#I'm sure Mila's hugs are the best

[russellsppttemplates]

Did you lose her? (Lando Norris)

Maybe it was never a change of heart

Note: english is not my first language. It's angsty with a happy ending, and it's also the first piece that's I've written that's based of a song, Stick Season by Noah Kahan. I hope I did it well enough! 🫶 also, it has smut, and if you have followed me for long enough, you know I don't usually do it, but I think it's these AUS pics 😮‍💨😌🥵

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Cw: curse words, previous break-up and themes related to that, smut (mentions protected sex, hormonal contraception, praise kink if you squint at the whole thing)

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog

And I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed

Doing the food shop was one one of the mundane adult life tasks you actually enjoyed doing. You had some music on your ears and walked along the supermarket, making sure you weren't buying too much outside of your list.

Tomato sauce and two packets of the instant noodles for when you didn't feel like cooking or were in a rush, you told yourself as you browsed through the aisle.

The scent should've been the first give away, but lots of people wore the same perfume. However, not all of them had the characteristic underlying scent that to this day meant comfort.

"Y/N! I wasn't expecting to see you", Cisca said as he placed the item she took from the shelf on her shopping cart, "goodness, how long has it been since we've seen you?", she smiled sadly.

Five months, you thought. One hundred and fifty two days since you and Lando parted ways and you shipped your belongings back to England. You told yourselves it was amicable and that you'd still be there for eachother, but you had published your first article and he had started his season without the other by your side.

"It's been some time, yes. How are you?", you wondered, "we've been good, you know how busy it gets around this time of year. But Savannah had their little girl, Athena - let me show you a picture!", she scrambled her phone out of her bag.

"Oh, how cute!", you cooed at the little baby bundled up in a pink blanket, "Mila is such a good big sister, too!", she showed you a picture with the two of them in Lando's lap, the baby tucked safely into his chest as Mila seemed to be showing him one of her toys.

Gulping and swallowing the tears that threatened to fall, you looked up at her and smiled, "I'm glad everyone is doing good - send Oliver and Sav my congratulations!", you nodded, hoping she would get the hint.

Storing her phone back in her bag, Cisca smiled, resembling the smile that you woke up many times to, "I will, darling. All the best for you, hopefully we'll see you around", she said before rubbing your back soothingly.

You found an aisle without people and allowed yourself to cry. Just for a little bit before you had to go back to pretend it didn't hurt still.

And I'll dream each night of some version of you

That I might not have, but I did not lose

"I'm on the podium, dad!", Lando yelled as he hugged Adam, cackling in excitement as he hugged the team who were there to celebrate and congratulate him.

"Congratulations, baby!", you yelled as Lando turned to hug you, arms going around your waist and pulling you as close as the safety barriers allowed, clicking open his visor so you could look at your favourite eyes in the world.

"I love you so much, Y/N!", he yelled back, winking before he went up to get weighed in.

On the podium, he looked at you like you two were the only people there, smiling up at him as he blew you a kiss.

"I knew you'd be on the podium, baby", you smiled once you were back in his driver's room, "How are you so sure?", he wondered, kissing your neck soflty.

"The development they're doing, your talent, Lando, I knew it was going to happen, and from now on, you better get used to being up there every single weekend", you smirked, kissing from his throat to his jaw and up to his lips, humming when his tongue poked at your lips begging for entrance.

It was hot and he was sweaty. His phone read 4:30am as he stood up against the headboard, finding the light switch so he wouldn't walk around the hotel room in complete darkness.

It was the third night in a row you showed up in his dreams. The first time, it was subtle as he dreamed about flying on plane and he was sure you were there. The past two, however, had you in there as a main character. He dreamed of walking in the paddock with you, of having you there to comfort him and knock some sense in his head when his P4 in qualifying didn't feel enough, and now you were celebrating his podium.

It's weird how his brain went there, how his arms and face felt like they had truly been holding you despite not having done it in months. Muscle memory betrayed, he thought as he poured himself some water and took little sips of it as he looked outside the window.

Fuck, he missed you. And not just for these big moments where he was on a high and wanted to share it with you or when he was do low you were the only person that could make him crawl out of the dark hole he snuck himself into. It's when he's making his bed back home and the other pillow remains fluffed because no one's using it, it's the mug you left behind and he doesn't have the courage to send back to you or give to someone else or when he sees something that reminds him of you and he gets it, hoping one day he can get them to you.

You once called me forever, now you still can't call me back

Lando sighed again as the call went to voicemail. It was the third time it happened in the last couple of hours. It was media day at Suzuka and they were having lunch.

"You know it's 3 am back in England, right?", Oscar asked bluntly, "when we were having breakfast, sure, you might have got hold of her if she was doing a late night, but I think you should wait", he reasoned.

Oscar was right. He didn't want to risk it waking you up even though he was sure your phone was on silent since you loved your sleep dearly.

"I hate this", Lando muttered, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. Oscar was aware of some of what had happened between Lando and you. The start of the season always came with new gossip and this one's was filled with rumours and conspiracy theories about the paddock's sweetheart and young couple.

Lando started driving in Formula One when he was nineteen, so they had seen his grow up through the years along with your relationship. At first, you were pinned down as his sister, then a best friend when they realised you didn't share genetics, and then you were his girlfriend. The lingering touches and big smiles they caught never rushed you to admit your feelings or put a label on your relationship, but everyone was there when you walked hand in hand on the paddock and confirmed the suspicions they had for months. Lando Norris and his best friend were in love and they all felt like proud parents as they watched you support him unconditionally every time you could.

"Did you lose her?", Oscar quesioned his team-mate as he picked on the food on his plate.

"I don't have her with me, have I?", Lando snapped and regretted it almost immediately.

Oscar put it down to tiredness, jet lag and the fact that he seemed a bit lost on how he was navigating the situation, "What I'm saying is, did you lose her? Did you do your absolute best to keep her with you?", he said sternly, "Used all of the options and possibilities and it still didn't work out? You don't lose someone because things fell apart in a stressful situation", he reasoned.

He was young but not dumb, truly.

"Feels like I have though", Lando added.

"What I'm saying is if you really want to know how she is and if you want to have an honest conversation with her, you have to make an effort. Not just calling and asking your mother to see if she's spotted her lately, or your sisters to check in your circle of friends whether or not she has moved on", Oscar lectured.

"Do you think I can do it? Do I have what it takes?", Lando confessed his doubts out loud. One of the reasons he had yet to act on it was because having a second chance wasn't for everyone and he needed to make sure it went perfect. You deserved that.

"You're a Formula One driver with deep pockets and a massive heart that still belongs to someone. What can't you do?", the young australian driver mused before he got up, taking his plate with him and leaving Lando pondering about what to do next.

I hope this pain's just passin' through

You sang loudly as you dusted the living room shelves, windows open to let the autumn air in. While cleaning wasn't your favourite thing to do, you had woken up with an urge to clean and given that it happened very rarely, you were taking it in stride.

So far, you found a receipt of a pair of jeans you were meant to return but gave your friends instead, a concert ticket and a bigger amount of dust than you'd like to admit. When you pulled the fabric strap, though, you knew that you wouldn't want to get rid of it. The lanyard belonged to one of the passes for one of the Grand Prix weekend you went to see Lando. Inspecting it closer, you realised it was his second home race, the Polaroid picture attached to it confirming the date.

It started with you joking about the fact that the pass was not the prettiest, so Lando hunted down the paddock to find a Polaroid camera, snapping a picture of you two and pinching a hole on it so you could carry it around and cover the supposed ugly pass. The photo was still intact, just a little dusty as you wiped it with your sleeve. Lando was kissing your cheek as you smiled impossibly big, eyes squinty and smile beaming because of the guy whose lips were on your cheek.

A single teardrop fell on the plastic covered paper before a few more followed as you sat down, looking at what you had once been and how things were right now. The missed calls on your phone led you to believe that maybe he still felt something too, but the potential heartache of trying again and it not working would hurt more than it already does.

The vibration from watch caught your attention as you read the two notifications. One from your e-mail with Qatar Airways written in bold and a text from Lando.

Qatar Airways

Thank you for choosing to fly with Qatar Airways!

Lando ✨️

I need you here with me, Y/N, please

I made the flight reservation for you, they will hold the ticket until two hours before the flight leaves, you just have to confirm with your passport ❤️

You promised me that I was more than all the miles combined

Heathrow Airport, 7th October 2023, 6:30 am.

You couldn't back out now, that would mean Lando would lose the money he spent to get you here in the first place. It wasn't by all means quiet, but your thoughts were loud enough.

You shouldn't be here. Why were you here? Why did you accept this, Y/N?

Because Lando needed you there.

Simple as that.

Boarding the flight, you smiled and thanked as the flight attendant pointed to the area where your seat was and where you would spend the next six hours and a half.

"I'm sorry, our seats are by the window", a woman in her thirties said as she bounced a little girl on her hip, making you get up so she could get to it, "thank you", she smiled, sitting down and buclking herself and her daughter to her body.

"Lyla, you can't go pulling on other people's clothes - I'm so sorry", she apoligised as the little girl pulled on your shirt's detailed button buckle.

"No worries, I know how restless they can get. You do the best for your baby. You're only responsible for yours and her emotions, no one else's on this plane", you offered her, remembering the times you would take flights and fully grown adults would go up to a stressed parent to let them know they could hear their crying child as if the parents themselves didn't know.

"My husband is somewhere in there, too", she chuckled, sometimes I feel I'm responsible for his too - accountantable in a way at least", she chuckled.

"You weren't able to sit together?", you wondered.

"My husband planned the weekend to go watch a race and come back, but we found some holiday days and we decided on a spontaneous trip. This was the only seat left they had", she explained.

"I can change seats if you want", you offered, "I'm flying on my own and I'll get to the destination all the same", you giggled.

"You wouldn't mind?", she asked, relief settling over her as she tried to see her husband, waving at him to come closer as you touched the button to call the flight attendant as the passengers were all sat down on your section.

"This lovely young woman says she doesn't mind switching seats with you", she said to her husband as you spoke to the flight attendant.

"No, there's no problem with that if you both agree", the flight attendant smiled as you got up, ignoring the frown on the man next to you who had to get up so you could swap, "bye bye, Lyla!", you waved at the little girl before her parents thanked you once again.

Finding your new seat, you put your bag under the seat in front and sat down, excusing yourself to the older couple next to you, "I just swapped seats with the gentleman that was here, I'm sorry", you smiled, hoping they wouldn't be too mad.

"Oh, he was able to sit with his family after all - I told you, Harold!", the lady winked at her husband, "I'm Francesca, you can call me Fran", she said sweetly.

Despite the early flight, they both seemed to be full of energy as they started telling you stories of their life and family, showing pictures of their kids and grandkids.

"One day you'll have all of that with the person you love, darling - if that's something you want, of course!", Harold peeped in, "our granddaughters are always telling me not everyone wants the same things!", he chuckled softly.

"It's okay - I would like that, actually", you smiled sadly as Francesca landed her hand on top of yours.

"Why does that sound like a confused heart, dear?", she commented, reading you like a book. The flight was closer to be three quarters of the way to the destination, so you still had some time to kill.

"A little bit; I'm actually flying over to see the person who still has this confused heart", you mumbled.

"Your eyes sparkle when you talk about him, dear - something tells me he's going to 'unconfuse' your heart", she smiled, "tell me about him".

"Godness", you chuckled, "He's kind, respectful, honest, goofy, cute, charming, loving, he's all that is good. We just lost our way, I think", you recalled, smiling at the thought of him.

"You'll find it back, dear. Life has mysterious ways but it has the right ways - I like to believe it does, anyway", the older lady assured, squeezing your hand in hers.

Waving goodbye to Harold and Francesca when you found the taxi bay, you requested to be taken to the paddock.

When you got there, you payed the kind driver before he helped you take your suitcase from the boot, "enjoy the race!", he smiled.

You were thankful all eyes were on the track already, making you cross the whole paddock and step into McLaren's hospitality quickly after collecting your pass.

"Y/N!", Zak said as he was the first person to spot you, "you're here, you came!", he smiled, hugging you tightly, "we're all very happy you're here", he said as he asked one of the team members to store your suitcases somewhere appropriate before leading you to the corridor to the drivers' rooms.

"Lando is inside, and the race starts in less than ninety minutes, so you won't talk all you need to, but it's a good start", he said, knocking on the door before he left.

When Lando heard the knock, he hoped it was you. Sophie and Oscar were great people, but in the last hour, everytime he opened the door, theirs were the faces he saw instead of yours.

"Y/N", he welcomed you into his room before closing the door, "I hope it's okay that I flew you here, thank you for coming", he said as he hesitated on giving you a hug.

Taking a step forward, you laced your arms around his waist as he did the same around your shoulders, inhaling eachother's scent and feeling like a weight was lifted off both of you, "I missed you so much, Y/N", he whispered before you pulled apart.

"It's not the first time you've done that for me", you fumbled with your hands, "although I was very surprised. We haven't spoken to eachother in some time, Lando", you sterned.

"Not because I didn't try", he bit bat with an ironic chuckle, "Why did you come here then?", he defended, taking your words as immediate offense and not taking a second to process them properly.

"Because even though we're not together anymore, you matter to me. I care about you! I'm not sure what monster you depict me as or that you imagine I've turned into, but I wouldn't dream of wishing you misery! If you call me and tell me you need me here, I'll be here because I care about you!", you snapped, "you have no idea how many times I wanted to give up and cancel this! Why am I here, Lando?", you asked.

You didn't expect him to react that way, not that you had a much better reaction anyway.

"Fuck, this is not how we do this", you took a deep breath as Lando held your hands in his, mimicking your movements as he did the same. Three long deep breaths, in and out, in and out, in and out.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that", Lando began, hands laced on yours still, "thank you for bring here, I needed you here because there's no one else in the world that can make me feel comfortable like you do, and I need that. I need to feel like myself - and I know it's a selfish ask to make you get up and drop your things to be here with me but-", you interrupted him.

"It's okay, Lando, you're okay", you cooed, searching for his eyes and hoping you'd get the message your mouth was failing to say through.

You pulled him to sit in front of you in the massage table, "I've been seeing all the podiums you've been getting - the team have done such a great job developing, and your talent and skills have brought it to the podium", you tried a lighter subject even though you were 99% sure of his worries.

"Oscar still qualified above me", he began, "He's a rookie and he's managed to do in months what I haven't done in five years", he allowed himself to express his feelings. After all, it was you.

"Oscar is not driving a tractor like you were", you shrugged your shoulders as Lando laughed.

"For someone who was invited last minute and got a pretty good pass, I'm not sure how the team would feel about you talking like that", he smirked, hand finding your own as he rubbed his thumb on your palm.

"I'm only telling the truth", you smiled, "and I mean it. I know how this sport works, but you shouldn't compare yourself to your teammate when the circumstances are so different", you mused.

"The team have been great and they still haven't said anything", he reasoned.

"Of course they haven't because it's something that happens, Lando. I was watching the highlights and so many drivers went over the limits because that's how this track goes", you stated, "there's only so much you can do and you shouldn't put all that pressure on yourself", you tsked, "I know you do, but you shouldn't", you smiled.

"You always know what to say, don't you?", he chuckled, "I have an inkling on how this here works", you winked and tapped his head with your free hand.

A knock on the door interrupted your moment as Jon opened it right after, "Lando, we need to start prepping for the sprint", he said before he turned to you, "Hi Y/N, good to have you back!", he smiled before he let you finish what you were doing.

"I should go, then", Lando trailed off, "are you going to browse around the paddock? I bet a lot of people miss you and your face here", he nudged.

"I came here for you, I don't care about anyone else", you smiled as you leaned over to press a kiss on his cheek for a few seconds, smiling against his warm skin before grabbing your bag and walking out.

Most of the team must've known you were coming since not many of them took a second look whenever you greeted them or entered a different area.

One of the media girls got you a set of headphones as she stood next to you, Oscar and Lando getting ready to go to the track.

His routine hadn't changed as your eyes followed him while he got dressed appropriately and safely for the race.

Before Lando put his helmet on he looked back at you, winking and smiling when you winked back.

When the gap wasn't closing in, you knew Lando would be disappointed with P3, not because of the place itself but because his team-mate had done better.

As you moved to a better spot to watch the interviews on the media pen, your heart felt like someone was using it like a trampoline, jumping and stomping on it as Lando spoke about himself with such a negative tone.

Surely, the interviewers were fishing for answers with biased questions and his mind took him there.

As you waited for him to be back to the hospitality, you got yourself something to eat, realising you hadn't done it since the plane.

Lando was beating himself up and he couldn't shake the bad mood he was in even when he thought you had travelled to see him and be there for him.

As Sophie gave him a quick debrief about his interviews, he stepped into his driver's room so he could have a quick shower and then head to the team debrief.

"It wouldn't hurt going up to her, you know?", Jon told him, ready to take any harsh words first if it meant you didn't hear them.

"I know it wouldn't, I'm just going to eat something and then I'll join the debrief with the rest of the team", Lando mumbled as he walked up to you.

"Hey", he said sitting down on the sofa next to you.

"Hey, Lando", you said, testing the waters and approaching his body until you rested your head on his shoulder.

"You are going to get your win, Lando. It's going to be an amazing weekend and it's going to be your first. Surely important, but you'll be a race winner and go on to the next race", you said as he seemed to be unsure of the tone you were going for, "as that will be a big moment in a long career - because it won't define it - this doesn't define you either, as a person and as a driver", you concluded, hoping to bring a little bit of his confidence and self-esteem back up a little.

"And you're going to be there?", he asked. He was feeling like shit and needed to know. It wasn't fair, but he needed to know.

"I can't make promises like that, not before we speak properly", you remarked, looking up at him from where you were, kissing his cheek and squeezing his hand in yours, "do you want me to stay here or should I go back to the hotel?", you asked. It wasn't the right time or the right place to talk about it.

"Could you stay here, please?", he said as you took your book out of your bag, knowing it would run long and you'd need some entertainment as there was only so much catching up you could do with the team when they're suppose to be working.

"I will, then", you said as Lando took the plunge and kissed the top of your head.

Ten chapters and a tea later, Lando tapped your shoulders, "I'm finished, are we ready to go?", he asked as you got up accepting his hand to hold as you walked out of the hospitality, grabbing your suitcase from the storage room and bidding goodbye to the team.

"I couldn't get a separate room for you, but the room I'm staying in has this living room area and the sofa opens into a bed, they said it's really comfy and they also left an extra mattress topper and some blankets", Lando said as he drove, "in case you didn't feel comfortable, I- I just want you to feel comfortable", he emphasised nervously.

"Lando, you don't need to walk on eggshells, okay? It's me", you smiled reassuringly as he stole a quick look at you before focusing back on the road, "sounds like a nice solution, fine by me", you reassured him.

Leaving the car to the valet and taking the lift up with you, you stayed silent until you were inside the hotel room, "That's the bedroom area, bathroom's here - and it has a double sink - and then the living room", Lando patted the extra linen folded on the sofa.

"Thank you", you assented, "would you like to talk now or is it bad timing? You must be tired f,-".

"Yes, please", he agreed immediately sitting on the sofa and making room for you to sit in front of him.

"I don't know where to begin", you observed after a while, "it's been tough being without you - I have been so used to having you there for me and to be there for you that nothing quite has the same meaning. I can live without you - barely, but I can -, that's not the question, but I don't want to", you manifested.

"We ended things because we had to, and it did us both well to see from another perspective - that's what it felt for me anyway -, but I want to be with you and to have you with me", he elaborated, "I don't care if you have to spend more time back home because of the distance, or come with me to the races because of the distance, too, I-".

"It was never about the distance, Lando", you interjected. You both used that excuse way too many times but deep down you knew it wasn't because of it.

"We'll work it out then", Lando suggested, "we'll work on us because knowing eachother doesn't mean we don't have to put ourselves first and keep investing on our relationship. I value you so much Y/N, I love you so much and I want to do this right", he whispered as if he spoke any louder would disturb the moment.

"I love you too", you smiled as you laced your hands together, "we'll work on it, together".

It was already late so Lando offered you the bathroom so you could shower and do your night routine first and then make the sofa bed to your liking while he did his night routine.

"Good night, angel", Lando said after you hugged him goodnight, kissing the top of your head before letting you lie down first since the light on his bedside table was the only one illuminating the room.

After you cocooned yourself in the sheets comfortably, you spoke up, "Lando, I'm sorry I didn't answer back sooner", you apoligised.

"It's okay, love, you don't have to worry about that", he cooed softly and you could hear the smile on his voice.

"I know it's not, but thank you for making me feel better about it, goodnight", you smiled, feeling hopeful about it.

The next morning, you were woken up by the noise coming from the bathroom, assuming Lando was showering inside as you stretched, surprised at how well you slept. Maybe the bedding was genuinely nice, the sofa bed wasn't bad to begin with, especially considering the hotel you were staying in, or maybe it was the fact that for the first time in months, you fell asleep knowing the person who your heart belonged to was more than happy to let you keep his, too, and he was in the same space as you.

"Good morning, beautiful", Lando smiled as he noticed you were awake already, "did you sleep well?".

"Good morning, Lan", you yawned, "I did, really well, actually. At what time do we have to be at the track?", you wondered. It was a night race, so the call up was later than usual.

"I'm leaving after breakfast, but you can stay and head there later if you want", Lando declared as you walked up to him, "I just need to freshen up and get ready", you smiled, kissing his cheek and heading for the bathroom with your clothes.

As soon as you arrived at the track, you took one of the back entrances as you knew Lando would spend some time with the fans and other drivers he bumped into, finding a nice spot on the lounge and going back to your book.

"I'm going to start race prep", Lando stopped by you in the lounge after a quick meeting, "I probably won't talk to you much until afterwards so I just came to check on you", he reasoned.

Getting up, you moved to one of the corridors, leaning up to kiss his forehead softly, "Good luck, my love, you're going to do so well, I know it", you smiled against his skin.

"I have my lucky charm with me", he smirked, kissing the top of your head before he got back to Jon.

From P10 to P3, Lando had an eventful race. Fortunately, and compared to the rest of the grid, he seemed to be doing fairly well as he stood in front of AC Units while replenishing the water he lost during the fifty-seven laps.

"I'm so proud of you!", you cooed as he got back to the garage, shaking hands with all the mechanics and engineers before he got to you. You hugged his sweaty body, not caring about it as long as you felt his close to you.

"They're postponing race debrief so I'm going to shower quickly and then we can get going, beautiful", he smiled, kissing a spot on your cheek very close to your lips.

Smiling giddily, you went to the bar area to get a bottle of water for yourself as Sophie walked last you, "seems like we will be seeing a lot more of you again soon - maybe Zak can also hire you as our lucky charm!", she winked as you shook your head, blood rushing to your cheeks at her words.

Back in the hotel room, it was your turn to freshen up and get ready to sleep. The spirits were high and you were feeling like the wait time was over. Your heart was healed enough as you sat on Lando's bed, "I'm so proud of you, you had an incredible drive tonight", you smiled as you moved closer to him as he sat on the edge, back against the headboard and one leg on the mattress while the other hung beside the mattress.

"It felt so good", he smiled, "thank you for supporting me", he cupped your cheek as he silently asked you for permission to kiss your lips. Lando couldn't waste anymore time as he pulled you to him so he could kiss you properly, your legs on either side of his as you straddled him, revelling in the feeling of being in eachother's hold as your hands played with his hair while his held your waist.

"As much as I'd love to continue this, I'm exhausted, baby", he rubbed your thighs, "it's okay, my love, I wasn't thinking of letting you do anything else anyway", you smiled, kissing his nose softly before you got on one knee so you could flop to the side and land on the mattress.

"Sleep here, yes?", he mused and you nodded, undoing the bed and getting under the sheets, his arm holding you to him and making sure he didn't let go.

As if you'd leave anyway.

4.30am and Lando woke up again. This time however, the sight he longed to see was right there. The you he had and had got back, cuddled up to his chest as your leg was hoisted up on top of his own and very close to his aching cock.

As he tried to change the angle so every time you moved, your smooth skin wouldn't pratically tease him, you stirred in your sleep, eyes opening as he tried to adjust your knee.

"Is everything alright, baby? Am I hurting you?", you said as you recoiled from his body.

"No, angel, no!", he quickly guaranteed, "I'm sorry I woke you up, it's just that your knee was very close to me and I was having a hard time dealing with it".

"A hard time indeed", you snickered as you felt his hard-on strained on his Calvin Kleins. Dating after being friends for so long brought an easy joking side to your relationship so much easier and funnier as you wouldn't get offended with most of what you said to eachother, "need help with that?", you smirked.

"But I wanted to treat you", Lando pouted, "Can I, gorgeous girl?", he whispered as he kissed up your neck once you whispered "yes", hands roaming on your body as he pulled up your nightshirt, finding your nipples and twisting them slightly to work your body up the way you did with his.

Your sighs and whimpers let him know he was doing a good job as undressed your torso, littering small kissed from your throat to your tummy, "you're so gorgeous, Y/N, I can't believe you're mine", he said as he blew a raspberry on your tummy, earning giggles from you before he licked up a stripe near your panties line.

"You know how much I like it when you wear your pink panties", he voiced as he touched you over the cotton fabric, feeling you pulsate already, "Do you like it when I tease you over your pink panties, baby?".

"Yes", you scrambled out betwen moans and deep breaths, "Oh my Goodness, princess", he cooed as you squirmed, "You want me to fill this pussy up?", he wondered as you let out a yes followed but a deep mewling sound.

"Let me take a little peek, then", as his fingers pushed the fabric down, a string of wetness caught in the material as he smiled, "Oh my Goodness, look at this pretty little pink pussy", he kisses your clit, "all of you, you're se beautiful, baby".

Rubbing the inside of your thighs with his thumbs, pressing the soft skin as he got rid of your underwear, "Are you going to let me fill you up?", he asked as he wouldn't do it without consent.

"Yes, please do it, Lan", you moaned, hand looking for his own to hold.

"You don't need to say please, my love - here", he whispered as he laced your hands together, "you'll always have me, you hear me? I'm yours, sweet girl", he smiled.

His hand that wasn't securely laced in yours helped you take his underwear off before he came back up to kiss your lips softly.

"Does it feel good when I tease your clit like that, gorgeous?", he smirked as he ran the tip of his cock in your sensitive bud, "Yes - uhg, baby", you gasped, looking into his eyes and swearing you could get lost in them had you not been in such a state of arousal as you were.

"You look so pretty like this, my beautiful, sweet girl", he praised as he saw your twitches and heard your moans at his words, "we need protection, though", he stated.

"I'm good, didn't see anyone else - you?", you wondered as he shook his head, "didn't see anyone else either - condom?", he asked, making you nod and separate so he could get it from his toiletries bag. Hormonal contraception left you feeling worse that it made your life easier, so you and Lando always used condoms.

Rolling it down his shaft, Lando climbed back in the bed and kissed your lips, adjusting himself before he entered you.

You whimpered as Lando slid inside you, a low groan escaping from his throat as he gently slid, taking your hand back in his and resting them next to your head on the pillow.

"You feel so good for me, sweet girl, so wet so warm, so good - aah", he breathed out, "so tight, my sweet sweet girl", he squeezed his eyes shut at the feeling of your walls squeezing him.

You stretched your arm out enough to pull his face closer to yours, kissing his jaw and then his lips before whispering "you can move, love".

Lando pulled back slowly, thrusting in gently to begin with and savouring how you felt around him.

"I love you", you muttered into his neck between moans as he picked up the pace, thrusting into you faster, harder and deeper.

