robin buckley x y/n

ch. 13 // promise

robin let's me sit in her arms for a while as i continue to cry. thank goodness no one comes into the store while we're in the back.
"i'm sorry," i plead, "i'm so so sorry." tears race down my cheeks but not after they've been cleaned up. robin rests her hands around my cheeks, wiping each tear before it can run off my chin.
       "it's okay, baby." robin whispers into my ear. all i can manage to do is shake my head because i'm crying once more. "yes, it is. i know you didn't really mean it."
       i sniffle, "that doesn't matter. i kissed steve, there's no way you want to stay with me." it stings admitting what i did once more.
"of course i want to stay with you, y/n. you're beautiful and perfect and everything i want to be with for the rest of my life." robin tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, leaning in for a kiss. i pull away and stand up, wobbling out of exhaustion.
"but how, robin? how do you want to stay with me? how can you say i'm perfect, i'm the farthest you can get from it. how could you possibly want to be with me for the rest of your life? my father's right, i'm just a waste." robin's eyes go wide. she starts to step towards me, then thinks against it just in case.
"you-your father said you were a waste?" her eyes rest, the sparkle of worry replacing surprise.

i messed everything up.

instead of giving myself the option to mess things up more, i run out of there immediately. of course, even on his day off, steve shows up. he walks in the doorway exclaiming, "hey y/n! wait where are you going?" i continue running, my body already aching. robin must run out following me, because steve calls after her too. there is too much going on. i don't even know where i am going at this point, just anywhere away from here.
      "y/n, wait!" i hear robin call after me. "y/n please just stop!" her breath is short but her voice practically begging me. i end up stopping for both of our sakes.
      "please robin, i can't do this right now." i say, still turned away from her. we end up in the back of the starcourt mall. thankfully, it's vacated. i hear light footsteps approach behind me before hands slide around my waist and link across my stomach. robin rests her head on my shoulder, only her breath to fill the silence. we stand there for god knows how long before i have to end it. if i don't now, i'm not sure i ever will. i turn around, "look, robin—"
      she interrupts me, hands still holding my waist and foreheads pressing against one another's. "you don't have to say anything."
      "i don't know what to say. you mean so much to me and all i've done is fuck everything up. i'm sorry."
      "you don't have to apologize. i overreacted. it's just that i've been hurt so many times that i got worried that you would leave me or something. and i have never cared about anyone more than you, y/n, never gotten as close with anyone and the thought that all that could be thrown away so easily... i guess i got defensive and in a fight or flight situation my instinct is to leave before i get left." a tear rolled down robin's cheek to her upper lip. lightly, my thumb absorbs the tear before i let my lips meet hers. the kiss was gentle and soft and light. it was just two girls caring so much about each other that they were afraid of anything hurting the other. it lasted long enough for both to be satisfied for the time being.
      robin spoke nothing over a whisper against y/n's lips, "please don't ever leave me."
      "i wouldn't dream of it."
      suddenly, a voice came out of nowhere. "look what we've got here." a smirk showed up from behind a barrel container attached to no other than jason carver's face. two other friends of his appeared behind him. all three guys were walking slowly step by step, inching closer to the girls.
      "what do you want, jason?" y/n spoke up first. she felt robin's grasp tense up as she held onto her girlfriend, hands connected and one arm on her bicep.
      ignoring the question, jason laughed. but not a carefree, with some friends laugh. it was sinister and mysterious in the worst ways. "just the two dykes that i want to see. i would expect it from you, buckley, but y/n?"
      robin piped up, "we haven't done anything hurt you, jason, so leave us alone."
      "see that's where you're wrong. i am a man of god and this little thing you're doing here is a sin. a dark, miserable sin and as that man of god, i need to teach you a lesson." jason didn't waste a second, immediately sprinting after the girls.
      "cmon!" y/n yelled, gripping robins hand even tighter trying to get them away. she knew they weren't going to outrun jason, so y/n led the two around the big building and straight back inside, unafraid to cause a commotion. people stared and leaped out of the way as jason and his pack of wolves followed them all the way through the mall, down the escalators and into the center of the food court straight across from none other than scoops ahoy.
      before the two girls got pranced on, steve appeared from behind the counter just in time to shield them away from jason. "what do you think you're doing?"
      "they're dy—"
      "don't even think about finishing that sentence. what were you going to do, huh? hit a couple of girls? very mature of you, jason. go home." jason looked around at the crowd that had formed.
      "cmon guys," he issued his friends away, "but this isn't over. you two are going to get what you deserve and you're not going to like it."
      once steve made sure he watched jason and his friends exit, pushing a few people on his way out, he ushered the girls into the back room of scoops. "holy shit are you guys okay?"
      robin ran into steve's arms hugging him tight. "we are now, thanks to you." y/n could hear the tears in her eyes from her scarce voice.
      "yes, thank you steve. you're literally a life saver." y/n said.
      he rubbed robin's back soothing her, "im just glad you're safe. what was he going to do anyways?"
      "i don't want to know," y/n worried. "but are we even safe? i mean, he said we were going to get what we deserved and i don't know about you but that doesn't sound like he's going to leave us alone."
      robin pulled away from the hug, "what if i just let him do what he wants? then he can get it out of his system and we can be safe again."
      y/n practically shouted, "no way in hell, robin! are you kidding?"
      "have you heard the stories? he almost killed a kid for sitting at his lunch table once, imagine what he would do to you guys." steve spoke.
      robin sighed, "i know he's not going to give up. what if this is the only way to get him off our backs?"
      "robin, if we just waltz up to him and let him beat us up, we could end up seriously injured, or worse. plus, if he gets his way once, what's stopping him from doing it again and again?"
      silence flooded the room.
      "what did he even see anyways?" steve asked.
      y/n replied, "well he was hiding behind the barrels for who knows how long, and we kissed so..."
      "that will explain the name calling. are you guys okay?" he asked, rubbing a hand on robin's bicep.
      "yeah, for now. look, we've got to get back to work." while y/n made her way to the front, robin stood silent in shock.
      "hey, you alright?" steve watched her stand there, eyes stuck on the empty wall. not that there was anything interesting, but she often zoned out if she was worried. "hey, robin, look at me." her eyes slowly turned to steve's. "you didn't really think i was going to let you go get yourself beat up, did you?"
       she spoke slowly, "i-i don't know. if it's the only way—"
      "it's not."
      "but it's jason carver! if you really think talking to him is going to stop anything he feels the need to do, you're wrong. he's going to keep coming after us and i need to do something to protect y/n. i got her into this mess and i need to get her out."
      "and we will. together. just promise me you won't let him do anything to you. if he gives you any trouble, you come find me. got it?" robin stayed quiet. "i need you to promise me."

      "...promise."

AN: if you guys have any ideas for where you want this story to go, i'll take any and all suggestions! lmk if you like this :))