Chapter Text
[sorry its so damn long wth bruh]
The warmth of the bar was a welcome escape from the biting winter chill that clung to the cobblestone streets outside. Inside, the air hummed with laughter, the clink of pint glasses, and the rich, comforting aroma of malt and hops. The dim glow of fairy lights tangled with strands of ivy strung along the wooden beams gave the place a cozy charm that felt distinctly Irish.
Sarah leaned over the bar and waved at the bartender with a tipsy grin. Her cheeks were flushed, whether from the cold or the beer, it was hard to say, but the glint in her eye was pure mischief.
Beside her, (Y/N) were clutching her arm, swaying slightly to the folk music. "We can't go feral tonight. A couple beers, tops." She reminded her of the last beer at the last bar they'd stopped by on this night-out.
"Oh, come on," Sarah scoffed. "We're in Dublin, for God's sake. When are you ever boring? And when's the next time we'll have a pint this fresh? We said yolo tonight."
The bartender—a burly man with a bushy beard and an easy smile—wandered over, his hands already reaching for two pint glasses. "What can I get for you?" he asked, his accent lilting and smooth, like a melody.
"Actually..." Sarah began, leaning closer as if she were about to make the most important decision of her life. "What's the local favorite? Something strong but... fun?"
(Y/N) giggled, nudging her with her elbow. "What does 'fun' even mean for beer?"
The bartender chuckled, pulling a tap handle. "Ah, I've got just the thing. A red ale—smooth, hearty, and a bit cheeky, like yourselves."
As the amber liquid filled the glasses, (Y/N) exchanged a conspiratorial glance with Sarah. It had been a whirlwind of a trip so far—castles and cliffs, scones and cups of tea, and now, this snug little bar in the heart of Dublin.
When the glasses were placed in front of them, they both cheered, lifting them high before clinking them together. "Sláinte!" Sarah exclaimed, her pronunciation slightly mangled, which sent both into a fresh fit of giggles. "We're staying until the karaoke starts." Sarah decided, looking down at her phone to check the time. "It's only 9:38. Starts at 10."
"And what are we singing?"
"We gotta decide."
The girls walked over to their table, settling down with their beers. Sarah plopped down on the cushioned bench with a dramatic sigh of contentment. "(Y/N)," she said, her tone suddenly serious, "this is our moment. We need something iconic. Something that'll have this entire bar loving us."
(Y/N) raised an eyebrow as she took a seat across from her. "Oh, so now you want to think ahead. What happened to that whole 'live in the moment' philosophy you've been shouting about all day?"
Sarah waved a hand dismissively, nearly sloshing her beer. "That was before karaoke entered the equation. This is about legacy now."
"Alright. Let's hear your ideas."
She tapped her chin dramatically. "We could do something classic. Wonderwall? That's always a crowd-pleaser."
(Y/N) smirked. "Sure, if we want to be that cliché."
"Fine, fine. What about Queen? Everyone loves Queen."
"What if we went for something Irish? Like The Cranberries? Or U2?"
Sarah gasped, setting her glass down with a thud. "Zombie! We have to do Zombie! That's perfect!"
She hesitated, picturing the two of them attempting to belt out Dolores O'Riordan's hauntingly raw vocals in their current tipsy state. "Bold choice. We'd have to really commit."
"Of course we'd commit!"
(Y/N) snorted, glancing around the room. A group of locals at the next table seemed to be watching the conversation with mild amusement, one of them raising their glass in a silent toast when she caught their eye.
"Honestly," she said, relenting with a laugh. "We'd get booed offstage."
"You're so right. Okay, actually, just some good old rock and roll."
As the minutes ticked closer to ten, the anticipation grew. The bar's energy seemed to shift subtly, the chatter taking on a more excitable edge as people prepared for the chaos of karaoke night. A makeshift stage was being set up at the far end of the room, complete with a microphone and a screen displaying song lyrics.
