#robert bob gray

[endlessfl4mes]

not the fish he was expecting..but he’ll take it

[valacre]

As You Touch My Skin

Robert "Bob" Gray x Reader

“Now what is a young lady doing coming out from the woods like that?” Robert asks, small smile coming to his face as he readies himself for the stage. He hadn’t expected for you to show up so suddenly, coming out from between the dark trees of all things, giving him quite the fright as he’d hurried with hiding his drink and snuffing out the cigarette. You’d clearly repressed a chuckle as he set his wig upon his head, and not because of the sight of his balding head, but because he was so clearly flustered by your presence. He wasn’t a shy young man anymore; hopelessly in love and unsure on what to do, but clear infatuation certainly had its ways of making him overthink things, and above all else, he wanted to show himself in the best light possible so you would… so you could…

Just admitting it to himself was embarrassing enough, if not just because he didn’t feel worthy of you, but also because he hadn’t thought someone as lovely as you would seek him out so openly; your face hiding nothing. You stand on the other side of the fence – far too close – and beam up at him; eyes glinting like stars. And all that Robert can hear is the thump-thump-thump of his heart as you place a hand above his own, yours so much smaller and softer.

“Good luck up there,” you say, smile never dwindling. “I know you probably don’t need it, but I wanted to tell you anyway because…” here you pause and seem to think for a bit, your breath stalling in your throat as your cheeks flush red; illuminated by the fire somewhere behind him. You’re leaning closer, eyes never leaving his, and neither of you can take a proper breath for the air turns too hot and Robert’s heart threatens to leap out any second and envelope you within itself.

You are so beautiful, he thinks to himself, thoughts wandering. And perhaps you may have read his mind for suddenly there is determination upon your lovely features, and you reach up to place your hands at the curve between his neck and shoulders, and upon his lips he feels yours for his eyes closes before his mind can follow on what has happened, but all too soon it ends as you step away; his hand just barely able to brush against yours before he can get a proper grip to pull you back in; his lips chasing yours before he opens his eyes again.

You’re smiling; lovestruck but mischievous, a new red tint added to your lips.

“Good luck,” you say again before nearly skipping away; disappearing through the trees even as he sees what direction you’re headed. You’ll be in the crowd for his show, and it will take all his strength to not climb down and pull you away. Perhaps you knew that, perhaps that’s why your eyes were glinting like a fox before you fled, but Robert’s entire body is aflame and there is a new heat building in his belly, and he must hurry back to the wagon to re-apply the red face paint to his lips.

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There were a few things you’d expected from Robert, seeing as there’d been a few chances for you to observe and getting to know him a little. He was confident in his work, dutiful and determined, and ever a charmer in that sweet clown costume of his. He had a sense of humour and were full of sarcastic remarks, his silver tongue ever so sharp. What more, he was a brilliant and doting father to the sweetest little girl you’d met, and although there remained grief in his eyes from the loss of his wife, he still pushed through to be the best his daughter could need.

You admired him; had fallen head over heels for him. Perhaps you rushed a bit, but who didn’t these days. Besides, you were a woman who should have found a husband a long time ago already, and although you saw Robert as the perfect man for marriage, you didn’t seek him out entirely just for that. He was just so sweet; handsome too. Your heart ached to be with him, to find moments where you could learn to know each other better; to touch and smile and kiss and love. You suspected that your feelings were reciprocated but you’d be – with some heavy heartbreak in the beginning – all right if he didn’t want to pursue anything else than an overly friendly friendship.

