"We killed Schwoz."

"We didn't kill him…"

"He's dead. We need to plan a funeral for him."

"He's not dead, Henry!" Ray exclaimed. The two of them stood outside the doors of the Man's Nest, watching as the helicopter slowly faded away from their eyesight as it flew away. The younger of the two groaned and walked back inside, looking at the nervous new batch of kids he and Ray had been training since the start of the year.

The original Danger Force crew had grown up and moved on. Mika was in New York attending Cornell University, and while Bose definitely didn't get into college, he joined her so he could stay close to his girlfriend. Seeking his independence and his own identity separate from his twin, Miles was attending Dartmouth College. And as for Chapa, school wasn't really for her, so she decided to backpack through Europe and Asia. That left Ray with the only option to recruit new kids, have Schwoz give them new superpowers, and basically start all over with Danger Force 2.0. And while they were eager to learn and happy to help the citizens of Swellview, they were incredibly…rough around the edges.

Valerie had ice powers and had accidentally frozen over the control panel when she was trying to perfect her ice breath. Huey, coincidentally, had fire breath and offered to thaw out the panel. Unfortunately, he blew out a flame that was a tad bit too hot and completely melted the panel and fused it to the floor beneath them. Colton decided to use his super strength to force them apart but accidentally used too much of his strength and sent the entire control panel flying through the air and about to crush poor unsuspecting Schwoz who was working on a gadget. Eager to save him and be praised as a hero, Calliope relied on her super speed to run towards him and save him but ended up tripping over her own feet and crashing into the large TV that Ray had left out and was now barreling towards Henry. Noticing it, Henry used his force field to block it but ended up repelling it against his force field and causing it to crash against the massive control panel which caused both large items to repel against each other and go in different directions. As the panel flew up into the air again, the TV rammed into Schwoz and knocked him over, dizzying him a little and leaving him so dazed that he couldn't move out of the way before the control panel finally crashed atop him.

It was…a lot.

"We killed Schwoz," Calliope said with a whimper.

"We did not kill him!" Ray exclaimed as he walked inside. "He's gone back to Schwozlandia or wherever the hell he's from and he's going to rest and recover there for a little while… And if he does die, you all killed him, not me."

"Look, what are we going to do? Schwoz makes all of our gadgets but he's gonna be recovering for a while! We're in trouble," Huey said.

"We're just gonna have to be very careful with the stuff that we have now and hope they can last until Schwoz recovers," Henry said as he scratched the back of his head. The kids muttered amongst themselves and Henry felt rather…defeated. He turned to Ray who was typing away on their backup computer.

"What are we gonna do, dude? This is like…bad," he said as he stood next to him.

"Well, you'll probably get a charge for attempted murder or something but you can easily fight that in court," Ray answered.

"Dude!"

"Relax!" Ray waved his hands around wildly. "He'll be fine! Hopefully! And in the meantime, we just need to manage with what we have!" He blew out a raspberry and waved him off dismissively. Henry just sighed and shook his head a little before checking the time. Thankfully, it was his time to leave and he definitely needed to get out of there.

"Alright, I'm off the clock. Good luck with the kids and their PTSD," Henry said quickly before leaving before Ray could respond. He took the tube up to the school and exited, smiling when he was welcomed by the sight of Camille waiting for him.

He had been grappling over whether or not he should tell her about what exactly his job was. She knew that he worked at the school as a "teacher assistant" to Ray, but she didn't know anything deeper than that. She didn't even know about his superpower or his past as a sidekick and temporary superhero in Dystopia. He had been tempted to tell her, and he knew she was trustworthy, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it for some reason. But he wasn't going to dwell on it.

"Hey, babe! How was work?" Camille asked. She kissed his cheek as he pulled her into a tight hug. He sighed heavily and pulled away from her.

"Exhausting. I'll definitely need a head rub," he said with a pout. She laughed softly and nodded.

"A head rub? Damn, you really did have a bad day. When we get home I'll give you a nice relaxing scalp massage." He winked before climbing into the car with her and buckling up. As she drove down the mountain, he rested his hand on her knee and rubbed it gently, earning a pleased smile from her.

