“Sander...” Robbe whispers, pulling Sander closer like he always does.
Sander hums, letting this boy do whatever he’s pleased with him. He pulls and pushes Sander wherever he wants, but Sander tries hard not to engage. Because you are perfect and I’m a fuck up and I don’t want to mess you up.
People say teenagers have a lot of hormones, and Sander is no better. Of course, he wants to engage, to hold Robbe tighter, let his hands wander up and down his lean figure, and explore everything his brain has already painted in his imagination. But, at the same time, he thinks Robbe is too good for him, so it’s better to keep some boundaries in the imminent case he breaks Robbe’s heart and traumatizes some experiences for him.
Robbe grunts in between kisses, letting Sander know he is frustrated with Sander basically pretending to be dead while they kiss, holding back from starting a make-out session he is not sure he will be able to resist taking further.
“You’re annoying,” Robbe complains, pushing Sander away from his arms and legs, a second from pouting.
“Hey!” Sander smiles, feeling his whole chest warm, trying to grab Robbe’s wrists or shins to pull him closer. After a little bit of a fight, Robbe is close again and willing. Sander holds the back of his head, kissing him slow and deep, holding the hair that reaches Robbe’s nape a little too tight to be innocent.
They spent yet another whole afternoon in this pull-and-push game. Robbe climbs his lap and wraps his long, lazy limbs around Sander and it gets harder and harder to put a stop to it after every round.
“You’re a baby...my baby.” Sander hears himself voicing his thoughts out loud. He thinks about taking a picture of Robbe like this, messy, spent, with his hair pointing in a million different directions, with his lips puffy and dry, but he knows his gallery is filled with pictures of Robbe already.
They stopped kissing because Robbe’s phone wouldn’t stop beeping with a row of new messages. Sander could tell it was from his mom because Robbe’s whole body language changes when he talks to his mom or dad. He adjusts his posture like his parents are there, seeing and correcting him, the easy smile that’s always resting on his cheeks is gone, and he tries to fix his hair. Robbe looks completely different. And he is very evasive when explaining what the messages were about. Something about religion, something about Robbe being his mom’s miracle baby.
For someone so soft, easy, kind, and open-hearted about human goodness, Robbe believes in very little things that are not proven scientifically. And it’s written all over his face that his deeply cynical beliefs stem from whatever happened within his family.
To change Sander’s attention and avoid another attempt at a conversation about Robbe’s family, his demeanor changes back to how it was before the text. Soft, compliant, trying to make Sander lay down on his bed.
“I want to be yours,” Robbe whispers like a secret against his lips.
Sander sighs, running a hand through Robbe’s soft hair. “You’re way too young for me.” He teases, turning his face away, looking out of the window across the room, trying not to smile.
Robbe grunts, “Fuck you,” and pushes him away again, pulling him back just as quickly, pressing their lips together.
After hours of making out with his dream human, Sander’s self-control is struggling. Robbe’s tongue is warm, the right amount of slow and curious, and before he notices, Robbe is straddling him and Sander is squeezing the sides of Robbe’s small waist, a second away from pushing his hips up-
Thankfully, Robbe stops their kiss, sitting up on top of Sander, snaking his hands inside Sander’s shirt, pushing it up until Sander’s shoulder blades stop him from going further.
He seems to inspect Sander’s exposed torso – they haven’t seen each other shirtless before.
Sander smiles lazily, pressing his lips together so as not to engage, and ends up asking if Robbe likes what he sees.
One of Robbe’s cold, ridiculously soft hands goes up right in the middle, stopping to feel Sander’s heartbeat, smiling when he notices how fast it is beating. He goes back down, smiling mischievously as he pays special attention to the line of hair that goes inside Sander's black jeans, he holds a few hairs and pulls.
“Ouch!” Sander writhes, putting his hand where it stings.
They stay there for a moment, looking at each other, Sander feeling goosebumps because of his exposed torso and because Robbe is right there, on top of him, only a few pieces of clothes in between.
“One day I will win this fight. And you’ll regret having waited this long...”
Sander sighs, defeated and in love, nodding his head. “I’m sure I will. But then we’ll make up for all this lost time.”
“Promise?” Robbe asks.
Sander nods his head again. “Promise. I’ll get us a nice hotel room and all.”
Robbe smiles at him, finally coming close again for another kiss. Sander doubts he will be able to resist this boy for long if he keeps asking like that.
Robbe and Sander’s final year at conservatory, and a skamverse cameo.
***
A Sobbe story by Beulaugh | Explicit | 5/12
Fic Summary:
Rival French Horn players, Robbe and Sander, meet when they are in high school and immediately dislike one another; however, at a summer music camp they learn that they don’t have to like one another to take advantage of the spark that ignites whenever they’re alone. Cue a years-long clandestine, secret…something. Can they call themselves fuck buddies if they’re not actually friends?
