Chapter 16: Trusted

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Jude appears confused, raising his hand up to block the sun from getting in his eyes, presumably to be able to see Robin better. The look on his face is wary, and Robin has a feeling he probably wasn't supposed to hear half of that conversation.

Robin is unsure what to do. He blinks. "Hello."

"What are you doing down there?" Jude asks, and he starts walking towards him. He leans forward and holds his hand out. Robin grabs hold of it, and Jude pulls him up like it's nothing.

"I was um. I was..." Robin tries to come up with a reason for sitting in the middle of a parking lot, but nothing comes to mind. He scratches his neck, frowning as he brainstorms. Honestly, fuck their whole no secrets honesty agreement, if Jude won't honor it Robin won't either. "I was walking and I fell down."

Jude raises an eyebrow, obviously not believing Robin because that was a horrible lie. "Okay. How long have you been there?"

"Like two seconds."

Jude blinks, before something occurs to him. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"No." Robin responds way too quickly. Jude looks confused by Robin's weird behavior, which is to be expected, "I mean, uh, turns out I don't have it today."

Robin is acting super suspicious, and it's clear that Jude doesn't know what to think of this. "Okay, so you need a ride home?"

Robin nods, surprised that Jude is going along with it despite visibly not believing him. Jude releases Robin's arm. Robin didn't even notice he was still holding it from helping him up earlier, and he feels confused as to why it took Jude this long to let go. Jude doesn't say anything else, just walks over to the driver side of his car and gets in. Robin takes his cue and hops in the passenger seat.

As they pull out of the parking lot, Jude begins speaking. "Did you hear any of that?"

Robin purses his lips, and it's very apparent Jude said or hinted at something during the conversation that Robin wasn't supposed to know. What, though? Was it his weird response to Miles implying all the relationship stuff? That's the only thing Robin can think of, and he wonders if he should tell Jude about it. Aren't they supposed to not keep secrets now or something? Then again, Jude has some sort of crush that he isn't telling Robin, so whatever.

"Any of what?" Robin pretends like he has no idea what Jude is talking about. Jude appears somewhat relieved, though he's clearly still skeptical.

"I talked to Miles. I don't think he'll bother you anymore, but he was being more difficult than usual."

Robin nods, feeling distracted. It bothers him that Miles knows something about Jude, some secret, and Robin doesn't. Jude said it himself, they aren't keeping secrets anymore, but it sounds like he has at least two. Whatever Miles knows, and this secret crush. Robin knows this will bother him. He should find a way to ask about it, but he doesn't know how to word it without revealing his eavesdropping.

Actually, he already knew about one of the secrets. He can ask about that!

"Uh, do you remember how you said you'd tell me who you have a crush on? If I told you my secret?" Jude frowns, but nothing else about him changes. He might be thinking. "You know, we could trade secrets or something? From like a week ago?"

"Yes." Jude says, and he doesn't elaborate any further. Robin is starting to feel confused. He thought the entire reason Jude wouldn't tell him was because he was trying to convince Robin to reveal his own. Why does he still seem hesitant?

"So... are you going to tell me?" Robin asks, wondering why he has to push this so much.

Jude shakes his head. He doesn't even say no, doesn't give Robin a verbal response. It's clear he's not too keen on holding up his end of the deal, and Robin really doesn't understand why. "Huh? Why?"

Jude doesn't answer him, and he looks deeply troubled. Robin is beginning to get frustrated. "Are you seriously not going to tell me?"

"Sorry, Robin."

"What?" Robin turns completely in his seat to look at his best friend. "Are you being serious right now? What happened to no more secrets? I told you mine, so—"

"I've known you were an omega, Robin. That wasn't news."

Robin feels angry at that for some reason. What does Jude mean, he's known? Robin sure hasn't told him, and there's no way he found out from another source. Well, unless...

"Huh? Did Miles tell you?"

"Robin, how long have we known each other? I know you. I was just waiting for you to finally tell me."

Robin blinks, and he takes note that they're almost at his house. He doesn't really care, he's gonna sit in Jude's car until they sort this out. "How long have you known?"

Jude shrugs. "A year? I don't know."

Robin is shocked. A year?! That's a long fucking time. Why did he never say anything? Was he seriously just waiting for Robin to feel comfortable telling him? Well, Robin was never going to tell him on his own so Jude helped the process along in his own way. Still, Robin wishes the guy would've notified him when he started to suspect it.

