ℰ𝓇𝒾𝓃 @bjornsmuse - Tumblr Blog

Nov 21, 2025

ℒove and other space junk. 𝐈

⠀太⠀𝖘ummary⠀ 💬🌸⠀⠀ ׅ You’re the newest hero at SDN, The Singularity, and you're absolutely not losing your mind over Robert Robertson, your coworker & sort of boss. You keep insisting he’s not messing with your head. He might be. But you’re definitely not thinking about it. | PART 𝐈𝐈 ❤︎⠀ 𝖙ags 𓈒⠀ ⠀꣹ ⠀Robert Robertson (MechaMan) x f!reader, afab reader, mutual pining, slow burn, workplace shenanigans, hero x hero, secret relationship (kind of), accidental domesticity, flirting, some fluff, Robert calls reader Star Girl, hurt/comfort lite, canon divergence

𝑛𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ノ ⬞ ׄ 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒 ♰ guys... I've found a new obsession huhuhu (ಥ﹏ಥ) this fic is 7K words so umm oops?? THIS IS PART ONE BUT PART TWO WILL BE UP TOMORROW (thats the smut part) but guysss im sososooo in love with Robert, literally having dreams of this man since dispatch came out i am NOT joking. So enjoy this starter fic since i will br writing A LOT more. OH ALSO if u want to know more about the Singularity lmk, ill post the character sheet down bellow, but i left out most details since i want u guys to imagine yourselves with whichever powers you want (besides those mentioned) okay buh byeeee ♡

The building looks like it’s tired of life.

SDN after hours is never fully asleep. Monitors cycle through mission feeds, dispatch lines blink yellow, and the smell of burnt coffee keeps in the vents.

You’re sitting at your station, finishing a post mission report. Your gloves are off. The faint static glow around your hands doesn’t fade no matter how long you scrub. You keep them under the desk just in case someone walks by. You stil haven't gotten used to people seeing your powers.

Robert leans against the edge of the console near you, half in shadow, one hand holding a dented mug that says World’s Okayest Hero.

"Long night?" he asks.

You huff, eyes still on the screen. "Wasn’t supposed to be."

"Never is."

The cursor blinks. You’re trying to remember the right phrasing for "anomaly neutralized" when he leans closer to check your file. The scent of solder and machine oil trails in with him and under it all you can sense a very cheap cologne. He smells... Lived in. In a nice way.

"You handled that hit pretty clean." he says. "Dispatch said The Singularity didn’t destabilize."

You stiffen a little at the name. "It almost did."

He studies you for a moment. "Almost counts as a win in this line of work."

You nod, a small smile forming at your mouth. "Guess so."

He pushes off the console. The chair creaks as he straightens. "You need a ride home?"

You glance up, meeting his eyes for the first time all night. He’s tired. Why's he still here again?

"I can manage. But thanks." You tilt your head whilst smiling.

Robert nods once, starts for the door, then pauses halfway. He turns back, his mouth twitching.

"Next time, don’t wait for the screams of people in need. If you feel it coming, just go. We’ll catch up."

You don’t know how to answer that, but he doesn’t wait for one either way. The door slides shut behind him, and you’re left with the sound of the monitors cooling and your pulse running faster than it should after a routine night.

You walk home through the city thats half asleep. Neon reflections slide across puddles, a bus exhales at the corner, and somewhere a street vendor still argues with his fryer. You like this hour. It’s the only time you can pass as anyone else. It's kind of hard nowadays to do that.

The air smells like metal and rain.

Almost three months ago today it's when you became a hero, letting everyone see you. Your truest form, maybe. But you still miss the old you, even though you were afraid.

You remember the screams, the chaos in the street. How the asphalt folded under your feet when you lost control. The light, the pull, the fear that you were about to swallow everything.

You didn't know how you even saved anyone, but you did. That's how Robert found you.

You haven’t really been alone since, and all though you never do team missions, Robert is a good enough... Friend.

He’s kind, not in a show off way, he just notices things. Grabs your favorite drink without asking, flicks the same switch on his console everyday because he remembered you hate that buzzing noise it makes, waits for you when he doesn’t have to.

And he’s funny also, which makes it worse. Annoyingly charming. Infuriatingly charming.

And that stupidly cute scar he has on his ear. Every time he turns his head you catch yourself staring at it like some lovesick idiot.

