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Ever since Johnny quite literally forced them to get over their shit he’s been shocked by just how much he likes Robby, how easy it is to talk to him. He supposes it makes sense considering that they’ve been through something it's likely no one outside of their little group will ever understand and they share bonds deeper than that as well.
Absent fathers and then competing for the same one, shared first loves and heartbreaks, and now a shared sibling on the way. It’s like Robby said, they shared the worst moment of their lives, so many worst moments. The part he hadn’t said is that they shared the best moments too, that they’ve shared loved ones and victories and finally finding balance after so much struggle.
Maybe it makes sense, they've been dancing around each other for years now. It’s like when Sensei shoved them into that fight things finally collided in the way they were supposed to from the beginning, if things had been different maybe it wouldn’t have taken so long.
The point though is that he really likes Robby, in the space of a few days they’ve fallen into this easy flow with each other he never would have believed possible. They’ve shared their deepest secrets which seems less daunting somehow when the other person has already seen you at your most vulnerable. It manifests in casual touches, a hand on his elbow or hip, arms around each other's shoulders, and that one moment after they qualified for the Sekai Taikai when he’d drawn Robby into his arms and it had felt so profoundly right he’d wanted to hold on forever.
He knows what Robby’s anger looks like, and his guilt, and his pain and his joy. He knows his footsteps, the way he breathes, how quick and sure his blows land, a flawless combination of countless styles and a spark that’s all him. He knows his determination and sarcasm that have always burned so bright but softened as he grew into himself. He knows that his shampoo smells like vanilla and that he’s always warm even when he can’t turn that warmth inward to protect himself.
It’s the kind of knowing that can only come from a fight, the unconscious memorization of every movement, expression, and interaction locked away for the day you need it most.
Every heartbeat.
It’s in this way that he knows Robby will never give up, he has an ability to keep fighting through any circumstance, any pain whether emotional or physical. It’s what makes his heart stop when Kenny’s fist connects with Robby’s chest, the air punched out of him as he makes horrible noises.
Gasping, gurgling, rasping noises he never wants to hear again in his life. This is bad. It’s clear in the way Robby is tugged to his feet and can barely stand as he misses easy blocks. No one else seems to notice with the chaos going on but he’s learned to watch Robby closely in every fight, a habit that's so ingrained in him he could tell someone exactly what the shorter boy was doing at any moment in any fight they ever had.
He’s grateful for it when he pushes through the Cobra’s surrounding Robby and kicks one down easily, all the other boy manages is a clumsy shove that only throws his opponent off balance out of sheer luck and he doesn’t get back up which is such a terrifying thought after what he’s seen him fight through.
He barely manages to get back up at all and when he does he sways unsteadily, an uncharacteristic whimper falling from his lips that makes him fight even harder to remain by Robby’s side.
They end up next to each other in front of the LaRusso kid and he watches Robby execute simple moves with much more difficulty than he should as he turns those glassy green eyes toward him “We’re not gonna be able to hold them much longer!” he says loudly but the words are still distorted from the lack of oxygen.
Slowly they lose ground and soon everyone’s backs are pressed together in the tightest circle possible just fighting tooth and nail for another few seconds, it’s kind of funny to think about how much time you waste not realizing that a second is all it takes for your life to change.
Robby’s back hitting the railing in the courtyard of their apartment complex.
Now his shoulder is pressed against Miguel’s and it’s the same one he injured in the first All Valley, muscles tense as Robby relinquishes some of his weight. His breaths are heavy and rasping and he’s trembling as he struggles to remain standing, it seems like the only thing holding him up is the jostling press of bodies.
Then Daniel is there and a video starts playing and Robby leans his chest against his shoulder so the awful heavy breaths echo into his ear, he’s on his feet but with the amount of weight Miguel is supporting it seems unlikely to last long.
He grabs Robby’s elbow and pulls him in front where he wobbles for a second before gaining his balance enough to stand on his own, luckily in this position he’ll be able to catch him if he falls. No one notices when his breathing worsens or when he staggers back with another awful rasping gasp that shakes his chest and makes those pretty green eyes fill with tears.
He’s struck by the fact that he’s never seen Robby cry before.
