Re-Cap: Robin's concussion from her accident is not getting better. There are rumours at work saying that she threw herself in front of oncoming traffic to get Chrom's attention and somehow in all of this, she's pregnant with his kid. Sick of all the bullshittery going on at work, she decides to quit her job and go back home for a bit. Frederick thinks it's a great idea. Chrom is giving her space. Sorta.

Chapter 17: Meeting His Parents (Part 1)

Her final week at Exalt had been insane. The relief she felt was best described as closing fifty tabs after working on a paper for three sleepless nights. Straight.

Robin had resigned from work (with Phila's intense protests), called her parents (which was a living nightmare), and booked her one-way ticket to Plegia. She had exactly twelve days left with Frederick. All while this was going on, Frederick had told her that they had to go to Sainor that weekend to visit his parents. He had accidentally let it slip to his mother that Robin was going away for a while. His mother proceeded to pull every parental guilting strategy imaginable.

So on Saturday, they began the long drive to his hometown. Robin was not conscious.

In fact, she was fast asleep in the front passenger seat after taking some antiemetics to soothe her concussion-related nausea. She hadn't slept well in the last couple days. He wasn't sure if it was because of the concussion or the stress of going home—she didn't clarify. Either way, Frederick drove with only the low hum of radio music to allow Robin to gather some strength before meeting his excited mother.

When he knew they were about thirty minutes away, it was only right that he woke her up to give her some time to mentally prepare meeting his parents. Carefully, he brushed the back of his fingers on her cheek and whispered her name until she stirred.

She protested. "Mmm."

Robin squeezed her eyes shut before opening them. Her eyes flew to the car radio to check the time. Then, she stretched her muscles the best she could in the confined space before she tapped the touchscreen to change the music station.

"I was out for a while. You could've woken me up to keep you company," she said, yawning.

"I thought I'd let you sleep," said Frederick gently.

She retrieved the jaw clip that she had jokingly clamped onto the collar of his shirt, taking him by surprise. He had forgotten she had done that. Yawning again, she pulled her hair up and secured her hair with the clip.

"Are we almost there?"

"About thirty minutes."

Robin sank into the seat, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. She released a long breath. He watched the anxiety replace the grogginess from her slumber.

"Are you okay?" asked Frederick.

She nodded. "Yup. Everything is fine. Just fine. Everything is great."

"I promise this is going to go well. I told Mum you're not in the best condition and to refrain from overwhelming you. She's just so excited."

A nervous laugh bubbled out of her. "Oh. Excellent. Expectations…I hope you told her I'm not that great."

"Stop. It's going to be fine. Now, it does take Dad some time to warm up to people though. Don't take it personally. I think Danny might drop by too. But I'm not sure, he's been busy with training."

She nodded slowly, wringing her hands. "I hope he can come by. I'd love to meet your younger brother. You've yet to show me a single picture of him to me."

"You're panicking."

"No, I'm not. What do take me for?"

"A people-pleaser."

Robin turned to Frederick and clutched his arm. "I just… I just really want them to like me because dating someone whose parents, well, parent, disapproves of you really sucks. Because I really like you."

"They're going to love you, sweetheart. Besides, you'll win Dad over with that bottle of brandy you got him, and you'll win Mum over by just being you."

"I guess."

When they approached the giant 'Welcome to Sainor' surrounded by a bright garden, Robin made a muffled groan and tried to become one with the car seat.

Frederick glanced over with worried lines on his forehead. "How about this? If something bad happens, we can leave. I'll blame work, and we can come back. As simple as that. I doubt anything will happen, but just to give you some reassurance."

"You know I would never leave early."

Frederick smiled. "I know."

"That'd be so rude."

"And this is why they'll like you. Because you're polite."

"Do you think your mom will like the chocolates I got her?"

"They're her favorite. You can't go wrong with them."

"What if they hate me and demand that we break up?"

"That's not their decision, Robin. That's ours. They haven't even met you yet. What reason would they have to hate you?"

"I don't know. For existing and being in your life."

"Mum has been on my case for months to introduce you to them. I think it'll be hard to get her to hate you. Even if you cheated on me, she'd probably demand what I did wrong."

"What?"

"Yeah, I know." Frederick pointed to a large building up ahead. "That's the high school I went to."

"Did you play for your school?" asked Robin.

"Yup. Go Sainor Stallions," he said flatly.

