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Chase wasn’t a fool. He had known Robert since he was a little kid. When he was serious about someone, he committed. Chase was never sure about him and Wetbabybitch boy, but after seeing him being happy, he knew Robert was doomed.
Chase tracked down the strays of the Z-Team, Invisigal, Golem, and Sonar in the break room. “Hey, losers, let me in on that pool. Don’t deny it, I know it exists.”
Sonar shrugged.
“What’s your bet, Einstein?” Invisigal asked.
“Those lovesick motherfuckers get married and have a bunch of kids,”
Sonar mentioned, looking up from his coffee. “That’s the second time someone bet they get married.”
Chase rolled his eyes. “Yeah, cuz I have eyes and not a fucking idiot,”
Sonar asked. “How many kids? Need to be more specific,”
“Three at least,”
Golem asked. “Damn, you think Robert is gonna have a litter? Can humans have that many babies?”
Seeing the pile of mud sidetracking, Chase said firmly. “Look, fuckers, am I in or not?”
Invisigal challenged. “How much are you willing to lose?”
“100 bucks,”
“You’re in.” They all said at the same time.
SDN developed a program that reaches out to schools and orphanages to educate them about heroism and the services that SDN provides to the city. They call it ‘The Super Heroes for Children’ program. They claimed it was educational, but it was more of a PR move than anything. A small group of children would be selected and taken on a tour around the office, where they would learn about dispatching and even meet a real superhero.
A field trip was scheduled for today at the Torrance branch. There was a two-week notice to all the dispatchers and heroes; the children would have an educational experience.
Too bad for Robert, Blonde Blazer was being called for an emergency meeting at the main branch.
“Please, Robert, this one time!” Blonde Blazer pleaded, crowding at Robert’s desk.
“No,” Robert said without much thought, coffee mug still in hand.
“C’mon, what could go wrong?”
“A lot of things, actually,” Robert turned his chair to her and explained. “I manage a team of superheroes, what do I know about running a kid’s program?”
Chase chimed in from his cubicle. “The Z-Team is basically a bunch of babies anyway. You’ll do just fine,”
“You just don’t want to take the job,” Robert said.
“I am a fossil, you little shit. I could keel over any minute, and they know it! They can smell fear.”
“It’s just for a few hours. And Brainbook is going to take over for half of the program.” Blonde Blazer begged.
Robert asked. “My team will be flying blind for hours. Who’ll handle them?”
She smirked. “Chase will cover them.”
Chase shot up from his chair upon mentioning his name. “Hey, what the fu–”
Blonde Blazer interrupted before he could blow a gasket. “You’ll get extra pay, and I’ll take it as a personal favor,”
A favor from Blazer sounds appealing, but the extra pay couldn’t hurt. Robert needed a new bed anyway, something waterproof, and those aren’t cheap.
“Fine,” Robert begrudgingly agreed.
“Fine, but I’m asking for more vacation days,” Chase grumbled.
“Thank you, both of you! They’ll arrive at 10, I’ll give them a pep talk before I go.” But before she left, she gave Robert a pointed look. “Please, don’t traumatize them, and no swearing.”
As Blonde Blazer left, he groaned before taking a long sip of his coffee. It’ll be an interesting day.
As scheduled, A small bus of children arrived at the SDN office at 10 am. There were children of all shapes and sizes, most of them were human except for three or four Sentient Constants and Hybrids.
At the lobby, Robert waited for Blazer to finish her welcome speech and answer the kids’ questions. All of them fawned over her, which wasn’t a surprise since she was the Blonde Blazer, one of the greatest heroes in LA.
Robert’s gaze shifted toward a child at the back of the crowd with a soggy dress and hair. Her eyes were red, and her lips trembled, as if holding in a sob.
“Please, welcome one of our top dispatchers.” Blonde Blazer called him over. By the time he looked again at the crowd, the child was gone. Odd.
