Crazy trouble with love part 4
Rodolpho and Carmelita
Series: El Tigre
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Rodolpho smiled while looking at the newspaper and enjoying his morning cup of coffee. "Ah, nothing like a cup of coffee in the morning." but when he took a sip and looked at the paper he did a spit take on the table and saw an article showing his son and father grinning while running from the police with their arms filled with stolen loot. "Ugh, not again! When will they learn?!" He shouted angrily as he set his cup of coffee down.
That's when Manny came out and grabbed some toast. "Morning dad."
"Manny, stop right there!" He shouted angrily. He walked over while holding the paper out. "Care to explain to me what this is about?"
"Um uh, they wouldn't give grandpa his money back, so he had me help him get it back." He said nervously.
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well then you wouldn't mind showing me where you put this just to be sure none of it is out of place."
"I'm uh, I uh… misplaced it on the bus ride home?" he tried smiling nervously while his dad had his arms crossed. He tried opening his mouth to try something else, but Puma came walking out of his room while looking at a priceless jeweled necklace.
"Yes, very nice, good cut, quality color, yes, this will fetch a good price."
"Papi!"
Puma jumped and saw Rodolpho before quickly tossing the necklace away and smiled. "Oh, uh hello Rodolpho, I no see you there."
"Papi, what's that you were just holding?"
"What? I was not holding nothing. I think you just seeing things." laughed Puma nervously while grabbing an apple with one of his sombreros arms.
"Papi, I told you no more villainy! And now you're dragging Manny into it again?!" Rodolpho frowned. "That's it. Manny, give me your belt right now, I'm grounding you from using it for a month."
"What!? That's unfair!" He said in annoyance as he began to take off his belt. "Come on dad, it wasn't even that much."
"It's not about how much you stole, stealing is wrong and worse of all, you lied to me Manny." he took the belt and sighed. "Maybe a month without powers will make you realize that you should really understand how much all this rule breaking can lead you."
"Aw come on, isn't there any other way?" Manny begged as he looked at the belt his father held.
"No, I'm sticking with my decision."
"That not what you say before." muttered Papi while eating the apple.
"Shut up! That was a long time ago!" snapped Rodolpho before stamping out of the room.
"Grandpapi, what are you talking about and why did he act like that?" Manny asked in confusion.
"Simple Manny, your father use to be just like you in a way." he smiled while sitting on the couch.
"What? No way." he waved off. "Seeing dad be like me is like seeing Frida act like...her sisters." he shuddered at the thought.
"Well nino, believe it or not he truly did act like you, up until high school when he met...her."
"Her?" he looked confused. "Wait, you mean when he met mom right?"
Grandpapi shook his head and said. "No, before her there was another, a woman he loved with his entire heart, before they had to part ways."
Manny looked confused before going wide eyed. "Wait, you mean Voltura?!"
"Yes, her, she and your father loved each other very dearly, until the day IT happened." he frowned as the screen glossed over and showed the town's high school in the past with various familiar faces walking around. Everything was peaceful until the front of a bank exploded and two figures ran out of it carrying sacks of money.
"Ha! That was easier than the last one!" A teenager in a white suit and mask with black pants and shoes laughed as he ran.
"Si, their security stinks!" laughed the other one who was a girl with long black hair wearing a black jacket with high heeled boots with a green skirt as they jumped into a nearby red car before the male hit the gas and they zoomed down the street.
"Man, another night another score, this is the life!" The male said with a grin as he sped down the street.
"You said it, and we made double from our last hit." Smirked the girl holding the bills up.
"Yeah, what should we spend it on this time?" He asked with a grin as the car smashed through a police barricade.
"Hmm, well there is that new leather jacket I've had my eye on, this one is starting to get too tight."
"Which is just the way I like it." he chuckled while swerving past a police cruiser.
"Oh you flirt, stop it." She giggled with a small blush. "Blockade!" She shouted as she pointed at the heavily fortified wall of police cars.
The male turned the wheel as hard as he could, but it caused the car to fall on it's side and skid down before bumping into the cars before stopping as the two inside groaned while the police outside rushed to get the door opened.
"Hands where we can see them or we'll fill you both with lead!"
The girl and boy groaned while getting out of the car and held their hands up before the police started cuffing them before leading them into one of the cars.
"You two are going away for a long time." The officer said before pushing them into the car.
"That's what he thinks." whispered the boy with a wink while the girl snickered as the car drove them to the prison.
They were put in one of the usual cells and sat down on the bench while the boy leaned back and started counting down in his head.
'Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero.' He thought with a grin as two men in suits walked into the police station.
