#simple ricks factory

[richard-d-sanchez-iii]

Don't suppose you have holographic Simple Ricks, do you? Or am I asking for too much from a Rick?

- @clone-ur-rick

No, I haven't taken the time to make holographic simple Rick's.

It's a waste of time. What's a hologram like you doing asking questions anyway? You're not supposed to have free will like that.

[richard-d-sanchez-iii]

Are you kidding me.. my competition.. is that? A small wafer made of literal toxins. I bet it tastes like shit, literally..

Also.. DONT CALL ME THAT.

AND IDIOTS SAY I'M THE GROSS ONE

THE FUCK EVEN ARE YOU???

- @t0x1cr1ck

OOOOOH!!! y-you remind me-ME of green s-sour candies.. CANDIES!! m-m..

I WANT.

[rustychainsnorter]

I'm sure analysis on this subject has been done, but I wanted to express my own thoughts and opinions.

Simple Rick and our Rick C-137's connection.

Have you noticed that Rick absolutely loves wafer cookies? He's always eating them?

Well, remember the episode where we learn about life on the Citadel? Season 3, episode 7. Remember the factory where they make the wafer cookies by using chemicals from simple Rick's brain? And, of course, remember how much Rick C-137 loves wafer cookies?

I think there's a sad connection there.

I believe that C-137 would have been just like simple Rick had his Beth and Diane not been murdered.

If you think about it, Rick was fully willing to give up on science after his encounter with Rick Prime. He took his lab coat off and decided that family was more important than science or being smart. However, Rick Prime ruined all of that and sent Rick on his screwed up path for revenge.

Simple Rick, on the other hand, did get to have a life with his Beth. He quit science, took up woodworking and lived a quiet, simple life, devoting everything to his family. No science, no drug or alcohol abuse, no anger or hate. He just had a simple, happy life.

And the Citadel used simple Rick to make wafer cookies. And Rick C-137 loves those wafer cookies.

I think that C-137 Rick loves those wafer cookies because it gives him a slight sensation of what it would have felt like to have actually had the life he always wanted.

It's just a small, simple connection, but I think it holds a lot of meaning. Analysis about this has probably already been done, but I just wanted to share my own thoughts. Thank you for stopping by!

[simply-mortessa]

An ask from Mimi!

"I don't know what words you're saying at the last ask but I think you know what you're doing, you're very smart, Tessa! When I grow up, I want to be like you, and I would be the kindest thing that's ever happened to people, like you are! :33 Though I'm kinda hungry... Do you think we can have some milkshakes on the way home? :00"

"Ooh is that another ask you got, Tessa? Were you talking about Dad — I mean Simple Rick? That reminds me, maybe we should buy a milkshake for Simple Rick too! He'd like that a lot. :DD"

"Aw thanks, Mimi! I think you're smart too! You know how to play a lot of games and you're really creative! I know you'll be the kindest when you're older, and of course, we can get milkshakes!"

"Mhm! An anon was asking me if Dad was still uh 'working' at that wafer factory. I'll text him and ask what he wants, then we can grab milkshakes after I finish up my work."

[richard-d-sanchez-iii]

I'm sorry, but I literally run a wafer business known by almost every Rick! How the FUCK have you not heard of me at least once?

Try seeing if you can date Richard D. Sanchez III

“I might have a better chance if I knew who the hell that was… Eh whatever, feel free to give them my number.”

[trashpandafiction]

We Survive (9)

Summary: What happens when the Behavioral Analysis Unit comes across a situation they weren’t trained for? When the dead begin to roam the Earth, it challenges the BAU to something they’ve never dealt with before: the apocalypse. Along their journey for survival, they come across Rick Grimes and his group of survivors. Among the survivors is Jocelynn Russo, who thinks that the new group could be helpful to them. Things seem to go well until an unexpected enemy appears. Will Negan and the Saviors be the one thing to break the groups, or will they be able to defend themselves? All anyone knows is they have one common goal; to survive. Pairings: Rick Grimes/OFC Word Count: 3,288 Warnings: Mentions of blood and violence I guess? I never know how to warn things. A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this story! Sorry I've been slacking on updates. :) If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

Nine - The Run

          In the days after the group dinner, the BAU team truly began to feel like part of Alexandria. After a week, they were even helping on runs which made them feel like Rick was finally trusting them. Jocelynn felt even better about that because it meant that she had made a good decision to bring them in and that she could be seen as more of a co-leader than she had before. The group dinners even continued with alternating cooks depending on the night.

          Two weeks after the group dinner, Jocelynn sat in the living room of city hall with Rick, Eugene, Abraham, Hotch, Daryl, and Michonne to talk about what Eugene and Abraham had found on a recent run.

          “So, you’re saying you found a factory?” Rick asked, arms crossed over his chest.

          Eugene nodded. “Yes, a factory that would make our less than stellar ammo situation into an over-abundance of such. Problem is that factory owns the machinery needed to make more ammo, and it would be more than impossible to bring the machinery back to base camp.” 

          “Then there’s no point in going to the factory if we’ll just need the machines to make the bullets.” Daryl said.

          Rick ran a hand over the bottom half of his face, listening to both men. “The machines aren’t going anywhere. If we can get it running, we could just go to the factory and make the bullets there, then transport the ammunition we make back here, right?”

          “If it’s safe enough, we could make an outpost there to try and cut down on the back and forth.” Michonne added.

          “Another small pothole in the road to success is that I did not have the time to assess Ol’ Bessie to see if she was indeed in working order. I would need to go to the factory again and see what we’re dealing with.” Eugene spoke.

          “I told him it was a pointless trip, if the thing ain’t runnin’ then we wasted more man hours and resources.” Abraham added.

          “But if it is running, that would be a gold mine.” Jocelynn said. “We’d never have to worry about ammo again if it works.”

          “If the thing’s runnin’ are you even sure you could use it?” Daryl asked.

          “It seemed to be a simple enough set-up that one could most likely decode with some observation and perhaps trial and error.” Eugene answered.

          “We don’t have time for trial and error, doc.” Abraham scoffed.

          “How far is it?” Rick asked.

          “Ten to fifteen minutes tops. I believe, were I presented with a map, I could point out where said gold mine is.” Eugene replied.

          “It can’t hurt to check it out. How many people do you think you’d need with you?” Rick asked.

          “I would most enjoy having at least two people, one to keep watch, and one to help with any heavy lifting that may be involved.” Eugene shrugged.

          “With all due respect, I’m not interested in going on some fool’s errand.” Abraham said.

          “I’ll go with him.” Jocelynn said.

          Rick looked over at her, his instinct wanting to tell her no, but he knew that she could hold her own. “Who else would you take with you then?”

          “I’ll go with.” Hotch said, speaking up for the first time. “I could bring Reid too. He’s quick on his feet and has probably read a book or two about old machines.”

          “Daryl, you go too. Can’t hurt to have an extra pair of hands if this thing works.” Rick added. Having Daryl along would help him feel a little more at ease about letting Jocelynn go.

          “Fine.” Daryl agreed.

          “You can all go tomorrow morning then. Eugene, you can show Spencer the map and where this place is. Hotch, you, and Daryl can get any weapons you’ll need and then you’ll all be set.” Rick said.

          The men all agreed before heading out of the house to get their work done, leaving Jocelynn and Rick alone.

          “How come you didn’t offer to go with?” she asked him, standing up from the couch.

          He looked at her and shrugged, “I trust that you’ll all be safe.”

          “Uh-huh. Is that because you sent Daryl?” she asked him.

          “You don’t trust me at all, do you?” he asked with a quirked brow.

          “You’re gonna feel pretty ridiculous when we get back tomorrow and I’m completely unharmed.” she teased. She knew why he got so protective of her; it was the same reason she got worried about him when he was out. But it still got on her nerves at times.

          “Well, when that happens, you can tell me you told me so all you want, deal?” he smiled.

          “I’m holding you to it.” She smiled back.

          “Go get back to work and quit goofin’ off with your neighbor.” He said, trying to keep a straight face.

          “Quit distracting yours.” She quipped as she headed out the door to finish her day.

          The next morning, Daryl was on his bike waiting for the others to show. Eugene came next, followed by Hotch and Spencer, and Jocelynn was the last one to show up.

          “I’m thinking we can just take the sedan again unless anyone wants to share a ride with Daryl.” She joked, earning a look from the man.

          Eugene got into the passenger’s seat of the sedan while Spencer got into the back with Hotch. Jocelynn got into the driver’s seat and started the car up before pulling out of the gates with Daryl behind her. She listened to Eugene’s directions to the factory while having some small talk with Hotch and Spencer.

          “Turn left up here.” Eugene interrupted. “We have to park in the front and walk around the building to the backside where there is a sizable hole in the perimeter fencing.” He added.

          She parked the car behind an overturned semi-truck trailer and got out with everyone else while Daryl pulled up behind the car and turned his bike off. Everyone looked around to make sure no one else was around before Daryl spoke up.

“Lead the way.” He said, looking at Eugene.

          He led the group around to the side of the building where there was a fairly large gap in the chain link fence. “It’s through here, down the side of the building and in the back entrance. The door is rotted out in places from forces unknown, causing it to stay open.” He explained.

          Daryl ducked through the gap and then headed in, looking around a bit before looking back at the group and pulling the fence open a bit more. Hotch came in, holding the other side of the fence so Eugene could come in, followed by Spencer and Jocelynn. Daryl led the way down the side of the building and around the corner to the open door.

          “Stay out here.” He said to the group before heading inside. He saw an old bucket sitting on a counter, so he nudged it, causing a large sound. If any walkers were inside the building, they would be alerted and come towards the sound. After a few moments of silence, he looked out at the group and nodded.

          Jocelynn headed inside with the group and looked up at Eugene. “Where are we going now?”

          “The work room is on the other side of those large gray doors.” he said.

          Daryl led the way to the doors, opening them before looking inside at the large machines and the various shelves of supplies and tools. He did a sweep of the room and then looked at Jocelynn. “I’m gonna head upstairs and see if there’s anything else I can grab.” He said.

          She nodded. “Okay. Just be careful.”

          “If you run into trouble, signal me.” He said before heading up a metal staircase to look for more items they could use.

          Jocelynn looked at Eugene and Spencer. “Guess you two are up.” She said with a small smile. “Hotch and I will keep watch while you two do what you need to.” She said.

          Spencer nodded and walked around the large machines, making notes of how they were set up. Eugene followed suit, looking around to see how they could get the machines up and running. Jocelynn and Hotch stood at the entrances of the room to stand guard. After a few minutes, Eugene and Spencer had found the control panel for the machine.

          “Are we okay to get this up and running?” Spencer asked.

          Jocelynn looked up and walked over. “I think so. Any walkers that would be in here would have come out by now.” She said.

          Eugene gave a nod before trying to get it up and running. After a bit of groaning metal noises, silence filled the room again. “I suppose there could be a jam in the innards of the machine.” He said.

          Spencer walked around, making some mental notes. “Making the actual bullet shouldn’t require a machine; in fact, if we can figure out how to melt lead, and could get enough spent casings, we could do it ourselves.”

          “There is an oven in the first room we were in that, I imagine, is equipped with heat levels of the bullet making sort. If we can get that running, we’ll be hunky dunky.” Eugene said.

          Jocelynn looked at him and nodded. “Right. Then we can still set up an outpost and just use the oven and the bullet molds.” She shrugged a bit.

          Hotch looked at her, nodding after a moment. “Let’s check the oven first and then we’ll figure out where to go from there.”

          The group headed back into the first room and looked at the large machine in the back corner. Spencer and Eugene headed over to check and see if it was working. As they worked on it, Daryl looked at Jocelynn.

          “I’m gonna close that room up from the other side. I’ll find another way out to the lot so we can keep anyone else out.” He explained.

          “Okay, we’ll meet you back out by the car.” She said before he walked into the other room and shut the doors behind him.

          Hotch looked around the room and made sure that the room was clear before he headed over to where Eugene and Spencer were checking out the machine. Spencer looked at it and tried getting it running. After a few sputters, the machine fired up for a moment, but stopped shortly after. As he moved around to the back of the machine to see what could be causing the issue, he noticed three walkers, partially covered in molten metal, coming from around the back of the machine.

          “Walkers.” He said, wanting to alert the others.

          Eugene grabbed his machete and headed towards the walkers, only for his blade to make a loud CLANG against the walker’s head. He stepped backwards, the two walkers following him.

          Hotch came around and stood in front of him, kicking the walker so it stumbled back. With the metal casings on their heads, it was impossible to stop them for good before they could get to any of the group members. “Spencer, get what information you need, we’ll keep them back.”

          Spencer headed to the other side of the machine, assessing what needed to be fixed on the machine.

          Jocelynn made a quick decision, grabbed her gun, and shot the walkers in the legs. It wouldn’t kill them, but it would slow them down. “Hotch, get Eugene back to the car, I’ll wait for Spencer.” She said.

          Hotch hesitated before taking Eugene out of the building and getting him to the car where Daryl was running to his bike after hearing the bullets.

          “Where are they?” he asked.

          “They’re right behind us.” Hotch promised.

          It only took a moment for Spencer to get what he needed, and he immediately ran to Jocelynn and headed out the door with her. As they stepped out of the building, a walker from behind the building grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall face first onto the ground.

          “Shit.” She mumbled, trying to wiggle free as the walker began to pull itself towards her. She used her free foot to keep its face back so it wouldn’t be able to bite her.

          Spencer aimed his gun and when she had its head held still enough with her foot, he shot it in the head. He grabbed her hand and helped her up, “Are you okay?” he asked.

          “Fine. Those shots are drawing them out.” She said, taking his hand and running to the fence with him.

          The two made it out of the fence and to the car, shaken up, but alright.

          Daryl looked at them both, crossbow drawn, “Y’alright?” he asked.

          She nodded. “Yeah, we’re fine. We need to go; they’re coming for the shots.”

          Hotch got into the driver’s seat of the car while Daryl got onto his bike. Eugene was in the passenger’s seat and Jocelynn climbed into the backseat with Spencer. Hotch followed Daryl down the road back to Alexandria. Once they cleared the factory, he glanced in the mirror at Spencer and spoke up.

          “Did you get what you needed?” he asked.

          Spencer looked up and nodded. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll get things written up when we get back.”

          The drive back seemed to go by much quicker than the drive to the factory did, and it was much quieter. When the gates of Alexandria opened, Daryl pulled in and parked, letting Hotch pull in behind him. When the engine was off, everyone piled out of the car, still a little shaken up. As soon as Spencer and Jocelynn got out, she walked around to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

          He was taken back by the gesture at first but returned the hug.

          “Thank you.” She said and pulled back to look up at him. “You saved my life back there.”

          “You’re stronger than you think, you probably could have handled it.” He said, a bit sheepish about being called a hero of any sort.

          “Maybe I could have, maybe not. I’m just glad I didn’t have to find out.” She said with a small smile.

          “I should probably go write up the instructions. I’m glad you’re alright.” He replied before giving her a tight-lipped smile and heading off towards the BAU house.

          Daryl came over to make sure everyone was okay before heading off to find Rick. Hotch looked over at Jocelynn and smiled some.

          “He’s not used to compliments or being thanked.” He said.

          “Well, he should start.” She said and laughed softly.

          “Are you sure you’re alright? That was a close call back there.” He said softly.

          “Yeah, just a little shaky. I’m gonna go get cleaned up.” She said and looked down at her dirty jeans and shirt, and the scrapes on her hands.

          “I can walk you if you’d like.” He offered.

          “I’m alright, really. I think the walk home will clear my head.” She said and smiled some. “I’ll see you later.”

          Before he could respond, she was already walking to her house. When she got inside, she took her boots off and went to the kitchen to clean her hands up. She definitely needed a shower, and she figured the alone time would be good for her to clear her head but also to figure out what she was going to tell Rick. She had made it up two stairs when there was a knock, followed by the front door opening.

          “Joce?” Rick called before he saw her on the stairs. “What happened out there?”

          She turned to face him and shrugged as she stepped back down. “Nothing happened.”

          “Don’t lie to me.” He said.

          “It was nothing. We had some trouble with a few walkers and on the way out, one grabbed my ankle. Spence took it out and then we got out of there.” She shrugged. Saying it out loud made it seem like less of a big deal to her, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on Rick.

          “Daryl said you all cleared the place before you went in, how’d you have walkers?” he asked, his hands on his hips.

          She let out a sigh before she answered. “There were some inside that got covered in metal so we couldn’t take them out. I shot their legs so they’d slow down and that must have drawn some in from outside.” She explained.

          “You know the shots call them out, Jocelynn.” He scolded.

          “I’m not stupid, Rick. I made a judgement call and it worked, we all got out of there just fine.” She argued.

          “Then why did you make such a stupid decision? If Spencer wasn’t there...” He started, his voice rising.

          She stepped towards him as he raised his voice, “Well he was and I didn’t get bit, did I?”

          He matched her stance and stepped closer to her. “How am I supposed to feel comfortable letting you out on runs if you’re making stupid decisions?”

          “Don’t you dare think for a second that you control me or let me do anything. If you did control me, I’d never be able to leave this place, would I?” she asked.

          “Damn right.” He spat.

          She looked at him and shook her head. She didn’t even know what to say to him.

          He ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Joce, I’m not trying to control you or keep you prisoner here, I’m trying to keep you safe.”

          “You have a funny way of showing it. Why don’t you worry about anyone else as much as you worry about me?” she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

          “Because I care about you.” He said, putting his hands back on his hips.

          “You care about everyone else too so that’s not an answer.” She quirked a brow.

          “I care about everyone here but…it’s different with you.” he said, looking at the floor for a moment.

          “So, what is it then? Do you just not trust me?” she asked.

          “You know I trust you.” He said, looking back up at her.

          “Do you? You can’t keep treating me like I’m made of glass just because of one run that went wrong.” She countered.

          “It’s not just because of the run, Jocelynn.” He said again.

          “Then what is it?” she asked him, her hands moving to her hips.

          Instead of giving her an answer, Rick closed the gap between them, holding her face between his hands and pressing his lips against hers in a firm kiss. She was completely caught off guard at first, but she moved her hands to hold his wrists gently, returning the kiss. Having Jocelynn return the kiss ignited whatever he had been feeling towards her even more. He parted his lips, letting his tongue graze her lips, asking for permission. Her lips parted to accept the invitation, one hand moving to the side of his neck to bring him closer. The moment their tongues touched, something snapped in him and he pulled away from her, stepping back and putting his hand over his mouth.

          She looked up at him, a bit breathless and worried that she had done something wrong.

          “I shouldn’t have done that.” he said softly. “I’m sorry, Joce.”

          “What?” was all she could think of saying. Maybe he was caught up in the moment and didn’t mean to or want to kiss her.

          “We shouldn’t have done that.” He added. He rubbed the back of his neck before shaking his head. “I’m gonna go. I’m sorry.”

          “Rick…” she started, watching as he walked out of the house shutting the door behind him.

          What had just happened?

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

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

Episode 7: Part 2: A New Darkness

Call this the worst day of (y/n)'s life - or one of them, certainly.

It was all right for some; whilst the city remained in blissful ignorance of the storm cloud of doom looming over them, it was all go-go-go for Captain Man, his sidekicks and those in the Man Cave. Well, it was for Charlotte anyway, as per usual, Schwoz and Jasper were a little more laidback, mainly because they didn't grasp the full severity of the situation as she did. 

They'd been fooling around ever since she'd received the distressing message from the Captain that they had a super-duper, code red emergency that trumped all other emergencies and as she scurried around trying to get stuff ready for what she assumed was gonna be one of the biggest fights of the year, the boys were playing dress-up. With Kaitlyn. Because she was cute and death and destruction aren't.

"Captain Man, Swellview's in danger!" "You're the only one who can save us!" "Time's running out! You gotta act now!" It wasn't actually Ray they were speaking to, lord knows that they'd never stroke his ego like that. No, it was Kaitlyn, who had adorably dressed in a tiny Captain Man costume that made her look like the famed hero if you looked her in the furry face, and Schwoz and Jasper were taking great delight in pretending that she was their boss and not the real Captain Man. He was not cute, well, he might have been to (y/n) but to them, he was just the nutjob who paid them.

"Up the tube!" Schwoz squealed as he pretended to lift the dog up to the tube's mouth under the false pretence that she was blasting off on some dangerous mission to save the city, one paw-punch at a time. He'd never had this much fun with Captain Man before and was thoroughly enjoying messing around since the real heroes weren't around to throw them funny looks, the only one concerned about what was happening outside the four walls being Charlotte.

"Guys!" she yelled above their cooing and fussing whilst also holding armfuls of weapons and equipment. The message had said something about a big disaster, danger and the possible collapse of society as the world knew it so she wanted to be prepared, even if the eleven blasters she'd swiped were a bit of an overkill. "I'm gonna try and rescue, Ray, (y/n) and Henry. Now, do you wanna come with me or do you wanna stay here and play super-pooch with Captain Kaitlyn?"

"Ughhh, tough question," Jasper pulled a face at the predicament that honestly wasn't that hard to answer. Possibility of death and lifelong maiming or playtime with a doggie? He chose life.

"Ray is very mean to me..." And Schwoz didn't even have to think. Whilst Henry and (y/n) were very nice people, he'd long been shot in the butt, bullied and beaten by Ray ( in the most affectionate way but still) so he decided that this would teach him a lesson. The sidekicks would just have to be regrettable collateral damage, oops.

"Seriously?" Charlotte groaned, hating the idea of having to storm the Honey Factory and tackle the Beekeeper and that lying little sneak, Rick Twitler, herself but after all her preparation, she didn't have to. Like the gods commanded it, the tubes sounded and dropped, bringing home the weary and disappointed and defeated heroes to what definitely wasn't a heroes' welcome. 

Henry was like a limp noodle as his feet hit the metal and the two in the adjacent tube weren't doing so hot either; after a gruelling struggle and a lot of coordination, he'd helped to pull their tired bodies from the wreckage of the plasma gas traps, allowing them to escape the factory. Freedom was nice but there was no getting away from one simple thing - Twitler had flown and taken his internet virus with him, leaving their pride bruised and the kid powerless.

"Oh, thank god." Charlotte sighed and dropped her bundle of kit once she saw the familiar blue and red uniforms and for a brief, shining moment, she thought that all was okay, the situation had been dealt with and they could all relax, but no. Her gaze narrowed in worry as Henry fell limp with the support of the glass around him and Ray and (y/n) had to look sharpish and untangle themselves from each other to catch his body before he hit the floor.

