Chapter Text
The next days were somber. Robert was glad for not keeping secrets to his team anymore but Flambae was absent and the thought of losing a friend because of who he was didn't sit right in his guts. It wasn't his fault, yes, but the former villain was justified for his anger. The missions with the Z-team was flawless, Phenomaman was made to help out and despite his depressive states that Robert had to work around on, he was still helpful.
Robert caresses the broken Mecha Man helmet, the history indented on its etal surface, the burn, dents, and scrapes. His finger snagged on a broken glass, making him wince. He sets the helmet down and walks out the building.
"Hey-ey! Robert! Boss."
Herman waves walking towards the doors, Harvey doing the same. Robert waves back, jogging to walk beside them. "Hey."
'You hurt you're hand.' Harvey signs before taking his hand, water accumulating at his palms submerging Roberts wounded finger in.
"Yeah, was tinkering on the suit."
"Ho-how was it go-going?"
"Haha. Good. Royd is working wonders on it, real fast and efficient."
"I-can't w-wait to see it in - functional again." Herm states the two of them looking at Robert smiling. Robert smiles back, fluttering in his stomach tickling it out.
"Me too."
"You know, it feels like… for the first time in a long time… I can see a life without Mecha Man." Robert snuggles with Beef. Lying on the floor, the both of them, him looking into the dogs large brown eyes. "Which I'm sure you would appreciate. It'd be nice if we can spend more time together and your dads not gonna be in much danger anymore." He rubs the dogs head, turns on his back with Beef on his chest.
"The Team might have some things to work on still, but their progress is good. They'll give a lot of good in the world. Even more impactful than Mecha Man." He scratches at the dogs belly. "I think I'm slowly moving on from being Mecha Man, and Dad. I'm not so alone anymore… but… There's still Shroud."
Robert sighs and Beef wiggles out of his arms to face the door right after farting on his face. Robert chuckles and turns again to follow wherever his dog is going now but stops when he hears foot steps and see shadows outside his door. He gets up, readying for someone to break and enter but a glowing read line appears and out from the opening comes Mal. Carrying in her hand a chandelier. What the fuck?
Following after her are the twins, Vizi, and Royd. The twins jolts and turns around when they saw the state of him. Robert looks down to see he was only wearing his boxers, heat runs up his cheeks. He runs to his bed room and put on some pants.
"Somehow, this place looks worse." Royd says in dismay.
"I was in my underwear!" Robert gripes at them when he came back, frowning. The twins face reddens some more and starts rubbing at the door, trying to get rid of the soot Mal's portal left behind.
"Yeah we saw."
Robert groans, shaking his head, rolls his eyes when Mal asks for a place to hang the chandelier.
"What are you guys doing here?"
'Sorry, Robert. We didn't know you where… We planned a house warming party.'
"Planned a what? Sorry Harv I don't think I'm familiar with the last one." Robert explains, voice softening.
"A h-h-house warming party." Herman translates.
"A House warming party?!"
"Yeah, cause you're house is so sad." Royd says, powering up a computer set up that he's been carrying.
"And pathetic." Vizi adds.
"Is that my work computer?"
"We figured it out!" Royd exclaims booting up the computer and attaching a projector to it. An image of a map was made on Roberts bare wall where some points of interest where pointed out by a dot and some images that Royd enlarged. "The man can be mecha, again."
'Well… Vizi was the one who figured it out.' Harvey signs,
Vizi explains her theory, about noticing the explosions happening on villain hideouts, recognizing the color of the energy and smoke form the Astral Pulse prototypes Royd has made and how they match the pulse's energy signatures and cctv fotage shows the goons next location. The warehouse at Marina del Rey.
You know that feeling when time just passes by and everything was moving but you're not. like the universe is just skipping over you. Robert was processing the information he was given. He doesn't know what to feel. He had just started to accept being himself, without Mech Man, without the hero identity, without his ancestors legacy. Now he's thursted into it again.
It was Robert house he knows, and he knows whats happening to it but everything was moving so fast and then he was drinking a can of beer with music blasting , and the twins are dancing with him. It was kinda funny cause we was just going back and forth between the two of them. He's almost forgot the dilemma of being Mechaman again.
"This is the kind of greed, the bible talks about." Mal mock whispers as her and Sonar passes by.
"Oh fuck off." Robert mutters blushing.
There was a knock on his door late into the party. Opening it reveals Flambae, who prumptly punches him on the face of course. Payback, was all he said.
People started filling Robert's space and he didn't even mind it. It was chaos, and hectic then turned into a gathering of people he cared for. Those he had formed connections to. People he knows and people that knows him. It was good. He was good.
So should he or should he not be Mechaman again?
Well… That decision was ripped out from his grasp. Looking at the screen of his computer monitor seeing Chase slump on the ground. The edges of Roberts vision darkens the world was tilting sideways, and there's a ringing in his ears.
"B-b-b-b-breath! Robert!"
