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

Episode 13: Secret Room

~The Man Cave~

Oh, Ray was gonna kill him for this. That is, if (y/n) didn't get to him first.

The trio of heroes were out on a mission—what was new? Nothing much. Arson Boy had gotten trigger-happy with his flamethrower again and the Swellview Police were scared of fire, so as usual, Captain Man and his sidekicks had to go and stop him from burning the city down. Which was fine, a little dangerous for Henry since he could be toasted, but it was nothing they couldn't handle, just a little time-consuming perhaps.

That's where Schwoz and his master plan came in.

The minute the call had come in and the terrified citizen said "Arson Boy", he'd waved Ray, (y/n) and Henry off quicker than ever before because he needed them out of the way for the big idea that had taken months in the planning, that was nearly impossible to sneak in, that he would be throttled for if his boss found out prematurely. You wouldn't think his family coming to visit would be a bad thing but oh god, it was.

There was Larry, the sweaty cousin, his four kids, and of course, Winnie—lovely, lovely Winnie. Winnie, the woman who looked like she'd win first prize in a dressage event...and not as the rider. With them gone, Schwoz had managed to get them in and settled in record time, with a little help from Jasper and Charlotte who wasn't particularly fussed about the utter chaos that then ensued. It made the place lively, even if Schwoz helping his sister jump over hurdles like a horse was a little weird.

He would get it eventually, though. It was inevitable that the leader and his sweet girl would return and see the utter shambles that was now the Man Cave; laundry drying across a washing line hung from the equipment, food and candy strewn across the floor, children running riot, luggage dumped wherever, a board game on the go at the couch table and the blatant weirdness of a horsewoman trying to live out her horsey ways.

It was pure bedlam, as they were about to see. Cue the tube dropping.

"That's why kids shouldn't play with flamethrowers."

"Correct, doofus."

"You're telling me, dude—hey! Hey!" Upon re-entering their home, the heroes were engaged in friendly chat, chipper despite being singed all over from a few close brushes with Arson Boy's fire.

They smelled like a bonfire and were eager to get clean and changed before any real relaxing began but as they walked down the steps, they were so distracted by their light banter that they were clotheslined by the laundry. What the hell was going on?

"Hey, guys!"

"Glad you're alive..." Jasper and Charlotte greeted them, which would've been a nice gesture had it been said with any interest. They couldn't tear their eyes away from the Western-themed game they were playing, so it just came out as dry and uninterested—a formality that they had to put up with. But Ray and (y/n) weren't too bothered about that, the thing that was screaming out to them was that in the few hours they'd been gone, their home had turned into a delinquent's den.

"Schwoz, what the hell is this?" (y/n) asked angrily with confusion written across her face when Winnie...whinnied in it. Henry tripped over the discarded suitcases that had been carelessly left in front of the stairs as Ray lifted the pesky clothesline for his girl to step under, lest she got twanged by it. Together, they looked across the room, then at each other, and then across the room again, taking in the mess, plus the uninvited guests, some of which were playing with the computer as if it didn't have access to some of the most important systems in the city.

"Who are all these weird-looking freaks?" Ray asked, not wanting to be mean but they did look very weird. Come on, even Schowz had admitted in the past that his sister was a freak, what with her cravings for sugar cubes and tendency to sleep standing up.

"They're my family!" The small man replied and carried on guiding his sister around their mini circuit, praising her when she jumped the small hurdle like a goddamn pony. Right, Schwoz's family...the couple didn't want to be rude but they were a nightmare to board.

"That kid has a beard!" Henry pointed at the small kid, having gotten up from his tango with the luggage. The trio looked to see that he was right, the kid, who was pretend sword-fighting, had grown a beard that could rival that of a middle-aged man, not that his family thought it was wrong in any way.

"Yah, so cute! Zed's baby beard hasn't fallen out yet," Schwoz smiled fondly at the child, earning him some highly disturbed looks from his friends, "but when it does, the beard fairy will come and—"

"Gonna stop you right there, Schwoz."

"Thank you..." (y/n) looked up appreciatively at her doofus, glad that she didn't have to listen to any more details about babies having beards.

She hated kicking people out, after all, the genius rarely got to see his family just like she did but their beds were on the floor, crumbs everywhere and she hadn't forgotten about how much of a cockblock Winnie could be. Their "love-nest", as Henry called it, was not a crèche or a hotel.

"You know, as much as we love family your family here, I hate it, soooo....everybody out!" Ray said tentatively, hesitantly before deciding to forgo saving face and just telling Schwoz how it was. He did have the decency of keeping his sweet girl out of the kicking-out process, knowing that she'd feel bad if anyone else felt bad but secretly, he knew that she wanted them out too. They were making a mess of her nice, clean floors and he didn't doubt that Winnie would sleep-trot into their bedroom later that night and break up any activities. He hated that woman—horse.

"But I asked you if they could come visit for a week and you said, yeah, sure, whatever, Schwoz!" The handyman argued, imitating his boss's American accent in a moment that was strangely psychedelic given how he never normally strayed from the usual Schwozonian drawl. Still, what he said was news to (y/n), who snapped her head to look at her fiancé, who'd decided to ask her opinion.

"What?! Ray, is this true? Why on Earth would you say that?" She asked and the man pouted at landing in hot water when he'd done nothing wrong.

"I didn't!" He protested his innocence, not liking how his sweet girl was analysing him with her hands on her hips, but Schwoz begged to differ. Although, when he'd obtained permission, it had been done very slyly and during a moment when Ray could never agree properly.

"Yah, you did!"
"When?" Ray demanded to know.

"I asked you three months ago when you were in the middle of kissing (y/n), because you can't think that far ahead and you don't like being interrupted, so you just say yes to anything!" He exclaimed, causing Ray to screw up his face in belligerence as (y/n) pinched the bridge of her nose.

Of course, he'd used her lover's two biggest weaknesses to his advantage; her and his inability to care about things far ahead. If Ray didn't care about it, he'd just mumbled yes and move on, especially if he was doing something more worth his attention—like remapping the inner territories of his sweet girl.

"That is so not true!" Still, he thought he could argue that he wasn't dumb, even if (y/n) was giving him the soft smile that she only wore when he was being dumb and adorable. He thought he could prove everyone wrong...until Charlotte overheard the entire conversation and decided to use this newfound information to her advantage.

"Hey, can Jasper and I get raises in three months?" She asked, assuming that Ray blindly agree since he lacked the brain power to process such a thought properly and he was too busy melting under his darling lover's gaze. It was the perfect time to strike.

"What? Yeah, sure, whatever, that's like a million years away and I'm busy..." he muttered with a slight chuckle and slowly moved closer to (y/n), hoping to sneak himself a kiss for his troubles—the only time he ever had tact and grace in his movements.

"You're such a doofus," the heroine grinned, shaking her head at how he'd ruined his argument for one kiss but she didn't deny him it. His head craned towards her as she wounded her arms around his neck and closed the gap, thinking that he'd earned it just for being cute, much to Henry's distaste. There were children in the room but that didn't stop them and neither did Schwoz, who was smirking to himself at how right and deviant he was; Ray Manchester could never tear his focus away from his sweet girl, not for anything.

"Look, guys, hello? Breathe!" The boy slapped their shoulders and grumpily, the couple pulled apart, muttering something about how they were making up for time lost when they could've kissed as best friends and never did. Party pooper, they were enjoying that smooch, even if there was the taste of charcoal intruding on the honey, mint and bubblegum.

"Look, let's just get some churros."

"Right, 'cause churros fix everything," Ray nodded and took his girl's hand so he could drag her away to the auto-snacker for a quick, sweet snack and leave Schwoz to talk to his strange, bearded cousin. He wanted deep-fried , sugary, cinnamony goodness with hot chocolate sauce on the side, which was perfect for sharing with his lover and no one would stop him from doing that.

"God, I want a churro..."

"Mm-hmm, that's what I need too, baby. Two churros—"

"Three churros, please!" Henry corrected his boss as he watched him fawn over (y/n), rolling his eyes at how no one else existed when he was with her. If the world vanished with one look, then it was no wonder why he couldn't think of the future—well, nothing in the future except the day when he finally got to marry her. The man couldn't stop dreaming about that, whenever it would be.

"No churros available." The auto-snacker said in its monotone voice, causing Henry to snap out of his trance as he watched the greatest love story of the century unfold in front of him and stare at the screen that his hand touched. How could it run out? He thought that was physically impossible.

"What did you say?" Ray too was outraged and pulled away from rubbing noses with his fiancée to glare at the machine that had just turned his mood from slightly sour to thunderous.

"Did I stutter? No churros available." It said, making them shrink back a little at its snappy sarcasm. That was a new feature, maybe Schwoz had upgraded it but whatever, (y/n) didn't care about what the interface was like, she just wanted to know why the machine that snatched food from thin air had nothing left for them, the ones who'd been working hard all night.

"Hey, hello? People?! How come the auto-snacker is out of churros?!"

"Oh, Larry's kids ordered a ton of them," Jasper replied and pointed to a massive pile of churros that had been left on the floor. What a waste, no one knew if they were gonna eat them or not but the heroes couldn't have them now that they'd been somewhere so icky. And seeing them discarded in such a meaningless way caused some real anger to bubble to the surface because they could've at least had the decency to leave some for other people, or y'know, Larry could've controlled his unruly offspring.

"What?! Ah, come on! Man, we just—we just got back from saving the city from Arson Boy—FROM ARSON BOY! We can't even get a churro! Can't even get a churro!—OW!" Henry grumbled, thinking that it was damn near unacceptable that they'd been out and risked their lives for the greater good, only to come back to base to find that some little punks had stolen their churros just to make a mound.

It wasn't fair and he wanted to step on them like little bugs, especially when the baby-bearded shit came up behind him and whacked him stupidly hard with his fake sword. Punk.

"Okay! Okay!" He growled, reaching for the kid so he could snap him like a twig and it was openly because of Ray and (y/n) holding him back that the beard wasn't falling out prematurely.

"No, no, no! No bad words, bury it down! Bury it down deep, kid!"