Friends could kiss each other every now and then… You shook your head, smiling a little as that thought was definitely stupid. Being with him would be lovely, whether he chose to retreat and keep you at and arm’s distance, or close the gap entirely, but as you stood and thought through the different scenarios on what might happen, you came to spot Robert approach the back of his stage; ready to perform for the drunken men and women which were cheering for him to come up. He caught your eyes, and your breath stalled in your throat. His pupils dilated significantly, you could see it even from here, and he gave you a dangerous smile. If anything, he looked like he wanted to pounce and eat you, and that thought alone made heat swell beneath your dress as you hurried to straighten the skirt out; needing to distract yourself before you spiralled out of control. And perhaps there was something to the little peck on the lips you’d given him earlier, because his performance was grander than before; his energy to contagious it made the audience jump and laugh in tandem. Even you, stood further back to avoid the crowd, couldn’t help but clap and cheer as you grinned from ear to ear. Every time his gaze travelled across the crowd, you’d see them land on you, and every time you felt as if you were the sole person there, his show meant for your eyes only.

It was wonderful, it was fun, it was all full of laughter and roars of drunken fools, and Robert – as Pennywise – bowed down low before the curtains fell and hid him from prying eyes. Immediately, he descended to the back where you’d gone to congratulate him on a show well done, but naught but a squeak left your throat as Robert took you by the waist to grace your lips with a heated kiss. Passion and want filled your senses and your eyelids fell as your arms came to anchor themselves around his neck, his free hand coming up to cradle the side of your face; fingers buried in your hair as he breathed heavily through his nose. He leaned closer and pulled you further in, seeming to wish to make your bodies one as you shuddered in his arms. Your faces were likely ruined by white and red face paint at this point, but neither of you cared.

It didn’t matter.

“That was a dangerous stunt you pulled,” he said, voice raspy as he spoke between longing kisses. You whimpered softly against him and he chuckled, pulling back long enough to take a proper breath. “A proper lady shouldn’t have kissed a man like that, especially not whilst standing by the darkness of the woods.”

“To hell with properness,” you say, heavy of breath but unable to keep from smiling as Robert laughs, and you giggle as he takes your hand and pulls you along with him, going to the place you’d run into after giving him that first peck. The woods are dark, and the trees swallow all sounds of the carnival the further in you go. It would swallow every sound made within it as well, you realise with a flushed smile as you come upon a small clearing; silver moonlight casting everything with a glittering hue as the chilly air kisses your cheeks. You’re not able to wonder at the sight for long, for quickly Robert is upon you again, sealing his lips against yours as all becomes a blur of wild hands and desperate yearning. The cold is chased away even as skin lay bare beneath the starlit sky and the canopy of leaves. Your skirts lay bunched up around your hips and your dress is opened enough to reveal your chest, strong hands and long fingers exploring all that they could despite their clear impatience. Above you, Robert’s costume is partly removed, jacket with its pom poms thrown aside to reveal his strong arms, trousers opened just enough to reveal his burning manhood.

This was a game meant for young souls in deep, secret love, and yet neither of you thought it improper anymore for you laughed and smiled and moaned and called each other’s names as souls entwined and separate joy became one. And as fires dwindled down into a gentle flame you lay in each other’s arms, breaths finally calmed but bodies remaining warm and satisfied; embrace tight and secure.

“Come with me,” Robert says, stroking your face and refusing to look away from your eyes. “I have not felt this way for a long, long time, and I would regret it for the rest of my life if I let you go without a fight; so, come with me. Be with me and Ingrid.” And again, he feels foolish and far younger than what he is, but that is the effect you have on him, and perhaps these wishes aren’t so unobtainable as what he’s convinced to believe, because your smile is radiant and you lean up to kiss him again.

“Yes,” you say, tears in your eyes as you cradle his face, in love with the smile that spreads across it. “Yes, I’ll come with you.” And you both laugh and lean your foreheads together, cooling down beneath the moonlight. “Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

“Derry, then,” he said, chuckling as you gave him a confused raise of the brow. “That’s where we’re headed next. A quaint little town: somewhere we can take it slow while Ingrid gets used to the idea of having you with us.” His fingers stroked across your cheek, and his smile refused to die down. “Although, I’m sure she already likes you.”

