#henry ruth x you

[crazyk-imagine]

Fresh Meat

Pairing: Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe (Henry “Wolfman” Ruth) x Civilian!Reader

Characters: Civilian!Reader, Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe (Henry “Wolfman” Ruth), Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, Ron “Slider” Kerner, Rick “Hollywood” Neven, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (briefly mentioned), Jake the ex-boyfriend (briefly mentioned)

Warnings: Wolfman is adorable (and horny), but so is the reader, the reader and Charlie as besties are a great and terrifying duo, Goose is a little shit, Iceman and Slider are a chaotic duo with a great psychic link, Hollywood and Wolfman bringing back their classic quote, honestly this is crazy but in a good way

Word Count: 2,882

A/N:  Reader’s “Name” is darlin’ and reader says Charls as sh-are-els

... Last night during my Top Gun searchin’ adventure, I’ve found some information that leads me to believe I’ve been duped. Apparently, Wolfman’s name in the movie was Henry Ruth but everywhere else you look you find Leonard Wolfe. I don’t know what to believe but I’m putting both names for the pairing but using Leonard for fics and we’re moving on

*Also, y’all are so sweet! We just went from 581 to 700 yesterday, I feel like it might be a glitch, but it doesn’t seem like it so we’re celebrating!  

                                * 700+ follower celebratory post *

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You turn the tv off. 

“We should go out.” 

You look over at Charlotte with furrowed brows at the outlandish idea. “Out where? Anywhere we go you’ll be hit on and I just- I don’t want to go out.” 

She sticks her bottom lip out making you feel bad. “Please?” 

“No, Charls.” You look down at your outfit (if you could even call it that. Pajamas and a baggy shirt don’t normally do well for a night of drinking), “plus I’m not even ready and it’s too late.” 

She lifts your watch, pulling it close to dramatize. “We have plenty of time to get ready and have a girl’s night. No guys. No talking or spending the night with anyone. Just us two.” She sees the hesitation spreading across your face. “Please? Darlin, we haven’t been out together in so long. I miss it.” 

“I miss it too, babes but it’s- I-” You stupidly look back at her and throw your head back, sliding off the couch, letting out a quiet whine. “I hate you.” 

She lets out a victory laugh. “Oh, you have no idea how happy you’ve made me,” she practically crawls across the couch, wrapping her arms around your shoulders, pulling you back. 

A slow chuckle escapes you. “Yeah, yeah. I’m amazing. I know.” 

“Are you sure you haven’t been to base? You’re starting to sound an awful lot like them.” 

“Oh,” you shove her off you. “Bite me, Charls.” You push yourself off the floor and walk down the hallway, entering your room. 

“You even have their lame retorts too!” 

“Suck a dick!” 

“That’s better. They definitely wouldn’t say that.” She exits the living room, wandering towards the “guest” room even though you consider it her room since she uses it more than you do. She’s claimed the closet and dresser as hers, the math adds up, but she doesn’t want to hear it. 

The two of you laugh as you work on getting ready for your girls’ night. 

-

“Are you done yet, Darlin’?” 

You put the cap back into your lipstick, “could you give me a minute? Geez, you’re worse than Jake.” 

Your bedroom door opens, the clacking of her heels against the hardwood floor tells you she’s getting closer. 

“How are you doing today? I wanted to ask earlier but I didn’t want to make you sad.” 

You shrug, chucking your lipstick into your purse before checking your teeth making sure there are no marks. “I mean, it’s whatever. We weren’t going anywhere, it’s better to break it off now than wait until we were married or something.” 

She nods, “that’s true but it doesn’t mean you’re going to be magically healed. You still have to grieve even if you aren’t affected by it.” 

You rest your hands against the countertop, closing your eyes. “You’re right but,” a heavy sigh slips through your parted lips. “I just- I don’t want it to seem like I’m moving on to fast.” You turn around, leaning against the sink, “I don’t want it to seem like I’m moving on too soon.” 

“It’s been six months since the breakup,” she points out. “Plus, he has a new girlfriend.” 

“That’s true.” 

“Come on. You deserve to have fun and let loose.” She stands beside you, nudging your arm with her elbow. “It’s time you leave this place and make some friends. Maybe even wake up in some stranger’s bed.” 

You scoff, pushing yourself off the counter. “Oh my God. Charlotte Blackwood.” 

She cackles, “don’t use my full name. I didn’t do nothing wrong.” 

“You’re using your other head and you know it.” 

Charlotte gasps, “how dare you! I’m doing no such thing.” 

You hum, “and if that was the case you wouldn’t have slept with one of your students.” 

“Sometimes I regret telling you everything.” 

“But if you didn’t, life would be boring.” 

“If that’s what you think.” The smile slips from your lips. 

“No, no. Don’t start thinking now. We’re gonna finished getting you dolled up and then we’re gonna have a couple of drinks before we go to the nearest fast-food place and order too much so the employees can judge use at two in the morning.” 

You shake your head and arms, getting rid of your nerves. “Okay,” you grab your purse. “We gotta leave now before I lose my cool.” 

“They won’t know what hit them when we get there.” 

“Sure. Yeah.” 

“Oh no,” she shakes her head, pulling your arm. “We’re leaving and we’re leaving now.”

 -

Charlotte walks through the doors and turns her head with a smile on her face, expecting to see you there only to see the bar. She sighs, turning around to grab you and haul you inside. “We’re having a girl’s night which means more than one female or else it’d be a sad night.” 

“You’d find someone else to be your bed buddy.” 

“If you continue to imply that I’m a whore...” 

A smirk tugs at the corner of your mouth, “you’ll do what?” 

She doesn’t respond and rushes towards the bar. 

You follow after her with a little pep in your step. 

Neither of you say anything after ordering your drinks. 

-

Ron taps Tom’s shoulder, pointing over towards the two of you. “Hey, isn’t that Charlie?” 

The man turns and a smirk slowly appears across his lips. “Why, Ron, I do believe it is.” 

“Should we?” 

“You mean, should we talk to the instructor that hothead Maverick decides to sleep with and break it off before things could get serious?” 

“We are, aren’t we.” 

“This is why you’re my RIO.” Tom walks ahead while Ron shakes his head, slightly wishing he never said anything but then thinks about what Pete’s reaction would be and all sensible thinking is thrown out the window. 

He grabs Leonard and Rick by the back of their necks which intrigues Nick causing him to follow. 

-

“Hello,” the one with frosted tips starts. 

“If we knew all the instructors were this pretty, we would have tried harder to get in,” the one with the cowboy hat says. 

You glance over to Charlie, who lowers her head. You want to ask her what’s wrong until you realize who they are. “Oh.” 

She turns her head, forehead still resting on her arm. “You see what I’m dealing with.” 

You chuckle, “oh, yeah.” 

The one with the mustache busts through the line of guys. “Charles. Charlie. The Charmer. The C-dog beneath Mave’s wings, how are you?” 

You cover your mouth to hide your snickers. 

He turns towards you, “you like that, huh?” 

“God, no.” You shake your head, “that was terrible, but you were so confident while doing it.” 

He rubs the back of his neck, “uh- thanks. I think?” 

“You have a wife, Mother Goose. Move it,” the tall one next to frosted tips sneers at him. 

Mother Goose puffs out his chest, “don’t you talk about her, Slippery Slide.” 

You stare at the two with your jaw close to the ground. “You’re married?” Your head snaps towards Charlotte’s. “He’s married.” 

She nods, “I’m afraid so. Oh, and they have a child.” 

“Well, bless their hearts.” 

“We’ve never met before, but I find that to be very rude.” 

“If you heard the way you talked out loud, you’d be thinking the same as me.” 

The others chuckle. 

“But,” you draw out. “You pull it off well so, I can see why you’re lucky to call yourself a married man.” 

A boyish grins tugs at his lips, “thank you, miss.”

You pull Charlotte along with you towards a table, wanting to get away from the guys before they try to see either of you without any clothes on. 

If only the drinking gods were listening. 

-

Mother Goose shoves the one in the hat, who then trips over people’s feet; his arms flailing in the air as he tries to balance himself only to fail and fall at your feet. 

He reaches up making sure his hats still on his head (it is). His eyes stop on a pair of decently worn-out sneakers, his eyes keep moving up until he spots your tilted head. 

He swears you’re an angel sent to him and it’s only because of his lucky (and only) hat. 

There’s a pretty smile dancing across your lips as you put your hand out to help him up. 

The dopey expression on his face makes the others shake their heads. 

“I told you to watch your step.” 

You turn to look at him. “Mother Goose, was it?” 

He shakes his head, “just Goose.” 

He smiles, acting like he didn’t do anything wrong. 

“Got it,” you nod, pretending to that correction into consideration. “Listen here, shit head Goose-” 

He stares at you offended at your “nickname” for him with one hand on his chest, mouth agape. 

“You should learn to not be mean and trip your fellow classmates. These guys here are the ones that watch your back. Pilot, RIO, WSO, whatever your title and/ or occupation may be because one day you’re gonna prank the wrong person and then you’ll be screwed.” 

“Rude,” he mutters. 

“Am I wrong?” 

He hesitates to answer. “No.” 

“Exactly.” 

-

Leonard leans over to Rick, “I think I’m getting a hard-on.” 

His buddy scoffs, jerk his arm with his elbow, “don’t tease me.” 

-

“I have to go make a call.” 

“Bye bye, Goose!” You shout, waving your arm erratically like an insane person. Nick smiles and returns the wave. 

“Bye, mean, crazy lady!” 

Charlotte bumps your arm, staring at you with a raised brow. 

You give her a smile in return. 

She shakes her head. This is exactly why she never brought you to base. 

-

“What now?” Rick asks Leonard with an annoyed tone. 

“I will give you a crinkly, crisp ten-dollar bill, if you get the slippery combo out of here.” 

“Sixty and we’ll leave the bar.” 

“Why are you ruining my chances at finding love? Be honest with me. What did I do to you?” 

His buddy rolls his eyes, “if I’m taking muscles and frosted tips with me, I’m gonna need something to pay off the tab you created.” 

He sighs, “alright, fine.” He slaps the cash into Rick’s hand. 

“Run along now.” 

The man with the cash walks behind the two, pulling them over to the side. “Follow me if you want to save yourself.” 

Tom and Ron give each other a questioning look; they look back to see Wolfman trying to use his classic go to moves, they follow Hollywood without any more convincing. 

-

“So,” he starts off. “Would you like to have babies sometime?” 

Yours and Charlotte’s widen, she snorts her drink out her nose and leaves to clean herself up in the restroom while you pat your chest and cough. 

Your throats a little scratchy from the saliva and spontaneous coughing fit. You take a sip of your drink. “What?” 

He winces, lowering his hat. “Sorry, I was uh- I was trying to say something nice but then I- well, I said that. If you want to leave, I wouldn’t blame you.” 

Once you manage to catch your breath, the corner of your lips tugs upwards. “I think I’d rather stay here and talk to you. You can certainly keep a girl on her toes.” 

He lifts his hat off his brow, staring at you through his lashes. “Well, if that’s what you want, I’d be happy to make that happen.” 

You lean closer, “let’s get a booth.” 

He nods, “okay.” 

You two spend the rest of the night talking, sadly leaving Charlotte alone but luckily, she was able to talk to the other guys who made their way to you two earlier. 

-

She glances over at you, happy to see you finally enjoying yourself even if it is with one of her students. 

She may not approve of his language at times, more so one specific comment but still happy that you’ve found yourself someone who can make you smile and give you more Jake ever did. 

She realizes now you have a legit excuse to come to base. This isn’t going to be good for her. 

Tom chuckles, seemingly realizing what’s going on in the instructor’s head. 

“Don’t say anything.” 

“I won’t,” he says in between his breathless chuckles. “You can count on that.” 

“Oh God,” Rick adds. 

Ron furrows his brows, “what’s wrong with you?” 

“That horny knuckle head just got himself a girl. I’m never gonna hear the end of it.” 

The two friends chuckle at the twos expense. 

“Ah, but just think Hollywood,” Ron starts. “If he annoys you, you can send him to her so she can deal with it.” 

“Unless she’s not home,” Charlotte adds. “I’ve been trying to get her out of the house for the past few months and today was success.” 

“Break up?” asks Tom. 

The instructor narrows her eyes at him, confused at his sudden interest in potential gossip. “Why do you want to know?” 

He shrugs, pretending to be innocent. “I- he’s- I gotta know what’s going on with my fellow classmates when we’re in the air,” he sputters to say, being quick on his feet. 

“Mm-hmm. It was a mutual break up, if you must know.”

 -

“What made you want to come out here tonight… you know now that I think about it. I still haven’t asked you for your name.” 

He opens his mouth to respond when you place your finger over his lips, shutting him up for a second. 

“And don’t say your call sign. I want to know your real name first at least.” 

He nods, removing your hand. “Leonard, the name’s Leonard Wolfe and you better remember it, darlin’. My call sign’s Wolfman.” 

“How’d you know my nickname?” 

“What?” 

“My nickname. You- did you seriously not know?” You ask with a giggle. 

“You’re joking.” 

“No, it’s practically my name at this point but that’s my nickname. I’ve had it since I was a little girl.” 

He sets his arm on the back of the booth behind you, scooting closer. “Well then, I’d say it’s a good thing that I met you.” 

“Someone’s cocky.” 

“It’s all part of my charm.” 

You fix his crooked collar. “I see and,” your look into his eyes, distracting him. “If either one of us, no one in particular, wants to continue this. Does that mean this… so called charm is code for your cocky all the time?” 

“I am offended at that-” 

It’s a blur. 

Once his vision clears and he sees what you’ve done. He raises a brow, “you realize what that means right?” 

You lean in, staring at his lips for a little too long (and a little too obviously). “Do you realize what this means?” 

His brows knit together in confusion, “now I’m confused.” 

“Well, let me clear this up for you. I’m wearing your hat.” 

He nods. 

“I plan on seeing you again. We’ll go back to your place because- well, I’m not talking to Charls about this tonight. And I wanted to see how cute I’d look in this.” 

He focuses on that for a moment, the hand on the back of the booth cups your cheek, his breath fans against your ear. “You’d look better if you had nothing on except for my hat.” 

Before you can respond he’s on you faster than a surfer trying to catch a wave. 

A muffled surprised yelp escapes you until you two slowly get in the groove with kissing one another. 

The whistling and hollering breaks you two out of it. 

He sighs, glancing over his shoulder at the assholes who’ve ruined his night. 

Charlotte shakes her head at you. 

He throws his head back, resting against the seat of the booth. 

“Did you drive here?” 

“Yeah.” 

“You want to head out and grab something to eat?” 

