The office, in all its clamor and permanent state of disarray, was surprisingly less aggravating than it normally was.

Of course, the coffee machine was still hopelessly broken beyond repair, and the vending machine had stolen his last dollar, but those were just minor inconveniences on the grand scheme of things.

His most recent dispatch had miraculously not ended in complete in total chaos but causalities couldn't just be written off, so of course he was given the delightful task of letting one of their members go.

Really, it was.. Such an honor to be able to do this. It certainly didn't put him in harms way and raise some suspicion for his own personal well being and health.

He knew it was for the best. Letting them go was a wise decision, and at the very least there was some closure in the fact that it wasn’t a pasty email or a mere letter telling them of their failure.

Of course, with a new vacancy, Robert was forced to make yet another decision—

Bringing someone else onto his team.

And now, well—he was looking for someone who could actually help.

It wasn’t enough just to get the job done at this point, with how risky things were getting he’d prefer someone with a deeper heart motive than just ideals of reformation and a paycheck.

So he chose you.

Foolishly, he realized.

Because you were a bigger liability, a bigger inconvenience, than he ever could have conceived in his lifetime.

He didn’t make a habit of telling you that, not when there were plenty of other heroes and reformed villains who didn’t hesitate to point out your shortcomings.

You didn’t need the noise. Course correction? Absolutely.

So, when a break in his shift came and you’d returned from another abysmal performance, he didn’t waste any time.

Slipping his headphones off and setting them aside, Robert rose from his seat, stalking across the room &. weaving between cubicles to confront you—if it could even be called that—in the break room.

The door shut behind him with a near silent click, brown hues fixing on you with a quiet sort of disappointment, but his voice only rang with understanding.

“You didn’t do too well out there,” he began, reaching out to brace his hands on the table separating them. “But, don’t take it too hard. No one does on their first day.”

His head tipped to the side, studying you with worn interest. “I’m not gonna punish you for your mistakes… But, you can do better than this.”

“I chose you for reason, so, please,” a wry grin, “prove me right, okay?”