Hi, I'm Hal. 30, Canadian (sadly). Witchy, Feminist. Bisexual. Being Biphobic, Transphobic, etc. is not allowed here. Them/They. Plz if you are a minor and you follow me please be safe on the net.
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Herm unintentionally forces Robert to stop making self deprecating jokes, because every time he does he gets big watery puppy eyes and says âI-I donât think you- donât- donât t-think thatâŚâ or âH-How could y- could you say that, about your- yourselfâŚ?â
Itâs too pitiful it works every time
Oh he totally does. Robert still will do it but heâs done it less cause Herm gives him the saddest look hearing his love talk about himself like that. And seeing Herm that sad makes him sad too. He HATES seeing Herm sad. And Herm knows Robert hates seeing him sad.
But sometimes Herm gets..snappy too. Itâs..VERY RARE. (Talked about this scenerio with @lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie this ask reminded me of it. )
So Robert, Herm and the Z team are all out drinking and Visi is trying to dig into Robertâs personal life a little (sheâs trying to win a bet that if Robert did drugs or not). And Roberts not exactly sober but he isnât drunk..but he just gives a little smirk and is like âoh wouldnât YOU like to know?â. Visi huffs and goes âBoo you whore!â And corrects her by going âAh! RETIRED Whore.â
And now everyone is immediately asking a bunch of questions. Herm doesnât himself and..he looks a bit..uncomfortable. Robert says yes heâs hooked up with people and yes heâs done things for money cause $20 is $20. And the Z team laugh and start calling him names like âwhorebertâ and âslutbertâ and heâs like âyeah yeah, I know you fuckers have done WAY worse than me. Especially you Flambae.â
After Robert stops ragebaiting Flambae, Herm and him are the only ones at the booth and Robert realizes Herm has beenâŚvery quiet. And he looks over and he sees Herm looks uncomfortable. Robert and Herm havenât talked about this part of their relationship cause theyâre..well..fairly new still. And they just started feeling comfortable kissing. Robert finishes his drink and asks if heâs jealous. Robert thinks this might be the dealbreaker and he..isnât looking forward to this conversation. And Herm blinks and he shakes his head. He says heâs not. He..doesnât like what they called Robert. Robert says itâs part of his past. He did some shit heâs not proud of and he fucked around. Hermâs gotta face it, his precious mecha man was a who-
âSTOP CALLING YOURSELF THAT!â
Robert is shocked at Hermâs outburst and Herm looks shocked himself but he still looks..upset. Heâs frustrated and maybe a little bit mad too. And Herm says he doesnât care if Robert âdid thingsâ for pleasure or to survive before they got together. He doesnât care that Robertâs done things cause he loves Robert and itâs in the past. What he DOES care about is their friends calling him names like that cause they donât have to be MEAN about it. And Robert CERTAINLY shouldnât call himself that, like it makes him feel less worthy.
And Robert is shocked and he blinks, immediately a little more sober than before. He doesnât know what to say other than âso itâs..not a jealously thing?â. Herm goes a little red and he says he wonât lie about being intimidated by Robertâs previous partners cause..he knows he has so much less experience. He isnât jealous just..worried he might not stack up. And Robert comforts him and tells him that the difference between doing shit with strangers and Herm is heâs actually dating Herm. Heâs emotionally invested.
He likes theyâve been going slow, taking things carefully. He likes that..heâs allowed to breathe. He isnât expected to just..go right into it. They can work themselves out more. So..whenever Herm does feel like heâs ready, heâll take that next step with him. But..he really likes working on them. And Herm smiles a little and he says he does too. Robert then tells him to stop saying heâs not good enough. Herm says heâll try if Robert stops calling himself a whore and works on his self deprecation. Robert sighs and says heâll try. And Herm looks happier
Robert then asks if that means he canât call anyone a whore and Herm blinks and heâs like âHm? N-No go ah-ahead. I just d-donât want you c-calling yourself one.â And robert laughs and Herm canât help but giggle cause Robertâs laugh makes him laugh. Robert just thinks âgeez this guyâ.
