~The Man Cave~
"Wow, a bucket of swords!" (y/n) saw two kids walking around the store.
"What are they doing here?" Henry said, not wanting his friends to ruin his chances of working with Captain Man.
"Friends of yours?" Ray asked with his arms folded.
"Uh-huh." They all continued to watch the screen, seeing how Jasper was entranced by one of the items on sale.
"Jasper, please don't embarrass me." Charlotte pleaded with him, giving (y/n) the idea that this kid was strange.
"Excuse me, sir."
"He's gonna do it." this made (y/n) bite her cheek to stop smiling at the girl's reaction.
"Yes?" Gooch elongated in his Indian dialect.
"How much?" Why was this kid so interested in a rusty, old barrel of swords?
"Each sword is one hundred dollars." Gooch named the price.
"No, no, no, how much for the bucket?" 'Okay, this kid is really weird.'
"The bucket?" Gooch didn't understand either, it seemed.
"That's not a bucket. That's a barrel." Charlotte tried to tell him, but Jasper didn't care.
"It's close enough to a bucket. I collect buckets." He said with a proud smile on his face. 'Who the hell collects buckets?' (y/n) thought in her inner monologue; she didn't understand modern kids' obsessions.
"Don't say it." Poor Charlotte always got embarrassed by Jasper and his antics with buckets.
"I'm a bucketeer!" And he said it.
"Well, they seem like nice kids. The boy's a bit weird but nice." (y/n) mentioned, leaning her arm on Ray's shoulder and looking over at Henry.
"Yeah, their names are Jasper and Charlotte. I've known them ever since--" He told them, still watching what they were doing upstairs.
"Get rid of them." Ray interrupted him as he didn't want more kids to discover the Man Cave or cause problems.
"I'll get rid of them." Henry quickly said and ran towards the elevator as (y/n) grabbed some popcorn from the auto-snack machine.
"You really have a way with children." (y/n) noted sarcastically, not loving how Ray spoke to Henry, but their attention was soon back on the screen and the bucket kid. Ray sat in the chair with his feet on the control panel, and (y/n) put her arms around his neck from behind, letting him reach the popcorn if he wanted it.
"Wow, what a bucket."
"Huh, kid sure loves that bucket," Ray said, looking up at her.
"Can't we just give it to him? Might make him leave faster." (y/n) pondered with a piece of popcorn in her mouth, not seeing how Ray gazed up at her.
"What? No! No gifts to weird bucket kids."
They saw Henry run in from the back room, and he went over to where Charlotte and Jasper stood next to the sword barrel/bucket.
"Hey!" He greeted them.
"Hey Henry, did you get the job?" Charlotte asked him hopefully.
"Yeah." Ray grabbed the popcorn bucket from (y/n's) hands and started munching away.
"Cool." Charlotte congratulated him.
"Does that mean I can get a discount on this bucket?" Jasper asked him, really wanting the barrel/bucket, which irritated Ray a bit.
"I still say we just give him the bucket." (y/n) said, which caused the man sitting in front of her to throw a piece of popcorn up at her face.
"Dude, it's my first day here. You-- you guys gotta--" Henry tried to make them realise that they needed to leave, but Jasper Dunlop did not give up easily when it came to buckets.
"Excuse me, mysterious foreign man, do Henry's friends get a discount here?" Jasper asked a perplexed Gooch, who only shook his head, along with his flytrap.
"That plant just shook its head!" Charlotte noticed in disbelief.
"Wow!" Jasper ran over to where the plant was kept, wanting to see if it would move again.
"Will you get him outta here?!" Henry shook her by her shoulders, trying to get the message across.
"How much for the plant?" Jasper asked Gooch.
"Like Gooch would give Omar to some kid." (y/n) giggled, taking more popcorn.
The flytrap squirmed and squealed at the thought of being bought, but Gooch quickly calmed it down.
"The plant is not for sale." He said seriously as Henry tried in vain to get them to leave.
"Come on. I'll give you seven bucks for it and one Canadian loonie." Jasper emptied his pockets and put all his money in front of the cashier. Not liking that the kid still wanted to buy him, the plant opened its mouth and squirted Jasper in the face.
"Ahhhh, it spat in my eye!" Ray laughed along with (y/n) at the sight of Jasper with his face screwed up. It was pretty hilarious.
"Hey, that's my popcorn, don't eat all of it." She said, trying to take the box back, but Ray was too enthralled with the kids onscreen.
"I told you Canadian money upsets people." Charlotte chastised as Jasper panicked from the spit in his eyes.
"You guys, you've got to go now." Henry started pulling his friends towards the front door, not wanting them to upset anyone else in the store.
"Wait, what about my bucket? I want the pretty bucket!" Jasper wouldn't let it go. Charlotte, too, was protesting why they had to leave so abruptly, but Henry still shoved them out of the door.
