#also I wanted to build up a bit of a backstory for Diane because I love a ~layered- character | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sisterspooky1013 · 3 years ago

Text

Damsels, Chapter Three: Interview

By SisterSpooky1013 / Read Previous Chapters Here

Rated E / Tagging @today-in-fic

The Hoover building is deserted at 4am, which is exactly why she has to be there so early. She arrives at Skinner’s office with nothing but her car keys and the casual clothing on her back. Agent Wiley, a young woman in her twenties, greets Scully warmly. She’s tall and brunette with an hourglass figure, and Scully has the passing thought that she is exactly Mulder’s type. She wonders if they’ve ever met.

“I’ll drive you to your apartment in Philly where you’ll stay for the duration of the undercover assignment, Agent Scully,” Wiley says in an authoritative though very high pitched voice. “We’ll leave your car in the bureau garage for the duration, but you can give A.D. Skinner your keys for safekeeping.”

Scully hands Skinner her keys and he sets them on top of his desk, rubbing his hands over a weary and sleep-rumpled face.

“I’ll fill you in on the case details on the way. Let’s hit the road, we’ve got a two and a half hour drive ahead of us,” she finishes, slinging her purse over her shoulder and making for the door.

Scully follows her mutely. Just as she reaches the door herself, Skinner speaks.

“Agent Scully?” he asks in a hoarse voice. She turns to face him. “I…I…” He keeps restarting his sentence, but never gets further than that.

Scully finally interjects. “It’s okay, sir. I understand. We all have a job to do.”

He nods at her with a grateful expression, and she follows Agent Wiley out to the parking garage.

The sun is just beginning to brighten the inky sky as they drive out of D.C. Agent Wiley is chatty behind the wheel as Scully leafs through the case file; once they get to Philly, she won’t have the opportunity to see it again. The only trace of Dana Scully in her apartment will be a burner cell phone, which she is to keep off and hidden in an air duct in the wall. She will call Agent Wiley at least every other day, or as needed, to share any updates. She is to turn the phone on only when she’s sure no one else is in the apartment with her. She is expected to get as close as possible to the other dancers at the club, one of whom they believe to be Mila Chamberlain. In the file, there’s a photo of Mila, a young Asian woman with a short blonde pixie cut and penetrating dark brown eyes. There is also her parents’ account of her disappearance shortly after meeting Ricky at a party, and their fears that’s she’s a victim of sex trafficking.

“Your cover is Diane Sellers, recently divorced and needing work,” Agent Wiley explains. “To our understanding, they won’t ask you much about your history, but it’s still good to have a backstory ready. It can be helpful to use real details from your life in regards to things like siblings, parents, and past romantic partners, just because it’s easier to keep straight. We don’t recommend addiction being a part of your backstory, in case that affects Ricky’s willingness to trust you. You should immerse yourself as much as possible with the staff, including spending time with them outside work if you can. You can have them over to your apartment, which is why it’s important that there’s nothing there that isn’t part of Diane’s story. It’s fully furnished with everything from tampons to Rice a Roni, but we’ve also set up a bank account and a debit card in case you need to buy anything. Once you identify Mila, call me. You should try to get as close to her as possible, and ultimately the goal is to confirm that she’s being held against her will. Then we’ll raid the club and get you both out of there. What questions do you have?”

Scully stares out the window at the cars rushing by. The pink sunrise illuminating the clouds on the horizon makes the sky look pinstriped.

“Why weren’t you asked to go undercover, if this is your case? You’re young, you’re very pretty. So I guess my question is why not you?” She recognizes the irritation in her voice, but she can’t help herself.

Agent Wiley glances over at her and back to the road a few times. “I can understand why you’d ask that. And I also realize that I haven’t thanked you for taking this assignment. It was a hard one to staff.”

Scully scoffs and turns to face the other woman. “I wasn’t given a choice, Agent Wiley.”

“Right. Sorry. Um, the reason I couldn’t take this assignment is that I have an ostomy bag, as a result of a pretty severe case of Crohn’s. I doubt anyone wants to see a stripper with a bag of poop strapped to her belly dancing around on stage.”

Scully closes her eyes against the shame that wells in her gut. “I’m sorry, Agent Wiley. That was rude of me to ask.”

“Don’t worry about it, Agent Scully. Honestly, I’d take my ostomy bag over this assignment any day. I don’t envy you.”

Scully turns back to the window, spinning up the life story of Diane Sellers as they drive on through the early morning light and towards her uncertain future.

Agent Wiley drops her off around the corner from her apartment with nothing but a set of keys and verbal instructions for where she can locate the burner phone. Her interview is today at 2, and the address of the club and interview information are on a slip of paper on the kitchen counter. They bid one another an awkward goodbye, and Scully goes in search of her home for the next several weeks.

The apartment is small, a studio, and fully furnished. She can tell that Agent Wiley herself took care of decorating it; youthful touches like a sequined throw pillow and a magnet on the fridge with “Diane” printed on a tiny license plate give it a dorm-like feel. Many of the items appeared to have been thrifted, which will be important to keeping up her ruse of being a woman in a tight spot financially. She locates the air duct and the burner phone, turning it on to be sure it works before securing it back in its hiding place. She pokes around the various cabinets and cupboards to find all kinds of dried goods and snacks, and is surprised by the 6 pack of beer in the fridge and the bottle of vodka in the freezer. The closet is full of clothing in her size, some of it basic jeans and tees, some of it tube tops and daisy duke shorts that she would never wear. Well, Scully would never wear them, but she suspects Diane would. The slip of paper on the counter reads:

Damsels in Dominance

1634 W York St, Philly

Ricky Dean, 2pm

She makes a face at the name and her stomach turns at the thought that this might be some kind of S&M club. It's just after 9am, so she has quite a bit of time to kill before her interview. She doesn’t think she’ll be able to sleep, so instead she takes a thorough inventory of all the cabinets and closets to see if anything important is missing. In the bathroom, she opens the medicine cabinet to find a full Oil of Olay skin care line right next to a box of condoms. What the hell does Agent Wiley think she has planned for this assignment? Her confusion deepens when she pulls open the drawer of the bedside table and is greeted by a book light as well as a small bullet vibrator. Either Agent Wiley went to very great lengths to make sure this apartment would pass the sniff test for anyone who decided to snoop, or….she doesn’t even know what the other possibility is. Adding some paperback novels to her mental shopping list, she slams the drawer shut and flops down on the bed. Mulder is at work by now, and she wonders how long Skinner will be able to keep up the ruse. Knowing Mulder, not all that long.

Mulder arrives at work just past 8, noting that Scully’s car is parked in her typical spot in the garage; she must have needed to stop by before heading to Quantico. He’s a little bit disappointed that she’ll be away for the next few weeks; the basement office is exceedingly boring without her. At the same time, he’s grateful for a bit of space to think.

The tension between them had reached a tipping point but now sits suspended, teetering between coworkers and friends or whatever lay on the other side. He’s made some attempts at pushing things towards the “more than friends” end of the spectrum, but nothing seems to come of it. He kissed her, and while she kissed him back and seemed receptive to it, she hasn’t initiated anything further. The night they played baseball together was fun and flirtatious, but again nothing happened. He’s getting the sense that any move will need to be made by him. Maybe Scully just isn’t the forward type in these situations, or maybe she isn’t confident enough that he’ll reciprocate. This time that she’s working away from the office might be the perfect opportunity to take her out on a real date, knowing that if things get weird they won’t have to face each other in the morning.

Entering the office, he doesn’t find her there; they must have just missed each other. He logs into his email and opens a new message.

Hey G-woman,

What time can you get away for lunch today? I was thinking about checking out that new sushi place on 8th. Or we can meet halfway, whatever works.

Would you like to get dinner sometime this week? My treat. Let me know.

Mulder

He hits send, then digs in to some more case reports that he needs to complete. He has a vision of Scully returning to find them completely caught up on paperwork and how pleased she’d be with him, and decides then and there to make it a reality. While he’s not generally an approval-seeking kind of guy, the surprised smile on Scully’s face when he does something uncharacteristically responsible is one of his favorites. The number one spot will always, of course, be held by the smile she gives him when he says or does something that truly strikes her as funny. He finds it hard to keep from smiling just thinking about it.

Two hours later, there’s no response from Scully. That’s a little bit weird, but not exceedingly so; if she’s working on a particularly gnarly autopsy it can take quite a while. When he still hasn’t gotten a response by noon, he first checks his sent email to be sure it went out, then picks up his office phone.

“Autopsy bay, this is Richard.”

“Hey, Rich, this is Agent Mulder up at the Hoover Building.”

“Hi, Agent Mulder, how can I help you?”

“Is Agent Scully around? I was hoping to talk to her.”

“No, I haven’t seen her.”

“Not at all today?”

“No, I haven’t seen her in a few weeks, actually.”

A flush of worry spreads across his chest.

“Hey, Rich, are you guys pretty busy down there? I hear you have a big case you’re working on.”

“Busy? Uh, no, not really. Just business as usual.”

“Okay, thanks. If you see Agent Scully, will you ask her to call me?”

“Sure, will do, Agent Mulder.”

“I appreciate it, bye.”

He sets the phone down and sits back in his chair. Did Scully lie to him? And if so, why? Her car is here, so he knows she came in today. Picking up the phone again he tries her cell, which goes straight to voicemail. The darkest part of his brain worries that she came to the office but never made it to Quantico. He makes one final phone call.

“Skinner.”

“Hi, sir, this is Agent Mulder.”

“How can I help you, Agent Mulder?”

“Have you heard from Agent Scully today? I’m having a hard time getting in touch with her.”

“She’s assigned to work at Quantico for the next few weeks, Agent Mulder, she wasn’t expected to report to the Hoover Building today.”

“I know, sir, but her car was in the garage when I got here and I just called over to Quantico and they haven’t seen her today. I’m a little worried.”

He hears Skinner mutter what sounds like “Jesus H Christ” under his breath before he speaks again. “Agent Scully is fine, Agent Mulder. She’s on assignment. I encourage you to focus on your own assignment.”

Mulder hesitates. “Should I take that to mean that she’s NOT assigned to Quantico?”

Skinner sighs. “All you need to know is that she is fine, but unreachable. You worry about yourself and let me worry about Agent Scully, got it?”

“Um, okay. Thank you, sir.”

He hangs up the phone even more confused than before. Scully’s behavior yesterday after she returned from Skinner’s office makes a little more sense; she was uncomfortable about lying to him. When he leaves the office that night, her car is in the same spot it had been that morning. He doesn’t like this, but he knows Scully was in the same situation when he was on an undercover assignment and he should just trust her, and Skinner, and wait it out. That’s easier said than done, and he spends his entire evening imagining all the dangerous situations she might be immersed in. Drug cartels, amateur mafias, cults, hackers, the list goes on and on. He can only hope that she’s safe.

Damsels in Dominance is an unassuming building nestled between strip malls and fast food restaurants. The parking lot and entrance are at the back of the building, a fabric-draped chain link fence surrounding it for privacy. Scully pays the cab driver, though now that she realizes how close her apartment is to the place she’ll probably just walk back. After much deliberation, she wound up wearing jeans and a blue T shirt, guessing that it would be out of place to dress up for an interview at a strip club. She pulls the front door open and finds herself in a small foyer with a counter along one wall, a hulking man perched behind it on a stool. Even seated she can tell that he’s very tall, with a broad chest and square shoulders. His neck is nearly nonexistent, thick and disappearing into the rolls under his chin like a tree trunk. His head is shaved bald and his deeply tan skin shows evidence of long ago healed acne scars on his ruddy cheeks. A small gold name tag pinned to his T-shirt reads “Denny.”

“Hi, I’m Diane, I’m here for an interview with Ricky,” she says with a smile. She’s decided that Diane will be the kind of person with an easy smile. The kind of person who makes friends quickly. She channels her sister Melissa, who would talk to anyone and somehow have them sharing details of their childhood trauma within fifteen minutes. If she’s going to get these people talking, she needs to be more like Missy and less like herself.

Denny nods with a grunt and stands, proving himself to be at least six inches taller than Mulder; her head barely reaches his waist. He comes around the counter to push open a second door and holds it for her, motioning her to follow. They enter one end of a long hallway, a door directly in front of them labeled “Enter Here to be Dominated.” They walk down the hall, past some restrooms and several other unmarked doors, until they come to one that says “office.” Denny knocks and a small woman answers.

“Diane, 2 o’clock interview,” Denny says in a flat baritone, then turns and walks away.

35 notes · View notes

thegayhimbo · 4 years ago

Text

True Blood Season 1 Review Part 1 (Spoilers Ahead)

It’s been about 2 years since I first saw season 1. Contrary to the hundreds of GIFs and posts that I’ve reblogged about True Blood, I’m a lot more familiar with the later seasons of the show than I am with the first season. When I first viewed season 1, it didn’t click with me, and the only reason I sat through it is because I had seen clips from season 2 that convinced me the show was worth watching. I’m not someone who usually gets into the vampire genre (aside for a brief period of time when I was in middle school), but something about True Blood hooked me in and got me to watch it. I can’t say that it’s a show I completely love, but I am inspired to talk about it.

In any case, I’m doing a rewatch for the first time as a way of getting closure on this show, and maybe moving on so that it isn’t in the back of my head all the time. I also wanted to view the show with fresh eyes, and see if my opinions changed while watching it.

This review will be split into 2 parts because I’m realizing that I have a lot to say about season 1, and it’s gonna get lengthy. Part 1 will just focus on my general opinion about the season. Part 2 (which will be posted a few days from now) will focus on my thoughts about how the vampires ar portrayed on the show.

Overall, my opinion about season 1 improved a little bit during rewatch. It’s not my favorite season of television (and Lord knows there are issues with it), but it’s a lot better than I remember it being. The casting is stellar, and I didn’t have any problems with the actors or how they played their characters. The interactions between the characters kept me engaged even when the main story started to drag (more on that in a minute).

While re-watching season 1, I was surprised to pick up on some subtle aspects that had been planted by the writers in season 1 that I missed the first time around, and that would come into play in the later seasons. For instance:

Sookie mentioning that her cousin Hadley had been missing for over a year since she ran away from the rehab center that Gran paid for, and that she didn’t know how to get hold of her (all of which makes sense come season 2).

The appearance of Theodore Newlin (Steve Newlin’s father), his subsequent death in the 3rd episode, and Steve Newlin taking the reigns of the Fellowship of the Sun

Bill warning Malcom, Liam, and Diane that he knew of “higher authorities” than Eric, and Diane saying “Well she can suck on sunlight for all I care” (All references to Queen Sophie Anne).

Diane mentioning that Bill “used to be fun” and that he had a very “sizable appetite.” Also, the reference to Bill having a sexual relationship with Diane in the 1930s (which is around the time he left Lorena).

Jason telling Amy about how his parents died, and how he felt responsible for it (the death of their parents becomes a major plot point later on).

There’s a lot to be said about the way the later seasons handled its arcs, but I think the writers were planting seeds in season 1 for future stories and twists that would be revealed down the road. Some of them were capitalized on. Others weren’t.

I will say for the record that I firmly believe the twist about Bill that gets revealed in season 3 was planned by Alan Ball and the other writers from the beginning of the show, and it does color the way I view Bill’s character and his relationship with Sookie, even in season 1. I should also point out that one particular aspect of the season 3 twist came directly from the books (and those who have read them know what I’m talking about here), so there’s that. Again, I’ll go more into detail about the Bill/Sookie relationship and my thoughts on it as I go through this rewatch.

