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queen-of-writing-bad-things · 2 months

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

Episode 25: A Tale Of Two Pipers (SMUT)

Season 5 Masterlist

*It's me! Hi! I'm the problem. It's me. IT'S SMUT TIME, GUYS.

For all los inocentes amongst us, I must warn you that we have lots of bad words, lots of bad actions, and lots of bad ideas, so you'll probably want to avoid this section until it's safe again. I'm sorry, I know this scars you, but I can't help myself (neither can Ray).

Hope all you filthy filthers enjoy!

Sincerely,

Ruth, the antihero xoxo

"Sweet girl...Hey, sweet girl..."

(y/n)'s eyelashes fluttered open as the velveteen voice crooned in her ear. Each eyelid must've weighed a hundred pounds, given how she struggled to open them, a near inhumane grumble leaving her scratchy throat as she managed to wake up just enough to be aware of her surroundings.

Darkness. That was the first thing that struck her - how black everything was. The lights hadn't come on yet like they usually did as part of their usual routine, but she didn't notice anything out of place in her tiredness.

Warmth. That was the second thing her brain registered - how warmth everything felt. From the thick sheets to the human furnace spooning her, every part of her was toasty, snuggly and safe, just how she liked to be in the morning, but something didn't feel right. She hadn't gone to bed that late since the crime was slow. If it was eight AM and she'd gotten eight and a half hours of sleep, why did she feel like she'd been hit by a truck?

Judging by the stirring behind her, it had something to do with the friendly giant pressing his face into her neck and pulling her closer to his body.

Her doofus. That was the third thing she couldn't ignore - him so obviously not asleep even as she begged to drift off again. Goddamn, his hands got everywhere, didn't they? She could put down one drifting up her waist to him, shifting in his sleep, but when he kissed down her neck as his fingertips slid under her cotton shorts' waistband ever so innocently, she knew he was wide awake - if a little sleepy.

"R-Ray? What are you doing? It's—" she muttered, not bothered about how deep and raw her voice sounded since she was tired, plain and simple, no arguing. His deep chuckle against her skin answered none of her questions; instead, it deepened them as he tried to entice her into whatever game he was playing, and it was working.

Her core tensed as he teased his fingers in and out of her shorts - the ones that made him groan when she came out of the en-suite wearing them since they gave the tiniest peek of her ass - as his other arm slipped out from underneath him so he could slither it under her instead. Suddenly, he was everywhere, crowding her into the mattress as he curled her into his embrace so he could have his way with her, spare hand drawing around her body until it could paw at her breast and tweak her sensitive bud.

She was all too ready to whine and let the soft high he gave carry her off into slumber once again, given that no one else could tire her out as he could, but as he nipped at her jaw, growling lowly and possessively in the back of his throat, something caught her eye. Had he been a fraction less skilled at feeding off her pleasure, she probably wouldn't have noticed, so it was a stroke of pure misfortune and his intimate knowledge betraying him when he swiped a finger over her clit and caused her eyes to fly open.

That's when she saw it; the gentle, iridescent, green glow in the darkness for when Captain Man and Miss Danger had to be up and out in the middle night. She'd never been angry at her alarm clock since it wasn't its fault they had to get up at godforsaken hours to save some unfortunate souls, but dear God, she wanted to take a sledgehammer to it and her goofy, horny, soon-to-be husband when she registered the digits glaring at her.

"It's ten to five! AM! What the—why are we awake, doofus?" She barked as she jerked out of his hold, much to Ray's disappointment since his hands had to retreat and her warmth left his. The heroine shot out of bed with much more energy than she felt she had and snatched the clock from her bedside table, bringing it closer to her face until the numbers dazzled her poor, tired eyes too much, and she slammed it back down.

Despite that tiredness, though, her mind wasn't playing tricks on her; it was four-twenty in the morning, they were awake, and Ray was trying his hardest to turn her on.

Give her strength.

"...Want you. You know I can't resist fucking you in the morning," he replied cockily, shrugging as if everything was perfectly normal and reached over to guide her back into his embrace, this time bringing her face toward his chest since it made it much easier to pin her arms to the pillows and roll on top of her.

She hummed appreciatively as he lowered his head and pecked at her neck, sucking and nipping her delicate skin so he could trick himself into thinking he'd left his marks on her, not that that was ever questioned. He reached her collarbones and was about to drag her shorts over her hips when she snapped out of the trance he always seemed to put her in and opened her mouth to argue again.

"Well, can't we do that at a normal time? Like, I don't know, when we normally wake up? 'M tired..." (y/n) whined, angling her head to give him more room and lifting her hips so he could get any offending garment out of his way, which didn't help what she was saying, but now she was needy and sleepy. He wouldn't let her sleep, that much was evident from the hot, hard and heavy length resting on her thigh, straining through his underwear, so at least she could solve one of those problems and let him do all the work.

"Going out early, sweet girl. Don't you remember? Today's the day, and I want to start by having you spread out underneath me so that I can have my fill of my sweet girl," Ray hummed absentmindedly as he pulled her bottoms over her ass, down her legs and over her feet, tossing the shorts over his shoulder and not caring when they nearly took out one of (y/n)'s favourite houseplants.

But she didn't scold him, not even when the clothing skimmed a leaf, because she was too preoccupied pondering his words. What day was today? Not their anniversary; that date was practically tattooed on her brain. Not either of their birthdays; she never forgot those. She couldn't remember any other significant date or figure out what it was.

"Hmmm? What's today?" She muttered, distracted as his hands drifted down her thighs, fingertips lightly pressing into her soft flesh as he pried them open and looked upon his prize hungrily.

"Today is the start of my lifelong commitment to fishing, darlin'. How could you forget?" he whined from between her legs, hot air fanning over her most vulnerable region as he spread her like a goddamn feast. He couldn't resist for long, so his whimpering disappointment channelled into a buzz against her sensitive, slick cunt that had her back arching off the bed as he tentatively and casually raked his tongue from her clit to her wet hole - as if he had all the time in the world.

A long groan released into the air, not from pleasure but pure annoyance. Even on five hours of sleep, the heroine worked out of what he was talking about and was thankful she had him where he loved to be; otherwise, she might've smacked that smirk off his face. Ray was always cocky when he got to hear her breathless and begging him to fill her needy pussy with his fat cock, but pair that with his latest obsession, and he was insufferable.

Nearly as insufferable as waking up at the crack of dawn to satisfy whatever he had his mind hooked on.

"Oh, god...you're actually doing it? I--I t-thought you were--joking!" She panted when his lips met her clit and formed a seal around it, allowing him to leisurely suck and roll his tongue against it as he swiped his fingertips through her delicate petals. He was being a tease; that was obvious, and her voice wobbled when she protested the intolerable activity of fishing.

Seriously, there was nothing worse save for golf. (y/n) couldn't stand either and whined, begged and pleaded with her lover not to turn into one of those, dare she say, middle-aged men sat on a riverbank in the pissing, driving rain with nothing but ducks and soggy sandwiches for company. He scowled at the middle-aged accusation but was appeased with several kisses that soon had his frown upside down, and he even insisted that he wouldn't be alone out there, not if she went along with him.

"Fishing is my calling, pretty girl. I'd never joke about it, so now, I've got to wake up early every day, have you for breakfast and go down the river," he replied cockily as he plunged a finger deep into her cunt, marvelling with soft eyes at how well she took him, despite having seen her fluttering walls hundreds of times before.

"There--fuck, right there-- is--is no way I'm waking up at this time every day."

"Even if I fuck you like this every day?" The hero questioned smugly as he watched her eyes squeeze shut and her teeth chew her bottom lip as he slowly pushed his finger against her slick walls, aiming for the spongy spot that made her melt into their pillows. He would fuck her anyway, whether he went fishing or not, since he adored the look on her face, but he could try.

He could imagine it now; them, huddled under a blanket after he threw in the bait and set his rod down until the fish started to bite. She'd snuggle into his arms to stave off the damp cold, complaining about how he dragged her out in the drizzle.

He'd whisper in his throatiest voice about how much he loved shoving her hips into the mattress that morning, igniting a new warmth within both of them when he subtly pulled his cock from his jeans and sat her on it, telling her to stay silent unless she wanted anyone on the desolate riverbank to hear what was only meant for him.

Ray snapped back from his daydream when his fingers found their mark and drew a wail from her lips as he added another finger on autopilot. God, he was between her legs, and he was already thinking of having her again; that's how greedy she made him, and he gladly drank it in, revelling in his greed since it left him insatiable for the woman he fell in love with and proud of how he made her fall apart.

"Ray..." she whimpered, threading her fingers through his hair as her core clenched, chasing her high as she pieced together a coherent argument. The thought of experiencing this every day was heavenly, having this God between her legs, worshipping her as he'd never set eyes on anyone else but fishing. She hated fishing and everything that came with it.

"I fucking love this...but I am not sitting in the cold, wet and miserable as we wait for a load of poxy fish to eat a worm--faster, I'm near--God, yes," she bit back as a third finger joined the others, plunging into her drenched cavern over and over as he felt her end approaching, which added to his smugness.

"Oh, you'll be wet, but trust me, you won't be miserable," Ray grinned cheekily into her folds, lapping at her clit as she grumbled at his big-headed insinuation but continued to roll her hips against his hand.

He dragged her over the each as the grumble turned into a squeal, the heroine cumming hard with her head thrown back, exposing the gorgeous column of her throat that Ray so desperately wanted to see covered in his marks just once. He wanted to wake up and see the aftermath of their lovemaking, feel her scratches down his back whilst she felt the soreness he left every time she walked. Just once.

"That's it--let me taste the sweet cunt of my sweet girl. You know how much I love it when you soak my face," the man groaned as she convulsed against the sheets, gasping and panting his name into the air as he caressed her hips, thighs, tummy--anywhere he could feel her satin skin under his fingertips. He buried his face in her cunt until it was too much for her, slightly disappointed when she pushed him away, but it only meant he could crawl up her body and nuzzle into her neck.

Her arms looped around his neck, pulling him closer as his warm body covered hers, slotting between her legs like it was where he was meant to be, even though he was content enough to lay there in her embrace. His lips fell to her collarbone, where he licked and sucked rapidly fading bruises into her skin while she panted and nosed his forehead.

Her heart felt so light at the love he gave her, so gentle and tender, despite his achingly hard length between her thighs, which must've been near impossible to ignore.

But he did it for her, preferring to stay with her and lavish her in affection since her orgasm made her glow - a sight so glorious he couldn't help but squash his desire to revel in it. He wanted her badly but continued kissing her décolletage and massaging her tits until a new fire bloomed in her belly.

"Please, Ray. Need it--need your cock inside me. Please..." (y/n) begged, arching herself into his body, hoping to be as close to her soulmate as possible as he groaned at her admission and fumbled to grasp his leaking member.

"Such a needy little thing you are. I love it--I love you," he grumbled into her mouth as he caught her lips and dragged himself through her drenched cunt, swallowing her breathless moans as if he needed them to live instead of oxygen.

"I love you too--oh!" she gasped a reply, reeling when he pressed his flared head to her opening, breaching the resistance there, although she gladly welcomed him after a split second. It was like returning home, his length sliding into her with no complaint. Warm walls gripped him tightly, feeling as perfect as ever, something he'd never get used to, especially not the thrill it sent up his spine that made him remember his exploratory teenage years.

"You still fit like a glove. My perfect girl...more than I deserve."

"You're--m-more than I deserve, R-Ray." Such sweet words couldn't be called an argument as he gently rocked into her, in no hurry or competition, to see how quickly he could make her cum again or how long he could go. It was perfectly all right to lay there in the safety of their bedroom, making love in the twisted sheets, both trying to prove they loved the other more when, in reality, they each loved different things but just as much.

"Come fishing with me--please," he begged, smiling into their kiss as he whined underneath him and turned her head to press her face into the pillow so he wouldn't hear her groan.

She bit into the fabric, smothering her moans too, which displeased her lover since he lived for those sweet sounds and craved them more than anything, so his hand gently gripped her jaw and turned her to look at him before tenderly stroking her cheek.

Even in his dominance, hips so disciplined in their slow, steady pace as he buried inside her as per his instincts to make her his, he was gentle--never losing her comfort for a second as she relaxed into the finest sheets, on the softest mattress, in the home he gave to her.

"But it's boring!" His sweet girl complained, pulling at the hair on the back of his head with one hand as the other trailed his bulging biceps, giving them the attention they sorely deserved, given their size from the time and effort he put into the gym.

He chuckled at her reaction and gave a sharp thrust of her hips to make her squeal, enjoying the music in his ears as she sang for him from the brief burst of more intense pleasure. It didn't last; he returned to the gentle pace, aware of how he'd woken her up so early for his selfish reasons, reigning in his desire to consume her entirely, and opted to send her back into her dreams, only this time, she'd dream of what he gave her.

"I'll make it worth your while."

"W-we'll come home smelling of dirt, damp and fish with t-twigs in our--our soaked hair and dirty clothes, trampling mud all over--over the f-floors--m-my clean fl-floors."

"You make it sound so fun, my love. Come with me..." he begged one final time, pressing his body fully against hers, swallowing her essence as he made love to the one he wanted by his side everywhere, even if his rarely used reason told him it was too much to ask.

"I c-can't!" She suddenly cried, from both the rising heat sweeping through he body as he brushed her sweet spot with each stroke and a sudden thought that passed through her head. Perhaps there would be salvation because she had other plans as much as she sorely wished to spend all morning with miserable people in a bleak field doing a tragic activity.

"Why?" Ray asked curtly, sounding pouty at her outburst and the news he'd be on the bank alone with no one but his fellow fishermen and whatever trash talk they had to say.

They'd brag about which secretary they lusted over, how their wives spent too much on the credit card again, longing for their glory days, and all the while, he'd be moping without his sweet girl, missing her blazing heat and wishing they'd let him reel in his catch alone.

"I have Schwoz's exercise class--with--with Jasper and Charlotte! Fuck, I'm getting close, doofus!" (y/n) cried and viciously threw her head back against the pillow as she desperately chased her second orgasm with nothing more than his torturous pace to lead her there. Her hand snaked down to her clit where she rubbed it gently, without rush or impatience since she knew he wanted this to be slow, but she needed the extra push.

"Ugh, not them! Pick me, darlin', pick me.." Ray begged, his abs tensing when he felt her hand between them, the image making him thrust harder but at the same speed. The need to cum crept up his spine, too, making him eager to feel her snug pussy clench around him, making his chest ache at the thought of losing her to his helpers or, worse, Jasper.

"I promised him, doofus. He asked first," she told her breathlessly, hanging off his body as she refused to unhook her arms from his neck, even as he leaned on his forearms slightly to fuck her down into the mattress.

