oh this is a thing now? ok

Thjazi abused Bolaire and that excuses everything Bolaire has ever done ever. He's Just A Little Guy who only torture-murdered people because he didn't know any better. Uwu.

THE BLEAK (wtf is wrong with you)

Bolaire is lying about Thjazi abusing him because Thjazi is just such a good guy - he would never do that. Freedom fighters never mistreat the people close to them. It isn't narratively satisfying to depict the hero who the DM has explicitly depicted as a Complex Man who, and I quote, 'robbed, killed, and abused people', as actually Complex. Anyway Bolaire is a nasty person so he deserved everything bad that ever happened to him :) In fact, it was WRONG and MEAN of him to kill the soldiers who enslaved him. No wonder Thjazi hated him so much!

THE PEAK

I couldn’t get @barbaricjester’s post out of my head (see below) and I HAD to draw it lol (I got a little bit carried away)

They are SO STINKIN CUTE AHHHH! THE bffs ever!

.... For Zahir however... Flambae swears up and down Beef is glaring at him like: "how dare his bladder have the audacity to exist and make him get up to pee at 2:30am!! How dare Zahir leave Beef's hooman all alone in bed and cold and sad--!!"

"Zaza I doubt Beef boy is glaring at you--"

.... For Zahir however... Flambae swears up and down Beef is glaring at him like: "how dare his bladder have the audacity to exist and make him get up to pee at 2:30am!! How dare Zahir leave Beef's hooman all alone in bed and cold and sad--!!"

"Zaza I doubt Beef boy is glaring at you--"

Robert: *minding his business eating lunch and playing with Beef again*

Flambae: *making bitey motions and scartching the table*

Prism: man, you're dating now you aint gotta be so--

Flambae: *has a sudden realization and he starts cackling* oh my god YOU'RE FUCKING RIGHT!!! *starts running at Robert full speed* CMERE, BOB BOB!!! LET ME LOVE YOU WITH MY TEETH YOU FUCK!!!

Robert: *snatches Beef and runs, mouth full and confused as shit*

Even on his days when he doesnt even have to come in, Flambae is there, small bag in hand, dressed like some male model Adonis, and bolts for Robert. Only then he steals a full heated kiss on the lips. Robert scowls and attempts scolding the man.

"I'm at work, I told you not to do--" and gets silenced by another smooch and Chad grins like the shit he is. Happily watching Robert flounder and blush like a dork.

"You could just say thank you instead of trying to be all serious. You're working. I'm not." Chad points out, Robert huffs but thanks him, pops a kiss of his own to the other's cheek and scurries away to get back to his desk.

Courtney has watched this go on for months. Her own feelings bubbling and turning in her belly. But she walks up, a teasing grin to mask her raging jealousy. "You don't need to buy him those everyday, ya know." Chad turns to stare at her, brow raised. "He's a big boy, he can get his own breakfast... I don't see him do that for you" she mentions, juuuust to maybe get under Flambae's skin. Chad grins again but it's.... almost cruel.

He bends down, getting just to her eye level, his voice is low, gravely. "He doesn't have to. He keeps me, along with the rest of us alive in the field when a serious situation pops up. Robert keeps my house full and clean when I've been out on a long day. He puts aside clean clothes and towel for me after I've been to a long work out early in the morning when he's more than welcome to stay asleep because he had to spend the night before filling out fucking paperwork for a fuck up SOME team memebers here cause because they can't fucking listen." Chad is slowly walking Courtney into a corner. Her back hits a wall and she feels far too much like a mouse whose been cornered by a large starving tiger.

"But really .... I just can't see myself fumbling a gorgeous piece of ass like that. I could never. So I do the silly little coffee runs he doesnt ask for. I make him breakfast every day and hand delivery it for thr reward of kiss because he would the same in return if I let him beat me to it.... don't be a sore loser"

It takes a VERY LONG time before Robert will allow Flambae to take his card out first for things, instead of doing the song and dance of ' ... I don't have enough money .... can you pay this time' and Flambae already had his card in the reader and the receipt in hand before Robert finished.

And Robert does the awkward broke boyfriend hug from behind as a thank you at first, then that sloooolwy morphs to him just leaning into Flambae's side and hugging his arm. Which then slowly turned into Robert very shyly mentioning something he needs. And he says he's only gonna do it for stuff he really needs!! That's it!! And he is gonna pay it back!! (Flambae has his cash app or money share number blocked for this reason, because "Bob bob if I wanted repayment, I'd be fucking you into the mattress or you'd be blowing me behind the building.")

And then, Robert made the mistake of showing Flambae things he's wanted. Just to show not to buy for him.... mistake number one. It arrived within two to three business days if flambae couldn't have it overnighted.

Robert tries to argue, "Send it back!!" "Why? You said you wanted it!" "That didn't mean for you to go and buy it!!" "Well that's your mistake Bob Bob!!! Why show me, if you didn't want me to buy it!?!?"

Because he wants those hands on him, he wants to hold Beef a little longer. He wants to bicker longer with Bob bob amd make fun of his shitty bed side manner. Flambae just wants to feel Robert close and putting those gentle eyes on him and hear that voice that's normally so fully of jokes and sarcasm asking so soft and layered with familiar with concern ask him: "you ok? Where does it hurt most? Why did you rush in and be so reckless, that's not very smart, Chad!" (They havent started dating yet so Flambae hasn't told Robert his real name yet, yes I keep Chad but don't believe that's his name used with his family, I'm sorry)

And Flambae LIVES for the attention, the scolding, the gentle touches and concern in those big brown eyes. Flambae melts for those eyes and fuuuuuck if Bob bob asked him anything, a meal, a house, the fucking moon, Flambae is ready to figure out how to give to Robert because fuuuuuckimg shit he just wants those eyes to sparkle with pride and amazement for him.

He can’t recall a single time Robert even brought it up. If at all.

For exemple: Everytime he gets a haircut and needs a second opinion, he goes to Prism. She naturally teases him about changing something for Robert.

Like the time he stopped wearing his glasses for a week when Mecha Man called them lame. Or when he changed his cologne a few days after Robert started dispatching.

And he scoffs. Mostly just to chase the growing redness smiling across his cheekbones.

“For BOB-BOB? I could dye my hair fucking purple and he’d take 5 days to notice.”

But also:

Flambae knows he’s beautiful. He has his father’s eyes, and his mother’s nose, and his niece always says she loves smiling because it looks just like his.

So no, he won’t lose sleep over one guy not thinking he’s pretty.

Mostly, because he also knows Robert doesn’t exactly sees worth in that.

Robert cares about efficient. He cares about consistency, about resistance. He cares about ‘does it get the job done?’

But. Robert does surprise him, sometimes.

Like when the rim of his coffee mug pauses when Flambae eats noodles in the break room, body leaning forward, sharp doe eyes suddenly alert.

“…Is that a new hair tie?”

Flambae pauses, cheeks puffy with pasta. “Yeah! How’d you know?”

“The last one was brighter. Like, clementine orange. This one’s like, carrot.”

“CARROT, Bob? Fine, I get it, you’re not a wordsmithsionian like me—“

he gets a Twinkie thrown at his face, which he resents a lot, but rolls his eyes about it. Voice falling in that natural softness whenever his niece is brought up.

“It snapped on the mission this morning! It was a gift from her, too! Fucking sucks, man.”

Robert hums.

At the very end of the day, when Flambae drives Robert and Beef home, Robert hands him a damn near identical hair tie.

Flambae BEAMS.

“You remembered!”