Chapter Text
You were stretched out on the couch, eyes closed, while Tiny House Hunting Amish Triplets: Extreme Edition played in the background. You felt yourself about to drift off to sleep when suddenly you heard your phone ping. It then pinged several more times, prompting a loud groan and causing you to sit up from your reclined position, reaching for it.
“Mmm…” you mumbled out, eyes squinted at the screen.
Lighting up your phone were several messages from Robert.
Robert: hey
Robert: Y/N
Robert: hey you up?
Robert: I’m outside wake up
Robert: HEY
Grumbling, you typed back to him. I’m up now, what’s up?
Despite the annoyance you felt at being woken up, you couldn’t help but also feel a thrill of happiness. Though you and Robert had been close friends for quite some time now, with the occasional foray into more intimate territory, it always astounded you that someone as cool as him would actually enjoy your company.
Your phone dinged, another message from Robert: come outside lets go hunting
Cryptid hunting, I assume? You replied, already standing from the couch and searching for your pants. You pulled them on, smoothing out your tee shirt, then made a beeline for the door, snagging your shoes from next to it as you threw it open, grinning at the other man.
“Took you long enough,” he returned your smile, embracing you in a tight hug as you approached him.
“I was on the cusp of sleep,” you yawned, giving a slight shake of your head, though this action was difficult as your face was tucked into his neck. You gave a light sniff, smelling his cologne, “clean up just for me? Special occasion tonight?” you teased, pulling back slightly from the hug and raising your eyebrows at him. He studied you for a moment, face somewhat unreadable, then gave a barely perceptible nod, so small that you wondered if you imagined it.
“Let’s get going,” he remarked, letting you go and walking around the truck, climbing into the driver’s side and fixing his eyes on you through the window. With a slight shrug, you climbed into the truck as well, stretching your arms behind you as you did so.
“No Betsy tonight?”
He shook his head in response, turning up the radio as he pulled out of your driveway. You yawned quietly, settling back into your seat and relaxing, your eyes beginning to drift shut. However, you were startled from this respite as Robert reached over and lightly placed one of his hands on yours. With your eyes wide, you glanced over to the older man from the corner of your eye, who had his eyes still focused on the road. However, you noticed that his cheeks had taken a slight flush, and you couldn’t help the smile that curved on your lips. You decided not to comment on it, but instead turned your hand so that you could intertwine your fingers with his, your eyes still fixed on him. His blush deepened somewhat, and he gave your hand a light squeeze. You leaned back in your seat once more, closing your eyes with a small sigh of contentment.
You found yourself jarred awake by Robert’s truck coming to a stop. Opening your eyes, you looked out the window, yawning loudly as you push out of the car and close your door.
“Hey, we’ve been here before,” you smiled, glancing over to him as he came around the front of the truck, “you brought me out here that time we, uh, I guess we saw the Dover Ghost.”
He nodded, smiling slightly, as though pleased you remembered. You expected him to head for the woods, but he instead pulled down the back of his truck and hopped into the bed, patting the space next to him. As you walked to him, your eyes lighted upon a blanket he had laid out, as well as a picnic basket sitting behind him.
“What’s this?” you asked, hoisting yourself into the bed of the truck with a slight grunt.
“A picnic,” he replied, drumming his fingers on the basket, as though nervous.
“Did you keep that back here for the whole ride?”
“Tied down, yeah.”
“Amazing,” you remarked, laughing and wiggling yourself closer to him. After several moments of comfortable silence, you spoke up, “so what’s the occasion?”
Robert continued the silence for a moment, then opened up the basket, producing smoked meats, cheeses, sandwiches, two glasses, and—
“Hey! White Zinfandel!” you cheered, leaning to him and pressing your shoulder against his, “are we gonna throw rocks at things again?”
He shook his head, “not this time. I had…something else in mind.”
You quieted, raising your eyebrows imploringly.
Robert reached for your hand once more, winding his fingers through yours and letting out a small sigh. He seemed nervous, but about what you were unsure.
“Is everything alright with Val?” you asked after a moment. He nodded, raising his hand to indicate that he needed a moment. You silenced yourself once more, but couldn’t help but worry about the other man.
