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queen-of-writing-bad-things · 9 months ago

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

Episode 9: Back to the Danger Part 2

~Swellview Tech University~

Okay, in a pinch, Ray Manchester could be pretty smart, or rather, he actually started listening.

They had the biggest problem of their superhero careers on their hands, well, one of them, and as such, he'd stopped, thought about what they were doing and as per his sweet girl's advice, had borrowed two whiteboards from Schwoz and some coloured pens so he could draw up a plan of attack.

It was a bit simple and a bit all over the place with some doodles to fill in the empty space, but it was good enough and (y/n) was happy that they weren't gonna jump in headfirst without thinking things through. She was proud of him and tried to cover up her fear with a soft smile as he finished the last doodle and she and Henry sat down to listen.

"Okay, guys, here's the plan." Ray started, tapping the board with a random chopstick he'd found in Schwoz's dorm room. It had probably been left over from a batch of Chinese takeout, but for this purpose, it would do for pointing at his bullet points and the equations (y/n) had worked out for him about velocity, time and distance in a taxi. They were ready to hear it, especially since this was the first time they'd ever sat down as a team for a pow-wow. "Go."

"We leave here in a taxi cab, which'll take us to Glass Tech Industries, where my daddy works." Ray started, going through the first half of the board pretty quickly as it wasn't a particularly complex step, but there was one thing that made Henry shiver. And (y/n) honestly, but it was for a vastly different reason.

"Ummm, you're too old to say daddy." Henry cringed, thinking it sounded weird that his boss, who was well into his thirties, was using a word that was generally associated with little kids and their parents.

"Well, this is nineteen-eighty-nine, back when I called him daddy, so..." Ray shrugged, not seeing the big deal. It was just a title for a man he rarely saw and it reminded him that once upon a time, he had been a normal kid and things between them were good. Henry still didn't like it though, thinking it played too much into his alter-ego as a man-child.

"Um, well, you sound like a baby."

"'Kay, how about dad? Dad? Can I call him dad? Da-da-da-dad? That okay with you?!" Ray snapped back, feeling like they were getting too into this, but (y/n) didn't mind. It was great entertainment in such a tense moment and she was half tempted to stir the pot and make the kid next to her really blush. Was it cruel to make him internally puke and groan? Nah... "Yes, please!"

"Honestly, I don't mind him saying daddy..." The woman added slyly, watching as the smirk grew on Ray's face when he saw the mischievous look in her eyes at the idea of the name. How scandalous, his sweet girl ruined by such filth...he loved it, the wickedness that laid underneath her innocence. Henry, however, reacted predictably, gagging and retching at her comment that was perfectly calculated to wind him up, which showed when the adults burst out laughing at his strong reaction.

"Oh god! You two are animals!" Henry groaned as they chuckled, finding the way he rubbed his eyes and screwed up his nose hilarious. It was so easy to tease him, just a little bit and it wasn't like they were telling him the truth. Ray and (y/n) had their own little names already sorted out, ranging from cute and harmless to downright sinful when put to use. They could've said a lot worse, but their teasing was only that, some harmless fun before they returned to the matter at hand.

"Okay, now, Drex is most likely gonna try locate eight-year-old me to stop me before I skateboard into the densitiser. See the way it happened was...rode in on ma skateboard." Ray smirked at his sidekicks, getting all giddy at the thought of his epic story and how he'd been made indestructible, but the problem was that he'd told it to them a million times.

Henry had only been enduring it for a couple of years, thankfully, but (y/n), she knew it word for word after eleven damn years of repetition. It was cool the first few times, sure, and lord knows how much she loved that bouncy, little grin he had on his face when he recounted the tale but god almighty, she didn't need to hear it again in exactly the same way he always phrased it.

"No, please, don't tell us the story, I can say it in my sleep now, doofus." She whined, sticking out her bottom lip to pout a little in the hopes that he'd shut up, but this was Ray and he had an opportunity to brag with a stranger in the room. The stranger was young Schwoz, who hadn't yet heard the glorious densitisation story, and since he was busy collecting every crinkled dollar he kept in pants pockets and his piggy bank, the superhero figured that it was as good a time as any to tell him.

"That's funny, 'cause when I hear you at night, it sure don't sound like the story." Ray grinned smugly, watching as her cheeks darkened and her eyes darted away, embarrassed that he knew about whatever she dreamed about at night. It made sense, she loved to clamp onto him whenever they fell asleep in their bed, her head on his chest and a leg slung on his hips, arms keeping her close, so it was inevitable that he sometimes woke to hear her incoherent mumblings, but did he really have to say it out loud?

"Okay, gross, but she's right, dude. You've told it us a billion times." Henry grumbled, from both the revolting image they'd planted in his mind and the idea of sitting through his boss's dumb speech. He knew the words too and the actions he always did, in fact, he could probably do a perfect impersonation at this point, after having heard it told to friends, family, hot moms previously and anyone unfortunate enough to be in listening range. That didn't stop Ray though...

"My daddy had just finished demonstrating his latest invention, unbreakable glass, unbreakable glass, unbreakable glass..." Ray started, going all dreamy-eyed when he drifted off into the past, recalling wistfully the same old story of how he was screaming happily on his skateboard before he accidentally turned the densitiser on. The same thing every time and he finished with his hands on his hips, something Henry couldn't help but mimic since it never changed, (y/n) giggling at how he even mouthed the final sentence. "And that's how I became indestructible."

"Fascinating, doofus. Now, Schwoz, have you found enough money for us to take a cab to Glass Tech?" (y/n) asked the genius once her dumb boyfriend had finished and she glanced over to he how he was doing. He had begun to crawl off of the top bunk, so she assumed that he'd found as much as he could, which for a struggling student, wasn't much. Still, he was being very generous, a Schwoz trademark, and she'd make sure that whatever they were given was repaid in heaps of gratitude.

"Yeah, I have eleven dollars...and this extra dollar I once used as a tissue." He grinned, dumping the first few crumpled notes into Ray's hands so he could recount them. Sure, they were a little wrinkly and it was next to nothing, but still, this was nineteen-eighty-nine, back when a dollar stretched a lot further than it did in their time, so hopefully, it would be enough. That last one though, they could do without, the heroes being sure that no taxi driver would want to receive money that was glued shut, thanks to a freak's mucus. No, they could get by with the clean bills.

"I think eleven ought to do it." Ray grinned at him sheepishly, shoving the money deep into his pocket, where it would remain safe until they had to hand it over. Right, they had the funds, no they just had to get to the old factory and pray they weren't too late, so he gestured for his sidekicks to follow hot on his heels. "Come on, let's move."

"Okay, daddy." (y/n) smirked, biting her lip to keep in her laughter when his cheeks went red and Henry nearly tripped over from the shock. The man cleared his throat and felt her hand slip into his, him begging that she didn't see the way he practically had an embolism at all the thoughts popping up in his head. Just because it hadn't been used before didn't mean he didn't like it, which couldn't be said for Henry, who was also having an embolism, for all the wrong reasons.

"Don't call him daddy..." He groaned, prompting the woman to throw her head back as the glee escaped her. What? It was hilarious to see them both on opposite ends of the fluster spectrum, one trying to cover up his blatant desire and red ears, and the other picking up the pace to hide his mortified blush. Cute kid, silly doof, why would she stop when they gave her everything she was looking for?

~Glass Tech Industries~

Y'know, taxi drivers used to be a lot slower. Ray, Henry and (y/n) had really picked a fucking awful time for a high-speed dash across time, right in the middle of rush hour. Despite their protests to the cab driver, they couldn't go any faster because apparently, speed limits are a thing and he wanted to keep his license. What a scaredy-cat. They weren't making time, that's the important thing and in their absence, shit was going down in the labs that made up Glass Tech.

Drex had infiltrated the building, sneakily joining the group of doctors, physicists and general science enthusiasts who had booked themselves onto the tour of Professor Manchester's demonstration and calmly walked around with them as things were pointed out and explained, discussed and exhibited. When the time came for the famed scientist and father of his greatest enemy to finally show off how he could make glass indestructible, he merely clapped along with the rest, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, which came when the same old story became true.

When the tour group moved off to go have refreshments with the inventor and his team, which was a very foolish thing to do considering that the densitiser could do a lot of damage in the wrong hands, he stood in position, waiting for the moment when he'd alter the course of history; no more Captain Man, no more Kid Danger and his silly, sweet cupcake would forget all about those ideas in her head and come back to him because that's where she'll have been all along. No one could stop him, not Ray, not Henry Hart, not (y/n) and her stupid "confidence", nobody. This time, Drex would be the winner.

"Daddy, daddy! Hey, daddy! Daddy, daddy, woah!" Little Ray shouted as he was always meant to when he came rolling in on the skateboard, headed straight for the densitiser and his destiny, but just before he could reach the lever and metallic frame, a pair of strong arms swooped in and pulled him from the skateboard. Ray's head was spinning as he looked up and saw the evil sneer of some dude with blond hair and a pair of safety goggles over his eyes, making him feel incredibly confused and highly intimidated. "Hey, little Ray..."

"Who are you?" The kid asked with a frown, having never seen him around his dad's workplace before and yet, somehow, he knew his name. It should've been a friendly gesture, after all, he had just saved him, right? The only thing was, the way he was snarling and growling as he breathed down his neck wasn't very friendly, in fact, it made him want to run and hide as the mystery man yanked down his goggles, revealing that the crazy went all the way up to his eyes.

"Doctor Night-Night." Drex sneered, knowing that he couldn't just leave Little Ray to wander around, not when he could get densitised and ruin all of his evil plans and hard work. He had to be stopped from talking, walking and telling anyone else that he was poking around the laboratory, although he didn't have to say it in such a weird way, one that made the boy's confusion deepen.

"What do you mean, Doctor Night-Night?—" Ray's words slurred when Drex large, calloused hands rested on his shoulder before squeezing into the pressure point that made his central nervous system shut down and his brain go to sleep. The kid collapsed into his arms, completely defenceless once the man had used his stupid nerve knowledge to turn his brain into mush and Drex dragged him off to the back of the lab where he could sleep through his nap whilst he completed his heinous schemes.

"Okay, let's rewrite some history." He smirked after ridding himself of the goggles and lab coat that had made up his disguise and with a crick of his neck, he sauntered over to the unpredictable, highly dangerous machine that was gonna give him everything he took away from Ray, just like that bastard had taken away his girlfriend. Standing in between the densitiser's columns, he braced himself for the pain and reminded himself that he was doing this for world domination, for the woman he wanted to rule by his side and worship him, to prove to the world that he could take what Ray Manchester did and be a better Captain Man than he ever was. So, he pulled the lever.

Instantly, Drex's body was bombarded with energy, his DNA altering and mutating as his muscle density hardened and his atoms realigned, causing him to convulse and groan as he felt his skin on fire and his nerves being fried. It was like electricity was igniting his skin and cooling it at the same time, providing an oddly invigorating experience that grew all the more terrible as the seconds passed.

