Archive of Our Own

“Take it, Keene.” 

“Huh?” 

Robby looked at him under his lashes while the jacket hung loosely on his cold hands. 

“I said take it. You look cold.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m fine.” 

He raised an eyebrow in his direction, but Robby openly ignored him. They were both under the small roof of the bus stop while the rain fell loudly by their sides. He was waiting for his usual bus, but Robby was waiting for a taxi. When he asked why didn’t take the bus, he never got an answer. 

“You are shaking.” 

Well, he was shaking . He had only a black long sleeved shirt on him and he was rubbing his hands together while trying to gather all the warmth he could. He should ignore the fact that he knew he had no place to stay besides the dojo and that he probably didn’t have many clothes in the first place because hey, that guy kicked his ass more than once. He would never admit it, but those short legs could kick well damn fucking hard and it hurt, okay?

But on the other hand, and this is probably the reason he was offering him his jacket, is that he was nice. Even if he was new in the dojo, he was caring and gentle which is something really weird to see in cobra kai. Robby always offered his opponent a hand to stand up, he was always the first one to grab ice or lotion if someone got hurt, he would offer his water bottle to anyone and he tried to use his charm on sensei Kreese if he was being too harsh. Even if he was a great fighter, he was a good loser too. He would always clap them in the back and smile, happy they won even if he lost a point (the guy, until now, never lost a whole round and that’s fucking impressive, but anyways). 

He was kind, and he liked kind people because there were not many like that in his life anymore. 

“You gonna make me put it on you?” he asked jokingly, but Robby just stared at him like the lost puppy he was. 

God, he was a real lost puppy. 

“You can give it back to me tomorrow. You are coming, right?” he asked when he spotted the refuse in his eyes. His nose, his cheeks and his fingers were turning red from the cold, and he was about to put the thing on him even if he didn’t want to. 

Robby nodded cautiously, and even if he thought he was going to reject him again, he took the jacket gently. “Thank you.” 

“You are welcome.” he said with a side smile, trying to not look at him while he put it on. 

The jacket was, clearly, at least two sizes bigger than Robby. The guy wasn’t lanky, like at all , but he was short and small even if he was built for his size. But, to be fair, almost everyone was smaller than him so he better not say anything and avoid a punch in the crotch. 

It looked nice on him, though. Even if it was a little big, the black looked good against his pale skin and actually was a little puppy wrapped in all that. 

“What?” 

What? Wait, no. He couldn’t have said that outloud. Shit. 

He froze in his place while his eyes remained on the street in front of him, but even then he could feel Robby’s eyes looking straight at him. 

“Uhm-I...oh, my bus is here. Sorry, man. Gotta leave you now. Take care of my jacket, okay? See you!” 

His mum once told him he talked too much when he was nervous. Well, fucking hell it was true. 

He didn’t even look at Robby before he jumped in the bus. He hopes he wasn’t too rude, but he was blushing , okay? 

“It looks nice on you. ” he repeated with a groan. “Who the hell says that?” 

He sat in first place against the window and he got to see Robby once more before the bus took off. He was hugging the jacket tightly against him and, if his eyes were not betraying him, he was smiling very softly too. 

The day after their little encounter Robby gave him back his jacket in perfect state, gently folded and with a familiar cologne that was probably his. Not like Doug had ever thought about his smell, though. Nope, not at all. 

Anyways, when the class ended Kyler invited them all to eat some pizza at a restaurant a few blocks away. Tory couldn’t go because she had work and he could see Robby already regretting his decision to go with them even if Tory tried to encourage him. They all liked Robby, but he never hung up much with them. Well, he didn’t hang up with anyone really. He was kind of a lonely wolf, even if he was actually really nice. 

For that he wrapped an arm around his shoulder and assured Tory they were going to look out for him while he guided him out of the room. He was thinner than the last time he had fought with him, and maybe even more...fragile. 

He shook that thought out of his head and focused on the stupid talk the guys were having about a move they learned that day. 

Robby didn’t talk much, but that didn’t stop him from understanding some things he should have guessed the first time. 

To begin with, Robby didn’t have much money. When they all ordered pizza, to eat exactly two slices each of them, Robby excused himself saying he wasn’t hungry. Yeah well, he heard his stomach growl as soon as the pizza came while he drowned in a glass of water. 

He pushed his second slice towards his plate and lied, saying he was still full from breakfast. He was a little bit hungry then, but seeing Robby’s relieved eyes was kind of worth it. 