He’s basically your boss, your supervisor.

Your whole chain of command wrapped in blue shirts and sarcastic humor. You’re fine, pretend this is fine. So fine.

You don't know when this feeling started to show up. A black hole swallowing everything around it, yet it still wouldn't beat how your chest hurt whenever he was near.

Maybe it was a month ago, when he got you your favorite doughnuts without a reason. Maybe last week when you saw him feed a stray dog outside SDN. Or maybe the first time you noticed his freckles, that was your second day as a 'hero'.

Try and snap out of it. Hero business is who you are now, and that business does not involve a forsaken heart that acts crazy for another person.

More days pass, the feeling never subsiding.

Morning hits too soon. The sun comes through the blinds in pieces, cutting stripes across the wooden floor. You’re still half asleep when a loud knock rattles the door.

You quickly get out of the sleeping haze and rush to open the door.

Robert, holding two coffees.

He looks out of place in the hallway of your apartment, too proper for the peeling doorframes, yet there are oil stains on his jacket. He raises one cup like a peace offering.

You suddenly remember you're wearing only a dirty grey shirt and your polka dotted underwear.

"Morning, star girl."

"You don’t do mornings."

He smirks then shrugs. "I do when I need backup."

You take the cup, unsure if you’re supposed to drink it or question him first. "What's going on? And why are you at my house?"

"What, can't I come visit my favorite coworker?" He tuts and then rolls his eyes. "And there's a special mission."

You stare at his long fingers around the paper cup then back at his eyes. "That sounds totally fake."

"Team exercise." he says, brushing past you into the kitchen like he’s been there before a thousand times. "Dispatch wants to see if you can play nice."

You follow him, still trying to wake up. "Play nice?"

"You’ve been running solo since you joined." he says, setting his cup on the counter. "Can’t keep doing that. You’re good, but even the good ones get caught out."

You cross your arms. "I work better alone."

He leans on the counter, watching you over the rim of his cup. "That’s what everyone says before they burn out." He stares you up and down a for a bit and

you look away. The light catches in the faint shimmer of your skin, the leftover trace of last night’s charge.

"This isn’t my idea of a morning chat..." you mumble.

Robert grins. "Didn’t think it would be. But come on! It’s a light op. Half day tops. You’ll get field credit and maybe learn not to hate everyone."

You want to say no. You almost do. But he’s standing there with his wide eyes and that stupid smile that always gets under your skin.

You sigh, throwing your head back. "You’re impossible."

He shrugs. "Yeah... But I’m buying lunch." Robert winks at you.

You shake your head then turn on your heels to hide the growing blush of your face. "Don't burn down my home while I'm getting ready."

"Copy that, chief."

You come back out twenty minutes later, hair still damp, jacket half zipped up, a perfectly ironed lavander shirt beneath it. Robert’s exactly where you left him, sitting on your counter, eating one of your granola bars.

You squint at him. "You really don’t know boundaries, do you?"

He smiles into a bite. "Boundaries are for people who don’t bring breakfast."

"That was my breakfast."

"Then I guess we’re sharing."

"Justㅡ Let's go." You roll your eyes and grab your bag. He hops down, brushing crumbs from his jacket.

"Let's go, yeah."

You’re half an hour late.

The elevator doors slide open to the SDN hangar, and the air smells like ozone and burnt circuitry.

Gear lines the benches in neat, military rows, except for Chase, who’s perched on a crate eating something out of a foil pouch.

"Morning, sunshine." he calls as you step out. "Robert said you’d oversleep."

"I didn’t oversleep." You brush past him. "I just didn’t expect a field trip before nine."

Robert’s already by the transport, running diagnostics on a drone, sleeves rolled to his elbows. The sound of servo motors fills the air, underscored by the scratch of his stylus on a datapad. He looks up at you.

"I see you already met Chase. That’s Jun, our medic. Silva’s on comms."

Jun nods politely from across the bay, already loading med foam cartridges into her kit. Chase grins. "This is the famous Singularity. Robert won't shut up about you ever since you joined."

You shoot Robert a look, then smile. "Really."

Robert doesn’t blink. "Okay, heㅡ He’s exaggerating."

Chase laughs. "Am I though?"