She laughed, which was a nice change from her palpable stressing. "Frederick, stop. Your school spirit is suffocating me."

"Trust me. Having your own father as the rugby coach for the entirety of your adolescence only fills you with school spirit."

"Oh… Was he pushy?"

"Depends who you talk to."

"Ah. They say parents tend to be harder on their own kids," she said.

"I'll tell you another time. I don't want to add more to our plate right now."

"Okay. Are we almost there?"

"Almost. About five minutes."

Frederick slowed down once they left the downtown area and entered the residential area. He reached over and grabbed Robin's hand.

"Love."

"I'm fine!"

"We're almost there. It's the house with the garden."

"Frederick, all these houses have gardens. Details, teddy bear."

"It's the one with the giant oak tree."

"Oh. Yeah, okay. I see it."

Frederick pulled into the driveway of his childhood home. It had been quite a while since he last visited. He turned off the engine and unclipped his seatbelt. Getting his parents to like Robin was the least of his worries. Not starting a dispute between him and his father was another story.

"Give me a kiss, love," he said.

She leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek. "That's all you're getting, babe. We gotta keep it PG now," she whispered in his ear.

He chuckled. "Oh, is that so?"

Robin nodded. "Yup."

"This should be interesting."

"I'm going to ignore your subtle trademark sarcasm. Now, fetch my crutches, dear sir! We must press onward into battle!" Robin pointed towards the entrance of the house.

"Yes, milady."

Frederick got out first and grabbed their bags and Robin's crutches before helping her out. He followed behind her as she slowly made her way to the doorbell. It was like his mother had been standing near the door the entire day because when Robin pushed it, it took less than a second for his mother to answer the door.

A plump woman with graying brown hair threw her arms around Robin. "You must be Robin! I've been dying to meet you!"

"H-Hello," stuttered Robin.

"Mum, gently. I know you're excited to meet her, but she just had an accident," said Frederick.

"Oh, of course," said his mom, taking a step back. She straightened out her apron and beamed at her.

Robin smiled back. "Hello, I'm Robin, Mrs. Knight."

"Elizabeth. But everyone calls me 'Beth'. Look at you!" Beth gushed. "Aren't you a pretty little thing?"

"Thank you." Robin's dropped to the floor.

"You're so tiny, dear. I'll be sure to fatten you up before you leave. Come in, come in," Beth ushered Robin in.

Once the door was closed, Frederick received a motherly hug as well. Robin laughed when she saw Beth, who was quite a bit shorter than Frederick, pull him into a bear hug.

"I missed you, Freddy bear," cooed his mom. Then she turned around and hollered, "Henry! Where are you? Come say hi to your son and our daughter-in-law!"

"Mum," begged Frederick. They hadn't really discussed marriage in detail and putting that kind of pressure on Robin right before she was leaving for Plegia was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Beth, sweetie. You're overwhelming them." An older gentleman joined the trio.

The resemblance of father and son was undeniable aside from their eyes. Frederick had inherited his mother's soft brown eyes, while his father had given his height, facial structure, hair, and serious expression.

"Hey, Dad," said Frederick.

Balancing on her crutches, Robin extended a hand out to his father. "I'm Robin, sir. Nice to meet you."

Frederick's father shook her hand. "Henry. It's a pleasure to have you here."

"The pleasure is all mine," said Robin.

He looked over to his son and nodded. "You look well."

"I've meant to visit earlier—"

"But work's been crazy. I know," Henry finished his sentence for Frederick.

There was a moment of silence as all four stood there. Robin gave him a concerned look, and Frederick answered it with a slight, single shake of his head.

Leave it. It's nothing.

"I just wanted to thank you two for having us for the weekend," Robin interrupted. "Frederick hasn't shared too much about his childhood aside from the fact that he's from this city, so I'm excited to hear stories. And I'm incredibly honoured to meet the amazing people who raised such a good man."

Beth smiled. "Nonsense. We're thrilled to have you here. Isn't that right, Henry?" She shot him a warning through her smile.

"Of course, darling."

"I've already set up your room, Robin. Frederick told me about your leg over the phone, so I set up the guest room on the first floor for you, dear," said Beth, shuffling down the hallway.

Robin followed behind and heard Henry say, "Beth, you're going to have to slow down. She only has one functional leg."

"It's alright," said Robin.

