HAYDEN WAS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING THERAPY.

Sleep therapy.

Because three nights of no rest, haunted by the same damn memories over and over, was wearing her down in a way she didn't know how to fix.

She leaned closer to the mirror, scrutinizing the dark circles under her eyes. Three days without decent sleep had left her looking as bad as she felt.

She told herself it was fine, but she knew better. Sure, she'd manage to doze off here and there, but each time, like clockwork, she'd jolt awake—heart racing, mind haunted by images she didn't want to revisit.

Hayden sighed, splashing cold water on her face. As she patted her face down, a knock came at the door. Her brows furrowed pushing herself off the counter and dragging over to the door, unlocking it with a click before pulling it open.

And there he was. Miguel, standing tall without his wheelchair, smiling nervously like he didn't know how she'd react.

Her heart twisted, caught between disbelief and something deeper she didn't want to name. Relief.

Hayden wasn't the type to get overwhelmed by much. She prided herself on keeping things together, on not letting emotions crack through the armor she wore so well. But seeing Miguel like this, standing in front of her after everything that had happened... It was like something inside her loosened, a knot she didn't realize had been strangling her chest finally letting go.

"Hey." He shifted awkwardly, but Hayden just stood there, blinking like she was seeing things.

"Miguel?" Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of him standing there, no crutches, just... on his feet. "What... What the hell?" she whispered, taking a small step forward, her eyes wide. "You're—You're walking?"

"Surprise." Miguel grinned, a little shy but clearly proud of himself. He took a couple of careful steps forward, steady and balanced. "I wanted you to be one of the first people to see me walking again."

For a second, Hayden didn't say anything. Her chest felt weirdly tight, like something was stuck there. And then, without thinking, she closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around him in a brief but tight hug. "Look at you! That's... that's amazing."

She let herself hold him, if only for a second, because part of her still needed to know he was real—that this wasn't some cruel dream she'd wake up from, back to sleepless nights and endless guilt.

Miguel's eyes widened slightly at the contact, heart doing a little flip in his chest. He tried to play it cool, but then he felt her grip tighten on the back of his shirt, and instinct took over. He held her back, sinking into the hug like it was the one thing keeping him grounded. She smelled like lavender and something uniquely her, and Miguel found himself wishing he could stay like this forever. It wasn't the first time they'd hugged, but it felt different now—like it wasn't just comfort but something more, something unspoken but heavy with meaning.

Hayden's lips twitched into a rare, genuine smile, something soft shining in her eyes. "Seriously, I'm happy for you." She reached out instinctively, her hand gripping his forearm briefly.

Miguel smiled, softer this time. "Thanks. I don't really know how to be normal about it yet."

Hayden leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms loosely. "You'll figure it out. Just don't let people make it weird. They love to do that."

He nodded. "So," he said, shifting on his feet, still a little nervous despite everything. "First day back at school."

Hayden arched a brow. "You nervous?"

"A little," Miguel admitted with a half-shrug. "I mean, everyone's probably going to look at me like I'm made of glass or something. But... it's time. I want to move forward."

She didn't say anything right away, just studied him quietly. And for a second, he wondered if he'd said too much, if he'd crossed some invisible line. But then she sighed, her gaze softening in a way that made his chest tighten.

"That's good, Miguel. Really," she said, her voice low but sincere.

He hesitated for a moment, then decided to go for it. "Sensei's starting a new dojo. Eagle Fang. He asked me if I wanted to be part of it... And I was wondering..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Would you want to join? You don't have to, obviously. I just thought—it might be cool."

Hayden's expression shifted, and for a moment, Miguel couldn't read her. Then she shook her head, a hint of something he couldn't quite place flickering across her face. "I'm not ready for that," she said quietly. "And... my mom wouldn't let me even if I was."

Miguel opened his mouth to say something, but then he saw the way her shoulders tensed, the way her eyes flicked away from his. She was carrying so much more than she let on, and he suddenly felt stupid for bringing it up. Of course, she wasn't ready. After everything that had happened—after everything he'd put her through—how could she be?

"I get it," he said softly. "Whenever you are... I'll be around."

She gave him a small nod, but she didn't meet his eyes. And Miguel knew he'd have to be patient. He'd have to give her the space she needed, even if all he wanted was to be close to her again. Even if it meant waiting a little longer.

But for now, standing here with her, knowing she cared even if she didn't say it outright—it was enough. For now, it was enough.

—

"You counting down the hours?" Hayden asked, elbow propped up on the table and leaning her chin on her hand, eyes flicking over Robby with a small smile.

She hadn't seen him smile like this in a while. Not since everything went sideways.

Robby nodded, but his grin turned a little lopsided, almost shy. "Yeah. Feels weird, though. I mean, I've been in here long enough that it's kinda normal now."

Hayden tilted her head, studying him. "Not a good thing."

He huffed a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you're better than this." She replied.

"You're not meant to be locked up like this." Her voice was steady, but Robby caught the way her gaze faltered, like she was remembering the first time she visited him here, the guilt she carried ever since. He hated seeing that look on her, like she blamed herself for what happened to him.

