Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“What’s up? Why are you guys looking like sad sacks of shit today?”

Chase flew into the staff room, where he was welcomed by such a melancholy scene created by the Z-Team. They were all lowering their faces, staring at their unfinished lunch and drinks, except for Courtney, who was resting her head with her arm. Needless to say, they all had saddened expressions displayed on their faces.

“Mr. Chase, what was Robert like this morning?” Alice asked first, “Did something happen to him? Does he look strange to you?”

“I’ve known that kid for a long time,” Chase answered, levitating back to the ground. “If there were something strange with him, I’d notice instantly. Yet he still went to the office today with the face looking like he was sick of life, though.” He then turned his head to Courtney, “Did you bite off his D or something?”

“You’re lucky I’m not in the mood, or I’d punch that necklace out of your neck, Gramps.”

Courtney warned him before shifting her gaze back to her original view, looking back at the rest of the team, who were also feeling down like her. She then briefly turned her eyes down at the table and sighed; her feelings were mixed with confusion.

“But yeah… Robert was so strange today,” She lowered her tone, but was just enough for the whole room to hear, “He felt so… downcast, like he was not in the mood to work. At some points, we tried to crack some jokes and make each other laugh as usual, but he didn’t even react. Just… felt like a completely different person.”

“Yeah, I accidentally slipped my mouth and called him ‘Robitch’, but he didn’t even budge. It was so bizarre,” Chad immediately jumped in.

“Maybe it’s time you consider whether your ‘banters’ are funny, mate,” Colm spoke back, looking at him with his annoyed look, whilst folding his notable muscular arms.

“Hey, that’s not a joke. As I said, I just accidentally called him that. I did that like 10 times this week, though...”

“Then that’s no banter, that’s just bullying, lad.”

“As if you’re any better…!”

The team seemed to be attracted to the smoldering war of words between Chad and Colm, but not Chase. He closed his eyes and folded his arms, while thinking about something, anything that had a connection to Robert, anything that he might’ve forgotten on this day. He stroked the wrinkles on his forehead, a sign of his accelerated age, but nothing came to his mind.

As he was tired of how his old age might’ve affected his memory, he let out a sigh of defeat before looking up at the clock on the wall, which indicated that lunch break was almost over. He turned back to the team and clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the arguing members.

“Okay, listen, you guys still have the afternoon shift,” Chase said with his serious tone, “Just take care of that first. Meanwhile, I’ll go talk to Robert, and let’s see if we can do anything for him, alright?”

Still feeling disheartened and puzzled, but with no clue to figure out, nothing else to think of, most of the team could only nod their heads and proceed to leave the room. Robert’s mood had affected the whole team, but without anything to say from even the closest person to him, they couldn’t help their dispatcher. The best they could think of was working the best afternoon shift they could with their abilities.

However, just as soon as almost all the team had left, when Courtney was about to leave the table after letting out her last sigh, something finally came to Chase’s mind. It was certainly not something happy or something he would want to remember, since he lowered his head and groaned loudly, both his hands landed on the table, catching her attention.

“Shit,” Chase cursed under his breath, “God fucking damn it…!”

“What? What was it?” Courtney asked, “Did you remember something?”

Hearing her question, knowing there was no way she would let him out of this, even if he wanted to hide, Chase looked back at her. His face was filled with sorrow, with wrinkles of time displayed clearly on his forehead.

“Today… is Robert’s father's deathday.”

“… What?” Courtney took a moment to ask back, being in disbelief herself.

“Yeah, the day he was killed by Shroud—Elliot,” Chase then clicked his tongue and stroked his forehead, “Fuck, how could I forget it? I was there with him, too…”

“And you forgot about it that easily? What the hell, Chase?”

“Dude, I’m technically 100 years old! Try remembering all the shit you’ve been through when you’re at my age!” Chase retorted, but he soon lowered his head apologetically, like he was bowing before his teammate for forgetting him, “Oh, Robbie…”

“Don’t… ‘dude’ me like that. It feels weird…”

Courtney spoke back, knowing that Chase probably wouldn’t hear her. Nothing else to think about, she leaned on the counter nearby and folded her arms, a quiet breath then escaped her lips. No wonder Robert seemed so uninterested today, all because he had something else in mind, all because this was a sad day for him. As much as she felt it was incredible for him to even go to work on this day, she felt bad for everything the team had said to “cheer him up”, having no knowledge of what was happening in his mind.

When Courtney thought they might’ve made things worse for his feelings, she blamed Chase for not caring enough to remember this sooner, and somewhat blamed herself for finding out about it too late.

“So… what now?” Courtney broke the silence after a moment, “Are we buying Twinkies to cheer him up or what?”

“… If there is something I know clearly from that kid,” Chase answered, “it’s that he doesn’t usually share these kinds of stuff with anyone close to him, including me. That kid tended to be a little… emotional when he talked about his father back then. I guess that’s why he prefers to keep sad shit for his own.”

“Well, for someone claiming to be his closest person, you seem to do quite a shit job at it.”

“He’s cut me from his life since his father’s death, bro! I only knew he was still alive when I saw him on TV announcing his retirement!”