Robert stepped forward, clearing his throat. “My name is Robert Roberson the Third–”
The children giggled, and Robert felt a wave of nostalgia. It reminded him of his first day as a dispatcher.
“Settle down, children. Mr Robertson here will take over until Miss Brainbook arrives, okay?” Blonde Blazer said.
“Aw, please stay, Miss Blazer!” One of the kids groaned.
“Don’t go!”
After more apologies and the promise to get a picture with them, they allowed her to leave.
“Good luck, conference room 4 is already set up.” Blonde Blazer said and handed him a clipboard with the itinerary before flying off.
As the children waved goodbye, Robert flipped through the schedule and saw he had an hour and a half before Brainbook came to take over the field trip. Until then, he had to lecture the children about dispatching. He herded the children into the conference room, where a projector and a dozen seats were set up for them. One by one, the kids took their places. Robert noticed one of the seats was empty in the chaos.
Robert cleared his throat. “Alright, kids, what do you know about dispatching?”
None of them spoke.
Robert then resorted to bribery. He pulled out a box of Twinkies and grinned when he saw the children light up. “If anyone can tell me anything about dispatching, they’ll get a Twinkie.”
A few of them raised their hands, eager for a treat, and Robert smiled. They were no different than his team.
An hour and a half passed slowly and agonizingly. Most of the kids were well-behaved, but others were rowdy, sneaking in heckles during his lecture and snickering when a dumb hero name popped up. They were kids, which was expected. And by the time the lecture ended, he was ready to clock out early.
Robert called out, his box of Twinkies empty and his patience wearing thin. “Okay, everyone, are there any questions?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” A child asked.
“I meant about Dispatching, and no, I don't, I have a boyfriend.”
“Ooooh, Mr Robertson has a boyfriiieennd,” The children teased.
Seeing that the children didn’t have any constructive questions, and it was just about time for Brainbook to arrive, he decided to end the session with a headcount. “Alright, gremlins, settle down. I am taking your attendance.”
Robert called out the list of names, and each time he got them wrong, the children would snicker and correct him. By the time he got to the bottom of the list, he was exhausted.
“Antonia Dunn,”
“Present,” A child in the back jumped so they could be seen.
“Jens Vito,”
“Sup,” The Hybrid cat kid raised a hand.
“Pantheras?”
“It’s Pant-heras!”
Robert raised a brow, not hearing the difference at all. “Sorry, Pant-heras,”
“Here!”
One more name.
“Sadie Collens,” When no one piped up, he scanned the crowd and called again. “Is Sadie Collens here?”
“Check the puddles, she’s probably hiding there,” One of the older kids spoke up, and the rest of them snickered.
Kids are so mean.
Before he could scold them, Brainbook strolled into the conference room. The children gawked and cheered when she arrived.
“It’s Brainbook! An Actual superhero!” The children, still seated, were vibrating with chaotic energy.
“Oh, look who it is, kids, it’s one of SDN's greatest heroes, Miss Brainbook!” Robert then whispered to her so they wouldn’t hear him. “Please save me,”
Miss Brainbook smiled. “Alright, everyone, single file. It’s time for the tour of the office. Then, it’s lunch. Now, thank Mr Robertson for his time and patience."
“Thank you, Mr Robertson!” The children chimed together.
As the children tripped over themselves into a straight line, Robert handed Brainbook the itinerary.
“There’s a kid who isn’t accounted for. Sadie Collens,” He said.
“Ah, her,” Her eyes softened behind her glasses. “She’s a special case. Do you mind looking for her?”
Sensing something amiss, Robert said. “Sure, but shouldn’t a professional handle this?”
“My factual approach wasn’t a big help last time, and Sadie needs a gentler touch.” Brainbook fidgeted with glasses. “Superpowered kids need more encouragement, which is a perfect job for a dispatcher.”
That explains it.