Her sensitive nipples brushed against his chest, sending sparks throughout her body at the thought of a God amongst men having her in his bed as she silently celebrated not having to go fishing; instead, she got to do "Schwozercise". Yay.

"Fine. Just promise me you'll be waiting in the shower when I get back... And I want you playing with that pretty little clit of yours just like you are now. Get this pussy all wet and ready for me," Ray groaned at the thought, imagining himself coming home, stripping off and stepping into the steam-filled bathroom to see her nude figure under the spray, hand dipped into the V-shape between her thighs, inviting him in after a long morning's work.

"Of course, Captain--a-anything--" (y/n) panted, her arm loosely hanging around his neck as her walls began to tighten and convulse, falling apart as his hips stuttered in their ploughing pace. Ray could barely hold on any longer, feeling himself slipping as she tightened around him, His thrusts stayed solid and ruthless, but he lost his rhythm the second she fell over the edge, groaning as she strangled his cock and writhed in his arms.

It was that damn nickname that did him in the end. Nothing made him weaker than hearing it fall from her lips, and when paired with his fantasy, he couldn't help but settle his entire weight on her and let himself go. He pressed himself into her as much as possible, balls against her slickened lips as he shot his precious load into her, professing his eternal devotion to her as electricity ran up and down his spine.

"Fuck--fuck--gonna come home to you, my sweet g-girl--come home to you--my wife," he mouthed against her neck, feeling her all around him, consuming his every sense as if she was inescapable. He sank into the feeling, groaning and sighing into the stain softness of her neck as the remnants of her perfume tickled his nose, and she mewled against his hairline.

Her twitching and writhing in his arms was the most significant privilege of his life, knowing he wrenched her like that--fucked her so hard she thrashed against the pillows and swore to the heavens that no one had ever done the same, and that made him so proud.

"I'll be waiting, doofus. Always waiting," she gasped as he bit into her flesh, sucking a fleeting bruise there as his eyes fluttered closed at the thought. His sweet girl, at home, fucking herself with his name on his lips as he came to her on his knees, hoping the sound of the water would drown out her music for everyone else in the Man Cave as he took her over and over again.

Perhaps the morning wouldn't be a complete disaster after all.

*AND WE ARE SAFE. Honestly, that wasn't my favourite smut to write, and Wattpad decided to die halfway through, so I was frustrated in the middle since I didn't want to lose half the chapter.

Still, I am a mastermind, so ONWARDS WITH THE EPISODE. I'll be making a few tweaks to make the plot fit in with my grand masterplan, but nothing major <3*

~The Man Cave~

A few hours later and (y/n) hauled herself out of bed, cursing the name of the man who'd woken her not three hours earlier. She felt like death or perhaps twice her age, given how heavy her body was, her bones creaked, and her muscles ached.

The right side of the bed had long grown cold by the time she rolled out and bravely touched her feet to the freezing floor as her human furnace kept his promise and rose with the sun. Ray was up and out by the time she woke up again, claiming she was resting her eyes as they snuggled into the sheets after the early start.

At first, it seemed like kindness from him, letting her sleep, but now, it seemed to be a curse as she danced in time to her "instructor". Schwoz, in his wisdom, claimed to be some nutjob fitness instructor and jumped around the Man Cave with her, Charlotte and Jasper as his disciples, but it wasn't so bad for them.

They'd had a whole night's uninterrupted rest - lucky them.

"Six--seven--eight--again!" Schwoz panted as he demonstrated the routine, which was nothing extreme, merely a light warmup of star jumps, lunges and skipping. Compared to what Ray made her do for hero training, this was nothing compared to (y/n) as she copied what he did, barely breaking a sweat in her favourite yoga pants - the ones that made her butt look cute and her hips look so...grabbable.

"One--two--you can do it! I know it's hard, but don't give up!" The man gasped as they punched the air, his face red and his chest heaving as the exercise proved too much for his little body. It was strange; they hadn't been going for that long, and he was already beaten.

"We just started, like, five minutes ago," Charlotte informed him awkwardly. She was getting sweaty, but she still had plenty of energy to go, unlike Schwoz, who seemed to be on the verge of a heart attack.

"You've got to push through the pain!"

"Nothing about this is painful," Jasper frowned, skipping lightly from side to side like he was shown, only to share a confused glance with the exhausted-looking woman next to him. He didn't want to know why she looked so tired, but he'd stake one hundred bucks on it having something to do with the absent fisherman.

"Except for watching you," (y/n) smirked as she jumped up and down and stretched her arms, laughing at the shaking man. Sweat trickled down his temple as his feet dragged, head lolling as he prepared to give up, which was ironic since this was meant to be his routine.

"Life begins where your comfort zone ends!" He gritted out, rambling and spluttering whatever came to his head, even if it sounded more like complete crap than anything inspirational, causing his pupils to frown at his random outburst.

"Are you even listening to us?" Charlotte asked, moving to the upbeat music, but it was no use. The room was swimming, his lungs were on fire, and Schwoz swore his hands were about to drop off as all the oxygen left his body, sending him spiralling into a dizzy state.

"Teach a man to fish, and he'll ski for a lifetime!"

"All right, he's lost it!" Jasper called it, recognising how far gone the handyman was. It wasn't so bad when his sentences meant something, but now he was unintelligible and nowhere near fit to be their instructor, so they took a pause to stop him from dying, not that they needed one.

"I'll get the oxygen..." (y/n) sighed and walked to the side where a canister of pure, thick oxygen was waiting to be used as it had been done previously. Schwoz needed it every two seconds to make it through the exercise, which was both painful to watch and contemplate, given how unfit he was.

"No, no, no, there's no room for oxygen breaks in Schwozercise," he gasped, Charlotte grabbing onto his elbows, so he didn't keel over as (y/n) brought him the oxygen and helped to slip the plastic mask over his face.

"You've taken two oxygen breaks already," Jasper pointed out as he clawed for every breath, thankful when he was offered the mask and the life-saving air it gave. He glared at the nonchalant boy as he stood there with his perfectly healthy lungs and fit body; he'd know this pain one day when he was middle-aged and out of shape.

"And I hate myself for it!" he snapped before inhaling deep lungfuls from the tank whilst the teen busied himself with turning the music off. The girls tended to the drama queen, carefully patting his back as (y/n) supported the mask so Schwoz's poor, weak muscles didn't have to strain themselves, and nothing had ever felt sweeter than being able to breathe without gasping again.

"Oh, thank you, baby girl," the genius rasped to the woman, who immediately scrunched her nose up at the odd nickname since he rarely called her anything other than her name. She didn't care if he was dying; it sounded strange coming from him as she was only a baby girl to one person, and he preferred to deem her sweet anyway.

"Don't call me that. Everyone knows I'm a sweet girl, but only to my doofus, Schwoz."

"What's wrong with her, baby boy?" Schwoz frowned and looked at Jasper, who couldn't see anything wrong with the pet name since he owned his. Although, if Ray heard Schwoz calling his precious girl that, he'd be cruising a pay cut and a punch in the teeth.

"No idea, big poppa," Jasper replied as he rolled his shoulders, hoping to stay loose and limbered for when they resumed their workout whilst the girls shared a disgusted look, but Schwozercise was soon forgotten.

Out of nowhere, a deep rumbling sound came from the elevator as a bright, white light seeped through the cracks around the door, instantly drawing their attention to it. Nothing like that had ever happened before, and they couldn't help but stare at the door, wondering what was going on as Schwoz sucked on the tube for his dying organs.

"What was that?" Charlotte asked what everyone was thinking, but the question was soon answered, and a whole new set unfolded as the door slid open to reveal two...hobos.

They looked like hobos; two dirty, unkempt, vicious-looking women with raggedy, scraggy clothing and worn, leathery faces. They looked like they'd been to hell and back with dark, greasy makeup smeared across their faces to mask their eyes and their clothes--god, their clothes. Every rip or tear had been stitched and patched to make them last longer, and on their old leather belts were blasters as thick as their arms, which struck fear into the helpers' hearts as they made a mad dash toward them.

The only thing they could make out of any value or class about them was the grubby yet still sparkling rings on the older woman's hand--the one who hid her face in shadow, thanks to the hood on her dirty coat; they looked old and well-worn but also well-loved in a way as if she'd had them for many years. The glint was familiar, as were many other things about the women, but in a moment of panic and fear, the teens, Schwoz and (y/n), couldn't cross-examine them, not when they started shouting and bawling.

"Henry?! Henry, we need to find Henry! Henry!"

"Right now! We need Henry! We must find him! Henry! Where are you?" They yelled as they hurried across the room, shouting to find the boy, even though he was there. All the four could do was stand and stare as they sniffed around the place, glancing around the computer before heading behind the secret door, hitting the exact button like they knew their way around the Man Cave, and it was utterly baffling to comprehend.

"You guys saw them, too, right?" Schwoz asked hesitantly, turning to his friends because he was almost sure he was experiencing some hypoxia-induced fever dream, but apparently, he wasn't the only one who'd gone mad.

"Yes, I did."

"Yeah, kind of hard to miss."

"Not gonna lie, she kinda reminded me of Jasper's mom," (y/n) retorted as she rubbed her tired eyes, assuming her mind was playing exhaustion tricks on her, but if the others saw them too, then she must've been more lucid than she thought. It was peculiar, though; one of the kooky, shouty women seemed so familiar like an invisible magnetic force was pulling them together, and when their eyes met for a brief moment, it was like she knew them.

"Right?!"

"Oh, but like prettier and more normal," the boy replied, agreeing thoroughly, but he had to point out that his mother was much more insane than those two whackjobs that'd just stormed in. His mom made them look sane, which was saying something.

"Someone tell us where Henry is!" A voice suddenly shouted from the sprocket, causing them all to look and gasp when they saw the kooks emerging from the corridor. Jeez, they knew their way around, and by the looks of things, the younger, blonder, shoutier one of the two seemed keener to find the absent sidekick.

"It's imperative that we find him!" The elder added as they trotted down the metal steps, her voice sounding raspy from a lifetime of usage, but behind the harsh demand, there was a familiar kindness.

"Hello?! Are we talking to ourselves? I got to tell him—" the madder one screamed as they hopped down toward the group, gesturing their hands wildly at the thought of Henry not being around. They were all met with blank, gormless expressions as the helpers struggled to form sentences to describe what they saw - what must've been phantoms.

"Hi, Charlotte! How are you?" The older one suddenly paused in the middle of their mad rush to smile warmly at the girl, who felt her jaw drop as she knew her name. And then - just like that - they were going to again, running in different directions like spooked mice as her wide eyes met (y/n)'s, causing her to gasp softly when the same brightness and hue stared back at her. Was that?—no, her mind was playing tricks again—what a stupid, impossible thought.

"Did he go up the tubes?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jasper tried to stop the blonde as she dashed toward the tubes, somehow knowing how they worked and where the kid could've gone. If she let them get a word in edgewise, they would've told her that Henry wasn't at work yet; he'd yet to arrive, and with no boss around to send him a few angry, needy texts, he wasn't going to be quick.

"Wait a second—wait, wait! You cannot use the tubes—ah!" Poor Jasper; all he wanted to do was help out and create some order, but when he attempted to gently grasp the kook's shoulders and turn her away from the tubes, she decked him. Truly, completely, brutally decked him.

In one fell swoop, she tugged the kid over her body in a shoulder throw, leaving Jasper in a battered, crumpled heap on the floor as the wind knocked out of him. Her strength was impressive, to say how small she was, and almost instantly, her (y/c/h) friend was by her side, her eyes narrowing after an almost remorseful wave passed over her face.

"Looks like she's been Schwozercising," Schwoz snickered as he looked at the groaning boy and the attackers looming over him. Any other time and it would've been funny, but when he smirked at the girls to share in the joke, all they returned were two concerned glances, with Charlotte cowering behind (y/n) as she clenched her fists and bravely took a step toward the women. Miss Danger could take them any day...hopefully.

"Where. Is. Henry?!" They questioned together, punching out each word furiously as they glared at the four friends. No matter what they said, they wouldn't listen, and whenever they put their hands on them, it turned into a free for all. Had Ray decided not to be a middle-aged bore; he could've sorted them out in no time, wildly when the older woman clawed at Charlotte's hair, flicked Schwoz on the nose, pushed Jasper onto his butt, and wrestled with his sweet girl.

Where was Captain Man when they needed him?

The truth was Ray hated the riverbank. He hated it and the stupid river with its foolish fish, and he hated the silly men who sat there, saying nothing except for the occasional brag about their vast catch, their blonde, bimbo secretaries or their new Jag.

The only relief came from his moderate success in reeling some tiddlers in and when his watch beeped to say it was time for duty. So, he hurried back to the Man Cave, eager to get to work but, more importantly, anxious to show his catch to his precious girl, whose attention and praise he craved, only to find himself hooked instead.

For the last few hours, the hero was caught in a trap of his own making, having stepped into Junk-N-Stuff in his waders with a dumb, Crocodile Dundee-esque hat with all his rods and baits tucked under his arm, only to get himself tangled in the beaded curtain shielding the Man Cave from the world. And, of course, rather than remaining calm and slowly working his way out of the mess, he made it worse, squirming and jerking until the web was so hectic there was a knot around every rod, a bead in every crevice, and a string restricting both his arms.

"Ahhh! Come on!" He yelled as he fought against the infuriating curtain, cursing his much younger self for installing it to be cool and edgy, when his precious girl - then, merely his helper - told him it was unnecessary. He shouted for her, begged and pleaded that someone downstairs would hear his screams echoing down the elevator shaft or on the computer, but it was useless. No one was coming, and his heart cried out for the gentle creature he abandoned in bed that morning - a stupid mistake he hated himself for.

What he wouldn't give to go back there now and fulfil their promises to each other, but because he was an incompetent, careless fool, he was miserable, something anyone and everyone coming into the store could hear.

"Dude, what is—? Are you okay?" Henry's startled voice came from the door as he entered the shop, ready and eager to report for work, only to be met with his boss in yet another sticky situation.

"No, I'm stuck!" Ray shouted as he struggled against the beads, creating an enormous racket and nearly taking Henry's eye out when a string jumped up at him.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Okay, you know how I get up every morning before dawn and go fishing?" Ray prompted, causing the kid to frown at such an awful idea - the first he'd heard of it. Why would he want to do that? Indeed, he'd much prefer to stay in bed, in his Man Cave, with his fiancée tucked in his arms, doing whatever they did under sheets (the things Henry didn't like to think about). Indeed, he wanted to do all that and not go out to sit in the rain at dawn. So, why fish?

"No."

"Well, starting today, I do," the man insisted, drawing a snort from his young sidekick as he pictured the hell that must've occurred earlier that day when Ray bumbled around the bedroom to find his socks whilst his lover told him he was a doofus. The thought made him giggle, making his boss frown as it was evident he was poking fun at him.

"Oh, wow, I bet (y/n) loved that..."