As Courtney was feeling shivers down her spine for hearing an old man calling her “bro”, Chase exhaled in exhaustion, still hadn’t figured out the right way to approach this problem—the issue that happened just because he forgot this important day, the moment that he was there to witness.

“Look, just… tell the team to try not to be assholes to him, especially that fiery prick,” Chase asked for her help, but almost sounded like he was pleading, “Meanwhile, I’ll try to think of something to cheer him up. I can’t guarantee anything, though. Maybe… It’s best to let him be alone, for now.”

Courtney just nodded her head to reluctantly accept his words, but deep inside, she knew that she couldn’t let this happen any longer. She’d never had a real family until she met the Z-Team, but she could picture faintly how painful it was to lose a family member, to lose someone who was probably the closest to them, to no longer see them at such an early age. She knew how it was to be a loner—a terrible path that she wouldn’t want anyone to walk on, especially him. She remembered how it felt to have a cold and lonely heart, and how it felt when he came into her life to warm up her heart.

In the end, she once swore to herself to be at his side, and this was no different. Even though she couldn’t think of any plan to solve this, she still wanted to help him; a determination formed inside her to accompany him through his depressing day, even when he refused to open his heart.

“… Hey, Chase… Besides Twinkies, what does Robert like to eat?”

Robert kicked open the door to his apartment and walked in, with the box containing no one but Beef in his arms. He then turned on the light and put the box down, allowing Beef to roam free. As the scenery around him lit up, the most significant change was the table in the middle of the room, accompanied by some chairs, a basic set of housewares that he had finally bought since moving in.

And in the center of that table, something he had prepared before starting the day, a framed picture of Robbie, Robert Robertson II, Mecha Man Astral, or in simpler words, his father, smiling brightly whilst looking aside, with the silhouette of his mech suit behind him, the suit that Robert had inherited ever since his death. Nothing else to make it fancier.

When that photo came to his sight, Robert let out a sigh, still keeping an emotionless face. “Well, here I am,” He spoke to himself with a monotone voice, “Hey Dad, I’m home—”

“I like what you did to this place.”

Someone’s voice startled Robert, making him jump slightly aside. When he started frantically looking at the door, the source of that voice finally appeared, revealing Courtney, who was leaning on the wall with her arms crossed, looking back at him. Having been found, she smiled back at him and lifted her hand to greet him. Both of her hands were notably holding plastic bags containing something.

“Everything looks so dark and morbid. Exactly how you want to set the tone, huh—”

“What the hell are you doing here, Courtney!?” Robert, coming back to his senses, asked her in his annoyed tone, “You know that stalking is a crime, right?”

“I’ve committed enough crimes to know that doing things like this isn’t enough to put me behind bars, Robert,” Courtney answered. “Besides, as I said before, I can be anywhere, whenever I want, and this is no different.”

“Well, to me, today is. So why don’t you leave my place, and we’ll do whatever you want tomorrow—”

“Chase told me about this,” Courtney cut him off, “You have a reason for setting up that photo of your father, right?”

Having been found out and feeling defeated, Robert dropped whatever he’d wanted to say before leaning back against the wall behind him. He averted his gaze and lowered his head, trying to figure out what else to say, despite knowing that she totally got him for that. Meanwhile, seeing so, Courtney just let out a sigh and unfolded her arms, back to her relaxed posture.

“You think we wouldn’t notice how strange you behaved today?” Courtney broke the silence first, “You sounded like... a sad sack of shit during the whole shifts.” She then followed with another sigh to calm herself down, trying to sound less angry, “Why didn’t you tell us any about this, Robert?”

“… It’s… a family matter…” Robert answered, “I don’t want you guys to get involved.”

“Family matter? Aren’t we a family, Robert? What are we to you? What am I to you?”

Robert could only look away and scratch his earlobe, completely speechless. He couldn’t get used to being discovered about this sad day, getting asked by someone he was very close to. After all, who could blame him? He had spent years being all alone before joining SDN; years of chasing after Shroud, years of mourning for his father by himself. He had expected things would be no different, still being by himself on this day, but not being able to shed a tear, since his eyes had been dried up from crying too much.

But now, in front of him, someone who was close to him, someone he could call his girlfriend. Not here with him, a mixed bunch of superheroes and former villains that he had called a weird, fucked-up family. Even so, he just couldn’t share the news. He didn’t want anyone else to share his pain. He just preferred to be alone, just him and this “family matter” he’d been keeping to his own. That was why he had disconnected himself from Chase; that was why he’d been keeping this a secret, despite not being very good at hiding it.

“… Please, Robert,” Courtney broke the silence again, not a tint of anger in her tone, just a plea towards her man, “You don’t have to deal with this all by yourself. At least just let me join you...”

Because after all, seeing him keeping things like this to himself just hurt her more. Not just because of how sad he was during work, not just because of how depressed he’d sounded during shifts, a tone that anyone could feel. She just felt that she wasn’t being trusted enough; that she might not be close enough to him to share something like this.