Second of all, Robby was actually shy. Like, not in a very noticeable way, but you could the way he would be coy if too many eyes were on him. Slowly, but surely, he would loosen up and actually talk with them, but it took quality time to get to that point. 

Oh, and the third one was that Robby was fucking sad. He could smile and pretend that he was hearing them but one look at his eyes was everything he needed to understand those pale eyes. He was fucking sad, and fucking lonely and so fucking drained that he wished he could ask him about all this, help him in some way. 

He knows he can’t, but he wants to. And he might be an asshole most of the time, but if he wanted something he would damn get it. 

“I noticed you staring at Robby more than usual today.” Tory said distractly while she dried her neck and shoulders with a towel after training. He looked around looking for someone who could be listening but everyone was too focused on massaging their sore muscles. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” he shrugged while he packed his white gi on bag. 

“Don’t play dumb with me, Rickenberger. If he wasn’t so blind he would have noticed too.” 

“Tory, I was just watching his moves. Look, don’t get me wrong, but the guy is a beast. Not in a bad way, though. But you know what I mean.” 

“So that’s why you were looking at his face the whole time, right?” 

Uh, caught red handed. Awsome. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” she said with a snarky smile as soon as she saw the deer's eyes. “What’s your deal?” 

“Not what you are thinking.” 

“That’s hard to believe.” Tory murmured under her breath before looking straight at him. “Whatever you are playing here, it stops now.” 

“What?” he asked dumbfounded, but Tory just glared at him.

Well, maybe he should have seen something like this coming from Tory. She was the only one, apart from sensei Kreese, that Robby talked to without a fault. He knew Tory was protective, but he didn’t notice how close they got. Robby had to be something else if he managed to earn Tory that fast. 

“He is dealing with a lot of crap right now, he doesn't need yours as well.” 

“Maybe I just wanted to be his friend.” he said between clenched teeth, but she just snorted in his face. 

“Friends don’t look at each other like that.” she grabbed her own bag and stood up, not even looking at him. “I mean it, stay away from him.” 

Before he could answer, Tory was already gone from the dojo. 

He wasn’t good at taking orders, if you ever wondered. 

“Hey.” he greeted as soon as he spotted the shorter boy warming up in the middle of the carpet. 

As always, Robby was the first one to be practicing and would probably be the last one to leave. Sensei was talking with someone over the phone in his office, and anyways the class wouldn’t start for at least twenty more minutes. 

“Hey.” Robby said softly, frowning a little. “What are you doing here so early?” 

He sat on the carpet in front of him as stretched his legs. “Thought you might want some company.” 

He smiled shyly before nodding. 

“So, what are you doing here so early?” he asked this time while Robby went forward with his legs spread, his chest now touching the floor while he stared at him. Well, that had to hurt. 

“I live here.” he snorted, but his jaw was tight with effort. “You are basically sitting in my living room right now.”
 

“Sorry for invading your space.” Doug laughed, and that’s probably the first time he had seen Robby smile more than just a shy grin. “I thought you would be living with sensei.” 

“I...preferred to stay here. I don’t really want to depend on a person that much again.” 

Oh, right. LaRusso. Damn, he forgot about her. 

“Wise decision.” he admitted while he laid back down on his back, yawning. “These mats are probably more comfortable than his couch, anyways.” 

Robby laughed a little at that, and he caught him staring at him strangely. 

“What?” Doug asked with a tilted head. 

Robby just shook his head, but he smiled. “I’m not used to people not pitying me, that’s all.” 

“Why would I pity you when you have a whole dojo for yourself? I would have thrown three parties by now.” 

Yeah, he did actually pity him a little. Right now, seeing him up close without anyone around, he looked young. Doug wasn’t an old dude, just to be clear, he was just a year older than him. But Robby still looked too tired, too defeated to be just 16. He wanted to ask him to come and stay with him, maybe his dad could arrange something with the child services or the police even, but he knew that if Robby actually wanted that he would have done it a long time ago. 

“I don’t like parties very much.” He admitted bending his leg. “Too many people, alcohol, terrible music.” 

“Yeah, me neither. But the guys make it a little bit fun sometimes.” it was true, without his friends he wouldn’t even think about going to high school parties. They sucked. “Kyler throws the best parties, though. Especially because he invites people who are not from school.” 

“Yeah, Tory told me the same. He looked like the popular type.” 

“Yeah, kind of an asshole too. But if you ignore half of the things he says it’s bearable.” 

“Thought he was your friend?” Robby said with a raised eyebrow. 