"I'm getting out tomorrow," his voice was quiet but certain. "I'm good, Hayden." He said like he needed her to hear it and believe it.

She didn't answer right away, and the silence between them stretched just long enough to feel heavy. Finally, she spoke, but her voice was softer now, less teasing. "You sure you're ready?"

Robby leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, closing the space between them. He didn't look away from her, didn't try to hide the way his eyes softened as they met hers. "As long as you're still around when I get out... I'll be ready."

Hayden's breath caught in her throat. She didn't think she could ever get used to that— the way he looked at her, like she mattered in a way that was different from how anyone else ever had. Like she wasn't just some girl who happened to show up, but someone he was waiting on, someone who gave him a reason to push through all the chaos.

"I'll be around," she promised quietly, her voice steady even though her heart wasn't. "You don't have to worry about that."

Robby smiled again, but this time it was smaller, more personal. "Good. Because... I kinda like having you around."

For a moment, neither of them said anything. The world outside the visitor's room seemed to fade, leaving just the two of them. It wasn't a grand confession, but it didn't need to be. It was enough for now— the quiet understanding, the promise that they'd figure things out when he got out.

She didn't respond, just flicked her eyes to the clock on the wall like she hadn't heard him. Typical Hayden—keeping her walls up, always in control. Robby didn't mind, though. He knew her well enough to see through it.

For a while, they sat in silence. It wasn't awkward; it was just them.

If there was one thing Hayden liked about being around Robby, it's that it was always like this with them—quiet, unspoken understanding filling the gaps where words didn't fit.

He didn't pry into her mind and try to figure her out. Like she was a puzzle. He let her have her moment. Like they had a quiet understanding in that sense.

Robby watched her fingers tap lightly against the table, a slow rhythm that seemed more out of habit than thought. Hayden always had this quiet intensity about her, like she was thinking ten steps ahead but didn't feel the need to let anyone in on it.

"What're you gonna do when you get out?" Hayden asked after a while, her voice casual.

Robby leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Try to stay out of trouble, I guess."

Hayden raised a brow, unconvinced. "That's it?"

"What else is there?" Robby gave a half-hearted shrug. "Keep my head down and avoid cops."

She gave him a look, but before she could press him further, a thought seemed to flicker across her mind, and she leaned forward slightly.

"How'd they find you, anyway? You were laying low. And then, what, you just decided to turn yourself in?"

"You don't think I'd just turn myself in?"

"Not even for a second."

Robby's jaw tightened slightly, and for a second, he didn't answer. When he finally did, his voice was quieter, like he didn't really want to say it out loud. Robby's posture shifted slightly, his shoulders tensing just a little. He didn't look at her right away, instead fixing his gaze on the table between them, tracing the worn wood grain with his eyes. "I went to see my mom," he said quietly. "She's in rehab."

Hayden didn't react outwardly, but inside, something twisted. Robby never talked about his mom unless he had to. That alone told her this wasn't going anywhere good.

"I thought... I don't know, maybe she could help somehow. Maybe I just wanted to see if she was really trying this time. I just— I wanted my mom." He paused after his voice started to get shaky, steadying himself, his jaw tightening for a second before he forced himself to continue. "She called Mr. LaRusso. Told him everything. He called the cops, said it would 'help me in the long run.'"

Hayden blinked, surprised. She hadn't known that. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Robby said, running a hand through his hair, the frustration clear in his expression. "She wanted to help, I guess. Thought calling LaRusso was the best way to do that."

"And he helped by turning you in," Hayden added with a scoff.

Robby gave a bitter smile. "Yeah. Said it would get me a lighter sentence, maybe keep me out of juvie longer if I cooperated. Guess his version of help's different from ours."

There was a long pause. Hayden didn't speak, but the tension in her body was palpable. Mr. LaRusso wasn't just some sensei. He'd been like a father figure she, quite literally, never had.

Someone they could rely on when everything else in their lives felt unstable. Hearing that he'd turned Robby in made her feel like she was too trusting, again.

She'd saw the good in someone and let her guard down for someone who didn't deserve it, again.

Her hands clenched into fists beneath the table. "That's..." She shook her head, unable to find the right word. "I can't believe he—" She stopped herself, biting back the anger rising in her throat.

"I know." Robby's voice was calm, too calm, like he was trying to convince himself it didn't still sting. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? I'm in here. Nothing changes that."

This, go Hayden, was proof that, when push came to shove, they couldn't count on anyone but themselves.

Hayden wanted to say something, to tell him it did matter, that it wasn't fair. But what was the point? Robby had already been through enough without her piling on.

Still, something in her shifted. Trust wasn't something Hayden gave easily, not after everything she'd been through. And this? This felt like betrayal. If LaRusso—someone she had thought they could trust—could do something like this, who else would? The thought settled like a stone in her chest, cold and heavy.

"Should've known better," She muttered bitterly.

Robby didn't argue, didn't try to convince her otherwise. He just gave her a look—one of those quiet looks that said he understood exactly what she meant.

