Burning Ice & Freezing Fire

Inject!?

"...I...would've never thought that you above all people would use...sugar to help him regain strength..." Stephanie tilts her head and watches how the hero prepares an injection with the sugar solution Bessie brought.

The woman is standing next to her, still staring at the, a few minutes ago, dozed off Robbie on the bed. Or more precisely, on the dark blue lines on his chest. Stephanie doesn't really dare to ask why they're blue again out of a sudden. But she noticed that Robbie is much calmer and in less pain now that they are...

"...That's because...Robbie is...special... He actually needs this kind of sugar. Just like I need Sportscandy..." replies Sportacus in the same low voice while gently snipping against the syringe "...I just hope it will actually work..." he sits back down on the edge of the bed and gently but a little reluctantly strokes the felf's cheek, whispering "...Robbie..."

"Hm..." the villain groans lowly, but blinking opens his eyes, looking around a little confused for a moment while reflexively pressing his face closer into the touch.

"Hey... It's okay..." the hero smiles softly "I'm sorry, I had to wake you up, but..."

At this moment the felf suddenly shrinks together and sits up, nearly losing his balance during this, but manages to press himself as close to the wall on the opposite side of the bed as possible, his eyes wide with what can only be described as sheer panic.

"Hey, hey! Easy, Robbie! What..." Sportacus cuts himself off when he realizes what Robbie's gaze is fixed on "It's okay, Robbie. This will only help you to regain some strength. And it won't hurt...much, I swear!"

The other wildly shakes his head and he's gasping for air once more.

But for a different reason this time, the hero can tell.

His friend's thoughts aren't in the here and now in this moment. There are somewhere...trapped in memories...

Before the elf can think of anything to say, Stephanie is quicker once more "I hate injections, too. They sting... Everybody says that it's just for a short moment, but that's enough to hate them!" she gives the villain a sympathizing smile and carefully takes a step closer to the bed.

Robbie blinks slowly.

The girl's words somehow ripped him out of his shock.

"...That's not...it..." he swallows hard and his body starts to tremble too much to hold it upright much longer without any support, so he shuffles laboriously until he's sitting cross-legged, leaned against the wall and stares down onto his shaking, marked hands, mumbling "...I just...had a very...unpleasant experience with injections once when I was a kid..."

Silence.

Robbie glances up and notices surprised the shocked expression on the hero's face.

"...I... I didn't know that... I'm so sorry, Robbie! If..."

"Oh, stop apologizing. I know just as well as everybody else here that this is stupid," the felf clenches his hands into fists and looks away again. Sportacus opens his mouth to assure him of the opposite...

"Oh, what a nonsense!" exclaims Bessie suddenly so loud, the three others get startled, but then she smiles gently "I'm afraid of spiders. And yet, here in this area, there's hardly a reason for that!"

"She's right, Robbie..." Sportacus carefully hands the woman the full injection with a thankful nod, before he hesitatingly shuffles closer to his friend "I already told you there's absolute no reason to be ashamed of your fear..." he slowly reaches out with his hand "...Tell us what happened..."

For a few seconds Robbie just stares at the offered hand, but then he hesitatingly puts his own into it and watches how the hero now very gently starts running his fingers along the inside of his arm.

The touch of the lines has stopped hurting as well, once they regained a part of their original color again...

"...I got a vaccination... I don't even remember for what... But it...didn't go well... My body...reacted to it...in unpredictable ways..." his eyes shortly move up to meet the hero's and to see by the look in them that he thinks, just like the felf does now, that this was because of his nonhuman nature "...It was...pretty bad... I had to stay in bed for several weeks... I could barely eat or drink anything without getting sick... It just... It wasn't nice... Since then I...dislike injections...and doctors in general..." he blushes very weakly, but since he's currently so unhealthy pale, this shade of red looks even more adorable on him.

At least that's what the hero can't help but think about for good ten seconds now, before he pulls himself together and replies softly "That's completely understandable. Really. But..."

He doesn't have to finish. Robbie is already nodding weakly "Do what you think is necessary. I trust you, Sportacus."

These words still get to the hero like just very few things do...

But despite his pride and slight relief, he though notices the way the felf's other hand is digging into the sheets again and without thinking about it much he looks at the child and asks lowly "Stephanie, could you maybe...hold his hand? This might help him relax a little..."

"That's ridiculous," protests Robbie at once weakly "I don't need..."

"You'll get it, though!" interrupts Stephanie with a broad smirk and has already climbed into the bed next to him, before the felf can think of another contradiction. His mouth closes at the same moment as the child's hand grabs his own tightly and squeezes it soothingly. The villain can't help a moved smile, but only until Bessie hands Sportacus the germicide and he gently cleans the spot he's been feeling for the whole time.

The moment Sportacus takes the injection into his hand, Robbie's breathing hitches again and he struggles to keep himself from trying to pull his arm back. The hero notices this of course and murmurs softly "...Look at Stephanie, Robbie, not at your arm. Focus on her. This will be over within a split second. I promise..."