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It was an understatement to say that Visi wasn’t quite ready for her newfound fame. It was still a shock when kids, especially little girls, came up to her for autographs or photos, and she definitely wasn’t used to seeing her own face on SDN promotional material. She grinned down at herself from billboards and when her face appeared in an ad before a video online, she threw her phone across the room. And that meant that Robert was no stranger to the dull thud that bounced off of the walls at least once a day. It even made him chuckle before he went to make sure she wasn’t too embarrassed to go to work.
They arrived to the SDN office like they would any other day, parting ways at the entrance after sharing a brief kiss. Visi had to get to the locker room, and Robert had to get to his desk and set up for his shift. Beef was tucked close to his side, wagging his tail as he was carried through the office. Once he was set down, he got comfy on his doggy bed that Chase had given to Robert now that he was out from behind the desk, and promptly fell asleep. Robert shook his head, but before he could sit, there was a hand on his shoulder that made him turn around. Mandy was behind him, a friendly smile on her lips.
She looked different now, and not just because she had given up her amulet to keep Chase alive. While she was still in charge of the Torrance branch, she kept out of the public eye and tried to keep off of the main floor. Despite most of those who worked there knowing she had been the former Blonde Blazer, she was still a little on the fence about other coworkers knowing who Mandy was.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, his brows coming together in confusion.
“I need to talk to you real quick, see me in my office?” she asked, and he nodded. After making sure Beef was still sound asleep, Robert followed Mandy to her office and shut the door behind them both to avoid any eavesdropping.
“So, what’s this about?” he asked as she sat at her desk and motioned for him to sit opposite of her.
“It’s nothing drastic, I promise. I just needed to give you a heads up about something that I’m pretty sure Invisigal isn’t goin to be … super thrilled about.”
That caught his attention, and as he sat down, his brow arched again. If this was something Visi wasn’t going to be a fan of, it sent some faint alarm bells off in his head. The only thing keeping him from demanding anything was the fact that Mandy had mentioned it ‘wasn’t drastic’, which made the knot in his chest loosen a bit.
“So if it isn’t drastic, why all the privacy?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder to the shut door.
“Mostly for this.”
Before Robert could say anything, Visi suddenly appeared in the chair beside him, and he jumped, almost falling out of his seat with both women laughed.
“Ha ha, very funny,” he muttered, shifting to sit upright once again. “Now, can we please get on with the news?”
“All right, all right. Like I said, it’s not the most fun, but it has to be done. Robert, if you remember from last year, the Radiant Triumph gala is coming up, and seeing as I don't have my powers anymore, I can’t go. That’s where you two come in,” Mandy began, and Robert sighed.
He should have known.
“Why do we have to come in?” Visi asked, looking between Mandy and Robert.
“While I know you’re not exactly jazzed about it, you and Mecha Man are the current faces of SDN. After our victory over Shroud, you should only know how many groups have been trying to get either of you, or ideally, both of you, to come out,” she continued, taking note of how Visi’s shoulders tensed slightly.
“I dunno, I think the others stand a pretty good chance of making a solid first impression. It was a Z-Team victory, not just a Mecha Man and Invisigal victory,” Robert said.
“Why does your name get to go first?” Visi muttered, and he gave her knee a squeeze.
“I get what you’re saying, Robert, I really do. And, to some extent, I agree. The other should get their chance in the limelight, and they will, but not for something like this. I trust the both of you to do this the right way, neither of you half-ass things the way some of our … other friends might.”
It was unfortunate, but she was right. Robert knew he and Visi had the best chance of not doing something to upset someone, the only problem would be something doing something to upset them. Or, more likely, upset Visi. People didn’t always have the best decorum when talking to reformed villains, they always said something stupid or off color, and it could take a lot to talk the offended off of the ledge.
“All right, we’ll get it done,” Visi said, leaning back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest and one leg thrown over the other. Robert’s eyes scanned over her, and to his surprise, she didn’t seem as bothered by the whole ordeal as he figured she would be.
