bootyhunter | CALL ME OUT

[There's an off-hand mention of, "Hey, hey guys, I think Flambae wants to eat him!"

Followed by a loud shriek from Flambae as he storms over, red in the face but surprisingly not yet alight-]

THAT'S NOT THE KIND OF BUTTER WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, IDIOT!

It is ass that I eat, not people-

[Caught up in his anger, Flambae is dashing over in Sonar's direction. Clearly, violence or some sort of threat is his version of damage control. Robert at least has the protection of the headset, Flambae is going to be out there with the Peanut Gallery... While the winged rat in a three piece suit emotionally pantses him in front of ex-con kindergarten. God, how humiliating.

Under his breath, he continues to mutter an array of insults.]

Do not trust the mother-fucking-flying-rabies-transmitter...! The fleas on his hairy ass of a head have clearly burrowed their way into his coke-addled brain!

[When he does reach the doorway, Flambae does stop.

There's so much hesitation in the gesture, but he's reminded of that one day the city was on fire. As a result, he does pause to look over his shoulder.

Perhaps Robert had meant it jokingly, but he had allowed for it, hadn't he? For Flambae to teach him a few things too.]

Edited 2026-01-21 06:05 (UTC)

[ Robert hustles up to step between Flambae and Sonar, hopefully, so that nobody starts on fire or turns into bat monsters or anything in between. It's just in time to hear Flambae retort with I eat ass and instantly Robert wants to change his mind and leave actually. Maybe leave all the way home. ]

Okay, alright, guys. That's enough. Let's not destroy the men's locker room first thing in the morning.

[ Damn Sonar he told you to take a hike already. Now he can't even properly smooch his boyfriend before the shift starts.

He has to settle with patting the Harvard graduate on the back. ]

Nobody is eating anybody's anything. And stop trying to call for back-up okay? We don't need your help announcing anything.

[ Hopefully that's sufficient peacekeeping, but Robert has his doubts. The effort was made though, so that's as good as he can do. Assuming he convinces Sonar to back the fuck off, he turns back to Flambae and cups his mouth to whisper at him. ]

Don't talk to them about eating ass or they'll be imagining my ass being eaten.

[ Embarrassing.

But no he was joking about the body butter thing but also serious in a "if you want to, I'm down" sort of way. ]

[Oh, he is Feeling it now. While he probably shouldn't have said that-]

This is a freaky-deaky crew Robert.

[As if the dispatcher doesn't already know.]

It is possible that a few of them have already imagined a lot worse than that.

[Sighing, Flambae gingerly pushes that singular sidebang of his further to the side.

He has no idea that Robert is, even potentially, referring to him as a boyfriend even if only in thought. If he knew, he'd be a little too happy about it. Since the mood may have been soured for kissing, Flambae reaches over to give Robert's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.]

But if any of it comes out of their mouths instead of staying in the squishy shit between their ears-

[You are one to talk, huh...]

I will fight for you.

[and lose probably rip]

I promise.

Edited 2026-01-22 01:27 (UTC)

No shit.

[ Robert is, in fact, extremely aware of the definitely worse things the Z-team has imagined about him. Most of them have made it very vocal. Sometimes even over the team chat! They still don't need to have more fuel for the fire (so to speak) and imagine him having his ass eaten.

Besides, he only wants Flambae thinking about that, which is a wild sentiment that he never would have expected himself to have until very recently.

But instead of processing that, the squeeze to his shoulder brings him back to earth and back to that statement of ... being stood up for. Not even Blazer really stands up for him (she even agreed he had a dad bod...), but it means even more when he really cares what Flambae thinks and feels about him.

He's a little speechless, actually. ]

You ...

[ Wow, suddenly he feels so lame. ]

Alright. Thanks.

[If Flambae ever finds out about the "dad bod" comment, he's going to be extremely vocal about it.

Robert's sheepishness is enough to make him laugh, although there is a different loud, warm quality to it than usual. He opens his arms wide in an inviting fashion, walking towards Robert before placing both hands on either side of his face.

Fuck the peanut gallery. He'll get out there.]