In regards to the main story about a serial killer coming to Bon Temps and Sookie trying to figure out who it is, I will admit that not only did I NOT find this story engaging anymore, I thought it DRAGGED and should have been resolved within 6-7 episodes as opposed to 12. It’s a lot less thrilling when you already know who the killer is, and while there are some nice clues and red herrings that get dropped, the constant attempts at misdirection (like that scene when Sam goes over to Dawn’s house and sniffs her sheets, or Jason consistently being framed for murder) feels time-consuming instead of fun. It doesn’t help that the story loses momentum halfway through the season, and gets bogged down by all these other subplots that don’t connect to it at all.

Also, I didn’t pick up on this the first time, but rewatching has helped me realize there are some irritating plot holes with the story I couldn’t overlook. For instance:

In one scene, Sam goes to Dawn's house to sniff around and pick up Rene's scent. Later on, he’s at Gran’s house after Gran died where he also should have identified that same scent since Rene climbed through the window. And considering that Rene spent a huge amount of time at Merlotte's and interacted with Sam on many occasions, Sam should have been easily able to associate Rene's scent with the scents he found at the crime scene, and figured out early on that Rene was the killer. So why does it take him so long to connect two and two when Sam already knows what Rene smells like?

Likewise, it's been established that vampires have a good sense of smell. Bill was around Rene in several scenes, and should have been able to pick up his scent at Gran's house after she was murdered. So how come this doesn't happen?

On top of that, when Bill gets interrogated by Andy and Bud about Gran's murder, he claims that he heard a car (most likely Rene's) pulling up across the cemetery to Gran's house. He also claims that vampires had heightened senses. However, when Sookie finally reads Rene's mind in the season finale, it's shown that Gran screams and Rene shouts at her before killing her. So if Bill could hear Rene driving up to Gran's house.................then how come he didn't hear Rene and Gran shouting at one another before Gran got killed?

For that matter, why did Rene go over to Gran’s house in the first place? He knew that Sookie was going on a date with Sam. He saw them leave the church together, and he had no idea when Sookie was going to be back. It came off like really poor planning on his part for someone who’s been methodical about how he killed people up to this point.

Also, why didn’t Rene throw away the video he took from Maudette’s house, as well as the tape on bulding a Cajun accent? That seems incredibly stupid leaving that stuff around from someone (like Arlene’s kids) to find, especially since he no longer had use for that stuff.

There’s also the way Sookie’s mind reading abilities work. I thought the way that was handled was not only inconsistent, but that it also didn’t make sense how she didn’t pick up on Rene being the killer in the first place. Everything about that screamed “plot convenience.”

The other thing I noticed is that a lot of the problems that fans complain about in the later seasons (added side-plots, deviating from the books, added supernatural creatures, plot holes, inconsistent mythology, characters making stupid decisions, the focus on vampire politics, the problems with the Bill/Sookie relationship, etc) can all be traced back to season 1. To give a few examples:

There were a BUNCH of side-plots in season 1, from the Jason/Eddie/Amy arc to Tara’s exorcism and her conflicting relationship with Lettie Mae to Lafayette’s hook-up with the closeted gay senator to Sam’s backstory to Bill’s trial and so on. I didn’t have an issue with this because I get the idea was to do world-building and show different sides to the characters (if anything, I found the side-plots more interesting than the main story), but I always find it odd that one of the biggest complaints about the later seasons was the added side-plots and how people couldn’t follow them. Frankly, I thought they were pretty easy to follow, and could even be engaging at times.

Even in season 1, the show introduced other supernatural creatures besides vampires. Sam was revealed as a shapeshifter, Maryann was introduced as this unknown entity (and would later be revealed to be a Maenad), Sam mentioned the existence of werewolves to Sookie, and even Sookie was implied to be a supernatural herself because of her ability to read minds. Add in the fact that the books had a plethora of other supernatural creatures (werepanthers, faeries, demons, witches, etc) that were bound to be introduced, and I think it’s pretty fair to say that this show wasn’t always going to stay “grounded in realism” like some people complain it should have been.

Vampire politics was always there from the beginning: The show was NOT subtle about its “vampires as a metaphor for oppressed minorities” message that it kept shoving out there (and again, I will talk more about that in my part 2 review because there’s a lot to be said about they way vampires are portrayed on this show). Characters like Nan Flannigan and Steve Newlin were introduced in season 1 (albeit regulated to TV) as well as organizations like the American Vampire League (AVL) and the Fellowship of the Sun (FOTS). There was already a conflict within the vampire community between vampires who mainstreamed and vampires who wanted to keep killing humans like they’d done in the past. Bill’s trial gave an extremely ugly look into how vampires dispensed justice among their own kind. And there were constant references to the VRA (Vampire Rights Amendment). This show was pretty clear from the beginning that the driving force behind this story was about whether or not vampires could integrate into human society and co-exist peacefully with humans.

Also, in addition to the added side-plots, we also had the expansion of characters like Lafayette (whose character was completely different from the books) and the introduction of Jessica (who wasn’t in the books at all). Basically, this show was already beginning to deviate from the books even before the later seasons happened.

The way V works in this universe is all over the place. For some people (like Jason and Amy) it acts like an LSD drug, whereas with Sookie, it just gives her heightened senses and dreams about Bill. Lafayette does briefly tell Jason that V has different effects depending on the individual, so maybe this really isn’t a plot-hole. However, at the same time, it just feels like V was whatever the writers wanted it to be. In other words, inconsistent mythology was already a thing in season 1.

As for characters doing stupid stuff, this came as a surprise to me as well, but it isn’t just limited to Jason. Some examples include:

Tara deciding to drive drunk down the road in the middle of the night while downing a bottle of Vodka (and later getting arrested for it).

Sam sleeping on the same bed as Sookie in dog form, even though he knew (or should have known) that he could transform back into human form while sleeping, and Sookie would see him naked (which is exactly what happens).

Lafayette deciding it’s a good idea to sell Jason V instead of just giving Jason the Viagra he requested in the first place.

Bill letting Diane, Malcom, and Liam into his house when he knew Sookie was coming over to give him the numbers for the electrician. Also it was pretty stupid of him to not consider how Diane, Liam, and Malcom would react to seeing Sookie, or whether or not Sookie would be scared off by the way those three were acting.

Bill deciding it’s a good idea to mouth-off to The Magister about mainstreaming when a.) It is painfully obvious that the Magister doesn’t care about seeing humans as equals, and b.) Bill stands the risk of angering the Magister and making his situation worse than it already is.

Andy’s insistence that Jason is good for the murders without considering all of the evidence, and his refusal to admit he’s wrong. That, and he sucks as a cop.

Sookie using the gun to attack Rene, run out of the house................and then throw the gun into the bushes instead of keeping it as a weapon to defend herself.

Bill choosing not to erase the bite marks on Sookie, which could have made her a target for other people who hated fangbangers (although it’s debatable whether or not this was stupidity on Bill’s part or if this was done intentionally).

And I’m sure there are plenty of other examples, but my point is that Jason isn’t the only one making stupid decisions here. Again, YMMV on whether or not a character’s stupidity makes sense in the context of the story, or if it just screams “plot convenience,” but it was there. It seems like Jason gets made the scapegoat by fans for everything that was wrong with the first season whereas the problems with other characters/stories get ignored because of inherent biases in the fandom.

I know it sounds like I’m ragging on this season, and I guess in some ways I am because I’ve long been tired of the constant bashing of the later seasons, as well as the excessive hate that gets directed at some of my favorite characters (Jason and Tara) while everyone consistently ignores the other problems with characters and stories that existed as far back as season 1. I am being genuine when I say that season 1 had its moments (the Tara and Lafayette moments were probably the highlights of that season) and it was better than I remember it, but it’s not a favorite of mine. I don’t really see myself going back to rewatch season 1 as often as the other season. And if it had been the only season of True Blood they made, I probably never would have watched it again. Like I said, something about season 1 just didn’t work for me, and I think a lot of that has to do with the show placing more emphasis on the character’s flaws over their redeeming qualities. It was season 2 rectified this and helped to soften the characters in a way where I cared about them.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I’ll give my opinions on how I think the show handled vampires.

#true blood #tgh opinions #true blood rewatch #bill compton #sookie stackhouse #jason stackhouse #sam merlotte #lafayette reynolds #tara thornton #rene lenier #arlene fowler #diane hardwicke #liam mcknight #malcom beaumarchais #alan ball #vampires #the southern vampire mysteries #true blood season 1 #true blood spoilers

10 notes · View notes

scrapyardboyfriends · 5 years ago

Text

Finally all caught up on the last two weeks of Emmerdale...

Human Graham is surprisingly tolerable. Don’t get me wrong, I still couldn’t really care less about him getting killed off because frankly, it’s been a long time coming. However, this more human version of him that is in casual clothes and hanging with Rhona and actually has motivations of his own, is really what his character should have been all along. Because the stuffy robot in a suit who just grunts and takes orders from Joe and then Kim, especially the Kim version, was just really not a good character. Freeing him from the hold the Tates have had over him has really made him so much better because he doesn’t have to be cryptic anymore. I’m sure there’s still another ten or so convoluted backstories in there just ready to burst out before the end, but still, it feels like he can finally speak freely for the first time in forever. I also kind of enjoy him taunting Al with the whole “don’t be me and get sucked into Kim’s web of insanity, she’ll eat you alive” thing. Cause it’s true.

Speaking of Al, I miss the confident smarmy businessman he started out as. And I don’t know that I want him to just be the new Graham. I mean, he at least has other connections so maybe that will spare him the same fate, but we’ll see.

New Ellis...is...strange. I’m sure he’ll just take some getting used to but in that scene where he was sort of scolding Billy, he kind of felt like the older brother and not just because he looks a lot older than Asan. They’re going to kind of have to work out a new dynamic for him and Billy. I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes. #DamnitAsan

I do think overall though, Home Farm has improved a bit. I mean it’s still not great, but at least we’re not spending ten minutes an episode dealing with Millie going to private school as a B plot. So there’s that. And Human Graham being more of a wild card does make the Millie paternity thing marginally more interesting. I also thought Kim with Andrea after the miscarriage was pretty decent.

I still think it would be interesting to see Kim show some real emotion though. She’s still very guarded 99% of the time. I’d love to see her actually fall for someone and have real feelings for them. I also miss her friendship with Rhona. She needed that relationship, I think. However, I did love her going round to try and bribe Wendy to leave and warning her that she better not make a wrong move.

The Jamie/Belle stuff was interesting. I wanted that when he first showed up because they were kind of sweet together. But then they saddled him with a wife and child and he was soooo boring and whiny. So since Millie is clearly going to be Graham’s and who knows...maybe Andrea will kill him, maybe this does free Jamie up for a thing with Belle. I’m not sure her and New Ellis will work out so I’d support this.

I still could do without Nate but just...thank god the affair is over now. He’s tolerable just trying to round up turkeys and hanging with Pete and Belle. I mean, I still do not need him to be Cain’s son and try and form a relationship with him. Because really Cain and Charity too were the last people that needed more random (adult) children. But here they are...being useless. Ryan’s barely even on the show. At least Nate is sort of doing something being a pawn for Kim.

Moira since the affair is...well more tolerable than during the affair I suppose. I did like her chat with Vanessa. It’d be nice if they remembered they were friends more often. I just want her to lose the farm soooo badly though. She’s just stuck up there and it’s not good for her character anymore. She needs to lose the farm, really hit rock bottom and then build herself back up away from it. And then we can get a new farming family...one with plenty of members to kill off in future storylines. Haha. I did love Pete’s line “and what happened to all of the family I came here with?!”

That Danny kid is a total creep but I like seeing more of Noah and I like him trying to protect Sarah.

The Jai/Laurel/Jimmy/Nicola/Arthur/Archie stuff has been interesting. I really do like Jai and Laurel together and I think it’s good that they’re giving them all of this angst. It’s affecting their relationship but it’s also giving them stuff to work through. And the tension between Laurel and Nicola has been good too because at least it’s giving a focus to their friendship, however fractured it is right now. And I love getting more of Nicola and Jimmy and her sticking up for him always. And poor Jimmy. He doesn’t deserve any of this. Dark!Arthur is interesting. I do think they’ve done it in a way that makes sense. And I think both kids are doing great with the story. I really hope once it all comes out though that both kids can get some help and come out of it well in the end. Poor Archie though. And with the King kids joining in too.

Random, but I loved Nicola telling her kids not to talk to Arthur anymore or Dottie...well Dottie doesn’t really talk but don’t talk to her either. Haha.

Lydia is still breaking my heart. Agatha is super annoying. I feel like there’s hope there somewhere for a relationship between them someday but for now she really needs to back off. I did enjoy Beth wanting to watch the village drama though.

Speaking of village drama, the panto stuff is quite fun. It’s nice to have that story running along with the rest. I love Manpreet as the director and Liam trying to take over. I don’t really understand this whole Leyla/Liam thing. I wonder if it’s just a tease for later and a plot point so that Diane can tell Liam that Bernice probably isn’t coming back because eventually that news is going to have to come out.

And then there’s Wendy....who sucks. Interesting watching all of it in context to the rest of the episodes. Finally got to see that Chas and Wendy conversation. It was....yeah. I mean I don’t think they meant to equate anything Aaron’s done with what a rapist has done but...they did. And they should stop. I still hate Bob being all nice to her and telling Aaron to be nicer to her. Would he tell Vic that too? I mean I guess Chas, her other cheerleader, did so who knows?! I do at least like the rest of the villagers sticking up for Victoria. I liked that Brenda and Laurel conversation about her. And Nicola and Jimmy in the pub with Charity. All of it just makes me really confused as to where they’re going with it though. I mean they have to be working towards her admitting what Lee did but when? And what does that do for the story? Ugh...blech. I just want her to go away. And as much as I thought the Luke and Aaron scenes were well done, and I’m glad he’s standing up for Victoria too, he can still go with Wendy. I just want Vic free of that family once and for all.

Poor Aaron though. He really does not look well at all. I did notice watching it again, that he has to sit down because he’s about to pass out when Luke mentions “your husband is in prison” though. I’ll take what I can get okay. Haha. Still loving that “this is for Robert” line also. Bless.

#belated live blogging #emmerdale

15 notes · View notes

agentdammers · 7 years ago

Text

Grand Torchwood Rewatch 1x12 & 13

IF YOU FALL I WILL CATCH U I’LL BE WAITING........ T I M E A F T E R T I M E

One season down...... It’s a Finale Double Whammy, just as it aired back in 2007! Crumbs of Jack Lore drop into our laps, some absolute plot bullshit takes place, an old man is there!!! fuck it let’s get this over with

content warn: pisstaking, fun having, oh! plot bullshit!, i absolutely lose my fucking mind, Owen Harper!!! I Won’t Hesitate Bitch

1x12 “captain jack harkness”

- a thought before we dive in, but man owen gets A LOT of story stuff over the course of the 2 seasons he’s in right??? like more story stuff than ianto and tosh combined. interesting

- AH FUCK!!! A VOTE SAXON POSTER. REMEMBER WHEN?