Like all the other suckers who'd used the densitiser, apart from Ray and (y/n) who were both built different, his body couldn't take the straining change and as quickly as it started to gain density, it also began to morph into something hideous, concentrated particularly on his hand.

"Holy gosh! Who's in my densitiser?" Professor Manchester exclaimed when he saw the illuminations shining through the glass that separated the refreshment room and the testing space, but he was too late, Drex was already densitised and couldn't be stopped, something which was heartbreaking for the three heroes who ran into the room, late by only a few minutes. Damn taxi.

Ray immediately yanked his girlfriend behind his back as they all witnessed the transformation with wide, horrified eyes, watching as Drex became invincible. They didn't know it yet, that he was no longer the human shield he'd always been and that by putting himself in front of her to take any blows, he was risking the possibility of breaking her heart, but indestructible or not, Ray would always put her before himself, let him be the one to take the hits.

She needed protecting, not necessarily saving, but she deserved to stay safe and happy and loved, something he'd promised himself after seeing how that bastard being fried treated her. He'd never understood his desire for her to think, feel and speak independently, had always thought that good girls say nothing, do nothing, sit still and look pretty, which was where Drex fell from being mighty and became a fool. A self-absorbed, cruel fool who would never deserve her and would never hurt her again, because Ray was the opposite of all that.

"What do we do?!" Henry yelled at Ray as the energy continued to fry Drex, probably for a lot longer than it should've done. The burn was becoming unbearable now and whilst he definitely deserved it, they had to do something, only thinking of a good idea was impossible when plonked in their situation. They never expected it to get that far, had hoped that they'd get there in time to stop Drex from doing something insane, which hadn't exactly gone to plan.

"Turn the fucking thing off!" (y/n) screamed as she cowered behind her boyfriend's back, terrified for what this meant for them. Shit, would the process have worked? Just the thought of that asshole having the same power as her boyfriend chilled her to the bone because she knew that it had been Ray's only advantage against him; Drex had enough fury to fuel every attack, every punch, every kick, so he always managed to beat Ray in a fistfight, but Captain Man was always okay and had always managed to get back on his feet. But what would happen now that Drex could do the same and would be able to take hit after hit and never tire? They were about to find out.

Ray edged closer to the densitiser, ensuring that his sweet girl stayed back with Henry so the electrical rays couldn't hurt them. They'd both been through once before, the boy suffering terrible consequences as a result, and whilst it had turned out fine for (y/n), they didn't need to be zapped again, so he was the one to go for it.

Shielding his eyes in the crook of his arm, the superhero reached out and yanked the power level back into neutral, ending the process and causing the villain to black out for a few seconds, which gave Professor Manchester the chance to steam over. He sure wasn't happy about someone else touching his invention. "Hey, you! Don't touch that!"

"Daddy, not now!" Ray exclaimed, swatting away his baffled father, who was repulsed at the name he'd been given since he didn't recognise his adult son, even though there was a hint of recognition that flashed through his eyes. Curious, there was a striking resemblance in this man's face that cut deep into his soul like he was looking into a mirror. Maybe it was the fact that he had the exact same eyes as his wife that was odd, either way, he batted the idea away when the disgust of "daddy" made him shudder. He just put it down to the guy being an all-around weirdo.

"My God, it's like an episode of Jerry Springer in here." (y/n) muttered, feeling a bit awkward that she was standing fairly close to Ray as his father looked him up and down and then her. She'd never met the man, not once in her and Ray's friendship and not even in their relationship, even though he'd been shyly introduced to her parents on numerous occasions when they came to town to see how she was doing.

He'd met her father and yet his remained an absolute mystery, a figure she only knew as the man who'd ruined his childhood and grown to be an estranged man living in the same house her boyfriend had been raised in. This honestly wasn't how she'd thought their first meeting would go.

"Ray, (y/n), look at his hand, look at his hand!..." Henry's frantic words broke her out of her daydream, making her gawp at Drex's left hand, where the densitisation process had gone predictably, no doubt giving the superpower but also a hideous mutation to go with it. It wasn't a hand anymore, the skin had gone green, rough and rugged, like that of an alligator and instead of a normal nail and cuticle, he had five long claws that dully gleamed under the laboratory lights and looked really fucking sharp. It was a mess, but strangely, it just seemed to entice Drex even more at how he'd gain a new way of tearing someone limb from limb. "Yes! Look at my hand! Don't you like it, cupcake?"

"You're an idiot, Drex." (y/n) gulped, eyeing the mutation with a weary apprehension, but she kept her thundering heart steady by breathing deeply and laying a hand on Ray's shoulder blade, both letting him know that she was there and reminding herself that with him, she was safe.

"Except for Ray and (y/n), any other person who gets densitised also gets some weird side effect. Like your freaky, monster paw." Henry explained, glancing at the couple, the only people who had experienced the harsh energy and come out the other side perfectly fine with nothing but their superpowers. It was still a mystery as to what made them so different, but no one questioned it, they were just grateful that they were healthy and happy, not mutant freaks with extra eyeballs or seconds heads.

"I like it freaky and I know that my girlfriend does too. Ain't that right, Ray?" Drex smirked at the glaring hero through his monster fingers and took deep enjoyment at how his muscles tensed and his jaw clenched.

"She's not your girlfriend, she's mine," Ray growled in reply, resisting the urge to wrap his hands around his throat just because he dared to say that after how he treated her. She'd left all that behind long ago, he was the one she wanted, the one she slept next to and woke up with, he was the one who was gonna marry her and love her for the rest of their lives and yet he still wanted to try and ruin that? Well, good fucking luck to him.

"Okay, I don't know who you people are, but I'm going to get the police!" Professor Manchester exclaimed, having had enough of the reckless use of his equipment, evil guys making ominous threats and strangely familiar men and their female/male counterparts bursting in at random moments. None of it sat right with him and it was his lab, his rules and he wasn't about to lose that control, well, that was his mentality before Drex whipped around and roared at him, brandishing his mutant paw, like he was about to slash his face. Asshole.

"Help! There's a weirdo in my science lab!"

Mr Manchester ran off screaming and in search of someone, anyone who could help him, leaving the heroes to face their villain alone, only a soft moan and the sound of corduroy fabric rustling told (y/n) that they weren't as quite alone as they first thought.

On the floor, Little Ray's brain had finally shaken off the induced sleep and he groaned as he woke up, stretching his sore neck as he sat up and looked around the room, which still had the scary man from before, plus a new one, who looked a whole lot nicer. There was a boy too, just a tad older than he was and a really pretty lady staring at him with blown-out, wonder-filled eyes and he couldn't help but pick up on how her hair framed her face nicely and made her eyes sparkle. Some things never change. "Wha—what happened?"

"Holy shit..." (y/n) breathed out, feeling her heart jump into her mouth as she instantly recognised the boy from old family photo albums and school yearbooks that she'd giggled at over the years.

It was Ray, Little Ray, Ray, her boyfriend, Ray, Raymond Manchester, son of the inventor, Carl Manchester, her sweetheart and doofus. Even without the photos she'd seen and the hint she got from how pale Adult Ray turned, she knew in her heart that it was him, she just knew it. No one else had that brown hair and those crystal blue eyes or that cheeky smile, and it made her speechless.

"Who's that kid?" Henry asked, looking at the dumbstruck woman and her gasping boyfriend and he wondered why they were looking at the boy like he couldn't exist. Obviously, he did, without an existence, Ray wouldn't be Ray and (y/n) would be missing her soulmate, but it was so fucking weird to have both of them in the same room, the boy and the man he'd grow into. A little too weird if you asked (y/n), she'd never asked to meet her boyfriend back when he was a kid and wasn't sure if she felt comfortable knowing him before his innocence was ruined and he became the man she loved and...did things with.

"He's me! Twenty-eight years ago! Dang, I was cute!" Ray squealed, the excitement of seeing himself overtaking the weirdness for him. Okay, he was right on one thing, he was a freaking adorable child and if he was anyone else, (y/n) probably would've ruffled his hair or pinched his cheeks, but he wasn't. He was her boyfriend, minus three decades of experience, something she was having trouble getting over, unlike him. And, in their distraction, Drex had been shifting his plan along, satisfied that the kid would keep them busy whilst he made sure that Captain Man's indestructibility wouldn't be a problem anymore.

"Well, you better get little you outta here," Henry warned him as his eyes flickered to Drex, who was slowly creeping towards them. Ray quickly got (y/n) and his younger self behind him, adamant that he'd be the one throwing the punches whilst she guided the weak, defenceless boy to safety and it was so peculiar to put his hands on his boyfriend's shoulders and feel them be dwarfed by her fingers, and even stranger to see over the top of his head. Yeah, he was pretty tall for an eight-year-old, but she was so used to Ray towering over her and having broad shoulders for her to cling to.

"Right, you keep Drex busy until we get back," Ray told Henry, who wasn't afraid to be left alone with the asshole since he still had his hyper-motility and the knowledge that the last time they met, he'd wiped the floor with him. Little Ray was the priority and they needed to keep him safe until they'd dealt with Drex, he could make the first few hits, no biggie. "No problem."

"Okay, come on, handsome and...little handsome." (y/n) ushered the kid out the door with her boyfriend close behind, not caring if she sounded weird. Superpower or not, Henry would need their help as soon as mini-Ray was safe, so she was more worried about getting back to the action than her using one of her nicknames for her boyfriend on his younger self. Doofus probably would've been better, especially since the boy gave her a grossed-out look, but honestly, she didn't care. "Handsome, ew..."

"It's okay, we're related," Ray mumbled as they tumbled through the door, knowing that his girlfriend could call him handsome all she wanted, it didn't matter to him, he loved it. Suddenly though, (y/n) cared, she cared a lot when he said they were related because the implications of it made her heart clench. Not related in a weird way, that would be gross and very wrong but related in the sense that he saw her as family like they'd always be connected and it was the best thing she'd heard in hours. "What?"

"It doesn't matter." (y/n) muttered to the incredibly confused kid as they dragged him to an adjacent room and made him crouch down behind a counter, a nice, snug little corner where no one would notice him and he'd be safe from all the violence that was ensuing just a few metres away. They could come back and collect him after, it would be fine, he just needed to stay right where they left him so they could make sure that the timeline stayed secure. "Okay, I need you to stay here and not move, 'kay?"

"But what about the man with the monster hand?!" Little Ray cried, not liking how he was being forced to trust the two strangers, even if the man seemed chill and the woman was really pretty, but then again, anyone was better than the freak who'd attacked him. It had been a confusing day, nothing like how he'd expected his day at his dad's lab to go, but all things considered, this felt like the safest place to be and it wasn't like they were giving him a choice.

"We'll take care of him, you just stay here and keep yourself safe. Do you understand me?" The woman reiterated her point in a clear, commanding tone, making her younger boyfriend look deeply into her eyes until he nodded slowly, giving her his silent promise that he'd do as she said.