"Shut up," Ray bit back, glaring in the face of Henry's smile, although he was correct in his assumption. His darling girl whined when he pulled himself out of her embrace, and it goddamn nearly broke his heart to see how she hugged his pillow and smushed her face in it to pretend he was still there. He was a selfish, selfish man, but he'd never let her go - that was the problem.

"I was pulling some crappie out of the crick when I got triple-beeped!" The man explained, gesturing to the meagre, slimy fishies in his bucket, which were honestly not worth bringing back, but if it made him happy... And besides, there were more important things to focus on, like why they were needed.

"Yeah, me too! What's the emergency?!" Henry asked, but his curiosity made Ray's frustration worse. Would he be there if he knew?

"I don't know! I was trying to get down to the Man Cave and my sweet girl when my Man Pole and my Man line, and my Man Lures all got caught in this stupid curtain. I'm stuuuuck!" He whined, stamping his feet in a tantrum-like dance that Henry wasn't in the mood to deal with, but he had to get to (y/n) to calm his boss down, but he was in the doorway, so really, he had no choice.

"I don't have time for this. There's an emergency!"

"Then, help me!" Ray snapped as the kid chose to ignore his moody whimpering, and rather than carefully unpick the knot tangled around his hands, the boy reached up at unhooked the curtain from the arch, freeing his boss in one way or another.

"Get me out of this thing!" he growled as the blood finally returned to his numbing hands, and being able to move his arms and body was an improvement on staying put, but no matter how much he tried or struggled, the beads wouldn't fall from his still bound wrists.

Squirming and wriggling to get free, Ray didn't realise his bucket of fish was next to him until it was too late; one wrong move in his bid for freedom and he plunged his foot into the shallow water, squishing the poor critters into a watery mess - not something to present as a prize to his sweet girl.

"M'crappies!"

"Dude, stop messing around!" Henry scolded him over his shoulder as he headed for the elevator; sure, the guy could free himself now that he'd unhooked him. He had to learn, or at least how to do it without (y/n).

"Does it look like I'm trying to mess around?" The hero asked indignantly as he wrestled with the beaded curtain - or what was left of it - managing to bundle it into a ball, which was a lot easier to work with, even if it still wouldn't leave him alone.

"Yes!"

"Come onnnnn!" Henry shielded his eyes from the flying debris as his boss tugged at and wildly whipped the curtain to try and break free, but it wouldn't budge. If anything, his flailing made it worse, but that didn't stop a passing thought from breaking Ray's concentration, causing him to pause his efforts and smile charmingly at his sidekick.

"Hey..." he smirked, making the kid wonder what his deal was as the rustling of the beads stopped, "you should come fishing with me sometime, buddy..."

"...I'm good," Henry replied, giving his ridiculous getup and chaotic appearance a sly once-over before meeting his eyes again. Pure disdain etched itself into his face as he figured that since he didn't want to go, Ray was now trying to recruit him, although he had no intention of being on the same par as him in any way, shape or form. He'd seen enough to know fishing was for losers, morons and doofuses.

As they struggled in the elevator downstairs, it was a different game. The intruders were - annoyingly - strong for their sizes; despite having a superheroine on their side, the helpers soon found themselves overwhelmed without the aid of Captain Man and Kid Danger.

Whilst (y/n) went toe-to-toe with the elder, they grappled with the crazy blonde, thinking since they outnumbered her three-to-one, the fight should've been easy. Oh, how wrong they were.

In the blink of an eye, the kook kneed Schwoz in the gut and knelt on him, pinning his tiny body to the floor, so he was utterly helpless, crying out for his friends as he regretted all the times he skipped out on Schwozecise for cake and sitting down.

Of course, Charlotte and Jasper ran to his aid, bravely jumping on the woman's back to try and subdue her, but that was futile too.

It was like she predicted their every move, dodging when they thumped her, jabbing them when they least expected it, and without any warning, she slipped her arms around their necks and held them in tight headlocks, pinching their ears to get them to squeal.

And honestly, it was working.

Closer to the elevator, (y/n) laughed as the hooded figure in front of her raised her fists calmly, indicating that she wanted to challenge Miss Danger. Now, (y/n) wasn't one to brag since she was by no means the best fighter in the world, but Captain Man taught her, which gave her an excellent set of skills and the confidence to take the challenge in her stride.

Whilst the fight between the kids, Schwoz and the other nutter, was rather pathetic, theirs was...epic. Knuckles scrapped across cheekbones, boots barrelled into stomachs, elbows collided with noses, and (y/n) had never been more thankful for her super-regeneration as she lost and regained strength to keep fighting as she blocked, dealt and tolerated hits, but she could swear something wasn't right with this bitch.

It was so weird--like, despite her age, she could fight forever with nothing, not even the slyest of punches, wearing her down, and Jasper and Charlotte couldn't believe it when their friend found herself in checkmate after a trick gone badly.

She didn't understand; no one ever knew how to deal with her special move - the one where she flipped bad guys on their heads before they even realised it, but this woman did. She knew everything, and without warning, she had the mighty Miss Danger pressed to the tiles of her own home, making threats, and under her future husband's very nose.

They must've had a death wish or something.

"Where's Henry?!" They barked at the groaning four. Schwoz groaned from the weight on his back, Charlotte and Jasper whined from the oxygen deficit from the woman's harsh grip around their throats, and (y/n) cursed her captor's surprising strength as she awkwardly twisted her arm behind her back--so, it was a good thing that the elevator dinged to bring in the cavalry, who were not expecting the sight before them.

They stepped out into the bright room, still catching up on Ray and his troubles, but his jaw dropped when the kid looked across the room. He'd expected to see his friends chilling, maxing, relaxing--all that jazz, but no. They were being brutally assaulted by two...well, he didn't know exactly what to call the two weirdos holding them down, but he knew it couldn't be a good thing judging by Ray's furious reaction.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is going on here?!" He asked with wide, concerned eyes as Ray finally stopped messing with the curtain and gazed at the scene with hard eyes. It didn't take a genius to work out that he hadn't planned on bringing in these women; instead, it took every ounce of his restraint not to storm in there and prise that psycho off his sweet girl's back for daring to lay a finger on her.

Their eyes met; Ray felt his heart lurch as a pained breath escaped her lungs when the woman pressed her knee between her shoulder blades, keeping her immobile until she and her companion looked in the direction of the voice and found who they were looking for.

Before Ray could pummel either, the intruders released their victims, who quickly scrambled away to give their poor, aching limbs a chance of recovery, and stood up with wondrous expressions on their faces.

"Schwoz, are you wearing my unitard?!" Ray asked incredulously when the small man got up, revealing the strangely tight spandex that (y/n) swore she'd seen before but dismissed when they started exercising. Now, she knew where it was from; her doofus went through a phase when he wanted to push workout routines for weenies and moms with too much time on their hands. And whilst she silently agreed that the leotard was ridiculous, it didn't half flaunt his muscles and every nook and cranny of his body perfectly.

"It's one-size-fits-all," the genius replied coyly, fanning Ray's annoyance because the garment would now be misshapen and ruined for his Greek god physique - not that he wore it much these days.

"Doofus! I'm so glad you're here!" (y/n) gasped as she stood on shaking, aching knees and ran to her lover. Ray opened his arms as wide as he could, which wasn't particularly wide with his predicament, but the heroine didn't care. She looped her arms around his neck and snuggled into his warmth and the safety it brought, unaware that behind her, one of the freaks looked at them with a soft look of longing.

It wasn't until the hard, wooden pellets pressed into her skin that (y/n) realised her doofus had worked his magic again. She pulled back with a confused look, wondering what the hell he'd done since he was meant to be fishing and then coming home to her.

"Ray, what's all this...is this the curtain from upstairs?"

"Sweet girl, are you--?"

"I'm not talking about the unitard, the curtain or (y/n)! I was talking about these crazy old ladies!" Henry exclaimed as he watched the lovers fall into the same old routine where no one else in the room existed except for them. They were so in love, and nothing else mattered when they were in each other's arms, not even the strangers staring at him with oddly offended faces.

"Henry!"

"Thank god you're here!" They breathed out as they beheld the boy, soft smiles on their faces as one reached an arm out toward him and the elder placed a gentle hand on her companion's shoulder. They seemed reminiscent and nostalgic, as if they were watching childhood movies, and it was especially true for the one with her hood covering most of her face. They couldn't get a good look at her, so they didn't see how she gazed at the hero and his helper, pining for something so similar that she'd left behind to come here.

"Hey, who are you? How do you know my name?

"Watch out! She's dangerous," Charlotte warned the boy as he moved closer. She didn't want him to get decked like she, Schwoz, and Jasper did with the blonde and (y/n) with the mysterious one, although she doubted Ray would let anything else happen to her.

"Okay, don't come any closer, ladies! We don't wanna hurt you," The hero bit back, glaring at the women when all they did was look at him with vile love and affection--as if they held him in the highest regard. He cradled his sweet girl to his chest as best he could, ignoring how the nutter with the wrinkled hands and strangely poignant rings on her finger kept staring at him. Another admirer, perhaps?

Not even his cruellest insult could offend them because, despite how crazy, insane and improbable it sounded, they loved him and Henry equally. Like family.

"Hey, I'm not done with---yeeeeeee!" Jasper gasped as he stumbled towards the psycho who'd accosted him before, thinking he could get the upper hand on her this time with the element of surprise. However, much like before, his fingertips barely grazed her shoulder when she throttled him.

In one smooth move, she dragged the kid around her body and sent him flying into a trolley, which was sure to leave poor Jasper with a few bruises - maybe even some internal bleeding as he tumbled over it.

"Curly! How dare you--you---let me at her!" (y/n) growled, lunging for the woman as her face twisted from shock to fury in point five seconds. She couldn't bear to see one of her beloved babies writhing and groaning on the floor, and if it weren't for the strong arms looped around her tummy, holding her back, then that freak would be dead meat.

"We also don't want to be hurt by you," Henry gulped as Ray fought against his pretty girl, whispering soothing words in her ear as she glared at the unknown woman. It wasn't fair that she couldn't enact her revenge, but she let it go - for now - too distracted by Ray's thumb rubbing her arm and his lips on her neck to pay them too much attention.

"We wouldn't hurt you, Henry," the woman adjacent to the violent one said, her lips turning upwards into a barely seeable smile that had Ray's gut clenching. He didn't like this; for some reason, he recognised it, and it made him feel gooey, warm and excited, which only ever happened with one person.

"And I certainly wouldn't hurt you, doofus..." the smile became a grin as her hands reached up to the edge of her hood, and as she pushed it back, their faces paled in a mix of shock and horror as her features became more apparent.

"I'm your sister."

"I'm your wife." They said together, smiling at either their "brother" or "husband" as their jaws hit the floor. It couldn't be...but now they saw them clearly; the similarities were plain. The blonde had Piper's fire, spirit and dirty, both literally and figuratively, hair, whilst (y/n)...god, (y/n). It was definitely her, and as the younger stared at the older, she felt like throwing up.

Age had wearied her; that was clear. Time etched lines into her skin, which weren't there in her youth, but they showed a lifetime of smiling, especially when she beamed at her lover's younger self and showed the creases around her eyes and mouth. She remembered what it was like to be that young and carefree, and seeing how things used to be made her happy even if their life wouldn't be precisely the same as hers.

"What?" The hero and his sidekicks spat, eyes wide and almost fearful as they took in the kooks, assuming that it couldn't be true since they were so dirty, violent and hardened, not what Ray envisioned for his sweet girl as she grew older.

No matter what his brain told him or how his heart lurched at the idea of his dream coming true, he had to take it as a lie because it didn't make sense; why would his "wife" be so shabby? Did he break his promise? Was she happy, content and cared for>

"It's me. Piper!"

"And I'm (y/n)..." the women swore, looking sincere and gentle as they stepped toward the trio. Jasper, Charlotte and Schwoz were near the point of passing out, but it was nothing compared to how (y/n) was feeling. A million questions whizzed through her mind as she studied the person in front of her; same coloured hair and eyes, awful fashion sense, same nervous shuffling when all eyes were on her...same engagement ring on her left hand, plus a new addition.

"From the future!"

"What?!" Everyone gasped as they stared at the newcomers, frozen in disbelief at what they claimed. Henry was staring at his little sister; she wasn't so little anymore. She was older, wiser, haggard and drawn as if she had suffered for many years.

Ray stared too, unable to believe everything, like how he somehow managed to do it - they got married in the end. She still wore the ring he bought her, and presumably, he would wear one too. He would live a long life with her, which made his heart soar, only to be shot down when he reasoned that she could just be saying that to toy with them.

(y/n) didn't know how to feel - this woman was her, but like Ray, she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Okay, maybe she went crazy in old age, and strangely enough, her heart twinged with slight jealousy when she - the other her - stared at her--their--her? doofus like he was her soulmate. And he was.

"What?" Ray just had to ask for good measure, feeling somewhat lightheaded as his "wife" took a step towards him and (y/n), causing her to jump into his embrace as he backed up. They didn't want to get too close and sought comfort in each other as she froze and smiled softly. Would they believe her if she said they'd never fallen out of love in all the years they loved each other?

Before anyone knew what was happening, Old Piper grabbed Henry by his face, marvelling at his smooth, unblemished skin and boyish features. She hadn't seen him like this in nigh-on thirty years and loved poking and prodding him like she did when she was younger, inspiring her companion.

"I know, you're scared..." Old (y/n) started, holding her hands up to show she meant no harm as she approached her husband and younger self, both of whom looked at her warily.

"Scared doesn't even begin to explain it..." (y/n) replied, swallowing the lump in her throat before bravely stepping forward to meet her halfway. The one claiming to be Piper hadn't hurt Henry yet, so she figured everything would be all right for her too, so, despite Ray's protests and firm grip on her hips, she got closer.

"Don't--she's dangerous, sweet girl!"

"Doofus, I wouldn't hurt my younger self. That would just be hurting me," the older woman giggled, reaching out to touch (y/n) as if neither could restrain themselves. Every sci-fi movie told them not to poke around stuff like that, but curiosity got the better of them; what would happen if they embraced like the brother and sister next to them?

"I am not your doofus," Ray seethed, bristling at the word since it didn't feel right, not when his true love was right there. Besides, he still wasn't convinced that these women were who they said they were, even if the heroines both stretched out their left hands, both adorned with the same glittering ring.

"But she looks just like me, Ra--ow!" (y/n) rolled her eyes at his scepticism, feeling it in her gut when she saw their matching rings--one was older and well-loved, but it held the same sparkle, and when their eyes met, she just knew.

She'd always sworn that no one would ever love Ray more than her, but when she looked at her, this woman followed his every move and softened when he gave her the slightest bit of attention. Did she really behave so desperately around him?