His hand becomes wet all of a sudden and he's looking at gray-blue eyes. Herman's eyes. "Breath with me. Inhale 1…2…3…Hold… Exhale."
Again and again, until everything was clearer. "I-… I…"
"Y-y-h-He'll be okay." Herman reassures, running his hand. "Blon-Blazer has Chase, Harv is healing him and t-t-t-their heading to SDN's medbay. We-we can go there rig-right now."
The mention of Chase made Robert's eyes sting and without time or the mental capacity to stop it, sobs and hiccups leaked out from deep inside him. Sadness and anxiety so profound all the training in his life cannot compare. Like dead leaves in autumn, they fall and fall, filling the space, covering. He tilts forward, his face crashing onto Herman's chest who holds him.
White, white, white. White carnations and roses on the bed and on the walls. So ironic that its so dark and blue. The color doesn't fit Chase, nor does his age. In Roberts memory he has always been bright and explosive, someone that lightens young Roberts dour days. Someone that makes him laugh. His fist clenches, lips stinging from all the biting hes done to it.
"I didn't appreciate him enough." Robert says, staring still at Chase's prone form, swallowed by an oxygen mask and heavy blankets. Herm's hand on his chest, water seeping out, his healing activated, Harvey was lying on the long chair, head on Roberts lap as his hand trace circles on the twin's scalp, sleeping. They've been rotating themselves, healing as much as they could. The main branch's healer, the doctor, their mentor, agreed to it. 'No harm would be done, might even help.' they said.
"I'm sorry Robert." Blazer sympathized, leaning besides the door. She was the one who carried Chase from the docks to the medbay with Harvey as an emergency medic.
"He would babysit me whenever Dad's dealing with something big… I was fine being alone, but I'd still ask to have him watch me." It was a desperate plea for connection, the only one he had. Robert chuckles, losing himself to the memory, the endless circle of his finger on Harvey's hair." I made him run a lot, back then."
"Right… Hey." Blazer moves closer. Arms crossed, eyes down and guilty. Robert doesn't know why. "The one who put Chase here… Pending the investigation, Invisigal's suspended, obviouslt, but… I think you should consider cutting her from the team."
Herman's hand on Chase twitches, Harvey too. He's awake then.
Robert frowns, he just…
"I'm not saying you should. I'm just saying you should consider it."
"I'll…" Z-team and connections, second chances and redemption. What should Robert do? He doesn't know. He looks at the twins, at Blazer, and then at Chase. Here is his pseudo brother, looking like an old man about to keel over. His own powers betraying him. Sacrificed it all to save someone he doesn't even like because they're one of the people Robert, in his sad, lonely life, bonded with. A friend. But is this worth it? Resentment and hate are so easy to point at someone, especially someone who's directly the cause of what's happened. Robert rubs Harvey's head. "Can I get back to you on that? I really don't want to have a decision while high on emotions."
Blazer agrees and left, leaving the four of them in silence, interrupted by the machines beeping. Herman was doing his best to stay relaxed while Harvey sits up, jaw clenched, looking at the dry wall. They looked at each other then at Robert.
"We-we'll leave y-y-you alone with Chase, Rob… talk-k -uh talk to you la-la-l-lllater."
'He's proud of you, Rob. He doesn't ay it but he feels it. He's told us that.' Harvey signs at him, they squeezed his hand before leaving. Robert was crying again before he knows it. Quiet, unobtrusive sobs that he wants no one to hear. He lays his head on the bed, letting the cushions and blanket muffle the sound and absorb the salty liquid.
Roberts patience with the vending machine is waning as it once again spits out his dollar bill. He's emotions are shot, he has a big decision to make, anxiety is consuming him worrying about the Astral Pulse's whereabouts, he's hungry and now that fuck ass machine won't give him his fucking Twinkies! He snatches at the bill ramming his head at the glass cover, someone snorts besides him. Looking up reveals Harvey, who takes a fairly dry bill out of his own pocket and inserts it at the machine. It accepted the bill but the Twinkies was stuck it was so frustrating that Robert can't help but curse and slam his hand at the glass again. Harvey was stunned then slammed his own at the glass. Before they knew it they were ramming a chair on the poor machine. So violently and as hard as they can, breaking it just to get to the snack that was smoshed into non edible pieces. Robert just stumped and stumped and stumped on it out of anger and frustration. All welling up and boiling over, head steaming from how heated the emotion suddenly was.
He hates, hates, HATES it so much! Nothing is going good! Everything is just so bad and against him! FUCK!
"Are you guys o-okay?" Herm asks them sitting on a chair behind them. Robert must have been so consumed he didn't even notice the guy enter. Herm stands up hand hands them both a Turkish wrap and a drink.
'We're fine.' Harvey signs. 'Thanks.'
"No prob… The-the others are in the green room." He scratches at his head. "The-the-they-they're kindaaa down though."
Robert sighs, bites into his wrap and heads out for his shift.