"You know what? I don't care. Just tell me your secret. I won't tell anyone, okay? Is that what you're worried about? You're like the only person I talk to, so there's no way. I thought you weren't telling me because it was supposed to be some sort of trade off so this makes no sense. We're friends, right?"

"Right." Jude says. Robin notices that they've arrived at his house. Jude is facing him as well. Now that Jude's attention is no longer split, and he's completely focused on Robin, Robin starts to feel nervous. Why? He has no idea. He just knows that Jude has had this effect on him as of late and it appears as though there's nothing he can do about it.

"Okay." Robin says, and now he's glaring at Jude. The guy is meeting his gaze like usual, though he's not nearly as emotional. Robin hates it when Jude gets like this. Jude has an annoying ability to just become completely unreadable, and it really tries Robin's patience. "So how about you act like it?"

Jude raises an eyebrow. "Oh, I won't tell you something and suddenly I hate you?"

"That is not what I said," Robin growls. "God, I fucking hate it when you do that. Friends tell each other things."

"This is one secret. One thing I'm keeping from you. You'll live."

That just pisses Robin off more. He hates it when Jude doesn't take him seriously. It appears as though Jude genuinely has no intention of revealing this stupid fucking crush to Robin, and he feels like he's about to lose his mind. Also, he's not so sure that it's just one secret. Miles seems to know something too, as noted earlier, so...

"You're really not gonna tell me." Robin says, eyebrows pinching together as he realizes that this actually hurts his feelings. Robin keeping a secret is different, because that was only one thing and it didn't really affect anything.

Jude, though? He could be hiding so much stuff! Robin would never know!

Robin just stares at Jude, feeling genuinely offended. He hates it when he feels distant from someone he cares about. Specifically Jude. Jude means so much to him, and Robin trusts the guy more than anyone. Turns out the feeling isn't mutual.

Robin averts his eyes, and the anger is starting to turn into sadness. Is this the beginning? Is this how it starts? Is this a warning that their friendship is going downhill? Robin never thought this day would come.

"Okay, stop, I know you're about to be dramatic—"

"We're not even friends anymore, at this point." Robin says, turning and leaning back. He just stares at the dashboard as he begins to feel hopeless. "You don't even care. How many things are you keeping from me? Since when does this even happen? You've always been brutally honest, so I'm confused. You're my best friend. Oh my god, you're Jude. You're Jude. What the fuck?"

Robin really doesn't have any time to organize his thoughts, so he probably sounds like a mess right now. He just doesn't know how to feel.

"Yeah, you're definitely an omega."

Robin slowly turns his head so he's looking at Jude, who appears completely bored and done with the conversation. What did this guy just say to him?

"Yeah," Robin says, and he recognizes that he probably sounds kind of insane right now. Still, Jude is seriously pissing him off. "I am. Which means I'm more emotional and submissive and blah blah blah—who fucking cares? This is bullshit, and you're not even taking me seriously. You know what? Fuck you. Don't talk to me."

Robin starts gathering his stuff up, feeling pissed off both at Jude and the fact that the rest of his day is now ruined because of this stupid argument. He opens the car door, and he's about to leave things at that until his wrist is being grabbed.

"Robin, stop. Can't we just talk about this another time?"

Robin turns to glare at him, ripping his arm out of Jude's grasp. He takes a deep breath, trying to figure out if he's being dramatic right now, like Jude said. He can't tell. "Bye, Jude."

Robin exits the car, and walks into his house. It's at least a full minute before he finally hears Jude pull out of his driveway. Robin leans against the front door and sighs, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself down.

Come on, Robin. Jude is allowed to have secrets. It's going to be okay. You will eventually find out. He's just not comfortable with you knowing right now.

Still, Robin hates not feeling trusted.

-

Robin notifies Jude that he's driving to school the next day. Jude doesn't really try to dissuade him, but Robin leaves early just in case the guy still tries to pick him up. This is partially because he knows that if Jude did, he'd probably give in.

It's not his fault, okay? Jude is really persuasive. Also Robin hates being upset with him, which sucks because he's been upset with him all evening and night... and morning. When Robin is angry with Jude for too long, he starts to miss him and also second guess himself and it becomes harder and harder to stay angry. Robin needs to stand his ground, so he's going to avoid his best friend.

He parks in the visitor's parking, and goes to his first period way before school even starts. When he says one conversation—one look, even—with or from Jude will make him give in, he's not joking.