Beth opened the room to the guest room. "Separate bedrooms, of course. Frederick, you're upstairs in your old bedroom. It's best to save yourself for marriage, Robin."

"Mum…"

"Beth," said Henry in unison.

"It was a joke," said Beth.

Frederick sighed.

"Beth, they're adults," said Henry. "Not teenagers."

"You better have not have taken advantage of sweet, innocent Robin." Beth pulled her into another adoring hug, making her stumble.

"He would never!" Robin denied, her face burning.

Beth shot a suspicious look at Frederick before turning to Robin again. "You never know with men, Robin. They're all animals."

"Mum, please!"

"Neither of us were virgins when we got married," said Henry.

His wife swatted his arm. "And who's fault was that?"

"Mum, Dad, please. No more embarrassing the entire family in front of Robin," said Frederick. "She's never going to want to come back if you keep this up."

"She's going to have to come back. I love her already. And I've always wanted a daughter. All I ended up with were sons."

Smiling, Robin waddled around the living room, examining the wall of family photos. She sipped the mug of homemade cocoa that Beth had whipped up for her. 'No, thank you' wasn't an answer Beth accepted.

She studied each photo, smiling wider than the last. There were photos from all periods of Frederick's life: when he was a baby, a toddler, a precocious child, an awkward yet serious teenager, and some photos from his early adulthood. As the years passed in the framed photographs, his parents aged.

A pang hit Robin's chest. She wondered how much her parents had aged since she had left.

"What are you looking at?" Frederick joined her with his own cup of cocoa.

"You were such a small kid," remarked Robin. "What'd you eat to go from that"—she pointed to a tiny, scrawny kid in a school photo to a beefy young man in the middle of the rugby battleground—"to that?"

"I ate my vegetables."

"Ha ha. Very funny. If we ever have sons, That's what you're going to tell them, isn't it?"

"Perhaps." Frederick smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay, love?"

"Yup."

"Good." He pressed a kiss onto her temple.

"My favorite photo is that one." Robin pointed to the photo of two young children giggling in the arms of two grinning parents. "You guys looks so happy."

"I think that was when we went to a summer festival," said Frederick. "I must've been eight?"

"We don't have a wall of family photos," said Robin, leaning into Frederick. "We just have a single, giant family photo."

It was a formal family photo in an elaborate golden frame. They had taken it when things had finally quieted down at home—a victory photo. No one smiled in their photo like the Knights did.

"That one's my favorite too." This time, Robin pointed to the photo of who she assumed was a baby Frederick running away naked gleefully from a young Henry. "Is that you?"

"That one?"

"What are you two doing?" Beth popped her head into the living room.

"Is this one Frederick or Danny?" asked Robin, pointing to the photo.

"That one is Frederick. It was so difficult to get him to keep his clothes on," tutted Beth. "Danny copied everything he did. Then again, Henry has become a bit of an enthusiastic nudist after the boys moved out. I'm surrounded by nudists, dear. It'll be nice to have someone on my side."

Robin smiled and nodded, not knowing how to comment, but to her relief, the mother and son squabbled.

"It was always too hot in the house," said Frederick. "Mum cranked up to heat way too high. It was out of survival. I'm sure Robin would've done the same thing."

"Oh, shush. You and your brother and your father have internal radiators. I hope he doesn't do that in his own home. Well, then again, I shouldn't care about what he does in his own home," huffed Beth. "How's the cocoa, dear?"

Robin raised her mug. "It's the best I've ever had. Frederick, should we give your parents the gifts we got them?"

"You didn't have to, dear," Beth waved a hand.

"Frederick said you'd protest, but my parents would've been disappointed in me if I showed up empty-handed." She nudged Frederick. "Can you grab them? Should I?"

"No, I can do it." Frederick stepped around the two women and over the coffee table. Before he left, he warned his mother with a look, "Mum."

"Okay, alright. I won't ask her how many kids she wants," said Beth.

The moment, Frederick left, Beth turned to Robin, "How many kids are you two planning on having?"

"I…uh…" They hadn't really talked about it. They hadn't even really discussed marriage. "Two?" she squeaked. "Maybe…"

"Three?"

"Umm…two?"

"Three. I heard three."

There wasn't a point in arguing with Beth. Beneath her welcoming façade, Robin had a feeling she got everything her way. Just like her own mother back home. And any true matriarch in the world.

