You Do What You Have To - 74

 

 

"Peaceful," Micky said. Then he chuckled. "If you ignore the noisy kids."

 

"It is. We should do this every night."

 

Micky stopped walking to look at Robin. "At least for the foreseeable future, until…"

 

"Until what, Micky?"

 

"Until you stop needing to protect me and send me on my way."

 

"What makes you think I'll do that? I thought we already decided we care about each other. Personally, I don't see that ending anytime soon. Or"—he put his hands on Micky's shoulders, gazing at him—"anytime at all, on my part."

 

Micky smiled slowly. "You mean that, don't you?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Even though we've only known—"

 

"Don't go there." Robin glanced around before kissing Micky quickly. "It doesn't take years to find out you really like someone. It can happen in a day—sometimes."

 

"Did it with you?"

 

"No. It took a bit longer. Oh I liked you from the start, but I didn't realize how much until, well…"

 

"I know," Micky said softly. "You told me. I figured out how I really felt about you the day Falcon brought you home from the hospital."

 

Robin snorted softly. "That made it sound like he was bringing home his newborn kid."

 

"Did, didn't it? But you know what I meant." Micky took Robin's hand. "I was afraid at first it was just what they call transference, but I knew it was more. I think I would feel the same even if we'd met under normal circumstances."

 

"Fate?" Robin asked with a wry smile.

 

"No. Attraction. What we've been through together just accelerated it."

 

"And then some," Robin agreed as they started walking again. "Once around the park, then home?"

 

"Yep. You still need your sleep. This is the most exercise you've had since…"

 

"You can say his name and talk what about happened to me. You have before. Just as we can talk about what happened to you. It's over, Micky. We're both healing. And when we get home, I'm going to prove it to you."

 

Micky looked at him with a mixture of lust and dismay. "You can't! Not yet."

 

Squeezing Micky's hand, Robin replied, "There are more ways than screwing to do it, you know."

 

"Well, duh."

 

"Then let's go home and see what we can come up with."