Ray gulped at the sight of himself and his girl, and the way she took control of his safety like it was the most important thing to her, everything seeming like an out-of-body experience. Would he remember this? He didn't remember it now and he wasn't sure he wanted to, everything how worked out perfectly for him in the end, a little slowly perhaps, but he'd gotten the girl of his dreams eventually and the idea of spoiling the ending made his eye twitch.

"We need to go, sweet girl. The kid needs us." He told her, taking her hand as she backed away from the boy sitting with his back to the counter, his knees pulled up to his chest. Adult Ray slipped his hand into hers as she nodded, knowing that whilst her brain told her to stay and keep the child in the matter safe, her heart knew that Henry would be struggling and they needed to go to him. Little Ray would be fine here, he was safe and oh, look, he had a packet of Haribo gummies in his pocket, yeah, he'd be okay.

"Then let's go." She replied, following quickly as he led her out of the room and back to where the fight was going..badly, which left Little Ray to sit on the floor and stare at the chemistry sets around him as he kept eating the gummy bears and other gummy shapes. How long would this take? It was pretty boring sat there with nothing to do and no one to talk to, his mind wandering at what those people were doing to the scary man. Just the thought sent a shiver down his spine and so did the sound of footsteps approaching the lab he was in.

They were heavy and stomping, like the person coming to get him wasn't used to getting around or maybe they were just particularly heavy-footed, but either way, he felt trapped.

There was only one way of this lab and that was the way the person was walking towards, so what options did he have?

Run? No, the lady told him to stay here. Fight? No, that man would pulverise his puny body with his freakish paw. So where did that leave him? One option; clutch the bag of Haribo, squeeze his eyes shut and pray that the evil guy didn't want to hurt him, after all, he was just a kid, he didn't know anything about his dad's inventions or science or—

"Hwello." Wait a second. It wasn't a person coming to get him. It wasn't a man or even an adult. They weren't even that scary because, the stomping, bloodthirsty monster wasn't a monster at all, it was a little girl with curious eyes, hair tied in two messy braids and a raggedy cat plushie being dragged along the floor as if it could actually walk.

Hang on, he must've missed something because this girl couldn't be more than three years old, all cute and wobbly as she walked around in her brightly coloured, garishly eighties-style pinafore dress, which made him wonder why she was wandering around his father's science labs.

"H-Hi, are you lost?" Little Ray asked in a shaky voice, his adrenaline still running a little high from thinking that he was about to be found by the lunatic freak, but he tried to remain calm. If anyone was gonna help this kid, it would be him, from the safety of his hiding corner that is.

"No, I'm expworing. Mommy and Daddy are talking to rweally boring people." She replied, shaking her head as she patted her cat and licked at her lips, clearly unbothered and not at all daunted by the prospect of going around the building unattended, despite the place being huge with lots of dangerous experiments lying around the place, not to mention the weirdos that seemed to be on the loose too.

"Oh...are your mommy and daddy here for my daddy's invention?" Ray pressed on, wanting to make sure that she was one of the guest's kids and not a child who'd walked across town or something. It made sense that she'd been brought there by someone interested in the demonstration, after all, babysitters are expensive and no one said children weren't allowed, just as long as they behaved themselves.

"I don't knwow, dwoofus! I got bored! We came all da way here for somefing rweally boring." The girl giggled, using that silly word that her daddy sometimes called the football players on TV when she was in the room, although most of the time he used the words that mommy didn't like. This boy was funny, he had a goofy face and was obviously a lot dumber than she was despite being a few years older. She liked him and plonked her butt down next to him with her cat in the middle, so she could keep hearing him say those funny things.

"Okay...well, do you want a Haribo?" Ray offered the girl, who again giggled at his face and reached out a starfish-like hand to dive into his paper bag, her chubby little fingers rummaging around until she found one that was just the right shape and the perfect colour. The boy laughed too as she suddenly became shy as she ate it, like him finding her funny made her annoyed or bashful, a sentiment that was lost on both of them as he started asking her about her favourite colour, but never her name.

The choice of candy was lost on them too, the girl having pulled out a Haribo ring from the bag when he offered it to her, the one she chose amongst the bears and cola bottles. How interesting.

So, Drex had definitely gotten tougher, no doubt about it. Henry slugged his face, his abdomen, his chest, anywhere he could hit him at lightning speed, he did, but nothing was working. He must've punched that dumb face a million times, his arms becoming a blur from how quickly he threw his fists, but each time, the villain just shook it off once the pain had dissipated, meaning that he wasn't getting tired, but Henry was.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Henry yelped as Drex caught his punch and began to bend his arm backwards, forcing his muscles, bones and ligaments to stretch unnaturally. He curved his body to lessen the strain before doubling back and kneeing his opponent in the groin, certain that no dude could take that and not have watery eyes. Drex could though, he could be crushed, beaten and battered over and over again in the most sensitive places, but he'd be absolutely fine afterwards, something that made his smirk grow. "Whoa, you're indestructible everywhere..."

The second the kid gulped, Drex's smirk turned into a sneer as he pushed the boy away with all of his strength, causing him to collide with a trolley holding tubes, pots and syringes. The glass crushed under his weight and with no super-suit on to protect him, Henry felt searing pain bloom in his arms and ribs as the sharp metal and glass dug into his skin, causing him to fall to the floor winded.

"Sorry, kid. You may be faster than me but you're not indestructible." Drex bragged, looking down at the boy's shaking body with a victorious smirk. That's how he wanted him, broken on the floor and unable to fight just so he could show Ray how much of a useless sidekick he really was and how he'd grown stronger at the same time.

"Well, I am..." A powerful voice countered, belonging to Ray and (y/n) as they stepped back into the room with glares on their faces, the woman carefully eyeing her groaning friend on the floor. That bastard, she'd kill him for this, Henry was just a kid, he didn't deserve to be thrown around like a rag doll and the way he enjoyed, it made her rage burn.

"And I'm sort of indestructible...either way, we're gonna beat your ass." She growled, still being made to stand behind Ray but she was equally ready to fight side-by-side with her boyfriend. So she could be hurt, it didn't really matter, not when her injuries instantly disappeared along with the pain; it was like indestructibility, just a few steps behind and that was good enough for her. Henry needed a moment, so they were gonna give him one. "Hey, kid, you all right?"

"Yeah, I kept him busy..." Henry mewled, trying to overcome the agony in his gut and chest as he crawled along the floor. He wanted to get back in on the action, but jeez, everything hurt and Ray seemed to have it covered, bouncing back and forth on his toes as he prepared to strike out at Drex, who was also snarling a battle cry. (y/n) carefully stepped to the side, crouching down next to him so she could assess his wounds whilst Ray took the first few punches, clearly desperate to put some of his muscle to good use.

She ducked with Henry as Drex charged forward, the woman dragging the boy further away from the fighting since Ray immediately kicked the blaster out of the man's hand and dodged his first punch, allowing him to return one blow to the ribs and one to the jaw. (y/n) helped Henry to his feet as they watched with wide eyes, silencing cheering for their team as Ray battled it out, kicking Drex in the stomach so he could push him back for a second. Damn, he really was the best fighter in the world and so fucking hot as he glared and ignored the sweat dabbing at his forehead, a sight that made his sweet girl breathless as the criminal went in again with two, swift roundhouse kicks.

Ray dodged them perfectly, leaning back so the steel-toe boots merely sliced through the air on each rotation, only Ray wasn't expecting him to move so quickly and after the second spin, Drex jabbed him in the ribs, making him stumble back at the sudden pain. It was fine, it would stop in a few seconds, he was Captain Man, he could do this, especially when he had his best friend and future wife cheering from the sidelines. "Come on, Ray!"

Inspired by the support and the wide-eyed gaze of the girl he was fighting to protect, Ray growled through the pain and charged forward, his fist in the air and ready to bring it down on Drex, but he predicted his emotional reaction perfectly. The villain grabbed hold of his abdomen, halting his furious attack and slinging him to the ground in a brutal shoulder throw, causing (y/n) to gasp in panic as Ray sprawled out on the tiled floor.

His forearm was exposed and Drex being the cruel bastard he was, boot-stomped it, relishing the way he felt and heard the bones crunch underneath the rubber sole, something that Ray couldn't comprehend because he'd never broken anything before or been in that much pain. The hero screamed in pain, clutching his arm to his chest as his girl and sidekick knelt beside him, the former putting her arms around him as he panted through the agony.

"Ray, sweetheart, what's wrong? Tell me what's wrong." (y/n) sniffled when she saw the tears in his eyes and the way he bent over like he was trying to struggle with pain and she gulped at the prospect. His clammy forehead rested against her shoulder as he waited for his arm to stop hurting, although this pain was different to everything he'd ever felt before, it was more intense, pulsing as if his body was freaking out as much as he was. Still, he couldn't let his sweet girl see that, he already hated the terrified look in her eyes and he knew that he'd be okay because he was always okay, he had to be if he was gonna keep her safe and be worthy of having her by his side.

"Don't worry about me, sweet girl, I'm ok—oh, god! That hurts!" Ray gave her a strained smile and tried to straighten up his arm to show her that it was fine, he was fine, but the moment his bones and muscles flexed, the agony flared up, causing his reflexes to shove it back into the bent position where it didn't hurt as much. Her breathing caught as she and Henry shared a petrified look when they saw how his free fist squeezed the fabric of her shirt like it was a stress ball, which caused Drex to grin evilly as he watched his enemy pretend to be fine. "But not to worry, 'cause it's gonna stop hurting any second now—argh! That's broken! That is a broken arm!"

"Aw, tough break, Ray!" Drex hissed softly, pouting his lips like he felt some degree of sympathy, even though on the inside he was preening with happiness, mixed with a splash of rage when he saw how his cupcake pressed her lips to his enemy's forehead and gently tucked his arm into his chest properly, stopping it from getting squished and aggravated any more. He'd won, he'd beaten him, he'd come out on top like some psychotic alpha male, why was she sticking with that loser and telling him that it would be all right in breathless whispers?

"But Ray, you can't have a broken arm, you're indestructible!" Henry exclaimed, the panic setting in as he watched his formidable boss slump over in his girlfriend's arms, on the verge of crying from how much pain he was in. He was Captain Man, he couldn't be hurt, bent over with shattered bones, whilst the young woman tried to take the pain away, but she couldn't, leaving them frozen in shock.

"No. Not anymore... This was the day eight-year-old me was supposed to become densitised." Ray explained in a gravelly voice, leaning on (y/n) as she helped him to his feet, mindful of his throbbing arm. He'd failed her...he couldn't protect her like this, he couldn't protect Henry either, now he was just like any other man and Drex was the one with the superpower, leaving his sweet girl open to be dragged away. That hurt the most, not the injury, not the theft of his indestructibility, the fact that he'd tried his best and his enemy had still won and he was gonna lose the one good thing he had. Fuck...

