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Robert tapped his foot anxiously as he sat on the floor in his bathroom, Beef eagerly running laps around him as he wallowed. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he couldn’t shake it. A missed period was nothing alarming due to his muscle atrophy from his coma, his body could hardly support a period. Fatigue? Chronic pain disorder and always overworking.
That stuff didn’t worry him; the other things did. He always had a strange relationship with food, but this was a whole new extreme. The smell of certain food Flambae and Coupe would bring to work would have him running to the bathroom. Sometimes he’d throw up and clear the nausea, other times it’d tickle in his throat for hours. On the subject of bathrooms, he was going way more frequently, having to step away from his monitor at least every hour now. His chest ached in ways it didn’t typically with his binder; he even tried going an entire day without it to no avail. And god, the mood swings! He had screamed at poor Waterboy during the first shift when the kid made an honest mistake. Prism and Sonar wasted no time getting on his ass for this.
Cut to him on his bathroom floor, staring at the timer on his phone. This was the longest five minutes of his life. He flexed his hands anxiously, trying to regulate himself in the ways he did as a kid. His dad used to mock these mannerisms, saying real heroes don’t get overwhelmed, but it worked. Taking a deep breath to push his father’s words out of his mind, he just focused on the repeated motion. Flex out, breathe in. Flex in, breathe out.
Repeating the motion several times, his alarm went off, making him release a sharp exhale. Staying seated on the floor, Robert reached his hand up to his sink counter to grab all three tests. Call him paranoid, but he wanted to be certain this was right.
A resounding positive on every single test
“Oh…. Oh fuck.” He whispered, shaking his head as he tossed the tests into the trash. Beef tilted his head, curious, watching Robert pull his knees to his chest. Hands found their way to his biceps, grasping at his skin tightly even through the material of his hoodie. Nails scratched at the material raw, as if trying to pierce through and dig in.
A soft whimper left the pudgy pup, worming his way onto Robert’s lap. Now that he was on his lap, Beef laid himself on Robert’s arms to prevent him from doing more harm to himself. His breath hitched slightly, but he did reorient his grasp to hold Beef.
Gentle with his hands, Robert slowly buried his face into Beef’s fur. “What the hell am I going to do..?” Robert whispered.
Yes, Shroud was dead, meaning one of the biggest threats out there was gone, but that still left him to stress over everything else. What about his job? What about Mecha Man? Hell, what about Robert Robertson the Third? His childhood was a joke of an absent dad and runaway moms; he wouldn’t know the first thing about raising a kid.
And that wasn’t addressing the fact about who this kid's dad was. Like he could forget the condom bursting on them months ago. Even after the house party and defeating Shroud, things between him and Flambae were… awkward to put it politely. He couldn’t blame him with the whole Mecha Man reveal.
With nothing ever happening, he honestly thought they were safe. Sure, he was inconsistent with his t-shots due to poor finances, but he took a morning-after pill! Ugh, damn all these percentages, he could practically hear Shroud mocking him with the number.
Staying on the cold tile until his butt went numb, Robert pulled out his phone. He knew that if he just sat here, he’d spiral further, probably put himself and this kid in danger. Fuck, he had to be conscious of fucking up this kid now… it was one thing when only his life was on the line.
Ignoring the tremble in his hands, Robert dialled Chase’s number. That old bastard was like an older brother to him; he’d give him shit, but he knew at the end of the day, the Chase would support him no matter what.
The phone hardly rang before being quickly picked up, perks of enhanced superspeed, he supposed. “What the fuck do you want? Do you have any idea what fuckingtime it is, motherfucker? You don’t call me after hours, bitch, this is my time.” Chase rambled on.
Robert tried to laugh for old times' sake, but all that came out instead was a pathetic and watery whimper. Before Robert even had a chance to try and reassure Chase, say it was nothing, he heard a woosh and looked up to find Chase in the bathroom with him. Go figure, the amulet would make his powers even faster.
“Wanna tell me why you’re a sad fucker on the bathroom floor? Which, quite frankly, is disgusting?” Chase asked, his teasing lightening up seeing the state Robert was in.