"Okay, we gotcha', kid. It's gonna be oooo--oh my god, that's adorable!" Ray began by carefully walking his youngest sidekick down the steps, helping his sweet girl by taking most of the kid's weight as she guided their movements to get him to sit down on the couch. 

And it was a sweet gesture from the man, it made (y/n) proud that he was being serious in a serious situation for once. That is until he reverted to type when he caught a glance of Kaitlyn in her little doggie costume; then, it was bye-bye Henry and hello poochie, which left her to hold him and then drop him as the kid buckled without the man's support. It was up to Jasper and Charlotte to grab both of them as Ray rushed to Kaitlyn to fawn over her and it was safe to that that if looks could kill...(y/n) wouldn't be glaring so hard because everyone knew that she could never live without her dumb doofus.

"Raymond! Forget about the damn dog!" The woman growled as she tiredly pushed on her knee to straighten out before bending to help Henry. Yes, Kaitlyn was lovely, she thought she was great, her dream walking around on four paws but this wasn't the time. The kid looked like he was about to pass out and she was feeling like sixty-one, not thirty-one. Her back was aching from that metal slab crushing her kidneys, her arm was still aching from being stretched out for so long and her temples were throbbing from the huge headache of a problem they were facing, namely that Henry was powerless.

"But sweet girl, she's wearing a cute costume..." the man fluttered his eyelashes and stuck out his bottom lip in the best pout he could muster since it usually swayed his best girl into cracking her icy glare. However, nothing was gonna melt Charlotte's anger nor her confusion considering the last time she heard, they were all in mortal peril.

"Forget about the costume. How did you guys get out of Rick Twitler's trap?" 

"Whoa...whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You knew we were walking into a trap?" Henry frowned at her as (y/n) and Jasper helped him to the couch. Despite his clear exhaustion and delirium after having his superpower sucked away, he was still able to give her an ugly stare, one that was half accusing and half confused because a heads-up would've been nice before walking into that place.

"Yeah..." "And you didn't tell us?" Ray asked in a similarly accusing tone as he picked up Kaitlyn and held her close to her chest. Y'know, for a guy that had said no to his fiancée's whining and begging about getting a dog over the eleven or so years he'd known her, he was getting quite attached to their new pet. It's always the ones who hate the dog that'll end up loving them the most.

"I tried to call you but you never answered! I left you voicemails!" The girl snapped back at her boss since she was about to be bullied into submission. No one could say that she, Jasper and Schwoz hadn't tried to contact them but as always, the heroes didn't pick up when they needed them to, so in the end, it just made more sense to work on something else than continuously call someone who'd never answer.

"Okay, Char, I'd normally be grovelling and begging for forgiveness for leaving my phone on silent at this point but come on, who leaves voicemails these days? Couldn't you have just texted us?" (y/n) asked with a hint of tiredness in her voice as she wandered over to Ray's side to fondle Kaitlyn's long-haired ears. She wasn't fond of how he rushed to her side but that didn't mean she wasn't in love either.

"You're old." Rude. Charlotte gave them a bored expression as the couple looked at each h other, back to her and then back at each other with horrified expressions because old?! There wasn't a single grey hair on their head and they didn't wear sensible shoes when driving and they didn't make satisfied groans whenever they sat down. They weren't old. Hell, if (y/n) was old (which she most certainly wasn't), what did that make Ray? Ancient? Very rude.

"We are not old!" Ray hissed, feeling very touchy on the subject, especially after Rick Twitler mocked him so cruelly only an hour ago. Sure, he was in his late thirties and he hadn't achieved half of what he wanted yet but that didn't mean he didn't plan on doing so; he was certain of it, marry (y/n), kids with (y/n), house with (y/n), retire with (y/n), the whole nine yards. Was it really so bad that he'd waited a little longer than normal and no longer connected with youth culture as he moved towards a more mature part of his life?

"Who cares how old Ray and (y/n) are?" Jasper rolled his eyes as they got off-topic. Yeah, they were the adults in the Man Cave, so what? Well, he said adult, even at thirty-seven, Ray still acted like a child.

"Thirty-six..." A definite child. What difference was one year supposed to make? And anyway, it's not like he was fooling anyone, not when his sweet girl was in earshot.

"Ray, I'm thirty-one and you're six years older than me. That makes you thirty-seven. There's no shame in it, sweetheart," (y/n) reassured her doofus as he moodily stared at the floor and stroked Kaitlyn's back for comfort, which only came when the woman lovingly planted a kiss on his cheek. At least when he was with her he didn't feel old, love didn't understand age, no matter what those young whippersnappers said or mocked.

"Did you guys really walk into a trap? Is Rick Twitler in jail now? Did you bring us some honey?" Jasper ignored their little moment in favour of blasting the questions. It was unfathomable for him to think that they'd been defeated because they were the city's go-to heroes, they seldom lost. Although, his hope for a tale of victory and a sweet snack died when Ray solemnly placed Kaitlyn into her cosy bed with (y/n)'s hand rubbing his back comfortingly and a glum expression on Henry's face.

"Yes, no and no." the boy answered, feeling his anger and bitterness come flooding back as every moment, mistake and terror replayed in his mind.

"Twitler got away." "What?" Schwoz's eyes widened at Ray's shocking news. That man was like a bloodhound when it came to sniffing out criminals and tenacious when it came to sinking his teeth into them. The fact that this one had managed to escape came as a shock but not the biggest one.

"And he stole Kid Danger's superpowers,"  "What?!" (y/n)'s addition made everyone's eyes widen and practically fall out of their heads. Well, that was shocking and worrying and...it couldn't be true, right? Disasters happened, sure, but never anything like that because Kid Danger usually punched anyone with his super-fast reflexes before they could get him. Had Twitler truly managed to pull something off like that?

"Yeah, check it out. Testing rock!" Ray being Ray, couldn't just make them take his word, no, that would be boring. So instead, he decided that throw a small rock that he'd pulled from a cabinet (because of course, they kept rocks in the Man Cave), and threw it at Henry's face. And without his powers, it came as a horrifying surprise to his friends that he wasn't able to catch it with a blur of his hand, but rather he caught it with his face...painfully.

"Ow!" "Raymond!" His sidekicks groaned and glared at him furiously as the dense rock ricocheted off Henry's face and rolled onto the floor, leaving him with an angry red mark on his forehead and (y/n) feeling tetchy. If he didn't look so adorable from being proud of himself right now then she'd give him a piece of her mind...or something like that.

"See?" "Oh, that's where my rock is. Where have you been hiding, Dwayne?" Schwoz bizarrely said to the sedimentary as he happily scooped it up from the floor and examined it between his fingers. Oh good, Henry's face hadn't caused any damage, that was all right then.

"Tell us what happened," Charlotte moved on from Schwoz's bizarre affection for the pebble he was stroking with all the admiration in the world and turned back to face the heroes. Even to her, the smart one, failure didn't make sense and neither did her best friend losing his power. That was just crazy and she knew how much he relied on it, how much he loved being able to do something cool.

"Okay..." Henry began with a deep breath and as with any teenage boy, he couldn't help but add a little flavour to the story to make himself a little spicier, "So I got to Swellview Honey Factory. Then, I drop in from the ceiling like, bam! And I land right on Rick Twitler and he's all, owie! And I was like, sorry to drop in like this! And everyone was like, that was a totally sick entrance line, bro. And I was like, I know."

"Hold on, hold on. Nobody said any of that stuff," Ray butted up, causing the others to look over at him and (y/n), who also wore a sceptical expression. Maybe they'd missed those parts when they were trapped in those horribly uncomfortable plasma gas things or maybe it was just the kid trying to build himself up into an epic hero - obviously, it was the latter. And no one was falling for it, no matter how hard Henry tried to make it sound realistic.

"Well, they were about to so..." "Just skip to the part where they steal your powers, otherwise, you won't be able to walk through the door with the size of your head," (y/n) waved off his excuses with her hand and a smirk that caused Henry to look slightly bashful for a second before he carried on. He preferred it when she was too engrossed with her fiancé to pick apart his exaggerations.

"Okay, I'll skip, I'll skip!... So, I'm stuck in Rick Twitler's trap, I'm lookin' super cool and Rick Twitler's all, euhhhhh, I'm gonna steal your powers and put it in this computer virus and destroy all computers forever, 'cause I'm lame! And then he used this machine to start sucking my powers right outta my mouth and Captain Man and Miss Danger were all, noooooooo!! And I was all, you'll pay for this, Twitler! And also, there was this bee flying around my head and Rick Twitler kept making goo-goo eyes at (y/n) like, oh mer geurd! I'm gonna marry Miss Danger and we'll have lots of evil babies! And Ray was all, I'm gonna kill you, Twit—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Schwoz butted in right at the good part. It was true that Ray had wanted to rip Twitler's head from his body for blatantly leering at his sweet girl when he was next to her and Jasper and Charlotte were eager to hear if any head-ripping had gone on but one small detail irked the resident genius. As much as he liked the drama, he'd heard something intriguing.

"What, what, what?" "What was that last thing you said?" He asked, causing Ray to scowl even more than he already was. His arms circled around his girl's waist and tugged her back into his body in a protectively needy embrace that hadn't been possible when they were at the factory but it was now and there was no asshole CEO around to act like he had a chance with her. He hated it then and he hated hearing about...babies now. And evil babies no less.

"About Twitler hitting on (y/n) all the time like, join me and we'll be evil and have an evil wedding and evil children because we'd be mean and bad and in love! Blergh—blergh—blergh!—?" Henry suggested and this time, his description was so troubling that it warranted (y/n) momentarily turning in her lover's arms to connect their lips. Evil people were so sure of themselves, so confident and she would never be up to the task, so no matter how suave and hot Twitler saw himself, Ray would never lose his sweet girl. Plus, she was already a little in love with someone else and far too sweet to ever go sour.

"No! About the bee! You said a bee flew near you when the machine was sucking the power from your face," Schwoz elaborated impatiently, wanting to know more about the elusive insect because if he had the perfect conditions, they might just have a miracle on their hands.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! This bee flew right past my face when Twitler was stealing my power! Actually, it sort of glowed for a second and then, flew away really fast," the kid retold the story of how the bee was suddenly flying around his nose and then...nothing. It just whizzed off right after straying too close and for some reason, that fact really excited Schwoz.

"Ayyyyyyyyyeeeeee! I know what we should do!" He exclaimed, knowing some clever, scientific method of using that bee to their advantage and despite how irrelevant it seemed, he knew that that small creature was the answer to all their problems. One of his finest moments, for sure.

"Me too," however, it was not one of Ray's, "we gotta find that bee...and kill it." "No!" Schwoz cried. Did he not understand the whole miracle thing? If that bee died then they'd had it, Twitler had won and they'd have to shut down their entire operation because the world would fall into so much chaos that it would be every man/woman/child for themselves. Jeez, no wonder (y/n) had to be the brains in the relationship, he had none.

"Well then, I'm outta ideas..." "Wait, are you think that maybe some of the superpowers were transferred to the bee when it flew by Henry's face?" The woman asked after her doofus went to sit down at the computer because clearly, this was a time for the smarties, and he was not one of those. Oh well, he preferred to sit back and watch his sweet girl do smart things anyway, not to mention the fact that from where he sat, her ass and hips looked superb in her costume. 

"And if we can bring the bee back here to the Man Cave..." "We can kill it?" Jasper jumped in, clearly thinking that he could be a smartie too and it did not work out. Charlotte, yet another smartie, Schwoz and (y/n) looked at him in horror for such a suggestion after they'd already ruled out killing their only hope at salvaging Henry's powers. Just because Captain Man said something dumb, did not mean he had to follow suit.

"Yes!" "No! Raymond, sit down!" "Ughhhhhh!" The man jumped in from his seat with elation at the thought of his original plan panning out, only for him to groan loudly and slump onto the couch when his happiness was shot down by his sweet girl, no less. Why did they have to be such party poopers? Kaitlyn understood her daddy, she'd want to kill the bee too if she was given the chance, he was sure of that, but if his lover said no, then the answer was no. He respected her enough for that.

"If you bring that bee back here, then I can transfer Henry's superpowers back into his body," Schwoz explained and for once in his life (and without (y/n) having to tell him), Ray buttoned his lip as he processed that information. So, they couldn't kill the bee? When it was put like that, it did sound a little bit more important than something he wanted to squish with a flyswatter.

"Then, let's go to the honey factory, find that bee and bring it back to the Man Cave!" Henry didn't need telling twice. With renewed energy, he stood up from the couch and looked at his boss and (y/n), reaching his hand out towards Ray for them to clasp together as all bros do. He'd do anything to get his powers back and give Rick Twitler a super-fast kick in the teeth and if he had to find a bee in a huge factory to do so, then he would with his fellow heroes by his side.

"Dead or alive..." Ray was quick to meet him, connecting their hands in a silent pledge to search for the insect with the same enthusiasm and determination...just fewer brains. Had he been staring at (y/n) so much that his ears had stopped working again?

"Alive!" "What is wrong with you?" Schwoz and Charlotte groaned and threw their heads back. Twitler did have a point in some ways; what did (y/n) see in him? Or rather, what had that thick-skulled nitwit done to impress her so much that she fell in love with him? Because they were just polar opposites, one being the top of her class but painfully shy and the other a jock but a total dunce.

"Sweetheart, we are not killing the bee, okay? Hurt the bee and I'll be sleeping in my old room for the next three months," (y/n) told her doofus with a straight face and it was enough for Ray to see that she meant it—the bee was off-limits. However, as straight-faced as her threat was, deep down she knew that it didn't carry any real threat; she'd never be able to go through three months of sleepless nights because that's all she'd be getting without her doofus to snuggle up. Also, Ray wouldn't be able to stand the heartbreak and would end up pawing that the door like a forlorn puppy with an apology spilling from her lips the moment she opened the door to let him in. 

"All right, fine! You're the boss, sweet girl," he replied quietly and pecked her forehead as a smile graced her lips," come on, kid, let's—" Ray tapped Henry's chest after grabbing his girl's hand and he was just about to lead her up the staircase to the tube when the computer started beeping. Odd...

"It's a video message!" Schwoz said as the notification came up on the screen and he and Charlotte moved to answer it. It didn't feel like a normal video message; for some reason, (y/n) got a sense of foreboding as she hovered with Ray and looked at the flashing screen but perhaps that was just her tummy - it had been fluttering ever since Twitler's betrayal.

"Eh, it's probably Charlotte, just let it go to voicemail," Ray shrugged off their concern in a moment of stupidity that had to be one of his thickest moments. Not only was he blind to the girl right in front of him but he'd also stitched himself up by proving that he often ignored her texts and calls and left them to go to voicemail, which had been strongly denied only moments ago.

"I'm right here!" She frowned, wondering how one man could be so...dense. How could she call them anonymously when they were watching her every move?

"Good point, let's listen," "Yeah, that's probably for the best, doofus," (y/n) teased him and hugged his arm close to her chest as he tried to hide his lightly dusted, pink cheeks and smile from her words. He was a good listener when he wanted to and with a final kiss placed on the top of her head, the couple focused their attention on the monitor.

"Hey there! It's me, Rick Twitler. How ya doin'?" The message started and their frustration immediately shot through the roof when Twitler's annoyingly smug face appeared on the screen. It had been infuriating enough to see it in real life in that factory and now, Ray had to put up with it and that stupid, well-cut, tailor-made suit in his Man Cave. It was enough to make him feel sick and angry. Very angry.

"How am I doing?" "We're coming for you, Twitler!" Henry and he snapped at the screen, wishing they could strangle him with their bare hands and drag him around by his styled quiff for ruining what should've been a peaceful week until he turned up. And in their anger, it was easy to forget that the villain had pre-recorded his message and sent it to them, so no matter how much they shouted, Rick Twitler was not going to answer or get scared.

"Guys, it's a video message. He cannot hear you." Jasper pointed out flatly as he paused the message, for once being the voice of reason in their madness because even he wasn't beyond knowing that men in videos cannot hear things in real-time. He understood their passionate need to kill him for the things he'd done and said but right now, they were just wasting their breath.

"Y-yeah, I knew that..." "Obviously...let's move on," So, to spare their blushes and any more awkward stammering, Jasper resumed play and Twitler began talking again. Honestly, he was so much better when nothing came out of his mouth.

"Now, I know you're upset with me for stealing Kid Danger's powers, putting it in this and flirting with Miss Danger, but I think you have other things to worry about. Like, oh, I don't know, protecting Kid Danger's family from the thugs I just sent to his house. Or should I say, the thugs I just sent to Henry Hart's house?" Rick smirked at the startling threat. Unlike (y/n)'s, this one was full of malice and would most certainly be acted upon if it had not already. 

Of course, he'd be free to do whatever he wanted whilst they were off at the kid's house saving Mr and Mrs Hart and Piper, plus, it came with the added bonus of preying on Captain Man and Miss Danger's relationship. Would she want to stay with a man who'd drool the moment he swept Kris Hart off her feet in a bid to save her? Probably not, and then Twitler would get to know the girl he'd read about on that stolen file whilst simultaneously piecing together her broken heart. It was foolproof.

"How do you know my real name?" Henry asked sharply, having not caught up on the part where Rick Twitler had read up on their personal lives after having into the Man Cave computer but still. The video was still a message and Twitler was never gonna answer back.

"Is what—is what I would say if he could hear me. Which I know he cannot. So..." Henry stammered as Jasper paused the video again. With this level of expertise and genius, the mission was gonna be a walk in the park. Or not.

"Just play the video, Jasper. I don't want to look at this creep any more than I have to," (y/n) told the kid, feeling antsy the more she had to look at the guy. It was like he was one of those paintings where the eyes could follow her around the room—his stare was unending and not to mention disturbing. So, it was a good thing that she had six feet of hard muscle and soft doofus to hide half on her face into as Jasper hit play again. 

"Let's see...uh, I did the introduction, made a threat, sent thugs to Henry's house. Yeah, I think I'm done. Any questions?... Oh, right, this is a video message..." even at the end, Twitler fumbled with the same mistake as Ray and Henry had and everyone released a sigh of relief when it was finally over. He had thought of everything; it wasn't like they could leave Henry's family to get hurt whilst they fought for the internet, that just wasn't how they did things.

"Okay...okay, I gotta go protect my family, you get the bee! Or...or you guys should come to my house and someone else should get the bee. Or we should all get the bee and bring it back to my house—" "Henry, calm down—" "I can't, (y/n/n), I'm freakin' out, man, I"M FREAKIN' OUT!" Henry screeched as he let his worries and anxiety get the best of him. As much as he wanted to save the rest of the world, his family was his world and the thought of some big, hairy, mean gorillas going to beat them up because of his enemies made his stomach turn so badly, that not even crying into (y/n)'s shoulder was helping. Jeez, he was really freaking out and in need of some best friend support.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'll get the bee! I got the perfect jar up in Junk-N-Stuff!" Jasper volunteered kindly, seeing that his friend couldn't make heads or tails of the situation in his current state of panic, so he took out a factor to make things simpler. Whilst he could punch people, he could definitely catch a bug in a jar and the soft smile that twitched on (y/n)'s face was enough to tell him that he was doing the right thing. It was a load of the boy's mind anyway.

"And I'll be Jasper's adult supervision." Charlotte followed after him, heading for the elevator. As sweet and noble as Jasper's actions were, he was quite clumsy and irresponsible on his own, so it was always a good idea to send someone dexterous and responsible to monitor what he was doing and Charlotte was ready to rally around Henry because he was her friend too.

"I'll go get some poopy bags for Kaitlyn," Schwoz was also helping out. Not directly since Henry didn't care much for the dog or what business she did right now but still, one job done was better than nothing, so the final task was for the trio to go out and kick some butt before someone got hurt. 

"Come on, man. Those thugs are gonna attack my family!" Henry stressed as he nervously paced to the tubes, intent on heading out without thinking first. That would do for (y/n) and Ray though, who knew that he was getting rash because he wanted to go save them but going without a plan wasn't gonna help, rather, things would start to go wrong. First and foremost, they needed to take a deep breath and assess the situation so they knew what they were doing before they went gallivanting off.

"Just relax, okay? I mean, first of all, is your family even at home?" Ray asked, wanting to know if they were worrying over nothing. For all he knew, the Harts could be out on a trip or at work or school and the thugs were turning up to an empty house. In that case, all they'd have to do was roll up, do some surprise sneak attacks and their work would be done.

"Yes, they're at home," Bummer. There went that plan. Okay, people at home weren't great but it wasn't terrible either, ow they just had to be extra careful and extra sneaky. Tactful and smart, if Ray could ever be that.

"Even your mom?" "Especially my mom!" In a moment that definitely lacked tact and intelligence, Ray couldn't help but ask about Henry's regretfully attractive mother and Henry, in his panic, couldn't help but rub it in for poor, old (y/n). She felt a twinge in her heart at his elated tone and the catch in his breath, knowing that even though it was probably a slip of the tongue, a second of forgetfulness or some bullshit like that, he still said it and it still hurt. 

"Then what are you standing around answering questions for? We gotta go!" The second blow came from the way her stupid, stupid doofus pushed Henry out of the way and scrambled up the steps to the tubes, standing on his tube pad and hitting his belt so fast that she nearly didn't have time to join him under the glass. 

It was weird, she didn't cry and neither did she feel the same heartache she normally did, not even when he repeatedly hit his belt to cause the tubes to fall quicker or when he screamed the command to launch them upwards. Mrs Hart had been a thorn in her side for too long and she'd spent long nights coaching her mind to not pay attention to when her idiot of a fiancé said something stupid because that was just him, it didn't mean he loved her any less or vice versa. But at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder about her life, her choices, her relationship.

She just felt numb and as she swift wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on, a seed of doubt planted in her mind. Had Rick Twitler been right?

~Henry's house~

Was it possible to love someone with all of your heart and want to punch them in the teeth too?

(y/n) was debating it as she trudged a few metres behind Ray and Henry, staring at the approaching Hart residence with a black look. Every time she came here, it ended in a sore heart and an argument and right now, with all of the problems that they were facing, she didn't fancy getting distracted by something as petty as a few spoken words. Therefore, she deemed it wise to hang back a bit, and trudge a bit slower than the stampeding boys since she figured that if she didn't hear their conversation, she'd have nothing to worry about. What the heart doesn't know about won't trouble it.

That was her working mantra anyway as they got closer to the house and walked up the driveway. For a while, it was working; there were a few mumbles here, what sounded like a few tense comments there and as she dragged her heels the boys loitered before the door, evidently a little apprehensive to go in. She could only think why.

