Chapter Text
Defeating Shroud had been a sort of distant dream for Robert since he woke up from the coma the masked fucker put him in. It had always felt so distant, so impossible on paper, especially without the Mecha Man suit. The fact that such a pipe dream had become reality was just…so therapeutic.
“Yo, bitch! Still need your help here, you sleepin’ or what?”
…not to say that his present reality was really that much of a step up, of course.
Robert sighed, locking back in after letting his thoughts drift for the time being. The weeks after Shroud’s defeat and imprisonment had been a mess, to say the absolute least, but Z-Team kept up with things how they always did; being absolutely insufferable.
“You do realize this wouldn’t even be a problem if you had actually listened to my suggestion and not kicked in the door, right?” Robert sniped back dryly, fingers flashing across his keyboard for a few seconds before he leaned back, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “And there we go; security system is down. Go snag that dipshit and put him in cuffs, Flambae.”
“About time, thought you were losing your touch.” The former villain quipped, before the sounds of flames followed by the frantic shouts of someone who had definitely been left on fire and a few punches followed. “Cuffed and ready for transport…I really am the best at what I do, aren’t I, Bob-Bob?”
“Fishing for compliments, are we? I’ll give you this; if this guy turns up less crispy than the last, you’ll get a good job outta me.” Robert snorted, shifting his attention to another duo on his team, adjusting comms to address them. “Prism, Waterboy; how's the reality show going? Is everything secure?”
“Oh, we secure as hell. Things have been quiet as shit since Waterboy made one of the contestants slip and knock himself out after he tried to start some shit with me.” Prism reported, a smirk audible in her tone that made Robert’s eyebrows raise. The two made a surprisingly good pair, and strangely seemed to get along better with every day.
“I-It was an accident! He just--I mean, he was so a-angry looking when you c-called him out for lying, a-and I wasn’t sure what he’d d-do, so--”
“Look, as long as no one is seriously injured and the cast continues to behave, let’s call it a win. Good work, you two.” Robert cut Waterboy off, figuring that if someone quite as nice as him knocked someone out, it was likely deserved. Scanning his screen, he took a quick headcount of who was left.
Coupe and Punch Up had gotten right back into the flow of things despite her brief alliance with Shroud, an awkward air haunting the former that only seemed dissipated by the presence of the latter. Phenomenon was off that day, attending company-mandated therapy, and Golem had just returned with Invisigal in tow after helping transport as few banged up cars from a local mudslide. That just left one duo as a new call came in, a grimace forming on Robert’s face as he assigned the pair.
“Sonar, Malevola, got a new call for you. Looks like the followers of Ch’aad got a few stragglers up in the hills, reports say they’re attempting some kind of ritual. You think you can break ‘em up for me?”
“Pssh, you kidding? Sounds like fuckin’ lightwork to me…you down, Sonar?” Malevola chuckled, her voice sending an unexpected spark of…something…down Robert’s spine as he heard the telltale swish of a portal being opened.
“You know it, Mal. Let’s freak some fuckers out.” Sonar quipped with an audible grin, followed swiftly by the shrill screech of his bat form as the duo launched into battle with the cultists. Robert rolled his eyes fondly at the banter between the two of them, leaning back in his seat as he noticed that their shift was nearly over, a bit startled by how quickly time had passed.
Only a few minutes later, a familiar chime rang out over comms, signaling the end of their shift. Robert leaned in and switched his headset to address the whole team, cracking a small smile. “And that’s end of shift. Good work today, all of you. You’ve been kicking serious ass lately, I’m impressed.”
“As if there was ever any doubt.” Flambae scoffed, as if he wasn’t preening under the praise. Similar quips and jokes scattered along the comms, along with a few genuine responses of thanks to Robert as everyone gradually signed off for the night. For once, it seemed like everyone on Z-Team had plans for the evening, so Robert was left to pop off his headset and decide what was next for hip that night.