How do these two rival musicians weather their non-relationship as their lives interweave and change, as they make choices that take them far from one another? Is it only convenient, or is it something more?
Today we're featuring the story "and the elephant sings" by our own mod beulaugh aka @if-music-be-the-food-of-love with art by moments_au_crayon_22 for this zoo cute sobbe fic!
beulaugh: What inspired this story?
My mother recently passed away, and she was a great lover of animals and zoos. She watched a lot of veterinarian and zoo shows, and I wanted to combine those two loves into one story to honor her memory. I always love exploring parenting in fics. I liked the idea of Sander processing his feelings about fatherhood through children’s books as well as Robbe challenging his worldview and forcing him out of his comfort zone.
moments_au_crayon_22: What inspires you about this story?
I read the magic words "Sobbe zoo fic“ and was instantly sold on this story! I can relate so well to both author/artist Sander and veterinarian Robbe as those always were my dream jobs ( with the artist bit now coming true a little ;) ) Them meeting in the exotic zoo setting, with all my favorite animals to draw and an emotional journey about to start - what’s not to love? The 2023 Skam Big Bang starts posting June 21st!
Told you I was thinking things,, so here’s the teeniest drabble of Sander braiding Robbe’s hair
“How do you even know how to do this?” Robbe asked, careful not to move too much.
“Miss Frida” Sander replied.
Robbe rolled his eyes, grateful that Sander couldn’t see, “Why did Miss Frida teach you how to plait?”
This time Sander tugged on the braid in warning and Robbe had to bite back the urge to moan.
“She taught all of us, said something about how it helps fine motor skills or something. She probably just couldn’t be bothered to braid her own wigs and made us do it and made up a reason why it’d be useful in an art class”
Robbe hummed in response and settled back onto Sander’s legs, letting the other boy continue braiding his hair. Each time Sander tugged at his hair to make sure the braid stayed tight he had to bite his lip to hold back any noise he might make.
Instead, Robbe thought about how he had even ended up in this situation. He knows it was because of the comment he made earlier, about how his hair was really starting to annoy him and how he wished he could just get rid of it. Sander had dropped to his knees and begged Robbe not to cut it, Robbe had just laughed at Sander, pressing a kiss to his bowed head and asked Sander what else he expected Robbe to do, which made Sander light up before dashing from Robbe’s room. When he had returned it was with a bunch of items pilfered from Zoë’s room, which had led them both to this.
A poke to his shoulder made Robbe zone back in and register that Sander had finished plaiting his hair. He carefully moved his hand up to his hair and trailed his fingers over the pattern Sander had made.
He didn’t know what it looked like but he knew he loved it.
Robbe moved so that he could turn and sit facing Sander, once he was comfortable he pressed a kiss to Sander’s cheek and whispered a small thank you into his shoulder. He smiled when he felt Sander’s arms wrap around his waist and pressed himself in closer.
So, woensdag 20:06. I always thought that with WtFock and especially robbe and sander love story, we had the most intense love tension between two characters. Looking back at this moment, it’s insane how we can feel sander desire. It feels like this moment, this one moment was what he wanted. The euphoria in his voice, the stares, even the excitement when he sees that Noor and Britt are not coming back. This moment will determine everything else.
@franboos @to-enter-polaris @gucciboner and myself worked on a massive fic recommendation list with all our favourite sobbe fics classed by word count.. enjoy!
one-shots:
< 10k
- hold me close @sincerelysobbe (2,5k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23969836
Robbe is stressed because of a test and Sander comforts him.
- You make me feel like I am whole again @nbrook (2,7k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26937070
Robbe is having an awful day. But it ends in the best way possible.
- A Beautiful Night @Lwritings (3,6k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23428594
Sander has been friends with the Broerrrs for half a year and Robbe has been desperately crushing on him. A game of Never Have I Ever changes everything.
- Love potion no.9 @thekardemomme (3,8k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/28923867
they’re best friends. and potions partners. or: it’s amortentia day.
- Croissants @bruisingknees (3,8k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22186195
Robbe thinks that maybe the guy working at the bakery has been flirting with him.
- Paper rings @thekardemomme (4k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27953645
When Sander’s nose twitches, causing him to make this soft little whimpering sound, Robbe can’t help himself. He leans forward enough to kiss Sander’s forehead again, and then he dots one on each cheek, and then finally on his nose. “I can’t wait to marry you,” he whispers.
- You’re an angel in disguise (you’re an angel in my eyes) @thekardemomme (4,1k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570142
Robbe is Sander’s guardian angel.