“Nah, too cocky for me.” he said with a half smirk, and Robby groaned very softly when pushed himself against the floor again. “Hey, I think you are doing it wrong. Your legs will hurt like a bitch later.” 

“It’s just warming up.” 

“The most important part, man. Come on, let me show you how it’s done.” he moved from his place and pushed himself behind him while sensei’s voice echoed in the background. “Can I?” 

Robby looked almost surprised that he asked that, but he nodded. “Yeah, show me.” 

He sighted and pressed his hands against his back gently. “Okay, relax your middle and spread your legs a little more. That’s it, now go down.” 

Robby did as he was told and he went down with him slowly, his warmth touching his skin in a way that made him feel something heavy on his chest. When his chest touched the floor he went backwards again, his hands slowly leaving his back until they were on his waist and hips. He spread his hand in the lower part of his back and pushed very slightly until Robby’s body was completely against the mat. 

“See the difference?” He whispered against his hair when Robby pushed himself up slowly. 

Robby did something dangerous then, and somehow...that changed everything. 

They were too close now, their breaths were one while their noses barely bumped with each other. 

And Robby had the most gorgeous eyes he had ever seen. They were green but at the same time they weren’t just that, green was too simple for the beautiful galaxy playing on this orbs. There was some brown and orange playing around the pupil and he could almost see a very small tint of blue in them, so pale against the pretty mix of colors. 

He didn’t know what to say and he certainly didn’t know what to do now. His body was warm against him and he smelled like rain, and forest and something utterly similar to spring. He didn’t have his walls up and strong anymore, he could see clear as the water the vulnerability in his eyes and the steadiness of his muscles. 

“Mr. Rickenberger, Mr.Keene. I hope I’m not interrupting something.” sensei Kreese said behind them, and they both separated from each other like their bodies were on fire. 

Sensei was looking at them with his arms crossed and the familiar cold eyes, even if his mouth was slightly twitched. “No, sorry. Doug was just helping me to warm up better. I-uh was doing it wrong.” 

Doug nodded, agreeing with him but being unable to say a word. His throat was dry and he could still feel the warmth of his body in his palms. 

Ah, shit. 

For two days he couldn’t look at his eyes without thinking that they were close enough for him to see every color in those pretty orbs. He blushed like a seven year old when Robby caught him staring at him during practice, and he could almost feel Tory throwing daggers towards him. 

He could always pretend he was looking at Tory but A, even if she was hot as hell, she was also terrifying. B, she would kick his ass and C, Robby was damn beautiful when he was training, he looked happy and strong instead of lost and sad. 

That’s probably how they got so close, if he really thinks about it. 

After their little...exchange of glances, things were a little bit awkward and he realized he wasn’t the only one who felt something that day. Anyways, things got a little bit better when they started this new exercise; it consisted in choosing a partner and working every week with them to learn their weakest and strongest spots. It was supposed to help them reforce their moves, their strength and velocity, along with improving the weak moves and learn new ones. 

Tory and Robby were the firsts ones to pair up, but sensei Kreese surprised them all when he forbade them to work together. They were already the stronger ones, and clearly the most skilled, so that wouldn’t allow them to learn much from each other according to what he said. Then, looking at Robby’s puppy eyes he gave in and went to his side without even asking, knowing Robby would gladly be with someone he knew a little bit at least. 

And yes, Tory was going to murder him one day but he decided to enjoy the moment. 

Days started passing then and it almost became a routine. Everyday he would come to the dojo with Robby already waiting for him and they would train for hours. Not to his surprise, Robby was a great fighter. Every kick, every punch, every dodge and attack was calm but at the same time they held all his channeled strength and power. He could almost see a little of the miyagi do in his ways, but he hid them with the velocity of the cobra moves. It was almost enchanting watching him fight, it was a combination of the strength of every move he knew. 

He knew a lot of new moves like the crane kick (it was awesome), the double side kick and he even perfected his technique. 

Yeah, Miyagi Do held no chance with them working this hard. 

Anyways, life was good. The dojo was stronger than ever and Robby and him got close. Robby was shy, and a little bit quiet but with time he got to see a new part of him; he was funny, sarcastic and too damn smart for his own good. In his old school he used to be in AP calculus and AP biology, which was damn impressive even if he sucked at history. He loved musicals and dance movies, especially dirty dancing, he loved dogs with passion and he was great at skateboarding even if that was just a hobby. He also hated pineapples and mushrooms, and he was allergic to cucumbers. Yeah, he doesn’t know how he knows that. Oh, and he had a thing for books and music, particularly songs with melodies played by piano or a violin (but his favourite band was Metallica, he doesn't get this guy sometimes). 

