robronweek

[robronweek]

title: village trivia

word count: 3.2k

rating: mature

pairing: aaron dingle / robert sugden

warnings: sexual references, strong language, vague references to prison violence

summary: robert's pub quiz evening is interrupted when ross decides it's a prime opportunity to seek his revenge (aka a 'robron affair 2.0 reveal')

Robert has a love hate relationship with pub quizzes. 

He loves winning them with Aaron as his teammate, the buzz of adrenaline in their veins as they crush their competition and embrace each other, hands discretely wandering in the foreplay to their foreplay. They’re sore winners, lording their victory about until Chas eventually tells them to clear off. 

He hates sitting in the booth farthest from the door with Victoria across from him, overruling several of his answers with her own incorrect ones. She seems to think that Robert’s time inside has erased any general knowledge rattling around in his brain — like six years in a cell means he no longer knows the release dates of Taylor Swift’s albums (which is just offensive) or the year that Leeds United won the FA Cup (Uncle Joe would often tell a young Robert about how it was the happiest day of his life, much to his wife’s chagrin). 

It doesn’t help that the pub is packed with punters for the occasion. Jimmy and Nicola are sitting at a table nearby, bickering even more than Robert and Victoria, which is some comfort. Charity is standing behind the bar, leaving Chas to do most of the actual work as she conspires in hushed whispers with Mack. Cain and Liam seem to be doing more drinking than quizzing, but Robert watches them scribble something down every now and then. 

Aaron and John are sitting across the room. Robert tries not to glance over too often, but seeing them together is a bit like witnessing a car crash so he’s unable to look away for too long — although, Robert has been in plenty of car crashes (including one with a rather epic proposal, if he does say so himself) and they’re at least interesting in a morbid sort of way. 

Watching Aaron and John interact is a bit like watching paint dry; dull, lifeless and a shade of beige that Robert thinks is best left in the past. Nothing like the explosion of fiery reds and soothing blues that decorate the masterpiece that is Aaron and Robert. 

Marlon is hosting the quiz because apparently he’s on a midlife side quest and the objective is to spend more time looking like a total prat. It’s working; Marlon has already stumbled over half the questions, narrowly avoided spilling his pint over his laptop, and butchered the French language to the point of no return. 

April is propped up at the bar with Ross looking suitably embarrassed by her dad’s hosting skills, sipping on a lemonade but mostly engrossed in her mobile, as most teenagers are these days. 

It makes Robert think of Liv. He swallows hard, staring into his half-empty orange juice like it holds the secrets of the universe. 

That’s why he doesn’t notice Ross standing up, sauntering over to Marlon with the confidence of someone who knows they’re never gonna be in the running for Mr Popular. 

“Alright, mate?” Ross and Marlon are decidedly not mates, everyone knows that. “Mind if I squeeze in a little bonus question? Let’s call it Village Trivia.”

Marlon is an idiot, but even he can spot that Ross’ smug expression isn’t leading to anything good. “I’ve already got a perfectly curated set of questions that I spent hours on. So, no. You can’t just barge in and —”

“Yeah, cheers mate,” Ross interrupts, patting Marlon on the chest. It was a valiant attempt to bore the thug into submission, Robert’ll give him that, but when Ross has his sights set on something, Robert knows better than anyone that nothing will stand in his way. 

“Right, then. This is a nice easy one for ya. Who has our own Aaron Dingle been coppin’ off with behind his loving hubby’s back?”

Robert thinks the pub has fallen silent, but there’s blood rushing in his ears and the loud pounding of his heart trying to beat its way out of his ribcage — which in itself is a problem considering the three fractured ribs he’s still healing from. 

Cheers Prison Psycho #100, pleasure making your acquaintance. 

He’s brought back into the present by the sound of John’s chair scraping along the floor before toppling over entirely. Robert can’t stop himself from flinching at the unexpected clatter. 

“Tell me he’s wrong,” John demands. If looks could kill, this pub quiz would be doubling as Aaron’s memorial service. 

Aaron’s eyes roam, desperate not to meet John’s intense stare. Like usual, his gaze finds Robert’s. They’re like beacons for one another; Robert could probably recognise Aaron in a lineup of a hundred people with a blindfold on and both arms tied behind his back. 

