Chapter Text
After a long night, all anyone could hear throughout Torrance as the new morning arrived was not the usual buzz of rush hour traffic but the sirens of first responder vehicles echoing from all corners of downtown LA. Anyone and everyone available mobilized to establish order and begin the arduous task of undoing the damage that the Red Ring had caused the previous night of them wreaking havoc throughout the city.
The city had erupted into a war zone at that time as Shroud made his move to lord over all the criminal elements of the city and seize the Astral Pulse he led himself to believe was rightfully his. The momentum of the battle had swung like a pendulum, with the Z-Team and Red Ring countering each other at every turn throughout the night.
In the end, all it took was one ‘hope for the best’ decision on Robert’s part to trick Shroud. By feigning defeat and surrendering both the real and prototype Astral Pulses to him, forcing his nemesis to rely on the luck he so hated to figure out which was which. Unfortunately for Shroud, the hatred was mutual from Lady Luck's end.
To add further insult to a stack of insults already thrown his way, Invisigal proved her commitment to the path of heroism when she appeared in front of Robert just as Shroud fired his gun and took the bullet that was meant for him. One last and very clear 'fuck you' from her to the Red Ring.
As for the Z-Team dispatcher, he had snuck away from their celebration after accidentally getting dropped to the ground when Invisigal suddenly materialized in front of them, having escaped the ambulance she was on to catch the group photo, surprising everyone present.
Dragging his feet around the corner, Robert winced as he settled on leaning against the walls of SDN Torrance HQ. Pain flared up from his spine and ribs to the point that he couldn’t hold back the string of curses he muttered under his breath as he stretched his arms out. Fortunately, the area behind the building was a lot quieter and with all the employees mostly gathered in the front entrance meant that no one was on this side of the parking lot.
One deep breath after another, the man behind Mecha Man willed his muscles to relax a little bit, looking towards the city as he counted about a dozen helicopters floating around the skylines, looking like mosquitoes buzzing around from where he was at.
An odd mix of feelings surged to the forefront of his thoughts as he stared off into the distance.
His personal mission to take down Shroud and avenge his father's death was complete. Though Elliot Connors was spared, the old villain would hopefully rot away in a maximum-security cell, living whatever was left of his miserable life in complete humiliation knowing that years of meticulous planning was thwarted in a single night by a returning Mecha-Man and his team of 'pathetic losers' as the fucker so eloquently put it.
The thought felt far more cathartic than raining fists on him and beating him within an inch of his life.
On the other hand, unless there was a necromancer residing in LA, Robert knew all too well this would not bring his father back. There was no turning back the clock on the years he could've lived a normal life instead of immediately taking up the mantle of being his father's successor.
Life would have to continue on, and he would have to come to terms with what he truly wanted for himself now that he wasn't working on autopilot since he first stepped into the Mecha Suit fifteen years ago. Making choices that didn't involve being a hero, recklessly putting his life on the line while taking down the city's most notorious troublemakers had almost become a foreign concept to the man. The thought was far more intimidating than staring down Shroud in his overdesigned bullshit spider mech.
However, there was a good chance that Robert didn't have to face the next phase of his life alone.
“Robert?!” Mandy's voice calling out to him brought him back down to Earth, filing away his existential thoughts and questions for a later time.
He couldn't help the lopsided smile crossing his lips as he thought of her for a moment. A true beauty both in looks and heart, regardless if she was the ever famous and powerful Blonde Blazer or just regular civvie Mandy.
“Over here!” he shouted back, hoping he was loud enough for her to hear him.
Robert immediately tried to play it cool, straightening his posture and crossing his arms over his chest, ignoring another flare of pain from his ribs as he put on a brave face for Mandy just as she rounded the corner of the building.
The brunette was barely able to hide the sliver of panic that had sprouted in her heart but upon seeing Robert, she breathed a sigh of relief with her hand over her chest.
“Jesus, Robert. If we were gonna play hide-and-seek, at least let me know beforehand!” she scolded, getting a playful sounding chuckle in response from Robert.