"Ow!" However, neither accounted for how the universe didn't like their meeting. The second their fingertips met, electricity zapped between them, forcing them apart like two points of time met when they should never have touched. The heroines pulled apart instantly, quickly learning their lesson about looking with their eyes and not their hands, but Ray was much more stern.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" He growled, tugging (y/n) back into his chest protectively as he practically bared his teeth at the stranger, cautious now that the slightest contact caused sparks to fly--and not in the way he liked.

"I--"

"And don't you hurt me!" He warned, too, jolting when Old (y/n) attempted to get closer to her husband, only to roll her eyes when he overreacted and got all defensive. Oh, how her doofus would laugh when she told him once the mission was over, and they'd reminisce about how he never lost that protectiveness and how it never failed to make her weak at the knees.

"I am your wife!" She insisted, presenting her rings and the promise they represented, but he closed his eyes and blocked it out. This was crazy--too crazy to believe, so he held his real love close and pictured the day she became his wife because that's who she was. His future wife, not this... phoney.

So, to distract him before an argument ensued, (y/n) began to untie the knots around his hands and torso, giggling when he explained his morning on the riverbank.

She grinned when he exaggerated how many he caught, although no one could convince her that sharks lived in the Jandy River. She'd let him believe that one and worked quickly and efficiently as her twin stood around awkwardly, watching her companion as she fawned over her brother.

"Henry...my brother. It's so good to see you again!" Old Piper said with pure happiness as she stroked Henry's face, unknowingly leaving streaks of dirt and grime on his face from her blackened fingers. She had some strange substance wiped all over them, and whilst (y/n)'s hands were cleaner, the same thick, sticky liquid stained her clothes.

"Yeah, is there no soap in the future? Because your hands are kinda dirty," the kid grimaced and pulled her away from his skin, worried that the foul-smelling stuff would make him break out in a rash.

"Oh, it's not dirt. It's cyborg-robot blood oil," Future Piper replied, grinning as though that was any better. Henry cringed as she continued stroking his face until he pulled her away again, wondering what they'd been doing to both be covered in it.

"Okay, all right--let's put our hands in our pockets and never touch anything ever again," The boy said, swiftly shoving her hands toward her grubby coat, so she didn't smear him with any more of that blood oil or whatever. Ray finally broke free from the curtain and, with help from his darling fiancée, slammed it to the floor with a satisfied smirk of good riddance.

"In the future, there are no pockets," she told him, drawing gasps around the room before sighing sadly as she remembered the good old days when you could put things where you wanted them. Nothing was free anymore, but she wanted to change that, and with the help of Captain Man and his wife, she hoped to rage against the system and go back to a more peaceful life.

"No pockets?!"

"The future sounds terrible!" Schwoz and Jasper exclaimed in horror, thinking about all the troubles that would arise if they couldn't put their keys, PearPhone or any small item in their pants.

"Pfft! They're not from the future!" Ray scoffed, glaring at Future Piper and (y/n) as they came to stand side-by-side, frowning back at him for doubting their word. The former heroine told her old friend that her husband would find it hard to believe; after all, no one in their universe ever saw the horror coming, but goddamn, he was stubborn...yet gorgeous.

"They're just some crazy ladies who just wandered in here... Probably looking for turkey jerky."

"We are from the future, Raymond! In another universe, this is what happens! Why you gotta be so stubborn, you...you doofus?!" Old (y/n) exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air from exasperation as he looked at her and Piper in suspicion. A niggling voice at the back of his mind told Ray to accept it; no one else used his full name like that, and only one person called him a doofus with so much affection, but it was so weird. It was her, but it wasn't her--her after living a life he didn't witness.

"But seriously, do you have any turkey jerky? Because I would love some," the blonde piped up, staring longingly at her former boss and mentor as if she hadn't eaten in days. Old (y/n) rolled her eyes when she faintly heard her stomach grumble; however, she refused to accept defeat, proving to be just as stubborn as her lover since no matter how hungry she was, she wouldn't cooperate if he wouldn't.

But Ray wasn't cruel. When he saw them staring at the top pocket of his fly vest, he knew they were familiar with his tricks--for reasons he didn't want to accept-- and opened the flap to reveal the snacks that kept him going when he had nothing to do but twiddle his thumbs and wait for a nibble.

"Here. Go nuts, Frizzie McGuire..." he called to Piper in a cold tone and tossed her a strip of dried meat, which she gratefully caught in her palms and gazed at like it was the holy grail. And, of course, he didn't miss how his "wife" released a pining sigh for her own strip, eyes soft and sad as her friend greedily ripped bites from the morsel.

"And...and some for you, too." He didn't have it in him to call her a mean name, not when her face lit up, and she flashed him a winning smile. Instantly, ten years melted from her face, and whilst she was still old, he could see his darling girl for a moment, causing his heart to lurch and him to return to the safety of his (y/n)--where nothing needed to make sense since she always did.

"See?"

"In our future, the only food the robots give us is tasteless vitamin paste," Piper spat as if she was cursing these awful machines she mentioned, and everyone grimaced with them at the thought of eating nothing but mush. The future sounded terrible, but their desire for turkey jerky proved his point, and they were nuts and intruders.

"Well, here in the present, you can't know about me, (y/n), Henry, or the Man Cave. So, Schwoz, go get the Memory-Wiper, please."

"On it!" The genius quickly ran off at his boss' command as the futuristic hobos looked at the heroes with fear, not because they were protective of their memories, but because they had a mission, and it wasn't just to cross dimensions to see how things changed.

"We're running out of time!"

"Yeah, me--you and Piper are in great danger! We need to leave now and help her!" They implored the team, sparking worry in their chests since no one had mentioned danger. Young (y/n) could sort of look after herself, but Present Piper was small, delicate and untrained, and whilst she could be vicious, there was no way she'd survive on her own, so Henry immediately bristled as any older brother would, whilst Ray rolled his eyes.

Yeah, like he'd ever let anything happen to the most precious person. Pull the other one.

"Why?"

"Yeah, why are (y/n) and Piper in danger?" He asked in concern, ignoring how Ray made moves on (y/n) in the corner of his eye. The woman fought off his advances as much as she could since she wanted to hear what was or wasn't coming for her, whining for him to quit it when he bathed her cheeks, jaw, temples and lips with soft kisses since he didn't want to listen to the nonsense anymore, but it tickled so much, and he was so damn good at it.

"You're seriously...buying...their story?" He accused between kisses, pulling away from his pretty girl in a second of respite to throw Henry a dirty look, only to receive an even dirtier one as the boy silently shamed him for paying more attention to his fiancée than the emergency. If there even was an emergency.

"Well, you, (y/n), and Henry have travelled through time and dimensional portals before, so we know that time travel and multiple universes are possible," Charlotte, the Smartie, added, recalling all their previous adventures, which all seemed tame compared to this predicament. Ray rolled his eyes yet again, bored with the idea that his future wife from another world or something had come to visit, knowing that was impossible.

This was a joke, except for the certainty that he and (y/n) would marry. That was a given, but he'd fight to his last breath to ensure that his sweet girl never ended up caked in dirt, oil, and God knows what else. Their universe was peaceful, not a product of Steven Spielberg's imagination.

"It's true, doofus, remember? I died in one universe, and you turned evil, so it's not impossible to assume we grow old and filthy together in another, right?" His girl whispered to him, hoping his rational voice would help him process the overwhelming news that they didn't bathe in some universes, but he just groaned and smushed his face into her neck.

"We need to leave now! Take us to your house--to our house. The house where we grew up!" Old Piper told her brother, her eyes shining as she recalled the carefree days of her childhood, back when she had nice clothes, warm food, her loving parents, and the only worry of who was the most famous person on EnvyGram.

"So, if you want to put me down, Ray, we can get going. You know, before I die or something," Future (y/n) smirked, feeling her cheeks flush as she remembered the carefree days when she and her husband could barely keep their hands off each other. They still felt the same way, but with the robots, their many children, war, their adopted children, and their roles as guardians of humanity? Opportunities were few and far between.

"If you really teleported here from a future dimension, why didn't you just go straight there? Hmmm?" Jasper asked suspiciously, eyeing the women as he tried to find holes in their narrative, which Ray greatly appreciated since he didn't like it when his wife or not-wife or whatever flirted with him, and the thought of his girl dy...no, he didn't want to think it.

"Ooooh! Good one, Jasper!"

"Thank you!"

"What is coming for Piper and you...me...for us...we can't face it alone. We need help," Old (y/n) sighed, showing a brief glimmer of vulnerability as she dwelled on their danger. She treated it like a joke to try to make light of the situation, but she and Piper were terrified that they would lose this war.

"You certainly do. Professional help because nothing and no one is going to hurt my future wife--this gorgeous creature over here. Not you," Ray sneered at her, defensively wrapping an arm around his real lover's shoulders to prove that he wasn't falling for their tricks. She was the one he loved, not some old bag who managed to sneak her way into his secret hideout to tell shaggy dog stories about him failing to protect his family.

"So, right now, you've got an appointment with Doctor Fist!" Running purely on instinct and his tendency to punch first and ask questions later, Ray swung at Old Piper - the closest lunatic to him.

He put everything he had into it, wanting to take her down since she was probably a spy or something, but she was no longer some defenceless girl. The war in their time had hardened her into a lethal fighting machine, and with learned expertise, Piper blocked his attack with a brush of her arm before she swung him onto the floor in a well-timed shoulder throw, much like she'd done with Jasper.

"Don't hurt him!" (y/n) cried, wincing with the others as Ray landed roughly and released a throaty groan. He writhed in agony as the wind knocked out of him, and Piper panted above him, a slither of regret on her face until she figured he'd asked for it, even if he - or his older self - meant everything to the woman who partially raised her.

"He's fine... Except for his ego. That's probably a little bruised," her wiser self advised, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder before thinking better. The universe didn't like them touching, so she dropped her arms back to her sides, and they settled for an understanding smile, which Ray didn't get at all.

"Okay, you're starting to bug me about as much as Henry's real little sister does," he groaned and rolled onto his tummy as he waited for the ache in his everything to fade away. Of course, both ladies irritated him since he was confident both were liars, but honestly, his sweet girl never annoyed him, save for when she stole sips of his coffee, but that wasn't the same.

"I am Henry's real little sister, just as much as (y/n) is your wife, and we all have to leave now!" Piper exclaimed, ushering the boy and heroine toward the elevator with her companion, but they didn't want to leave. Whilst they wanted to believe them, it was still hard to, and neither wanted to go without Ray nor, at the very least, without knowing everything.

"Well, maybe if you told us why something's coming for (y/n) and Piper, Ray would have an easier time believing you. Y'know, he'd do anything to protect her if you are who you say you are," Charlotte suggested, gesturing to her boss as her friend hurried over to help him to his feet, and everyone could see what they meant. He looked into her eyes and pulled the dopiest, widest, most lovestruck smile they'd ever seen as he accepted her soft hands and rose into her embrace.

All she did was offer to help, but he looked at her like an angel - one he'd do anything for.

"In our universe--in our future--I led a rebel army against the robots that enslave humanity before I passed my duty onto Piper, so she can continue the fight," Old (y/n) began to explain, barely knowing where to start since it wasn't every day she crossed galaxies, astral plains and timelines, but she left sanity behind long ago, as well as a chance at a normal life with her husband, which only fuelled Ray's scepticism as he sighed into his girl's neck.

"The robots can't get to us in the future, so they're going to send a terrible machine to destroy us in the past. The Piper and (y/n) in every known universe will die, so there's no chance of us defeating them. It's coming today!"

"This sounds pretty bad, dude!" Henry told his boss as the woman finished her story with a pleading look, which she shared with Future Piper since they were highly aware of the time they were losing. However, Ray wasn't so sure...

"It sounds like these ladies have watched Terminator too many times," he snapped, hands gliding around (y/n)'s hips as he was nearing the end of his patience. All he wanted was to sneak off to their en-suite and fulfil his promise to her whilst she did the same with him, but they couldn't do that, not when he had to sci-fi freaks in his Man Cave.

"Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!" Jasper suddenly piped up as he bounced up and down before showing his age and making the adults feel really old. "What's The Terminator?"

"Wow!" Ray grumbled to himself and buried his face in (y/n)'s neck before he spouted some offensive babble to Jasper about how he was an uncultured, Generation-Z swine who wouldn't know a classic movie if it hit him in the face. So, it was up to his sweet girl to explain, as it nearly always was.

"Uh, it's this really old movie where pretty much all this stuff happens," she described briefly as her hand rose to stroke through the hair on Ray's nape, and she hoped no one noticed how his lips pressed against her pulse point to make her knees weaken.

"Yes, The Terminator! That movie gave the robots the idea to enslave us all. That, and The Matrix--"

"Well, Keanu is yummy," (y/n) joked, only to gasp when Ray lightly bit her collarbone - a warning not to mention that name again if she didn't want to be turned over his knee. It was no secret she fancied him, and whilst he wasn't so bad as to despise every celebrity she squealed over - and he wasn't innocent in that area, either - he didn't want her squealing when she was in his arms. Well, not over another man, anyway.

"And the sad first scene of Finding Nemo where--" Piper went on, but with the couple's blatant PDA, no one wanted a reminder of that harrowing scene, so all she got was boos and jeers. God, those poor little fishies; Henry couldn't move on fast enough, especially when he--horror of horrors--saw Ray's hand sneaking into (y/n)'s back jean pocket before she slapped it away with a naughty grin.

"No, we're not going to talk about that. Look, dude. Maybe we should just go--just to be safe!"

"You want to be safe? We take these two to a looney bin!" Ray argued, pulling away from (y/n)'s neck and her sweet-smelling hair that tickled his face, but strangely enough, he didn't step away completely. If there was danger, as improbable as it seemed, he wanted her close, just in case. He'd protect her no matter what, but right now, they were the bigger threat, not Arnold or Neo.

"We need to leave now!" Old (y/n) insisted, turning to her younger self and Henry since they were more rational, not threatening to drag them away kicking and screaming. She and Old Piper pushed the kid toward the elevator, then turned to offer her hand to the heroine, who couldn't take it for space-time continuum reasons, but she understood the meaning.

Ray, however, held tightly onto her waist and refused to let go--refused to let her go anywhere with them or without him.

"Listen, if they're telling the truth, then you just got flipped by the future leader of the human resistance," Charlotte pointed out, causing (y/n) to smirk when she felt the man's arms go slack around her body. She had a good point there, and when she gazed up at him, she knew Ray was pondering it hard.

"If they're crazy, then you just got beat up and dumped on your ass by some crazy lady who likes turkey jerky and her insane friend, who just happens to look exactly like me!" She giggled, gesturing to the women, who gave him a steely look as they nibbled the last of the jerky he gave them.

"Got any more?" They asked, constantly hungry for actual food, and for a moment, Ray appeared as if he had an epiphany.

