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Sportacus was frozen in place, eyes fixed on the Mayor's television. The hero did not seem to notice the kids filing out to go play some noise game, did not react to the Mayor's questions. Pale and wide-eyed he stared at the events playing out in the newsreel, one hand unconsciously stretching out and what on earth was going on?!
Robbie squinted some more, adjusted the dials on his periscope and zoomed in on the television to catch what had upset the hero like this. Shaky footage of grey clouds.. fireworks?... a word with too many letters... Baffled Robbie tried to make sense of the images, closed one eye..
Oh.
Oooh.
A volcanic eruption.
Well, Sportacus was a hero so ideally he'd go to do some heroing and save some puppies or whatever in wherever.
And he'd leave Lazytown.
Probably not forever but possibly for some time?
Robbie rubbed his hands together in glee. Peered through his periscope again to catch Sportacus' departure.
But the blue nuisance was still there, though not quite in the same spot. His knuckles white Sportacus held the Mayor's telephone pressed to his ear. Sportacus seemed to be waiting for someone on the other end of the line to pick up and Robbie watched him dial a number over and over again and worry his lip between his teeth as no one answered his call.
The Mayor bumbled over, a concerned look on his face as he put a hand on the hero's shoulder and Robbie wanted to know what was going on!
With the kids gone there was no need for disguise and armed with the gift of a chocolate cake he strolled into the Mayor's living room. The man really had to learn to lock his front door.
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Where Sportacus was unnervingly quiet the Mayor was his usual chatty self, seemed never to have considered that it probably wasn't the best idea to give personal information about the town hero to the town villain.
There had been a volcanic eruption close to Sportacus' hometown and the Elf could not get hold of his family. Robbie glanced at the hero. Sportacus looked pale and worried and was clearly at a loss as what to do next.
"So just take your airship and fly there? It will be just the thing for this town, some peace and quiet."
Well, it turned out you couldn't fly an airship through an ash-cloud and what kind of shoddy design was that?
Sportacus was still so quiet and motionless and his eyes... Robbie would do a lot to no longer have to see that pain in Sportacus' eyes. Ehm... Ahem: Robbie would do a lot to no longer have to see Sportacus.
Shuffling his feet he looked away, fiddled with his cuff links,
"I can take you there."
"What?"
"I can take you there, come here."
Before he could lose his nerve Robbie reached out and pulled Sportacus in his arms, "Think about where you want to go."
"Where.. . what..."
Confusion was better than sorrow and misery and Robbie refused to meet Sportacus' eye for one moment longer, awkwardly wondered where to place his hands.
His heart beat wildly in his chest and his throat constricted as the anxiety took over,
"Think about where you want to go."
He couldn't explain this, had never been able to and this close he could not hide any of his emotions from Sportacus. Blue blue eyes looked up at him, searching and thoughtful and where was a disguise to shield you when you needed one?
Time stopped or perhaps it was simply his heart and then Sportacus nodded, his eyes so trusting,
"Okay Robbie."
And Robbie took them away.
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They landed in a grey world. Bleak and dusty and Sportacus seemed to be overjoyed to be here. Wonder and awe and the shock of a sudden press of warm lips against his own.
"Thank you, thank you so much Robbie!"
Robbie watched him as he dashed to a nearby house, full of life, bright and shining as he should always be. Robbie raised a trembling hand to his lips as his world seemed to narrow to Sportacus and Sportacus alone.
His heart racing and his head spinning, the ground shook under his feet and his knees buckled and this felt strangely similar to passing out.
...
Oh.
Right.
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The world was soft and muted and Robbie lazily stretched. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept this well. Granted he didn't have the best of memories but still... Content he smiled and opened his eyes.
An ancient woman waved at him.
With a shriek Robbie sat up and clutched the blankets to his chest. He blinked once, twice, but the woman was still there, knitting placidly as she smiled at him.
They stared at each other while Robbie frantically tried to recall how he'd ended up here. Wherever here was.
Wary of the stranger he quickly took in his surroundings. It told him exactly nothing but there was a strange sense of familiarity.
Whoever this bedroom belonged to loved to read, the bookshelves a disorganized mess. There were plenty of pictures but at this distance Robbie could not make out who they were of. A wardrobe that was not entirely closed gave him a peek at some colourful clothes. At one wall there was... sport equipment?
And everything fell in place.
Sportacus.
This was Sportacus' bedroom.
This was Sportacus' bed.
A blush burning on his cheeks Robbie looked down. Noted for the first time how he was wearing blue pajamas.
He pulled the blanket over his head, squeezed his eyes shut and hysterically tried to find an explanation, any explanation as to how he had ended up here.
This was Sportacus home so Sportacus must brought him here, must have undressed...
No, not that explanation.
Shooting up from under the blankets Robbie peeked at the old woman. She was still calmly knitting, seemingly unfazed by Robbie's actions. Catching his eye she nodded at a plate on the nightstand next to the bed. Sportacus' nutritional indoctrination in mind he was surprised to find honeyed tea and glazed cookies.
The sweetness fortified and soothed him somewhat and he settled with his back to the headboard, hugged a cushion to his chest.