- so..... here’s a thing. “Ohhh people have heard music from a derelict building! better send torchwood in!” how... does that come about? Could it be squatters or something??? fuck it, let’s send in a Secret Government Agency! they’ll sort it out. i mean we don’t know what they do exactly but i imagine at least one of them is a ghostbuster or something lmao, whatever

- OH NO THIS CREEPY OLD BITCH!!! i forgot how scary he looked!! god, this dude must be a million, or a vampire, or likely both

- tosh’s eyes get SO BIG WHEN THAT GUY ASKS HER TO DANCE I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! she’s the best one!!!!!!

- wish i could wipe this episode entirely from my memory because that fucking reveal when the Real jack harkness introduces himself? F U C K

- speaking of tosh, finding it extremely unconvincing that she, a tech nerd, would go out with a laptop with an almost completely flat battery... like, c’mon. she would be prepared

- Gwen cooper, a fully adult woman: haha me and my friends;;;; came here 4 a dare;;; cos its spooky lol....

- the camera on this show has me fucking SCREEEAMING “He wears a cravat.” THERE’S A DRAMATIC SLOW MOTION ZOOM IN ON THIS GUYS FUCKING CRAVAT AND THEN ON IANTO’S FACE LOOKING AT IT AND ITS ALL IN FUCKING EARNEST LET ME DIE!!!!!!!!!

- the dance they’re at is called “KISS THE BOYS GOODBYE DANCE”, which is what my finishing move would be called if i was a character in a fighting game

- ianto and owen slapfighting over their shit girlfriend experiences fucking owns genuinely lmao

- tosh pops the top off a tin and then cuts her hand open on the obviously blunt fucking lid?????? jesus christ

- “I’m tired of living in awe of the rift!!!” .....................first i’ve heard of it. I love that owen is talking as though the rift has been a major fucking factor throughout the entire series up until this point, rather than a thing that’s just been vaguely fucking referenced as the reason why a bunch of weird shit just seems to happen in cardiff. no, im not standing for this. You can’t pull out the rift at the eleventh hour and then talk about it as though it’s a Hugely Important plot device when the biggest role it’s had over the stretch of the entire 11 Whole Ass episodes prefacing this was to allow the plane to come through in “out of time”. y’all have barely mentioned the rift this entire time and now you want to act like its the hellmouth??? eat my ass!!!!!!

- and continuing on that note: apparently they’ve had a machine that can manipulate the rift in the hub......... the entire goddamn time. but no one thought to MENTION it i guess!!!!!!!! pfft, why would THAT be important??? right???? right?????

this plot bullshit almost makes me feel bad for how harsh i was about “cyberwoman” but, i will admit.... despite this Absolute Fucking Nonsense, i do find the jack and tosh storyline in this episode really fun and interesting. its just unfortunate that all the stuff arrrrround that is some kind of fic scrawled in the back of a kid’s math book.

- also the size of owen’s fucking NADS in this episode!!!!!!!! “Don’t compare yourself to me.” SAYS MAN CRYING OVER THE GIRL HE KNEW FOR ONE (1!) (SINGULAR) WEEK!!!! as opposed to ianto’s longterm girlfriend being turned into a monster and eventually murdered by his own team!!!! Like, i understand that’s owen’s problem actually goes beyond that, and its not so much about diane herself but about the fact that he let himself feel close to someone again after his fiancee died but for us, The Audience, watching this as it airs... we haven’t unlocked owen’s tragic backstory yet. and without knowing all that it just makes owen look really bad and like a huge fucking tool lmfao.

- NEVERMIND THE END IS GAY AND SAD AND Y’KNOW!!!!!! i am a man of simple pleasures, at heart, and so... i’ll let it slide. jack meeting his namesake knowing that he’s going to die and them having a moment is more of the kind of emotional content we would get in episodes of doctor who, and its Just Right

- in honesty, theres a bunch of stuff about this ep that i DO like. that tosh gets a prominant role for a change, while gwen gets to do fuck all. the whole Real Jack story. owen gets shot and pops a tit out at the end. its just unfortunate thats its all wrapped up in this rift thing thats been wheeled out last minute for a Big Season Finale with no real foreshadowing or build up to it at all lmao. but, moving on...............................................................................................

1x13 “end of days”

- RHYS BUNS DETECTED, A SOUND WAY TO KICK OFF ANY EPISODE

- lovely reading voice ianto’s got..... i also like owen acting up to make sure we know that they remember him being shot in the shoulder last episode lol.

- “owen, if you open the rift you’ll break it” (owen opens the rift anyway) “owen, you opening the rift broke it” (owen GASPS IN DISMAY, ME??? REALLY?) yes bitch open your ears

- “So are we going to sit around crying into our lattes or are we gonna do something about it?” OWEN..... IS THIS. SUPPOSED TO SOUND BADASS I.... GENUINELY CANT TELL? IT SOUNDS BAD, OWEN

- jack was so likeable last ep now he’s a DICK. gwen calls him out on how he talked to owen and he’s really fucking catty at HER for no reason at all????

- i haaaaaaaaate this scene in the hospital where a Mystery Illness has all the fucking symptoms of the bubonic plague but apparently every doctor in the entire hospital never did high school level history and are all incapable of recognising it. if fucking *i* know what symptoms of the bubonic plague are im sure they didn’t need Absolute Brain Genius Owen Harper who is seemingly the only person with any sense in cardiff to come in and diagnose it. i also hate how owen just like casually mentions to the doctor yep, this is caused by people falling through time dude yknow!!! like they do!! expect more of this to keep happening probably idk!!

- “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU OPENED THE RIFT WITH THIS MACHINE WE HAVE THAT’S FOR UHHHHHHHH UHHHHHHH OPENING THE RIFT *big fuck off galaxy brain*” thats basically this episode.

- i love that owen has followed jack all this time but NOW in a crisis is the time to actually lose it and start questioning his authority bc they dont Actually know who jack is like???? you’ve been fine not knowing this entire time before??? thats not to say that jack isn’t an entire dumbass himself. he expects them all to follow him blindly and its so creepy. he’s like a cult leader, and as they all have Torchwood Stockholm Syndrome that ive mentioned in previous episode run downs they’ve all just gone along with it.

- owen having a little cry on the way out is such a Good scene bc he puts on such a brave and defiant front tho 💕💖💘💕

- i dont know why the really quick flashback to diane flying off in the plane made me lose my fucking mind, its just like “LMAO IN CASE U FORGOT: SHE WAS THE PLANE LADY. I KNOW SHE WAS ONLY IN FOR LIKE TWO MINUTES, BUT DONT WORRY ABOUT IT.”

- gwen for fucks sake!!!!!!!! not again!!!!! after all the cryptic shit and lies she’s told rhys up until this point, she now knocks him out and locks him in a cell and STILL offers no explanation. this poor fucking dude!!!!!!!!! and it’s about to get even worse for him...

- the way gwen screams “RHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUURRRRRSSSSS”

- YES EVERYONE REBEL AGAINST JACK!!!!!!! FUCK THIS DUDE!!!! you’re doing what a creepy old dude who is Absolutely Definitely evil wants, but still

- why does gwen start doing shit on the computer when toshiko, the computer expert, is standing right there, like.............

- JACK TRYING TO SMACKTALK TO ENTIRE GANG LIKE HIS OWN CLOSET ISN’T CHOCKFUL OF FUCKING SKELETONS

- i forget, does anyone know jack’s immortal apart from gwen? or was it just the shock of owen actually Shooting Their Boss? the only onscreen death i can recall of his after suzie shot him was in “cyberwoman”

- god, minutes ago they were all like FUCK JACK!!!! JACK DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SAVE US AFTER ALL!!! and now theyre all crawling back asking jack to save them all from cgi pig Ganon and its just..... a lot to happen, over the space of about half an hour.

- the ending is so anticlimatic and also why does sucking all the Yummy Life Energy out of jack make abaddon die?????????? Though in its defence... after like 3 bowls of cereal, i too am like OUCH OOF MY BONES

- aaaaaaaaaand rhys is back! will he get treated any better from here on out? i dont remember!!! guess we’ll see.

- bit much of gwen who’s actually known jack the shortest time of them all to be like NO, let ME be with him uwuwuwuuw

- ahhh!!! ianto smelling jack’s coat ;_;

- aaaand jack’s back too. AND HE GETS TO HOLD A CRYING OWEN? FOR ME? oh you shouldn’t have! this Almost makes up for all that rift plot bullshit (almost. i still know what u did.)

- ANDDDDD OH SHIT. FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE GOOD ENDING. HERE COMES THE TARDIS. FUCKING YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...............................and there it goes. one season down. sorry this one was so long!!! i love and appreciate anyone to takes the time to read these posts. thank u!!!!

#grand torchwood rewatch 2018 #LONG POST #i got mad abt plot shit A Lot during this finale

7 notes · View notes

robronsecretsanta · 7 years ago

Text

Fanfic: it’s the most wonderful time of the year

it’s the most wonderful time of the year

robert wants a boyfriend to bring home for christmas to piss off his family, and aaron wants his mum to stop trying to set him up with finn barton. faking dating to get through the holidays is obviously the logical thing to do. because faking a relationship has never gone wrong for everyone.

for @hereformoira. merry christmas!

“This is insane,” Aaron looked at him, utterly gobsmacked, shock etched into every line of his face.

“Maybe,” Robert agreed, knowing it was a little over the top, even if it was his own plan. He’d never claimed to be the most logical person in the universe, he knows his own flaws. “But it fixes both of our problems, doesn’t it?”

Aaron still looked reluctant, but his shocked expression softened a little. “I don’t know, Robert,” he shook his head, twisting the cap of his beer bottle between his fingers. He always made fun of Robert for buying that weird craft beer (Aaron’s words, not his) but he always drank more than enough of it, already on his second bottle.

“I want to piss off my family, by bringing home a boyfriend,” Robert said, nudging closer to his friend. He’d known Aaron a long time now, only ever a few short years older than him (older and cooler, though Aaron always argued against that idea), and he was the only person he’d trust to actually pull this off.

“You’ve said.”

“I’m not done!” Robert rolled his eyes, kicking at Aaron’s ankle. “And you want your mum to stop trying to set you up.”

“She’s determined to prove that Finn and I are a good fit,” Aaron sighed, taking swig of his beer. “Do you know how awful it is to try and explain the concept of been there, done that to your mum? It’s fucking traumatising, Robert.”

Robert couldn’t hold back a snort. They’d been back in Emmerdale, for Andy and Katie’s wedding, and Aaron had gotten more than a little drunk, and fresh off the back of his breakup with Ed, he’d slept with none other than Finn Barton. Robert (who had blacked out at this point, curled up under a table, bringing shame to the Sugden name, as always) had laughed until he’d cried, the next morning as they’d nursed their hangovers over bacon butties in the cafe.

Finn had taken a while to get the message, and well - Chas was building his hopes up all over again, it probably wasn’t going to end spectacularly well.

“So we should fake a relationship!” Robert exclaimed. “Come on, it’ll just be for over Christmas, and we can tell everyone we broke up in the new year. We used to fight like cats and dogs, so no one will expect it to work out.”

Aaron sighed, draining the last of his beer. “This is insane,” he repeated, sounding resigned to the idea.

Robert grinned. “That’s a yes then?”

Aaron was quiet, for a second, before he finally replied. “Yeah, sure. You’re still insane, though.”

“Every genius was considered insane in their lifetime, Dingle,” Robert quipped, standing up. “Another beer? We’ve got a fake backstory to plan out.”

Aaron gave him a long-suffering look. “Make it a whiskey.”

They’d decided to stick relatively close to the truth. It was easier, than being elaborate about it - their story was that they’d gotten drunk, and confessed their feelings. In reality, they’d gotten drunk and argued about who was theoretically better in bed (Robert, it was Robert), but it was close enough, really.

“I feel like my mum isn’t going to believe this,” Aaron commented, leaning his head against the window as he spoke. They were a couple of minutes from Emmerdale, and the famed Dingle and Sugden Christmas Eve party, a tradition Diane and Chas had stared together when they’d become co-owners, the whole village crammed into the pub, tinsel and party hats on, drinks flowing.

The perfect moment to announce their relationship, really. They’d asked Diane, and Chas, and Victoria and Andy to meet them for tea in the backroom beforehand, and Robert was positively gleeful at the prospect of Andy’s shocked face.

He’d never meant to come out to his family, really. Robert had taken a long time around to being bisexual, and even then, he’d never really decided if he wanted to tell his family, but Diane and Victoria had sort of accidentally taken that choice away from him.

He’d moved back up North, after he’d split with Chrissie, into a posh flat in Manchester, and he’d spent one of his first nights in the city on Canal Street, picking up an accountant called Chris, who really should have been an underwear model, if you asked Robert, taking him back to his posh new flat, and having the shag of his life.

8/10, he’d texted Aaron, Aaron responding with a simple “fuck you, i’m working at six am” which Robert had taken as an almost prideful response. Aaron hadn’t been hugely surprised, when Robert had come out to him, shrugging and muttering about that party they’d gone to in Hotten when they were teenagers, when he’d stumbled across Robert and Tom Harris in a bathroom (more of a 5/10, if Robert was being honest), but he’d been steadfast and supportive, in his usual Aaron way.

Anyway, Robert had been sitting at his kitchen island in his underwear, admiring Chris and his absolutely perfect arse as the other man made him pancakes, when Victoria had burst into his house, using the emergency spare key he’d given her in what was decidedly not an emergency, Diane by her side.

Robert couldn’t really explain away way he was ogling a half naked man in his own kitchen, not when there was a deep purple hickey blooming on his neck, so he’d ended up coming out to his step-mum and Victoria there and then.

Much to Victoria’s disappointment, and Andy’s glee (it’s just a phase, Diane, I don’t know why you’re indulging him, he wants the attention) Robert hadn’t had a steady boyfriend since, flitting from person to person (and back to Chris a few times, because God, that arse).

So he had a point to prove, to Andy, mostly, and his dead father second of all, Andy everything his father had been, right down to his stupid views of bisexuality.

“I think she’ll believe it,” Robert said, pulling into the carpark of the Woolpack, easing his car into park. “I’m a good actor, me.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Sure, you’re oscar winning,” he snarked, unbuckling his seatbelt. “You’re hardly my type, are you?”

“Neither was Finn,” Robert pointed out, switching off the ignition. “Anyway, I can be all sorts of rough and tumble, if you want me to be.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “I hate you.”

“There’s a fine line between love and hate,” Robert quipped, stepping out of the car, into the crisp, cool, Emmerdale air. The village never did seem to change, the decorations strung up around the village the same ones he remembered seeing as a kid.

It was part of why he hated coming back to Emmerdale as much as he did. Robert had changed a lot, was barely recognisable, compared to the nineteen year old who’d left the village all those years ago, but everything about the place he’d grown up was the same, right down the people, the way it looked.

It was suffocating.

Aaron glared at him, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, chin tucked into the zip. “Are we really doing this?” he asked, sounding a little unsure. He’d been the one to question how effective their scheme was really going to be, worried they’d be caught out, and it would be all the more embarrassing.

“It’s for twelve days, Aaron, give or take,” Robert said, slinging an arm around his friend’s shoulders, trying to reassure him. “I think we can play the part for that long. Then, Finn will get off your back, and I’ll have made Andy’s head explode, and everyone leaves happy.”

Aaron nodded, calm and quiet against Robert’s side for a second before he pulled away, rooting for his keys. “Let’s do it, then.”