“More like I'm just hiding from everyone else,” he replied, though he flashed a reassuring smile as he extended an open hand towards Mandy, “Not hiding from you though. You're the exception.”
“Hmm, lucky me then,” Mandy drawled, batting her eyelashes as she took Robert's hand, entwining their fingers together as she stepped over to give him a quick peck on the cheek.
They lingered in momentary silence together as Mandy leaned against the wall right beside him. Their arms brushed against one another as she rested her head on his shoulder, watching the clouds drift by, high in the sky. Robert couldn't help but shift his gaze towards the woman who made his heart soar to new heights in the short time they've been getting to know each other.
She wore a green hoodie with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a sporty looking crop top that showed off her well-defined abs, short leggings that reached down only above her knees, and a pair of generic brand sneakers.
Despite the casual get-up and messy brown locks that looked hastily tied up in a bun, Robert still looked at her like she was the most beautiful gift to this planet. Superpowered amulet be damned, she could've still had anyone she wanted and she still chose him.
“You already had a lot to worry about, Mandy,” he spoke up, breaking the easy silence as she looked up at him attentively, “Besides, you looked like you had your hands full wrangling Visi back into the ambulance.”
That drew an amused cackle out of Mandy as she pulled away from him and brought her hands up to her head to rub her temples.
“Oh, don’t get me started. Courtney was still insisting she didn't need to go to the hospital.”
“She literally had a fucking bullet go through her shoulder. What part of that does she not understand?”
“I know!” Mandy agreed, throwing her hands up in the air as she continued exasperatedly, “She just kept whining about nosy doctors and being bored in the emergency room. I had to bribe her with McDonald's and a promise that we would visit her later today just to get her to lie still on the stretcher!”
Robert arched an eyebrow at the brunette as his lips twitched upwards into a grin.
“We?”
Mandy froze, eyes widening.
“Yeah, you and me. Unless…” she trailed off, sounding a little deflated, casting her gaze away from Robert.
“What is wrong with me? Robert hasn't had a moment to recover since the Sardine incident and here I am dragging him everywhere.”
Robert was quick to close the distance between them and placed a hand under her chin, breaking her away from her thoughts of self-doubt as he turned her head to look directly at him. Mandy’s worried bright blue eyes stared back into dark brown hues and a roguish grin that expressed nothing but warmth for her.
“That sounds perfect to me, Mandy.”
He leaned in closer to her and captured her lips in a gentle, comforting kiss. The way she looked at him after pulling away, like he was her lifeline…There was never anyone before in his life that looked at him the way Mandy was doing right now. As if he was the center of her world.
Robert made a mental note to self to not fuck this up.
“Probably a dumb question but how're you holding up?” Mandy asked as she closed the distance once again, her head and right hand brushing against Robert's chest. He could hear a tone of concern from the way she softly spoke. Briefly looking up to the sky, a tired sigh escaped his lips as he searched for words that could keep the mood light.
“Ignoring the fact that my whole body feels like it's held together by silly string and chewed up bubblegum, I'm feeling pretty great. Especially with present company.”
“Always the flatterer,” she murmured as she reached for his right hand. Her teasing smile slowly disappeared, her brow furrowing and her expression becoming a mix of unease and fury.
“I was worried for you. For Beef too,” she confessed, voice low and slightly cracking as she took his hand up to her lips to press a gentle kiss on his palm before closing her eyes, moving her head a bit to press her cheek against the calloused skin where her lips had touched, “I'm glad Shroud short-circuited himself. Bastard had it coming for trying to use Beef as a hostage. But if Courtney hadn't been there…”
“I'm still here though,” Robert assured Mandy, gently tilting her head to look at him directly and he could already see the tears forming in her eyes when she opened them. His thumb moved to softly stroke her cheek, “And Visi will be fine. She'll recover in no time, if only out of spite for Shroud and the Red Ring.”
Mandy reluctantly broke away from his touch, wiping away the tears that were forming with the back of her hand. All the while, Robert took that moment to get a better look at her.