It was June now, and things had been going smoothly between Camille and Henry. She had practically moved in with him to his new apartment and they were joined at the hip constantly. Date nights almost daily, meeting up for lunch as much as they could, cute pet names as their contact names, their own inside jokes, and of course, the sex was mind-blowing every time. They were perfect together and she was incredibly happy. Well, she was mostly happy. While everything was great between them, there was one big issue.

He wouldn't say he loved her. She gave him a pass after the birthday incident when he didn't say he loved her. It was only three months into their relationship and clearly, it was too early to say, Camille understood that. So, a few weeks later she tried again when they had a picnic in the park and she said she loved him. But he just took a big bite of his sandwich and described what the clouds in the sky looked like. She tried again during their morning routine as they were brushing his teeth, and he just spat in the sink and talked about a zit he had on his face. She even said it again after a particularly vigorous sex session and he just said "mood", rolled over, and fell asleep.

What the hell is wrong with him?! she would often wonder. Because, well, she was perfect! She cooked for him, she did his laundry, she did the dishes since he hated doing them so much, she kept his apartment all neat and tidy, she happily sucked his dick whenever he wanted, and she was gorgeous. What the hell did he want?! She just couldn't figure it out and she was on the verge of going crazy. She just wanted him to say he loved her. What did she need to do? What did she need to-?

"Babe," Henry said, yanking her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Slow down a little, you're gonna drive past the building," he said, chuckling softly. It was then she realized that she had her foot down on the gas and was practically speeding down the streets. She let out a bashful chuckle before slowing down as she approached the apartment building. But her mind soon enough went back to her incessant questioning over why he wouldn't say he loved her.

It wasn't easy for Henry either. Camille was wonderful, she was great. She was beautiful, she cooked for him, did his laundry, washed the dishes, and sucked his dick whenever he wanted. She was every man's dream girl and he was extremely lucky to have her, especially because she loved him so much. But he just couldn't say he felt the same way. He cared for her very deeply and liked her a lot, but love was just too big of a word for him to use just yet. And he didn't exactly know why he didn't feel that way towards her.

Well, that's a lie, he definitely knew why. He still loved Charlotte. They were on friendly terms again and talked every now and then, and he even comforted her after finding out that Jack was engaged. They were in a good place and he was happy about that, but he would be lying if he said he didn't miss her and didn't want her back. But them being apart was for the best and as much as he wished things went differently, he had to accept things the way they were. And he chose to move on with Camille but struggled to fully and truly commit to her. But of course, he wasn't going to tell Camille any of that and risk messing up a good thing.

After parking her car, the two of them got out and made their way inside, their minds on different yet similar things. Camille's friends kept telling her to chill out and not force Henry to say anything he didn't mean. But did he not love her? Was she not what he wanted in a woman? She knew about Charlotte, she knew how much he once cared about her, but they were over and she broke his heart and threw it away like it meant nothing. She used him and abused him and tossed him away when she was done. Why would he still pine over someone like that? Not to mention, she was clearly way prettier than Charlotte. He'd be a fool if he was still pining over her when he had Camille.

"What would you like for dinner?" she asked as they exited the elevator and made their way to his apartment. "I could make that honey salmon I made once, you really liked that."

"You know, I think I may meet up with Jasper and grab some food with him," he said. She looked at him as he walked into his apartment and held back the urge to sigh.

She liked Jasper, she had no problem with him at all, but sometimes she hated how much time Henry spent with him. Sure, he was his best friend for years, but that sometimes meant that they'd go out and stay out late or they'd make plans to hang out last minute. And that meant Camille would get less time with Henry, and that seemed to be the same for tonight. Plus, the fact that Piper seemed relatively adverse to being friendly with her didn't make things any easier.

"Do you have to? Can't we just eat together tonight?" she asked as she followed him inside and closed the door behind her.

"Babe, we spend like all day every day together. Come on, I'm just gonna hang out with him tonight but I'll get back home before it's too late and we can watch a movie or something, alright?" he offered. She pursed her lips in a frustrated line but quickly relaxed and smiled a little. There was no use in fighting or arguing over it so she decided to just accept it and let it go. As she nodded, Henry kissed her on the cheek before heading to the bathroom.

