Chapter Text
Chad was twenty reps in when he heard footsteps approaching. He hung up the bar and sat up, irked that someone else would be here so late at night. He came here for peace and quiet while he worked out, which used to be early morning before his shift until more heroes decided they had the same idea. So now, he stayed late. So who who the fuck was ruining his workout?
His heart stuttered at the sight of Robert Robertson as he approached in his plain hoodie and gym shorts. His brown, doe eyes swept the gym and settled on the current resident and broke into a warm smile. Chad hated that fucking smile. Robert gave it to the whole Z Team freely, so it was obviously a professional and friendly gesture. It wasn’t anything special.
Chad wasn’t anything special.
He grumbled and lay back down on his bench, resuming where he left off. He would have to ignore the man he had, unfortunately grown fond of, as best he could and get his shit done quickly. He still wanted to have a go at the squat rack and leg press, but he opted to pass for the punching bag and treadmill. He got plenty of cardio at work that day, so he could justify it.
Robert set his gym bag down somewhere on the other side of the room and settled on one of the treadmills for his warm up. Chad was around rep fifty and he could still hear the steady thumps of Robert’s feet on the machine and his quickening breaths. He wanted to scream. He was beyond pissed at his own feelings and that in itself pissed him off more. He grumbled and dropped the bar with more aggression than he had intended. Fuck the squat rack and leg press. He was done existing in this room alone with Robert. He sat up and returned the weights to their proper place, then wiped the machine down hastily. He glanced at Robert from the side of his eyes, but tore his gaze away quickly. Robert had been watching him, and there was a frown on his face.
Of fucking course there was.
What else could he look at? Chad was infinitely more interesting to gawk at than the machines in the gym, and he knew as well as anyone how hot he is. Fuck Robert for his stupid frown. He probably was fantasizing about Blazer’s ass and got annoyed when it wasn’t her he was looking at. The thought spurred Chad on to the showers.
Stripped of his hero suit and his ponytail, Chad stepped into the lukewarm water of the public SDN shower with a hiss. Water was rarely warm enough for him. Sometimes he cursed how hot he ran. He’d love to stand under running water that would actually heat him up and sooth him. He would simply have to accept the trade off for his amazing powers and deal with it.
He allowed the meditative routine of washing out the fire repellant gel from his hair, conditioning it, and scrubbing his body to lull him into a somewhat calm state. He tried to stray away from thoughts of the man who was likely still in the gym and kept to other things. Christmas was coming up, and he still needed to do some shopping. He’d gotten a nice, expensive perfume for Alice, and a set of nice cooking knives for his sister. He was still looking for something for his niece. He hadn’t yet decided if the team was getting anything from him. He had a weird feeling they wouldn’t all be received well. He knew he could be a bit of an ass at times, but he cared enough about the fuckers.
Then there was Robert.
Chad had no idea what to get him, but he wanted to find something good. He wanted Robert to really enjoy whatever it was he got him, even though Chad had already solidified his decision to make it anonymous. Robert would probably assume whatever it was would be from Blazer or maybe Visi. The thought steamed up the water around Chad.
Why am I thinking about that bitch again?
All sense of calm evaporated with the water on his skin as Chad exited the shower. He twisted the water out of his hair and wrapped a towel around his waist. His locker was mercifully close, so he could dress in his streetwear quickly and finally get the fuck out of the SDN building. He strode to his new car with purpose until he realized there was someone standing beside it. He slowed to a stop as Robert’s freckled face came into full view under his hood. His hands were stuffed into the front pocket of his hoodie and he awkwardly kicked at a pebble in the parking lot. Chad grumbled to himself and resumed his walk, though much slower.
“You gonna move, or do I have to run you over?” He had meant it as a joke, like the banter they were all used to. It came out with more salt than he intended, and he bit back a grimace at his tone. “Seriously, you’re kinda in the way, bitch.”
Robert’s brown eyes searched Chad’s for a long moment. His thin lips were pursed. “I know you aren’t my biggest fan, Flambae. But I thought we were cool. What did I do to piss you off this time?”
Chad paused, hand on the driver side handle. He cursed at himself. “Nothing. We’re cool.”
“Right. We’re so cool that you’re looking at me like I shot your dog. Glad we cleared that up.” Robert droned with his usual dry sarcasm. He stepped closer and narrowed his eyes at Chad. It was cute, which was annoying. “Seriously, though. I know you hate Mecha Man, and I’ve been waiting for that monthly punch. But I thought you and Robert were on friendly terms.” He held his hands up in some sort of surrender. “Ready when you are for that, by the way.”
