To quote Josh Lyman ‘it is done, and I did it’. I think this part has caused me more stress than any other fic I’ve written all because I lost the first part of it that I really liked. Anyway, it’s done and I hope it’s a fitting ending 🙂
He’s lucky not to get a speeding ticket as he races through the lanes to Hotten from Vic’s, but he knows Holy Latte closes at six on a regular day, but then this is no regular day. It’s ten to by the time he gets a parking space, having stopped off to collect something on the way. There’s a high chance it’ll end up being thrown at him, but he has to try. He has a plan already forming in his mind, now he just has to make it work.
The place is in darkness when he gets outside, his heart sinking until he hears something crash inside. He makes himself knock on the door, hoping it’s Aaron inside and that he’ll answer. He does, and the first thing Robert notices is the slight hunch of his shoulders.
“What do you want?” He asks, arm resting on the doorframe blocking the entrance. “Come to gloat about putting me out of business?”
“No.”
“To convince me to take that job then?” Robert nearly rolled his eyes, should’ve known Chrissie would take no notice of him.
“No Aaron, Vic mentioned it was your last day. She was worried about you so I thought I’d call in.” He hesitates as Aaron’s face doesn’t change. “I brought cake. Bit coals to Newcastle, mind.”
“What kind of cake?”
“Chocolate, of course. Seb likes it and he’s fussy as anything so it must be good.”
“Fine then.” He lets him pass, pulls a chair off a table and disappears. “Here.” He looks up from the chair as Aaron waves a fork in his face. “So often visit the people you’ve put out of business do you?”
“That’s not…I told you, Vic was worried.”
“Vic could call me. In fact she has.”
“Fine. I wanted to apologise for the day in the park. I was rude.”
“Well…go on then.” He shakes his head, doesn’t know what Aaron’s getting at. “Apologise.”
Tag: Robron Fic
The fundamental things apply
This came about mainly because of a conversation between me and @amandaj718 back in February when we were chatting about another fic mentioned Sleepless in Seattle to me and it set my mind working. I hope it lives up to it!
Go check out the awesome artwork by the amazing Clo (@memorieswarm). It’s amazing and it’s been so much fun working with you! You can find it here, and here
Here’s the teaser scene and you can read the whole thing here
“We’re talking Christmas wishes tonight as we head towards midnight. What are your hopes and dreams?” He scoffed at it, the smooth voice and the schmaltzy music in the background was enough to put him off straight away.
He stops at a garage for frankly awful coffee and when he’s back in the car finds himself listening in again.
“We’ve got our first caller on the line. What’s your name?”
“Liv.” Robert frowned, she sounded so young.
“We don’t usually get anyone of your age on the show Liv. How old are you?”
“Eleven.”
“You’re up late. Where are you calling from?”
“Emmerdale.” That startled him, what were the chances.
“What’s your Christmas wish then?”
“I want my brother to get a new boyfriend.” Robert shakes his head, can’t quite believe he’s still listening to this, wonders why her brother isn’t thought capable enough of to find his own boyfriend.
“You don’t like the one he has?” Jealous siblings, now that he could relate to. This might be ridiculous, but it was at least making the journey pass a little quicker.
“He doesn’t have one. He died.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Have you tried talking to your brother about this?”
“He doesn’t talk. He’s just sad all the time.” He hears her sniffling and it makes him cross. This is what he hates about these shows, obviously the kid is upset, yet they’re keeping her on the air. Something in him feels so sad for her.
“Is he there? I might be able to help.”
“Of course you can.” He muttered, rolling his eyes, a strange sense of protectiveness running through him from nowhere for this kid.
“He’s upstairs. Moping.”
“Can you get him for me?”
“If he yells at me, I’m blaming you.”
“This is unbelievable.” He mutters again. Even so there’s something keeping him listening.
“He won’t yell. You’re just worried about him. Maybe I can help.”
“Maybe you can boost your ratings more like.”
*****
“Aaron!” He stands at the top of the stairs, seeing her, phone in hand. Who was calling at this time of night on Christmas Eve. He should be down there with her, getting excited about tomorrow, but he can’t help his mood. It’s settled over him the past few weeks and he can’t shake it off. It’s not the first Christmas without Jackson but for some reason it’s harder to deal with this year. “There’s someone wants to speak to you.”