- The sun came up and I was looking at you @allforyoumylove (4,2k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24647095
Robbe and Sander waking up on a quiet Sunday morning in June. Sander is a tease, Robbe is awestruck, and both are hopelessly in love.
- I’ve always wanted a (boy)friend @thekardemomme (4,2k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/28496322
before sander, robbe never liked christmas. christmas is sander’s favorite holiday.
- Purple lips (underwater) @dottori (5,3k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22371688
it’s a sunny, warm friday at the beginning of march, and sander wants them to go for a swim.
- Day Fifty @beejohnlocked (5,7k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27987252
Robbe makes a plan to confess his feelings to Sander on Christmas.
- The blind date bomb @thekardemomme (5,8k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29073711
”He thinks of the gorgeous man in the picture, and he thinks of how Sander said his YouTube is cute, and how Britt—who hardly even knows Robbe—thinks that he and Sander would be a good match.And he decides… Fuck it. One date can’t hurt, right?” or: robbe and sander go on a blind date
- Let's dance @msleviss (6,2k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22092550
Robbe and his friends go to a club to check out Amber’s DJ cousin.
- 12 things I love about you @nbrook (6,3k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27636032
Sander can't spend the whole day with Robbe on their anniversary, but he still figures out a way to make him fall in love with him all over again.
- Love me while your wrists are bound @alsjeblieft (6,4k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27031636
the cabin trip but with a twist.
- Sun shining from pure desire @skamtrash (6,6k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105727
Sander has been flirting with his student teacher, Robbe for months now who keeps reminding Sander that he's wasting his time but eventually the flirting and chasing wears Robbe down to where he cant deny his attraction to Sander. University TA/Student AU
- At ease with you @Skamtrash ( 7,7,k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26423596
robbe tells his mom he and his best friend, sander are dating to get her off his back.
He doesn't expect his mom to congratulate them by getting them tickets to join her on a cruise vacation.
Cue a week of pretending to be a couple.
fake relationship to lovers au
- Besotted with your love @Skamtrash (7,7k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/25288000
sander has a photography project and decides to shoot at the skatepark where robbe is his subject. when he approaches robbe and needs him to fill out the release form, he's absolutely smitten from the start.
sander falling in love with robbe who's deaf.
- Taking pictures of you as the light came through @allforyoumylove (7,9k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27533866
Robbe photographs Sander in bed. Things take a steamy turn.
- My midsummer darling @robbesdriesen (8,2k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23702017
Robbe goes on a summer week-long retreat to his aunt's quaint, little villa in Genoa. He doesn't know he has a neighbor close by, one that would capture his entire soul.
OR
Robbe and Sander fall in love in a whirlwind summer romance. One that would change their lives forever.
- Afterglow @Skamtrash (9k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/28032300
On vacation in a small winter village during the holidays, Robbe meets one of the hotel's employees, Sander.
All it takes is two weeks. 14 days for them to fall for each other.
Robbe is stuck with his typical 9-5 job as an HR analyst until a conversation with Sander from IT on their company rooftop makes him reconsider his dreams. In the midst of it all, Adam from Accounting has a massive crush on Robbe and wants to ask him to the Christmas Party, so Sander offers to be his "date" to help him. Christmas fluff and flirting ensues.
> 10k
- Sander Driesen versus a mistletoe @dottori (10,1k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27976461
it’s not a fair match.
(or, sobbe go on a christmas date, and sander really wants a kiss under the mistletoe.)
- This isn't our first time around @noobishere (10,7k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472953
One moment they are in the kitchen of their shared apartment, the next, they're in this strange but familiar room.
(a.k.a the au in which they accidentally go hopping through multiple universes)
- Our love story is my favorite @robbesdriesen (13k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/25459867
a wedding fic for robbe and sander
- It’s an unrequited love @eggsntoast (14,1k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854661
Sander works part-time at a museum every Sunday. Robbe is a frequent visitor.
- Agents Sliding Down The Chimney @berrevy (14,2k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/28428840
The smile that twitches at the corner of Sander's mouth is like the tiniest opening, and Robbe takes that as a challenge. He’s always been good at slipping through small spaces.
“You wanna see a trick?”
Sander sizes him up for a moment, then swivels on his heel to face him fully. “Ok then, magic boy. C’mon.”
(aka a late Christmas fic)
- Come lie with me @allforyoumylove (14,6k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29089530
“When Robbe lifts the blanket and gently tugs on the leg of Sander’s sweatpants, silently inviting him in, Sander doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t hesitate, he just drowsily slips into Robbe’s embrace.”