"I'm close", Lando groaned as he felt your walls clench around him, his hand crawling between your bodies and drawing lazy circles on your clit to get you to your release.

"Me too, feels so good, I feel so good", you moaned out, a high pitch one particularly when you felt the band was about to snap.

“My sweet girl, my beautiful sweet girl, are you going to come for me?”, Lando worked you up as your body started to show signs of it, "let go, my love, I'm here, I've got you”, he soothed, still gently rubbing your clit with one hand and keeping hold of the other.

Your back arched, sensitive nipples rubbing against his skin, as you came with a high-pitched whine, nuzzling your face on his thick neck as you came undone around him. Lando came soon after, his hand that was not holding yours groping your waist as he groaned.

“Good, sweet girl, that was good, you did so well for me. I’ve got you, it's okay", he assured as he felt you flutter around him, probably from overstimulation considering neither of you had been with anyone else and you hadn't slept a full night yet, the tiredness he felt also a cause for how quickly he finished.

Lando kissed your forehead sweetly before he pulled out, getting up and throwing out the condom on the bathroom bin before he cane back to you on the bed.

"Let's put this on, yeah?", he whispered soflty as he helped you put on his linen shirt, buttoning it enough to let you breathe but still feel hugged by the fabric, and then a clean pair of underwear he got from your suitcase.

Before he laid in bed with you again, he put on his own underwear, pulling you to his arms and then pulling the crisp white covers over you.

"Do you feel good, baby?", he asked once you were cuddled up to him, "yes, I do", you smiled, a mixture of post sex glow and being back in his arms.

"Thank you for not giving up on us, I love you, sweet girl", Lando said as he played with your fingers, bringing them up to his mouth so he could kiss every single one of them, "you're the best thing in my life", he mumbled, letting you drift off to sleep.

[ddiidi]

Secrets and Danger

idol!Leeknow x fem!reader (ot8 mentioned)

Masterlist

Part 1 (not proof read!) - Part 2

Synopsis: Today is the day. It's your first time. The first time on a concert of you favorit band "Stray Kids" and your super excited, but also nervous and scared, since you´re the winner of the only Backstage ticket there is and you´re going to have an actual conversation with them.

!Warnings: non, fluff (lmk if i missed anything)

"Mila i'm physically not ready to meet them yet! Expacially not him!", you scream on the phone at your girl bestfriend, Mila, after you got the news that you won a Backstage meet with Straykids.

"Girl calm your ass down, you should see it as an opportunity to meet them, besides if you have luck, maybe you're his type." Mila says on the other line of the phone, in a calm voice. "How about I come over tomorrow and we'll go some pretty and sexy Outfit shopping for the Concert, hm?", Mila continues. "Don't say that. What are my chances that he actually likes me?", you let out a sigh, "But maybe the shopping isn't a too bad idea. Let's do that." Mila giggles. "Trust me, we'll get the most gorgeous Outfit for you, so he'll fall for you in seconds. I'll pick you up at 10'. Be ready." "Yea yea..cya." you say with a sigh and hung up.

You lay on your bed and stare up at your ceiling, closing your eyes for a brief moment. Well it was supposed to be a brief moment but the next time you opened your eyes again, it was bright outside and the clock showed 9am. You stood up with a deep sigh and went to your bathroom to get ready before Mila came to pick you up to go shopping. After you're done you look at your watch, 9:50. "Mila'll come soon", you thought to yourself and just as you did, the doorbell rang. You rushed to grab your purse and rushed to the door to open it, where a very lively looking Mila is waiting for you. A big smile spreads on your face, all your worries about the concert gone.

"POOKIEEEE!!!!", you both yell in sync and hugged eachother. "I missed ya girl."Mila happily says, with a bright smile. "We litterally talked yesterday, stupid.", you giggle out and step outside your apartment, closing the door behind you. "Maybe, but that was far too long ago." she whines with a pout, to which you just respond, "It hasn't even been 24h, Mila." with a giggle and lock your arms together. You two walk to the Mall like that, laughing and talking so much, that people are already staring, but you both didn't care. Mila was your best and closest friend, who always has been by your side, supporting you through everything, always knowing how to hype you up, and you did the same to her.

As soon as you enter the first shop, you panic again, not knowing what to get, nor what to even wear. Mila notices your panic and gently touches your arm, "Hey stay calm. I'm here, we'll find something together." Looking in different shops, buying a compeletely new Outfit. From the Clothes to the shoes, from the Acceccories to the Hair. You even went to get your makeup done,so by the time you two were done, it was late afternoon, so you two grabbed something to eat, before heading home since you have to get ready for the concert.

3 more hours. 3 hours and then you'll meet them, you'll meet him. You still were very nervous, but thanks to Mila, you won't have to appear there in a Garbag bag. The whole walk home Mila tried to help you relax a little more, which actually helped alot and you were very thankful for that. By the time you two got to your house, you only had two and a half more hours left to get to the Concert even if the concert only starts in 4h, but since you've also got a card for the Soundcheck before the concert, you have to be there muc ealier.

You were currently styling your Outfit while Mila watches you from your bed. "You're looking like a godess girl. Like that he'll for sure fall for you.", she says as she hops off the bed, walking towards you. Maybe she was right. Maybe you have a slight chance, that he'll fall for you, you thought to yourself, letting out a sigh.

"I should go now Mila" you say, checking yourself in the Mirror once more, before turning to her, giving her a hug, "Thanks you so much for today, it helped alot, really." "No need to thank me, if my bestie needs help, I'll be here for her." she says with a wink, before pushing you out the door. "Okayokay go now or you'll be late." she hurringly says. "Dont come back home before he didn't fall for you." a bright smile on her face. "I'll try my best.", you say with a smile.

[gunthermunch]

[Transcript under the cut]

Lucas: this is BORING i'm tired of test after test after test all week! Lucas: hm… if would you help me cheat tomorrow? Elsa: and what are you paying me in? Crops? Lucas: gasp that's mean…! Lucas: alright forget exams. who are you taking to prooom? Elsa: I’m not going Lucas: really?? I thought you tolerated the whole thing Elsa: I do, I would love to dance with you in fact Lucas: aww… Elsa: but I hate the idea of promposals and all that absolute bullshit Lucas: oh yeah it’s a little corny. Mila: Lucas honey, can you come for a second? Lucas: alright gotta go

Elsa: tell Mila I said hi!!

Ulrike: Morgan’s coming over tomorrow Max: uh huh Ulrike: she said tell Gizmo I’m dying to give him a hug. Cheesy as ever. Max: uh- huh. Ulrike: alright you’re not listening. calm down, it didn’t even say art portfolio. let’s just pick your best ones and send it Max: I don’t have any best ones!! Ulrike: let me have a look. you got a whole college reject helping you, i know what to not do. Ulrike: you have more of these, right? Max: portraits? Ulrike: sometimes it’s better to show what you’re really good at instead of picking one from each thing you can barely do Ulrike: those dinosaurs want no emails, right? Max: yeah. Ulrike: then we need a nice envelope. Max: …sure, yeah. Ulrike: hey… Ulrike: wanna talk it out once and for all? Ulrike:I have all the time in the world Max: … Ulrike: no pressure. Max: i do, i really do. but… not today Ulrike: it's okay, Max. let's drop this for now, yeah? Ulrike: are you hungry? Max: …I don't know.

[heavyhitterheaux]

Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

A Ballerina's Tale Fic

AN: Jack learns that love at first sight is definitely real

Synopsis: From the time Jack first spotted you at his concert on the Confetti tour, he just knew you were the one for him even if no one else believes it

Pairing: Jack Harlow x Dancer!Reader

A Ballerina's Tale Masterlist

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

You had just finished putting the final touches on your makeup when Camila came bouncing into your room smiling at you and took a seat on your bed.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going tonight yet?" You curiously asked before taking your bonnet off to do your hair.

"No, it's a surprise. I know that you've been working really hard and my best friend deserves to have something nice done for her since she's always doing things for everyone else around her."

"I just do what needs to be done." You said while shrugging before looking down at your outfit which consisted of a black mesh crop top, ripped boyfriend jeans, and black and white New Balance 550's.

"You don't give yourself enough credit and come on because we need to get there early if we want a good spot."

"A good spot for what?!"

"Nice try. Not telling." 

It was getting close to 6 pm and you were still confused on what was going on and Camila wasn't budging on telling you anything. And you were getting tired of standing in line. It wasn't until you kept seeing people in Jack Harlow merch that you finally caught on.

"Camila!?!?" You squealed and she just looked at you confused.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Is my surprise Jack Harlow?"

"Hmm, maybe."

"CAMILA!"

"Fine, yes! I made us leave early so we could get in the front."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" You said while tackling her in a hug and she quickly embraced you back.

"I saw where your future husband was going to be here so I immediately tried to hurry up and buy the tickets. It's the least I could do for you."

When the doors finally opened, the two of you made a beeline to the front of the barricade so that the two of you would be able to see and made a decision to go to the merch stand before the two of you left.

"Shit, I'm glad we left when we did since it helped us to be in the front of the line." Camila said while looking around as the two of you were now surrounded by an entire crowd of people.

"Yeah, that was smart."

"So, aren't you happy you called out of work tonight?"

"Definitely."

When Jack hit the stage, you were nothing but smiles and Camila was just happy that you could get a break even if it was only for one night.

This wasn't the first concert of his that you had been to, and knew that it wasn't going to be the last. It always took you an extended period of time in order to save up to go to concerts because of everything you had to pay for. You had to keep a roof over your head, your mother’s and your little brothers. It wasn’t the fact that you absolutely had to do that but you were going to make sure your brothers had everything that they needed. 

The two of you were dead center in the front row and you couldn't help but notice that it seemed like Jack kept looking at you and you could have sworn that he sent a wink your way.

Or maybe it was just your imagination.

You put the thought in the back of your mind, until Camila brought up your suspicions.

"He is most definitely staring at you and that wink he did was all for you too."

"Do you not see how many people are in here? Let's be serious Mila."

"I am being serious! Maybe it's because your boobs are sitting perfectly. I knew what I was doing when I picked out that shirt."

"Bye Mila." You just shook your head and rolled your eyes at her.

"What did I do!? I'm trying to help you marry your favorite rapper!"

"Once again, let's be serious. There is no way in hell that I have a chance with him."

"You always sell yourself short and you have no idea how amazing you actually are. You never know what the future holds."

Your suspicions were true and Jack was definitely staring at you the entire night. He made a note in the back of his mind to try and find you after the show ends and hopefully be able to talk to you.

What he didn't expect was who he assumed to be your best friend to whisk you away almost immediately and he lost sight of you.

He didn't know what it was, but he was immediately drawn to you. He swears when the two of you locked eyes, that was it for him and he wanted to know your name and get to know you better.

If it was meant to be, the two of you would cross paths again, and Jack couldn't wait for it to happen. 

—

There Jack was sitting with Drake in V.I.P.  at Magic City to celebrate Drake’s birthday when he spotted you walk in.

His jaw immediately hit the floor.

Your hair was a little bit longer, but there was no denying that you were the same girl that caught his eye when he first saw you at his concert.

Hearing Urban's voice quickly got him out of his trance. 

"What in the world are you staring at?" Urban asked his best friend since he had been distracted for the last fifteen minutes.

"That girl right there." Jack answered, nodding his head in your direction.

Pardon the way that I stare (The way that I stare)

There's nothing else to compare

The sight of you leaves me weak

There are no words left to speak (Words left to speak)

"Well, go get her." Urban replied while shrugging. Jack went and got any girl he wanted any other time so why should this time be any different?

"Hold on, I can get them to come to us." Drake said, grabbing the attention of one of the bottle girls and asked her to bring the two of you over to V.I.P.

Not even ten minutes later, you were following Camila into the V.I.P. area and she was all smiles while you just wanted to go home.

Until you made eye contact with him and his heart was doing backflips.

He waved you over to come and sit by him while of course Camila went straight to Drake.

"What's your name, pretty girl?" Jack asked while smiling at you.

"Y/N. And my best friend over there is Camila." Jack just knew that you could probably hear his heart about to burst out of his chest. Your voice was angelic and he couldn’t get enough of hearing it. 

"But I didn't ask about your best friend, I asked about you. You enjoying yourself?"

"I'll be honest. I kinda wanted to stay at home and watch Netflix, but she dragged me."

"I'm happy you came, otherwise we would have never met."

By Jack saying this, you instantly got a smile on your face.

"So tell me all about Y/N. You in school?"

"Nope."

"Okay what you do?"

"I'm a dancer and quick question, are you a cancer?"

"Hell nah. Where you dance at?"

"Blue Flame, that shit be jam packed."

"Damn facts? So where your man at?"

"What's that?" You asked before you started to laugh, giving Jack a dumbfounded look.

"I don't need a man, she my other half. We got something not a lot of others have and I feel like I knew her from the past. I mean at this point we're like lesbians." You said and laughed once again.

"Hmm, you sure about that? Look and see for yourself."

You looked over to see Camila all over Drake and he was loving every minute of it.

"Doesn't surprise me at all. She gets like that sometimes."

"What days you dance at Blue Flame?"

"Friday through Sunday with an occasional weekday thrown in there."

"I'll be here for a few weeks so I might have to take you up on that offer."

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you. And private dances are extra if you were wondering. Are you in Atlanta often?" You curiously asked and Jack simply nodded.

"That's fine. You're the only person I want to see anyway. And I definitely look at it like a second home."

You were usually shy so the fact that you were just having a conversation with your celebrity crush and not falling out was surprising.

"I think I caught on since I know that you've been eyeing me since I walked through the door."

"Damn, and here I was thinking I was being discreet." Jack replied while laughing.

"It's okay. I feel that you're someone who goes after what he wants." You said and Jack moved closer to you if that was even possible.

"And what do you think I want?" He whispered in your ear and you felt the floodgates opening up down below.

"Let's take a wild guess and say me."

You don't know where all of this confidence was coming from, but you were grateful for it.

The last thing you wanted to do was look like a fool in front of him.

Jack simply laughed before kissing the shell of your ear.

"I think we have a winner."

"Hmm so, why don't we leave and I can give you a little preview of a dance I've been working on."

Without a second thought, Jack was on his feet and held out his hand to help you up.

This caught Camila's attention.

"Damn, it actually looks like my bestie is living a little. Jack, you better take care of my girl."

"You definitely don't have to worry about that." 

You and Jack had been together for at least a month now when he was approached by Neelam one morning. She was shifting her weight back and forth and Jack was not paying her any attention. He figured if she had something to say then she would say it. 

"I… I don't want to get in your business." And there it is. 

"Then don't."

"But… a stripper? Really?"

"Why does everyone have a problem with what her profession is? It's not like she's out here having sex with the people she dances for."

"You don't know that, she's probably a gold digger who is going to hurt you in the end."

"Do you know how much money she makes in one night? Being a gold digger is at the very bottom of her list."

"Look, I'm just trying to protect you and a few other people agree with me. We just want the best for you and not to do anything to mess up your career. You've worked so hard for this and shouldn't let a girl ruin that."

"I can focus on my girl and my career and it's no one else's fucking business. I'm not going to stop seeing her just because a few people don't like it. None of you even know her and I haven't even brought her around. But I guess if all of you feel like this and don't care to see me happy then I won't. Judging someone and you don't even know her."

“Look, I don’t want to upset you.”

“Too late for that.”

“But Jack if you decide to go public with this girl, which you should most definitely NOT do, how do you think it’s going to look?”

“And why do I give a fuck? I mean seriously. I like her for her. She does what she has to do to make a living.”

“Your image, that's why! You’ll be making my job ten times harder.”

“Oh, so this is about you now?”

“Jack, that isn’t what I meant.” Neelam said while blowing out a defeated sigh. 

“Sounds like it. So I just have to go along with what everyone else wants me to do and not be happy?”

“No… I….”

“She is about to be here in thirty minutes and she’s excited to meet all of you. So I suggest you and whoever else has a problem with someone that they don’t even know get their shit together and be nice to her. Because if she tells me otherwise it’s going to be a problem. Don’t mess this up for me. This has been my most serious relationship since fucking high school. I will never forgive yall if yall fuck this up and run her off.”

“She’s a stripper, you can literally find one in every city!”

“We’re done with this conversation and I meant what I said.”

“Fine.”

Jack had invited you to come with him while he did a few festival shows and you were able to get off for two weeks in order to spend time with him. In order to be able to make sure all your bills were covered, you taught the little ones in the morning and had been at Blue Flame consistently every night for three weeks straight. You admit that you were nervous meeting everyone else because the only person that you had been around besides Jack was Urban. He quickly took to you once he saw how happy you made his best friend and didn’t judge you on what your profession was.

That was the main thing that you were scared of. You weren’t embarrassed and absolutely loved what you did, but when you told people when they asked what your profession was people tended to look down on you and that is the last thing you wanted from anyone on Jack’s team because you knew how important they all were to him and wanted to make a good impression. You couldn’t pursue your dreams of being a ballerina so this was the next best thing, you got to dance and pay your bills. 

You weren’t going to do this forever, just until you made enough in order to be able to open your own dance studio.

Then being an exotic dancer would be a thing of the past. 

It was early in the day and the festival wasn’t until about 4 in the afternoon, so Jack decided himself that he would go and get you from the airport and you couldn’t help but laugh at his”disguise” when you saw him. Or lack thereof.

“Baby, that’s not supposed to be a disguise is it?” You asked while looking at his sunglasses and hoodie that was attempting to cover his curls. You immediately let out a laugh.

“Look, this is all I had on short notice. I had to work with it.” He said while leaning down to kiss you before bringing you into a hug.

“Then let’s hurry up before someone actually spots you and then we’ll never be able to leave.”

You had now gotten back to the hotel, but before Jack could slide the key card in the door, you grabbed his arm to stop his movements and he looked at you concerned. 

“What’s wrong babe?”

“I.. what if they don’t like me?” You quietly asked while you were now more interested in your army green New Balance 580’s that were covering your feet. Jack’s heart dropped. 

He knew that you were an introvert and kept to yourself and he knew meeting new people sometimes

could set off your anxiety. He was actually surprised about how relaxed you were around Urban, but then again Urban had made you feel comfortable. He was nervous that the others wouldn’t.

They knew how protective they were over him and it was possible that this could turn into a dumpster fire.  

“They’re going to love you simply because you have made me the happiest that I’ve been in a long time. It’s going to be fine, okay? I’m going to let you get settled first and we’ll meet up with them later.” Jack responded as he leaned down to kiss your forehead which you gladly accepted.

“Okay, sure thing.”

You had taken a shower and gotten comfortable and was simply happy to be in the company of your boyfriend. It wasn’t ideal for you to go long stretches of time without seeing him, but you knew that his job was demanding. There was no way in the world that you would ever let him put you before his career. Jack didn’t let a day go by without calling you despite the time differences. He made it known every single day how important you were to him and you did the exact same thing.

You thanked Camila every day for dragging you to Drake’s birthday party because who knew that it would lead to this?

It was now around noon and Jack had told you earlier that the two of you would meet up with everyone else around one in order to be able to get food and for them to meet you before his show later. 

“Babe?” You asked, poking Jack’s side. He had his eyes closed and you were curled into him and you could tell he was tired.

“Hmm?”

“It’s 12, should we start getting ready?”

“No.”

“What, why?”

“Because I want to have you to myself for a few more minutes before I have to share you with everyone else.” You couldn’t help but to laugh.

“You have me for two weeks.”

“And that isn’t anywhere near long enough, so I have to soak in every second I can with you.”

“You are such a simp and I love it.”

“I’m just being honest. But I guess we can start getting ready.”

All of you were now sitting in a restaurant by the water and it was absolutely gorgeous. However, you were a ball of nerves no matter how much Jack and Urban tried to reassure you that everything would be fine. 

“Oh, so you’re Jack’s girl who we keep hearing about?”

“Yes, I’m Y/N, and I’m guessing your Ace? It’s nice to meet you.”

“Where did he meet you again?” Nemo asked while eyeing you.

“Drake’s birthday party in Atlanta awhile back.”

“Oh, were you like the entertainm….” Urban immediately nudged Neelam to get her to stop and not finish her sentence, but you caught it anyway.

“I’m sorry, what?” You asked, looking confused. This was going just as terrible as you thought it would. 

“She came with her best friend Camila and they were both with us in V.I.P.” Urban quickly chimed in, saving you from having to answer.

“How did they even get in the party and who in the world got them in V.I.P.? Wasn’t it an invitation-only type thing?” 2fo asked.

Just then you heard Jack’s voice behind you as he came back from the bathroom. 

“Because I saw her when she came in the door and asked the bottle girl to go and get her for me. Any more questions or are yall done being nosey?”

“We’re just trying to get to know her.”

You were now extremely uncomfortable and tried not to show it on your face as Jack sat down next to you.

I mean you did understand to a certain extent. They only wanted the best for him and that's fair. Just then you got a text and looked down to see that it was Urban.

Urban- We're all just extremely protective of him. They'll warm up to you soon.

You- If you say so, that felt like I committed a crime and was being questioned.

Urban- It’ll get better

“Okay, I’m just going to go ahead and say it since yall are too scared. What are your intentions Y/N? It’s obviously not money because strippers can make a lot of money, at least that’s what I’ve heard. He has worked entirely too hard for someone to just come in here and ruin his career.”

Your jaw was on the floor and Jack looked at Neelam with wide eyes as she was sitting directly across from the two of you.

“Wait, she’s a stripper?”

“At Blue Flame!”

“Oh, I love that place. I think they actually have better food than Magic City.”

“Lies you tell! They have nothing on Magic City’s buffalo wings.”

“What the? The lemon pepper ones?! Come on, now. Nothing is touching those.”

As Shloob and 2fo went back and forth debating on who had the best food between the two strip clubs, Jack was at his wits end. 

“NEELAM!” Jack exclaimed while Urban just hung his head from his place on the other side of you. 

“WHAT? DON’T NEELAM ME! I’m just being honest. Like you could literally have any girl you want and that’s what you settle for? I have to protect you and that’s what we all want to do. You can understand why that is right? We want the best for you so why can’t you see that? Y/N this is literally nothing against you, it isn’t.” 

“Nothing against me? It sure sounds like it is. Settle? You think that he’s settling with me? You don’t even know me. That was rude as hell of you to ask me and if you were wondering I have nothing but good intentions in this relationship not that it’s any of your business.” You said getting up from the table and Jack sighed before getting up to follow you.

“I asked yall to do this one got damn thing. Get to know her because she was excited to meet all of you and what did yall do? Fuck that up.” 

Later that night, the two of you were laying down in a comfortable silence and Jack knew that he had to be the one to break it. That of course upset you for the rest of the day and you couldn’t even truly enjoy his set like you wanted to because what Neelam said earlier was playing on a continuous loop in your head. You didn’t even bother making conversation with them as you were attempting to watch Jack perform and if someone asked you something, you kept the answer short and sweet.

It looks like you had thirteen more days to deal with this.

But if this relationship lasted long like you wanted it to, it would be a lot longer. 

At least you could hang around Urban since you knew he at least liked you.

You didn’t think that the others didn’t, it’s just that you knew that Jack’s image meant everything to him and that because of society’s standards, he would probably be facing a lot of backlash if this relationship were to go public.

You could see both sides, however, there is no room for judgment especially when they don’t even know you.

“Baby girl?”

“I told you that they wouldn’t like me.”

“That’s not it, they’re just protective of me. We’re like that with each other. Don’t get me wrong because I am not making excuses for them at all. What she said was outta pocket and she should have kept that to herself.”

“Can we just move on? I don’t want to even think about it anymore.”

Oh, pretty baby, don't let me down I pray

Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay

The next seven months couldn’t have been a happier time for you and it seemed as if you were on cloud nine. You came to the conclusion that you only had to work at Blue Flame for another year or so until you would be able to purchase your dance studio and that doing this would be a thing of the past. You would still help out your mother and brothers whenever you could, but it was time for you to be able to focus on yourself. You hadn’t been able to do that since you were fourteen and it was long overdue.

You were definitely a lot closer to Jack’s team and even you and Neelam had made up when she saw that what you had said in the beginning turned out to be true with only having good intentions. You made sure to still keep a little distance between the two of you just in case, but you had a forgiving heart despite how people may act towards you.

You were confused as to why Jack had been ignoring you and dodging your calls. You had a difficult few days and needed to talk to your boyfriend, but he was nowhere to be found. 

The two of you did not go a day without talking to each other so you were definitely confused and needed an explanation as to why he was acting the way that he was. 

It wasn’t until you got this message that your entire world was crumbling right before your eyes.

Jack- Y/N, I didn’t want to do this over a text but, I have a lot of things going on and I feel as though we need to take a break from our relationship for a while.

You- Jack, where is this coming from? Did something happen? Let me know so I can fix it

Jack- I didn’t realize you did more than dance with your clients

You- What the hell is that supposed to mean? Baby, please explain because I don’t understand.

Jack- The fact that you thought you could be in a relationship with me and fuck other people is beyond me, so we’re done

You- Jack, I have no idea who told you that, but it isn’t true

You- Come on, don’t do this to us

You- Jack, please just call me so I can explain. I don’t understand why someone would tell you that because it isn’t true. 

You- Baby, please answer me

Tears immediately filled your eyes and you were beyond confused and you then realized that Jack had blocked your number.

Jack on the other hand was running his hands through his curls clearly frustrated at the situation before him.

You and Camila were close and he knew that the two of you knew each other like the back of your hands. So, why would she have a reason to lie to him about what you were doing behind his back?

He admits that you put up a good front and acted as if you had no idea what he was talking about, but the pictures that Camila attached? There was absolutely no denying that the girl in the pictures were you and that you got a little too close to your clients for Jack’s liking.

Urban could tell that something was bothering Jack, but he figured that it had to do with you when he hadn’t mentioned you in over a week. Which was never the case, because he could never shut up about you for a total of five minutes. 

“What is going on with you? And I thought Y/N was coming this week?”

“She cheated on me.”

At that moment, Neelam was passing by the two of them and couldn’t help but overhear what Jack had said.

“What?! I don’t believe that for a second.” Urban said clearly confused.

“Well, believe it. Camila told me.”

“Not going to lie, Camila has given me weird vibes ever since we met her. I get that’s her best friend, but I don’t know. Do you think that she might have been jealous of the two of you and trying to get you to break up with her?”

“No, they talk about each other like they’re legit soulmates. I never got a weird vibe from her.”

“I don’t know, Jack. This seems a little sketchy to me. I know I might not know Y/N as good as you do, but from my understanding, she wouldn’t cheat on you.”

All Jack did was simply shrug.

“I’ll talk to her.”

“No. I blocked her and I don’t want anything else to do with her. I guess it was too good to be true.”

Five days had passed and Jack was going through it. He would scroll through his phone looking at different pictures of the two of you for hours along with your text thread. He missed you and didn’t want to admit it to himself. But one thing he didn’t tolerate and wasn’t going to tolerate was cheating.

Just then his phone rang and he saw it was Camila.

He debated on answering her, but he figured at this point, he didn’t have anything left to lose since he had already lost his girlfriend.

“Hello?”

“Umm, Jack? Hey, it’s Camila.”

“What’s going on?”

“I… I have to tell you something and I… I know you’re going to be very mad at me.”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“After I finish telling you this, you’ll see why.”

“I’m listening.”

“Y/N never cheated on you. I admit that I was jealous of her and that night I went down to Blue Flame and took pictures of her, but I also photoshopped them and sent them to you. I’m sorry, I know I’ve been a terrible person and a terrible friend to her. I saw how happy you two were and I.. I don’t know.”

All Jack could see was red.

