One of the reasons I love Flambae/Robert so much is because is because when he loves Robert for Robert, knowing he’s Mecha Man- it’s healing in a way. That someone who hated Mecha Man so fervently can look past the shadow of the suit and see and know that Robert is his own person who is fully deserving and able to be loved as his own person.
Because Flambae being able to love Robert proves to him that Mecha Man is not all that he is. That Robert is a person, an existence who can love and be loved in his entirety.
I want the kind of Invisigal & Robert best friends friendship-
where Invisigal bets 69 bucks that Robert's gonna end up hooking up/having hate sex with Flambae within the year, and Robert bets against it.
Only to have Invisigal wake up one morning at like 7am after a bar crawl with the Phoenix Team to a 69 bucks venmo notification and a text message from Robert saying, "If you say a single fucking thing to me about this at work, I'm am going to fuck with your shampoo and make you look like discount Blond Blazer. I know your work schedule and where you live."
And Invisigal finds a loophole where she brings Robert a box of mini-donuts that spell out "Congrats On Getting Laid!"
Flamecha/Flambert Smut that really should be considered/written more.
(Honestly the concept can apply to Z team Polycule but I can only visualise as Flamecha because of Flambae's trait of caring-so-much).
Alright folks, first off, I adore the amount of smut (and fluff) situations we've put this pair through.
I love how we basically have Switch Robert and Switch Flambae. We've been uses it to its fullest potential: We've got Dom or Sub Robert/Flambae, Sub with degradation kink, Dom giving praise kinks, Power Bottoms, Service Tops, rough sex, slower sex, banter in-between sex, etc.
But I'm gonna talk about Robert specifically. Talk about a hurt/comfort smut with Robert that ya'll have been sleeping on. And that concept involves Robert's mindset around romantic/sexual relationships-
AND HOW HE BREAKS WHEN BEING TREATED GENTLY!
See, for Robert (Switch Robert), when it comes to sex (whether one-night-stand hook ups, or failed attempts of romantic relationships that were more than sex) he would be use to either pleasing his partner or being treated roughly.
Robert probably had quick bathroom hook-ups, but for one-night-stands where he was taken back to the other person's place -> sometimes he'd be rewarded with: some returned affection, being allowed to warm his partners bed, decent aftercare (if he even lets them give him aftercare) or he'd be tossed out.
And all that makes sense for Robert. The treatment Robert experience would and does make sense to him.
Because that same treatment, in away, aligns with him outside of the bedroom -> aligns with his hero work with him serving to provide the care his hero/dispatch job has him serving or being roughed up in confrontations.
The treatment would also align with how his dad probably stopped giving him hugs/providing him any form of comfort ever since the Ear Incident.
Meaning, when it comes to serving or being treated roughly in bed, Robert knows how to respond to such actions and knows how to feel about them. Especially if you add in the headcannon that Robert focuses more on his partner's sexual preferences in the bedroom then his own, and would never think to ask about his own sexual preferences.
Therefore, in the beginning of their relationship, the way in which Robert and Flambae butt heads and insult each other actually helps eases Robert into the relationship and even has him not entirely fearful of the domesticity of it all. Hate sex to friends-with-benifits to exclusive not-so-flowery romantic relationship with rough sex (them switching who's dooming or subbing) is, again, the kind of treatment Robert is use to and the kind of treatment that aligns with his daily life.
So, Robert's heart stops and he freezes in place when one day Flambae slows down during their foreplay to admire, kiss, and caress Robert all over.
Because Robert would not know how to respond: to being treated like a priceless treasure, to genuinely feeling safe in his partners arms with almost all his defences down and no where to hide, to having a voice fondly whispering praise in his ear, or to hearing a simple genuine 'I love you' without a hint of mockery that suggested he'd be an idiot for believing it.
It's the kind of treatment Robert has wanted since forever but doesn't believe he deserves.
It's the kind of comfort Robert has wanted since forever but had been taught he'd be selfish for asking for it from anyone- partners, friends, family, his father.