(or the one where they both have a terrible relationship with sleep but find out that it gets a little better when nestled up against each other)
- Man on a mission @littleliefe (17k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27820564
The agency is under attack but Sander is just thirsty for Robbe. On the other hand, the rest of the agency is more concerned about helping Sander ask Robbe out for dinner.
- life was a willow and it bent right to your wind @nbrook (18k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349892
Sander and Robbe became best friends before Sander made a move and then Robbe went and got himself another boyfriend, leaving him pining. And it’s fine, really, it is. Sander promised himself that he wouldn’t do anything about it for as long as Robbe was happy. But when Robbe’s boyfriend ridicules his love for everything Christmas, he decides to step in to give him the Christmas traditions he deserves himself.
- You're my stars...and everything in between @aurorawinds (19,7k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27862950
A Star-Crossed Lovers, Romeo & Juliet inspired, AU where Robbe and Sander are the sons of Antwerp’s two most rivaling families of tech companies, head over heels in love with one another as they find it more and more difficult each day to hide their relationship from their families. To hide their love.
- Lovers never lose @dottori (24k)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532636
twelve-ish kisses robbe and sander share at the trip to ardennes (and afterwards).
multi-chaptered:
5k - 20k
- In the middle of the night @Lwritings (complete | 9,3k)
The Broerrrs go on holiday for a week to London. Robbe is very excited for it until there is something wrong in the hotel and he has to share a room with Sander. And not just Sander, no the guy he has been crushing on for 3 months ever since he joined their group. And not just a room, no there is only one bed as well. When it's just the two of them in the night, anything can happen..
- If a June night could talk it would probably boast it invented romance @allforyoumylove (complete | 14,7k)
Robbe and Sander are childhood best friends. They’re also secretly in love with each other. Confessions are made under a beech tree on a warm summer evening at the end of June.
Robbe stands up and finds the voice calling the name and fucking hell, the guy's well fit. He's only dressed in a black t shirt, black jeans and boots but the tattoos that layer his arms immediately entice him. And that platinum hair, his actual face, who looks that good. He gets himself together quickly, "I think Bowie's here."
The au in which Robbe finds a toddler hiding in a clothing rack at a store and ends up falling for his dad
- The way we feel @toskyandbeyond (in the works | currently 17,8k)
It’s always been like that. Robbe and Sander, through thick and thin. There was not a thing they didn’t go through together. Moreover, they couldn’t even imagine living without each other’s presence.
The day they met it was almost like two old souls encountered once again. Like they were meant to find each other.
- The finest of the meadow @allforyoumylove (complete | 18,8k)
The universe brings two lonely boys together in a flowering meadow. They fall for each other fast and hard among delicate daisies, warm summer breezes, and shooting stars.
20k - 40k
- Come closer I’ll give you all my love @sonderthroughthestreets (in the works | 22,6k)
Robbe’s ex is a pain and Sander helps get rid of him. The problem? They’ve been friends for as long as they can remember and some point between the blurred lines, they fall in love.
- Put your head on my shoulder @Aniloracat (in the works | currently 24,9k)
Because of some past mistakes and communication issues, Robbe and Sander can't stand each other anymore, until they are "forced" to stay in quarantine alone and face their feelings.
📌 Or the enemies to lovers, roommates, quarantine fanfic nobody asked for 😅
📌 Title based on Paul Anka's song 'Put your head in my shoulder'
- Waiting down at the station @ivy_seas (in the works | currently 25,5k)
The world is winter, it’s the inconvenient snowfall on the walk to the six-thirty train, it’s falling for the stranger who happens to take the same train. When to take a risk becomes the same question of when to let go of something you’re not really sure you had in the first place. But maybe the world isn’t so cruel.
—strangers to lovers au
- Wings to Earn @to-enter-polaris (complete | 26,6k)
After playing volleyball abroad for two years, Sander comes back home to fix his mistake of leaving in the first place, but Robbe isn't ready to forgive him.
- time may change me, but i can't trace time @abittersweetsong (in the works | currently 30,8k)
Robbe is having a terrible day and a hot, but annoying white-haired photographer that won't stop appearing everywhere is not making it any better. That's it, until sparks fly, and Robbe decides he's found the perfect distraction from his terrible day.
One-night stand AU that's not meant to be a one-night stand.
The same party one Friday night in February, told from different perspectives.
- You know i'm always at your shoulder (take your heart out of its holster) @wafflesofdoom (in the works (but can be read separate from each other) | currently 35,2k)
“I must have been really good, in another universe, to deserve you,” Sander whispered, thumb brushing the line of Robbe’s cheekbone, the pad of his thumb soft against Robbe’s skin.
