#deserved better as in deserved a whole season or two as a sweet couple

[solarmorrigan]

Sweet Reward

For the @steddie-spooktober day 10 prompt: Orchard Rated: G | Words: 657 | CW: None | Tags: established relationship, fluff Divider credit: @steddiecameraroll-graphics

Eddie lights up the moment they reach the gift shop, ignoring the shelves of gardening tools and kitschy yard decorations and zeroing in on the display at the back.

“You did not disclose,” he says, crossing the little shop in a couple of surprisingly lively bounds for someone who’d just claimed to be tired of walking, “that there would be doughnuts.”

The whole display is dedicated to local products and items made with produce from the orchard. There’s apple butter and pear jam, a few apple pies and pear tarts, local honey, and, of course, apple cider doughnuts.

“I didn’t know,” Steve says. “I just wanted to pick some apples.”

“We should get some,” Eddie says, hands twitching at his sides like he’s barely stopping himself from reaching out and grabbing a box.

“We don’t need doughnuts, Eddie.” Steve shakes his head.

Eddie scoffs. “No one needs doughnuts. But today we have walked long and far–”

“We were out there for, like, an hour, tops.”

“–we have labored beneath the hot sun–”

“It’s barely seventy degrees.”

“–we don’t need doughnuts, we deserve doughnuts. Doughnuts are our great reward!”

“Aren’t the apples our great reward?” Steve asks, holding up the basket they’d filled out in the orchard. “Y’know, the things we were questing for, or whatever?”

Eddie had declared the entire trip an adventure the moment they’d stepped out into the trees earlier in the day. He’d even found a large stick towards the beginning of their walk that he’d proclaimed was a wizard staff, which would aid them in their quest for some damn fine apples. Steve had been helplessly charmed by the whole ridiculous display.

“Sure, but doughnuts are an even better reward,” Eddie insists.

“You do realize I’ll be making pie later, right?” Steve reminds him. “That’s, like, the whole reason we came out here.”

“Yeah, but that won’t be ready to eat until later. Doughnuts are ready now,” Eddie practically whines. “Besides, pie and doughnuts are two totally different beasts. Different taste, different texture–”

“Oh my god, fine! Get the damn doughnuts,” Steve finally relents.

“Yes!” Eddie lets out a hushed whoop of victory as he snatches up a box of half a dozen apple cider doughnuts and precedes Steve up to the front counter.

Steve can only follow, shaking his head.

They pay for their spoils and head back out into the sunny afternoon, Steve with the apples and Eddie with the doughnuts. It’s a nice day – bright and clear and not too hot. It’s probably one of the last clear weekends they’ll have before fall really descends on them.

All the same, as they cross the parking area back towards the car, Steve can’t help but turn to Eddie to check, “You didn’t actually have a bad time, did you? With the heat or the walking or anything?”

He wonders if maybe Eddie’s scars are causing him trouble with the change in seasons like Steve’s tend to, but Eddie shakes his head.

“Nah, today was fun,” Eddie says. “But even if I thought it was gonna suck, I still would’ve come.”

“Why’s that?” Steve asks.

“Because you wanted to come,” Eddie says, taking a half step sideways so their shoulders bump as they walk.

A wave of startled affection wells up in Steve’s chest, the way it always does whenever Eddie makes a claim of such easy devotion, and it demands an outlet. Steve glances around; the only other people in the parking lot are at the other end, heading in towards the orchard, so he deems it safe enough to lean in and press a quick kiss to the corner of Eddie’s mouth.

Eddie beams at him, and Steve can’t help but smile back.

“If you eat all those doughnuts without me, you’re sleeping on the couch,” Steve murmurs, still close to Eddie’s ear, and Eddie’s laughter rings out as warm and clear as the day.

[kiirotoao]

Can we talk about Mileven for a minute. Another reason I don't buy their romantic relationship is the fact that most of their one on ones as a romantic couple (S3) are comedic and not very serious. Where are the deep conversations and when are we ever shown how much they understand each other... post (S2). It's almost like once they started dating they became a joke? Yes they have a few sweet moments but it's also scripted to be laughable. (S4) never showed them having a honest deep convo resolving issues and growing romantically. It could happen in (S5) but at this point I don't see the emotional romantic draw.

And then there is Byler to compare it to, where most of their one on ones are much much more serious, deep, heartfelt, with actual evidence of understanding and talks involving their feelings (which Mike seems to not have an issue with unlike his plot in S4 with El). This, mind you, happens to some degree in every season with Will. If Mike just sees Will as his best friend, why is he so serious about Will especially alone together. Even best friends are more casual then this.

Also a side note. The (S3) Mileven straight stereotype of the 'lazy, lying, clueless boy' dating the 'girl who is playing hard to get to teach her boyfriend a lesson' troupe is icky and makes me want El to find her power solo and Mike to remember that the old Mike (who has a special will voice) is a much better person and boyfriend. Thoughts?

Damn! Well said, dear anon!! I couldn’t agree more.

To anyone who says anything along the lines of ‘oh, Mleven can’t be broken up, they’ve been building up this whole time!’ Or ‘here’s the slow burn everyone wanted,’ or ‘Mike and El have grown so much even after fighting,’ I really don’t understand how any of that is founded. I totally agree and I feel like their relationship has been rather unserious. Even in the most serious love-centered topics of support (s1), connection (s2), breakups (s3), and expression (s4), it’s really interesting to me how their relationship has consistently lacked depth.

Despite dealing with some of the most important aspects of strong relationships, they aren’t close enough to showing, providing, or proving to have one. Mike supports El in season 1 as she does him, protecting and aiding each other with their strengths. But… so does everyone in that season to each other? The only difference is that Mike sheltered El which is very sweet, but not inherently romantic.

Then there’s season 2, which I must confess - I think that their reunion scene at the end of the season remains one of the sweetest moments on the show. Ever. It’s raw and emotional, and this was the closest thing we got to something romantic. But what shoots it down is the fact that their emotion was due to forced separation and Mike’s very real complex grief which gets completely glossed over in the show. So, I don’t know. It’s tricky. So are they romantic yet? They get virtually no time together. It’s a no for me.

And oh yeah, season 3 was the peak of unserious-ness. I also don’t enjoy that trope of ‘the boy chasing the girl who just doesn’t get it yet and she snubs him until the very end’ kind of energy. I swear that that stuff is littered in family-friendly movies usually as comedic relief, and Mike and El just barely made that trope more serious at the very least. Their breakup is dramatized and humorous, and the way that it’s mended still makes me chuckle. Mike offers her M&Ms, compliments her looks, they smile at each other, and suddenly they’re all good again? Yeah, that’s not very clear romance to me. All season long, they keep resisting each other. Mike lashes out to everyone and declares that he loves El but can’t say it to her face, and El has Max’s words tattooed on her heart that she keeps asserting that she deserves trust. The two just don’t quite reach each other that season. The second that I heard Hopper say that they’ve only been kissing all Summer long without complaining about them talking, I knew that I was not going to be invested in their relationship this season.

And so season 4 was truly the nail in the coffin, the final turning point. They’re not only shallow in making up, they’re shallow in being together. El isn’t honest with Mike about her time in Lenora, how she’s spent it, the people she’s met, the fun she’s truly having. Mike snaps about Will being disinterested, so it’s pretty clear that he was dishonest about his true feelings that day, too. And the most telling part is that he’s not mad at El. He’s mad at Will.

I think that what the writers have done is craft something so deeply intricate and hidden with Mike and Will to the point of confusion in much of the audience today. Will has always been a buffer of affection for Mike. In season 1 he’s the one they’re searching for. In season 2, he’s the one that Mike protects. In season 3, he’s the true breakup that Mike fights for. In season 4, he’s the listening ear and bleeding heart that Mike relies on. Their love only gets stronger and stronger whereas Mike and El are simply loving under the guise of physical closeness. I seriously think that that’s all that they have for each other.

That hug sequence at the end of season 4 really shocked me, because when I saw Mike and El hugging (not to mention that shot with Will right between them) I thought that it was sweet, but then suddenly Will and El are hugging, the siblings who are absolutely platonic, and it felt more emotional than Mike and El’s embrace. So not only are Mike and El visually equated to a platonic relationship, but their bond doesn’t even hold the same weight as the sibling-hood of Will and El.

It’s just wild to me that people don’t see it. I think that Byler is made abundantly clear for us to root for. The crazy together scene did it for me the first time I saw it. It was and still is one of my favorite scenes ever because it’s the total package. Closeness? Check. Honesty? Check. Hurt/comfort? Check. Matching, nerdy Halloween outfits? Check. The lack of anyone or anything else to distract them? Check. The crazy together scene is a marker of their relationship, and it never, ever dies.

Even though they fight, where are they years later? They’ve gone through supernatural and personal troubles together, and they’re still by each other’s side. “Friends. Best friends.” The same at heart. They promise to support each other, they reconnect, they come back from every breakup, and they readily express things on their minds and hearts. They’re there for each other and tell each other things that no other boys in the party have told each other.

Mike and El try to understand each other, they do, and sometimes it’s just trying that’s enough, but on a truly intimate level, that’s bullshit. Mike and Will have everything that they need and want for each other, and there’s no going through hoops to get it besides internalized homophobia. Which I very well think can be reasonably addressed next season.

So yep. Byler is endgame.

[justapersonherelol]

my thoughts on what I believe is the three top Lucifer ships

Adamsapple/Guitarduck:

Starting off on an unrelated note, MY GOD, ADAMSAPPLE??? THATS SO CREATIVE OML

I like it! The ship is simple, it has great chemistry and sets up great angst potential for the ship, especially with the heavy theory that Adam will turn up as a sinner for season two. Also, it’s heavily implied that Lucifer has done the horizontal tango with two of the og humans, so why not make it all three and finish up his collection? Adding onto that, they could have a great relationship as awkward exes from their time in Eden Garden, and man Lucifer has a crap ton of autistic rizz.

however, that’s the problem. I can only see them as exes. I mean, Lucifer didn’t seem to have any leftover attachment to Adam when he died, and ultimately did choose Lilith over Adam. Also, Adam has Lute now, and objectively has a healthier potential romance than him and Lucifer.

So, I like the ship and honestly go ahead (I say that with all three ships lol, ship what you want as long as you don’t force it onto others) but it’s not really one for me.

Radioapple:

Okay… I ship this.

it’s just a really silly ship and I really like their dynamic already!

HOWEVER, I don’t want this to become canon. I ship this only fanonly, and I like aroace Alastor NOT ending up with anyone, because currently Alastor thinks he hasn’t found the right person yet, and him falling in love with Alastor would actually kinda undermine the whole self discovery of asexualism/aromanticism in the first place! Yes, making him fall in love with Lucifer AFTER his whole sexuality discovery thing could really be impactful to the audience as a way to show what a aromatic or asexual person could experience, but I don’t want the show to be centered around Alastor, and if they added all of that while still balancing every single character development, the show would just be too long.

Lucilith:

oh boy do I have a crap ton of stuff to say about THIS ONE.

It’s the canon ship. The main characters parents. LUCIFER LITERALLY WENT TO HELL FOR LILITH, Lucifer is DEFINITELY the bottom and we have an IMPECCABLE height difference, we LOVE TO SEE THE SHORT KING WITH HIS 190-something CM WIFE. Who’s ALSO THE MOST BADASS WOMAN IVE SEEN. LIKE, GURL, STEP ON ME 🔥🔥🔥

But… Liliths been gone for seven years. She left her husband and her daughter. Lilith also is shown to be taking Charlie away from Lucifer in that one scene, causing him to fall into his depression… do you really love your husband if you leave him? Taking your daughter with you? And she doesn’t look good right now, because apparently she’s in Heaven? Perhaps she made a deal with them? It’s just.. really sad.. and sadly, i see the similarities to some parents.

Some parents fell out of love but refuse to divorce because of their children or tradition. It’s common and depressing, and often ends up worse than if they had just divorced. They fight and give each other snarky as comments, put each other down and take the other away from their child because they treat them to be a bad influence or something? And I think that’s what we see with Lucifer and Lilith right now. They were together for who knows how long, and Lilith was young. Who knows how old Lucifer is. Maybe… they were young, they did rash things, and swore they were going to love each other forever, but puppy love just doesn’t last forever. Lucifer might still love her and abandoned everything FOR her, but Lilith might have used him as a first love, an ex. Since most of Hazbin hotels audience are young adults… it could be a good idea to display the fact that not all love lasts forever. They could fall of out of love. Eternal love, while sweet, is foolish. All couples also have their ups and downs, and Lucifer and Lilith not having those just sounds wrong, yknow?

Lucifer deserves better than a relationship where they share mutual hatred but stay together for the sake of a child. Sometimes, divorce is the best option, whether you like it or not.

[spaceorphan18]

My Season 3 Diatribe

for @wowbright who gave me a platform that I really didn't need but took anyway. ;)

The thing about Glee was that it started with a woman being fake pregnant for thirteen episodes and then ended the season with a baby being born while Bohemian Rhapsody blared in the background. It was weird and crazy and insane and just edgy enough that it was being talked about but not too niche that it couldn't find an audience. It also hit in the sweet spot of the Obama years when, as a nation, we could get on board with being a little different and a little crazy.

Ryan Murphy is both a genius and insane at the same time. I'm not really fond of him, and I think his tendency for going big sometimes obscures the nuances of really good storytelling. But he knows how to make a loud statement. And Glee was that loud statement.

And then it got big. Too big. It got more money, an awards, and the national stage, and then all eyes were on it. And Ryan Murphy got tired because that's also Ryan Murphy - being distracted by American Horror Story where he could be abstract in the way his brain really wanted to go. And so, new writers were brought in, but having all eyes on it meant you had to dial it back, and the new writers didn't jive the same way, nor could they really juggle all of the new network notes, ballooning cast, mandates of the Glee project and responsibility for now having to be a 'role model' for all the new outsiders who were hanging on.

The show was once about being an awkward kid in the 80s. And then it was forced into becoming a mouthpiece for the changing times of the 2010s.

And that... doesn't work.

The funniest thing is way back when... after I had stopped watching the show for a while, Season 3 is what brought me back. I did think, for a moment in time, that I liked it better than Seasons 1 or 2. I can't exactly tell you why. But The First Time is when I fell in love, and maybe you feel connected to something when you fall in love with it that you can't really discribe.

And I hated Season 4. and I was listening to a podcast of the day (Those of you who remember Lima Heights Adjacent?) and the group of people were talking about how, with all of its faults, Season 4 was at least NOT Season 3. And I was confused because at the time - I much preferred Season 3. Because my favorite couple was at least a couple back then -- because the cast was people I liked. Because the episodes were easy to digest and the structure of it, while being bland and predictable, fit into a nice, uniform way of storytelling.

And then time moved on, and I left my twenties, and digested the entire story (the second half, with all of its faults, does not get the recognition it deserves -- despite it falling apart at all times) and got a lot better at critical analysis and media analysis and being open to the ideas of others and just... shake my head.

When you look at the whole, Season 3 isn't AS bad as I make it seem sometimes. There's a good chunk of it, right in the middle, that is... more watchable than what's at the beginning and end.

There is, however, a laundry list of reasons why it's not good -- from questionable story telling choices to dulling the edge of a more biting comedy to just not being able to service all the characters it has in a satisfactory way. They botched Santana's story, which had been set up nicely in season 2. They threw in guest stars and special episodes to throw off that they didn't really know what to do with the story other than praise Rachel Berry and get those kids winning nationals and graduated. They took Kurt and completely neutered him in a way that went against everything they had built him up to be in the first two seasons. And so on and so on and so on.

But I suppose most egregiously -- they played it safe and it was no longer interesting.

I don't fully understand why people love it so much. But I will say - part of the reason might be why I liked it at the time. There's a huge influx of newer fans always coming to the show. And like Klaine, Brittana (which has a following unlike it ever did when it aired) remains together and having the most screen time in Season 3. All the original characters are around, and the story structure, if nothing else, is secure and sound and plays out exactly as its supposed to. Rachel Berry gets the crown, Will gets the teacher of the year, and they all win nationals - hell, even Sue gets a baby. Cue the music and roll credits.

To each their own.

Season 4 comes next with its awkward new characters and its break ups and its wild ups and downs. And then season 5 with its grief and queer in a way that's not accessible but fuck it who cares and season 6 that just wants to go back to the beginning and end it all like the weird creation it was when it started. And as complicated as all of that is -- it's not as digestible as Season 3. I like the afterwards better. But I understand that some people won't. It has, after all, taken me years to get to this level of appreciation.

Who knows how people are going to look at it in ten, fifteen, fifty years. I'm sure, as streaming shows continue to go on and on and on and nothing dies any more, it'll take on different tones and different meanings.

Maybe this time around - those people just need that comfort.

I can't tell you.

But it won't ever be my favorite. And that's fine. As always, ymmv.

[still-not-over-doomsday]

I need someone to be mad with me!

Everyone is upset about Seb cheating on Carlos, and most are also upset about Big Red cheating on Ashlyn! And they should be angry because these are the 2 most WHOLESOME characters on the whole show!

But what I don’t see is people being angry about Ashlyn cheating on Big Red! Yes, they were apart, and yes they didn’t technically do anything physical, but their relationship was Emotional Cheating if I’ve ever seen it! Which in a lot of ways is worse than physical cheating. Also they almost fucking kissed! WHY IS NO ONE ANGRY ABOUT ASHLYN AND MADDOX?!?

I understand that Tumblr loves everything gay. It wouldn’t be tumblr if it didn’t. ❤️

But just because you’re figuring out your sexuality doesn’t mean you get to cheat on your partner! She could have said to Maddox “Hey, I’m in a relationship, let’s set some boundaries.” or “Hey, I really like you, but I’m in a relationship right now, so I need to figure out what I want before this goes any further.” Or she could’ve said to Big Red, “Hey, I think I’ve been feeling romantic feelings for this girl. Can we take a break so I can lean into this to help figure out who I am?” Or “Hey, I’ve really missed you, and have been texting this girl a lot. I think we’ve been flirting. I’m sorry. I think it’s best if he break up/take a break so I’m not stringing you along.”

I’m also mad that no one called her out for cheating on the show. In fact, EVERYONE WAS SUPPORTIVE OF THIS EMOTIONAL CHEATING! Did they just forget that Ashlyn was already in a relationship. Like “Hey, I know you’re figuring yourself out, but you’re with Big Red right now. Maybe you guys should break up first before pursuing Maddox any further.