“It’s okay I’ve got you,” he promises while twining his arms around Robby’s waist and supporting him “thanks,” he gasps as they watch Daniel and Terry fight but the crane kick doesn’t quite have the gravity he would’ve thought when all he can hear is the struggled rasping breaths.
The fight is over after that and people start trickling outside, Robby’s legs finally give out and he nearly knocks them both over before Miguel can lower them to the floor. His breathing is still all wrong and he can hear the awful choked gasping as Robby succumbs to his injury.
He knows it’s painful but a blow like that shouldn’t have serious effects, to be perfectly honest he should probably be better by now and unzipping the boy's denim hoodie just to double check the damage seems like a good idea but pulling his shirt up makes him wince in sympathy.
Robby’s perfect six pack abs are heaving and they’ve already begun bruising badly, he must have received a few blows to the stomach from Kenny’s goons after already having the wind knocked out of him. It’s still relieving though because that damage isn’t severe enough to warrant worry even if it’ll give him a hard time moving around this upcoming week. But pulling the shirt off reveals a much more concerning sight.
Other than the fact that Robby’s currently crying raspily into his neck his chest looks almost caved in where Kenny’s hit landed, so red and bruised it makes him feel sick. It’s already tinged every color of the rainbow and it’ll get worse in the upcoming days, but a few light touches to the area make it clear there’s damage to the ribs underneath.
“Oh shit,” he mutters before tapping Robby’s cheek until he cracks his eyes open, he’s pale as a sheet with tears down his cheeks as he continues fighting for a full breath of air “I’m bringing you outside you need medical attention.” It’s not a question but Robby shakes his head anyway “M’ can’t-” he sobs but the words are lost as he continues panicking “I know but I’ve got you alright and I’m gonna make it better but I need you to be brave.”
He’s embarrassed that it took him so long to realize just how freaked out Robby is right now, he looks absolutely terrified and considering the lives they live and what he’s been through it’s not hard to imagine why something like this would be terrifying. He knows Robby struggles from depression and anxiety the same way Robby knows about his PTSD, things they’ve never told anyone else that had come out in the wake of learning they would be older brothers to the same kid.
Which isn’t to say he feels like Robby’s his brother, he knows he’s been looking a little too long in the wake of his and Sam’s breakup but after the initial pain of it he thinks it was for the best, they’re better as friends. But he and Robby could never quite manage that, there was a before and after in their story and that was that, he couldn’t put words to it if he tried. Which isn’t to say that Robby isn’t his friend now, it's just that there’s something more about them.
Something that infuses a tenderness in himself he doesn’t recognize when he lifts Robby up bridal style and staggers under his weight toward the ambulances outside. A paramedic sees them and immediately ushers them toward the back of an ambulance where they’re wrapped in emergency blankets while the man starts poking and prodding Robby’s abdomen and chest.
No sounds of pain escape him although he knows the smaller boy is in pain, can see it in every tense muscle and feel it every time Robby’s fingers flutter around his hand which he still hasn’t let go of.
He’s given an oxygen mask and Miguel helps him hold it over his nose and mouth when Robby’s hands are shaking too badly to do it himself, it helps him to calm down and get his anxiety under control though there’s a definite flush of shame as Robby refuses to meet his eyes. “It’s okay you know,” he finally whispers and punctuates the words with a gentle squeeze to Robby’s hand, fiddling with his rings “we’re okay.”
The lights from the ambulances are reflecting off of the gold highlights in Robby’s hair and tinting his pale skin and for a moment he doesn’t know if Robby heard him but then he glances up and no amount of light could wash the green out of those eyes as he whispers a breathy “Yeah?” that comes out distorted from the oxygen mask.
It’s almost hopeful and that might be the best look he’s seen on Robby so far.
He really can’t be blamed for what happens next, they’re already sitting too close together, faces turned toward each other so he can keep the oxygen mask in place. Bending Robby’s face forward he watches those stunning green eyes flutter close as his breath fogs up the mask and he presses a long meaningful kiss to his forehead.
When they separate Robby offers him a brilliantly shy smile with a bit of an edge to it the way he remembers, a promise of more to come before tightening the crinkly silver sheet over them and resting his head over Miguel's heart as he wraps his free arm around Robby’s broad shoulders and cups the back of his neck gently.
They’ve collided so many times in all the wrong ways and finally they got it right.