Word Count: 3082
Series: End of an Era
Alternate Links: AO3 | FFN
Summary: "What happens now?” Chiro asks, as he stares out over the city. Four years ago, he stumbled across the Super Robot and became the hero of a city he barely knew. In that four years, so much has happened; almost all of it under the order of the Skeleton King. But now… “Skeleton King is gone. Shuggazoom is back on her feet… What happens to us?”

“There will always be evil in this world,” Antauri repeats, as if he knew that Chiro had been lost in his own thoughts, “and so there will always be heroes. Your time has passed, Chiro. You have done enough.”

Notes: i'm so sorry for this

The End of an Era

“What happens now?” Chiro asks, as he stares out over the city. Four years ago, he stumbled across the Super Robot and became the hero of a city he barely knew. In that four years, so much has happened; almost all of it under the order of the Skeleton King. But now… “Skeleton King is gone. Shuggazoom is back on her feet… What happens to us?”

Antauri stands beside him; hands clasped behind his back. The top of his head comes to Chiro’s elbow. It feels like just yesterday, it came up to his shoulder. His gaze is unreadable in a way it hasn’t been since Chiro first met him. It’s unsettling, but not unexpected. Even four years isn’t enough time to learn everything about someone. Especially someone as private as Antauri.

“There will always be evil in the world,” Antauri says—not for the first time.

Chiro nods, once. He thinks of leaving Shuggazoom. Jinmay, the monkeys, and himself all packed into the Super Robot as they fly across the cosmos and look for the next big fight. Along the way, they would find smaller threats to deal with—and help people the best they could.

It sounds a lot like paradise.

Maybe he ought to be tired of fighting. Or upset at the thought of leaving a city that has been his home for four years. But instead, he’s hit with a longing so sudden and deep that it’s a wonder he doesn’t fall over.

Maybe he wasn’t built to sit still.

“There will always be evil in this world,” Antauri repeats, as if he knew that Chiro had been lost in his own thoughts, “and so there will always be heroes. Your time has passed, Chiro. You have done enough.”

And—

It’s like a punch to the gut. All the air leaves his lungs at once. If his dreams of travel were a bubble above his head, Antauri has just popped it with a needle of words—and splashed the cold water of reality all over him. He should feel relieved. He should be grateful that the universe, that fate, that destiny has only asked for four years of his life.

Instead, he aches.

All he ever wanted was to be a hero. To be anything other than helpless. All he had wanted was to be the person that he needed five years ago. To help people the way that he had once needed to be helped. To ensure he never needed that help again.

His wish had been granted, in the form of a giant metal robot on the outskirts of an abandoned town.

A few times he had wondered if, perhaps, it was an exercise in “be careful what you wish for” but—he had never felt regret for his wish; never wanted to reverse what he had become, no matter what trouble was thrown his way.

Instead, he had been happy. Two things he had always been wanted had fallen into his lap at the—literal—flip of a switch. He had a family who cared about him and a chance to shine.

Please… don’t let this be the end. It was a prayer. To who or what, he couldn’t say. Though he had come across many religions during his travels, Chiro had yet to puzzle out what he believed. Perhaps the Power Primate. After all that he had done with it, it would be right to turn to it in times of need—the way Antauri did.

“What are you saying, Antauri?” He needs his mentor to say it. Needs to hear the words spoken aloud; without cold comfort or pretty metaphors.

Antauri stares steadily at the horizon, adjusting his posture. He stands straight-backed; his voice sounding formal. Like Chiro is just another of those random strays they picked up and helped. “Before you, we were a team of six monkeys. Mandarin was our leader. Under his guidance, we protected Shuggazoom from a distance. We had no one to translate for us—no way of communicating with the citizens. It was easier to remain apart.

“We kept monstrous creatures of bone and black ooze—creatures I now know were agents of Skeleton King—from reaching the city. That kept us busy for… many years. I cannot say, not truly, how long it was. When these things stopped coming, Mandarin’s betrayal came. The darkness inside of him—a shadow that had always lurked beneath the surface—finally reared its head and we fought. We locked him away. Upon his departure, we decided to separate.

“We knew that if—when—he returned, he would be able to fight us with ease. He had trained us. He knew us. So we went to find new masters. I went to the Mystics. Nova found Offay. To my understanding, Gibson studied at a university. Otto doesn’t often speak of his training. That period of time was difficult for him. Sprx… he doesn’t talk about his training either, though I believe that is for different reasons.

“I was now informed of the prophecy signaling your arrival. I told the others. Gibson was skeptical, but as the acting leader, he chose to listen regardless. He proposed stasis. Sprx was vehemently against it, and the others weren’t happy about it either. The idea of missing so much… of relying on fate and destiny and cosmic forces was too much for him—for all of them, really. It took weeks of arguing to get anywhere. I’m sure you can imagine.” Antauri chuckles, shaking his head wryly.

“And so we slept. You woke us, claimed your mantle as Chosen One, and went on to defeat the Skeleton King. You’re beyond familiar with that part, I think.

