*Trigger warning: Mentions of opioid use and near overdose.*
For the love of my life, CianMars, who wrote me a wonderfully beautiful step-Robin fic and how do I repay him? Writing this.
Takes place when David and James are 17, in their senior year of high school. They're just a month away from their 18th birthday. David and Kathryn are still together. James is a dick. Robin needs a vacation and a reality check. That should be all you need to know.
"Just tell him," Kathryn says, rubbing David's shoulders. He can't help but ease back into her as her thumbs dig into his skin. Her strong arms from spending so much time weight lifting with him are a healthier way to ease his stress. "He'll help you."
"He's going to be so disappointed in me," David mumbles, staring out onto the empty football field.
"Maybe." Kathryn's hair brushes against his neck. "But he'll get over it. I know your dad, he loves you, both of you. Unconditionally. Lord knows he's forgiven James for worse."
David sighs, leaning back into his girlfriend's chest. She wraps her arms tightly around him, kissing the side of his head. He knows he's lucky. She wasn't supposed to go into the boys' locker room. Kathryn could've easily assumed he was hanging out with Eric and Thomas, heading home without him.
He'll always be grateful that something in her gut told her to walk in. Find him laying on the disgusting blue and white tile, leaning against his locker, choking on his own vomit. He barely remembers any of it, just her dragging him into a sitting position and making the choking stop. Then the sounds of her grunting as she dragged his deadweight body and soon, water hitting him. It was only then, he gasped for breath and collapsed into her arms. The tears mixed with the uneven droplets from the rusty shower head.
Now, they sit on the uncomfortable bleachers. They've each changed into dry clothes. The pills carefully reburied at the bottom of his bag.
"I feel so embarrassed," he whispers. "I've dry swallowed them before. I don't know why I choked this time."
"It might be a sign from God," Kathryn says. "Telling you to stop this crap." She pauses, her fingers inching away from his shoulders. "Why don't you give me the pills? That way you're not tempted anymore."
David shakes his head. "My dad will know of a place to dispense them. I think they go to the police station?" He shrugs before twisting his body to look back at her. "I'm going to do better, Kathy. I promise."
Her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Okay," is all she says.
He stands up, jumping off the second bleacher, ignoring that's what got him into this mess in the first place. David extends a hand and helps her down. She doesn't hold his hand as they walk in silence to her car. Britney's latest single is the only thing that he can hear as they drive the 5 minutes to his house. Once they pull into the drive, he leans over to give her a kiss goodbye. She moves her head, so he gets her ear instead. He sighs.
"Call you later?"
Kathryn shrugs. "I have that test tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay. Love you."
"You too."
He gets out of the car, adjusting his backpack strap on his shoulder. She doesn't even wait for him to go inside as usual. Instead, he's the one that watches her tiny Prius drive in the opposite direction, to the richer part of town. David lets out another sigh, fumbling for the keys in his pocket. He hasn't even unlocked the door when he hears James' yelling.
"My God, you make everything a federal case!"
His father's British accent comes next as David pushes the heavy wood open. "Well, you'll end up with one if this shit continues!"
"Oh, so you can swear, but when I do it…"
"I'm the father, James. Your father. You may want to pretend otherwise, but that's the way it is."
David silently hangs his keys on a hook attached to the "Hang up your shit" board against the wall in the entry way. It was James' gift to Robin the previous Father's Day. He busies himself around the kitchen, grabbing some water and a quick snack (peanut butter pretzels and a tangerine). His father and twin haven't heard him come in, or if they have, they're not stopping their fight.
"Must be a good one," he mumbles.
David didn't hear anything at school regarding James. That doesn't mean he didn't get into trouble elsewhere or it just hasn't had time to get around. He leans in the doorway, knowing neither James nor their father will bother to look in his direction.
"I'm going out," James announces.
Robin shakes his head, that vein in his forehead popping ever so slightly. "Oh no, you're not. You're grounded."
James laughs. "In just a month, I'll be 18. What tools will you have to force me here?"
"You think that's what I want?" Robin throws his arms in the air. "I want you to want to be here, James. To talk to me. Let me in for once in your life!"
"Yeah, well we don't always get what you want."
