Chapter Text
Bar West was crowded, yet Aaron couldn't seem to get himself out of the eye line of one Alex Mason. He leaned against the bar to order another pint and cursed his mother for insisting on him meeting Alex. He'd given it a try, but he'd soon just grown bored, and they had nearly nothing in common. Both of them being gay was unsurprisingly not enough.
He cringed when he smelled that sort of lingering hospital smell near his nose — that certainly had never helped with feeling any attraction to the man. He heard a throat clear, and he had to turn and try to offer a polite smile. Which, in his case, was a grimace even when he meant it.
"Aaron," Alex smiled all hope.
He wondered how a doctor could be so dense.
"Aaron," another voice sounded, deeper and more confident on the vowels and familiar. But he couldn't quite place it until he turned toward it and saw Vic's brother Robert walking right up to him.
A large hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed it, not quite intimate, but it implied it, and Robert nudged between him and Alex.
"Did you forget to buy me a pint?" Robert asked.
Aaron blinked at him.
Robert winked and moved a shoulder minutely at Alex.
"Yeah, uh… sorry, didn't know you were here yet."
"Just walked in, didn't you get my text?"
Aaron found himself looking at his phone without one text message and nodding. "Yeah, must've not heard it."
"Yeah, it's crowded tonight," Robert said and turned toward Alex. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting… I'm Robert, by the way."
Aaron nodded as if that meant something.
Alex looked disappointed and hurt. Aaron fought not to roll his eyes at the latter, they'd dated all of two weeks and barely snogged.
"See you around, Aaron," Alex said before he ducked his head down and walked away.
Robert started laughing before Alex was out of earshot and turned toward Aaron. "Who was that sad sack?"
"No one," Aaron mumbled and picked up his pint.
Robert ordered one of his own and nodded.
Aaron looked behind them and saw Alex was still looking over at him and sighed. "You're stuck with me for a while…" he frowned. "What was with the rescue anyway?"
Robert shrugged. "Vic's always telling me, I should be nice to her friends — and well, I got stood up."
Aaron blinked at that and then decided not to dwell on why he found it surprising.
"So, nothing better to do — avoiding my apartment tonight, roommate has their fiancée over, and it's… well, it's romcom disgusting."
Aaron snorted. "Try living with your sister and Adam."
Robert just gave him a look.
Aaron laughed.
Robert glanced behind them and picked up his pint. "Let's find a table, wait twenty minutes, and act like we're leaving together?"
Aaron shrugged and nodded.
It took them a bit to find a table, and Aaron groaned when he sat down and could see Alex. Robert turned to see why and turned back with a questioning look. "Who is he?"
"Some doctor, my mum set us up."
Robert cringed. "No, no… I love my mum, but no way."
"She just nags I wanted to shut her up, thought he looked fit in the picture," Aaron said with a shrug.
Robert looked behind him again and snorted. "If you like string beans."
Aaron snorted his beer.
Robert laughed. "Sorry, mate."
Aaron coughed a bit but quickly got his breath back. "He'd dead boring and just…" he made a face.
"I take it that feeling wasn't mutual?"
Aaron nodded. "He kept trying for a while, if I'd known he'd be here wouldn't have gone elsewhere."
"Like there is an elsewhere…"
Aaron nodded. "Who were you meant to meet?"
"Man Crave hook up, not really upset to be honest, I was just bored and wanted out of the flat… and now I've wasted my time."
"Don't know, saved me, right?"
Robert nodded.
Aaron leaned back in his chair, realizing it took Alex out of sight, also kept Robert in his sight pretty well — and it really wasn't a bad view, he decided to chalk that up to four pints he had. He was pretty warm, was pretty sure his face was a bit pink, but for the first time since realizing Alex was in the building, he felt relaxed.
Robert sat and drink, his eyes darting out around every now and again. But he didn't seem to be looking for anyone. He ordered a second, third, and fourth pint himself. Buying Aaron a fifth and they kept idly chatting, about Vic mostly in the end…
Robert started to shred his napkin.
Aaron leaned forward. "What is it?"
"Should probably head home but… Romcom."
Aaron nodded. "You know, Vic and Adam are out of town."
Robert blinked. "What?"
"Yeah, Ads surprised her with a weekend away, it's some anniversary. Like I said, try living with them… you could crash on our couch."
"I don't know…"
"Beats Romcom noises."
"What beats Romcom noises is making your own noises…"
Aaron eyed for a beat. "Where you planning on bring someone back and out fucking them?"
Robert leaned back with a smug grin. "Maybe. Turnabout is fair play."
Aaron nearly snorted on his pint again. "Couch offer stands."
"Yeah, you know what, why not…" Robert said.
Aaron nodded.
"I'll call a taxi," Robert said, already pulling out his phone.
Aaron nodded and stood up. The world tipped a bit, but he blinked it righted itself up again, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. Robert stood up while talking on the phone and nodded at Aaron to follow him. They were halfway out of the bar when Aaron realized he was staring at Robert's arse…
He shook himself, but he went back at looking at it. How had he not noticed this before? Though the truth was he'd barely ever given Robert much thought at all. He was barely around for one thing because he didn't live in Emmerdale, and from what he knew, he caused drama more than he didn't due to the fact he and Andy didn't get along. There was something to do with Andy's wife, Katie…
Aaron frowned. "Wait?"
