Chapter 12

After a few minutes, Robbie stopped shaking and looked at Sportacus, wiping his eyes as he did so.

The blue clad hero smiled gently at his love, relived that he had calmed down.

" Feeling better?" he asked softly, stroking the dark-haired man he held in his lap.

" Yes, but we need to discuss this problem, as painful as it might be."

Sportacus nodded his agreement, and Robbie took a deep breath.

" My idea is that you should just leave your crystal behind while you are in here with me, especially since you seem to dislike doing your hero's duties when they interrupt us, let those useless brats up there take care of themselves for a change." Robbie said, and then cursed himself as he felt a deep sense of depression emanating from Sportacus.

Sportacus cringed as he heard Robbie thought-cursing himself, and his words that made Sportacus want to hide in shame.

" Am I becoming not a hero?" Sportacus asked in a choked voice. " I know it was wrong to feel angry at my crystal, but I did. I want to be a hero, saving people and animals is what I live for. I need my crystal for that, and I worked hard just to possess it. If I left it, it may get lost again, like it did before, or someone may take it. What if someone gets hurt because I was selfish and left it behind, just so I could have you all to myself? What if-"

" Shhh…" Robbie rubbed Sportacus's trembling legs and tried to sooth him, as it was obvious the hero was feeling guilty and panicking.

Sportacus quieted and closed his eyes as Robbie slowly ran his hands up to rub under the elf's chin, then up around his ears, then down his neck and back around to rub his legs again.

Robbie couldn't bear the grief from Sportacus, the idea that he might not be a pure hero anymore seeming to unnerve him immensely, so Robbie keep on rubbing and crooned to his beloved elf till he was settled.

Then Sportacus spoke again. " If you really want me to Robbie; I'll leave it behind for you."

Robbie could have cried, but he held himself together and just smiled gently at the elf, desperately thinking only happy things, sensing the hero's struggle to submit to what Robbie suggested.

" No, no, my little elf, you don't need to do that. I would not want you to, you are a hero true, born that way, and you will always be that way. I don't know why, you just seem to have to do it, and I would never ask you to give it up. We will figure out something else." Robbie spoke soothingly, and Sportacus finally seemed to not be so distressed.

Relived, Robbie stopped rubbing him, though Sportacus was still stroking him.

" What other ideas do you have?" Sportacus asked softly, opening one eye to peer up at Robbie, who looked thoughtful.

Getting no response, Sportacus took a deep breath, and hesitantly began to suggest, " You know, Robbie, perhaps for now it would be best if I reset us back to just being friends, and kept it that way for a while? Then we could-Robbie, Wha-?!, Yeowch!" Sportacus yelped as Robbie yanked off his hat and goggles, then cuffed first one ear, then the other, giving the wide-eyed superhero a stern look.

" I said no." Robbie stated flatly.

With shivers of pain coursing through his body, Sportacus nervously tried to reason with Robbie.

" But, Robbie, we need some more time. I feel the bond tightening, and if we are upset about this for too long, I don't know how that will affect us. Maybe if we just, just, what are you-ahh, Robbie…" Sportacus trailed off as Robbie reached up and tenderly massaged deep into his pointy ears.

" Mmm? You want this to no longer happen? Or this?" Robbie leaned down and kissed the slightly dazed looking hero as he rubbed the tender ears carefully, trying to make up for his momentary harshness of a moment ago.

Sportacus let out a pleased whimper, then let his forehead fall onto Robbie's shoulder, closing his eyes and sighing blissfully, his hands falling from Robbie as he did so.

Robbie stroked the back of his neck and rubbed his ears, then kissed the top of his head, breathing deeply of the elf's warm, comforting scent.

The he stopped, and waited for Sportacus to sit up, which he did after a moment.

Sportacus had a happy, contented look on his face, and Robbie couldn't help smiling at that; it was too cute.

" So, you want to reset us to where we are just friends, and never feel that again?" Robbie asked again.

Sportacus shook his head, and then looked a bit sheepish.

Robbie raised an eyebrow, and Sportacus responded to the question in his mind.

" Stephanie would do that for me." he explained shyly. " Minus the kissing part."