Sarah leaned in, lowering her voice. "You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"That we've been here for a day and a half, checked out a handful of cool places, and yet I know that this will be the best part of the trip."
"What, karaoke?"
"This night. Embarrassing ourselves together. My favorite thing."
"So real."
"And-- hang on. Are they seriously doing Don't Stop Believin'? Is that the tone they're setting tonight? We're in a bar with a bunch of old Irish people and they do this? Ugh. Hey, we gotta queue a song now or we'll have to wait all night for our turn."
(Y/N) snorted and nodded. "Alright, alright. So, we're vetoing Zombie and anything cliché like Don't Stop Believin'... What about some other classic?"
Sarah took a contemplative sip of her beer. "Okay. Not something basic like Take On Me. Too high-pitched. I'd lose my voice halfway through the second verse, and you know it."
"Fair. What about You Give Love A Bad Name? Bon Jovi is classic. Or basic. Guns? Let's do Rocket Queen. That'd be fun."
"Stawp." Sarah shook her head. "We could do Pink Floyd. But upbeat. Young Lust."
"I am just a new boy... Stranger in this town..."
"It's perfect." Sarah giggled. "Could we? Please. That would be so much fun."
“Actually we should probably go with The Pogues…”
“Dreamed a dream…”
The moment the song was locked in, a shiver of excitement zipped through both of them. The stage area was occupied by groups of two or three at a time, mostly middle-aged people belting out old classics together with their friends.
"Ten minutes, tops," Sarah said, glancing at the karaoke rotation projected on a screen near the stage. "We've got time for another pint if we're quick."
"Or we could pace ourselves so we don't butcher the song completely," (Y/N) countered with a smirk.
"Oh, come on. A little liquid courage never hurt anybody."
The bartender raised an eyebrow as they approached the counter again, but his grin remained welcoming. "You two are making a night of it, aren't you?"
"Only way to do it," Sarah declared proudly. "Two more of the red ale, please."
By the time their turn approached, the nervous energy had fully transformed into a giddy buzz.
"Next up," the host called into the mic, his voice carrying over the din of the bar. "Dirty Old Town by The Pogues.. classic. Who's up?" The room erupted into cheers when the girls took the stage, and they exchanged a wide-eyed look before bursting into laughter. Old men are gross.
Robert leaned back against the worn wood of his barstool, one hand loosely gripping a pint of Guinness, the other resting on the edge of the table. His gaze was fixed on the makeshift stage. The bar was alive with noise, a swirling mix of voices, laughter, and the occasional off-key belting of a karaoke hopeful, but his attention had been anchored to one person since she caught his eye; the (h/c) now standing under the soft spotlight with her blonde friend.
She hadn't noticed him yet. Or, if she had, she hadn't shown it. Her focus was entirely on the mic in her hand, sharing confidence with her friend, the screen displaying the lyrics to the most Irish classic ever. Though they butchered their faked Irish accents, the girls sang rather well, the blonde keeping a lower tone while the other doing higher vocals.
Robert noticed when she came into the bar. Actually, he was sure that everyone had noticed. Cause the music sort of stopped for a second and everyone's head turned to see her. He believed so at least. A bubbly woman headed straight to the bar to order a beer. She'd been giggling and talking with her friend for the last half-hour, too focused on the conversation to ever look away from her.
But now she was up there, singing the old hit.
"You know, you're staring again." Eli brought him back to reality. "You should just go up and order her a beer after she's done."
"Maybe she's a musician, too. She can sing.” Sean, his other friend, commented with a big grin before singing along with the melody. "If you don't do it, I will."
Robert's lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze flicking from the stage to his friends. "She hasn't even looked our way," he muttered, half to himself, half to Elijah and Sean. "I'm not about to interrupt whatever good time she's having just to get brushed off."
Eli leaned an elbow on the table. "Oh, come on. You don't know that. She probably wouldn't even think twice about chatting with you."