“I’ll let you know when I find her,”
Looking for a missing kid in a small building shouldn’t be hard, that's what Robert thought. However, he had no luck when he searched the building and even asked everyone if they had seen a child running rampant. None of them saw anything.
But as Robert was about to sound the alarm, he passed by the bathroom and heard little sobbing.
He stepped into the bathroom, and he heard a little voice sob. “Why are they so mean?”
“P-People can be mean sometimes,” An older voice replied.
Robert peeked into the corner and saw Waterboy kneeling in front of a small child, a towel in hand. It was the same child that Robert saw this morning; her dress was still wet, and her hair damp. Now that he had a good look at her, she had wet auburn hair, brown eyes, and was smaller in stature. He suspected she was around 7 years old.
Waterboy wiped her tears. “They call me Waterboy,”
“Like a real superhero?” She asked, her eyes wide.
“W-Well, I think so or a-at least that’s what Robert says,”
“Who’s Robert?”
“H-He’s, um, my dispatcher, and Boyfriend.”
“Cool,” She smiled.
“What’s your name?”
“Sadie,”
“Nice to meet you, Sadie,”
Robert stepped into the open, and the pair turned to see him. “There you are, I’ve been looking for you all over the place. Time to head back to your class, kid.”
Sadie didn’t move and stared at him with distrustful eyes.
Waterboy spoke. “S-Sadie, this is Robert, Robertson, um, the third. My–My–dispatcher–boyfrined.”
She remained, but her eyes softened before she waved awkwardly.
Robert asked, noticing her dress and hair were wet. “Why are you all wet?”
“Um,” She thought about for a moment. “The others threw water at me,”
Robert kneeled next to Waterboy, making sure the child was unharmed. “That’s not cool of them. Are you alright?”
She muttered. “Y-Yeah, they do this all the time because I can’t control it, my powers.”
“I-I can’t control mine, either.” Waterboy comforted. “I-It’s nothing to be–shy–ashamed about.”
Sadie looked up with her brown eyes and cracked a smile.
“What are your powers?” Robert asked.
She shifted a little, checking around the bathroom until she saw a puddle next to them. “I can do this,”
She stepped into the small puddle, and her entire body became transparent before dropping into the water, merging with it.
“Holy fu-fugde!” Robert panicked, rising to his feet and checking the puddle.
“I am okay!” The puddle gurgled, and the water rose back into the shape of a girl and back into a corporeal form. “When I get nervous, I…merge with things. Sometimes, it’s hard to get out.”
“Is that why they threw water at you?”
Sadie wrings the hem of her damp dress, tears brimming from her eyes. “It’s better today. I’m glad it’s just water. I love the water. It’s easier to merge with. It’s calm, flowy,”
Robert said, looking into her eyes. “They’re still being jerks, kid, no matter how better today is,”
Somehow, that was the wrong thing to say because Sadie started to sob.
“I-I like the water too, sometimes.” Waterboy changed the subject, catching Sadie’s attention. “C-Can you merge with anything else?”
“Um, sand, dirt, nature stuff, really. But if I get really scared, I melt into solid walls,”
“That’s so–cool–awesome, all I can do is this,” Waterboy shot a stream of water out of his mouth and straight into one of the bathroom mirrors. Incidentally, they weren’t the strongest glass, and they cracked upon contact.
Waterboy shot up, looking at the cracked mirror. “Oh no! I-I didn’t mean–my paycheck can’t–I’ll clean it up,”
The child laughed, and Waterboy stopped before slowly joining in. Robert watched Herman and Sadie laugh together, and something inside him stirred.
Robert’s phone chimed, and he checked it. The text was from Brainbook, telling him the kids had headed out to lunch. “C’mon, you two, it’s lunch time. If we hurry, you can catch up to others in your class.”
Sadie pouted, clinging to Waterboy’s leg. “Can I stay with you?”
