I Toss All My Art And OCs Here

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Welcome to my blog where I write for fun!

My blog is for 18+, if your a minor, go ahead and leave. Otherwise you’ll be blocked.

My blog is not a place for terfs. If you are a transphobe, kindly leave or I’ll block you as well.

I’m a full time cancer researcher, so if you send a request, I may not respond immediately! Please be patient!

Only headcanons for now! No prompts/long form writing!

Master List

Fandoms I currently write for (until a new hyperfixation comes along):

-Star Wars Clone Wars (I like to collect the clones like dnd dice)

-The Bad Batch (see previous point)

-Leon Kennedy (he’s pretty)

-Dispatch (this is new)

Hard NO for writing:

-any smut/nsfw of minors

All characters will be aged to 18+ this is nonnegotiable

Other than the above, I’ll try and write just about anything! If I don’t feel comfortable with a request, I’ll let you know.

please visit my AO3 for longer fics/series!

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Current Series:

Clone Trooper x reader: Caduceus

Robert Robertson III x AFAB!Reader: Dispatch

RWBY Vol 7. Rewrite: Updates are slow

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Team Building

Robert Robertson x AFAB!reader

Chapter 10.

All Episodes

TW: Swearing, Robert POV, work place harassment, HR violations, alcohol, brief mention of violence, Robert is kinda horny for reader, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns, choices based on the play through I watched, MINIMAL PROOFREAD, Canon rewrite, this really is just canon but with reader, no use of (Y/N)

LA was peaceful tonight. 

Mecha Man was settled down on the rooftop of one of Torrence's tallest buildings. The massive suit was powered down and he was just sitting on the edge, swinging one leg as he watched the world go by.

It was surprisingly calm. Crime seemed to be a minimum. At least for tonight. 

Tomorrow, there will be nonsense. There always is nonsense. 

Movement caught his eye. A woman, walking through the streets. A few feet behind her. A man. 

Masked. Dark clothes. Potential attacker.

No more peace and quiet. 

Mecha Man got into his suite quickly and activated the screen. His fingers tapped, zooming in on the potential attacker and…

You..?

You were older, certainly. But he could recognize your eyes. Your features. Even the way you walked. It was all so familiar. 

He was dazed for a moment. You were…so beautiful. 

The only thing that shook him was the flash of a knife. Without waiting any longer, he pushed the Mecha Suite to full power to launch himself between you and the weapon. 

Robert jolted awake.

He sat up in the darkness, eyes adjusting to the low-light level. His hand randomly pat the mattress beside him, finding your sleeping form easily. Your breathing was slow and steady, entirely undisturbed by his sudden movement.

Thank god.

Sometimes…he had nightmares. Of his dad dying. Of being too late to save innocent lives. Of fellow heroes falling in a fight and never getting back up.

But rarely…even his dreams twisted into something that haunted his sleep. 

He saved you that night. Stopped that blade from stabbing into your back. But what would have happened if he didn’t? What would have happened if he was too slow? 

You’d have bled out quickly. Died on the street, blood pooling around you. Would your body have been found by him? Or would someone have stumbled upon you and he’d have seen your death as a side note on the news?

If that happened today, you would have died. Despite his routine to get to the SDN gym in the morning, he was still far from his prime. He was too slow. Too weak. Too worn down. 

He wasn’t good enough to protect you.

Robert turned and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on your head, “I love you.” He whispered before getting up for the day. It didn’t matter what time it was now. Judging by the light coming through the window it was technically the morning. 

The former hero was as quiet as he could be packing his bag for work and grabbing Beef. The lazy dog was easy to carry in his arms, given the poor pup was half asleep. The chihuahua gave a sloppy wag of his tail, just happy for the trip to the office.

A brief walk and a bus ride later, the SDN gym was open to him. 

His routine was simple, but effective. He started with stretches, then cardio. After a water break, he wrapped his hands and did a few rounds of boxing, falling into the combat training he did with his dad growing up. His muscles were weak, but their memory still held strong. 

Finally, he’d finish with weights. Bench presses specifically. At first he did well enough. 

But his weakness got the better of him. His arms failed and he struggled with the bar across his chest. He was about to bail before another voice echoed around the empty gym. 

“You need some help?” Flambae’s smug face hovered over his, "You're not supposed to live without a spot, idiot.” He scoffed, wrapping his hands around the bar and lifting it off Robert’s chest easily, “So weak…so so weak.” 

Once the weights were secure, Robert sat up, breathing heavily, “Now I'm getting a safety lecture from a walking fireball.” He snapped, pissed to have failed yet again at his set.

“It's a reality check,” Flambae rolled his eyes as he set up the squat rack, “Normies need babysitters so you don't hurt yourself thinking you're a hero.” Once the weights were set, he bent his knees and settled the bar on his shoulders to begin his squats, “Man, I am so fucking strong.” He complimented himself as he effortlessly squatted.

The dispatcher deadpanned, “Thank you for being my babysitter. I will be more careful next time.” He sassed, rolling his eyes. 

“Fuck off, Wait, that was genuine.” The older man stood and racked the weights properly. He stepped forward and patted Robert’s head in a condescending manner, “No more hero stuff without supervision. You can't get injured cuz we need you behind that desk to help real heroes.”

The former Mecha Man glared up at him before scoffing, “Uh, actually, speaking of injuries, remind me who took your tooth.” He had a small smirk, poking fun at the fiery hero, “It's like they only stole that little bit.”

That irritated Flambae, as his satisfied smirk was gone, “I got into a fight with an actual real actual hero. And I assure you, he's regretting his decision to tangle with me.” He lied, leaning down to wag a finger in his face.

Robert shoved his hand away, relenting away from the conversation, “I imagine he's regretting a lot of his decisions.”

“That's fucking right,” The former villain took his petty victory, “And you, it's time for you to accept that you don't got it anymore. And pretending you still do is bumming people the fuck out,” He then pointed to the door, “Now get your flat ass off my bench.”

Without much fuss, Robert sighed and left to take a shower and get dressed for the first shift. When he got to his desk, he almost missed the edible arrangement Phenomaman had left.

Many appreciation, Robert. Love, Phenomaman

Beef was settled on the pillow next to his chair. He raised his black and white head, tail wagging excitedly at his owner's arrival. Robert gave him a quick pet and focused. 

Headset on, screen lit up, first shift had started.

“Yo, you ever notice the Torrence vibe is like…rancid?” Prism immediately started speaking the moment everyone was accounted for. 

Punch Up added, “Between the dead fish in the harbor and the giant refinery, I can't tell who's to blame.”

“Dang, that’s some nasty shit.”

“I love the smell of the refinery.” Golem mumbled, clearly paying half attention to the conversation.

“I hate the smell of gasoline.”

“I love the smell of gasoline.”

“Alright. Respectfully,” Robert cut in, “Shut the fuck up.”

“Who pissed in your cereal?”

“Now that's some nasty shit.”

“Ugh…”

At least the calls started coming in, stalling any more of the conversation. 

As expected, each and every call was wildly different than the last. 

A middle school talent show needed judges.

Then a road tunnel collapsed.

Oh, but there was an anti-bullying seminar and kids wanted to speak to a hero. 

There was an explosion! That needed to take priority! Toxic fumes made it difficult to handle in the aftermath! It was probably Flambae’s fault!

Prism was right, Torrence had issues…

Thankfully though, the first shift was quick, if typically chaotic for the city. By the time he leaned back in his chair, it was time for his break. 

Time flies when you're trying to stop a city from destroying itself…

He stretched his arms over his head and stood, going to the breakroom for some coffee and a snack. Beef followed him loyally, the pup was wagging his tail as his stubby legs kept up.

Malevola and Prism were both relaxing when he came into the room. The two women inspected him closely as he heated up his lunch. At first, they didn’t say anything.

It was the pop-star who broke the silence, “Maybe he's got an iron stomach. Do we know anybody like that?” She looked over to the taller demon, “Super digestion?”

She shrugged, “The Gluttonator, but I don't know…that guy weighed, like, a thousand pounds.”

“Hey, Robert, did you recently lose like 700 pounds?”

What the fuck are they talking about?

Robert looked back at them, genuinely confused, “First off, you're either shit at math or you think I'm like 300 lb. I am not. I go to the gym and I work hard.” He stated, turning to grab a napkin, “Secondly, what are you talking about?”

“There's a poll going around on which superhero you used to be,” Prism answered, “Person who guesses right wins 936 dollars.”

“That's a really specific number…”

Malevola chimed in, sounding hopeful, “And that specific number could be ours. Just one hint. I mean, we're friends, right?” She pushed against the wall she was leaning against to stand straight, “Make your friends some money.”

That's…ridiculous…

The dispatcher rolled his eyes and held up his hand before bending his thumb back, “I’m double jointed.” He deadpanned. That was all they were going to get from him.

“What's your other superpower? Flipping your eyelids inside out?” The yellow-eyed woman huffed, sounding irritated at his lack of answer. 

“I wish. I’d love to be able to do that.”

Prism pouted, “Oh, come on. Don't be like that!” she argued, trying to get more answers out of him.

“Sorry, You're just going to have to earn your $936 in some other way,” He grabbed his lunch, “What way could that be? I'll let you know if I work it out, Get it? I'm explaining the joke-!” Robert barely dodged Malevola’s mug as she threw it at him. It hit the wall and shattered, splashing hot coffee everywhere, “What the fuck!?”

“Decent reflexes…” Prism mused as the dispatcher scrambled to pick up his dog from licking anything. 

“Which heroes do we know that talk too much and have quick reflexes?” Malevola leaned towards her friend to theorize some more. 

“Clean this shit up!” Robert snapped before turning to walk out of the breakroom.

Behind him, he heard Prism call out, “Hey, losing all that weight don't make you better than us!”

Unbelievable!

Thankfully, nothing else happened to distract him. He ate a little bit, took a walk and went down to the workshop to continue fixing the Mecha Man suit. As he focused, Chase had joined him. 

“Heard the team scuffling with the Red Ring.” The former Trackstar was sitting on one of the rolling chairs in the shop. He leaned down and pet Beef before continuing to watch Robert work. 

“They run half the crime in the county. We are bound to bother them at some point.” He responded, welding two pieces of metal together. Right now, he was elbow deep in the ‘ribs’ of the Mecha Man suit.

“Watch yourself. You poke the hive, you're going to have to fuck the queen.”

…What?

Robert stopped what he was doing to focus on the conversation, "That's not how bees work.”

Chase scoffed, “You know what I mean.”

“I don't actually. No one's trying to fuck Shroud.” He went back to welding as he continued, “But if we kill the queen, we rot the hive.”

There was a moment of silence while he worked. Finally, Chase spoke his mind, “You would do that. Kill Shroud?”

…

Would he?

Shroud murdered Mecha Man Astral. His dad. Everything Robert knew and loved was taken the moment that villain pulled the trigger. 

But…Heroes don’t kill. 

Robert stopped welding and pulled off the mask, “We don’t kill people. We’re the good guys.” He settled on his answer. Even in his toughest fights, Mecha Man always worked to subdue and defang, not to kill. 

Never to kill. 

Chase’s dark eyes flicked up and down, inspecting him just like Malevola and Prism did earlier, “That’s the good guy answer. Would you kill Shroud to protect your girl?”

Now Robert paused. Killing for revenge was different than killing to protect. 

But this wasn’t a question about protecting just anyone. It was a question about protecting you. 

“I don’t know.” He admitted, pulling off his welding gloves to sit down and take a break, “Shroud had all the chances to go after her when I was in a coma. I don’t think she’d be a target now. But if he did…I don’t know.”

“Honesty is the best policy. But you gotta have an answer if the time comes for it.” The older man encouraged, “Mecha Man's coming back to life one patch at a time.”

“One patch at a time,” He echoed, checking his phone for a text from you. You’d be heading to your shift soon, and he wanted to make sure you were still alright. Especially after the heavy conversation he just had with the retired speedster. 

“Buck up, Royd's doing most of the work, right?”

Robert nodded, “So much. He's probably going to redo all this shit.”

The rest of his break was relatively uneventful. He continued to work on the suit while Chase talked to him. When lunch was officially over the two of them went back to their desks. 

The former Mecha Man put his headset on, “Evening folks, welcome back.” He greeted, preparing for the rest of this shift. 

“We got a few guesses at your identity,” Prism immediately started, “Leading one right now is Blue Balls Man.”

Huh…?

“Let me guess. His power is not being able to nut? Not a problem I have.” Robert rolled his eyes, unable to believe this conversation was still happening.

Invisigal responded, the icon lighting up as she did so, “His balls are literally blue, dude, get your head out of the gutter.”

“Great. It's going to be a long shift…”

The first call came in. A very emotional caller was missing their cat, ‘Mr.Cat’ and needed help getting him home. 

As soon as Robert sent someone to get the missing pet, his screen flickered before going black entirely. 

“What the fuck!? Did we just lose power?” He asked, genuinely startled. 

Thankfully, Galen responded quickly and calmly, “Sure did. Citywide. Hang tight. We're booting up the backup generator.” After a moment, the lights turned back on “There we go.”

His screen came back to life, blasting the start-up noise in his ear. The map of Torrence loaded in and he was reconnected to his team.

“Oh, y'all can't see. I'm a human nightlight. I don't got those problems.” Prism joked, entirely unbothered by the blackout.

Flambae sounded downright irritated that the power had gone out, “Yeah, it's just a little dark. What's the fucking big deal? You never closed your eyes before? Yeah, same shit.” 

“I mean, I can see in the dark, so this is pretty standard for me.” Malevola informed everyone nonchalantly.

Punch Up snapped, “All right, fuck you guys.”

Robert’s eyes scanned the screen, “The whole city's out, guys. This is an all hands-on deck situation…Okay, I'm going to get the grid back up and running.” He warned them, already working to get into Torrence’s powergrid network, “Be ready because shit's going to be insane the minute the lights turn back on.”

His fingers typed rapidly as he broke through the confusingly weak firewall. Was this some admin fuck-up or an attack?

If it was an attack…

The Red Ring was definitely behind this. 

He found the malware that was injected into the grid’s code. Once it was isolated, he deleted it entirely. After several minutes and some hard focus, West Torrence’s light flicked back to life. 

“Okay, so this is why my stock portfolio got fucked up,” Sonar complained once one part of the power grid was back online, “Can I at least eat the guys responsible?”

“Let's get through this shit first, then we'll talk.” Robert said before focusing on the broken code of Central Torrence’s grid. More calls continued to come in even as he worked to get the power back on in the city. 

Looters. Missing teens. A several car pile-up. 

Just like the first time, Robert broke through the weak protections and quickly deleted the implanted malware. Central Torrence became bright on his screen, indicating the power was back for that section of the city. 

His phone vibrated next to him, but his attention was on East Torrence now. 

There was one call that stood out, a science lab working on a serum was attacked by the Red Ring. 

‘Bastards. So the chaos is them.’

Robert finished his hacking of the East Torrence grid. The virus was located, and like the previous two, was destroyed. 

All of Torrence came back online. Light flicked back on, and hopefully, the city would quickly return to semi-functional. There were several more calls, all related to mishaps that occurred during the outage.

Thankfully, nothing else happened and the shift ended soon after.

With a sigh, he leaned back. His brown eyes landed on his phone screen finally. It was a text from you. 

-Thank you for turning on the power

He smirked and responded while he waited for his team to come back from their missions.

-How’d you know?

-Shot in the dark <3

Robert couldn’t help but smile. You had such faith in him…

Malevola’s voice broke through the headset, “Whose up for drinks?”

“Anywhere but Crypto Night.” Punch Up responded. 

Visi laughed, “Flambae got banned…Let’s go to the Sardine. Or are you banned from that one too?”

The fiery hero muttered, “Shut up.”

Robert put his headset back on just to bid his farewell, “All right. Good week, everybody. See you all on Monday.” He was about to take it off when Punch Up stopped him. 

“Too cool to get a drink with us?”

“Yea, don’t be a bitch.”

“Be chill for once in your life.” Golem encouraged him.

Sonar even begged, “Spend some time with us. Come on…We know you don’t have plans.”

“Just because my girlfriend works at the Sardine, doesn’t mean I’ll fit in at a villain bar.” He responded, packing his bag. 

Invisigal made her suggestion, “Just go dressed like that. Everyone will just think you're a pervert.”

“Your girlfriend isn’t the bartender is she? The one hired like…a month ago?” Malevola sounded genuinely surprised, “She makes probably the best cocktail I've ever had.”

“Bangin’ hot too.” The bat hero chimed in.

“I’ll tell her you said that. You all suck at tipping, by the way.” Robert sassed, “but…yea…alright.” He gave into the peer pressure way too quickly. The headset lit up by several cheers from his team.

Even Phenomaman was ‘reasonably excited.’

He dropped Beef off at the apartment and texted you that he was going to be at your work. Robert paused once he was outside, confused that Golem wasn’t inside. The construct had headphones in, bobbing his head to his music.

“Why are you out here?” The former hero asked.

“Too damn big.” Was his simple response. 

“Want a drink?”

“Sure.”

“Want two?” He held up two fingers. 

“Sure.”

Robert approached the door but before he could enter, one of the security guards' hands landed on his chest to halt him, “Hey, creep.” He snapped. He had a patch over his eye, and a mean looking scar across his face. 

“Creep?” The dispatcher echoed.

“I don't know you and I don't like not knowing people.” He glared, leaning closer to threaten him. That was until the bar door swung up. 

You stood in the doorway, as if expecting this. You had a rag in one hand, and a glass in the other, “Ease up, I know him. He makes me cum every night, so I’m clearing him.” You vouched, looking almost entirely in your element. There was a fierceness in your eyes as you sassed security. The way you held yourself was different. Your voice even picked up a sharpness to it, matching the energy of the villains inside. 

Jesus fucking christ…

You were so hot.

Despite the flutter in his stomach, he turned to the guard with a proud smirk. 

“No fuckin’ in the bathroom.” The guard lifted his patch to reveal a laser eye, “Do it in the backalley. Or else.”

Message received.

Robert followed you inside, taking in the atmosphere. 

It was dark. Dingy. Neon lights, graffiti and old posters decorated the concrete walls. On the left side of the building was the bar, surrounded by scattered tables and chairs. On the right side was an open area for pool, arcade games and darts. Towards the back was a small stage made for karaoke, with spotlights blaring down.

The place was packed with all manner of villains, gang members and criminals. His steps weaved through the patrons as he kept up with you. 

It was everything Robert expected for a villain bar. 

You slipped back into your position behind the bar, putting a glass down, “Fancy seeing you here, handsome.” Your hands worked quickly as you got two smaller glasses, “Shot for your first time?” You winked, holding a bottle of vodka.

This was…entirely new to him. 

And you…just your presence tantalized him. 

Once the alcohol was poured, Robert held the glass and stared at you, “Step on me later?”

“Should I wear heels?” you smirked and he noticed you were wearing his favorite shade of red.

“Please.” He practically begged before tipping back and taking the shot of vodka. 

You took the shot quickly and blew him a kiss before stepping to the side to serve another patron. 

Invisigal was beside him, trying to wave at the other bartender. An older man with long hair and a beard was focused on making a drink for someone else, your boss most likely. Though, she sighed dramatically when he didn’t acknowledge her. 

The former villain turned to him with an uncharacteristic amount of venom in her voice, “Can your girlfriend get me a drink?” 

“Paying her pays my rent.” Robert answered back, “So, no free drinks for anyone.” 

She groaned dramatically, “Fine.” She raised a hand and gave him a slight shove on the shoulder before standing to walk away, “I’ll grab us a table!”

As soon as she was out of view, you came back to him, “Visi, right?” You asked, putting a hand on your hip. Once he nodded in confirmation, you finally asked, “What’ll it be, then?”

“Two fancy whiskies?” 

“Make it three.” Prism interrupted walking up, Malevola next to her. 

“Four.” The larger woman crossed her arms, standing next to the bar.

Punch Up popped up next to him, “Make it five.”

You raised a brow before looking back to your boyfriend, “Five fancy whiskies?” you repeated the order, not entirely convinced that's what he wanted to spend money on. 

He rolled his eyes, “No…Make it nine shitty whiskies.” 

You snorted and nodded, gathering all the glasses. 

“Good lad!” Punch Up pat his back, “We shoulda invited him earlier.”

“We thought he was a fuckin’ narc.” Malevola shrugged, earning a laugh from you as you prepared their drinks.

Prism was focused on you as you got ice in each whiskey glass. Her eyes narrowed behind her blue visor. The popstar pulled her phone from her pocket and looked down at it before looking up at you. After some poking at the screen, she put it away, “Girl, do I know you? You're all types of familiar, and not because we’ve been coming here since you were hired.” 

There was a perceivable shift in your guard. Your eyes flicked to Robert before you shook your head, “I mean, I follow you on instagram, I like your posts.” You poured the whiskey in each glass, “Other than that…never met you before this job.” 

Your modeling stage name was as hidden as Mecha Man’s identity. 

The popstar didn’t seem entirely convinced, “There’s more. I know it.” 

“Aye. This sappy sack has her picture at his desk. That’s probably how.” Punch Up nudged Robert before grabbing his own glass, “Cheers.” he handed Prism hers and Malevola already took her drink.

Robert carefully carried a couple of drinks and stepped away, letting you return to your job. Once he turned, however, he nearly walked right into a hulking lizard-like man, “Excuse me.” He pardoned himself and found Phenomaman having an emotional conversation with some poor patron in a hoodie. 

All the former hero did was leave him the glass before walking over to the stage where Flambae was flipping through the karaoke selection. 

“Dude, be honest. Am I going to make a fool of myself if I sing Whitney Houston?” The fiery former villain looked up and accepted the offered drink.

“Are you Whitney Houston?” He asked bluntly. 

“No.”

“Then yea, you will.” Robert returned to the bar to get one more whiskey for Sonar. 

The Harvard graduate was at the pool table, focused on the game when he approached and put the glass down. 

“Wait…uh…” He grabbed his dispatcher's arm, stopping him for a moment, “it's kind of hard for me, but…look, I know it was probably a by the books, bottom line kind of decision, but…thanks.” He held his pool stick with both hands, looking somewhat shy as he spoke. 

All Robert did in response was pat his shoulder before getting drinks to Golem outside. Even the security guard got a shitty whiskey.

When he came back inside, he grabbed his own drink and joined invisigal at her table. The younger woman was smoking when he arrived. 

“Everyone thinks I'm a narc.” He sighed, sipping his glass. 

Visi scoffed and dropped her cigarette in the ash tray, “They can still smell the hero on you. You're the enemy” 

He waved his hand to get the cigarette smoke out of his face, “I bought them drinks. What else do they want?”

“You can buy them drinks. You can make sure they don't get fired,” She explained, before taking a swig from her glass, “You can line them up and blow them one by one, but they're still going to think you might be the hero that fucked up their life.” 

“People don’t think about much when I blow ‘em.” Robert shrugged. Technically that wasn’t a joke. He did get around before he met you. 

That was the past though. He looked over at the bar, watching as you were mixing a drink. You were focused on the task at hand now, serving the large number of patrons that were at the bar. 

He shook his head before looking back as Visi, “But I hear what you're saying. I'd argue they fucked up their own lives by being criminals.”

“See, that's narc shit.” She pointed to him before drinking again. Once she lowered her glass, she made a risky suggestion, “Just tell them who you are. What are the odds that you busted any of them anyway?”

Flambae. Who lacked a tooth and two fingers because of him. 

One glance at his face and Invisigal understood, “Oh.”

The flame-powered man was strong. A ruthless villain who did immeasurable amounts of damage to both the Mecha Man suit and the buildings in Torrence. 

Thank god he was working to be a hero now.

Still…Robert explained to her what happened, from when he cut off his fingers to the incident at Crypto Night. 

“I’ve been dealing with that whistley ass tooth cause of you?” Invisigal rested her face against her hand, she furrowed her brow, brown eyes watching him closely. 

Behind them, Flambae was improvising a song, “I’m a bitch! My name’s  Robert! Such a bitch!”

Robert’s expression was blank as he continued, “Well…it was self-inflicted but I don’t think he’d see it that way.” He kept his eyes on Visi, though he did notice his phone went off, “So, you can see…uh…why I'm worried about getting incinerated.” 

The short haired woman watched him for a moment before she spoke, “We all pay for who we used to be. The sooner you get it over with, sooner we get a fresh start.” She looked somewhat tired, perhaps even sad, before raising her glass to take a drink. 

The former hero sighed and looked at his phone. 

-Heads up. Baby arms is a problem. 

‘Baby arms?’

“Who let a loser ass bitch of a hero into our super villain bar?”

Oh no.

[awkward-tension-art]

Choices and Choices

Robert Robertson x AFAB!reader

Chapter 9. Chapter 11.

All Episodes

TW: Swearing, Robert POV, work place harassment, HR violations, sexual harassment, Phenomaman on team, Kissing, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns, choices based on the play through I watched, MINIMAL PROOFREAD, Canon rewrite, this really is just canon but with reader, no use of (Y/N)

Robert kept his head down and attention off of him when he walked back inside. He really really didn’t need any questions about why he had broken glass embedded in his chest. He grabbed a pair of tweezers from the first-aid kit inside the breakroom and slipped inside the bathroom. 

By the time Invisigal appeared behind him, his shirt was off and he was halfway through picking the shards from his skin. The sink water was tinged pink with the slight amount of blood that clung to the pieces. 

“Where's the shootout?” She asked, causing him to jump when she appeared. 

“Parking lot,” He responded bluntly, not having the energy to deal with any nonsense, “Didn't think taking a desk job would have me bleeding this often.” 

The former villain stepped beside him before turning to hop up onto the sink. She looked comfortable, swinging her legs and leaning back against one arm. Her dark eyes roamed over his shirtless form, making him a little more than uncomfortable.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at her. 

“I had a dream last night that we were fucking.” She responded bluntly, “Usually I don't remember my dreams, but this one was pretty vivid…”

“Was my girlfriend involved?” He kept his eyes down, pulling the last of the glass from his chest. 

“No, just you.” She shrugged. 

“Then it’s a dream I don’t want to hear about.” He grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and ran it under the sink water for a second before wiping down his chest, “So, this is why you've been acting so weird all day.”

“I'm doing that thing where I imagine being with someone, you know?” Invisigal looked at him with a casual smirk, “see how it feels, how it looks, you know, like trying on a dress.”

Robert let out a frustrated breath, “You were there.”

Did she…spy on Blonde Blazer and him?

“I could have been.” Her proud look was still on her lips when she stood. The former villain stepped closer to him, raising her face to be mere inches from his, “I could be anywhere.”

Robert’s gaze was cold. He didn’t like anyone flirting with him. Frankly, it made him uncomfortable. He was loyal to you. He loved you. And flirting with anyone else just felt…wrong.