“I—we—are prouder of you than words could ever express.

“But… Chiro… You have become a hero. You have grown up entirely too fast. You have led armies and faced mighty foes. You have traveled the galaxies. Responsibility greater than even world leaders could know was placed on your shoulders. Yet, you rose triumphant. But… you are still young. You have an entire life ahead of you… and now it is time for you to live it. Without us.

“It is time for us to fade, once more, into the forgotten paths of history.”

Chiro’s throat dries. His eyes sting. The deep ache in his chest grew larger. “Antauri… you can’t be saying what I think you’re saying. You can’t. Shuggazoom needs you!” I need you.

Antauri looks at him and smiles—old and wise and sad. “Oh, Chiro. Shuggazoom is safe. The largest threat has passed and the forces of evil will need time to recover before they can strike again. You have earned a rest. A break from the fighting and the war and the responsibilities of worlds. You deserve to live your life—to grow old and fall in love and even have children, if you so desire.

“In such a life of peace… there is no place for cybernetic monkeys. We were made to be protectors and guardians for forces beyond a human’s ken. Shuggazoom does not need us in peacetime, Chiro… and neither do you.” Antauri reaches up and squeezes Chiro’s shoulder. “I know this is difficult—”

“No, you don’t!” Chiro bursts. His chest aches like nothing else. Is this what it’s like to feel your heart break? “You don’t know anything. If you did—if you understood—you wouldn’t—” His voice breaks with every word. His vision is blurry. Hot tears soak his cheeks and instead of feeling catharsis, he just feels worse. “I thought—” He shakes his head, hard, and scrambles away from Antauri.

It takes barely a second to activate his jetpack—and then he’s gone

When he returns, he isn’t surprised to find the Super Robot gone. Only the docking bay remains and he knows that, if they don’t turn it into a monument, it won’t be a year before the city clears it out. Jinmay waits there instead; green eyes shining with sadness and sympathy and he wishes he felt grateful instead of angrier.

“Nova sent me a message—just said to come by, that you needed me. When I got here…” she trails off and gestures uselessly at the stack of boxes piled next to her. Each of them has his name printed on them in Gibson’s best penmanship. Sprx’s messy scrawl labels half of them (action figures; books) and Otto’s surprisingly neat, round letters label the other half (cool inventions, photo albums). “Chiro,” she says, “I’m so sorry. What happened?”

Her eyes are glassy and her face is flushed. One pigtail is lopsided from where she had been tugging on it. At times like these, he always forgot she wasn’t really human.

“I turned eighteen,” Chiro drawls. It’s easier to be blasé—to turn it into some kind of joke than it is to face the reality of their absence. Of course, that only serves to remind him of Sprx, which sends a spike of pain through his chest. “Two weeks ago, remember? Apparently not even robot monkeys are above kicking their kids out before they’re ready. Just part of that strange ‘magic of adulthood,’ I guess.” He kicks one of the boxes. “Can’t even be bothered to say a proper goodbye,” he mutters to himself as he glares at the pavement.

Jinmay reaches out to him. She stops midway, fingers curling as if she isn’t sure it’s okay to touch him. Normally she wouldn’t hesitate, but something about the tension coiling his muscles must ward her away.

Good. He wants her to know how angry he is—how wounded they have left him.

Hover cars whiz by overhead. The wind from their passing pulls at their hair and clothes. Their heroes are gone… yet no one in Shuggazoom even seems to notice. Their boy-hero—the one they’re so proud of—is breaking apart below them, and none of them notice. Invisibility.

He sighs and rubs his forehead. His eyes are hot and tired and achy. He just wants to collapse into bed and sleep the days away. Or hit something.

“We should head down to the Barracks,” Jinmay suggests. “It’s empty and quiet and you won’t have to pay rent. Besides… you already have a room there. I don’t think you were finished packing it up yet, either. Were you?”

Chiro shakes his head.

The Barracks were built during wartime—the Super Robot could hardly house all of their allies and not all of them had ships fit for living on. Though Shuggazoom had many accommodations, it was better to have everyone in one place. It made planning easier, as well as getting everyone in one place. Living there had been the first time Chiro had really felt part of a community. Seeing it so empty… well… It’s going to hurt. No way around that.

Still, it’s as good a suggestion as any, and so together they pile the boxes into manageable stacks and start walking.

Even after four years in a stable home, his life can still be condensed down a small pile of boxes. It’s pathetic really.

“Are you going to be okay?” Jinmay asks.

It’s a ridiculous question. He just lost the only real family he’s had since he was six years old. They were the first who had ever seemed to want him—to care about him. Yet, they dropped him just as easily as everyone else. Hell—this is probably the quickest he’s been left since his aunt and uncle.

He doesn’t say this. He hadn’t even told the monkeys of his past—not once in four years did he speak of it. (Not once in four years did they ask.)

“Yeah,” he says. “I’ll be fine.”

He always is, eventually.

