A/N: That moment when you stop caring about how the chapter reads because you're so done with it, even if it's not done with you.

That moment when you want to just write all the smut in the world, but the plot doesn't require it. =_= The worst.

I admit, I'm a teeny bit worried about the reception on Libra. :l Even I'm like WHY YOU MAKE ME WRITE LIKE DIS, LIBRA?!

Chapter 12: Challenge

It wasn't long after Chrom left when Robin found herself trying to find anything to do to keep her mind stimulated enough to not scream out in boredom. She checked her emails and messages while munching on lunch. Once full, she took several selfies-since no one got the perfect selfie on the first try—and sent the best one to Frederick. He responded with a smiley face: a huge improvement on his emoji usage (as in zero usage to the occasional emoji now). Then, Robin cooed over red panda videos and spammed Frederick with every video she watched followed by texts in all caps emphasizing the 'cuteness overload' and the need to travel to Chon'sin to see them in person. He didn't respond this time, so Robin assumed he was busy.

She grew restless again. Both Gaius and Cherche were occupied. This was as bad as being sick at home as a high school student.

The gears in her head turned, planning out how to tease Frederick. A light went off in her head. She grinned as she picked up her phone and sent him a text.

I miss you. I'm wet thinking about you.

If anyone else saw the immediate response she received, they probably would've assumed that he wasn't interested in her at all. But it wasn't what he said that mattered so much. It was the fact that he dropped everything and responded in that split second.

I'm at work, love. Don't challenge me.

Staring at her conversation, Robin laughed. He was flustered, alright.

Robin bit her lip and put her phone, formulating the next text in her head. She placed Mr. Long in her lap and played with his furry mane.

Knock. Knock.

"Come in!" said Robin, simultaneously frowning and sitting up in her bed.

It couldn't be Chrom since he was at work. It also couldn't be Frederick since she had been adamant about him visiting her only after work. Robin settled on assuming it was the doctor or nurse coming in to check-in on her. When the door opened, Robin preferred that the visitor was Chrom instead.

"Miss Grima, hello." The blond man always had a warm smile that contrasted against his intent. He had a chocolate gift basket in his hand. It was probably poisoned.

"Hello, Libra," murmured Robin.

Libra closed the door behind him, trapping both of them inside the suite. "I came to see how you were faring."

Translation: Chrom's father wanted a message delivered.

The secretary approached Robin and she had nowhere to run and was cornered into whatever hell he was going to throw her into. Libra established his position at the foot of her bed.

"How are you feeling? The doctors say that your injuries are healing well. They're concerned more with your concussion."

"The headaches and nausea come and go, but I'll be fine," said Robin.

"Mr. Exalt sends his regards. He's sorry to hear about your accident."

The only thing the president was sorry about was that she didn't die.

"How kind of him." Bitterness seeped into her words. "I'd like to go home as soon as possible."

"Madame Exalt wants to ensure that you are your best health before you're discharged," said Libra. "But you are free to leave when you want. We wouldn't want you going back on your word now, would we?"

Her hands clenched the blanket. "I didn't approach Chrom."

"But you did, Miss Grima. Lunch," reminded Libra. Hearing such harsh words coming from a man who emanated gentleness was something Robin never got used to. "This unfortunate accident would've never happened if you kept your promise to stay away from Chrom."

"Libra, I swear it's not what it seems," argued Robin.

"I never is, Miss Grima."

"I was trying to make it clear to Chrom that it was over. That we weren't getting back together," pleaded Robin.

While she had nothing to be ashamed of, Libra's pleasant stare made Robin lower her eyes.

"I know this may seem unfair. But this is all for the best, Miss Grima," said Libra. "We wouldn't want you to get hurt again."

Robin slowly released the breath she had been holding in. She fought the urge to reach out for Mr. Long, but showing any signs of discomfort was the last thing she needed.

"I'm here to help you. I wouldn't want you to push your luck with the president. He can be harsh if he deems that it is necessary to prepare Chrom for his future role. The last thing I would want for you is to lose your job at Exalt. We are very impressed with your work. Nevertheless, Mr. Exalt believes that no matter how talented an individual is, we can always find someone better. We have the money to do that."

"What happened this time?" choked Robin.