Like if you wanted extra drama, instead, you could’ve literally had a scene where she’s texting Maddox all cutesie and like have like Kourtney be kind of confused bc isn’t she with Big Red, and Ashlyn get defensive because she’s not ready to receive that she’s in a wrong, so she yells at her accusing her that she’s homophobic in a way, and then a couple episodes later, Ashlyn understanding that she’s in the wrong apologize to Kourtney, and then apologizing to Big Red, and them BOTH feeling bad about what they did, but support each other’s bi journeys and still have a sweet ending but acknowledging the HURT

Because like there’s NO WAY two people who cheated on each other aren’t going to feel HURT AND BETRAYAL!

I’m just so mad. This is the worst part of the entire season (and show), and that’s saying something because I hated more things in this season such as Gina going back to Ricky when she deserves better but that’s a different post lol.

Disclaimer: Ashlyn and Maddox can absolutely be cute, but for me, only if you take away the ick of cheating.

[raving-raven-writing]

Snowpiercer S4-Finale-Thoughts

So these two are a couple now I guess? Oz and Boki? Never would have seen that coming!

These two and Roche were probably my favorites all season. I like Daveed Diggs but I'm sorry Layton, I didn't really care about his baby or his baby mama. Although Zarah did not deserve to die.

Neither did Ben. That was a sad way to go, especially with Bess realizing too late what he was planning to do. She probably feels guilty about it, I'm sure.

The lack of Melanie this season was fine with me, although I feel like the storyline as a whole this season lagged a little bit. Particularly at the times where it was focused on Melanie, Wilford, and Nima.

The guys in the white suits were cool, but I feel like fleshing out their personalities was probably cast aside since there weren't going to be any new seasons.

Overall, the ending message of this show was rather positive, and I really like that! Better than some endings when I compare it to the endings of some of my other favorite shows like The 100 and The Umbrella Academy (imo,The 100, should have ended with everyone dead. TUA should have ended happily instead of delivering a message of "better if you didn't exist")

I would place Snowpiercer's ending level with the ending of Animal Kingdom, although Animal Kingdom was very much a bitter sweet ending. So they're kind of polar opposites in that matter but how things were wrapped up were done in a timely and neat manner.

I will probably rewatch this show I liked it so much. And I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something to watch---when I first started watching it and stopped using it as background noise, I got hooked real quick!

[sunnyelfs]

Okay I just need to say this because I'm so emotional about this season. Some thoughts what will keep me sane till next Monday

Kind of SPOILERS and it's also might sound harsh

If creators wanted to leave an open ending, S3 shouldn't have existed. Seriously, it has to end with something definite, because otherwise I don't see the point. Season two would make a great open ending. It was kind of sweet, but we'd all wonder "will they make it after all?" and it would have been a pretty good finale, imho

Also, if the creators didn't want to give the story a happy ending, then it should have ended right after the first season. Because what was the point of developing the relationship and each character separately if it ends up the same way it did the first time? And yes, I'm only talking about Wilmon, because they still are the main couple of the show. Character development of every other character is good, great even, but I just won't care about it if Wilmon won't be happy

I don't want to believe anyone would have sat down and decided "hey, let's put the characters through all this for the sake of nothing at the end, sounds fun". I'm not buying that "they don't have to be together at the end because they learned so much from each other" thing anymore, not after this whole season. You can't say they can feel somewhat happy knowing what they love each other deeply and want to be a couple but just... can't. We didn't just take all this journey just for the final episode saying "you know, nah, they won't make it after all, bye"

I just have so many mixed feelings about this season I can't. I still love Wilhelm and Simon with my whole heart, and not for a second I will blame them for whatever is going to happen, they are just teens, but my final thought will be "they deserved better" if the finale won't fix this whole thing

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 4

Episode 4: Danger Games Part 1

~Somewhere over Swellview~

Doctor Minyak had kidnapped Captain Man and Miss Danger and trapped them in a glass cage with a bomb, oh my! Don't panic. The whole situation was secretly under control; Ray and (y/n) were happily sat in their tiny prison, thousands of feet up in the air over Swellview as Minyak's hijacked cargo plane took them to the location where the evil doctor would enact his heinous plan. Or so he thought.

The couple wouldn't be nearly as relaxed as they were if they thought they were in actual trouble. (y/n) had her back to Ray's chest, his arms and legs curled around her form, trapping her in an embrace that made the villain turn up his nose at how annoyingly adorable they were, and in his hands, was his phone. He insisted that they play some new mobile game called Sky Whale and they couldn't really care what Minyak had to say or evilly laugh about when they were breaking their new high score. Or rather, Ray was breaking it, (y/n) was just there to giggle and kiss his jawline when he did something clever. 

The spiky, ball, bomb thing next to them wasn't alarming either, not when they knew they had superpowers to protect them and another sidekick waiting to make his move. Henry was hiding in a box of cargo, poised to sneak and take out Minyak's goons, but he had to wait for the opportune moment, which wasn't now 'cause Minyak was busy monologuing.

"Hahahahahaha, yes! Oh, yes! Lock that box, lock it hard!" The criminal victoriously screeched at his minions as they sealed the see-through box tightly shut, not that Ray or his girl were interested. Yeah, space was limited and they really had to squeeze in to both fit, but they weren't complaining. It was nice to be wrapped up in each other so completely and Sky Whale was so addictive, it made any prospect of danger seem irrelevant.

"Aw, poor Captain Man and his little girlfriend, Miss Danger. You've got to start thinking outside the box!" Doctor Minyak chuckled, loving his pun and how sassy it made him seem. He'd finally done it, he'd captured his greatest enemy and was sending his dumb girlfriend down with him like two birds with one stone. His plan was coming along perfectly, but he had imagined a little more attention from the heroes as he captured them and they waited for their doom.

"Uh, uh, wait, uh, we just need to, uh, hang on a second..." Ray mumbled, taking a thumb off his phone momentarily to just tell the man to shut up whilst he concentrated. It was hard enough trying to focus with his girl pressed against him and the scent of her perfume filling the box, driving him crazy, he didn't need this dummy blabbing in his ear. They were so close to a new high score and just seeing how excited (y/n) got as he played spurred him on even further (the kisses were a huge bonus).

"Wha—are you playing a game?" Minyak snapped, peering through the glass so he could see over their heads and he instantly noticed the brightly coloured, saturated pixels of some mobile application doohickey. He was more of a chess man and had no idea what they were up to, he was just pouty that they thought some weird, flying whale was better thanks him and his evilness.

"Yeah, it's called Sky Whale! Captain Man is amazing at it and I have to say, whoever made this game must be geniuses." The young woman gushed, turning her head to press yet another kiss to her boyfriend's cheeks so he'd know how impressed she was. Who knew Ray would be good at a game for kids? She wasn't particularly good at navigating the whale on the clouds, but that didn't mean she couldn't take pleasure in sitting back and watching him play instead.

"Oh, oh! I'm up in space, sweet girl!" Ray laughed as his character moved higher, his mood lifting even more when (y/n) pecked him on the lips this time since a bigger achievement deserved a bigger reward. Well, if his skill brought him kisses, then perhaps he'd just have to keep ignoring Minyak and snuggle up to his girl instead. He wouldn't complain, not when those pretty eyes crinkled when she giggled. "I am having a good time!"

"Stop it! You will stop playing that game and kissing him this instant!" Minyak ordered them like they worked for him, meaning his rude tone just washed over them. He couldn't boss them around and little did he know, trying to stop these lovebirds from smooching and cuddling was like trying to lick the back of your head - impossible. The only thing he didn't know was that Henry had decided enough was enough and upon hearing how all attention was on the couple's affection (seriously, couldn't they give it a rest for one minute?), he took out his multi-utility knife and began slicing through the leather of whatever container he had hidden himself in. 

"Yeah, no can do, Minyak. My boyfriend, my rules and I'm gonna kiss him all I want." (y/n) gave the doctor her driest tone and Ray smirked when she deliberately kissed him again just to prove a point, and to taste his bubblegum-mint flavour, but he didn't need to know that. She'd waited ten years to date Ray and no one was gonna stop her now she had him, not even some lunatic who'd trapped them on a plane.

"You have even had the courtesy of to ask me why I trapped you both in this transparent box." Minyak sneered, hoping his subtle prompting would make the heroes ask him. It was part of the whole villain thing, explaining your plan to the hero after you've captured them because it took so long to plan and carry out, which explained why the body guy was getting so moody. He just wanted to show off how much of an malevolent genius he was, was that too much to ask?

"Oh, well, we would ask, if we cared." Ray retorted, making his girl snigger when Minyak's lips turned into frown. They had this whole operation in the bag and let's face it, did the bad guy ever win? No, Captain Man and his sidekicks had an excellent track record and it was highly doubtful that someone like Minyak was going to tarnish it. He just didn't have the nerve or a knack of succeeding, he always flopped in the end.

"All right, I'll tell you! You see, exactly eleven minutes from now, this aircraft will fly directly over the Swellview Dam!" Minyak started, him nor his thugs noticing how Kid Danger had poked his head through the material and was slowly creeping out. It was smart to move when Minyak was monologuing, it meant that he was too lost in his ego to notice any of his surroundings, so the boy was free to carefully sneak around.

"Hey! Watch your language." (y/n) scolded the doctor, even though she knew what he meant. She was no innocent angel, no matter how many arguments Ray made, she used bad language and innuendo because she was an adult, but come on! There was an unknown child present, even if he'd heard it all and much worse before. 

"I was using the word "dam" to indicate a concrete wall that that retards the flow of water!" Minyak growled at her, his eyes bulging creakily as she smirked at his overreaction. Someone had swallowed a thesaurus and even if she had set herself to look a tad dumb, it was just too funny to see how annoyed the doctor got. She wouldn't be laughing when he dropped her from the plane and watched her pathetic body crash on the cliff side so harshly, no super-regeneration would be able to heal her. Or that was the plan, he had no idea how her power actually worked.

"Oh, dammmmm! Not like, damnnnnn, my girlfriend's fine!" Ray nodded, making his girl's cheeks darken as he slipped in the compliment just to see her blush and Minyak gag. He'd do the same if he had a girlfriend, not that he ever would; he was weird, evil and no one ever as beautiful and kind as (y/n) would go for a guy like him. (y/n)'s much preferred strong, indestructible doofuses.

"Yes! Now, do you see that glowing orb next to you?" The doctor tried to move the conversation on, hoping to get back to his master plan, but Sky Whale was too good to just put down, even for Henry, who had taken a mini-break in his stealth operation so he could continue his game. It was a little thing he and Ray had going on, to see who could get the highest score because both of them worked better under a competition and despite not having his own little cheerleader like Ray did, Henry was a decent player.

"Oh, here we go, sweet girl, yeah!" Ray chuckled in the woman's ear, feeling her squirm as his hot breath hit her neck, but it just encouraged him to tease her and ignore Minyak. She was so small against him and so adorable it made his heart soar, whilst he was like a giant around her, and so damn hot it made her stomach burn with desire, so they didn't hear the villain's question, just their inner desire to feed off of their love.

"Do you see the glowing orb?!" Minyak squealed, stamping his foot like a petulant, little girl when they giggled into each other's ears. He couldn't believe it, his nemesis wouldn't leave the girl alone, it was like their were in their own little world and Henry understood how he felt. Welcome to the club, everyone has jackets and shares a mutual adoration/annoyance for how Ray and (y/n) are so right for each other, it's revolting. Just try and take the other away and you'll face serious consequences or a lot of whining, pouting and pining, two situations that were equally intolerable. Suckers in love, that what they were.

"Oh, right, orb."  "Fabulous, well done, you." They replied half heartedly, sparing the flashing object only a glance since Ray couldn't let his whale drop. He was so close to the record and orbs didn't bother him, glowing or otherwise. 

"That is a plasmatonic boom-sphere!" Minyak exclaimed, swirling his hand around to signify his inventions mystifying danger. This thing was big news and could tear the plane and almost everyone in it to shreds, but looking at Ray or (y/n) you wouldn't think that they were the ones sat right next to it. The man was usually so protective over his girl, stemming from years of thinking that even if she didn't want him, he was the only one who'd ever keep her the safest and most cherished women on the planet, and even though though she was tucked up in his arms, the possibility of death or serious injury was there. Why wasn't Captain Man freaking out? "Great." "Terrific."

"Now, if you'll direct your attention to the screen..." Oh, for fuck's sake. Why couldn't he just tell them succinctly like a normal person? Why did Minyak have to create a whole ass presentation about his plan? Henry took another "break" since he was gonna be a while and (y/n) awkwardly scooched her butt as she and Ray turned to see the monitor. Stupid Minyak, ruining their nice, comfy position, now, Ray had an elbow on his bent knee and the woman was forced to semi-squat on her heels so they wouldn't touch the bomb and holy shit, the position was uncomfortable.

"Okay, when we fly over the damn, my goons will open those rear doors, then push out the box, containing you, your beloved Miss Danger and my plasmatonic boom-sphere—" Ray rolled his eyes at that. True, she was his beloved, but neither her, him or this bomb thing were going anywhere, 'cause Henry was back on the move, pausing his game, sticking his phone in his mouth and stalking towards the unsuspecting guards. 

"And then, you'll fall until you impact with the Swellview Dam, at which point, the dam will burst and then billions of gallons will flood Swellview, thus upsetting everyone!" Minyak screamed and laughed manically at the thought of the terrified screams of the citizens below, but he still hadn't noticed the hero of the hour; Kid Danger.  Nudged Ray subtly, nodding ever so slightly in the boy's direction and they geared up for battle as he gave them a nod and held his special gadget between the goons' heads. It was one of Schwoz's newer inventions and the boy realised tow needles from the barrel before tapping a pressure sensor on the side, silently blasting both minions in the head so they'd simultaneously fall to the ground in a state of unconscious. They'd have to thank Schwoz for that one.

"So, too bad you, Captain Man—-Kid Danger!!" Minyak turned around with a smirk, expecting to see the scowls of his nemeses from behind the glass as they seethed from his schemes and how they were powerless to stop him, but it was quite the opposite. He paled at the sight of yet another superhero around, one that had taken down his minions and could easily hurt him. 

"Sup?" Henry smiled briefly at the doctor, spooking him he took out his controller and fired a melting laser at the shitty lock holding the box together. Minyak didn't stand a chance, his minions were unconscious, Captain Man and Miss Danger were free, or they would be when they paused their game and he had not ability to fight by himself.

"What did you do to my goons? Robert! Trevor! Wake up, we're almost over the dam!—" The doctor clapped his hands, drawing (y/n)'s focus from Ray's phone and the way he was nuzzling his nose into her neck. Okay, staying like that was tempting but they had a job to do, so she prodded him and looked up at the lid, waiting for him to use some of that muscle to get them out. The man sighed, knowing that their lovey-do very time was up, so he paused his game, dreading the loss of any progress on his record and abruptly stood up, pushing the heavy glass lid like it was nothing. He grabbed onto some of the cargo nets above their heads and use them to pull himself up and free of the box, landing next to Henry with a smirk.

"Me next." (y/n) grinned and mimicked his actions, using the netting like she was a monkey and Ray grabbed her waist as her legs cleared the box, pulling her down and into his awaiting arms. God, it felt good to stand up, even if they had lost their snuggle time, but then again, a cramped box was nothing compared to the couch or mattress they had waiting back at home. Yeah, they could wait.

"Hey."  "Hiya, kid." The couple smiled at Henry, glad to see that he'd survived being bundled into his hiding place and waiting until they were airborne to rescue them. It wasn't like he'd been bored, he had been playing Sky Whale for the last hour, much like they had, so all in all, the trip hadn't been bad.

"Hey, look, I almost broke five-thousand." The boy bragged to his friends, showing them the fairly impressive score he'd managed to rack up. For anyone else, it was pretty decent, but this wasn't some playground game, this was a battle between him and Ray to see who was the best Sky-Whaler and five-thousand was pathetic compared to what Ray had achieved with his girl's kisses as motivation. 

"Yeah, well, check out your buddy who's about to break six-thousand!" Ray smirked, showing the kid his phone. Henry couldn't believe it, why was he so much better? He must've cheated or something, 'cause a score like that legendary and no offence to Ray but, he was a bit old to be that good at a kid's game. (y/n) frowned at her boyfriend's use of a singular term, hoping that she'd done something to help boost the score and not just sat there, giggling in his ear. Sure, she loved giving him kisses, but not if they had been a hindrance and not a help. "What?"

"Well, I had my girl cheering me all the way and she gave me kisses. Hard lines, kid." Ray patted the boy on the shoulder as he kissed (y/n)'s forehead, banishing any doubt from her head. She'd been a massive help and the proof was right there onscreen. If you want to win at Sky Whale, get a hot girl to kiss you every time you do something good, something someone should've told Minyak.

"Shut up! You will not chat about some silly, mobile game while I'm talking about my dam plan!" The villain shouted, thumping his fist against his chest with every syllable like some pissed off gorilla, ready to charge. He hadn't planned for this, he hadn't seen it coming and was furious to find out that once again, Captain Man had found a way to get one up on him, but that didn't mean he was powerless yet.

"Your plan is over, Minyak!" Ray growled, pointing a stern finger at the man. Of course, he knew the criminal too well to know that he didn't have a few more lines of defence up his sleeve, but with him and his sweet girl out of the box, plus Henry, the plan was as good as over. Now, it was just a case of dealing with the last few rats on the sinking ship.

"Ha! I think not! Billie! Jean! King!" Minyak shouted into the cockpit, drawing three of his tougher, more musclier goons to come and fight on his behalf. They were mysteriously named after some famous tennis player and each carried a racket that was intended to beat the heroes to nothing. Yeah, right, Ray shield (y/n) slightly as each minion stalked towards them, he and Henry more concerned about their phones now that their favourite young woman was under their protection. She could fight, sometimes she bested even Captain Man, but it was Ray's little rule between him and Henry, they took on the brunt of a fight since he was fast and Ray had fists like iron. 

"Um, Captain Man, they're very big..." (y/n) murmured into her boyfriend's ear, gulping as she saw one man with titanium teeth glare at them wickedly. His arms were like tree trunks and stood at least two feet above Ray, who was already at an impressive six foot and a bit stature, so (y/n) must've looked like a mouse to the goon, so breakable, like a toothpick. He'd have to get through Ray first though, and despite being smaller and surprisingly less bulky, he wasn't worried; what he lacked in physical prowess, he made up for in experience.

"Oh, hey, what'cha need?" "Oh, hey, big dog." Ray and Henry greeted the thug casually, still too focused on their Sky Whale games to care that this guy was in front of them and intimidating (y/n) a bit. Just because she could fight, didn't mean she thought she was invincible and on her own, she wouldn't stand a chance. Good thing she wasn't.