Robbe simply kissed the inside of Sander’s wrist, shaking his head. “You are good in this universe, too,” he said. “You found me, when I needed you the most.”
learning how to be in a real, actual relationship isn't the easiest thing in the world, and robbe is very new to it all, and he's got a lot to figure out when it comes to being in actual, everyday love with sander. the first six months of a relationship are the best - and they're some of the hardest, too. these are the first six months of robbe and sander's relationship.
Though he’s a sixth-prefect and the newest member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, Muggleborn Robbe can still hardly believe that he’s made of magic.
Sander is the seventh-year Gryffindor beater whose wild behavior and delinquent reputation precedes him.
Though Robbe desperately wants to believe in the angel-faced boy he sees in front of him—and ignore the rumors of Sander’s devilish behavior—he’s not sure his heart can afford the risk.
But when Sander and Robbe are left in a nearly-empty Hogwarts over the Christmas holiday, avoiding Sander might no longer be an option.
40k - 60k
- The night we met @themoongirl (complete | 42,8k)
Does Robbe and Sander's relationship survive into adulthood.
This fic takes place in two simultaneously timelines: the past and the present.
The present occurs in one entire day. Both timelines are completely out of chronological order. Everything is in clips.You can be dropped in at anytime of the day in any timeline. So clip by clip you will need to piece together what happen to Sander & Robbe and why the present looks the way it does and what happened in the past that got them there.
This love story is a journey. So be prepared.
In the words of one of our Even's. It’s a complicated love story between complicated people.
- look into my eyes, ignore the rest @robbesdriesen (complete | 47,4k)
Robbe is a college freshman whose reckless habits and excessive drinking are starting to look an awful lot like calculated self-destruction—though his loneliness might be the thing that kills him first.
Sander is a visual arts major a few years above Robbe, with a face nobody can forget and a fuck boy reputation he can't seem to shake.
Everybody warns Robbe to stay away from the Sander, unless he wants to get burned. But Robbe's the kind of boy who likes playing with fire.
Months ago, after a one-night stand that couldn't stay that way, Robbe and Sander made an agreement—the two of them, no strings attached. But, Sander's feelings for Robbe were strong, to begin with, and they're growing stronger with each passing day—and he knows that he is more in love with Robbe than he should be.
Robbe Ijzermans is the star goalie of Antwerp U’s football team, naturally blocking shots as if it were his sixth sense. Sander Driesen is their star striker, having an eagle eye for the goal at all times.
Robbe always had a distaste for his bleached-blonde teammate and the annoying way he carried himself, but Robbe can never mask how much he admires him from a distance.
When they finally begin to learn more about each other, there is no going back for either.
With the looming playoffs in jeopardy for their entire team, will Robbe & Sander be able to manage it together? All while falling in love with each other at the same time?
> 60k
- Eastwood liberty @fockinglevendcliche (in the works | currently 69,7k)
Eastwood Liberty students had only one mission: to always be on top, at everything, no matter the cost.
It took Robbe just a day to realize that people there only cared about two things: money and power. But that was no surprise to him. What he didn't expect was to be confronted by this group of rich and spoiled boys, who used to always get what they wanted, especially their leader, Sander Driesen.
Sander made the rules, but unfortunately for him, Robbe had never been really good at sticking to them.
- Do i know you? @SrtaPepa (in the works | currently 88k)
Robbe has lost his memory from the last three years. He doesn’t remember finishing school and start college with Yasmina; he doesn’t remember going to live to the flatshare, or move out to a new place, or being friends with Milan, neither coming out as gay. And the worst of all of this is that Robbe doesn’t remember meeting Sander or that he is, in fact, truly, madly, deeply in love with him.
Hopefully, sometimes feelings are stronger than memories.
For the past three months, Robbe’s life—and what it once was—had been stripped away and rearranged. Now, if anything, his life had become a bit repetitive: homework, stream, ignore Thomas’s Instagram, repeat. But one Friday evening, Robbe meets a hurricane in the form of a platinum-haired tattoo artist who just might show him everything that he’s been missing.
“What are you looking for, Robbe?” Sander tilted his head, moving closer.
“A rush.” Robbe whispered, his lips brushing Sander’s.
Robbe Ijzermans has spent the better part of two years chasing the need to feel real again. Though being an adrenaline junkie is hardly a healthy coping mechanism, it’s one of the only things he has left.
Sander Driesen is a vampire with an unspeakable, dreadful past that won't seem to leave him.
When Robbe gets roped into Sander’s life he finds the feeling he has been chasing all along. But Sander's world has a different kind of risk, and it forces them to come face to face with the greatest danger of all. Fear of a life without the other.