They’d barely made it through the door, when Chas was smothering Aaron in a hug, Robert standing awkwardly behind them until he could shuffle past, giving Diane and Victoria brief hugs, ignoring Katie and Andy entirely.

Robert was nothing if not consistent.

“The drive wasn’t too bad, I hope?” Diane asked, bustling around the kitchen, getting their tea ready.

“No, it was fine,” Robert said, shrugging off his jacket, holding out a hand for Aaron’s. The younger man gave him a strange look for a second, before he copped on to what Robert was doing, letting him take his jacket, and throw them both across the back of the couch.

“Traffic was alright,” Aaron hummed his agreement. “Smells good, Diane.”

“Thanks love, it’s nothing too exciting, what with all the food we’ll be having tomorrow,” Diane said, lifting a dish out of the oven. “I made your favourite Robert, shepherds pie.”

Robert gave one of his ‘light up a room’ grins, the kind of ones he used on clients, when he was determined to get a deal. “Sounds great, Diane,” he said, settling into a chair at the cramped dining room table.

“Not that we don’t love spending time with you two,” Victoria said, helping Diane dish out generous servings of shepherds pie, her hair bright blonde again, tucked behind her ears. She’d grown up so much, over the years, Vic, and it almost made Robert long for the years gone by when Victoria was small, and Christmas was still her most exciting time of year. “But why gather us all for tea?”

If his life was a movie, Robert decided, this would be the moment where they played some ‘dun dun dun’ music, Aaron’s nervousness practically palpable, hands clenched into fists.

“We’ve got some news for you,” Robert said, slinging an arm around the back of Aaron’s chair. “Aaron and I, we’re together.”

His grand announcement was met with blank glances from everyone seated at the table, Katie the first to speak. “Sorry, what?” she asked, a genuine look of confusion on her face.

“We’re together,” Aaron piped up, playing along now the initial announcement was out of the way, the tiny quirk to the corner of his mouth the only indication he was also relishing the opportunity to wind Katie up a bit. “Seeing each other, like.”

“Are you - are you sure?” Chas raised an eyebrow, disbelief clear on her face. “I mean, no offence love, but Robert is hardly the most reliable person in the world.”

Aaron rolled his eyes in response, slumping back in his chair. “Mum, I’m twenty three,” he said. “I think I can decide who I want to be with. Anyway - you don’t know him like I do.”

Robert smiled in response, threading his fingers through the hair at the nape of Aaron’s neck. He’d been growing out his hair recently, much to Robert’s delight. He’d always hated the short on the sides, long on top look Aaron went for, especially when he shaved his hair right down to his head.

It always suited him better, longer.

“We’re really happy,” Robert chimed in, looking around the table. “And we’d like if you guys could be happy for us too, it would mean a lot.”

They deserved an Oscar for this, really.

“Do you think they believe us?” Aaron asked, the two of them locked in the quiet of Aaron’s bedroom. Robert had offered to help him bring his bags up, after tea, Diane shooing them away from the washing up with a knowing glance, Chas taking over the bar.

“I think so,” Robert said, flopping down on Aaron’s bed. He had a lot of memories, in this room, all those evenings he and Aaron had gotten blackout drunk together and traded their secrets, Robert on the cusp of eighteen, Aaron sixteen and fully believing the world was against him.

They’d been an odd pair, really, but hey’d always managed to stay friends, even when Robert moved down to London, Aaron coming to visit now and then, Robert getting the Eurostar to Paris, no questions asked, the night Aaron ended things with Ed.

Only gays in the village, growing up, not that anyone had known, really, but it had bonded them all the same.

Aaron half heartedly shoved a few items of clothing into his drawers, sitting down next to Robert on the bed. “I hate Christmas.”

“You don’t.”

“I do,” Aaron shook his head. “It’s just a reminder of the things you don’t have, innit?”

“Like what?” Robert asked, stretching languidly. He’d never had particularly strong feelings about Christmas, really. He’d loved it growing up, like any other kid, but the magic had faded the older he’d gotten, when he’d stopped believing in Santa, when his mum had died - that cold, horrible Christmas he’d spent alone in London, determined not to give Jack Sugden the satisfaction of him coming crawling back, desperate for a good feed and a warm house.

“An actual boyfriend,” Aaron admitted, chewing on the side of his mouth, a bad habit that drove Robert insane, especially when he did it for long enough to make his lip bleed, the skin torn and sore. “Been a long time, since Ed.”

“I told you to try grinder.”

“I told you I don’t want to get murdered,” Aaron countered, flopping down next to him. “Maybe I’ll just die alone.”

“Don’t we all,” Robert hummed, pausing as he heard approaching footsteps. “Do you fancy messing with your mum and Diane a bit?”

Aaron gave him a curious glance. “Depends.”

Robert grinned in response, undoing the top few buttons of his t-shirt, running his hands through his hair. It took Aaron a second to catch on, and the snorting noise he made was nothing short of spectacular.

“You really want Diane to think we snuck off to shag? She’s basically your mum, Robert!”

“Shame, is not something I experience,” Robert quipped. “Come on, it’ll be funny. I’ll even let you give me a hickey.”

“I’m not giving you a hickey,” Aaron said seriously, letting Robert mess up his hair, all the same, Robert nimbly undoing the buttons of the henley Aaron was wearing.

“Shame, I’d look good with a hickey,” Robert said, leaning back a little, exposing the pale skin of his neck. “Last chance.”

Aaron looked like he was genuinely mulling it over, when there was a knock at his bedroom door. Aaron sprung into action, looking altogether ruffled and messed up as he opened the door just a crack, giving whoever it was a glimpse of Robert lying prone on his bed, looking altogether very satisfied with himself.

(Robert had been on a lads holiday with Aaron, okay, and he’d heard his friend at it in the room next door with some gorgeous Spanish lad. By the sounds of it, he’d been feeling entirely self satisfied if Aaron Dingle was halfway to getting in his pants.)

“Hiya, Diane,” Aaron managed to choke out. “You alright?”

“Your mum sent me looking for you two,” Diane said. “I told her, I said Chas, they’re two young lads in love, let them be, but your family is downstairs, and she wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

Robert tried his best to hold in laughter. He often wondered how his dad and Diane and ended up together, but moments like this, where she was at her usual, Diane Sugden best, he thought he could see what his dad would have seen in her.

“We’ll be down in a second,” Aaron reassured, closing the door quickly, barely holding in his own laughter. “Well, even my mum thinks we’re shagging now, so you know it’s going to be around the village in about five minutes.”

“Just enough time for us to make our grand entrance,” Robert grinned, standing up off Aaron’s bed, straightening out his shirt. He didn’t bother to do it the whole way back up, rather liking the appreciative glance Aaron was giving he exposed skin of his neck.

He’d be able to convince Aaron to give him that hickey before the Christmas holidays were out.

“You’re enjoying this too much,” Aaron commented, half heartedly flattening his hair into place. It was unruly, when the masses of gel he used had lost their stick, and there was nothing much he could do, really.

“Maybe I am,” Robert said, slinging an arm around Aaron’s shoulders, guiding him out of the room. “But you’ve got to get your kicks somehow, eh?”

Robert was fairly drunk, he decided. He’d lost track of how much he’d actually had, but between him and Aaron buying rounds, and him and Andy buying rounds, at Victoria’s desperate request for them to actually get on, just for Christmas, but the pint in his hand was definitely his ninth.

Or tenth, maybe,

“So you and Aaron, then?” Andy asked, the two of them leaning against the bar, watching the chaos of the Christmas Eve party unfold around them.

“You got a problem with it?” Robert replied, immediately defensive. He couldn’t help himself, really, not when it came to Andy - he was always looking for a fight, it’s how it had always been.

Andy rolled his eyes. “Tryin’ to make conversation,” he said. “If I had a problem with you being into lads, wouldn’t I have said it by now?”

“Dunno, put you down as a bit of a secret homophobe,” Robert shrugged, gulping down his pint. He’d rolled the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, the warmth of the pub getting to him.

“You’re such a twat, Robert,” Andy sighed, sounding as long-suffering as everyone else in his family. Robert had a brand, he mused, and he’d always stuck to it. Robert Sugden, the eternal annoyance.

“I’ll cheers to that,” Robert said, knocking his glass against Andy’s, grinning as he caused the other mans pints to spill all over his hand. Rather than wait for a reaction, Robert stalked off, spotting Aaron sitting in one of the corner booths.

He had that glassy look on his face Aaron always got when he was drunk, cheeks flushed pink and his gaze unfocused, sleeves tugged down over his hands as he concentrated on finishing his pint.

“Hiya,” Robert greeted, sliding into the booth next to him, putting a hand on Aaron’s knee.

“You done winding up Andy?”

“For tonight, anyway,” Robert hummed, the warm press of Aaron’s body against his own comforting, despite the overwhelming heat of the pub. “You okay?”

Aaron nodded. “Drunk.”

“Best way to be, I think,” Robert said, taking another swig of his pint. “Everyone believes it, you know.”

“Mm.”

“You’ve broken Finn Barton’s little heart, Mr Dingle,” Robert grinned. “How does it feel to be the heartthrob of Emmerdale?” he asked, enjoying how Aaron’s faced scrunched up at his teasing, as though he was embarrassed by it.

“Give over,” Aaron rolled his eyes, draining the last of his pint. “Thanks, though. I wouldn’t have been able to deal with him trailing around after me like some kind of lost puppy again.”

“He’s just been sucked in by your charms,” Robert teased, glancing up as he heard Victoria call his name. “Yeah?”

“We’re heading home, come on! We’ve got to be up early for - hic - church, and presents, an’ food,” Victoria was hanging off Andy, drunk as anything. A part of Robert didn’t like the idea of his little sister being drunk, regardless of how old she got, but another part of him was enjoying her being absolutely ridiculous.

“Two seconds, Vic!”

“Robert, now!” Victoria practically pouted. “Kiss your boyfriend goodbye so we can go.”

Robert turned to Aaron, a wicked grin on his face. “What do you say we give them a show?” he inquired, eyes darting toward Aaron’s lips, pink, and wet from all the alcohol he’d been drinking.

“You want us to kiss?”

“It’d be more believable, if we did,” Robert said, shifting a little closer to Aaron, close enough that he could feel Aaron’s raggedy breath against his cheek. “They’re all watching, you know.”

Aaron returned the smile. “We’d best give them a show, then,” he echoed Robert’s earlier words, tongue darting out to wet his lips, walls down, thanks to all the pints, and shots they’d downed since they joined the party, Charity teasing the hell out of them for being late, and turning up as bedraggled as they had.

Robert leaned in, pressing his lips to Aaron’s carefully, slowly, not trusting his drunk self to go for it completely. He’d kissed Aaron once before, he thinks, when they were drunk and on a night out on Canal Street, planting a tequila flavoured kiss to his friend’s lips as they queued for chips.

It hadn’t meant anything then, and it didn’t mean anything now, but at least it was a proper kiss, their mouths moving against each other in a way that was sending tingles down Robert’s spine, one of Aaron’s hands fisted in his shirt.

“Merry Christmas, boyfriend,” Robert smirked, pressing another soft, chaste kiss to the corner of Aaron’s mouth, all too aware the eyes of the villagers left standing at the alcohol soaked party were on them.

Aaron returned the grin. “Merry Christmas, boyfriend.”

“You and Aaron are happy, huh?” Victoria asked, shifting a little closer to Robert on the couch. They’d done the presents, the floor of the farmhouse covered in scraps of wrapping paper, no one much inclined to clean it up - Robert had been told to, Diane and Doug in the kitchen, getting Christmas lunch ready, but he didn’t really want to.

He’d do it later. Robert figured he had at least an hours worth of leeway when it came to the mess, after the extravagant gift’s he’d doled out to the Sugden family, Diane still cooing over the perfume he’d gotten her, Bernice wearing the designer scarf he’d picked out for her over her Christmas jumper.

Katie had muttered something about not being impressed, but she’d tucked the Jo Malone box with her name on it under her arm all the same.

Sipping at his now lukewarm tea, Robert nodded. “Yeah, we are,” he confirmed, figuring the little show he and Aaron had put on last night had it’s desired effect, convincing their families he and Aaron were the real deal.

“I’m glad, you know,” Victoria said, sincere as always. “It mustn’t have been easy, coming to terms with being bisexual. I’m really proud of you for finding someone who makes you happy.”

Easy.

Robert’s not sure he’d ever known anyone who found coming out easy, everyone he’d ever met with a story of their own to tell, but his own was the one he knew best. A dad who’d never deemed him good enough, and even less so when he’d caught Robert with his tongue down another boys throat.

He’d close to compartmentalised it, by now. Jack Sugden, and all he’d done, was wrapped up in a neat little box, and pushed to the darkest, dustiest corner of his mind. Perhaps it wasn’t the healthiest way of coping with it, of dealing with the time his own dad had leathered him for daring to show the slightest signs of being gay, but it’s how he’d dealt with it so far.

“Robert?”

Realising he’d spaced out entirely, he forced a wide smile, looking at Victoria. “It wasn’t easy,” he confirmed simply, having decided a long time ago that he couldn’t bear to tarnish his baby sister’s memory of their dead father. “But I got there, didn’t I?”

“You’ve got good taste, you know,” Victoria grinned, hair done up in intricate braids, ones she’d mimicked in Sarah’s hair when she’d been over earlier in the morning, her, Jack and Debbie already gone and up at Wishing Well, the Dingle family Christmas in full swing, no doubt.

“Do I?” Robert grinned. It was nice, really, to get to talk to his sister like this, be open and honest in a way he hadn’t had before, always worried he’d let something slip.

“Yes!” Victoria declared, laughing as she hugged her tea to her chest. “Chrissie was beautiful, and the guy in your apartment, he was beautiful.”

Chris and his magical arse, Robert hummed to himself. “And Aaron?”

“He’s different to anyone you’ve ever dated before,” Victoria said, taking a sip of her drink, looking thoughtful.

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Robert asked, curious now. He knew Aaron and Victoria had dated, when they were teenagers, and he always knew how little it mattered to both of them now - they were entirely different people, both of them, these days, and so it didn’t feel like a weird conversation to be having with Vic.

“I think it could be a very good thing for you,” Victoria beamed. “He’s the yin to your yang!” she exclaimed, looking delighted at her own analogy.

Robert rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

“I’m not joking!” Victoria shoved at him. “He’s so different to you, I think you need that. You and Chrissie were too alike, you know, but Aaron - he’s different, I think he balances you out. You guys fit together, I can’t believe I didn’t realise it sooner.”

“Are we done analysing my relationship now? Are you going to tell me about you dating Adam Barton, or am I going to be waiting until next Christmas for you to tell me anything about it?” Robert said, playing his trump card with a smirk. “I had to find out from Andy, you know!”

Victoria at least, did look slightly embarrassed. “It’s a new thing,” she said, a telltale blush rising in her cheeks. “Don’t you start on the scary big brother routine, because Andy has already done it, I don’t need you to make it worse.”

“Is he good to you?” Robert asked. He’d be nice, and easy off, seeing as it was the Christmas holidays. He’d probably change his mind when he actually came face to face with Adam, not trusting Aaron’s best friend as far as he could throw him, not after all the stories he’d heard from Aaron himself.

“Is Aaron good to you?” Victoria countered cheekily, giving Robert an expectant look.