"Billie, help Captain Man and Kid Danger set their phones to airplane mode." Minyak snarled, glad to see that at least the girl had the sense to "cower" in his presence, but the boys needed a bit more persuasion. Billie grinned manically at them, showing off his titanium-capped teeth and gently took the heroes phones away, which confusion them greatly until his crushed them with his bare hands. Well, that wasn't very nice.

"Okay..." "You didn't have to do that!" Henry and Ray groaned at the destruction of their PearPhones and the annoyance of having to buy new ones when they got back to the Man Cave. At least they were backed up to the cloud, still, it was such a dick move and it made (y/n) grow angry when she realised that the cost of two new phones would come out of their crime fighting budget. 

"Hey, you freak! Airplane mode was under settings!" She hissed, stepping forward to sort the man out and he was ready to crush her, only for Ray's outstretched to stop her. It was stupid to let her fight this guy and whilst he understood her need to throw the first punch, she needed to get back. He guided her away with Henry, giving the kid a look to tell him that he was to keep her safe whilst he was occupied with taking down the toughest thug. With a calming kiss pressed to his girl's forehead, Ray turned back around and glared at Billie, ready to crush him for even contemplating touching her, a mistake that would cost him if Captain Man had anything to do with it.

"Hey, can you spell fist?" Ray asked as the minion twirled his racket in his hand and the question caught him off guard. It was one of Ray's tricks, fooling the bad guy into thinking and distraction so he could strike, plus, it gave him a chance to sound witty, which was always a bonus when a certain pretty girl was listening.

"Uh, W—" Billie started with the completely wrong letter, but it didn't matter; Ray's fist collided with his face in a brutal swing, knocking the dazed man onto the controls that operated the plane's rear door. An alarm blared as the ramp opened, revealing the terrifyingly far ground below them and how unfortunate it would be to fall without a parachute. Captain Man immediately grabbed (y/n)'s hand as the door dropped, wanting to ensure that she wouldn't fall if they hit turbulence or something, despite the fact that they'd have to let go for the oncoming battle. 

"No, no, no! Get them!" Minyak bellowed at the remaining minions, Miss Danger smiling quickly at her boyfriend as she let go of his hand and lugged a woozy Billie to the floor and kicked him in the ribs with her steel toe. He smiled at the way she dealt with him so calmly, appearing like a true hero as she dragged a man twice her size and Henry started on the rest. They turned around to give him a hand, the boy already getting busy by swinging on the cargo nets and kicking Jean and King in their faces. He jumped down from the glass box, (y/n) going to help him since it was two against one there and Ray could cover Billie. 

The man blocked each racket swing with a metal case, shoving it into Billie's stomach and kicking him back down the ramp, where he stumbled but failed to fall completely. Ray would have to try harder to get rid of this guy. Meanwhile, Henry was kneeing a guy in the stomach, twisting his arm into a painful position as (y/n) jabbed King in the nose and shoved him harshly into a wall. Captain Man was back at it with his dude, he grabbed the racket before it could whack his side and hit him in the nose, then using a large tub to beat him again. Henry and (y/n) were kneeling on the box, kicking away Jean and King when they came running, preferring to work together since that way, they could double their firepower.

Well, that was the plan anyway. Jean saw a gap in their defence, storming forward and seizing (y/n)'s throat as Henry was preoccupied somewhere else, making her squeak and thump against his chest as he dragged her from the box and held her squirming body in the air, her eyes watering as her superpower compensated for the loss of oxygen. 'Okay, thumping not working, Henry not noticing, think about what you have, think about what you have, you have...a hot, superhero boyfriend!' 

"Captain Man...Captain Man, help!" She squeaked, using the last reserves of her strength to raise her voice above the noise of the roaring engines and wind so that Ray looked in her direction. He glanced across at his sidekicks when he heard the quiet begging of his title and his eyes widened when he saw his sweet girl being maliciously attacked by some idiot who thought he could hurt the girlfriend of the fearsome Captain Man and not receive a beating. He dashed forward, jumping, grabbing and swinging on the netting so he could kick the man away and free (y/n) from his tight grip. 

"You okay, sweet girl?" He asked, helping her up from her slump on the floor and brushing his gloved finger against her cheekbone. He looked into her eyes for any sign of injury or fear, smiling when she leaned up to kiss him and then frowning when her eyes widened in horror and she shoved him away. Was it something he'd said? 

"Duck!" The woman told him, not wanting to push him away so abruptly when she craved the taste of his lips just as he did, but when she saw Billie creeping up behind him, ready to grab her lover and throw him from the plane, she just had to act. Ray instantly dropped to the floor, dodging the thug's punches thanks to his girl, who returned the gesture by slinking under his arm, striking him in the ribs and then smashing his jaw in an uppercut, causing her boyfriend to subtly fan his cheeks at how hot she was. Henry was still kicking and throwing steel boxes around as Ray and (y/n) double-teamed Billie, only to be distracted when the kid slugged Minyak, who was getting too cocky for his liking. 

"Come on, let's bail!" The goons exclaimed as they swiped some of the only parachutes on board, not wanting to take the heat for Minyak when Captain Man and co inevitably whipped his ass and dragged him to jail. They didn't want to be a part of that, not for their pitiful wages, and made to bail before their faces were rearranged or they were sat in cells wondering where it all went wrong. 

"You punched my face! How dare you?!...Hey! You cowards! Are you running away?" Minyak screamed when he saw their mutiny and the pain in his face from Henry's punch disappeared that without them, he truly had failed. 

"No! We're jumping away!" Billie yelled back and all three men shuffled down the ramp and jumped for their freedom, the parachutes strapped to their back opening and saving their lives as they glided away, leaving Minyak in the shit, alone and defences against three superheroes. Right, no goons, no means of fighting back, there was only one thing for it, for the villain to dive after his minions and abandon ship. Sure, it was pure cowardice, but sometimes it was better to make a strategic withdrawal then stand and get slaughtered.

"Well, Kid Danger, Miss Danger, looks like we defeated Doctor Minyak—" Ray smirked, the three of them standing on the ramp, watching the minions leave, but with Henry admiring their handiwork and Ray pausing to give his girl a gentle kiss, they didn't see their enemy gearing up to follow suit, taking one of the last three parachutes. Great, that meant there wasn't enough for them now.

"Ha! I think not! This is the second-to-last parachute!" Minyak laughed, and steamed forward, sprinting down and out of the airplane, thinking it wasn't over for him yet. It was though, despite him believing that he was leaving them in limbo, Henry and Ray slammed their feet down on a trailing cord from the parachute, ripping it from the man's back so it stayed with them and left Minyak falling towards the Swellview Dam. He'd hit the water or hitch a ride with one of his men...hopefully.

With all the bad guys gone, (y/n) dashed to the back of the plane to grab the parachute left by Minyak, bringing it back to give Ray a worried look. They only had two to take them safety, which presented a real problem since Captain Man had two sidekicks.

"He dropped his parachute!" Henry yelled to the woman as she brought the backpack over for her and Ray to share. In theory, it should take their weight just enough to allow them to float down to the ground and it made sense for Henry to stay safe by himself. He wouldn't survive if something went wrong and he plunged hundreds of feet to the ground, they would.

"Yeah, there he goes! Think he's gonna land on a—Hey! That's one of the last parachutes, why do you get it?" Ray frowned as he saw Henry securing the straps and and tightening everything for his descent. This had to be one of the craziest things he'd ever done, but skydiving seemed better than crashing or landing a plane and he didn't particularly like Ray's tone when he saw that he was preserving his life. He was the soft, squishy, vulnerable one, why shouldn't he stay safe? Hey, he could tightly strap himself to (y/n), why was he complaining?

"'Cause he won't survive the fall without it! Come on, put this on and hold onto me! We can share!" The young woman passed the last parachute to her boyfriend, who looked at her with the the utmost concern and fear as his fingers curled around the bag she passed him. No, no, that was too dangerous, they couldn't do that, what if he slipped up and she fell? He'd never forgive himself, not when he knew that she could've taken the safe option and he could just drop and deal with the consequences when he hit the ground. No, she had to take it.

"Sweet girl, you gotta take it. What if I drop you?" He mumbled, pushing the parachute back to her chest like he didn't want it. (y/n) sighed, expecting this reaction from him and turned to Henry so he could get gone and get safe. She could deal with Ray, she practically wrote the book.

"Kid, get out of here. We'll be right behind you, just remember to pull the chord to release the chute." She nodded to the boy, who took a few steps forward before growing nervous and hesitant. Did he really want to do this alone? And if he did go alone, would they be okay? He didn't want either of them to fall, but if his deep knowledge of their relationship was right and it usually was, Ray would never let (y/n) fall and she wouldn't let him jump solo, so..."You sure?" 

"Go, we'll be fine. See you on the ground." She nodded, making the boy gulp and and run down the ramp, screaming and laughter as he fell through the air before pulling the chord, instancing feeling the pull of the breeze catching the nylon fabric. Well, gliding was actually quite nice and the view was fantastic, he wondered why he was ever nervous, not to mention that he was hot on Minyak's tail so he'd be able to nab him or minions when he touched down. Now,where were the lovebirds?

"Absolutely not. You take it, get down safely and I'll just take it easy for the next few days. I'm indestructible, you're not." Ray argued as the couple stood on the door, debating whether they should share or let him take the fall so she'd certainly be safe. They had to make a decision quick, Henry was on his own and staying on a pilotless plane wasn't the safest place to be, so (y/n) bit her tongue and pushed the parachute to his chest and used all her might to hold it there.

"Yeah, but if we share, we can both land a little roughly and come out of it fine. Come on, it's a big chute and I know that you won't drop, you're Captain Man and I trust you." Her arms stopped pushing and his head dropped to rest his forehead on hers as he stopped fighting and listened. He knew she trusted him, he just didn't fully trust himself; he was known to fuck up in crucial moments, he didn't want to drop the most precious person he'd ever known, not when her ring finger was still empty. Where would the trust go if something went wrong?

"I love you, but I can't put you in danger like that...it's too risky." He whispered, moving to put the parachute on her back for her, but she'd thought of that and knew that an ultimatum was the last resort she needed. 

"Look, if you don't put on the damn parachute and glide me to safety then I'm taking my chances and jumping. We'll see how long it takes me to heal every bone in my body." (y/n) stepped away from him, her arms folded so that he wouldn't be able to strap her in. His fists clenched and for a good few moments, he was deep in thought weighing up the pros and cons before deciding that taking the chance was a million times better than seeing her broken body on the concrete or washed out from the dam. Damn her, she was too smart for him and with a reverberating growl, he jerkily tugged on the parachute, tightening the straps across his muscular chest as she smirked victoriously.

"Shall we dance?" He sighed, returning her growing grin as they wrapped their arms around each other as if they were starting a waltz. At least he wasn't angry, although that could have something to do with how she took a safety line from her belt and clipped it to the chute. Well, if he'd known she was gonna do that then he wouldn't have made such a fuss.

"We shall...and I love you too, by the way. Always." She smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek for luck before they jumped. Boy, did he feel lucky; he had her by his side, telling him she felt the same yearning he did and that it would last forever, that was a fucking good feeling.

"God, I love you. Now, five, six, seven eight...." Ray grinned, leading their steps as they ran down the ramp, his arms curling around her waist as they became airborne, her hair whipping in the wind as they drifted down, aiming for the dam wall. They could see Henry a mile in front of them and they decided to freefall a little first to catch up to him before pulling the chord, laughing and giggling at how normal couples didn't even come to close to having what they had. "CROSSOVER!!!"

Huh, wonder what that means. 

~The Swell View Studio~

Well, news spread quickly about the heroic actions of the three superheroes and almost immediately after getting home from the dam, an eager invitation for an interview came in. It wasn't a full-on, camera-in-face interview, it was just an appearance on Swellview's most popular daytime chat show. Every women in the city watched it, even if they didn't like it, because everyone just had to be in the know, especially when Captain Man, Kid Danger and Miss Danger were the special guests. Oh, wow, Miss Danger, every woman wanted to be her, she had the most gorgeous boyfriend, hair, figure, smile, she was the person everyone wanted to be, so when she sat down at the table with the hosts, her boyfriend and Henry, it was nerve-wrackingly thrilling. 

So, there they were, sipping coffee, smiling brightly and putting their best feet forward, because the praise was delicious and (y/n) would be a liar if she said she wasn't fangirling about being on the show like some glamorous star, which she kinda was now.

"Welcome back, female viewers. So, Captain Man, Kid Danger and of course, Miss Danger, how'd you guys defeat Doctor Minyak this time?" The lead host, a pretty, blonde lady who seemed to be glued to (y/n)'s side as she sipped her milky coffee with Ray's hand on her thigh, asked. She was a huge fan of everything the superheroine did and thought it was a huge honour that she'd graced herself and her colleagues with her presence, despite it being the opposite way around for the young woman. She really was quite normal underneath the mask, red satin and loaded blasters.

"What did you do?" A little girl also questioned. She was a regular on the show, a bit young in many people's opinion, but her sass just made her a part of everything.

"Uh, well, Miss Danger and I were on this cargo plane, y'see..." Ray began to explain, his hand brushing up and down his girl's leg like he could feel her soft skin under his fingertips. Just hearing her laugh at the story made his heart flutter and he was glad that the adventure hadn't left her nervous or fearful, particularly the skydiving. Everything had been fine, of course, just a bumpy landing and the annoyance that Minyak had escaped, but they could laugh about it now and feel proud that they'd saved the city from flooding. Plus, any successful mission ended with the most sinful nights spent behind their locked bedroom door.

"And Doctor Minyak, he had us locked in a box." (y/n) told the women, making them grin and exclaim in wonder at how intriguing the couple were. They were couple-goals, the most gossiped about and idolised pair in the entire city, everyone wanted to know the ins and outs of how they met, how long they'd been dating, what were their juicier secrets, how could they get a Captain Man of their own... They'd never tell, what they had going on was unique, pure and too precious to share with everyone and risk getting spoilt. No, this relationship could stay and thrive in the Man Cave, where it could just stay between Ray, (y/n) and their special family and grow without scrutiny or malicious rumours.

"Yeah, well, you know. These days, Doctor Minyak is kinda like a joke!" Henry laughed with the hosts and his friends, feeling free to laugh about the doctor since he was sure he was somewhere licking his wounds and definitely not watching. Oh, how wrong he was... Minyak had crawled out of the dam and had returned to the grimy hideout where he and Nurse Cohort took shelter from the world, and it was safe to say that hearing the boy's ridicule pissed him off.

"He's always like I'm Doctor Minyak! Listen to the stupid way that I speak!" Ray mocked him, making the women roar even harder with laughter when he mimicked the villain's British accent and it got even worse when they turned around to cackle at his dumb face on the monitor behind them. It was a snapshot of Minyak snarling with fury, meaning his lips were pursed and his eyes were wide, therefore he looked like a maniac and it was hilarious. Well, it wasn't to the man himself.

"Poor Doctor Minyak..." "What is he even a doctor of anyway?" "I know! Failure!" The comments from the howling panellists went back and forth, tickling the funny bones of everyone in the studio and everyone at home. No one could understand why Minyak didn't just give up or put his knack for technical invention to a better cause, but the again, his incompetency at being a criminal did make for good entertainment, something that infuriated him as he fumed from the humiliation on the TV. He swore revenge...

~Later that day~

Life in the Man Cave wasn't normal, not when there was a handyman who lived there and had a talent for creating the whackiest of gadgets. For once, Charlotte, Jasper, Schwoz, (y/n), Ray and Henry had found themselves in the Man cave with nothing to do; no calls, no emergencies, no responsibilities. So, what do you to when you've got a few hours to kill before the crime rush starts in the evening? Do you find some task to complete that you've been putting off for ages like fixing the stupid elevator? No, you go absolutely fuming crazy.

Schwoz was testing out his newest invention out on Jasper, (y/n) and Charlotte, some kind of ray gun that looked deadly, but only shot an energy at an opponent that rendered them incapacitated from tickling. It was perfect for teasing and playing a game with them, especially since it gave the small guy a chance to be the one in power for once. The woman and teens tried to scramble away from the beam, their nerves and bodies tired from the ticklish assault, but deep down, they liked the game too much to tell him to seriously stop. 

Ray and Henry were making their own entertainment too. With the Sky Whale bet on hold, they were competing in a race, the "Who could get down the tube, run, press a bell on the computer and get back upstairs?" race. It was going well so far, both of them neck and neck, zipping up and down the tube as Schwoz, (y/n) and the other kids laughed their asses off. What a completely normal afternoon. 

"Oh my god, Schwoz, stop! I'm gonna pee!" (y/n) wheezed, holding her stomach as she collapsed on the sofa, her hands holding onto her aching belly as she sat down to rest. Okay, her old(ish) body couldn't take this anymore and she rested against the couch as Schwoz shrugged and continued chasing Charlotte and Jasper. She could just watch Ray run, yeah, she could just watch her boyfriend's incredibly hot body flex and stretch, just for a little while...

~The next day~

"Holy shit! Double G's doing a livestream!" (y/n) squealed as she flicked through the news and saw that one of the best rappers in the world was about to go before the press and everyone stopped what they were doing, some sharing her excitement and others completely confused. The entire Man Cave team were in work that day, just doing some general tasks when the news flash came in and instantly, it grabbed their attention.

"Double G?" "Oh my god, I love his music!" "No way!" "Really?!" "Who?" Schwoz had no idea what they were on about or why they were interrupting their work for something so trivial. After ignoring their responsibilities yesterday, they had a lot of stuff to do today, so he was eager to get on with it all, mainly to avoid Ray's wrath, but they were all distracted. He wasn't much of a rap fan, more like Taylor Swift and whatever weird music came from his homeland, but even so, his lack of knowledge about who the legend was irritated his friends. Even (y/n) liked Double G, and she wasn't completely "down with the kids" and those "hip-hop rap newfangled tunes".

"Oh, come on, Schwoz. You must know who Double G is." Charlotte grumbled, rolling her eyes at how she worked with such fossils. Well, Ray and (y/n) weren't too bad, but this guy was huge, like one of the biggest stars on the planet, how could Schwoz live in the modern world and not know?

"No, I don't think so. Is he famous?" And, cue the groans. Famous was an understatement; everyone and their mothers knew Double G, well, everyone but Schwoz. The rapper was in magazines, on billboards, on TV constantly and he'd recently invested in some games company. He was huge and well-loved for his quirky, adorable personality and killer tracks. 

"He's, like, a huge rapper. I can't believe you don't do know who he is. He's everywhere!" Henry exclaimed, his friends nodding along as Charlotte dumped a box of Barbie dolls on the table and the boy, herself, Ray and (y/n) sat down to sort them out. They had no idea why, but apparently, their heads needed removing and separating into a box, so that's what they were gonna do. The four slid into the crescent, Ray immediately pulling his girl in close and turning the computer on for the livestream. They could behead the dolls, watch and snuggle simultaneously, no problem.

