Hero Flambae, Villain/Vigilante Robert AU
Robert Robertson is an omega, and his dad stuck to his word. If his son is deemed "not capable enough" he'll find a different successor. Robert was nine when he tried to destroy the stupid Mech suit for taking his dad's time away from him. He was fourteen when he turned out to be an omega, a late bloomer. Didn't matter that he was top of his class. Didn't matter that he learned how to code and was actually good at it. Definitely didn't matter that his dad never really bothered trying to train him because he was oh so busy.
It took six months before his dad brought in the eighteen year old named Chad. He was more rugged, more self-confident, more "capable". His dad spotted him when he was doing patrols, the kid was with his dad in an auto shop, so he already knows a bit about machines. He was also a metahuman alpha who has fire powers. A great plus.
All of a sudden what little time he had with his dad was gone even more. Back then Robert can comfort himself with the fact his dad was busy saving the world, but now, now when he does come back, it's to spend his time with his new protégé, who started living with them a year in. Because of course he does.
And he was a good housemate most days, doesn't leave a mess, doesn't invite people over, save for his parents and his sister, which his dad allows because of course he does. He does his chores and goes to school and comes back as soon as he could. Cooks good, too. Like he knows how to do it and make good food. Because of course he does. He's Robert's "capable" replacement after all.
It's hard not to resent the guy. He has everything Robert ever wanted. His dad's attention was all on him. He has a family that already loves him lots with the amount of food they bring that the fridge is stuffed to the brim after every visit. He had metahuman powers so he can fight better even without the suit. And he is such an all around good guy it sickens him. With him around, his dad doesn't even bother being around him for more than ten minutes before taking Chad by his shoulder and going to the garage to teach him about the Mech.
It's also hard to resent him. He actually does his job. He takes his training with his dad seriously, doesn't slack off, either during training or in actually learning to operate the mech. He has been training in the gym most of the time when he doesn't have much to do. He almost doesn't have a social life beyond his family and Robert and his dad. He also still has to deal with Robbie's control over him, which Robert knows he shouldn't be jealous of but damn it his dad cares more about this stranger than him and it hurts so bad.
Chase's visits became a bit more frequent during the time he moved in, and it hurts just a bit more to realize that unlike his dad, Chase doesn't feel comfortable leaving an older alpha he doesn't know living mostly alone with his younger omega brother. Because he's actually responsible thinking and all that. And because he actually cares about what Robert thinks when it came to his replacement living in his house and somehow getting more attention from his dad in a year than Robert ever had. Even then, he started coming around less often, because even Chase, his older brother figure, got charmed by Chad and did start trusting him after a year or so. Didn't help Chase was only four years older than the guy, so it was easier to connect with him.
In their earlier days they ignore each other. Or Robert ignores the guy and he just follows suit. Doesn't help that he must've caught Robert glaring at him from time to time. Robert still gets most of his house and Chad is usually in his room. Then he got comfortable. Chad started getting out of his room more, using the indoor gym, started staying a bit more in the living room even when his family doesn't visit. Then he took over the kitchen, and Robert couldn't help but feel territorial over what little space he felt was his.
He got mad and exploded, cursed him out (as much as he could at sixteen) and it somehow went from "Why the fuck are you in my kitchen? ", to "What did my dad even see in you?!" and Chad, he got mad too. Looks like he can't be perfect forever. Told him he was just doing his best with the opportunity he got. Told him that he was going to be a damn good hero and he won't let some pissy stupid kid with jealousy issues ruin it for him.
It ended with both of them on the floor, tired, both sufficiently bruised, with Chad having been bitten and scratched. Because Chad fights good but Robert fights dirty. Surprisingly, this was the start of their sort of friendship.
Robert didn't hide away in his room as much, started staying in the other rooms even when Chad came in, and vice versa. They started watching TV and played video games and even though they trash talked each other a lot, it was better. The tension was there, but it was looser. Chad even started kind of dragging Robert with him to the garage so he could see how the Mech works, and Robert, as much as he despises that Mech, was intrigued all the same. Robert was slowly getting used to the idea that Chad would be the next Mechaman, and as much as it still hurts him, he was trying to make peace with it. Because Chad was, as much as he hated to admit it, a good guy.
Then his dad died. And Robert's entire world came crashing down. His dad's lawyer came to their house to give the readings of the will. He gave Chad everything. And he means everything. The Mech, yeah, Robert knew it would always be Chad's. But then he found out everything else goes to Chad too. The money from his death will be going to Chad, his house goes to Chad, his savings are going to Chad, everything goes to Chad. There wasn't even anything in his dad's will that would go to Robert besides his mother's savings that his dad never touched, and it was meager in comparison. The reason? It was money he got from being Mechaman, it should go to the next Mechaman.
This was his last straw.
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Chad, still shocked by what was put in his name, didn't stop Robert when he ran straight to his room. Because how else was a he supposed to react to this final fuck you from his dad. He planned the whole night to think of ways he could talk to him about this. He'd transfer everything to Robert, of course he would. But how would he deal with the fact his dad royally screwed him over for Chad?
But it didn't matter. Chad woke up alone in that house. The kid was gone. And he took the whole Mech with him.
It was easy to catch up to the kid, but it wasn't necessarily a good thing. He was destroying a mall. An old mall, empty as it was still too fucking early, true, but the Mech was a weapon of destruction and it was only a matter of time before he does something stupid. So Chad had to go stop him.
They fought, Chad thought he'd just need to get close enough to give the command sequence, but the little shit was clever enough to change the damn password. So he needed to overwhelm him. Just enough. Fuck he was regretting teaching him how to operate the Mech.
The fight ended with Chad having his two fingers cut off, managing to get Robert out of the damn suit (kid was crying, because of course he was), and, unfortunately, it caused too big a scene and the police came and took him in. Didn't help that Robert confessed to it, that stupid guilty little bitch. He wouldn't accept any visitors. Even with Chad trying to let him off the hook, Robert wouldn't take the out, he pleaded guilty and the court ran with it.
Despite being a first time offender, despite being a minor, he was still sent to prison for stealing the recently dead Mechaman's Mech and destroying the whole damn mall.
When he was eventually released, he dodged both Chase and Chad. He was a slippery fuck. They thought they'd be able to hunt him down soon enough. They never did, because as it turns out, he learned about a lot of things in prison. Still, they held out hope. Chad never thought he'd start dealing with him as a villain though.
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This is how their rivalry started in this AU😃
Was gonna just let Robert steal the Astral Pulse, but then I thought, hmm, but how will Flambae lose his fingers? So yeah😃
(plot holes? where? 🫣)