Soulmates. 

Aaron always scoffs when he says it, but there’s no logical explanation for what the two of them share, so sue Robert if he’s getting a little creative with his labels. 

John follows Aaron’s gaze, turns his attention to Robert. “You,” he seethes, practically foaming at the mouth. 

“Me?” Robert hits him with his patented ‘Who, me?’ face — Katie was right all those years ago, he did practice it in the mirror, but spending six years being locked up for his crimes has made him a little rusty it seems. 

“You just couldn’t let us be happy,” John rants, stalking his way over to their table. 

Victoria is looking between them both like this is a life-or-death tennis match. She’s got an expression of maternal disappointment that’s so much like Sarah’s that it makes his splintered heart shatter. 

“If Aaron isn’t happy with ya, that’s hardly my fault,” Robert scoffs. He’s careful not to outright confirm what Ross has said, but his lack of denial must speak volumes. 

“Leave it, Robert,” Aaron warns. Seems he’s finally regained his ability to speak as he makes his way over to them. “Let’s not do this here, yeah? We’ll talk at home.”

“He’s not going anywhere with you,” Victoria exclaims. She stands up, all five-foot-nothing, steam practically pouring from her ears. She’s looking at Aaron like she’s seeing him for the first time. “How could ya do this to ‘im? I thought you loved him.”

Aaron frowns. “I do. ‘Course I do.”

“Do you cheat on everyone you love?” John snaps. He jerks his thumb in Robert’s direction, like he’s no longer even worth the effort of a glare. “Only, I thought that was more his style.”

Johnny Boy has come out fighting. Robert is almost impressed; it’s the most personality John’s shown in the time Robert has known him, though even his rage is somewhat tedious. Andy would’ve decked him by now, really thrown himself into it. 

“Look, you don’t know what you’re on about…”

Ross takes a big gulp of his pint then holds up his phone which is now connected to the pub speakers. “I can shed some light,” he says, like he’s some divine helper and not a dead man walking. 

Robert should’ve crushed him instead of his taxi all those years ago. Maybe if the judge presiding over the case had crossed paths with Ross before they’d’ve been lenient on him, understood the mitigating circumstances of Ross being the most infuriating guy on the planet and Robert being only human. 

He taps his screen and sound bursts out. It’s crackly at first, like the wind, or someone jostling the phone as it records. Then, slightly tinny but clear enough — 

“We can’t keep doing this, Robert,” Aaron is saying, all solemn and guilty after his orgasm haze has cleared. “What about John?”

Instantly, Robert knows when this conversation occurred. It was only three days ago, in one of the barns up at Butler’s.

“Who?” asks Robert on the recording, feigning confusion. 

John’s shoulders are practically level with his ears from how tense he is, and it’s clear the only reason he’s not leaping at Robert right now is because he wants to listen to the rest of the evidence. 

“Don’t do that,” Aaron scolds. Like he’d been thinking about his husband at all when Robert had his cock in his mouth, or when he’d been fucking any coherent thoughts out of Robert’s brain in deep, frenetic thrusts. 

“Look, I really don’t want to think about my brother right now, Aaron. Bit of a mood killer.”

Mack laughs loudly. Robert looks over at him and his lips twitch upward just a little when Mack shoots him a very indiscrete thumbs up. It’s reassuring to know there’ll still be one person in this village who might say some nice words at his funeral after he’s inevitably slaughtered by John and the Dingles. 

There’s some shuffling sounds on the recording. Robert knows this is the part where Aaron had stepped into his personal space, flipping the switch from guilt-ridden husband to horny ex-husband. He remembers Aaron staring at him through hooded eyes, their noses brushing against one another as he palmed Robert’s cock through the boxers he’d only just retrieved. 

“Then what do you want?” Aaron’s voice is pitched low, thick with lust. 

It makes Robert feel sick, knowing that everyone is getting to hear this version of Aaron that exists only for him. He’s confident not even John knows this side of Aaron; the one who’s sure of himself, dominant and demanding as he strips Robert down to his soul and then fucks it right out of him. 