Thankfully though, before he could speak, the splattering sound of very loud bowel movements echoed around the bathroom. Visi’s proud smirk melted into disgust and impatience. 

Once there was a moment of quiet from the unfortunate individual with diarrhea, the dispatcher deadpanned, “And you chose to be here.”

“Sorry!” Waterboy’s embarrassed voice sounded right before more bowel noises, “I…I tried not…to do that…”

“Don’t worry about it, Waterboy.” He called back before slipping his hand into his pant pocket, “Bathrooms are for shitting after your first coffee and picking shrapnel out of your chest. Not for whatever this is….” His voice was flat, entirely uninterested in the current conversation.

Visi let out a frustrated noise and stepped back. She turned sharply and snapped at Waterboy in one of the bathroom stalls, “You ruined this for me!” She stormed out of sight as the flustered kid kept apologizing. 

Telling you about today was going to be interesting…

Once he got a new shirt, Robert grabbed a cup of coffee and a sandwich before returning to his desk. Though, he wasn’t hungry anymore. His confusion over the events of the day was too distracting. Truthfully, he was about to throw his lunch away until he heard a pathetic whine at his feet. 

Beef was looking up at him, crying for a snack.

The former hero never could tell the fat chihuahua no. 

He took a slice of ham from his sandwich and leaned down so his dog could happily take the treat.

“You're a menace.” He laughed before sitting back up to turn on his computer. 

Now, the shift. 

The team was already prepped and ready to go. 

“It’s weird that Coop’s gone.” Sonar spoke up immediately.

“Glad you made the cut though, dude.” Malevola sounded relieved, even happy in her words, “Imagine if it was Coop and Visi together.”

“I imagine Coop and Visi all the time…”

Robert rolled his eyes and got to work.

The calls seemed…normal. Standard.

Some shithead college kids needed help moving. A driver randomly swerved off a bridge. A fight at a football game needed to be broken up. 

There was something about a Cult of Chad?

At some point Blonde Blazer offered to train someone in the gym at the SDN office. 

The calls were…nonstop. Halfway through, Flambae finally spoke up about it, “We need you to send somebody else. This is too much.”

Shit. That bad huh?

“We're out of somebody's,” The dispatcher responded, “You're going to have to make do.”

His hands were tied. At least for the time being. 

Prism scoffed over the headset, “You sound like my first manager. I fired his ass.”

“Really didn't think this one through, did you, Robert?” Malevola also chimed in.

Golem laughed but didn’t say anything else. 

Sonar didn’t hold back either, “Malevola is right. If you hadn't cut Coop, this would be a breeze.”

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but Sonar has a point.” Visi was the final nail in the coffin. 

Everyone was tired and overworked.

Robert tried to reassure them, “Noted. Can you…just hang in there a little longer? I'll see what I can do.” He didn’t sound entirely convincing but he could help them get through this shift. 

“And I'd be right quick about it if I was you.” Punch Up finally spoke up about the entire situation. 

Thankfully, the Z-team managed to keep going until the end of the shift. Nobody died. Nobody got hurt. While the members were exhausted from the high number of calls, they all managed to make it back to SDN without any major losses. 

It was a good enough shift, but they needed backup. 

He’d need to think about who to accept into the Phoenix program…

Robert stood from his desk and checked his phone as he walked to the breakroom. He had texted you earlier about Phenomaman and you had just gotten back to him, which was one question. 

-Are you ok?

Was he ok? A kiss without consent was technically assault. But at the same time, Phenomaman was an alien. Social cues aren’t exactly his strong suit. Benefiting from the doubt, he probably didn’t mean to make Robert uncomfortable. 

-A little weirded out but I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to be rude. I’ll talk to him about consent and boundaries later.

-Your always so patient <3

IMG Attached

You sent a picture of Beef. But it was edited to be covered with hearts and flowers. Next to the sleeping dog was him, asleep and also covered in the cutesy stickers from some photo editing app. 

Ok, that's cute.

You must’ve taken the picture this morning before you left for your photoshoot. 

He couldn’t help but smile to himself. Then, you texted again.

-I’m feeling burger and fries tonight. Wanna go to the Varsity after work?

-Hell yes.

Robert got a chocolate bar from the vending machine and sat down to mentally go over what to do with the Z-Team. 

Waterboy would be a rookie but he has a lot of potential to learn and grow. Plus, he was already an employee for this specific SDN branch.

Phenomaman was an emotional mess from his breakup, but was the poster boy for the words ‘Super Hero’. Even if he was an alien who needed to learn boundaries…

What number was the HR violation at again?

“S-Still working on that?”

“Hm?” Robert looked up, he hadn’t even realized he zoned out. 

Waterboy was standing over him. The young guy pointed to the fruit arrangement at the center of the table, “Aren't these the best? I-...I love the green ones. The…the green dew.”

Oh. This must be one of the edible arrangements that Blazer mentioned…

“All yours. Take the whole thing if you want.” The dispatcher shrugged. The blonde hero didn’t want them, and since they were all melon, he wasn’t so sure anyone else would either.

“A-awesome. My lucky day!” The janitor leaned down and wrapped his hands around the basket, “I...I know what's for lunch or dinner, probably…oh. Uh…sorry for interrupting your…um…meeting with Invisa-”

As he talked, Flambae had strolled into the breakroom and knelt in front of the fridge. When he didn’t find what he was looking for he snapped, “Oh, god damn it. You threw my noodles away. My initials were literally on the box and everything! Fuck!” The former villain stood and threw his hands up. 

“I…I don't read things. Sometimes it's different, like a logo…” Waterboy began to dig through the trash to try and find the agitated hero's noodles. Once he got the box, he lifted it up, “but it's probably still good.”

Flamebae reacted by hitting the food from his hands, covering the janitor in his noodles, “I-I don't want the fuckin’ trash noodles, Wet Fart Boy.” He taunted the younger guys stuttering too, adding insult to injury. 

Robert stood, calling out the older man's asshole behavior, “Whoa. What are you doing?”

“Whatever. It was an accident,” Flamebae rolled his eyes, “Just aim your dick up and water piss it off.” He turned and now began to rummage through the freezer. 

Waterboy looked dejected, “That's not…You…I'm going to go rinse off…” He spoke softly as he quickly fled from the breakroom to get to the showers.

Once he was out, Robert approached Flambae, “How would you like to have to walk around work the rest of the day with shit all over you!?”

“I don't know. I don't think about that because it won't happen.” The fiery hero whirled on him for a moment before turning back, “Cuz I'm not a fuckin’ idiot food thrower awayer.” He punctuated his point by knocking an abandoned box of chinese food into the trashcan. 

“It was an accident. You don't have to be a bully about it,” Robert retorted before pullinmg rank on him, “You want this in your report?”

It was a weak move but Flamebae needed to calm the fuck down.

At least it worked, because he turned back and smirked, exposing his missing tooth, “What’re you going to do? snitch on me?” He practically taunted, “This motherfucker…” He began to walk away, words fading off into a language Robert couldn’t understand. 

Without thinking, The former Mecha Man grabbed a nearly full plastic cup Waterboy had fished from the trash. He turned and threw it with surprising accuracy. The timing was perfect, just as the cup made contact, Flambae had turned, dosing his entire front in the protein shake.

Robert laughed. The former villain did not. 

He seethed, “If it's in my hair, I'm going to fuckin’ kill you.” He threatened. 

“Well, I got bad news for you.” The dispatcher smirked. 

Fire burst from his skin in his rage. Only Blonde Blazer walking into the room quelled the flames.

“Hey, Robert, could you…Oh, you have stuff on your face,” The blonde pointed out to the pissed former villain before her eyes roamed over the rest of his food-stained form “What happened here?”

“I don't want to be a snitch, but Flambae accidentally made a mess,” Robert sassed with a grin. 

“Really?” She asked, purely confused. 

Flambae seethed, but relented to his boss, “Yes…”

“Well, you should probably go get cleaned up, then, you know, accident or not, wipe up this mess you made.” Blazer suggested, sounding serious as she motioned to the messy floor. 

“Yes…” He stepped out of his fight-ready stance and turned to storm off. He disengaged entirely, avoiding burning the entire building down.

Blazer let out a sigh, “Okay, whatever that was. Listen, Robert-!” She nearly slipped as she stepped more into the breakroom but caught herself before she fell, “Anyway, you talked to Chase. Who's it going to be? Phenomaman or Waterboy?”

Robert had already walked over to the sink and began to wash his hands, “And these two are my only options?”

Both options didn’t seem…the most ideal.

“For now. Yeah, obviously we can revisit it.” Blonde Blazer got beside him and leaned against the breakroom counter, “But Waterboy is already a trainee, sort of. And you already know Phenomaman got cut by DTLA. Thanks for getting him out of the parking lot, by the way.” She nodded as she went over the perks and downsides of both options. 

Her thinking was the same line as his. 

Well…

“Phenomaman, I guess.” He turned off the sink and dried his hands as he explained his choice, “I mean, I'm worried he has too much time to think right now.”

The golden haired hero perked up, “That's…Yeah, I feel the same way. He could use a distraction.” She agreed very quickly, rather too quickly…

“So, it won't be weird with your ex-boyfriend hanging around?”

“I mean, he's already hanging around, so he may as well be doing some good.” She shrugged, “Instead of moping around the parking lot, crushing cars.”

“You make a good point.” Robert put his hands on his hips. He was still curious about that weird insurance claim. Hopefully he’d find out who the owner of the crushed car was. 

“I'll let him know. You'll see him in the roster for your next dispatch.” Blazer turned to go back to her office.

The former hero still had some time before his next shift. For some odd reason he felt…dirty. Sticky. 

Ugh.

He went to the showers and gave himself a quick rinse. Just something to get the grimy feeling off his skin. It didn’t take him long to finish up. Once he wrapped a towel around his waist, he went to the locker room to get dressed. Only to have his heart hit his throat when he noticed Phenomaman right beside him.

“Ah!”

”Hello, Robert. A moment of your time.” The alien was slouching as he spoke quietly.

“How do you move so quiet?” He looked up at his solemn face.

“I float.” Phenomaman answered bluntly. It was true, he was hovering a few inches from the beige tile floor,  “If it would make you more comfortable, I could remove my clothes as well.” He offered innocently.

Robert sighed, “It would not.” He raised a hand to punctuate the point that he didn't want the larger hero to strip down, “Look, if this is about picking you for Z Team, it wasn't even a hard decis-!” His words were cut off by his shoulders, getting grabbed. 

Phenomaman wrapped his muscled arms around him, squeezing him into his chest. “Thank you…” He whispered.

Ok he needs to learn boundaries…

The dispatcher tried to breathe, though it was hard with how much the alien had a grip on him, “No need. You're a legend.” He hissed, ribs rattling as he spoke, “But you…need to learn not to…touch people…without permission.” He felt the towel around his hips slip, fully exposing him. 

Phenomaman, thankfully, put him back down. After a stretch of silence, he spoke up, “My hug of gratitude seems to have reopened your chest wounds.”

Robert sighed again. 

After addressing his reopened wounds and getting his clothes back on, he returned to his desk. Once his headset was on, the computer screen came to life. 

The roster came into view, with Phenomaman attached at the end.

Blonde Blazer sounded through his headphones, indicating she was speaking to the rest of the team, “Hey team, we appreciate you doing your best last shift under the circumstances, but we are here to help. More specifically, Phenomaman is here to help.” She sounded cheerful enough, letting the Z-team know her ex-boyfriend was now working with them.

The muscular hero chimed in, “I am here to help.”

Malevola was the first one to ‘greet’ the new addition, “This is a joke, right?”

Flambae spoke up next, confusion dripping from his tone, “Really? This guy?”

Punch Up brought up a good point, “Didn't he also get fired?”

To her credit, Blazer took their negative attitudes in stride, “Yeah…Listen, I know things have been…difficult for him lately, but Robert and I believe he will make a great addition to the team.”

“difficult because you dumped him?” Visi sassed. 

“Visi-”

Flambae snorted before clearing his throat, “Don’t mind me.”

“Damn.” Prism laughed softly.

“The mean child is correct,” Phenomaman’s sad voice silenced them, “It has indeed been difficult since the ending of my relationship with Blonde Blazer, but any opportunity to see her again will make every day easier.”

Ill advised…

“I think you got it backwards, bro.” Golem weakly tried to argue some sense. 

“Yeah, it don't work that way, boy,” Prism followed up, agreeing with the massive construct, “Trust me.”

There wasn’t much else to discuss about the heroes motivations. The first call came in and Robert snapped to work. The shift has officially started.

The first one was from Vandco and it was to stop a potential assassination. 

Another call was a reporter asking about the Phoenix Program. 

The next was someone needing to stage a fight, so they wanted SDN to send a ‘loser’. 

The shift ran on rather quickly. The calls were easier with Phenomaman helping out the team. Robert was happy with how everything was going. At least…until…

“How meaningless…” The alien mumbled through the headset. He sounded depressed all of a sudden and his icon on the screen stopped moving. 

Robert tried to pair him with Punch Up on a call but nothing changed.

The short Irishman snapped, “I thought we were supposed to be getting help.”

What the fuck is going on…?

Later in the shift, Phenomaman spoke up again, “This may be a mistake. Robert, I am sensing dissatisfaction amongst my new companions.” 

Malevola wasted no time to be sarcastic, “Is one of his powers stating the super obvious?”

“The team’s exacerbated sighs were a great indicator.” He responded, entirely missing her sass and sarcasm.

“No wonder Blazer dumped you.” Visi grumbled. 

“All right, that's enough,” Robert shut down the attitude, “You said you wanted help and I got you one of the best heroes at SDN.” 

That apparently opened the doors for the rest to start insulting the poor alien hero.

“The best at pissing everyone off.”

“The best at crying in the locker room.”

“The best at leaving a giant crater whenever he takes to the skies.”

God damnit…

“Get it out of your systems. He's not going anywhere.” The dispatcher responded, not minding their jabbing anymore. Let them complain. Nothing would change.

Thankfully, they seemed to accept that. The rest of the shift went on without any more complaints or grumbling. By the end the Z-team found some sort of functional synergy with their new addition. It was dark outside when he pulled off his headset and rubbed the bridge of his nose. 

“Not only did you cut one of their dumb shit criminal buddies,” Chase popped his head up from his side of the divider, to lean against it, “You're also forcing them to work with…”

“One of the greatest heroes of all time?”

“I was going to say sad sack son of a bitch but yeah, let's go with yours.”

Robert leaned back in his chair and sighed, “Yea…lets go with mine.”

“Hey, kid,” Chase stepped behind him and put a hand on his hip, “Love yea.”

“Love you too, Unc.” The dispatcher responded, focusing on shutting off his computer. 

“Don’t fuck this up,” The former hero Trackstar bid him farewell for the night. 

He picked up some pens and moved to put them away before he stopped. His brown eyes settled on the photo of you he kept pinned at his desk. The picture was taken during a picnic date years ago. Your eyes were almost closed as he took the photo when you were laughing. 

You looked so happy. So relaxed. A far cry from how exhausted and worn you’ve become since his…

Since his explosive fuck-up. 

Christ…you deserved better than him. 

He sighed and rubbed his face in his hands. Somewhere else in the office he heard a mother and child meet up to go home together. All it did was make him feel worse.

Did he deprive you of a family?

Before his thoughts could spiral much more, Beef whined below the desk. The fat chihuahua looked up at him and tilted his head. 

“Alright boy…” Robert mumbled, picking up a ball he kept at his desk and standing. Beef followed him loyally as the duo walked through SDN’s building to an inner courtyard. After some unsuccessful tries of ‘fetch’, the dispatcher gave up and walked with his dog back inside. 

They passed the open door to the records room, noticing a blaring light from within. When the former hero stepped inside, he saw the source.

Phenomaman was sitting at the desk, resting his head on the tabletop. His sad eyes were trained on the screen of the computer that was playing a video of him and Blonde Blazer fighting a group of thugs. She looked strong and proud, and so did he. 

“Earlier that day, Blazer and I had breakfast at the rim of an active volcano.” The alien mumbled as Robert approached, “Then, we made love.”

“I don't need to hear your sex stories,” The dispatcher responded bluntly. 

“We never had intercourse. My alien genitals were not compatible with hers.” He responded, turning to look at the man beside him.

….Good to know…?

“That's...cool?” 

“Why is that cool?” 

“It's uh it's not…” Robert stumbled over his words, “What were you saying?” he hopped up to sit on the desk as he watched him carefully. 

Phenomaman turned and looked back at the screen, “Even without that ‘spark’ in our relationship…she was the only thing I was passionate about…” He mumbled, raising a hand to graze it over Blonde Blazer’s face, “Her voice…her eyes…her disposition…her whole of her remarkable corporeal form…” His dark eyes filled with unshed tears. 

“I don't think that's healthy….” The former Mecha Man responded carefully, “You should have more loves in the world.”

He needed hobbies. Desperately.

“So, more girlfriends?”

“No. Well…maybe? That's not my point,” Robert shook his head, “All I'm saying is what you need to do is find the next thing for you to be passionate about…cuz it's out there.” It was all he could think of that could help the emotionally distraught alien. 

Phenomaman looked up at him before standing, “Thank you. I wish to make love to you again.” He plopped his heavy hands on the dispatcher's shoulders.

“Boundaries, remember?” 

He nodded in understanding, though his hands remained on his shoulder, “Can I make love to you? This time I will avoid squeezing the blood out of you.”

…Eh fuck it.

“Sure, though it’s called a hug-” 

The muscular hero yanked him forward and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He squeezed all the air from his lungs. It took a good few seconds before Mecha Man was released to breathe again. 

After some polite ‘good nights.’ Robert returned to his desk with Beef by his feet. The computer screen flashed an alert with Invisigal’s face beside it. 

HERO OUTSIDE COVERAGE AREA. LOCATE. CLOSE. 

The hell was she doing?

He clicked ‘locate’ and a window popped up displaying the required body-cams all the SDN heroes had. It looked like Visi was in a movie theater. Her feet were resting on the back of a seat and the large screen in front of her was playing a clip from an advertisement. 

Robert rolled his eyes and put on his headset, “Whatcha watching?”

“Typecast 2.” She responded quietly, “You spying on me?”

“Technically you're still on the clock,” He corrected her while he started putting his things in his bag, “Didn’t peg you as a rom-com fan.”

“If I'm on the clock, you shouldn't be pegging me with anything, Robert. That's extremely inappropriate,” The dark haired woman joked, tone still hushed, “especially since I’m the peg-er, not the peg-ee.”

He rolled his eyes as he met her crude jokes in stride, “Great, my girlfriend and you can relate.” He zipped up his backpack, “Well, tell me how it is. I wanted to see that one.”

“There's still at least 20 minutes of trailers. I always forget what I'm watching by the time the movie starts.”

“Same.” Robert responded, “You goin’ solo?” 

“I'm a loner, Robbie, a rebel,” He watched as she shifted her position slightly to get more comfortable, “That and I feel bad asking people to pay when I'm just going to sneak in. The only lame thing is I can't get snacks.”

“Floating buckets of popcorn do tend to draw a lot of attention.” He nodded, though she couldn’t see. 

“Ah, but I miss it. I miss popcorn.”

Robert was about to respond when his phone vibrated. It was a text from Blonde Blazer. 

-Still at the office? Up for a late dinner?

He smiled. It was a nice offer. But he already knew what he was doing tonight and it was with you. He typed his polite response. 

-Sorry, can’t tonight. Rain check?

She answered rather quickly.

-Yeah, no worries!

Finally, he spoke to Visi again, “See you tomorrow. No spoilers.” He pulled his headset off and slung his bag over his shoulder to leave the office. Beef was following loyally.

Despite how dark out it was, it was easy to spot your car in the parking lot. You were standing in front of it, leaning against the hood looking at something on your phone. When you noticed Beef and him walking outside, you perked up and beamed. 

“My baby!” You called, kneeling down for the fat chihuahua to run into your arms. Once he was in your grasp, his tongue was all over your cheek. Even when you stood to greet Robert with a kiss, the dog continued to try and get your affection, “How was work?” You asked, petting Beef between the ears to get him to calm down. 

Where do I even start…?

“Well you know I was kissed by an alien.” 

“How was he?” you adjusted Beef in your arms to give him your full attention.

Robert stepped forward, put a hand to your cheek and kissed you. After pulling away, he couldn’t help the small smile on his face, “Not as good as a kiss from you.” 

You laughed softly, “Smooth talker… might as well kiss me again to really make sure.”

You didn’t have to tell him twice.

[awkward-tension-art]

Restructure

Robert Robertson x AFAB!reader

Chapter 8. (SMUT) Chapter 10.

All Parts

CW: Swearing, Robert POV, work place harassment, HR violations, sexual harassment, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns, choices based on the play through I watched, MINIMAL PROOFREAD, Canon rewrite, this really is just canon but with reader, no use of (Y/N)

-Early shoot today. Will be home late. P.S I hope you had good dreams

Robert read the note you left before he got ready for the day. While the coffee brewed, he showered, shaved and brushed his teeth. When he was ready, he picked up Beef in his arm and left the apartment. 

All routine. Mundane. It’s been about a month since Robert had been hired at SDN, so he was used to the monotony of it all. 

Though, the mornings with you not beside him did suck more. 

The sun was bright as he walked into the SDN building. His steps lead him past Blonde Blazers office. Her door was open, and he was about to greet her when he noticed her on the phone. 

“No. No.” She answered whoever was on the other end of her cell, “I don’t regret it, that’s for sure.” She looked relaxed and casual as she spoke. 

Robert continued onto his desk. He put Beef down at the foot of his desk before typing in the password onto the computer. 

Only to be immediately blasted by porn. 

The first pop up was of a brown haired woman getting fucked by a red monster. It was followed quickly by many many more. 

A large breasted ginger woman. A zoomed in gif of someone fingering someone's pussy. A man in blue getting fucked in a line by duplicates of himself. 

All the while loud moaning, dirty talk and Irish bag pipes blasted through the speakers. 

Robert spit out his coffee. He scrambled, trying to shut down his computer. When that failed he tried to find the volume control. 

Meanwhile, the office area echoed with the noise of provocative porno sounds. 

OH YEA OH YEA

FUCK ME

THIS IS THE LUCKY END OF THE RAINBOW

The noise finally stopped after he X’ed out of every single popup on his screen. By that point his coworkers had all turned to look at what the hell was going on. 

It wasn’t hard to figure out who pulled this embarrassing prank. In front of the leaderboard, Malevola, Flambae and Punch Up were standing. The two taller individuals were laughing and pointing, but the shorter man had his arms crossed as he glared. 

Robert sat down getting out of his line of light. The dispatcher began to clean up his desk, straightening out everything he knocked over in his scramble to shut down Punch Up’s little ‘prank.’

“Coop was a friend of his,” Chase had stood up from his desk and leaned against the divider between them, “They used to date…You know my last girlfriend was taller than me. She used to kiss me on my forehead a lot. It was nice,” He rambled slightly before getting back on topic, “What are we talking about? Oh right, watch out for that salty little nutcracking motherfucker. The problem with only cutting one of them is now you got to deal with their pissy friends poisoning the rest of the team.”

He laughed slightly, “Come on, Chase. It's harmless. Who doesn't love an office prank?”

“Me motherfucker, Don't even think about it,” He glared, “That's why I would have cut them all. Starting with that asshole.” Chase snapped back, motioning to Invisigal, who was standing by the copier. 

She was staring directly at Robert with a furrowed brow. 

He met her look with his own. Though, he was definitely more confused and slightly more irritated. 

“Why is she staring at you?” the former Trackerstar asked before finally addressing her, “Don't you got some work to do?”

“Don’t you got some dementia to onset?” She retorted before grabbing a paper from the copier machine and walking away.

“That one stung a little….” Chase nodded to himself before remembering something, “Hey, uh Blazer is looking at back filling your open spot with Phenomaman or Water Boy. You should think about who you'd want.” 

The fuck kind of choice is that?

“Uh one of them is the poster boy of SDN and the other guy pukes water,” Robert raised a brow, “What am I missing?”

Wordlessly, the older man looked up at one of the TV’s hanging on the wall of the office. The screen showed a rather…dire situation. 

 It was an aerial view of the interstate. Phenomaman was walking slowly on the highway, blocking all lanes of traffic. When a car tried to pass, he raised a fist as if to punch but stopped himself. Even from a distance he looked sad. Depressed even.

“Shit…He looks rough.”

The screen suddenly became blurred by a splash of water and the sound of Waterboy gagging. The poor kid scrambled to try and wipe off the TV, only to earn the ire of the other SDN employees.

Robert watched the poor scene for a moment before he deadpanned, “Looks like there is no wrong answer.”

“Well, sometimes it's more about the person than the powers.” Chase responded before nudging him, “And good thing, cuz it's the only reason anyone gave your sorry ass a job.” He laughed slightly before sitting down to deal with his own team. 

With an eye roll, the former Mecha Man leaned down to scratch at Beef's ears, “All right. It wasn't that funny.” He mumbled before standing from his desk and making his way to SDN’s inner workshop. 

When Robert got over there, Royd was already busy. The room had scattered metal pieces, tools and wires all over the tile floor. The lights were off, but it seemed like the dark-skinned engineer didn’t entirely notice or care. He was bent over a workshop table, working meticulously on the proto-pulse. 

The only indication that he knew the former hero walked in was when he shouted, “Got it, Mecha Man!” Royd held up a small capsule. The light within was a soft blue, and it looked almost exactly like the original astral pulse, “Lets fire it up!”

Huh…Royd seemed certain about this one.

They were already 6 tests deep into the rebuilt Mecha Man. So far, each one has reached failure. But this next test seemed promising.

Robert was handed the pulse and seated inside the suit. With a press of a few buttons and the flicking of switches, power ran through the wires of the metal body. He clicked the proto-pulse into place, kick starting the main system. 

“Proto-pulse test seven. Pilote ready. We good out there?” The former hero spoke clearly. He toyed with one of the screens and Royd’s live image came up.

He had a smirk and a thumbs up. 

“You can talk. I can hear you.” Robert informed him. 

“Oh. We good. All you Mecha Man.” 

With the engineer watching over his external systems, Robert began to turn the Mecha Man suit on fully. He slipped into his routine as a hero. It was muscle memory that he followed, powering up the controls and internal aspects, as if he had never left. 

Once everything was alight and ready, Robert gripped the controls and pushed a large metal hand outward, “Simple locomotion.” He called out so Royd could keep an eye for glitches or problems. 

With no indication of anything wrong, he continued. “Complex locomotion.”

Royd had an excited smile as his brown eyes roamed over the tablet in his hands, “levels are stable. We on to something, brah. This is it.”