You’re not sure whether to laugh or implode. You choose the first one. "Okay, someone please tell me what we’re actually doing before this turns into a gossip column."

Robert tosses a drive core into the drone, the metal clink echoing. "Recon on the east docks. Couple of shipments came in from off world flagged as clean, but the radiation signature’s off. We sweep, tag, and leave. The other are already tracking down the delivery people on this."

"Copy." You pull on your gloves.

Chase leans over from where he was. "So... You and boss man. That a thing or what?"

You glare at him. "No?"

"Sure looks like a thing."

Robert doesn’t even look up from his monitor.

"Chase, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m ejecting you mid air when we're leaving."

Chase grins wider. "See? That’s couple shit."

You groan and pinch the bridge of your nose. "Can’t believe I agreed to this."

Robert glances at you once over the edge of the monitor. The corner of his mouth twitches. "Too late to back out now, star girl."

Black holes are extremely dense pockets of matter, objects of such incredible mass and miniscule volume that they drastically warp the fabric time.

The SDN cafeteria is lit with half dead fluorescent lights. You’re the only people still here besides the janitor drone cleaning in the corner and of course Robert.

Robert is sitting two tables over, sleeves rolled up, working through some kind of report on a tablet. His tray is empty except for a cup of coffee that’s probably been sitting cold for an hour.

You watch him type for a minute before finally getting up.

"You know..." you say, setting your own tray down across from him. "Normal people go home after their shift ends."

Robert doesn’t look up. "Normal people don’t spend half their shift rewriting other people’s reports."

You tilt your head. "You talking about mine?"

He lifts an eyebrow, finally meeting your eyes. "Maybe."

You stab a fork into the mashed potatoes that totally don't taste like wet chips. "You’re obsessed with my grammar."

"Your grammar’s fine." He smirks. "It’s the part where you nearly got yourself fried that bothers me."

You roll your eyes. "I didn’t get fried, Robert."

"You came close enough for me to stull smell ozone on your jacket."

"That’s just my perfume." You shrug.

He huffs out a short laugh. You like that sound more than you should, perhaps. A few seconds pass in silence, the sound of the vending machine filling the room.

"You ever gonna take a day off?" he asks.

You blink. "That’s funny, coming from you."

He looks up again with something softer behind his tired eyes. "I’m serious, star girl. You keep pushing like this, you’ll burn out."

"Iㅡ Like working."

"I know. But liking it doesn’t mean it likes you back."

You rest your chin in your hand, studying him. The way the harsh cafeteria light cuts across the line of his jaw, the faint circles under his eyes. He’s tired too, he just hides it better.

"You always this charming when you give unsolicited advice?" you ask.

"Only to people I actually give a shit about."

That pulls the air out of the room for a moment. You open your mouth, but nothing comes out. Robert glances away first, thumb flicking idly over his tablet. "Don’t look so shocked. You’re good at what you do. Be a shame to see you crash out early."

You manage a crooked smile. "That was almost nice."

He looks back at you, grin returning. "Yeah. Don’t tell anyone, I’ve got a reputation to maintain."

You push your tray aside, stand and stretch. "Well, thanks for the pep talk, coach. Try not to die here tonight."

He leans back in his chair, watching you start for the door. "No promises."

You pause at the exit and glance back. His eyes are still on you.

"Goodnight, Robert."

"Goodnight, star girl."

My lips taste like clouds, my lips taste just like you.

Rain’s been threatening all day. You’d planned to go home straight after shift, but the city’s sky has that look blue gray that keeps you walking just to see how far it’ll follow.

You stop under the awning of a corner bar, watching a streak of lightning crawl through the clouds. It’s all quiet now.

"Didn’t take you for the bar type."

You turn, already smiling before you even see Robert. Jacket half zipped, hair still damp from the rain.

"You following me now?" you ask.

He shrugs. "Coincidence. Maybe fate. Depends on how generous you’re feeling tonight."

You roll your eyes but open the door anyway. The bar smells like old wood and bourbon and neon flickers against bottles lined up like trophies. You pick a booth in the back, and he slides in across from you.

"Didn’t think you drank." he says as you order something.

"I don’t, really. But it’s been a week."

"Hah." He chuckles. "Yeah. Tell me about it."

The drinks come. You both sit there for a while, listening to the rain start up outside, the sound of it against the windows soft and constant.