Chas has stormed around the bar and is now trying to wrestle Ross’ phone out of his hand to no avail. Ross has height on his side as he waves it just out of Chas’ reach, his other hand holding up his pint like it’s just as precious to him. 

Because none of this means anything to Ross, does it? His life won’t have changed one bit when he skulks out the door — not like Aaron’s which has been cut open and laid bare for everyone to gawp at, like he’s a corpse during a postmortem. 

Which looks about right as Robert takes in his ashen expression and the disturbing emptiness in his eyes. 

“The things I want are unspeakable,” Robert whispers. 

He’d wanted Aaron to have his wicked way with him first and foremost. But underneath that carnal desire to always have Aaron inside him, heart and body and soul, he’d meant it in other ways too. 

Robert wanted Aaron to be his again: his husband, his best friend, his anchor in a world that’s so different from the one he’d walked away from all those years ago. He wants Aaron, just as he is because where John sees someone who needs fixing, Robert sees someone he hopes will never change a bit. 

“Oh yeah?” Aaron is laughing. Robert lets the sound wash over him. “You’d better show me then.”

Ross unplugs his phone after that. “Guess John won that round,” he declares jovially, “although somethin’ tells me you’ve lost summat else,” he adds, nodding his head in Aaron’s direction. He drains his pint and slams it down on the nearest table, startling Tracy and Vanessa. 

Then, slowly, like some cheesy villain in a budget thriller film he’d probably have watched with Aaron and Liv back in the day, he points at Robert. His playful expression twists into something nasty and he looks every inch the madman who’d convinced Andy to let him shoot Robert. 

“And you,” he hisses, “you don’t touch what’s mine again. D’ya hear me? Or next time I won’t be so nice.”

None of this is screaming nice to Robert, but he understands a violent threat when he hears one. And, though he’s not particularly scared of Ross and his pea-sized brain, he can acknowledge that he’s been bested today. 

Ross storms out of the pub, leaving chaos in his wake. 

“I can’t believe you two,” Chas rants. 

Robert raises an eyebrow. “Really? ‘Cause you of all people should’ve seen this coming.” 

“Seriously, Aaron. I don’t know what you see in him but he’s poison. All he does is ruin your life, over and over again.”

Aaron rolls his eyes. “Leave it out, mum. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

“Oi! Don’t start on ‘er,” Cain threatens, rising from his seat to stand beside his sister. “You’ve been carrying on with Sugden again. Will you never learn?”

“I, for one, think this is just great,” Mack interjects. 

Aaron glares at him. “Not helpin’, Mack.”

“Just playin’ Devil’s advocate, don’t mind me.”

Robert doesn’t mind Mack. In fact, Robert loves Mack. He’s going to buy him all the pints he can sink on their next evening out together, though he has a sneaking suspicion they won’t be welcome in the Woolpack when that happens. Unless it’s Charity manning the bar, who’s currently sampling the stock by sipping on a white wine as she watches the drama unfold. 

“How long’s it been going on?” John pipes up. Robert had almost forgotten he was there, though he wisely doesn’t say it aloud. Last time he’d called John a nobody (a sticking plaster, he’d said; a very witty analogy that seemed to go right over the paramedic’s head) he’d been tackled to the ground, and he’s not feeling much like being manhandled right now. 

Unless it’s by Aaron, obviously. Robert is pretty sure he could be roused from a coma by Aaron asking him for sex.

“Does it matter?” Aaron asks, scrubbing a hand over his face. 

“Has it happened under my roof?” Victoria questions, looking horrified by the idea that she might’ve been unknowingly provided a rendezvous spot for their affair. 

Robert shakes his head, failing to catch Vic’s eye. “No, of course not. We wouldn’t do that to you or Harry, honest.” Which is true. Mostly because he couldn’t trust them not to blab if they’d found out, but Robert is self aware enough to know that tidbit of information won’t work in his favour when he tries to win her back around in a few days. 

“How long?”

“A few weeks,” Aaron admits quietly. “It wasn’t intentional. We were just chattin’ at first. Then Robert fell asleep once at the scrapyard and we realised he doesn’t have such bad night terrors when he’s with me,” he mumbles the last bit, probably to save Robert some dignity, but it’s a futile endeavour. 

