AN: So if it wasn't easy to see who I wanted to ship Stahl with, then you aren't very observant. ;) But yes, after thoroughly watching videos on Stahl and Sumia's respective supports, I knew that they had to be a thing in the game, but they aren't... and the only other one to have done this pairing is smileplease91. And... that's where I draw this inspiration for this fic from. After reading her drabble series "A Day in the Life" I came to wonder: How amazingly cute would these two be if I paired them together?

Well, that's what you'll find out. Modern day AU, so multiple references will be made regarding Sumia and Stahl's enjoyments. However! I will definitely keep the pairings the same! So... Lon'qu x Panne, Robin x Nowi, and Chrom x Olivia. (Lucina and Yarne are toddlers in this.)

And I'd like to thank everyone for your continued support of this series. It means a lot and I'd love it if you could stay with me on this ride!

Reviews, follows, favorites, and constructive criticism are hugely appreciated. :) Thanks so much!

4/26/15 UPDATE: The line breaks didn't appear the first time, so I went back in and added them.

"There, there, little one. It's okay," Stahl cooed as he held a young, crying Lucina on his lap. "Here, look at this," the young man offered, holding out a plushie of a sword that he knew she loved. Lucina's cries turned to sniffles and a small smile spread across the young girl's face. With eager hands, she grabbed the hilt of the sword, swinging it around and taking great joy whenever it smacked Stahl in the face. He pretended to be slain.

"Ah! You got me!" Stahl cried, holding his head in dramatic pain to lighten up the child's mood. "You're so strong, Lucy!"

Little Lucina grinned a toothy grin with a few teeth missing, causing Stahl to smile and pick her up in his arms. He hefted her up and over his shoulders, letting her sit upon her perch. She dug her hands into his unruly brunette hair, playing with it and doing nothing to help and alleviate the messiness. Suddenly, Lucina yanked on his hair, drawing a yelp from him as he lifted her off of his shoulders and glared at her.

"Now what was that for, young lady?" Stahl reprimanded, trying his best to hold a serious-face.

Lucina shrugged and managed to stutter out, "Not... go..."

"You don't want me to leave? Oh, Lucy, I'm sorry, but I have to go to my daddy's workplace now," Stahl slumped, looking genuinely upset as well. He cherished the time they spent together, along with all of her other little friends. There was her friend Severa, who had quite the bratty side to her unless you got on her good side. Kjelle loved to fight and tussle with the boys, often with her coming out the victor. Morgan absolutely loved to hang out with Owain and Cynthia, who were often away on a 'grand adventure for heroes only.' Noire often joined the trio, only offering words of confidence when she burst forth with fiery speech.

Yep. It was colorful bunch of children. The daycare was run by Chrom, Lucina's father. Everyone looked up to him, children included. He was a natural-born leader, earning him a favorite spot in the kids' hearts. Stahl often wondered how he did it with only the help of his sister, Lissa, a woman named Maribelle, and himself. Especially himself. Sure, the kids loved him dearly, but he wasn't much help other than that. Yes, his father's medicine often helped heal the children that hurt themselves during play- namely Kjelle and Cynthia- but he didn't feel like he was helping much. Or he just didn't give himself enough credit.

"Come back?" Lucina asked, tilting her young head and looking up at him with giant puppy-dog eyes. A pout began to form on her lips, drawing a grin from his mouth as he gently set her down and looked at her.

"Oh, of course, Lucina. I'll be back tomorrow at the same time," Stahl stated, standing up and brushing his clothes off. Looking up, he could see the glances of the other children being averted from their play and settling on him. Cynthia whipped her head up and flashed him a grin that was missing two front teeth.

"Bye-bye, mister Stahl!" she shouted, waving her hand in the air as she jumped. Stahl waved back enthusiastically, smiling at the energetic young girl. His attention was drawn to Owain and Morgan leaping onto each of his strong arms, shouting and yelling their adventurous exploits.

"No, Stahl! Don't go out there, the monsters will get you!" Morgan shrieked, swinging on his arm as she yelled. "There isn't anything good out there!"

"But my dad is out there!" Stahl replied, shaking Morgan off of his arm. She twisted her mouth into a pout, trying not to grin. "And your wonderful father will be here soon to pick you up. He's out there too, you know!"

"Aw. Come back soon, okay, mister Stahl?" Owain complained, dropping from the other arm as he spoke. "We like you here."