"Well, sorry!" Schwoz rolled his eyes and scuttle off through the sprocket when he saw them starting the task, Jasper putting two boxes on the computer's console so they could throw the heads and bodies in each. He couldn't stick around for long, his services were needed back upstairs in Junk-N-Stuff and playing with Schwoz's tickle gun thing was just part of his break. Still, he could listen to what Double G had to say on his phone.

"Shhhh! Just put it on, it's about to start!" (y/n) shushed them all, Schwoz and Jasper leaving to go and watch the video elsewhere. The genius wanted to see this amazing musician with his own eyes and figure out what all the fuss was about. Jasper hurried into the elevator and whipped out his PearPhone, content to watch at the counter (he'd adopted/stolen a son, don't ask), so that left Henry, Charlotte and the cuddling lovebirds alone to make their own judgements as they ruined the toys.

"Recently, my good friend, Snoop Dog, had a charity concert, but unfortunately, only raised two-hundred and twenty-seven million dollars. But twenty-five of those dollars were from me, so actually,Snoop Dog only raised two-hundred and twenty six million, nine-hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine-hundred and seventy-five dollars. Do the math. I did!" Double G started the press conference in his own peculiar way and caused a stir amongst the journalists and reporters picking up his every word. The four started pulling the heads from the dolls, each one making a pop before they aimed for the boxes. Some went in, some didn't, but all the while they listened intently and Ray trailed his lips up and down (y/n)'s neck, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms as his nose nuzzled the hair behind her ear.

"Now, I am proud to announce that on Friday night, I, Double—Bunny, will you get your paw outta the Frittle sack?!" Double G snapped when his faithful bodyguard, Bunny, just so happened to nibble on a chip, asking a loud, crunching noise that put him off. He slapped the bag of Frittles from the man's hand, causing the bag to drop to the ground as his entourage and the reporters gasped at his outburst. Yep, that was Dub, always crazy. "Now, on Friday night, I, Double G, will be performing my own charity concert with a target goal of three-hundred million dollars! And my charity concert, that will help needy kids, will be televised around the world to one-hundred and ninety-three countries, which incidentally, is three more countries than Snoop Dog had! Now, drop that like it's hot!"

Well, that was something. Everyone could get behind a charity concert, especially if it was for the greater good. Three-hundred million dollars was a hell of a lot of money and would help countless kids, but when someone does good, it often draws out the worst in society...Doctor Minyak.

He'd been watching just like everyone else and when he heard about how the rapper was gonna do something explosively generous and beneficial for the needy, he couldn't help but squeal. What was good could be ruined so very easily, but if he could pull it off, he'd land himself in the history books as the best villain of all time, as well as the biggest bastard.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, Nurse Cohort, did you hear that?!" The man asked his assistant, clearly expecting her to have the same evil idea as he did. If he could ruin the concert, then he'd be admired, revered, idolised, and he will have finally triumphed over Captain Man whilst also bringing misery to untold millions. Oh, he was heinously good.

"Yes! I can't wait for the concert!" She replied, thinking the same as the rest of the population. Yeah, she was evil, but she wouldn't stoop as low as to steal from vulnerable kids, that was just sick. She just wanted to see Double G perform in an epic concert, she didn't see any correlation. 

"Oh, you'll have to wait, 'cause I have a new plan. I'm going to ruin Double G's charity concert." Minyak growled, shocking Nurse Cohort, sending a bolt of fearful confusion through her black heart. That was extreme for her and she normally loved his mean plans, but not when it was this mean. What about the children? What about Double G? What about her? She wanted to get down and dance along to the songs, she didn't want that spoiled. "What for?"

"What for? Don't you understand?!" The villain exclaimed, flabbergasted at how she wasn't picking up on how this was the perfect opportunity for some troublemaking. They could ruin the day of millions of people worldwide and tell every other supervillain watching that they were capable of "great" things and here she was, asking why.

"If I did, I wouldn't have said what for." Nurse Cohort hissed, not appreciating how he was getting all cocky with her. She was the one who cooked, cleaned, shaved his back (weird, but true), why was he being rude? He needed her, he fancied her, he should take a lesson from Captain Man and learn how to treat a lady right.

"By stopping Double G's concert, I'll be depriving a charity from receiving three-hundred million dollars for needy children! That's really evil!" He squealed, getting more and more high-pitched as the excitement got to him. His assistant turned her nose up at him, not believing that he'd stoop so low, just because he was pissed off that he'd been beaten again. Captain Man's prowess impressed her to no end, but now he mentioned it, maybe Miss Danger would finally be put in her place if this charity concert failed and then the handsome hero would be free from her nasty clutches. Maybe she could ignore the stealing from children thing, just this once.

~That afternoon, Henry's house~

Piper had done something crazy, nothing new there. The day before, she'd had some dumb argument with her dad about needing money for some prince, an obvious scam if he'd ever seen one. But Piper was convinced it was real and since he wasn't going to lend her one thousand dollars for some conman to steal, she had to earn it, which was how their house ended up on some AirBnB site and why some kids were on their way over that very moment. Her parents and brother were clueless to her scheming, of course; they'd have something to say about letting their house out to strangers, but she needed that money and because their guests were, like, five minutes away, she needed to get her dumb parents out before they arrived, so she was dragging their suitcases from the bedroom.

"Hey, mom, dad, I'mma go to the movies—" Henry walked through the house, telling his parents about his plans to go out. He didn't want them to worry, but he stopped mid sentence when a suitcase nearly landed on his head, something which scared the bejesus out of him. Piper wasn't watching where she was throwing them, she just wanted an empty house, pronto.

"What was that?" "What's going on?" Mr and Mrs Hart spluttered as they heard all the commotion and saw their son go pale. He walked up to the small, purple case, wondering where it had come from, when Piper through the second one down and this time, it bashed him right on the head, knocking him to the carpet. Well, that hurt and it sent his parents into a panic.

"What the mustard?" "Henry! Are you okay, baby?" They cried, dashing over to their groaning son and helping him up as he felt his head throb. Something warm was trickling through his hair, but he'd be okay. He'd suffered much worse working for Ray and he could toughen it out; he was a superhero, for god's sake, not that they knew that as they helped him limp along.

"Hey, bring those suitcases to the front door, would ya?" Piper asked her family, not caring that she'd almost killed her brother, she was too busy looking at her plans and contract for the guests. Her uncaring tone didn't go down well with her mom and dad, who were particularly fond of Henry since he was their favourite son, so kind and caring.

"Piper, explain." "Right now." They demanded, glaring at her as Henry's vision cleared up and he felt the injury on his scalp. Why did it feel warm and wet? And why did he have to have her as his little sister? She was so mean and annoying sometimes, and he could just tell that she was up to something. His family had good instincts and his were rarely wrong.

"Okay. I needed to make money to give to Prince Fa'ard, so, I listed our house on Air Be My Guest." Piper explained simply, watching innocently as her parents' mouth contorted into horror and shock. There house was going to be filled with strangers? The nerve of this girl, how could she do this without their permission? They hadn't cleaned, prepared any rooms, bought in any food, they were completely unprepared and completely pissed off. This sort of thing needed discussion before hand. "What for?!"

"You guys, yeah, this is blood. I'm gonna go upstairs and wipe my head." Henry groaned, showing his bloody finger after he brushed it against the gash, wincing at how much it stung. It wasn't bad enough to need stitches, but he couldn't walk around with bloody hair and if (y/n) taught him anything, cleaning the wound up a bit would stop it from getting any worse. 

"Gross." "Don't use our good towels." Mr and Mrs Hart told him, not very concerned to say that their son had just sustained a head injury and was bleeding. They didn't check or ask if he was all right, they just let him walk up the stairs to go sort it out himself, and Henry was really feeling the love. What if he had concussion? "Thank you all for caring."

"They're here! Take this, it's your hotel confirmation number!" Piper gasped as she heard the doorbell and quickly passed her mom the printed sheet she'd prepared just for them. She wasn't going to kick them out completely and make them sleep in the car or something, she wasn't that cruel. She'd booked them into a nice hotel and in her opinion, they could treat it like a short break, just the two of them, all romantic and stuff. It was a favour really.

"You booked us rooms as the Staines Hotel?" Mrs Hart gasped, looking at the suite that was apparently in her and her husband's name. It didn't look too bad, it was a decent place, actually scratch that, it was the best hotel in town, very elegant, but she wasn't about to be order out of her house by a twelve-year-old, especially when that twelve-year-old was her bossy daughter. She wasn't going to win though, Piper's guests were here and everything was ready, they just needed a final shove

"Yeah, I packed you guys' bags. Now, get out!" The girl told them, feeling the pressure since the people paying her were still waiting around on the doorstep, or at least she thought they were. This prince guy promised to make her a millionaire, why were they being so stingy and stupid? This was their chance to be rich! 

"We can't afford the Staines!" Mr Hart argued and it was true. That place was five stars, pure luxury inside and out, soft, fluffy and free bathrobes and slippers in every room, room service at any hour, en-suites in the en-suites, an indoor pool, a spa, a gym, king-sized beds in every room, a Michelin Star chef, the lot. It was literally the shining jewel of the hospitality sector in Swellview, but also a sure-fire way of crushing your bank account from the extortionate prices. Maybe the indulgence of the honeymoon suite was what drew Ray there for his and (y/n)'s anniversary or just any time he wanted to treat her; silk sheets and her breathless pleasure were just his vibe.

"Please, you guys, just get out!" Piper begged them as the knocking continued. Whoever was out there was getting confused and impatient, but they weren't about to just leave with no questions asked or an inspection of these strangers.

"No!" "No, we want to meet these people you rented our house to." Mr Hart and his wife stated, defying Piper and her bratty ways. For once, she wasn't going to have it all her way, and the prospect of her parents meeting the cool kids she'd invited over and embarrassing her in front of them made her eyes widen in fear.

"NO! What if they think you're weirdos then leave and don't pay me?" She asked rhetorically, thinking the abstract situation was a real possibility when it came to her mom and dad. Kris was fine, it was Jake who was the weird one and she needed that damn money, like hell was he going to ruin her chances with his stupid face and dumb dad jokes.

"I am not going to be called a weirdo in my own house!" Mr Hart exclaimed, rejecting her insult, but his wife didn't like how he was rising to her taunting. They just needed to stay calm and deal with her like adults because that's what they were. "Don't be such a baby."

"I'm not a baby. I'm thirty-eight-and-a-half-years-old." The man grumbled, looking like a baby as he pouted and Piper couldn't take it anymore. She just wanted to greet her guests, but when she opened the door, to her shock, no one was there. There was only one explanation for this, her dumb parents' questions must've made them think that they weren't wanted so they left for someone else's house. There went her money. 

"Aw, great. You scared them away! You owe me a thousand dollars!" She growled at them, not realising that the cool kids she'd invited weren't that dumb and had gone round the back to see if they could get in the house that way. And they were cool, super cool, the coolest; they were the Game Shakers, also known as the hottest game production company in the world, including Sky Whale, not that Piper knew that. She just thought they were some kids from New York, not some celebrities who were sponsored by Double G of all people. 

"Uh, hello?" Kenzie, a cute, highly intelligent girl with glasses said tentatively, wondering if these people were their hosts, but her sudden voice scared the wits out of Piper, Kris and Jake, making them back up against the wall like they were zombies coming to attack. A bit of an overreaction, but they did sneak up on them.

"Why do they seem terrified?" Triple G, or just Trip for short, whispered to his friends, eyeing the Harts suspiciously. They were in the right house, they were sure of that, maybe Swellview wasn't the normal, uneventful place they had thought it to be. Well, they'd obviously not done their research, any place that needed three superheroes on the city's official payroll immediately suggested that they had trouble of the weird and wonderful kind.

"I got this." Hudson, a well-meaning, dapper but dim-witted boy, announced, pushing his friends out of his way since he was certain that he could handle these Swellviewians. It was probably some kind of culture shock for them, seeing four stylish, uptown kids from New York in the quaint, little city and despite his friends' protests, he sauntered up to the shocked family. "Helloooo, weeeeee are from New Yoooorrrkkk." It was painful to watch.

"Um, sorry we scared you but, uh, nobody answered the door, so—" Babe, a sassy, confident, tough girl from Brooklyn, apologised to the family after batting Hudson away. She could see that they'd just been spooked and felt like they needed to say something after barging their way into the living room unannounced.

"So, we went around back and—" Trip explained further, just as Piper snapped out of her daze and smiled warmly at the kids. They were the kind of people she could be friends with, especially since they were offering her one thousand dollars and for that price, she'd be nice to anybody.

"Well, you're in the right place. I'm Piper and this is your home for the next three days." She told them all, shaking Babe's hand as she gestured to the Hart's family home, something that broke her parent's from their shock too. Three kids in their home for three days? Yeah, no, that's just asking for the place to be trashed and the cops to be called to a wild house party when they were out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on." Mrs Hart stopped her daughter before she got carried away and the Game Shakers looked at the adults in confusion. They had no idea that their arrival was unexpected, but they could sense some tension and that made it awkward.

"What? You're gonna say no? You're gonna throw four children out in the street?" She hissed at them, trying to play on their kinder sides since it often made them break. It wasn't like that, and the husband and wife tried to tell her so, that they weren't being cruel, they just didn't want to leave her and her reputation for trouble alone with four unknown kids for three days. If only they knew someone responsible...

"Um, we don't mean this to sound awkward—" Babe started, trying to slide in the fact that Piper had agreed that their stay would include no adults, just her supervision. It wasn't the best time, but it was part of the deal and they were paying for privacy and peace, two things they weren't gonna get if this girl was gonna argue with her parents all the time.

"—But the deal I made says only one resident at the house, Piper Hart, can be present during the rental term." Kenzie finished, reading out the exact words from the contract so they couldn't be misinterpreted. Come on, this was for a thousand dollars, they didn't want to be cheated and the idea of parents hanging around sounded crap.

"Yep, they're right." Piper nodded, smirking at her mom and dad like she'd won, but they still weren't convinced. Contract be damned, if they couldn't figure out a way to be comfortable with the kids staying in the house, then they have to leave and rent from someone else. Their house, their rules.

"Listen, girls, my husband and I can stay in a hotel, but we would feel more comfortable if someone a little older like our son stayed here with Piper and you guys." She told the girls, knowing that if Henry was with them, he was smart enough and responsible enough to preserve the house and their belongings. He was very nearly an adult and knew how to deal with Piper, plus he was polite and kind, he could treat their guests properly without doing anything stupid.

"Oh, okay, I see, I get, no, that's not acceptable, we really need to focus on work." Babe and Kenzie replied in one big mumble, thinking that Henry was some stuffy, dopey brother who'd just cramp their style and tell them what to do all the time, and that was a huge Nono. They needed space to breathe, not weird sons annoying them and Piper had promised that they'd be on their own, they could have any exceptions—

"Hey, what goes on?" Henry appeared at the top of the stairs, his hair and head all cleaned up and for the teenage girls, it was like time stopped. This was their son? He wasn't nerdy, ugly or pretentious, he was cute, suave and drop-dead gorgeous, a teen's ideal crush. He floated down the stairs like a goddamn Adonis, clearly a few years older than them and Babe and Kenzie couldn't help but drool. Okay, yeah, he was Piper's brother, but Henry was a good-looking lad and those blue eyes, blond hair and bright smile did wonders on the girls as he casually trotted down. Even Hudson and Trip could appreciate his handsomeness, just not as much as their friends who had already lined Henry up as their future husband. And all he did was walk down the stairs. 

"Dude's bringing it!" Hudson mumbled to Trip, who was inclined to agree. They'd never seen the girls melt like that before and understood why; this guy was awesome.

"Um, he—he's your son?" Babe asked on behalf of herself and Kenzie, praying that the answer was yes. Sweet cheese, he was perfect, tall, blond, blue-eyed and so gentlemanly when he smiled. She just knew they were destined to love each other forever and ever.

"Uh-hmm." "Yes." Mrs Hart and her husband nodded, obviously not being affected by Henry coming down the stairs and didn't recognise the girl's sudden change of heart. Well, he could boss them around all he wanted and they wouldn't complain, in fact, it was an absolute must that he stayed in the house whilst they were there, to send him away would be a real shame because damn, he was fine. "We've reconsidered." "We've changed our minds. It's best that he stays."

"Kinda needs to happen." They told the woman dreamily, each girl flanking Henry who was confused as to what was going on and why they were giving him goo-goo eyes. It had been a while since he'd had any kind of romantic interest in anyone, so he was kinda rusty and these girls were easily two years younger than him, he didn't want to seem weird. Staying chivalrous, that was the key, even if it was slightly odd when they gave him shy, flirty smiles and looked away blushing. He was Kid Danger and no stranger to girls having crushes on him, but not in his house. This was going to be interesting.

~Later that night~

Well, Mr and Mrs Hart took the bait. Knowing that Henry was going to be around to keep an eye on things settled their nerves and once they'd gotten past their anger from Piper's actions, they hurriedly drove off, heading for their break at the Staines. It was already paid for, so they might as well make the best of it.

Piper had immediately taken control of the situation, saying that her house was their house and that they should make themselves comfortable whilst she and Henry went out to get some Chinese food. They had four hungry mouths to feed, and a couple hundred dollars left by her mom, so off they went with a foot-long order list, which left the Gamer Shakers with ample time to get started on their work, or just mess about or find out more regarding a certain cute boy.

"Hey, Trip, last month, didn't one of us pitch a game about, like—?" Babe started, flicking through some of her notes as she tried to come up with some ideas for their next success. It was the whole reason they'd left New York, to rest, relax and recharge their batteries away from the stressful Big Apple, but so far, they'd done nothing, just sniffed around the Hart's possessions, including the display shelves, which were highly entertaining for Trip and Hudson. Did they not have those in New York? "—Trip! You guys, we came here to work, okay? I mean, come on, you don't see me and Kenzie being—"

Babe spoke too soon. Normally, her best friend was a stickler for focus and used her high intelligence to get stuff done, but Henry had left his backpack lying around in the living room and well, with him out, it was too much of a temptation for her to ignore. To her horror, Babe watched as Kenzie rooted through the bag, checking every pocket for anything that could tell her about the boy she was crushing on or maybe she could find something she could sneakily slaver over. "Kenzie, what are you doing?"

"Going through Henry's backpack." She answered simply, not even phased about how wrong it seemed or how much judgement she was receiving right now. You can tell a lot abut a person from what they keep in their bag and boy, she was learning a lot about Henry and what he liked, what he study, whether he had a girlfriend or not.