Unable to look him in the eyes, Robert slowly dragged the trash bag back over, popping it open. “What, you gonna vomit all over-... oh.” Chase paused, seeing what was in the trash can.
Giving Chase a second to look, Robert curled in on himself further, burying his face into his knees. “Easy, kid, I gotcha.” Chase leaned over, patting Robert’s back, “Any idea what you’re gonna do? Do you know who the dad is?”
Rober shook his head quickly, aggressively scrubbing his face with his hands. “Is too much, it’s all too much.” He whispered.
“Okay, then let’s just take it one question and day at a time.” Chase said, “Do you want to keep it?”
He sat there for a moment, thinking about his life and the future he -his father- had planned. Life had already gone so differently from what he expected, he hardly knew what to do with himself, with Shroud dead and the Mecha Man legacy being rebuilt. “I don’t… I don’t know…” He whispered.
“We can figure that out later then. First things first, get yer ass on the couch and lie down. I’m ordering you food.” Chase stated, helping Robert off the floor, “When you’re ready, we’ll tell Blazer. This is only so you two can get the appropriate medical care as needed.”
Seeing as there was no way he could argue with Chase, Robert picked up Beef, shuffling his way over to the couch. He hadn’t been used to anyone pampering him this much since Chase babysat him, if you could call it pampering. A part of him felt childish needing a babysitter, while another part chose to relax as he demanded.
Grabbing his phone once again, he looked at his contacts, unsure. The group chat from the Z-team pinged with messages, Phenomaman currently showing off his new pet opossum, while the team had varying reactions. They had all come so far since he first started working there; they were like a real family. His hand drifted to his belly, lingering there for a moment as he stared at the messages.
How would they react? Would they be supportive or dismissive? How the fuck would Ajmal react?
Ajmal… he slowly sat up, looking at the phone in his hands, Ajmal’s contact appearing on his screen. Biting his lip, he stood up quickly before his nausea could make him fall over. “I gotta make a call real quick,” Robert said, hurrying to his balcony and closing the sliding door shut behind him. If he had stayed, he would have noticed Chase giving a worried yet irritated look.
He most certainly knew.
Leaning against the balcony, Robert pressed call and waited as the phone rang… and rang… and rang. He tried to ignore the gnawing anxiety. Ajmal had a life outside of work; all of them did, aside from him. By the fourth ring, he was ready to give up and hang up when a familiar accent popped up, radiating his classic wit and annoyance. “The fuck do you want, Bobert? Calling me in the shower, you’re making a man think you want me still.” Ajmal teased, “Sorry to tell you, though, still not my type.”
“That’s comical coming from the man who knocked me up.” Might as well rip the bandage off. He knew Ajmal would want nothing to do with him, so why fight it?
The sudden silence over the phone made his heart ache, tears threatening to spill. “Anyways… sorry for bugging you. Look, you don’t have to worry about this. I’ll figure it out, I always do.” And with that, he hung up, not hearing whatever Ajmal had to say.
Stuffing his phone into his pockets, Robert rubbed his face with a shaky breath. Okay… he told Chase, and he told Ajmal, he was doing well. He wanted to throw up again, but truthfully, it could be worse. At least it was over and done with.
Taking his moment, Robert went to walk back inside, only to be pulled back to the rails. A hiss left him as his back hit the rails, quickly realising who it was due to the intense heat. “Bitch, you can’t just drop that on someone and hand up!” Ajmal shouted, forcing Robert to look at him. Any aggressiveness Ajmal had in his tone seemed to wipe away in an instant, seeing the rare emotional state of Robert. He had never seen this emotion before, tears threatening to spill. “It… Could’ve waited for a response.” Ajmal muttered, “Barely had time to put my suit on. Do you know how much it hurts putting this on while I’m drenched? Feels like I’m grinding my dick on rubber, shit fucking sucks.”
“I didn’t need to… I knew what your answer would be-” The words didn’t even leave Robert’s mouth, staggering, feeling someone swipe across his face. He stood there for a moment, slowly blinking as he looked at Ajmal. “Did you… just slap me?”
