Y/N first met Ray Manchester the summer of 2022. It felt so long ago, but as she nervously paced back and forth across the tiled floor of the airport, she realized that it actually wasn't that long ago. She remembered working at her local coffee shop in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia, where she lived and slaved every day of her college life. The front door was propped wide open, allowing a humid and sticky breeze to blow through the cozy shop, and the smell of coffee was almost overpowering. 

Pain radiated from her back, spreading down her legs. Y/N had stood on her feet all day, working behind the counter at the coffee shop, and as the time had ticked on, she couldn't wait until she got to go home to her tiny loft and go to sleep. She dreamed about kicking her shoes off, changing out of her grimy work clothes, and slipping underneath the covers, blocking out the whole world for just a few hours. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she deflated slightly. She still had an hour and a half left to work. 

On that particular day, she had scrubbed a hand across her face, looking out at the floor of the shop. A young couple sat in the corner, sipping their iced coffees and chatting quietly amongst themselves. Y/N's heart dipped in her chest at the sight. Her last relationship ended with the man cheating, but she still craved a relationship with the right man, someone who could treat her the way she deserved to be treated. It wasn't fair that all of her past relationships (which were only two, but that didn't matter) ended so horribly. She deserved to be loved the way she loved others: wholeheartedly and intensely.

 Y/N sighed. She didn't even get to kiss any of her past boyfriends. What a waste of time they were. But, were they? She learned what she didn't like in men, and she also had fun when they weren't doing things she hated. That wasn't a waste of time. Right?

As the time drew on, she leaned against the counter. Her mind wandered to her dreams of traveling the world and seeing what every culture has to offer. She loved to read, and the only way she could travel was through the books she threw herself into. She also wanted to see the fashion people wore as she was very interested in fashion and becoming a fashion designer. She was stuck in Lynchburg, though, until she completed her fashion degree with what little money she had back then. 

Suddenly, two men burst through the door, wearing bizarre clothes. The first man was tall and wore blue and yellow clothes, his braided hair matching the colors exactly. The second man had crazy hair and even crazier fingers, one with a drillbit at the end. Panic gripped her heart when they walked straight toward her, grim smiles on their faces.

Y/N knew martial arts, but she had never put them to use outside of practice. Nor did she even want to use her moves outside of class. She slowly raised her hands in front of her, watching as the couple fled from the coffee shop. "How may I help you?" she asked, her voice shaking. She wished she didn't sound so scared. "Our specials today are --"

"We don't want coffee," the man dressed in blue and yellow said. He held a strange device in his hands, and her fingers itched to take a look at it. She knew how to hack into computers because her childhood was very boring and she learned everything she could. She wanted to take a peek at the device in his hands. "We're here for . . ." He turned toward the man with a drillbit in his hand, a confused look on his face. "What are we here for?"

The man rolled his eyes and motioned behind them. Y/N had snuck a glance at the shop phone sitting in front of her, looking so innocent. If only she could reach forward and call 911, but she didn't think the men would be too happy. 

"Right, we're being chased by Kid Danger and Captain Man, and my time machine broke." The man hung his head, and Y/N frowned. Time machine? What in the world was he talking about? "You have to hide us."

"What if I said no?"

"You don't want to say no." The man with the drill started it, sending shivers down her spine. She wished she hadn't said that to him. "Let us back there."

Y/N stood up straighter. "No," she said, feeling a rush of bravery surge through her. "If you guys aren't good, then I won't hide you." She didn't let on that she had no clue who Kid Danger and Captain Man were, though. Hopefully, they were on their way and would get to her very quickly. "I'm sure they will find you, even if you can hide."

As the man opened his mouth, two more men burst through the door. She looked over their shoulders and let out a sigh. "Stop, Time Jerker and Drill Finger," the man with black hair said. He wore a red and blue outfit, with a matching mask on his face. For a second there, Y/N's heart thudded against her chest when she realized that he was handsome, more handsome than she had ever seen before. "You have nowhere to go. Leave this pretty lady alone."

"Really, dude?" the younger guy said, wearing an almost matching uniform. His brown-blonde hair shone in the sunlight pouring through the glassy front. He had a disgusted look on his face. "Everywhere we go, even when we're far away from Swellview, you have to hit on women. It's gross."

"Now's not the time, kid. We have to fight."

Y/N didn't really remember the fight, and the color of the Swellview airport seeped back into her reality. She had sat down while reminiscing about the time she first met him, and her suitcase was situated between her feet. After the fight, Captain Man asked her out on a date, and she happily accepted. However, Captain Man decided not to show, and she was very upset. That was until a man named Ray Manchester saved her from being alone, and they had a great night together. At the end of the night, though, Ray told her the truth: he was Captain Man. He didn't want any secrets between them, especially at the start of their relationship, and while she was surprised, she promised him she wouldn't tell anyone about his secret. 

They continued to have dates until Ray had to leave Lynchburg. When he was leaving, he asked her to be his girlfriend, and she accepted, even though she knew they would be on opposite sides of the United States. He gave her a whiz-watch to keep in touch with each other, but it wasn't enough. It would never be enough to be so far away from the man that she found herself falling in love with. It had been a few months since she last saw him. 

But now she was going to spend Christmas with him. Not spend time talking through the whiz-watch. Not send letters to him through the mail and wait so impatiently for his letter to come. She was going to spend time with him in Swellview for Christmas.