“Jack, please say something. I’m so sorry. I’m just trying to make this right.”

“What… what could I possibly say to that?”

“I don’t know, but she overheard me talking about it and she kicked me out of our apartment and told me that she never wanted to see me again.”

“As she should have.”

“I know that she probably won’t forgive me and I know you probably won’t either, but I just had to tell you. Once again, I’m sorry.”

“I have to go.” Jack said and hung up without another word.

The first thing he did was unblock your number.

Now, how was he going to get you to talk to him and hopefully forgive him for how he treated you and cut you off without a second thought?

He immediately sent a text to Urban.

Jack- You were right

Urban- About?

Jack- Camila

Urban- What did she do?!

Jack- Lie and say that Y/N cheated on me when she didn’t. She admitted it.

Urban-I TOLD YOU I DIDN’T LIKE HER!

Jack- Now I know she probably isn’t even going to want to talk to me

Urban- You never know until you try

Jack- Like how fucked up is that and she had the nerve to call herself her best friend? What kind of shit is that?

Urban- Let’s just hope Y/N gives you the time of day. I told you from the beginning that what Camila said didn’t sound right. 

Jack wanted to be able to see you in person so that the two of you could talk about this, but every time he hovered over your number to call you he hesitated. He had been back in Atlanta for a day and a half and it looked as if fate had been on his side that day.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Jack recognized that voice anywhere and realized he had bumped into you. 

“Oh, hi.” You said finally making eye contact with him.

“Um, hey. Can we talk?”

“I really have to go, I….”

“Please, Y/N. I owe you an apology.”

“Jack, it’s fine, I’m fine.”

“No you aren’t and no it isn’t. Even though we were only together for eight months, I know when you’re lying to me. Just let me buy you that mocha cappuccino you like. It is Wednesday after all and you told me that you always get it after you teach your class.”

“Okay.” You quietly said as Jack followed behind you to one of your favorite hole in the wall coffee shops. 

The two of you sat down in the back corner and Jack slid your drink towards you before saying anything.

“Camila called me and told me what she did.”

“Oh.”

“Y/N… I know I should have asked you but those pictures she sent me looked so real and I just didn’t know what to think. She also told me the two of you obviously weren’t friends anymore because of what she did. I was falling in love with you and that shit hurt for me to see.”

“I’m surprised she actually confessed and you were?!.”

“She said she felt bad thinking about all that you had done for her and wanted to make it right, I guess. And I definitely was.”

“She can try to make it right all she wants, but I want nothing to do with her.”

“And that’s fair. But I want to apologize for doing that to you and acting that way towards you.” Jack said while grabbing your hand and he was honestly surprised that you didn’t pull back from him. 

“It’s just when I really needed you, you weren’t there. And I… didn’t know what to do. I confided in Camila and she was behind the entire thing.” You responded and Jack could see the tears building up in your eyes that were threatening to fall. 

“I want to make this right if you let me, and we can start over. I lost you once and I’d like for it to not happen again.”

All you did was sigh and Jack immediately became nervous.

He knew for a fact deep down that you were his soulmate ever since the two of you locked eyes at his concert.

“If someone ever says something to you about me, can you just ask me from now on instead of assuming?”

“I promise and I should have done that the first time. I’m going to make it up to you if you give me the chance.”

“Please don’t make me regret this.”

“I promise you won’t.”

“Good because otherwise my nana is going to kick your ass once she gets out of rehab.” You said while cracking a small smile. 

“Wait, what?!”

“I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“And now I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be, she wants to meet the man who stole my heart.”

“Then just maybe I’m a little excited. I also wanted to bring up one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re going to audition for Julliard and you’re going to get in.”

It was around six in the morning and the sunlight was slowly creeping into the floor length windows. Jack had been awake for a while and was simply taking in the sight next to him.

His wife and his first born.

She was nestled between the two of you sleeping comfortably and Jack reached down to place a kiss on her forehead.

This movement caused you to stir and when you opened your eyes, you saw Jack staring at you.

“Do you always stare at me when I’m sleeping?” You asked as you closed your eyes once again.

“Ehh more or less. Can’t help it if my wife is gorgeous.”

You opened your eyes again and looked down between the two of you to see that L.O. was awake and smiling looking up at the both of you.

“Leticia, your daddy is a creep.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

All she did was laugh and she looked between both of her parents as Jack reached over to place a kiss on your forehead too.

He then placed Leticia on his chest and she immediately cuddled into him. You looked over to see that he was deep in thought and was wondering what was going on since he got quiet all of a sudden.

“What are you thinking about?” You curiously asked while sitting up against the headboard and running a hand through his curls.

“How I knew when I first laid eyes on you that you would be my wife.”

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off you

You'd be like heaven to touch (Heaven to touch)

I wanna hold you so much (Hold you so much)

At long last, love has arrived

And I thank God I'm alive

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off you

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[canirove]

Best friends… forever? | Chapter 25

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"Mila" Rúben whispers. "Mila, I'm leaving."

"Uhm?"

"I'm leaving."

"Where?" she says, not opening her eyes.

"It's my last game of the season, remember? I must go get ready."

"No."

"No?"

"No" she repeats. "You must stay in bed with me."

"Mila, I'm already dressed. I can't go back to bed" he chuckles.

"Says who?"

"Me?"

"Poppycock" Mila replies, her eyes still closed.

"I have to go" Rúben says, putting a lock of her behind her ear. "I'll see you after the game, ok?"

"No!" she complains, grabbing his hand and hugging it against her body.

"Mila!"

"I said you are not going anywhere."

"What about my game?"

"Who cares about your game?"

"I do" Rúben laughs. "If we win, we win the Premier."

"And that's better than staying in bed cuddling with your girlfriend?"

"It's different."

"C'mon, stay with me."

"Is anyone paying you to do this?"

"I'm not allowed to say" Mila smirks, finally opening her eyes. "But c'mon. Stay."

"I can't."

"Ok then" she says, letting go of his hand and turning her back at him. "Looks like you love your morning routine more than you love me."

"That's not true and you know it."

"Then stay with me. Call and tell them that you are sick and can't play today."

"Mila, I can't do that. We may win the league, my team needs me!"

"I would do it for you."

"Yeah, sure" he laughs.

"Ok, maybe not. But I still don't know why you have to leave so early, no one is there yet."

"It's my routine."

"I hate your routine" she says, making herself a ball under the duvet.

"Should I change it?"

"Yes, you should."

"And do what instead?"

"Cuddle with your girlfriend, for example. Especially if the day before she's had her last game of the season and can't feel her legs."

"Something like this, then?" Rúben says, getting in bed next to her and hugging her from behind.

"Yes. But with less clothes."

"Ok, I'm taking notes" he chuckles, kissing her neck.

"That also feels good."

"And this?" he says, moving a hand under her t-shirt and touching her nipple.

"Very good too" Mila replies, moving closer against him.

"What if I do this?" Rúben whispers, moving his hand down until his fingers are between her legs.

"That feels like heaven.”

"Should I keep touching you there, then?" he says on her ear.

"Please."

"I'm gonna be late."

"No, you won't."

"If you keep moving against me like that, I will."

"I can't help it when you are... Fuck" Mila moans.

"I should probably stop."

"If you stop now, I'm fucking murdering you, Rúben."

"Ok" he chuckles against her neck. "You'll have to give me a hand later."

"I'll give you whatever you want, just don't stop. Please" she says, that last word getting mixed with another moan, her body starting to lose control under Rúben's touch.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Mate, you are late" John says when Rúben walks into the changing room.

"I'm not. We still have half an hour left, and there are people who still haven’t arrived."

"You are late if we talk about you and your strict routines."

"I may change them for the next season."

"Oh, I see... Morning sex is too good to say no, uh?" John smirks, elbowing him.

Even though their families don't know yet, Rúben and Mila haven't been able to keep from their friends that finally, as everyone has said so far, they are dating. And since then, John hasn't stopped making sexual jokes.

"We didn't..."

"Of course not, mate. That smile on your face is just because today may be a great day."

"Exactly."

"Oh, Rúben, I was starting to worry something had happened to you" Pep says behind them. "I was surprised when I didn't see you here earlier."

"Yeah... I couldn't find my keys because they were on Mila's purse, she was still sleeping, and I couldn’t find the spare ones. It was a bit of chaotic."

"It's ok, don't worry" Pep smiles. "You must congratulate her for this season, she's been amazing. She'll probably win the best player award."

"It’s between her and Mount's girl" John says. "Despite Arsenal's season, she's been really good."

"She has. But we all are team Mila, aren't we, Rúben?" Pep says with a big grin, giving him a pat in the back. "Anyway, I'll leave you so you can get changed."

"He knows you are shagging her" John whispers once Pep is gone.

"What?"

"He's our gaffer, he just knows these things" John shrugs.

"He... Whatever. Let's focus on today's game, shall we?" Rúben says, hitting John on the back of his head maybe a bit harder than he should. But he deserves it.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I still don't know why you are watching the game with us instead of with your family and Rúben's. You are a wag no!"

"Ella!" Mila says, hitting her in the arm. "Lower down your voice."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she replies. "But why aren't you with them?"

"Because my dad is the worst company during a football game. He's insufferable."

"But he doesn't support City, does he?" Joe asks.

"No, he doesn't. But he wants all the Portuguese boys to do good, especially Rúben."

"He is his son-in-law" Ella shrugs.

"Can you please lower down your voice!" Mila says again, looking at all the people sitting around them.

"I'm sorry. Again. When are you telling them that you are dating?"

"It depends on if they win or not and Rúben has to join the others for the celebrations."

If City doesn't win, Mila and Rúben's plan is to have dinner with both their families at their place and tell them they are dating. They'll probably be happy about the news, more than once they've implied that they would make a nice couple. But there is something on Mila's head that makes her doubt. Her and her insecurities...

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait to share the news" Joe says. "Because we are winning today!"

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I'm so sorry" Ivan says, hugging his brother.

"It's ok" Rúben replies.

"It's not your fault the ball didn't want to go in" his mum says. "You are a defender."

"I know, I know" Rúben sighs. "Where are Mila and her parents?"

"She's at the tunnel, I saw her talking with João's kid. And her parents are still upstairs" Ivan explains.

"I'm going to check on her. I'll be back in a minute, ok?" Rúben says, leaving his family on the pitch.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Mila, hey."

"Rúben, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you before we do the lap around the pitch with our families. I wish you could be there with me."

"Maybe next year.”

"Definitely next year. And with a trophy."

"I'm so sorry about today" she says, taking his hand on hers. "You better not be blaming yourself for it, you were amazing and saved the team more than once."

"I know, I know. But a 0-0 feels so... Wrong after all those chances we had."

"That's football" Mila shrugs.

"I want to kiss you" Rúben suddenly says, changing the topic of conversation and closing the space between them.

"We can't kiss here" she whispers.

"Then let's go somewhere else."

"Where?"

"Come" he says, starting to walk.

"My parents are waiting for me."

"I know, don't worry. We are just going to hide... Here" he says, turning a corner and pushing her against the wall. "No one will see us here."

"No one?"

"Only staff people are allowed here, we'll be fine" he smiles before kissing her.

"Oh, shit!" a female voice says next to them after a loud bang is heard, making them both jump.

"Sasha?"

"Hello, Rúben" she says, ignoring Mila once again.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"I... I... I got lost, silly me" she laughs. "I was texting Jack, asking him how to make it to the pitch, tripped, and my phone fell to the floor."

"Is it on one piece? That was loud" Mila asks.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. Anyway, I better go. Toodles!"

"Do you think Jack knows his way around the stadium?" Mila asks Rúben as they watch Sasha walk away.

"Honestly? No" he chuckles. "But where were we?"

"You were about to put your tongue down my throat."

"Oh, yes. That" he says before hugging Mila and kiss her again.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━ 

[lover-also-fighter-also]

Cuddle prompt 4 for whichever couple fits it best

4. "I missed you."

Well since you gave the choice, I'm going with a Ria x Maria fic this time. Hope you like it.

Ask list here

Senior year's fall quarter flew by in a blur and Ria honestly didn't know how it happened. Though she did enjoy hanging out with her friends, having group study sessions in the library, and performing at open mics with Mila, none of it brought the joy of having Maria being with her.

She missed frequenting the coffee shop with her before going to school, she missed seeing her in the morning announcements, she missed running into her between classes and giving quick kisses, she missed having lunch with her in the courtyard, she missed working with her in the homecoming committee. There were so many things that every place in Berry High reminded her of Maria.

Though they had video calls every once in a while, that also began gradually reducing because of Maria's increasingly hectic college schedule.

She was grateful when winter break had started. It gave her a break from all the schoolwork, and she got some time to recharge her social battery.

One snowy morning, she was lying down in her bed, too lazy to get up. Her dad had gone out to run some errands when the doorbell rang. Ria was surprised as to who it could be. Surely her dad would have taken the house keys with him.

The doorbell started ringing with a more urgent frequency, and Ria annoyingly lifted herself up. She opened the door to find a familiar brunette standing there, smiling at her.

'Hey, happy winter break.' said Maria. 'Are you gonna - oof'

She was cut off when Ria flung herself at her giving her a tight hug, that Maria was nearly knocked off her feet.

'Im soo happy you're here, I've missed you!' said Ria, squealing in delight.

'I've missed you too, love.' said Maria, ruffling her hair. 'Now, are you gonna let me in? It's pretty cold.'

'Oh sorry.' said Ria, as she laced her fingers with Maria, pulling her in.

She quickly shut the door and pushed Maria onto the couch, straddling her.

'Someone's really eager.' said Maria, lacing her hands around Ria's waist

'You have no idea.' said Ria, putting her arms around Maria's neck and burying her face in her hair. 'Mm, this feels much better than wrapping myself in your coat.'

'So that's where my missing coat went.' said Maria with a laugh. 'Whatever should I do with you?'

'Whatever you want.' murmured Ria.

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Danger Force Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 1

Episode 1: The Danger Force Awakens

Season 1 Masterlist

*Welcome! If you don't know, I did the entirety of Henry Danger before this series, and whilst this could technically be read as a stand-alone story, reading the older books first would probably help everything make sense!

Click for vibes

Fun fact: I actually designed Miss Danger's new uniform first and then worked backwards to create a simpler version for the older one. So, I've had this design saved for a very long time!

Happy reading :)

~Swellview Academy for the Gifted~

If someone had said to (y/n) (y/l/n) that she'd one day end up as a teacher, she would've laughed in their face. 

Engineer? Sure. It's what she'd always wanted to be. Superheroine? Sure - it wasn't so far-fetched after she met her beloved doofus. But teacher? She didn't think she was the type. 

For years, her nerves made her too anxious in front of a crowd, especially one made up of teenagers, and everyone knows how cruel they can be. She always assumed she'd run a junk shop whilst moonlighting as a crimefighter; there was never time for anything else. 

But things were different now--very different to how they'd been a few weeks prior. One door closed, and another opened, precisely to her and her husband's new venture - SWAG. 

School was in session, and once she got into the swing of things and laid down the law, the kids were surprisingly eager to learn. They didn't jeer or make fun of her like in her nightmares; they just sat there, hanging onto her every word as she began the basics of a superhero's training. 

She was the sensible one - what was new? - giving them genuine advice whilst Ray and Schwoz ran more...eccentric classes. But one thing stood out to Miles, Mila, Chapa, and Bose. They'd been at school for weeks, turning blind eyes to their professors' lovey-dovey hugs, kisses, and God knows what else, but they hadn't learned anything. Not really. 

When Captain Man and Miss Danger said they'd train them to be outstanding heroes, they expected explosions, gun fights, and criminal takedowns, not homework, essays, and pop quizzes. And it wouldn't be so bad if it was helpful like it was at the beginning. It seemed like the adults were running out of things to say, keeping them glued to their desks without giving any practical guidance. 

Theoretical knowledge wouldn't help in the real world, but tell that to Schwoz. 

"Okay...time to practice your lying!" The bizarre man announced to a series of grumbles as he hurried through SWAG's classroom, heading for the lectern where (y/n) was standing. 

Using her PearPad, she flicked the first slide of the slideshow onto the large Smartboard, knowing that this was what her doofus wanted her to teach. It wasn't like they liked this crap, even though telling fibs was a helpful skill. The kids were...amateurs, at best, totally unprepared and unskilled for a world of horror and violence. So, they were breaking them in gently, although they couldn't let them know. 

"Hey, come on! Listen to Schwoz..." the heroine gently scolded the moody children, who slouched in their seats at the thought of another boring lesson. But, they respected Miss Danger, thinking she was kind and considerate, much more than her man-child of a husband, so they paid attention - sort of. 

"My friend is on fire. I must run to pour water on his face!" Schwoz read aloud, following the crappy lie he'd invented on the screen. It was strange and unbelievable, but still, he smiled at the kids and directed them to repeat after him. 

"My friend is on fire, and--I'm really the only one doing this?" Mika frowned, starting off strongly with her usual enthusiasm. Still, she quickly stopped when she realised her brother and friends weren't joining. She was the try-hard of the group, and whilst she could cope with Captain Man's weird lesson plans, the others certainly couldn't. 

Chapa sighed, her face twisting into its signature scowl as she leaned forward on her elbows, directing her fury mainly at the bald weirdo teaching them nonsense. She wasn't mad at Mrs. Manchester since she was sweet and generous and gave them self-defence classes, but Schwoz? Yeah, he was just Ray's yes-man. 

"As fun as it is to practice lying all day, it's not fun at all, and I hate it!" She spat, a momentarily sweet smile turning into a snarl. 

"Hate is a very strong word..." Miles spoke up, straightening himself out after reclining in his chair with his feet on the desk. He looked at his friend across the way with a typically serene expression - he'd always been into all that zen shit, but even he couldn't stand this. 

"And in this case... It's accurate."

"What they're trying to say is that Captain Man and Miss Danger bought this school to teach us how to be superheroes..." Mika explained diplomatically, trying not to tread on her teacher's toes, but she understood her friends' frustration. This shit was boring...

"But if all we do is--"

"Guys, I know that this isn't the most...stimulating of lessons," (y/n) started, holding her hands up in confession, but it was either this or sending them into the fray to get pummelled. And honestly, she couldn't think of how many lies she'd had to tell to keep their operation secret. 

"But lying is a very important of being a superhero! We have to know how to protect our secret identities!"

"You know what, though, (y/n/n)? We didn't ask for these powers!" Chapa argued, sending her tutors into eye-rolls and groans because this story was getting old. They loved to complain about how they didn't choose this life or whatever - like Ray and his sweet girl had a choice about their powers, either

"Oh, here we go..." Schwoz groaned, knowing they were about to launch into a dramatic retelling of how Swellview's favourite heroes - and some new friends - saved the city from a terrible foe. 

"Yeah, Schwoz built the weapon that blew up and gave 'em to us when Captain Man, Miss Danger, and Kid Danger fought Drex!" Miles chuckled as the handyman stood there, hands on his hips, looking unimpressed at their ridicule. 

"Yeah, you were all--ayeeeee, there's a caveman on top of meeee!" Bose joked in a poor imitation of the small man, but still, it made his friends laugh. And (y/n), honestly - she couldn't help but giggle. 

"Why is that funny? (y/n), stop laughing with them! A caveman really was on top of me!" Schwoz exclaimed exasperatedly, losing control over his classroom as his co-teacher smothered her laughter - poorly. 

The more they laughed, the more riled up the kids were, ignoring his tittering to quiet down and resume the lesson; they just wanted to remember how awesome it was to be in the heat of battle when they gained the powers that got them here. Well, not Mika yet, but definitely for the others. 

"And Mika was all..."

"Kid Danger needs help!" The girl exclaimed as she stood up dramatically, hands poised on her hips like any good superhero. God, all she needed was a fan blowing her hair and some epic music...

"And Captain Man and Miss Danger were like..."

"Just shoot us!" Chapa growled, re-enacting how the lovers wrestled to keep their archenemy in front of the Omega Weapon, even though it meant sacrificing their superpowers. Oh, well - they came back eventually. 

"But Kid Danger said..."

"If I blast you, you won't be indestructible anymore! And you won't have your super-regeneration!" Miles exclaimed nobly, channelling every bit of the former sidekick's bravery into his words. It was almost enough to make (y/n) tear up, thinking about her babies and how far away they were...

"Neither will Drex. Now, shoot us, you quitter!" Chapa growled, perfectly imitating Ray and how he still held that grudge for Henry after he quit. He was such a drama queen, but the fight was epic, covering everyone in glory--except for Schwoz. And he was still salty about that - where was his superpower, huh?

"I hit a caveman on the head. I was helping..." he muttered bitterly as (y/n) patted his shoulder, knowing he helped in his own way. 

"And then, Kid Danger was like..."

"Hold onto your hoses!" Mile's body shook as he pretended to fire the Omega Weapon, turning his voice robotic and powerful as the 'blast' hit his friends, making them flail their arms in the air. Too bad they didn't take drama classes...

"Explosion!" Bose shouted in a deep, drawn-out cry like they were all in slow motion. The kids fell into their seats or onto their desks, pretending they were unconscious like they were after the battle, and whilst (y/n) appreciated their reverence - after all, that was the night she gained her second superpower - she still liked to have order amongst her pupils. 

"Yeah, guys. We were there. We know what happened..." she said dryly, folding her arms and waiting for them to sit up. 

"And now, I can..." However, the boy carried on, lifting his head from his desk as he tried to remember his power. Poor guy had a good heart, but brainpower wasn't his strong point, leaving him clueless and helpless more times than (y/n) cared to remember. 

"Wait, what's my superpower again?"

"You can move things with your mind..." Mika reminded him, her tone slow and gentle like she was talking to a toddler. Still, Bose looked confused, looking at his hands and wondering at their ability, which he swore was something else. 

"I thought that was Chapa," he said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder to the unamused girl behind him. 

"No, I can shoot lightning bolts from my hands!" She corrected him, having had a few mishaps in the first few weeks. She was getting better at using them - they all were - but kept zapping things unintentionally--like (y/n) 's third-favourite sweater. 

"Sick. Then, what's Miles' power?" Bose asked - as if he hadn't been friends with everyone for a month or so. 

"He can teleport anywhere in the world," (y/n) explained tiredly, feeling the exhaustion seeping into her bones again as she remembered how difficult it was to keep a lid on that power. The poor kid went from Germany to Singapore in one day, and it wasn't easy to get him home...

"Filthy. Then, what's your superpower?" The long-haired boy turned to Mika, whose face fell as she struggled to answer. 

She didn't have one, and she looked to her kind-hearted teacher for guidance because all the others had their powers, but hers hadn't materialised yet. As the weeks passed, she grew increasingly worried, thinking there had to be a mistake, even though (y/n) assured her the Omega Weapon's energy touched her. She advised her to wait and see, but that was easier said than done when your best friends could control lightning and bend physics to their will. 

"She doesn't have one!" Chapa and Miles exclaimed in unison, not in a mean way, but because they were fed up with telling the dimwitted boy. 

"For some reason, my power hasn't shown up--yet!" Mika clarified, making Bose gasp dramatically and clamp his hands over his face. It wasn't that big of a deal, and when she looked her way, (y/n) gave the girl a reassuring smile - she had something in her; she just knew it. 

"If we could just focus your attention on what--" Schwoz tried to say, hoping he could finish his lying lesson, but they were too far gone now. Once you lost Bose's attention, that was it - you didn't get it back. 

"Are you scared you'll never get one?"

"Absolutely not!" Mika scoffed, rolled her eyes, and folded her arms, playing off the kid's question like it didn't bother her. Not even a little bit. She didn't care - who wants a superpower anyway? Ew. 

"See guys? That's bad lying," Miles joked, poking fun at his twin because he knew how obsessive she could be, and not discovering her power was really getting to her. He just knew it--saw how touchy she was at home and how she did everything to try and find it. 

"Actually, dear brother, I'm not scared. (y/n) says she thinks my power needs the right conditions to be activated. And when it does, I'll kick your butt!" his sister replied snappily, giving the boy a deathly stare for trying to knock her confidence. (y/n) was smart and Swellview's greatest superheroine--if anyone knew their science-hero stuff, it was her. 

"Whoa, you guys are related?!" Bose gasped, glancing between the twins with shocked eyes, making everyone facepalm again. It was like he'd been living under a rock, yet everyone knew he hadn't. He was just slow...and very, very unobservant. 

"I know I have a superpower! I'm sure it will show up eventu--" Mika tried to tell them, placing all her confidence in Miss Danger's judgement, but Schwoz had had enough. 

He was tired of the chitchat, feeling like his authority was being undermined, and the worst thing? His wingwoman was joining in, making the handyman elbow her ribs and frown as he raised an air horn in the air and squeezed the button. It made a noise that, remarkably, sounded like someone shouting HEY!, silencing the chattering kids and almost deafening the woman beside him. 

"Thanks, Schwoz. I didn't like this ear that much anyway..." (y/n) winced, laying her palm over her poor ear as it rang and ached. Chapa frowned at the move, her scowl deepening until her face was a red, angry crumple because that was her friend - the one person who didn't judge or push her away in fear. 

"Never Hey!-horn a woman!" She barked, roughly pushing her seat back and standing up, scarlet sparks flying from her fingertips as her temper set her superpower off. 

"Chapa, relax... (y/n) can handle herself," Mika said soothingly. She did not want another incident of someone's butt getting fried because the girl got overwrought, but her advice made it worse. 

Chapa's glowing red eyes snapped to hers, full of rage and anguish as the world tried to dampen her spirit. 

"Never tell me to relax! We've been here three weeks! We should be learning how to be superheroes, but instead, we're practising lies and getting the Hey!-horn!" She yelled, growing angrier and angrier until not even (y/n) could keep her calm. 

She had a point; school had started just under a month ago, and they were still yet to go out on a mission. But, in their defence, Ray and (y/n) knew they weren't ready, preferring to keep them out of sight and danger until they could at least get their powers under control - or hell, even discover them. 

"Hey, I'm already great at lying!" Bose countered, smirking at his friends with some unknown smugness. 

"Watch!... I am so wearing pants right now."

"Bose, are you not wearing pants right now?" Miles asked in a disbelieving voice, trying to catch a glance of his friend under the table. Although, on second thoughts, that didn't sound like a good idea, given how serious he looked. 

"Not important. But what is important is that I'm takin' Schwoz's Hey!-horn!" The boy giggled, brushing off Miles' question, even though it was genuine. 

(y/n) frowned at his words, her amused expression falling when the kid reached out his tensed hand and pressed two fingers to his temple. With extreme concentration, he used his telekinesis to lift the air horn out of Schwoz's hand, far above where the genius could reach. It was a hilarious prank for them, sending the children into laughter when Schwoz tried to grab it, just to come down empty-handed. 

"I'm not going to jump for it..." he said meekly, shoving his hands deep in his pockets to dissuade temptation, even as (y/n) stretched to get the can. Bose lifted it higher, meaning the can brushed her fingertips before soaring above her head, and if she couldn't reach it, Schwoz had no chance. 

"I know you want me to jump for it, but I'm a man of science, and I'm not going to--"

"Just jump, Schwoz. We all know you want to..." (y/n) groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as the kids laughed, bating the genius to jump. Temptation won out, and he began leaping, stretching, and grunting, trying in vain to catch the horn, only for it to float higher. Someone had been practising with his superpower...

"Ya' hate to see it..." Miles chuckled, finding that he and his friends loved to mess around with the tiny man, much to (y/n) 's chagrin. This was what they did when they were bored, and ever since Bose mastered moving small, light objects, they'd revelled in it, ignoring any and all discipline. 