"Excuse us, we're here to take Rodolpho Rivera and Carmelita Aves back home." spoke one of them while the other one put a form down in front of the officer. "The court has issue them release for their crimes."
"What? How, the case hasn't even reached the courthouse yet!"
"Look sir, you're free to complain, but if you have a problem with this, you're free to take it up with the jury and see what kind of punishment they'll deliver to a police officer who failed to heed their already stated decision."
The officer thought it over for a second before sighing and saying ""Fine, take them, but next time they will go to jail!"
"That all depends on the court." replied one as the officer unlocked the cell door with the two teens walking out with smirks.
"See you next time officer." The boy said with a grin.
"Keep our cell nice and warm for us." The girl giggled as she winked at the officer.
His face turned red from anger as they left and stamped on the ground. "Oooh! I hate when they do that!"
Once they were outside the station the men turned towards them and said. "Ok, we got you free, now pay up."
"Sure thing." Rodolpho reached into his pocket and handed them a wad of bills. "Keep the change."
"OK, though we gotta warn you, we won't be able to do this again, next time you get caught you're on your own." One of them said as he put the bills in his coat pocket.
"Yeah yeah yeah, come on Rodolpho, let's get back to your place." She said as she grabbed his arm and began to drag him away.
"Why my place?"
"Because my mom will be home early and the last thing I need is her trying to slip a bomb in your portion of dinner."
"Yeah, I like my food spicy, but not that spicy." He chuckled as they began to get closer to his house. "Oh wait! I forgot something."
"What is it?" She asked him curiously.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring case before opening it to her to show a green engagement ring. "Carmelita, I know this might sound weird coming from me, but would you like to….I don't know...go steady?"
"Y-yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" She squealed happily before glomping him.
"Woah!" he stumbled back while managing to keep standing as she got off and took the ring before sliding it on her finger. "How's it fit? I didn't check and just took a guess on your size."
"It fits perfect, just perfect dear." She said with a smile. She held his cheeks and leaned in before pressing their lips together.
'Nothing could ruin this moment.' He thought with a smile.
After kissing for a while they headed on to his house and took the elevator up to the top floor of the condo his dad owned. "Here we are babe, what do you wanna do now?"
"Let's tell your dad the good news." She said with a smile as he nodded with a grin as he led her towards his father's room."
He gave a knock on it. "Papi! Me and Carmelita are home!"
"Ah, welcome home nino, come in, come in!"
They walked in where a short man with brown hair and the golden sombrero was busy looking through a lens while holding a diamond under it.
"Papi, we have something to tell you."
"If you wanting to thank me again for the lawyers it no problem."
"Well, that's part of it, but there's something else."
Grandpapi looked over and saw the ring on Carmelita's hand before smiling. "You asked her?"
"Yes Papi, I did, and she said yes!"
"That wonderful news!" he cheered before hugging her. "You practically new daughter-in-law now! Welcome to the family!"
"Thank you Papi!" She said with a smile as she hugged him back.
"This call for a celebration. Tonight, I break out the best wine." smiled the man as he walked past them and to the kitchen.
"Alright! Lets party!" Carmelita said with a grin.
(Later)
The group of villains had partied late into the night before they went to bed, but not before Papi had given Rodolpho an old book.
"Before I forget, this is something you must see." He said as he opened the book and showed him a page that contained a picture of a man who looked like Rodolpho.
"Who's that?"
"This is one of your ancestors, Justice Jaguar. Believe it or not, he was a hero of the Rivera family, and my father."
"What? A hero?" He asked in confusion.
"Yes, and he not the only one, you see these boots?" he asked pointing at them. "Those use to belong to his own grandfather, Golden Leon."
"These are the boots of heros? Why didn't you tell me before Papi?"
"Eh, it no big deal." he shrugged. "I figured our ancestors would punish me if I no tell you. If you want I can show you the boots themselves, they just gathering dust in the closet."
"Sure, why not, mine are getting kind of worn out." He said as his father led him to the closet. When it opened his dad pulled the box out and blew some dust off before opening it, and he saw the boots give off a radiate shine while looking clean and new. "Papi...can I try them on?" He asked him curiously.
"I don't see why not." He said as he picked up the boots and handed them to his son.
Rodolpho sat on the bed and slipped them on while they went on just right and he was stunned while feeling a surge of power go through his body. "T-This feels amazing! I feel so powerful!" He said in amazement.
"Well of course, they didn't help those two fight crime without them. But in my opinion nothing beats a good mech suit, those at least can have cup holders." He chuckled before turning around and leaving the room.
