Captain Man x Reader | Henry Danger Reader Insert: SEASON 5 - Chapter 22 - queen_of_bad_ideas (2024)

Chapter Text

"We′ve got breaking news!"

"Oh, good, what else can go wrong?" (y/n) sniffled as the news suddenly flashed up on one of the supercomputer's monitors - the same one that formally held the image of her beloved doofus.

Ray had been missing for nearly two hours, and even though that felt like nothing for Schwoz and the kids, it was practically a lifetime for the Man Cave's sweet girl. At least when she went out shopping or to the library or a cafe, she knew he was at home waiting for her; knowing Ray was in some godforsaken place and miles away made her heart hurt, and her eyes grew teary again.

No. Enough of that, silly girl. Now wasn't the time for crocodile tears - wherever Ray was, it would take all of her expertise, love and patience to bring him back. So, with a few rapid blinks, the heroine steeled herself and refocused on KLVY, where Trent and Mary sat with rigid backs and relaxed expressions.

"I'm Mary Debbie Gaperman!" Well, the people of Swellview had Mary to make them smile during a crisis, even if her companion was the rainstorm to her sunshine.

"That′s not the breaking news! It's about the musical curse we've been captured in," Trent corrected the woman, who always kept an aloof smile as he relayed the critical stuff.

"Listen to these people who..."

"...Saw Captain Man as he ran.

"Just today--

"--Take it away, witnesses!" That made the group crowd around the supercomputer and sit up straighter. One mention of their hero's name and they were hooked, eager to find anything out since that might lead them to him before (y/n) had a breakdown. However, to their disappointment, it wasn't revolutionary - just the annoying vendors-turned-singers from the singing battle of Swellview Park.

"As we were driving to our shifts at the park! We saw the Captain in a mood most dark! And we could see...that he was trying to flee! He went beyond the Swellview border!" the quartet chirped, mimicking how they spotted Captain Man making his escape from the cursed city.

Great, now everyone knew that their protector had abandoned them, and they didn't know what for, which would lead to malicious gossip and conjecture. Where are you, doofus?

"Bravo!" Mary clapped and cheered, thoroughly impressed by their spirited performance. However, Trent was more preoccupied with a troubling thought that had escaped his ditzy colleague and slowly turned his concerned face toward her, making her energetic claps teeter out.

"Mary Debbie Gaperman, do you know what this means? Frankini cursed the town, and Captain Man has fled the scene!" he told her sharply, and Mary's face fell. Had captain man left them? He wouldn't do that, but it had to be true if witnesses saw him flee.

It was difficult for Henry, Jasper, (y/n), Charlotte and Schwoz to watch as their boss's name got dragged through the mud because they knew that he was in a very vulnerable place right now, without his soulmate, lost and weak.

Well, as weak as a six-foot, hundred-and-eighty-pound, needy man-child can get without his guiding light girl.

"That does sound bad!" Mary finished, the music in the background growing deep and foreboding at the prospect of Swellview fending for itself, but something strange happened. Like earlier, the news stopped and glitched for a fraction of a second before a new face appeared.

A face with painstakingly painted-on makeup, perfectly quiffed hair, another damn costume change and enough glitter to satisfy three dozen five-year-old girls.

"Ugh, not him again. What does he want now?" (y/n) groaned when she instantly saw the unmistakable features of Frankini coming live to the citizens of Swellviews from the Frankini Klub. Another news-hijacking moment - he must've had something to say.

"Sorry, Trent and Mary. This is the last time I′ll be interrupting your program... Maybe!" The villain grinned at the camera as he sprawled across a contemporary couch with soft, comfy white leather. As usual, he looked like a moron - dressed so fine it made everyone's eyes hurt to look at him, but Frankini didn't care. A little birdie had told him something exciting, and he couldn't wait to get on the air.

"Five, six, seven, eight!" he counted himself in, donning a velveteen hat as he did, "I heard a little rumour Captain Man has left the city!"

Oh, so that's what this was about. Henry gritted his teeth as the sparkly man twirled on the screen and dared to drop his friend's name. It would be his pleasure to wipe that smirk off his face, but when he looked down and saw (y/n) 's shoulders shaking in anger, he knew he'd have to get in line.

"His timing is a mess. I mean, it really is a pity! See, I challenged him to fight with me by song to end the curse. And now he's skipping town? So flaky, the worst!" Captain Man didn't parade around the place in glittery tights with an aluminium foil scarf. He was double the man Frankini was - if not more.

"Cancelling on me, you see, for that, I will not settle. So Captain Man, if you don't show tonight, I'll chaaaange the curse to thrash metaaaaal!" Frakini held the note as he pulled a chair out to the middle of the room and stepped upon it until it fell in a controlled tilt. The minute the back hit the floor, he tottered over to the musical curse machine.

One yank of the lever from Goomer and the settings changed, only this time, people didn't enjoy soft, if slightly annoying, piano riffs. All they could hear, see and feel the need to sing and head-bang to was crashing drums and unrelenting guitar solos.

"This is the worst! This is the worst! Make it stop, make it stop! This is the worst!" The city screamed as they violently rocked out to the intense music. The problem was that the rocking out made their heads pound and spines dislocate, given its aggressive, tongue-out, devil-worshipping nature.

"So much darkness, So much sadness! Why does anyone like this music?!" They begged Frankini to change the curse, knowing that it played into his game, but they'd rather live with the musical than suffer the metal. Their bodies couldn't stop shaking as the need to wear black clothes, eyeliner and be perpetually sad crept in.

But, thankfully, the psycho eventually relented and signalled for Goomer to plunge the lever again, bringing the thrash metal to an end so everyone could return to being Little Orphan Annie or Alexander Hamilton.

"Oh, thank god..."

"That was fun!"

"Our throats are very sore!" Trent and the vendors groaned whilst Mary grinned. She was the only person who didn't hate the way her neck ached or bruised brain pounded; the rest of the news crew, the Man Cave team and everyone else in Swellview hated Frankini more than ever now.

"So, don't make me do that, Captain Man. See you at eight..." the criminal threatened softly, smiling crazily into the camera as he messily blew a kiss into it, although it made it sound like his tongue was too big for his mouth. The camera flicked off, and everything was plunged into uncertainty again because if Captain Man couldn't be found, the future sounded very painful and depressing.

"This is real bad!" The group sang as they momentarily panicked at being subjected to thrash metal for eternity, but maybe that was a good thing - a little urgency. It helped to kick them into action; Henry and Jasper instantly went to grab their phones to make some calls and scour the web, whilst Schwoz (y/n) and Charlotte stayed at the computer.

"I'll keep trying to locate Ray," the genius said, his fingers tapping as fast as they could as his mind whirred at all speeds. He'd try everything in his power to bring the boss back because, despite his better judgement, Schwoz knew the Man cave wasn't home if no one was there to scold him.

Seeing such a pretty young girl sitting around moping didn't feel right, so they needed to get her lovable idiot back - fast.

"And I'll make some calls to Neighbourville and Bordertown," Charlotte nodded, too, working as quickly as her fellow Smartie when she saw how panicked the woman next to her was. She knew it wasn't much - nothing, really - but she tried her best to support her because that was all she could do then.

"Hey, (y/n/n), it's okay. We're going to find him," she said softly, thumb hovering over her screen as she placed a comforting hand on the distraught woman's back. Her fists were so tightly clenched that the skin turned white, and Charlotte knew she was putting on a brave face, so they didn't panic. After all, without Ray, she became the leader - the one he left the Man Cave to - that was a lot of pressure for someone dying on the inside.

"I know. And he's gonna be in so much trouble when I get my hands on him," (y/n) laughed through a sniffle, trying to lighten the mood. No one dared to argue otherwise, and they laughed at Ray being in the doghouse. However, it was a dead certainty that when they finally reunited, the girl wouldn't have the heart to shout at and berate her lover - she'd count it as a blessing to be reunited with him.

"I can promise you he'll be as annoying and gross and mushy as he always is, probably even more so," Henry added in as they rallied around her, soothingly rubbing her back as she blinked away her tears. Oh, the kid could already see how his boss would grovel and crawl for her adoration again, both before and after the singing.

"So, all we need to do is find R--"

"Wait! I recognise where Ray is in the video!" Jasper suddenly gasped, causing them to gawp as he looked up from his PearPad, walleyed. Well, out of everyone, he was at the bottom of the list in figuring out the hero's location, especially given he was up against The Smarties. But, there was a first time for everything.

"Really?" (y/n) asked breathlessly, her eyes shining with new hope - and Charlotte swore she'd snap the boy in two if he were giving it to her falsely.

"He's at a diner about two hours outside of town...They have the best burgers..." he told them confidently, sure that he knew those retro couches and duck-egg blue walls. And he was so sure of himself that he felt a song coming along - yet another uncalled-for song that came out of the blue.

"Let me tell you about 'em!" he grinned as their faces paled in time with the music, "The best burgers that I ever, ever had--"

"What is that?"

"What are you doing?!"

"I CAN'T CONTROL IT!" Jasper bellowed throatily when Henry, Charlotte and Schwoz berated him for grooving to his tune. Had they not noticed the curse making everyone sing? At that moment, (y/n) didn't know, not when one thing channelled through her mind.

Ray was somewhere. Not nowhere. Not anywhere. But somewhere, and she now knew where she was headed. She just hoped he wouldn't do anything else unbelievably stupid before she was there to supervise. And kill him for leaving her alone. And hug him and never let him go again.

"Well, if Ray really is there, I think I know of a way we can get him back," Charlotte cut through her inner thoughts, and the woman glanced over to see her devious smirk. She didn't know what she was thinking, but if (y/n) knew the girl, it would be intrinsically clever, and hey, it wasn't hard to figure out how to lure Ray Manchester out from his hiding place.

"You do? What is it?" the heroine asked eagerly, bouncing like a child on Christmas Day as she waited for the mastermind's master plan, but all Charlotte did was look at her in amusem*nt. How could one so bright be so dim?

"Duh, it's you."

"I don't...understand," (y/n) muttered quietly, looking from one friend to another and finding herself taken aback by their chuckles and kind eyes. Maybe she was the butt of the joke and completely clueless, but they let it go because it was cute and ironic that she could work out a million math problems but nothing regarding love.

"It's you! You're the only thing Ray would ever come back for. I'm surprised he thinks he can survive one day without you, let alone his entire life," Schwoz told her flatly in his voice when dumbing something down for his dense boss. The woman's cheeks warmed at the thought of her doofus holding her so dear, and her cheeks stretched in an uncontrollable smile.

Okay, perhaps she wouldn't kill Raymond for leaving her all alone. She'd probably maim him a bit.

"Okay, I'll just--" Henry nodded, glad that a plan was slowly coming together, only for that plan to flutter away when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen, rolling his eyes when he saw it was from his father, the uncanniest guy in Swellview when it came to poorly-timed interruptions.

"Hang on, it's my dad," he gave them all an apologetic look as he opened the text and began reading, "hey, Hen, you coming home anytime soon? Could really use your baritone on our big showstopper about the process of making lunch...?"

"My rule is that if you pretend you didn't see it, you don't have to worry about it," (y/n) whispered to him, peeking over his shoulder to see the message and deem it futile in comparison to her--their--problem. Being one singer down was terrible, but losing her fellow sidekick on a rescue mission was worse.

"Yeah...nothing to see here. I'm sure they'll be fine," Henry nodded with her quickly, tucking his phone back into his pocket without a second thought or reply. They had bigger things to think about, or rather, formulate, as the Man Cave team huddled together to finalise Charlotte's big plan, which needed the greatest concentration and diligence if it was to work.

It had to; there was no alternative. If she and Henry failed, (y/n) didn't know what she'd do. The Harts would live without a fourth singer, but a sweet girl could never live without her doofus.

~In the truck~

"You look tired," Henry noted as he and (y/n) sat in the Man Truck, driving along dark country lanes in the middle of nowhere. The lengths they went to for Ray Manchester...

The kid sat in the driver's seat, something he'd begged for since Swellview law forbade him from driving for another year, but a little gizmo from Schwoz meant he could relax in comfort behind the steering wheel, watching as a series of pulleys and wires twitched to the left to avoid a pothole, tug it right to turn a corner and apply the brake when coming up to a red light.