Robert stared at her big eyes and then looked at Herman’s pleading face. It was a losing game with these double puppy dog eyes. He sighed. “Just until Miss Brainbook comes back with the rest of the kids. Then, you’ll get back with the others, okay?”
“Yeay!” She cheered, reaching her hands up to Herman.
Waterboy scooped up the child, making sure she had a big towel wrapped around her body to keep her dry. As they left the bathroom, some eyes kept following them. Other dispatchers and heroes would murmur seeing Robert, Waterboy, and a child. There were rumors about them being together, and the Z-Team’s open teasing was only fanning the flames. Now, seeing the family of three, the gossip mill would be running for weeks.
It was all fine and good until they crossed the bullpen and found members of the Z-Team, Sonar, Prism, and Chase staring at them. Sadie instinctively buried her head into Waterboy’s neck, shying away from the strangers approaching.
“Fuck, you two move fast,” Prism said. “Did someone bet they’d have kids together?”
Sonar pulled out his spreadsheet from his phone. “Yes, but it’s ‘Married and then have kids’. So, it doesn’t count.”
“Couldn’t you have at least had the balls to propose first before you multiplied? I could have been ten times richer now,” Chase grumbled.
Robert scowled. “You’re in on this, too? I thought you didn’t like the Z-Team.”
“I still don’t, but I love money and being right,”
Robert pinched the bridge of his nose, his migraine slowly coming back. “You know what, all of you can go fu–"
“R-Robert!” Waterboy gasped, eyes shifting towards the innocent, impressionable bundle in his arms.
Robert held in the curse and said. “Fu–Fall into a hole,”
“Wicked burn, Papa Rob,” Prism snickered.
“I am hungry,” Little Sadie murmured, catching their attention.
Robert shifted towards her and asked with a gentle smile. “Do you like Twinkies?”
As Sadie’s face lit up, Waterboy interjected with his suggestion. “I-I think there is a nice kid’s meal down the street. A lot h-healthier,”
Sadie pouted, giving both him and Robert the biggest puppy dog eyes she could.
“Don’t worry, after you eat your greens, you get a Twinkie,” Robert reassured.
“Promise?”
“Promise,”
“That’s what a good dad looks like,” Sonar said to Prism, and she flipped him off.
“Alright, team, don’t scare the kid, make way,”
Robert doesn’t miss the camera flashes from Prism’s phone as they leave. Yeah, the team will never let this go.
They reached the safety and privacy of the break room and took their seats. Waterboy placed a stack of books under Sadie to boost her seat so she could reach the table.
Waterboy said. “I’ll be back.”
“Triple Crunch Tacos with a side of fries for me, big guy,”
Waterboy nodded, but as he was about to leave, Robert reached up for a quick kiss.
“Ewww,” Sadie groaned.
“I am allowed to kiss my boyfriend, you little twerp,” Robert snorted.
While they waited for Waterboy to come back, Robert scooted over to Sadie, trying to dry her hair with a towel, but it remained wet no matter how many times he patted her. He couldn’t help but smile.
“Sorry,” She muttered.
“It’s no trouble, kid. I have a lot of practice,” Robert reassured, smudging the towel playfully on her face when she was about to cry.
“Hey!” She giggled.
“Kids shouldn’t frown so much or it’ll get stuck like that,”
“That’s not true!” She shrieked when Robert tried to do it again.
“I know a few people with frozen crybaby face.”
Robert kept doing it until Sadie swatted him away, laughing, like a child should be. Unlike him at her age. A child shouldn’t be miserable.
“Oh, shit, did you get pregnant when I wasn’t looking?” A voice said.
Sadie jumped, seeing Invisigal materialize behind them. Robert, being used to it by now, just sighed.
“Yes, wish they had given me maternity leave,” Robert answered sarcastically.
Invisigal looked at the wide-eyed child with messy, wet brown hair drooping down her face and said. “Your genes didn’t even stand a chance, dude.”
“Don’t start,” Robert muttered.
