Chapter Text
Robert and Chad met when they were 21 and 26 respectively. They were young, in their prime and half drunk at a bar. The night ended with the two in Chad’s apartment, sharing a bed, bodies flushed against each other with no cover of clothes. Neither wanted to leave the other’s arms, it was fantastic. By morning they were talking about continuing this budding relationship.
They went on dates, shared stories and laughed, Robert even met Chad’s sister Nadine and niece Olivia after she was born, even learning at that time his name wasn't even Chad. It was Amir and that he took Chad as his Americanized name when he immigrated here at the age of 7.
It took a while but they finally made themselves official after a year of running around each other.
The next three years were even better. Both having someone to go home to. Although Robert wasn’t quite ready to sell his childhood home and move in with Chad permanently, even if he was pretty much living there full time, everything was great.
Both were oblivious to the other's second identity as villain Fire Start and hero Mecha Man.
Amir only did small crimes as FireStarter, never getting caught for setting old buildings and abandoned factories on fire. It was freeing to him, letting out all the repressed anger of his life.
Even Robert was extremely careful when he got called to work as Mecha Man, always making proper excuses when he had to get pulled away from dates. Even at night while they were having their fun.
Everything was perfect, nothing to change.
That was, at least, until the mall.
Robert was 25, on shift as Mecha Man, when he got word in the middle of his dinner about a fiery villain burning down a mall downtown, no word as to why the guy started to ruin things in the middle of a busy weekend afternoon. Only that there was confirmation that it was a wanted arsonist named FireStarter. A pretty stupid name according to Robert.
He was quick to get the suit to the proper area, waiting outside by police cars until it was all clear. “That’s everybody.” An officer said, “All clear.” Mecha Man turned his head back to the officer slightly before starting to trudge inside. “Mecha Man,” The officer continued, Mecha Man going into a run to get inside, “It’s not worth it!”
The giant Mech stepped through the giant hole that made the entrance of the mall. He stopped there for a moment before taking a few steps more and talking through his intercom, “Damage is done.” he called out, “All I want is a conversation.” A few more steps and out of the corner of his eye, something bright whisked by at high speeds.
He turned to where the blaze went, looking around. “No need to do anymore-” A fire ball flew at him, nicking him in the shoulder and knocking him off balance. He turned on his foot, looking around for a second before a human sized fire ball came straight towards him. Cocking a fist back, he landed a hit directly on the person and sent them flying backwards.
They danced around like that, the fireball flying towards Mecha Man, dodging most times but getting hit a few. The robot landed a hard hit, sending the villain into the rubble and everything went silent save for the flame billowing around them. He took a few steps towards the supposed crash sight and looked around. To his right, then to his left.
A raging fire suddenly jumped up and went straight towards him, tackling him and sending him flying back into a support piler. A large slab of concrete belonging to the floor above dropped on top of him and he threw it off to the side, making his way back to his feet while the blaze flew past him.
Mecha Man looked around again before his monitors beeped in warning, making him look straight ahead and activate his boosters to get him out of the way for another throw concrete slab.
The firebearer came straight at him, pushing him into the ceiling and letting him collapse to the floor. Red lights and warnings from his computer overbearing him, trying to get his attention. He looks through his cameras. The floor suddenly crumbled under the mech suit, stressing and complaining of collapse, until it did.
He dropped down only one floor, but the hit jostled Robert inside the mech, making his head spin a little. His breathing became quick and paced as he looked around, pulling the joysticks and getting the mech to stand. He was quick to get his bearings before the fireball whisked passed him one way, then another. This fucker was fast. He had to get a hit in.
The villain came flying back from his side and he took the chance to swing his elbow back, sending the guy straight through a wall. Robert turned to watch, face hardening as he stood his ground. Through the thick smoke and flames, he saw the shadow of the person stand up and shake off. Stepping over the rubble and coming into full few fo the flames the lit his face
Robert’s eyes widened the biggest they ever had, all the air leaving his lungs as tears pricked his eyes. “No…” he uttered breathlessly, so quiet his mic couldn’t pick it up.
That was his boyfriend. The love of his life that was attacking him and created all this mess. Sure, he knew that Amir had fire powers, the guy loved to show it off with his pride swollen ego. But he never thought he was capable of doing something like this.
His throat stung to hold back his sobs as he only had moments to decide what to do. His brain told him to do his job and finish this fight, send Amir to jail. His heart told him to stop, call his name and climb out of that suit into the flames.
So he did exactly that.
“AMIR, STOP IT!” He yelled loudly into his mic, the voice modulator making him sound different outside the suit. He reached up and pulled the lock on the door of the Mech and opened the front.
The flaming villain froze at the sound of his name. He watched the suit open up, leaving the powerless hero open to the flames. “How do you know my name?” he called out of the roar of the fire surrounding them. His head cocked to the side, still ready to fight. Very few people knew his true name, he didn’t just give it out willy-nilly.