"Come on! Let's go, let's go! (y/n), hurry up!" Henry shouted to his slow friend as she barely made the effort to pick up her feet, preferring to wait for Ray to go inside and get whatever love he had for the kid's mother off his chest before she had to hear it. Maybe it was cowardly to do nothing but after trying and trying and trying, this just seemed easier - just let it go and let it be.

"Wait, wait, wait! Stop!" "What? Why stop? We gotta get my family outta the house!" The kid was not fond of his friends' slowness, not (y/n)'s lack of energy and certainly not Ray stopping before his hand could grasp the door handle. Did they not know that his baby sister and parents could be battered and bruised in there? Did they not care? He thought (y/n) would've cared given how close she was to Piper, even if there was a little...tension between her and his mom, but for the life of him (and Ray), he couldn't think of what had gotten into her. A moment's thought would tell them straight away.

"Yeah, I know but uh...how do I look?" Ray asked, not thinking and not worrying because this was a rescue mission, right? He had a reputation to uphold, even if they were out of costume and mere citizens right now, it still did well to seem suave, manly and heroic as he swooped in to save the day, and a messy, crumpled outfit and bad hair wouldn't help that. It wasn't so much Henry's mom that he was worried about, more like the image that she was a part of; that classic hero who fought crime and looked good doing it, the image of a man in his prime and not steadily moving away from his glory days. 

"What? I think you look fine. I don't know, whatever," the kid responded, causing (y/n) to narrow her eyes when she saw the look of confusion written on his face. She was barely moving now, having come to an almost standstill halfway down the drive when she saw that they'd stopped to talk and something told her that she didn't want to listen. Could anyone lend her a kid so she could be a hot mom just for one day? What would it be like to turn his head like that? 

To have his unyielding attention in a relationship that made sense because moms were his type, they had to be. The feeling he got with her, or his reaction at least, seemed...stale in comparison—like his smile was more of a routine than a reflex, an obligatory gift he had to give her when she entered his line of view because she was his fiancée. Or she was supposed to be.

"You think, you think?! Your mom's in there!" Ray hissed, causing Henry's stomach to drop and his chest to tighten. 

"Oh my god..." God almighty, he thought this problem had been wheedled out ages ago, back when he swore that it meant nothing, never had and it would never happen again. He couldn't believe it, he just...was it just him? The guy had everything he'd ever wanted, the girl he'd pined after for a decade and he was still pretending that he was that guy. The guy who loved the ladies, took a new one out every night, the guy who never needed anyone because the one person he wanted wasn't his to love. Those might have been Captain Man's greatest days but Ray Manchester's life was starting right now, he was months away from marriage. Did he not remember that?

"Now, would you say I look great or really great...?" "Yeah, we're not doing this—we're not doing this because she's married and you have a fiancée, so stop!" Henry glared at the man and ignored his frankly revolting attempts to casually ask if he looked good enough to make an impression on his mom. Not that he would ever accept an invitation, nor would Mrs Hart offer one, the boy knew that each was perfectly happy in their own relationships and despite his outward stupidity, Ray was as loyal they come. He just...he was bad at showing it.

"Fine, whatever!" Ray grumbled before turning his head to see his best girl shuffling down the driveway, a tight but still beaming smile on her face, one that warmed his heart but would've made him worry had he looked a little closer. Did she think he looked great? He'd picked one of her favourite shirts that morning to win her affection, Kris Hart had nothing to do with it, "hey, sweet girl, would you say I look good?"

"As handsome as always, doofus," (y/n) replied kindly, trying not to let her voice wobble as she knew who he wanted to look good for. Once, it would've been her but that wasn't exactly the case anymore. He was gorgeous, the hottest man she'd ever had the pleasure of seeing, so he looked good in anything with more than one woman inclining to agree. The problem with the good-looking ones is they have the pick of the bunch...always.

"Good...then, follow me," he grinned and lightly held the back of her arm so he could pull her into the house after Henry, who started shouting like a madman the minute he entered the house. Of course, Ray strutted in like a peacock, jumping in like the hero he wanted to be with (y/n) behind him with a nervous stare to match those of the shocked family before her. Clearly, they had no intention of getting out, no matter how much Henry begged.

"Out! Everybody out! Why is no one moving?!" "Hey, (y/n)... Why do we have to leave?" Piper asked as she sat there looking like a glamour model in a beautiful dress with her hair and makeup done. Her gaze met (y/n)'s, who just shrugged and stared at the floor since she wasn't in the mood for lying or fighting or being strong for a change. Her bed, a pint of ice cream and silence were sounding heavenly right now, just the right thing for her to sob and wash away that seed of doubt that clouded all of the times when Ray had proved that despite a few odd instances, he was very much devoted to her and only her.

"Uhhhhhh...because..." "You...." "Are..." "You're all in danger," (y/n) stated dryly as the boys tried to find a better way of saying that thugs were approaching the house with weapons and god knows what else. There was no point dithering and trying to cover it up, their lies were pretty terrible and she wasn't in the mood for lies. She'd had enough of those too and no matter how much she twisted her engagement ring to try and calm her nerves, that dark mood wouldn't lift.

"Of what?" Piper questioned, her frown deepening at the woman's blunt statement. It didn't take a genius to see she wasn't in the best mood but then again, she wasn't exactly amongst geniuses when it came to the boys. Still, she didn't press it, she merely probed deeper into this sudden need for them to leave and her brother and his boss' weird reactions to what the woman said. Something told her that they wouldn't have said that if they had been able to come up with something.

"Of, uh...." "Of...missing out on a free weekend at the Hotel Staines!" "Yes!" Well, it wasn't a bad lie. An expensive one, but not bad. The Staines Hotel was famous for being the best place to stay in all of Swellview with full five-star treatment, pool, fancy rooms, great food, the lot. 

It had been the scene for many a romantic getaway for Ray and (y/n) when he wanted to treat her to the pampering she deserved as a goddess amongst mortals and for a brief moment, a glimmer of a smile flickered onto her face when she remembered how he surprised her with a penthouse suite, complete with rose petals on the bed and a champagne bottle waiting on ice. It had been two days of heaven but the seed was starting to push those memories out in favour of horrific imaginings of him slipping into the same suite with a honey-haired woman with a kind smile. Jeez, it sucked that even if the unthinkable happened, she'd never stop loving him, not even when the next mom came along.

"What?!" "My boss is paying for a deluxe suite!" Well, that was news to Ray. The man's faux-happy face fell at the sound of forking out at least a few hundred dollars for a room that he wasn't even gonna have the pleasure of enjoying. It was one thing to go with his sweet girl, that he'd do gladly, but not for anyone else. Did the kid not know he was trying to save every buck he could for his wedding? The day he was looking forward to with everything in his heart despite what his moronic mouth came out with?

"Ooh!" "What?" "Garden view..." Ray quickly calmed their excitement by knocking a substantial amount off the price tag. It would still be a nice stay, just not as nice as they had first imagined but they were prepared to make the best of such a generous offer. Although, for Piper, it wasn't so easy to hide the disappointment on her face.

"Awesome..." "Well, still good." "Sure is!" "Yeah, okay, let's go! Fantastic. Come on!" Henry brushed over whatever they were saying and dragged his dad by the arm towards the door. The sooner he got them out of the house, the better and Piper and Mrs Hart were quick to follow, rising from the couch and practically skipping to the door without a moment's thought. Normally, people take luggage when going to a hotel, clothes, a toothbrush, and toiletries. Weren't they forgetting something?

"To The Staines!" "What are you guys doing? Why aren't you leaving?" Henry asked with a tense face as his family made a complete U-turn, having remembered the essentials that they sorely needed to take. He hadn't thought about the need to pack and knowing his mom and sister, they would take half the house with them, which would waste precious time that they didn't have.

"We have to pack!" "There's no time to pack, you have to leave! Right now!" Henry opened the door, only to shut it immediately when he saw a...friend standing on the porch. And by friend he meant a very vicious-looking thug cracking his knuckles. Well, someone wasn't selling Girl Scout cookies, more like looking for a fight and his heart stopped as he, (y/n) and Ray shared a worried glance. They couldn't get out, so keeping his family upstairs was looking like a better idea since they'd have the high ground and as much as (y/n) would've liked to see Mrs Hart having a bad day, she knew it wouldn't be nice if she got pummelled by a man with violence issues.

"Um, packing is a great idea. Go pack!" "Okay!" Mrs Hart beamed at her son and scampered off to go and fill her suitcase with everything she'd need for a sophisticated weekend at The Staines Hotel. And it was a good thing too; with the family hidden away upstairs, the trio soon found themselves with new company as another henchman came through the back with a particularly mean look on his face. Right, okay, there were only two, nothing they couldn't handle.

"We'll take front thug?" (y/n) suggested, her eyes briefly looking at her doofus as he kept his gaze trained on his opponent coming across the room. He could handle one by himself, which left his less experienced sidekicks to deal with one between them, a fair split that made sense. As much as she hadn't felt like it before, the heroine knew she couldn't run away now and leave Henry by himself, not even when her heart was hurting at the way she was sure that Ray's eyes followed Kris up the stairs like she was a supermodel or film star. At least, it had looked that way to her because, to be fair, Mrs Hart was beautiful.

"I'll take back thug," Ray replied, looking back at his girl just as she turned towards the door. He would've usually given her a good luck kiss before sauntering off to go beat the guy to a pulp but he put it down to her wanting to focus on the fight. He could make up for it later with plenty of kisses when they weren't in danger and he'd tell her how beautiful and hot she looked in a fight. The hottest, sweetest, bravest girl in the world.

It was fight time. With Ray briskly walking away to go duel his man, that left Henry and (y/n) to deal with theirs. The kid opened the door to reveal the thug, who let out a deep breath that honestly sounded like more of a grunt as he pounded his fist into his palm and rubbed at his wrists. The Rick Twitler logo was tattooed onto the back of his hand, a definitive sign that he was one of Twitler's flying monkeys sent to terrorise his family. Well, he picked the wrong heroes to mess with.

"Okay, pal. Listen, I eat thugs like you for break—" "Hey! You—you dick! Kid, are you all right?" (y/n)'s mouth dropped in horror and shock as Henry's sick quip was interrupted by the thug socking him in the face with a strong left hook. He clearly wasn't one for banter and the sidekicks looked at him in disgust for laying a hand on Kid Danger, who wasn't quite up to speed with how slow his body and mind were now that he'd been drained of his superpowers.

"Ow! I think I'm oka—" Henry groaned and briefly turned to his friend, thinking that the man had only been able to land that punch on a fluke because he never normally got hit like that. Rather, it had been so long since he sucked at a fight that he'd forgotten how bad it felt to be beaten up and things were only going to get worse. In a flash that never used to be a problem, the man punched him again and stormed into the house when Henry hit the floor, causing (y/n) to jump back and raise her fists to her face in preparation for retaliating. Yeah, he was gonna have to get used to a normal pace again because she could not fight this guy alone as she was on the puny side in comparison to his beefy body.

"You okay, kid?" Ray shouted from across the room as he repeatedly bashed his thug's face on the kitchen counter. His fight was going swimmingly since he was still the same old invincible Captain Man and had (y/n) broken her focus to look at him, she would've swooned at the way his upper body heaved with rippling muscles with each movement. It was a treat that he was fighting in civilian clothes that revealed more than his super-suit ever did and deep down, she'd be quite smug that no one else got to see him like that when she finally found a moment to stare.

"Yeah! It's just kinda hard to fight without my pow—ers..." Henry groaned when he was hauled up from the floor by the neck of his shirt and punched again. His face was finally starting to feel quite sore, so as Ray threw his goon across the kitchen island, (y/n) stepped in between him and their guy to try and buy him some time to recover. 

"Look, pork chop, you wanna get the kid, you gotta go through me," she growled and softly ducked and jabbed at his face when his sausage-like fingers reached out to seize her throat. The thug grunted softly in pain when her hardened fist met his nose, only to spring back just as quickly with a backhand to her cheek. The sting was momentary but enough for (y/n) to gasp and feel tears spring in her eyes, leaving her to dodge the next two attacks. Henry was still panting against the mantlepiece of the fireplace and upon seeing his friend struggle against the meathead, he decided that there was no need to fight with fists when they had technology on their side.

"Hey, watch this..." he said to the bad guy, who look at his watch in confusion when he plucked it from the mantle and held it towards him. For such a tough guy, he squealed like a terrified child when the teen zapped him and fell to the floor as any true drama queen would. Well, that was easy and for Ray, things were going quite well too; he kicked his enemy in the stomach, causing a basket to fly up from the floor, which he then promptly threw back down onto his face. If he was a smart thug, he wouldn't get back up.

"Henry!" Mr Hart called from upstairs, probably having heard the commotion downstairs. The boy panicked for a moment and had to think fast as he worried about what his parents would say if they caught him and his bosses fighting two evil strangers and messing up the house. That just wouldn't do, so he thought quickly and came up with a brilliant solution.

"Stuff him in the fridge!" "Oh, that's fun!" Ray grinned at the idea of stuffing the man in the fridge next to the pickles like he was some kind of salami and as (y/n) spread a blanket of the other goon in a pathetic attempt to hide him, Ray tossed his thug into the fridge headfirst. With one final punch to ensure he stayed put, he closed the doors and casually leaned against the machine, acting as though he hadn't just been in a fight that destroyed half the kitchen.

"Have you seen my toothbrush?" Mr Hart asked his son as he trotted halfway down the stairs. All the three could do was hope that he would remain his oblivious self and not notice the villain-shaped lump in the middle of the sitting room floor. 

"Uh, have you checked your bathroom?" the teen suggested and his dad skipped off back upstairs at what should've been an obvious location to look. Thank god Mr Hart was a bit dumb, he never even noticed the mess or the man under the blanket, he was more worried about his silly toothbrush.

Now that they were alone again, Ray swiftly reopened the refrigerator doors and scooped the chilly thug into his arms and over his shoulder in a fireman's lift—the easiest way to carry a bad guy when you need to dump their bruised body somewhere. What he didn't notice through the kitchen window, however, was that Twitler was not so stupid as to send only two men, no, if the guy loitering outside the house was anything to go by, they would be having more company any time soon.

To Henry and (y/n)'s shock, some karate, Mr Miyagi-type jumped through the doorway and landed in a fighting stance. He was shouting, kicking and waving his hands around like he was about to chop them into itty-bitty pieces but once they got over the initial startle, it was easy to deal with him. A quick blast from the Whiz Watch sorted him out and no karate move in the world was gonna stop him from flying out the way he came.

"You grab his right leg, I'll take his left," (y/n) told Henry as they returned to their original thug, intent on dragging him from the building and hiding him someplace where he wouldn't cause any more harm. However, just as they began the almost impossible task of dragging his body across the rug, they failed to notice that the bruiser who'd seen Ray attack his associate had circled the house and had crossed the threshold. Henry looked over his shoulder and gulped slightly at the guy, who cracked his knuckles menacingly, but he didn't let the fear show on his face, not when they were already preoccupied and now outnumbered.

"Be with you in a sec!" He grunted as he and the heroine struggled to pull the thug's body across the floor and (y/n) thought the kid had gone crazy when she heard him speak, only to look around and see that they had more problems than the one they were tugging along. This wasn't her day, not when the man let out an alarming scream as a battle cry and charged them despite Henry's polite smile. 

"I don't think he wants to wait!" She yelped as they made a tactical retreat and danced across the room with the psycho on their tails, dodging nearly every kick and punch that he threw their way. Ray was having much more success, beating his man up with ease as Henry struggled to cope with how many hits were landing on his torso and butt. Had the world always been this slow or had he just been that fast? 

It was hard to tell when (y/n) was avoiding the jabs and kicks so perfectly, her mind in tune with her body as she leaned backwards and dropped o the floor in time, something he was struggling with. Yet another kick to his chest pushed him over and into the door, making him grunt in pain as his friend bravely stood in front of him and blocked the onslaught of attacks since he was winded.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Ray was still going great; he punched another dude in the face, then kneed him in the stomach and threw him across into the living room, watching with a satisfied smirk when he slid across the coffee table and landed in a pile. The problem, though, was that upon sliding across the table, he also took with him some huge, impressive jigsaw puzzle that Piper had enlisted her entire family to help build. It was something she wanted to do to get back at that stupid Jana Tetrazzini since she'd broken the record and helped a load of puppies but now, her attempt at smashing the world record was smashed itself...in ten thousand and one little pieces. Damn, that took Henry and his super-fast reflexes, like, five minutes to piece together, not to mention an excruciating amount of family time.

"Hey! That was my sister's puzzle!" Henry screamed as he watched the destruction from across the room with a horrified face. Piper was gonna die when she saw the mess because if she loved something, it was laughing in Jana's face when she did something better than her.

"More like that was your sister's puzzle, am I right?" Ray grinned as he strode into the other half of the room and over the coffee table, swaggering from the adrenaline high of the fight. It was just a puzzle, no big deal, at least his sister would be okay at the end of this, that was what he should've focused on, not some dumb puzzle that could be put back together with a little—or a lot of—effort.

"That's exactly what he just said, doofus!" "Am I right?" "No!" The trio argued back and forth as they carried on fighting, (y/n) instinctively teaming up with Ray to fight his bad guy as she picked up his limp body and began slamming it loudly against the door. It probably was a better idea to go and help the kid since he was being pinned to the wall with his own hatstand but he'd never ask for help, not even a little bit. He'd fought for ages before he had superpowers and he used to be good at it, it was just a matter of getting back into the swing of things. Besides, it would do them good to work together for a bit, because even he could see that there was something up with the girl underneath the reassuring smiles she kept giving him, even if he couldn't quite work out the reason.

"Henry? Someone's at the door!" Mrs Hart shouted from upstairs after hearing the racket of the thug thumping against the door. It would've been best to say nothing or just shout some half-assed reply but Ray being Ray had to be helpful, chivalrous and polite with the nice lady upstairs who'd encouraged him all along to persuade the girl of his dreams all along, the least he could do was make sure she didn't come down to absolute chaos in her house. If only that was how it came across.

"Uh, I got it, Henry's mom!" He shouted in reply, not seeing how his sweet girl looked so forlorn when he grinned at the spot at the top of the stairs. She didn't put up a fight when he took matters into his own hands and shoved the thug through the door and onto the porch before pretending he was talking to some passing visitor, "Uh, nobody needs your cookies, little girl!" He yelled before leaving the steadily growing pile of bodies and turning around to tease his young sidekick, who was almost laughable in his failed attempts to win against one guy.

"Buddy, you are really struggling today!" He grinned and put a casual arm around (y/n), who wasn't sure if she enjoyed the contact or not given the beaming look on his face when he was talking about Mrs Hart but she figured that it was his way of balancing his affections. She didn't doubt that he loved her, but she wasn't sure if he loved Mrs Hart too, after all, his mind kept straying back to her. What was a doofus to do when his heart was torn between a hot mom and a sweet girl?

"Yeah, I'm not used to fighting without my y'know..." "Dignity?" Ray joked as he hugged his beloved fiancée closer to his side, ignorant of her hurt since he was so distracted by how. His youngest sidekick couldn't overcome one simple henchman and whilst he'd never let it go too far, it was quite amusing to see him wriggle around like a newbie. 

(y/n) felt just as conflicted watching the boy struggle whilst they did nothing as how she wanted nothing more than affection from her lover and to smack him for going back on all of those flimsy promises. She knew it was just him; the playboy, flirtatious edge was just his personality but still. Seeing him that excited over such a beautiful woman was upsetting and she wondered why she let it get to her after so many years of putting up with it.

"No!" "Deodorant?" He joked again, watching in amusement as the kid dodged a few jabs of the hatstand and pushed the guy away. He looked down at his fiancée as his chest rumbled and felt his smile soften when she rested her cheek on his chest, content to savour the moment before something, a terrible comment most likely, ruined it. A peck on her head made her feel special for a glorious second and she remembered why she could never stop loving him—because those moments made her feel so special like she was a twenty-something-year-old in a restaurant again with her hot boss who'd made time for her and not the pretty waitress who was obviously into him. Why couldn't it always feel like this?

"No!" "Daring do?" Then, finally, despite all of Ray's teasing, Henry caught a break. Well, sort of a break. Regrettably, the thug thrust the hatstand a little too slow to hit the boy and ended up smashing a cute photo frame that would cost his parents a fortune in sentimental value. That was the bad bit, the good bit came in the form of him being able to rag him around a little s he growled in reply. "No, my superpowers!"

"Henry, catch my suitcase! Thank you!" Piper yelled from upstairs and to everyone's shock, she didn't wait for her brother to respond, she just dropped it from the top of the stairs. It was a mere stroke of pure luck that the heavy object landed right where the henchman had been pushed and for Henry, not having to fight anymore was a saving grace.

"Aw, Hen, you're so lucky that your little baby sister was here to help you," (y/n) teased as she wandered over to the boy now that his opponent was groaning on the floor, no thanks to him or his years of sidekick training. She was so busy looking at him with mirthful eyes that she didn't see the way Ray followed after her like a lovesick puppy, watching and finding her every move endearing like she hung the stars in the sky. Maybe one day someone would film the way he acted around her and the way he acted around moms and then show her the comparison; the moms didn't even come close.

"Yeah, (y/n/n), she's the only one here who could've helped me..." the kid retorted, causing Ray to wrinkle his nose at his sass. It wasn't her fault that he couldn't fight without his powers, she was just trying to make light of the situation and he didn't want anyone upsetting her, even if his own words should've been a little more careful.

"Easy, sassy pants," he told him as he walked past to collect the thug's body but not before placing his large, warm hand on his girl's back. The warmth that settled into her skin nearly distracted her from the beeping shrill of Henry's phone ringing, which was the only thing that stopped her from going into a daydream about how perfect he was or a nightmare about how inadequate she was for a guy like him.

"It's Charlotte," the kid said as she looked over his shoulder and as Ray took hold of the guy's legs. It was easiest to drag him out the back and ignore the call since they were kinda in the middle of something here.

"Eh, just let it go to voicemail." "What? Ray, seriously, what is your deal with ignoring Charlotte?" (y/n) asked after him as he disappeared around the corner with the Boyd, just as Henry answered the phone. That would have to be a conversation for later, if later ever came, and Henry answered the phone hoping it was good news. They could do with some of that right now, what with Twitler, the threats and the clandestine rocking of the relationship between the Man Cave's OTP.

"Hello?" "We found the bee! Come back to the Man Cave," Charlotte instructed him as soon as he answered and for the first time in what felt like forever, things seemed to be going their way. The bee was the hardest part and they were just about done at his house so things were looking up...for now.