There was something comforting in the woman's demeanor. The sound of the clattering knitting needles strangely calming to his racing mind and he began to breathe easier.
She appeared to be knitting a scarf. In... Robbie looked closer... in the colours he himself preferred. The woman noticed his interest in her work and held it up for him to see. Purple, gold and burgundy. She pointed at him, the scarf and then at him again.
"For me?"
He startled at how his own voice broke the companionable silence. The woman beamed at him, nodded and said something that he did not understand.
Seeing his confusion she repeated her words but Robbie did still not understand. She made a placating gesture, got up and went to the door.
She was very small, Robbie thought, then flinched as she loudly yelled down the hallway.
---
Sportacus was here.
Well, obviously Sportacus was here. Robbie had brought him here himself.
Seeing the Elf Robbie remembered what had led to him being in this bedroom, in this bed. And the things he did not know Sportacus filled in for him. Sportacus' voice strangely quiet and halting as he translated for what turned out to be his grandmother.
"Amma is our clan's healer. She said you used up all your energy bringing me here."
A soft smile and Robbie looked away. He felt his ears burn and searched for anything to say that would break the strange tension between them, "What happened?"
"You fainted. Amma looked after you." The old woman said something and Sportacus curiously blushed, shook his head. The healer fixed her grandson with a firm look. Looking everywhere but at Robbie Sportacus mumbled, "She said to tell you that she was the one who changed you in pajamas..."
He trailed off but his grandmother's stern prompting made him translate the rest of her words, mortification clear on his face, "and she says no strenuous activities for a week."
Robbie's plan had been to leave Sportacus stranded here with no means of getting back to LazyTown. He'd heard of the saying no good deed goes unpunished but having to stay for a week? Pretty harsh if you asked him. Not that anybody did.
Sportacus was talking and Robbie belatedly tuned in, caught the end of an explanation how a shield had protected the town and had diverted the flow of the lava. It hadn't stopped the rain of ash and the townsfolk were now collectively doing repairs and cleaning up.
Oh, well if it also meant Robbie was not to help out during that week, well, that suited him fine.
"OK, I get it, I'm to lie here and let you do all the work."
"Robbie! Amma dóes understand what you're saying! She just doesn't speak the language very well."
Mystified by Sportacus' returning blush and slightly flustered tone Robbie gestured, "She says I have to be lazy. I can do that. Now shoo, listen to your grandmother, she's a wise woman. "
Robbie settled back under the downy covers, smiled at the enlightened matriarch. He was to be lazy, she had said so herself. Wisdom díd come with age.
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He could not do this.
Robbie suspiciously stared at the cup of tea on the nightstand and wondered for one crazed moment whether had been drugged.
He felt aggravatingly energetic. Well-rested.
Turning on his other side he closed his eyes once more.
Nope.
With a sigh he opened his eyes and sat up.
---
Amma had shown him the bathroom and freshly showered and dressed in his own laundered clothes Robbie tiptoed through the hallway, peeked into rooms left and right.
Most of them were bedrooms and all of them seemed to be in use. He had lost count of how many there were. An unreasonable amount, of that Robbie was sure. Still the house was quiet and Robbie kept opening doors until he found a living room. Light and spacious and surely no one needed this many chairs?
---
The did need this many chairs. And then some.
The quiet of the afternoon was rudely disturbed by a veritable horde of Elves piling in for dinner. Loud and lively and relentlessly friendly they crowded Robbie until Sportacus came to his rescue, sitting him at a corner of the table and shielding him with his broad shoulders from view.
Dinner was a boisterous affair during which Sportacus pointed out his parents and then brother after brother with Robbie immediately forgetting all of their names.
Too many Elves speaking at once and Robbie was more than happy to sit back and listen to Sportacus translate bits and pieces of the conversations, hear him give his own opinion on things his brothers said in quiet undertones.
Witty and funny and only for Robbie's ears. Robbie had seen Sportacus mischievous streak before but here it was unrestrained and he found himself grin now and then.
Something strange uncurled in Robbie's chest at the fleeting thought that he had reunited the Elf with his family. There now was laughter in Sportacus' eyes and his happiness was captivating. Robbie found himself staring at the Elf in wonder.
Things appeared to have changed between them and Robbie had the unsettling feeling that he must have missed something. How else was he suddenly so very much aware of Sportacus' shoulder brushing his', how laughter brought a rosy flush to Sportacus' fair cheeks, how Sportacus' lips parted when he...
Robbie quickly looked away, met Amma's eyes at the other end of the table. There was something unnerving in the way she looked from him to Sportacus and the smile she gave him. Confused by his own blush he hid behind Sportacus until the brothers went back to work.
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"Amma says she knitted the scarf for you."
The wool was wonderfully soft. Amma gestured for Robbie to bend down a little and gently she looped the scarf around his neck. Her voice was warm and kind and the sharp pang of a memory of a wish for a loving grandmother made long ago was softened by it.
"She says she loves the colourscheme. "
The old woman spoke again and Sportacus was quiet for a beat too long before translating, "She thinks it really compliments your beautiful eyes."