So Herm slowly helps with self deprecation. Sometimes with teary eyes and when itâs REALLY bad heâs comforting or..snippy.
[looking at people younger than me] you have your whole life ahead of you [looking at people older than me] you have your whole life ahead of you [looking at myself] its over
waterboy going quiet because someone (z-team member(s)/random villian/influencer?) makes fun of his stutter BAD.
Usually, it wouldn't bother him. He's gotten over this, and he's more confident than he's ever been. But today.. today was already a bad day, he just wants to lie down with all his kitties.
Each word burns into his mind, each tease, all the insults.
It gets to him.
Ooooooooof the feeeeeels. Forgive me for this being a bit long.
SoâŚtwo scenarios come to mind and both can absolutely happen.
I do think the Z team will make fun of his stutter for a little while, even with Robert telling them to knock it off. Itâs not everyone who does it. Plus heâs gotten used to it and..theyâre just having funâŚright? This is what..friends do for fun. Make fun of each other.
But uh..one day it just..hits wrong.
Herm gets another phone number from another woman and heâs flustered and stammers and stutters but heâs smiling a little cause..he doesnât think heâs attractive but itâs nice to pretend. And the team tease him for a bit about him getting some ladyâs number and Herm says âsh-sheâs really bea-be-beau-pretty!â.
And then thereâs some teasing of Herm having no game or being a virgin. Heâs used to that and he knows itâs true. Heâs trying to work on it. But uh..then some of the others start making fun of him going on a date or asking someone out. Visi and Flambae imitate him asking someone out with a stutter and Herm just..sulks a little. ThatâsâŚwhat he really would sound like huh?
Robert tells them to shut the fuck up and Flambae says theyâre all doing it in good fun. Itâs what they do. And when Flambae addresses his âright?â to Herm, and Herm tries to sound asâŚunbothered as he can but heâs never that successful. He just goes âY-Yeah! Fun! HehâŚâ.
And the rest of the shift heâs..entirely quiet.
The team all had plans on going out and Herm was amongst the group excitedly talking about plans earlier in he day. But when they all gather to go out together, Herm says with a heavier than usual stutter that he just remembered he had important things to do that night so heâs going home. Everyone is surprised and they said they thought he was free. And Herm laughs nervously saying he forgot that he has a..very specific once a month chore to keep up with the house! And his grandma needs her medicine organized!
And Robert goes âHermâŚitâs the third of the month.â
But Herm says he schedules it for the third of the month, and when he realizes heâs not..doing great at lying just smiles and says heâs sorry for dipping out before hurrying off.
When he gets home he takes care of his grandma, pretending to be okay and he tells her that their plans got cancelled so theyâre doing it another day. When sheâs in bed..the mask comes off. Herm is in a T-shirt and pajama shorts now. He goes to the bathroom and leaves the door open a crack. He just..lays down on the floor and curls up in a ball and cries. The kitties come in, curious as ever and they wonât get too close, but they start licking up the massive puddle heâs forming. Herm pretends theyâre there cause theyâre concerned for him and he just cries.
That Monday when itâs time to go back to work Herm is back to normal or well..as back to normal as he can be. Flambae and Visi havenât apologized for what they did and Herm knows they probably wonât. He doesnât expect them to.
Heâs eating lunch in the breakroom when a hand missing two fingers reaches over him and places something in front of him. Itâs one of Hermâs favorite things to treat himself with. Melon Ramune. Herm turns, surprises and he wants to thank, but Flambae is already leaving. Herm..realizes itâs a silent apology of sorts.
Visi still doesnât apologize but..she doesnât make fun of his stutter anymore either. No one on the team does anymore. They make fun of him for other less hurtful things but literally no one makes fun of his stutter anymore. He doesnât know what happened to get them to change but SOMETHING happened while he wasnât there.
And after that day, the team are actually DEFENSIVE when someone else makes fun of Hermâs stutter. Including Visi. Theyâll be out together when someone makes fun of his stutter and the team squares up. Herm is..thankful for that.