Because, it's selfish for Robert to want to vent about his shitty day and just be hugged when it would be so annoying for his non-existence friends to hear.
Because, it's selfish for Robert to want to have softer sex or just cuddling together in bed (where he'd be the on held) when it would be so boring for his partners that he was already so lucky to have putting up with him and his secret hero identity.
And because, it was selfish for Robert to want his father home to can comfort his childhood loneliness, when his father had more important things to do as Mecha Man, like saving people's lives.
(I know its weird that I'm bring Robbie into this, but I'm really trying to get the deep physiological daddy issues across, and I'm hoping you guys just fill in the blanks of how the mindset translates to friends and partners.)
In conclusion, a combination of all the gently things Flambae would/could do to him while simply being hugged/cuddled with or without his shirt on, and while using his heat powers to ease his pained/sore/tense muscles -> would break touch-starved and low-self-esteem-unless-im-useful Robert Robertson the 3rd.
Robert would break, petrified with tears and all, while he'd struggle between [wanting the softness to stop because he doesn't deserve it and is selfish for wanting something so mundane] and [begging with desperation for Flambae to keep going.]
And ya'll have been sleeping on this.
Please feel free to tell me your thoughts on the scenario.
Tell me about roomies Robert and Visi I need to know how they annoy each other living together
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to yap about my AU!!! I know this is defiantly more than your asking but buddy I just gotta yap!!
also I'd love to hear your ideas if you have any thoughts on this au!!
Series Title: Twin Size Mattrasses (A Queerplatonic Roommates InvisiMecha Universe) (roommates for 12 years)
Plot Opening:
Once upon a time, a 17 year old Robert meets a 15 year old Courtney in the middle of a [spoiler] late at night.
As Mecha Man, Robert didn't want Courtney to roam around at night unsafe, especially since Courtney had no plans to rent a motel room or go back to her current foster family for the late evening.
Courtney makes a joke about him offering his own bed and Robert's like "actually I can offering my bed because I'll still be working tonight." And then Robert (still hiding in the Mech suit, hiding that he's 17) offers to Courtney, that if she ever needs a safe place to just sleep at night, she can come around to his place.
And Courtney, of course, accepts free room and board immediately and soon surprises Robert by actually coming around his place randomly, like a stray cat who, admittedly, has been given permission to break into Robert's home and disappears whenever she like.
Safe to say it doesn't take long for Courtney to discover that the famous Mecha Man Blue, aka Big Blue, is only 2 years older than her and doesn't let himself have much of a life.
Whelp! That's not her problem...actually this sad doe eyed wasian white boy is her closest friend (and basically family) so she's dragging him everywhere to experience life and not be a workaholic loser who feels 80 at 25.
Living together [a mix of them being unofficial (one bed, bigger house) and official (cannon game apartment) roommates]:
1.Ride or Die bisexual the pair of them.
Fav joke - "I know where you live, fucker!" "I know where you live fucker!"
2.Robert has been trained for many things...but having to tell his bestie that her bio dad was most likely a pedi after she unknowing casually dropped trauma lore was not one of them.
Robert never brushe off what Courtney's unknowing sexual trauma (you read that post) but he just doesn't know how to bring it up in detail.
But with the trauma lore drop, Robert is more patience with Courtney when she accidentally invades his privacy, disregards her own privacy, crosses consent boundaries and asks invasive questions.
Robert actually calls Courtney out on her shit and successfully sets boundaries while Courtney (being more impressionable at 15-20) actually works to not be a creep. She still has issues in public spaces but at home she knows the rules and the rules respect her too.
3. Courtney's ADHD has her sometimes forgets to write down the stuff she steals from Robert (he's one condition cuz he want to know if she took it or he just lost it) so there are some petty arguments there. Courtney returns most stuff of Robert's.
4. They can't actually cuddle together because Courtney kicks like a horse in her sleep and has kicked a hole in the wall by accident and Robert would like to keep his organs unbruised.