Courtney had been thankful to him for leading her away from the villainous path, guiding her on the right track. She loved him for trusting her to the very end, despite doubts from others. The least she could do was do something in return for him, even if it was sharing his pain of loss on this day.

However, seeing him still avoiding her gaze, Courtney started thinking this might not be the right thing to do. He might be right; this was his family matter, his personal matter, after all. He wasn’t obligated to tell her, or anyone else, about this. It was true that they were his family, but not to the point that he had to share this news with them. All she had been doing was just invading his personal space, forcing him to let her join the event, which she played no part in.

When her lips curled into a frown, feeling disappointed but understanding, she nodded her head and turned to the open door, about to get out of his apartment. “You know what, you’re right. I’m… sorry, Robert. I shouldn’t barge in like this. I’ll leave if you want to—”

“I haven’t prepared anything,” Robert suddenly spoke, after minutes of silence, while glancing at the empty kitchen counter, catching her attention. He then looked back at her, a sterner look displayed on his face, “If you really want to stay, wait here, and I'll go grab something—”

Robert suddenly got cut off when Courtney tossed one of the plastic bags towards him, making him barely react soon enough to catch it. He took a look inside it and took a whiff of the faint fragrance of food inside, including a box of Twinkies. He looked back at Courtney and was about to ask her something, just to see her closing the door, still inside his apartment.

“C’mon, I’ll help you prepare,” Courtney said when she turned her gaze to him.

Robert just let out a sigh and nodded his head before walking away, preparing whatever was inside those bags. Meanwhile, slightly crouching down to pet Beef, who was nudging his head on her legs, Courtney softly smiled to herself before joining Robert to help him prepare for this special dinner.

Just for that one moment, she finally felt that she might’ve been trusted, a simple wish that was granted to her.

Chapter Text

Under the light of Robert’s apartment, he wished this weren’t a dinner meal in memory of his father. After all, what kind of meal to pay respect to the deceased that was this poorly arranged? This was also not a date between him and Courtney, or at least this would be such a sad excuse for a date, given that instead of being somewhere fancy, they were just having tacos and cheap fizzy drinks.

This was such a sad dinner table that Courtney had been trying her best to hold her laughter: a plate of silver-wrapped tacos in the middle of the table, with Robert’s father’s photo just next to it, accompanied by a box of Twinkies; in their hands right now, each holding a cup of iced Pepsi. She preferred morbid stuff, but she found it a little ironic that she was playing a part in this sad meal.

“… Courtney, just for your future notes,” Robert, having also observed the sad state of this dinner, spoke first, “When you’re visiting someone’s funeral or someone that’s having a bad day, and you say that you bring food, which are a bunch of Mexican fast foods plus a box of Twinkies, those ain’t gonna cut it.”

“I know,” Courtney retorted, “But when Chase told me about your favorite stuff, I found out that I didn’t have enough money, so this is the best I can bring.” Courtney replied, “But hey, thanks for that advice. Noted!” She continued and ended by poking her finger on her head.

Nevertheless, if she could spend her day with Robert, especially during his saddest time, this was what she was willing to do.

Courtney ripped open her chili sauce packet and poured it on her tacos before looking at the photo in the middle of the table. She looked at the man inside that picture, still wearing his superhero uniform, bearing the brightest smile for the public, with a part of his mech suit in the background. She then took a glance at the man sitting opposite her, observing some of the notable details on his face, down to the freckles on his face, before eyeing back at the photo again.

‘Like father, like son.’

Courtney spoke to herself with a chuckle. She didn’t know how Robert’s father was to him, but at least he picked the brightest picture for his father’s death day.

“So… What kind of person was Mr. Robertson ver 2.0?” Courtney asked, “How was he like to you?” She continued before taking a bite from her tacos.

“He was… responsible, that’s all I can say,” Robert answered, having thought for a moment, “Also very strict, too.”

“That sounds like every father exists on this planet,” She replied with her eyebrow raised, “I thought he’d be a little more… unique. After all, your family has a superhero bloodline, no?”

“Yeah, but that’s all I can remember about him. In fact, we… didn’t spend much time together. Now that’s a superhero bloodline’s specialty, right?”

“I—I see… Sorry for... reminding you that,” Courtney said while rubbing her nape. However, Robert just softly smiled and shook his head, not bothered by her question.

“Actually, if there was something valuable that he taught me, that was about being strong,” He continued, “You know, be a man and tough it out, get up and stand up on your own two feet.”

“Well, he sure was a responsible man of the family.”

“Yeah, and I learned about that because I accidentally activated and almost got killed by the damn mech suit that he hadn’t bothered putting away from my grasp during my family’s picnic,” Robert then pointed at his ear, which had a notable hole in his pinna, “See this? That’s the evidence of his life lesson for me.”

Having heard that, Courtney nervously chuckled and wished she could retract her words earlier. Meanwhile, recalling that “precious” memory, Robert just laughed a little, especially having seen the reaction from his girlfriend. His story had at least brightened the mood of this once-depressing, thought-to-be sorrowful dinner, a meal that he could’ve been on his own.