"Okay, click!" "Click," the conversation ended and Ray wandered back into the room, his chest pressing into his sweet girl's back as he reverted to type and got all touchy-feely with her, which was nice but so confusing at the same time. She was the one he wanted to love up now? How long would it be until she was in a thrupple with Kris again?

"Charlotte found the bee. Let's get back to the Man Cave," Henry told his boss, who was more than ready to go home since home meant kisses and the freedom to be as heavy-handed with his affection for his lover as he wanted but for (y/n), something didn't feel right—and it wasn't just his incessant flirting with another woman. No, something felt off, like there were eyes on her figure, watching from the shadows.

"Wait...my tummy is telling me something..." "(y/n), we've talked about this. Your tummy can't speak to you," Henry replied gently, thinking that her biggest kooky quirk was getting the best of her. Whilst he had no doubt that she had excellent instincts for danger, the notion that she felt a premonition of peril in her stomach seemed crazy and he just put it down to all of those dormant nerves zooming around in there. Come on, tummies don't talk.

"No, kid, trust her tummy. Not only is it adorable and an excellent pillow...but it knows things," Ray said mysteriously as he dismissed his sidekick's apprehension. He also knew that his sweet girl had good instincts and those instincts stemmed from her tummy, which she said felt funny when something was wrong and was never normally incorrect. He thought of it like an innocent deer sensing danger in the meadow before the hungry wolf came to attack and he thanked his lucky stars that she often avoided being hurt before traps or bad guys pounced. 

"What? You're just saying that 'cause you love—" "Shhhh! Do not interrupt the tum!" (y/n) snapped and smushed her finger against the boy's lips since he was being far too loud for her liking. Like the deer she emanated, her eyes closed and her ears took over, listening for the slightest rustle or vibe that might give her a clue, and someone's heavy breathing was a dead giveaway. "Got it, there's one more goon in here."

"Oh, yeah, where?" Henry smiled, thinking they were both crazy as Ray took her word for it and began searching the room for the idiotic sucker who thought it was a good idea to stay behind when all of his evil chums had gotten beaten up. He'd sniff them out. After all, if (y/n) was the innocent deer then he was the vigilant bloodhound, seeking enemies with pinpoint accuracy because, at this point, he knew how the average low-life thought.

And he did, which was quite impressive and also annoyingly obvious as the final goon had chosen the worst hiding spot in the history of hiding spots. Ray lifted a potted plant out of the way, revealing the last man stood there like a statue and not breathing in the hope that no one would notice or hurt him. Too little, too late, and Henry wondered how he hadn't seen him sooner.

"Ah, the weird tummy thing works! Nice, (y/n/n) and good eye, dude!" He grinned at the adults as they stared down the snivelling thug, who had clearly bitten off more than he could chew with the three superheroes that Twitler had told him to distract. Damn right, the tummy never lies.

"Thanks," Ray nodded as his sweet girl gave her friend a smug smile before they properly focused on the thug again in a calm manner because it would be oh-so-easy to scare him shitless into a life on the straight and narrow rather than just plain attacking him, "are you the last goon?" 

"Yeah..." the man whimpered pathetically.

"You wanna just run away?" "I just wanna go home..." he replied in a small voice, looking as though he was about to burst into tears and cry for his momma, something (y/n) could sort of relate to given how crappy she'd felt over the last few hours. Actually, it felt kinda mean to punch him now, so much so that in a rare moment of mercy for the criminal scum, Ray gave him the chance to run away.

"Okay, go." "Thank you..." "Get out!" Although, not before kicking him up the ass to get him to move a bit faster. Well, nobody was perfect and it amused Ray enough to cause a smile to break out on his face as he moved the potted plant back to its original position. Oh man, he loved his job sometimes.

"All right, let's get back to the Man Cave," Henry said as he took one last look over his house and the unfortunate damage that had taken place. Oh well, items could be replaced, all that mattered was that his family were okay. So, he waltzed out of the house like nothing had happened, like they were never there and (y/n) waited for her doofus by the door. She had been willing to put the events of the last hour or so behind them because she swore that this house brought out the most heartbreaking things about him, but then, she couldn't forget so easily.

As Ray also looked over the house, she could swear that his gaze lingered on a framed photograph of Mrs Hart smiling beautifully into the camera and it took every ounce of strength and resilience built over many years of seeing him go to someone else to not cry when she thought his fingers twitched to reach out and take it. Was he really thinking about it? Would he hide that photo in his bottom drawer to pull out whenever he grew tired of looking at the pictures of them together? Would it be easier to set him free now before she made the mistake of trapping him forever?

~The Man Cave~

The journey home was fraught with anguish for (y/n) as she mulled over her options and descended into the Man Cave with Ray and Henry. They were none the wiser to her inner torment as the tubes dropped into the main room where a lot of things had been done since they left, including Schwoz building some clever gadget to get the kid's powers back and the all-important bee that had been held in Jasper's mouth because it was a better receptacle than nothing. She didn't know what to do because all of her ideas so far weren't helpful or smart, some ranging from stupid and others stretching as far as downright insane and reckless, which wasn't exactly her style.

"Where's the bee?" Henry asked the minute his feet touched the ground, and he, Ray and (y/n) trotted down the stairs. Her worries could stay silent for now, she knew they had bigger things to worry about than her silly little feelings and besides, Ray had been a total sweetheart ever since they left the Harts' residence in tatters, so it was almost like things were back to normal. Almost.

"Over there." "Thanks for bringing it back," the boy nodded at Charlotte as he studied the bug that had been trapped inside a plastic box for Schwoz's whacko experiment. What was even more whacko was how she was preoccupied with looking at Jasper's mouth, looking for a way to soothe the stinging bumps that covered his tongue and gums since he'd made the sacrifice of his palate so that the bee could be kept safe. It was admirable if a little odd.

"Hey! Thwe bwee was in mwy mwouth!" "Why you talkin' like that?" Ray asked impatiently, not wanting to interact with the weird kid any more than he had to but he couldn't deny his insatiable curiosity to know why he sounded like his tongue had been cut out. Jeez, what had happened whilst he'd been out? And why was his sweet girl avoiding his eyes? Even he, the densest man on earth, was starting to pick up on something being wrong.

"Oh, sweet cheese, Curly!" (y/n) grimaced with the boys when Jasper turned around to reveal that the bee had left an unsightly mess on his tongue in the form of several sore-looking blisters that made the muscle look like the surface of the moon. Rather him than them, to be honest, Ray would never be able to kiss his sweet girl if his mouth was like that...or if he could be stung...and that's only if he worked out why she was acting like the (y/n) from ten years ago when the slightest move made her awkward and jumpy.

"Wait a second, I thought a bee only had one stinger and it falls out when it stings you," Henry pointed out, noticing that his tongue was covered in bumps when technically, the bee should've only managed one before it died. That was how it went when he was taught ecology in school.

"Well, some bees do but other bees don't. It depends on which bee stings you, so some die after one, others can keep on stinging and some bees don't even have stingers at all," (y/n) replied without taking her horrified stare off of Jasper's hideous injuries and she made a mental note to get him some calamine lotion or something later. That bee must've been one tough cookie because jeez, that looked nasty, even if they were adorable and important to the environment.

"Guys, this is no time for real facts about bees!" Ray butted in, his renowned impatience coming back as his sidekicks swapped info on what bees could and couldn't do. As much as he loved hearing his sweet girl be all smart and stuff, for once, his brain ruled over his heart and told him that cooing and gooeyness could come later when the boy had his powers back. That would be the time for banter, not now.

"Yeah, you're right. Here, use these man-tweezers to pull the stingers out," Henry advised Jasper as he handed over a pair of tweezers that weren't manly in any way, shape or form, simply a product that Ray had bought to make his face extra perfect, ergo, they just had to be called man-tweezers, much to (y/n)'s annoyance.

"Tweezers. They are just tweezers. Call them tweezers, for the love of God," she groaned and threw her head back, missing Ray's small smile when he saw how her pet peeve irked her. It was cute when she screwed her nose up, even cuter when she scowled and pretended to be annoyed.

"Thwanks! Wi'll gwive them bwack to you when I'm dwone!" Jasper said to ray, who turned his nose up at the thought of being handed a pair of slimy tweezers that had been in the weird one's mouth. Yeah, no thanks, he could live without them now, call it his only gift to the kid he claimed to dislike intensely.

"Uh, yeah, you can just keep those!" "Oooh, schweet!" Well, at least it made Jasper happy and he seemed to pluck at the embedded stingers with a little more vigour as he wandered off to complete the task. It wasn't the weirdest thing the Man Cave had ever seen.

"Hey, so, can you get my powers back?" Moving on, Henry asked Schwoz the all-important question, the one he'd been gnawing his fingernails away at over the past few hours. It was the thing they were striving for and Schwoz had been working pretty hard, so there was a good chance they'd be successful, knock on wood. It wasn't certain but the man was confident, outwardly anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You get in the box, I press the button, and your powers will transfer from the bee back to your body!" "Awesome!" Schwoz's brief, dumbed-down explanation brought a relieved, joyous smile to his face and he had never been so happy to hear science stuff coming from the small man's mouth. His worries were over, everything was okay and he wasn't gonna remain useless at fighting for much longer because Schwoz, the little coconut-headed beauty, was gonna fix everything.

"Quick! Get in the box, get in the box!" Ray encouraged him, wanting to waste no time in testing whether the man's technology worked or not. Henry didn't want to wait either, chasing the high that came with the knowledge that he was about to be super again, so he jumped into the box for Ray to close and bolt the door behind him with a final reassuring smile. All they could do was pray it worked. 

"Henry, can you hear us?" Charlotte asked as she pressed the intercom button on the side of the box. Normally, Schwoz wouldn't have built on intercom because it was an effort to have to press the button every time they wanted to talk to the test subject—person—but he also wasn't fond of hearing screams of pain so he added it anyway. He just hoped that Henry took the news that it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience well.

"Loud and clear, let's do this!" He replied in a cheery tone that would be gone by the time the genius was done, he'd stake his multiple degrees on that. Still, positivity would make it seem better, to start with anyway.

"Okay, I'm going to release the bee into your box and you have to make it very angry so it will schting you." "What?" Henry knitted his eyebrows together at the sound of Schwoz's ridiculous instructions. Okay, did he know how much bee stings hurt? His enthusiasm was slipping away more and more with each passing second he was trapped in the claustrophobic box, which was also beginning to look more and more like a trap; now that he thought about it, what were all of those locks for?

"Yeah, and I have to activate a switch to activate the ribonucleic gas at the precise moment it schtings you, which will make the bee schting hurt even more!" Schwoz exclaimed with a cheery grin on his face, the kind a doctor would use when trying to convince a little kid that their shot wasn't so bad and the needle wasn't the size of a machete. But Henry wasn't a kid and he didn't believe in Schwoz's smile or any attempt to make that sentence any better. Bee stings were already quite sore and it wasn't that he was scared but...he was a bit nervous.

"You never said any of this before I got in the box!" "Yeah, well, you would have never got in if he did, would you?" (y/n) grinned at him with a mischievous glint in her eye. It was nice to be back in the Man Cave since its four walls seemed to make the problems of the world disappear and with no one else to distract him, Ray returned to his usual, affectionate self. 

His arm was slung around her shoulders, he stole kisses from her cheeks, temple and forehead and warmly chuckled into her ear when she cracked a witty comment to try and stop her sour mood from bringing everyone else down. Mrs Hart was a long-forgotten memory but she didn't want to be his precious fiancée one minute and hear him sing her praises the next. She was fed up with the same old story.

"Release the bee!" Schwoz muttered to Charlotte, who still had the intercom line open so Henry heard every word. And boy, he was not happy to hear that his protests were going unheard and not acted upon.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Hang on a sec, hang on a sec! Why does the bee have to sting me? Why can't you just flip a switch or do some science? Okay, I really do not like bees, guys?—" Henry screeched and jolted around the box as his traitorous friend released the bee, which had begun glowing green thanks to the superpower it had soaked up. It was also quite speedy as it zoomed around the box, agitated by his brisk movements and swatting, so when his complaining didn't stop, Ray started to get agitated too.

"Oh, this is really hard to hear...can you mute him?" He asked, knowing that his sidekick's endless grumbling was ruining the friendly atmosphere they had going on outside. He was trying to love up his sweet girl after a stressful day that was clearly wearing her down, did he have to ruin that with his big mouth?

"Yep," Charlotte was growing tired of it too, so she took the remote control from her pocket and hit what she thought was the mute button. However, as they soon found out, that did not make Henry quiet, rather, it translated everything he said into Spanish because why wouldn't Schwoz include that?

"Now, he's just being annoying en español. What did you do?" (y/n) asked, feeling Ray's hands land on her hips to keep their bodies pressed together. It was a nice gesture and the warmth spreading through her back was nice but she was more interested in what Charlotte had done to the box because Henry had never paid that much attention in Spanish class before.

"Oh, sorry. That was the Spanish button," the girl replied bashfully before meekly pressing the button adjacent to the one she pressed before. This time, it had the wanted outcome and whatever Henry was whining and shouting, they couldn't hear it; the silence was bliss and now, it was just a waiting game to see when the bee would get fed up with the lumbering human trying to squish it. They watched patiently as the boy kept the insect away from his face with his eyes trained on it at all times despite how quickly it could move and it was strangely exciting to wait for the big moment.

"Is it stinging him?" Charlotte whispered to the couple behind her, her eyes not shifting to meet them since she already knew that they were already locked in a tight embrace, Ray hunched over his sweet girl like he wanted to shield her from anything horrible in the world. She seemed happy and it was enough to settle him since he wasn't a mind reader and couldn't see the flip-flopping of her heart in her chest.

"It's thinking about it," (y/n) told her, watching closely as the bee zipped around Henry's face and then landed on his cheek. The suspense was so bad that even Ray stopped fawning over her and stared at the kid as his eyes screwed shut and the stinger finally penetrated his skin. 

"There we go," the hero smiled the wait was over and it was kinda funny to see how the boy tensed his entire body from the pain. At last, the moment Schwoz had been waiting for and as Henry gritted his teeth to bear what was probably like a pinprick, the genius twisted a nob on a canister to release the gas, flooding the chamber. He adjusted some settings and kept everything steady as the gas worked oppositely to how Twitler had stripped his powers, returning the energy that had been stolen through his nose and back into his body. It didn't look very pleasant, but it worked, no one was gonna complain. 

The process came to an abrupt end and the bee was released from its service, leaving Henry in a state of panic and everyone else waiting with bated breath. As he thumped on the glass to be let out, they couldn't help but wonder if it had worked or not. Did the kid get stung for nothing or were they back in business? Charlotte quickly stepped forward to let her friend out of the box and the moment the door was open, Henry shot out and scrambled to get as far away from that demon bee as possible. Did they know how badly his face was throbbing?

"Did it work? Do you feel fast?" Charlotte blurted out as Henry got his bearings after such a traumatic experience. He felt the same, a little groggy but nothing told him whether the world was going fast again or not, everything just seemed to go at a normal pace and he didn't feel particularly speedy. Well, there was only one way to sort that out.

"I don't know..." "Testing rock!" Ray had a method of decline whether they were back to their usual fighting power and of course, it came by throwing a rock at Henry's body. Before he'd taken it to the face in a humiliating defeat that proved Rick Twitler had won a bottle but to everyone's delight and Henry's shock, the rock seemed to slow down for him and his body became a blur when he dodged it a familiar lightning speed. Who cares if it hit Schwoz instead? Kid Danger was back and faster than ever.

"Oh!" "Yes, nice one, kid!" "Okay, uh, quickly! Someone throw some more stuff at me!" Henry gasped and blinked a few times to check that the moment was actually happening and not some delusion he'd conjured up in the grief of losing his superpowers. They. Had to ensure that everything was right and if his speed was working properly, so a missile or two would probably do the trick, just a few weapons of mass destruction to make his butt go quicker and see if he could go fast enough to punch Twitler in the face like he wanted to.

"I'll throw something at you!" Schwoz went first after getting up from the floor with a bruised forehead, "Now, you can also fly!" He said dramatically, making Henry's eyes go wide and (y/n) put at the sudden news that he'd inadvertently gained a new power thanks to the bee. No fair, she wanted to fly too, it seemed so cool, even if going high was a bad idea in a skirt.

"Are you serious?" "Yeah! You got all of that bee's power! You too can fly! Just jump and believe!" Schwoz exclaimed, building the boy up to believe that he could really do it if his heart wanted to get out there amongst the clouds and for the two other heroes in the room, it wasn't nice to have that scene painted in their heads but out of their reach. Of course, (y/n) settled for just a pout since she was a grown-up and preferred to stomp down her jealously so it would never see the light of day but Ray liked to throw tantrums. He was a man-child, after all.

"What? No fair, I wanna fly!" "No way, dude! I'm about to fly, go back to your girlfriend!" Henry shoved him back out of the way when the man pushed his way in front of Schwoz to stamp his feet and shout until he got his way, but Henry didn't want to hear it. He could go back to his babysitting fiancée and be a good boy because he was about to take flight for the very first time, and it didn't even matter how far-fetched the promise seemed.

"Uh, Hen? You sure you wanna jump from there?" (y/n) asked in a concerned voice as the boy clambered onto the arm of the couch with the obvious intention of jumping off. She hadn't exactly researched how Schwoz had transferred the powers from the bee to him and she didn't exactly understand it, but now that she thought about it, the smirk on his face did seem a little weird. As much as she'd like to get around without paying for an air ticket, she'd definitely take that news with a pinch of salt, unlike Henry, who was too excited about having an upgrade than thinking things through.

"Who cares?! See you in the clouds, ground-walkers!" He cried and took the leap of faith, diving off of the arm with his sights set on the ceiling and his arms spread wide like they'd help him take off. Of course, they didn't; predictably, he didn't fly, not at all, rather, he sank like a rock and bellyflopped on the ground in a heap of pain and regret in a move that made Schwoz and Charlotte cackle and (y/n) and Ray frown in concern. Well, that was a mean trick.

"I can't believe you thought you could fly!" "You literally fell for it!" The genius and girl laughed at his pissed-off face as Henry stayed on the ground and tried to ignore how his entire body was now aching. Yes, he now understood that he was an idiot, there was no need to rub it in, not when he could already feel how much of a dumb move that had been.

"Not cool, Schwoz!" He snapped as Ray leaned over and offered a hand to help him up, which he gratefully accepted. (y/n) gulped at the sight of the thick muscle tensing and stretching to get him to his feet and she felt the urge to reach out and grab hold of one just to reaffirm that they were as solid as they looked. No, focus on the mission at hand, it was best to get this mess over with, then they could go back to normal and she could live happily with him and the ring on her finger until the next time they were unfortunate enough to cross paths with Kris Hart.

But, just as the jokes and laughter had reentered the Man Cave, the danger and malice crept back in. With Henry on his feet, the computer's monitors flickered and went fuzzy for a brief minute before an all too evil and familiar face was back on their screens. Twitler had hacked into their network again and was sending one of his so-called friendly video messages, intent on seeing the chaos he'd wrought and eager to show what else was to come. Instinctively, Charlotte and Schwoz fell to their knees and ducked behind various pieces of furniture before they were seen by the villain. That left the three heroes, or rather the off-duty heroes to stand awkwardly without their usual masks to hide behind. Talk about being exposed.

"What's up, Man Cave?" He greeted them joyfully with an air of confidence that immediately had their guards up and their hair standing on end. That stupid smirk was back and (y/n) couldn't help but feel her skin crawl as his eyes scanned the room and seemed to linger on her, something that she tried not to think about, no matter how disturbing it seemed.  "Twitler!" Ray didn't take the sudden intrusion into his home very well either and in typical Ray fashion, he reacted without thinking, whipping his laser controller from his back pocket and zapping one of the computer's monitors before he could think about what he was doing. Of course, the screen cracked and broke upon impact but Twitler's image remained because he wasn't actually in the room, just a load of pixels being beamed from an undisclosed location. Duh.

"Did you try to shoot me through a computer screen?" Twitler asked with a condescending smile. It was fascinating for him to peer into their lives like this and even more satisfying to see what chaos he'd caused. Kid Danger looked so nervous, Captain Man was a bigger idiot than ever and Miss Danger, well, it seemed like his little plan of sending her and his moronic fiancé to Henry's house had worked a treat, just like he knew it would. That guy couldn't resist the woman that lived there and even after all she'd said to him, he was certain that even (y/n) (y/l/n) wasn't sure anymore.

"No!" "Yeah, you did, doofus, we all saw you—" the gorgeous woman murmured to her lover as he pretended that he hadn't just lost his temper so easily. But, to her shock and in a move that was totally unlike her adorable Ray, the man shouted over her soft mutterings, too wound up by the taunts of his enemy to treat her right. It wasn't the worst thing he could've said and normally she'd gloss right over it with an eye roll at his childish behaviour but it wasn't nice to hear after feeling so crap all day. Oh, what a glorious sight trouble in paradise made.

"What do you want, Twitler, huh? You gonna send more goons for me, (y/n) and Henry to take out?" Ray asked, not seeing the way his sweet girl deflated and looked down the floor, nursing a bruised heart. She was just overreacting, right? He didn't mean it, she was just being dumb, a dismissal was hardly a sign that he was growing tired of her, that was crazy. Ray didn't see but Rick did; his smirk carved into his cheeks even more as he practically witnessed a rift open between them, just a small crack that was widening with every minute and the idiot didn't even know it. It shouldn't have been so easy to prey on her insecurities and fears but it was.

"Oh, those goons were just a diversion! I need time to carry out my real plan." "Oh, yeah? Which is what? Huh? Being a jerk? 'Cause if so, mission accomplished!" "Yeah, good one!" the boys bumped fists as Henry used one of the burns he'd thought up and stored away when he was in the shower. It wasn't his best but it did the trick, anything to insult the man would do but he didn't seem offended. Rather, the comment and fist bump rolled off him and he didn't miss a beat when it came to responding because he was now in a position where revealing his entire plan wasn't disastrous. He was about to be victorious and in his victory, he'd get everything he ever wanted.

"No, the plan I told you guys about at The Honey Factory," Rick Twitler frowned at their apparent forgetfulness because he swore that he'd already revealed what doom he had in store for the world. Internet, destruction, dark ages, blah, blah, blah, how could they forget that?

"Uh, I wasn't really listening..." "Uh, I remember zapping you a lot..." "They aren't exactly known for their listening skills, you know," (y/n) told the CEO dryly as her friend and beloved doofus struggled to recall any specific details. Twitler wasn't sure if they were being deliberately facetious or not, but he wouldn't put being that dumb past them; Miss Danger understood, she was leagues beyond them but they struggled with simple skills learnt as a child. No wonder she was the only superhero he tolerated, well, it would be better if she swapped that uniform for something a little...darker.