The masked hero, in a panic, pulled off his seat belt and climbed out of the cock pit. His face was full of fear and worry as he made his way across the large room to the villain. “You better knock it off!” he yelled, boots thumping across the mall floor, crushing glass, rocks, and plaster bits.
“How the fuck do you know my name?!” Amir tired again, stepping back and lighting up a hand to defend himself. He was starting to freak out and was not happy someone might have been snooping into his life.
Mecha Man then pulled a hand up, reaching under his collar, grabbing the bottom of his mask and ripped it off, revealing that familiar brunette hair and face covered in freckles.
Amir’s eyes went wide as he quickly realized who the person under the mask was. He stepped back a bit, hands shaking as he tried flicking away his flames as quickly as he could. “Robert?!” he cried out, stumbling back as the other man practically bulldozed into him.
Robert grabbed at Amir’s suit and got up into his face, yelling at him while tears dripped from his eyes, “What the fuck are you doing?! Burning down an entire mall?!”
The pyro was shaking in his boyfriend’s grasp, hands hovering just an inch away from Robert’s waist, afraid to burn him. “R-Robert?” he asked with a wavering voice, too stunned to answer back. “W-wha… I–”
“You need to make all of this stop right now! I can’t fucking believe you would do such a thing!” Robert was now pissed on top of being worried. “You’re lucky you didn’t kill anyone but there were people that got severely hurt!” He motioned an arm away to the outside in emphasis.
Amir’s eyes flicked up and down between Robert’s face, his flight suit and armor with the big fat M on the front, and the Mech on the other end of the room. “You… You’re… You’re Mecha Man?” he stuttered out, still afraid that this was all a dream or an illusion someone made to get his guard down.
The younger man stared at him for a few seconds, searching Amir’s eyes for something. He then lost all the anger he had and that was replaced with pure worry after realizing his boyfriend didn’t mean to do anything. “Amir… what happened, baby?” he asked, trying to reach up to his face. His boyfriend flinched away before he tried again and gently held Amir’s cheek.
He was real. The guy in front of him was real. Oh, he must be so disappointed right now with the mess he’s made. “I-I…” he stuttered again, a few tears filling his eyes. “Baba…He…” his lip quivered. “Baba’s gone.”
Robert’s eyes widened a bit, “What? Abdul is gone? What do you mean gone?” He already had a feeling what Amir meant but he wanted to hear it first before he panicked.
Amir’s body deflated under Robert, his hands finally grabbing the shorter man’s waist. “He… He died,” he whimpered. “A-a heart attack… He’s gone.” A sob wracked from him and he slowly lowered his head, burying his face into the crook of Robert’s neck to cry.
The hero held his boyfriend tightly, gripping at the back of his fiery outfit. He was tearing up himself as he adored Abdul, like a second father. Now he was gone and Amir broke down at the news. He needed to fix this fast. “Fuck, I’m so sorry, Amir. I know you loved him so much.” He rubbed his cheek against Amir’s temple and just held him, letting the shoulder of his flight suit get wet with his tears.
The immigrant felt like everything was falling apart. He didn’t even get to say goodbye to his dad that was visiting extended family in Afghanistan. He was extremely close with his father, going to him for any troubles of life questions he had. Abdul was even the first to meet Robert after they officially started dating.
Robert sighed a bit, putting a hand through Amir’s hair, taking it out of the pony tail as he coached him through breathing. “Come on, big guy. Deep breaths,” he told him. Hand tracking through the silky hair, not noticing things falling around them and the fire growing hotter. Just holding and comforting his boyfriend is what he wanted right now.
Both slowly lowered to the floor on their knees, Robert holding Amir tightly in his grasp to comfort him from the horrible world. He knew exactly how Amir was feeling right now with losing his own father in the line of work. He knew that aching of the heart that will never go away with time, how the memories plague his dreams.
“I know, Eshgam. I know,” he whispered into his boyfriend’s ear, rubbing large circles into his back.
Amir hiccuped and cried as he held onto his boyfriend, trying to calm himself but he was just so broken inside. His mind ran through so many memories with his dad. The first time riding a bike, learning how to harness his powers, even the first day they moved to America and he was so terrified.
His hands tightened around the back of Robert’s armor while he let out a scream. His whole body tensing with his wail and the fire around them reacting in return. The flames got bigger, higher, louder. Swallowing anything in its way of getting more fuel and oxygen.
Robert gasped at the feeling of the air growing warmer and finally lifted his head, looking around them at the structure collapsing. “Shit,” he breathed out. “Amir,” he gently shook his boyfriend, “Amir, we gotta go. This place is gonna collapse on us.”
The villain took deep breaths, trying to calm the rage inside him, but his heart only ached more and he let out another scream. The fire also raging and growing in response, trying to engulf them and the mall.