"I'm not gonna let you hurt him." (y/n) told Drex bravely, pushing her boyfriend back into Henry and stepping in front of both of them so she could shield him like he so often did to her. Drex might have stolen his power, but she still had hers and he could hit her all he wanted, she'd come out of it okay. After all, Ray always protected her, made her feel safe and loved, none of the things she'd felt during their brief relationship, so she was gonna give it all back, be the one who kept him safe for once. "Sweet girl, no.."

"Come on, then, cupcake. You think he's worth protecting, so show me how much you can take." Drex smirked, clenching his fists together as Ray's uninjured arm came shooting around his girl's waist to tug her back towards him, whatever strength he had left screaming at him to keep fighting just for her. Brave girl, she wanted to save him, but who was saving her? Henry was already bruised, he was broken, but neither of them could take the sight of her being thrown around. "Ray..."

"Don't worry, I know exactly what to do." The man panted and staggered forward, standing hip-to-hip with (y/n) as she immediately helped his posture, supporting his tired legs and arm. His spine was curved as she took most of his weight, one arm around his waist and the other propped against his chest whilst she glared daggers at Drex, who was curious to hear what the superhero had to say. "All right, Drex. Stand aside so I can walk into the densitiser and make myself indestructible again."

"NO!" Drex bellowed, causing the three heroes to fall back since Ray's pathetic plan had failed. It was a nice idea, but a naive one too and it made Henry and (y/n) roll their eyes as they huddled together again, not sure what else they could try. Either way, they couldn't successfully fight and just standing there left them like fish in a barrel, sitting ducks, easy targets, which is why the panic was starting to set in. "Okay, I'm not sure what to do."

"Well, you two stand here while I kill him. See if he's still smirking then." (y/n) told him, turning to look at Drex as he stood there with a grin on his face that was marred slightly by how she kissed her boyfriend's cheeks just to piss him off. It worked, a soft smile flickered onto Ray's face at the feeling of her lips on his skin and Drex growled lowly at how he hadn't felt the same velvety softness for over a decade, not since she was stolen from him by an assehole with stupid good looks and a stupid kind heart.

"My silly, little cupcake, you're forgetting who you're talking to." He chuckled, finding her courage more amusing than admirable. Once Ray was swept away with Henry, once and for all, he'd stamp that back out of her, teach her that he didn't like it when she mouthed off and it was her place to be his pretty plaything, nothing more.

"Okay, wha—what's your problem, Drex? I mean, seriously, what reason do you have to hate us so much?" Henry asked indignantly, thinking that the villain's unbridled rage was a bit unfair, but he didn't know the full story, he wasn't there, so how could he? He didn't know the past relationship between him and Ray as hero and sidekick, the past relationship between him and (y/n) as lovers, if you could call them that, he had no idea how much each side hated the other, apart from the things he'd been around for.

"Well, for starters, he stole my girlfriend! She left me for him! I watched as he tricked her into falling in love with him, how he hugged her and giggled behind my back..." Drex spat, pointing at the couple as his ex put her hand on her boyfriend's unhurt shoulder and shared a slightly worried but mostly bored look with him. What a load of shit, he was so up his own ass he hadn't seen the truth, even when it was unfolding before his eyes in the place he used to call home.

"Right, let's get one thing straight. I can't be stolen, I'm not an object. And, I left you because you used to threaten me and make me cry for the stupidest things and it was Ray who made me feel safe and cared for. I love him because he wants me to be happy, which is something you can't seem to understand." (y/n) snapped in reply, latching herself onto Ray's side as she got out everything she'd ever wanted to say to the bastard, free of fear since she had him next to her. Her boyfriend was a superhero, power or not, she wasn't afraid of him.

"Okay, cupcake, you and those two butt-chumps froze me and locked me in a storage room for over a year!" The criminal carried on, raising a somewhat valid point since yes, they did do that. He kinda deserved it though, he was a danger to society and to them, plus, it wasn't like he could feel or think or see what was happening, so...

"All right, when you put it that way, I can see how you—" "That's like--that's taken out of context, like—" Ray and Henry started, understanding why he might be frustrated with that but he'd do the same or worse to them if it was the other way around, so could they really be blamed? According to Drex, they could.

"WHATEVER! Now that I'm indestructible and you're not, I'm gonna make sure it stays that way. Oh, and I'm gonna take away my cupcake's power too, stop her from getting any ideas." Drex smirked, firing up the disintegrating blaster in his hand as he looked at the densitiser. Shit, he wasn't going to destroy the thing, was he? He'd be taking away Ray's chances of ever becoming indestructible again and also stealing (y/n)'s super-regeneration too as she needed the machine in the future to accidentally gain them. If the machine was destroyed now, she'd never receive her powers, no...

"Drex, no, no, no... Come on, Drex—Oh, god!" "You don't have to do this—NO!" "Drex, please...no—Are you insane?!" Ray, (y/n) and Henry pleaded with him, trying to get through to the dead stone sitting in his chest, but their begging fell on deaf ears, causing them to scream out in anguish as Drex pulled the trigger, causing a beam of energy to envelop the densitiser as it dissolved into nothing but atoms, floating around the space where it used to stand.

"You bastard, how could you?!" (y/n) cried as she cradled her boyfriend before suddenly feeling faint, limp and dizzy. Drex's curdling laugh echoed through the room as she fell into Ray's arms, Henry holding her too, feeling the energy in her body drain away. The man's breath was stolen as her eyes glowed a faint yellow before fading to dullness, her muscles twitching as her cells lost their ability to regenerate and her body adjusted to normality again. He'd done it, just like he said, she couldn't fight back anymore, not without feeling it for hours afterwards.

"Sweet girl, sweet girl, please! Can you hear me?!'" Ray shook her body as she blanked for a second, feeling the world as if she was underwater and she could only hear a faint muffling as he shouted at her, his shaking feeling quite numb. The young woman blinked a few times before the ocean in her head drain away, leaving her clarity intact but her heart broken when she saw how terrified he looked and how empty she felt with a superpower. It had been hers for so long and it left her feeling disgustingly normal, like all those girls she'd tried to outdo when she wanted her now-boyfriend to notice her.

"I'm okay, doofus, I'm okay...just without my superpower." She replied, brushing her nose against his as his head craned down to breathe a sigh of relief with their foreheads touching. His heart ached for their lost powers just as much as hers did, but they had each other still, and that's what they were clinging to. She was safe, now, they just had to get out of there alive.

"Okay, Drex, we're willing to make a deal with you." Ray offered, keeping Henry and (y/n) safely behind him since they were in a real pickle. It's not like they had any bargaining power, anything left that they could propose or fight back with, so seeing them so desperate was laughable and amusing to the villain who revelled in their downfall. "Oh, are you?"

"Yeah, you let us go and promise not to cause us any more trouble..." Ray started, not knowing where he was going with his offer, he was just making it up on the spot, something that Drex picked up instantly. He was in control as if they could make a deal, but it made him chuckle, so he let them struggle on. "Yeah?"

"And...well...yes or no, we got a deal?" Ray cringed, hoping that he'd take it for some unknown reason and let him take his girl back home where he could send her somewhere safe, somewhere he couldn't reach her, but it was useless. It was dumb, to begin with.

"Counteroffer...I blast the two of you out of existence and take back my cupcake." The man growled, flicking the safety off the blaster and pointing it at the boys as (y/n) shielded them, knowing that if she got hit, she was gonna die, but then again, being with Drex was like death, numb, cold and loveless. She much preferred to go down with her boyfriend, knowing that they loved each other to the very end, but that didn't mean all three of them weren't terrified.

"Drex, no, no, no, er...we have money!—" "Come on, don't—" "Yes, lots of money, we'll split it with you—" They each cried, huddling closer together, (y/n) wrapping an arm around Henry as her fingers curled into Ray's shirt, all of them preparing for death. It wasn't how they thought it would happen, the best scenario would be living until a ripe old age and dying peacefully, but they braced themselves for the afterlife as a bright light surrounded them and they felt space tightened around them. This was the end, right? They could feel their skin get hot and then cold, their screams intensifying in tandem with the brightness of the light until...nothing.

The light dimmed, but still remained bright and their bodies were still tired but no longer felt as though they were being tugged apart. They slowly cracked open their eyes to see...home?

"What happened?" Ray asked as they got their bearings, unable to believe that they were in the Man Cave with a very dirty Schwoz, Charlotte and Jasper looking at them with wide, hopeful eyes and once the shock passed, they all screamed with joy and relief that they were now safe. Okay, the three back home had been on a right trek to fix the time machine after Drex blew it up, but their mission had succeeded and they were home, safe and sound and so very relieved to see that it was all still there. They'd assumed that the minute Drex destroyed the densitiser, their future had changed and they'd lost, but miraculously, it was all still there, all their friends, their home, their titles, they still had a chance.

(y/n) dashed forward to embrace Charlotte, so relieved to see her and everyone else after their ordeal and gave her the biggest, warmest hug she could since she thought she'd never get the chance to again. Henry grinned at Schwoz as he too rushed to embrace him and his best girl friend, but Jasper, well, he made the mistake of tackling Captain Man, his hero with a battered ego and body.

"Ow! Please, don't touch my arm!" He cried when, in his excitement, Jasper bumped up against the broken bones that laid beneath his skin, causing him to wince at the reminder that he was still vulnerable and Drex was still causing havoc in the past.

"What's wrong with your arm?" "Did you find Drex?" "Did you bring me a present?" So many questions, so little time. Two of them were genuine, valid questions, and they were gonna answer them eventually, but first Henry needed to hug Jasper, the best friend he thought he'd never see again and Ray, well, he had missed his weird helper.

Ever since they'd left young Schwoz's dorm room, he'd realised how much he meant to him, how helpful he was and how screwed he'd be if he'd never taken him into his employment. Not only had he literally saved him by yanking them back from the past, but he'd been there since the start, encouraging and coaching him to make a move when he was still gathering the balls to ask (y/n) out. He'd played a huge part in getting them together and it was only now that he knew just how thankful he was. "Oh, Schwoz...my sweet, little, foreign employee. I never thought I'd see you or your silly, bald head ever again!"

"Oh, yes, please hold me..." Schwoz purred as Ray pulled him against him in a short but sweet hug, just so he knew that whilst he never showed it, the boss did actually care about him and valued his contributions. But when Schwoz started snuggling and making it weird, he shoved him away with a disgusted face; he didn't care that much. (y/n), however, definitely cared.

"Oh, come on, Schwozie, bring it in!" She giggled, wrapping him in another hug as soon as her dumb doofus pushed him away, meaning the sting wasn't so bad since he was getting two hugs in one day. His face pressed into her abdomen, making her laugh slightly at how catlike he was behaving, purring and rubbing his coconut-like head against her shirt. Ray rolled his eyes, thinking that he was overindulging a bit with his girl, but deep down, he thought it was cute and yeah, Schwoz deserved a hug after working so hard, although the sudden stony expression that hit his face perplexed him. What gives?

"Hey, (y/n/n)..." He mumbled, cracking open his eyes and looking up at her as he pulled back, Henry still happily patting his friends on the back. She looked down at him, wondering why he had that unreadable gaze fixated on her and she couldn't think of what had gotten to him, not after their joyous return. "Yeah?"