"Give me back my Hey!-horn!" Schwoz snapped, stamping his feet and squirming on the spot like an infuriated child, but Bose didn't listen. He was too in love with his newfound powers. 

"Sure. Soon as you let us fight crime," Chapa proposed with an evil smirk, making (y/n) sigh and scrub her face with her open palm. It was getting harder and harder to lie to the kids, and she felt bad that they took their wrath on the poor guy, knowing that he wouldn't do anything, unlike her and Ray. 

"It's not up to me! It's up to Captain Man and Miss Danger!" Schwoz argued, thinking their treatment was unfair too, and all eyes fell on (y/n). 

She didn't break, knowing that children could smell fear, and if she let them walk all over her, all hell would break loose. She didn't let her old babies get away with shit, so her new ones definitely couldn't, even though she knew they wanted more than namby-pamby lectures. 

"(y/n), let us go out and fight crime! Come on, you remember what it was like to be a new sidekick, right?" Chapa pleaded, even as far as to smile slightly before her friends joined in, all clamouring for the woman to help them get out and kick some ass. But she just shook her head and gave them a sympathetic smile, knowing that whilst she had the authority to assign missions, she didn't want to. 

"Sorry, but I'd need to discuss that sort of thing with Captain Man, and he's not here, so..." she shrugged, believing avoidance was her best tactic, and technically, it wasn't a lie. 

She didn't know where her doofus was, although she'd bet he was probably growing needy after being separated from her all morning--and she missed him. It had been too long without his kisses...

"Well, where is he?" Mika asked expectantly, assuming Miss Danger would know where her husband was, given that they'd been practically joined at the hip since they'd come off their honeymoon. It was disgustingly cute despite the kids' groans and vomiting noises. 

"Yeah, Captain Man never spends this much time away from Mis--" Miles' pondering was interrupted as the legendary hero dropped from the ceiling, landing in an epic pose with his knee touching the floor and his hands clenched. 

The man loved a dramatic entrance, especially in his new uniform - a significant improvement on his old Captain Man suit. He looked bulkier and broader and loved encouraging his wife to feel up his muscles as she studied the small changes - a few extra grey and yellow patterns here and there. Bose's concentration snapped, sending the air horn clattering to the floor as everyone marvelled at the hero's intimidating yet impressive aura. 

"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!" He immediately shouted, dashing around the room like a madman as he yelled at the kids, inspiring panic in them at his frantic tone. He wanted them to get to work, needing their snappy, organised, and coordinated response because panic caused chaos in an emergency. But, of course, their excitement got the better of them. 

"Yes!"

"Let's go!"

"THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Get up to the Man's Nest! Get your uniforms on! GO, GO, GO!" He shouted, slapping his hands on Bose's desk as he sat there, wide-eyed and frozen, even as his friends scrambled to get ready. The shouting wasn't helping, the pressure making him sweat and his mind blank as Ray turned to the Macklin twins. 

"It's crimefightin' time! For real!" (y/n) stood back with Schwoz, watching the chaotic scene unfold with a mildly amused face. It wasn't good that they panicked so severely, but at least she saw her doofus standing there, looking all handsome, as his gaze flickered from the floundering kids to her. God, that uniform...it was a good change. 

"I finally get to hurt someone!" Chapa shrieked, a red current sparking through her fingers as she thought about electrocuting criminals - perfect for letting off steam. Her unbridled rage brought her joy, but the room turned to pure bedlam as she laughed manically. 

Ray and (y/n) locked eyes, sharing a baffled expression as Bose lost all control and flipped his desk, sending pencils rolling across the floor. He also pushed his chair across the room, shouting in anguish as the couple sighed in despair. This was why they didn't want them to go on missions yet.

"Are you wearing a shirt for pants?!" Mika asked with a frown, staring at the boy's legs as he blindly ran around with a blue hoodie pulled up to his butt. Well, he wasn't lying earlier...

"YES!" He cried before running away, not knowing what to do. Even Miles had lost his chill, wrestling with (y/n) for her PearPad for some unknown reason as Bose shook Ray by the shoulders. Honestly, they'd designed the classroom to make it easier to get upstairs, but they were turning it into a farce. 

"I do not know what to do! I have literally forgotten all of my training!"

"Get up to the Man's Nest! This is not a drill!" Ray barked again, shoving Bose off his chest to go and grab a pan and wooden spoon, banging it for extra effect. He didn't know why the message wasn't getting through to them, with only Mika keeping calm as she jumped into her chair. 

"Hurry up, you guys!" She called to her fellow students, knowing they had to get upstairs to where their gum was stored. She slapped her hand on the armrest's button, zooming through the ceiling tubes to put on her uniform. Meanwhile, the others remained in chaos, mindlessly wandering the room. 

"Don't tell me what to do!" Chapa growled, even though the girl was long gone. Still, it was enough to make her spark - lousy news for Miles and Bose as they charged into her from both sides, ending in a scarlet explosion that sent them to the floor when the electricity jumped to their bodies. 

"Oh, you hate to see it..." Schwoz retorted, silently glad to see the boys groaning in pain since they'd made fun of him and stole his Hey!-horn earlier. 

As (y/n) gave him a scolding stare, Mika dropped down from the ceiling, wearing her silver and black super-suit and mask. Finally, someone was ready to go, but her brother and friends had fallen behind, still panicking as she began to bark orders. 

"Get to the Man's Nest! Hit the chairs--let's go upstairs! Up to The Nest, then make the arrest! Everyone, get seated so bad guys can get yeeted!"

"I'll teleport there," Miles bragged as he slowly rose from the floor, holding his aching stomach after taking Chapa's lightning. At this point, Ray had dashed over to his sweet girl and handyman, welcoming her into his arms as she smiled warmly - her love brightened his mood, lessening the irritation from the disorder. 

"Miles, are you sure that's a good idea? You can't control--" (y/n) tried to stop the boy, recalling the last time he tried to use his power and how difficult it was to get him back. However, she was too late, slumping into Ray's embrace again as the boy disappeared to God knows where in a flash of golden light. 

"Sweet cheese..." the heroine sighed, resting her cheek against her husband's pec as his arms curled around her tighter, understanding her frustration. As he soothingly stroked her back, Chapa and Bose made it into their chairs, pushing the buttons and disappearing into the hideout, leaving Mika with the adults. 

Well, that was an ordeal. 

"This is not a drill!" Ray stomped over and growled at the girl as she retook her seat - a pretty poor move since she was already in her uniform and ready to go on his mission. 

"I was ready first!" She shouted back before zooming upstairs, where the chaos undoubtedly continued in the couple's home. They knew they were inexperienced, but dear God, neither expected it to go that badly, wondering where they went wrong with such a simple routine. 

"Hey, doofus..." Still, the silence was golden, allowing (y/n) to sidle up to her lover as he sighed, utterly exhausted after the brief exercise. 

But he relaxed when she slipped her hands up his chest, pulling him into a much-needed kiss after a couple of hours apart - it was their way of reuniting. He hummed at her honey-like taste, squeezing her hips as she ran her fingers through the cropped hair at the nape of his neck, loving how sexy Captain Man looked in his new suit. 

"Missed you, sweet girl..." Ray whispered, pecking his beautiful wife's lips again as she stroked his smooth cheeks. Two hours apart was too long and had been ever since their honeymoon spoiled them with three weeks alone in paradise. 

Schwoz rolled his eyes, knowing they'd been worse since they returned home, but he couldn't blame them for being utterly in love - he was the one who married them. 

"It's just a drill, isn't it?" (y/n) questioned knowingly, aware that her husband didn't want the kids in danger yet. Still, his sneaky plan made her smile, and when she did, he did, too, grinning from ear to ear as he confessed. 

"Yeah..." he chuckled breathlessly, finding a smidge of fun in making the team panic, but it was also very telling. They weren't even close to being ready for bad guys yet, something the heroine reiterated as she followed her doofus into the back room. As much as she wanted to stand in his arms all day, they had younglings to teach, especially if they ran rampant in the Nest. 

It's where they'd built a new tube pad - a huge one, enough to comfortably send a group of people around the Man's Nest at once. Plus, it gave them a perfect little hidey-hole to kiss and explore without young eyes around to see something scarring, often making Schwoz take the stairs. 

"Doofus, that was a disaster..." (y/n) groaned, pulling the gumballs from her back pocket as she stepped into the tube with her lover, standing unnecessarily close after so many years in the old, narrow ones. 

She popped one into her mouth as Ray sighed, his hands on her hips again as they waited for the suction to send them upwards. He didn't need his pretty girl to tell him that; he knew that the kids weren't ready, but as she'd found, it was getting harder and harder to keep them in SWAG when they were so desperate to see some action. 

"I know, darlin'. And they're still not ready..." he sighed, knowing Chapa and Bose were probably still in their civilian clothes with Mika shouting at them and Miles in some far-off land. His wife offered him a tired but sweet smile as she chewed and blew a bubble, her new uniform materialising on her body in a burst of bright colours. 

In a split-second, before they went upstairs, Ray took a moment to admire her figure, raking his eyes over the new design and how it complimented her so well. She was officially his new senior sidekick and, as such, deserved a new look, complete with an updated two-colour skirt, bodice, and other minor details to compliment his suit. And fuck - she looked hot. 

"Pick your tongue up, doof." A soft voice broke him out of his daydream, and his gaze snapped up to her amused eyes as they crinkled with laughter. Caught red-handed. 

"Can't blame a guy for admiring his wife, sweet girl, especially when she's so freakin' hot--" he grinned cheekily, and (y/n) didn't get a chance to reply when his arms tightened around her body as they blasted off. 

Upstairs, in the Man's Nest, the couple were joined by Schwoz and found another chaotic scene as they'd predicted. Chapa and Bose were on their knees, nails scraping against the floor to try and scoop up millions of gumballs they'd accidentally dropped, even though they'd mixed together. Miles was with his sister, looking particularly grumpy after teleporting into a bird's nest, which left doo-doo and feathers stuck to his clothes and hair.  

"Oh, dear God..." (y/n) groaned, wondering if there was any point in putting on her uniform when they were all in such disarray. She and her doofus shared an irked look with Schwoz as they descended the stairs, knowing they might as well get comfy.  

At least the woman could admire her new home; even after a few weeks of living there, she still wasn't used to it. 

There were a few familiar comforts like the tube and crescent-shaped couch in the centre of the spacious marble floor. Everything glowed and buzzed like in the Man Cave, and the sounds of computers whirring and alarms beeping soothed her longing for the old days, making up for the lack of an auto-snacker and sprocket. 

New features included the chair station where the kids kept their gum and personal belongings, a smaller computer for general hero work, a front that anyone could walk through, and a side door that led to the many rooms in the hideout's bowels. She knew the route to her bedroom and the bathroom, but that was it - the place was a maze of corridors and hidden spaces. 

But the best thing had to be the view. She always complained about living underground, going days without breaching the surface because her work kept her busy - who needed sunlight? 

Ray heard her grumbles and solved them--anything to keep his wife happy--so he purchased the highest home in Swellview - on top of Mount Swellview. She could see the entire city: trees, sky and sun, and it was a welcome change. 

"Miles found more gum!" Bose's shout broke her from the daydream, her gaze landing on the boys as the brunet charged at his friend to wrench the small tin from his hand. They'd explained that everyone's gum was unique, coded to each hero's uniform, but he didn't care - Bose saw what he needed and scrambled. 

"What? No! That's my gum!" Miles screeched, wrestling to keep hold of his gumballs, going as far as to fall to the floor, not that it did him any good. 

The container hit the tiles, sending another million balls across the floor - yellow mixing with red and blue until the three out-of-uniform kids couldn't tell the difference. 

As they argued about whose fault it was, Ray, (y/n), and Schwoz sat on the couch, appreciating its familiar half-moon shape. They quickly got comfy, ignoring the chaos around them as they waited for the tweens to get organised eventually. 

The hero curled an arm around his sweet girl, pulling her into his side as she smiled, her head resting on his shoulder. He even had a tub of nuts to nibble on, fully prepared to relax. 

"When'd you build this place?" The man asked his handyman, fighting a smug smirk as his wife pecked his cheek--just because she enjoyed the feel of his skin on her lips. 

"Last year," Schwoz replied, having had the spare hideout under wraps until needed. He'd built everything the Man Cave lacked in the new building, taking extra care to soundproof some particular rooms and claim his bedroom far away from them. 

As they chatted, Bose brushed past the back of the couch, reaching over to pinch one of Captain Man's nuts as Mika and Chapa chased after him. Still not ready. 

"I was going to give it to you both for your anniversary!"

"Aw, Schwozie. That's so sweet!" (y/n) cooed, her heart melting at the genius' generosity and how he gave it to them early, given that they found themselves unexpectedly married and homeless. She beamed at her husband, leaning up to peck his lips out of pure joy, almost forgetting the screaming children running around her. 

Ten minutes later, and they'd made some progress - Bose was finally dressed. However, as always with the boy, they'd gone one step forward and two steps back, mostly because he was wearing Mika's silver suit. He thought he looked great, ignorant of the brawl between Chapa and Miles as he admired the slim-fit style. 

"How did my gum get mixed in with yours?!" The dark-haired girl asked as the couple on the couch face-palmed. 

"No idea, but it's my costume now! I have the power to do nothing!" Bose exclaimed with his hands on his hips, infuriating Mika. She didn't appreciate the ridicule, chasing after the boy when he fled her fury. 

Still not ready. 

"Hey, can everybody see this place?" Ray asked another fifteen minutes later as he, his beloved wife, and Schwoz stood before the vast window to admire the mountain view. 

After waiting at least half an hour for the children, they'd stood up to stretch their legs, and that's when it hit him - maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have his headquarters plastered on top of a mountain where anyone could see it. That's why they lived underground before.

"Yes..." Schwoz nodded, wondering where he was going with this. He was good, but he couldn't make an entire building invisible. That was far too complicated. 

"Well, what happens if bad guys come?"

"We'll defeat them, doofus. I mean, come on! You're Captain Man!" (y/n) giggled, squeezing his thick bicep for added effect because she knew that her heroic husband could and would take on any asshole who tried to invade their home. She'd help him, of course, but she only inflated his ego, feeling up his arm as he blushed. 

"Aw... You're so sweet, sweet girl..." Ray cooed as she'd done earlier, a burning sense of masculine pride filling him at the knowledge that his sweet girl thought he was big, brave, and strong. 

His fingers pinched her chin as he gave her her reward - a gentle kiss for being so perfect, meaning they didn't see the bouncing children around them. Still not ready. 

Another twenty minutes passed, and the kids finally lined up in front of their tube chairs. Mika waited for her friends to blow their bubbles, eventually corralling them into chewing the correct gum whilst Captain Man and his wife sprawled on the couch. She didn't even want to know where that man had put his hands...

They were in uniform, ready and willing to kick some criminal butt. At last, Chapa was in red, Bose in blue, Miles in yellow, and Mika still in silver, completing the quartet of young sidekicks as they grinned and congratulated themselves. Obviously, they didn't see the unimpressed adults to their right...

"This was just a drill..." Ray told them slowly in a tired voice, fully expecting their shouts and complaints after making them panic. They snarled and glared, shouting about how he wasn't cool, a jerk, how he had some nerve, yadda-yadda-yadda. He didn't care, glancing at his sweet girl's PearPhone as she checked the time. 

"And it took you...an hour and a half!" He told them sharply, pointing at her phone with a mildly disappointed face. Even (y/n) couldn't hide her dissatisfaction, having witnessed some utterly brutish and animalistic behaviour from the kids, and whilst she was fond of them, she wouldn't shy away from a much-needed telling-off. 

"Okay, who burned the couch?! Huh? Fess up! Don't think I won't find out!" She threatened, angrily pointing to her beloved couch table - the one thing that genuinely reminded her of their old home. Well, not now; it was full of goddamn smouldering holes after someone's temper got the better of her.

"...Bose did it," Chapa lied, hiding her sparkling hands behind her back as the vacant boy stood silently. Of course, (y/n) wasn't an idiot, giving her a grave, deathly stare as she folded her arms, clearly seeing the actual culprit, despite being rather fond of the misunderstood girl. 

Maybe she was getting old and broody, but honestly, it wasn't the fact that she'd ruined that couch that bothered her so much but the lies. The seats could be replaced or repaired, but she hated liars, making her shake her head disappointedly at the bashful girl, feeling more and more like a parent every day. 

Good God...she was normal four kids ago, and now she was going grey.

~A while later~

It was fair to say that Ray's exercise was a complete flop. After all that effort, he stood the team down, ignoring the chorus of groans as the kids changed out of their uniforms again. 

They knew he wouldn't let them go out, having grown used to getting their hopes up just to be disallowed from seeking out danger. It sucked, but they had no choice but to follow the boss' orders, gathering on the singed couch on Ray's command whilst he and (y/n) changed back into their regular clothes too. 

The couple were clearly disappointed, sighing and shaking their heads as they prepared to review the drill. Although they hid it particularly well, fawning over each other with kisses, cuddles, and cooing over their matching gold rings, something they still weren't used to seeing.

The kids could puke, but they held in any ridicule since they were amid a telling-off. And Ray wouldn't let them off lightly. 

"Aaaaaand...bam!" Ray laughed as he stood before the group, highly amused by the video he kept playing of Miles and Bose bumping into Chapa, causing her electricity to explode. He found it hilarious, chuckling despite their sad faces, rubbing up against his precious girl as she snacked on his cheese puffs. 

"Again, 'cause it's funny...Bam!" he smiled, replaying the moment of the explosion on the giant holographic screen before laughing heartily - again and again and again. 

"All right, last time, I swear--bam! Just kidding! I lied--bam!"

"I'm sick of watching this film!" Chapa growled, standing on the couch she'd burnt with her teeth bared and fingers zapping, threatening to cause more damage. She wasn't one to be mocked, especially by some hot-shot guy who thought he was better just because he was some superhero...okay, maybe he was a bit better. 

"Captain, can we please go out and fight real crime?" Mika asked politely, trying to use her brightest smile and fluttering eyelashes to appeal to the man's heart. Given the glinting band on his left hand and the soft glances he kept shooting the pretty lady beside him, he had to have one. 

"I know we look bad in here, but out in the real world, we'd be great! I just know it! Please, (y/n/n)? Pretty please?"

"Uh, well..." (y/n) gulped, hating how she had to lie to her face, but it had to be done. They were painfully unprepared for how severe and terrifying evil criminals could be, so she avoided their hopeful eyes, staring at her doofus instead. 

Goddamn, he looked so good in that tight t-shirt, almost making her drool as one muscular arm wrapped around her shoulders, reminding her of their strength. 

"--Well, we'd love to let you guys come along on a crime run, but the truth is...there's a crime drought," Ray said in her stead, quickly smoothing things over with a little white lie. It wasn't a very good one, and the kids didn't look very convinced, but he went with it. 

"There is no such thing as a crime drought," Miles argued, looking at the lovey-dovey couple sceptically as the hero fed his wife a cheese puff, giggling when his cheese-dust-covered fingertip caught her lip. 

"Is too!" (y/n) countered with her mouth full, playing along with her lover's lie for safety reasons. She didn't like it, but at least they'd be safe; what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. 

"Ooh, she's got you there," Bose murmured to his friend, making Miles sigh. He wouldn't even try to reason with the dimwit.

"Look. This town's had some tasty crime waves in the past, but Miss Danger, Kid Danger, and I shredded the gnar and put all the criminals back in prison..." Ray told them, changing the humiliating video to an image of Henry in his old uniform. 

He and (y/n) smiled sadly, their hearts clenching at the sight of their old friend and his bright smile. Dystopia had never felt so far away...

"My baby..."

"Miss ya, kid," they sniffed, blinking back tears as they huddled together, trying to remember the happier times and that the boy was now a young man, doing his own thing. There was no time to dwell on it; having made their peace with his decision, they quickly moved on, leaning on each other for support like always. 

"Anyray," the man cleared his throat, earning a quick glance from his sweet girl because she hated when he did that silly name thing. 

"We're in a crime drought, so...nobody's doing nothing."

"Ray! (y/n)!" A loud shout came behind them, making the couple jump as the children frowned. They never got to do anything fun. Upon turning around, they realised that Schwoz, the annoying weirdo he was, was the one who'd scared the heebie-jeebies out of them after connecting to the screen via video chat, making (y/n) jump into her husband's chest for safety. 

"Sweet cheese, Schwoz!" She whimpered, clutching at her pounding heart, although Ray wasn't complaining. He didn't like to see her spooked, but damn, he didn't mind her rubbing up against him like that...

"I've been texting you both for ten minutes! Face your phones!" The genius instructed them, and when they pulled the cells from their pockets, the spouses realised he was right. (y/n) flicked through an onslaught of furious texts, all from Science Coconut 🥥 🧪, and she realised that Captain Man and Miss Danger were needed. 

"Oopsie-Raysie..." her doofus did the same, hurriedly reading the message about some half-assed emergency that didn't sound too bad, but heroic assistance had been requested. He also had one from Sweet Girl ❤️💍 , telling him to have a good day before classes started. Aw...

"I miss one text on a weekend, and you threaten to fire me, but I guess it's okay for you and your wife to--"

"We gotta go!" Ray announced, ignoring the incessant tirade from the genius on the screen as his pretty girl tucked her phone away and tugged on his huge bicep, urging him to get moving. But they wouldn't get away that easily; as soon as he turned to follow his wife like a puppy, the kids were on their toes, interrogating with suspicious squints. 

"Where are you going?" Mika asked, standing dangerously close to her teachers as Ray bumped against his lover, abs pushing against her back whilst the girl tried to catch a glimpse of his texts. 

"Is it an emergency? Can we come?!" Chapa gasped, her eyes sparkling at the thought of tagging along. She couldn't wait for their first mission, but one look at the speechless heroes and she had a sinking feeling. 

It was undeniably suspicious how Ray peeked over his shoulder, looking at Schwoz for support as he brainstormed a suitable lie, but he wasn't very convincing. (y/n) smiled nervously, feeling her tummy tingling when she heard the genius sigh because he knew what a tangled web they were weaving. 

"Nah, it's not an emergency at all. Right, sweet girl?"

"Nope--no emergencies here. Not even a predicament or other bothersome problem..." she rambled, trying to remain as her doofus squeezed her shoulder, itching to get out from under their scrutinising stares. 

"Then, where are you going?" Miles asked, noticing how they squirmed. They weren't very subtle for people who'd survived with their secrets for so long. 

"Uh...our friend is on fire, and we--"

"--Not that one, Raymond--" (y/n) choked out, hiding her words in a swiftly executed cough as her doofus tried to use Schwoz's teachable lie. She saw their frowns, nerves flaring as their students grew more distrustful, knowing something was up. 

"No? Okay--uh..." the hero recovered, smiling through his little fuck-up and casually pulling his wife closer, even as Mika judged him - very closely. 

"Oh... We gotta take my aunt to the cleaners!" 

"Why?" The girl asked, stepping closer to the nervous couple to try and make them spill, but luckily, Schwoz had their backs, thinking on the spot when they floundered. 

"Because...she's very large."

"Yes!--I mean, yeah, yeah, huge. Very big lady--think human whale. Loves cheese. Very smelly. We need to clean her in a car wash, so...yeah," (y/n) nodded as Ray slowly guided her toward the metal door, knowing they could escape to their bedroom, get ready, and leave from there. The men agreed with her, nodding slightly too vigorously to be believable, but they rolled with it, even as the kids scoffed. 

"What?"

"Yep! My incredibly hot wife is correct. Car wash. Only way my aunt can get a real deep cleaning--and she is due!" Ray chuckled as he backed into the doorway, verging on bolting down the corridor to safety. It had been four entire minutes since he kissed his sweet girl, and she looked so pretty...

"Can we come? We'll call it a practice mission," Mika suggested, thinking that cleaning an immensely fat lady didn't sound too terrifying or perilous, even though the man was clearly spouting BS. 

"Oh, well, we'd love to let you come with us, but she's very shy--really, very, very shy! And the whole process is honestly disgusting, so--byeeeee!" The heroine laughed anxiously, crouching lower and lower with her doofus as the door slowly rolled down. 

She couldn't stop word-vomiting until the children disappeared from view. Finally, the couple could breathe a sigh of relief. That had to be the worst lie in history, and she had no idea how they'd kept it rolling, draining her energy before they'd even stepped out of the door. 

"God, doofus...We're such bad people--lying to children! This is what we're reduced to!" She exclaimed, rubbing her eyes as Ray softly kissed her forehead before tugging her down the hallway. They had to move quickly, but he wanted her safe and happy first - deeming his beloved wife more important than anything or anyone. 

"It's lies or watching them get pulverised. They're not ready..." the man sighed, equally frustrated because he had four mini sidekicks ready. Still, they were dangerous to themselves and others with their touch-and-go powers, so he couldn't introduce the world to Danger Force. 

"I know...I just...don't like the lies, Raymond."

"Let's just get through this mission, precious girl. We'll work it out when we get back..." he soothed her, knowing his wife was too sweet to lie all day and night. 

She could slip out the odd fib to hide her identity, but this was too much. The bigger the lie became, the deeper the hole they dug, and she had no idea how they would get out. 

But he was right, and she focused on the task ahead - something about a goat? Only in Swellview...

~Swellview Zoo ~

Some people had bizarre habits, which (y/n) found out once she and Captain Man arrived on-scene at their latest emergency. 

They immediately spotted the problem: two low lives trying to steal a goat. She wasn't entirely sure what they would do with the poor thing. Still, the couple didn't wait to find out, swiftly apprehending the scumbags before they could commit some heinous goat-related crime.

After checking that the coast was clear, they quickly knocked them down and tied them up, thankful for the cover of night that hid their daring rescue. The animal was fine, munching away on a bush and other foliage, but that's not what the heroes were worried about. 

Ray kept looking over his shoulder, not expecting a horde of knife-wielding maniacs but a stampede of angry children. Namely, Danger Force, who he swore would flip their shit if they knew they were being two-timed. 

They needed to dispose of the goat-nappers and be on their way, hopefully before anyone saw them. One picture of Captain Man and Miss Danger fighting crime online and the secret would be out - that the city still needed heroes, just ones that weren't liabilities. 

"Oh, quit whining. It's not that tight..." (y/n) scoffed at the sour-looking men as she tautened the neon chord she and her doofus lashed them back to back. They kept whinging and complaining about how they couldn't breathe, but she didn't care for goat abductors and ignored their grumbles. 

"Hey, you single, pretty lady?" The dark-haired one in a flat cap asked, suggestively waggling his eyebrows at the heroine, who only wanted to do her job. She noticed how his eyes trailed down her slim-fitting bodice, lingering on her more...feminine features, and it was enough to make Ray curl his fists and grit his teeth. 

"No, she's not," he hissed, pulling the strap tighter, and he didn't care if it dug into their flabby stomachs. Everyone knew that Miss Danger was taken, rumours swirling in the gossip columns that she'd finally tied the knot with Captain Man, so they didn't stand a chance against her beloved doofus. He knew they were just trying to get under his skin - it was working - but he couldn't help but snarl. He hated how they leered at his sweet girl. 

"Why'd you guys steal a goat, anyway?" He asked gruffly, trying to distract their attention from the beauty beside him. 

"This isn't just any old goat," said the ginger, greasy guy behind the flirtier, his sneer running down the hero's back like water. He could snarl all he wanted - the jig was up, and he was going to jail. 

"This goat can say, butt!"

"It's worth millions!" His sweaty, chubby friend added, although the couple couldn't quite believe it. They looked dumb, but really? A talking animal?

"Goats can't say butt."