"Doesn’t feel real sometimes." you say after a while.

"What doesn’t?"

"All of it. The missions, the noise. The way people look at us like we’re untouchable. I used to dream about being like that. Now I dream about... nothing."

"You ever think maybe you’re just tired?"

"Maybe." You look at him. "You ever think you are?"

He huffs out a laugh. "Constantly."

You look down at your lap, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

"You knowㅡ" he starts. "I thought you were one of those stuck up heroes who thought they were too good for people. And that’s why you didn’t use your powers to help others."

"Wow. Compliment of the year."

"Didn’t say it was an insult." He meets your eyes. "Turns out I was wrong. I mean, I'm glad I was."

You swirl what’s left of your drink, feeling a small smile tug at your mouth. "You’re allowed to be wrong sometimes."

"Trying not to make a habit of it." he says, but his grin gives him away.

Outside, thunder rolls somewhere far off. You can see his reflection in the glass. He turns toward you again. "You walking home or do I get to play bodyguard tonight?"

You try to hide a giggle bubbling in your chest. "You just want an excuse to walk me home."

He tilts his head. "Yeah. Maybe I do."

You don’t say anything, but when you stand you wait for him to follow and he does close behind.

When black holes pull in other bodies, space junk, small planets, products of evolution, it's called feeding. (on love)

It's your first day off ever since you joined SDN. Who knew six months of nonstop working could actually negatively impact you.

You’re at home, curled up on the couch with a book that’s been gathering dust for weeks. The kettle whistles faintly in the kitchen. It seems it's one of those very rare evenings where the city doesn’t demand anything from you.

You suddenly hear a knock at the door, but thinking you'd misheard, you turn back to reading. The sound stays persistent.

You frown. Visitors aren’t common.

"Who is it?" you call out as you rush towards the door, the cold flooring hitting your bare feet, making you shiver

"Open up, star girl." Comes a familiar voice.

Your stomach flips. You drop the book and hurry faster to the door. Robert is here, standing in the hall with a backpack slung over one shoulder and that look on his face that makes your knees feel like jelly.

"Iㅡuh- wasn’t expecting anyone..." you say.

He tilts his head. "Yeah. I know. That’s kind of the point?"

You cross your arms. "You didn’t call. You didn’t say anything."

"That would’ve ruined the surprise."

You bite your lip, trying to pretend you’re annoyed. "Right. Because surprises always go so well for me."

He chuckles, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. "Trust me. This one’s good. You’re gonna like it."

You follow him into the living room. "And this, exactly, is what?"

"You’ll see." He drops his bag by the door and leans back against the counter. "Come on, don’t make me drag you kicking and screaming."

You groan but can’t hide the annoying smile tugging at your lips. "Fine... Fine! I'll go get changed then you can lead the way, oh mysterious one."

"Gladly."

You quickly throw on something nice and spray some perfume on your neck. Robert always compliments you when you wear this exact scent.

But you totally don't care so whatever. You spray extra on just to be sure.

You don’t ask questions as he pulls you out the door and down the street. The city is just starting to glow with evening lights. The rain earlier has left the pavement slick, reflecting neon signs and street lamps in little fractured prisms.

"Where are we going?" you ask, a little breathless from trying to keep up.

"Somewhere." he says, tugging your hand gently. "Just trust me?"

You glance at him suspicious, excited. "You’re lucky I’m in a forgiving mood today."

He grins. "Lucky for both of us."

The air smells faintly of fried street food and wet asphalt. "So..." you say, nudging him lightly. "If this is a trap, I swear—"

He laughs low and unbothered. "No traps tonight. Just a little something."

He leads you through a few side streets, hand warm around yours, saying nothing except the occasional "watch your step" when the pavement dips. Finally he stops in front of a metal door beside a dumpster. You stare at it. "So you took me all this way to show me... a fire exit?"

He gives you the flattest look imaginable. "Can you shut up for one second and be patient?"

"Wow, you have such a way with words."

"Yeah, well." He swipes a keycard and pushes the door open. "Just come on."

You follow him up the narrow metal stairs, the whole structure clattering under your feet. He keeps your hand in his the whole climb, tugging you up like he's afraid you'll bail out on him.

At the top, he pushes open another door.

