bubosquared | At last, the Take That story!

author: armelle amaya | fandom: take that | pairing: mark/robbie | rating: pg16 | summary: in which robbie's room is haunted, and mark plays security blanket | status: new, finished | date: 25 october 2001 - 9 november 2001 | email: minerva@femgeeks.net | series/sequel: no | webpage: http://www.independentsoul.net | disclaimer: not mine; didn't happen | author's notes: a long time ago (mid-1990's), in a galaxy far, far away (europe) there was a boyband called take that; every girl my age was nuts about them; me, i was all about the beatles; had you told me then i'd be writing stories about these blokes, i'd have laughed in your face; oh, how the mighty have fallen; visual aid -- left to right, at the top: garry barlow, jason orange, howard donald, mark owen, and at the bottom is robbie williams; that's whip cream, btw; i hope; thanks to tri for quick beta! |

could it be magic

You will always find Rob's door open. He spends nearly all his time in Mark's room where he will be pampered and mothered. During the British leg of this tour he thought his hotel room was haunted and slept with Mark all night.
(From Take That In Private)
"Mark?" He feels really stupid to be standing here. Twenty years old and afraid of the dark. Howard would laugh himself sick if he knew, which is why he's not knocking on Howard's door, but on Mark's. Mark will understand, or at the very least not make fun of him.
"Mmf. What? Robbie? What's wrong?" Mark blinks at him, bleary with sleep, and suddenly Robbie feels entirely ridiculous.
"Nothing, never mind," he mumbles, turning to leave.
"Robbie. You wouldn't be waking me up in the middle of the night for 'nothing'."
"I. Um. Myroomishaunted."
"What?"
"My room is haunted. I think. There's stuff moving around on its own, and noises, and ... It's probably just Howard playing a prank on me, isn't it?"
"Probably, yeah." Mark yawns, then takes a closer look at Robbie's face. "Jesus, you're really scared, aren't you?" Robbie nods, miserably. He knows he's blushing, and he really just wants the floor to open up and swallow him.
But then Mark asks, "Do you want to sleep here tonight?" and he just nods. Ghost or Howard, he really doesn't want to go back to his room. "C'me here, then." Mark holds up a corner of the sheets, and Robbie crawls in, noticing how Mark's bed doesn't smell like hotel washing powder, like his does.
"Mark?"
"What now?" Mark sounds exasperated.
"You won't tell the others, will you?"
A sigh. "Of course not. Can I get some sleep now?"
"Thanks. Sorry. Good night."
"Good night, Robbie," pointedly.

An hour later, he startles awake. "Now what?"
"I," he swallows, "Nightmare. I'll just go back to my room and let you sleep." He starts to get out of bed, but is stopped by Mark's arm around his waist.
"Don't be daft. Look, I'm awake now anyway. You want to tell me about the nightmare?"
"It wasn't really about anything. Just a stupid dream about the fans. They were chasing me and I couldn't get away and I was suffocating and-" He breaks off, gasps for air. Mark's hand is a comforting presence on his back.
"Hey," Mark whispers, putting his arm around Robbie. "Come here." Robbie leans back, lets Mark envelop him in warm, safe, comfortable arms. He feels like a dork, but at least he's a safe, comfortable dork. That thought brings a smile to his face.
Mark strokes his hair softly. "Better now?"
"Yeah, thanks. Sorry for being suck a baby."
"Hey, you are the baby, remember?"
Robbie snorts. "You're only two years older than I, 'old man'." He elbows Mark in the ribs.
"Ow. Watch it, Junior, or I'll show you what two years of extra experience can do."
Robbie waggles his eyebrows. "Why, Mark Owen, are you coming on to me?"
"I could be, if you wanted me to."
Robbie was about to retort when something about Mark's smile struck him as odd. "Maybe I do," he says, half serious, half still flirtatious.
"Robbie," Mark starts, then falls silent.
"What?"
"Don't start something you don't intend to finish."
Robbie turns in Mark's arms, looking him straight in the eyes now. "Who says I won't follow through?"
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Well, I was trying to seduce you," Robbie pouts, "but that doesn't seem to be working very well."
"Robbie, you're -"
"Twenty. I know I've not really been acting my age tonight, but I promise you, I'm a big boy, and I'm not exactly a blushing virgin, either."
"And here I thought I was special," Mark teases.
"Oh, you are. You get to have sex with Robbie Williams. Teenaged girls all over Europe would die to be in your place."
Mark starts giggling, laughing so hard he falls onto his side, curled up in a ball of laughter.
Robbie harumps. "You're gonna pay for that, Owen," and he grabs Mark, pushes him with his back against the bed. Smiling, he pulls Mark's boxer shorts down.
"Robbie, what-?"
"Shut up and let me get on with the seduction."

After, with Robbie's breath across his skin, Mark asks "Where the hell did you learn that?"
He can feel Robbie smiling against his neck. "And you were telling me I'd never learn anything good from Liam."