"Now, don't be too sure of that, Eli," Sean hopped in, slapping Rob's shoulder lightly. "If I was a girl, I wouldn't even talk to the bloke. None of you two. Maybe let you buy me a beer but then I'd run away."
"If you were a girl, I wouldn't even look at ya, so you're safe, Sean." Rob quickly retorted and the three boys shared a laugh.
The girls seemingly exchanged some words away from their mics before falling into another round of laughter. "I kissed my girl by the factory wall... Dirty old town, dirty old town…" The crowd clapped and cheered(mostly middle-aged or older men who were very amused by two beautiful young women), and Robert couldn't help but smile as the girls exchanged triumphant grins, bowing dramatically like rock stars finishing a world tour. Her laugh rang out again as they hopped off the stage, and he caught her scanning the bar, her eyes pausing briefly on his group of friends before moving on.
"Alright, mate. She saw you. Time to step up or watch someone else do it." Sean said. "Someone's dad will chat her up."
Eli laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sure she'd prefer you over that."
"Who knows?" Robert joked, watching as she returned to the bar for the third time this evening, but this time without her friend. This was his chance, if he was fast enough. He gulped down the last of his beer before he shot up from his chair, sending a glare over his shoulder to his friends before making his way over.
Robert weaved through the crowd, a subtle determination in his step as he closed the gap between his chair and the girl. He wasn't the type to hesitate before walking up to girls. In fact, he rarely ever did do just that. Usually they'd come to him and he'd kindly brush them off. Or they'd be screaming in the crowd below the stage. But this was it, he was gonna introduce himself. So, actually, she should feel rather special about that. Yeah. Just be confident.
Except, as he reached the edge of the bar, another figure stepped in.
An older man, easily in his sixties, with gray balding hair and a weathered smile, slid smoothly between Robert and the girl. He rested an elbow on the bar, cutting him off completely. His laugh was loud and confident as he turned to the girl, his deep voice loud like he owned the place.
"Well, aren't you the star of the night?" he said, his Irish accent as rich as the stout in his glass. He gave her an approving nod. "That was some proper singing up there. Nearly had me tempted to get up meself."
She giggled, sounding rather polite as she replied. "Thank you! I think we really brought the house down. We had fun."
"Certainly brought me down to me knees," the man quipped with a wink, earning a snort from the girl. "Name's Paddy. Lemme guess—you're a tourist, yeah?"
"Guilty," Cutie replied. "Haven't got the accent."
'Paddy' chuckled. "Well, that, and... No self-respecting local would sing The Pogues at karaoke without a bit more whiskey in 'em first. You've got more guts than half the people in here tonight. And between you and me, a fine set of pipes on ya as well." His gaze lingered on her.
Ugh. Robert stood a few steps back, watching the girl over Paddy's shoulder, caught between mild irritation and reluctant amusement. He hadn't expected to be upstaged by a silver-haired Irishman, let alone one so... confident. He watched the exchange unfold while waiting in line to get to order for, well, himself. The bartender also seemed to be waiting for the exchange to, well, be done with, so he could take their orders.
Paddy continued. "Let me buy your next round. Whiskey on the rocks. Least I can do after a performance like that. You've brightened up my night."
Cutie tilted her head, her lips twitching into a polite smile. She didn't seem uncomfortable, but truly not interested in whatever this was. "That's sweet of you, but I'm pacing myself tonight. Can't go too crazy."
"Smart and talented," Paddy said, placing a hand to his chest as though struck by Cupid's arrow. "A rare find these days."
Robert couldn't stop the exasperated huff that escaped him, though it was mostly drowned out by the noise of the bar. Now he was just waiting for Paddy and the girl to move along so he could order something for himself.
Though, apparently the huff did catch their attention, cause the girl looked past Paddy and straight at Rob behind. For a second their eyes just locked, before her mouth curved into a vague smile, narrowing her eyes playfully. This made Paddy spin around, giving Robert a good-natured grin. "Ah, here's another fan of the star. You'll have to fight me for her attention, lad."
