Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s been two months. Two whole months of therapy, both physical and psychologically, two months of recovering and trying to heal when all Henry wanted to do half the time was cry and breathe in Drex’s fading scent that just barely clung to his leather jacket.

After his feeding tube had been taken out, he had immediately moved into a guest room far from the medical room, the memories of Drex still too strong, too raw, for him to be anywhere near that place.

Every night, after ensuring that his door was locked and secure, he’d pull out the leather jacket and wrap it around his shoulders as he climbed into bed, pretending that the clothing article was actually Drex’s arms wrapping around him to hold him close. He’d take out the note, now worn from use and handling, and read the messy handwriting of the older man, wishing he knew where Drex was or even how he was doing. Shouldn’t he have gotten DeVil by now? Shouldn’t he be coming home soon?

It worried him to no end but at the same time, that worry boosted him to work harder, giving him determination to get back to one hundred percent.

Though he still hadn’t gained back all of his muscle mass, he’d gotten pretty fit and strong and, with his health, his force fields were activated once again as well.

Practicing and training were the only things he could do to distract his mind from the worry he felt so he pushed himself every day, constantly breaking past his limits, not allowing any of them to keep him from finding the one who made his whole life worthwhile.

Finally, Schwoz and Ray cleared him for travel, bidding him safety on his search and promising to be on the other end of the phone every day in case he needed help. With that in mind, they gave him as much money as he thought he’d need, and he set out on his path, head held high and Drex’s jacket on his back. He had one mission, one reason to keep pushing forward, and that was to find Drex and bring him home.

<—---------->

Three towns, four fast food places, and a handful of abandoned buildings later, Henry finally found himself walking into the town of Bridgerton, the last place Henry and Drex had been before they got captured. Memories rushed through him, causing him to shiver slightly, the thought of having to be so close to DeVil’s mansion putting him on edge.

Heading to a nearby house, he knocked lightly on the door, tugging his sleeves further down to hide the scar on his wrist, a painful reminder of everything he had gone through.

The door slid open, revealing an elderly couple, their eyes searching him up and down.

“Can we help you?” the elderly woman asked softly and the young man nodded slowly, throwing a slight smile at her.

“Yes, hi. My name is Henry and my friend went missing a while ago. I tracked him here and I have to do a thorough search for him and I don’t really know my way around town yet. Could you tell me if there are any apartments for rent here?” he asked as sweetly as he could and the woman smiled back at him while the man shuffled away from the door, reappearing with a piece of paper.

“Go to this address. They’ll be able to help you get a place to stay.”

“Thank you so much,” the dirty blond young man responded softly, gratefully taking the paper from the man.

“I hope you find your friend, young man,” the woman murmured gently and then the door was shut again, leaving Henry on the street, trying to figure out where the address he was supposed to go to was.

Making his way down the streets towards the small, yet nice looking apartment complex, Henry’s gaze flicked back and forth, searching for the familiar face that he longed to see.

After meeting with the owner, Henry found an apartment and made it resemble something close to home to him.

It wasn’t large but it was big enough for one, maybe even two people to reside in it. He moved around, fixing up the bed so that it was ready for a long night, and then moved to the kitchen, locating a handful of cups in the cupboard.

As he was fixing himself a glass of water, some commotion caught his attention, loud engines right outside the apartment. Moving to the window with the glass in hand, he peeked outside, watching with surprise as a limousine and a couple motorcycles rolled up to a store across the road.

As the men on the motorcycles pulled off their helmets, he held his breath, instantly recognizing all the men. The limo door opened and DeVil climbed out, smoothing her shirt before talking to one of the men. He watched carefully, noting that the woman wasn’t at all injured or harmed in any way. As usual, she was flawless.

Then, the other side door opened and a man stepped out, causing the young dirty blond to let out a strangled gasp.

“Drex?” he breathed out, taken aback by the surprising appearance of the man he loved so much. No, it couldn’t be him. But it was.

The blond locks and baby blue eyes, the familiar scowl and the way he held himself. It was Drex.

Drex turned his attention to the apartment building, his gaze climbing up to the windows and locking with Henry’s gaze for just a second before the younger dropped down, hiding carefully from view. What the hell was Drex doing with DeVil?

Roaring engines started again, heading down the street, and he straightened up again, noting that they were no longer parked by the building, instead driving up the street back towards the mansion.

His phone rang, causing the young man to jump, and he whipped it out, reading the number. It wasn’t familiar to him but he answered anyway, figuring that it wouldn’t hurt.

“Henry?” the voice on the other end asked, causing his heart to squeeze at the familiar, surprisingly gentle voice.

“Drex, I found you,” he responded softly and the voice on the other end let out a soft chuckle, gentle and so much like the Drex he knew.

“You did. Meet me at the storehouse tonight. I have so much to tell you and I can’t do it right now. Not enough time. Just promise me that you’ll be there tonight.”

“For you, I’ll do anything,” he answered softly, clutching the phone close. “Just, please, be careful Drex. You know what DeVil’s capable of. Don’t get yourself hurt.”

“I won’t,” the man responded softly back.

“I love you, Drex,” Henry whispered but the phone call disconnected, leaving Henry stunned and surprised. Why hadn’t he answered him back? Why’d he end the call at that? Questions swirled around his mind as he packed up some weapons, preparing to meet his lover at the last place they had been before all of this had started.

Chapter Text

The warehouse, just like last time, was dark, dank, and chilly. Random unopened crates littered the concrete floor and a slight breeze shifted through a couple broken windows that sat high above the ground. Papers, plastic, and random junk littered the ground, crunching under his feet as he walked.

Henry clenched his fists tightly, anticipation of the meeting ahead. First thing he was going to do was kiss Drex, hard. The second thing was that he was going to hit him, maybe knock some sense into him. Then, he’s probably going to kiss him again.

“Hello?” he called softly, moving towards the middle of the large, basically empty room.

“Why, hello Henry Hart. Long time no see.”

Henry froze in his spot, all of his trauma pushing at the barriers Schwoz and Ray had taught him how to build up, as his gaze swept around wildly.

“D-D-DeVil?” he forced out as he watched the woman show up, Drex standing calmly by her side.

“Come now, Henry. Surely you knew this would be a bad idea. Come to see my new bodyguard?”

At the woman’s words, Henry’s gaze shot to Drex’s face, betrayal and hurt beginning to show on his face. Why would Drex ever lead him into a trap like this? Was he trying to get the younger man killed? As he looked at him, he began to realize that Drex didn’t look the way he normally did. His baby blue eyes lacked the familiar warmth and intelligence that they usually held, his face stern and formal. He looked…. empty.

“Oh, you’re confused. Let me explain. Two months ago, Drex came knocking down my door, planning on killing me. Thankfully, my goons were able to subdue him and we brainwashed him. Now, he’s only loyal to me, just like how I like it. He’s the perfect trophy for my collection and I get to show him off to the world without having to worry about him running away or fighting back. And one day, maybe even very soon, you’ll follow in his footsteps and be my other bodyguard. Won’t that be fun?”

Henry took a step back, unable to process her words, and arms wrapped around his, holding in place. Surprised, he looked up to see two of DeVil’s goons on either side of him, holding him in place.

“You know, Henry Hart, I’ve always wondered what noises and faces you make when you let Drex rough you up a bit. Sure, I got to see a hint of it when I made you Jack’s toy, but that little itty bitty stuff wasn’t enough. Hey Drex,” she called sweetly and the man turned his full attention on her.

“Why don’t you give Henry a good time? I want to hear him moan and cry and I want to see what he looks like when he’s enjoying himself.”

“Yes Madame DeVil,” Drex responded, bowing his head to her before making his way to the young man, his gaze settled on him.

Henry struggled against the iron grip, fear overwhelming his senses, and he thrashed around, accidentally landing a kick to the brainwashed man’s face.

Drex took a step back for just a second before moving again and the younger man realized, his heart sinking, that Drex had also regained his powers. The only differences between the two was that Henry was pinned down and Drex was stronger and definitely healthier than he was.

“Please Drex,” he whimpered, still trying to break free of the hold on him. “Please don’t do this.”

The man leaned in, angling his head so that his mouth was just inches from Henry’s ear, and whispered, “Don’t worry, Hen. I’ll be gentle.”

As Drex pulled back, Henry gazed into those baby blue eyes, catching a glimpse of warmth in his eyes before it was chased away by a cold, neutral look. Then, Drex pressed his lips against the youngest, tongue lapping at his bottom lip, and the dirty blond closed his eyes, refusing to comply with his request for entrance. 