"Yeah, I smell bullshit, and it's not the goat," Ray and (y/n) argued scornfully, thinking they were stupid, more run-of-the-mill criminals with only one brain cell between them. However, as the hero stuck his nose up in the air and scoffed, something weird happened...

"Butt!" The goat bleated gruffly, and strangely, it sounded like it was talking. (y/n) assumed it was just a fluke--a coincidence--that the animal vaguely baaed like a person. However, she supposed it was a neat trick, perhaps not worth millions, but still kind of cool. And no one was more impressed than Ray, who loved cons like talking animals and making his precious wife facepalm when his scepticism fell flat. 

"Okay, that thing should be president!" He exclaimed, but their captives were tired of all the chitchat. They admitted it; they'd tried to steal the goat - just punish them. 

"Just take us to jail, okay?!" The redhead requested sharply, thinking a punishment was inevitable, but Captain Man had a predicament. Booking people in jail left a record, and he couldn't let anyone know that he and his sweet girl had been out fighting crime. 

"No can do. Gonna have to zap you unconscious and drag your sad, limp bodies into the woods..." Ray sighed, especially when his wife shot him an alarmed look, mainly because that sounded slightly more extreme than she had planned. All this just to not get caught...

"Why? We're not putting up a fight!"

"Eh...been lying to some kids. Told 'em there was a crime drought. If they find out the truth, they're gonna want to come with us to fight crime, and it's gonna be a whole thing--" he shrugged, relaxing against the stone wall and wrapping an arm around his sweet girl. 

She wasn't too sure why he was telling the whole story to their enemies, but she rolled with it. He was nice to lean against - robust and muscular body supporting her frame as she looped her arms around his lithe waist. It showed the scummy men she loved him, making Ray smirk victoriously when he pecked her forehead, and they lowered their gazes. 

It was all going swimmingly, and the duo thought they had everything under control...until someone crept up behind them, swearing that they'd seen the heroes skulking outside the zoo at midnight like some common delinquents.

"Captain Man? Miss Danger?" A man asked confusedly, and the confident smiles fell from the couple's faces. They jumped out of each other's arms and away from the wall, wondering how someone could've snuck up on them. They knew that voice...and it didn't bode well. 

Like something out of their worst nightmares, the entire KLVY news crew stood before them in a flash. From the sound recordists to the cameraman to Trent Overrunder and Mary Gaperman, everyone gathered around to see what the superheroes were doing at such a late hour. Before they knew what was happening, it was an informal, impromptu interview, and they didn't know what to say or how to explain their actions. 

"What are you doing?" Trent asked, smirking slightly at the couple as they stood there like a pair of lemons, pale and perplexed with babbling mouths that made no sounds. (y/n) could see it now...heroes caught lying to children. Scandal. Fire. Explosions. Death. 

"What...what are you doing, Trent? Hmmm?" She fired back, placing her hands on her hips to try and be obstreperous and difficult, avoiding the question at all costs. 

"It's news team trivia night!" Mary replied brightly, giving them her usual beaming yet mindless smile as she poked out from behind her wittier colleague. (y/n) liked Mary, thinking she meant well and was very sweet, much nicer than Trent and his snarky comments, even if she was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. 

"We meet other news teams at a pub and play trivia games against each other," Brian "The Fender" Bender explained in a newsy voice, even though it was self-explanatory. He winked subtly at Miss Danger, having always had a thing for the pretty heroine, yet that moronic partner of hers always stood in his way. 

"I get to colour on the back of my menu!" Mary exclaimed happily with a cheesy grin as (y/n) ignored Brian's advances, thinking he was too polished and slick for her liking. She'd always preferred doofuses...

"Hey, is that the goat that says, butt?!" The reporter suddenly asked, tearing his gaze away from the eye candy to gawp at the mystical animal. Being a highly skilled journalist, he knew a scoop when he saw one, making his teammates gasp and stare. 

"No, no, no, no, no--" Ray tried to say, furiously shaking his head with his sweet girl, but it was in vain. The goat had uncanny timing, seemingly saying its infamous word on cue and right when they wanted it to shut its poxy mouth. 

"Buuuutt!"

"Holy goats, it is! Daner, give me a two-shot! Keep it loose--Hirsch can always blow it up in post!" Trent gasped and swiftly jumped into action, taking his place beside Ray while Brian sidled up to Miss Danger. Like a well-oiled machine, the news team snapped to it, taking their positions in a routine they knew like the back of their hands, ready to show the world what their beloved heroes had rescued. 

As the camera focused, Ray and (y/n) looked at each other with panicked expressions, knowing that once they started rolling, the whole world, including the kids in the Man's Nest, would know what they'd been doing. And then, they'd never hear the end of it, and the large man hated how that schmuck cuddled up to his wife. 

"We're going live, people!"

"Uh, Captain Man, we need to do something!" (y/n) hissed worriedly, squeezing her doofus' bicep whilst trying to lean away from The Fender and his potent aftershave. The guy smelt like one of those trees that hung from a rear-view mirror but a million times stronger. 

What else was Ray meant to do? He had a split-second to think and decided he had no choice but to whip out his laser remote and zap the reporters. They fell like dominoes when the green beam blasted them. He took extreme pleasure in watching Brian hitting the ground after Trent, swiftly followed by the cameraman, killing the live feed before anything could be broadcast across the city. However, the hero didn't stop there. 

She didn't necessarily agree with his methods, but (y/n) knew they were too deep now, so she followed her husband's lead, pulling out her remote to start zapping. Spinning on her heel, she took out the witnesses, lasering the goat thieves into unconsciousness whilst Ray d with the others - perhaps getting a little trigger-happy. 

"My turn!" Mary, poor vacant Mary, squealed excitedly once he'd shot the mic girl and another cameraman. It wasn't the sort of thing anyone else would look forward to, and Ray almost felt sorry for her when the green plasma hit her in the chest. Almost. 

"We are so going to hell..." (y/n) panted once it was all over, feeling like someone from a horror movie as she stood above all the sleeping bodies. They looked peaceful, and she knew that they weren't actually dead or injured, but still. It felt creepy, and she couldn't believe they were going to such lengths to keep a lie alive. 

"It's fine, sweet girl..." Ray soothed her, equally winded after zapping so many people, but he didn't think it was so bad.

"We'll take these guys to the woods or whatever. They'll wake up after we're long gone, and no one will remember we were here. Look around, darlin'! I think we got away with that one."

Famous last words. 

"Apúrense, por fin vamos a ganar a KLVY..."

"Doofus, someone's coming!" (y/n) whispered in horror as she heard the dulcet tones of a Spanish-speaking man approaching. 

They couldn't catch a break, watching in horror as another news team rounded the corner, only this time, it was the people for the Latin channel. After having their asses kicked by KLVY, they were doing the walk of shame home as losers but still tried to think of ideas to win next time. Laughing amongst themselves, the reporters and crew didn't notice the frozen heroes shaking like leaves, surrounded by seemingly corpses, until it was too late to run. 

"Captain Man? Miss Danger?" Hector Managua frowned, tilting his head in confusion as he took in the bizarre sight they made, looking like goddamn serial killers. He was like the Hispanic Trent Overrunder, clutching a microphone as his coworkers stared at their trivia rivals, wondering what the hell had happened. 

"¡Qué onda!" Ray squeaked awkwardly, not knowing what to say other than warmly greeting them. He tried to look innocent, rubbing elbows with his sweet girl since no one would ever suspect her of any wrongdoing, not when she gave them a bright, if watery, smile like that.

"Hey, ¿ese es el chivo que dice, butt?!" Hector asked in shock, pointing his mic at the goat, which he easily recognised, even as it just stood there, chewing away at nothing. 

"¡Por supuesto que no, estúpido! ¡Deja de hacer preguntas tontas! Dios mío..." (y/n) snapped haughtily, fed up with the day's stresses, and even though it wasn't in her nature, she didn't think twice about pointing her laser at the poor guy and firing. He went down like a sack of potatoes, hitting the ground with a thud before he could ask what else they were doing, and Ray quickly copied her. 

Another five bodies fell, leaving the zoo's entrance looking like a silent protest or even something more sinister, but the couple ignored their dubious choices. They needed to get out of there fast, so after breathing a quick sigh of relief, they dashed over to the goat - the last witness to their misdeeds. 

"Not one word about any of this!" Ray ordered the animal sharply before using an orange laser to cut its tether loose. (y/n) smiled at his silliness and patted the goat goodbye, thinking her lover was crazy for talking to the creature like it would say something back. Still, it was endearing, especially when it bleated in response. 

"Buuuuuutt!"

"No buts!" He yelled after it as it walked off, probably searching for something strange to eat. Despite his childishness and madness, his sweet girl laughed and shook her head, knowing she wouldn't change him for the world.  

"Aw...it was kinda cute," she pondered, smiling up at her husband with fluttering eyelashes as he took her hand, intent on fleeing the scene before someone else came along to photograph their crimes. 

"We're not getting a goat, sweet girl..." the man told her gently but firmly, seeing through his wife's loving gaze to see her subtle ulterior motive. He heard the tentativeness in her voice and knew that she was angling for another pet, especially as she oo'ed and aw'ed when she petted the smelly thing. 

He'd do anything to keep her happy but drew the line at goats. That thing would shit out the Man's Nest in two weeks, and he had enough with the rabbit. 

"But Colin gets lonely!"

"I think he'd prefer an animal not fifty times his size..." he replied dryly to her whine, more focused on navigating the sea of bodies than her pleas. As much as Ray wanted to, he knew he couldn't accidentally-on-purpose step on Brian's face. So, he carefully ambled over the reporter's body, zipping through chaos swiftly and silently whilst (y/n)'s brain worked over time. 

Technically, he said that Colin would like another smaller buddy. To her ears, that sounded a lot like permission to get another rabbit--and she'd been asking for one for years. Once she'd cleared Mary's body, she squeezed his arm tightly, practically buzzing as she hung off his body and squealed. 

"Does that mean we can get another bunny?!"

"No!" Oh, well. It was worth a shot. 

~The next day~

Classes resumed the following morning, and Ray and (y/n) swore they'd gotten away with the minor incident at the zoo. 

The kids arrived bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for another fun day of learning, seemingly unsuspecting and definitely not suspicious, and why would they be? Thankfully, nothing untoward aired on the news on all the breakfast shows. Trent and Mary looked worse for wear, but no one mentioned anything. And it gave the couple enough confidence to teach without too many nerves. 

Once everyone sat down, the lecture began. Captain Man and Miss Danger took teaching duties together to show Danger Force some videos of their old fights, which wasn't necessarily the best plan, and (y/n) wasn't sure what the kids could learn from them. Still, it was nice to reflect on their victories. 

Her doofus looked particularly handsome, wearing one of his signature loud shirts that emphasised his biceps and gave him a boyish air. He looked so good that she hung off every word he said, even if it was complete rubbish, rubbing against his elbows as the kids vaguely listened. 

"--And even though we were on top of a moving train, I still saved the day...because I'm Captain Man. The end," Ray grinned, concluding his epic retelling of the time when he and his sidekicks defeated a plethora of supervillains before saving Swellview. 

He was so in awe of himself that he didn't see the many eye rolls from his sweet girl, who knew that his story wasn't entirely true.

That was when they bumped into Phoebe Thunderman in Junk-N-Stuff, and if her memory was correct, (y/n) remembered that she, Henry, and the budding heroine had to save Captain Man before he was killed. It was so long ago before they'd even started dating. However, she recalled her panic after thinking she'd lost her love forever. 

"You were encased in concrete most of the time," Miles commented dryly after watching the video and hearing his glorified narration. He'd found some plot holes in the man's story--like how The Toddler and Doctor Minyak had trapped him in a stone cube, forcing others to come to save him. 

"Mmmm...still saved the day. The end," the man insisted, his ego bolstered by the sweet girl happily squishing his chunky arm. It should've been illegal to look that hot...

"It sounds like Henry, Charlotte, (y/n), and the Thunderman kids did most of the saving," Chapa argued, much to her teacher's annoyance. It was her fault that she was brutally honest, but she had a lot to learn about managing the man-child's ego. 

"It sounds like you don't know what the end means."

"Raymond...Stop being mean," (y/n) told her husband sternly, ceasing fondling his muscles to thwack his arm. Ray pouted and sniffled, giving her those infamous puppy-dog eyes because he didn't like being on her bad side, even though he knew not to sink to the children's level. 

She kept saying he had to be mature - a role model - but it was so damn difficult when the little ones kept sassing him. 

"But sweet girl..."

"No buts!" The woman scolded him, sternly sticking her pointer finger under his nose to show that she meant business. Her glare worked, and he looked remorseful, but it was a mistake to use her left hand - the one that brought her pretty rings into the man's eyesight. Once the diamonds caught his attention, Ray melted, nudging his head forward to kiss her fingertip despite the telling-off. 

How was she supposed to stay mad when he did cute things like that?

"We saved you, doofus. Don't you remember the helicopter ride after? God, I wanted to kiss you so bad..." she sighed dreamily as the pupils - save for Mika - wrinkled their noses. The girl thought their love was rather sweet, and she was a huge shipper, hoping to hear more about how their love came to be if her companions didn't chunk up the walls. 

Ray grinned and nodded, knowing that during that flight, after all the fighting was done, he felt the same way. With his sweet girl strapped to his chest, he remembered wanting to confess everything he'd ever felt and more, stealing chastely affectionate kisses and soft touches where he could. Still, they stayed silent, enjoying the closeness while it lasted. Look at them now...

But the memory didn't last. As the lovers embraced, pressing every point of their bodies together and nuzzling into warm crannies, Ray's phone began to ring, harshly vibrating against (y/n) 's thigh through her doofus' pocket. 

"Wazzzzzup?!" He answered obnoxiously, and instantly, (y/n) knew who'd phoned. It was Schwoz; he and Ray loved doing that stupid, nostalgic greeting, sticking their tongues out and everything just to be authentic. But she knew that if the genius was calling, it had to be crime-related; otherwise, he would've just come downstairs. 

"Someone's trying to drill a hole into Swellview Prison so their grandpa can escape!" Schwoz told his boss as he fiddled with some doohickey invention on the table. He knew it had to be kept secret, lowering his voice as Ray's jovial mood turned serious. 

"On it!" The man nodded, and again, his wife took a moment to admire how effortlessly handsome he was. They'd be heading out again in three seconds. The action would be too fast-paced to admire him truly, so she stared longingly at the shirt, committing every garish pattern and how they hid his abs to memory. 

He quickly hung up and gave her a sneaky glance, darting his eyes toward the door as a hint that they needed to leave. (y/n) didn't need to be told twice; she grabbed his hand and swiftly headed for the door, but they wouldn't get away easily. 

"Who was that?" Mika asked, jumping into their path with surprising speed so she could interrogate them. The adults gulped as Ray backed up into his sweet girl when the girl spooked him, and honestly, it was pretty scary, given the girl's questioning scowl. 

Even though they hadn't let on, the kids were highly suspicious, figuring out the previous night that the couple were lying about the crime drought. She wanted to see them squirm, hear their excuse this time, and scrutinise their every twitch as she wormed the truth out. 

"Uh..." he thought for a second, eyes flickering to the left as he stalled, trying to desperately think of a liar good enough to dupe the smart one. 

"My hairdresser! I'm late for my appointment--at the haircut store..." Ray stuttered, going from disaster to disaster as his words jumbled up to form nonsense. 

What was a haircut store? Did he mean salon? It made (y/n) sigh and rub her face, seeing how Mika scoffed and blocked his way every time the hero tried to side-step her. Yeah, no one bought that...

"You gettin' some frosted tips? Blond highlights are very in right now," Bose said with an adorably innocent smile. However, he should've realised that that was a ridiculously youthful style for a man pushing forty and noticed that the man was lying through his teeth. 

"Yeah, sure. I'm getting frosted tips...Now move." Ray nodded quickly, even though he wasn't entirely sure what they were. Still, he didn't care as long as Mika moved out of the way, throwing a pencil across the room as a distraction. It worked; when the girl's focus followed the flying object, the hero moved, tugging his sweet girl behind him as they dashed for the door. 

"I think you're lying!" Yet they still couldn't escape. Before (y/n) could grasp the gold, gilded doorknob, Miles' voice called after them, accusing them of such a heinous thing--though it was true. He didn't even need to turn his head to know that the couple wouldn't stand for that, pausing in the doorway as he smirked smugly - he had them. 

The heroes turned slowly, wearing expressions, to see the kids staring back, having spun their chairs around to judge them. It was like standing in front of the damn Inquisition, and the heroine gulped, her stomach twisting into knots when she saw their disappointed little faces...

"Beg your pardon?" She asked nervously, wringing her sweaty hands together as she tried to appear normal. It wasn't working. 

"I said, I think you and your husband are lying! Do you normally go with him when he gets a haircut?" Miles repeated, violently standing from his chair before swaggering over to the couple to hear their excuse. His question was fair, and (y/n) didn't blame him for being so harsh - she loved his floppy locks, but Ray wasn't a baby. 

"I value her opinion," her doofus said defensively, putting his arm around her shoulders when he saw how flustered she was. He fiercely protected her, practically snarling at the boy, not that it dissuaded him. 

"I don't think you're going to the haircut store at all. I think you're going to fight crime without us!" Miles snapped, boldly standing up against the man, even as he used his famous Captain Man glare. At least Miss Danger had the decency to look ashamed, staring at her shoes and leaning into his side to try and burrow away. 

"Why would we go and fight crime without you guys? We respect all of your abilities. Equally..." Ray asked quietly, his sarcastic tone aggravating the situation further. 

"That's not helpful!" (y/n) hissed as her doofus tried to leave, yanking the door open as her cheeks burned with humiliation. He wasn't good under pressure, and not when people were picking on him, so he wanted to get out ASAP, not that they'd let him. Still, she didn't see how his snarky comments would help them, not when they deepened their frowns and huddled closer - almost like they were about to attack. 

"Then, I look forward to seeing your blonde highlights when you get back...From the haircut store! He'll look so sweet, right, (y/n/n)?" Chapa smiled sourly, her arms folded tightly across her chest as Ray gulped and looked at his sweet girl for help. 

"Like candy..." The heroine nodded awkwardly, knowing she wouldn't let any stylist near her doofus' floppy locks, not for something as hideous as frosted tips. Yet, they couldn't look like liars, either, cogs turning as they headed to leave again, wondering how they'd dye the man's hair without ruining it. 

"They'll probably be more subtle...like a strawberry blonde," Ray noted, momentarily turning back to poke his head through the door - anything to try and save himself. 

"Yeah. Can't wait."

"--Or a burnt caramel, kind of a tawny colour, something tasteful. You guys probably won't even notice!" He rambled before (y/n) yanked him onto the porch, slamming the door shut behind him. He just made it worse and worse, spiralling further into the lie until he was cringing and crawling around his home like a common thief. 

She didn't want to know what the kids would get up to as they sprinted to their battle stations, hurrying to get to the jailhouse before something awful happened. Something told her that they wouldn't drop the issue, her tummy crying that something would go wrong in one way or another. 

"Can't we just tell them, Raymond? I'm sick of all this lying!" She said as they stumbled into a dense, bushy area, looking for cover while removing their gum tubes. 

"What? You don't think I'd look good with snowy tips?" The hero asked jokingly, running his fingers through his unstyled, quaffed hair, pushing back the silky hair as she admired how handsome he was. He looked good with anything, but that didn't mean he had to change; no, she loved the adorable idiot she fell in love with...

"Frosted tips, doofus, and no, I don't. I like your hair the way it is."

"Aw... Do I look...pretty?" Ray giggled, loving to hear her laugh when he tossed his head back like a model from a shampoo advert, hair flicking every which way. 

"So very pretty," (y/n) nodded, forgetting her job and gum for a moment as she wound her arms around her doofus' neck and pulled him down for a short but sweet kiss. He hummed against her lips, loping his hand around to lay in the small of her back, pressing their bodies together closely as the other tilted her chin further upwards. 

"Nothing compared to you, sweet girl. You're beautiful..." the man whispered when they gently broke apart, satisfied and smiling like idiots. Her cheeks and ears burned at his words, but Ray looked so genuine, looking at his wife like no one else - he never looked so softly at any other woman in all his life. She was so gorgeous it actually hurt. 

"Come on, smooth operator. We need to get going," she cleared her throat, feeling like a goddess under his gaze. Still, unfortunately, that wouldn't stop the criminals from jailbreaking. She remembered they had a job to do and wiggled out of his arms, pecking his cheek one final time before rolling a gumball free. 

But Ray wasn't one to be defeated, blatantly leaning back on his heels to trail his gaze down her body, eyes lingering on the soft, squishy curve of her ass. Looking back at her pretty face, he grinned cheekily, thinking that a runaway criminal wouldn't be too tricky. Once they had locked him up and thrown away the key, they'd quickly return to the Man's Nest. A needy guy like him, a beautiful girl like him...they could make magic together. 

"Hey, how about an early night tonight?"

"Come on, Ray!" At least she didn't say no. 

~Swellview Prison~

Outside the concrete maze that was the city's largest prison, home to all manner of scum, shit was going down. 

From the worst of society to the pettiest of pilferers, Swellview Prison housed every criminal Captain Man and his sidekicks had ever encountered - plus a few extras that the police somehow managed to catch. Still, what could go in could also come out, or at least that was the thinking of a budding young villain - a small, ginger child, who, with his crew, was lasering the thick stone walls to try and get to the other side. 

He thought he was so slick, standing back as his minions used some evil doohickey to chisel chip after chip away from the wall. Soon, they'd make it through to the opposite cell, and their prison break would be complete. That is if two superheroes didn't have something to say about it...

"All right, ya jerks. Time to kill that drill!" Captain Man barked forcefully as he sauntered up to the rotten crew, Miss Danger by his side with a severe and intimidating expression - or as intimidating as she could get next to the hulking, grouchy man. God, she loved it when he was in hero mode.

However, despite his commands, the criminals didn't even bat an eye, carrying on with their misdeeds without a care in the world. It didn't take much for (y/n) to realise that the whirring of their machine, pummelled concrete, and the noise-cancelling headphones on their heads meant they couldn't hear anything, including them. 

"Uh, doofus...I don't think they can hear us."

"Hang on, darlin'..." Ray sniffed, clearing his throat when he saw that she was right. He wasn't one for false starts, but no matter. He readjusted his stance and pointed a stern finger at the little boy. 

"Put your hands in the air like you just do care--about the law! Brah!"

"Wow, way to tell them, Captain," (y/n) retorted sarcastically, watching as her doofus tried to be all high and mighty, bellowing his orders, just to be ignored. For a man like him to be humiliated and disregarded, especially in front of his sweet girl, was too much, and the hero clenched his fists and growled in frustration. 

"All right, that's it--hey!" he snapped, tired of their ignorance, so he stormed over and waved his hands, shouting, ranting and raving like a madman.

Miss Danger stayed back with her hands on her hips, smiling in satisfaction when she watched her husband spook the trio, their faces contorting in shock and fear because Captain Man was glaring at them. They shrugged the ear mufflers off, staring at the hero and his hot sidekick with baffled faces, mouths open and eyes wide but full of hate. 

"Captain Man?! Miss Danger!" The boy, named Crank, gasped in awe of the heroes as they glared at him, which he quickly returned. He came from a long line of lowlifes and crooks, so thievery and devilry ran in his blood, as did a deep hatred of stupid, interfering do-gooders. 

"Hey, ginger nuts. You look busy over here..." (y/n) said dryly, observing how they'd tunnelled through to get inside, although they weren't exactly subtle about it. 

"Yeah! I'm over here dropping dope rhymes in front of my incredibly hot wife, but none of you poops are even paying attention," Ray hissed, going toe-to-toe with Crank as the kid wrinkled his freckled nose, disgusted by both the man's youthful words and how disgustingly in love he was. 

"Well, sorry, but we were trying to break my grandpa out of jail," Crank explained. He looked strangely sweet and innocent despite his thuggish attire of chain necklaces and a striped t-shirt. The couple almost felt sorry for him, wondering if this was just a misguided child trying to see his beloved relative again - doing evil for the right reasons. 

"Aw...I bet you love him," (y/n) cooed, bending down, hand on her knees, to meet his eye as her doofus placed a warm hand on her back, almost moved by those big, sad eyes. 

"He owes me money! Gonna break his legs..." But their adoration was misplaced. The boy's cute face scrunched into a scowl, his gaze turning as hard and mean as a lifelong hard-nut - similar to the snarls they'd 

It shocked the heroes, leaning away from the little shit and how evil he seemed. He wanted something cold and callous from his dear old grandpa, even threatening him with violence. That was the last time (y/n) would empathise with him, shocked by his coarse behaviour and cruel personality - not childlike. 

"Well, I'm afraid we can't let you do either of those things, carrot top," she said firmly, giving him one of her disapproving, motherly glares, hoping he'd feel some guilt. But that was hard when the miniature villain was egged on by her silly doofus. 

"But...just out of curiosity, how much does he owe you? Because, y'know, for a reasonable collection fee, I could just go in there and--" Ray whispered, clicking his tongue and giving Crank a nudge-nudge, wink-wink side-eye as his sweet girl stared at him in disbelief. 

She couldn't believe her ears, blinking hard three times to ensure she hadn't misheard him. Sometimes, Ray had some questionable ideas, and she hoped he had enough common sense to know she'd kill him if he ever conspired with criminals. A glare from her was enough to make him shrink back, instantly regretting his choices since Miss Danger would never stoop so low, and she certainly didn't expect Captain Man to, either. 

"Captain Man!" She exclaimed, horrified. Ray pouted when she roughly elbowed his ribs, knowing it was stupid to say, but he'd never actually go through with it. Still, he hated the idea of disappointing her, staring at his feet when his angel gave him a stern talking-to. 

"You will keep your butt right there, and if I find out you've been doing favours for criminals, I swear to God, I'll--" She never got to finish her rant. 

Mid-fury, a loud whoosh filled the clearing, interrupting Ray's telling-off because she swore she knew that noise. Her face fell, taken by a pensive, confused expression since that sounded much like when Miles teleported. But that was impossible because the children had been left safely in the Man's Nest. 

Or, at least, the couple thought that until they turned around, expecting to see a noisy squirrel or pigeon, not those meddling kids. 

They made such a racket, landing in the thick bushes, thanks to Miles and his inability to control where he teleported, and the dense branches meant moving around was nigh-on impossible. Shouting and struggling to get free, they complained about his poor aim and how their impromptu appearance wasn't such a good idea - (y/n) could attest to that. 

"Excuse us for a minute," the heroine said to Crank with a fake brilliant smile, holding a finger up as Ray took her hand and swiftly guided her to where Danger Force was making a scene. 

"Hey! What are you doing here?!" The man exclaimed, shouting above their rowdiness, and the quartet fell silent. He couldn't believe it, seeing them in their multicoloured uniforms and knowing they'd deliberately disobeyed orders, even though he hadn't helped with his lies. It was embarrassing to be caught short in front of criminals...

"What are you doing here?!" Mika fired back, trying to mimic Miss Danger's disappointed face since they'd been caught red-handed amid their fib, yet they showed no shame. But honestly, it was no time for arguing, not when they were in a perilous, very delicate situation that the children were hideously unprepared for. 

"Fighting crime!" (y/n) answered bravely, knowing they couldn't lie anymore, but she was angry that they'd followed them to the prison. It was almost cute how they thought crimefighting was glamorous and exciting, ignorant of the horrors and hardship until they were over their heads. 