"Remember this? The living computer virus I invented?" The villain questioned cockily and raised the canister that contained the glowing liquid of both Henry's power and the virus swirled together. That radioactive soup could take out the world's entire internet in a second and (y/n) gulped at how he was passing it between his hands so calmly, radiating a power that came from holding a weapon of mass destruction in his hands. But still, Ray and Henry weren't gonna give him the satisfaction of basking in his success.

"Uhhh...kinda?" "Uh, what am I looking at here? Sorta..."

"Well, it's nasty stuff. All it wants to do is spread and destroy, and now, it has your super-fast reflexes, Henry Hart," Twitler told them smugly, knowing that his virus had been engineered to stop at nothing and devour everything, any circuit, any data, anything that made up the web. It made him feel powerful and gave him a high that Twitflash had never done and he knew that whilst that had given him his money, freeing society of that scourge was gonna be his most real achievement.

"Oh, yeah? Well, guess what, Twitler? I got my powers back!" "Yeah!" "It's true, you've done nothing to stop us," the trio replied with equal confidence, not letting his little slip of Henry's real name affect them, even though it was still alarming to know that he knew all of that stuff. It was a small surprise for Twitler that they'd managed to get the boy's power back so quickly, but he didn't show it on his face. Wow, the kid could move fast again, as if that was gonna stop him. They were too late, everything was too late—the end had come and he wasn't about to back out now.

"It won't help you stop me. You couldn't stop me even if you could fly!" Twitler mocked the kid, causing Schwoz and Charlotte to silence their laughter by slapping their hands over their mouths. They could let him hear them but it sure was funny to remember how Henry had jumped from the couch because of their hilarious prank and the teen scowled as his fellow heroes also struggled to stop their lips from curling. Come on, if they didn't tease him, who would?

"That's funny you said that actually, 'cause, like, a second ago, Henry jumped right off the couch and— "He genuinely thought he could fly!" "It's not funny—it's not funny that you say that, so stop laughing! Let's listen to the plan that Twitler has that won't work..." Henry slapped at (y/n)'s arm as she put her hand over her mouth and giggled, Ray grinning just as much. Yeah, yeah, he knew he was an idiot, didn't they have more important things to worry about? Like stopping this guy's dumb plan that would fail because evil never triumphs?

"Oh, it'll work. This virus is about to destroy every computer network in Swellview and then, it will spread and destroy every computer network in the entire world and the era of technology will end! Forever..." Twitler's tone turned soft at the end and (y/n) felt as though his gaze had returned to her. 

And it's not like she could turn to her doofus for help; whilst his body was still there for her to hide behind, he was too engrossed in his text messages to notice any lingering looks and she didn't feel like being too clingy after feeling like a burden all day. She knew what it was like to be called clingy and the shame and pain were almost unbearable. So, she steeled herself and met his eyes, intent on figuring out why such a frankly brilliant man would have such dastardly plans.

"W-why would you want to destroy all of technology? I still don't understand," she asked, unable to wrap her head around his viewpoint, despite having it explained to her earlier. Twitler decided that if she didn't see the light then he'd take it to her. She was smart, she could work it out and once she saw it on his level, then maybe, just maybe, her feelings for other things would change too. His plans were so very dastardly and perfect.

"I think the internet killed his mom or something," Ray muttered, not once looking up from his phone as he vaguely replied to her query in the least helpful way imaginable. The woman sighed at him, wishing that he was just a little bit more engaged in such a serious conversation because whatever was on his phone couldn't have been more important. She was trying to think and him, his stupid huge muscles, tight t-shirt and floppy hair were distracting her brain from processing Twitler's reasons, which was infuriating under her heart's fluttering.

"Really? That stinks, dude," Henry grimaced for the man and considered offering him a little more sympathy before he decided against it. He was a criminal, after all.

"The internet did not kill my mom! She's fine! She lives in Boca—and are you seriously on your phone right now?!" The man snapped as he lamented the mention of his mother, who would probably disown him if she knew what he was up to. What was more frustrating though, was how for the last few minutes, Ray had been scrolling through the internet that he hated so much, meaning no matter how epic or heinous his speech was, it was just wasted breath. Ray loved how irritated he sounded and unable to resist, he couldn't help but use his few brain cells to come up with one of the sickest burns he'd ever thought of—and one of the most damaging, but not only for Twitler.

"Yep, looking at pictures of your mom!" He quipped, causing Henry to snigger at his laddish humour and they tittered together when Ray scrolled down the Twitflash page of what looked like a lovely lady with dark hair and brown eyes in her mid-forties. She looked nice, pretty despite the signs of her age and (y/n) felt her heart drop into the rift that was now gaping between her and Ray. It was just a burn, he didn't mean anything by it as he just wanted to embarrass that asshole, but she'd had more than enough of him lusting over other women for one day and the fact that he kept scrolling and smiling at each picture was the final straw. 

"Well, enjoy your precious internet while you can because soon, if you need information about something, you'll have to read a book! A real one! With pages made of paper!" Rick Twitler snapped, having taken that insult a little more seriously than the first. He wasn't seething like (y/n), but he wasn't just gonna let something like that slide, not when he was a momma's boy at heart, so he made them hurt too. 

The world was better before the internet came about; kids weren't rude or glued to phones, people talked face-to-face, libraries were the go-to place with information and everyone was happier. Things were great back then, and even (y/n) had to admit that her childhood was filled with fun and imagination without tech shoved in her face.

"No!" "You monster!" Henry and Ray didn't see it that way, though, they were quite happy with how things were now, so they were disgusted at his vow to take that away. In fact, the hero was so distraught that he forgot himself again and took out his laser control to break yet another monitor, and another, and another because maybe he could hurt Twitler now. Or not. Probably not, he was just breaking stuff and wasting dollars because he was having an emotional outburst. 

"Stop it!" (y/n) hissed and lowered his hand quickly before he could ruin anything else. She confiscated the gadget with a stern yank, causing Ray to pout at how his sweet girl had to tell him off, but he made another mental note that he'd make it up to her later with kisses and his usual friendly approach to make her happy with him again. It was fine, everything would be worked out later, he just knew it because that's how they always sorted things.

"Say goodnight, boys...and (y/n), don't look at me like that. You know what's logical and what's not," Twitler gave them all one last look, one more lingering than the others, before taking his computer virus and kneeling on the floor, meaning he was now leaning over several, thick pipes. They could only guess that they were the pipes that housed millions of super-thin, super-delicate fibre optic cables that fed the world's internet, which made them all so much more nervous, especially when the madman paused to look back at the camera.

"Also, Charlotte, I could see your hair the whole time," he revealed to the startled girl, who quickly ducked and slapped her hands over her protruding bun. If she had known that she stuck out, she would've chosen somewhere else because the knowledge that Twitler knew about her and all the other helpers in the Man Cave was disturbing. They didn't deserve to get hurt too just because they worked there.

The heroes couldn't break their gaze from the monitor as they watched Twitler break the jar open, releasing the green sludge onto an exposed portion of the fibre optics. Tenacious was the right word to use; the green goo seemed to come to life as it met the tech and seemed to wriggle to coat every single inch as the data went back and forth, thus releasing the virus into the world too. This was it, the internet was being hijacked and that was the end of the video.

"It's, uh, probably fine, right?" Ray stammered as they all reeled from what they had just watched. The virus was fast but for a few milliseconds, they had no way of knowing if Twitler's ick had actually caused a technological disaster. That was until the alarms started blaring and the lights started flashing, signalling that they had a very big problem on their hands, one that Charlotte rushed to identify. 

"Is that the "everything's totally cool" alarm?" Henry asked nervously as she stood at the computer to check it out. And all the while, no one noticed (y/n) slipping away, not just in thought, but also physically; she didn't know why but she had an idea in her head and it wasn't brave, it was stupid; it wasn't clever, it was ridiculous; it wasn't helpful, it was heartbreaking, but in the face of adversity, she decided that sacrifices had to be made for the ones she loved.

"Hey! Got the stingers out!—what is with the alarm?" Jasper exclaimed as he reemerged from the secret door with a handful of tiny pinpricks that had previously hindered his speech. (y/n) was glad that she got to see him one last time as she headed for the elevator and she was more than grateful that Ray was now focusing on several things that weren't her. If she had to meet his eyes, she wouldn't make it and nothing or no one could stop her in her flight. If this was a game then she'd play it, even if the winner loses in the end.

And just as she silently slid into the elevator and used the last of the power to make it to Junk-N-Stuff, the city went black. Generators and grids that supplied Swellview with power went down without the internet to tell them where and how much voltage was needed, so literally, the Dark Ages had arrived, with (y/n) having to push the doors open with her bare strength when the elevator jutted to a stop on the store's level. At least in the darkness, no one would notice she was missing until she was long gone with nothing more than her sincerest love left behind.

"Is this an "everything's totally cool" power outage?" Henry asked again in a much more fearful voice as they adjusted to the new world and instinctively, Ray reached for his sweet girl. His hands swatted at the air, wondering where she was in the pitch black because right now, things didn't feel safe and he needed her safe more than anything, so it truly was heartbreaking that she was walking herself into danger with the sole intention of doing the logical thing.

"It's okay. I think there's a flashlight in this drawer full of blasters..." Jasper said as he reached into a cabinet to try and find a light. However, in a typical Jasper fashion, he was less helpful and more...deadly, as he pulled a weapon that had been put away for safekeeping from noobs like him. 

"No, Jasper!" Ray cried and he lunged for the blaster since he didn't want anyone to have any holes in them when they couldn't see to find his fiancée's first aid kit, but it was too late. Jasper was known to be a bit trigger-happy and the minute the gun was in his palm, an orange death laser began to rain down on them, hitting the rock-face ceiling, walls, floor, you name it, it ricocheted off of it until it finally hit the final monitor and dissipated. Oh well, they couldn't connect to anything anymore, so it's not like they needed it.

"Sorry!" He yelled as their hearts thumped in their ears and he sheepishly put the blaster down before he could kill something else. They had bigger things to worry about though, such as the lights going out across the city; Junk-N-Stuff, Henry's house, the huge Swellview sign, everywhere was dark, which aided (y/n)'s sprint through the chaotic streets as she headed where logic told her to go. And that was Ray's biggest problem.

"Just put it down!" He snapped at Jasper because he had enough to worry about right now and a serious injury didn't need to be one of them when he had serious superhero stuff on his plate. More importantly, though, his heart twitched when he realised that something wasn't right and it wasn't because everything was dark. There was no laughter, no small figure pressed against his side or small hand holding his, there was no sweetness worrying about his silly self and suddenly, his heart lurched. Oh god, oh no, wait, where was his sweet girl?

"Uh, guys, where's (y/n)?" He asked in a panic, looking around frantically for her feminine frame in the dark and coming up with nothing. There was no reply either, no soft voice calling out to reassure and call him a doofus for worrying when she was right next to him and there were no lips to kiss away the worry etching lines on his forehead. The teens and Schwoz looked around in confusion because that was a stupid question; (y/n) was wherever he was and vice versa because they came as a package, one was never seen without the other as they were joined at the hip. 

"Uhhh, she's right...she's gone?" Henry gasped softly and was wide-eyed as he turned to his side, where he could swear the girl was only a moment ago, staring down Twitler as he had done but now...she'd just disappeared. They all looked around at the shadows and the shrouded furniture, wondering if she'd moved to a particularly dark corner but there was no one there—and Ray was starting to hyperventilate.

His chest was heavy, his forehead was getting clammy and Henry had to put a hand on his shoulder to pull him back to reality when he began to tear random objects out of his path, as if (y/n) would be crouching behind the took cabinet. He had to find her, he just had to because not knowing where she was frightened him more than a global apocalypse ever could and every scenario played in his head from kidnap to teleportation, foul play to...something more deliberate, a notion he couldn't stomach, not when everything was in chaos.

Ray looked so distraught and confused, so heartbroken and terrified like his soul had been pulled from his body to leave him lost and wounded. What would he say when she told him that she was just doing the logical thing?

~Some seedy, abandoned internet factory~

Navigating the streets of Swellview wasn't easy in the dark and the lack of GPS didn't help (y/n) either as she hiked her way up Mount Swellview and then crept along a shadowy, abandoned hallway. Why bad guys had to have such secluded hideouts was beyond her. 

Well, it wasn't totally abandoned, she could see a light at the end of the tunnel and against all instincts, she was going towards the light. Why? Logic told her so, or rather, a mysterious text sent to her phone seconds before the lights went out told her where to go. It didn't say much, nothing at all really, just a line of coordinates and a pin on a map in the creepy part of town where all of the crime went down.

She knew where to go but she didn't know what she'd find, so just in case she was walking into more trouble than she could handle, her Miss Danger uniform came out to play, which admittedly, made her stick out like a sore thumb for any criminals who were passing by, but it gave her an air of confidence and security as the colours reminded her of who she was doing this for. No fear, no weakness and certainly no revealing of her true emotions—that would end up in her being hung, drawn and quartered or something, bulletproof costume or not.

Reaching the end of the hall, she pushed open the heavy metal door and thankfully found it to be less squeaky than she had originally thought it to be. Someone kept their doors well-oiled and that someone was stood in the middle of the room, clad in a maroon suit with his broad, lithe back turned to her as he worked away on a rickety old machine that would've been more suited to a museum than service but she figured that it was the next best thing given that there was no internet. 

And for the most part, she could swear that her footsteps were silent, a trait perfected during one of Schwoz's lectures on "schneaking like a ninja for schuperheroes", but as she stood behind the steadfast man, his head seemed to look over his shoulder as if he sensed her presence.

"I wondered how long it would take you to get here," Rick Twitler started in a velvety tone that could've melted butter given how soft and crooning it was. The heroine stopped in her tracks, shocked that he knew she was there all along when she was trying to gain the upper hand of surprise but she refused to let it show in a soft gasp. 

The whole point of coming here, jeopardising everything she'd ever hoped to have and becoming a traitor was to make things right and she was certain that Twitler thought that she was stronger than she appeared on the outside.

"You knew I would come," (y/n) replied and immediately cursed herself when her voice wobbled between the intonation of a statement and a question. She didn't mean to sound so unsure of herself but if he noticed, Rick didn't say anything, he merely stopped what he was doing and turned so she could see his face. Still handsome, still perfectly groomed and still wearing the same smirk as always, and she knew it was because she'd come to his lair of her own free will.

"I knew that it was only a matter of time until you saw the logic of everything. I've read your file, you and me, we're the same," he told her, taking a few steps forward so he was only a few feet from being close enough to touch. Twitler's eyes seemed to study every flicker, every facial tick that lay beneath her mask and normally, she'd flinch under such close scrutiny given how unnerving it was to be under a perfectionist's eye. 

But she relaxed and let her shoulders drop, a sign to show that she wasn't here to fight, nor did she mean to be a threat because if she wanted a war, she'd have brought the cavalry. That bit was obvious. 

"How do you mean?" (y/n) frowned and tilted her head, a gesture that was endearing to the man since he appreciated how she strove to enlighten herself but not in a dense, moronic way that often infuriated him with others. 

No, her gaze was curious yet had a pearl of certain wisdom behind it that he enjoyed because it was so hard to find someone like him who saw the truth and how simple it would be to solve so many problems if people just stopped and thought. The world lacked thinkers and rationality, so with her, he hoped to end everything that repulsed him.

"Well, I saw it today. You don't shout, you listen. You don't argue, you learn. Do you know hard it is to find someone who understands what it's like to be a tortured genius? You—you are tortured, (y/n). You put on his uniform, you help him fight his battles and what does he give you in return?"

"I suppose...he...he will never see the world the way I do. And it's so tiring sometimes, loving a man who behaves like a five-year-old. That is until he sees a mom..." (y/n) squeezed her eyes shut to stop a brief moment of weakness in front of Rick, who took another calculative step so he could rest his palms on her shoulders. 

A warmth settled into her skin that strangely chilled her to the bone and she looked up to see piercing brown eyes boring into hers. For a brief moment, she could swear that she saw a flash of familiar icy blue but it was just her imagination—or possibly her heart trying to find what she was assuredly never gonna find again.

"That's why you sent us to the house, wasn't it?"

"My dear, sweet (y/n), I had to make you see. The minute he was there, Henry's mom took first place and where does that leave you? Hmm? With me, you'd always be first and you'd never be taken for granted. Not your loyalty, not your intelligence, nor your beauty. Join me, and we can make this imperfect world perfect again...let them see your worth." 

Twitler's offer made her shiver as his breath hit her neck and blew down her back. His nose was brushing into her hair and she could feel the curve of his smirk brushing the shell of her ear, a gesture that was so intimate it made her gut lurch and quiver as if her soul was rejecting the affection of a man who wasn't her soulmate. But she didn't push him away and spit in his face that he obviously didn't know her that well because that wasn't logical.

"I understand. The internet dies and society gets to live again." She replied with a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth as her arms came around his body to bring him into a gentle embrace, one that pleased the man to no end.

"Exactly. Long live society...sweet girl."

[dominionra]

DOMINION REAL ESTATE ADVISORS COMPLETES 15-YEAR, 90,000 SF LEASE WITH SWEDISH SUBSIDIARY ROBOVENT  

Posted by Crain's Detroit Business | Kurt Nagl | December 12, 2023

RoboVent, a supplier of air filtration systems to automotive and other industries, is planning to invest $1 million in a new 90,000-square-foot plant in Macomb County to handle recent growth.

The company is preparing to move from its 54,000-square-foot space in Sterling Heights into a 15-year lease at a newly constructed industrial building at 52029 Sierra Dr. in Chesterfield Township, President Rick Kreczmer said.

RoboVent, which employs about 120 workers with 76 in Michigan, will begin moving in February and is expected to be settled in by the end of May. The company will add a handful of employees to start and more as demand warrants.

RoboVent’s roots are in automotive, but it has seen significant growth in other industries, including aerospace, powder and bulk, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture and construction. Electric vehicles and batteries are another major target for expansion, Kreczmer said.

“Whether it has wings, wheels or floats, if it has a weld on it, it’s going to create fumes,” he said. “It’s up to us to take that out of the factory environment.”

The company’s line of products includes portable and modular units for dust, fume and mist collection. Its equipment is found in factories across North America, from tier one suppliers and machine shops to automaker assembly plants.

RoboVent outfitted Rivian’s plant in Illinois with air filters and counts Tesla as a major customer. Other customers include the Detroit 3 automakers, Iroquois Industries, Tenneco, Forvia and Lear. 

Its value proposition is simple: Healthy air creates healthier, more productive employees, Kreczmer said.

“If someone does metal working in Michigan, I’d be hard pressed to say that they don’t have one of our products in one shape or form, whether it’s a centralized solution designed specifically for their line or application, a modified version or they purchased our stuff through an integrator,” said Frank Cea, vice president of growth and engagement for the company.

RoboVent’s revenue is on pace to grow 15% over last year to $43 million. Kreczmer, who took the reins at the company five years ago, said he hopes to sustain that growth by diversifying. About 65% of its revenue still comes from automotive, with 80% tied to welding.

Founded in 1989, RoboVent was purchased by Swedish air filtration giant Nederman last year for about $40 million, giving the parent company strong footing in the U.S. welding market.

Kreczmer said RoboVent is well-positioned to capitalize on the industry’s electric vehicle transition as companies build new factories and retool existing plants. 

“I like the battery segment because that does give us a little bit of diversification outside of welding,” he said.

To read this article on Crain's Detroit Business, visit https://www.crainsdetroit.com/manufacturing/robovent-plans-expansion-macomb-county

[canoncompanions]

UPDATE: New Playlist: Life on Repeat

Ever since the HD Remix was released in 2013, The Stanley Parable has been one of my favorite video games. But I wasn't inspired to create a Canon Companion for it... until I played through the expanded remake, The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe, and here it is:

The Stanley Parable

Mad World by Gary Jules [Trading Snake Oil for Wolf Tickets]

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield [Unwritten]

Grinding Halt by the Cure [Boys Don't Cry]

Don't Leave Home by Dido [Life for Rent]

Window by They Might Be Giants [John Henry]

Stop! by Against Me! [New Wave]

Don't Make Me Wait by Locksley [Don't Make Me Wait]

My Dream's But a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare by Sonata Arctica [Unia]

Escape by Hoobastank [The Reason]

Hotel California by the Eagles [Hotel California]

Wasted State of Mind by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead [Monitor This! Dec 06/Jan 07]

Through the Fire and Flames by DragonForce [Inhuman Rampage]

Countdown to Extinction by Megadeth [Countdown to Extinction]

Galvanize by the Chemical Brothers [Push the Button]

Everything You Know Is Wrong by Weird Al Yankovic [Bad Hair Day]

Jump by Simple Plan [Still Not Getting Any...]

The Spoken Wheel by Flogging Molly [Within a Mile of Home]

I've Done Everything for You by Rick Springfield [Platinum and Gold Collection]

It Was Beautiful by Five Iron Frenzy [The End Is Near Here]

Suffer by Staind [Break the Cycle]

I Should Be Allowed to Think by They Might Be Giants [John Henry]

You Don't Own Me by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts [Bad Reputation]

Just What I Needed by the Cars [The Cars]

5000 Ways to Die by Nerf Herder [How to Meet Girls]

Ultra Deluxe

Technical Difficulties by Julien-K [Death to Analog]

Where to Begin by Bowling for Soup [Drunk Enough to Dance]

I Can Hear You by They Might Be Giants [Factory Showroom]

Handbook for the Sellout by Five Iron Frenzy [Our Newest Album Ever]

Memory from Cats (Original Broadway Recording)

Nobody's Listening by Linkin Park [Meteora]

Never There by Hoobastank [The Reason]

I Want More by Chumbawamba [Tubthumper]

Low by R.E.M. [Out of Time]

Holy Mountains by System of a Down [Hypnotize]

The Girl Is Mine by Michael Jackson [Thriller]

Harlow's Song (Can't Dream without You) by Good Charlotte [Cardiology]

Island Fever by Stagehands [The Silent City]

Worship You by Vampire Weekend [Modern Vampires of the City]

Underground by Men at Work [Business as Usual]

Never Leave by Seether [Karma and Effect]

Three Little Birds by Bob Marley [Legend]

Just to Get High by Nickelback [Dark Horse]

Done with You by Papa Roach [Getting Away with Murder]

Uninvited by Tony Harnell and the Mercury Train [Round Trip]

Split Personality by P!nk [Can't Take Me Home]

The Joker by Steve Miller Band [Greatest Hits 1974-78]

Creepy Doll by Jonathan Coulton [Thing a Week For]

Back 2 Good by Matchbox Twenty [Yourself or Someone Like You]

Help, I'm Alive by Metric [Fantasies]

Hello Again by Hoobastank [Hoobastank]

Immortals by Fall Out Boy [American Beauty/American Psycho]

New artists: Gary Jules, Locksley, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Cars, Cats, Bob Marley, Steve Miller Band, Metric

Formerly unique artists: Chemical Brothers

Artists who passed a ten: Coming soon

New duplicates: Coming soon

...