"Yes, three." She resigned herself to his mother.

Pleased, Beth clasped her hands together. "Wonderful. I can't wait to be a grandmother."

Frederick returned with two wrapped boxes in his hands. His eyes flicked between his mother and his girlfriend.

"Mum, why is she making that face? What did you say in the brief moment I was gone?" asked Frederick, handing the gifts to Robin.

Beth held up three fingers. "She told me she wants three kids."

"Two," mouthed Robin silently.

Frederick nodded slowly at Robin. "Mum, if you're dying to know details, we can talk about this later."

"He's not going to tell me anything," Beth whispered loudly to Robin.

"I brought some chocolates from Marcie's in Ylisstol as thank you for having me," said Robin, offering the flatter box of the two. "Frederick told me you like their truffles."

"You really shouldn't have. But I can't say 'no' to chocolate." Beth accepted the gift and hugged Robin for the twenty-third time that day.

"Neither can I."

"Do you know where Dad is?"

"I told him to stop being so shy. He's probably in his man cave," said Beth. "I'm going to get dinner ready."

"Would you like some help?" asked Robin.

"Nonsense, dear. You're our guest. And I think you might get in the way with a broken leg," said Beth. "Why don't you go find Henry and give him his gift?"

"Okay." Robin handed Henry's gift to Frederick to pick up her crutches. "Where is this 'man cave' she's talking about?"

"Downstairs," said Frederick.

Stairs. Would she be able to handle the stairs? Probably not.

"I'll call him. Henry needs to come up and socialize," said Beth.

"Oh, you really don't have to—"

Beth was gone already.

"I'm sorry she's just so excited—"

"HENRY!"

Robin jumped. "She's so small. How does she have so much volume?"

"She's taught at an all-boys' high school for a while," said Frederick. "And she had to raise us. Dad included."

"You guys must've given her such a tough time."

"I'm not going to sugar coat it. We weren't the easiest bunch."

Robin sat down on the couch against the photo montage wall and set her crutches down. She offered the mug of cocoa in her hand. "I can't finish it."

"You don't have to finish it."

"No, I want your mom to like me. And in order to do that, I need to finish all of this. She offered me seconds before I was even done!"

Frowning, Robin stared at the mug in Frederick's hand. Then she looked down at hers.

"Why is your mug half the size as mine? Are you sure you didn't switch them?"

"Nope. Mum just likes you more, I guess," said Frederick.

"Drink mine too before your dad shows up," said Robin, checking over her shoulder.

"You really don't have to finish it, Robin."

"If you love me, you're going to do this. Right now. You're going to chug this mug of cocoa. You also have the metabolism of a teenaged boy. I don't."

Frederick took her mug and quietly did as he was told.

"Thank you."

"You know, there's going to be a lot of food tonight and tomorrow." He sat down beside her on the couch.

"I saw that." A deep voice chuckled. Henry walked into the living room, a folded newspaper tucked in his arm.

Robin bit her lip. Shit.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, kiddo."

The older version of Frederick adjusted the worn armchair to face the couple before sitting down. His eyes flicked over to Robin and winked. "I won't tell."

The tension in Robin's body dissipated, and she released the breath she had been holding.

"Beth still cooks like she is feeding two perpetually hungry teenaged athletes. You'll have to understand. I don't think she realizes you can't eat nearly as much as our sons," said Henry. "She's going to send you home with leftovers. So be prepared."

"That's very kind of her," said Robin. "Oh. I almost forgot. I heard that you like brandy. As a Plegian, we take our alcohol seriously, so I called my dad to get a recommendation."

She passed the gift to Frederick and nudged him to pass it over to Henry. Frederick passed the box to his father.

"Frederick, you should've stopped her," Henry regarded the gift.

"I tried."

"May I open it now?"

"Of course," said Robin.

Henry ripped away the wrapping paper, and it was the first time Robin saw any significant emotion from the older gentleman: his face lit up.

"Good gods. How did you get a hold of this?" He opened the wooden box to reveal a Forsayth Plegian brandy. "It's been impossible to get a bottle."

Nothing was impossible, as long as you had money. Robin smiled politely. "I'm glad you like the gift."