Checking for any signs of injury on her, he found Mandy to be in far better shape than himself and the rest of the team, no doubt that the amulet absorbed almost all the damage she took as Blonde Blazer. A quick once-over caught on to some noticeable scrapes on her shins, knees and forearms, very likely from when she threw herself out of the car after sending it full speed into Shroud's mech.
Looking down onto Mandy's hands as he took them into his own, Robert's eyes immediately caught the bruised knuckles and traces of dried blood on them. He looked back up at her questioningly, only to see the brunette woman was trying her hardest to avoid his gaze.
“Oh, don’t worry too much about that,” Mandy tried to reassure him with a somewhat nervous chuckle, “The blood’s not mine.”
“The bruises on your hands are definitely yours,” Robert dryly shot back, his steely gaze still focused on Mandy as he waited on a proper answer.
“Well…I might have sucker punched a few of the jerks once their augments malfunctioned,” Mandy responded, turning her gaze back up to Robert and he could see for a moment there was a certain fire within her deep blue eyes as she continued to speak, “Everyone was fighting back and pulling their weight! I couldn’t just stand around and do nothing, even if I'm stuck without powers for now!”
“Of course she wouldn't stay back. She's no longer Blonde Blazer for now but she still has the spirit,” Robert thought to himself, a subtle smirk curving on his lips as he felt a sort of pride towards her.
He lifted both of her hands up to his lips and placed loving kisses on top of each, then letting go to wrap his arms around Mandy’s waist. In turn, Mandy rested her hands on Robert’s shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. Their gaze met each other's, unable to suppress the way their lips curved upwards, smiling at each other like complete dorks in love.
“Please tell me you got a couple of hits on the baby arms dipshit or dragon breath guy at least?”
“Hmm, I might’ve,” Mandy responded, pulling one of her hands back, fingers tapping on her chin as she feigned thoughtfulness, “Why? You plan on rewarding me?”
“Tsk tsk tsk. And here I thought superheroes were supposed to do the right thing and not expect rewards for their service,” Robert scolded with fake disappointment.
“Not a superhero anymore, Robert. I’m just a normie now. Gotta ask for hazard pay for the riskier jobs,” she countered.
“Is that so?” he challenged, and the way the rough timbre of his voice sounded so close to her and sent shivers down her spine made Mandy wonder if she might have an as-of-yet undiscovered voice related kink.
Robert gave her no time to think on it though as he spun her around and gently backed her up against the wall, smiling rather smugly upon hearing her breath hitch.
Raising one hand to softly caress her cheek, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, starting off with a tender kiss that Mandy immediately reciprocated. Lips and tongues smacked against each other, gradually contesting for control.
It didn't take long for their kiss to become more feverish as their hands explored each other's bodies, eventually escalating into a full blown make-out session after Mandy kept one hand up to the back of Robert's head, keeping him pulled in and unable to move away from their locked lips. The other went down to rest on the small of his back, keeping him steady against her.
He grunted from a sudden flash of pain that coursed through him, Mandy somehow still having a surprising amount of strength to keep him in a vice grip against her. Still, the dispatcher refused to pull away as he and Mandy continued to clash for dominance.
After everything he endured the past forty-eight hours, the torture, the fight with Shroud…he just didn't give a fuck anymore. He wanted Mandy to have him right then and there, even if his whole body screamed in pain.
Robert could end up in a full-body cast in some dingy hospital room for all he cared. He would go with the biggest smile on his face.
His left hand that was kept around her waist moved a little lower and lower until he was cupping her ass and, without any extra thought, gave the soft flesh a firm squeeze.
“Shit!” In that split second, Robert realized what he had just done and tried to think of an apology, but any concerns were immediately put to rest when he felt Mandy eagerly moan against his mouth and slightly lift her right leg trying to hook it around his waist.
As much as he was enjoying this, he now desperately needed to breathe in fresh air. On top of that, they couldn’t risk their PDA to escalate any further either.
Robert regretfully broke away from their kiss, a string of saliva still connecting between their lips and settled on resting his forehead against hers. Both of them took in the other's hungry, near feral expressions. Flushed faces, staring at each other with half-lidded lustful eyes and dilated pupils, taking in small, quick breaths like they had just run a marathon through the city.
