Yes, I could've made this a oneshot, but I was worried I didn't have time... so enjoy the start of this new ficlet! Prompts (and a trigger warning) at the bottom of the chapter. Enjoy!
Life in Storybrooke had been nothing but chaos.
Granted, growing up in Storybrooke ever since Henry found out about the curse was always a little on the crazy side, but rarely had it hit this close to home. His mom was usually the very definition of poise and grace, but ever since they lost Robin, his mom hadn't been her usual self. She'd been much more reserved and secluded, barely letting anyone see her, even him. She had even separated herself from the Evil Queen! It wasn't as bad as when Zelena came masquerading as Marian, or when everyone thought she had killed Archie, though. She would at least let him see her, which gave him hope, which his grandma always said is always important, but other than that, he didn't see much improvement in her demeanor, in the way she acted toward him. He'd tried everything: chocolate (she said she wouldn't touch it, but he'd known for years that she kept a stash of it on the top shelf of the pantry), bringing her new recipes to try, everything.
Finally, he decided to go to her office. Maybe giving her an idea of the work that he knew had to be piling up there would motivate her to start living again. While he couldn't possibly imagine being in her position, he knew it must be hard… but at the same time, he couldn't just let her fade away into nothing. That wasn't what family did, after all.
When he entered the office, he was immediately hit by the weight of what he knew had happened there. He could barely imagine how hard it must've been for his mom to go through what she did, let alone actually being there. He knew exactly what would be going through her mind right now, the torment of the memories she would face. Truthfully, no one had set foot here since Robin's death except to remove his body for the funeral, and Henry could understand why. Even though Robin's last rites happened days ago, the presence of death still lingered in the room, an unwelcome houseguest that Henry feared would never leave.
He had to do something to fix it, and he had a few ideas, but first he had to get what he came here for. He went over to her desk and gathered some of the paperwork that she always kept in a basket marked "To be completed." His mom was always so organized, put together. Seeing her as less than her usual self over the past few days had been nothing short of torture for him. There had to be a way to return his mom back to normal, and there was a secret part of him that he hardly dared voice aloud that hoped she would find happiness again by bringing Robin back to life. His mom's happy ending couldn't have been ripped away from her that easily. She'd worked way too hard for it for her happiness to be stolen from her like this.
"It's good to see you, Henry."
Henry spun around. He knew that voice, had spent so many hours ever since he had regained his memories after the missing year with him. "Robin?"
To his surprise, the man his mother loved was standing behind him, wearing the exact same attire as the last time Henry had seen him. "Robin!" he exclaimed. "How are you here?"
Robin smiled. "The Olympian crystal didn't destroy me, just disconnected me from my body. I haven't been able to leave this office since that day."
Henry frowned. "Then how has no one mentioned seeing you? They were in here to get your body… which I guess we'll be needing to dig up now."
Robin shook his head. "No one's seen or heard me except you so far. I tried to get the dwarves' attention when they were here, but no one heard me, and anyone who's been here to leave things related to running the town for Regina has been here for only a split second at a time. When you came in, I knew you were my best chance."
"I've gotta tell Mom about this!" Henry said ecstatically. "She'll be so happy you're still here!"
Robin smiled. "She will. But be warned, Henry: she may not believe you. After all, she's not used to things going her way."
"I'll bring her here, then she'll have to believe!" Henry protested. There had to be a part of his mom that still believed Robin was out there somewhere. There just had to be.
"All right- but be careful," Robin warned.
He held his arms out, and to his surprise, Henry was able to give him a hug. Robin felt solid beneath him, and if Henry didn't know any better, he would've thought that Robin had never died at all. "I love you, Henry," he whispered.
Henry's heart swelled. It had been apparent from the moment they met that Robin had a deep respect and affection for him, but with all the chaos of Elsa and Anna, the Queens of Darkness, Camelot, and the Underworld, he had never voiced it in that way before. He had had no shortage of father figures in recent years, it was true, but Robin was the one that he had always felt that he was able to go to for anything, his role model, and because of that and many other reasons, he had missed him terribly.
"I love you too," he said as he stepped out of Robin's embrace. "And don't worry. We'll find a way to bring you back. I know we will."
Prompts used in this chapter: 110) ignoring canon after 5x21, Robin's soul is trapped in Regina's office where he died and the only people who can hear him are the people who believe he's not completely gone, 218) first time Robin says "I love you" to Henry 1) Robin is still alive when Regina splits herself… and yes, you'll get more of that last prompt in future chapters! Hope you enjoyed this, let me know what you think!