“I hope so,” you say, taking his hand and kissing his fingers, eyelids closing with content. “I hope so.”

Previous / Next

[spacepolice]

This Is Robert ”Bob” Gray’s Daughter?

Young ”Mrs Kersh” & Robert ”Bob” Gray in it Chapter two

Clowning around runs in Gray Family

[floatinggoldfish]

Second Chance, Chapter 1

Pairing: Bob Gray x f!reader

Word count: 1.5K

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of alcohol, smoking, loss of a loved one to illness.

Notes: Attempting a slow burn, might turn this into a series if it's wanted. Sorry for taking so long, life was kicking me in the bum with school work and the fattest writers block known to mankind. But I'm on ao3 now under FloatingGoldfish4!

Chapter 2

You are the perfect embodiment of wanderlust—always yearning to travel and see what the world has to offer, which is what leads you to join the circus. During your time there, you befriend Bob Gray, but you were too shy to confess your feelings and miss your chance. Life moves on, and the two of you go your separate paths… until they cross again, giving you a second chance.

From the moment you joined the circus, one particular dancing clown had caught your attention—Bob Gray. His tall, slender frame and that piercing gaze made him ethereal, even when he was in his clown costume. The thing that drew you in even more was his soft and kind personality, his looks were just a bonus. The fascination wasn't one sided. The bubbly, easy-to-talk-to nature made it easy for Bob to talk to you about any topic under the sun, and soon a friendship quickly blossomed.

The announcer's thundering voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You wiped the sweat from your palms onto your crimson leotard and checked the red ribbon in your hair one last time before pushing past the velvet curtains with a cheerful smile on your lips. This would be the fourth time you performed on your own, after spending months training behind the scenes.

When your matching crimson ballet flats touched the ground, all you could hear was the audience applauding and hollering. Your chest rose and fell as you fought to steady your breath, arms raised above your head before swooping down to take a bow. After staying in that folded position for a moment, you stood back up and smiled one last time before slipping offstage.

Once you were hidden away from the audience's gaze, you let your shoulders sag as you bent over to catch your breath. "Here," a low, familiar voice murmured next to you. "Ya look like you could use some water." When you looked up, Bob was standing there, holding out a cup of water for you. The edge of your lips lifted as you took the cup from him with both hands and thanked him. And so it went after each performance—water offered then an easy conversation.

Each time the cycle repeated, the deeper you felt yourself falling for him, despite the eight year age gap between the two of you. Tonight, you built up the courage to ask him out, along with the others, to a local pub. "A few of us were thinking about heading to the local pub, want to join?" You asked. Bob glanced up at you before shaking his head, dropping a bomb you had not seen coming, "I've got a date later." You felt your heart drop but refused to let it show on your face, "Oh," you said, forcing a small smile. "That's fine."

From then on, that's how it was. He would mention her every now and then in your conversations which acted as a harsh reminder of the words unsaid.

Life, indifferent as always, kept going. A year later, he wanted to settle down and had proposed; the wedding announcements soon came after. It was not long after when baby Ingrid came along—everything, on the outside, seemed perfect for Bob. After a few years, the unfortunate news of his wife falling ill had emerged. It was clear that it was taking a toll on him; the bags under his eyes were getting more prominent and he no longer seemed as cheerful as he was before. Ingrid had just turned 2 when the worst happened. It was known that his wife had fallen ill and was showing no signs of getting better but her passing still shocked everyone. Her death hit him hard, causing him to turn to alcohol and cigarettes to cope. At first, he only drank and smoked before heading to bed but soon it began to get worse. He had been abusing it so much that it started to effect his performance and people were starting to notice.

