Robin doesn't want to be a tutor. Tyler doesn't want to be tutored. So why are their tutoring sessions always running late?
***
After an illness-stricken childhood, Robin Erie struggles to free himself from his mother's suffocating embrace. Her plan...
He took a sip of his tea, letting the warm liquid thaw him from the inside out, and gave Miss Horn an affirmative nod. "I'll do it," he whispered. "Just tell me what to do."
"I'm proud of you, Robin," Miss Horn said, putting her hand on his. "That's not an easy decision to make." She pulled out her phone from her pocket. "I have contacts at the police department for cases such as this. I will call them and someone should be over here shortly to take statements from you and Tyler. And probably from me as well. I'm not sure exactly what will happen after that, but I will be there for you throughout the process."
Robin glanced over toward the counselor, letting a smile grace his lips. "Thank you."
He exhaled, taking another sip of the tea in his hand. The knot in his throat wasn't gone, but it had shrunk somewhat.
"Are you Robin Erie?" A man stepped out from the exam room beside them. The room where Tyler had been taken after being rushed into the ER.
Robin nodded. The knot once again grew, threatening to take over his chest and lungs.
"He's asking to see you. You can come right in." The man held the door open, waiting for Robin to rise.
"Is he... fine?" Robin asked, unable to take the words in.
"Except for some lingering fatigue, Mr. Caster is doing fine. We gave him some jello cups to eat, to get his blood sugar up, and he's already downed five of them."
That did sound like Tyler. Perhaps he was actually fine.
Encouraged by a helpful nudge from Miss Horn, Robin walked toward the door. Before he stepped inside the room, she made a gesture toward her phone, informing him that she would call her contacts while he was inside.
Robin peeked into the room, suddenly nervous that while Tyler was physically fine, he might be angry at Robin for what had happened.
"Robby!" Tyler's greeting made all Robin's worries wash away. His boyfriend wore a pale blue hospital gown and sat on a bed covered in bleached hospital sheets. Despite the drab colors, the room didn't feel bare, because was filled with every sparkling shade of Tyler. "I got jello cups." He held up a cup with a bright yellow substance in it. There were a collection of empty cups on the bedside table."Do you want one?"
Unable to ever say no to Tyler, Robin took the offering. "So you're not... mad at me?" he asked.
Tyler gave him a confused look. "Why would I be mad at you, cutie? You were a damn superhero ushering me here. A very hot superhero... Although I guess a lot of them are, although not as hot as you, of course."
"Be-because... it was my fault," Robin stuttered. "You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me. I will report her. I promise. She won't be able to hurt you again."
Tyler gave him another baffled look, before stretching out his hand. "Come here," he urged Robin, patting beside him on the sheet.
Robin obeyed, putting the jello cup on the bedside table. A warm arm that smelled of lemon jello and disinfectant welcomed him, pulling him into a soft embrace. Blond curls tickled his forehead as Tyler leaned close.
"If it wasn't for you, Robby," Tyler whispered into his hair, "then I wouldn't have anything. I would still be miserable and confused. But you make me so darn happy every day. So regardless of what your mom did, I would never wish I hadn't met you. Alright?"
Finally letting the words settle on his anxious nerves, Robin nodded. "Alright," he repeated.
"I got you, Robby, always."
"And I got you, Ty, forever."
Soft fingers, like the caress of flowing grass, touched his jaw. Such a different touch than the forceful grab of his mother when she tried to shove pills in his throat.
Robin leaned into the touch, tilting his jaw upward toward welcoming sweet lips with a taste of lollipops, rainbows, and love.
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