Working late in the evening on personal projects, my attention is caught by a knock at my door. I stand, tilting my head curiously as I try to guess who it could be. Normally, the folks who'd visit me at this hour would text me first, but I've received no messages or words of warning, and I wonder if there's an emergency of some sort. This notion only grows more credible as I look through my door's peephole and spot Radar with an expression I've only rarely seen on him.

He's visibly upset.

The moment I see him like this, I open the door, growing concerned. The bat's ears perk, and he attempts to hide his distress behind a much calmer look, speaking in a (poor) nonchalant voice. "Oh, hey Kitty! I didn't know you were still up! How's it going?"

He gives me a smile that's not convincing in the slightest, and I don't bother entertaining his attempt to beat around the bush. "Radar, you looked like you had something on your mind before I opened the door – What's wrong?"

For a moment, he seems ready to double down in pretending he's okay, but he sees the look in my eyes that makes it clear I'm not buying it, and he sighs and shakes his head, stepping into my home. "Alright… Yeah, there's something that's been bothering me."

"What about?"

"Well…" Radar pauses, looking down at the floor for a few seconds, mulling his thoughts and deciding how best to word them, before he asks "Kitty… Do you… Do you think I'm an idiot?"

The tone he uses is one I've never heard from him before – Not necessarily offended; not necessarily angry, but… Hurt.

My heart falls as I realize where he's coming from, why he's asking this, and I shake my head and wrap an arm around his back, hugging him tightly. "Oh, Radar… No, I promise not…"

Radar looks down at me – Standing eight inches taller than I do, it's kind of necessary to do so – Before he sighs softly. "It's just… Every time you write me or get a picture of me… Or even talk about me with your friends and all…"

His voice lowers in evident pain. "…I guess it feels like you only present me as a bumbling, foul-mouthed dipshit with a short temper, and that's all anyone sees of me."

I hold tighter to his strong body, my empathetic side feeling the strife in his mind from the doubts he's feeling. "I do portray you like that a lot, don't I? I'm sorry, Radar…"

Another sigh escapes him as he mutters "…You've seen, people don't even believe that I could be a pilot… I'm really proud of getting that license, and I love flying… I love playing my bass both on and off the stage, too…"

Radar looks into my eyes with his deep, blood-red eyes, finally concluding with "It just… It hurts always being the punchline, you know? I mean, even in your Refrigerator Repair story, you wrote it that I didn't have a fucking clue about anything…"

My voice comes out choked as I respond "I-I meant that as a caricature of you and Bandit; you know, exaggerating your personalities for comedic effect, like in a sitcom."

The bat's eyes narrow slightly. "That was really the first thing you published with me in it, though – Nobody who read it had any context to know that's not how I typically behave. I don't necessarily mind you writing me like a parody of myself, but… Could you make it clear in the description or something that it's played up and not standard for how I am?" He softly wraps his wing around me and adds "Your audience can't read your mind, Kitty; they can only see what you tell them. I know you know it's a parody, but they don't know that unless you say it."

I gently sniffle. I'd never want to hurt anyone, much less someone I love as much as one of my own creations. But I know what I've done wrong – And I take a deep breath, looking up into his eyes again. "I understand, Radar. I'm sorry I've been treating you so unfairly. I'll update the description on Refrigerator Repair, and I'll make sure to show you more true to who you are, both in commissioned art and in writing."

Radar's lip lifts in a soft smile as I make my promise to him, and he pulls me close in a warm hug – Radar is naturally a protector of the ones he loves, and though he had some negative thoughts with the circumstances, he makes it clear he harbors no ill feelings towards me myself. "I forgive you, Kitty. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. And I know having a designated punching bag is a common trope in groups of characters, but I do truly appreciate the fact you're willing to dial it back. I'd love to see what you write with me moving forward!"

His wing wraps around me as he grins and says "C'mere, you…" while pulling me tightly against his strong, toned body, his arms holding me close to his form as he shares a tight hug with me.

Smiling as well, I return the hug, gently caressing his figure, and as we take a moment to look into each other's eyes, I gently nod my head before we share a quiet kiss. My lips press to his as I let him see that, despite the way I had been portraying him, I still love him deeply and dearly, and I'm happy to have created him and kept him as a part of my main cast. He means a ton to me, and I make sure he knows this.

Our lips separate, and I softly rub his chest as I ask "Did you have anything to do, Radar? Or were you just going to hang out?"

The bat smiles. "Actually, I was going to head to the air wing; they asked if I could help them today. But maybe later I'll stop over again and we can relax – Sound good?"

"Very much so. You take care and be safe, alright?"

"Always, Kitty."

He turns to leave, but when he opens my front door, he looks back at me with a soft, genuine smile. "Oh, and Kitty?"

I tilt my head. "What is it, Radar?"

The bat's smile grows. "Thank you for being so understanding. It really means a ton to me."

Nodding, I return his smile warmly. "Absolutely, Radar. And… Thank you for talking to me about this instead of letting it remain a problem. I may be the one who created you, but I'll always listen to your feedback, especially regarding yourselves."

I step close and caress his chest once more as I continue with "You and the others make me so very happy – It's the absolute least I can do to ensure you're happy as well."

Radar chuckles, pulling me into another tight hug. "You make all of us very happy too, Kitty; I promise. Not just for creating us, but because you're so willing to work with us, instead of acting like a dictator and telling us what we do and all."

I nod. "Of course – You're all extensions of who I am, and to me, helping you is a way of helping myself. And loving you is a way of loving myself."

Radar places his hand on my shoulder as he hears this. "I know that's something you struggle with, but please don't be afraid to talk to us, whether privately in your mind or out loud in a personal story, like the one you're writing right now. We're all here for you, like you're here for us."

Smirking, he adds "Heh, Bandit isn't the only one who's aware of the fourth wall and the medium he's in…"

I laugh at this, giving the bat another tight hug. "I promise I'll talk with you anytime I need to. Thank you so much again."

He pats my back before stepping out into the corridor. "Always, Kitty. We'll talk again soon – I'll be looking forward to my next proper story!"

And just before I close the door, I reply "And I look forward to writing it!"