Chapter 28
MEG POV
(A/N Rick owns the franchise, I own the plot and my OC's, most of which are homages to people I know in real life. Sup, people!)
"Hey."
Meg glanced up from her swords, the golden edges glinting in her peripheral as she looked at Robin, standing in the doorway, obviously trying to be nonchalant but failing incredibly.
"You know, you could just ask if you want to come in." Robin smirked, then walked in and sat on the bed, then shuddered as he faced her.
"Advice; don't go below decks for a few hours. I went down to check how Clarisse was doing, and her and Chris are wrapped in a mass of tangled bedsheets, making rather distinctive noises. Best not to disturb them." Meg had to curb a laugh at the queasy look on his face, then nodded seriously.
"Noted. Don't disturb the two adults going hammer and tongs." They both laughed, then sat back in comfortable silence. It was a nice room, Meg supposed, if simple, but then an abandoned officers quarters for a military vessel was bound to be a bit empty. There were a few books on shelves, a compass, charts and an officers plaque: Captain Logan McNair. Meg realised he was probably one of the poor souls eaten by Blackbeard's crew, and she prayed to her mother that wherever he was, he was in a better place.
"So, this seems familiar. What is this, the third time we've sat together while the others are doing something?" Robin's voice interrupted her reverie; turning to face him she took the young man in properly, for the first time since Trenton. He was still wearing the same clothes as when they set off, black nikes, green joggers, grey hoodie, but more roughed up than the first meeting, a side effect of running with demigods. You could see it in his face too, the bruise from that fight with Gryphons once an angry purple, though now fading away, hair mussed and matted, his hazel eyes wearier than a fifteen-year old's should be, as if only a few days in the mythological world aged him a few years. "If you've finished checking me out…" Meg's eyes snapped back to his, a blush creeping up her neck. She huffed and looked away, though she could still feel his eyes on her. They were toeing an invisible line, that neither had drawn, yet somehow had appeared, and Meg wasn't sure whether they should cross it or not- or whether she cared if they did.
"You know, that's the second time someone has said that to me in a week."
"And were you actually the first time?" Meg could feel the blush properly now, though whether it was her imagination or not, she couldn't be sure.
"No," Meg decided. "It was Apollo, and he shifted back to the form I knew him as when he was mortal, and he was kinda scrawny then, but now he's… not completely dorky? He'd actually get a few girls if he was in high school."
"So, like me?" Meg was keenly aware of Robin's eyes roaming over her face, and she desperately fought to keep any emotion off her face.
"You're screwing your eyes up."
Gods-damn it.
"Are you asking me if I have a crush on a god or not, Robin? Because the answer is no." She heard a chuckle from him, daring to look again, she saw a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
"I figured. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but you're cute when you get flustered." It took a moment before either realised what he had said, and in an instant both teen's cheeks went from relatively peach, to flaming tomato. "Well- gah- crap, that's not how I meant it to come out."
"So, you think I'm cute?"
Borderlines be damned. They needed to get this out.
Meg internally chuckled as Robin immediately emulated her position a moment ago, staring straight ahead, determinedly not looking over, flushing bright crimson. Meg continued looking at him, an inquisitively innocent facade held up, until Robin cracked and shook his head good-naturedly.
"Maybe? Yes? I think so? I just... feel different with you, different than when I'm with anyone else. I've never been with someone romantically, but even if I had, I doubt it would feel like this, because you're… unique. That's the only word I can use, because it describes you perfectly. From what I've seen, you act differently than other people, even other demigods, like you're on the same wavelength but also acting on your own beat. You kept me from going damn near insane when I heard about gods and monsters, and kept me sane since. And I won't lie," Here he paused and rubbed his neck, seemingly trying to psych himself up to get the last bit out, "You don't look bad either, Meg. There. That's what I've been carrying around, and we probably would have had this conversation earlier, but that sea-snake-thing got in the way." Robin snorted. "I hope you feel something too, because otherwise this is going to be awkward." Meg smiled as she looked at him, subconsciously rubbing the back of his neck, studiously avoiding her eyes, and Meg rolled hers.
"Honestly there's not a lot I can say about you that's different from what you've said about me. I've never really felt actual love, maybe for the first few years of my life from my father, but never with anyone, not romantically. When we met, I'll admit, I thought you were a sheltered, too-eager-to-prove-himself little kid. Good-looking, sure, but completely and utterly naive- but when it came down to it, you had our backs, hell, saved my life twice. And you've been a good friend in between. I don't know what it is I'm feeling, but it's something, and it's directed for you."