In response, the older just kept pressing kisses against his lips before sliding them down his jawline, following the curve of his neck. Henry let out a slight groan as his love’s scent filled his mind, clogging his nose and stealing his brain of any of its common sense.

Hands roamed down below his belt, slipping into his pants for just a moment, a simple, tiny moment, and then Henry snapped back to what was currently happening, panic easily winning the fight against the neediness that controlled his heart and mind.

He flicked his wrists, a simple and subtle movement, and a large green force field shoved the goons as well as Drex backwards and away from him. He took a moment to breathe, trying to force himself to relax, his hands trembling, and watched as Drex got back on his feet.

“Hen,” he whined, pressing his hands against the force field. “I want you. I’ve missed you. Please, let me in.”

“You aren’t Drex,” Henry gasped back, knowing that the longer the force field stayed up, the weaker and more tired he’ll be. “You stopped being Drex the moment you joined DeVil’s side.”

A small part in his brain shouted out, reminding him of the warmth he had seen before Drex started kissing him, a voice in his head excitedly yelling that, even though he wasn’t acting normal, he was still in there.

“Henry, that’s not fair,” the older man responded, pushing against the barrier to test its sturdiness. “I didn’t have any choice.”

His gaze flickered the older man’s eyes searchingly and again, he caught a glimpse of the warmth that lit up his eyes, his gaze turning to one of pleading and sorrow. Then, it was gone again and the man slammed his fists down against the green force field.

Henry gritted his teeth together as he began to feel his control on his powers slipping a little under the powerful blow.

<——————>

Drex struggled desperately to fight himself, to fight what he was doing. He had hoped Henry would come for him, had hoped that he would see him again, but not like this! Not trapped in some abandoned warehouse, about to be raped by none other than the man who vowed to keep him safe. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair!

He could see the hurt and betrayal all over the adorable dirty blond’s face, could sense his frustration and pain, and he kept fighting, trying to take back control of his mouth and body.

Though it was a struggle, he had managed to take control of his mouth and facial expressions for just a moment, trying to send Henry messages to prove that he was still in there, just trapped.

‘Henry! Can you hear me? I’m here! I need help!’ he screamed through the darkness of his mind as his control slipped away again, replaced by the void that controlled his whole body and only obeyed the woman he hated the most.

He watched, his whole being aching with guilt, as his body moved without permission, slamming against the younger’s force field again and again, each blow weakening the dirty blond more each time. Finally, he broke through, the man falling to his knees, and his hand shot out to latch onto Henry’s neck.

“Drexy, I’ve changed my mind. No use in forcing him when he doesn’t want to feel good. Just kill him and be done with it.”

His grip tightened around the young man’s throat and he watched, horror coursing through his heart, as Henry’s face began to turn a deep shade of purplish red, strangled gasps and noises escaping his gaping lips, as he struggled to pry off his grip. Then, he was slamming him into the ground, fists and feet flying, each blow making contact with the dirty blond’s flesh.

In response, Henry simply curled into a ball until he had slowed down a little. He lashed out quickly, wrapping a hand around Drex’s ankle and yanked, causing him to topple over. Then, without hesitation, Henry bolted from the warehouse, disappearing into the cover of darkness.

Drex’s body moved to stand by DeVil, waiting for her next order, and the woman simply tutted.

“Drex, it looks like he doesn’t want to play with you anymore. Oh well. Let’s go home. We’ve had enough for today and you need to rest. Tomorrow, we’ll begin the hunt and he’ll be back with me once again.”

As they left the warehouse, Drex’s gaze landed on the pool of blood where Henry had been laying, tears slipping down his face despite the fact that he had no control.

Chapter Text

Henry barely made it up the stairs to his small apartment building before collapsing just inside the door, his ribs heaving as he struggled to draw in a proper breath.

His whole body burned, ached, and roared with pain, and he just laid on the inside of the door, trying to recollect himself enough to come up with a plan. As he lay there, staring up at the ceiling, he thought back to everything that had just happened. He’d found Drex, just like he’d wanted to, but now he knew why Drex had been gone so long. He hadn’t won against DeVil. He’d lost and not only had he lost the fight, he’d also lost his control over himself.

What should he do to help Drex? What could he do? The only people that Henry could think of that could help were Schwoz and Charlotte. He couldn’t call Charlotte to ask for help. It’d take her too long to get there and, knowing his best friend, she’d bring Jasper as well, leaving Dystopia to fend for itself. No, he couldn’t do that.

Sighing, he pulled out his phone from his back pocket, noting that it had a couple cracks on the screen. Otherwise, it functioned like normal and he was grateful for that.

Pulling up the contact, he pressed it before hitting the speaker function and laying it on the ground by his head. Slumping his hand down again, he waited as the phone rang once, twice, thri-

“Henry? Kid, what’s up? Did you find Drex?”

The voice, though oblivious to his current situation, was a comfort to the young man and he felt tears springing to his eyes before he could stop them.

“Ray,” he rasped, sniffling slightly in an attempt to stop the tears that just kept strolling down his face. “Ray, I need all of you to come here. The Dangers, Schwoz, all of you and preferably as soon as possible.”

Frantic rustling sounded on the other side of the phone and then he heard a faint alarm ringing in the background.

“Where are you kid? I’ll have Miles teleport us there as soon as everyone gets here.”

“Apartment 3B on Crick Street in Bridgerton. Ray, make sure the kiddos bring their gum. They’re going to need it.”

“Alright kid. We’ll be there in a flash. Just, be patient, okay?”

The phone call cut off and Henry let out a bitter laugh, his gaze flickering to the ceiling before his eyelids slid shut, the sudden urge to sleep weighing heavily on his body. Be patient. Right. He could do that, he guessed. Maybe just a little nap in the meantime…

Henry jerked awake to hands frantically shaking his shoulders, voices shouting at him, though they were quite muffled, as if they were underwater.

“What? What? Where’s the emergency?” he groaned, trying to wriggle free of the hands on his body. In response, the arms slid under his knees and around the middle of his back, picking him up gingerly.

As he peeled his eyes open, he stared up at the face of the person carrying him, slightly amused and majorly surprised by just how fast they must’ve gotten to him. As he was placed in a chair by the kitchen island, he slumped wearily against the marble countertop and let out a slow sigh, his gaze flickering from Ray’s face to the Dangers gathered around him.

“Sup Dangers,” he greeted, his words slurred together as if they were just one long word. The kids shared a worried look and then Schwoz was pushing through, a bag in his hand.

Hands roamed up and down his body, checking out his injuries, and then Schwoz’s face popped back up, mouth moving despite no words coming out.

“I’m sorry, say that again?”

“Henry, how did this happen?” Schwoz asked, repeating himself, and the young man nodded, leaning his head against a bruised arm, grateful that his ears seemed to be working now.

“Long story short, I found Drex. DeVil has brainwashed him or something like that and used him to lead me into a trap. She ordered him to kill me but I managed to subdue him long enough to escape before he could do any serious damage.”

“Serious damage? Henry, you have several broken ribs, a minor concussion, and bruises everywhere. Not to mention the black eye and your sprained ankle!”

Henry shrugged before instantly regretting the action, pain shooting through his rib cage, a wince flashing on his battered face.

“If Drex wanted to do serious damage and I hadn’t fought back, I’d be dead. This is nothing compared to what he could do and we all know that.”

Schwoz dropped the topic and changed his attention to Henry's body, starting with his ankle. As he worked, the young man’s gaze met Ray’s, watching as he nibbled his lip in worry.

“Ray, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I didn’t call you here to worry about me, after all. I called you all here so that you could help me get Drex back with us and back to normal. I need help and you’re the only ones who can help me. We need a plan.”

“Right,” Ray responded briskly, gladly taking Henry’s advice on a plan, and turned his attention to the kids. “Suit up, kiddos. The last thing we need is someone to notice all of us in here and think we’re doing a drug deal or something.”

Ray moved a little ways away, the kids following suit, and they all blew a bubble, each one getting costumed in their colors. As soon as they were finished, they all moved to the living room, waiting patiently as Schwoz helped the young man limp to the couch. As soon as he was laying on the couch, a pillow was slid under his foot and then Schwoz was running to the freezer to grab some ice.

Henry could feel the fiery pain beginning to burn through his ribs, ankle, and head as he laid there, his body waking up from its little “cat nap” on the ground earlier. He flinched and Ray threw another quick look his way, almost as if he were checking to see if the young man was going to make it.