He'd never felt calmer than in that moment when the road stretched on for another fifty miles before they found the tacky, greasy diner described by Jasper, but when he looked to his right, Henry didn't feel like enjoying the rapidly setting sun and the breeze in his hair.

(y/n) looked...rough. And he meant it in the nicest way possible, but like all ladies, she wasn't too thrilled about how he phrased it.

"Thanks. You know how to compliment a girl," she chuckled, jokingly prickling at the fumble of his tongue, so the boy only stumbled for a moment, even if he stumbled badly.

"Wait--no--I didn't--no, (y/n)--sh*t--" Henry stammered, thinking he'd offended her by saying the first thing that came into his head when he saw the suitcases under her teary eyes, fidgety hands and hair that had had a hand raked through it one too many times. If only he saw her wobbly smirk.

"Hey, I was joking...and watch your language, young man," she nudged him, making a serious face for a moment before they relaxed in a fit of giggles. (y/n) would never take anything like that to heart, not when she was too aware of how she floundered in social situations, the drive was so boring, and technically, he was telling the truth.

Henry was right. She did look tired--a glance in the visor mirror told her that when she saw a raccoon with a rat's nest on its head looking back at her. God, was she hoping to bring her fiancé home looking like that?

"I'm not a kid anymore, (y/n/n)," Henry told her, rolling his eyes at how she scolded him as if he was still thirteen. He'd grown a lot since then, mentally and physically, but it seemed he'd always be like a little kid to her, the one she raised in a way. And that went for him and his friends.

"No...but you'll always be cute and tiny to Ray and me," she replied, sighing wistfully when the missing man entered her thoughts once again, which didn't go unnoticed by Henry. For a second, he smiled at the thought of him being "cute and tiny" - cute, definitely, but tiny, not anymore - before giving her another sympathetic smile.

He didn't know what it was like to miss someone that much, didn't know what it was like to care for someone like that, or what it was like to worry about someone more than himself. He didn't know about love like that.

"You miss him, don't you?" he asked as she stared out of the window, taking a little too much interest in the desert scape than what could be considered normal. He knew how her breath clouded the cold window and how she took the fingernail on her pinky finger to begin etching a word onto the glass. R...A...Y...+...(Y.../...N).

Yeah, she missed him, and it broke his cute, tiny heart to see her so miserable.

"Yeah." It was a simple response, too focused on her high school-esque scrawl to go into too much detail. He was only in the next town over, and they were gaining mile after mile in no time, but even, so that didn't bring much comfort.

"You'll be seeing him in...half an hour." Henry tried to cheer her up, nudging her arm to inspire some life in her stone body, but it drew another sigh, like the last of her soul was leaving her. She never liked being away from her doofus, and the idea of heading into the unknown didn't help.

"I know, but it feels like it's ages away. I don't know if you noticed, but neither of us copes with separation very well.

"Yeah, tell me about it." The sidekick let out a breathy laugh, recalling all the times his boss became grumpy and melancholy when she left the Man Cave for a solo trip to the mall. Don't get him started on the rare occasion she returns home to see her family without him - an all-out state of mourning has to be declared.

And when Ray used to go out with every girl under the sun? (y/n) would camp out in her bedroom with one of the blankets from his bed to ward off the loneliness. No, they needed each other like they needed air to breathe, so the thought of crossing the border only to go home with nothing didn't sit right with the woman.

"Hey...Hen?" she called out softly, watching as the condensation and names written on the window slowly faded. She couldn't bare to think those words couldn't stand the test of time, so she retraced them, thickening the outlines until they could be easily read - then and forever.

"What?"

"I think I'm about to sing." The kid's head snapped to hers as the confession fell from her lips, and for a moment, he looked...disgusted. They weren't quite past the Swellview border yet, close but not free, and now that he thought about it, he could hear it; melancholy music like the stuff he'd heard at funerals and a retirement home.

The break in the never-ending musical had been bliss. A simple, quiet, calm car ride where two mates could chat and mull over the job with strictly no singing. And Henry wanted to say no, absolutely not, I've had enough singing for a lifetime, and he had. The whole city had.

But, in the end, he went with something different, words that he didn't necessarily want to say, but he knew she needed an outlet, and as ever, (y/n) didn't like burdening a young boy with the thoughts that haunted her in the middle of the night or the cruel imaginings of Ray telling them to screw themselves and leave him in peace as they stood in the diner.

"Go for it. I won't judge," he told her kindly, knowing she couldn't help it, not for another ten minutes until the next town. And when she turned to give him the softest, warmest smile, only reserved for her nearest and dearest, it was worth it. Mostly.

(y/n) stared out of the window again, releasing a sigh for the umpteenth time. It felt like that was all she did these days; sigh and look miserable like some sad girl looking for an aesthetic where there wasn't one. Her life was bonkers, but at the end of the day, she still felt very normal and studying the passing cacti to the macabre piano in her head felt stupid.

Little did she know, miles down the road, her lover sat stirring a milkshake, thinking the same thing.

Ray gazed into his half-empty glass before taking a sip of the strawberry milkiness that would inevitably make his stomach queasy. He couldn't remember the last time he finished a milkshake by himself - since when were they so sickly?

He'd grown so accustomed to splitting it with a certain sweet girl that it felt natural to ask for two straws when a chatty girl with a beehive hairstyle took his order. His heart dropped when she placed it on the table in front of him, piled high with whipped cream and a glacé cherry. Right, one person, one straw, one broken heart. That was the mess he'd created—no one else.

She slipped him her number before she walked away, saying something about how a handsome face shouldn't frown like that, that she got off at seven, and that she could "make you sweet anytime, sugar". Stacey, the girl with terrible handwriting yet eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man, was friendly but smelt like cinnamon, not floral shampoo, and her lips didn't shine like honey either.

A clean, swift rip tore down the centre of the bill. The pieces drifted to the floor like snow under the table as Ray set aside precisely two-fifty in change to cover his shake. He didn't need a new number. He got one of those twelve years ago; they were nothing special anymore, and besides, Ray knew he wasn't sweet like sugar.

He was bitter, hard and harsh with his memories and regrets. Stacey was spicy, bubbly and like a firecracker with her gingham pinafore dress and auburn hair. His sweet girl was soft to the touch, gentle in everything she did, and...gone. The only sweetness he could stand before falling in love with it, and he left it behind.

He left the musical life behind him, too. He could live without that for the rest of his life, happy to never hear another song about a beautiful morning or cleaning a kitchen, but there were those regrets too. So many of them, from lamenting about how he filed Schwoz's last paycheck before he left to say goodbye in a damn video and, of course, not making the most of the final kiss.

Would he forget things as the years passed? The sound of her laugh? The way she brewed his coffee in the morning? The scent of her perfume? The taste of honey? Would he grow to regret everything, like how he instantly regretted listening to the piano on the radio at the bar?

It could've been Elvis, maybe Buddy Holly or The Everly Brothers, he wasn't sure, but dear god, he regretted singing to himself in that lonely booth, in that lonely diner, in that desolate backwater town.

"In the diner out of Swellview..." he hummed to himself, so quiet no one heard him over the sound of the chef barking orders in the grease pit of a kitchen, and rightly so. He'd die if anyone else heard him, but it was strange. Like something was calling out to him and telling him to sing, even if it was into his glass.

"In the Man Cave that we both share..." And far away, (y/n) felt the call too. The tugging on her pinky was back, the same finger that liked to draw on car windows, and as the Man Truck sped down the country lanes, she knew the invisible string between them was growing shorter and shorter.

"In the sound of laughter," she sang sadly, feeling the tears roll down her cheeks, so she humbly accepted the tissue offered by Henry to dab them dry. Every musical had to have an angsty part, but god, he was nearly sobbing as the piano tinkled on, painting the dusky pink sky the darkest grey.

"Now and ever after," All Ray had to remind him of the life he left behind was a single photograph - the one he kept in his wallet at all times. Honestly, he'd forgotten it was there until he went to get the money for his bill, and there it was. Creased, folded in half, dogeared at the corners from many years of being loved and longed over, but still precious enough to make him smile. It wasn't even a good picture.

Two young adults smiled at the camera, shocked at their small friend for taking the candid, but equally all too happy to put their arms around each other and grin because they were just friends. That's how old it was. The guy didn't have lines on his face from age, just the ones from smiling so hard at having his crush so close. The girl wore her hair in an out-of-date style, but she never lost the tingling feeling in her tummy as her future husband pulled her in to save the timeless memory.

"Look for me. I will be there. I will be there beside you through the lonely nights that fall. So close your eyes..." He could see her when his eyelids fluttered shut to push the tears to the paper in his hand. She complained about how her face looked funny in the photo and begged for it to be retaken, but he loved it too much. He loved her.

"Remember my embrace," She remembered trying to shred the picture when Schwoz had it printed. Her eyes looked wonky, and her smile was crooked, but then Ray tutted and tucked it away into his wallet, saying he thought her imperfections were perfect.

She never expected him to keep it, let alone carry it so many years later when times got tough.

"I will be there. Like justice, I will find you through it all," she wondered if he wanted her to find him secretly. Sure, he'd asked to be left alone, but she hoped that wasn't the case and when he saw her standing amongst the idols of the fifties, he'd smile and say, "I wondered when you'd find me, sweet girl. You always do."

"This, I do swear. I will be there," he sang, but Ray couldn't promise anything. Dare he go back after all this? Going back meant having to sing in front of all those people, and there was Frankini with all his talents. He'd be a laughing stock all over again, and (y/n) deserved more than that as her husband.

He only hoped she'd remember him as the lovable doofus who adored her, not the asshole who left her behind.

"This, I do swear. I will be there..." (y/n) closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the truck's cold window as she held the last note. The piano crescendoed with violins or some such dramatic instruments as Henry's hand found hers, a small gesture but enough to quell the aching of their hearts as they sped down the highway.

Wherever Ray strayed, they'd follow because as clumsy and self-centred as he was, the Man Cave crumbled without him, and so did (y/n) 's world. They'd help him fight his demons and then their own because they had a singing battle to get to and a wedding in the future.

Not long to go now.

~Ursa Diner~

God, the place was as tacky as a ten-ton Cadillac. Dirty, chipped walls painted a turquoise green clashed with the brown and beige tiles covering the lower half. Everything was at least fifty years old, maybe more - dug up from a bygone era that flogged nothing but the American dream and greasy burgers. Really greasy burgers.

Ray didn't mind, though. The food was rudimentary, and the people were a little rough around the edges and sparse in numbers, but it was warm, dry and curse-free. Plus, Sam's Motel was right next door, which gave him a place to kip for the night once he'd filled his stomach on waffles, milkshakes, club sandwiches and fries.

Sure, it didn't beat his bed, and there was no beauty to crawl into his arms and lull him to sleep; neither did the food match her home cooking, but he'd made peace with it. Or, at least, he was trying to.

"...And I'll never go back there," Ray smiled sadly as he chatted with the prickly waitress. She was an interesting character. Hazel was her name; fifty-ish, stoutish and standoffish, not one for chatting, unlike that redhead Tracey or whatever. She'd gone on a break, thank god, so the ex-hero took his chance to talk to someone who wouldn't flirt back. He couldn't flirt even if he tried - he'd had enough of betrayal for one day.

"'Cause, don't get me wrong, I adore my girl...I wanted to make her my wife, but I can't stand musicals, I hate Frankini, and my throat's all raw from doing all the singing and god, it just feels so good to be talking like a normal person right now, y'know?" he grinned through the pain as if he hadn't just sang his heart out, but his shining smile didn't meet Hazel's face.

She looked at him, perplexed at why he was telling her his life story when she had more important things to do. He wasn't the only person in the diner who might need serving; a fat man was stuffing his face at the bar, the old drunkard sipping his fourth or tenth whisky and just behind the beefy, good-looking yet annoyingly talkative gentleman was the woman in a trilby hat and trenchcoat, who found that day's newspaper exceedingly interesting.

"Do you want your burger or not?" she asked curtly, holding the plate in her hand as the other perched sassily on her hip. She glanced at the woman in the corner, who refused to peek her face out from behind the paper but quickly refocused on the guy who'd eaten half the kitchen in one day. His food would go cold at this rate.

