#and italians make mistakes with congiuntivo

[polyglot-sock]

"I wish I could write in English like a native speaker" bro native speakers don't know about the difference between they're, there and their

[marie-swriting]

To Kiss Her - Robin

Stranger Things Masterlist

Summary : Three times you wanted to kiss Robin but didn't and one time you did.

Warnings : fluff, mutual pining, quick mention of homophobia, happy ending, maybe some grammatical mistakes as English is not my first language, tell me if you see some or if I missed any warnings.

A/N : The asterisk (*) next to an italic sentence is in Italian and it means "If I could, I would kiss you."

Word count : 2.4k

French version

Song inspiration : Why Didn't I Kiss Her (The Useless Lesbian Song) by Ratwyfe

In Robin’s bedroom, you’re both laying down on her rug, next to her bed. Madonna’s voice can be heard in the room, the music is not too loud so as to not bother you in your activities ; reading for you, homework for Robin. You’re deep in your fiction until you hear your best friend sighing. You raise your head and see her erasing something in her notebook. Your eyes go from her hands holding her pencil to her focused face. You look at her frown eyebrows, her eyes travelling from one line to another and finally, you admire her lips. You study them while she’s pinching them before delicately biting her bottom lip. At that moment, you only want one thing : to kiss her. 

You don’t really know when your feelings for Robin started, it just did. Robin is your best friend since diapers, you trust her and you can’t imagine a life without her. For you, it’s just normal to want to forever have her next to you.

Robin looks up at the ceiling, forcing you to bring your attention back to your long-forgotten book. She groans and you act as if you just gave up on your reading to look at her for the first time in an hour.

“What’s the matter ?” you chuckle.

“I’m struggling with my Italian homework and it’s starting to annoy me a lot.”

“I’m sure you can do it. You’re good at languages.”

“Not when it’s about congiuntivo.” Robin complains and you frown.

“Congiun-what ?”

“It’s a mode.”

“And it is for… ?”

“In my exercise, I have to do a hypothesis, like : If I were rich, I’d buy a ferrari.” she explains.

“Oh, so it’s not that complicated then.”

“You don’t know the Italian conjugation.”

“True. Maybe if you’d make me an example, I’d understand better.” you propose and she gives you an insistent look. “What ? I’ve almost never heard you speak in Italian ! I’m curious. Come on, say a hypothesis with your congiu-thing.” you ask, sitting cross-legged.

“Ok, huh…”, Robin starts, thinking, “Se potessi, ti bacierei*.” she says, blushing lightly.

Upon hearing Robin speaking in Italian, you do everything you can to not show a reaction. Robin knows a lot of languages and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel anything when she’s speaking one of them. For a second, you stare at her, not knowing how to play it cool.

“It was…”, you stutter, “it seemed correct. I mean I don’t know any Italian but it sounded good.”

“Yeah, well it was a simple sentence. Nothing special.” Robin specifies, looking away.

“What does it mean ?” you question and she looks at you, confused. “The sentence.” you add.

“Oh, huh… something stupid.”

“Meaning ?”

“I… I said if I could, I’d go away from here.” she informs you, yet you know her tell.

“You’re lying.”

“Am not !” Robin defends herself avoiding your gaze.

“Robin, I've known you since we were toddlers, I know when you’re lying. What did you say ?”

“Exactly what I just told you.”

Still not convinced by her answer, you throw yourself at her and tickle her. Robin falls backwards, laughing. You keep attacking her at the same time, you order her to tell you the real translation. She insists she told you the truth and you tickle her some more. Robin tries to protect herself by attempting to grip your hands. After a minute, Robin is giggling so much she’s struggling to breath. You stop your ticklings and you realise how close you are with Robin. Half of your body is on her body, her hands are holding your wrists and only a few inches are keeping your faces apart. You look deeply in her eyes and automatically, your head gets nearer to hers. For a second, you’re staring at her lips again. You’re dying to finally taste them. The more the tension is rising, the more you’re telling yourself you’re going to kiss her. When you’re about to press your lips against hers, you panic and get up, making Robin frown.

“I gotta go.” you say, packing your things, “I just remembered I have to do something for my mom.”

“Can’t you do it later ?”

“No. I won’t have the time if I do. See you in class.”

Without giving Robin a second look, you run away from her room. When you’re in the streets, you sigh loudly and walk quickly to your place. On your way home, you curse at yourself. You had the perfect opportunity to kiss Robin. She didn’t look upset to have you this near and you literally ran away. You can’t stop repeating to yourself ‘why didn’t I kiss her ?”. You try to stop your complaints by thinking you might have done the good thing by not kissing her. It’s your best friend ; you could have ruined your friendship. Furthermore, Robin has a crush on Vickie. She’s not attracted to you. You would have broken your own heart. In the end, you did the good thing by not kissing her.