She had her father pull some strings in order to get a hold of the award-winning brandy that had been sold out for the past two years. It was rare for her to use her family connections, but she was desperate to make a good impression. In exchange for the bottle, she had to give her father information on why she needed the brandy. So now her father knew she was seeing someone. He promised he wouldn't tell her mom.

Frederick leaned over and whispered, "How did you do it? I couldn't even manage to get a single bottle for the winter holidays."

"That's a secret," she whispered back.

"I'm saving this for a celebration," announced Henry, getting up from his seat, cradling the bottle like a prize. "I'm going to go show my wife."

Once the coast was clear, Robin asked, "I thought your dad didn't like me. Maybe that's changed?"

"I don't think he can hate you more than my third girlfriend who thought it was a great idea to give him a football as a gift."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"I think he likes you. It's me he's not comfortable with," said Frederick.

"Really? Care to share?"

"No, don't worry about it."

"Okay." Robin would pry later.

On the dinner table, there was creamy mashed potatoes, maple glazed carrots, Yorkshire pudding, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, and the most vibrant salad Robin had ever seen. Beth set the beef roast on the silver platter in center of the table to complete the dinner. She beamed proudly before sitting down across from Robin. There was enough food to feed at least ten people.

"Smells amazing, dearest," said Henry.

Beth patted him on his cheek. "I know, love."

"Oh my goodness, this looks amazing, Beth," said Robin.

"Mum's the best cook I know," said Frederick.

"Well, I wanted Robin to feel at home," said Beth. "Be sure to try everything."

"I will. Frederick is going to have to roll me out of the house but I might not fit through the front door when we try to go home," admitted Robin.

Meanwhile, Henry had already began to plate himself food. There was a momentary silence as everyone plated their food. Robin took her first bite of the roast and closed her eyes.

"Oh gods. That is amazing," said Robin. "Can I just live here?"

"You're always welcome to stay with us." Beth smiled.

"Frederick, you're moving back into your parents' place," joked Robin.

"That sounds like a great idea. Move back in with my parents," said Frederick.

She nudged her body against his and laughed. "Nothing's more attractive than a man in his thirties living with his parents."

"Of course, love."

"So, Robin. Tell me about your family. What do your parents do? Are they in Ylisse too?" asked Beth. "Any siblings?"

Ah, the classic background check questions.

Even Henry looked up from his food curiously.

"My parents?" repeated Robin.

Frederick glanced over at her. She hadn't really said much about them to even Frederick. He was respectful enough to not probe, but she could tell that he wanted to know too.

"They're in Plegia," started Robin. "My mom's a corporate lawyer, but also deals with criminal law since the two can blur at times."

Beside her, Frederick had his ears peeled since he was hearing this information for the first time too.

Robin chose her next words carefully. "My dad is a businessman. He took a break for a couple years and managed his real estate properties. I think he wanted to spend some time with his family so he was mostly home then."

"What kind of business?" asked Beth.

"A little bit of everything. He doesn't work there anymore, and I think the company changed names recently after a huge merger. I'm not sure about the details of the other aspects," said Robin. "I do have an older sister. She's the same age as Frederick actually. She's a project manager at a large company."

"They sound like busy people!" exclaimed Beth.

"Yes." Robin nodded to herself, her eyes cast down. "Very result driven too…" Smiling, she picked her head up and said, "Enough about my boring life. Frederick's told me that both of you were teachers!"

"We were! I taught social studies and literature. Henry did phys-ed and counselling. He was also the rugby coach for Frederick's high school," said Beth.

"I've been told," said Robin.

"He was good enough to go pro," said Henry, pointing his fork at Frederick. "And he did."

Frederick breathed out a restrained sigh. Robin placed her hand on his and gave it a squeeze.

"And he decided that he'd rather focus on his education," piped in Beth. "Which was fine, right, dear?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Of course." Henry's response was forced, but it ended the unraveling of an unpleasant conversation over dinner.

"How did you two meet?" asked Robin.

"Well, sweetheart." Beth looked over to Henry with the blushing glee of a teenager in love. "Should I tell the story? Or do you want to?"

"I've heard this a million times," muttered Frederick under his breath.

"Shush!" hissed Robin.

"You tell it better, dear." Henry relaxed and smiled.

"Okay. I was moving to Sainor for my new teaching job. I had just finished school and I had just gotten a new car...well, it wasn't new, per se. It was a used car."

"It was a complete lemon," said Henry.

"Hey, that was my grandfather's car," argued Beth.

