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The boys were alone for the night. Johnny and Carmen were doing some sort of business trip with the LaRussos. Robby didn’t really know what it was about, and he didn’t really care. He just knew that he and Miguel would be alone for the night.
Both boys were definitely old enough to stay by themselves for the night. Johnny wasn’t requiring them to stay in the same apartment. That was something that Robby and Miguel had decided on their own. They hadn’t really even talked to Johnny about it, which would explain why Johnny was so confused to see Miguel on his doorstep with a sleeping bag.
Miguel answered his question before he even asked it. “Robby and I are going to have a sleepover tonight.”
“Why? You boys are old enough to spend a night by yourselves.”
“Yeah, but we don’t really want to,” Miguel responded with a shrug.
“Okay then,” Johnny said. “Robby, get out here and say goodbye. I need to go.”
Robby came out of his room and gave his dad a hug. “Try not to bully Mr. LaRusso too much, Dad.”
“I never start it,” Johnny said, as petulant as a child.
“Then tell Mr. LaRusso that I don’t want to hear about any arguments started by either party.”
“That I can do,” Johnny said with a laugh.
“Good,” Robby said. “Bye, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you too, Robby,” Johnny said, giving his son one last hug. Then he turned to Miguel and gave him a hug too. Robby no longer felt jealousy towards Miguel, at least not at this moment. He felt much more secure in his relationship with his father than he had before.
And then they were alone.
The boys talked and played video games until midnight, when they started to get tired. Both boys curled up in sleeping bags on the floor of the living room. They both fell asleep relatively quickly.
Some time later, Miguel woke up as Robby twitched in his sleep. Miguel looked closer at his brother and noticed the expression of pain and fear on his face. Robby twitched again, even more violently. Miguel heard Robby whisper under his breath, “Don’t let him touch me! Don’t let him hurt me again, Dad!” right before Robby twisted aggressively on the ground. Miguel reached over to Robby and shook him gently. The movement was enough to wake Robby from his nightmare.
Robby noticed Miguel there, but he was still stuck in between the waking world and the sleeping one. Robby grabbed onto Miguel’s hand and said, “You won’t let him hurt me, will you Miguel?”
Miguel wanted to know who Robby was talking about, but he could hear the sheer terror in Robby’s voice, so he determined that he would need to calm Robby before asking questions. “Robby, nobody is here except for the two of us.”
“Are you sure?” Robby asked, fear still lacing his voice.
“I’m positive.”
“Can you check? Just to make sure?”
“Okay, Robby,” Miguel responded. So he quickly scoped out the apartment to make sure that no one else was there. Of course it was empty, aside from the two boys. Miguel returned to Robby’s side and told him, “It’s empty, just the two of us.”
Robby sighed in relief and leaned into Miguel, but he didn’t say anything.
“Who are you afraid of Robby?” Miguel asked after a minute. He wasn’t sure if he actually expected Robby to respond, but Robby did.
“Silver,” Robby answered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Miguel just nodded, he knew that he couldn’t push Robby too much, or Robby would pull away.
“He abused me, Miguel,” Robby told the other boy. “Every kind of abuse you can think of.”
“Did you ever tell anyone?” He asked.
“No.”
“Why not, Robby?”
“Because I was scared. Scared people would think I was weak. And I am.”
“You are not weak, Robby.”
“I just had a nightmare. Nightmares are for children. I am so weak.”
“You are not,” Miguel whispered, wrapping his arms around his brother. “You are so strong. You endured all of that, and you are still here, still fighting, even though it’s hard. That takes a lot of strength, Robby. A lot.”
Robby burst into tears at the statement, because he could tell that Miguel meant what he had said with every fiber of his being. Robby loved Miguel so much in that moment. He pressed close against Miguel's side. And Miguel simply held Robby as he cried. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t try to be comforting. He just held Robby close, expressing his love for his brother. And that was exactly what Robby needed at that moment.
The brothers eventually drifted back to sleep, still wrapped up in each others arms.
That was how Johnny and Carmen found them the next morning, still wrapped up, one comforting the other, with tear tracts still on Robby’s face.