Work Text:
Chad sees the way Blazer looks at his dispatcher.
It’s the bedroom eyes she gives Robert, that smile that’s almost too kind whenever she talks to him, as if he has something specific she wants. She asked him out in her office, and they went on a date that same night.
After Robert has been employed for, what, two days? Maybe three?
Chad scoffs at the thought, having to hear all of that from the little bitch himself during their latest workout. No way he’d get with someone that fast. He had flings who he got to know longer than that.
And right after Blazer apparently dumped Phenomaman too, in the middle of their date no less, or at least that’s what Chad heard from the poor guy. It doesn’t excuse him from sulking on his now destroyed car though.
But geez, imagine your girlfriend dumping you for Robert of all people.
Either that little bitch has the most impressive dick on the planet, or Blazer doesn’t have any standards.
Chad guesses it’s both, because there’s no way Blazer pursued him for love. No, Robert is just a rebound for her, someone to kiss and cuddle with and have fancy dates with whenever she needs it.
Now that he thinks about it, Robert looks like he doesn’t have standards either. Not only because “Robert the rebound” is a great nickname for him, but the guy seems depressed as fuck, desperate for any love and affection that he has lacked in his rather miserable adult life.
It’s sad to see, if Chad is honest for once.
“Don’t you think you’re speed-running your relationship a little?” Chad asks as he watches Robert try and fail to lift one of the heavier weights. God, he’s cute when he tries so hard. Chad quickly pushes that thought aside. “You’ve been on one date, yet you look like you’re ready to ask her to marry you.”
“I know what I’m doing.” Robert answers, deciding to give up on the weight and puts it back with quite a lot of difficulty, sitting up on the bench to face the taller man. “Besides, we met before.”
“Oh yeah?” Flambae asks, taking a step towards his dispatcher, looking down on him with a stern look. “When?”
That singly word already has Robert a little nervous, knowing full well that his former arch enemy will either laugh at him or belittle him when he answers it. But Robert doesn’t see a reason to lie.
“The day before my first shift.” He admits sheepishly.
Chad’s eyes widen in surprise at that answer.
Oh, for fuck sake…
“So she hired you, broke up with the alien the day after, and asked you out a day or two after that?” Flambae asks, almost not believing what he’s hearing. “Forgive me for thinking you’re just a rebound to her.”
“She doesn’t seem like that.” Robert tries to say, not really liking to be associated with that label.
“Also, may I remind you that she’s our boss?” Flambae points out, ignoring what the smaller man just said. “Dating someone who has the power to fire you probably isn’t a good idea. But that might just be me.”
He sees the way the excitement in Robert’s eyes fades away. That one must be hitting him hard, but Chad doesn’t feel bad for giving his opinion on it. It’s something Robert needs to hear, despite looking like he won’t do anything with it.
As if Blazer is marriage material…
Chad tries to push down the pang of jealousy in his gut. Fuck, his dispatcher is in his thirties, old enough to fuck up on his own, including sticking it in his boss. The mere thought has Chad glare with annoyance.
He hopes Robert doesn’t go crying to him when it goes wrong.
As Chad expected, it didn’t even last a month.
Apparently, Blazer started to feel unsatisfied at some point, saying she only likes Robert as a friend, or some bullshit excuse like that. She brought it up during a dinner date, and it came out of complete nowhere.
And guess how he knows?
“We just had a nice time, I guess…” Robert says with a sad frown, finishing the rather long and unnecessarily detailed story he had been going on about for the past fifteen minutes. He’s sitting on the bench, watching Chad do some quick push-ups, having not done that much since entering the gym.
It’s not like Robert has the energy for that anyway. He just needed someone to talk to about what has been going on, to get that heartbreak off his chest.
Chad however, isn’t surprised in the slightest. He saw this coming from a mile away, that Blazer would get tired of his dispatcher after a few weeks. Even when Robert gave her everything she asked for. Even when he did everything right; paying attention to her, comforting her, giving her affection, being there for her, and whatever the fuck that cute little bitch told him during their weekly work-outs.
Things Chad wishes Robert would be giving him instead.
Oh well, Blazer’s fucking loss.
“I know you’re gonna say you told me so…” Robert sighs, glancing away from the other man. “Fine, maybe you were right…”
“I’m always right, Bob-Bob.” Chad responds, staring at his dispatcher with a smirk on his face. Fuck, did he want to say that for a long time. The hero swiftly gets up, his eyes not leaving Robert as he walks over to him, facing down on him. Out of habit, Chad gently pats Robert’s head, getting his attention. “Now, what have we learned today?”
The affection feels rather nice, the kind that makes Robert feel like butterflies are in his stomach. He can’t help but relax into it, secretly longing for more.
“Don’t date someone who has just gotten out of a relationship…” Robert answers, feeling a little ashamed of himself now that he’s saying it out loud. Fuck, how can he be so stupid?
That isn’t the answer Chad expected, but it’s very much right nonetheless.
“I wanted to hear “Don’t date your boss.”, but that’s pretty accurate too.” Chad points out, brushing through his dispatcher’s hair as silent praise. He wonders if Blazer has done this too. “Now, repeat both for me.”
Robert sighs in defeat, already done with those whole topic, but especially with that handsome asshole constantly wanting to hear how was right he was about all of this.
“Don’t date your boss, especially not when she just got out of a relationship…” Robert says anyway, if only to satisfy that dickhead’s ego. It certainly doesn’t make him feel any better…
Finally having the answer he wants, Chad smiles in satisfaction. He stops brushing through his dispatcher’s hair, softly patting his head instead.
“Good boy.”
That comment has Robert blush a little, feeling a pleasant warmth in his chest that melts all his sorrow and misery away. He remembers liking Mandy’s compliments too, but this feels a little different.
“Now, go jump rope or whatever, or I’m leaving you here.” Flambae says rather blunt, cutting the smaller man right out of his thoughts.
Robert is off the bench within seconds, grabbing the nearest jump rope from the ground and gets to work, setting his goal to a hundred instead of fifty.
Leaning against the nearby wall, Chad watches his dispatcher from a far, planning to verbally discipline him if needed. Robert has been sad enough already, so a good work out will distract him a bit. He sure as shit needs it.
Chad sighs to himself. As much as he wants to make his move, to drag Robert into his bedroom and fuck him until Blazer has left his mind entirely, it wouldn’t make him any better than her. It would be so easy too, but Chad isn’t like that. Maybe back when he was a villain, but sure as shit not anymore.
He will wait until Robert is ready.