Work Text:
Robin wasn't sure whether it was the unseasonably warm spring weather or because friends from home were visiting, but Isla had decided a party was in order. With karaoke. This was what found Robin at her friends' house one lovely Saturday night. Robin couldn't put her finger on what it was, but she suspected her friend was up to something.
"Robin, can you fill this bowls up with nibbles?" Isla asked as she passed her a stack of bowls and various bags of snack foods. "Nick should be back soon with drinks and then I think we are all set! You reminded Cormoran, didn't you?"
"I sent him a text this afternoon, but I left out the karaoke bit," smirked Robin, "I wasn't sure he wouldn't change his mind if he caught wind of your idea for the evening's entertainment."
"Oh please, Cormoran wouldn't care if I had us all playing childrens' party games as long as he knew you'd be here!"
Robin felt herself flush. She wanted to believe Isla but couldn't. Some days she thought there was something there between her and Cormoran and other days she was certain she was making it all up.
"It's not like that Isla, we are just friends, Cormoran doesn't feel that way at all."
"I guess you've never seen him look at you like I have," stated the attorney, bluntly. "I've never seen Cormoran light up like he does when you are around. But the real question is how you feel about him."
Based off the look Isla was giving her, Robin knew she never wanted to be cross examined by Isla. Clearly, Isla knew what she was doing. Robin sighed.
"Isla, I have such a jumble of feelings. Cormoran has always been there for me and been so supportive and that is something I haven't always been used to. Matthew never made me feel successful and smart like that. Sometimes I wonder if this is just how a close friend should make you feel. But then other times, he smiles that half smile of his and I'd like to kiss him until my mouth is numb. And certainly that's not something you think about with just any friend. Isla, I'm a bit shit at this, I haven't really dated since high school!"
Isla tried to shake the shocked look off her face. She had long suspected Robin's feelings but between the disaster of a marriage and the subsequent divorce, she wasn't ever really sure where Robin stood. She walked over to the counter and poured a glass of wine.
"Drink up," she said as she handed Robin the glass and poured herself another. "Cormoran's never said as much to me, but I've known him long enough that he doesn't need to say anything. I've also known him long enough to know that when he gets an idea in his head, he's a stubborn ox. I think you'll need to make the first move."
"Not bloody likely, Isla, I have no idea what I'm doing!" Robin, exasperated, took a large drink for her glass.
Isla smirked, a mischievous look in her eye. Topping Robin's wine back off she said, "We'll just keep this glass topped up and let the wine and karaoke work it's magic. Now, let's go freshen up, everyone should be here soon!"
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While finishing up his trip to the store, Nick ran into Strike making a purchase of his own. Doom Bar and Robin's favorite bottle of white.
His friend hadn't noticed him so he walked up beside him. "Planning on getting a certain red head a little tipsy and finally making your move?"
Startled, Strike jumped, then spotted Nick and glarred.
"First of all, I don't need to get women drunk before making moves. Second, everyone likes this white and we always run out, just saving us a trip! Third, I'm not making any moves on Robin. How many times am I going to repeat myself? We are work partners, even if there was something there, I can't risk the business we've built. I swear, you're worse than Isla sometimes."
The two began walking towards Nick and Isla's house.
"I could never be worse than Isla, master schemer extraordinaire," responded Nick, feigning offence. "But honestly, Oggy, we've been friends for how long now? There's something different about you when she is around. Scouts honor, you can tell me the truth!"
Sighing, knowing Nick would no doubt tell Isla the second they were alone, Strike weighed his options and finally decided upon the truth.
"Of course I feel something for her, who wouldn't? But she's just gotten out of a shit marriage, I don't want to just rush in and be the next guy to come along. And truly, I don't want to risk anything and ruin our work. We've worked too hard."
Shocked he'd gotten a real answer, Nick opted not to pester him more. "Well," Nick began, "if you change your mind on that, don't wait too long. I don't expect her to be available for long." Nick opened his front door, "C'mon, let's get those beers chilling."
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Before long, the party was underway, drinkings flowing, and, surprisingly, the at home karaoke a hit. Despite Cormoran's musical lineage, he had never been one for karaoke. Well, at least not actually singing. Drinking beer and watching his friends make fools of themselves from the comfort of his friends' couch was proving quite entertaining. He had particularly enjoyed Isla, Vanessa, and Robin's rendition of Wannabe, especially because it gave him an excuse to freely watch her every move. Moves which, Strike suspected, were due in large part to a not insubstantial amount of white wine.
Finishing his beer and not interested in a couple from Nick's office sing a sappy ballad to each other, he headed towards the kitchen for another Doom Bar. Having decided he might as well make the most of his trip, he made a detour to the toilet before grabbing another beer from the fridge.
By the time he was making his way back to his spot, the ballad was finishing up and Robin and Isla were giggling next to the karaoke machine. This is going to be good, he thought to himself as he settled back into the couch, with a perfect view of Robin.
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In hindsight, Robin should have known better than to trust Isla. A lawyer and a romantic makes for someone who can come up with devious plans. Within minutes of Vanessa arriving, Isla had enlisted her into her plan to clue Cormoran into Robin's feelings.
Whether the quantity of wine consumed by the three of them was a help or a hindrance was up for debate.