I meant what I said, Robert.

[He leans in to kiss Robert on the forehead. The gesture is an insane one, but just look at that outfit, it doesn't necessarily scream "perfect picture of psychiatric health."

Then, like it was nothing, he'll lean back and actually head to work, clapping his big dumb hands together.]

Alright! This hero is ready to roast some supervillain ass today.

Time to do this without really doing it, you know?

Edited (how did i make it worse) 2026-01-22 03:57 (UTC)

[ honestly i want that to happen.

Robert feels a lot of things suddenly at that laugh, both good and bad. Mostly good though. Why didn't he notice how sweet Flambae could be before? Does he really just have it that bad for him that he's seeing too many stars right now? Maybe. ]

I know.

[ He gently wraps his fingers around Flambae's wrists, closing his eyes as he's kissed.

Nah, he's not the perfect image of a completely sane individual, but Robert sure is grateful to have met him. A second time. For real. After the whole fire and finger thing.

Watching Flambae go for a few seconds, he huffs softly (mostly at himself) and shakes his head before he follows as well. ]

Yep. Time to work.

[After so triumphantly declaring his affection for his disheveled shell of a man, Flambae had quite the humiliating day. His dispatches went well, surprisingly, and he's still maintaining his place at the top of the leaderboard, but one too many sharp claws to the face and encounters with flame-resistant villains have left him with far more wounds than he would like.

The tears to the supersuit are fixable, but he may or may not have hightailed it out of SDN as soon as his shift was over, to embarrassed to look Robert in the eye after what Flambae perceives to have been an extremely shitty day.

It was extremely shitty because it was less than perfect, and when he feels as though he's losing out, his mind can start to warp things.

Taking refuge in complete isolation has done a lot to calm him down. He's absolutely been ignoring his phone, which has been ringing off the wazoo. Somebody has been texting him, and seeing as half the Z-team still doesn't have his number, that "somebody" is likely to be Prism or Robert. Golem also has his digits but he doesn't bother Flambae all too often, mostly sending messages in the form of absurd questions he thinks about when he's high.]

Holy shit.

[He holds a wet paper towel to a disinfected wound, wincing a little at the cut on on his cheek. The injuries hurt less than the sensation of actually having to look at himself.]

I haven't had this much red on my face since I sucked off that clown in Jakarta.

[The makeup was presumably on the clown's face and not his dick, but it says a lot that this is how Flambae remember's it.]

Man.

Red lipstick really doesn't suit me.

[He wipes off some of the blood from his lower with a thumb, then rinsing his hands in the sink and tossing the paper towel in his bathroom trash.]

I can hear the queens in WeHo right now. "H'oh, what is Marilyn Mon-hoe doing here?" Etcetera, etcetera...

[ By the end of the day, Robert is pretty exhausted. That's nothing really new, especially after a lot of mishaps in the city, but this time there's the added energy zap of having to deal with the endless teasing and/or questioning about the daisies and about Flambae and about whether or not he's just been into dicks this whole time or if he bats for both teams— you know, various things that HR should most definitely be called in for.

Of course he worries when Flambae has more than a couple little stumbles, and he's eager to check up on him and make sure he's okay when the flaming hero just ... leaves? He just leaves and doesn't say anything to Prism or to Golem or to Robert himself or anyone else.

What the fuck?

So yeah, he tried calling a couple of times, and now he's sending over texts. ]

Earth to Flambae, hello??

What the hell are you doing? Answer me.

Chad

I'm serious.

[ Alas it's all to no avail. Rubbing his face in frustration, he decides he's just going to go back over to Flambae's apartment. With his stuff packed, and Beef set with Chase for the evening (he's really going to owe him for all the dogsitting he's going to do, isn't he?), he sends off one more text. ]

I'm coming over to your place and you better let me in.

[ Sure enough he is banging on the door just a little while later. And yes he did take an Uber there. ]

[Meanwhile as all these good boyfriend texts are being sent he is making a little mustache on his face with used dental floss-]

[That's okay, one day Robert will learn that Beef is always welcome. Flambae will say absolutely nothing about it, because cooing over a cute puffy animal is so not hot and sexy, but Beef's little doggy snores and paw movements at night were so sweet.

