventually finishing the mixture and stepping back, wiping his hands on the apron.

"We done?" Robin had to fight back a yawn, glancing to the window to see a few slivers of sunlight leak in from the outside world.

"Nope. We gotta let it chill for about thirty minutes. Then comes the fun part." He tapped the end of the whisk on the side of the bowl, letting a few bits of batter ooze off. Robin leaned back on the countertop, a position which Gaius soon joined her in. She snuck glances at him curiously every so often, a nagging suspicion playing up in her chest.

"So… Did you not have pancake ingredients at your house?" She swore she saw him flinch, but he easily played it off by stretching his arms and not meeting her gaze.

"We probably did. I just didn't wanna go back to check. You guys, however, are always stocked up since I'm pretty sure neither of you know what an oven is." The ginger boy snickered, scratching his neck. Robin furrowed her brow. Her inner reporter told her that he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"You don't exactly seem like the type who likes sharing. If you cooked at your house then you wouldn't have to give any of your pancakes to me." She pushed further. Gaius turned to her and fixed her with an uncharacteristically intense stare, his lips downturned into a frown. Robin met it with her own level of intensity. They had what could be described as a mini staring contest for about a minute, but eventually Gaius relented and sighed. Pulling himself onto the edge of the countertop, he clicked his tongue.

"Alright, alright. You got me," He propped his chin on his knuckles, addressing her directly. Robin met his leafy eyes with an excited smile, pulling herself next to him. "My ma kicked me out this morning. I think she was drunk. She'll probably be better after school, but I figured I'd stay out of her way for a while until she sobers up," Robin frowned, looking up at Gaius and reaching out a compassionate hand to his shoulder. Gaius turned away from her empathetic display, choosing instead to look at the bowl of pancake batter. "It's really no big deal. You don't need to give me those sad puppy eyes, Squeak." He mumbled.

"But Gaius, that's… Terrible! How could your mum do that to yo-"

"Hey, don't go judging my mother when yours isn't even around. Leaving two helpless kids to look after themselves all the time? That's not exactly the ideal parent either." Robin blinked, taking her hand back in shock at Gaius' snap. He turned to her, his eyes transforming into piercing emerald daggers as Robin tried to think of a response.

"B-but… That's just because she's away working!" She sat up, brows knit in defiance. What the heck made him turn so quickly? That was completely uncalled for. Gaius just snorted.

"Right. Of course. What kind of lame excuse is that? What could possibly be more important than looking after her kids? At least my ma's there when I come home." He pushed himself off the counter, walking over to check on the batter.

"Sh-she's travelling the world, recording the top stories of the century! As we speak she's in Valm, researching about the new political reformation: a scoop someone only as accomplished as her could dream of!"

"Is that why you're so fixated on your newspaper? Hoping that one day you'll hit it big so you can step out of your absent mama's shadow?" Gaius turned to her, bristling. "What kind of pathetic dream is that, Robin? Think your future's gonna be handed to you on a silver platter just 'cus of your legacy? Well, guess what, that's not how it works. So climb down from that stupid pedestal you're stuck on and join us rats in the gutter. So maybe you can watch me as I get buried under the grime because life doesn't care about what you want!" Robin stood still, thunderstruck. She was about to shout back some fiery retort, but stopped as she saw Gaius wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Gaius…?" Robin dropped from the counter, approaching him cautiously as he desperately rubbed his eyes.

"I-I'm fine. I'm fine. S-sorry, that… I'm sorry, Squeak. I d-didn't mean that. Any of it." He covered his face with his hands, his shoulders rising and falling as he took deep breaths.

"Hey, it's… No big deal," A small smile played on her lips as she repeated his same words. "People say silly things when they're upset. I get it." She reached up and patted his head, relieved as Gaius finally pulled down his hands. His eyes were still a bit bleary.

"Yeah, well just… Ignore all of that. Crivens, this week just keeps going from bad to worse. And it's only Tuesday." Gaius sniffed, scowling to himself. Robin withdrew her hand and put it behind her back, raising an eyebrow in piqued curiosity.

"Something up?" He turned his eyes to her, studying her golden orbs as he considered how to respond. Setting his lips taut in a straight line, he pointed a finger in her face.

"I'll tell you. If you promise not to make a story on it." The usual Gaius smirk returned to his face, a welcome sight. Robin put her hands on her hips and grinned.

"For you? I guess I'll just have to ignore this exclusive. Means I get an extra pancake though." Gaius sighed overdramatically, putting the back of his hand to his forehead and looking wistfully at the cupboards.

"You're an extortionist, Squeak," He looked back to her, his canines showing. "I've taught you well."

"Too well," Robin agreed. They both laughed, any ill-will between them instantly forgotten. "Okay, so spill. What's the scoop?" Gaius rolled his eyes at her use of journalist lingo.

"Okay, fine. It's about the whole… Dance thing," He waved his arms limply, his smile faltering as he tried to explain it. "There was… Well, is, a girl I want to go with. But I'm 99% sure she likes someone else," Robin cocked an eyebrow, mouth open as she pointed to herself. Gaius blinked and quickly shook his head. "No, not you, dummy! I mean I may save you a dance if you're lucky, but you're my best friend's sister! B'sides, I'm not a fan of the whole wide-eyed innocent Bambi type."

