Chapter Text
The night air was soft and cool, gentle as a thousand twinkling stars shone down from above. The whole town was silent and still, so peaceful despite the day's endless activities. It was nice, honestly, maybe even one of his favorite times to be outside and walking, but even so…
Stingy knew that he shouldn’t really be out here alone.
He just couldn’t help it. Sleep had evaded him, staying out of his reach no matter how long he had laid in bed with his blankets wrapped snug around him and his eyes shut tight. The quiet night called to him; it was as if the stars wanted to be seen, and the air wanted to be enjoyed in deep breaths that left fog clouding the space in front of him. The whole world wanted to be his, just for these few quiet hours, and how could he ever say no to that?
Besides, it was always safe in Lazytown. He didn’t see anyone as he walked, heard nothing out of the ordinary… until there was a quiet snap.
Stingy jumped, looking around wildly. His heart was lodged in his throat, his mind racing, and finally his gaze settled on a figure sitting on a bench overlooking the sports-field. The man was tall, and even in the dim light of the street lamps it was clear who it was.
Stingy let out a sigh of relief, relaxing instantly. “Okay… it’s just Robbie…”
Because even though Robbie was the town Villain, even though he played tricks and made traps and all that, he wasn’t actually scary. Especially now, when everything was quiet and Sportacus was asleep. Stingy was willing to bet that he was just out here to look at the stars too, or something to that effect.
There was another snap, and Stingy carefully, cautiously walked towards the bench. Robbie’s head tilted as he approached, not quite looking over his shoulder but having clearly noticed him regardless. He rounded the bench, hopping up to sit next to the Villain.
Robbie huffed softly, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not even going to ask?”
“Ask what?”
“If you can sit with me.”
Stingy hummed, before shaking his head. “No. It’s my bench anyways.”
“Right. How could I not have realized?”
“You really should have.”
Falling silent, Stingy took the opportunity to look at the items in Robbie’s hands. It looked like a bouquet, but instead of flowers the stems were topped with avocado pits, or maybe large nuts. Cracks lined their surface, and as he watched another few of them popped open slightly.
“Huh… what is that?” He asked, leaning in closer.
Robbie sighed. “Will you leave me alone if I don’t tell you?”
“Well, not anymore! Is it a secret? I’m really good at secrets! I never give them away, ever!”
“It’s not- oh, whatever.” Robbie tilted his head back, looking up at the sky. “My brother sent them to me.”
“You have a brother?!”
“Yes, now be quiet and listen,” Robbie chided. His voice was firm, but it wasn’t harsh. Stingy just nodded, kicking his feet as he waited. “They’re very special flowers. They-“
“They don’t look like flowers,” Stingy interjected. Robbie glared at him, and he ducked his head. “Sorry, quiet time now.”
After a moment, the man continued. “The flowers grow inside these pods. When they’re ready, the stem will push through and take root wherever they’ve ended up. And then, in the moonlight, the flowers hatch.”
“Hatch?!”
“Just watch.”
Obediently, Stingy stared with rapt attention at the bundle of flowers. Slowly, the pods each began to pop open more and more, shells cracking apart like eggs. Together, he and Robbie just watched as petals began to poke through, some a deep purple and some blue in color, with white spots on some and golden ones on the others.
Stingy gasped as the shells fully broke, falling to the ground and letting the large, beautiful flowers stretch their petals out for the first time. They were fragrant too, smelling soft and sweet with a hint of spice. His eyes were wide as he looked at them, mouth dropped slightly open, and it took Robbie’s soft laugh to break him out of his stupor.
“Your face is ridiculous, Stimpy,” he said mildly. “It’s going to get stuck that way.”
“It will not!” Stingy cried. He knew for sure it wouldn’t- Sportacus had told him so after Trixie made him cry about it for the third time. “And my name is Stingy.”
Robbie was silent for a moment, a smile crossing his face. “…I don’t know why you all still try to correct me, honestly. I mean, it's not like it’s an accident.”
“Well, maybe I just think you should do better,” Stingy said. Then, he added, “Robert.”
A startled laugh left Robbie’s mouth, a cackling sound that filled the air completely. After a moment, he fell silent again. “That’s- that’s not my name.”
“W- Well, maybe I got it wrong on purpose! Like you do!”
“Did you?”
Stingy hesitated. “I mean, I… what else could it even be? Is it just Robbie?”
“You know what, if you can figure it out I’ll get you a prize.”
“Wait, really?!”
“Sure. But, you should be getting home, alright? You can come up with guesses in the morning.”
“Oh…”
They were silent for a long moment. Then another. And then;
“Can’t sleep?” Robbie asked.
“No,” Stingy murmured. “It’s… it’s too empty in my house.”
It wasn’t something that he often expressed, and it seemed Robbie understood by the way he sat up straighter, waiting for more. Stingy pulled at the cuffs of his sleeves, sighing.
“My parents have been gone for… a long time,” he said. They were on yet another trip- another trip without him. “And, my new nanny… she left too.”
“She left?”
Stingy nodded slightly. “She said Sportacus was here if I really needed someone… and then I think she went to MayhemTown. Said she was going to the- uh. The casinos?”
“…Ah.” Robbie didn’t sound too impressed. In fact, he seemed irritated. “Well, we’ll be sure to get her fired then. I’ll talk to your parents next time they bother to show up.”
“…Thank you.”
Again, they were quiet. After a few minutes passed, Robbie began fiddling with the bouquet he still held. He parted the flowers, pulling the bundle into two even halves. He held one out to Stingy, and he couldn’t help but reach to take it. He stopped himself, though; he had been berated enough for snatching things out of people’s hands.
Robbie, though, wiggled the flowers gently. “Come on, now. I’m offering.”
And how could Stingy refuse? He took the bundle carefully, holding them to his chest and breathing deeply.
“I’ve found that when I can’t sleep,” Robbie said softly, “these always help. Put them on your nightstand or something.”
“…Thank you,” Stingy said. “You’re… you’re being really nice.”
Robbie’s face twisted into an exaggerated scowl. “Don’t make me take those back.”
“Never!” Stingy shrieked happily, pushing off of the bench to take a few steps away. “They’re mine!”
“Yes, yes,” Robbie sighed. “Now go see if they help.”
Stingy could tell when he was being dismissed. He shuffled on his feet for a second, before saying; “Goodnight… Richard?”
“Not even close, but… goodnight, Stingy.”
Smiling to himself, Stingy began to walk home. He put the flowers up to his face and took in the sweet, spiced scent, and felt as though he would actually get to sleep tonight after all.