He did fart a lot though, which almost made Flambae scream and wake up Robert.

He moves to the door with hesitation. The sounds from his movements are audible, he is absolutely stomping around, but he freezes right before turning the doorknob. He doesn't want Robert to see him like this, he doesn't look good. He hasn't responded to his texts, and it has to be the former hero, since Prism actually has the spare key...

Flambae opens the door, although he says nothing and makes no eye contact.]

[ He'll be happy to know that Beef is welcome. He just doesn't want to mess anything up by moving in with his dog immediately, you know? Even though he and Flambae have already established that being together feels like something that's been a Thing for a while, that it's so natural it doesn't even make sense. Those little insecurities and uncertainties are definitely still there though. Poor Beef. But it makes Chase happy too, so there really isn't a downside.

And maybe sometimes he does want to just be with his boyfriend without dog farts in the way.

Robert is glad the door opens, but feels a little hurt when he isn't even graced with a hello. More importantly, he sees the cut on Flambae's face and instantly frowns. ]

Why aren't you answering?

[ Pushing his way into the apartment and kicking the door shut behind him, he reaches out for Flambae. ]

Are you okay? Why did you just fucking leave and—

[ He stops and takes a breath. Okay. ]

Let me help you.

[There's an initial lack of eye contact accompanied by some fidgeting, but Flambae does step aside to let Robert through the door. Even though it may not seem like much, it's a big step.

He fights the urge to kiss him. On the cheek, forehead, lips, whatever.

It's not right.

But it was nice of him to come by in person.]

I'll be fine tomorrow.

[This is what Flambae wanted anyway. His communication about it was nonexistent and reflects his incredibly disastrous lack of ability to effectively express his more vulnerable side, but, eh, it is what it is.]

These boo-boos will go bye-bye-

[He waves on that last "bye," sheepishly and like a fucking idiot, with his shoulders hunched. Somehow, the image of it is so much more comical because he still looks like a giant.]

After I wake up, and I just...

I dunno.

I'm not very fun when I'm not happy.

[ok but that is like. all the time most of the time wtf r u talking about]

Or beautiful.

[He bites one side of his lip. No, this is not a Twilight reference.]

I feel hideous actually.

[Since Robert is reaching for him, he will reach back.

Taking the dispatcher's hand is instinctive. Like Robert sleeping over, this feels right, too.]

Edited 2026-01-23 06:01 (UTC)

[ At least he's allowed to walk inside. Robert is frowning a bit as he studies Flambae, trying to figure him out and finding that it's more difficult than originally imagined. He even tilts his head a little, as if he's trying to make eye contact with this giant of a man who is trying to curl into himself. ]

Okay, and for some reason that means you can't use your big boy words and talk to me?

[ He's a little hurt by it. Only a little, since this is his first time dealing with how ... Flambae deals with things. If he prefers to be alone, then the dispatcher has to learn to respect that. Just ... he really has been worried. He thought something far worse than a torn supersuit and some cat scratches had happened to him.

It's at least a good sign that Flambae takes his hand, too. Robert doesn't feel like he was just a complete ass and barged his way into unwanted territory. ]

You aren't hideous.

[ He's pretty sure he'd win that competition since he has no super healing factors and his entire body is a treasure map with too many destinations on it. ]

I can help you clean it up, if you want. Might make you feel better.

[This is how he deals with things- By either fabricating his own reality or pretending they never happened!

Flambae's expression and posture remain sheepish, but even so, he does gently place a hand on the small of Robert's back and lets him in. He uses ~~one of those Gumby legs~~ to kick the door closed, locking it with the free hand.]

English isn't my first language, okay? Feh.

[He looks away. It's a bad excuse, and for once, it's evident on his face that he knows it, no matter how sour that expression of his is. The mask is slipping, which is an insane statement, considering that he's never once worn a mask in the first place.