"He's a jerk! He's a jerk, man!" (y/n) nodded sympathetically as Henry stiffened in her arms but stopped trying to lunge for the children, who were asking for it as they raised their hands to their forehands in the shape of an L. She wanted to kick them too for making a mess in her home when they weren't even meant to be there but they were superheroes, they were professionals, they were responsible; hurting kids wasn't what they did, unfortunately.

"I know, I know...count to ten and let it go..."

"Hurt my butt..."

"I know, it's all right—hey, hey, hey! We're better than them, knock it off!" She scolded him lightly when he tried struggling against her hold one last time, anything to try and get that mocking laughter to stop. But eventually, he calmed down and stayed still, albeit with a glare still etched into his face, prompting Ray to think of something genius. His youngest sidekick needed him and he was gonna blow his mind.

"Hey, hey, hey..." he gently placed his hands over his sweet girl's as they rested on his shoulders and brought his lips down to Henry's ear as (y/n) looked at him weirdly, "come with me."

"Where?" Henry whispered, making the heroine separate from them and give them her raised eyebrow look that told them she knew they were conspiring. As sneaky as Ray liked to think he was, she knew nearly all of his plans and could read him like an open book, especially when he was planning something. He always looked odd when he was thinking.

"Just follow my lead," the man replied huskily as if it lessened the boy's confusion. If Schwoz's family were staying, that was fine, a little undermining for his authority, but fine. He had the perfect solution--as long as the kid trusted him.

"Okay."

"Uh....so...uhhh...Kid Danger and I are gonna go, uhhhh...use the bathroom together!" Ray announced, not that anyone cared. (y/n) stood puzzled where they'd left her as they slowly backed away and her head tilted, watching as Ray blew her a kiss and waggled his fingers to say goodbye. Did he think a lie like that would work?

"Nope!" Henry was not willing to try that, not for all the money in the world. Even if it was a lie, he didn't want people thinking that he and Ray had gone off to do god knows what together in the toilet, so he started to walk off, not that his boss would let him.

"Yep, so, uh...don't come looking for us for a long time!"

"What? Dude, I'm not gonna use the bathroom with you! Do I look like (y/n)?!" the boy questioned dramatically as Ray shoved him through the secret door whilst giving Schwoz, the freaks, Charlotte and Jasper a nervous smile. He gave his sweet girl a genuine one before they disappeared but (y/n) wasn't stupid. There was no way she wasn't following them.

Once through the secret door, Henry followed Ray, who was mysteriously silent whenever the boy asked a question. He just kept saying "you'll see" or "patience makes every surprise better" and those weren't very helpful. Rather, it just made the kid more curious as they walked down a few corridors, took a few left turns, then a right, before coming to a lost, lonely room that had "raw sewage" printed on the front.

That made him suspicious, especially when the man looked back at him with a strangely excited smile as he unlocked the door. Henry didn't know why he was so excited about a room that processed the Man Cave's sewage but he humoured him as Ray pushed the door open and stepped inside--into nothing but darkness.

"It's kinda dark in here, dude," the teen said, peering past the door to see if he could make out any shapes or colours but he really couldn't make heads or tails of anything. What was so good about this that meant he'd been dragged this far into the Man Cave?

Ray clapped his hands twice with a smug smirk on his face as his actions caused the lights to come on--something that was only for people who enjoyed being dramatic and showing off.

The room illuminated, finally showing what he'd been hiding in his little nook; there was an old, leather reclining chair, plus a shitty camping one, a crusty rug, a few string lights, a poster with...Ray's face? An old TV, a weird metallic suitcase, a small snack rack and what looked like a water cooler. It was a hole, but not just any hole...Ray's hole, one that he was extremely proud of.

"Welcome to the Mannex."

"Wow!" Henry breathed out as he took into the mancave of the Man Cave, Ray's little spot, his one place of privacy in his home that often felt very crowded. No one knew about it, not even (y/n), or at least he thought she didn't because having a quiet place for himself was good and refreshing sometimes. Particularly useful when he needed somewhere to cool off after a fight before they could become all mushy again.

"What's the Mannex?" the kid asked, not fully understanding what the room was since it was full of grungy, old furniture that all looked like it came from a yard sale, and not sewage as the label said.

The only thing Henry could see that wasn't grotty or old or second-hand was a photo frame that had been left on the rack, which was facing away from him but not completely, meaning he could still see the image of (y/n) smiling brightly into the camera, looking like Ray had called her name mid-laughter and caught her unawares.

He could swear that it used to be placed on a dresser in their bedroom, on one of the rare occasions he'd braved to venture in there. Ray must've swiped it and this was his little den where he could sit and look at it and smile to himself without being teased or sit and sulk and get all teary when they'd fought and he remembered what he was forsaking.

"It's a secret room where I hang out when everyone's buggin' me," Ray explained, briefly picking up the frame to look and admire the happy girl in it--and that small gesture was enough to make him melt and go all gooey and soft, as tough as he was trying to make himself seem. "Y'know, Jasper, Charlotte, Schwoz, up until today...you.

"Fair," Henry shrugged, knowing that he could be annoying at times like anyone could. Well, not anyone, there was one exception, "so...I notice (y/n) isn't on that list but I guess she doesn't annoy you. Ever."

"No, no...she's perfect," Ray replied dreamily as he sank into his worn chair and invited the boy to sit in the guest one, "but we, y'know, fight sometimes and when we do, I come here."

"Does she know you come here?"

"Nah...she doesn't even know this place exists," the hero told his sidekick, who nodded slowly as he took his word for it. It seemed impossible that something could happen in the Man Cave and (y/n) not know about it but he didn't dwell on it for long, not when his boss unleashed his ultimate weapon.

"So..." Ray said casually, wanting to move on from the depressing moments he'd experienced in the room when his relationship had hit a temporary low, so he leaned forward and delicately unlocked the metal case, revealing that it was a stash of chicken wings with a side of carrot and celery sticks, plus some dip on the side. He had to be kidding him. "What do you think?"

"I love this place and I never wanna leave," Henry said in a deadly serious voice, fingers glued together in a prayer-like press as if he was begging for this to not be a dream. Just two friends, hanging out with chicken wings, chips and a crappy TV - he was in heaven.

"This whole place is secret, dude. Secret chair, secret wings, secret sauce. Nobody knows it's here," the large man smiled and for a glorious yet brief second, they allowed themselves to relax in the silence, gloating to themselves that they had this awesome room and no one else to share it with. A special room for only them because--

"Well, I wouldn't quite put it like that, doofus. I'd say that most people don't know it's here," The boys almost jumped out of their seats at the unexpected voice and they stared at the open doorway where (y/n) was leaning against the frame with her arms folded and a soft, amused smile on her face.

The way they looked at her like they'd seen a ghost doing cartwheels whilst on fire, was hilarious to her, especially Ray. The only other instance he looked like that was when she told him she loved him for the first time.

"What?--Wh-wha--what are you doing here, sweet girl? How--how--"

"How did I know you were in here?" she completed the question for him, knowing it would make things easier and quicker since Ray was seemingly incapable of human speech at the sight of his fianceé in his super secret room that he'd never told her about. All he could manage was a weak nod.

"Ray, we've known each other for eleven years, we've been dating for nearly three of those eleven, and we're getting married. I know where you go when we fight, I mean, you're not exactly subtle about it," he relaxed a little at the laughter streaking through her words and the way she giggled at his tense body. It was a relief that she wasn't mad, secrets weren't a thing between them but for some reason, she was quite calm about it.

"And you aren't mad? I-I never told you and--" he stammered, bracing himself for an impact that wasn't coming as Henry sat frozen. Where was he meant to go when the fight started in his hiding place?

"I don't care that you never told me, sweetheart. I hide in my old bedroom, you hide in your little man...hole...room," (y/n) replied warmly, finding it adorable that he'd be worried about making space. "And besides, it's not hard to find this place, not when you talk so loud you can still hear you in the main room talking about your "special room". Honestly, when I first met you, I thought you had some bondage dungeon or something..."

"Okay! Thanks, (y/n/n), there is something known as too much information and I don't want to know what you two get up to in your free t--" Henry chuckled nervously, skin prickling at her casual conversation that had taken a U-turn into a topic he didn't want to hear about.

But, as he shut her up, another figure came up from behind her, one that wasn't such a welcome sight for the hero who wanted his secret to stay hidden. He could cope with her knowledge, but not this new intruder.

"Oh, there you guys are!"

"Nooooo!" Ray groaned as his favourite person peeked over the shoulder of his real favourite person; Jasper. The boy had an unsuspecting smile on his face and wide eyes as he took in the cool room that he'd never seen before and the irritation from the invasion was so bad that the man leaned forward in his chair too much and ended up tipping the damn thing over, thus landing himself on the floor.

"Whoa, what is this room?" Jasper asked, wandering in as (y/n) cleared the doorway to help her doofus up, which he greatly appreciated. Now that he thought about it, having her sit in his lap, in his special chair, feeding her junk food as they watched a crappy action movie didn't sound so bad, but he figured that it would defeat the point of the secret room if he gave into something he could and did do anywhere.

"Jasper, what are you doing here?!" Henry questioned as Ray righted the recliner and pecked his girl on the cheek for helping him.

"What? Zed's baby beard just fell out! You guys wanna touch it?" the boy exclaimed and then held out the frankly disgusting wad of hair that he'd swiped from the joyous boy.

"No, I don't wanna touch it. That's gross!"

"You see why I followed you in here?" (y/n) looked up at Ray as he and Henry recoiled from the beard, his arms circling her body to pull her away as if the hair had a disease or lice. The woman had legged it from the main room when the odd little boy had run up to Schwoz and his dad to show them his smooth, beardless cheeks, which was a little too weird for her. And obviously, Jasper had followed her...and others.

"Jasper! Schwoz says that Zed has to put the beard under his pillow or the beard fairy won't come!"

"Well, I was just showing Ray, (y/n) and Henry!" the boy replied to the booming voice in the hallway that just happened to be Charlotte's. And low and behold, despite their best efforts, she appeared at the door, discovering the room and everything in it before the boys had a chance to shut her out.