“That was one of the fewest times he actually spent his days with me…” Robert continued his story, “After that, my dad got busier—superhero stuff, urgent calls from SDN, everything. I got to see him less and less, and before I knew it, catching his presence at home was already a luxury privilege.”

“I see…” Courtney nodded her head, sympathizing with his feelings, “It must have been very lonely back then, huh?”

“Well, not really. When my dad was out for work, he left Chase the responsibility to 'babysit' me,” Robert said. “It wasn’t so bad to spend time with him; in fact, we started bonding like brothers. He was always there to cheer me up, and even bought me anything I wanted, except booze, of course.”

“So, he was like… your errand boy?”

“I wouldn’t call him that if I were you,” Robert chuckled a little, thinking back about his memories with Chase when he was young. “Despite that, I was kinda a spoiled kid, if I had to judge myself. I can’t remember how many times I asked him to buy me Twinkies. I think he aged so fast was partly because of me.”

“Geez, no wonder Gramps always seems so grumpy…” Courtney snickered.

“Yeah, you got me. I ruined Track Star. Guilty as charged.”

Robert said while unenthusiastically raising his hands like a caught criminal. Seeing Courtney giggling after that, he just softly smiled to himself, thinking about that time with Chase. It was true that he couldn’t spend much time with his father, not enough to at least know a few characteristics about him, but in some way, he wasn’t alone. Taking a sip from his cold drink, he silently thanked Chase for keeping him accompanied throughout his childhood.

However, his smile soon turned into a frown. Remembering his childhood meant he had to dig through more corners of it, and that was also reaching memories that he didn’t want to be reminded of—terrible flashbacks that he tried so hard to bury, only to have them returned to his mind once this day came. His long sigh and how he had shifted his gaze somewhere else soon caught the attention of Courtney, who knew that there was more to this story.

“And then… There was a major mission for the Brave Brigade. My father, Chase, and everyone had to go. That was the last time I saw my father or Chase,” Robert trailed off, before looking back at Courtney, who had a notably worried expression on her face, “Eventually, Shroud—Elliot asked to join them, then after that…”

“… That was the day your father got…” Courtney spoke after that, able to guess the part that he didn’t want to say, noticing his brief silence after saying that. Hearing so, Robert bit his lips before nodding in return. He averted his gaze from Courtney once again, distracting himself with the drink in his hands.

“Two shots. One on his shoulder, the other straight at his heart,” Robert said, taking a heavy sigh after that, “That was my father’s gun from his locker, too, which I only knew about that many, many years later, on the night that Shroud… captured me…”

Having heard so, Courtney could only nod in return before eyeing the table, looking away from Robert, as well. She didn’t know what to say after that. She was struggling to find the right words to tell him. After all, what could she do about it? She never knows the feeling of having a superhero father, who is absent from home most of the time. She never knows the feeling of having her relatives killed by someone who was once a hero, but is now his greatest nemesis. All she could feel was how hard it was to tell someone their deepest secret, the darkest moment from their childhood.

Because in the end, Courtney really had never gotten a true family, until the day she joined the Z-Team.

“… Hey, Robert…” Courtney, having thought for a considerable time, broke the silence between them, “I don’t know if any of these words can comfort you. Hell, I don’t know if these are the right things to say. But in the end, Shroud got what he fucking deserved.”

Seeing Robert looking back at her, Courtney continued. “We… beat him in the battle for the fate of LA—hell, for the world, right? You, Robert, beat the shit out of him. You’ve finally thrown that asshole in jail for eternity. You’ve successfully avenged your father, Robert. You’ve definitely made him proud.”

However, Robert didn’t seem to be convinced by her lines, being shown by him shaking his head in disagreement. He averted his gaze once again, but this time, gripping the cup in his hands tighter, his breathing got a little heavier. There was another hefty emotion in his chest, an affection he never thought he’d let out after weeks of containing it.

“I fucking hate that old man so much…” Robert mumbled, but it was enough for Courtney to hear and feel the tint of anger inside those words.

“… Y—Yeah, I’m with you. We’re with you. And together, we made that prick pay for his crimes! You don’t have to—”

“I wasn’t talking about Shroud.”

That sentence from Robert had changed the atmosphere completely. Courtney, confused with what he had said at first hand, blinked her eyes multiple times and let everything process in her head. As soon as she figured it out, her emotions changed to a mix of astonishment and distress. She widened her eyes and inadvertently covered her mouth in disbelief because of his words.

Meanwhile, the man in front of her just stayed completely silent. He was trying to contain his temper, but his view had been darkened by hatred and resentment, a greater anger that wasn’t towards Shroud, but it was for someone from his family, someone who once taught him lessons about growing up and standing on his own feet.

“… B—But why, Robert? Why do you—”

“Years after his death, I started investigating this whole case,” Robert cut her off, “All I knew was he was murdered by his teammate, nothing more. I started digging up the whole thing, not only to find traces of Shroud, but also to try solving so many questions of ‘why', especially why he was ‘betrayed’ that easily, what drove Shroud into killing him. At first, I couldn’t find any, until I met Chase again and asked him about that, asked him to reveal what had happened behind the scenes, the truth that was kept from the media.”