She sighed softly and plopped down onto the couch, thinking over what she would do for dinner. Maybe she'd eat alone or maybe she'd call up some friends and see if they could meet up. As she thought it over, she heard buzzing and looked down at the coffee table to see Henry's phone. And suddenly she found herself growing incredibly tempted. She usually wasn't one of those girls who went through their boyfriend's phones, she always found those girls stupid because they were looking for trouble. But the temptation was now incredibly there and she had considered it before. Maybe if she did, she could see if there was something she could do to make him finally return her feelings.

She glanced back towards the bathroom before quickly grabbing his phone and putting in his passcode. There was just a text from Ray, saying something about finding a replacement for someone called Schwoz. She instantly felt a wave of relief but also felt a little stupid for nosing through his phone. Was she really one of those girls who didn't trust her man so she'd go through his phone looking for dirt? She never wanted to be that girl, and yet, she found herself pulling up his messages to see who he had been talking to. It was what she expected - his parents, his sister, Ray, Jasper, the kids he worked with, and…

Charlotte?

With her heart skipping a few beats and then plunging to her stomach, she sat up a little and opened up the messages with Charlotte. Thankfully, there wasn't anything romantic or explicit, but she was still incredibly troubled. They had been talking for a while — since March according to the texts. They were all casual friendly conversations but it still bothered her greatly. Why was he talking to his ex and why the hell didn't he tell her?!

Her hands started to shake and her vision began to blur. She was growing more and more upset the longer she read their texts. A part of her felt stupid for being so upset - they were just speaking casually about what they were doing and what plans they had, but she still felt incredibly betrayed. She quickly turned off the screen and put his phone back down before holding her head in her hands. She felt lied to, she felt manipulated, and she felt like she had been cheated on. Sure, she was being ridiculous, but she couldn't help feeling so devastated. Was this why he didn't love her? Was this why he wasn't ready to fully commit to her?

"Cam, you okay?" Henry asked. She looked up and wiped away a few shedding tears. She wondered whether she should tell him what she saw but she knew it would just lead to a massive argument. So, instead, she took in a deep shaky breath and nodded her head a little.

"I just watched this stupid tearjerker video that really got me," she explained with a sheepish chuckle. Henry smiled and sat down next to her, kissing her temple.

"You're so sensitive. It's so cute. I'll be back soon, alright?" He grabbed his phone as he stood back up and Camille watched him silently. As he grabbed his keys and waved before leaving, she sat there feeling a wave of feelings. She was upset, confused, angry, and guilty. But she was mainly confused and angry. She had to fix this, she had to get Charlotte out of their lives so Henry could finally be all for her.

And she was definitely going to do it.

Henry soon arrived at Score, a sports bar in downtown Swellview that had become the meet-up spot for him and Jasper. Since the Man Cave was long gone and the Man's Nest was more so for the Danger Force kids, the two of them and Piper needed their own space. And Score quickly became that space. The raspberry blond was already at their usual table, his eyes on his phone as he occasionally took a sip of his neon-colored soda. It had become his newest vice since his decision to quit smoking a few months ago, but he wasn't exactly sure if trading cigarettes for sugar-filled soda was a healthier choice. Henry made his way over and sat down across from him with a sigh.

"Hey, dude." Jasper looked up at him and passed him the closed bottle of soda he already bought for him.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure we killed Schwoz today. And Camille's being weird again," he said as he opened the bottle. Jasper stared at him for a few moments before sighing heavily.

"I feel like we should start with you murdering Schwoz but I feel like you're more concerned about Camille," he said. The taller blond shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

"I think she's still upset that I won't say I love her," he pondered out loud. The other rolled his eyes.

"Of course she is! You say she keeps saying it and you just ignore it. How would you feel if it was the other way around?" he questioned.