“So, it’s your birthday tomorrow.” he said when they both fell to the ground, too exhausted to even exist right now. “You have something planned?” 

“No one should have known about that, actually. But Tory didn’t get the message.” he said sarcastically when he fell by his side. “I was going to spend it drowning in my sleeping bag, but now she wants to throw a party in the pizza place we go to every friday.” 

“Hey, the place is small and there will not be many people. It will be fun.” he tried to cheer him up, but Robby didn’t seem very happy. “Come one, you deserve a nice day.”

“It’s not that, just...I hate my birthdays. I haven't celebrated once since I was-eight, maybe?” 

“Why? Birthdays are basically food and presents.” 

“It was. My mum always tried to make them great, but then she…” he shook his head, and Doug felt his own throat clench. “Anyways, she never could fill the space of my dad. He would always call, but I hated that. I wanted him to come and he never did, so I stopped caring about it all. It was better to pretend that it was just another day than be sad about it.” 

“That your parents made it be a bad day doesn't mean it has to remain that way. You are with me, with Tory, with sensei and with all of us this year. We won’t fail you.” he said slowly when Redhead passed past them to grab a bottle of water. “We might not be your parents, but we are here for you. You know that, right? Even if we have to spend the whole day watching dirty dancing or making the worst jokes ever to make you have a nice day, we would do it if that means seeing you happy. We all care about you.” 

Oh, when did he become a sappy asshole? God. 

Robby smiled in a way that made his heart feel warm and cozy inside his chest, and swears he could have melted right there. “Thank you, Doug. I really appreciate that.” 

“Always, buddy.” he bumped his shoulder with his own and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. “Why don’t you come and sleep at my house tonight?” 

“What?” Robby asked dumbfounded. 

“Sleep at my place tonight. My dad will come late so we can order some pizza and watch a movie. And we can go together to the restaurant, if you want.” 

“I...I should ask sensei.” he said under his breath, but his eyes told him he actually was okay with the idea. 

“Yeah, of course. Text me what he says and I will send you my address.” he said shyly, surprised of himself. 

“Okay.” he said gently before sensei finished the class. 

He said yes :) Robby texted him twenty minutes later and he had to stop himself from chuckling when he saw the smiley face.

Cool , he texted back and if he was smiling like a fool, no one had to know. Beckstreet 238, near the Park with the small lake. Do you know where is it? I can pick you up if you want, my dad left the car today. 

Nah, I can manage. Don’t worry. I will see you later?   

If he bit his lip, no one can blame him. 

Yep, I hope you like popcorn?

Who doesn’t???

You could be a weirdo. 

Luckily for you, I’m not. 

Couldn’t take any chances, but I would like you anyways. 

Shit , okay that was risky. Holy shit why did he send that? 

I would like you too, even if you liked salty popcorn. 

Sue him, but that was the most romantic thing no one ever said to him. 

“Well, here it is the birthday boy.” He smiled as soon as he opened the door. Robby was standing in the porsche with his skateboard in hand, a bag hanging on his shoulder and cheeks flushed red. 

“It’s not my birthday yet.” He said a little out of breath, but still content. He was smiling brightly and Doug had the urge to grab his cheeks and plant a kiss on that lovely face. 

Oh, okay. He just thought about that very vividly. Okay, no gay panic, right? 

Ah, he was going to do something really stupid today, isn’t he? 

“It already is in Europe.” 

Robby snorted at that and he allowed him to go inside. His house was nothing fancy, it was small and cozy as just him and his dad lived there. His older sister would come sometimes to visit, but that was only when she had time after her exams. 

“You have a nice place.” Robby said gently while he looked around the house shyly. 

“Very quiet, though.” 

“I think it’s calming.” he retorted with a half grin. “And before I forget, these are for you. They are your favorite, right?” 

He looked at the sour gummies with a fond smile while he took them. “How did you know?” 

“You always have a pack on you, I thought you might want some more. Oh, and I bought the blue and red ones because you always leave the yellow ones for Tory when you buy the mix.” 

He didn’t fall hard. He fell fucking and stupidly hard for this guy. 

“Thank you.” he said with red cheeks, and Robby smiled too. Ugh, they were both fooling around like two little boys. 

“You are very welcome. And-uh, where can I leave this?” He hung his bag in his hand while he held the snacks with his other arm. 