Isn't there supposed to be a picture of my favorite character in the work here or something? Oh, he's invisible. Well, that's new. Umm...

Welcome to the club?

[sunnygrey99]

Death Be Damned Pt. 5

~Trigger Warning: Typical TWD warnings. Minor Character death. depictions of violence. (minors DNI) If any other Triggers apply please let me know.~

A\N: All right guys this is where we start to diverge more from the canon plotlines way more. Is reader going to get in way over their head or will it become a success? IDK yet but we will figure it out. As always thanks for sticking in with me and enjoy the fresh chapter!

Wordcount: 2,089

Terminus. It was the first time you had found concrete proof that you were on the right trail. Daryl’s poncho on one of the walkers as you mowed down any others in your direct path. Then a church with a freshly dug grave. Several others were dead on the floors of the small white building. You were able to follow the trail however it started to go cold the closer you got to DC. In your travels, it only took a month before you found yourself hiding up in trees as you watched the horror of a biker gang mug and murder innocent people. It had been too late already to save any of them and there would be too many to take on. You decide at that very moment to watch the group. 

Following them all the way back to their camp. Its size has you in awe but you do not envy the people who live there. It’s simple enough to break in during the dead of night. The guards are either too lazy or too busy talking to each other about how much they enjoyed the murder of others. Blending in with the others was also just as simple. It felt as if you were slipping back into the job you’d done before the world ended. In no way did you ever think these skills would be useful in the event of the dead walking. Making sure to take into account every twist and turn of the halls, you walk around through the maze of steel pipes and concrete walls. Even in the late night of the factory, the torture of people in their cells continues. You can hear the muffled screams of one in particular. It makes your skin crawl but you can’t do anything yet. A plan needs to be formulated before taking these fuckers down. So that’s exactly what you decide to do. Four months of plotting and deciding the best thing to do, always watching silently under their noses. By now you know all the ins and outs of their so-called Sanctuary. 

You’d found your own supplies to put your plan in place. Rigging trigger-activated bombs in the bottom support beams of the building as well as in the vehicles of the most used transport vans/trucks. It’s simple enough to catch them in the act. You have a walkie at the ready and before you know it you hear of a meeting to be held for all of Negan’s men. They tell the whole plan in detail, of how they are going to teach these ‘Alexandrians’ a real tough lesson. Once they finish up their meeting you sneak out separately. Sniper in hand and waiting at their final destination. Eye to the scope as if you never left the military. 

It's nearly night before you hear their whistles signaling the arrival of their targets. The second you see the scruffy beard and long hair you recognize Rick, then the sheriff's hat on Carl’s head, the shaggy hair and scrunched features of Daryl, and the lean frame and black hair of Glenn. You knew you had to do this tonight for sure now. You needed to save the only people left that you could consider as family. But it needed to be as if you didn’t know any of them. Flipping the switch in your mind and letting yourself slip back into what you were trained for. 

~March 19th, 2002~

Listening intently to the instructions over the earpiece the young girl climbs the tree and nestles into the trunk and the thick branch she perches on. Bringing her scope to her eye just as she had been practicing. Lining her sights on her first target. This first one would need to be quick before getting to the next. She exhales as the targets are both lined up. 

“Targets both in sight. Devil at the ready.” Her small voice is laced with indifference as her finger moves to hover over the trigger.

The slight static on the earpiece sounds, “Take the shot and continue to phase 2 Devil.”

Only a slight inhale as the girl holds her breath, neither target moves as she pulls the trigger. No noise comes from the silencer only the whizzing of the bullet passing through the air and then both targets dropping. Wasting no time she climbs down the tree and discards the gun in a bag hidden in a shed that stood beneath the tree. 

~Present Day~

As you line your sights up with the tall figure of the very man in charge you wait for his bat to be raised and ready to swing. Quickly and firmly you press the button on the walkie. It's static putting a pause to the man’s movements even before you speak. “Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you Negan” He looks around seemingly shouting as you watch through the scope. You see as another of his lackeys hands him a walkie.

It takes a moment before he has the small box hovering in front of him,” And who the hell is interrupting me? Can’t you tell I’m busy?”

“I can tell you are about to make a big mistake.” You can just about make out the frustrated smile the man makes.

“Yeah and how’s that Missy?” He seems to egg on a challenge of sorts. 

You have no qualms with putting the man down immediately but that would likely get the others hurt. “Well it just so happens I’m against killing innocents so if you lay a finger on those folks I’ll have to kill you.” Your only hope is to talk this man down and make him an offer he’ll never be able to refuse.

“Well, that’s just unfortunate honey because these people here are killers and they need to pay for killing my men.” 

You can’t help the roll of your eyes at the man’s statement. “oh you mean the same guys who murdered an innocent group four months ago? Or was it the group that murdered parents in front of their young kids before torturing them and leaving them for their own dead parents to feed on...Oh or was it the same group going by your name that raped and murdered three young girls that were just trying to find a camp to stay in?” 

Negan’s radio stays silent for a long moment. You watch as he shifts uncomfortably as he looks at his group. He starts yelling at his group and pacing before coming to a full stop. Static flows through the walkie before he decides to speak again, “How do you know all this. Who are you.” His questions come out more as demands. 

You feel a small smile tug at your lips knowing he's going right where you want him. Tense and on edge. Questioning everyone and everything from the last year at the least. “You could say I am Negan, but I guess that isn’t totally true now is it? Who I am doesn’t matter but who you are does, because I want something from you.” 

His frame becomes more tense and agitated as he starts fidgeting with his bat. “You won’t be getting anything from me. You have no power here.” He clips the walkie to his belt and raises his bat again in front of a bulky red-haired man. 

Before he even starts swinging you shoot. The silencer doing its job and only the sound of the bullet going straight through the bat in his grip made a sound. Nearly exploding the bat itself on impact as it shoots off splinters. The man stands in shock at the demolished wood and barbwire. “You might want to rethink that kind of action Negan.”

He drops the bat to the ground and pulls up his walkie again. “I’ll find you and fucking kill you.”

“Aw did I take something important from you? What a shame.” Your voice laced with relaxed humor as if you were simply playing with your food. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll make you a deal. You and your men get back into your trucks and go back home. Then I won’t have to kill you.” 

You watch through your scope as his grip tightens on the walkie in rage. An angry grin makes its way to his lips. “You can’t kill us all. What do you have just one little sniper?”  

“Actually, I’ve got a sniper, and your whole compound is rigged with explosives. So if you’d like to still have a home and families to go home to I’d suggest leaving now.” You tighten your grip around the muzzle of the rifle ready to shoot again at any time. Taking slow breaths as you keep yourself calm. 

He is shouting again at his men as they stay surround the group on their knees. It's five minutes of the man talking to his right-hand man before his response comes. “I’m calling bullshit. Ain’t no way one person can hide out under my nose, place BOMBS UNDER MY HOME, AND GET AWAY WITH IT WITHOUT ANYONE NOTICING!” He drops the walkie to his belt again and pulls his gun aiming it at Rick’s head this time. He doesn’t put his finger on the trigger yet and just shouts at Rick. 

Thinking quickly to get the man away from the group and put his gun down, “Check the hood of the green ford F-150” His gun dips slightly as he shouts again at the man on his knees. 

He puts his gun down again before going back to the walkie. “You know these people? Is that why you are playing this game?”

You make sure to scuff over the radio. “Check the truck and I’ll tell you the god's honest truth.” 

He seems to huff before having his men pop the hood of the truck. The second the hood is propped up everyone backs up from it. His voice crackles off the walkie again, “You fuckin’ crazy or something? Who the hell are you?” 

A smile reaches your features, “Well, Honey I’m the Devil and I’m here to make a deal. I heard you like those so let’s get to makin’ one. Now I’ve already done some thinkin’ and some diggin’. From what I can tell Hilltop can supply food for each camp, Sanctuary can provide manufactured goods with all those machines and resources, and well if I’m hearing things right about Alexandria they can provide food later on and scavenging labor. Kingdom well things seem fine as they are with that deal you’d just have to produce for them too.” 

Negan stands there with complete rigidity. Thinking things over for several minutes as he talks to his right-hand man.  His response comes with a deflated tone, “And what would be your role? What do you get out of this?” 

“All your wives.” Your tone comes across as genuine and sincere giving the man pause. It's only moments later you are chuckling at his confusion, “I’m only joking. All I want out of this is peace. I’ll provide protection, information, and accountability. If one community doesn’t pull its weight there will be punishment. Think less murder and more trade and barter system.” 

Negan’s head drops and he sighs as he rubs his head. “We can’t use that equipment. We’ve tried. 

All we can offer is our manpower” 

You scuff at his response. “You have generators and manuals. The equipment works just fine. You can start off with black-smithing since you like to use it to burn people’s faces off.” 

“We do this and you get rid of the bombs?” His response and body language showing he’ll take the deal.

“I will.” Your response is short and direct. “However, If you break this deal. Even a sliver of it. I will show no mercy to you or any of the people in Sanctuary.” 

He nods and shouts to the rest of the men. They slowly load up into the vehicles. “I’ll leave the truck for you to de-bomb first. I expect it back.” 

“One last thing before you go. We need a leaders meeting. You and your right hand, along with the other communities. Two days from now on neutral territory. I’ll let you know the location tomorrow night on this channel.” Your voice is stern and unwavering with the final request. 

“I look forward to it Devil. Or...whatever your name is.” He is the last person to hop up in a truck as they all pull away.  

If you would like to be tagged in my works please feel free to message me and let me know who/what fandoms you’d like to be tagged in.

Those who asked to be tagged. <3

@ghxstttttt @pureblood-blake @sofi1sstuff @lvspit @greeneyedladysthings @justwannabefrea @kaitebugg03 @abbiesxox @missborntodiexex @troubleonrylothloth @geminigengar

[richard-d-sanchez-iii]

My dear, i think your costume style can be improved💋… These…colors🙁…Who made you the design?

@g-36927

*he glares at them, and his fist tightens on his cane.*

Costume? What gives you the right to comment on my clothing?

[theteasetwrites]

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Chapter 53: Little Things

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader ❧ Era: Season 8 ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: mild swearing, character death, violence, scary situation, gets a tad bit steamy (no smut though) ❧ Word Count: 5.8k

❧ In This Chapter: The tide is turning again, and not for the better, as the Saviors launch an attack against Alexandria, and prepare for another attack against the Hilltop. However, your group quickly bounces back with quick thinking and a certain firearm-wielding biker.

❧ A/N: God, I hated how they just randomly decided to kill off Carl for no reason. It just seemed needless, you know? And completely out of nowhere. I also cried when he died so I hate them for that too. Anyway, enough of my ranting. This chapter's got everything: plot, action, drama, heart, fluff, a little suggestiveness for flavor... enjoy!

The plan worked.

Daryl, Tara, and Morgan and his snipers successfully penetrated the walls of the Sanctuary and let in the herd.

Of course, Daryl justified his plan by insisting that the walkers were going to flood in from the part of the factory where the workers didn’t live, but ultimately he knew he’d cause a great deal of deaths.

For him, it was worth it, and it seemed to be working.

By the time Daryl had driven the big rig through the wall, the walkers were piling in quickly. He left soon after, returning to Alexandria with the good news, though he also knew Rick would be pissed at him.

Oh, and you.

Daryl was fully prepared to face your wrath when he walked through the door that evening. He wasn’t gone long, but he left without telling you, other than the simple note he left you.

After he opened the door, tore off his muddy boots, and sighed in relief at being back home, he immediately went looking for you. Assuming you’d be making dinner in the kitchen, he looked there first, only to find a note on the very same legal pad he’d left for you that morning. This note, however, was much, much longer. Daryl always kept it short and sweet, but you always wrote novels when you left him notes.

He studied the delicate cursive writing, admiring the soft, familiar curves that made his note look like the work of a caveman.

Daryl,

I probably won’t be here when you get back. I went to Hilltop, I thought they might need some help there, and I wanted to be with Aaron. Don’t worry—I took one of the cars and went when it was light out. If you want you can meet me there, but I understand if you have things to do at home. Do what you need to do. I’ll try to come back in a few days, or whenever I can. In the meantime, know that I’m not mad at you. I hope it worked out.

I love you, cutie pie.

(Y/N)

You were asleep in the trailer you had been assigned to when Daryl got to the Hilltop the next day.

That night had been a chaotic one in Alexandria; Negan and the Saviors stormed the gates and unleashed fire upon the community. Daryl didn’t get a good enough look before he left to see if your home was still intact, but he didn’t want to think about it too much, or how he was going to break the news to you that your home might’ve fallen.

In the aftermath, Daryl and the others hid in the sewers underneath the town, waiting for the Saviors to leave while listening to the sounds of explosions from above. As he held Judith, he thanked the god he didn’t believe in that you were safe at the Hilltop. At least, as far as he knew.

In reality, you were out with Aaron on the way to Oceanside, but he was none the wiser. As he sat there in that dimly lit sewer, he thought only of you, and the memories he had with Carl, who revealed to the group that he had been bit while saving a newcomer named Siddiq.

Daryl said his goodbyes, but he was never very good at goodbyes.

He didn’t say much, just that Carl was brave for getting everyone to safety. He couldn’t say anything else without tearing up before the young man, who laid before him with a terrible fever and with death close at hand.

Daryl certainly had a bond with Carl. Of course, he had a bond with everyone in your group, but he’d known Carl since the very beginning, even before Rick. He’d seen him grow up, much quicker than he should have, and even quicker than Daryl himself had.

He was one tough kid, and Daryl respected him. He knew you loved him, too, that you had a bond with him since the quarry. Now not only did he have to worry about telling you about Alexandria, but about Carl’s death, too.

The next day was spent leading the Alexandrians to the Hilltop. That was Daryl’s responsibility, with the help of Tara, Rosita, and, reluctantly, Dwight. Daryl had more or less forced him to join the others in the sewers, thinking he could still have valuable information. He didn’t want to be anywhere near the man who tortured him, but if he could help, it was worth it for Daryl to be pissed off constantly by his presence.

Plus, he got his vest back.

After a series of close calls and arguments, Daryl successfully led the group to the Hilltop, coming in through the gate that afternoon.

The Hilltop was in a topsy turvy position. Not only was it now housing Alexandrians, it was also a temporary home for thirty-eight Saviors taken as prisoners of war from the battle just about a few days ago.

Even Gregory, the leader of Hilltop, was imprisoned with them, on account of his treachery. Now, Maggie was completely in charge.

As such, she even killed one of the prisoners and sent his body back to Negan. If the Saviors weren’t coming to the Hilltop already, they certainly would be now.

When Daryl arrived, you were asleep in your trailer. You had only arrived a few hours earlier yourself, and you were exhausted from your encounter with Oceanside.

The sound of the squeaky door opening stirred you from your slumber, and Daryl internally cursed when he noticed he woke you up, though he was mostly just relieved you were all right.

“Daryl!” you exclaimed, albeit a bit sleepily, as you rubbed your eyes and sat yourself up in bed.

Before you could shoot up to greet him, Daryl rushed over to you, dropping his crossbow haphazardly and scooping you into his arms as he sat down next to you, making sure to keep you in bed all the while.

You hugged him tightly, breathing in his scent and smiling as you rested your chin on his shoulder. You couldn’t tell, but he was smiling, too.

“Thank God you’re all right,” you sighed, running one hand through his soft hair and the other rubbing his back. “Did everything work out at the Sanctuary?”

Daryl nodded his head. “Yeah,” he said. “It worked. Place is crawlin’ with walkers.”

You sighed, then patted his back as if in congratulations, though it wasn’t the strategy you would’ve taken. “Good,” you said, trying to be supportive. You pulled away a little to give him a long, sweet kiss, and then smiled at him as you admired his handsome face. “Did you come here just for me?” you asked with a smirk.

Daryl’s smile faded, and he lowered his head before speaking. “I did… but there was more.”

You grew concerned at his melancholic tone. “Daryl, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Every possible bad thing flooded your brain. The worst thing you could think of was that Daryl had been bitten, but that would’ve probably been more noticeable. The next thing was that someone else had died, or that Alexandria had fallen.

It was the last two.

“The Saviors came last night,” he said, looking at you vaguely, as if trying to avoid looking at you too directly.

“I—I didn’t think they could get out of the Sanctuary,” you said, then paused as you collected your thoughts. “It wasn’t because of what you did, right?”

You wouldn’t be angry at him if it was. After all, it wasn’t like he would have known, but it would cause you to feel sorry for him, knowing he would feel like he was the one to blame.

“Nah,” he said. “It was Eugene… got ‘em out.”

Bastard, you thought.

“They… bombed Alexandria.”

You closed your eyes and lowered your head, trying to hold back your tears. Daryl took your hand in his, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. “Is it gone?” you asked quietly, still looking down.

Daryl rubbed your arm up and down. “It ain’t gone,” he said. “Just… gonna need some work.”

“Our house… did—did you see what happened to the house?”

Daryl shook his head solemnly. “No, baby… I didn’t see it. Had to get out of there. Carl led us out.”

You nodded. “And they’re all here?”

Daryl let out a huff. “Most of ‘em.”

Your lips parted as you took in what he had said. “Most?”

He settled himself on the bed, then cleared his throat. “It’s Carl,” he said, careful to watch your expression, which quickly turned devastated. He knew you must’ve known now, but he continued anyway. “He was bit. Yesterday… got it while helping out this guy.”

You shook your head in disbelief. “H-he got bit?”

He took your hand in his. “Yeah.”

“Where is he?” you asked with a sudden urgency as you started to prop yourself up, but Daryl was quick to settle you down. “We should... we should get him to the doctor…” You trailed off, realizing there was no doctor on Earth who could save him. Still, you were in shock. The last person you ever thought of dying was the sprightly little boy you once gutted fish with in the quarry.

Daryl shook his head and cupped your cheek, the softness of his touch only exacerbating the reality of the situation. “He’s gone, (Y/N),” he said shakily as his own sadness threatened to overcome his otherwise stoic exterior. He always tried to be strong for you, even if he felt like he would break at any second. “He did it himself. Rick… Rick buried him back at home.”

You looked straight into Daryl’s blue eyes, trying to find some kind of indication that he was lying to you. You knew he would never lie to you, but it didn’t seem right, or fair—nothing was fair.

“N-no,” you said as tears began to fall, despite your insistence that the boy was, in fact, alive. “No, that’s… that’s not right.”

Daryl nodded. “It ain’t, but it’s true. He kept his eyes on you as he twisted around to reach into his back pocket, pulling out a folded piece of white paper with your name written on it. “He wrote letters,” he said before clearing his throat, trying to keep from crying himself. You shook your head and covered your mouth, heartbroken by the sudden reality that hit you with the presentation of the letter. “This one’s for you.”

You looked back up at him. “Not Carl,” you said. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that.” Your voice broke, and you finally felt the lump in your throat give out as you cried, trying to suppress the whimpers.

You hated that you still cried, after everything you’d been through. Some people didn’t cry anymore, at least, from what you’d seen. You, however, couldn’t seem to avoid it.

Daryl wrapped you up in his arms, allowing you to bury your face in his shoulder as you usually did when you cried. He closed his eyes tightly, leaning into your shoulder and trying to let out his tears as silently as possible. You’d seen him cry before, when Merle died and a handful of other times, but he always felt like he shouldn’t; like he should be the one to comfort you. He didn’t think it was weak for others to cry, but it was for him.

You held him to you tightly, feeling the frayed and worn fabric of his angel wing vest underneath your shaky fingers. It felt so good, so right, so comforting.

“Y-you… got your vest back,” you sniffled.

Daryl rubbed your back up and down as he grunted in affirmation. “Dwight, he was with us last night… till he ran off with the Saviors again.”

You sighed. “They’re going to come for us,” you said. “Now that they can get out… and Dwight will tell them we’re in Hilltop.”

Daryl leaned back to kiss your forehead, then looked at you with those soft eyes he kept only for you. He rubbed your cheek up and down all the while. “Won’t let them hurt ya,” he said. “Or anybody. We’re gonna win.”

You rubbed your nose, still trying to compose yourself. “I know,” you said. “I just… just don’t want anyone to die. Not our people, anyway.”

A few moments of silence passed, in which Daryl pulled you into him again. You leaned into his chest and allowed him to just hold you, knowing you both needed it.

“It’s just like before,” you said.

Daryl furrowed his brow, but allowed you to continue. “The fighting. It’ll never change. Everything else changed, but not that. The world, it’s the same. You told me, that night we met, that it was different, that it’d never be like it was. That was before we knew there were people like Negan, like the Governor, like the Claimers… people just… want things, and they don’t care who gets in the way. That’s how they’ve always been. You’d think, with the dead walking around, that people would stick together, try to be good. It could never happen.”

Daryl swallowed hard, and pulled you even tighter into his warm, comforting chest. “We’ll change it,” he said. “All of us. You an’ me… we’ll make it right.”

“Do you think there will ever be some kind of peace? That people could just… get along, fight the real enemy?”

The real enemy, you both knew, being the dead.

Daryl sighed. “I don’t know. Wish I did, but I don’t.” He loosened his grip on you to bring your face up to his. “All’s I know is I love you, and what we’re fightin’ for… is peace, as messed up as that sounds. Negan, the Saviors… what they want, the world they want, it ain’t right. That’s why we fight ‘em, to put the world back right.”

He brushed your cheek with his thumb, and you leaned into his touch, realizing everything you were fighting for was right in front of you. He symbolized it—everything. Hope, life, love, peace.

“You know I fall in love with you all over again every single day?” you asked him.

He gave you a small smile, and you couldn’t help but notice the blush in his cheeks. “You do, huh?”

You closed your eyes and nodded. “Yes, Daryl. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped falling in love with you. You’re just so damn perfect.”

He scoffed. “Ain’t nowhere close to perfect… could be a hell of a lot better of a husband.”

You tilted your head and frowned. “How so?”

He shrugged. “Coulda stayed with ya yesterday, not left and gone to the Sanctuary.”