"Time-dependence in quantum mechanics is easy. You just need to know that for temporal variation of wavefunctions and so of probability density, you need a more general time-dependent Schrödinger equation." He deadpanned, making the teens and Ray look at him like he'd grown a second head. Wait, that was the thing from the ...how did he remember? (y/n) just looked at him with a bemused smile, glad to have her science buddy back and this time, he actually knew who she was, not that she needed any help.

"Yeah, I know, Schwoz. In that equation, you use an upper case symbol for the time-dependent wavefunction to distinguish it from the spatial-only wavefunction." She replied, rubbing his smooth head just to show him her affection as Ray came over to drag her back to him, a move she immediately followed after thinking she was gonna lose him like a million times in the space of fifteen minutes. He kissed her for the first time in what felt like ages and tears sprang in their eyes when they thought about how for a moment, it looked like they'd never feel the sensation again.

Not wanting to be a party-pooper or a stick-in-the-mud, but still, in need of answers, Charlotte cleared her throat, forcing the young woman to pull back prematurely, much to the disappointment of her boyfriend, whose lips chased after hers. "Hey, why did you guys think you'd never see us again?"

"Because, when we went back in time, Drex stopped me from being densitised when I was a kid," Ray explained, looking around at the equipment, couch, sprocket, everything that made up his home, his sweet girl most of all, and he wondered how it could all still be there. He was unbelievably grateful, of course, otherwise, they'd all be strangers and he'd lose the love of his life only a year and a bit after confessing to her, but still, it baffled him.

"Oh my god..." "That's terrible..." Charlotte and Schwoz gasped, suddenly realising the gravity of the situation as they connected the dots. Right, Ray's arm was properly broken and they were all in mortal peril, basically another day at the office for them.

"Yeah, but...but how can you all—how can me and (y/n) still be—how this all still be here?" Ray asked, crossing the room to stand next to Jasper as he peered around, his eyes finally landing on Schwoz and the angel who was giving him an amused look. If anyone knew about what was going on, then it'd be them, plus, he loved any excuse to admire her, particularly after the afternoon they'd had.

"Yeah, the future should be different 'cause Drex won," Henry stated, just as confused as his boss since the past had been changed, therefore things should have altered into some kind of dystopian world where Captain Man never existed, Drex ruled the city and (y/n) followed every word he said because she never met her doofus. "So, what's going on?"

"Do you wanna explain it or should I?" (y/n) sighed to Schwoz, and whilst she was by no means a physics expert like he was, she could make them understand. Sure, her talents were in chemistry, metallurgy and mechanics, but she dabbled in force, energy and particles occasionally and had been lectured by him enough to know how it all worked.

"I'll lead and you join in." He offered, to which she agreed and followed him as he wandered to the supercomputer, thinking about how he could say the facts without confusing them. Schwoz had the most experience and knew the ins and outs, but she was better at dumbing it down, so together they made a good pair. "Okay...let us try to say this in a way that even a stupid child could understand..."

"How respectful of you..." Charlotte retorted. She wasn't dumb, she was one of the brightest kids in her school and just because they had degrees and PhDs and god knows what else, didn't mean that they were better. They needed enlightening, that's all.

"See...a time portal is like, uh..." Schwoz started, trying to think of a suitable metaphor that would get the point across, but his head was just filled with complex crap like quantum physics, general relativity and time dilation, so he looked to (y/n) for help, who had a splash more creativity than he did.

"Uh, like a door to a...hallway to the past or the future." She described and they all nodded in understanding at the picture she was creating. The concept was a lot more complicated in reality, but for them, it made sense. They could walk either way, to the past or the future with this hallway, that was easy enough.

"You guys went to the past and you changed things but the doors remain open as long as that time machine is active." Schwoz finished, pointing at the time portal, which was still sucking in power and swirling with the blue vortex of time. Okay, that meant that it was their only lifeline and the most precious thing they had, something that sadly, Jasper didn't pick up on.

"Okay, so let's turn it off." He shrugged, strolling over to the lever that would kill the power if he pulled it and his friends screamed in terror when his fingers brushed against it, him tempting fate by toying with their only chance of reversing all of the damage done. Jeez, talk about giving them all heart attacks.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Henry yanked him away from the controls and looked at him sternly as they all tried to calm their racing heart. Shit, that was a close one and it was scary how so much was riding on one thing. That time machine was everything and if (y/n) wasn't holding him back and his arm wasn't broken, Ray probably would've killed the kid. "Dude, don't you get it?! If you turn that off, it's over. We're done!"

"Everything we know here would disappear into nothingness!" Ray snapped, his eyes flickering to his oblivious girlfriend next to him several times to suggest to the boy that nothingness included no girlfriend and certainly no proposal for him, so by almost turning their only hope off, Jasper was walking on very thin ice, almost on the verge of being fired (like (y/n) would ever let that happen), not that he showed any particular care "Oh." He did care though, he cared a lot.

"All right, let's just stay focused. Schwoz, the time machine, can you send us back, like I don't know, half an hour before the time you just pulled us back from?" (y/n) calmed them down before looking at the genius, who was the one controlling the machine. It would be a little tricky and fiddly, with a lot of precision, but he had the skills, especially when they needed him most. "I can try."

"Well, try, okay? Try, try!" Henry insisted, seeing where the woman was going with this. He had to give it a go, he couldn't fail them in their hour of need, he was supposed to be intelligent with his stupid gold chains and grubby white t-shirt. They had to get back there and prevent Drex from ruining their lives and the world, so Schwoz needed to get his ass moving. "Okay...pushy. You want to go right now?"

"No, not yet," Ray told him and nodded to Charlotte to get their gumball tubes. They hadn't picked them up after chilling all afternoon before the blackout, so they needed them. This was war and they were soldiers, and soldiers were a uniform, which just so happened to be blue, red and more protective against blaster shots and punches than their civilian clothes. Reaching into a cabinet drawer, Charlotte pulled out three tubes of glowing gum and passed one each to the heroes. They each popped a gumball, which was easier said than done for Ray since he only had one arm, but they each began to chew, much to Schwoz's excitement.

"Oh, my. They're chewing, they're chewing!" He squealed, hugging Jasper's arm as the bubbles formed and burst, causing the super suits to materialise around them. They wiggled around to get used to the new fabric, (y/n) checking to see if Ray's arm was still okay, well, as okay as a broken arm can be. He smiled at her care, cupping her cheek with his good hand and pressing a kiss to her forehead, a move that made the three watching smirk and coo.

"Okay, let's blast to the past..." Henry smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at the man as he peered over his girlfriend's head, causing him to smile shyly as she pulled back to finish the quip, one that they'd preprepared for a situation where they were about to go and kick ass.

"And reck some Drex!" They exclaimed together, giggling at how they said it in sync and they conjoined their hands before turning towards the portal with Henry, who was shaking his head at how dumb they were, ignoring how cute they were at the same time. Ugh, why did he work with idiots and why did they have to be so lovey-dovey all the time?

"You sure you wanna come? He took away your super-regeneration, he can hurt you now." Ray mumbled to her, causing the woman's eyes to snap from the cascading blue energy to his worried face and she realised how underneath all that confidence, he was still hurting and not just from his arm.

"Hey...I'm not afraid of him anymore because I have you. And I don't have to worry about getting hurt because I know you'll do everything you can to keep me safe, just like you always do. I'm not staying behind." (y/n) replied, meeting his intense gaze as she silently swore to not abandon him, even if it sort of made sense to remain in the Man Cave. It was her turn to be the strong one, the brave one who protected the other and since he was one arm down, she'd be slightly more useful for once and if she got hurt, fuck it. She was only gonna love once and she was gonna make damn sure he was okay.

Ray pressed their lips together, mumbling those three little words against them as she stood up to move with him, feeling the strain of a lack of oxygen burn even more since she couldn't survive without it now. They pulled back grinning, her returning the sentiment as she caught her breath and trailed her fingers down his cheek, wondering how anyone could want to hurt such a gentle, lovable doofus like him.

"Ugh, you guys, let's go. You can be gross when we get back!" Henry groaned, wafting his hands between their faces so they'd split and they did, albeit their hands stayed connected whilst their cheeks flushed. Oops, they got carried away again and judging by the smirks of Schwoz and Charlotte's faces, it was for longer than they had originally intended. No matter, they were gonna go this time, staring down into the vortex once Henry had turned them around, their toes about to move when...

"Wait! I'm gonna record this moment! Right, jump to the past on one! And, thirty...twenty-nine...twenty-eight—" Jasper started counting down, ready to start recording after his ridiculously long wait, but the three heroes decided that they didn't have the time to wait or rather, they couldn't be bothered. Three seconds in and they took the plunge, leaping through the portal before Jasper had a chance to do anything, much to his disappointment. Oh well, they had a job to do and he couldn't fault them for that. It was too damn important.

~Glass Tech Industries...again~

"What do we do?" The old Henry yelled to the couple as Drex got densitised, the three of them not realising that shit was about to get real weird and real complicated. Again, Rain crept forward after his girlfriend screamed to turn the machine off, shielding his arms in his arm as he pulled the lever, ending the process. Then came Professor Manchester complaining about him touching his invention and Ray made things strange by calling him daddy, the same old story from before.

"Ray, (y/n), look at his hand!" Old Henry exclaimed as he saw the freaky monster paw, only this time, there was a chink in the already messed-up timeline. The group gasped and went wide-eyed as there was a flash of light and three superheroes landed back in the past, Old Ray pushing his sidekicks behind his back at the new intrusion. Seriously, what now?

They shook their heads as they got used to the change in...everything before focusing their eyes again and looking up to see themselves? Okay, this was real freaky; the old Ray, (y/n) and Henry, looked at their newer selves with horror and disbelief, baffled at how they could be here. Ray looked at Ray, Henry gulped at Henry and when (y/n) waved her hand, her twin did the same, both of them gasping at how it was real and wow, she did look good in the super suit, huh.

"Oh, wow..." Old Ray breathed out, looking from his superhero counterpart to the superheroine who was his girlfriend, but then she was also next to him, clutching his hand with slight fear and awe written across her face. This was like her science nerd dream come to life, having a her from another time, also holding her other boyfriend's hand like she was, but neither of them could quite find the words to describe it.

"This is..." "So freaky..." The two Henries muttered, finishing the sentence and summing up what everyone else was thinking, their minds running as one, 'cause technically they were one, the same kid. The same could be said for the two Rays, who took a moment to admire each other from a different perspective. They'd always seen themselves in the mirror or in pictures, but now, they could have the full, 3-D experience as if they were seeing another person.

"Good lord, I'm handsome." Ray from the present stated, unable to stop the egotistical comment slipping from his lips as he took in himself. Well, now he felt worthy of the nickname his girl gave him 'cause honestly, he wasn't a bad-looking guy, in fact, he was fucking hot and could see why his girl always whispered it in his ear when he showered or lifted weights.

