Chapter 8: The Lair Beneath The Rough
(roughly two months earlier…)
Sportacus felt that if there was ever a low in his life, that this was it. There had been no attempt at romance beyond the bed: Robbie wanted sex and nothing more, and Sportacus, though disapproving of such practice, found himself coming back time and time again, oddly comforted by the experience. So he stood once more at the opening of Robbie's lair; the newly night air cold against his skin.
He made his way down the familiar stairs until he saw the orange armchair below him and Robbie nuzzled peacefully on it.
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Robbie woke to the sound of clanking behind him. When he looked around, he saw Sportakook tapping his crystal lightly against the stairway, looking somber and vulnerable.
"I'm putting it away," he said, "so that nothing will distract me."
Robbie smiled wickedly.
---
He had always been the hero, the protector, but that night he was in need of something different: to be the protected. So just like a child, he curled up beside Robbie on the armchair: its one man design still somehow large enough for them both.
Robbie removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. Sportacus closed his eyes and followed along with whatever Robbie insisted on. First his vest, then the shirt, followed by shoes…
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Robbie wasn't particularly fond of leading, but somehow, if only for this night alone, it was right. It was as if everything out of place in his life came together in that one moment of peace. It had been years since he had felt that way: that level of affection for someone. He actually wanted to help Sportacus, to love him, to keep him near. For the first time, he realized how much he would hate himself if he ever managed to actually push the elf out of his life.
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Sportacus wasn't certain if his heart was involved, but his body certainly was, and at the moment, it was enough. He needed to do whatever it took to forget her sweet smile and soft skin. It was for the best that she was gone, away from his weakening hold over himself.
---
He held the shivering elf close, making sure to tangle up every limb with his own so he could not escape. He breathed in the smell of his hair and kissed lightly on his neck.
It didn't matter how ridiculous it was, he was lost in the sensation of having given everything he had to the man who now meant everything to him. Even if he took it all back in the morning, he would let Sportacus know that night how much he meant to him.
---
Sportacus waited for the forgetfulness to wash over him. He wanted so badly to be lost in Robbie as much as Robbie seemed lost in him. But it never came.
He laid with him until Robbie fell fast asleep and he could wiggle out of his grip, dress, and leave without a word, or a note, or a kiss.
