Chapter Text
When Stingy woke, it was a slow, gentle thing. Awareness came back to him with a honey-drizzle smoothness, all warm and golden sweet. He could feel the lingering threads of Robbie’s spell loosening and falling away as he woke further and further from the spelled sleep.
He was warm and comfortable, body perfectly tucked away into blankets and pillows, the plush nest that he had built so relaxing that he was tempted to just go back to sleep. Instead, he yawned, a long, wide yawn that stretched out his jaw and made him shiver, but somehow left him even more relaxed than before.
As he laid there, a gentle touch rested atop his head, stroking his hair, carding fingers through it. A rumbling purr escaped him, and he tilted his head up into the touch.
“Stingy?” Came a whisper. It was strawberry pink and sweet as icing, and he cracked his eyes open to see Stephanie sitting on the edge of his bed, her hand still stroking his hair. She gasped softly as his eyes opened, looking surprised, then smiled big and wide. “Good morning sleepy head!”
Stingy hummed. “…Is it morning?”
She shrugged. “Just about. I couldn’t sleep.”
Blinking, Stingy shifted, pushing himself up just enough to look around his room. Trixie was sprawled out at the foot of his bed, snoring softly, while Pixel slept quietly in a sleeping bag on the floor. Sportacus was sleeping in a big armchair, Ziggy curled up in his arms.
Stingy took it all in, the way that they had surrounded him, stayed with him, and he let out a choked sound, his eyes burning. Tears welled up and threatened to fall.
“Oh! Oh, Stingy, I’m sorry!” Stephanie panic-whispered, just a bit too loud for a room of sleeping children. “I know you didn’t give us permission to be in your room but we were all just so worried, and-“
“No,” Stingy croaked, wiping his eyes. “No, it’s- I’m…I’m happy. I’m happy that you’re here.”
Stephanie relaxed, letting out a relieved breath. “Okay, good.”
Still. There was one problem.
“Where-“ He choked, cleared his throat, and tried again. “Where is Robbie?”
Stephanie hesitated. “He… he went to his bunker, I think. We haven’t seen him since.”
A sad little chirp pushed its way out from Stingy’s throat, and he knew instinctively that he was calling for Robbie, for a guardian; for though Sportacus was here, Robbie was another faerie, the only one that Stingy knew. The one that gave him sweet sugary things and held him and crooned oddly familiar sounds of safety to him. The one that helped to save his wings.
Stingy’s eyes shot open wide.
“Wait-“ He pushed himself up straighter, head craning around in an attempt to see his back. As he moved he could feel unfamiliar muscles shift, weak and aching, and something moved against his skin. Just barely, Stingy caught sight of something smooth and butter yellow, but his head spun and his vision darkened the further he tried to look. Weakly, he flopped back down, the things on his back twitching.
He looked up at Stephanie, heart beating hard and fast. “My- my wings, are they-?”
Stephanie set her hands on his shoulders, grounding him. “It’s okay, Stingy! Your wings are okay- more than okay. They’re beautiful!”
He relaxed slightly, relief sweeping through him and taking his strength with it. “It worked?”
“Yeah. Whatever Robbie did, it worked. You’re gonna be alright now.”
“Thank- ..thank you, Stephanie,” he murmured, all but going limp. “I…” he voice caught, tangling in his throat and coming out strained. “I was so, so scared.”
A soft scoff came from the foot of the bed, and he glanced down to see Trixie watching him with tired, lidded eyes.
“Of course you’re okay, dummy!” She said, voice quiet but harsh. “You think we’re gonna let anything bad happen to you? You're our friend!”
Stingy chuckled quietly. “I don’t know if it was up to you, exactly.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Then Sportacus and Robbie wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Right. Robbie.
Stingy hesitated. “Did he really… did he really just leave?”