The rooftop stretches out in front of you with mismatched blankets spread across the concrete, a tangle of string lights hung between vents and pipes, and takeout bags from different places. There's even a dented lantern and a thermos.

It's messy. It's crooked. It's perfect.

"What is this?" you whisper.

He shoves his hands into his jacket pockets, not looking at you. "It's nothing. I thought maybe you'd like it."

You walk onto the blankets, smiling despite yourself. "It's cute. Really cute. But what is this, Robert?"

He groans under his breath like he's regretting every second of this. "Okay. Fine. Listen." He paces once, stops then forces himself to look at you. "I didn't do this for just anyone, alright?"

You blink.

"I know it looks like some cheap rooftop picnic. Half the lights don't even work and the dumpling guy gave me the wrong sauce, but Iㅡ" He grimaces, jaw tight. "You make me do weird shit."

Your heart jumps. "Weird shit?"

"Yeah." He gestures at the blankets helplessly. "Like this. Planning stuff. Thinking about what you'd like. Trying to make something nice. Weird shit. I don't do that. But for you?" He shakes his head. "I wanted to try."

You step closer. "Robert."

"No, seriously, don't look at me like that, I was trying to be—" He stops, squeezes his eyes shut, then blurts it out like he's ripping off armor. "I like you. Alright?" He stares at the ground. "There. Happy? That's it. I really fucking like you."

Your heart kicks and you step closer. This all seems so unreal. "Iㅡ Like you too."

He looks up fast like even he can't believe what you've just said. You tilt your head. "This is usually the part where you kiss me?"

He freezes, like you short circuited him "You're unbelievable." Then he pulls you in by the waist, kissing you. He's been holding back for months so the kiss was firm, a little rough around the edges, but so real.

When he breaks away, he rests his forehead against yours. "Happy now?"

You whisper, smiling, "Yeah. Actually."

He huffs, the sound warm against your mouth, and you feel his hands settle at your hips like he’s afraid you’ll vanish if he loosens his grip even for a little.

"Good." he mutters. "Driving me insane for months. least you can do is be happy about it."

You laugh under your breath, leaning into him. "Me, driving you insane?"

"Don’t start." He nudges his nose against yours. "You have no idea."

You bite back a smile. "Maybe I do."

He pulls back just enough to look at you. His eyes flick over your face like he’s cataloguing every fibre of it. "Come on." he says softly. "Before the food gets even colder."

He leads you over to the blankets, but instead of sitting opposite of you he drops down right beside you, shoulder brushing yours, thighs warm against yours.

"Personal space?"

"Never heard of it."

You snort, but you don’t move. You don’t want to.

He opens a takeout box and hands you a pair of chopsticks. "Figured we’d eat. Talk. Maybe kiss again if you're feeling generous."

You nudge him with your knee. "You’re shameless."

"You've seen me at work." He smirks, leaning closer. "This is the tame version."

You shake your head, but the heat rising in your chest makes it impossible to pretend you're unaffected.

He watches you take your first bite like it’s the highlight of his week.

"Good?" he asks.

"Yeah." you say. "Really good."

"Good." he repeats.

You eat in silence for a bit. It doesn’t really feel like you need to say anything, especially when Robert keeps staring at you when he thinks you're not looking.

"So..." He begins. "Were you really clueless?"

You swallow some noodles before looking up at him with a frown. "About what?"

" 'Bout thisㅡ Me liking you, whatever." He sips from his soda. You only shrug and take the paper cup from his hand to also drink. "Yeah, I guess. I thought you were this friendly with everyone. You're a flirt."

"Fuck no."

"Fuck yes!" You roll you eyes and poke his chest. "Some days I really thought you were trying to make me jealous."

"Did it work?" His voice drops.

"Okayㅡ Fuck you!"

"Relax." he says, nudging your knee with his. "I’m not judging you."

"You literally are."

"Not for that." he corrects, pointing his chopsticks at you. "Just for thinking I’d waste my time flirting with anyone else."

You narrow your eyes. "So you’re selective."

"Very." he says, popping another piece of food into his mouth. "Painfully, annoyingly selective."

You shake your head and look away, but your smile gives you away. He notices, of course, and shifts a little closer. He taps his knuckles lightly against yours. "Hey."

You glance at him.

"I wasn’t trying to play games with you." he says quietly. "I justㅡ Didn’t know how to not be weird about it."

