I propose Robert takes up crochet. Everyone can get very soft and cozy things from him like headbands, scarves, blankets, shawls, hats, all the good stuff. (Chad has the most things, obviously. And all stuff for fashion more than warmth, since he's a human furnace.) Because Robert Robertson III needs a damn hobby that has little to nothing to do with his mech suit! So I'm throwing some basic yarn and a 5.0mm hook at him! Starting chain stitching, Robertson!
Also, imagine Flambae being confused that a half-double crochet isn't just a single crochet, it's a different basic stitch. Meanwhile, Robert's casually whipping out Jasmine Stitch(the hardest crochet stitch, and a hell of a yarn eater) with little to no hassle beyond the occasional game of Yarn Chicken.
Brought to you by: I got back into crochet this year after almost 2 decades spent not touching it, purely because I discovered(and immediately got obsessed with) wearables. THere are some gorgeous pieces out there. I have so many things I wanna make, and not enough skills to make the things I really wanna make. The second paragraph came from family members' crochet-related antics.
I've posted a few times about it but I love the idea that Robert learns how to knit/crochet and makes a lot of gifts for the Z-Team š„° I think Robert, without thinking, will knit a scarf for Chad only to realize he doesn't really need it...Chad loves it though, and wears it mostly to brag until he overheats. Robert starts crocheting a lot more lightweight, summery stuff for him.
Everyone on the Z-Team has something knit/crocheted by Robert, and they adore them.
do you think one of the reasons Beef is so fat (aside from being an incredibly good doggy who deserves all the treats) is bc Robert would justā¦leave the dog food easily accessible whenever he went out to do hero work? y'know, in case he didn't make it back home
Like yeah okay he's destined to die in the suit. What's the most effective way to make sure his dog doesn't starve when that inevitably happens? Leave the food out where Beef knows how to get to it. It'd take at least a couple days for one of those bulk dog chow bags to run out, at which point someone would have (ideally) gone to investigate the noisy dog next door that won't stop barking bc its human is missing. Robert Robertson III gets written off as a missing persons case, Beef gets relocated to a shelter or a new home, everything works out.
Robert doesn't do that anymore, what with Chase and the rest of the Z-Team around to potentially take care of Beef in his absence, but he thinks it was a pretty good solution for what he had available to him at the time. He's not really sure why everyone hated it so much when he explained his reasoning.
Writing a time-travel AU where Robert and Chad get transported to a future where they meet older, happily married versions of themselves.
Older! Flambaeās powers are different, with bright, blue and white flames because of an accident that involved him needing to burn hotter to save Robert and it sort of āunlockedā his full-potential.
Robert lost a leg in the accident, and is fully retired from being Mecha Man and has Blonde Blazers job as head of the Torrance branch of SDN (I like to think sheās happily married and retired early)
Justā¦having a lot of thoughts about Blue Flame! Flambae and domestic married Flambert š„ŗš«¶š»
āDonāt say a fucking word.ā His whisper dripped with the same acidity as the puddle at his feet. He hadnāt even felt the warning signs, the characteristic swoop and wretch, over the dozens of other misfirings in his body. Just hunched and threw up all over his own feet, his own foyer.Ā
āBae.ā Robert reached out and Chad jerked away, shoulders trembling.Ā
āGo.ā He pushed past Robert for the bathroom. He already felt like shit. He didnāt need to look like it too, not in front of the guy he was fucking. The guy he was getting attached to. āGet the fuck out,ā he clarified before slamming the door.Ā
The second he was alone, he began to cry. Each sob was a compression on his aching chest, but he couldnāt stop. Just like he couldnāt stop shivering even though he wasnāt cold. He turned on the shower to drown out the sound, then sat down on the closed toilet and peeled his uniform from his skin. Both were sticky with sweat, blood, and bile.Ā
He was out of body, out of his mind. His tears mixed with the spray of water but never stopped falling. He didnāt even bother with conditioner. He just needed to be clean enough to get into bed and sleep off the rest of the crash.
When he stepped out of the shower, his suit was gone and there were folded clothes on the counter. He stood in a daze, dripping and twitching, trying to remember if heād left them there. He managed to dry off, get the clean underwear and sweatpants on. By the time he got the muscle tank over his head, he needed to sit down again.Ā
He didnāt leave until he was out of tears. The rest of his apartment smelled like cleaning products hidden beneath a spiced candle and something savory. Again he found himself stuck, wavering on his feet as he tried to process his surroundings and how he fit into them. The vomit heād left on the floor was gone. He shuffled past the reflective halos left behind by a circular scrubbing motion and turned into the kitchen.Ā
There was a pot being nursed by a thin blue flame on the stove. Next to it, Robert was leaned against the counter, phone in one hand, big spoon in the other. Of course the moron reached for a plastic serving spoon instead of the wooden one with a handle length perfect for stirring. Chad fell stone-heavy onto one of his barstools, too dizzy to verbalize his critique. Robert didnāt say anything either, just placed a straw cup on the counter in front of him then walked out of the room. Chad suckled mindlessly at the electrolyte drink.Ā
āIām gonna dry your hair.ā Robert was much closer than heād been expecting. It made Chad jump, but he nodded. Couldnāt find it in himself to tell Robert to be careful, to scrunch and not rub.Ā
He didnāt need to. Robert toweled his hair with his best attempt at Chadās usual, careful technique while Chad tried and failed to control his bodyās tremors. Robert pinned Chadās hair up with a clip, then sprawled his hand over the twitching muscles of his back. The touch was light, ready to pull back at a protest like the one heād hurled in the foyer. Instead, Chadās head spilled into his hands and he pushed his back against Robertās touch, giving himself over to the muscle spasms and his partnerās tender embrace of them.Ā
āI found some chicken broth in your freezer,ā Robertās voice was low and steady, just as it had been while guiding him through the self-administration of the stim-pack and every other directive during that dayās hellish assignment. āItās almost heated through. After you get some in you, you can take a couple ibuprofen, then we can go to bed.ā
Chad sighed and nodded. If Robert had left as instructed, Chad would have cut right to his bed. No hydration, no nutrition, nothing to cushion the impact of the crash. āForgot how bad these suck.ā The words staggered out of him.Ā
Robertās hands were firmer on him now, kneading his shoulderblades. āYeah theyāre uh, theyāre not exactly gentle.ā When Chad didnāt say anything, he continued. āI once stayed awake for seventy-two hours on āem. By the end I was having full conversations with my dead dad. Pissed myself during the come down. My body was just so mixed up. Didnāt even feel that I had to go. Didnāt feel much of anything besides general shittiness.ā
āIdiot.ā His response didnāt show how much he appreciated Robert sharing the burden of humiliation, but it did carry a fondness even through the clipped tone.Ā
āWell, I was eighteen. So yeah. But at least I learned some things from it.ā
āLike donāt use more than one a day?ā
āEh, more like when you use more than one a day, make sure to get plenty of electrolytes.āĀ Ā
Chad took that as a reminder to sip down more of his drink. āI canāt believe youāre still alive,ā he said after a long pull from the straw.
āMe neither most days,ā Robert agreed. āBut you are going to be okay. I know itās hell right now, but itāll pass. And like it or not, Iām not leaving you alone. Iāll be here to help.ā