The post-horny clarity kicked in within seconds as they remembered that they were still in the SDN parking lot and they both broke out into a fit of giddy laughter that would have had anybody within earshot at that moment questioning the couple's sanity. As they calmed down, Robert moved to place one more kiss on the side of her neck before moving up to whisper in her ear.
“How’s that for hazard pay?”
Mandy could not resist biting her lower lip as she felt his breath tickling her earlobe.
“Okay, I guess I have a voice kink after all! Fucking great.”
“I…” she swallowed hard as she tried to form a coherent sentence, “I- I can work with that,” came the shaky reply as Mandy tried, and failed, to hide how much she was getting worked up again.
However, before they could do or say anything else, the couple was interrupted by a loud cacophony of whoops, cheers, and hollering.
“Oh, no.”
“Oh, fuck no.”
Both of them sighed, sharing a defeated look as they refused to look in the direction where all the noise was coming from. Robert’s mouth twitched as if about to say something but Mandy placed a finger over his lips.
“Wait. Don't tell me,” Mandy spoke, voice barely above a whisper as she pulled her hand away, “The Z-Team are all standing around the corner, aren't they?”
“Yep.” Robert nodded affirmatively.
“...And they probably just saw everything that happened in the past few minutes?”
“Most likely,” he nodded again.
“...Fuck. Cat's out of the bag, I guess.”
The couple turned to look at the heroes of the hour. The team of former villains who have now turned a new leaf and were, for now, being hailed as the saviors of the city. His very own newfound family of dysfunctional assholes.
Well, their dysfunctional assholes. The Z-Team were just as much Blonde Blazer's/Mandy's blessing and curse as they were Robert's.
“Wooooooo! Yeah, baby! That's what we've been waiting for!” Sonar cheered, pumping his fists into the air as if he just witnessed the green line on his favorite stocks suddenly jump up rather than peeping on his bosses voraciously making out.
“The boss man? With the boss lady?! Holy shite, the rumors were true!” he could hear Punch-Up exclaim, as if he really could not believe what he was seeing.
“Fuck you mean rumors?! You don’t remember Miss Blazer smooching Geek Squad on his pasty white cheek back at the party?” Prism responded with a tone of exasperation in her voice.
“Oh, so that’s how he gets away with the HR violations. I see through you, Bob-bob,” Flambae joined in, never missing an opportunity to throw a barb at Robert as he pointed two fingers from his good hand to his own eyes and then pointing them back at the dispatcher, “Don't think hiding behind the big boss will save you from your monthly punches.”
“Ok, first off, you're one to talk about HR violations, so fuck off,” the dispatcher pointed out defensively, “Second, why are you guys creeping on us? Privacy is a thing, you know.”
“You're sucking Brunette Blazer's soul through her mouth in a public space,” Malevola countered, arms crossed and shaking her head, “For shame, Robert. What kind of example are you and Blazer setting for today's youth?”
Mandy groaned out of embarrassment and buried her face in Robert’s sleeve to hide how red she had turned again while Robert just glared at them.
“Fuck. She's got me there.”
The silence between them continued for about all but five seconds before the Z-Team broke out in cheers and laughter again.
“Aw, babes, we're just messing with you,” Malevola reassured, waving a finger to open a portal beside her, which Flambae and Punch-Up went through, before walking up to them and throwing her muscular arms around both Robert and Mandy, pulling them in for a tight hug.
He looked towards Mandy and stuck his hands out as if to say ‘Look. I'm not touching’. Mandy just rolled her eyes and chuckled, while awkwardly patting the scarlet skinned woman on the back.
“I know we cause a lot of headaches for you both,” Malevola continued as she eventually let go, “But we're all happy for you. Robert looks less depressed when you're together.”
Robert opened his mouth but whatever retort he had in mind was interrupted with the immediate return of Flambae and Punch-Up hauling in more beer cases through the portal for the team to enjoy, rousing more cheers from the rest of the group.
Despite butting heads with most of them since he first started as their dispatcher, Robert couldn’t help but feel proud at seeing the Z-Team come together as a unit.
