Chapter Text
Raymond was mad. No, that was an understatement, he was fuming, furious even. Ever since his siblings had shown him up by capturing that kid from across the street—which was short lived anyway—he hadn’t been able to become the “favorite” again no matter what he did, and it was beginning to bug him.
He was the newest model—well, newest next to Mikayla, but she didn’t seem to care about the other siblings’ petty rivalry—he assumed he would get some recognition for that fact, but apparently not. Darrell and Shannon were still always sent out over him. At first he tried to convince himself it was because he was more expensive to build, but that was short-lived as well, considering he hardly ever let those heroes land a single hit on him. No, this was simply due to his father’s finicky temperament; his favorite was whoever came out on top last, and coming out on top was an impossible feat since he couldn’t win if he never fought.
Well, if he wasn’t going to be the favorite, he’d make a name for himself in another way. Problem child, here I come, he thought to himself as he stood up to make his way to the plaza across the street.
“Raymond, where are you going?” Darrell called after him as Raymond passed his doorway.
“Don’t worry about it.” He didn’t slow down a bit, staring straight ahead.
“Did Dad send you to the plaza?” Shannon caught up to him, struggling to keep up with his stride. “‘Cause I didn’t hear the alarm.”
He rolled his eyes. “Does he ever?”
“Seriously, where are you going?” She jumped in front of him, hands on her hips, and Raymond was finally forced to stop. “Tell me or—“ an idea popped into her head, and she smiled deviously “—or I’ll tell dad!”
He matched her expression and crossed his arms. “Fantastic. Tell him, it’ll be a lot less work for me.” With that, he pushed past his sister and out the front doors of Boxmore Industries, leaving her dumbfounded in his wake.
The door flung open with a bang!
“Welcome to Gar’s Bodega,” the pink-haired cashier—Enid, he recalled—greeted him, not looking up from her magazine.
“Uh, Enid? Why’s a Raymond in here?” Enid’s little coworker—K.O.—asked.
“Wha—hey!” She sprung to her feet into a fighting stance. “Why didn’t the alert go off?” she wondered out loud. Before she could make a move, Raymond fired a tennis net at her, effectively rendering her harmless. Enid was far too spunky to go along with what he had planned, without a fight anyway. He looked past her and the kid trying desperately to free her and out into the rest of the stunned patrons.
Everyone stood ready to pounce at any movement, ready to “save the day”. He’d expect nothing less from a bunch of heroes, but he still had a decision to make. Most of them looked like they’d be just as much of a challenge as Enid, all far too determined in their own abilities. Oh well, he might as well cut his losses and—
“What’s all the yelling about?” The blue one—Rad—walked out of the back door, rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up from a nap. “I was trying to do some lifting before my break ended.”
Hmm, Raymond thought. He was a decent fighter, a good dancer, and definitely agreeable if his little affair with Shannon was anything to go by. She complimented him once and he was head-over-heels in love within minutes. This would be so easy.
Raymond sauntered over to him, looking right past the confused stares of the heroes. “You’re coming with me,” he said to him, smiling confidently.
“Wait, what?” What the heck is going on?” Rad protested as Raymond grabbed him by the hand and started to lead him out of the bodega. He struggled to get out of his grasp, and Raymond hoped he wouldn’t remember he could break out of his grasp at any moment. As soon as they left the building, Raymond relaxed his hand and Rad yanked his back.
“Hope you didn’t think capturing me was gonna be that easy,” he boasted, a purple aura beginning to surround his hands.
“Oh, please,” Raymond rolled his eyes. “If I wanted to capture you, you’d already be at Boxmore.”
“Then why’d you drag me out here?”
As if on cue, out walked Lord Boxman, pulled by Darrell and Shannon begging for him to see what Raymond was doing, even if they didn’t know themselves.
“So you dragged me out here and you don’t know why? Great, this is a giant waste of time!” His father’s irritated voice carried over from across the street. Game on.
“Rad—” he paused dramatically, mostly to ensure his father was listening “—I am here to profess my undying love for you!”
The plaza went completely silent. At that moment, Enid and K.O. had run outside to help Rad, but the proclamation had stunned them. Even Rad, who usually always had something to say, was left at a loss for words, his face a mixture of confusion and embarrassment, the hint of a blush on his cheeks. Finally, someone broke the silence.
“WHAT?!” The yell, unsurprisingly, came from his father, who was fuming now at the side of the road alongside his two siblings, who looked on in shock.
“From the first day, I have been enamored with the way you move, the way you talk, the way you are.” He pulled a rose from his hair and forced it into Rad’s hand. The plaza heroes looked on, unsure if they should intervene.
“I—“ Rad began, but Raymond cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips.
“I know, you’re at a loss for words! And who could blame you?” He winked, and finally Rad was pulled out of his confusion.
“Woah woah woah, what are you talking about?” he asked, taking a step back from the robot.
“Just go along with it,” Raymond stage-whispered, his romantic façade breaking for a moment.
“Nuh-Uh! I’m not just gonna ‘go along with it’, are you crazy?” Rad’s voice was getting louder with every word; if this kept up, his father would see right through this ruse.
“I’ll make it worth your while,” he promised, and discreetly pulled out a thousand technos. “And there’s more where that came from.” Rad’s eyes widened and he appeared to be considering his options when Raymond noticed his father marching towards them vehemently; still time for one last act of defiance.
“Fine, I’ll go along with this,” Rad said begrudgingly.
Raymond pulled him in. “Fantastic.” He smirked as he dipped him and planted a kiss on his unsuspecting lips. His eyes closed, for believability, of course, and after a moment, he pulled Rad back up.
“Until we meet again~,” Raymond said, letting his hand linger long enough in Rad’s hand to slip the technos, before turning towards the hurricane he created. He’d get an earful for this at the least, and if he was honest, he terrified to think of what was going to happen. Regardless, he walked nonchalantly towards the factory, right past Lord Boxman, who was so furious he could hardly form a coherent sentence.
Mission accomplished.