"That's funny. I thought you and your husband were at the haircut store getting frosted tips!" Chapa spat back, not realising the danger they'd put themselves in, given how woefully inadequate their powers were. 

"Yeah, well, my wife decided it looked fine the way it was. She thinks I look pretty!" 

"Ew..." The boys and Chapa wrinkled their noses, not missing how the couple swapped an adoring look, holding hands even tighter despite their irritation. Their love was sickening, but at least they helped them out of the bushes, pulling back the foliage so each kid could wriggle free. 

"If it's okay with you, I'm gonna go back to breaking my grandpa out of prison," Crank called to the heroes, not wanting to be associated with any of their drama. He wasn't one for insubordination in the ranks. Still, he guessed that if they were busy arguing, he could get the old man out and his money before those idiots knew what was happening. 

"No!" 

"Yeah, no!" Mika shouted, countering the adamant adults as they tried to rein in Crank, hopefully trying to manage both situations before they got out of hand. But, like all preteens, the kids thought they knew better - so much better than Ray and (y/n), who'd been fighting crime for years - and had collectively decided they'd prove them wrong. 

They were superheroes, powers and all. They could fight and win, and then, they'd be laughing at the mighty Captain Man and Miss Danger for ever doubting them. That would be so damn satisfying, even though they didn't see what could go wrong. 

"'Cause we're gonna stop you!

"Uh, we're gonna stop them because we're the superheroes," Ray argued, gesturing to himself and his sweet girl as she folded her arms, utterly unimpressed by their behaviour. She liked the enthusiasm but, like her doofus, preferred to see it in their lessons, not with so much at stake. 

"Yeah, the superheroes who've been lying to us for a week!"

"There hasn't been a crime drought!" The Macklin twins replied harshly, glaring at their teachers like they had no argument to stand on. They didn't understand that they lied with the best intentions, hoping to spare them from defeat and humiliation because their superpowers didn't mean instant glory. They had to be mastered - carefully, slowly, painstakingly so. 

"You've just been telling us that so you two can fight crimes by yourselves!" Chapa growled equally as angry, which only frustrated the couple. It was a mess. 

"Yeah, you bet we've been lying to you! Tell them, sweet girl!" Captain Man snapped back, head snapping to (y/n), who didn't like to lead the argument. 

Still, for once, she was ready to support her doofus fully, not shying away from confrontation because she cared for them. She indeed did, and she'd never forgive herself if she allowed the kids to go into battle willy-nilly just to get themselves hurt, kidnapped, or worse - killed. Sighing, she sniffed and looked at all of them, looking more concerned than irate because they didn't grasp the situation - they didn't have a clue. 

"Sorry, guys, but I agree with Captain Man," she sighed again before looking across the group, flaws and weaknesses popping into her head as she did.

"Miles, Chapa--you guys can't control your powers. Mika, you don't even have one yet! And Bose...well, need I say more? He wears shirts for pants!"

"They're called shants!" Bose said happily, thinking his creation was brilliantly inventive, but it proved the woman's point. The team was either uncoordinated or useless, meaning they'd be a dangerous liability in the field and not something Captain Man wanted loose in the city. So, as much as they didn't like it, they weren't ready, no matter how much enthusiasm they had. 

"Face it...None of you are ready to be superheroes," Ray said gravely, hating to crush their spirit, but it was true. Their faces fell, rage mixing with despair because they thought they could do it and prove him wrong... It was soul-destroying.

"It's true...It's just too dangerous," (y/n) nodded solemnly, but Mika didn't leave it there. Looking up with a defiant glint, she slowly stepped toward the couple, knowing deep down they had more to give. Despite the adults ' counsel, she believed in herself and her friends, thinking the power of friendship and all that bullshit would triumph over evil. 

"You're right. I don't have a superpower--I might not ever get one. But you know what?" she started, staring firmly at the heroine as she stared back, both thinking they were correct. 

"Being a superhero isn't about having a superpower. It's about what's inside of you. It's about what's in here!"

"Our skeletons!" Bose nodded, even though it wasn't particularly helpful. Still, all that mystical shit made the heroes gag, knowing that real life--hero life--didn't work like that. 

"Oh, good God--" (y/n) muttered as she tried not to roll her eyes. Again, she liked her enthusiasm, agreeing that superheroes needed a lot of that mushy stuff - hope, spirit, optimism, bravery - but practical skills were essential, like a basic grasp on power. 

"I know I've got what it takes to be a superhero. And I know they do, too," the girl said wistfully, gesturing to her band of merry friends, who were just as ready to kick some ass, feeling their team's bond even after just a few of working together. 

"We're not saying you don't have what it takes. I don't want to see you all pulverised because you aren't trained!" Miss Danger hissed, rubbing her tired eyes when the girl smiled up at her hopefully, praying her little speech had tugged on her heartstrings. 

However, if anything, her warning made Mika and the others more determined, gritting their teeth when Ray nudged her arm. Looking up, (y/n) gulped when she saw Crank's goons cracking their knuckles and sneering, clearly ready for a fight that the kids weren't prepared for. They could barely throw a punch, making her all the more nervous to see them on the battlefield. 

"Hey, come on, sweet girl..." Ray sighed, to her surprise. He took her hand and guided his wife to the sidelines, moving past the child team so the floor was theirs. It was their move, and despite his better instincts, he knew they'd never learn until they gauged their powers. 

"Okay, show us how ready you are."

"Really?" (y/n) quirked an eyebrow, looking back at her doofus as he frowned and shrugged. He didn't need her to tell him it was a bad idea, but they seemed so happy--grinning after finally gaining his permission. 

"Okay, fine! Come on then, Danger Force! Take it away! Show us the extent of your power--may the power of friendship protect you, rainbows, ponies, whatever..."

"Let's do this..." Mika breathed deeply before looking at her friends, their excited smiles falling into sober countenances, void of everything but concentration. This moment was three weeks in the making, and they wanted it to go perfectly, given that the city's greatest heroes would scrutinise their every move. 

Honestly, they looked pretty cool as they walked toward the villains in a line. Like something from a movie or TV show, time seemingly slowed down as they readied their attacks, clenching fists, storing electricity, squeezing glutes, and stalking toward the snarling crooks, who cockily stepped up to teach them a lesson - one that Captain Man and Miss Danger hadn't quite reached yet. 

Falling back on their little training, Mika and Miles took the flanks, waiting for a physical attack. At the same time, Chapa and Bose waited with their powers on standby, knowing it was wise to wait for a minute to see who would make the first move. Ray and (y/n) looked at each other nervously, the latter's tummy tingle telling her something wasn't right. 

"Doofus, I'm nervous..." she whispered, clutching at his beefy arm as Ray gulped, knowing how she felt. 

"It'll be fine, darlin'. Completely fine..." the hero replied, squeezing her hand as she held a hand over her eyes, peeking through her fingers. She didn't want to watch but had to, worried sick despite his reassuring words. Surely, it can't be that bad, her doofus swore, but he what he didn't know...

"I haven't learned to aim yet..." Chapa whispered to her friends, feeling the electricity surging through her veins, ready to explode, but her aim was terrible. Genuinely awful. It was all right having so much power - arguably the strongest of the four - but if it didn't hit her enemies, what was the point? 

Still, her friends believed in her, muttering words of encouragement ranging from self-belief to learning on the spot, so she went for it. She had no choice, clenching her jaw and firing, sending bolts of scarlet energy across the battlefield...and into Captain Man. Who then tripped into Miss Danger. Who face-planted the floor. And then, he went flying. Straight onto the prison roof. 

This was why they said they weren't ready. 

"Doofus!" (y/n) cried, watching in horror when she came to her senses to see her husband flying through the night sky. He collided with a security gate before falling into the prison courtyard, and she prayed there were no late-night frolickers in there. They'd tear the man who put them inside limb from limb. 

"You guys! You attacked the wrong person!" She shrieked, turning to look at the bashful children with an alarmed face as the goons cackled, loving how they'd taken care of the hero for them. Now, they just needed to take care of Miss Danger, and without her watchdog of a lover around, that would be easy. And the kids? They were laughable, easy pickings. 

"Bose! How could you?!" Chapa gasped falsely, placing all the blame on the oblivious kid as he stood there as vacant as usual. It really didn't help (y/n)'s mood or situation since they were now down their strongest super. 

"I don't care whose fault it was. Someone go and get my husband!" 

"Get in there and bring back Captain Man," Mika said to her brother, seeing the heroine's distress since those two were inseparable - the one thing she'd learned after three weeks in school. And she wasn't dumb enough to think they were better off without him. 

"Copy that--" Miles nodded before throwing his arm into the air, disappearing in a flash of golden light. Whether he'd successfully teleport to the hero and bring him back in one piece was different, but (y/n) was grateful that the boy tried. 

"Get 'em!" Crank bellowed to his lackeys, spooking the three remaining kids, even as Miss Danger immediately adjusted her stance to protectively stand in front of them. 

Those men were huge, hairy, and undoubtedly exceeded her strength. Usually, she relied on her lover to dish out the raw brute force. Simultaneously, she found gaps in the fight to use her agility and swiftness to exploit an enemy's weakness. Still, she hoped that if the kids could distract them - safely - she might be able to subdue them until Miles returned with Ray. 

"Okay, stay behind me. I'll keep you guys safe," (y/n) told the kids, her fists drawn up as she prepared to take the men on, hoping she could keep all three safe while fighting two men. 

However, things didn't play out the way she hoped. The goons charged first, running toward her with their teeth bared and fists ready to pummel her face, and whilst she was prepared to fight, the kids didn't listen. Contrary to her instructions, they released a battle cry before running past her and into the fray - the last line of defence. This could only go wrong...

They met in the middle as (y/n) floundered, baffled by the sudden commotion. Chapa immediately went for a lightning strike, summoning and ejecting her electricity with the hope that she'd hit Crank. Yet, her aim was as terrible as usual. 

Instead of zapping the criminal kid, she shot his device, the one lasering through the prison wall, causing the bolt to rebound and hit her in the chest. She flew backwards at a tremendous speed, hitting Miss Danger and sending them into the dense bushes lining the walkway. Instantly, their limbs were tangled in the branches, rendering them useless as the men grabbed Mika and Bose. 

"Chapa! You really need to work on your aim!"

"Dangit! I know!" The girl hissed, fighting against the woman as they stood back-to-back, wrapped in vines and God knows what else, so they could barely move. Maybe it would've been wise to listen to the heroine and her husband, but it was too late to think like that.

As they clawed to get free, Mika and Bose struggled with the goons, suddenly realising that stuff like superhero qualities, hope, optimism, and all that mushy stuff wouldn't help them against two hulking lugs like them. They were children--no match for them as they twisted their arms around their backs and kicked the backs of their legs, tossing them around like rag dolls. 

It got even better when Miles returned--just not how (y/n) hoped. The boy teleported the hero out of the prison but didn't quite make it outside; instead, they materialised halfway through the wall, creating a large gaping hole with the hero wedged in between the concrete and his protégé - basically useless. 

"Hey! Heyyy!" Ray groaned as he hung from the wall, barely able to lift his head from the awkward position. 

"Captain Man?" (y/n) asked breathlessly, looking up in horror to see her doofus stuck in a wall with Miles pinned behind him. Oh God, it broke her heart to see him like that, above the fight and seeing the kids in danger, yet unable to help. She knew how he felt...

"We're up here, sweet girl!" The hero called out to her, barely able to see that she and Chapa were stuck in the bushes, and it made his heart clench in worry, frustration and anger. He should've just taken out the bad guys when he had the chance - his wife wouldn't be in danger then - but the kids had been so sure - a mistake to believe them now he reflected on it. 

"Bose, what are you doing?" Chapa asked as the boy tried to use his telekinesis to lift Crank's machine - intentionally or not, they couldn't figure out since he was being pulled apart by a thug. 

"Will you guys get down here?" Shockingly, even the ginger kid wanted Captain Man on the scene, thinking things were getting a little out of hand with the man's freaky, uncontrollable sidekicks and how they could make things float. But that was wishful thinking, given how Miles' arms were pinned, rendering his power useless since he couldn't teleport without them. 

"We can't!"

"What happened?" Mika asked frantically, distracted by the lackey wrestling with her to see her brother and boss. 

She, too, was now beginning to realise that her plan wasn't very well thought out after throwing a few punches just to weakly tap the guy's stomach. It made her knuckles ache and her skin bruise, making her wonder how Captain Man and Miss Danger did it so quickly, not knowing that practice took the pain away - something they sorely needed. 

"We got stuck in a wall on the way back!" Miles groaned, feeling highly uncomfortable as every inch of his body pressed against Ray--not something he'd ever wanted. He'd leave that to (y/n). 

"That can happen?!" His sister gasped, knowing he'd been transported to many different countries and biomes, but appearing in a wall was new. She was glad they weren't hurt - half in the wall with their gizzards mushed around wasn't a good look. 

"I have just learned that it can!" The boy replied dryly, not knowing what else she wanted him to say. He'd had his powers for a few weeks; there was much to learn. 

As they were chatting, Bose's concentration increased - not something that happened regularly for the lad. He wasn't used to so much brainpower. He rapidly fatigued as he raised the laser above the man holding him, aiming to bash him on the head or some such attack.

However, the kid wasn't one for strategy; not seeing how a hefty object crashing down so close to him was a bad idea until it was too late. The device crashed into the goon and Bose, sending them both to the ground in an aching, groaning pile. 

"I thought that would work..." he whined, lifting his face from the dirt as the machine lay useless, but the henchman still stayed on top of him. His entire lower half was pinned down, and lifting the heavy tripod had depleted his energy, leaving Bose wishing he'd practised lifting pencils and cotton wool more like Miss Danger had recommended. 

"You see? Not--ready!" Ray growled, thinking he'd thoroughly proved his and (y/n)'s point, even if it was no time for gloating. 

Yet no one could deny it, not when he had a bird's eye view of the battlefield, seeing how Chapa had rendered Miss Danger and herself trapped, Bose had KO'd himself, and Miles had screwed him over, which left just Mika. Poor, sorry old Mika, left with no powers, training, and nowhere to go since one of Crank's henchmen had her subdued. 

"I agree. Face it, kids, this whole thing was a disaster--you aren't ready!" (y/n) agreed, fighting against the vines wrapped tightly around her torso and forearms to no avail. She hated to be a downer, but she saw no way out of this, thinking they were well and truly screwed because they weren't good listeners. 

All that hope and wonder crap didn't happen in the real world, but Mika still believed. Hearing her heroes so disappointed and defeatist angered the resilience in her, and despite how bleak everything was, she still had some fight left. She wasn't sure what fight it was, given her physical prowess was shit, but their lack of trust in her--in the team--made her want to yell--to scream--to shout out. 

"Yes--we--ARE!" She bellowed, feeling a power surge through her, and (y/n) had to blink to ensure her eyes weren't playing tricks. 

A brilliant silver glow surrounded the girl, reminding the heroine of the night when she gained her tummy tingle - the glow of the Omega Weapon's energy. She struggled against her captor, feeling stronger than ever as she roared, her voice louder than a jet engine as her voice box beamed sonic waves toward the prison wall. 

Mika Macklin had found her superpower, breaking down the wall with her almighty scream - so potent it could break through concrete. It was brilliant, making her teachers and friends gawp and gasp, utterly shocked at her ability and its uncanny knack for appearing at such a dismal moment. 

"Holy shit..." (y/n) breathed under her breath, watching rubble fly through the air, making Crank and his goons avoid debris. 

She was in awe of the girl's superpower, knowing that she must've had one deep down, but she'd never have guessed it would be so...loud. Her ears were ringing, but she ignored the slight pain, more focused on the gaping hole the girl had made in a solid three-foot-wide wall of concrete. And it just had to be in the most dangerous building in Swellview. 

"You guys, I have a superpower!" Mika squealed, feeling her throat relax again as a beaming smile grew on her face, her every nerve on fire with delight when she realised she'd done that. That big hole? Mika Macklin did that. 

"It's about time!"

"Time reveals all things."

"You can fly?!" Came the ecstatic congratulations of her friends, although Bose was a little confused. He had the energy, though, as happy for his friend as the others were, and it inspired her with new determination. She was gonna win this fight. 

Referring back to her minimal training, Mika struggled against the goon's grip, trying to free her shoulders, even as his hands tightened painfully on her upper arms. She couldn't regain that vibration no matter how much she growled or barked. With no superpower, it was easy for the henchman to drag her to the bushes, where he wasted no time tangling her in the foliage. 

He wasn't stupid, seeing his chance to secure the scene as someone emerged from the hole. It was a wrinkled, doddery and clumsy old man who carefully stepped out onto the rubble and into the free world, still wearing his garishly orange prison uniform. 

"Pop-pop?" Crank asked hopefully, his voice returning to the same innocent, childlike wonder he'd used to fool Captain Man and Miss Danger. Still, his grandfather didn't see anything wrong. Instead, he seemed happy to see him, opening his arms to invite him into a warm, familiar hug, even if it smelled like cabbage and boiled sweets. 

"Crank, my boy!"

"You owe me money!" The ginge screamed, his face melting into a furious sneer that had his grandpa shaking in his Long Johns. He fled into his cell again, preferring the harshness of serving time to facing the menace that was his own flesh and blood, leaving the heroes stuck outside. 

The goons fled, too, seeing as their boss was well on his way to enacting his revenge, which wasn't too bad. The gang was stuck, but at least they weren't fighting anymore, giving (y/n) and Ray some time to think of a strategy - some way to escape danger before some other tragedy happened. 

"Well, well, well..." Or not. 

"I know those wells..." (y/n) gulped, not needing to be a genius to know that whiny, high-pitched voice. She prayed it was a bad dream, thinking the night couldn't get any worse, but it could. It definitely could. 

Like one of their most sinister terrors, the couple watched with aghast faces as The Toddler poked his ugly mug through the hole after hearing the commotion from his cell down the hall. He knew a jailbreak when he saw one, feeling the need to explore when he saw Gangster Grandpa running away from some ginger kid. 

The heroes froze, especially the kids, sensing they weren't dealing with petty criminals any more - this was the big leagues. 

"What's going on out here?" The villain asked smarmily, stepping through the hole in his orange baby onesie and cap. 

"Toddler! Get back in your crib!" Captain Man ordered, disregarding the pain in his shoulders as he tried to get free, scraping his skin against the broken stone. This was a nightmare of epic proportions; he, Kid Danger, and his sweet girl had spent months - years, even - putting every big name in Swellview behind bars, cleaning up the streets until most of their enemies faced justice. 

But the kids had undone it in one fell swoop. He had to be dreaming.  

"No!" The Toddler snapped, glad to see Captain Man was in a particularly sticky situation and his little wife or whatever was disengaged too. He'd heard about their union or whatever. It made him want to vomit, but nothing was sweeter than knowing the ones who'd put him in jail would watch helplessly as he and all the other prisoners busted out. That would be his wedding gift to them. 

"Come on, everybody! We're free again!"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no---" Ray practically sobbed as he watched the man-baby run off into the night, skipping with joy since there were no silly superheroes around to stop him. And it didn't stop there. 

With the alarm raised, every other villain in the prison bolted for freedom, making the couple thump their fists in frustration as the floodgates of scum opened. And all the kids could do was watch in shame, knowing that while they'd come with good intentions, this was ultimately their fault. 

"Oh, sweet cheese--not him!" (y/n) groaned as she saw a familiarly glitzy face poke around the corner, dolled up and preened to look like a bejewelled peacock. The villain who irked her the most - Frankini. 

"Yay!" He cheered, doing some ballet jumps and lunges.

After checking the coast was clear, he dramatically twirled into the courtyard, loving the smell of the open world as he danced in his heels. She wasn't sure if his outfit was classed as prison attire, featuring a goddamn turban, stripy leggings, and plenty of bling, but she didn't care. He still looked like an over-groomed poodle, which made her heart ache to know he would cause more mischief now he was loose. 

"Frankini! Wait for me!" The lumbering nugget Goomer called after him, traipsing like a lost puppy since he didn't have enough brain cells for independent thought. 

"I can't bee-lieve my luck!" Oh, goodie, Ray thought as The Beekeeper appeared, still as creepy as ever as he snuck through the hole in his protective orange suit. Close behind him was Doctor Minyak, his lanky frame barely fitting through the frame. Still, he made it, looking at his surroundings in shock because it had been a while since Captain Man put him in jail. 

"I still have hope for a win!" He shouted boldly in his fancy accent, thinking that this was a sign; it was his chance to finally beat the superheroes after so many years of defeat, and he disappeared into the night before he had his collar felt. 

"Oh, God..." (y/n) sighed when the next prisoner filtered through, and this one genuinely irritated her. She could perhaps deal with the others - they gave a genuine, worthwhile fight - but this guy was a moron. The dumbest criminal in Swellview. The one person she and Ray hated dealing with because he was so simple - mentally and physically. Jeff Bilsky. 

"My life has purpose again! Yeah!" He exclaimed as he plodded into the spotlight, looking as stupid and dirty as ever in his ancient baseball cap and unwashed uniform. The heroes felt their souls break as they watched him flee, knowing they'd get many more calls once he returned to his life of petty crime. 

"Time to go!" The Timejerker giggled as he followed Jeff, but not before he got another ridiculous, time-related pun in. God, those were annoying, even for the children, who tugged against their restraints and growled - it wasn't any easier for them. 

The flow of villains petered off, but that didn't make it any better. All the criminals Ray cared about - The Toddler, Minyak, stupid Jeff - had made their escapes and were probably dozens of blocks away by now, returning to their hideouts and nooks to plot a million more evil ideas for him to sort out. Perhaps a few more would realise the prison was no longer secure. 

Still, they hardly compared to actual supervillains - the real thorns in Captain Man and Miss Danger's sides, so it was a big well done for Danger Force. They'd really blown things out of the water--the first heroic team to bust bad guys out of jail rather than put them in there. Honestly, they deserved a trophy. 

"You happy?" Ray asked tiredly, mainly looking at Mika since she was the ringleader, but he was disappointed in all of them. He didn't even want to think how long it would take to mop up their mess. 

"Yeah! I got a superpower!" But the girl didn't seem bothered. She was more content with her newfound ability than she and her friends had single-handedly caused the worst crime spike in Swellview history, barely even thinking about the consequences of her uncontrollable super-scream. 

"You just let every criminal out of Swellview Prison!" (y/n) told her harshly, not even bothering to hide her irritation because it hurt--physically hurt--to see the girl smile. Well, she was glad someone was happy, but she could be the one to run around after the crooks when they wreaked mayhem. 

"With my superpower, (y/n/n)!"

"Hey, it's Miss Danger when we're in uniform and another thing--the next time you decide to gatecrash a mission, please don't ignore me when I give you a co--oh, God, what the hell is he wearing?"

(y/n) frowned as she paused Mika's scolding, suddenly distracted when a gaudy flash of glitter and garish colours blinded her poor eyes. Everyone looked at the prison hole in confusion as Frankini dashed through it again, no longer in his uniform but in some kind of dance costume. He looked like some kind of tutti-frutti beanstalk, flicking a ribbon through the air as he twirled across the ground - attention-seeking like always. 

"Weeeee!" He squealed before running off again, but it didn't stop there. He marked the start of the second flood, guiding more prisoners toward the exit with his multicoloured leotard and bizarre dance moves. 

"I started out as a good guy!" Jack Frittleman cackled as he darted out, a sick grin on his face as he rubbed his palms together. It had been too long since he'd attempted to kill Captain Man and his sidekicks in that escape room, and he was hungry for revenge; taking off into the night as two familiar faces appeared behind him. 

"So did we!" (y/n) could barely watch from the shame as The Thumb Buddies did their secret handshake, still hideously deformed after their former heroes left them to die from overexposure to solar radiation.

They seemed in good spirits, but behind their happiness, the heroine saw the madness, feeling deeply uncomfortable as the purple and hairy men jumped and ran, also ready to end the superheroes for ruining their lives. She still had nightmares about those two, wondering if she could've done more to help...

"Hey! I just realised--we ended the crime drought!" Bose exclaimed as the criminals lulled again, giving the group a break from humiliation. Still, it didn't help when the boy reminded everyone of the adults' lies--sounding almost happy like the prison escape was a good thing. 

"Now, you have to let us fight crime!" Chapa told Ray and (y/n), knowing they'd need all the help they could get with so many evil people on the streets. Was that slightly sadistic? Maybe, but she didn't care, loving that they'd ultimately gotten their way, albeit with a minor disaster. 

"Yeah, you're gonna need our help to capture all these bad guys," Miles agreed, deliberately talking into Ray's ear as he grunted. And he used to complain about Jasper - the kid was a genius compared to this lot. 

"We'll probably need, like, a hundred hilarious missions to do it--maybe more!"

"Just when I thought we were done..." (y/n) sighed, knowing her doofus was right. One adventure finished, and another began, meaning her married life wouldn't be boring, which was more than some wives could say. 

Was she hoping for a little more relaxation to settle down? Yeah--but what did she expect? Life hadn't been normal since that fateful afternoon in that café. 

A figure pulled her from her thoughts, shocking her brain with their bright and tacky outfit as they leapt from the prison like a pink and silver leopard. On closer inspection, she realised it was Frankini - again - who'd run around the building just to filter through again, eager to show off his fashion sense to Miss Danger and her new little friends. 

"Are you just going back around and running out over and over again?" Chapa asked as the man shimmied, dancing to the music in his head as the girl tried to work out if she was crazy or just having déjà vu. 

"Check--check!" The glamorous villain ignored her, revealing that his outfit came with a microphone--just what he needed since (y/n) couldn't get enough of his stupid voice... He turned to the moody child with a smug smirk, thinking she could use a few fashion tips - probably from his dear friend Miss Danger, whom he couldn't wait to fight and frolic with again. 

"Sweetie...I smuggled seventy-five outfits into this prison, and you're going to see every last one of them!" He announced, throwing his head back and grinning as the group gulped. They couldn't think of anything worse. 

"Kill me...kill me now..." (y/n) muttered, wishing a lightning bolt would strike her down as Frankini began to dance again, spinning around and around enough to make anyone dizzy despite his bright, white smile. 

She meant it, feeling like someone, somewhere, was punishing her for some great misdeed because if the fashion show wasn't enough, watching every other criminal leaving the prison was like a punch to the gut. 

Never send a child to do your job, (y/l/n)--I mean, Manchester, she thought to herself, still not used to the change but wondering how they'd get out of this or if she'd live long enough to see outfit seventy-five. She glanced at her doofus, knowing he was thinking the same thing, sending his love through a few small gazes, which was comfort enough. 

Their old lives were over; a new one had started, and God, if they weren't exhausted already. It would be an adventure full of peril, tears, and laughter, and who knows how long it would last? The team had a lot of work to do, starting with training a unit fit for battle, but that would keep for another day--another mission. 

They didn't know it yet, but it was the beginning of a new family - the family they got to choose. Ray and (y/n) only had to show them the way, and perhaps, they'd find a few changes along the way - their home ever-expanding. 

It was all written before them; they just had to keep reading the next chapters...

The future was now. The Danger Force had awakened.

[austinsgirl]

Rather Die | Chapter 16

rating: pg-13

warning: talks of pregnancy, language

word count: 2715

cross posted on wattpad

masterlist

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"I can't believe you're leaving me!" Mila says  to Vic as they say their goodbyes.

Victoria is officially moving in with Austin today.

"I know! I wasnt even here that long." Vic replies.

"I know it's what will be easiest for you, Austin, and baby, but I'm sure going to miss you!"

"I'm going to miss you too! But you know I'll be back to visit at least once a week, and you can always come to the house. I'm sure Aus won't mind."