“Thank you, Malevola.”
He turned to look at Mandy as she spoke, a warm genuine smile on the brunette as she looked up at the demoness, “And while you're here, I want you to know that I appreciate all the effort you've put into this program since the first day you joined us. Everyone's come a long way but I've seen the way you take the initiative, keeping the team on the same page in the moments that count.”
“Eh, fuck it. She's earned it.”
“She's right,” Robert took his opportunity to chime in as he leaned over to Mandy and wrapped an arm around the brunette's shoulders, “You've pulled quite a few miracles on several calls the past few days, which is kinda ironic to say because well…you're half-demon.”
Mandy laughed as Malevola arched an eyebrow, silently asking ‘Seriously?’.
“And back at the meeting where we chose to cut Visi…I meant it when I said that I'm proud of everyone on the team. You may not know it yet or want to admit it but you’ve got the makings of a leader, Malevola.”
Robert was never truly certain if his words had any effect on the Z-Team. Most times, especially when he first started, he felt like anything he said to them would go into one ear and immediately out the other.
It still felt kind of weird whenever the crazy ex-villains would stop to actually hear him out. Even more if his words actually had an effect on them.
Like Malevola, right now. Usually cocky, confident and mischievous, she stood there pursing her lips while her golden colored eyes seemed to shimmer around her bottom eyelids.
“Awww…c'mon guys. You fuckers are gonna make me cry. And I'll have to kill you both if you make me cry,” Malevola tried to brush them off but the slight crack in her tone and the sound of her sniffling gave away her attempt to hold back from shedding a tear or two.
It was all about positive reinforcement, Robert had rationalized before. Just as quick as he would call them out on their bullshit whenever they were being obstinate, the team also had to feel acknowledged whenever they succeed in heroics, no matter how small, or the rare occasion where they go out of their way to genuinely do something good for others.
“I think I got some words for the rest of the team before we head out. That all right with you, Mandy?”
“You and your speeches, Robert,” Mandy teased with a shake of her head but nonetheless she looped her right arm around his left and walked beside him as they approached the Z-Team, patting Malevola on the shoulder as she passed by the demoness.
“Over here, everyone!” Mandy shouted, diverting the team’s attention away from whatever drunken antics they were up to and getting them to focus on her and Robert instead.
“Oh great. Trying to bore us to death with another speech, Bobert?” Flambae snapped at him though there was no trace of malice in his tone.
“Shut it, matchstick. I'm trying to be nice to you all for once. Let your egos enjoy it because it's not happening again,” Robert shot back. A small chorus of ‘ooooooooh's' sprung up from some of the other team members but the dispatcher once again asked for them to quiet down and when they surprisingly obliged, he began to speak with all of them in mind.
“Look, I don't know what constitutes graduation for the Phoenix Program here at SDN or when the time will come that it actually happens but you've all shown your true potential for everyone to see.”
“Despite some missteps, all of you have put in the effort to better yourselves the past few days and last night you all showed everyone, heroes, villains, and regular folks alike, what the Z-Team is all about. What you're all capable of when we lock the fuck in and got each other's backs.”
“However, as intense as our battle with the Red Ring turned out to be, this?” He jabs his thumb in the direction of the wrecked building, “This was the easy part. The real work starts now and all of you have to keep that momentum going to show that the Phoenix Program isn't just a pretty name for PR purposes.”
“I'm telling you right now that there will still be doubters,” he continued on as he glanced at each and every person in front of him, “Not today for obvious reasons, but eventually there will be people who will try to write this off as a lucky fluke or downplay the threat that Shroud and his gang truly posed, to downplay your achievements. It's up to all of us to prove them wrong.”
“Last thing, I want to assure you guys though that Blaze-...Mandy and I, we are both your biggest supporters and we always will be. Once we integrate Coupé back into the team and Invisigal's cleared to come back to the field, we can all move forward and return to doing what we do best. Finishing the fights that villains start.”
Robert took a deep breath, surprised that he was able to go on this long talking without any insults or interruptions being thrown his way. It was still a notable improvement.