Libra didn't answer right away, as if he thought the answer was obvious.

"Chrom was late for an important meeting today," said Libra. "The flowers in the vase over there is from a flower shop near the Exalt household. Demoiselle is the only flower shop that sells ranunculus flowers of those colours. Quite lovely, aren't they? And Chrom's credit card records confirmed that he did, indeed, drop by Demoiselle yesterday and here they are. In your hospital suite."

"You don't have to worry about it anymore. He said he'd give me space. He said he won't approach me again until I initiate something. And I won't be," said Robin. "I won't be contacting him, Libra."

"I see, Miss Grima. It appears that you are learning," said Libra. "And please disregard anything Madame Exalt has said to you pertaining to Chrom. She's always had a soft spot for Chrom and can get emotional at times, failing to see the larger picture."

Those were Carlisle's words. Sure, Libra was the president's errand dog, but she knew he wasn't cold-hearted. Liana and Libra had a history together and a mutual trust for each other.

"Okay," said Robin. "Is there anything else?"

"I pray that you have a speedy recovery," said Libra. He walked over to the armchair and placed the gift basket on it.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Get well, Miss Grima," said Libra with a slight bow of his head.

Robin prayed that she wouldn't see him again. She kept her eyes on the blanket, listening to his heels click on the floor. The door opened and clicked shut.

All the turmoil she had suppressed surfaced. The tears stinging her eyes soaked her cheeks. Quickly, she grabbed a pillow from behind her and buried her face into the pillow, hoping that it would muffle her cries.

Nothing she did was the right move. She was cornered again. She feared what news Libra would come bearing if the president ever found out about Frederick and her. They'd probably assume that she was using Frederick to get to Chrom.

They overestimated her abilities of being a manipulative, conniving whore.

Her phone chimed: another message from Frederick.

Did you fall asleep? Or are you upset I didn't play along?

Within seconds, another text came in, followed by a picture of a bear in a flower field lying on its back smelling a flower with its hind paw.

In case you're upset.

Sawing was the only way Frederick could describe how Chrom was cutting his steak. He had a particularly strong grip on the knife and the steak was stabbed in place with his fork. Chrom took a huge bite before washing it all down with what remained of his second glass of wine. He waved over the waiter and told him to just bring what remained of the bottle.

"Chrom, you still have work after," said Frederick.

"I'm hardly going to be useful today anyway, considering I haven't slept," said Chrom. He thanked the waiter for refilling his wine glass.

Frederick's eyebrows knitted into one another. "You need to take better care of yourself. Or you're going to burn out."

"Father doesn't believe in burn out. He said burn out is for lazy people who only have excuses. Like depression," said Chrom. "Of course, he'd never say that in public, but that's what he really thinks." He returned to sawing his steak.

"About this morning," started Frederick.

Chrom stopped and dropped his cutlery onto the plate like he had lost his appetite. He reached for his wine glass, but Frederick was faster and he had moved it out of his reach. The younger man glowered at him.

"I'm not stupid, Frederick. I know why you were there," said Chrom.

"Despite the recent discoveries, I would still like to continue to be your mentor," said Frederick. "But if you are uncomfortable, I'll let the president know."

"I'm fine with it. You're a good mentor. I'm not going to let personal matters cloud my judgment in business." His words sounded practiced and forced. "Sorry about all the talk about trying to get Robin back. That must've been hard to listen to," said Chrom. "I was complaining about it to the wrong person."

"You didn't know," said Frederick evenly.

"I'm still surprised that this was all going on right under my nose."

Chrom was under the assumption that Frederick was at fault in this situation. The absurdity of Chrom's opinion nearly made him laugh out loud.

"Were you ever going to say anything?"

"I don't share the details of my personal life in the workplace."

"Oh, I see. You know, Frederick. I also never took you to be someone who goes against the rules."

Frederick didn't like where this was going, but he sure as hell wasn't going to break up with Robin to let Chrom have his way. He also wasn't going to engage with Chrom either.

"You're correct, Chrom. I do follow rules and regulations, but there are always exceptions. Always." Frederick put on the business smile he used when he had to be polite but didn't have any intentions of yielding.

The heir's lips pulled into a thin line. "Yes. Exceptions."