"Whoa! I was just about to say that!" Old Ray exclaimed when his other self read his mind, or rather, had the same thought and beat him to it. This was also incredible to them and for the old Ray, he was beginning to get the same picture, understanding why his girlfriend was always like putty in his hand when he wore the suit, all over him when they returned from missions and finally retreated to the privacy of their bedroom. It fit nicely everywhere and he got why she always proclaimed it to be her favourite, now, it was his too. "Really?"

"Yeah, man! I'm standing here looking at you and I'm thinking dannnng!" The men finished the sentence together, smirking at how they were tooting each other's horns, much to the mild annoyance of their girlfriends. Yeah, they were handsome, they could've told them that, in fact, they did, a lot. They were fortunate enough to be dating the hottest man in the world but to go with that, they were also dating the one with the biggest head.

"Don't be a doofus, doofus!" The girls said together, smiling and then blushing at their boyfriends when they scolded them with the exact same line. The men chuckled, finding them unbelievably adorable at that moment, especially when they giggled at each other and shyly looked down at the ground. The same idea passed through their heads, resulting in the Rays pressing a kiss to the side of their heads, resulting in more blushes and a highly pissed off/confused Drex, who had no idea what was going on.

"Hey! Shut up!" He yelled, spooking poor Professor Manchester as he struggled to understand the situation too, backing off slowly since he didn't want to get beaten up, not by the freak who'd commandeered his densitiser.

Henry looked at Drex, who was scowling and snarling at the intruders and saw one alarming thing, namely that he still had the weird, alligator, monster paw, which only meant one thing. "Ray, (y/n), look at his hand..."

"We see it, it's still weird and dangerous." (y/n) gulped, eyeing the claws apprehensively as one swipe now could do some real damage to all of them and she didn't fancy bleeding out in nineteen-eighty-nine. Dang it, their calculations must've been slightly wrong, Drex had already been fried, but there was a silver lining, the machine that could solve all their problems was still here, so it wasn't over yet.

"Schwoz dropped us here too late, Drex is already densitised," Ray exclaimed, knowing that things were still gonna be really fucking difficult considering that he still was indestructible and he was still...destructible. But they had to look at the positives, which were mainly that they could fix his broken arm and everything else quite easily. "Yeah, but he hasn't destroyed the densitiser yet.

"What are you talking about?!" Drex questioned, so confused that they were talking about him and his actions that he had done but at the same time hadn't. This time-travelling shit was so complicated and confused everyone who listened to it, especially Professor Manchester, who was more into chemistry and molecular structure than complex general relative physics and had no clue who they were or why they were in his lab. "I would also like to know what you are talking about."

"Hi, past me, (y/n), whatever. You, Henry and your doofus, get Professor Manchester and all those people out of this building." (y/n) told her old self the plan since she knew that the battle would get hairy and there were too many civilians in the building who needed protecting from Drex's fury, something her rational mind understood. They'd come here for a reason, so she was willing to listen, unlike her boyfriend whose heart strangely leapt at the thought of her staying with his enemy, even though she was from a different time stream and had her version of Ray to keep her safe. Some things can't be changed, not even when you mess around with time. "But we gotta stay here and fight Drex!"

"No, we'll handle that." Ray calmed his twin, snaking his injured arm around his girlfriend's waist and giving him a subtle nod as if to say that like him, he wanted her safe, so that's what she'd be under his protection, utterly unharmed. He didn't have to worry, they weren't gonna be alone because he knew what was coming and how to stop it, unlike his old self who was still floundering from being thrown in the deep end.

"Trust us, we know what we're doing, we're twenty minutes older," Henry added, trying to emphasise that they'd already lived this and had come back, fully geared up, to rewrite it all, armed with the knowledge that Drex's rampage hadn't finished and they needed to prevent him from ruining the future. Sure, they had a lot of work to do, but it would be worth it in the end, they just needed to get everyone not involved out safely, something that they finally understood as they started ushering the professor out of the door. "Okay..."

"Hey, dude..." Old Ray looked at his newer self as they back away, his girlfriend trying to tug him to the exit with all of her strength, but he wouldn't budge, not until he said the thing he'd been thinking for the past few minutes. It wasn't particularly important, not to anyone else, but it had to be said because dannnnng. "Your girlfriend is real hot."

"I know. So's yours." Ray smirked at himself, nodding towards the embarrassed yet flattered girl pulling him away and then looking down at his version.

"What's wrong with your arm, Ray?" The villain sneered, automatically noticing how his archenemy was keeping it close to his chest and unmoving, telltale signs that it was injured, although he didn't know exactly why. If these three really were from the future, he guessed that he'd done it somehow and the same proud, evil smirk crossed his face when he saw that Captain Man was gonna be punching with just one fist.

"What's wrong with your face?" Ray retorted, causing Drex to falter at the burn and Henry and (y/n) to laugh at how subtly funny it was, not too over the top and not too cringey, but just enough to insult the man and what would be a handsome face if he didn't scowl so much and do evil things. "Dude! Nice!"

"Thanks, just came to me," Ray replied cooly, glad that he'd made his sweet girl giggle because of how much it pissed his former sidekick off, his lips twitching upwards when he saw the jealousy burning in his eyes. Yeah, he made her laugh like he never did, he loved her like he never could and that stung deep. Perfect.

"Keep laughing 'cause guess what? I stopped little you from being densitised, which means I'm the only one in the room who's indestructible!" Drex bragged, fully aware that he could fight all day and not get tired or, at the very least, injured, unlike silly Ray who was already struggling, nursing his throbbing arm, which probably should've been reset before they came back. But there was one thing that Drex wasn't counting on, and that was Little Ray Manchester, who was once again waking up from being knocked out cold. "What-what happened?"

"It's little you..." (y/n) breathed out, looking at Ray with a surprised expression. Right, they hadn't moved him away yet and if he was here, then all they had to do was fry him and set things straight, an idea that was whirring in both of their minds. "Yeah..."

"Look out! It's Doctor Night-Night!" Little Ray cried, pointing at Drex and screeching the humiliating name that the villain was now regretting, especially since it made his cupcake snort and laugh at him, along with her dumb friends. He should've picked something cooler, something more menacing, 'cause now he was the one looking stupid.

"Doctor Night-Night? No, no, no, Captain Man, yeah, I never went to medical school—" Oh, Ray, did he ever learn? He couldn't tell that his younger self was pointing at Drex and not him, causing him to turn his back on the villain, a foolish mistake that meant he didn't see him sneaking closer and pulling back his arm. Before Henry or (y/n) could warm him, a freakish, calloused hand came over his eyes, Drex ensuring that he dug his claws into his cheek as he brought his steel-like fist into his lower back, aiming for his kidney so it hurt like bitch.

Ray roared in pain from the blow, trying to do something, anything, but he was shoved into the room and into the same trolley that Henry had collided with previously, falling to the floor harshly as glass shattered around him.

"Captain Man, no!" (y/n) gasped, her and Henry running to his side as he writhed in agony. It wasn't as bad as what Henry had experienced, thanks to the integrity of his padded suit, but still, there was definitely some internal bruising and maybe some scratches from where the glass slashed at his skin, causing them and the little boy in the room to go pale at the violence.

"Just get little me into that densitiser and pull the big lever. Don't worry about me, sweet girl." Ray panted after growling through the pain, his blown-out pupils boring into hers as she knelt next to him and patted his ribs and arms for injuries, only for him to hold her wrists together. He'd be fine, he could cope, as long as he got back his indestructibility and her super-regeneration, that would fix the future and for that to happen, they had to leave him to get beaten up and force a child into a horrific experiment. Oh well, for the greater good and all that.

"I think Kid Danger and my cupcake should worry about ya..." Drex threatened, creeping towards the hero as (y/n) tried to get him back on his feet, knowing that he wasn't gonna argue with her on this one, she had to let him get hurt to save him. Ironic and heartbreaking, but it's what needed to be done, as soon as he gathered his strength.

"Hang on, where'd my fist go?" Ray questioned, looking confused as he pushed his girl away from him and towards Henry. He knew he'd have to play smart if he was going to have any chance of distracting Drex and for them to densitise him, they'd need to be out of the way, so that's what he was doing. The criminal walked over, predictably perplexed since the man's hand was still on the floor, clear as day in his eyes since he was looming over him and Ray had him just where he wanted him. "Right there!"

"Oh, right!" Ray growled and smashed Drex in the nose with his strongest punch, thankful that his dominant arm wasn't the one that had been broken. His open stumbled backwards for a few seconds, dazed as the pain faded, which gave Henry and (y/n) the opportunity to slip over to Little Ray and take him by the shoulders. Okay, Ray was already exhausted and it was almost unbearable for the young woman to watch as Drex lunged forward, slinging her boyfriend over his shoulder and carrying him to the next room where their fight continued.

"Okay, come on, we gotta get you in that machine and bombard you with proton beams." (y/n) told Little Ray, expecting the whole thing to go smoothly, but the kid wasn't as dumb and gullible as he looked, him going pale at the thought of becoming a lab rat for two strangers. He turned and to run for it, heading for the room where Drex was no doubt pummelling Ray and the sidekicks barely managed to keep ahold of his sweater vest as he booked it. "Daddy! Daddy!"

"No, no, no, no, come back! No, no, seriously we need to do this, it's very important, come on!" Henry panted as they each took an arm and lugged him, literally kicking and screaming, back over to the densitiser. He didn't know it, but he was gonna be the most important person in Swellview when he was older and it was all riding on him going in the damn machine, so like it or not, they were gonna get him in it, no matter how much he screamed for his father.

"Hurry! Get little me into the densitiser!—" Big Ray exclaimed as he crawled into the room on his tummy, no doubting trying to wriggle away from Drex and his harsh kicks and punches and they understood his urgency, moving even faster when he was dragged back inside. He wasn't dead yet and Drex wasn't finishing until he looked so beaten that even his "sweet girl" didn't recognise him, after all, it was his looks that had taken her away, nothing else, right?

"Okay, kid, come on! We need to do this!" Henry grunted, him and (y/n) doubling their efforts when they began to the tortured screams again, this time picking Ray up and lugging him in short bursts. He was shouting and protesting again, but they blocked it out, trying to get his feet to move against the floor as they inched closer to the densitiser. "Let go! You're gonna wrinkle my sweater vest!" He had really weird priorities.

"We're trying to make you a superhero! And not to sound weird but I really want you to be my boyfriend in the future, so get—in!" (y/n) grunted as they gave him one last push, causing the boy to trip a little and stumble in between the columns, perfectly in line for Henry to yank the lever.

Little Ray didn't know what hit him. The minute the power turned on, he convulsed and yelped at the power flooding through his veins, the woman backing up quickly so she didn't get a double dose, but not before a small zap tickled her arm and caused a jolt to pass through her body.