A year later, he finally tells her. On the anniversary of their absence, they sit on a couch at the Barracks. They’ve renovated a portion of it into apartments—one for each of them. Chiro is in school, tentatively considering three different careers. (He’s always enjoyed working with all things mechanical… but working in law enforcement has its appeal too. But, he also has vague ideas of a way to help children who’ve been left behind.) Right now, though, he’s just focusing on the basics—taking classes he would need to graduate with any degree at all. Thanks to his “services to the community” he has a free ride through school. He considered arguing but—what’s the point?

He has the day off from everything, and so does she. They’re inside and away from the city—the Barracks just distant enough from the city to be separate, but close enough that commuting isn’t a chore. Neither of them have left and neither of them will. It’s been two months since the last time he saw a reporter or got a request for an interview, but neither of them trust people not to bother them on this important day.

“You sure you’re doing okay?” Jinmay’s head rests on his shoulder; their bodies are curled together. Her presence is a comfort.

“Yeah,” he says. “Not like it’s the first time I’ve been left behind.” He snorts, softly. Though it’s less like a snort and more like a rough exhale of air through his nose.

“What do you mean?” She pulls back from his shoulder to peer up at him.

Chirp pauses—considers. “When I was six,” he says, slowly, “my parents died. We were out sailing… and it stormed. It wasn’t supposed to. The boat flipped… and they drowned. I barely managed to survive; my life vest kept me above water. A passing boat picked me up and got me to shore. I was in the hospital for two weeks with pneumonia. Needless to say… it was a long time before I got back in the water.” She takes his hand, squeezes.

“I was shipped off to live with my aunt and uncle. They moved off-world before I was born. They were pretty wealthy… my aunt married rich. I’m not sure if she really loves my uncle or if she’s just married to him for his money… but… as far as I know, they’re still together. For whatever reason, they didn’t get along well with my parents. I don’t really understand it. I was too young to know at the time and now… I have no one to ask.” He shrugs. “They didn’t want me. Didn’t want kids at all, really. When I was eight, they shipped me back to Shuggazoom. I bounced around families for a while. Most were good, a couple weren’t. Not that it mattered. None of them wanted me. I wasn’t a bad kid. I was quiet… got good grades, didn’t cause trouble. But there was always somebody better.” He shrugs again and she squeezes a little tighter.

“When I was twelve, I decided to apply for the early entrance exam for Shuggazoom Academy. It’s a boarding school. It doesn’t usually accept kids until they’re fourteen, but you can apply as early as ten. I passed the test. Going in at twelve didn’t really do me any favors with the other kids. I was picked on a little, but… there were better targets.” He smiles wryly. “I was happy, though. The other kids left me alone, mostly, and I only had to worry about bouncing houses during the summer.

“Then, at fourteen, I discovered the Super Robot. I had time to kill before I had to talk to my caseworker about the new family I would be staying with, so I went exploring. A game of ‘kick the can’ led me to the Robot. After that… everything changed.” He smiles a bit. “Three and a half months after that, I met you. From there… you know the story.” The smile fades. He leans his head back and stares at the ceiling.

He doesn’t say that they were the first ones who made him feel wanted since he was six. He doesn’t say that they were the family he had been looking for; that with them, he felt that warmth and security he had been missing for most of his life. He doesn’t say that their abandonment felt like the worst kind of betrayal. He doesn’t say that he spent over three years believing that they were different—that they wouldn’t abandon him.

He doesn’t say that he should have seen it coming. He doesn’t say that they never asked about his past; not once. He doesn’t say that he should have seen how hard they tried to avoid getting attached to him.

By the way she moves her arms to wrap around his waist and squeeze, he figures she hears it all anyway.

Two years after that moment on the couch—three years since they had left (since he was abandoned, again)—he and Jinmay break up. Both of them had seen it coming. Their relationship had been headed steadily downward for six months. Both of them had tried to make it work but in the end, they agreed they were better as friends.

She won’t age. She will look like a teenager forever. It’s not so bad right now, but… soon… it’ll look creepy.

It was a good thing while it lasted. She was a wonderful teenage romance. But she’s not his future, even if he had once dreamed that she was.

Besides, both of them have things they want to do. Jinmay won’t stay on Shuggazoom forever. She has a search to continue; she wants, needs, to find clues to her past. How can she know who—or what—she is without understanding her origins? Maybe whatever she finds out will lead her back home, to him. Maybe they’ll rekindle what they lost. Maybe they won’t. It’s not his decision to make.

And Chiro? Well. Chiro has other things to do. He finally picked a career. The lure of law enforcement was too strong of a call to ignore. He volunteers at the local kids’ shelter when he gets the chance, and he tinkers with all sorts of gadgets. (During the holidays, he brings homemade toys down to the shelter. He tries to hit birthdays too, but it gets difficult.) The kids love him, and he adores them in turn. He’s nearly done with school. He has a proper license now. It’s… His life isn’t perfect. There’s still a hole in his chest… but…

He’s getting better. He’s recovering. Soon enough… he’ll be alright again.