#if they will be back i have no idea but honestly crazier things happened in this fandom | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

leilanihours · 18 days

Text

# IMGONNAGETYOUBACK

pairing: paige bueckers x ex-gf/iowa!reader

word count: 4880

warnings: suggestive content, arguing

summary: your "rivalry" with a certain uconn blonde has its speculation, but no one knows what happened behind the scenes

from lani: why is every single thing ive posted based off of a song..anyways..hope yall enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it

AS YOU SLIP into your black jersey, adrenaline courses through your veins. you and your teammates have successfully carried iowa to the final four of march madness. you've all come this far and refuse to break the streak.

but similar to your previous game against lsu, there's a lot of speculation surrounding the tension on the court with uconn. people are going crazy over the paige bueckers and caitlin clark face-off, but they’re going even crazier over your own heated interactions with the blonde.

the internet has decided to constantly pit you two against each other after observing your intense taunting and confrontations in previous years. they believe that it’s merely competitive tendencies but they have no idea where it all actually stems from.

you haven’t always been a hawkeye. for your first two years of college, you were a husky through and through. the public knows this, of course, which adds to the stigma around your name. but after a season-ending injury, you decided you needed a change of pace and environment. it was nothing personal against your teammates, coach, or school in general, you just felt like uconn wasn't where you were supposed to be.

so after you were in the transfer portal, everyone went ballistic. there was a plethora of reactions - some encouraging and supportive, others targeted and calling you a "traitor."

that's what the public is aware of. but they have yet to discover the deeper scars.

"you gonna lock in, y/n?" one of your teammates asks from behind you. turning around, you are met with caitlin, the other hawkeye under extremely close observation tonight.

"i gotchu," you smirk, "what about you? you gonna carry the team again?”

"you already know," she says, mirroring your expression. the two of you have gotten very close over the past couple years, which honestly makes the whole paige situation worse as people make comments like "caitlin and y/n versus paige is crazy" or "ready for this 2v1 game tonight!” they piss all three of you off but really just add to the hype and buildup of the game.

soon enough, your coach is ushering all the girls out of the locker room and onto the court. screams and cheers fill your ears as the crowd observes your entrance. and damn, if your ego wasn't high before, it definitely was now.

the two sides of the arena were filled, one side a sea of navy and white, the other a myriad of gold and black. music blasts from the speakers and makes the walls shake with energy. as you make your way over to the bench, you raise your arms repeatedly to get the crowd going. gaining an immediate reaction, you smile big and put your hand to your ear to play into the praise.

your teammates shake their heads at your antics. they know how competitive you can get. you tend to interact with the crowd and cameras a lot, but no one (especially fans at home) complains.

the crowd before you quiets down for a split second as you focus back onto what your coaches are saying in the huddle. suddenly you hear echoes of booing and other taunts as everyone turns around to see the uconn girls run out excitedly. the last one to come out is none other than paige bueckers, blonde hair in her signature braids and ponytail immediately catching your eye.

part of the reason people always compare you to her is because of how similar you are. your game style, skill set, and energy has always resembled the husky's, but you never understood it until she does the exact same hand motions you did but to the uconn supporters.

as she turns away from the crowd, her eyes dart around to find yours, doing so in a matter of seconds. her icy blue eyes sending a chill down your spine and she hold intense contact. fuck. she knows exactly what she's doing.

you can tell from the few seconds your eyes are glued to hers that she still wants you. you just know. there's too much emotion behind the stare, saying everything that needs to be said and more.

coach bluder gives the run-down on defensive assignments quickly and explains some of the plays. somehow, by some force of nature, you're stuck guarding the one person you were conflicted with: number 5, paige bueckers.

your teammates all turn to you as soon as the words leave your coach's mouth. they are well aware of your special history with the blonde as well as your complicated relationship now.

"you got that, y/n?" caitlin asks you.

"yeah," you shrug, "you don't have to worry about me. i'm good." and you meant it. you were sick of being compared to paige all the time and were ready to show people who's better.

did you still care for the girl? of course; you always have and always will. but will you let that get in the way of your winning streak? hell no.

the referee beckons each team to the center of the court for the tip-off. hannah sets herself up for the jump ball, standing across from aaliyah edwards on uconn's side.

you confidently walk over to where paige is standing. your eyes meet hers once again as you wordlessly dap her up, offering a civil front. you already know you'll being seeing the clip on your feed a lot tomorrow morning.

despite the cordial interaction, your mind is running wild at the feel of paige's long fingers brushing against yours. you missed her like crazy, but were also upset with her for multiple different reasons. right now you were enemies, opponents, rivals. but in a few hours after the game? well you would have to wait and see.

the ref throws the ball in the air and aaliyah manages to get her fingers on the ball first to swat in her teammates' directions. uconn almost immediately turns it over due to paige missing kk's pass as the ball goes out of bounds. it's just too easy.

------

the buzzer sounds loudly, signaling the end of the second quarter and halftime. you and your teammates jog to the locker room, sweaty and out of breath. the score was currently 32-26 with uconn in the lead.

you had to admit, that definitely wasn't your team's best first half but you were ready to come back twice as hard.

"c'mon guys," lisa yells, "we gotta seriously up our game right now and fight against their defense. keep giving them as many fouls as possible.

"caitlin, we're gonna try to give you more threes, so everyone else, if caitlin has the ball set those screens, got it?"

you all nod wordlessly as you pay attention to her words. your coach turns to you, looking you directly in the eye, her stare deadly.

"y/n, you gotta push bueckers more, don't direct all your focus on getting cait the ball. really use that energy that i know you have."

"yeah i hear you," you pant as you wipe your forehead with a towel.

one of the coaching assistants hands you a waterbottle, so you immediately squeeze the ice cold water into your mouth without putting the nozzle on your lips. it's a habit that you have whenever you're in a rush or busy thinking about something.

"and one more thing, y/n," you hear your coach call you before you make your way back on the court, "please, for the love of god, leave your emotions out of it tonight."

the words shoot a prick in your chest, not expecting such a direct statement. nonetheless, you nod firmly, agreeing with her as you jog to where your team is lingering.

you may or may not have had a few...touchy altercations with a certain number 5.

like in the middle of the first quarter...

------

"bueckers with the lay-up, does she get it? no! it is rebounded by l/n!"

your hands grasp the ball tightly under the net but before you can make your way over to the opposite side of the court, another set of hands on the ball stops you.

you look up to see paige also grabbing the ball as it sits in your hands, starting to fight to get it in her possession. with the two of you pulling back and forth, the refs whistle blows to put an end to the quarrel.

however, you two continue to push until one of your teammates wraps their arms around you to pull you off. walking away, you laugh, energized by the interaction. you put your hands up in surrender as kate releases you from her grip.

you turn your head back around to see that paige has also been forcefully pulled away by one of her own teammates with a similar expression on her face, clearly as equally as fired up as you.

------

and the middle of the second quarter...

------

"THREEEEEEE! Y/N L/N!"

you flex your arms and let out a proud yell. it's your 4th score of the night and you feel amazing. your teammates clamor over to you, patting you on your back and bumping you with their chests.

paige failed to block your attempt, putting her arms up and jumping but not being able to reach the ball before it falls in the net.

seeing her tough front falter for a second, you point a finger to her just to spice up the game a little more and get the crowd really going. she shakes her head and chuckles darkly, waving you off with a hand.

"did you see that? bueckers and l/n back at it again with their supposed rivalry, what a dynamic duo, am i right?"

------

time flies rapidly as the clock runs down. it's the last quarter of the game and tensions are at an all time high. with less than 10 seconds left, iowa has the lead 71-69. it's way too close for comfort.

everyone's on edge. the announcers narrating the game for folks at home, coaches, benched teammates, the audience on either side of the court.

when uconn forces a turnover, you stand out of bounds waiting to pass the ball in. 1.1 on the clock. paige stands with her back to you. no one could've predicted your next move.

you take advantage of her guard let down and quickly bounce the ball off of her, chopping the time in half as she fails to catch it in time and lets it out of bounds once again.

you feel a second of remorse once you catch the defeated look on her face. but you couldn't let the game slip out of your hands that easily. not without a fight.

less than one second on the clock, there's no way for uconn to win. caitlin passes the ball to gabbie who simply throws it high in the air to run down the clock.

the buzzer sounds as you and your teammates run into a group hug, screaming and cheering. you have a small celebration before going to the handshake line. as you pass and commend the uconn coaches and players, you allow your fingers to linger on paige's for a second longer than others.

when she meets your eyes there’s a look of hurt apparent in them, yours filled with guilt. you know how important that game was to her, to her entire collegiate career. but this game was also important to you, she had to know that.

------

your teammates insisted on celebrating at a nearby bar and restaurant, feeling high off the recent victory.

you were obviously down to go with them, but decided to take a little extra time in the locker room showers just to get some peace and quiet to yourself. you tell the girls that you'll catch up in your own car.

so now you're changing into a fresh set of clothes in a dim, empty locker room. some people might find the setting eerie but you enjoy the stillness of it all, especially after the day you've had.

you’re wearing a basic white crop top and a muted purple skirt, a thick black leather jacket draped over your shoulders to protect yourself from the cold evening air. as you grab your backpack and make your way out to the gym’s parking lot, you spot a familiar figure wandering around aimlessly.

of fucking course i'm left here with her, you think.

you let out an irritated sigh as you continue to rub a small towel against your head to dry your hair.

the sound of your shoes against the pavement catches paige's attention and causes her to turn around. when she observes your relaxed, freshly showered figure, her chest tightens. whether it's from hatred or attraction, she doesn't know.

"hey," she yells to you, stalking over.

you look up to her direction and laugh, "you look like a lost puppy, bueckers."

"damn," she says, "first you decide to beat me and now you're insulting me and calling me by my last name? way to kick me when i'm down, y/n.”

you try not to display how flustered you feel when she says your name like that, “i didn't decide to beat you, i just did. deal with it."

"attitude much? i'm just tryna be civil, ma, no need for the hostility."

that fucking nickname.

"did you need something from me? i'm just tryna meet up with the team so spit it out."

"you heading to the bar?"

"yes," you say skeptically, "how the hell do you know that?"

"i'm heading there too, dumbass," she replies.

"what the hell are you talking about?"

"your team invited mine to hangout," of course they did, "is that a problem?"

"might be," you respond shortly, "so why are you here if the rest of your team is at the bar?"

"i could ask you the same question, l/n," she mocks the way you say her last name.

"i asked you first."

"eager to hear me talk i see." before you can reject the idea she interrupts you, “it’s okay, i know how much you love my voice."

she's not wrong, of course, but you would never admit it to her face. you ignore the question with a roll of your eyes.

"i took a longer shower than everyone else,” you shrug, “told 'em i'll just meet them there. your turn."

she laughs nervously before answering, “uh, i was supposed to get a ride from azzi but i guess she forgot," she says as she looks around the empty parking lot. now it's your turn to tease her.

"that's crazy," you laugh and shake your head, "your own friends don't even wanna be around you."

"man, shut up," she scoffs.

there's a beat of silence before you begin to walk to your car, getting the hint that the conversation was over.

you hear paige groan behind you before asking, "yo..do you think you could give me a ride?"

the nerve.

"excuse me?" you say incredulously as you unlock your car door and slip into the driver's seat. the blonde jogs up to your car, resting an arm on the frame of your door. you become hyper aware of how close you are, and how good she looks.

for the first time since you started talking to her, you take in her appearance. she's wearing a light blue cropped tank top, almost like a sports bra, and dark gray distressed jeans. there's a white uconn hoodie in her hands.

the amount of skin exposed makes your body heat up. the way her arms are flexed against your car makes you think back to the many times they've been flexed underneath your weight.

“can i. get. a ride.” she staggers out, like it’s painful to ask you for a favor. you take advantage of her position immediately.

“i dunno, can you?” you smirk.

“i fucking hate you, do you know that?”

“i dunno, do i?”

“dude.”

you throw your head forward in a laugh, shoulders shaking at her irritation.

“you’re so easy to piss off, i love it.”

“yeah well there’s a lot of other things about me that i know you love but we don’t have to talk about that.”

“do you want a ride or not?” you deadpan, “’cause if you’re gonna act like this all night i don’t want you at the bar, bro.”

“‘bro’? that’s what we’ve come to? that’s even worse than just bueckers, y/n.”

“just shut up and get in the car.”

“yes ma’am,” she says with a mock salute as she closes your door and jogs around the front of the car to the passenger seat.

as you turn on the engine, paige settles into the spot next to you and immediately reaches for the aux cord .

“um,” you pause, “what are you doing?”

“blessing you with my awesome music taste? what do you think i’m doing?”

“absolutely not,” you say, “my car, my rules.”

“um, no. the ‘rule’ is that the passenger chooses the playlist while the driver sets up the queue. we’ve been over this.”

“okay but,” you start carefully, “that was when we were together.”

silence.

“so do you want the ‘late night drives’ playlist or the ‘oldies but goodies’ playlist?”

“what?”

“you heard me.”

she brushes over your comment painfully fast. you had no idea why. you refuse to leave it at that.

“can you just put on our playlist?”

more silence. you gotta be kidding me.

“i don’t-“

“don’t even try, paige, i know you still have it.”

“but-“

“don’t fight me on this. all i want is to celebrate with my team and get a drink so can you please hurry up so we can go?”

“shit,” you hear her say under her breath, “yeah.” she pushes her hips forward as she gets comfortable in the seat.

your eyebrows furrow at the reaction. this girl is so fucking complicated. you weren’t sure if you wanted to curse her out or take her right there.

———

“y/n!! you made it!” jada squeals as you walk into the bar, “and…paige? wait. are you two back together??”

“hell no.”

“definitely not.”

you and paige turn to each other.

“oookayy..” jada trails as she pulls you away from the blonde in the direction of where your team was sat.

the girls cheer your name as you take a seat next to caitlin. you can tell they’ve already had at least 2 drinks each.

“hey,” caitlin says with a warm smile, “you got some catching up to do. let’s go get you a drink.”

she ushers you to the bar where you are able to sit and observe the environment. the venue is fairly dark, the ceiling lights dimmed to a warm hue with a few candles on each table. the stools at the bar were a cold metal that gave you goosebumps. all the table booths have dark brown leather couches one side and wooden chairs with intricate designs on the other.

“so,” caitlin starts after she’s ordered you a drink, lord knows what it was, “i saw you and paige walk in together. that mean anything?”

“please,” you scoff, “i’m done with her, cait, like seriously.” she stays silent, waiting for you to continue, “i mean, she’s so annoying and cocky and confusing, it’s exhausting - i hate her.”

“you sure about that?”

“yes.”

“then why do you still put up with her?”

“what do you mean?”

“i mean,” she says as the bartender delivers two of the same drink, one for you and one presumably for caitlin, “just stop talking to her. ignore her.”

you pause to think. “but she’s always the one starting these dumbass petty fights.”

“then don’t answer her?”

“i have to.”

“and why is that?” she eggs you on, sipping on her drink.

“because,” you sigh, “i can’t let her win.”

“or,” caitlin smirks as the two of you get up to head back to your table, “you still like being around her.”

“as if.”

“okay. tell me this then - why do you two still smile at each other like nothing has changed?”

“we almost never see them, cait.”

“no, i know but…i saw the way you looked at her today. and i saw the way you looked at her when we played them in sophomore year. you still like her, y/n.”

you two have returned to your seats with the rest of the team. you find yourself looking for a particular blonde (again) across the room. the uconn girls were sitting at a similar table to the one you were currently at, just on the other side of the bar.

to your relief, caitlin drops the conversation to engage in one with kate about the game. you quietly sip on your drink as you continue to stare at paige. she’s smiling - laughing - with azzi and aaliyah. you missed them. you missed her. you didn’t acknowledge it until now, until caitlin knocked some sense into you. you did enjoy being around her, mainly because it reminded you of how it was before you transferred to iowa. even though your conversations consist of constant jabs and insults, it was better than radio silence.

but you also hated it. you hated how you couldn’t be with her like you used to. you hated how you left. you hated how she treated you when you left. you hated how she acted like nothing happened. that’s why you have to win every time you’re up against her - literally and figuratively.

paige scored 4 three-pointers in a game? you score 5. paige got 6 rebounds? you got 7. paige had 8 assists? you had 9. it wasn’t just for yourself, it was for the media. with how they constantly have a magnifying glass on your life, you can’t jeopardize your career. so you have to be better than her.

your jaw clenches at the thought of the pressure, the expectation. you down the rest of your way too light cocktail and make your way back to the bar for a stronger drink.

“hey,” you say to the bartender, “can i get a sex on the beach, please?” he nods with a polite smile as he walks away to make your order.

“still rockin with those?” you hear an all-too-familiar voice say.

“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” you mutter, not bothering to turn to her.

she scoffs. what is her problem now? you think.

“you’re so damn predictable,” she laughs, “it’s hilarious.”

“at least i’m reliable,” you retort, “when’s the last time you had any stability in your life?”

“when i was with you,” she says immediately.

that makes you turn your head. you are greeted with paige’s cold eyes and an unreadable expression.

“what are you doing, paige? what are we doing?” you sound exhausted.

“you tell me. i never got a good explanation when you…left.”

“i tried. you wouldn’t let me. didn’t think you wanted to hear from me after our last conversation.”

“don’t pin this on me,” she says pointedly, “you left me.”

“i didn’t have a choice, paige, you have to understand that.”

“but did you have to leave me? you know we could’ve worked it out.”

“could we have?”

she sighs. the conversation has elevated quickly. you didn’t expect her to open up like this now, to bring all of this up now. maybe it was the ambient atmosphere or the influential alcohol, or both. the man behind the bar sets your drink down on a small napkin in front of you, but you decide against going back to your table.

“so…” she says quietly, “have you been seeing anyone? i know how the fans like to twist shit, but is any of it true?”

“wouldn’t you like to know,” you laugh.

“hey, i’m just tryna gauge where you’re at right now. scope out the competition, you know how it is.”

“‘scope out the competition’?”

she shrugs.

“have you been seeing anyone?” “have you heard that i’m seeing anyone?”

god, this girl could not give a simple answer to save her life. but two can play that game.

“maybe i have. maybe i haven’t. and maybe i’ve seen you with a certain husky named azzi?” you have no clue where you got this idea knowing damn well that they’re nothing more than friends.

“and what if i am? you jealous, ma?” they’re nothing more than friends…right?

“hilarious.”

“that’s not a no.”

“no, it’s not..” you mumble under your breath, turning away from her to avoid her burning stare.

“good.” what the hell is this girl getting at? her avoidant yet suggestive responses set something off in you. “you never answered my question.”

“i am with someone,” you lie through your teeth, wanting to get a reaction out of her.

her breath hitches, “who?” her tone is targeted with a hint of…anger?

“why do you care? you’re with azzi right?”

“i never said that.”

“but you didn’t deny it,” you point out, using her own tactics.

“i am now. i’m not with her. so who are you with?”

“i don’t need to tell you anything.”

“so you’re not with anyone?” she laughs. this girl.

“i am.”

“then tell me.”

“no.”

“fine. be like that,” and suddenly she’s pulling you up from the barstool and into a poorly-lit hallway.

“where are we going?” you demand as you two turn a corner, the only light is the distant hue from the main part of the bar.

“we need to talk about this.”

“talk about what?”

“this,” she motions between the two of you as she pushes you against a wall, one strong arm preventing you from leaving.

“there’s nothing to talk about.”

“i’m not gonna let you keep dodging this, y/n. you left me to go to whole different state with no explanation whatsoever.”

“because you ghosted me first! what was i supposed to do?”

“we were supposed to work it out. remember? when we were teammates on and off the court?”

“you shut me out.”

“because, y/n,” she sighs deeply, “i knew i couldn’t handle it if i had to say goodbye to you. i would’ve-“ she stops herself.

“you would’ve what?”

after about 10 seconds of silence, she whispers, “i would’ve begged you not to go - not to leave me.”

your eyes shoot to hers, but she’s looking down at the floor. her head is almost resting against yours as you observe her adamant yet vulnerable state. you’ve never seen her like this.

from what you’ve seen online, paige seemed to have the time of her life after you transferred. you assumed that she moved on so easily, so quickly. you didn’t consider that it was all just a front.

“paige,”

“what?” she barely gets out, still avoiding your eyes.

“look at me,” she doesn’t, “please.”

her head flies up at that, “what?” she repeats.

you don’t know what to say, you just needed to see her - really see her. her eyes are filled with such clear emotion yet you can’t put your finger on what she was feeling. from her body language you can tell that she misses you. and as you realize you subconsciously put your own hand on her waist, you body is telling you that you miss her too.

you contemplate your next move for a second, questioning if all of this is worth it. but she’s worth it. in the time you’ve spent apart from her, you grew and matured. you also realize that you need her like you need oxygen. you come to the conclusion that you always have, but it took distance and space to accept it.

not wanting to get too in your head, you smash your lips onto hers as your shoulders instantly relax. you feel paige pause but eventually melt into the kiss, moving her hands up to the nape of your neck. you bring your other hand up to her wrist, resting it there as you relish in the feeling of her lips finally against yours after almost two years. you guide her hand down to your thigh as you move to grasp her shoulders. she glides over your upper thing, riding up your lilac skirt.

she breaks the kiss for a moment, “i’ve always loved you in purple.”

before she can resume the heated kiss, you push against her and observe your surroundings. to your left is the open area you just came from, all your friends oblivious to your activities. all the way down to your right is a door leading out to the back lot and a closer door - presumably a supply closet.

you weigh out your options: do you want to stop the interaction completely, drag her into your car all the way outside, or simply shove her into the closet and have your way with her?

smirking up at her, you pull her into the closet as she laughs at your desperation but follows you nonetheless.

yes, there were still broken pieces in your relationship. yes, you have always claimed to hate each other. but no, you weren’t leaving without her, even if you had to use handcuffs.

she was never not yours, and you were never not hers.

819 notes · View notes

crazyk-imagine · 4 months

Text

Finding their Mate

A/N: I had fun with the Twilight version of this and was in a tvd mood. Half of these I have no idea where these were going but we're here now so...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damon

Didn't think that mates existed but then again, here you are, surprising him in more ways than one and he's seen a lot of things. You tried talking to him about it at first after learning about your connection, but that didn't work. What else was he supposed to do other than run away and pretend like he was never informed of your connection, stay? No, no, no because, that is not the Damon way... at least, not until you threaten to use all his bourbon as a flame retardant to burn down their house. He slowly becomes a little more lenient in building a stronger bond. When you two get closer and become a couple, he never looks back because, you are his everything which means he will do whatever he can or needs to do in order to protect you because too much happens in this damned town

Stefan

He knew deep down that even though he loved Elena, it wasn't always going to last with the way it was between her and his brother. Even with their destiny tied them together; they never lasted. And to think his life was dramatic and chaotic then but now, you come into his life, almost as if out of nowhere was even crazier. Finding out that his epic love actually came from a place of fate, someone who could complete him and make him feel whole...was interesting, to say the least. He didn't know what to expect but he knew right away there was something special about you and always wanted to know more about you (before the whole mates' thing came about). After getting together, he realized he's more honored to be your mate and knows it's better than anything he's had before

Elena

She hoped that she'd find the one person she knew she was meant to be with because of watching how her parents were when she and Jeremy were growing up. They were her role models and wanted what they had. Finding out that she is actually meant to be with someone who wasn't Stefan was, shocking, really but it was also a good thing because this meant she could have a romantic life with you. She's always felt something for you which confused her more than anything but then Damon informed her about the whole mates' thing and concerned everyone when they had just found out about the sire bond. The only reason the older Salvatore told her was when he caught her staring at you for the millionth time, forcing her to understand more about you

Bonnie

She barely started understanding the supernatural world and finding out that mates existed was crazy as hell. Honestly, it was the last thing she needed to hear. But then you started putting in an effort, putting her first (compared to what her friends do), she realized that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a mate. She was careful, guarded almost, at the beginning but your patience won in the end, and she knew you're the one for her. Everyone else (especially Caroline) was so happy that their friend found someone as awesome as you were; not to mention the fact that the blonde vampire is planning your guy's wedding already and is most definitely, going to fight whoever plans on being Bonnie's bridesmaid

Caroline

She never knew mates existed, always thought it was a fictional thing even with the whole supernatural world going on around her because no one really talked about it. She was the kind of girl who talked about having an epic love, but never realized she was talking about mates. Meeting you and then Bonnie telling her about the real reason behind your connection (and calming her mind, shutting down the thoughts of her being sired to you), she was excited. She finally had someone to spoil and someone who could take care of her. She offered to take you out, wanting to explain... everything since you know nothing and are being dragged into her hectic life. She will do everything she can to protect you

Tyler

The only reason he had an ounce of knowledge about mates was because of his wolf, had he not turned, he probably would have never found out and would have been whoring himself out to anyone he could (even more). But then you stepped foot into town, and it drove his wolf absolutely insane, to the point where he was starting fights with anyone. His wolf tried telling him, but it was hard for the boy to understand when he barely understood the supernatural world as it is. Then you found your way into his life and changed him, in more ways than one. He was lucky he didn't need to explain to much about the supernatural to you, but he still wasn't happy to know you were aware of, well, everything. It scared him, he doesn't want to lose you

Jeremy

When he became a vampire hunter, he didn't think he was going to be more than that and then when he died and came back, he wasn't all that pressed to talk to people and make friends. Then, you came, and things changed. He was working a shift at the grill when you walked in, and he was thought you were just- wow. Luckily you were seated in his section, giving him more opportunities to talk and try learning more about you. You caught the hints he was throwing and decided to throw him a bone, his number was immediately put in after picking up the bill. And, dammit if he hadn't texted you after his shift. He put in a genuine effort and found out you two were mates (who would have thought), certainly not you two

Alaric

He's been around for a while, knew a few things to help him get by and read a little bit about these things when he got into the supernatural world. So, he wasn't too alarmed when he found out he was mated to you but imagine his surprise when he finds out you also know about the supernatural and... actually know how to defend yourself, if needed. That man is floored, he thought he was going to need to show you a thing or two. What else would you expect from the guy who taught and helped all the kids learn about these things. (Don't even get him started on the time when Klaus had his body and knew before he did. He will go bonkers). He's not the happiest about others knowing about your bond but no one can keep their mouths shut anymore

#the vampire diaries #the vampire diaries imagine #the vampire diaries fanfic #the vampire diaries imagines #the vampire diaires fanfiction #the vampire diaries headcanon #damon salvatore #stefan salvatore #bonnie bennett #caroline forbes #elena gilbert #jeremy gilbert #tyler lockwood #alaric saltzman #crazyk-imagine

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pikahlua · 8 months

Text

The MHA fandom is doing great right now :)

Re: "Did All Might go out with Katsuki's gauntlets" and "Did Katsuki push All Might out of the blast maybe?"