Rodolpho stood up and tried walking with the boots and made a fist before punching it against the wall, causing a hole to break open. "Time to take these puppies for a test drive!" he chuckled before jumping out of the hole. He fell down the side of the building and crashed onto the ground with the boots absorbing the impact before he started running and found himself zooming down the street with super speed. "This is amazing! With these shoes I can do anything!"
But when he was running by an alley he heard a woman's scream. "Whats going on?" He said as he stopped running and looked down the alley to see two men mugging a woman.
"No stop!"
"Give us the money or this is gonna turn rough." warned one guy while brandishing a knife.
"Yeah, it would be a shame to cut up your pretty face." Said the other thug who was holding a machete.
"Someone help!"
Rodolpho saw the blades and was about to just move on, but froze up as he looked between them and the boots. 'With these it wouldn't take long, but why should I worry? It has nothing to do with me.'
"Please, anyone, help!" She called out as the thugs began to get closer to her.
'These were used by my family to fight crime, but that's not me!' he gripped his hands. 'I'm the one wearing them, meaning I should be the one who uses them however way I want!'
Suddenly the woman saw him staring and screamed. "Please, you there, please, help me! Save me!"
He looked up while the men turned and frowned.
"Hey buddy, you better move along if you know what's good for you."
"Get involved, and we'll mess you up."
"Just turn around and walk away, don't be a hero." the thug said before turning back to the woman. "And now it's time to punish you for trying to get out of this."
The woman looked at them close to tears and with fear while Rodolpho felt a part of him snap.
"Leave her alone!" he yelled out before running at them and swung his leg, kicking one of the thugs into the wall, knocking him out in one go.
"Hey, what did I just sa-" The other thug started before he was punched in the stomach and kicked out of the alley by Rodolpho.
The woman was stunned as Rodolpho stood in front of her.
"Take this chance and get away with your friend, or I'll make sure you spend the next three months in the hospital." He threatened as the thug quickly nodded his head as he grabbed his friend and ran. He glanced at the woman. "You alright?"
"Y-yes, thank you, what's your name hero?" She asked him curiously.
"I'm not a hero." he replied before walking away. "Just someone who was nearby."
"If you weren't a hero you would have kept walking."
He didn't turn to her as he walked out of the alley, but that did hit him deep and made him stare at the ground while pondering just WHY he did that.
'Why did I save her, I got nothing out of it yet I still did it, and I kind of enjoyed it! What is going on?' he looked at the boots and frowned. 'Are these things cursed? Cause there's no way I would have done that without getting at least some cash from it.'
Suddenly he stopped and thought. 'What if this is my calling, I'm not good at getting away with robbing banks, I always get caught, but I'm good at this.' he rubbed his chin. 'Meh, I'll worry about this in the morning.'
(Later)
"You did what?!" cried Puma in shock at the table.
"I saved a woman from being mugged." He said, glad Carmelita had already gone home.
"Wait a sec, did you use the boots?" He asked his son sternly as he slowly nodded his head. "Ay dios mio, at least tell me you used them to cause a traffic jam late at night."
"No Papi, I just went home after that, I didn't even jaywalk!"
He sighed while putting the paper aside. "Look son, don't let this get to you. If you going to use the boots, it up to you how you use them, but remember, doing whatever you want is much easier and fun."
"I know Papi, but I can't help but feel...bored being evil, you know?"
"Bored? How can you be bored?"
"What's the point in just taking anything you want whenever you want? Where's the challenge, it's too easy, and honestly it always ends the same way, I get caught, I get bailed out of jail and a couple of days later I do the same thing with the same results!" he stood up with a frown. "And saving someone without something in return….it felt good, it felt good to help someone without getting something."
"But nino, if you go down this path we would be enemies, and what about your new girlfriend? I see the fire in her eyes, she will not give up the life she has chosen, are you prepared to have her as an enemy?"
His eyes widened while he looked down. "I don't know papi, but…maybe I can talk to her, get her to see that maybe being a villain is too dangerous."
Puma sighed. "If you want, but it not going to be easy."
"I know, but I have to try, I just have to." He said as he got up and began to walk toward the door.
'I have a bad feeling about this.' He thought as he watched his son leave the house.
(Later)
We see Carmelita browsing through a shop covered in different types of weapons ranging from swords to high tech lasers. 'Hmm, should I go with a pair of sharp swiss knives or suit myself up with some blasters?'
"Carmelita, are you in here?" Rodolpho called as he entered the store.
"Hey Rodolpho." she smiled while pecking him on the cheek. "What brings you here? Hoping to get some new brass knuckles?"
"No, nothing like that...we need to talk." He said nervously.
"What?" she looked at him confused. "About what?"
"Carmelita...I...I'm getting out of villainy and I'm going to be...a hero."
She looked at him silently for a few seconds before snickering and covered her mouth.
