Chapter Text
Robert tossed one final time before admitting defeat. Huffing out an angry sigh he sat up on his elbows looking around in the unfamiliar darkness, not really knowing what he was looking for.
He knew Aaron wasn’t beside him - that was evident in his inability to sleep.
Had he been in their slightly too small bedroom above the Woolpack he would be sound asleep with his arms and legs wrapped around his boyfriend like he was holding on for dear life, just in case Aaron suddenly realised he was far too good for him and tried to bolt in the night. The duvet would be pulled up around Aaron who enjoyed being surrounded in heat as he slept, while Robert would almost be uncovered save for a maybe a slither of duvet over his waist. All he needed was Aaron.
“Well he’s not here,” he thought to himself as he ran his hand through his blonde hair and back over his face, blinking into the darkness as he tried to remember his bearings.
He reached across the double bed for his phone on the bedside table and lit up the device to reveal the time.
02:14.
“Great,” he muttered.
Sliding open his phone he checked his WhatsApp messages. No new notifications but he wanted to read the last few exchanges he had with his boyfriend. A slight comfort in the absence of him.
Yesterday
21:12 - Robert
It will take you an hour to get here!
21:15 - Aaron
Lies it will take at least two!
Besides got that big order in tomorrow – kinda the reason im not there in the first place
21:15 - Robert
I miss you
21:17 - Aaron
Awwwwwwwwwwwww
That’s embarrassing for you...
21:18 – Aaron
I’ve had a great night, beer and a burger for dinner, darts with Adam, Liv only threw one homework related tantrum, success!
21:18 - Robert
You’re a dick
21:21 - Aaron
You must be rubbing off on me
21:23 - Robert
Chance would be a fine thing!
21:24 - Aaron
Ha! I set that one up for you, no credit given.
I’ve gotta get to bed, I’m up at the crack of dawn. I’ll see you tomorrow. Be good x
21:25 - Robert
I will definitely try. Night xx
21:37 - Aaron
I miss you too
21:37 - Robert
x
Smiling like a lovesick teenager at his phone Robert saw that Aaron had not been online since. Knowing he keeps his phone on silent when he sleeps, Robert began typing out a new message despite no chance of a reply.
02:18 - Robert
Can’t sleep. This hotel sucks. This trip sucks.
Throwing the phone down on the bed, he fumbled about for the TV remote knowing it was somewhere on the mattress. Picking it up he turned on the massive screen that was attached to the hotel room wall, preparing himself for the glaring light that was about to attack his eyes.
Slowing adjusting, Robert began flicking through the channels not really paying much attention but stopping when he was met with Mark Walberg on screen.
He recognised the film immediately and a smug smile spread across his pillow creased face.
Lifting his phone he began typing quickly, revelling in the memory of his victory.
“It’s Mark Walberg”
“It’s Matt Damon”
“How can you get them mixed up?” Robert asked with an exasperated laugh.
“I’m not getting anyone mixed up,” Aaron replied with an annoyed tone. “Matt Damon was the guy in The Fighter.”
“Ok, I feel bad for you cause you're wrong, so I’m gonna give you one last chance to change your mind, no questions asked,” Robert said, smiling at how Aaron was frowning . “You’re very cute when you’re mad, but you’re just gonna be pissed when I prove you wrong...”
“I’m not wrong – it is 100 per cent Matt Damon,” Aaron declared.
Robert smiled and raised his eyebrows as he sat facing his boyfriend on the sofa, their feet tangled together.
He knew he was going to be dealing with a pouty Aaron in a matter of minutes.
“Ok....” he replied as he began typing into his phone.
A wide smile was spread across his face as he turned the device around for his boyfriend to see.
The Fighter (2010) - Starring: Christian Bale, Mark Walberg
Aaron stared at the screen. “Damn it,” he thought knowing he will never hear the end of it. He still attempted to save face by muttering, “Whatever”.
Robert laughed: “To be fair you should know better than to question my movie knowledge. I’m like a bloody ninja.”
“A nerd ninja more like,” Aaron retorted.
“Don’t be mean, just cause you’re wrong and I’m right,” Robert said smugly.