He shrugged away the concerned look and leaned a little closer to the table, watching as Mika tossed a couple random items onto the table.

“First thing we need to worry about is how we’re going to trap Drex and get him away from the others. Henry, you have your powers back. Does that mean that Drex has his indestructibility back too?” she asked and the young man nodded, watching as she moved the items around on the table.

“Okay. Let’s see. Maybe we could lure him back to the trap that they had set for you. Can you describe it better for us?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” the dirty blond young man grunted, watching as they pushed the table closer so that he could do his motioning without straining his body too much.

“So, it was in this abandoned warehouse. There are two exits that I know of. They’re on opposite sides of each other. There’s no upper floor in the building. It’s a very big building though. Definitely easy to move around and dodge out of grasp from people.”

“Okay. So, Chapa, you’re going to be the paperclip. Miles, you’re the eraser and Bose, you’re-”

“I want to be the eraser!” Bose interrupted, a pleading look on his childish face. “Erasers are so cool.”

“Fine. Bose, you’re the eraser. Miles, you’re the tweezers. Ray, Henry, you’re going to stay together so you’ll be the bottle cap.”

The group nodded, listening as Mika described her plan in full detail, going over any and every possible outcome in the situation. By the end of it, they all knew exactly what they were supposed to do, even Bose who, somehow, had struggled with it even after the fifteenth time of going over the plan.

They pushed the table back in place and Schwoz moved in to replace the saggy water-filled bag on Henry’s ankle with a fresh one full of ice. He checked the young man’s head before pulling out a small bottle of Tylenol.

“Take two, Henry. It’ll help with the pain.”

The young man did as was instructed, swallowing down the pills with a cup of ice water offered to him before relaxing against the couch armrest.

“So, when are we going to do this?” he asked curiously.

“Not for another couple days. I know you’re eager, Henry, but you have to be at least at eighty percent for this to work. Right now, you’re about fifty-five. So, give yourself some time to rest and heal and then we’ll go rescue Drex,” Mika responded softly, reappearing from his room with one of his pillows. He lifted his head slightly and she slid the pillow in behind him. Chapa appeared behind her, a heavy throw blanket in her hands. She pulled it up over him and smiled at him, knowing the true reason why he wanted Drex back so bad. Ray and Schwoz would never know but they certainly did. And he trusted them to understand how he felt.

“Get some sleep, kid,” Ray murmured gently, ruffling his hair caringly, and the young man gave him a sleepy smile before snuggling further into his blanket, his eyes drifting shut as his breathing evened.

Chapter Text

Henry was itching to start, every bone in his body tensed and ready. It was still hard to breathe at times and his ankle ached from the exertion but it was worth it. According to plan, Henry had called up the random number connected to Drex and DeVil had answered casually. Though that wasn’t expected, Henry recovered fast and asked to see Drex at the warehouse, specifying that he wanted to see him alone. If she made that happen where it was just the two of them, then he’d willingly go with her. Or at least, that’s what he told the wicked woman. She had readily agreed, glad that he had “come to his senses” and they set the date and time of the meeting.

Now, Henry sat, waiting, scrunched down in a bush just below one of the large windows in the building. He could feel Ray behind him, just as ready and anxious to begin, and smiled slightly. They were going to get Drex back in no time. Schwoz was working at his apartment, building the device they were going to use to fix his brain, and the Dangers were all around the warehouse, covering the other exit.

The lights flickered on and Henry popped his head up, careful not to be sighted just quite yet, and watched as Drex strode in, hands on his hips as he moved. Damn. Even brainwashed, he walked like an angel. Shaking his head, he lowered himself back down and motioned for Ray to take a look. The older man did, peeking through the glass, and inhaled sharply, a sign that something was wrong.

The young dirty blond raised himself up again and stared in shock as DeVil appeared as well, one hand raised up as fingers twirled through her hair and the other hand wrapped around her chest.

“Who’s that, kid?” Ray asked quietly and Henry slid back down, pressing his back against the brick wall, anxiety increasing inside of him at the sight of the woman who had already caused him and Drex so much pain in such a short time.

“That’s DeVil,” he whispered back, wide eyes staring pleadingly at his mentor. He was having second thoughts.

Ray pressed his hand against his ear, speaking softly, and Henry could hear everything through the ear piece he had, as well as all the other Dangers.

“Kids, you see that woman with Drex?”

All four voices piped in, confirming that they did, indeed, see her.

“That’s DeVil, the woman who hurt Henry and Drex so much. Do not approach her. She is very dangerous.”

The kids all agreed hastily and Henry glanced at his phone, sighing. It was time.

Climbing to his feet, he hesitantly entered the warehouse, movements hesitant and tense, and his eyes latched onto Drex, their gaze immediately meeting.

“Hello, Henry Hart,” he breathed, smiling a cold, empty smile, and the younger shivered, hating everything about this whole plan. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t asked to change it before now.

“Drex,” he forced out, beginning to shake as flashes of what the older man had down to him came crashing down on him. He swallowed, hard, and took another step closer. Drex easily closed the distance in one swift movement and Henry’s body tensed in preparation for a fight.

Instead, the man gently cupped his cheeks, his lips crashing cautiously and carefully against the younger man’s lips, and Henry melted against the touch, every fiber in his body screaming that this was right, this was what he’d wanted for so long. As they pulled apart, he looked up into those eyes and stared at the warmth that flickered there, strong but definitely struggling.

“I love you, Henry,” he whispered gently before kissing him one more time. “I’m trying to break free.”

“I know,” he breathed back, leaning into the touch for a moment, wishing that this could last. “I know and we’re going to help you break free.”

Drex took a step back, pulling himself away from the young man before the cold replaced the warmth, his whole demeanor changing into that of a predator. He licked his lips, looking the young man up and down hungrily, and Henry ignored him, turning his attention to DeVil.

“You broke the deal,” he growled, clenching his fists tightly. “It was supposed to be just Drex.”

The woman shrugged flippantly, obviously not bothered by his aggressive nature towards her.

“Drexy is my favorite bodyguard. I wouldn’t let him wander in here all by himself. Especially not when you’re obviously planning something.”

Shock coursed through the young man’s body, surprised by the fact that the woman knew something was up. She was definitely smarter than he gave her credit for.

“Henry, get Drex’s attention away from her,” Mika whispered through the piece in his ear. “We can take out DeVil if you keep Drex occupied.”

A small plan formed in his mind and he moved to stand in front of Drex, the man looking down at him with a mixture of distrust and annoyance. That all changed as soon as he brushed his body up against the man, catching his attention in a sexual way.

“You want to please your master, right?” he whispered softly, sliding a hand up under the older man’s shirt to stroke his smooth skin. “Didn’t she say at one time that she wanted to see what I was like when we were having sex?”

The man grunted but he could see the lust began to pool into his eyes, clouding his gaze, as he touched and teased him.

“Fuck me, Drex. Right here. Right now.”

With that, he leaned up on his toes to press his lips against Drex’s, the man’s fingers snaking into his hair to grip it hard. They kissed as if they’d never done it before, sloppy and aggressive, and the Dangers took that chance to attack. The man jerked around at the sound of the woman crying out, anger sparking in his eyes as he jutted his head at the dirty blond.

“You’re disgusting,” he snarled before rushing to help DeVil. The words, though spoken by the brainwashed part of the man, struck Henry like a slap to the face, and he stood there, stunned by the fact that this man could think of him as being disgusting.

“Henry!” a voice screamed, efficiently snapping him out of his stupor, and the young man rushed forward, grabbing all of the kids closer to him, and flexed his wrists, a forcefield rising up around them to protect them. Drex, who had just about lost all of his sense, kept slamming and pounding against the barrier, screaming out cuss words at him.

“Henry, can you keep this up?” Mika asked, concern lacing her words, as she took in the painfully obvious grimace on his face as well as the sweat that began to coat his body, caused by the effort he was putting in.

“No. So, hurry up and come up with a better plan,” he growled through clenched teeth, his muscles straining as he forced himself to push past his physical limits.

“Right! Where’s Ray, does anyone know?”

No one spoke up and Mika tapped the piece on her ear, trying to get the older man’s attention.

“Ray, come in. Ray?”

Silence answered their call and nervousness flitted through the group as Henry’s strength began to run out.

“Drex, step back,” a disheveled woman ordered, her gaze hard and cold as it took in the young kids hiding behind the young man.