“Great! I’ll let our stylist know that you’ve agreed, and we’ll get your outfit measurements sent over. We still have them filed away after your fittings for your current outfits. Oh, and Robert, you’ll wanna keep the Mecha Man mask on. As far as I know, the press didn’t see you anywhere near the suit, so we can continue to keep your identity a secret. Shouldn’t be that bad, right?” Mandy asked, a bit of a sheepish smile on her lips.
“Yeah, shouldn’t be that bad,” Robert agreed, but he was less than excited. Parties weren’t his thing, and galas definitely weren’t. But, if Visi was okay with it, he could be, too.
He hoped.
***
The day of the gala was when their outfits arrived. Robert had been pacing in a slight panic the closer it got to ‘go time’, meanwhile Visi was relaxing on their couch, phone in hand, until she saw her face on the screen again for an SDN promo.
“Fuck!” She threw her phone again, and it landed on the ground with a dull thud. Beef went to investigate, just like he always did, then sat by the phone and wagged his tail.
“I can’t believe you’re not used to that by now,” Robert said, glancing at her.
“I’m sure it was easy for you, you were born into legacy or whatever,” she replied, getting up to go get her phone.
“Eh, I’m still camera shy,” he said, earning him an eye roll as their doorbell rang. He went to go and answer it, and was greeted by a man holding two large garment bags, their names on their respective bags.
“Ah, thank you. We’ll have these back to the office tomorrow morning,” he said, and the man nodded before departing. Robert used the toe of his shoe to shut the door, and he made his way back to the living room with the garment bags. He peered around them to see Visi on the floor with Beef, scratching his belly, and she only looked up when he cleared his throat.
“Clothes are here,” he said, and she got to her feet after giving the dog one final pat. She accepted the garment bag from him with her name on it, then she disappeared into their bedroom and shut the door. Robert chuckled softly, and he retreated into their spare room to get changed into his own suit.
He unzipped the bag to reveal a solid navy blue suit, with a white undershirt and a golden tie. It was a solid ensemble, and he was glad that it would go along with the Mecha Man hood he had to wear. He pulled everything on, smoothing it out and tying his tie while looking in the mirror. Chase had taught him how to do it a few nights back, but only after teasing Robert about having to go to the dinner in the first place.
“Your first fancy dinner date, and you ain’t even paying for it!” he had said, chuckling as he carefully fixed the tie and tucked it in nicely. He fixed the collar of his shirt, and with a sigh, he pulled the Mecha Man hood over his head, covering his hair and the top half of his face.
“I look like an idiot,” he muttered, but took in his appearance. He could only wonder what Visi was wearing, but he knew that whatever it was, it was perfect. He left the spare room and walked to their bedroom, where the door was still shut.
“Visi, you ready in there?” he asked, gently rapping his knuckles against the wood. Instead of a verbal answer, the door unlocked with a click, then swung open to reveal her on the other side.
Robert swore his jaw hit the floor.
Visi was standing before him in a floor length gown, navy blue to match his with suit with some golden sparkles woven into the fabric. The top of the dress was halter style, with the collar around the neck and some extra strands around the arms. The skirt of the dress had extra fabric to create a rippling effect when she walked, which was mesmerizing. He noticed she’d even done her makeup, with dark blue eyeshadow to match the dress and a nice plum lipstick. She’d even put on earrings, a pair of little golden hoops he’d gotten her for their first Christmas together.
She looked like the night sky, sparkling and glittering, and he couldn’t look away. This was the first time he’d ever seen her this dressed up, and Christ, he wished it wasn’t for some stupid gala. He wished it was for their own date, a special evenin for just the two of them. But no, he had to share this vision of a woman with a room full of people who definitely didn’t deserve to see her like this. Not after everything people had said and thought about her.
“Uh, Robert?” Visi’s voice tore him away from his thoughts, and he blinked, bringing himself back to reality. “You okay? You’re just … staring.”
“Sorry, I just … You look beautiful, Courtney,” he said, his voice a reverent murmur. He swore he saw her cheeks warm, and she looked away from him for just a minute.
“Shut up,” she mumbled. “This thing is itchy. Can we just go and get this over with?”
With a small smile, he offered her his arm, and she took it, but not without returning his smile. It was faint, but it was there, and that was all he could ask for.