“Amir!” Robert yelled at him, “We have to go!” He pulled his boyfriend up to look at him, grabbing his face. “We are gonna die if we don’t get out of here!”
Shock filled Amir’s face and his eyes looked around. “Fuck, fuck you need to get out of here,” he said, pulling the both of them to their feet. The tears boiled away from his face and he glanced at the surrounding area. “Go, go get back to that stupid robot!” He pushed Robert away towards the Mech.
“What?!” Robert looked at him with wide eyes. “You need to get out, too!” he yelled back over the roaring flames.
“The fire won't hurt me!” he pushed Robert again, looking up when a few bits crumbled from the ceiling onto his head.
“But the ceiling will!”
Amir snapped his head back down and looked at his boyfriend. “I can get out of here just fine! Get in the Mech and stop arguing with me!”
Robert grabbed his lover’s hands, “If you go out alone, they’ll arrest you! Come with me and I’ll talk to them!”
The two men stared at each other while the place crumbled around them. Amir gritted his teeth and groaned, “Fine! Just get into the damn tin can!”
Instantly, Robert was running back to his Mech, dragging Amir behind him by his hand. Hand in hand, they’re running as fast as they could, boots crushing and kicking debris on the floor.
Halfway there, Amir suddenly let go of Robert’s hand, making the hero snap his head back. “Amir!” he yelled in panic.
“Just go! I’ll be fine!” he called back, running off the path they were taking.
Robert breathed heavily, watching him go before running after him, muttering under his breath about how stupid the guy was. He yelped as he had to dodge a falling pillar, happy it didn't hit him at all.“Amir, what are you doing?!” he shouted, following Amir up the broken stairs to the second floor. “You’re gonna get us killed!”
He quickly lost sight of Amir and started to panic, swiveling on his feet and he looked in every direction. Heart racing while tears pricked his eyes, making them sting. He pulled up his arm and coughed as smoke started to cause discomfort in his lungs. “Amir!” he cried out, before covering his mouth and nose with his hands.
The guy was nowhere to be found and it was terrifying Robert. His lover lost inside a destroyed building fueled the anxiety filling his chest, making it even harder to breathe. He scoffed a little and ran off one direction, eyes scanning every single thing he passed. He could barely see anything through the smoke but kept going, looking everywhere for his lover.
“Amir! I’m serious!” he yelled before coughing harshly, stumbling a little and hitting his shoulder on a pile of large debris. Using a hand to push himself up he stumbled through the cloud of smoke in front of him. There he finally saw Amir, lifting up a slab of concrete to grab something under it.
Robert’s eyes glanced up, seeing the ceiling starting to break over top of his lover. The slab was close to falling away from the wires that held it up. He didn't think, he just moved and ran forward towards the other man. “AMIR, MOVE!!!” he shrieked as loud as he could, his own feet taking him.
The pyro snapped his head over towards Robert and then felt a rock hit his head and he looked up to see the ceiling falling down to him. He didn't have enough time to move before Robert shoved him out of the way, falling back several feet before there was a loud crash and a scream. Amir quickly gathered himself and lifted his head, looking back to where he was just standing.
Robert had been hit, blood dripping from his head while he tried to drag himself out from under the rubble. He was stuck. Head turning back to see his leg was crushed under a large piece of the ceiling. “Fuck!” He snapped, trying to push the heavy object off him. The jagged sides dug into his leg, his armor snapped in half, no longer protecting said leg.
Amir scrambled to his feet, rushing over, “Robert! Fuck! Fuck, why did you do that?!” He kneeled down by Robert and cradled his upper body, looking at the damage and assessing if he could get him out. “Oh god, no, no, no.” He was worried out of his mind at the sight of all the blood.
The hero looked up at his love and grabbed his face, “Amir, you need to go get my suit. I can’t recall it through all this damage, it’s gonna block my signal.”
“What?!” He exclaimed, “I’m not gonna leave you like this!”
“You already fucking ran off!” Robert snapped at him. “What the fuck were you even doing anyway?”
Amir pulled a small burnt velvet box from his pocket, “Getting what I can here for in the first place!” He flicked open the box and showed off the engagement ring. “I was gonna ask you tomorrow,” his shoulders sagged a bit. “I was planning on taking you to that Italian place you love.”
Robert stared at the ring with wide eyes, face flushed red with the heat. “W-wha… I…” He looked up at Amir and nodded, “Yes.”
“Huh?”
“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you,” The hero smiled, a few tears in his eyes.
“You will?!” Amir gasped, his free hand grabbing his boyfriend’s cheek.
Robert nodded, pulling off his left glove and grabbing the ring, slipping it on his finger. He then turned up and kissed Amir sweetly, wrapping his arms over those broad shoulders. The guy happily kissed back, tossing the ring box away as he held his lover close.