Honestly, I have a hard time believing All Might is going to die here. Maybe he's recklessly hurting himself and maybe he doesn't know if he'll survive the blast, but it just doesn't match the vibe of Le Katsuki Bakugou. Anything that involves dying aka LOSING is not the correct thing to take away from Katsuki.

What All Might probably took away here is "I will twist myself to win the way I want."

And I love the idea of Nana's "He's crazier than you!" sentiment turning into All Might pulling some absolutely wild last resort move that doesn't involve killing himself.

Basically, I'm not convinced the next scene is Katsuki saving All Might. All Might may not need saving, first of all. But also the timing in the chapters doesn't make sense. If Horikoshi is gonna do a BIG DAMN HEROES MOMENT for Katsuki followed by a flashback to explain what happened...then that means he needs to end the chapter on Katsuki's return. That means absolutely no time can have moved forward from this moment until the last page of next chapter.

Nah, if Katsuki is coming back next chapter, the timing implies that we're STARTING with either a flashback to explain what's been going on with him or we're jumping to another POV (Kaminari????) for the first part of the chapter.

And I still think it's possible that Katsuki will end up having nothing to do with THIS scene involving All Might, rather he could just wake up simultaneously and some other stuff happens before he gets involved in this fight.

SOMETHING is up though. He's comin'.

#ask pika #anon ask #signed ask #haruwashere29 #thatdamnnerd #my hero academia manga spoilers #final showdown spoilers

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kadextra · 11 months

Note

Do you have any gegg theory’s or predictions? My personal theory is that gegg is a mix of a parasite and a hivemind similar to the infection in hallowknight! I think q!slime is slowly succumbing to the hivemind maybe

Thank you for the ask anon, yes I do! also apologies for the late reply I had a lot of thoughts to gather about this >:D

(bit of a long post)

I really like that parasite/hivemind theory too, honestly it makes sense! gegg does always say “we are gegg” and now it can multiply, and is in lucky duck crates (???) so that’s a really fun possibility. Just a hollowknight-style infection of geggs overtaking the server sounds like pure chaos. I saw a crazy theory once either on here or twt, can’t remember about what if the mine fumes at Slime’s Eggxile had a parasite that got absorbed into him… o_o

Personally I still really enjoy the idea of gegg being part of q!Slime’s mental manifestation taken form, because the psychological implications are fascinating for the character arc >:D

Gegg is him wanting to know how it feels to be childlike, an egg and be cared for, loved, after what happened with juanaflippa. how could this develop further? The Gegg side of his identity is already becoming a bit separated, it’s getting harder for Slime to remember things and change back… would he start fading? Would the other characters have to help bring him back?

Also recently I’ve noticed that the two have kinda switched in behavior. Gegg has been acting super wise and Slime is acting more with childlike wonder, like he’s asking for bedtime stories lol

And oh man. If Gegg really got elected as president (if my silly guy lives that long) I know any arc Slime does with that would go so crazy. Like take all these theories we’ve got and make them 10x crazier

a cool story plot/prediction I had an idea about is Gegg, who wants to take down the Federation, but then Slime gets approached by the Federation with the promise of getting Juanaflippa back if he helps them. So the two aspects of himself would basically be on different sides… idk what the end goal of this would be, but it would be cool and emotional

#qsmp #qsmp slimecicle #qsmp gegg #asks #anon <3 #qsmp theory

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missr3n3 · 9 months

Text

cut down the altar!

(just a quick idea that wouldn't let me rest until i wrote it down. takes place between chapters 13 and 14. based on a thought i've had a few times about non-sleeper agent people who aren't afraid of alternates. word count: 1.5k)

02/10/2009 Radio Interview

A. Torres: You’re now listening to an exclusive interview with Alternate Behaviorist, Rebecca Sharpe! Thanks for stopping by the studio today, Rebecca.

R. Sharpe: Thank you so much, Anna.

A. Torres: Right, so, where to start? (laughter) I guess, how did you get into this line of work? You know, there was a study back in 2001 I believe: “95% of Americans doubt the validity of the Wisconsin Alternate Crisis.” Did you have any doubts when deciding on your career path?

R. Sharpe: Well, it all started with the loss of my husband… I guess you could say I have a personal stake in this subject.

A. Torres: I see. I’m sorry for your loss.

R. Sharpe: When I heard the news of his passing, I knew there had to be an explanation. A more concrete explanation. You know, back then – he passed in ’92 – there was a lot of superstition surrounding alternates. No one wanted to risk getting too close to them, so information was scarce.

A. Torres: Right.

R. Sharpe: And you know what happens when there’s a lack of information or transparency. Fear and magical thinking start to fill in the blanks. I wasn’t satisfied with that, so… Here I am!

A. Torres: Excellent. So, prior to, you know, the elephant in the room – and don’t worry listeners, we’ll get to it soon. But prior to the Type 6 situation, how did you do your research?

R. Sharpe: Well, it’s not too different from studying any other dangerous life-form. I suppose in layman’s terms, you could think of it as a combination of field research and… maybe microbiology?

A. Torres: Microbiology? Interesting!

R. Sharpe: Well, there's a viral nature to how alternates hunt. Sometimes you have to let one take hold in an uninhabited area to best understand their methods. It's like a large-scale version of studying a deadly virus in a Petri dish.

A. Torres: Damn.

R. Sharpe: Yeah. I knew it was gonna be dangerous, but it’s necessary work. You’ve gotta keep your distance with these things. Have the same respect for their space that you would for, I don’t know, a great white or a lion.

A. Torres: Interesting word choice. “Respect.” People don’t usually think of alternates as beings deserving of respect.

R. Sharpe: I think it's… To be honest, Anna, I’m not really scared of alternates.

A. Torres: Really!?

R. Sharpe: I mean, at first I was! Like I said, they’ve impacted my life. But you know what I said about unknowns leading to fear? The opposite is also true: Knowledge can ease, if not eradicate fear.

A. Torres: Right, that makes sense. How do you feel about alternates now?

R. Sharpe: Honestly… Gosh, this is gonna make me sound crazy. (laughter)

A. Torres: (laughter) Oh, come on! You can’t be any crazier than me.

R. Sharpe: Okay. Well, honestly, I find them utterly fascinating. We’re learning a lot – especially with the introduction of Type 6s – about not just their behavioral patterns, but about the very nature of intelligence and sentience.

A. Torres: Oh, we’re gonna get philosophical? Hang on, let me grab some vodka.

R. Sharpe: (laughter) (bottle clinking) We don’t have to go that deep!

A. Torres: Nah, I’m ready to party!

R. Sharpe: (laughter) Well, if you insist! Just save some for me. (laughter)

A. Torres: I make no promises. (liquid pouring)

R. Sharpe: Well, anyway, what I’m getting at is… There really aren’t any other creatures in the animal kingdom with our kind of sentience, right? There are intelligent animals, of course. We all know about how smart dolphins, parrots, crows, octopi – we all know there’s other intelligent species on our planet. But you can’t have a discussion with a parrot, can you? Even if they know how to talk, the parrot can’t really describe its perspective on its existence. But alternates – provided keep them at arms length – can. In fact, we have a few reports from survivors of MAD who spent days in the presence of an alternate, and they’re apparently very chatty about themselves.

A. Torres: Indeed. You know, between you and me – and my dear listeners, of course, though they already know this – I’m pretty close to the Alternate Crisis myself.

R. Sharpe: Right, your nephew-

A. Torres: Yep. He had a really close call with one of them. Even lost… The kid may have just been his close friend, but honestly, he was like another son to my sister, another nephew to me…

R. Sharpe: I’m so sorry…

A. Torres: Yeah… But what he told me does corroborate what you’re saying. There really isn’t anything quite like them… And on that note, I think I’ve kept my listeners waiting long enough. Let’s get into the Type 6s.

R. Sharpe: Oh yes, let’s!

A. Torres: So, according to my research, you have a personal stake in this matter too, right?

R. Sharpe: Indeed.

A. Torres: Care to share the story?

R. Sharpe: Well, it was quite a hectic day of work. We were getting report after report about these new, non-hostile alternates. Like, getting tens of reports within a second. It was crazy!

A. Torres: I’ll bet.

R. Sharpe: Then one of my coworkers calls me over. “Your daughter was sharing a dorm with a guy named Sam, right?” I said, “Yeah, why?” It turns out he called to report that my own daughter is a Type 6!

A. Torres: Damn! I can’t even imagine… How did you process it? Do you still think of her as your daughter?

R. Sharpe: I do. I mean, I still haven’t seen her yet. I know that’s a common thread with the reports, that there’s this initial shock from their appearance. But I’ll be seeing her tomorrow, and when she gets here, I don’t plan on treating her any different than I did before the change.

A. Torres: I’m sure she’ll appreciate that. I don’t know any Type 6s, or anyone who’s close to one, but I’ve been watching some videos people have taken when their loved ones turned. It seems like it’s a painful process…

R. Sharpe: Yeah. I mean, they’re basically rearranging their whole bodies. Our current theory is that the reversion happens on the cellular level. Every single cell gets destroyed and recreated in an instant.

A. Torres: God damn… I can see why they’re getting some sympathy from folks.

R. Sharpe: It’s that; probably the familiarity too.

A. Torres: And on that note, here’s the big question everyone wants answered: Why let them evacuate, and is it safe?

R. Sharpe: Let’s start with the question of safety. As far as any of us can tell – and I’ve been up close with alternates for over two decades now – it is safe to remain in proximity with a Type 6. Not only are they generally not hostile towards humans, but many of them have exhibited hostility towards other, non-Type 6 alternates.

A. Torres: Really? Why do you think that is?

R. Sharpe: Hard to say. The few Type 6s who reported themselves, they were highly reluctant to shed light on their relation to other alternates. What we have gathered is that there appears to be some kind of mental link between all alternates. It’s possible this may be some form of territorial behavior. Like, “These humans are mine, either go find your own or we’re gonna have a problem.”

A. Torres: Then I’ll bet you and Sam are going to be very safe with… What’s your daughter’s name?

R. Sharpe: Delilah.

A. Torres: Delilah, right. And what’s the scoop on the evacuation?

R. Sharpe: It goes back to what I was saying about sentience. Beyond the moral implications around mass-executing sentient beings so similar to ourselves, we also now have access to a much safer avenue for alternate behavior studies. Before this, you had to basically take your life and your psyche into your own hands for this line of work. But not only are Type 6s easier to understand on the linguistic level, but they actually seem to avoid inducing MAD!

A. Torres: For real? Any theories as to why that might be?

R. Sharpe: It’s the same territorial theory. Only instead of what you usually see in other animals, where they get territorial over food, land, or mates, it seems to be social in nature. They don’t want to maintain their human relationships as a means to an end; having these relationships is the end.

A. Torres: You know, I think I’m starting to get where your fascination comes from. In fact… okay, this is where I prove that I’m crazier than you.

R. Sharpe: Now I’m intrigued!

A. Torres: Is it weird that I kind of want to meet a Type 6?

R. Sharpe: (laughter) Well, I said Delilah would be over tomorrow! Maybe you can meet her then!

A. Torres: (laughter) I’d love that! Well, unfortunately, I think that’s all the time we have, Rebecca. Once again, thank you for coming by. I’m sure your words have put a lot of people at ease regarding Type 6s.

R. Sharpe: My pleasure!

#the mandela catalogue #mandela catalogue au #tmc au #mandela catalogue fanfic #tmc fanfic #mandela catalogue ocs #tmc ocs #cut down the altar au #r3n3 writings #the talos principle brainrot is really starting to show huh?

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f0point5 · 8 months

Note

Hello from my vaycay (still ongoing)... I just needed to put in some rambling into your ask box again. 😄

I've read all the last parts and I've read so many asks and your answers to them and how the prevailing idea seems to be that it's y/n who needs a wake up call...

First off, I loved the birthday weekend content and all things entailed. And this whole weekend seemed to open different cans of worms.

I said after the first texts Elliot sent y/n on her "behavior" around Max that I didn't like her reaction. I also said I'd wait for the Monday part to see what she'll do with it after she's done celebrating Max. And it didn't change anything for me.

I get it that Elliot isn't necessarily the one making his friends do the stalking and watching and talking. I get it that he isn't the one initiating this or wanting it or whatever. I get that's it's hard to deal with her being "famous" or trending on Twitter with the things she does and says, that it makes him look bad in front of his friends and that it damages his reputation if you will. I understand that it's a bad look and that it's rough on him to have people message him about those things. BUT HONESTLY... he had it coming! If he hadn't talked as big as he did to everyone and their friends like she's his girlfriend already, he might have had an easier time. And telling her she should change her behavior? Who does he think he is? I don't like the guy. And I don't see what she likes about him either. Besides the fact that he doesn't watch F1 and that he isn't "famous" and isn't part of her world... what is there about him to make her like spending time with him? She doesn't have too much to tell about their dates, she always sounds so bored... I don't get it. 🤣 I'll celebrate the day when he's finally gone.

Now back to Max and y/n and the ideas on who needs the wake up call... for a really long time I was absolutely sure about the fact that it's indeed her. And I never once got the idea that it's him. I didn't change my mind in the way that I now think it's him.

No, I now got the notion that they're kinda in the same boat. I feel like both of them believe the other doesn't feel like more. And they both seem to have their way of dealing with that.

In one ask there was a theory that y/n had a thing for Max years back and that he put racing first. And I honestly doubt that would fit the narrative. I don't think Jos would support the connection between them as much as he does if it were true. And I don't think Max would be so sure about her feelings if he knew she once had a thing for him. I'd understand her feelings if it were true, but it wouldn't explain Max's.

Somehow I feel like there's something in their way that happened in the past. I don't know how to explain it or how far back we need to dig but it seems like something happened between them that made both of them believe the other's never gonna look at them any other way than as a best friend. To make it sound even crazier it feels like whatever happened might be something that made Max feel like she'd never be interested in that way and him reacting to that made her feel like he'd never be interested in that way. Like that something happening wasn't something that was talked about but something that just was. 😅 I'm not making any sense here. 🤣

Anyways, I'm looking forward to the next parts... I'm really curious who that Clara girl is and what kinda favor Max needs from her and why y/n doesn't seem too happy about her being there for the next race.

Max's reaction to her tweets came out kinda strong and her deleting them seemed equally as strong of a reaction. I wonder what you're cooking there... 😅

I get your reaction Y/N’s butbutbut I feel it’s in line with the reaction of someone who is only marginally concerned either way. She said it since Day 1 if he doesn’t get in like there’s another 4 billion men out there. She enjoys his company enough and she believes his drama will settle down enough to not be a problem. If it were me, man would be blocked, but I get her I won’t lie.

Max having no time for anything but racing as a teen has always been a canon event. I think there’s some unresolved feelings from the early teen years lol but weren’t we all young and dumb once. They are no the primary thing affecting Max and Y/N’s mindset now, I will say that much.

You’re making sense! We will dig more into how the friendship settled into what it is. We started to touch on it in the flashback part, how they slowly started to build something really strong. I plan to jump back before that and after to see how and why they became how they are. Max and Y/N both have reasons they think they aren’t together, they think they’re doing the right thing and maybe they are….

I am beginning to hint at some of Max’s reasoning very gently, I’m curious if anyones picked up on it. I’m trying to do justice to how little I think Max would reveal about all this to people, especially over text.

But yeah he was not amused by her Twitter exchanges. For a pretty sound and specific reason which I fully get but I think he was feeling particularly touchy after the whole birthday weekend. She deleted them because she felt bad she’d made him uncomfortable, and she knows him better than anyone. She picked up on a least a bit of what he meant.

I’m planning a very jam packed race weekend of revelations so… ;)

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musicfeedsmysoul12 · 9 months

Text

Pulling on the Strings of Destiny: Act 2 Chapter 13

Summary: Four days pass for Japan, and everyone is on edge. They wonder, and wait. What will happen next for them? Will Midoriya keep rising? What sort of things would she face. They all turned towards the screens, wondering. None more so then the future class 1-A, more so as they get a glimpse into their first sports festival, first internship and their final exams. Watch as Midoriya’s future continues to unfold, as she learns more about her family, society and herself.

Warnings: References to underage pregnancy and the assualt of a minor. References to child harm. Toga Himiko to, she is her own warning.

ON AO3

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The amusement at the crushes shown to Izumi caused Hisashi to chuckle as he watched the screen. Ah, his daughter was quite the catch. Sure, he found the attention on his daughter a bit annoying, but it meant that people liked her. And when he got her back under his wing, perhaps she could convince others to follow.

If anything, Tomura was the one upset his sister was being looked at like that. He did not enjoy the idea of anyone touching her! That was his sister! They would have to go through him first to date her! More so with Tomoe. His niece needed a good other parent.

Izumi was oblivious to that, though. Or the bets being made on her future partner by a lot of the country and even the world. No, she was busy ignoring that, along with the snickering of her mentor and foster parents.

Jerks.

However, the screen started up soon, and her mind became caught on the future.

All Might hands Tomoe off to Midoriya, who takes her with a groan. “God, that was embarrassing,” Midoriya complains.

“A little bit, but it’s good you’re healing young Midoriya.” All Might tells her. “Thinking anyone is attractive yourself?”

“Not really?” Midoriya admits. “I dunno. I mean, I thought Mirukio was attractive, and Hawks is too, though I honestly try not to dwell on that stuff. More so since Hawks is gay, it feels weird to think he’s cute when I’m a girl then.”

“Eh, not like it matters,” Hawks mused. “I don’t mind.” It mattered if she tried to get him to change his mind. It had happened before, both with his transgender identity and sexuality, that people wanted to change his mind. The trans thing happened with a dick of a handler who was an extreme holdout who got fired after he’d threatened to ‘teach Hawks a lesson,’ and it freaked out some people on how he said it.

(Hawks decided he didn’t want to know when he’d asked his new agent. The woman, Ito, had gotten a dark look in her eyes and said it wasn’t an issue anymore.)

The sexuality thing was from the crazier fangirls. Girls who refused to see there wasn’t a chance or who deluded themselves into thinking he was lying to wait for them. The latter was rare; he’d only met two, but the first kind was widespread. He’d met just as insane men who were fans of him or even Miruko, but those ones weren’t in denial of his sexuality.

Midoriya acknowledging her attraction didn’t match his orientation was nice. Maybe more people would do that and move on, other than either claiming they could change it or whining that he was gay. Sure, You could be disappointed, but making a scene annoyed him.

“Well, I’m happy you feel you’re in a safe environment to explore those things.” All Might smiles, and Midoriya blinks.

Oh. It’s not just because he’s arrested. It’s also because I’m out of mom’s house, isn’t it? Midoriya swallowed. Her plans for me… being attractive then meant I’d be a commodity for people to buy. Now it’s just teenager stuff… Midoriya shakes her head as she walks down the hall with All Might. Not something I want to dwell on for a while. I’ll do it tonight when I don’t have a tournament to face.

It wasn’t. Izumi was safe to contemplate people being attracted to her or to feel her own attraction. But she wasn’t fond of it due to leaving her mother’s house.

Why did it have to be like that?

The screen morphs to show Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu facing each other in the arena.

"Offense and defence in one! The dark samurai and his darker shadow! From the hero course, Tokoyami Fumikage, along with his conjoined twin Dark Shadow, will fight the great creator! She was admitted because of recommendations, and I think we can all see why. Also, from Class 1-A, Yaoyorozu Momo!" Mic announces. The crowd all erupts in shock.

“His Quirk is his twin?” a woman asks in shock when the screen switches to them.

“Wow,” her friend says. “I’ve heard of that stuff. Probably Tokoyami’s Quirk is his appearance, and his twin’s Quirk is… well, what the twin looks like. It’s rare.”

“It’s impressive!”

“It’s weird. Does it even count as like a Quirk?”

“Of course, it does!” people all over the crowd chat about the different Quirk. The screen passes to 1-A’s seating area, where Midoriya enters with Tomoe, who holds her tightly.

“Sorry guys, she doesn’t want to let go. Teachers say it’s fine, given she’s not in the fight exactly.” Midoriya apologizes as she moves to sit with Uraraka and Iida.

“Hey, Tomoe’s our mascot now.” Kaminari declares. “Our good luck charm.”

“Oui, little Tomoe is very lucky,” Aoyama chirps. He winks at Tomoe, who giggles. Bakugou scowls at the two, though he doesn’t say anything. Ojiro, near Aoyama, makes a face but shakes his head.

“Lucky Tomoe!” Cheered Mina, ignoring Ojiro.

“She will be our lucky charm!” Hagakure said eagerly. “She’s cheering us all on!”

“Her mother most of all,” Aoyama laughed, smiling at the screen. Being forced to spy or not, it was nice to see him able to interact with others to make friends.

“We’re all just accepting she’s part of the class,” Sero laughed.

“Of course she is!” Mina said dramatically. The class laughed, even Ojiro.

“So, Midoriya. You’re good at analysis,” the tailed teen says, drawing attention away from Tomoe. "How do you think this one will end? Any clue?" Midoriya glances to the field and hums.

"Timing is going to be the key thing here," Midoriya replies. Tomoe looks to the field.

“Shadow?” the toddler asks. Midoriya pets Tomoe’s head.

“Yeah, honey, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow,” Midoriya tells her. “And Yaoyorozu.”

“Yao-momo?” Tomoe asks. Midoriya blinks as Kaminari snickers. Ashido, who walks in, also laughs.

“Yaomomo!” The class cheered. Momo flushed as they all laughed.

“Hope you like the new nickname. Doubt you’ll lose it,” chuckled Jirou as she watched the sillier members repeat it.

“It’s nice to have friends,” Momo admitted with a smile. It was. She always felt set apart from her other friends for her money. Or she would feel weird in the competition that many rich children had. She wanted friends, not rivals. She was happy to have them finally.

“That’s a good one,” Ashido says as she sits down. Ojiro clears his throat.

"What do you mean by timing?” Ojiro asks.

“Well, Yaoyorozu is more long-term strategy than short-term,” Midoriya explains. “Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, though… they’re brilliant and used to sudden environmental changes. It’s going to come down to if they can rush her or she can make the match last long enough to think.”

“So a matter of luck then,” Fumikage mused as he looked at Yaomomo, who nodded her head.

“Indeed. We will see who makes the first strike!” She beamed at Fumikage, the teen nodding back. They would.

The screen shows the arena again.

Present Mic's description of Tokoyami was accurate. With Dark Shadow, he's skilled at both attacking and defending. Dark Shadow can appear instantaneously, so there's little doubt they'll start the match with a preemptive strike. If I can make a simple shield, I can block them. But I'll have to be fast about it, or else this fight will be over in a matter of seconds. Just like that. Then, if I have enough time to make... Yaoyorozu thinks.

“And she lost,” Shouta said to Hizashi, who sighed.

“Probably yes. We’ll have to work on her reactions.” He agreed.

“It is possible she could still pull off a win,” Toshinori suggested as he played with Tomoe, having rejoined the adults. The two men gave him looks. “Unlikely but possible. She is quite intelligent.”

“A chance is a chance,” Shouta allowed. “But the fact she’s thinking all of this right now isn’t a great sign.”

“We never know,” Toshinori stressed.

"Second match! Begin!" Mic announces, causing Yaoyorozu to gasp. Panic is evident on her face as Tokoyami and Dark Shadow move.

"Go, Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami orders.

Dark Shadow burst from Tokoyami's chest, cackling out loud as she did, "I've got her!"

Quickly! A shield! Yaoyorozu thinks as Dark Shadow moves towards her. A shield begins to materialize on her arm, and Dark Shadow slams into it, shoving her back.

"Now it's my turn to attack!" Yaoyorozu says as a staff begins to form in her left hand. Dark Shadow, however, moves back to attack her, causing Yaoyorozu to lift her shield.

“Ah… Yaomomo?” Mina turned with a wince to look at the taller girl, who looked lost as she stared at the screen. “Umm… there aren’t turns.”

“I… yes, yes, you’re right.” The girl swallowed noisily. “I… forgive me, I need a moment.” She walked off soon after, leaving behind a group of wincing classmates.