I got an idea in my mind since forever for a sobbe fic (I even wrote the first chapter a while ago) and today i went on ao3 (I haven't checked it in a while) to read a fic and I saw someone else wrote the same trope or at least a very similar one (I haven't read it). How is it possible that we had the same idea😱 now I don't know if I should continue mine...heeellppp
this is just a little scene to test out this idea I had a while back and see if I’d actually like to write it and if anyone would like to read it, so please let me know what you think!!
~^~
Robbe stuffs his phone back in the pocket of his slacks and scrubs a hand over his face. He’s only been playing this game for a little over a week and he’s losing. He hadn’t expected this outcome; Noor was only supposed to be playing along. Instead, she seeks Robbe out even in private, she texts him at any hour of the day, and while it’s sweet and he likes Noor, it isn’t what he prepared himself for. It’s a bit overwhelming.
Everything is a bit overwhelming.
He almost wants to change, or at least ditch the blazer, but before he can make up his mind the door opens behind him. He turns around just in time for Noor to pop her head in, and she smiles wide when their gazes catch. She takes a moment to take him in, and Robbe just stands and watches back and does his best not to twitch in discomfort. He’s not a child anymore, and he’s done this plenty of times. Always with perfect composure.
Now would be a terrible time to break.
He fits on a smile as Noor makes her way over to him and runs a hand down the front of his blazer. “Good, you’re already dressed,” she praises, smoothing out a crease. “Very handsome.”
“Thank you,” Robbe says, swaying forward and accepting her quick kiss. “Not as stunning as you, though.”
Noor grins, and Robbe thinks to check what she’s actually wearing. She does look stunning, he assumes. Theoretically, he knows the way the deep-red dress hugs her frame makes a nice picture. Noor always looks beautiful. Robbe isn’t lying when he compliments her.
He isn’t supposed to be lying to Noor about anything. They’re supposed to be on the same page.
He might have been mistaken, somewhere amidst their agreement. Somewhere along the line, at the very least, he must have missed some kind of memo.
“Noor, uh.” He averts his gaze, then allows it to flit back, softening and warming his expression to turn his words into a gentle suggestion. “We don’t have to worry about publicity tonight, okay? I want you to be able to have fun.”
Noor’s brow furrows. “Isn’t this weekend all about the publicity?”
Robbe hesitates, because she’s right and he wishes she wasn’t. He knows exactly what is expected of him tonight, but they have their own say in the matter. If Noor doesn’t want to be glued to his side, she has no real obligation to be. As long as they’re seen once, twice, together in the bar and together by the bedrooms, everyone would eat it up. Playing everything up isn’t a necessity at the moment. Robbe has been hoping for such a break.
“Yeah, but, it’s also for us to enjoy,” he tries.
“And I’ll enjoy it with you.” Noor adjusts his collar again, raising her brows. She laughs then at his hesitant look and links their hands together to begin tugging him towards the door. “Come on, stop fretting. I won’t do anything I don’t want to.”
Robbe wishes he could say the same so easily.
Instead he mostly keeps his mouth shut as he traipses down through the hotel after Noor, letting her lead him to the bar on the main floor. It’s easy to spot his parents, once they’re there, standing at one of the tables surrounded by stares and whispers. The attention of the room shifts to him and Noor as they enter, and Robbe forces himself not to duck away from it. In truth, it’s not the attention or his parents that he notices first.
It’s Sander.
He’s standing at the table next to Robbe’s mother, talking animatedly as he leans his arms on the wood, dressed in a jacket and shirt of his own. A jacket, shirt and jeans. His shirt isn’t even a shirt, but some kind of silky patterned blouse, his jacket is beige and too baggy, and his jeans are plain black and too tight, and he looks stunning.
So annoying.
Robbe lets the frustrated breath out through his nose, ignoring the heat under his collar as Noor leads them right over. It doesn’t help that Sander is the first to notice them, turning his head at the right moment and stopping mid-speech to smile. He doesn’t look at Noor at all, but he moves his gaze over Robbe in one long sweep, flitting slowly back up to his eyes.
Robbe raises a brow, unimpressed. Sander merely lifts his drink in greeting and lets his smile slip into a smirk.
Noor greets his parents enthusiastically, squeezing his dad’s hand and giving his mother a hug. She even grants Sander a kiss on the cheek, which he reciprocates with his eyes still settled on Robbe. He doesn’t take them away until Noor is tucking herself back into Robbe’s side, and then he glances at the space between them—or rather the lack of—before dropping his gaze entirely. He focuses instead on his drink, which he lifts and takes a long slug of. Robbe finds himself watching the parting of his lips, the tilt of his head, the slope of his throat. Then Sander looks at him looking and he snaps his gaze away.
“Don’t you two look lovely,” his mother teases, smiling at him and Noor.