“Shut up.”
“Not until you admit I am a movie ninja who must be adored.”
“Never”
“Admit it”
“Not a chance”
Robert leaned over and began to poke his boyfriend's ribs smiling at Aaron’s obvious internal fight with annoyance and playfulness.
“Get off me!” the younger man shouted.
“No, I am a movie ninja and you must respect my awesomeness.”
“What do I see in you?”
“I’m sexy as fuck.”
“No, that’s not it...”
“I have awesome hair?"
“Meh...”
“I have a cool car?"
“Yep that’s it. I’m with you for your car. Sometimes I need to remind myself.”
“Shut up,” Robert grinned as he leaned further over so he was lying on top of Aaron pulling him in close and planting a soft kiss on his lips.
Aaron placed his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, leaning in and remembering exactly why he was with him.
“Matt Damon... Ha!” Robert said as he pulled away with a grin. “Seriously!”
“You should really think about shutting up now,” Aaron warned before moving Robert back for a harder kiss.
02:27 - Robert
The Fighter is on TV.... Matt Damon’s looking well.
He held on to his mobile and returned his attention back to the TV, but it wasn’t long before his thoughts moved to the next day and what he had to get done before returning to Emmerdale.
Business meeting. Contract signing. Smoozy lunch. Home.
Remembering Aaron’s instructions he brought his phone back to his face and typed.
02:46 - Robert
What was the name of that art shop again?
He wanted to bring a present back for Liv and thought a few art supplies would keep him in her good graces for a few days at least, even if it meant pictures of himself as various silly animals.
Not really wanting to commit to a movie he began flicking through the TV channels once more, stopping at an American infomercial for some ridiculous contraption that claimed it was going to give him the perfect abs in a matter of weeks.
Despite rolling his eyes Robert continued to watch the overly excited presenters tell him why he needed to get in shape.
After a while of being sucked in he picked up his phone.
02:57 - Robert
I really need to get in shape
I think I gonna go back to the gym
03:01 Robert
Maybe
Looking at his stomach he knew he had become a little bit softer around the edges in recent months, a gunshot to the chest will really mess up your fitness regime.
He remembered how Aaron had noticed the difference when they got back together.
“I said softer!”Aaron protested, resting his head against the pillow, watching Robert look over him with a face of pure shock.
“You meant fat,” Robert replied.
“OK princess, first off, you’re not fat. Second, even if you were I’d still fancy ya, and third are you really throwing a strop because I said that your stomach was a bit softer?”
“It’s not what you said, it was the way you said it,” Robert joked, trying to hide his smile because he knew he was being ridiculous.
He knew he had lost his toned physique and with everything that had been going on lately it really was the last thing on his mind, but still he had his pride and if he was being honest, his ego.
“Piss off,” Aaron laughed. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, you’re still as hot as the day I met you, please come here.”
Robert leaned down into Aaron’s raised arm to snuggle into his neck, wrapping his arms across Aaron’s chest and smiling – he missed lying like this with him and he had no intention of moving anytime soon.
“The day you met me?” Robert questioned, suddenly allowing Aaron’s comment to register in his brain. “So you fancied me even then did you?”
Aaron rolled his eyes, but remembered Robert’s ego could probably use a boost after his previous comments. “I thought you looked like an angel,” he joked.
“A manly angel?” countered Robert with a hint of a laugh. “With a sexy body?”
“Obviously.” Aaron replied with a deadpanned tone.
“Want to know a secret?” Robert asked.
“Probably not but go on...”
“If Ross hadn’t been there... I probably would have fancied you straight away, but he is just so hot I couldn’t stop looking at him...”
“That’s it!” Aaron declared as he pushed his boyfriend away, attempting to kick him out of the bed as a laughing Robert pushed back while claiming he was only joking.
03:12 - Robert
I may or may not have bought an Abs Buddy 2000
03:14 - Robert
I feel this is a good investment.
Plus I got a free water bottle, so....
After receiving a confirmation email that his Abs Buddy 2000 would be delivered in 3-5 working days, Robert began flicking through his favourite news website to see what was happening in the world while he was lying there unable to sleep.