Suddenly the scarf felt too warm.
He didn't look at Sportacus but that was okay, Sportacus wasn't looking at him either. Who knew that they'd shared a fascination for floors?
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He liked Sportacus' mother.
Her sons returned home at the end of the day, all sweaty and dirty and the way Sportacus clothes clung to his body made Robbie feel short of breath... The room had grown too hot and his heart was suddenly pounding and she clearly knew how to read the early warnings of signs of an anxiety attack and directed him to the solace that was the kitchen. It was cool and quiet and blessedly free of disconcerting Elves.
Sportacus' mother smiled at him and plied him with honeyed milk and sweet buns while she cooked,
"This is all very new, isn't it?"
Yes it was, just a few days ago he'd only ever seen one Elf and now there was no escaping those well-muscled jumping beans. They were so loud and active and there were so many of them,
"Yes, it's a lot."
She had kind eyes and a beautiful smile and Robbie saw where Sportacus got his looks from.
"We're very happy to finally meet you. Sportacus talks a lot about you."
He knew that Sportacus was grateful that Robbie got him here but he'd thought that mentioning that once would have been enough?
"It's nice to meet you," there, he could do politeness. He didn't add that Sportacus had never spoken about his family.
t hád been nice meeting Sportacus' family, a little voice whispered. He tried to ignore it but then saw the brilliant opportunity he had been given: he could learn more about Sportacus...
... about Sportacus' weak points.
He ignored that same pesky voice when it pointed out that he would not need that information if he'd just leave the Elf stranded here,
"What was Sportacus like when he was small? Well, smaller?"
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Robbie had gotten used to not understanding a word that was said around him. The conversations during dinner an almost soothing background-hum as he and Sportacus quietly talked.
But now one of Sportacus' brothers clearly wanted Robbie to understand, though his heavily accented words were aimed at Sportacus, "You should take Robbie to the waterfall."
Most conversation fell silent for a moment and all eyes were on him and Sportacus. Sportacus didn't look like his cheerful self, glared at the brother who had said it.
The tips of his pointed ears turned red and Robbie was distracted by the dainty elegance of them, wondered if they were as sensitive as they looked.
Manly giggles around them and Sportacus' silence went on for a beat too long. Robbie did not miss the snickers and some brothers elbowing each other. They were clearly teasing Sportacus and Sportacus was still saying nothing, clenched his spoon in a white knuckled fist and did not translate a thing his brothers said.
Fascinated Robbie watched as a fierce blush coloured Sportacus' cheeks red, cast a calculating look around the table, caught Sportacus' mother smiling and nodding at him, Amma winking,
Whatever it meant it was clearly goodnatured and well-intended so intrigued by Sportacus' charming reticence he said,
"Yes, show me the waterfall Sportacus."
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Sportacus had tried, had claimed that it was too far away but Robbie had cornered him before he could flip away into the night,
"I can take us there."
A shift in Sportacus' stance that Robbie recognized very well and before Sportacus could get away Robbie reached out, a hand on Sportacus' shoulder, the other pulling Sportacus close,
"Think about where you want to go"
He was hit by a sense of déjà vu when the world fell away around them.
Sportacus' lovely accent curled pleasantly around his words as he told Robbie how Amma had met Afi here for the first time, how Afi had proposed here, Pabbi too.
Robbie stared at the waterfall in the distance. Fireflies danced in the mist above the water and stars reflected in the pool below.
It was pretty he supposed. Romantic even if one was into such things. Sportacus was quiet beside him and in the moonlight he looked otherworldly, an unfamiliar pensive, almost wistful expression on his face...
The unsettling feeling from earlier returned. There was something... Robbie had taken them here...
Sportacus had been in his arms... Robbie's hand big on the small of Sportacus' back and they'd been close, so close...
And then it clicked and how could he have forgotten?!
"You kissed me!" it came out more accusatory than he'd meant.
At his side Sportacus was silent, was blushing again and how often had he done that since they arrived?
Robbie turned fully to him and repeated softer, voice full of wonder, "You kissed me."
"I did," it was quiet but there was no apology in Sportacus' eyes, on the contrary.
So many conversations all at once fell in place and oh gods Amma knew and Sportacus' mom and his brothers and everyone but Robbie it seemed... He was suddenly short of breath and his heart was pounding and how had he missed all the signs?
Voice suddenly hoarse Robbie whispered, "You said nothing."
"Neither did you.""
"I'd forgotten! Do you really think I would not..." Robbie flailed, his hands trying to convey what he could not say.
"Would not...?" there was hope in Sportacus' voice, in his eyes,
"...not kiss me back?"
The sounds of the waterfall thundered in Robbie's ears or perhaps it was his heart and he bit his lip, nodded silently. His knees felt distinctly weak but this time there was Sportacus to hold him up. Strong arms around him as his world narrowed to Sportacus and Sportacus alone.
Just before their lips met Robbie murmered, "No running away this time."
Sportacus' eyes were as blue as the skies and his smile as brilliant as the sun, "No fainting."
And this was a kiss Robbie would not forget.
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