A/N: I asked for HD prompts on Tumblr, I got HD prompts on Tumblr.
Anon: Any chance you could write something with the trans ray headcanon? If not how about some good ol friendship stuff between Charlotte and jasper
This is a fic that got way out of control, it was only supposed to be around 500 words and now it's over 1.5k. But I got way too into it. This for the trans Ray headcanon, set before the show, shortly after Drex and Ray had their falling out.
Disclaimer ~ I don't own Henry Danger. (I feel like no one does these anymore. Am I kind of fandom old?)
Ray knew that the fight club probably wasn't the safest place to go. But this was where Drex had spent a lot of his free time. And now Drex was gone, and if this whole superhero gig was going to work out, he needed someone with him who knew how to fight.
But as he walked to the entrance of the gym, he was suddenly hyper aware of the fact that he hadn't exactly had time for a haircut recently. And that his tank top was a bit tight around his chest. And that he had just started T eight months ago - which felt like a long time, but not as long as other people he had met. Ray knew he wasn't exactly passing.
And in a place like an underground fight club that was teeming with hypermasculinity, he knew exactly what he would be met with.
"Oy, this isn't really the type of place you wanna be, sweetheart." Driver, the club enforcer looked him up and down, a predatory gleam in his eye.
"I think I'm fine, thank you," Ray tried to push past him into the garage where he knew most of the members were, only to be stopped by a hand to his chest. He swallowed, suddenly more uncomfortable than he thought he would be today. Comments, he had expected. But not anyone touching him, especially not on his chest.
Thankfully, Driver pulled his hand away once he realized Ray wasn't going anywhere. "Oh wait, I recognize you. You're Swellview's most handsome man this year, aren't you?"
"Not much of a man, though, if I remember correctly," Bolt, the other guard who had been hanging back until now, snorted and crossed his arms, making a point of flexing his biceps.
Well, Ray could play that game, too. He crossed his arms as well, mirroring the taller figure and trying to keep his growing panic at bay. It had been a while since he had to deal with this sort of thing so blatantly. "Yeah, okay, everyone's got an opinion. Can I go in now?"
Driver and Bolt exchanged a look.
"Look," Driver scoffed, before smirking and adding mockingly, "sweetheart."
"Don't call me that," Ray interjected.
Bolt rolled his eyes as he leaned back on the doorway. "Listen, you're not coming in here. We don't let your kind of people in."
"What?!" At that, Ray faltered. "Yo- I- but Drex! He brought me here a few weeks back. He brought me here a bunch of times!"
"Oh, you knew Drex?' Driver snickered. "Was he your boyfriend?"
Ray couldn't help but sharply inhale. His relationship with Drex had always been complicated, even when they were partners, for better lack of a term. But this wasn't a conversation he wanted to have. "You don't know what you're talking about."
Bolt smirked at finally having drawn a reaction out of him. His expression turned even more cruel, if possible. He continued his tirade, ignoring what Ray had said. "Too bad, seems like he was only interested in fucking Captain Man. No wonder the Captain decided to leave him for dead, couldn't deal with that guy trying to jump on his balls."
Of course, everyone in Swellview knew by now. The town was too damned small. The reminder of the fight so soon was painful, but more so was the implication about him. He lunged forward, grabbing at Bolt's collar, who yelped and tried to get out of his reach. "Don't talk about Captain Man as if you know him!"
He barely managed to throw a punch when the sound of a fist hitting the drywall rang through the air.
"Stop it," a deep voice rasped out of the shadows behind the men. Ray swallowed, slowly letting go of the man he had grabbed a hold of as Driver and Bolt's heads swiveled around.
"Who's there?!" Driver called.
A figure stepped forward, the light revealing a tall, heavily-muscled, dark figure with a harsh face and aggressive stance. Even with his hands shoved loosely in the pockets of his sweatpants, he still seemed like he was just gearing for a fight.
I'm indestructible, was all Ray could think. I'll survive.
"Oh, Bork," Driver huffed out a laugh. "It's just you, man. No need to give us a scare like that."
Bork, as he was called, rolled his left shoulder, and it audibly popped. "Right. No need."
Ray didn't even see it when Bork made the first hit.
It was a few days later when Ray finally found Bork again.
"Hey, slow down, man!" he shouted as he ran after the giant of a man who had just exited the gym.
Thankfully, Bork did. "What?" he grunted.
Ray huffed as he slowed down to a stop in front of Bork. "You're not much of a talker, are you?" Ray managed to get out.
At that, the other man's lips twitched in a smile. Bork huffed out a laugh. "Only fools run their mouths."
"Right," Ray nodded understandingly, even if he had no idea what that meant. Was he calling him a fool? "Just wanted to say thanks for the other day. For a second I thought you were there for me, but then you got them and it was like, one hit and they were down, it was so-"
A nonchalant grunt and nod was all Bork gave him before he turned to leave.
"Wait!" Ray cried, now getting frustrated. He had just spent the last three days trying to hunt down this man, the least Bork could do was pay him some attention.
Bork slowly turned back, now looking irritated.
"I've never seen anyone fight like that, even Drex would have a hard time."
Bork grunted an affirmative.
"You used to be in the club." Used to be, because this beautiful man had beat up two of the enforcers and quit for him. "Did he ever…" Ray trailed off. "I don't know, he had that falling out with Captain Man, but did he ever seem like the type to be so aggressive?"
Bork looked down at his energy drink in his hand, as if contemplating. When he finally spoke, Ray nearly fell over.
"You're Captain Man."
"What?! No! No, no, absolutely not," Ray immediately shouted. Bork gave him a look. "No, I'm not."
Bork rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him, and looked away, staring at a bright red fire fire hydrant across the street. "Forget about Drex."
"I'm trying here," Ray bitterly said. He shook his head. "I need a new partner. And I think you're the guy I'm looking for."
"Wow." Bork turned back to him and stared at him with incredulity. "You're still looking for him."
Ray reeled at the accusation. "Am not!"
Bork raised an eyebrow.
Ray looked away. "Okay." He sighed. "Yeah, I get it, you didn't even say his name and I knew who he was." He kicked the toe of his shoe into the ground. "Maybe I am. Looking for him, I mean. Trying to find someone like him. But Drex was my first friend. And he stuck around after I came out, when a lot of guys wouldn't have. I want to have that again. But until that happens, I…." Ray looked back at Bork. Oh, what the heck. "I need to keep Swellview safe, and I can't do that if someone can't fight."
"Then learn," Bork said. "I don't want to be a superhero."
"Sidekick," Ray mumbled, cutting him off.
"Worse," Bork snorted, and then continued. "But I'll teach you. Deal?"
Ray stared at the dark hand stretched out before him. He hadn't thought he would actually find anyone. When he started the search for a new partner, a part of him knew he wouldn't open up and replace Drex anytime soon. And maybe that was a good thing, that no one else in his life would be another Drex.
But Ray had to trust again. And Bork was a good guy. He had defended him. Drex…admittedly would have laughed it off, telling Ray to take the joke.
Yeah, Drex had stuck around, but he wasn't that good at being a friend.
But maybe, there was someone else who could be.
Ray took Bork's outstretched hand. "Deal."
A/N: Not what I usually write, but fun all the same. I'm trying to finish up some works in progress for this fandom, so hopefully you'll see a few more works by me soon. Hope you enjoyed this in the meantime!
Also, as I am not trans myself, I did consult with a trans friend on this piece. However, I acknowledge that I might have totally gotten things wrong or written something offensive. If that's the case, please message me! I will work to fix it as soon as possible.
Other than that, please favorite and review!