A month has gone by since your almost kiss with Robin. You didn’t find yourself in a similar situation again so you’ve been able to control your emotions. Finally, in the meantime, Robin announced to you she managed to have a date with Vickie. You showed your joy when she informed you but deep down, you were bitter. Of course, you know you’ll never have a chance with Robin though it doesn’t mean you can’t feel the hurt when she admits to you she has another girl in mind.

After her date with Vickie in the afternoon, Robin came to your place to have a sleepover. You’re currently in your kitchen, making some popcorn. Robin is telling you the plot of the movies she rented. You say to her she can choose whatever she wants and she goes to put the VHS in the player. When she comes back to you, you’re putting the popcorn in a bowl. You hand her two glasses and Robin informs you she picked a romance movie. You use this information to ask her the burning question.

“By the way, you haven’t told me about your date with Vickie. How did it go ?” you ask, casually.

“It was good but we called it quits.”

“What ? I thought you liked her.”

“I did too. It’s just we felt like nothing would happen between us. It’s better like that.” she admits and she doesn’t seem sad.

“Too bad. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect girl for you, Robin.”

“You too, you’ll find the right one for you.”

You put your arm around her shoulders to give her a side hug before going to your living room with your candies and to turn on the movie.

In the middle of the story, Robin ends up putting her head on your shoulder and you can’t help but put yours on top of hers, a smile on your face. A few minutes later, you hear her steady breaths and from time to time, some light snores. You hold back a laugh so as not to wake her up. Obviously, she’s asleep, even if she promised you it wouldn’t be the case. In spite of yourself, your eyes go from the TV to Robin’s hand who is now on your leg. As you look at her, you just want to lace your fingers to hers. Slowly, you get your hand closer to hers, yet you don’t dare to touch her. After long seconds, you end up giving up and your hand finds its way next to hers. You focus back on the movie, trying to forget Robin’s hand. Shortly thereafter, Robin positions herself back gently, putting her head a bit more in the crook of your neck. In her movement, her hand brushes yours and subconsciously she ties her fingers to yours. Upon feeling her touch, you take a deep breath, enjoying her presence next to you. You tighten your hand a bit more around hers and keep watching the movie with a big smile on your lips.

When the credits roll, you turn off the TV. Even though it breaks your heart, you lightly shake Robin, she slowly opens her eyes and removes her head from your shoulder. When she realises she fell asleep, a guilty expression takes place on her face.

“I’m sorry, I promised you I would watch the whole movie.” she apologises, setting her eyes on you.

“It’s okay.”

You both don’t add anything else and keep looking at each other. Robin with her sleepy eyes and yours wide open. Your hands are still holding each other and like the last time, your faces are only a few inches away. Robin is the one who is looking deeply in your eyes. You hold your breath, telling yourself today is the day. Robin gets nearer to you and when you feel her breath against your lips, you get up from the couch. Robin is bewildered whilst you start tidying up the things on the living room table.

“We should go to sleep. You’re tired.” you announce, taking Robin aback.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Robin takes the empty popcorn bowl as well as your glasses and goes to the kitchen. When she’s out of your sight, you look up, desperate because of your reaction. This time, you can’t even use Robin’s feelings for Vickie as an excuse, she told you herself she doesn’t like her that way so why didn’t you kiss her ? Sometimes, you don’t even understand yourself.

The end of the school year is getting closer and you still haven’t made your move to kiss Robin or at least to ask her out on a date. You don’t know what to do and it’s not as if you could ask your best friend about it ; Robin is your best friend, so you suffer in silence.

One day, with Robin, you decided to go to the movie at the mall. After the movie, you don’t leave the place and go around the shops. You don’t necessarily buy stuff but as long as you’re together, it’s what matters. You walk in the direction of the bookshop of the mall when Robin’s eyes go wide.

“What is it ?” you question. 

“My boss is here.”

“And ? You asked for a day off, didn’t you ?”

“Technically, no.” she confesses, panicked.

“What do you mean ?”

“I knew he’d say no so I called in sick this morning. I pulled the ‘I can’t leave the bathroom because I have this huge stomachache’ card. He can’t see me. Come on !”

Without a warning, Robin takes your hand and runs in the opposite direction. You follow her with difficulty. Sometimes, she throws glances behind her back. After running for a minute, she pushes you in a hidden corner of the mall. You catch your break then you end up laughing. When your laughs finally die, you realise in what position you’re in. Your back against the wall, Robin in front of you and her hand still in yours. Your eyes go from her eyes to her lips and you see a lock of hair stuck in her lip gloss. With your hand, you remove it and tuck it behind her ear. Your hand doesn’t leave her cheek. One small effort and your lips will finally touch each other. Although, you don’t move, too afraid. Your hands get more and more clammy and you don’t want her to feel it so you take your hand away and clear your throat.

“We should go.” you whisper, “We wouldn't want him to see you.”

“No, we wouldn’t.” Robin mutters with a small disappointed tone.