“Hey! Was hoping you had just finished up.” A familiar voice caught his attention, prompting him to turn and smile at the familiar face he was greeted with. Mandy was clad in the standard SDN uniform, he standard attire for the last few weeks since Chase was using her amulet for the time being. “How’d today go, standard fair?”
“More or less, yeah. Actually went pretty well, knowing how Z-Team can get.” Robert confirmed with a nod, before tilting his head curiously to her and arching an eyebrow. “What about you, everything going well on your end?”
“Well, I am less swamped with paperwork, and the SDN board finally seems satisfied with the state of things here at Torrance after Shroud’s attack.” She explained with a very exhausted sounding sigh, flashing him a warm smile that kicked his heart rate up as blue eyes bore into deep brown. “Plus, I wasn’t able to talk Chase out of his plan to give me back the amulet next week, so that was a bit of a bummer.”
“C’mon, you know he’d feel guilty if he kept you from being a hero when people need you. Besides, the doctors assured us that he’d be stable once the amulet comes off and that his body needs to heal naturally anyways.” Robert reassured her, his expression softening further as he noted the guilt on her face, reaching out and taking one of her hands, giving them a soft squeeze. “It’s his choice, Mandy, and I think we both know he’d just cuss us out if we tried to talk him out of it.”
Mandy laughed hard at that, heat creeping up her cheeks as Robert held her hand while attempting to soothe her nerves. He didn’t seem to notice, pulling his hand back as she replied. “F-Fair enough, yeah…I just feel guilty, you know? He’s finally able to move again, he has so much more freedom using my powers…it feels wrong to ask for them back.”
“I get that, yeah, as much as a guy with no powers can.” He nodded in understanding, rising from his seat and stretching, grabbing his jacket before flashing Mandy another friendly smile. “Still, I think Chase recognizes all the good you can do with your powers back, and that sacrifice is worth it to him. It’s obviously not the first time he’s had to make that hard choice, after all.”
“You’re certainly right about that.” Mandy hummed, watching him slip on his jacket with subtle interest, soon clearing her throat as he looked back in her direction, feigning casual. “So, any plans for the night, with Chase babysitting Beef and all still?”
“Honestly? I’m planning to grab some take out from a new Chinese spot near me and crash at home, take a rare night off to chill. What about you?” Robert asked, cocking his head just slightly to the side in a manner none too different to how Beef would, prompting Mandy to giggle again.
“You certainly deserve it with how hard you’ve been working. I’ve still got one last mountain of paperwork to carve through, but after that, I look forward to getting some sleep.” She admitted, reaching out and giving Robert’s arm a gentle squeeze. “Get home safe, Robert, and enjoy the night to yourself, yeah?”
“Will do. See you in the morning, Mandy.” He smiled appreciatively at her, nodding before heading for the nearby stairwell, leaving the superheroine to linger by his desk for a few beats, watching him leave with an unmistakable fondness in her gaze. Soon, any day now really, she’d tell him how she felt…just needed to be the right moment…
“Fuck, you start pinning any harder, and this is gonna get painful.”
Mandy jolted hard, whirling around to find Invisigal leaning against Robert’s cubical, trademark smirk on her lips as she arched an eyebrow expectantly. With a huff of exasperation and an embarrassed flush, Mandy rolled her eyes and hastily started back towards her office.
“Oh, can it, Courtney!”
Robert hummed idly to himself as he waited for his name to be called, idly scrolling through his phone. It was a rarity not that long ago for him to be in such a good mood, but kicking Shroud’s ass and saving LA had, funnily enough, brightened his spirits. Z-Team was around more often, they’d already celebrated a few more times at his house that month, and Robert was finally starting to settle into a strange new normalcy.