After a brief moment to think about how to move, Robert brought the suit into a boxing position. He threw a few heavy punches while shifting the massive feet. He even managed to put in an uppercut as the metal frame followed his commands. So far, everything held up…giving both of them hope that this could be the test that everything works. 

“In da super dupah heavyweight division…” Royd’s excitement was clear, “Da Mecha Man!” 

Robert pushed the controls, raising his arms above his head and hopping up and down a few times, “And the crowd goes mild.” The robot voice came through the speakers in the suit's helmet clearly. 

Everything was running smoothly.

Until it didn’t. All screens flashed red. Electricity sparked through the wires. The Mecha Man suit locked and its pilot lost control. Its large metal body fell backwards with a loud, heavy clatter. Through the smoke and the stress, Robert managed to rip the proto-pulse from its casing. 

The door opened with a struggle, and Royd stood over him with a fire extinguisher. 

With a deep breath, the former hero sighed, “Proto-pulse test seven: failure.”

The man standing over him tried to reassure, “No worries. We’ll get der.”

After a few remaining sparks and an entire fire extinguisher, Robert was pulled out of the failed suit and the both of them looked over schematics. 

What went wrong this time?

 The former hero flipped through the schematics Royd had drawn up. However, as his eyes roamed the pages, things started looking less and less familiar. 

“Royd, what is all this stuff?” Robert’s brow was furrowed as he looked over one page that had the plans for a ‘central-power turbine’.

Certainly more high-tech than his dads schematics…

The larger man was working behind him as he explained, “whole network expect me for process all de confiscated stuff,” He said, “Cus we da bottom branch fo SDN, we catch all kine shit work, brah.”

Before Robert could respond, he was interrupted by a familiar noise behind him. The noise of light shifting to reveal someone invisible. He looked back, eyes meeting Invisigal’s. 

She had her arms crossed, inspecting him. Well…more like inspecting his ass.

“Did you just give me an up-down?” His tone was more confused than accusatory. He’s caught you, his girlfriend, staring at his ass multiple times. But you're his girlfriend. He’s okay with you staring at him. 

It’s uncomfortable when someone else does it.

Invisigal didn’t respond, instead Royd walked between the two of them as he continued to explain. 

“we take one bad guy stuffs, and use dem for catch uddah bad guy. Only good ting? Lotta upgrade possibilities." He pressed a button and the hologram of the Mecha Man suit came into view. 

While Robert inspected more of the plans, Invisigal had walked over to the actual Mecha Man suit. Her critical eyes roamed over the entire interior before she finally spoke, “You ever jerk off in this thing?”

Royd seemed caught off guard, “You lolo, Visi.” he scoffed. 

The former hero turned to look at her with a raised brow, “Never jerked off, but my girlfriend and I would fuck all the time.” He deadpanned, “I like to bust after every big bust, and she was always willing to help me out. And even though I was the hero, I made sure she always enjoyed my wins more than I did.” 

Visi turned, arms still crossed to smirk at him, “Sounds like loads of fun.” 

Strangely enough, it sounded like there was a hint of jealousy in her voice. 

Royd looked between the two of them before speaking, “Uh, you two got one weird energy going on, huh? Can you handle this HR violation some uddah place? I got work.”

The HR violation count was up to…3…possibly 4 at this point.

“Robert was just leaving.” She approached him, keeping her sly smirk. She leaned closer, but he still didn’t back down.

Whatever game she was playing, it didn’t phase him.

“I can do this all day.” He responded lowly. 

Visi stepped even closer, “That's going to be tough cuz Blazer sent me to get you like…half an hour ago. So…”

Shit…

She won this time. Robert turned and quickly left the workshop. His steps were somewhat hurried, nearly running into someone as he walked out of the elevator. 

Like an idiot, he didn’t even knock. 

Blonde Blazer turned when he opened the door. She was pulling up a dark blue dress when he burst into her office, looking somewhat startled.

Immediately he shut his eyes and turned away, “Shit, Blazer–sorry, uh you know what? I can come back.”

The little intrusion rolled off her back easily, “Oh, no. Don't worry,” She shrugged, “I got this thing tonight and they were supposed to send the dress yesterday…this isn’t why you’re here but can you zip me up?” She turned, moving her golden hair out of the way. 

Robert closed the door and stepped over to her.

“It's uh It's not mine, by the way….They make me wear it, then it's back in the bag by midnight,” Blazer explained further.

“What is happening today?” he mumbled, fiddling with the back of the dress.

“Hm?”

“What's happening today? The thing you're going to.” He spoke up, sounding more clear. 

The blonde hero answered with a shrug, “SDN’s sponsoring a dinner…gala thing. Radiant Valor: a night of triumph.”

Yeesh…

“Why does that sound like a propaganda rally there?” After a brief moment of tugging the zipper, it finally gave way and Robert was able to fully zip the back of her dress. He stepped back to give her space.

“Yeah, it does kind of sound like some sort of fascist themed prom.” She straightened the long skirt of the dress before turning to face him, “What do you think? They were making alterations all morning.”

Robert wanted to compliment her politely but his brown gaze landed on her chest. Not in a oggling way, but in the ‘your nipple is out and someone should tell you’ sort of way. 

Because…her nipple was out. 

Robert was well aware these types of clothing malfunctions could cause an uproar. You told him as much when you came home from a show where a coworker's ass cheeks were very very visible from a poorly constructed skirt. You warned your coworker then, allowing them to find a proper cover. Without you, photos would have been…scandalous, to say the least. 

Figured he should do the same. 

“No cause for alarm, but a little bit of your uh…areola is out.” He pointed to the offending breast, "It's like a slight hue shift.” 

Blazer looked down, “Oh, I don't think I've heard someone say Areola out loud before.” She tucked herself in properly and walked to her desk. 

“It doesn’t come up a ton, no.” Robert admitted with a slight shrug. 

Once her clothes were corrected, she put a hand on her hip, “All right, for real now. How do I look?”

Blonde Blazer was definitely a beautiful woman. Her long hair was straight and healthy looking. Her red and gold necklace gave a bit of contrast to the dark blue material of the dress. It hugged her body in a way that accented her natural curves.

If she decided to date in the future, her next partner would be a lucky person.

“Well, you look fully tucked in, which I think we can agree is the most important thing.” He said, giving her a thumbs up, “And you do look nice.”

He’s seen you wear similar things. And every time it took his breath away. Granted, you could wear a plastic bag and he’d think you were the most attractive person on Earth. 

“Better it happened here than on the red carpet.” She agreed, putting her earrings in, “And thank you, Robert.” She gave an appreciative smile, “I was supposed to be going with him, but I don't think he's going to be making it. The downtown branch dropped him…indefinite suspension.” 

There was a loud thump from the outside. Robert walked over to the window, looking out into the parking lot. Phenomaman, the subject of the conversation, was there, lying down on the hood of a silver car. The frame buckled under the super hero's weight. Its alarms blared rather tragically.

“Is that your car?” He asked as Blazer approached. 

She looked confused, “I don't have a car.”

“That's going to be a weird insurance claim…”

“I’d like for you to talk to him.” She suggested, straightening out one of her earrings. She looked at the mess in the parking lot for a moment before facing him. 

Roberts' confusion was apparent, “Me? Why me?”

“You're the pep talk guy,” The blonde nudged him in a friendly way, “You've been through a transition recently yourself. I think he could use some perspective.” 

“Like perspective to join the Z team?” He continued when she looked surprised, “Chase mentioned it.”

She sighed, “Yeah. The only candidates that make sense are him or Water Boy. And at the moment, it's close,” She turned to walk to her desk, “Mostly, I'd like you to get him out of the parking lot. Oh, and tell him to stop with the edible arrangements. He keeps sending them but with all melon….”

Say no more….

“That's disgusting. I'll see what I can do.”

He left Blonde Blazers office, making his way into the parking lot. The day was clear, and the sun was bright, hopefully helping the emotional hero feel even slightly better.

Robert put his hands in his pockets as he approached the wrecked car, “Heya, Phenomaman. How you doin’ bud?” 

The hero was sprawled out on the car, “I have been better Robert Robertson.” He answered, tone clearly depressed, “The Blonde Blazer and I have ended our relationship.”

“Yeah, I uh…I heard about that,” He gave what sympathy he could, “I'm sorry for your, you know, your loss…”

He felt entirely out of his element here. Is that what someone says after a breakup? 

Maybe he should have called you before coming outside…

“It was very abrupt…” He mumbled, “One moment we were savoring uni straight from the urchin, the next moment…I’m contemplating flying into the sun, absorbing all its energy and casting this planet into infinite darkness so that I never have to see her or anyone else ever again…”

Oh that's not good. 

“Maybe then I would be free of the torment in my soul…and maybe then I could quiet my mind to these destructive thoughts…”

Oh that's even worse.

Robert sighed, “Have you considered talking to someone? Maybe seeing a therapist?”

“No.” Was the hero's blunt response. 

“Do you feel better after saying how you feel outloud?” 

“Yes.”

“Thats therapy.”

“I now see there is value in that.” Phenomaman mumbled. However, before anything else could be said, his eyes widened and he sat up with the speed of a bullet.

The former Mecha Man quickly crossed his arms over his face to protect himself from the broken glass.

“Do you think there is someone else?” He asked, not even bothering to ask Robert if he was okay, “Perhaps another lover could be the cause of all this. Maybe she met a person. An actual person. I am not a person. I just resemble one anatomically.” 

The dispatcher was about to respond when he suddenly remembered something. The night he met Blonde Blazer…On the billboard…

Blazer listened before she asked, “How’d you know you loved her?”

“We’ve been together for a while now. And even though I’m a coward who hasn’t proposed yet, I can’t picture anyone else in my life.” Robert answered with a shrug.

After his explanation, she nodded to herself, “Thank you, Robert. You’ve just helped me settle something.” 

Did his words have a hand in the break-up?

“Look, I’m just going to be honest, Blazer and I talked about my relationship and I think I accidentally played a part in her decision.” Robert decided to be honest, “Before you incinerate me, it's worth noting she was the one who asked about my girlfriend first.” 

“Your relationship? Why would she ask about your girlfriend? Was she jealous? This keeps getting worse.”

Back peddle. Back peddle!

“Now hold on, All she asked was how I met my girlfriend and how I knew I loved her,” He tried to ease the hero's questions, “I gave her a rundown of everything. I guess she compared my relationship to yours and realized she wanted to break-up. I think it’s something she’s been thinking about for a while.”

Phenomaman’s eyes were unsettlingly unblinking, “And how do you know you love your girlfriend?”

“Being with her is as easy as breathing,” He tried to explain, “When I kissed her for the first time, I guess I felt a spark and…it never went away. I’m happy with her.”

The emotionally exhausted hero slowly stood from the wrecked car. His muscled form towered over the dispatcher in a terrifying way. He grabbed Robert’s upper arms and lifted him with ease.

Alarm bells ran in his head. If Phenomaman decided that he was the reason for his break-up, the alien could smash his skull in easily. 

He closed his eyes and braced himself, hoping it would be quick. 

Instead…rough, yet warm lips were planted on his own in a gentle kiss. 

The former Mecha Man’s eyes shot open just as the larger hero pulled away.

“I believe our relationship did not have that ‘spark’ you had spoken about.” Phenomaman put him down carefully, and patted his shoulder, “I have much to think about.”

Robert could give him nothing but an awkward, confused smile.

“It seems the velocity with which I sat up has shot shards of glass into your chest.” The taller hero stated, voice sounding a bit less sad than it did a minute ago. 

The dispatcher looked down, noticing the spots of blood on his shirt, “Well…shit.”

That’ll worry you…

Phenomaman stepped back, and bent his knees as if to jump. However, after a second, he let out a soft whine and instead began to walk away with his head hanging low. 

Robert watched him as he crossed the parking lot. 

Was that an HR violation? It has to be right? What was the count? 5 now?

He needed to call you…

[awkward-tension-art]

Morning Wood (Smut)

Robert Robertson x AFAB!reader

Chapter 7. Chapter 9.

All Parts

Warnings: Blow Job, Swearing, Oral sex, Dick sucking, Smut, this is pure smut, this is an optional chapter, Kissing, Messy making out, wet dream, Reader Insert, AFAB reader

Notes: Sorry this took so long! I've stated in my blog that I am a full time cancer researcher, so sometimes studies and long term experiments can take a chunk out of my time. Hopefully this can make up for the wait!

Warm…So warm…

It was warm in the Mecha man suite.

Robert gasped, hands trying to find some sort of purchase to ground him. Grabbing the controls was a bad idea, so he uselessly clawed the seat cushion. 

Your lips were everywhere. On his neck, his cheeks, his lips. Every peck and kiss sent his mind spiraling.

“Babe…please,” He breathed as you licked a fresh hickey on his shoulder, “You’re…driving me crazy.” 

You giggled softly, grinding your hips ever so slightly. Despite him still wearing his hero uniform, he could feel every touch from you through the material. 

His raging hard-on was damn near painful. 

You’ve been at this for what felt like hours.

He just came back from stopping some petty bank robbers. The Mechaman suite was damaged, but not dangerously so. Just a few bullet holes. He landed inside the garage and opened the suit to step out when you pushed him back into the seat and began to fondle him. Things got so heated, you already pulled the zipper of his uniform halfway down his chest. 

And damn did he enjoy this. 

He groaned, “I’m losing my mind…”

“Shhh,” You pulled back to silence him before attacking his neck again. You kept rolling your hips, rubbing his erection through his uniform. His skin was raw at this point but he couldn’t care. 

He felt so…so good. 

“Babe…Can I…?” He begged, “I need to touch you…please…” His shaking hands were at your hips, but you pulled them off, forcing them back onto the seat. 

Only you could do this. Turn him into some yearning, begging mess. 

Your tongue swiped just under his jaw and his eyes rolled back. Your fingers danced over his belt. With skill, you undid the buckle and the thing fell open giving his aching dick some freedom. 

The moan he let out was downright undignified. 

Your laugh at his pathetic noises told him everything. You had a plan. Some way to make him more of a desperate disaster than he already was. 

He didn’t realize you had pulled the zipper of his uniform the rest of the way down. Air hit his naval, sending shivers up his back. One of your hands drew lazy circles down his chest and stomach. 

Your dancing fingers went lower, sipping under the end of the zipper and finally pulling out his aching dick. The head was angry red and already weeping precum. Just from your touches alone. 

A pleased giggle slipped past your lips, “So you were just happy to see me.” You teased, running your thumb on the underside of his cock.

Robert hung his head back, breathing heavily. His fingers flexed, so desperate to touch you. His mind tried to string together some form of coherent thoughts, “Please…please…You’re driving me crazy…”

“Hm…” You hummed, planting soft kisses on his exposed collar, “You have been a good boy…”

The way his dick jerked in your hand at being called a ‘good boy’ was very telling. 

You were going to absolutely abuse that little weakness of his later.

Your kisses continued downward, moving from his collar to his chest. One hand snaked upwards until you ran your fingers through the hair on the back of his neck. You gave the slightest of tugs, earning a breathy moan. 

Holy fuck.

Robert learned so much about himself in the last 2 minutes simply because of you. 

Your mouth continued downward, trailing soft pecks from his chest to his stomach. With each kiss you got closer and closer to his aching erection. His body pulsed with anticipation, the excitement only driving him even more mad. 

You’ve barely touched him and he already felt dangerously close to cumming.

“Babe-”

“Shhh.” You hushed him again, running your hand from the back of his head down his chest to lay flat on his abdomen. 

There wasn’t a lot of room inside the Mecha Man suit. Yet, you managed to move your body to be comfortable between his legs. As if on instinct, he reached down and stroked a shaky hand against your cheek. You tilted your head into the gentle touch for a moment before planting an even softer kiss to the head of his dick. 

Robert leaned his head back with a moan. 

Your tongue ran a line from the base to the tip, tantalizing him even more. One hand began to play with his balls, and the other one on his abs moved down to join your mouth in toying with his shaft. 

He mumbled lowly, taking a deep breath to enjoy the building pleasure, “Fuck…yes…” His fingers returned to their grip on the seat cushion. 

Your happy little laugh sent a spike up his back.

His brown eyes met yours as he watched you slowly wrap your lips around his throbbing tip. Your warm, wet tongue ran over the underside, ripping a husky whine out of his throat. 

You lowered your head further, taking in more of his length. His breath hitched in response, “Babe…” He moaned when you began to bob your head up and down. Whatever you couldn’t swallow, your hand tended to. 

The coil at Robert’s center was already tightly wound up. He knew he wasn’t going to last long at all. And judging by how you took your time to slowly suck him off, you understood and enjoyed that fact. 

“Oh fuck-” He whimpered when your tongue swiped his slit. 

Shit. Fuck. 

You hummed and a shock of pleasure hit him. 

His hands reached for you, finding purchase on your shoulders. His nails dug into the cloth of your shirt. If he went too deep into your skin, you gave no indication of it. 

“I’m gonna-” He warned, chest feeling tight. He was breathless as he moaned and swore in pleasure. He was just at the brink of ecstasy, sending his mind spiralling. 

It wasn’t long after when he came. Stars burst in his vision as euphoria flooded his entire body. The muscles in his legs locked as you continued to lick and suck his cock. Waves of pure pleasure rolled over every cell in his body. You only stopped when he whined at the overstimulation. 

Robert rested his head back, trying to get his breath under control. 

It was warm in the Mecha Man suit…Almost too warm. Sweat dotted his temple. His hero suit even felt a little tight…

He slowly opened his eyes, waking up from his pleasant dream.

The first thing he saw was the ceiling of your apartment. When he tried to sit up, the blanket tangled around his body prohibited it. By the time he managed to throw it off, he noticed your empty side of the floor mattress.

You must’ve left for a photo shoot early that morning.

He groaned, rubbing his face in his hands, “Oh...fuck...”

Well…a shower could help him with his morning wood…

He hoped.

[awkward-tension-art]

I have been extremely busy with some long term experiments. Sorry everyone! Here’s a preview for the first chapter of episode 4

[awkward-tension-art]

Cut

Robert Robertson x AFAB!Reader

Chapter 6. Chapter 8 (Smut)

All Parts.

CW: Swearing, Arguments, Canon typical violence, Robert POV, sabotage, Beef being cute, mentions of drug use, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns, choices based on the play through I watched, MINIMAL PROOFREAD, Canon rewrite, this really is just canon but with reader, no use of (Y/N)

The coffee was bitter as Robert waited for Z-team to convene in the conference room. Once a majority of the former villains had arrived, he put his mug down and stepped inside. 

Sonar and Punch up were talking amongst themselves. Flambae was sitting with his feet on the table, remaining silent. Prism was across from him, looking at her phone. Coupé was leaning against the wall, twirling one of her dark knives. She only shifted when Malevola opened a portal to walk in the room. 

“Can everyone take a seat so we can get started?” Robert began, trying to get their attention. When they bluntly ignored him, he raised his voice and tried again, “Hey, can I get your attention, please? I would like to get started-”

The doors behind him swung open, smacking him in the back. He practically flew forward, landing into a pile of plastic chairs. One of the metal legs stabbed him in the ribs, knocking the wind from his lungs. 

Around him, the Z-team laughed at his misfortune.

“Oh, looks like this motherfucker got the power to fly!” 

“Bobby boy! Watch where you're going, huh?”

With a hiss, he stood and rotated his shoulder. His tired eyes landed on Golem being the one to have tossed him so easily. 

Oh I am not putting up with that.

Robert’s fingers wrapped over the top of one of the orange plastic chairs, “Hey.” He got the construct's attention. Once the hulking brute turned to face him, he threw the chair forward. 

The thin metal legs pierced his muddy form, getting absorbed quickly. 

“I understand you're big, but you need to be considerate of the people around you,” The former Mecha Man chastised him. He walked over to the conference table and pulled out one of the cushioned red chairs, “Have a seat.”

Golem glared. He pulled the orange chair from his body and put it down, “I’ll sit on the floor.”

“Suit yourself."

Behind the construct, the double glass doors opened again. Blonde Blazer, followed by Chase, stepped inside. The look on her face was both confused and concerned, "What's going on?”

“Hmm?” Robert put the chair down and looked back at the hero, “I offered him a seat.”

The ground shook ever so slightly as Golem sat down at the head of the conference table. That was everyone else's cue to sit down as well. 

“So, we gettin’ this party started?” Chase grumbled, still holding Beef securely in his arms. 

Flambae rolled his eyes, “Come on what's this shit about?”

The dispatcher chose to ignore him and instead got directly to business, “Okay. As you know, by the end of today, one of you will be cut from the Z-Team.”

Immediately they began to complain and swear, unhappy with the reinforcement of the news they received earlier.

“This is bullshit.” Malevola snapped, leaning back in her chair.

She’s been vocal about this the entire fuckin’ time.

“Yea you said that already.” He deadpanned in response.

“Cut me from the job I didn't want in the first place.” Punch Up grumbled.

“Ms.Blazer,” Prism said, breaking her silence, “Maybe if you gave us a dispatcher who knew what they were doin’, you wouldn't have to throw no one out.” She held up a hand as she spoke. 

“Hey, Nikki Mirage,” Robert snapped, “I’m standing right here. You can talk to me.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, bitch,” She retorted with venom, “Which weak ass superhero team did you come from? Fuckin’ geek squad?”

“Doesn't matter where I'm from, Cardi C,” He responded with another insult basically calling her an offbrand pop star, “what matters is I'm here to figure out who stays and who goes.”

“Chill out Lady Haha,” Punch Up decided to chime in with his own low blow, “Let the man talk.”

Third time the charm, Prism wasn’t going to take any more. With surprising speed she managed to grab one of Coops’ knives and get across the table. The blade was at the smaller man's neck in less than a second.

That's…rather impressive. 

Blazer didn’t seem to think so. She got into a stance ready to leap in and stop a potential fight, “Ok! Woah! Woah!”

“You talkin’ shit, you hipster motherfucker?” The pink and blue haired woman hissed, pressing the knife into his skin, “Over here lookin’ like Mumford fucked all his sons.” 

In response, Punch Up chuckled, “That was funny, see?” His grey eyes darted to Robert, “We’re just bustin’ balls.”

“Keep talking,” Prism had a smirk, “You won't have your tiny inbred balls left to bust.” She pulled back, handing the knife back to coop. 

The other woman took the weapon back, “Ask next time. Or there won’t be a next time.”

“Don't threaten me, you butter knife bitch!”

Robert could see why you followed each other on Instagram…

“Okay, I'll make this quick.” Robert got control of the meeting again once Prism sat down, “Most people will look around this room and see a bunch of villains. Not even the super kind. Just plain ass run-of-the-mill vanilla fuckin’ villains,” He had to make his words hurt, otherwise they wouldn’t listen, “But that’s not what I see…Cuz lucky for you, I’m not most people. When I look around this room, what I see is potential.”

Malevola snarked, “Got there in the end.”

He ignored her and continued, “Unfortunately for you, it's a curse. Cuz there isn't a thing in the universe that goes more wasted than potential,” He began to walk around the conference room, “And despite how common it is, no one seems to forget. It's what they whisper when you leave the room. ‘Oh, so and so had so much potential’. It follows you forever.” His eyes landed on Flambae specifically when he spoke that last part. 

Fucker was missing a tooth because he wanted to squander his potential.

“I'm here to help you lift the curse of potential by getting you to fucking do something with it.” He stepped back to the front of the room, “You're all part of the Phoenix program. Any of you know what a phoenix is?”

“Ooh. Um, city in Arizona.” Malevola responded. 

At least he knew that she was listening.

“The sweltering ballsack of America.” Flambae shrugged. 

Chase chimed in with his own aside, “Nah. If Florida's the dick, then Louisiana's got to be the ball sack.”

Getting off topic.

“The Phoenix," Robert shot a glare at his old friend before continuing, “according to legend is a beautiful bird of prey that was so tired of its immortality it tricked the sun god into dropping a spark on its nest to set it ablaze. Burning it to shit.” 

Beef sniffed the air before sneezing once. He looked around, trying to find someone or something. 

“But instead of dying the phoenix emerged from ash, reborn.” The former hero continued, “all of you in this room, like the phoenix, have set this program ablaze with your bullshit.” He slammed his hands on the table, “I'm pushing the dumpster fire away from the building while we figure out if you want to take this seriously.” 

Sonar looked down, as if truly thinking. Was he feeling shame or boredom? Robert didn’t know, nor did he care at the moment.

“The phoenix symbolizes redemption. It's what you're here for. It’s what connects everyone in this room. To burn up who you were to become who you were meant to be.” 

It was cheesy. A cliche line straight from a movie, but it would get the point across.

Until Visi popped up in the seat next to Malevola, “Phoenix is also a lame ass band my lame ass roommate listens to.”

“You're late.” Robert deadpanned. 

“I like that band…” Malevola sounded dejected beside her.

“You would.” Invisigal shot back to her before turning back to their dispatcher, “What are you talking about? I was here the whole time. I turn invisible genius, remember?”

Chase coughed behind him, “Bullshit.”

…Bullshit is right. 

“Great.” He shrugged, "Then you know we’re cutting someone. And you, Miss Hot Topic sale, are at the bottom of the leaderboards.” 

She looked angry. Angry and upset. 

“Have a better second shift.” Robert tapped the table to punctuate his point before walking out of the conference room. His destination was the lounge where he refilled his mug with hot coffee and a packet of twinkies. 

His phone buzzed. A text from you.

-How is my baby?

He laughed softly.

-Beef or me?

You replied quickly.

-Both <3

He responded.

-Chase may never give your baby back.

Three dots followed for a moment before your text popped up.

-Beef or you?

-Pick one.

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked back to his desk. He tossed the twinkies down and turned the computer on. The screen lit up with the portraits of the entire Z-team again. Once his headset was on, Blazer greeted him kindly. 

“Great speech back there, Robert.”

“...Thanks.”

“Alright everyone! You heard the man!” She was upbeat and optimistic, “Get out there and do some stellar dispatching. You got this!”

The first call came in. He sent Coupé. No issues. 

Then the second. He sent Flambae. Again, no issues. 

Then the third. And fourth. The rest of the calls also went well enough.

No more issues. No sabotage. Just a completely normal shift. 

Robert was relieved. Either his words got through to them or the meeting scared them into shaping up. It didn’t really matter. He wasn’t going to complain. 

That was until Invisigal’s portrait lit up red. The computer screen flashed with a warning. 

HERO OUT OF COVERAGE AREA.

The dispatcher furrowed his brow, “Invisigal where are you going?”

He typed on his keyboard quickly, zoning in on her location. Hacking into the security cameras was easy once he figured out where she was. 

