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It wasn't unusual for Robin to wake up in the middle of the night but he usually wasn't very happy about it. On one particular night, the young wizard woke up feeling quite parched and a bit groggy. Making sure not to wake his snake companion, who was curled up on one the pillows, Robin made his way out of his room. He went to make his way towards the stairs when he noticed that Sam's door was wide open. Normally he wouldn't pay too much attention to it but due to the lack of sleep, his curiosity got the better of him.
Peeking his head in, Robin looked around his friend's room. The young gargoyle in question was nowhere to be found. His bed looked barely touched and there was no sign of any struggle of confrontation. Backing back out into the hallway, Robin looked around and noticed the ladder to the attic was down. Maybe Sam had gone to the roof. Climbing up, he made his way onto the roof. Just as he suspected, Robin spotted Sam. The young gargoyle was sitting on the edge of the roof, slightly hunched over, staring up at the sky that was full of stars. He looked peaceful.
Slowly walking over, Robin placed himself down next to Sam. If he noticed Robin's arrival, he made no acknowledgment. Robin turned his head to stare up at the sky. During his travels, the young wizard had stared up at the stars more times than he could count. They were a small comfort for when he had very little. Due to being in a city, there weren't as many to be seen but there were still surprisingly a lot. After several moments of calming silence, Robin decided to speak up.
"Can't sleep?"
Sam let out a tired sigh which made the young wizard turn to his friend. "Yeah. I needed some place to think and this place seemed best" Sam looked at Robin from the corner of his eye "What about you?"
The young wizard gave a nod. "Had trouble sleeping and saw that you weren't in your room so I decided to come up here to see if you were okay."
Sam gave a small smile before turning back to the distance, a saddened sigh escaping his mouth. "Is something wrong?" Robin questioned, shuffling closer to his friend.
Sam shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, I've just missed looking at the stars like this."
"They are particularly nice tonight," Robin commented.
A small but warm smile appeared on Sam's face. "Back when I was younger, me and Nau used to spend countless nights looking up at the stars, counting them, memorizing them, just admiring them. He pretty much taught me how to read the stars," Sam reminisced.
A small flurry of warmth washed over Robin's heart seeing his friend so happy. "That sounded like quite a fun time."
Sam's smile faded and he looked towards the ground. "It was."
That warmth was quickly replaced with guilt. Robin knew that Sam's past and specifically Nau were a sore subject for the young gargoyle, usually leaving him a bit somber and saddened. His mind searched for a way to lighten the mood. An idea presented itself in his mind.
"You know..." Robin began, "I actually used to stargaze a lot when I was younger."
Sam looked over at him with curiosity. "Really?"
Robin nodded. "Back when I lived in Alaska, me and my mama would often camp out in our front garden just to look up at the stars. We'd try and spot shooting stars, find the constellations and just enjoy the night sky. It was... fun," Robin's heart warmed at the memories of when his life was simple, when he was... happy.
"Those sound like they were fun times," Sam commented.
Robin couldn’t help but let out a warm smile. "They really were.”
"But now we'll be able to make new times, new memories," the young gargoyle stated, staring up at the stars.
The young wizard hummed in agreement, hoping that the future would be good to them.
In the blink of an eye, a light streaked across the night sky. Robin stood up and gasped. "A shooting star!"
Sam also stood, looking about. "Where?!"
The young wizard pointed towards the sky, where the star was fading out of view. "There. We have to make a wish quickly otherwise it won't come true," Luckily for Robin, he didn't have to think over his wish, he already knew what he wanted.
Sam nodded. "Okay, I wish for-"
Robin put his hand over the young gargoyle's mouth. "You also can't say your wish out loud as if you do it won't come true."
With a bit of surprise in his eyes, Sam nodded in understanding, prompting Robin to remove his hand from his friend's mouth. "So this means you won't tell me yours?" the young gargoyle asked with pleading eyes and a pout.
All Robin could do was give his friend a look. The young gargoyle chuckled nervously. "Right right."
He sat back down, legs hanging over the side of the building. Robin couldn't help but join him. The young wizard stared up at the sparkling sky. His heart ached. He wished his mother was still here with him.
Feeling something press into his side, Robin glanced over to see Sam gently leaning against him. A flurry of warmth washed over Robin's heart. He leaned against Sam's side and turned back to the stars. He may not have his mother by his side but he did have Sam. The two of them would make their own futures and hopefully they'd be able to heal from their wounds of the past. And maybe, just maybe; their wishes would come true.