Robert chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "I wouldn't dare. You've got the advantage on me."
The older man laughed, clearly enjoying himself, but he stepped back slightly, giving Robert room to approach. "I guess I'm the traffic jam in this line. I'll let you young ones have your moment. But don't forget me when you're famous, eh?"
As he moved off to join a group of locals at the end of the bar, Robert finally stepped forward, looking at the girl with a sheepish smile. "I didn't mean to interrupt your... fan club... meeting." He apologized and internally facepalmed at the stupidest attempt of a joke he'd ever made.
Cutie grinned, her earlier laughter still sparkling in her eyes. "Actually I'd like to thank you for getting me out of that. I mean, he was charming in his own way. Don't think he meant any harm. But I think I've met my limit for flattery tonight."
"Well," Robert said, scratching the back of his neck, "I'm not much for flattery, but I was hoping to buy you a drink anyway. If that's alright."
"You got a better pitch than Paddy?"
Robert shrugged. No, he hadn't thought that far. So she didn't want whiskey. "Guinness?"
"Guinness'll do. We're in Ireland, after all." She smiled brightly and reached her hand out to shake his. "Name's (Y/N). Nice to meet you."
"I'm Rob. Nice to meet you, too." Robert took the step over to the bar, standing next to her to order from the bartender who was waiting for their decision.
(Y/N) glanced over at Sarah. She'd noticed the two middle-aged women approaching their table meanwhile she was waiting in line to order, and they seemed to be having an animated conversation, and if (Y/N) guessed right, it was about music. Good. That meant Sarah wasn't gonna be alone if (Y/N) had a convo with this boy. She swallowed and looked back to the blonde mullet-guy who'd just approached her.
Her first impression off him was those piercing blue eyes when she walked off the stage earlier. He was sitting by a table with a couple of friends, watching her performance with Sarah. And apparently their drunken singing hadn't scared him off. No, he seemed intrigued, given the fact that he offered her a drink.
He had a sorta casual air to him. Like he was confident, but not trying. But when he stepped forward, it was a kind of quiet awkwardness that was surprisingly endearing.
And he was pretty up close. Like, really pretty.
"So, you're not from around here, I gather?" He asked, cutting her out from her thoughts.
"Oh! Uhm, no, I'm visiting with my friend. We always wanted to go see Dublin, and it's been so fun so far. We're from (your country idk sorry if your irish). But I hear on your accent that you're from here?"
Rob nodded, a small smile on his face, though he seemed careful. "Yes, hard to miss." He said, receiving the beers from the bartender and handing her one and she thanked him. He looked out over the area to find a table, and spotted one free two-seater further away in the pub. He nodded for her to follow as he started leading the way.
(Y/N) wasn't quite sure of his vibe just yet. Being a mysterious nonchalant mullet-boy would not work on her. But she followed and sat down across from him, running a hand through her hair to get her bangs and layers away from her face before taking a big sip of the beer.
"So, exploring Dublin, are you?" He started.
"Yes, indeed. Tonight, exploring bars. We were gonna barhop but I guess we got stuck here for a while more than intended."
He nodded, took a sip from his drink and went on, "That's usually what happens, no?"
"Well, only if the pub is fun. Karaoke night? Great. We probably chose the most repeated song in Irish karaoke history though."
"Yeah, I uhh, it’s a classic.”
“We were gonna go with Young Lust by Pink Floyd but settled on being basic. It was fun though.”
“Oh, Floyd? I'm a real music guy... Uh, Pink Floyd is definitely one of the greatest bands throughout history."
"Yeah, they had a huge impact, right?" (Y/N) nodded. "I love music, too. Mainly 70s and 80s rock and metal. I really love a good guitar. But I do listen to just about anything, from indie pop to death metal." She chuckled.
