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“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Robbie groaned when he opened the locker room door.
“Yeah yeah, I’m not happy about it either,” Jay countered, sweaty hair half-covering his face, arms folded over his chest.
“What do you want? With me. Especially.”
“It’s not me, it’s,” Jay sighed, made a disgusted noise, “E L P. Hurt his shoulder. He’s annoyed and won’t talk to us. But he said your name. For some reason.”
Robbie’s eyes widened. Jay made another disgusted sound.
“I- oh I guess-“
“Ugh just come to the locker room, stop stammering like some goddamn teenager.”
Robbie wasn’t sure what he was expecting but Jay literally dragging him out by his shirt wasn’t it.
Robbie had changed out of his trunks, but he hadn’t showered and was still sort of sweaty and his hair was crazy and he didn’t know what to do in this situation and-
There was Phantasmo. Sitting on a folding chair, one hand holding his opposite shoulder. He was clearly sulking and Robbie hated that he found it endearing. But Phantasmo was also in pain and for some reason wanted Robbie there.
Robbie was shoved to Phantasmo’s side by Jay, and he watched out of his peripheral vision as Jay cleared the room of remaining Bullet Club members. Huh. Maybe Jay was ok sometimes.
Robbie knelt next to the chair. Lightly touched his thigh.
“Why’d you want me here? To see you pathetic? To get me to feel bad for you? Not gonna work Phantasmo. Nothing can get rid of my disdain for you.”
Phantasmo looked at him, slightly confused, slightly grossed out.
Then looked away again.
“My shoulder hurts,” he said in a pouty tone.
“Are you serious? Why am I even here?”
“Can you get me an ice pack?” Whiny tone.
Robbie picked up the discarded ice pack from the floor and raised an eyebrow, “this?”
“No! I mean a new one, asshole.”
“Oh my god, can you please tell me what really going on?”
Phantasmo glared at him. “Can’t I just want to make your life miserable?”
“Yeah sure, but I don’t believe you.”
There was a silence, and Robbie watched the way Phantasmo’s features kept changing, trying to land on an emotion that wouldn’t give too much away.
“Can’t I just want some company?” Phas said in the smallest voice Robbie had ever heard him use.
Robbie considered this, which helped him nothing, he had no idea why Phantasmo would want his company. And he had no idea why his stomach felt all fluttery about it.
“Yeah. Yeah sure.” Robbie got up from the floor and pulled over a second folding chair. Sat down. Tried to pretend this was normal.
“Thanks,” Phantasmo muttered.
Robbie dipped his head in a little nod, though he wasn’t sure Phantasmo was looking.
After some time his mind wandered back to a bit earlier when Phas had asked for an ice pack, and Phantasmo was still holding his shoulder.
Robbie left to get that ice before he could second guess himself, but he wasn’t sure where the medic room was. Wow why wasn’t he informed about that? It took him longer than he wanted it too, but he got back to the Bullet Club locker room with the ice pack.
Phantasmo was turned in on himself, head resting on his uninjured arm.
“EL P? Got that ice you wanted.”
Phantasmo startled and looked up.
“What?” His voice was hoarse, eyes, red?
Robbie’s eyes narrowed, had Phantasmo been crying?
“Here-“ Robbie put the ice pack on Phas’s shoulder, adjusting his own chair so he could sit close to hold it there.
“Thanks,” Phantasmo said, Robbie seriously couldn’t determine the emotion in his voice. “For not leaving,” he added, in a very quiet voice.
“You thought- I would leave you?”
Phantasmo groaned, “no. Please. Forget I said that.”
“No no no, hey- seriously is that what you care about?”
“It’s Bullet Club, Eagles, people don’t stay. You didn’t.”
Robbie winced, he knew he had hurt Phantasmo before. He didn’t know the cut was that deep. But of course it was. It was hard to form legitimate relationships within Bullet Club, with all the backstabbing happening left and right. Such a large group of people yet you still end up feeling lonely.
“I made… a choice that I thought was right. But you asked me to be here. And this was also a choice I think was right.”
“Ew don’t be a sap, I didn’t ask you to be here, I’m not desperate, I still hate you.”
Robbie scoffed, “alright.”
“You did come though, it means something,” Phantasmo shrugged, “I don’t owe you by the way.”
“Never said you did.”
Robbie knew the smile on his face was fond, and he couldn’t get rid of it.