"You are setting a really bad example for the bookshelf buddies over here, so maybe you wanna—" Babe started to lecture her, knowing that if the smart one started misbehaving then, Trip and Hudson would follow suit like they were in some sort of pack hierarchy. It was wrong and what would they do if Henry and Piper came back and saw their guest rummaging through his stuff, obsessing over his tissues and textbooks? Well, at least babe thought it was wrong, until Kenzie pulled out an intriguing item that sent their teenage hearts racing.

"I found Henry's lip balm!" She squealed, twisting the tube around in her fingers like it was sacred. This small, tubular hunk of beeswax had touched Henry's lips, it had ran across them so many times and if they tasted it, they'd know what it would be like to kiss him, something that even for Babe and her morals, was too much. "Bring that over here right now!"

"Shall we try it?" Kenzie asked her friend as she dragged the bag over and sat down on the couch like they were whispering and giggling at a sleepover. It was a bit creepy to try on someone else's lip balm, not to mention highly unhygienic, but the brain of a teenage girl rarely works when it comes to a boy and they just wanted to get a glimpse into what kind of flavour he was wearing. Oh god, his lips must be so damn soft if he used lip balm...

"Are you insane?! Of course, we're gonna try it!" Babe exclaimed, forgetting about her worries from earlier and grabbed the tube from Kenzie's hands, unscrewing the cap and rubbing it along her bottom lip for a few seconds. Her friend snatched to back almost immediately, also craving the idea of rubbing it onto her lips, 'cause if it had been on Henry's lips and now hers, it was sort of like a kiss? A preschool idea, but a heartwarming, toe-curling one nonetheless. "Don't hog the balm!"

"Okay, fine, take it." Babe sighed, releasing it from her fingers since she could faintly taste the strawberry goodness. It was a bold choice for a guy, something that (y/n) had given to Henry when he'd been complaining about his rough lips, and her favourite quickly became his when it worked its magic, transforming his skin into a smooth, totally kissable surface. Hudson and Trip watched on with screwed-up faces, wondering if it was a girl thing as they licked at their lips and decided that they wouldn't mind to try it on their owner, who, incidentally, just so happened to walk through the door as Kenzie smeared it around her lips. 

"Hey, we're back." Henry smiled, shocking the girls into a frenzy as they rushed to shove the lip balm back into the pocket where it had been found. Luckily for them, Henry didn't seem to notice, he was too busy watching Piper as she dashed up to the porch, a heavy bag of Chinese food in her hand as the girls floundered with his backpack, shoving it on the floor like they'd never touched it when Henry casually walked over. What a fucking close call.

"Oh, look who's back! Hey, Henry!" "Hi, Henry, you came back! You were gone for so long..." "Yeah, we were getting worried about you, boy..." Babe and Kenzie squealed, practically drooling over the boy and the way his hair flopped into his eyes when he checked his watch, their fanning going over his head. How could they get him to notice them? He was, like, the perfect boy and god, the way the veins in his arms flexed, they could've fainted right then and there.

"Uh, yeah, I was only gone for fifteen minutes." Henry frowned. The Chinese place was only down the road and whilst it was flattering, he couldn't understand why they were worried about him when he was practically a stranger to them. Geez, he really was useless at this, someone would have to point it out to him or point with a massive, flashing arrow surrounded by love hearts to get him to finally understand. They had two, ginormous crushes on him and it was bad, like, instantaneously falling for him, puppy-love at first sight.

"Fifteen minutes to win it." "Yeah, bae." They flirted with him, Kenzie putting a hand on his arm tenderly, another gesture that went right over his head. Bae? The hell did that mean? He looked at the hand in confusion, wondering if it was a New York thing, or maybe if he should ask Ray or (y/n) about some dating stuff later on, 'cause was getting a lot of mixed signals and his brain couldn't take it. Thankfully though, Piper came through the door, ending the awkward moment as she brought in the rest of the food.

"Hey! More Chinese food coming up!" She announced, holding up the bag, drawing cheers from the hungry teens, so they all skipped to the kitchen. Babe started pulling some plates out from the cabinets and Henry took his matching bag over to the counter so they could start serving the piping hot goodness. Hudson started pulling everything out, eager to get to the eating part, but Trip, having survived their little, weird, squealing, crush moment, turned to the girls and returned to what they had travelled for; work.

"Uh, I thought you girls said we were supposed to focus on work. Trip mentioned, pulling out cartons with Hudson, who as usual, had a lot of suggestions, just not very good ones, but this time, he came through for them. Henry and Piper were curious too, they wondered what kind of work they were in, and they were in for a huge shock.

"Well, why can't we eat Chinese food and think of a new game at the same time?" Hudson suggested, which wasn't actually a bad idea. Food and thinking went hand in hand with each other and they could relax a little too. It wasn't totally about work, with Henry around, Babe and Kenzie were willing to bend the rules just a little bit. "Yeah, we can do that."

"New game?" Piper frowned, wondering what they were on about. Honestly, she had no idea who they were, apart from where they lived and that they'd give her a shit ton of cash if they could stay in her house. When they said game, did they mean board game, online game, playground game? It wasn't a typical Bobbie, well, not in Swellview anyway.

"Yeah, we make video games." Babe smiled at her, setting out some glasses for everyone since the food was gonna be deliciously salty and they'd need to keep sipping throughout it. It was weird, "make video games" seemed like an oversimplification; they earned millions from the games they designed, entertained players all over the world, but no one knew who they were, not by looking at their faces any way. They were just the geniuses behind the scenes, content to just kick back and have fun with their work, even if some praise would be nice now and again.

"We have our own company." "Game Shakers." "Super successful." Kenzie and Babe elaborated further, the former smirking and winking at Henry when she mentioned how they weren't just some nerds sat programming until the late hours of the night, they retained some glamour, some wealth, hell, maybe even some fame from what they did and upon hearing their name, a synapse twitched in Piper's brain. She'd definitely heard of them now they'd dropped the name.

"Game Shakers?! Wait, didn't Game Shakers make that game, Sky Whale?" Piper gasped, her mouth dropping over as Kenzie brought over a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and that caught Henry's attention. They made Sky Whale?! The game he played in every hour of free time he had, the game where he was like a master, flopping the whale about like he was born to do it? Their grins confirmed it and he was instantly walking over to them, throughly gobsmacked at how the creators of the most downloaded game on the PearStore were in his house. Holy shit. "Oh, yeah." "We did."

"What?" Shut up!" He gasped, making the girls quickly do as he said. They do anything for him, even if it did seem a bit weird to be silent upon his orders. Eh, they were dumb, young and crushing, they were bound to lose their common sense a little bit. "Okay..."

"No, it's just...I love that game. When did you—" Henry was cut off from asking them all about it when he phone started buzzing and ringing in his pocket and he already knew who was calling, judging by the little jingle. "Oh, hang on, it's my boss." He nodded, silently apologising to the girls for the interruption before walking away to take the call, not that they minded. He had a job? That was hot.

"Boss?" "Hmmmm, he's got a job." "A working man..." The girls sighed over how he was now literally perfect, he could pay for things, he was like an adult, so cool, so smooth, so damn hot and cute and god, why couldn't they have him now?! Was it really so wrong to want a guy they'd known for five minutes, even if he was a little older? He looked so good holding that phone, his fingers gripping the device, his soft lips curling into a smile...if this was love then they wanted all of it, all of him.

"Hey, Hen, it's us. Will you please come talk some sense into Jasper? He's being silly and he's doing our heads in." It was (y/n) who spoke through the speaker, Ray's phone nestled behind her and her boyfriend's head as they stood in Junk-N-Stuff with Jasper, Charlotte and some little boy Jasper had found in the street. 

It was a weird predicament; the curly-haired boy insisted that he had a newfound son because according to Swellview law, if no one claimed the child, whom he'd named Barfield, after fourty-eight hours, he could legally adopt him, which was crazy for numerous, obvious reasons. 

Firstly, this boy had parents, who were probably worried sick and searching the streets for him, so Jasper not doing everything he could to reunite them was a bit...horrible. Secondly, he was way too young to be a father, there was responsibility, time, effort, money, a promise to care for another person until they were eighteen, he wasn't ready for that, he could barely look after himself, not that he'd listen to anyone who told him that. And finally, he was insisting that because he was a "new father", he was entitled to parental leave to look after the child, that meant Ray would have to pay him to not be at work, something (y/n) was all in favour of, normally. She knew that paternal leave was necessary for a lot of new parents, but that didn't apply to Jasper. He was getting carried away and her motherly instincts came out when he brought the boy in for a bath, but he didn't belong there. He had a family.

"I'm not silly, I'm a parent." Jasper argued, thinking that she would've been the one to support him on this. She was already quite fond of the kid, who was busy splashing in a bubble bath as Charlotte sponged him down, but she flat out refused to support him in keeping him as his son. It was admirable that he was taking care of him whilst he was still lost, but also dumb that he thought he'd be okay just becoming a dad at the drop of a hat. What about his education? How would he support the kid? Feed him, clothe him, buy him toys, get him into school, where would they live? He'd thought of none of this.

"You're apparently silly. Bam, word play! You lose." Ray growled back it him, his anger clear to Henry as he glanced at the child. Yeah, watching (y/n) play with him, hold him, feed him bits of mashed banana and rock him to sleep was cute and something he loved more than he should've, something that just made him want to marry her more, but this was borderline child endangerment. He couldn't let this happen and if there was one person Jasper might listen to, it would be his best friend.

"Guys, what's the problem?" Henry asked, worried when he heard how agitated they both were. He knew about Barfield, and had told Jasper to let the police reunite him with his parents, but he had no idea how far it had really gone. Jasper was serious, if no one claimed the kid, he was gonna be Barfield Dunlop very soon.

"Jasper's trying make me give him paternity leave." Ray snapped, which made Jasper scoff. He was feeling fatherhood and the minute he saw Barfield walking the streets alone, he just knew he had to take him in and he couldn't understand why no one was supporting him. Charlotte also thought he was stupid, even as she scrubbed the boy, covered in suds from his splashes, but not even her advice could change his mind. He was just too damn stubborn.

"I have a son, his name is Barfield and I found him in a bush. And according to state law...when a person becomes a new parent, that parent is entitled to three months of paid vacation, so that he or she may have quality time to bond with his or her new child." Jasper read the law straight from the book, forcing the couple out  from behind the counter so they could drive the fact that he was being a moron home. It was about being stingy, well, maybe a bit on Ray's side, but more about doing what's right; Barfield needed to go home and Jasper had to protect his future. He'd be a dad one day, just not now.

"Jasper, for the love of god, you are not a parent!" (y/n) groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as Ray put arm around her shoulders to try and offer her some comfort. He knew this bugged her, because she knew how hard being an adult was and hell, if they, a couple twice Jasper's age, with financial security, with a place to live, with jobs, with a stable, secure relationship, weren't ready for a child, then he definitely wasn't. They knew what he was going through, he felt the urge to protect him, to nurture a little one, they had also felt like that at one point, like they could raise a child no matter what, but they also knew that now wasn't the right time. Soon, yes, right now, no.

"If no one claims my child by tomorrow night, I sure am! And, state law says that you gotta give me paternity leave!" Jasper retorted, waving the paper in front of Ray so he could see the text, and the man couldn't help but snatch it from his grip. He stood on a drum, his height towering over Jasper as he tried to get it back, and (y/n) remembered why she was still childless at thirty. Her boyfriend was a child and she still had to keep the peace. "Maybe you're too short to be a parent!"

"Okay, let's just calm down. Jasper, I know you want to do this, but looking after a child is hard, really damn hard and you're gonna be on your own. Parenting is a...heroic act when done right, but you're not in position to do what's best for Barfield. He probably has a family waiting for him and even if he doesn't, you won't be able to give him everything he needs. You're still a child yourself." The woman reasoned with the boy trying to appeal to his sensible side with her own maturity. She just wanted him to see how insane the whole thing was. 

"(y/n), for the last time he's my son, I love him. You'll understand too one day, when you and Ray have kids together." Jasper replied, making the adults gulp subtly at the thought of having their own children running around the place. Yeah, they wanted that, but that didn't mean that they were gonna say fuck it and ruin their financial and relationship status because of a passing fancy when they thought a child would be a fun change to their crazy lives.

"Hey, you leave us out of it, you're not a parent!" Ray stressed again, still stood on the drum as he looked down at his girlfriend with fond eyes. He'd do anything for her, but again, if he, a thirty-six-year-old man felt terrified of fatherhood, then where did that leave Jasper? Marriage was barely on their doorstep, babies were a long way off, Colin the Bunny was the right level of caring for a living creature that they needed right now.

"You know you're still on the phone with Henry?" The boy snapped, holding up Ray's new PearPhone after his old one was crushed. It was the same model as before, but (y/n) wasn't happy at him buying another one, believing that he needed to be more careful with them. Anyway, the mention of his youngest sidekick made Ray panic, as he remembered who he was originally chatting to.

"Oh, sweet mother, I forgot about Henry." He mumbled, getting down from his drum and holding the phone between his and his girl's ear so they could bother listen, plus it give them a great excuse to get all cosy in each other's personal space. They heard something on the line, Henry muttering to someone in his house, although out of context, Mushu sounded real weird.

"Why do you need new shoes?" (y/n) asked the kid, wondering what the hell he was talking about and her brain rationalised the words into something sensible, sort of. It sounded sensible to her, although she was sure that he'd gone shoe shopping not too long ago. What was he doing that meant he needed new ones already? Her inner thoughts were interrupted by Charlotte screaming as Barfield made a break for it, running buck-ass nude from his bath and out of the shop. He must've liked it outside, but even so, Jasper ran after him, scared that he might lose his newfound offspring.

"Oh, he's out the door." Ray groaned, dropping his head down to rest on his girl's shoulder as he watched the boy run away. Normally, they'd go after him, scared that he'd hurt himself or get run over or kidnapped or just something awful, but they figured they'd let Jasper learn the hard way. He was the "parent", it was up to him to control and keep his child safe, alone.

"Barfield! Come back, son! Irresponsible!" Jasper screamed after the boy, stopping briefly to snap at Charlotte about it was her fault that Barfield took off, even though she was just doing him a favour and had no authority over the child. Again, he was the parent, it was his responsibility to teach him safety and to not run away, so Charlotte's pissed off look was very well-justified.

"Ray, (y/n), you there?" Henry's confused voice came from the phone again, him being at bit concerned from all the shouting he could hear and then when he got no answer, it just got even weirder. What was Jasper's new kid up to now?

"Yeah, it sounds like you got people over." Ray replied, (y/n) practically cheek-to-cheek with him so she could hear what was being said too. It would've been better to put the call on speaker, but years as a secretive superhero had left the man cautious about who could be eavesdropping and he just liked having his girlfriend in one arm, almost lifting her off the ground so she could reach his ear. Picking her up was an easy feat for him and having her so close was a beautiful, little bonus.

"Oh, yeah, some kids are renting our house for a couple days." Henry told them, making the couple frown.

"Isn't that a bit weird? I mean, strangers in your house, it's like my worst nightmare." (y/n) replied, exaggerating a bit.

"No, it's pretty cool 'cause, they're the Game Shakers." The kid bragged, expecting the adults, who self-admittedly, were huge fans of their games, to cry out in amazement, but they didn't have a clue. Yeah, they knew the games, but they didn't have any idea who made them, they were over thirty, for god's sake, they had better things to do. Like paying taxes, planning a proposal, watching crap romcoms, caring for a rabbit and having sex. A lot of sex. They didn't have time for trivial things like game designers.

"We don't know what that means." Ray told him, (y/n) shaking her head to agree with him. Were they some young, cool group they were too old to understand? 'Cause it sure sounded like that, but Henry was about to blow their minds, well, Ray's anyway.

"They're these kids who create a bunch of cool games, including Sky Whale." He smiled as he admitted it, hearing the faint gasps on the end of the line as he gave Babe and Kenzie a thumbs-up. Yeah, he'd impressed them, but he didn't know the extent of it. (y/n) could feel the way Ray's body tensed as it pressed against her own and the arm crossed across her waist clenched as something dawned on him. The makers of his favourite game were just down the road and presented him with the perfect opportunity, one that his childish heart could help but latch onto and tuck into the tiny cavity where it kept everything he loved the most; his ego, Sky Whale, corn dogs and of course, (y/n). She took up most of the room in his heart, owning nearly all of it.

"Wait, are you saying that the people who created Sky Whale are at your house, right now?!" Ray asked, waiting for the all important confirmation with baited breath. If it was true, then he was ready to run, his hand grasping (y/n)'s wrist tightly so he could pull her along since this was something she couldn't miss and he just loved having her around. His legs were ready, his heart was pumping, (y/n) was still a bit confused, but he could explain on the way, he just needed Henry to say the magic word. "Yeah... Isn't that cool? Ray? (y/n)? Isn't that cool? Hello? You guys there? Dude, am I dangling?"

The kid was left to splutter and eventually, hang up, because Ray was off like a shot, tugging his girlfriend behind him as they made for the Hart's family home, the woman completely unprepared to meet new people in her worn jeans and t-shirt, but it didn't matter. Ray had a plan, but it didn't involve Ray Manchester or (y/n) (y/l/n), they couldn't get the same privileges as Captain Man and Miss Danger.

~

(y/n) could barely keep up with Ray as he dragged her through the streets, her keen, observant mind, plus the phone call telling her that they were heading for Henry's house. His strides were twice as long as hers, his body moving like an impenetrable wall of muscle steaming down the road, and her little legs struggled to keep up as the grasp on her wrist changed. He slipped her fingers through his, joining them in a much sweeter way as his pace finally relented once they were pulling up to Henry's drive, which gave the woman a chance to catch her breath and ask what the hell was going on.

"Raymond Manchester, you better—you better explain to me why we're at Henry's house, right now, before I pass—out." She wheezed, her hand clutching at her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. Jeez, she really needed to start doing some cardio or stamina training, or perhaps Ray should've not allowed such a trivial thing to excite him so much. They stumbled onto the porch, the man suspiciously checking left and right as they hid in the shadows and something about the way he pushed her further into the wall like they needed to hide was...illuminating.

"We, you sweet little thing, are gonna go in there and meet the Game Shakers." Ray grinned, excitement bleeding through into his voice as his hands cupped her face and his nose judged hers. It was like he was waiting, teasing her as she pondered his words and why he hadn't kissed her yet like he normally would. It was evident to everyone, Ray loved his girlfriend's kisses and was a strong believer that he didn't get enough, so him not taking this perfect opportunity for a hot, pinned-against-the-wall, desperate kiss was unusual and made (y/n) pause.