He doesn’t blame Aaron for saying it — Robert isn’t stupid, he knows everyone and their dog is talking about how fucked up he’s been since coming back, like some ticking time bomb — but it still makes his hackles rise and shame flood through him like he’s some pathetic coddled child. 

“And before you know it you’re sleeping together,” John concludes, emphasising the words because he knows damn well there was no sleeping involved. 

Joke’s on him, really. They did actually just sleep sometimes, in hotel rooms after mindblowing orgasms, and even a couple of times in his marital bed when John was working and Aaron could slope off for an afternoon.

“Yeah,” Aaron confirms. He chews his bottom lip, looking first at Robert before finally meeting John’s stare. “It really wasn’t supposed to come to this, John. And I didn’t want ya to find out like this, it’s not right. But me and Robert… we’re complicated, anyone’ll tell ya that. I can’t just pretend he means nothin’ to me when — when he’s everythin’. And I’m sorry that I’ve had to hurt ya to realise it, but I really do love him, John. He’s it for me.”

Robert is smiling like a bashful teenager, all freckled dimples and twinkling eyes. Aaron has always been someone of so few words, so anytime he says something so openly profound it makes butterflies erupt in Robert’s stomach and his heart skip several beats. 

Which isn’t great for his whole cracked ribs situation, but it’s more than worth it. 

“Kiss, kiss, kiss,” chants Mack. 

“I just,” John pauses, torn between anger and what seems like genuine bafflement, “I don’t see what’s so special about him. He’s a thief and a liar and an actual murderer, let’s not forget.”

“John,” Victoria murmurs, begging him with her eyes not to go there. Robert knows she still feels guilty for him going to prison over it, but Robert would whack the bastard again given half the chance, he’d just do a better job of covering his tracks. 

“I think maybe I should go,” Robert says quietly. He looks at his little sister, sees her distress at the thought. “I’m gonna pack, give you some space.” 

He doesn’t mention the obvious possibility that John might need somewhere to crash tonight after his marriage had been blown apart. Seems a bit too soon. Let it not be said that Robert Sugden has no tact. 

He turns to Nicola, who’s kept her opinions surprisingly quiet during all this. “Can I stay at the B&B?”

She nods, softening at him the way she always does. Big, bad Nicola King has a soft spot for him and it’s only taken them one virgin shag, several business deals and a six year stint on the Isle of Wight to earn it. “Yeah, ‘course.”

“Cheers.”

He goes to leave, surprised when he hears footsteps following him. Is somehow more and less surprised to see that it’s Aaron. He’d figured maybe John wanted to take it outside, make a real go of it, rolling around in the grass and trading blows, like in the good old days of Robert and Andy. 

And, oh. Is this somewhat lacklustre brotherly feud making Robert actually miss Andy? Well, this is a terrible turn of events. Possibly the worst part of his night, if truth be told. He’s gonna have to go and track the bloody idiot down now, isn’t he? Just to get the sort of hostile Sugden back-and-forth that he deserves, even if they’d parted on decent terms. 

“If you follow him, Aaron, we’re done.” John’s issued an ultimatum. 

Robert offers Aaron a sad smile. “Whatever you do, I’ll be alright.” He might die if Aaron doesn’t pick him, actually. “Because, well, you know.”

Robert turns around and leaves. He can breathe a little easier now in the fresh air, away from the prying eyes and the gossip that’s surely gonna spread like wildfire overnight in this postage stamp village. 

He leans against the wall outside the pub, stares at the table he and Aaron had sat on after their first wedding, drunk and elated, but overwhelmed with the fear of what the next day would bring. 

He’s so consumed by his thoughts that he doesn’t even hear Aaron leave the pub, but he senses his presence beside him.

“Why do all of our affairs get exposed here?” Robert wonders. It’s nowhere near the most pressing thing they should be discussing right now, but it’s all he’s got. 

Aaron snorts. “Maybe ‘cause we never learn.”

“D’you think you’ll regret it?” Robert asks quietly. “Choosing me, I mean.”