Robin breaks her embrace from you, giving up your hand. She looks around, making sure the coast is clear while you get a grip on yourself. You do everything to not show your frustration. ‘Why didn’t I kiss her ?’, you tell yourself. Again. There was only one move to do and it was done. Your lack of courage is utterly annoying.

The month of June has finally arrived and with Robin, you waited for it impatiently. Now that you have a car, you both decided to go to Indianapolis and to go to Pride for the first time. You spent the day walking in the street holding signs claiming your rights you made the day before. During the whole march, you held hands, enjoying each other’s company in this special moment. When the afternoon ended, you drove back home regretfully. You wish you could stay in this bubble where you felt totally free, in spite of the reality. On the way home, you bought food at a fast food place and you parked in a calm spot to eat in the back of your pickup, after you put some blankets in it.

Once you finished eating, you don’t leave right away. You have less than one hour to drive so you stay in your own world a bit more. Laying down in the back of your car, you’re both looking up at the pink/orange sky. Your arms are touching because of your proximity. You’re reminiscing about the day and the joy can be heard in your voices.

“We did a good thing by going there.” you state, “It felt so empowering to scream I was proud with other people.”

“It’s true it feels good to say out loud who we are.” Robin confirms, turning her head to you.

“Besides, did you see all these couples ? They were so cute and seemed fearless. I wish I could be like them.” you confess with a small voice.

“One day, it’ll be easier.”

Robin keeps her gaze on you and the yearning of kissing her comes back immediately. This time, you want to be brave. Fear twists your stomach but you remember the several couples you saw, especially a girl around your age who was kissing her girlfriend and you think you want to do the same. Discreetly, you get closer to Robin. She feels it and takes your hand in hers, giving you the little help you need. Your face in front of hers, you can feel her scent.

“Robin, is it okay if I do it ?”

You don’t need to specify what you want to do. Your proximity and the tangible tension show what you’re wishing for. Robin nods before whispering.

“I’m only waiting for this.”

You take a deep breath and finally press your lips to hers softly. You hold her hand tighter whilst Robin puts her second hand on your cheek. You kiss for a few seconds before breaking the kiss. A huge smile finds its way on both of your faces, realising you finally kissed her.

Stranger Things Masterlist

{This is my side blog so I'll be answering comments under the username @marie-sworld}

[sayitaliano]

Hi, I have a question in regard to the conjunctive in the present.

How often is it used in Italy?

For example, I have seen that "Sembra che io parli al muro" or "Non credo che tu conosca Sonia" are the right way to say those things, as they are about uncertainty. However, aren't "Sembra che parlo al muro" and "Non credo che tu conosci Sonia" also correct?

I have a feeling that conjunctive in this sense is just complicating the thing, but I'm not sure. Any clarification would be highly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance!

Ciao! The mood congiuntivo (not just at the present but in all tenses) is real and valid as much as the passato remoto indicativo. It is not put there to complicate anything, it's a basic part of our language (which is a pretty complicate language, you're right on this). We have to learn congiuntivo in school together with all the other verbs' moods (generally we study it as the second mood, after the whole indicativo), and using it, it's the grammatically correct way to communicate (ofc when it's necessary, as in your examples -subordinate clauses).

The thing with it is that when Italians want to speak they want to do it fast. And congiuntivo isn't easy for many of us (some verbs are tough to conjugate, we agree on that with all of you learners) + there's the tenses concurrence to think about too. So being "easier", faster and probably the most used mood in our language (our comfort zone), indicativo has started to be accepted as well instead of congiuntivo, especially for everyday speeches. But tbh there are cases in which it's not recommended to make this switch (and, honestly, it's still a grammar mistake to use indicativo when you need to use congiuntivo.. but when speaking everyone is a bit more accepting -especially in informal contexts). Please refer to the grammatica masterpost here, verbi section, to read more about the different uses of these two moods.

Hope this helps you.

If you wanna check, on wordreference there's this amazing thing that is the verbs' conjugator. The way it's buildt, reminds me pretty much of the grammar book I had in school :)

[sayitaliano]

Hey, I have a question! I know the congiuntivo is used in the written language. But do Italians also use it in casual written conversations, like on social media or whatsapp?

Ciao! Congiuntivo isn’t used only in written language. It must be used everytime it is required, it’s the only correct choice for a correct tense armony, no matter the context: a grammar mistake is a grammar mistake anywhere you make it. So it must be used also when you speak with your pet or chat with your bff on Facebook (to mention the most informal scenarios I can think about). It sadly happens that many Italians “forget” about it (congiuntivo has always been seen as difficult to study and also to use -idk why) and put another tense instead (mostly the indicativo, some say “to make the speech faster and easier”, as the indicativo is the easiest tense in Italian, the one we learn as kids), but that use is still grammatically wrong, even if the Crusca Academy is trying to be more open about this.

If you want to know more, you can check our posts about the congiuntivo mood in the grammar masterpost. Check @sayitalianohome first post or here, in the tagged posts in our home. Cheers!