"Why would they want to meet the bosses of some kid they've only known for five seconds?" She questioned, standing on her tiptoes to try and get closer to his lips, only succeeding in getting the slightest brush. He was turning her into the needy one, especially when one hand rested on the wall behind her and the other roamed down to her collarbone and soft neck. It was hard to tell what was in his head, it was all a big jumble; on one hand, he wanted to go see the genius kids who made video games, but on the other, he had this absolute angel of a woman quivering in his arms and a solid wall behind her with nowhere to go but straight into his embrace. What's a guy to do?

"'Cause they're not gonna be meeting us, they're gonna be meeting Captain Man and his hot girlfriend, Miss Danger." He replied, a smirk painted across his face as he gave her a tidbit of his plan. No one wanted to see Ray Manchester, well, apart from her, but everyone loved a superhero, even better, two superheroes and he was certain that if they waltzed in there and played their cards right, they'd be coming back out having just received an offer about a Captain Man and friends game. It was written in the stars in his eyes, but then the voice of reasons piped up and even though she didn't want to, she started shooting stars.

"Ray...what have I told you about using our secret identities to get what you want?" (y/n) sighed, getting the feeling that they were walking into trouble. It wasn't like these kids were criminals, far from it, but it felt wrong to deliberately use their fame and status and just expect people to do stuff for them, and surely, they'd have better things to do. This was just an ego thing, her boyfriend's big head ruling his actions again, although that head of his also knew how to rub her in just the right way.

"I know, I know, sweet girl. You always know what's best for me, but please, just go in there with me and play along, just this once. Please? I'll love you forever and forever..." God, those puppy-dog eyes could melt butter and they certainly melted her heart. Ray was already sure, one-hundred per cent, concrete certain that he'd love her, always, that was just him being sappy, but he really wanted to do this. No messing, just a straight conversation, that's all he wanted and the way their breath mingled from their proximity and his fingers trailed down her chest seemed to seal the deal.

"Okay, fine. Whatever. But I want you to kiss me first, right here, right now, against this wall." She relented after a moment's hesitation, seeing in his eyes that he was desperate and who was she to deny him? And vice versa? He wasn't going to just stand there when she'd made the most delicious counteroffer, so his fingers curled around her throat gently and his frame hung over hers, pressing her further into the nook until her back was scraping against the brick.

"That can be arranged..." Ray mumbled, finally capturing her lips with his own as her hands fisted the material of his shirt, dragging his chiselled torso closer to hers as they expertly moved against each other. It was like it was imprinted in their minds now, neither was shy or clumsy, they'd long since mapped out their shape, taste and depths of each other's mouths so they could recognise the honeyed bubblegum clash in an instant, but that didn't mean they craved it any less. It wasn't as painful, but the same longing from their years of mutual pining was still there and knowing that the other was there, waiting, ready to give and receive love, just made the need greater.

"Y'know, we could go home, do this in our bed rather than on Henry's porch. Who knows where I might let you put your hands or if you're lucky, your co—" The woman's teasing, sultry words were short-lived and worked against her favour as Ray pulled away from the kiss moments before his brain told him to drift his lips down the column of her neck. He wasn't backing out now, not when the Game Shakers were behind that door and he'd learnt that two could play at the teasing game and just because she was better at it, it didn't mean he couldn't have his fun too.

"Suit up. We're going in" His voice growled, frustration colouring his tone as he used every ounce of restraint in his body to pull away and fish for his gumball tube. Shit, when she whined, he felt cruel and wondered if he should've screwed his big plan and just dragged her back to the Man Cave where a king-size mattress was waiting for them, but no. This was how he wanted to play and if she was going to be a brat, stamping her feet and pouting, then he'd treat her like one. "That'll teach you to stop running your pretty mouth when we've got a job to do."

"It's not even a job, doofus. And you better fuck me when we get home, it's freezing out here and changing into my supersuit ain't gonna help that." (y/n) grumbled, also taking out her tube as she realised that this was a fight she wasn't going to win. How much did he want that game? There she was, a soft, sultry figure waiting to be ravished and he just pulled away like it was nothing, talk about priorities. And it was cold, chilly, well below zero, something that exposed her suit's greatest weakness, it came with a skirt and bare thighs. Maybe she'd have to develop a winter version, 'cause even though the cold couldn't harm her anymore, she still felt it and it sucked having to walk around in merely a bodice and skirt. Not her brightest design by any means.

"'Course, sweet girl. Anything for you." Ray smirked, chewing his gum before blowing a glowing bubble. Their suits materialised around them, leaving Ray to think about how he literally would do anything for her. He'd throw caution to the wind and get down on one knee for her, forgetting about his fears because she was worth it, a life spent with her would be so damn worth it. "Let's go."

Inside, Henry, Babe, Kenzie, Trip and Hudson were all chilling, casually nibbling on Chinese food and sharing the fortunes from their cookies. Piper had stormed off back to the restaurant when she'd read out some crappy prediction that was just a random sentence and nothing meaningful. That left Babe and Kenzie to use their fortunes for some good, old-fashioned flirting and Babe was laying it on thick, staring into Henry's eyes dreamily and wondering what her next move should've been when Ray decided to ignore the doorbell and just punch through the glass pane next to the handle. 

The teens and (y/n) watched in shock and horror as he wiggled his hand through the hole, flipped the lock from the inside and opened the door to let them in, ignoring how Henry's parents were gonna be mortified. The Game Shakers were mystified by the sudden appearance of two superheroes in all their glory, immediately tittering over why and how they were there, but Henry, he was less impressed. He just gave them both an annoyed expression, to which (y/n) offered a minuscule wince to try and apologise without raising too much suspicion.

"All right, now, where's that burglar?" Ray stated, looking around the room with shifty eyes and tense muscles, (y/n) copying his actions so she could play along at "catch the fake burglar". He should've told her the plan before he broke in there, but hey, he got distracted by her lips, what could he do?

"Whoa, it's Captain Man and Miss Danger!" Hudson exclaimed, pointing at the couple with wide eyes. Even though they weren't from Swellview and New York had plenty of celebrities to keep them occupied, Captain Man was still a big deal for them and so were his sidekicks; they had international reach, it was pretty sick.

"Shut up." Babe gasped, her emotions buzzing as Miss Danger stood there, poised and elegant next to her powerful boyfriend, shoulders back, head straight, looking like everything the girl dreamed she could be. She was an idol for lots of girls, all of whom waned to know what she wore, how she did her makeup, how she got her hair to look so perfect everyday and how it felt to be the coolest, prettiest, smartest superheroine out there.

"Call window repair guy..." Henry mumbled to himself, entering the reminder into his phone whilst they all screamed about his dumb boss and friend. Seriously, why did he ever tell Ray? He should've known that he'd overreact and do something impetuous, but he wouldn't have thought that (y/n) would come too. Oh, he must've promised her food, another rabbit or something gross. Yeah, probably something gross.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. That can't be the real Captain Man and Miss Danger." Kenzie reasoned, thinking that the heroes were way too famous and busy to come to see them. It had to be some kind of joke, a guy and a girl in costumes, pretending to be crimefighter, because why would they take time from their hectic schedules to hang out with them. And, the chances of them meeting were stupendously low, it just had to be a prank, statistically,it was more likely.

"If I wasn't the real Captain Man, could I do this?" Ray decided that he'd put an end to their doubt right then and there, so he picked up a pretty, pink vase from the mantelpiece, debated how he should go about it and then just smashed it over his own head, the shards cascading down his body as agonising paining splintered through his skull for a second. It evaporated quickly, making the smirk worm its way back onto his face after a slight grimace and the kids all loved how he showed off his superpower. "And then say, I'm okay?" 

"And if I wasn't Miss Danger, would I be able to do this?" It was (y/n)'s turn next to prove her identify and rather than trashing things that weren't hers like her boyfriend had just done (they'd be having words later), she just plucked a piece of glass that had caught in his collar and held it up to her neck. Inhaling sharply, her teeth gritted as the glass pierced a straight line through her skin, a trickle of crimson running from the wound which left the kids slightly squeamish. However, their amazed gasps soon returned when her skin immediately stitched itself back together, the blood vanishing too and the cut disappeared into nothing, not even a scar, which was pretty damn cool to watch. "And have no scar afterwards?"

"That's them! I know it!" Trip cried as his friends gasped and chatted at the amazing feats they'd just whispered and Ray couldn't help but pull his girl closer to his body as she brushed away the last of the glass on his suit, a feeling of pride washing over him. Yeah, his power was cool and he loved being the centre of attention, but seeing her so powerful yet so shy under their applause was so damn endearing and knowing that he had her as his lover, his possible future wife, it just made him thank whoever made her and put her in his fate.

"I bought that vase for Mother's Day." Henry grumbled, dumbstruck at how they just walked in and started smashing the place up. His mom loved his gift, how was he gonna be able to tell her that Captain Man smashed it over his head? His parents would never believe that. And things were about to get weirder. A kid came through the door, following the heroes' path after he had seen a faint flash of red and blue on the porch and instantly, he had known who it was. He had to go check out if his eyes were telling the truth, so he just barged right in and saw the smirking man and his girlfriend stood there before him, just like he had been told.

"Whoa, Captain Man, Miss Danger! I thought I saw you walk in this house." The boy stated, playing along to Ray's little plan. The hero hadn't quite told (y/n) everything about what they were doing and needed a third party to strengthen his argument about needing a game, so he'd paid a little boy to do it for him. How he'd done it was incredible and almost unbelievable. 

"Hey, who's this kid who I've never seen before until just now?" Ray asked stiffly, Henry instantly picking up on how he was lying by the tone of his voice and his weird posture. The guy's hands were on his hips and he just sounded flat, rehearsed and clearly, something was up, and even (y/n) couldn't help but point it out.

"I don't know, but why are you talking like this?" She retorted, her hands resting on her waist as she mimicked him. She made sure to go along with whatever he did as per his request, but even so, she couldn't help a little tongue-in-cheek tease, not when his acting skills were so horrendous. 

"Captain Man?" The boy piped up, stealing Ray from his semi-annoyed look at his sweet girl, who was suppressing a smile at how she'd rumbled him. He'd very nearly broke character as his fingers twitched to pinch her chin and make those laughing eyes look into his, but then he fell back into reality and remembered that he had to keep his cool, even if he was still reeling from the porch kiss. "Yes?"

"Well, you're such an awesome superhero and your girlfriend, Miss Danger, is so hot..." Okay, yeah, he was definitely getting paid. Henry scoffed at that and even (y/n) rolled her eyes as a blush spread across her face at how Ray had obviously told the kid what to say because it stroked his ego way too much to be just a personal opinion. Yeah, he was awesome and yeah, his girlfriend was hot, two things that made Ray feel so good about himself that he couldn't help but forgo any modest and just wholeheartedly agree. "Well...go on."

"I just wish there was a video game about you." The kid finally said it and then it was confirmed for Henry. That sneaky, little...so that was his motive for coming to his house and smashing his property, it wasn't a damn burglar, it was his stupid inflated head and his obsession with Sky Whale. He could've been a lot more subtle about it, especially when he laughed off the suggestion like it shocked or embarrassed him like it did to (y/n), who hadn't expected him to be so...so...fucking obvious. "A video game about me? Come on..."

"I'd play it. I think all people would play it." The boy added, finishing off Ray's pre-planned sales pitch for the Game Shakers and to his delight, they glanced at each other and shared some nods. They could work with that, Captain Man was hugely popular and it benefitted them too, they'd get loads of money from the purchases and Ray would get his ego boost. It was a win-win situation and with them all seemingly convinced, it was time to cough up his investment.

"Well, you're probably right. Take care." Ray smiled and sneakily gave the kid a backhanded two dollar bill for his service, something that Henry nor (y/n) missed, making the woman prod him sharply as she raised an eyebrow. This was what they did now? Bribed little kids? The boy studied the note for a few seconds, satisfied with the money he'd received, but Ray still hadn't let up on all his promises, he was in it for just two measly dollars.

"You said I could play with the laser." He mentioned, making Ray tense as he practically felt the disappointment radiating from his girl. They could've stayed in Junk-N-Stuff, but no, he was giving a highly dangerous weapon to a child who would use it like a water gun. What a joke.

"Shhhh! Bring it back in ten minutes." He mumbled, unhooking the alarmingly big gun from the back of his belt as (y/n) facepalmed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. He played it off like it was nothing, grabbing her waist and cooly turning to look at the teens as the boy ran off to start shooting, his heart hammering as he thought about how his girlfriend would be chastising him later. Oh well, that was future Ray's problem.

"So, Captain Man and Miss Danger. Why are you here...in my house?" Henry stepped forward, forming a little group with his touchy boss as the man cuddled up to (y/n), clearly trying to win her affection again after giving his biggest laser to that kid. Ugh, so gross, but he couldn't wait to hear his excuses and was curious as to what the woman's reaction would be too. He wouldn't have thought that lying and endangering minors were her kind of fun, evening activities, but then again, now that he thought about it and took in her body language, she looked just as miffed as he did.

"To stop that burglar, would you believe it?" She replied, her arms folded to portray her distaste for the situation, but she still allowed Ray his little wants and longings for touching her, she could never deny him that, unless he'd really pissed her off. Henry could see that she wasn't part of this, not really; she was playing along, sure, but if it was up to her, she'd be at home with a bowl of ice cream, watching her favourite romcom and making Ray watch it with her. That sounded like heaven and suddenly, she longed to go back home, but once the mask went on, she wasn't (y/n) (y/l/n), girlfriend of Ray Manchester, she was Miss Danger, sidekick to Captain Man. Going home wasn't an option until he said so. "Uh, well, there's no burglar."

"Well, we can't be sure." Ray argued, moving to push past Henry so he could guide his girl over to the celebrity teens and really get to know them. No matter what the kid argued, his boss wouldn't listen, not when it was his cocky nature ruling his brain and with the love of his life on his arm, Ray often thought he was invincible, despite having a very human soul underneath all that brash exterior. Trip was the first kid they sauntered up to, the couple expecting him to freak out and he did, just not in the way they were hoping.

"Hey, where's Kid Danger?!" He asked excitedly, prompting his friends to ask the same in a rush of eagerness that made Henry freeze. Shit, he hoped that Ray still had his bullshitting head on, 'cause he couldn't give an answer. That would give him away, but luckily, his friends were just as keen to protect him as he was and had enough experience to come up with something.

"Oh, uh, he's getting his nails done. He goes to the same place I do, but he likes the bolder colours and manicures." (y/n) smirked, knowing that the teen behind her was prickling at her words and how blatantly untrue they were. Like he'd ever go get his nails done with her, that just ruined his image, plus, Charlotte normally went with her and all they talked about was boys, makeup tips and baking recipes. Did she want him to throttle her? 'Cause he would do that, if it didn't mean that Ray would separate his head from his body. Still, he could try and tell them that he/Kid Danger would never be seen in a nail salon, not even for a hundred bucks, but the way Ray was strutting around like a peacock, it meant that his words were just white noise. "Uh, y'know, guys, I really don't think that Kid Danger would do something like that, but okay."

"Clever girl." Ray mumbled into his girlfriend's ear as they stopped strolling so he could press a kiss to her temple. It was a sweet moment and the teens internally melted at the sight of the heroes, thinking that for adults, they were kinda cute together. Babe, though, had something to say and tentatively approached the couple, hoping she wouldn't butt in on the moment too harshly as her friends encouraged her to ask the big question.

"Um, hi, Captain Man, Miss Danger. Um, we're from New York, we run a mobile game company." she explained, gesturing to the group as they were all responsible for something in their business. Babe brought the sass, Kenzie brought the brains, Trip brought the fame (and his dad's money) and Hudson, well, he brought a pleasant optimism.

"It's called Game Shakers! Super successful." Kenzie repeated the same phrase from early, flipping her hair over her shoulder and smirking at Henry as she said that last part. She was really trying to impress him and her winning smile wasn't lost on (y/n), neither was the blush that spread on her face when he smiled back. Well, well, well, what did they have here? It seemed like the kid had only gone and gotten a couple of girls pining after him and she was here for it, it was so damn cute.

"So you're the Game Shakers?" Ray asked in an clueless tone, like this was all new information despite it having been established on the phone back home. He really was trying it on and his am moved to wrap around his girl's shoulders whilst the teens nodded furiously. "Well, I wish I'd known."

"Yeah, well, if you want to talk with us about making a Captain Man game, I mean, we'd be totally into the idea—" Babe carried on, the smile growing on her face as she told the heroes that they'd be honoured to produce a Captain Man game, maybe one that included his sidekicks too, but just before anyone could agree to anything, (y/n)'s phone began to ring against her utility belt.

"Oh, sorry, hold that thought, just gotta take this." She smiled at the kids briefly, taking the cell from her belt and flipping it horizontally when she noticed that it was a video-call with no caller ID. That struck her as odd and she looked up at Ray with a concerned expression to steady her nerves before swiping the screen to answer the call and boy, did the concern grow to disgust. 

"Aloha from Hawaii! Captain Man. And your silly, little girlfriend, Miss Danger." Ray's arms immediately wrapped around (y/n)'s waist and pulled her close in a protective embrace as he realised who had made the call; Doctor Minyak. That guy never gave up, he just came back thirsty for revenge and the fact that he'd had the nerve to call Miss Danger's phone and not his just showed how he was ready to toy with his nemesis once more, going after the one thing that Captain Man refused to bargain with, the woman he loved, even if it was just a phone call. He knew what he was doing, but Ray wouldn't give him the satisfaction, his girl was with him, in his arms, safe, where he knew he could protect her from scum like him. "Well, well, Doctor Minyak."

"What? How is he alive? We watched him jump out of that cargo plane without a parachute..." Henry growled, standing up to voice his disbelief at hearing that their enemy had managed a miraculous escape from their fight a few days previous, but then he saw Ray's pale face and (y/n) frantically shaking her head in minuscule snaps and then he remembered. He wasn't Kid Danger at that moment, he was just a normal guy, who shouldn't have any idea about the dealings of Captain Man and who he'd fought or when, and the confused looks of the Game Shakers made his mouth run dry and he had no way of explaining how he knew that, but then...

"Hello? Hello? HELLO?" Minyak shouted at the screen. All he could see was Captain Man's chin, his beefy arms stretching around Miss Danger and the top half of her face and his narcissistic self hated that the attention wasn't on him in his big moment. He'd just dramatically rang the sidekick of his greatest enemy, why weren't they paying attention?