Trixie, for once, hesitated. Stephenie shifted beside him, and meeting her eyes he saw his own sadness reflected back. There was worry there as well, and Stingy bit back an ugly snarl. Robbie had left him alone, left him to deal with this, left him to go hide away in his bunker, and Stephanie was worried about him? Stingy was no stranger to his caregivers bailing on him, and worry was far from his mind.
Sadness, from being left behind. Fear, from being alone. And anger, from being abandoned.
But not worry. Not…
“He looked really scared when he left,” Stephanie said quietly. Trixie hummed.
“He looked guilty. Probably for leaving.”
Stingy had to agree with Trixie. Why would Robbie be scared? It made much more sense for him to… to… what? Just leave? Hide? Stingy frowned, curling into his pillow.
No, it… It didn’t make sense. Not for Robbie to just decide he was done and disappear. He’d been a constant in Stingy’s life long before this, and he had seemed so genuinely caring while Stingy’s transformation went on. That can't have been an act. He had seen that kind of performance before, and he couldn’t believe that Robbie had been playing him.
So why…?
“He had to cut me,” Stingy mumbled. Stephanie gasped, and Trixie bolted upright.
“What?!”
“Quiet!” Stephanie hissed, “People are sleeping!”
“But-“
There was a creak, a shift. The three of them looked up to see Sportacus blinking awake, though he was careful not to wake Ziggy, still sleeping in his lap.
“Kids?” He mumbled, and Stingy almost laughed at how sleepy he was. Sportacus rarely ever looked so tired. His heart sank, then, realizing that the elf was probably tired because he was watching over him. He couldn’t deny, though, the warmth he felt at the thought. “Is everything okay?”
“Robbie cut Stingy!” Trixie hissed, bristling. Sportacus’s eyes widened, and Stingy cut in;
“He had to! To, to get my wings out. So they wouldn’t, you know, hurt me. I just… Do you think that’s why he left?”
Sportacus’s expression softened. “Oh, Stingy… I think… It was very hard for Robbie to do what he did. It was probably very scary. It had to be done, and he told me so, but… I think it hurt him a lot too.”
Stingy nodded slowly.
“That's… that makes sense.”
Trixie frowned, but relaxed, flopping back down onto the bed. “But if he had to do it… it’s like pulling out a tooth! It’s stupid to hide.”
Sportacus huffed, eyes crinkling, though Stingy could see the sadness behind the smile. “Perhaps we can talk to him, now that Stingy is awake.”
Stingy thought for a moment, considering. If Robbie really was hiding because of what happened, and not because he had decided that Stingy wasn’t worth it anymore… He knew exactly what to do.
“Oh, getting him out will be easy,” Stingy said, snuggling into his pillow. “Just leave that to me.”
“Really?” Stephanie asked, tilting her head. “How?”
Stingy hummed, settling. He was still tired, and now that he knew everything was okay, he wanted to get back to sleep.
“It’ll be easy,” he repeated. “I’m just gonna cry.”
And if Trixie’s laughter woke everyone else, Stingy decided that it was not his problem to deal with.
Stingy walked alone to Robbie’s bunker. Everyone had wanted to come along, but he had insisted on doing this himself. The sun shone down on the field between town and Robbie’s billboard, warmth soaking into him. It felt good, especially after so long cooped up inside.
Carefully, he stretched out his wings, feeling the air on the soft appendages. He was still getting used to them, and there was a lingering twinge in his back that Sportacus had told him (with no small amount of relief) would heal and fade in time. The wings themselves were a soft, butter yellow, with darker markings that shone like worn gold in little patches. Flecks of that gold color grew in number and intensity near the edges, outlining them like gold leaf on paper. They were beautiful, and Stingy had spent hours gazing into the mirror and admiring them, along with practicing their movements.
The muscles were new and weak, the wings fragile, but he was certain that in time they would grow stronger.
All in all, Stingy felt good. Physically he had recovered, all his symptoms vanishing as he slept two whole days away. Sportacus had done his best to figure out the best things for a young fairy to eat, and had reluctantly introduced him to his new favorite food ever, candied bacon. His friends were all excited for his recovery and his newfound magic.