The former villain was in a playground. She was smoking a cigarette on a swing, as the sun was sinking low behind her. She looked…lonely. Sad. a far cry from the anger and frustration from the earlier meeting. 

“Are you smoking in a playground? The fucks wrong with you?” He asked, brow raised. There were some teenagers that were sitting on a bench not far from her. She didn’t seem to care though. 

“There you go. One more strike against me.” She scoffed, “You’ve gotta get rid of somebody right? I’m making it easy for you.”

Damn…she was giving up? 

“No…You’re quitting. You're not making it easy for me,” He responded, “Your making it easy for you.” 

Jesus Christ he sounded like his dad. 

Invisigal lowered her cigarette, “You don’t get it. Some people are born to be heroes…I’m not one of them.” She leaned back in the swing, “I tried. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

“Meant to be? What are you talking about?”

“Blazer? Phenomaman? They have hero powers,” She sounded as if this was the most obvious thing, “Strong, out there for all to see, flying through the sky. Nothing to hide.” She began to swing, looking up at the darkening sky as she did so. 

He knew what she was saying, but he wanted her to say it aloud, "What's your point?”

She planted her black boots into the ground and stopped swinging, “I have fucking villain powers!” her laugh was bitter, “I can turn invisible and skulk in the shadows. My power let me steal shit and watch famous people fuck. Being a villain is my fate. It’s in the fucking stars.”

Robert thought for a moment. 

Did he believe in destiny? Maybe. Maybe not. He hadn’t truly thought about it. 

“You make your own destiny…” He responded, leaning forward to put his elbows on his knees. 

“Where’d you get that? Kung-fu Panda?”

“Lion King.” Was his short response.

“Boomer.” She snorted, “I think it's in Trolls 2 also.”

“All fine films with a fine message.” He laughed softly. 

He wanted to continue, but Visi cut him off, “You’ve already been a hero, okay? You have no idea what I'm dealing with.” 

He rolled his eyes, “Ah, get outta here. At least you were born with powers. I don’t have shit.” She would know of the destroyed Mecha Man suit. She would know he had almost nothing after his entire life blew up, “So according to your dumbass theory I should be an accountant.”

Honestly, without you. Your support. He’d probably be somewhere else entirely. In a job he hated more than this one.

Robert could see her inhale with the cigarette between her lips. Once happy with her smoking, she said, “You aren’t far off.”

“Fate. Destiny. Not having powers. Seasonal depression.” He listed off some of the stops in his life, “None of these things kept me from being a hero before. And they won’t keep me from being a hero again.” 

“Well you also have a smokin’ hot girlfriend to motivate you too.” 

He’d be sure to tell you the compliment.

He wanted to respond but his attention was taken by a flashing on the computer screen. A red and black warning popped up repeatedly. 

BURGULARY IN PROGRESS

The screen showed him the location. It looked like a jewelry store, and right beside it, was a photo of Thunderstruck. 

Well well well… Can’t give up just yet. 

“Oh my god. You wanna talk about fate?” He couldn’t hide the laugh that bubbled up in his throat, “That Lightningstruck fuck that’s been on a spree is two blocks from her location. Maybe the third time's the charm?”

“I told you, I’m out.” Invisigal sounded defeated. Done. She was dead set on giving up.

She just needed some riling up.

“You really want to let this idiot get one over on you a third time? The day’s not done. Get this guy and it could make a difference.”

He could see her eyes roll from the security camera, “He stole a roll of pennies out of the cash register at Granny's. I don't think he's moving the needle.” 

Robert smirked, “Oh, he's about to steal a quarter of a million dollars of jewelry.”

Her surprise was clear, “Oh shit…respect.”

“So go move the needle.” The former hero encouraged, “Or are you just going to sit there and subject kids to secondhand smoke?”

Invisigal stood and despite her dispatchers chastising, she gave one of the nearby teens her cigarette and rushed over to the robbery location.  Once there, she slipped inside the building with relative ease. 

Hacking into the camera system took some time, but by the time Robert was done, Invisigal already choked out one of the robbers. Their unconscious body was behind a counter, staying out of sight of the others. 

Thunderstruck was perceptive. He looked around, “Where’s your boy?”

Before the second robber could answer, Visi took him down without making a noise. 

The lack of response caused the villain to arm his weapon, “Shit.”

It was hard to see from the security camera, but Robert could make a good guess that she was trying to unsettle her target. She kicked up broken glass, and brushed some of the hanging necklaces on display. It was a clever tactic. 

Thunderstruck started to fire wildly, trying to hit her. The damage to the building would easily hit the 100’s of thousands by this point. 

The problem now was that the former hero lost sight of her, “Invisigal, are you alright?” He controlled the camera and managed to find her crouched low behind another display case. 

“Yeah, I'm fine. Just help me find this fucker.” She hissed lowly. 

After looking around briefly he found the villain again, “Got him. He's at your 5 o’clock.” 

“It's not fair that you can see me, but I can't see you,” Thunderstruck taunted, prowling around still. He huffed and fired his electric weapon again. 

The blast knocked down the camera, disconnecting Robert from the visual feed. 

“I'm-I'm flying blind here. I can't see anything.” He warned Visi, typing rapidly to get into another camera, “Give me a second to tap into this.”

After some more rushed typing, he managed to find a vulnerability. 

LOW-LIGHT MODE DETECTED

He worked fast, breaking through the firewalls quickly. A few times his fingers hit the wrong keys, but he corrected any mistakes swiftly.

//>> CAMERA OVERRIDE COMPLETE

“Got it. I can see again.”

“That makes one of us. So, where the hell is he?” Visi sassed, keeping low. 

Robert had to hack another camera, but once he had access, he found Thunderstruck, “He's at your seven.”

The villain was checking the pulse of one of the robbers behind the counter. Once getting his answer, he stood and aimed his weapon, going on the prowl again.

“He’s heading your way.” The dispatcher warned. 

Damnit! Invisigal needed help. He threw her into this with no backup. 

Robert broke into further internal systems. He saw the electrical system, the sprinkler system and the HVAC system…

Electrical system!

“Invisal, I got a plan.” He broke through to the master lights, giving him the ability to help, “On the count of three, I'm going to turn on the main overhead lights, which should temporarily blind him, giving you a chance to take him out.”

He could see her nod on the camera. 

1…

2…

3!

Robert pressed the button, turning on the store's lights all at once. The brightness caused Thunderstruck to jerk and close his eyes on instinct. 

“Fuck!” He swore, lowering his head for a moment. 

The moment was all Invisigal needed. 

She dashed out from behind the counter and disappeared. Not even half a second later, the former villain punched him across the face. 

He stumbled, and fired his weapon, missing his target. 

She hit him again and again all the while avoiding the lethal shots from his electrical canons. 

Visi got her hands on a pearl necklace and managed to get on his back, wrapping it around his neck. She pulled, tightening the line. 

Thunderstruck thrashed and fought. He shot all around the two of them. His blaster trailed up on the ceiling, scarring the building. Damage could easily hit the 500,000 range.

Invisigal gave one more heave, breaking the necklace and throwing the robber to the ground. Before he could stand and do more damage, she slammed her combat boot on his stomach. 

“I'm no hero. Fuck…No, let me try that again,” She moved, stepping on his neck to further cut off his oxygen, “Now you see me… Uh…what about lights out, Thundercuck?” 

The villain under her boot reached up shakily before losing consciousness entirely. 

Victory.

“That's the one. Would have been better if you said it first.” Robert leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms with a smile. 

“Right? Cuz lightning, thunder. Struck. Cuck. Fuck. So close!” Her frustration was clearly lighthearted. By the time she made it back to SDN with Thunderstruck in handcuffs, she was elated at her victory. 

Several members of the Z-team greeted her with caps and applause. 

“Hey bangle boy!” Flambae taunted the defeated villain, “More like bangle bitch!” 

“Or bitch boy!” Prism chimed in.

Robert watched beside Blonde Blazer, entirely confused, “Why are those assholes not being assholes?”

Blazer laughed beside him, “Isn't this what you were going for?”

“Yeah, but I didn't think it would work…I don’t get it.”

The blonde hero pointed to the headset that was resting on his neck, “This one,” she pointed to the blue button, “Keeps the comm line one-on-one.” She pointed to the green button below it, “This one connects to the whole team,” She then moved her finger to the last red one, “And this one goes out to the entire branch.”

“Fuck.” He cringed before watching the Z-team take pictures with each other. They all had goofy ass expressions, clearly having a good time. 

“You got off light,” She tried to comfort, “One dispatcher broadcast the details of his botched circumcision. HR nightmare.” Blazer then turned to face him, “Did you mean all that? You really think she has a shot?”

“I want it to work,” He admitted, looking at his boss, “Someone like Invisigal turning it around is what this program should be about,” It hasn’t been long but he was already fond of the former villain. She truly seemed ready to change for the better, “I'm rooting for her.”

“So am I. I'm glad we're on the same page,” Her smile was genuine as she spoke. She motioned for him to follow her to her office so the two of them could talk privately. 

Robert gave one last look at the team before he followed her. 

On her large wooden desk were two files. One for Sonar. One for Coupé. 

“So, it's between Sonar and Coop.” Blonde Blazer stated. 

Now there was confusion. 

“What? That's not…No, Invisigal is still at the bottom of the board.” While he wanted Invisigal to do well, he wasn’t expecting this last mission to have brought her up so high. 

For a moment Blazer looked as though she didn’t know what he was talking about, “Oh, the one in the bullpen. That thing updates every hour. Invisagel moved up. Catching Lightningstruck really gave her a huge boost.”

Robert sat down at her desk, “Bangle boy. Really?”

She raised a hand to count her fingers, “The doughnut shop escape. Slipping past Malevola. Now the jewelry store…really bumped up the wanted levels.”

Well when she put it like that…“It's like missing the free throw on purpose to get the put back.”

“Yeah, exactly. I don't watch football, but I get it,” She shrugged, “Look, I know I'm not supposed to play favorites here, but even if she was on the bottom, I'm not sure I'd have let you cut her.”

Blonde Blazer really wanted Invisigal to succeed… It was honestly kind of sweet. 

“Good thing she’s not.” He didn’t want to think about the HR problems that would arise from keeping Invisigal when she was supposed to be cut. 

“Yeah. So, these two are now tied for last place,” She pushed the files closer to him, “Who do we cut? Sonar or Coupe? It's your call.”

His brown eyes looked over the pages. Sonar was straight forward, white collar crimes. Coupé…alot of black boxes covered her file. He knew she was an assassin, but everything surrounding her was a mystery. 

He picked up hers, “Coupe, if I'm honest, she still feels alittle…”

“Evil?”

He nodded. 

“Yeah, it's too bad. All right, I'll get started on the paperwork.” Blazer picked up her pen and began to write some notes on the file. 

“I'll let her know.” the former hero stood up, “Feels important that I do.”

“Great work today, Robert.” She gave a small wave as he walked out of her office.

He found Coupé quickly and brought her to the conference room. She sat down across from him with her arms crossed. 

“I'm sure you already know why I've asked you here.” Robert rested his arms on the large table. He wanted to make this quick. 

“You would be mistaken.” She responded rather coldly. 

“Oh, okay. Um, well, I'm letting you go,” He was blunt, “You're at the bottom of the leaderboards. I guess all those penalties for…you know, cutting people added up, I'm sorry.”

She tensed, anger flashing across her face, “but I cheered for Invisigal…”

“You did. I saw that. That was cool of you.”

“I only did that because I thought she was being cut.” Coupé hissed.

“Oh, that makes sense. A lot of sense, actually,” He nodded, “Yeah. Well, she snuck past you with the last dispatch.”

The assassin stood suddenly, throwing one of her knives down. The shadows of her powers dissipated around it, adding to the intimidation. 

Robert wasn’t fazed, “That's uh…Wow, look at that. That's very menacing. Well, thank you.” His voice was flat, all but telling her that the petty threat failed. 

She threw another knife to her left, shattering one of the glass windows of the conference room as she stormed off. 

That’ll require paperwork…

He pulled the knife from the wooden conference table and walked back to his desk with it. He dropped the weapon in the pencil holder and crossed his arms, inspecting his desk.

“you accessorizing?” Chase snarked, leaning against the divider between their desks. 

“You could call it that.” Robert shrugged. 

The former speed hero raised a brow, “Where’d you even get it?”

“Coop.” He answered, “She left a souvenir for me after I cut her.”

“She’s threatening you, Robert.”

“I know. Trying to put a positive spin on it.”

Chase quickly changed the subject, “Hey, check it out. I've been doing some accessorizing myself.” He pointed behind him with his thumb.

With a raised brow the former Mecha Man stepped over. 

On the floor was a blue and white dog bed with Beef laying down on top of the plush cushion. Around him were some chew toys for him to play with. 

“You’re spoiling him. Just like my girlfriend,” He deadpanned, putting his hands in his pockets. 

“Nonsense.” Chase rolled his eyes, “What are you talking about?”

He knelt, picking up his fat chihuahua in his arms, “You ready to go home, bud?” Once he stood straight, his friend beside him nudged his arm.

Once Robert looked up, he understood why. 

Invisigal was standing in front of the leaderboard. The names and numbers shifted, and once it was finished, she was no longer at the bottom. Which she pulled out her phone and took a picture of. The flash went off once and she looked satisfied by the image. 

That was until she saw the two of them staring at her. She disappeared in embarrassment. 

Robert was about to say goodbye to Chase when Beef sneezed again. 

His older friend crossed his arms, “I still would have cut you.” He stated flatly, knowing that she had approached them.

“Well no one fuckin’ asked you, old man.” Invisigal reappeared, sassing back. 

“Lucky fuckin’ for you.” 

The former villain reached up and pet Beef. She waited for a second before looking up at Robert, “Thanks.” She muttered, disappearing again.

He smiled softly before he remembered something. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent a message to you.

-I want you to know, someone on my team thinks you're hot. I agree. 

-I’m flattered <3.

IMG Attached

You responded with an image. Of you. 

In lingerie. 

“Alright Chase, I'm going home.”

[awkward-tension-art]

Turnover

Robert Robertson x AFAB!Reader

Chapter 5. (SMUT) Chapter 7.

All Parts

CW: Swearing, Arguments, Canon typical violence, Robert POV, sabotage, Beef being cute, mentions of drug use, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns, choices based on the play through I watched, MINIMAL PROOFREAD, Canon rewrite, this really is just canon but with reader, no use of (Y/N)

“Faka!” 

You flinched at the loud, thunderous clatter that came from Royd trying to put the Mecha Suit’s right leg inside the moving truck. You were helping your boyfriend and his coworker move schematics and parts right before you had to go into your agency for a fashion shoot. Once this was done, you’d take your car and go. 

“Woah woah woah!” Robert called down from the apartment porch, “What are you doing?” You could see the concern and anger even from three floors up. 

Effortlessly, Royd picked up the blue mechanical leg, “Bruddah…your warranty…already void.” He tossed the poor limb deeper into the truck. 

You stepped beside him and put down a box labeled “Wiring.” Of course you didn’t do any of the heavy lifting…Royd seemed to have that covered.

“How can you just toss it around like that?” Your boyfriend had rushed to the ground floor in his socks. He was clearly focused on his coworkers' treatment of the Mecha suit. 

“No worries!” Royd turned, giving Robert a nonchalant smile, “I pretty strong.”

He, however, shook his head, placing the box he was carrying into the truck, "That's not what I’m saying.”

“How you got dis ting inside your apartment anyway? Supah heavy da buggah.”

Robert made sure some smaller items and boxes were secure before turning to respond, “My girlfriend and I disassembled it and took it in little pieces. Which is what I thought you’d be doing.”

You frowned at the memory. Robert had just been cleared to leave the hospital temporarily, and instead of resting, he and you worked to disassemble the suit. Thankfully it had been taken and kept out of the public eye by the authorities. They only gave it back under the condition you two did all the work. 

Royd crossed his arms with a knowing smile, “And how long did that take you?”

“Three days,” You answered for your boyfriend, “Robert did a lot of it, but when he had to return to the hospital, I did what I could.”

You didn’t miss Robert’s appreciative yet guilty smile.

“Which, I was happy to do.” You approached him and gave a peck to his cheek in reassurance. 

Royd however, began walking back into the apartment, “I got 20 minutes.” He sassed slightly. 

The two of you followed him inside and up the stairs, Robert chastising slightly, “I just feel like you could be a little gentler with it. It is, you know, my whole fucking life.”

The larger man paused, looking over your home with a frown. Clearly he wasn't listening. After a moment he spoke, “Evy time I walk in dis place, I get sad.” He commented about the apartment, “That not happen to you?”

Hey! It’s not that bad!

Robert snapped, clearly at his wits end, “We’re poor, Royd. That what you want to hear?”

“Even with your modeling gigs?” His question was directed at you. 

“Half my paycheck goes to ‘booking fees’ and a quarter of what 's left gets garnished to ‘running out mid show with a gown made of diamonds because my boyfriend exploded.’" You sassed him, kneeling to carry another box. 

“Brah, you both not poor if you can keep this suit going.” Your boyfriends coworker seemed to shrug off what you had said, “Like you sleep on a mattress on the floor? Das how you get mold.” Royd took the box you were carrying from your arms, “All you got is dat bubblegum chair and scratched up dining set.” 

“I like the dining set.” You mumbled, crossing your arms. 

“This da type of apartment you see, when da detective kick da door in, you know?” He put the box on the kitchen counter and started to dig through it, “Shine da flashlight? serial killah shit.”

It's not that bad!

Sure, the wall was cracked, and the floor was stained. Maybe you had an occasional cockroach scuttle in. And half the outlets didn’t work, but it was your home!

It just needed some love and care. 

And money…

You could save up for a bed frame. It’s been a couple of weeks since you got the job at the Sardine, and villains tipped decently well. It would take a lot of time, but you and Robert could get the apartment presentable. 

“Where da Astral Pulse at?” Royd interrupted your thoughts. 

Robert answered for you, “Lost it in the blast while I was flying. No clue where it landed.” He said, “My girlfriend spent two weeks after it happened trying to track it down.”

“I looked everywhere. Even considered hiring a diving team in case it somehow ended up in the ocean.” You said, kneeling to pet Beef. The dog had been a good boy, staying inside while everyone went back and forth through the apartment, “No trace of it.”

“It power da whole suit!” Robert’s coworker closed the box and looked at him. 

“Yeah, it’s the only part of the suit my dad didn’t have schematics for.” Robert responded, “Is that gonna be a problem?” 

Royd looked down, thinking for a moment. His thick eyebrows furrowed slightly, “Eh, minor.” He shrugged, picking the box easily in his hands, “we figure em out.”

Your phone buzzed with your alarm and you checked the time, “Shoot. Gotta go.” You got to your feet and quickly gave Robert a loving kiss on the cheek, “I’ll pick you up later. Love you.” 

Your boyfriend grabbed your arm to give a proper kiss to your lips, “Love you too, be safe.” He nodded with a small smile. 

You returned the smile and rushed out of the apartment to get to your agency.

“I tell you,” Royd gave Robert a look once you were out of sight, “Love like dat, only comes rarely.” 

“I know,” He rubbed the back of his neck, “She deserves better.” 

His colleague shrugged, “Maybe. Maybe not. You aren’t the one in charge of dat.” Without another word, he walked out of the apartment to put the last box inside the trunk.

Robert grabbed Beef and followed, remaining silent. Royd talked on and on about the suit, and the mechanics behind it. But there was still one question on his mind…

“How’d you know about the Astral Pulse?” Mecha Man didn’t ever speak about it. It was such a critical part of the suit, and an easy exploitation for villains. The damn thing was the never ending battery of the entire legacy. 

“Hoooo, bruddah. Everybody know about da pulse.” Royd answered once the truck was parked in SDN’s garage. He began to unload, grabbing one of the suit's legs and dragging it out, “It actually two wicked pieces of tech, yeah?” He hoisted the mechanical limb over his shoulder, “First you get the Astral Pulse, dis genius design energy cell, but inside ‘em you got the Stellar Core.”

Robert watched Royd effortlessly carry the thing. Despite offering to help, his coworker kept talking about the Astral Pulse.

“Wus crazy is when you mix da control fusion reactions wit da plasma containment? Hoooo bruddah, You gotta core one supah crazy energized plasma state.” He kept going, walking through the halls of SDN’s back rooms, “unreal stuffs. Like you caught one small star and trap em in a bottle.” 

I have no idea what he’s talking about…

Robert knew hacking. He knew fighting crime. He knew the mechanics of his Astral Suit He did NOT know anything about energy reactions or trapping stars in bottles.

“So, you can just make me a new one, right?” He looked to Royd as they walked, “Which is why it's not a problem.”

“Da Astral Pulse supah awesome, but uhh…we’ll be alright!” The taller man reassured with a smile.

The two of them walked through glass double doors, into SDN’s engineering lab. Pieces of the Mecha Suit, tools and small machinery were scattered throughout the area. Beef sniffed the air, taking in the scent of metal and oil. 

“Phew. Damn.” Royd walked further into the lab before putting the leg down next to a metal table, “Maybe we go for lightah metals dis time, eh?” He knelt, looking over the piece briefly, “You know, I actually met your dad one time, long time ago.” He said.

The former hero perked up. He looked to Royd before gazing back up at what remains of the Mecha Man suit.

“First time I come mainland,” his coworker explained, “He wen catch me tryin’ fo’ steal stuff from Radio Shack,” He admitted, keeping a nostalgic smile, “Den we talk tech stuff fo’ like one whole hour. Den he wen take me jail.” He turned, looking over at him, "That's how I ended up in the Phoenix program.”

Robert approached, kneeling to put Beef down. It was nice to know Royd’s past and how he moved on from it, “That's longer than any conversation I ever had with him.” He admittedly quietly, rubbing his dogs head. 

There was a stretch of silence before the other man broke it. 

“Bummahs.”

They both laughed and stood. Royd approached a working table and began to press buttons and straighten tools. 

“Guess when you're building Astral Pulses, there's not much time for talking to your son,” The former hero watched his colleague work. 

Royd’s brow furrowed, “Hmmm…not so sure bout dat.” 

What?

“I don’t understand.”

He continued to explain, “You see, there's gearheads, then there's science nerds. One kind garage, the other kind lab, you know?” His fingers pressed more buttons on a keyboard before moving around the lab, “Yo faddah a good gearhead but I just can't see how he make something like da Pulse. He no science nerd.”

Robert followed him along, “How would you know this from talking to him once?”

“Cuz, I’m both. I’m da one gon fix yo suit.”

Royd hit a button and the lights faded off. Once the room darkened, some panels on the wall lifted, revealing a higher tech lab. Screens lit up the area in a blue light. Mechanical arms moved about the area. The entire place looked like it was pulled from a sci-fi film. 

“Dat one ovah der.” Royd pointed to the scrapped Mecha Man suit, “dat your faddah suit.” He leaned over a counter, typing away on some keys, “We gonna make dis one da Robert suit.”

As soon as he explained, a hologram beamed up from the counter. It revealed the model for the future Mecha Man suit. There were detailed pop ups containing information and schematics. 

Robert was in awe, approaching with eyes wide, “This…is incredible, Royd.” He reached up, as if to touch the suit. The hologram spun the model, giving the both of them a 360° view of everything. He could see the structure, the wiring and each individual screw. 

Holy fuck, Royd was amazing!

“We make da man mecha again,” The taller man held up a bro-fist. 

Robert returned it with a smile. 

This was an absolute dream!

As soon as he was in the elevator to get upstairs to the SDN offices, he pulled out his phone, seeing that he had a text from you. Beef remained obediently in the box he was carrying as he typed with one hand. 

-BABE, ITS TIME FOR TEA

IMG Attached

You sent him a screen shot of some text messages you exchanged with another model. The person you were texting sent ‘I just finished my shift. Girl, I think Blonde Blazer and Phenomaman broke up.’ with you following up with a key smash and ‘WTF’

Your stage name allowed you to keep an eye and ear to the latest gossip. Usually he wasn’t interested, but he figured you sent him this because it was his boss and her (potentially ex) boyfriend.

Robert typed a response but he didn’t entirely watch where he was going. As he walked down the hall, a large….being shoulder checked him. His phone slipped from his hand and landed in an empty trash bin. 

“Kobe.” The stranger mumbled, not even bothering to look back. 

He knelt and picked up his phone, not even bothering to say anything to the passerby. Instead, he looked at his loyal pup, “Think he did that on purpose?”

Beef responded by licking his face. 

He made it to his desk without further incident and set Beef’s box down on top of the filing cabinet. Once his dog was secured, he finished typing.

-I can try to confirm for you.

- Thank you for enjoying tea time <3

He smiled softly before picking up Beef's pillow from the box. He was about to get to work but a note on his keyboard caught his eye. 

The paper was wet. Black ink was smudged and running down the page. It was difficult to make out any words, but he did read ‘To Robert’ and ‘Waterboy’ followed by a smiley face. He checked the back of it for anything else, and put the note to the side to dry. 

“Hey Chase,” He called to his old friend in the cubicle beside him, “I need a favor.” He put the pillow under his desk, out of the way of his feet. 

Chase popped his head over the divider, “A favor? It’s not enough of a favor gettin’ you this job workin’ with those stupid ass-Oh! Whose this, huh? Whose this little guy?” The older man immediately stopped his rant to coo over Beef. 

“His names Beef and he’s the favor.” Robert answered, straightening the dog's pillow. You mind keeping an eye out? I feel bad leaving him at home alone since my girlfriend has a shoot-” He stopped, looking up to see Chase already holding his dog close. 

In a full serious tone, his old friend spoke, “Robert, I would let everyone here melt in eternal hell, including you, before anything happens to this dog.” 

Before the former hero could respond, Blonde Blazer approached curiously, "What's your name, little guy?” Her voice immediately took the tone of baby talk as she rubbed the chihuahua’s belly. 

Robert covered his mouth and spoke in a strange muppet voice, “My names Beef and I’m naked.” he joked. 

“Oh no,” Blazer snorted, “I refuse to believe that's what he sounds like.” She gave Beef one more belly rub before straightening, “Robert, you got a sec?”

“Sure, yeah.”He shared a look with Chase before following the blonde hero to her office. Once in the doorway, he looked at her in concern, “What’s up?”

She closed the door behind him, “About the other day…with Phenomaman…”

He perked up, “Oh yea, how was dinner?” 

Figured he’d ask since he knew you’d be curious to confirm.

“Oh it was awkward…” She admitted, “It's why I didn’t want you to come. Phenomaman and I broke up.”

Oh shit you were right. 

“Over Tokyo dream sushi?”

She looked away, “Yeah, it’s just…The timing felt right.” She explained, sounding sure in her decision, “Sometimes you gotta shake shit up. And frankly…I just realized something about the relationship.”

