Chapter Text
3 December 2014
Wednesday
“Robert!”
The tall blond didn’t stop when Victoria called his name. Aaron watched him collect his jacket and storm out of the pub’s backroom, leaving an awkward silence as Robert’s family sat there. They were wearing looks with varying levels of resignation on them. Aaron hesitated; he’d already grabbed a plate and had been set to serve himself, but he’d mainly said yes to dinner in order to rile Robert up. He had succeeded better than he’d thought he would. At most, he thought it might gall the older man to have to sit at table with him, knowing as he did that Robert liked to look down his nose at others. And he definitely didn’t seem to think much of Aaron, who was nothing more than a common thief in his book.
He hadn’t expected Robert to walk out after Aaron had accepted Diane’s invitation to join the dysfunctional Sugden family as they ate. Now it felt awkward to stay and eat with them. He put down the serving spoon he’d grabbed, but Victoria noticed and hurried to reassure him. “It’s alright, Aaron. The rest of us are still going to finish our meal.”
Feeling like he couldn’t turn down the invitation now, he resigned himself to an awkward meal and loaded his plate. He took Robert’s seat, pushing the other man’s plate aside. “Sorry if I made things worse,” he said, noticing how each of them had gone quiet.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Diane told him. “We’re happy to have you.”
“You didn’t really interrupt, anyway,” Andy added, digging into his food. “There’s no way that was going to turn out well. It was a waste of time, like I knew it’d be.”
“He’s our brother,” Vic reminded Andy. “We have to try and mend fences!”
“I don’t know what else you want me to do,” Andy said, looking bothered. “He’s the one that keeps ruining things. We’d all be better off now if he hadn’t come back.”
Aaron ate in silence as the three Sugdens argued in front of him. As far as he could tell, Vic and Andy were on opposite ends. She wanted them all to make up and play happy families. He thought there was no overcoming their differences, and the only reason he kept trying to fix things with his brother was to please Victoria. Diane seemed to vacillate between the two. She wanted them all to get on, but didn’t seem to think it could ever happen.
The only thing the three of them seemed to agree on was that it was Robert’s fault they couldn’t get along.
By the time he’d cleared his plate, Aaron was feeling far more sympathy for Robert Sugden than he had when he’d accepted the invitation to sit down for dinner. The one thing in life that Aaron knew he could rely on was his family. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if the Dingles were the type who could blame him for ruining the family whenever he screwed up. The Sugdens just didn’t seem to have the same level of family loyalty. A Dingle had to do something to harm the entire family in order to be kicked out. And even then, if you could fix things, they would take you back.
Before this, his interactions with Robert had been minimal. If Ross hadn’t been stupid enough to steal Robert’s car and fail to disable the tracker, Aaron would never have had cause to speak to the older man. As it was, he’d been blackmailed into burgling Home Farm, and then had a few run-ins with Robert because of it. Aaron had been warned to stay away from Chrissie, and he’d been confronted about an heirloom of Chrissie’s that Ross had stolen. Every time he’d had to speak to the arrogant blond, Aaron had left the confrontation annoyed.
Except for the last time they had spoken. That had been different. Robert - oddly enough - had come to the garage with a cup of coffee as a peace offering. He’d asked Aaron if they could be mates. The entire thing had been weird, and Aaron had simply told him he’d think about it. But he’d only said that so that Robert would go away.
He had thought that the offer to be mates was Robert’s ploy to get in good with him, so that Aaron would be willing to do more of his dirty work. It seemed to match up with what he knew of the older man. Aaron wasn’t going to let Robert pull a fast one on him, but maybe the next time they ran into each other, he’d give the other man a chance to prove himself. With Andy, Diane, and Vic so willing to blame their family troubles on Robert, it seemed like the least Aaron could do was hear him out. And if Robert proved himself to be slime, then that would be that, and Aaron could go back to trying to ignore the man.
*****
After clearing his plate, Aaron left the three Sugdens to continue arguing over Robert. They didn’t even notice when he left the table. The moment he stepped outside and closed the door behind him, shutting off the raised voices, he immediately felt better. And that was even when the first slap of cold air hit his face, the thick mist leaving his skin feeling damp.
Aaron tucked his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he walked away from the pub. He didn’t really have any plans on where to go or who to see. Normally on a night like this, he’d visit Adam and maybe go out for drinks. But Adam was serving his sentence now, and most of the friends Aaron had who were near his age had moved out of the area.
He was about to cross the road when he noticed the expensive Audi idling right there in front of him. Robert was sat inside, staring at nothing. Remembering his decision from just minutes ago to give the older man a chance, Aaron approached the car. The window let out the softest of noises as it descended part way, just low enough so they could comfortably talk without letting too much cold, wet air into the car.
“Sorry for crashing your dinner,” Aaron told him, figuring he may as well be the one to extend the olive branch this time. After all, it was Robert who had bought him a coffee the other day, offering to be mates.
“It wasn’t exactly going well before you arrived,” Robert said, voice laced with wry amusement.
“I always wanted a brother until I met you two.” When Robert cracked a smile at that, Aaron felt encouraged enough to continue. “Listen, I’m going into town later for a beer.”
“Yeah?” There was something about the way Robert was looking up at him that made him feel shy for asking. Aaron gave a shrug, suddenly - ridiculously - feeling like he was asking Robert out on a date.
“Join me if you want,” he offered, a bit awkwardly.
