My plan for this story is extremely undeveloped.

I really shouldn't be uploading this right now, but I've decided I need some constructive criticism before continuing. I was planning to write each chapter with the complete C, B, A, and possibly S support conversations, but since I'm already making support conversations more detailed than the usual flat script, I thought I might take this at a slower pace to make more time for extra detail.

Here are the rules. I will be taking requests for this. But I'd really like to hear your thoughts on the current chapter and what improvements I could make for the next to come first. A little more than something like "do chrom and cordelia next" would be greatly appreciated and preferred.

Speaking of that, if enough people want a Chrom/Cordelia support, I'll do it, but they will not have an S support. Keep in mind that I'm trying to write these with the game's canons in mind, and romantic Chrom/Cordelia is clearly not what IS had intended. Sorry, but you'll have to go elsewhere for that.

If you do make a request, please remember that I am human, and a slow one at that, so my updates might not come every day, or every week, for that matter. (I'm working on it, though.) If I'm currently at C support for one pair, don't nag me about the support you want every single time I update. Maybe wait until I finish that pair's A support, when my mind is blank of ideas, and then give me your suggestion.

Please don't be offended if I don't decide to write your suggested support. As versatile as the FEA cast is, not every character is compatible with another. Well, somebody can easily prove me wrong on that, but I'll have better ideas for some pairs than others.

Only supports involving the Shepherds are allowed. Don't ask me to do Gangrel/Emmeryn. I'm sure there's a fan support for that somewhere out there.

I might go out of order for these supports. I'm probably going to get tired of always writing one pair's supports, so even though this chapter is Frederick and Gaius's C support, the next one might be another pair's C support. The order of supports will always go C-B-A-S. S is only for supports involving opposite genders, of course. (Most of these will probably be pairs of the same gender, since most characters can marry each other.)

I guess that's it. If I remember more rules or restrictions, I'll post them up next chapter.

I really don't remember what drove me to do this support in particular. If Frederick the Wary accused Robin of using the amnesiac ruse to hide his/her ulterior motives (which is totally justified, in my opinion), then a certain openly-admitted thief would probably have a rough time dealing with him. That, and I love the way their characters contrast. Well, if this pair isn't for you, then you can always suggest your own or wait until I start up another one. But I will admit that I made the Frederick/Gaius C support pretty ridiculous…

I apologize if the point-of-view gets somewhat confusing. I don't even know what I was intending. I guess it was supposed to lean slightly more towards Gaius's side, but sometimes, Frederick's thoughts would pop out. Like I said: extremely undeveloped. I also apologize in advance for Frederick's OOC-ness. He's a bit crazy here, but that's another thing I'll be sure to work on. I promise I won't be this lazy ever again. Starting Chapter 2 and onward, things should get better and flow more smoothly.

One last thing. I want to credit Kikifoo for allowing me to use the nickname she had Gaius give Frederick in her story The Bee Hunters (which Gaius/Sumia fans are guaranteed to love). I thought it was a clever nickname for him, and since I'm horrible at naming things in general, I was grateful when she let me use it. Thanks again, Kiki!

Now that I'm done talking, enjoy! And I would love it if you all reviewed and included constructive criticism, but the latter isn't too necessary.

Frederick & Gaius — C

Frederick's soul-chilling stare did not bestow its intended effect upon Gaius, but it did disturb the thief enough for him to speak up.

"Uh, Frederick?" asked Gaius, trying to ignore the burning ray of sunlight that was the knight's accusatory gaze. "Why're you glaring at me like I killed somebody?"

Frederick's glower minimized to an angry squint, fixed on a certain part of Gaius's face. "The caked blood on your cheek would not exactly do wonders for your testimony, thief."

"What, this?" Gaius's hand drifted up to his face to wipe off what Frederick had perceived as blood, finding on the tip of his finger a sweet surprise. "Well, it's definitely caked something, alright," he laughed, casually licking off the red icing on his hand.

Frederick remained unmoved. "You know, Gaius," he began, donning that intimidating gaze once again, "I've oft remarked that the best criminals are the ones who pretend to be something they are not. Which begs the question: are you really just a thief, or perhaps something more?"

A look of déjà vu flitted across Gaius's face, but was quickly replaced by one of exasperation. "Yeah, I was prepared to deal with people like you. Kind of inevitable, given my profession." He settled back into a more aloof pose, contrasting with the knight's vigilant form. "You said it yourself, Starchy. Why waste time dealing with me when the best criminals would be the ones under more… innocent occupations?"

"Why augment my skepticism by evading the question?" retaliated Frederick. His dead-serious tone earned an eye-roll from Gaius.

"What do you want the answer to be? 'Cause I'm pretty sure whatever I say couldn't even make a dent in that stubborn head of yours." Gaius leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms and making himself comfortable. He, evidently, wasn't going anywhere for a while.