Robert then started wheezing, before gritting his teeth in acrimony. His grip on the cup got tighter, squeezing it so strongly that he could accidentally bust it open and spill it out at any second. The once lighthearted atmosphere he shared with Courtney now became heavier and thicker, so suffocating that she felt it was a little hard to breathe. However, Robert didn’t have the clearest mind to care about any of that.

“That selfish, self-centered man!” Robert cursed under his breath, “If he could just drop his ego, things would’ve been settled more peacefully. If he could pull his goddamn brain out of his mech suit and fucking use it, no one would get hurt. If only he were willing to listen for once, just for one fucking time, maybe no one would be killed in such a stupid way…”

Robert then subconsciously removed one of his hands from his drink, now nowhere near as cold as his heart, before clenching his fist on the table. “I can’t forgive Elliot, I never will. But none of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t because of how horrible a human being my goddamn DAD really was!”

As he finished that word, he slammed his fist on the table, shocking Courtney, who was still in puzzlement. It wasn’t her first time seeing Robert being angry, but it terrified her to see him this furious, seeing him venting his anger as significantly as this. It was almost like he had changed into a completely new person.

“It was because of that selfish old man that the Brave Brigade was disbanded. It was because of that hypocritical man that Shroud had been nurturing a hatred towards my family for 15 fucking years. It was of that horrible man that I had to inherit this cursed mech suit that caused deaths to my family, but this time, such a stupid death that he brought to himself. It was because of that egotistical man that Chase almost got…”

Courtney was waiting for Robert to finish that sentence. Truth to be told, she felt like she had to run away. She felt that any word she spoke up right now could only drag Robert into a deeper hole of hatred he’d been digging for himself. She knew the story of Mecha Man generations, but she didn’t realize how it was such a curse for his family, and how she almost caused the death of the third Robert Robertson. She averted her gaze from him and gripped her jacket’s sleeve, knowing it was because of her that Chase almost ended his life.

Robert, after all, had a reason to be mad; it was his father who kick-started this whole chain of events, igniting such an antagonism from Shroud. But she definitely had played a part in this sad drama of his family.

However, as she’d gained enough courage to at least take a glance at him, she saw something else that she thought she would never see from him, a rare sight that no one from the team had ever seen.

Tears.

Tears started rolling down Robert’s cheeks, passing through the battle scars left on his face. Tears that had been thought to be dried up long ago, now suddenly were being shed. Tears that were thought to be a sign of weakness by his father, a thought that he had also inherited, were now shed uncontrollably from his eyes.

Robert started shaking a little, not only from anger, but also from anguish and pain. His heavy breathing slowly turned into sniffles, while his once-gritting teeth were now biting his bottom lip, as he desperately tried not to let any sob escape his mouth. At this point, he didn’t notice that Courtney was still there in front of him; he only thought he was talking to himself this whole time.

“Why… Why did you do that?” Robert whimpered. As everything was too overwhelming for him to bear, his pain had reached beyond the limits, and with quiet weeps started coming out from his lips, as he started choking on his tears. “How could you ruin our family, Dad? Why were you so obsessed with this centered superhero shit you’d been running? All I ever ask for is a normal family, Dad…”

As much as Courtney was terrified, seeing Robert suffering this pain, the agony of losing his family member, losing someone he shared his blood with, hurt her even more. She didn’t know if Robert realized she was still there, willing to be by his side at any moment. All she saw was a man at his lowest point, mumbling to himself like he was being drunk alone at a bar, with his eyes downcast as more tears escaped, forming dark spots on the table.

When fear turned into empathy and love for her man, Courtney took another breath before turning invisible, leaving her seat and approaching Robert.

“Sometimes I wonder… what my life would be like if my father were still alive, didn’t commit all this stupid shit,” Robert tried his best to speak out loud, but his voice could only be broken bit by bit, “Maybe I wouldn’t have to inherit that mech suit, inheriting this cursed bloodline for years to come. Maybe I wouldn’t waste all these years tracking down his killer, only to discover that he brought his death to himself. Or at least, maybe I would live a normal life, have a normal relationship with my father, just for once. I don’t know—“

Robert got cut off when he felt a sensation on the outside of his clenched fist. It wasn’t strong, just a tender hold on his hand, but somehow it relieved a bit of his stress and anger. He started looking to his side, just in time for Courtney to appear again, sitting next to him, while holding his tense fist.

Courtney ran her thumb on his stiffening white knuckles, taking her time with it, tender but loving, whilst looking at his teary eyes with the same feeling, silently telling him that he wasn’t alone, and he could rest his head on her shoulder if everything was too much. She let out her soft smile, trying to warm his cold, darkened heart on this tough day.

“… Sorry,” Robert, having seen her kindness, sniffled and chuckled a little, before swallowing his tears and wiping his eyes with his free hand, “I didn’t want to be this… dramatic. I must’ve scared you, right? That’s not something a tough guy should do.”

“Even tough guys can get dramatic, Robert,” Courtney consoled him, still keeping the smile on her face.