They both sat in silence for a moment, not demigods, not heroes, just two ordinary people who just found something in each other. Meg broke the silence first.
"So. Are you just gonna sit there, or what?" Robin stared at her, until they simultaneously burst out laughing. Recovering, Robin looked her square in the eyes, still with a smile on his face.
"Give me a moment. I've just found out the only person I've ever actually felt something for has the same feelings for me, and I'm processing a lot of things." Meg gave an impish grin, and quickly shifted, so she was sitting right next to Robin, elbows brushing. Laying her head on his shoulder, she whispered into his ear.
"And there's not a lot of other stuff to process. I get it if you don't want to move fast, but also there's really nothing else standing in the way…" From her position, Meg couldn't see Robin's expression, but she heard an audible sigh.
"Damn, you're a bad influence, but fine. To Hades with organisation." Robin wrapped his right arm around Meg's left to her back, then moved his left across Meg's front, and twisted, so that Meg's face was suddenly inches from Robin's.
Gods, finally.
Kissing Robin was a completely new experience, like nothing that had even happened to Meg. He tasted like hot curry and toasted pitta bread, smelled like a cosy hearth fire, and the overall sensation was… electrifying. Meg forgot about the quest, forgot about their two older friends downstairs. All Meg could feel was Robin's lips capturing her's, his arms slowly sneaking around her torso, and she was responding in kind, pulling him backwards, until they were lying together, exploring this new, unfamiliar territory side by side. As they slowly and reluctantly pulled back for air, they smiled in unison for a second, before plunging back in. This time Robin's tongue danced across Meg's lips, and she did not deny entry, sending her own into his. Subconsciously, her hands were undoing the zip of his hoodie, and she could feel his hands roaming around her sides and back, feeling further down as well. They pulled back again, but this time neither plunged in, locked in the other's gaze, savouring the moment between them, green meeting brown. Robin was the first to speak.
"We probably shouldn't go too far."
"Yeah. Wouldn't want to emulate the adults too much. But this is nice."
"It is. Now I can just kiss you whenever, without trying to figure out the social fallout and inevitable teasing. You know how close I came when we were on that warship?" Meg playfully kissed Robin on his nose.
"Truthfully, I didn't stop to think about that, because I was afraid I'd just do it subconsciously." Robin kissed her back, smiling all the while.
"It's crazy to think, I've only known you for four days, and most of those were sleeping. I feel like I already know you better than everyone in my school, and I've known them for years." Meg, still fully aware that her hands were under Robin's shirt, pulled him close and pressed her lips to his, whispering against them.
"I imagine there's a lot more to each other that we'll learn, in due time." She felt Robin smile at that and started running his hands up and down her sides, which was strangely stimulating to Meg. Returning the favour, she skimmed her fingertips lightly over Robin's stomach, drumming a beat known only to him and her. They continued this for a while, becoming ever bolder, until she was gasping for breath, Robin kissing a line down her jawbone and neck, while she gripped around his midriff and pulled herself to him, instinct taking over. With what little will she had, Meg (though she dearly didn't want to) hissed out Robin's name between her teeth, Immediately she felt his lip retreat and on opening her eyes, saw him looking down, giving her his full attention.
"Are you alright? Did I go too far?"
"No, no, it was fine, gods, it was brilliant, but we really can't lose control. Not now. But once we've finished this, let's continue later, Olympus knows I want to." Robin smiled down and stamped one last kiss- and it took all of Meg's self-restraint to not just give into instinct right there- before sitting back up and listening out, then giving a satisfied nod.
"They're still going at it, full throttle. I doubt they even heard anything of us." Meg unconsciously smiled; that would probably be happening for a while.
"I'll go check sensors, see if the island is coming up. Robin nodded in affirmation, and Meg moved past him, through a few rooms, until arriving in the chamber holding navigational equipment, periscope control and sonar devices. Moving straight to the periscope, Meg took a sharp breath. Ahead was a tall island, split in two halves, and a rope bridge running between them. Polyphemus's island, just as Clarisse had described.
One way or another, here is where their quest would end.
(A/N So, obviously the main thing is Robin and Meg finally getting their emotions out. Keeping the rating at T, because there wasn't anything explicit here, hell they didn't even go shirtless. I was looking back through the story because I completely forgot what Robin was wearing (and I've never said what Meg was wearing, good job past me) and I kept seeing bits like 'ohhh, I could have put something there' and hitting myself over the head for it, because now it seems full of flaws and unbelievable and I can't tell if it's self-criticism or just my perfectionist traits showing, so pls review with thoughts.
Vaya con Queso,
DamaSENDhimafriend
