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“You love me.”

She looked horrified. He took it as confirmation, and before he knew what he was doing, three long strides had him collecting her forcefully in his arms, crushing her against him.

“Robert, stop-”

“You love me.”

“I won’t do this to-”

His lips crushed against hers, and met with no resistance. There was the tiniest of sighs, and her lips parted - oh God, they parted, and let him in. How could he have been so blind? She wanted this as much as he did. All this time, all this wasted-

Roberta pulled away, and slapped him with her tiny hand clear across his right cheek. It left a stinging red mark in the shape of her hand, and his own pressed against it, almost lovingly. He didn’t know whether to laugh, or to cry.

“I think you should leave.” A tiny, shaking voice told him.

He stood his ground.

She pointed at the door.

He snatched the hand out of the air and kissed it.

Her other hand slapped him across the left cheek.

He grabbed the wrist before she could pull away, and held her against him.

“You. Love. Me.”

“Get out, before I call the police.” She was trying so hard to sound strong. Angry. Uncaring. It was precious.

Still holding both of her hands, he leaned in, and she leaned away. There was only so far she could go, and even as she turned her head, his lips pressed against her cheek. They brushed down the jaw. They pressed against her lips once more, and he felt nothing.

Her eyes blazed with fire. It killed all of the fireflies in it‘s wake.

His hands released her, and she stumbled back. She looked from the phone, to him, as if threatening - and that brief moment of happiness he’d finally felt fluttered away.

He felt the shadows closing in on him. He watched them pass her by, coming for him this time. She did nothing to stop them. She didn’t reach out for his hand, they way she once did.

Roberta was leaving him in the dark one final time.





Dear Robert Morris;
We are pleased to congratulate you on being accepted into one of the most prestigious-

Juilliard.

He’d gone through several trials and interviews. It had nearly depleted the family petty cash funds just sending him to New York to do them. And now.. that little piece of paper was telling him they wanted him.

Him. Juilliard wanted him to dance for them.

He’d never even dared to hope that he would be accepted. The school was overpriced, and he was just a small town nobody.

..congratulate you on being accepted..

How would he even pay for it? No, there was no question. If it meant working every spare moment and never sleeping again, Robert was determined to find a way to pay for it. This was it. This was everything. This was -

He had to tell Petra. He knew, deep down, that she would get accepted into Cornell. Sure, it meant a little distance - but New York was New York, right? They’d be in the same state - and he’d be well on his way to Broadway. He’d be a ******** star, that’s what.

He hadn’t even called her. He left his car in his driveway, and ran out of his door to run to her house - but she was already there, tying her horse up and flying into his arms.

It wasn’t Cornell. It wasn’t anywhere near New York. And she looked more excited than he’d ever seen her before. She was glowing. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life. He picked her up in his arms, and spun her around until he was dizzy, then he carried her inside, dropping his own letter crumpled in the trashcan on his porch.

Petra would never let him go alone into the dark. So neither would he.






“What’s his name?”

“Robert!”

Robert stared at the calico kitten in his best friend’s hand, mewling away as it struggled to right itself from the position it was being held in. “You named your kitten after me?” He asked, looking more than a little unhappy about it. “Why’d you go and do that?”

“So I could always have you around, of course!”

Robert looked up at her, and grimaced. “You DO always have me around.” He countered.

“Well,” She hedged, as she brought the kitten to her chest and snuggled it fiercely. “When we move to Arizona, I won’t. So, I needed something to make up for it, you know?”

Robert Morris was thirteen years old the first time Roberta Walker broke his heart.

There was a stunned silence, followed by a hollow, cracked laugh, followed by even more silence. Roberta finally managed to look up at the boy for his reaction, and cringed. His entire face was red, and he looked like he’d been hit by a car.

“You’re LEAVING ME?”

“Oh come on, I don’t have a choice here. Don’t do that. Don’t look at me like I just told you I never want to see you again!”

“But you WON’T see me again!” At this point, Robert looked about as red as a tomato. His eyes were rimmed with color, threatening to let the waterworks fall. They widened in shock when her response was nothing but a laugh.

“I’ll come back and visit. Lots! This isn’t the end of the world, you know.”






He heard the sound of rustling nearby, and his laughter caught in his throat. SAVAGES! They would find him and skin him and eat his heart! He had to run away before-

“Is someone there?”

That was the first time he ever heard her voice. She was a tiny thing, emerging from the weeds with her dress covered in filth from running in the woods, and those big, round eyes looked as though they almost didn’t fit in her face.

Roberta Walker was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire six years of life. And he’d seen some cool stuff.

She took him to one of her hideaways, that night. They heard their family searching for them, but they giggled and ignored the cries. Huddled up underneath a brown tarp, they watched the fireflies flutter through the air, and pointed out every time they were sure one of them was not a firefly at all, but a fairy come to try and steal them away. The shadows turned into pincers, snapping at her dress, and he wrapped his little arms around her and kept her safe the whole night. When the shadows came for him, he felt her tiny hand slide into his, and he knew he could face any fear.

They saw so many things. So many wondrous, unbelievable things. No one would ever believe them, they knew that much. The magic in the shadows was their secret to hold, theirs to treasure. They wouldn’t share it with a soul but each other.

Roberta Walker was Robert’s best friend in the entire world.






Robert sighed at Roberta, and rolled his neck.

"You don't get it, kitten." He growled, his dark look narrowing. "It don't work like that."

His batleth slid down her left arm, leaving a trail of red. "Y'see, once we pick up our weapons, giving up ain't an option."

Robert..

"SHUT UP JAZZY." He yelled out loud irrationally, as his batleth slid down Reine's right arm. "We don't give in. We don't stop until one of us is dead."

Robert, stop this. You love her. You can't-

"I CAN, AND I WILL." He brought the scythe down against her torn stomach, bashing the blunt middle against her with a loud grunt of anger.






The keys jingled outside, a faint sound easily drowned out by the soft swish of the couch against cloth and flesh, and faint murmurs shared between lovers. The unlocking of the door was less of a quiet noise, but it was too quick for action - all at once, the office door swung open, and Robert swiveled his bag off his shoulder, practically throwing it towards Clarice's desk, where it slid on the floor and came to a stop by the leg. He put his keys away, and shut the door behind him, whistling a happy tune. Who could say what song it was? He wouldn't get enough of it out, anyway.

When he turned back towards the office, his body reflexively turned towards the desk, and he could have almost walked right by the three men, mercifully blocking them out. But it wouldn't have mattered - eventually, he would have noticed. And it was sooner, rather than later, that the high note of his whistle turned into a choked sound, and he stared, neck muscles bulging in horror, at the scene on Clarice's couch.

One boy. Two Boys. Three boys shirtless. And..

"Boss." He managed to cough out in one pathetic, whiny noise, which clearly took a turn for the emotional as he looked as though, if anyone moved, he was going to burst into tears at that very moment.

But instead, he grappled for the handle to the door behind him, and let out one surprisingly sad sounding sob before pulling it open and storming right back out.

He was not ready for this.

Robert Total: 60
Excalibur Total: 7668