“Chess player syndrome,” Iida said. He coughed at the confused looks. “Apologies. My brother calls it that. It’s when someone like Yaoyorozu tries to apply the strategy they know to real life without thinking further. Like a chess player, going by the rules.”

“… you are not nearly as straight-laced as I thought,” Kaminari said in awe. Jirou rolled her eyes as Iida shrugged.

“I was raised by pro-hero parents. I like rules and structure. I detest when things go out of plan and get frustrated when I don’t have things happen just how I like them. Admittedly, I’m big on etiquette and the such, though I believe that may fade given how I’m already, as you’d say, ‘loosening up,’” Iida shrugged. “My brother recently told me that he taught me cheap shots, as some would call them, because he’d been trained to do so. I don’t think it’s inconceivable I can adapt.”

“You’re not wrong,” Jirou said as she looked where Yaoyorozu went. “Should we go after her?”

“Eh… I don’t think so. She’s probably embarrassed,” Mina said honestly. “I mean, a recommendation student losing because she didn’t think things through?” The girl shrugged. “Even if it’s just our first year, people are assholes.”

I can't focus on my quirk! Yaoyorozuthinks as Dark Shadow keeps attacking her, driving her backward. Her shield breaks, but she quickly creates a new one before Dark Shadow strikes her again before stopping. Why has she quit? This is my chance! Yaoyorozu thinks as a staff begins to form in her left hand.

"Yaoyorozu! You're out! This match goes to Tokoyami and Dark Shadow!" Midnight announces. Yaoyorozu looks around before glancing down at her feet. The teen gasps in shock upon seeing her right foot over the boundary line.

Momo flinched, gripping the sink in front of her. She’d escaped to the bathroom while the screen played, giving her a moment of peace.

She was so stupid. How could she … do that? She didn’t think things through and made such a rookie mistake! She could hear all their voices, all the kids at her old school.

Suck up.

She bought her way in.

Lazy bitch.

She probably will end up on her back, won’t she?

The thought of their words about her made Momo yank herself away from the sink to the toilet.

She was sick at the thought.

"Wow! Another fast victory!” Mic cries over the sound system. “Dark Shadow and Tokoyami are unstoppable, it seems!” Tokoyami bows to Yaoyorozu, Dark Shadow mimicking him before the two walk out of the arena.

"I lost... I didn't even... do anything," Yaoyorozu says sadly.

The screen shows class 1-A. Tomoe is cheering while Midoriya nods.

“Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had a strategy worked out early, it seems. He obviously caught on to her ‘chess master’ mind and knew not to give her time to create like a bomb or anything.” Midoriya says. “She needs to work on her short-term strategy and maybe on her Quirk. She made that second shield super fast; I think it was instinct. If she could hone her creations to be instinctive…”

“That’s an excellent point,” Shouta said. “Paintball gun that keeps shooting her at random times?” He asked Hizashi.

“Yes, and she has to discard her shield each time.” His husband agreed.

“Followed by adding another gun,” Toshinori said as he pulled out a small notebook to write down the ideas. “So she has to make two at once.”

“Or armour.” Shouta nodded. “Plus exercises to help her refocus and keep calm.”

“She can handle calm. I think she ends up overthinking more,” Hizashi said. It was very possible. The girl was intelligent, but she didn’t think things through perfectly. Or when she did, she stuck to one single possibility and couldn’t account for deviations.

She very much possessed a chess mind, as Tensei would say.

“We are so lucky she doesn’t want to be a villain.” Uraraka remarks. Midoriya turns to agree before Kaminari speaks up.

“Midoriya or Yaoyorozu?”

“Both.” Uraraka, Iida, Ashido and Aoyama chime in, making Midoriya go red. The rest of the class laughs, though Bakugou scowls.

The screen moves from the laughing faces to show Todoroki walking through a hallway.

“If Tokoyami beat Yaoyorozu so easily, would he beat Midoriya?” Todoroki wonders before turning a corner and seeing Endeavor leaning against a wall. "What do you want?" Todoroki asks a sneer on his face.

No one in Japan was happy to see the man. Endeavour had already decided to stay in his office for the day, ignoring his buzzing phone or the fact his sidekicks refused to look him in the eyes. Burnin’ had even closed her eyes to report to him. Pathetic. None of them understood what he did.

He deserved to be the number one. Now more than ever, given All Might had lied his entire career. He would be number one; he knew it. And his training would pass muster. It was harsh, perhaps, but how else to keep his masterpiece alive? He had to focus on Shouto over the others; the boy would be the next number one.

A line of unbroken heroes descended from the Todoroki family.

Midoriya would be at the top for a while, but Endeavour doubted she would stay there. No, when Shouto managed to overcome her, she would step down from heroics, he bet. Take the time to parent her children properly she would have. Endeavour checked his phone. His contact hadn’t answered about the fostering situation yet, but their plans would work out.

They always did.

"You're acting disgracefully, Shouto. If you simply used the power in your left side, you would've had an overwhelming victory in both first rounds. It's time to stop this childish rebellion of yours. You have a duty to surpass that imbecile, All Might. Do you understand what I'm saying? You're different from your brothers. You're my greatest masterpiece," Endeavor states as Todoroki walks by the hero.

"Is that all you have to say to me, you bastard? I'll win this match and advance using only Mom's quirk. I won't give you the pleasure of seeing me use yours," Todoroki replies, continuing his walk.

"Even if that works for you in this tournament, you'll soon find the limits of that power," Endeavor growls after him.

“… I have to say it, but the jerkass has a point,” remarked a civilian to another.

“Seriously?” Her friend asked. Kaze, a fellow worker in their office, turned to them.

“You’re not wrong. Todoroki refusing to use half his Quirk can have dire biological consequences, or in the future, he could lose a fight badly.” The rabbit-like man nodded.

“Exactly,” the first woman said. “Rebellion is all well and good, but he should stick to like dying his hair pink and dressing like a punk over anything else. So Endevaour has a point. He’s also still a bitch.” The group snickered.

The screen shows 1-A again, though Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu were with them this time.

“Shadow!” Tomoe makes grabby hands at Tokoyami. The teen chuckles as Dark Shadow emerges to coo.

“Hey Tomoe! Did ya see us?” the shadow asks.

“Yes!”

“Good job, Tokoyami, Dark Shadow,” Midoriya says to the two. Yaoyorozu looks small as she sits, hunched over.

“Yeah, man and uh… gal, that was fast!” Kaminari says loudly. Yaoyorozu shrinks more.

“Given you were going up to what amounts to a demigod, I guess you needed to be quick!” Uraraka jokes, her eyes flickering to Yaoyorozu. Midoriya and Uraraka trade a look when Yaoyorozu looks startled.

Izumi nodded. Of course, she’d notice and try to cheer up Yaomomo. Honestly, it did just amount to luck in the end, with Tokoyami taking advantage to startle her enough to get her out of bounds fast.

Ochako felt the same, glancing at the door where the taller teenager was. They’d just been told online lessons would start soon and needed to prepare. While they used a classroom the day before, they’d be in the dorms for the classes, laptops and headphones provided.

“Ah, then we have triumphed over a demigod like a monster of old,” Tokoyami voices dramatically.

“Usually, the demigod wins, but yeah,” Midoriya chuckles.

“I don’t know if demigod fits…” Yaoyorozu voices softly.

“Are you kidding?” Uraraka asks her. “Man, the only reason Tokoyami got you was because he and Dark Shadow knew better than to give you time to think!”

“Without a doubt,” Fumikage pitched his voice to be heard in the bathroom, hopefully. He didn’t want Yaoyorozu to feel bad or to hate herself. Though perhaps it would take longer than this. Who knew?

“Indeed,�� Tokoyami voices. “We knew your light would strangle our dark if we dared let you have time.” The short teen dramatically bows to Yaoyorozu. “You will one day be a terrifying warrior for the light.”

“Just got to keep your mind sharp and train your creations to be instinctive. You were fast with the second shield- you didn’t need to wait and think of how it was made.” Midoriya tells Yaoyorozu. “Maybe you can train with Dark Shadow more or try to use a batting range to train your body to make shields on instinct. Along with weapons.”

“That sounds lovely,” Momo said as she washed her mouth with water, having made a glass. She wiped her mouth with a towel she also produced.

She could already tell her phone would soon be flooded with messages from the nastier girls. Perhaps even Intelli was getting her comments in.

The thought made Momo want to puke more.

But she knew now where her weakness was. She could adjust it. She could.

Hopefully…

“I… thank you.” Yaoyorozu smiles gently at the three. They grin at her as Iida speaks up,

“If you need any other help, I would like to work with you. I have… been reminded I tend to accept that people wish to be fair or are telling the truth, which can lead to destruction..” He frowns to himself.

“Is this why Hatsume isn’t going to be part of the tournament?” Midoriya asks.

“Yes,” Iida says. No one asks more as Mic’s voice rings around them.

"Enough standing around. Now, welcome to the ring, our next players!”

The screen shows Sero and Todoroki standing in the arena, facing each other.

"He's got skills! But at the expense of some really creepy-looking elbows. From the hero course, it's Sero Hanta!" Present Mic yells. "Versus, an early frontrunner in the competition who's way too strong for his own good. Someone who rightfully got into the hero course based on recommendations! It's Todoroki Shouto!"

The screen shows class-1A again. Midoriya’s attention was taken to the field, a frown on her face. Bakugou leans forward in his seat; eyes narrowed at the opponents.

“I’m going to die,” Hanta said. “Endeavour pissed him off, and I’m going to face the consequences.”

“R-I-P.” Kaminari spelt out. Hanta snorted as Todoroki just glared at the screen. He’d been furious since the scene he had with his dad, and no one had wanted to say anything.

"And now, for the third match of the finals," Mic says over the mic as the view returns to the field.

"Ready?" Mic asks.

"Well, I don't really feel like I can win this fight," Sero starts saying, stretching as he does so lazily.

"Begin!" Mic yells out.

"But, man. I don't feel like losing, either!" Sero finishes his words, acting quickly. Tape shoots out from his arms, wrapping around Todoroki. Sero twists, aiming to throw the other teen out of the boundaries.

“Holy shit!” A civilian laughed. “Go Sero!”

“Kick the kid’s ass!”

"That attack could throw his opponents out of bounds!" Mic yells out amidst cries of shock. “A brilliant surprise opening from the underdog! Way to start off strong, Sero!"

Todoroki is still swirling around, his hair covering his face, but then he briefly glances up, a dark shadow seemingly covering his face. “My apologies,” he speaks before placing his right foot on the ground. Ice speeds out from the point of contact, rushing out in a burst. Sero cries out as it reaches him.

The screen shows All Might and Recovery Girl in the stadium’s nurse's office. The room rumbles, causing Recovery girl to pause, looking up with a squint.

"Is that... an earthquake?" Recovery Girl asks.

"What the heck is going on? Was that?" All Might wonders.

“Overkill,” Shouta said. “Bet you anything.”

“No bet, babe.”

The screen shows the announcers' box. Present Mic and Aizawa stare at the field in shock right before the screen switches to 1-A’s box. A colossal glacier is before them, nearly hitting them as they stare at it. Tomoe whimpers, curling into her mother, tears in her eyes.

“Cold!” she whines.

Shouto winced a little. He didn’t mean to hurt Tomoe. He’d just been mad and… reacted…

The dual-haired teen stood up and stalked out, eyes widening. He’d been mad and reacted. He hadn’t MEANT to hurt or startle anyone, but he had.

It… it was an accident. Yes, it was. But he needed to be in control. He needed to prove he wasn’t his father.

Dabi scoffed at the screen. Stupid little brat, just like Endeavour, wasn’t he?

The screen shows the heroes Death Arms and Kamui Woods patrolling outside the stadium. At shouts, the two look up to see a glacier of ice coming out of the top of the stadium.

"Holy crap," Death Arms says in awe.

The screen shows the arena. Todoroki lets out a breath, his breath misting in front of him. The view switches to Endeavour, who watches the fight with a sneer. He snorts and looks away as the screen returns to the arena, where Todoroki breaks off the tape around him. The frozen pieces fall to the ground in a thump as Todoroki takes another breath.

"Um... don't you think you went overboard?" Sero asks off-screen. Todoroki looks up as the camera turns to Sero. The other teen shivers from where he sits, completely frozen in place.

“Intense!” Inasa shouted. The tall teenager had been struggling with the reveals of Endeavour. He hadn’t met the younger Todoroki and thought the kid was like his father. Knowing the truth made it hard, but seeing this?

It made his blood start pumping! It was so intense! Hot blooded! He couldn’t wait to meet him!!

"Tell the truth, Sero. Can you move at all?" Midnight asks as she shivers on the stage.

"Are you kidding? Obviously not. My body is freezing!" Sero replies.

"Sero has been immobilized! Todoroki advances to the second round!" Midnight announces.

The screen shows the stands, the crowd staring in shock at what happened. People trade looks before a female pro hero calls out.

"Um. Well, nice try!"

"Nice try!" Another voice calls.

"Nice try!" More people join the chant.

"Nice try!" The entire crowd calls.

"Nice try!"

“Oh, because that’s not embarrassing.”

“Damn, I feel for that kid.”

The screen shows the arena again with Todoroki walking up to Sero. The red and white teen places a hand on the glacier holding the tape user. Steam begins to rise from the ice.

"Sorry. It was a bit much. I was angry, is all," Todoroki says softly.

The screen moves to Midoriya, who looks at the field with a frown, her shoulders slumping as she holds Tomoe tightly.

"As the crowd shouted, trying to make Sero feel better, Todoroki took a moment to melt his opponent from the ice prison he'd created. For some reason, in that moment, he looked very sad to me," Midoriya's voice narrates.

Midoriya Inko sits on the couch in her apartment with her head in her hands.

“I was wrong,” the woman says, shoulders shaking. “I was wrong.” She looks up with tear-filled eyes and sobs loudly. “I was wrong. God, what have I done to Izumi? To… to Tomoe!” the woman cries as her TV blares.

“Are you…” Izumi sighed deeply. She put down the trash she’d been carrying to prop her hands on her hips. The sheer amount of whiplash she kept getting was baffling.

Her mother ran off; then it was revealed she’d attempted to force Izumi to give up Tomoe. Okay fine. But now this? Just…

“What do you WANT?!” Izumi screamed at the screen. “What do you WANT, MOM? Do you want me back? Do you feel sorry for me? Are you finally realizing things?”

She couldn’t keep going around and around. She just couldn’t.

Her father repeated her emotions. He had loved Inko even if Izumi was more important to him. Killing her brought him only a slim amount of pleasure in destroying the person harming his family. Seeing her repent…

No, it didn’t matter. She still did it. He had to hold onto that. She deserved punishment for her sins. And the only worthwhile punishment was death.

The conflicting emotions continued with Mitsuki. She knew Inko. She knew the woman was stubborn and refused to see things that didn’t match her views.

But she still had hope. Hope the woman will one day realize she was wrong. People could change, and it would be an uphill battle, but they could. She could hope Inko would change. Maybe… maybe the future would show it. Perhaps they would see it. Maybe Inko would come back…

She wouldn’t allow Inko around Izumi. She’d put herself between them until Inko and Izumi were ready to meet. She…

She hoped.

"Welcome back to the finals, everyone! Sorry for that long wait! The huge amount of ice from the second match has finally been cleared, though, so it's time to welcome new competitors! We have the dazzling Frenchman- wait, is he?”

“His mother is French.”

“Ah, thank you. Yes. We have the dazzling Frenchman Aoyama Yuuga, the sparkling man of 1-A, facing off against the one and only terrifying frog herself, Asui Tsuyu, also of 1-A!” Mic calls out as the screen switches to the two competitors walking out onto the field to face off. When they reach their position, Aoyama strikes a pose. He places a hand behind his neck and cocks his hip with a smirk.

“My navel laser will lead me to greatness, mon ami. Perhaps you should give up already?” He asks.

“Ribbit, I don’t think so.” Asui croaks out. The two face each other as Midnight cracks her whip.

“Please limit any large attacks,” the woman calls out. Both teens nod in an answer as Mic begins his countdown.

“And BEGIN!” He shouts. Aoyama instantly shoots a laser out of his belt while Asui jumps, managing to get over said laser. She lands on the stage and shoots out her tongue to try and grab Aoyama. The teen dodges, shooting his laser at his opponent.

The screen shifts to 1-A, where Midoriya observes the field with a frown.

“Sooo, who are you rooting for, Midoriya?” Uraraka asks.

“It’s hard to say,” Midoriya admits. “Aoyama and his laser are a bit of a glass cannon, while Tsu is calm and durable. However, Aoyama can shoot his laser faster than Tsu can shoot her tongue out. Though she did one tell me…”

The screen returns to the field where Asui opens her mouth and coughs hard, her stomach coming out through her mouth. Loud cries of disgust echo around the area, Aoyama pausing in his attempt to use his laser to gag. It gave Asui the time needed to use her stomach to regurgitate acid, spitting it at Aoyama’s belt. It lands on the belt and begins melting it. He shrieks as Asui swallows her stomach and uses her tongue to grab the blonde, throwing him out.

“… Tsu, that was amazing but disgusting,” Ochako told the frog girl, who shrugged.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Tsu asked. “Surprised the acid worked so well.”

“Stomach acid is some of the most destructive acid,” Yaomomo said thoughtfully.

“Ick,” Aoyama made a face. “I do not want to fight you again.”

“Well, you probably will!” Midnight declared as she walked into the common room. “Morning, kids! I’ll be your first chaperone, babysitter, whatever you want to call me! School starts after this episode!”

“Midnight-Sensei,” Iida began politely, “how will we be able to focus with the screens?”

“Think of it as a test for the future as heroes when you need to pay attention to multiple things,” Midnight said. “During important parts, we don’t mind, but sometimes you can just ignore what’s happening, or so we hope!”

Ochako thought it was a wasted hope, but she’d find out. Maybe they could ignore it if needed.

The screen goes back to Midoriya.

“That she can throw her stomach up to wash it. Excellent way of disturbing people. Didn’t know she could use the acid in it like that.” The green-haired girl wrinkles her nose, a hand firmly covering Tomoe’s eyes as the baby babbles. “Though honestly, that is impressive. I wonderwhatelseshecandowiththat.” Midoriya begins mumbling. Bakugou scowls at the back of her head.

“Shut the fuck up, Deku!” he snaps loudly. “No one wants to hear your nonsense!”

“Not true!” Uraraka says back. “Though I can’t understand it, what were you talking about Midoriya?”

“Fucking- would they stop!” Katsuki glared at the screen. Deku was annoying! Why would they want to hear her? Sure, she was right about some stuff, but the muttering drove him crazy. Ugh. Whatever, he’d stop complaining. Just wait until she drove them all up the wall with her stalker tendencies.

He ignored the voice in his head, repeating that she wasn’t a stalker. He was waiting for the proof he had changed to occur. It shouldn’t take too much longer. He just needed to be patient. After all, they saw Auntie change, and he’d been right! She was a good mom! She just needed time! He was a kid; he just needed time to!

Katsuki felt so assured by this proof that he’d already brushed past most of his doubts. Auntie had proven herself. A piece of his world was right, so everything else was right.

Katsuki fell upon the idea that he’d been right after days of being told he was wrong. A backslide in his halting steps forward to understand he was wrong. Time would only know if he could change or not.

Meanwhile, Shouto walked back into the common room after he’d used ice to create a sculpture. He ignored his future classmates and Midnight, who seemed willing to let him be. They’d already arranged to talk about Endeavour with Nezu in a few days.

Not that anything would change. No, his father was too powerful. At most, a slap on the wrist, Shouto knew. The fact that UA made moves against Bakugou in the future and that his unpleasant habits were being exposed now pleased him.

They couldn’t stop his father, but they would stop the next version of the man.

“Ah, honestly, I was wondering what else she can do with her stomach. She mentioned a mucus that stings people too, so is she also somewhat a poison dart frog style with her own stomach acid this way?” Midoriya wonders out loud.

“Frog?” Tomoe asks. “Like me?”

“Ah yes, we’re talking about Tsu baby.” Midoriya kisses Tomoe’s head.

“Wait, Bakubro!” Kirishima turns to Bakugou. “You need to get down to the waiting room!” Bakugou scoffs but stands up.

“You better watch me, especially you half and half!” Bakugou turns to Todoroki, who just arrived, looking more annoyed. “I’ll prove you chose the wrong person to challenge!” Bakugou growls darkly before he stomps out of the stands.

“He did!” Katsuki shouted angrily. He’d show them all! He was the best! He wouldn’t fail!

Meanwhile, Monoma Neito felt very afraid. He walked into his classroom very pale, ignoring the looks of his classmates.

He was going to die.

“Monoma is going to die,” Uraraka says flatly.

“Bakubro won’t be too bad!” Kirishima disagrees.

“No, he will,” Ashido says. “He was willing to go after him during the calvary battle, and he’s angry that Monoma dared fight him.” She scowls. “Can’t believe I worked with him.”

“He’s a good guy!” Kirishima says. “Or, well, he can be! I can tell!”

“Yeah!” Eijiro insisted. Ashido shook her head as Uraraka and Iida unsubtle stepped away from him. It hurt. It did. But he… he couldn’t just abandon Bakugou! He was a good guy! Eijiro knew it! He saved him after all, and they saw how he’d jumped in to save All Might! It only made sense!

His thoughts were mimicked by a lot of the public, who agreed. There had to be some sort of good in him. There had to be an outside reason for his actions; after all, bullies often were abused at home. Or did the school let him down?

It was more comforting to think that everyone around him was the issue than the idea that a child could be so wrong.

“What do you think, Midoriya?” Tokoyami asks, his voice a bit loud. Kirishima winces, hearing him speak. Midoriya bites her lip.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she says after a second. “But I will say the idea he’s never had anyone to show him the ‘right way’ is wrong. He’s just never faced consequences for his actions.” Kirishima frowns, shaking his head.

“He was willing to jump in to save All Might! He trusted all of you to be able to fight off the villains! He willingly went to help Aizawa-sensei!” Kirishima says firmly.

I wonder how much of that was due to him wanting to get even about someone who got the drop on him, though, given he went right for Kurogiri, Midoriya thinks. She doesn’t say it out loud, though, instead focusing on Tomoe, who tugs on her shirt.

Eijiro hadn’t thought about that. It had to be wrong, though. After all, who'd be that stupid to attack someone way more skilled just because they beat you once? Only idiots would do that.

“Potty,” the girl says. Midoriya stands with the girl and nods to her classmates as she walks out of the seating area. The screen moves from her to one of the waiting rooms where Monoma is sitting. He has his eyes closed and is breathing as deep as possible. His hand goes to his pocket and pats it before he lets out his breath.

“Alright, I can do this.” He mutters. He walks to the door and opens it. Leaving the room, he begins his walk towards the arena. Midoriya and Tomoe appear, walking back from the bathroom as he does.

“Oh!” Midoriya pauses upon seeing him.

“Huh?” Tomoe blinks, staring at the blonde boy, who stares at them in shock.

“Ah! Sorry- I was taking Tomoe to the bathroom when she wanted her rabbit, and this is the way to the stairwell to the locker rooms where I tucked her toys earlier!” Midoriya laughs. “Good luck, your Quirk is really cool.”

“You truly think so?” Monoma asks her.

“Well, yeah,” Midoriya says. “I think it’s a super cool Quirk- I like Quirks in general, so a Copy Quirk? Really cool.” Midoriya smiles at him, and Monoma blinks. He glances at Tomoe and then at Midoriya herself.

“Don’t say something stupid,” Neito muttered to himself. He had a case of foot-in-mouth syndrome, as his mom called it. Just saying stupid stuff without thinking. He tried to tone it down, but sometimes it slipped.

“You are not as full of yourself as I thought 1-A would be,” he says, sniffing slightly. Midoriya blinks and then shrugs.

“Most of us aren’t. But ego isn’t a bad thing; it’s only when it becomes too crazy that it’s bad, right?” Midoriya shrugs. “When you think of everyone as lesser or hurt people… that’s when it’s bad.” Midoriya’s shoulders slump slightly before she places a smile back on her face. “Good luck!” she repeats. Monoma watches her go, a somewhat stunned look on his face before he returns to walking out to the field. The screen morphs to the announcer’s booth, where Mic is frowning.

“I’m not too certain about this,” he tells Aizawa. “Bakugou was stopped from fighting him in the calvary battle, and he’s got to be mad.”

“Bakugou’s smart enough to know he can’t do anything on live television,” Aizawa replies. “His parents certainly never had any clue about any of his behaviours before we told them about it and before the battle trials. He knows when not to act up when he can face consequences.”

That… was something very unsettling to Eijiro. But he couldn’t let himself believe it. People were so mean for no reason! Like… Bakugou was just misled. He acted better in front of his parents cause everyone did! Eijiro acted excellently in front of his dads, after all! And you always put your best face forward in public!

Meanwhile, Katsuki scowled darkly at the screen, very bitter. Hobo-sensei could fuck off. He was acting polite. You did that in public.

He ignored the voice, pointing out he’d always avoided putting Deku in her place around his parents or when they weren’t in areas he could, like school. It was being polite.