5.Courtney picks up some of Robert small bad habits -> uses 3-in-1 shampoo, has passable but sad cooking skills, sleeps more but sleeping schedule is all over the place, etc.
6. Courtney teases Robert for his corny pep talks especially after she learnt he practiced them through World of Warcraft team raids and having to give himself pep talks in the mirror (is so sad).
7.Courtney teases Robert for having a conspiracy board of flambae that was up on their wall for a month.
8.Robert hides always hides Courtney's cigs when she annoys him.
9. They make fun of each's shit taste in dates. throwing stones at glass houses behaviour.
10.They never ask each other for sensitive info about their hero and thief life but they absolute gossip. (I love little sister snitch headcannon for Courtney).
11. They have movie night Friday. They pirate movies all the time. (Movie nights become Robert's reason to live/come home before beef.)
12. Pranks war have happened because of course.
13. Robert will and has kept track of Courtney via marking her with glitter when she tries to run away from consequences.
14. They hooked up in their 20s once and it was like "great date, great sex, top notch aftercare- felt like I just had sex with my cousin- let's never do that again, but you're still my unlabelled soulmate." They have fun in the rare threesome and Cortney invites Robert to orgies sometimes and at the 1st orgy Robert got title of Throat Goat (40 in one night you know the ref).
15. When Robert moves in with Flambae (Flamecha), Courteny and Robert will be neighbours and that is not up to negotiation. (especially since the Coma).
16. They are not co-dependent (god knows they're both too independent for that). I just want family to be close and in walking distance so they can hang out whenever but still have privacy.
Small things are difficulty for me to come up with, I have list of slice of life things that I plan to write in a chronological date format for part 1 chapter 2, so feel free to share any of your thought with me. I promise to credit you for any and all inspirations!!
And please send more asks if you're inserted in this au!!
What do you think Flambae thought the day Mecha Man Blue exploded?
Oooooh, this is a difficult question.
Let's see.
Just to establish my own facts -> Flambae brags about his fingers more than he has issues with them. Thus, his beef with Mecha Man Blue is for being busted, thrown in prison and humiliated. Plus, some self-pride and denial, he doesn't want to admit to anyone that Mecha Man admittedly saved his life (where lesser 'heroes' would have killed him as he had wanted) and that he actually owes almost all the good things he has in his life after he burned that bank/mall to the hero.
So, I image his feeling are pretty complicated.
On the outside -> he keeps the facade of being a Big Blue hater, talking shit and maybe even saying shit that crosses the line when people poke at him, but he's by no means laughing with satisfaction or cheering on at a bar table with vindication.
He'd keep this facade up to protect his own pride because, even tho he's forced to know deep down Mecha Man saved him, he wouldn't be able to stand a single person going, "you want to thank someone/Mecha Man for kicking your ass?"
That's something Flambae would only admit to Prism after they got shit faced drunk together.
On the inside -> We canonically know Flambae see Mecha Man as a real hero (and not in like a hero fan way).
Why? I haven't come up with a scenarios yet (but funny enough I don't want it involving any one of Flambae's family, at least not directly. Indirectly feels more emotional to me).
So, seeing a real hero -
A hero whose put in the work 10 times over to show/prove he's more than a nepotism bitch baby.
A hero whose worked for a full decade and a half (without Flambae knowing Robert started as a teen) everyday with basically no breaks, weekend, holidays, or otherwise.
A hero whose given his whole (entire) self to protect and help the city over and over again for reasons Flambae couldn't even begin to grasp, aside from guessing Blue just wanted to follow in his father's foot steps.
Seeing Mecha Man, a real hero, explode, essentially die in the sky, and then crash into a burning crater-
I like to imagine Flambae thought Los Angeles just nearly lost one of their few, very few, best heroes and a hero who could never be replaced.
Lost a truly one of a kind hero, who Flambae would eventually learn was named Robert Robertson (the Third only in name).
Because you know neither Bobby or Robbie ever saved people the way Robert did.
And Flambae's new life, risen from the ashes of a burned down bank/mall, is proof of that.