"Furthermore, it's an informal rule that was set by the president after a scandal of someone close to him," stated Frederick.

Everyone knew the rule was passed because the president's son was having 'inappropriate relations' with another fellow employee. However, the details of the relationship and who the woman faded as the years had passed. One thing Frederick did recall was how nasty the rumours had been.

Even after the rule was announced, employee relationships didn't magically dissolve and disappear. The secretive nature of office romances was simply amped up. It wasn't realistic to have such a silly rule in a company as big as Exalt.

"Frederick, I like working with you. You're honest, hard-working, and great at your job. Sometimes a little too serious, but I think Father sees that as an asset. But outside of the office, you don't have any say in what I do," said Chrom.

"You're correct about that," said Frederick.

"I can see that Robin cares about you a lot. But we have a long history together. We've been friends for a long time too. I promised her space. But I know she'll come around."

Was this Chrom's best attempt at making him jealous? Because it wasn't working. Chrom was just getting on his nerves.

The past couple misadventures since Chrom had arrived had demonstrated that Robin was serious about their relationship. She had been transparent and honest with him, even when it was hard. It upset Frederick to find out that Chrom was the cause of her recent pains. But at the same time, his trust in Robin had strengthened. Despite his moments of jealousy, Frederick knew that Robin and Chrom did have a history together and if she wanted to try to maintain good terms with Chrom, he had no business stopping her. But that didn't exclude him from being wary.

"Chrom, I think you're mistaken. Robin isn't property."

"I didn't say she was."

"I don't control every aspect of my partner's life. If that was the case, that isn't what love is. If she wants you back in her life and is willing to rekindle a friendship, I will respect that," said Frederick.

Chrom frowned at him and reluctantly said, "Okay. Cool."

Frederick wasn't done though. "I don't like repeating myself and I'm going to say this once, Chrom. At work, I am your mentor. You have a lot of potential. And I'll continue to support you and help you adjust. But outside of the office, I'm no different from any other man when an ex-boyfriend won't leave his girlfriend alone. I am very protective of those that I love. If you put her in harm's way or I find out you're the reason why she cries again, I won't be so forgiving next time."

The mentee frowned at his mentor and then chuckled. "That's completely fair. I would've said the same thing if I were in your position. Actually, I probably would've punched whoever did that to Robin. You're evidently a better person than me."

Frederick smiled pleasantly and slid Chrom's glass back to him. "Self-control and self-discipline. I'm glad we got to talk."

"Likewise."

He checked it his phone, which he put on silent to find that there were several notifications. "I need to head back. Carson has sent me several texts during our lunch, which means there's a pressing matter," said Frederick, pushing Chrom's glass back to him. "Take your time, Chrom. I've got the bill."

Chrom picked up his glass and drank the entire all the contents while Frederick pulled on his jacket. The moment Frederick was about the leave, Chrom spoke one last time.

"You're right, Frederick. Outside of the work, we're two men in love with the same woman."

Frederick turned to him. Chrom stood up from his seat to look meet his frosty stare.

"I'm not going anywhere. And I'm surprisingly patient."

Through narrowed eyes, Frederick saw that Chrom was enjoying getting under his skin. He wanted to blame it on the three glasses of wine Chrom had chugged, but he knew a challenge when he saw one.

Gaius was in the zone. It was nice working from home today. He was allowed to work from home once a week, but he wanted to keep an eye on the interns. Also, he needed to babysit Gemini for Casey and they finished earlier than Gaius did at work. It made sense to work from home so he could pick them up from preschool. Casey had even left the minivan—which was essentially a trash can on wheels—in the parking lot of his building.

His phone vibrated on his desk. It wasn't a phone call. It was a rapid stream fire of texts. And at that frequency, it could only be one person.

Gaius finished his current line of code and checked his phone. His guess was right: Robin.

Bubbles: Gaius!

Bubbles: I need your help!

Bubbles: I need you to help me escape from here.

Bubbles: I'll help you babysit the twins. Just get me out of here.

Bubbles: cALLL MEEEEEE

He dialed her phone and she picked up before the phone could make it to the second ring.

"Gaius!" shouted Robin.

"Bubbles, chill. What's up?" asked Gaius.

"I need your help."

"I can tell."