"Exactly."

"We would've never met if it were for him."

"This is true."

"Anyway, it broke down in the middle of the highway on my way to Sainor. There was smoke everywhere! It was a blazing hot summer day and I hadn't seen a single car drive by until Henry stopped to give me a hand," said Beth.

"This is like something from a romance book or movie," gushed Robin. "So what happened?"

"My wife remembers this part differently," said Henry.

"I do not! You had no idea what you were doing," scoffed Beth. "I dare say you sealed the fate of my car that day."

"It's a miracle it even ran, darling," said Henry.

The two began to squabble about the details of the car. Something about the engine. Something about Henry breaking things. Something about overheating.

Frederick spoke over them. "Dad gave Mum a ride home, but her apartment wasn't ready yet, and she didn't have money so she crashed Dad's place, and the rest was history. They got married a year later. And I was born as a very large preemie at six months."

Beth shot Frederick a look with narrowed eyes. Robin knew that look. The look that a mother gave when you sassed her.

"Yes, you were a very large, healthy preemie at five months," said Beth.

Henry chuckled under his breath but immediately stopped when Beth shot him a look too.

"How did you two meet?" asked Beth once she was done taming the men about the family secret with her gaze.

"Robin stalked me," said Frederick nonchalantly. He bit into the asparagus.

Robin's eyes almost popped out of her head. "I did not!"

He smirked, pleased with himself.

Robin turned to his parents. "He's joking." She smacked his arm. "Tell them you're joking!"

"Are you asking me to lie to my parents?" asked Frederick.

"What he means to say is that I approached him first-"

"Aggressively," interjected Frederick, "Robin would've done great in rugby." He winked at her.

Her face burned, and she hid behind her hands. Quickly, she recovered and straightened up in her seat. "We met at work. That's how we met. I didn't stalk him. I mean I was persistent, but I didn't stalk him. Based on how my generation 'stalks' people online, what I did was nothing in comparison. Just persistent. That's all."

"Oh?" said Beth. "Frederick, you told me that you couldn't date because there was a rule at work that you can't date coworkers. Were you lying to me this entire time?"

"Beth, don't blame him. You don't eat where you shit," said Henry.

Beth regarded her husband. "You ate where you shat. We worked at the same high school for years. What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing. I misspoke," said Henry quickly.

"Please don't argue. We have a guest. And the rule is informal," said Frederick. "We started out as casual friends and it grew to be more. That's all."

Robin let out a sigh of relief.

"I stand corrected. Robin didn't stalk me. She pursued me. Aggressively."

Beth and Henry both stared at Robin. She wanted to die. Until the two burst out laughing.

"My son has no game," said Beth. "He must be exaggerating."

Robin blinked.

"Thanks, Mum," said Frederick.

"A woman who knows what she wants and makes the first move is attractive," said Beth. "Right, Henry?"

"Yes, dear."

After dinner, Robin retired earlier than the rest of them. Frederick worried about whether the stress got to her, but she insisted that she would just take some meds and nurse her headache and nausea. His parents and him sat in the living room, each with a cup of tea, and no Robin to mediate the tension.

"I think that's the first time I've seen you tease a girlfriend in front of us," remarked his mom.

"Is it?" asked Frederick.

"Yes, it is. Your past girlfriends were very nice, but not as exciting as her," said his mom.

"I suppose," he said.

"By the way, how is work?" asked his mom.

"Good."

"Are you eating well?"

"I am."

His dad sipped his tea.

"Is Danny coming by? Robin wanted to meet him," said Frederick.

"He's busy training for an upcoming match," said his dad.

"It's not like he's not going to eat, Henry. I'm sure he could swing by for a little bit," said his mom.

"We should let me focus and train," said his dad.

"Mum, it's quite alright. We can see him next time we come," said Frederick.

"Now, I really like Robin, but how old is she? It felt rude to ask directly. She looked mighty young," said Henry.

"She's twenty-five," said his mom. "I asked her."

His dad frowned.

"Eight years isn't that bad, Henry. And Robin's such a sweet girl," said his mom.

"I know she's a sweet girl, but she's still awfully young for Frederick," said his dad.

"Trust me, I've tried reasoning with her before we committed to seeing one another," said Frederick. "I just want to be clear, Dad. This isn't something that is up for debate."