“Well, then, I’m sorry for crying like this. That’s not… usually my thing to do in front of anyone.”

“I don’t mind that, Robert. Even tough guys can cry, too, you know? You can cry if you want to,” she replied, “Besides, you looked… prettier when you cried. I kinda like that.”

Having heard that, Robert’s chuckle turned into laughter, making Courtney do the same. When he was about to reach his hand to his cheek to wipe more of his tears, Courtney held out her hand to stop him. She reached out to the tissue in the middle of the table before touching his cheeks, helping him wipe them instead.

“You know, Robert,” Courtney spoke out whilst doing so, “I’m glad that you inherited that mech suit from your father.”

“Why? You enjoy seeing people at their brink of death?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant,” she laughed it off, “It’s just that… perhaps thanks to it, you joined SDN, you met us, met… me in the process. Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Without meeting you, I… don’t know what kind of shithole I would end up at now.”

“Well, you did plant a bomb on my back beforehand, though.”

“Yeah, well, that was still part of that process, wasn’t it?” Courtney nervously laughed, “It’s almost like it was destiny, a starting point for our paths to cross, right?”

Robert laughed it off and rolled his eyes. As his mind was now cleared from his trauma, he looked around the apartment. Nothing had changed—still the dimming light on the ceiling, still the colorful light of LA night, looking from afar, as if standing at his balcony. In front of him, there was still a plate stacked with silver-wrapped tacos and a dull box of Twinkies.

However, around him was a cozy, warm atmosphere, no longer the cold air he would normally feel on this day. He had expected to spend this day alone, just the photo of his father to look at, just mourning the name of someone who had been taken away from him, the man who had been no longer with him since his childhood, not only because of his death. But when he looked to his side, seeing the woman who was still holding his now-relaxed hand, still keeping her smile on her face, he realized that he wasn’t living in that life anymore. Things were now different—he had someone to rely on, and a family he once wished he had.

“… Hey, Courtney,” Robert broke the silence, received a hum from her in return, “I know you don’t like gushy stuff, but… Thank you for… being here. It really means a lot—”

“Told ya, big guy!” Courtney cut him off by playfully punching his arm, but still enough to extract a welp from him, “Next time, if you’re having a sad day, just tell me to come along. I don’t mind morbid things.”

Her words reminded him of something, as he looked down briefly and held his chin, trying to figure out what it was. It didn’t take long for him to remember it, so he lifted his head and turned to Courtney once again.

“Speaking of that…” Robert said, “I have somewhere I need to go tomorrow. Do you want to join me, too?”

“I’d told you—I’ll be by your side, and that’s still in effect for the rest of this week. I’ll follow you wherever you go, Robert.”

The apartment then filled with chuckles from the couple. As things had finally settled, Courtney closed the distance and leaned her head onto Robert’s shoulder. Seeing so, Robert just held her head closer, brushing his hand through her hair, with a soft smile on his face. He then looked up and let out a sigh, recollecting what had happened. Whatever plan he had, he could leave it for tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to spend the rest of the day with someone he loved, someone he silently swore to protect and never let go. That was another valuable lesson he’d learned from his father, but not directly taught by him.

For now, he just wanted to spend the rest of the day enjoying this simple, yet heartwarming, new life he was living in.

“We… still have to finish all those tacos, though,” Robert said whilst looking back at the plate in front of them.

“Yeah, and meanwhile, it’s probably best if we don’t talk about any sad story from now,” Courtney agreed, “No more depressing stuff, just fun stuff allowed here. And if you’re not in the mood…” She then held the button of his uniform and circled it with her finger, before leaning to his ear and lowering her tone, “… Maybe you can lie down on that mattress over there, and I’ll cheer you up the way I know…”

“I’m not letting my dad see me clapping cheeks, Courtney.”

Robert and Courtney stood beneath the dusky blue sky, with the sight of the sun just rising behind the clouds. They were surrounded by the cozy atmosphere of early morning in LA, while listening to the charming song from the early birds. Such peaceful feelings that this city had received thanks to the superheroes, thanks to the success of resisting the Red Ring from SDN.

However, memories of past heroes were still kept and remembered by the civilians living here. They might not be granted superpowers, but the least they could do was remember the ones that had brought them peace, the ones that had been protecting them, and the ones that had dedicated their lives to this city until their final breath.

And the gravestone in front of Robert and Courtney, in the middle of the cemetery, on the highest hill, where the best sight of the city could be viewed, was one of the proofs of how LA civilians remembered their heroes.

“In memory of Mecha Man Astral, from the people of LA. Rest in peace.”

Simple lines carved onto the gravestone, only his superhero name, with the signature M in the middle.

“You know, for a resting place of their biggest superhero, this is much simpler than I thought,” Courtney spoke first, “I was expecting it’d be a little flashier, like we’d be visiting a palace.”

“Most of these were the ideas from Chase and the Brave Brigade,” Robert said, still looking around from his spot, “They wanted to consult his family first, but they couldn’t, cuz you know, I was still young and dumb when he died. Besides, even if they wanted to build a palace in the middle of a cemetery for him, they probably couldn’t because all the budgets had been burned for their base.”