“I’ve got a preposition for you, Henry. You know your dear friend, Captain Man? Well, my goons just captured him and are waiting for my next order. Give yourself up willingly and we’ll give the kids back Captain Man.”

“Henry, don’t listen to her,” Chapa growled back but, the more he struggled, the better the deal looked. He dropped his hands, hunched over in exhaustion, and watched weakly as the green barrier fell away, leaving them all vulnerable.

“I want to see him,” he rasped and the woman raised her hand in the air, signaling to someone.

The two goons entered, Ray captive in between their massive bodies, and Henry looked him over. A bruise was beginning to swell on his cheek and the young man realized, with a jolt of surprise, that he was no longer indestructible. Whatever they had done to Henry and Drex all those months ago, they had done to the brunette man.

“Okay. One step at a time. He walks closer to the kids and I’ll walk closer to you.”

“Henry,” the woman clucked, sounding offended. “Do you not trust me?”

“No, I don’t,” he retorted and she sighed, nodding to the goons to let Ray go.

“Fair enough. One step at a time. If either of you try anything, I’ll kill everyone in here on the spot.”

As the young dirty blond stood up, he forced his body to move despite the fear that tried to glue him to the spot. The kids plead for him to listen, to not do as she said, to fight, but he knew there was only one way out of this situation and that was for him to end up with the wicked woman.

Chapter Text

Sighing, the young dirty blond threw the ball against the wall, catching it as it bounced back at him. At least they had the decency to give him something to do. He liked to think it was because DeVil hadn’t wanted him to break mentally again, like he had done back when he and Drex were still her captives.

Drex. The name brought sorrow to his heart as the man’s words began to rattle once again through his head. ‘You’re disgusting’. Had he meant it? Surely, the man who had loved him and taken care of him hadn’t really thought that. So, why did it hurt so much?

His gaze raked through the room, landing on the dirty blood stain on the floor as well as the random other flaws of the room that he, as well as Drex, had left behind when they had occupied it. That was how he knew he was in their original room. Because, he could easily place each scratch, dent, and stain that littered the walls and floor.

He threw the ball again, wondering how Ray was doing. Surely, Schwoz had figured out a way to fix his lack of powers. Were they thinking of him? Were they trying to get to him?

His ribs had begun to ache again, a painful reminder that they weren’t even close to healing properly. His ankle throbbed and his head was beginning to show signs of a rather ruthless headache gathering.

His attention was ripped back to the door as it swung open, revealing the tall form of the man he had given his heart to. The blond man walked in, wary and tense, and moved to hunch down in front of Henry, their gazes locked in some sort of intense staring contest. Then, he reached up and grabbed the younger’s chin, moving his head around as if looking him over.

“You’re healing fine,” he grunted before letting go dismissively, as if he could care less about the young man.

“Yeah, after you beat the shit out of me. I’m doing just fine.”

The man continued to crouch over him, staring at him, and the younger stared back, allowing himself to get lost in those beautiful baby blue eyes that used to look at him with such love. A thumb swiped across his cheek, pulling him out of those blue orbs, and he realized with a start that he had been crying. Drex pulled his hand back, brushing his thumb against his clothes, and stood up, ready to leave.

“Drex,” Henry called softly. The man turned his gaze back to the young man, almost as if he were trying to put a puzzle together over the situation. “I-I know you could care less about me right now. B-but, could you just stay with me? Until I fall asleep, at least? I-I-I-” Damnit Hart. Just spit it out. And stop crying. You look so weak in front of Drex right now.

Henry took a deep breath, intending to calm down long enough to finish his sentence, but was taken by surprise as Drex sat down beside him, wrapping an arm hesitantly around his shoulders. In response, the young dirty blond cuddled close to his side, trying to seek out some form of safety in all this chaos and heartbreak.

As he sat there, curled up against Drex, he felt the other man reach over with his other hand to gently brush fingers through his thick locks, as if trying to soothe him, and he closed his eyes, pretending that they were back in the medical bay in the Man’s Nest, curled up on his bed.

He fell asleep to Drex’s touch, surrounded by his scent, and the man simply kept sitting there, staring off at the opposite side of the wall, his arm still wrapped around the younger’s shoulder.

“You know, he definitely isn’t so obnoxious when he’s asleep,” a voice called from the door, startling the man. He looked up to see DeVil leaning against the door frame, a small smile on her face. He moved to get up but she quickly waved his attempts away, nodding to the resting young man.

“He’s sleeping now. Don’t wake him. You’re okay.”

Her gaze lingered on the young man’s face and Drex followed her gaze, staring at the innocence that covered the dirty blond’s face. He looked so young when asleep, as if he weren’t a day over sixteen instead of going on twenty, like DeVil had told the man.

“Madame, I’m sorry for doing this. I don’t know what came over me,” Drex blurted out quickly, hoping that his mistress wouldn’t be mad at him. She simply smiled sweetly at him, coming over to ruffle his blond locks.

“It’s okay, Drex. Really. This boy and you both shared a special type of relationship before you came back to me. Your heart knows this. It’s pushing you to be with him. Besides, if you can keep him calm and content, then I’m happy. Make sure you lock the door when you leave. We don’t want him trying to run away again.”

She stood and moved back to the door, her heels clicking on the concrete. She paused just outside the door, her gaze flickering back to rest on the two, and she smiled again, pleased that she finally had both of her favorites back in her grasp.

<—--------->

When Henry awoke, he was lying by himself, curled up on the cold concrete floor, shivering from the cold in the room. Sitting up slowly, he stretched his body, audible pops heard from his spine and shoulders.

As he stood, his eyes landed on a foreign object sitting in the corner near the door. Hesitantly, he moved towards and almost startled in surprise when he realized that it was Drex’s leather jacket. The last time he saw it, it was in his apartment room. Moving to the article of clothing, he noted that there was a small index card on the folded jacket and he picked it up, reading over it carefully.

‘Henry, I had Drex get this out of your apartment building to keep you content while you are in your room. Don’t worry about your little friends. They were asleep and none of them have been harmed. Consider this a peace token between you and I. Sincerely, DeVil.’

A peace token? What was she up to? Gingerly, he picked up the jacket and held it close to himself, breathing in the fresh scent of Drex. She must’ve had him wear it a bit before leaving it for Henry. He tugged off his own leather jacket, dropping it on the ground, and tugged on Drex's, enjoying the largeness of the clothing as well as the scent that practically enveloped him. The door was pushed open and he stepped back, moving to the far wall opposite of the door, watching as Drex walked in, carrying a tray.

Expecting the food to be mush or something, he was once again taken by surprise when he realized that he was being served an actual breakfast. Scrambled eggs sat on a plate, some buttered toast beside it, and a couple ketchup packets sat off to the side. There were even salt and pepper shakers. Drex stepped out of the room and returned with two metal cups, both of them full of milk, before sitting down by the tray.

Tentatively, the young dirty blond walked over to the tray of food, sitting down across from the older blond, his eyebrows raising questioningly at the man. Drex shrugged in reply, offering no actual answer, as he sipped on his cup.

The food easily won Henry over, his mouth watering as his stomach rumbled, a sign that he had not eaten since yesterday afternoon. He dug in, eating everything within a matter of minutes, and finished everything off with the milk.

“Was the food good?” the older man eventually asked, breaking off the tense silence, and the young hero looked up quickly, checking his eyes for anything. Nothing flickered in those blue orbs, though, his eyes still cold and monotone.

“Y-yeah,” he responded softly, dropping his gaze back down to the concrete underneath him. The man scooted a little closer, causing Henry to tense, but he made no move to hurt or grab him.

“I need to understand something. Madame DeVil said we had something special between us. Like a special relationship or something like that. Can you explain?”

“W-we did. Back before you left me. You even told me once that you loved me. It hurts that you don’t know me anymore, that you don’t remember everything you and I went through together.”

“And that jacket?”

Henry glanced up, realizing that he was motioning to his jacket, still wrapped around the younger’s shoulders and body. Swiping at his tears, he tugged the clothing closer.

“It was yours. You left it for me when you left. It’s comforting.”

“That’s what I figured. Madame DeVil wouldn’t have asked me to wear it otherwise. She said it would remind you of something and keep you content.”

Ah. That’s why she was doing all of this.

“C-can we just pretend?”

“Hmm?” The question caught Drex off guard, his gaze resting on the younger’s rapidly reddening face, tears beginning to fall much quicker.