“You really are an angel, Darlin’.” 

“You’re just saying that.” 

He shakes his head, “believe me when I say it. You are an angel and I’m taking you out tonight and the next night then the night after that.” 

“So, you’ll be keeping me out past my bedtime.” 

“You won’t be getting much sleep in the first place.” He slips out of the booth, yanking you with him. 

“Woah! Slow down there, Dogboy.” 

“We’ve got places to go and beds to not sleep in. There is no rest!” 

You throw your head back and laugh. “Oh, wait- wait!” 

“What?” 

“Just give me one second.” You turn and wave your arm like a crazy woman, “bye, Charls!” 

-

She scrunches her neck, not looking up from the table. 

“You should say by to your friend before she gets the whole bar involved,” Tom advises. 

“Shut up.” 

Nick takes the initiative and waves with the same enthusiasm. “Bye, mean lady!” 

“Bye Mother Goose!” 

“Damn,” he mumbles. 

“Bye, She wolf!” Ron, Rick, and Tim wave at you. 

-

That happy smile doesn’t slip from your lips as you two exit the bar. 

“Aw.” 

“What’s wrong?” Leonard asks you. 

“I was expecting your ride to be a horse,” you joke. 

He growls, pulling you closer by your waist. “You keep joking like that and I’ll give you something ride.” 

You peck his lips with a happy smile dancing across your lips, “keep that promise for later. I’m famished.” 

“Yes, ma’am.”  

#top gun #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun imagine #top gun imagines #leonard wolfman wolfe #leonard wolfe #leonard wolfman wolfe x reader #leonard wolfe x reader #leonard wolfman wolfe x you #leonard wolfe x you #leonard wolfman wolfe imagine #leonard wolfman wolfe imagines #leonard wolfe imagine #leonard wolfe imagines #leonard wolfman wolfe x civilian!reader #leonard wolfman wolfe x civilian reader #leonard wolfe x civilian!reader #leonard wolfe x civilian reader #henry ruth #henry wolfman ruth #henry ruth imagine #henry ruth imagines #henry wolfman ruth imagine #henry wolfman ruth imagines #henry ruth x reader #henry ruth x you #henry wolfman ruth x reader #henry wolfman ruth x you #henry ruth x civilian!reader

[conflictofthemind]

Can we Please Re-Open the Petergate?

Ever since learning about Petergate in its entirety, it has been breaking my brain. There’s obviously something incredibly important happening here, enough so that it has to be hidden until the final season of the season.

For those not in the know, Sam Owens has / had a son named Peter that was first name dropped in Season 4. For some reason, the military wants his old schoolwork as evidence in the investigation of the Chrissy murder in Hawkins.

We also pretty much know that Peter is dead. The way Owens acts around Will in Season 2 as the only scientist who is actually determined to save his life, and the implications he makes that he understands the plight of Joyce both heavily imply he has lost a child. This also adds a layer to the whole ‘taking away your son’s precious school projects’ if that son is dead and those are some of the only memories you have left.

Okay so: Sam Owens lost a child, which explains his character motivations in the show. But it’s not quite interesting just ending it there, is it? And why leave this to be seemingly be a reveal in the fifth season where we already have so much else to take care of? Would Sam Owens’ son dying really be that impactful towards the narrative? Would that warrant the copious amounts of references (at least seven just in season 4) to Peter that exist within the show and are still coming out even in recent ST5 BTS pictures?

Something about Peter Owens has to be crucial information in the fight against Vecna.

Let us also remember that those military agents took Peter Owens’ schoolwork as some kind of evidence in relation to the Henry Creel murders, and it was important enough to highlight to the audience.

Let’s go over some facts:

1) Sam Owens has a house in Ruth, Nevada where he lives with his wife. Population irl of only a few hundred people.

2) Henry Creel lived in Rachel Nevada which uh didn’t exist in the 50s during his childhood where he encountered:

3) The Nevada Experiment. Henry happens upon related equipment and is briefly transported into Dimension X before coming back with powers and an altered personality.

4) In TFS, Henry is mentioned to have put a classmate from Nevada in a wheelchair following the events of his trip to Dimension X.

5) Henry was in the care of different doctors before he met Dr. Brenner and moved to Hawkins.

We curiously get no more explanation on this matter; whatever happened in Nevada is probably some of the most crucial information and is thus saved for Season 5. We’ve already gotten most answers that are relevant to Henry’s backstory in Hawkins… but not for Nevada.

Some of the major questions for S5 include:

1) What is Dimension X?

2) What is the actual origin of the Mindflayer and is it an independent sentient being?

3) How did Henry develop powers while in Dimension X?

4) What was the Nevada Experiment and the original Project Rainbow?

Since the military took Peter Owens’ schoolwork as evidence… it means Peter is at least connected in some way to this mystery, if not directly to Henry and probably implies the two knew each-other and were even classmates who worked on projects together.

Here’s the basis of what I propose (to be expanded upon later of course):

Henry and Peter were classmates in their youth fairly likely at this point. Henry and Peter were working together on a project that had them investigating the Nevada cave system. Or perhaps something relating to Area 51 / secret US government stuff. The project has to be relevant evidence since the military took it. This is what led to Henry stumbling upon the dimensional equipment in the cave that transported him to Dimension X.

My question is - what if Peter was also involved in Henry’s disappearance? Maybe he disappeared with him, and this was covered up by the government. Or he was simply exposed to the event but didn’t get transported with Henry, just became severely ill because of this Dimension X virus, and died as a result.

Or maybe Peter was meant to disappear as part of Brenner’s Project Nevada experiment. They didn’t plan for Henry to be there as well, and sure didn’t plan for him to be taken. The whole “rogue staff member stealing the equipment and hiding it inside a cave where Henry just happens upon it I guess” has been weird for a while. Maybe Peter was actually older and involved with P. Nevada, and he was the rogue staff member who hid the equipment? But then how did Henry conveniently get there and why was the schoolwork taken.

I don’t want to make this post too long; but something about this gives me major Will and El parallels in a way I can’t really illustrate quite yet. Boy gets taken under suspicious circumstances that could imply HNL meddling, but this time the supernatural kid is able to save him and bring him back. Owens becomes interested by this and comes to study Will in S2.

Owens also mentions that he has risked his family’s lives for the sake of their research, which I feel is relevant here. He’s talking about the current day NINA Project… but it could of course be a reference to the fact that this happened before, and ended in tragedy.

So wow, that got long! I didn’t even get to mention the Fringe parallels that people have brought up. This is just going to be Part 1 into my investigation of Petergate.

There’s so much promise in this potential storyline that I think really needs to get investigated, so I hope this interested people regardless of whether or not they’ve already come across Petergate. The fact that Henry’s time in Nevada is such a major gap in his backstory really fascinates me as to what they’re hiding from us.

#henry creel #sam owens #martin brenner #petergate #stranger things #peter owens #will byers #<- by extension. I think he is involved somehow

[sarahsmi13s]

Duckie

Chapter 5

pairing: bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw x twin sister!reader; (eventual) jake ‘hangman’ seresin x bradshaw!reader

characters: y/n bradshaw, nick bradshaw, bradley bradshaw, penny benjamin, amelia benjamin, tom kazansky, sarah kanzasky, ron kerner, henry ruth, rick neven, kendall adams

word count: ~2.9k

warnings: fluffy, angsty, being a single mom, crying, grief, letting go of grief, fear of forgetting, canon character deaths, i believe that’s it

a/n: i’m sorry.... and i’m going to be entirely honest with you guys, i don’t know when the angst will end

series summary: daughter of goose and carole and twin sister to bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw, y/n bradshaw also got her papers pulled when she tried to enlist in the Navy. which turned out to not be as bad as she thought.

chapter summary: lil nick is now one! but it brings a lot of the feelings to the surface for duckie.

ch. 1  ch. 2  ch. 3  ch. 4  ch. 6

********** (23 and 1)

It was Nick's first birthday party.

His birthday had actually been Monday, but you couldn't put together a party on a weekday. So instead you planned it to be on the Saturday afterwards.

After getting Nick dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, along with a pair of little boots, you got dressed yourself. Penny had gotten you a shirt that said 'boy mom', so you put that on along with a pair of leggings and sneakers.

You pick up Nick and walk out to your car. "Alright, Nicky boy, let's go see everyone. Are you excited?" Nick clapped and made noises of excitement. You smiled and kissed the top of his head, "Good, me too."

The drive to the Hard Deck wasn't long, and when you got there, you were a little surprised at the turn out.

The parking lot had a good amount of cars in it; some you recognized, others you didn't. Like Penny's car, the Kazansky's, and a few others but that was it.

You got Nick out of his carseat and went inside. "Come on, bubba."

When you walked in, everyone turned to greet you.

After you made some quick small talk with a promise to catch up later, Ice came up to you and took Nick from you. "Hi birthday boy." He placed a kiss on his cheek before kissing your temple, "Hi, honey." "Hey Uncle Ice."

You looked around seeing all the decorations.

There were black, yellow, and white balloons, some of the white ones had smiley faces on them. The table cloths were black, the plates were yellow smiley faces, and the cups were white. Two walls had been designated for photos; one said 'one happy dude' and the other just had a smiley face.

"Guys, this is so cute. Thank you for doing this." Penny smiled, bouncing a two year old Amelia on her hip, "Of course, Sweetheart. Do you wanna see the cake?" Amelia looked at her mom, "Cake?" "Yes cake, Ames." "Wan' cake." "And you'll get cake, you just have to wait okay?" "Otay." Penny passed Amelia to Sarah and took you back to the kitchen.

When you got in there, someone was leaning on the counter.

It took you .05 seconds to recognize him. "Bradley!" You ran to him and hugged him tightly. 

"Hey, Duck," he hugged you back, picking you up a little bit. "Where's my nephew?" You pointed to the door, "Ice has him." He smiled and pecked your temple, "I need to go see the birthday boy."

Penny walked to the fridge and pulled out a yellow smash cake. “We decided to keep it simple. I hope that’s okay.” You nodded, “It’s perfect. Simple is really good, considering that kid destroys everything. I’d hate for a lot of work to go into a cake just for it to get ruined.”

She pulled out another cake, this one rectangular with smiley faces, “This one is for the guests. And I made some lemon cookies.” You hugged her, sighing a little, “Thank you, Penny. Really, thank you.” She tightened the hug, “Of course.”

Bradley reappeared in the kitchen, “Hey, there are some people here you need to come see.” Your brow pinched together, you had already seen everyone, “Who?” His smile widened, “Just come see.”

You casted a confused glance at Penny who just shrugged.

You followed Bradley out and over towards where Ice was. He was surrounded by other men his age and they were all just talking as Nick played with a toy.

When he noticed you, Nick made a little grunt noise and held his arms out for you. But you weren’t close enough. So, when you took too long to get to him, he made another noise of displeasure and this time he caught Ice’s attention.

“Hey, what’s wrong little man?” Another grunt and he dropped the toy. “What do you-” Ice turned his head to see you, “Oh, I see what you need.” You got there and Ice passed Nick to you. “You just saw your mama.”

One of the men in the group spoke up, “Duckie?”

You looked up at him, bouncing Nick and pulling his little hand away from your necklace. “That’s me.” By the time the words left your mouth, you recognized him. “Slider?” “The one and only. Wolfman and Hollywood are here too.” They both smiled at you.

“Wow, it’s been a while,” you gave them side hugs. “I’ll say. The last time we saw you and Bradley, it was your 16th birthday,” Wolfman said as he squeezed your shoulder. “Now you’re a college grad with a one year old and Bradley’s a pilot,” Slider said, wrapping his arm around Bradley’s neck to give him a noogie.

Bradley laughed and shoved the tall man away, “Alright, alright. Watch the hair, watch the hair.”

Wolfman crossed his arms, “You know, I’m surprised you-” He stopped talking when he saw Ice shaking his head behind you and Bradley. Bradley raised a brow, “Surprised I what, Wolf?” “That-that uh, you grew a mustache! I mean you tried once in high school but you shaved it when your girlfriend said it looked bad. But I mean look at it now, it looks so natural and you look a lot like your dad.”

Your brother nodded, “Thanks Wolf.”

You and Bradley walked away to mingle with other guests. And Ice looked at the three in front of him.

He gestured with his finger, “You guys can’t say anything.” “What do you mean, Ice?” Hollywood asked. “I mean-” Ice glanced around before stepping closer and lowering his voice. 

“I mean, they don’t know Carole never wanted them in the air.” Slider’s brows pinched in confusion, “They don’t know? Then why isn’t Y/N a pilot?” “Maverick pulled their applications to the Academy.” “Why would Maverick do that?”

Ice put his hands on his hips, “Because Carole asked him too and he wasn’t sure they were ready for it…” “And they don’t know that’s the reason?” “No, and it’s not our job to tell them. So zip it!”

****

After talking more with your guests and opening gifts, it was time for cake.

You grabbed a microphone and addressed everyone. “Hey, everyone! Hi. Before Nick destroys this cake, I just want to thank all of you for coming out. I know Nicky is just loving the attention, so without further ado, let’s have some cake!”

Bradley set the cake in front of your son and Nick’s eyes went wide and you could see amusement flicker in them. He clapped his hands and giggled. You pass the mic to Penny and walk over to your son’s high chair. “Okay, bubba, dig in.” Nick grinned and immediately started to plunge his tiny fists into the dessert.  

Everyone cheered as the cake and frosting smeared on the tray and on Nick’s face.

You laughed as you watched your son draw in the frosting with his fingers. You smiled and messed with the blond hair on top of his head, “I’m so glad I changed your shirt.”

He turned to you and grinned, cooing as if he understood you. He held out a tiny fistful of cake towards you. “Is that cake good buddy?” He cooed again and waved his fist. You got a little closer and Nick pushed the cake against your lips.

Everyone laughed and you pulled back surprised. You laughed and licked the icing off your lips. You smiled and kissed his cheek, “Thank you Nicky.” He laughed and clapped his hands before taking another fistful and pushing it into Bradley’s mustache.

“Okay everyone, who’s ready for cake?” Penny announced as she started to cut the guests' cake. Everyone got up except for you and Bradley, Ice was going to grab a piece for both of you.

Nick kept eating his cake and occasionally offering you or Bradley a fistful. You smiled and kept playing with your son's hair.

But despite your valiant efforts, Bradley could see the pain you were trying to hide in that moment. He knew you better than anyone, so he saw behind the curtain. He could tell you were holding back tears.

He watched your eyes finally gloss over when you made eye contact with your son. Nick grinned and cooed innocently at you and your lip trembled as you smiled back.

