Burning Ice & Freezing Fire

Sacrifice!?

It's cold...

And lonely.

And - he wouldn't have thought it possible that he among all people would complain about this someday - awfully silent!

But...

It could be worse...

Much worse.

In fact he's aware that it will get worse!

But when?

In a few minutes?

Hours?

Days?

How long is he here already anyway?

He doesn't know.

How could he?

The only thing he sees are awfully bright white walls.

Four of them.

Surrounding him.

And they're all the same length and the door is barely visible as long as it's closed like now.

He already checked all that.

And he slept.

But he doesn't know for how long.

So either he's in here for a few hours or a day he'd guess...

Or maybe two days?

Possible.

Everything seems possible to him right now...

He sighs lowly and stands up from the small, hard, also bright white bed that came out of the wall when he got brought inside here.

What do elves have with this white and bright rooms and airships?!

He sighs lowly.

Is that really his main concern now?

Of course not.

But once he's awake his brain desperately searches for any other thought or question that could distract him from his stinging concern for Sportacus.

Will Nine truly stick to their deal and keep his promise?

What if he hasn't brought Sportacus to a hospital yet?

What if his claim that he only is interested in catching Robbie and not in punishing the town hero, and that he even cares for him in a twisted way was nothing but a lie?

What if his boyfriend is already facing a court and gets sentenced to prison or death or whatever happens here with...'traitors'?

Robbie's heartbeat quickens and he has to lean against the nearest wall and breathe through a new wave of nausea.

He hasn't eaten in days if he remembers correctly.

But he isn't sure if he'd be able to eat anything without knowing where his boyfriend is even if they offered him something...

"...Please...be okay... You have to be okay!" a lonely tear rolls down his cheek, reminding him that he also hasn't drunk anything for the same amount of time.

But that doesn't matter either.

"...Nine didn't leave me a choice..." his voice is low and strained and he finishes the thought in his head because his throat is so dry that talking hurts.

It was either giving back the control of the airship and letting the older elf pick up the trail to Iceland where they could help the fevered Sportacus to survive what the Elder did to him before...or letting his boyfriend suffer a slow, painful, albeit uncertain death...

Robbie didn't need to think about it and agreed to the deal.

But he also didn't have to ask what this meant for him...

Was it a sacrifice?

Maybe.

Probably.

But what does 'sacrifice' mean anyway?...

Nine was confident about his victory at least.

Enough so to even allow Robbie to stay at Sportacus' side the whole flight.

He didn't have to return to the cage. He sat on the bed, the hero's upper body on his lap, and stroked through his hair, whispering loving, soothing encouragements into his ear.

And yes, even some silly promises that he could never keep.

But it was worth it.

And as weird as it may sound...he felt a strange gratitude to Nine for granting him these last hours with the one person he ever truly, deeply...intimately loved...

He even was allowed to kiss Sportacus one last time after their arrival in Iceland and the elvish town, before Nine's guards escorted him out of the airship and into a huge building.

A short talk with another guard, few minutes and a long, white corridor later, he found himself in his current residence.

The felf closes his eyes.

He imagines to be able to still feel the soft, but unnaturally hot skin of Sportacus' lips pressing onto his own...

More tears come up.

Robbie can't help it anymore.

He turns and leans with his back against the wall now, slowly slides down on it until he's sitting on the white floor and hugs his knees close to his chest.

He's crying shamelessly by now.

He's scared.

He wants to be home again with Sportacus and the kids and the mayor and Miss Busybody. With his family!

He...doesn't want to die alone...

And partly with a shock, partly with bitter amusement Robbie realizes that for the very first time in his life he prays to get a hallucination...

But...

No matter how hard he prays...

It won't come.