He remembered the night they met. She asked about his relationship with you. After his explanation, she said the words, “You’ve just helped me settle something.”

This sounded like something she was planning for a while. 

“Hey…I’m really sorry to hear that.” Robert offered some sympathy. Breakups were hard, even if they were a long time coming. 

Blazer gave him a small smile. Appreciation was written all over her face before she turned to her desk, “It is what it is.” She said sitting down, “But that's actually not what I wanted to talk to you about. I was thinking about it over the weekend and…I’m going to cut someone from the Z-team.”

Robert sat down across from her. He stayed quiet, letting her finish. 

“Or, you are, rather.” She rested her hands on her large wooden desk, “Maybe I’m just looking to shake things up all over the place.” 

“...You sure about that?” The move was sudden. It felt somewhat…impulsive. 

“Well, less sure now. You think it's a bad idea?”

He admitted, “I’m just not sure how it’ll play out.”

The blonde hero explained further, hoping to quell any doubts, “The reality is cutting someone towards the bottom of the leaderboards will show everyone we're serious.”

Robert looked down in thought for a moment. The team would most likely be upset at such a revelation, “I’ll let the team know.” He moved to stand. 

“Oh, I already did.” She responded. 

Oh boy…

“I suppose it'll be an interesting shift…”

As soon as the former hero stepped out of the office, he pulled out his phone and texted you. 

-Babe, you were right, they broke up. 

Sent. Unread.

You were most likely busy at the shoot today. It would probably be hours before you could check your phone. Hours of back-to-back photos, makeup touch ups and whatever else your agency put you through.

Once he had a cup of coffee, Robert paused in front of the leader board. The names and points were listed in order of place. 

Flambae 81

Malevola 78

Punch Up 72

Golem 66

Prism 52

Coupé 44

Sonar 41

Invisigal 25

Well, if she didn’t get some more points soon, it looked like Invisigal would be cut from the Z-team. 

“Cut day, huh?” Chase had joined him, still holding Beef securely in his arms, “Eh, she ain’t bad,” He pointed to Malevola’s name before pointing lower, “Those three ain't shit.”

“Did you come over here to tell me that?” Robert sassed, “Cuz it's almost exactly the information a leaderboard gives you.”

“Actually, smartass,” His old friend snapped, “I came over to tell you that one of your team members is in need of assistance.”

With a sigh, he walked to his desk. On the screen of the computer, a red outline was blinking over Sonar’s photo. 

“Sonar, you all right?” Robert quickly viewed the security camera feed around the Harvard graduates location, “Why are you sending a distress call when you haven't left the building?”

He was in the gym, handcuffed to a squat rack. The rack itself was loaded with all of the weights. Clearly he wouldn’t have been able to lift the bar. 

“Could you send a locksmith downstairs?” Sonar sounded embarrassed. 

“What happened?” Robert could already feel the headache at his temples. 

He sighed, tugging the handcuffs, “Coop seduced me…”

Coop laughed slightly over the call, “No, I said, "Hey, want to say something cool?" and then handcuffed you to a squat rack.” 

“But you said it with a hot voice, so I assumed you meant boobs!”

There's the headache…

“Okay, team. I know Blazer mentioned someone's getting cut, but don't let that distract you from doing a good job out there. That's what you'll be judged on.”

Malevola grumbled immediately, “What a bunch of bullshit…”

“Sorry. What's bullshit?” The dispatcher challenged her attitude. 

“The judgey bullshit.” 

Prism chimed in, “Yeah, only God can judge me.”

He sipped his coffee, “Okay, false. I am judging you right now.”

Malevola spoke up again, her frustration clear, "It's bullshit cuz it's not like you got to deal with this kind of bullshit.”

Robert let out a bitter snort, “Uh, also false. Of course, I'm being judged along with the rest of you. Are you–Do you not know what a job is? What the hell is going on?” 

This team acted like fucking clowns. 

Invisigal spoke up, “None of us have had real jobs, dude. How is this a surprise to you?”

Son of a bitch…

“All right, fine. Just ignore the pressure and do your jobs.” He was at his wits-end and the shift just started, “You don't need to be first. You just can't be last.”

Sonar mumbled, “What about me?”

God damnit.

“Can somebody go down to the gym and help Bat Boner?” Robert stood to ask anyone near his desk to help the stupid former villain. 

Silently, Chase stood to stare at him with a raised brow.

“Don’t ask.”

Focus on the shift. Focus on the shift. Get through the day. You can do this Robert.

For the first few calls, things seemed…fine. Normal. As normal as could be with the Z-team. 

Until…

“Oh…Lord above.” Punch Up groaned, “I set me coffee down for two fucking seconds…”

“Punch ups gonna be taking a shit.” Golem answered in response to the smaller man’s sudden pain. 

…Did…Golem put laxatives in Punch Up’s coffee?!

“Uh-huh. You know, this is uh…really fucking immature, guys…” Robert pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Sabotage…great…

“Serves them right,” Coop mumbled, “You let your guard down, you perish.”

“That's a pretty fucked way to live.”

“Emphasis on ‘live.’” She responded coldly. 

The former hero tried to stamp out this bullshit quickly, “Oh my god. You do realize that sabotaging each other isn't going to guarantee you a spot on the team, right? Fucking idiots…”

He sent Sonar on a drug bust, and Malevola to break up a tailgate fight. 

…Until Coupé led the devil-woman to a cult that worships her. 

“They keep trying to touch me with their weird fuckin’ clammy hands!” She growled, clearly set back by the sabotage. 

Coop had no shame, “Being worshiped should only be a minor inconvenience.”

The drug bust was successful, thankfully. That was until he heard Sonar over the call, “I'll…uh…be right back. Just got to go…powder my…cocaine.”

“Been awhile since I had to call in a coke related favor.” Prism sounded proud of herself over the call, “but this shit was worth it for sure.”

Get the bat high. Great plan…

More sabotage occurred over the shift. 

Golem managed to put Flambae into a sensory deprivation tank. 

Sonar got revenge by pushing Coupé into a water aerobics class. They then refused to let her leave.

Prism blasted a loud pitch noise at Sonar. 

It was a mess. 

He sent Malevola on one more call, but Invisigal followed. 

“What are you doing, Invisigal!?” Robert demanded. He immediately got into the security camera at her location, getting eyes on her. 

“Not getting cut,” She responded nonchalantly, wrapping a long chain around the handle of a dumpster, “It's like you said, the way to win this leaderboard game is to not lose, right?” She tugged the chain to make sure it was secure. 

“Yeah, that's not what I said.” He grumbled, watching her closely. 

Great. She was planning to sabotage too. 

“I'm pretty sure that's what you said.” She sassed, taking the chain and stepping to the other end of the alleyway. Invisigal knelt and took a breath from her inhaler, preparing her plan.

Which came into fruition when the villain he sent Malevola to stop rounded the corner. He sprinted, something in his arms as he ran. Behind him, Malevola had opened a portal and leapt through, chasing him. 

She had gotten decently close until Invisigal pulled the chain, tripping her. 

The demon-woman hit the ground and growled, “Bitch!” Without thinking, she swung her sword at the smaller hero. 

Invisigal disappeared, narrowly avoiding the potentially lethal strike. 

Malevola looked around, large blade ready. 

Robert looked through the cameras. The villain seemed familiar and he needed to double check something…

Once the perpetrator was in view, he checked. 

Lightningstruck

Legal Name: Kellen Sebastian

Abilities: Electricity Blasters

Affiliation: Red Ring

This was the villain that Invisigal faced off at Granny’s Donuts.

“Yeah. So, the perp that just ran by was Lightningstruck. This is now the second time that you let him get away.” The former hero deadpanned, informed her exactly who they were dealing with. 

“No shit?” She came into view, "That's crazy.”

Malevola took the chance to try and swing at her. She, rather swiftly, ducked, “Whoah! Bro! Chill out!” 

The taller woman didn’t listen, continuing to try and hit her. She swung her weapon around a few more times as Invisigal side stepped and dodged. She leapt up onto a fire escape, and narrowly avoided getting stabbed. 

All Robert could do was stare at his screen in irritation.

Beside him, Chase watched this nonsense, “I'd normally say cut her, but the way things are going, I'd cut the whole damn team,” He advised, mirroring his friend's frustration, “You need a reset, Robbie.”

He needed more than a reset. 

“All Z-team back to base and in the conference room in 20 minutes,” the former Mecha Man snapped, yanking off his headset and throwing it to the side. 

His phone dinged and he looked. It was a text from you. 

-Thank you for the confirmation, babe <3

You were the only thing keeping him sane.

[awkward-tension-art]

Are you alive? 😔

Yes I am alive!

[awkward-tension-art]

Riding (Smut)

Robert Robertson x AFAB!reader

Chapter 4. Chapter 6.

All Parts

TW: smut, this is pure smut, smut without a plot, this is an optional chapter, swearing, kissing, riding, over-stimulation for both parties, enthusiastic consent, dirt talk, reader insert, cowgirl position, oral sex reader receiving, minimally proofread

“Mmh…fuck…” Robert mumbled between kisses, “I need…you…” 

It’s been months. The last time you both made love was before the Mecha suit's destruction. Which meant it was over 4 months since the two of you had gotten intimate.

Your relationship was more than sex. It truly was. It was just a bonus to an already fulfilling relationship. 

But he missed the way you felt. Your body against his.

Your clothes were abandoned, scattered around the apartment floor. Both of you were naked, kissing and caressing like two starcrossed lovers who have been apart for years. 

“Shit.” He hissed, becoming very, very aware that he didn’t have the stamina he used to. Every touch, no matter how ghostly, had him already teetering close to the edge. Clearly he was pent up, and sensitive. His hard erection already hurt, begging for attention.

He clawed back control, moving away from your lips to your neck. The gasp you released was enough to spur him on. His mouth trailed downward, leaving behind soft pecks. He pecked your breast, drawing a lazy circle around the nipple as his hand pinched your other. 

You moaned in delight, back bowing to feel more of his touch. 

Robert couldn’t help but let out a husky chuckle. 

God damn. He needed you like a man needed water. 

With your breathy moans energizing him, he moved down your body. His thumbs drew circles into your hips as he kissed a path over your naval and to your inner thighs. 

“Oh fuck, Robert.” Your breath hitched, head tilting back to moan. Your nails tangled themselves in his brown hair, trying to pull him where you wanted.

He smirked, slipping his palm under your left knee to bend your left. His brown eyes met yours as he hovered over your intimate lips. 

A shiver ran up your spine as you watched him, “Fuck you’re…” You moaned, “Fuck me, you’re so hot.” 

Like gifting you a reward, Robert immediately dove his face between your legs. Immediately his tongue went to your clit, blessing his ears with your squeals and keens of pleasure. Each noise that escaped you, sent shockwaves through him. He shifted, trying to get some slight friction against his dick. 

Your voice was divine. Heavenly. He needed to hear more. He was desperate to hear more.

His free hand roamed up your body, locking his fingers with yours. 

“Robert!” You gasped his name, tensing. Your back arched as you threw your head back to moan, “gonna cum! Oh fuck, please!”

Damn. Were you as desperate as he was? He knew when your voice hit that pitch, he was doing something right and you were building to orgasm. He hummed, rather pleased to still have enough skill to make you cum so quickly. Still, he wanted to hear more from you. He sucked and licked, focusing on the bundle of nerves that had you begging for him. 

Your words broke into pleasured moans. Your muscles tensed under him, and your back arched, crying out. 

You came under his tongue, trembling as he kept going. Robert wanted you satisfied. He needed to have you orgasm again from his mouth. Your hips bucked as he overstimulated you. His palm laid flat on your pelvis, holding you down as he kept going. 

He wanted more. More. More. 

Robert brought you to pure ecstasy again, lapping at your clit to prolong your second orgasm. He only stopped when you pulled his hair, indicating to him that you hit your limit. 

“Oh…fuck…” You gasped, mouth open as you panted. Your eyes were half-open and dazed with pleasure. The muscles in your legs twitched and trembled as you came down from your second high. 

You looked absolutely beautiful.

The former hero licked his lips, unable to hide his smirk. He kissed his way back up to your face, covering your sweat glistened skin in pecks.

You gathered yourself enough to wrap your arms around his neck and bring him down for another kiss. Despite the fact that he was the one over you, you were quickly taking control. Your fingers carded through his hair and he moaned into your mouth. 

He felt your legs hook themselves at his lower back and he breathed, “Now what are you-Woah!” 

With a surprising amount of skill, you swiftly tilted your hips and flipped the both of you. Robert’s back hit the mattress with an ‘oof’ and you settled yourself on his hips. Your hands caged his face and you leaned over to smirk down at him. 

“Oh fuck me.” He gasped, unable to hold back his smirk. His eyes were wide, looking up at you in excitement. 

Holy shit you were so beautiful. 

“Thats the idea.” You responded, lowered your face to kiss him again. 

His hands went to your hips, fingers burying themselves into your skin. You moved one hand down, reaching back and drawing a line from the base of his erection to the head. 

Robert jerked, “Fuck,” He moaned, closing his eyes tightly, “Shit. Fuck.” His words failed him. Already he felt like he was teetering close to his own climax. You barely touched him, and he was a tight coil ready to break.

It’d be embarrassing for him to cum so quickly. The way you laughed softly, however, told him that ruining him so easily was your fucking goal.

No shit, were you planning to break him tonight? 

He was about to speak, but was cut off by your hand wrapping around his hard dick. He gasped, biting back a desperate whine. His grip on your hips squeezed, “Babe…” He breathed, “Someone's having fun…”

“Oh I am.” You answered, roaming your hand over the head of his length. You dirtied your palm with his precum, using it as lube to begin stroking him from base to tip, “Can I…?”

“Babe, if you don’t keep going, I will lose my mind,” Robert grit his teeth, moaning again. He breathed through his nose, trying to maintain his quickly failing composure. 

You were too good at knowing how to drive him crazy. Your hand pumped his dick a few more times before you raised hips. You positioned yourself over his cock and lowered down, taking him into your wet entrance. 

Robert and you moaned out at the same time at the feeling. His eyes rolled back slightly feeling your warm walls on his aching dick. 

Your palms were on his chest, stabilizing yourself before you rolled your hips. You began to move, riding him at a pace you found pleasing.

The whine he let out was downright pathetic. Only you could do that to him. Make him a mess so quickly. 

And you, judging by the pleasured smile on your face, had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. You bounced up and down, earning moans and swears from your boyfriend. 

He squeezed your hips, “Fuck…I’m gonna-” The former hero warned, already reaching his peak. Pleasure ran through his entire body, sending him to the edge of orgasm. 

“Good.” You didn’t stop. Instead you picked up your pace. 

Robert tilted his head back and moaned out your name. His muscles tensed, and he came. He released inside you, hips thrusting up slightly. 

Your hands were on his chest, continuing to roll your hips. Every bounce on his oversensitive cock earned more pathetic noises from your boyfriend below you.

He gave no indication to stop. Instead, you could feel his hands shift to your waist, following your body as your body moved. 

His nails dug into the skin of sides, “Fuck! Please…keep…fuck, please!” Robert babbled incoherently as you kept going, “Gonna…cum again,” He breathed, eyes rolling back. 

You threw him over the edge again. White hot ecstasy ran up his spine like lightning. His vision was filled with stars, flooding every nerve with ecstasy. The pleasure rolled over him like waves. Whenever he thought he was finished, another rise of euphoria would hit him hard. 

You stopped when his hands slipped from your waist. He breathed heavily, chest rising and falling at the same pace as yours. His eyes were closed, looking entirely fucked out. 

With a pleased chuckle, you leaned down and took his lips in a gentle kiss. That seemed to rouse him slightly as he returned the simple moment of affection. 

“Fuck…” He groaned as you slipped off of him and onto the mattress, “You’re amazing.” His voice was rough and tired, but happy. He turned to lay on his side, reaching to stroke your cheek with his knuckles.

You let out a breathy laugh before turning to face him, “And you are wonderful, Robert.” 

Your boyfriend gave you a small smile, moving to kiss you again. You both basked in the afterglow, simply enjoying each other's presence in the silence.

You could have dozed off if Beef wasn’t stretching at the bathroom door. 

Poor pup.

With a groan, Robert got to his feet, “Take it easy, boy.” He grumbled.

You giggled softly as you got up yourself, “I’ll get the shower going.” You informed him, “Please join me when you can, Mr.Dispatcher.” 

Robert’s smile could not have been happier.

[awkward-tension-art]

Overstimulate Robert?

Yes

No

Man whatever, give me smut of the mediocre man

Voting ended onJan 19

For reference, the next chapter is going to be pure smut (think of it like half a chapter. Not needed for the plot, so people can skip if they want)

[awkward-tension-art]

Disastrous

Robert Robertson x AFAB!Reader

Chapter 3. Chapter 5. (SMUT)

All parts

CW: Swearing, Arguments, Canon typical violence, Robert POV, making out, gets hot and heavy by the end, prelude to smut, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns, choices based on the play through I watched, MINIMAL PROOFREAD, Canon rewrite, this really is just canon but with reader, no use of (Y/N)

What a fucking disaster…

His first shift started off well enough. Sonar randomly transformed into a beast. Coop managed to cut a bystander. But overall, most calls were successful. 

Until Invisigal’s call into the Granny’s Donuts. 

Not to mention you got a job in a fucking villain bar. 

Robert sighed, putting a dollar into the vending machine. He pressed ‘09’ for a twinkie and knelt to grab it. 

The employee lounge was mostly empty except for him and Sonar. Which would be fine, if Sonar hadn’t let out a random scream, startling the retired hero. He flitched, squeezing his snack and ruining it in its packaging. 

With a sigh, Robert took another dollar from his wallet and got another twinkie. 

Only to have Invisigal to appear beside him, startling him again.

“Hey.” She had a smirk, giving a quick glance at his second ruined snack, “What kind of superhero flinches?” 

He didn’t respond. He glared, turned and walked away. 

Not in the fucking mood.

He had to find a way to convince you to work anywhere else except a fucking villain bar. He tossed the crushed twinkies on the plastic table in the lounge and sat down. Immediately his head was in his hand, trying to keep a headache in check. 

“I didn't say which superhero. Chill out.” Visi let out an exasperated breath, following him. She sat down in the chair across from where he was seated. 

“If you had people trying to kill you for the last 15 years, you'd be jumpy, too.” He snapped, not even looking at her. 

She scoffed, “What makes you think my life has been any different? You think growing up surrounded by a bunch of shitbag villains, I didn't need to watch my back?” One arm was draped over the back of her chair. She was nonchalant about…everything.

How could she be so relaxed after the disaster at Granny’s?!

Robert finally looked at her, purely irritated, “I can't just disappear. Okay. I actually have to face my problems.” He responded, venom in his tone.

“What the fuck?” Offense was clearly taken, judging by her surprised and slightly hurt expression. 

“You can’t just go around-Ow!” The retired hero was cut off by another screech from Sonar, “Why does he keep screaming!?”

Visi rolled her eyes, “His names Sonar.”

“Yeah, I know what Sonar means.” Robert snapped.

Finally, the Harvard graduate acknowledged his name being said, “Whats up?” He released a slight burp and looked back at the two of them. 

“Then why are you asking why he keeps screaming?” Visi, annoying still didn’t answer the question. 

“Uh, she was just explaining your um…” Robert turned to face him. This was the first time he’d actually come face-to-face with the former villain. 

Looking at him, the screaming suddenly made sense. Sonar had the body of a human, but the head of a bat. Meaning, Sonar’s eyes were totally white, indicating poor eyesight that was common with bat species. So, he most likely relied on echolocation in order to navigate the world. 

“You know what? Never mind. Good shift.” Robert abandoned the idea to question him. If this was how the Harvard grad had to ‘see’ in the world, then so be it. 

Sonar raised a brow, “This guy's weird.” He turned back to whatever he was doing. 

“Yeah, he is,” Visi straightened her back, looking Robert dead in the eye, “Look, I actually just came by to celebrate the mission going well. Didn't mean to interrupt your little snack,” She was clearly angry at him, putting a fist down on the white table, “What? Do you need it pre-chewed like a little baby bird bitch?”

Oh fuck that!

“Look at me,” The former hero snapped back, though he tried to keep his volume low, “You disobeyed a direct order. How can you think it went well?” He counted on his fingers the amount of times she had fucked up, “You trashed the place. The suspect got away and you got the client hurt. I don't think when he called us he thought he'd be ending the day wanking it lefty cuz you turned his other arm into a pork rind.”

The younger woman wasn’t going to take anything Robert was saying, “Granny would be fine if Granny didn't pick that fucking thing up in the first place,” She leaned back for a second, “He's just some dumbass trying to be a hero! And don't fucking say it. I know where you're going.” She hissed the last part, leaning forward again. 

“Fact of the matter is that shit didn't need to happen,” Mecha Man put his foot down on the conversation, “We could have had an outcome where the client doesn't get fried and we get the perp if you had just fucking listened to me.” He snapped back at her insubordination, “You ask for help, then I can-” His irritated words were cut off by a mechanical grinding, “What now!?”

Sonar had started to grind some coffee, blissfully unaware of the heated argument between dispatcher and hero.

“I make the calls, not you.” Robert practically snarled at her. It felt like Visi was being purposely difficult. Like some hotheaded teenager who didn’t like authority. 

Invisigal seethed, disdain in her words, “Here's some advice. You're right at home behind that desk cuz you're no hero!” She snapped, shoving a finger in his face, “You are a nerd playing a video game in a suit your daddy built. Now you're a twitchy little bitch turtle without a shell.”

The dispatcher flicked his eyes to Sonar, who still didn’t seem to be paying attention to the duo. 

Thank fuck. 

Robert really didn’t need someone else knowing he was Mecha Man.

“A real hero puts their ass on the line!” Visi continued, “A real hero can't just press a button and make their problems disappear!” She took a breath, finishing what she was saying. 

“The suit isn't what made me a superhero. It was how I did my fucking job that made me Mecha Man,” He argued, “Based on what I saw today, you wouldn't last a day as Mecha Man, cuz there isn't a mech suit in the universe that'll keep you from being a selfish fucking asshole.” 

As soon as he finished his insult, the grinding came to an abrupt stop. Nothing but silence filled the employee lounge as Robert and Invisigal glared at each other. 

The former villain slammed her hands on the table and stood. She kicked her leg back, knocking the cheap plastic chair to the ground before using her powers to disappear. Her steps were near silent as she yanked the door open, indicating she left. 

Robert sighed, rubbing his temple. 

Perhaps he went too far…

Before he could do anything, Visi appeared beside him, letting out a shout. She purposely startled him again, as she followed up her act with, “Feel bad? Good! Fuck you!” Her fist hit him square in the face, sending him out of his seat and onto the floor. 

He hit the tile with a thump, knocking the air from his lungs. He took a breath, opening his eyes to see Sonar standing over him. 

“You gonna eat those twinks?” The Harvard grad asked.

He didn't bother to argue, “That's not what they're…you know what? Help yourself.”

As it turns out, Visi gave him a hell of a bloody nose. He was trying to clean up when Blonde Blazer called him and Chase into her office for a meeting. When she was him, she looked surprised, “what…happened to your nose?”

“Hm?” He had tried not to call attention to it. 

Chase scoffed, “Here we go.” He knew what happened. Of course he did.

“You have a tissue hanging from your nose, Robert.” Blazer pointed it out. She was clearly concerned, “I was trying to ignore it, but that became impossible when it started soaking in blood…”

Fuck…Well…

“uh…I get nosebleeds when it's this dry.” He thought of an excuse as quickly as he could, “The air…In the office. It’s uh…on the dry side.” Mecha Man should feel bad about lying, but frankly, he did kind of ask Visi to punch him with what he said. 

Blazer was too nice, “Is it on the dry side? I'll have facilities look into it.”

Chase laughed slightly beside him, giving a friendly shove on his shoulder. Robert shoved back, hoping he wouldn’t rat out Visi. 

“Alright boys,” the blonde hero got them on the topic of why the meeting was called, “All right, boys. We're here to assess Robert's first shift. And aside from…whatever happened here, I thought it was pretty good!”

Pretty good!?

“What!?” Robert’s confusion was clear. He assumed that the disaster that was Visi’s last mission would have ruined the entire shift. 

Blazer had a proud smile  on her face, “I was watching on the monitor. The work you did dispatching, I don't think the Z-team has ever had a better shift than that.”

Chase chimed in after her, “We just might need to confront the fact that it might be the best they can do.” He gave their boss a nod, “Especially the way the granny thing went.”

Her smile faded, “Yeah, now the granny situation…that wasn't ideal, but I've seen so much worse with Invisigal…”

“Let's be real. She ain't going to make it.” The dark-skinned former hero mumbled. 

Blazer rested her elbows on her fine wooden desk, “She's difficult to work with. Sure, but I see a lot of promise in her.” She had her slight smile back, “Even the other Z-teamers respect her.”

“They're afraid of her.” Trackstar snorted. 

It was unbelievable to him that this went well. 

“The perp got away.” He let out a very confused laugh, “How is that an acceptable outcome?” 

That villain would go to harm someone else. Potentially kill them. 

How the fuck is that acceptable in any way shape or form?

The retired hero beside him didn’t seem totally concerned, “Eh shit happens.” 

“Look Robert.” Blonde Blazer held his hands in her own, “You should be proud. The bar is very low for this group.”

Well….Shit. It’s low for him. But he doesn’t hold anyone else to that standard. 

“Well, It's not low for me,” Robert reached up and pulled the tissue from his nose, “Look, I like to make a joke and keep things light as much as the next person. But when it comes to work, I'm not fucking around here. If you want the Phoenix program to survive, the bar needs to go up.” 

“And how would we do that?” Blonde Blazer leaned forward slightly, interest in her blue eyes. 

Already Robert was forming plans in his head, “By treating the Z-team like what they are, a bunch of villains. And leading a supervillain team takes a different approach than a superhero team. I need to be around them. I need them to see I'm all in and they need to match that energy.”

He saw the potential. 

Trackstar had a serious look on his face, “Some tough love.”

“the only kind I know.” Robert nodded, “And based on what I've seen, the only version they'll respond to. I'm not saying everyone will make it. They won't. I'm not saying it won't get spicy. It will,” He continued on, hoping to convince the two others in the room that he could do this job, “But when it does, I also need you to trust me to handle it. I don't want you stepping in. They need to respect me. Even if I don't have powers.”

Blonde Blazer shared a look with Chase before taking a breath, “Okay, we'll do it your way. Monday, we'll get them in a room and introduce them to their new super villain leader.” She seemed optimistic now. 

Robert hoped he wouldn't let her down, “I can't promise it'll work. I can only promise that I'll do my best.” He stood from the chair. 