"What do you want, Minyak?" (y/n) snapped, losing her patience with the villain as he started shouting. She had confidence and ferocity in her voice, not only stemming from her intense hate for the man and her trust in her own power, but also from the feeling of her love all around her and how she could feel his muscles tense when Minyak did or said something he didn't like. She didn't need to worry about being vulnerable with her arms stretched out with the phone so they could both see, he had her covered, literally.

"Oh, not much. I just thought that since I'm here, relaxing in Hawaii, I'd tell you about my newest plan." The doctor replied slowly, rolling his hips as he pretended to be on a sunny beach that was not unlike one (y/n) had pictured in her perfect honeymoon. He even had a Piña Colada in his hand and a flowered shirt to match the tropical setting, one where (y/n) was so desperate to end up, a golden ring on her finger and a tall, adorable doofus stood next to her with a similar band on his. 

"What plan?" Still, the sound of Ray snapping back broke her out of the daydream and she remembered that her fantasy was probably a long way off. Just because she was ready to get married, so damn ready, it didn't mean Ray was and she was okay with that. They'd come this far and were happy, she could wait if he needed that, the last thing she wanted to do was start talking about a solid, almost unbreakable commitment that would tie him to her forever and scare him off. It hurt to admit, but her boyfriend was scared of commitment, marriage was probably the last thing on his mind right now. Oh, how wrong she was...

"Well, I'm sure you've heard of this popular celebrity, Double G." Minyak dipped below the camera line for just a second, popping back into frame with a photo of the famous rapper and Trip instantly panicked as he heard the name roll off of the villain's tongue.

"Hey, that's my dad. I'm Triple G." He exclaimed, the Game Shakers scooting closer to the superhero couple since now that Dub's name had been mentioned, it was personal. No one was gonna threaten the best music artist in the world and get away with it, not on their watch.

"We're kinda in the middle of a meeting right now with some people that wanna make a video game about me, so..." Ray groaned, hating that Minyak was cutting into his discussion with the Game Shakers time just to whine at him about some lame plan that wouldn't work because he was an idiot and he was awesome, not to mention the fact that the longer this took, the longer he and his sweet girl had to wait before they could go home. And he was still counting her to still be in the right mood.

"Look, just tell us your dumb plan before his head gets so big that he can't walk out of the door." (y/n) groaned, knowing that her boyfriend was itching to get on a developmental stage for his game, but she didn't know how desperate he was for her too, nor did she know how all her thoughts on marriage were reciprocated and how he had the whole thing covered, right under her nose.

"Quiet, stupid girl, why do you think I called you and not your boyfriend from Hawaii?—Oh..." The doctor spat and (y/n) could feel Ray's body starting to harden with anger as the criminal dared to insult her, but the menacing tone he was trying to create crumbled when he accidentally whacked the paper screen behind him, showing the group that he wasn't in paradise, he was still in his dingy hideout and it had all been a pathetic set up.

"Yeah, I would feel scared, but I think your Hawaii fell down." The young woman quipped, feeling Ray's smirk next to her ear as Minyak tried to remain calm, Nurse Cohort scrambling to fix the screen even though the damage was already done. His hips pressed into hers more and she pressed further into his body, not in a sexual way, no, there were way too many kids around for that. It was just their way of reminding one another that they were still there and together, they were always stronger.

"Now! Perhaps you've heard that Double G is giving a huge concert for charity in New York City." Minyak growled once his background was back up, if slightly wrinkled and his mention of the concert sets nerves off in everyone's stomach. He wouldn't bring it up for nothing and whatever he was planning it wasn't good.

"Yeah, everybody knows about that, so?" Ray replied, the grumbling in his chest reverberating against (y/n)'s back as she fought the temptation to just throw her head back and rest fully against him. She was getting tired of the evil guy drawing stuff out, but luckily for her, home wasn't a place, it was a person and she always had him to lean back on, in more ways than one.

"Well, that charity concert is not going to happen, because I, Doctor Horacio. T. Minyak, am going to stop it! Le sabotage! And there's nothing that you, your pathetic excuse for a girlfriend or that punk, Kid Danger, can do about it! Ah, mahalo!" And just like that, Minyak was gone, he hung up before anyone could spit one last clever comment at him and Ray, (y/n), Henry and the Game Shakers were left with their skin crawling and a terrified feeling in the bottom of their guts.

"Oh my god!" "Who was that mean man?" Babe and Kenzie exclaimed, looking to Captain Man and Miss Danger for answers, both of whom were still snuggling into each other, albeit with frowns on their faces, and Henry took it upon himself to explain, forgetting once again that right now, he was Henry Hart, not Kid Danger. "Doctor Minyak... Um, is—is what they call him...on the news."

"Well, what's that freak got against my dad?" Trip asked, concerned for his father since he meant the world to him and with his mom elsewhere, he was the only family he had around him. He couldn't let him get hurt or his reputation get tarnished, it would break him. There had to be something the superheroes could do, that was their job, right?

"Don't worry about Minyak, kid. His plans literally never work." (y/n) soothed his worries, using her calmest voice to try and stop his worrying, but Trip was on full alert mode and fearing for his dad after the freaky phone call, so nothing she said helped, even though she, and more so her boyfriend, had loads of experience that told them that Doctor Minyak was a pathetic villain, especially against them.

"Well, what if this plan actually—" Trip argued, but he was cut off when Ray removed a hand from his girl's waist and smushed his finger into the boy's lips, stopping him before he could lose it.

"Shhhhhhh, listen to Miss Danger, she's real smart. Now, this mobile game you're gonna make about me... Imagine me! Captain Man, fighting giant moon robots with my sidekicks, a female chihuahua and a talking parrot." Ray walked around dramatically, setting the scene as he described his ideal game and (y/n) and Henry choked when they heard how they were being replaced. Despite not having a drink like the kid, (y/n) still had to clear her throat at hearing the ludicrous suggestion and she didn't know what was worse, being thought of as a dog or a bird; the connotations of both weren't great.

"I love it!" "I like it!" The Game Shakers' praise came flooding in making Ray smirk as Henry and (y/n) stewed in their anger, immediately tapping the man on the shoulder so they could ask him/protest about his ridiculous idea, but it fell on deaf ears as Ray's were already filled with admiring applause. He so wasn't getting any tonight, female chihuahua or talking parrot indeed.

[nerdyandfashionincorporated]

Winx Club Reboot Ideas Pt.2

Season 2 & 3 Ideas

Season 2:

Stella is still trying to get better with her own magic without the help if her staff/ring. 

Helia becomes a student at Alfea, since he didn’t feel like being a specialist suited him. 

Tecna and Timmy do get closer, he begins to help her try to get better at her and the winx’s fighting. It takes a long time though, Tecna keeps insisting that she works alone and doesn’t need help, especially after her and her team failed to do convergence magic. 

It isn’t until the camping trip fiasco in season 2 that Tecna finally opens up to Timmy after he nearly faced death. After that he helps her improve her craft, their still not together but they are getting there. 

Flora earns her charmix by asking Helia out.

The more comfortable Xan is becoming with the Winx, the more he’s experimenting with his gender and even music. His regained love of music eventually leads to the girls going behind his back and signing him up as the entertainment for a school event,, resulting in the storyline of season 2 episode 15 (original), where Xan does a concert even without his dad’s permission and sings about his mother…oh yeah and Stormy’s in the mix somewhere. 

Keeping Aisha’s story/character arc is the same because goddamn was that well done!

Xan and Aisha become CLOSE! Not romantically,their platonic soulmates as they put it. 

Show more of Dark Bloom. The more stressed out, tired and even angry she starts becoming to find her true identity, the more potential Dark Bloom has to take over. 

In the end, Octavia takes an interest in improving her skills, she begins to research and study different mechanics, devices and movements to be a better combatant. 

Riven and Xan’s relationship is even more scattered than last season, 

Xan and Riven come to the conclusion that they wouldn’t work as a couple with how messed up both of their lives have been, they need someone who can balance out their troubles. They may not be together, but both know that doesn’t mean they won’t be friends.

Season 3:

Octavia begins to find an interest in weaponry and quickly decides to see how she can use her powers to the advantage of weapons.

Xan comes to realize and accept that he is genderfluid.

The whole reason why Diaspro has been so desperate to marry Sky is because she wants what’s best for her people, even though her parents have insisted it’s fine, she took it upon herself to remove herself form the picture and focus on her people. 

Introduce Nabu the same way, with the girls getting hot chocolate in the rain, but instead of him STILL following Aisha in the rocket...park... garage...thing- have him enroll in Alfea not just to find out who Aisha is, but to get away from his family and do what he’s always wanted to do with his magic. 

Aisha and Nabu actually don’t become a couple (stalking is usually a turn  off for the norm), but they do form a strong friendship, and start to from their own little friend group with Xan and later on Riven.

This..Is where Xan and Nabu start to grow feelings for each other. And Aisha tries to help Xan ask him out, as Riven, while uncomfortable with genuinely communicating with others does try to help Nabu since he knows Xan deserves someone as sweet as Nabu.

The reason why Diaspro joins Valtor’s side is because offers to spare her people form his wrath if she joins his side, she even agrees to hypnotize Sky because she felt if he joined Valtor’s side then she could spare the people of Eraklyon as well. 

Octavia dies her hair the iconic magenta OG Tecna has. 

Helia earns his charmix through telling Flora that he loves her. 

After they find/rescue Octavia thanks to Timmy’s determination, the two nerds finally start going out. 

Mirta gains her charmix through finally trusting Lucy.

Have a more climatic finale, with Bloom going all out on Valtor only for her get so blinded by anger she doesn;t know if she actually killed him or if he just vanished. 

All in all, I want the fist three seasons do have differences, but still keep those elements that kept fan watching it, but don’t worry, the next seasons are gonna have the same level of care the first three seasons had...But they’re gonna be DIFFERENT.

[canonically47]

i watched the entirety of total drama 2023 today, and here's how it went (spoilers below!) (no duh...):

got very, very, VERY emotionally attached to zee, laughed my ass off at most of his lines, absolutely adored every minute of him being on screen, and cringed when he announced he had joined both alliances, then got SUPER MAD at chris allowing the players to vote again. what bullshit

found bowie and raj's romance absolutely adorable, although cut a bit short, but they made up for it by bringing everyone back in the finale and having raj cheer for bowie so intensely! also, ADORED wayne and how supportive he was! he was absolutely adorable!!! and after being so into the many queer ships of the fandom, actually hearing the words 'gay' and 'bi' on total drama made me kind of tear up. that was adorable.

also, loved everyone, from wayne to chris and sharks being supportive of bowie and raj, but how much chris emphasized his hatred of emma and chase's relationship. i also hate them, by the way. emma was cool until folding all the way back for chase.

very mixed on ripper. on one side, he is annoying and one big fart joke, but on the other side, he seems like he could genuinely be sweet if he tried hard enough - or not at all! he didn't even want to help millie, but she still found him helpful when giving her advice on how to win priya over again!

weirdly enough, found no new ships except for rajbow. saw some people shipping priya and millie, as well as wayne and raj, but honestly - and this is VERY unusual for me to say - i think those two duos are way better off as platonic! of course, massive respect for those who ship them, they have some cute moments that i guess you could take for romantic if you wanted to, but they're not my style.

the whole goat thing was hilarious. the goats going >:O at bowie saying he has eaten and will eat goat again was just so good.

the pretty boys need to try to make it further, man. justice for caleb. a lot of eliminations were kind of unfair to me, actually, especially axel's, and for ripper i really felt like he could've gone another time. i've already mentioned zee. *sobs* zee............... he is the winner in my eyes. (is it obvious i have a favorite?) (i think it's bowie but zee is tying with him. zee <333)

i kind of disliked millie at the start but hearing her mini-speech about her own insecurities and thinking she's above everyone else...argh i kin her so hard stop she deserves the world.

chef? was actually interested?? in their safety??? up until the finale of course but i found that so weird

i screamed in shock and disappointment when bowie didn't win, but i kind of knew deep down inside they were bold enough to add an openly gay contestant, and although i was certain he would make it to the finale, i was expecting the win to go to priya because they wouldn't go much further than that. next season, though :')

i was very surprised with how major some of the roles were, and how insignificant others were! i feel like lauren, mk and nichelle were hyped up a lot, but i barely got attached to them, while i just saw one or two posts of priya and millie, and assumed they would not even make it to the final ten. i also thought some ships would have more interactions due to some fandom posts - nichelle and axel... the potential was THERE... but they barely got a WORD........

what i'm thinking for next season:

chase and emma break up all over again, but (HOPEFULLY.) this time it's for good, and emma and bowie get a chance to properly reunite and become friends again.

bowie and raj will also be an official couple, but because of that, i doubt chris would let them on the same team.

it would also be fun to see wayne on the same team as bowie, and not raj! bowie talks his ears off about how great raj is, and then wayne does the same (but platonically) and it's great. everyone hates them because all they hear about is raj, raj, raj.

caleb - please, please, god - makes it a bit further this time, and damien makes it to the final five! everyone is shocked, including him.

my ideal final five would be raj, wayne, bowie, zee, and damien, but i seriously doubt that would happen because they always keep things equal between the genders, so, for the sake of the next point, let's say it's raj, axel, zee, nichelle, and bowie.

my ideal elimination order would be:

mk ("we don't want you spying on us again, that's gross")

lauren (costs them the challenge because she got carried away being creepy)

caleb (the votes are rigged against him yet again, this time by julia! goddamn it julia)

ripper (his pride got in the way and cost them the challenge, but he managed to get a bit of redemption in the episodes he was in),

millie (too injured from a challenge to continue, urges priya to keep pushing forward)

julia (people get tired of her bullshit much quicker this time and vote her off before she can cause any more unwanted drama, but spoiler alert, bowie's still here, so you did nothing, guys)

chase (right after emma's major breakup with him! ouch.)

priya (takes it VERY. HARD.)

emma (the votes are rigged against her)

damien (he put up a good fight)

wayne ("WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYNEEEEEEEEEE" - raj)

nichelle (it is found out that she rigged the votes)

bowie ("BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE" - raj).

the final three are raj, axel, and zee. raj has an alliance with wayne, bowie, emma and zee - zee joined because he wanted to make up for the last failed alliances - and so, raj and zee team up to get axel out (because they literally couldn't otherwise).

side note, bowie still got voted out because nichelle helped by rigging the votes from afar for axel. what the fuck.

so, for the first time in total drama history, the final two are of the same gender! lots of angry letters for that one.

it seems that zee has the win for a while - against all odds! - but, to make up for his boyfriend losing completely last time, raj takes the win, and splits the money between himself, wayne, and bowie! there's a remaining dollar in there somewhere, and zee's mad happy to get it. (raj actually gives him more, but that's between you and me.)

and that's it! i'm obviously very biased because i have favorites, other opinions are welcome if you wanna discuss :D

here is a list of my ranking of the characters (for which this tierlist was used) to finish this post off strong:

[windslar]

People You'd Like to Get to Know Better

i was tagged by @druidberries. Thank you!!

Tag under the cut because I went on a whole spiel about a popular novel that catches a lot of flak online and I don't know how to shut up (spoiler: it features 20-something-year-olds who open up brick-and-mortar businesses in downtown Boston like it's nothing, and trash in the form of a man named Kyle with an R).

Last Song: From the Start - Laufey

Favorite Color: Sage Tint by Benjamin Moore

Currently Watching: Only Murders in the Building and Modern Family (I watched the first couple seasons but never finished it. It's such a good background show).

Last Movie: Last one I watched in the theatres was Oppenheimer, but the last one I watched on streaming was Disenchanted (lol). I need more James Marsden in my life, especially after his performance in Jury Duty.

Currently Reading: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. Before you get the pitchforks, I'm only reading it because of the ~discourse~. Besides, I had it downloaded in my Kobo long before it really blew up on tiktok and my curiosity was reignited after I saw the uproar about the casting. I have a lot of problems with this book: (1) it's not well-written and I should've put the book down the moment she started writing letters to Ellen Degeneres and thought she was a good celebrity for being charitable, (2) it doesn't delve into the systemic issues that play a role in why women stay with their ab*ser, (3) the marketing for this book ain't shit for categorizing it a romance novel. BUT, all my problems aside, I don't think the story itself romanticizes domestic ab*se and I think most readers recognize this (see this Slate article that talks about it better than I could). Here's an excerpt:

It seems like this part of the novel’s plot could be read in two very different ways: one, which the Mary Sue seems to pursue, is that Lily doesn’t react to ab*se in the appropriate way, and the book endorses all of her choices, and therefore both deserve condemnation. The other is an exercise in empathy: Hoover wrote an imperfect book on domestic violence, but if we require all of these narratives to be morally unimpeachable, there’s no room to acknowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect victim.

I haven't finished the book, but I read Kyle with an R doesn't get a satisfying comeuppance proportional to his actions. And while it would be nice to see the trash taken out, isn't this ending plausible and representative of a common experience among families with a history of ab*se?

I think my big criticism with the backlash surrounding this book and others like it is the assumption that their readers are "impressionable young girls". Not every work of fiction needs to portray the protagonist as a hero in every sense of the word. Not every positive quality assigned to a villain is "making the character redeemable". Not every work of fiction is meant to be didactic and scrutinized as if it were instructions on how to live a perfect life. Maybe I'm giving more credit where it's due, but I really think most readers are able to think critically. People love reading about complicated characters in messy situations. And while I think the characters in Hoover's book could be written better and fleshed out a lot more, that is neither here nor there. My point is: stop assuming women are stupid and incapable of forming their own opinion. Enjoyment of fiction is not endorsement of the actions exhibited by deeply flawed characters.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Savory. But after writing all that and posting it here on tumblr, maybe SPICY.

Last Thing I Googled: That Slate article so I could link it and before that I googled Blake Lively and learned that she has 4! children.

Current Obsession: Rowing! But only if I have an episode of Modern Family playing.

Currently Working On: TJOLC posts, Lightflower is kind of on the back burner right now on account of I-hate-posing-sims and the next few scenes require a lot of it. I just wish there was AI that would pose my sims for me based on dialogue I've written. I would betray my principles, climb up the paywall if I have to.

I'm tagging anyone who sees this and

(ETA: look at me getting cut off by my own self. Sorry I was distracted and heating up some food while typing this, but yeah, I tag anyone who sees this.)