To be vulnerable with Robert, truly and completely, he will be opening himself to a massive world of hurt.]

Ugh. I'd rather you skip the wound dressing and just undress me, already.

[So he deals one of his typical deflections, and while he may be implicating the bedroom, he leads Robert to that modest dining room table again, pulling out the other man's chair first. Things like this are ingrained in Flambae's mind to the point where he doesn't think about them anymore.

Loved ones are served food first and sit first. It's a stark contrast with his usual boorish behavior, what with him putting his dirty orange boots on every table that can withstand his weight.

While the other is sitting down, he mulls over whether or not to say the next thing.]

You were worried about me?

Flambae.

[ Robert raises a brow. They both know that's a bad excuse. The dispatcher has heard the man say plenty of colorful things in English, so he's more than capable of telling him what's up! The least he could have done is answer Prism, anyway. But it's moot now, he's here at Flambae's apartment and he's been let inside and they're talking now. So that's fine. ]

Undressing you would be giving you a reward you haven't earned.

[ Maybe that's a little harsh, but listen, he was worried! He still is, even seeing Flambae face to face, flesh and bone and bloody scrapes. Robert does take a seat though, since it's offered to him. He assumes that Flambae will also be taking one. ]

Of course I was. Even if we weren't— [ together? Are they together? They said they were right?? ] You're my teammate. I need to know you're okay.

[ And since they are ... together. He thinks. He's been even more stressed about it. ]

I'm not used to people I care about having some kind of healing factor. I thought— Well I don't know what I thought.

[ But he was worried. Genuinely, even. ]

[There’s some minor angry line-facing as a result of being denied that little treat, although it gives way to something else entirely.

The realization dawns upon him slowly, those furry brows of his curling and uncurling and curling again while he sits down. Flambae’s five fingered hand gingerly supports that angular face of his as the rusty gears in his hot air filled brain are being forced to squeakily then.]

Oh.

[What so recently happened with Chase isn’t lost on Flambae, especially in the light of everything that happened to Robert’s father. The little Flambae had overheard from Shroud and the goons sounded atrocious, and if the absolutely dogshit man was willing to sacrifice an animal for his unnecessary theatrics, god knows what else he got up to.]

Robert, I…

[That hand falters in the air for a moment, going up and down before it settles to hold Robert’s again.]

I didn’t know, or, I did know, I guess and I was being a hotheaded dipshit about it, but…

[And in the most plain of fashions, which is surprising in its own right, Flambae ruminates momentarily before blurting out:]

I’m sorry.

When things get bad for me, I just want to run away-

[these two words are sung in typical flambeezy off-key style with the same melody as that 80’s song with the same lyrics]

The inside of my head was worse than, whatever it is, eh…

[On the outside.]

The people you love, they are… All in this business pretty much, yes? One way or another.

[don’t say it don’t say it-]

As miss Blondie would also say.

[Flambae that is a whole ass band…]

[ The treat is, most likely, still coming later on. If it's any consolation.

For now, Robert tries to hide the wince that comes with Flambae's realization. Yes, he knows it's a bit sad. Robert and his normie friends and family. Even Chase is more fragile compared to the average superhero, all thanks to the cruel side effect of his power. It's not a hand that Robert would have asked for, but it's the one he's drawn.

He takes a moment, and then offers a smile. It's a small one, the only one he can muster in light of such sad thoughts. But it's genuine. He wants to give Flambae some reassurance. At least the little off-key diddy does get him to huff in amusement. Leave it to this bozo to lighten the air. It's not a bad talent to have at the end of the day. ]

Yeah, pretty much. Not like I've had time for anyone outside of the business.

[ Granted that is a self-imposed obstacle, but they don't need to talk about that.

So instead, he gives Flambae's hand a small squeeze, using his free one to reach out and try to tap the flamethrower's chin so he can see that scratch a bit better. ]

I don't have any song lyrics to tell you that you don't have to run. Not from me.

[ But he supposes he still can if that's truly what he wants to do. Just as long as he eventually circles on back to Robert again. Gives him some tiny sign that he's alive and will be well. ]

Are you going to let me clean that up or what?