"Are you working from home today?"

"Your lucky day. I am."

"Can you help me check out?"

"Why can't you get Freddie to do that for you?"

"Don't call him that. He hates it when people. Only his family gets away with calling him that."

Gaius smirked. "That adds to the fun."

"If I asked Frederick, knowing him, he won't let me check out unless the doctors okay it, but I don't know what Chrom's mom said, but they won't let me leave."

"Fine. But should you be checking out?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Gaius. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here. Or I swear to the gods, I will jump out the window with a makeshift parachute made from 2000 thread count cotton sheets."

"Alright, I'll help you break out. Gimme an hour."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You owe me."

"I don't owe you shit, you assturd. I'm your best friend."

Gaius laughed. Robin sounded like she was doing far better. "No, but seriously. I need help babysitting."

"Fine."

"You should've called me," said Frederick sternly. "I would've helped you check out."

Robin's eyes were fixed in her lap. Calling him would've put him at ease, but knowing him, she would've never left the hospital.

"Because I know how busy you are," said Robin, reaching for her crutches. She propped herself up on the crutches and retreated to the kitchen. She was hardly fast enough to get away.

"I will always make time for you, Robin," said Frederick, right at her heels. "No matter what."

"I know, but Gaius had some free time, so he helped with checking me out," said Robin.

Her kitchen was a little cramped with both of them in it. There was a pile of dishes in the sink she had sworn she was going to do when she got back from work on Monday, but that never happened. She ended up in the hospital instead.

She wanted a cup of tea and she felt another headache coming on. Robin scowled when she saw her favorite mug in the sink.

"Frederick, can we please do this later? I'm not feeling well," said Robin, moving over to the cupboards. She hated the crutches already.

"This is exactly why you should've stayed," said Frederick.

She opened the cupboard and reached in to grab a mug, dropping one of her crutches in the process. Luckily, Frederick had fast reflexes and caught the crutch. He tucked it under her arm again.

"You're just being a fussy mother hen, babe," said Robin.

Frederick came up from behind her and pulled out a mug for her and closed the cupboard, but not before he told her to watch her head. He grabbed the electric tea kettle, filled it with tap water, returned it to its power base, and flicked it on. "Robin, I'm not. They said you have a concussion." He went over to her tea cupboard and opened it. "What kind of tea do you want?"

"Chocolate rooibos," she said.

He continued to be her arms and legs as he lectured her. "Do you know how serious concussions can be?"

"Your nagging isn't helping," muttered Robin.

Frederick pulled out a tea bag from box and prepared her cup of tea. "I'm not joking, Robin."

The kettle began to rumble, the water starting to boil.

"What were you going to do if I didn't show up? Still climbing the stairs?" demanded Frederick.

"I would've figured it out," grumbled Robin.

Frederick was right as usual. Gaius had had to leave early because one of the Gemini (Nathan to be specific) had peed his pants at preschool and Casey had forgotten to send him with an extra set of pants and underwear after the last time he had an accident. So, he dropped Robin and her belongings off at the apartment and rushed over to be a good uncle in his minivan, or 'trash can on wheels' as Gaius called it.

Robin had too many things to carry up the stairs, let alone figure out how to get herself up to the top floor. She ended up waiting until Frederick was done work. He was not pleased when she told him she had checked out. He was further upset when he found that she had waited for him be done work before calling him to ask him to help her up to her apartment.

When Frederick arrived, he nagged Robin while making two trips: the first, bringing all her belongings up to her place and the second, bringing her and Mr. Long. She never said it out loud, but there was something really nice about being piggybacked up the stairs on a nice, strong back.

The kettle came to a roaring boil and then it calmed when the kettle switched off. Robin went to grab the kettle to pour the water herself, but Frederick beat her to it.

"Now, you're just being difficult," he said. "Careful. It's hot."

A giggle escaped. Despite all of his irritation, he was still puttering around helping her meet her needs.

"What is so amusing?" Frederick was far from done.

She shook her head, softly smiling. "It's just…you're lecturing me, yet you're still so caring. It's sweet. And this is why I love you." Robin took a sip of her tea and hissed when she burned the tip of her tongue.

"I told you to be careful. It's hot," scolded Frederick.