"Aus?"

"Yeah, it's a little nickname I gave him. He likes it."

"Oh." Mila made a suggestive expression.

"Mila, you know it's not like that. I'm with Ash."

"I know, I know. I'm just messin with ya."

Austin comes out of the apartment building with the last of Victoria's stuff. "This is the last of it." he says putting the box into the moving van. "I'll meet you at the house, okay?"

"Perfect. I'll be right behind you." Vic says to him. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. I'll see you soon." she says to Mila, giving her a big hug.

"Of course. I'll see you soon. Bye!"

And with that, they parted ways and Victoria got into her car & went to Austin's place.

Once they were all the house, Austin directed the movers where to put the furniture.

Ashton had met them at the house to help bring in the boxes. Vic was about to grab a box, but Austin stopped her.

"Hey, hey. Me and...Ashton got this. I don't need you picking up any heavy boxes. I told you that at the apartment." he says.

"I can take the lighter boxes with my clothes. I'll be fine." Vic responds.

"No, no. You just go tell the guys where to place your furniture & start unpacking. Don't want you hurting yourself."

"Alright, alright."

Victoria goes in the house and goes upstairs to her new bedroom. A smile forms on her place, seeing Austin painted it the perfect plum color she had picked out with a white trim.

She directed the moving guys to put the bed up against the main wall, her desk in front of the window, her dresser across from her bed with her TV on top, and of course her nightstands on either side of the bed.

Austin & Ash finished bringing in the boxes, and Vic started to unpack with Ashton's help, as Austin was in the kitchen getting lunch made.

"Ash, are you sure you're okay with me moving here with Austin?" Vic asks him.

"Yeah, I told you a hundred times, babe. I'm totally fine with this. I know it's going to be easiest." Ash responds.

"Okay. I just don't want you upset about anything."

"I'm not, I promise."

"Good."

Back in the kitchen, Austin was finishing up lunch, which was caesar salads with grilled chicken that he grilled himself. 

On his way to Victoria's bedroom, he notices a journal sitting on floor.

With a puzzled look on his face, he picks it up and opens it to a page and reads...

"I can't believe how amazing Austin has been. He's so sweet, and kind, and cute, god is he cute. And sexy. I know I haven't known him long, but I think I'm falling in love. Tomorrow is the cast party for the movie and I'm going as his date. I can't fucking wait!"

And the next page read...

"Fuck him, fuck Eliana, fuck the both of them. I cannot believe Austin would hurt me like that, kissing MY best friend when hes been leading me on. And then my BEST FRIEND kissing the guy she KNOWS I like?! Can they can both go to hell."

Victoria's journal must have fallen out of one of her boxes as it was being brought in. Austin gets choked up reading her words. He'll forever hate the way he hurt her. 

He got himself together and entered her room. 

"Hey, I think this is yours. Must have fallen out of one of the boxes." Austin hands the journal to Vic.

"Oh, yeah! Thanks! I was wondering where that went."

"No problem. Lunch is ready whenever you guys are."

"Cool, we'll be out there in a second."

While everyone is sitting at the counter eating lunch, casual conversations take place.

"Babe, when do you leave for Denver, again?" Vic asks Ashton.

Austin rolls his eyes in his mind at her calling him "Babe".

Ash replies, "Next Wednesday, so the day before Thanksgiving."

"That's what I thought. Just wanted to make sure."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I know I can fly, but I just don't want to risk anything. I'll meet your family at Christmas when they fly in."

"Alright. I'm sure they'll understand why. I just know they're glad they won't have to deal with Eliana anymore."

"Was she a pain to your family too?" Austin asks. "She went out once with me with my sister and brother-in-law, and she was even high maintenance then and just didn't know how to act appropriately around my family."

"Oh, yeah." Ashton responds. "She was constantly being picky & couldn't keep her hands off of me, even in front of my grandparents she was getting handsy."

"I swear that girl revolves her life around getting laid." Victoria adds in.

"She definitely does." Ash says.

"Austin, what are your plans for Thanksgiving? Just so I know what to expect." Vic asks him.

"Um, I'm going over to my sisters house. She's been hosting every year since our mom passed." Austin answers.

"Oookay. I guess I'll order take out and have an evening to myself."

"Hey, you're more than welcome to come with me to my sisters. I know she won't mind, plus she's dying to meet the girl who's carrying her niece."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude."

"I'm sure. You have to meet my family at some point anyways."

"Alright, I'll go. Ash, that's okay, right? If I go with Austin & meet his family?"

"Of course, babe. I don't want you to be alone on a holiday, and like Austin said, you have to meet his family at some point, as they're all related to baby girl." Ashton says.

"Okay, then that's settled. It'll be weird not going to Eliana's parents, but it'll be a nice change."

"What was that like?" Austin asks. "Going to her parents."

"It was....interesting. Every time. Her parents are stupid rich, so there was always an elaborate feast, servers serving you to whatever you wanted. They had the best of the best wines and liquors. Her parents either ended up drunkenly fighting over something stupid, or drunkenly sneak off upstairs for a loud quickie. Sometimes her trashy uncle would show up unannounced and cause a scene. The cops were definitely called more than once."

"Damn. Seems like it was fun though."

"Yeah, we'd usually just sit back and enjoy whatever show that was bound to happen. Then the next morning, we'd hit the mall hungover with our Starbucks in hand & do our black Friday shopping, which, we should maybe attempt to do & get some good deals on some baby stuff."

"Uh, yeah. We can try. Might be too hectic for us though, if you know what I mean."

"True. I at least want to look at cribs in person, to see sizes and things."

"For sure. We need to figure out the nursery now that you're moved in."

"And a name."

"I know, I know. I just haven't really thought of any that I like."

A week has gone by. Ashton has been over to the house every night since Vic moved in. Austin has been getting on her last nerve lately. Every day, he's either complained, or has made some kind of remark at something he has said or done. She is currently saying her goodbyes to Ashton as he's about to leave the house before he goes on his trip home for the holiday.

"I really wish I could go with you! I'm going to miss you so much!" she says to Ashton.

"I know, I know. I'll be back before you know it. I love you so much."

"I love you so much, too. I'll see when you get back."

They shared one final kiss before saying goodbye & he was off.

Austin huffed as she walks into the kitchen as he's cleaning up.

"Austin, seriously. Why do you have such a problem with Ashton?! I swear you find something to new to scoff at every day." Vic says.

"Why do I have such a problem with him?!" Austin raises his voice and tosses a dish into the sink. "He still isn't here for you like he said he would be is the main thing, and then he comes in here and just makes a fucking mess of himself, leaves beer bottles hanging on the coffee table, doesn't clean up after the food he eats so much of when he's here -

Victoria cuts him off. "Oh, he does not! And he's our guest, I don't care if he leaves bottles around! I don't mind taking care of them! And you know, he really doesn't have to be around for every fucking appointment, he's not the father. You are. Am I disappointed that he isn't around for all these moments like he said he would be?! Yeah! But what really fucking matters is that you are, because you are the father of OUR daughter! And I am THANKFUL that you have gone above & beyond for us. Letting me live with you, taking us to our appointments, doing all the work in the nursery, buying our groceries, getting me whatever I may need. I just need you to focus on all of that and keep being the amazing man & soon to be father, that you are, Austin. Stop worrying about Ashton. If anyone should be worrying about him, it's me."

"You know, even if I wasn't the father, and it was his, I would still be doing so much for you. I would get you anything you need, take you anywhere you needed to go. I would step up if I had too."

"Why? Why would you do that, when you wouldn't even be my boyfriend?"

"Because..."

"Because why, Austin?"

"Because I love you, okay?! I fucking love you, Victoria & I have ever since we hooked up in my trailer!"

Victoria stood there in shock, and in a slight panic.

"Austin, what are you saying right now? You can't just tell me you love me when I'm with -

Austin cuts her off and kisses her.

Victoria gives in for a moment before pulling away.

"No, Austin! You can't fucking do this! You can't just kiss me & think it's going to do anything! I am with Ashton, I love him." she tells him with tears streaming down her face. "I have to go."

Victoria grabs her car keys and purse off the counter and starts heading towards the front door.

"Vic, where are you going?!" Austin follows her.

"DON'T follow me. I'm just going to Mila's. I'll be back later. Don't wait up."

Victoria walks out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

She gets in her car & immediately sobs, having a panic attack.

Once she's able to calm herself, she drives herself over to Mila's.

"Please be home, please be home." she says to herself, crying, as she knocks on Mila's door.

"Hey babe, what's up?" Mila asks as she sees who's at her door.

Vic immediately pulls her into a hug and just sobs into her shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong? Let's come inside." Mila says, pulling away from the hug.

They sit on the couch. Victoria takes a deep breath and pushes her hair back, preparing herself to speak.

"Austin & I..got into it about Ashton a little. I asked him why he's been such a dick about Ash lately, and he's complaining about him still not being there for shit, and leaving bottles laying around, and I told him he shouldn't need to worry about him because Ash isn't the father, he is. Like I truly do not care if Ash can't make it to everything, you know? I care if Austin does, because it's his baby. And then Aus was all like, even if it wasn't mine, I would still step in to help if I had to and he said he would because he...he.." Vic starts crying even more. "He loves me...a-and then he...he k-kissed me. And I liked it and I didn't want to like it. And now my feelings are all over the fucking place."

"Oh my god. He loves you? And he kissed you?!" Mila responds.

"Yeah. Now my heart is like "Fuck, I think I still have feelings for Austin" but I love Ashton so much. I don't know what to do."

"I think you need to set boundaries with Austin as soon as you get home, and explain to him that you don't feel the same way because you love Ash."

"But what if I do feel the same way?"

"You'll find out when those feelings you're feeling now go away or stick around. But right now, I think that's what you have to do."

"Okay. I'll talk to him when I get home. Is it cool if I just hang out with you for awhile?"

"Of course. Have you had dinner?"

"No. Austin ate without me since I was with Ashton. I was going to eat after Ash left, but then all that happened."

"I haven't had dinner yet, so want to order from our favorite Chinese place and watch some reality TV?"

"Yes please. Can we watch America's Next Top Model? I think we we're getting to a good season."

"We can definitely watch that."

After pigging out on some greasy Chinese take out & judging some reality TV models for a few hours, it was almost midnight.

"I should get going. I feel like if I don't, Austin's going to come looking for me." Vic speaks up after their current episode ended.

"Alright. You know where to find me if you need me." Mila says

"I know. I appreciate you so much. Thanks for letting me chill here with you after all that."

"Of course, babe. Anytime. Let me know when you're home." 

"I will."

The girls hug and say their goodbyes.

Victoria gets home quarter after. She finds Austin sitting in the living room watching The Office.

"Hey..." she says to him, sitting in the chair next to the couch. "I told you, you didn't have to wait up."

"I know. But I wanted to. I wanted to make sure you came home alright." he says. "Look, I'm -

Vic cuts him off, "Hold on. I need to let Mila know I made it home okay."

She pulls out her phone and sends a quick text to Mila.

Before Austin could say anything, Vic speaks up. 

"Listen, Aus. What you said, and what you did, was really uncalled for. I'm glad you told me how you feel, but I wish it would have been in a better situation. And I'm sorry, but I just don't feel the same way. I'm with Ashton, and I love him very much. I really hope you can understand that & be okay with it."

"I'm sorry I just blurted it out like that and kissed you." Austin said. "I really didn't think before speaking or doing. I'm sure you can tell by now; I easily get caught up in the moment. It's how we made that baby." he chuckles. "But I will do my best to respect your relationship with Ashton. Please have a talk with him though. I mean, he was here every day and didn't do a single thing to clean up after himself."

"I'll talk to him, no problem. And thank you for understanding. I, uh - I'm gonna go sleep now. So, good night."

"Good night, Vic. Still good to go with me tomorrow? We'll leave around 3:30."

"Yeah, still good."

Austin sighs thinking about tomorrow. He just knows having her around his family will make his feelings for her even stronger than they already are.

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

[briannaswords]

snippet from something I've been working on (I'm trying to physically pull myself from the writer's block hehe)

Eliza’s tired.

Oh my lord, she’s so bloody exhausted. She’s been exhausted since this morning, when she walked to her locker and couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was staring at her, when Addy ran up to her and showed her that stupid post and Eliza just froze because no, no, no this couldn’t be happening, not again, please no, when Eliza bolted into the reception and called Madison because she made the mistake of trying to get through the entire day last time and had failed, just like she’d failed once again to keep this a secret. This, being the one thing that no one seems to tolerate, this being the thing that made her family change churches, this being the thing that made all the friends she thought she had at her last school turn away, this being the thing that ensures she will always be an outcast, she can and will never be accepted and she knew this to some extent because she’s a Black girl, she’ll always be in the minority but this makes her a minority among the people she’s supposed to build a community with.

This, being something as simple and stupid as liking girls. That’s it. 

But, now that she’s thinking about it, Eliza’s been exhausted for a long time now. She’s been exhausted since half-term, when she returned to her last school a day before everyone else to scrape off the last bits of her identity left from the explosion of that first whisper that spread and spread and spread until all Eliza could see was rubble. She’s been exhausted since Year Ten, sitting through the discussions of gay marriage, listening to people debate against it as if marriage is a privilege, something that can be given and taken away instead of a basic human right (Article 12: Men and women of a marriageable age shall have the right to marry and to found a family—Eliza looked it up and cited it, fuming, in her end of year essay). She took Religious Studies because she thought it would be beautiful, thought it would be a way to better understand other religions and through those humanity as a whole. Instead, she broke the nib of her pen when writing her essay in fury, she cried herself to sleep, she looked around her classroom and was dumbfounded by how ready people were to disguise their own prejudices as religious beliefs, to use God as an excuse to continue oppressing minorities. She’s been exhausted since Year Nine, when she came out to her parents with shaking hands, how she almost cried with relief when they folded her into a tight hug, how she hated how surprised she was that they accepted her as if they weren’t the same arms that cradled her when she took her first breaths. She’s been exhausted since Year Eight, when she realised that if she was to see herself in a character on a TV show it was more likely to be the sassy black best friend with no real storyline which was somehow more demeaning than having no representation at all. She’s been exhausted since primary school, when she first realised that being Black made her Other in a way her friends weren’t, when she brought her best friends Lindsey and Nicole home for the first (and only) time and watched as they whispered about the boiled yam Mum cooked, refused to eat anything and complained about how hungry they were until they left.

But today, Eliza is even more exhausted. She almost fell asleep in Madison’s car and the afternoon was spent trying to figure out what the hell they’re going to do this time because Eliza sure as hell isn’t (and can’t) move schools weeks before her GCSEs.

But also because this time, Eliza’s bringing someone else down with her. Mila.

@dancinginsepia @the-world-is-a-poem

[khaleesiofalicante]

okay let's continue from where I left off

ah yes. max knows mth. I'm hungry

this is fun

oh yeah, he's causing earthquakes.

“He is a man,” Catarina corrected. “He is not some clueless boy. He is a dangerous man. A man who is playing with a power he doesn’t understand.” !!!!!

oof yeah times were messed up

malec>>>>

Look at him sleep so sweetly. As if he hadn’t been causing earthquakes in the Baltic Ocean an hour ago. LMAOOO

RAFE????

MARCUS DIED???????????? YEEEEEEEEEEEE

OH SO NOW YOU BELIEVE HIM??

Gigi :((

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MILA I WILL JUMP FROM A WINDOW

GO GIGI!!!

Why is this SAD

Rafael was supposed to gain someone. But instead of that, he had lost many. I will die

He totally would omg

magnus and rafael>>>

“Every time I look at you, I don’t remember loss. I remember the love I had for that boy, infuriating as he was, I remember the love. That’s why we name our children after people we’ve lost. Because we’ve loved them enough to want to remember them.” HI HELLO THEM

i love this so much

They’ll remember him. Not because he was immortal. But because he was Magnus Bane. fuck yeah

oh no it's mal...

i want biryani

Mallory wanted to die in Max’s arms. She would love that. FORESHADOWING?????????

what is this weird shit?

they did not kill him he did that to himself :)

Hunter I will stab you

mallory you stupid motherfucker necromancy doesn't work

oh my god she is fucked up

I need to pack for tomorrow what the fuck

MALLORY TOUCH IT TOUCH IT TOUCH IT PLEASE

well. WELL.

i need to be stabbed

one more chapter then I prepare for tomorrow

love the David card

what the fuck

OH MY GOD OH MY FUCKING GOD-

Malcolm fuck you buddy

Magnus didn’t know for sure. It was definitely possible. Selena had found out that Hunter Devlin had a nephilim father. Now it turned out Claire Devlin used magic to become fertile. It was no wonder Marcus' sight was so much stronger than other children's. It was no wonder he felt a deep connection to the shadow world. AHHHH

STOP FUCKING PROTECTING HIM

claire...sigh

Idris was in grave danger and there were psychopaths who were trying to destroy their race and people still decided to hold onto petty differences and nonsensical grudges. People stupid

Kyle die

sighs. KYLE DIE

HUH HUH HUH

what the fuck is wrong with them

she is...green?

okay then

DAVID I NEED TO HUG

“I willingly chose to be blind,” Jackson reminded him. “You didn’t have a choice. It always hurts more when you lose something unwillingly.” THIS

okay I just got some news and now I am crying a little because there's a relationship I'm in and I always give more than I receive and I don't want to do this shit anymore I am tired. wait I need to gather myself enough to continue.

okay hi I am back after a crying session thank god for my best friend

David rights in this household only

“You lost your memories,” Jackson said. “You haven’t lost your love. You haven’t lost your Max.” give me that sweet amnesia au

WE WILL BRING THEM BACK EVEN IF IT MEANS TIME TRAVEL

Max loves you so much and he'd do it all over again

I want chocolate croissants

This is making me sad

David CANT FUCKING REMEMBER JUST KILL ME

leviathan if you're not here to fix all our problems leave

WHAT PET PROJECT??

Merlin? OTHER MAX??

i honestly don't even remember what other max is

“Try going back in time!” Leviathan yelled back. he has a point

Mallory I will kill you

LESLIE THEY'RE GONNA GO AFTER HER

MALLORY WHAT THE FUCK

she killed him, didn't she?

what the fuck they're all crazy

okay good night will continue later

OMG THESE REACTIONS KILLED ME. Also I had biriyani for lunch today so idk if you manifested it but thanks 😎

I hope you’re okay. Relationships are shit, bro. Remember you’re a queen 😘

Also I think you’d like this 😍😍😍

[famefckr]

❝    your    opinion    is    important.    it    might    not    be    the    ultimate    deciding    factor,    but    you    know    that    boy    adores    you,    right?    he'd    listen    to    your    concerns.    and    i    know    he'll    be    happy    to    know    we're    gonna    have    no    trouble    getting    along.    ❞    mila    loved    that    quinn    was    so    family-oriented.    that    was    one    thing    that    made    her    love    him    even    more.    he    was    a    good    man,    and    that    showed    in    every    aspect    of    his    life.    she    loved    him.    ❝    i    think    it's    a    holdover    from    before,    me    wanting    to    have    always    been    into    this    or    that    because    i    was    so    used    to    vying    for    people's    attention    back    then.    impressing    them    by    a    past    knowledge    we    could    connect    on.    i'm    unlearning    that    when    it    comes    to    quinn,    and    with    a    lot    of    other    types    of    relationships    in    my    life,    but...    it's    still    a    struggle    sometimes.    so,    i'm    really    glad    your    family    likes    me.    makes    it    easier,    i    think.    takes    a    lot    of    the    pressure    off.    and    i    think    everyone    will    love    daisy,    too.    i    sure    do.    ❞    she's    so    happy    with    quinn,    and    it    makes    her    happier    to    be    so    welcomed    by    his    family.    it    felt    good    that    they    had    also    said    her    twin    was    welcome,    too.    

at    sterling's    words,    the    tears    start    to    well    in    mila's    eyes    again,    and    she's    up    from    her    seat    immediately,    meeting    her    around    the    island    and    wrapping    her    arms    around    the    older    girl.    ❝    that    movie    is    one    of    the    best    things    that    ever    happened    to    me.    i    got    to    meet    quinn    because    of    it.    gosh,    we    got    distracted    talking    that    day    and    didn't    realize    i'd    been    gone    for    nearly    half    an    hour.    tearing    myself    away    to    go    back    to    his    coach    and    the    team's    owner    was    so    hard.    i    can't    believe    how    that    day    changed    so    much.    and    now    i    get    to    know    you,    too.    ❞    she    says    sweetly,    her    head    instantly    going    to ��  rest    on    sterling's    shoulder.    ❝    welcome    to    your    first    sister    hug.    ❞    words    are    said    softly,    but    with    so    much    love    and    care    fused    to    them.    sterling's    words    are    so    sweet    and    they    make    mila    feel    that    much    better    already.    she's    never    had    an    older    sister    before    and    it    feels    good.    ❝    that    makes    sense.    i've    never    been    without    my    sister    and    i    can't    imagine    what    life    would    be    like    without    her.    but    if    that's    all    you    knew,    i    can    see    how    the    reverse    would    be    so    weird    to    navigate.    especially    with    your    age    gap.    ❞    she    smiles    when    sterling    says    she    deserves    to    be    treated    well.    she    had    stopped    believe    that    for    a    long    time,    but    lately,    she    knew    it    was    true.    ❝    he's    the    best,    actually.    the    best    of    the    best.    he's    a    really    good    man    and    i'm    the    luckiest    girl    in    the    world    to    get    to    be    on    the    receiving    end    of    his    love.    ❞

    ❝    i know he doesn't like to talk shit, but- you wouldn't be wrong in assuming as much. my parents adored her, but- i definitely don't think her intentions were pure. again- it's not like my opinion matters that much. it's his relationship, but... sweet girl- just- not necessarily what i wanted for my brother.    ❞    she laughs at mila's confession.    ❝    that's not something you need to be embarrassed about. honestly it was always my dad's thing with him, so- i could take it or leave it without my brother. not that i'm not happy to go watch him play, especially when it's important to him, but- besides him playing... nothing really makes me want to go.    ❞    she shakes her head though, brushing it off.    ❝    you really are so sweet. my family definitely does like you- don't worry. quinn adores you. and the fact you want to be a part of the family does a lot for you, too. i'm excited to meet your twin sister, she sounds wonderful. and i'm sure she will be if she's anything like you.    ❞    

    ❝    do you want a hug? i think i want to give you a hug. you should be proud of yourself. i'm proud of you and we don't even know each other that well yet. and how amazing- that you met your boyfriend who's not in your industry because of a movie you never would've taken an audition for...    ❞    and well- sterling's holding her arms out, going around the kitchen island to hug the younger girl tight.    ❝    i don't think i thought it was weird- to be an only child. but that's because it was my life for a long time. plenty of my classmates didn't have siblings. but then quinn was born- and at that time it was almost weirder not to be an only child.    ❞    hearing what mila talks about, she understands the place she's coming from. not wanting to hurt other people with her own issues, things she doesn't even want a part of anymore especially, but... she sticks with the one thing. it's what she's always dreamed of to be treated so well.    ❝    you should be treated well. lots of men suck, i know, but- there are good ones out there or so i've heard. and i know my brother is one. and that is what you deserve.    ❞    

[lorenzobane]

Torturous Comedy

(Also on AO3 Here)

(Disclaimer: I am not a comedian, but I tried my best.)

Garak never could have predicted the line of work his precocious daughter would have gone into. She had been a sharp writer, an artist, and a bit of a loner all through her schooling (a fact, Garak knew, Julian blamed himself for, concerned it was the xenophobic sentiment on Cardassia that kept their lovely daughter from gaining friends on the planet).

Privately, Garak thinks it had more to do with his daughter's alarming sense of humor. A mixture of Julian's tart sarcasm, and Garak's love of theatricality, Mila often says things that were just so slightly off-color.

Still- a comedian. The first Cardassian Comedian. And to make matters much, much worse, she was actually funny.

True, much of his comedy was based on her parents, but certainly, who could blame her? Garak thinks fatalistically. A tailor and a spy as one father and a super-doctor as the other, Mila certainly had her reasons for psychological trauma.

Julian, he knows, handles the state of affairs by being relentlessly supportive. He sends Mila dozens of leading publications on attracting larger crowds at venues (a facet of his personality that translates on stage to a neurotically protective parent). He attempts to go to as many shows as his busy schedule reasonably accommodates. When news outlets reach out to ask him for comment, he only ever utters glowing praise of his "brilliant daughter," who is so "tremendously clever and funny."

But in the privacy of their home, Julian will badger Garak relentlessly on the apparent psychological damage they dealt their child.

Garak is often quick to point out that any errors they made along the way are too long in the past to be corrected. At least Mila can use her childhood trauma for creative gain.

And, she does still speak to them. She calls regularly, she still tells them about her life, she is still their daughter.

Still- he could do without:

"So, you think your parents are bad?" Mila says, asking the audience, who cheers slightly.

"My parents are... what's a polite way to say it? Sexually active? Fucking like bunnies? Do you know how shitty it is to be in your twenties and know that your parents are fucking more than you?"

The audience laughs while she continues, "and of course, it doesn't help that my human father cannot help but discuss his storied youth" here, she drops into an uncanny impression of Julian's accent. "Oh darling, when I was your age, I used to have these incredible threesomes with my Vulcan roommate and an Orion. But so lovely to hear that you had a nice date with Simon, my human boyfriend and civilian geologist. We're getting married in the spring."

The audience laughs and cheers in congratulations.

"I'm the nerd in the family. My parents fuck and commit treason, and I'm stuck doing math homework and going to bed every night at nine. I could tell them about the party drugs I did last night, and they say, "make sure you always have a phaser."

The audience laughs.

"What's worse is I think they're being serious!" She takes a swig of water.

The show continues, the audience laughing and cheering appropriately when Garak appears in his daughter's dressing room. He knows she hadn't been aware he was in the audience, and she certainly hadn't been aware that Garak had her private security key, but if she didn't realize these facts by now, he had raised an idiot.

"Yadik," Mila says, barely reacting despite her apparent surprise. Garak smiles proudly.

"The audience liked you," Garak says.

"You've never come to a show before," she says. And this is true. Garak had only ever heard about her performances second-hand from Julian.

Garak quarks an eyebrow ridge instead, "are you quite certain of that, young lady?"

Mila laughs slightly under her breath, turns, and hugs him. "It is good to see you, Yadik."

"Your father is concerned," Garak replies lightly.

"Dad is always concerned," she says with a rolled eye.

Garak gives her a stern look, "Mila."

"Sorry," she says, looking contrite.

Garak was fanatical about the language she used to describe her parents in person. Garak privately wonders how much she realizes this is to protect Julian, who faced such constant disrespect on Cardassia despite his overwhelming value and brilliance. Garak guesses she's more aware than he wishes she were.

"You have a good stage presence," he says instead.

"Thank you," she says and then hesitates before continuing with, "you don't like what I do, do you?"

"It is not in my nature," Garak starts, cautiously, "to want details of my private family life, no matter how exaggerated, to be shared publicly. However, I know you are passionate about this. And talented at it. And I am, despite my misgivings, glad to see you so in your element. I suppose it is not so terribly different from my work in the Obsidian Order."

"Oh?" she says archly, looking so much like Julian with the twinkle in her eye. "Pray tell, how? How exactly is comedy at all like torture?"

"Well, of course, both comedy and torture are about manipulation. The precise choice of words and actions at the right moment. I suppose, in the end, you took much more after me than either of us ever could have anticipated."

She looks at him in disbelief for a few moments longer before breaking down into hysterical laughter. "At least I know I'll never run out of material."

