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Robert didn’t think he’d need to bust out the Mecha Man suit again anytime soon. Especially not after the reconstruction of LA. He figured it would stay on hand for critical emergencies, something like a meteor or another full-scale invasion of the city by whatever villain came up next. After all, you don’t need a fully kitted out mech suit for everyday problems, especially not when the Z-Team could manage most scenarios perfectly fine.
Unfortunately, one of those critical emergencies came up. One he didn't plan for.
The details were still fuzzy, but he knew the important parts. The ones he was able to get from Waterboy's frantic stuttering and the subsequent beatdown disguised as interrogation administered towards the perp responsible. Flambae got hit by some de-aging power while in the field, went back to being about sixteen and, presumably, had no memories past that age, which wasn’t good.
It didn’t help that he almost immediately flew off after it happened, and SDN had been trying to locate him for the past few hours.
Fortunately, one of the few things Flambae wasn’t was subtle. While the whole Z-Team was searching across the entire city for him, they got a call about a mall being burnt down by an unknown super. It wasn't likely to be anyone else, so Robert dispatched himself to the scene not long after.
Standing outside the burning building, it all felt too familiar. The damage wasn’t extensive, but it’d still consumed most of the entrance, and probably most of the interior.
Regardless, he went through, pushing through the flames until he found an area where the smoke cleared enough for him to see.
Reasoning with Flambae back when he was an adult was impossible. He had to resort to cutting off two of his fingers just to save his own life. He couldn’t imagine trying to reason with a still emotionally immature version of Flambae. Well, more immature than usual.
It wouldn’t hurt to be diplomatic, at least. So, he called out, hoping he'd hear.
“I don’t want to hurt you, I just want to talk.”
No response. He just hoped this wouldn’t be a repeat of their first encounter. There still wasn't a sign of him anywhere.
It did feel a little different, at least, knowing this wasn’t a deliberate act of arson. This time it was just a scared kid who was probably lashing out. That didn't make it better, it just motivated him to be more cautious this time.
Eventually, he faintly saw something move in the smoke. Just as he turned around to look, a fireball was hurtled towards him from another direction. He tanked it, and turned just in time to see a burning figure fly towards him right where the fireball came from, colliding with the suit and knocking him back a good distance. The figure turned around, and retreated back into the haze, but not before yelling something as it did.
“Go away!”
At least he was speaking now, they were getting somewhere this time. His voice was remarkably different, but this was a younger Flambae. It’d be weirder if he sounded exactly the same. Still, the disconnect between his modern voice and the shrill, almost feminine one he had now was a little comedic.
Robert was snapped out of that thought as Flambae came back a little after, shouting a little more. He clearly wasn’t as strong as the Flambae that Robert knew, since he could barely hit him further than a few inches when colliding with the suit. All the more reason to try and be careful. After all, this was a teenager he was dealing with, not an adult. Powers or not, he couldn’t just shrug off being hit full-force by a mech, at least not as easily. He’d need to try and be a little less forceful.
Robert steadied himself as much as he could. He let Flambae circle by a few more times, waiting for the right opportunity, for some kind of opening. Then, right as he saw the burning man flying right in front of him, he reached out one of his hands as fast as he could.
With a grunt, Flambae was firmly stopped in his tracks, and restrained. As the other hand clamped down, he began to try and squirm out of Robert’s grasp, shouting as he did, still on fire.
“Bitch! Let me go!”
Profanities followed, but none of it was really processed. There was a different problem now. Flambae was rising in temperature rapidly, and he would be able to melt through the metal of the hands if he kept going. That is, if he didn’t explode, which was a very real possibility given that this Flambae still didn’t have full control over his powers. Either way, the situation would deteriorate if it wasn’t addressed fast.
Almost on instinct, Robert tried to diffuse the situation the only way he knew how.
“Chad, calm down!”
That got a reaction out of him immediately. The voice that came back conveyed nothing but shock, and a hint of fear.
“H-how- how do you know that name?!”
He finally stopped thrashing, and the flames around him fizzled out as the temperature dropped, so Robert could finally get a good look at him.
The person who was before him was recognizably Flambae. They had the same traits, physically. Same hair, same eyes, roughly the same face. They wore a black tank top instead of their usual costume, but that wasn’t too surprising given their old clothes probably didn’t fit anymore. Robert just wondered where they got the new ones from.