“Yeah,” Robert said, before he could really think too much about it, memories of all the nights out Aaron had brought him home after, the mid-afternoon coffees he’d had with Robert when his newest relationship went to shit, supporting him even when Robert claimed he was totally fine and not invested anyway. Aaron had always been good to him. “Yeah, he is.”

Victoria’s smile was soft, and knowing. “You get the same look on your face I do when I talk about Adam,” she said, reaching out to give Robert’s hand a squeeze. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so in love.”

Before Robert could reply, Diane called for Victoria, needing her help in the kitchen, leaving Robert to his own devices.

Love.

Robert had been in love before, plenty of times, actually, and he definitely wasn’t in love with Aaron. He loved him, sure, like anyone else in the world loved their best friend, but that was it.

That’s all.

Reaching for his phone, Robert couldn’t help but grin as he noticed a text from Aaron.

from aaron: save me. my family are mental.

to aaron: don’t worry, you’re seeing me in a few hours, and i’ll save you then, love of my life xoxo

from aaron: prick. enjoy your dinner

Christmas in the pub was Robert’s favourite Emmerdale tradition, he decided. Chas and Diane had done it for years, opening the pub in the evening time for the villagers. It ended up mostly being Dingles and Sugdens, but it was always fun, rounding off a day of overeating with plenty of alcohol.

Robert had eaten enough of Diane’s famous stuffing to not feel the slightest bit drunk, despite the rounds of shots he’d been doing with Aaron, Victoria and Andy, Aaron sitting, leg pressed to his.

Or he didn’t feel drunk until he’d stood up, wobbly on his feet.

“Oops, sorry,” Robert snorted, giving Andy a half-hearted, apologetic look as he whacked into him, Aaron putting a steadying hand on his waist, a move more natural than Robert had expected.

“You’re in no state to walk home,” Victoria laughed, looking about as steady on her feet as he was, her hair coming undone from the braids they’d been twisted up in all day, her ridiculous reindeer antlers childlike.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight?” Chas said, a wicked glint in her eye. “I’m sure you and Aaron want to spend some time together.”

“Mum.”

“You’re adults, love, it’s no skin off my nose,” Chas said, pinching Aaron’s cheek, making him squirm. “I’m just happy to see you happy - even if it’s with Robert Sugden, eh?”

Aaron gave a sigh that made it feel like it wasn’t the first time they’d had this exact argument in the past twenty four hours. “Mum, come on,” he said, pleading. “Don’t start.”

“I’m not!” Chas said, swiping Aaron’s half drunk pint. “The offer still stands, Robert.”

“Thanks, Chas,” Robert said, hoping he sounded as grateful as he’d intended to sound, Aaron’s hand still on his waist. “I’d love to.”

“Right then, we don’t have to wait for you!” Victoria declared, slinging an arm around Andy’s shoulders. “Christmas, and he’s fobbing us off to spend the night with his boyfriend. What a - hic - dick!”

Andy rolled his eyes at their drunken sister. “I best get her home,” he said, hoisting Victoria out of her seat. “Don’t forget about tomorrow.”

Robert felt instantly sober at Andy’s words. “I won’t,” he replied, not caring how harsh he might sound to anyone listening.

“Whats tomorrow?” Aaron asked quietly, when Andy and Victoria were out of earshot. Sometimes, Robert hated how perceptive Aaron was, how easily he could pick up on something being wrong.

“Going to the graveyard,” Robert said simply. “Bed, then?”

Aaron looked around the pub, the dwindling crowd, Cain and Zak propping up the bar, Paddy slumped in a corner. The night was well and truly over, and he seemed to acknowledge that, untangling himself from Robert’s waist, leading him around the back of the bar.

“Goodnight my love,” Chas said, words slightly slurred as she pressed a messy kiss to Aaron’s cheek, hugging him tightly.

Robert hated the twinge of jealousy he felt as he watched them embrace. He should be glad, Aaron had such a good relationship with his mum these days, but sometimes (just sometimes) it made him ache for everything he didn’t have.

Diane was great, she was, but she wasn’t his mum.

“Mind my baby!” Chas directed at Robert, snapping him out of his reverie, a warning look on her face. If she wasn’t as drunk as she was, Robert might have taken her warning more seriously, but she was so unsteady on her heels, it was all he could do not to laugh.

“Don’t go breaking any beds!” Charity, cackling delightedly to self at her own joke, necking back the last of her wine.

Before Robert could snark back, Aaron shoved him through the doorway, guiding him into the backroom.

“I can’t believe she just said that,” Aaron said, embarrassment written all over his face. “In front of my mum n’all! Why did you have to agree to stay?”

“Because it would have been a bit suspicious if I hadn’t jumped at the chance to spend some one on one time with my boyfriend now, wouldn’t it?” Robert rolled his eyes. “In case you’d forgotten, love.”

“I hadn’t forgotten,” Aaron replied, filling a pint glass with water, gulping about half of it down in one go before he spoke again. “I just don’t really want my mum and half my family thinking I’m off upstairs to get shagged.”

Robert snorted, swiping the glass from his hand. “Maybe I’d be the one getting shagged,” he replied, the water exactly what he needed after a day of complete over indulgence.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, because a conversation about your preferences in bed is exactly the point of this.”

“I don’t have a preference,” Robert said cheekily, passing the glass back to Aaron so he could refill it. “Come on, we knew we’d have to commit to faking it - your mum just gave us the perfect opportunity to do it.”

Aaron looked as though he was relenting a bit. “I still don’t want Charity shouting her mouth off about it,” he grumbled, sipping at the water again before he passed it to Robert. “None of her business, even if it were true.”

“I’d make sure she knew, if it was true,” Robert said, grinning wickedly as he downed the last of the water. “I’d rock your world, mate.”

“More like I’d be the one rocking your world, mate,” Aaron rolled his eyes, shoving Robert toward the stairs. “Come on, I’m knackered, I want to sleep.”

“Can we cuddle and trade all our deepest secrets?” Robert joked, lowering his voice slightly as they ascended the stairs, conscious that Noah was already in bed, having been sent up hours ago by Charity.

He’d always forgotten just how many memories were contained in the walls of the pub. Robert had stayed there for a while, with Diane, a few months after Jack had died. Robert hadn’t managed to force himself to go to the funeral, but he’d gone and gotten so blackout drunk on a work trip in Manchester months later, the hospital had called Diane to come and get him, his step-mother still his next of kin - still was, now. He’d spent a week, holed up in a spare room in the pub, feeling immensely sorry for himself, Diane poking, prodding and trying to get him to talk.

He’d probably have talked to Aaron, if Aaron hadn’t been in France, by then.

Robert could talk to Aaron now, though, would tell the younger man his every thought and secret if he just asked.

Aaron snorted at his words, gesturing for Robert to follow him into his old teenage bedroom, tatty posters of cars and footballers ripped from magazines still covering the walls, as if Chas was reluctant to let go of the child Aaron had once been.

“You want something to sleep in?” Aaron asked, rooting in his drawers.

Robert nodded, sitting down on the edge of Aaron’s small double to untie his shoes, tossing them into a corner, out of the way. It was going to be a tight squeeze, to sleep comfortably with two of them in that bed. “Yeah, ta.”

Aaron tossed him a t-shirt and a pair of checkered pyjama bottoms, ones Robert was sure Victoria had bought his friend for his birthday. “You have a good Christmas?” he asked, focusing on undoing his own belt, listening to the rustling noises of Aaron getting undressed on the other side of the room.

“I did,” Aaron confirmed. “Thanks, by the way, for the present. You didn’t need to be so extravagant.”

“I know, but I wanted to,” Robert said, snapping the elastic of the pyjama bottoms against his hips, standing up. “I can’t have anyone thinking Robert Sugden doesn’t treat his boyfriend right, can I?”

Aaron paused, still completely dressed in his jumper and jeans. “We’re not going to fake date forever, Robert,” he said, voice quiet. “You’ve got nothing to prove, really.”

“Which is why I bought you that watch because you’re my best friend,” Robert said, neatly folding his shirt and trousers. “It suits you.”

“You noticed?” Aaron sounded surprised, looking at the faint glimpse of a leather watch strap you could see under his stretched out sleeves, the dark navy material having long since lost its shape because of Aaron’s nervous habit of pulling at his own sleeves.

Robert gave him a sincere look. “Of course I noticed,” he said, his words sounding far more serious than he’d intended them to as they left his mouth. “Can I borrow some mouthwash, or summat?” he asked, trying to distract from the strangely heavy silence that had fallen between them.

Aaron nodded. “There’s some in the bathroom.”

Heading out into the dark hallway, Robert padded a familiar path to the Woolpack bathroom, turning the light on, watching as it flickered slightly before it settled, the light overly harsh and bright.

“Get it together Sugden,” Robert muttered to himself, splashing some ice-cold water on his face, hoping it would wake up the part of his brain that had apparently decided this evening was going to be a piss-poor Hallmark movie remake.

Of course I noticed.

Because that wasn’t a weird thing to say at all, was it?

Swirling some of the mouthwash standing on the side of the sink around his mouth, Robert quickly spit it out and patted his face dry, taking a few steadying breaths before he returned to Aaron’s room.

He was in bed, by time Robert got back, gently closing the door behind him, the room only illuminated by Aaron’s bedside lamp, the lighting soft, and yellow.

“You okay on the right side?” Aaron asked, sounding uncertain all of a sudden, the duvet bunched under his chest.

Robert nodded, giving Aaron an easy smile. “Sounds good,” he confirmed, pausing for a second before he got into bed beside Aaron, arms stiff by his side. It was definitely a tight squeeze, two fully grown men in a bed probably not intended for any more than two people to sleep in, and certainly not if they weren’t willing to cuddle up close.

Robert definitely wasn’t going to suggest they have a cuddle, he said, quickly shutting down the part of his brain that was craving the contact.

He’d been single for too long, clearly.

“Night, Robert,” Aaron said quietly, switching off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into complete darkness.

Robert turned on his side, closing his eyes tightly. “Night, Aaron.”

Robert never usually minded waking up with a hard-on. Honestly, it was usually a nice start to his morning - he was partial to starting his day off with a good wank, it got him nice and relaxed before he had to face the day.

Waking up with a hard-on, when he was sharing a bed with Aaron, his fake boyfriend who he definitely couldn’t shag, or wank in front of? That was less than ideal.

Especially when you considered they’d somehow ended up spooning, during the night, Robert pressed flushed to Aaron’s back, his very obvious erection shoved right into Aaron’s arse.

Dying, Robert decided, would be a more fun alternative to waking up and having an awkward conversation with Aaron about his accidental boner, trying to explain why his treacherous body decided waking up with a raging erection on Boxing Day, in Aaron Dingle’s bed, was the way to go.

Accidental boner. Like he was fifteen years old and getting hard in P.E because Jennifer Harris had to wear shorts from the lost and found bin that were a size too small for her.

Robert felt Aaron stir, and he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping if he pretended to be asleep, Aaron would get up first, and he could will his hard-on away, pretend like it had never happened.

“Mornin’,” Aaron mumbled, voice gravelly and thick with sleep. “You going to let go of me any time soon?”

“Hm?” Robert decided to feign sleepy ignorance.

“You held on tighter when you woke up, weirdo,” Aaron elbowed him, his voice teasing. “Come on, I want to have a shower, I feel rank.”

“You smell rank, too,” Robert mumbled, knowing it would earn him another elbow in the stomach from Aaron. They’d always been the type of friends who ripped the absolute piss out of each other, and he wasn’t going to let his accidental boner ruin the fun.

“Yeah, fuck you too,” Aaron replied, his voice still deliciously hoarse, and thick with sleep. “Go on, you can have a wank when I’m in the shower.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Robert shuffled away from Aaron, giving the other man a grumpy look as he eased himself out from under the covers, his dark hair sticking up at all sorts of odd angles.

Aaron grinned, looking entirely too satisfied with himself. “I know I’m attractive, Robert, it’s very flattering.”

Robert simply glared at him in response.

“I’m messing with ya,” Aaron snorted. “You want a shower first?”

Robert shook his head. “Nah, you go first,” he said, reaching for his phone, checking if anyone had texted him. Aside from a highly inappropriate ‘enjoy yourself’ text from Victoria, which they were definitely going to talk about later, because there was a line, when you were brother and sister, and Victoria for sure just crossed it with that one, there was nothing.

Looking up from his phone, Robert couldn’t help but smirk as he noticed the bulge in the front of Aaron’s trousers. “Looks like you need that wank more than I do,” he teased, eyes flickering to Aaron’s crotch in response to the other mans confusion.

Robert probably deserved the towel to the face he got, but it was worth it for the violent shade of pink Aaron’s face turned as he realised he’d been caught out.

Check, mate.

“Do you want me to come with you today?” Aaron asked, the two of them huddled over a stack of bacon butties, drinking coffee as though their lives depended on it. They probably did, to be fair, considering the amount of alcohol they’d drank in the past few days.

Robert looked up from the greasy mess he was savaging, giving Aaron a confused look. “What?”

Aaron looked suddenly unsure of himself. “The - the graveyard,” he said. “You said last night you were going today with Andy, and Vic and everyone. Do you want me to come with you?”

Robert’s heart felt like it was about to explode, at Aaron’s words. He knew how Aaron felt about the graveyard, knew how he’d avoided it as much as he could since Jackson, and yet here he was, offering to come with him. “You’d do that for me?” he asked, voice small.

Aaron looked at him as if the answer was obvious. “Of course I would.”

Robert paused, taking a steadying breath as he looked down at his half-eaten sandwich, grease shining on his fingers. “I’d like that,” he admitted, not quite looking at Aaron.

He wasn’t used to this, wasn’t used to wanting someone with him, when it came to things like this, his dad - his mum. Robert had always done these things on his own, muddled through alone.

And here was Aaron, being a mate, offering to come with him.

More often than not, Robert had ended up skipping the annual Christmas visit to the graveyard, much to Victoria’s upset, but here he was this year, walking down the main street of the village, Aaron by his side.

It was cold. Not cold enough for snow, Robert didn’t think, though he wouldn’t have been opposed to a white Christmas, but cold enough that he was tucking his chin into the woollen scarf he had wrapped around his neck.

“Do you miss her?” Aaron asked, his voice quiet, even quiet in the eerie silence of the village, most of Emmerdale’s residents still at home, sleeping off their Christmas hangovers.

Robert nodded. “Everyday,” he admitted. “I always think about how she’d feel, about me being bisexual.”

“I bet she’d be proud,” Aaron said, decisive.

“You think?”

Aaron nodded. “She’s your mum,” he said, as though it were entirely obvious. “I bet she’d be so proud, you were finally being true to yourself.”

“Weird phrase that, innit?” Robert said as they stepped into the graveyard. “True to yourself.”

“True, though.” Aaron shrugged. “Don’t you feel like a better version of you, now?”

He and Aaron had talked a lot, about being out, being proud. They’d talked from the first moment Robert had come out to him, nearly two years ago now, long before he’d had the confidence to embrace it fully, talked a lot since then.

“Yeah,” Robert confirmed, stomach twisting as he saw Victoria, Andy, Katie and Diane standing by their parents graves, talking quietly. “I do, actually.”

Aaron gave him a soft, secretive smile, nudging Robert’s hand with his own, intertwining their fingers tightly. “Got to play the supportive boyfriend, haven’t I?” he said by way of explanation.

Robert gave him a grateful smile, squeezing his hand in response. “Morning,” he greeted his family. “Flowers are beautiful, Vic,” he said, gesturing at the red roses she had in her hand.