Robbe rolls his eyes good-naturedly and lays his arm over Noor’s shoulders as she laughs and wraps her arm around his waist. “Don’t we always,” he retorts, in the same wistful tone.
Sander hums and draws Robbe’s attention back to him. “Actors,” he says lightly. His smile is teasing, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, which bore into Robbe. “Always camera-ready.”
“This one even more so than me,” Noor agrees, pinching Robbe’s cheek as she grins at him. Robbe huffs a laugh and carefully moves his head away. Noor pays no attention, already roped back into conversation with his father.
“I was telling a few people about you earlier,” the man tells Noor. “There’s a friend or two of mine interested in meeting you to talk about upcoming projects. Why don’t you do a round with me so we can greet some people?”
It’s an act of kindness, Robbe’s sure, but also one of convenience. He’s sure his father would genuinely like to help Noor, but having her involved in some fancy new project, thanks to his guidance, would certainly be a bonus. Robbe’s grip tightens minutely on Noor with the sudden, irrational urge to keep and protect. Just because he isn’t quite as honestly invested doesn’t mean he doesn’t like her. He doesn’t want her to be used.
But Noor has already lit up, and she nods excitedly, giving Robbe’s hand a squeeze. “Of course.”
“While you do that, I’m going to say hi to the Stoffels,” his mother says.
Robbe perks up. “Jens is here?”
“No, just his mother and Lies.” When she sees Robbe deflate, she tuts. “You’ll be alright, Sander already bought you a drink. You’re big boys, you can keep each other company.”
His gaze flits back to Sander, mostly out of surprise, just in time for Sander to slide a tall glass across the table towards him. Robbe eyes it dubiously, wrapping his hand around it but not bothering to take a taste. He’s preoccupied with Noor squeezing his arm and twisting to press a kiss to his cheek before sliding entirely out of his grip.
“I’ll come back to save you soon,” she promises. Robbe thinks if she meant that, she wouldn’t be leaving him with Sander in the first place. But she’s already turning her back, following his father away, and his mother had disappeared instantly, and now it’s just Sander and him and an array of half-empty drinks.
Robbe finally lifts his own glass and takes a sniff.
Sander snorts, and Robbe looks to find him shaking his head. “Serious?” He raises a brow.
Robbe simply shrugs.
“You know, out of the two of us, you’re probably the one more likely to have drugs.”
Robbe flushes. “I didn’t think you drugged it,” he mumbles. “I’m just trying to figure out what it is. Besides, just because you didn’t spike it doesn’t mean no one else did.”
Sander shakes his head again, lips quirked in amusement. “I kept my eyes on it the whole time.”
“Why’d you get me a cocktail?”
“Because,” Sander shrugs. He doesn’t say anything else, and Robbe simply keeps staring at him. Eventually Sander wiggles his brows and nods at the drink. “It’s about time you try something new, Ijzermans.”
Something crawls up into Robbe’s throat and lodges there. He doesn’t have any retort. It sounds too much like a challenge, like it comes with a hidden meaning, and the knowing glint in Sander’s eye as he stares Robbe down only seems to confirm it. There’s suddenly a comfort to be found in the eyes on them, in the fact that even though they’re alone at the table, they aren’t alone. The surroundings, rather than making him itch, suddenly seem safe. It’s only private enough that they can speak without being overheard, but there are other tables all around them, a few feet away in each direction. Robbe can see Noor if he turns his head. He hears Mrs Stoffels’ distinctive laughter in the background as he eyes his drink, swirling the liquid around. It’s a deep, jewel-like blue, that fizzes slightly as he shakes it.
He glances back up at Sander. The other boy is simply staring at him, still with that faint amusement, brows raised expectantly. He nods at the drink once more.
Robbe brings it to his lips and takes a tentative sip. He’s aware of Sander’s eyes on him as a sharp, fruity taste explodes on his tongue, but he can’t quite keep his face under control. It screws up in displeasure, and Sander laughs abruptly, raising a hand to cover his mouth as his shoulders shake.
Robbe swallows the liquid and scowls at him. “What the fuck is this?”
“No idea,” Sander says idly. “Had something with ‘sea breeze’ in the name. Enjoy.” He raises his own beer in a toast, and Robbe’s scowl deepens as he leaves his glass back down on the table.
He drags one of the stools towards himself and climbs up, resting his elbows on the table. He’s still directly across from Sander, but he’s not looking at him. He focuses on his glass instead, tapping his fingers against it in a quick, tinkling rhythm until Sander huffs.
“What,” Robbe says flatly.
“Nothing.” There’s a pause, and then Sander huffs again. “I just find it funny.”
“What?” Robbe repeats, slightly more curious. He even raises his head to look at the younger boy again.
