Chapter Text
Robert still remembers the day Beef came into his life, the man stumbling upon what looked to be a little chihuahua puppy rummaging through the garbage behind his apartment building when he went to take out the trash. The puppy was so tiny, skin and bones, and Robert knew he was screwed the moment he first locked eyes with the pup. He still tried to convince himself that he would only temporarily take the puppy in, that he wasn't interested in being a long-term pet owner, and that he would soon find the dog a more permanent situation. The Craigslist listing wasn't going to make itself, though, and Robert kept conveniently 'forgetting'.
Pretty soon, Robert's bare apartment was littered with dog toys, cabinets stocked with kibble, and a leash hung up at his front door. The puppy had a name now- Beef- and Robert found himself growing quickly attached. For the first time since he first put on the suit following his father's passing, Robert had something outside of Mecha Man, something to come home to at the end of a long day fighting crime, something that made Robert feel an inkling of anything besides the cold apathy that consumed most waking moments of his. As Mecha Man, Robert acted with less reckless abandon than he used to because if something happened to him, who would feed Beef? Who would take him on walks or scritch behind his ears just how he liked?
He wouldn't say that he had been trying to get himself killed in the suit, per se, but he'd also be lying if he said he didn't willingly charge into situations he didn't expect to get out of alive if it meant catching the perpetrator or saving someone or even just something. That is, before Beef. He's heard "It's not worth it!" plenty of times, and he only started listening once he got a dog. Well, if it were someone, he'd still risk it to save them, but he stopped running into flaming houses or buildings that were falling apart to catch a baddie or to save some important object that could ultimately be replaced, like he used to. He had a living, breathing being that depended on him, and Robert took that responsibility seriously.
Robert might've saved Beef from an unsavoury situation living on the streets, but Beef saved Robert from himself. Beef saved Robert from the crippling loneliness that had curled up and made a home in his chest long ago, something he had pointedly ignored up until this point and chalked up to just another inevitability of being Mecha Man- after all, look where companionship got his father. But Beef was different. Beef was safe. Beef wouldn't judge him, or worry about his life decisions, or tell Robert he was working himself too hard. And most of all, Beef wouldn't betray him- all Beef had for Robert was that particular kind of unconditional love a dog could give, the kind that had the biting loneliness loosen its hold in Robert's chest. For the first time in years, Robert found himself genuinely laughing when he would wake up in the morning to face-kisses from his pup, huffing playfully as he succumbed to Beef's puppy-dog eyes begging for scraps from his sandwich, and smiling warmly down at the dog as they walked the streets of Torrance together.
Once Robert started out at SDN, he decided he couldn't just leave Beef alone at his apartment all day- Beef deserved better. And thankfully, not only was it okay for him to bring Beef in to work, but Chase was even willing to help look after him. Beef might've gained an extra pound or two under Chase's supervision, but it wasn't like Robert was much better himself, having tended to feed the dog more than he himself ate from day one. Beef has killer puppy-dog eyes and he knows it, and Robert never wants him to ever go even a day hungry like he had as a puppy. He still remembers how skinny Beef was when he first found him, and he'd much prefer a rounder dog to that.
The tight coil of loneliness that Beef had begun to undo unfurls even further, slowly but surely, as he finds a sort of family in the Z-team. Beef is still his best friend, but he begins to form relationships outside of the dog, first with Chase, and then with his team. Even once his suit is restored and cleared for Robert to begin hero work again, he only returns as Mecha Man part-time, staying as the Z-team's dispatcher despite his initial plan to quit the second he could be Mecha Man. It was odd, developing an identity outside of Mecha Man, and it almost felt wrong. But Beef and his team were there for Robert along the way, and Robert found himself genuinely smiling and actually laughing outside of just those interactions with his pup, warmth and connection replacing that lonely feeling in his chest.
Robert's on a walk with Beef, a walk where he seems a bit slower than usual. Robert doesn't think much of it, chalking it up to simple fatigue from a long, eventful day. The next time they go to the beach, Beef doesn't race straight for the water like he used to, instead meandering over towards the shoreline at a slower pace. Once there, he simply stands there, ocean water washing over his paws as he stares off into the distance, and something in Robert's gut feels wrong. There's a wrongness settled deep in the pit of his stomach, and while Beef plays fetch with him just fine, and they have a good time, Robert can't help the slight anxiety gnawing at him.
At work the next day, Robert asks Chase if something seems different about Beef. Chase shakes his head, unconcerned, and Robert feels a bit better. Beef still enjoys his walks, plays with his toys, parades around the office looking for head scritches, and eats anything and everything offered to him. He's the same Beef as always- Robert is just being paranoid.