Damn cold calls, can’t they even take Christmas off? He takes the phone, with a quick squeeze of her shoulder and goes into the living room.
“Hello?”
“Is this Aaron?” It doesn’t sound like a cold call.
“What are you selling?”
“Nothing, no. I’m Karen, from Hotten Radio. Liv called in to us about you. She thinks you need a new boyfriend.” For a minute he can’t speak, can’t get his head around what she’s saying.
“You called the radio about me?” He swings round to glare at Liv, finds her sat at the bottom of the stairs, hugging her knees, sweater pulled over her hands. He’s instantly contrite, she’s still so sad, even now, and he can’t seem to pull her out of it. Had she been worrying about him, not upset for herself?
“Aaron? She’s worried about you.”
“It’s none of her business, and it’s certainly none of yours.”
“Aaron, wait. I think she’s finding it difficult to talk to you about this, but she’s obviously worried and upset.”
“Is this…do you get some kind of pleasure out of this? She’s eleven!” He couldn’t take her eyes off his sister, the way she cringed at his voice and he softened. Obviously it had taken guts to call them, even if he was mortified.
“Aaron, can I…what was his name?”
“Jackson.” He surprises himself by answering. Maybe it’s because no one else around him ever talks about Jackson properly, doing all they can to avoid it.
“Can I ask you about Jackson?” He closes his eyes, hearing his name from someone else, especially a stranger is always a shock. No one in the village really mentions him anymore, maybe afraid of his reaction, and he preferred it that way. “When did he die? How long ago?”
“About eighteen months.” It still hurts, but Marlon was right all those months ago, he could feel it starting to get easier.
“And there’s been no one since? I don’t want to invade your privacy.”
*****
“Of course you don’t.”
“Of course you don’t.” Robert stares wide-eyed as he speaks at the exact same time as this stranger.
*****
“Have you spoken to anyone about him?”
“I don’t need to, I’m fine.” He could make himself believe it, until he was alone at night, in the dark when the memories were strongest.
“What about Liv? How is she coping?”
“It’s been tough, but we’re managing. If you’re trying to say I’m not a good brother…”
“Nothing like that Aaron. You sound like a wonderful brother, but you must feel sometimes…like you’re in a bit of a fog? Do you mind me asking how you’re…are you sleeping well?”
“No!” Liv shouts from behind him and he glares again.
“It’s just Christmas.” He sighs, still can’t quite believe he’s doing this. “Jackson liked Christmas. He loved it. I didn’t, before him. He showed me how good it could be, and now…now I’m trying to be there for Liv.”
“That’s exactly what a good brother does. Liv is lucky to have you…but my question is, don’t you need someone too?”
*****
“Yes.” Robert whispers into the silent car. He sounds so sad, broken almost. Robert wants to reach into the radio and comfort him somehow. Then he laughs at himself for being so ridiculous. What was he even doing? There was something though, something keeping him listening, something intriguing about this stranger.
GO READ THIS NOW!!! It’s awesome. I promise. 🙂
you used to dream about fires
Sometimes you’ve got to lose people, so that they can find their way back to you. Or: Robert and Aaron were having the best second wedding day ever, until they weren’t.
This is set on their second wedding day, assuming that there is a sort of Robron/Lachlan showdown. If you are triggered by people being shot, violence, blood, or fire, then I suggest you don’t read this. Song title comes from the song Forest Fire by Brighton.
This is for Haley @aarondingel !!!! I hope you like it my love! And thank you to Claudia @inloveamateursatbest for the advice and Holly @howellobrien and Gemma @blondhairedking for the encouragement! Ily all ❤️
Aaron x Robert. 7.3k. You can find this here on ao3!
________________________
It had
been beautiful.Everything
Aaron could have dreamt of— the best day of his life, quite frankly.They’d
been married outside. It had been a crisp October day, not too cold either.