"Maybe I'll just live here now. I mean, I had breakfast in this booth, and I got a good feeling about lunch," Ray mused, ignoring her rude tone since he didn't have any other company save for the waitress with her turquoise uniform, over-teased bouffant beehive and face like a lemon.

"Hey, are you hiring?"

"Your burger's getting cold," Hazel told him sharply, ignoring the question because she didn't want him to work in the diner - he belonged elsewhere.

"I like you, Hazel," the man stated warmly, glossing over how she shut down his attempts to bond as she handed him his burger and fries. He was a nice guy; she'd warm up to him soon; it wasn't like anyone else wanted to talk. "I can tell that you and I are going to be friends."

"Hazel and Ray..." he tried, hoping he could create another dynamic duo, but it didn't sound proper. It had always been (y/n) and Ray, and saying anything different felt like mutiny, so he switched to his professional life, but even that didn't come out right. "Hazel Danger!"

"And what would your wife say to that?" Hazel asked coyly, causing her customer to snap his eyes to hers in sorrow and shock. Jeez, talk about a complete one-eighty for her personality. Since when was she so caring?

"We're not...I...we never got married. I left before we could," he replied quietly, bitterness coating his every word as the waitress folded her arms at the clarification.

"Don't you think she'll be heartbroken now? Don't you care about her or her feelings? That's low, son..." she scolded him huskily in her New-Yorkian drawl, and her smirk didn't fall even when Ray gave her a dark scowl. God, it was as if she enjoyed his pain and the guilty look that flashed across his face, or maybe she was just good at throwing salt in raw wounds.

"Hey, listen, lady. I love--loved my fiancée, and trust me, she's better off without a guy like me, so leave it. This is for the best..."

"For you or her? It sounds like you're running away and leaving her to pick up the pieces because she'll never move on. How could she?" Hazel hissed, taunting him like a devil on his shoulder and making his mind swirl with guilt. He had no idea how she could dare to dream she knew about him, (y/n) or any of their problems, but he stayed strong. He had to; otherwise, it would be a rotten existence.

"I live here now," he muttered firmly and quickly and reached for the ketchup so he had an excuse to stare at his plate, not his newfound friend. He didn't want her to see the tears in his eyes and deem him a loser as emotion rose inside him. How could he replace them so soon? Could he ever at all?

Feeling rotten, Ray removed the top bun from his burger, hoping to gorge himself and forget his sadness. But, in his mind, no burger was complete without ketchup, especially bland ones like the ones served by the diner, so he quickly unscrewed the cap to pour some on, but then, sh*t got weird.

He looked down at his food and noticed a small, spherical device sitting on top of the patty, glowing faintly scarlet in the open air. Feeling confused, he leaned in slightly for a closer look, which was instantly a mistake as the glowing ball started to eject sweet-smelling smoke that burned his nose, stung his eyes and made him feel woozy. So very woozy...

"Quick question, why is there gas coming out of my burger?" He asked and put the bottle down - had his arms always felt this heavy?

"Remember when The Toddler invaded the Man Cave?" Hazel asked, answering his question with a question that blew his mind. He looked at her through blurry vision with an incredulous expression, wondering how the hell she knew that when she was just a crazy, old hag in a diner...right?

"Follow-up question, how do you know about that?" he asked again as Hazel leaned over with a smug smirk.

"Because that's the same kind of smoke he used to make us go to sleep," a mysterious voice said from behind him, and when Ray turned around, he saw that it came from the weirdo in the corner with the newspaper. They stood up, folding the paper and sticking it under their arm as they rose from their booth to join the server.

It was hard to judge their identity; thick, dark glasses covered most of their face, the hat covered their scraped-back hair, and the trenchcoat hid their figure. But that voice...he knew it from somewhere. Maybe it was a little different, more powerful, deeper and surer than when he'd heard it before, but it was familiar. And apparently, this unknown figure knew him too.

"Where you...there?" Ray slurred, his words blurring into a jumble as the world began to spin like he was in a washing machine, but he had to know. Who were these people, and how could they have been in his Man Cave?

"We sure were, dude!" Hazel chuckled, an uncharacteristic grin spreading on her face as she reached for the bird's nest she called hair and, to Ray's horror and disbelief...peeled her face off. Honestly, it was worthy of starring in a slasher film as the big, poofy hair turned out to be a wig and her features pulled away to reveal...

"Henry?" Ray asked, recognising his youngest sidekick's face anywhere. He could puke from the shock and smoke, feeling nausea set in at the daunting prospect of being found, but his body shut down when the one next to the kid removed her trilby and glasses and shook out her pinned-up hair to present the one person he couldn't face, not after everything he'd done.

"(y/n)?" he muttered, feeling like he was in a nightmare as she stood there with tears in her eyes and a wobbly bottom lip, simultaneously verging on crying and laughter. Henry was in a dress, for god's sake, with a silicon mask hanging around his neck, and she was standing there looking like a hot girlboss with not a single hint of anger on her pretty face. What the f*ck?

"Time to come home, Ray. Swellview needs its hero, and I need my doofus," she told him confidently, but not as confidently as when she was "undercover". They'd have to thank Schwoz for the costumes and gas and Charlotte for the brilliant idea, which shockingly went without a hitch as they watched the baffled man swoon and groan before faceplanting the food on the table.

Right, okay, not exactly how she'd detailed it, but with Captain Man unconscious, it would be a piece of cake to steal him away to the Man Truck and drive back to Swellview. Mission very much accomplished, and only a handful of people looked at them weirdly.

(y/n) deemed that a great success - anything to get her doofus back.

~An hour later, in the Man Truck~

Well, this was awkward.

Having shoved the hero into the stolen truck and tied him by the wrists, Henry set the self-driving device to drive them home with the gas pedal pressed to the metal as much as possible. However, the ride was no longer pleasant even with the long journey shaving to a mere two hours. The silence was deafening; the tension was palpable, and the minutes felt like days as Henry glanced at the couple next to him.

Where to start?

Ray was in the worst mood the kid had ever seen him, which was understandable. After waking up from the gas's effects, he'd made several strongly worded, heavily coloured demands to be returned to the godforsaken diner at once, which were ignored, much to his fury.

Then, he noticed that his sidekick was nibbling on some swiped fries from the diner, the ones he'd ordered - what cheek. Henry couldn't help it; the drive was long and tedious, and he desperately craved a snack. And since his boss couldn't eat with his bound hands, he figured waste not, want not.

Maybe Ray could forgive that; after all, his sweet girl ate some, too, and as always, what was his was hers, but he couldn't pardon the teen for taking him back home. Knowing that he was speeding towards humiliation made Ray antsy and fidgety, and he longed to return to the gross eatery where he didn't have to worry about whether Frankini wanted to fight.

But, worse of all, at least at the diner, he could pretend that (y/n) wasn't mad at him. She was, undoubtedly, he was sure of that. Ever since he woke up, she'd not spoken a word, nor had she looked in his direction, which broke his heart when his longing stares went unanswered.

Maybe he'd been a little too harsh when shouting and screaming his head off about having a better life back there. That hurt, and (y/n) chose to remain silent after he swore the single life was for him, even as she twisted the engagement ring on her finger. Not even the smell of her shampoo mixing with her perfume could stem the pain in Ray's chest when she turned away from him, squirming as she sat in the middle of the boys.

Henry knew things would be much better if they'd only talk, but no one wanted to say anything. (y/n) was too shy for confrontation, Ray was too stubborn for his own good, and he never liked interfering in their explosive spats. But, this was getting ridiculous, sitting in silence and treading on eggshells as they nursed broken hearts that longed for the other.

So, he became proactive, which went well.

"Self-driving truck," he commented as they drove along the dark country road. Night fell quickly in the desert, and Ray and (y/n) usually used the freezing temperature and spooky loneliness as an excuse to snuggle and get all handsy in the shadows.

Now, they jumped when hidden potholes made their knees nudge together, shivering as though they were children terrified of catching cooties from the opposite sex, not madly in love adults.

"Little thing that Schwoz built," the kid went on as he watched the steering wheel twitch thanks to the device taped to it, which Ray found utterly fascinating. Not. Couldn't he just quit it and untie his hands so he could at least look into his darling's eyes one last time before he bailed?

"Drives the truck by itself. That's what self-driving means--"

"I know what self-driving means!" Ray snapped as his temper reached boiling point. (y/n) jolted at his loud voice, spooked by the sudden harshness that cut through the night's tranquillity, she instinctively jumped away from the piercing noise.

The hero felt his heart crack and his mouth drop at that, wanting to apologise immediately for scaring the most precious thing in his life, but no words came. He felt like a monster - the big, bad monster who wrecked everything he touched and brought misery to those who loved him most. What happened to saving her from himself?

"Why are you so mad?" Henry asked indignantly, growing equally frustrated with the man and his tantrums. There he was, trying his best to get them talking again, and all he did was make the nervous woman go to him instead. Surely, it was a good thing that they'd found him - soulmates and all that.

"Uh, you tied me up, you're bringing me back to Swellview, and you're eating all my diner fries!" Ray barked, loathing himself more and more with each second that passed when his sweet girl ignored him. He wouldn't want to talk to him, either, not after all he'd done.

"That is true," Henry giggled, hoping his mischief would lighten the mood a bit, but if anything, it made it worse. Ray would get over the fries and himself, but the boy would die before he watched his self-destructive ways ruin what was meant to be.

"Yeah, well, you know what else is true? As soon as we get back to Swellview, I'm dropping you two off and turning right back around. That waitress was this close to giving me a job!" Ray hissed, making his sidekicks look at him sceptically. They were used to his childish outbursts, but Ray was getting weird, and (y/n) was getting fed up with all his yelling.

"That waitress was Henry in a mask, Raymond," she told him sharply, breaking her vow of silence as her glare met his scowl. It was a mean look, but god, his heart skipped a beat when she looked at him. Finally, she spoke, which made him happier than he'd ever admit, but the hero didn't have it in him to humbly go with grace.

"Oh, right..." Ray muttered, eyes dropping from hers sheepishly, and it was (y/n) 's heart's turn to clench. Why did he always look so hot when mad? And why did she fall for him? The plan was to chew him out, then apologise, feign anger and not show her delight at having him back, so why did her stupid feelings have to get in the way and swoon over how adorable his infantile pouting was?

"By the way--Hazel Danger?! What was that about?!" Henry piped up indignantly. He didn't mean to intrude on their progress, but he'd been meaning to ask; why was his replacement a doddery, old waitress?

"Ah, I knew it was you," Ray lied through his teeth, but (y/n) saw straight through him, as would anyone.

"You just admitted you didn't," she argued, twisting her body, so it was angled toward her lover. That way, he had no choice but to look at her or out the window, and Ray was a sucker for admiring her beauty, not to mention he was ready to fight because kissing and making up always followed that.

"Well, you weren't there, swee--"

"No, don't you dare, sweet girl, me, Ray Manchester. I'm not in the mood!" The heroine glared and folded her arms as he shrugged nonchalantly - as if the past ten hours hadn't been hell for him too.

Frustrated tears sprang in her eyes, and he looked at her coldly, torn between severing their souls to spare her a lifetime being tethered to him or dragging her into his embrace to soothe all her worries as his instincts told him to.

"Oh, you're not in the mood? Gee, I wouldn't know that, (y/n), given that you've said and done nothing for the past forty minutes," he sounded harsher than he'd intended to, but they always said things they didn't mean when angry. Tonight was no different, and she hated how he spat her real name, but then again, she said not to. Still, if he could shout, so could she.

"You want me to say something? You want me to do something? Fine!" she growled and clenched her fist before limply bringing it down on his chest in a pathetic punch. It wasn't much and not intended to hurt him, but the dull thud satisfied her as she sniffed and fought back the tears.

"That's for leaving me all alone," she told him hoarsely before thumping the same spot repeatedly, "that's for not properly saying goodbye! That's for assuming I don't want to marry you now. That's for thinking I'd ever settle for someone else. That's for saying you'd never come back. That's for deciding what's best for me... And that's for thinking I wouldn't find you to drag your ass to the altar, you doofus."