Robbie was irked, and grabbed Sportacus's hands as they reached for him again, squeezing them gently in his own.

" Promise me that you will no longer allow Stephanie to pet you like I do." It was more a command then a request, but the wide-eyed Sportacus shook his head ever so slightly, cringing at the angry, jealous thoughts Robbie made no effort to control.

" But, she likes it too!" Sportacus sounded almost like he was whining, and Robbie glared fiercely at him.

Sportacus dropped his eyes, and shifted uncomfortably under Robbie.

" Promise me." Robbie growled.

Sportacus remained silent, and it was all Robbie could do to not smack him one.

It was bad enough that he had to share his time with the kids; he did not want to share the privilege of touching his beloved as well.

He gripped Sportacus's hands tightly in his own, his knuckles showing white from the strain.

" R-Robbie." Sportacus whimpered.

Robbie stayed silent, and after a moment, Sportacus continued, his ear tips drooping. " I can't promise that, because if she manages to get a hold of my ears anyways, I won't be of a mind to stop her from touching me anyway she likes, then I would be breaking my promise."

Robbie understood that reasoning, but he also understood that if Sportacus would tell Stephanie to not touch him anymore, she would listen to him.

Robbie sighed, and tried to be patient. " If you told her not too, she wouldn't do it you know." He tried to sound gentle, but his voice came out harsher then he intended.

" But, but, Robbie?" Sportacus sounded desperate.

" Speak up, don't just whimper like that!" Robbie snapped.

" She's my elfin helper, she has to touch me." Sportacus raised his eyes back to Robbie's briefly, then dropped them again.

Robbie was not worried about that at all. " Make me your elfin helper." he said, certain this would be easy.

Sportacus shook his head again, his ears sagging further as he hung his head. " It can't be done." He reported sadly.

" And why not?" Robbie asked through gritted teeth.

" Because I chose her and marked her as mine, and I can't undo that unless…" he trailed off again, and started shivering again.

Robbie rolled his eyes, and patted Sportacus's head.

" Then have her not touch you unless she is working with you." He said, deciding that he does not need to upset him further, as Robbie was not sure how long he could keep a handle on the elf's feelings inside himself without breaking down.

Sportacus hesitated, then nodded mournfully.

" Good Sportacus." Robbie said with relief, then started.

" STEPHANIE! THAT'S IT!" Robbie yelled, making Sportacus yank his hands free from Robbie's and cover his ears, making a face.

" What's it?" he asked weakly.

" Why, Pinky of course! I will just ask her for any ideas since she works with you a lot she ought to have something to help our problem." Robbie was thrilled with himself, and it amused Sportacus greatly to watch him grin broadly and declare himself a genius.

Then Robbie slipped off Sportacus's lap, and hauled the elf to his feet.

" Go fetch her, Sportswift, and tell her to meet me in one hour, after I've had my after breakfast nap." Robbie sat back down in the chair, fully expecting the active hero to dash off immediately.

Sportacus started to, then slowed to a stop and turned back towards Robbie with a nervous look on his face.

" Can't you come with me, Robbie? You could take your nap outside."

Robbie made shooing motions at him. " No, no, run along now. I need quiet to take my nap, and it is too noisy out there. Go on, don't give me that look." he said, as Sportacus had adopted a pleading look to his face.

Robbie closed his eyes, but he could sense the hero's distress at moving far away from him.

He heard nothing for a while, and then heard a soft whimper from directly above him.

Peeking through half-closed eye-lids, he saw Sportacus standing over him, his head tilted to one side and giving him his large expressive puppy dog eyes.

Robbie groaned loudly, opened his eyes, and looked at Sportacus, who continued to look pleadingly at him.

It was too much for Robbie to ignore, so he grabbed Sportacus's shirt, pulled him down, and kissed him, then let him go.

Sportacus crawled into his lap and curled up there, laying his head on Robbie's chest, saying nothing.

Robbie didn't have to ask, but he did anyway. " Bonding problems?"

Sportacus nodded, whimpering again.

Robbie stroked his hair for a bit, then said, " So explain to me again how this bond works?"