A helicopter parent with an only child paled in comparison to Frederick when he was fretting over a sick Robin. The constant stream of questions and pampering was cute for first twenty-four hours only. During the following days, it was downright unbearable. He would've made a fantastic nurse, that was for sure.

They had had a conversation about his coddling after she caught the stomach flu a couple months ago and Frederick promised he would lay off next time. But today, based on his tone of voice, he wasn't going to be finished for a long time.

She leaned against the countertop and held the mug in her hand. The throbbing in her head had worsened abruptly. "I'm getting a really bad headache again, bae. Can you be upset with me another time? I really need you right now. Are you really in this sour of a mood because of what I did? Because I'm sorry. I couldn't stay there any longer. I don't want to be seen as an unwanted charity case."

Frederick deflated. "Robin." A sigh. "I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"I would say you didn't, but you kinda are being annoying today. But I also understand why you're acting like this too. I'd be pretty pissed if you escaped the hospital without asking me to help you too. I mean what's the fun in that?" Robin blew on the tea before attempting another sip. "Things not working out? Did someone make a mistake with the contracts like last time?"

He heaved another sigh. "No."

"Was it Chrom?" asked Robin.

"We talked," said Frederick.

Robin held her breath and tapped a finger on the hot curvature of the mug. "So, are we safe?"

"I suppose."

"You don't look happy though."

"Tired. It's been a long day."

"Mmhmm." Robin didn't believe him but she chose not to pursue it. "Chrom dropped by, but you probably knew that."

"We crossed paths."

"He said he'd give me space," said Robin. "He promised not to contact me first."

"Yes, he told me."

"He wants us to be on good terms again," she said hesitantly.

"Robin, I don't have a problem with you and Chrom being on good terms again," said Frederick.

"I wasn't expecting that."

He quirked a brow. "Why? You're not my property. And you two work in close proximity. Being on good terms again would be beneficial for you two."

"So business-like."

"Robin…"

"What?"

"Nothing.

"What?"

"It's nothing, love. I've been thinking. It's going to be hard for you to do anything on your own for a while. Would you like to stay with me until you can manage on your own? My building has elevators."

"Oh."

"Is that it?"

Staying with Frederick would increase the chance of getting caught. Frederick had been informally voted as the hottest bachelor in the company by both the female and male employees. She'd be burned at the stake if they found out he was seeing someone and it was her. He would most likely insist that he drive her to and from work, as well. There was no way she could talk her way out of why someone from the creative department was hanging around the marketing executive. It would be glaringly obvious that she was sleeping with him. The last thing she wanted to hear from all the gossiping harpies in the food court was being called a 'triple S' (sloppy seconds slut) again. But Frederick wasn't wrong (as usual). How should she navigate this conversation?

Her prolonged silence forced Frederick to speak again.

"You're going to have to present a strong case for why you're against this."

"Frederick, can we talk about this tomorrow?" asked Robin.

"No, we need to figure this out now, love. You're going back to work tomorrow. How are you going to manage all those stairs?"

Libra had eyes everywhere. Or maybe he was omniscient. Libra would find out. They would assume that she was sleeping with Frederick to get to Chrom, since Frederick was Chrom's mentor. But she didn't have the ability to be that manipulative. And that took far too much energy to get to Chrom.

"I don't know, but I'm sure I'll figure it out," said Robin.

"Robin, I'm not asking you to move in with me. It's just for a couple weeks. Would you prefer it if I stayed over and I can carry you?"

"No."

"What are you concerned about?"

"I appreciate the offer. I really do."

"You're being formal with me."

"Teddy bear, it's just I can't just move to your place. You're going to fret over me. And you're going to want to escort me to and from work and people have eyes. Eyes! You know the things on our face we use to see?"

"We'll figure it out."

"And just I'd feel bad if my parents ever found out," murmured Robin.

Chrom had stayed over a lot when they were together and they got caught once when Chrom accidentally answered her phone when she got a call from Plegia at 5 AM. It happened to be her dad and she didn't hear the end of it from both her parents because her dad tattled to her mom. They didn't even need to say that they were disappointed. All they said was, "We expected this from your sister, but not you. You were always the good one." Those words were worse.

"I'll set up the guest room for you," said Frederick.

Damn. He was good.