So it should be no surprise theyâre PISSED when a villain does it to him.
Herm is going against a villain and heâs TRYING his best. And heâs talking to the villain attempting to try to settle things a little more peacefully but then the villain laughs. He asks if Herm is glitching or skipping (like a record or a CD). Itâs not the most creative insult and Herm doesnât mind it as much.
But then the villain laughs again, asking how he can even be a hero if he canât even âtalk rightâ? And Herm freezes. Heâs..heard some mean people telling him to âtalk rightâ or other mean people asking âwhy canât you just talk right?â In the past. Itâs not..all the time but..it hurts. So he starts getting in his head.
And he starts getting his ass handed to him. Robert heard the exchange and heâs trying to get Herm to focus and ignore what that villain said. And as Prism is walking by to go on break when she hears Robert say âLook what he said about your stutter is utter bullshit now-â
Prism is gone.
Sheâs rushing out and sheâs telling literally everyone else on the team. Robert notices that..a lot of the Z team are..just abandoning their jobs? And Prism is back on the field when he told her to go on break?? Like what the fuck is happening?
Robert asks what the hell are they doing? They need to finish their jobs! Punch up says âI donât give a F U C K about mowing some eejitâs lawn!!â. Flambae says that the kids at the school he was at can learn about fire safety by their damn selves. Malevola insists that they didnât REALLY need her help directing traffic. Prism, whoâs supposed to be on break, says no one fucks with her boy (Herm is one of two boys).
Even Phenomaman is on his way. He was supposed to calm some people down about a property dispute but Phen just says âDo not fret Robert Robertson. I have moved the house.â And Robert is just staring at the screen just..in shock before saying âWhat do you mean you moved the house???â. Phen doesnât answer back.
And Robert hears Herm make a shocked sound and what..sounds like fighting? And Herm timidly asks Robert if..he sent literally everyone. Robert just sighs, holding his head in his hands and heâs like âNo. I didnât.â
And then he speaks to the entire team as a whole, sounding tired and dead inside, and says âDonât kill the guy.â
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To my 25 - 35 year olds, you've reached the age where people around you are starting to give up on themselves because they think it's too late. Don't let that energy rub off on you. It's not too late.
Once Waterboy's been in a relationship for a long time and feels really comfortable with his partner, he'll yowl like a cat as his way of saying "pay attention to me!" Like when a cat goes "MYAAAAAA" when the door is closed and demands to be let in. I think it'd take a while for him to reach that level of comfort with someone and feel secure enough in the relationship both to ask for attention from his partner, and to be playfully annoying
Ok this is so funny! Just sad little âMROOOOOOOOOWâ noises from Herm when he wants attention. Also just imagining him yowling in the middle of the night.
For me personally I donât think he would do that per se. I see him wanting to give attention more than he asks for attention but uhâŚhe DEFINITELY has his moments.
BUT I CAN TOTALLY SEE HIM ASKING FOR ATTENTION IN A DIFFERENT CAT WAY.
Yâknow when cats try to get your attention theyâll tap at you with their paws? Yeah he does that. At first it starts with a gentle tap. Then it goes to a gentle Pat if his partner is still preoccupied or..not giving him attention. And then itâs another pat.
And if THOSE DONT WORK
His partner will feel a bonk against them. Herm has bonked his head against their shoulder, chest, back, etc. And then he bonks again but this time it comes with a nuzzle. Itâs usually at this point his partner cannot resist any longer.
And they turn to him and pat his head and asks whatâs up. And sometimesâŚjust like a catâŚhe goes-
âW-What do y-you want f-for dinner tonight?â
Heâs asking about food. Pretty ironic considering cats will pat humans when they want food.
(Side note: I donât know if you watch Smosh content but thereâs a person named Courtney Miller and they can do a really cool cat impression? Yeah uh..I donât think Herm could do cat impressions but imagine him being able to do some animal impressions to fuck with people. And he learned cause he LOVES animals and has watched countless documentaries and studied animals In his free time. His skilled niche is bird noises. So imagine the Z team hearing like, pigeon noises through the day and theyâre going around wondering if a pigeon got inside somehow and theyâre looking around trying to find this pigeon. Itâs to the point Flambae is kind of losing it like âWhere the FUCK is this PIGEON?! I heard it in the locker rooms!!!â. No one notices itâs Herm.)