Chad rolled his eyes. He had said he would need to hit the man once a month until his hatred released in a fit of frustration. He had found the man attractive and pleasured himself more than once to the thought of him on his knees before him. Knowing he was jerking it to Mecha Bitch had been a major blow to his ego. He was already sore at the fact that Robert was clearly into someone else. The rest was just salt rubbed right into it. “Forget I fucking said that. Now get out of my way or I really will run you the fuck over. We’ve got work tomorrow, and everyone would appreciate it if I got my beauty sleep.”
Robert drew a deep breath, clearly intending to argue, but slowly released it instead. He nodded once with a hard glare and spun on his heel to stomp back to the building. Chad watched him go until the employee door of the building slammed shut. He slid into his car and smashed his forehead against the steering wheel a few times with a frustrated groan. Fuck that bitch and his cute face and his observations and his beautiful eyes!
Chad drew a deep breath, counting to three. He held the breath for five seconds then exhaled for seven. He honestly questioned his mandatory therapist’s methods most of the time, but after doing the box breathing a few times, he at least felt calm enough to drive home.
A pink shirt was thrust in Chad’s face and he pulled back with a protest. He was shopping at the mall with Alice, and she was intent on finding the perfect outfit for his niece. He knew the woman had style and would likely find something more to the little girl’s taste than himself, but she was shoving article after article of clothing directly into his retinas. It was getting annoying.
“Just fucking pick something! They all look the same to me.” He had a great fashion sense when it came to adults, but he didn’t trust his rather erotic tastes to translate to innocent children. When it came to his niece, he didn’t want to pick something ugly and ridiculous because he overcorrected. He’d done so once, and she didn’t forgive him for a month.
“I’m going to look for shit for the team. Come find me when you’ve got something and don’t shove it at me again!”
Alice pressed a hand to her jutted hip and shot him her darkest glare. “What has your panties in such a twist, ho? We’re shopping for your favorite girl on the whole planet and you want to go look at knick knacks for the Z Team bitches you barely like? Spill!” Her face and tone were no nonsense, and Chad knew lying or denying were out of the question.
He threw a glare at his best friend, “If I wanted to talk about it, I fucking would. I’m cashing in on bestie privileges and asking you to do me a solid.”
Alice checked herself out in the reflection of a display case, picking at her snowy afro absently. “Fine, but your ass is on strike one, Bae. I came here to shop with my boo, not with some cranky bitch who can’t even pick a dress for a damn eleven year old.”
Chad shrugged, “What can I say, you’re the best. Who else could I trust to make my niece look fabulous on a stage?”
She scoffed, “Bitch, I know. Now get your ass in shopping mode before I walk out on your ass.”
Chad was pulled out of his sour mood against his will. He and Alice checked the whole team off their shopping list with respectable gifts. Alice decided to get Robert a gift card to her favorite shop that sold suits. She expressed she wanted him to look like “a fine piece of ass” at the company Christmas party, which earned an eye roll and not a blush from Chad. He was still on the look out for his gift. While Alice searched for something for him out of his line of sight, Chad looked around. His eyes zeroed in on a smart watch the same color as the Mecha suit. He picked up the box, looking it over. It was a nice piece of tech. It took phone calls, allowed texting, tracked health stats and sleep. It even linked to a debit card to pay anywhere that accepted contactless. He chewed on the inside of his cheek. He wondered if Royd could doctor it up for his suit….
Decision made, Chad purchased the watch and stuffed it at the bottom of his bag of gifts to hide it from his nosey bestie. He spent the rest of the shopping trip mentally preparing a list of requests for the tech nerd at work.
Royd was all too happy to help. He promised he could get the watch to check suit stats, call it from a distance, alert extreme temperature readings, and give Robert direct call access to the team’s earpieces. He flashed a smirk Chad wasn’t sure he liked when he swore to secrecy.
“Sure thing brudda. I leave it on Robert’s desk tonight. I leave a note it’s for him.” His large hand clapped Chad’s shoulder and he shot a wink. “Your secret safe wit me.”
Now Chad watched Robert’s desk as subtly as he could at a distance he could both see and hear Robert’s reaction. At first, the man was clearly confused. He picked up the note that Chad, frustratingly, couldn’t see, and opened the box. His eyes widened and he carefully picked the tech out of the box. Chad hadn’t seen it since Royd got his hands on it, but he was more than pleased with the result. He had managed to make it look like it matched the suit while still low key enough for everyday wear. Royd had replaced the bland, black band with a sleek, stainless steel clasp that clicked onto Robert’s wrist. He tested the weight and picked up what looked to be a home made instruction manual.
Chase flew past to enter his own workspace. “The fuck is that? Christmas ain’t for another two weeks.”