“True,” Mic nods before he flicks on the microphone. “Hello festival goers! We’re back with our fourth match of the tournament! In one corner, we have the explosive blonde who managed to make a smooth comeback during the cavalry battle, Bakugou Katsuki from class 1-A. In the other corner, we have the copycat, the blonde with the potential of a thousand Monoma Neito from class 1-B!” Mic cheers as the screen moves to the field where Bakugou and Monoma stand.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” Bakugou says, grinning. Monoma scoffs.

“Oh, so you’re that egotistical? Did your feelings get hurt when I called you a damsel in the second event?” Monoma taunts. Bakugou snarls once more as the countdown rings around them.

“BEGIN!” Mic cries out. Bakugou launches himself forward, and Monoma slams his hand into his pocket before yanking it up, his body turning steel.

“And it seems that Monoma got his hand on some Quirks to help him in this match!” Mic calls out. “Tetsutetsu’s Quirk is giving him a hand here!”

“So MANLY!” Tetsutetsu shouted with his fists in the air. Monoma seemed so cool! He couldn’t wait to meet him, even if Kendo wasn’t cool. He bet the others were super cool!

“Fucking weakling!” Bakugou roars as he blasts Monoma. The copy teen winces and then attempts a punch, Bakugou dodging it. “You’re pathetic, needing to rely on others to be a hero!” Bakugou growls out.

“And you’re just a lowlife who needs to get the upper hand on everyone!” Monoma shoots back as he gets out of the way of a blast from Bakugou. He switches Quirks, his hand expanding as he swats at Bakugou. A call of ‘Kendo’ rings out from Mic, pinpointing the owner of the Quirk. Monoma surprises Bakugou enough to startle him, knocking the blonde aside. It’s not enough for it to work, as Bakugou manages to use his Quirk to stop himself from being knocked out of the ring, causing explosions to push him away from the edge.

Monoma responds by shrinking his hand to shoot some explosions at Bakugou, having copied the Quirk himself. The copy Quirk user winces, shaking his arm after one large explosion that Bakugou had to dodge.

That hurts. Bakugou must have worked on strengthening his arms a lot to be able to do that. Monoma frowned. Damn it, I knew better than just to assume I could use a Quirk I copied right away, even if I hadn’t had an issue with a brief use before. I learned that years ago.

“Why do I always forget that,” Neito asked himself.

“Cause you’re a lazy copycat,” a classmate mocked. Neito snorted at them.

“Says the one with the intelligence Quirk they purposely got a license to use in everyday situations.” He mocked back. “When it only activated if you drink tea.”

Intelli Seiko flushed, glaring at the boy. It was unfair! First, that ridiculous Yaoyorozu got into UA despite her scandalous Quirk and now this brat? So unfair!

She hadn’t seen herself either, which meant the school was foolish enough to ignore her. HER! The most incredible mind since Nezu! She’d show them! She’d beat them all! Perhaps she would even meet Midoriya herself and win the girl away from them. Allying herself with the future number one was the best idea, after all.

The screen turns to the stands.

“Damn, the copy kid is neat,” a hero says to her seat neighbour. “Think I can bug my agency into accepting him as an intern?”

“Sounds cool. I like the explosion kid, though. He’s got fire.” Her neighbour says.

“Dunno, explosions like that?” a hero behind them says. “He’s a walking collateral damage sign. Rather go for the copy kid.”

“I stand by that,” the hero on the screen said. She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I cause enough damage with Metal Fists; I don't need any more.”

A few others agreed though others thought if the kid could learn to control himself better, he'd be a good choice. He had the power. He just needed control.

Neito smiled to himself. He'd never heard that before, that someone chose him over someone else. It was always ‘we'd rather have the actual person with the Quirk than a cheap copy.’ It was nice to hear that someone chose him. It made the voice inside him that kept saying he was useless shut up a bit.

Though for the explosive teen himself…

“WHAT THE FUCK! THAT’S BULLSHIT!”

“KATSUKI KNOCK IT OFF!”

The screen returns to the battle where Monoma is steel once more as Bakugou launches a barrage of attacks. It’s a war of attrition as long as he’s focused on me like this. Monoma thinks. I have a time limit, and even steel will collapse to explosions. I should have tried to figure something out with Bondo. Gluing this guy’s hands together would work!

Bakugou is close enough to the other boy that Monoma manages to kick at Bakugou, knocking him back, but he has no time to do anything else before Bakugou recuperates quickly. The explosions are getting bigger and bigger, the ground ripping up from around Monoma.

“Done talking, huh?” Bakugou taunts. “Pathetic.” Monoma’s hands clench in response.

“… I am going to wipe that smirk off his face,” Neito decided. Intelli scoffed, but Neito ignored her. He would make that boy regret his words.

Yeah, and I’m not going to win. But I will make sure he loses that smirk. Monoma thinks as he takes another kick at Bakugou. Bakugou dodges, but as he does, Monoma switches the quirk. Instead, scales develop up his arms, and he clenches his fists. Some of the scales shoot off his arms at Bakugou, who yelps.

“It looks like Monoma has switched to Hiryu Rin’s Quirk Scale!” Mic shouts over the crowd as Monoma continues to shoot at Bakugou.

The named boy grinned. He made it into UA! That was so cool! And hey, Monoma was using his Quirk to show him off! Awesome!

The screen swaps to Midoriya, who is watching on a TV screen in the locker rooms.

“He’s giving his classmates a hand up by showing their Quirks off,” Midoriya remarks as Tomoe cuddles her bunny. “It’s impressive.” She kisses Tomoe’s head when the toddler pulls on her tank top. Midoriya pauses after she does. “Ah, I need a new overshirt.”

“There’s some in the public lockers,” a voice says. Midoriya jumps and turns to see the ponytail girl, who gives her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m Kendo Itsuka.”

The screen pauses on the girl as Mic speaks up, “Kendo Itsuka! Quirk: Big Fist! She’s able to enlarge her hands while also increasing her strength. She’s a fiery redhead with a bit of a temper!” The screen continues.

“I don’t have a temper!” Itsuka said, insulted even as some classmates exchanged nods. Fit her to a tea.

“Nice to meet you,” Midoriya says, bowing her head. “You were the big hand Quirk, right?”

“Indeed,” Kendo agrees. She frowns. “Is Monoma bothering you?”

“What? No.” Midoriya shakes her head. “He’s been weird, but I think he’s hyper-aware not to say anything wrong.”

“Huh,” Kendo blinks. “He’s been snappish about 1-A for a bit, though Tetsutetsu managed to calm him down without me stepping in. I thought he was doing it secretly.”

“Well, he’s probably been snarky to others, but I think he’s unwilling to say anything to me.” Midoriya shrugs.

“At least he has some tact, then.” Kendo sighs. “Sorry, I just find him annoying.” She admits.

“That’s rude,” Izumi said. She began grabbing trash again, wanting to focus on something other than her emotions spiralling inside her. Her mom realized she was wrong. No? After she crossed the line of no return?

Or was it the line? Could Izumi accept her mother again? Could she go through with the pain of dealing with her mom? Or not?

It confused Izumi too much, so hauling trash and focusing on the screen was better. More so, given that Kendo was acting rude. Why would anyone just out and say they found someone annoying like that?

“Everyone’s a little annoying,” Midoriya says as behind them, the TV shows Monoma shooting more scales, Bakugou forced to use his Quirk to destroy them rather than dodge. “Monoma strikes me as someone who has always been compared to others. He was startled when I said his Quirk was cool.”

“It doesn’t give him a right to whine and moan about things,” Kendo sniffs. She shakes her head. “Just tell me if he’s being a pest, I’ll set him straight.” Midoriya pauses.

“Didn’t… didn’t it say she hit him?” a civilian asks a friend.

“... I think it did.” swallowed the other, the two trading looks. What the fuck? Did the girl hit someone for being annoying? What kind of person did that stuff?

“How would you set him straight?” Midoriya asks. Kendo lifts a hand and mimes a chop.

“Discipline,” she says. “It’s the only way to get boys to listen.”

“So you physically assault people because they’re annoying,” Midoriya says. Kendo blinks and shakes her head.

“It’s not-”

“It is.” Midoriya grabs an overshirt and pulls it on, juggling Tomoe. “Excuse me, but I’d rather not be near a bully.” She leaves the locker room, Kendo standing there looking puzzled.

“What?!” Itsuka shouted. “I’m no bully-”

“Yeah, you are,” one of her more common victims said. “You smack me constantly when I’m arguing with Chano, my FRIEND, and we play argue. You refuse to listen to us when we tell you you’re wrong.” Itsuka scoffed at the boy.

He had to be lying. They all were; she wasn’t a bully. It was discipline that she would smack people who were annoying others or being pests. It wasn’t bullying. They were all lying because they hated being pointed out as bad people.

She wasn’t a bully!

The screen morphs once more. Monoma is glaring; teeth bared as he shoots scales, dodging around Bakugou as the other teen blasts away. The copy teen ends up near the edge of the boundary line. He glances down and then up. Bakugou’s face is pulled into a terrifying grin, eyes on fire as Monoma’s arms slowly descale, the scales landing on the ground.

“Oh fuuuuuuck,” Neito muttered, staring at the screen.

In his home, Katsuki smiled like a shark. He was going to show them. He’d put the rat in his place and enjoy it.

“Out of time, huh, copycat?” Bakugou barks. “I’m going to enjoy this.” He grins ferally.

I want that smirk off his face, Monoma thinks angrily. His hands shake as he glares back. He glances down one more time, and then he smirks himself. I wish I could prove my superiority over this bastard, but I must consider how my abilities are lacking in some areas. However, I know just how to put him in his place. The next blast from Bakugou causes Monoma to step back right over the boundary line.

Silence hovered around Japan and those watching elsewhere.

At least until the first person snickered in each area, for Neito’s classroom, it was the teenager himself. For I-Island, it was Melissa who giggled. At the beach, Shouta snorted.

People began laughing hard. In disbelief but also amusement. Monoma had lost on his terms; he’d stepped back and let things happen. It was something that, while petty, everyone found funny.

Even Hisashi in his lair laughed as Tomura cackled, high-pitched. Both greatly appreciated the boy for his actions, putting the explosive brat in his place.

Only three people didn’t laugh. Mitsuki and Masaru had exchanged looks before looking towards their son’s chillingly silent door.

“Monoma is out of bounds!” Midnight declares. Bakugou freezes. Monoma makes sure to lock eyes, a smirk on his face before he plasters a disappointed look over it. Bakugou’s face goes still as he stares at Monoma, who bows. A roaring sound echoes around Bakugou, and it looks like Midnight is speaking.

But Bakugou only stands there, eyes widening as Monoma walks away. A look of rage passes over his face, and he steps forward with his hands crackling, but the sharp snap of Midnight’s whip breaks through the roar.

Katsuki exploded. “THAT RAT FUCKING BASTARD SON OF A BITCH! HE FUCKING STEPPED OUT ON PURPOSE! IT’S HORSESHIT! I DIDN’T WIN! HE CHEATED!” The teen let out bursts from his hands, screaming his rage at the screen. He didn’t destroy anything; it was his own home, and he wouldn’t want to break his things.

But he made plenty of noise as he screamed out his rage. It wasn’t fair. He was supposed to show the world that he was the best! He was supposed to force UA to acknowledge he had to go to their school! Yet this copycat freak decided to step out of bounds!

He was going to KILL HIM!

“You won, Bakugou,” she tells him. “Go.”

He does wordlessly, rage still apparent on his face even so. His shoulders shook as he stomped away, the screen shifting to the announcer’s booth.

“Our next opponents will be on the field in a few minutes while we fix the damage,” Mic says into his microphone before he turns it off. “So, did Monoma purposely step out?”

“I’m about forty percent sure he did,” Aizawa agrees next to him. “If so, I don’t know why.”

“To annoy Bakugou?” Mic asks. “I can understand the wish.”

“Wow,” Mika muttered as she wiped her tears away. “Even the teacher?”

The sentiment was carried by many. A few felt it unfair, given the boy was a teenager, but others only felt agreement. The kid was annoying on screen. Few would be able to put up with his attitude in truth. Screaming, yelling, and verbal abuse just wasn’t something they could deal with. He wasn’t the type of person they liked at all.

Katsuki himself just yelled even more. Who did that cockatoo bastard think he was?!

“Hizashi, you’re supposed to be a neutral teacher.” Aizawa reminds his husband.

“I am, but I can’t really like him,” Mic admits. “He’s annoying, and while the kid is at least good at English, he is offended he’s not the top scorer. Have you seen how mad he gets whenever he hears that someone is higher ranked than him?”

“You’re already giving out rankings?” Aizawa asks.

“Usually, we wait till midterms…” Shouta looked at his husband, who shrugged.

“Don’t look at me right now. I give them out if asked, but I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Only for those who ask. Bakugou demands it once a week and is furious whenever I tell him he’s still only fifth in the class. He knows someone is fluent but hates that he’s not second, at least,” Mic replies. “It’s concerning how personal he takes it. I was wondering if I should direct him to Hound Dog.”

“You think there’s something mental going on?” Aizawa asks.

“EXCUSE ME?!” Katsuki shouted. He wasn’t crazy! He was perfectly sane, thank you!

His parents looked at each other again. Their son wasn’t crazy or anything. But… they honestly were wondering this now, too. How could he do all those things and not think they were wrong? How could he act like he was without thought? Maybe some disorder?

They didn’t want to think their son was just like that. It hurt too much to think their son could be so selfish and cruel.

“I’m thinking that there’s got to be some sort of complex the kid has, and while we have him on the Red Flag, I don’t know if just giving him consequences will fix his issues. The kid is a brat who was allowed to do what he wanted, but I actually do wonder about his issue with not being the best,” Mic says.

“Could just be that he was top of the class before,” Aizawa suggests. Mic shakes his head, frowning as he stares at the field, Cementoss fixing up the arena.

“Not like this,” Mic says. “He gets offended and furious about it. Not just upset or annoyed. I had to threaten him to get him to shut up after the first test, where he cornered me after class and demanded to know who cheated to be better than him.”

“He actually thought som… no, wait. He thought Midoriya cheated to get in,” Aizawa says. “He doesn’t like it when his world is shaken, does he.”

“Doesn’t look it,” Mic says. “Kid’s going to need a reality check and a full-on hand-holding. Don’t know if UA can help with that.”

“Or if it’s something Hound Dog can help with,” Aizawa says. “He’s not a full therapist after all.”

Hound Dog shook his head. He wasn’t a therapist at all. He knew a few people he could call and ask for help, but he wasn’t sure who would be willing to work at UA. Honestly, Second Chance sounded to be the best route for the boy. He had issues upon issues from the sounds of it, and Hound Dog couldn’t handle them. The therapists at Second Chance could, though, given they specialized in dealing with borderline criminal teenagers, cases of abuse, anti-social personalities or more.

In all honesty, Hound Dog thought Second Chance rivalled UA for their programs. It was just that no one considered them viable because they were a reform school. You would be surprised by how many kids they got, though. Some were there because of discrimination, but a majority were kids who had gotten big heads or were violent. Bakugou would fit it. He had a big head due to how society treated him, with the lucky break of having been praised for a strong Quirk rather than despised for an explosive one, which led to him using his Quirk how he wanted to without care. If it was just how he was raised or a mental condition making his traits worse, they would figure it out and help.

Hound Dog just felt happy the kid could get that chance. As long as Bakugou didn’t screw up now, SC would accept him. If he did screw up in the new timeline, bad enough that they wouldn’t let him in, the hero feared what the boy would become.

The screen changes to Bakugou, the teen snarling as he stomps down the hallway.

“That bastard! He stepped out! He gave up!” Bakugou growls. “COWARD!” Bakugou roars.

“He is a fucking coward!” Katsuki screamed. The shit was not facing his due punishment. How sickening! The little shit had whatever happened to him coming!

That bastard is nothing more than another pebble in the road! Yet I couldn’t prove that I was better than him! Bakugou thinks angrily. His hands shake as he stomps down the hallway. He looks furious as he glares at nothing.

Everything is wrong. I didn’t get first place at all in the past two events! I’m the best! I’m the future number-one hero! No one can beat me! Bakugou growls as he finishes his thoughts.

“I’m going to win,” he vows darkly. “I’m going to win this tournament and remind all the extras who is better than them! And then I will find that copy-bastard and show him never to step out of bounds again purposely!”

After that, the screen went to the timer, and Neito laid his head on his desk.

“I’m going to die in the future… at least the smirk is gone,” he muttered. He ignored the voices around him of his classmates, just focusing on his thoughts. He had lost the fight but also won in his own way. He chose to step out of bounds, not face being beaten by Bakugou.

It felt good to know he had managed that. Maybe it put in a good word for him at UA now that he had been able to face the teen head-on without worry. Maybe heroes saw and thought he did good.

Maybe Midoriya saw; wow, he should not be thinking of that. Probably. Even if she was kind of cute.

(UA did take notice, with Nezu drafting an email to accept the boy into the school immediately. Without Bakugou or Mineta, 1A was lacking two students, after all.

Some heroes did take note, too, writing his name down for the future. A kid who won in his way was a good choice for internships. It showed he was willing to do what it takes to win and could think outside the box.

And as for Midoriya? She noticed, too. And was very impressed by someone pulling one over on Bakugou.)

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Notes

Hey! Sorry for the long wait. I took a mental health hiatus over the summer after trying to do some pride stories and realized I couldn’t think. I could not write and felt majorly off. I’m better now, particularly now. School is coming back, and I quit nights, which probably helped. But I’m back, baby!

Fun facts before we start:

This originally was two chapters. I put them together due to their shortness.

And I got two comments complaining about how I wrote Kendo on the last chapter… and I deleted them both, followed by blocking one of them because they basically ranted about how I ‘needed to check my facts before putting my headcanon here’ and ‘Kendo is in the right to hit Monoma’ never mind YOU NEVER PUT YOUR HANDS ON SOMEONE LIKE THAT. Also, my fic, my rules, ya’ll don’t need to read (ALA, that one dumbass who also went: bad Inko, all I need to know is not to read this drivel, which… it’s in the tags?!)

Kendo smacking Monoma is NOT OKAY. I don’t care about the justifications. Hitting someone because they’re ‘annoying’ isn’t okay. If I have Bakugou in trouble, why wouldn’t I address Kendo? No, seriously, why? Why do we have a double standard of female-on-male violence being okay while male-on-female violence is not? Smacking someone so hard they pass out is horrible, and Kendo is a bad person for doing it, so she gets stopped early in this fic. (And Vlad SUCKS for not stopping it in canon) Seriously, I was surprised I got those comments, but none about the Hatsume stuff or Nighteye. Or Dabi.

This also led to me adjusting some stuff. Kendo will get redemption, but the comments, added to the fact that I wasn’t happy with how I was going about it, led to me having it take much longer.

-Ochako and Izumi there to save the day with their minds because Yaoyorozu needed a pick me up!

-Bakugou back sliding was due to him just not wanting to admit he’s wrong still. He can’t admit it to himself at all, and latched onto the idea of Inko proving she’s a good person as proof he was right. That he isn’t a bad person. That he still gets what he wants. Recovery is never linear, and backsliding happens.

-Can Tsu spit her stomach acid out like that? I dunno, but here she can. With her extra training with Izumi, she figured it out.

-I saw a translation of the original Japanese saying Endeavour used the word ‘brothers’ rather than siblings in his speech here. So I changed it here. Endeavour is aware women can be heroes; it’s just in his mind, the perfect legacy is male. He’s the sexist, saying, ‘Yeah, they can, but not as good as men, and they should focus on raising children.’

-Monoma’s crush on Izumi is more of a ‘she saved me, I found out she’s been through shit, she’s skilled and smart, AHHH’ sort of thing. It’s superficial, honestly. Honestly, half the crushes I have planned are partly: teenagers are weird and gain crushes at the drop of a hat sometimes, and the rest is ‘I am so damn tired of the double standard where it’s okay for the male to gain the attention of all the girls in a series, but it’s not for the female.’

-The fight with Monoma feels lacklustre because I went in with the idea of it being a black mark for Bakugou and then had to stop because, like Aizawa pointed out-, Bakugou is smart enough know to avoid being caught by people who’d care about his bullshit. Then I was like, what if I instead had the fight be still brutal but ended up nixing that to because I felt like Monoma would recognize when to bow out? He’s a little shit with low self-preservation, but in the end, he’s not dumb. Plus, being able to piss Bakugou off more? Priceless. Bakugou knows Monoma purposely stepped out of bounds, but no one else will. Bakugou did not get the fight or the revenge he wished for.

-I also used the idea that Monoma can’t use a Quirk perfectly right away, but instead of him JUST learning it here, I was like: this kid definitely used to try and copy a lot of Quirks from a young age and realized that early. He forgets a lot.

-In this AU, Kaminari is fluent in English. He’s number one in that class, followed by Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Todoroki. Bakugou is next, then Midoriya.

-While writing another fic, I realized that Bakugou calling Izuku ‘Deku’ for ‘dekunobu’ as in useless wooden doll is… malicious for a toddler. Especially how he said it, and yes- an adult wrote it, but canon, it’s freaky. It startled me to realize this, and I had to sit down and think about it. Typical toddlers don’t do that shit. Plus the drive to be number one, Bakugou’s attitude- it makes me wonder, you know. Mic also picked up on this because, again, this attitude about NEEDING to be the best is strange for the ‘bad boy’ vibes he tries for. So, Mic is wondering if something else is going on.

-You cannot convince me that Bakugou WOULDN’T think this. He is obsessed with being the best, and everything so far has shown him that he isn’t. The USJ almost did, but then the sports festival, the fact ONLY one person tolerates him, Monoma stepping out of bounds to have Bakugou feel he won in the wrong way… He’s close to the edge.

#bnha #bnha au #boku no hero academia #pulling on the strings of destiny #female izuku #fem midoriya izuku

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queen-of-writing-bad-things · 3 months

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Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 5

Episode 2: Whistlin' Susie

~The Man Cave~

Internet trends. Love 'em, hate 'em, they're all the rage. Challenges especially, people love those and as a general rule, the crazier they are, the more views they get, which is part of the problem.

The more danger, the more discomfort, the higher the probability of death and people are all over the video like a rash, which is why every teenager in Swellview wanted in on the action. A chance for five minutes of fame just for doing something stupid, they were all doing them to see if they could get their video to go viral on Twitflash. That would lead to followers, fame, record deals, interviews and having the world at their feet, they just knew it.

Now, the Man Cave just so happened to have three teens of its own and like all kids their age, Henry, Charlotte and Jasper were partial to the odd cat video or meme. However, when it came to being the starring actors in these crazy challenges, two out of three took a step back.

Charlotte, being the wisest shared (y/n)'s perspective on the matter; they were dumb, she didn't understand them and she had better things to do with her time. Henry, being not so wise but still quite responsible, preferred to do his job and kick back and relax when he wasn't out fighting crime--adding to his injuries just wasn't it for him.

And then, there was Jasper. Dear, sweet yet...stupid Jasper. Being the most naive of the three and bored half the time, he jumped on any opportunity to try his hand at making it big, which was why he, (y/n) and Charlotte were currently waiting to start a "food challenge video" something or other. Seriously, they didn't understand what he was trying to achieve, they were just there to film it.

"Hey, what's up? It's Jasper, the friendly host!" The boy smiled into the camera as Charlotte recorded his "adventure" on her phone whilst (y/n) and Schwoz tested the voltage on several gadgets from around the Man Cave. Honestly, they had no idea why he was doing this now or why it had to be in his place of work because it wasn't like anyone would see it. That video was banned from ever being shared since it was a huge security risk, but Jasper kept going anyway.

"...here in the Man Cave and I'm about to take the five-second banana challenge!" He went on, making everyone roll their eyes at how stupid it was. Seriously, was this what amounted to fame these days? At least Ray and Henry didn't have to hear this drivel; they'd popped out on a small errand and said they'd be back later, which left (y/n) pining for her doofus and Jasper free to do whatever he wanted. When the cat is away, the mice will play--or shoot dumb videos.

"It cannot be done, Jasper," Schwoz mentioned in his goofy accent as he went to sit at the supercomputer. He was a man of science, he knew biology, chemistry, and physics as well as something called common sense, which most teenagers in Swellview seemed to lack, so he knew that the kid was gonna choke and die rather than go viral.

"Anything is possible!"

"That's not true at all." Charlotte rejected the boy's protests, siding with Schwoz on this one because it was just one of those Jasper things; dumb, unrealistic and far-fetched. So, it was a good thing that the tubes dropped just before the kid could start ramming the fruit into his mouth. Ray and Henry would make him see sense, or at least, Ray would ban it. He hated food challenge videos, well, unless he was the one reaching for fame and glory.

"All right, one more time. Hey, what's up? It's Jasper and I'm about to take--" The second take was quickly cut short when a laser beam to the banana burnt the thing right out of Jasper's hand and everyone knew who fired it. Ray, duh, the moment his tube had lifted, he viewed the scene with disdain and knew how to end it there and then. There would be no such frivolous activities in his Man Cave, thank you.

"What did I say about food challenge videos in the Man Cave?" The handsome man asked as he and Henry walked over to the group, his sights set on his sweet girl, who he swore looked prettier than she did that morning if that was possible. It was that skirt, it suited her so well, and made her look so cute and innocent; he couldn't help but want to keep her snuggled against him--and it had only been an hour since they'd gone out.

"That only you can make them." Jasper pouted, feeling like all the fun had been extinguished. Damn, now he'd have to wait until Ray went out again and that could take ages, y'know, since he had separation problems from his future wife, especially when she wore the clothes he'd bought her when she dragged him to the mall.