Aaron reaches out to lace their fingers together, squeezing gently. “Nah, ‘course not. It was always gonna be me and you in the end, weren’t it? And everyone’ll get over it eventually — even mum when she realises she’ll have another excuse to buy a dress for a wedding.” 

“Are you proposing to me, Aaron Dingle?” 

“If you’re lucky.”

Robert knows he’s lucky. He’s the luckiest man in the world — he’s got the man of his dreams back and he happens to know an excellent divorce lawyer to help him make it official. 

[robronweek]

Hey everyone,

We're thinking of doing something similar to this past week around Christmas. Though we're not quite sure yet what exactly. Maybe another week, maybe a month long challenge thing like flufftober (where you have a prompt a day for a whole month), or maybe something like an advent calendar that you could sign up for (and get assigned a specific day to post your thing).

We know it's still a long way away but we're just kind of thinking out loud right now.

If you have any other ideas, feel free to send an ask or put them in a reblog!

[robronweek]

Robron Week 2025

Day 2 - Music 

Love by Nathan Wagner

@robronweek

[robronweek]

Hey everyone!

We just want to say a huge thank you to everyone that joined the madness in some way this week.

The authors, the artists, the rebloggers, the likers and the lurkers - you're all amazing!

But don't worry if you're still working on something, the AO3 collection will stay open and late entries are more than welcome. That goes for tumblr too, if you tag this blog or tag your post robron week 2025, we'll still reblog it, even if it's in October.

If we've somehow missed your post this past week, feel free to drop us a link or just @ this blog so we can reblog it.

Much love to you all

and maybe start clearing your schedules for Christmas 👀

[robronweek]

robron week 2025 ∙ day 7: free choice [emmerdale. robert/aaron. (very) explicit. ~1.4k.]

“Can I—?” Aaron asks, unable to finish the sentence, grazing his teeth over Robert’s ear, hand’s tugging him closer by the arse. “Yeah,” Robert tells him, doesn’t need specifics, will give Aaron everything. “Anythin'.”

@ AO3

a/n: apparently i decided to write filthy, kinky, get-back-together sex for this one. who'd have thought? anyway, thanks to the robron week 2025 mods and everyone who created such great things, it's been a blast!

[robronweek]

You got your demons, spent seasons on the dark side of the moon Don't try denying 'cause you know that I've been there too Right now, I know how it feels like the world's gonna end But I'll get you through if it's the last thing I do

robron week 2025 day seven - free choice

[robronweek]

We're glad you enjoyed it! It really has been great to see the fandom truly come alive again with all of the new robron content!

And maybe we've even converted a few new fans 😉

Thank you @robronweek for hosting robron week!! It’s been so nice to see everyone’s beautiful talent and it’s the fics the art the gifs the edits this fandom is truly amazing!!!

[robronweek]

Title: Living in the here and now Word count: 1,734 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Pairing: Aaron Dingle / Robert Sugden Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Summary: Robert finally has a good night's sleep, for the first time in maybe 6 years. Without nightmares, panic attacks, or insomnia. Maybe the fact that he's with Aaron and they agreed to put their rings back on also had something to do with it, or he just had the greatest shag of his life the night before. Whatever the reason, this is a chance for a brighter future.

Ever since they grew closer in the past couple of months, Aaron had a habit of checking in on Robert in the middle of the night. He would wake up and see if Robert was alright, if he needed anything. This was the first night when he didn't find Robert awake. He was peacefully asleep.

[robronweek]

Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through.

Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you.

Love, you're not alone, cause I'm gonna stand by you.

RobronWeek2025: Day 7: free choice - I just wanna be myself now

[robronweek]

robron week 2025 ∙ day 6: engagements & weddings [emmerdale. robert/aaron. ~1.7k.]

“Nah,” Aaron says, pressing his thigh closer to Robert’s. “We’re not gettin’ married this time.” Chas blinks. “Figured we’d live in sin,” Robert tells her. “Save on the legal fees.” “You’re kiddin’?” Charity says, genuinely surprised. Robert’s not sure why. They’ve never been lucky; he’s not sure how number three would suddenly be the charm.