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Sometimes Victor sees how Herman acts and isn't entirely sure whether or not Herm is a hybrid. Like yes, he looks human, but the possibility isn't 0.
When Victor talks to Herman about it, he immediately assumes Victor thinks he's part fish or something. It's not that though.
It's the cat behavior. The slow blinking, the meowing, the way Herman curls up like a cat when he's sleeping, how he stretches like a cat when he wakes up, affectionately headbutting his friends/partner(s), etc. Herman has picked up so many little quirks from being around all of his grandma's cats all the time that Sonar can't fully write off the possibility that Herman is a hybrid.
HAAAAAAAAAAA
And Herm is just..an average metahuman with no hybrid qualities.
And sonar just WONT believe him. And Herm INSISTS but Sonar just wonât give up.
So Herm has to show him that no, he doesnât have whiskers, or claws, or somehow hidden cat ears. Or a tail (Herm is very humiliated by that one but sonar isnât givjng up). He doesnât purr, his teeth are normal. His FEET are normal.
Heâs NORMAL.
And then Sonar nods. Then squints. And then says âI donât believe you.â
Waterboy slams his head into a locker in frustration.
Sonar filming Herm getting undressed in the locker room just to send it to you and torture you for pissing him off. He cuts it just as his zipper is pulled down and his shoulders get shrugged out. Giving the camera a thumbs up.
Invisigal sneakily takes Roberts phone during her break and is quite surprised to see a dating app installed. She opens the app, snooping through his empty profile, and decides to take matters into her own hands.
The entirety of her break was spent setting up Roberts dating profile and flirting with strangers.
When Robert enters the break room for his daily twinkie, he sees her grinning mischievously with device in hand, entirely too focused on whatever she was doing.
âYouâre in a good mood.â He noted.
It takes him until after he retrieves the sweet treat and pats his pockets to realize thatâŚ
One: His phone is missing.
And
Two: Courtneyâs holding it. Right in front of him.
She looks up from the phone and finally acknowledges Robert with a laugh.
Then she talks his ear off about how sheâs wayyyy better at talking to girls than he is.
The teasing doesnât stop. It ends up being the z-teams go-to when picking on their dispatcher.
âTake someone on a date, god. Itâs sad knowing you go home to that empty ass apartment.â
For some reason that one stuck with him. He realized: âyeah, that is pretty sad huh?â
Once shift ends, Robert hovers over the app. Heâs avoided it entirely, not wanting to see the conversations Visi had on HIS accountâŚuntil now.
He cringes at the profile she set up for him.
The bio was pretty normal but of course, the normalcy ended when Visi wrote how big of a Mecha Man fan Robert apparently is.
âCanât have any enemies.â Sheâd tell him.
Robert fixes his profile and skims through his matches.
âgood morning, sleepyhead.â tears well in your eyes as robert finally wakes up.
he groans, stretching himself as much as he could. he takes a look around the hospital room, âhow longâŚâ his voice is rough after months of sleep.
â4 months. they had to put you-â you choke and he grabs your hand, squeezing lightly. âthey had to put you in a medically-induced coma for your injuries, remember?â
realization dawns on him and he groans again. âthen why does everything still hurt?â you laugh, voice wet with tears. your laughs turn into sobs as you bury your head into his chest. âoh shit- babe-â
âi was so fucking worried, robert.â you clutch onto him and he tries his best to hug you, âi thought you died and then i find out youâre in a fucking coma.â you shake, trying to hold back your anguish.