“Can we just pretend that you hadn’t lost your memories, Drex. Just for a while. I-I need to believe that a part of you still cares for me. Just for a while.”

“Henry,” the man started, reaching out to touch his shoulder gently. “What do you want me to do?”

Even though he knew, deep down inside, that Drex was only trying to keep him happy so he wouldn’t want to leave, Henry closed his eyes, allowing himself to pretend that this was the Drex he loved, the Drex he wanted to be near every day for the rest of his life.

He leaned forward, closing the distance between them, and pressed his lips against Drex’s in a simple, longing kiss. When he tried to pull back, the older man followed after him, keeping their lips in contact as the younger laid down on his back. Hips straddled the young hero’s thighs, hands braced against the ground on either side of his shoulders, and they pulled away, panting slightly.

“Please, Drex. Please, I really want to feel you again,” he whimpered pleadingly and the man didn’t need anymore pleading, leaning down to press kisses against his lips, jaw, and down his throat. The younger let out a soft moan, arching his neck to allow the man more access to his skin.

Hands pawed at his blue cotton t-shirt and he complied, tugging it off, and sat back, watching as Henry followed after, eagerly discarding the leather jacket and his black t-shirt.

He looked him up and down, tracing the scars on his flushed, pale skin with his blue eyes before wandering back up to his face, eyelids half-lidded with need.

Hands experimentally slid down, lightly tracing the scars, and he was awarded with a shiver from the younger, goosebumps rising along his skin.

“Take them off,” he ordered softly, motioning to the rest of the clothing covering the younger’s body, and the dirty blond nodded, scooting out from under him so that he could pull off everything, baring himself in front of Drex.

The older man simply stared at his body for a moment, marveling at just how handsome he was. Though bruises covered most of his pale skin, the dirty blond was definitely someone anyone would gladly want to be with. Despite his originally scrawny appearance, muscles sat prominently, abs etched in the skin of his stomach. Add the messy dirty blond hair, large chocolate brown eyes, and a lopsided smile, and Henry was easily the most handsome young man Drex had ever laid eyes on.

He pulled off his own clothes, smirking as the young man watched with desire, wanting nothing more to just touch him.

Drex moved forward, grabbing onto Henry, and gently dragged him down to the ground, kissing up and down his neck and chest, rubbing himself against the younger’s inner thigh. Moans and gasps escaped the dirty blond’s lips as he allowed his body to react to the gentle touches and kisses.

Chapter Text

Hands snaked down his skin, lighting it on fire from the sensation, and Henry arched his spine into the touch as his lips met Drex’s. His hands entwined in blond locks, holding him in place, but the older man reached up and grabbed his wrists, holding them pinned together with one hand, and moved them so that they were pressed against the cement just above his head.

His other hand slid down the younger man’s chest, abdomen, and past his waist, dipping in between his thighs to touch his eager dick, fingers wrapping around his member. The hand began to slide up and down, a slow and tentative rhythm, and the young man responded by moaning against Drex’s lips, the touch, though hesitant, felt like heaven to him. He wanted more, needed more, and he didn’t want anyone else to do it but Drex.

Drex let go of his cock and slid his fingers across the tip, collecting the precum that began to seep out of the slit. Then, he slipped his fingers down against Henry’s hole, coating it with the liquid before pushing a finger in, wiggling it.

The younger’s reaction was almost immediate, wiggling his hips at the amazing sensation. A whine slipped out and it was all the encouragement the older man needed to push another finger in, stretching his walls gingerly.

He pulled away from the kiss, allowing Henry a chance to draw in gasps of breath, his chocolate brown eyes almost pitch black now.

Drex pulled his fingers out and positioned his own member at the hole before grabbing Henry’s knees and perching them around his shoulders, allowing him easier access and view of what he was doing. His tip pressed against the hole and Henry shivered, his mouth open and slack. Without much more than a glance, the older pushed all the way in, groaning at the amazing feeling of the younger’s walls tightening and loosening around him.

As he pushed in, Henry let out a cry, his spine arching as he felt the cock being buried deep inside of him. He let out a gasp, trying to catch his breath, but Drex wasn’t done as he grabbed onto the young dirty blond’s arms, pulling them both so that Henry was sitting on his lap, their faces just inches from each other.

The older man began to attack his neck, planting kisses and sucking hickies on the pale skin, and the young hero simply reacted by leaning his head back, allowing him full access to the sensitive skin.

Drex began to move, bouncing Henry up and down on his lap, and the younger couldn’t keep in the gasps and moans that escaped his lips as he simply held on, everything too much and just enough at the same time.

Fingers slid up to his chest, pinching and stroking the hard pink buds of his nipples, and the rhythm began to speed up. Drex’s lips slid up Henry’s jawline before pressing eagerly against his, the kiss sloppy and aggressive, drool sliding down the younger’s gaping lips.

He closed his eyes, allowing Drex to take complete control of him, lost in the shear deliciousness of the sex he was being given. It wasn’t rough, wasn’t hard like the Drex he knew wanted it, but it was perfect to the younger, amazing and heated and everything he could ever imagine it to be.

Then, a hand slid down in between their stomachs, wrapping around him once again, and he tightened up around Drex’s cock, bringing moans out of both men.

“D-damn, Hart. You are something else,” Drex grunted into his neck as the hand began to pump the cock, following the rhythm of his thrusts, and the young man simply groaned in reply, unable to keep his head any longer.

Before he could cum, though, Drex stopped and adjusted their position, moving them around so that Henry was lying on his stomach, his hips up in the air. The blond man pushed back in and began to thrust hard in fast before pumping the younger once again.

Henry couldn’t take it, couldn’t handle the adjusted position or the way Drex’s dick seemed to constantly hit against his sweet spot. His spine arched painfully as he came with a cry, his hole clenching tightly around Drex’s dick as he shivered through the aftermath of his orgasm.

Drex continued to move, picking up speed, the sound of skin slapping against skin loud in the room they were in.

With one final thrust, he bit down onto Henry’s shoulder blade, muffling the moan that escaped his lips as he came deep inside of the younger.

They collapsed against each other on the cool floor, shivering and breathing hard, and the older man wrapped his arms around Henry’s torso, pulling him close to him as he planted gentle kisses against his shoulder and neck, his dick still throbbing deep inside of the younger.

<—-------->

“We have to figure out a way to rescue Henry. But how?”

The tired group of kids watched as Ray paced back and forth, showing no sign of stopping. Schwoz was nowhere to be seen as he was still tweaking his new invention to help fix Drex.

“This is all my fault,” Ray started and Mika stood up wearily from the couch, stepping into Ray’s path of pacing.

“Ray, look at me,” she ordered softly, placing both her hands on his broad shoulders to stop his movements. He peeked at her through his thick brunette bangs, blue eyes wide with guilt and anger.

“None of this is your fault. None of it.”

“But I-”

“Ray,” she interrupted. “Listen to me. Yes, you got captured. That put us all in a difficult situation. But, the plan was already falling apart way before that. DeVil wasn’t even supposed to be there to begin with, okay? So, no, it’s not fair to blame yourself. If anyone should be blamed, it’s me.”

“Mika?” Chapa started, the other kids standing up quickly, the shock written on their faces mirrored by the indestructible man in front of the girl.

“I came up with the plan. I thought I had everything figured out. I had six days to prepare and I didn’t even realize that she’d be there. If I had thought about that, maybe I could’ve had a back up plan. I was so sure though.” She shook her head, getting a grip on her thoughts. “It was my plan. So, Henry being taken is my fault.”

“It’s my fault too,” Chapa piped in, licking her lips as everyone turned to her. “I could’ve helped Henry. But instead, I just let him walk to her. I’m to blame as well.”

“Chapa, no you-” Mika started but Miles placed a hand on the red-head’s shoulder.

“I could’ve teleported Henry out of there. Heck, I could’ve teleported everyone, including Drex, out of that warehouse but I froze up. If anyone’s to blame, I am too.”

Realization dawned on Ray at what exactly the kids were doing and he smiled a soft smile. They were learning to work like a group, sharing the blame and being supportive. They were growing up. Everyone turned to Bose, the young boy still sitting on the couch while chewing on pizza.

“What? Don’t look at me. I didn’t do anything wrong,” he mumbled around the mouthful of food. Everyone groaned and Ray let out a soft sight.

Well, almost all of the kids were growing up.