Aaron didn’t usually notice details like that, but when getting married to the
love of your life, he thought it was funny which details stuck with him. The
air so sharp it almost hurt to breathe. The silver sheen of his cufflinks. The
light blue underside of his dark blue tie.There had
been a wedding trellis with pink flowers, two grooms in suits on top of the
cake, and more balloons than he could count. A gurgling baby, two cheeky
sisters and an army of overbearing Dingles.Aaron
wouldn’t have had it any other way.He’d been
nervous, beforehand. Nothing to do with self-doubt. Not this time around. Just
nervous excitement to finally be legally married to his husband. It didn’t
negate their first wedding, in Aaron’s opinion. This just made it concrete.Final.
They had
their family, they’d been there when the two had exchanged vows. They’d been
there to see them both cry at the altar, even though they’d bet each other they
wouldn’t.Been
there when Aaron and Robert promised their lives to each other, all over again.Aaron was
tearing up just thinking about it, couldn’t stop himself. He’d slow danced once
with his husband to their not-song in the pub, hit like whiplash with a wicked
sense of déjà vu. It was overwhelming, all these feelings rushing back to him,
but he embraced them. Revelled in them.They’d
got him to where he was today.As he
watched his husband, Robert with one arm wrapped tightly around Vic and a pint
in his other hand, Aaron couldn’t help but smile. Robert was wearing a maroon
suit, one of Aaron’s new favourites, and he looked happy. Relaxed. Easy. Robert
had a slow smile on his face that had made Aaron lick his own lips in
anticipation.There was
something about this man. Something Aaron found so inexplicable, yet so
wonderful.They’d
caught eyes from across the room and Robert’s had brightened, shining as he
extracted himself from his sister and made his way toward Aaron. With Robert
placing his pint on the bar, Aaron remembered he’d wrapped both arms around
Robert’s waist in greeting, ducking his head with a shy smile.“So,
what’s my husband doing over here all by himself then?” Robert had asked. “That
won’t do, not at all.”“Just
admirin’ the view,” Aaron had said, smirking. “You’re not half bad, you.”“You’re a
charmer, you know that?”“Unlike
you.”“Oi,”
Robert had laughed. Oh, how Aaron loved that laugh. “You’re a git.”“Takes
one to know one.”“I see
how it is. Thought you were supposed to be Mr Sugden now, not Mr Snarky?”“In your
dreams,” Aaron had grinned, unable to stop himself.“Oh, most
definitely.”They’d
leant in for a kiss then, all soft touches and pliant mouths, and that’s when
it had happened.The first
scream.
I’m so glad it was you – Part 1
I’ve been thinking about this You’ve Got Mail AU for a while, but only just got round to planning it all out. This is just a short-ish chapter, background mostly, and I’m not very far ahead so updates might be slow (not as slow as the baking AU though). Thanks to @smittenwithsugden for the coffee shop name, and to @amandaj718 for help with the usernames. Posting now because I’m having a bad day.
The back stories for both are mostly the same, the timings of things might be different.
The title is from ‘Anyone at all’ by Carole King (from the soundtrack).
Aaron’s morning routine is pretty set in stone. Get up, make a brew and sit on the windowsill overlooking Hotten High Street, while checking his phone for messages. His day was always better when there was one waiting for him.
He couldn’t tap the screen fast enough when he saw the icon, sipping at his tea while he waited for the app to decide if it would load or not. Finally it opens and he sets his mug down beside him.
PorscheMan422 – Don’t you just love the Dales in the Autumn? I mean, Summer is great and all but when the leaves are falling from the trees and there’s a chill in the air, it’s wonderful.
It’s a lottery every day whether it’ll be something about a film he’s watched, a complaint about some twat he’d met the day before, or like now a wondering about his surroundings.
GreaseMonky92 – Wouldn’t know mate, nothing but tarmac and bricks where I’m sitting. I’ll take your word for it. Did you see the match last night?
He didn’t wait for a reply, knew it was late enough that he’d be on his way to work. Not that he knew what he did for a living. In fact he knew hardly anything about him and he in turn knew nothing about Aaron.
When they first started chatting on some classic car forum they’d said ‘no specifics’. It added to the excitement almost and they’d never changed it. He knew the man was older, but that was it.
