Sweet Little Birds (BxB Romance, Completed)

Chapter 37: Ring Pop

The sky broke in purple and apricot above the gray soccer field and made it look almost beautiful. Frost covered the pebbles and made them sparkle in the artificial light from above. A perfect cooperation between the spectacle of nature and the invention of man. It seemed made just for them. For Robby and Ty.

On their way home from Halifax, where they had stayed during the weekend while Tyler got accustomed to his prosthetic, Robin had asked Aunt Donna if she could drop them off at Tyler's favorite childhood place. Which also happened to be the place where they first kissed. Tyler's aunt had been a bit confused at the request, but not protested.

"What are we doing here, Robby?" Tyler muttered. He walked slowly--still unaccustomed to the metal appendage that served as his left leg--with a cane in his hand for support. Although, mostly, he didn't use the cane for that. Instead, he twirled it like a baton, making life dangerous for anyone who stood nearby--he'd already almost hit his aunt twice. Or he used it as a hockey stick, to thwack rocks and other assorted items out of his way.

Tyler had spent most of the car ride just staring at his legs, seemingly mesmerized by the fact that he now had two of them again. At least it looked like he did when he had jeans on. Anyone not privy to his backstory had no way of telling the reason for his limp, as long as the pantleg covered his prosthetic leg.

Robin could only imagine what a relief this must be for Tyler to no longer wear a tragic and traumatic story on his body every time he left the house, visible for anyone to ask him about or pity him for. It was like he'd regained his right to privacy.

"I just wanted a moment alone with you," Robin mumbled. "I wanted to give you something..." He put his hand into his jacket pocket to make sure the box, containing a sweet gift he'd purchased from the hospital gift shop while waiting for Tyler, was still there. His heart fluttered as he touched it. But his insides also wobbled from nervousness. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe this would ruin everything.

Still, he felt compelled to take the leap. Because he needed to prove to Tyler that he would be there, regardless of what happened.

He looked up toward Tyler as he pondered what to do. His boyfriend--having the patience and attention span of a playful puppy--was already distracted by an alluring item in the middle of the field

"Oh, a soccer ball!" Tyler seemed to have forgotten his question and progressed quickly toward the ball, for once using the cane for its intended purpose. Perhaps it was the same half-deflated soccer ball they found the first time they visited the field together. When they first kissed.

Hesitantly, Tyler lifted his brand new foot and put it on the soccer ball. Robin watched as his boyfriend shuffled the sole of his shoe across the worn leather surface and then poked the ball slightly to the right followed by slightly to the left. An excited, but also hesitant, smile graced Tyler's lips. "Maybe... I can still play," he mumbled. "Not like before, I mean. But well enough to coach or something. Maybe there's a prosthetic leg soccer league?"

"Well enough to beat me." Robin tried to attack the ball. But it was, of course, moved out of his grasp right away by the newly established prosthetic leg-soccer champion.

An even bigger smile evaporated on Tyler's lips. "Certainly well enough for that," he agreed and show-cased his superior skills by moving the ball with ease between his real leg and the prosthetic leg. "Julia told me I shouldn't play soccer yet... but I'm sure a little bit won't hurt."

"Just be careful." Robin was worried Tyler didn't listen enough to the advice that told him to go slow.

Tyler nodded, still messing around with the soccer ball. "I will be..." he sighed. "I'll try to be patient. I want to run... but I won't. Not yet." He stopped the ball with his shoe and looked up at Robin with a big smile. "I can bike though. Julia told me it's a good exercise to start with. It's easier on the leg."