"Ouch." Robin grinned. Gaius just rolled his eyes, a smile pulling up one side of his mouth.

"Anyway, this girl is… Completely different from me. Like, a whole world apart. She's the best at everything, everyone loves her and… Well, I'm. Me," Gaius laughed sadly to himself, running a hand through his ginger hair. He fixed his faraway gaze on the tiled floor under his feet. "I can hardly keep up with someone like that. I'm barely passing my classes and I've got a less than sweet reputation. Pretty stupid of me to fall for a girl I can never have, huh?" He cast an eye to Robin, who was deep in thought with a wrinkled brow.

"You're not the first." She looked up and gave him a small, reassuring smile. He scoffed, but returned the sentiment anyway.

"Yeah. Well. It sucks. I barely spend any time with her as it is, since she's in the year above us. I was gonna ask her anyway – just to see, y'know? – but honestly I don't think it's worth the effort now. She's definitely gonna reject me." He sighed, leaning the back of his head on one of the closed cupboards above them. Robin frowned. It was saddening seeing Gaius so unconfident; this whole morning had shown her more sides to Gaius than she'd ever thought possible. She turned to him, punching his arm.

"You need to ask her." He blinked, caught off guard and turned to her with a surprised expression. He evidently was not expecting that kind of response.

"But I just said she liked someone else!" Robin shrugged.

"So?"

"So… She'll say no!" Gaius threw his hands in the air, looking at her as if she were stupid.

"No she won't," She'd thrown him for a loop. He looked completely dumbfounded at her perseverance, causing the Finch grin to finally emerge. She pointed one of her fingers in his face, making him go cross-eyed. "You're Gaius. You've got a silver tongue that could get you out of any situation scot-free, even if you murdered the head of the Naga hierophants! Heck, with your skills of smooth-talking you could charm the non-existent pants off a snake! And you think a girl will say no to you?" Robin tutted, shaking her head. "Physically impossible. Even if she were madly in love with this other guy, all it would take is a few of your honey covered words and she'll be falling over herself to ask you to the dance." Gaius stared at her, mouth slightly ajar at her encouragement. Then he started to mirror her grin.

"Yeah… Yeah, you're right, Squeak! What am I worried about? Nobody could resist the overpowering allure of Gaius!" He was back to normal.

"That's the spirit! Now when we get to school you march right up to her and invite her to that dance – don't take no for an answer!"

"Yes sir!" The boy saluted, beaming like there was no tomorrow. Robin nodded her head.

"Huh? Is that you, Gaius…?" They both turned to the direction of the stairs where a sleepy Jay stood, rubbing his eyes. He put on his glasses and squinted. Gaius immediately turned his smile to him, waving a greeting.

"Yep! About time you got up." Jay met his smile with a slightly sadder one.

"Was it…?" Her brother trailed off, looking towards her cautiously. Gaius just nodded. Robin looked between them, eyebrows raised. Jay didn't seem at all surprised by Gaius' presence. Had this happened before…? Jay and Gaius were both in different years, so it was kind of strange for them to be as close as they were. But if he came over here like this when she was still in her old school… "Ooh, is that pancake batter?" She was shook from her thoughts as Jay shoved past her, putting his hands to the sides of his face as he grinned from Gaius to the bowl.

"You got that right Bubbles! Care to do the honours?" The boy dramatically bowed, gesturing with both arms to the bowl and the frying pan.

"Like you even need to ask." Jay scoffed, rolling up his pyjama sleeves and turning on the oven hob. Robin watched as the two boys struggled to flip pancakes – a feat that she herself failed miserably at when it came to her turn, resulting in a half-baked mess stuck to the ceiling – and the remainder of the morning passed by in peaceful banter. They each ate their fill and the two siblings eventually got dressed as the sun finally rose in the sky, the walk to school almost the same as any other day: Jay making jokes about various topics, Robin occasionally butting in with one of her own, and Gaius making snarky quips as he teased the siblings. Everything was back to normal. And Robin liked it that way.

As they neared the school she shot a curious glance at Gaius, who returned it with a confident nod. All his inhibitions forgotten, he was going to find his girl as soon as they passed through those gates. Robin genuinely believed it would be impossible for anyone to reject the guy. Before he could, however, Lissa hobbled upto them on her crutches, exasperation painted on her delicate features.

"Guys! Did you hear?!" Her voice was an octave higher than usual between her wheezes, resulting in a sort of shrill squawk. The three passed a glance between eachother, each wearing a furrowed brow, and shrugged. The blonde made a pained expression. "Cordelia… Cordelia asked Chrom to the dance! And he said yes!" The breath caught in Robin's throat as her heart sank below her feet. In that moment, Gaius and Robin burst out the same incredulous return:

"WHAT?!"


Author's Notes:

The Angst has arrived

Thanks to my new fav/follower: sailorconstellation! Thanks for the support :3

Additional shoutouts to my lovely reviewers: a mysterious guest (hearing no one's OoC is the biggest relief, thank you so much xD And Lucina... I'm quite partial to that pair myself ;o), Opposites Exist (Avril rocks xD SHE SAID SEE YA LATER BOI), Kit-Cat Star (thanks so much ;w; Yeah I love Lon'qu and Lissa, they're just so sweet), animals202 (ohohoho, the ships will get even more conflicted soon c:) and Imaginativegoody2shoes (hope you enjoy this one too :3)