"And I like being here, too," Stahl grinned as he ruffled the blonde boy's hair affectionately.

Stah grabbed his coat and slipped his Chuck Taylors onto his feet. With one last smile, he shouted out, "Bye-bye, everyone!"

As he turned his back, he left to the sounds of "Goodbye!" and "Come back soon!" A laugh escaped his lips as he set his headphones onto his head, followed suit by his Galaxy S5. He sighed as he glanced at the phone. It had been giving him enough trouble lately, maybe it was time to change phones or network carriers.

Immediately, he set his music on Shuffle and was surprised when Mat Kearney's hit, "Billion," came flowing through his headphones. He didn't remember purchasing this song. Maybe Laurent had gotten hold of his phone and downloaded it. After all, his brain was exceptionally developed, letting him be fascinated with the most recent of technologies.

A message popped up in his lock screen as he made his way down the street. His father had sent him a text saying that something happened at the shop and he wouldn't be needed that day. So, being a nice father, he told Stahl to go enjoy the rest of the afternoon for himself. Stahl grinned and made a mental note to thank his dad in person later. With the post-college medical courses he was enrolled in currently, there wasn't much time for pleasantries beside the occasion where he squeezed the daycare into his schedule.

Stahl was really beginning to enjoy the song; it was catchy and kind of cute as well. His head bobbed in time with the music and his step began to look and feel more rhythmic. The music was so loud and his headphones did such a good job at noise-cancelling that he didn't even hear the timid call for help, as there was no one on the street besides him and the one who needed his help.

"Gods, gods, gods, gods..." Sumia mumbled as she paced outside her restored Firebird. She slapped her forehead. "No, this can't be happening..."

But it was, and as fate may have it, she'd just locked her keys in her car. And to top it off, she had recently been evicted from her job as a waitress, as this recent trip of hers had sent expensive pasta flying all over a woman's pantsuit. The manager, furious, had apologized to the customer profusely and insisted that Sumia get out of the store as quickly as she came in. The woman in the pantsuit followed her out of the door, smiling and telling her it was okay. The fiery-redhead had said, "Hell, no worries. I don't even like this suit." Sumia was shocked at Sully's reaction, thinking she'd be more infuriated then she actually was. The two exchanged numbers and went on their ways, both feeling a little better about what happened.

Unfortunately, this didn't help Sumia's jobless situation. The brunette had yet to find another application, and jobs were scarce in this economy. She barely had enough funds to scrape by and keep sending Cynthia to daycare. If she wasn't deathly careful about her money, she and Cynthia would find themselves living on the streets.

That was the last place she wanted to be, after what happened five years ago...

The sidewalk and streets were both empty, void of cars or passersby. The sun was beginning to set as she sighed, exhaling a stream of breath into the frigid winter air. At least the sunset is pretty, she thought, trying to remain optimistic. The optimism was lost, however, as the severity of the situation finally began to fall on her. She didn't have the funds to call for a business to come and unlock her car, effectively leaving her stranded as long as she remained jobless. Thankfully, the daycare wasn't too long of a walk from here, so she could go pick up Cynthia at her convenience.

Thank the gods, she thought, noticing someone walking down the sidewalk. Maybe she could borrow his phone and call... who? She had no money to her name and no phone, since she'd canceled her own plan as soon as she lost her job, with every cent being put towards apartment rent. Then it hit her. Her best friend, Cordelia, had recently married, and her husband was a thief in his former days. It was a long shot, but maybe she and her husband, Gaius, would be able to come and help her out.

That is, if this young man would reply to her yells and hand gestures of desperation. Eventually, as he got closer, he noticed the woman who was waving like a man possessed and shouting at him. The messy-haired brunette flipped an earcup off of his head.

"Sorry about that!" Stahl sheepishly replied, cheeks flushing a bit. "D'ja need something?"

"Well, I accidentally locked the keys in my car," Sumia blushed, staring at her car door to avoid eye contact. He walked over to the Pontiac and whistled in appreciation.

"That's one hot ride you've got there, er..." Stahl trailed off, not knowing her name just yet.

"Sumia. My name's Sumia," she replied, smiling slightly and extending her hand. He placed his hand into hers and shook firmly. "And thanks! My dad gave it to me as a present for winning a national writing contest."

"It's nice to meet you, Sumia," Stahl replied, smiling back the brunette woman standing in front of him. "Wow, you must be pretty good if you won! I like writing, but I'm no good at it," he shrugged, chuckling at his own inadequacy. "Hey, I have a friend who's a master lock-picker. He'd be able to get this door open for you in no time at all," Stahl suggested, retrieving his phone and spinning it around on his finger. "Want me to give him a call?"