You sniffled, but kept your smile as you swiped a thumb over the apple of Nick’s cheek. “Oh Nicky, I wish your daddy was here.” You tried to say something else but your throat burned with tears.

You cleared your throat and looked at your brother, who was pretending he wasn’t watching you. “Hey, I’m gonna step outside. It’s getting a little stuffy, I’ll be right back.” You got up and went to the back deck.

Bradley looked after you with sympathetic eyes before moving his gaze back to Nick.

“Rooster, here’s your cake,” Ice said, holding out the plate. “Thank you, Ice.” “Where’s Y/N?” Bradley gestured outside, “She’s outside.” “Oh, I’ll just take this out to her.” Bradley reached out and touched Tom’s arm, stopping him.

Ice looked at Bradley, and just knew; Mav had given him that look before when it came to Carole.

He nodded and just sat the piece down, patting Bradley on the shoulder before walking away.

*****

Bradley gave you a few minutes before going outside after you.

He grabbed the slice of cake and got Penny’s attention. “Hey, Pen, can you watch Nick for a minute?” “Yeah of course.” “Thank you.”

He stepped out the backdoor.

You had moved from the railing to be curled up in a deck chair. Your eyes were distant but he could see you trying to pull yourself together.

He walked over and sat by your feet. “Hey Duckie.” You didn’t say anything, but your eyes flicked over to him. He sat the cake down, “I brought you a slice.” When you still didn’t respond, he turned to you.

“What goin’ on, Duckie?” You swallowed and picked at your nails, “I don’t know, Brad. I was doing so good…” “Y/N, you’re gonna have your days. That’s okay.” You looked at him.

“It’s my son’s birthday party, today is not the day.” You started to cry again.

“I don’t know what to do Bradley… This is a lot harder than I thought it would be,” you looked at your hands in your lap. “No one ever said it was gonna be easy. Grief is messy and unpredictable,” he grabbed your hands. “It’s been two years, Bradley. I thought I’d be better…” “Y/N-” 

You interrupted him to voice what was plaguing your mind. “Bradley, Nick is one and he will never get to know his father. At least we got to meet Dad and know how much he loved us. But Nick will never get to know that and it hurts.”

You pulled your hands from his to wipe your eyes. “It hurts so much. And I don’t know how to make it stop.”

Bradley doesn’t know what to do, this is not his level of expertise. All he knows is that something as simple as a few words won’t fix this.

“Y/N, there’s not a lot I can say to make this feeling go away.” “I know, I’ve just been keeping this in for too long. Thank you for listening.” You hugged him and he hugged you back.

He decided to say the only thing he could think of. “You’re doing a great job. Nick has the best mom in the world.” You sniffled and pulled back, “Really? Cause I don’t feel like it…” “Yes, really.” He smiled at you and hugged you again.

****

Inside, Penny and Ice watched from the window..

Penny had just cleaned Nick up and changed him into the outfit he showed up in.

“She’s having a hard time,” Ice observed, arms crossed over his chest. Penny sighed sadly, and opened her mouth but Nick had other plans.

“Mmmm! Mmmm!” He attempted while pointing to you with his little hand. “What was that Nicky?” “Mma..” He whimpered a little frustrated. “I think he’s trying to tell us something.”

Ice noticed tears in his little eyes as Nick flailed his arms again. “Yeah, he wants his mom.”

They shared a look and stepped outside.

****

The door opened and you and Bradley looked towards the door.

You quickly wiped your eyes when you saw Nick. “Oh hey guys, Nick okay?” “He’s okay, just wants-” Penny was cut off.

“Mama!”

Your jaw dropped and both you and Bradley stood up slowly. “Did-did he just?” “I think he did, Duckie.”

“Mama!”

Nick leaned toward you as he said it, making grabby hands at you.

You stepped forward and scooped him up and planted kisses all over his face, “Oh, Nicky baby! You just said your first word!” He giggled and said it again. You laughed and held him to you. “Oh my sweet boy!”

You sat down and held him to you, tears coming to your eyes for a whole new reason.

“We need to tell everyone!” Bradley said, just as excited his nephew said his first word. You waved him away, “Sure, but I need some time alone with my baby. I’ll be inside in a little bit.”

Bradley nodded, smiling as he placed a kiss on top of your head before going inside.

After a few minutes you went in and everyone fawned over Nick; and then about an hour later, people left.

****

You laid on the couch as Rooster slept in the chair and Nick had dozed off in his play pen.

Your eyelids began to feel heavy as you watched reruns of crime shows and soon you were asleep.

****

You sat on the couch, head on Kendall’s lap as you looked at the playpen where Nick had fallen asleep. Kendall played with your hair, humming a tune as he did so. 

“I miss you,” you quietly said, turning your head back to look up at him. “I miss you so much.” Tears slipped from your eyes and Kendall wiped them away. “I know you do, sweet girl. I know. But you’re doing such a good job. I’m so proud of you.” 

You sat up, “I wish you were here. To watch him grow and turn into a mini version of you.” You rested your head on his shoulder, “He said his first word today. Gosh, I’m so proud.” 

He kissed the top of your head, “I know. I’m always watching. I’ll always be watching over you and Nick.” He stood up and took you with him.

He walked you over to the playpen, “I will be there. For every milestone, every step of the way. Maybe not physically, but I’m there. I’ll see it all.”

You nodded and wiped at your eyes. “I wish he knew how much you loved him before he was even here. I wish you got the chance to show him that. Bradley and I were lucky to know how much Dad loved us before he died.”

Kendall smiled and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, “They’re watching over you too, you know. Your parents. Your dad gushes over little Nicky every chance he gets and your mom, oh goodness your mom.” You both laugh. “She is so so proud of you and the woman that you’ve become.”

It was quiet for a few moments as you and Kendall watched your child sleep peacefully.

“You can let go, you know,” Kendall said out of nowhere.

You stepped back, confused, “What?” “You’re holding on, Y/N. It’s okay to let me go. You deserve to be happy.” You shook your head, “I can’t let you go Kendall.” “You’re hurting, Y/N. You’re suffering because of me. Getting past this-”

“No! I won’t!” You sank to the floor. “I can’t…” Kendall knelt beside you, “Why?” You looked up at him, “Because I’m afraid of forgetting you if I do…” “Sweetheart,” he wrapped his arms around you. You clung onto his shirt, “I don’t want to forget you.”

He rubbed your back, “Sweetheart, I want you to listen to me. Don’t say anything, just listen.” You nodded. 

“Just because you let go of this feeling, this pain, doesn’t mean you’re letting go of me. Because I will always be yours, no matter what, I’m yours. But this pain, this grief, is not all that’s left of me.” 

He tilted your chin up to look at him, “You have the product of our love just feet away from you. Our love will always be here-” He pointed towards Nick. “-and here.” He pointed at your heart. 

Kendall kissed your forehead, “You won’t ever forget me. I don’t think it’ll be possible. Especially with our little boy over there.” You chuckled a little bit, smiling as your head fell to his chest.

“But you can’t let yourself stay in this cycle. It’s not good for you or Nick. And while grief is ugly and unpredictable, you can get past it. I know you can, because you’re just like your mother. So try to let go of the pain and hold on to the love.”

You nodded, understanding what he was saying. “It’ll be a long road, but you’ve got support. And don’t think that you can’t have bad days, but don’t try to go through them on your own. Okay, I hate seeing you cry.” 

“I’ll try Ken.” He smiled and squeezed your arm, “I love you.” You gently kissed him, “I love you too.”

***********

lil nicky is one and said his first word!! and duckie and rooster got a special visit from some of their dad’s old classmates

duckie also got a special visit from her late love and got a little closure

if you want to be added to the ‘duckie’ taglist or my top gun taglist lmk!! 

tags <33: @roosterscockpit @luckyladycreator2 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @hisredheadedgoddess28 @malindacath @bananas1234 @avengers-fixation @shawnsblue​ 

i’ll put these in the comments as well

#duckie bradshaw #duckie #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x sister!reader #bradley bradshaw x twin!reader #bradshaw!reader #bradley bradshaw #top gun maverick #top gun fic #top gun angst #angst #tw: grief

[topguncortez]

wolfman x reader where boys night out typically means talk of s/o is off limits but when he shows up more subdued then they’ve ever seen him that can’t help but ask what’s up

(can take in any direction you want, he wants to marry r, they’re pregnant and he’s freaked out, fight and breakup or even, he finds out r is a virgin and that’s not something he’s use to dealing with etc.)

Boys Night | Henry "Wolfman" Ruth x Reader warnings: cheating, mentions of the TopGun '86 mission, the use of the term "burning in", near death, language.

Wolfman's presence was hard to miss when he would show up to boys night. Not only was the blonde WSO tall, but he had a bright smile and a loud laugh that usually let the squadron know that he was there, but tonight was different. For one, Wolfman didn't have his oh so famous stetson on his head, and that beautiful smile was missing.

"Alright, I know it's boys night," Goose said, setting his cards down and looking over at Wolfe, "But you're being weird and it's weirding me out."

"I'm not being weird, Bradshaw," Wolfman muttered.

"Aha! You are! You called me, 'Bradshaw'," Goose exclaimed.

"Well, that is your last name," Maverick, pointed out, "But for real, Wolfie, you are acting a bit strange. What's up? Issues with the Missus?"

The boys all let out a low whistle as they looked around at Wolfe, who sighed, setting his cards down in front of him. Boys night was off limits for significant others. There was no talk about the women that they went home to (or in Mav's case, went to go find). But occasionally, they broke the rules when it looked like one of them was going through it.

"Y/N, she's uh. . . she wants to get married," Wolfe said quietly.

Y/N had been one of the few girlfriends that had made the sacrifice to come out and see the TopGun pilots during their training. She had be come close friends with Carole and Sarah (Iceman's girlfriend). The three of them had become inseparable as they shared the common theme of being significant others of the pilots. They all leaned on each other when the pilots got whisked away to some mission in the Indian Ocean not long after graduation.

"Well damn! That's huge!" Goose smiled, and patted Wolfman's back, but the RIO shook his head, "It's not?"

"Remember that last mission, after graduation?"

How could any of them forget? Hollywood and Wolfman had been shot out of the sky, their plane breaking into pieces as they hurdled towards the endless sea. Ice and Slider had to fight off four MiGs by themselves until Maverick came to their rescue and shot down three MiGs, making him the only active duty pilot with three confirmed air kills. It was a mission for the history books.

"I cheated on her," Wolfman said quietly, "It was dumb and stupid and I was. . . I didn't think I'd ever live to see her again. I mean, I felt the fucking jet broke apart with us still in it. I wasn't thinking and-"

"Does she know?" Iceman asked and Wolfe shook his head, "You need to tell her."

"I tried," Wolfman said, "I really did, but I couldn't so. . . I just packed my bags and left. Left her a note with an apology."

Wolfman could only imagine the scene playing out at his apartment right now. It was around 8:30 at night, so Y/N was just getting home from her girls night with Carole, Sarah, and Bradley. She had probably already noticed that his boots were missing from their usual spot by the front door, which would prompt her to call out his name. She would then walk to the kitchen and see that his cookbooks were gone, as well as the picture of him and Hollywood. She would then see the note, written on a yellow notebook pad.

"You son of a bitch Leonard!"

She would probably curse, as she would run up to see that his side of the closet had been ransacked, his drawers were empty, and a ring box was sitting on the side of the bed.

#top gun #top gun blurb #top gun imagine #top gun 1986 #top gun fan fic #top gun fan fiction #wolfman #wolfman imagine #wolfman top gun #wolfman x reader #wolf man fan fic #leonard Wolfe #leonard wolfe imagine #leonard Wolfe x reader #leonard wolfe fan fic #leonard wolfe fan fiction

[froggywritesstuff]

character list

the title is self explanatory. this is a list of the characters i'll write for. it'll probably change over time, and if you see a character you'd like but don't see them on the list, just ask cause i might've forgotten about them

Hamilton

Eliza Schuyler

Angelica Schuyler

Peggy Schuyler

Maria Reynolds

Alexander Hamilton

John Laurens

Philip Hamilton

Lafayette

Hercules Mulligan

James Madison

Thomas Jefferson

Aaron Burr

Umbrella Academy

Viktor Hargreeves

Diego Hargreeves

Klaus Hargreeves

Allison Hargreeves

Luther Hargreeves

Five Hargreeves

Ben Hargreeves (Umbrella or Sparrow)

Sloane Hargreeves

Jayme Hargreeves

Stranger Things

Will Byers (non female readers only)

Mike Wheeler

Lucas Sinclair

Dustin Henderson

Eleven Hopper

Max Mayfield

Robin Buckley (non male readers only)

Nancy Wheeler

Jonathan Byers

Steve Harrington

Eddie Munson

21 Chump Street

Justin Laboy

The Goldfinch

Boris Pavlikovsky

Theodore Decker

Marvel

Peter Parker (any actor)

Steve Rogers

Bucky Barnes

Sam Wilson

Makkari

Sersi

Sprite (platonic only)

Steven Grant

Marc Spector

Layla El-Faouly

America Chavez (non male readers only)

Kate Bishop

Yelena Belova (platonic only)

Shuri

Namor

Riri Williams

X-Men

Mystique

Kitty Pryde

Peter Maximoff

Rogue

In The Heights (movie version)

Usnavi de la Vega

Vanessa 

Nina Rosario

Benny

Sonny de la Vega 

Heathers

Veronica Sawyer

JD (Jason Dean)

Heather Chandler

Heather McNamara

Heather Duke

John Doe

John Doe

Ride The Cyclone

Noel Gruber (male or nb readers only)

Ocean O'Connel Rosenburg

Mischa Bachinski

Constance Blackwood

Ricky Potts

Hatchetfieldverse

Paul Matthews

Emma Perkins

Ted Spankoffski

Bill Woodard

Ruth Fleming

Pete Spankoffski

Richie Lipschitz

Max Jagerman

Grace Chasity

Lex Foster

Ethan Green

Hannah Foster (platonic only)

Heartstopper

Charlie Spring (non female readers only)

Nick Nelson

Tara Jones (non male readers only)

Darcy Olsson (non male readers readers only)

Elle Argent

Tao Xu (non male readers only(headcanoning him as bi or pan is disrespectful and transphobic))

Tori Spring

Imogen Heaney

Isaac Henderson (platonic only)

Do Revenge

Eleanor Levetan (non male readers only)

Drea Torres

Deadpool

Wade Wilson/Deadpool

Wednesday

Wednesday Addams

Enid Sinclair

Bianca Barclay

Xavier Thorpe

Ajax Petropolus

Eugene Otinger

(young) Morticia Addams

(young) Gomez Addams

Beetlejuice

Lydia Deetz

Tomorrow When The War Began

Ellie Linton

Lee Takkam

Fiona Maxwell

Homer Yannos

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse/Across the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales

Gwen Stacy

Pavitr Prabhakar

Hobie Brown

Margo Kess

Miles G Morales (earth 42)

Miguel O’Hara

Maze Runner

Thomas

Newt (non female readers only)

The Broken Hearts Gallery

Lucy Gulliver

Nadine (non male readers only)

Nick Danielson

Treasure Planet

Jim Hawkins

Enola Holmes

Enola Holmes

Lord Tewkesbury

Turning Red

Mei Mei

Miriam

Abby

Priya

Raising Dion

Nicole Warren

Tevin Wakefield

Dion Warren (platonic only)

Julie and the Phantoms

Julie Molina

Luke Patterson

Reggie Peters

Alex Mercer (non female readers only)

Flynn

Carrie

Abbott Elementary

Janine Teagues

Jacob Hill (non female readers only)

Gregory Eddie

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Jake Peralta

Amy Santiago

Rosa Diaz

Love Victor

Victor Salazar (non female readers only)

Benji (non female readers only)

Felix Weston

Pilar Salazar

Lake Meriwether

Lucy

Mia Brooks

Andrew

In Treatment

Eladio

Laila

Spree

Kurt Kunkle

Once Upon a Time

Emma Swan

Regina Mills

Killian Jones

Mary Margaret Blanchard

David Nolan

Henry Mills

Mulan (non male readers only)

Graham

Neal Cassidy

Peter Pan

Jefferson

Dash and Lily

Dash

Lily

Boomer

Juno

Juno MacGuff

Paulie Bleeker

Summer Days Summer Nights

Debbie Espinoza

Frankie Espinoza

Scream (1 through 6)

Sidney Prescott

Billy Loomis

Mickey Altieri

Roman Bridger

Jill Roberts

Charlie Walker

Sam Carpenter

Tara Carpenter

Amber Freeman

Chad Meeks-Martin

Mindy Meeks-Martin

Quinn Bailey

Venom

Eddie Brock

Honest Thief

Ramon Hall

Beth Hall

Wild Child

Poppy Moore

Kate

Drippy

Freddie Kingsley

Monsters and Men

Manny Ortega

Marisol Ortega

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Trevor Spengler

Phoebe Spengler (platonic only)

Error 143

Micah Yujin

Community

Abed Nadir

Troy Barnes

Annie Edison

Jeff Winger

Britta Perry

The Obession

Logan

Delilah

The New Girl

Lia Setiawan

Stacey Hoffman

Mythic Quest

Poppy Li

Brad Bakshi

Adventure Time

Finn

Princess Bubblegum

Marceline

Marshall Lee

Prince Bubblegum

Flame Princess

School Spirits

Madison

Simon

Charley (non female readers only)

Wally

Rhonda

Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves

Simon Aumar

Disventure Camp

Aiden (non fem readers only)

James (non fem readers only)

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

Jane Facciano

Olivia Valdovinos

Nancy Nakagawa

Cynthia Zdunowski

Richie Valdovinos

Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso

Roy Kent

Jamie Tartt

Keeley Jones

Sam Obisanya

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Noah Diaz

Elena Wallace

Mirage

Helluva Boss

Blitzø

Stolas (non female readers only)

Loona

Millie

Moxxie

Octavia

Verosika Mayday

Fizzarolli

Asmodeus

Hazbin Hotel

Charlie Morningstar

Vaggie (non male readers only)

Angel Dust (non female readers only)

Husk

Alastor (platonic only)

Vox

Lucifer

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (rise + mutant mayhem + tmnt 2007 + tmnt 2012)

Donnie

Mikey

Raph

Leo

April

The After Party

Yasper Lennov

Space Force

Tony Scarapiducci

Renfield

Teddy Lobo

Robert Montague Renfield

Undercovers

Bill Hoyt

Amazing Digital Circus

Jax

Parks and Recreation

Leslie Knope

Ben Wyatt

April Ludgate

Andy Dwyer

Jean-Ralphio Saperstein

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja

Randy Cunningham (18+ people DNI unless requesting platonic stories)

The Earliest Show

Josh Bath

House of Lies

Clyde Oberholt

Mean Girls (movie + musical + movie musical)

Cady Heron

Regina George

Gretchen Wieners

Karen Smith/Shetty

Janis Ian/Sarkisian/Imi'ike (non male readers only)

Damian Hubbard (non female readers only)

Warm Bodies

R

Peep World

Nathan Meyerwitz

Your Boyfriend

Peter Dunbar

#froggywritesstuff #tgwdlm x reader #John doe x reader #Heartstopper x reader #do revenge x reader #Deadpool x reader #Wednesday x reader #tomorrow when the war began x reader #treasure Planet X reader #Enola Holmes x reader #love Victor x reader #in treatment x reader #kurt kunkle x reader #once upon a time x reader #dash and Lily x reader #summer days summer nights x reader #venom x reader #honest theif x reader #Ghostbusters Afterlife x reader #Micah Yujin x reader #the obsession x reader #Simon Aumar x reader #rottmnt x reader #ben schwartz x reader #teddy lobo x reader #mean girls #Warm bodies #adventure time #mythic quest #your boyfriend

[jessybarnes]

Shake My Nerves, Rattle My Brain

Chapter Three: Below The Hard Deck

Pairing: Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x Tom "Iceman" Kazansky

Chapter Characters: Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, Ron "Slider" Kerner, Dick "Jester" Hetherly, Rick "Hollywood" Neven, Henry "Wolfman" Ruth, Mike "Viper" Metcalf 

Rating: 18+ Only! Minors DNI

Tags: Angst, explicit language, sexual tension, pining, suggestive sexual thoughts, military talk, and I think that's it. 

Word Count: 1,5k

Beta: @winecatsandpizza

Title Card: Yours Truly

Maverick makes it just in time to begin his preflight checklist with Goose, who keeps questioning him about Iceman despite trying to focus. 

"I told you, Nick. Nothing happened. He's just trying to intimidate me, probably because he feels threatened, and I honestly don't care that much." 

Way to lie through your fucking teeth, Mav.

He busies himself with switching on the ground power, external air, and O2 switches, and even though he can't see his RIO, he knows he's giving him a 'this conversation isn't over' look. 

Whatever. At least he has time to think of a more convincing lie because there's no way in hell he's telling anyone about his feelings for Tom. Not even Goose because he knows as soon as he does there's only a matter of time before he tells his wife and then it'll spread around Miramar faster than he can hit Mach-2. He loves them, but honestly, they're not the greatest at keeping secrets. 

Once they're in the air he feels a weight being lifted off his chest. This is where he feels most at home and what better way to prove himself than to be the first one to get a missile lock on Jester? Maybe he'd get lucky and be the only one. 

"I got him! I got him! He's on our tail, coming hard!" 

Goose swivels his head left and right to try and gauge Jester's position and Maverick feels himself finally able to focus. He clears his mind of everything else and increases his speed, banking hard right. 

He sets his eyes on the mountain range ahead of him and begins to foil a plan.

"All right, talk to me, Goose." 

"He's still back there! He's closing in on us. He's closing fast!" 

Maverick turns the nose of his plane towards the rock face. He feels the adrenaline course through him as he anticipates the upcoming tone from his instructor's craft. 

"C'mon Jester. Let's see if I can give you a run for your money here." 

He lowers his altitude slightly and Goose's eyes widen as he points to a nearby peak. 

"Watch the mountains!" 

Maverick regains the height he previously had and veers left. 

"I still got him. He's still back there. C'mon, Mav. Do some of that pilot shit!" 

"Yeah, I got him." 

As soon as those words leave his mouth he hears the telltale sound of the target lock beeping in his comms. 

"Goose, I've had about enough of this shit. I'm gonna hit the brakes and he'll fly right by."

Maverick activates the air break while simultaneously pulling back on the stick hard enough to pull the nose of his plane nearly vertical. Once he's above Jester he disengages the brakes and steadies his F-14 so it's positioned directly behind his instructor. 

"Let's see what you've got now, Jester!"

Almost immediately, Jester begins a steady climb to try and use the sun as a shield, but Maverick anticipates this. It's what he would have done after all. 

"He's going vertical, so am I." 

"We're going ballistic, Mav. Go get him!"

Jester banks hard left and decreases his altitude and Maverick's hot on his tail. There's no way he's losing this opportunity while he has it in his sights. 

"He's going for the hard deck," Goose states. "Let's get down there first and nail him, Mav."

"No way, Jester. You're mine."

Maverick tilts his plane in a nose dive, chasing his instructor with laser focus. He flicks on his target lock and moves it until he hears the solid beep he's been waiting for since he took off. 

"I got you now. Whoo! Jester's dead!" 

Mav takes his time reorganizing his locker because Ice's is directly behind his and under no circumstances is he going to get caught staring at him whenever he comes in. There's too many witnesses, not to mention he's barely able to control himself as it is. 

Goose is still celebrating their win, bragging about it to the others as they dry off from their showers. 

"Yee-haw! Jester's dead!"

Wolfman shakes Goose's hand and lays back on the bench, "You won?! That's bullshit." 

"Didn't everybody?" Goose retorts.

"Hell no, man. We got our butts kicked!" 

Slider rounds the corner with Ice stating that they also managed to get a missile lock on Jester and it makes Maverick roll his eyes. Of course, they did. 

Someone mentions he and Goose's victory again, probably Hollywood, but Mav has his back turned to them so he can't be one hundred percent sure. 

"That's not what I heard," Ice mocks. And Pete feels his skin tingle. Tom better fucking watch it. He's on edge as it is, and he doesn't need Lieutenant Pretty Boy's smart mouth to make it worse. 

God, his fucking mouth… 

Jesus Christ calm down Maverick.

"No. No. Below the hard deck doesn't count," Slider reiterates the rule they were given and even though he's absolutely correct, Mav decides he'd rather be stubborn. 

"Hard deck, my ass. We nailed that son of a bitch." 

Ice pops a piece of gum in his mouth and laughs, "You guys really are cowboys." 

Okay, now he's had it.

"What's your problem, Kazansky?" 

Tom slams his locker and whips around to face him, stepping closer until they're toe to toe.

"You're everyone's problem. That's because every time you go up in the air you're unsafe. I don't like you because you're dangerous." 

Maverick's heart sinks to his stomach. Ice doesn't like him? Honestly, he shouldn't care. He doesn't want to, but the thought of being on the receiving end of his disapproval doesn't sit well with him. 

His sadness and self-doubt are replaced with anger almost instantaneously as he gets in Tom's face. To hell with all of his internal warning signals telling him that they still have an audience. 

"That's right, Ice…man," he snarls. And against his better judgment, he allows his fingertips to touch the leather fabric of the patch with his name sewn in it. 

Maverick's so close to his face that he can smell the mix of shower gel, and mint and he'd be lying if he said it didn't make his knees wobble. 

He's aware that he still hasn't finished his sentence, and that the number of eyes on him isn't going to decrease any time soon. But, of course, he can't resist the opportunity to touch him again, so he grabs his arms briefly for good measure. 

"I am dangerous." 

Iceman leans even closer, a primal look of dominance in his eyes as he gnashes his teeth together violently.

Mav feels his cock twitch at the thought of his skin being littered with marks from that mouth. 

Listen, at this point, he's a fucking goner. 

"Maverick!" Jester's voice makes him jump as he snaps his head to where his instructor is standing. 

"You and Goose get your butts out of that flight gear and up to Viper's office now!" 

Pete sighs as he scratches at a stain on his flight suit. He can't make sense of the way Tom acted earlier and it's wearing him out. He's always been a no-bullshit kind of guy. The kind that does what he wants, lives in the moment and doesn't let anyone get under his skin. Except, that's exactly what's happening here. 

In one moment, Ice is being an annoying asshole, and in the next, it's like he's into him. Almost like he feels the same way Mav does, only he's a bit more reserved about it. 

His door opens suddenly and Nick peeks around the corner, "You still awake?" 

"Yeah. What's up?" 

He takes a seat in the chair across from him and crosses his arms

"Listen, can we talk? I know you told me to drop it, but I'm worried about you. You're not acting like yourself and you're being more reckless than usual. I mean, that flyby you did on the tower earlier? We coulda been kicked out, Mav… just… just tell me what's going on."

Maverick scoffs, "Reckless? That was not reckless, Nick. I've done some sketchy shit in my life, but that? That was nothing."

Goose is patient with him. He knows his best friend struggles with his past and he can only hope that he opens up to him sooner or later. 

"Look, Mav…I'm not here to criticize you. I call it like I see it, and what I'm seeing is a Maverick I don't recognize. If there's something going on you know I'm always here if you feel like talking." 

He stands and pats him on the shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" 

Maverick can feel the lump in his throat get bigger and he squeezes his eyes shut. No. He won't allow himself to cry over this, over something so stupid. He's Pete Mitchell for God's sake The one percent of the one percent. A fucking Naval fighter pilot. 

The door to his room clicks shut and he leans back into the cushions. Whatever this is, whatever is going on between him and Ice is only holding him back. He's going to finish what he came here to do. No distractions, no more wasting time. He's going to win that plaque. 

After all, there are no points for second place.

#j snow writes #top gun fanfiction #top gun #icemav #maverick x iceman #iceman x maverick #tom iceman kazansky #iceman #pete maverick mitchell #pete mitchell #maverick

[erikiara80]

All the signs that make Kali sus

Before I talk about the important discrepancies between Terry’s flashbacks and El’s memory in 4x07 (nothing is like it seems in this show) I need to talk about Kali again (more here)

She was in Terry’s flashbacks. That’s why El looked for her in the first place. So, after S4 and the Henry reveal, I analyzed 2x07 again and looked for any clue about her role. What I found makes her and Terry’s flashbacks even more sus.

The first time we see Kali, she uses her powers to escape from the police. Before she uses them tho, we see the tattoo on Axel’s forehead. Brain Damaged. In S3, Mike is worried that using too much power, might cause El brain damage. Definitely not a good sign.

Even before El meets Kali: ICU, I see you... Someone’s watching her (this one was found by givehimthemedicine)

Here she’s listening to Hopper’s voice, but Kali wakes her up. And it’s definitely not like when Mike can reach Will in S2. It is not reassuring. Kali grabs El and scares her. Another bad sign.

It gets even more interesting. Same scene, when Kali introduces El to her friends. Behind them: So long and thanks, a famous line of Douglas Adams’ series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galazy, which was first published in 1979. And what looks like a blood stained door. Imo, a reference to the massacre at the lab. Strange tho. Kali shouldn’t be connected to the massacre. She had already escaped. But look at her, her smirk... 