Sander puckers his lips, then shrugs. “How hard you try to pretend you don’t like me. How hard you try to pretend you do like her.” He nods at something behind Robbe.
Robbe doesn’t have to look to know he’s talking about Noor. “I’m not pretending anything.”
“Okay,” Sander rolls his eyes. When Robbe doesn’t respond, Sander gives him a dry look. “Come on, Robbe. I’m giving you a freebie.”
There’s no freedom in what Sander is implying, but Robbe doesn’t bother pointing that out, because it would be too close to admitting Sander is right. Instead he simply stays silent, which is almost as bad.
“You need to stop living your whole life like you’re in front of a camera,” Sander tells him. His tone seems to have softened slightly, and Robbe allows a glance through his lashes to see if his expression matches. It does. Sander’s gently frowning as he takes a sip of his drink. “It sounds fucking exhausting.”
Robbe blinks. It is exhausting, but he hadn’t thought Sander would be the one to point such a thing out. He hadn’t thought Sander would make such a genuine observation in the first place. Even with all those looks, Robbe hadn’t realised how much Sander has actually been watching.
He takes a little sip of his own drink to delay responding and finds it isn’t as bad the second time, so he takes another. Then he makes a quiet admission. “I prefer being behind the camera.”
It doesn’t seem to be the response Sander was expecting, but he also doesn’t look too surprised. “You want to produce like your dad?”
“Not really. I mean actually being behind the camera. Filming itself. Maybe directing. Editing. I don’t know.” He takes another drink and then licks his lips, ignoring how Sander tracks each movement. “I like making things look good and I like creating and watching, but not when it’s myself. It’s never my decision to act.”
This does draw out Sander’s surprise. “Your dad makes you?”
“No,” Robbe quickly denies, shaking his head. “He just asks, and I never know how to say no. Or he asked the first time, and now it’s just how it goes. It’s not like I hate it, it just—sorry, it doesn’t matter.” He remembers who he’s talking to and cuts himself off. It’s not that he’s admitting anything bad, or even that Sander isn’t someone he should be admitting it too—he doesn’t think Sander would betray him to his father, even though that’s who Sander’s working for and the only reason he’s even here. It’s not that he’s being too honest and Sander is untrustworthy; he’s being just honest enough that he might keep going. That’s where the danger creeps in.
This becomes clear when Sander shakes his head and places his hand over Robbe’s, mindless or reckless or both. Sander doesn’t seem to notice the fire that sparks from the touch, setting every inch of Robbe’s skin alight.
“It does matter,” Sander argues, and now he appears unbearably soft. It’s a far cry from his usual aloof, confident persona, but somehow Robbe feels no surprise at the glimpse of tenderness. “I’m sure if you talked to your dad, he’d understand. He’d probably even help you get wherever you actually want to go. He didn’t need to take me on, but he’s understanding.”
Robbe bites back a scoff, but he can’t quite contain the little burst of anger that makes him snatch his hand away. It startles Sander so much, he feels slightly apologetic. “You don’t know anything, Sander.”
Sander purses his lips. The gentle expression has mostly dissipated, but there’s still some lingering determination. Robbe feels a faint thrum of heat in his stomach under Sander’s heavy stare. “Maybe not,” he acquiesces. “But I know it’s not enough to not hate something. You should be allowed to want something. And you deserve whatever that is.”
There’s that lump in his throat again. Sander seems so sincere that Robbe feels shy. It’s ridiculous how much sway Sander has over him when they barely know each other. Robbe can’t figure out what it is, only that there’s an undeniable tug in his gut when he’s in Sander’s orbit, urging him to get closer. Alongside it, there are the warning signals that blare in his head, alarms that tell him he’s in front of a fire or at the edge of a cliff. Pushed too far, he’ll burn and tumble.
“Robbe,” Sander urges, drawing his attention back. Even darkened, his eyes are so green. “You deserve whatever you want out of your life. Direct it on your own.”
That might be the problem—having Robbe in control. He’d always thought his life was for the universe to play with, guided by various twisted strings of fate, split into infinite versions. He’s beginning to dislike the thought. All the happenings that are out of his control are the ones that scare him, that cause real harm. His mother’s illness, his parents’ split, his own fame. Sander Driesen.
He’s beginning to think Sander might be the scariest thing.
It’s terrifying, the intent with which he’s watching Robbe now, scarier than being in front of a camera has ever been. At least there, he can act. It’s Sander who strips him bare. It’s terrifying and liberating.
Robbe takes another sip of the drink Sander had bought him, and finds the fifth time is easier again. It loosens the lump in his throat enough for him to meet Sander’s eye and say, “Maybe I will.”