"What is this room?" the girl asked the same question and marvelled in the same way as her friends had done, meaning Ray's grip on his girl's waist became incredibly tight.

"Just get out of here and stop asking questions!" The boss snapped at her harshly, growing flustered and stroppy from how many people were now sniffing around his private space, staring at all of his favourite things, honing in on his gradually getting colder wings. Not even (y/n) could keep him calm because technically, as much as he adored her, she was part of the problem.

"I have a question..." And here came Schwoz. Perfect. Just what he needed. "Is it cool if my cousin, Larry, borrows your toothbrush?" the small man asked, holding out Ry'a blue and white brush that had previously resided in his and (y/n)'s shared bathroom.

"No!" And of course, Ray refused.

"Too late." Not that Schwoz or Larry cared. Talk about being rude as guests, this just took the biscuit and the couple shared a disproving glance before turning back to the repairman. But like the others, it didn't take him long to forget about the soiled toothbrush and instead focus on the Mannex, which he had no idea about either. He'd always just assumed it truly was a plumbing room.

"Hey, what is this room?"

"N-n-n-n-nah, it's a secret room! And it's ours!" the hero snapped, almost childishly but he had always been known to be quite possessive over what little he had in his personal life. The room was an extension of the serenity he could hardly afford as the city's busiest hero, so now that it resembled Piccadily Circus made him mad and moody, something that was so typical of him that no one batted an eyelash at the "ours" part.

"Well, I want a secret room!"

"Me too!" Jasper and Charlotte exclaimed, feeling a bit jealous that the heroes, who already took all the fame and glory of the operation they had going on, got to have some secret bunker in the middle of the Man Cave, which was busier than ever. It was so cool and there were hundreds of rooms. Why couldn't they have one? Or, y'know, share the Mannex?

"With wings!"

"And a chair!"

"Yeah!"

"And a poster of fighter pilots with a picture of my face taped over one of them!"

"Ehhh..." When they listed off all of the cool things inside the little hidey-hole, that just made their desire to share the space stronger, even if the girl did think that the whole poster thing was a little self-absorbed. But Ray being Ray, and Henry being his slightly cocky self, they didn't want to share, not when it was their only chance to spend time together as buds.

"Then, go make your own room! This room is for--" the man stopped himself before he could say something he'd later regret but as usual, he couldn't hold his tongue, "this room is for crimefighters only!"

That earned him a few shocked, offended gasps from around the room and a rather stern glare from his sweet girl, who didn't like what he was implying. If he didn't want them there, he should've just said--he didn't have to start throwing titles and ranks around.

"So, doofus, let me get this straight. You don't think that they help us fight crime?" she looked at Ray with a challenging look on her face, her arms folded as if she was daring him to say something because if he did, she'd have him.

What would they do without Schwoz's tech? Or Charlotte on the computer? Or Jasper keeping an eye on Junk-N-Stuff? Probably crash and burn.

"Of, course, they help," Henry replied in an unsure voice that provided little to no comfort to his friends, "y'know, but we're out there fighting Arson Boy."

"That's right!" Ray wholeheartedly agreed with his young sidekick, singlehandedly eliminating his helpers from his room simply because they were the metaphorical "guy in the chair". But a stationary, on-base position didn't make them any less important, or at least (y/n) didn't think so.

"So, unless you got torched by a twelve-year-old with a flamethrower, uh--"

"Get out!" Hero and sidekick said together, pointing their thumbs to the door, much to the fury of the others.

"I am not leaving," Jasper stated, folding his arms in a flat-out, defiant refusal to budge from the room that he knew he had a right to be in. Sure, he couldn't kick or punch or take someone down but he still helped.

"Come on, let's go!"

"Get out!" But despite his protest, Ray and Henry were as adamant as they were. Ignoring a lot of screams and shouts from Schwoz and the two teens, the boys hauled them out of the Mannex by the scruffs of their necks or the sleeves of their clothes - any way that would give them peace once again. Charlotte could dig her heels in all she wanted, but she was still deposited outside the door like the others. Well, Schwoz did push his luck a bit.

"All of you out...some people just don't know their place," he said with a small smile as he deviously shut the door and kept himself on the inside, turning around with a small hope that he'd be allowed to stay. However, when he saw the heroes' unimpressed faces and (y/n) braced for the fallout, he knew he'd fucked up.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ray seized Schwoz but his odd jacket as Henry yanked open the door. Despite (y/n) holding onto his arm and telling him to calm down and be reasonable, the hero didn't waste a moment in swinging the small man back and forth a few times to build momentum before slinging him out like a drunk at the bar, slamming the door with a firm hand and muttering about staying put.

"Raymond!" The woman shouted as she watched Schwoz slumped against the wall for a brief second before the door shut. That looked pretty painful but the boys didn't seem to care, not one bit; Henry had gone back to his camping chair and Ray was smiling at her brightly, arms circling her waist to bring her in close. Yet another room was spoiled by their grossness.

"What, darlin'?

"Don't you darlin' me! How could you throw them out like that?" (y/n) asked indignantly, placing her hands on top of his and shucking them from her waist, not loving that they were the same hands that had just been so cruel to their friends. It was hard to see Ray's face fall and Henry quickly became uncomfortable with the sudden tension, like any kid when mom and dad fought, but even so, they couldn't see the big deal.

"This is our room, (y/n)! For superheroes, y'know, the ones who do the actual work--fighting, punching--kicking! That sort of thing," he said in an explanatory voice that carried a tight edge, which was highlighted by the sharp punch of her real name. He never used her real name, ever, it was always some mushy pet name that reflected how utterly in love with her he was, so it just showed how serious the air had become.

"Oh, yeah, because they're gainfully employed doing nothing. I say we let them come in here, let them have a few wings and then, they'll go and it'll just be our room again," the heroine said succinctly, thinking it was as simple as ABC since the other three would only stomach a few snacks and the smell of mothballs for so long before wandering off again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...it's our room...not your room too," Henry piped up, which was a grave mistake. (y/n)'s jaw hit the ground when he nonchalantly uttered those awful words and shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't painful for her to be excluded--too many bad memories of her nerdy younger self being too slow in gym class and always being picked last for teams or finding out later on that there was a party and chemistry geeks couldn't attend.

And yet when she went to snap back and assert her authority, her doofus was inclined to agree...with Henry.

"Now, wait just a minute, you're getting a bit above yourself, Hen--"

"Actually, he kinda has a point, sweetheart," the man's soft voice was enough for her eyes to bug out of her head and she jerked her head to look at her lover with an incredulous face. His gaze was soft but his words were cutting and it took a good few seconds of stammering and a wobbly lip for her mind to reboot and the right words to form on her tongue.

"Wha--he--huh? Raymond! He does not have a point! What the hell do you mean by that?!" she asked furiously, hands resting furiously on her hips as she looked up at him with knitted eyebrows and pursed lips. Henry backstabbing her was enough but her doofus too? The room must've been a pretty good price to pay.

"Well, you know..."

"No, I don't know. Spit it out." The man flinched at her curtness and struggled to put it into a sentence that wouldn't offend her. God, he didn't want to do that, he loved and respected her with every he had, but for once, they'd found something they disagreed on.

"It's just...this is a room for boy superheroes...just Kid Danger and Captain Man. Not Miss Danger," he explained, wringing his gloved hands together as he punched out each syllable, watching her face go from confused to dark to sad to...laughing?

He hated himself for it and any other room she'd gladly be welcome, everyone knew that but in this case, he just wanted a bit of space for him and Henry, the OG crimefighters, the original duo. Not that his sweet girl wasn't part of the team--she was--but he just felt that Henry would always be the primary sidekick just because that was his solitary job description, something (y/n) found laughable.

"Oh, yeah? Just the two of you? The crimefighters?" (y/n) pointed between them with a crooked eyebrow, not believing the sanctimonious, medieval horseshit that was coming out of his mouth. Boy superheroes, right, 'cause every time she'd saved their butts they'd never mentioned the segregation before.

"You know, it's funny 'cause I fight crime too. Y'see this? The fire damage on my skirt? That's from when Arson Boy decided to make me a human candle and it's also why I smell like an arsonist. Boy superheroes, what a load of shit..."

"Sweet girl, you know I love Miss Danger and I know you help us--more than the others do--but this is just for me and the kid. It's nothing personal..." Ray told her gently, waiting a few moments to let her rant dissipate before going in with his holier-than-thou statement.

She looked at him with cold, stern eyes as if she was pondering her next move, or possibly letting her rationality seep back in. He was so delicate, so tender with his voice, and even softer with his touch as he carefully picked up her hand and waited for her reply. It took a while, one where Henry swore he didn't breathe once, and (y/n) thought about one thing - one thing he said.

"...Nothing personal?" she asked in a small voice, feeling a little silly after such a rare outburst but she wasn't happy. It was never nice to be told that you weren't in the cool boys' club simply because you were a girl. Honestly, it really was like she was five again.

But annoyingly, it wasn't malicious. It wasn't because she was a sissy or because she had cooties or because she made them look girly, it was simply because a man wanted to spend some time with the kid who he saw like a brother, away from any outside interference. And she was classed as that. It would be wrong to intrude on such bonding, after all, she and Ray bonded all of the time, perhaps a little too much and it would also be unfair.

"Never," Ray promised and slowly raised her hand to his lips so he could place a chivalrous kiss on her lips--his way of saying that he truly didn't want to shove her away, this was just a gentle nudge out of the door.

"...Okay..." the woman said quietly as she thought about it and screwed up her nose to try and stop the heat from getting to her cheeks. She could do that, accept that this wasn't necessarily where she wasn't welcome, it was just where she wasn't needed. Nothing malicious about that.

"Okay?" Ray still wasn't convinced, though, and still felt like he was walking on eggshells until she went on.

"Yeah. I mean, as long as this isn't some sort of coup or testosterone cesspit, I'm cool with... y'know, wings-poster-comfy chair. I'll, uh, go see what the others are doing--probably sulking, knowing them," (y/n) gave the boy and her lover one of her warm smiles, which they returned when she scuffed her boot against the concrete.