But, he didn’t look quite right. Or, at least not how Robert expected him to look. Nothing particularly masculine stood out about him, really. It was a little jarring, especially considering the machismo Flambae normally possessed. His figure was a little too slender, his shoulders weren’t as wide, he barely had any muscle on him, there wasn’t a trace of stubble. He looked more like a teenage girl that was trying to appear-
…
Oh.
It was starting to make a little more sense now.
Robert took a deep breath, and tried to think of what to do next. So, he said what made the most sense at the moment.
“Look, I just want to help.”
Flambae scoffed, and continued to try and fight out of his grasp, though clearly demoralized now. He still kept yelling either way.
“Yeah, nice fucking try, bitch! You all just want to help, huh?”
Robert, exasperated, fell back on the tactic he already used, unsure of what to do.
“Chad, I-”
That sent him into another fit, as his already frantic state intensified, and he interrupted Robert before he could continue.
“Why- How?! I-I’ve never told anyone-”
Robert cut him off this time, as he sternly tried to get across what he wanted.
“Because you don’t know me yet. If I put you down, will you let me explain?”
Chad didn’t say anything back this time, which Robert took as a go-ahead. Gently, he placed the kid back on the ground, letting him readjust himself as he got the suit down on one knee. Though his guard was up, he didn’t immediately fly or run away, so that was something. Knowing he was waiting for that explanation, Robert gave it to him, as succinctly as he could.
“You went about twenty years back in age and lost your memories. I know the version of you twenty years from now, that's why I know your name.”
The words took a moment to sink in. Flambae, still with his guard up, looked down slightly, his face betraying the stoic look he tried to preserve.
“I- No, that’s…”
Robert sighed, as Flambae retreated into his own thoughts. He continued.
“I can show you proof if you need it.”
No response again. Robert hoped that was a yes, so he began to open the suit.
He trusted that Flambae wouldn’t incinerate him the moment he stepped out of the mech, which was fortunately the right call to make. As Robert approached with arms raised, Flambae kept his guard up and stepped back a little. At this point, they were only a few feet away.
He was still pretty tall, even as a teenager. Even then, it was odd to be the one looking down on him.
Regardless, he still needed to show him proof. So, Robert took out his phone from his pocket, opened the photo album, and handed it to Flambae. Cautiously, he snatched it from his hands, and began to look through.
Robert watched as he continued to swipe through photo after photo, focusing intently on the screen. Eventually, after a minute or two, he found one that stood out, and was stuck on it for a long time, staring at it with an expression of subdued shock. Eventually, he held out the phone for Robert to look, and asked a question as he did, with a quiet and hesitant voice.
“Is that…me?”
It was a photo of Flambae at one of the Z-Team’s pool parties, wearing nothing but swim trunks and sunglasses. The contrast between the man in front of him and the one he knew in the photo was only accentuated, now that Robert had a visual reference. He just nodded to confirm, and Flambae looked back at the photo as he brought it towards himself again, and continued to stare for a little longer. Then, he let out a small laugh, accompanied by a faint smile.
“Damn, I look good.”
Flambae looked up from the screen, and Robert couldn’t help but notice the beginning of tears in his eyes. Now with a shaky voice, he spoke again, as he handed back the phone.
“So you’re…right. Who are you, then?”
The kid was clearly overwhelmed as is, so Robert decided to keep it short.
“Robert. I’m a friend.”
As he spoke, he held out a hand.
“Your name is Chad, right?”
There was a moment of hesitation, before Chad reached out to accept the handshake.
“Yeah, you were right the first time.”
Robert smiled in return.
“Nice to meet you again.”
As he let go, Chad stepped away, and looked back down down at himself, seemingly irritated. It wasn't hard to figure out what he was upset about now. Robert couldn’t help but feel bad, knowing exactly what he was thinking, especially given that he now knew what he could be instead. He started to regret showing him that photo, maybe he should've just done something a little simpler that didn't involve triggering someone's dysphoria. After a moment, Chad voiced his thoughts as he looked up slightly.
“So, is this…permanent? Do I have to wait twenty years again?”
Fortunately, Robert knew the answer, as it was one of the few things that was beaten out of the person that did this in the first place.
“No, it’ll be a day or two at most. You might not even remember any of this.”
Whatever answer he wanted, that wasn’t it. He just looked back down, with something that couldn’t be described lacing his voice
“I…I don’t know how to feel about that…”
Robert reached out for Chad’s shoulder. He didn’t resist.