She paid no mind to it, too focused on the kid as he shook and her boyfriend as he rolled back into the room, no doubt being tossed by Drex. He got back to his feet groaning, not ignorant to the asshole's taunts, so he stumbled over to them and grabbed one of the baseball bats that had been used to test the unbreakable glass. Well, a weapon was a smart idea.

"Okay, that's enough! Kill the power!" (y/n) told Henry as Ray charged at Drex with the bat held high and the boy did as he was told, cranking it back so the proton beams stopped flowing and little Ray was left floppy and dizzy. Shit, did it work? They really hoped so, still hearing Ray screaming and Drex's malicious laughter and they caught the boy as he hobbled forward.

"Are—are you okay?" Henry asked him, praying that their efforts hadn't been in vain and judging by the enormous grin that spread across his face, it appeared like little Ray was injured and not smouldering at the very least. Well, that was a good start, but not quite what they were looking for, they had to test him properly. "Yeah! I feel great!"

Aware that words meant nothing unless proven, Henry looked to his right and saw a sliver, metal baton thing attached to the densitiser's scanner and picked it up calmly. The boy assumed that he was just going to scan him because that's what his daddy did after testing his invention, but (y/n) knew better and squeezed her eyes shut as Henry whacked on the kid's head, breaking the device but not his skull. Huh...

"Ow! Hey, that only hurt for a second!" Little Ray grinned, pulling his hand back from his hair and miraculously finding no blood, causing Henry to gasp out a small, victorious laugh that it had worked, holy shit, it had worked! He snapped his head to (y/n), wanting to share the glorious moment with her, but his smile fell when he saw her holding her temples and wincing as if her head was thumping in pain.

"(y/n/n), are you o—" He reached out to touch her shoulder, worried that the densitiser had hurt her in some way, however, the moment his fingertips brushed her arm, her eyes snapped open, shining a vibrant, golden hue that enveloped all of her iris'. He recoiled in shock as she panted and blinked a few times, each fluttering of her eyelids diminishing the glow bit by bit until her normal colour returned, along with the colour in her cheeks and the same strong demeanour that came with her superpower. Hell yes. "Oh my god..."

"Kid, I'm going need you to hit me too..." She told him firmly, her gaze stern and determined as she breathed steadily and she exuded so much authority that he couldn't but nod slowly, lifting the metal pipe above his head once more. Her muscles visibly tensed as he brought it back down again, cracking her skull much like he'd done to little Ray and she staggered back at the force, her hand flying to the damaged area.

It was sticky and messy, much like she had expected after such a hard hit, but less than a second later, the warm blood that had pooled in the area evaporated and the indent she could feel vanished, the wound stitching itself back together like she knew it would.

"I'm back in business, baby!" She exclaimed gleefully, brandishing her hands like she'd pulled off a magic trick, Henry pulling her into a tight hug as the indestructible boy next to them stared in baffled amazement. He had no idea how she just did that, but it must've been good considering how happy they were, the older boy laughing too as they embraced, them feeling overjoyed at how it had worked for her, it had worked for him, but they were yet to see all the fruits of their labour.

Ray tumbled back into the room, looking terrible as Drex stood and smirked in the doorway. The sidekicks protectively stood in front of little Ray, (y/n) feeling extra pumped now that she had healing fire coursing through her veins and she looked at her boyfriend with a worried yet steadily beating heart. He just needed to readjust, soon they hoped because he was damn near spent with Drex moving ever closer.

Ray tried to bring the baseball bat down on his head, much like Henry had done to (y/n) and his younger self only moments before, but he was too slow and too weak, therefore Drex easily caught his arm and twisted it behind his back, no doubt cracking or even breaking more bones as he then shoved him into the wall. She didn't know what to do, neither did Henry; should they stick to the plan and stay put or rush in and help now that she was back to normal?

They didn't have to do anything. The moment his back collided with the plaster, Ray felt a strange wave of calm wash of his body before muscles began to contract and relax wildly, causing him to shudder and jerk violently as the timeline shifted and his cells magically received their density once more. His eyes glowed blue and his body illuminated in waves of energy as his broken bones healed, his bruises disappeared and every cut sealed back up, never to be broken again. With one final groan, the convulsions stopped and he flexed his arm muscles, feeling stronger, energetic and ready to fucking go again. Captain Man was back in business too, baby.

"Captain Man, how do you feel?" Henry asked his friend excitedly, dropping the scanner, as Ray clenched and unclenched the fingers of his previously broken arm. The kid recognised the same look of determination that had taken hold of (y/n) and knew the answer without him replying verbally, but he just wanted to hear it. He needed it to calm his pounding heart rate.

"In two letters...O!... And K!" He replied in that baritone voice his girl loved so much, the one that oozed power and made her go weak at the knees. So did his actions; on each syllable of his catchphrase that left his lips, he punched Drex as he came again with another attack, this time not expecting Captain Man to punch back with his legendary force, one hit going into his gut and the other being a whack across the face that made him collapse on the floor.

Overcome by happiness, (y/n) ran at her boyfriend and connected their lips in a flying kiss, smiling into it as both of his arms wrapped around her waist with their usual strength. She let out a relieved, overjoyed, on-the-verge-of-tears laugh when they gently broke apart, her hands stroking over his forehead, cheekbones and jaw as he grinned and let her kiss him again, fully enamoured as they always were.

The only thing that interrupted their endlessly sweet moment was when Drex growled at the sight of them, his pain-filled haze gone and the first thing he was his enemy holding his girl closely, her standing on tiptoe so she could reach his soft lips and cherish having him back in one piece. Upon hearing him clamber for traction, (y/n) turned around, making a point of keeping Ray's hands on her hips and leaning back into his warmth. "Sorry, cupcake, looks like Captain Man's indestructible again."

"Everywhere," Ray added, coming forward to hug her from behind as her ears warmed slightly and he chuckled into her hair, especially at how it infuriated the man, even more, when he understood the undertones. That made him see red, knowing that his plan had been foiled and he was no doubt going to go home and drown in her soft sounds and velvet touch, something he'd had once upon a time and lost to the same man. He was still equal in ability, the student having become a master and he flaunted his clawed hand as he bared his teeth. "So am I!"

"(y/n), I need you to take little me and put him in the safe space!" Ray told her quickly, seeing that Drex was tensing and ready to charge, but his younger, weaker self was still in the room. He was indestructible, yeah, but he still didn't need to see such violence and she nodded quickly at what he was asking her to do, gesturing her head to the kid so he'd look at the door.

"Come on, kid, you need to get out of here!" She instructed him, hurrying out of the room and using her head to keep his head bowed low as they scurried into the adjacent room and towards the hidey-hole where he'd been deposited last time. That left Henry and Ray tensed to start fighting, their heels braced against the tiles as their muscles twitched to run, only they didn't run.

They were frozen in place as a plastic beaker was thrown at Drex's head, the flimsy object pinging off his head weakly since it had been thrown by little to no force. What the hell?

"Meanie!" Drex whipped around at the sound of a pathetic but nonetheless spirited insult, him, Ray and Henry staring wide-eyed at a little girl who stood adjacent to the densitiser with several conical flasks, test tubes and beakers lined up next to her as if the first thing she'd thrown wasn't going to be the last.

The boys looked at her grumpy face like they'd seen a ghost, instantly recognising her (y/c/h), braided hair and lively eyes that seemed to burn into everything they looked at. She was just a toddler, the same one that had spoken to little Ray in the old timeline, the one that had gotten screwed up and written over, but she still wore the same hideously eighties pinafore dress and carried her cat plushie under her arm, glaring at Drex, who was apparently the meanie.

"Oh my god..." Ray breathed out, knowing her face from embarrassing family photos he'd been shown and much like his girl had been with him, he couldn't believe what he was looking at.

How could she be here?

It was nineteen-eighty-nine, she was barely three years old and should've been safely tucked up in her hometown, but she wasn't. She was here, throwing lab equipment at his archenemy because he was shouting and snarling. He was speechless, genuinely couldn't say a word even if he tried, and his breathing was shaky as Henry laid a quivering hand on his shoulder, equally stunned.

"Is that...?" He asked quietly, not able to take his eyes off the girl as she sniffed and wrinkled her nose in anger, much like she did as an adult, although she had long since dropped the habit of continuously licking her lips. She was tiny with chubby arms, wobbly legs and a damn big personality that would shrink over the years before finally being coaxed back out with gentle encouragement and he felt a sudden protective urge take hold of her, the same with Ray.

Both of them felt like in this state, it was only right to smother her with a safety blanket because they noticed the way Drex saw the same thing, his lips twisting into a sinister smirk when he recognised the opportunity that had been put in front of him.

"Hey, little (y/n/n), are you here to see me?" He asked creepily, gesturing to himself with a supposedly friendly smile to try and make her trust him. But she had those good instincts and clutched her cat tightly as his face frightened her, causing her to squeal and run to Ray's legs. His grip narrowly missed her arm as she bolted past him, whining for the big, friendly superhero to protect her and he instinctively did, bending down to pick her up in strong arms that wrapped around her body and cradled her like they always did.

"It's okay, sweet girl, I've got you. The bad man won't hurt you." He whispered to her, feeling her wet eyelashes brush against his exposed neck, causing him and Henry to glare daggers at Drex, whose jaw was clenched so tight, he was in danger of grinding down his teeth. Fuck, even as a kid, she still ran to him, still ignored him and found comfort in his arms. It made him furious.

"Give me the kid and no one gets hurt." He growled lowly, forming a despicable plan in his head. If he could take her now, then she'd grow with him as her idol, something only his sick, twisted mind could come up with and the mere thought made Henry put one foot forward, the sound of his boot hitting the tiles reverberating around the room.

"We'd never give her to you. We don't even know why she's here but it's not for you, Drex!" The boy replied curtly in an icy tone, placing a protective hand on the child's back as Ray rocked her back and forth, cooing that she was safe and so brave for someone so precious and small.

He didn't know that a person could feel so much love for another person, even though by the time he'd come to know her, she'd be completely different, fully grown and beautiful, inside and out. Just the thought of her being with him at any age scared him to death, but right now, she was so helpless with nothing but a stuffed cat covered in dirt, food and god knows what else as protection, he couldn't bear letting her go.

"Daddy bwought us here. He said he nweeded to see a dennytider." She mumbled against his skin, resting a hand on his cheek, her fingers barely covering half of it even as they spread out from the tickle of his slight stubble. Her eyes were still the same, a bit fearful but familiar and he wondered if the day's events were fated.

He knew vaguely that her dad had scouted out tech for his company or something along those lines when she was growing up, but he had never imagined that he'd take her with him to see his father's invention on Take Your Kid To Work Day. They were in the same building as children, completely ignorant to each other's presence but together all the same and it felt like the universe kept trying to throw them together until one day they stuck and never let go again. How many other times had they just so happened to be so close and yet so far?

"I bet you like science stuff, huh?" Ray asked her, feeling how she wriggled excitedly in his arms and ran her hands down his dumb-looking face and he felt the contrast of how her pudgy fingers were different to how touched him thirty years later. She was his girl, but not yet; she had to experience a lot more and have her heart broken a few times before he got to say that, but it gave him an insight into a few things, namely whether his daughter would be similar or not.

