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The Christmas Party was in full swing with nearly everyone in the town partying. The kids were laughing and dancing with each other, singing Christmas songs, and playing Christmas games. Sportacus would join them in the dancing and games, watching over them at the same time, making sure they didn't do anything to hurt themselves while playing and dancing. The rest of the adults, Mayor Meanswell and Mrs. Busybody, were talking among themselves, glancing at the kids every once in a while, confident that Sportacus had their safety under control.
The last guest stood outside, clutching his invitation and his Secret Santa gift to his chest, not yet walking inside. I'll just go inside and drop off the box. It'd be nice to actually stay, but I'm sure none of them actually want me there and that this is just a courtesy invite. Robbie Rotten took a deep breath, pulled his scarf higher up his face, and walked into the town hall. His plan was to just go in, plop his Secret Santa gift down with the others, and leave. That was before a certain blue sports elf saw him.
"Robbie! I'm so glad you made it! I'm glad you decided to come!" Sportacus was beaming as he said this, looking at Robbie with the happiest expression Robbie had ever seen on the man. Robbie was disgusted, yet.... delighted that he could make the elf that happy.
"I was just going to drop this gift off, then I was going to leave," Robbie said, trying to push as much resentment into his voice as possible. Sportacus had a knowing look in his eye, able to tell that the statement wasn't completely genuine.
"Well, while you're here, you should join us in the festivities!" Sportacus said, pulling Robbie over to where everyone else was at. Robbie struggled against the force, but from years of being lazy, he strength was no match for Sportacus. Robbie realized this, succumbing to his fate before looking up as the noise died down.
"Robbie Rotten! What are you doing here? Are you trying to ruin our party?" One of the kids, Trixie, yelled. Now, Robbie wasn't typically affected by most of those comments, but this was a time when he would never pull tricks. He may hate all of the noise that the kids made any other time, but he wasn't so bad as to mess up their Christmas. The statement actually hurt him a bit. He shook himself out of the feeling, glaring at Trixie.
"I was just LEAVING, thank you very much." Robbie wrenched his hand from Sportacus' grip, heading toward the door to Town Hall and stepping out. He didn't notice everyone staring at him as he left, nor did he notice the heat rising to his face or the tears building up in his eyes. He didn't want to notice them.
Sportacus stood there, frozen for a second as he was thinking. He was so close to getting Robbie to join them. The kids all looked up at him, big eyes and confused expressions. Trixie looked the most confused. Did what she said hurt Robbie that much? It wasn't REALLY her intention.
Sportacus pushed away his shock, telling the kids that he'd be back and running out after Robbie. He found him not too far from the town hall, sitting on a bench with his head down, having already wiped away his tears. Robbie wanted to get away, but he just...couldn't get too far away from the festivities. Something in him made him stay close, but he didn't know what exactly that was. Maybe it was his brain telling him "If you can still hear how much fun they're having, you'll finally realize just how lonely you are." He didn't want to admit that he was lonely, but it was true if you looked at him and how he lived. He lived underground, away from everyone, and only came out when he was trying to get everyone to be quiet and go away. That is a pretty sad and lonely way to live life.
Sportacus slowly approached Robbie, trying to not startle him just in case he would run away. He wanted to talk to the man and see why he left like he did. He sat down next to Robbie, wanting Robbie to say something first.
"Why are you out here Sportaflop? Shouldn't you still be celebrating with the brats?" Robbie spat out, glancing at Sportacus from the corner of his eye. He didn't want to look directly at him. He couldn't really bring himself to yet.
"Robbie, are you okay? You ran out really abruptly and you looked upset... What's wrong?" Sportacus asked, his voice full of concern. Robbie hated how it sounded and he hated how much he was appreciative of Sportacus being concerned. Robbie looked up at the elf, taking a deep breath.
"If you must know, I left because I could feel that I wasn't wanted. No one else said anything, but the pig-tailed one said what everyone was thinking." He answered, leaning back on the bench. "I can see where the kids are coming from, though. I messed with them on one Christmas, and to be honest with you? It didn't feel good. But since I did it one time, I'm bound to do it again. 'Cause I'm 'Rotten', you know?" Robbie laughed, but it sounded sour and self-deprecating.
"Robbie, you could've told the kids that weren't going to do anything bad to their Christmas party. They would've believed you." Sportacus put his hand on Robbie's shoulder, noticing that the taller man stiffened for a second before relaxing again.