This is one of my favorite. The word PAWN behing them. They literally told us.

The word ROT

Stinky Fate

A big face= someone staring at (spying?) them. It reminds me of the I’m watching you poster at Murray’s house. Also, the words FORGOT, SOS, GO AWAY!

RUTH. The Nina Project was supposed to help El regain her powers, so it shouldn’t exist in 1984. Why they’re connecting it to Kali then? Maybe because that place already existed and there are even bigger secrets about it. 

(THE FIRST SHADOW SPOILERS)

In fact, in the prequel, we learn that Brenner was already conducting experiments in Nevada in the 50s. And because of one of those experiments, Henry Creel vanished for 12 hours and wound up in Dimension X. 

The Eye. One is watching El.

The word NO. Or maybe, it’s Number. There’s also the word Ace = 1. So, Number 1.

VENDETTA

Search and Destroy.

THIS parallel (screenshoot by Kaypeace21)

Then, El hears Mike in the void, screaming It’s a trap! And I don’t think this is  just about the soldiers in the tunnels. I think it’s another hint.

And after El sees Will (interesting that they didn’t show him), we see the words ONE, DOSE and ROSE.

There is more to analyze, like references to Assassin’s Creed or The Invisibles, like Barbelith (more here/The First Shadow Spoilers) 

Barbelith, again. Help, Call 911.

But for now I just wanted to point out how the writers went out of their way to tell us that El shouldn’t be there. Yeah. SOS and GO AWAY! 

#el hopper #henry creel #st vecna #kali prasad #st theory #st analysis #stranger things

[aemiron-main]

Posts Made Before Seeing The First Shadow

(click here for the TFS section of the google doc)

(click here to go to a tumblr post with the posts I made AFTER seeing the first shadow)

Edward Creel is Vecna And Henry Creel is Innocent: The First Shadow, Edward Creel, Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde, and Carl Jung’s Theory of the Shadow (x)

Edward Crumbs in the TFS Audition Tapes (x)

Leave No Trace: Henry Creel’s Questionable Hiking Etiquette (Did Henry Bring The Shadow Particles To Dimension X? Does Soteria Inhibit The Replication of Shadow Particles?) (x)

Will Scott Clarke Be In The First Shadow? (x)

TFS and The Fact That Joyce Didn’t Know Who Bob Was In Highschool (x)

Is Scott In Bob’s Audition Tape? (x)

The Ones Like Us That Don’t Punch Back (x)

Bob and Mr Baldo- Was Bob Abused As A Child? Was There Ever Really A Mr Baldo? (x)

TFS and The Radio Weirdness In The Auditions vs The Creel Murders Radio Weirdness (x)

THEORETICALLY: More Proof That Scott Will Be In The First Shadow (x)

The Shadow(s) of The Past and TFS vs LOTR (x)

A Silly, Terrible Play (x)

The First Shadow Poster vs El’s S4 Poster vs the Other S4 Posters (x)

The Shadows of the Past Have a Very Long Reach (x)

The First Shadow and Tommy (x)

Creelarke and The Black Cat on the First Shadow Loading Screen (x)

The Broken Windows On The TFS Poster (x)

Another Post About Tommy and The First Shadow (x)

Scott Clarke and The Black Cat In The TFS Animated Trailer (x)

TFS Auditions, Henry, and The Flickering Lights (x)

I Knew It- Betty Olsen Is Bob’s Adopted Sister (x)

TFS and I Dreamed A Dream vs Dream A Little Dream of Me (x)

The TFS Black Cat vs Doris Driscoll’s Black Cat Clock (x)

Scott In TFS: The Key To The End vs Key To Solving The Mystery of What Happened in Montauk (x)

Bob Being Abused vs Not Putting Up A Fight (x)

George, Betty, Henward, Hearing Things and Radio Waves (x)

A Freshman?? Something Weird Is Going On With Henry’s Age And EVEN MORE FIRM EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE TIMELINES Featuring A “Canon Event”!! (x)

Lord Henry and Lady Patty- Does This Mean That They’re a Romantic Couple? How Does Stranger Things Treat The Type of Relationship That Exists Between a Lord and a Lady? (x)

They Didn’t Just Forget About Alice in TFS and Alice vs Scott (x)

Smaller Initial Post About How They Didnt Just Forget About Alice in TFS and Her Possible Connection To Scott (x)

Henry and Patty and George and Creelarke: Have I Changed My Mind About George? (x)

The First Shadow, Timelines, Alice Creel, and Swapping Family Members: New Thoughts On Alice Creel vs Karen Wheeler Regarding the Edward Timeline- Karen Wheeler Might Be Alice, Just Not In The Way Anyone (Including Me) Thought She Was (x)

Alice, Sweet Alice, TFS, and Karen (x)

Mr Baldo vs Father Newby (x)

Initial Post About The TFS Casting and Mike Jibson Resembling Sam Owens and How That Could Tie Into The Edward Timeline (x)

“Henry Meet Demogorgon”: Interesting Wording Choice (x)

Henry Being Subtitled As ‘Boy’ During NINA vs Orderly Henry and the Henry Age Weirdness During TFS (x)

“Future Vecna” (x)

Ruth, Nevada, Parallel Timelines, and Edward (x)

TFS and the Final Bow Poses: Both Poses Are Familiar (x)

TFS, Hand Positions, The Shadow, and S2 Will (x)

Edward Scissorhands and TFS (x)

Alice Creel’s Weird Age, TFS, and Interview With The Vampire (x)

Caught A Body At The Munsen Trailer (x)

Henry Getting Nina’d During TFS and Why It Might Be Tied To Scott Clarke’s Absence (x)

Claudia’s Cat: Fake Cats and Fake People (x)

Patty-Henry vs Stobin- Prom Queen vs Prom King  (Henry Is Painfully Gay) (x)

A Budding Romance: Even More Patty-Henry Straightbait/Gay Henry Evidence (x)

You Don’t Have To Do The Play: TFS, Dark of the Moon, The Confession Booth Scene, and Gay Henry (x)

Edward Crumbs in the TFS Audition Tapes (x)

More Patty-Henry and Stobin Thoughts: The One That I Like and She’s Not Even Real (x)

A(L) SILLY, TERRIBLE PLAY: Weird Al, Scott and The First Shadow (x)

Brenner’s Dad and The Weird Grey Hair (x)

The Cure, Scott, and Moving From Nevada (x)

I’m The Mistake vs You Feel Like A Mistake: Joyce Vs Betty Parallels (x)

Project One: Digging Into The Code On The TFS Website (x)

#the first shadow #pinned post section

[callsignthirsty]

For your 801 follower celebration,

I don't know if you write for him, but prompt 66 with Wolfman?

Thank you for being patient with me. This is the first time I’ve tried writing for Wolfman, and I really hope that I did him justice (or at least didn't butcher his character). The man is horribly underwritten (like most of the ‘86 crew).

Also, I changed the prompt ever so slightly (that > the). Oops.

Pairing: Leonard "Wolfman" Wolf x F!Reader (Henry "Wolfman" Ruth x F!Reader) Word Count: 900 Warnings: dirty talk (mild), smut, oral (f! receiving) Minors DNI

Smut Prompt #66

After weeks of dodging your friends, they finally convinced you to come to a girls' night. They claimed you couldn't spend all your time holed up with your boyfriend, but that was precisely what you'd been doing. Not that any of them should've blamed you; your Leo was convincing. But he hadn't stood a chance against all of your girlies (most likely because he wasn't there to defend himself), and you'd been booked.

That afternoon, you called Lisa to confirm the night's plans were still good and spent the rest of the time it would take Lisa to pick up your friends to freshen up with a change of clothes. It was the height of summer, and your work-appropriate slacks were hardly comfortable in San Diego's oppressive heat, so you'd changed into a simple skirt and sighed in immediate relief as fresh air swept through the window and across your legs.

When Wolf came home from classes, you were sticking a note to the fridge and heading out the door. He caught you around the waist, exuberantly spinning the two of you before he planted a kiss on your lips. "Hey, baby." Wolf smiled at you beneath the crooked rim of his Stetson, your gloss sticky on his lips. "Where d'you think you're going?"

"To the movies," you'd insisted, preening as he nuzzled into the curve of your neck, helplessly batting at his shoulders to get him to let you go.

"Dressed like that?" came his muffled reply as he gave the swishy hem of your skirt an appreciative tug. Before you could reply, to complain about the heat, Lisa rolled up to the curb and laid on her horn.

"Leo," you giggled as you tried to work yourself out of your boyfriend's strong arms. "I've gotta go. You're going to make me late for the movie."

But instead of letting you go, Wolf had reeled you in closer. "If you leave the house wearing that, then the second you get home, I'm going to bend you over the bed." Your cheeks grew hot, but Wolf's a flirt. Playful by nature. This isn't the first thing he's said to try and rile you up, and you're sure it won't be the last.

"Sure you will," you grinned, not entirely believing him as you slipped from his arms and left him with a bubblegum smooch to the cheek as Lisa began yelling from her convertible that she would drag you out of the house if she had to.

That, of course, had been your mistake.

Assuming that Wolf wouldn't make good on his promise.

It takes a second for you to open the door, waving as your friends speed off. As the TV drones on in the living room, you toe off your shoes and smile at the thought of cuddling up with Wolf while he finishes whatever he's watching before you both call it a night. So he catches you by surprise when you look up, and he's suddenly there. Cupping your cheeks between his palms and pulling you into a sloppy kiss before corralling you toward the bedroom.

"God, baby," he breathes when you break apart, lips skimming to the corner of your jaw before stealing a shorter but no-less-urgent kiss, one of his hands dropping to play with your skirt. "You know what this does to me?" You shake your head, but as the evidence presses hot to your hip, you begin to get the picture. Wolf hums, his lips turning up against the column of your throat. "Guess I'll just have to show you, then."

Wolfman gives you a peck on the lips that contrasts the way he turns you around and promptly bends you over the side of the bed, your arms fanning out across the mattress to steady yourself. Wolf falls to his knees behind you, nudging your legs further apart as his hands trail up the sensitive insides of your thighs until he's gotten rid of your underwear.

One of his hands travels under your skirt to spread your pussy lips, the other holding onto the small of your back to keep you in place as he licks into you with a groan. And he doesn't stop until your thighs are quaking, his name leaving your lips in little mewls.

"Leo, please." He hums, tongue curling to suck on your clit. "Leo."

"Yeah, baby?" his voice is rough. Not wrecked but well on its way.

"In me," you gasp, wanting nothing more than for Wolf to climb onto the bed with you and cursing as he sucks a bruise into your thigh.

"You think you deserve it?" he asks, licking another broad stripe up your cunt. "After you got all dressed up and left me alone with a fucking hard-on?" Well, when he puts it that way, you probably don't. But it doesn't stop you from wanting.

"I didn't know," you whimper as Wolf finally pulls away, leaving you bent over the edge of the bed and your sanity. "But I can make it up to you," you promise. "Want to be good for you, Leo."

There's the metallic clink of a belt buckle and the rumple of fabric as it falls to the floor. The bed is dipping beneath Leo's hand as a warm thigh nudges your own further apart. A familiar weight settling over top of you and teasing between your legs. "I know you will."

#thirsty answers #thirsty's smut prompt list #leonard wolfman wolfe x reader #leonard wolfman wolfe x f!reader #female reader #henry wolfman ruth x reader #but we all know his name is leo #leonard wolfman wolfe #user: lisedanie #no beta we die like goose

[awardseason]

6th Hollywood Critics’ Association Awards — Winners

Best Picture Avatar: The Way of Water Elvis Everything Everywhere All At Once — WINNER RRR TÁR The Banshees of Inisherin The Fabelmans The Woman King Top Gun: Maverick Women Talking

Best Director Baz Luhrmann – Elvis Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All At Once — WINNER Gina Prince-Bythewood – The Woman King James Cameron – Avatar: The Way of Water Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin Park Chan-wook – Decision to Leave S.S. Rajamouli – RRR Sarah Polley – Women Talking Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans Todd Field – TÁR

Best Actress Cate Blanchett – TÁR Danielle Deadwyler – Till Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once — WINNER Viola Davis – The Woman King

Best Actor Austin Butler – Elvis Brendan Fraser – The Whale — WINNER Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin Paul Mescal – Aftersun Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick

Best Supporting Actress Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — WINNER Hong Chau – The Whale Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once Keke Palmer – Nope Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Supporting Actor Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin Ben Whishaw – Women Talking Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once — WINNER

Best Cast Ensemble Babylon Everything Everywhere All At Once — WINNER Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery The Woman King Women Talking

Best Voice or Motion-Capture Performance Antonio Banderas – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Ewan McGregor – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Jenny Slate – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On — WINNER Rosalie Chiang – Turning Red Zoe Saldaña – Avatar: The Way of Water

Best Action Film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever RRR — WINNER The Batman The Woman King Top Gun: Maverick

Best Animated Film Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio — WINNER Marcel The Shell With Shoes On Puss in Boots: The Last Wish The Bad Guys Turning Red

Best Comedy Bros Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery — WINNER The Menu The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Triangle of Sadness

Best Documentary Film All the Beauty and The Bloodshed Fire of Love Good Night Oppy — WINNER Moonage Daydream Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me

Best First Feature Charlotte Wells – Aftersun — WINNER Lila Neugebauer – Causeway John Patton Ford – Emily the Criminal Elegance Bratton – The Inspection Domee Shi – Turning Red

Best Horror Film Barbarian Bones and All Nope The Black Phone — WINNER X

Best Indie Film Aftersun Cha Cha Real Smooth Everything Everywhere All At Once Marcel the Shell with Shoes On — WINNER TÁR

Best International Film All Quiet on the Western Front Argentina, 1985 Close Decision to Leave RRR — WINNER

Best Short Film All Too Well: The Short Film — WINNER Moshari North Star Regret to Inform You Triggered

Best Adapted Screenplay Guillermo del Toro & Patrick McHale – Gulliermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Rebecca Lenkiewicz – She Said Rian Johnson – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Samuel D. Hunter – The Whale Sarah Polley – Women Talking — WINNER

Best Original Screenplay Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All At Once — WINNER Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin Seth Reiss & Will Tracy – The Menu Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner – The Fabelmans Todd Field – TÁR

Best Casting Director Everything Everywhere All At Once – Sarah Finn Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Mary Vernieu and Bret Howe — WINNER The Menu – Mary Vernieu and Bret Howe The Woman King – Aisha Coley Women Talking – John Buchan and Jason Knight