The older man beside him let out a huff, “No fuckin’ way is going to work, but it'll be way more fun to watch.”

“Chase, some optimism, please.” Blazer shut down his sarcastic remarks. 

He threw his hands up, “God damn it. I also promise to do my best.” He sighed, resigned to Robert’s plan to get the Z-team in shape. 

The meeting ended after that, as the work day was over. The low sun streamed inside the building, bathing everything in a warm orange glow. He checked his phone, seeing one notification from you. 

-I have a surprise once we get home.

Robert got to his desk and immediately noticed Waterboy rummaging around. 

“Hey, kid.” He called, startling the poor guy. 

He practically jumped out of his skin, “W-what!?”

The retired hero stepped forward, more curious than angry, “What are you doing?”

“I..yeah. No, no, no, no, no.” The ginger started stumbling over his words, “I…I didn't do this. It's…It's weird cuz Yeah, I saw this lady…smiling lady person put a donut on your…um desk…earlier…previously…”

Robert looked at the mess. It had been a donut, though it had been smashed all over his computer keyboard. The cream inside had been squished in between the keys, clearly intended to make cleaning up a headache. 

Waterboy was still explaining, as if afraid he would have been blamed for this, “and it was nice…nicely on a napkin, but then she just comes back and she just went…crazy! like an evil mode and hit…smash! the same donut.”

With a sigh, he grabbed the moist towel in the younger man's hand and began to wipe up the mess. The dough had become soggy, making the clean up even more difficult, “What a mess.” He grumbled. 

Fucking Visi…

“I..I will clean it!” Waterboy perked up, though he cut off Robert when he tried to argue, “See, I'm SDN's newest he…he…Helpful janitor! Helpful janitor.”

Oh…Well he seemed happy enough to have the job. 

He was young. Plus, in corporate, everyone starts somewhere. Robert couldn’t help but give a friendly smile, “Ok…Cool.” 

“it's my pleasure and my…it’s my job. which you helped me get,” Waterboy had such a kind and appreciative look on his face, “So, thank…thank you. Thank you so much.” 

That’s…rather sweet. All Robert did was tie his tie for him. Maybe give a few encouraging words. There wasn’t anything major that he had done to help the kid. 

“Happy to help.” Was all he responded with before Blonde Blazer had stepped up behind him. 

She looked confused and even concerned, “That's…” She shook her head, “It's Friday. I'm not going to ask. You headed out?” Her question was directly at the former Mecha Man. 

He nodded before turning back to the new janitor, “Oh, yeah. Um, great…Thanks, kid.” He appreciated Waterboy going out of his way to clean the mess Visi had made. Once he handed the towel back to him, Robert grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. 

Blonde Blazer gave a polite farewell to the younger guy before following Robert out. She matched his pace, and exited the SDN building. 

“Hey, I wanted you to know that fixing your suit is not contingent on you fixing the Z team,” She looked at him as they walked and talked, “I wouldn't do that to you.”

Once outside, Robert spotted you in the parking lot, leaning against your shared car. You were looking out at the road, lost in thought, and didn’t hear them approach. Once he called your name with a smile, you turned and approached. 

“Babe, this is Blonde Blazer. I think you two have met before.” Robert gave brief introductions. 

Since she knew he was Mecha Man, and his relationship with you, she also knew your stage name. Reintroductions were not entirely necessary. 

You nodded, perking up and taking Blazer’s hand in your own for a polite handshake, “oh yea! There was that photo shoot in LA…I think a year ago? Fes a Avici and their new line.”

“Yea, I remember! It’s good to see you again.” The blonde hero smiled, returning your polite and friendly energy, “We should get coffee sometime. I’d love to catch-”

“Blonde Blazer!” Another voice sounded loudly above them. All three of you looked up and blocking the bright sun was another hero. 

He was muscular, with a red, yellow and blue uniform. His cape was blowing slightly in the breeze as he flew down and landed on his feet beside Blazer, “Are you ready to go?” He gave a quick peck on the blondes’ cheek, “Who is this?” He looked over at both of you with an inquisitive gaze, “I thought I'd cataloged all of your work companions.” 

Phenomaman.

He was the type someone thinks of when someone says ‘hero.’ He had slicked back brown hair. A bright smile. A friendly personality. 

Robert, nor Mecha Man had ever met him. Neither have you. 

“This is my boyfriend, Phenomaman.” Blonde Blazer introduced you both to him properly, “This is our new dispatcher I was telling you about and his girlfriend.” She motioned to Robert before turning and pointing to you, “She and I were planning to get some coffee sometime soon.”

Phenomaman had his hands on his hips, “The third Robert Robertson? The leader of the phoenixes? Blonde Blazer told me about you.” 

Your boyfriend nodded, “Really? Did she…um say what came up in that talk?” He sounded nervous suddenly. As if the larger hero would have been angry that the two had gotten drunk and friendly with one another. 

Robert had told you the details of what happened that night. He admitted they got close, but everything was innocent. There were no handsy actions, or drunken kisses. Nothing crossed any lines in your opinion, but everyone had different boundaries. 

He was allowed to have friends of a different gender the same way you were. Trust was a critical building block in your relationship, and you trusted each other inexplicably.

“She said you're a capable, honorable man that truly cares for others,” Phenomaman said, taking a small step forward. He still had a smile under his bushy mustache, “Why are you so small?” He asked suddenly, as if he had no mental filter to such a question. 

“Hey, come on. You got to stop asking people that.” Blazer put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. 

He, however, sounded confused, “The way you spoke of him made him sound impressive. I only seek to understand,” The muscular hero put a polite hand on his chest, to show his apology, “I apologize. How was his first day? Was his lack of size and strength an issue?”

Blazer answered for Robert, “No, he was great. It was great. It was a great first day.”

“That is phenomenal!” The larger hero straightened and put his hands back on his hips, “We should celebrate! Blonde Blazer and I have reservations in Tokyo at a restaurant where the owner dreams of sushi. You two should join us!” 

Behind him, the blonde hero shook her head and signaled with her hands a very clear ‘no.’

You got the signal instantly, whereas Robert needed a second, “Actually, Robert and I had plans tonight,” Your hand grabbed his, interlocking your fingers, “We were gonna go on our own date. Celebrate a good first day with just him and I.”

Blazer mouthed a very relieved ‘thank you’ in response. 

He looked over to see you give an understanding smile to his boss. 

“That is wonderful too! I hope your date is as romantic as ours!” He beamed happily for you and your boyfriend. He reached back and grabbed Blazer's hand. She did a small twirl into his arms and he lifted her bridal style. 

You and Robert shared a look before she gave a small explanation, “He flies a little faster.”

Oh. Ok. makes sense. 

“It was very nice to meet you both,” Phenomaman said, taking a few steps away from the two of you, “Now, could you step back? The power of my launch has been known to stun small beings.” You and your boyfriend did as instructed, and once you were clear, he spoke again, “Phenomenal.”

Without waiting any longer, the larger hero launched himself upwards, towards the sky. He and Blazer both became blurs and were quickly out of sight. 

After a second of you two staring up at the sky, Robert mumbled, “What a fuckin’ day.”

You snorted, “How was it?”

“I’ll tell you on the way home. First,” He sighed, and turned to face you. He raised his hand to hold your cheek, “A fucking villain bar?”

Yea, he hadn’t forgotten that detail.

“We need the money. They were hiring.” You explained, “At least for a little while. Until I pay back my manager and we can save up a bit after-” You cut yourself off, but Robert knew your thoughts. 

The financial ruin he put you both in.

You didn’t have to blame him. He blamed himself.

“Villain. Bar.” He grit his teeth, “A bar. Full of villains.”

“I am aware.” You responded, putting your hand over his, “I’ll be careful. My first shift is Sunday night. It’ll be slow enough I can learn and get the hang of it. ”

He sighed, and leaned forward to kiss your forehead, “...Okay…Okay. But if one of them even gives a slight hint they know who you are, you leave, ok? You…go home. Or find me. ”

Your lips couldn’t hold back the small smile, “I promise.” 

Robert pulled back, following you to your car, “Now about this surprise?” 

You laughed softly, “Come on.”

He told you about his day. The rundown of his job. The Z-team. He ranted about someone named ‘Invisigal.’ There was also ‘Flambae’, a villain he put down a long time ago who was gunning to kick Mecha Man's ass. 

However despite how frustrated he was, you could tell he wanted to do a good job. He was determined to try his best and make them actual heroes instead of the ‘chaotic band of fuck-ups’ your boyfriend described them as. 

The name Prism specifically caught your ear. You and her followed each other on Instagram, and it was pure happenstance she was on the team that Robert now led. 

Small world. 

You parked beside your apartment building and made your way to the apartment.

“Ok, close your eyes.” You instructed your boyfriend. 

He raised a brow but didn't ask any questions. Once you unlocked the door, you led him inside.

“Open them.” 

He did as you commanded, perking up at what he saw. 

Near the corner of the apartment was a dining set. It was a simple metal pedestal table with three matching cushioned chairs. The top of the table was scratched to all hell, and the chairs were in a similar state with the added torn cushions. The entire set looked to be from some 60’s diner, and extremely outdated. However, it looked clean and sturdy enough.

And you looked so…proud.

“One of the places I applied to was renovating. They were going to toss it, but I offered to take it off their hands.” You explained, looking at him with such an excited look. He could see how you tried not to get your hopes up, as if prepared to toss the entire set if he didn’t like it. 

Christ…you truly were too good for him. 

Robert couldn't help but laugh. He walked over to the table and put a hand on it. It wobbled slightly on its pedestal, both otherwise held up. 

“I like it.” He nodded, looking over to you, “Yea…I like it.” 

It was beat up. Scratched. Damaged. But you got it anyway. 

He should have known through the years of your relationship, you liked damaged things. Despite everything, you had his back. 

And his heart. Which was currently doing flips in his chest looking at you. 

“Fuck.” He whispered to himself. 

“Robert?”

“I love you.” Robert stood, and held your face in his hands. His brown eyes roamed over your face for any hesitancy, “Can I…”

You smiled and nodded. Without waiting, he pulled you into a deep kiss. One of his hands drifted down to hold your waist, pulling you close. He closed his eyes, falling into the feeling. 

He swallowed when your knee brushed up in between his legs. He hissed, pulling back. 

Oh shit. 

It’s been months since he’s been intimate with you. He’d been overworked, hospitalized, recovering, then depressed, and you never pushed the issue. Robert was under no delusion you hadn’t played with yourself to tide you over. 

Embarrassingly, he probably wouldn’t last long. 

“Robert?” You spoke his name softly. 

He swallowed, “uh..yea…I’m good.”

You moved your knee against him again and he shot his eyes open to look at you. You had a sly smile with nothing but want in your eyes. You bit your lip, looking him up and down, “You good enough to…continue?” 

Oh. Fuck. Yes. 

He grabbed Beef and put the dog in the bathroom before practically tackling you to the mattress. Your happy giggles were all he needed to continue. 

[awkward-tension-art]

Onboard

Robert Robertson III X AFAB!Reader

Chapter 2. Chapter 4.

All Parts

CW: Canon typical violence, Description of injury, Robert POV, Sexual harassment (yes Invisigal did that), Swearing, HR violations, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns, choices based on the play through I watched, MINIMAL PROOFREAD, Canon rewrite, this really is just canon but with reader, no use of (Y/N)

SDN

Superhero Dispatch Network.

An organization that dispatches superheroes to help subscribers who call in for assistance.

They had offices scattered around the country, especially in large cities. Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Vegas, and Washington D.C.

There were a few in less populated areas such as Torrence, the office Mecha Man was currently seated inside. He was watching one of the many SDN commercials that looped on the T.V screen in the reception area. 

“She's definitely not making it to band practice.” He mumbled to himself, bored out of his mind as he waited. 

A voice spoke up, knocking him from his thoughts, “Yeah. Well, yeah. Wait…what's that?”

Robert looked up, brown eyes meeting the tall, lanky form of a young guy. He was in a bright yellow and blue diving suit, paired with matching goggles on his face. His dark ginger hair was wet and clung to his face. The stranger looked shy and unsure, even holding his head low as he spoke. 

Was there a sudden downpour that Robert missed?

The soaking wet stranger seemed friendly enough, “hm? Oh, just the-uh…the commercial. It was weird.” He clarified. 

“Weird…right.” The newcomer nodded. Instead of walking around the couch to sit down, he strangely stepped over the back to plop himself down, “Phen-oma-men-man, he’s like a rockstar.” 

Mecha Man stared at him, dumbfounded.

“It's uh…I'm joking because of the rock…roll,” He stuttered, trying to explain, “Cool…Cool commercial. I’m a…Phenomafan you…you might say.” 

Robert decided to play along, clearly this kid was nervous, “He seems cool. Phenomenal even and quite the salesman.” He gave a small smile, hoping to help this stranger relax even slightly. Afterall, this kid looked fresh out of college or something.

The poor kid stumbled out a nervous response, “Oh yeah. I mean he could sell snowballs to an esk- Is that not cool to say? Snowman! He…he could sell snowballs to a snow person. Anyone made of snow! Any color of snow doesn't have to be white.”

Oh boy…

After a few moments of awkward silence, the wet stranger began to fumble with his tie. After a few unsuccessful tries, Robert decided to help. He sat down and grabbed the tie in his gloved hands.

“It's soaked.” The former hero looked at the wet material before tying the tie for him, “You nervous? Big job interview?” He smiled, hoping to give some encouragement to this clearly overwhelmed adult.

The stumbled stranger stuttered out a response, “No, I mean yes, but yes… it's more my powers.They make everything we-Moist. Waterboy is how they call me..But yes, I am.”

Before Robert could respond, the glass doors to the SDN building swung open. Despite the glare from the sun, he could instantly tell who just stepped inside. 

It was Dr. Don’t Do Shit. Flambae. 

He held his head high, but very subtly, Robert could see him move his tongue over where his missing tooth was supposed to be. He also had a very mean look in his bright eyes, causing the retired hero to lower himself behind Waterboy. 

Thankfully, the fire-based former villain walked past them without incident. 

Finally, Waterboy said something that tuned him back into the conversation.

“You’re Mecha Man,” The younger man sounded excited, “i…y-you’re dead…At least I thought you were…”

“Just on the inside.” He responded rather bluntly. 

“You…uh…look small or different in person…”

Robert couldn’t help but laugh slightly, “Never meet your heroes, kid.” As soon as he properly tied Waterboy’s tie, another person stepped inside the building.

“Oh, I wasn't sure you'd show up!’ Blonde Blazer called to him with a smile. She wore her standard superhero suit, but slung over her shoulder was a cream bag.

Waterboy shot to his feet, looking starstruck all over again, “Wow! Blonde! I…Uh..Blazer! A real hero!”

She gave him a small wave but bent slightly to grab Mecha Man’s upper arm, “Sorry, but I need him for something,” She effortlessly pulled him to his feet and began to lead him to the building's office doors, “Follow me.”

The two of them walked down a hall before Blazer made a sharp left. She practically shoved him into a conference room and shut the door. Before Robert could get his bearings, she closed the blinds and gave a command, “Take off your clothes.” 

“Woah, uh…No? What's happening right now?” He swallowed, eyeing the door as an escape if there wasn’t an explanation to the sudden request. 

Sounds like an H.R Violation…

“We don't want too many people knowing you're Mecha Man,” She picked up on his sudden nervousness, “A lot of our dispatchers are former heroes, but it's better if you keep your identity a secret.” The blonde hero dug through the bag on her shoulder and pulled out a collared blue shirt, “We've had incidents in the past. Here.” She tossed him the SDN uniform. 

Oh.

There was a wave of disappointment that hit him in the chest. He supposed it made sense, keeping his identity hidden. His hopes had gotten too high too quickly. 

Robert wouldn’t be Mecha Man again just yet. 

He raised a brow, looking at the shirt. It was bigger than he needed. Maybe he could have fit before the coma-induced-muscle deterioration, but now? He had gotten rather thin and needed smaller shirts. 

“I remember you being bigger.” Blazer inspected the shirt before snorting, “I was a little drunk…listen! Its gonna be great.”

He pulled off his mask, revealing his hair and face. His gaze was down, staring at the material in his hand, “I've never felt silly wearing this.”

“Until now?”

“Yeah, I was trying to imply that with the silence.” He raised a brow at her but didn’t comment further. 

She nodded, "It worked. Get dressed.” The blonde pointed to the other side of the room, “I have somebody I need you to meet.”

He shrugged and stepped towards the other end of the conference room. Once his back was turned, he pulled the zipper of his suit down. 

“Oh! Sorry!” Blonde Blazer sounded startled that he already began to strip, “Should I turn around or what? Do you uh should I close my eyes? Maybe if that makes you more comfortable…” 

Truthfully, changing in front of others never truly bothered him. He knew it didn’t bother you either, as you both had to have a discussion about it at the beginning of your relationship. Your job required you to strip and change countless times in front of your coworkers. And as long as no inappropriate touching or ogling was involved, It was a part of life. 

Robert saw no reason to care, “It’s fine. I don’t mind.” He unbuckled his uniform belt and dropped it to the floor, “I mean, don't stare at me straight in the eyes or anything cuz then it'd be weird and I’d have to tell my girlfriend.” 

Blazer stumbled over her words for a few moments, “Yeah, I'll actually Yeah, I'm just going…” He could hear her turn, looking away from him, “There. And…if you tell your girlfriend, let her know it was strictly professional.”

“Don’t worry, she does similar stuff with her modeling gigs,” He slipped the bottom half of his suit off and got the pants on quickly. His hands worked efficiently and he clipped his belt around his waist. 

“I…I want to say again, I'm sorry about last night,” She changed the topic, “I regret the way I conducted myself. It was a mistake. A complicated…mistake…”

She made it seem like something scandalous happened.

Sure they got close, but Robert didn’t read into anything further. He set his boundaries and she listened without any issues, “Look, we were both a little tipsy, neither of us were very professional.” He shrugged it off, as if talking to a friend, “You know it's totally understandable. It was a nice night, nothing more than that. And my girlfriend says hi, by the way.” He added that last bit to help ease the superhero. 

“Oh! Tell her I said hi back,” Blonde Blazer turned to face him, with a relieved smile, “Going forward, I’d like to keep things more professional.”

“Right, that's why you brought me to this conference room to strip down in front of you,” Robert teased, deciding that she needed a joke to lighten up her anxiety. He tossed his Mecha Man uniform to the side, “Profesh-”

His suit was floating.

The blonde hero sighed and sounded frustrated, “Are you serious?”

His suit, or the person under his suit, ran forward. They hit the doors with a groan and stumbled to the ground. 

Blazer knelt, picking up his suit, just as the unknown third-party appeared with a brief shift of light. Underneath was a young woman in a purple jacket and black pants. She had olive tanned skin, and short dark hair. She swore and sat up mumbling, “Who locks a conference room?” 

I should keep count on stuff like this…

H.R Violation count: 2

Robert raised a brow but didn’t say anything. Blonde Blazer put a hand on her hip. 

“So uh…” The newcomer dug through her pocket and revealed an inhaler, “you two fuck or what?”

“I have a girlfriend,” The former hero held his uniform in front of his scarred chest, “And even if I didn't, no professional lines were crossed.” He confirmed.

“All right. All right. So, just like grinding? Clothes on stuff?”

Robert can handle jokes. He can handle insults. That's fine. Maybe if he wasn’t in a relationship, he’d roll this childish stuff off his back. 

But this…felt uncomfortable.

Of course he was secure in his relationship for you. The two of you held each other to the same level of love and respect. So any jokes with the punchline being ‘Yea, Robert cheated. Hahaha, so funny right?’ rubbed him the wrong way. 

Just as he was about to retort, Blonde Blazer shook her head in disapproval, “Visi, knock it off,” She stamped out any more comments from the newcomer, “I just got a little tipsy at our meeting.”

“It was a very relaxed job interview, sure.” He wanted to do away with any potential rumors quickly, “But it was friendly and professional.” He knows work places, especially offices, talk. 

“Robert,” Blazer turned and took her hand off her hip, “This…is Invisigal.” She introduced the woman in purple just as she was standing, “She is part of the Phoenix Program.”

Invisigal gave a quick up down with her eyes before looking away. She had a very subtle pout on her face as she did so.

The blonde superhero continued to explain, “We take former supervillains, such as herself, and rehabilitate them to reenter society to use their powers and- are those my earrings?” 

Hidden behind Invisigal’s short hair were small golden hoop earrings. Blonde Blazer held up an open palm silently waiting. 

“They look better on me.” The thieving woman quickly took them off and dropped them into Blazer’s hand. 

Oh that would have gotten her killed in your agency. 

Robert remembered the time you told him two of your coworkers got into a literal boxing match over a necklace. Hair was pulled. Heels were broken. And you made 50 bucks that night winning the bet of who was victorious. 

Models were feisty. 

“Invisigal, this is Robert,” Blazer properly introduced him, getting his attention back to the present, “He'll be your team's dispatcher.”

“A washed up dad bod superhero with no superpowers,” Invisigal crossed her arms, “Can't wait.” she sassed. 

“His identity, all of this,” Blazer motioned between the three of them, “that's staying between us. He's still Mecha Man, but that can't get out. And if it does, I'll know who it came from.” Her tone shifted for that last part, clearly threatening the former villain. 

“You think I want to tell people our dispatcher is a fuckin’ loser?”

What the fuck? 

Even for a former villain she was so…hostile. 

“Having superpowers doesn’t automatically make you a superhero.” Robert met her bite head on, “You’re born with one…you have to earn the other.” 

Invisigal looked entirely uninterested in his words, “Well, I’m wet.” She rolled her eyes, “I can see why you like him. Look at that drip. What is that look? Best buy fight club?” She used her inhaler again before continuing to be sarcastic, “Fuckin’ hot.”

She shoved the doors open before using her powers to disappear from sight. 

Blonde Blazer sighed, “We have a weekly ranking list for all the heroes in the company…”

Ah, that explains it. 

“And she’s always at the bottom.”

“She called herself Invisibitch when she was a villain…” The blonde superhero turned to face him, “We’re trying to rebrand her.” 

“Yeah, I thought Invisigal felt…kinda corny for her.” Robert shrugged off the former villain's previous hostilities. She had a bad attitude, he’s dealt with worse. 

“Oh yea? The name was my idea.” Blazer had sass to her voice as she turned around, “Just get your shirt on, dad bod.” She took the easy potshot at him, though there wasn’t any real malice to it.

Once he was dressed and presentable, the blonde superhero showed him around the office. 

“We're not the highest profile branch in the network, but we've got what makes the real difference,” the blonde superhero explained, smiling with pride, “Great people! Some of them aren't even people, and they're still great!”

Her tour led him around the office where he was introduced to several employees. There was Lana in the mailroom, Galen was another dispatcher, and Mr.Whiskey…

Robert had no idea what Mr.Whiskey does.

Blazer also explained the 3 D’s of SDN. Dispatching, Documentation and Diversity. 

It certainly was a corporate office. 

He excused himself to the restroom for a quick break. Blonde Blazer said to meet him at the Records Room when he was done. 

As he did his business, a tall, muscular man with long curly hair rushed to the urinal beside him, “Oh…Brah, almos’ went in my pants.” He sighed in relief. 

Ok…awkward…

“Aye, you dis Robert people are talkin’ about?” The taller stranger turned to look at him, “Wassup bruddah, my auntie name me Roy but people call me Royd.” He held up a large fist in a friendly greeting. His eyes were a friendly brown and he had Hawaiian facial features. 

You know what? Fuck it. 

Robert returned the bro-fist with a smirk.

“Aurite. Good to meet you, brah.” Royd seemed happy with the return.

“Likewise.” Robert couldn’t find it in him to point out how awkward it was for them to share a bro-fist after having touched their dicks. Instead, he finished up his business and washed his hands, “So Royd…like steroid?” 

“Huh?” He was genuinely surprised at such a suggestion, “Hell no, bruddah. No, no, no, cuz listen, They’re tree uddah guys here go by the name Roy. So, I tink it's like, you know, we go scrap, we go ground, I buss you up, and then you know, you got Roy’d.”

After a stretch of silence, Royd sounded like he was frowning, “Aye, you think that's why they call me Royd? Like I’m on steroids? Cause they think I’m some kinna juice head? They think I’m not natty bro?”

The retired hero turned on the hand dryer, “No, I'm just kidding, man…Just making jokes about your name…in the shitter.”

Royd finished up and approached him, “Whateva. Ainokea.” 

Ainokea? 

“Thats…yea…Nokia…ing is probably the best.” Robert wiped his damp hands on his shirt, “Nice meeting you, Royd. Even if it was while we were both holding our dicks.”

He laughed, putting a muscular hand on his shoulder, “Haha! You one funny bugga…Mecha Man.” He whispered the name lowly.

Robert quickly shoved his hand off and looked around the restroom. Once it was confirmed no one was listening, he hissed, “Okay. So, I was worried about your unwashed hand, but now I'm worried that everyone here knows who I am.”

Royd shrugged off Mecha Man’s worries, “Nah bruddah, it's kapu.” He put his hands on his hips, “Need to know basis and Royd need to know. I da one who come pick up yo suit for fix on for da SDN.” 

“Cool, you gonna wash before you do that?” 

The larger man still had his smirk, “Nah bro, I neva touch nothin’.” He explained, still relaxed and friendly, “Just touch my pants, underwear only. Even fo shake. I just do like dis.” He demonstrated by shaking his hips while holding his belt. 

A hero in a black and green jumpsuit walked between the two, giving them the strangest look. Robert left the restroom quickly after that. thankfully finding the records room was easy. Once the door was opened, he was greeted by an old man with a gruff voice. 

“Holy shit, whose this freckled faced fuck?” He stepped down from the shelf and quickly grabbed him in a hug, “How are ya!?” He squeezed him tightly. 

“Thats an aggressive way to greet someone-!”

“Look at this skinny latte prick. Your bones, kid.” the old man sassed, pulling back, “You here to whip these assholes into shape or what?” 

“That’s the idea,” Blonde Blazer chimed in from her place in the doorway. 

Mecha Man pulled back , looking more and more confused, “uh, I’m sorry…Do I know you?” 

The old man frowned, “Why are you all tense?” He put his hands on his hips and snapped, “What? It's a hug, not a handjob. Lighten up.” 

“Be that as it may, I’m still confused.”

“Oh right, cuz I’m old as shit,” He rolled his eyes, “How about this? This jog your memory?”

The very old man jumped into a familiar pose. He had one arm straight behind him and another bent in front of his face. His feet were apart, looking as if he was about to sprint for a race. 

Oh!

“Track Star!?” Robert gasped, feeling his heart leap in his chest, “Holy shit!” He quickly grabbed his old friend into another tight hug. 