There was only one problem.
Stingy stepped up to the hatch that separated him from Robbie’s lair. Maybe it was hasty. Maybe he should leave it be until Robbie came out on his own.
But Stingy had been abandoned by too many caretakers already, and he wasn’t about to let Robbie join that list.
So he reached out a hand, and he knocked.
After a minute with no reply, he knocked again.
And then again.
And then finally; “Who’s there?!”
Stingy perked up, his wings fluttering. “It’s me!”
A pause.
“You- Stingy! You’re… How are you?” Robbie’s voice was a little choked, a little rough, and Stingy was, in some way, grateful. It was the last bit of reassurance he needed; Robbie wouldn’t sound like that if he didn’t care.
“Sportacus says I’m all better.”
“That's… that's good.”
Stingy huffed a little. “I wouldn’t mind a fae’s opinion though.”
“If Sportacus says you're alright-“
“Robbie,” Stingy interjected, voice wavering. Was he really going to need to cry just to get the man outside? “Sportacus isn’t the one who saved me. You did.”
“It was hardly- I couldn’t have just-“ Robbie was grasping for anything to deny it, and Stingy knew it. “You… I hurt you.”
“Not really.”
“Stingy…”
“Robbie, my parents hurt me. My nanny hurt me- all of them. You were just being a doctor.”
Silence.
Alright, Stingy thought decisively. It’s time to end this.
Mustering all his courage, Stingy chirped. It was instinct, really, the warbling sounds that fell from his lips. He knew what they meant, as easy as if it were just words.
‘Elder,’ he chirped. ‘Elder, caretaker. Guardian.’
There was a clatter.
‘Guardian! Caretaker!’
A grunt.
‘Please, caretaker. Alone! Fledgling, alone!’
With a grinding creak, the hatch to Robbie’s layer swung open. Robbie himself looked out a moment later, his hair disheveled and his eyes red rimmed. Despite his clear hesitance and his soft scowl, Robbie smiled.
“You,” he said thickly, with just a touch of pride, “are a manipulative brat.”
“I learned from the best!”
Robbie chuckled, though the sound quickly faded. He swallowed, looking down. “…I'm sorry.”
“Mm. For leaving?”
“Stingy, I hurt you-“
“I forgive you. But I don’t forgive you for leaving me alone.”
Robbie looked at him for a moment, before it seemed the tension drained from him. He sighed, eyes crinkling in a fond smile, even as he rolled his eyes. “You make it really hard to wallow, Stinky.”
“You’re a grown up, you don’t get to wallow.”
“I get to wallow because I’m a grown up!”
Stingy snickered. “If you say so. But, really, Robert, get out of your hole!”
“It’s a lair.” Robbie huffed, though he clambered out regardless.
“The entrance is a hole.”
“It’s not- …ugh. Forget it.”
Stingy frowned. “You’re usually better at arguing.”
Robbie just shrugged, but Stingy could tell what he meant. Usually, Robbie wasn’t being stupid.
“Robbie,” Stingy said, fixing the man with his best, most withering look, “if you don’t stop being pathetic right now-“
“Wha- pathetic?!”
“Yes. If you don’t stop I’m gonna tell Sportacus you love him.”
Robbie gaped, jaw working as he let out a garbled mix of sounds. Finally he settled on, “I do not.”
“Does it matter if it’s true?”
After a moment, Robbie slumped. “You are a terrible child.”
“And you are going to teach me how to fly.”
Robbie rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he did. “And why would I do that?”
“Because,” Stingy said simply, “I said so. And you are my caretaker.”
Robbie’s eyes widened, and Stingy swore he saw them glistening before he turned away. “Yes, well. I suppose somebody has to be.”
Stingy smiled, holding out his hand. With a sigh, Robbie took it, and together they walked back across the field towards Lazytown.