The final thump was her resting her knuckles against his chest as her voice gave out - too thick with emotion to carry on. Ray barely felt the fleeting ache in the spot she hit so many times as he watched her cry, shake and dry her cheeks with the heel of her palm, which he grabbed with his bound hands when it lowered from her face.

It was tricky, but he clung to her wrist and held to his aching heart as she shuffled closer. He could barely breathe as she looked at him with the same adoration in her gaze as there'd always been, no sign of the disgust he'd imagined now he'd officially turned to cowardice. She stole his breath utterly as she closed the gap between them, inch by inch, until their lips touched ever so delicately.

Saltiness leaked into the honey that met his tongue, but he didn't mind; instead, he worked to wash it away as she stroked his cheek and pulled him closer. He could never be close enough, not after today, and he'd never wished to move his hands more when she inevitably pulled away. And he couldn't pull her back in, no matter how hard he clung to her hand pressed between his pecs.

"That's for leaving before I could say I love you because I do, Ray. I love you so much," (y/n) whispered hoarsely, brushing her thumb so tenderly over his cheekbone to wipe away his tears. Hers continued to flow freely, but his iron grip on her hand helped to slow them a bit - the lifeline she desperately needed after being worried sick.

"I love you too, sweet girl," he swore to her, meaning those three little words as much as he always did, but it felt different this time. As though he was begging her to believe him.

"Then come home. You belong in the Man Cave with me, Schwoz, and whichever child drops on our doorstep. Come home, sweetheart," she begged, shuffling again, so their hips connected because they needed physical contact after so many hours apart.

It was almost enough to convince him, hearing the reminder of where his heart lay, but then his mind turned to Frankini, the fight and the utter ruin it would bring, and his courage fled.

"And fight Frankini with song? No way, darlin', you can come live with me at the diner--I'll buy you all the milkshakes and banana splits you want. We could even have an Elvis impersonator officiate our wedding..." he chuckled, distancing himself with a bit of humour, but all it earned him was a dry look.

"Ray Manchester, if you think I want to be married by a guy who died on the toilet and live in the middle of nowhere, you've got another thing coming!"

"Do you guys do anything but argue?" Henry piped up and gave them an incredulous, almost scathing look. Then, they looked at him with a similarly dry expression, seemingly offended that he could think that about them - the lovers famous for cuddling, snuggling and fornicating with some bickering like an old, married couple on the side.

"We could tell you what else we get up to, but you'd probably blush," (y/n) smirked at him and felt victorious when the kid turned pale and averted his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when, also feeling pretty smug, kissed her temple and whispered, "nice one, love" into her hair as Henry floundered.

"Just...save it for Frankini!"

"For the last time, I'm not going back!" Ray growled, growing all grumpy again at the insistence of his young sidekick, much to (y/n) 's annoyance when he threatened to glue himself to the diner's floor. At least he didn't object to her body pressed against his, but a small part of her feared staying in the grotty eatery for the rest of their married life since she followed him anywhere.

"Doofus, I promise it won't be that bad--" the heroine tried to soothe him, wanted to show him that he wasn't going to be going alone, and tried to remind him that he wasn't a kid in cat underwear anymore. But even when she fluttered her eyelash and stuck out her bottom lip, he refused, and any further attempts died when Henry's phone rang.

"It's Charlotte," he said as he picked up his Pearphone from the gap between him and (y/n) and put it on speaker so everyone could hear what the girl had to say. Hopefully, it was good news because although the tension was gone, Ray's fury and fear remained.

"Hello?"

"You guys close? It's almost time to sing-fight Frankini," she asked them, praying that the mission had gone smoothly. (y/n) had sent her a quick thumbs-up text before she and Henry dragged Ray to the truck, but that was open to interpretation.

"Uhh..."

"I'M NOT DOING IT!" Before Henry or (y/n) could even respond, Ray bellowed down the line, shattering their eardrums in the process - just so his helpers back in the Man Cave knew he wasn't a happy bunny. It was bad enough when his sweet girl and sidekick were hounding him, but now, everyone wanted him to fail.

"Raymond, that was right in my ear," the woman adjacent to him whined and rubbed her finger in her ear canal, which made him throw her an apologetic look since it was never his intention to hurt her, but he didn't regret what he said. Not one word.

"Yes, we are close, and Ray's super excited and all gross with (y/n) again," the teen reported to his friends, who breathed a sigh of relief at the news that one thing was right again. The world could rest easy now that the lovers were reunited, but they'd never relax again if Ray had anything to do with it.

"No, I'm not! Apart from that last part!" he snapped, still shouting but more softly this time since he was mindful of his precious fiancée resting her head on his shoulder. You'd never guess from his face, but he loved having her next to him again and wondered how he'd ever cope with not seeing her again; he could live without singing, but not her.

"Doofus, Henry's on the phone," (y/n) chastised her betrothed, covering his bound hands with one of hers to try and calm him down, which worked in a way. He buttoned it and chose to remain silent for her sake, but his face stayed stony as he looked out the window and thought happy thoughts—marriage...children...cute dog...cute house...an easy, peaceful life.

"Uh, did you guys find a singer to sing with us yet?" Henry asked, hoping to gain some intel whilst the moody man was silent, but honestly, progress back at home had been slow. There were millions of singers worldwide, but finding one who wanted to sing was surprisingly tricky.

"Well, Jasper and Schwoz reached out to a lot of great singers," Charlotte told him, which technically was accurate and sounded like a positive to those in the car, all of whom desperately needed a fourth member for their group.

"Oooh, nice! Who?" (y/n) grinned and leaned closer to the phone to listen better, prompting a whine from Ray, who hated when her warmth disappeared from his body.

"Lady Gaga and Madonna, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Adele!" The boys sang together, listing all the big names that boasted incredible vocal ranges, inspiring Henry and (y/n) with confidence. Even if just one person were up for it, they'd win the fight hands down, and even Ray raised an eyebrow at their high chances.

"Seriously?! That's awesome, guys!"

"Well...some of them said no," Jasper revealed, quashing his best friend's smile since it was a massive letdown. Still, at least he said "some" - that counted for something, right?

"Oh...which ones?" (y/n) questioned in a disappointed tone but tried not to let it get her down. They had to think of the positives, and it at least sounded as though they'd worked hard to persuade someone. If only they knew how exasperated Charlotte felt at that moment...

"Lady Gaga and Madonna, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Adele!" They repeated the little ditty, and all the good feelings disappeared. Talking about philanthropists, it seemed no celebrities wanted to help out, which left them back at square one, and that wasn't even the worst part.

"Ariana actually said she's Team Frankini," Jasper revealed, shocking all three of them since no one could've imagined that sweet, little Ari would ever side with a monster like Frankini. There had to be some history, or maybe a bond that no one saw; either way, they hoped she didn't turn up to the fight on the enemy's side.

"What?!"

"You guys might have to sing-fight Frankini by yourselves," Charlotte advised, sending a streak of fear through both Ray's heart and Henry's and (y/n) 's too. Was she having a laugh? That was musical suicide, turning up at The Frankini Klub and underestimating his skills, and it only served to make Captain Man panic more.

"What? No! We can't do that! Haven't you heard Frankini's range? We can't fight him with just a soprano, tenor and a baritone!" (y/n) insisted as she saw Ray praying in the corner of her eye. He didn't know who was listening, but he hoped they'd save him before it was too late because whilst he and Henry weren't bad and his precious girl was an angel, they needed more pitches.

"Yeah, we need a fourth voice--another lady voice!" Henry told them sharply, agreeing with his friend that they could barely harmonise with three people. The only problem was knowing some who'd agree, and if all those celebrities couldn't do it, then who would?

"Wait, guys! I know the perfect singer!" Jasper suddenly exclaimed, singing to the chirpy, plodding tune that seemed to follow him around with the musical curse in action. It was as if a lightbulb had gone off in his mind, a sparkle in his eye, but he liked being mysterious - and leaving them in the dark.

"Who?" The group asked, falling into the song as well, but Jasper wasn't quick to spit it out.

"She's definitely a ringer!"

"Who?!" They asked eagerly, wishing he'd say the name, but it wasn't often Jasper got to wield such power. He never had good ideas, which was particularly brilliant, so he'd make this excruciating - anything to have his little musical moment.

"She gets the leading every musical they do in Junior High!" That should've been a good clue, but the annoyance became too much when they didn't get it. Henry attended the yearly show without fail; for his family, it was near mandatory.

"Jasper!"

"Yeah?"

"Who is it?" Henry asked tightly, fed up with all the singing, and he could see how frustrated Ray was and how (y/n) battled to keep him calm out of his peripheral vision. He would blow his lid in a minute; he just knew it, and no amount of kisses and flirtatious comments would stop him from returning to the Ursa Diner.

"Let's just say her pipes are so good... they're in her name," he revealed in what could only be his mic-drop moment. He raised his hands and took a step back as everyone realised who he was talking about, and it was like the final piece fell into the jigsaw as both a blessing and curse.

"He can't mean..." Ray breathed out, feeling his stomach drop at the thought of spending any amount of time with that spoiled brat. He didn't care if she was a good singer, if she was friends with his darling fiancée, or if she was the only person they could turn to. He didn't like it.

"My sister!" Henry exclaimed in an equally stunned voice, causing Ray to sigh and stare out the window with a broken expression. That was his worst nightmare brought to life, and if that wasn't a big enough punch to the gut, the way his sweet girl perked up was.

"He does mean..."

"That's a great idea! I forgot how great a singer Piper was, so now we can fight Frankini without--hey!" (y/n) grinned, feeling his tummy buzz with excitement instead of nerves once she knew they had a chance. The thought of living out her life with a happy husband in a comfortable home and not visiting him to split a pineapple fritter.

However, before she could finish her sentence, Ray, distraught by the idea of visiting his childhood trauma, violently leaned over her body to grab Henry's phone with his mouth. His bulk pressed against her was usually a welcome feeling, but when he savagely snatched the PearPhone from the kid's hand and tossed it out the widow, she was disgusted.

"Raymond! What is wrong with you?!"

"What are you doing?! Dude! You just mouth-grabbed my phone and threw it out the window!" Henry gasped in disbelief; shock and horror strewed across his face as the man panted and seethed like an animal. His lips were drawn back in a snarl, and he glared at his sidekick defensively, as if his back was against a wall, and he had no option but to lash out, even if it meant wounding those who'd never intended to hurt him.

"That's right, and I'll do the same to you if you don't turn this truck around!" Ray threatened, trying to make it seem like he genuinely meant it. He never would, not with the kid he'd doted on like a son or brother for the past four years, but he always said stupid things to push people away.

"No, you won't," (y/n) scoffed, calling his bluff since she knew him better than most people, and Ray sneered at her scepticism. Again, he didn't like hurting the ones he loved, especially the sweetest girl in the universe, but all those people, laughing, jeering, the failure, he couldn't do it again.

"I will, sweet girl! I'll throw him out!" he growled and leaned over again as if he was going to bite at Henry, who instantly recoiled at the thought of following the same fate as his phone and the call he never got to finish.

Thankfully, the heroine blocked her lover by firmly putting her hands on his chest and pushing him back onto his side, but the best repellant was the cold stare and warning she gave him.

"You dare, Ray Manchester, and I swear you'll never see or speak to me again," (y/n) snapped. The harshness of it broke Ray out of his fury-induced rampage, and he slumped back into his seat with a look of broken defeat because he had to decide what was worse; staying and risking everything or running away to save himself, which would end in himself losing everything anyway.

"What is wrong with you, man?" Henry shrieked, terrified by the unpredictable outburst, although he was intrigued when (y/n) 's threat cut through the man. It was sad seeing him so damaged, and it was unlike Captain Man to be so vulnerable, but he'd give the world to spend one lifetime with the girl he loved, which included bearing his soul.

"I'm scared! All right?! I'm scared to sing-fight Frankini!" He almost shouted, feeling the confession burst out of his chest like he couldn't contain it anymore. There it was, out in the open, and Ray couldn't bear to look his sidekicks in the eye as his filled with tears, shame and regret.