[lol-jackles]

Have you seen season 2 of Good Omens? Honestly and season 1 I would hardly call it a masterpiece or perfect. It was just fun, sweet and kind. And the biggest plus is the cast - Michael Sheen and David Tennant. They are both extremely talented and charismatic. And they are the ones who carry season 2. The rest of the characters, although not bad, but they don't catch on. And the biggest problem is the plot. When the story revolves around the main characters the series is interesting to watch, but when the focus shifts the feeling that the series sags. Also glad that for the first time in the series we got canon(?). Of course everything didn't end happily, but the tie-in for season 3 was necessary. And in a way, I'm personally happy with this finale. Otherwise everything would have looked too sugary and unnatural. So a certain drama is maintained and that's a plus. And of course it's funny to watch the anger and frustration of the hellers who still think they've been robbed of canon from a couple who were never originally involved in each other, much less interested. Unlike Aziraphale and Crowley. Though I'll be honest, I never thought or expected them to be a couple. It takes season 3 to become a couple though. And here's my main problem. With all things considered, is all of this enough to get a season 3? I think with everything I wrote above, the series may not be renewed and I would be truly sorry not to get the story of Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship. What are your thoughts and bets?

I enjoyed season 2, though I remember thinking while watching the first four episodes "are they ever going to get to the point?". I was getting impatient and kept thinking how so many of these tv streaming series are better off as 2-hour movies (Kenobi, third season of The Mandalorian, etc).

And then it finally got to the point, it was about love.

The love between Gabriel and Beelzebub reminded me a bit of the love between Sam and Dean: selfish and honest. Gab and Beel only care about themselves and each other, they didn’t want to deal with Apocalypse2.0 and they didn’t want to protect the humans or earth. And yet Gabe and Beel showed that love could be easy if you're honest, so it was easy for them to give up everything for each other.

Aziraphale is not selfish, he is willing to give up everything he loves - his bookshop, his food, even Crowley - just to save the earth. He also wants to make heaven into the good place it should’ve have been, and he thought giving Crowley back his angel status is what he deserves, because Azi have seen over and over again the good Crowley has done and that he's actually good. But Azi doesn't understand that isn't what Crowley wants, who makes it worse by not doing a good job communicating this to Azi. Granted, they both were not truly listening to what the other is saying because they already made up their mind before the conversation started. Crowley believes Azi choosing heaven over him while Azi believes Crowley, by rejecting heaven, is also rejecting him. Despite what Azi believes, he still "forgives" Crowley.

Those two have a lot to unpack, which is all a set up for season 3. With that said, the "sad" "bittersweet" ending kind of saved the whole season for me because otherwise, as you said, it would have been too saccrhine and unnatural-ish and why I was getting impatient for the show to get to their point.

I agree the characters other than Azi and Crowley were ....just there. I was glad that Nina and Maggie didn't end up together just yet since Nina is on a rebound. Crowley thinking all it takes for human to fall in love was getting them wet and looking into each other eyes is never going to be not funny. Crowley, are you sure you didn't know Jane Austen was an author and not just a master spy?

Will Good Omen get a season 3? I read it was the #1 comedy on Amazon so the odds are in their favor. Unlike season 2 which didn't really have a story arc, they set up season 3 to be a callback to season 1's Apocalypse storyline with the Second Coming, so a foundation is already established.

[maya-matlin]

More Degrassi asks for whenever you want to answer! 1. Three or four unpopular Degrassi opinions - the more unpopular, the better! 2. Two or three Degrassi couples most fans really like who you're meh or ugh about 3. Two or three Degrassi couples most fans don't like much who you love (spoiler alert: my answer for this one would be Jenna/Connor...please don't hate me! The underwear thing was a horrific choice by the writers, but otherwise I love both lof them individually and together so much. It's so lovely to see someone 'on the spectrum' in a loving romantic relationship, and imo he is actually who she needs and deserves after KC!) 4. Your top seven female Degrassi characters? 5. Your top seven male Degrassi characters? 6. If you could choose to bring just three Degrassi characters back from the dead, who would they be?! Enjoy - I can't wait to see your answers...and feel fere to mock me for loving Jonnor ;)

Thank you for the asks!

Unpopular opinions:

1.) While I don't ship Spinner and Emma, their marriage is far from the worst thing Degrassi ever did. The timing made it all very questionable, but it seemed like Spinner and Emma found each other at just the right time. If not for the marriage itself, I don't think most would have such a big problem with them ending up together. Even though Emma's relationship with Sean was far more popular, in a lot of ways I actually think Emma and Spinner were more compatible. Maybe not for most of their run on Degrassi, but definitely during their last four seasons or so. If there's ever a reboot and those three characters return, I don't want to see Sean and Emma ending up together unless the writing can justify it. But based on how their relationship was written during season 6, I doubt they could.

2.) The definition of suicide is the act or instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally. Therefore, Zig couldn't have murdered Cam and bears no culpability in his death. This shouldn't be an unpopular opinion, but I still hear this ignorance on a monthly basis. It's been almost eleven years. This is ridiculous.

3.) Nine times out of ten, Ashley is correct and 100% in the right. It's just that many fans find her boring and she's consistently pitted against more popular characters played by more charismatic actors (Craig, Jimmy, Manny, Paige). This includes but isn't limited to Ashley dumping Jimmy because he was being passive aggressive and admitted to only considering her attractive on the inside as well as wanting to record and pursue music independently of Jimmy.

4.) Even though I prefer Drianca, the Clare/Drew relationship was one of the best written and executed ships during the later seasons. The writers did a fantastic job building up their feelings for each other and showing how they balanced each other out. It was a complete copout to drop their relationship entirely just so that Clare could end up with her slut shaming, misogynistic, emotionally abusive, overrated ex.

Popular couples I don't ship:

1.) Miles/Lola (They fucked once while his boyfriend was in a coma. Lola's whole thing was not wanting to be someone's second choice. Miles did the same "You're the only one that understands me" song and dance with four different love interests)

2.) Eli/Clare (See my fourth unpopular opinion or just watch seasons 10-14)

3.) Cam/Maya (They're sweet for what they are and I loved Maya's arc, but overall it was a very brief relationship that left Maya with a lot of trauma and negative feelings towards Cam. Also, Zaya was right there. That made it impossible to invest in them)

Unpopular couples I ship:

1.) Clare/Drew (once again, see unpopular opinion #4)

2.) Dave/Alli (Dave was actually a good character and deserves twice as much nostalgia and appreciation as Johnny DiMarco gets for doing the bare minimum. No, they weren't perfect, but Dave unlike most Degrassi cheaters put in the work and effort to win back his ex's trust. I think they loved each other. The timing was just wrong and to be honest, they probably weren't meant to be)

3.) Tristan/Miles (To be honest, I'm currently having some complicated feelings about these two due to being in the middle of a Next Class rewatch and being forced to realize the biphobia was even worse than I'd remembered. But, the simple fact I still technically ship them and the response to admitting you do in the present day is frothing at the mouth and shame means they should be included. For what it's worth, I liked them in season 13, enjoyed the potential in 14, and have positive memories of their second relationship)

Nooooo! Jonnor is amazing! They're one of the sweetest, purest couples on Degrassi. Connor struggled to understand social norms and handled his hormones in a questionable way, but he also didn't have the guidance at the time to figure that out. He left Degrassi to get a grasp on that, so I think it's forgivable. We see during Connor's relationship with Jenna that he's learned a lot and is overall a very respectful, considerate boyfriend to Jenna. I also strongly agree that Jenna deserved better than KC.

Top 7 female characters:

1.) Manny Santos

2.) Maya Matlin

3.) Alex Nunez

4.) Liberty Van Zandt

5.) Bianca DeSousa

6.) Paige Michalchuk

7.) Fiona Coyne

Top 7 male characters:

1.) Zig Novak (I don't even care)

2.) Spinner Mason

3.) Sean Cameron

4.) Marco Del Rossi

5.) JT Yorke

6.) Jay Hogart

7.) Mike Dallas

Three dead characters to bring back:

It kind of has to be JT, Cam and Adam. I wouldn't bring back Craig's dad or Rick. Part of me wants to bring back Wheels's parents from the original series, though.

[canonicallysoulmates]

Walker 3.08

Walker is back! And I'm gonna make this quick cause not a lot happens. There is a case, a missing rich dude who faked his death but the seemingly most important thing about that is that Captain James is on edge because of what Cassie and Walker did of opening the evidence case and the one who ends up getting the brunt of his anger is poor Trey! Captain screams at him because he and Cassie pursued a lead without contacting him even saying that maybe making Trey a ranger was a mistake. Captain James come over here I just wanna talk.

Anyways, the ep picks up where the last one left off with Abeline on the ground, they rush her to the hospital and it turns out she had a mild temporary stroke. Thankfully she's fine and makes a full recovery but she does need to make some changes less stress, a heart-healthy diet that kind of thing which are instructions that Bonham takes very seriously. It's actually quite sweet how he goes into protective mode and he wants to take care of her even doing research into things that could benefit her health, he does go a bit overboard with it though and Abeline has to talk some sense into him that she doesn't plan to live her life in fear.

He struggles with that a little bit because he doesn't want to think about her being gone but he does come around and realize that she's right, and he plans a really sweet, romantic dinner for them which is such a lovely scene. These two are definitely the highlight of this episode.

On the other side of the coin, something I didn't like was the resolution given to Stella and August fighting. At Abeline's request, Walker and the kids go to Dallas to try and get her brother because she wants to see him, and the whole time Stella and August are fighting and it all comes to an end as they're having breakfast. Walker tries to get them to talk and fix things but he does not know how to mediate and it starts to turn into one more fight so he's like "forget it, do what you want" and walks away. Stella and August start to go back and forth and what it all basically boils down to is Stella saying that the reason for August acting in such a way is because he misses their mom........*sigh*. And she's once again the bigger person telling him that she understands, that she's been through the same thing, and that while she's not their mom to let her be the person that he vents to and yells at..........Stella deserves better.

There are several things I don't like about this but I'll touch upon just two the first one is that they still have a father, Stella is taking on a level of responsibility that should not be hers, the person that should be telling August these things and taking on that responsibility of trying to fill in the gap that their mother left of being there when he needs someone to yell at and vent is Walker. The second is that August acknowledges that he and his mom were very close but he doesn't apologize to Stella, he doesn't acknowledge that he was in the wrong and that he hurt her these are things that better happen in the next couple of episodes or I'm going to be pissed. And actually, I will touch upon a third thing which is that I don't get how this kid is not in therapy or getting some counseling when he is clearly struggling with regulating his emotions and handling his anger. There's a whole storyline this season about how therapy has been beneficial to Liam yet not one single member of this family has considered that August would benefit from it as well.

I do like the conclusion with Abeline's brother because he misses her but he's not ready to see her yet but he does call her later that day. And I like it because it's real, last time they spoke they had a huge fight that made them go no contact for years. It's not easy to fix family relationships.

And then the episode ends on a shocker because Bonham tells Walker it's time to pack up and get his shit together. I'm paraphrasing. I get where Bonham is coming from but I cannot wrap my head around this- I think I'm too Latina for this because the thought of kicking your own son (and your grandchild!) out when he doesn't even live in the main house for no real reason cause yeah Walker's a mess who needs to get his shit together but that's not a reason! I would get it if he was a bad person, if he was being wildly irresponsible, bringing in drugs, didn't contribute anything but his biggest sin is not taking advice, not going to therapy, and that fatherhood has been kicking his ass lately. All Walker does is go to work, help out, and go to his little house to sleep. This is wild to me.

[recoverywithgh0ul]

Welcome back to the second installment offfffff what i eat in a day >o< (hopefully with some pictures)

Again basic TW for mentions of food and thoughts related to food~ also please apply the disclaimer from my last post to this one,, my body is not your body, and please provide it with what you need~/lh

(So generally speaking the last couple of days the night before I’ve kinda sat down a predetermined what i was going to have the next day, big three wise. I’ve noticed this helps me a tooonnnnn, especially since sometimes when i don’t know what to make i can grab something quick and easy, or possibly order in :/ also, I’m prewriting this part at like 4:11 am bc i can’t sleep lmao. )

Breakfast~

Okay, so for breakfast i had/am having right now lol, one egg on toast with cottage cheese, topped with chili crisp. As a side i have some tomato, and some air fried potatoes. Oh, and the dip is ranch.

(I like to put it in this portion plate both because it’s honestly adorable, and because it helps me feel fuller since, as I’ve mentioned in another post, I’m a volume eater. So plating it like this, for me can control my portions and honestly just make things a whole bunch easier because i usually have a problem over serving myself. This will not work for everyone, my portions will not be equal to everyone’s, but i can assure you, i am eating until I’m full and satisfied. Which on that note can be kinda scary. This morning was kinda rough, I wasn’t able to fall back asleep so i kinda struggled with that hunger feeling until around 6 and then just got sick of it, so i made a coffee with protein powder to hold me over to a “acceptable time for breakfast” knee jerk reaction on this thought? Stupid. Like, there’s no acceptable time to eat, you eat when your body needs food. Compassionate thought? You had a bad morning, everyone does. Good thing about it, is even though it might’ve been delayed and you went through some hurdles, you still ate, and that’s a victory in itself. Recovery is a beast, but I’m determined to show it, I’m stronger.)

Snack~

Okay, so snack, some dried pineapple, and saltines with PB and pumpkin pie seasoning. Pretty good honestly 8/10( i ended up only eating eating two of the crackers, but all of the fruit)

(I hated that i was hungry, plain and simple, but i owe it to my body to eat- and it’s not a bad thing to have a snack. Am i internally freaking bc i have no idea how many this or that and- it goes on, yes, yes i am. But, it’s what i wanted, it’s not over board, and in the long run taking care and honoring my hunger now, will prevent a binge in the future. <3 )

Snack~

Piece of habanero cheese, and two of those PB crackers from earlier made into a sandwich(like put together), no pics bc I’m lazy. I’ll do my best to get a pic for lunch tho~

(Today is proving to be a wacky day to say the least, i do want to preface this and say, all my days are NOT like this. But at this point it might seem like I’ll be eating lunch a little later in the day, so im going to have another small snack to tide me over, because that’s what my body deserves, and I’m honoring my hunger >.< for context i have to get groceries delivered because i don’t drive, and they were taking longer than expected- so yeah :/ )

Lunch~

For lunch i had a honey turkey wrap, with a side of sweet bell peppers, chips, and a dollop of ranch for dipping. Super simple, super easy, and super filling. Also helped me battle a craving for fast food, so extra feeling of accomplishment :>

(So groceries finally got here, chaos adverted, lunch has been made and eaten 10/10 the only thing with this meal is just the pure anxiety that feeling full has left. Did i over indulge? No, i ate until i was full, which is perfectly okay and normal. Today really is a day of pushing. My limits and just for lack of better words, being okay with it.)

Dinner~

Chili crisp oil garlic soup with rice, drizzled with garlic spicy sauce

(For dinner i was having really strong cravings to binge honestly, i think the stress just generally from the day is starting to get to me. To combat this, im going to partake in a coping skill to distract myself, most likely writing :> )

Snack~

PB toast with some type of topping(not sure if i want sweet or savory yet >.<)

(For snack I’m going to leave it as a option for myself, so i know I’ll be full through the night, to avoid whatever this morning was :/)

Drinks~

Protein powder with iced coffee

Aloe coconut drink with a bit of a strawberry peach crystal light flavoring packet

Aloe pineapple drink

Water throughout the day

So that was another complete what i eat in a day, today was definitely different, and 100% more stressful, but overall, I’m trying to create healthy eating habits, and eating healthy is eating in moderation, and i can still do that, and feel happy with my food choices both in a satisfied way, and my body getting what it needs way~

I hope if you’re reading this, you have a great day/night, stay strong, and love yourself~ and remember recovery is never hard, but it’s always worth it,,/g /lh

[but-a-humble-goon]

Alright let's respond to these in order, I feel like being thorough. "It took 10 years till it became canon" sounds really damning until you remember season 1 consisted of 13 episodes of roughly 5-10 minutes each. Not to mention they took a whole year off between vol 8 and 9. In terms of screentime it took RWBY a little over 24 hours to canonise their main major LGBT couple. For the record it took She-Ra just under 20 and that show only lasted 5 seasons. It took Adventure Time over 34 hours. And in both of those examples it happened in the last five minutes of the show. "despite from v1 to v5 there was literally absolutely no romantic implication between Blake and Yang." Okay just for brevity I will be omitting a lot here. Their romance kicks off proper in volume 2 with 'Burning the Candle' wherein half the episode is dedicated to their sickeningly sweet heart to heart that ends in Yang promising to save her a dance and then flirtatiously winking at her. In volume 3 Yang sees Blake in danger and enters a blind berserker rage and throws herself at her attacker, Adam, who literally says to Blake the words "I am going to destroy everything you love, starting with her" and then cuts Yang's arm off. The two of them spend ALL of seasons 4&5 angsting and pining for each other, Yang confiding in someone about Blake tearfully asks "what if I needed her here for me?" and the two's emotional reunion is the note they choose to close out the whole season on. You get the point, categorically invalid argument. "Blake literally had a guy love interest." She's canonically bisexual. She's allowed to do that. She's also allowed to have romantic feelings for more than one person. In fact it's an extremely popular trope. "The bees held hands once at the the bees held hands once at the end of v6, didnt even resolve their conflict fight from prior and suddenly acts like girlfriends???" Ah see easy mistake to make. You're forgetting that little easy to miss bit at the end where they spent three entire episodes having a climactic showdown with Adam, the monster who has haunted both of them and come between their relationship this whole time, in which they reaffirm their trust and bond with each other, promise to never leave each other again and kill him together. After which Yang holds Blake tenderly as she cries. "its literally just pandering to the largest voices cause they will buy the merch and bring the views." I should hope I don't have to explain why anybody who does the 'they're just pandering to the gays' argument is worth taking seriously. Creators make creative decisions based on what they think the audience will enjoy?! What mindblowing insight.

"Anyways thank fuck that the locked tomb pairing won that poll. cause bumble/by does not even fucking deserve to be put on the same pedestal as the other sapphic pairings." This is the part that fascinates me. It's interesting how it's generally accepted around here that treating LGBT rep like some kind of competition is extremely toxic and crappy on account of how we're all supposed to be on the same side and even if there were mistakes made or some things could have been done better we all deserve at least some baseline amount of courtesy and respect... I mean unless it's Bumbleby, apparently. It's open season where they're concerned.

bee shippers are really something else...

out here calling their pairing a 'slow burn' in defense on why it took 10 years till it became canon. despite from v1 to v5 there was literally absolutely no romantic implication between blake and yang. heck, during those 5 volumes Blake literally had a guy love interest that the show vv much pushed to show the both as romantically into each other.

the bees held hands once at the end of v6, didnt even resolve their conflict fight from prior and suddenly acts like girlfriends??? and lbr it became canon and for what? the bastardization of their characters??

its literally just pandering to the largest voices cause they will buy the merch and bring the views.

anyways thank fuck that the locked tomb pairing won that poll. cause bumble/by does not even fucking deserve to be put on the same pedestal as the other sapphic pairings.