So Robin does everything he can the entire day to avoid the guy, and he surprisingly succeeds. He wonders if Jude is purposely giving him his space. Either way, he can't tell if he's happy or sad about it. Before he knows it he's at work, sitting at the front counter and feeling bored. He's been distracted all day, because he can't stop thinking about his Jude situation.

What in the world could Miles possibly know that Robin doesn't? Would Jude have actually told him, or did it happen like with Robin? Where Miles just found out? Robin feels like that's more likely, but he's so confused on what it could be. He thought he knew his best friend better than anyone. Guess he was wrong.

"Hey, Kiddo," Robin hears, and he glances up to find his aunt leaning against the counter to his right, facing him.

"Hi," Robin says, wondering if he's about to be scolded for not paying attention. He's had three different customers get his attention after entering because he'd been so zoned out. There's also been quite a delay on him answering the phone.

"Just wanted to check up on you," Margo says, "how's school?"

Okay, it makes sense now. She wants updates on the Miles situation. Robin likes her, but it irritates him how she just tells his dad everything. So, he won't be nearly as detailed as usual. "Fine. Jude resolved everything. You know, with the one guy."

Robin knows that's what she's after, so he might as well just go ahead and tell her. She nods, smiling. "That's good."

It's quiet for a moment, and Robin is wondering why she's still here. Now that he really looks at her, she appears somewhat conflicted. "Your father has notified me that he doesn't want you practicing hair."

Robin raises an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, sounds like him."

She appears to find that funny, sighing and glancing out the window. They close soon. "I'm gonna leave it up to you, though."

Robin frowns, surprised that she's leaving the decision up to him. He supposes that he is an adult, though. It probably should have been his decision from the beginning. "I like practicing."

Margo nods, tapping the counter as she appears to think about this. "Okay! Just don't tell your dad."

She walks away shortly after that, and Robin clocks out about thirty minutes later. He grabs his stuff from under the front desk and exits the salon, waving bye to the stylists as he walks out the front door. Immediately upon his exit, though, he finds a familiar Porsche parked beside his truck.

Robin stutters in his step for just a moment, before continuing with a sinking feeling in his gut. He really does not want to face Miles right now, but it appears as though he won't have a choice.

Upon rounding the side of his truck, he finds Miles leaned against his drivers side door. The boy was previously in his phone, but he looks up at Robin's appearance.

No greetings or pleasantries are exchanged, Miles gets right to the point. "I need an answer."

Robin sighs, running a hand through his hair. He really is not in the mood for this, he genuinely just wants this conversation to be over. "Miles, I really don't want to talk about this—"

"No, you're out of time. What's it gonna be?"

Robin literally just got off work, making such an important decision right now is just not a great idea. He seriously doesn't know what to do, because Jude seems totally on board with messing up his grades, but Robin refuses to do that. At the same time, Jude seemed pretty adamant about Robin not accepting Miles' other... offer. So, what should he do?

"I... I don't know. What happens if I don't decide?"

"Then I'll tell everyone," Miles says like it's obvious.

Robin knew that, but... hearing Miles repeat it gives him an idea. He won't care nearly as much about his secret getting out after graduation. So... if he had more time...

Miles has made it pretty obvious that he's sick of waiting, though. Robin has no idea how to buy himself time.

"Okay," Robin says, an idea coming to mind. A horrible idea, but an idea nonetheless. "Okay. I decided."

Miles raises an eyebrow, and Robin takes a deep breath.

"I'll mate with you." Robin finally says, and he can't help but wince at saying it aloud. It's one thing to consider it, and a whole other to voice it. It feels solidifying, despite the fact that he has no intentions of going through with this.

All he needs is time, and Miles said that this whole mating thing doesn't need to happen for two years. In two years, Robin probably won't give a shit if Miles tells everyone he went to high school with, because Robin most likely won't see them anymore.

Also, hopefully he won't still be living in this town by then, anyway.

Miles takes a step towards Robin, and it takes everything in him not to step back and keep the distance. Miles runs a hand through Robin's hair. "Really?"

"Yes," Robin feels so uncomfortable. He's lying, though. He has no intention of being mated to Miles. He just needs time.

"Okay." Miles says, and there's this... look on his face. It makes Robin feel tense, but there's nothing new there. Miles finds joy in this, that much is obvious. He's pleased with Robin's answer. Suddenly, Robin gets the feeling he won't be getting out of this as easily as he'd planned.

"Deal."

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