"Oh, doofus," (y/n) said sadly, feeling all her anger and annoyance melt away with removing his façade. Sometimes, it was easy to forget his vulnerability with how many brave faces he put on, not to mention the several cloaks of childishness, but if anyone saw the man underneath the indestructibility, it was her.

"Come here..." she whispered and budged closer to him so she could wrap her arms around him in a tight hug - what he desperately needed since he didn't want Henry to see him crying.

He buried his face in her neck, hoping she wouldn't mind it getting damp since he was supposed to be the tough one, the leader, the guy who could hold the weight of the world and not crumble. He couldn't show such weakness to the boy - he was supposed to set an example.

"Dude, I don't get this. We've beaten like a thousand bad guys," Henry stated, trying his best to be gentle as he knew how fragile his boss was, but there was a slight clipped edge to his tone. He didn't care if Ray was scared - if anything, he was glad since it made him human and not a robot - but if (y/n) was tender care, then he was rational reality, and he needed both.

"Yeah, well, this is different. This is personal," the hero sniffed, pulling away from his sweet girl as she brushed his wet cheeks dry with her thumbs, although he didn't cease his tight grip on her clothing, using it like a lifeline despite his restricted movement.

"Man, you know how I felt yesterday when we got our butts handed to us by Frankini?" Ray whimpered as his eyes began to water again, recalling his humiliation as the crowd tutted, giggled and scoffed. Maybe it was all in his head, like the soft piano track, but he hadn't done his job correctly; what hero couldn't defend his city from songs?

"I felt the same as when I was a kid and didn't get that part in the musical about cats."

"Okay, was the musical Cats?" Henry asked, feeling as though he already knew the answer, but he just wanted to check. But, perhaps it wasn't the right time, not when Ray had an existential crisis.

"It doesn't matter, Henry!" He snapped a reply and fisted (y/n) 's shirt even more, wishing the ground would swallow the car up, so he didn't have to live with the pain.

"What matters is that I put myself out there musically, and once again, I was humiliated--in front of my future wife, of all people. And I just can't face the--wait, is that music playing?"

"Yeah, we're approaching Swellview, doofus. It's the curse," (y/n) pointed out, remembering the "Welcome to Swellview!" sign they'd passed a few minutes ago. Her fiancé hissed through his teeth at the news of returning to prancing and dancing and spinning around like a Disney Princess, acting like an idiot for everyone to laugh at.

"Ray, you were just a kid!" she told him, rubbing his knee soothingly to try and show him that a singular moment of embarrassment shouldn't hold him back forever, but he couldn't let it go.

"Exactly, darlin'! Ever heard of childhood trauma?! Origin stories? Man, I really wish I could use my arms to gesture emotionally right now!" Ray whined and wriggled his hands and arms against the fibrous straps restraining him in his tantrum.

Gesturing would be nice, but bringing his sweet girl into his arms and holding her against him until everything stopped hurting would be better. She was so good at doing that, and she was all soft, gentle and utterly what he needed to get through this--if only he didn't have the arms of a T-Rex.

"But you grew up to be a real-life hero, sweetheart. And I don't care if Frankini handed you your butt a million times, you're still the best man I ever met...and the hero I fell in love with," she said firmly and kissed him before he had a chance to argue. Her word was final and absolute; the complete truth sealed with a soft kiss that brought a smile even to Henry's lips.

"My hero..." he nodded once they separated, sharing a deep, respectful look with his boss as he cradled his fiancé on his chest as best he could. Ray gave the kid a thankful smile when he reached past (y/n) to squeeze his shoulder, too proud to say any words, but at that moment, they understood each perfectly... significantly when the music changed.

"Oh, please don't tell me you're about to sing a pump-up song 'cause it's not going to work," Ray muttered grumpily as the backing track changed to something that inspired energy deep inside him and made them want to take action and fight until they couldn't fight no more.

But, of course, Captain Man was stubborn and would need a little pushing.

"Remember when you took the Toddler, bro?"

"Bro," Ray gave Henry a sharp look as he started singing to remind him of all the times they kicked ass and won.

There were so many, and some weren't even heroic victories; did Henry need to remind him about the time he got the balls to tell the girl of his dreams that he loved her? How about when he plucked up the courage to propose to her? He could guarantee that those scared him more than any villain could, but he was Captain Man - he could face anything.

"You put that baby to bed!"

"Please don't do this," Ray begged, thinking the kind words were enough to cheer him up. Singing wasn't, given how grating it was for his poor ears, but then, his sweet girl joined in, and everything was coming at him from all sides.

"The Time Jerker, Drex and Minyak, doof!" she sang softly, an arm slung around his shoulders, so he was warm and snuggled up to her. She'd go all day, if she had to, list every villain they'd gone up against, even the ones who occasionally haunted her dreams. Did he remember? He was her hero; he saved her from that - her brave, strong doofus.

"Sweetheart, not you too!" Ray grumbled, his heart clenching at the mention of him. He was long gone, practically a distant memory and nothing for them to worry about anymore because it's not like he could come back. But still, his self-doubt was so crippling he didn't know whether he could muster the courage to face him now.

"Get out of your head," (y/n) told him when she saw his eyes mist over, and she softly tapped her fingers against his temple. Usually, she was the one to stress over life's problems, not him, but they were a partnership, a team, and soulmates for life - what sort of wife was she if she couldn't get her silly doofus to stop his fretting?

"It's just that this one cuts me to the core," Ray grumbled, turning his head to peck her fingers as they soothed the creases on his forehead. She was sweet for trying to help, but he was still gripped with fear.

"I know...but now's the time to meow. It's the time to roar!" his pretty girl smiled brightly, gripping his hand tightly as the music began to crescendo. As her voice soared, Henry took over; both taking turns to build up their hero in his darkest hour.

"'Cause you're Captain Man! You are the best!"

"Give it up, give it up, Henry!" Ray sang along in anguish as their words made his heart weep. sh*t, they were getting to him with their enthusiastic resilience, unyielding loyalty and the f*cking fireworks going off all around them. If that wasn't a sign from the universe that this was his moment, what was?

"You're Captain Man! I love you, and I will not rest 'til I see you try to win, baby!" (y/n) purred, curling into his side like a cat as she stroked his ego and helped to slowly heal the worst of his emotional wounds, even if it was a very slow process.

"Captain Man! We're going to see how super a hero can be!" But perhaps Henry's support was a little too much. Maybe all of it was; after all, it had been a very long couple of days, and he'd been on an emotional rollercoaster - losing his girl, getting her back, fighting, not fighting, kissing but not fully kissing. It was all too much.

"Stop, stop, stop!" The hero cried, begging for silence as his senses were overloaded from the music, the sentimentality, the pressure, the scent of flowers and expensive perfume tickling his nose, and frustration.

"Just save your breath, Henry. It's pointless! I just can't this time!"

"Doofus, we'll figure this out! Okay? We've fought villains in a cargo plane, underwater, and on top of a moving train! I thought I'd lost you during that fight, but you came back because you're Captain Man. And even Captain Man is allowed to be scared," (y/n) pleaded with him, grasping his arm as sorrow rippled across his handsome features at those bittersweet memories, way back when he loved but thought he couldn't have her.

"I said I can't this time, all right? I'm sorry, sweet girl, but let's just sit in silence, ignore the music and hold hands," he crumbled, turning to the window, so she didn't see the utter ruin on his face, but their hands remained together as it brought them both comfort.

"Okay, handsome..." she mumbled, sweeping a stray strand of floppy hair away from his eyes as the car fell into an eery silence.

"Fine!"

"Fine!" Henry was understandably upset by the lack of progress and frustrated by his boss' stubbornness to the extent that he couldn't help but lash out a little, wounding Ray's feelings as well as his own.

"Good!"

"Good!" They left it at that, (y/n)'s skin prickling at their harsh voices since it was so unlike the boy and hero to be so cold toward one another, but she didn't push it. Instead, she rested her head on Ray's shoulder and remained silent yet snuggled into his side to try and calm him down. There wasn't much she could do about Henry since, in his mind, there wasn't much talking left to do.

But, as Ray watched the shadowy landscape roll past, he got thinking. He remembered that day on the train--with the Thunder Twins if he recalled correctly. The Toddler, Minyak and many other goons trapped him in a cement block, and when his sidekicks came to rescue him, he got blown off the train as it hurtled toward disaster.

The only thought that kept him going was the need to see her again. Just once. Hell, he'd told himself that after yet another near-death experience, he'd confess everything and tell her the truth; how he loved her, how he'd always loved her, how he'd spent many sleepless nights wondering if she felt the same.

Of course, the confession wouldn't come until a few months later, but remembering how she rushed at him in a flying hug, how he flirted and she flirted back upon their miraculous reunion made him smile. How had he not seen it? If only he could go back in time and tell his past self not to be afraid but be thankful--the best girl in the world loved him.

"That was a cool fight on the train, though..."

"Bro," Henry suddenly looked at his Captain with furrowed eyebrows when he returned to the song. The music was back, pumping away even though Ray hated it, and to the teen and (y/n)'s shock, he didn't look disgusted, angry or sad anymore; he looked more at peace.

"Bro, just sayin'..." Ray shrugged, trying to play it off as if he wasn't bothered, but Henry knew that mischievous smirk that was trying to worm its way onto his face.

Of course, Henry was also there that day, and he remembered the flight home in the Man-Copter; god, the sexual tension in the helicopter - it was palpable, and he didn't doubt that Ray loving dwelled upon it as he reminisced.

"I mean, it really was insane though, bro, bro, bro! We had a fight atop a literal train!" The boys sang together, pulling a beaming smile from (y/n) as she realised the bonding moment had come. It was time for the hero and sidekick to cement their unending devotion to one another, and nothing made her happier than seeing her doofus like his usual self.

"We're gonna win again, this time somehow!" The heroine belted out confidently, placing her hand on Ray's cheek so he could look her in the eye and see the truth there. She wouldn't--couldn't--lie to him, and she wanted him to know; she was with him all the way - for better or worse.

"I do have a beautiful voice!" Ray grinned at her, his typical personality creeping back in with its signature smugness. She rolled her eyes mirthfully at that, giggling as he rubbed their noses together because she couldn't lie; for someone with an aversion to singing, he was good at it.

"He's gonna hear you roar!" Henry promised him, silently telling Ray that he wasn't a frightened, lonely kid anymore. He had two sidekicks willing to do anything for him, and with their support, Ray remembered who he was.

He wasn't the little boy on stage in his cat underwear, he wasn't the awkward teen struggling to cope with newfound superpowers, and he wasn't the lonely loser flitting from one girl to the next to save himself from drowning in fame.

He was Ray Manchester, also known as Captain Man, fiancé to (y/n) (y/l/n) and mentor to Henry Hart. He was loving, fearless, and loyal to the people of Swellview, and he wouldn't leave them in their hour of need.

"He's gonna hear me meow!" Ray screeched, inspired with a new energy that rediscovered his super strength and allowed him to snap the flimsy straps pinning his arms down. He'd forgotten what he could do for a moment there, but he wasn't lost forever, not when he followed the little string pulling him home.

"'Cause, you're Captain Man!" Kid Danger sang as Ray took advantage of his freedom and scooped (y/n) into his embrace. Without warning, he placed his soft lips against hers, wordlessly thanking her for being his guiding light - the one he'd find even if he had to tear the galaxy apart to do so. She was practically sitting in his lap when they pulled away, panting in time to the music as her eyes sparkled with her love for him.

"You are the best!" she told him softly, reiterating her belief that she'd never met anyone like him and never would again. There was only one doofus for her, with his big heart, big head, and big...everything.

"I'm gonna not fight you on that one, darlin'!"

"You're Captain Man!" They jammed out to the music, laughing and fist-pumping to it, (y/n) firmly pulled into Ray's lap so he could catch up on lost time. He'd never take touching her, kissing her or even holding her for granted again, and with every gap in his need to sing, he pecked at her forehead, nose and cheeks.

They were so distracted with the pure joy of the moment that no one noticed the map or their dark surroundings.

"And I'm gonna test if I'm the best that I can be, baby! Captain Man--"

"You have arrived at your destination," the car's automatic navigation system stated flatly, ending their fun there and then. Singing in a motionless vehicle didn't feel the same, so the trio fell into a semi-awkward silence when they realised how carried away they'd gotten before pulling up to Henry's house - not that it mattered since the mission was a success.