It was a relief that she wasn't mad and Henry couldn't find it in himself to gag when the gooeyness returned before her departure. Some things never changed.

"Thanks, sweetheart. You know where to find me if you need anything," Ray mumbled and leaned down to peck at her lips a few times as they said their goodbyes before the gentle nudge.

His touch was feather light and she seemed skittish like a kitten, nervous energy running between them that made them breathless and that was before they got over themselves and descended into a deeper, more passionate battle.

"I am a fountain of vomit right now..." Henry muttered and his voice was enough to bring them from the lapse into a makeout session, the couple pulling apart with slightly swollen lips, dilated pupils and cheesy grins. Some things never changed.

"I love you, doofus..." (y/n) said sweetly, sparing him a glance as she quickly moved to ruffle Henry's hair for his especially helpful comment, something that earned her a grizzly, toothy smile from the miffed boy. Wanting to leave them in peace, she strode quickly, opening the door and waving to the duo with wiggling fingers before closing it behind her with a soft click.

"God...I love her," Ray mumbled to himself, soaking up every ounce of warmth he felt from the last mirthful smirk she sent his way when there was but a crack left from the closing door. She'd never hear it from through the metal and besides, he could hear her click-clacking boots speeding away down the corridor, so it was very much an admission for him and him alone...well, nearly.

"Yeah... I got that from this," Henry giggled, which turned into a shriek for mercy when Ray turned around and saw him lounging like a Cheshire cat. In his hand was the photograph, the candid of (y/n) smiling as naturally as ever, the one Ray loved to stroke and admire, and Henry was twirling it around in the man's face.

He knew why it was there. He knew where it had come from. And Ray's threats to cut his salary if he didn't put it down were futile. His sweet girl was allowed in, she just couldn't stay long enough to give his ears a reason to burn.

~An hour later~

What secret room would be complete without a karaoke machine? Henry wasn't sure and yet here he was, dragging a huge set down to the Man Cave at Ray's request because that's what he'd argued.

After stroking (y/n)'s picture for twenty minutes and giggling about how pretty she was, the boy had drawn the line and stated that they needed to do something other than watching the crappy TV and eat chicken wings...and stare at (y/n)'s face. That's when the hero suggested karaoke and that sounded great to the kid, who automatically assumed that he had a machine and was about to unveil it--yet another brilliant feature of the Mannex.

But no. Ray didn't have one, or so he said, and when Henry opened his stupid mouth and said that his dad had a dusty one tucked away in their attic, well, his fate was sealed. That's how he ended up jogging up the road and hauling the heavy thing back to the Man Cave, leaving whatever drama that was going on in his home so they could jam out to some awesome songs.

"Henry, can you help me? Winnie stepped on a mysterious key that we think leads to--" Larry asked him as he stepped out of the elevator with the karaoke machine tilted on its wheels. The main room was still in chaos and Schwoz's family were still as weird and whacky but if there was one thing the kid couldn't do at that moment, it was helping someone else. He was on the verge of a hernia as it was.

"Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah... I'm just trying to get this karaoke machine to the secret room, okay?" he told him, not wanting to know any details because then, he'd be involved and everything would be a mess. He was tired and wanted to sit down, he didn't care what they were up to, not when Ray was probably getting impatient.

"Yeah, but we think that the key opens a magic chest full of treasure!" Larry tried to tell him, thinking that he and his family had stumbled onto some kind of epic quest but even that wasn't tempting enough.

"If I listen, I'll end up involved and I do not want that."

"But it could lead to an adventure!" the fat man shouted after the sidekick as he dragged the machine through the secret door, hoping for one more pair of hands to help them find this so-called treasure chest, but Henry was already gone. The door shut behind him as he yelled over Larry's objections until he was well away from them and headed towards the Mannex, where Ray was having a little party of his own.

"Perfect tan, and glorious hair! He protects all Swellview, man and womannnn--kind! With Miss Danger by his side!" Henry walked in on his boss singing to the poster of their faces and when he finally hit the last note, he turned to him and smirked, expecting applause or praise that wasn't coming.

Henry didn't care about the stupid, egocentric song, how it didn't mention him, or how the party had started without him. All he cared about was that Ray had somehow, miraculously acquired himself a karaoke machine in the time he'd been gone, meaning his trip had been for nothing.

"Hey!" Ray exclaimed indignantly when his sidekick reached over to yank out the power cord on his machine, and just when he was getting to the good bit of the song, the one that had been revised to drop all of the nonsense about him loving hot moms so it could be replaced with a gushing verse about Miss Danger. One that made (y/n)'s ear burns whenever she heard it.

"Dude, why would you have me go all the way home to get my dad's karaoke machine when you already have one right here?" Henry asked sharply.

"Great question..." Ray replied slowly, trailing a finger over (y/n)'s pictured face as he tried to think of a good excuse but his brain never did work properly when he was admiring her smile, "so, uh...turn your machine off so I can go back to singing. I'm nearly at the part where I sing about how hot (y/n) is when she's fighting."

"It's not on," Henry replied, wondering what the hell he was talking about but now that he was listening closely, he could understand why his boss might think that. Faintly, very, very quietly, as if it was some way away, there was the sound of dance music and vibrations under their feet like someone was having a rave not too far away.

"Well, where's that music coming from?" Ray asked. He hadn't noticed it before but now it was blatantly obvious that someone else was having fun and he wanted to know, who, where and why. "Schwoz's family?"

"Nahhh, it's definitely not them. They found this magic key or something--"

"Nah, nah, nah, nah, don't tell me, I don't want to get involved," Ray stopped the kid there, his affirmation that they weren't the culprits being enough for him. Like Henry, Ray didn't want to be dragged into an adventure when they were trying to relax.

"Smart. Come on, let's follow that tune," the boy grinned and walked out the door with his boss following closely. If it wasn't Schwoz's family, who could it be? They were gonna find out, even if it killed them; all they had to do was go where their feet told them, in the direction of the beat and the strength of the vibrations, where the urge to dance was strongest.

~

They snaked their way through the corridors, delving deeper into the Man Cave until they were in a part that Henry could swear he'd never been in before. The music was getting louder and the bass beat was rattling the walls something fierce yet Ray pressed on, storming through his lair until they were close to the source.

They took a left turn, onto a corridor that couldn't have been properly used in years but one of the rooms seemed to have light pooling in the crack beneath the door, which was clattering from the power of the beat. It was a pretty good bet that they'd found what they were looking for and without any delay, Ray stormed forward and entered, only to be greeted with a horrifying sight.

Inside the room that was humorously labelled "cooked sewage" was a hideout that put his Mannex to shame, and it was all because of his rebellious helpers.

Schwoz was on the turntables, acting as DJ to make the music just right and so loud that it could be heard through many walls of stone and steel. He was bopping to the music and adding some flair in the form of sound effects and scratching to the rave that was thoroughly being enjoyed by (y/n).

The room was amazing, much better and nicer than Ray and Henry's, from the decor to the entertainment, it was superior and they couldn't help but feel a flair of jealousy as they took everything in, including a poster that had all of their faces taped on, even if Jasper wasn't particularly happy with being the nose of the fighter jet.

In front of the DJ's table was enough room for her private dancefloor, where she was tearing it up without a care in the world. Her hips swayed and she raised her arms above her head in a manner that she would never attempt in a real club but amongst her friends, she was losing herself in the music.

And it's not like the others cared, this was a place for them to enjoy since other places were out of bounds. Jasper was living his best life on the punchball game, the kind you'd see at a funfair to test if you're Mike Tyson or not. Meanwhile, Charlotte was enjoying the VR headset and go-kart game that was installed next to it, racing like her life depended on it as she turned the wheel one way and then another.

"Ladies love Schwoz!" A deep voice echoed from the speakers as Schwoz toyed with the audio, much to Ray's anger. He couldn't help but admire the way his sweet girl was dancing as if there was no one else in the room and he hated how he'd sent her away to enjoy someone else's music. And that someone being Schwoz only served to cut deeper.

"They do not!"

"This one does! DJ Schwoz's tunes are bangin'!" (y/n) replied absentmindedly, not noticing her doofus since her eyes were closed and she was just doing what the music told her. When she didn't even acknowledge him and then, proceeded to compliment Schwoz of all people and imply that he was better in some way, Ray felt his patience snap and rather childishly, he bent over to pull the power from the machine powering the games and the music equipment.

"Hey!"

"Why'd the music stop? I was enjoying that..."

"What happened?" The resounding complaints from the quartet came quickly and they snapped out of their trances and looked away from their entertainment. They weren't particularly happy that everything had come to a stop but a power cut they could understand, Ray and Henry standing there looking angry they could not.

"I happened!"

"I also happened," the hero and sidekick stated grumpily, facing the four frowns with equally stern faces. Ray's eyes met (y/n)'s and she cocked an eyebrow, confused as to why he'd turned up in the hangout room that Schwoz, Charlotte and Jasper had put together and invited her into. She'd thought he'd be hanging with Henry for at least a few more hours.

"Doofus! What gives? Why are you here?" she asked worriedly, thinking something was wrong but all of that was quashed when he brought her in for what was meant to be their normal "we're together again at last" kiss yet Ray made it a little too passionate for it to be just a quick hello smooch.

"Sweet girl--"

"Uhhhh, what are you doing in our secret room?" Schwoz rudely interrupted his boss, not caring that he'd crossed a line by rudely separating the lovers or that Ray was glaring at him fiercely.

This was his domain, the room he'd helped set up and as such, he wanted a little more authority than he was permitted elsewhere in the Man Cave, so he had no problem with pulling (y/n) away by her arm and gently pushing her in the direction of Charlotte now that she was out of the go-kart. It was a dangerous game to play, especially when the woman was gravitating towards her doofus in that stupidly hot shirt that was too small for him and he was leaning towards her in that cute little skirt.

"Uhhh, why do you have a secret room and why can't I hug (y/n)?! I haven't seen her in...like, a whole hour!" Ray snapped back, ensuring that he mocked Schwoz's accent for being so insubordinate and annoying. He was damn lucky he didn't crack that coconut head for pulling his darling girl away when he wasn't even done kissing her.