âi know-â he pets your hair, leaning back. robert clears his throat and you quickly move to get him water. he grabs your hand, âwait.â he pauses, swallowing, âi know you didnât sign up for this.â he gestures to himself and you sigh, âand i know you deserve better than me.â
ârobert-â
âjust listen⌠but i love you and thatâs all i have now. you are all i have.â he gives you his smile and you feel yourself melting to his charm once more, âand a shitty apartment plus a broken mech-suit-â
you shut him up, leaning over to press a kiss to his lips. robert tries his best to pull you into his lap, but with his broken arm and ribs, you donât let him. âyou need to get better first.â he groans, but lets you go.
robert takes a moment to look at your face and you smile, suddenly shy. he wipes your tears, âim glad i got to wake up to your beautiful face.â you feel warmth crawl up your face, âso is beef okay?â
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consider: Robert who cries during sex sometimes, esp post crash and coma. it's not that he's upset or anything, he just gets a little overwhelmed (both physically and emotionally) and reader is endeared by it. đ
oh do not even get me started (no wait do)
you know the drill. MDNI
tags - cw pretty nsfw, crying during sex, no physical descriptors for reader
wc - idk writing on the tumblr app. not very long?
Itâs unfair.
You already feel envy over the thick lashes framing Robertâs tired doe eyes.
Already feel the curling green vines of jealousy whenever heâs below you, said lashes fluttering and pupils blown wide as he stares up at you in a daze.
So, itâs incredibly fucking rude of him to look so pretty with dewy tears clumping his lower lashes, fattening with each half-baked blink.
His furrowed brows deepen the sweet expression on his flushed face, bite-plump lips parting around each trembling exhale that leaves him.
Itâs unfair how the copper of his irises almost glitter in their wetness, especially when his eyes roll and stutter shut when your hips give another slow grind against him.
âFffuhâck.â Robert chokes out, fists twisting in the sheets fitfully before they release the fabric to blindly fumble for purchase on your waist, âSlâow down.â
The envy continues curling in on itself until it reinvents, blooms into an almost aching adoration as you watch him. The hand you have braced on his chest skims his collarbone on its trajectory to his throat.
Your fingertips make contact with the sweat on his neck before they travel up, up, up to his jaw. They form a cradle against his heated cheek, his head easily tilting back further at your gentle direction.
âLook at me, Robert,â you murmur sweetly, thumb drifting over to press on his bottom lip with light pressure, a soft low sound puffing around it, âOpen your eyes.â
He sucks in a stunted breath through his teeth before they peek open, just barely able to focus on your face above him before theyâre rolling again when you reward him with another grind.
The resulting wheezing groan that punches from his chest vibrates from his jawbone to your fingertips, the tendons in his neck flexing as his head presses further against the pillow it rests on.
Itâs almost sinfulâhow the tear that falls from his lashes adds so beautifully to his thoroughly debauched demeanor, how his eyes struggling to stay open send another wave of broiling heat to your stomach.
âMost heroes avenge their family. You, did the opposite. You killed their legacy. How disappointed would your dad be if he were here right now?â
The blue hue of Channel 7 news dimly lights my apartment. I sit cross legged on my couch, drinking a glass of wine while my cat lays next to me. Itâs the first time Mecha Man has spoken to the public since waking from his four month long coma, and reporters are ripping him to shreds.
âThese people really have no empathy.â I mumble to myself.
Iâve been watching the news about Mecha Man for over an hour, purposely torturing myself.
These reporters only see him as a failed hero. Not as a person. Not as Robert. They donât know who he really is.
But do I? Not really. Not anymore.
ââ
âAnd then heâŚspit in my face.â
âHe what?! Oh my God, Blazer.â I fail to stifle a laugh.
âThe night ended well, though! He breezed through the interface. Those new glasses worked like a charm, thanks to you. He should be arriving at any moment now, I hope.â We walk to the main lobby of SDN. I hear idle chatter and the familiar sound of Phenomemanâs SDN commercial. It always cracks me up seeing him glance at the cue cards. And since there is no way that girl is making it to band practice.
âHe better. Wait, so who is this guy again? You never told me his name. And whatâs this big project youâve got for me? Youâve been way too secretive.â
âOh, perfect! Here he is. Wasnât sure heâd show up. Stevie, meet-â And there he stands. In the middle of the lobby next to a very wet man in goggles.