"Do you wanna finish or...?" Henry proposed, looking at the silent couple as he bit his lip, but they didn't fancy the idea of sitting in the car and being subjected to the curse.

"Nah, we should probably save our voices for when we fight Frankini. It would be a travesty if we lost (y/n)'s angelic singing, 'cause, y'know, she's just so--"

"Yeah, right, right, right. Cool, cool, cool. I get it, dude. You're in love--well done, you," Henry rolled his eyes as his boss reclined and threw a casual arm around his sweet girl's shoulders. Yep, someone was back to being his usual, co*cksure self, given how he smirked at his words and when the woman flushed bright red.

"I'm just saying, buddy. Gotta protect her. When I say she's a literal angel--"

"Yes, Ray. I get it," the boy replied curtly, having heard all the heaped praises about (y/n) before. Angelic, sweet, perfect, pretty, gorgeous, beautiful, clever, stunning, funny, sassy, hot--he had those adjectives emblazoned on his eyeballs after hearing Ray repeat them for so many years.

"It'll be good, though. Gonna do some riffs, hit some high notes with my pretty girl, probably take her out for dinner after..."

"Doofus, let's just go before I burst into flames," (y/n) muttered, whacking her lover's thigh to get him to shift. She didn't need to feel her cheeks to know they were scarlet; his never-ending stream of compliments made her tummy explode like the fireworks from the song, and if she'd heard anymore, she might've screamed like a teenage girl.

"What? It's the truth, sweetheart. I was lost without you, but you found me like my guardian angel. What kind of man wouldn't fall for you after that?" Ray told her as he shuffled out of the car, offering a hand to her as he held the door open like a true gentleman.

If she wasn't internally dying before, she was now, telling him to be quiet because he was a silly, adorable doofus. Henry would need a puke bucket on the way to the fight if they carried on, and he couldn't run to his front door quick enough, not when he knew what was happening behind him.

It didn't take a genius to work out that they were making out in the middle of the street - utterly blind to the twitching curtains and disapproving stares from his neighbours because they were home in each other's arms.

Their home, their rules.

~

As he waited for them to...finish up, the kid fished for the gumball tube in his pocket and quickly swallowed a ball, so the blueberry taste took his mind off the image of Ray munching (y/n)'s face. He shivered at the disgusting thought and swiftly chewed his ball until it was soft and squishy. It was only then that he glanced down the driveway to see those disgusting lovers strutting up to him like the cats that got the cream.

Huh, they were acting as if they hadn't been kissing for two minutes straight without pausing to breathe, but when Henry looked closer at Ray's mouth, he noticed that familiar shine. (y/n)'s lips were shiny too, as they too chewed some gum, but that was expected because girls wear lipgloss to be cute. Guys, however, only wear lipgloss when their fiancés do, and Ray wasn't even ashamed of the strawberry-scented stickiness.

"You done?" the kid asked them with raised eyebrows, scoffing when Ray's walk turned into a swagger whilst (y/n) sheepishly stared at the gravel under her feet. They couldn't say much as they chewed, but Henry didn't have to a telepath to know the man had gotten his fill...for now.

"Just blow a damn ball, Hen," the woman muttered, and the kid followed her advice before his boss started bragging. He was known for that - loved telling everyone about how he was the luckiest guy in the world for X, Y and Z, but he didn't want to know anything. Nada. Zilch. Diddly-squat.

Soon, their bubbles burst, and their costumes materialised around them, revealing the red and blue pattern that Ray had thrown to his past. In all honestly, he'd never thought he'd miss the getup once he "hung up his cape", so to speak, but wearing it again felt amazing, possibly because it wasn't his time to go yet.

"Ready?" He growled to his sidekicks, looking more determined than ever to grab the bratty girl and get going - a total turn-around from the guy who bailed on them not twelve hours ago. Henry and (y/n) nodded quickly and stelled themselves, donning their icy superhero personas as they prepared to enter the kid's house, not knowing that a music scene was going down inside.

On the count of three, they burst in, surprising Mr and Mrs Hart and Piper with their sudden, dramatic entrance since they'd been conning the poor man into buying them stuff. Having superheroes as guests weren't something that happened often, especially not such legendary ones.

Say, Mrs Hart couldn't help but wonder how Captain Man and Miss Danger were doing these days, assuming that she was the girl he pined after when he stayed with them a few years ago.

"Little girl, we need your help!" They said together, inadvertently becoming part of the song as the shocked family stared at them. It was a little awkward and rude to just barge in, but it was an emergency, and, hey, no one could resist the dashing and beautiful heroes.

"That's what I want!" Piper, surprisingly, didn't even argue. Rather, she confidently nodded and immediately stood up after singing her piece, willing to leave her baffled parents at the drop of a hat if it meant helping Captain Man and co. They chose the right girl with her.

"Wait, whaaaaat?" Mr and Mrs Hart froze as they stared at each other with bugged-out eyes, wondering what the hell had just happened as their daughter followed Kid Danger out the door, leaving Miss Danger to follow with Captain Man hot on her heels like a lost puppy.

He couldn't take his eyes off her as she walked away, happy to leave the adults in there since, in her mind, the less she had to deal with Kris Hart, the better. But Ray didn't even give the woman a second glance as he trailed behind his true love, eyes on her butt, thighs and highs since no one would catch him looking.

But, even if they did, no one would scold him. As they walked to the Man Truck (where it would be a tight squeeze with all four of them), Henry told Piper about their perilous mission, and even though she seemed confident, the apprehension and nerves soon tugged at her pretty features - Captain Man's too.

This was it; time to give Frankini what he wanted. The big show, the fight that would decide everything, and Ray didn't know if he was excited or if he needed to puke. However, when his sweet girl took his hand and smiled, the terror faded away and was replaced with nothing but sweet calmness.

"Together, or not at all," she whispered before they climbed into the truck, which Ray insisted on driving since he needed to distract his mind. He was grateful for that, and they shared a brief kiss until Kid Danger called and said it was time to go - whether they were ready or not.

She made everything feel fine because even if he went down in flames, she'd be there with him, bringing him back home whenever he strayed from his path. He knew where to go if she was by his side, and for once, Ray knew exactly where he was going.

~

"There seems to be no end—to this musical curse over Swellview!" Trent sang as he and Mary sat down to give the city an update on their fate. Nothing had changed, as shown by the fact that both anchors were still gripped by the urge to rhyme everything perfectly, and it didn't take a genius to see how the man was slowly growing more and more agitated with her.

"That's right, co-host, Trent! I've been singing like la-di-di-do-di-do!" Mary was having a whale of a time since non-stop singing and larking around was her kind of thing, but her pitchy, nasally voice was grinding Trent's gears. This was serious, but she never understood that.

"Stay tuned, cause real soon—"

Frankini will appear on this screen here!" Well, at least she was helping a bit. As per the musical's orders, they worked together to deliver the news in song, but the woman couldn't stay focused for long.

"To live stream!"

"I once had a dream I was Oprah!" She belted out randomly, causing her colleague to look at her strangely. Where the hell had that come from? He didn't want to know what kind of dreams she had with whichever talk show hosts.

"Sweet lord, Mary! Sometimes I don't..." he sighed and gave her a stern look. Trent never had a problem with giving her a dressing down on air, but he never got a chance to ridicule poor, innocent Mary. Like every time before, he was interrupted by a glitch in the broadcast, signalling that Frankini had something to say—again. Honestly, they should've expected it by now and worked out how to block his technology.

"Hey Swellview, it's me, Frankini," The villain greeted his hateful audience as the music changed, who crammed around their TVs, phones, computers, anything, so they could see the final showdown. Charlotte, Jasper and Schwoz were watching in the Man Cave, cheering on the heroes as Mr and Mrs Hart prayed from their living room that Piper would be okay. They trusted Captain Man and his sidekicks with their daughter's life, but the pressure was on, and even for loudmouth Piper, it could be too much.

"I wanna thank you for live streaming!" He sang sharply into the mic, showing off another glittery outfit. How big was his wardrobe? Whatever; all Frankini cared about was how, shockingly, the crimefighters had kept their word and showed up to the Frankini Klub to do battle - with a friend as he'd suggested. They needed all the help they could get.

"Your local heroes don't like all the singing, so I challenged them to try to make it stop! They brought along a friend let's see how this thing ends..." he sang, showing off his perfect pitch control and soaring vocals, which made everyone at home feel nervous for the heroes backstage. No one knew how good they were, but it was four against one - not that bad, right?

"But first, It′s gotta start...and it starts right...nowwwwww!" With an impressively long high note, Frankini declared his challenge open as he threw down the mic and strutted to his side of the stage. The key changed yet again, only this time, it was Captain Man, Miss Danger, Kid Danger and Piper screaming the catchy lyrics as they stomped out in time to the beat.

"Fight song, fight song. This is the fight song. This is the fight song," they chanted as they emerged for the audience to see, marching on the spot in sync with each other before holding their fists up. No one wanted to dance; Ray would much rather hold his sweet girl's hand to keep himself calm, but they made the best of it and didn't show their fear as they set their faces into confident frowns.

"This is the fight song. There will be fighting in this song. Fighting that is done through song," the four sang as they rhythmically trotted down the steps and took their places on the other side of the stage, facing off with Frankini as he smirked at them. Bless, they all looked so sure of themselves, but no one's voice impressed. Miss Danger's was rather sweet, but those amateur boys flanking her ruined it.

"Round one! Pretty lady!" Goomer announced as the heroes ran across the stage, taking care to guard Piper since she was under their protection. However, in a sick twist, Frankini decided that he wanted to go up against his favourite little superheroine first to give her a chance to shine. And give himself an even bigger chance, 'cause let's face it, he was only doing this to show off.

"Sweet girl, let's see. Can you sing as high as me?" He asked as they stood toe-to-toe in the centre of the stage, (y/n) grimacing when he dared to use Captain Man's favourite pet name for her. Ray had to bite down on his lip to stop himself from doing something he'd later regret, and Henry placed a hand on his shoulder when he saw him take a step forward. It was okay; everyone know whose sweet girl she was, and besides, (y/n) had never been fond of guys who could do their makeup better than she could.

Anyway, as per the round's rules, Miss Danger gave it her all and slowly raised her pitch until the scale couldn't go any higher. Her vocal cords were pulled tight and refused to budge without ripping themselves apart, and it was a real challenge to keep her voice steady. It was an admirable effort, really it was, but when Frankini took a deep breath and managed to go so high only dogs could hear him, it was all over. She'd never pull off a whistle note like that in a million years, and so, the machine let the round go to the villain. Damn it.

"This is the fight song!" Defeated, (y/n) trudged back to her friends, feeling low since she'd let them down, not that they let her see it that way. They murmured for her to keep her chin up since the fight wasn't over yet, and that she'd done them proud by going first in front of all those cameras. A peck on the cheek from Ray as he took her into his arms, and she perked up, raring to try again even though it was Henry's turn.

"Round two! Kid Danger!"

"Well, kid, let's see. Can you sing as long as me?" Frankini asked the teen as he stepped into his friend's place when prompted to by Goomer. It was a simple request, and he felt confident, despite his enemy's smug face. So, he inhaled until his lungs couldn't hold any more air, and he released a long, deep, reverberating note. His baritone matched Frankini's softer tones, and they stretched it out for a surprising amount of time. Henry knew how to regulate his breathing; it was part of his hero training, but thirty seconds later, his lungs were beginning to burn, and he couldn't hold it any longer.

He coughed and spluttered for oxygen as his rival continued, adding a little riff at the end just to show off and humiliate him further. The glitzy criminal pushed an exhausted Kid Danger to the floor as he snapped his fingers and stared into the camera with a sly glint in his eye. He was so winning this.

"Yaaaass, queen!"

"This is the fight song!" Annoyingly, the musical curse machine declared Frankini the winner again, and he giggled happily to himself as the heroes switched sides, Captain Man and Miss Danger dragging the boy sidekick with them since he could barely stand. They helped him to his feet as he promised he was all right, and then, it was Ray's turn. This should be good...