"I get it dude, but I…I just don't love her, and I'm not gonna say something that I don't mean, you know?" He sighed and stared down at the neon blue soda in his bottle. He had been contemplating breaking up with Camille for a while. He already agreed that she was an amazing girlfriend and he was incredibly lucky to have her, but it also felt like he was just stringing her along when he knew the relationship wasn't going to go anywhere. At least with Tati, it was just about sex and distraction, Camille was a genuine person that he felt bad about hurting.

"I think you need to be honest with both her and yourself, man," Jasper said. Henry looked up at him and he continued, "Your heart is clearly somewhere else and she is clearly super into you. You two are in completely different places and there's no use in continuing a relationship like that. You're still in love with Charlotte, Hen, don't waste this girl's time anymore." Henry sighed sadly and nodded in agreement.

"I was just thinking the same thing. It sucks though because I know I won't be seeing Char again anytime soon, yet I'm about to end a great relationship because I still want to be with her," he said. Jasper shrugged and took a sip of his neon red soda.

"You'll figure it out. Now, how the hell did you kill Schwoz?"

"We dropped a soldered ball that was made out of the control panel," Henry answered matter of factly. Jasper nodded slowly and took a few beats before leaning back in his seat.

"I do not miss working with you guys," he said. Henry nodded in understanding and the two fist-bumped before laughing together. It was days like this that led him to fully understand that sentiment.

And the days that followed held that sentiment up even more. Without Schwoz, they were left on their own when it came to their gadgets, and a bunch of overzealous young teenagers often meant that gadgets would break. After just a week, the Man's Nest was reminiscent of the Man Cave when Henry first met Schwoz - completely in disarray and on the verge of disaster. But even with the nest about to fall apart, Ray's sudden declaration as Henry arrived at work was possibly even worse than the Man's Nest's imminent death.

"I've fixed our Schwoz-less issue," the older man said as Henry exited the tube. The blond stared at him with a quizzical eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I hired someone to take his place! Did you notice that the tube worked today?" he asked with a wide grin. It was then that Henry realized that he did go up the tube in one swift motion like usual, not a slow agonizing crawl up or rapid jerks up and down that would cause him to barf up all of his breakfast.

He also noticed that the Man's Nest was…quiet? There weren't any loud beeps alerting them to something being broken, things weren't collapsing and breaking, and the couch wasn't spinning rapidly anymore. Everything was actually fixed and looked as if nothing bad had happened to it. But Henry still didn't trust Ray or his decision making skills because…well, it was Ray. He set his coffee down as he looked around suspiciously.

"Who did you hire?"

"Someone very qualified," he answered. "I mean, look around! Ray did good like I always do."

"Ray, did you go to Schwozlandia, or wherever the hell he's from, and bring him back here to work without him being fully recovered?" he asked. The older brunet scoffed in offense and looked at his former sidekick.

"No! I told you I hired someone else!" he said.

"Why would you do that without asking me?!" Henry exclaimed.

"Uhhhh because I'm the boss around here and I can hire whoever I want!" he replied incredulously.

"You're also an idiot and probably hired some grifter who doesn't even know what he's doing!" Henry shot back. Ray rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"That's some way to talk about Charlotte," he said. Henry's eyes slowly grew wide at that and his breath hitched in his throat.

"What-"

"Okay, I fixed the main stereo system so you should be able to play your weird little love mix again," a familiar voice said. The blond quickly turned on his heels and was met with the sight of Charlotte entering the Man's Nest through the sliding wall door. She looked up as she removed her gloves and stopped when she saw Henry, offering him a small smile.

"Oh, hey," she greeted.

"Hey…" he replied. Oblivious to the rush of emotions his buddy was feeling, Ray slapped a hand on his shoulder and let out a contented sigh.

"Charlotte's gonna be working with us while Schwoz is gone. You guys are co-workers again!" he said excitedly. As Charlotte laughed a little and nodded in confirmation, Henry slowly moved his head up and down before exhaling softly.

"Great."

A/N: Hello! I want to apologize for there being no update last week. I've been having medical issues which led to writing being on the backburner. Hopefully, in the upcoming weeks, things will be better and I can resume my usual schedule of every other Friday or every Friday. I hope you enjoyed this update!