Now she mentioned it, Sadie and Herman do share a resemblance. There was a fleeting thought about what their children would look like…
Robert shook his head, ears and cheeks going red, and Invisigal smirked. But before she could tease him, Waterboy walked into the break room with plastic bags of their lunch.
“Three triple crunch t-tacos for you, a burrito and salad for m-me,” Waterboy placed the food in front of them and waved another plastic bag with cute animal prints on them. “And a super kid’s meal for you with a toy,”
“Yeay, thank you, Mr Waterboy!!” Sadie cheered. As Waterboy sat down next to her, she pulled out a handful of French fries from her meal and placed them on Herman's salad. “For you!”
“Thank y-you, Sadie.” He smiled, and Robert almost melted at the wholesome scene.
“You goobs sicken me,” Invisigal said before stealing one of Robert’s tacos and going invisible.
“Is that another superhero?” Sadie asked.
“Yeah, Invisigal, she’s on my team,” Robert answered.
“She’s mean,”
Both he and Waterboy snorted. “Yeah, kid, she is, but she’s one of the good guys,”
Sadie, though a little confused, went back to eating her lunch. While they ate, Waterboy would occasionally wipe her mouth with a towel wherever she had ketchup on her face. It was domestic, blissful. Since he took care of his grandmother, he knew Herman was a good caretaker, but it was different with a child. Herman was playful, gentler, and making a fool out of himself to make her feel better. Robert’s mind wandered, imagining Herman with their future children.
Fuck.
Robert nearly choked on his food.
“Finished!” She announced, showing her clean plate. “Twinkie time?”
“Alright, gremlin, let me introduce you to the wonderful vending machine!” Robert stood and gestured at the machine behind him.
Waterboy scooped up Sadie, and they made their way to the vending machine. She gawked at the various snacks, almost pressing her face into the glass.
“You give the machine money, and it eats it.” Robert inserted a five-dollar bill into the machine while Sadie studied it with baited breath. “Now, press this number.”
Still being carried by Waterboy, she leaned forward and struggled when her little fingers could barely push the button. When she finally pressed it, the machine whirred. They watched the metal coil push the Twinkie out, and Sadie cheered when it fell from the machine. Waterboy barely had time to put her down when she jumped from his grip and reached her hands into the vending machine. Robert had to laugh when her little arms could barely touch it.
“You almost got it, kid,” Robert said.
“I got it!” She giggled, pulling out the Twinkie. She hapjazardly ripped the packaging and bit into the snack, and they watched as her whole world changed.
Robert laughed. “Good?”
Sadie hummed as she took another bite until there was only one bar left. She then looked at the remaining Twinkie, thought about it for a minute, and broke it in half. Her tiny hands held out the two pieces to Robert and Herman.
“That’s for you, kiddo. Don’t worry about us,”
“No, share.” She pleaded.
Both of them looked at each other and then at her. Herman was the first to reach for half of the Twinkie. “Thank you, Sadie, you’re a g-good kid,”
She stared at them until they both ate their Twinkie and smiled.
The sweet moment was interrupted when Robert’s phone rang again, and he grimaced at Brainbook’s text. The thought of Sadie going back to those mean kids made his stomach turn.
“C’mon, twerp, time to go,” Robert said gently.
“Noooo,” She whimpered, clutching onto Waterboy’s leg and hiding behind it.
“Hey, your mommy and daddy are probably worried about you. So, let’s get you back to your class.”
Her big eyes watered. “I don’t have a mommy and daddy,”
The silence in the break room was tense. Sadie was an orphan, a sweet child like her. Herman swallowed, unable to resist, and scooped her into his arms again.
“Do you have other, other relatives?” Herman asked.
“It’s just me, for a while. Other kids with me don’t have parents either. It’s okay, though.”
It was not. A little girl shouldn’t be alone at a young age; she was a lot younger than Robert when he lost his father.