Robert nodded, relaxing slightly at her friendly manner, and having something in common. "It's always karaoke here on Thursdays, but me and my mates rarely go. You gotta be wasted enough to sit through the drunken singing that goes on throughout the night..."
"Are you saying I sucked?"
Robert's eyes widened slightly, clearly caught off-guard by her teasing question. He quickly shook his head, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. "No, no! Not at all. I--"
"I'm joooking," She giggled, clearly amused by his reaction. "Usually it'd take shots for me to get up on a stage and sing something, but hey, we're in a foreign city in a bar with mostly old people. With the exception of you and your friends, I think?"
He let out another chuckle, but this one from relief. "Yeah, I think so too. Usually there's more young ones when it's karaoke. Other than that, it's an auld people's bar. That's why me an' me mates like it; it's dead on. Good music. Not that we're out that often, like. But when we do, we sometimes come here."
"I do like the vibe here, too. So you guys haven't queued anything?"
"Nope."
"Don't be boring."
"I'm not."
"Prove it."
Robert raised an eyebrow at her challenge. "Oh, you want proof, do you?" he asked.
(Y/N) crossed her arms over her chest with a tiny shrug, feigning nonchalance, but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away. "That's what I said. Unless you're all talk."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm not gonna do karaoke tonight."
"You're saying I can't convince you to get up on that stage?"
"I think I'd need another Guinness for that to happen."
"So I got a better shot at keeping you at this table for another drink, then?"
Robert snickered. She didn't exactly seem like the shy type, she was quick and witty. "A hundred percent." He replied, taking another gulp of the beer. "Tell me more about yourself."
"That's a pretty rough pass, mind you." (Y/N) smiled, "What exactly do you wanna know? My favorite color? Deepest fears? Zodiac sign?"
"Sorry, sorry, I'll narrow it down." He quickly excused and said, "Are your parents happily married and do you believe in God?"
The questions made (Y/N) raise her eyebrows, not quite sure if he was serious or not. But his smile told her all she needed to know and she snorted before the two laughed together. "Okay, okay. Hmm. Well, I told you my name already and I hope you remember it."
"... Something on M, right?"
"Oh, piss off." She rolled her eyes and they laughed again. "I'm from (city) where I grew up with (siblings?). I'm studying in uni right now, uhh, sociology, second year. Me and my friend Sarah, who I'm here with, we go there together. We're childhood friends, she's like my sister. And we love to travel. We went backpacking through Europe last summer. Got all our fucking clothes stolen when we were at a beach in Italy, which left us in bikini for the rest of the day until we bought a new fucking wardrobe. Luckily we didn't lose our purses where we had passports and cards and all important fucking shit."
Robert laughed, listening intently with his blue eyes, head slightly tilted as he focused on her voice rather than the singing in the background.
"Still a 10/10 experience, would try again." (Y/N) smiled as she went on, "Me and Sarah have always wanted to go to Ireland and experience the culture, so that's what we've been doing for the last two days. We got here Tuesday."
"And is it living up to the expectations?"
"For sure. We love it. It's just really fucking cold. We should've visited in the summer, really. But we didn't have the time."
"Yeah, you chose the worst part of the year possible," Robert grinned back at her, his accent getting stronger with each sip of alcohol tonight. "Won't do us justice seeing this depressing place in winter, I swear it's grander in summer."
(Y/N) shrugged. "We were gonna visit Howth to check out the nature but decided the weather's too bad. Same thing with Glenda--low?"
"Sorry, the music's loud, what'd ya say?"
"Glendalow. Something like that."
"Glendalough, right. Yeah, it's prettier in the summer. It's all fucking rain right now."
"For real. We went to see Malahide Castle though, that was cool. And we've been going through shops and places around town. We wanted to check out the Swords castle but like I said, we didn't think the weather through."
Robert nodded while listening. "The Swords castle has a Christmas market later on.. You're just slightly too early..."
"The worst timing ever, dude." (Y/N) said and they chuckled. "I love Christmas markets. Or like, town markets in general."