“Yea, you fucker!” Track Star snapped, though his voice was laced with brotherly love, “Why're you accepting hugs from old men you don’t know?” Once they pulled away, he lowered his voice, “Oh, and hey, they call me Chase around here, so keep it, you know.”

“Sure. Yea, right. Chase.” The retired hero confirmed, “It's been what, 10, 15 years? You finally grow the balls to ask out that girl from your neighborhood?” 

Mecha Man rolled his eyes, “She’s been my girlfriend for years.” 

“And now you gotta grow some balls and propose if it's been that long.” 

“Chase, please…” 

The older man laughed, putting his shoulder in encouragement. 

Blazer had a warm smile on her face, “Has it really been that long?”

Chase nodded, “Yea, I reached out to this pissant when his dad passed.” He lightly shoved Robert, “Then he got to duckin’ me like he owed me money.”

“I was in a weird place.” He mumbled, looking away. 

“I understand, kid. It was tough on all of us.” There was nothing but sympathy on Chase’s face, “So I can’t imagine what you went through.”

Robert appreciated it. He truly did, but frankly, he didn’t want to talk about his dad anymore, “Yeah, so what’s up? You goin’ to tell me why you look like Black Einstein?”

Blonde Blazer laughed before clearing her throat, “Sorry, I never noticed.”

“Fucker. It’s the powers.” Chase deadpanned, turning away to dig through a box on the shelf, “I can move 50 times faster than the average person, but I didn't realize until it was too late that I was aging 50 times faster when I used my powers.” He put on his glasses and searched through some files, after a moment, he pulled out a disk, “Nowadays, I'm moving slower than frozen piss to keep the old ticker from popping on me.”

Guilt and shame stung Robert’s chest. Christ…How often did he make Trackstar run around when he was younger? How many years did he take from Chase’s life?

“I had no idea. I'm so sorry, Chase.” Mecha Man whispered, looking mournfully at his old friend. 

Chase, however, snapped, “Hey, if I feel another ounce of pity from you, I will run you over in a parking lot and say it was an accident.” He threatened, earning a laugh from those around him, “They'll believe me cuz it looks like I'm wearing diapers.”

The guilt hurt less, but there was still one thing the former hero wanted to say, “So, I guess this means you're the one person I can't complain to about losing my suit…”

The older man put his hands on his hips, “You better not. I would resurrect then rekill your fuckin’ father in front of you if it meant being able to use my powers again.” He sassed, though his bluntness cause Blazer to gasp. 

“Jesus Chase!” She looked offended on behalf of Robert. 

“What? Obviously, I'd let Robert have one last ‘I love you’ before I…before I…extinguished the light from his eyes.” He laughed alongside Robert.

Mecha Man wasn’t offended in the slightest. This was their humor. It was how they dealt with their trauma. 

Now Blazer sounded more confused rather than upset, “Was he always like this?”

Robert nodded, “Yes, actually.” 

Chase chimed in, “We joke, we laugh, we suppress our trauma.” Without waiting, he turned to a computer that was against the wall in the records room, “All right, enough of this feelings shit. Let's introduce you to your team of losers.”

Once Robert sat down, his team was explained to him.

First was Sonar. Harvard graduate. Body of a human, head of a gray bat. White collar criminal. Imbezzlement, crypto scams, forgery, fraud…

Something noteworthy was how he could turn into a large, feral bat. He loses intelligence, but gains strength. 

Next was Flambae. Controls fire without getting burnt. Crimes involved arson, assault and vandalism. They have already met…several times now.

Invisigal came up on the screen. She was a mystery, even to Blazer. Turned herself in months ago. Crimes were robbery, assault and larceny. 

Add peeping tammy to that list…

The next entry was Coupè. She was the woman in black that night at the bar when Flambae lost his tooth. Though, she was the first villain in the list with actual bodies. Her crimes involved kidnapping, stalking and first degree murder. Former assassin for the mob. Her nickname is Coop.

The second of Flamebae’s friends was Punch Up. The short man with the mustache. Irish. Super human strength. Apparently made a deal with a witch for the strength of 10 men. The only cost was his height shrunk to three feet. Battery, assault, and second degree murder. 

Third to last was Malevola. She looked like a literal demon with her flexible tail, magic sword, horns and bright red skin. Crimes involved assault, battery and forgery. Interestingly enough, she was Sonar’s sponsor for Narcotics Anonymous. 

Must have a history there.

Second to last was Golem. A construct made of clay, mud and some metal parts. The most serious crime was vandalism. He was also 20 years old. Rather young for a villain. He should be in college or something. A second chance would do this guy some good.

The last entry was Prism. A popstar, and rather familiar. Didn’t you two follow each other on instagram? He’d have to ask you about her later. Her crimes involved assault, DUI, tax evasion. Seemed pretty standard for someone in the music industry. 

Hell, Robert could name several singers that have done much worse than Prism. 

They were his team, the Z-team. All and all…A wide range of reformed villains to work with. He had hope for several of them. Though, he has severe concerns about those with actual blood on their hands. 

Thankfully none of them were truly vile. None of their crimes involved children. None of them were sex offenders. No human trafficking…Murder was the only crime that would be hard to reform from. 

But…If Blonde Blazer could see redemption for them, then the retired hero had to try and get them into shape. 

Chase showed him to his desk. It was rather sparse, but had everything he needed. Computer. Keyboard. Pretty standard for an office desk. Though just to add some life, Robert pulled out his wallet and took out a photo he had of you. 

His older friend laughed once he pinned the picture to the cork board.

“You romantic sap.” 

The former hero rolled his eyes, “You're just jealous that I’m getting laid by the most beautiful woman in existence.”

“Fucker.”

Robert sat down and adjusted his seat, “This computer's older than you look.” He took the easy potshot. However, his smile faded when the PC turned on and began to load, “Wait, so we're doing this? I haven't even met the team yet.”

Chase peaked up from his desk, “We did the slideshow.”

“First of all, that wasn't a slideshow,” He put on his headset and made sure it fit him properly.

“Look, we like to start slow. Most people don't make it past the first dispatch, and this is better for everybody's safety.”

Safety!?

Chase explained very quickly the map on his screen. After a brief rundown of the calls, Robert sighed and unmuted his microphone to speak.

“Hey team, this is your dispatcher, Robertson. I'm starting my first shift-”

Immediately he was cut off by everyone speaking. There were laughs, insults and sarcastic remarks thrown his way. 

“Tell me that's not your real fuckin’ name!”

“You stuttering bitch? You can't be this shook on your first day. Come on!”

“Robert. Roberts. Robertson. Roberts. Roberto. Bobert.”

“Can we clear the channel? There's a lot of overlap…”

“I saw him in his underwear,” That was Invisigal laughing in her mic. 

“Who!? Roberto Robertoson?” Prism’s photo lit up on the screen, indicating that she was speaking. 

With another giggle, Invisigal repeated herself, “I saw him in his underwear…”

Rude.

“Was he packing!?” 

“he's got a lot of bruises, which I'm into-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Chase’s voice sliced through the channel, silencing the entire Z-team, “Let me remind you, these calls are fuckin’ recorded for training fuckin’ purposes. So, keep the fuckin’ line clear before we send your stupid fuckin’ asses back to whatever fuckin’ cell we pulled your stupid fuckin’ asses out of!”

Thankfully that worked. For the first shift, everyone cooperated. Robert learned that Sonar was a fanboy of Willem Vanderstenk. That there was a bet at how long he’d last as their dispatcher. Coop and Punch Up thought Mecha Man did a great job kicking Flambae’s ass…

Oh and Malevola was working with Sonar to control his monster form. 

During the shift, Galen cut in to explain his team's strengths and weaknesses. He gave a good summary of the database and what to do when someone on the team performed exceptionally well. 

Finally, near the end of the shift, there was a call from a donut shop on South street. But there was nothing but silence on the other end.

Chase let him know about the control SDN had on member security cameras. 

“Is that even legal?” Robert asked, more confused than anything. 

“Don’t ask questions. Just always make sure to read the fine print.”

After a quick press of the button, the screen popped up with the interior view of the shop. On the tile floors was the body of an elderly man in an apron. Around him were tipped over chairs and tables, indicating a fight.

Invisigal appeared with a shift of her powers, “I didn't do this.” She said, turning to look directly into the security camera.

“Right. I feel like you've said that a lot in your life. What happened?” He deadpanned, waiting for an explanation. 

“This is how I found the place,” She said, walking over to the display of donuts, “The old guy, who I assume is Granny, was laying here when I walked in.” After a brief moment, she turned to look into the glass containers, “What’s your favorite donut?”

“Well, can you just focus? What? You got ADHD or something?”

“Yea, fucker.” Invisigal snapped, “Is it that obvious?”

“Yes, fucker. It is.”

He could see her roll her eyes through the camera, “Well, then answer the question. I don't want to sit here and fixate on it when we're supposed to be doing…whatever. Superhero shit.”

What a headache…

“Those uh…long ones. With the cream inside." He gave an answer, not really putting much thought into it.

Invisigal took such glee in his answer, “Oh, you like a dick donut?”

“Thats not what they’re…”

“You love big long cream filled dick donuts. I got it, dude,” She ran with the inappropriate joke, “You like your dick donuts up in your throat…in your ass…both.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, giving up on fighting her sense of crude humor, “Yep, you got me. I love gobbling on hot, sloppy donuts. Love them from my mouth to my butt-” Robert shut his mouth when he noticed a trio of coworkers stare at him in confusion. 

“Thanks for asking me that so you could get all your funny funny jokes out,” He lowered his voice so no one else got the wrong idea, “Now, can we maybe address the body in the room?”

Invisigal stood straight and knelt by the old man. Though, she stopped, as if unsure what else to do.

“What are you doing? Are you going to poke it with a stick? Check his pulse.” Robert commanded, fed up with her attitude. 

After a few moments with her fingers on his neck, she responded, “Granny's alive. Thank Christ. I don't want to have to lip this guy,” She turned to look back at the security camera, “So, can I go now?”

What the fuck was her deal…

“No. This isn't a wellness check. It's a B&E. Let's figure out if the perp is still there.” He snapped, trying to end this shift on a good note. After some more ribbing from the former villain, Chase helped him figure out how to switch cameras.

There was another delay due to Robert needing to hack the other camera system. However, he made quick work of it.

//>>CAMERA FEED: [OVERRIDDEN] //

Easy enough.

The retired hero took control, shifting the camera to look around. The camera was in the kitchen, judging by the metal counters, pots and pans. By the back wall, was someone trying to break into a locked case. Each of his hands were electrified by powered blasters. The battery system was attached to his back.

Robert focused, trying to figure out the specs. There was too much, and his screen blinked red.

HAZARD DETECTED.

“He's coming your way. Armed. You need to disappear,” He warned his team member who was still trying to find new ways to insult him.

Invisigal disappeared as soon as the perpetrator opened the door to the front of the shop. His blasters were armed and ready as he stepped slowly around the room. He was on the hunt, potentially looking for anyone else in the building.

She, still invisible, lifted a pan of donuts from the display case and threw it directly at him. The surprise of the attack caused him to toss his blaster to the side. It clattered to the floor, right beside an unconscious Granny. 

A scuffle began between the hero and villain. Invisigal did well on her own. She hit him with a baking sheet rather hard, causing his blood to splatter her face. Every time he tried to strike, she turned invisible and took the chance to hit him.

The robber fired his only blaster wildly, shattering windows and doing substantial property damage. 

As a way to help her, Robert managed to hack into the overhead sprinkler system. It was the only thing he could think to do in order to short out the blasters. 

//>>SPRINKLER SYSTEM: [OVERRIDDEN] //

As soon as the override was successful, the sprinklers went off. Water poured over the entire shop, soaking everyone and everything inside. Including the inner workings of the electric weapons. Robert’s plan worked. The villain’s weapon burst into sparks, becoming nonfunctional. 

Now, Invisigal was able to get a few more good hits on him. 

The fight looked to be  a stalemate before Granny managed to get to his feet. He fired the second blaster, hitting the wall and causing a cloud of dust to rise up.

Both hero and villain froze. The perp, however, raised his weapon, now working again after the sprinklers have stopped.

Invisigal raised her arms up and tried to calm the shop owner, “Granny, I don't think you know how to use that thing. So, why don't you-”

“Shut the fuck up!” He shouted, looking more and more unsteady on his feet.

“I'm one of the good guys!”

“You!?” Granny spat, “Yeah, right. Don't fuck with me. Okay!? Nobody fucks Granny. Nobody fucks with Granny!”

Robert didn’t know what else to do, “Invisigal, stay calm.” He advised, “Disarm Granny before the thing blows his face off. It looks super unstable.”

She didn’t seem pleased with the idea, “So, your expert opinion is to attack the client? Fuck that! I did things your way and it turned to shit. I'm taking the guy trying to kill me.”

“That wasn't a suggestion. It's a direct-” He watched her pull out her ear piece and disappear. Almost immediately she began to throw punch after punch at the villain. During the fight, his blaster went off, nearly hitting Granny across the room. 

Granny flinched and leapt back, losing control of the charged weapon in his own hands. 

After a burst of energy and dust, Invisigal was left standing over Granny, who had passed out. 

His right arm was bright red from the burns. His entire skin looked to have been seared off. 

“Smells like bacon a little. It's gross, but it's also kind of not bad,” She looked back at the camera before using her inhaler.

“Yeah, great. Okay. Where's the perp!?”

When she didn't answer, that's all Robert needed.

God damnit.

The retired hero took off his headset and threw it on his desk. He rubbed his face, and closed his eyes to breathe. 

“That was…pretty good for a first day. Sometimes people, you know, get electrical burns.” Chase stood over the desk divider, trying to make him feel better. 

Robert was about to answer when his phone dinged. A text from you. 

-We need to talk.

Robert’s heart dropped. His mind immediately ran to every worst case scenario before you texted again. Were you breaking up with him? What did he do? Could he fix this?

-I got a job as a bartender. 

Oh. Thank god.

-Babe, I love you but please lead with that next time. 

-Your still not going to like it. It's the Sardine.

The fucking villain bar!?

[awkward-tension-art]

Pivot

Robert Robertson x AFAB!Reader

Chapter 1. Chapter 3.

All parts

CW: Canon typical violence, brief description of injury, Alcohol use, Robert POV, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns, getting drunk, choices based on the play through I watched, MINIMAL PROOFREAD, Canon rewrite, this really is just canon but with reader, no use of (Y/N)

tagged: @crueltyincups (Sorry I forgot to tag you in chapter 1!)

Robert knew it was an asshole move to leave you after the press conference. He should have reassured you that he’d be back. But he didn’t. 

After all you sacrificed these last few months, you deserved an explanation. 

Scratch that. 

You deserved better than him entirely.

Even when he was Mecha Man, Robert wasn't the best boyfriend. He would forget dates to fight crime. He’d come home late, seeing you awake and waiting for him. He had no money, as he poured everything into maintaining the suit to the point sometimes he couldn’t afford simple flowers. 

And yet you stayed. What in the ever living fuck was wrong with you?

He got some booze. A flask and now wandered the city that he used to protect. 

What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

A display TV blared its broadcast at full volume, “Is Mecha Man a Mecha quitter?” 

Robert paused and turned, hoping to get a better idea of how the press conference went. You were better at reading public perception than he was. Truthfully, he never cared until tonight. 

The news channel had the image of some skinny teenager with brown hair, “Yeah, I mean, it seems like it’d be better if he died than be a mecha coward, you know? I mean, what kind of example is he setting?”

Ouch…

“Stay tuned to find out.” The news anchor turned to face the camera. Before the broadcast could fully finish, the glass of the window shattered. 

Robert turned, brow raised to watch a group of masked men break into the store. One of them had a crowbar and swung it at another window, shattering it. Two more opened the back of the box truck that the fourth was loading TV’s and electronics into. 

Robbers and petty criminals. Lovely. 

He stared at the mask in his hand, debating on what to do. He told the press he wasn’t giving up. And he intended to keep that promise. Silently, he slipped it over his head and called, “Hey assholes.” Mecha Man straightened his back and faced them, “Yeah, just put the TV’s back and you can leave. I won’t say anything to the cops and this doesn’t need to escalate.” 

The goon in the red mask scoffed, “Hey, who you callin’ asshole, asshole!” 

The criminal in an orange mask, the leader, Robert presumed, raised his crowbar, "I'll handle this idiot. Keep loading. We're out of here in 30.” He finally turned to face Robert, “And who the fuck are you?”

The retired hero responded lowly, “Right now, I'm someone with nothing to lose, which is probably bad news for you.” 

You’d hate that answer. 

“Well, with nothing you have, you're about to lose again,” The leader of the goon squad rested his crowbar on his shoulder.”

Christ…

“Whatever the case, I’m enough to deal with a pack of fuckin’ skittles idiots like you.” He challenged, though he didn’t hide the sigh in his voice.

Orange mask lowered his weapon and sighed, “Goddamnit…look, you're hurt.” He took a few steps closer to Robert, “Your not thinkin’ straight-”

As soon as the gang leader got close enough, Robert swallowed his pain and immediately swung with his left fist. His entire arm screamed at him in agony as soon as his knuckles made contact with the goons cheek. 

That was the opening they needed. The rest of them pounced, getting the former hero on the ground easily. Robert, however, didn’t give up fighting. He kicked and punched, getting some pretty good hits on the petty criminals. 

The barrage of fists and hits to his face lessened. One of the goons disappeared. A shadow flew by, grabbing another and throwing him into the broken window of the TV store. Another one was thrown into a nearby fire hydrant. 

The last of the criminals was lifted, and tossed away like trash. 

Once he got his bearings, Robert carefully opened his eyes. 

Floating above him was the impressive form of the famous hero Blonde Blazer. The glow from the streetlight surrounded her head like a halo. Her long blonde hair shifted with the slight breeze. 

“That guy I threw.” She smiled softly, “He landed on the roof, right?” 

“All good!” The criminal called distantly. 

“Phew.” Blazer gently lowered to the ground, putting her hands on her hips, “Hi. I’m Blonde Blazer. I work over at Superhero Dispatch Network.” 

“Hey. Hi. Yeah, I know who you are,” He looked up at her, holding his injured arm, “You’ve met my girlfriend. She told me about how awesome you are.”

“Oh, I don't know about that. I'm just a corporate hero for hire,” She immediately seemed flustered, “ You're the real deal. You’re the awesome one.” She reached a hand down, which Robert took, “But tell your girlfriend I appreciate the compliment.”

As soon as he was standing, Blonde Blazer gasped, “Oh god, your arm.” 

Oh that's not a good reaction…

He hissed and looked at his left shoulder. It had been dislocated, forcing itself upward instead of downward. His elbow was bent, and his hand hung uselessly, “Oh yea, that's gross.”

Blazer gave a friendly smile, “you look like some kind of mime DJ. Let me see it. I'll help you.” She joked, stepping towards him and inspecting his shoulder, “It usually dislocates the other way…”

“Ok but have you done this before? Cause maybe-OW!” 

The former hero couldn’t finish his sentence, as the woman in front of him pushed down. The bones in his shoulder locked back into their original places, fixing his mobility. 

“Yea, that's oh. Okay. Yeah, thank you.” He gave a few shoulder rotations just to test his muscles before kneeling to pick up his jacket. 

Blonde Blazer spoke to the cops briefly before she turned to look back at him, “You look like you could use a drink.” 

No shit…

“What makes you say that?”

 Despite the pain from getting his ass kicked, the two of them managed to get to Crypto Night, a superhero bar. It was rich, suave and bled nothing but ‘you can’t afford the drinks here.’

Blonde Blazer seemed happy enough to pay. 

They chatted about…alot. Though, the current conversation was on the rainbow masked goons they encountered. 

“Oh shit,” She giggled, “They were all skittles colors. I didn’t even realize.” 

Robert sassed before taking a sip of his drink, “Yea well, you know what? They can taste the rainbow in jail.” 

“Wh-what do you mean? Like different colored dicks?” 

They both broke out into soft laughter. A part of Robert wished you were here with him. So you could join in on the relaxed atmosphere and laugh with them.

“I'm a little buzzed. I don't really make jokes like that,” The superhero mumbled, “I think Visi’s rubbing off on me.”

Robert raised a brow, “Who?” He sipped his beer again, letting Blazer explain.

“Uh, someone I work with. It's Yeah…” She tipped back, downing the rest of her own drink. 

Yeesh…Probably a complicated relationship there…

“I can't tell which one of us had the rough day.” He responded to her rather impressive display. She definitely has a better tolerance than Mecha Man ever did. 

“Hmm? Oh, no. I had a great day!” She tapped his shoulder in a friendly manner, “Well, that's not totally true.” Her words faded slightly, “Oh, you're joking. Sorry.”

Now Robert really wished you were here. The hero next to him was nervous about something and you could probably read her better than he could. 

Blonde Blazer flagged the bartender for refill, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about keeping up. Something to do with the powers…” She leaned forward, resting her arms against the bar, “It takes a lot for me to feel anything.” She confirmed Roberts' earlier thought about alcohol tolerance. 

“What a sad sentence,” the retired hero teased softly before sipping his beer again.

She leaned closer to him, “Hey, you should give yourself more credit. To do what you did for as long as you did, especially without superpowers.”

Her proximity to him didn’t raise any red flags. Blonde Blazer clearly isn’t flirting or trying to make a move. Still…Robert hoped that one of your model friends weren't here to report this to you. 

“Not true.” Mecha Man put his drink down and raised his double jointed thumb, “What do you call this?”

“can fix that one for you, too.” She offered.

“No thanks, I like this one.” 

The bartender put down Blazer’s fresh drink before moving on to another patron. There was a comfortable silence between them for a few moments before she spoke up again. 

“So, how did you afford all that?” The blonde hero asked, “You must’ve spent hundreds of thousands-”

“Millions.” He corrected, looking down at his glass, “You’ll understand when the check comes.” 

Blonde Blazer flinched, “You're serious? Millions?”

Robert nodded, confirming the amount, “Yeah, I basically burned through my entire inheritance keeping it going. Last couple years have just been duct tape and sheer termination.” He didn’t admit the fact that he also borrowed a good few thousand from you too. 

Well…technically he never asked you for money. Whenever the screen or keyboards of the Mecha Man suit became fried, You just so happened to have ‘found some computer parts on sale,’ and ‘oh what a coincidence, those are the exact parts he needed.’

Blazer sounded speechless at that, “Why did you do it?”

“Do what?” He took a swing of his beer, letting her explain.

She continued, “Sacrifice everything to be a superhero to the point of financial…”

“Ruin?” Mecha Man finished her sentence. 

Blonde Blazer was truly a corporate superhero, as she nodded politely, “I was going to say hardship, but ruin was the first word that came to mind. Yeah…” Clearly, she knew what she wanted to say, but was too nice to be truthful about it unless someone prompted her, “you must be completely broke at this point.”

The former hero shrugged, but gave her a friendly smile, “I don't know. I guess I just like helping people.” He raised his glass slightly before taking another sip.

For him, it was always about helping people. Protecting the community. He was proud to have done it, but a part of him feared what would happen if Mecha Man wasn’t there to stop criminals and villains. 

The two of you started dating because it was Mecha Man that saved you from a knife-wielding stranger following you home. What would have happened if he wasn’t there? Would you have been left dead in a gutter? Worse?

Crimes like that happen far too frequently. 

Robert shudders to think about it. 

“So…” Blonde Blazer turned on the bar stool to face him, “Are you drunk yet or what?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I should probably be switching to water.” He admitted, lowering his glass. 

The blonde superhero nodded, “Good, cuz I was hoping after some drinks to loosen you up, I could learn a little more about you,” She smiled, “And uh if all that went well, present you with a proposition.”

Oh no…

“Uh…I’m all for talking and being friends but I’m a loyal man,” He responded quickly, “Look. you’re great, but I love my girlfriend I would never…”

“Oh!” She perked up, “No no, not that kind of proposition. I mean…a professional proposition. Did I come across that way?”

Robert up the glass of water, “Yea, a little. But since it's not the proposition I was thinking of-” He took a sip and immediately gagged. 

Not water!

Pure alcohol hit his tongue, burning his mouth. He spit it out accidentally hitting Blazer. In between his coughing, he wheezed, “Ah! This is like pure alcohol!” 

The blonde hero beside him, brushed some wet hair from her face, "It's not like alcohol. It is alcohol. I know because you spit it directly into my open mouth,” She pointed to a different glass on the wooden bar table, “That's water. That. See how it has ice in it?”

The fuck was her liver made of? Pure titanium?!

“You drink hard liquor from a pint glass?” Her alcohol tolerance continued to amaze him. 

She looked away, as if embarrassed, “Actually, I usually just drink it straight from the bottle, but I thought that would be embarrassing…” Her blue eyes met his and the both of them laughed. 

“I’m gonna get cleaned up.” She stood up from the bar after a few giggles between them.

Robert shook his head and laughed softly at himself, “I am so sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” One of her gloved hands gently clasped his shoulder, “I will be right back.” Without another word she quickly stepped away to the restroom.

Once she was gone, he sipped his water, hoping to get a little more sober before going home. The silence was comfortable for him. While glamorous bars weren’t typically his preferred choice, it was still a warm and fine atmosphere. 

…until it was shattered by yelling.

“Hey! Bitch!”

Robert tried to ignore the shouting but it continued.

“Hey, I'm talkin’ to you, bitch!”

With a sigh, Robert turned to find the source of the yelling. It was a man with dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Sunglasses covered his face, but his flame-patterned body suit exposed his chest and ab muscles. Behind him was a woman wearing all black covered in metal plating and a short man with a mustache. 

The guy seemed familiar…but the former hero couldn’t place how or why.

“All right, just so you know, I only turned around cuz someone yelled, not because I'm a bitch or anything.” Mecha man mumbled, raising his glass and drinking more water. 

“Don't you watch the news? This is a superhero bar.” Ponytail was clearly looking for a fight, but Robert wasn’t taking the bait.

He sassed back, just wanted these people to leave him alone, “Oh, wow. Are you a superhero? That's so cool,” He tone of amazement was obviously a lie, “This is your power? You're like ‘Tell people obvious shit guy?’”

The woman behind him snickered but quickly went silent when Ponytail glared back at her, “Are you really going to act like you don't remember me?” He took a step closer, clearly trying to intimidate the former hero. 

Robert rolled his eyes with a sigh, “Yeah, it's coming back to me. Oh, wait, wait. I…Oh, I know it!” He turned in his seat to fully face the aggressive man, “Oh, wait. You were Dr. Don’t Do Shit.” Sass laced his answer, “Your deal is you walk up to people, look threatening, talk a big game, then don't do shit about it.” With his final words, he turned to face the bar again, “Also, you're not a real doctor cuz you're a fuckin’ idiot.”

