Robert Frost x reader
Warnings: fluff, slight smut (just a whisper), car ride, genderless reader, I don't know geography
Summary: you built up the courage to ask Robert to spend your free day together. To your surprise, he accepted
Word count: 2030
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The rumbling of the car engine was the only thing breaking the silence between you and Robert, as you quietly drove down the Rossfeld Panoramastraße connecting Germany and Austria. The weather hadn't been to bad the days before, with little rain and some rays of sunshine making their way through the thick white clouds; and luckily enough, the sky did not seem wanting to act up neither, that day. Still, it was cloudy, but the air was warm enough for you to just stay in your sweater.
You both kept your gaze fixed on the road ahead, not daring to speak a word. The idea had come to your mind out of nowhere, and you didn't hesitate to propose it to him— and surprisingly enough, he agreed. A car trip down one of Germany's panoramic roads, surrounded by mountains, trees, rivers and the sweet sound of quietness. No exhausting questions from colleagues, no nagging from your boss, no loud people to give you headaches. Just you, him, and nature.
Yet, you couldn't stop asking yourself if he had accepted your proposal out of respect, of if he genuinely wanted to spend hours upon hours driving in your company, just to look around and breathe clean air. He did not seem to be one to enjoy staying outside, and he had confirmed it several times at work— but spending some time in nature sounded great to clean your heads from your problems. So you just went for it, not really worrying about his answer.
And now you're both there, sitting next to one other in his car. The closest you've ever been to each other in all honesty.
You sat with your knees together and your hands in your lap, not wanting to irritate him— he cared about manners, and you knew that better than anyone else. So you just kept your body comfortably still, sighing softly.
He kept his hands on the steering wheel, bringing one to his mouth from time to time to chew on those poor, lacerated cuticles— you assumed from stress. The few movements you noticed were just his arm moving to change the gears, to then return his grip on the wheel.
What you didn't notice was how his eyes drifted to your face from time to time, how his hand gripped the gearshift tighter when he had to move it closer to your leg, how he tried to match your breathing when observing how your chest rose and fell— to no avail whatsoever. He was panicking, internally. It wasn't just because a colleague of his asked him to spend time together, but because it was you who asked, out of all people.
And if it hadn't been you, he would have declined. Hell if he would have declined. The mere idea of being stuck with someone else he wasn't interested in, or that he blatantly found annoying, was enough to anger him to the core…
But the one sitting next to him, in that awkward silence, was you. You. And you weren't bothersome, nor annoying to be around. Probably the complete opposite. You were kind, generous, intelligent, confident— something he never was. And you were pretty, fuck if you were pretty. He had stared at you a couple of times at work, forgetting about his tasks, letting his eyes be glued to your face, your form, to that soft-looking skin he just wanted to pass his hands over.
It wasn't arousal alone, he genuinely admired you; and that certainly made the whole situation worse. He could have ignored his libido as much as he wanted, but that innocent feeling clenching at his heart from within was paralysing him.
You reach out with your hand to the car radio, having had enough of that heavy and uncomfortable silence between the two of you. You raised the volume a little, not too much, and you just turned your head to look out the car window, your eyes following the passing of the trees. But your head could stop dwelling on your proposal, on how you probably obligated him to bare a roadtrip with you, how he definitely wanted to stop the car, invert the direction, go home and forget any of this had happened. And in doing so, you didn't realise your leg was bouncing. Bouncing sufficiently fast for the movement to cover the faint sound of the radio.
A sudden heavy grip stopped your leg from bouncing, and it took you by surprise, startling you. Robert had placed his hand on your thigh, his fingers lightly squeezing and keeping your leg still. Your gaze immediately went to his face, wondering if he was staring at you with an annoyed look… his eyes were glued to the road.
He swallowed, not daring to look at you in the eyes, but his thumb gently started rubbing back and forth on your thigh, a quiet reassurance. He cleared his throat, before retracting his hand back to the steering wheel.
"…Don't bounce your leg… it's loud." He stated, softly.
"Sorry, sorry… didn't mean it. I'm just— I have a lot on my mind, that's all" you excused yourself, returning your gaze out the window. Your thigh was still warm where his hand laid for a couple of seconds.
"…it's fine" Robert mumbles, his eyes drifting to you for a moment. The GPS beeped, and he took the opportunity to look at the map. There was a rest area 500 meters away, hypothetically towards the outer side of the road... A nice view of the mountains, all in all. He raised his finger from the wheel to point out at the road, his eyes narrowing from the light.
"…there's a rest area in a little bit. Might stop the car there for a break."