"'Cause, that's what you told us to do when you kicked us out of your secret room, remember? Go make your own room, this room is for crimefighters only! And you kicked (y/n) out of your room, that's why she's with us and why you don't deserve her hugs!" Charlotte explained angrily, reminding the boys of exactly what they said, although her version wasn't entirely correct.

"Dude, I don't talk like this. Why would you do that?"

"No, you do that!" she insisted, hoping that her dumb voice would wind him up after the way he'd behaved. Sure, their room was awesome but it was still offensive that they'd been deemed inadequate and she certainly didn't like that (y/n), although a "crimefighter", hadn't been allowed to join their clique either.

"I don't do that, Charlotte! And I didn't kick (y/n) out, she left willingly! It's a room for me and Henry and she's okay with that!"

"To be fair, he didn't kick me out...he's too sweet for that," (y/n) piped up, pinching her doofus' cheek and smiling up at him with dreamy eyes. She hadn't had the chance to tell him how good he looked in his shirt since they'd changed out of their smokey uniforms and she was practically drooling, much to Charlotte's exasperation.

There went part of her argument.

"You're the sweet one, sweet girl--" Ray remarked and held her chin between his forefinger and thumb so he could tilt her mouth up towards him. He'd set the stage for the perfect kiss, one that he'd been rudely denied by Schwoz but just when he was dropping his lips towards hers, Henry's gaze raked across the room and saw something much sweeter. Debatable.

"Is that..." he muttered and tapped on his boss's bicep most annoyingly until he sighed deeply and looked at what he was looking at, leaving (y/n) to whine and drop her forehead on Ray's chest. She'd get a kiss at some point but not now, not when Ray saw what had been hiding in plain sight by the snack area.

"Is that a party-sized churro?"

"Dios Mio!" Ray breathed out when Henry pointed to the gigantic churro that had been ordered to the room specially--to piss them off. (y/n) was forgotten as the two walked over to the mystical object, causing her to huff slightly as Ray began to salivate over it and not her, but she didn't need to worry. Jasper was on hand to act as security.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah! This is a fiesta-sized churro and you guys can't have any."

"This room is for non-crimefighters only...and (y/n) since she's got killer dance moves," Charlotte explained as Jasper shoved them away from the jumbo churro and her words were enough to wound the heroes deeply. But it was only what they'd done earlier and now, they were getting a taste of their own medicine.

"Yeah, yeah, so you need to get your butts outta here!" she added, which was enough to set off a massive argument between the non-supes and the supers.

"Don't you tell me where to put my butt, Charlotte! (y/n), tell her!"

"I'm not getting involved. I prefer to sit on the fence. That way, you see what's growing in both gardens," the woman replied with an unbothered shrug when her doofus asked her to join his side.

She was placed in a difficult position; on one hand, she loved him dearly and he had her unending devotion but on the other, it had been Charlotte, Jasper and Schwox who'd welcomed her into their room even though she was technically an enemy. So, she decided not to choose and instead, wanted to work with Jasper to calm everyone down.

"Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" the boy tried to shout above the noise and he had her full support--until Ray whipped out his laser controller and threatened him.

Jasper was off like a shot, running for cover when Ray made a warning blast above Charlotte and Schwoz's heads. The girl screamed and (y/n) ducked in front of her swiftly, shielding them since Ray would never try to hurt her, as Henry pushed his boss away and wrestled for the weapon.

"He's wearing my colours and hugging my girl, man!" the hero yelled and pointed at Jasper as Henry's eyes searched him for an explanation. Glancing over his shoulder, the kid noticed that his best friend was being comforted by (y/n) with a quick hug after nearly being zapped and he was incidentally wearing a grey, red and blue hoodie. Ray must've been feeling territorial.

"Geez..." he muttered as Ray took a breath and calmed down, soothed by the worried expression written on his fiancee's face and his sudden desire to wipe it clean and put a smile there instead. "Look, let's make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Jasper asked, eyeing his friend suspiciously.

"You guys get to keep your room all to yourselves..."

"Love it."

"Hate it!" There were mixed opinions about the first part of Henry's deal. Ray wanted to enjoy the fancy room with all of its games and sweet girls but equally, the owners of said room wanted their privacy back after he threw them out, but they hadn't heard all of the conditions yet.

"Okay, I'm not--I'm not done. I'm not done. Me and Ray, we get to keep our room all to ourselves--"

"Still love it!"

"Our room is lame!" They all said again, Ray making it clear that he felt that his Mannex, which had started as the second best place in the Man Cave for him, was now relegated to third. Their room was way better and it was where (y/n) was boogieing to her heart's content, what with her wiggling hips and bouncing ti--things. Why would the boy ever want them to go back to that icky, old hole?

"But--but! Ray and I take the fiesta-sized churro with us."

"Yes!--Yes. We, uh, we get the churro..." the amendment made Ray scream like a child and his voice squeaked when the excitement of having the huge churro all to themselves got to him. Still, he steeled himself and acted as though he wasn't thrilled by the negotiation, merely casually interested.

"Deal."

"Deal," Charlotte and Jasper nodded, having exchanged glances before deciding that they could sacrifice the churro if it meant those two so-called heroes left their epic room and them in peace. Henry and Ray fist-pumped to themselves and looked like they were in pain as they growled victoriously.

Schwoz wandered over to the churro, causing everyone to think that he was going to hand it to them and get everything over and done with, but oh, no. He had a hidden agenda.

"Yeah...you can take the churro," he said to the boys, picking up his precious snack like a newborn babe and his face was kind and gracious, not a hint of malice in sight as they grinned,"...when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!"

"What?" the group looked at the genius in confusion as his face turned into a snarl and he raised the churro above his head. Ray and Henry were powerless to stop him as Schwoz cruelly broke the churro in half and began stamping on it, ensuring that it was in tiny crumbs so they couldn't have it. It was a killer for the diplomacy of Henry and Charlotte, (y/n) and Jasper were gutted with how their companion was acting, but not half as gutted as Ray.

"Schwoz!"

"What are you doing?"

"Noooooooo!"

"Never work for the United Nations, you maniac!" they all shouted as Ray sank to his knees, mourning the dessert he'd never get to enjoy as his repairman smashed and squashed every piece he could get his little hands on.

Eventually, he stopped, only when the churro was utterly destroyed and smushed into the dirty floor with no hopes of a single piece being fit to eat. He stood up and smugly looked down on his boss, who was near tears as he looked upon the carnage.

"Enjoy your churro!" Schwoz taunted him and the final blow was the way he cleared his throat and spat on the remnants, much to the disgust of the teens and woman, who knew that there was no need for that. Ray had a fragile tolerance for low blows like that and as he took in the chaos of what used to be his beloved fiesta-sized churro, he chose dirty tactics too.

"Okay...okay..." he swallowed and caught his breath as he stood up, leaving the others nervous since he was eerily calm and unresponsive when (y/n) delicately placed her hand on his arm, "...I'm gonna blow up the Man Cave!"

The teens, Schwoz and (y/n) were left in stunned silence with nervous tummies as they watched Ray storm off to do...that. That thing that he said. That terrible, terrible thing that had to be a joke because he surely wasn't gonna...was he?

"Oh, god, not again... Raymond, keep your fingers to yourself or I will kill you!" (y/n) sighed and offered the other three an apologetic look as she hurried after her lover, disappearing out the door and running after him as quickly as he walked off. Everyone else was lost by what had just happened, by Ray's words, by (y/n)'s and the threat looming over them.

"Should I follow them, or...?" Henry asked, wondering if (y/n) needed a hand since Ray had threatened a lot of things in the past, but never anything as big as blowing up the Man Cave. With that kind of level, he felt like she needed backup, but Charlotte felt like she needed the cavalry.

"We all should follow him," she replied dryly, not wanting to panic but...she was panicking. They all were and no sooner than she'd said that, Henry, then Jasper, then, her and finally, then Schwoz legged it out of the door. Well, Schwoz took some churro pieces with him for the road.

Talk about priorities.

~

In the main room, Ray speedily stomped through the secret door, a deep frown cemented on his face as he walked the warpath. Nothing could stop him, he was determined, if a little irrational and emotional, so nothing, not even Larry and his family's miraculous find could distract him from what he was set to do.

"Ray! The magic key unlocked a chest full of gold coins and treasures--"

"Yeah, yeah, I don't want to get involved!" He ignored the man's happy cries, barely sparing the gold and jewels a second glance as he tapped at the supercomputer's controllers. He pressed a button and from the middle of the floor rose a large, red, flashing button on a podium that was supposed to be used in dire emergencies only.

"But we just want to share the treasure with everybody!"

"What did I just say, Larry? Huh?! What did I just say?" Ray snapped at the joyous guy, who had pearls and diamond necklaces dripping from his neck. Larry shrugged, not caring for his sharp tone, so he left him to do whatever he was doing and went back to his reward.

"Keep your hands away from that button, I mean it, Ray!" (y/n)'s shouts suddenly echoed down the hall until she briskly walked into the room, her finger pointed directly at her doofus. He shrank slightly under her sharp gaze but he instantly shook it off, determined to make a point to that little shit, Schwoz.

He was crouched by the blowup button, inspecting it as if he was genuinely considering pushing it, and when she got close enough, they locked horns, him filled by rage and her fuelled by a desperate need to get through to him.

"I mean it too, sweet girl! I'm seriously gonna blow up the Man Cave!" He growled, looming over the button with his fingers itching to feel the cool plastic but those kinds of threats didn't work on her, not when she knew him and saw through his bluff.

"Oh, really? If you love me at all, Ray Manchester, you will move away from--the--damn--button!--God, why are you so strong?!" (y/n) hissed and put her hands on his pecs to try and push him away from the pillar, only for her own feet to slide on the floor when his heavy frame didn't budge. She couldn't get any friction and so she was just shuffling on the tiles as he smirked down at her and her flattering words.

When she put it like that, he wouldn't push the button because he loved her more than anything. Honestly, he could've been convinced with a few flutters of her eyelashes and maybe a kiss or two, just her telling him to calm down, but then, Henry came in, having followed (y/n), and suddenly, it became important to be all macho and deadly serious again.