"That's right!" Ray snapped before turning to his sweet girl since that video had safely been shut down. No one was gonna steal his thunder, not under his roof. "Hey, baby. I missed you while I was gone..."

"Missed you too, doofus..." (y/n) smiled and pulled him into a short but sweet kiss as they reunited after a whole hour apart, far too long when he was looking so damn hot today, too hot for his own good.

She'd worn the skirt in hopes of tempting him to return to what they'd started that morning at the crack of dawn and if her instincts were correct, it was working. His arms stayed around her waist for a few seconds as they enjoyed the reunion before someone, namely Henry, rudely coughed to break them apart. Spoilsport.

"Oh, and by the way, I noticed none of you commented on the food challenge video that I posted the other day," Ray said haughtily as they pulled away, although (y/n) didn't remove her arms from around his neck. Rather, she giggled into his chest at how moody he sounded over a ridiculous challenge and his hands clenched on her hips when her nose brushed against his neck. Or was it because he loved that video before it turned into a flop? The former, unquestionably.

"That's because it was dumb, sweetheart," she smiled, reaching to stroke at the tufts of hair that brushed against his nape as she recalled that video in particular. Yeah, dumb was one word, crap was another, but it certainly hadn't been Captain Man's finest moment...

~Flashback~

"Hey, what's up, guys? It's Captain Man, cooling in the Man Cave and I'm about to take the six-second sauerkraut challenge." Ray, all dressed up in his Captain Man uniform, declared to the camera, behind which Henry and (y/n) were holding their noses.

Ray didn't even like sauerkraut, it was sour and fermented and just not his thing, but no. He was right and they were wrong, so he was gonna do this and get lots of likes and follows from his fans for how wacky and brave he was--or for how stupid he was.

"That smells disgusting." Henry gagged as Ray stirred his spoon through the cabbage and silently, he agreed. It did smell quite strong and he was starting to regret his life choices but the camera was now rolling, and he'd come this far. This was a national dish for many countries, thousands of people ate this stuff every day. How hard can it be?

"Yeah, doofus, are you sure you want to do this? It's fermented cabbage, you do know that right?" (y/n) asked tentatively, watching as her lover lifted an enormous mound of mush onto his spoon, far more than she'd wish to eat in one bite. Oh god, she didn't want to have to nurse a poorly tummy all night, why did people do this to themselves just for a few clicks?

"I'll be fine, sweet girl," Ray reassured her with his famous last words before glancing back up at the camera, "and go!" And he was off.

Ray scooped several mouthfuls of sauerkraut into his mouth, shovelling in as much as he could since the challenge was all about defying was what humanly possibly. But that was the problem, his mouth could only hold so much and mouthfuls and mouthfuls meant a lot of cabbage filling his face, which was a problem when he felt a slight tickle in his nostrils.

"Oh, hwold on, hwold on...I gwotta schneeze!" Ray exclaimed, feeling the urge suddenly rear its head as his cheeks were puffed out from the unswallowed sauerkraut. Oh god, this wasn't gonna end well.

"No, don't sneeze!" Henry cried, knowing that his boss was a human sauerkraut cannon right now, primed and ready to fire the moment his snot rockets went off. And guess who was standing right in front of him, waiting to get hit? He, the unfortunate cameraman and (y/n) was by his side. She'd also recognised the danger and with lightning reflexes, she jumped to the side, not wishing to be...sauerkrauted.

"Hit the deck!" The woman shouted as her doofus ejected the contents of his mouth all over the camera with quite a bit landing on Henry too and the odd strand flicking onto her sweater. Ah, jeez, it was down his front, on the floor, on them, on Henry's phone, everywhere. Who had said this was a good idea?

~End of flashback~

"Remember, doofus?" (y/n) grinned at her fiancé, who certainly recalled how bad that day had been and why no one, only the most loyal of fans, had bothered to like, share and comment on his video.

"That was nasty, dude. No one likes food challenge videos." Henry stated as the memories came flooding back--the terrible flashbacks of plucking pieces of slimy cabbage from his hair and helping (y/n) clean the floor.

"Yeah, you're right. Kids shouldn't watch any videos online. They should only watch TV." Ray replied, knowing deep down that his food challenge video had been a complete and utter failure, so it was probably best that kids stick to properly produced shows. That way, the drivel wouldn't confuse their minds into thinking acting daft on the internet was a good thing. And for once, everyone agreed with him.

"Yeah, for sure."

"That's true."

"Or read books. Books are good, especially the ones you can read online." (y/n) added and smiled up at her doofus as he looked down at her. She made an excellent point too; there's nothing wrong with supporting authors and expanding your literary knowledge by spending an hour or all day reading a book. Y'know, leave a comment, share it, tell a friend, it all makes everyone's day a bit better. Wink-wink.

"All right, what's on the schedule today? Any bad people need punching? Any good people need saving?" Henry moved on as he left Ray to slowly eat (y/n)'s face and went to sit on the edge of the computer's console. There had to be some work to do, after all, the police in this town did nothing and it was always the job of Captain man and Co to come to the rescue, so he expected to have a busy day at work. But Charlotte had other news...

"Uhhhh, not really." She shrugged after scrolling down the list of things they had yet to do, which ranged from your average misdemeanour to situations where it was go-go-go, time to kick some ass! But there was nothing like that, just a few minor events going down that weren't worth the heroes' time of day. And that could only mean one thing.

"Wait, are you saying we have nothing to do? No citizens to save? No criminals to lock up? Sweet..." (y/n) grinned after pulling her lips away from her doofus after hearing the great news. Jeez, it felt like ages since they'd had an afternoon off, normally there was some calamity that meant they all had to rush off to wherever the disaster was going down. Had there ever been a Saturday where they were all together with no responsibilities?

"Then, that can only mean one thing," Ray said huskily, glancing down to see the excited grin growing on his sweet girl's face because it had been so damn long since they could hang out like normal friends or a normal family, "Movie day!"

"Yeah! Movie day!" And the effect was instantaneous. The group began cheering and shouting and leaping into the air with joy because holy shit, they had a day off! They could eat candy, lay around, watch crappy movies and just relax because for the first time in forever, they weren't needed by anyone.

Jasper threw stuff. Charlotte skidded across the floor on her knees. Ray and (y/n) shared a passionate, thrill of the moment kiss. Henry then started dancing with the man. And Schwoz went to get the TV, this day was shaping up to be awesome; great friends, great snacks, great viewing and not an ounce of work to be seen. Well, until Charlotte spotted something peculiar hiding in the corner of the Man Cave.

"Uh, hey-hey, guys. Hey-hey-hey!" She yelled above the noise they were making as Schwoz wheeled in one of those blocky, classic TVs that seem to make movies even better. The boys and (y/n) turned to see what she was talking about and it was weird because, for such a large thing, no one had noticed it. "There's a---anyone know what this big box is?"

"No, never seen it before. Lemme look." (y/n) mumbled and strolled over to the wooden crate, which Ray wasn't very happy about since it meant she pulled away from his body and dropped his hand. It was a strange thing, to say the least. The box was plain with nothing much about it, just a piece of paper, the shipping label and a peculiar logo printed on the side, so there weren't any clues as to how it got into the Man Cave or where it came from since there was no return address. Huh, and right under her nose...

"Uhhh, don't ask about that and don't look at it, (y/n/n). It's probably got work inside." Henry warned the woman as she came to stand beside Charlotte and trailed her fingers down the splintering wood. Whatever it was, wherever it came from, it looked like a problem, which didn't fit in with the aesthetic of their day off. So, couldn't they just let it be for the time being?

"Yeah, but there's a note from the vice mayor that says, please open this box right away," Charlotte argued, gesturing to the sheet stapled to the wood that had City Hall's crest printed in the corner.

Ah yes, Vice Mayor Willard, that aggravating politician who always called Miss Danger "ma'am" because he always forgot that she existed as if she hadn't been Captain Man's second sidekick for over two years or something. Trust him to ruin their perfect day.

"Ah, that could mean anything! Come on, sweet girl, come back over here...I'll give you a kiss..." Ray fluttered his eyelashes and stuck out a pouty bottom lip to try and coax his precious girl back to his side so they could carry on with the no work thing but (y/n) just had a funny feeling. Her tummy was talking to her and everyone knew what that meant--this box had something to hide...in more ways than one.

"As tempting as that sounds, doofus, I think we should just open it up and see what's inside." (y/n) replied and ignored his attempts to win her over by luring her heart. It had been working too, a kiss was something she'd never turn down after dreaming about it for so many years but come on, her tummy. It was telling her to have a quick peep inside just to see if something was wrong.

"Oh, come on, (y/n)! Charlotte!" Jasper shouted as the other boys groaned. Here came the work. With the help of Charlotte, they rocked and pulled at the box's sides, trying to prise the wood from the nails holding it together, which wasn't easy but they had determination. And all the while, the boys were praying for a miracle.

"Please, be popcorn...Please, be popcorn...Please, be popcorn..."

"Please, be popcorn...Please, be popcorn...Please, be popcorn..." They chanted as the box's lid loosened and finally gave way, causing the sides to fall and splay out. Well, it wasn't popcorn, that was for sure. It was...it was a goddamn bomb.

"Huh. Well, I was not expecting that." (y/n) looked at the thing with a perplexed yet curious expression because there was a bomb in front of her.

Now, most people would run for the hills and take cover in a fallout shelter or something, which is what she expected the others to do when they found out what it was but she knew better. It wasn't one of those bombs you'd see in Mission Impossible or Men in Black, no countdown or beep-beep-beep was telling them to run. It was really old, ancient even, and from the looks of things, she guessed that it would need an impact or an intervening event to make it blow. Kind of like a knife compared to a chainsaw but from an engineer's point of view; still bad but not the worst scenario.

"Definitely not popcorn," Charlotte told the boys and they all deflated with disappointment. Did they really think there'd be a sweet or salty, fluffy snack in there? Come on...

"What is it?" Jasper asked as he looked the thing up and down. Oh, (y/n) wouldn't tell them, that would spoil the fun, no, she'd let someone else do that and for now, she was happy to examine it herself just to make sure it was safe, and to hear their wild theories.

"I'll tell you what it is. It's a big, steaming pile of work!" Ray snapped. Of course, he wasn't a mechanic either so he couldn't get technical but he knew a problem when he saw one and there was a massive predicament taking up space in his Man Cave. All he wanted to do was sit on the couch, turn on a good movie, grab a cold drink and get all snuggly with his sweet girl. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently, yes. Rolling her eyes, Charlotte ignored her boss and picked up the small, cheap PearPad that had been inside the box too. No doubt it was just a burner to show them a message because lord knows that sending an email or a simple letter was so much harder than buying a device to give instructions. Stupid mayor, stupid city officials. Anyway...

"Hello, Captain Man, Kid Danger...uh, ma'am." The mayor's message started predictably and (y/n) found herself rolling her eyes too at how he'd only just managed to remember that she was a superhero too. Seriously, Captain Man, Kid Danger, Miss Danger, was it so hard? And his attempt at passing off his blunder as respect was pathetic too.

"Hate to drop a bomb on you like this but the crate that you just opened contains a bomb!" The mayor carried on and the moment he said the B-word, everything descended into chaos. Charlotte scrambled away from the explosive with terror in her eyes and even these rough, tough boys gulped and took a step back. They couldn't believe how calm Schwoz and (y/n) were being, they just stood next to it with uncaring expressions. God, Ray wanted to pull her back and cradle her to his chest so he could shield her from the danger.

"Her name's Whistlin' Susie and she's a World War Two atomic weapon." Yeah, atomic just made it worse. Think of an explosion that melts your face off or y'know, leaves you with a tan that'll slowly kill you. Jasper and Charlotte didn't need telling twice; the boy dived onto the couch, hoping that the curved, padded cushions had radiation shielding or something whilst the girl hid behind it. Oh yeah, that would save them.

"She showed up in the basement of City Hall last week. Now, I'm the vice mayor, not the roll the dice mayor. So, I don't wanna take any chances with this thing, that's why I sent it to the Man Cave. I think it's probably safe there. And now, I'm done thinking about this." Probably being the keyword in that utterance. The vice mayor's face disappeared from the screen and Schwoz discarded the thing as everyone else stayed well back.

Well, it was lovely that he thought they could handle it but seriously?! A bomb? Oh no, it's not like the city had a bomb squad or scientists that could've handled it, it had to be sent to Captain Man and his team, they could be blown up instead. Speaking of being blown up, Ray, Jasper, Henry and Charlotte gawped in horror as (y/n) and Schwoz did the opposite. The pair took a step forward and curiously started poking and prodding the bomb like it wasn't a deadly explosive.

"Hey, Schwoz, (y/n), what are you doing?! Get away from that!" Henry gasped as they got closer, a little too close for him and Ray. Speaking of the man, he was bricking it, his breath hitched at how his sweet girl, the love of his life, the one who carried his heart, was kicking and running her hands over it like it wasn't extremely dangerous.

"Sw--sweet girl, get back here! It's dangerous!" Ray cried and reached out to take her into his arms. Did she not realise that she was toying with his love and therefore his sanity? If something happened to her, super-regeneration be damned, he'd...he'd not be able to go on. She was so precious to him, losing her was incomprehensible, and yet she was playing with death so casually. Huh?

"Relax, it's not that dangerous." Schwoz scoffed with (y/n), who gave them a teasing smile as she wrapped an arm around the bomb like it was an old friend. And just to prove their point, Schwoz gave it some soft kicks for good measure, showing that they could do what they like with it and it wouldn't go off. Something complicated that they wouldn't go on about but they wouldn't be near it if it wasn't safe.

"Guys, atomic bombs don't just explode by themselves. You have to activate them first." (y/n) explained, gesturing to the thing, complete with its rusty casing and painted-on whistling woman, which just emphasised its age and simplicity. She'd seen a more complicated toaster, honestly, this thing wasn't that dangerous as long as it didn't start ticking.

"So, as long as we don't start the timing sequence, this thing is basically one big rock. Look!" She giggled and whacked the bomb with Schwoz, enjoying how empty it was inside and how thrilling it was to smack something that could incinerate everything in a fifty-mile radius. Living life on the edge was exciting. "Not active! Totally safe!"

And cautiously, the others heeded her words, creeping closer and closer until Henry was within touching distance. As (y/n) and Schwoz watched with amused smirks, the kid rapped his knuckles against the metal casing, just to test if it wasn't as dangerous as it seemed. His jumpy friends recoiled just in case it was gonna blow but when the bomb did nothing, Henry giggled. Yeah, he was starting to understand the thrill too.

"Ha, it's actually kind of fun...smacking a bomb." He smiled at the others, who relaxed when they saw how he wasn't dead or fried or incinerated, he was just standing there, all amused from playing with a weapon of mass destruction. Perhaps it wasn't as dangerous as they had first thought, perhaps if they slapped it, things would be okay...

"Lemme try, lemme try, lemme try." Jasper stuttered and pushed his best friend out of the way so he could tap the top of the bomb like it was a drum. And to his surprise and entertainment, all he could feel was the hollow cavity inside that stored all of that nuclear detonator stuff.

Oh yeah, he could get used to that and slowly but surely, everyone else started to join in, whacking the bomb. It probably wasn't the best idea to poke the proverbial bear as it were, and Ray was still quite unsure but when his sweet girl turned around to give him a gleaming smile, he just couldn't help it. He wanted in.

And so, they beat that bomb with happy grins on their faces, which would probably look quite moronic to anyone watching but for them, it was five seconds of fun knowing that the mayor had sent Susie to them believing that she was gonna kill the entire city when really, you could do whatever you want with her. That timing sequence wasn't gonna start. Well, that was fun while it lasted...

"Movie day!" Ray cheered once the slapping had finished and they all joyfully rushed to the couch, leaving Susie where she stood. Just because Willard had said that it was now their problem didn't mean they had to work. The bomb could sit there for a few hours whilst they relaxed instead, why should their fun have to be spoiled? After all, it's not like Susie was gonna blow...

~Half an hour later~

Oh, yeah, this was nice. This was good. This was heaven. A random movie on the rock of a TV Schwoz had brought in, a comfy couch, the odd snack and just some quality time hanging out together with no worries. That's what a movie day was about.

On one side of the couch, there was Henry; he was in charge of changing the film, altering the volume, that kind of thing. Then, there was Charlotte next to him, and Jasper next to her, nibbling away at a chocolate mold of someone's head, which was an odd choice of snack but still, he seemed to like it.

Wedged next to him was Schwoz, who just to mildly irritate everyone had a dish of chips and salsa, which he just had to dip with chopsticks--yeah, they had no idea why, they didn't question it either. And then, the lovey-dovey couple, who would argue that they were the most comfortable out of all of them.

Ray was free to spread out along the left curve of the couch with Susie tucked under one arm because why the hell not? She wasn't hurting anybody and it was kinda thrilling to have irradiating material just chilling next to you. Plus, it made a great bottle opener.

Anyway, the real comfort came on his other side, where (y/n) and her bowl of ice cream were snuggling up to him, one leg over his, her cheek pressed against his pec and his arm curled around her waist to pull her even closer.

Oh, the others could tease them all they liked but nothing could beat this, not when they could sneak kisses during the distracting action scenes and share spoonfuls of creamy, strawberry goodness. Maybe Ray's huge body took up one-quarter of the couch and left them all huddled up, elbow-to-elbow, but no one would complain. Not when those two looked so happy and carefree.

"But Shake-Up, our catcher's still lost at sea. Now, we'll have to forfeit the game!" (y/n) couldn't care less what was being said in the movie since it wasn't a romcom and therefore wasn't her genre but that was okay, she had a much better distraction. She giggled into Ray's shirt as his arm came over her head to crack the bottle top off of his soda, using Susie, of course. Oh, he looked so damn handsome from this angle, his jaw could slice anything and his hair had those little floppy bits poking out that never seemed to stay gelled back. How was it possible for one man to be so perfect?

"Precious girl..." Ray muttered almost silently as she stretched her neck to meet his lips after he took a swig of soda because it wasn't fair that the glass bottle could have that luxury and not her. The spoon laden with ice cream would have to wait, the entire world would have to; his lips were moving against hers so slowly, so perfectly, everything else faded and became blurry.

And that included the oncoming cataclysm. It was like the domino effect of a disaster, one bad thing after another until it peaked with the worst catastrophe of all. First, Henry sneezed, y'know, the most natural thing in the world, but he didn't cover his mouth and nose like a nice, normal person.

No, he snotted all over Charlotte, who understandably recoiled and flailed her elbows, which meant she accidentally nudged Jasper. Then, Jasper lost his grip on his chocolate head, which then landed in Schwoz's salsa. And to top it all off, the salsa then splattered all over (y/n), some of it going into her eye and burning for a brief second as her super-healing body blinked it away.

It didn't sound like a problem but it was; upon feeling the searing pain of the spicy dip on sensitive skin, her arms went up to protect her face...and one of her hands just so happened to be holding a spoon...with ice cream...lots of it.

Predictably, the peace was shattered as a massive ice cream glob landed on Ray's cheek, the chilliness of the dessert spooking him into sloshing his soda all over the place and that included all over Susie. Oh god, old circuits don't mix well with liquid and the old bomb was no exception, so without their knowledge, shit started sparking and smoking as they focused on their small, inconsequential problems.

"Ah, my face! Sweet girl! You--you flicked ice cream on my face!" Ray yelped and wiped the stickiness from his cheek as they pulled apart, the kiss suddenly over all too soon. No more cuddling for them, not when he was giving her an incredulous, almost offended look like he'd been attacked by his most trusted ally. What gives? They were two minutes away from descending into a makeout session...

"It's not my fault! Schwoz splashed sauce in my eye!" (y/n) replied in a whiny voice, not liking how he was pinning the blame on her.

"That's because Jasper's chocolate head landed in my salsa!" Schwoz retorted, passing the blame along the row. Everything had been going fine on their end until the boy ruined his food; he'd been eating his chips, (y/n) had been eating her ice cream and Ray's face, it was just another typical movie day.

"That's 'cause Charlotte bumped into me!" Jasper complained too, making everyone look at the girl, who also felt like none of this was her fault. Any normal person would be disgusted at being sneezed on, it was only because of that disgust that any of this had happened. So, in her mind, it was technically Henry's fault. "That's 'cause Henry sneezed on me!"

"Shhhh! Listen!" The boy's reaction was unusual and unprecedented because he didn't seem bothered by the accusation. Instead, he seemed to be focused on something else, something that they couldn't hear over the sound of the baseball charge music from the movie. So, he turned the whole thing off, which annoyed them all for a brief second before they heard it too. Oh, shit.

It wasn't much, it was barely a tick-click-tick-click thrumming through the air, but it was enough and it was obvious where the noise was coming from. It was Susie.

"Oh, sweet cheese..." (y/n) breathed out as they all gulped and looked at the bomb, which in the time they had been arguing had started counting down, getting closer and closer to zero when all of their lives would be over. Were those lights flashing before? No, they weren't, this was bad, this was very very bad, she knew it, Schwoz knew it, and the others were getting the message from how the clever ones had put down their snacks and were looking quite queasy.

"Schwoz?"

"Where're you going, dude?" Ray and Henry, everyone, looked at the genius with livid expressions as he crept away slowly and left them all on the couch. It wasn't that he was a coward, it was just that...he was a coward. Come on, it was his coconut instinct--that thing was gonna blow, he wanted to run, it was only because she refused to leave her doofus and friends that (y/n) wasn't doing the same. Honestly, there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity.

"Okay, uh, remember when (y/n) and I said Whistlin' Susie can't explode unless she's active?" Schwoz asked tentatively because he didn't want to worry them but there was still a live bomb one metre in front of him. It was impossible not to be nervous, especially after acting so chill earlier on.

"Yeah..." All of the non-science ones mumbled, having that memory clear in their minds. It was the only reason why they trusted the bomb, the only reason why they'd allowed Ray to bring it over to sit with them and the only reason why they'd propped it up against the couch. They, the smart ones who knew about all this nuclear physics and chemistry, engineering stuff, had assured them it was safe. It was safe, right?

"Yeah, well, now she's active!" (y/n) whimpered, looking at the bomb, the one her doofus had his hand on, with terror in her eyes.

Screaming in horror, Henry, Jasper, Charlotte and Ray scrambled to get as far away from that thing as they could, the latter grabbing his sweet girl's hand and dragging her to safety. Sure, he'd survive but his family wouldn't--could her super-regeneration overcome a nuclear blast? It was a bit more heavy-duty than a gunshot or stab wound.

They cleared the couch in a matter of seconds, with the only hiccup being that Ray very nearly tipped the thing over. Dear lord, they couldn't let it fall over, for all they knew the impact might make the timer hit zero prematurely and then it would be all over.

No, for now, they were cowering on the floor, huddling together with Ray cradling his sweet girl to his chest like he had done that time when Schwoz gave them all a deadly disease. He couldn't let her get hurt, he just couldn't, he'd vowed to keep her safe. So, what were they gonna do?

Okay, panic. That was step one. It had taken them all a while to calm down after hearing the terrible, dreadful, fucking horrific news that the bomb was minutes, hours or days away from exploding, but like most shitstorms, there was calm afterwards.

(y/n) had made a very good point; if they were gonna die, then they'd go out fighting to...not die. There was something they could do, there had to be, they couldn't just sit around and wait to die, not when they had two very experienced engineers in the room whose steady hands could see if there was a solution. All was not lost, at least that was her perspective and after wrenching herself from Ray's deadlocked embrace and calming the teens down from their hyperventilative states, she and Schwoz got to work.

Okay, prising the door to the circuit board and inner mechanisms wasn't too hard, the bomb wasn't very sophisticated in that way, so that wasn't the problem. However, what was a bit concerning was how unnecessarily complicated it seemed to be on the inside.

So, as they started poking around the cable and buttons and observing the pressure dials, they realised that this wasn't gonna be as easy as they had thought. Stuff everywhere, way too many components and extra wires that could trip the system at any time and kill them all instantly. In other words, they were playing Russian roulette.

"You said this thing wasn't active! You said it was like a big rock!" Henry exclaimed breathlessly as he and Ray paced around whilst they did their best to disarm the bomb.

Jasper and Charlotte were content to huddle together by the supercomputer but the heroes couldn't sit still. Henry was just plain nervous and Ray was scared for himself, his team, his home, his goddamn rabbit in the other room and his sweet girl, who currently had her fingers wedged into a bomb. No wonder he was on the verge of a heart attack--he could see the ring on her finger next to the flashing lights. Would he even get to marry her?

"It was like a big rock! Until Ray, being the doofus he is, spilt soda on the timer and then, the carbon from his soda reacted with the degraded copper wires and oh, science-science-science and stuff you guys won't understand---now, it's active!" (y/n) snapped, not wanting to point the blame or get too technical but the stress was getting to her. The lives of everyone in the city were counting on her and Schwoz to fix this, what if they failed?

"And now, everyone in Swellview's gonna be vapourised?" Charlotte asked in a worried tone. That's what happened in the movies, that's what she'd learnt in history class, one bomb and everyone dies, that's generally what happened. A flash of searing pain and it was all over, well, some lucky so-and-so's might survive, Ray and maybe (y/n) included, but there'd be nothing left for them. No buildings, no safe food and water, everything would be lost.