“Before we go, be honest with me,” he said, looking down at her.
“What’s up?”
“The helmet. Does it look stupid?”
She laughed at that, and when she closed her eyes, he could see the faint sparkle of shimmer on her eyelids. Fuck, she was so beautiful—
“It does, but you make it work.”
“Good, as long as you like it.”
***
The night seemed to go on forever. The gladhanding got real old real fast, but Robert and Visi kept it up with smiles on their faces. They ate and drank and entertained, keeping the good name of the Superhero Dispatch Network front and center. Any questions about Shroud had been skillfully deflected, and by the end of the night, there were a few new clients to add to the roster. Most people just simply couldn’t believe they were talking to the Mecha Man, or the Invisigal, which made it easier for them to leave conversations.
“Having people be starstruck over you certainly changes things,” Visi murmured as they made their way towards the exit. They had finally managed to inch closer and closer to the door, and after their last eager ‘fan’ saw someone else they knew, the two decided to make a quick exit.
“It’s a weird feeling. And it never goes away,” he warned, and she groaned a little, but it was all in good fun.
“Still, it’s better than being hated. And it gets you free food.”
Robert chuckled, settling his arm around her shoulders as they waited for their Uber to pull up. He felt her lean into his side, and he glanced down at her again, taking in how she looked. The makeup, the dress, how her shoes added just a little bit of height so she was a little closer to his, it was simply perfect to him.
When they finally got home, Visi’s heels came off first, along with Robert’s helmet, and she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face. She wasn’t used to all of the makeup, just her usual lighter stuff, so the sooner she could get it off, the better. The water ran steadily into the sink basin, but before she could star to wash it off, she looked in the mirror and saw Robert behind her. His hair was a mess from the helmet, and she could see how tired he looked. Social settings weren’t his thing, and she was sure his battery was drained far more than usual.
“You feeling okay?” she asked, turning the sink off ad leaning against the counter to look at him.
“Yeah, I’m good. Still can’t get over how amazing you looked tonight, though,” he replied, making his way over. His dress shoes had been tossed aside, so his steps were muffled by his socks. His arms gently wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her in close, humming as her hands came to rest on his chest.
“Stop it,” she mumbled, looking away again. But he tucked his index finger under his chin, held it with his thumb, and guided her back to look at him.
“I mean it, Courtney,” he said, his voice soft and her name leaving his lips like a prayer. “And if it isn’t too much to ask, I’d like to take you out to our own fancy dinner, all dressed up again. A night for just the two of us.”
Her gaze was soft as she looked up at him, considering his offer. Dressing up for a date night sounded much better than dressing up for a gala, even if she did end up liking the dress Mandy had sent for her.
“Does the dress have to be like this? Or can I find a less itchy one?” Visi asked, grinning.
“You can find whatever dress you want, just as long as I get to take it off of you by the end of the night,” he said, leaning down to peck her lips. It was light, so he didn’t smear her lipstick, but light was never good enough for Visi.
“Oh no you don’t, c’mere.”
Her hand went to the back of his head, and she pulled him in for a much deeper kiss, one that took their breaths away as soon as they parted, and stained Robert’s lips a faint shade of purple, not that he minded.
“Think it’s my color?” he asked, looking in the mirror.
“Only if I get to be the one to put it there,” she whispered back, a sly smirk on her lips.
“Next date night, you can put as much of it on me as you want, I promise. But tonight, I’m about to collapse, so don’t take too long in here, yeah?”
With one final peck to her lips, and after using a tissue to wipe his mouth, Robert left the bathroom to undress and climb into bed. Beef was already curled up in his doggy bed, and soon, the mattress dipped as Visi climbed in beside him, lifting his arm herself so she could snuggle up to his side.
“I had a nice time with you tonight,” she whispered in the dark, settling her head on his chest.
“Me, too,” he whispered back, turning his head so he could kiss the top of hers, and they both relaxed into the sheets. Exhaustion was crashing over both of them like a wave, and with one last squeeze, the two of them fell asleep, the promise of a future date night hanging in the air between them.