"Ray, (y/n)...what is that thing?" the kid breathed out as he zipped through the door and saw the glowing button in the messy room. It took his breath away and when he saw how the power he had after having none at all, Ray stepped away from his lover and turned to the button.

"It's the Man Cave self-destruct button," he replied, adrenaline coating his every word as Larry, Winnie and the kids looked up nervously at the mention of something so dangerous. "In the case of dire emergency, or if I need to prove a point, I press this thing and it starts a countdown clock. And when that clock says zero, the Man Cave says boom!"

That definitely got their attention.

"Ray, darling, do not blow up the Man Cave!" (y/n) pleaded with her doofus. She knew that he was being stupid but the proximity to the button made her itchy and sweaty and she just wanted everyone to back away and chill. She did not fancy dealing with the fallout of a blown-to-bits hideout, not for something as stupid as a squabble over a room.

"Oh, I won't have to, sweetheart. They're gonna back down. This is how the big boys negotiate, trust me!" The man replied and trailed a finger down her cheek as his forehead became clammy. He didn't like it either but he had to make a point somehow and he knew that she knew what had happened before. Unlike Henry.

"I do not trust you," the teen said, thinking his boss was crazy. Everything they had was here, the tech, weapons, and personal items, not to mention the possibility of them dying in the process. Was he willing to risk his future wife and family getting hurt for something so trivial?

"Well, you better trust me, Henry, or I will blow up the Man Cave!" Ray suddenly yelled and hovered his hand over the self-destruct button. (y/n) and Henry jumped back at the sight and the prospect of him coming down on it and as the woman trembled, Henry made the obvious choice out of sheer desperation.

"Okay, I trust you!" he shouted back, stepping away from the button with utter terror on his face, much like (y/n)'s. That's what Ray wanted, not his sweet girl being scared, but that kind of reaction.

"See? That's how it works," Ray grinned and pulled back from the button, happy that he had the kid's unyielding loyalty and all because he made one little threat. An arm was slung over (y/n)'s shoulders and a sloppy kiss pressed to her cheek as she glared at him and held back a heart attack.

He had control, which he had no doubt would also work against the others, who were running down the corridor as Henry groaned and pinched his eyes.

"Ray, no!"

"Don't blow up the Man Cave!" Jasper and Charlotte screamed as they came bounding into the main room, their faces pale and clammy. Unlike (y/n), they weren't sure if Ray was bluffing or not and they figured that it was better to grovel and bow to his ego than risk the consequences.

"You can have our room!" the boy offered. It was a tall price to pay and he wasn't over the moon with having to give his punchball machine up but it didn't matter. There would be other rooms but only if the Man Cave stayed intact.

"No, he can't!" Schwoz argued, sliding across the tiles as he came up behind them, outraged that the teen would even suggest that. Just because the man was having a hissy fit didn't mean they were all gonna die--that's just what he wanted them to think and as such, his objection caused a row.

"Calm down! Ray, Schwoz--calm down!" (y/n) yelled as she got between the quarrelling men, hoping to get them to walk away and cool off but it was useless. Schwoz's family were the worried onlookers as Ray's hand stayed hovering over the button and they kept yelling, their opinions getting lost in the adlib.

"Hey! Listen to me!" Ray suddenly barked, silencing the others as he bared his teeth and scowled. They had to listen, they had no choice; his hand was dangerously close to causing a disaster so they buttoned it as he started spitting venom again.

"I am a shallow, impulsive, immature man-child--"

"Truer words have never been spoken but you do have your upsides..." (y/n) muttered as he stated everything everyone was thinking. He was all of those things and it was a wonder why (y/n) fell in love with him in the first place but then again, no one ever saw him the way she did.

"So, you will apologise to both of us and make us a fiesta-sized churro or I will blow this whole thing sky-high!" He threatened and repositioned his palm over the glowing red surface. (y/n)'s fingers were tentatively grazing his bicep hoping to get him to drop it and kiss her or something, to save them all from doom. However, Schwoz wasn't gonna be bullied, not when he was wearing his favourite jeans-shirt combo.

"Well, I will hit this button myself before I apologise to you!" he hissed and stacked his hand on top of Ray's, causing a symphony of gasps around the room. Things were getting too handsy and Larry and Winnie had their hands on the children in case they needed to run.

"Well, I will blow up the Man Cave if we don't all stop fighting! We're friends, if we can't get along, then we don't deserve a Man Cave!" Charlotte butted in, trying to diffuse their anger with a firm hand that was added to the pile above the button, but it made it worse. Henry, Jasper and (y/n) were particularly dry-mouthed as they saw them all unconsciously lower their hands, not realising how stupid they were all being until they couldn't take it.

"Yeah, well, I don't think that anybody should blow up the Man Cave, ever, for any reason because I live here and I'd quite like to keep it that way!" (y/n) said shakily and slip her hand under Ray's as if she was going to be able to hold them back. She could feel Ray's warmth seeping into her skin but it wasn't calming, not even when she felt his huge body press against hers from behind.

"Yeah, and I actually think we should all just take our hands away from the button, okay?" Henry was next to join in, echoing (y/n)'s argument as he put his hand underneath hers so the stack now resembled pancakes and was getting scarily crowded. And they weren't even done yet.

"Well, I am feeling left out!" Jasper snarled too, although he wasn't mean. He just wanted to be in with the gang and so, his hand became the final pancake on top as they started arguing again.

Schwoz was taunting Ray, Charlotte was taunting both of them, (y/n) was begging Ray to step away, Henry was begging Schwoz to reconsider and Jasper was just throwing in the odd comment as their hands twitched and jostled, the weight increasing the more they sat on top of each other. The muscles in their arms were beginning to ache as Larry and his family watched on with sweating foreheads until it became a mad tangle of hands...and someone slipped.

They didn't know who did the deed, it was too hard to tell and no one would ever admit to it, but someone, in the chaos, some nitwit, pressed the button. The arguing stopped as the button immediately started descending and they looked down at their mistake with blank faces.

"Man Cave self-destruct activated." An automated, feminine voice said and a countdown began on one of the computer's monitors, showing precisely two minutes as Ray had said. It was going down fast and their stomachs dropped at the sight.

"Who touched the button?!" Ray asked in a small, squeaky voice. He knew more than anyone what was about to happen and in the corner of his eye, he could see the torrent of emotion taking over his fianceé. She was almost crying from anger, terror, sadness; so many feelings because she knew what they had set in motion and there was no turning back.

" I didn't!"

"I think you did it!" There were many excuses and refusals to admit the truth but none were more aggravating than Schwoz's, who insisted on blaming his boss since he'd been the drama queen in the first place.

"I was never going to hit it! I was only bluffing!" Ray hissed with blown-out eyes as he confessed his master plan. He'd never willing blow up the Man Cave, he wasn't a maniac, it was his home, the one he shared with his wif--sweet girl. He'd never blow his entire world up like that but neither would Schwoz, who was more at home in the hideout than he was anywhere else.

"You couldn't have been bluffing! I was bluffing!"

"This is all your fault!" Ray exclaimed furiously, sticking his finger in Schwoz's face, which resulted in another shouting match between them, not that they had time for that. A whole fifteen seconds had passed since they'd pressed the damn thing and they hadn't even started running, something the cowering family behind them was keen to do.

"HEYYYYYY!" Larry screamed above their noise, not caring if the hero, his sidekicks and helpers were yelling at each other. He had to look out for his own and he had questions that needed answering, which was more important than whoever had started the impending explosion.

"Is this place really gonna self-destruct?" he asked, looking at Schwoz, the genius.

"Um...yes," he answered nervously, eyes darting from one person to another as he revealed that the button was no joke. It was a real thing, not some gimmick to frighten people, more like a last resort in case a bad guy ever took control and Captain Man had no other options.

"And you really can't stop it?" Charlotte asked, feeling her heart stop at the thought of losing her job, maybe her life and her friends. Poor Ray and (y/n), even if the guy was an annoying jerk, they were gonna lose their home and their livelihood. Maybe Swellview was about to lose its crimefighters and for a petty squabble of all things.

"Um...no," Schwoz said in a quiet voice and gulped, his lips trying to kid themselves into a reassuring smile but who was he kidding? They weren't stupid and if he couldn't stop the explosion, then no one could.

"Oh my god!"

"Arggghhhhh!" Henry screeched as the others wailed and all of a sudden, there was a mad scramble to get to the lift.

In the chaos, Larry, Winnie and the kids filled their pockets as much as they could with the treasure they couldn't carry as well as the horsewoman's saddle and legged it to the elevator. Schwoz guided them inside as Ray counted each teenager under his supervision and ushered them in, thinking that (y/n) was by his side like she always was.

However, when he turned to yank her inside before he could escape too, he saw her going in the opposite direction. His mouth went dry and his eyes went wide, his feet refusing to move because he couldn't leave without her, self-destruct countdown be damned.

"SWEET GIRL? WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" His voice boomed across the room, making everyone else watch the frantic woman with worried eyes since she looked terrified but also determined.

Perhaps the stress of the situation was too much for her nervous personality or she wanted to grab a few mementoes in the last few seconds before they burned but no. This was far more important and as tempting as his outstretched hand was, she couldn't leave yet.

"I have to get Colin!" She cried and bravely ran through the secret door with the pipping of the countdown timer thumping in her brain. It wasn't far, one of the first rooms in the first corridors since she liked having him close but unlike every other visit she paid him, this wasn't time for pets and cuddles.

Leaping across the floor, she practically ripped the door of the hutch open and saw him huddled in the corner as if he knew that the flashing red lights meant his world was ending. Gently but hurriedly, she scooped him up, trying to not hurt him or trip as she pinned him to her chest and spun around, leaving the room as quickly as she entered.

In the main room, Ray was holding the elevator door open, waiting for her return as everyone else itched to get moving. As shameful as it was, Larry and Winnie weren't particularly bothered for one woman's life, not when they had the kids to think about and a part of them was thinking mutinously as an agonisingly long minute ticked by.

"LET ME IN, LET ME IN, LET ME IN!"

