Imagine Robert grinding in the gym because he's insecure about the amount of muscle mass he lost in the coma.
He could feel how much slack his suit had as he stood behind that podium, physically and emotionally exhausted after being in the hospital for months and lugging the Mecha Suit into his apartment piece by piece. He doesn't remember being this sore after moving things around. It's probably just his injuries, right?
He doesn't look in the mirror often, but when he does, all he sees is the scars of battles won and lost long ago and the shadow of what he once was. Pinching and squeezing at his arms and watching his flesh just squish in his grip. His biceps aren't as big as before, his chest used to fill out his shirts a little better, he needs to tighten his belts a little more now. He doesn't feel as solid as he used to.
He used to keep in shape with just his work as Mecha man but he's started using the gym at SDN when he has time. Before and after coming in for the day, trying to pack in protein wherever he could but his frugal habits made it hard for him to have a sound diet.
He didn't like how baggy all of his clothes were now, but if he bought tighter clothes then he would see just how much he'd lost. He keeps his current clothes, determined to fill them out again.
The progress, its slow and it's grueling, and it's hard to be optomistic. He sees everyone around the gym with their bulging muscles, barely working up a sweat on the treadmill, repping 60 lbs dumbbells like it's nothing. God, he doesn't even remember how much he could lift before he fell.
He lifted until it hurt, until his body shook, and every day he came in to the office with a weary body but it's worth it, right? He can't be Mecha Man again if he isn't back on top of his game.
Right?
