Once again, Robin lied to his mother. It was starting to become second nature to him. "I need to stay at uni for the weekend because of school," he told her on the phone. "I have several tests to study for and also essays that are due."

"You can study at home, Robin," his mother countered coldly.

"But I need to use the library when I write the essays," he replied, just like he had rehearsed beforehand with Des. He would stay firm and not give in. "It will just be so much easier if I stick around here. Then I can come home next weekend."

Robin certainly felt no urge to go home next weekend either. But he had to. He had to stand up to his mother before she swooped in and destroyed the precarious castle of dreams Robin had started to build. Because he knew that construction stood on a wobbly foundation of bitter lies.

Liza sighed, noticeably annoyed at her son's reluctance to obey her. "All right, Robin, I guess I can't force you to come here if you have more important things to do," she huffed. "I'll see you next weekend then. But you better get good grades on those exams."

It was almost too easy. But Robin decided to not question the win. He would deal with everything. Next weekend.

"I will see you then," he promised, although he dreaded the coming visit. "And I'll ace the exams, I promise." Those, he didn't dread. Tests and essays had never been an issue for Robin. If only social interactions had come as easy.

The door rattled and Tyler laboriously made his way inside. To open a door while on crutches wasn't the easiest maneuver to begin with and it was made increasingly by Tyler being weighed down by a heavy backpack. "Hi Robby," he exclaimed as the door slammed close. "I got costumes and booze!"

Robin put a finger to his mouth to signal to his boyfriend to be silent. Understanding the gesture, Tyler mimed a zipping gesture across his mouth and threw an air kiss toward Robin in place of words.

"What was that?" his mother asked suspiciously.

"Just... eh... some kids in the hall messing around," Robin replied inconspicuously. "They're probably preparing a Halloween party."

This was a holiday Robin had never celebrated when growing up. His mother had never let him out of her sight for long enough to go trick-or-treating or attend a party.

"I hope you're not planning to do any of those shenanigans, Robin," Liza said in a sour tone. "You're in college to study and nothing should distract you from that."

"Of course not," he replied smoothly. "I'll use the evening to study at the library. It should be quiet there when everyone is out partying."

Meanwhile, Tyler leaned his crutches precariously against the kitchen counter--he mostly avoided using the aids when he was inside Robin's room and instead shuffled around by using the furniture and walls as support--put his backpack on the countertop with a clank, and started to rummage through the cupboard above, presumably in the hunt for snacks. When a pack of crackers landed with a thud on the counter, Tyler picked them up and happily started to munch on the crumbled bits.

"I'll call you tomorrow, mom," Robin said quickly, worried Tyler's ruckus in the kitchen would alert her. "Love you."

He did mean it, despite everything. She was still his mother and he couldn't let go of all endearments toward her just like that.

"Love you too," she replied. "Talk to you soon. And promise not to get up to anything stupid, Robin."

"I promise." He quickly hung up the phone.

As soon as he'd pushed the red button, Robin exhaled. It was always a relief to get off the phone with his mother. Calling her was like making himself stand under a raincloud. Dark and miserable. But as he looked over toward Tyler in the kitchen, who brightly smiled back at him with crumb-covered lips, the cloud immediately lifted. The sun peered in and birds sang.

Robin hadn't told Tyler everything about his mother yet. In an attempt to shield his boyfriend from the toxic tentacles of Liza Erie, he hadn't mentioned her stance toward their relationship or what she had threatened to do if she found out about it.

Their relationship. The mere word made his insides flutter. They were in a relationship.

"My mom didn't protest," Robin said and walked over toward Tyler in the kitchen. "She appeared to buy that I need to stay here so I can use the library to study."

"I think this qualifies as studying," Tyler said as he unpacked a slew of colorful bottles from his backpack. "You need to study how to party and have fun. It's an important part of college. I can't believe that you're a sophomore and you haven't been to a party yet."

Robin put his hands on Tyler's waist--letting them disappear under the shirt to stroke the soft skin beneath--and rested his face against a soft neck. The familiar scent of lemon drops calmed him. He lingered in the scent for a few moments.

"Did you party a lot before? At Westerland?" Robin asked, feeling immature and inexperienced compared to his boyfriend.

Ty nodded and looked a bit ashamed. "Too much probably. It was expected of me, I guess, as an athlete. But I haven't really since..." He nodded toward his leg. "I don't want to party as I did then. But it's Halloween! We both deserve to let loose for one night."

Loosening himself from Robin's embrace, Tyler reached across the counter and caught a bottle with a bright yellow liquid inside. "Try one of these," he said and shuffled the beverage toward Robin. "It should be perfect for you to start with."

Suspiciously, Robin looked at the bottle. It didn't look very scary. The label said "Lemonade" and it looked like lemonade as well. But he'd never tried alcohol before. His mother had convinced him that even just a sip was a risk of his illness coming back. He knew now that wasn't true. Something couldn't come back if you'd never had it.

"Is it strong?" he asked cautiously.

Tyler shook his head and turned around in Robin's embrace so they stood face to face. "I just got weak stuff," he replied and let his hands--still cold from a mitten-less excursion outside--escape under Robin's shirt for warmth. "Two or three of those might make you tipsy but not wasted. And it basically tastes like candy. You'll be fine, Robby. And I'll take care of you if you get wobbly."

To display how caretaking he was, Tyler flung his arms around Robin's chest and locked him into a tight embrace.

"You're on crutches," Robin mumbled.

"I guess we'll both be wobbly then..." Tyler shrugged and loosened his embrace to let his hands--which were no longer cold--cup Robin's stubbly cheek. In the excitement about his new relationship, he'd forgotten to shave this week. Luckily, his beard growth was patchy at best.

A kiss that tasted of french fries and ketchup soon made Robin's knees wobbly without any alcoholic influence. Tyler had probably become hungry during his trip to the mall.

"Let me..." Tyler grunted and put his hands on the counter to leverage himself. Perhaps the kiss made his knee wobbly as well.

Once he was perched on the benchtop, he grabbed a bottle opener from the utensil rack and in one swift move removed the cap off the bottle in Robin's hand. A bubbly breeze floated out and a smell of lemons filled the air.

Robin put the glass bottle to his lips and took a sip. It tasted sweet and fruity, with a hint of bitterness behind it. But the bitterness wasn't unpleasant, like in his mother's food. The bubbles swirled around his insides and dulled the constant anxiety in his mind.

He took another sip, and then another. All thoughts of his mother were chased away by bubbles and sweetness and instead kissing was the only thing he could think of. Bubbly and sweet kisses.

"What costumes did you get us?" Robin asked Tyler between kisses.

"I got a Batman costume for myself," Tyler replied and pulled out a gray and black costume with a cape and mask from his backpack. "I'll be disabled Batman I guess. A new twist on the lore."

"And what will I be?" Robin asked, hoping for Ironman or perhaps Superman.

"You'll be Robin, of course," Tyler said with a wide smile and held up a tight green and red costume. "Batman's cute sidekick."