"..." He thought for a moment, growing silent as everyone stared at him, but the peace didn't last very long. He was Captain Man, which meant he didn't like being wrong, and neither did he like getting beaten, so he made up his mind. Violence always wins.

"Second time's the charm--let's dance, Crazy Susan!" He yelled, pushing (y/n) away, so she didn't get hurt and charging towards Piper. She was the one who started, and those eyes taunted him as she chewed her turkey jerky--as if she wanted to steal every last piece he had.

He hoped to gain enough speed to take her down in a tackle or maybe with a flying Superman punch, but she was too clever. Anticipating his move, she grabbed the lapels of his stupid fly vest and hauled him off-balance before using his immense bulk to flip him on his butt again. Another pained groan left his body as he lay there in a crumpled heap, wishing he'd listened to his sweet girl's warning and stayed in her arms; he rarely got hurt in them.

"Aw, man, who taught you how to fight?" He asked as he laid on his back, staring up at Piper as she smiled softly and darted her eyes to her friend. The stories she could tell him...they'd break his heart and put it back together.

"You and (y/n) did--in the future...with all your children," she replied, sending the room reeling into stunned silence as Ray and (y/n) locked wide eyes and felt their cheeks superheat. They--future--chi--oh, dear lord.

"Okay, that checks out," Ray mumbled and laid his head back against the chilly floor with a dopey grin plastered across his face.

Whilst hearing about him passing on his skills to make Piper a badass made him proud, his mind was foggy and pleasure coursed through his body as he thought of a future like that. Of course, he never wanted to train his children to be killers; that part sounded horrible, but children with his sweet girl. She would be the mother of his children, and they'd go on to do great things as husband and wife...pinch him.

"We have children?" (y/n) asked quietly, eyes trained on the floor so no one would see the tears pooling in them. Her mind was racing a million miles a minute with question after question firing into her brain, but she could only think of one thing. He would be the father of her children, and she'd grow old with him just like they'd always wanted...pinch her.

"Yes. They're perfect--everything we ever wanted. All--"

"Don't tell me how many! No spoilers!" The heroine practically yelled at her other self, who froze in shock before a soft smile melted away the tension. She should've predicted that; after all, they were the same, even if a dimension divided them.

"No spoilers..." she solemnly promised and made a mental note not to mention anything revealing since she'd always wanted to work things out for herself and not have anything handed to her. That would be too easy, and something else was eating away at her, much more than a general curiosity about what could come true.

"Y'know, my Ray always says I have this strange look on my face whenever I'm thinking about something too much, but I never thought I'd see it myself," the old woman remarked, chuckling to herself as (y/n) broke out of her trance and realised she was talking to her. She'd learn in time that the nerves she balmed and despised were her greatest asset, which would eventually become more valuable than she'd ever know, but right now, she looked pensive...and nervous.

"It's just...if you really are me, then answer me one thing to prove it," she offered quietly, which was a fair proposition, given that everyone in the room often behaved according to her opinions and orders. She was the boss, and if they gained her trust, they'd have a chance to complete their mission.

"Of course, anything." Came the soft reply, and all (y/n) had to do was think of something no one else knew - a secret she'd never told, and it had to be something obscure, worthy of taking it to the grave, or just something only she'd ever thought about.

Her favourite toy as a child? No, everyone knew about Marmalade, the ragged ginger cat plushie she used to drag everywhere like a real animal.

Her first boyfriend? No one wanted to know about Simon, the chemistry nerd who asked her to prom, only to tell her about his comic book collections and the latest Star Wars movie. She was a nerd, but not that much of a nerd, and besides, it was all over when he earned a scholarship to God knows where - not much to tell.

What her wedding dress looked like? That would definitely not ruin the surprise, not to mention that she wasn't completely sold on the idea of a mermaid cut or something poofy and stupid yet. All she had was something small and modest - nothing much.

What then?

"...When did I first tell Ray that I love him? The first time," she asked after thinking long and hard, and the others smirked as they recalled that angelic moment when all their worries were over because the cat was out of the bag, and Ray sighed as he remembered one of the happiest moments of his life. They thought she'd go with something more abstract, but (y/n) wasn't so square.

"Easy," Old (y/n) grinned, growing young again as her face creased at the memory. She recalled that moment with nostalgic heartache because it was so sweet but sad when she remembered how it haunted her for weeks after like she'd done something wrong.

"He'd fallen asleep after we watched a movie in his room, but we stayed up for hours in his arms, wondering if he'd ever know how much he meant to us. Then...we just said it--whispered it at, like, three AM or something because he was right there and so perfect...but he wasn't ours. And, of course, he didn't hear us for another few years, being the doofus he is, anyway."

"...He's still a doofus."

"And still perfect," the older woman remarked, her eyes sparkling with love for the man on the floor--or at least a version of him. Her twin nodded with a grin at the sentiment, laughing to herself at how right she was. It was funny; he had so many faults, problems, and annoying habits that he was far from perfect, but she didn't mind.

He was half of her soul, and as she gazed at the warrior in front of her, she knew she was far from her other half.

"Yeah. Still perfect." And that made the universe-sized hole feel a little bit smaller.

~Henry's House~

Fear rampaged through Henry's mind as he took his old-little sister on a walk down memory lane.

Piper knew the paving stones that lined the sidewalk like the back of her hand, remembering how she used to avoid stepping on the cracks since that was where monsters lurked.

She knew the trees that stood alongside the road, remembering how they changed colour with every season, like traffic lights.

She knew the neighbours - most of them anyway, remembering how she used to play with a girl across the street before she deemed her too weird and lame to be a friend. Now, they looked at her strangely, whispered about her clothes, and the children she once laughed with ran from her scary looks.

Things had changed, but not the house of her happiest days. It was still there; four simple walls containing everything from her first words to her high school prom - it was all there. However, when they got inside, the place wasn't as...tidy as she recalled.

"Piper?! Piper?! Are you okay?!" Henry screamed as they burst through the door, only to be confronted with an upside-down house. The sitting room, kitchen--everywhere had been stripped and searched with cushions tossed on the floor, dishes smashed, chairs scattered, and lamps knocked over. Someone had been looking for something or someone, but no one was home.

"We're too late!" Old Piper exclaimed in anguish, a sinking feeling settling into her stomach as the terror of failure entered her mind. Would she disappear soon? Would her world end in fire and death because she couldn't complete her mission? She looked at her brother and companion with teary eyes, but they didn't lose hope.

"Piper?!"

"Don't you see?! It's over! The robot destroyed her! They'll be coming for you next!" She exclaimed, assuming the worst in the empty house as she glanced at (y/n), who looked up at Ray with worry. He still looked sceptical, but a flicker of protective concern flashed in his eyes at the notion of some death robot coming for his sweet girl.

'Let them come,' he thought to himself, 'let them see what happens if they dare to lay a single finger on her precious head, my precious girl.'

"Relax. If the robot got your sister, then, according to time travel rules, Looney Gaga here would suddenly disappear. She's here--your dumb sister probably fine, and my sweet girl is safe with me," Ray told Henry as he crossed the room cooly, his hand tightly gripping (y/n)'s, so he could guide her to the breakfast bar. He fancied snooping through the stuff in the kitchen, and his girl pressed herself into his side as he flicked through a something-or-other, seeking comfort only he could bring.

"Doofus, the rules of time travel change every time we do it. I don't want to get got," she whimpered, shivering at the thought of being a robot's prey, and Ray immediately tossed the something-or-other to focus on her instead. He didn't like the fear in her eyes - an ugly feeling - and his arms snaked around her waist and torso to hug her to his body until her ear pressed against his chest.

His heartbeat pulsed in her ear, comforting her since it lulled her to sleep every night, and she rubbed her nose into the patch where he dabbed on his cologne, the familiar scent tranquilising her even more. Safe and warm against him, the uneasiness dissipated from her stomach since no one could protect her like Captain Man, and when it came to her, he didn't break his promises.

"No one's going to get you, darlin'. No one. They'll have to go through me first...understand?" He told her quietly, firmly, solemnly as he'd never meant anything more in his life. His eyes were intense and...questioning, which made her pause for a minute until she realised the question.

He didn't know if she knew, and it ate him up.

Slowly, she nodded, unable to form words under his pinning gaze, but the gesture satisfied his burning need to know if she knew. He would fight until his last breath if she was in trouble and tear galaxies apart to return to her if they were separated - that she had to know.

"If the robot didn't trash this place, who did?" Old (y/n) asked as she inspected the room, brushing her fingers across a side table strewn with broken china whilst keeping a close eye on the couple glued together. Right now, she wasn't a concern since she'd always had a protector, but Young Piper didn't.

"That would be me!" But she was arguably strong-willed, not to mention a sight for sore eyes.

"Piper!" Henry exclaimed gleefully as he saw his sister appear at the top of the stairs, perfectly unharmed with a trash can tucked under her arm as she trotted down the steps. Strangely enough, with each step, she scattered a handful of trash across the room, letting the group watch it drop to the floor like falling snowflakes.

"Wait--what are you doing?"

"Well, I called my friends, but none of them wanted to come to your nerd party," she started, flicking more trash on everything as she neared the stairwell. She briefly looked at the newcomers in the room, recognising her brother, friend, and the weird boss-fiancé, but not the other two. She wondered why they stared at her like she had two heads, with wonder-filled eyes and quivering smiles, but she didn't stop to care about it since everyone was looking at her.

"So, I'm trashing the place so that when dad gets back, he'll think you threw one."

"Can you call them back and tell them it's a cool party?" Henry asked, slightly offended that everyone saw him as a "two-friended nerd", but Piper didn't care. Her friends had met him, knew where he worked and what he was like at school, and they all saw him as a good-looking yet socially awkward kid.

"They know you. Won't work," she smiled with her hands shoved deep in her pockets, and when he looked away, deep in thought about how low he'd sunk in popularity, she turned to the two weirdos in the room. One seemed vaguely familiar - like (y/n) in a way - so she figured she was some wacky relative who didn't know what a bath was, but the other? Not a clue.

"Hey, who's this? Your mom?" She asked, gesturing to the blonde as she looked at Ray, who frowned in outrage at the insinuation. His mom didn't look like a hobo, and he immediately jumped away from Old Piper, who would've been offended if it wasn't for the relief flooding her body at her younger self not recognising her. Thank God.

"No, she's not my mom!"

"Your new girlfriend?" She joked when he exploded with anger from the first question and, seeing his interesting reaction, winked at (y/n) to let her know it was a joke.

The woman bit her lip to smother a giggle, aware that her friend knew all about her undying love for the idiot next to her and that she'd never betray her like that, just as Ray wouldn't. But he didn't see the joke, and if suggesting Old Piper was his mom annoyed him, then saying he'd leave his sweet girl for her made him jump out of his skin.

"Do you not see this?! Huh?!" He seethed as he snatched up (y/n)'s left hand and thrust it toward the girl so she could see the glittering ring still on her finger. He didn't need to fly off like that, and Piper also screeched with delight at how easy he was to torment, but he beat her to it.

"I'll tell you who she is! She's y--ah!" He wanted to torment the girl back, wanted her to know that she turned into an unwashed nutcase, and he wanted to see her panic as he did when she hinted he wasn't half the man he strived to be, but suddenly, Old Piper and (y/n) snatched him and Henry by the ear.

"Get her off! Get her off! Sweet girl!" He cried as the woman pushed him to the open door, calling for his lover to help him, but she didn't want to get a universal zap again, no matter how much his pained cries hurt her.

The girl watched in utter confusion as the boys were dragged to the porch with her friend trailing behind them, and she wondered why (y/n)'s relative was attacking her fiancé. Did they not approve or something? He was odd and secretive but undoubtedly the right guy for her.

"Your hand was on my mouth! Your gross hand was on my mouth! I can taste the robot blood!" Henry spluttered as he struggled to keep his balance on the porch, too disgusted by the dirt smeared across his lips to watch where he was going. He gipped and gagged at the rusty taste on his mouth, much like Ray as the hero practically shoved Old (y/n) into the bushes and buried his nose in his love's neck to fight the stench of dead robots on the other woman.

"What's your beezer, geezer?" He asked sharply, glaring at the time travellers with his arms locked around (y/n), who did her best to keep him calm, but he was furious. No one dragged Captain Man by his ear like that...except his wife.

"My beezer is you can't tell Piper who I am or anything about me!" The blonde snapped at her former mentor.

"Why not?" Henry questioned with a frown, dreading several ideas, ranging from altering the fabric of the universe to Piper exploding from seeing her future self. Anything could happen, but it would be damn difficult to keep her and (y/n)'s identities a secret.

"Because look at her!" Her companion exclaimed, pointing the finger at Piper, which made her frown slightly since it was mildly insulting, but she didn't mind that much. She didn't look much better, and fashion and beauty went out the window for their society once the faceless robots took over; all that mattered was the mission, even if Ray kept looking at Henry and twirling a finger next to his temple.

"If Piper finds out that she ends up looking like this, she'll never want to lead the human rebel army. And then, the robots will win!"

"Mmmm, question!" Ray raised his hand, having scoffed at his "wife's" tall tale, none of which made sense to him. "Is everyone in the future a sucker?"

"Come on, man..." Henry sighed, growing tired of his boss' constant denial and suspicions against who he'd accepted as his sister and surrogate sister from the future. If he'd only open his eyes and stop being so pigheaded, he'd recognise the same, including how the older woman looked at him like he hung the stars in the sky.

"No, you come on! We're supposed to believe this big bucket a' crappie?!"

"We should at least considered it, Raymond! There's a death robot coming for Piper and me!" (y/n) insisted, her palms flat against her lover's chest as he tried to push his way to the kid to start an argument, and the first thing he wanted to do was throttle a looney for stirring up so much trouble in his life.

"His sister is fine! You are fine! You're safe 'cause you're with me, sweet girl," he replied, voice turning soft after being so harsh, and his hands slid up her forearms to grasp her wrists. He brought one up to his lips and pressed his lips to her pulse - a sign his promise wasn't broken. She was alive, well, and happy (for the most part), so they were panicking over nothing since nothing had turned up, guns blazing.

"She's crazy! Let's take her to the hospital and--"

"AHHHH! There it is!" The women suddenly shrieked over him, causing the group to jump and huddle next to the bench on the porch. Ray, (y/n), and Henry scanned the wooden slats for any sign of danger, but everything they saw was harmless, from the bushes to the plant pots to the unknown little boy standing closer to the driveway. Were he and his brightly coloured shirt what scared them so much?

"Stay back!" Old (y/n) ordered, shoving her younger self back into Ray, ignoring the brief zap of pain from their timelines crossing. They spread their arms across the group protectively as Ray wrapped himself around his fiancée, safeguarding her even though he didn't know what was happening.

"What?!"