Based solely off of the amount of unnecessary giggling and not-whisper whispering, Robin had had just enough wine to think Isla's plan was a good idea. That is, enough to actually go through with it, but not so much that she wouldn't be able to make decisions after the fact.
It's just a song, thought Robin, the worst that could really happen is he just thinks I like songs by boy banders gone solo.
Robin took a deep breath, grabbed the mic, and hopped onto the makeshift stage as the first few bars of Niall's song began to play. Here goes nothing, she thought. She found Strike sitting on the couch and locked eyes with him as she began to sing, hips swaying in what she hoped was a sexy manner rather than the manner of a drunken schoolgirl.
"We should take this back to my place.
That's what she said right to my face.
Cause I want you bad
Yeah, I want you baby
And I hope you feel the same way."
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Strike's jaw nearly hit the floor before he remembered he had a mouth full of beer and no one finds a drooling fool attractive and pulled himself quickly back together. He could swear she was staring straight at him while she slowly swung her hips from side to side, making him think of all the times he'd wanted to think about those hips moving that way in a locale that one should not think of their work partner. Pervert, he thought to himself, like a schoolboy who can't control himself. Get it together. But he couldn't take his eyes off her as she began to sing the chorus and move her hand slowly down her side.
"Slow, slow hands
Like sweat dripping down our dirty laundry
No, no chance
That I'm leaving here without you on me."
Christ, thought Strike, grateful that his position on the couch at the back of the room allowed him to shift around without anyone noticing. Does she know what the fuck she's doing to me? She surely can't be doing this on purpose. Or is she? Did Isla put her up to this? Or is she just pissed and having a laugh? Fuck, this song better not go on much longer or I'll never be able to get off this couch.
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After queueing up Robin's song, Isla practically skipped to the other side of the room, next to Nick, to watch Robin's performance.
Seeing the look on his wife's face, Nick was immediately suspicious. "Wife of mine," he asked, "what have you done?"
"Oh nothing," she responded, smirk on her face. "At least nothing that probably wouldn't have happened on it's own eventually. It's just a song after all!"
Nick, finally actually noticing the song Robin was singing, gave his wife his own knowing smile back and turned his attention to Robin's performance, which was by now receiving a number of good natured whistles and catcalls by men and women alike.
"Fingertips putting on a show
Got me now and I can't say no
Wanna be with you all alone
Take me home, take me home"
Eyes wide, Nick glanced at his friend on the couch. Well, that was effective, he thought. He met his wife's eyes and grinned.
"Good thing you're not the one who took an oath to do no harm, I think your plan is going to kill poor Oggy.
Isla grinned back, saying nothing and turning her attention back to Robin.
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Robin could practically feel Cormoran's eyes on her the whole time and there was no mistaking his look. Isla had been right after all, then again, she never truly doubted her. She had always had a hard time imagining she stood a chance next to the women she typically saw him with. Liquid courage and a sexy karaoke song changed her mind. She concentrated on finishing the last bit of her song, forcing thoughts of what she would do once the song was over from her mind.
"Yeah, I already know that there ain't no stoppin'
Your plans and those slow hands"
Finishing her song to cheers and clapping, she took a bow and hurriedly left the stage. Adrenaline helping her buzz wear off, she felt the need to be out of the spotlight. She saw Isla duck into the kitchen and quickly followed behind. As she turned the corner, she saw Strike slip out the door to the garden.
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"Well damn, Robin, if Cormoran doesn't want you after that, I'll take his place," squealed Isla. "Did you see his face?"
Robin flushed, "of course I did! But now what?"
Isla pretended to push her out of the kitchen. "It looks like you made him need a smoke break. Get out there and get your man!"
Robin, courage somewhat wanning, gave her friend a worried look. "How?" she asked.
"I don't know," said Isla, glimmer in her eye, "try some slow hands." And she shooed Robin towards the garden.
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Strike was leaning on the railing, staring off into the garden, and smoking while he reevaluated his reasons why he and Robin should not get together when he heard the door slide open behind him. Turning, he saw Robin close the door and walk towards him, the flush in her cheeks making her look more beautiful than usual.
He willed his brain to speak, say something normal, not make it weird. His brain, however, had not recovered from it's recent loss of blood flow. "Hey," was how he managed to finally greet her. Smooth one, fuckstick, he thought to himself.
"Hey yourself," she replied as she leaned back on the railing next to him, smiling as she looked back at him. "Enjoying yourself? I haven't seen you up there singing yet tonight."
Cormoran, mentally shaking himself out of it, smiled down at her. "No one wants to hear me sing, I'd rather watch. You put on quite the show, Ellacott. Looks like you might have some admirers in there."
Robin pulled together all of her courage. This is it, she thought.
"There's only one person I wanted to notice me during that song." As Strike swallowed and thought, so I wasn't imagining things. Robin ducked under Strike's arm so she was sandwiched between him and the railing. Placing her hands on his hips, she slowly ran her hands up his chest to his collar.
"Slow hands," Strike practically whispered as he looked into her eyes, all the reasons why this should not happen suddenly sounding ridiculous. He leaned in closer to her, pressing her against the rail.
Pulling him down by his shirt collar and not breaking their gaze, she whispered back, "We should take this back to my place."
Strike, not able to wait any longer, pulled her the last few inches, their lips meeting for the first time.