Sorry about the cliffie, dears. I won't say I won't do it again because lying is a terrible thing to do. :P Enjoy.
Disclaimer: This ridiculous piece of fluff is not mine, although I'm not sure the BBC want blaming for it either...
Robin was barely aware of Bertrand being downstairs before the vampire was running his hands anxiously through his hairs, peering into his eyes.
"Robin, you're bleeding, what's happened?" He shook his head.
"I'm not bleeding, I'm fine." Bertrand raised an eyebrow.
"I can smell it." He shook his head again, cursing himself for not thinking about this while he was trying to sort out Bertrand's surprise.
"Nah, I bit my tongue earlier by mistake. Got a bit crazy at the shops." He held up a supermarket carrier bag by way of explanation. "Can we sit down? I'm knackered."
They settled in the lounge, Robin dumping the bags carelessly beside the sofa and curling into Bertrand's body as they sat side by side. Bertrand seemed uneasy, and Robin wasn't sure how to fix that. He felt a little out of it, to be honest.
"B, could you put the kettle on?" He sat up so his boyfriend could move, smiling as the vampire scooped up his shopping bags and dropped a kiss onto his forehead on his way to the kitchen. He threw out a hand and snagged one of the bags back. "Not that one. Thanks." Bertrand frowned at him curiously, but didn't comment until he'd returned with a steaming cup of tea.
"I suppose I'm not supposed to ask what's in the remaining bag?" Robin shrugged.
"You can ask, but I'm too tired to answer. Let me finish my tea and I'll tell you." The vampire sat obediently beside him again, watching as he took a sip and sighed happily. "Good tea. Thanks, B. Knew there was a reason I kept you around." Bertrand chuckled, squeezing his free hand, and settled down to wait to hear about Robin's day.
"Alright, I feel better now." Robin set his cup down and reached into the bag he'd confiscated from Bertrand when he'd tried to help out by putting his food shopping away. "I got you something, to cheer you up. And then I wanted one too because it's nice when we match." Bertrand raised an eyebrow at that – the one time they'd both turned up in the same place in similar outfits, he'd felt a fool – but then the other eyebrow flew up to join it as Robin's hand emerged from the bag clutching…
"A teddy bear?" Robin grinned and handed it over. "You got me a teddy bear?"
"Yep. I got one too, look." Sure enough, the boy was holding a similar toy. Bertrand regarded his own bear more carefully for a moment.
"Where on earth did you find vampire bears?"
"There's a shop in town where you can make your own and buy them outfits and stuff. And, well, you seem so stressed lately and I know it's my fault, so I thought I'd cheer you up. Has it… is it working?" He looked so genuinely worried that Bertrand couldn't help smiling down at his little caped bear.
"Yes. Thank you, Robin."
"So what have you been doing all day while I was fighting my way through crowds of screaming kids?" It was a difficult question to answer; Robin felt bad enough about Bertrand's stress levels without realising he'd spent an entire day fruitlessly trying to find a way of getting around the loyalty problem.
"Just reading."
Robin knew that meant research; he wasn't a fool, and he had met Bertrand… but he let it slide. After all, it wasn't as if Robin had been entirely upfront about his plans for the day when he left this morning.
"I spoke to Vlad earlier, by the way." Bertrand looked up from where he was fiddling with his bear's cape, waiting for more information. "He seems alright with the idea, but he does want to be there when you bite me. You know, just in case. I tried to get him to agree to wait outside, but-"
"But he has his moments of being far wiser than you, and insisted. Good." Robin rolled his eyes.
"You won't hurt me."
"And Vlad will make sure of that." The older man's tone made it clear that he would brook no argument here, so Robin changed the subject with a sigh.
"He also told me Erin's started packing. She wants to get away as soon as possible, you know, like ripping off a plaster. So if you wanted to say goodbye…" He trailed off; Bertrand and Erin had never exactly been the best of friends. "Well, sooner would be better than later." The vampire nodded in acknowledgement.
"Are you sure you don't feel the same way? Like you should just pack up and head for the hills? You're offering to give up your whole life for me, Robin." He sighed; were they really back to that again already?
Bertrand wasn't expecting the irritated sigh in response to his question. He'd expected something emotional and passionate, not this quiet resignation to a conversation they were having again.
"No, I'm not." He panicked for a split-second; had he finally got through to Robin, was he going to leave him after all? But his breather simply picked up his vampire teddy bear and rested it on Bertrand's lap, next to his own.
"See this vampire bear?" He nodded, confused, and Robin pulled the string of his bear's cape, letting it fall from the bear's shoulders. "You take away the cape and he's still just the same bear he always was, even when he was in the shop with about a million other bears just like him." He reached for Bertrand's hand with his free one, and Bertrand let him take it. "But he wants to be with your bear, he wants to be like it. Because they belong together, and he'll wear a cape for all eternity if that's what it takes for them to be together. Besides," he grinned, "he's always liked capes anyway. Ask anyone."
Bertrand stared at him, speechless, amazed by Robin's eloquence and the thought he'd obviously put into his unexpected present.
"I love you, B, I don't know how I can make you understand that." Bertrand pressed their lips together, pulling Robin closer against him as they sat side-by-side, cuddling him tightly.
"I understand. I love you too."