She was excited but nervous. She missed Ray, missed how funny he was, missed how he held her when they danced, missed everything about him. But she was nervous because she had slowly but surely fallen in love with Ray Manchester. She hadn't told him yet, and she was afraid that she would let it slip tonight. Would that be bad, though? She wasn't so sure. 

As she sat there, Y/N watched as two people made their way toward her. The first one was a short guy with a crown of hair around the base of his head, though none of the hair reached the top of his head, and the second was a younger guy with brown hair. "Are you Y/N?" the younger guy asked, standing in front of her. 

"Yes."

"I'm Jasper, and this is Schwoz. We're here to pick you up for Ray."

"I'm Schwoz, from work," the other guy said, sounding nervous. Ray warned that he was sending people to pick her up and that they were the weird ones, but she didn't care. She couldn't wait to get to Junk 'N Stuff. 

The trip didn't take too long, and soon enough, she was walking through the front doors of Ray's junk store. The bell jingled happily above her, but Ray wasn't there. Instead, two girls and a boy, one that looked very similar to Kid Danger, stood there, wearing matching grins. The boy was standing between the two girls, and the one with light brown hair looked like she could be his sibling. The other had dark curls and stood closer to the kid. 

"Welcome," the girl with dark curls said. "Ray is waiting for you downstairs."

She was shepherded through the crowded room and into a different room. Everything was happening so quickly, and she wanted to back out of the date, but she knew that wasn't nice. She allowed Schwoz to push her into an elevator, and the rest of the group got in the elevator with them. She nearly threw up because of the intense elevator, but she didn't. 

Then, it landed, and her heart hammered in her chest. The doors slowly opened, and she gasped when she saw where she was. Many high-tech gadgets lined the walls, and at the far end of the room was a huge computer. However, golden bolts of fabric were draped around the room, and she grinned to herself when she realized that he was trying to fancy up the place for her. And then she saw Ray Manchester standing in the middle of it all, wearing a blue suit, holding her favorite flowers, blue orchids. 

She was sure she looked absolutely horrible since she just got off a flight a few minutes ago and hadn't had a chance to change at all, but she didn't care right now. She let go of her suitcase and rushed toward him, enveloping him in a hug. He held the blue orchids out so she wouldn't smash them. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, and she buried her head in his shoulder. She wasn't sure why, but tears pricked her eyes. She missed him so much. 

A wonderful smell wafted toward her, and she pulled away from the hug. A small table with two chairs sat behind Ray, and two plates full of fettuccine alfredo were on the table. Between the two plates was a vase, and Ray gently placed the flowers in them. Her stomach growled loudly, and she said, "You made my favorite food."

"Yes, yes I did," he said proudly. "Hey, Jasper, take her suitcase to the guest room, will ya?"

"Why me?"

"Because I said so! Everyone else can help you."

As they walked away, Y/N walked over to the computer instead of to the food. "I really want to try this out," she said, running her fingers over the instruments. 

"After dinner."

Ray held his hand out, and she gladly took it. He brought her over to the table and pulled her chair out. She sat down and grinned at him once he took his spot across from her. "How much help did you get when making this meal?" she asked. 

"None."

"Are you sure?"

"Maybe a little."

She laughed, shaking her head. "It looks great. I can't wait to eat it."

They ate and chatted the whole time. She couldn't stop smiling at him, watching the way his smile brought her butterflies or how his eyelashes shone in the artificial light above them. She was enamored by him, and she could feel the love bubbling up within her. If she didn't tell him tonight how she felt about him, she didn't think she would be able to.

Once they finished, Ray got up and grabbed a small box from the computer. He walked over to the table and said, "I know Christmas is in a few days, but I want to give you one of your gifts early."

Y/N remained quiet as she opened the box. A sapphire snowflake necklace glittered in the light, and she softly gasped. "This is gorgeous," she said, looking up at him. "Thank you so much, Ray!"

She slipped it out of the box and unclasped it, wrapping it around her neck. She struggled to fasten it around her neck, so she quietly asked Ray to help her. His fingers brushed the skin on the back of her neck, making her cheeks redden. He clasped it successfully, and she ran her fingers over the jewels. 

Then, he clapped, and the beginning notes of her favorite song, "Every Heart" by BoA, started playing from speakers that she couldn't see. She glanced up at him and saw that he held his hand out. She took it, and he drew her to him. Swaying softly to the music, she pressed her head against his chest, hearing his heartbeat. The sound reminded her that he was human, too, even though he was an indestructible superhero. When she first learned that, she was confused and nervous, but he assured her that he was totally normal. While he was slightly off with that, he was human, and he was amazing.

As her favorite song slowed to a stop, so did they. She stared up at Ray, feeling so excited about everything that was happening. She was so glad that she came to Swellview. "I love you," she whispered to him, her heart hammering in her chest. "I love you, Ray Manchester."

"I love you, too," he said, a wide smile spreading across his face. He pointed above them and his wide smile turned into a grin. "Also, there's mistletoe above us."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Come here."

He leaned forward and kissed her gently. The sapphire snowflake necklace sat around her neck, and the weight of it reminded her that Ray was a good guy. Sure, he had a few flaws here and there, but he loved her, and she loved him. Their love was stronger than the hurt she had in the past and the fact that he was a superhero. That was all that mattered, and she knew that.