"But why would they believe me? I'm the town villain! I lie and I trick people!" Robbie threw his hands up before crossing them over his chest. "It hurts when they think that I'm always there to ruin their fun. I don't know why it hurts, but it just does. Though, I should expect that by now." He became quieter towards the end of the sentence, looking away from Sportacus. He was surprised when he felt Sportacus hug him. He froze, slowly letting his brain catch up with everything before hesitantly wrapping one of his arms around the shorter.
"Robbie, none of us knew that stuff like that hurt you. We're all sorry. I'm sorry." Sportacus said into Robbie's side. "I'm sorry that we kept hurting you like this." Robbie looked down at Sportacus before responding.
"Why are you sorry? I'm the villain, isn't it yours and the town's job to hate me?" Robbie shrugged while Sportacus looked up, horrified.
"None of us hate you! The kids actually have a lot of fun with you and your disguises. It's like a big game. We all love you!" He smiled at Robbie, truly meaning everything he said. Robbie blushed at the choice of words. He couldn't mean loved like how I think he might've. No one ever does.
“Love me? Why?" Robbie asked. Maybe the answer would clear it all up for him. He wouldn't get his hopes up until then.
"Yeah, we love you! Especially me... You're fun, you're really smart, and you're really nice to be around and talk to. It's nice to have another adult to talk to that can keep a good conversation going." Sportacus blushed a bit, he really did like the man. Everything he said was true and would hopefully show Robbie that people in Lazy Town did care about him.
Robbie was silent, brain working over what Sportacus said. Part of his mind kept telling him that it was lie, it always was in the past, but the other part told him that Sportacus doesn't lie. He really wouldn't lie about something like this, given the elf's nature. If that was true, then what he said about the kids was probably true as well. He sighed, tightening his arm around Sportacus minutely.
"Well, if you love me, then I must admit that... I love you too." Robbie didn't look at Sportacus, ready for the rejection that comes with him misunderstanding the type of love that Sportacus was talking about. Sportacus perked up, happy to know that Robbie returned his feelings. He leaned up and gave Robbie a quick kiss on his cheek, both men blushing quite red.
"I'm glad to hear that Robbie! Now, if you'd like, why don't we head back to the party? It's pretty cold out here." Sportacus stood up, holding a hand out to Robbie. He reluctantly accepted it, being pulled off of the bench and into the shorter man's arms. Said shorter man let out a small laugh, giving Robbie a hug before letting him go and holding his hand, starting to walk back towards the town hall. Robbie pulled his scarf higher on his face with his free hand in order to hide his blush and fight the cold. He still wasn't quite sure that this all wasn't some elaborate ruse to make him trust the people and then immediately have them make fun of him once he gets back into the building.
They made it back to the party, Sportacus opening the door and holding it for Robbie. He muttered a small 'Thank you' as he went through, Sportacus following him in. Everyone turned to look at them as they entered. The kids all ran up to Robbie, hugging his legs and saying things like "I'm sorry!", "I didn't mean it!", and "We're glad you came back!" Robbie squatted down to be on the same level as kids and ushered them back a bit. The children looked sad at this.
"Thank you for inviting me to this. What you said...hurt...but I forgive you, and I'm sorry for running out like I did." He looked up at Sportacus who nodded and smiled at him. The smiles from the kids were so contagious, that even Robbie cracked a small grin. They rushed at him again, knocking him over and hugging him once more.
"ALRIGHT, please get off of me, right now. Please." The children backed off, still smiling. Robbie pushed himself up and dusted himself off, now scowling. Sportacus walked back over to Robbie and patted him on his shoulder.
"Good job. That apology really seemed to put the kids at ease." Robbie flushed at the praise, his frown becoming more mellow and closer to a smile again.
"I mean; one apology isn't going to change how everyone sees me. I'm still the villain, remember?" Robbie said, not noticing how sad it sounded. It was Sportacus' turn to frown now. Robbie noticed this, confused.
"Why are you angry now? Wasn't everything just happy and okay with you?" Robbie asked, dropping his smile as he questioned Sportacus.
"Robbie, one apology might not be enough to change their minds immediately, but it's a good place to start. It wouldn't hurt to put a little faith in the townspeople." Sportacus looked up at Robbie, who turned away from him. Putting his faith in the townspeople has been precisely what hurt him in the past, and he didn't expect much to change, but maybe with Sportacus on his side now, things could be different.
"Alright then, Sportacoo- Sportacus." Robbie corrected himself mid-syllable, feeling that calling him by his name correctly was the least he could do now. It looked to have lifted the elf's spirits, as he was smiling again. He hugged Robbie quickly before pulling back, keeping a hand on his shoulder. The music had been playing the entire time, Sportacus noticing and turning towards the middle of the hall.
