Robb doesn't know why he's here. Wait, yes he does – he's here because Theon insisted, saying after his exams he needed to relax and 'have fun for once in your fucking life.' Being unable to hear anyone talk in a barely lit room blaring music he either doesn't like, or music he does like but pretends not to and has been remixed to the point he doesn't like it anymore anyway, isn't really helping with either of those things – but Theon looked so crushed when Robb started to hesitate, he couldn't really bring himself to say no. Theon's not even pissed off to hook up yet, no he's by Robb's side, slowly getting – well not drunk per se, but certainly drunker than Robb is. And Jon.
Right, Jon. Robb dragged him along to on the assumption Theon would get drunk and disappear, and Jon could be their designated driver. Except Theon is still here, meaning Robb has been listening to the two of them argue for hours. It's sort of a relief he can't hear anything anymore.
Except then the song starts to fade, and their bickering comes back into focus. "I'm just saying, Stark here needs a little relaxation, I'm just trying to be a good friend and help out, you don't need to get jealous–"
"Not everyone needs to 'relax' as much as you do, Theon."
Theon laughs. "Maybe not, but you do definitely do. Hey, Robb–" Robb looks up from his drink whose name he can't remember, but it's basically sugar and vodka, "You see anything you like, feel free to point it out. Teach Snow here what a hot chick even looks like."
"You do realise I'm the only one of us who actually has a girlfriend, right Theon?"
"Shut up, Snow. Hey, see Robb, dark hair, right next to you – sort of looks like that ex of yours, what's her name, the foreign one–"
Robb is torn between actually reminding him of Talisa's name and calling him out for calling anyone 'the foreign one', but he does turn his head and see the black-haired girl with an impressive collection of glasses next to him. Theon's right, she does look like Talisa. She even dresses like Talisa, black skinny jeans and a grey jersey, Talisa loved that grey jersey, it might originally have been Robb's grey jersey–
"Talisa?"
"Yeah, that was it, like if you've got a type–" But the woman turns around and Robb's eyes go wide. Hers do too, but then, she grins.
"Robb!"
Robb is suddenly enveloped in a hug, one he does his best to return, although he's still a bit stunned to manage it properly. "I haven't seen you in ages! Well, I mean, being out of the country helped with that. Still – I meant to get in contact, sorry. How are you?"
"Oh – fine, fine," he says, as while his life is going pretty well, he's pretty sure it won't compare to her adventures saving the world in Essos. "How long have you been back?"
She looks a little uncomfortable. "About six months? I'm sorry, I really should have messaged you–"
"It's fine," he tells her, and she smiles.
"That's my boy."
If Jon and Theon share a look like oh god here we go again, Robb opts to ignore them. "So, uh, what are you doing here?" The music system seems to have cut out so they can talk, which is awfully convenient and, if Robb were eighteen again, he'd probably think it was destiny.
"Oh – well it's my girlfriend's birthday, so I'm sort of treating her to a night on the town."
Robb blinks. He can hear Theon snicker, but he opts to ignore that too. "You like girls now?" he asks.
"Apparently," Talisa shrugs. "It came as a surprise. But oh well."
That is a very blasé response, but then again, Talisa was always a bit modern for her own good. "Oh," says Robb.
"Here she comes now."
Robb turns his head and sees a girl walking towards them – she's shorter than Talisa, and more dressed up, a pastel green mini-dress with long sleeves and a turtleneck collar, simultaneously very demure and sexy as hell. Her hair is gorgeous, long chestnut curls pinned back in a messy bun. As she gets closer Robb realises–
"Jeyne?"
Because it is, it's Jeyne Westerling, his first girlfriend (unless you count Roslin, which he doesn't), his first sex partner, his first love, no matter how much Theon mocks him for saying something so corny – and she's coming towards him her eyes go wide. "Robb?" She stands by Talisa's side. "...What are you doing here?"
Behind him, Theon bursts out laughing. Jon at least tries not to, but Robb can hear him desperately trying to smother his giggles. Robb's not entirely sure how to answer, and Talisa looks back and forth between the two of them with a puzzled frown. "Have you two met?"
Jeyne and Robb both blush simultaneously – there's no actual reason to, but they've both always been blushers. Talisa used to gently tease him for it, especially in bed. He wonders if she does the same to Jeyne. "We uh – used to go out," Jeyne explains, and then pauses. "Hang on, have you two met?"
Theon laughs louder, and after a moment, Talisa joins him. "Oh – okay," she says through her giggles. "Small world." That's not really an explanation though, and she sighs. "I used to go out with him too."
"Oh."
Robb thinks this all over a moment, and comes to the conclusion of oh fuck it. Then he starts laughing too.
"Small world," he echoes, and Jeyne smiles shyly at him. Talisa smiles less shyly. His two exes never seemed to have much in common, apart from their professional lives, sweet demure Jeyne and feisty, confident Talisa – and yet somehow, this makes sense to him, what they would see in each other, or maybe it's just because he can't imagine anyone not wanting the both of them–
"So," he coughs before his thoughts can run away with him too much, "how did you two meet?"
"Work," Jeyne says. Oh, of course.
"I take nurses and doctors very seriously," says Talisa, and Jeyne blushes again. Robb blushes a little too.
"We were just leaving, actually," Jeyne says apologetically. "Sorry, I wish I could – but I have a shift in the morning. This one had to insist on me going out for my birthday."
"But we should absolutely catch up properly some time soon," Talisa says, grabbing her backpack off the floor. "All three of us." And she smirks. "I'm sure we all have some fascinating stories to tell."
Theon whistles and Jeyne shoves Talisa gently. That makes her laugh. "See you, Robb," she says, and gives him a hug.
"Bye, Robb. I hope we'll see you again?" Jeyne gives him her soft smile, and then leans up and kisses him on the cheek.
"Y-yeah," Robb stutters, and Talisa sighs and whispers in her girlfriend's ear:
"Hey, don't you one-up me."
Then the girls are gone, and Robb settles back onto his bar stool, blinking and trying to process what just happened. Jon seems to manage it before he can, however.
"Well," he says. "That was weird."
Not wrong.
Theon laughs. "Weird's one word for it," he says. "Still. That's what you get for having a nurse fetish."
Robb blushes and scowls at him. "I do not have a nurse fetish!"
Jon shrugs. "To be fair," he says, "the nurse fetish is less weird than the cartography fetish."
"I do not have a cartography fetish!"
They both just laugh at him, and Robb concludes he hates them both, before going back to glaring at his sugary vodka. Theon gives a long, overdramatic sigh, and Robb knows he's rolling his eyes. "Cheer up Stark," he says. "You're acting like this isn't the best news you've ever fucking heard.
Robb looks up at him, bewildered, and Theon raises an eyebrow. "Oh come on," he says. "Two of your exes, neither of whom seems to hate you and want to tear your guts out, at least one of whom was totally flirting with you, have just invited you to 'catch up' and happen to be in a lesbian relationship? Dude, if you are not at least thinking about the threesome, I am cutting your dick off and keeping it for myself, because you're clearly not using it."
"And what are you going to do with it?" Jon asks.
"Shut up, Snow."
Robb flushes and looks away. Well he wasn't thinking about it before.