You blink. "Weird?"

He groans. "Don’t— Don’t make it sound like a crime."

"It kinda is."

"Whatever. " he mutters. "Point is, I wasn’t messing around with anyone. And... I meant what I said."

Your chest warms. You fiddle with the corner of the blanket. "I know. I believe you."

He studies you for a moment, this unreadable look crossing his face, then he reaches out and tucks a stray piece of hair behind your ear. Your breath stops and you want to just disappear because you know he can see your violently red cheeks.

"Good." he murmurs. " 'Cause I don’t say shit like that often."

You hold his wrist lightly before he can pull back. "I won’t make fun of you."

He looks suddenly unsure, which is funny considering he kissed you just like he was starving five minutes ago.

"You better not." he mutters.

"I won’t. Promise." you say. "I liked hearing it."

His eyes flick to your mouth. You realize he’s waiting for a sign that you want more, so you lean in first this time, brushing your lips over his, barely and he inhales sharply.

"Seriously?" he whispers. "You’re tryin’ to kill me."

You grin. "No? Just returning the favor."

He huffs out something between a laugh and a curse, fingers sliding to your waist. "Yeah? Well, stop." he mutters, though he’s already pulling you closer. "I’m barely functioning as it is."

You bite back another smile. "I thought you said you were good at holding back."

"Yeah, before you decided to do that." His thumb drags slow along your skin. "Now I’m justㅡ"

"Stupid?" you press, teasing.

He exhales long "Stupid for you."

Your heart jumps so hard it almost hurts. You open your mouth to fire something back, but he moves first.

"Can I?"

You nod before he even finishes.

He kisses you again deeper this time, his hand slipping up your back, warm even through your shirt, steadying you when your fingers curl into the fabric of his.

You barely break apart when he speaks against your lips "You have no idea what you’re doin’ to me."

The he begins kissing you again anyway.

When he finally pulls back, your lips are a little swollen, hair messy, and he’s looking at you with those big eyes like he's trying very hard not to go completely feral.

"You keep kissing me like thatㅡ" he warns. "And we’re not making it through this picnic."

You’re still catching your breath.You don’t say anything mostly because you can’t yet, and partly because the way he’s looking at you. A slow grin spreads across his face.

"I really like seeing you like this."

Your brows pinch. "Like what?"

He huffs out a laugh. "All flustered. Trying real hard to pretend you’re not affected."

You open your mouth to argue, but nothing comes out except a weak, "I’m not—"

"Yeah, you are." He leans in, voice teasing.

Heat rushes up your neck. You look away, but he nudges your cheek with his hand, making you face him again.

"Oh, come on." he says. "I’ve seen you pissed, I’ve seen you annoyed. And I’ve seen you try to act all tough with me." His thumb brushes your jaw. "But you’re not mean. Not really."

You swallow hard.

"You’re just..." he searches your face, something fond warming his expression. "A good girl who thinks she has to pretend she’s not."

Your choke on your breath and he notices instantly. The corner of his mouth lifts. "See? That's the look right there."

He taps your chin lightly.

"That’s the real you. And don’t think I haven’t noticed every time you get like this."

"You’re impossible."

"Yeah... Isn't that why you like me?"

You don't deny it. You can’t.

"LㅡLet's just eat." You huff a little, cheeks still warm, and grab a handful of chips from a paper bag. The two of you sit back on the blankets, munching in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Every now and then, he throws you a glance or a smirk.

You shove a chip in your mouth, trying not to laugh at the way he’s leaning back, arms crossed behind his head, looking way too satisfied with himself.

"Stop staring." you mutter between bites.

"I’m not staring." he says calmly. "I’m just observing. Professional observation."

You snort and roll your eyes. "Sure."

By the time the bag’s empty and the string lights above flicker lazily, you can feel the chill creeping in. Robert folds up the blankets and tosses the empty wrappers into a small crate you hadn’t noticed. He offers you his hand.

"Ready to head back?" he asks.

You nod, brushing your hair out of your face. "Yeah."

The walk back is quieter, the city slicked and glowing from the earlier rain. You keep close to him, shoulders touching as his fingers wrap tightly around your.

Finally you reach home, and you're feeling a little self conscious.

"So... Do you wanna come in?" you ask, heart thudding so loud you bet he can hear it.