“Right! Uhm, you can leave it by the couch. I will bring the popcorn while we wait for the pizza.” 

“No pineapple on it?” 

He put a hand on his chest in indignation. “Who do you think I am? A monster?” 

“Good to know!” 

“The pizza will be here in 10 minutes, if we trust the GPS. Meanwhile, let’s start the movie.” he said as soon as he hopped on the couch. Robby already was only with his socks on while he made himself small on the couch. 

He questions himself when was the last time Robby lied on something else than a mat or the floor. 

“I don’t get to decide which movie we are watching? I thought I was the birthday guy.” He said with a side smile. 

“You said it yourself, it’s still not your birthday.” He rolled his eyes at Doug, and somehow that was just adorable. “I chose a movie I know you will love, don’t worry.” 

Robby hummed at his side and just allowed himself to feel a little bit more comfortable on the sofa, closer to him. As soon as he saw the name of the movie, he smiled beautifully. 

“ La La Land .” he said under his breath. “How did you know?” 

“You are a sucker for musicals. And Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone together? We can’t spend another minute of our lives without watching this.” 

“I know, right? I literally watched the Amazing Spider-man just for her.” 

“Hey, Andrew Garfield did well too.” 

“Yeah, but Emma was the heart of the movie. And when she died! It was one of the best scenes I have ever seen. It was perfect...even if it made my mum cry for an hour.” 

“She didn’t deserve to die. I really thought she was going to make it and marry Peter, but life is fucking unfair.” 

“They had so much chemistry, she was probably the love of his life. At least she died watching him, right? Knowing he was safe, she was at peace.” 

“I hope so, but even then Peter was left all alone after that. He must have felt so guilty.” 

“Probably.” Robby said with a sad twitch of lips before staring at his lap. “Do you believe in that?” 

“In what?” 

“You know, finding your true love. You think that’s real?” He asked, raising his head until their eyes met. “Meeting someone that knows what you like…?” 

“...And what you don’t.” 

Robby moved an inch closer, and he felt his heart start racing. 

“And knows what to say.” 

“Even if they are not saying anything at all.” 

“Someone that sees what you are, and not what you have.” 

“Or someone that sees everything you deserve to be and more.” 

Their lips were inches apart in the same way they were in the dojo. Their bodies were close and their breaths were one, those gorgeous galaxy eyes staring at him like he was the light in an endless night. 

When they were about to close the distance, the doorbell rang. 

Motherfucking stupid shit pizza. 

To say they ate the pizza with a little bit of hate was an understatement. The worst of it all was that the guy had a smirk on his flushed and breathless face, and he never had the urge to punch someone so hard before. 

“Hey, no extra tip for the record time?” 

He obviously shut the door in his face. 

Asshole. 

They didn’t talk much during the movie. Robby wasn’t awkward, but he went back to his initial spot on the couch and Doug was not going to push it. They ate in silence while the movie played in front of them and without noticing it they were already in the last forty minutes of the film. 

It was a great one, to be honest. 

Then, from the corner of his eyes he saw Robby’s head falling down each passing minute. It was almost funny how angry he was at himself every time his eyes would start to close. 

“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me. We still have the best part to see.” he joked and laughed when Robby sent him a dirty look under murderous eyes. 

“Talk to me, then. I won’t fall asleep if I hear you.” 

“Damn, shouldn’t I give you some calm and safe vibes?” 

“You do, I just like to hear you talk and I don’t want to miss that.” he said softly with still very tired eyes but bright under the dark room. 

He was not blushing, okay? He wasn’t . 

“Okay, so we can make some pancakes tomorrow.” he started when his heart was stable enough. “My dad can help us, because I suck. But I can at least make the mix, so I count that as a win.” 

“You made me a sandwich once. It wasn’t that bad.” Robby said under his lashes. 

“Actually, that was my dad. But I was the one who put the ketchup!” Robby laughed at that, and he decided he would make Robby laugh like that every day without a fault. 

He told him very softly about his day, about what he had planned for tomorrow, about his sister and school and Robby was hearing everything carefully but as soon as he would shut up, Robby would probably fell not to seconds later. 

“Why do you never use the bus?” 

“Huh?” 

“The bus. You always call a taxi or use your skateboard, but never the bus which is, you know, way cheaper and faster.” 

Robby tensed a little by his side and before he had time to process what was happening, Robby slowly found his place on his side. His head rested gently on his shoulder while he snuggled close to him. 

Well, now he knew what heaven was like. 