"Your answer," grounded out a cross Frederick, "should be the truth."

"Yeah, I'm a criminal," was the breezy reply. "I steal stuff. Big deal. Everyone in camp knows that. Your lord knew the second he saw me, but he didn't hesitate to enlist me in the army, did he?"

"Maybe so. But that was during a time of crisis; the Exalt's life was in danger, and thus, he required all the help he could get. More importantly, however, has anyone in the camp discovered your true identity—that of a cold-blooded killer?"

"Whoawuhwha?" Replacing the once-triumphant smirk on Gaius's face was a stare of surprise, his jaw hanging (but not enough for his lollipop to fall out). Frederick closed his eyes in what appeared to be a deep recollection of thought, as if he was mentally gathering evidence to prove Gaius guilty of a high-ranking crime. Then he began to speak.

"I know everything you've been doing to our fellow Shepherds. You are the cause of the princess's finger pinpricks, considerably disabling her abilities and being the root of her nonstop complaining."

"All I did was teach her how to—"

"You are the cause for the bee stings Sumia had received three days ago—which are still fully swollen and visible, for your knowledge—by taking advantage of her as bait, then snatching the beehive and fleeing while she ran helplessly through the forest!"

"Not exactly on point there, but if it helps, I got a bunch of 'em too—"

"And not to mention you tainted milord's chastity by taking him to… to… the 'Red Light District'?! You have forever scarred his innocent mind! Are you astute at all to your comrades' well-beings?!"

Frederick inhaled slowly and deeply, desperately in need of a breather after his nagging. Gaius stood there with a raised eyebrow, keeping his mouth shut. After all, Frederick would easily cut down anything that escaped it. He waited until ten full seconds had lapsed until bothering to speak up.

"This has to do with me being a murderer how?"

"…Open that white sack."

"Why?" Gaius immediately said, rather defensively. A bit too defensively for Frederick and his qualms. He didn't realize his grip on the bag tensed until it fell victim to the knight's Frederick-sees-all-stare.

"If my suspicions are correct," Frederick mused, "the heads of your acclaimed victims are stored inside." The thief stared at him like a lunatic, but he didn't seem to notice through all his chattering. "Based on the protective manner in which you're clutching that sack, what lies inside is evidently not for my eyes to see. A typical killer would attempt to hide evidence of the crime by tossing it in the river or burying it where one might not discover it. But you, with your calm and aloof personality, have the ability to blend in with the crowd, masking your criminal identity so effectively no one would ever suspect you of committing anything but innocent robbery! In actuality, you attempt to gain trust, and decapitate your victims' heads when they least expect it, selling them off to the black market for gold you so desperately need to make a living in your sorry life!"

"Sheesh, listen to yourself!" interjected Gaius, before Frederick could continue his crazy prattle. He sighed; as his patience began to thin, so did his resistance. "If you really want to know what's in the bag, I guess I'll just have to show you… You don't seem like the type to like sweets, so I guess it's okay," he mumbled, lazily swinging the sack off his shoulder and gingerly placing it on the ground.

"I don't seem the type to like meat, you say? So my suspicions ARE correct! In that bag are human heads! Human heads you were plotting to share with me, so as to bribe me to keep your deplorable secret?!" Steam practically blew from his ears, which had taken on a bright tint of red, as he spoke. Still, the amusing side of Frederick getting worked up was trifling next to the terrifying one. He brandished his lance with the clear intent to kill. "I've seen enough. The world will be a peaceful one without rogues like you to terrorize it, blackheart."

Then he swung.

And Gaius, despite his obstinate sweets fetish, chose his life over his candies'.

RIIIIIIP.

That was what Frederick had heard, as the lance tore a large hole through the white sack, quickly emptying its contents. What Gaius had heard sounded more like the helpless squeals of his babies, each falling—in what seemed like slow motion—to their maker: cold, hard, germ-infested ground.

"AH… hah?"

"NOOO!" cried the thief, who scrambled to the ground to save his beloveds. He circled them with his arms protectively; where was Lissa? Where was Maribelle? They only had five seconds to live, damn it! Medical help, please… vision… blackening… Mrraaaaaaggghhhh…

It was a pitiful sight, really.

"My precious! My life! You… you monster! Why didn't you wait until I showed you what was in the damn thing before ripping it open?!"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Frederick's face. "Hmph. You win this round, thief. But know that I will be keeping my eyes on you for the next several days, and when I do catch you in the act of doing something suspicious, it will be your head on a shiny platter." He put his lance away, indifferent to Gaius's silent sobs, and marched away, muttering, "Perhaps it could replace the stuffed bear head on display in the castle hall…"

"Get back here, damn you! At least help me grab all this candy as an apology!" Gaius averted his glare from Frederick's retreating back to his fallen sweets, his furious expression quickly replaced by a somber one. "Ugh. Wonder if a 60-second rule exists?"