For Notsogreatgamergirl who correctly guessed the origin of the title of my fic (I Could Never) Give You Up. It's the title of an old Roxette song. I love old music and Roxette is one of my fave bands. Seriously.

Actually, all of my fics have song names as their titles ;)

/Zen

"I can see you, you know," Robin said, putting her hands on her hips.

"To whom do you speak?"

Spinning around, she found herself face to face with Frederick. A blush crept up her neck. He stood in a trip tunic with the crest of Ylisse over his heart, his brown hair swept back from his face.

"Oh, um I thought Tharja was hiding... over... there," she finished lamely. Glancing back at the tent, from which no one had moved, she began to feel rather foolish. It was so difficult to tell when the sorceress was around!

"Hm," Frederick replied, raising an eyebrow.

Robin's blush deepened. "Do you think I'm lying? Honestly she's almost always lurking after me and it's getting to the point I can't even sleep because of it-"

"I do not doubt you," he interrupted, laying a hand on her shoulder. The weight of him stopped her. "The woman does tend to seek you out above all others."

"Well I'm glad someone else has noticed," she grumbled. She glanced once more at the tent, sure she'd heard some shuffling earlier. Nothing happened now. Clearly she'd been mistaken.

"Robin?"

"Hm? Oh I'm sorry Freddy, did you need something?"

He paused, a deep frown causing his brow to press together. Robin sucked in a breath as she met his eyes. They were brown like they always were, but in the sunlight they seemed to have gold flecks as well. And his dark lashes lined them, making them intense. Her heart fluttered in her breast and she looked down at her hands, wishing she was holding something so she'd have an excuse to look elsewhere.

"Actually I've been meaning to talk you," he said. His voice dropped to a lower timber, in something just above a whisper. His voice was melodic when he wasn't giving orders.

"Well I've a few minutes..."

"Would you walk with me?"

Robin glanced up, surprised. "A walk?"

"Yes," he said, his jaw working as he seemed to chew on a heavy thought. "I have been... taking lessons from Lissa-"

"On what?" Robin exclaimed. "How to take walks?"

He managed a ghost of a smile though his smoldering brown eyes remained serious. "The princess has informed me that... it is important to relax once in awhile. I am not very good at it yet," he admitted, "but I can take a walk."

"Okay..."

"And it has come to my attention that you also do not seem to relax much, so I thought we might do so together."

Robin couldn't say no to that. And she really didn't want to – she kind of wanted to spend time with Freddy. They'd been working on his issues with wild game meat, but he could only take so much of that. And when she was teasing him, well, it wasn't quite the same. They rarely had quiet moments together.

They set out, leaving the safe circle of camp and heading into the trees. She edged towards him, the backs of their hands brushing, as the leaves merged overhead. It was a beautiful sunny day. The leaves broke the sunlight into patches and she smiled.

"Are you enjoying this?" he asked.

"Shouldn't I be?" Robin asked, her smile falling away.

He glanced at her, his eyes looking even more golden in the dappled sunlight. He folded his hands behind his back, his tunic stretching across his broad chest and over the muscles in his arms. Looking away again he said: "It is difficult for me."

"To just enjoy the sun?"

"To not think," he said. "To not worry. To not think I should be standing behind Chrom – or the princess – and making certain they are safe. It is my duty."

"But is that all you are?" Robin asked, taking a step closer. She didn't know where she found the courage, but she raised on hand and laid it lightly on his chest as she looked up into his eyes. Her heart stuttered as he looked down at her. "Are you only the duty you swore?"

"What else is there?"

"There is the man," she said. "The man who stands here before me, looking at me like – there is the man, Frederick. Chrom does not expect you to give up all that you are. And he is not incapable."

"Looking at you like what?" he asked.

She hardly dared to breathe as one of his big hands, calloused from constant sword practice, pushed a lock of her hair back from her face. His rough fingertips brushed her cheek, lingering in her hair. Robin swallowed hard. Blushing she looked down.

"What is it that you cannot say?" Frederick asked. His fingers traced her jaw, grasping her chin and forcing her to raise her head. His amber eyes searched hers. "Tell me."

"I can't," she said, looking at his chin instead. It was so hard to hold his gaze. When she met his eyes, she couldn't concentrate. It took all of her focus to breathe properly. How had a simple walk turned to this?

Robin was vaguely surprised to find that a part of her didn't mind. His presence was intoxicating. When she'd first been brought into the Shepherds, Freddy hadn't been all that supportive. Like the truly loyal soldier he was, he'd watched her until he felt she could be trusted. She could respect that, and earning his trust had been a mission she'd accepted without hesitation. Having won it, she couldn't help wanting more.

"When you look at me like this," she admitted breathlessly, glancing up at him, "it... it's like looking at the most beautiful thing I've ever seen but also the scariest."

"You're afraid of me?" he asked, surprised.

"No," she shook her head, thrilled at the sensation of her skin brushing against his palm. "No, Freddy... I... I am afraid of the way you look at me but..." How could she explain it to him? The way he looked at her took her breath away. She wanted to be swallowed up by his eyes, to drown in them. She didn't care if she ever did any other thing.

Not that she could say any one of those things. There was only one thing for it.

Taking a breath for courage, Robin stood up on her toes and reached up, placing one hand on either side of his firm jaw. She did her best not to tremble as she leaned into him and his hand rested on the small of her back. He did it like it was the most natural action in the world – like they'd done this a million times.

She'd never done anything like this.

With their faces a breath apart, he closed the remainder of the distance. His firm mouth, so used to barking orders and voicing assurances, pressed against her lips. The kiss was just as good as she'd ever imagined it to be. She felt safe and whole and warm in his arms as he hugged her to him. There was nothing else in the world except the two of them for those few drawn out moments.

When they parted, Robin couldn't help but give a little laugh. It was shakey.

Frederick raised a dark eyebrow. "Is something funny milady?"

"I was just thinking," she said, smiling up at him, "that we may have found a solution to your inability to relax."