“We can talk more if you want. Just…”
He looked around the still very much on-fire building around them. It hadn’t collapsed yet, but it was only a matter of time until it did.
“Not here.”
Remembering where they were, and the fact that he was the reason for the destruction around them, Chad immediately shifted into an apologetic tone.
“I…I didn’t-”
Robert stopped him before he could continue.
“You don’t have to apologize. You didn’t know what was going on. Let’s just get out of here.”
He could already hear the sirens of emergency services approaching in the distance. He'd clear up the situation with them later. As Robert stepped back into the suit, Chad silently waited, simply watching. As the suit closed up, and he began to lift off, Chad followed, as the two flew out of the burning wreck.
-----
There was really only one place Robert could take Chad, so he gave everyone a heads up as they flew back.
Mandy let him stay in one of the conference rooms, so that he didn’t have to spend too much time around anyone he didn’t want to. Everyone was still on the clock, so Robert couldn’t exactly keep an eye on him, as much as he wanted to. He’d check in now and again, just to ask if he needed anything. Some water, something from the vending machine, a jacket or something else. He didn’t ask for much, and said less. Robert couldn't think of a single time he saw him leave that room.
A few of the Z-Team decided to visit him while he was there, though most didn’t make much of a spectacle of it. At least, not one Robert wouldn’t shut down. The only one that stayed for longer than a few minutes was Prism. She spent a whole hour there with him, and left only when she was needed on a call. Robert decided not to pry as to why she stayed, or why she went back after.
Eventually, the afternoon shifted into the night, and Robert could finally clock out.
He withdrew from the desk, and began to pack up so he could head home. Though, he wanted to make sure Chad was still doing alright. He still looked a little on edge the last time Robert saw him, and it felt wrong to just leave without saying anything. As he opened the door to the conference room, he saw that he wasn’t there.
A little worrying, but Robert figured he couldn’t have gone far. Thinking for a second, he thought of one place he could be right now, which was the roof. Climbing the stairwell that led to the roof, and briefly scanning the area, he was relieved to find that his first guess was right.
He saw that Chad was sitting at the edge of the roof, above the entrance of the building. Without a word, Robert sat down beside him. The two stayed in silence for a moment, before Chad spoke.
“They’re my…team, right?”
Right, he still didn't really know what was going on about that. Robert tried to clarify.
“They all are. You didn’t see all of them, but they’re all your team. Z-Team.”
Chad sighed, and pulled up their knees to their chest.
“It’s just- It’s hard to imagine, really.”
Silence took over, a little longer this time. Eventually, it was broken, once again, by Chad.
“Where else do I end up?”
Robert took a moment to think, before speaking, feeling as if they knew what to say.
“Well, you become known as one of the saviors of LA, along with the rest of the Z-Team.”
A little reaction from that. Seemed he still wasn’t sure what to make of them. So, Robert continued.
“You’re an uncle, you have a niece. She seems like a good kid.”
That got a larger reaction. His legs uncurled, as he looked over at Robert with wide eyes. He continued.
“You meet some great people. Alice, especially.”
That got Chad to speak again, as he looked away, and back towards the ground, seemingly ruminating.
“Yeah, she…she’s nice. She helped, a little.”
He decided not to push.
Chad eventually spoke again, with a sort of sentimental tone.
“I never really thought I’d be a hero.”
He paused, and looked up towards the night sky.
“I don’t- I just…”
He was definitely crying now, almost choking on his words.
“I thought I’d be stuck there forever. I never thought I’d make it.“
Robert wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn't sure if there was anything right to say. So, he went with what felt right.
“I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through, or what will happen to you. But, it will pass. Maybe not immediately, and not without struggle, but it will pass. It will get better. You know that for certain now, at least.”
Chad sniffled a bit as he wiped some of the tears from his eyes, and laughed for a short while.
“Fuck, man…I…thanks. I- I think I needed that…”
Silence returned, before Robert decided to ask an important question.
“Think you’ll stay in the office overnight?”
Chad laughed again, a little more amused this time.
“Oh, fuck no.”
He turned towards Robert, a little, hesitant, as he asked in return.
“Mind if I stay at your place?”
Robert shrugged.
“You mind sleeping on the floor?”
Another laugh came from Chad.
“I’m used to it.”
After that, the two sat in comfortable silence for a moment longer, looking at the night sky.