"Round three! The Captain!" Goomer said, pointing at Ray as he patted the kid's shoulder. His sweet girl would take care of him and Piper whilst he got down to a bit of business.

"Okay, let's see. Can you sing as low as me?" Frankini questioned with a devious grin, knowing he was poking a grizzly bear—or a teddy. This was his lair, and he had Captain Man's greatest weakness standing just across the stage, so he wasn't too worried. That, and he didn't doubt that, for all his co*ckiness, the hero didn't stand a chance.

"Please. My name is Captain Man. I've got testosterone built into my name!" Ray bragged and puffed out his chest as the bastard dared to laugh in his face. He flirted with his precious girl; he'd see who was laughing when this was finished, not to mention the fact that she was swooning over his words behind him. The doofus was hot when he threatened people in that growling voice of his, and (y/n) couldn't help but squeak in the back of her throat.

It was unbelievably quiet, so next to no one heard. Except for Ray. He definitely heard it since his mind always subconsciously yearned for her, and he was damn sure that if he heard it, then Frankini definitely did. Oh, the power it gave him.

"Well, let's hear it." Riding that power, Ray hummed the lowest note he could, using all of his skill as a tenor, and, to be fair, it was quite low. He kept it short and sweet, and the three behind him hoped it would be enough to beat the villain at least once.

"Beat that!" The hero scoffed and turned to his darling fiancée so he could drown in her adoring affections because she undoubtedly wanted to kiss and cuddle him for a job well done. However, before he could fall into her arms, Frankini took centre stage and utterly shamed him. Out of nowhere, his voice dropped to a note even lower than Ray's, to the point where he sounded like a fog horn, and, of course, he looked so conceited when he finished. Show-off.

"Ehm, let me try that again," the man stuttered awkwardly, unwilling to back down with so many people watching, and it wasn't against the rules to out-sing your opponent. So, as Frankini shuffled up, he prepared his voice to scrape the lowest of low notes, but even though she'd cheer him on through anything, (y/n) wasn't sure if he could sing that low.

Sure enough, as Ray squatted and attempted the note, which started off fairly well, his voice grew tighter and gravelly from asking too much of it, and to his embarrassment, all that came out was a squeak so high that it shouldn't have been possible for a man like him to make it. So much for that testosterone talk, Frankini mused.

"Don't look at me!" He snapped, mortified by his shockingly poor performance and the humiliating mishap. Everyone felt second-hand embarrassment for him as the hero scuttled off-camera and sought comfort in his sweet girl's arms, where he buried his face in her neck to try and shut out the world. Oh, well, no cringed for too long, and no one paid the charming couple any notice as Miss Danger whispered loving words and petted his hair since Frankini quickly moved the fight on.

"Riffs!" Next, Goomer picked Piper, who'd done her fair share of fabulous riffs in her many starring roles for Junior High, but none were quite like this. Frankini accused her of being a little too pitchy, and when he "showed her how it's done", her attempt seemed like trash. Another point for the bad guy's side.

"Beatbox!" Okay, Henry was a member of the modern youth with all their rad hip-hop tunes, so he should've been good at this. Or not. His rhythm was off, and in the middle of his turn, a cough crept up his throat out of nowhere and ruined his flow, so when Frankini swooped in and stole the limelight, he was all but done for. Their luck would change soon...right?

"Opera!" Oh, it was so cruel of Goomer to choose Ray for this round. His skills lay elsewhere, and when it came to belting out the strong notes, he couldn't hold it. His voice wobbled all over the place, sounding as though he'd lost it or as if he were a strangled cat. Unlike Frankini, who adored opera nearly as much as he loved musicals, so he had no trouble sounding like a leading lady as he grinned proudly—or smugly. Definitely smugly.

"Scat!" Again, Goomer was cruel, but then again, (y/n) assumed that he'd been ordered to favour his boss. She didn't even try with this one, mainly because she despised scat and sucked at it. Improvisation wasn't her strong point, and even though she tried to string together a few sounds, she just sounded mad. And when Ray, Henry and Piper tried to help out, Frankini hounded them, stunning the nation with his incredible range and ability to create music out of random noises.

This was it. They were washed up - sunken to the floor after battling for so long and losing their energy. The quartet had no more to give, but even if they did, they knew that they'd never beat Frankini. He was just too good at his own game, so all they could do was limply crawl off the stage to recover their energy and think of a very hasty plan. It wasn't looking good, though - Swellview's fate hung by a thread.

"Um, not to be a total surgeon, but the time of death of this song battle is, like, half past now, so...beeeeeeeep!" The villain cackled as he imitated an ECG machine flatlining. God, his joke was dead, too, not to mention highly annoying, and Henry glared at him as they rested on the floor. He and Piper were able to sit up, but Ray felt the weight of defeat crush his heart even more, so he keeled over his sweet girl's lap, his breathing ragged as she clung to his shoulders.

"Just—just give us a second," the teen told him sternly, fighting the urge to swot the man like the co*ckroach he was, but he didn't want to jeopardise Swellview's future, not when they could come up with some miracle.

"Fine! I'll vamp," Frankini rolled his eyes and groaned but allowed the boy's small request since he couldn't see what harm it could do. He had the competition stitched up, and he felt his tummy flutter at the thought of musical bliss forever, so he gave them their second and took a small break to do some tap-dancing. Okay, bit weird, but each to their own.

"Great, kid," Ray groaned as Frankini 'entertained' the people at home with Goomer as his shadow, "you and Miss Danger dragged me back to Swellview just to be humiliated again."

"Doofus..."
"We're sorry, we just—" the sidekicks already felt awful; he didn't have to rub it in. Of course, Ray didn't want to be rude, especially not to the greatest friends he'd ever have in life, but it was the cutting disappointment and wounding sadness talking. He was bitter - they all were, but some were angry too, and where there's anger, there's passion.

"Hey, I'm not even a superhero, and I got roped into this. This musical has to end!" Piper told the despairing man and his sidekicks, and she didn't need to tell them twice. The city couldn't go on like this; the singing was a novelty at first, but everything should be in moderation; plus, it would be criminal to let Frankini think he could get away with such things, so they began to think - hard.

A few seconds passed, and then, it was as if a light bulb went off in Henry's head. Maybe, perhaps, it was certainly a possibility, risky even, but you know what? It could just work.

"You're right. It does," he agreed as he slowly got to his feet, looking suspiciously pensive for a kid who'd just been defeated by song.

"Guys, think about it! How do all musicals end?"

"With a big, grand finale song that has a dumb but cute message?" (y/n) suggested, recalling all of the rom-com musicals she'd watched with Ray. They were so cheesy, so she loved them, and he loved her, so he tolerated them, but if she remembered correctly, the final song was always the best since every musical worth its salt goes out on a high note - no pun intended.

"Yes! Someone conquers a fear or something, and then, they start singing a song, and then, everybody joins, and then, the musical is over!" Henry brainstormed, praying that his idea would work because he couldn't think of anything else. The only question was, who'd be dumb enough to go up there and pour their heart out?

"Okay, so, who conquered a fear?" Piper asked, a frown etched on her face as Ray ironically got up, helping (y/n) to her feet as he did so, and the kids looked at him with shining eyes. Well, he always talked about how brave and manly he was; now, it was time to prove himself by taking the final step in healing his trauma.

"No!" He firmly refused, instantly freezing at the thought of getting up there by himself and singing at the mercy of the millions of people watching. They'd laugh; he just knew they would, and then, all of his progress would unravel, and he'd have a musical complex for the rest of his life. So, no matter how much they begged or how much his sweet girl fluttered her pretty eyelashes, he wasn't going to do it.

"Dude, you left Swellview because you were afraid to sing," Henry murmured to him as a gentle but firm hold on one of his biceps kept Ray from walking away, "but now, it is time for you to face that fear!"

"I said no!"
"Please, doofus! It's how all musicals end!" (y/n) begged, her fluttering eyelashes melting his heart even though he swore he could resist them. Her hero could do anything, so what if some bullies poked fun at him? When had Captain Man ever let the minority overwhelm what the majority thought of him? All it would take was a little nudge, and when Ray glanced at the walking glow stick, he faltered.

"I don't even know what to sing about," he whined, giving Henry, (y/n) and Piper a glimmer of hope that he was thinking about it—and that was as good a place as any to start. They could help with that, so long as he believed in himself.

"You don't have to sing about anything! All you have to do is sound like you're singing about something, okay?" Henry told him, trying to make him recall those movies he bitched about because the lyrics were cheesy and beautiful but utterly pointless. At the time, the boy thought it was hilarious because whilst he hated those romantic musicals, Ray would never stop watching them because that would upset his darling girl, but now, he was grateful.

"Yeah, it can be totally meaningless!" Piper added, but Ray still didn't look too sure, frantically glancing from his rival to the cameras and back to his friends.

He just need one tiny push to get him over the edge, and Frankini wouldn't know what hit him.

"Just get up there and sing! It doesn't even have to make sense! Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!"

"But I—I—" he stammered, feeling his fingers shake in their gloves as stage fright gripped him entirely, and it wasn't until a petite hand took hold of his that he finally stopped panicking. As always, (y/n) tethered her doofus to reality and gave him a soft smile that melted away his anxiety; she knew what it was like to feel like a misfit in a crowd, terrified of being judged for one wrong move, but then she learned something.

Nothing was scary when she had him by her side. Ray taught her how to be brave, how to forget about what others thought about her, and how to be confident by just being herself. Now, she'd do the same for him.

"Captain Man, would it make you feel better if I sang with you?" She offered, holding his quivering hands to her chest as he nodded slowly. She could pinpoint the moment the fear drained away from his face to be replaced with confusion because he didn't get it. Why would a girl, terrified of cameras, attention and showing off, want to put herself out there? Because she couldn't bear to see her lover succumb to the same fear she did.

"Y-yeah," Ray nodded shakily, and that was all she needed to hear. One of his hands limply returned to his side whilst she kept the other one, using it to guide him to the stage where everyone at home was waiting with bated breath. The hero felt a wave of dizziness come over him as he saw the livestream and wondered if he was about to faint as his knees wobbled, his throat seized up, and his worst nightmare began to play out, but Miss Danger had everything under control.

"Don't look at them. Look at me," she told him and gently turned his head and body to face hers as they stood on the stage. She held both of his hands between them and refused to take her eyes off her handsome lover since the tension chipped away from his body as the seconds passed. She was so lovely, safe, sweet, and familiar - everything he needed to relax because when he looked at her, the rest of the world faded away; the cameras, the audience, Frankini, the kids, everything. All that mattered was the beauty pressing a kiss to his knuckles.

That would give the newspapers something to write about tomorrow.

"It takes more than one voice to make harmony..." (y/n) started, her voice clear, soft and angelic so everyone could hear her, including Frankini. He gasped when he realised what she was doing, terrified that she and her stupid boyfriend or whatever were about to ruin all his good work, but she couldn't hear or see him. Not that she cared. The only person in her eyes was Ray, and the minute he heard her sweet voice and saw her even sweeter smile, his fear melted away, and his confidence returned.

"Oh, no!"

"We all have a choice for our destiny," he echoed, going with whatever cheesy lyric popped into his head as he dropped her hands in favour of wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace that would put most romcom actors to shame. Pure chemistry, pure adoration, pure love, and it melted the hearts of everyone watching, except for Frankini.

"They're singing a finale!"

"So if you, my love, would just sing with me," she grinned, too in love with his entire being to hear the villain's petty complaints. No one would've guessed that Captain Man could be so tender for Miss Danger, but they cooed and aww'd over it anyway, happy, if slightly bitter, that he'd found someone to ground him.

"We'd all be free in harmony!" They finished together, foreheads touching as Ray's heart thumped under his uniform, not because he was afraid but because it couldn't contain all the love he felt for the extraordinary girl in his arms. She giggled and buried her face into his chest, woozy from how many emotions were darting around inside her, but it was a good mix, and as the city swooned, she didn't regret one second of it.

"My god...that was even more meaningless than I expected," Piper breathed out as she stared at the sappy lovers with a thoughtful yet oddly proud look. When she was little, no one ever predicted Captain Man to find true love because he never came across as that kind of guy. But, she spoke for nearly everyone; even though it broke a few hearts, he deserved to be happy—and he had that with Miss Danger, no matter how gross their lyrics were.