@ AO3

a/n: (belated) nonsense set in the near-ish future.

[robronweek]

Robron Week 2025 - Day 7 - Free Choice

Have some more Affair 2.0 because it’s what we all want. Haha

@robronweek

[robronweek]

Robron Week 2025: Day 7 @robronweek

Title: consequences of living in between Word count: 2.5k Rating: General Pairing: Aaron Dingle / Robert Sugden Warnings: Robert-centric, sad Robert, canon-compliant homophobia Summary: Being back in the village is a weight Robert's still getting used to bearing. Sometimes it's too much and when Vic stumbles upon him drunk in her kitchen, a secret spills out of his that he has kept since he was 15.

Emmerdale doesn’t look all that different, six years on. The Woolpack is different but it’s still Chas pulling pints and Marlon making the food. Main Street has the same shop and café, though the people behind the till have changed. Time has been good to the village; it has been less kind to Robert. 

Being back feels different this time. Ten years earlier he returned triumphant, having set out to do what he wanted. He came back with a life he could throw in everyone’s face, a life that felt better than what anyone had. Now, he returns a man bent and broken beyond comparison, a man whose life has been upended enough that he doesn’t know which way is up. He’s different and it casts the village in a new light. 

ao3

[robronweek]

Robron week 2025 - Day 7: Free choice          10 years of history

[robronweek]

Robron week day 7: free choice @robronweek

“Can we stay like this forever?”

[robronweek]

cracks around the edges and my word i'll do my best

Robert had never owned a home of his own. It seemed silly, really, given what a good investment a house was, and it was even sillier when he thought about it more, because his lack of home ownership had meant that Robert’s various string of so-called homes had been easily ripped from him when life went wrong, and his life inevitably always went wrong. 

Robert decides to keep Annie's Field, and build himself a home of his own, and somewhere along the way, he makes some friends, develops a love for restoring grotty old furniture (Vic's words - not his) and finds his way back to Aaron.

ao3 link

written for day seven of @robronweek - free choice. this is deeply self indulgent of me but yes robert is being therapised through building himself a house.

[robronweek]

I said I wanted messed up, didn't I?

robron week day seven : free choice - robron + deleted scenes

[robronweek]

Title: that should be me // word count: 1227

Rating: G - General Audiences

Pairing: Robert Sugden/Mackenzie Boyd (Minor), Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden

Warnings: No Warnings Apply

Summary: Charity "mishears" something that has Aaron questioning everything.

Admittedly, it seemed like a smart idea at the time. John was locked up and things were finally starting to feel normal again. So, it made sense to want to keep things the way they were. They’d just been through too much that at this point, it seemed like keeping apart was the only way to go. There were tears, because of course there were, but in the end, Robert had known it made sense. So, he’d agreed to the terms that Aaron had set forth and they’d hugged each other tightly before both going their separate ways. 

Never has Aaron regretted a decision more.

It’d only taken a few weeks for Robert to start hanging around Mack more often than he had before. Aaron really hadn’t thought much on it until he’d heard that Charity and Mack had split and that they’d both surprisingly given each other their blessing to start seeing other people. It only took a week after that reveal for Charity and Vanessa to start their whole mess up again so when he heard that Mack was going on a date, he didn’t give it much thought. Until he saw who it was with.

Robert. Robert and Mack. The pair of them…together. It made his brain hurt just thinking about it. Hell, he hadn’t even realized that Mack was interested in blokes.

He’d watched them from afar during that first date, analyzing every single move that either of them made until his mum had asked him to cover the bar for her while she ran out on a quick errand. By the time he’d turned back around, they were hand in hand and Robert was leading Mack out the front doors. Aaron mumbled a quick apology to whoever it was that he’d just served and then hurried to follow them outside. 

He made it just in time to see Mack shoving Robert against a brick wall and sticking his tongue down his throat.

Aaron made it a point to leave them to their own business after that.

At least, that’d been the plan that he’d had in mind. But everywhere he looked, there they were with their hands locked together and laughing at jokes that only they understood. It made Aaron feel queasy until he’d turn away and continue on half-hearted at whatever he’d been doing before hand.

