Even being reformed, the Z-team still have villain tendencies. They don’t love “normally” or “appropriately”. They don’t know how to show they care in “socially acceptable” ways.
So they don’t bother trying.
After a serious one on one talk with Robert, Courtney accepts that she takes the pervy shit way too far, even compared to the rest of the team. So, she dials it back. A lot. That doesn’t mean she stops leaving little gifts on his desk and denying it when he asks.
No, the gifts aren’t getting more homemade and also extremely personal to what Robert needs at the time, you’re losing it. She would have no way of knowing what exactly he needs at all times.
Bruno is arguably the most tame out of the Z-team. The way he shows care reflects that. He likes poetry, so sometimes he’ll send Robert little poems that remind him of their dispatcher. When he’s feeling slightly more peeved at Robert’s lack of self care, he’ll heat himself up a bit outside and forces Robert to take a nap on his leg.
You’re crazy if you claim that he purposely lets some of his dirt cling on to Robert skin. He would have no reason to other than to ward off any other Constructs, but Bruno ain’t like that.
Victor isn’t affectionate, by any means. The closest he gets is with Malevola, and even then its more so quiet moments between them. His way of caring is… hacking into Robert’s SDN files. Not to change anything, just to know everything he can. He leaves Twinkies on his desk, along with the coffee he brews every day (so what if he only brews that particular coffee at home?). He knows his allergies, the majority of his medical history, the exact time of his birth down to the second- okay maybe he takes it too far.
So what if he sometimes lets Mega-Bat scent a jacket or scarf Robert left on his chair? It’s not like he gets irritated when Robert doesn’t smell like him, no, that’s crazy.
Malevola is loud about her ‘affection’ (patting Roberts back and ruffling his hair), but her care is unnaturally quiet for her. It’s making a portal to Roberts apartment in the dead of night because she wasn’t 100% sure he was safe. It’s touching his shoulder lightly, looking for any pain he’s hiding.
It’s leaning in close, listening to his breathing, watching his chest moving up and down- until Beef barks and she portals away.
Chad disguises his care as him trying to “make sure the competition is rewarding”. Him leaving nutritious and delicious leftovers for Robert and getting personally ofended when he doesn’t eat them? Making good on his promise to spot Robert whenever he’s in the gym? Using his hands as heating pads when the pain flairs up? He just wants him to gain his previous strength back so he can fight a worthy opponent again, because fighting Bobert in the state he’s in would be easy and a pathetic waste of his awesomeness.
That’s why he memorized all of his routes home, to the store, to work. Bob Bob is too weak to defend himself. He NEEDS Flambae to keep watch until his strength is back.
Alice almost screams when she gets a good look at Robert’s closet. He has like two shirts and one pair of slacks outside of his uniform. She is NOT gonna let this slide. Saturday mornings become mandatory shopping trips between the two of them, and Robert is NOT allowed to pay nor complain about the price tag.
Yes, she buys him Prism themed accessories. So? They look good on him, and maybe she relishes the jealous looks from the others.
Colm is slightly more open about his feelings than the other Z-teamers, but only to the point where he can say that he hopes Robert is taking care of himself and will take out a teste if he isn’t. Even with the threat, Punch Up doesn’t trust it, especially when it comes to not overworking himself. So he sticks around Robert more at SDN, conveniently dragging him away when someone tries to ask him to do something, intentions be damned.
It’s only a coincidence that people who make Roberts life harder, purposely or not, come back with bruises in unmentionable places and tight lips on where they came from.
Janelle already offered a free hit to their dispatcher, but that’s no where near the end of it. When she’s not on missions or resting, she’s watching from the shadows. Not just Robert, but any person she has grown fond of. If someone bothers him in any way, the next second a knife is barely missing their head.
Unlike the others, she would openly admit her stalking if Robert asked. But it will never come to that, as her training is far superior than the human eye. There’s always eyes on Robert, she ensures that.
Robert knows all of these things, obviously. Even if they had the mind to be subtle, he would still be able to notice the patterns. But he pretends not too.
Deep inside, in a long buried part of his heart, Robert can be selfish. Maybe it’s finally time to let himself indulge in the feeling of being cared for, even if it’s in downright insane ways.
izzy806
vaporwave
ellievsbear
pixelskylines
germansingergirl
