The Black Phone One Shots (Robin x Finney)

The Importance of Culture

Inspired by a shot from a collection called Okay, dad by EliLover1. The book's full of small, super cute shots. Check it out! Also, the boys are seniors in this one 🙌
Word count: 1,268

Robin watched the snow slowly drip off the tree branch outside the window. It was a little blinding, the sun hitting the pure white snow and creating a what was basically the natural equivalent to holding a sheet of steel in the sunlight. But, Robin still thought it was beautiful. He was lucky to get a table by the window, normally they're are always taken by groups of college kids or other seniors using the coffee shop to study. But because Christmas break had just started, the only people studying and doing homework were kids who wanted to get everything done so they wouldn't have to do anything last minute, and they were usually alone.

And, well, Robin was one of them. He sat with his math textbook open, and a couple pages of notes scattered about the table. Once he snapped out of his amazement with the outside, a place he wished he could be right now, he focused back into his work. It didn't matter how much he studied, how hard he tried to remember everything, math just didn't click with him. It just didn't make sense. So, there he sat, after hours of being alone in a library, about halfway through his assignment.

Just as he was beginning another problem, his train of thought was thrown off it's tracks by a quiet, "Can I sit here?"

Robin was prepared to meet this statement with a scoff of annoyance and reluctance, but when he looked up, he suddenly found himself incapable of fostering any negative feelings towards the boy who had just spoken. He was a somewhat short, thin, brunette kid, with curly hair and pale skin. His cheeks and nose had turned a light shade of pink from the cold.

Robin's facial expression immediately shifted from confrontational to politely neutral. "Oh, yeah, sure, feel free." He looked across the table, suddenly realizing all of his things were taking up the entire table. "Sorry, let me get that for you." He pulled everything toward him, clearing up the other half of the table.

The other boy giggled to himself, his shoulders raising with his smile. He stood patient, and met Robin's eyes every time he would look up him. Robin wasn't sure what he was looking for in this boy. Some form of approval, maybe? Or, was he just attractive?

"Okay, is that enough room?" Robin asked attentively.
The boy nodded politely, "Mhm, thank you." He brought his satchel-like backpack over his shoulder and set it down on the table and pulled out a chair. He sat down and removed a very organized binder from his bag.

Robin's eyes ran up and down the color coded folders, collection of colored pens and markers, a wide selection of tabs and notecards in all different colors and sizes. What kind of person has the time, energy, and, honestly, money to put this much into the aesthetics of their school career? The brunette flipped through the binder until he was open to the section dedicated to his math class. His work looked like Robin's, in terms of the contents of the page. The format was much more contained, each problem flowing with the other in neat rows. He didn't even need to circle his answers.

Once the new boy had everything he needed set on the table in a specific way, he looked up and met Robin's eyes. They stared at each other for a couple seconds before Robin returned to the present moment. "Oh, um," he looked down, "s-sorry, I was, just, uh..." he looked around his side of the table. Suddenly, he was incredibly insecure about the state of his organization.

"Is that Pre-Calc?" the boy across the table asked, tilting his head to get a better look at the scattered collection of information sletched across the loose leaf sheet of paper Robin had set next to his worksheet, along with various pages of notes. "Um," he looked off to the side, "y-yeah."

The boy laughed. "Yeah, me too." He picked up the pencil set next to his work. "Need help?" he asked. Robin stared at the other boy for a few seconds, amazed at the level of kindness he was offering a complete stranger, then hesitantly nodded his head. "Maybe a little."

* * * * *

The next few hours were mostly spent working, however, there were many times when both of them would get wrapped up in a conversation and talk with one another for longer than they should've. But they were both surprisingly efficient. They got finished with math, then even had enough time to move on to science, and got a decent amount done in that class as well.

All good things must come to an end, however. The other boy, named Finney, Robin had learned, had no trouble packing his backpack. The same could not be said for Robin, however. He carelessly shoved his papers into his bag without any sort of organization. Finney watched, shaking his head with a smile. "You know, maybe next time I can teach you how to set up your backpack so you can actually find things in it," he joked.

Robin looked up. "Next time?" He immediately blinked and began nodding. "Oh, yeah! I mean, that would definitely help," he laughed. Finney brought the strap of his bag over his head while Robin finished packing, and the two of them made their way for the door.

Once outside, the energy between them suddenly shifted completely. They stood at the bottom of the steps, not saying a word, but somehow still communicating. Neither of them wanted to leave. They wanted to spend the rest of the day laughing and talking with each other. Robin felt his heartbeat against his chest when he looked behind him, seeing the path he would need to take to his house. Finney needed to go the opposite. Fate can be so cruel sometimes.

"So," Robin began, "I'm going to be in here tomorrow," he gestured to the building they'd just exited. Finney smiled. "Me too," he said, happily rocking back and forth on his feet. After standing in silence for another few seconds, Robin sighed. "Okay, well, I'll see you then, I guess," he looked down.
"Yes, definitely," Finney nodded.

"See you around, Finn," Robin waved, turning around and starting to walk down the path to his house. Finney, however, stood still, his eyes dancing around on the pavement below him. His heart beat fast and his breathing became more and more difficult to control, until finally, he ran to catch up to the boy walking the other way.

"Robin!" he called after him. Robin froze immediately, spinning around at the sound of Finney's voice. Finney stopped in front of him, staring at him for a moment, before frantically reaching into his bag and ripping a small section off a piece of paper and taking out a pencil. He scribbled a quick message on the paper, then dropped the pencil in his bag and shoved the paper into Robin's hands. "I-I..." he fidgeted with his hands, before shutting his eyes tight and just letting out. "I'm gay too." He said, staring at the ground, immediately turning and walking the other direction.

Robin blinked, his brain doing its best to catch up to the situation. Unconsciously, his hand reached up and lightly touched one of the pins attached to the straps of his bag. A small bottle cap Robin had painted the inside of, with a rainbow. Robin watched the light bounce off the bright paint, then opened up the paper he'd been handed.

A phone number.