"It's here to destroy Piper and (y/n)!" The rebel leader growled, and Ray pulled (y/n) behind him, acting as an indestructible shield since there was danger, but all he could see was a child. A harmless, mild-looking child with thick brown hair, cute clothes and an emotionless face. Maybe he was a little creepy with his eery stillness, but he didn't doubt if he saw his sweet girl pinching his little chubby cheeks, then he'd have a broodiness attack.

"What is?!"

"Him?"

"This little guy?!"

"Yes!" Old (y/n) nodded to the boys, keeping her younger self well back and ensuring she stayed behind Ray, even when she couldn't help but peek around his large frame to get a look at their enemy. She knew the robots didn't look like much, but that was their brilliance, an offensive play into a human's nature to protect their young, and it was surprisingly, despicably effective.

"The robots disguise themselves as kids, so people won't think they're a threat!"

"Okay, why don't you hit the showers, pig pen? I'll handle this," Ray sneered at the woman, gently guiding his sweet girl over to Henry so he could keep her safe whilst he sorted out the unknown boy.

As he strode over, he sized the kid up with a cocky smirk, seeing that there wasn't much to him with his puny arms, skinny legs, and a quarter of his height and body weight. He wasn't one for hitting children, but he'd do it to keep his soulmate safe, and the looks of things wouldn't complicate it.

"Doofus, be careful!" (y/n) called out, gulping the lump in her throat as she watched her lover waltz up to the child as if he hadn't been told he was dangerous. She knew he would be all right, but she hated the thought of him going to fight whilst she was pampered and indulged like precious goods.

"Darlin', I've got a pretty good sense for danger, and this little fella wouldn't hurt a--" Ray smiled gently as he bent down to the kid's level, hoping to have a pleasant conversation with the kid - a little heart on heart - with his best Captain Man confidence, but the second he got to close, the robot showed its malice.

In the blink of an eye, it grabbed Ray by the shoulders and, with incredible strength, launched him high into the sky, throwing him a mile above the ground with little to no effort. His sidekicks, Piper and (y/n), gasped in horror as he screamed, watching as he zoomed higher and higher with no sign of stopping until he was all but a dot against the blue. When would he come back down?

"Holy shit..."

"IT'S REAL!" Henry screeched as (y/n) turned pale and peaky, her stomach churning as she watched her lover leave her, and she dreaded to think about what would happen when he came back down. Oh, the pain he would feel; she made a mental note to make it up to him later that night, but first, they needed to survive.

"We told you!" Her twin sighed, blocking the robot in its path so it couldn't get to her. With Ray gone, it was up to her to save herself; a paradox that sounded ridiculous in their heads, but that was the unbelievable problem they were facing.

"EVERYTHING YOU SAID IS REAL!"

"We told you!" Piper reiterated, pacing frantically as the child remained frozen, biding its time or taunting them - they weren't sure. All they knew was they were significantly weaker without Captain Man, and Henry's panicking wasn't helping.

"We have to protect Piper and (y/n) at all costs!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna protect them from the inside," Henry remarked, squeezing (y/n)'s hand tightly as he opened the door and dragged her in, hoping they'd be safer there. Ray would have his head if she were hurt, and he didn't fancy explaining to his parents why their dear Piper had been slaughtered--it didn't bear thinking about.

"Thanks a lot, bro!"

"Just keep me safe, Hen! Don't worry about a thing!" The women called out to him, sending very mixed signals as the kid slammed the door behind him as if the shitty wooden pannels would protect them. (y/n) didn't feel safe without her doofus fighting by her side, but having solid walls and makeshift weapons around her made things a little better; having Piper standing in front of her didn't.

"What is going on?!" The girl asked as her friend and brother entered the house erratically, looking pale and pasty as if they'd seen a ghost.

"Uh, what makes you think something is going on?" The heroine asked nervously as she raked a sweaty hand through her hair and glanced around the room. She couldn't look jumpier and antsy if she tried, constantly swallowing and folding her arms as if she was protecting herself - waiting to get.

"Ahhhhh!" She didn't need to worry, though, because as if he felt her anxiety, Ray dropped in - literally. Out of nowhere, he plummeted through the roof, sending splinters of wood, fibreglass insulation and plasters raining down onto the floor, which he hit with a heavy thump. He got up almost immediately, living by the motto that he could walk anything off, even if he were crusty, dusty, and indeed rusty after enduring such a fall.

"Doofus!" (y/n) breathed out and leapt across the room to jump into his arms, ignoring the dust that covered his body--and hers once she smothered him. He still felt woozy but hugged her, relieved to know she was still all right after his little detour.

"Okay, I'm starting to think those crazy old ladies might be telling the truth..." he mumbled as he swayed from side to side, seeing two Henrys, Pipers and (y/n)s as the world spun. It was a good thing she was there to steady him; otherwise, he was confident he'd have keeled over, wobbling as the pain took an extra second to fade due to the enormity of it.

"You're okay, Ray...we're both gonna be okay," (y/n) whispered against his forehead as he curled into her body, groaning lowly, rubbing his nose into her neck until he recovered, and the sight of him as wounded as he could be, and her friend so worried about something, made Piper's stomach plunge.

"Someone better tell me what the heck is going on right now!"

"Uh, okay, don't--don't freak out, but there's a robot outside who is here to destroy you and (y/n)," Henry told her bluntly, causing his sister's eyes to widen dramatically as she heard the words "destroy", "you", and "(y/n)". She freaked out instantly, thrashing in her brother's arms and panting wildly as her eyes met the woman's, who nodded solemnly to confirm her fears. They were sitting ducks, and she had no means or knowledge to defend herself.

"What?!"

"See, I just told you not to freak out," Henry smiled anxiously as (y/n) walked over to comfort her, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders and bringing her into a brief hug. They exchanged worried glances before (y/n) gave her a reassuring nod, her silent way of saying she'd be all right if it were the last thing she did.

"But don't worry. We'll protect you," Ray swore as he shook off his nausea and confusion and got his head in the game, looking at the girls with smouldering eyes. Deep down, he cared deeply about both of them, willing to die for his future wife and even Piper, no matter how annoying she was.

However, his and Henry's legendary bravery diminished when the door suddenly swung open to reveal the menacing robot. It shoved Old (y/n) facefirst into the ground, causing her to groan and grow limp after the beating it had dealt before they noticed her friend hauled over its shoulder.

Old Piper looked as if she'd taken one hell of a beating and the evil child showed its hidden strength by holding her like a sack of potatoes, terrifying the boys since it broke down the door without a second thought.

"Wow. Our heroes."

"I feel so safe," (y/n) and Piper rolled their eyes as they quivered and shrieked like little girls, grasping each other's shirts instead of preparing for battle. Out of instinct, (y/n) stepped in front of her young friend and readied herself to stand as the last defence since Piper was the true leader, the one who'd avenge her if she was to...y'know.

The child quickly dropped its enemy to the floor, not even flinching when she grunted from the impact. Then, it stared at them, and stared, and waited silently and motionlessly as if it were goading them into running, testing their nerves to see who'd flinch first or maybe just waiting for the opportune moment.

Finally, after a moment, it moved and began stalking toward them, but it didn't rush. Instead, it inched closer, one step at a time, its eyes pinned on (y/n) and Piper with such accuracy that it made Ray antsy, and he couldn't help but move. To hell with it all, he'd draw the fire if he had to, anything to keep that thing from harming his darling girl because he knew murder in someone's gaze when he saw it, and that kid was bloodthirsty.

"Okay, you may have gotten the drop on me before, but that's just because I wasn't expecting--" He growled as he approached the robot, pointing an angry finger at it since he felt like he hadn't been given a fair chance before.

He'd hoped things would be different this time and intended to give it a piece of his mind, but tragically, it ceased him in the blink of an eye. Another blink later, he was hauled through the roof again, tossed skyward with immense strength, much to Piper's horror and (y/n) heartache.

"No, not my doofus!"

"Ah! What the butt?!" One girl screamed as the other whined, pining for the hero who'd keep them safe no matter what came their way. Dust fluttered to the floor as Ray soared, and the universal travellers groaned on the floor, leaving them open to attack since no one stood in the robot's way.

"It's okay--it's okay. I got this," Henry promised his sister as he pushed her and (y/n) into the kitchen, giving the woman a severe glance, to which she nodded and returned it. She'd keep Piper safe as long as he didn't get himself killed, which was a tall order as he stepped closer to their stalker.

"Hey, buddy. I'm going to need you to stop. Just going to need you to stop moving," he told the robot as it kept walking towards him, disregarding every warning to stay where it was unless it wanted to know why people called him Kid Danger.

"Red light. You have to stop if I say red light. That's--that's the rules of the game. Still...still walking."

"Relax," Piper instructed him as she picked up a trashed wooden chair and raised it defensively, "I speak fluent robot."

"Piper, be careful!" (y/n) warned her as she stepped forward, missing the heroine's grasp just before she could reel her back to safety. Ever an independent spirit, the girl decided to take her fate into her own hands, thinking that it was her life and death, so she could do what she liked with both of them, even if it knocked ten years off the lives of her brother and friend.

"Adiós, roboto!" She smirked and swung the folded chair, so it cracked over the kid's head. However, the robot didn't crumble under the blow as she'd expected; instead, it stayed put, not flinching even as the splinters rained past his head.

"That's just Spanish," her brother remarked, but there wasn't time for joking, not when the robot continued to glare menacingly at Piper, who was now closer than ever, thanks to her ingenious failure of a plan.

"Huh..."

"Yeah, I think you just made him angrier," (y/n) gulped as the child stood still, seemingly analysing her and Piper now they were all out of ideas. It was damn near indestructible, at least with whatever weapons they had available from the trash around them, so it was a good thing the women near the door had had enough time to recover from their beating.

"Let's see how he feels about this!" Old Piper exclaimed as she and her companion staggered onto aching knees and drew their idle weapons. They pointed the massive blasters at the robot, glaring as they waited for them to heat up and fire. Unlike the chair, they'd been designed and built in a time and place that matched the kid's sophistication, but they never got the chance.

Typically, showcasing his excellent timing, Ray came through the roof just before the plasma left the chamber, knocking the women to the floor. It wasn't his fault, but that didn't stop the woman and kids from cringing as he collided with them, resulting in a groaning pile of arms and legs...and Ray on top of his wife.

"Nice of you to drop by," Old (y/n) smirked through the pain as she came to her senses and saw the man hovering over her. It felt a little weird; after all, Ray had grown old with her in her time, and between getting old, rearing children and fighting a war, there wasn't much time for messing around.

"What?--Ew, ew, ew, ew!" The man gasped as he looked down and got the fright of his life, his girl underneath him, but not in any way he'd ever imagined. It was her, yet it wasn't, and he jumped off her body like she had the plague, his terrified eyes meeting (y/n)'s bemused ones.

"I--I--did I get him? Who'd I land on?" He asked, confused, hoping to God that he'd at least taken out the robot to make that awful experience worth it. He felt...icky after feeling her small, familiar yet unknown body beneath him, but he couldn't stumble out an apology to his sweet girl for...being on top of her, even if he tried. The world was spinning and not a lot made sense.

"Your girlfriend," Piper remarked sarcastically, looking upon the situation with a mischievous smile since he should've been bothered. Logically, she knew the man would never intentionally do anything to hurt his fiancée; from what Henry said and what her eyes saw, he was utterly devoted to her, but that didn't make the situation and his ensuing blushes funny.

"Not my girlfriend. I'm a happily engaged man...sweet girl, I'm so sorry," he bit back before turning to (y/n) with the saddest, most remorseful eyes she'd ever seen. If things had been different, she'd have been flattered that he felt so bad, but there was nothing to forgive. He'd done nothing.

"What for? It's about time you two lovebirds got together," she giggled, melting his anxiety when he saw she wasn't mad, and a strong urge came over him - to stride over there and press his lips to hers, so she could see that he meant it. He was happy with her, not some random version of her from a future universe, but there wasn't any time.

"We'll discuss that later. Right now, I've got boy problems," he said darkly, and the woman felt her thighs and tummy quiver at his smouldering gaze.

He plucked his laser controller from his back pocket and pointed it at the evil child, changing his plan of attack since he'd learned his lesson. Close contact got him a free ticket to the clouds, so he tried melting its face off instead.

"And this time, I'm gonna keep a safe distance--" he growled, but before he could press the button and open fire, the robot stretched its arms towards him, and to everyone's shock, they extended. Long, flexible silver poles reached across the room and hooked around his stomach, which honestly didn't shock him as much as he thought it would.

"Wow...I'm not even mad," he remarked at the futuristic tech, but that was the only thing he managed to say before he was flung through the ceiling again. Mr Hart wouldn't know what to say when he came home to so many holes in his roof, but they didn't think about it when the robot looked away from the flying hero and at its prey.

"No, go away! Hen, it's coming this way!" (y/n) gasped as the creepy kid began to stalk toward her and Piper, which caused the woman to push Piper behind her as they backed up.

Seeing they were in trouble and quickly walking into a corner, Henry scooped up one of the dropped blasters and pointed it at his enemy, hoping to make the shot the time travellers couldn't.

"Get away from my sisters, you--" He hissed, aiming as his finger twitched on the trigger, but before he pulled it, the robot disappeared in a flash of bright light. He recoiled in shock, wondering where it had gone as the room turned eerily calm with no sign of it - no one said it could teleport.

"Where'd he go?!" Piper exclaimed as she looked around, terrified of the thing sneaking up on them.

"Not where did he go. When did he go?" Old Piper prompted, drawing a few confused glances from the ones from the past because she'd seen what happened too.

"Uh...just now?" Henry told her, waving the blaster around as he didn't want to let his guard down and be empty-handed when the robot inevitably returned because it would come back. No way had it given up; that would be too easy, and it was programmed to kill, kill, and kill.

"The robots can jump through time whenever they want," Future (y/n) explained in that same-old wise voice she used in this universe. She was still so clever, and Henry thought Ray would find it adorable if he took the time to hear it.

"What?"

"Oh, goodie."

"Of course, they can, okay," Henry sighed, wondering if there were other surprises in store for them. He'd prefer to hear them all now so they weren't caught off guard again.

"He jumped forward in time to avoid getting blasted, but he'll be back any minute!"

"We have to leave!" The freedom fighters warned, growing antsy at their impending doom, and for all they knew, they might not be so lucky next time. If the child spawned behind Piper and (y/n), everything would be all over if it zapped, sliced or shot them.

"Who are these ladies? (y/n), is this your mom or sister something? 'Cause I swear, she looks just like y--" Piper started, but Henry interrupted him as he took his PearPhone from his pocket and called the only person he knew could help them. However, it was a little difficult to hear the dialling tone when they conversed in his ear.

"I need absolute silence."

"But they're nearly identical--" She tried again, reaching out to touch Old (y/n) and get her to explain before her brother reached out and hauled her back. How very dare he.