"Oh, no, no, no..." Schwoz shook his head because that wasn't strictly accurate, so they all breathed a sigh of relief. Well, if they were destined to die at least they weren't gonna take everyone with them, that was a good thing. "First, we will all catch fire and then, we will slowly, painfully--"

"That is bad news!

"No, no, no, no!"

"Really, Schwoz?"

"Hey, knock it off you're scaring them! Anyway, we're the closest to the bomb, we'll be dead from the blast before we even realise it. Well, most of you will be anyway." (y/n) whacked Schwoz on the shoulder as the others shuddered from the description of their demise. Great, well, it was all right for her and Ray; he was sure to survive and her chances were better than theirs, and either way, dying like that didn't sound good.

"Just tell us how long we have until this thing explodes," Henry stated, swallowing his fear so they could focus on working out a solution. They always sorted things, they always cheated death, it was what they did and as superheroes, they were the only ones who could save the day. The mayor had dropped this on them, a bit of a dick move, but now, it was their responsibility. They could do something, right?

"Uh...about six hours." Schwoz estimated after glancing at the steadily rising pressure gauges. They weren't too high yet, the bomb wasn't ready to blow and they could do a lot in six hours, have a shower, get married, play a game of football, have lunch, sing a song or deactivate or dump the bomb. Any of those would be nice and Ray had his ideas about how they could spend their final hours, which predictably, weren't very helpful.

"Oh, great. We can finish the movie!" he grinned, which earnt him a few dry looks from his friends because that was so not helpful. Sure, they had time to play with but that time was for doing something useful, not watching some dumb teen movie.

"No, Raymond, we are not watching the movie!" (y/n) warned him, making the man's giddy smile drop. Aw, he wanted to return the peace and comfort they'd had when they were snuggling earlier before the disaster had happened. It wasn't his fault that she looked so hot in that cute little skirt and dress, it was difficult to not want to have her all to himself but he understood where she was coming from. It had been a long stretch from the beginning.

"Wait, (y/n), Schwoz, can't you guys just cut the wires and turn off the timer?" Charlotte asked, thinking that it should've been simple because without a timer, the bomb wouldn't tick down and ergo, it wouldn't explode. If only it was as simple as it was in the movies.

"I don't know. These wires are old and unstable. Cutting the wires might work or it might cause an explosion. " Schwoz shrugged and looked at the cables and circuits inside. They were taking a risk as it was, poking around with such outdated equipment was dangerous and even he, the greatest inventor in Swellview, possibly one of the greatest in the world, couldn't say what would happen if he started snipping stuff.

"Enough talk! Either this works or it doesn't. Give me the wire cutters!" Ray just couldn't take it. What he was willing to take was his chances because this way, he could say that he'd tried his best and given it a go when no one else would. He had guts, everyone would give him that, but he was also stupid and reckless, and they weren't ready to be blown up yet.

"What? No, no, no, no!"

"Ray! Ray!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"No, no, no, no!"

"Doofus, no!" They all screamed, making him pull away from the bomb before he could do any snipping. Jeez, talk about giving them all heart attacks, he had no coordination, no expertise and no clue which wire to cut and no, he couldn't cut all of them. They had to think about this carefully if they were gonna cut the wire, that is.

"What? What?"

"Or you could just load it up into the Man Truck, drive it out into the desert and cut the wires there. That way if Whistlin' Susie explodes, nobody in Swellview gets burnt to a crisp," Charlotte suggested and everyone thought that her idea sounded a hell of a lot better.

"Ummmm, it's kinda a far drive," Ray, however, wasn't too keen, "I've already got the wire cutters right here and I'm feeling lucky." He grinned and twirled the small cutter in between his fingers. Right well, if he was feeling lucky, then they were feeling sneaky because there was one way to get Ray to change his mind and then had no problem shoving her forward to use those eyelashes against him. The skirt helped too...

"Ray...please..." Oh, (y/n) was good, she was so good. Her hand was hooked underneath his arm and grasping his bicep before he could step towards the bomb and when he turned to look at her, she turned up the charm. Her palm rested against his chest and she looked up at him through her eyelashes so her eyes seemed large and sorrowful, so when her bottom lip trembled, it was all over for the hero. How could he go against her when she was practically begging on her knees and penetrating his soul like that?

"Fine, I'll do it! Schwoz, will you please show me what to do when I get out to the desert?" Ray conceded haughtily, although everyone knew that he wasn't pissed at all, he never was when it came to his sweet girl. He could try to make it seem like he'd been pushed into the decision, but it was clear that he'd gladly taken her hand to be guided into the light. And that was the magic of (y/n).

"Hold my flashlight..." Schwoz was beyond relieved that his boss was taking the sensible route because now all he needed to do was give him a don't-blow-yourself-up-course in bomb disarmament,

"It's simple. First, you hold the orange wire with one hand. Then, with the other hand, you cut the yellow wire."

"Easy." Well, that seemed straightforward enough. Even for a bozo like Ray, who'd never attended a science class in his life because his girl's late-night ramblings on the workings of life didn't count.

"Then, with your third hand," or not, "you press the reset button. Then, with your fourth hand, you hold the white wire. Then, with your fifth hand, you cut the green wire. And finally, you press the reset button again--"

"That's not a plan!"

"I don't have a fourth hand!"

"That's not gonna work!" They complained to the genius, who gave them all a blank stare. Well, he could do it on his own, what were they grumbling about? It was just simple physics contained in a deadly explosive, nothing too fruity.

"You need six hands to diffuse this thing?" Jasper asked as Ray frowned. Well, that meant he couldn't go on his own, or rather, he wouldn't let anyone come with him, so they'd have to think of another plan. And yet that got (y/n) and Henry thinking; well, if Captain Man needed help, it was obvious who'd go with him. There were two people employed specifically to lend a hand.

"One, two...Okay! New plan! I figure out a way to grow Ray four more arms--" Oh, Schwoz. Dear, sweet, clever and yet so stupid, Schwoz.

"Schwoz, first of all, that's never gonna work and you're gonna spend years trying. Second of all, you're not turning my fiancé into a mutant freak. And third of all, that means there's only one thing left to do." (y/n) pinched the bridge of her nose before turning to her lover, who seemed to dread what she was about to suggest as if he could read her mind. Okay, it wasn't ideal because even with her, the danger was still very real, but what choice did they have?

"We've gotta go with you, doofus."

"Huh, no!" And Ray just flat out refused. No way, not a chance, he was never gonna allow his darling, precious fiancé and vulnerable, young sidekick along on a trip that could so very easily end in them being blown to bits. It was too dangerous and if anything happened to them, he'd never forgive himself, not when the burden had only been his to bear at the beginning.

"You heard Schwoz, dude, you need six hands to turn this thing off!" Henry protested, siding with (y/n) on this one because whilst he was squishy and in danger of being killed, he had a duty to the city just as much as his boss did. He wasn't scared of death, not if it meant he was saving thousands of people in the process.

"Yeah, but you and (y/n)--I gotta keep you--I gotta keep her safe--"

"And we took an oath to help you protect the people of Swellview, so we're going doofus, whether you like it or not." (y/n) butted in. She understood what was running through his mind, she wasn't overly thrilled about him going or Henry being put in danger too, but they had to do this, no matter how terrifying it was or what they could lose. Who would do it if not them?

"It's too dangerous, sweetheart. You know---you know I can't lose you," Ray lowered his voice and looked off to stare at the floor as he tenderly cupped her cheek and imagine his worst nightmare becoming a reality.

No more sleeping, he couldn't do that without her next to him. No more eating, he wouldn't want to if she wasn't there to steal tidbits. No more watching movies, if she wasn't there to snuggle into his side and makeout with him then there was no point. Life would become meaningless and dark, it was better that she stayed safe and he took the hit on this one.

"I know doofus, but you're the guy who was about to cut the wires on an atomic bomb because he was, feeling lucky." (y/n) pointed out. It was all well and good saying that he was concerned about her and the kid, and yes, that protectiveness made her tummy flutter, but moments before, he'd been willing to just go off luck and take a chance. He was lucky he was so adorable...

"Okay, that was a lie. I didn't feel lucky at all!" Very lucky that he was so adorable. Sometimes, it was like there was a subtext telling them to just punch him in his stupid teeth. Whatever, whilst they were debating whether to kill him or not, Charlotte had been brainstorming and she was fairly sure that there was a way for Henry to go and stand some chance of surviving the nuclear blast.

"Wait, Schwoz, remember when you used to be convinced that there was gonna be a war between humans and bears?" She turned to the small man, who instantly became serious and passionate about the change of topic. Yeah, that had been a weird time in the Man Cave and there had been plenty of debates about how ridiculous and unrealistic his theory was but there had been one good thing to come out of Schwoz's conspiracy.

"Used to be? You just wait until Bear War One, it's coming! Believe me! It's coming!"

"No need to get overexcited, Schwoz. It's just a load of old shit..." (y/n) muttered as the genius went off on one about how he thought the bears were gonna rise and kill humanity. Honestly, he called himself a man of science, but they let him have his wild theories, all (y/n) did was merely relax back into Ray's chest when he leisurely wrapped his arms around her waist and dropped a kiss to her temple. He could tolerate the crap if he had her as a distraction.

"Anyway...you still have that bear-proof suit that you made, right?"

"Yeah...that bear-proof suit. That thing ever work?" Henry could see what Charlotte was driving at and Schwoz chuckled and chuckled and chuckled at the memory. That had been a fun day for him, Ray and (y/n). You know, just a normal day until he'd brought an actual, man-eating bear into the Man Cave to test out the survival suit he'd made, which Ray had loved, but his sweet girl had hated.

It had been petrifying from the moment the thing had walked out of the elevator. Whilst Ray had excitedly observed from the tube pads with (y/n) cowering behind his back, the huge beast padded its way into the main room and headed for Schwoz. The genius had taunted and lured it towards him and before he knew it, the beast had given him a strong swipe with its paw, and that sent him flying. Surprisingly though, in the suit, he couldn't feel a thing, not even when its jaws locked onto his arm and started to maul him. All it did was leave him chuckling, much like he's now at the oh-so hilarious memory.

"Well, does that answer your question?" Schwoz asked as he broke out of his little daydream. Oh, fun memories--not only had his suit been a great success but he'd had a lovely little play session with a fucking huge animal. It was great, even if (y/n) begged to differ. To her, the place still smelled of bear...

"No."

"You've just been standing there, laughing for about twenty-five seconds." Henry and Jasper stared at him blankly because all the time he'd been imagining how great his suit had been, the others had been left to just watch as he spaced out. Well, Ray was a little preoccupied running his nose from behind his girl's ear and down her neck to her shoulder, enjoying how she shivered and stretched to bare her throat even more. He'd kinda lost himself in the moment too...

"Oh, well, the suit works." And that's all Henry needed to know, much to Ray's annoyance since he now had to stop enjoying the scent of his fiancée's perfume and break out of their happy little bubble to return to the problem of her and Henry tagging along on his deadly mission.

"Good enough for me. Ray, I'm going with you." Henry announced and slapped his boss on the back as the man rubbed his eyes tiredly. Oh god, the kid wasn't taking no for an answer and he could hear his sweet girl giggling at how frustrated he was by it. Did he have to? Sure, that suit was epic but still, he was so worried.

"Me too, doof. Count me in." (y/n) smiled and squished his cheeks together just to annoy him even down. She wasn't about to watch him drive off and get himself blown up, she was gonna be there too, for better or worse. And if he thought he could get rid of her or Henry that easily, not when they were as heroic and courageous as he was. He would just have to put up with it.

"Dah, fine! But if either of you dies, I'm gonna kill you!" Ray warned them snappily, which made his lover chuckle at how silly and weirdly cute his threat was. Yeah, that was her doofus, ridiculous yet fiercely loyal, loving and caring; it was just his way of saying he was gonna go with it but at the first sign of danger, they'd be the ones retreating whilst he stayed behind. He cared, so damn much...as if he'd ever kill them.

"Sure you would, sweetheart..." The woman grinned and stood on her tiptoes to give him a gentle kiss, her thumb rubbing at the space between his eyebrows to smoothen the crease there caused by stress. It would be fine, they would be fine and as long as they were together, death wouldn't be so bad. A bit of an inconvenience, sort of.

"Let's do this!" Henry exclaimed, feeling pumped up and ready to go since he felt quite safe. The suit would protect him and let's be honest, Ray would never let anything threaten (y/n), so the fact that he was letting her come along told him that it wasn't that dangerous. Seriously, Ray could be quite firm when he was concerned about her and as such, the kid was feeling quite calm and unbothered, so he just gave Susie a small smack--which made her tip over. Idiot.

The bomb landed with a clank and a click, which caused them all to jump back in fear and alarm. Ray instinctively tugged (y/n) behind his back and felt Jasper curl into his shoulder too, although he was much more concerned with how his sweet girl trembled with fright. What had Henry been thinking?

"Let's do this..." The teen rephrased with slightly more humility because everyone was glaring daggers at him. Not his best moment, maybe he'd smack something else next time because Charlotte was breathing like a bullmastiff, Schwoz had gone pale, Jasper had to be wrenched from Ray's shoulder and speaking of Ray, he'd gone into super-protective fiancée mode.

(y/n)'s arms were securely around his waist, her face buried in between his shoulder blades and her hot breath settling into his shirt as she caught her breath. Ray dropped his hands down to his belt to gently grab hers and ran his thumb over her knuckles as he death-stared at his sidekick. His sweet girl had been scared, even if it was just for a moment--not Henry Hart's best idea he'd ever had.

~In the Man Truck~

Well, the drive hadn't been so bad. It had been agonisingly long and to be fair, the heroes had had a slow start after transforming into their super-suits--just Ray having one of his pre-journey fits as usual.

However, once they'd hit the open road, things had gone rather smoothly. The traffic had soon been left behind in the city as they reached the hour mark but it wasn't particularly boring, not when Ray could rest one elbow on the door and keep the other on (y/n)'s inner thigh--the only position they knew when it came to cruising in Ray's beat-up old truck.

It truly was a banger; rusty and rickety after a couple of decades of service to the man, who loved it like it was his baby. There were so many memories attached to it, passing his driving test, picking up girls as a spotty teenager, wooing women as a handsome adult, blasting music with (y/n) when they were "just friends" and now, driving his future wife to late-night dates for star-gazing. This truck had seen it all and even if it was showing its age, he'd never get rid of it. No, (y/n) would forever be working her magic to keep it running, he just adored the stupid hunk of junk.

Still, it was good enough for a discreet mission like this where they needed space in the back and a vehicle that wouldn't draw suspicion. All of the other vehicles he owned wouldn't do; they were too small and too flashy to carry a bomb around and the last thing wanted to do was pull over for a selfie when the cargo in the back go blow at any minute. No, the Man Truck would do just fine, great even because after a while, ignoring the smell of burning oil, it was quite a sweet ride.

There was enough space for all three of them in the front with Henry taking the passenger side, Ray at the wheel and (y/n) squished into the middle. And that truly was the best set-up because the kid could have his own space as they got all cosy--well, as cosy as they could with the man driving. The atmosphere was rather relaxing as they finally broke out into the desert and trekked along a desolate, endlessly straight road, and with Ray being suspiciously silent yet striking with his hot sunglasses, there was ample opportunity for a good, old-fashioned heart-to-heart.

"...It's just like, I don't know, man. I'm just--I'm having trouble balancing my normal life with my sidekick life." Henry sighed as he ranted to (y/n), who honestly didn't mind because she was a good listener and in a way, she kind of related to how he was feeling. Well, not exactly, but she understood what he was feeling.

It was one of Henry's bitter problems, the struggle of being a normal kid and a superhero at the same time because everyone needed Henry Hart to be the perfect student, the perfect, son, the perfect brother and the perfect friend, but everyone also needed Kid Danger to be the perfect hero. There was just so much pressure and so many expectations, he sometimes wondered if his thirteen-year-old self had bitten off more than he could chew.

Sure, it had been fun at first but now, a few years down the line and he found himself struggling to stay afloat. What had been plain and simple, black and white before was now blurring into one, the lines he'd drawn were disappearing and he was losing his perspective on what his priorities were. Should he stay at home with his family or go out and save someone? Should he study to make sure he passes that class or run off to go and stop Doctor Minyak or The Toddler?

"It's like, where does Henry Hart end and Kid Danger begin?" That was the burning question. Who did he want to be? Because from what he'd learnt so far, he couldn't be both. He was both Henry and Kid Danger but they were two different people constantly fighting to be on the surface and be the dominant personality. How could he fight bad guys and live a normal life when he was fighting himself?

"It's just...it's been a tough couple of years..." He sniffed and (y/n) couldn't take it anymore. Her hand crossed the gap between them and landed on his knee, making him look over at her with sad, puffy eyes. Poor baby, she knew it was a struggle, she knew how much he'd sacrificed for the city and she knew that it sucked that for Kid Danger to be the great sidekick he was, Henry Hart had to take a beating. Their lives weren't easy, she knew that better than anyone.

"I know, kid," she swallowed and squeezed his knee before carrying on, "I totally get what you're saying. I mean, one minute I was boring old (y/n) (y/l/n), the mouse in the Man Cave and the next minute, I had a superpower and I was out fighting crime." It was curious how fate played its hand. When she'd taken the job as his helper or mechanic or cleaner or whatever, (y/n) had never expected to become Ray's sidekick, especially not after Henry had arrived but that's just how things played out.

"We had to become different people very quickly and we'll never be thanked for what we do. We have to suffer for Miss Danger and Kid Danger to thrive and it's hard to just sit back and take it. But it's what we do." She said wistfully. Of course, her job was rewarding and she never tired of seeing people reunite with their families or villains get their comeuppance but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder too.

If she and Ray retired, what would life be like for them? No more stress, no more constant peril, no more sleepless nights, no more disrupted days, no more secrets. They'd be a normal couple and they could live in a normal house with boring jobs and boring neighbours, which didn't sound fun until she dreamed of the family they longed for. Children and a dog, messes to clean up and drawings on the fridge, spilt breakfast in bed and long nights soothing poorly tummies. That sounded like heaven but she knew that the dream was a long way off.

"Do you ever wish you hadn't taken the job?" Henry asked, which made the woman pause. He'd taken it because he was just a kid in need of money and adventure but she had a job, a great job that she loved and lord knows that naturally if danger came her way, she ran in the other direction. What would've happened if she'd stayed in her comfort zone and not gone out on the odd mission that turned into a full-time habit?

"...No. I...I don't like to think like that," she replied, choosing her words carefully because her feelings were complex but the truth was simple, "there's no point wishing that I'd done something differently. And anyway, who knows? If I'd never become Miss Danger, I might have never got with Ray and you two would undoubtedly be stuck in a hole or a trap right now."

"Yeah, that's true," Henry giggled, knowing that M-D had certainly gotten him and Ray out of a few scrapes over the years, "...thanks for listening to me."

"No problem, kid. I know how much you struggle to make us happy and everyone else. We're both very grateful and if you ever need a break or advice or anything, you can come to us. Ain't that right, doofus? Doofus? Ray! Raymond!" (y/n) drifted her smile away from the thankful boy and across to her lover, who had been suspiciously quiet during the time she and Henry had been chatting.

Not even one word had fallen from his lips, which wasn't like him and now that she thought about it, his hand had been suspiciously still and limp on her thigh too. Was he--was he asleep?

Oh, yeah he was, Henry reached across to grab the sunglasses and confirmed it, his eyes were shut, his mouth was open and his breathing was slow. Well, now she was glad she shouted at him because he'd sneakily put on his shades to hide the fact that he was dozing during their conversation, which was rude, dangerous and just a little bit mean when Henry was having a tender moment.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"Oh my god, you--you doofus!" The sidekicks screeched as they saw how they were just cruising along with a driver who'd fallen asleep behind the wheel and on instinct, (y/n) grabbed it to correct their course. She'd wondered why they'd been drifting from one side of the road to the other for the last few miles but she'd just written it off as Ray being bored. Now, she knew the truth.

"Whooooaaa-I'm awake!" The hero's eyes flew open with a start and he blinked at his horrified fiancée and best friend with an innocent expression. He'd only closed his eyes for a minute because they'd been talking about boring stuff and the drive was so lame. What was the big deal?

"Raymond! Were you asleep the entire time?" (y/n) questioned harshly, her mouth dropped open as she was just...speechless. Totally and utterly baffled at how he could be so protective, loving and nurturing one minute and a completely careless buffoon the next. The man who rocked her so lovingly after she was so frightened by Susie falling over and kissed her until she'd forgotten about it had driven a car senselessly. God, he made her question his mind sometimes...

"It's fine, sweet girl! The road's straight, Henry's in a bear-proof suit, you've got super-regeneration and I'm indestructible, pffffffhh!" Ray merely brushed off her concerns with his signature charming smirk and a squeeze to her thigh, on which his hand had moved up another inch or so, just to add extra smoothness to his excuse. He had everything under control, he'd never let them get hurt.

"There's a World War Two atomic warhead in the back of the truck!" Henry exclaimed. Honestly, if they had crashed, what did he think would happen? They'd all be blown to bits, thank you and good night. How could he be so reckless with his life, the life of his future wife and the life of his sidekick who hadn't even reached adulthood yet?

"Oh, yeah...I will stay awake!" Ray grinned breezily as if he'd forgotten about Whistlin' Susie in the back. How could he forget? Did he not have nerves shooting around his belly as they did? It wasn't the sort of thing you could forget but this was Ray, the guy who forgot birthdays, anniversaries and things that happened that morning, so they begrudgingly let it slide as he shifted position to wrap an arm around (y/n)'s shoulders and pulled her into his side. Well, this was nice, at least.

"This truck's a beater, how long you had it?" Henry asked as he watched the couple get all cosy. He could see it now; them driving all night long to get to one of those secluded cabins that they booked for a weekend away, stopping to "have a break" at the side of the road, arguing at some points and laughing during others, and just making the most of every moment they had together because sooner or later, they'd return to work and the domesticity would be shattered. The life of a superhero tended to get in the way of normal romantic breaks...

"Uh...since I was sixteen, so...twenty--uh, ten--t-ten years." Ray stammered as he quickly changed his answer. Twenty-odd years seemed an awfully long time, and as always, his need to appear youthful and trendy overcame the truth.

It was a blatant lie but it seemed better than admitting his true age, especially when he remembered the gap between him and everyone else. With Henry, it wasn't so bad, they had a brother thing going on, but with his sweet girl, sometimes he had some different thoughts. Six years separated them, she was ten when this truck was brand new and sometimes, he just wanted to be closer to her age, even if she had never thought twice about how old he was.

"Ummm, seems a lot older than that," Henry replied, not realising that he was rubbing salt into some very, very sore wounds that Ray preferred to ignore.

"Well, I'm not old, okay? I'm not! The--the truck is not old! All right? The truck is a boy! A young boy, who will never grow old and never die and will always be mommy's favourite!" Yeah, there were some unresolved issues here that any psychologist would love to have a crack at. Poor doofus, his childhood was traumatic what with the densitisation and estrangement from his parents and honestly, he could be a little...leaky when proved and his leaks or outbursts were a little scary for those unused to them.

"Okay, sweetheart, just breathe. No one is saying the truck is old. The truck is perfect and sweet and kind and I love him--it very much." (y/n) was quickly on top of the leak, soothing her upset doofus with a gentle metaphor, soft words and an even softer tone. Her poor love; he appeared fine but some things had left their scars and it was hard to let them fade when the pain was still there. All she could do was stroke his bicep or hold him when his terrors kept him awake at night until the day came when everything came to pass.

"...We've been driving for almost three hours. My phone's about to die." Henry stated, quickly moving the conversation on before the awkwardness became too much. It was fine, Ray had (y/n), and it was all fine. However, what was not fine was that he'd been scrolling through TwitFlash and playing too many games for so long that his battery was drained and in desperate need of a charger. So, it was a good thing that Ray had calmed down and had a solution.

"Oh, well, plug it in and charge it."

"Oh my god, I told you to get rid of that thing..." (y/n) gasped in horror and perhaps some admiration because, holy Jesus. Ray's idea of a portable charger wasn't a power bank or anything sensible like that, oh no, it was a mechanical engineer's or a firefighter's worst nightmare.

Bundle after bundle of wires and cables snaked into a mess of corded spaghetti that eventually connected to an extension lead, which fed off of the car's battery--a fire hazard waiting to spark. (y/n) hated it with a burning passion too; her doofus had been doing it for years, saying that he knew about electricity more than she did and that overloaded sockets were just a myth, so he plugged everything into the damn thing. Phones, satellite navigation, fans and other assorted gadgets, you name it, the tangled wires powered it and all she could do is sulk.

"That can't possibly work," Henry stated, seeing that (y/n)'s face was like thunder and for good reason. The frayed wires had been patched up with tape and there was so much going on he couldn't see where it even started. Surely, the car battery would make everything explode from the high voltage and how much resistance was channelling through so much copper; how had his phone not melted yet?

"It works for my phone and the heating pad I'm sitting on and the portable AC unit under the seats," Ray smirked and just ruffled his girl's hair when he caught a glimpse of her expression. He'd been using this thing for years and she'd been complaining about it for years, but in all that time, nothing had ever gone wrong, much like the truck it fed off, the not-so-portable charging station was still going strong.

"Yeah, and it's also stupidly inefficient, dangerous and--stop holding it near my face, Raymond!" (y/n) shrieked when the messy bunch was shoved up into her face so Henry could grab the free charging cable. The idea of being zapped in the eye made her shriek and Ray chuckled because nothing was gonna go wrong. She was just so cute when she tried to be stern and his reaction as her hands covered her face swayed her decision.