“That’s for being a fucking idiot. You didn’t even wait to hear my answer. You think so little of me that I would be an absent or harmful father. I may have been a villain, but I will never be my father!” Ajmal hissed out, “If you keep them, I want to be there for them. For you, this is not a choice you can just make.”
There was… a lot to unpack with that. Robert tentatively held his cheek, tensing when Ajmal suddenly pulled him into his arms. “We’ll figure this out together. So no more making decisions by yourself, you’re not alone anymore.” This level of emotional intelligence from Flambae truly baffled Robert, but he decided not to dwell too much on it. He simply chose to take in the moment, not pulling away until Ajmal did. And in this very moment, he realised how much he missed this warmth.
Staying there for what felt like an eternity, Ajmal finally pulled away. “Don’t get sentimental on me, bitch.” He scoffed, flicking Robert’s forehead, “Now come on? Have either of you eaten yet today? Shit aside from coffee and Twinkies?”
“I haven’t had coffee today; the smell is making me gag lately. And fuck, I’m gonna have to cut back on coffee.”
“Still didn’t answer my question on eating, bitch.”
“Look, I haven’t been able to keep much down today, okay? But Chase ordered me some food, and I guess we’ll go from there.” Robert explained, giving an apathetic shrug. Ah, shit. Chase. Turning his head, he saw Chase staring back at them, glaring daggers at Flambae. Yeah, this was going to be fun. “Speaking of, I think we should go ahead and face the music.” He sighed, opening the door and waiting for Ajmal before stepping in.
Chase sat back against the bartop, glaring daggers at the taller man behind Robert. “Seriously, you couldn’t make better choices?” Chase asked, making sure Ajmal knew that was directly at him.
Before Ajmal could snap back at him, Robert held up his hands to silence both. “Look, if you two are gonna fight, save it for when I’m not here. Stress isn’t good for either of us.” Robert stated, making a dramatic gesture of his stomach.
“Motherfucker, you’re already using your baby against me to do what you fuckin want, and it’s fuckin working.” Chase scowled, folding his arms over his chest like a child.
“Fine, whatever,” Ajmal muttered, “What the fuck did you order him? I want to be sure he’s getting proper nutrition.”
Robert watched the two banter over what Chase had ordered, feeling considerably more relaxed. He made his way back to the couch, sitting beside Beef as he pulled him onto his lap. There were a lot of things he was still scared of, things he questioned. He didn’t know how to be a parent; he hardly knew how to be Robert. And from the sounds of it, Ajmal didn’t have the best relationship with his dad either. But… maybe he was right. Maybe they could figure it all out together. It’s not like before; he wasn’t alone anymore.
Looking back at the two squabbling, Robert pulled out his phone. Right on cue, the group chat was rattling on with messages, Janelle asking where the hell Ajmal flew off to in such a hurry that he left his underwear in the bathroom. It was so strange to remember that she was roommates with Ajmal, of all the combinations, that was one he never expected. Malevola and Alice were trolling the chat, betting he flew off for a booty call. Herman gave the innocent response that Ajmal was just visiting family.
They were a weird group, but… well, they were his weird group, his weird family. Lying back against the couch and pulling Beef to his chest, Robert decided to send his own little message to the group chat. Why tell them one at a time when he could just do it like this?
HoE$_Depres: Dick tht good he left his underwear behind
Mal: Doubt that’s comfy
HarvardBitches: Is not, trust me
Mal: WTF do you know what it’s like going commando in a skin-tight suit?
pHENOMAMAN: I am this conversation is appropriate but I do claim that suits without protection are uncomfortable, no matter how incompatible the gentitals are
Visi: Incompatablee? What are u packin???
HoE$_Depres: Back to my boy, Bae. Who is he seein?
RRobertson3: Hey guys, don;t worry. There is no hook ups, recitals, or late night crime fighting involved. Flambae is at my house currently and I would appreciate it if all of you would not spread gossip about your teammates.
HarvardBitches: Ugh, okay dad
RRobertson3: You’re not wrong about that Sonar, I’m pregnant
And just as he expected, the chat lost their absolute fucking minds.