Suddenly, the rubble on Robert’s leg shifted, making him cry out in pain. “Shit!” Amir snipped, “Okay, okay. Don’t fucking do anything stupid, I’ll get your fucking tin can.” He gave Roebrt another kiss to his lips before gently setting him on the ground and standing up. “You better not fucking die! I need you at our wedding!”
“Just get my suit and you won't have to worry about it!” Robert yelled at him as he ran off. As Amir disappeared behind the smoke, his heart sank and his anxiety took over again. A deep breath of smog made him cough heavily and his head was already spinning. Pulling his left arm up, he tapped at the controls of his wrist brace. Getting his camera from inside the suit, he watched the grainy footage, waiting for Amir to show up on the live footage.
Slowly, he laid his head on the ground, eyes on the holo screen that came from his wrist. He glanced at the ring and smiled slightly. His eyes grew heavy and his breathing ragged. It was maybe two minutes when he saw Amir climbing into the suit and looking at everything to figure it out. Robert pressed a button for the mic and coughed a bit before talking, “The joysticks. It’s just like a video game.” He coughed again as he watched his boyfriend grab the sticks and start moving the mech.
“You better not pass out before I get there!” Amir snapped through the video, voice crackling in and out with the disrupted signal.
“J-just get it close enough so I can recall it,” the hero instructed, coughing even more. It was getting harder to breathe and his body felt way too hot, head spinning from the injury. His finger hovered over the recall button on his wrist brace, waiting for it to light up. He couldn’t hear the footsteps of the Mech over the raging fire around him but the sound of falling structures was prominent enough in his ears.
He groaned and coughed again like he was trying to eject his lungs. The smoke and debris coated his throat and made him feel like he was starting to choke, but he needed to hold on, at least until Amir got back. He had to keep filling his lungs with as much air as he could get.
“Come on, baby,” he whispered as his eyes got more and more heavy. His body weakened more and more, sagging to the floor, only tightening with each cough. It felt like forever until the recall button lit up and he pressed it as fast as he could. With a little sigh of relief, he let his eyes close for just a moment.
But it wasn't just a moment. The next time he opened his eyes, Amir was shaking him wildly and crying out his name. The pressure on his leg was gone but he barely felt any pain.
“You gotta stay awake!” Amir yelled at him, lifting him into his arms. Once he saw Robert's chocolate eyes on his, he smiled a little, “Hey baby. Keep those pretty eyes open for me, okay?”
Robert gave him a weak smile, “Yeah. Got it.” He then turned his head and coughed harshly as he felt his boyfriend move and climb back into the Mech.
“I'll get us out, just hold on,” the fire bearer said to him, making sure Robert was safely in his lap and closed the Mech. The hero put his arm over Amir's shoulder as he grabbed the controls and started moving the Mech out of the chaos.
The heavy thumps shook the cockpit and Robert did his best to stay awake but it was soothing to him being in his boyfriend's- well, fiancé's arms with the Mech rocking them gently. His eyes could only slip closed again as he faded from the real world.
As Amir pulled the Mech to step out of the mall, he looked down and saw Robert passed out again. He growl caught his throat and he pushed the Mech to waiting ambulances before stopping. Tucking Robert’s face into his neck to make sure he was hidden from any possible cameras that could catch his face without the mask. He pressed a kiss to his temple and pulled the lock on the suit, opening the door.
Outside, police and medics were waiting. He saw all their faces pale and jaws dropping. Taking a tight hold around Robert, he climbed down out of the suit and carried him over to the closest ambulance. Setting Robert on the gurney with his face still tucked away until he grabbed a back up hero mask a medic gave him. Making sure it was secure around Robert’s head, he carefully laid him down and pressed a kiss to his cheek. It earned a small groan from the hero and he gently whispered, “You get better, okay? This city needs Mecha Man.”
The hero opened his eyes just as Amir turned and walked towards the cops, holding out his hands for cuffs. “No… No, don’t,” he called weakly, trying to move to get off the gurney. He coughed roughly as the medics pressed him down on the bed again. He started to panic as he watched the police cuff his lover’s hands behind his back. “No!” Tears filled his eyes as he tried to fight the EMTs while they put an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.
Amir looked back and gave him a sad smile as he’s put in the back of a police cruiser, “It’ll be okay, baby! I promise!”
“NO!” Mecha Man shrieked. “He didn’t mean it! He didn’t mean to do anything wrong!” He cried through hacking up a lung that eventually pulled muscles in his chest. Everything started to hurt, his head, his leg, his chest. His lover was being taken away from him while he was in such pain and it broke his heart.
The car drove off and it pulled a loud sob from the hero. He slumped onto the bed and let the medics use a sedative on him. He had no idea if he was going to see Amir when he woke up and that scared him down to his core.