"Okay..." The boy didn't need any more convincing. If it worked for all of that stuff, it should work for his phone, right? That's how physics worked, all of that malarkey about electricity causing fires was just a load of shit. And so, he plugged his phone in, smiling when the little lightning symbol appeared on the screen. Huh, maybe Ray was a genius...or not.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Henry gasped and recoiled from the wire bundle when as (y/n) had predicted, the circuit just couldn't take the extra strain. The surge of power overloaded the shitty, old cables and they began to spark and smoulder and pop in Ray's hand as his sweet girl freaked out in tandem. It was in her face, she had every right to panic, especially when Ray instinctively dropped it when it burned his fingers. And where did it land? Right on her lap.

"Ow! Oh my god, it burns! It's burning me! Get it off! I'm gonna kill both of you for this!" She shrieked when her poor thighs and knees were given a bit of a belt from the electricity and she'd never been more grateful for her healing abilities when the burn marks vanished instantly. Still, the torture was never-ending, especially since car batteries are known for being very long-lasting and rather powerful.

"Aw, come on! My heating pad!" Ray groaned when he felt his pad fizzle out, which earned him a murderous look from his fiancé. Seriously? That's what he was focusing on? His stupid ass warmer? Her legs, her beautiful legs, which he just happened to be so fond of because it was one of her top one hundred best qualities, were being scorched and fried and he cared about that? Well, that was the last time he'd see her in the hot skirt...

"Fuck the heating pad, it's burning me, your future--ow, shit!--wife!" She gasped as the sparks licked at her skin but then...nothing. The multi-coloured wires suddenly cooled into a smoulder as the electricity gave out, which was a good thing because the horrific burns had stopped but also, it was bad. Very bad--the electricity had stopped because the battery had burnt itself out and in doing so, it overheated the radiator and before they knew it, steam was rising from the bonnet. Oh, shit.

Pulling up to the side of the road, the heroes choked for air as fuel-smelling radiator steam filled the car as they stepped out onto the sandy track. God, they were in the ass-end of nowhere, nothing and no one around for miles and miles, just coyotes and cacti as far as the eye could see until they hit the mountains in the distance. The perfect place to ditch a nuclear bomb, not so perfect for breaking down without any tools or a method to call for help.

"Oh god, without the battery, we're never gonna get this thing started again." (y/n) gasped as sweet, clean air filled her lungs again but the relief didn't last. The car couldn't start without a spark to light the fuel and with no jump cables or an ignition source, they had no hope of hotwiring it, which was a lovely thing to realise when you're miles away from help.

"Way to go! Your phone broke the Man Truck!" Ray snapped at Henry as he soothingly rubbed his sweet girl's back as she spluttered, but the kid didn't deserve the blame. He could be gentle and tender all he wanted, they all knew who was at fault; the guy who'd brought half a gadget shop with him to charge his numerous, unnecessary devices.

"What are you talking about?"

"Everything was going fine until you plugged your weird phone into the truck's electrical system." The hero snapped at his bewildered sidekick, and that got him a scowl from his lover. Electrical system? That was rich; an electrical system hinted that it had been made by the car company and installed professionally, not mish-mashed together by a guy who had a very basic grip on how electricity worked. The truck was too old for an electrical system anyway, it was grungy, dirty and dusty, the exact opposite of the best environment for super-fine, super-delicate fibreoptics.

"Okay, the Man Truck's electrical system is made out of duct tape and denial." Henry quipped, making (y/n) snort because he'd hit the nail on the head. Ray wasn't laughing, though, he loved that truck and being the stubborn ass that he was, he refused to believe that his invention had been hanging on by a thread for the last few months, so as usual, he got all moody.

"I refuse to believe that." And that was that for him.

"Well, whether you believe it or not, Ray, we're in the middle of nowhere because that so-called electrical system killed the truck." (y/n) patted him on the back and ignored how he pouted. He probably wanted her to kiss him into a better mood or something but they had other things to focus on and he could wait.

"Think we're far enough out of town?" Henry asked the couple. It certainly seemed far enough away to him and (y/n) would agree. They'd hadn't passed another car in ages and there were no villages or towns between Swellview and the next city so it should've been okay, had Ray been listening.

"To do what?" Oh god, had he really forgotten? No, no one was that stupid, not even Ray. He couldn't have forgotten already, not when the sole purpose of the trip was to deliver the bomb to the desert so no one would die.

"To diffuse Whistlin' Susie, the World War Two atomic warhead that we have in the back of the truck? Remember that, doofus?" (y/n) asked her fiancé with raised eyebrows. There was a reason she ould him her doofus and this was it. He truly was a huge doofus at times but when he remembered something and that goofy smile lit up his face, it was so hard for her to stay too mad. Damn him for being so adorable.

"Oh, yeah, sweet girl! I totally forgot! That was weird..." Ray chuckled at his silly forgetfulness. Henry wasn't particularly impressed but with him brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes, (y/n) was willing to just smile with the hero as he pulled the tarp off the back of the truck. "Anyray..."

"Please, you know I hate that..." That, however, really got on her nerves. Not in a bad way, but it was quite annoying, and the more she disliked it, the more he said it. Ray loved the way her face screwed up cutely when her words grated against her, so he did it over and over and over again with the hope that she'd kissed him to shut him up. After the bomb was disposed of anyway, he could wait just a bit longer if it meant he got to see her in that skirt again.

"Where'd you put Susie?" Ray asked his sidekicks as the tarp hit the sandy road and revealed that the back of the truck was empty, save for a spare tire and whatever other random junk Ray carried around on his adventures. It was bombless, Susie was nowhere in sight and it was such a shock to hear that he couldn't find the literal ticking time bomb that (y/n)'s words dried up in her mouth and Henry was sure he'd misheard his boss.

"Hmm?" "Where'd you put Susie?" The hero reiterated and that's when Henry's face went pale. Okay, he'd not misheard him, he genuinely couldn't find the damn bomb. Panic time.

"Uh, I didn't put Susie anywhere. You said you were gonna put her in the back of the truck." Henry told his boss. That's what had happened, he and (y/n) just knew it as they shared a horrified, serious look of dread. Ray had said that he was all over the situation and that they didn't need to worry about anything because he could handle everything while they relaxed. Oh, god...

"Uh, no, I didn't!" (y/n) felt the world crumbling around her as she growled and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palm. Well, those two could argue for ages but this was shaping up to mean one thing; they'd forgotten the bomb and now, they had a serious problem.

It had taken them three hours to get here and it would take another three hours to get back, so they'd never get Susie out of town in time. This was the mother of all fuck-ups and she knew that if Ray hadn't been so focused on other things like his stupid heating pad, they wouldn't be in this situation.

"Uh, yeah, you did, doofus! Before we left, you went back to Man Cave to get your heating pad and I said to you, very specifically, on your way back, get Whistlin' Susie and put her in the back of the truck." (y/n) recalled, giving her lover a very stern look that had him prickling defensively. He didn't like being in trouble with her, he preferred to appear as the innocent, perfect fiancé in her eyes, the one who did nothing but love and care and provide for her. Doing things wrong just tarnished that rose-tinted image.

"And what did I say?" Ray asked haughtily, and the iciness in his voice was a little uncharacteristic since it was her who he was speaking to and usually, he was all soft and sweet and caring. But even still, Henry had no trouble remembering how his boss had jogged off to fetch the bomb like a lovesick puppy--that was probably why he'd forgotten it.

"You said, on it like a bonnet, sweet girl." The boy retold with a hint of disgust in his voice from the sappiness, making Ray's face crack into his normal grin. Yeah, he did say that, he remembered how his tummy fluttered when he'd shared a kiss with his precious girl through the open car window and then after that, it had just been a blur to get back to her side.

"Oh, yeah! I do remember saying that. That was funny..."

"So...if Whistlin' Susie's not here, where is she, doofus?" (y/n) asked with a sugary sweet voice, making the boys grow silent. That was an excellent question and after Ray bent his body to look under the truck, they came to the obvious conclusion. It was in the back, it wasn't underneath, it hadn't fallen onto the road...it was back at the Man Cave.

And cue the screaming. It was involuntary and before she knew what was happening, (y/n) was swept into a Ray-(y/n)-Henry sandwich. Yeah, 'cause hugging would make it all better. They shrieked for a good few seconds as the horror of what had happened caught up with them; Susie was still with Charlotte, Schwoz and Jasper and who knows, by the time they got back there, they might have all been blown up. It was a terrifying prospect and Ray couldn't help but hyperventilate into his sweet girl's neck because this was all his fault, he was to blame, no one else.

Still, they had to be strong and refocus. No point in screaming, they were wasting precious seconds. What they needed to do was calm down and form a plan to dig themselves out of the massive hole they'd dug for themselves.

"All right, man. We gotta stop screaming, you gotta let (y/n) go and we gotta figure out a plan." Henry said as his heart rate dropped and his training kicked in. Sure, this was a crisis but he dealt with them every week and yes, this was a bit bigger than a petty criminal or a cat stuck in a tree but he knew they'd think of something when they were calm. And by all means, if (y/n) calmed Ray down then he could hold her hand, just not squeeze the life out of the poor girl--they needed her brains.

"Okay, you're right..." Ray took in a deep breath and released his girl from his ironlike embrace, although, he did still clasp her hand tightly as predicted. Right, plan, plan, plan, he could think of a plan, he was Captain Man and he could think of a plan, easy. "Okay, first things first, we use our phones and we need to call the Man Cave and let them know what's going on--

"Doofus, doofus--doofus!"

"What?" Ray looked down at his pretty girl as she butted in on his great yet obvious plan. That was too easy; as if they'd be able to ring one of their colleagues and tell them the sitch, no, no, no, fate liked things to be a little more complicated. He should've known that.

"Yours and Henry's phones burned in the truck and I...I forgot mine in the Man Cave." (y/n) sighed, almost ashamed to admit it because she should've had all of her equipment at all times. They'd been on the road, stuck in traffic by the time she'd realised and it wasn't like she knew that they were gonna need to phone anyone so she'd assumed it would be fine. Oh, how wrong she was...

"Gahhh!..."Ray swallowed the frustrated rage that rose within him and instead of lashing out at his embarrassed lover, he just worked around it, sort of. "Okay, new plan. Uh, we move to a different town." Not his best plan ever.

"What?" His sidekicks spluttered, not believing that he was gonna give up so readily but little did anyone know, Ray Manchester thought about a domestic life more often than expected.

"We start new lives! We never look back! I could be like a handsome bus driver or a hot brain surgeon... I could live with my hot wife--(y/n/n), we could buy a cute, little house somewhere quiet, get married, have kids, get a dog, a cat, a hamster, whatever you want! We could...be happy." Ray fantasised and gazed at his fiancée with soft eyes because damn, he wanted that scenario--he always had. Sure, life was good, but that didn't mean it couldn't be better. He could give her safety, normality and tranquillity, which was rare for them now.

"Sounds nice, doofus," (y/n) whispered, picturing exactly what he was describing. Somewhere away from the city's hustle and bustle, somewhere with woodland for adventures and rivers to paddle in, somewhere with enough space to expand their little bubble and live out their days in the sunshine, not half a mile underground. It did sound nice, but that was for the future.

"We're happy right now. I think we'll get to that one day, but for now, we can't just start over." She squeezed his hand and trailed her fingers down his cheek, sighing softly when his lips brushed against hers. She was right, running away wasn't an option; it would just leave a dark cloud over their sunshine-filled fantasy and the memories of those they didn't save would haunt them forever. No, he'd have to wait for that reward, right now, he had to pay his dues to reach that serenity.

"Yeah. We're happy..." He mumbled against her cheek as his lips drifted to the right for a brief moment before finding their way back. She smiled into the kiss as Henry ignored them with a roll of his eyes and instead looked around. Jeez, talk about being uncaring during a crisis, but whatever, maybe it was their way of coping and he just so happened to have an idea.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Stop kissing!" The kid hissed to the couple, making them break apart with grumpy expressions but duh, they were happy and sharing in that happiness, but they were also willing to listen--quickly, "Remember that payphone, like, a mile back?"

"Vaguely, why?"

"I don't know, I think I was sleeping." They answered. (y/n) sort of remembered seeing something cuboid-shaped and manmade. Yeah, come to think of it, there had been something because her brain registered that in the entirety of the desert, the payphone had been the only seen that somewhere, civilisation existed. Ray, on the other hand, had no clue about his surroundings, he'd been too busy dreaming about matching gold rings, a boy, a girl and a Golden Retriever.

"Well, there was one. So, we should go back to it, call the Man Cave and tell them to bring Whistlin' Susie to us!" Henry theorised and it sounded pretty good. He doubted that his friends would be annoyed by the long journey, after all, it was either that or being blown up and he knew what he'd choose. And they'd be cutting it close with the time but it was just about doable--in theory.

"Why don't we just use our phones and text them--and yes, sweet girl, as I'm saying that, I realise why it won't work--Let's go!" Oh, Ray, something wasn't wired correctly but still, his synapses connected at the last second and they began the long jog to the payphone. Jeez, a mile run? This day couldn't get any worse.

~One mile later~

To stay they were superheroes, the way they were panting was quite embarrassing. Fitness, who? Okay, maybe with (y/n) it wasn't so bad after doing so much cardio during her workout regime and the super-regeneration pushing her muscles to keep working helped too but Henry and Ray? They were trailing behind.

In the heat of the desert, in full uniform and in the kid's case, a bear-proof suit too, the journey to the phone wasn't a fun one, it was long, sweaty and arduous. The dust kept flying into their eyes and Ray had stumbled on several tumbleweeds and potholes, swearing under his breath the whole way there.

And the only bonus was the view in front of him, not their destination as it drew ever near, no, the sit of his sweet girl bouncing along, one of her best...assets motivating him to keep ploughing until finally, thank god, they made it to the shitty payphone. It was flimsy, it was rusty, it had been put there like forty years ago but it would connect them to home and that was good enough for them.

"I should've taken off this suit, dude," Henry grumbled as Ray collided with the booth, panting to get his breath back as (y/n) leaned against his arm. Yeah, she needed more cardio, whatever she was doing right now was not enough. And as for Henry, well, he had sweat and sand in places that he previously didn't know he had.

"Hey, sweetheart, we need fifty cents for the phone call. Do you--do you have it?" (y/n) asked Ray breathlessly as she patted down her skirt for the money she clearly didn't have. She'd noticed that annoyingly, this wasn't one of those free phones. No, they needed an irritatingly small amount of change for it to work and the company credit card wouldn't cut it. Who even carried coins on them nowadays? Certainly not them, they had guns and grenades to carry instead.

"Uh, Captain Man emergency!" Ray awkwardly announced to the cacti, coyotes and whichever hermits might be within earshot before he used his legendary brute strength to punch the phone and rattle the chamber where the money was locked up. Okay, it wasn't a very superhero thing to do, stealing the coins but as he said, this was a life or death situation and no one was around to witness it except (y/n) and Henry.

"Good work, dude."

"Okay, that was hot." Ray turned around to smirk at his sidekicks, well, one in particular, as he collected a handful of fifty-cent pieces from the phone. Well, if she found acts of strength hot then he'd have to do them more regularly, if they survived this, that is. One coin was entered into the machine and Ray offered the phone to either one, expecting them to ake the call since one of them had created this idea and the other one was pretty and smart and--they'd know what to do.

"Okay, call the Man Cave."

What's the number?" Henry asked the couple. Sure, he'd do it but he had no idea what the number was and as such, he expected them to know it. Come on, they lived there, Ray was the boss, he invented the whole place, (y/n) had been like his PA for god knows how long, why did it fall to him? They knew it...right?

"I--I never call the Man Cave!"

"I don't either! Like, who calls themselves?" Ray and (y/n) spluttered, suddenly feeling rather...trapped. It had never seemed important; if they'd ever had a problem, they'd call each other or Schwoz or one of the teens, not the Man Cave itself. It was just one of those things they ignored, took for granted and never really thought about before, which was seeming a bit stupid around about now.

"Well, neither do I!"

"Okay, well, call Charlotte then! She'll know what to do!" (y/n) suggested and Ray enthusiastically held the phone out to Henry. He was her best friend, surely he knew her number, just like Ray knew (y/n)'s number off by heart and vice versa. Of course, he could ring her cell, which wouldn't be a bad idea, but now that she thought about it, she'd...left in their bedroom. No one ever went in there, they'd never hear it ring...not such a clever girl.

"Oh, yeah... What's her number?" Ah, jeez.

"You don't know Charlotte's number?!" Ray exclaimed exasperatedly, looking at his sidekick with a bewildered expression. Oh, come on, what did teens do today? Maybe it wasn't the same situation but when he'd first received (y/n)'s number all those years ago, he'd sat in the Man Cave and stared at those numbers over and over to get them into that dense head of his--anything for the enchanting girl he'd met at that cafe. Okay, that had been driven by a newfound fluttering in his tummy but still, didn't best friends know each other's numbers anymore?

"Okay, when I call Charlotte, I tap her name on my phone. I don't actually dial the number!" Henry replied defensively, not liking how everything was being pinned on him. Why would he remember something when his phone remembered it for him? Not everyone was in love and desperate to memorise every little detail about their crush like these two did--he was a normal human being.

"That makes me sick!" Okay, a bit extreme but Ray was quite disappointed. Now, they were back at square one.

"What numbers do you know?" Henry demanded to know. He swore to god if he said (y/n)'s name, he was gonna flip because that wasn't helpful right now.

"(y/n)'s!" Ray replied instantly, making Henry groan at how his guess had been correct. Any phone number but that one and whilst it was sweet that they'd memorised those digits so that no matter where they were, they were connected for late-night chats, they were still in deep shit. The woman had said it herself, her phone was on her vanity unit, probably on silent mode and as useful as a potato to them.

"Apart from (y/n)'s?!"

"I don't know anyone else's number, okay?! She's the only one I want to call!" Ray exclaimed with tears springing in the corners of his eyes from how frustrated he was and (y/n) soothingly rubbed his back as he slammed the phone back down.

Well, at least she was flattered; she knew his number off by heart too, a result of staring at her phone with mesmerised eyes when he first entered it into her phone with his real name to boot. She was good with numbers, she remembered his easily because having them made her feel special--what a pity no one else's did.

"These things are worthless!" And yet no matter how gentle her touch was, Ray still threw a tantrum. In a rather counter-productive move, he threw his handful of fifty cents out into the desert, watching as some of the silver disappeared into the desert while others rolled onto the road. Well, at least they'd already put one in the machine, ready to go if they remembered a number.

"Okay, let's not panic, boys. New plan--

"Wait, wait, wait!"

"But--"

"I need absolute silence." (y/n) had been about to think on her feet and finally put that supposedly big brain of hers to use as they all crowed into that tiny phonebox, but then, Henry had a brainwave. He didn't have many of those, so she fell silent to allow him to think since she could see that it was one of those moments where you just needed to scan the deeper layers of the muscle memories to find something really important. Whatever it was, he was so serious about it, so silence was probably key, however, Ray wasn't very good at silence, not when he wanted action and not boring old thinking.

"We need to come up with a--"

"I need absolute silence, thank you!" Henry stated. No matter what Ray said, Henry was determined to recall the memory that was just out of his reach and very, very dusty. It was a number, he was sure of it, fuzzy and dull but his brain could vaguely make it out. It was floating nearer and near, he could almost say it as if it was on the tip of his tongue--

"We need--sweet girl, tell him--"

"I need absolute silence." He said again, and this time, (y/n) put her hand over Ray's mouth to shut him up. Oh, he did not mind being quiet if it meant he could trail kisses on her fingertips and with the man distracted by his pretty girl, Henry could focus on his task. He was in his childhood, he was young, his mom was kneeling in front of him, he was about to go camping for the first time, and he was worried about something going wrong and not being able to contact home--illumination.

"Five, five, five, six, three, one, two. Call us and we'll come get you."

"What are you doing? Stop that! Why are you singing lullabies?" Ray snapped as Henry did his little ditty with a dopey smile on his face, flicking the man's nose with every note before finishing by booping (y/n)'s. That was it, he remembered it, the easiest and oldest phone number he knew by heart and whilst it wasn't much, it was better than anything else they had.

"That's my home phone number! My mom made me memorise that when I was little so that in case I got lost, I could remember the number." Henry explained. Oh, it was like it had been yesterday, he sang that rhyme everywhere and whilst he'd never needed it before, he was so grateful that his mom had taught him it. She would never know how useful it was but dear god, it was a lifesaver, literally.

"Look, Hen, I know that your mother is the loveliest, most perfect woman that has ever graced this Earth, but calling your house right now does not help us. Your parents can't defuse a bomb." (y/n) stated tiredly, sighing at the thought of stupid Mrs Hart. Ray never told her how nice the woman had been to Ray at the kid's birthday party. She had no idea that she wasn't a wolf in sheep's clothing and that she wasn't being threatened. All (y/n) knew was that Henry's mom was hot and even if they were happy, hot moms were still Ray's type--a bitter pill to swallow.

"Yes, it does, (y/n/n)! My sister has a driving license. Remember?" Henry's eyes sparkled as he reminded her of that very useful if a little confusing fact. He glossed over the sadness and resentment that washed over her face when she thought about his mom and in the corner of his eye, he saw Ray tense from her subtle insecurity, but still, he said nothing. Perhaps the jealous despair would never fade, but that was a problem for another time and place.

"What? Isn't she like twelve?" Ray questioned incredulously as they moved on, although he did consciously wrap an arm around his girl's shoulders--a subtle move but one they both needed. Anyway, back to Piper; it would never stick in his head that the girl had unofficially gained her license at nine years old due to a computer error, no matter how many times people mentioned it.

"No, doofus. They sent her a license by mistake, we've established this many times." (y/n) told him quickly, knowing that he very rarely paid attention to something he wasn't interested in. There were so many other things that were much more intriguing like food or his face or his future wife. Why would he care about Piper when he could lavish his attention on her instead?

"Okay, so, we call your sister..." Ray started, trying to see if he was understanding this plan correctly.

"Who loves Captain Man, Miss Danger and Kid Danger..." Oh, now it all became clear. Right, she was one of their biggest fans--she ran their fan club--it was only right that they call her for help. No doubt, she'd be ecstatic to lend a hand with no questions asked.

"Oh, and we tell her to come pick us up..."

"And bring us back to Swellview..."

"And we can finally finish movie day!" Well, it was clear to (y/n), but Ray still had some catching up to do. Honestly, what a doofus; all he wanted to do was see the end of that movie, or rather, ignore the end of that movie because he would be too busy pressing his lips to every available patch of skin on his sweet girl's neck and face. That sounded like bliss and he wanted it back so much that Whistlin' Susie seemed like a mere inconvenience in comparison.

"What? No! Dude, the bomb, Whistlin' Susie--we have to deactivate it. Henry reminded him as (y/n) facepalmed from how he'd been distracted--again. Come on, what else had they been talking about? That bomb was primed to blow up the entire city and he wasn't worried about that? Jeez, they wanted whatever he was on.

"Oh, right, got it! What is wrong with me today?" Ray chuckled wheezily as he turned to punch that lullaby number into the machine. His brain really wasn't working today, maybe he hadn't gotten enough sleep last night, after all, he had been rather preoccupied until the early hours, or perhaps it was the perfume from his sweet girl sending him dopey since she'd added an extra squirt to her neck that morning. Whatever it was, he was out of it, not that it bothered him.

"Your doofus is showing, doofus..." (y/n) sighed and rested her forehead against his shoulder as they heard the coin clunk into the phonebox and the beeps with each press of the numbers. Okay, next came the dialling tone and some annoyingly monotone pre-recorded voice telling them to hold as the rusty line connected across the desert and into the city. Would Piper even pick up?

"When was the last time you used the landline in your house?" The woman asked Henry as Ray impatiently bounced up and down as they waited. It was dialling, which meant the phone was still connected to the telephone wires but now, it was a case of relying on Piper to understand how retro phones worked. There was no screen, no digital buttons, just a classic telephone with a rotary dial, and whilst that was nothing new to adults, for a millennial, it was like a fossil. Since when were phones so blocky?

"Uhhhhh...Don't know. Years maybe?" Well, that answered that question. Years were accurate, no one used a fixed phone now, cellular mobiles and the internet took care of that problem and it was a miracle that the Harts had even kept theirs tucked into a random kitchen cupboard somewhere just in case a dinosaur rang. Suddenly, they heard it; it wasn't much, a clattering and fumbling on the line as the beeps fell silent and then--

"What is this?" They heard softly, and (y/n) groaned as the boys squashed her into the middle so they could press their ears to the speaker. Piper's voice was faint as if she was far away from the phone but they could just about hear her, which meant they'd done it. They'd actually done something right for once.

"Uh, hi, Piper Hart?" Henry started, wanting to distance himself from his sister since it would be a disaster if she discovered his identity but luckily, she would never be able to guess anyway. The idea of her dumb brother being Kid Danger was damn near impossible in Piper's eyes, so when she heard the commanding voice through her vintage phone, nothing clicked in her mind.

"Uh, yeah?" Okay, good, she sounded confused--very confused--but it was definitely her, so Ray turned up the superhero charm. Captain Man's voice was easily recognisable, especially when he emphasised that "more important than thou" note it always had, so it made sense that he talked to Piper first, just so she wouldn't think that she was talking to some illegitimate weirdo.