Fine! The next time I am crashing out from a fucking feels explosion, [that line must've sounded so crazy in the accent] I'll run right into your noodley little arms.

[He allows for his chin to be tilted upwards, trying to still his beating heart. Usually, it's him doing all the annoying toying with the face, on account of him typically being taller. He's chased after bigger men before, Royd included, although the lot of them have proven to be largely disinterested in him. Flambae would gripe about it having something to do with him not being tiny enough to fulfill their stupid baby boy fantasies, but all the men in question would probably cite his abrasive personality and bad temper as their top reasons for ignoring his albeit caked up ass.

Flambae feels mildly embarrassed that he's so excited for Robert to gently take charge, so much so that he snarks just a little-]

That is because the only so-called "music" you listen to is the rhythmic toot-tooting of Beefy's farts.

[Ugh, he should acknowledge Robert's kind words... So annoying... Who needs vulnerability!!!]

Where is he anyway?

[Once again he is dodging all the important questions...]

You should have brought him here.

[ASLKDJFALSDJF]

His eyebrows are very funny, because they are so small and... So round?

I mean, what the fuck does a dog need eyebrows for? Judging you?

He is the one who shits and pisses outside.

Edited 2026-01-25 04:19 (UTC)

[ yeah actually that did sound insane in that accent. Unfortunately, Robert is into it.

And while he's glad Flambae allows him to tip his face like that, the dark circles under his eyes appear to get darker as a whole wave of deflection crashes over him and swallows him up whole. Robert is a grown man, he doesn't need complete reassurance to protect his feefees or anything, but he does wonder mildly if he has made a mistake in following Flambae here. ]

He's with Chase.

[ He sighs a little, letting his hand drop away as he gives Flambae one more long look.

Then his heels are digging into the floor, scooting his chair back as he moves to stand.

It was a mistake, probably.

Flambae is a superhuman. They don't need this kind of checking up on. They have other things to worry about than a scratch or two. They can afford to just fly away without a word to their friends or their boyfriend or whatever. But at the very least, he is glad that this flaming idiot is well enough to just ramble on about Beef's bathroom habits. So that is enough for him. ]

I'll go. See you tomorrow, then? Good as new. That's ... great.

[ He feels dumb. So if Flambae actually doesn't want him turning and shuffling out as quickly as his noodle legs can carry him, he's going to have to put that brain of his into hyperdrive. ]

Oh!

[Flambae gets up immediately as Robert turns away. This is a lesson in communicating effectively and properly, they know each other, but Flambae is one of the least likely teammates to be intimate or vulnerable with anyone on the job. Anything outside of pesky blathering is saved for moments that are off the air, shared for people he really trusts, and that takes a long time and a lot of shared understanding.]

Waitwaitwait, fuck, h-hey-

[He whistles unfortunately, not really helping the dog allegations, but it was something his father used to do when trying to round up a rowdy hoard of fire-powered children. He doesn't block the door, knowing just how awful and terrifying that might be to someone of Robert's stature, instead taking one of the dispatcher's hands and gently tugging him backwards if he's allowed.]

I don't think it'll be good if you go back there, especially if you end up alone.

I'm a little scared you will end up drinking too much and slow dancing with the fucking suit.

[Ugh... Honesty is bullshit.]

I'm very happy you're here, Robert. Really! It's just that, you know, I try to smile as little as possible, because-

[He gestures with the free hand to one of the sides of his face.]

The line-age you get from all that? Very unglamorous.

You don't need to be fixing me up for me to...

[Feel joy just from being around you.

A spark of fire. Happy warmth, the kind that doesn't burn.

Flambae swallows hard.]

Feel good, or whatever.

Are you okay?

[He asks because, in all fairness, he was not happy with how some of their teammates spoke to him today. Oh, woof. Sonar was right, he is whipped.]

Edited 2026-01-25 18:35 (UTC)

[ They clearly have some work to do on the communication front. Robert isn't really surprised, so he doesn't know why he also feels kind of disappointed. He's new to this, he can't just expect to be good at it. He's not even sure that Flambae is good at it, and it seems like he has all the experience one could hope for.

