Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rob hunched over in his seat at the bar, listening to the ice clink as he swirled the gin around in his glass. He sighed and drained his drink, and signaled the bartender for another round.

The scene he'd walked into when he got home from Swain's latest tour played on a loop in his head. How long she'd been cheating on him, he didn't know, and hadn't bothered to ask. He'd simply turned on his heel and left again, throwing his bags back in the car and driving aimlessly until he'd ended up here.

He was about to slam back drink number five when a hand landed on his shoulder and another one plucked the glass out of his hand and set it on the bar, out of his reach. Rob looked up, scowling, as Rich signaled the bartender to cut him off.

Rich looked down at him, sympathy in his eyes. "Hey buddy, how ya doing?"

Rob looked back down at the bar as his breath hitched, rolling the glass of water the bartender placed in front of him between his palms.

"Rich, I… I got home. I… She…"

"I know man, she's the one that called me." He joined him, sitting beside him and encouraging him to drink more of the water. "I'm so sorry."

"Did you know?"

"Not a clue. And Jaci was just as shocked as I was."

Rob turned his head towards his friend. "What am I going to do?"

Rich stood, throwing some cash on the bar to cover Rob's tab. "I don't know. For now though, we're gonna get you over to my place. We'll get some food in you and get you sobered up, then we can figure it out, ok? C'mon, we'll come back for your car in the morning."

He led Rob out of the bar to Rich's car, and they drove in silence. As they walked in the door, Jaci, Rich's wife, pulled Rob into a hug. He broke down, sobbing on her shoulder. She maneuvered him to sit on the couch, Rich heading into the kitchen. He returned with a cup of hot coffee and a couple pieces of toast. He placed them on the table in front of Rob, then reached into his own back pocket.

Rob sat up and accepted the handkerchief Rich handed him, drying his eyes and blowing his nose. He sniffed. Reaching for the coffee, he took comfort from the heat of the mug and the weight of Jaci's arm across his shoulders as Rich sat in the chair across from them.

Both of them watched quietly while he consumed the coffee and toast. As he finished, Jaci spoke up.

"So, what happens from here?"

Rob shrugged. "I guess I look for a lawyer tomorrow, file some paperwork. All I know is I can't go home while she's still there."

Rich waved his hand dismissively. "You know you're welcome here for as long as you need." Jaci nodded in agreement and stood to ready the spare bedroom. The guys talked a little longer, making plans for the morning, before heading for bed.