In a better world, Robert could believe that the silence that followed was a result of the members of his team quietly taking his words to heart, doing some self-reflecting and devising ways on how to better themselves from here and onward.
However, this was still the Z-Team he was talking about.
“Countdown to the Z-Team deflecting my speech with smartass bullshit in 3…2…1.”
“Huh, it started off really good but then it got kinda corny near the end,” Prism was the first one to retort.
“Fucking hell, Bob-bob. Every time you talk I get more and more depressed. Shut up already.”
“Any lads who think we did a terrible job is getting one of me special punches!”
“I-I think it was p-pretty good!”
“Robbie, that's great and all but let me tell everyone here about my brand new Blazer Coin that's going to take over the market in the next-”
“Sonar! You are NOT using my likeness for a crypto scam!”
“Miss Blazer, you wound me with such unfounded accusations.”
“Sonar!” Mandy warned, shooting a threatening glare at the man-bat.
“Okay, okay. Maybe Robbo is a little more open to-”
“Absolutely not, Bat-Boy.”
“Man! Y'all can't see solid gold even if I'm shitting it right in front of you!”
“...That's gross,” Coupè muttered, finally speaking her first words since the team prevented her arrest and welcomed her back to their side after the battle.
“That wasn't it, fam,” Golem remarked.
“Dude! We did not need that mental picture!” Malevola chided with a shake of her head.
Laughter erupted throughout the group as Mandy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose while Robert looked on towards the team, arms crossed but one could see the proud gleam in his eyes and the slight upward twitch of his lips.
“Oh, Robert. Is this what I had you put up with everyday?” the brunette asked apologetically, reaching a hand out to his shoulder. His grin only grew wider.
Most of the Z-Team weren't the type to get gushy with feelings or pound their chests for every good deed they accomplish somehow (unless they were in a competition of egos).
However, Robert knew they listened.
As everyone settled down, Flambae opened up another case of beer, handing two bottles to Malevola, who then brought them over to Robert and Mandy.
“For the record, I'm not a taxi service but just this once, let me know when you lovers wanna bail and I'll portal you out of here,” Malevola offered with a friendly grin as she handed the beers out to the couple.
“Thanks but-”
“Don't worry about these losers, babes” she cut off Robert, already knowing what he and Mandy were worried about, “I'll put the team to some use and work with Galen about further clean-up. Can't let ya down since I got your vote of confidence now, can I?”
The scarlet woman reached out and placed a hand on Mandy's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze while she cast a playful wink in Robert’s direction before heading back to the rest of the group.
“Was she…flirting with us?” Mandy asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion as she looked at Robert.
“No? At least I think that's just her being a menace,” he answered but then again who knew. He was far too exhausted to make sense of the team’s shenanigans right now, “But if she says she's got us covered, then we'll have to trust her.”
Mandy said nothing but she nodded in agreement.
The drinking continued with the clanking of beer bottles against each other signifying another toast to their hard fought victory.
“To Miss Blazer!”
“To Mecha-Dick!”
“Is it Brunette Blazer now?”
“Here's to Visi! Baby didn't let us down!”
“To the bonus on our paychecks!”
Helping Mandy open her bottle again (“Gonna have to teach her some normie tricks,” he thought to himself.), Robert received a peck on the cheek from the brunette as thanks as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.
“So…what now?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“We go to my place and I take you up on your offer to make out,” Mandy stated without any doubts or hesitation, half-lidded eyes looking at the man beside her with a suggestive gaze.
“Simple enough plan for once…I like it,” Robert replied, returning the brunette's gaze with a cheeky smirk.
Both of them looked down to the beers they still had in their hands and, at the same time, raised them up towards each other.
“May I propose a toast then? To the beautiful woman beside me who's given me a new lease on life.”
“To the handsome hero who never gives up on anyone around him.”
Robert and Mandy leaned towards each other, faces inching closer and closer…
“To our team of lunatics who are trying their best.”
“And to figuring out our life as normies now.”
A clank of glass bottles and eager lips closing the distance for a warm kiss between them sealed the deal.