It had been going on for about six months now, Aaron only using the site as a favour to Cain, keeping an eye for anyone selling a certain type of car that a customer wanted. Cain didn’t do computers if he could help it and the only thing he used his phone for was calls, so he said. Aaron thought he just didn’t want the hassle.
They’d got into a heated discussion about which was better, a classic Porsche or an Aston Martin. There had been whole posts in bolded capital letters, emojis that Aaron had to look up and links galore as his opponent had tried, and failed in Aaron’s opinion, to make his point. In the end they had been reprimanded by the frankly overzealous moderators and the other man had suggested a messaging app.
He’d been a bit unsure, he thought they guy was an arrogant twat, but he’d enjoyed their banter so he agreed, and now they used it almost every day without fail.
Just as he’s about to get up to shower, his phone pings with another message.
@littleatticboy because you talked about Robert, Aaron and bookshops. 💓
(Warning: this fic includes Seb so if that isn’t your cuppa…)
Sometimes the smallest things take the most room in your heart. ~ A. A. Milne
Aaron has never been a big reader. It’s not to say he doesn’t like it. He does. But he tends to be picky about what he reads due to the fact that most books do his head in. Aaron likes complex things though (look at his husband, so really). He’ll pick up books about little strange histories: footy, cars, boxing, mechanics. Every once in a while he’ll read a mystery. Not those cozy ones that his mum loves (and manages to talk Robert into reading if she really likes it and Robert will because he is a soft touch) but thrillers that leave him shook.
His family is a different story.
Robert likes to read…everything.
He hadn’t known that about Robert until the one week at Home Farm during their affair (the week that changed everything). They’d exhausted themselves from fucking everywhere they could those first two nights. Had ended up in Robert’s bed finally and Aaron had woken up, pressed against Robert’s side, one of Robert’s hands playing with the loose curls on Aaron’s head, and the other holding open a book.
Aaron stared at him, noticing how his face changed as he read, how he looked so at peace in this world he was in. Robert had caught him eventually, grinning at him as he took the time to save his page with a bookmark (something Aaron learned later Robert always did, bent pages in books drove him nutty) before rolling Aaron under him and taking him apart.
Later, when they became them, really and honestly, for the first time, Aaron would go with Robert to book shops, follow him around and try hard not to roll his eyes at Robert’s excitement when he found a new book to add to his ever growing collection.
When they’d got Liv, the trips had become longer because, it turned out, his little sister liked to read, too. Not the same as Robert (she teased him constantly about his Stephen King obsession) but she likes fantasy, horror, and eventually she and Robert found common ground when they discovered their mutual love for manga and graphic novels. He’d stood watching them for 15 mintues once as they pored over a copy of Watchmen (he’s still not sure what that’s all about and honestly that’s fine) and he’d had to turn away from what that did to his chest.
Usually Aaron went his way to look at magazines or some of the manuals he likes to find and leave them to it.
Then came Seb.
Having Seb changed so much and Robert wanted to instill a love of books into their son.
(Aaron had asked him once why he loved books so much.
Robert had shrugged, buried his face deeper in Aaron’s neck and mumbled a quiet, “They make me feel closer to my mum.”
Aaron had squeezed Robert tighter.)
When they took their first trip together to the bookshop on a day out in Leeds, Aaron had steered Robert to the new book section as Liv wondered off towards the back. He’d taken hold of Seb and walked with him toward the children’s section. The bright, happy colors made Seb clap a little and Aaron kissed his head, found the book his mum had read him a little boy, and sat down to read it.
He wasn’t sure he was any good at doing voices but Seb’s gaze never left Aaron’s face, blue and wide, as Aaron read him the story of the 1000 Acre Woods, a little lonely boy named Christopher and his friends.
By the time they got to Pooh Bear stuck in a tub of honey, Aaron’s voice was fading and Seb’s head had lulled to rest on Aaron’s shoulder. He shut the book quietly, turning to see Robert and Liv standing to the side. Liv gentle smile turning into a smirk and Robert looming at Aaron like he was the most amazing thing in the world.
“What? You said, didn’t ya?”
Robert had shaken his head, leaned down to kiss Aaron firmly as he took Seb and the book with him toward the till.
It became a tradition as their family grew, their kids got older, and Aaron found that he was a reader when properly motivated.
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