But, thankfully, (y/n) reappeared through the door, her pace delayed by the precious cargo she was carrying yet she made it. Ray's outstretched arms were waiting for her and Schwoz spammed the button as he yanked her inside and held her tight. He could feel Colin wriggling between them but he couldn't bring himself to let go, not just yet.

In the squeeze of the elevator, no one had room to breathe but he could after that. He'd had a mini heart attack in those seconds that she wasn't in sight, him thinking that she'd tripped or gotten stuck and would never get out. Super-regeneration wouldn't work if she got ripped apart, not like that and he damn near chased after her, so having her somewhat safe was a balm from his aching heart.

"Don't scare me like that again, darlin'," he mumbled into her hair, feeling her breathing slow as it heated a solitary patch on his shirt. Colin was settling and had the heartache not been tangible in the air, he would've felt quite content. But that was impossible.

His heart was restless and his mind in a frenzy as he felt the droplets of water sting the shockingly red material and her body shake. So much sorrow for something so meaningless.

They could all swear that the elevator ride had never taken that long before or maybe Schwoz had built in a special device into the self-destruct timer that slowed down time, who knows. The moment the elevator opened, they piled out; Ray ensured that (y/n) was the first, her becoming priority since it was every man and his sweet girl for themselves at that point.

The others followed suit but she made a point of standing by the beaded curtain to count everyone who came out to see if everyone was present. Schwoz, Winnie, Charlotte, four children, Henry Jasper, her doofus and one bunny, everyone was okay, freaking out, but okay.

The genius' family ran out of the store, assuming that it was safest to be outside where no ceilings could collapse on them, but before the Man Cave team could do the same, Henry held them back.

"What?" Ray questioned, thinking something was seriously wrong with his sidekick if it was bad enough to put them all in danger like that.

"I left my dad's karaoke machine inside!" Henry exclaimed, making them all roll their eyes since the machine was not worth their lives, not when the precious seconds they had were running out, "do you think there's still time--" Too late.

A colossal explosion rocked Junk-N-Stuff before Henry could finish his sentence. The group were thrown in all directions by the waves of energy that were powerful enough to rock the entirety of Swellview, stretching from Swellview High to Burger Castle to Henry's house to Evil Science Corp to the desert and even another dimension, something which KLVY News couldn't explain.

They couldn't stay on their feet and despite his best efforts, Ray had enough work trying to keep himself okay, let alone protecting his fiancée or workers. She was fine, though, wobbling everywhere and in a permanent state of having tears in her eyes but fine as she prayed that Colin would break free from her arms in panic as the implosion seemingly changed the rotation of the Earth it was that strong.

But eventually, the shockwaves dissipated, turning into trembles that gradually petered off into nothing, leaving them nauseous and breathless but otherwise unharmed. Henry was on the floor, Jasper got up from the crusty, old couch, and Ray dragged (y/n) into his arms with his hand on her cheek as he asked if she was okay. His finger stroked the behind of Colin's ear as he pecked at her forehead and held her tightly--which she needed just to keep everything together.

As the dust settled, everything else did too. The shock peaked and began to seep into their bones to solidify into reality, telling them that this wasn't a dream, the Man Cave that they knew and loved truly was gone. Everything they were was gone and they were all at fault.

"I can't believe it," Charlotte muttered in a quiet voice, her body stiff since she couldn't fathom what had just happened.

"We blew up the Man Cave..." Jasper echoed the same sentiment and he daren't look his boss--former boss in the eye. Their workplace was gone, a pile of rubble so he assumed that this was the end of them as a team, their story was over, though he never imagined it ending like this.

He always pictured an epic fight for the sake of Swellview and everyone living in it, a bitter struggle filled with pain and loss and joy and hope. This was nothing in comparison, the worst kind of ending.

"Yeah..."

"We did..." Ray and (y/n) breathed out, clinging to each other not because they couldn't get enough of each other, but because they couldn't let go. The shock was fresh for them too because they never thought the Man Cave would be lost along with all of their worldly possessions and they were still catching up with reality.

No one was hurt, thank god, and their treasured photos and memories were all backed up on a remote server but still. Everything else was gone.

"You maniacs!" Henry cried as she kneeled on the floor, rocking slightly next to a damaged cardboard cut-out of the Statue of Liberty.

"You blew it up! Oh, dang you! Gosh, dang you all as well!" He was upset by the loss of the centre of his childhood, some might say he was even referencing something, as Ray shuffled on his feet, hugged his sniffling lover and watched his youngest sidekick sob and groan on the floor.

There was only one thing they could do. Go and check it out.

It would be tough and Henry was reluctant to peel himself from the floor but his curiosity was unyielding.  They had to see what had become of the Man Cave, so off they went.

No one said a word as they trudged back to the elevator single-file. As ever, the trip down was rough and the familiarity was slightly comforting, even if (y/n) had no choice but to bodyslam Charlotte to save her rabbit from becoming a pancake. Ray helped by sliding his arms under hers and pulling her up as the others groaned and steadied themselves.

"Maybe it's not as bad as we think," Charlotte commented optimistically as they braced themselves for what they were about to see. As long as the main structure was sound, it wouldn't be too bad, they could rebuild and buy new furniture, which was wishful thinking.

The bell dinged and the door slid open, revealing that her hopes couldn't be further from the truth. They gasped and grimaced as they were faced with an ugly contortion of metal from the sprocket, chunks of the stone walls that were now superheated rubble and sparking cables that had been torn and shredded. It was a mess and utterly uninhabitable.

"Or maybe it's worse..." Charlotte corrected herself with a hoarse voice that had become gravelly from the intense, thick smoke that flooded the elevator. They had to shrink back from the rogue electricity that threatened to bite at their skin and the message was clear--there was nothing left.

"She's right..." Ray lamented, his heart twisting at the thought of what could've been if they hadn't been so quick. His bunny or his sweet girl could've been in there and that scared him half to death but he, (y/n) and Schwoz had known worse. "This is worse than the other ones."

"Yes, Raymond. You've truly outdone yourself this time, and I thought you couldn't after the second time..." (y/n) replied coldly, glancing back at him with her lips set in a firm, unimpressed line. Her words were news to the teens, who baulked at what she was implying because they could've been dreaming, but it sure sounded like Ray had done this sort of thing before.

"Your daddy is such a doofus, Colin. It's a wonder that mommy hasn't had a coronary yet..." she went on, absentmindedly muttering to her bunny, who did nothing more than twitch his nose. Ray was pouting and drooping like a scolded puppy, eager to earn her affection and approval again but even he had to admit that she had every right to be mad at him right now. This was particularly bad.

"What other ones?" Jasper asked. Even he could sense the history in the air and the annoyed look (y/n) gave her lover, and he was known for being dense with those things.

"Oh, the other Man Caves we've blown up," Ray replied casually as if it was no big deal at all. They stopped at that, drawing attention to several things in that utterance that didn't add up. Other Man Caves? As in more than one? Huh? And what was that about blowing them up too?

"No, no, no, other Man Caves that you've blown up! As in, you and him, nothing to do with me!" (y/n) scoffed and she appeared almost outraged that he dared to drag her in on his and apparently Schwoz's schemes. He had some bare-faced cheek to say that she was a culprit too.

"Okay, okay, sweet girl, other Man Caves we've blown up. Schwoz built, like...ten of 'em?" Ray corrected himself and then looked down at his handyman, who looked sheepish and nonchalant at the same time. As if none of this was a big deal like it was for the stunned teens.

"Yeah..."

"...I'm terribly sorry, what?" Henry was the first to ask since the others were incapable of speaking what with the stuck questions in their mouths and quivering lips. How could they have never heard this tall tale?

"I didn't just build one Man Cave," Schwoz said like it was obvious as he turned to them with a small smirk tugging at his lips. He'd known Ray for many years before he'd built the Man Cave, he'd known who he was dealing with even back then.

"Yeah, this idiot is very irresponsible," (y/n) added with an eye roll, although she did soften when he draped himself over her and wrapped his arms around her waist in a warm hug that was definitely not him crawling for forgiveness.

"It's true," the man wholeheartedly agreed with a humourous chuckle that tickled her ear and she had to remind him that she was holding their fur baby. He kissed her cheek several times, though, drawing at a stifled squeal that had his heart singing as the perturbed teens watched on. It didn't feel like a time for joking or laughing or kissing or hugging, but when had that ever bothered them before?

"So, I built one Man Cave and nine spare Man Caves, each one below the other," he explained simply, letting them imagine how far he must've dug into the Earth just to accommodate so many rooms. It wasn't hard for him, the genius, all that was different between each version was how the elevator journey got longer by a second.

"Let's see, we started with ten Man Caves, we've blown up five so far, which leaves..." Ray thought out loud, recalling all of his previous dwellings, the good memories he'd made in them and the times they'd been lost. It had been hard to start again but after a week the same old Man Cave feel set in and it became like a new-old home.

"Hey! Hey!" Henry suddenly piped up and grasped at his boss's arm to grab his attention, which was half used on doing a very hard math problem and half spent on showing his grumpy girl some love. "What do you mean you've blown up five Man Caves so far?"

"Well, the first one was an accident, granted..." Ray chuckled nervously, thinking back to how his much younger self had accidentally pressed the button thinking that it was something cute and innocent. Oh, how wrong he'd been, but in his defence, he was only just starting as a superhero and didn't have the same supervision he would have later.

"Yeah, that was before my time--before we met," (y/n) commented. She didn't know precisely what had gone down but she had a pretty good picture in her mind since she knew young Ray and how cocky he used to be. God knows what he was like when he was twenty-one and without her there to say it was a bad idea.

"The dark days, sweetheart..." Ray mumbled and dropped a kiss on her head before continuing his amble down memory lane, "the second one was a prank gone very wrong."

"Ah, yes...I was there for that one and yet you still ignored me when I told you that pigs and fire don't mix," the heroine in his embrace smiled at the nostalgia and how he stiffened at the recollection.

Oh, the panic he'd caused her that day when she thought they were all gonna die...and the panic he had after when she refused to talk to him for two weeks as punishment for scaring her. Those truly were dark days, back when he was still nurturing the fledgling love he had for her yet felt terrified by; he thought he'd screwed everything up until she came to him crying and sniffing for being so mean and so the cycle of total enamour and shame started again.