Chuckling along with Courtney, Robert then crouched down before his father’s grave. His hand held a rose bouquet wrapped in blue and tied with a white bow. He then swept away branches and fallen leaves on the gravestone, showing more of the details carved on it, and gently placed the bouquet onto it.

“So… why roses?” Courtney asked, “Your father loves that flower?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Robert shrugged his shoulders, “He’s never told me about this, or even his other favorites. In fact, I doubt that he had a favorite flower; we engineers don’t really care about those… sappy things.” He then stood up from his spot, still keeping his eyes on the gravestone, “However, I remember that back in our old house, we used to have a rose vase in the middle of the living room, and he's never gotten rid of that for years, even on the rarest occasions when he was home. I guess those meant something to him.”

After that sentence, Robert still didn’t remove his gaze from the grave. He just stared at it before letting out a sigh. This was his first time visiting Robbie since he last visited him as a child, just days after his death. For years, he had been mourning his father’s death, but never spent a day going to this cemetery. He had been stuck with tracking down Shroud, stuck with inheriting his family’s mech suit, only to discover more truths behind Robbie’s ultimate demise, only to grow more negative feelings, and only to find more reasons to avoid his father.

However, after all, he was still the third descendant of the Robertsons, the one who carried the legacy of different Mecha Man generations. And after all, even in the smallest aspect, he still respected Robbie.

Robert understood that he shouldn’t let his selfishness step in and neglect the responsibility of protecting people in LA, people he knew and loved, all because of his hatred towards his father. As much as he didn’t like his father for how self-centered he was, at least that ego drove Mecha Man Astral into keeping the city safe, the satisfaction of being seen and acknowledged by people around him, the feeling he only knew when he rode the mech suit. If that helped bring peace to this city, then at least he could appreciate his father for doing so.

But this has to change for the third generation of Mecha Man—A Mecha Man that protects this city, not for his ego and fame.

“It’s been so long since we last met, Dad,” Robert mumbled, sending his words to his late father, “I’ve been doing well, so don’t worry about me. Actually, I doubt that you would, anyway.” He then chuckled to himself, shrugging off the irony and pain, “But in the end, I still love you, Dad. Hope you rest in peace. I’ll take it from here.”

Robert then rose and dusted his pants, before softly smiling at the grave, knowing he’d finally let out all the words he’d ever wanted to tell his father. After spending a couple of seconds looking at the gravestone, he turned his back to Courtney, who was still waiting for him from behind, one hand at her hip, with a small smile on her face.

Looking at her, Robert suddenly came up with another thing.

“… Do you want to say hi to my father, too?” Robert asked.

“W—What?” Courtney widened her eyes before shaking her head, “N—No! No, no, no! I’m only here to watch! You don’t have to—Robert, please, let go! For God's sake, Robert!” Courtney refused, but it was to no avail, since before she knew it, Robert had already stood beside her. He then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her towards his father’s grave.

“Oh come on, we’ve been dating for months,” Robert tried persuading her while guiding her, but in his mind, he wouldn’t care if she still refused, “Think of this like I’m introducing you to my parents, Courtney.”

“I’m a former villain, Robert! It doesn't feel right for me to do this!”

“Well, the keyword here is ‘former’. Now you’re a superhero, and I think this is completely right for a superhero to do this.”

“Then what the fuck am I supposed to say, Robert? I haven’t prepared anything!”

“Just follow your heart and say what you need to. I trust you, Courtney.”

As Courtney was now standing in front of Robbie’s grave, Robert took a few steps back, leaving her some free space in her spot. She might not appreciate this, given by her side glance at him, her eyes secretly pleaded with him not to make her do this, only to receive a thumbs-up from Robert in return. Robert then folded his arms and watched her, feeling a little amused because of the situation he had dragged her into.

With nowhere to run, no way to distort, Courtney let out her sigh in defeat and lowered her head, keeping her gaze fixed on the name carved on the gravestone. She inadvertently held her hands, feeling like she was actually being introduced in front of his father.

“… H—Hey, Robbie, I’m Courtney,” She introduced herself, feeling a little flustered, “Sorry for… bombing your family’s mech suit…”

Hearing her words, Robert couldn’t help but smile a little, thinking back on some of his memories, thinking about their relationship, how far they had come to this point.

“I just want to say that your son is a strong and incredible person. I have never screamed anyone’s name that loud at night but his—”

“Hey! I said follow your heart, not follow whatever you’re thinking down there!” Robert immediately had to jump in after hearing Courtney say that.

“I’ve told you! I’m not good with all this stuff…”

Robert just shook his head before joining her, standing side by side with her, looking at his father’s grave one more time, mostly to apologize for what she’d said earlier.

“But the first part… That one is true, though.” Courtney turned her sight to him with a smile.

“Yeah, wow, I’m flattered. Thanks, I guess.” Robert tried to be sarcastic, but that wasn’t something he was good at, either. He rubbed his nape and averted his gaze at somewhere else slightly, with a tint of pink visible on his face, making Courtney giggle at him.