He still schedules an appointment with a veterinarian a few days later, though, especially after he discovers a small lump on Beef's underbelly. They reassure Robert that nothing is wrong besides a bit of a weight problem and that the lump looks and feels like a simple lipoma, a benign type of tumour composed of fatty tissue. It's nothing to worry about, they say, so Robert tries not to worry.
Over the next few months, Robert notices a few things. Beef starts to get these raised spots all over him when he eats certain foods, and he licks his paws a lot. Robert reads that the paw-licking is a sign of allergies, so he stops giving Beef the foods that cause him to react. Eventually, Robert has to change dog food brands, going through brand after brand with reaction after reaction until he finds one with what was probably the most limited set of ingredients out there. That works, and Beef stops reacting.
Things are fine until the lump suddenly increases in size. Chase notices, too, and Robert decides to bring Beef back to the vet. They end up aspirating the lump before sending Robert home with the promise to call him within the next few days with more answers.
He's at work when he gets the call, and he almost doesn't pick up until he realizes it's the vet. Chase covers for him when he steps out into the hall to take the call, ready for the confirmation that it is just a lipoma, as the vet had guessed.
Cancer.
Robert hears that and only that. Everything else the doctor says goes in one ear and out the other, because Beef has cancer. His eyes peek over at Beef, snuggled up in his bed by Chase's desk, slumbering peacefully while Robert hears a doctor talk about Mast Cell Cancer and various treatment options without really listening. He manages to catch the words "high-grade" and "aggressive," but that's about it. Eventually, the call is over, and Robert has to return to work like he didn't just hear the worst possible news that could've come out of that call. Chase asks if he's okay, and Robert lies. He knows Chase sees right through it- he always does- but he doesn't press further for now, something Robert is deeply grateful for.
He cuddles Beef especially close that night, curled up on the cool floor of his apartment with the dog instead of in his plastic chair.
He researches mast cell tumours and regrets looking at the images, a picture of a massive tumour mottled with reds and pinks and blacks and split open to reveal a raw, bloody wound permanently etched into his mind. Will Beef's tumour split open and ulcer like that? It looked painful. Beef didn't deserve pain like that- no animal does.
He schedules a vet appointment that night, one that isn't for several days. Robert is restless and anxious over the course of those days, what-ifs and worst-case scenarios flooding his mind and leaving him on edge. He checks Beef's lump daily, often multiple times per day, just to make sure it doesn't ulcer or bother the pup. Beef is fine, the lump stays consistent, and Robert is trying not to lose his mind.
It's the evening before the vet appointment, and Robert pulls Chase aside to let him know that he will be late to work tomorrow. Chase asks why, and after holding his festering anxiety inside for this long, especially from someone he considered closest to him, someone who clearly cared deeply for Beef, Robert finally breaks. He doesn't cry or anything, but he does finally admit that something is wrong. That Beef has cancer. It's his first time admitting that fact aloud, and it just makes everything feel more real. Chase hugs him, tells him that everything will be alright, and for a moment, Robert feels like a lost little boy again, fingers grasping desperately at the fabric of Chase's worn yellow sweater. He allows himself to indulge in that feeling of comfort and safety for just a moment before pulling away and recomposing himself.
Chase asks if he wants him to go along with him to the vet, something that Robert hadn't known he really needed until he was there at the veterinarian's office, Beef held in his arms as he listened to various treatment options with Chase by his side. It made him feel less alone in this, having Chase there. He feels silly for needing it, but Chase didn't seem to mind, and Robert is glad he ultimately said yes.
He opts for surgery, as it would be a simple one that had a high likelihood of completely eliminating the cancer. The surgery goes by without any complications, and Beef's tumour is finally gone. His energy increases tenfold, and he can eat normally again without any reaction to certain foods. Robert takes Beef to the beach once he's all healed up, lips curling up into a soft, relieved smile as he watches his pup bounce around in the water, splashing in the waves happily. He hadn't even fully realized just how run-down Beef had been acting until he got his old boy back.
Everything was perfect.
Maybe a month or two later, Robert is rubbing Beef's belly when he feels it- a small, almost imperceptible bump. Robert tells himself it's nothing, but the lump grows considerably within just a week or two, so he schedules an appointment with the vet, just in case. He doesn't have Chase come this time because it's nothing, the lump has to be benign, and they aspirate it just like last time. Now all Robert has to do is wait.