Still, there was one new factor that had been nagging at the back of his mind lately, that being the strange tension brewing between him and some of his coworkers. To start, there was the most obvious subject; Coupe. She was awkward with just about everyone after returning to the Phoenix Program, for obvious reasons, but for whatever reason she was at her worst when around Robert. The normally cool and composed assassin would get fidgety, avoid eye contact with him, and outright flee whenever he tried to approach her manually. It was…strange, to say the least.
The next two sources of building tension were probably the two people he was closest with at SDN: Invisigal and Blonde Blazer…or rather, Courtney and Mandy. The aftermath of Shroud’s attack on the Torrence branch had cemented some new, unexpected vibe between the three, a certain sensation of comfort that just seemed to resonate in the company of either or both of them. However, accompanying that pleasant sensation was an undercurrent, something just a touch more tense than usual. Naturally, he hadn’t noticed their lingering stares, but he still picked up on the shift in energy.
Finally, the final curiosity that had been plaguing him, a big red terrifyingly charming one by the name of--
“Robert?”
The dispatcher was promptly wrenched out of his thoughts by the familiar, accented voice, realizing that Malvola had just entered the shop, flashing him a wide smile as she hefted her newly acquired back of food and approached him.
“Oh, hey Mal. Wasn’t expecting to see you here.” He greeted with a half smile, arching an eyebrow as he glanced down at her bag and chuckled. “Grabbing dinner for you and Sonar?”
“Ugh, not quite. Sonar actually has a date tonight, if you can believe it, but I had a craving for this place and figured it’d be worth splurging a little.” The half-demon explained, smirking openly as she seemed to eye him up in a less than subtle manner, prompting Robert to shift uncertainly. “Guessing you had the same idea, huh mate?”
“Uh, yeah. Figured some good take out was deserved after this week.” Robert confirmed, before his name was called at the counter nearby and he ambled over, vaguely aware of Malevola’s eyes following him as he picked up his own order. He barely managed to turn around before she was towering over him, glowing yellow eyes locked on his own as a ripple of that subtle tension between them seemed to build in the air. “...looking for company?”
“If you’re down to hang out, yeah. Eating alone always bums me out.” Malevola shrugged, her tone casual despite something about her posture betraying evident anxiety as she awaited his response. Robert weighed the pros and cons mentally, and given how much he’d bonded with Z-Team already, dinner with one of them didn’t sound so bad. To be fair, however, Malevola was kinda the last person he expected to ask…
“Sure, beats sitting alone at home sadly eating dumplings and chow mein all night.” Robert shrugged all the same, smiling up at Malevoa and finding the gesture reciprocated, having the deeply deranged thought that for being a hulking half demon, Mal really did have a gorgeous smile.
“Fuck yeah, babes, that’s what I like to hear. C’mon!” She grinned, materializing her sword and swiping it across the nearest doorway, promptly taking hold of his free hand and tugging him through the portal, soon finding himself within the shared apartment of Sonar and Malevola. The latter nodded to a nearby couch, soon sprawling out on it after setting her food down on an adjoining table. “Make yourself comfortable, and feel free to peck at anything that catches your eye.”
There was a hint of something more to her tone with that last bit, but Robert didn’t dare to question her. Instead, he settled on the couch as well and unpacked his meal, grinning as the savory scent of their combined platters spread through the air. “Likewise.”
Over the next hour or so, the dispatcher and former villain enjoyed their respective meals and shared bits and pieces with each other, Malevola moving around every now and again to grab them cold beers and switch on some music as they enjoyed themselves. Robert had to admit, she was shockingly easy to talk to about just about anything…but at the same time, with every passing minute he noted more and more mounting details.
The way her hips would sway whenever she made her way around the room, the way she’d hold eye contact just a few beats too long, too intimately by comparison to normal. There was a steady building of energy, that very same tension that had been simmering under the surface for weeks…and it was getting much, much harder to ignore.
“So, uh…how long you imagine Sonar is gonna be out?” He eventually managed to ask after a long swig of beer, prompting Malevola to hum in what easily could have been faux-consideration, given the look on her face and the way her eyes not so subtly traced his form.