It was always red roses, for their parents. Jack wouldn’t have cared, but Sarah loved red roses - growing up, there had always been a bunch on their kitchen table, the bigger the bouquet, the more their father had been apologising for.

“Merry Christmas mum, dad,” Victoria said, her age suddenly striking Robert. She was barely in her twenties, his sister, and she was an orphan - had been an orphan since she was a teenager.

How was that fair, really?

“It’s so good, to see you all here,” Diane said, an arm linked in Victoria’s. “Your mum and dad would be so proud of you.”

Robert fought, to keep his harsh words back, to swallow his anger. He’d always swallowed his anger, when it came to his father, had always kept it to himself, held it back.

He wouldn’t have been proud.

Shaking his head, Robert tugged on Aaron’s hand sharply, ignoring his families concerned looks as he stalked away from the graves, hating the panic that was rising in his chest.

“Robert!” Aaron called after him, Robert refusing to slow down, despite the clear concern in his friend’s face. “Robert, wait up, will ya?”

Robert wouldn’t have stopped, unless Aaron had grabbed onto his wrist, forcing him to come to a standstill. “I can’t,” he managed to choke out, hating the way his eyes filled with tears.

“You have to tell them, about what he did, Robert.”

Jack. Of course.

He’d told Aaron, one night, the two of them drunk at four am, Robert only recently coming to terms with being bisexual. He’d never been able to not tell Aaron things, never been able to hold anything back.

Robert shook his head. “I can’t,” he repeated, his voice breaking mid-sentence. “I can’t ruin their memory of him.”

“Even if you have to go through this every single time Christmas, or an anniversary rolls around?” Aaron countered, concern written all over his face. Honesty was the cornerstone of who Aaron was, and oftentimes, Robert wished he was more like him, but he wasn’t.

He wasn’t, and he never would be.

“Yes,” Robert nodded furiously. “Yes, Aaron, okay? I can’t - I can’t do it.”

Aaron nodded, quiet as he guided Robert to a nearby bench, sitting him down. “Then you talk to me,” he said, determined. “Talk to me about it.”

Robert didn’t really know where to start. They’d done the emotional conversation about what had happened, about what Jack had done, they’d done the tears, all of that.

What was left to say?

“I hate him,” Robert said. “I hate him for what he did, but I hate that I don’t hate him more. He - he’s still my dad, and I still care what he thinks, even now. I - I can’t stop thinking about how disappointed he’d be, if he saw me now.”

Aaron shook his head. “If he was alive today, and he was disappointed, it only proves he never deserved ya as a son,” he said, taking Robert’s hands in his own. “You’re a bit mad, but you’re still amazing, Robert.”

“A bit mad?” Robert snorted, loving how Aaron could make him laugh, even when it fell like his heart was shattering in his chest.

“It was your idea to scam our families into thinking we’re dating,” Aaron said in a stage whisper, grinning. “I mean it, though, you’re amazing. I don’t know what I’d do without you, sometimes.”

“Me too,” Robert echoed, shifting a little closer to Aaron. “Do you think we can get out of here before they come over?” he asked, glancing back to where his concerned family were standing, as though they were hesitant to come over.

“Probably, why?”

Robert smiled, his tears finally dissuading. “Let’s get out of the village for the day,” he said, standing up, tugging Aaron along with him. “I need to get out of here for a few hours. What do you say?”

Aaron returned the smile. “Lead the way, boyfriend.”

There wasn’t many places to go, on Boxing Day, all things considered. The only thing open in Hotten had been McDonalds, so they’d ended up getting milkshakes and going to the park, sitting on the swings, like they were five, or something.

“Do you ever think about having kids?” Aaron asked, the question out of the blue, all things considered.

“Sometimes,” Robert said. “I worry, though.”

“Why?”

“I’m my fathers son,” Robert quipped. “Why would I want to put a kid through that?”

Aaron shook his head. “You’re not like Jack.”

“You didn’t know him.”

“I know you, though,” Aaron said, kicking at the dirty gravel underneath his feet. “And I know how much you care, even if you don’t want to let on you do. I know you love Vic, and Bernice - and Andy, even if you pretend you don’t. I know - I know you’re a good person, Robert.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Robert blurted, wide-eyed at Aaron’s kind words.

“Am I usually not?” Aaron laughed, blue eyes bright as he grinned, sipping at his drink. He looked good, Robert decided, wearing a jumper Chas had bought him for Christmas, his ridiculous black puffer coat chucked on over it, hair half-arsed, making him look younger than he actually was.

“No, I -“ Robert cut himself off, laughing. “I don’t know what I meant.”

“I’m just being a good boyfriend,” Aaron grinned. “Did I tell you Finn tried to come onto me last night, by the way?”

Robert raised an eyebrow. “He what?”

“I was getting us new pints, and he came up to, saying all sorts about how I deserved better, deserved someone who was really going to love me,” Aaron said, scuffing at the toes of his shoes again. “Told him you were great at shagging my brains out, so I was alright, ta.”

Robert snorted. “I can’t imagine Finn Barton shagging anyones brains out.”

“He’s alright in bed, you know,” Aaron admitted. “I enjoyed myself. I just - he’s not the kind of person I want to be in a relationship with.”

“What kind of person do you want to be in a relationship with then? Hypothetically,” Robert inquired, slurping at the last of his milkshake. He felt a bit like a teenager, again, hanging out in a park to get away from their families.

“Someone confident,” Aaron said, decisive. “Someone who’s going to make me laugh - someone who’s going to make me want our dates to never end.”

Robert hummed his agreement. “Sounds nice.”

“I just - I’m at a place in my life where I’m ready for more, you know? I don’t just want to go and get shagged, you know? I want something real,” Aaron sighed, biting down on the side of his lip, clearly feeling as though he’d said too much.

“I get that, though,” Robert said. “There’s nothing quite like being in love, is there?”

Aaron shook his head. “No, there isn’t.”

They were quiet, for a few minutes, until Robert spoke again. “We should probably head back,” he said. “I’ve got a family tea I’m supposed to be back for, and Vic’ll have my head if I’m not here.”

“Do we have to go?” Aaron groaned. “I can’t take any more of my mum.”

Robert eased himself up out of the swing, offering his best friend, his fake boyfriend a smile. “I’ll take the long way home, don’t worry.”

Agreeing to post-Christmas drinks with apparently everyone under the age of thirty in the village wasn’t exactly how Robert wanted to spend his evening (if only because he was genuinely concerned he’d probably put Ross Barton’s head through a wall if he so much as tried to say something snarky), but it was how Aaron wanted to spend his, surrounded by the friends they’d grown up with.

Including Holly.

Now, Robert liked Holly. Out of all the Barton family, she was easily his favourite - she had a wicked sense of humour, and Robert liked that quality in people.

But she was getting on his last nerve tonight, too perceptive for her own good.

“You guys really aren’t into PDA, are you?” Holly said, gin and tonic held halfway to her mouth, a smirk plastered onto her face.

It was easy, to fake a relationship in front of your family. Your family didn’t really expect you to want to have a snog, every five minutes, but friends were a different story. Jokes about shagging, jokes about how tame they were, it was all free game.

She was going to get them caught out, she really was.

“What, you sayin’ we’re not together because I’m not sitting here, shoving my tongue down his throat?” Aaron said gruffly, sipping at his pint. “Bit weird, innit? You desperate to see us snog.”

“I’m just saying, I hardly expected Robert Sugden of all people to be tame,” Holly grinned. “You’ve really got that leash on tight, haven’t you?”

Robert felt Aaron bristle next to him, his anger practically tangible. “You’re just jealous you’re not getting any of this,” he joked, gesturing at himself, hoping it would ease the tension in the air.

Victoria seemed to get the message, guiding the conversation topic back to their New Year’s plans, Robert more grateful for his sister in that moment than he had been all of Christmas.

Holly seemed to be happy to drop the subject, Aaron too, until -

Well, until Aaron cornered him after he’d gone for a piss, Robert standing at the sink, washing his hands as his fake-boyfriend arrived, a determined look on his face. “You alright?” he asked. “Ross and Pete winning at darts again?”

“Do you still want that hickey?’

Robert raised an eyebrow at Aaron’s demanding tone. “You what?” he asked, deciding feigning confusion was his best bet, here. Of course he still wanted a hickey from Aaron, but he was hardly going to admit it without at least a little bit of push and pull.

“The hickey,” Aaron repeated, the determined look never leaving his face. “Do you still want it? Because I’m not having her, or anyone else thinking you and me aren’t good together.”

Robert couldn’t help but rise to the bait. “If you’ve got a point to prove, I suppose,” he said, cocking his head slightly, hoping the smirk he was directing at Aaron was as sultry as he was trying to make it, wanting to do his own bit of enticing.

Like he said, push and pull.

Before Robert could say anything else, Aaron had pounced, shoving Robert against the tiled wall of the bathroom, pressing his lips to his. He hadn’t expected a kiss, if he was honest, but Robert was willing to go with it, kissing Aaron back for all he was worth, indulging in the feeling of snogging for as long as Aaron let him.

Aaron’s mouth was red, and shiny as he pulled back, that determined look still in his eyes as he dropped his focus to Robert’s neck, grazing his teeth against the pale skin just above his collarbone.

A weak spot, if Robert was honest, practically trembling under the hands that were clinging tightly to his waist, Aaron gaining confidence, mouthing at his neck, biting harshly into his skin, soothing the sting with the flat press of his tongue, before he did it again, clearly determined to make the bruise last.

Robert remembered being fifteen, and sucking on the inside of his wrist once, to see what it would be like to give himself a hickey. It was nothing compared to this, compared to the feeling of Aaron’s mouth against his neck, breath hot and his focus unyielding.

He’d cum in his pants, if this went on long enough.

Robert really wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Aaron finally pulled away, wiping at his spit soaked lips. “Is it a good one?” he asked, surprised at how hoarse his own voice sounded.

Aaron grinned. “It’s a good one,” he confirmed, sounding far more unaffected than Robert felt, there and then. “I’ll get us another round in,” he said, jerking his thumb toward the exit.

Robert nodded numbly in response, feeling as though he was stuck to the wall, watching as Aaron left. Closing his eyes, Robert let the cool tile of the bathroom overwhelm him for a few seconds before he peeled himself away from the wall, looking at himself in the mirror.

One kiss and a hickey, and he looked positively undone, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide, as he processed what had just happened. Robert leaned forward a little, poking at the blooming bruise on his neck.

Aaron had done a bang up job of it, really.

Robert straightened his shirt, the hickey mostly hidden by the blue of the shirt, only to be revealed later in the night when he made a show of undoing his top buttons, rolling up his sleeves and throwing an arm across the back of Aaron’s chair, smirking happily at a surprised looking Holly.

He was going to wear his brand new hickey with pride, thank you very much.

Robert was very drunk. He figured he probably had one more drink in him, because if he was really drunk, he would think he was entirely sober, but Aaron and Victoria had decided for them, calling a taxi to leave Hotten just as Robert was eyeing up the bar for a parting whiskey and lime.

He was drunk, and his hickey (or badge of honour, as Victoria had taken to jokingly calling it) on full display, blooming purple and yellow against his neck. It had barely been two days, since Aaron had pounced on him in the bathroom and giving his neck a seeing to, and Robert couldn’t get it out of his head.

He wanted him.

Robert wasn’t sure of much, not now, not after the hickey, but he was sure he wanted Aaron. He wanted more of the talented mouth of his, wanted more of the man who’d been his best (and only) friend for so long, wanted his fake boyfriend.

It as a lot of wanting, honestly, which was exactly why Robert hadn’t protested when Aaron had pulled him out of the taxi at the Woolpack, his hand warm in Robert’s, Victoria seeing them off with a tease and a ‘I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner then, Robert.’”

(Boundaries, that was a conversation he still needed to have with Victoria.)

“Anyone would think you like sharing a bed with me,” Robert teased, cornering Aaron against the wall, the brick cold under his hands as he placed his hands either side of Aaron’s head, the other man giving him a wide-eyed look.

Aaron bit his lip, in that unconscious, entirely teasing to Robert way he always did, smirking. “Maybe I do,” he said, voice low, the kind of low Robert hadn’t ever really heard from his friend before.

Was Aaron Dingle giving him his best bedroom voice?

Raising an eyebrow, Robert ducked his head, pressing his mouth to Aaron’s neck, biting down harshly enough to elicit an involuntary moan from Aaron, his friend tangling his fingers in the hair at the back of Robert’s neck.

“I think it’s time I got some payback, don’t you?” Robert said, sucking and biting at the dip of Aaron’s neck, the groove between his neck and shoulder exposed under Robert’s wandering hands.

“Payback?” Aaron asked, a little breathless.

“Payback,” Robert confirmed, bringing a hand around the back of Aaron’s head, drawing their mouths together, barely an inch apart. He paused, waiting for Aaron to say something, trying to gauge his reaction to Robert’s antics.

He didn’t pull away.

“Do you want this as much as I do?” Robert asked, needing to know, needing the clarification. He was so keyed up, he felt like he could explode, if he was being entirely honest, and all it was going to take was a yes from Aaron.

Aaron studied his face carefully, giving a slight nod. “I want this,” he breathed, sliding his arms around Robert’s neck, puling them impossibly closer. “I want this, I want you.”

Robert pressed his lips to Aaron almost instantly, kissing him for all he was worth, pouring every inch of the want he was feeling into their embrace, barely able to hold back a groan as he felt Aaron’s tongue nudge against his lips, deepening their embrace.

Kissing Aaron was better than breathing, there and then, Robert decided, chest heaving from the lack of oxygen as he pulled away, lightheaded - and not because of the alcohol.

No, the cold air, and Aaron’s hands in his hair had more than sobered him up.

“Upstairs,” Aaron demanded, voice low, and gruff. “Now, Robert, get upstairs now.”

Robert didn’t need to be told a third time, planting one last, lingering kiss on Aaron’s lips before he backed away from the wall, letting the younger man lead him inside the quite pub, Chas shut up for the evening.

Aaron toed off his boots, by the stairs, gesturing for Robert to do the same, before he cared to carefully make his way upstairs, avoiding the creakiest steps. Robert tried to follow Aaron’s route as best as he could, but Aaron was still ssh-ing him, when he finally made it to his bedroom.

A few nights ago, the first time Robert had stayed with him, felt like a lifetime ago now as he shut the door behind him, the tension between them palpable, as though Robert could reach out, and physically touch it.

He couldn’t, but he could touch Aaron, Robert making short work of his jacket, crossing the room to where Aaron was standing, biting on his lip again. “You know ha only makes me want you more,” he commented, thumbing Aaron’s lip out from between his teeth.

“Maybe that’s why I do it,” Aaron said cheekily, shrugging off his own jacket. “Are you going to do anything, then? Or does the great Robert Sugden not live up to the rumours?”

“I’m better than the rumours,” Robert promised, drawing Aaron in for another kiss. He let himself waste some time on kissing Aaron, indulging in the feeling of his lips against Robert’s own, the way he was such a responsive kisser, happy to wrap his arms around Robert’s waist, and follow his lead, a hair shorter than Robert himself, the difference feeing more significant now they were both shoeless.

Pulling back from their kiss, Robert turned his attention to the buttons of Aaron’s shirt, easily popping the first few free, Aaron’s broad chest coming into view. He’d seen Aaron in various states of undress, over the years, but this felt different, as though the body under his hands was entirely new.