"I don't get why you even have a three-bedroom condo anyway," muttered Robin.

"Master bedroom, office, and well, guest room for situations like this." Frederick smiled.

If smug was an emotion that Frederick possessed, this was the closest to smug Robin was ever going to see.

"Any other concerns?" asked Frederick.

"Commuting," said Robin.

Frederick crossed his arms and looked away as he formulated yet another counterargument. Once he had it, he straightened up and smiled at her. "How about this? I'll drop you off at the closest bus stop to work. Have I satisfied all your concerns?"

She sighed. "Yeah."

"Okay, let's go pack your stuff and we can drive over to my place."

Moonlight saturated the bedroom like a dimmed night light. As promised, Frederick had set up the guest room for her. The bed was comfortable and the room temperature was just right too. Her body still ached, especially at night, and the painkillers hadn't really killed any pain. She winced when she turned onto her side.

She couldn't believe Frederick was serious about setting her up in the guest room. Part of her was hoping he wasn't serious about it, but then again, it was Frederick.

Robin sat up in her bed. She reached for her crutches and groaned when she stood up. Maybe this was a good opportunity to work on her upper body strength.

One careful step at a time, she made her way to the master bedroom, her crutches making their distinctive clacking sounds, announcing that she was headed to the Frederick's room. In front of Frederick's door, she tapped her crutch against it.

"I'm coming in!" she shouted before entering the room.

The bedside lamp was on. Robin grinned. There was an open book in his hands and his reading glasses resting on his nose. If she had it her way, she would've climbed onto the bed on all fours into his lap, took of his glasses, and threw his book aside before begging him to fuck her raw.

He raised a brow, a distinctive twinkle in his eyes. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I can't believe you actually isolated your girlfriend in the guest room," said Robin, limping over to the bed. She carelessly dropped the crutches onto the floor and gingerly climbed into bed. She readjusted herself until she was cuddled up against him. Frederick wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in.

Frederick pressed a kiss on her temple. "I was being a gentleman."

"If you were a real gentleman, you'd be eating me out right now to help soothe the damned pain," said Robin.

"Would I, now?"

"Don't play innocent with me."

"I'm just taken aback by your dirty mouth."

"You didn't have a problem when I went down on you last time."

"No, I did not." He pressed a gentle kiss on her neck. "Is that what you want?" he whispered in her ear.

She shifted away from him. "Usually, it would be. But." Robin pointed to her cast with her chin. "And I'm not really feeling well. Plus, headache is coming on." When she saw worry clouding his handsome face, she distracted him by taking his glasses and slipping them on. "You're not even blind. I don't get why you even need these."

"They're reading glasses. And give them back. That's not good for your eyes."

"That's actually a common myth. Don't I look adorable in glasses?"

"You're always adorable."

Robin grinned. "You always know what to say, don't you, Mr. Knight? Look at those little white lies effortlessly coming out of your mouth."

"I can't lie to the woman I love." Frederick took his glasses back and folded them. He put the book and glasses aside. "Do you want to show me your bruises? I have some cream that might help," said Frederick.

"Are you trying to get me naked?" She teased. "Oh, shit. I forgot Mr. Long."

"Do you want me to get him for you? Why do you need him? You have me."

"You're right," said Robin.

"Okay. Bed time, love," said Frederick, getting out of bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To help you back to your room."

"You're kidding."

"No. I am honouring the terms of our deal."

"Frederick. I swear to the gods if you actually move me, I will make your life miserable. I will not do any of the sex things with you when I'm better."

"I made a promise. And I think you usually need and want the 'sex things' more than I do."

"Oh my gods. Firstly, I don't believe you. And secondly," Robin grabbed his hand and pulled him in, "stop talking and get in the bed and hold me god damn it. I'm a needy person."

Frederick laughed, shaking his head and gave in. He turned the lamp off and settled in. She slid under the covers as well. Similar to how they had cuddled at the hospital, he was particularly careful about her settling in his arms. Once his nose was brushing against her cheek and a protective arm was draped across her stomach, she relaxed.

"I knew you'd come," said Frederick.

Robin poked his stomach. "You suck, you know that?"

"I love you too, dearest."

A/N: *crawls back onto the struggle bus*

Until next time...