"Will you shut up about that bucket?" (y/n) heard Charlotte faintly shout from the street as Ray sipped on his drink that he reached for from the auto-snacker.
"Come on, get up! Henry will be back down here any minute, and he needs a costume if he's gonna be your sidekick." (y/n) patted Ray's shoulder and walked over to the couch.
"Yeah, yeah, but first, I want a banana," Ray said to her.
"All you ever do is eat." She joked.
"Just wait for the kid." He told her. The elevator dinged, and Henry came back into the Man Cave. Ray grabbed his banana and sat down next to (y/n), who started to tell Henry what they would do.
"In that room, you'll find loads of costumes about your size. Try them on, and we'll see what's best." She smiled, and Henry nodded in understanding.
~
"I gotta wear this?" Henry asked in horror, as he was wearing an American flag-inspired costume that was frankly hideous.
Ray sat munching his banana, looking at the teen in deep thought as he took in the outfit.
"All good sidekicks wear costumes." He told him.
"Yeah, but not like that. Take it off, Henry." (y/n) hated how bold it was.
"Yeah, I agree. This is bad." Henry nodded with her, looking at himself in the mirror.
"I have more options." The superhero said with a mouth full of banana.
~
This time, Henry was wearing a bright purple glitter jacket with matching pants and silver sparkly boots. It wasn't any better than the last outfit. He gave a twirl so the two adults could get a complete look at the awful costume from every unflattering angle.
"The whole point of being a superhero is subtlety. Why do you even have that?" (y/n) indignantly asked Ray, who was now eating another piece of fruit.
"Yeah, too sparkly."
~
The following costume wasn't any better, either. It was mainly red, with a hooded cape and a tight, shiny bodysuit. Nope.
"No capes!" (y/n) exclaimed. She hated them, knowing how they could be pulled and trapped during battle.
"Eh, it's a little Broadway." Ray wasn't keen on it either, this time eating some watermelon.
~
Okay, this one made (y/n) laugh loudly at how silly Henry looked. It was bright gold and too tight as Henry shuffled towards them, and at least he could make the criminals laugh at it.
"Too tight," Ray said, sitting on the couch with a half-eaten pineapple.
"Uh, way too tight." Henry squeaked out.
"Oh man, I ate a lot of fruit." Ray moaned in pain from his full stomach, but (y/n) had little sympathy for him.
"I told you not to eat all of it, but did you listen? Noooo." She said to herself, which made Ray place a hand on her head to steady himself.
~
This one was perfect. It matched Ray's suit, with silver, red and blue making up the jacket. Everything suited him like it was tailor-made. The two adults observing him smiled and nodded at the new costume.
"Hey! I like it." Ray said with glee as he stood up, his fruit-induced stomachache now subsided.
"I like it." Henry agreed.
"But it takes a lot of time to put on." He mentioned.
"Which is why you'll need this special bubble gum." (y/n) said, holding out a tube and passing it to Henry, who didn't understand its significance.
"Special?" He said, feeling confused again.
"Read the instructions." She pointed out.
"Chew gum, blow bubble, fight crime." He read aloud, looking up at Ray.
"Now, you'll be needing one of these too," Ray said, kneeling in front of him and placing a bracelet on Henry's wrist. (y/n) took Ray's laser remote and lowered the lights in the Man Cave because Ray wanted the next bit of the conversation to be dramatic.
"What's this for?" The boy questioned.
"It means we're engaged." He joked, making (y/n) giggle at him.
"What?" Henry's eyes grew wider.
"He's kidding. It's how we'll contact you." (y/n) reassured him before he could panic.
"Why can't you just call me?" Henry asked.
"I melted your phone." Ray reminded him in a monotone voice.
"Right." Henry nodded along with him.
"Now, listen closely. That wristband flashes." Ray started to explain.
"It flashes." The teen understood.
"A triple flashing light means emergency, like "major sitch going down, so get here fast." (y/n) finished for him.
"Right."
"A double flashing light means it's important." Ray continued.
"And what does a single flashing light mean?" Henry looked up expectantly.
"Just to, you know, shoot us a text whenever." (y/n) piped up in a casual voice.
"Got it."
"Now, raise your right hand, spread your fingers. Turn your head and cough." Ray said, doing the same.
"Oh god, here comes the oath." (y/n) mumbled under her breath. Henry mimicked Ray's actions.
"What?"
"Haha, joke." (y/n) rolled her eyes again at Ray's childishness.
"Place your left hand over your right lung, and repeat after me." He said as Henry slapped a hand over his chest.
"I, Henry Hart--" Captain Man started.
"I, Henry Hart--" The teen repeated.
"Pledge to be an awesome sidekick to Captain Man--" Again, (y/n) rolled her eyes. Most oaths didn't go like this.
"Pledge to be an awesome sidekick to Captain Man--"
"And to never ever, ever tell anyone that I am Captain Man's secret sidekick." Ray focused his eyes on Henry.