The mysterious woman laughed again before cutting herself off, “Sorry…Choked on my spit.”

Ponytail took off his sunglasses and got closer to Robert, “No, Mecha Bitch. I control the fire. The fire and the flame and my skin does not burn.” He held out a fist, and immediately it was swallowed by bright orange flames, “I am Flambe and you-.”

Memories hit him like a train, “Oh shit I do remember you! You're that shitty villain I busted up!” The former hero took the chance to insult him. 

“Not anymore, Mecha Dick,” Flambae huffed, stepping back and extinguishing the fire in his hand, “As I literally just said, I am Flambae, real superhero,” To punctuate his point again, he held flames in his fist yet again, “And you are not Mecha Man anymore. So you need to get the fuck out of here. Now we can do this the easy way-”

Without speaking, Mecha Man grabbed his glass of water and tossed it over his shoulder. 

Like a pathetic birthday candle, Flambae’s fire went out. 

“There. Easy way.” Robert spun in his stool to face the former villain with his retort, “You gonna hit me now, right?”

Flambae wiped the water from his eyes and seethed, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”Just as expected, he dashed forward, fist raised to punch the retired hero. In a stroke of luck, he slipped and slammed face first into the bar. The force bounced him up and he fell backwards, leaving a tooth embedded into the wood of the bar. 

“Holy shite!” The short man with the mustache gasped, looking over at Robert in awe and fear. 

The woman in black knelt down and grabbed Flambae’s face as he was mumbling, “Your mouth.” She murmured, “It’s whistling.” After inspecting more of his face, she continued, “Come on, we should get you to a hospital.”

Mustache man shook his head, “No Coop,” He rushed over to the bar and grabbed a glass of water and the tooth, “Fucking guy needs a dentist!” He dropped Flambae’s tooth into the cold glass, and shuffled to where the woman was getting their friend on his feet, “I got it on ice. Should be able to reattach it.” 

“Teeth don't work that way. You're thinking of fingers and dicks,” Mecha Man chimed in as they quickly exited the bar, “You know what? Give it a shot.”

The bartender quickly threw him out after that. Thankfully, he must’ve told Blazer that Robert was waiting outside, as she stepped out holding two drinks. She smiled once she saw him, “Hey, I couldn't find you.”

“Uh, it's cool. I was just admiring the art in this dumpster.” He responded flatly, staring directly at the graffiti in front of him. 

In glorious white paint on the dumpster were the words FART BARF.

“Can't tell why anyone would put those words together.” Robert mumbled before looking over to her, “Why are you holding two drinks?”

“Night cap?” Blazer raised a glass.

“You’re trouble.” He snarked. 

The blonde hero giggled, “Actually, according to the bartender, that's exactly what you are. What happened in there?” 

Mecha Man shrugged, “Little flare up with some guy, but it, you know, extinguished pretty quick.”

“A flare up?” She raised a brow, but didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she handed him the drinks, “Hold these. I know a place.” She grabbed his arm.

Even in Robert's drunken mind, this felt…wrong. Like he was somehow betraying you by going with her, “This is still a…professional proposition, right?”

“Stritcly professional.” She gave him a reassuring smile, as if knowing his concern, “I promise.”

He nodded, and tensed. Without another word, Blonde Blazer took to the sky. They flew up and over Torrence, taking in the buildings, the streets and the lights. She carried him effortlessly through the air, going over the hills that lead to LA proper. 

They went between the tall skyscrapers, flying through each and every one of them with ease. Some patrons were at a rooftop party and they stopped their dancing and waved at the duo. Robert raised a glass back with a smile. 

It was too soon when they lowered onto the edge of a billboard, facing LA’s famous Hollywood sign.

“I actually thought you were taking us to sit on it.” The retired hero mused, staring at the pure white letters. 

Blazer nodded, “yeah. That would have been cool. eh…Yeah, this is better cuz you can see it.”

Robert rested his elbows on his knees with a sigh, “all this has been pretty overwhelming. You know, I don't get out often even with my girlfriend, and I think I really needed this.” He truly was appreciative of the night to just…forget everything, “So, thank you for bringing me out.”

Blazer smiled again, “Don't you worry about it, Robert Robertson.”

For a brief moment, he tensed. You were the only other person in the world who knew his true identity.

“How do you know my name?” He asked, desperately hoping he didn’t fall into a trap. 

“Whoops.”

He swallowed, "What's going on?”

“Okay, I'll tell you,” The blonde teased, “but only after you tell me how you ended up with a name like that.”

“Oh, you mean a name like Robert Robertson III?” He poked fun at himself. He knew his name was ridiculous, so he played along. 

“The third? Three times this has happened.” She seemed genuinely surprised to learn that he was a 3rd. 

Robert gave her a rundown of his family. From his grandfather, then to his father, then to him. 

Blazer nodded along, listening intently, “A family tradition.”

“in more ways than one,” He continued, leaning backwards on his hands, “Gramps was the first Mecha Man. He died in the suit before I was born. Dad was killed fighting Shroud. That's when I took over. There was a little inheritance and the life insurance money.”

The look on Blonde Blazer’s face was nothing but sympathetic, "I'm so sorry. I didn’t realize.”

The former hero shrugged, still feeling the alcohol, “just your run-of-the-mill sad superhero

origin story. The family tradition, if there is one, is dying in that suit,” He knew you would absolutely hate the way he was speaking right now, “which I guess I don't have to worry about anymore.”

He looked at the woman beside him and her expression had changed. She had a soft smile that held no malice or ill intent. She was clearly thinking of something.

“What is it?” He asked, raising a brow.

“I'm not quite drunk enough to share my origin story just yet, but remind me to tell you someday,” She scooched over to be closer to him. 

Alarm bells were going off. Not because of her, but because of him. This felt too intimate. Too close. Was he cheating on you right now? This felt like cheating. 

When she reached for his mask, he stopped her. Instead of her, he pulled it off to reveal his face. Thankfully, she seemed to understand his hesitancy to let her touch him. 

“She’s beautiful.” Blonde Blazer spoke of you fondly, “We worked together a few times. Her lock screen at the time was a picture of you. It was kinda cute.” 

Robert couldn’t help but smile, “She’s…been with me from the very beginning.”

“I can tell you love her.” 

“Yea…” 

She had a distant look on her face, as if truly thinking deeply about something, “How’d you two meet?”

“Hm?” He perked up, “We grew up together. I threw myself into Mecha Man. She went to modeling school so we drifted,” He ran through your relationship history quickly, counting on his fingers as he did so, “One day, I saved her from getting stabbed and she knew it was me under the mask almost instantly.” Robert summarized things broadly. There was more. Definitely more, but they’d be here all night if he continued.

Blazer listened, seemingly really interested in his relationship, “How’d you know you loved her?”

“We’ve been together for a while now. And even though I’m a coward who hasn’t proposed yet, I can’t picture anyone else in my life.” Robert answered with a shrug. Having you with him felt natural as breathing. Without you, he probably would have suffocated under the weight of Mecha Man long ago. 

Was she asking for relationship advice? Vaguely he knew she had some sort of partnership with someone. 

After his explanation, she nodded to herself, “Thank you, Robert. You’ve just helped me settle something.” Blonde Blazer rubbed the back of her neck, “But, we got entirely off topic. I’m actually here with a purpose.” Her tone was dripping with an apology, “The way I went about things tonight…I’m sorry. It was all a little loose. A little unprofessional.” 

Her words startled him. The atmosphere around them shifted, "Unprofessional? I'm not sure that that applies to this…”

“I'm actually here on official business,” She interjected quickly, “How I know your name. The proposition I mentioned…right before you spit in my mouth.”

…and like that, he was embarrassed all over again, “Still mortified about that.”

“It’s fine.” Blazer moved on from that particular topic quickly, “Do you remember a superhero named Trackstar?”

That name brought back so many memories, “Remember? Of course! He's like family…” Robert’s words faded from excited to ashamed, “...that I haven't talked to in a while. What about him?” 

She continued, “I work with him at SDN. He recommended you. Mentioned that he worked with your father?”

Robert nodded, explaining, “Yeah, he was the youngest member of the Brave Brigade, so he was kind of my babysitter for a while. How's he doing?” Was he sick? Hurt? He hoped Trackstar was alright.

“He’s doing great! He's…He's why I'm here,” Her smile was contagious as she continued with her proposition, “Robert, I would like to make you an offer. In exchange for dispatching and mentoring some of our rookie heroes. SDN can make you Mecha Man again. but this time with all the resources that a company as big as ours has at their disposal.”

Robert’s heart leapt into his throat. He could be Mecha Man again? The idea was too good to be true. He almost accepted immediately, but there was one massive issue. 

“My suit…was totally destroyed.” It was in pieces, with scorched metal and missing parts. How could they ever repair it?

“I saw the report, studied the footage. It's not totally destroyed, just mostly.” Blonde Blazer seemed excited. Genuinely happy to make him this offer, “It's a big investment. It'll take considerable time and money to get the suit repaired and the missing pieces replaced,” She clearly wasn’t blind to the challenges of what she offered, “Plenty of time to learn how to dispatch and level up some of the heroes on our roster. Your experience, your work ethic, your perspective, it's all invaluable.” She put one gloved hand on his shoulder. Hope was everywhere in her blue eyes.

Damn…What a sales pitch. He’d be an idiot to say no.

“So, when do we get started?” Robert accepted without thinking much further. Job security until his suit was fixed? It sounded like a dream However, he needed clarification, “Wait, so you want me dispatching? What's that even mean?”

Blonde Blazer beamed, happy that he accepted so quickly, “Oh, right. I was supposed to test you at the bar.” She reached back, digging into a pocket in her suit before pulling out a small metal and plastic box, “here.” She tossed the unknown object right at him. 

Surprisingly, he managed to catch the thing in his hands before it fell over the side of the billboard. Though, he nearly fell himself once he had it in his grip, “The drunk people shouldn't be throwing things at drunk people.” He teased her as soon as he was stable. 

“Noted.”

He stared down at what she gave him. It was white and grey, and looked like it opened somehow. Though, nothing happened immediately. 

“Am I waiting or are you waiting? What's going on?” He looked over at her for clarification. 

Blazer tilted her head, “It was supposed to open up when I threw it to you,” Just as she spoke, the metal box popped open, taking the shape of glasses. It looked like some type of VR headset. “Okay, there. Pop it on!” She encouraged, "This is part of the assessment. And don't move too much in there. You're sitting on the edge of the billboard…”

Robert put the glasses over his eyes and they lit up to life. The screen showed a map of Torrence, and below that was a roster of heroes. He recognized a few of them from the news, social media and billboard advertisements. Once the demo began, he adapted quickly. Missions and tasks would pop up on the map, and he’d have to pick the best hero suited for it. 

Seemed easy enough. 

He breezed through the demo, and once he was finished, Phenomaman bid him an automated ‘goodbye!’ 

The glasses flicked off and he removed them from his eyes, “That felt pretty natural to me…” the former hero nodded with a small grin, “And that it's natural for me to end up mid tier…That said, for the first time, it feels pretty…” 

His words trailed off, looking down at Blazer. She had fallen asleep on his shoulder, breathing softly. It was flattering to know that she trusted him enough to fall asleep, you’ve done so many times.

Still…she wasn’t you. 

After a gentle nudge, the hero woke up and rubbed her eyes, “Did I drool on you?”

He shook his head with a small laugh, “Uh, I don't think so.” He handed her back the demo glasses and she took them. 

“Well, you see why we thought of…Well, Trackstar thought of you.”

Robert nodded again, “It makes sense…yea..”

Blonde Blazer gave him another friendly smile before she slipped off the billboard. She floated gracefully forward, turning to give him one last nod, “Meet me at the SDN offices tomorrow. I'm not done saving you yet.” She bid her farewell and flew up and away. 

For the first time in a long time, Robert felt hope. Hope and excitement for the future. He’d be a dispatcher at SDN… He can work with that. At least until he got his suit back. 

After scrambling down the side of the billboard and navigating his drunken ass back home, he walked into the apartment. 

In the late night darkness, you were asleep on the mattress with Beef. Ever since your modeling agency started cutting your paycheck, you had to sell the furniture just to keep the lights on. He also took note of the multiple job applications you were filling out.

God…you did so much just for him. 

“Sorry I’m late.” He announced quietly rousing you from your slumber. 

You shifted and blinked open your eyes. After a few moments, you sat up, waking Beef. The dog wasn’t happy to have been moved, so he whined and instead focused on Robert’s arrival. 

“Hm? You…didn’t answer your phone.” You mumbled, rubbing your eyes, “I got worried…”

Ah shit. He hadn’t even bothered to check his phone.

Alcohol still affected his thoughts, all he managed to slur was, “I think things are going to be all right.” He hoped you understood him well enough, “I met a nice lady. She wants to help us out.” His hand rubbed Beef’s head in greeting before he pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Robert?” You probably clocked him as drunk immediately. 

He brought up a video about SDN and started playing it as soon as he sat down beside the destroyed remnants of the Mecha Man suit, “Everything is going to be alright.” He repeated, regretfully not giving you a proper explanation, “I can make up for everything.”

Despite the clear concern and confusion, you got up from the bare mattress and snuggled up to his side. On instinct, he wrapped an arm around you, pulling your body closer to his. 

An SDN dispatcher huh?

[awkward-tension-art]

Crash and Burn

Robert Robertson x AFAB!Reader

New series! This one is Dispatch focused because i love wet dogs of men. I plan to take it episode by episode, switching between POV of Robert and Reader

Chapter 2.

All Episodes (Link to all chapters)

CW: Robert x reader, civilian reader, reader is a model, predatory model contract mentions, canon rewrite, reader insert, reader uses she/her, minimally proofread, alcohol mention, if i forget a tag lmk

I’m going after him. Love you. 

Be careful. Love you too.

You looked down at your phone with a sigh. Despite the energy around you, you couldn’t help but worry. It’s been a good few hours since your boyfriend Robert had texted. His silence didn't surprise you in the slightest, even if it caused you more anxiety than your manager would like. 

He was Mecha Man. Oftentimes he would disappear for hours at night to fight crime. Protect people. And…Be a superhero.

He was one of the good ones. He did it to help people. Feed the homeless. Walk old ladies across the street. Visit make-a-wish kids…

He was amazing. As a hero and as a boyfriend.

He'd been searching for Shroud for years now. And tonight was the night Mecha Man would finally stop the villain who murdered his father.

Your phone, modified to wipe itself of all data at the press of a button, pinged the location of his mecha suit. Robbie seemed to be in the outskirts of the city, towards the industrial compounds. 

And you? Well you were a model for one of LA’s top agencies. While superheroes had masks and helmets, you had wigs, make up, and colored contacts. 

It worked to both your advantages. In public, he was Mecha Man and you had your own stage name. Which allowed for a safety net for the both of you, as tabloids and gossip blogs were very much invested in your lives.

There were a few noteworthy tweets and posts through the years you've been with Robert.

-MASKS AND MAKEUP: Mecha Man SPOTTED WITH LA MODEL AFTER CHARITY FASHION SHOW

-BROOO Mecha Man saves lives and gets professional grade top from a super model #imfine #heslivingthedream #whycantthatbeme

-Don't let YA novel authors know the next romance trope is gonna be 'Superhero x model' romance because of Mecha Mans relationship

Tonight, while Mecha Man was fighting crime, you’d be strutting down a catwalk for a fundraising fashion show. VAND-CO held these practically every 3 months for tax write-offs and this show’s donations would be going towards motivating  little girls to go into STEM.

Because nothing says ‘learn the sciences!’ like watching elaborately dressed women wear make-up and heels to walk down a catwalk…

You’ve learned to keep your mouth shut about these things. The agency already takes 40% of your earnings as ‘booking fees’. If you act out, they could take more.

Not to mention the 20% client fee. 

And any damage to clothing, shoes or jewelry is taken from your paycheck too. 

Needless to say, you needed the money. So it was easier to remain quiet, do your job, and go home. You tried not to bring up your frustrations over your job with your boyfriend. After all, Robert did warn you to read the fine print before you signed another 8 year contract…

How many years ago was that?

“Hey! Eye’s up!” Your manager snapped your attention from your phone back to the makeup artist assigned to you, “We have 4 minutes bitches, get moving!” She was an older woman. A veteran of the industry, which gave her an ego the size of the moon.

‘Ass.’ You rolled your eyes and tilted your head up to let the artists do their job. They worked quickly and diligently to cover your flaws. Your lipstick was paired with your eyeshadow, both colors meticulously chosen to match your skin tone. 

Swiftly, you checked your phone for any indication of Robbie's wellbeing. 

Still nothing. 

It didn’t help that you had the worst feeling. 

“Get up ladies! We have 30 seconds!” 

“Shoes on! Hair done! No resting! And don’t even think about eating any-!” 

The building shook around you, cutting off your screaming manager. The lights flickered briefly, and some of the other models screamed or panicked. As quickly as it started, it ended as if nothing happened. 

You could hear the confused and scared chatter from the audience outside. Your hands flew to your phone, and checked Robert’s location again. 

He was no longer in the industrial area. He wasn’t anywhere. 

CURRENT LOCATION: DISCONNECTED

Terror rose through your blood, tightening your throat. The world around you melted. 

Your ears were ringing. Your vision was blurry. Someone was calling your name. Someone else put a hand to your shoulder.

You checked where he was before the disconnection.

SUNSET AVE AND EAST WAY

As if on autopilot, your fingers went to your modified settings. 

Safety Delete? Yes. No.

YES.

Your screen flashed once before being wiped entirely of all data connected to your boyfriend. It was for your safety in case anything happened to him. 

And you think something happened to him.

“Get your shit together! If you fuck this up, I will dock your fucking pay.” Your manager snapped at you, “I’m serious-”

You stared at her, mind not entirely comprehending her priorities. Her words didn’t make sense to you at the moment.

Robert might need you. He could be hurt. The suit might have been severely damaged, and he could be clinging to life somewhere on the street!

Wordlessly, you got in line. The music blared out around the catwalk. Cameras were flashing.

Your manager was ushering everyone along. They had to time this perfectly. Every piece of clothing had to be shown off to the rich and famous. 

By the time it was your turn…

You had already left. 

It was stupid of you, in hindsight. You should have changed your clothes. Removed your wig. Washed the makeup off. If you did, maybe you wouldn’t have seen your smudged eyeshadow and mascara stained tears on instagram as you waited in the hospital. 

Your phone blew up.Texts and DMs from your fellow models and other industry friends. However, the call from your manager was the most terrifying. She was enraged, as you shakily held up your cell to your ear.

“You may be Mecha Man’s sweetheart, but you still have a contract!” She seethed, “You need to reimburse me for the dress, the makeup and your slot in the show! You think just because your some hero’s side piece you can-”

You hung up and couldn’t remember anything else. Honestly, that phone call was the last thing you remembered in detail. Everything else became a blur for 4 months.

Surgery after surgery. Procedure after procedure. Physical therapy sessions. Nothing truly remained clear in your head. Your parents called to check up on you and Robert after two weeks of silence. All you could really explain was ‘he had an accident’. 

4 months of fuzzy memories, angry calls and texts from your manager, and sleeping on a cot in the hospital room. By month 2, your boyfriend woke up. Month 3 physical therapy began. 

By the end of the last month, Mecha Man was discharged. He relied on you to get the journalists together. Thankfully you hadn’t burned your connections in your 4 months absence from the catwalk. 

Now, behind the dark curtains and away from the prying eyes of the gossiping tabloids and cameras you faced your boyfriend. Gently, your hands fixed his mask, making sure it wasn’t crooked. You double checked the tightness of the sling holding his still healing arm. 

“Thanks…” He murmured softly, brown eyes looking at you with appreciation, “For…yea…”

You smiled softly, “Of course, Mecha Man.” Your fingers dusted off some lint from his shoulder, “You're going to do great.” Gently, you gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, “I’m right here.”

Robert nodded, taking a deep breath and turning to walk to the podium. Despite his head held high and his squared shoulders, he was…smaller than the media last saw him. His muscles had atrophied greatly while he laid in that hospital bed. As soon as he got into view, cameras flashed. 

Ever so slightly you saw him flinch from the barrage of bright lights. 

Your boyfriend took a deep breath and spoke evenly, “There’s been a lot of speculation about my health and the state of the Mecha Man suit, and I’m here to put that speculation to rest,” he sighed, reading from the practiced script you and him put together, “The suit is beyond my ability to repair, so I will be stepping back from superhero work…effective immediately.”

As soon as he finished his statement, the flashes began again. Among them, questions were shouted in a hurried tone. 

“Does this mean you're finished?”

“Can you repair the suit?”

“What's next for Mecha man?”

“Does this mean your career is over?”

“How badly were you hurt?”

“What about your relationship? Have you two broken up?” 

You heard that last one and raised a brow. You were currently out of sight, but the question was still out of left field. What stupid priorities. 

Mecha Man quieted the never ending questions by raising his hand, “One at a time, please.”

A blonde reporter stood up, holding a microphone up towards your boyfriend, “Ashley Rhiness. San Pedro Daily. Do you have anything to say to your fans? The public outpouring, the vigils, a lot of them were worried you wouldn't wake up.”

Robert nodded solemnly. You had shown him the endless reports, posts and videos of support, and he appreciated every single thing, “I suppose I want them to know I did my best. I worked as long as I could, as hard as I could, and that's all anyone can do,” He answered, “Next question.”

A male report stood up suddenly, “Chris Stratton, Torrance Tribune. “ He wore all black and spoke with a sharp tone, “Does this mean you're retiring as Mecha Man? Word on the street is, you're dunzo.”

Robert briefly looked over to you, mirroring your confused look before he responded, “Are you 100 years old? Why are you talking like that?” His words caused several laughs and snickers through the crowd.

Chris Stratton didn’t enjoy that answer, as he snapped, “Answer the question, buddy boy. Are you retiring? My readers need the skinny and I aim to deliver.”

How old was this jackass?

“Look, I'm not retiring. Not yet, at least.” Robert’s response caused your heart to leap into your throat. He had no suit. No powers. He was trained in combat, but that only could only get him so far.

What did he plan to do?

“Any idea what you can do without the Mechaman suit?” The reporter sounded less hostile now, which was much better than his original tone. 

Your boyfriend’s eyes flicked downward before he sighed, “Not yet…Alright, just one more please, I gotta get back to um…just…just one more please. Preferably someone from this century.”

A murmur broke through the crowd. Above it all, an older reporter stood, “Charles Kingsley, South Bay Signal.” He wore glasses, and lacked a phone or microphone. He only held a journal and a pencil.

Your heart dropped. How did he get into the meeting!? The journalists here were all supposed to be sympathetic to Mecha Man! Why was he here!?

“So, Shroud kills your father, goes to jail for 15 years, breaks out, and immediately dupes you into a trap where he destroys the Mechaman suit and puts you in a coma for months.” Charles waved his pencil slightly at your boyfriend.

There was a stretch of time before Robert spoke up, “I didn’t hear a question in there.”

“Two-parter. First, why didn't Shroud kill you?” Charles asked, tone that of someone trying to push buttons instead of genuine curiosity, “You haven't been conscious for months. It'd be easy money taking you out.”

“Okay…for starters, Okay. Shroud wanted the Astral Pulse and Mechaman gone. He got both. I'm not sure I mattered much.” Mecha man answered cooly, refusing to give into the clear provocation, “Even if I did matter to him, my girlfriend was by my side in the hospital every minute of every day. If Shroud wanted to take me out, he’d have been stopped or slowed down by her.”

The older reporter had a snide smirk, “Right. You're unimportant. Which leads

me to my next question. Most heroes avenge their family. You did the opposite. You killed their legacy.” He taunted, “How disappointed would your dad be if he were here right now? Your father, your grandfather, they must be rolling over in their graves.”

Your hand flew to your mouth to cover the gasp.

Thankfully, Mecha man didn’t take the bait. He gave the front of patience, though you could see the hurt and unresolved trauma in his eyes. “I think he’d be proud…cause I’m alive. Which, you so sensitively pointed out, he isn’t.” His words were measured and steady, only helping gain sympathy, “I think he knows that I sacrificed everything and that I did my best. Being Mecha Man, protecting my community was the greatest honor I'll ever have. Now I have to live knowing that.” 

You could tell from your hidden position that Robert had hit his limit. He was tired. More so than ever. 

“Thank you for coming.” He ended the press meeting, walking out of view as the barrage of camera flashes started again. 

He approached you, and quickly grabbed you into a one armed hug. His masked face was buried into your shoulder as he took a shaky breath. 

Your arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly in a protective embrace, “You did great,” You reassured him gently, voice barely above a whisper, “You did amazing, Robert.” 

He didn’t speak, not immediately. After a few minutes of quiet solitude between the two of you, he murmured, “I need a drink.” 

“Robert…”

“Alone, please.” 

You pulled back to cup his face. You didn’t need to say anything, your worry was clear.

He shook his head and stepped past you. Your boyfriend turned down the hall and was out of your sight. A part of you wanted to chase him. Make sure he wasn’t alone, but you knew it's what he needed. Just for tonight.

The next time you saw him, he was opening the door to the apartment, “Sorry I’m late.” He announced, rousing you from where you slept with Beef on the mattress on the floor. After your modeling agency started garnishing your wages to make up for your screw up, you had to sell a majority of the furniture to make rent. 

You groaned and opened your eyes, sitting up, “Hm? You…didn’t answer your phone.” You mumbled, rubbing the light sleep from your eyes, “I got worried…”

Beef responded to you sitting up by whining slightly. The fat chihuahua turned his head to face Robert and immediately started wagging his tail. Your boyfriend rubbed his dog’s head, “I think things are going to be all right.” He didn’t exactly answer you, “I met a nice lady. She wants to help us out.” 

Nice lady?

“Robert?”

He sat down beside the remains of the Mecha Man suit, “Everything is going to be alright.” He repeated himself with the first smile you’ve seen on his face in a long time, “I can make up for everything.” Robert set up his phone, playing videos about SDN.

You got up, carrying the blanket with you, to sit next to him. He helped drape the material over the both of you as you snuggled into his side. Beef settled between the two of you, adding to the warmth. 

As soon as you were settled, Robert interlocked his fingers with yours.

Maybe everything would be alright….

[awkward-tension-art]

Robert Robertson III x AFAB!Reader

Dispatch

Episode 1: Completed

Crash and Burn

Pivot

Episode 2: Completed

Onboard

Disastrous

Riding (SMUT)

Episode 3: Completed

Turnover

Cut

Episode 4: Completed

Morning Wood (SMUT)

Restructure

Choices and Choices

Episode 5: WIP

Team Building

[awkward-tension-art]

Oh no.

A new sad, wet dog of a man to hyperfixate on.