“Dunno. Says it’s from a secret admirer, and that Royd won’t ever tell who it’s from. Said he only signed it in case I need help with calibrating.”
Secret admirer? Fucking asshole.
Chad snorted. “Mandy, ya think?”
Robert shrugged. “Dunno. It’s nice though, I wish I knew who it was from. I’m definitely getting a lot of use out of this.”
Chase floated up above the wall that separated them and coaxed Robert closer to examine the watch. He peered at it closely with a hum. “Can’t say. Whoever it’s from wants something from you I don’t wanna hear nothing about.”
Robert rolled his eyes, but a smile graced his freckled face. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.”
Chase crossed his arms over the wall, “You bringing anyone to the party? Doubt you’ve got shit to wear.”
Robert chuckled, producing a card from his back pocket. “I do now, Prism won’t let me go under dressed. She even demanded I take her with me so she can “help me”.” He used finger quotes. “But probably not. You know, unless my mystery lover reveals themselves.”
The conversation died after that, and Chad lost interest. He couldn’t help the swell of pride in his chest. His gift was received well. Better than he expected even. He owed Royd big time. He disappeared as quickly as he could to the hero lounge until the shift officially started and tried not to focus too much on the fact that Robet wasn’t, in fact, going to the company Christmas party with Mandy. Maybe he was just too much of a pussy to ask her.
VIctor and Malevola strode into the lounge with matching cups of coffee from a local mom and pop place.
“You always dress in a suit, so I don’t know how you’re supposed to top that.” Malevola shrugged and sprawled out on the couch on the opposite end of Chad.
“I can snazz it up! Maybe with a vest.” Victor shrugged over the lid of his coffee.
Mal snorted, “Yes, very snazzy.”
Chad tuned them out.
About ten minutes later, his earpiece crackled to life.
“Good morning, team. I hope you had a restful weekend. I know I’m not particularly excited for the holiday fires we’ll be putting out the next few weeks, but if anyone can handle it, it’s you guys.” Robert’s voice droned in their ears. Chad allowed a small smile at the lighter tone in Robert’s voice. He was certain it had something, if not everything, to do with his gift. “Prism, I’m going to need you to assist an elementary Christmas play.”
Alice’s voice rang out, “Why you always sending me on this shit? You know Flambae’s got a niece who does ballet right?”
“And he’d be great for the job, but you were specifically requested. I’ll send you on something exciting next. Golem, Phenomoman, there’s a plane losing altitude and the pilot has lost control. I want Phenomoman to try to slow the descent, and Golem, you stabilize it on the ground.”
“Sure thing,” Golem droned.
“I am on my way, Third Robert Robertson.”
“Visi, there’s a burglary on 9th street.”
“Fucking on it, Dan!”
Robert listed off the jobs until Chad was the only person left. He tried to reign in his irritation. There were plenty he would have done just fine with, and yet he was ignored. He flipped through channels blindly on the television in front of him as he waited.
“Flambae.”
Fucking finally!
“I need you to hurry! Some electrical issue with Christmas lights started a fire and the family is panicking instead of evacuating! The civilians are top priority, but try to salvage the house.”
Chad rushed out of the SDN building through the sliding window built in for the flying heroes and took off as soon as he received the address. He soared through the air, ready to impress the shit out of Robert. There was already a plume of smoke like a beacon. He grit his teeth and pushed himself to fly faster. If he can see the smoke now, the fire is already getting bad.
Chad touched down and shoved his way through the door. The fire was spreading through the living room, effectively cutting off the exit from the huddled family. There were two children about his niece’s age, and a father holding them close. Chad reached one hand out to coax them, and the other moved the fire around out of the way.
“It’s okay! I’m with SDN. Come on, I’m getting you out of here!” The family hurried through the new opening, but the fire was quickly spreading throughout the house. He pulled it into himself, trying to calm the flames and coax them down.
“Flambae, your readings are getting too high! Fall back!” Robert’s voice was firm.
Chad grit his teeth and stood his ground. He curled his fingers in and drew the fire in. If he couldn’t talk it down, he would have to absorb it and release the heat in a different location.
“Flambae! Get out of there! That’s an order!”
“I can do it!” He cried out. His heart hammered into his chest, and his muscles were beginning to cramp.
“Flambae! You’re going to explode if you don’t get the fuck out of there and cool off! I can’t send Waterboy to save your ass again! Fall! Back!” Robert’s voice was growing tense now, almost frantic. “Listen to me for fucking once!”
Chad growled. He knew he could save the house if he just held on. “Fire fighters will be here soon! Just let me contain the fucking fire!”