He tilts his head, that smirk back in place. "Oh?"

You bite your lip, twisting the strap of your bag nervously. "Yeahㅡ You know. For a drink. Or... something."

He takes a slow step closer, eyes scanning your face "Something? What is something?"

"Oh my gㅡ Then don't come in, okay?" You sigh in annoyance that he makes you spell it out.

He watches you sputter, your irritation blooming hot across your cheeks. His smirk only deepens, but his eyes are darker now and they make it clear he already knows exactly what you meant. He just wants to hear you choke on it.

You turn toward your door, fumbling with your keys.

"Forget it." you mutter. "If you’re gonna be annoying, justㅡ don’t come in."

He follows anyway.

"Annoying?" he repeats, leaning one shoulder against your doorframe. "I’m just askin’ what you meant."

"You know what I meant."

"Do I?" His hand grazes your hip "You’re the one inviting me. Seems fair I know what I’m being invited inside for."

You shoot him a nervous glare, pulse skittering like a mouse. "You’re areㅡ so annoying, Robert."

"And you’re stalling." he coos stepping closer until your back meets the door, then he braces a hand beside your head, caging you there.

"Soㅡ What’d you want me to come in for?"

You swallow hard. "Just— Just come inside."

A pleased smile curves at his mouth. "Mhm. There she is."

He plucks the keys from your trembling fingers, fits them into the lock, pushes the door open while keeping you pinned in his shadow.

"Lead the way, star girl." Your knees go a little stupid but you step inside first, trying to pretend your pulse isn’t hammering at your throat, that you’re not suddenly hyper aware of every inch of your skin.

He follows, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

You don't even get to turn around before he’s already there, hands sliding around your waist, pulling you in like he’s been waiting all night for this exact second.

"You’re really quiet now." he talks against your hair. "Thought you wanted me in here."

"I do." you whisper.

"Yeah?"

His nose skims your jaw, but barely, if not for the way his grip tightens just a little. "Then why’re you shaking like that?"

"I’m not."

It’s dangerous. Is this the same man from the rooftop?

"Liar."

You feel his fingers brush under the hem of your shirt, trailing up your torso. "Relax." he says softly. "I’m not rushing you."

You nod, and that only makes him smile against your skin.

"Look at me."

You try to, but it feels like something has gone wrong in your brain. When he sees it's taking you too long he turns you around himself, pefore placing a soft kiss onto your temple.

His phone pings and you both stars at each other. He groans when he reads the message then looks up at you apologetically. "I'll let you rest now."

Your eyes widen and you're suddenly upset with yourself for not turning around faster. "Did my overly neat and tidy apartment scare you?" You try to joke, despite the knot forming in your throat.

"Nothing could scare me away from you. Maybe if you had, like, five corpses hung from the ceiling."

"So four would be okay."

He snorts and kisses your lips again, before taking your hands in his. "You go rest. No need to rush things, yeah?"

You frown. "Yeahㅡ Okay." Smiling, you pull your hands from his palms before wrapping your arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you for tonight, Robert."

He stiffens for half a second then melts right into your arms, his hands sliding around your waist, holding you tighter than you expected. His nose brushes your cheek as he breathes you in.

"Yeah." he murmurs. " 'Course."

You stay there, pressed against him, the room quiet except for your heart thudding like it’s trying to break out of your body.

When he finally leans back, he keeps his hands on your hips, thumbs brushing slow circles into your shirt, eyes so warm and wide it makes your stomach twist. You wanna vomit.

"So..." he starts, head tilting. "Are we... a thing now? Like, a thing thing?"

"Iㅡ If you want us to be."

He raises a brow, teasing. "That wasn’t the question."

You swat his chest lightly. "Robert—"

He laughs under his breath. "Can I be your boyfriend?" he asks.

"Yesㅡ Yeah, you can."

"Hm." he hums, pleased. "Good. ’Cause I wasn’t planning on letting anyone else get anywhere near you either way."

You laugh, cheeks burning. "Possessive much?"

"Absolutely." he says without hesitation. "Get used to it."

You roll your eyes, but he sees the way you’re glowing. "Go on." he says. "Get some sleep. I’ll text you when I get home."

You nod, even though part of you wants to drag him right back in. "Okay."

He walks toward the door. "Good night, star girl."