It was, really. New for Robert to map, and explore, with his hands, his mouth.

He was going to enjoy every second of this.

“I’ve wanted you since you gave me that hickey,” Robert admitted, pressing wet, open mouthed kisses to Aaron’s collarbone, his ribcage, enjoying the way Aaron didn’t quite manage to keep back a laugh, a tiny giggle escaping his lips. “Ticklish, are we?”

Aaron shook his head. “No.”

“I think you are,” Robert said, letting his breath graze over Aaron’s bare stomach, the other man squirming, another soft laugh escaping his lips. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmured, almost to himself, working the last buttons of Aaron’s shirt free, pushing it off his shoulders.

“S’not fair you’re still all bundled up,” Aaron commented, pawing at Robert’s jumper and shirt clad torso.

Robert grinned. “I’m not stopping you.”

Aaron took that as his invitation, yanking at Robert’s jumper, tossing it carelessly to the floor. Before Robert could protest the mistreatment of his favourite jumper, Aaron was undoing the buttons of his shirt like a man possessed, the greedy look on Aaron’s face as Robert went from fully dressed, to half naked, doing wonders for Robert’s ego.

“Two days isn’t very long,” Aaron commented, running his hands over Robert’s hips.

God, he had nice hands.

“Long enough,” Robert said, the still slightly drunk part of his brain wanting to admit to more, wanting to admit it had been so much longer. He hadn’t even really admitted it to himself, yet, but here he was, ready to u his drunken mess of thoughts out there for Aaron to know, to figure out.

Aaron grinned at him, that light up a room kind of smile that had always made Robert’s heart twist in his chest. “Lets not was any longer, than.”

“No,” Robert agreed, pulling Aaron’s body flush against his own. “Let’s not.”

Robert felt blissful, as he woke up, muscles sore and stretched in all the right ways. He couldn’t help but smile, as the memories of the previous night came flooding back, the ghost of Aaron’s lips still lingering against his own.

Touching the pads of his fingers to his mouth, Robert’s smile got wider.

That had been one of the best nights he’d had in a very long time, Robert decided, infinitely less embarrassed by his morning erection than he had been the last time they’d done this, Aaron’s naked arse against his dick a fairly good indication he might get lucky again.

“You’re insatiable,” Aaron murmured, head still buried in his pillow. “We’ve barely slept.”

“I’ve got a reputation for a reason,” Robert quipped. “We’re okay, right?”

Aaron shifted under the duvet, looking at Robert as if he’d grown an extra head “Why wouldn’t we be?” he asked, sleep soft and doe-eyed, a kind of dazed expression on his face that Robert could definitely get used to.

Get used to.

Like this was anything except a fake arrangement to get them both through the Christmas holidays without their family pestering them too much. Robert - well, he couldn’t get too invested, could he?

Not when Aaron wasn’t.

“I just mean… We’re still mates, yeah?” Robert said, gesturing between their naked bodies. “This isn’t going to ruin our friendship, or anything, is it?”

Aaron’s expression was unreadable for a second. “No, we’re good,” he said, offering Robert a bright smile. “You mind if I grab a shower first? We’re having lunch with Paddy and my mum at twelve.”

Robert shook his head. “As long as you don’t mind me having a wank here,” he said cheekily.

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Sex pest,” he mumbled, easing himself out of bed, wrapping a discarded towel around his hips, covering Robert’s momentarily blissful view of his arse.

Aaron had a nice back, Robert noted, watching as the broad expanse of Aaron’s shoulders and back, years of boxing training and five times weekly trips to the gym resulting in a body that genuinely looked like it had been shaped from granite.

Apparently, Robert really had a thing for muscles.

Lying back in Aaron’s bed, Robert couldn’t shake the warm happy feeling that had been settled in his stomach since he’d woken up.

It had been a good night.

A really good night.

Robert was on the verge of absolutely dying of laughter. Lunch with Paddy and Chas had been bound to be a bit weird, given Paddy’s actual personality, but he hadn’t banked on his own handiwork being so distracting.

Okay, so, maybe he’d been a little careless, and maybe the hickey he’d given Aaron the night before was too high on his neck for a jumper to cover, and maybe Paddy and Chas were sharing matching horrified looks, and maybe (just maybe) this was the funniest thing that had happened to Robert in weeks.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing for, my mum now fully thinks we’ve been shagging constantly!” Aaron hissed, kicking at Robert’s ankle under the table, Paddy and Chas in the kitchen, making tea, clearly having a hushed and overdramatic conversation.

“But we’re in love, Aaron, of course we’re shagging constantly,” Robert grinned, making a kiss-y face at he younger man.

“You are so lucky we’re faking this,” Aaron rolled his eyes. “I’d kill ya, if you were actually my boyfriend.”

Robert tried to ignore the sad feeling that somehow felt like it was consuming his entire body, at Aaron’s words. Somewhere between the previous night, and now, he’d sort of forgotten they were faking it, that it wasn’t just some new, tentative step for them.

It was fake, it was all fake.

Except.

Except, well, Robert had let himself get invested, hadn’t he? The parts of him he’d ignored for so long, the parts that had so very clearly and obviously wanted Aaron for so long, had burrowed their way up and out of him, and now - now he wasn’t sure there was any taking back.

He was done for.

Robert tried to return the grin, and ignore the feeling of his heart literally shaking inside of his chest, hoping it wasn’t as obvious as it seemed to him when he replied. “It’s a good job we are faking it, then.”

Fake, fake, fake.

It was all fake.

Robert just - he just had to keep telling himself that, until his treacherous brain had packed all the feelings he had for Aaron right back up, back in their dusty old boxes where they belonged.

It was fake.

Turns out, when you let all your internalised and repressed romantic feelings for your best mate, who you happen to be fake dating, out, there was no boxing them back up. Robert was being consumed by it, by how he felt, by how much he wanted it to be real.

He felt like a lovesick teenager, barely able to eat, or sleep, and Aaron was noticing. Robert, well - he wasn’t faking it like he had been, those first few days in Emmerdale, hadn’t been laying it on quite as thick.

(And maybe, maybe that was because Robert, in a way, wanted the jig to be up. wanted them to be found out so he wouldn’t have to spend so much time with Aaron, because maybe - maybe that was the cure he needed, for his out of the box feelings.)

Aaron clearly wasn’t on the same wavelength, having pulled Robert outside the pub, away from their friends, demanding to know why he’d had a personality transplant, over the last few days.

“I…..” Robert trailed off, knowing he didn’t have a decent excuse.

“This was your idea, you know!” Aaron exclaimed, shaking his head. “You suggested we fake a relationship, this was all your idea, and now you can’t even be bothered to make it even halfway believable? What is wrong with you, Robert?”

“I….” Robert trailed off again. It was now or never, he guessed. “The thing is, Aaron, all this pretending…. It hasn’t been easy.”

Aaron looked suitably confused. “I know,” he agreed. “But we’re only home for another three days, Robert, surely you can make it that long?”

“No, I mean - I mean, all this pretending, it’s made me realise something,” Robert said, hating how nervous he felt. This was Aaron, for crying out loud - Aaron, the first and only person he’d told about his dad. Aaron, the one person who knew his every thought, every secret, every part of him, good and bad alike.

He had never been able to hold anything back from Aaron, before.

“Realise what?” Aaron’s voice was gentle now, concern evident on his face. God, he was perfect, wasn’t he? Robert didn’t know anyone else who cared like Aaron did, his heart on his sleeve and bursting with love.

“That I don’t want it to be pretend, not anymore,” Robert said, shaking his head. “I know - I know this sounds mad, but I think I’ve wanted this, us for a long time now, and it’s Christmas, and you’re supposed to say these things at Christmas, right? Even if the other person doesn’t say it back.”

“Robert -“ Aaron tried to interrupt, his voice soft.

“I love you,” Robert blurted. “I love you, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same, but I just needed you to know, because fake-dating you, these past few days - it’s made me realise how much I really, genuinely do want to date you. I’m not saying this because I think you’re going to fall at my feet, or whatever, but I just -“

“Robert, shut up.”

Robert stared at Aaron, wide-eyed. “I’m pouring my heart out here, you know!” he exclaimed, offended Aaron had decided to interrupted. Sincerity was not part of his usual arsenal, he was trying.

“I love you,” Aaron echoed, a grin quirking the corners of his mouth. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I drop hints about it, all the time - but you’ve never noticed, and I figured you never wanted to notice.”

“You’ve been dropping hints?” Robert couldn’t help his confusion.

“You asked me, who my ideal date was,” Aaron stepped a little closer. “And I described you. Someone who makes me laugh, someone I never want dates to end with.”

“That could have been anyone,” Robert mumbled, cheeks flushing red as all the pieces began to slot together, and he realised just how oblivious he had been to Aaron’s feelings all along, as well as his own.

“Tall, blond,” Aaron continued, grinning widely now. “Cocky as hell. Softer than he’d ever let anyone except me know.”

“Great in bed,” Robert offered, his heart racing in his chest now, as the realisation of what was happening started to really kick in. Aaron loved him, he’d loved him for a long time now - through all Robert’s worst bits.

“Mm, not as good as me,” Aaron teased. “But I’m willing to keep putting it to the test.”

“You really love me?” Robert couldn’t keep the awe from his voice, as he looked at Aaron. It was started to snow, funnily enough, tiny white flakes settling on the shoulders of Aaron’s jumper, in his hair.

A perfectly cliche moment, if there ever was one.

“I love you,” Aaron confirmed, cupping Robert’s face in his hands, pressing his lips to Robert’s in a soft, barely there kiss, but one so filled with emotion Robert didn’t quite know how to react. “I love you more than you know, Robert Sugden.”

If it was anything like the love he could feel blooming in his chest, taking over his entire body, making a home in amongst all his good, and bad, and ugly bits, Robert knew.

“They say Christmas has a funny way of bringing people together, you know,” Robert quipped, scrunching up his nose as the snow started to get heavier, cold and wet against his skin.

“Are you sayin’ Christmas magic brought us together?” Aaron snorted, slinging his arms around Robert’s neck, keeping him close. He didn’t seem bothered, by the cold - or he wasn’t letting on if he was, cheeks tinged pink with happiness as they stood out in the night air.

Robert grinned. “It is the most wonderful time of the year, after all.”

(And god, it really was.)

fin

#robron fanfiction #Robron #aaron x robert #emmerdale

188 notes · View notes

babevogue · 7 years ago

Text

Shows that made my 2017 better

So last year I made a list of shows that made my year better. Now I will say that 2016 was a FAR WORSE year than 2017 was for me. In 2016 I had academic pressure than was awful and I started a new school and all my friends ended up in different classes than me together, so that was fun. But then came 2017 and was all around just AWSOME and along with that awesome-ness came some amazing shows. Last year I just made a bullet list, but I thought that this year I should make some mini reviews, so here I go:

Fist off, my 2017 was dominated by animated shows/anime, so my eyes have really been opened to this amazing artform this year. HERE I GO:

My hero Academia/Boku no hero Academia

What an awesome show. I watched this in November/December and I love the premise, characters and plot. It has really breathed some life into the superhero genre and is an all-together fun look at what it would be like if everyone in the world had different super-powers. It has stunning animation and the manga is also super-cool and goes in a great direction. Both the anime and manga is super-recommended.

Favorite character(s): I love Todoroki, he is awesome (and I’m a slut for angsty backstory so…). Deku is great. Actually, can I just write every character here? except Mineta, fuck Mineta!

Greatest qualities about the show: The character dynamics! The way the characters interact with each other is immaculate and they just fit together great. I also really like how each arc is structured and paced.

Negatives: The girls are sometimes a little bit passive for my liking, and if there was an arc with Mineta dying I would not be mad.

Bojack Horseman

I binged this show and fell in love. What might just appear as just a wacky adult cartoon at first glance (and first couple of episodes) is actually a deep depiction of many modern-day topics and problematics such as depression, alcoholism, drug-use, sexuality, sex work, feminism, politics and of course life in Hollywoo(d). The human-like animals might be jarring at first, but it uses the character designs to its advantage with hilarious animal-puns and situations alongside making the show more lighthearted despite the shows heavy subject-matter.

The show is about the horse Bojack who was a famous sitcom star in the `90s and his slump of a life post sitcom star life and his journey back to stardom. The blend between humor and chilling, haunting realism is amazing to watch unfold alongside clever and real character development that is beautiful to watch. Ironically the most aesthetically absurd looking show on this list has the most realistic story. Great social commentary disguised as a comedy.

Favorite character(s): Everyone is flawed in Bojack Horseman, but the most interesting characters in this show for me are Bojack and Diane. So, I would say Diane is my favorite to observe.

Greatest qualities about the show: The way it discusses social issues. Its stunning and thought-provoking.

Negatives: It’s a little bit slow and odd in the beginning and some might find it a little too sad.

Rick and Morty

I discovered this show around Easter time and WOW! No show like any other on this list handles surrealism and absurdist comedy, parody and satire quite like Rick and Morty. The show about the scientist Rick and his grandson (with his grand-daughter Summer joining inn somtimes) Morty going on wacky space adventures. Ricks dick-ish nature contrasts Morty’s wide-eyed curiosity turned cynicism perfectly. The show has fun world building, alongside a great blend between one-off adventures and overarching plot. Visually the show is both stunning and disgusting making it an interesting aesthetic journey for the viewer. Funny, crazy and surprisingly deep at times. And btw watching Rick and Morty does not make you smarter nor require you to be a super-intellectual.

Favorite character(s): Morty is always delightful.

Greatest qualities about the show: Its really funny and has really great world building/concepts within the show.

Negatives: It sometimes boards on a little to gross and has some growing pain in the start.

This is kind of a shout-out to a second season of show from last year’s list so:

Stranger Things 2

Such a good “sequel”. I enjoyed every moment of the show (even the controversial Chicago episode). The characters developed, the plot developed, the new characters were amazing and tone and aesthetic from the first season was carefully preserved and used immaculately. The 80`s reference game was just as strong. For anyone who has lived under a rock the last year and a half the show (first season at least) is about the mysterious disappearance of middle-schooler Will Beyers. The year is 1983, location Hawkings, Indiana.

Favorite character(s): Steve Harrington deserves the world in season 2. I also really like Mike.

Greatest qualities about the show: Addicting story. SO BEAUTIFULLY SHOT! Amazing acting from everyone.

Negatives: Ok, I lied the Chicago episodes stagnated the plot to some extent. I just don’t hate the episode as much as everyone else.

And last but CERTANTLY not least:

Ok so I’m cheating on this one I watched this show in January but I watched the first episode in December so I’m including it and also I’m so in love and I wanted to include it here rather than next year’s list because I want it fresh in my mind.

Fullmetal Alchemist/Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

So, this entry is technically 2 shows. One was created in 2003 based on a manga by the same name but diverges from the manga around the half-way point because it ran out of material to adapt and goes in its own direction. The other is from 2009 and is a straight adaption of the manga. This creates 2 shows with the same central characters, plot and starting points that diverges GREATLY from each other and they are both amazing!

The plot goes like this; In a world where alchemy developed, you cannot create something with alchemy without having the materials that equals to what you want to make. Example: if you want to create a radio you need all the materials that make up that radio to create it. This is known as equivalent exchange and it cannot be broken.