Sumia shook her head in shock at this total stranger's offer for help. No one she knew was this friendly and hospitable!

Stahl tilted his head. "You sure? It looks like you could use a hand." He'd misinterpreted her head shake, and in all honesty, he couldn't be blamed.

"What? Oh! Er, I was just thinking how nice you must be to help me out like this, not knowing me and all," Sumia hastily replied, waving her hands out in front of her as she spoke, trying to brush away his assumption with her hands, as if that would ever work.

"Oh. I see," the average young man countered, tapping his screen a few times to bring up Cordelia's number. "I'll call his wife really quick, just give me a second." The dial tone buzzed in his ear as he waited for his harp-friend to pick up her phone.

"Okay," Sumia smiled. It was kind of him taking time out of his day to help her. Judging by his looks, most notably his hair, she guessed he was out of college, mid-twenties, the same as herself. Suddenly, he turned to her, motioning for her to look at him.

"Hey, Sumia? We can go wait at the Shepherd's Day Care if you want to. It's a lot warmer and there's a bunch of endearing kids there that love people," Stahl whispered, jerking his head in the direction he'd just come from. "Oh, hey! Cordelia, I've got a bit of a problem..."

Cordelia? Sumia thought, shocked. He knew her best friend? How?

"You see, I ran into this woman who left her keys in her car- and locked it," Stahl giggled, giving Sumia a good-natured wink as he said the words. She stuck her tongue out at him. "I was wondering if you could get Gaius to pick her car's lock and get them out for her. Do me a favor?"

"I'll see, Stahl," Cordelia replied through the phone, sounds of shuffling coming through the speaker as she moved around. "Gaius, sugar? Want to do my friend Stahl a favor?"

Gaius's voice could be heard through the phone. "Done. What candy is he giving me?"

"Tell him I'll buy him a package of Milky Ways," Stahl sighed, shaking his head at his friend's husband's sugary orientation. "And pick us up at the Shepherd's Day Care."

"Stahl will buy you a package of Simply Caramel Milky Ways," Cordelia said, altering his offer a bit to meet her own candy preferences. He rolled his eyes at the action.

"Let's go, Red. We've got a car to pick."

Sumia laughed at Gaius's predictable response. "Thanks so much, Stahl."

"Don't mention it. Anyone with a heart would do it," Stahl replied, smiling at her and shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"Then a lot of people don't have hearts..." Sumia mumbled, glancing at the ground as she spoke. Too many people without a heart had hurt her, leaving her surprised to no end when someone did a good deed for her benefit.

"Hm?"

"Uh, n-nothing. It's nothing," Sumia replied, her head darting upwards and making eye contact with him once again.

"If you say so." Stahl shrugged and shifted his leg to let his phone sit in his pocket better. Feeling that a change of topic would be nice, he began to speak about technology. He wasn't the most knowledgeable, but by no means was he in the dark about the latest technological trend.

"Geez, what are they trying to do to people who wear skinnys?" Stahl sighed mockingly, looking at the huge bulge of a phone in his pocket. "It's like they're trying to get us to become gangsters to let us fit our phones in our pockets. Can you imagine it?" Stahl muttered, motioning to his pants. "I mean, come on. Imagine me with a nasty sag."

Sumia began to giggle, all depressing thoughts leaving her head as she began to laugh at his imitation of a gangster. Soon enough, the both of them were laughing, completely forgetting about her past as they strolled to the daycare. Eventually, Stahl caught his breath and turned to Sumia.

"So why'd you come out here, anyway? Not trying to probe, I'm just trying to make conversation to keep it from getting too awkward," Stahl said with a chuckle.

"I'm job-hunting. I recently lost my job as a waitress at Olive Garden," Sumia mumbled, letting her eyes fall to the ground as she replied. "I tripped over a table leg and sent a tray of ravioli splattering all over a woman named Sully..."

"Sully? I know her. She's a bit rowdy, but she'd pretty cool. We grew up together, you see, so we're pretty tight. In fact, she has a kid at the daycare, but I can't seem to remember her name..." Stahl rambled, doing a good job at keeping Sumia's mind off of her situation. She appreciated how quickly Stahl was working his way into her heart.