“Mmm, dunno…last he texted, said the date was going well. Probably just gonna be the two of us for tonight.” She answered, a devilish smirk widening a bit in amusement as she cocked an eyebrow and stared at him down. “Any particular reason you’re asking, babes?”
Robert once more had to weigh his words, a greater challenge with the alcohol in his system. He wasn’t anywhere close to drunk, admittedly, but he was near tipsy and his inhibitions were lowered…clearly considerably so given the next words out of his house.
“Maybe I just don’t want anyone stumbling in and interrupting us.”
Oh, the gleam that appeared in Malevola's eyes…it was dangerous, deathly so, because she heard that invitation in Robert’s tone. An invitation for more than dinner and a few beers, more than chatting the night away. She shifted closer, having previously given him plenty of room on the couch, now practically in his lap as she leered down at him, something hungry echoing in both her voice and gaze.
“Is that right? And just what might they be interrupting, hmm?” She asked, promptly following up that question by swiftly invading his space, her clothed pelvis pressed against his, relishing his soft gasp as she pressed her body dangerously close, eyes locked on his own. “Anything specific in mind…Robert~?”
It was a bad idea, he knew that. Truly one of his worst. But looking up to her as she was perched in his lap, his eyes flicking to her dark lips and imagining what they tasted like…fuck it. They’d literally saved LA, he was allowed a fuck-up.
“I got a few ideas, yeah.” He confirmed, before leaning up and kissing her deeply, relishing the soft gasp of shock that escaped her before she instantly regained her previous confidence, cupping his chin and taking control of the kiss as her tongue slipped into his mouth.
After that, things started to blur; Robert’s hands groping eager handfuls of Malevola’s ass, a snap of her fingers and a rush of warmth at her clothes suddenly vanished. He didn’t even have time to question it before her lips were on him again, kissing him furiously as her hands and tail worked in unison to strip him bare.
It all culminated in another sudden burst of warmth as Robert suddenly found himself falling backwards before landing somewhere soft and cozy, soon realizing they had portaled into a bedroom before refocusing on Mal, a pair of blazing yellow eyes catching his gaze over her bust as she practically tore off his pants after her tail flicked his belt aside. Now all that separated them was his underwear, and Robert could feel just how slick she’d already grown as she pressed against the fabric.
“Just to be clear, babes…you’re alright with me leading tonight, yeah?” She panted out, clearly rearing and ready to go after the last few minutes. Robert nodded quickly, flashing her as confident a smile as he could muster with his heart racing so fast.
“Absolutely. Lead away.”
Malevola didn’t need to be told twice. Promptly tearing away his underwear, she rose only for a moment before driving herself down upon his length, promptly throwing her head back with a fittingly infernal moan of pleasure, one Robert came close to matching as her swelteringly warm walls gripped his cock like a vice.
“Fuck…yes~” She growled out lowly, hands finding Robert’s shoulders and holding on for dear life as she started to ride him hard and fast, the mattress creaking in protest beneath them with each and every single move. “I should have done this so much sooner, shit~!”
Robert could barely even find his voice, gasps and whines of intense pleasure slipping out of him with growing intensity as the half-demon woman rode his cock like it was her goddamn profession. “G-God, Mal…”
“You holding up okay, Robbie? Need me to slow down?” Malevola asked, her pace slowly just a tad as she looked down at him, concern clear on her face in a way that made Robert’s chest grow tight even as his length throbbed hard within her.
“Don’t you fucking dare, I can take it.” He ground out, looking into her eyes and flashing another smirk as his hands rose, ghosting along her abs before palming her breasts. “Bruise my fucking pelvis, Mel~”
Just like that, any trace of doubt evaporated from Malevola and she grinned down at him like the devil herself. Grip tightening both on his shoulders and his cock, she slammed down harder than ever, pace finding a healthy medium that allowed her to take all of Robert’s length with each and every bounce.
