Chapter Text
"You gonna eat that?" Came the sound of Sonar's voice, snapping Robert out of whatever stupor he had found himself in, staring down at what was now likely a lukewarm microwavable burrito. "No, no. Go ahead," Robert replies with a minute shake of his head, nudging the paper plate in the bat's direction. Sonar doesn't hesitate to dig in, and for some reason, Malevola shoots him a look. "What?" Sonar questions, to which Malevola just shakes her head, eyes flicking over to give Robert a once-over before going back to whatever she had been doing. Odd- Malevola wasn't really one to let things go.
Robert had been working here at the SDN for a couple of months by now, and over that time, he had found himself a strange little family in the Z-team, the group of them like tattered, mismatched squares of fabric woven together into a ragged little quilt. The concept of "family" was somewhat foreign to him, especially so after The Brave Brigade became what he saw it as today- the end of his father's life. So yeah, family was a complicated subject for Robert. He still remembers late nights as a tot watching Uncle Eliott tinker with various gadgets in awe, secretly up past his bedtime with his Uncle (what used to be his Uncle). His dad was never present enough to really notice, and Eliott never minded Robert's presence. Sometimes Robert missed those days, missed the old Eliott, the one he didn't have to see on the opposite side of the gun that killed his father, finger on the trigger.
Robert shakes the thought off, instead standing up with a low groan as he leans back to pop his stiff back with a loud crack, Sonar's ears twitching at the sound. "Think fast," Malevola calls out, right as a package of Twinkies gets chucked his way. Robert, of course, catches the Twinkies, reflexes still sharp no matter how stiff he felt. "What was that for?" Robert questions, glancing down at the spongy treats now held in his calloused hands. "Uh, to eat?" The demon replies with an unimpressed raise of a brow.
"Why?" Robert asks, to which Malevola sighs. "What do you mean 'why?' Can't I do something nice for you without you assuming the worst?" She laments, and Robert just stares. "Fine. If you must know, I figured you could use the calories after Sonar over here stole your lunch. You'd think he was half-pig, not half-bat," Malevola rolls her eyes. "Hey! I didn't steal anything, for your information. And I am not a pig," Sonar huffs, eyebrows furrowing. "I dunno, you got the nose for it," Invisigal pitches in, popping in from thin air. "Play nice, you guys. We still have another shift and I would rather not listen to your bickering for the next several hours," Robert warns, giving the group a wary look.
"Alright, alright, fine," Malevola relents relatively easily, much to Robert's surprise. She was being rather... agreeable, oddly enough, and while Robert wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, it was still unusual.