“I lost my parents too; I just have my grandma now,” Herman said, and Sadie leaned into his shoulder, hands clutching at his wetsuit. Her eyes started to go red, as if she were holding her tears.
“I lost mine too. You know, it’s okay to feel sad about it, right?” Robert said.
“It’s stupid, they’re gone, I don’t wanna feel sad,” She whimpered.
“It’s better to cry–feel sad–than to hold it in. It shows h-how much you miss them–loved them,” Herman said.
Then, she sobbed; her tears finally broke through. It broke their heart to see a precious soul cry this much. She sobbed. “W-when will it stop? It hurts,”
“It’ll get dark for a while, kid, and it’ll hurt from time to time.” Robert brushed the wet hair away from her face. “But one day, you’ll meet people who’ll pull you out of the dark and heal all that hurt. They might not be the family you had, but they’re the family you’ll choose, and they’re just as precious.”
Robert spoke from experience. Before the Z-Team, he was in the dark for so long. His life was a lot brighter with his team and Herman.
Sadie sobbed. “I’m scared, what if they don’t like me? My powers are…”
Waterboy hugged her tighter. “It’s scary–but–if you open your heart–yourself, then people’ll see you, for who you are, past your doubt–your insecurities. They’ll welcome you with open arms.”
Robert thought about all the hardships Herman had and how the Z-Team warmed to him when he opened up. Herman had come a long way since then.
Sadie looked unsure but chose to show a brave face.
“Will I see you again?” She whispered, hugging Herman tight.
“I’m sure we will, kiddo,” Robert reassured, wiping away her tears.
“I-If y-you ever get lonely, you can always come by the office!” Waterboy said.
Her lips trembled, her tiny arms pulling at Robert to join their hug. Both of them, shocked, but soon they wrapped their arms around each other, hugging Sadie together. Robert doesn’t miss the way Herman’s googles fogged, water trapped inside them.
How can it be so heartbreaking to say goodbye to a child they just met?
Herman and Robert took Sadie to the SDN lobby, where Brainbook was waiting for them. They caught a glimpse of the other children already outside waiting for their bus.
“Had fun today, Sadie?” Brainbook asked. “She wasn’t too much trouble, was she?”
“She was good–an angel–the whole time,” Herman defended.
“It’s not what I meant–” Brainbook sighed, trying to rephrase herself. It was a strange thing, seeing the smartest and charming hero at SDN fumble when it came to children. “I’m sorry, Sadie. What I meant, I apologize that I wasn’t able to help you, and it caused you two trouble.”
“It’s okay, Miss Brainbook, I had fun with Mr Waterboy and Mr Robertson,” Sadie said.
“And she wasn’t half bad,” Robert ruffled her wet hair, and she playfully swatted at him.
After letting them have a moment, Brainbook offered her hand to Sadie. With encouraging looks from both Herman and Robert, she took it, catching Brainbook off guard. Her smile was bright when she nodded towards them.
“Thank you for taking care of her. You boys are naturals,” Brainbook said. “Want to take over future field trips?”
Robert shook his head quickly. “I don’t know about the other brats, but Sadie is welcome anytime,”
Sadie blushed with a proud smile on her face.
“Take care, Sadie,” Herman said.
“Bye, Mr Waterboy! Bye, Mr Robertson!”
As they walked out of the building hand in hand, Robert swallowed, throat tight. He couldn’t help but worry for Sadie, orphaned younger than Robert was. Without a support system, he doesn’t know where she’ll end up in life.
“D-Do you think she’ll be okay?” Herman asked, mirroring his thoughts.
Robert answered honestly. “Don’t know, big guy, but she’s a strong kid. She’ll manage.”
“I hope she finds someone, p-parents, who love her very much,”
Robert took Herman’s hand, watching Sadie wave goodbye in the distance.
Parents, huh? Maybe, just maybe, one day.
Herman squeezed Robert’s hand in return. They didn't know they were both thinking the same thing.