Though he lets his hand be taken and his body pulled away from the door, he frowns at the firestarter and how he imagines Robert spending his free time alone in his so-called apartment. ]

Hey, fuck you.

[ He would definitely drink too much. He would not dance with the suit. The suit is very, very expensive!

Robert watches Flambae, listens to him, and tries to decide how he feels at the moment. He isn't mad exactly, but he had been scared when the man he happens to care about just left without saying anything, refused to say anything. There was no stopping the flashbacks of Chase's body just crumpling to the ground, of being unsure whether he would ever wake up from that hospital bed. He doesn't want to have to sit by uselessly while another person in his life just slips away. But maybe they aren't at the stage where he can express this yet either. He definitely over-worried about this situation, and that's embarrassing, but helping Flambae clean up his injuries is just the way Robert wanted to show his care.

It's frustrating, and inevitably it's the frustration that comes out because he and Flambae need to be antagonizing each other at least once a day in order to function. ]

Can you just — talk to me for once instead of telling me how my dog shits outside or your face is turning ugly—

[ He is well aware of the former. The latter is also simply not true. Robert doesn't even think he's ugly with his body in the state its in.

Not that he expects Flambae to suddenly break down and talk at work, but where's the audience right now? It's just Robert. ]

I feel fucking- [ silly. insane. like he's just come down from an anxiety attack that never even happened. ] I'm fine. You're fine. That's all I needed to know.

[ That Flambae is referring to how the team spoke to him doesn't even occur to him. That's normal... ]

I'll stay if you want me to.

[Those eyebrows of his rise and fall with the swearing. Flambae himself is surprised by the abject lack of anger he experiences in response to that. Before with Robert, their rapport had always been hostile, true, but he's coming to understand that there may have been good reason for that even outside of his own bad behavior. Maybe in a world where he's constantly being cut down, it was a way to push back.

Even if it wasn't always safe to do so.

He lets Robert speak, watching him carefully, giving him a little space to be angry before closing in on some of the distance between them. It should be noted that he is still being tepid about things and taking the time to suss things out.]

I am sorry that life has been so unkind to you and your loved ones, Robert.

[He lost his father, the mother has hardly ever been mentioned, and Robert has been fighting an ugly, uphill battle by himself for over a decade. He's been humiliated on the news by the very people he's run himself ragged to protect, and so this must feel especially daunting.

God, putting himself in the smaller, uglier shoes of other people is so exhausting...

But it is productive. And if Flambae truly wants to change, this is the first step.]

I do not like doing poorly.

Not at what I am supposed to be good at.

I know, it sounds foolish, but... I was worried I had embarrassed you. My feelings, they are a lot when they are happening, and then I'll cool off and try and forget about shit.

You can tend to me if you'd like.

[He almost says that tomorrow morning, most of the work will be unnecessary, but it may be best if Robert finds that out himself.]

If I really feel like I am dying-

[He knows that things are not this easy. In their line of work, sometimes it's just over. A wayward explosion, a freak accident. A bad reaction to a new chemical irritant, and the list goes on.]

I promise I will do my best to try and kiss you first.

I wouldn't want to leave you without saying goodbye.

[ Robert isn't used to hearing words like that.

"I am sorry that life has been so unkind to you and your loved ones, Robert."

No one says that to him or to Mecha Man. They thank him with stupid parades or ribbon cutting or sometimes nothing at all. But they don't really care about him or what he thinks or who or what he's lost along the way to saving them all from innumerable disasters. That kind of concern hasn't even seriously crossed his mind as something he's needed or desired.

But when Flambae says that, Robert just sort of looks like he's been struck across the face. Wide-eyed, a bit lost, like he's gotten the wind knocked out of him and he's one tiny thread away from being unable to breathe. What a silly, weak thing to crumble for. Yet, he feels understood for the first time in a really, really long time.

He'd just wanted it to be okay that he was worried, and hearing an answer like that makes it feel like Flambae is giving him that. Crazy.