"I need--I need absolute silence." It reminded him of whenever Ray craved attention, so he turned to his youngest sidekick and pestered him. He nagged, whined and pleaded for a conversation so many times over the years that Henry had it down to an art form by now. It usually ended with (y/n) returning and taking over, which happened when she put an arm around the girl's shoulders for the phone call.

"Hey, Schwoz! Long story--turns out everything that those crazy ladies from the future said is true."

"You're from the future?!" Piper gasped, staring at her older self and friend with shocked eyes that made them nervous. They didn't want her asking questions, save she discovered something telling and decided the fight for humanity wasn't for her, so they followed Henry's plan and shut her down.

"He needs absolute silence."

"Some crazy-strong robot kid from the future showed up to my house and threw Ray through the roof a bunch of times..." The kid described to Schwoz, and in the quiet room, everyone heard the loud laughter coming from the line.

"Yeah, I know it was pretty funny, and yeah, (y/n) got all pouty. You know what they're like, but listen. This kid can, like, warp through time, so..."

"Hey, (y/n/n), your fiancé hasn't come back down yet," Piper butted in, looking skyward at the mention of the holes in the roof, and now she mentioned it, (y/n) realised Ray was taking a lot longer than before. Even against the azure backdrop, they couldn't see him, making her nerves whisper doubts and taunts in her mind.

"Oh god, how high did that damn robot throw him?"

"I know, it's pretty funny...or not. I'm concerned--poor Ray--definitely concerned," Henry giggled as he pulled away from the phone, but then he received one of (y/n)'s death glares, and he backed off, his face dropping into a sympathetic frown. Not worrying about her doofus was a mistake; after all, how could she go on without him?

"...Got it. Okay." The phone call finished quickly, and the boy turned to the girls, who were eager to hear what Schwoz had planned.

"Schwoz says he can whip up a time trap if we lure this kid to the Man Cave."

"Well, how do we do that?" Old Piper asked, knowing that the robot couldn't be bargained with, and they were very crafty - too clever to be duped into following them blindly. They'd have to be smart, which they all were; she wasn't sure if they'd succeed after years of victories and losses.

"We're gonna use (y/n) and Piper as bait," the teen replied, causing the girls to look at him madly since it was a reasonably brilliant plan - risky but brilliant using the child's target against them, just not so good for the "bait".

"Yeah!"

"No!" They protested but didn't have time to argue as the robot teleported into the room again. A whoosh later, they turned to see its unnerving eyes fixated on the woman and girl, causing them all to scream.

"Hey, robot! Here's my sister and friend! We'll be in the Man Cave--byeeeeeee!" Henry quickly took control of the situation, wrapping his arms around the girls and guiding them towards the door before the kid could move closer. Keeping their blasters trained on him, the time-travelling warriors were the last to leave, firmly closing the door behind them as the child followed them.

Meanwhile, Ray returned from his adventure, crashing through the roof and staying there as his clothing snagged on a splintered floorboard. All anyone could see from the living room were his dangling legs, but no one was there to help him since they were on the move, so for the second time that day, the hero found himself stuck.

"You guys, that robot kid just threw me into space! And I was wrong! The Earth is definitely round!" He shouted to the empty room, kicking his legs out as he thought about his sweet girl and how proud she'd be now that he'd realised all that science stuff was right.

If only he knew that Henry was using her as bait. The kid hoped he never found out because if he did, he'd probably rip his head off for putting his precious fiancée in danger.

~Junk-N-Stuff~

After running like that, (y/n) was sure she'd qualify for the Swellview Marathon next year. The store ahead of them was on high alert, with its stoutest defenders - Charlotte and Jasper - ready to take on the robot hot on their heels.

The kid was creepier than the heroine first thought because to say it only ever walked after them; it always seemed to be there - three metres behind at all times. Seriously, it could give those zombies and ghouls from horror movies a run for their money, as always spawned, no matter how fast they ran, so all they could do was get to Junk-N-Stuff as quickly as possible.

Piper and (y/n) were the first to burst through the door, practically pushed into the store by Henry, who kept looking over his shoulder to see if Old (y/n) and Piper were still with, plus the robot. It wasn't giving up, but luckily, they had Jasper Dunlop and his ski boots to save them.

"Why is it after us?!" Piper screamed as she ran into the store, cowering behind her brother's crazy friends, who looked like they'd swam through a lost-and-found box for protective gear. Technically, it was whatever excess stock they had in the back, so, complete with padded vests, football helmets, toy shields and sturdy boots, the kids were ready to...try and help.

"We warned you!"

"Yeah, but you sounded crazy," (y/n) argued when their future selves got all self-righteous and smug, even though they acknowledged how insane everything was.

"You still sound crazy," Henry added, pushing his sister and friend further away from the door, hoping the counter would provide them extra cover when the robot beat the door down. Oh, how (y/n) wished Ray was with them; she didn't know where he was, but she wanted to hide in his arms and forget all this was happening. Why couldn't she have a typical day for once?

"What are you doing?"

"I'm locking the door!" Charlotte told the boy as she turned the lock. The kid could teleport through time and had mile-long arms, but a shitty, wooden door could defeat it. Still, what she didn't know...would hurt her.

"Why? We need the robot to follow us into the Man cave!"

"Yeah, we're gonna use Piper and (y/n) as bait!" Old Piper and Henry explained, causing the girls to gulp at the thought of sitting and waiting whilst leaving their lives in other people's hands. It didn't seem right, but they didn't have any other ideas.

"Hey, we don't want to be bait!" (y/n) complained, as she rightfully should, only to draw a sarky comment from the boy shielding her as she covered Piper.

"Okay, well, no one wants to be bait..." He replied, thinking himself so clever and witty until she gave him a dry look to shut him up. If it was such a lighthearted situation, he could do it, but there wasn't any time to be petty. Charlotte had some alarming news.

"Schwoz needs a few more minutes to set up the time trap, so we came up here to try and slow down the robot," she explained, making the children even more nervous. Knowing that it was on its way and they weren't prepared, Piper grasped (y/n)'s hand and squeezed it tight, to which the woman could only give her a watery smile.

"Is he even out there?" Jasper asked as he peered through the glass door, looking highly stupid in his big, padded helmet and vibrant vest. He could barely walk in his ski boots, but at least they'd offer him protection, which was less than the girls had as everyone crowded around the door.

"Yes, he's out there!"

"I don't see him..."

"I don't know," they murmured, Henry, the time travellers, and helpers coming together to look up and down the street to see if they could spot the kid and his brightly coloured shirt, but there wasn't any sign of him. Naturally, they all felt safe in the store, thinking the strong brick walls would protect them should the robot want to break in, but no one thought about his time-jumping abilities.

"AHHHHHH!" (y/n) and Piper screeched as they turned around to see the child staring at them menacingly. With a single whoosh, it teleported into the room and snuck up behind them, forsaking the locked door and every other precaution the group took since nothing stood between him and its prey, or at least, (y/n) bravely pushed herself between it and Piper.

"Piper, (y/n), quite screaming! We're trying to look for the robot boy! God..." Jasper groaned as they made all that noise, thinking they were being hysterical. The girls couldn't take their eyes off it as they kept looking out the window, and if it weren't for the impending doom, then they would've been furious with his rude tone.

"He's right there!" Piper yelled, her face tucked under (y/n)'s arm to see where the kid was. She felt safe with the woman, knowing she was Miss Danger and an excellent fighter, which was still a bit weird, but things made sense now. She just hoped she lived to see an actual mission.

"What?" Henry frowned before he turned around, catching a glimpse of the creepy child they were hunting. The protectors screamed at the sight, spooked at how it had managed to sneak in silently.

"Go, go, go!" Henry quickly said (y/n) and Piper, hurrying to usher them to the elevator before the kid could get them. Leaving Jasper and Charlotte to stall the kid with one of his genius ideas, they skidded into the back room, which sadly didn't have the invincible beaded curtain there anymore as a last-minute barrier.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!" (y/n) panicked as they heard screams from the other room, none of which they wanted to contemplate since it could've ranged from torture to a severe punch-up knowing that monster. Typically, the sidekicks would've gone back to help, but their mission was to keep Piper safe above all else. Charlotte and Jasper would be fine - probably.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." Henry murmured to himself as he spammed the elevator button, begging the door to open as the woman next to him kept poking his shoulder. He couldn't make the elevator come any quicker, but the second the door was open, the trio fell in, eager to get downstairs. However, to their surprise, no one else followed.

"Hey! Aren't you coming?" The heroine called to herself and Old Piper, assuming they'd want to follow them down and protect them to the last second, but they stayed behind, lingering in the doorway between the Man Cave and the secret store.

"No. We're going to stay here and try to buy Schwoz some more time," the blonde replied, giving them one final look before they faced their fears. It was a noble and courageous thing to do, and Henry decided not to waste their kindness, even when they kept talking.

"It's not going to be easy. That robot kid can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear."

"Okay, thanks--byeeeee!"

"Don't die!"

"Good luck!" They called to the women, who watched the elevator doors slide shut and their faces slide out of view with baffled expressions. Nothing like leaving them to face the robot alone, but they shook off the shock and drew their blasters, ready to give them as much time as possible, despite its crafty tricks.

Downstairs, Schwoz had built one of his brilliantly confusing and complicated machines out of the Time Jerker's old portal, the one Drez used in his last escape, and whilst it was in two, burnt and broken, it still had plenty of use.

However, judging by how he continued to fiddle with it, he still wasn't finished. Pipes and tubes ran from one socket to another in a series of glowing snakes that tangled so complexly that not even (y/n) could make heads or tails of them or the millions of blinking lights scattered across platform like stars across the inky black sky.

He had his toolbox open next to him and used (y/n) and Piper as assistants as he tweaked and tightened every inch of his machine, spending so long that the girls grew fidgety with the worry that it wouldn't work. Anxious about what was going on upstairs and the fact that they were spiralling to when the robot inevitably got downstairs, Henry activated the secret stash of weapons Ray kept hidden on the Man Cave's floor.

An entire selection of weapons rose from beneath the tiles, and he didn't hesitate to eye up the biggest blaster they had, knowing it would be up to him to fight the kid once it made it through the elevator door.

'Keep her safe, kid. No matter what, he could imagine Ray saying, which he used to justify touching Captain Man's favourite blasters. He got so touchy about people getting their grubby fingermarks on them, but losing his sweet girl would be devasting, and her safety was worth an afternoon cleaning a few triggers.

"Hand me the nebuliser rod!" Schwoz ordered Piper as (y/n) handed him an electric ioniser, but unlike the woman, she didn't know what all these strange gadgets were. Maybe she could handle a hammer or screwdriver, possibly a spanner or wrench, but his toolbox looked like torture equipment, and his time-trap thingy was as confusing as a rocket ship.

"What's a nebuliser rod?!"

"Just hand me anything! I'll make it work."

"Here! Just hurry up, you coconut head!" (y/n) snapped as she shoved a bulky tool into the genius' hand. It wasn't like her to be so sharp and curt; usually, she loved helping out because being intelligent, sweet and smiley meant Ray got all dopey, mushy and cuddly, lavishing praise and attention on her when she was finished since "his girl is so smart".

But, her temper shrank when the stress became too much, and even her closest friend tested her patience.

"That thing's on its way," Henry mentioned as he heard the elevator scrape against the shaft. Everyone upstairs had spared them a few minutes, but now, their time was up, so as the metal box slammed into the ground in its typical fashion, he grabbed the most potent, most dangerous blaster on the rack and prepared to shoot whatever came his sisters' way.

"How much more time do you need to make that time trap, Schwoz?"

"Another minute, at least!" The small man replied as his fingers danced over the electronics at the speed of light to the tune of the robot smashing the door down. With (y/n) pushing Piper into a corner, the kid readied his blaster as the elevator dinged and slid open, revealing the robot's menacing glare.

"No problem," Henry said bravely as he stalked toward the kid as it headed for the girls. Not taking any chances, he pointed the gun at it and fired point-blank, sending lightning-blue plasma straight at its face, but their technology was too primitive for the robot, which deflected the shot simply by stretching its palm in front of its face.

The blast bounced back and hit Henry in the chest, sending him skidding across the floor next to Schwoz's invention. A burning pain spread through his chest - not deadly, but enough to sap his energy as his sister and friend gawped in shock.

"Okay, it might be a problem," he grunted when he glanced at the useless weapon, realising that it hurt him more than the kid, who he swore had a smug smirk plastered across its cybernetic face before it moved again.

"Hurry up... Hurry up!" Piper shouted at Schwoz, growing frantic now the robot was looking in their direction, and in her mind, the handyman wasn't working fast enough. Some might say he was dillydallying, but she saw it as taking the piss, which was okay for him - he wasn't being hunted.

"Work faster! Work faster! Work faster! Work faster!" (y/n) joined in, whacking the genius' shoulder with each order falling from her mouth. It didn't help Schwoz's concentration, but when he looked up to give her a sharp telling-off, he saw the utter terror on her face and paused. He'd never seen her so frightened, except maybe when she thought Ray would marry someone else, but that was different. It broke her heart but didn't take her life.

"Okay!" He snapped, tinkering quickly as Piper clutched (y/n)'s shirt and breathed raggedly in her ear. Poor kid; she was petrified, cowering behind her friend as the evil child got closer, and all she could do was watch and say a prayer. She'd never see her parents again, or her friends, or get to attend (y/n)'s wedding to that doofus, but Henry had one last fight in him.

"Gotcha!" He breathed out as he scrambled to his knees and looped his arms around the kid's body in a tight hold. He hoped to wrestle him to the ground, and the girls cracked a smile when they saw how he held him back.

They thought they were safe - gathering a few seconds for Schwoz - but it was impossible when Henry tried to pick the robot up or pull him over.

"Oh, this kid's a unit," he grunted as his feet slipped across the floor whenever he tried to shove him one way or another. It was like trying to push over a brick wall, and his brain flicked back to one of his last physics lessons in school - back when he went. Something about equal and opposite forces pushed him back, and the smooth tiles gave little to no friction, making a desperate, if slightly hilarious, for the girls watching.

Things got even worse as the child slowly brought his hands together until palm touched palm, creating an electric charge between his hands that quickly spread throughout his body. The current jumped from him to Henry, shocking the kid as he refused to let go until his hair stood on end and a burning smell permeated the room.

"How'z it going over there with the trap, Schwozzzz?"

"I just need to attach more flashing lights!" He replied, glancing at the fried boy, who, despite everything, still held onto the robot to stop him from moving. The trap already had a gazillion lights, blinking and twinkling a million different colours every few seconds, and honestly, they didn't seem to be doing much.

"Is that really necessary?!" Piper asked hysterically, growing jumpy again as she watched her brother lose strength and focus. After being electrocuted, he wouldn't have the power to carry on, leaving them defenceless.