"Yeah, um...the third one got invaded by Mole People," he swiftly moved on to the next Man Cave, which they'd had no choice but to destruct after those irritating little miscreants invaded the place.

"Ugh, I hate Mole People!"

"Oh my god, they are the worst! I swear one pooped in my bed!" Schwoz and (y/n) groaned at the mention of the tiny, mole-like sand scurriers that only existed in Swellview folklore. They were in children's stories and funny tales, so no one believed they were real, well, except for those who knew the truth.

"Wait, Mole People are real?!" Jasper asked incredulously, having heard about them as a kid but he'd grown out of that nonsense...or so he kept telling himself.

"Yes, and they are impossible to get rid of!" (y/n) nodded, remembering how the infestation had gotten so bad that they'd had an emergency meeting and agreed to flush them out in the only way they could think of. The poop in her bed was the final straw, not that the kids could believe that.

"Uhhh, oh--the fourth one!"

"Oh god, how our friendship survived the fourth one, I don't know..." they just knew from the exasperation in the woman's voice that this was gonna be a good one and Ray's pale face only cemented it.

"I saw this spider, right? I went to get a tissue and turned around, couldn't find it for the life of me, so, obviously..." Ray chuckled as Schwoz imitated an explosion and (y/n) sighed. They could imagine the fury of the woman as they imagined Ray blowing up an entire Man Cave simply because there had been a spider lurking somewhere. It was something he'd do.

"You can laugh but if Schwoz hadn't taken the blame for you, I would've quit there and then, no matter how much I was in love with you," (y/n) uttered as she swirled a finger through Colin's fur.

It would only be several months later that she'd find out that Ray had been the coward afraid of a tiny arachnid and by then, she'd mellowed enough to simply smack his chest, shout in his face and ignore him for a few days.

Ray had never felt guiltier but the fallout was better than what it could've been and he'd rather take her silence and refusals to sneak into his bed at night than no sweet girl at all, even if he was limited to friendship and nothing more.

"I said I was sorry..." he mumbled and only moved on when she leaned back into him to show that she didn't hold six-year-old grades, "Uh... the fifth one got blown up over a churro--oh, you guys were there for that one!" And that brought them up to the present day.

"Whoaaaa, whoa, whoa..." Charlotte stopped him before he could get distracted and move on because if she didn't set this straight, her head might've imploded, "so, you're saying that there's more Man Caves right below this one?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" (y/n) offered her an understanding if slightly cynical smile as Ray and Schwoz stared at her blankly. It was the Man Cave, they were superheroes, they fought crime, monsters and bad guys. Why were they surprised by this sort of thing anymore?

"I wouldn't risk blowing up our only Man Cave over a churro. That would be crazy!" the hero grinned and slowly, the truth sank in for the teens, who'd just learned at this point to just roll their eyes, massage away any oncoming headaches and accept his ridiculous shenanigans. He was a hard man to work for, an ever harder man to love, but he was Ray. That's what he was like.

"Who wants to see the new Man Cave?" Schwoz asked excitedly and rubbed his hands together. Honestly, Ray was the only one who was excited; (y/n) was tired and only looking forward to getting Colin settled in a new location, whilst the teens were still getting over the man-child that was their boss. Still, every cloud...

Schwoz turned around with a huge grin on his face as Ray buzzed behind his sweet girl and clung to her to keep himself still.

Looking at the control panel for the lift, the genius saw the up button, the down button and the small, circular, silver disk that was between them, just like it had always been. To the teen's amazement, he pushed that disk to the side, sliding it up and around to reveal another hidden button with a question mark on it and when he pressed it, a secret panel was revealed.

An entirely new set of buttons were revealed as the metal wall opened up and they could see that the first four buttons were grey and dead because they were connected to the old Man Caves. The fifth was illuminated green to signify the one they'd just lost and the others were shining a bluish-white as if they were still pure and untainted by Ray and his antics.

He pressed the sixth button, rendering the fifth grey like the others before he pressed the question mark button again to seal the panel once more. All that was left was to press the down button as he and Ray rubbed their hands together in anticipation, (y/n) braced herself for the drop and the teens stood there baffled by what they'd seen for years and thought nothing about.

One mad descent later and the elevator crashed as it always did before opening its doors...to reveal something magical. Henry had the privilege of being the first to step out into a brand new Man Cave--he couldn't believe his eyes.

Everything was spotless and unblemished with the furniture covered by shimmering silver tarps, which made it look a little impersonal but it was the Man Cave. Not as they knew it but that wouldn't take much to change.

"Whoa..." Jasper gasped as he took everything in from the same computers to the familiar tubes to the identical couch, it was all here. It was home and Ray was happy to lead his sweet girl into it like he'd done before, his hand in the small of her back.

"It's got that new Man Cave smell. What do you think, sweet girl?" he mentioned, skimming across the room and inhaling the scent of polish and squeaky clean furniture. He looked down at (y/n) to gauge her reaction and observed her silently, watching as she looked at everything. It was different, of course, not the hole in the ground that they'd made a home but she'd get used to it. Home was wherever her doofus went.

"I think...you better buy me an entire new wardrobe, doofus but... I like it," she smiled and angled her head upwards so they could share a gentle kiss--the first of many they hoped for in their new quarters. They'd never been able to do that before on all of the other unfortunate occasions, no matter how much they wanted to and it was heartwarming to think about how much had changed.

"This is amazing," Henry said as he finished looking and around and looked back at them, his smile growing when he saw how tender the man could be when his world revolved around her and no one else. He knew why she loved him and why no one else ever would--because he never showed himself like that to anyone else, she got the best of him.

"It looks exactly the same..." Jasper added too, too enthralled by the uncanny resemblance to notice what Henry did and by the time he peeled his eyes away, Ray was already walking again with (y/n) by his side like always.

"Sure does."

"Yeah, it's the Man Cave...again!" they agreed and Schwoz took a moment to gloat silently before Ray got down to business to deal with the elephant in the room. The self-destruct button was still out in this version since the protocol hadn't been cancelled yet.

"Okay, first things first. Let's put that self-destruct button away before someone accidentally hits it again," he said, stripping the shroud from the computer so he could sit down and enter the password but of course, things were never that simple.

To their shock, before his index finger could even hit the first key, the tarp on the couch was pulled back and a snarling, vicious creature with dirty, brown fur, knee britches, a pointed snout, grubby bare feet, pale skin and long sharp claws came charging towards them.

The horrified teens jumped back with (y/n) as their human shield as she instantly recognised the foul beast and growled back at it, trying to stand her ground and keep Colin away from its toothy snarl at the same time.

"What's that?" Charlotte asked, looking at the peculiar thing with intrigue that came from her scientist's heart but also fear as it looked like it had rabies.

"It's a Mole Person!"

"Get it out before it craps somewhere!" (y/n) hissed as Schwoz identified the creature without hesitation. He knew those claws and that snout anywhere but the poop thing was the least of their problems, especially since this Mole Person was particularly vengeful towards humans.

"Mole People never die!" it declared defiantly and before anyone could tackle him, the mole ran forward and pressed the button, scampering through the secret door now that its mischief was over. They'd probably dug another tug and got in that way, not that they could do anything about now as that oh-so-familiar voice said the magic words again.

"Man Cave self-destruct activated." Said the computer and so, the countdown started again. Damn Mole People always running Ray's Man Caves. With the two minutes counting down, any hopes the team had of reestablishing themselves were dashed and they all knew what came next.

"Back in the elevator, people..." Ray sighed and this time as they all diverted to escape with their lives, there was no mad rush or panic or pandemonium. Rather, tiredness made their feet drag a little as they piled in, (y/n) still clutching Colin and Ray as protective as ever despite them knowing the routine by now.

The elevator went up as predicted and the boredom was plain on their faces as they waited for the rumbling to start again. Hell, Ray even timed it on his watch, waiting for the hand to strike thirty-two minutes past as (y/n) looked at his wrist to know when to brace. The tremors came on time and now that they were used to it, no one fell over or cried or worried.

Ray was able to steady his sweet girl and even took hold of Colin to give her a break as Charlotte checked her TwitFlash to see everyone talking about the mysterious double earthquake. Henry, Jasper and Schwoz weren't that bothered either and simply chatted as the displays untidied themselves around the store.

"We're gonna have to use the seventh Man Cave, aren't we?" (y/n) yelled to Ray as they used each other to stay balanced. She didn't need to ask the question, the answer was already clear but she just wanted to hear it out loud so she could let it sink in.

Number seven; jeez, Schwoz better get his chisel out and start digging a few spares, just in case.

"Yeah, sweet girl, we are."

"Fabulous..." Ray heard her sarcastic mumble and could see how deeply she sighed at the news of them moving again. Once was enough but two in one day was a record, one that even tired him out so he could only imagine what her nerves were doing right now. She was strong but change always unsettled her, something that made him feel doubly bad until he thought of a great way to cheer her up.

"Don't look so sad, sweetheart, moving Man Cave isn't so bad," he shouted above the noise and no one paid attention since it was just the same old Ray and (y/n) having a discussion, nothing new there.

She looked up at him with empty eyes because she wanted to trust him, she did but a whole new Man Cave sounded so daunting. It was nicer that morning when she knew every nook, cranny, wrinkle and imperfection about the home that held so many memories. The home she thought would see them through to retirement; four walls that had witnessed their friendship and the beginning of their love as a proper couple.

"Yeah, doof? What's that?" the heroine asked in a quiet voice, quiet enough that no one else could hear it above the rumbling but loud enough for it to reach his ears. It took him a moment to reply simply because she nearly fell flat on her face and he had to juggle Colin and grab her before she hit the floor but they got there.

"Because we have the opportunity to christen every surface all over again," his voice was low and his mouth was pressed directly against her ear, so the reason was a secret lost to everyone else but to (y/n)? It inspired her with a new spark to live and rebuild their lives in the Man Cave with a stronger foundation than ever before.

Oh, he was a little devil but she wasn't exactly an angel either, not since she fell for him.