"That, we do have. Check 'em out 'round the city, they're nice."
"Will do. Anyhow. What about you, Rob?"
He thought for a moment, sipped on his beer to stall before he started, "Like I mentioned, I love music. Proper music head, y'know? Uhh, I went to school in Blackrock, here in Dublin. Born and raised." He measured his words before he went on. "I'm in a band with a couple mates, play the bass."
Oh, no. A bass player in a band. Bass players. Red flag. They're the worst. That explains his cool style and hair and his handsome face and charming personality and, no. "Oh, really? The bass?"
"Yeah, but like I said, I'm a music guy, I can do more than just play the bass. But sure, that's what I'm real good at." He quickly explained as to not be judged for choosing the easiest instrument to learn in a band. "So that's what I do with my time. Mostly, anyways."
"I mean, I guess someone has to fill out the sound while everyone else gets the spotlight." She said with a playful glint in her eye. "I'm just kidding. I like the bass, always done. It can make an entire song."
Robert snickered, appreciating her sarcasm, not at all put off by it. "Exactly, finally some credit. Thank you."
The small-talk continued fluently for around 10 more minutes before a very intoxicated man stepped onto the stage to perform a loud and very off-key version of Somebody To Love by Queen.
Rob was in the middle of telling a short story. "He was like, 'no way'. And that's when we decided to return it."
"Huh, sorry?" (Y/N) leaned over the table, trying her best to figure out what he just said.
"And that's-- And that's when--" A loud voice crack echoed through the bar and the two got quiet, stared at each other and then broke out in laughter.
"No, no, don't... laugh.." (Y/N) whispered between giggles, covering her mouth with a hand as she glanced at the stage.
"..Who hurt him..." He snickered back, throwing a glance at the drunk performer and then back at (Y/N) again.
She shrugged and shook her head slowly. "Where are his friends? They're the real villains here."
"To the friends who let you down when you need 'em the most," Robert joked as he raised his beer in a mock toast. Their glasses clinked and they took the last sip from their drinks. "Do you possibly smoke?"
"On special occasions."
"And is this one?"
"I'm not sure yet." She joked. "Just kidding. I love me a cigarette after a glass of something. Not even a glass. It's like, one sip of alcohol and I wanna smoke."
Rob snickered. "Great. Wanna head out for--" He was once again cut off by a terrible tune.
"Yes. Let's go." As (Y/N) and Robert stood up to leave, they heard the off-key screeching intensify, followed by a loud, crackling feedback from the microphone. Both of them winced in unison as the man on stage attempted yet another painful high note.
"Oh God, no," Robert groaned. It wasn't long before the bartender, with a look of utter exasperation, stepped up onto the stage, followed by the host. Together, they made their way toward the stumbling singer, guiding him off the stage with firm but gentle hands. The drunk man, still holding the mic, looked at them confusedly, as though he couldn't fathom why his performance was being cut short.
The two began making their way to the door, but just before they stepped out of the bar, (Y/N) paused and turned back to Robert, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "You know, it's still kind of boring, that you're not gonna do any karaoke tonight. I was hoping you'd have a bit more edge to you."
He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly curious. "More edge to me?"
"Yep," she teased, glancing around the bar and then settling her gaze on the bartender's station behind the counter. "Actually, you know what would really prove you're not boring? If you could pull off something a little more... adventurous."
Robert smirked, unsure of where this was going. "Okay, what do you have in mind?"
(Y/N)'s grin widened. "I challenge you to steal something from behind that bar."
He blinked. "What?"
"Like, a bottle or something. I don't know, something you can't easily grab without getting caught."
Robert looked back at the counter, then to her, then back at the bartender who was still dealing with the drunken mess they'd just witnessed. "Steal a bottle?" he said, incredulous but clearly intrigued by her challenge. "That's your idea of adventure?"
"Hell yeah."