“Is this okay?” he asked against his chest, and he nodded with a warm smile. 

“It’s perfect.” he answered before his hand moved to his waist, gently caressing the place above the clothes. 

“Okay then.” he buried his face in his shirt before breathing out. “When I was ten my mum couldn’t pick me up from school because she had, or that’s what she said, a job interview. They called my dad a thousand times but he obviously didn’t answer, so I waited there for two hours until everyone was gone. It was getting late so I took the first bus I saw. I knew which one to take, but my mum didn’t let me at that age to travel alone. But I got sick of waiting and I said screw it .” 

He felt Robby gulp against his shoulder and for a moment he felt like he made a mistake in asking him this. 

“There were a lot of people so I went close to the window to not lose my stop, and then this guy stood up behind me and he...he just started jerking off beside me like he was not standing in the middle of a bus.” his hands got cold all of sudden and everything he could do was bring Robby closer to him. “I froze. I didn’t know what to do; I wanted to scream and ask for help, but I couldn’t move. And I stood there listening to him until he finished in my hoodie. I ran off at the next stop and it took me half an hour to get home, but even that was better than the bus. And I haven’t taken one since then, I just...I never wanted to feel like that again, I guess.” 

“I’m sorry.” he said against his ear when he felt like he couldn’t say anything else, when he knew he could never erase that memory. Something wet made contact with his shirt and he could only pull him closer. “I’m so sorry, Robby.” 

“It’s okay.” he sniffled a little, still pressing his cheek against his body. “I never told anyone this.” 

“Did it make you sad?”

“No, I’m actually...relieved. It doesn’t feel like a dirty secret anymore.” 

“It 's not. Something awful happened to you and keeping it to yourself is your decision only. And it’s not dirty, you are not dirty because of this, okay?” Robby didn’t say anything, but he could feel him crying silently on his chest. “You didn’t deserve this, Robby. No one does. That man was a horrible person and it has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with you.”

“I should have stayed in school.” 

“No, that man should have done what he did. Your decisions are not at fault here, you were just a kid. This is not, and it will never be your fault. Never, you got that?”

Robby didn’t say anything after that, but he stopped crying and for a moment he could almost feel the tension leaving his small frame. 

He hopes Robby can feel the same peace he does when they are together. He wants to at least give him that. 

“Can I ask why you never mention your mum?” he said when the movie was at its last ten minutes. They didn’t talk during that time, Robby was still snuggled by his side while he comforted him in a warm embrace with blankets around them. “You don’t owe me an answer just because I told you what happened to me. I just...you get sad when I mention mine sometimes.”

“I never talk about her, not even with my dad but...that’s mostly because I’m trying to forget her.” Robby moved his eyes from the TV and straightened until he was close to him and their eyes met. “My parents got divorced when I was nine, but even then they used to fight a lot. That-that caused me a lot of anxiety and panic attacks, especially in school. I used to cry saying that I didn’t want to go home because there was just too much yelling and curses, my sister had to take me to the park for hours before I would want to go back.” 

Robby took his hand slowly until their fingers were completely intertwined. 

“One day I got home and they were fighting their lungs out. My dad was trying to calm her down, he always was the peaceful one but my mum was completely out of it. She kept cursing him, breaking everything she had in front of her and when she saw me…” he squeezed his hand between his, and those galaxy green eyes were staring at him with something that just screamed I’m right here . “She blamed me, you know? She said that everything was my fault, that since they got me I only caused trouble for them and that it was my fault they got separated.” 

Robby’s free hand moved to grab his cheek, gently caressing his skin until the tears were all gone. 

“My sister punched her in the face after that, but I don’t remember much more. My therapist said it was a self defense mechanism that was helping me deal with that trauma, but I guess my head was just helping me to forget her.” he admitted, melting in his embrace. “I haven’t talked to her in years. She apologized a hundred times, but I never cared. I don’t think I ever will.” 

“I’m sorry, Douggie.” he said while grabbing both of his cheeks, staring at him with something he had never seen before in those pale eyes. “I’m sorry she hurt you like that.” 

“I’m a big boy now. We don’t cry over mum, right?” 

Robby smiled sadly at that. “We have every right to.” 

“Maybe we do.” he whispered, pressing his forehead against his. “I never told this to anyone either.” 

“I guess I’m not anyone anymore.” 

And for the first time in his life everything made a little bit more sense in that moment. For a second, he knew his heart was exactly where it belonged. 

“No, you never were.” 

When their lips met for the first time, he knew all those words about true love...were real.