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Robbie paced his lair. He had been trying to find the right words all day and knew that he only had one chance at this. But what if he didn’t like him back? Of course he liked him back; he always smiled at him and acted like everything he ever did never happened. You don’t just pretend that the guy who constantly tries to kick you out of town isn’t your friend if you don’t like him. Right?
He shook his head. Enough thinking. He’d been holding in these feelings for the past few years and it was eating him inside. Sportacus had to know. It was just too much for him to bear. Even if he didn’t like Robbie back, at least he told him. And that’s all that mattered, right? That he didn’t hide away like he always did? He straightened his waistcoat and climbed up the ladder.
He got to the town and saw Sportacus. But, as usual, where there was a Sportaflop, there were children to follow. He was playing some sport with the children. Robbie had too many things on his mind to be disgusted at the thought of exercise at the moment. The group hadn’t seemed to notice him so he cleared his throat. They collectively stopped playing upon seeing him like some sort of hivemind. “Hi, Robbie. Do you want to play with us?” The pink-haired girl asked. Robbie could never remember her name.
Robbie shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Sportacus, I need to talk to you. Alone.” Sportacus was about to speak to the children, but Robbie pulled Sportacus aside before he could even change his mind. After taking a deep breath, he spoke. “I can’t stop thinking about you. Every time I look at you, you make me feel weird. It’s a good kind of weird. I like it. Just thinking about you makes me want to smile no matter how much it hurts my face. I just…I know we haven’t always been on the best of terms but I really like you. Whenever you catch me in your arms, I feel safe and secure. Like nothing else in the world I’ve ever felt before.” Robbie started pacing, trying to think.
“The way you smile and laugh and your annoying optimism and even how you trust me no matter what I do. On the rare occasion that I do manage to fall asleep, it’s because I manage to think of you and it helps me. I just…” He huffed. “It’s really hard to explain my feelings…I think I might even-“
“Robbie, stop.” Sportacus cut him off. Robbie twiddled his fingers and looked at him. The tone in Sportacus’ voice seemed different than it normally was. It seemed…irate. “Are you kidding me?” Sportacus let out an incredulous laugh and crossed his arms over one another. “Robbie, I could never like you.”
Robbie felt a turn in his gut as he tried to find his words. This was an unexpected turn of events. “But-“
“But I’m always so nice?” Sportacus asked, making Robbie silent. “I’m nice to everyone. That’s who I am.”
Robbie stuttered, not sure what to say. “I…I…” He stepped back, figuring that he’d crossed a line.
“Robbie, you’ve locked me in a trunk. You’ve sent me into sugar meltdowns multiple times. Ever since I’ve gotten here, you’ve been doing nothing but trying to send me out of town. Once you even impersonated me! You’ve trapped the children in nets, cages. You even tried to turn Stephanie’s friends against her! And countless other things I could list. What part of any of that would make you think I’d ever feel the same way you do?”
The taller man winced, twitching his nose. Right. Those things had happened. He looked at his feet and fiddled with the buttons on his waistcoat. Tears were starting to form. This was a very bad choice. He couldn’t think of anything to say. Why would Sportacus ever like him? He knew Sportacus occasionally got angry or annoyed with him, but this…
When Sportacus realized Robbie wasn’t going to try to speak, he continued. “The children like you, for some reason, so I like you. As a citizen of LazyTown.” Robbie’s nose twitched again at that.
“As a citizen? So you just like me enough to save me when I need help?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t even like me as a friend?”
Sportacus sighed, realizing how cruel he’d been sounding and softened his tone. “Of course I like you as a friend. You are a great friend when you want to be. But I could never be with someone who constantly puts the children in danger. You do have your redeeming qualities, but I could never see something happening between us. Heroes and villains don’t belong together.”
Robbie swallowed and gave a slow nod. He hung his head low and walked back to his lair, plopping onto his fluffy chair, pulling a bowl of packing peanuts onto his lap. For once, waking up had only been the second biggest mistake he’d made today. He sunk into the chair, hoping that somehow it would swallow him alive and he’d disappear. As expected, he didn’t. He just lay there, feeling worse than when he’d woken up. But at least he’d learned a very important a lesson: that’s why they call it a crush.