Frederick didn't know what to do with himself. Lord Chrom had decided today would be a free day for the Shepherds. The words were foreign to the great knight. A free day? A day to relax and do nothing? He always had to be active: training the others, sharpening the weapons, cleaning up the camp. The idea of free time never occurred to him. Now that he had it, he felt at a loss. He currently sat in his tent. His armor had been removed and placed on a nearby chair. Since there was no training, he had no reason to be wearing it. Even though he felt naked without its protection, he left the armor off. He sighed.
"Now what?" Frederick wondered aloud. His eyes fell on a small stack of books he had meant to give to (y/n). "Oh, right! (y/n) said she was going to read a little today." A smile appeared at the thought of the tactician. His heart flipped in his chest. It had been a while since they last spent time together, away from the curious eyes of their fellow Shepherds. Frederick made his decision. He recalled her telling him she'd be at a nearby glade if he wanted to join her. He stood and left his tent.
The Great Knight didn't need to wander far into the woods. A few minutes into his walk brought him to the meadow. It was a couple yards off to his right. Frederick stepped off the trail towards the meadow. When he emerged into the sun-filled patch of green he paused, taking in the beauty around him. The grass was lush with patches of wild flowers. Butterflies and honey bees flitted from blossom to blossom, lost in their own little world. There were a few trees that provided shade. It was under one of those trees Frederick found (y/n).
A small smile spread across his face as he approached the tactician. She lay on her back underneath an oak tree with a book in hand--well, on her chest. The steady rise and fall of the book meant she had fallen asleep while reading. (y/n) rarely did so. She must have been very tired from all the battles they've fought. As Frederick drew closer, he saw her coat folded under her head as a makeshift pillow. Not wanting to wake the woman, he sat beside her and simply watched her sleep. He brushed away some stray hairs from her face with his fingertips. His heart warmed at the relaxed, peaceful set of (y/n)'s face and the thought that someday--if she accepted--he'd see her like this every morning. Frederick leaned down and placed a kiss on one of (y/n)'s cheeks.
(y/n) started stirring in her sleep. She wiggled closer to Frederick with a sigh, her eyes squinting as she tried to get comfortable again. Once satisfied, her body stilled, save for her deep breathing. Frederick couldn't help himself. He chuckled softly with a smile. This was his first time seeing this version of (y/n), and it was adorable. Hearing his voice made (y/n)'s eyes flutter open. She sleepily looked straight at Frederick, seeing his black vest and slacks instead of armor. Her (e/c) eyes moved up his torso to his face. His affectionate smile made her blush a little.
"Hi Frederick," (y/n) said mid yawn as she sat up and ran a hand through her (h/l) (h/c) hair.
Frederick chuckled again. "Hello, (y/n). Sleep well?"
"Yeah." (y/n) stretched her back and arms, hoping it would wake her up a little more. "How long have you been here?"
Frederick shrugged. "Just a few minutes. You were a sleep when I arrived."
"Ah." (y/n) yawned again. "I must have been very tired. It felt like not long after I got comfy and began reading my eyes got droopy and I was out."
"It happens." Frederick closed the distance between them and reached for the book that fell off as (y/n) shifted around earlier. "What were you reading?"
"Just a novel this time," (y/n) said as she raised her legs to rest her arms on her knees. "Why would I read a tactical book on a free day?"
This time Frederick laughed. "Good point." He examined the leather binding, tracing a finger along the raised design on the cover. "Are you enjoying it?" he asked as he opened the book to the title page, then flipped to a few pages into the first chapter.
"So far," (y/n) said with a smile. "It was slow at first, but now things are getting interesting."
Frederick closed the book and handed it to (y/n). "I'll have to read it when you're finished."
"I'd love to loan it to you."
(y/n) felt Frederick wrap an arm across her shoulders. He gently pulled her closer to his side, resting his head on hers with a sigh. Her face flushed. Frederick rarely allowed such close contact, even when they had time to themselves. The tactician didn't say a word, though. She just welcomed the gesture and followed Frederick's lead. He eventually scooted back so they could rest against the trunk of the sturdy oak tree. (y/n) adjusted her position so she could rest her head on Frederick's chest and wrap an arm around him. She heard the rapid beating of his heart through his white dress shirt. He was nervous, and it was adorable. (y/n) smiled as she absently played with the lapel of his vest.
"This is nice," she told him softly.
"Yes, it is," Fredrick answered just as softly. He hesitantly started running his fingertips up and down her side, never straying higher than her rib cage or lower than her hip. The motion sent warm tingles up (y/n)'s spine.
"I'm surprised you started it, to be honest."
"W-well . . ." Frederick's face flushed darkly as he fumbled for an answer. "I just thought it was time. The notes, small gifts and brief, private embraces are not enough anymore."
(y/n) bit her lip to keep back a smile. "Then . . . I guess this also means it's time for us to tell Chrom."
"Probably," Frederick agreed. "It's getting harder to hide how I feel for you."
This piqued (y/n)'s interest. She looked up at her knight with a small smirk. "Oh? And how do you feel about me?" she teased.
The instant reddening of his face was gratifying. "I-I . . . I, um . . ." Frederick's chocolate brown eyes avoided (y/n)'s. "I-I care a lot a-about you," he managed to say. "You mean a lot to me, (y/n)," he continued. "And I will always keep you close to my heart."
Frederick's words brought tears to (y/n)'s eyes. She knew he meant every single one; Frederick was never one to lie. "Frederick." (y/n) placed a hand on his warm cheek and made him look at her. "I want you to know that you're very dear to me, and that I'll always keep you close to my heart, as well." She smiled warmly. "I love you."
A smile spread across Frederick's lightening face. Hearing (y/n) say those three little words gave him the confidence he needed to say them back. He placed a hand on (y/n)'s cheek. "And I love you, (y/n)." He leaned his face closer and placed his lips on hers, kissing her tenderly.
~***~ ~***~ ~***~
Lissa was skipping down the trail, humming to herself when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement from the meadow. Her curiosity got the better of her and she crept up for a closer look. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped and her face flushed. She bit back a squeak of surprise and rushed back to camp. This wasn't the first time she accidentally walked in on Frederick and (y/n) kissing. Those times were just chaste kisses. This kiss was on a whole different level.
"Chrom! Chrom!" Lissa shouted as she neared the tents. "Chroooooom!" She saw her blue haired brother dart out from the war tent and up to her.
"Lissa! What's wrong?" He examined her face and arms, looking for scratches. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Lissa said as she swatted at his hands. She grinned brightly from ear to ear. "You're not going to believe what I just saw!" she squeaked.
As the princess shared her story, a pretty big crowd had gathered around to listen. Virion, Maribelle and Cornelia knew early on about Frederick and (y/n)'s relationship, same with Chrom. But the other oblivious ones--like Vaike, Sully, and Stahl were floored by the news. By the time Frederick and (y/n) came back, the entire camp knew about it. Their cheers and wolf whistles were embarrassing, making the tactician and knight flush scarlet, but they accepted their congratulations and well-wishes. Apparently Maribelle was already beginning marriage plans.
Even though the news spread faster than they intended, (y/n) and Frederick were relieved that it happened that way. Leave it to Lissa to spill the beans.
(Hehe I had a friend help me with this one! Hope you enjoyed it!! Sorry it took so long... anyways! Question! What's your favour support conversation? Personally I don't have one)