The usual collection of depressing news stories were skimmed past because quite frankly he wasn’t in the mood, but he stopped at one with the headline “Scottish couple celebrate 75th wedding anniversary”.
Robert clicked on the link to see a picture of the elderly pair surrounded by what was no doubt their brood of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Quickly reading the accompanying story, he learned the pair married only three months after meeting when she was 18 and he was 19.
“Wow” Robert thought.
“I couldn’t imagine my life without her,” the husband had said. “And for anyone asking, the secret to a long and happy marriage is flowers. I bought her a fresh bunch of flowers every Friday. But whiskey also helped.”
Robert tapped in to his WhatsApp messages and his conversation with Aaron.
03:24 - Robert
I just read a story where a man bought his wife flowers every week throughout their 75 year marriage.
For you I’d probably have to buy a weekly jaeggarbomb lol but I would!
03:26 – Robert
I want us to be celebrating our 75th wedding anniversary.
Cause I’m going to live until I’m 105, obviously.
03:28 - Robert
This isn’t a proposal just in case you’re freaking out!
Robert smiled at his phone. He had thought about asking Aaron to marry him and all the different ways he would do it and what responses he would have for Aaron’s sarcastic/worried answer, depending on his mood.
He didn’t know when he was going to ask, but he knew it would be soon. He was just waiting for that moment of quiet when it was just them with no dramas, no worries and no interruptions.
Sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Robert decided that if he couldn’t sleep he might as well work, meaning he would get back to Aaron that little bit quicker.
He walked over to the small desk in the corner of the room and turned on his laptop while also switching off the TV before he got sucked in by the latest infomercial of the greatest hits of the 60s.
With his emails opened, he quickly grabbed his phone from the bed and moved to sit down at the desk, taking a photo of the laptop and sending it to Aaron.
03:32 - Robert
I work while you sleep.
He then tapped into the phone’s camera and took a picture of himself with his bottom lip sticking out in a look of sorrow. Sending it to his boyfriend he knew that if he were awake the response would be nothing more than a role of the eyes and a smile but he loved when Aaron did that. To him it said: “I love you.”
Surprising himself, Robert spent the next 45 minutes getting through a lot of work that he now wouldn’t have to do in the daylight. But it was only a matter of time before the need for a distraction took over so he shut the laptop and moved towards the messy bed with his phone in hand.
Flopping down on the comfortable mattress he opened his Facebook app and scrolled through his timeline to see posts of nothing but engagement announcements, babies he didn’t know, declarations of being blessed and other annoying posts that made him wonder why he remained Facebook friends with these people.
He did see one funny video of a cat riding a skateboard so he copied the link and sent it to Aaron.
04:23 - Robert
Something to start your day!
Don’t be grumpy.
Robert felt his eyes slowly drooping closed as he lay in the darkness with only the light from his phone but he still tapped into his saved photos, feeling the need to see Aaron’s face.
His smile stayed fixed upon his face as he scrolled through the various pictures – his favourites being those of just Aaron on his own with a sour look that said “Why are you taking my photo right now?”
He began typing.
04:28 - Robert
We should book a holiday – something to look forward to
Maybe I’ll get a nice picture of you without a scowl on your face if you’re in the sun
Obviously I’ll have to put a pint in your hand to achieve such a feat but I can work with that
04:30 – Robert
I’m getting sleepy now
I’ll see you tomorrow
Don’t work too hard – I’ll need you full of energy if ya know what I mean!
04:31 – Robert
Sex, I mean sex.
Night you
Xxx
****
Aaron groaned as Little Mix blared around the room. He had no idea what song it was but no doubt the fact that it was set as his alarm tone was down to Liv.
“Hilarious,” he muttered as he reached over to lift his phone from the bedside table.
Lighting up the screen to silence the alarm, Aaron rubbed his eyes as he saw it was 05.00am and he had 28 messages from Robert.
“Idiot” he whispered as he rolled his eyes and shook his head slighty. But a smile appeared on his face before he swiped the screen to see what his boyfriend had to say while he slept.