Author's Note:

Disclaimer: Headcanon party! Try not to get things mixed up with canon XD

EDIT: Edited some parts and added some lines to make it clearer that Robert felt bad about his mean thoughts. Thanks for the suggestions, June Ellie!

【Chapter 5: Cried / Cider】

"Hey, Keith! Wanna hang out tonight? I bought your favourite drink for us!" A young Robert Baxter called out to his friend excitedly after a long mission.

"Oh! Uhh... Sorry, Rob. Got a date with Christy tonight. You cool if we have it some other time?" Keith asked.

"Oh, oh! Don't worry about it!" Robert said. "You two have a good time and tell me how it went when you get back! Hahaha!"

Keith smiled at him. "Thanks, bud." He took his coat and left then, calling out to Christy. "Honey? I'm ready when you are!"

Robert waved at them as he watched them leave. Despite his smile, a part of him felt like it broke and died every time he had to do that. He sighed, his fake smile melting away into a sad face. Head hung low, he walked off to do some target practice to blow off steam.

It was hard to deny that he liked Christy. She was brave, intelligent and beautifulーeverything that he could wish for in a woman. But if there was something Robert wasn't good at, it was how shy he was when it came to confessing his feelings. But just when he finally managed to pull himself together and decided that he would ask Christy out, he walked in on something that broke his heart.

Keith was standing there, confessing his feelings to Christy first. Christy accepted gladly. Robert watched the two kiss in each other's arms from behind a wall, alone in the shadows.

As much as he remembered, he had always been a little angry at the two of them after that. Keithーhow could his best friend just stand in his way and steal his chance like that? And Christy, oh, Christy...! HE was the one who saved her from certain death during the Neodyne incident, and she had to pay him back by leaving him for Keith!

Robert forced himself to put his gun down immediately when his mind started seeing his practice targets as Keith and Christy.

He noticed that this his jealousy was getting to him and had tipped him over the edge of sanity. What was he thinking?! His two best friends were in love and happy with each other. Besides, who Christy chose to be with wasn't his to decide. He didn't want to end up being a mean control freak like many of the villains he fought so hard against.

Deciding that he should take a break for today, Robert holstered his gun and sighed. He needed to calm down and reorganize his thoughts, and maybe try to look at the situation more objectively. It was late into the night by now. He looked towards the only other person in the room who seemed to still be training.

It was a young female agent dressed in pink. The way she handled the gun so badly suggested that she was a rookie. Robert cringed at how horrible her aim and firing speed was, wondering how the higher ups even let such a dud into the organization. After a few more failed shots the woman stopped. The way her shoulder shook told Robert that she was crying in frustration.

'Ah, shit...'

Robert thought that he'd be a total jerk if he just ditched the poor thing alone, so he walked up to her and tried to be as gentle as he could.

"Is everything alright?" Robert asked. "Everyone has to start from somewhere, so don't worry if you're missing a lot at first. I can teach you a thing or two if you want."

"Mr. Baxter...!" The girl recognized him straight away as one of the VSSE's famous agents. "Sorry, sir, I'm okay. Thank you," she said, smiling at him and quickly rubbing away her tears.

Robert brought her to sit in the resting area and got her some water. After she calmed down, she introduced herself.

"I'm Trishy Caryn. Joined the VSSE last month. I get scared easily during missions and I'm unbelievably horrible compared to my partner, so I thought I'd practice more to catch up."

"Oh, that's a good spirit!" Robert replied with a smile, "I'm sure you'll catch up quickly considering how hard you're working."

"Hee hee, thanks! I'll do my best!" She replied sweetly. She seemed to notice something, then. "Mr. Baxter, is something bothering you? You seem a little... sad," she said.

"Oh!" Trishy seeing right through his fake smile caught Robert off guard. "Really, now? I thought you're the one who's crying," he replied, trying to hide his feelings. Trishy giggled.

"I used to be a nurse and I love taking care of people. I can tell."

"..." Robert thought that he had just gotten himself into more bad luck tonight, hoping that she wouldn't pry.

"Well, you don't have to tell me what it is!" Trishy said cheerfully, "But expect little gifts from me every once in awhile. Just think of it as a return for helping me with target practice!"

Trishy's gifts ranged from candies and chocolates to little items that Robert could use during his missions, such as bandaids and gun parts. Robert gave her gifts of his own once in awhile, since he didn't want to always be on the receiving end. Soon enough, they were spending more time together outside practice sessions, and Robert enjoyed it.

Instead of looking for all the reasons Keith shouldn't be with Christy, Robert's mind was more occupied with thinking of what cute gift to send Trishy next. Instead of wishing that Keith would die during a mission so he could have Christy, Robert was now thinking of where to take Trishy sightseeing next.

Despite his current happiness, Robert couldn't believe that he had fallen into such depths in the past, wishing death upon and cursing his own best friends. He felt as though he had to be punished for it. At one point, Robert felt that someone as twisted and insane as he was didn't deserve Trishy either. But when he spilled the beans about it, Trishy forgave him and accepted him for who he was, saying that it was all in the past.

Unlike Christy, Trishy wasn't particularly smart or beautiful, neither was she brave. But she was the kindest soul Robert had met and he loved her for it.

This time, he actually got to confess his feelings to Trishy, officially getting into a relationship with her. After a long time, he could finally let go of his jealousy of Keith and Christy, waving goodbye at them with a true smile whenever the two left for their dates.

"Hey, Trish!" Robert called when she visited him at his home one time, "I got these drinks for Keith a while ago, but well, we never got to drinking them since he's having the time of his life." Robert laughed, popping the bottle caps open.

"I guess he won't mind if we have them instead," he continued, pouring the drinks for himself and Trishy, who giggled after him.

"Thanks, Robert! To our happiness," she said, toasting with him.

"I'm going on my next mission tomorrow," Trishy said.

"Heard it's a little on the difficult side. Be careful," Robert warned. Trishy smiled.

"Thanks to your training, they've entrusted me with the more important missions now. My partner's also happy with my progress! I'll finish this mission and tell you how it went!" She said excitedly.

"Heh, it's a classified mission, right? So I can't ask you the details," Robert said. "Still, do it well and when you come home, I'll have a pleasant surprise waiting for you!" He teased.

"Oh! I wonder what it is! A gift?" Trishy asked, her eyes bright.

"A special gift. Look forward to it! Maybe we should have a feast to celebrate your first difficult mission, too!"

"Yay!" The two laughed heartily.

A few days later, Robert was sitting alone at the VSSE HQ's lobby, waiting to pick Trishy up when she returned from her mission tonight. He opened the little velvet box in his hand, peeking at the elegant diamond ring that sat in itーthe surprise gift he had prepared for his girlfriend.

'Trish, will you marry me?'

The sentence he had practiced so many times floated in his mind. Cheeks feeling hot as he imagined her gentle smile and reply, Robert closed the box, feeling quite jittery and excited.

His daydream broken only by some hurried shuffling noises, Robert looked down the hall to see three agents looking like they were in a panic. Putting the box he held away in his pocket, Robert stood up and approached them.

"What's the matter here?" He asked one of them.

"Oh, Mr. Baxter!" The agent exclaimed. "A mission that's supposed to end today has gone horribly wrong. We're looking for any agent who can offer some backup!" Robert's face soured.

"Is it Agent Trishy Caryn's mission?"

The agent gave Robert a mortified look.

"Yes."