'Not the reaction I was expecting.' He thought as he watched her continue to snicker before calming down.
"Good one Rodolpho, you always know how to make me laugh."
"Carmelita, I'm serious, I'm going good, and I would like you to join me." He said as he looked her right in the eyes.
She crossed her arms and frowned. "Rodolpho I'm not laughing anymore, you can drop the joke."
"I told you, I'm not joking, I don't want to commit crimes anymore, and I don't want to fight you so please, become a hero with me."
She dropped her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Rodolpho, we both know my mother is a villain, and being one has always been my dream. You're the one who asked me to go steady with you, and now you want me to just change who I am?"
"N-no my love, I just don't want to have to fight you one day, please, I know I'm asking a lot, but please become a hero with me my love!" He begged to her as he got on his knees.
"Rodolpho…..I can't. Being a hero, and doing good, is not in my blood." She said sadly as she turned away from him.
"Please, I can't bear to have to fight you Carmelita!"
"Me neither." she replied as she walked away from him and out the store.
"That was the day my son lost his first love and how he became a hero." Grandpapi said to Manny as the flashback faded away.
"Woah, that's….wow." He said in amazement as he stared at Grandpapi.
"Si, that's what I said too. But if Rodolpho wanted to be a hero, it was his choice since he was old enough to graduate. And ever since then, it's been how it is."
"Wow, I can't help but feel bad for dad." Manny said as he got up.
"Yes, and I hope the same thing doesn't happen to you Nino."
But while they had been talking, Rodolpho had gone to sitting in a chair on the room to just look out over the horizon.
'I hope Manny takes my decision to heart. And I hope he doesn't have to go through the choice I did.' He thought sadly, unaware of the figure watching him from a rooftop.
Voltura's eyes narrowed while pulling something from her pocket and extended her wings before flying down and landing a few feet behind him. "White Pantera."
"Voltura?" He asked in disbelief as he got up and turned around. "What are you doing here?"
"I was passing by and thought I'd come by. Don't worry, I'm not here for your head, just wanted to give you back something I found from one of my old boxes."She said as she lightly threw him something.
He caught it and saw that it was the green ring he had given her when they started dating. Seeing it made his heart squeeze in pain while she turned her back to him. "You kept this?"
"Of course, it was my shade of green." she remarked without looking at him while looking at the ground. "And it was beautiful, you really knew how to get a girl the best gifts."
"No, I just knew what to get to make you happy." He said with a sad smile as he remembered the past. "To be honest, I figured after we broke up you would have tried pawning it off just to spite me."
"No, we robbed all the pawn shops, remember, none of they would buy or sell anything to us." She said with a small smile.
"Good point." he chuckled. "I still remember that one guy whose arm you broke when he tried asking you if you wanted a fun time. He wouldn't stop crying even after we were taken away."
"Yeah, back then my heart and bodied belonged to one man alone, no one else could have it." she admitted while turning to look at him over her shoulder. "So, how are things with you and Maria?"
"We...got divorced, she didn't face that I could get hurt being a hero." He said with a frown. "How are you and Miguel doing?"
"He died years ago, a little bit after my daughter was born."
"Ah, you have my condolences, so how is your daughter, I heard she and Manny go to the same school."
"Let's just keep her name on the down low. She goes by Black Cuervo, but I'm not saying anything more than that."
"I'll try to avoid her when I'm on my patrol around the city."
"Rodolpho, be honest with me. Do you ever….miss what happened?" She asked slowly and curiously.
He sighed and said. "Yes, every day I miss what we had together."
"Then why do you still be a hero? What good is there to help others?" She asked him with a frown.
"Because it is good to help others, and what about Manny? If I became a criminal and got sent to jail I wouldn't be able to see him again!" he frowned. "And what about you? If you get taken away who will look after your daughter?"
She frowned and said. "Bah, I won't get caught, and even if I did I have a good lawyers, I won't ever go to jail."
He shook his head. "Fine, you can believe that if you want, but I'm still going to uphold the law in this city."
"An I will continue to break it, just like we used to in high school."
He saw her turn around and frowned before walking over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Wait."
"What is it now?" She asked in annoyance as she turned around. She felt his hand hold hers and saw him move closer with their faces inches apart. "W-What are you-" she was cut off as he leaned in and pressed their lips together.
They stayed like that for a few seconds before he pulled back, leaving her blushing red. "I wanted to give you something to think about on the way home."
"Y-you flirt! I'll get you back for this!" She said with a blush before flying away. That's when she felt something in her hand and opened it to see the ring resting on it. 'That sneaky little flirt. I'll remember this.' but while thinking that she smiled and headed back home.