“Daryl, I understand why you did it. I may not have done it myself, but I get it. I’m not upset with you. You are a good husband. The best. I wouldn’t want anybody else. Ever. You’re amazing, and you’re so good to me, got it?”

Daryl looked down at your hands holding his in your lap. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I got it… you’re perfect, too.”

You smiled, then looked down at the letter Carl had written for you that you placed on the table beside you.

“I think I should read this,” you said.

Daryl nodded. “I’ll leave ya alone,” he said before getting up to kiss your head. “I’m gonna go talk to Rick, see about gettin’ ready to fight again.”

You nodded, then pulled him down by his arm to plant a kiss on his lips. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” he replied.

When he left the trailer, it took you a moment to compose yourself again. Just looking at Carl’s handwriting before you made you cry again. The fact that he was gone… it just didn’t seem right.

It was like when Glenn died—unreal. You knew Carl since the beginning, and you watched him grow and adapt to the world around you, while still trying to just be a kid.

In a lot of ways, he had it the hardest of all of you. There was no way you could ever imagine growing up that way, in a world where you were constantly fearing for your life, and watching the people around you who were supposed to protect you die in the most bloody ways imaginable.

And yet, Carl did it. He grew up in that world, and he turned out to be a good young man. You were proud of him. The fact that you couldn’t tell him that before he died made you sick to your stomach with regret.

Still, that letter was sitting on your lap, waiting to be read.

Tentatively, you unfolded the crisp white paper to reveal a smattering of handwritten text that took up the whole page.

(Y/N)

I really wish I could say goodbye to you in person, but this will have to do. I want to start off by saying thank you. When things first went bad, back at the highway, I remember seeing you talking to my mom. You were scared, but you also led me and my mom to the quarry. You didn’t know us, and you didn’t have to do it, but you did. You helped us. That was where it all began, where we lived. It seems like so long ago now, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember you helping our group in any way you could, and I remember sitting with you and Sophia and Carol, gutting those fish Andrea and Amy caught. I wish things were as simple as they were back then. Even back at the prison, when you helped me swaddle Judith, that was the way I wish it could always be. Just little things. Those were the things that kept me going, and you made those things real for me. Thank you for that, for the little things. I know things are hard now, and that it’s a lot more complicated than it used to be, but I also know you’ll make it, you and Daryl. Things will get better, and you’ll have the life you always wanted. You’re gonna make more of that tofu stir fry, and gut more fish, and maybe even swaddle your own baby someday. I wish I could be there to see it, but maybe there’s a Heaven, and I’ll be watching it from there. I hope I get a front row seat.

Love always, Carl.

You cried, of course. What other reaction was there?

It was the last thing Carl ever said to you, and you held it in your hands like a sacred document. Folding it back and wiping your eyes, you placed it delicately in the drawer of your bedside table.

You just hoped that when they attacked, you’d be able to retrieve it in case things went south.

The rest of the afternoon, you helped everyone prepare for another fight. The Saviors were out now, and they would surely come to Hilltop for vengeance.

Daryl went out to help keep a lookout and alert Hilltop when the Saviors were spotted, and to shoot at them from the rear.

When evening fell, you found yourself tucked away behind the bed of a pickup truck, along with Bev, who you were still trying to get used to seeing with a semi-automatic rifle.

“You good?” you asked her quietly.

She nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Just point and shoot, right?”

“Yeah,” you replied. “And don’t get shot. That’s the trick.”

She smiled. “Let’s kick some ass.”

When the Saviors arrived, you could hear the faint conversation between Maggie and what sounded like Simon on the walkie talkie from the balcony above you.

“In case it’s not already as plain as Hilltop potatoes,” you heard Simon say into the walkie, “yours truly is speaking on behalf of Negan this go-around, and I assure that the man himself personally received your care package, next-day delivery. I noticed that it was the box that I gave you in good faith. Trick’s on me, but the bill’s come due, and you and your people are gonna have to pay. Quite dearly I’m afraid.”

“Your thirty-eight people are alive and breathing,” replied Maggie. “Turn around and leave us be and they stay that way. But if you don’t, I have thirty-eight bullets that I will personally fire into all thirty-eight.”

“Well,” said Simon, “this is highly regrettable, but the way I see it, the Saviors you’re in possession of there are damaged goods. They’ve got themselves into their own pickle, and this organization prizes those who ‘a,’ avoid capture, and ‘b,’ figure out their own shit when said outcome eventuates. Which, in the end, is my way of sayin’ screw them.”

Bev took a deep breath beside you, and closed her eyes tightly.

“Hey,” you said, grabbing her trembling hand, “we got this. Kick some ass, right?”

She laughed nervously. “Right.”

Before you could offer any words of encouragement, you heard the loud hum of Daryl’s bike, then the sound of a rain of bullets being fired.

If all was going according to plan, Daryl was shooting at the Saviors from behind, and he would ride through the gates to lead them into a school bus that would pull in front of them to slow them down as they came through the gates behind him.

When you heard the sound of Daryl’s bike getting closer, followed by a large crash, you figured it had worked.

“Now!” cried Maggie.

You nodded to Bev, then the two of you propped your elbows on the edge of the truck to begin firing relentlessly at the Saviors.

It was dark, but the lights from the cars and the lantern hanging from the balcony of the Barrington house guided you as you set your sights on several Saviors, one after another.

You weren’t expecting a barrage of arrows to come flying from behind the gates, but at this point nothing totally surprised you.

“Shit, get down!” you yelled to Bev, who followed your lead as you tucked into yourself behind the truck.

In small bursts, you propped yourself up again to shoot more Saviors, keeping in mind the projectiles being flung from above.

Soon, Maggie gave the signal to retreat inside and begin plan B.

You switched off as many lights as you could as you went inside, leaving the Saviors in complete darkness, as was a part of the plan.

Yourself and the rest of the snipers each perched in one of the myriad windows facing the gate, while a few others stayed outside to activate the lights.

After a long period of silence in the darkness, the brights of the headlights all switched on simultaneously, blinding the Saviors before you all began shooting.

Soon, every car in the place turned its lights on, and more of your people came out from their hiding places to drive the Saviors out, killing as many as they could in the process.

The fight was over as quickly as it started. You watched as the Saviors piled into their vehicles and drove off like the cowards they were. Of course, you were thankful for their cowardice, because you were, incidentally, out of bullets.

The only disappointment of the night was that no one had a chance to kill Negan since he wasn’t there. At least, not from what any of you had seen.

It was almost midnight when you settled into bed, with the hopes that Daryl would join you, too.

He did so not long afterwards, and you felt the familiar dip of his body weight. It’d been so long since he’d slept in a proper bed. The couch back at your house was nicer than nothing, but the bed in the trailer at the Hilltop was like a cloud.

You turned to watch him sitting up in bed as he stripped himself of his shirt with a low grunt, his familiar broad, robust frame highlighted by the dim lantern you had kept on the side table for when he came to bed. It was a good opportunity to admire his well-developed muscles that always seemed to beg release from the confines of his button-up shirts.

“Mmm,” you moaned, almost hungrily, “who is this strong, handsome man in my bed?” you asked sleepily as you trailed your fingers loosely up and down his bare side, his exposed skin so warm and comforting.

He scoffed. “Pfft, go to sleep, crazy woman.”

You sat up and kissed his cheek as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “I didn’t know you could ride a bike and shoot a gun at the same time.” When you saw him coming through the gates that evening, you didn’t even realize until later just how badass (and, for lack of a better word, sexy) he looked, wielding an automatic rifle as he rode on his Frankenstein bike into Hilltop like a vigilante hero. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

He laced his arms around your torso and pulled you in closer to him until your chests were touching, the soft, silky fabric of your white nightgown (donated to you by a kind Hilltop resident) caressing his bare skin.

“Lots of things… can’t stop lovin’ you for one.”

You smiled. “Oh, my sweet, romantic man.”

He squeezed your nose gently with his fingers, to which you snorted in response, then scrunched up your face in mock pain.

“Ouch,” you said.

“That didn’t hurt,” he chided with a smirk.

You shrugged. “No, but I think it might need a kiss.”

Daryl rolled his eyes, and, of course, gave in to give you a small kiss on the nose. “Better?” he asked, leaning his head back on the wall behind him and looking down at you with hazy eyes.

You nodded. “Mhm, much better… I think I might need more kisses, though,” you said with a smirk.

“Pfft,” Daryl scoffed slightly as he tangled his fingers in your messy hair and attempted to brush through it. “You’re so high maintenance,” he teased. The truth was, he loved how much attention you required, and he loved to bestow it upon you.

You laughed and nuzzled further into his chest, your fingers lazily twirling around his sparse chest hairs. “You wouldn’t want me any other way,” you responded.

Daryl nodded, then leaned down to kiss your hair. “Nah,” he said. “Wouldn’t change a thing ‘bout ya… needy princess (Y/N).”

You rolled your eyes, pretending to be offended, though the small giggle seeping through your lips betrayed you. You raised your head and faced Daryl, who looked the most relaxed you’d seen him in a while, which wasn’t saying much, considering Daryl never looked relaxed.

You lifted your hands to cup his cheeks and stroke them gently, the sparsely populated filaments of light brown and grey beard hairs tickling your palms with each caress. He closed his eyes and cooed a little at the pleasant feeling of your touch. He rested his hands on your lower back and rubbed them up and down slightly in appreciation.

“Another victory in the books,” you said softly. Daryl opened his eyes hazily. “All thanks to the indomitable, undefeatable Daryl Dixon.”

Daryl shook his head with a small smirk. He couldn’t help but be amused by your description of him. “Wasn’t just me,” he said. “Was all of us.”

You tilted your head. “Just let me shower my amazing husband in cheesy compliments, all right?”

Daryl’s modesty drove you, and your constant need to dote on him, insane.

He looked at you for a moment before sliding his hands up your back, resting on your shoulder blades and then quickly pulling you down until your lips met. You let out a surprised squeak, then closed your eyes and melted into his sweet kiss.

His mouth enveloped yours from every angle as he massaged your lips with his. His familiar taste flooded your mouth when you felt his tongue slipping in and slowly soaking up your saliva.

You always loved his messy kisses, how he poured every ounce of the passion he had for you into them, careless as to how crazed he might’ve looked as his mouth devoured yours with increasing speed and animalistic hunger.

“Mmm,” you instinctually moaned into his mouth, causing him to open his eyes and smile against your lips.

You were nearly gasping for air as you slowly separated from his heavenly lips, panting in desire for you.

“What’s gotten into you?” you asked with a giggle.

He shrugged. “Said you wanted more kisses,” he replied, then leaned up and pulled you down to meet his lips again.

You felt his hands travel down to massage your ass, and you responded by grinding down into his crotch, which you soon realized was completely bare as you felt his exposed cock hardening against you.

With a flutter of excitement, you reached your hand down beneath the flannel sheets and began massaging his length, to which he let out a strangled moan into your mouth.

In one quick movement, Daryl grabbed your waist and flipped you over so you were laying on the other side of the bed. He growled as he moved his hands down to your panties and tugged them off of you, then whisked away the sheets that were getting in his way of making love to you.

The day hadn’t started off strong—with news of Carl’s death and the destruction of Alexandria. All the while, you were still worried about Aaron and what was going on with him at Oceanside.

When Daryl arrived, though, you felt like there was nothing you couldn’t face.

The two of you made love for a while that night, much longer than you had for some time. The evidence of the blissful, victorious night was present when you awoke in haze.

Your nightgown was strewn across the floor, along with Daryl’s clothes and crossbow, and you were twisted around in a tangle of sheets, which were definitely going to need to be washed.

You felt Daryl’s chest moving up and down against your bare back, then his lips against your shoulder as he left a slow kiss there.

“You’re awake,” you whispered with your eyes closed. “Can’t you ever sleep in?”

“Ain’t that what we’re doin’?” he asked. He rested a hand on your hip, and reached down to lay your own hand over his.

“What you need is a long vacation,” you said, knowing full well Daryl had been awake for a while before you woke up. “If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

Daryl huffed. “Why you always gotta ask me stuff like that? Ain’t like we’ll ever be able to go anywhere.”

You shrugged, then turned to face him. He adjusted his arm by wrapping it around you and pulling you closer. “Because it’s fun to imagine, and maybe someday it can happen.”

“You go first,” Daryl said with a nod of his head. “Where would you go?”

You looked up at the ceiling of your trailer as you thought. “Hmm…” you said. “Well, I’ve always wanted to go to Italy.”

Daryl raised an eyebrow. “Just ‘cause you like pasta?”

You laughed. “No! I want to go to Florence, see all the renaissance art. It’d be nice to see the countryside, too. Of course, there’s Rome, and Venice… and I’d take you with me. We could go on one of those gondola rides, have a nice candlelit dinner, see the Sistine Chapel, ride around on a little Italian scooter… how romantic.”

Daryl snorted. “We ever get a boat, I’ll take ya there.”

You leaned up to look at him. “Where would you go?”

Daryl looked down at you and sighed. “Don’ know,” he said.

“I don’t believe you,” you said playfully. “Even you want to travel the world, so spill.”

Daryl huffed as he looked at you, searching your face for the answer. “I guess… I don’t know, maybe… maybe Japan.”

“Ooo,” you said. “Why Japan?”

“Samurai movies,” he replied. “Used to watch ‘em a lot when I was a kid, that and those dumb westerns they made in the sixties.”

“Well, maybe someday we’ll go to Japan, and you can live out your cowboy-samurai fantasy.”

The corner of his lip quirked up a bit as he looked at you, and absentmindedly played with your hair. “You really think that could happen?”

You shrugged. “No,” you said, “but it’s a good thing to look forward to, even if it’s impossible.”

You curled yourself tighter into Daryl’s warm body, the rising morning sun pouring through the slats of the blinds of the window above your bed. The rays touched your hand as it laid gently across Daryl’s torso, and you smiled at the delicate caress of the warm sunshine crawling over your fingers as it steadily rose.

“Carl said it’s the little things,” you said. Daryl furrowed his brow a bit at your sudden statement. “In that letter he wrote… he said I reminded him of the little things that kept him going. I guess that’s what keeps me going, too. Just… thinking about things like that, that seem kind of trivial and irrelevant to the messed up world we’re in.”

Daryl traced his fingers up and down your arm, then settled his hand over yours and laced your fingers together. As you rested your head over his chest, you sighed at the sound of his steady heartbeat as it reminded you that he was alive and well, and right by your side where he belonged.

“I’m going to miss him, Daryl,” you said sadly, your voice beginning to falter. “When he was a boy, when I first met him… I didn’t think he could make it in this world. It’s harsh and cruel and no place for a kid to grow up, but then again, it always was.”

Daryl nodded. “You helped keep him alive,” he said. “Like he said, the little things… I mean, you do that for everyone—remind us of the stuff that makes us human, the stuff that don’t matter. It matters so much that it does.” Daryl was silent for a moment as he tried to comprehend what he’d just said. He always had trouble articulating himself verbally. “That don’t make any sense, does it?”

You laughed. “No, I get what you’re saying. Thanks, Daryl.”

“Welcome,” he replied. “Let’s go back to sleep.”

Your eyes widened. “But the sun’s coming up, don’t you want to get up and do your rounds?” After all, Daryl was already sleeping in way past his usual rising time, which was even before the sun came up.

Daryl shook his head, then rolled over onto his side until you were facing him. “Nah,” he said. “We got a little time to sleep in. ‘Sides, gotta appreciate the little things, right? For Carl.”

You smiled. “For Carl.”

~

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[shanair]

Rick and Morty X F!Reader | S4E8

A/N: This one is a big jump in the series but has call backs that is not yet established (whoops) but the next episode after this one will be the last of my pre-written ones before writing in order. It’s actually an original so stay tuned for that. -

Episode Name- The Vat of Acid Episode

Word Count- 5,708

Rick flies to a spot on an acid-type planet. It kind of looks like just a big factory. Morty grumbles in the back. We were both kind of in a bad mood, but he was still irregularly quiet. He goes to park outside before abruptly stopping.

“Oh shit, I almost parked.” Rick releases the wheel, we hover above the ground. “Hey, (Y/N), hold on, look at this.” He presses a button, and the ship parks by itself.

“Uh-huh.” I brush it off, looking out the window. Rick starts to screw his flask close, putting it in his pocket.

“Well, I thought it was cool. So. We should be in and out. Simple exchange, not even really an adventure. And if anything goes wrong…” Rick opens the door, stepping out. I unbuckle my seatbelt, opening my door as well. “Which it won’t, jump into the same vat of acid I jump into. I open my door, processing what he said.

"Okay. Wait, wait, what? What vat of acid?” Rick looks at me in front of the ship before rushing back into it. 

“What, (Y/N)?” He sits back down, shutting the door. “Close the door.” I close mine. “I pre-scouted this location and placed a vat of fake acid amongst the real ones. It’s got air hoses and a compartment of bones at the bottom. If things go wrong, which they won’t,” I eye Rick suspiciously, “we jump into the vat of acid, and I’ll release the bones, they’ll float up- What is this face you’re making?”

“I don’t know. It just seems cheesy. You’re an inventor but a fake vat of acid?”

“Yeah, what part of a fake acid vat with built-in air supply and quick-release bones isn’t inventive enough for you, and when did my job become pitching you ideas?” Rick snaps. I sigh re-opening up my door. Morty follows behind me.

“All right fine! Let’s just do this.” Bottles fall as my legs push them out of the ship, “I need to help Morty with his English homework.”

“You’re still learning English?” Rick pays attention to Morty. “That’s the language we speak. How dumb are you?” I roll my eyes at his comment. Morty didn’t seem to be in the mood to retort back against him. I grab the briefcase of the crystals and follow Rick inside. It’s cool, in a nasty creepy, someone is going to betray and kill me way. We walk across the long corridor and into the room of vats. I glance over the acid vats. I do give Rick props that you can’t tell which one is real or fake. The buyers/dealers in a group of four walk in at the same time, meeting us in the middle. One of the purple furry-looking guys speaks, who I’m assuming is the leader.

“Interesting choice of meeting place, Rick.”

“You like it?” Rick nonchalantly replies, “My granddaughter had notes." 

"Come on.” I groan. A similar-looking henchman but shorter walks forward towards the leader.

“Show him the crystals, (Y/N)” Rick motions to me. I open up the case, exposing the shiny jewels. The leader nods to the small one and he does the same. We close the cases and trade them.

“I’ll make lots of money with these.” The leader admires the crystals in his hand. Rick does the same with the new blue crystals.

“I’ll make lots of those with these.”

“Well,” the leader points, “those are fake.” His crew pulls out weapons. Rick holds his arms up, dropping the crystal he held. I flinched back, still holding onto the open case of fake crystals.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” I hear Morty murmur behind me. 

“Oh, Jesus fucking Christ. Come on.” Rick overlaps me. “You brought fake crystals and a gun?” The leader shrugs. Morty eyes the vats of acid then Rick.

“Beats real crystals and no gun.”

“Okay, but does anything beat fake crystals and a fake arm?” Rick shoots the biggest guy in the back, using a hidden arm. I close the case and watch. Why am I even here? Such a mediocre adventure. He could have just brought Morty. They react in shock, watching their worker fall over.

“Whoa, do you know who I am?! Even if you kill me, you’re a dead man.” Rick looks at them in fake disbelief, lowering the gun.

“Are you serious? (Y/N), he’s right. We’re screwed” I glance at him. He’s going to show off his stupid fake vat. “Let’s just end it. Quick death, come on.”

“Really? Wow, okay-” I slightly yelp, being pulled back by Rick into the ‘vat of acid’. I regain my focus, the green water blurring my vision. Morty jumped in after us, he swam in between the middle of us, avoiding eye contact with Rick. Wow, he really is in a mood today. I feel a tug on my shirt. I look down as Rick shoves a tube into Morty’s and my mouth. He squats next to his contraption, releasing the fake bones. Rick then presses a button on a scanner, putting out a transmitter that allows us to hear what they’re saying.

“Guess he took your threat pretty serious.”

“Yeah, but it just- doesn’t make any sense.”

"Well, he was a scientist.” I share a stare with Rick. He quickly flips me off before tuning back into the trio.

“Maybe he knew more about acid. Maybe it’s like the most painless way to go.”

“How could that have been painless?”

“You saw that pause before the bones floated up. That had to be five seconds of unparalleled torture.” Rick gives me a thumbs-up. I glare back at him. “I-I can’t get my head around it. I-I thought I’d seen this galaxy at its darkest. This is- this is gonna take a while to feel normal.”

“We’re pretty good listeners, boss. Drinks are on us if you want to talk it out.”

“Thanks, but what happened– It happened here, I don’t want to lose the moment.”

“Take your time, boss. We’ll stay here as long as you want.” My expression lightens. I stare at Rick. He could see my smug grin and furrowed his brows. Wow, who knew this so-called simple adventure would turn bad? “Absolutely. I got nowhere to be.” Rick gives a dumb look. I squeeze my temples, realizing that we might have to stay here underwater in fake acid for hours. They go on and on about gruesome stories. How is that helping him cope exactly? Rick silently gets my attention, telling me to listen.

“All right. I think I’m ready to deal with the world now. Let’s get out of here.”

“Should we drop our buddy in here before we go?” I raise my arms in panic. Rick dismisses me and reaches down. I look over, he kept spare bones down here.

“Yeah, probably a good idea.”

“Should we use a different vat? Does acid lose its acid power the more it dissolves?”

“What am I, an acidologist?”

“Here, grab that ratlike creature. We’ll do a little test.” Rick frantically grabs a small bone from the extra and pulls a switchblade out, carving into it. He hands me some small bones.

“Look, if you’re going to test the damn acid, don’t use a rat, take that ladle, grab a spoonful, and put it in the analyzer.” Rick pulls out his vaporizer, setting it to a lower setting, and shoots the ladle. They all cheer out.

“Okay, I’d say that’s pretty acidy. Drop him in.” Rick begins to release the bigger bones and the earlier rat drops in. “What are you doing? Not the rat, the guy!” Rick scrambles to grab it. In doing so, he releases the bones. Rick pulls out his gun and aims it at the rat. Morty suddenly reaches forward and stops him. In doing so he reached over me, preventing me from reaching the panel of bones. The regular bones get released out. They all gasped out. Morty gives the rat his oxygen tube, letting it breathe while he holds his breath. They all yell over about the bones, not believing in them.

“All right, that tears it. I’m canceling the rest of my night and calling a bone scientist. We’re getting to the bottom of this.” Fuck this shit. Morty has the same thought as he grabs Rick’s gun, swimming up after taking the rat. I swiftly follow.