"And to never, ever tell anyone that I am Captain Man's secret sidekick." Henry smiled back.
"You left out that last ever." (y/n) butted in with her humour.
"Ever." Henry finished.
"It is done." Ray ended the oath, lowering his hand.
"Feels good," Henry said, smiling at the two. However, before they could celebrate more, the alarm went off, telling Ray and (y/n) that there was an emergency. The lights went back on, and they ran over to the supercomputer.
"What's up, Gooch?" (y/n) said, sitting down and opening the camera between the Man Cave and Junk-N-Stuff.
"Someone sabotaged the bridge over the Jandy River." He explained, looking worried.
"The bridge is down?" Ray asked in concern.
"Affirmative," Gooch confirmed.
"That means yes," Ray whispered to Henry.
"I think he knew that doofus." (y/n) whispered back.
"Situation?" Ray concentrated on the situation at hand.
"Cars in the water. Lives in danger." Gooch relayed the message.
"Understood," Ray said.
"Okay, from here to the Jandy River, tell them Captain Man's ETA is about 15 minutes, Gooch." (y/n) told the man before closing the link.
"Phase two of The Toddler's plan." The superhero said with his fists clenched in anger.
"Let's ride." He said to Henry, running over to grab a weapon from the bench.
"Wait, where?" Henry asked.
"We've got people in the Jandy River that need saving. Come on." Ray exclaimed hurriedly, running over to where the tubes came down.
"You mean we're going there together, like right now?" Henry wasn't up to speed with what was going on.
"Yeah, get under your tube," Ray said to him, wanting to get out as soon as possible.
"Good luck!" (y/n) shouted over to them with a grin from her place at the computer. Ray returned her smile briefly before looking back to Henry.
"Ready?" He asked him.
"For what?" The thirteen-year-old asked, not knowing what was coming next.
"Up the tube!" Ray shouted after hitting his belt. The suction started, and he shot up the tube and out of the Man Cave.
"I don't know how to--" Henry panicked. He started jumping up and down, hoping his tube would do the same.
"Just tap your belt buckle." (y/n) explained. Henry did as she said, causing his tube to come down.
"Up the tuuuuuuube.." Henry shouted as he, too, was drawn upwards.
~(y/n)'s PoV~
I sat down in the Man Cave, lying on the couch like I usually did when Ray went out. I was scrolling through my phone when the news flashed on the computer. Noticing it was about the Jandy River incident, I swiftly gave it my full attention.
'--Take you live to the Jandy Bridge, which mysteriously collapsed over an hour ago." The female news anchor reported.
"Mysteriously, my ass." I snickered to myself. Like Ray, I had no love for The Toddler or any criminal.
"We understand there are several people in cars in the water. People are injured." The on-scene reporter said.
'Come on, get to the Captain Man bit.' I thought to myself, as I already knew all the details about the bridge collapsing.
I got up to grab some ice cream whilst they talked about the rescue operation. However, I soon returned to my couch seat, nearly spilling the frozen dessert, when they finally mentioned Ray.
"Luckily, Captain Man arrived on the scene, leapt into the water, and saved the endangered citizens from drowning." I couldn't help but smile to myself at how selfless Ray was.
"And Ron, is it true that, for the first time, Captain Man wasn't working alone?" The woman asked the reporter.
"Damn straight, lady! Go, Henry!" I shouted with a mouthful of ice cream, happy Henry was being recognised for his actions.
"That's correct. It appears Captain Man has teamed up with a new sidekick, who apparently goes by the name Kid Danger." 'Huh, glad we discussed that one, Ray.' I monologued, but in truth, I wasn't angry or anything. 'Kid Danger' was a pretty sick name for a sidekick.
"Well, once again, Swellview owes a big thanks to Captain Man and, apparently, Kid Danger." The news anchor smiled as the report ended, so I turned off the screen. As soon as I did, a tube came down with a filthy Ray, which made my eyes widen in shock and laughter.
"Sweet cheese, what happened to you?" I said, running to grab a towel from the back of the Man Cave.
"Justice. That's what happened." He said from behind me in his Captain Man voice. I returned with a towel that Ray took from my hands and immediately wiped his face, sighing.
"Still no sign of the Toddler, then?" I asked sympathetically. He let out a long groan.
"Dang it, no! That piece of filth got away as soon as the bridge collapsed." He said, tiredly going over to the computer chair.
"Don't sit down! You're covered in river gunge and debris and stuff." He looked at me with puppy eyes, which melted my heart, but I wasn't about to spend an hour getting the dirt and smell off the chair.
"Look at me like that all you want, but you need a shower 'cause you stink." I push him towards the sprocket, where our rooms and bathrooms were.
"Leave your suit in the laundry basket, and I'll wash it!" I shouted to him, which he acknowledged with a wave behind his back.
"Thank you!" I chuckled after him. For all his craziness, I wouldn't give up working with him for the world.
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