Rob lay awake in the dark, hands folded on the pillow over his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't even realized she wasn't happy. How long… how many times… He shook his head. It was done now, no use dwelling on it. He rolled over and closed his eyes, though it was a long time before sleep finally overtook him.

~~~

The sun streaming through the gap in the curtains roused Rob from his sleep. He sat up and stretched, reaching for the clean clothes he had borrowed from Rich on his way to bed last night, and followed the smell of coffee down the hall and into the kitchen.

Jaci was just putting a plate of eggs and pancakes on the table as he walked in. She accepted a peck on the cheek, and headed back into the kitchen as he sat down. "Rich got called into the studio this morning," she called across the low bar separating them. "He should be back by lunch. Bacon?" Rob raised a fork of eggs in acknowledgement just as a knock sounded at the front door.

He looked up, confused. "It's awful early, are you expecting someone?"

Jaci nodded, dropped a few straps of bacon on his plate, and disappeared into the entryway to answer the door. He heard a muffled conversation before she reappeared. Rob was surprised to see Misha close on her heels as she returned.

"Mish, hey!" He stood up to accept a crushing hug from his friend. "What brings you here?"

Misha gave him one more gentle clap on the back before they broke apart to sit down. He charmed Jaci out of coffee and a plate of food, and turned his attention back to Rob. "Rich called me on his way to the studio and filled me in on everything. He thought you might appreciate having someone who's been in your shoes to help you figure the next few days out."

Rob's eyes welled up as he laid his fork on the table. "I… Yeah, that'd be great, thanks."

Misha reached across the table to lay a hand on Rob's arm. "Hey man, I get it. My divorce was brutal. Honestly, I'm still kinda getting over both it and her."

Rob nodded, his focus on Misha's hand on his arm. He puzzled over the warmth spreading through him at the contact. He swallowed hard as he lifted his gaze to meet Misha's. Wow. Had his eyes always been that blue? "Seriously, thank you. I appreciate it."

Misha pulled his hand back, grabbed his fork, and gestured at Rob's plate with it. "C'mon man, finish up so we can get on the road. I figured I'd save us some time and made you an appointment with my lawyer on my way over here."

Chapter Text

The next few months were a flurry of paperwork, court meetings, and deconstructing many, many years of marriage. Custody arrangements were decided, and child support argued over.

Rob got the house by mutual agreement, and the day finally came when the divorce was signed off on by the judge, and his now ex-wife had moved the last of her belongings out. Rich and Misha were chatting in the living room, giving Rob space to pack his things to move back home, when the sound of sniffles floated down the hallway to interrupt their conversation. Misha got up and moved towards the sound, gently knocking on the door frame to announce his presence.

He looked around the edge to see Rob sitting where he had dropped down on the edge of the mattress. A thin sheaf of papers hung loosely from one hand, his forearms supporting his weight on his knees as he slouched forward. Boxes and his belongings were scattered around the small room.

"Hey man, you ok?"

Rob sniffed one more time, scrubbed at his nose with a tissue, and looked up. "Yeah, sorry. I'm not even sure why this bothered me so much." He lifted the papers, and Misha recognized the finalized divorce decree he held in his hand. "I've known it was coming for months, you'd think I'd have been ready for it."

Misha moved to sit beside him on the bed. "In my experience, knowing the end is near doesn't make its arrival any easier." He slung an arm across Rob's shoulders and gently tugged, his heart skipping a beat as Rob accepted his invitation and nestled into his side for comfort. "You guys were married for a long time, and that changed pretty abruptly. That's not something you just simply get over." Misha idly dropped an affectionate kiss on top of Rob's head, feeling Rob tense up a split second before it registered with Misha what he had just done.

He swallowed hard and started to pull away as Rob looked up at him. "Shit, I'm so sorry. I don't know what…"

His motion was stopped by Rob's hand on his arm. He turned to see damp blue eyes searching his own before he was pulled back down.

"Rob, what...?

"Shut up, I just need to see something."

As soon as Misha hit the mattress, Rob slid a hand around the back of his neck, lifted himself to straddle him, and pulled him in for a kiss, causing Misha's brain to stumble for a moment before he got his bearings back. Desperately praying he wasn't about to get his heart broken, or worse, take advantage of Rob in his pain and vulnerability, he placed a hand on Rob's chest and pushed back slightly to search his friend's face.

His eyes swept over Rob's swollen lips, and he swallowed hard. To his surprise, the only expressions on Rob's face were certainty, determination, and need. Misha groaned. In one fluid motion, he slid one arm around Rob's upper back, one around his waist, and pulled him roughly into himself as he dropped his head down to resume their kiss.

Rob stilled for a split second in surprise, then leaned hard into Misha, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards. Rob caught himself and held himself up on his hands, then gasped as the motion drove Misha's hips up into his own.

The sound had Misha sliding the hand he held against the small of Rob's back down to the base of his spine, pressing Rob's hips down into his own as he planted his feet on the floor and thrust up into the man on top of him. Both of them cried out, then froze. They scrambled apart as the weight of what had just happened registered, Rob falling back against the wall, and Misha struggling to sit back up. They spoke at the same time.

"Rob, I'm so…"

"Misha, I…"

The two stopped to look at each other, Misha speaking first.

"God, I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking. I never meant to…"

Rob interrupted him. "I… I know. I don't… I didn't… Excuse me." He pushed himself off the wall and quickly walked out of the room.

Misha remained frozen in place until the sound of the front door closing roused him from his stupor. He leapt up and ran out of the room and down the hallway, startling Rich.

"Misha, what…?!"

"Not now, Rich!" Misha called back as he pulled the front door open and rushed out, only to find Rob nowhere in sight. He stopped, panting, and barely registered Rich coming up behind him.

"For fuck's sake, Mish! What the hell just happened?"

Misha sighed and closed the door, dropping his forehead heavily against it. "Rich, I think I just royally screwed up."