âRobertâŚâ I cut off Blonde Blazer and stop in my tracks. She looks at me, confused. And I realize I just used his real name while heâs dressed as Mecha Man.
âStevie?â We lock eyes. I stare at him in disbelief, unable to speak.
âYou two know each otherâŚum well, Iâd let you catch up, but Iâve gotta start his onboardingâ Robert doesnât take his eyes off me until he almost trips. I would laugh if I werenât in complete and utter shock. And if it hadnât been three years since he last spoke to me.
Blazer excuses herself from the man in goggles as he stutters, clearly starstruck. She turns back to me and gives a worried smile.
âWeâll talk later?â
âUh..yeah.â I nod and turn away, making my way to the lab. I nervously toy with my sweater while walking through the halls of SDN. I say hello to those who walk past me and try to calm myself down.
As I get off the elevator, I still canât take my mind off Robert. Besides seeing Mecha Man on the news, I havenât seen or heard anything about Robert in three years. He buried himself in hero work so much that he just stopped all communication. So, I eventually stopped reaching out. I know why he did it. Fight crime, save lives, distract yourself from personal trauma. Itâs something he always did, but I didnât think itâd mean heâd push me away. He had done that to everyone else in his life, but not me. I was somehow blind to the fact that he one day might shut me out too. And it was fucking heartbreaking.
We had been through so much together. Waiting for our parents to get back from unrelated hero missions while being babysat by Chase. My own motherâs death and then his fatherâs. I was there whenever his suit needed repairs after getting his shit rocked by some villain. It got to a point where Robert and I only had each other. But then he just disappeared. And I was alone.
Iâm pulled from my thoughts when I hear Roydâs booming voice.
âWassup Stevie! You hear about da new guy Robert?â He gets up from his desk chair to greet me.
âMorning, Royd. Yeah, just found that out.â I say failing to hide the dejection from my voice.
âWhatâs wrong? Dis new project gunna be awesome. Fixing da Mecha Man Suit!â
âWeâre what? Thatâs the project? Fixing his suit?â Heâs confused by the shock on my face.
âBlonde Blazer not tell you?â
âNo, she was keeping it a surprise. Shit! I need to talk to her.â
Royd awkwardly goes back to his work, having no idea why Iâm so tense. I set down my bag at my desk then grab a coffee from the lab break room. I try to take some deep breaths so I donât enter Blazerâs office with frantic energy she doesnât really deserve.
Obviously, she doesnât know my past with Robert, but this is still a fucking crazy coincidence.
I look at my watch. Blazer should be finishing up with his onboarding soon and that means itâs time for answers.
ââ
âWhat the fuck, Blazer?â I shut her office door, only slamming it a bit.
âI didnât know you two knew each other! You never talked about him.â She raises her hands in defense.
âYeah, well itâs a sore subject.â I cross my arms.
âI can tell. Iâm sorryâŚChase didnât say anything. About you knowing him.â
âChase?â I say, surprised.
âHeâs the one who recommended Robert.â
âThat fucker. Is everyone keeping something from me?â
âIâm sorry! I wanted it to be a surprise because I thought this project would be exciting for you! Fixing the Mecha Man suit! You always have to work on projects for SDN that the higher branches donât want. Theyâre not nearly as intriguing as this!â She walks up to me calmly and puts a hand on my shoulder.
âYou donât have to apologize. You didnât know. And that is exciting. Thatâs incredibly exciting. And Iâd be showing how excited I am if seeing Robert didnât feel like a punch in the gut.â I dramatically sit in the chair opposite of her desk.
âWhat happened there? Did you guys date or something?â
âNo! No. Nothing like that. We grew up together. We were best friends for the longest time, but he just kindaâŚstopped talking to me.â I turn to look out the window, remembering that day. So many texts and calls yetâŚnothing. Blazer kneels down next to me. She looks at me with kind, understanding eyes.