As they took a final look at Robbie’s grave, they then turned their backs, thinking of leaving the cemetery. Robert then gazed up at the sky, seeing that it had turned a brighter color of blue, with the sun was now more visible. His hand subconsciously reached down to hold Courtney’s, which he soon realized, and was about to retract his, thinking that she might not like this sappy stuff.

However, knowing that, Courtney squeezed his hand, giving it a firm hold, never intended to let go. Their eyes soon met, then came their smiles at each other, the most relaxed smile Robert had ever let out since yesterday, having all the burdens removed from his shoulders.

“… So…” Courtney spoke first after a few moments, her finger twirling the hem of her jacket, “What else do you want to do together today?“

“Well, I’m thinking—”

“You two lovebitches have run out of places for your date or something?”

Someone’s voice from afar startled both of them, making them remove their hands and immediately look forward, whilst straightening their backs. Looking ahead, they saw Chase flying towards them, along with Mandy, Royd, and the rest of the Z-Team, joining them on the hill.

“Uh, wow, I didn’t expect you guys to come here,” Robert said after coming back to his senses.

“We’re here to pay respect, Robert,” Mandy spoke first, “Mecha Man Astral had done so many things for SDN. We want to at least thank him for his dedication. Plus, we didn't want to let you mourn him all by yourself.”

“He’d done so many things for me too, brudda,” Royd said, “I mean, all we did was just talking about mechanic stuff, but I’d never had anyone willing to be this close to me before him.”

“Flambae here was the most pumped about this trip,” Colm said, gesturing with his thumb at Chad. “He was the first one to agree with this.”

“Zip it, Punch Up!” Chad retorted with a slight blush on his face, “But… yeah, I do wanna see who made Robot-Rob here.”

Robert took a look at the new scene before him: his new family. He scanned through everyone in his sight, seeing their smiles of sympathy, feeling their genuine intentions of joining him to remember his father, sharing his sadness on this day. He was slightly startled when Courtney nudged her elbow to his arm, making sure he also saw her smirk with one of her eyebrows raised, silently saying “I told you so”, which Robert could only react with his eye roll.

Nevertheless, he did feel a little merrier seeing that everyone still cared about him.

“… Alright, everyone,” Mandy spoke up after a while, “it’s time to pay respect to Mecha Man Astral. Follow me.”

“Aww, do we have to?”

“Yes, Coop, it’s a superhero’s task. You all have to do this.”

“Just follow her. Even I had to do it, too,” Courtney said while glancing at Robert.

As the rest of the Z-Team followed Mandy to Robbie’s grave, Robert and Courtney stepped aside before joining Chase, who had already levitated back to the ground. They looked at the team from afar, still trying to learn the way to pay respect to the deaths.

“Hey,” Robert called for Chase whilst still keeping his eyes ahead, “I didn’t know that you just led the entire gang here. But… thanks for that, Chase.”

“Oh, I didn’t force them to come here,” Chase answered with a chuckle, “But when I broke the news, everyone was so willing to come right away.” He then took a glance at Courtney, “I was thinking about calling Visi, but I figured out that one way or another, she might be here with you already. And I guess I was right. Great to see you cheered him up, though, bro.” He then flashed a smirk at her.

“I’m… glad you two are bonding,” Robert said while Courtney was shivering after shaking her head, but it wasn’t because of the cold.

They still looked at the team, who were placing down flowers on the gravestone, notably with wishes printed on the ribbons, words that hoped the best for Mecha Man Astral, wished the best for the fallen hero of LA.

“So… are you still happy with your new life, Robert?”

“Honestly… I’m still trying to settle into it,” Robert shrugged his shoulders, “I inherited his mech suit just so I wouldn’t be seen as neglecting my old man. But there is still more to it, more that I’ve yet to learn.” He then followed up with a chuckle, “The only thing I know is I… don’t regret becoming Mecha Man, and I’m fine with sitting behind the desk at SDN. This city needs me—no, needs us. They need us.”

“Well, I know I’m not your father, and you probably still can’t forgive him for neglecting you,” Chase let out a sigh, before looking back at Robert with a smile, shown clearly with the wrinkles on his face, “But I know him well enough to say that looking at you from up there, seeing what you’ve done for this city, he must be very fucking proud of you.”

“Oh, don’t gas me up like that. You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.”

“Take it or leave it, all up to you. After all, you know this better than anyone else.”

Having listened to his words, Robert nodded his head while keeping his eyes looking forward. He then felt someone’s hand put on his shoulder, which he soon realized was Courtney’s, who was looking back at him with a smile, giving him love and care, the same affection that he felt yesterday. Seeing so, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, planting a soft kiss on her hair, before looking up at the sky, picturing his father seeing him from above.

As Robert had said, he was still trying to adapt to this new life. But after all, it ain’t so bad. As the new Mecha Man, he would be there with the Z-Team when the city needed him. But for now, he just wanted to enjoy this simple moment, along with his new friends and partner, the people he would always care for and love.

“… But next time, get a room for your date. I know you don’t like your dad, but there’s no need to pull a strip show in front of his grave—"

“Just shut the fuck up, you old horndog…”