I can't sleep, so here's Birds Of A Feather oneshot.
Probably mischaracterising Robin here, but I had to write this scene down before I forget to in the morning.
Will probably rewrite this when I'm not tired.
Finch leaned on the railing on the balcony of a wealthy estate, having just managed to slip away from a masquerade ball that she and the merry men had infiltrated; the noise of the attendees laughing, talking and shouting, the music and other background noises got the better of her.
She hadn't originally planned on wearing a dress; in fact, she much preferred a suit, but Will Scarlet had already come up with a green ballgown and gloves + an ornate emerald mask design that was just too gorgeous to refuse.
'What am I doing with my life...' she thought as she stared at the full moon.
Just as she was about to make one more attempt at socialising, a familiar voice called her name -- one that she and her validation-fueled brain had became obsessed with since the moment she first heard it.
When Finch turned around to look at its owner, she saw Robin, just as she had expected and hoped.
"I don't suppose you're a big fan of parties either." He joked in that playful and friendly tone that he knew would always elicit a chuckle from her.
She shook her head, hating the idea of talking at an unfamiliar building more than the idea of being there in the first place.
Even if she didn't have an aversion to talking, the nerves from being alone with the man who has basically consumed every single thought she's ever had since they met would've made it near impossible to say a word.
As subtle as Finch tried to be about it, Robin wasn't stupid; she could tell by the smirk on his face that he could tell exactly what she was feeling.
"Neither of us are fond of suspense, so I'll just get to the point." He added "I know you're in love with me, and I'd rather you stop trying to hide it. You're really not very good at it, though it has been quite amusing to see you try."
Finch could almost feel her soul leaving her body when she heard those words.
She, a master of disguise, her disguising abilities being the reason why she was even recruited to join the merry men in the first place, couldn't even disguise the fact that she was a massive simp from the one person she didn't want to let know.
How she wished she could just throw herself off of that balcony in that very moment.
The look on Finch's face got a soft laugh out of Robin.
"Don't worry, Finch; I'm not about to someone as useful as you go over something as silly as feelings."
Finch let out a sigh of relief; he didn't confirm or deny whether he feels the same or not, but at least that least she knew that their relationship wouldn't change for the worse.
Robin took a step closer.
"If a relationship is what it takes to keep someone as valuable as you by my side, then It'd be foolish to not give you what you want."
"But do you feel the same?" Finch questioned, using bsl for obvious reasons.
"Of course not." Robin answered casually, taking one more step closer and morphing his smirk into an understanding but still slightly cocky smile "But I'd treat you as if I did, and you of all people should know by now that feelings mean nothing if actions contradict them."
Finch hesitated to reply, which gave Robin another chance to keep explaining the terms of his proposal.
"Though I must warn you - if you stop being useful to me or our goals no longer align, I'll have no choice but to end it as quickly as a started it."
Finch weighed the pros and cons of agreeing to this relationship in her head - something she hadn't yet done because she never thought this day would come.
Cons: Robin didn't actually love her (at least, not in the sense that she had been taught that romantic love was)
Pros: He treats her well and promised to keep doing so, he's funny, honest, he respects her boundaries, and he treats her like she's good enough for him.
Like he said, feelings don't mean anything if actions contradict them, so as long as Robin kept treating her well and didn't hate her, this deal would be a dream come true.
"I... I'd love that."
Finch blurted out before she could stop herself; that was the first full sentence that she had ever said to anyone except her own parents and occasionally Will Scarlet.
Robin's eyes widened an almost imperceptible amount, the cockiness now completely gone and replaced by pleasant surprise.
He extended his hand once close enough for her to be able to reach it.
Finch didn't hesitate to take it, and just like that, they shook on it; not the way that all of those highschool movies she watched as a child told her that her first relationship would start, but she certainly wasn't complaining.