James picks up his leather jacket, heading straight for the doorway that David is leaning in. He catches a sight of his twin, but doesn't say anything to him. Robin walks directly behind his eldest son.
"James George Locksley, you are not leaving this house!"
"Watch me, Robin."
David winces. It's been so long since he's heard James refer to Robin as their father. It was his idea to start calling him that in the first place and now it's apparently a foreign language. Even the rare time his brother is pleasant, he refuses to use the "D" word. Robin flinches every time, but never corrects him. Instead, he just continued to refer to himself as "daddy" and later "dad" when talking about either boy.
James' body roughly brushes David's as he heads for the front door. David's lips open to play peacekeeper, as he always does, but James is quick. The door slams shut before David can even get out the syllables of his brother's name.
David watches his father sink onto the ottoman in front of the overstuffed recliner in the corner of the room. Robin buries his head in his hands, cursing at himself. David purses his lips, memories hitting him of that chair. Cuddled up with his father and James as they watched the game. His mom bringing them snacks. The three falling asleep in it after crying their eyes out the day Ruth died. All the times he's waited up for James in there on the nights Robin has to work.
He used to love that chair. And now it's a reminder of how much has changed. His mother is dead. James is a dick. And his father is stressed out.
David pulls his backpack off his shoulder and cradles it in his arms as he unzips it. With his eyes still on his father, he digs through the mess of tests, fliers and food wrappers, looking for the bottle he bought off of Andy.
Robin lifts his head up, his blue eyes filled with anxiety. Bags hang heavily beneath. He worked a 24 hour shift and got home late the night prior. He should sleep, take advantage of the quiet while the boys are at school and various practices. Instead, he has to deal with James and soon, David.
"Hey, bud," Robin says, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Hey," David whispers. "What happened now?"
Robin shakes his head, a strained laugh bubbling from his lips. "Oh, ya know. Same old, same old. Your brother getting into trouble."
David fingertips brush against the orange bottle as his breath hitches.
"I'm just glad I have one good boy, ya know?" A small smile comes across Robin's lips as he puts his hands on his knees to push himself up. He walks closer to David, causing the younger boy to hold his backpack tighter to his chest. Robin pats his cheek, causing David to shut his eyes. "You're my easy kid."
It takes everything David has to not break down into tears. He gently pulls away from his father's grasp. Once his eyes open, he sees worry etched on his father's face.
"Are you okay, Davey?"
David releases his grip on the bottle, allowing it to fall back to the bottom.
"Fine, I just…" He groans when his voice squeaks, quickly recovering. "ADHD brain." Robin raises an eyebrow. "Squad is going to nationals." He digs out a crumpled permission slip. "Needs to be signed by tomorrow."
Robin chuckles, shaking his head. "If that's the worst of your problems, bubba, I think we're okay."
He takes the piece of paper from David, straightening it out as he heads into the kitchen for a pen. David zips his backpack up and drops it by the stairs. He will tell his dad. As soon as shit calms down with James. His brother can't be a magnet for drama forever, right?
Robin comes back in a minute later, the ink still wet on the paper. David takes it, mumbling his thanks before shoving it into the front pocket of his backpack.
"I don't know when your brother is going to be back and I slept most of this morning. I was going to go shopping before James' teacher called," Robin says with as slight scowl. "You wanna come with me?"
"Need a chaperone to shop?" David manages to joke, a small smile coming out.
Robin rolls his eyes. "I just missed you. Too uncool to hang out with your old man?"
"Definitely not. Let me just go put this away, okay?"
David slips up the stairs and into the cluttered room he shares with James. He throws his backpack onto his unmade and digs out his pills. David opens the drawer he stores his shorts in. Spring is months off. He won't risk his father putting laundry away in here. And after today, he can't guarantee Kathryn won't go through his backpack. David hides the bright orange bottle under a pair of navy-blue basketball shorts and slams it shut. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and quickly texts Kathryn.
Dad is going to bring them to the station tomorrow. It's over. I'll never take them again.
She doesn't respond and he chalks it up to her studying. Kathryn gets in the zone, blasting her music as loud as she can without her father getting mad. David returns his phone and heads to the stairs, ready to help his father grocery shop and keep his golden boy status.