"Mommy says that one day, I'll be a smart scientist and I'll be able to swolve everyone's problems because that's what swience is meant to do." She replied, licking her lips at the end of the sentence like she always did. He softened at the habit and at her response, knowing that she'd never be able to cure every illness, prevent every disaster, but she'd do her best to help anyone who needed it, including him when he was being too proud or too dumb to see reason.

She was smart, she was a scientist, even if sometimes she didn't feel like one, and he grinned at Henry, who felt prouder for what she was going to achieve.

"And you'll be awesome, sweetheart. I know you will." He muttered, kissing her forehead and drawing another growl from Drex's mouth, making him realise that the longer she stuck around, the more endangered she was becoming. The next room was safe, she could hide there until her parents came looking for her and in the meantime, perhaps she could see his younger self and start the clock for when they'd meet for real.

"Run along, we need to stop the bad man."

"There's a boy in that room there. He'll show you where to hide." Henry told her, carefully guiding her to the door behind them once she was back on her unsteady feet. Drex stepped forward to try and chase after her, causing Ray to move too, Henry jumping back to his side as the girl took off running, bolting into the next room and dragging her cat behind her.

She passed a pair of metal-lined boots on her way in, causing (y/n) to stumble back as a patchwork dress blur knocked into her knees before disappearing as quickly as she appeared. The woman panted against the doorframe as she stared at her boyfriend, friend and their raging nemesis, wondering why they hadn't started fighting whilst she got little Ray to stay hidden.

"What the hell was that?"

"Doesn't matter, sweet girl. Just know that I love you so much." Ray grinned at her like he was drunk, making her frown in confusion as she stepped into the room and quickly joined his side, fists clenched as Drex felt his self-control disintegrate; couldn't she see that he did it all for her? She had no clue why he was being so mushy all of a sudden, but she wasn't complaining, not one bit when he said it so earnestly. "Okay...I love you too."

"I'm gonna make you wish you never left me!" Drex yelled as his fish clenched and his monster hand stretched, claws ready to swipe as they prepared themselves for the actual fighting bit, letting out long, roaring battle cries as they clashed in the middle. Their fists didn't even get a chance to touch as light burst around them and they felt the familiar pull of the time vortex wrap around them, contorting their bodies as they came back from the past and moved through the "hallway".

"Here they come!" Schwoz shouted as he stabilised the controls, having decided to remove them from the last, Drex and all as the time machine became more and more unstable with each moment it was in use. It had been on for too long and was overheating from all the electricity pumping into it, so really they'd had no choice, squinting as three figures appeared on the floor and the fourth stayed floating in the portal, just like he'd planned. Jasper and Charlotte rushed forward to greet them as they realised that they'd been saved just in the nick of time, with no need for any violence from anyone.

"Schwoz, you got them back!" Charlotte exclaimed to the genius and Jasper hugged the couple, relieved to see them back and still together. The future was saved and they were a whole team once again.

"Yeah, and look it!" He smiled and pointed to the portal, making them jump and scream when they saw Drex floating in the middle, clawing from grip as he bobbed up and down, but he couldn't move, he could do anything apart from groan in anger at the nothingness that surrounded him.

"What's going on?" Ray asked, wondering whether the fight was truly over or not. Maybe they'd just brought him back to their time and still had to defeat and trap him again, something he wasn't opposed to, but it seemed like another stumbling block after an already exhausting mission. "I have him trapped in a time warp!"

"Time warp?" "What does that mean?" Henry and Charlotte asked, all of them apart from (y/n) and Schwoz looking incredibly confused at the term and the genius rolled his eyes, He worked with amateurs and he couldn't believe that they sometimes had the audacity to pick on him and call him weird when they didn't know basic time travel stuff. Who was the stupid one now?

"It basically means he's in limbo. It's like he's floating in time, trapped somewhere between the past, the present and the future." (y/n) explained briefly, making them all look at the villain again, thinking that he was good there. But it made the woman wonder; he couldn't stay there forever, the moment the time machine was switched off, he'd come tumbling through, hellbent on revenge and whatnot, so the problem wasn't solved, not really, so it was time to get brainy. She was a scientist, she could figure something out. "Schwoz, out of my way, I've got an idea."

(y/n) gulped as her eyes raked over all of the buttons, knobs and levers that made up the time machine's controls, trying to decipher all of their meanings in just a matter of seconds. She took in a deep breath, momentarily looking back to see her friends and her doofus staring at her with perplexed faces, although Ray's eyes were nothing but trusting and with a slight confirmation nod from him, she got to work.

"Okay, okay, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this... Time destination, today's date minus, I don't know...one hundred million years." She breathed out, looking at her ex-boyfriend with an emotionless face. It seemed cruel on face value, but at the same time, that was him all over and perhaps, one hundred million years would be enough for him to think about what he'd done, almost like a prehistoric naughty step. Punching in the coordinates, she spun around to grasp the power lever, the one that would activate the time stream, but she wasn't gonna do the honours alone.

Sensing what she was doing, Ray's gloved hand came down over hers, engulfing it completely as they held onto the lever and glanced at Schwoz for confirmation. He nodded slightly, sure that she'd done everything right and it was only a matter of sending him off, which they were more than happy to do. "Together?"

"Always." He smiled at his girl, the arms yanking the lever down as she chuckled and relaxed the energy beams. Drex moaned at the sudden influx of pressure, feeling like he was being shredded apart as he travelled back to the time of the dinosaurs, which was definitely more painful than a quick hop to the eighties. Oh well, he was indestructible, he could deal with it.

"Yeah!" "We did it! The Man Cave team cried as they realised what they'd done; successfully send Drex so far away that he'd never be a problem for them again, fingers crossed. They exchanged high-fives, a few big hugs and lots of smiles as they celebrated for a brief second and allowed the relief to finally settle over them, Ray moving in to give his sweet girl a victory kiss, but their cheers came too soon. It turned out that, unlike Drex, the time portal wasn't so sturdy and the amount of energy it took to send him back started to make its already frayed and frazzled wires spark and its frame jerk. Shit, the danger wasn't over yet, the vortex became a worrying shade of violet as it started to crumble, causing the group to panic, Schwoz in particular. "Oh, dear..."

"What's going on with the time machine?" Henry yelled over the thunderous sound of the portal folding in on itself and the creaking of the metal, his eyes glued on the genius as he hurried to try and sort it out of turn it off or something, anything to stop it from inevitably exploding.

"It's overloading! Ahhh, it's going to explode it's going to kill us! It will kill us all!" Schwoz panicked as his warning systems all flashed red, predicting a meltdown that he couldn't stop. Nothing was responding, the heat having deadened the controls and ruined all of his solderings, leaving him to clutch his bald head as he anticipated the end and ignited terror in his most vulnerable and squishy friends.

"No, not me and (y/n), just you guys!" Ray told them with a shrug, knowing that no blast could hurt him or his sweet girl, their bodies were adapted to either repel the shockwave completely or heal as quickly as it was ripped apart. He didn't mean it to sound so insensitive, but it kinda did and made the boys fall into an argument as they debated what to do for survival, and (y/n) knew that they didn't have time for such things.

"Shit, get behind us! Get behind us!" She yelled to Schwoz, Henry and Jasper, tugging her boyfriend forward so they could form a human shield, their bodies covering their heads and torsos as much as possible so they'd take the force and not their friends, not the kids and little guy they were so fond of. If they died, got blown to bits of all things, they never forgive themselves, so they all braced for th explosion, Ray hugging them as tightly as he could whilst (y/n) tucked Jasper's head into her neck, a place where it would be sort of safe. Here it came, the shaking was getting worse, dear god, don't make them suffer and...silence.

The boys and woman turned around to stare at the machine in shock, looking at it with dropped jaws when it stops shaking completely, fell lifeless and safe, no energy, no time crap, nothing. They were fine, they weren't atoms in the air or ash on the ground or jelly on the walls, they were good. And Charlotte, dear, sweet, incredibly clever Charlotte stood in front of the damn thing with the power cord in her hand. Oh.

"I unplugged it... You're welcome." She told the sassily, twirling the orange cable around in her fingers as they took it all in. Right, well, that was a lot simpler than they thought had been and after a moment of being frozen, the cheers returned, laughter filling the room once again as they encased her in a group hug. She wasn't a particularly touchy person and felt like they were overreacting, especially when Henry and Jasper began to pick her up with the force of their hug, but she let them have their moment because it was hers as well.

"Nice work, Char. You did us proud." (y/n) told her with a huge grin as she slumped on the computer chair, feeling her legs give up as she did, but her smile was still bright and her cheeks were still rosy. She laughed at the teens and Schwoz, who were still one, big tangle of arms and legs as they refused to let her go and her eyes snapped to Ray, looking at him just like she had done as a child, with the same amount of awe, but with so much more love. It made him freeze.

She looked so beautiful, hair messy, chest heaving, no doubt exhausted from the emotional day, but still he lost himself in the sight of her, hearing nothing but the sound of himself swallowing the dryness of his mouth away, not the chatter of his friends as they told Charlotte how amazing she was. His friends were here, the family that really mattered to him, not his father, he was important but not like they were and today had taught him where his priorities were.

They were here, with a little weirdo scurrying about the place with a spanner in hand and three teenagers causing him more problems than he knew how to solve, but he wouldn't give it up for the world. This was home and at the centre, she was there, still smiling as she turned around in the chair, oblivious to how he was barely breathing since she wanted to check if there had been any emergency messages. Always helping, that was his sweet girl, which made him reflect on their earlier meeting.

He'd gotten the chance to see her as a little girl, she'd been there when he'd become densitised, even if they probably never spoke or knew about each other's presence. From the very start, she'd been there, crashing in and picking him up when he needed it, putting him before her feelings because she'd rather him be happy than have her heart's desire, not knowing that they'd been star-crossed for all those years, just waiting to fall together and see that they were right there if only they'd open their eyes. He had her home, safe and sound, his family was still here and he didn't need anything else to confirm it.

"Guys..." He told Schwoz, Charlotte, Jasper and Henry firmly in a soft but stern voice, making their excited voices go quiet and their bodies fall apart. They saw his tense shoulders and shaking fingers, thinking about what the hell could be wrong now, but nothing was wrong, rather everything was right, something he proved to them as he dug into the pocket of his super suit and pulled out a velvet box. It had been living there and in his normal jeans since the day he'd decided to go for it, not that he'd ever found the right time, not even close.

The sight of it shut them up as silent, shocked grins grew on their faces as they realised what he was about to do, at last, the thing they'd all been waiting for and the woman of the hour was completely clueless, humming under her breath as she scrolled through the database.

It didn't matter to Ray though because whilst he was terrified, absolutely fucking petrified, he was also certain and alive with adrenaline because the moment had come finally. It had taken a while, but the time was right, he just knew it. He knew that he'd found his moment.

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