When the young brothers Edward and Alfonse Elric’s mother dies they try bring her back using alchemy. In the process Edward loses and arm and a leg while Alfonse loses his entire body and is only left with his soul which is now bonded to suit of armor. The brothers must seek out a way to find a way to get their bodies back.

IT IS AMAZING! Both versions are amazing, but I slightly prefer the 2009 version also known as Brotherhood. It explores dark and philosophical themes and questions such as mass genocide, the life of the military, PTSD, fascism, war, politics, what is god/playing god, what is the price of a soul is, loss and most importantly daddy-issues.

There is no end to how much this series deserves praise (mostly referring to Brotherhood here). From the way its gorgeously animated, to the pacing, the way it handles it subject matter and issues and has relatable characters. The character development is perfect, and the plot never meanders or goes into dead ends and concludes beautifully. Even the attention to details is impressive with examples such as the way it shows the characters physically aging and demonstrating where in timeline the scene takes place with subtle hair changes. Fullmetal Alchemist (brotherhood) is like watching someone pouring all the puzzle-pieces out on the table and watching someone cleverly and creatively putting them together, thus creating a magnificent art-piece in the in the process. I would also like to mention one of the most amazing aspects of both versions being the way female characters actions, traits, part in the plot, abilities and dialogue are some of the best female writing I have ever seen. Ironically enough in a work marked towards teenage boys.

Favorite character(s): Fullmetal Alchemist is the kind of show that I like to call having “parks and rec”-syndrome, where genually love everyone, however If I have to pick I might say Winry. I absolutly lover her and I think she is a great role model, hillarious and greatly written.

Greatest qualities about the show: The way it deals with its subject-matter. And also everything else about the show, but especially that.

Negatives: Nothing about the show, just a little girl and her dog that im a little tierd being meme-ed to death on reddit but also kinda laugh so im a little bit conflicted, but there is no negatives that I can think of.

That was it, bye-bye 2017, I watched some fine televison in your year, and I hope to find some just as good in 2018.

5 notes · View notes

awed-frog · 7 years ago

Note

I recently saw 12x01 again and I couldn't help but notice that as the first episode of the season it seems to predict a very different storyline than what actually happens in the following episodes. Lady Toni Bevell seems an interesting character with a backstory. Ms. Watt is like a female Mr. Ketch, and the bmol seem to be well-organized and upcoming danger. Yet none of this plays out the way it's obviously set up. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you for answering :)

Hi there! Sorry for leaving this ask for a couple of days - it’s such an interesting question, and I wrote and erased a few novels trying to do it justice, because you’re right, aren’t you? The end of S11 made us a Toni promise that never came to be, and why is that? I’m not sure I have a definitive answer for you, but here’s what I’m thinking right now: as far as I can tell, the fact Toni and Ms Watt were obliterated from the narrative, and the way the BMoL idea was executed (ie, badly) have to do with a series of elements that are recurring problems in Supernatural as a whole.

1) Secondary characters: no, no and nope

The most obvious thing is that, at this point, this should be way more of a choral story than it actually is. I mean - I’ve got nothing against Sam and Dean - their dynamic is fascinating, and either of them could be the sole subject of several novels, but the thing is, the fact they don’t hang out with other people more often is just not credible anymore. Since this has been discussed many times before, I’ll just point out that while this ‘the two of us against the rest of the world’ framework was perfect in earlier seasons (and, more importantly, justified, because of John and his - understandable - paranoia about what would happen to Sam if word of his ‘condition’ got out), it simply doesn’t work now - in fact, the characters themselves don’t want to be alone and, what’s more, we know they aren’t. There are hints here and there pointing to a lot of socializing going on behind the scenes - from Jody implying they hang out with her fairly often to Sam getting a lot of practice in ASL, it’s clear that Sam and Dean know they’ve got friends, or people they’re interested in, and that they do spend time with them. When you consider this, it’s even more baffling and annoying that the show often takes great pain not to reflect this. And, I mean, that’s probably one of the reasons many of us write detailed metas of Supernatural and don’t bother with other shows - because in other shows, the significant stuff tends to happen out in the open, but here - here there are very important moments we just miss, and the longer the show goes on, the less clear it is what their reasoning is.

Now, in regard to Toni, I believe this is the first problem: if you want a character people will be interested in, and especially if you want a villain your audience will be invested in, then you need to make time to show us who they are and why they act the way they do. With Toni, the finale made it pretty clear that they meant to build a kind of ‘mothers’ parallel between her and Mary, and she made sense in the narrative for a whole string of other reasons (the class conflict and Sam’s history with unsuitable women being the most obvious ones), but, again, those things needed to be developed. Instead, what we were told about Toni (rich, used to go out with Ketch, has a kid, smart, skewered moral compass), Ms Watt (good with weapons, likes tight buns and blowtorches) and the BMoL (ends over means, Kidz Fight Club, seems to employ very questionable people, kickass accents) remained superficial and stereotypical, and here’s your vicious cycle - the less time you’ve got to develop a character, the more 2D they’ll be, the less the audience will want to see them, the less room you’ll have to make them more interesting.

(That applies to friends and allies too - but to a lesser extent, because we want to like friends and allies in a way we don’t enemies and opponents.)

2) Buckleming

Another problem Toni had is that female villains are much less redeemable than male villains, and that’s just a fact. We expect, or we demand, women to be - kind. Maternal. Sweet, even. The fact men will, on occasion, give in to their demons is perceived as normal and therefore something that can be fixed, while a woman fucking up, or being deliberately cruel - yeah, that’s too much and we lose interest. Supernatural knows this well - let’s call it the ‘Bela effect’ - which is why they should have known bloody better. Like, if they wanted Toni to stick around, they shouldn’t have let Buckleming get their hands on her. Because here’s another open secret: torture is forgivable; sexual abuse is not. It’s just one of those things, isn’t it? I’m not saying that’s right or wrong; it just - happens. And here, well - there’s no way to be sure - but my general feeling is, Dabb told Buckleming Toni was supposed to hurt Sam in some way, and left it at that: the ‘is rape reeeeeaaaally rape if it’s filmed in candle light, though?’ action was all Buckleming, because this is how they write and this is what they like. And knowing what we know of Sam’s history - knowing he’s probably not forgiven himself for ever trusting Ruby - what they had Toni do to him was unforgivable. Not to mention this fact that female characters have to be connected to sex, and have to get naked - like, it’s 2017 and what the fuck? So, whatever - I don’t know if they do polls or read our blogs or anything like that, but as soon as that scene aired - yeah, that was Toni’s character dead and gone. No way any female character could have come back from that.

3) Everything is always about Dean, and why?

Another element is that the S11 finale was a promising way of giving Sam something to do in S12 - and that never came to be. Because, yeah, the frustrating thing is that Sam’s an amazing character, and Jared plays him well, and every season there are tons of things that could be made about him, and yet that never happens. The S11 finale was interesting in this sense because it played on so many different levels - to me, it was very chiasmic and dissonant (and that cleverly upped the ante), in the sense that Sam and Dean were paired with the exact wrong person. What I mean by that is: Sam is the one who would be unsettled by the psycho woman killer, because he’s been burned by that before, and he’s the one who’s always needed his mother back so he could finish building his sense of self. Dean, on the other hand - well, to him Toni potentially represented what he’s wanted his whole life: someone else in charge, someone who could solve this ‘monsters problem’ and finally allow him to retire and let go of this responsibility. Mary, on the other hand - as much as Dean worshipped her memory, as much as he did want her back, Mary was also a threat to Dean, because, you see - Dean’s played her role his entire life, so if she’s back, where does that leave him? And, just as importantly, having Mary back means dealing with his memories of John, something Dean really doesn’t want to do. In fact, for all the emotional drama that S12 stirred up, to me one of the most moving scenes, a moment I really found poignant and heartbreaking, was Dean trying not to talk about John - Dean staying behind long after his mother and brother had gone to bed, Dean slowly drinking himself to sleep on the kitchen floor, like a small child, Dean turning over and over in his hands an old family photograph.

Ouch.

Instead, well, S12 didn’t deliver on any of that, because Sam, once more, was pushed to one side. What the real conflict was? Dean’s reaction to this whole situation. Dean coping with Mary being back, Dean frowning at the BMoL. Sam’s feelings were solved as uncomplicatedly as ever - when they were shown at all - which means Toni had to go, because she was a character meant for Sam, because Dean doesn’t do women, ultimately because -

4) Dean’s got a secret, and I wonder what it is (insert ‘we just don’t know’ gif)

Just kidding. We know what the secret is. Hell, I think there’s rocks on the freaking Moon who know what the secret is. Still, it doesn’t matter, because until it’s textual, it’s a secret, and it just sits there, weighing down every bit of narrative like a bag of concrete.

And here I feel I should say one thing: when I write ‘Dean doesn’t do women’, I don’t mean that in a sexual sense. I simply mean that Dean bonds more easily with male characters, and is normally paired off with male characters. Part of it are his daddy issues with John, and part of it it’s the fact he’s bi and there’s UST to play with when he’s associated to the right person, but, of course, there’s other stuff as well. In any case, S12 became Dean’s story almost at once, because every season always is, and that’s something else that doomed Toni, because Dean and Toni? Not gonna happen. Ever. And I don’t know if you watch Episodes (and if you don’t, you really should), but as I was thinking about this whole issue I was reminded of Matt LeBlanc (who plays himself, because this show is awesome) explaining to British screenwriter Beverly Lincoln why one of her main characters couldn’t be a lesbian. Here is the full quote (and keep in mind Matt is playing an asshole, so disregard the slur):

“There’s something wonderful about your character loving this woman he can never have. He refuses to believe that one day she won’t come around. I mean, yeah, it makes him look a little foolish, but it’s funny and sweet. It’s one of the best things in the show. It humanizes the guy. You totally feel for him.”

“Then why change it?”

“How many years did you do the show in the UK?”

“Four series.”

“That’s how many episodes?”

“24.”

“Right. That’s one season for us. Friends did 236 episodes. You’ve got to give yourself places for stories to go. How long do you think Ross and Rachel would have lasted if Rachel had been a lesbian? Or Sam and Diane on Cheers? Or Frasier and…I don’t know who. I never watched that show. Look, you’re the writer, but I’m telling you…Audiences need something to root for. And when we’re in season 3, and you’re up at midnight, looking for stories, you’re gonna be banging your head against the wall, saying, ‘How many times can this guy hit on the dyke?’”

Again, Matt is often gross af on that show, but I think this is an important point: UST is something that keeps you right the fuck there, and keeps you the fuck watching. Chemistry between your characters is important. And Dean - Dean doesn’t have that with women. For whatever reason, he just doesn’t. It’s not like they never tried to go there - lately, they tried it with Amara, but it really didn’t work, just like it didn’t work with Jo back in the day. Compare and contrast with the effortless, possibly unwanted intensity there is between Dean and a number of male characters - think of Benny, of Victor, of Crowley. And I’m thinking maybe the problem here is that Dean is uncomplicatedly easy to please in this department - he’s a good-looking guy, he’s a smooth talker, and he’s not looking for the love of his life - either because he feels like he doesn’t deserve anyone or because he assumes he’ll be dead in a week, anyway (which one it is generally depends on his mood) - this means he won’t obsess over women like some other men do. In fact, he doesn’t care about that at all. No, just - when he’s got time and he’s not too blue, he’ll try and talk someone into spending the night; if it works, great, and if it doesn’t, let’s move on to someone else. Whatever. Men, though - that’s another matter completely, and that’s why, I think, Dean is mostly associated with men in a way Sam is not. Because Dean and men - there’s conflict there. Dean is desperate for approval, he wants to be liked, and as I said, that stems from issues he had with his father, sure. So he will automatically be more tense around men than he is around women, and if you take his sexuality into account - yeah, there’s your UST, and that’s how your audience keeps watching - because consciously or subconsciously, they can see the tension there. There is where the story gets interesting. Dean and Henchwoman n.1 - yeah, maybe two minutes of comedy or whatever (which is what we got when Ms Watt beat him up); but Dean and Ketch - uh uh.

5) The American dream

And finally, the problem they had with the BMoL is that same problem plaguing many American movies and shows: they write villains badly, because they normally stick to their tried-and-tested ‘lovable maverick defeats evil empire’ narrative - something that has its roots, I think, in Westerns and has since spilled over even in official government propaganda. Like, how many times have we heard that the US defeated the Nazis through sheer bloody-mindedness and personal honour and adorable disorganization? Uuuuugh. Historically, that’s complete bullshit, but it’s also bullshit that’s been repeated so many damn times we find it comforting and soothing, which is why we love stories centered around this trope. And Hollywood is more than happy to deliver: basically every Harrison Ford movie and every Tom Cruise movie and most WW2 movies are about the exact same thing: a small group of ramshackled heroes taking on an organized, efficient organisation - and winning.

Now, the problem with this trope is that in reality, it’s highly unlikely that you can defeat a group that’s more organized than you are and has superior technology. Look at the Celts: we estimate the Romans killed about one million of them - and, on the whole, it was an easy victory. Caesar barely got any political credit for basically offing every life form North of the Alps.

(To me, a second problem of using that narrative over and over and over again is that it promotes a sense of distance between citizens and any kind of organized power - and we know that distance is a problem in the US, where many people legit believe they’ll have to defend themselves against the federal government at some point - legit believe that they can win.)

From a screenwriting point of view, what this means is that if you’re using this trope in your story, you’d better write something that’s 100% solid and perfectly explains why the hell your ragtag group of heroes can actually win. I don’t watch a lot of war movies, so not a lot of examples come to mind, but something that could work is the Indiana Jones answer - the Nazi armies are well-organized and all, but individual soldiers have no sense of initiative and those at the top are too greedy for their own good; and our hero, well - he’s Smart but also Humble, and that’s why he picks the wooden cup and also knows better than to look inside a magical God box. And here we go back to point 1: in order to make this trope plausible, you need to spend time on your enemy and show why, exactly, they can be defeated by a Lionhearted Lonesome Cowboy - but since Supernatural wants to stick to its ‘two brothers show’ model, we never knew enough about the BMoL to make the narrative convincing, hence the contradictions that you mentioned. They would have liked to write about Sam and Dean defeating a perfectly organized supranational entity which has managed to wipe out all the monsters in the UK, and that’s what they wrote in the S11 finale, but what actually happened in S12 is that they needed to turn up the ‘idiot button’ all the way to ‘high’ to explain why the Winchesters were able to defeat the BMoL almost on their own. And that’s how you explain Ketch not killing them all when he had the chance, Mick mixing up feet and meters, this all-powerful group sending over, like, four people to control an entire continent, those unexplained, illogical and tardive deals with Crowley (which, seriously, wtf), and the fact they kept the Winchesters alive in the first place when all their research had shown both of them were incompetent, dangerous, independent-minded and plain pig-headed. None of it makes any sense.

So, here you go. To me, that’s basically what ruined S12, because many of the same issues can be applied to how they butchered Mary’s character, to the plot inconsistencies, to the bizarre way Jody shows up and disappears, and, of course, to Lucifer being the farce he is, to Crowley dying the way he did, and to Cas rivergambling his way around. The framework Supernatural’s using is not bad, but it was conceived for the first five seasons of this show, which were telling a totally different story, and that’s why they should have the courage to change it.

#ask #spn meta #spn season 12 #toni bevell #dean is bi #some criticism #warranted i think #but look!#no ranting!#:)

31 notes · View notes