Was it the right choice to leave the government?

It wasn't that he liked working for the General.

He hated it, actually.

It felt unfair to him, and like blackmail.

And it's not like he didn't like being the leader of the Toppats.

He got a great life with boundless riches and- basically anything one could want.

But he still, to this day, 3 whole years after it happened, he was depressed about one of them in particular.

Charles.

He was... Different. Right from the start.

He seemed innocent to the plan to use Henry to get information of the Toppats.

He always tried his best to help Henry, even proving that the pilot is very strong indeed.

And even despite all that, he was still a goofy, funny, 'living his best life' kind of guy!

He was equipped with a big brain and great plans.

Well, some of them weren't... The greatest plans, but surprisingly, no one was every seriously injured by them!

Like his infamous 'crash your helicopter into your friend' trick.

Henry chuckled just thinking about him.

But despite all that, he was still so strong, so brave, so confident, so fiery!

Charles may not have had boundless riches, but he definitely did have boundless badass moments.

He was nimble and flexible, able to jump and shoot at the same time, and so skilled at flying his helicopter he could stop the blades for a few hot seconds and flying it again before they crashed into the ground!

But you can go ahead and forget about anything between you and him, because it's not happening.

Charles was the General's son, and most prized and protected in the bases' eyes.

So... Henry couldn't even get close to that golden pilot without Galeforce shooting him down.

He balled his hands into fists and growled with frustration, then sighed and loosened his fist.

"Sir? Sir, is everything alright?"

Henry slumped his head down on in his arms.

Ellie Rose.

The best friend Henry had, and his Right Hand Lady, who was extremely dedicated and committed to her job.

Maybe she had been a bit... Wacky when they fled the complex, but over time, Ellie... Evolved.

She became much more strict, much more stoic, and much more elegant.

There were probably... At least 25 Toppat men drooling over her.

And Henry could see the appeal.

Elegant style, subtle flirting with some of the boys she walked by, like a wink or an air kiss, and her tight-to-the-body suit, making boys drool even more over her when she walked by.

She caught everybody's attention.

Her bright red hair, her vibrant green eyes, or her elegance as she strutted down the hall with a clipboard and red high heels.

When Henry didn't answer, she seemed to get a bit worried about him and sat down by him, putting an arm over his slumped shoulders.

"Hey, Henry. You have to move on, buddy, it's been 3 years. We've tried everything."

"We haven't tried capturing Charles ourselves... Again?"

"Oh, we haven't now, hm?"

" ... Not tried for the 104th time yet..."

"Henry, you have to get over him! He's gone; focus on the bright side. What about... Girls?"

"I already knew I was gay before, so you'll have to try harder."

"Enby people are pretty neat!"

"No, not enby people...."

"Other boys, even?"

"No. I want Charles. He's the only one I can have."

"Have you tried just- not dating people for a bit? You might actually like it."

"I've done that for 3 years, now, Ellie."

Henry sighed again and got that daydreaming voice back.

"Ellie... I need this guy. I can feel it; he's the one."

"Ughhh! Hen! Look around you! You're the Toppat King! Everyone would want to be with you! There are very many single people out there you could just charm your way into the clan!"

"El...." Henry almost whined. "You don't understand. I need Charles. What do I have to do to explain this to you?"

He turned around. 

"I need this guy! I want to hug him forever, I want to kiss him, I want to suck his-"

"Ms. Rose. Your clipboard," Carol interrupted, handing Ellie a pink clipboard with a piece of paper on it, then walked away.

Henry huffed and turned around, arms crossed, until Ellie gasped, squeaked a bit, then ran over to him as quickly as she could.

"Sir! Sir!" Ellie started to squeal.

"Uhm... Yes, Ms. Rose?"

"I have some very good news for you! The clan just captured Charles and are putting him in a cell as we speak!"

"You're joking."

"I'm not! He crashed near here and everybody jumped to the catch! They thought it would make you happy, so they wanted to tell you very quickly!"

"You mean it? H-He's here, right now?"

"Yup!"

Henry ran to the hallway with Ellie close on his heels, until they saw the pilot being carefully transported through the hall.

Henry was overfilled with joy.

Now, he didn't have to assume that his daydreams were fake!

He could get Charles to have-

"Boss, which cell do you want him in?"

"One of the higher quality ones."

"Got it."

Aww, looks like his headphones got damaged in the crash... Don't worry, little bird, we'll get those fixed up and proper soon!

But Henry just wanted to talk to him, for now at least.

So his headphones could wait until he opened those soft, delicate, kissable lips and started talking.

But the Toppats finally got him, after all these years.

And Henry was never letting him go again.