Garak smiles fondly, gazing at the young woman in front of him. Clever, brave, independent, and fiercely affectionate. He thinks about how she looked on stage, sparkling in the stage lights.

He hadn't been expecting to like his grown-up daughter this much. Love? Certainly. But she had grown into such an interesting and dynamic young lady that he thinks even if he didn't raise her, he would have wanted to know her.

And then he thinks, quite unbidden, that he and Julian really did a wonderful job.

He shakes his head slightly and says, "I am in town overnight, and- if you are willing to spare a few moments away from your party drugs- I would love to take you to dinner."

She smiles brilliantly. "I would love that."

"Wonderful. I cannot wait to hear more of your impression of your dad. You really have quite captured his intonation, and I do so miss him. He's been in the gamma quadrant for three weeks now."

She laughs slightly again. "I can always use the practice"

He lets her guide them out of their changing room and feels, deep in his core, despite how different she was than anything he had imagined, deeply proud of the woman leading him.

[cherryxcadbury]

Chocolate Wars-Christian Pulisic

hey all! Welcome back to this Christian pulisic imagine! Literally love him sm and I tried to make this vv cute and fluffy!

Context: It's both yours and your boyfriend's day off, and you two have decided to compare American and British treats. More specifically Hershey's and Cadbury. Fighting ensues especially because he's from Hershey Pennsylvania

Your name: Camila Lopez

First person POV

I took a bite of the chocolate bar and let the minuscule broken pieces touch my tongue. Two seconds was more than enough time for that wretched chocolate to be in my mouth. I immediately spit it out.

"Babe! What are you doing?" Christian groaned.

I shook my head, "That thing is absolutely disgusting. How you guys call that chocolate is pathetic."

I examined the wrapper and looked at it disapprovingly.

"You're out of your mind Camila. Hershey's is a staple. The best chocolate in the world!" Christian defended.

"Clearly you have low standards then." I mused.

I rolled my eyes at his shocked look and picked up a package next to me.

"Here try this." I commanded, giving him a package of the original dairy milk chocolate bar.

Christian pushed away the package and shot it a dirty look.

"I could never put that into my mouth."

"Christian! You've been in London for like two years and you still refuse to eat Cadbury!" I exclaimed.

"I can't! It'd be like cheating on Hershey. I refuse to be unfaithful." He reasoned.

"I'm dating a god damn five year old." I mumbled to myself, astounded but not really surprised at his actions.

Christian just shrugged his shoulders and tried to escape to go play fortnite.

"No! Sit back down! We're doing this! We've been dating for almost a year, we need to get past this!" I commanded.

I was an English girl, he was American. I was a die hard Fulham supporter, he was a Chelsea player. I made him kind of like Fulham, he made me wear a Chelsea jersey that happened to be his.

"Yeah sure. We'll be able to get past it once you realise Hershey's is superior to any Cadbury product." He replied nonchalantly.

"You've clearly lost your mind." I groaned.

"Okay Christian. I had the Hershey's now you have to try the Cadbury. Otherwise I will throw out every Hershey product in this house. It's as simple as that."

When Christian heard his beloved Hershey's being threatened, he gulped with nervousness.

"Fine." He gave in.

"Yay!" I jumped up and down cheering.

I opened the package for him and broke off a small piece for him so he wouldn't over react like I did.

He rolled his eyes and cautiously plopped the piece into his mouth.

I patiently waited to get his feedback on the dearly beloved chocolate.

"Y'know, it actually doesn't suck." He concluded.

A huge smile worked it's way into my face as I jumped up to hug him. He smiled softly, hugging me back, his hands clinched around my waist, my arms around his neck. Christian placed a small kiss on my forehead to which I smiled at.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, "What do you wanna do Mila?"

"Anything but fortnite." I murmured.

"I'll never understand why you don't like that game babe. Especially when I'm goated at it." Christian answered.

"You're probably good at it because you're playing a bunch of twelve year olds." I snickered.

"Way harsh Camila." He feigned hurt.

"The truth hurts Christian." I smirked.

"You wanna go to bed?" He suggested.

I raised my eyebrows, "It's 6pm."

"And..." Christian started.

"Good point." I agreed.

Just as I was about to start walking to the room, I felt Christian hoist me over his shoulder and carry me there himself. I was so startled that I was squealing the whole way there. Finally, I felt relief when he put me down.

"That was terrifying. And you're not even that tall." I breathed.

Christian smirked at my terrified appearance, "Karma's a bitch."

"What'd I even do to get karma in the first place?" I sighed.

Christian just shrugged his shoulders before getting in bed with me. We ended that night by cuddling and just staying in each other's arms the whole night.

***

@camila_lopezz

Liked by @cmpulisic10, @gioareyna, @reecejames24 and 3,648 others

@camila_lopezz: He's just sad bc he's realised Cadbury>Hershey

Tagged: @cmpulisic10

Comments:

@cmpulisc10: jokes on you because Finley agrees with me🥰

↳@camila_lopezz: dogs can't eat chocolate you twat. still ily though💞

@gioareyna: ayo favourite couple check😍😍

↳@camila_lopezz: ayo favourite usmnt player checkkkk😘

↳@masonmountt: I better be your favourite England player then @camila_lopezz

↳@tammyabraham: if it's not me, then we gonna have some problems😬 @camila_lopezz

↳@sanchooo10: wait Mila it's me innit? 🥲@camila_lopezz

@camila_lopezz: I hate to break it to y'all but reece is my fave💗💗

↳@reecejames24: YES MA'AM😁

@west.mckennie: wow 😍😍 @cmpulisic10

↳@cmpulisic10: thanks Wes. Love you bro😘😜

↳@camila_lopezz: even through a phone screen I'm third wheeling✋

[heecyon]

Enhypen Little Angels Series: A Small Friend

warnings: grammar mistakes (as always lol)

this was supposed to be posted two weeks ago. I'm sorry for the delay

word count: 1,612

Lee Heeseung:

The small family entered the pet shop, making the bell in the door go'ding' as they passed by. The cashier greeted them as Seojoon ran to see all the pets in the place.

“Papa! Look how adorable they are!” Joonie exclaimed and then Heeseung went to his side to check out all the things his kid was so excited about.

“Do you like this one, Joonie?” Heeseung pointed out a small yorkie terrier in front of him.

“Or what about this one?” Mina pointed out a small Maltese puppy.

The couple noticed that their son wouldn't respond to their questions. “Joonie?”

They got closed to their son who was happily seeing a beautiful dark brown coat ferret.

“Mommy, Papa... He's really cute.” He said putting his hand inside the environment the ferret was in and passed his hand through it's soft hair.

“How do you know it's a he?”

“I can tell.” Seojoon was hypnotized by the small ferret, it was like he had found a new friend.

Heeseung went to the cashier and asked for all the procedures to adopt the small cutie.

“What are you going to name him buddy?” Heeseung played with Joon's hair.

“Kirby!”

They both looked at him at him cutely.

“Kirby? Where did you get that name?” Mina laughed a little.

“I dunno? I just thought it was cute.”

Park Jongseong

The sound of the front door opening and closing caught the attention of both Bella and Mila. The little girl ran to the the living room seeing her father putting his backpack down on the floor.

“Papa!” She ran to hug Jay with a wide smile, then he carried her in his hip.

“Hi baby! Did you miss me? How was school?” He said kissing Mila's cheeks.

“It was good, mommy and I baked brownies after school and they are delicious!” She said kissing two of her fingers which made Jay laugh.

“I'm pretty sure you were a good cook today, so I brought you a gift.” With his free hand he grabbed a small gift box with a white covering and a gold coloured ribbon.

“Hi love, what's that?”

Jay placed Mila down ontu the floor, and then grabbed a bouquet of peonies handing it to Bella, making her smile.

“Tell me we didn't forget an special occasion?”

“Nope, I'm just spoiling my princess and my queen. Do you want to open your gift, angel?” Mills nodded excitedly opening her gift just to find a cute baby pomeranian in the box inside the box.

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She looked at her father with happiness and took the puppy in her hands.

“Papa he's adorable! Thank you!” Mills embraced the puppy in a delicate way.

“What are you going to name him?” Jay said as he saw the glow in his daughter's face.

“I'll call him... Prince!” She gave the puppy a kiss on his head.

“Why Prince?”

“Because if you are a king, mommy is a queen and I'm a beautiful princess, then his a handsome prince.” Bella and Jay smiled widely.

Shim Jaeyun

“There are so many puppies!”

Jacob exclaimed as the newborn puppies layed close to Layla, getting comforted by her fur.

“Can we keep them all?” He looked at Jake with his cute puppy eyes and pouted cutely to convince his father.

Jake got on his knees and played with his son's hair.

“Well, we promised Beomgyu and Yeonjun to give them some puppies, we also promised your mommy's sister to give her a puppy too, so we can only keep one.”

“Aw!”

“Don't be sad kiddo, they are all going to have a beautiful home with a loving family.” Jake kept playing with Jacob's hair.

“But I want to keep them all for myself.” The little boy pouted, and a few tears threatened to spill down his cheeks.

Jake looked at Layla and her puppies and smiled before looking down at his son who was a sad mess.

“What if you pick one puppy now and name them? Wouldn't you like that?”

“Yeah, I like that...” Jacob putted his knees on the floor and looked at all the puppies, before choosing one.

A little female puppy with a darker fur than the others.

“I'll call her Hazel, and know she'll be my best friend.”

“If Jin Ae could hear you right now... she would be hella mad at you.”

Park Sunghoon

Jin Ae was playing on the backyard, making a small picnic with her dolls, she had a pink dress on and a tiara on top of her head. She served some “tea” in one of her dolls cup, before she saw across her vision something around the flowers that her mother cultivated.

“Is there a dragon around here? You can come out, I don't bite.” She got up and ran to the flowers, and to her surprise she found the most precious bunny she had ever seen in her whole three years of life.

“Gosh, you are so cute. I'm going to call you Gyeoul.” She ran back inside her house withthe biggest smile in her face.

She grabbed on of dolls dresses and put in on the bunny.

“You are mine, you are all mine.” She said just as Sunghoon was walking down the stairs, he frowned at the sudden sight. Why was his daughter hugging a bunny dressed as a princess?

“Jin Ae? What are you doing with a rabbit inside the house? And why is it dressed like a princess combined with a pop star?”

“I found him daddy, he's name is Gyeoul. And his all mine!” Well, that was questionable. But her cute little puppy eyes were manipulating him somehow, she looked so happy with the bunny, Sunghoon didn't want to destroy his daughter's happiness.

“You know that you have to ask for permission to have a pet, but... If you are happy with him...” She squealed and jumped around Sunghoon like the cute little human being she was.

“Thank you daddy.”

“No problem darling. How could I say no to you and your cuteness?”

Kim Sunoo

What was going on today on the Kim's household? Well... The twins had gotten their first pets.

Hotteok and Keikeu, a pair of hamsters.

“Appa, I think we lost Keikeu!” Young-Jae entered the couples room, where Aera was fast asleep from a hard day of work and Sunoo was drying his hair.

“No way! Those hamsters haven't even been here for three hours!”

The twins were organised, but at the same time they could be very forgetful and clumsy, so it kinda made sense that they lost one of the hamsters.

“We're sorry appa, we should have been more careful.” Young-hee said with teary eyes, also making her brother spill a few tears.

“Oh, no, no! My babies, please don't cry! I don't like seeing you cry. We'll find Keikeu together, so don't worry.” He dried Young-Jae's tears and then patted Young-hee's back to calm them down.

“Appa, isn't that Keikeu?” Young-hee got up and reached the hamster, before giving it a small hug.

Sunoo could only sigh relief... But

“Appa, I can't find Hotteok!”

Holy Fu-

Yang Jungwon

Let's say that Seung-hye found a siamese kitten in the park without a collar. It was a stray kitten.

She had her favourite blue backpack with her, so she grabbed the cat quickly without Jungwon noticing it.

“Seung-hye, it's getting late, we have to go.”

The girl grabbed her dad's hand as they both followed to the car.

Jungwon buckled Seung-hye's car seat, and then he finally drove home. They were both humming to some music on the radio, when all of the sudden.

“Meow!”

Did he just heard a cat inside the car?

“Meow!

Yep, he definitely did!

“Seung-hye? Did I hear a cat just meow?” Jungwon frowned, looking a the little one with the mirror.

“No”

Hm... Suspicious. Way to suspicious!

“Can you pass me your backpack, please?” He said grabbing the backpack from the backseat.

“No! There's rocks in there!”

“Yang Seung-hye.” He repeated with his voice sounding lower that usual.

“Ok. There's a cat in there, but he was all lonely and he couldn't be alone.”

When they got home, Jungwon continued to grab the backpack, while Seung-hye kept following around, begging him to not take him away from her.

“Appa, please don't take Holang away from me, we have to stay together!”

Good news! They kept the cat in the end.

Nishimura Riki

There was a sneeze, after sneeze, after sneeze. Maybe baby Hinata was allergic to fur, but they never truly realized it. She was always playing around with Bisco, and now that they got a new dog, she just started having allergies out of nowhere.

“Do you think we have to take her to the hospital?” Niki asked Mei, he was really worried after all, Hinata never had an allergic reaction before.

“Noooo, I don't like hospitals.” She protested, as any child, she did not like hospitals at all, they were really scary for her to be around.

Even though her parent told her not to, she kept playing with her new pet Coco, for her she was the representation of cuteness and happiness all at once.

“Hinata, I told you not to play with-” Niki noticed a few feathers on Hinata's pig tails. That was it, she was allergic to feather, not the dog.

“Wait baby, please don't move.” He said pulling out some feather and hairs at the same time.

“Ouch, you are ruining my hairstyle, silly!”

After that Hinata wasn't going to let Niki touch her hair ever again. And Coco got all the cuddles of the world that night.

[hyperforcereignition]

AAHHH THIS IS SO SWEEET!!! Alright, I gotta do a reply cause this is too cute and I love it!!!

Mila would initially be shocked meeting Eki, after being thrown from her Shuggazoom into this new reality, but would quickly go into "big sis" mode, when it's revealed who she is.

"So... In this universe, Ichi's got a different family and your his sister?"

"Well, he is definitely a lucky kid then, to have someone who loves him so much in this world too."

And then she'd give Eki a hair ruffle and a hug, before asking her about herself, as the girls would start to talk about their worlds and how different things are.

Discussing the events of Chapter 11 of ReIgnition, Mila would definitely not hesitate to show how she felt about it.

"Yeah, Antauri did hit me with his monkey mind scream attack. He didn't mean to hit me, he genuinely thought he had a clear shot... but that Skull Witch plays dirty y'know? She used me as a human shield. He felt AWFUL about it and I think my Antauri still feels bad about it... I mean, I'm not mad about it, hard to be mad when he was helping save my life... but it hurt. Thankfully I didn't get too roughed up from that one. Believe it or not most of my wounds came from when I got attacked by Valina and her cronies."

She would reassure Eki, that despite that, she didn't resent Antauri for it. They have their differences their still working through, but it had nothing to do with that fight.

"He's strong and he was doing his best. At the end of the day, I wasn't being held hostage by a lady who worships the evil skeleton in the sky sooo yeah." She laughs a bit.

"Awww who's this cutie-pie!?"

She would be curious about Skyper for sure and since Mila has a soft spot for kids, as a whole she would want to scoop up Skyper into a hug and give him a little cuddle too. "Awww!!! What a sweetie, I just wanna take you home!"

"Heh... Honestly, your right Sweetie. I do work way too hard, but I like my work. Working with my plants, it's like meditation. I love nurturing them, seeing them grow... I love working with my NICE clients and making the best arrangements for their events. Probably one of my favorite moments is seeing a bride starting to cry from how happy she was with how her bouquet turned out. Or when I made corsages for the dance at Chiro's old school and all the girls had them matching their dresses.... Although, doing the harder installations is murder on my back..."

Mila would be grateful for Eki reassuring her, that her efforts are not wasted and that her hard work, as both the owner of Hanamura Botanical's and Chiro's guardian are acknowledged. She would give her a big hug during that.

"Thanks kiddo... and while I'm here, just consider me your big sister too. Family is *eternal*. Be it blood, different dimensions or adoption."

"UWAH! Uh, Chrome buddy, I swear I am not a threat!" She would be kind of surprised, but also not too shocked, because she does know she's an anomaly in this universe. She wouldn't be too upset but grateful to Eki for calming him down.

"Whew... That was close. Dark Reaper eh...? Interesting~"

Listening to music with anyone, is a way for Mila to connect with them and she loves just about anything. Growing up on Earth, she was exposed to a lot of different genres and even other languages (made it easier for her to learn things like English from listening to classic rock music from the US).

I like to imagine they're probably listening to either Mila's favorite band Nightwish or U by Millennium Parade.

"Stand up the party's over here, come one, come all jump into the fire! Keep up, let go of your fears! Stand proud and tall, we will never grow tired!"

"Line up the party's right here, come one, come all let's follow the North Star!"

Mila used to be in a band in her youth, so a moment like this she would get super into it and be a little silly... and even show Eki some of her moves back when she had her band Cosmic Void.

"Ah... so your like Ichi. You're a special one too."

She'd be a little surprised at Eki's bionics but she'd be proud of her. After all... she knows, if your part of this team, you have to be pretty dang special.

Although she'd be pretty protective and if she was watching a training session, it will still take a good effort for her to NOT comment on it, out of worry.

She'd keep her mouth shut, but it'd require a good use of her headphones. lol

"Nice one Goose... I mean *Maverick*." She'd laugh a bit, at the prickly look she'd get, since to this day her Sparx and Gibson, don't know that the nicknames she gave them come from the protagonists of Top Gun. And she's fine with keeping it that way for now. XD

Seriously, I'm honored and this was fun to think about how Mila would react to this too. Eki is such a sweetie!!!

Also great job on her model, she is ADORABLE!!!

Eki on Vroid

After seeing some character related stuff being created on Vroid, I decided to give it a go by using Eki.

Here's the child! I had to improve in some areas to get close to her original design as possible. It was difficult to apply the markings but I got there.

I then experimented with poses and expressions as I thought about Eki's interactions with @hyperforcereignition's Mila. In my little thing, Eki meets a confused Mila who got separated from her Hyperforce and landed in the universe of 'Hunted Butterfly'.

"H-Hello Miss Hanamura... I-I am Ekita but I-I prefer being called E-Eki..."- Eki doing a respectful bow as a greeting. Since Mila is an adult, Eki will automatically call her 'Miss Hanamura'.

"You're... Chiro's older sister? But... He told me... That he was an only child! And he said his last name is Takashi!"- When Mila reveals her relations to Chiro, Eki is puzzled as it clashes with what she knows (And the personal lore of Hunted Butterfly). Due to Eki's upbringing, she's not fully aware of the idea of alternate realities so understandably she's confused.

"You got hurt by Antauri's attack?! It was an accident, right?! Are you ok?!"- Eki learning about the events in Chapter 11 of Hyperforce: ReIgnited. Eki is naturally worried as she knows Antauri to be very calculated and is worried about Mila herself as she knows Antauri is very strong so no doubt injured Mila.

"Chiro! Skyper! Over here!"- Eki calling over her Chiro and Skyper while her and Mila are walking around the city. Mila would be confused by Skyper since at first glance people mistake Skyper for Antauri and she would be confused as to why 'Antauri' is acting like a child and being carried by Chiro.

"You work too hard Miss Mila.... I'm sure Chiro appreciates what you do for him..."- The two girls somehow start talking about responsibilities which Eki gives her own form of reassurance that Mila's Chiro appreciates what she does. This is also when Eki would start to call Mila by her name although by calling her 'Miss Mila' first.

"Chrome, put the sword away."- Maybe Mila encounters Chrome who's a bit on edge for personal reasons, going so far as to aim the 'Dark Reaper' at Mila. Eki isn't usually one for confrontation but at this point, Eki is a lot more confident than what she used to so she'll defend Mila from the mercenary monkey.

"You guys work too hard, why not take a break?"- Sweet side of Eki showing and making her Hyperforce team weak, Mila will no doubt take note of this.

Random music playing in the Super Robot and Eki is enjoying it, Mila may enjoy it if its her taste (Not sure what kind of music she likes). Skyper would join Eki's little fun as well since he likes the same thing as Eki.

"Bang or flash, the claws are out!"- This is when things take an interesting turn when Eki reveals she is bionic with Ghost Claws as her weapons while also revealing that Antauri has been teaching her. No doubt Mila's protective comes out and Eki overwhelmed as she's never seen a female human get so protective, after all the poor girl doesn't know her own mother....

"That's a good one!"- Originally, her Sparx told a joke and Eki laughed then Mila jokingly called him 'Goose' which made Eki laugh more as Mila would have told her about the nickname. Her Sparx would be so confused.

That's all for now as they were the only prompts I could think of. If I get more prompts, I'll do more!

[canirove]

Best friends… forever? | Chapter 19

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Masterlist

"How does that feel?"

"Cold" Rúben hisses. "But good. Thank you, Mila" he says while holding the cold patch on his eye.

"I can't believe you actually hit each other. What are you, twelve?"

"He started it."

"He... Oh, c'mon" she says, rolling her eyes. "You hit him first!"

"But who started being an annoying piece of shit during the game, uh? Your friend Fran."

"Rúben, he is a striker and you a defender. It was part of the game."

"Celebrating that fucking goal on my fucking face was also part of the game?"

"Whatever. This is a pointless argument" Mila says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It is, yes. Because you will keep defending him. You should be at Betis' changing room checking on his jaw, not here with me."

"Maybe I should, yes. Unlike others, he probably isn't behaving like a kid."

"Me?"

"Yes, Rúben. You."

His only answer is a laugh, one that seems to hurt like hell judging by the way his face twists.

"I can't do this anymore, Mila" he says after a few seconds of silence.

"Being a child? Yes, I agree" she replies.

"That's not what I mean" he says, rolling his eyes. "I mean this, us. Being like this. I'm tired of you constantly changing your mind and not being able to decide what the hell you want."

"What are you talking about?"

"You kept saying that you had no feelings for me or were curious about how would it feel if you kissed me, yet the moment it happened, you went all in. Then it looked like things were somehow working out even if we were just friends with benefits, but the moment our friends found out, you ran away. Then you told me you needed space to think about what you felt, but ended up hooking up with a guy you just met. You come back, decide that you need to spend some time away from me, but the first time we meet again, you are in my bed. Then you ask me if we can see each other again as friends, to go slow, and when your summer hook up shows up in Manchester, you accept his invitation to watch him play while you've been avoiding coming to all my other games. Don't you see it, Mila? You give me something, but then completely change your mind and do something that leaves me with nothing. And I'm tired. I'm just... Tired."

"I'm sorry, I just... I'm..." she mumbles.

"Mila...” Rúben says, taking a deep breath. “I've fallen in love with you, Mila. There. I said it. Do you feel the same?" Rúben asks her.

"I have feelings for you."

"Do you love me?"

"You know I do, Rúben."

"But do you love me the way I do? Not as best friends. As something else."

"As something else?"

"The fact that you are answering me with another question instead of actually giving me an answer, tells me everything I need to know" he says, getting up from the stretcher where he was sitting.

"Rúben, I..."

"I gotta go shower" he says, leaving the room without looking at her.

"Fuck!" Mila screams, kicking the stretcher and making it fall.

"Hey, what happened?" Ella says, walking in. "Mila, are you ok? What happened?"

"What I knew would happen. That we've ruined our friendship. That I have ruined our friendship" she says between sobs.

"Oh, come here" Ella says, hugging her. "It's gonna be ok, you'll see."

"It's not" she says, tears running down her face. "It is over."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"You don't have to leave, you know? You can stay here for as long as you need."

"I know, Ella" Mila says. "But you and Joe deserve some proper privacy."

"I'm gonna miss you."

"Me or the way I keep the house clean and tidy?" she chuckles.

"Both? I don't know, I've got used to having you around."

"I'll still be around. I'm just moving to my own place. New year, new life."

It had been a couple of months since that horrible City-Betis. Since Rúben had confessed that he loved her. Since she hadn't been able to say it back.

Because she now knew she felt the same for him. Every day that passed, Mila was more sure of it. But it was too late. Rúben was done with everything that had to do with them. That’s what their friends in common, and also Rodri and John, had told her when she had asked them about how he was doing.

"He's acting as if he didn't know you, as if you were a stranger. I guess that's his way of dealing with it, that it hurts less" John told her.

A few days later, they crossed paths at their place when she went to pick up some clothes.

"Oh, hi. I didn't know you were here. If I had known, I would have come later, I don't want to bother you" Mila said.

"It's ok" Rúben replied, using a tone he had never used with her, not even when they had had a huge fight and were mad at each other. He had never been that cold. "But I think it's time one of us moves out."

"Oh."

That was the only thing she was able to say. Oh.

"I can do it, I don't mind."

"No, I'll do it. I already have half my things at Ella's, it'll be easier."

"Ok. Let me know when you are coming to pick the rest" he said as he left for his room, completely ignoring her as he walked past her.

That day, when Mila went back to Ella's house, she couldn't stop crying. She probably fell asleep while still crying.

Then the holidays came, and they had to explain to their families what had happened. Or at least, some kind of version.

"We just feel like it is time to have our own space" Mila told her parents. "We know the city and the way things work, we don't need to babysit each other anymore."

Rúben had said something similar, adding that they would not be spending the holidays together because since he was free, this year he wanted to be in Portugal for the first time since he moved to England.

And now, here she was, packing her last bits of clothing before moving to her new apartment. Before starting her new life. A life without Rúben.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"This feels so... Empty" Bruno says when he walks into Rúben's apartment.

"Maybe" he shrugs. But the house did feel empty. Empty, too big, and too cold without her things. Without Mila.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm ok" Rúben says. Which is a lie. He misses Mila, and most days he finds himself arriving home, calling her name ready to tell her how his day has been, and getting no answer. He would walk into her room, about to ask her what she wanted for dinner or if she was in the mood to watch something on tv, but he would only find an empty bed. And that only made the pain he felt way worse than it already was.

He knew he had behaved like a dick, that he shouldn't have been so cold with her the last time they met. But he was on his right to be mad at her. And if he wanted to forget about her, to be able to move on, this was the only way. It would have to be as if she didn't exist, as if they hadn't shared their whole lives together. Though it was going to be an impossible task. He still loved her and knew he will always do, that she was the one. But right now, this was what the only thing he could do.

"I'm sorry" Bruno says.

"About what?"

"About this, about you and Mila not being able to see the other without feeling like shit. It's all my fault for being annoying, constantly asking you about your feelings for each other. I pushed you too much and too hard, and I broke you."

"It was bound to happen. The feelings were there, already changing. One way or another, it would have exploded."

"Maybe. But maybe things would have gone smoothly if I hadn't been so annoying."

"It's impossible to know, Bruno. Don't blame yourself" Rúben says, squeezing his friend's shoulder.

"I'm gonna fix it, tho. I don't know how, but I'm gonna do it. You love Mila, and I know she loves you. You are meant to be together. It may take some time because right now you both are too hurt, but one day... One day you'll be together. I promise."

"If you say so..." Rúben sighs.

"I do. So don't lose hope, ok?"

"That's easier said than done. And you don't know how she feels. Maybe she's moved on and is seeing someone, like that Fran."

"She isn't seeing anyone, that's the last thing she cares about right now."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've spoken with her, and even if we talk about random things, she always ends up asking me about you, about how you are doing."

"Really?" Rúben asks, feeling a bit of that hope Bruno wants him to feel.

"Really. So promise me that you won't give up. Can you do that?"

"I guess I can” he sighs.