Best Cinematography Avatar: The Way of Water – Russell Carpenter Everything Everywhere All At Once – Larkin Seiple The Batman – Greig Fraser The Fabelmans – Janusz Kamiński Top Gun: Maverick – Claudio Miranda — WINNER

Best Costume Design Babylon – Mary Zophres Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ruth Carter — WINNER Elvis – Catherine Martin Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris – Jenny Beavan The Woman King – Gersha Phillips

Best Editing Decision to Leave – Kim Sang-bum Everything Everywhere All At Once – Paul Rogers — WINNER Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Bob Ducsay RRR – A. Sreekar Prasad Top Gun: Maverick – Eddie Hamilton

Best Makeup and Hairstyling Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Camille Friend and Joel Harlow Elvis – Shane Thomas, Mark Coulier, Jason Baird, and Louise Coulston Everything Everywhere All At Once – Michelle Chung and Anissa Salazar The Batman – Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, and Zoe Tahir The Whale – Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Anne Marie Bradley — WINNER

Best Marketing Campaign Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Everything Everywhere All At Once Nope Smile — WINNER Top Gun: Maverick

Best Original Song Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – “Lift Me Up” performed by Rihanna Elvis – “Vegas” performed by Doja Cat RRR  – “Naatu Naatu” performed by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava — WINNER Top Gun: Maverick – “Hold My Hand” performed by Lady Gaga Turning Red – “Nobody Like U” performed by 4Town

Best Production Design Avatar: The Way of Water – Dylan Cole, Ben Procter and Vanessa Cole Babylon – Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino — WINNER Black Panther: Wakanda Forever  – Hannah Beachler and Lisa K. Sessions Elvis – Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, and Bev Dunn The Batman – James Chinlund and Lee Sandales

Best Score Babylon  – Justin Hurwitz — WINNER Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Alexandre Desplat The Banshees of Inisherin  – Carter Burwell The Batman – Michael Giacchino Women Talking – Hildur Guðnadóttir

Best Sound Avatar: The Way of Water – Christopher Boyes, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Gary Summers, Michael Hedges, and Julian Howarth Elvis – David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson, and Michael Keller Nope – Johnnie Burn and Jose Antonio Garcia The Batman – Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, and Andy Nelson Top Gun: Maverick – Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, and Mark Taylor — WINNER

Best Stunts Everything Everywhere All At Once RRR — WINNER The Batman The Woman King Top Gun: Maverick

Best Visual Effects Avatar: The Way of Water – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett — WINNER Everything Everywhere All At Once – Zak Stoltz, Ethan Feldbau, Benjamin Brewer and Jeff Desom Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Aaron Weintraub, Brian Leif Hansen, Georgina Hayns and Ian Mackinnon RRR – V. Srinivas Mohan Top Gun: Maverick – Ryan Tudhope, Scott R. Fisher, Seth Hill and Bryan Litson

Special Honorary Awards Acting Achievement Award: Angela Bassett Artisan Achievement Award: Rick Carter Filmmaking Achievement Award: Rian Johnson Spotlight Award: RRR Star on the Rise Award: Gabriel LaBelle

#hollywood critics association #hca awards #hca 2023 #winners

[crazyk-imagine]

Hi I’m back again, I have a request for our dear Wolfman, again. Would you please write a 50 first dates ?

Thank you again for everything!

💛💛

Thinking of You

Pairing: (Henry Roth) Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe (Henry "Wolfman" Ruth) x (Lucy Whitmore) Fem!Reader

Characters: Fem!Reader, Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe (Henry "Wolfman" Ruth), Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, Carol Bradshaw, Bradley Bradshaw, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Ron “Slider” Kerner, Rick “Hollywood” Neven, Marcus “Sundown” Williams, Sam “Merlin” Wells, Charles “Chipper” Piper, Mike “Viper” Metcalf, Bill “Cougar” Cortell, Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, Penny Benjamin

Warnings: Fluff, angst, this is cute, Leonard is adorable, reader watches out for herself, everyone is protective of the reader and it's adorable, no fisherman here, only ranchers and cowboys, small town vibes, Iceman and Viper are the best, Pete can't cook for the life of his business, few funny moments, few serious moments here and there

Word Count: 5,307

A/N: I am so so sorry for taking forever with this one. I did not forget it, I promise. It was a whole thing with trying to find inspiration and rewatching the movie for research. But it... is... done!!!

Viper still refers to Bradley as a baby because he is (in his eyes)

Charlie is the horny German lady which I find hilarious

Yes, I used the TGM Squad as the kids for everyone who had children in the movie

The guys all have a work past with Viper

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He takes a seat at the counter, minding his own business as he reads a menu.

You smile as you walk inside, you always love coming here and not just because you get to see Penny and Pete, your favorite couple at the restaurant but because you get to make your waffle buildings.

‘Maybe today I’ll build a hut. Oh, and for the steam we can use coffee.’

Penny notices there’s a little pep in your step while she hands you a menu. “How are you doing, Butterfly?”

You giggle, “I’m doing just fine.”

She smiles and tells you your table is free.

He sees you enter the restaurant, sitting down in one of the empty booths in the middle of the row.

Penny turns around filling another customer’s coffee, she notices the looks he’s sending your way and needs to stop it before things can progress, you don’t need any more heartache (even if you don’t remember it today).

It would also save him from meeting your dad, who’s in charge of the port, Viper aka Mike or your cousin, Iceman aka Tom.

“I wouldn’t,” she tells him.

He furrows his brows and turns towards the waitress. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“You’ll only find yourself heartbroken if you try to pursue her.”

“What makes you say that?”

She purses her lips; she doesn’t find it necessary to tell him of your accident. But then she realizes he’s new and must be one of the few new cowboys that came into town.

“You’re gone for more than half of the year doing what you do. You’ve never met her but if you did and it was time to leave both of you would be crushed. Imagine how much that for a second.”

“Maybe she’d come with me.”

“She-” She sighs at the wound of glass breaking. “Excuse me while I go kick my husband out of the kitchen.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose, Pen.”

“Out of the kitchen, Maverick," a new voice says.

He doesn't know it, but it was the actual cook, Marcus.

He sighs, pushing the doors open, taking a seat beside the man. “Sounds like you did good there.”

The dejected man chuckles, “yeah.”

“Hey. You happen to know that girl sitting in the booth, would you?”

Pete glances over his slumped shoulder. “What’s it to you?”

“Woah. Woah. Why is everyone so aggressive? I was just asking a question.”

“A question that shouldn’t be asked.”

“Okay. Message received.”

“You seem like the type who won’t take no for an answer?”

Leonard chuckles, “am I really that transparent?” He chuckles to himself as he takes a sip of his coffee until he turns back to look at Pete and realizes how serious this whole thing is. “Oh, shit. Sorry, I just thought-”

“She wouldn’t go for a guy like you,” a voice says sitting on the other side of the rancher.

The two men angle their bodies to hear the man better.

Pete gives him a sarcastic smile. “Yeah, thanks for that, Cougar. We don’t need to give it any more ideas.”

“First off, it has a name and oh, she’s trying to make a door.”

The two look back and focus on you trying to get the finishing touches to your waffle house done.

He debates on walking over to you after hearing everyone’s warnings.

Clearly no one here wants to see anything bad happen to you if they’re this willing to stop him before he could try anything.

He pushes himself out of the chair, grabs a toothpick before heading over to you.

“Hey,” he starts off not to startle you entirely before sticking the toothpick in place, opening and closing the door to show you how well it works. “I thought this might help you a little more.”

You glance up at him, giving him a smile. “Well, then I guess the only thing I can say is thank you. To be honest, it probably would have taken me five minutes to figure it out, so again, I thank you for saving me from any potential embarrassment.”

Leonard lifts his hat, “I always do what I can to help a beautiful lady such as yourself.”

“Ah, I bet you say that to everyone you see then.”

He chuckles. This certainly isn’t what he was expecting when he walked over, it's different, nice even. “May I,” he gestures to the empty side of the booth.

“Please, I’d like to look a little less pathetic in front of, well everyone here.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“You flatter girls to get them in your bed and expect that very thing to happen, don’t you?”

“Uh- well,” he stutters.

You shrug, “doesn’t matter now. I’m just happy to have some company even if it’s just for a minute or two.”

“Well, then I’m happy to be of service.”

You dazzle him with another smile.

This is different from the other times he's gone out with girls.

You lift your watch to check the time. “Oh, looks like it's time for me to go. Sorry,” you sheepishly shrug as you reach for your bag.

“Uh- oh, okay. Yeah, I guess it’s time I went back to work.”

You get up and barely walk past him when you stop. “Is that you?”

“Is what me?”

“The farm smell?”

His mouth opens into an “o” making it obvious he now knows what you’re talking about. “Oh, yeah. Perks of being a rancher. Sorry about the smell. I didn’t realize it was so bad.”

You shake your head. “No, it’s- it’s not that. It’s just- it's more of a comfort thing. It reminds me of my family because my dad and my cousin are in the ranching business, and this is- the smell of, well the farm, is basically what I grew up with.”

He nods, “okay, good to know I don’t smell too much like shit.”

You chuckle, shaking your head. “Happy to help but I seriously have to go now.”

“Okay.”

You head over to Penny and pay her before saying bye to everyone.

Leonard shakes his head once he sees your car leave. “She sure is something else.” He then heads over to his car, sneakily watching you leave.

-

He spends the night talking to Rick, watching his kids. “So, you gonna ask her out?”

“Me?” Leonard shakes his head, pulling Rick’s youngest, Javy, away from the fence before his beloved (crazy) goat comes over and towards the edge to scare the kids.

The rancher isn't going to have his headbutting, crossed eyed goat injure another one of his friends' kids (even if it's on them because they didn't listen). “I- no.”

“You like her?”

The kids’ “ooh” at their dad’s comment.

“What? No. She’s just- she’s... busy?”

“Excuses.” He pushes himself off the fence, “come on kids. Your uncle needs alone time to process the fact that he’s a wimp.”

The kids mumble wimp under their breaths as they walk by.

He’s left alone with his thoughts.

-

“Did she get offered any drugs today?” Mike asks his nephew.

Tom shakes his head, “no and you know she wouldn’t take anything anyway.”

“She wouldn’t know.”

The blond glances over at the older man.

“Don’t give me that look boy.”

Neither of them says anything else as they go their separate ways before going out to the garage so they can repaint the wall.

Nick and Carole walk to the open space, "hey guys."

"Do you know what got her in such a happy mood today?" Mike asks.

The couple glance at one another.

"When we went to get food, Penny said that one of the new ranchers came in and talked to her, but I don't know what happened," Carole tells him.

"A new rancher?"

She nods. "Yeah, he's the only one here who wears his hat twenty-four seven."

"And you don't know anything about this?" Tom asks Nick.

The mustached man narrows his eyes at him, "if we knew anything else we would have told you."

"I'm just checking, mother Goose. No need to get your p-"

Mike smacks his nephew on the back of his head. "Stop it. Nick take another roll and again, thank you for the food, Carole. If you could just-"

"Set it on the counter for later, I'd be happy to."

"How's life been with the baby?"

"It's been great. I know it makes her sad that we can't bring him around here. All they've wanted since they were kids was for their kids to be friends and hangout all the time."

Mike sighs, "yeah."

Carole sneaks up the stairs to check on you. She barely opens the door and sees you standing there, a smile breaks across her face. She's happy to know that you're safe and sound for another day.

-

The next day is a weird one... for Leonard.

He had no idea what was going to happen when he made his way to the restaurant, and he most certainly wasn’t expecting you to not remember him (and mean it).

Sure, he’s had a few girls say they don’t remember him but after some persuading and mentions of certain clues, they break, this time with you though, not so much.

A few minutes passed after you ran out until someone explained to him why he shouldn’t continue doing what he’s doing.

“Everyone knows but,” Penny sighs. “She was in an accident that killed her mom and left her with what the doctors believe to be permanent brain damage.”

That is the last thing Leonard was expecting to learn about you. “All those light threats make sense now.”

“Now that you know, are you going to keep trying to date her?” Penny asks him. "Because if you’re not and you break her heart, you can just leave now. We won’t tolerate that kind of behavior.”

He nods and finishes his coffee, coming up with a few ideas.

-

Rick lounges on his couch, as usual, and watches as his friend jots down a few things. “You must really like this girl if you’re so willing to do just about anything for her.”

Leonard shrugs, “I don’t think that’s it.”

“Well, you’re doing something really nice for her, someone you’ve met a few times. As for me, your best friend barely gets a birthday card.”

“You’ve been giving yourself your own gift every year.”

“Oh, yeah and what’s that?”

“Your kids.”

“Damn, you’re good.”

-

He sits at the counter in front of the kitchen, waiting for you to come in so he can ask to eat with you.

You enter, at the same time as always, greeting Penny and Pete before sitting down to look at the menu.

He stands up and walks over to you, “hey, is this seat taken?”

You look up from the menu, “yeah, that’s my boyfriend's seat.”

“Oh, it is?”

You nod, “and he won’t be happy to know that some random guy sat there while talking to his girlfriend.”

“What if we say we’re just friends?”

“Are we though? I mean, I don’t even know your name.”

“Leonard.”

“I wasn’t asking. Look, I gotta go.”

Everyone hears the commotion outside and runs out to see what’s happening, Penny and Leonard being the fastest to get outside when they hear your voice.

“It’s not- it’s October thirteenth.”

Nick slams his car door closed before rushing over, wrapping his arms around you, wanting to give you some kind of protection.

Leonard takes a step forward, ready to tell the cop everything when Penny gets to him first.

Pete grabs the cowboy, “you and Goose are gonna take her home. She needs to be with her family right now. She needs comfort.”

He nods, taking his words into consideration.

The boys get you into the car, but the ride home is a blur, you don’t even know if you’ve responded to Leonard.

-

Your father and cousin are outside before you know it.

"What happened?" Mike asks, taking in your state of distress.

Nick looks up at the older man with sad eyes. "She found out again."

He closes his eyes, rubbing his chin.

Tom comes to your other side, the two men helping you inside.

The mustached man stops the rancher before he could step any further onto his front porch. "I'm gonna have to stop you right there."

Leonard furrows his brows. "What do you mean?"

"You being here isn't good for her."

"What does that mean?"

"This is something we've done before. You have never been involved."

"How would you know?"

"You don't know her, and you don't need to concern yourself with her. I'm asking you once and only once. It's time for you to go."

The man turns around, not even waiting to see if he's going to walk away.

Nick peaks through the window, whispering, "what are you doing?"

Leonard rushes closer. "He kicked me out."

"He doesn't want her to be more heartbroken than she is. Are you here for her or for you?"

"What- why are you asking?"

"If you're here because you want to date her, I'll let you in. If not, you can turn your sorry ass around."