Robert stopped.
Aaron walked into him.
Robert put his hands on his shoulders again, and Aaron remembered how big they were… he stared up at him. "You're gay?"
Robert snorted. "You're just getting around to that now?"
Aaron shrugged.
"No…Bisexual… Vic knows, my mum knows, but haven't gotten around to letting in Andy and Katie, but technically it's not a secret, it just is, you know?
Aaron nodded.
A group walking by bumped into them, and they crashed together, Robert's arms dropping to Aaron's waist to keep them both steady. Aaron felt his body heat and smelled him and fought not to inhale it. He shook himself again, and the stepped part, in unison, but Aaron thought that maybe Robert's hands stayed on him a bit too long.
"Surprised Vic never told ya…" Robert said.
"Why is that?"
"She's usually trying to hook me up with anyone with a pulse."
"I don't do hookups, mate."
"Who said I let her?"
Aaron shook his head.
Robert held the door open for him.
He eyed the door and raised an eyebrow at Robert.
"My mum raised a gentleman."
"So, I should thank Sarah for the rescue tonight?"
Robert shook his head. "You haven't thanked me yet."
"Keep dreaming."
The air outside felt amazing on Aaron's cheeks, and there was a bit of a wind. He walked into it for a second, closing his eyes to focus on it more but felt a tug on the hood of his hoodie, and suddenly he was flush against Robert's front, eyes wide open in time to see a car careen just hair too close to them.
"Jesus, Aaron," Robert swore.
"Uh, yeah…"
"How much did you drink before I got there?"
"Shut up."
Robert shrugged, and they stood where they were. Still standing maybe a bit too close. Aaron kept glancing at him and seeing him differently than he had before. Maybe because now he wasn't Vic's brother, who walked in and out in a minute of minutes. He was tall, and his face was mostly freckled, he had some smarmy haircut that meant he probably spent twenty minutes in front of a mirror… but it worked on him, Aaron thought. He was actually really fit… like real fit.
Not maybe fit.
Aaron dragged his gaze away from Robert's jawline and rolled his eyes at himself.
"That's ours…" Robert said in his ear and started walking.
Aaron followed the fine arse to the taxi.
~~~
Their taxi driver had a lead foot. Robert felt his whole body press into Aaron's side as they went around another curve. Maybe they were sitting a bit too close, Robert wasn't sure, all he knew was he was being pressed into warm that was solid. That felt strong, and really he kept looking Aaron and wondering how he'd never noticed just how fucking blue his eyes were.
Not that he knew him well at all. Just on sight and that he was close to Vic and lived with her and Adam. He and Adam had a scrapyard, which his mum been worried about them making money with until Robert had a chat with her about it… For Vic, really, but it was sound business to invest in. He'd almost offered Adam money before remembering Vic's fiancé hated him. He got along with Andy, though, and Robert found himself frowning.
"What?" Aaron's voice was rough, and he felt a shiver down his back.
"Nothing…" he shrugged.
Aaron shrugged in return.
He'd liked that about him, all night, he was just… halfway not giving a shit what they talked about. It was easier, Robert thought, not having to work at having a conversation or work at being witty. Aaron was without trying he'd found out and felt it was a good quality in a person.
"Here you are," their taxi driver said.
Robert started to pull out his wallet, but Aaron's hand grabbed his wrist. He felt a rush of heat up his arm and stared at him.
"I'll pay."
"I called…"
"You bought me a beer."
"You're letting me crash on your couch."
"I'd just like to get paid please," the taxi driver chimed in.
"Half?" Robert asked.
Aaron shrugged.
They both paid the driver.
Robert frowned when they walked into Keepers, and he was assaulted by lime. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and turned toward Aaron, not quite conscious he was looking for something nicer on his eyes. Aaron was on a chair and untying his boots. He looked up at Robert and just sort of looked at him, and Robert realized he probably thought he had something to say…
But he really didn't.
Aaron cleared his throat after a beat and stood up, leaving his boots by the chair. "I'll find you some blankets and stuff."
"Thanks."
"I think Vic has extra toothbrushes under the sink in the bath…" Aaron called over his shoulder before he went up the stairs.
Robert sat down on the couch, he could feel the buzz from the beer starting to ebb away, and he didn't like it. He sighed and leaned back, suddenly the lonely feeling that driven him onto Man Crave and out to the club was loud again. The absolute train wreck of his last relationships kept playing over and over in his head…
It always seemed to fall apart.
He sighed, he was young yet, though early thirties, and he was starting to think it was never going to happen for him. Maybe it was karma for the way he'd acted in his teens like he had to prove a point and be with the most women he could…
He sighed.
"You alright?"
"Yeah…fine…" he looked at Aaron. He'd pulled off his hoodie and was just in a black t-shirt, and it fit him, well. He was bloody fit, near beautiful, Robert's brain supplied. He reached out and grabbed Aaron's hand without thinking.
Aaron stared at their hands and back at Robert.
Robert licked his lips, he felt buzzed again suddenly, and he nodded, slowly and felt his heart beating loud in his ears, almost like it was wondering what he was doing.
But it went away when Aaron moved. It was sudden and quick, and he was in Robert's lap, and they were kissing. Robert moaned into his mouth, licking at his lips and Aaron ground down on his lap, and his hips thrust up. "Shit…"
He wasn't sure which one of them said it.