Robert himself wasn’t doing much better than his partner, eyes rolled back as he tried his best not to burst on the spot. It’d been so long since he’d had a girlfriend, really any intimate relationship, it was taking everything he had to keep it together. He mainly focused on groping her breasts, calloused thumbs sweeping over her nipples and earning groans of pleasure among the growing swell of noise escaping both of them.
Malevola leaned down suddenly, kissing Robert deeply once more and prompting his hands to shift to her ass, moaning softly against her lips as her hips continued to rise and fall, as if attempting to milk him for all he had to offer. It wasn’t long before she drew back, voice strained and a far cry from her usual unflappable attitude.
“Ngh, shit…Robert, I’m close…so fucking close…~”
“Oh, thank god, not sure I was gonna last much longer.” He let out something between a whimper and a chuckle, rewarded with a low laugh from the half demon riding him before the noise shifted into more of a whine, his cock aching inside her as her walls spasmed. “W-Where do you want me too--”
“Inside! Not a chance you’re pulling out, fucker~” She chuckled darkly, eyes flashing slightly as her breath turned more ragged, moans growing higher and higher as her hips shifted faster. “Yes, yes, YES, FUCK! I’M CUMMING~!”
Robert wasn’t far behind, but didn’t get to vocalize much more outside of a throaty, choked moan as his crotch suddenly became soaked and he climaxed hard inside her. Malevola let out another ethereal noise, a demonic wail of pleasure before slumping on top of him, panting steadily as she fought to catch her breath.
“Fuck…that was…absolutely divine, Rob...” She giggled softly, managing to lift herself up after a few seconds, grinning broadly at his winded but likewise satisfied expression. “Everything you were fantasizing about and more~?”
“Mmm…my fantasies are my business…but yeah, that blew ‘em all outta the water.” He admitted, smiling up at her as he tried his best to catch his breath, heart still thrumming away in his chest. “So, uh, what are the chances you think we regret this in the morning…?”
“Pretty unlikely for me, I’ve been waiting to do this since you told us you were Mecha Man.” She snorted, before a more concerned look crossed her face and she tilted her head to him, expression almost hurt. “Do you think you’ll regret it…?”
A beat of silence passed before Robert shook his head, a crimson flush creeping up his cheeks as he answered. “No…for all the paperwork and headaches it’ll cost me, I won’t. Not for a million years.”
And just like that, Malevola beamed at him, chuckling softly and laying back against him, snuggling into him and promptly warming the poor man up even further as she sighed contently.
“Good answer, mate…good bloody answer…” She hummed, eyes resting closed for a moment, content to drift off…before she felt his cock stir inside her, eyes snapping back open with an elated grin on her face. “...you got enough in you for round two?”
“...wanna find out?”
“Oh, fuck, Robbie, right there~! Don’t stop~!”
“So fucking hot…oh, shit, Mal, I’m gonna cum again~!”
“That’s it, babes, let it all out for me! Flood my fucking womb, PLEASE~!”
Sonar and Brainbook stood outside the door to the former’s apartment, both blushing heavily at the torrent of lewd, intense declarations escaping through the less than thick walls. Their date had run long, so when Sonar invited her back to his place for a nightcap, neither of them had anticipated..this. Sonar swallowed thickly, offering his date a sheepish smile.
“Ah…guess Mal had some plans tonight after all…sorry about that…” He chuckled uncomfortably, ears twitching as more noises echoed from inside the apartment, gulping as he prepared to make a beeline for his room. “Guess I’ll, uh…see you at work tomorrow, yeah?”
“...yeah, I’m not gonna subject you to that. C’mon.” Brainbook sighted, taking him by the hand and dragging him off to another section of the building, where her own apartment resided. “Best behavior, and you’re taking the couch…think you can handle that, big guy?”
“Yes, ma’am~!”