"I just don't get how—"

Robby's gaze softened as he watched her, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "Don't let it get to you, H." His voice dropped, quieter but firm. "It's just us. Always has been."

Hayden met his eyes, that familiar tightness in her chest loosening just a little. She wasn't used to being an 'us.' Always just a her.

She was good at taking care of herself, she was forced to get good at it. She knew how to keep walls up, how to move through life without letting anyone get too close. Letting people in was messy, dangerous—it gave them the power to let her down. And she'd had enough of that already. Yet, here was Robby, acting like us was a thing she could rely on, like it was something solid and unshakable.

Just us.

The words echoed in her mind, and for a second, she almost let herself believe it. Almost. But then there was that nagging voice in the back of her head reminding her what happened the last time she trusted someone. Trust wasn't something she handed out easily, and the idea of leaning on someone felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting to see if the ground would hold.

Still, Robby wasn't backing down, wasn't expecting her to say anything comforting in return. He just sat there, steady, like he'd made up his mind already. Like us wasn't a question, but a fact.

"Us?" She repeated quietly, scratching the inside of her wrists harshly, like she needed something to get a grip on reality.

"Against the world." Robby confirmed, like without so many words, he was making a promise that he'd be here for her. Despite the odds.

Hayden wanted to scoff, to tell him that people didn't stick around, that nothing was ever as solid as it seemed. But Robby wasn't offering empty words—he was offering something real. And that scared her more than she'd admit.

Because, like an idiot who never learned her lesson, she believed it. Easily.

"I—" She opened her mouth to say something, but her mind was racing she didn't know where to start. "I don't know how to do this. Be an us. I don't know how to trust without feeling stupid."

Robby smiled, small but real, like he knew exactly what she meant. "I can teach you. We'll figure this out together. We always do."

Hayden was a letdown. She was never what people expected and never the reason people stayed. The opposite actually. She was the reason people left.

It's what's happened to her, her whole life.

The idea that Robby wanted to stay and re-teach her what it was like to trust again felt like a cruel joke on its own. It almost frustrated her, because it felt like an immense amount of pressure she didn't need.

Like being taught how to forget walking and someone was watching, waiting on you like a circus attraction.

Robby watched the girl, noting the flicker of conflict in her eyes. A faint, almost teasing smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

His gaze shifted briefly to the guard stationed nearby, tasked with ensuring that all visits remained strictly by the book—no touching allowed. Luckily, the guard wasn't paying attention.

Slowly, Robby slid his hand over the surface, the smooth metal cool beneath his palm. His fingers brushed against hers, light, snapping her out of her daze.

She pulled back at first, instinctively, as though remembering where they were. But when his touch lingered, warm and steady, she hesitated— then, finally, let her fingers relax, just barely touching his in defiance of the rules.

"You've been on your own for so long, and I get that. But, Hayden, you don't have to be anymore. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. You'll get sick of me."

Hayden swallowed, feeling both free and trapped at once. She hated how vulnerable she felt, hated how she let herself believe, even a little. But she didn't push him away. Not this time.

And as they sat there, quiet but connected, she realized something that made her heart clench. She was scared—not of Robby, not even of us. She was scared of how much it would hurt if she was wrong. If he was wrong.

"Okay," She nodded eventually, betraying every thought and fiber in her body that berated her that it was a bad idea. "Us against the world."

But, like a safety precaution, maybe to prove to herself that she wasn't as foolish as she thought or that she wasn't completely lost from herself, she added: "But don't blame me when this whole 'us' thing blows up in your face."

"It won't," Robby said, his voice quiet but sure. "And if it does, we'll deal with it. Together."

Hayden scoffed, trying to play it off, but her heart was pounding. She didn't want to believe him. Believing meant risking, and risking meant falling.

But for now, she didn't argue. For now, she let herself sit in that uncomfortable space between hope and fear. Maybe he was right. Maybe it wouldn't fall apart.

But maybe it would.

Robby shifted in his chair, breaking the silence. "Hey," he said, glancing at her carefully. "When I get out tomorrow... you'll be there, right?"

Hayden blinked, surprised by the question. "What?"

"When I walk out of here. First thing I see... I want it to be you."

She opened her mouth to say something, but the words caught in her throat. The way he said it— soft, quiet, but so certain— left her off balance.

Being someone's priority wasn't what she was used to.

For a second, she hesitated, that familiar fear creeping up her spine. But then she caught the look in his eyes—the hope, the trust—and she couldn't bring herself to let him down.

"Yeah," she said finally, her voice steady despite the knot in her chest. "I'll be there."

Robby smiled, and for the first time in a long while, Hayden didn't feel so scared.

Maybe that in itself should be enough to scare her. But she didn't think about it.

Being with Robby made her not think, and that's another thing she liked about being around him.

authors note.
chat do we think tiktok is actually getting banned?? BYE im not worried but also this is the serious-est it's ever been taken? like?? anyways i hate this chapter and every other chapter ive written thus far for season three but i promise yall season four will be better
but yeah BYE ILY