He didn't even have to hesitate. "Open the door."

The blond smiles and lifts the windowpane higher. "You said you'd open the door."

"I'd like to not have my ass kicked too bad, thank you."

He rolls his eyes and crawls through, listening to your cries as you listen to what you went through again.

"Can we- I want to talk to the doctor." You quietly hiccup, "I'm sure I've already talked to him but let me go again. Please?" You ask your father.

He nods and you all are off to the facility you were in for some time after your accident.

-

"It's the same thing I've told you before," Dr. Simpson finishes.

You nod, "I'm sure you have, and I appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me again."

Leonard and Nick were stuck talking to one of the patients, (ten second) Sam.

"Hi, I'm Sam."

They nod and introduce themselves to him and continue to do so until Tom grabs them by their collars, hauling them out of the building.

"You two idiots wanted to stay. Stop getting distracted."

-

Once you got home, you decided to go to your room and write in your journal, needing to process everything.

"Would it- could I go talk to her?"

Mike silently nods.

"Go get 'em, tiger."

Nick averts his gaze your dad's stern look.

-

He knocks on the door, waiting for you to answer as he removes his hat.

The door swings open.

You stare at him through your lashes. "What do you want?"

"To talk. Check on you."

"I'm fine. Go home. I'd say I'll talk to you tomorrow, but I'll forget you by midnight." You walk back into your room, leaving the door open.

He takes that as an invitation and enters. "I- uh-"

"I don't want you to feel like you have to stay after everything you’ve learned. I would understand if you didn't want to talk anymore."

"No!" He nearly screams before realizing his mistake and sits down. "I mean, I don't mind it. This- your twenty-four-hour memory is no problem. I- I actually think you're worth getting to know, every day."

You don't give him a verbal response as you nod, unsure of how to respond.

As you two bask in the silence, the other's downstairs are preparing for the next day.

-

“You coming to the garage or are you going to call Carole?” Tom asks him after his uncle walks out of the room.

“What do you think?”

Your cousin rolls his eyes, “still as lazy as the day I met you.”

“Hey, I am offended.”

“Good.”

Nick shakes his head, mumbling a variety of comebacks that he would never say out loud because he values his life.

-

Leonard reaches around, rubbing your shoulder, not realizing the time or what’s about to happen.

You wake, opening your eyes and start screaming, alerting everyone in the house.

Tom and Mike make it to your room in no time.

The older man hauls the rancher out of your room and out of the house. “I thought I told you to stay away.”

“You might have.”

“Then why aren’t you?”

“Sir, I really care about your daughter and honestly, the thought of showing her how much I care about her everyday sounds-”

“Like you’ve got some kind of ulterior motive.”

“That hurts. No, I mean, telling her every day that I care for her and making her fall for me again and again. I can’t explain it but, I know I’m the right guy for her. Everyone here cares for her and I’d like to count myself lucky enough to be a part of that community. I know you think I’m messing with her but that’s not true and even if you push me away, I will still be here and continue to stand by her.”

Mike has a lot to think about now.

He nods, “don’t come around today. She needs time to heal and take it all in, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m sure I'll hear from you later. Now go.”

Leonard smiles as he leaves. He spends the day making a gift, as a precaution he doesn’t come by for a couple of days.

Leonard has a lot of things to think about.

If he stays and builds a relationship with you, he’s going to be putting his dreams on the back burner; something he’s had his mind set on for a long, long time now.

Can he, do it?

Is it worth it?

As much as it hurts him to think about, he needs to. But then he thinks of you again and it is.

He makes a mental note to email his response.

-

He knocks on the door and Tom answers it. “You’re back? I thought you decided to leave.”

The rancher shakes his head, “nope. Can’t get rid of me that easily. I- uh- I actually made something and I want to play it for her. I don’t know if it’ll help but, you never know.”

He steps aside, giving Leonard enough room to walk by.

“Thanks.”

You and your father enter the living room, seeing him placing the tape in the VHS player.

The tape plays before either of you could ask what's going on.

Your name flashes across the screen, drawing your attention along with mentions of the accident and Bradley, Carole and Nick's son who's four now.

You touch the scar hidden by your hair.

Tom stands back, waiting for what you decide to do.

Mike rubs his hand across his face. "Did you do this?"

He nods. "I did."

You take a deep breath and grab his arm, bringing him with you.

-

"Where are we going?"

You don't answer him.

"Should I be worried?"

You stop in front of your car. "Do you ever shut up?"

"I could."

"Do it now."

"Stop being mean to me or I swear I'm gonna fall in love with you."

You roll your eyes. "I need to talk to you, and I don't want to do it with my guard dogs nearby."

"Oh, sure."

He opens the door for you, earning a furrowed brow look from you.

You don't say anything as you drive to the one place no one knows about.

"Are we-"

"The accident site, yeah. I didn’t know that at the time but now that I do, it doesn't change the special value it holds."

"That's good." He turns to you, seeing the way you're staring at him. "What?"

"We need to end this."

"End what?"

"You know what."

"Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Leonard-"

He cuts you off before you can continue. "You remember my name?"

"If you'd let me get a word in, you'd know that the only reason I know of you is because I have a journal. I've been keeping notes of everything, I just- I never realized it."

"And that means we need to not see each other anymore?"

"Exactly."

"Why?"

"You."

"I'm not following."

"You," you close your eyes, huffing through your nose. "You're so sweet and have been since we first met but you're going to get hurt."

"What makes you think that?"

"You've stayed longer than any guy ever has but to do this every day is just- I know it's a lot."

"It's nothing."

"See, that!" You point at him. "That right there is exactly why I'm ending this. You've got such a pure heart and I can't be the reason it breaks when you realize it's not worth it to stay."

"Who's to say that I'll stop feeling what I do?"

You avoid eye contact as your tears blur your vision. "You will, just like I know how my father and Tom are tired of it. They'll never admit it, but everyone has their breaking point and I think us meeting and seeing each other has pushed theirs. I'm really sorry, I like you. I do but I'm doing this to protect us."

You offer him a weak smile as the tears spill from your eyes and down your cheeks.

Before you leave to go back inside, you hand him your journal.

He pulls you back and kisses you.

Your first kiss with one another and it's amazing but can't last forever.

You pull away, walking inside with heavy steps; barely able to keep yourself together.

Tom nor Mike stops you, but they do make sure to call Nick and Carole, knowing you'll need a good day tomorrow even if you don't remember it.

-

Leonard doesn't come into the diner for a few days.

Carole sits with you at your job while Rick, Nick, and Pete drive Mike and Tom to see him off.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye," Rick tells him.

"That's nice but how do you know these guys?" Leonard points between the guys in the group.

"We used to work together before I decided to settle down," his friend explains.

"Is that what you've been telling people?" Pete asks, staring at the man with a confused expression.

Rick glances at the man, "what are you talking about? Of course, that's what I've been telling people. It's the truth."

Pete shrugs, "I just thought-"

"Thought what?"

Nick smacks the two across the back of their heads. "Alright you idiots, there's a time and a place to talk about this. Now is not it."

The two grumbled, rubbing the now sore spot.

"We came here to talk to Wolfman before he left."

"You told them?"

"We all worked for him," Rick points to Mike. "Of course, I'm going to tell them."

"Anyway," the oldest chimes in. "We're here to send you off but not before giving you this." He hands him a CD.

"Really?" The rancher asks, not understanding the sentimental thought behind it just yet.

Mike nods, "I think you'll like it. Check side B, song four. Everything will make sense after that." The older man walks away, letting the others take their time in following.

Nick pats Leonard on the back, saluting him before wishing him luck. "I wish you luck, my friend."

"I'm pretty sure you just jinxed me."

"That's for the theater and you're going to need it one way or another."

The rancher frowns.

Pete chuckles, "you really leaving?"

The blond shrugs. "What else can I do? She told me she doesn't want me, and I can't force myself into her life, you know. Whether she remembers me or not. I'm going to respect her decision."

"That's really nice of you, not everyone would do that."

"I keep telling you I'm not like everyone."

"And I understand why. You're going to do great, kid."

The man in the cowboy hat purses his lips as his brows knit together in confusion. "If I'm not mistaken, we're the same age."

"Potato, potahtoe."

"Not the same."

Pete smirks and slaps his arm before jogging to Mike's car.

"You really want to leave?" Rick asks, standing beside him, resting his arms on the fence. "Because I'm not buying this whole "I can do this" thing. I mean, from what I've heard it sounds like you love her but who am I to assume."

Leonard shakes his head, "you heard wrong."

"That's a load of bull and you know it."

"You'll never know."

"The kids are going to miss you."

"They'll find something else to occupy them."

“You know they won’t.”

“Whatever you say, man.”

Rick’s hand hovers over his friend’s shoulder, he doesn’t pat him like everyone else had (knowing he’ll be back in no time). “You’re an idiot.”

Leonard lets out a dry, “thanks.”

Tom gives him a knowing look, “you know I’m right.”

“If you’re just going to be a jerk, leave with the others. I don’t want to talk to you.”

“You said you were going to stay by her side no matter what. What happened to that guy?”

“She made the decision. She doesn’t want me around; thinks she’s going to save me from heartache or something.”

“You’re an idiot.” Tom walks away, leaving him with his thoughts.

Leonard shakes his head, not understanding half of what just happened; all he knows is that he’s offended. He hops in his truck, his heart heavy and mind full of useless thoughts; he places the CD in the car player.

Half forgetting he’s had the damn thing this whole time and never once thought to use it. He skips to the song Mike told him to play.

He’s barely on the road for ten minutes and gets out of his thoughts, his fingers stop tapping along to the beat on the steering wheel when he slams on the brakes. “Holy shit! Holy- no way. No way!”

His smile is as wide as can be. “I knew the old man liked me.”

He turns the car around and heads towards the office you visited when you were told about the accident again.

-

He runs through the door, trying to sneak in by the security guards before anyone can kick him out.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” He turns to face them, removing his hat.

He shrugs, not saying a word.

Maybe playing dumb would be easier?

The taller of the two stares at him with raised brows as his partner takes in Leonard’s appearance. “Go on in.”

Ron turns to Charles, “what’s wrong with you? What if he was a murderer or some psycho?”

“Did he look like a psycho to you?”

“No but-”

“But nothing. I got good vibes from him.”

“What did you smoke for breakfast?”

“I’m not answering that,” Charles says, checking the computer for today’s schedule.

“If someone gets murdered, I’m not protecting you.”

“Dick move.”

“Cya, man.”

“What?”

Ron pats his shoulder, “cover your ass. I’d remember that if I were you.”

-

Leonard runs into the room, eyes scanning all around and over anyone in the room, only to not find you, for the moment.

He wanders further into the room, tempted to ask around when he sees ten second Sam and decides not to, there’s too much time that could be wasted and he can’t waste a second right now.

You turn the corner, not noticing him as you help someone outline the outline of their sketch.

A voice calls out to you, and you turn, finding him.

“Hi? Do you- nevermind, stupid question. Could I- uh- could I talk to you for a minute?” He asks.

You know everyone here will be fine for a few minutes. You hesitate to answer him. “I- we can- just- just follow me.”

-

You two stand in your special art room. “Have we met before?”

His chin juts out. “What?” His eyes wander around the room, finally understanding.

“As you can see, I’ve seen you before. I mean, I know I’ve talked to you, but I don’t remember it. You- you haunt my dreams. I’ve seen us in my favorite restaurant, as if we were on a date and- and I don’t know if it was real or not.” He can see how it’s wracking your brain to try and remember something that won’t be there.

He nods, “we have. We’ve met a few times.”

“That’s all you’re going to say?”

He holds a journal in front of you, “if you really want to find out, read this. It’ll tell you everything.”

You stare at the cover, wondering if you should read it or not.

You hold it close to your chest and stretch your hand out for him. “Hi.”

He raises his brow but shakes your hand. “Hi?”

“We’re starting over.”

“Oh, that makes more sense.”

The door opens, “Hi, “I’m Sam.”

You purse your lips, trying to hold in your laughter.

“And our special moment has a little twist.”

“Leave Sam out?”

He nods, “we’re leaving him out.”

You nod and slowly remove your hand from his. “Hi, I’m Sam.”

“I swear to-”

-

You push open the door and cover your eyes when the sun hits you. Leonard turns around and smiles at the sight of you looking as beautiful as always. “Hey, you’re up.”

You nod, your eyes landing on your precious baby boy, Jake, pretending to be like his dad with ranching.

“How are you feeling this morning?”

Your daughter, Natasha, runs over to you with her arms open for a hug.

Everyone always says that a mother and her child share a special bond, in this case it’s true because you open your arms and scoop her up, holding her close to you, even if it is a little strange just finding out she’s your daughter after watching the video Leonard made for you.

“I’m okay, a little weird this morning.”

“I don’t blame you.”

You tilt your head up at him, staring at him like you’re trying to memorize his face. “I think Tom’s doing things he shouldn’t.”

He turns around, finding your cousin doing the exact opposite of what he told him to and hands Jake to your father so he can help your cousin from messing up his ranch (any more than he already has). “Son of a-”

“Language!” You and Mike shout.

“I wasn’t going to actually say it,” Leonard tells you two.

You and your dad share a look. “He’s your husband, you take care of it.” And he walks away.

“So rude,” you mumble to yourself.

“Hey guys!” Nick and Carole wave as Bradley runs towards Natasha (who hasn’t left your side until this moment).

You smile and wave back, hugging Carole tightly.

“Let's go inside and see what you have in your kitchen for breakfast.”

You lean in closer to her, whispering, “does he ever eat? I swear he is always raiding my pantry.”

“Fast metabolism.”

“I don’t buy it.”

“Can I tell you something?” She asks.

You nod.

“Neither do I.”

-

You, Carole, and Nick grimace at the sight of Leonard's friend and his coworker-

"Can they eat each other's faces somewhere else?" Nick mumbles. "I'm trying to eat here."

You and her share a look.

"You're still eating," his wife points out.

He shrugs. "I can't pass up when Sundown cooks. That'd be like disrespecting Penny."

Leonard walks through the door and grimaces. "You two need to stop trying to eat each other and enjoy breakfast. This is not what I imagined when I suggested you two go out."

Charlotte and Rick part from one another, offering weak apologies.

You and Carole can't help but laugh.

The rancher turns around at the sound of your laughter and knows that he wouldn’t trade this for the world.