By the time Spring rolls around, Aaron has done his best to push all thoughts of the pair of them to the back of his mind. It’d been nearly six months since they’d started up their little relationship and in all honesty, Aaron had grown to be okay with it. Or at least, he thought he had. That is until Charity spoke up.

It takes longer than Aaron would care to admit for him to come back to reality after that bombshell had just been dropped on them. Admittedly, no one else seems to be having the same problem but still, it takes him longer than most. 

Because…what?

“I’m sorry, can you just repeat that one more time for me?” Aaron asks, laughing awkwardly to try and hide the fact that deep down he is losing his mind. “I worry I might’ve misheard you there for a second.”

Charity smiles cheesily at him, her hand clasped tightly in Vanessa's. “Robert and Mack are getting married! I heard them talking about it back at the cottage. Sometime soon too, if I heard them correctly.”

“They what?” Aaron asks again because he can’t quite believe it. 

“Oh!” Vanessa squeals in excitement. “We get to throw another stag! How exciting!”

Her and Charity’s excitement falls flat when gripping tight to the counter top is all Aaron can do to not pass out. This can’t be happening. This can’t--he let Robert go, sure, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready for someone else to swoop in and grab him. Especially not when that someone is supposedly his best mate. No. He’s gotta put a stop to this. He can’t let this happen.

He doesn’t bother with excusing himself as he scurries from the Woolpack and out into the sunny street. He barely makes it ten steps when he sees Mack and Robert walking towards the very place he’d just left in a panic. They’re laughing at something that Aaron really doesn’t care to know about because they shouldn’t be having inside jokes. That should be him and Robert. Only them.

“Robert!”

They both slow to a stop as Aaron hurries towards them, his heart pounding in his chest and his blood rushing in his ears.

“You alright?” Mack asks with a chuckle. “Looking a bit green there mate.”

Aaron points an accusing finger in Mack’s face and the man has the balls to look confused. “Don’t you ‘mate’ me you cow.”

“Oi, Aaron.” Robert puts his hands up and steps between the two of them which really just adds fuel to the fire. “What are you on about?”

Aaron takes a step back and wipes a hand down his face. “You can’t marry him, Robert. You can’t. This is wrong, alright? It’s all wrong.”

It’s Mack who takes a step forward, a hand on Robert’s arm to pull him back just a touch, and looks at Aaron like he’s gone mental. Which in all regards, he probably will if he doesn’t put a stop to this right now.

“Aaron, what the devil are you on about?” Mack and Robert exchange a look. “We’re not--”

“Yes, you are!” Aaron shouts and the two men take a slight step back. “Charity overheard ya and everyone is so flippin’ excited but this is wrong, alright? You can’t marry him, Robert. You’re not supposed to be with him, you’re supposed to--you’re--you’re supposed to be with me, yeah? With me.”

“What? Aaron, you said we’d be better apart. You said that. You’re the one who put all the rules in place, remember?”

“I know. I know I did. But I just…”

Robert shakes his head. “Aaron, I can’t do this again. I told ya how I felt and that I would follow your lead on whatever this is. That’s all I’m doing.”

“With Mack?” Aaron doesn’t mean it to come out as disdainful as it does but he can’t help it. “Ya can’t, please. Please, Robert. I know what I said before but I was wrong. I love ya, Robert. I always have and I always will and I’m sorry that I pushed ya away. I was just…so scared of what would happen if we did this again. I can’t lose ya. Not again. Please…please, Robert.”

He only realizes he’s crying when Robert reaches forward and wipes the tears from his cheeks, a smile playing at his lips and unshed tears shining in his eyes.

“You never lost me, Aaron,” Robert assures him. “I’ve been here the whole time just waitin’ for you to find your way back to me. I love you so much.”

He leans forward to kiss Aaron but one look out of the corner of his eye and Aaron is putting his hands up to make sure Robert keeps his distance.

“Rob, what about Mack?” he whispers and both Robert and Mack start to laugh. “What? What is it?”

Mack slaps a hand down on Aaron’s shoulder with a wide grin. “Mate, we split up almost four months ago.”

“Ya what?”