"Not at all, but look how cool they are!" Schwoz replied, grinning at his creation, lit up like a Christmas tree, and it would've looked lovely at any other time, just not when they were on the verge of dying. His casual tone earned him several death glares, mainly from (y/n) and Henry, as the boy started to crisp up, his hair standing on end as his clothes singed.

"Schwoz!" They yelled at him as the voltage became too much and pushed Henry to the floor. He couldn't move if he tried, too beat after taking the pain, so he used the last of his strength to watch in horror as the robot started walking again.

"Give it!" Piper screeched as he got closer and closer; there were less than two metres between them, which was close enough, in her opinion. Not taking any chances, she grabbed the doohickey Schwoz had been working on and slid it across the tiles until it was in front of the child, ready for use.

"Now, hit it, Schwoz!" (y/n) yelled as the robot looked at the device in confusion, wondering what the pathetic humans had put in front of it. Without another word, Schwoz hit the power button, sending masses of blue energy through the cables, circuits, and bulbs he'd soldered before it hit the child.

In a bright flash of light, the robot was trapped, surrounded by an azure haze and stuck in a split-second loop for the rest of eternity. Under other circumstances, it might've been sad to see something relive the exact moment over and over, especially when they could see how the kid tried to shield itself at the last minute, but they couldn't feel anything but relief.

It was over. Finally, everything was over. Piper and (y/n) were safe.

"it worked!" Henry breathed out as they slowly got up, some sorer than others but no less thankful that they'd done it. The girls didn't know whether to laugh or cry as the pent-up stress from the last two hours welled up inside them, but as they gazed at the trapped kid, they decided on the feeling of victory, and dear god, it was sweet.

"Yeah, I caught him in a time loop," Schwoz explained, watching as the kid raised his arms and put them down repeatedly in a continuous cycle, never to be freed if they could help it.

"That's amazing."

"Yeah, nice one, Schwoz," Piper and (y/n) complimented as they draped their arms across one another's shoulders, feeling much more relaxed now they weren't being hunted. Free to be casual again, they melted into their friendship, secretly and silently, that, as terrible as the day had been, it ultimately brought them closer together.

"Now, he's stuck reliving the same three seconds over and over and over and over and over and ov--"

"We get it," (y/n) butted in dryly when he turned into a stuck record. Still, Schwoz wasn't offended; no, he was still blushing from their compliments and burning with pride since, once more, it was his intellect that saved the day.

"Looks like he's dancing," Henry giggled as he observed the robot, who, now that he relaxed and looked properly, moved as if he was eternally dabbing - a move the sidekick wished on no one.

"Oh, yeah!"

"He's doing a little dance thing. Look at this," they laughed together, mocking their enemy by mimicking his moves by dabbing themselves. It was hilarious, even though the robot couldn't hear or see them, and it was nice to enjoy themselves after stressing so much - until Piper's phone pinged.

"What's wrong?" (y/n) asked when the girl gasped, causing her to stop doing that newfangled move she saw all the kids doing on social media. She was a grown-up, too mature for that stuff, and tried to look a tad more severe as the teen stared at her phone.

"Dad's coming home!" She announced, her eyes clouding with worry as Henry choked and stopped dancing. The only reason Mr Hart hadn't seen the robot killer was that he'd gone to some fancy festival to get a tan and dance with his homies - a very responsible move when he didn't know where his wife was, but then again, he thought an irresponsible teen party would do Henry well.

"What?! I thought he was at the Fayke Fest?" The boy spat, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"You're not gonna believe this, but the Fayke Fest was fake!" Piper exclaimed, reading her dad's text wide-eyed as (y/n) giggled a little.

"Go figure," she remarked as the boys gasped as if it wasn't apparent from the beginning. Why could he have gone to Swellchella? Or, more importantly, why, as a forty-something-year-old married man with children, feel the need to go where college kids went to get drunk and make out?

"Yes! The whole thing was just a scam to separate idiots from their money. Now, dad's on his way home, and he says, I hope your brother is having a party and not being the two-friended nerd he usually is."

"Wow. That kind of hurts," Henry winced as his sister read the text. He didn't understand his dad's obsession with his social life, but at the same time, he knew he'd never be able to explain why he didn't have one. Charlotte and Jasper worked with him, the school was impossible when Ray called him at all hours of the day to go on missions, and honestly, he had enough friends--no, family--in the Man Cave. He just didn't know that.

"He's on his way right now! How are we going to make it look like you're having a party?!?" Piper asked as she looked at her brother with concern because their father would come home to a cluttered house that they couldn't explain.

It was a real problem, but as Henry glanced to her left, he couldn't help but wonder. They didn't have to trick him for long enough, and he knew one hell of a dancer.

~Henry's house~

The bass beat rattled the light fittings as the party of the year hit the Harts' residence. The place already had that trashed, chaotic, high school party-like vibe, so it was just a matter of filling up the space with people, lights and music.

The music was easy; the kid shuffled his playlist and connected it to the living room's speakers, turning it up so high that they'd have complaints from neighbours...or a trophy since he'd never thrown one before. Next, they found a light machine mirrorball and hung it from the ceiling, reflecting bright puddles of colour around the house, so it was like they were in a club.

Finally, there was the bit he was most proud of, and Henry couldn't help but smirk as he grooved next to the couch. He wouldn't say he was a popular kid, not like he used to be, so no one from Swellview High was willing to come, which was why he had to be crafty.

Near the kitchen, Charlotte and Jasper tore up the wooden floor, dancing non-stop since the robot had hit them with some weird gas that made them boogie like they were in some video game, but they didn't mind since it was pretty fun and would wear off eventually. Then, against (y/n)'s better judgement, he'd invited Schwoz over to act as a raver, dressed in a shockingly bright outfit as he danced with Piper by the fire.

Then, as he and (y/n) took the spotlight in the middle of the room, Old Piper and (y/n) swept around the kitchen, dodging the robot as it dabbed near the counter. The house looked pretty full, and with Ray dangling from the ceiling - a sight that shocked (y/n) when she first saw it, but Henry said to leave him be for the time being - the place looked wild.

So wild that when Mr Hart stepped through the door, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Hey, dad!"

"Hey, Mr Hart!"

"Welcome back!"

"Hi, Henry's dad!" The party people shouted over the music as he stood in the doorway with his jaw practically on the floor. He never thought in all his born days that his pathetic son, who had no girlfriend, only two friends, and devoted all his time to some crappy junk store, would host such a lively and thriving party. It was unbelievable, and he thought he was dreaming for a second.

"I have never been proud of you until right now," he said, tears welling up in his eyes as he stepped into the room and showed off his severe sunburn, curly hair and dirty Fayke Fest tank top. He was a wreck after being left out to bake and starve by those conmen, but it didn't matter because his son wasn't a loser.

"Awwww!" Henry smiled as his dad moved in for a hug, but just as they began to wrap their arms around each other, Old Piper pushed through them without a care in the world, dragging her sheepish companion behind her.

"Later, Pops. We got a war to fight," she said dramatically as she headed toward the door with a few looted snacks for the journey. Nothing much, just some bananas, cake, bread--all the stuff they didn't have in their dimension but would be sorely loved by her and the rebels.

"In the future. Against robots. That look like children." And with that, she walked out the door, leaving Mr Hart speechless at the weirdo who'd been in his house.

"It was great meeting you all! Take care of yourself, and that doofus of ours," Old (y/n) smiled warmly before her eyes settled on her younger self, who understood her cryptic message perfectly. It went over everyone else's head, but she knew what she meant, and her eyes drifted to her dangling lover as the warriors left the house and never looked back. They had more universes and other versions of themselves to save; what was the end for this group was the beginning for them.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Henry told his dad with a bright smile, and it was enough to make Mr Hart hold back on any questions. He put it down to party-time antics, which made him even prouder of his son since he never did stuff like this when young, including getting a guy to fall through the ceiling, which Ray did as he finally loosened the plaster enough to get free.

Watching as he yelped and hit the floor, Mr Hart laughed and gasped at the hilarious sight, not even caring that he had numerous holes to fix in his roof nor a potentially "injured" man on his dust-covered floor.

"That's my fiancé! He was in the ceiling," (y/n) explained drunkenly as she bopped to the beat, acting as though she'd been partying for hours and drinking spiked punch when really, she wanted to go home and have a cup of tea since the music gave her a headache after so much excitement.

But things were looking up as Ray staggered towards them, slightly disorientated after spending so long up there and then unexpectedly hitting the floor, and he immediately looked for his sweet girl. It felt like an age since he'd seen her, touched her, kissed her sweet lips, and he had never felt more relieved than when he saw her dancing like nothing was holding her back. So very beautiful...

"Hey...where's my sweet girl?" he asked groggily, his hand perched on a shelf, so he didn't fall over, and when she looked in his direction, a grin broke out on (y/n)'s face. He was musty, crusty and dusty, messy and filthy after going up and down more times than a yo-yo, but he was a sight for her sore eyes, and she couldn't help but rush to him.

"Doofus! I missed you!" She squealed, dashing across the room and leaping into his arms, uncaring when the plaster dust smudged across her clothes too. The force of her hitting him nearly knocked Ray over, but he quickly steadied himself and squeezed her in his embrace, feeling the day's problems wash away now that she was his to hold, love and kiss.

"Are they always like that?"

"Unfortunately, yes, but trust me, it's a lot worse when they're not together." The father and son exchanged whispers as they watched the happy couple become oblivious to the party around them, kissing like no other in the room. Leaving them be, they returned to the music, dancing with everyone else since there always had to be one handsy couple making out in the corner.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt?" Ray muttered to his precious girl as their lips brushed together, his hands gliding up and down her back and feeling up her waist like he was looking for injuries. He knew in the back of his mind that if she had been hurt, then any evidence would be long gone, healed over and forgotten about, but he had to make sure. He had to know she was all right if he wanted to sleep that night.

"No, I'm fine. Piper's good, too," she replied with a smile, tilting her head up when he nudged his nose under her jaw, aiming to kiss down her throat since he was in that sort of mood.

A grunt left his mouth as a reply, less concerned with Henry's bratty sister and more with her safety since the world would continue to turn if Piper grazed her knee, but his would crash and burn if he lost her. He didn't know who to thank or what had happened but tucked away in what they thought was a quiet corner of a loud party, he happily reacquainted himself with her sweetness, memorising the slope of her neck into her shoulder every spot that made her squeak.

"We did it, Ray. We stopped the robot. We won..."

"And those two loonies...have they gone?" He asked instantly, ceasing his ministrations in favour of looking down at her with smouldering yet inquisitive eyes. The eagerness in his gaze made her roll her eyes since he couldn't be more evident with his dislike and distrust, even though those "loonies" were the only reason she and Piper weren't...y'know.

"Yeah, they left. Things to do, (y/n)s and Pipers to save, places to go. You don't have to be so grumpy now," she giggled, cupping his stubble-covered cheeks and stroking her thumbs over his cheekbones as he pouted. Was he grumpy? He didn't think so; after all, it was his job to keep her safe, and those women were so strange - it made him feel gross.

"I'm not grumpy."

"Yes, you are! You got grumpy every time Future Me or Piper opened their mouths, and when I flirted with you--god. You looked like you wanted to vomit," the heroine giggled, although her smile wobbled slightly as she trailed to the end of her sentence, looking almost sad as her words sank in. And Ray noticed as he always did, causing him to hold her waist and sigh.

"Vomit's a strong word, sweet girl."

"Fine, scratch your own eyes out, then. And all because I got old...was it really so bad?" she asked in a quiet voice barely audible above the music, feeling small and pathetic since this was supposed to be a happy reunion, but she was overthinking as usual. But she couldn't help it because, unlike the plastic Barbie girls he used to date, she'd fade and wilt, grow grey and tired one day. Would he still see her as beautiful when she was nothing new?

Ray couldn't believe what he was hearing, and in an instant, he pushed her toward the kitchen, body pressed flush to his as he used the shelves in the middle of the room to shield them from prying eyes. Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, and her head lowered, wondering if she'd said the wrong thing and offended him by being so shallow, but then, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye—his tear-filled, questioning, crystal blue eyes.

"I don't care that you got old, (y/n)," he said sternly, keeping his hold on her face gentle but firm when instinct told her to look away, but he wanted her to see. He didn't care, honestly and truly, and a part of him was ashamed that he'd made it seem that way.

"But--"

"I just care that I didn't grow old with you," he confessed, dropping his forehead against hers as he worked out why that woman unsettled him so much. It wasn't because she flirted, had wrinkles on her face or knew things she shouldn't; it was because she'd lived a life he didn't know about, making him uneasy. He wanted her every moment, every experience, every memory - wanted to share in it all, but he couldn't see the future.

He didn't know anything, and it made him wary of the passing face that would live in his dreams now until many years passed, but the confession made her visibly relax. That wasn't so bad; sweet, actually, and it made her heart flutter, knowing he envisioned a future together.

"Oh..." She murmured, looking as though she was deep in thought, despite the pounding music breaking through her skull, and it made him antsy. Why did she always answer his most profound confessions with such a simple yet empty word?

"You know I hate it when you say that..."

"I want to grow old with you too, doofus. I want to be with you forever and ever," (y/n) told him cutely, ending his anxiety when she realised how pathetic her response was. "Oh" always seemed to fit what she wanted to say perfectly, but others wanted a little more from her, and she didn't mind gushing to her fiancé when it made him blush like that.

"I want that too, especially if you stay this beautiful," he remarked, face flushed from her sweet and sentimental words that lifted his heart and made him grin, laughing breathily as he returned the soppiness. He was a big enough man to admit he was wrong, and now that it was just them, lost amongst the festivities, he recalled how she aged gracefully and was still so pretty - his precious girl.

"I'm going to get old, Ray. You saw...what I will look like," she told him quietly, growing a little timid at the thought of wrinkles, grey hairs and creaking knees. She didn't mind, knowing that it happened to everyone, but she knew she would change, which warranted a little insecurity.

"You are and always will be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. I knew that the moment I saw you," he swore as he pecked her on the forehead, feeling her skin grow warm under his lips as she blushed and buried her face in his chest. Love swelled within her chest to the point where her heart would explode because he'd seen models, beauty queens and princesses, yet she surpassed them in his eyes.

"You flatterer..."

"What? It's true!" Ray grinned as she pushed her palm against his pec, acting as though she wanted him to go away when really, she wanted him to have and take her in every way possible. He was perfect and lovely, above every other man and the Earth, and he was all hers. Where was the nearest surface?

"Take me home, then, doofus. I think I promised you a shower," she smirked, sliding her hands down his chest as his eyes darkened. She did say that, and he hadn't forgotten, aching to wash away the day as his hands scrubbed her back...amongst other things.

"God, I love you, sweet girl."

And he did, then, now, and forever.

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