#top gun #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun imagine #top gun imagines #top gun x you #top gun x reader #leonard wolfe x reader #leonard wolfman wolfe #leonard wolfman wolfe x reader #leonard wolfman wolfe imagine #leonard wolfman wolfe x you #leonard wolfe imagine #leonard wolfe imagines #leonard wolfe x you #henry wolfman ruth #wolfman x reader #cowboy wolfman #rancher wolfman #rancher wolfman x reader #cowboy wolfman x reader #crazyk-imagine

[1stsummer]

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Almond (Sohn Won Pyung)

Tarian Bumi (Oka Rusmini)

Perempuan yang Menangis Kepada Bulan Hitam (Dian Purnomo)

Progressnya Berapa Persen? (Soraya Nasution)

Simmer Down (Sarah Smith)

Semesta Cerita Kita (Ruth Pricilia Angelina)

Memor Marla (Safira Haspari)

Shatter Me Series (Tahereh Mafi)

Addicted To You (Krista Richie)

Mengapa Luka Tidak Memaafkan Pisau (M. aan Mansyur)

The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint Exupery)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)

The Old Man Eating Alone (Howard Pearlstein)

Blink The Power of Thinking without Thinking (Malcolm Gladwell)

Reason To Stay Alive (Matt Haig)

Wonder (R. J. Palacio)

Open Water (Caleb Azumah Nelson)

Rumah Jadah (Royyan Julian)

We Should All Be Feminims (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

The Devotion of Suspect X (Keigo Higashino)

Malice (Keigo Higashino)

[hisserenity]

My Letters to You

Pairing: Urban Wyatt x fem!reader

Warnings: very sad, mentions of death & maybe, possibly singledad!urban. (I hope to write more happy stuff but this came from a dream:))

Maggie Lindemann Face claim

In which Urban Wyatt’s childhood friend and long term girlfriend dies in a car accident but little does he know, she left him letters in case she left this world before him.

Y/FULL/NAME

24 years of age

Y/BDAY 1997 - May 30th 2022

On May 30th 2022 at approximately 4:22 pm, a tragic car accident resulted in the loss of 4 lives with one being Y/N. Y/n is survived by her father Y/dads/n, her brother (insert name), her sister (insert name), her long term boyfriend Urban Henry Wyatt and her daughter Novaleigh Ruth Wyatt as well as many other family and friends. Funeral services will be held at Beevis Funeral Home from 12pm until 2pm immediately followed by Y/N’s celebration of life which will take place at Thomas Moore park from 3pm until 5pm. Please join us this Sunday beginning at 12pm. All are welcome.

Urban sighs, placing your obituary beside his mothers just as he hears little footsteps making their way down the stairs of the house you once shared with him. ‘Daddy!!’ He turns around seeing the sweet little girl the two of you created together. He kneels down before her. ‘Yes my sweet girl?’ He asks her. ‘Can you help me? I tried to do it myself and I can’t get my dressed zipped up and its making me upset.’ She huffs now with a pout on her face. Urban smiles down at her with a small laugh. ‘Just like your mommy baby. Turn around my love.’ Once he gets her dress zipped, she turns around excited. ‘Thank you daddy! I’m going to grab my shoes and I’ll be ready to go, okay? Don’t leave without me! I don’t want to miss seeing mommy one last time.’ She says to her father with tears now filling her eyes. It almost makes Urban break down right then and there but he stays strong for her, he needs to be strong for her. He picks Novaleigh up and she immediately places her head in the crook of his neck as her tears begin to fall. ‘I miss mommy, daddy. I’m so glad to have you but why did momma have to go? I wasn’t ready daddy. Please don’t leave me like momma.’ His heart strings about tear apart at her words. ‘I miss her too, sweet girl. The choice to leave wasn’t hers baby, I promise. If she could, mommy would be here right now dancing with us all through the house. I promise you Valeigh that daddy is always going to be here okay? I love you lil ma.’ She lifts her head to look up at her father. ‘I love you to daddy, with my whole heart.’ He kisses her temple. ‘Let’s go get your shoes so we can go see mommy yeah?’ Novaleigh nods her head as she and her dad makes their way back up the stairs.

————————————————————

After the the services

Urban sits on the couch with the tv playing as if he is actually watching what’s on the screen. Instead, he is just staring at the wall of pictures you had made with all of your memories from prom, the birth of Novaleigh, all the way up until 4 days before you passed. The day he took you to a sunflower field, the look on your face as you turned around to face him was magical that he just had to capture the moment. God he missed you. With Novaleigh now in bed, he makes his way to the fridge to grab a water when he notices something sticking out from under the coffee machine, your coffee machine. He grabs it thinking that it was a piece of trash that snuck its way underneath but soon realizes that there are words across it.

My Urby Kurby

(To only be opened if in the worst case scenario, I have left you behind)

He hesitantly unfolds the small piece of paper.

My Forever,

If you’re reading this then that means that one of two things have occurred. One, we have broken up (I really hope this never happens) or two, I have passed on and left you and lil ma behind (if this is the reason, then I am so sorry my love)

But there is a shoe box hidden on the highest shelf in the hallway closet downstairs that is for you. When you are ready, please open it. It has been years in the making. There’s some pretty good stuff in there lol. Anyways baby, always remember that I’m in love with you and will be until the very end of eternity. Muah!!

He folds the piece of now tear stained paper as he makes his way to the location you provided him. He reaches to the top shelf and feels for the shoebox before successfully retrieving and finding his way back to the couch. My Letters To You, the box reads. He removes the lid to reveal papers full to the brim all which appear to be numbered. He grabs the first letter. Taking a deep breath, he begins to read.

Urban,

If you’re reading this then that means that either we have broken up or I am no longer with you. I hope and pray that it isn’t the latter but if it is then I am so deeply and incredibly sorry. But please don’t grieve over me for too long, you have to be strong for lil ma, she needs you more than ever right now. If I’m gone, please tell her that mommy loves her more than anything and make sure to give her all the kisses, hugs, love and adoration in the world for me. You two were everything to me, I love you both so much.

The letters within this box are numbered by the order they should be read in. I tried to stack them in order but in case they went crazy, I thought putting numbers on them would be the best way. Anyways, only read them if you’re ready too and please don’t let Novaleigh know about them until she’s a little older. And always remember that I love you both, until the end of eternity.

Urban didn’t think that he had anymore tears left but yet here he is, vision blurry and whisper quiet sobs escaping through his lips. He placed the first letter next to him upside down to keep the order before grabbing letter number two. Trying to keep his composure, he begins to read once again.

June 1st 2014,

May 2nd 1998. That was the first day we supposedly met for the first time. I don’t remember it all and I’m pretty sure you don’t either since you were brand new but my mom always said that we were attached at the hip from that day forward. I am so glad that our moms were best friends and had us just shy of a year apart because I have a permanent best friend and I couldn’t have asked for a better one. Well, we’re not just best friends anymore are we? You asked me out on a date exactly 2 days, 6 hours and 23 minutes ago to be exact. Not that I was counting and I’m so excited, I’m actually getting ready right now while I write this letter. I’ve had a crush on you for a long time and it’s finally happening. I hope it’s not a dare though, that would make me sad. Anyways Urby, I have to finish getting ready, you should be here any minute now.

Sincerely y/n

He placed the letter upside down on top of the first one. He can’t wait to read the rest of these letter but before he continues, He smiles gently before whispering ‘you’re with our moms again, ma. I really hope you’re having fun up there.’ He grabs the next letter, ready to dive in down memory lane.

I hope y’all enjoyed it! I know it’s quite sad (and looong) but I have quite a few more parts to it-the letters get better, I promise. I hope to have part two of this series up hopefully tomorrow! Muah!

#jack harlow #urbanwyatt #urban wyatt concept #urbanwyatt imagine #urbanwyatt x reader

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

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.

#ray manchester #ray manchester x reader #captain man x reader #reader insert #danger force #x reader #henry danger #chapa de silva #dangerverse #fanfiction #ray manchester fanfiction #ray manchester smut #captain man smut #captain man #henry danger smut #danger force season 3 #kid danger #reader x character #xreader #love confessions #lovers #long post #jace norman #nickelodeon #eventual smut #smutty fanfiction #spicy content #spicy creator #spicy pics #smutty smut smut

[thislovintime]

Peter Tork at a Renaissance fair, 1969; photo by Henry Diltz.

“Right now I’m working with my friend Bobby Hammer on a film. I’m going to deliver a lecture on the generation gap in Aspen, Colorado, and I’m going to show a film just to keep them interested.” - Peter Tork, NME, January 25, 1969

“Early in February, [Ruth M. Adams, Wellesley student] served on the resource staff of a five-day Humanities Seminar for the Young Presidents’ Organization, Inc. in Aspen, Colorado. […] In Aspen, ‘Generation gap or civilization gap — can we cope with it?’ was the question at hand. The delegates included both members of the sponsoring organization, (which consists of men who became president of the businesses before they reached the age of forty,) and resource consultants in widely varied fields. Among these consultants were Miss Adams, author Max Schulman, Peter Tork of The Monkees, SDS leader David Littman, and Edgar Friedenberg of the State University of New York. Vast differences in backgrounds and occupations served to split the conference delegation into two ideologically distinct groups. ‘It must be remembered,’ observed Miss Adams, during a News interview last Friday, ‘that many of the delegates were men in their forties, often parents of children of high school or college age… As parents and as men carrying corporate responsibility, they found it difficult to comprehend, to understand, the views of the radical left.’ At Aspen, this radical view was voiced primarily by Littman, Tork, and Friedenberg.” - The Wellesley News, February 20, 1969

“Tork, now 36, is an avowed socialist and lives in Venice, California." - New West, January 1979 (x)

“‘We’ve all got to stick together or we’re all going to come unglued.’ [Peter] noted a drive for only one’s own fortune is at the expense of others. 'Without community, the individual is dead.’” - The Life, May 3, 1996 (x)

“Now, the business of wresting power away from those who make a specialty of wielding it will be a long and protracted struggle, with a lot of setbacks along the way. The outlines of the new style of governance are only dimly perceivable, and won’t become clear for a long time to come. In the meantime, our job is to practice the principles of fairness and service to the extent possible. One thing is clear: there is a much higher joy in service than there is in acquisition of wealth. (Remember that it isn’t money that’s the root of all evil, it’s the love of money.) Hanging together in brother - and sisterhood is so happy-making you want to sing right out loud. Yeah, I feel the same about those ideas as I did then…in case you couldn’t tell. heheheh, Peter” - Ask Peter Tork (x)

“I believe very much in all that I believed in back in the 60’s. I hope I’m more aware of the practicalities than I was then, but I am positive that the values and principles I held then are critical to the well-being of the planet, or at the very least, critical to growth and contentment in the population. As to the practicalities: the chance of no more war in our lifetimes is so close to zero that I don’t imagine it possible, tho’ there well may be progress along these lines. May be. Sometimes I see the world as an eternal horse race between salvation and dissolution, now one, and now the other gaining the lead. But to the extent that we can learn, each and all of us, that the cooperative good is good for the greatest individual good (with safeguards, to be sure), that forgiveness is the route to true inner peace, and that not everything we deem wrong or bad may be so, to that extent hassles of all shapes, sizes and colors will diminish. I am so sure of all this that I would, I hope, be willing to bet my life on these principles.” - Peter Tork, Ask Peter Tork (x)

#Peter Tork #Tork quotes #60s Tork #long read #70s Tork #90s Tork #00s Tork #10s Tork #more for the solid Tork advice files #Breakthrough Influence Company #1969 #1979 #1996 #2008 #2009 #2010 #The Wellesley News #Ask Peter Tork #New West Magazine #can you queue it

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Argylle

In the world of the spy action genre, very few have successfully planted their flag and changed up the formula while still having fun with it. Director Matthew Vaughn showed that he had a unique style and vision for genre with the Kingsman franchise. He showed that he will still have the plot twists, the larger than life villains and fun action sequences but a signature visual flare that is unmistakable. Well he's done that yet again, but this time its a problematic balance. I love when the idea of books coming to life is toyed with in reality and this film has so much fun with that concept. From the opening scene to the end of the second act, I was adoring how much fun I was having with the twist and turns, the action sequences and sometimes off beat charm of the comedy. Where it lost me is when the film breaks its own rules of realism and brings everything that was in the fantastical world into the real. I can absolutely pinpoint where the film falls apart and ceases to be a fun surreal spy action comedy and becomes a implosive parody of itself. I'm all about a storyteller's creative vision being realized, but sometimes being told no is a good thing.

Henry Cavill was perfectly charming and witty as the fictional live action version of the titular book character. He has that perfect level suave and I absolutely wish the entire film stayed in his world as this film once again proves he would be a great James Bond. Dua Lipa was good for the time she was on screen as the Bond girl equivalent LaGrange. John Cena was good as well as his Argylle's partner Wyatt. He was an excellent Q to his Bond. Bryce Dallas Howard was great as the author of the titular character's story, Elly Conway. The journey she goes through as the world she created and predicted starts attacking her in real life was fun and filled with great comedic timing. I loved the psychological toll it was taking on her as she would diss-associate by having Argylle as her coping mechanism. A deeper meaning comes into the play later for her and I liked that fun take. Sam Rockwell will always and forever be the most fun and enjoyable presence on screen and as Aidan, he excels at that again. He makes the character a great and nonchalant action hero that I was rooting for the entire way and loved his emotional connection to a certain character. The chemistry between him and Elly was fun and made for a good rom com. Samuel L. Jackson was just hanging out and having fun as the hacker Alfred Solomon. Catherine O'Hara is always a joy on screen and as Elly's mom, Ruth, she was a blast. Bryan Cranston was awesome as the The Division director Ritter and he gets to have some truly sinister moments in the film that stand out above the rest.

The score by Lorne Balfe was excellent and nails the mix of disco and early 70's style of Bond. The visual effects range from outstanding to purposefully campy and that is where the film lost me. I get for certain characters, the visual flare of the hallway shootout is sort of a romantic and colorful celebration in their heads and I liked that, but that’s where the hijinks should've stopped. What follows after the hallway shootout is a sequence that tells you that if "X" catches on fire from a single bullet, everyone is dead. The film ignores this rule and goes absolutely bananas by having a certain character do something without a doubt kills everyone including themselves with an instant spark from 2 weapons they use. I'm trying to be spoiler free as I can, but it was so stupid and it ruins the film. Expecting your audience to believe we're grounded again after betraying them 10 seconds ago, was insulting. The film would've saved face and 10 minutes if that sequences was cut completely and stayed within the tone of the film. Director Matthew Vaughn has his signature style all over this film and he truly gets the fun of the spy action genre, but like I said before, someone should've told to stop with his usual antics and focus on the main plot. You had everything right, but he just went too far. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

#argylle #henry cavill #bryce dallas howard #john cena #sam rockwell #ariana debose #catherine o'hara #bryan cranston #samuel l jackson