#alh

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Robbie was confused.

He didn't remember going to bed. He certainly didn't remember falling asleep. In fact, he didn't even know where he was. Even though he hadn't opened eyes yet he could still tell this was not his bed, and it certainly wasn't his recliner.

His limbs felt as though they were suspended in the air, and his head wasn't being held up by a pillow. The material holding him felt more like leather than any kind of fabric he had ever had on his bed. The last thing that confirmed to him that he was NOT in his own bed, or house for that matter, was that his bed was NEVER this warm.

Slowly his eyes fluttered opened to look downward. He quickly realized he was, in fact, not on the ground but far from it. Suddenly, the memories of his unfortunate circumstances return and he gasps.

He felt a wave of warm air wash over him and shivered. He shakily rose his head up and turned it as far around as he could to look behind him. His eyes widened in horror as he saw an, ever so slightly open, mouth.

HIS mouth.

SPORTACUS'S MOUTH.

Robbie let out a terrified scream at the sight. The teeth, each as big as his own hands and giant tongue obscured but not entirely hidden by them, made him feel ill. He couldn't stop his mind from drifting into grim thoughts. It wouldn't take much pressure from that jaw for him to be nothing but blood bones.

Was this what Sportacus had planned all along? To eat him? Why reasure him before? To prolonge his misery? Was this all just a trick so Sportacus could watch him suffer? It couldn't be right? Right? His body racked with tremors, his breathing quickened, and tears returned to his eyes as he thought of all the gruesome events that could spawn from his current situation.

"Robbie? Oh my goodness, you're awake!" Sportacus said with obvious surprise, pulling the trembling villain away from his face and turning him around to talk to him easier.  He noticed Robbie's horrified state. "Is everything alright, Robbie? You're shaking like a-"

Robbie cut Sportacus off before he could get another word out. "ALRIGHT?!?!?!" He cried. "H-How, on earth, could I possibly be alright?!?!" He was breathing even quicker than before. " F-For a second I thought-" His heart was beating so fast he could barely think. "I-I thought that you- t-that you were going- g-going to-" Robbie tried to get the words out.

"Going to what?" Sportacus asked in a concerned tone.

Just then Sportacus's stomach let out a low growl, almost as if it had heard Robbie's thoughts and just wanted to scare the life of him for the fun of it. Robbie froze, staring, wide eyed, at the larger hero's middle.

Sportacus, noticing this, followed Robbie line of sight. Upon realizing what the villain meant, he looked back at him, and their eyes met for moment. Sportacus opened his mouth to speak, but before he could they a word out, Robbie began thrashing around, kicking at his palm and scrambling to find any way to escape the hero's grasp.

"N-No! Don't-" Robbie shrieked as Sportacus locked him in a tight fist.

"Robbie! Please, just calm down! I'm not going to-" the elf attempted to say.

"S-Stay away from me!!!" Robbie cried.

"Robbie! It's alright! I wasn't trying to eat you! I was only trying to hold you for a second so I could climb up the ladder!" He explained quickly, motioning towards the object with his free hand.

Despite the elf's efforts, Robbie continued to squirm and cry out. Sportacus quickly realized that talking to the villain was not going to make a difference. He decided it best that he just continue with his plan so he could get up to his airship before someone heard Robbie.

Spotacus turned Robbie around in his hand and lifted him up to his mouth once again. Robbie yelped, scrambling forward in a hopeless attempt to escape the now open maw behind him. He felt Sportacus's breath on his back and, as the terror settled in, he resorted to begging.

"Please, N-No-" he plead. He had given up fighting by now, instead lifting his arms up and locking his hands behind his head and curling in on himself in attempt to shield himself from whatever horrible fate he may receive.

But nothing came. Only the light shifting of fabric on his skin and a wave of nausea as the hand previously holding him completely let go. He whimpered as he realized that the only thing between him and 50ft drop (which, in reality was more like 5ft) wpas his waistcoat. Robbie screwed his eyes shut while Sportacus climbed the ladder up to his airship.

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When Spotacus finally arrived in airship, he looked around, trying to find a good place to set Robbie down. Eventually, he settled on his bed as the best spot. He moved his hand directly below the him before letting him drop into his palm.