He muttered under his breath, "Just like your decision to throw your rugby career away?"

"Henry. Don't start," warned his mom.

"I see that we're picking up right where we left off last time," said Frederick quietly. "I've explained myself enough over the years. When will you let this go?"

The anger and disappointment surfaced in his father's eyes once again. It was like nothing had changed. It always got worse whenever Danny had a tournament coming up or when it was rugby season.

"Because you could've been great, son!" exclaimed Henry.

"Frederick, you're great as you are right now too. Right, Henry?" His wife pointedly glared.

He ignored her and continued. "You had so much potential."

"Dad. I don't want to put my loved ones through what happened to Charlie," said Frederick. He internally winced at the mention of his mentor and old friend on the team who had died of suicide after a severe concussion. It wasn't his first concussion in his career, but it had been his last.

"You were different. You weren't Charlie Bowen. His playing was sloppy." His dad waved off the retired professional.

Frederick got up from his seat.

"Sweetheart," pleaded his mom, reaching for Frederick's hand.

"I'm heading to bed." The retired rugby player paused at the doorway of the living room. "And Dad?"

The tired coach looked at his once proudest achievement.

"It wasn't an easy decision for me either. There were moments I missed it so much that I wanted to go back," said Frederick. "But I found that I'm good at things other than rugby."

It was a living nightmare. His room had been transformed into a trophy room of his and Danny's athletic achievements. There were shelves of trophies, and on the wall, his rugby jersey from his professional days hung in a box frame. Beneath were other medals and boxing championship belts his mother had collected, but the shadows cast by the rugby memorabilia haunted him.

Unfortunately, Robin took the room he usually stayed in when he visited his parents. Frederick rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling, the only space in the room not covered in reminders of disappointment. He found falling asleep without Robin a challenge. He wondered if she felt the same, and soon, realized that he would need to adjust to her absence in the coming days.

Frederick grew up to sleep through his parents' and Danny's atrocious snoring. Even now, he could hear the nasal duet from his parents' room down the hall. He wondered if Robin was sleeping okay. The phone that was charging on the bedside table asked him to pick it up. It wouldn't do any harm to send her a text.

He reached for his phone and sent her a message. Are you asleep?

She responded right away. No. Is everything okay?

Robin always did have difficulty sleeping in new places.

She sent another text. Can't sleep. Can you come down and stay with me, babe?

I'm coming, he answered.

After sending it, he immediately composed a second text.

No hanky panky.

No promises…

Shaking his head, he chuckled and climbed out of bed. Frederick made his way down to the guest room near the kitchen. There was a snoring from down the hall-his mother. It was surprising to everyone that it was his sweet, tiny mother who snored like a hibernating bear and not his father. He carefully stepped around the creaky spots that he memorized with Danny as children. He skipped the seventh and second to last stair before safely arriving on the first floor without making a sound. It wouldn't have mattered if he had made a sound, but it was a habit that surfaced whenever he came home.

Frederick knocked as soft as he could. Inside, he could hear the rustling of the covers.

"Coming in," he whispered. The door whined open.

Robin sat up on the bed yawning. "Hey, babe."

"Hello, love." He walked over to her and kissed her. "So, how do you want to do this?" he asked, looking at the small bed.

Robin scooted towards the edge of the bed. "You can take the inside."

Frederick raised a brow. "You usually want me to stay on the outside. To protect you from monsters."

She shrugged. "I don't feel like moving. My cast makes it hard to move. You're gonna have to climb over me."

"Alright."

Frederick climbed over her to settle in against the wall. He pulled the covers over them. She lifted her head, so he could slide the arm under her head. She wiggled over closer to his side, placing her hand on his chest.

"You're wearing an undershirt," she commented before slipping her hand under the shirt.

"Mom made it a rule we had to wear clothes at home, or we'd all ran around in our boxers. Including Dad."

"I can see where you got your love for rules."

"Is it obvious?"

She nodded. "I like your parents. Your dad's a bit stoic, but I don't think he hates me. Were you guys fighting?"

"Don't worry about it," said Frederick.

"You look upset though. Talk to me."

He sighed.

"We promised we'd be more open about things,"

Frederick chewed on his thoughts and digested them.

Robin waited with her hand against his chest, her thumb rubbing against his skin.