“Okay, so now that we’ve all thrown our own little pity parties, we need to figure out how to save Henry and Drex,” Mika stated, moving to the table they had used just days ago to plan out their original trap. Ray cast a glance at the couch, memories of the dirty blond laying there floating to his mind.

“So, they’re in some kind of mansion, right?”

Ray nodded, the other kids mumbling in agreement, and the young leader-in-training pulled out a tablet, hacking into the internet with ease. She scrolled through some information before setting the tablet down flat on the table, a 3D diagram of the mansion showing on top of the screen.

“There are three floors to this mansion, a basement, the first floor, and the second floor. Most likely, Henry will either be in the basement or the first floor.”

“Why the first floor?” Chapa asked and Mika tapped her own forehead.

“Don’t you remember? Drex said that DeVil had taken Henry down to the basement when he attacked her. Therefore, she was originally keeping Henry and Drex on the first floor.”

The kids nodded, doing their best to remember all the details of Drex’s story.

“So, here’s what we’re going to do.”

Chapter Text

Silently, DeVil stood in a dark room, monitors being the only lighting in the room. In front of her sat one of her many goons, watching all the monitors for any sign of struggle, revolting, or fights. Her gaze flickered up to the corner monitor, the camera showing the dirty blond still resting peacefully on his back.

Despite liking the young man’s spunk and spirit, she knew that it would eventually end up being no good to her or her collection. If anything, he would only cause more problems than what he was worth.

“Drex,” she purred and the man moved closer to her, his gaze following hers to the monitor. “I think today will be the day that Henry will finally allow himself to be altered,” she murmured, tapping her forehead slightly, and the man nodded, not responding other than the simple gesture.

“You don’t want him to be changed?” she asked, turning to look at the blue eyed blond man with a raised eyebrow. He glanced down at the floor for a moment, trying to come up with the right words, before looking back at the woman.

“I was starting to like how he was, Madame. What if he loses everything about him? He thinks I’ve lost everything that used to be what defined me.”

“He told you that?” the woman asked, surprised, but he shook his head slowly, almost thoughtfully.

“No but he doesn’t have to. I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at me. It’s like he’s looking at a ghost of someone he used to know.”

“Don’t worry, Drexy. I promise, he won’t lose the parts you enjoy. He only looks at you like that because you came to your senses about me. He hates me. That’s the only thing I’m going to change about him. Soon, you’ll be able to work together and there will be no walls or doors to keep you apart. You’ll like it, I promise.”

The man nodded silently as his gaze landed back on the monitor, watching as the young man stirred on the concrete of his cell.

Mentally, Drex was screaming, yelling, trying everything to break free from his captivity of his own body. ‘ You can’t do this! ’ he yelled at the woman from the darkness of his mind. ‘ He’s perfect the way he is! Please! ’ Drex’s mind-given body slumped into the dark void, hands coming up to press against his face. ‘Please. Don’t take away what makes him who he is. Please. I don’t want to lose him like he’s lost me. I don’t want it. ’

<~~~~~~>

Henry stirred to the feeling of the cold concrete against his bare thigh, his eyes blinking open slowly. He felt around for a second, his movements growing frantic and worried, before he lurched upright. As his gaze swept through the room, it slowly clicked inside of his mind about where he was and what had happened earlier.

Groaning, the young dirty blond man pushed himself to his feet and located his clothes, tugging on his black jeans, mahogany t-shirt, and his black fingerless gloves. Grabbing a hold of Drex’s jacket, he tugged it on and curled up in the corner of the room, staring off in space as memories floated through his mind.

Feather light touches, gentle words, every time Drex told him that he loved the dirty blond young man.

Why’d he ever leave Swellview? Why’d he go off to Dystopia? He had so much good stuff going while he was at home with Ray. Sure, his friends had gone to another country but that hadn’t meant that he had to go as well. He just didn’t want to be left behind. And now? Now, he had ended up alone, left behind by the one person who had truly meant the world to him.

Drex. He had left him behind in more ways than one. First, he left him behind at the Man’s Nest, claiming to want to keep him safe. Then, when the young man had finally caught up to his love, he was left to face the realization that Drex had also left him behind mentally and emotionally. There was nothing left. Nothing to salvage. Nothing to fix. He was gone, replaced by this stranger that wore his face and body.

Half heartedly, Henry picked up the ball nearby, rolling it around in his hands. Tears slipped down his face as, faintly, he began to wish that he’d never come after the blond man, that he’d never fallen in love with him. It was so much easier to hate him; both on his heart as well as his mental stability. If only he could go back to before they had been captured. If he could stop himself from following Drex into that warehouse those several months ago.

A tray of food appeared in his room, a tall glass of water sitting beside it, and the young man stared at it bleakly, almost brokenly. What had Drex done this time to get him another full plate of mashed potatoes and gravy with a minute steak on the side? Most likely nothing, considering the fact that he was now DeVil’s own personal lap dog.

Unbeknownst to him, as he was eating the supper provided, two girls were making their way up the driveway to the mansion, their hands held up and high above their heads in surrender.

<~~~~~>

“This plan will never work,” Chapa hissed as the two girls walked into the bright spotlights, illuminating them against the darkness of night.

“It’ll work,” Mika insisted back and Chapa rolled her eyes, unable to believe that she was a part of the “hostage” plan instead of Bose. Now she understood why Mika chose to leave Miles behind. He and Ray would do just fine without them. But Bose? The dorky, childish sidekick of the group should’ve been in her spot.

“Why didn’t you use Bose instead of me?” she whispered as they watched large men approaching them from the front of the mansion.

“Because Bose would tell them everything. Don’t forget how he willingly became Drex’s hostage almost two years ago,” Mika responded and the red haired girl beside her snorted as the memories flashed before her eyes.

“Okay. Fine. You got me on that one. So, what are we doing again?”

“We’re giving ourselves up so that we can find Henry. Now do you remember?”

She could tell that Mika was growing frustrated with her constant questions but she couldn’t help it. She was nervous and angry that she was so willingly bowing before the person who took Henry in the first place.

“Who goes there!” a voice growled in the group of men that stood around them now, holding guns pointed directly at the two girls.

“I’m ShoutOut and the girl with me is Volt. We’re giving ourselves up! We just want to see Henry again.”

“Step aside,” a woman’s voice rang out and the men parted, allowing the sinister woman to walk through them so that she could stand directly in front of the two girls. She placed a hand on her hip, pursing her lips as she looked them up and down.

“No weapons?”

“None,” Mika confirmed and the woman flicked her fingers, motioning to the goons behind her. They stepped up to the girls and patted them down, checking to make sure that they were not carrying any weapons. After they were cleared, the goons clasped cuffs to their ankles, the chains tethering them to each other.

“You said you wanted to see Henry?” the woman asked and Mika nodded, her face stern and calm.

“We want to make sure he’s still okay. Only god knows what you’ve done to him while he’s been in your custody.”

“You don’t really think I’m that bad, do you?” the woman snickered and Chapa rolled her brown eyes again, clenching her fists tightly.

“We saw first hand how traumatized Henry and Drex were when they got home. We heard everything you’ve done to them. What’s to stop you from doing it again now that he’s trapped in your mansion of torture?” she barked out and the woman laughed, a cold, cruel sound that caused shivers to run up and down the girl’s spine.

“Alright. I’ll take you to Henry.”

The girls followed quietly after the woman, feigning fear in order to play their part to their fullest. Once inside the mansion, they were led to a long hall on the side with several doors lining the hall. The first door was unlocked from the outside by one of the goons and pulled open.

They were expecting many things but seeing Henry eating food solemnly as if it were his last meal was not what they were expecting. He looked up, his eyes widening in recognition, and he stood up quickly, his eyes darting from the girls’ faces to the woman standing behind them.

“You know, Henry, these girls have perfect timing. I wonder what you’d be willing to do in order to keep them alive and unharmed.”

The woman took a tight hold of Chapa’s face, tracing her jawline slowly as if considering something, and Henry’s face tightened into a mask of fear and frustration.

“I think this would be the perfect place for a brand, don’t you?” the woman asked, turning her focus back to the young man, and he clenched his fists tightly.

“What do you want, DeVil?”

The woman released her hold on Chapa and fixed him with a pointed stare, tapping her forehead lightly as if to sign exactly what she wanted from the young hero while the girls watched the whole thing with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Whatever the woman wanted, it couldn’t be good.

Henry’s face fell and he looked down at the concrete for a moment, his fists loosening and his whole body posture releasing the tension it had held just moments before.