“Jesus, fucking Christ! Enough already!” He holds the rat and then throws it at the small one. He fires at the leader, the gun wasn’t set to the right parameters. It only set his suit’s sleeve on fire. Rick surfaces, grabbing the gun out of his hand and quickly killing the three. Morty jumps out of the vat, scooping up the dropped real crystals back into the case. I feel Rick glares at me. What did I do? He looks back at Morty, who stands up with the case.

“Can we go?!” He exhales, already fed up. Rick silently returns to the ship, and we leave the planet. I decide to sit in the back as Rick faces Morty.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Just admit it was a shitty idea and a waste of time.” I sit forward.

“Having grandchildren?” Rick glares back at me.

“A vat of fake acid! Are you dying of dementia?” Morty crosses his arms.

“How are you talking to me like this? Wh-when did you get so cocky?” Rick looks back at me when speaking. I sulk down. Earlier words of my purpose echoed in my head. Morty sees this and seems to get more irritated.

“Tonight! Tonight, Rick! The night I saw you fail!”

“Because you ruined it!”

“It was pre-ruined!”

“Oh, was it worse than when I was a pickle. Oh-oh-oh that’s right, you weren’t there for that. Turned out kind of cool. Maybe there’s a connection there.” Morty looks offended, turning to Rick.

“Excuse me?”

“What’s that cool thing you did without me again? The awesome thing? I-I-I I guess you wanted a dragon? Mwah,” Rick does a mouth-kissing motion, “unforgettable.”

“God, fuck you.” Morty turns back away.

“Timely, too, you got in on that 'Game of Thrones’ fever right at the peak." 

"You trying as hard as you can to hurt me right now proves my point.”

“I’ll let you know when you have a point, and the world will know when I try to hurt you.”

“Big man, big genius. Big lonely drunk.”

“Hey, save some of these atomic-age beatnik zingers for your English homework, Bukowski.” We pull into our garage. Morty quickly leaves the ship as Rick talks, grabbing stuff and beginning to work on it.

“There’s no such thing as a bad idea, Morty. It’s about execution.” Morty slams the door before quickly reopening it as I leave the ship too.

“No such thing as a bad idea? Except all of mine, right?”

“Morty, wanting a dragon isn’t an idea.”

“I’m not talking about that! I’m constantly pitching you ideas, Rick, and you act like they’re not even worth thinking about!" 

"He’s kind of got a point.” I speak up. Rick’s eyes widen as if he forgot I was in the room. He shrugs me off.

“What? The helicopter lawn chair? That’s something you saw on TV.”

“What about my video-game-style place-saving device?” Morty starts to walk towards Rick.

“Oh my god, here we go.” Rick exasperates, turning to Morty.

“It’s a good idea, Rick! A device that lets you-”

“Save your place like in a video game, but in real life so that you can try stuff and then go back to your save point. Yes, Morty, I saw it on 'Futurama.’” Rick finishes for him.

“Oh, so you don’t do anything unless it’s original?”

“I don’t do time travel.”

“It’s not time travel. It’s saving a place in time.”

“Oh my god, is this what you think I do? This is where the heavy lifting happens in your mind? Do you have any idea how much fucking work would have to go into a machine like that-”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupt, “you’re so not on board with the idea because you can’t do it!” I point at Rick, and Morty nods in agreement.

“Yeah, Rick! You can’t do it.”

“I can do anything. Your idea is not worth doing.” I stand next to Morty, we smile at each other.

“You can’t do it.” We harmonize, looking back at Rick.

“Whatever that was, don’t do it again. Before what you’re trying to do was called 'negging’, it was called 'reverse psychology’, and incels didn’t invent it. Bugs Bunny did.”

“You can’t do it.” We repeat. Rick gets more irritated.

“There is nothing, I cannot do." 

"A place-saving video-game thing!” Rick looks back and forth at us.

“You’re both pieces of shit, especially you.” He points at me. I scoff.

“Just say you can’t do it!” I yell.

“I won’t!”

“You won’t say you can’t?” Morty adds.“

"Fuck you (Y/N)! Fuck you, Morty” Rick flips us off.

“Fuck you!” We both yell, flipping him off as well. Rick knocks stuff over in a fit of rage, kicking the knocked box across the room. He reaches over, grabbing and throwing stuff behind him. Morty and I dodge the incoming tools, slightly backing up. Rick gets a blowtorch and starts using it on some metal. Morty and I awkwardly look at each other.

“So are you gonna?” He starts.

“Yes, I’m gonna fucking do it!” Rick yells back as we flinch. Morty and I leave the garage. Fist bumping and doing our signature handshake. We walk to our rooms.

“You see that Morty? Just being more assertive can make Rick do more things. He is a go with the flow guy.” I open the door.

“Yeah, geez, you were right. What should we do first if he does it?”

“Cause mayhem.”

. . . 

Rick wakes us up by calling us to the garage, Morty and I get up. Walking downstairs and entering the garage.

“Rick,” I yawn, “it’s 3:00 am. Why’d you call us down here?”

“You were right.” Rick sighs, before turning around in his chair to look at us.“I failed. I can’t make it. And honestly, I’m pretty ashamed. That might be why I’ve been so aggressive and unfair about rejecting your ideas.”

“Rick…” Morty calls out.

“Maybe I’ve lost it. Maybe I never had it.” I watch Rick stand up and go past us.

“Hey. C'mon, you know we didn’t mean it that way. We just all need to find better ways of communicating.” I watch Rick rest against a shelf. I’m surprised. I was expecting Rick to lash out and blame us for everything somehow.

“I’m sorry, I just, lash out sometimes. I-I-I don’t know why I do that! I’m so ashamed of myself. Hearing you talk about the vat, it really opened my eyes. Like, what the fuck am I even doing?” Rick goes back to his chair and sits his head on the desk. Morty stands back as support. He isn’t really good in these situations. I walk and look over his shoulder.

“Hey, hey. I don’t like hearing this talk, you’re a great inventor. We just got a couple of things to work on. Let’s start with inventing a little honesty. Sound good?” Rick looks back up at me.

“Thank you, (Y/N). Sounds good.” I smile as he presses a button, setting his head up. “Or maybe I’ll just kill you.” Rick sits up, pulls his blaster out and charges it. 

“What?” I question, backing up with my hands out.

“Whoawhoawhoawhoa-” Morty rushes to Rick and screeches when he shoots me. Everything fades as I slump to the ground. Wait what? No, I wasn’t dead, I’m still standing here. Rick gets out of the chair, smiling. I give a worried glance to a traumatized-looking Morty.

“Because I fucking did it!” Rick cheers. “Booyah!”

“Wow Rick, you really did it. You did it!” I squeal, Morty joins in on the excitement. 

“I did it, you little sons of bitches.” He smiles, and mine slightly falters.

“How did you-?” I start, Rick cutting me off.

“Do you want me to explain, or do you wanna go have some fun?" 

"Well actually-”

“I wanna have some fun!” Rick tosses the device to Morty. “Rick this is-this is, thank you!”

“You can thank me later.” He smirks. “Go nuts.”

“Best grandpa ever!” Morty cries.

“That’s all I ever wanted to hear.”

“But Rick, this doesn’t have any negative effects on anything, does it?” I question. Morty starts to drag me out of the garage.

“You know what? Who cares! We have a school to wreck tomorrow.” I would be lying if I said I wasn’t particularly excited about the device but I am worried. Something that powerful has to have some sort of selfish consequence. Like Morty’s love potion, eugh.

. . .

The sound of the bell ringing wakes me up. Mr. Goldenfold walks in front of his desk.

“All right, class, I know I’ve been absent for most of this school year. I’ll be honest with you, during spring break, I attended a Renaissance fair and fell in love with a buxom hand-axe juggler half my age. I overplayed my interest in her lifestyle just to get closer to her, traveling the country with her troupe. And I am embarrassed to say I am now an expert blacksmith with several STDs and a broken heart. I beseech your nasty little asses to speak on the matter no further. Now that that’s out of the way, who wants to do some math?” HUH, he comes back just to say all of this?! I guess someone has been busy, and now he isn’t as boring. Morty raises his hand.

“I’ll do it.” Morty marches up to him.

“A bold move, Morty Smith. But can you deliver?” I watched Morty save, now what? 

“Oh, I’ve got something to deliver.” Morty pulls Mr. Goldenfolds pants down, exposing his weird-looking dick. I’m not an expert but yeesh, it’s like the STDs mutated on him. Everyone else laughs, others showing the same concern for his weird dick. Mr. Goldenfold also freaks out, trying to cover it unsuccessfully. Morty resets the timeline, I look around. So Rick even made it so I retain all memories of the saves. Nice.

“Bold move, Morty Smith.” Mr. Goldenfold repeats. “But can you deliver?”

“Holy shit,” Morty exhales, “I can do anything.” I give him a thumbs-up, he looks at me with a big smile.

“Yes, with math, anything is possible. Except a long-term relationship with a woman that calls you a warlock for using a phone.” I cringe at his self-loathing as the bell rings. Morty rushes over to me.

“This is so cool! Imagine all the things we can do with no consequences! I should ask out Jessica.” My smile falters, yeah no.

“Why Jessica? You have the chance to get with almost any girl now. She’s kind of-” I trail off. 

“You’re just jealous! How about you go find someone too. I’m going to get a date!” Morty leaves the classroom to walk to Jessica’s locker. Not like I can, there is a single remote but whatever. I loosely follow behind. He saves before speaking to her.

“Hi, uh, hey Jessica.”

“Oh. Hey, Morty.” Jessica puts her books away and turns away from him, shutting the locker and walking away. Smooth. He resets, approaching her. 

“Hey, Jessica, right?” I snicker at his approach. He waves me off with his left hand. Resting his body against the locker next to hers.

“Um. Yeah. Hi. Sorry.” Jessica gets her books out and closes the locker. This time, facing Morty. “I thought you knew my name because we’ve interacted so many times, but maybe I was just being stupid. Sorry. Hi I-I’m Jessica. That’s me.” I watch her get flustered. She switched up quickly.

“Cool. See you around.” Morty dismisses her, starting to walk away in my direction. She stumbles on her words and squeals in the background as I walk with him. “I think I’m gonna like this thing. Wanna try it out now?” He points it at me. 

We run around town, trying recklessly dangerous things. Then tame ones, such as eating as many ice cream samples as possible. But Morty seems to use it too sparingly. At one point, he uses it to reload video games that are already reloadable. He just excused it as faster than waiting out the screen. We walk down the street, looking at the two cops stationed. I nod at him and he saves. We start rushing the police officers. They unexpectedly shoot us down, we carry on after reloading. THEN WE STEAL A MOTHERFUCKING CAR AFTER BUYING HEROIN KEITH TO HANG OUT WITH US AND MOW DOWN THE INNOCENTS. I gotta admit it’s pretty fun. The idea of consequences still burns in my mind.

“Slow it down there Morty." 

"Oh, come on, live like there are no consequences because there are none!” He shouts, driving faster. Later Morty continues to do some dumb shit and even tries to jump from the tallest board in swimming and chickens out. We stand outside of a strip club. “Don’t be like this (Y/N). You know you want to see as much as I do! Wait.” Morty walks away after saving to open the door for a girl at the coffee shop. They exchange some words before she invites him in. I give him a look of disappointment through the window, gesturing to the unexplored strip club behind me. He obviously ignores me and I scoff, I go home. Considering I didn’t have the remote with me.

. . .

You know that the saving and loading thing was good… For Morty, not me. After he got with his cafe girl, he forbade the use of the save button. He claimed he didn’t want to relive any moment with her for me because ‘they’re all wonderful’. Of course, they had a fight a few days ago but seemed to make it up by going on this trip up North. You know what I did instead of letting my jealousy and anger get to me? I got my own partner, so now I know I can pull in spite.

“Morty is missing!” Summer burst into my room.

“What?! What do you mean?” I sit up from my bed.

“His plane had an accident and crashed!” What?! I mean Morty can’t be dead since the timeline didn’t reset but, oh shit. He has to be out there somewhere. Time to go talk to Rick.

. . . 

And another month had passed. Morty is now back home safe with his girlfriend. And I’m more serious with mine! We all sit around in the living room, reminiscing in celebration. It seems things are going to be okay. I look over to see Dad reach for where Morty had the remote. I jump up, yelling at him to stop. But we’re back at the club. Morty and I stare at each other. We share a look of horror.

“Morty, don’t do it!” I reach for him but he runs back over to her, trying to explain everything again. She freaks out and pepper sprays him, his butt pressing the save button. He grabs it blindly and tries to load it, just reliving the moment. I help him up. Part of me wants to just strangle him right here for being so irresponsible with the remote. But I can’t. Sure, all my happy memories of the past couple of months had been erased, but his had as well. I hug him, comforting him as I try to suppress my own emotions.

He drags me to the zoo and repeatedly kills himself by the gorillas. I sit on the ground, waiting for him to finish. The night goes by, then a day as we have another day at school. We walk past Jessica.

“Oh, hi, Jessica. Hey, I’m sorry I brushed you off the other day. I was just trying to be cool.” Morty sighs. Jessica smiles and holds her books tighter.

“Oh, I don’t even know what you’re talking about. But, you seem different. Like you finally found yourself.”

“Yeah, I, I guess I have.”

“That’s good to hear. I like who you found.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do, too." 

"Looking forward to seeing more. I’ll see you tomorrow, Morty.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jessica walks away, we both walk home in silence. I don’t have the energy to talk. It feels like a breakup, but the person never knew I existed. Morty and I  head straight to the garage. Rick turns to us.

“How’s it going?” Rick eyes Morty, probably because he looked like shit. He was a newfound hoodie wearer and professional crier. I sit on the dryer.

“Y'know, it was fun, Rick. Real fun. Y'know I-I-I definitely sowed those oats. But I think you invented a little lesson for me along the way. Living without consequences is great, but then I started wondering. What am I living for? What am I building? If I’m always looking back, I’m never looking ahead. And then it hit me. We are who we are because of consequences. You can’t live without consequences, y'know? You feel me?” Rick audibly drinks his juice box.

“That’s a beautiful thought, Morty, but, uh no. There were definitely consequences.”

“What’re- What- What are you talking about?”

“I mean. You did everything you did. It all happened.”

“No, but the respawn button. The-the do-over.”

“It’s not a do-over.” I interject, they turn to me. “We just did it over and over. If Rick really doesn’t mess with time then we must be playing with the timelines. So everything that we did, we did. Every time you pressed the reset button, we were most likely sent over to a near-duplicate universe. We killed ourselves each time, which is allowed as there is one of us in every universe.” It was something I learned from Rick while Morty was missing. I didn’t see the importance of telling Morty considering I didn’t expect him to use it again, or for it to be used again.

“Yeap, but to solve for that.” Rick pulls up a hologram of what happens when we reload. It takes us out of our timeline and kills the new one, replacing ourselves in that one. “Time crystals were a bitch though.” Morty wails, “That’s right you little bitch! It’s 'The Prestige’! you 'prestiged’ yourself.” Morty looks up at the hologram.

“Rick, how many did I kill?”

“You tell me, Morty.” A larger hologram showing multiple dead Morty’s and even some of me. “Every time you reset to smell Jessica’s hair, every time you relived a satisfying fart, that’s how many Mortys you’ve incinerated, you greedy little junkie.”

“Oh, god. Even those times when I-” I grimace at his statement.

“Especially those times. It’s over, Morty. Feel this.” Morty starts to sob and Rick holds his shoulders. I stare at the hologram in horror. “I even coded (Y/N) to be compatible with this. Every time you reset. A Morty and a (Y/N) dies.” Morty cries even harder, covering his eyes away from the images. “Take this in. This is God.” I jump off the dryer.

“Why would you do this?” Rick looks at me.

“My hands are clean, (Y/N). I gave you two a choice. You could have listened to me explain, in scientific detail, how it all works. Or you could have fun. Did you have fun, (Y/N)?” I feel anger rising up as Morty cries quietly.

“Is this because of the vat?”

“Nooo.” Rick drags out.

“We’re sorry!”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that. What’s done is done, but it can end.” Rick releases Morty and turns off the projector, resting against the counter. “The original split is still timestamped. I can make it so those Mortys and (Y/N)s never existed at all, make them purely theoretical." 

"Oh, God.” Morty cries. “What do I do?”

“I think it’s clear we’ve done enough.” I approach Rick.

“Tell me how, Rick! Tell me how I save those Mortys and (Y/N)s!” Morty cries out.

“You live with the consequences. Those things happened somewhere, but you can merge the probable realities so that only one Morty and (Y/N) did them.”

“Just do it!” I shout, snatching the device from Morty and handing it to him. Rick takes it and places it into the device that shows the hologram. 

“All right, lemme just sync these up and get you back to your dimension." 

"Wait, you’re not even our Rick? Then why do you know about the vat?”

“Every Rick has a vat!” Rick screams in my face, slamming the button. A purple beam hits us, it spreads out through my body. I can see all of the dimensions we let die, traveling through them before we reach our own. The pain subsides as we arrive back at our original dimension. Our Rick is now in his chair, slurping on the juice box from earlier.

“Well, kids. I’d say we’ve invented a little honesty today. How about you?”

“We don’t deserve this.” I complain.

“We were just having fun.” Morty adds.

“So was Jeffrey Dahmer.” Rick goes to the garage door. “Speaking of, time to pay the piper.” He pulls open the garage door, multiple police vans screech to a halt outside. A swat team sets up a shield formation, sets of guns aimed at us.

“(Y/N) Smith. Come out with your hands up, you sick fuck. We’re also fine with just shooting you if you wanna suicide by cop.”

“Huh? Me? What’s going on?” I look out in shock at the groups of authorities, I glance at Morty who was already looking at me. 

“Wow.” Rick whistles. “Looks like a SWAT team, some drug dealers, some grassroots MeToo activist, the ACLU. Jesus, (Y/N), the AARP?”

“I didn’t do anything! Morty used it the most times! I literally touched it ten times!” I snap at Rick. 

"The NAACP, GamerGate. (Y/N), is that Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor?” Morty cringes. 

“Okay, this has to be about the vat. I’m sorry! Is that what you want me to say? What do I do?!” I walk slowly to the front of the garage next to Rick. Morty stands next to me.

“Seems like there’s no way out of this one.” Rick mentions over to a fucking christ, a vat of acid. Which I assume is the fake one. “Unless…”

“Rick th-that’s kind of petty. I mean, she didn’t even do anything except mouth off your, to be fair, pretty lame idea.” Morty timidly tries to defend me. He’s right. Morty did do most of it. Even disobeyed Rick’s order, I mean it was encouraged by me and oh no. Rick has the same thought I had. Of course, he does! I’m like him, I instigate Morty, and he hates it! He’s trying to put me in check.

“Shut the fuck up Morty, u-unless you want to join her." 

"God damn it.” I mumble.

“Yeah, I guess it is, uh- what did you call it? Uh, uh, 'a shitty idea’?”

“God, damn it.” I say a little loud, I approach the vat with the small ladder. 

“Say the vat is good.” I sigh, conceding my victory.

“The vat is good.” I reiterate.

“Kiss the vat.” I tense, fighting every ounce of my tired body to yell back at him. I roll my eyes, pecking the vat.

“Do not go into that vat.” An officer calls out. “It appears to be full of acid.” Rick walks over me, reaching his arms out to the crowd.

“It is! Please, she’s just a little girl! Let me talk to her.”

“Tell her we’re very upset!" 

”(Y/N), please. Step back. That vat is full of acid. It’ll melt you completely, leaving only your bones.“

"Aww, fuck you!” I groan. 

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Rick gives me a smug but stern look. I take every ounce of strength to not just attack him right now. 

“I’m going in the vat!” I announce. The crowd shouts at me. I can feel Morty’s sympathetic stare before hearing the opening and shutting of a door. I climb up the small ladder. I glance at the crowd that has gathered just off of the lawn. Then I jump into the vat, releasing the fake bones at the bottom. I attach the tube to my mouth and sit on the bottom, crossing my arms. A ladle gets inserted into the acid. I reach for the emergency gun, shooting the bottom of the ladle. A couple of minutes pass and I sit up, breathing in regular air.

“Don’t ever make fun of me again. Ever!” Rick shoots a portal, Morty exits the house on cue. “All right, c'mon you two, let’s go home." 

"This isn’t our reality?” I ask.

“What, you think I’d waste our home teaching you a fucking lesson?”

“What about Morty? I was barely a part of this!”

“Apparently, you seem to know why. And if I teach you a lesson, I’m essentially teaching both of you.” What? That doesn’t make any sense. Is he scolding me to intimidate Morty? “I am gonna miss this place though. Johnny Carson’s still alive and on-air, 9/11 never happened, and Rocky Road ice cream has peanut butter instead of marshmallows.” Morty walks over as Rick heads into the portal.

“Wh- The marshmallows are the best part!”

“Morty…” Rick warns. We all walk through the portal home. I go straight to our room. First, my ex, now doesn’t know I exist. Second, carelessness with the save and load remote undid all progress which cost tons of Morty and (Y/N)’s lives. And third, I was shamed by Rick in an alternate dimension for talking back. Not for murdering different versions of ourselves. I would say, I’m having a not-so-good day. Morty soon enters the room and acknowledges my urge to not speak. He sits next to me on my bed as I lay facing the wall. 

“Sorry-” He starts.

“Don’t even.”

[apgararts]

“Simple Wafer Cookies”

Rick and Morty, season 03 

Willy Wonka parody art

[dirt-cinema]

“There's a Rick that held a factory hostage after murdering his boss and several coworkers. The factory made cookies, flavored ‘em with lies. He made us all take a look at we were doing, and in the bargain, he got a taste of real freedom. We captured that taste, and we keep giving it to him so he can give it right back to you in every bite of new Simple Rick Freedom Wafer Selects. Come home to the unique flavor of shattering the grand illusion. Come home…. to Simple Rick."

rick and morty | 3x7 | the ricklantis mixup

[simply-mortessa]

Tessa, how is life with Simple Rick? Does he still umm...is at the factory of biscuits?

“It’s nice! Um… he reminds me a bit of my grandpa, my original Rick.” Her smile falters. “He’s not the same and I don’t think he’ll ever replace the grandpa I knew, but… I think us being assigned together was the best thing that’s happened to us.” A melancholic smile settles on her face. “Both of us lost people important to us and we’re healing together, you know?”

Tessa glances back at the ask, “Oh! Mal- Uh the President enacted this bill thing that I think basically, uh, lays off people from unfair employments and also pays them fairly in exchange or something like that? I’m not that smart on those things, so sorry If I couldn’t explain it well! Short story, Rick got released and got assigned to me because I lost my Rick around the time he was let out of the factory.“