Blonde curls tickled Robin's nose when he woke up. For a moment, he was confused about where he was. But it didn't really matter, since Tyler was there. He lingered in the warmth of the body pressed against his as the events of the day before flooded his mind. It was a lot to take in.
A knock came from the door. "Tyler," Lance called out from the other side. "We need to leave for the hospital in an hour or so. Unless Robin wants to say hi to the whole family, he should perhaps leave before they wake up."
The plan had been for Robin to leave discreetly the night before, but as he and Tyler had snuggled close on the bed, watching a movie about a frozen queen who belted out a song about letting go of the past, they appeared to have drifted into dreams together.
The body in his arms stirred slightly, seemingly not quite awoken by his cousin's call. Robin had learned by now that Tyler slept about as soundly as a hibernating bear.
"I need to leave," Robin whispered into a curl-covered ear. "Lance will show me out."
Tyler peered up at Robin, his sleepy mind trying to take in the information. Eventually, once all the cognitive gears had turned properly, he nodded.
Robin shuffled down on the floor, quickly trying to unwrinkle the clothes he'd slept in. A rubbed his eyes and pulled a hand through his hair. That would do for a morning routine.
A hand touched his. Just a stroke across the back of it. Robin turned to face his maybe-still-boyfriend. "Come here," Tyler muttered, pulling Robin closer by his little finger.
Warm lips melted into his, like soft chocolate fudge. Robin tried to savor the kiss for as long as possible because he knew he needed to live off that kiss for the coming two weeks. It needed to fuel him for everything he needed to do to make sure there would be more kisses.
Another knock on the door told him he needed to go.
"I'll see you soon," he whispered, tucking a few strands of blonde hair behind Tyler's ear.
"See you soon," Tyler repeated.
***
Robin didn't go back to his dorm room after leaving. Instead, he went to the university campus. This was where he belonged, and where he intended to stay. His father had once walked among the same red brick buildings and neatly cut hedges. Robin felt a connection to Jon Erie here. Perhaps he'd been just as caged by Liza as Robin now was. Perhaps he'd insisted on Robin getting his education here in an attempt to open the door on his son's cage, allowing him the freedom he couldn't have himself.
From a stone bench, Robin watched the sunrise. A glowing yellow orb hovering over the skyline, bringing with it new possibilities.
He knew what he needed to do now. And he knew he couldn't do it alone.
So, as the yellow light warmed the fall air, he walked across the campus and toward the counseling office. The building was still locked when he arrived, so he took a seat on the stairs outside and waited.
About an hour later--at which point Robin was freezing to the core as he hadn't brought a jacket--Miss Horn walked up toward the building, rolling her bike next to her.
"Mr. Erie, what are you doing here so early?" she asked in surprise upon laying her eyes on the student loitering on the steps. Robin realized that he probably looked quite pathetic, having not showered or changed his clothes since the day before.
"I needed to talk to you right away," he said. "I know we got an appointment later but I didn't want to wait." He sighed, pulling his hoodie closer to conserve warmth. "Some stuff happened this weekend."
"My goodness," Miss Horn exclaimed. "You must be freezing. Let's get you inside right away and we can talk."
Soon Robin warmed himself under a knitted blanket, similar to the Des-crafted cat blanket at home but without a tail and ears, and ate a turkey sandwich, probably destined to be Miss Horn's lunch before it became his breakfast, while he told Miss Horn everything. Every controlling move and every interfering tactic. Every shackle and every locked door.
The words just flowed out of him. Like a spring creek at first, lilting and slow, but soon the syllables roared, strong and fast like a waterfall.
He told her of the many hospital visits. The poking and prodding. The inconclusive diagnosis. The bitter pills. The pills meant to keep him frail and pliable.
He told her of his father. The man who hid in his office for years. The too-early demise. The will written to free his son. A will that became another shackle.
He told her of the burgeoning signs of his sexuality. The warm brown eyes of Tristan Conway. The flutters stirred up in his stomach. His mother's insistence on quenching the joyful waves.
He told her of Tyler. The sweet touches and the longing looks. The kisses and the cuddles. The revelatory experience of feeling like he belonged with someone. Like he was finally whole.
Robin didn't feel whole now. Because Tyler wasn't there. It felt like a limb was missing. Which was ironic, he supposed.
Miss Horn patiently listened to every word and added a reply or a nod at times, to encourage him to keep going.
As Robin came to the end of the story, his voice faltered, as if there was no steam left. He melted into the couch and cried. Bitter tears for everything that had been lost and broken. Frustrated tears wrung out of him from the trauma of reliving the events of his childhood. Relieved tears for finally getting to tell his truth.
A hand on his knee made him look up into understanding and kind eyes. "You know I can report this, Robin," Miss Horn said. "What you describe is child abuse and considered a criminal act, even if you're not a minor anymore. Your mom should be held accountable for what she did to you."
"Please don't report," he pleaded and vehemently shook his head. "I... don't have any proof. I might have been sick at first and she just exaggerated it. And I don't even know what she gave me. I just... I just want to move on. I don't want to rehash it all over and over."
"Of course," Tallulah said gently. "I won't force you to do anything you don't want to, but please consider it. Your mother shouldn't get away with this." She moved her hand from his knee and leaned back in her chair. "But maybe we first need to look into some practical stuff."
Robin nodded. That seemed like a good place to start.
Miss Horn got up from her chair and walked over to her desk. She pulled out a small plastic card and handed it to Robin. "It's a prepaid cafeteria meal card," she explained. "A student who had to drop out because of health issues gave it to me, so I could perhaps give it to someone who needed it. And I think you do."
"Thank you, Miss Horn." Robin put the card into his pocket, thinking that he probably should make sure Tyler didn't find it. Because then the cafeteria would be out of food in no time. But knowing he could always get a warm meal in the cafeteria was a load off his back, as he realized he currently didn't have any means to even feed himself.
"Then we need to figure out a way for you to stay in school," Miss Horn continued. Robin appreciated her matter-of-fact way of taking charge of the situation. "There are scholarships and financial aid you might be able to apply for. I will look into what options are available and maybe we can meet up again tomorrow?"
Robin just nodded, unable to provide any valuable insight to the conversation.
"Financial aid might be tricky though..." Miss Horn frowned. "I've had similar situations before where students are estranged from their families but have been denied aid because someone needs to co-sign for them. Just so you're aware."
"But there are still scholarships, right?" Robin asked anxiously.
"Yeah, but those are always difficult to bank on because of the application process. But I will look into what might be possible for you to apply for. You do have good grades and I would certainly vouch for you if necessary, so I wouldn't rule it out."
Robin cuddled the blanket closer to him. Having the options laid out to him made everything seem so much more difficult. There were a lot of hoops for him to jump through. But he would jump through every single one if he needed to, even if they were on fire.