“Okay, DeVil. You win. Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Just vow that you won’t harm these two no matter what.”

“Deal,” the woman stated, grinning at the young man as she pointed at the young man, flicking her fingers to motion to her goons. They stepped in and grabbed onto his arms, pushing him out of the room and down the hall to a room at the very end. Chapa and Mika were pushed along, forced to follow after the young hero, their anxiety growing with each room they passed.

They entered the room and Henry hesitated, his brown eyes sweeping through the large room, a couple of chairs setting on the wall closest to him. Opposite of him was a weird chair, multiple metal belts stretched across the front. A machine floated just above the head of the chair, wires and tubes connecting it to the wall behind the chair.

The girls were forced into the chairs against the walls, chains clasped around their wrists and ankles, and Henry was shoved towards the chair opposite of them, the restraints strapped around his chest and stomach while cuffs pinned his wrists to the armrest of the chair.

“Okay, Henry. Time to make you perfect,” DeVil cooed as a man appeared, wearing a lab coat and glasses. In his hands was an IV needle, the tubing connected to the needle also already connected to a bag of pale red fluid.

“What are you going to do to him?” Mika asked rather loudly as the man rolled up the dirty blond’s sleeve.

“Well, you see my dear girls, this bag is full of a special serum that’ll mess with his brain. It’ll leave him confused and dazed and, while he’s like that, we’ll lower the machine over his head. This beautiful machine will wipe his mind and reprogram him to be under my complete and utter control. Never again will he fight me or attempt to run. Every order I give will force him to completely obey,” DeVil stated calmly as she moved to the girls. “Enjoy Henry while you can because soon, he’ll be just like my Drexy.”

The scientist pushed the needle into Henry’s wrist, the sharp prick causing him to flinch as his chocolate-brown gaze locked with Mika’s. For some strange reason, he knew that she was planning something and that giving themselves up was part of it. He just didn’t know how. As he tried to focus his mind, he sucked in a breath, startled by sudden waves of dizziness crashing down on him. He couldn’t remember where he was or what was going on but he did know that it wasn’t something he wanted.

As he stared at Mika, her name began to fade from his mind and he began to wonder why this strange girl was even here. And who was the red-headed girl beside her? She seemed like the type of girl to be a hothead. He gave a sharp jerk against the restraints but they held fast. Was he in some kind of experiment or something? What was happening? And why was he even here?

His heart raced with fear and a cold sweat broke out on his skin.

“Henry,” the girl called to him and he looked back up at her, his eyes unfocused and confused. Who’s Henry? Was that his name?

“Henry, listen, everything is going to be okay. Alright?”

He wanted to nod, to do anything, but in that second, the scientist near him reached up and lowered down the helmet-shaped machine.

“Wait!”

Chapter Text

Mika and Chapa watched in absolute horror as the helmet was lowered over Henry’s face, his dazed brown eyes the last thing they saw before the machinery covered most of his upper face

“Wait!” Chapa yelled, struggling against her restraints in panic. They had a plan! It was supposed to work but how well would it work when Henry would be fighting against them?

The girls shared a look of fear as the woman moved to the side, watching as lights began to flash from inside and around the helmet. Time seemed to stop, standing still, and the girls watched as the young man thrashed around in his restraints, yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs, obviously in a lot of pain.

Then, almost as if he could hear the fear and panic, Miles appeared out of thin air beside them, Ray, Bose, and two other people clutching onto him tightly.

“Captain Man!” Mika cried in relief. “Hurry! Henry!”

The man threw a sharp look towards the still-struggling young man and rushed towards him, knocking the scientist to the side as he basically ran to his favorite ex-sidekick.

“Don’t worry, kiddos. We’ve got you now,” the new girl murmured as she unclasped Mika’s restraints, Bose doing the same for Chapa.

“Charlotte, you came,” the girl responded as she gingerly rubbed her wrists and the woman smiled in response, her face set into a determined look.

“Of course I came. I couldn’t let you guys try to pull this off without me. You’d fail for sure.”

Even though her words stung just a little, Mika could understand her reasoning for saying such a thing. After all, their last plan had failed so bad that Henry had ended back up here and they’d been stuck trying to fix Ray’s failing powers.

“Hey, I’m here too!” a voice interjected and Bose patted the young man on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring grin.

“Of course, Jasper. We’re glad to see you too.”

A shout caught everyone’s attention and they turned towards Henry, watching as Ray all but ripped the helmet off of his head and smashed it easily in his hands. He took off the restraints and the dirty blond slumped into his arms, exhausted and struggling to just stay conscious at the moment.

“Don’t worry, Hen. You’re going to be alright. We’ll get you taken care of in just a moment, okay?” the brunette murmured gently to the young man but he simply fixed him with a confused look, his brown eyes unfocused and dazed.

“Who are you?” he murmured and Ray almost broke down at that one question. DeVil may not have succeeded in fully altering his mind but it was clear that he had lost his memories. Whether or not it would be permanent, only Schwoz could tell them for sure.

“Don’t worry about that now, Henry. Just know that we’re the good guys and we’re here to save you.”

Henry nodded, seeming to understand, and Charlotte and Jasper moved forward, taking the young man from Ray’s arms, supporting them between their bodies. Once he was out of the man’s grasp, piercing blue eyes swept through the room and the super realized that the wicked woman who had caused all this pain and suffering had fled during the confusion of everything going on.

“We’ve got to put a stop to this place once and for all,” the brunette hero growled, fingers clenching tightly into fists as anger coursed brightly through his veins. “We take out DeVil and we save Drex and Henry. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

The kids shared uneasy looks as they glanced over at the now-unconscious dirty blond man, his body coated in sweat and his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

“He was a part of our plan, Ray. We needed him to get out of here. What are we going to do now?” Mika asked and the man’s gaze followed her eyes to the young man, his expression changing from anger to that of plan-making.

“I got it!” he announced, snapping his fingers as his face lit up. “We get Drex.”

“What?” Chapa shouted, her eyebrows rising up in surprise.

“Think about it. Henry loves Drex. Drex loves Henry. No amount of brainwashing can get rid of how they feel about each other. Surely he’d be willing to help save Henry.”

“Woah, woah, woah, back up there cowboy,” Mika stated, raising her hands up to stop him from saying anything further. “We never said that they loved each other.”

“Kids,” the man snorted back, his lips pulling up into a smirk. “I may make a lot of mistakes but I’m not stupid. I’ve known for a while now. But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that we get them safely out and we put an end to this torture house once and for all. Now, are you guys in or not?”

The kids nodded quickly and Charlotte waved to catch Ray’s attention.

“What do we do with Henry? He’s in no condition to fight or travel.”

“Give him to me,” Miles responded, holding out his hands but the brunette man stopped them.

“I’ll carry him. We have to appeal to Drex’s better nature and we can’t if we don’t have Henry.”

<~~~~~>

“Drex!”

He had expected her to be angry for having her plans disrupted, though, secretly, he had been happy to see that the small group of heroes had shown up to save Henry. He wasn’t sure exactly why he was happy that his mistress had her plans wrecked but he was.

Walking into the room where the woman, clad in skin-tight clothing, paced around in frustration, he stood at the door, waiting for her orders. He didn’t expect the slap across his cheek, though. As he straightened back up, he watched the lethal woman continue to fume, her glare dark and cold as it bore down on him.

“This is what you wanted, right? You wanted him to be saved?”

“Madame, I would never wish for anything you want to go awry,” he answered carefully and the woman spat in his face.

“Liar! You let them in, didn’t you? You allowed them to come in here and ruin my plans.”

Cornered and flustered, Drex felt his control slipping, eagerly being grabbed up by the voice in his head that constantly shouted and struggled with him. He liked to believe that the voice belonged to him originally as it seemed to know Henry Hart. On a couple of occasions, he’d even allowed it a bit of freedom over his body so that it could speak to the dirty blond itself.

“I may not have let them in,” the voice growled, using his body as he continued to let go. “But I’m glad they did, you bastardized woman.”

DeVil seemed taken aback, her gaze searching his as the old Drex started to shine through once more.

“It didn’t work on you.”

“What? The brainwashing? The attempts you made to take complete control of me? No, it didn’t. I’m still here, DeVil. And the Drex that you used to control is letting go. He’s letting me take the lead.”

The woman continued to stare at him, unable to comprehend just how wrong this day had turned out.