"I played rugby professionally for two years for the Manaketes. In between high school and university," started Frederick. "And I had a teammate named Charlie Bowen. Famous rugby player. A legend. He was a mentor and friend to me."

"Dalen mentioned it," Robin whispered.

"I see. So then you know he had a severe concussion during his final game."

"Dalen said that he passed away," murmured Robin.

Frederick's arm tightened around her. "He was supposed to retire that year. And he changed after that game. He wasn't himself." Frederick painfully paused. "Charlie died of suicide. It destroyed Molly, his wife. And their daughter had just turned two."

Robin hugged Frederick. "I'm sorry, teddy bear."

"It was a long time ago. But I decided to quit playing pro after long consideration. It had always been Dad's dream to be a pro rugby player, but knee injury. So you can only imagine how much resistance I got about my decision."

"Yeah."

"I was afraid. I was afraid, Robin."

Robin rolled over onto her stomach to get a better look at him. Her eyes were empathetic and kind.

"I was afraid I'd put the people I love through that," said Frederick. "It was hard walking away. Rugby had been my life. But I had a standing offer at Ylisstol U. Mum made it clear that her boys weren't going to be just jocks. Making honour roll was prerequisite for her to allow us to play or box."

"I'm guessing your dad never got over this," said Robin.

"No. But I was also worried about whether I'd have something to do after I retired from rugby too. It wasn't a bad idea to go to school," said Frederick.

"I'm sorry you went through that." Robin leaned in to kiss him.

"I wouldn't have met you if I hadn't," said Frederick.

"I don't think people have to suffer to find their way in life. If we were meant to be, we would've met, regardless," said Robin.

Frederick tucked her hair behind her ear to see her face better. "Where were you all these years?"

She snorted before laughing and kissing him. "Busy making terrible decisions."

"Care to share, love?" asked Frederick.

"Nothing you don't know already. Chrom. Staying in a fucked up relationship," murmured Robin. "But back to you…it must be hard to come back home."

"No, it's quite alright. It used to be a lot worse," said Frederick. "This is nothing."

"Still…"

"I'm going to miss you," confessed Frederick.

"Come visit me. You can meet my crazy family," said Robin. "And if they're too crazy for you, we can stay at a hotel on my parents' credit card just to spite them."

"I'm not doing that. That would leave a horrendous impression, Robin."

"I'm kidding."

"If I am to be frank, I thought you were going to say something raunchy instead of an invitation to meet your parents. Like you usually would."

"Like what?"

"Something naughty."

"Like 'we'll just have to have a night you'll remember until I'm back?'"

He chuckled, sliding his hand down her back. "You've said dirtier things, kitten."

She caught his hand. Her lips curled. "No hanky panky."

It hadn't been the first time she stopped an intimate gesture. In fact, she had stopped every single one as of late. It was unlike her, who was usually enthusiastic for a touch, a cuddle, a kiss.

Robin forced a smile before settling back into bed on her side. She took a deep breath.

"Love?"

"Mmm?"

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm tired."

She was avoiding answering the question.

He persisted in a gentle, patient tone. "You won't let me touch you anymore."

Her answer took a moment. "I'm tired, teddy bear."

"Alright. Goodnight, love."

Robin didn't say another word. Her breath was warm and slow against his side. When he thought she was finally fast asleep, she murmured something.

"Hmm?" Frederick blinked open his eyes. He was only supposed to wait until she fell asleep.

"I…I don't want you to see me."

Frowning, he picked his head up. "What do you mean?"

"I can't even look at myself half the time. The bruising. It just kinda aches now, but it still looks bad. It just kinda reminds me of what happened. I don't want to see that look on your face when you see me naked."

"Robin, you know I love you with all my heart."

"I know. But whenever something happens to me, you make that face. Like it's your fault I have cramps or I got the flu or I guess this time, I got hit by a car. But it's not. It's mine, or sometimes it's just life. It's just a reminder of how stupid I was for thinking things weren't going to be set on fire with anything to do with Chrom. And…and that he kissed me and…"

There was nothing to forgive. Frederick had let it go already and was focused on making sure Robin was okay.

"It felt like I cheated on you. I guess to some, they'd see it as that," said Robin.

"You didn't. Chrom took advantage of you, and I haven't quite forgiven him for that," said Frederick.

"You're a really good man," said Robin, hugging him.

"And things will be better now. We can be open about our relationship, and you're taking a break."

"I hope so."