"Robbie, would you like to dance before the Secret Santa gifts are traded?" Sportacus already seemed to be moving towards where everyone else was dancing, so Robbie had no choice but be pulled along by the hand on his shoulder.
"I don't dance, it's too much energy!" Sportacus was already moving them faster, almost pulling Robbie off-balance. He caught himself last second before catching up with the elf. They stopped once they were in the middle of the group, Sportacus dancing along with the music playing from the radio. Robbie hesitated to join in, reluctantly letting himself sway to the music. It was a station that played nothing but Christmas pop songs. Festive, but still peppy enough to dance to. Who even thought of that? The tall man gradually got more into the music, finally dancing in a way that could be classified as dancing. Everyone was having fun, there was tons of laughter and off-key singing from the kids.
A few songs had completed before the Mayor made the announcement that it was time for the Secret Santa exchange.
"Everybody gather around the gift table! I'll be handing out the gifts now!" The children cheered, running to the table while the rest of the adults walked over. The children would get their gifts first, because they were kids, then everyone else would get their presents. The boxes were handed out to the kids, Stephanie getting a very soft and fuzzy pink pillow from Pixel, Stingy cradling a new piggy bank from Ziggy, Trixie holding up a new pack of markers from Stingy, and Ziggy with multiple candy scented pens from Stephanie. The kids usually were Secret Santa’s with each other to make the trading and gift process more fun for them.
Next up were the adults. Mayor Meanswell and Mrs. Busybody had traded with each other, Milford pulling out a "World's Best Mayor" mug and Bessie clutching a cellphone charm that looked like a tiny cellphone. They hugged, thanking each other for the gift. That left Sportacus and Robbie, which meant that they were the other's secret Santa.
Sportacus picked up his gift, pulling the white ribbon and blue wrapping paper off. He picked up the items inside, a small gasp coming from him as he did. It was a picture of him having fun and being happy with the rest of the town, minus Robbie. Sportacus wasn't even entirely sure where or when Robbie had taken the photo, but it was such a good photo of a good memory with the kids. He looked up at Robbie, who was fidgeting with his hands, and smiled at him.
"This is an amazing gift, Robbie! Thank you so much!" He hugged Robbie before handing him his gift. "I hope you like it!"
Robbie glanced at Sportacus before starting to undo the wrappings on the present. It was purple and red, making him smile a bit already. He pulled the lid off before his eyes widened at what was inside. It was a thin gold necklace with charms on it: An R for his name, a piece of cake, a bed, and a S. The S could stand for Sleep if anyone asked, but Robbie knew what it was really for. If Sportacus hadn't told him that he liked him earlier, Robbie may have thought so now. The red was back in his cheeks again as Sportacus stepped forward to clip the necklace around Robbie's neck.
Sportacus stepped back, smiling gently while watching Robbie silently admire his gift. Once the kids saw, a chorus of 'Ooooooh's filled the room. Robbie looked up from the necklace at Sportacus, almost throwing himself at the elf. He was trying not to cry at how nice the gift was, but he could feel the tears leave his eyes and soak Sportacus' shirt from where he buried his face into the shorter man's shoulder. Sportacus wrapped his arms around Robbie, gently rubbing the taller man's back.
"Thank you so much. No one's ever done something so nice for me. I don't deserve this, or you, to be honest." Robbie whispered from Sportacus' shoulder. Sportacus made a note to himself to talk about the 'I don't deserve you' thing later, but for now he was going to be happy that he made Robbie happy.
"What nice gifts that everyone received this year! This was a great Christmas party! Let's hope that next year's is just as good, if not better." Called the Mayor, smiling at everyone in the room with their new items. Robbie finally pulled his head off of Sportacus, pulling away and putting a hand on the necklace. It matched the trim and the chain on his vest. It really was the nicest thing anyone had ever given to him, and he really wasn't expecting it. He was expecting socks again like a few years ago. The necklace was a pleasant surprise, and one he greatly appreciated.
The party was coming to a close as it was getting late and the kids had to head to bed soon. Sportacus yawned, stretching at the same time.
"It's about time for us to get in bed too, isn't it Robbie?" Sportacus asked, yawning again. Robbie scoffed a bit.
"For you it may be, Mr. 'I go to bed obscenely early and wake up with the sun'." Sportacus rolled his eyes and chuckled, leaning in and giving Robbie another quick peck on the cheek.
"I'll see you tomorrow Robbie! I love you, Goodnight!" Sportacus called out before he flipped his way back to his airship. Robbie stood frozen, shaking his head and heading towards his own home. He climbed down the pipe that lead to his lair, grabbing his pillow and blanket and sitting down in his chair. He thought through the events of that day, drifting into sleep with a small smile on his face.