Finally he raised his head from where he’d been studying your twined hands, “I wanted…to thank you,” his voice was low, somewhat gruffer than usual, “for…everything you’ve done for me,” he trailed off, taking a deep breath and locking his eyes on yours, “I know that…I’m not an easy guy to be around. I’m sure there have been times when…walking away would have just been easier,” you started to shake your head, opening your mouth to disagree, but he raised his hand once more, prompting you to shut your mouth, “but I’ve been doing much better. Showering more, drinking less. Hell, I even cleaned up part of my living room the other day. I talk to Val on a weekly basis, see her every couple of weeks when she has the free time…. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you, Y/N.”
You felt yourself blushing, and hastily waved your hand, “no, no, I’m sure you would have--”
“I wouldn’t have,” he cut you off, face serious, “without you…I wouldn’t have gone to meet Val. I wouldn’t have had the courage or the strength to change myself into the man you somehow knew I could be. You give me that. And honestly, every day that I know you is…so wonderful. I know I’ve said it before but…you’re special to me. You mean…so much to me. I mean,” here he gestured to himself, a sad smile appearing on his face, “I’ve never been this open with anyone in my damn life. Not more than I’m being with you right now. I guess…what I’m trying to say is…. You’re a damn wonderful man, Y/N. Probably the best I’ve ever known,” he trailed off once more, gazing off towards the distant city, his thumb rubbing light circles against yours.
You opened your mouth to speak once more, but he turned back to you, bringing his free hand up to cup your cheek, pressing his lips to yours in a gentler way than he ever had before. You felt tears prick at your eyes, and you weren’t wholly sure why, perhaps the softness of his kiss, or perhaps his words. Whatever it was, you were bawling and Robert looked rather nervous as he attempted to calm you down. However, the sweetness of his actions only made you cry harder.
“Y/N…what’s wrong?” he finally asked, hands clasped on either side of your face.
You shrugged, laughing through your tears, “I don’t know. That was just…so sweet.”
“Well, I’m not even done yet, so…” he shrugged slightly, looking more nervous than before.
You took a moment to compose yourself, swiping stray tears away and taking several deep breaths, before fixing your eyes on him once more, “go ahead. I can take it this time.”
He looked like he didn’t believe you in the slightest, but he continued speaking, “Val is engaged--”
“Robert, that’s wonderful!”
He nodded, smiling slightly, “and she…invited me to the wedding. But…” he frowned now, looking down at his hands, “I need someone to go with. I mean, I guess I could go alone but…that’s a lot of relatives and family I haven’t seen in…a damn long time. I’d be too nervous to go by myself. I guess, I’m asking…if you’ll come with me.”
“Oh,” you cupped your chin, resting your elbow on your knee, eyeing the food before you as your stomach growled slightly, then nodded, “yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll go with you.”
Robert looked up, seeming somewhat startled, as though he hadn’t expected you to agree, “Really? Well…I had another question, then.”
“Lay it on me.”
He leaned forward once more, lips brushing against yours, though this time the kiss was less certain and more hesitant, “would you…come as my date?”
You pushed back from him slightly, “sorry, hard to…hard to think when you’re so close,” you replied sheepishly, blushing, “your date? Are you certain?”
Robert nodded, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Y/N. And I think that I’m ready to…try something with you. I’ve wanted you for quite some time, as I’m sure you know. And denying myself that has been…really hard. There were so many times when I just…wanted to say fuck it, come clean about my feelings, and put everything out there. But I knew I had to wait,” he reached for your hands, enveloping them within his own, “wait until I had a better hold of myself. Wait until I showered more than once a week, I guess.”
You couldn’t help but laugh, rubbing your shoulder against your eye as a stray tear escaped, “Robert…nothing would make me happier than…to be with you. And to accompany you to Val’s wedding.”
This time, it’s you who leaned forward to kiss him, one of your hands slipping from his to rest snugly on the back of his neck. With one hand free now, he pulled you closer, deepening the kiss and lightly biting at your bottom lip, drawing a soft moan from your throat and causing you to press closer. However, he pulled away all too soon, a smirk on his face, “we need to eat.”
“We could…eat later…?” you inched closer to him, allowing your hand to trail from his neck, to his chest, to his thigh, where you ran your fingers lightly over him.
He firmly shook his head, “nope.”
Grumbling, you pulled back, “fine, fine.”
Robert laughed at your facial expression, tugging you close for another kiss, “we’ll eat fast, okay?”
“Good,” you grinned against his lips.
He pulled back once more and poured wine for the both of you, handing you your glass and fixing his eyes on you. That same slight blush was on his cheeks as he lightly clinked his glass to yours.
“To us,” he murmured.
“To us.”