"This is crazy."
(Y/N)'s expression instantly shifted from playful to straight up scared as her newfound friend changed direction and headed straight to the bar. While the people inside the pub watched as the drunken singer was escorted out the front, he neatly slipped behind the counter, reached for a bottle of whiskey sitting at the edge and, with a smooth, almost practiced motion, palmed it. It was a bold and tipsy move to impress a girl he just met, but the adrenaline rush hit him the second the bottle was safely in his hand.
"What the fuck?" (Y/N) whispered as he returned.
Which only made his cocky smile bigger. "What? You asked me to?"
"I didn't think you'd--... I'd..."
"Come on, let's go." He grabbed her hand to pull her with him toward the door, hiding the bottle inside his coat, passing the bartender and staff member on their way. As Robert tugged her out of the bar, (Y/N) couldn't help but laugh in disbelief, her breath puffing out in the chilly Dublin air.
"You idiot." She giggled as he pulled it out his jacket.
He shrugged. "Now we can at least agree on me not being boring, right?"
(Y/N) shrugged right back at him. "I don't know what the right word to describe you would be. But no, boring wouldn't be it."
A cough made their heads turn and their eyes landed on a guy sitting on the sidewalk just a few meters away from the pub. (Y/N) and Rob shared a look of unspoken agreement. It was the guy who got kicked out, staring out into the street with another cough.
"Oi, man, proper show back there, wasn't it?" Rob called out.
"Rob," (Y/N) whispered sharply and gave him a gentle slap on his shoulder.
Rob raised a hand at her with an assuring nod and she looked at him puzzled. He stepped over to the man. "You alright, man?"
The drunk guy looked up, his bleary eyes struggling to focus on Robert. "Oh, aye," he mumbled. "Just one too many, mate." He coughed again, this time more weakly, and his head lolled slightly to the side. (Y/N) watched the interaction, arms crossed, her brows furrowed. She wasn't sure if she should step in, but Robert seemed to have this situation in hand, or at least was giving it a go. And it was rather sweet to watch.
"Ah, it's karaoke, you're meant to have one too many. Are your mates comin' to get ya?"
"Aye, don't be worryin' about me, son, I'm havin' a blast. They'll be here in a sec to get me. I just need to breathe a little now."
"Okay, gotcha." Robert backed away from the guy and turned back to (Y/N) with a shrug of his shoulder, and the two took a few steps to the other side of the pub to give him some space. Rob dug a hand down his pocket to fish out his package of cigarettes and opened it, reaching out for (Y/N) to grab one. She mumbled a 'thanks' and lit it with a lighter of her own. "Wanna taste?" He then asked while holding out the bottle.
"Why, thank you." (Y/N) snorted and accepted the whiskey and took a big sip, her face scrunching up at the taste before she handed it back and Rob did the same. "Oh, God. My friend's still in there. I left her alone with a bunch of old women."
"Sounds like a good night to me." He joked.
(Y/N) giggled with an agreeing nod. "I'm guessing you're not going back in there, are ya? After you actually committed a crime."
"No way. I'm brave but not that brave."
"Not that stupid." She corrected him, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air before she picked up her phone to check on Sarah.
Robert watched her and suddenly felt a hint of uncertainty in his belly. He'd just stolen a goddamned bottle from a bar. Wasn't the night just getting started? Was this (Y/N) kindly trying to tell him to call it a night? "Uhh, are you, uh, ditching me, now that I'm a wanted man in this city?" He carefully joked.
(Y/N) looked up from the phone again. "No? We're not heading home, are we? We just got a bottle, man, you didn't do all that for nothing. But I'm not leaving my friend alone at a bar in a foreign city. I gotta check on her and tell her that I'm not going back in."
Rob let out a sigh of relief. So she wasn't leaving him, and she was gonna go wherever he went. Right? "Okay, okay. I'll tell my friends, too. Maybe we can all head somewhere together."
"That'd be fun."