“You what?” The smile Robert had worn just a second ago had turned condescending. Had he picked up on how weird Aaron suddenly felt, asking him out for a beer?
“You know, just a drink,” he explained, not wanting Robert to misunderstand. He knew the older man was straight. Aaron hadn’t meant for it to get weird for Robert. He’d asked plenty of others out for drinks before without it getting this awkward.
For a moment, Aaron thought Robert was going to refuse. His smirk had an unpleasant quality to it when he opened his mouth to say something. Aaron prepared himself for whatever arrogant, irritating comment the other man was about to offload on him.
Robert paused, then closed his mouth and seemed to reconsider. The mocking grin was gone from his face when he looked up at Aaron and said, “Alright. When are you headed out?”
Aaron bit his lip, trying to mask his surprise. Shrugging again, he said, “Now, I suppose. I’m not going back in there, at any rate,” he told Robert, nodding toward the pub. “They’re all in a right mood.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Come on, get in. We’ll drive out together.”
“Sound,” Aaron said, walking around the front of the car to get to the other side. He heard the lock open for him, so he reached out for the door handle and got in. It was nice and warm inside, and Aaron liked the way the supple leather bucket seat felt when he sat down. Robert put up his window as Aaron fastened his seat belt. As soon as it clicked into place, Robert was driving off.
He clearly liked the speed of his car. Soon they were tearing past the quiet country roads, the Audi seeming to fly down the smooth stretches and glide over the rough bits. As smooth as it was, Aaron found himself gripping the sides of his seat, holding his breath every time Robert turned a blind corner without slowing down as much as Aaron would have preferred. It wasn't as if Aaron drove like a grandpa when he was the one behind the wheel, but he liked to think he was a bit more cautious.
By the time they got to Hotten, Aaron had decided that even if both of them were completely sober by the end of the night, he’d prefer to take a taxi home. There was no way he was letting Robert drive him back to Emmerdale! If the way Robert was smirking at him as they got out of the car was any indication, he fully realized how nervous the car ride had made Aaron. They both closed their doors, and then Robert crossed his arms over the top of his car. “Alright, Aaron? You’re looking a bit pale.”
“Get stuffed,” he said, eyeing the other man’s grin resentfully.
“Come on, don’t be like that,” Robert laughed. “First round's on me, yeah?”
“Fine.”
“I just hope you can keep it down,” he said, looking at Aaron with exaggerated concern.
“Cheeky git,” Aaron said, rolling his eyes. “Alright, where to? I’m guessing you had some place in mind.”
“This is it,” Robert said, nodding his head at the bar he’d parked in front of. “You’re going to love this place!”
Aaron could already tell he was going to hate it, just by eyeballing the people hanging out in front of it. The place clearly catered to men and women in their thirties and forties, business types coming straight from the office. And the people who didn’t look like they worked some high end job were still dressed very nicely. Aaron was sure he’d be the only one inside wearing a hoodie.
He still followed Robert in, and sat down with him at a high table. A waiter came by for their drink order right away. “Can I start you off with something to drink?” the man asked.
“Bourbon, neat,” Robert ordered.
“Lager, thanks.” The waiter stared at him expectantly. “What?” he asked, feeling a bit defensive and out of place.
“Did you have any preferences?”
“Whatever is fine,” Aaron told him. The waiter nodded and left them alone.
“So?” Robert asked him. “I bet this is nicer than you’re used to.”
It was certainly fancier, but not nicer. He didn’t care for the way Robert said it, as if Aaron spent his days dreaming about going to fancy bars. He gave a careless shrug and said, “I guess. If this is what you’re into.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Robert asked him, looking around curiously.
“Nothing,” Aaron said, pleased at the way his opinion seemed to matter. “I mean, I’m sure someone like Chrissie or Lawrence would love it here.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Robert asked, looking over at him with some amusement. He had clearly caught on to the fact that Aaron was messing with him. “No wait, don’t tell me! You prefer somewhere a bit homier, like the Woolpack.” The waiter came by with their drinks. Aaron took a sip of his lager. He didn’t know what brand it was, but he could tell it was something he’d never had before. “So tell me, really, what’s not to like about this place? It’s classy and upscale.”
“It’s alright for people like you,” Aaron said, enjoying the way Robert seemed to gloat over that, as if Aaron was giving him a compliment. It made it all the sweeter when he added, “You know, for older people.”
“Hang on!” Robert protested. “I’m 28! That’s hardly old!”
“Really?” Aaron toyed with him, pretending to be shocked. “I thought for sure you were 32.” The blond glared at him, expression thunderous for a second before he finally realized Aaron was purposely riling him up. Aaron hid his smile behind his drink, but he wasn’t fooling Robert this time. The other man caught him trying to hide his amusement and smiled back.
“It’s a bit stuffy in here. Look at everyone. They’re all ready to take out their tablets and start working! There are loads of other bars better than this.”
“Alright, you’re on.”
“You what?” Aaron asked, not following.
“Loads you say? I guess we’re just going to have to find out, aren’t we?”
Aaron couldn’t help but laugh at that. “A bar crawl, seriously?”
Robert grinned at him, looking unexpectedly charming when he did it. There was no denying he was a handsome bloke, but it was the first time Aaron had found his smile to be anything other than irritatingly cocky. “Are you worried you can’t keep up with me?”
“I could drink you under the table any day, mate,” Aaron said, not worried. They finished up their drinks and then left, walking down the block until they spotted the next bar and slipped inside.