(A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay in writing, and that this is such a shitty chapter. I've been horribly suicidal lately and I barely have the motivation to get through the day. I promise I'll try harder to update quickly.)

Lying awake in the still of the night, Robbie studied the hero and the child sleeping across from his cot. Pixel had his knees tucked tightly against his chest and leaned against Sportacus, who was snoring softly. Dim light filtered through the blinds and illuminated their tired faces. Robbie had almost expected them to leave. A strange lightness fluttered in his chest, seeing them there.

Or maybe it was just the medication making him feel nauseous.

A new nurse opened the door, catching Robbie's attention. The patient sitting straight up in bed had caught her eye as she walked past.

"Hi," Robbie whispered hoarsely. "Are you gonna make me go back to sleep?"

The nurse chuckled. "That depends," she replied. "Let's look at your files." She picked up the clipboard the other lady held earlier.

"You're a runaway, huh?"

"I guess I am," Robbie said uncertainly. Honestly, he hadn't remembered that too well until now.

"What'd you go and do that for? Seems like you've got a family that loves you quite a lot," she remarked, nodding at Sportacus and Pixel.

He chuckled. "Please," he laughed raspily, "They'd be happy to get rid of me. The blue one's just obligated to save me 'cause he's a hero."

The nurse shook her head. "I doubt that, dear." She stuck another capsule into Robbie's IV line and squeezed his good hand.

"And they're not my family," Robbie added, surprised he didn't mention that first.

"Well, whatever they are, they care about you. Hold on to them tightly, darling," she said softly. She wrote a few words down on the clipboard and slipped out of the room, leaving Robbie once more to let his thoughts roam until his eyelids grew too heavy to bear.