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After Chase and Robert hash things out about Visi, and Chase reveals Robert is Mecha Man to the rest of the Z-Team, the pair step back inside of Robert's apartment. Chase sees Beef, grabbing the small dog and cradling him like a baby.
A soft knock at the door catches Robert's attention, and as he opens the door he sees Blazer, holding a bottle of whiskey in her hand. "I figured that once everything calmed down we could talk more over drinks?" she said in a calm tone. Robert looked at her, surprised and a little in awe. Blazer's gaze shifted as she noticed Chase still inside. "If this isn't a good-"
"Nonsense!" Chase interrupted. "You kids enjoy yourselves." Chase steps out of the room, carrying Beef with him. "...Yeah, now's a good time." Robert invites Blazer in, telling her to have a seat on the couch she had brought herself just earlier that night. Robert grabs two glasses, and sits himself next to Blazer before starting to pour whiskey into the glasses. "So," Robert said, "What did you wanna talk about?"
Blazer spoke, her tone a little uncertain. "Earlier, at your party, I...had a great time. It was really nice to let loose and just be myself without being judged by other people." She takes a sip of her drink. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Especially before anyone knew I was Mecha Man. But I imagine it's hard on you being both Blazer and Mandy?"
"Yeah," Blazer sighs a little as she speaks. "I thought early on I could manage both, but with Blazer getting more and more famous, more and more people wanted her and less and less people wanted Mandy."
Robert gently reaches for Blazer's cup, setting hers and his own down before extending his hand out to her face. He gestures to her mask, waiting for her to nod, before slowly removing her mask and placing his hand on her cheek, slowly caressing her face, making Blazer blush a little. He pulls his hand away after a moment, giving her a little space.
"It's always the superhero, it's hard to live up to." She says, with a sadness in her voice.
Robert places his hands on Blazer's, speaking softly. "Blazer. Blazer, just for tonight. Don't be Blazer, don't be the hero. It's okay. Let yourself be you. Let me give you the love you deserve."
Robert lifts Mandy from the couch, carrying her across his small apartment before setting her on the bed and handing her a T-shirt that is far too big for him. "I need to go clothes shopping at some point." Robert says amusedly. Mandy starts taking her gloves off, to which Robert turns around. "Don't worry, I won't peek." Robert quips, a small smirk on his face. "Wait- You knew?" Mandy replies, slightly embarassed.
"Yep." Says Robert, smirk remaining on his face. Mandy flushes a little. "It doesn't look like it but I'm flexing every muscle in my body right now." She says, a smirk of her own forming on her face. A small tap of the amulet being set on the bedside table beside her could be heard, before she finally spoke again. "There, I'm changed."
Robert and Mandy get into bed, both wondering if the other was going to make a move. Robert eventually reaches out to hug Mandy, which is met with her opening her arms to embrace him. They hold each other tightly, Mandy running her fingers through Robert's hair. Robert takes note of the lemon and vanilla scent that Mandy wears, as he begins to soften at the touch, his body filled with a calm peace he seldom has. Before he falls asleep, he places a kiss on Mandy's forehead, his quiet voice breaking the comforting silence in the room. "I'm the luckiest man alive to have you in my life. You are my sunshine."
Mandy pretends to be asleep, but hears every word he says to her. She turns around on the bed with a smile, as the two fall asleep.
A loud crash from the living room woke Mandy from her slumber. She immediately turns to where Robert had been, only to find him not there. She rushes out of bed, grabbing her amulet and heads towards the living room. Broken glass on the floor, she turns her head to see Robert- sitting on the edge of the balcony, bottle of whiskey in hand.
She takes a couple of small steps towards him, and speaks in a shaky and quiet voice. "Robert?"
He turns his head to look at her, seeing her approach him slowly. "Sorry, Mandy. It's just...one of my episodes."
"Robert, please come back inside," Mandy begged.
"I will. I just need to decompress." Robert's voice was scratchy.
"I get that. But please at least get off the ledge. Or else I'll have to use my amulet."
Robert speaks up almost immediately. "You deserve better than me, Mandy. I'm broken."
"Robert, it's never too late. I can still save you. I love you." Mandy sheds tears she didn't realize she was holding back.
Robert looks at her, sees the tears streaming down her face, and steps off the ledge to walk towards her. He dries her face as she wraps him into an embrace, of which he lets himself fall into. He breaks, tears of his own soon beginning to fall. Mandy holds him tighter, caressing his hair and tries to soothe him, leading him to the couch so they can sit. In time, Robert's breathing steadies and his tears stop falling as his body relaxes into sleep.
Mandy reaches for her amulet, putting it on to carry Robert into bed. After getting him comfortable, she reached for her amulet before stopping herself in her tracks. "...Maybe I should keep this on in case something else happens tonight." She thinks. She climbs back into bed, holding Robert's hand before falling asleep again.
Morning came, and Blazer woke once more to see Robert absent from the bed. She sprints out of the room, seeing him standing in the kitchen making coffee. "...You alright, Blazer?" He asked.
"Yeah, I just...didn't see you in bed when I woke up."
"Did something happen last night where you needed to keep an eye on me?" Robert asked, a slightly amused tone.
"...He doesn't remember, does he?" She thought to herself. "You...had an episode." She spoke hesitantly, unsure of how to broach the subject.
"An episode?" Robert asked.
"You were...reliving some things. I found you on the edge of the balcony."
Robert's expression shifted, and he sighed a little when he spoke. "I was worried about this coming out sooner or later, but, yeah. I'm still dealing with some trauma. I'm working on it, I thought I could suppress them for a while, but it's getting worse."
Blazer steps towards him to give him a hug. "Like you said. It's always the hero that's hard to live up to." He turns to her, and before he says anything else she places a finger over his lips. "We both have things to work through. But now we have each other to help deal with it all. I wasn't lying when I said I'm not done saving you yet. And if you promise not to give up, then I won't either. Because I love you- Robert Robertson or Mecha Man."
Robert reaches out to give her another deep hug, kissing her on the cheek as they pull away.
"Let's get ready. We don't wanna be late for work." Says Blazer. The pair get dressed, and Robert gets picked up by Blazer as she prepares to fly them both to work. Before Blazer takes off, Robert speaks up, looking up at Blazer. "....I love you too. I won't quit trying to save you too."
She looks down at him, meeting his gaze, both of them looking at the fondness radiating from the other's face, before taking off and flying towards SDN.