It has now been a month or two since Bob had packed up his trailer and left the circus. You were sitting at your makeshift vanity, remember feeling shocked and confused when you woke up one day to see his trailer missing. As you grabbed the red ribbon to tie your hair, the moment he gave you that ribbon replayed. It was during peak summer, you were in his trailer, complaining about how you didn't have anything to keep your hair up and how it kept getting in your way. In response, he offered you a piece of extra fabric he had laying around; the same fabric he used when he was adding details to his clown costume. After cutting the fabric into a strip of ribbon that you could use, you considered it your lucky ribbon and wore it everyday.

At the age of 24, you decide that you want to leave the circus to settle down in hopes of starting a new chapter in your life. You remembered hearing a town named Derry during your time in the circus and for some reason, that town had stuck with you ever since. Because of that, you had found an available apartment to move into and even found employment as a seamstress at the local tailor shop. Life was looking up and soon, your circus days began to fade into a mere memory.

Your new life began settling into a peaceful routine as three years passed. You had just closed the shop for the day and was about to head back home when a flyer caught your attention. It was about a local fair that was happening now. Memories of your circus days began to replay in your head and you couldn't help but want to feel the nostalgic haze again. With your hair tied up in that same ribbon and your coat in your arms due to the warm spring weather, you walk down to the fair grounds where you can hear faint shouting and laughter coming from the kids. Soon after hearing the giggles, the smell of peanuts and popcorn hit you next and a wave of nostalgia washed over you. It felt like you were back in the circus all over again.

You paid for a ticket and even bought yourself a small sack of popcorn to enjoy as you walked around. Oh how you missed the way the bag would crinkle, the announcers yelling to grab your attention, and most of all, the sound of pure happiness. As you walked around the grassy area, you overhear an announcement that the clown show would soon be starting. You walk towards the sound but then your brows furrow in confusion. Were you hallucinating or was that trailer beginning to look more and more familiar?

It wasn't until the curtains were drawn when you finally remembered. It was Bob's trailer. You stood in the middle of the crowd, watching as the face you once loved appeared and began clowning around. Although his clown persona hasn't changed, his act did. The kids were too naive to understand but you did—you saw how he portrayed his happiness before the grief hit.

His show ended with a bunch of red balloons falling into the crowd before he stepped off stage yet you felt something urging you to follow him. And so you did. No one noticed as you trailed behind him. Once you saw him again, he was leaning against the fence with a cigarette in one hand and a flask of alcohol in the other. You took a deep breath in, holding it in for a second before exhaling to calm your nerves. His ears picked up something walking on the grass next to him so he turned his head to see who it was. His voice was gruff as he dropped the cigarette and stomped it out, "Ingrid, I told ya not to come out this late- oh you're not Ingrid." The edge of your lips quirked up into an awkward smile as you greeted him, "How do you do, sir? I watched your act and thought it was very deep and thoughtful." A scoff left his mouth and grumbled a quiet thanks in return.

The silence between the two of you was loud, you shifted back and forth on your feet before speaking again, "We've missed you." He looked at you strangely as if you were speaking nonsense to him. "We?" He repeated. You had a sense that he didn't recognize you but you had to make sure. "Don't you recognize me?" His eyes analysed your face then shook his head. "I do not, ma'am." was his response. Your cheeks flushed in embarrassment, afraid that you made yourself look like a fool in front of him. To avoid embarrassing yourself further, you chuckled and brushed the previous conversation off. "I apologize, I must've mixed you up with someone else." You then turned on your heels to walk back to the main event. As you did so, Bob took a swing of his flask before turning back to look at your retreating figure. His eyes widened as he recognized the red ribbon you wore in your hair, finally remembering who you are.

When he opened his mouth to call you back, it was too late; you had already disappeared into the crowd, leaving him with unanswered questions.

Let me know if this is something worth turning into a series! Thank you!

[vangelice]

Bob definitely had enough of It's behaviour.

[spookydarlingsstuff]

I think about this scene at least three times a week. Such a cutie patootie. Make that grown man into my little meow meow

[dqjinx]

[meeisyhaa]

PENNYWISE the dancing clown

HOPE YOU LIKE IT ❤