Sportacus watched the villain's eyes shoot open as he was carefully placed on the bed, following every movement he made, shaking like a leaf. Sportacus ran to grab a first aid kit and returned Robbie, placing it on the bed next to him. He pulled up a chair, sat down and spoke.

"Robbie, can you please tell me what happened?" He questioned as he opened the first aid kit and pulled out a some gause. Robbie flinched when the hero's hands moved towards him. He felt his wounded arm being carefully held between the hero's massive fingers. They were surprisingly gentle as they removed the cloth from his shoulder. As he looked at the hero he drew in a shaky breath. He reasoned that there was no real point in not telling the hero. He'd be in far more trouble if he tried to lie anyway, right?

"It.... It was one of my machines...i-" He watched Sportacus's expressions, looking for any hint of anger as he explained. "I was t-trying t-to use it on-" Robbie was about to finish before Sportacus interrupted him.

"Ahh let me geuss-" the elf smiled at the familiarity of the situation. "You were trying to use it on me, weren't you?" As he looked to the villain, though, his smile fell. He saw Robbie tense up as he nodded and he quickly corrected his tone. "It's alright, Robbie. I'm not mad at you." He said reassuringly. He smiled again when Robbie let out a relieved sigh. "I'm going to get something to eat, do you want anything, Robbie?"

Robbie stared blankly at the hero. He couldn't wrap his mind around how kind Sportacus was being. All of the crazy antics he had put through and yet, he didn't seem angry in the slightest. It made no sense to him.

"Well, i geuss you probably don't want any sportscandy but..." Sportacus held a hand up to his chin in thought. "I don't know if I have anything else..." He chuckled nervously, moving his hand from his face to rub the back of his neck.

Robbie watched as Sportacus's eyes lit up and he walked to the wall of the airship. Robbie wondered why the elf wasn't doing all the fliping and twirling he usually does. It was confusing, but he was thankful nonetheless. If he had to deal with anymore noise, he figured, he'd probably just start crying all over again.

Robbie saw sportacus put his hand over a small circle on the wall. Nearly the moment that the hero did this, a section of the wall folded out in front of him. Behind the section of wall there where tubes containing columns of fruit.

"Do you think you could handle fruit? It's sweet still, but not like cake-"

"I know what fruit is." Robbie hissed. Though he was mostly glad that the elf hadn't insisted on calling it "sportscandy" even without the children around.

Sportacus smiled."That's great Robbie, but do you want any?"

Robbie thought about saying no, but he realized he hadn't eaten at all today. He had been so scared when Spotacus grabbed him, that he hadn't even thought about breakfast. He huffed, looking up at the hero. "Fine...at least it's not carrots or something..."

Sportacus smiled at the little villain, being careful not show teeth. Even if Robbies attitude was inconvenient, he was glad the poor guy quaking anymore, and he didn't want to accidentally startle him again. "Would you prefer apples or grapes?" He asked.

Robbie turned his head away from sportacus. "I would prefer to go home." He grumbled, flinching slightly as Sportacus let out a heavy sigh.

"Robbie, I can't just leave you alone in there. You could get hurt!"

"And who's to say I won't get hurt with you?!"

"I won't let that happen, Robbie. I promise you that."

Robbie scoffed at this. Sportacus picked up a kitchen knife a began cutting an apple into slices, before cutting up one slice into smaller pieces. Robbie watched the hero warrily as he did this. Sportacus grabbed a bottle of water and twisted off the cap. He then set the bottle aside before using the knife to push the smaller pieces into the bottle cap and then pushing the bigger slices onto a plate.

He brought the plate and the cap over to the bed and gave the cap to Robbie. He set the plate on the edge of the bed next to the chair.

Robbie made a disgusted face at the peices of apple but pushed through the feeling. Hesitantly, he picked up a piece of the fruit and took a small bite. He was surprised at the taste. It wasn't that bad. It wasn't cake by any means but he definitely thought he'd hate it more.

Sportacus watched Robbie nibble on the apple peices and smiled. At least maybe something good would come of this situation.

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