He's speechless for a few moments, even as Flambae continues. Of course he isn't embarrassed that the man got hurt, not even a little bit. Robert is hurt all the time, as himself and as Mecha Man. He literally got the entire suit destroyed, so he can hardly feel shame for someone else taking a stumble. Somehow he'll have to make sure that Flambae gets that. But for the moment, he closes a little more of the space, makes a fist and sets it lightly against the man's broad chest.

He wants to grab a handful of fabric for good measure, but the damn suit is painted on.

Oh well. ]

Don't ... say things like that, idiot.

[ But he'd needed to hear it. ]

I don't want you to humor me, just— [ His free hand goes once again to the side of Flambae's face, very lightly ghosting against the scratches he got there. If it's pointless to tend to it, he doesn't want to be patronized. He really is just glad that Flambae is okay enough to say stupid shit and also not to just keep Robert on the other side of a locked door. Seriously! It's enough. ]

I'm embarrassed I worried about your stupid face so much, not because you got hurt. [ He huffs. ] I'm glad you're okay.

[His body moves before Flambae registers that it does, one arm wrapping around Robert's waist instinctively. He hates seeing him so small, so affected. Flambae says a lot about Robert being tiny or malnourished but it is to the former hero's credit that despite every odd stacked against him he still has manage to stand as tall as possible.

A part of him dimly registers that perhaps this might be it. In all of his attempt on Robert's life, maybe this is what he really wanted. The chance to hold him close, to touch him, and to be held in such high regard by someone he had never really managed to shun from his mind.

He lightly rubs up and down the hand that's balled as a fist against his chest, snaking his palm upwards and over Robert's jaw. Flambae offers Robert the slightest flinch when those scratches are touched, but he does allow it.

It feels as though Robert is running over punctures in his soul, something deeper. As though he's fingering the holes in Flambae's destructive ego.]

Well, of course you were worried about that.

[Here, he'll try to be a little jokey.

However, with the way he is cupping Robert's cheek like that, none of the tenderness is meant to be taken as a joke.]

If it doesn't look nice, how are you supposed to enjoy finishing on it later?

[He says this and it's true he will allow it but... Not unless his hair is properly tied back.]

Okay, okay, I will keep all the bumming the fuck out to a minimum moving forward, but...

It's okay to be concerned for me, Robert.

[Said quickly, without any inkling that he has paused to consider it:]

I think about you all the time.

Edited (makes it more gay) 2026-01-25 21:38 (UTC)

[ Now if only they knew that they were each looking at the other and thinking about how they looked so small in these fragile moments. It's nice though, that Flambae has come forward to hold him. It feels ... right. It feels like something he's desired. More importantly, it feels like maybe it's something that Flambae has wanted too. And maybe they're a couple of idiots but they seem to be idiots together.

Robert doesn't let his fingers linger long over the scratches, but he does smirk softly at the jokes. Of course they can't go five minutes without something silly sneaking in. Now that he's feeling less like a ticking time bomb, he doesn't mind it. ]

Yeah, too bad we have to wait for that to heal. Doesn't look like I'll be doing any of that tonight.

[ Since, you know, Flambae has his big strong healing factor to kick in over night or whatever. Sometimes, this man really is a bitch named Robert. But that seems fair!

More seriously, he raises his brows a bit as it's admitted Flambae thinks about him all the time. Now Robert feels like he's the one who could burst into flames right now. Thankfully he's pretty good at looking unaffected. On the outside at least. Inside, his stomach is doing flip flops and his heart is fluttering like a sped up hummingbird. Why was that said so casually, like it was nothing? It's not even remotely close to nothing ... ]

You ... do.

[ His mild confusion turns into that weird, dazed sort of lovesickness again as warmth blooms from his chest. For once it's not because Flambae is standing so close he's radiating heat like a sauna. It's just because Robert feels strangely loved.

So what else can he do but stand forward on his feet a bit so he can lean up and kiss the man. ]

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cw: mentions of sexual harassment

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1/2

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the lines about robert being there feeling just Right uGH im gonna incinerate

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