âMaybe you can get some closure now? And look, if you donât want to see him I can just have Royd do all the talking and handle all meetings!â
âNo, thatâs not necessary. I can be an adult and talk to him. And youâre right, I have a chance to get closure from this. Plus, itâs a great opportunity, working on the suit. I can handle this.â I say while bouncing my leg nervously.
âYou sure about that?â Blazer says in disbelief. I quickly relax, take a deep breath, and stand up. I walk towards her office door and she follows behind.
âIâm cool.â I run my hands through my hair and adjust my glasses. âIâm cool. But I will be having a talk with Chase.â That shithead.
Blazer laughs and gives me a hug.
âIâm here if you need anythingâ She pulls back and looks at me with a smile. âExcept right now. Iâve gotta get back to work. But, Iâll see you at lunch!â She says apologetically and I waive her off.
âSee you at lunch.â
I close the door to Blazerâs office and sigh. This is gonna be a tough week. But even though it hurts knowing Robert is here, I canât help but feel slightly happy to see him. I truly missed him. With everything happening since Shroud busted out of jail, Iâve been worried about him.
I want things to go back to normal. I want to just pick things back up where we left off. But that doesnât get rid of the hurt. Of the feeling of being abandoned by someone I care about. Someone who I thought cared about me.
I spot Chase around the corner and walk after him.
âChase? You got time to chat?â I say with clear irritation in my voice.
âWell, shit.â He stops and turns around, âI was hoping I could avoid this conversation today.â I roll my eyes at him.
âYou recommended him to Blazer and didnât even tell me?â
âExactly. If I told you, itâd stress you out and then you wouldâve avoided him for as long as fuckinâ possible. By not telling you, the bandaid just got ripped off.â He crosses his arms.
âI guess, but-â
âLook, kid, I know it hurts. It hurt me too not seeing you both for 15 years. But we move forward. Heâs been through some tough shit. You have too. Now you can both stop running from your fuckinâ problems and just talk to each other.â
âFine, okay, whatever. But Iâm still going to avoid this for the rest of the day. Iâm not solving this on a Friday. Iâll stop running Monday.â I sigh and Chase pats my shoulder.
âItâll all work out, kid.â He smiles softly and then heads to his cubicle.
Before heading back to the lab I sneak a peak into the dispatcher offices. I spot Robert talking to Chase and putting on his headset.
âHey team this is your dispatcher, Robert Robertson. Iâm starting my first shift-â he seems to get cut off. âCan we clear the channel? Thereâs a lot of overlapping-â Chase looks over, frustrated, and then says some curses into his own headset.
I stifle a laugh. Working with the Z team seems to be off to a great start. Heâs got his work cut out for him, for sure.
ââ
The rest of the day goes by normally. Royd and I work on plans for the Mecha Man suit. We pass ideas back and forth and start to get into a groove. I struggle with the constant reminder of Robert, but it does feel exciting to work on this suit again. Especially when I have the funding to make advancements.
When itâs finally time to clock out, or really when Royd tells me I need to stop working and go enjoy my weekend, I grab my things, say goodbye, and head out of the office.
Exiting the lobby, I see Blazer and Phenomeman talking to Robert. Blazer hops up into Phenomemanâs arms and then they fly away. Robert stands awkwardly, staring as they take off. I take a deep breath and hesitantly walk forward.
âThat seemed awkward.â I adjust my bag on my shoulder. Robert seems slightly startled by my voice.
âYeah, just a bit. Didnât know they were dating.â We both look up at the sky.
âItâs an interesting pair.â That I know will be ending tonight after talking with Blazer during our lunch break. And knowing Phenomeman, it will not go well.
âHah, yeah. UmâŚitâs good to see you.â He turns to look at me. I keep my eyes on the purple and orange hues of the sunset.
âMhm.â I turn to him, âI should get going.â
âMe too. Iâll see you Monday?â He looks at me hopefully and I nod. We part ways and I walk to my car.
I sit in the driverâs seat and put my head on the steering wheal.
Iâll stop running on Monday.
ââ
Thanks for reading chapter one!!! <3
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