“No time! Get out of there!” Robert was shouting now, likely drawing attention to himself in the office.
Chad cried out his frustration and bolted through the smashed window the fire had already taken down. He soared into the sky high up enough he could release the heat without collateral damage. Smoke rose from his body when the flames died down, but the heat in his chest remained. He couldn’t believe he managed to fuck that up so badly. He controlled the fire and the flame for fuck sake!
“Time for lunch break Z Team. Robert out.” A moment of silence before his earpiece chimed again. “Conference room in ten minutes, Flambae.”
FUCK.
Chad hesitated a moment, debating if he could get out of this obvious scolding somehow, but no matter what angle he looked at it, he knew it would be better in the long run to just let Robert give his stupid speech and move on. He drew in a deep breath and huffed out hot air before bolting back to SDN.
He stepped into the conference room, Robert was already there, and his stance screamed disappointment. Chad pretended not to notice the pang of shame that the look gave him.
“Flambae, you’re usually a snarky ass, but you don’t violate direct orders. What the fuck happened out there?” His brown eyes were vivid with barely contained anger.
Chad blew the strand of hair that always stubbornly hung over his eyes away. “What was I supposed to do? Let their fucking house burn down? What’s the fucking problem? I had it handled.”
Robert’s eyes narrowed and his arms tensed where they were crossed over his chest. “No, you didn’t! You know your limits and you crossed them. Do you know how hot you were reading?”
Chad waved him off. “So fucking what? What’s the worst thing that can happen? I blow up? The house was burning down anyway. Least there was a chance of saving it.” He felt knots in his stomach as he spoke. He hadn’t thought like that in a while… being okay with such a scenario. He filed it in the back of his mind for later, when he could talk to his therapist.
Robert gaped at him. He dropped his arms to his sides, flexing his fingers repeatedly. His face relaxed and he looked away, chewing on his lip. He finally looked back up at Chad and walked closer. He stopped a couple feet away, but from this distance Chad could count the freckles on his face if he wanted to. “You’re not expendable. I’m not willing to lose you for someone’s property.”
Chad despised how the words twisted at his heart. He grimaced at the feeling and huffed. His skin felt too tight and his chest ached. He wanted to flee the situation. He wanted to walk away from the man who looked at him with just a little too much concern. His eyes caught the watch at Robert’s wrist. He tore them away. “You made your point, Mecha Bitch. Can I fucking go now?”
Robert opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. His expression morphed a few times into emotions Chad couldn’t decipher before his eyes settled on steely reserve. “Punch me.”
Chad froze.
What?
He was silent long enough, and probably with a dumb look on his face, that Robert squared his shoulders and straightened up. “You’re running out of the gym like my presence offends you, violating orders and acting like I wouldn’t give a shit if you died. So fucking hit me, Flambae. Get that shit out of your system because it isn’t helping anything.”
Chad felt his eye twitch. He pulled his arms tighter against his chest with stubborn defiance. Sure he knocked Robert on his ass in a fit of rage. He felt like shit immediately after and made some sheepish excuse that made sense at the time. After painful sessions in therapy, and long sleepless nights running through his feelings, Chad realized he didn’t want to hurt Robert. He didn’t want to see him hurt, especially by his own hand. He wanted to see the fucker throw the same tender smile his way that he showed his fucking fat chihuahua. So he shifted to angle his shoulders away from Robert, looking at the blinds.
“I’m not going to fucking punch you, bitch.”
Robert half groaned, half growled and threw his arms up into the air. He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply for a long moment. He shook his head and looked up at the ceiling like it could answer his prayers. “Then do something.” He looked back at Chad. “The mature thing would be to talk, but your emotional constipation would probably get in the way.”
“Fuck off.” His words held very little venom. He still looked away from Robert. His fight or flight was rising and he didn’t want to start fighting. He’ll have to get out of here soon.
He flinched when a hand touched his shoulder. He looked at the point of contact. Robert’s hand was placed gently, not with the usual grip of a friend. This felt too much like pity, but the watch on his wrist drew his attention enough he forgot to pull away.
“Chad…” Robert’s voice was gentle, and he looked at him with soft eyes. “Talk to me.”
“It looks good on you. Royd outdid himself.” He spoke before he thought. His body tensed up and his temperature shot up quickly. Robert pulled his hand away from the heat, shaking the hand a few times. The watch was beeping and a flame symbol flashed on the screen. Robert wasn’t paying it any mind. He was watching Chad.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK!
He spun around and disappeared out of the conference room so quickly he almost missed Robert calling his name.
You and 43 percent of players ran from Robert after revealing your gift
You and 57 percent of players did NOT hear Robert's confession