"Yeah— yeah sure, the air is nice up here…" you agreed quickly, feeling your heart beat with embarrassment. You decided to roll down the car window, putting your arm out to feel the cool air on your skin. You knew you just had to act natural, like you would have if you had been with your friends— not that Robert couldn't be considered as one, but… there had been a barrier, between the two of you, that you didn't seem to figure out how to take down; that's why you proposed the roadtrip, in the hopes you both could have gotten… familiar, with one another.
Lost in thought, you couldn't notice how Robert was looking at you, with your hand floating in the air, your skin shining in the few rays of sun that had begun to seep through the clouds, how your hair moved in the wind. A small smile creeped on his lips as he returned to the road.
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He stopped the car right beside the bench facing the mountains, pulling the handbrake and sighing, before undoing his seatbelt and stepping out of the car. You did the same, gently putting the seatbelt in its place and opening the car door, not really stepping out, but just sitting facing outwards. The air was indeed nice, it smelled fresh— sweet, even. You allowed yourself to breathe in as much as possible, wanting to calm your nerves.
Robert had opened the trunk, unzipping a bag he had carried with him and pulling out two thermos of coffee. One for him, one for you. And when he offered yours to you, you stared at him with surprise, a small, imperceptible blush appearing on your cheeks.
"…I remember you liked your coffee a certain way…" Robert stated softly, not really knowing how to admit he had stalked you each time you made yourself coffee at work just to memorise how you liked it.
You took the thermos in your hands, taking off the cap and placing the metallic edge on your lips. The coffee was warm, rich in flavour and exactly how you liked it. You smiled after swallowing, sighing in satisfaction.
"…Thank you Robert, I really needed it" you thanked him, and he huffed out a laugh as he drank as well, leaning against the car.
"I'm sorry, if this is awkward. I—… we get along well enough at work, and it felt… needed, to maybe spend some time together." You explained yourself, your fingers tapping on the thermos.
"I know it sounds odd, but—"
"It doesn't." Robert cut your rambling, his eyes fixated on you. "I'm glad you—… I'm glad you thought of me, out of all our colleagues. Doesn't happen, usually." His voice was sincere, but it held a tinge of dejection.
"Well, it should. You always treat me nicely, so… I'm happy you accepted."
He smiled, laughing a bit, before taking another swing of his coffee. You smiled as well, as you closed the thermos to then reach out for your bag under the dashboard, unzipping it and taking out a chocolate bar. You removed the wrapper and broke it in half, handing one of the two pieces to Robert, which he accepted with a hum. You took a bite out of it, the bar still hard enough, but you did notice the chocolate was already beginning to melt in your hands.
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Robert placed his thermos back into his bag, closing the trunk and cleaning his hands as he finishes chewing. You finished your piece as well, not realising the chocolate had smeared a bit near your lips; and before Robert could stop himself, or let yourself figure out you had chocolate on your face, his thumb reached out. You looked at him as he rubbed away, gently, the smear at the corner of your mouth, and you felt your cheeks heat up.
His thumb rubbed longer than needed, and his eyes were suddenly locked up with yours, in a heavy silence. His other fingers were holding your jaw softly, carefully. Your heart was in your throat. His touch was intimate, but not unwelcomed. On the contrary, you let yourself indulge in the delicacy of it, your eyes unable to leave his. His eyes were beautiful, that you certainly knew.
Without saying anything, his gaze went to your lips, then flickered to your eyes, and back to your lips, before he leaned forward, kissing you. He was trembling a little, his lips insecure. But after a few seconds of shock, you returned the kiss, firmly.
Your lips parted, and he breathed out heavily, before taking your lips into another kiss, then another, and another. He leaned in more, making you back up into the car seat, one hand holding your face, the other at your side on the seat cushion. He tasted sweet, from the coffee and the chocolate. You felt you hand reach out for his face, holding his cheek as the kisses continued.
He wanted to lean forward more, to kiss you harder, to runs his fingers into your hair as his lips trailed down your neck, you body, pressed against his, laying back into the car seats— but he didn't. He didn't allow himself to. Not there, not then.
So he just broke the kiss, his face hidden in the crook of your neck as you both breathed in and out, coming down from a high.
"I'm sorry I— I shouldn't have—" Robert panted out, ashamed, apologising for kissing you instinctively.
"No no, it's— it's fine… it's more than fine" you replied, your hand on his face now holding his head close. You felt his arms wrapping around you, squeezing you against him in a tight hug, bringing you to stand. You hugged him back, your heart beating against his just as fast.
In silence, he removed his face from your neck to kiss you on the cheek, before hugging you back again.
Your idea worked— way better than you expected. You were close now, more than close; your heart was beating in your ears. You did not expect any of this two happen, not in a million years… but you weren't complaining, not even intending to. You let yourself be cuddled in the cool mountain breeze, your thoughts now calm, enveloped in a new and warm feeling… a hope, for company.
And that maybe, this time, things would work out fine.