"Uh, this is Captain Man..."

"And Miss Danger..."

"And Kid Danger..."

"Oh, hi! Is this a secret Captain Man phone line?" Piper asked gleefully as she instantly recognised the voices of her favourite heroes. She knew those powerful tones anywhere and whilst it made no sense that they'd been able to ring the phone that slept in her kitchen, she didn't let that fact dull her happiness. She felt special that she was speaking to them because no one else had ever reported being privileged enough to have a direct line to the city's crimefighters, so she didn't want to disappoint--and that played right into their hands.

"Uh, yeah, yeah! This is a direct line to the president of the Man Fans." Ray lied. Anything to get her to help them was gonna be said and what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Sure, they were never gonna phone Henry's house again but for now, they could let her believe otherwise.

"Uh, listen--"

"I'll do it." Okay, they were grateful for the enthusiasm but that was a little too keen from the girl. Yes, they wanted her to agree to drive out to the middle of nowhere and then another three hours back into town but they could barely get a word in edgewise, just like she could barely keep her lip buttoned.

"Uh, well, we haven't exactly told you what we need you to do, sweetheart." (y/n) said slowly, kindly, almost hesitantly because god forgive if she stamped on the joy of a young girl who was only trying to help her idols. It was quite endearing to hear that happy, giddy lilt in her voice, it reminded her of when (y/n), not Miss Danger, got to spend time with the girl as her friend and hear her relax into a sweet, normal teenager who was just misunderstood by most. Still, they did need to explain themselves and it would be nice to get a chance to in between her ramblings.

"Don't even care!"

"We need you to drive out--"

"Say no more!" Piper screeched before Henry could finish the sentence and the heroes bit their lips' as the rough static of the phone being dropped assaulted their ears, evidence that Piper had once again gotten carried away. She'd run off to get to the car as fast as possible without even knowing where she was meant to be headed, so now, they had to awkwardly wait for her return as the seconds ticked by. Of course, she'd be back, she wanted to help--four, three, two...

"Actually, you need to say a little bit more..." And she was back. Again, A for enthusiasm, they loved to see that but if they could just finish a sentence that would be great. After all, the clock was ticking and this time, there was no second chance to save the day if they failed

~A while later, in the car~

Well, this was cosy. Piper had arrived eventually after a very long, very frustrating phone call that had taken another ten minutes to get through since the girl kept squealing. Anyway, that had all been fine in the end and their directions had been good enough to guide her out to the phonebox to pick them up.

It had been an arduous wait in the heat and sand with no water and for Henry, the pain of being stuck with a handsy, lovey-dovey couple for two hours with nothing to do but watch them kiss and whisper revolting things into each other's ears. And that wasn't even the worst part. No, the worst bit was how moody Ray got when he had to say goodbye to his beloved truck, which was still abandoned at the side of the road.

Of course, they weren't gonna leave it there; Schwoz would come to pick it up in a few hours once the explosion had been adverted but still. It felt like leaving a piece of him behind, so by the time Piper rolled up in her dad's car, he was unbelievable grumpy as he took the front seat and his sidekicks got in the back. And that was yet another problem out of a hundred.

He had to sit in the front with the brat, which wasn't too bad for most, but to him, it was awful. He liked sitting next to his sweet girl in a car, he liked putting his hand on her thigh and watching the wind tussle her hair as they scanned the scenery. Now, she was stuck in the back with Henry, too far away to kiss or cuddle and it's not like he could wait it out. No, Piper drove like a pensioner; carefully, considerately and way too fucking slowly for a rush to rescue thousands of people from incineration.

"Excuse me, Piper?" Ray started in a tight tone. His patience had reached its peak as they cruised along the desert track like they were on a fun, lighthearted road trip and he knew that if he was behind the wheel, his foot would be pressing the pedal to the metal and they'd be breaking a few dozen laws to make it back to Swellview on time. He was Captain Man, he was allowed to speed for god's sake, and it's not like the cops ever cared anyway.

"Yes?" Piper asked in a sugary tone, her eyes diligently staying on the road even when the hero asked her a question. No one could say she was a bad driver, in all of her years driving as a child, she'd picked up some mad skills, not that she was showing any of them now.

"Is there any way that you could drive a little faster?"

"Yeah, just a tiny bit--"

"You need to drive faster." Henry wasn't as nice to his little sister as Ray or (y/n) was. Ugh, he'd been playing rock, paper, scissors with (y/n) for hours now and they'd still not arrived home. Couldn't they go just a smidge faster? At this rate, they'd get back to the Man Cave and find nothing but a big hole in the ground and all because his sister was being a goody-two-shoes; he knew what she was like, he knew that she was just trying to be a good citizen in front of Captain Man. But secretly, Piper was a rulebreaker, and Henry was certain that her foot was itching to hit the accelerator.

"But that would be speeding and I can't break the law." Oh, Piper. Her halo shone so brightly sometimes, but that's not what they wanted right now. They wanted speed and power, the only things that could get them to Whistlin' Susie before she blew. Now was not the time for being

"Little girl, we are the law!" Ray growled, causing (y/n) to silently whimper at his dark, commanding tone. Okay, that was hot but she could tell him that later when they were snuggled up on the couch, because with a small nudge from Henry, Piper was about to use every ounce of horsepower that her dad's minivan had.

"You need to drive faster."

Oh, they would regret saying that. Piper wasn't about to argue with superheroes, not when they were entrusting her with their mission, so she threw caution to the wind and went into hardcore mode. The radio changed from gentle, relaxing background music to a brutal, heavy-metal rock anthem as she crushed the accelerator into the footwell, causing the car to lurch forward with so many g-forces that their faces hurt from the resulting contortion.

Dear God, the smiley, go-lucky girl was gone and in her place was a maniac who swerved and swore at any unfortunate soul who happened to be heading her way and Ray, Henry and (y/n) were just along for the ride. Even with their superhero training, it was hard not to be terrified by her erratic manoeuvres and insane speed, so just as a precaution, Ray clung to the grab handle on the roof of the car and Henry donned his suit's mask.

"Get out of the way!" And with Piper screeching like that and honking the horn, their precautions weren't overkill, and neither was the way the sidekicks in the back clung to each other like they were about to die.

They were gonna make it back to the Man Cave in record time but they were also gonna be puking their guts up by the time they finally touched the sweet, non-moving ground again.

~The Man Cave~

Okay, so things weren't exactly going well in the secret hideout. Basically, sort of, maybe, in a way, shit had hit the fan. By the time Ray, (y/n) and Henry had finally made it back to the Man Cave, dizzy and blurry-eyed from Piper's extreme driving ( although (y/n) did ensure that she endlessly thanked the delighted girl for her service), they were confronted by a scene of absolute chaos. Literally, things had gone from very bad to dire.

To cut a very long, frustrating, tragic and slightly comical story short, Schwoz had encountered a small hiccup when trying to find a way to deactivate the bomb that had been left in their care. What else was he supposed to do? He'd already tried running away, only to be dragged back kicking and screaming by the teens so he just had to fiddle about with the wiring to see if there was something he could do. And you know what, there was.

For a brief, glorious moment, there had been a ray of hope amid the shitstorm generated by the impending explosion and Schwoz had set to work with Charlotte and Jasper to stop Susie before she could kill them. However, he had forgotten the age-old rule; never work with children, especially when one of those children is Jasper. So, in true Jasper-fashion, there had been an almighty cock-up; something about the boy cutting a wire prematurely and now, Susie was hurtling towards disaster even faster. Just their luck.

The tubes dropped and Henry came down with Ray holding (y/n) to his chest as expected but they didn't get the usual fanfare. No, they returned home with pounding hearts and nerve-riddle tummies to find their colleagues arguing and shouting about who was at fault, who could be blamed and how they were gonna fix the problem--not something you want to hear after racing back to avert a catastrophe.

"Ayyyyyy!"

"Schwoz!" Oh god, this was getting too much for the genius as the half an hour he'd had to play with was slashed to a few minutes, not enough time to think let alone do something amazing. And with the heroes back to join the confusion, the frayed tempers soon turned on them, causing the trio to look upon the scene with dazed expressions at how everything had fallen apart because of one small mistake.

"Where you guys been? Huh?"

"You guys forgot to take Whistlin' Susie with you!" Jasper and Charlotte snapped as the three rushed over to help or just add to the panic, anything really in the last few moments before the bomb went off. Okay, they did not mean to abandon ship and neither did they mean for Jasper to fuck up the disarmament process. Technically, it was only half their fault, the other half was on them.

"We know!" Jeez, they didn't need to rub it in. They'd been there, done that, said something and all at the side of a dusty road in the middle of nowhere.

"Uh...what's going on with her?" Henry asked worriedly as he peered inside the open cavity that was Susie and saw that all of her exposed wires and circuits seemed different to before. It was like she was a patient on the operating table and her condition was deteriorating because even though he was no surgeon or engineer, the kid knew that whatever those flashing lights and warning alarms were, they weren't a good sign.

"You see those little yellow things pulsating?" Schwoz pointed to the bomb's core that he'd extracted and his face morphed into a contorted screw of agony at how the radioactive material was ready to detonate. Sure he could remove it from the bomb but he couldn't stop the countdown, not now that Jasper had cut the wrong wire. Oh god, he didn't want to go out like this.

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Well, I'm no nuclear physicist but I'd say that the highly radioactive, highly dangerous core of the bomb is about to explode and most of us are about to die." (y/n) gulped, clutching her doofus' arm to her chest tightly.

Her dear, sweet doofus, she'd come this close to finally being able to say that she'd won the lottery and her prize was having his last name replace hers. (y/n) Manchester...sounded nice, yet another fragment from a future that would never exist after this. Surely, super-regeneration wouldn't save her from being turned into jelly all over the walls--and what would become of her sweetheart once their family was gone?

"Uh..." And for once in his life, said sweetheart was speechless. No plans, no ideas, no smart ways to save his skin this time, so it was no wonder that his eyes lingered on his sweet girl with a heartbreaking gaze.

He would become a shadow without her, a soulless husk of everything he used to be and he'd haunt the place where he and his family used to create such warm memories--the happier times he'd have to cling to just to bear his lonely existence. No one and nothing could ever what he had now and he felt the urge to just declare his stupid sentiments before it was too late until--

"Wait, wait, wait, so you're saying that those three little balls are the only part of the bomb that actually explodes?" Henry asked as he had the best, brightest idea of his life in their darkest moment. It was a stroke of genius born from pure desperation and if his theory was true, then he might have just found a way for them to stay as one happy family.

"Yes! Think of them as glowing, Swedish meatballs of mass destruction!" Schwoz exclaimed, although, no one would want to eat these meatballs, well, maybe one person would if Henry was right. He really hoped that he was right.

"...Dude, you gotta eat them!"

"What?!" Ray looked at Henry and then the core and then Henry again like he couldn't believe his ears. Eat them? Was he crazy? He couldn't eat them, they were about to explode and they were highly dangerous and---oh. (y/n) got it. Oh. Oh, shit. Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh shit. Smart kid. Smart fucking kid, how had she and Schwoz not thought of that? They were the smart ones and that was just brilliant, of course! Her doofus could stomach anything except sauerkraut--amazing.

"You gotta eat them! You gotta eat those tiny, little meatballs!"

"No!" Ray flat out refused, though. First of all, they didn't look very tasty and he only ate tasty things. Second of all, they looked quite hard to swallow and he didn't like choking, no matter how indestructible he was. And third of all, he might be dumb but he wasn't insane; there was no way he was gonna eat a bomb set to explode, that was just madness. However, Henry had a method in his madness, which was starting to become clear to everyone else.

"No, he's right! You're indestructible!" Charlotte exclaimed, figuring it out in her mind. The bombs would go off in there and everyone else would be safe because Ray's indestructible stomach would contain the bomb and the nuclear fallout. Sure, it would suck for him but he'd been doing the city the biggest favour ever and obviously, there was no greater service than saving your family from doom. God, Henry was smart.

"Oh my god, yes, yes, yes! That's perfect! The core will explode in your indestructible tummy!" (y/n) squealed and excitedly rubbed Ray's stomach just to prove that nothing could penetrate those indestructible abs of his and therefore, nothing could escape either. And whilst it would kill her to see him...implode, as long as she still got to see that godlike body afterwards with no mutations or anything, she was up for it. What else could they do?

"Sweet girl! I'm not gonna eat a bomb, okay? Forget it!" Ray snapped petulantly and pushed her hand away even though having it so close to his Adonis belt was...nice. But no, no, no, he was not gonna swallow three exploding meatball things, that sounded painful, stupid and dangerous, and for once in his life, Ray was gonna take the sensible option, even though for once in their lives, his friends wanted him to be reckless and foolish. Very well, if he was gonna say no, they would just have to deploy the big guns.

"Raymond..." (y/n) said in a sing-song voice as she carefully watched Ray stroll over to the abandoned TV so no one could see the fear in his eyes. It was okay to be scared, they were asking a lot of him and even if it was mean, they had a system to spur him into action, which started with egging him on. And with that, (y/n) nodded to Jasper, signalling his cue to start phase one, reeling him in with a small amount of peer pressure.

"Eat the bomb!" He chanted, putting a beat into each word so it was punchier because it was common knowledge that Ray Manchester loved a chant. Chants put pressure on him and they nearly always made him cave because it was a dare, a challenge to do something and he couldn't not do a challenge, that was cowardly. (y/n) used them to her advantage a lot, just like how he bribed her with ice cream and cuddles as motivation for five more situps.

"Don't do that..."

"Eat the bomb!" Sure, Jasper was just one voice, but soon, despite his protests, they were all at it., no matter how many glares he sent them or how many times his eyes connected with his fiancé's in a silent plea.

"Stop that!"

"Eat the bomb!" "Eat the bomb!" "Eat the bomb!" "Eat the bomb!" Soon, Jasper was joined by Henry, causing Ray to fully turn around to see his friends ganging upon him, his sweet girl edging closer, although she would stay silent. She had her own mission to fulfil, one that allowed her to go in for the kill once her friends left him open for an attack in a satin skirt.

"Don't do that! No, come on!"

"Eat the bomb!" "Eat the bomb!" "Eat the bomb!" Soon, Charlotte was chanting too, her smile wide as (y/n) took another step forward. Ray couldn't help but feel like prey, especially when her smile turned into a devious smirk that pinned him in place. A temptress, a vixen, a seductress maybe and she was headed straight for him as the teens and then Schwoz mounted the pressure. He couldn't do this, but he also couldn't say no.

"Come on! You know I can't resist a chant!"

"Eat the bomb!"

"It's gonna feel really bad when it explodes inside my tummy! NO!" He whined, screwing his eyes shut and practically stamping his foot at how he was trapped with nowhere to go--literally.

(y/n) had finally made it to her doofus and he gulped when her fingers trailed up his tunic, skimming along the silken fabric with a gentle curiosity that contrasted the crescendo of the chant. Her eyes were unreadable and he hated not knowing what she was thinking, particularly when he already felt so vulnerable to what his friends expected from him.

"Eat the bomb!" "Eat the bomb!"

"Sweet girl! Come on!" He whimpered into her ear as she languidly stretched up to release a wave of hot air over his neck and run her lips over the shell of his ear. Phase two, make it worth his while. He couldn't be expected to go through the strain of having a bomb explode inside of him and not get a reward for it--something a bit more substantial than a crappy movie and a few pecks in between popcorn pieces. No, this had to be good, which was why (y/n) was the expert on-hand.

"Do this for me, baby, and later, I'll blow--" Her words were lost to the others as their chanting grew louder and louder, enough to drown out whatever she said for their ears, but Ray heard it. Oh, he definitely heard it and his tune quickly changed as he process the words. His eyes lit up and his moody frown turned into a smug smirk at the thought of his reward, which wouldn't just be undying admiration from his team, oh no.

"Eat the bomb!"

"Come on---okay!" Yeah, that was more like it. How could he say no to their request when what was on offer was so much better than swallowing a few explosives. Piece of piss, no problem, easy for a guy like him, especially when all he could feel was his hot fiancée curling into his side, smirking up at him through her lashes. Could he get the reward first and do the bomb thing later? No, no, no, no pain, no gain.

"You wanna see me eat this bomb? You really wanna see me eat it?! 'Cause I'll eat it! I'll eat that bomb right now!" He boasted as they screamed in his ears, their hearts pounding as he extracted the chain of glowing balls from the capsule. Just three, that's all he needed to eat and as long as they kept goading him and (y/n) kept fluttering her eyelashes, everything was gonna be fine.

"Eat the bomb!"

"Maybe if you chant a little louder!? What? This bomb? You want me to eat this bomb?! Okay! Here we go!" Ray plucked the first sphere from the rack and egged on by his friends with one sultry look from his precious girl, he plonked it onto his tongue. Huh, kinda spicy yet sweet, interesting and surprisingly easy to swallow since they were kinda slimy in a way. Well, one down, two to go and after a brief cheer, Henry, (y/n), Jasper, Charlotte and Schwoz had plenty more chanting to go around.

"Come on!"

"Another one? Going for two! Numero dos!" Ray exclaimed and rammed the second orb into his mouth, swishing it around his cheeks before swallowing it whole. Still spicy, but perhaps that was just the chemicals or energy trying to burn his invulnerable palate. Well, the crowd certainly loved that once, judging by their screams and Ray had never felt more alive or loved as he grabbed the third and final ball from the core.

"Eat the bomb!"

"Here we go! Going for the turkey, baby! Down the gullet!" He cried and last but not least, the final explosive was shoved into his mouth, leaving them relieved, Ray victorious and (y/n) unbelievably proud of her selfless, courageous doofus. Oh, people could say what they'd liked about him but to her, he was nothing short of a hero. A big-headed, big-hearted hero who she would have the honour of calling her husband one day soon.

"Woo!" Ray grinned as the countdown reached zero and no sooner than it did, things started to heat up--literally. (y/n), stuck in her daydream of admiring her doofus in all his adorable glory, found herself being tugged back to a safe distance by Henry as a mysterious whistling noise filled the room, replacing the extinct chant. Oh yeah, 'cause the shitty, empty shell from the bomb was gonna protect them if something went wrong, not that it would because Ray was ready to blow.

"Oh, I get it. Whistlin' Susie. It whistles right before it's about to--gah!" The group jumped back as Ray's body was rocked by an explosion deep in his gut and instantly, they could feel the heat terminating from his body. It was like there was a volcano going off inside of him and they hated to think about the pain he was enduring as the atomic blobs fizzed and crackled in his abdomen--so much that his belly glowed like dying embers.

The hero clutched the TV as he endured the agony, causing his friends to grimace as they watched; well, (y/n) was practically in tears, held back by only Henry's arms around her waist and Jasper's firm hand on her shoulder, a wise precaution since it was in her instincts to run to her lover as he suffered to save them all.

Finally, however, the rumbling heatwave ceased and the glow dissipated, rising gently to Ray's throat where the remnants of the bomb's fissile byproducts left his body in the form of a puff of smoke. And after that--nothing. The excruciating pain disappeared like it was nothing and as always, Ray came out the other side feeling like a champ. "I'm okay!"

"Yeah!"

"You did it!"

"You saved us all!" His little family erupted into a series of screams of delight, cheers and growls at how it was over, everything was fine and their plan had worked so damn well. Ray was good, they were good and they all had a deep, newfound respect for the man because it took some balls to be able to do that; not many men could say they'd endured an internal nuclear blast, but he could. It was hard for (y/n) not to shed a tear...

"Oh, doofus, I love you so much!" She squealed and with Henry and Jasper releasing her from the grip, she shuffled forward to bring him into a loving embrace. Oh, good idea, yeah, the guy deserved a hug after all of that and whilst it was clearly a couple moment, Jasper saw no problem in celebrating together first. They could have their moment in a bit.

"Group hug!" He shouted, making (y/n) pause for just a fraction of a second because Schwoz, the little spoilsport, wasn't so big on the hugging thing and for a very good reason.

"Hugging would be a bad idea right now!" He exclaimed, making their feet stick to the floor as he shoved them all away from Ray. Who did he think he was? That was (y/n)'s doofus, he'd just saved their asses by doing the ballsiest move in the history of mankind and he was trying to say he didn't deserve a hug. Well, he'd have to get through her first; don't try to separate a (y/n) from her Ray, it doesn't end well.

"Why?" Ray asked innocently as he longed to feel his girl's embrace, well anyone's really, he wanted to enjoy the fact that he still had a family to love and be loved by. So, when they all started looking at him as if he'd grown a second head, he took it as rejection, and that broke his heart. But it really wasn't a good idea, not if they valued their hair, immune systems and life in general.

"Well...you're radioactive..." Schwoz replied nervously, gesturing to Ray's tummy, which wasn't having a good day. Thanks to the highly radioactive material that had exploded in his stomach, Ray's entire tummy was now faintly glowing green as the energy ionised the air around it, so much that it was still visible under the Man Cave's bright lights.

Hugging him would surely be like having one hundred X-rays at once--bad news for anyone who got close enough without a metre of lead between them. Still, faint heart never won fair doofus'--or something to that effect.

"Oh..." He sounded so sad, and that broke their hearts to see him standing there, not knowing what to do with his arms since no one could go near him without the risk of getting radiation sickness. Well, there was one person, who was weighing up her options and she decided that her superpower was going to have meaning. (y/n) didn't need convincing, that was her fiancé, physics be damned, she would hold him close if she wanted to.

"Yeah, well, I'm full of bad ideas, so...come here, doofus. Hug me." The woman smiled warmly at Ray, whose sad eyes crinkled with happiness as she skipped towards him, fearless in the face of the green glimmers. Radiation came under the super-regeneration tick list, right? Yeah, whatever, either way, she encircled her arms around his waist and happily snuggled her face into his chest as he held her tightly. Death or not, this was worth it, feeling him curl over her and bury his nose into her hair was worth it, hearing him whisper was worth it.

"I love you too, sweet girl. So much." He mumbled, echoing what she'd said minutes before as they enjoyed the moment. The others would have to watch on and roll their eyes with mirth, they'd be fried the moment they came too close, but nothing could separate them, not even strange, invisible forces from weapons of mass destruction.

And it could only get better.

~An hour later~

Oh, yeah, this was better. True to his word, Ray had decided that despite everything that had happened, the team were gonna sit down together and finally do some relaxing together and see the end of whatever this high school saga was about. The day was done, their mission was over, the city was safe--for now--and they should have been able to kick back and enjoy what little time they had together. Should being the operative word.

However, relaxing was nigh-on impossible for four out of six of the group, mainly because no one dared to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room. Oh yeah, one small couch, six people all shoved together with one of those six housing a mini-Chornobyl in his tummy like it was nothing. Seriously, this was a terrible idea.

Sure, they had to hand it to Ray, he had some balls, they'd never forget how he swallowed Susie's explosives and they'd be eternally grateful, just not when it came to being forced to sit next to him on the couch, their elbows coming so damn close to grazing his still illuminated abs.

In the dimmed lights of the main room, the reacting particles still hadn't stopped despite Schwoz saying it would go away eventually and they couldn't focus on anything but how dangerous it was, let alone be able to relax and enjoy the movie. No one could stop thinking about how it would be so much better if they just went home, but they couldn't disturb Ray's little paradise, not when he finally had what he'd craved all day.

A movie in the background. His friends watching it, sort of. And, the final piece in the puzzle, his sweet girl cuddled into his side so he could press long, slow kisses to his lips whenever the plot was stalling.

Oh, yeah, (y/n) felt fine despite how she was caked in gamma rays and god knows what else, and as such, had no trouble getting all cosy with his doofus, rather, she was making up the deficit of her friends' blatant fear that they'd be irradiated. She cuddled, snuggled, kissed, pecked and dozed in soft satisfaction that she had her doofus in one piece next to her, if only the coconut and teens were so brave...

Occasionally, Ray felt his tummy rumble from the scientific melting pot that was going on down there. Therefore, he was prone to the odd burp or hiccup that was a little too worrying for Henry, who just so happened to be next to (y/n), who also just so happened to be half-sat on Ray. And that meant that the kid was just a little too close for comfort and so was Jasper, Schwoz and Charlotte, in fact, they just couldn't help but shuffle along the couch until they were hanging off of the edge. Anything to avoid Ray and his...problem.

"Cowards..." The hero muttered as he and his fiancé watched them move out of the corners of their eyes and whilst he was a little salty about that, he could tolerate it. He wouldn't be like this forever, after all, what goes in must come out and all that, and he already had everything he need in his lap right now. His darling, precious, girl, wearing that fucking gorgeous skirt and edging her way closer and closer to his body without any fear of what might happen. That's his girl, sleepily smiling up at him as she pressed kisses to his neck.

"When do you want your reward, doof?" (y/n) muttered into his skin as she trailed her fingers up and down his arm. This movie was pointless, obsolete, and not worthy of her attention when she had a hero to admire instead. Those teens on the screen could have their petty school squabbles about who was taking who to the prom, she much preferred to feel him shiver and tense underneath her--unbreakable steel that bent for her touch only.

"I'm ready when you are, sweet girl," he replied softly, feeling her lips ghost up and over his jaw, gliding across his chin until they grazed his, an empty kiss that left him unsure of what he wanted. Should he kiss her now or wait until he suddenly dragged her through the sprocket?---a welcome departure for the rest on the couch.

"Then allow me to lead the way, my love." And oh...he'd follow her anywhere, especially in that skirt.

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