"It was perfect! That's exactly how musicals end," Henry breathed out as he looked at his friends with the same pride. Truthfully, a small part of him had doubted whether Ray would get up there and sing, but when (y/n) took his hand and gave him her best smile, all doubt vanished. They were stronger together, and no one, not even Frankini with all his bigheaded ideas, could tear them down.

"Why don't we go back to those one-on-one singing battles, huh?" The criminal asked in a worried voice, tottering over from Goomer because he knew a growing problem when he saw one. He was a very good singer if he said so himself, but he didn't have the power to overcome a finale, not when it was that emotional yet crap.

"Gregorian chant, anyone?"

"No! We all have to join in and sing with Captain Man and Miss Danger!" Kid Danger snapped and stepped on the stage, brushing off whatever his weird groaning, bellowing moaning noises were about. It was their turn to play games, and as it turned out, the couple were rather good at it.

"Yeah, there is no way I'm singing anything that cheesy and icky," Piper remarked flatly, recoiling at the thought of doing something so uncool. She was happy for Captain Man and Miss Danger, woo-hoo, love, yay, but she wasn't going to join in - over her dead body. After all, she had a reputation to uphold, but others weren't so shy.

"I'll sing with you!" A stunning voice cut through the chatter, and everyone had to pick up their jaws to find its owner—holy sh*t. To their utter shock, and in Frankini's case, horror, Goomer was offering to sing with Ray and (y/n), and underneath his dumb voice, dumb comments and alarming size, he hid an incredible talent for singing.

"Shut up, Goomer!" His boss snapped, outraged that his minion wanted to jump ship and help his annoying enemies, especially the one who selfishly kept Miss Danger and her fabulosity to himself. But the large man didn't care; instead, his gaze remained fixed on the baffled couple, who couldn't believe that he and his otherworldly vocal cords wanted to share a stage with them.

"No, I will not shut up!" He shouted defiantly and stomped across the stunned heroes, who separated from each other as he approached, connected only by their coined hands as he began to sing his version of what he deemed the loveliest, most romantic verse he'd ever heard.

"It takes more than one voice to make harmony. We all have a choice for our destiny!" Goomer sang like an angel as he grabbed Captain Man's hand, and there wasn't a dry eye in the building from how gentle yet powerful he sounded. Well, Frankini looked grumpy, but even he was quite moved by the unexpected talent

"So, if everyone here would just sing with me, we′d all be free...in harmony," Henry wasn't ashamed, unlike his sister, and he proudly stood up on stage to be counted as one of the singers. He grabbed (y/n)'s hand and squeezed it, drawing a grin from the woman at how they were finally fighting back, but when she turned to her lover to share in the victory, he held a strangely thoughtful expression.

"Wait! I know that voice! Why do I know that voice?" He gasped as the beautiful melody struck a note of déjà vu within him, targeting a dark corner of his mind that he'd tried to forget long ago. And then, it hit him; the memory of a small boy singing on stage with so many other kids, but he stood out from everyone else as his voice soared above the others. That was the day Ray lost out on the leading role, but in the end, he wasn't jealous, not against him.

"Were you once in a musical? A musical about cats?"

"Was it Cats?" Henry questioned for the millionth time, causing Ray to turn around with gritted teeth since he was trying to extract vital information.

"Doesn't matter, kid..."

"I was—years ago! How come?" Goomer asked, puzzled as to how the hero could know about that. He'd been an amateur musical star when he was younger before he embroiled himself with crime, and it was probably why he got on so well with Frankini at times - the common interest.

"You were...beautiful. Meow-meow!" Ray breathed out and playfully clawed at the taller man with teary eyes. He'd never guess that he and Goomer briefly crossed paths when they were younger, but he wasn't ashamed to share in the memory. It shaped him into who he was today, and honestly, he deserved that part. It was made for him and his killer voice - and Ray didn't call many people beautiful, only one.

"Meow-meow!" the henchman copied his actions and pretended to scratch him as they gazed into each other's eyes. It was slightly strange to look at, not just for Henry but for Piper and Frankini, and if (y/n) couldn't taste bubblegum on her lips, then she'd swear she was third-wheeling, but it was also sweet. Sort of.

"What the...?"

"Can we sing with you?" Ray asked, fluttering his eyelashes as he pulled his sweet girl into his side, who gave Goomer a nervous smile at being suddenly thrust into the conversation. It felt like she was intruding, but Ray insisted, proud to present her to anyone since he got to love her and no one else. And he wouldn't take no for an answer, not that the large guy had a problem with it—just Henry.

"Oh, so you'll listen to them just because they've got the voices of angels?" He asked bitterly, remembering how reluctant his boss had been to get up there and sing his heart out when he told him to. But with one little kiss from (y/n) and the sudden revelation that Goomer was also a long-lost cast member of Cats and he was raring to go. Typical.

"Meow—I mean, yes..." Ray replied awkwardly, clearing his throat when he didn't shake off the cat-like mindset, but it worked out in his favour when (y/n) giggled at his cuteness and pecked his cheek.

"Will you sing too?" Goomer asked Frankini and Piper, the former of whom was outraged that he'd even think that question. He'd worked very hard and paid a lot of money to curse the city; he wasn't going to work with some two-bit heroes to undo it. But luckily, the man wasn't actually asking him, just the cute little girl next to him, who also sang perfectly.

"Goomer, no!"
"Of course! Anything for that voice!" She cried and hurried onto the stage so they could work together, much to her parents' pride and Frankini's despair. He couldn't stop all of them, not when they sang something so cheesy, but Henry wasn't thinking about just a small group - he wanted everyone to help out.

"So, now everyone's gonna sing?" He suggested.

"Yeah!"
"We're gonna sing!"
"Let's go!" Piper, Ray and (y/n) shouted as they turned to the camera, willing everyone at home to get up and sing along with them. The hero wrapped his arm around his precious girl again and held her tightly, smiling down at her with such love that she felt like she was floating, giggling through their song, albeit without the lovers' sentiment.

"It takes more than one voice to make harmony!"

"Make it stop! My machine!" Frankini whined as the group began to harmonise, and almost instantly, his musical curse-making machine began to spark. The power radiating from the group was overloading its circuit with some kind of magic show business bullsh*t that was sickly sweet, but no one cared. They loved seeing him squirm so much.

"We all have a choice for our destiny! So if everyone here would just sing with me, we′d all be free...in harmony!" The quintet sang their hearts out, loving how the villain fawned over and ran around his exploding gadget with a sour face, but it wasn't enough. They couldn't manage the final blow alone, not unless they wanted to keep singing throughout the night, so it was a good thing that musicals love the cheesy idea of everyone working together and holding hands.

"We need more voices! Everyone at home, sing along!" Captain Man shouted, imploring anyone and everyone, wherever they were, to join in to finish this thing once and for all. Swellview wasn't an overly friendly city; people shouted at each other, children were bullies occasionally, and neighbours fell out sometimes, but just this once, those differences were settled. Neighbours sang for neighbours, bullies became friends, and no one wanted to shout as they sang for freedom—their freedom.

"It takes more than one voice to make harmony! We all have a choice for our destiny! So if everyone here would just sing with me, we'd all be free in harmony!" Goomer sang backup with some amazing riffs as people across Swellview came together. Mr and Mrs Hart sang for their children, the KLVY News production team came together one last time with Trent tolerating Mary, and in the Man Cave, Jasper, Charlotte and Schwoz clapped along for their friends.

"It takes more than one voice to make harmony..." the final verse came, and everyone grew softer, meaning Frankini's cries and whines could be heard over the zaps and explosions coming from his machine, but no one stopped.

"We all have a choice for our destiny! So if everyone here would just sing with me, we′d all be free in harmon—" As they reached the last note, the air changed, something that everyone felt. Before everything felt so strange and close, like an unknown force was pressing down on them, but as they finished singing their hearts out, the force lifted, and for the first time in days, they felt...free.

"Something's going on!"
"Something's going on!"
"Something's going on!"

The five in the Frankini Klub belted out as the machine finally gave up, becoming too hot for the power cursing through it, and as its circuit boards melted and cut out, the urge to sing died too. A part of Frankini withered at that, but judging by the utter relief of all Swellviewians, no one cared.

"The musical curse has been lifted!" And that was the end of that.

The curtain should've drawn there, given that no one wanted to sing for the first time in days, but a hero's work is never done, especially when you still have a certain glamorous asshole to deal with. And he was even worse when crying like a drama queen.

"It's melting! It's melting! Oh, what a world! What a world!" Frankini groaned as he watched the musical curse machine dribble and set into a misshapen blob - useless for any evil mischief. He sounded distraught and dramatic, which left Ray more than happy to haul his ass to jail, but strangely enough, Goomer still seemed protective over his boss, even though he'd played a hand in his defeat.

"You've killed him!" He accused them and Piper, looking at them with sad, dark eyes as they gave him a confused look. Clearly, he was blessed with musical talents and no brains because (sadly) Frankini wasn't dead, as proved when he looked up angrily a second later.

"No, Goomer! I'm not dead! I'm just exaggerating for sympathy," the man sobbed as he lay on the floor, clutching at the cold tiles since a small part of him hoped that the cameras were still rolling and someone out there might feel something for him.

"And you're not getting any," (y/n) retorted, saying what everyone was thinking. She couldn't think of anyone in Swellview who'd feel bad for the man after what he'd put them through, but to her surprise, Goomer didn't care about all that. His loyalty knew no bounds.

"Wow, you really are a star," he said kindly as he carefully placed his hands on Frankini's arm to try and comfort him. Little did he know that he'd already done that by saying the nicest thing anyone had ever said to the glow stick, who gazed up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Thank you, Goomer!" Frankini gasped as he suspiciously recovered from his "grief" rather quickly before flopping to the floor in a play-dead act. Now, he was being stupid, hoping someone would throw him a scrap of attention, but Ray had a much better idea. At the end of a show, people get to bask in the glory, right?

"Curtain call!" He announced, making everyone perk up since it was what they'd all been waiting for. A chance to shine in front of the livestream, so everyone knew who to thank and Ray swore that even if his sweet girl was shy, she'd get to own the stage anyway.

Goomer and Piper were the first to strut their stuff, running from backstage and onto the actual stage just for show. They grinned happily as they took a deep bow, thanking the city for their support—plus the lovely comments being left on social media, which would no doubt boost the girl's following. Looks like it was a win-win for her that day.

Next, it was Henry, who wasn't as enthusiastic with his entrance, but he walked down cooly all the same and bowed as his sister and frenemy did. They'd never know, but people were clapping in every house, building and shop, thankful that they had such brave heroes and selfless people to fight when they couldn't.

And, last but not least, Ray and (y/n). The lovey-dovey couple walked out hand-in-hand, Ray swaggering down the centre of the stage, oozing confidence as he set the lead for (y/n). She was nervous to appear to millions as if she hadn't just done that, but he was more than happy to take care of her, show her that it wasn't that bad, and as he squeezed her hand and showed her off to the camera by twirling her around, the butterflies flew away.

Together, at last, the five singers joined their hands together for one final bow - one final opportunity to be recognised for their efforts. This was possibly the proudest moment of their lives since Goomer had returned to the stage after so long; Piper and, secretly, Henry knew their parents were at home watching and applauding them, and Ray... He'd done what he hadn't thought possible; face his deep-rooted fear, and it was all thanks to his sweet girl.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear they broke apart, ready to return to anonymity and humble lives, but he wanted to do this first. (y/n) looked up at him with a puzzled face, wondering what he was talking about since, in her mind, he didn't have to thank her for anything.

She'd done what any fiancée would've done; her doofus was hurting, lost and alone, so she'd gone to get him. No fuss. No complaining. Just go. It was hardly legendary, a symbol of bravery or worthy of a medal, but Ray didn't care. She deserved everything for putting up with him, and he silenced her questioning with a kiss, tilting her chin up so he could greedily swallow her taste for the world to see.

Captain Man wanted everyone to know. This was his girl, the one the universe chose for him. He found her just like she found him, and he'd never stop loving her. Some things are just meant to be.