"Kjelle," Sumia replied instantly, having visited the daycare now and then when she came to drop Cynthia off. "She's good friends with my little Cynthia." Realizing she'd said far too much, she clamped her mouth shut and continued to walk faster. Before Stahl could warn her about her speed of walking, she tripped and fell onto the sidewalk, hitting her head on a brick as she crumpled to the ground. The last thing she saw among the stars and black spots was Stahl's face shouting her name over and over.

Sumia dreamed of Pegasi and battles being fought alongside a strong warrior by the name of Chrom and his tactician, Robin, while fending off enemies with a lance while her friend Cordelia rode a Pegasus while shooting off beams of fire from an Arcfire tome and Stahl rode into the fray on a horse clad in green armor while swinging a sword...

Pop.

"Hunh?" Sumia snorted, waking up from her knockout. "Where am I? Gods! Wolves! Risen-riding wolves!" she screamed, panicking a little. "Hrrg..."

Stahl rolled on the ground, laughing his head off. "Wolves?! RISEN-RIDING wolves?! Gahahaha! That's the best thing I've heard all week!" the messy-haired brunette continued, clutching his gut from laughter. Tears began to trickle out of his eyes as he laughed at her blunder.

"That isn't funny..." Sumia mumbled, clutching her head in agony. Despite being in a good enough mood to chuckle a bit at her own goof-up, she still wasn't feeling the best yet. "Stahl, be a man and help me up."

"Okay, okay," Stahl sighed exasperatedly, grinning to let the poor girl know that he was joshing. "There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, y'know. Gimme your hand," Stahl giggled. For some peculiar reason, the young man thought that line was familiar from somewhere before. Maybe someone else had used it before him?

Mumbling incoherent musings about 'inconsiderate young men' and 'rude', Sumia found it easy to grasp his hand and be pulled up by her newly-made companion. Once she was on her feet, a splitting headache planted itself into her brain, making her lose her balance and stumble into his chest. Despite his skinny appearance, he felt like he was quite well-built. Attractive, lean muscle mass must have been what was made of. Her insides turned green with envy; she wished she could be built like that- with the female version of lean muscle mass, of course.

"W-whoa! Sumia, are you okay?" Stahl inquired, catching her and holding her shoulders to steady her. "Do you need some ibuprofen? Ice?"

"N-no... I'm okay..." Sumia whispered, still clutching her head as she backed away from the fit mass of lean muscle in front of her. "My head's... tougher than this." In actuality, she'd endured falls that were much worse. She shook her head, hoping to let the headache fly right out. "Let's keep going to the daycare. How long was I out?" Sumia was still a bit woozy, but she knew she'd be all right. Stahl, however, held his doubts.

"I don't know... you were out for a while and you don't look super steady just yet."

"Stahl, I'm fine, really. I've fallen through worse times... er, I've taken more hits than this," Sumia stumbled over her words as she spoke, earning a furtive glance from him when she wasn't looking. "I'm clumsy. I fall a lot. Let's move on," she stated briskly, and began to walk towards the Shepherd's Day Care.

Stahl shrugged. He knew better than to argue with a woman. "Fine, fine, we'll go. But I'm so going to assault you with 'I told you so's' if I'm right and you fall again."

"Glad we see eye-to-eye," Sumia grumbled, walking faster to put some distance in between her and Stahl.

"Hey, wait! What'd I do?" Stahl yelled, jogging to catch up with Sumia. "I'm just worried, that's all!"

Sumia stopped and turned to him, a cautious, yet interested glint in her eyes. "Worried, you say?"

"Yes. We're friends now, so I should be worried. Sorry for the lame child-sounding talk, but it's just as true for kids as it is adults," he replied bluntly, shrugging his shoulders as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. To him it was; to her it was the least obvious.

"Friends...?"

"Sumia... did something happen? To make your trust in everyone be broken?" Stahl gently asked. "Even though I just met you, you can tell me. That's a promise." The brunette boy sent a warm smile her way, forcing her mind to know it was genuine.

"Stahl... I want to tell you. I don't know why, but I really want to tell you. But... I can't. Can we meet a few times in the future before I tell you? You know, to like, get to know each other?" Sumia inquired, nervousness lining her emotional system for a second. Why should she be nervous? It was just a friendly meeting between aspiring friends.

Nothing more.

AN: Hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 2 will be out soon... I can't promise a date so I'll just leave your imagination to fill everything else in. :D Let me know what you thought of it. :) Thanks!

~The Slain Executioner~