“I-I don’t understand. Doctor Malcohm, he swore it would remove the original completely,” she mumbled as she began to pace, her hand coming up to press against her forehead.

“Well, he lied.”

“Enough!” she finally snapped and just like that, the old Drex was gone and the obedient one was back. “I will not have this disrespect from you, Drex. It simply isn’t right. Know your place or you will be punished.”

“Yes ma’am,” he responded softly and, in an attempt to show that she meant business, DeVil slapped the blond man as hard as she could. He barely flinched, staring blankly at her like a puppy unsure of what to do.

“I want them captured. All of them. And I want Henry in quarantine. He’s confused and easy to manipulate. If they were to tell him anything, just anything, it could bring everything back.”

“Yes Madame.”

With that, Drex turned and headed out of the room, preparing to fight against the small group of heroes that were obviously trying to save the dirty blond from the fate Drex had suffered.

Chapter Text

“Come on Henry,” Ray muttered as he readjusted his grip on the young man’s surprisingly heavy body. His head lolled back and forth as he simply lay in the man’s arms. It was obvious that the ex sidekick was weak, done in by what he had gone through, but it would definitely help if he could at least try to get a grip on himself.

“Is this our home?” the young man asked, gazing around the halls with glassy, tired eyes, and Ray shook his head quickly.

“No. This is a hellhole. We’re getting you out of here, though.”

“Good. This place looks like shit,” Henry responded and Ray snorted, a sharp chuckle that was mainly caused by the stress of the situation. It would’ve been easier to get Henry out by using Miles but if Schwoz could fix the damage caused by DeVil, he knew that the ex sidekick would be completely pissed that they hadn’t even tried to save Drex.

Pushing past his thoughts, the small group rounded another corner and almost ran right into the blond man that he had just been thinking about.

“Drex? What are you doing here?” Charlotte gasped from somewhere to Ray’s side, and the hero nervously adjusted his grip once more.

Drex’s gaze slipped to Henry, an unreadable look crossing his face.

“Where are you going with him?” he asked, ignoring Charlotte’s question, and the hero swallowed a lump that had been beginning to form. His tone was flat, bland, and almost robotic, and the hero could faintly imagine Henry speaking the same way, looking at them exactly as Drex was doing now if they hadn’t gotten there when they did.

“We’re taking him somewhere safe.”

“Safe? There’s nowhere safer than Mistress DeVil’s mansion.”

“You don’t really mean that, Drex.”

“But I do,” the man responded, crossing his arms, and Chapa stepped forward.

“You don’t. Remember when you came to the Man’s Nest? Henry was just skin and bones and you were so fucked up that any time I used my powers, you had a panic attack. It was all because of what DeVil did. She used Henry as a fuck toy and when you saw how messed up it made him, you took his place. You took care of him and kept him safe. It was you who kept Henry safe, Drex. Not DeVil. I mean, look at him.”

Her gaze flickered to Henry, watching as the young man held his fingers in front of his face and mumbling something about not knowing what they were.

She glanced back at Drex and noted that he was watching Henry too, pity and concern washing over him.

“She did this to him, Drex. She took away something important that made Henry, well, Henry. And she did that to you too. Except, your situation has gone on longer than his. Please. Just come with us. Leave this place with us.”

Drex looked conflicted and uncertain, every fiber in his being begging him to go. Hell, even the voice in his head urged him to do as the girl suggested. But DeVil wouldn’t like it. Still, as he looked at Henry, memories that had been buried and locked up slowly surfaced. Memories of him holding the young man, trying to console him. Memories of the night he came back after being raped, disraught and depressed. Memories of the day he finally forced DeVil to take him to Henry, only to find a half-alive figure with no weight to spare on his body.

Slowly, he let out a breath as he allowed these memories to flow through his brain, bringing alive a part that had died when he had been brainwashed.

“Y-you’re right. I need to leave,” he responded quietly as, finally, the voice in his head became one with his body. He was no longer Drex, the minion of Madame DeVil but once again, Drex, the ex sidekick of Captain Man and the lover of Henry Hart. “She’ll follow you though. You have to take care of her. I’ll take Henry. Anyone can come with me. I’m not exactly sure where you guys are even held up at the moment.”

“I’ll go with him,” Chapa offered and Ray nodded as he gingerly handed the young man over to Drex. “Me too!” Mika stated as she practically bounced over to the smaller group forming.

“I’ll go too. That way, I can keep them out of trouble,” Charlotte murmured before herding the small group down the hall, past the stairs, and out of the mansion. They walked quickly and quietly, attempting to move with the shadows so they wouldn’t be spotted and brought back.

As Drex cradled Henry in his arms, memory after memory flooded through his brain as he allowed the old part of himself to gain complete and absolute control.

“Don’t worry, Hen,” he murmured softly to the boy. “I promised I’d take care of you and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

In response, the young man simply giggled quietly while whispering, “You’re silly.” He booped Drex in the nose and the older simply sighed, reminding himself to tell Henry what he had done whenever he was back to normal.

~~~

Silently, Ray and the remaining kids moved through the large mansion, seeking out their target, the woman who had caused all of the problems they were currently dealing with.

As they approached the door at the end of the hall, Ray perked up to the sound of the woman yelling from the other side of the door.

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” she shouted, angry and nervous, and the hero easily pieced together what she was talking about. They knew that Drex was out of the mansion.

“Well, you tell the guards to find him and bring him back! He’s important, don’t you see? He’s indestructible! He can keep me safe!”

Her temper tantrum was cut short instantly when the group kicked the door in, making a, if he had to admit, very impressive hero entrance.

“DeVil, your days of kidnapping and torturing people are over! You can either give in willingly or we can do this the hard way,” Ray announced, his fists resting on his hips as he stared down the woman in front of him.

“Choose the hard way,” Jasper piped in from behind him. “My fists have been aching to beat someone up.”

At first, DeVil hesitated and for a moment, Ray thought that he was actually going to have to beat her to a bloody pulp before she gave in. Finally, though, she simply hung her head and let out a sigh.

“Prison won’t hold me for too long, Captain Man. When I get out, I’ll catch every single one of you and you’ll regret ever messing with me.”

“I doubt it. Now call off all of your guards. Every single one of them.”

She nodded before tapping something in her ear.

“I am officially calling a Code nineteen, boys. You all are free to go and so are all of my trophies. Let them out of their rooms and go live your lives. Thank you for your service towards me and my mission.”

With that, she tugged the ear piece out and placed it on the table. Ray came up behind her and zapped her with his stun-gun, knocking her out.

“We’ll have to wipe her memory or she will come after Drex and Henry again,” he mumbled, thinking out loud, and Miles agreed quickly.

“Let’s worry about that when we get to it. For now, we need to make sure Henry got back to Schwoz and that Schwoz can actually do something for him and Drex.”

“Right, let’s go.”

~~~

As soon as they had arrived at the apartment, Ray practically threw DeVil on the ground in an attempt to lighten himself up a bit. He dashed through the small area and into the bedroom where Henry lay, sleeping, Drex spooning him in the bed.

“Henry! How is he?” he gasped out, concern building in him at the sight of the unconscious young man.

“He’s fine, Ray,” Schwoz commented from behind him, causing the dark brunette to jump a little. “He’s just resting. I was able to fix his memories. He’s back to himself but he’s very tired. So, Drex got him settled down and he’s getting the rest he needs.”

The hero let out a sigh of relief before slipping his gaze over to the older blond man laying beside his favorite ex-sidekick, fingers gently tracing circles lightly over the pale skin of Henry’s shoulder.

“And Drex?”

“He’s perfectly fine. It seems like he regained his memories on the way here. He’s in complete control of himself.”

“Good. Did you bring the memory wiper?”

Schwoz nodded and went to fetch the machine for Ray while Charlotte gently ushered everyone out of the room, leaving the two alone.

Drex smiled as he watched the door shut softly, his fingers still lightly skimming over the younger’s shoulder.

“Henry, you found me and you saved me. So, I guess that makes us even, huh? I love you and I hope you know that. But I can’t stay here. Living with heroes and sidekicks and having to fight off my villainous side? I can’t. But, I’ll see you again, very soon. And we’ll have fun. I promise.”

With that, he gently pressed a kiss against Henry’s cheek and attempted to memorize every inch of the younger man’s face.

“Until next time, Kid Danger,” he murmured as he quietly slid out of the bed and stalked over to the window. “Stay out of danger.”

He slipped out of the window, leaving Henry resting peacefully, dreaming of Drex and only Drex.